Summer Season Preview Part Two

This years summer season is so big, so full of highly anticipated future classics (hint of sarcasm) that I couldn't contain it all in my first article. It has to be split into two parts. So this is part two of my Summer Season Preview. So just get you caught up on events, in the first part I was unsure about Sucker Punch, looking forward to Thor and X-Men: First Class and couldn't care less about Pirates 4. Well, anyway let's get into part two.

Super 8

Starting this second part of the summer preview with a bang! Out of every film I will cover, this is the one film I cannot wait for the most. JJ Abrams won over many geek hearts with Lost, solidified his Geek God status by rebooting a stale and irrelevant franchise Star Trek. Now he ventures into nostalgic Speilbergian territory and with Speilberg on board as a Executive Producer. This was before anything was even shot, I was already excited. The first teaser was intriguing, the Superbowl spot was cool and now the full theatrical trailer has been released and it's awe inspiring. From the awesome John Williams-esque music to the Speilberg themes from his early career (Family, Small Town America), everything about this trailer blows my mind. I count down the days eagerly to the release of this film.

Green Lantern














I'm not gonna lie. In my opinion, this trailer is terrible. It just feels like Warner Brothers rushed it out. There isn't much of a structure to the trailer. Even though trailers can count as a stand alone piece of media. They sum up Hal Jordan in about twenty seconds as the "cocky dick" kind of guy. Blake Lively has two lines in the trailer, she butchers the first so badly that you're still recovering from it when the second line pops around. The lack of action set pieces distresses me as well. For a summer popcorn movie, there isn't much going on. The CGI looks good for most of the trailer, but it's certain moments that worry me. Ryan Reynolds looks okay but I've never grown to him as Jordan. I wanted Chris Pine from the start. But maybe Reynolds will shock me. That's the thing about this trailer. It might convey what the film actually is. It might just be a bad trailer. Hopefully a second trailer will clear some worries I and many other people have. In Brightest Day, In Blah Blah Blah!


Cars 2

Well this is a tricky one. I haven't seen Cars. I love Pixar but after I heard various people say it was there best outing or even in there league I put it to the bottom of my "Pixar Films I Need To See Pile" along with Wall-E and Ratatouille. So I have watched the trailer but haven't seen the first film. As a trailer it looks fine. Actually looks quite fun. Maybe I'll get around to seeing the first film before this comes out

Transformers: Dark Of The Moon

I love the first Transformers film, I'm not ashamed about it. It's big, dumb and fun. I hate Transformers 2. After an awesome set of trailers I was pumped for more of the first film. What I got was action I couldn't visually understand, horrible cheesy jokes, a stupid story and two racist robots that make Jar Jar look "cool". The second film was over bloated. I had no hope, no interest for a third one. Then Bay admitted that Transformers 2 was a misfire. I agreed and still had no interest. Then the teaser trailer was shown, I was like Hmmm interesting. Then I saw the Superbowl spot. It blew my mind, I am now split. I am looking forward to the film, but then at the back of my brain is how cheated I felt when I saw Transformers 2. Cause the trailers for that blew my mind. I'm gonna wait for the next trailer before I make my decision.

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part Two

There isn't a trailer for part two but this trailer has footage from both parts. I was late comer to Harry Potter. I wasn't a fan of the first two films and gave up on the franchise. But after a lot of badgering from several friends I decided to watch Azkaban. They were right, it was so much better than the first two. Over the space of a week I watched the rest of the franchise finishing with Half-Blood Prince. Then in November I watched DHP1 in IMAX and really liked it. So I am looking forward to the second part, I think it will be full of action and should be fun.

Captain America: The First Avenger







I'm sure some of you may have read my thoughts about this trailer a few days ago. But I don't mind saying again. This trailer is great! For now, all my worries are non existent. I think it's because the idea of  Captain America film had always worried me, I mean have you seen the costume in the comics. Things like that are meant to stay in comics. So the fact this doesn't look stupid, doesn't look cheesy and actually looks quite badass all point to a rare success. As a trailer, remember this film could be bad. But the trailer does everything right. Builds up the character, shows the transformation and then shows brilliant action set pieces. For me that's what a trailer for a comic book origin movie needs. Pay attention Green Lantern! This trailer also makes the costume work, it doesn't shiny and camp, it looks rough and dirty, almost gritty. So yeah, I am looking forward to this film a lot. I just hope it doesn't let me down.

Cowboys And Aliens

My two favourite genre's are Science Fiction and Western. So this film was made for me! But seriously I like Jon Favreau. Elf is a fun Christmas film, Iron Man was a good comic book movie. Nothing amazing, just good. Iron Man 2 was decent, not terrible. His next film is Cowboys And Aliens. I think it looks good. The trailer is structured well. Craig looks interesting, Harrison Ford looks cool as always and the action looks fun. I'm looking forward to it. The Superbowl TV spot worried me as there was some dodgy stuff in it. Daniel Craig jumping on a CGI alien craft springs to mind. But for now, it looks pretty good.

My First Annual Summer Season Preview has came to an end. This summer looks interesting to say the least. There are four major comic book movies to look forward, a bunch of sequels and a few original ideas as
well. Of course, Next Gen News will be covering all these films extensively. Looking at new trailer and news about them. I will also be reviewing most of them. So, what films are you looking forward to? As always, leave your thoughts down below.

Thanks.

Chris.

Mortal Kombat Character List

Hey guys Josh here bringing you the official line up for the new Mortal Kombat game coming soon.

So here's the list of playable characters you all know and love. And a new face i have to say i wasnt expecting.

