A suspense and action movie from 2021 has been transformed into a classic fighting game where an unsuspecting guy ends up in an abandoned theme park and has to fight his way out alive.

Willy’s Wonderland – The Game is a 2.5D beat ‘em up game based on the film of the same name, in which a group of Animatronics come to life and slaughter people who dare visit Willy’s Wonderland.

Players take control of either The Janitor or Liv as they face the hordes of evil commanded by the nefarious Animatronics – Tito Turtle, Siren Sara, Arty Alligator, Cammy Chameleon, Willy Weasel and more.

The player can play in cooperative mode with another player and can try different combinations of punches and kicks to perform different combos and make use of special techniques and powerful abilities to get rid of Willy and his henchmen.

The game had a first version released for mobile devices in 2021 that is no longer available for smartphones. But now, the game is coming back revamped for PCs and all modern consoles for a big-screen gaming experience.

Willy’s Wonderland – The Game it’s released TODAY for PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Playstation 4, Playstation 5 and Nintendo Switch.

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Sixty four years before The Hunger Games, as we know it from the book and films there was the young Coriolanus Snow.

In a post-war Capitol Coriolanus is the last of his lineage. A high status family struggling to survive.

At age 18 Coriolanus is assigned as a mentor to a tribute in the 10th annual Hunger Games ceremony.

Lucy Gray Baird hails from District 12. A poorer settlement that is more in tune with nature than what goes on in the Capitol.

Pulled from her village, she is caged with the rest of the Tributes to participate in the lethal games.

Using her voice as her weapon, Lucy wins hearts and favours through her songbird-like singing.

And she wins the heart of her mentor.

But not all is what it seems and not what was expected plays out in the two and a half hour film of twists and betrayals.

The Hunger Games Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is adapted from the book and gives us an insight in to how the Hunger Games started and why.

It also takes us back to what caused Coriolanus to evolve in to the tyrant he would later become.

The Hunger Games Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a lengthy sit through and could have easily been two films. Some parts of the story are briefly touched upon that I felt could have been explored a bit more.

If you loved the prior trilogy of films, then Songbirds and Snakes is a definite watch.

If you’re yet to submerse yourself in to the elegant beauty and raw brutality that is The Hunger Games, start with The Hunger Games Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

The post The Hunger Games Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Lionsgate – 2023) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Based on the extraordinary character at the center of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl’s most iconic children’s book and one of the best-selling children’s books of all time.

“Wonka” tells the wondrous story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today.

From Paul King, writer and director of the “Paddington” films, David Heyman, producer of “Harry Potter,” “Gravity,” “Fantastic Beasts” and “Paddington,” and producers Alexandra Derbyshire (the “Paddington” films, “Jurassic World: Dominion”) and Luke Kelly (“Roald Dahl’s The Witches”), comes an intoxicating mix of magic and music, mayhem and emotion, all told with fabulous heart and humor.

Starring Timothée Chalamet in the title role, this irresistibly vivid and inventive big screen spectacle will introduce audiences to a young Willy Wonka, chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time—proving that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you’re lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible.

Simon Farnaby (“Paddington 2”) & Paul King wrote the screenplay, based on a story by King and characters created by Roald Dahl. Michael Siegel, Cate Adams, Rosie Alison and Tim Wellspring are serving as executive producers. King’s behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Chung-Hoon Chung (“Last Night in Soho,” “Ah-ga-ssi”); Oscar-nominated production designer Nathan Crowley (“Tenet,” “Dunkirk”); editor Mark Everson (the “Paddington” films); Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming (the “Paddington” films, “Topsy-Turvy”); and composer Joby Talbot (the “Sing” films). Neil Hannon of the band The Divine Comedy is writing original songs for the film.

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents, in Association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Heyday Films Production, a Paul King Confection, “Wonka,” set to open in theaters and in IMAX internationally beginning in December 2023 and in North America on December 15, 2023; it will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

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Where the Crawdads Sing is the film adaption, based off best selling novel by Delia Owens.

The title comes from Kya Clark, the main character of the story’s interpretation of the phrase “where the crawdads sing”. It means far in the bush where critters are wild and still behaving like critters, or a place to embrace nature removed from people and society.

