Year: 2019

Photo Gallery: Seth Sentry + Birdz + Odd Sox – Croxton Bandroom, Melbourne (08.06.19)

Seth Sentry pumped up his home crowd at the Croxton Bandroom alongside Odd Sox and Birdz over the weekend, seeing the rapper back at it was a treat, with his attitude and wit as sharp as ever.

Read More

Live Review: Seth Sentry + Birdz + Odd Sox – Croxton Bandroom, Melbourne (08.06.19)

If you had never been to a Seth Sentry show, you would probably be unprepared for the shenanigans, or at the very least you’d know his personality was inclined towards them through his music. Seth has been away from the touring circuit for awhile but, alongside the release of his recent single “Wrong One” seemingly…

Read More

Saints Row: The Third Holds Up On Switch, But the Sleaze Doesn’t

Gaming was a whole other world in 2011. Skyrim, Arkham City, Portal 2 and Dark Souls had arrived, changing the face of games as we know it. Open worlds were in vogue, indies were out, killing was cool and games were only for ‘true’ gamers. Saints Row: The Third was released in this strange hyper-masculine…

Read More

Sydney Film Festival Review: Her Smell is an exhausting endurance test, saved by Elisabeth Moss’ electric performance

Another day, another music biopic. Well, almost. Continuing the resurgence of cinematic fare concerned with the chaos that is the life of the musician, Her Smell takes inspiration from the 90s rock scene where female singers like Courtney Love, PJ Harvey, and Shirley Manson gave their male counterparts plenty of competition. With a bleached-blonde lead…

Read More

E3 2019: The Final Fantasy VII remake has a release date

We didn’t think PlayStation were making any announcements during E3 this year but here we are. You read the headline correctly. It’s not a dream. The Final Fantasy VII remake, the one we all thought might never arrive, has a release date. Well, the first half of the game has a release date at least. Remember,…

Read More

Sydney Film Festival Review: Amazing Grace makes you want to sing hallelujah with Aretha Franklin

There is no question that the late, great Aretha Franklin was the Queen of Soul. But what you may not know is that she was also an accomplished gospel singer; the daughter of a preacher who first developed her musical chops at church. Amazing Grace is a homage to Franklin’s past, a 1972 concert film…

Read More

E3 2019: Doom Eternal Returns with the All the Insanity You Expected

While this is not the first look at Doom Eternal, make no mistake; it might just be our best. Doom Eternal returns to Bethesda’s E3 showcase with an impressive story trailer featuring much of the gameplay fans have come to expect since the 2016 reboot. While Doom has always been light on its story, there…

Read More

E3 2019: Time is on Your Side in Deathloop

Bethesda’s list of fresh and original content continues to grow in the form of Deathloop, an action packed time-bending experience brought to us by developers Arkane Lyon reminiscent of stories from Groundhog Day and The Edge of Tomorrow. While not much was shown in the way of gameplay, instead painting the picture of two characters…

Read More

E3 2019: Commander Keen lives and he’s coming to your mobile

Given that they’re the home of id Software these days, there has been an expectation that Bethesda would announce a new entry in the Commander Keen series for some time now. That announcement has finally arrived, with Commander Keen headed to mobiles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtQjGPfkEe8 The new title, which sees Keen’s children Billy and Billie taking on…

Read More

E3 2019: Bethesda announces Ghostwire: Tokyo from Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami

Ghostwire: Tokyo, a new paranormal horror title from Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami has been announced during Bethesda’s press brief at E3 2019. The teaser features a series of creepy Tokyo environs, and sets the sombre, creeping tone along with a few extremely creepy looking characters and enemies.   No release date has been announced…

Read More

E3 2019: Fallout 76 returns with a huge slate of upcoming content

It’s no secret that Fallout 76 launched to multiple forms of overwhelming criticism. But Bethesda Studios have persevered and returned to this year’s E3 conference with an abundance of content leading into the game’s second year. The first update, aptly named Wastelanders, brings the NPC (Non-player-controlled) characters back to the wasteland, as players partake in…

Read More

Sydney Film Festival Review: The Third Wife (Vietnam, 2018) is an entrancing, haunting and sensual experience

It feels absolutely wonderful to see a Vietnamese film in this year’s Sydney Film Festival. Of course, there have been many Vietnamese film in film festivals before but, with a stronger focus on genre-centric cinema over the recent year, it feels invigorating for a Vietnamese critic such as myself. This year, we have Ash Mayfair‘s…

Read More

E3 2019: Ubisoft drops Watch Dogs Legion trailer, set in post-Brexit UK

Ubisoft has formally announced Watch Dogs Legion during their E3 2019 press briefing, the third entry in their open-world action franchise about hackers and the surveillance state. Legion takes the series out of United States for the first time, heading across the pond to London. The choice of London is a pertinent one — the…

Read More

Hotel Review: Intercontinental San Diego brings luxury to the city’s revitalised bayfront

One of the newer locations for the international Intercontinental chain finds itself in San Diego; a luxury 400 room, 19 floor hotel which opened in September last year. The brand’s 3rd property in Southern California, the hotel sits right on the revitalised San Diego Bayfront. About the Room I stayed on the 15th room in…

Read More

Track of the Day: Flying Lotus Feat. Denzel Curry “Black Balloons” (2019)

Now that Flying Lotus’ new album Flamgra is out it’s time for the eccentric produce to throw us another single, following tracks with the likes of David Lynch, Little Dragon and Anderson. Paak with a hammering boom-bap rap track called “Black Balloons Reprise”. As you might have guessed from the name, it’s a sequel to…