Scorpion

Sub Zero

Liu Kang

Kung Lao

Sindel

Ermac

Reptile 

Kitana

Johnny Cage

Sonya Blade

Jade

Mileena

Night Wolf

Cyrax

Noob Saibot
Smoke
Sektor

Jax 

Kano
Stryker
Shang Tsung

Quan Chi

Baraka 

Kabal

Raiden

Sheeva

And probably the most interesting one of all

Cyber Sub Zero

Now it has also been released that PlayStation will exclusively get Kratos from the God Of War series and it has been hinted that Xbox will also have their own exclusive character although the guys at NetherRealm games are not saying anything just yet.

So this makes the game so much more appealing. Here's hoping they release who the Xbox exclusive is ( If there is one) Soon. Comments Below.

*CENSORED* Ratings In The UK vs USA

Hey guys Josh here raising a good point about censoring and the different ways we censor things in 2 of the main countries.


Here in the UK we have several ratings for movies that are clearly stated.But is censorship becoming that much of an issue nowadays? I mean I've overheard kids in the street who aren't even teenagers talking about how their going to play COD when they get home. Now obviously the parents buy the game and see the rating but they don't care because it keeps the kid quiet for a good few hours but its clear why the rating is there. Guns, Violence, Swearing and all that amazing shit. But with films i don't think Ratings are even an object anymore. In the UK we have the following ratings

U - Universal basically means anybody can watch this movie. even aliens apparently

PG - Now the PG rating is seen almost everywhere in the UK and is used on a lot of Disney movies because of some of the dark moments they have in their movies and other undertones. The PG rating is there to state yeah your kid can watch this but it may be a bit scary or have some jokes they wont understand till they're 18.

12A - Now this is the most recent ratings that we have in the UK. 12A means you must be 12 to see this film on your own. But if you have an adult with you then you can see it. Personally i think this should be the case with all films. Have a general age but have an override where if the kid wants to see Freddy Kruger slash some dumb big titted teen then they can. But their parents have to sit there and so their child be scarred. This would make parents more responsible because its their fault if the kid sees the film and they chose to over rule the rating. The blame is solely based on them so they will have the same responsibility they have when they buy little Timmy GTA and question why hes asking what the nice lady on the corner of the street wants. They will have to be honest and say "I'm  a bad parent".

15 - The 15 means you must be 15 or over. Basic yet effective. but i feel most 15's could easily be 12A's nothing is too drastic where the children who get to see a 12A would have seen.


18 - The highest rating which says to most teenage boys "YOUR A MAN NOW. SEE SOME TITS AND VIOLENCE" Yeah i have to admit i saw my first 18 at the age of 5 due to my parents showing me films like "I.T", "Exorcist" (which i laughed at) and "Poltergeist". Now they knew i was aware of all the scary shit but i saw it and ill admit as a kid i had a few nightmares but you grow up and warm to the horror and by the time i was 18 the classic horror films just seemed silly and childish.

Now for you Americans reading this i haven't forgot about you. I'm now going to make sense of your rating system. the same system that gave "Sucker Punch" a film about rape murder sexy outfits and mindless action a PG13. Yet give "The Kings Speech" a film about a guy standing in a booth talking an R rating. They also give films with consensual sex in them an R rating because its realistic and graphic. Yet give rape scene movies a PG13 because its much less realistic and kids aren't going to go raping than have consensual sex.

Now in America you have a few more ratings that are a bit more vivid yet I'm sure kids up and down the nation are being rejected because they don't look old enough. (same story for us) Onto the ratings.

G - General This means that the film can be seen by anybody. But apparently not beings from other planets.

PG - Is pretty much the same as in the UK adults must be with the kids if they want to see this film.

PG13 - now the PG13 has always confused me. Now the official description says "Some content may be inappropriate for children under 13" So why not just make it PG? ( I have the same issue with the 12A i just feel its easier to rant on this rating)

R -The R rating is something i haven't encountered. hell i haven't been turned down for any film because of my age but still i know how notorious it is over the pond. Now this rating means that if the person is under 17 they need an adult. But isn't that just a PG13? AMERICANS WHY YOU NO HAVE ONE GIANT RATING?!

NC-17 - Now this is a new rating to me. i haven't heard of any film getting this rating and i don't want to search because i know if you have to be 18 to see shit in America. Its going to be graphic.

So there you have it. all the ratings in the UK and US of A and what they mean. Personally i think there should be 2 ratings PG and 18A. This rounds things up nice and evenly. If your not an adult GTFO and stick to Disney and Pixar and other PG films. But if your parent want to pay for you to see all the sex and violence you want they have to sit through it with you and take full responsibility for your twisted actions.

What do you think about the ratings system? Comments in the box below.

Red Vs Blue Season 9 Trailer

Hey guys Josh here giving you an update on our friends at Rooster Teeth.

Now as you may remember i did an article on the trailer for season 9 of Red vs Blue and i promised i will let you know when its up. Well it has officially been released for everybody to see on their website. it has been available for sponsors and site members to 2 days now but I'm sure there are some people who haven't witnessed the awesomeness.

Anyway here's the link for you all. Enjoy

http://roosterteeth.com/archive/?id=3016


Leave your comments below. Josh.