We first see Kya as a young girl, also known as The Marsh Girl by the residents of Barkley Cove. Living in a modest hut on her own after being abandoned by every member of her family. Torn apart by their drunken, abusive father.

Not only is she completely alone to fend for herself, she is also shunned from society for being a peculiar girl.

This is a story of triumph and strength. Kya’s way to survive the world is by finding sanctuary in a place free of discrimination, where nature’s laws rule and freedom means risking everything.

She is introduced to a new and starling world when she is drawn to two young men from town.

When one of them is found dead, it quickly turns into a murder trial with Kya being the main suspect. As the case unfolds, the verdict as to what happened becomes increasingly unclear, threatening to reveal many secrets.

Even though the way it answers its central mystery can be a little frustrating, Where the Crawdads Sing is still a really good drama that has performances and visuals strong enough to keep you engaged from beginning to end.

I must have really enjoyed watching this, as it left me wanting to read the book!

The post Where the Crawdads Sing (Sony Pictures – 2022) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Game to movie adaptions can be a little hit and miss.

There’s been good, there’s been really bad and then there’s excellent.

Last years Mortal Kombat film redo was just wow and now Sony are jumping in porting their triple A  Uncharted game franchise from Naughty Dog on to the big screen with real life actors.

Taking bits from the games (Uncharted, Uncharted 2 and Uncharted 3 as well as Uncharted: The Lost Legacy) we begin at the beginning.

A young Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) is with his older brother Samuel in an orphanage run by some very strict Nuns.

Their parents are presumed dead, missing, but a Drake will be a Drake and the two brothers get themselves in too much trouble.

Nathan, called Nate, and his brother are split up and the older Drake runs away before he can be taken by the law.

Years pass and Nate begins a path of his own – not exactly an honest one.

He catches the eye of an older, sly treasure hunter called Sully (Mark Wahlberg) and enlists Nate to help him steal an artefact from an Auction House.

The two eventually team up in search of an ancient Spanish treasure, lost within the smaller islands of the Philippines.

The duo become a trio as Chloe Fraser (Sophia Ali) joins in the hunt, but they aren’t the only ones looking for the treasure.

A wealthy and ruthless businessman called Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas) hires mercenaries to locate the treasure, which he believes his is family’s rightful fortune.

What plays out is a lot of double crossing and action to the likes of high adrenaline moments in the games.

The writers have done a fantastic job of incorporating the lore and memorable gaming moments in to the film.

There’s even a shout out to Indiana Jones and Nolan North, who voices Nathan Drake in the games has a small cameo.

Myself being a fan of the games and having played through all of them watched Uncharted and loved it. For the PlayStation gamers out there who are on the fence about seeing Uncharted, it’s worth it, appreciate it for what it is – an action flick that’s loyal to the games’ series.

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Telltale announced today that it has partnered with award-winning development studio, Deck Nine, and Alcon Interactive Group to create The Expanse: A Telltale Series.

Based on the popular Amazon Prime sci-fi television series, the story-driven interactive game was revealed with a world premiere trailer tonight during The Game Awards broadcast.

The Expanse: A Telltale Series is the first new IP to be announced by Telltale since the company re-formed in 2019. The game is being co-developed with Deck Nine, the award-winning studio behind the critically acclaimed Life is Strange: True Colors. Telltale also previously announced it is in production on the sequel to The Wolf Among Us.

“One of our driving forces is to empower other creative voices to tell their stories in the manner of previous genre-defining Telltale games,” said Jamie Ottilie, CEO of Telltale. “We are such fans of the work Deck Nine has done and were searching for an IP we could create stories in together. The Expanse is a rich world both studios are really excited to explore.”

Set hundreds of years in the future, The Expanse TV show is based on a series of novels by James S.A. Corey, the pen name of authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, who also serve as writers and producers for the show. Humanity has colonized the Solar System, with tensions rising between the three primary factions of power. The series follows a group of protagonists representing the “Earthers”, “Martians”, and “Belters” as they uncover and become involved in a conspiracy that threatens the fragile balance. Kicking off its sixth and final season on Amazon Prime this week, The Expanse has received critical praise for its visuals, character development, and political narrative.

