Somerset party rockers Pretty Little Enemy have revealed their brand new video for ‘Collide’ taken from their new EP, Second Load. The EP is due for release September 15th 2017. Since their formation in early 2015, the self proclaimed “Metal ABBA” have build up a following in the South West, which is fast spreading across the UK and beyond! For fans of – Halestorm, Skunk Anansie, Coheed & Cambria

Check out the new video below!

The band have announced a string of live shows in September and October. You can catch them on one of the following dates:

Sat 9th September – Cobblestones – Bridgwater (EP Launch Show)
Fri 15th September – Percy’s Bar – Wrexham
Sat 16th September – The Crown – Littlehampton (Nr Worthing)
Sat 23rd September – Livewire Event – Saltash
Sat 7th October – Charlie’s Bar – Cornwall
Sat 14th October – Turbulence Festival – Plymouth
Friday 20th October – Winchester Gate – Salisbury

[Review] Pennywise revival is the rebirth of the horror genre
Author: Lisha Blackhurst

When assembling this review, no alternate structure felt apt unless the IT [1990] TV adaptation was paramount and at the forefront of it all. As a young child with a morbid curiosity and a voracious appetite of all things frightening, Pennywise and his countless forms represented everything that was scary and forbidden, as I stayed up late to secretly gorge on the films that I wouldn’t be permitted to view by the light of day. Despite having been directed for television viewers on a shoestring TV-mini-series budget and narrow timescale, I have always regarded the feature as one of my favourite horror “movies” of all time, and even with its flaws and lack of attention to the book [Wallace did admit to only reading the book AFTER he had finished filming], IT and The Loser’s Club will always be a part of my childhood.

When it was first announced that IT would be receiving the contemporary makeover, I was sincerely devastated, concerned that IT would befall the same fate as the other countless, regurgitated, money-wielding blockbusters of the past ten years. I felt real apprehension that horror was taking yet another bold ignorant step in the wrong direction; was there really no classic movie that Hollywood would keep their filthy-rich grubby hands off and leave in pristine nostalgic peace? Because of this, I deliberately avoided ALL of the leading announcements made within the next six months, like a child stomping their feet in rebellious defiance. But then, King himself began to show approval of what he had seen of the movie, expressing great delight at how the film would be more of an honest representation of his book and putting fans at ease that it was all in safe hands. I made the conscious move to re-watch IT [1990], but as if under a magnifying glass, and in this new bright garish light, I could see the cracks and flaws within the idealistic portrait I had painted in my memory. Perhaps IT actually was out-dated and tired, in dire need of a polish. With my new-found intrigue, I dared to investigate further into 2017. Initially, I was angry at how unique and different everything felt; suddenly we are swept back to the 80s, a confusing choice when both the book and TV movie were based solidly within the 50s, and I grew concerned that this was going to be trying too hard to be hip – after all, the 80s have never been so cool with the likes of Stranger Things and Black Mirror. Seeing the new cast for the children, I longed for the characters I had grown up with; we were like old friends, The Loser’s Club and I, but I reserved all further judgement for when I would view the film in its entirety. And this is what I discovered.

The movie centres on what it calls Chapter One. This focuses on the children’s journey in a linear form, abandoning all flashback sequences that the book and 90s narrative adhere to. It looks fantastic, even the title sequence had me spellbound, and the cinema was packed, with every seat filled – the biggest turn out I have seen for a horror movies in years. We start humbly where we would expect to – in the bedroom of a sickly stuttering Bill, Georgie expectantly awaiting his infamous floating paper boat to set sail. This comforting familiarity resonates well, throwing some respectful acknowledgement to the 90s, valuing where this story had been long before. That said, it is a mere fleeting moment before we realise we could have abandoned all imagination at the door – Georgie’s arm is ripped from its socket in blood-spurting glory, brandishing those new effects like a chainsaw-wielding madman. Immediately, it is obvious that this will not be a subtle affair.