Submarine Review

Every now and then, a film comes along that breathes fresh air into the often dull, bland and repetitive cycle of cinema. That film is Submarine. Now, I could bark on and on and say that "Submarine is the best British film in years" like every reviewer. It seems like every time I walk into my local cinema. There will be a poster advertising an upcoming British film and splattered all over the poster is lines such as "Best British Film Ever!" and "Funniest Film You Might Ever See". So for me to say that Submarine is quite certainly the best British film in the last ten years. Isn't "Reviewer Cliche" (yeah that's a term coined by me, your welcome Earth) but merely the truth.

The film, directed by Richard Ayoade. That's Moss from The IT Crowd for simpletons worldwide. It follows the life of Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts), a self proclaimed genius who doesn't seem to fit into the world he inhabits. A lot like Max Fischer from Rushmore, Tate finds it hard to distance himself from his own ego. Well that is until he meets Jordana Bevan (Yasmin Paige). A pyromaniac who precociously smokes cigarettes and tries to distance herself from emotional ties. The two hit it off and spend there time lighting fires, setting off fireworks and spitting off bridges. Oliver has to juggle his immediate love life with the collapse of his parents marriage. Noah Taylor and Sally Hawkins play Oliver's sexless parents who find it hard to strike up an interesting conversation at best. Oliver finds himself in a tangle between two worlds.

For a directorial debut, Ayoade really hits it out the park. Not only does he convey the beautiful landscapes of Swansea, but he throws stylistic flourishes at the screen every chance he gets. This film isn't just witty, smart and very funny. It also has a dark tone that certain audiences won't understand. The best way to describe it would be to say that the film mixes Scott Pilgrim-esque kinetic visuals with the dark tone of a film like Taxi Driver. The acting and characters in this film are top notch, Paddy Considine is particularly hilarious. But the stand out performance is from relative newcomer Craig Roberts as the protagonist Oliver Tate. He is spellbinding throughout, not only can he hold a serious scene well, but his comedic timing is superb.

The film isn't perfect. A few things didn't work for me. The soundtrack by Alex Turner just didn't click with the visuals on screen. The music was beautiful, it was lyrics I found distracting, they seemed like they had been written by a fourteen year old who has just got his first guitar. Also, the last act of the film does struggle for a while and it does stand out when the first two acts were so brilliant. But the film does pull itself back into the preferred gear by the end and I feel it doesn't hurt the film as much as it could have. The third act problems are the only thing that is really keeping this film from being a modern day masterpiece.

Submarine is a brilliant debut from a director everyone should be keeping there eye on. It's very funny, slick and often just breathtaking. The film shows an 80's Swansea I would love to see and the mind of Oliver Tate shown on screen is always hilarious and always creative. I highly recommend this film to everyone, it's a film that the whole of Britain should embrace. I can honestly say it's the best film I have seen so far in 2011. Submarine is a few knots away from being a masterpiece!

9/10

By Chris Disley

Dead Island Boss Revealed

Hey guys Josh here giving you an update all the way from Paradise.


Now I'm sure all of you have seen the breathtaking Dead Island trailer that has had everyone on the Internet talking and crying onto their keyboards. ( I'm not talking from personal experience ) We have been given the first update on the bosses of the game. Personally i didn't want this game to have bosses in this game because i enjoyed the idea of being stranded on an island and scavenging for weapons and items. But with the development of bosses I like most people have lost hope for the realistic zombie survival game we where promised.

Dead Island Trailer: 

From what we where told i was expecting a game where you find 3 guns IF YOUR LUCKY but now I'm not too sure because it now means that

A) The bosses will be easy to kill.
B) Weapons will appear more often than we expected.

Up to now it sounds like I'm being negative but here comes the good part.

LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT FUCKING THING!!!!

Now i don't care if the game isn't as amazing as the trailer i cant wait to fight this big motherfucker. Also seeing as we have been promised bosses i cant wait to see what else they throw at us now. (unless its one of those cars) but seeing as its in a straight jacket i think I'm relatively safe from launched cars. This also shows us that this boss will more than likely charge at you and force you to move about more.

So comment on this giant fucker in the comments box.

Left 4 Dead 2 New DLC

Hey guys Josh here giving you an update on the DLC front.


So Valve has announced that there will be a new DLC for Left 4 Dead 2 called "Cold Stream". Now if your as hooked as i am on Valves almost flawless games then you will be excited for a new DLC. Now as some of Valves DLC goes they have got a bit of a hit and miss record with some of them ( I'm referring to Crash Course and some of the Sacrifice) But it looks like they have learnt from their mistakes and taken on what fans have told them and attempted to give us a new type of map to enjoy Left 4 Dead 2 on.

Here is a video of the first part of the the campaign mode for Cold Stream. ( Its unclear if it will be a steam exclusive or will be making its way to the Xbox but we will try to keep you posted )

Now I'm kind of excited for this. I like the rocky terrain and the way you can use it for cover against spitters and chargers if you time your moves well. Hopefully we will find out more about it soon. No release date as of yet but we will keep you posted.

Comments in the usual place

Resident Evil 4 Coming To Xbox 360 and Playstation 3

Hey guys Josh here

Just letting you all know that Capcom has announced that they will be re-releasing Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil : Code Veronica X with updated graphics on one convenient package. Now I'm sure if your a fan of the Resident Evil games you will be excited like i am about the series becoming available for Xbox. I have played all of the Resident Evil games and enjoyed playing Resident Evil 4 on my Wii. It made the game more frightening and immersed you in the game better than most console games do. I played Code Veronica for the playstation 2 and despite playing as Clare Redfield it was a very enjoyable game and the last of the original looking Resident Evil games with the awkward camera angles and droning zombies we all know and love.

