It’s the 25^th Century. Mankind has left planet earth and expanded throughout the galaxy. Humanity has split up into two different species: On one hand the Homo Sapiens and on the other the highly advanced race of Homo Technicus.

With each generation the number of Homo Sapiens decreases, and by 2820 is  almost extinct. Space pilot Derasi Vorde and his crew are the guardians of the last strain of human DNA and vow protect it at all costs. But when the Homo Technius attempt to destroy the specimen, a battle for the survival of humanity begins.

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Release Date: 21^st May 2012

Cert: TBC

Extras

• Making of
• The Forbidden Saga of Humanity
• Deleted scenes
• Trailer
• Photo Gallery

Post from: SciFind

I will start off by saying there are only a few Star Wars games out there that have really made a lasting impression on me. E.g. the 2004 “Knights Of The Old Republic” on the old XBOX console and the more recent and most successful Star Wars games to date “The Force Unleashed I & II”, with the possibility of a third instalment on its way.

Now back to a more recent release, Lucas Arts have collaborated with Microsoft Studios to develop a game which is aimed at diehard fans, the new generation and Kinect enthusiasts alike.

What we get is a fairly good all round Kinect game. I’ll start by mentioning the story, which is nicely titled (”Jedi Destiny – Dark Side Rising”) section of the game that got me hooked into buying it in the first place, in which you are a padawan learner under the teachings of Jedi master “Mavra Zane”. First you are trained how to deflect laser blasts, defend and attack with your lightsaber. The next part of your training is where master Yoda teaches you to use the force by lifting, deflect and throwing rocks at objects. There is an obstacle course where you have to duck, dodge and jump over swinging logs to reach the end. The good thing about this is that you can use either hand to wield your weapon or use force, which is nice when you are a lefty and are usually restricted to using the right. Also the fluidity and playability is handled very well.

The action kicks off on the Wookie planet (Kashyyyk), with a speeder chase against reptilian people that look a lot like the bounty hunter “Bosk”. You control the speeder with your arms and upper body, which makes you feel you are in in total control. Finally you arrive to help master “Mavra Zane” and the other padawans against wave after wave of battle droids, super battle droids and destroyers whom you can test your lightsaber and force skills on. After a while it does get bit repetitive, and at times you feel that you are not being challenged enough. There are a couple of first person sections of the game where you are pitted against many separatist ships. It doesn’t take many attempts to complete them, even though they can immerse you in the action they just feel like time fillers.

The 2 player mode is fun with your family and friends, the only problems are having to wait for the other player to finish what they are doing so you can move on. Also the senor sometimes won’t pick both players up even when you stand where it asks you to.

The dance section “Galactic Dance Off” is fun to play if you are not too embarrassed to dance in front of others. With established songs rewritten to suit the environment or dancer you have to imitate, it makes for a somewhat entertaining section of the game. The dance moves are amusing if not a little bit repetitive. In the long run I will stick with a sole Kinect dance game for this sort of entertainment.

There is a section called “Rancor Rampage” where you are in control of a Rancor; you start on the planet “Tatooine” where you have to destroy as many buildings as possible along with accomplishing some other little tasks to get to the next round. In this one the moves are a bit clunky, not quite going where you are wanting it to move to. I thought it might be the sensor but it was not the case, this could have been thought out a lot more than it actually was.

One of the better sections of the game is the “Pod Racing”; you have the choice of playing in “Destiny mode” or “Quick play”. “Destiny mode” follows your fame and progression through the races. While “Quick play” is for you to jump straight into a race. It is very much like the speeder chase is the story section in the sense you feel right in the moment which gives you an incentive to keep playing. You will find it difficult to control, so it is essential you run through the tutorial first. Even after that it’s a challenge, which is what I wanted from in the story section. But that’s the way it is.

“Duels Of Fate” is the section of the game where you are up against different adversaries with different strengths, and you have to defeat them all within different time limits to unlock your next opponent. I do like this because with every enemy you defeat the next is always a bit more difficult than the last. I got stuck fighting a character that has to be beaten within 4 minutes, it’s not easy. Some of the characters you are up against are e.g. “Count Dooku”, “Darth Maul” & “Darth Vader” whom I have not unlocked yet. It’s frustrating at times, but still very enjoyable.

