Gaming: Why Outlast is the Scariest Game I've Ever Played

As a man have you ever been so scared...

by something you've seen on a TV screen that you let out an audible yelp? I hadn't, until a few weeks ago. Then I downloaded Outlast. I'd seen a few mentions of it on IGN, Twitter etc and the fact it was completely free meant I had nothing to lose by downloading it. So I did. 

TV/Film – Review – The Amazing Spider-Man

I’m a sucker for superhero films, I mean I lap them up like a kitten on some catnip lined milk. So in all honesty it doesn’t take much for a a new one that’s just been released to give me a semi and make me giggle with excitement like a teenage Japanese girl. Therefore as the titles started up and I put my 3D glasses on I was expecting to be taken on a journey of childish escape and enjoyment, I wasn’t disappointed. The film has everything you want from a Spider-Man movie. Andrew Garfield is a cracking choice as the slightly more edgy and sarcastic Peter Parker and he pulls off the transformation into a more emotionally relatable Spider-Man well. Emma Stone also puts in a good performance as the man in spandex’s love interest Gwen Stacy, although I was disappointed that there was no Mary Jane?! The stand out performance for me though is Rhys Ifans as the troubled and brooding Dr Curt Connors who undergoes an unfortunate transformation in his search for a way for him to regenerate his lost limb.

TV/Film: Review – Men In Black 3

Who doesn’t enjoy Men In Black right? Ever since the opening scene in the first film where some agents discover what you would call an illegal ‘alien’ I was hooked and know most of the people I’ve talked to about it were too. With that in mind I came into the third instalment expecting to be thoroughly entertained and my expectations were exceeded. From the off you’re immediately aware that this film carries the same wit and humour that made the first two so successful. Will Smith once again puts in a brilliant performance as the sarcastic and funny Agent J and Tommy Lee Jones once again excels as the stoic and serious Agent K. The star performance in this film comes from Josh Brolin however as the younger, seemingly happier and slightly more talkative Agent K. He has Tommy Lee Jones’ mannerisms down to a tee, even his voice sounds like a younger, slightly less angry version of the Men In Black legend.

TV/Film: Review – Prometheus

I had been waiting for this film for what seemed like an eternity until I eventually went to see it with a few of my housemates last Friday. To say I had huge expectations as I sat there and put my 3D glasses on would be one of the biggest understatements of the century and as I left the theatre a couple of hours later I wasn’t disappointed but I wasn’t blown away either. Don’t get me wrong it is a quality film. The visuals are mind blowing from the opening scene with a behemoth of a flying saucer hanging solemnly in a cloudy grey sky to the finale involving lots of explosions and running. The story is also spectacular but it felt slightly protracted. With an all star cast including Charlize Theron as the cold and calculating Weyland representative Meredith Vickers, Idris Elba as the cool and calm ships captain Janek and Michael Fassbender with a particularly brilliant piece of acting as the ships cyborg David it was never going to be a bad film.

TV/Film: Review – The Troll Hunter

Was tempted to give this a go after reading a little review of it in Front, I ended up being thoroughly entertained and found the final scene absolutely unreal. The story is one of a group of student film makers in Norway who are investigating illegal bear poaching that has been reported in the news. They think they have tracked down the man responsible for these random shootings but after following out on one of his hunts they find out he’s hunting something entirely different.

TV/Film: Review – Drive

Wasn’t too sure what to expect when I sat down to watch this, my sister had told me it ‘had some nasty bits in it’ so I was keen for a bit of violence but I wasn’t expecting a film as slick, visceral and enthralling as Drive. Less than 15 minutes from the start and I was already blown away by just how tense and, for want of a better word, cool the film was. Ryan Gosling plays a driver, more specifically a getaway driver who is hired by whoevers prepared to pay his fee. He asks no questions about that job, he lays out a simple set of rules and he drives. Things become slightly more complicated however when, surprise surprise, he meets a woman. Without wanting to give away too much he gets in way over his head and is soon up shit creek without a paddle.

TV/Film: Review - Ironclad

Saw this film the other day after uhming and ahing about whether to download it or not. The reviews all said it was fairly mediocre, not much storyline, lots of killing and ultraviolence, teeny bit of sex and they were completely and utterly right. And I loved it! Within the first 15 minutes someone has already had their tongue cut off and about 20 nameless grunts have been dismembered by the films main man James Purefoy, of BBC’s Rome and Resident Evil fame. He plays a Templar on a religious crusade in the defense of the common man against the reign of a tyrannical King John. The majority of the film revolves around him and his band of rag tag men defending Rochester Castle from an army of Danish mercenaries hired by the King.

Gaming: Review – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Not going to lie, I’ve been playing this game daily for hours (and I really do mean hours and hours) since I got it for Christmas and I really do struggle to find one bad thing to say about it. From the moment you start playing you are blown away by the beauty of your surroundings and the attention to detail. The playing system is quick and easy to pick up and it allows you to seamlessly switch between weapons and spells. The character design is in depth, allowing you to change everything from your nose length to your scars.