Capcom hasn't gave us a release date as of yet but you can expect it to be later this year. But they have game us some sample screen shots of the comparison of the originals and what they have so far.

So what do you guys think. personally i don't remember the originals looking this sloppy. maybe its just the change in graphics has been happening so slowly we don't notice it until its right in front of us. Comments on what you think about the re vamp of the 2 games.

Kinect Vs Playstation Move

Hey guys Josh here offering you just a little incentive to you people wondering what technology is the best value for money then look no further.

Thanks to our friends at Penny Arcade that choice got a lot easier to make.

If you disagree with thier views let us know in the comments box.

Duke Numkem Forever "Delayed"

Hey guys just a quick update on the new Duke Nukem game Duke Nukem Forever.



After being in development hell for the best part of 12 years but finally is going to grace our consoles later this year. After being promised a May 6th release date we all got a little bit excited for the sex line callin pig tauntin ass kicker. Sadly it looks like we will have to wait a little longer for him to return as we have been given a special message from 2K telling us its been pushed back to June 14th. Now for you fans who have been waiting as long as i have for this game its just a little speed bump on the highway of awesomeness duke rides on.

And with the new game type "Capture The babe" being announced which adds a twist to the common capture the flag game type. For those of you who don't know the new rules here they are.

1. You capture a babe in a skimpy bikini
2. You take her back to your teams base
3. If she gets out of line on the walk back or screams too much you can gently lay her down on a soft location and totally go Chris Brown on her ass and give her a reassuring slap.
4. When you take her to your base...your team gains a point.

Simple.

Here's the trailer for those of you who haven't already seen it.

Hope you guys don't mind waiting a while longer for an ass kicking game. Your going to need a whole lot of bubblegum to tide you over. Comments in the lovely little box below ( I could make an immature vagina joke but that's way to easy )

Captain America Trailer

Well, after much delay from Paramount Pictures. The first theatrical trailer for Captain America: The First Avenger has hit the net. The film, directed by Joe Johnston and starring Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones and Hugo Weaving will hit cinema's nationwide on July 29th.

Personally, I think this looks surprisingly great. I have never been interested in Captain America, when I heard this film was being made I was worried, I thought that it would look silly and stupid. Altogether I thought it wouldn't cross onto screen well. My worries for now have been thrown out! This trailer blew me away. The tone of the film is serious but popcorn at the same time. The Red Skull looks impressive, Tommy Lee Jones is great casting and the action set pieces have a nostalgic feeling to them. For me the whole trailer just connected perfectly. Skinny Chris Evans creeped me out. The CG isn't bad, it's just weird to me. Much better than young Jeff Bridges in Tron Legacy. All in all, the trailer succeeds for me. They made me interested in a film I couldn't of cared about a few weeks ago

What are your thoughts on the trailer? As always, leave comments below.

Thanks,

Chris.

Summer Season Preview Part One

Every year the Summer blockbuster window gets bigger and bigger. There was a time when summer blockbusters were released between June and August, but with films like Rango (which is brilliant) and Battle: LA (which is terrible) coming out in February and Sucker Punch being released next week, it feels like the summer season has expanded from March till August. With so many months of popcorn fun ahead, is there anything actually worth watching? Well, that's what I'm here for in my first Summer Season Preview.

Sucker Punch

Sucker Punch is an interesting film. Sure the visuals are cool, but it seems like it could a recurring theme for Zak Snyder. Style over substance. What worries me even more than the fact that the film was re-cut several times. Then the film's R rating was moved to a PG-13. Were Warner Brothers preparing for a bomb? Have they cut it down to increase ticket sales? Time will tell next week when the film is released. Be sure to look for my review.

Scream 4

After eleven years away from the screen, Sydney, Gale and Dewey are back for a fourth installment in the pop culture phenomenon that is the Scream franchise. But has time took it's tole on this franchise? The third was a step down in quality for the Scream trilogy and then several parodies came along and now I can't help but laugh at this new trailer for Scream 4. With Williamson returning as scribe, maybe this will redefine the genre, like the first one did. I hope so! 

Fast Five

I have never been interested in The Fast And The Furious Franchise, until I saw this trailer. For some reason I watched it and was shocked by what I had seen. Spectacular action sequences. I then went back and watched the previous four. The first film was quite good, the second was awful, the third was mediocre and the fourth was actually fun. With Justin Lin at the helm again, I can say with a straight face, I'm excited for Fast Five. Also, Vin Diesel and The Rock brawling, a truck crashing into a train and a car driving off a cliff. I mean come on!

Thor

I'm just gonna say straight away. I cannot wait for Thor! Everything from the director Kenneth Branagh to the casting has pleased me. Marvel Studios has got everything right. The two trailers released look spectacular, I like the balance of Earth and Asgard. The action looks exciting and the acting looks almost thespian. I just worry that the film may not be a hit like Iron Man. The character is less accessible for audience than Tony Stark, he's the God Of Thunder. It's going to be interesting how Thor does at the box office. But for now I can't wait!

Pirates Of The Caribbean 4

The first Pirates film was fun and exciting, the character of Jack Sparrow was interesting. By the end of the third Pirates film, my thoughts had done a u-turn. The franchise was overlong, stale and laughable. With a fourth film just around the corner. This seems like nothing more than a cash grab for Disney. Probably trying get some of the Tron Legacy money they wasted. Don't get me wrong, some things in the trailer are cool. Ian McShane as Blackbeard is pretty badass and the evil mermaids look cool, but it isn't enough to bring me back to the franchise.