My final thoughts on “Kinect Star Wars” are a generally solid piece of game playing, “Jedi Destiny – Dark side Rising” is good fun on single player mode, two player can be ok but I find it can be confusing due to players 1 and 2 can change places even though you haven’t moved at all. Plus you’re always waiting for each other. The Jedi story part of the game is annoyingly too short, making way for stuff that ultimately didn’t need to put in the game. Like the pointless “Rancor Rampage”, and the generic “Galactic Dance Off”. “The Pod Racing” and “Duels Of Fate” are a lot of fun to play, and I could happily play these two for quite a while. In the end if “Lucas Arts” and ”Microsoft Studios” had put more effort into what Star Wars fans wanted instead of trying to cater for a more general game consumer, it would of been a much better gaming experience than it actually turned out to be.

A score of – 6/10.

Post from: SciFind

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That’s what they say on the Cine Asia website. And you know what? This movie is truly EPIC! It is a love poem to martial artistry! And even if you don’t know the original film you’ll soon start to see why this is one of those rare martial art movie gems that you will fall in love with.

The story begins with a fierce battle between General Yang Zongbao and a rival army on the boarders of their lands. With his men, he tries to defend a fortified village. However, the enemy is too strong for him and so Zongbao sends a pigeon to his wife, carrying his good luck charm (a bundle of his wife’s hair) to let her know that he might not come home alive. His wife Mu Guiying is devastated when she finds the pigeon and the hair lock, and the whole family is deeply affected by the apparent death of their male leader. The family receives an Imperial edict that orders Zonbao’s son (making him a leader of a small army) to defend the boarder and regain the village that fell into the hands of the enemy. He is joined by the women of the family who decide it is also their duty to fight. From this point on the film becomes one long battle in which the women of the Yang Clan, each specialized in one weapon, prove that men are not the only fearsome warriors and strategists! Their motivations may differ from the ones the men normally fight for, but these women fight with just as much intensity and lethality.

Before long they face their first battle with the enemy army and from here on you witness the biggest and most beautiful martial arts feast you will have seen for a long time. But don’t fear that this movie is one long meaningless fight…director Jackie Chan has crafted a beautiful storyline with fascinating characters that will keep you interested and glued to the screen. It is a grand spectacle to behold.

I really enjoyed the mixture of funny moments, breath-taking fight scenes and the detailed and colourful costumes. Since I only had the chance to watch this masterpiece as an online stream from the film’s promotional company, so I am sure that it will look even better on DVD and Blu-ray! Sadly I can’t tell you what the extras on those discs will be at this time, but one thing is for sure, Jackie Chan’s Legendary Amazons is an epic masterpiece that you MUST HAVE in your collection! I thought 13 Assassins was the best martial arts movie I had seen in a long time…but Legendary Amazons surely deserves to be on the same top step with it as another epic love poem to martial artistry! Congratulations to Jackie Chan, his move from acting to directing is proving to be just as successful as his on-screen career.

5 out of 5

Post from: SciFind

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Blake's 7: The Merchandise Guide by Mark B Oliver

Published by Telos Publishing

A painstakingly researched love letter to a much mourned series, Mark B Oliver’s book takes the reader through every possible avenue of merchandising around Blake’s 7. From officially sanctioned products to unofficial releases, even abandoned concepts get an airing here.

Every entry is accompanied by a cover or pack shot, which very quickly evokes nostalgic memories if you are of a certain age. I certainly wish I’d hung on to my complete set of Blake’s 7 Magazines all those years ago. It’s a shame the budget can’t stretch to some inner page shots of the magazines and annuals, but if you want to see those, that’s what collectors’ fairs and Ebay are for.

You certainly have to feel sorry for Marvel who signed the deal for the official Magazine just as the final season of B7 was going into production, though as Oliver notes, the question is how they kept it going for 23 issues after that. This book might benefit a little more from Oliver’s personality, but I assume he has set out to deliver a carefully compiled, objective guide.

Appendices with contributors such as Chris Boucher and Trevor Hoyle do add extra colour and interest for the reader, and the tales of unrealised merchandising are truly fascinating, especially Kevin Davies’ planned multi-track video documentary, which was apparently filmed but never released. The campaign to see that starts here.

Post from: SciFind

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Returning from China, Marco Polo is given a stone by the Chinese Emperor after successfully establishing trading relationships with the country. Unknown to Marco, the stone unlocks the gates to the dragon world. When Marco is attacked on his journey, and the stone stolen, two fire-spitting dragons are released, bent on killing Marco and his companions. A merciless fight between man and beasts is about to begin…

The film stars James Hong (Bladerunner, Balls of Fury) and Federico Castelluccio (The Sopranos, A Guide to Recognising Your Saints).