It is from here that the narrative bounds and leaps into a wholly new direction, cleverly focusing on sections of the book that the 90s either failed to recognise, or weren’t technically advanced enough to incorporate. Instead of being disrespectful, this move is essentially a smart one; you could watch both movies back to back and barely realise that they exist in the same universe. Muscheitti is polite enough to acknowledge that the other does exist, [he even includes a doll of the Tim Curry version of Pennywise in one of his scenes] without stepping on Wallace’s toes. With this innovative solitary focus on the children, the movie takes on all the elements of a children’s fantasy movie, from the epic orchestral music and ambitious cinematography, to the banter and repartee between the characters, it explores a new realm of horror, sweeping us away with the adventure of it all. The effects are frequent and bludgeoning, but in their right, are flawless; there just isn’t a moment that doesn’t look real.

IT itself, in clown form, bears little or almost no resemblance to the Tim Curry Pennywise, aside from perhaps the enlarged forehead. It was always said that Curry’s Pennywise was never a true representation of King’s imagination. Aesthetically, Skarsgård looks fantastic; realistic, terrifying, the true embodiment of a child’s nightmarish manifestation. For me as an adult, it is the simplicity of the 90s Pennywise that is far more disconcerting, of which Curry requested himself, so he could still act freely through the make-up. Reportedly, the cast would actively avoid Curry between takes throughout filming, as his appearance was so distressing. Muscheitti took note of this, and was said to intentionally keep Skarsgård’s appearance unknown to the cast, away from all the other actors, so that their first encounter would be the first scene that we see on screen – and this had great affect. The children were genuinely frightened, and even Skarsgård himself doubted whether he would return as Pennywise in Chapter Two, after suffering such severe nightmares during filming. Skarsgård also had his own input on the direction of Pennywise. He wanted there to be a more simple, childlike quality to the character, since the clown is fundamentally a figment of the children’s imagination, and it needed to represent their immature consciousness. Whilst Curry’s character feels more playful, comical and taunting, Skarsgård plays a more serious role with a notable speech impediment, reminding me of the Freddy evolution from Englund to Haley in 2010.

The movie twists and turns exquisitely, sweeping you through the adventure from one sequence to the next, keeping you gripped throughout. Unlike the book, there are no punctuating scenes of any adults in this chapter; it is all perceived through the eyes of the child. The friendship and bond between the unlikely comrades still resonates with the viewer, but uses different, perhaps less uplifting moments from the book. The dam building scene from the 90s is replaced by the bathroom cleaning scene from the book, when the friends come to Beverly’s aid and mop away the blood that has erupted from the sink. There is also an addition of a strong comedic element that gives the film a whole new level of entertainment. The characters taunt one another frequently, offering a more jovial realistic representation of friendship, but overall, less of an affectionate connection. New additions of controversial subjects have also been added giving us deeper insight into the characters, with stronger hints that Beverly is a victim of molestation by her father, and Henry Bowers [who bears such a striking resemblance to his past counterpart] kills his father with a Stanley knife to the throat. Thankfully, any sex scenes from the book have still tastefully been avoided.

The beauty of King’s perception in his writing is he exploits what scares us the most. As children and as adults, he explores our subterranean animalistic thoughts that haunt us all within ourselves. Muscheitti has neglected to take advantage of the character’s own personal fears. This movie just did not scare me. There are many jump scares to keep the untrained horror viewer on their toes, but too many action sequences water down the non-existent tension. That said, the ride is fast-paced, adrenaline-charged and aesthetically exhilarating, but is it scary? Sadly, the answer is no.

The positive news is that Chapter Two can be nothing short of an improvement. Even Wallace himself would admit they ran short of time, the effects just weren’t accessible to successfully portray the complexity that King had created. The adult actors cast were severely lacking in comparison to their child counterparts, and I do hope that the adults in Chapter Two won’t befall the same fate – I almost want them to wait for the child actors to age 27 years before they shoot the next one! This film has managed to alter my perception of remakes entirely, showing me that a lot can change over 17 years and a face lift can be a positive move for a piece of work. Both movies can exist in the same realm and each are brilliant in their own right.

IT [2017] has truly altered the face of horror for the future, and I will no longer shudder at the mention of the word “remake.”