The Hangover Part II

The Hangover was the break out hit of summer 2009. Grossing over 500 million dollars worldwide. It was a good film, funny and great to watch in the cinema. But when walking out of my cinema from a screening, I heard someone say "That's the best comedy ever!". I dismissed the comment, merely thinking he was stupid. But then after months and months of people proclaiming how great it was I realised that maybe a lot of people are stupid. Sure, its a fun film and it was the comedy of that summer. But better than Airplane, Naked Gun and Spinal Tap? I think not. I had no excitement for The Hangover Part II, until I saw the teaser and I saw a monkey dressed in a suit. Now I will see it.

X-Men: First Class

After two films that were mediocre and atrocious (X-Men: The Last Stand and Wolverine). Fox attempts to bring back the Singer glory days of X-Men 1 and 2. With Singer back as producer and Kick Ass director Matthew Vaughn in the directors chair. Maybe they might have something good. Well from what I have seen in the trailer, I can say that I am excited for this film. Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy look perfect as Magneto and Xavier. The underlying themes of the Cuban missile crisis and being set in the sixties also bring me hope. I can say I am looking forward to this a lot.

So that's all for now. My first part of the Summer Season Preview is complete. As always, echo your thoughts below. Are you looking forward to any of these films? Be sure to check back in a few days when I will be posting the second part of my Summer Season Preview.

Thanks

Chris.

Creative Short Films And Why Hollywood Should Pay Attention.

Year after year, the machine that is Hollywood pumps out the same films. Comic Book Movies, remakes, reboots, films based on toys, books or TV and tons of mindless crap. Yeah sure, some of these films stand out from the bunch (The Dark Knight, yeah that's all I can think of). But most of them are pretty bad. Then now and then an original idea comes along and sets the world alight. Films like District 9 and Inception have proved that original ideas can become critical and commercial successes. Both films were nominated for Best Picture Oscars and both multiplied there budgets many times. So this raises the question to me, why doesn't Hollywood pour more money into original exciting ideas. In a year were box office was down, franchises made less and people got tired of 3D fast, why does a two hundred million dollar arthouse science fiction epic about dreams spark up a consciousness with the everyday cinema-goer. I'll tell you why, because people are sick of being shoveled the same old boring drivel.

It feels like every week now that I go online and find a new short film from an unknown director, I'll watch and 80% of the time be absolutely blown away from what I have seen. Many of the short films I encounter show originality and exciting ideas. Short films like Blinky, a dark and twisted sci-fi thriller created by Ruairi Robinson and starring Max Records (Where The Wild Things Are). The Short film , which is just under thirteen minutes long is really worth the watch. It's brilliantly made the pacing is pitch perfect. After seeing this short film I wondered, how come Hollywood hasn't green lit this straight away. With a small budget and good marketing a feature film about Blinky could be a sleeper hit. Well here's Blinky and a few other short films you should check out. As always, leave your thoughts.

Blinky

The Gift

Dark Room

Carousel (Adam Berg, the director was at one point rumoured to helm the upcoming Deadpool film)

Thanks, Chris.

In Brightest Day.....And Blackest Night..... Let No Side Character Stay Out Of Sight

Hey guys Josh here giving you some news on the green lantern movie coming out soon. Now as I'm sure our comic book fans are aware Green Lantern is full of characters who are all unique and interesting. So how are they going to fit all of these characters in a film based on Hal Jordan? i hear you ask, well where most companies would just cut them out altogether Warner Bros have embraced all that Green Lantern has to offer and had their concept designers working overtime. So I'm here to bring you a rundown of the lanterns you can expect to see in the Green Lantern

1. Hal Jordan - Very Obvious but yeah Hal is the lantern were going to be seeing the most of in his Reynolds glory (Ryan Reynolds is my man crush)
2. Abin Sur - Now for those of you who don't know Abin Sur is the alien who gives Hal the power ring after crash landing on earth after getting spooked by a prophecy 
3. Sinestro - Yes sinestro is going to be in the film and by the sounds of things hes going to be a big part of the story. He will show Hal everything about being a lantern and how to master his ring oh and he also he turns into Hals greatest foe. Well when you give a guy called "SINESTRO" unbelievable power you can expect trouble. 
4. Killowog - Yes the brute of the lanterns has a role in this movie. not sure if its a major impact but hey its nice to see the big guy on screen. 
5. Tomar Re - Well Tomar-Re isn't my favourite lantern but hes pretty important to the lantern universe and its nice they included him so I'm not going to complain.

The next ones in the list are basically filler characters but if you like the comics or just want to know whose included read on and be amazed.