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Post from: SciFind

TRUE BLOOD: THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON released on DVD and Blu-ray on 21 MAY 2012

Mixing romance, suspense and mystery with a taste for humour, TRUE BLOOD: THE FOURTH SEASON takes place in the not-too-distant future. Vampires have ventured out of the coffin thanks to the invention of a synthetic blood drink meaning they no longer need humans as a nutritional source – but is that enough to stop everyone?

In the latest spell-binding series, Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) finds herself entangled in a supernatural love triangle where she must decide between Bill (Stephen Moyer), the new Vampire King of Mississippi and Eric (Alexander Skarsgård), who is not the Viking he once was. However, are there bigger dilemmas on the horizon? When a charismatic Witch named Marnie (Fiona Shaw) threatens to overpower the Vampires once and for all, her Coven of white witches and mediums tempt Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis), Tara (Rutina Wesley) and Jesus (Kevin Alejandro) with other worldly powers.

Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) tries to adjust to domestic life with Hoyt (Jim Parrack), while Jason (Ryan Kwanten) finds himself alone in werepanther territory. Can Arlene (Carrie Preston) and Terry (Todd Lowe) come to terms with their unusual baby and will Alcide (Joe Manganiello) need to free himself from the clutches of an old flame? The latest series of True Blood welcomes a host of mystical new characters including witch Marnie Stonebrook (Fiona Shaw), Sam’s sexy new friend Luna Garza (Janine Gavankar) and coven-follower and fellow waitress Katerina Pelham (Alexandra Breckenridge).

As old alliances crumble and new relationships form, Season 4 of True Blood proves that nobody’s safe when there’s magic in the air.

True Blood is the addictive TV series from Emmy® and Oscar® winning creator Alan Ball (Six Feet Under), drawn from the meticulously crafted world of novelist Charlaine Harris. True Blood caused a sensation from the first episode of season one and the latest instalments only build on the colourful life of the supernatural eccentrics.

BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE SPECIAL FEATURES

• True Blood Lines (Interactive Guide)
• Character Perspectives (Enhanced Viewing Feature)
• Flashback/ Flash Forward (Enhanced Viewing Feature)
• Vampire Histories/Character Bios (Enhanced Viewing Feature)
• Enhanced Viewing on 12 episodes

BLU-RAY & DVD SPECIAL FEATURES

• 6 Audio Commentaries
• True Blood: The Final Touches
• Inside the Episodes

Post from: SciFind

Double Dead Bad Blood

But just out in the Bay in the abandoned fortress prison of Alcatraz, a ketamine-snorting cult of New age weirdoes who eat the flesh of the zombie as some kind of grotesque communion bring a new threat to Coburn’s continuing existence – super zombies!

After his rip-roaring debut novel, Double Dead , the inimitable Wendig has returned to his world turned upside by the zombie apocalypse, in which a lone vampire finds himself protecting a terrified remnant of mankind. Or ‘lunch’, as he prefers to think of them.

Irreverent, bloody, and darkly humorous, Bad Blood goes for the throat from the first sentence and is another exclusive ebook novella from Abaddon Books.

About the Double Dead Series

You’re a vampire and you’ve just woken up. You’re hungry. It’s time to feed. The problem is that while you’ve been napping, the zombie apocalypse has broken out – and your food source is rapidly dwindling! This is the freshest new concept in the undead – Double Dead. Coburn the vampire becomes an unlikely shepherd with a shotgun as he tries to look after his last remaining food supply in the face of a zombie onslaught. A thrilling chase across a zombie-infested America – with a twist – Wendig’s first novel is a fantastically entertaining, blood-thirsty, brain-guzzling first novel.

About the Chuck Wendig

Chuck Wendig is a novelist, screenwriter and self-described ‘penmonkey.’ He sold his first story when he was 18. after working in the computer and role-playing game industries, he began scripting TV and film projects, including a horror film script which won him a place at the prestigious Sundance Screenwriter lab 2010. He currently lives in the wilds of Pennsyltucky with a wonderful wife and two very stupid dogs.
www.terribleminds.com

Post from: SciFind

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Well this week excitement gripped me as all that changed and the man of many parts Mr. Tony Hawks spared humble little me some of his time. Tony, if we remember from last weeks article, has played everything from a suitcase to Caligula.

Tony Hawks - Image from http://www.tony-hawks.com/

Hi Tony and thanks for talking to Scifind. How did you first become involved in Red Dwarf?

Ed Bye saw me compering at Jongleurs comedy club in Jongleurs London and asked me to come and do the warm ups for the series. So much went wrong with the first recording that I was on nearly all the time! They told me that I saved the day, and as a result they used to find me little parts – as a way of saying thank you.