The Expanse: A Telltale Series is set prior to the events of the TV series. Players take on the role of Camina Drummer (played by actress Cara Gee in both the game and TV series), the leader of a ragtag scavenging crew on the hunt for a mysterious treasure on the edges of The Belt. As Drummer, players must work with a mix of big personalities, square off against a bloody mutiny, explore locations beyond the belt, and, most of all, make tough decisions that will decide the fate of The Artemis spaceship and its crew.

“Working with a fantastic IP like The Expanse is both daunting and thrilling,” said Jeff Litchford, COO for Deck Nine. “We wanted to pick a character and story that hadn’t already been told – one that players could really influence but that also stayed true to the books and series for the fans. The collaboration with Telltale has enabled us to bounce around ideas and approach things from the different perspectives each company brings to the adventure genre as we work to tell the best story possible.”

“The Expanse is a deep world full of political nuance and complex characters that evolve yet are flawed; it’s been such a joy to be able to delve into the individual side stories throughout the books and six seasons of the show,” said George Collins, President of Alcon Interactive Group. “Collaborating with two of the most prominent studios known for their work in narrative games is exciting, and we are confident The Expanse is in good hands. There is so much left to explore in new ways and we plan to do so as long as the fans keep showing up.”

The Expanse: A Telltale Series is currently in the early stages of production and is expected to be released for PC and leading consoles.

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I’ll admit I had different very expectations going into this title. It’s a cinematic visual novel as per its own description.

Route 59 Games takes graphic novels in a new direction with releases on PC and Nintendo Switch. While they say never judge a book by its cover and all that, I was initially interested in this game merely from reading the title.

As I am a fan of both coffee and the macabre, I was intrigued to further investigate this bizarrely named creation.  While few things these days are aptly named, I was pleasantly surprised that this visualized novel was well encompassed by the title.

It features a strange coffee shop set in Melbourne’s back alleys that is run by a necromancer that hosts the recently departed.

The general themes of this creation are that around death, acceptance and human emotion flavoured with a bit of humour and supernatural elements.

The rather unique concept of café in Melbourne that servers as both an actual café and halfway house for recently deceased before moving on is bizarre enough in its own right to, at the very least, provide enough intrigue to investigate further.

Necrobarista, while launched as a cinematic graphic novel is also presented as a game.

This label, I would have to say, is a less apt description. It certainly has loading screens and some segments allowing the audience to walk around the scene but on completion I feel uncomfortable using the term ‘played’.

There are other small aspects that provide some level of interaction, such as moving the scene along or effectively turning the page. Necrobarista does also have ‘key word’ interactions that allows the audience to get that little bit more information or a snide comment or remark on the given interactions between characters or topics of conversation.

This great concept is implemented in such a manner that it is not overbearing but simply there and can be ignored or accessed at your leisure. This design feature interlaces artfully with the written dialogue and provides some level of interaction with the story.

I did find myself snorting into my coffee with some of the comments, admittedly some of the amusement is based on having some knowledge of Melbourne but I feel anyone could enjoy this feature equally without the background information. So, while the term game is a bit of stretch Necrobarista certainly has an interaction capacity that can also be ignored for a more cinematic experience.

Necrobarista certainly leans more into the graphic novel side of things than the cinematic side as all the dialogue is text only.

However, is it nicely supported by an adequate array of well-crafted soundtrack that never feels jarring or out of place.

Although admittedly, when playing numerous consecutive hours appears less diverse than initially identified but nevertheless works well with the chosen scenes and is spaced out well enough to avoid those annoying loops that get on your nerves pretty quickly.

One complaint is there are some segments where the dialogue is on a background that makes it impossible to read subtracting greatly from the given scene. While I enjoy the light overlay of necromancy and the running of a barista the ‘game’ focuses heavily on human interaction and human emotion, so to have sections of meaningful conversation lost to poor placement on screen is both frustrating and breaks emersion.

Thankfully this issue isn’t present for large segments of the story, that however doesn’t make them any less annoying when they do appear.

Visually the ‘game’ also leans more heavily towards the graphic novel style.

It hasn’t gone for high end graphics or style but the art style still works well with the chosen topics and direction the developers have taken for this particular story.

You may have noticed I have avoided using the term player as Necrobarista is more directed at an audience however it has a few minor sections that allow low level interaction, I’d still be hard pressed to call this a game as you more experience it than play it.