1. Apros - Well Apros is basically a product of what would happen if a jellyfish and a pumpkin has a kid
2. Boodika - Now Boodika is an interesting character. she doesn't effect the lantern story lines a lot but she occurs a lot in them and is in the thick of most the story lines. Also this is before the Alpha lantern version so she looks hot.
3. Bzzd - Bzzd is an insect lantern..............moving on
4. Galius Zed - Galius Zed is one of the more outspoken of the lanterns and has a very distinguishable giant head.
5. G'hu - G'hu is a bit of a bad ass. in the comics he is the guard on Takron-Galtosand he got taken prisoner by the inmates. When the other lanterns got his distress call and arrived they found he had already taken down the inmates holding him hostage. 
6. Hannu - Now we are onto my favourite support lantern. Hanny doesn't use his ring in fights because he believes it is needed and if all else fails. So hes the lanterns biggest of the bad asses. 
7. Iolande - Now she is more based in the Guy Gardener lantern story's but still its nice shes included. 
8. Isamot Kol - He killed his commanding officer because he was willing to surrender the war. The lanterns got wind and made him one of them. 
9. Larvox - Reffer to Bzzd
10. M'Dahna - M'Dahna is more of a recent lantern who was a part of the Blackest Night story and fought in some main battles.
11. Medphyll - Medphyll is a decent lantern who has been there for some major events. the most impressive has to be when he went to the anti matter universe to fight the anti green lanterns.
12. Mogo - Mogo is pretty fucking cool because...hes a planet. He is probably the most influential character in any Green Lantern story because he decides where the ring goes after its host dies.
13. Morro - Morro is basically the grim reaper of the green lanterns. he even comes with the scythe and creepy hood. he is in charge of guarding all of the dead lanterns on OA.
14. Naut Kie Loi - Is a space fish. 
15. Rot Lop Fan - Rot Lop Fan is a lantern who lived in the void of space where there was no light so his recuruiter came up with a plan. He told Rot Lop Fan to imagine a symphony and the chord F sharp. This allowed him to control his ring so he now has a bell on his chest rather than the lantern logo and believes he is part of the F sharp lantern corps. 
16. Slakk - Slakkis a bit of a loner and a pessimist but is good friends with Tomar Re. 
17. Stel - Stel strange to explain he is not biological but at the same time isn't mechanical. he was also trained by Sinestro. 

So there you have it. a breakdown of the lanterns you can expect to see later this year when you go to see Green Lantern.
 
Comments below about what characters have been included and what ones you think should be included.

Rooster Teeth PAX Panel

Hey guys Josh here.

Just bringing you an update on the Rooster Teeth PAX panel.

It is now available to watch on Halo Waypoint so check it out. Sadly the immersion short and trailer for Red Vs Blue season 9 have been cut out but if your a fan of Rooster Teeth you wont be disappointed. Some of the questions in the Q and A section reveal more about the upcoming series and what fans can expect to see and what their plans are for the future. 

Also another update for you.

The Red Vs Blue Season 9 trailer will be available to watch on April 1st on the anniversary of the company so check it out on. www.roosterteeth.com

Thanks guys

Zack Snyder's "Bizzaro" Vision

Hey guys Josh here bringing you some interesting news.


Now as many of you know Zack Snyder is going to be at the helm for the new superman movie (which I'm very excited about) and as I'm sure more of you know his movie sucker punch is released very soon so he has been on a mad marketing spree trying to get the word out to people who don't know about it. and seeing as your browsing the interwebs I'm guessing your not that small minority.  (trailer will be included if your a part of that minority)

Anyway during this publicity run Mr Snyder has possibly released some major parts of the new superman story. At about the 3 minute mark he starts to talk about the man of steel and how sucker punch has got him fired up for it. Around the 4 minute mark things get interesting, the interviewer asks for a snippet of information and Snyder replies with. "There could be a character people might refer to as superman". Now for you who have some knowledge of the superman world he is clearly hinting at "Bizzaro" an alternate version of superman who possesses all of his powers but in a slightly different way. e.g. superman has heat vision and ice breath, Bizzaro has ice vision and heat breath. you follow?. another little snag to Bizzaro is everything superman does Bizzaro does the opposite of which is why he wears a revered "S" on his costume. (Video Below)

Now this is still speculation many people on the Internet have took this nod a different way. here's a list of a few that could also make sense.

• Lex Luthor - So Lex may turn humanitarian and start saving people, start to take a dislike to superman and turn into the super rich ego maniac we all know and despise. 
• Zod - People are also suggesting people call him superman because they are both Krypotian and suggested maybe Zod attempts to beat superman at his own game. turn humanity against him and then crush him physically. it would add a different twist to the character and provide a better story. 
• Superman - Yeah i know kinda obvious but people are saying maybe Snyder isn't hinting at any other characters at all maybe hes just pointing out the obvious and messing with our heads. 

Now personally i think the way Snyder took a while to think and choose his words carefully it was intentional and he really was hinting to Bizzaro. If that's what we see on screen is a different matter. I hope he does go the way of Bizzaro, it would make it more of a comic book film and reach out to more characters than Zod and Lex Luthor who have maybe been overused in films and T.V.

Leave your comments below. This is Josh saying Hello from Bizzaro World

The Only Thing To Fear.....

Hey guys its Josh here bringing you an update from the world of comics.

Now as many of you Marvel fans out there may already know there is going to be a 7 issues miniseries titled "Fear Itself". The Series was announced back in December 2010 and is shaping up to have one big ass impact on the Marvel Universe and will apparently show some "unconventional alliance's". Now we don't know much about the storyline as marvel is playing it close to the chest and waiting for the right now but what we can reveal is that the story will basically be the god of fear has come to the marvel universe and is making every super hero (maybe villains too) Fear a reality. So in a nutshell all hell breaks loose. Now Marvel has told us that the main characters will be the likes of Thor, Spiderman, Captain America, Iron Man and the Hulk so we can expect an avengers focused storyline. Marvel has also said that the story will have related titles in the X-Men family of books so possibly it may spread to more series in marvel as the story progresses.

There is also a trailer that has been released to get people hyped for the series. Now obviously its a motion comic trailer. The man speaking is president Franklin D Roosevelt's speech on fear will be in the background as we see possible shots of the comic and main events that will happen. All we can do for now is speculate on what will happen and who may or may not be killed off. With Marvels recent shenanigans i wouldn't be surprised if they killed off somebody in the first 2 issues to spice things up a bit. But as we all know the only person who stays dead in comics is Spiderman's Uncle Ben so don't be surprised of someone does die they would be brought back miraculously before the series is done.