Of all the characters you played or voiced which is your favourite?

Hard question, I enjoyed all of them but I suppose Caligula. When I was in that role Craig Charles just couldn’t control himself and kept cracking up. We had lots of fun doing those scenes

Do you have a favourite episode?

I liked “Better than Life” a lot. You should write about that one!

Do you have any happy memories of filming you would care to share?

Struggling with the warm up in the first show. Realising that I’d nearly used up every bit of material that I’d ever done and looking at my watch and seeing that it was 8.15. the recording finished at 10!

Were your parts heavily scripted or was there room for you to make your own mark on them?

To be honest, they were pretty much all worked out and there wasn’t much room for improvisation – much as I like working like that

Are you back in any capacity for series X?

No. Ed and the guys were trying to find a part for me – but the only thing they could find was too small, so I politely said ‘no’. I really do wish them luck though and look forward to seeing the show as any other fan is.

Thanks again Tony, Where can your fans catch you in performance at the moment? What’s coming up?

I’m in a new film coming out, I believe you mentioned it last week, details can be found on the website www.moldovansmovie.com. and I have a UK tour coming up, starting on June 21st. more details can be found on the site.

So, there we have it. Words from one of the unsung heroes that keep the good ship Red Dwarf going. Although its a real shame Tony wont be in series X, he is still fond in our hearts and always in my DVD player.

Post from: SciFind

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Cthulhu: The Wasted Land

The game has launched today on the AppUpSM center globally in time for RPC Germany international RPG event on the 5th and 6th May. The games developers are at the event taking new gamers through their first steps to insanity. The Intel AppUpSM center is free to install and the PC version of the game runs in widescreen and has been optimised to run on laptops, Ultrabooks and desktops including support for Windows 7 touchscreen powered PCs.

The PC version has been supported by the Intel AppUpSM developer program which means the release today has been translated into German, French, Italian and Spanish. Sanatoriums and asylums worldwide have been put on notice to expect an increased demand.

If you are new to this cult title, it is an indie turn-based strategy RPG inspired by the works of pulp horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. The game was developed in co-operation with Chaosium, the publishers of the cult horror role playing game, Call of Cthulhu. The game features nine 3D levels set in the trenches of World War One. In ‘The Wasted Land’ the player uses their team of investigators to uncover a deadly inhuman conspiracy underlying the Great War. Barbed wire, mustard gas and machines guns will prove to be the least dangerous thing that the investigators will encounter as they venture out into No-man’s Land to solve the mystery of the Wasted Land. As the game progresses, the player can build up the skills, weapons and equipment of their team. Key to the game is Sanity; the investigators must guard their minds against the myriad horrors that threaten to send them into the mouth of madness.

To stay in touch with the developers and get updates on the game, help and strategy guides and more, connect to Red Wasp Design on Facebook, Twitter (@redwaspdesign) and on their site at redwaspdesign.com

Post from: SciFind

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There was a minor comeback with “Back to Earth” in 2009, but we are promised more episodes of classic Dwarf tales this time filmed in front of a live studio audience.

Red Dwarf 10 cast, left to right. Danny John Jules, Chris Barrie, Craig Charles, Robert Llewellen. (photo courtesy of Grant-Natlor via http://llewblog.squarespace.com/red-dwarf)

In that audience in January for a 3 hour stint of seeing it made (a hard job some people have eh?) was Science Fiction comedy specialist and author Ruth Wheeler. I spoke to Ruth today and here is a quote from her….

I have loved Red Dwarf since I was very little. It’s universe is a cosmos of infinite possibilities, humor and characters that you can really relate to and it holds so much appeal to me that the characters are definitely an influence on my own work as a comedy science fiction writer

DAVE along with the cast, crew, and anybody attached to Red Dwarf are keeping very silent about storylines and what we can expect, but I do know that with Danny John Jules and co in one room together there will hilarity to spare.

Chris Barrie said recently “I think we have done some of the best Red Dwarf scenes ever. I am really looking forward to seeing what the fans think”

Red Dwarf X starts on DAVE in the autumn with a December date scheduled for the DVD release (Dear Santa, Plllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaassssssssssssseeeeeeeee????)

Expect classic, quotable Red Dwarf humour on your box soon, complete with Smeg up’s I hope.

Ruth Wheeler is the author of such science fiction books as All Aliens Like Burgers, Do Aliens Read Sci-Fi and the Truxxe Trilo Trilogy for Hirst Books.

Post from: SciFind

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