That however does not in any capacity subtract from what this title has to offer. I greatly enjoyed the setting, the art style, characters, and the universe in which this story is set.

I love stories, be it; movies, anime, novels, graphic novels, or story heavy video games and this converges on all those mediums while not strongly claiming any one in particular. I feel the biggest obstacle to enjoying this title is having the right expectations going in.

If you were looking for a game about making coffee drinking zombies, you might be disappointed but if you are looking for a uniquely presented story about death, coffee and peculiar intersecting events you won’t be disappointed at all.

The post Necrobarista (Switch) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The zombie apocalypse has arrived and it’s time to prepare for an epic battle.

Outright Games together with Atomic Cartoons (the Kids and Family Division of Thunderbird Entertainment), and development studio Stage Clear Studios have today launched The Last Kids on Earth and The Staff of Doom.

The production partnership is managed by Atomic Cartoons’ worldwide agent for merchandise, licensing and video games, Cyber Group Studios.

In The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom, fans can immerse themselves in an all-new story, exploring the massive town of Wakefield and taking on hordes of zombies.

Play as the series’ legendary heroes Jack, Quint, June and Dirk, as they search for the missing pieces of the ultra-powerful ‘Staff of Doom’ and try to overcome Malondre, the Queen of the Slime Monsters, as she seeks to summon Rezzoch, the Ancient Destructor of Worlds. Players will be able to jump into 1-4 player offline couch co-op mode, which will soon be followed by a patch that will add online multiplayer functionality later this year.

Terry Malham, CEO of Outright Games: ‘’It’s been an incredibly exciting adventure for us becoming a part of The Last Kids on Earth universe. We’ve had the best time working with author Max Brallier and Atomic Cartoons on transporting the amazing characters from the books and TV into an action-packed zombie adventure that’s fun for all the family. We hope players will enjoy it as much as we do.’’

The brand-new game is based on The Last Kids on Earth award-winning animated series from Atomic Cartoons and the books from Penguin Random House, which has sold more than seven million copies in print around the world, in addition to being named to numerous best-selling book lists such as The New York Times, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal.

The first full-color graphic novel, “Thrilling Tales from the Treehouse” published this past April and the seventh installment in the 6 series, THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH AND THE DOOMSDAY RACE publishes September 14, 2021.

Max Brallier, Author of best-selling book series, Netflix Series Creator: “As a lifelong gamer, bringing The Last Kids on Earth to life on consoles and PC is an absolute dream come true. Atomic Cartoons, Cyber Group Studios, Outright Games, and Stage Clear Studios have been incredible partners – and I believe we’ve managed to create something truly special. I’m incredibly excited for fans to interact with the world of Last Kids in an entirely new way – as their favorite characters!”

In addition to the best-selling books, Atomic Cartoons partnered with Brallier on an animated Last Kids Netflix series, which premiered in 2019 with a 66-minute special that won an Emmy Award for “Best Special Class Animation Program.”

It was followed by two additional seasons in 2020, and a special interactive episode entitled “Happy Apocalypse to You,” which started streaming on April 6, 2021. To produce the interactive episode, Atomic Cartoons leveraged interactive Netflix technology that requires viewers to make choices using their remote control to advance the story.

The animated series features the voice talents of Mark Hamill, Rosario Dawson, Catherine O’Hara, Keith David, Bruce Campbell, Garland Whitt, Montse Hernandez and Charles Demers, in addition to Nick Wolfhard voicing the lead character Jack Sullivan. Wolfhard, Hernandez, Whitt and Demers will also voice their characters in the upcoming video game.

The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom is available now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox and Steam.

The post THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH AND THE STAFF OF DOOM’ RELEASES appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

 dj2 Entertainment and Terrible Posture Games today announce they’re partnering to adapt videogame 3 out of 10 for television.

Touted as the first episodic playable sitcom, Terrible Posture’s 3 out of 10 focuses on the antics at Shovelworks Studios as its team of eccentrics struggles to make a game that scores higher than a 3 out of 10.

New hire, Midge, has to adapt quickly to a workplace that includes office-wide battle royales, caffeine-fueled dimension-hopping, knife-wielding drones, and an alien creature in the freezer.