As usual leave your thoughts in the box below and remember. The only thing we have to Fear is Fear Itself. Thanks Josh

Aaron Eckhart: Two-Face or Poker Face?

Hey guys Chris here Bringing you some interesting news on The Dark Knight Rises.

Now we all saw The Dark Knight. We all saw Aaron Eckhart’s Two-Face plummet to his death. But ever since The Dark Knight, many fans have questioned whether Two Face would return in the third part of Christopher Nolan’s masterful comic book trilogy .Even after numerous interviews in which everyone from Aaron Eckhart to Christopher Nolan have confirmed that Two-Face did die in The Dark Knight. Many fans across the internet have ignorantly said that Two-Face didn’t die and that he will return in “The Dark Knight Rises. There has been so much doubt that it’s making me doubt my own eyes.

Then in January, the first official press release of ”The Dark Knight Rises” hit the web. The statement, fresh from the desks of Warner Brothers revealed that Tom Hardy would be playing Bane and that Anne Hathaway would be playing Selina Kyle, that’s Catwoman to the novices of the Batman world. Know where on the statement was a mention of Aaron Eckhart or Two-Face, but avid fans persisted that he could still be in it. Weeks followed and the net was full of other rumours and tit bits. Joseph Gordon-Levitt had been cast in an undisclosed role and that he might be playing Black Mask. Marion Cotillard was close to signing on and playing Talia Al-Ghul. 

So then whilst promoting his latest film Battle: LA, Aaron Eckhart was once again quizzed by many journalists and of course, The Dark Knight Rises. But what came next, still puzzles me now. The reporter asks Eckhart whether we will ever see Harvey Dent again, maybe in a flashback or someones imagination. To which Eckhart replies with the cheekiest of grins "I could not possibly say". 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pIgL5jW1WU

The fifty second clip has raised many questions between fans online. Is Eckhart just messing us about? If he returns for "The Dark Knight Rises", what capacity will he return in? Will it be in a flashback or will it be in a Scarecrow induced hallucination? For now, I don't want to predict anything. The biggest question is will he return? Not, if so, what will he do? Then in another interview Eckhart remarked that it would be career suicide if he was to talk about “The Dark Knight Rises”. Surely this is proof of his involvement. Maybe not? Well, for now we will just have to wait and see. 

Leave your comments Below. Thanks Chris

Red Vs Blue Season 9

Hey guys josh here again bringing you an update on the new season of  Red Vs Blue.

Now as I'm sure most of you know Red Vs Blue is an extremely popular web series following the battle of two armies.  Conveniently titled "The Reds" and "The Blues". Now the series is approaching its 9th season and with fans waiting patiently for an update i can now reveal some details about the upcoming season. Now before i get into the basic plot of Season 9 I should point out that if you haven't watched the last couple of seasons of Red Vs Blue this is going to make no sense so i highly recommend watching the last 3 seasons to get a good grasp on the story and get to know the characters.

Now onto the trailer. As those of you who went to Pax East a couple of days ago will know Rooster Teeth revealed a lovely little trailer with some interesting factors to it. The first most noticeable thing is. Its animation capture by the looks of things which means they have took full advantage of Monty (the motion capture guy) and have shot most if not the whole season in mo-cap. Meaning they are not limited to the game engine like previous seasons and they can move the characters about more and do the near impossible.

(Remember this is camera quality)

The first thing we see is a spaceship (pelican) approaching a space station asking for permission to dock. They get repeatedly refused access until a figure approaches the captain seat and says the words "This is director Church"  The crowd lets out a giant roar. We then find that a soldier in white is down. (Meta) We then catch a glimpse of Agent Washington as he is pacing back and forth worrying over his comrades safety as an operation is carried out. he then says the phrase "hold on there buddy" which leads us to believe Washington and Meta are partners in a team. Another Spartan enters asking how injured soldier is (we don't know who this is) Washington tells him that the white soldier was shot in the throat and it is likely he wont talk again (explaining why the meta growls). Washington asks if he thinks everything is moving to fast and mentions the A.I like they are a new prospect (hinting this is set before the red and blue soldiers we know and love meet him and the meta)


Then all hell breaks loose. We are shown brief snippets of action scenes. Spaceship battles, Huge Explosions, Car chases on a motorway (Warthog, Puma, Walrus). The words appear "Before Red Vs Blue". "There Was Project Freelancer" Which confirms the is a prequel to the Red Vs Blue we already know and looks like it will follow Washington and his team. Maybe even show what happened to the A.I and how the fragments where handed out and how they effected soldiers. We also see a quick shot of Church (Blue Army Church) in his A.I World. (maybe they plan to switch back and forth and as Church finds more out we go into a memory. Like in Halo 3 ODST) We see Washington and 2 other soldier surrounded by what looks like other soldiers (its very blurry) as they rush towards the screen. We then see the iconic Red Vs Blue logo and Season 9. Which means that this season wont have a title beginning with "R" like the previous ones ( Reconstruction, Recreation and Revelation)

So it sounds like Rooster Teeth is giving us more of a back story to Agent Washington and Expanding on the A.I and Project Freelancer Story. What do you guys think. Comments below. Many thanks the director of Project Freelancer.

FLYNN LIVES!

Hello Programmes, Josh here bringing you an update from the grid.

Now i wanted to post the video but Disney have been spoil sports and took the video off every main site. If you want to look for it its called "The Next Day".  