It’s almost time for Halloween, and it’s definitely time for Issue 91! The queen of metal, Dani Divine is FINALLY back and in a big way.

You will also see some amazing babes making their Elite Debut such as Beth Kendrew, Valis Volkova, Alexa Webb, Eliza Dawn, Chloe Mason and Caitlin Taylor.

We also have the return of beauties such as Stevie Dagg, Annie Josephine, JessicaLou and Lisha Blackhurst.

Also we have a DOUBLE, double header. Firstly it’s the Aussie babes Jess & Kelly… then the Elite faves Rouge & Sian Marie. You’re welcome… twice.

There are many awesome brands on show this issue including Soft Kitty Clothing, Camilly Clothing, Creep Street, Killstar, Malice Lingerie, Mr. Ducktail, Bedroom Behavior and more.

Music from Arctangent Festival, Comeback Kid, Four Year Strong, The Black Dahlia Murder, Counterparts and more.

More games? Ok… here it goes… Sonic Forces, Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, Starcraft Remastered, Sonic Mania, Hellblade and GamerGirl Salliss!

That’s all for now folks! Stay classy.

Drag me to hell.

Video games are not, as a rule, known for their subtlety in dealing with complex subject matters. There are exceptions, of course, but when you start introducing concepts that don’t naturally fit with gaming as a medium it’s easy for things to feel forced at best. For every Spec Ops: The Line, there’s a Call of Duty. Games that explore their chosen subject matters with restraint and respectfulness are notable for their rarity.

Hellblade is not necessarily the most subtle in the way it deals with the complex issue of mental health that is central to its storyline, but it’s certainly respectful. Ninja Theory – best known for their character action games Heavenly Sword, Enslaved and DmC – has crafted a fascinating deep-dive into the sanity of its latest heroine, Senua.

A troubled girl from the isles of Orkney, Senua sets out on a journey into Hell after her lover, Dillion, is killed by Northmen from across the sea (read: vikings) to reclaim his soul. During her journey, she confronts the demons of hell, but moreso has to confront her own demons. I won’t spoil anything of the story here, as it’s definitely something you need to experience as you play the game. But suffice it to say Senua has not had an easy life, and has lived with her Darkness – a crude, if effective, allegory for her depression – since her childhood.

What makes Hellblade’s efforts so notable is the way that the depictions of her mental health bleed into the game design. Most notable are the Furies; disembodied voices that accompany her on her journey, questioning her actions and her abilities. When you’re looking for the next clue to proceed, they’ll whisper insistently. “She doesn’t see it! She’s lost. She’ll never find Dillion.” When fighting an enemy, they’ll taunt her, calling out her injuries or strong opponents. But it’s not all doom and gloom from them; sometimes they’ll call out gentle encouragement; even helpful advice on how to proceed on occasion. Their presence is a constant reminder of Senua’s anxiety, and instils a sense of anxiety in the player, too, as they question your competence along with hers.

Other depictions are more subtle, and are tied into the nature of the gameplay and world design. Most of the puzzles – such as they are – rely on environmental perception, tasking Senua with looking for runes in her surroundings, which might be a shadow cast on the ground or ornamentation when viewed from the right angle. These lend a feeling of Senua trying to make sense of her surroundings and exert a bit of control over her situation, and the game often plays with these ideas further, with alternate pathways and illusions a staple of its environmental puzzling. Sadly, these puzzles don’t really change much throughout the course of the game and are rarely difficult; the handful of other challenges on offer are far more interesting (a near-blind trek through a house and forest, haunted by terrifying creatures, is a clear highlight), though they never outstay their welcome.

When you’re not scouring the environments for runes, you’ll likely be fighting. Don’t mistake Hellblade for an action game though – the combat is deliberately paced, and Senua is limited to light and heavy attacks, a melee kick, dodging, and a simple parry. You can combine attacks and dodges into makeshift combos, and combat is relatively satisfying, but there are only a handful of different enemy types in the game, all of whom can take a fair amount of punishment- though the game does at least give Senua plenty of chances to recover from her own injuries. That’s just as well given the game’s controversial save deletion mechanic, where the game threatens to delete your save if you fail too many times, though there are conflicting reports over whether this does in fact happen. Hellblade does, however, fall back on its combat a little too often, and with many fights involving multiple opponents over multiple waves it can get rather tedious. The trio of boss encounters are slightly more interesting, if similarly overlong.