3 out of 10’s first “season” pioneered a new form of interactive storytelling, releasing new episodes for free on a weekly basis while giving players full control to fast forward, rewind, select scenes, and more. The innovative blend of story and gameplay, alongside ferociously funny writing and a memorable cast of game-dev misfits,  passed 9 million users across PC, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox consoles.

3 out of 10’s second season debuted April 8, 2021 on the Epic Games Store for PC as a bingeworthy collection of all five episodes.

“As game developers, we wanted to celebrate this wacky industry we love in a way even non-gamers can appreciate,” said Joe Mirabello, Creative Director at Terrible Posture Games. “To that end, our game industry satire has story, characters, jokes, and pacing informed by sitcom traditions. We’re so excited that dj2 shares our long-term vision for it.”

“There’s never been a cross-media property quite like 3 out of 10,” adds dj2 CEO Dmitri M. Johnson. “Having just produced the first interactive AI reality show for Facebook Watch, we’re thrilled to be developing the first interactive sitcom for TV. Sustaining humor in games is tough – Terrible Posture nailed it.”

dj2, producers of 2020’s critically acclaimed hit, Sonic the Hedgehog, and its upcoming sequel, is also in pre-production on an animated Tomb Raider series and is developing a TV adaptation of Disco Elysium.

The post 3 out of 10 Being Adapted for Television appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

It’s fair to say that movies based on video games get a fairly bad rap, as they tend to be limited on narrative and rarely attract big name actors.

Although there are arguably exceptions to the rule such as Need for Speed, Tomb Raider and Resident Evil, critics rarely rate any such movie above 2.5 out of 5 stars.

However, much like the Oscars I believe that such reviewers often ignore one important factor and that is whether they meet the expectations of the target audience. Do fans of Need for Speed expect a deep meaningful story for surely if they did, how on earth did the movie franchise make over US$4B?

In the case of this reboot of the 1995 movie Mortal Kombat, I felt not only did it meet my expectations but absolutely exceeding them.

Lewis Tan (Wu Assassins and Into the Badlands) plays the main role as Cole Young, whilst Tadanobu Asano (Thor and Thor: Ragnorak) was Lord Raiden, Joe Taslim as Sub-zero, Chin Han as Shang Tsung and Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi (47 Ronin and The Wolverine).

The movie started with the origin story of Hanzo Hasashi, I won’t say exactly who he is (if you don’t know already) as I don’t want to give spoilers but it was a great way to introduce some of the tension between the feuding sides.

For those that don’t know what Mortal Kombat is about, in basic terms – think multi-universes or realms where good and evil sides are fighting for supremacy over all, rather than all-out war the Gods decided to set rules in which the sides must choose their champions to fight in the ‘Mortal Kombat’ arena where the winner of the war is declared by winning ten complete tournaments.

Currently Earth-realm is being fought over and if the evil side wins one more time then it falls to darkness (so to speak). Hence we see fighting taking place on Earth where the champions are being assembled for the up and coming tournament.

So what was I expecting?

I movie packed with cinematic fight scenes reminiscent of the games with outstanding special effects, significant splattering’s of blood and gore topped with MK trademark quotes… oh and of course a somewhat token-gesture storyline to thread it all together, and with a bit of luck some actors who could actually act.

What I got was an action packed movie, with great visuals and excellent comedic relief, where I have to say that Josh Lawson as Kano stole the show, the Aussie actor absolutely put the boot in to every character he came across, cursing and insulting like only a true blue Aussie can.

The cinema audience appreciated the efforts as laughter could be heard resoundingly whenever he had almost anything to say. Not to say the movie was a comedy but it was great to see a mix of emotions from start to finish. Expect to see lots of references to the game franchise, often tongue-in-cheek laughs such as the spelling of Kombat, or fights where catch-phrases are used to good effect.

You will see some great Fatalities, finishing moves and Flawless Victories and hopefully enjoy it for what this movie is; an entertaining romp that requires you to do nothing more than sit back and enjoy.

It isn’t going to strain your brain with the storyline and sometimes that is just what the doctor ordered.

I don’t care what the other critics say, as you can tell I really enjoyed this one for delivering to the intended target audience.

The post Mortal Kombat (Warner Bros. – 2021) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.