Just wanted to bring you an update about the Tron series. As a few of you might of seen a 10 minute video was leaked from the Blu Ray copy of Tron Legacy and it showed a few interesting scenes. It followed the whole story of Tron Legacy but changed the view of it and made it look like a documentary following the Encom employees and their struggle with losing Flynn and their jobs. The video is mainly based on a character called. Wait for it "Zack Attack"  *sigh*. So "Zack Attack" is a clear Banksy clone who hacks into the Encom systems in the late 80's Early 90's in a  bid to get the CEO's to listen to his message "Flynn Lives". This sparks an anonymous style cult following and the phrase Flynn Lives is seen everywhere. We then skip ahead a few years and we see Kevin Flynn's son has picked up the movement and annually steps into the light and ruins an Encom presentation and reminds the now corrupt company of their biggest shareholder. After we get a back story of Sam we cut to "Zack Attack" finding out that Encom are closing in on him he starts to close down shop and raises a very makeshift looking Light Disk (the weapons in Tron) and it starts to glow as he raises it slightly.

Suddenly...... the light is turned on and Alan (aka tron) the now CEO of Encom approaches "Zack Attack" who is revealed to be a previous Encom employee who is out to return it to its former glory of the 80's. It is also revealed that he is RAM from the original tron. Alan offers Ram his former position at Encom and promises it will be the company Flynn wanted it to be, the two shake hands and the scene ends. We are then greeted by a news reporter explaining how Sam Flynn (Tron Legacy's main character) is releasing a statement. He pulls up on his bad ass bike and when asked for a statement he rips open his jacket and the words "Flynn Lives" are revealed. Yes Sam is bringing back the trend of Flynn Lives and spreading the message again to a new generation. And starting a new viral campaign for the next tron film.

So what do you guys think? personally i think its a good start to a viral campaign and it may generate some online buzz a lot like The Dark Knight did. Leave your thoughts in the box below. And remember FLYNN LIVES!

*Bleep Bloop* Achievement Unlocked

Hey guys Josh here.

Just been browsing the interwebs for some juicy news to supply you with and i came across an article on Achievements and how many have been unlocked since they graced our consoles in 2005. Well Microsoft have said that 6.3 Billion Achievements have been unlocked on the Xbox 360 ALONE!. So imagine how many their are if you include Playstation Trophies and other platforms. Microsoft say the average gamerscore is roughly 11,286 which makes me feel good about myself knowing i have stacked up more than 20,000 in 1 year of having live.

Oh and just in case you where wondering the total gamerscore of everyone on Xbox Live currently stands at 176,802,201,383. If you want a gamerscore this big don't sweat it Microsoft have said it took a measly 40 billion hours of gameplay for them to get that impressive score.

But i cant help but think their should be a place where the score is constantly updated and is compared to the likes of PlayStation's and Ipod games. It would be interesting to see which platform has the most achievement hunters. It might even settle a few debates. 

Happy Hunting Josh

This post is dedicated to all of those effected by the Tsunami and earthquake in Japan. All the best guys.

Bulletstorm Review

I promise you people i will update brand spanking new stuff soon but ive decided that i will go back a couple of weeks and review a game that i have been playing a lot which is Bulletstorm.

Well what can i say about Bulletstorm? The game itself is beautiful, obviously it isnt up to scratch with Halo Reach but its Epic doing what they do best. Destroyed beauty.

The game brings a fresh new look on the first person shooter genre and gives players the option to kill the boring way or be rewarded with more points for taking a little longer to line up a shot and cause some real damage. Which leads me onto my next point. The Kills, now the kills in bulletstorm arent the most original but its the titles that get me. My personal favourite has to be MERCY which is where you shoot an enemy in the balls and shoot/kick thier head off whilst they kneel before you crying. 

The story is your typical framed hero who is out for redemption against a high military officer who is to blame for all thier problems. And pair that with a bestfriend who is now half cyborg and in a constant battle in his head and a chick who is willing to and i quote "kill your dick" you get an interesting story with some nice twists, funny gags, and lots of gore

The gameplay is not as heavy and slow as gears and doesnt supply you with much cover but it makes up for it with easy to kill bots and a hell of a lot of blood and explosions. Seriously if michael bay could make a war movie this is it. another main point about this game is the Dialogue. Very adult but at the same time it keeps your inner child at bay with dick jokes to spare. The characters supply you with enough laughs to entertain you and yet keep the game grounded and open for people to grow attached to the characters which makes the story more believeable.

Heres a look at the dialogue of Bulletstorm:

All in all. its a great game. the story is good and told at a steady pace. the characters are likeable (or not in some cases) and the gameplay is something else. I highly reccoment buying this game and with Brink around the corner it could be the dawn of a new style of F.P.S. games

Later Dick Lickers - Josh

This post is in memory of Waggleton P. Tallylicker.

Welcome

Hey guys just wanted to let you know that Nextgen is live so we will be updating whenever we recieve any big news stories on films, games, comics anything that will create a big buzz on the internet. we will also be sharing our views with you our readers so let us know what you think should become content for the blog.

Also i have decided to give you a sneak peak at what may/may not be happening in the upcoming months:

- Xbox gameplay capture (basically we will let you see what we get up to when we play xbox and if you request it we can give you some tips on certain levels on games or achievements) 

- Podcast (this has been discussed for a while now and we are looking at different ways for us to create a podcast for you so watch this space)

- Community Playdates (We will give you the oppertunity to play xbox or playstation games with the writers of next gen and other community members)

Thanks guys cant wait to get this started

Josh