Read More

E3 2019: Halo Infinite will launch on the next-generation Xbox console

What better way to usher in a new generation of Xbox hardware than by opening with the series that started it all? Halo Infinite, the sixth mainline title in the Halo series, the third developed by 343 Studios, will be a launch title on the next generation of Xbox hardware. A five-minute glimpse of the…

Read More

E3 2019: Project Scarlett is the next generation of Xbox hardware

We’ve arrived at that point in the hardware cycle when its time to start looking at what comes next. Xbox have used their E3 press briefing to do exactly that, unveiling the first glimpses of what they’re currently calling Project Scarlett, the ultra powerful next generation Xbox console. Scarlett is a beefy machine. Now packing…

Read More

E3 2019: Dying Light 2 Introduces You to the Infection Like Never Before in a New Trailer

Dying Light 2 has long been anticipated; and it seems we’re getting one step closer with a brand new trailer coming out of Microsoft’s conference. The trailer shows off much of the open world, parkour-filled goodness the series has come to know, as the world seems crazier than it did before. Complete with a voiceover from…

Read More

E3 2019: Double Fine joins Xbox Game Studios

One of the most important parts of being a first party publisher is having a great network of studios available to you. Xbox Game Studios have been busy, hauling in new talent to create games and content exclusively for the Xbox One and Windows PC platforms. The latest developer to join their ranks is Double…

Read More

E3 2019: Blair Witch is a new survival horror title for Xbox One

What the Xbox One has been lacking the last few years is some decent spookums. Blair Witch looks to deliver on that. Less your classic Resident Evil-esque take on survival horror, Blair Witch goes instead for something more investigative, possibly as a nod to the original movie that inspired it. With your trusty alsatian, you…

Read More

E3 2019: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Brings Back an Old Friend in a New Story Trailer

If fans hadn’t seen enough of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order from EA Play’s livestream, rest assured, Microsoft has brought the goods with them to their conference with a brand new story trailer. Admittedly, much of it is based on the 10-minute gameplay segment shown yesterday, but with all all-new look at fan favourite Rebel…

Read More

E3 2019: Ori and the Will of the Wisps finally gets a release date

Ori and the Will of the Wisps has debuted a technically impressive new trailer during the Xbox E3 2019 press briefing.   The beautiful Metroidvania style platformer has been in the works for quite a while now, we’ve played it at no less than five different trade shows already. Now, it finally has a release…

Read More

E3 2019: Ninja Theory announce first Xbox exclusive title Bleeding Edge

Returning to a vibe more inline with DmC Devil May Cry than Hellblade Senua’s Sacrifice, the team at Ninja Theory have annoucned their latest title Bleeding Edge. Bleeding Edge is the studio’s first title since being purchased by Xbox Game Studios last year. A multiplayer action title, it features the kind of visuals that would…

Read More

E3 2019: Battletoads is back to kick your arse

The Battletoads remaster has finally gotten its first trailer at the Xbox and it’s exactly what you expected — cartoony visuals and soul-crushingly difficult beat-em-up gameplay. It’s been a long time since a Battletoads title has seen the light of date — Rare was still in charge of the franchise back then. No release date…

Read More

E3 2019: Travel to The Outer Worlds in the Latest Action Packed Trailer

While The Outer Worlds has been revealed prior to the conference, we might have just gotten our best look yet at what to expected. From the looks of the trailer, players will explore the multiple vast planets and environments oozing with a classic western vibe reminiscent of the good ol’ Firefly days. With an action-packed…

Read More

Sydney Film Festival Review: Blinded by the Light is a lively crowd-pleaser and a loving tribute to The Boss

Great Britain in the late 1980s. A country in the grip of economic chaos, racial tensions, and political unrest. And a time fashion clearly forgot. It’s a setting and era cinema has covered extensively over the years. With an inviting narrative and a soundtrack filled with 80s pop and rock wonders, Blinded by the Light…

Read More

E3 2019: The Sims 4 goes tropical, and the mermaids have been unleashed

The final item on the EA Play livestreaming docket today was The Sims 4 and its new expansion pack, Island Living. It’s the expac for anyone that’s ever wanted to bail on the city and live on a beach. There’s island-centric jobs like dive instructor, lifeguard and fisherman, clothing, hobbies, animals (including DOLPHINS!!!) and more…

Read More

E3 2019: Madden 20 introduces Superstar X-Factor abilities

Electronic Arts have unveiled new Madden NFL 20 gameplay during their EA Play fan event in Los Angeles. The livestream went into detail on Madden 20‘s newest mechanic, Superstar X-Factor abilities which sounds on paper a bit like stacking your football team with X-Men. These new X-Factor abilities grant superstar players certain buffs and abilities beyond…

Read More

E3 2019: FIFA 20‘s newest mode lets you play your way

Electronic Arts have used their EA Play event in Los Angeles to go in depth on FIFA 20, the latest entry in their world-beating football simulator. The focus of the presentation was squarely on a new mode called VOLTA. According to the press release, VOLTA (a Portuguese term that means “the return”) is “all about…

Read More

E3 2019: Cyberpunk 2077 gets a dazzling new trailer starring Keanu Reeves

CD Projeckt Red’s hotly anticipated sci-fi RPG Cyberpunk 2077 dropped a new trailer overnight, the first glimpse of the game since 2018’s epic 48-minute gameplay reveal. The trailer is a largely cinematic affair, introducing characters and establishing the tone and vibe of Night City as a setting. It lives deep in cyberpunk, tech-noir genre with…

Read More