Whilst neither the combat nor the puzzle solving are exemplary, Hellblade remains a competent adventure that really shines because of the strength of its storytelling and presentation. The visuals are breathtaking – particularly the performance capture on Senua, which really drives home the depths of her character and her emotions, though the environments are just as detailed and evocative. Some of the later sections of the game are beautifully grotesque, and the monsters that inhabit both the world and Senua’s mind are nightmarish apparitions that almost tip the game into true horror at times. The voice acting and soundtrack are equally impressive, but its the way everything comes together that elevates Hellblade to something beyond the sum of its parts.

Taken purely as a game, Hellblade isn’t all that appealing. It can be tedious to play, has a few niggling bugs (like the fact that the dialogue subtitles don’t always match the spoken lines) and the heavy subject matter makes it bleak and far from an easy ride. Part of me even wonders whether the game would have been better framed as a walking simulator, but without the risk of failure the presence of the furies would be far less effective.

But if you’re going into Hellblade just for the gameplay, you’re in the wrong place. This is a fascinating, in-depth exploration of mental health in a video game, and it feels as authentic and powerful as you could hope for. Over the course of its 6 or so hours you’ll be dragged through hell along with Senua, but if even a fraction of what she goes through resonates with you, you’ll come out the other side all the stronger. Hellblade might not be a masterpiece of game design, but it’s a real achievement in interactive storytelling, and is a game everyone should play through at least once.

Uneasy allies.

By rights we shouldn’t even be here. Very little about Ubisoft and Nintendo’s crossover title makes any sense Why would Mario, savior of the Mushroom Kingdom, and wacky Rayman critters the Raving Rabbids ever exist in the same universe? if you were going to pair Mario with a Ubisoft character, surely Rayman himself would have been a more logical choice. Why would you then hand over development duties of Nintendo’s most cherished mascot to the French developer? Why would the resulting crossover game be a turn-based shooter, and not take the form of a platformer or party game? And why, oh why, would the game actually turn out to be… whisper it… really good?

But here we are, with a game that has clearly been a labour of love for its developers. The whole aesthetic from the minute the game opens is beautiful; vibrant colours and softly rendered environments and characters boast a Pixar-like quality, with a tilt-shift depth of field and subtle animation touches lending Mario + Rabbids a style all of its own. Grant Kirkhope’s delightful soundtrack is the perfect accompaniment to the surprisingly easy alliance of Nintendo charm and Rabbid wackiness.

The first few battles really serve as an extended introduction to Kingdom Battle’s take on XCOM inspired turn-based strategy. You’ll take your team of three into combat, and during each turn your characters can move, attack, and use a special ability, in any order. It starts out simple enough, and the game employs a very basic cover system that makes planning your attacks initially straightforwards – you have a 100% chance to hit an enemy in the open, a 50% chance to hit an enemy in half cover, and a 0% chance to hit an enemy in full cover. Of course, the reverse is true for your opponents as well. This might seem off-putting to strategy veterans (I came from playing XCOM 2: War of the Chosen to this, so the transition was a little jarring) but the inclusion of destructible cover, random critical effects from weapons (like Honey, which renders a target unable to move, or Push, which catapults them backwards) help spice things up, and do weapons like bombs and remote mines which can target enemies behind cover. Some special abilities will force enemies away (or closer to you), and the huge range of moment options that open up as the game progresses make fights more about how to use your skills and positioning to circumvent well-concealed enemies. Each character has their own specialities and traits; Mario can perform powerful jump attacks, Luigi snipes enemies from afar, whilst Rabbid Peach can heal her allies.

The movement options are especially satisfying, and make Kingdom Battle a very agile game, so even though you’ll only control 3 heroes you never lack for traversal options. Characters can slide-tackle enemies as a free part of their movement, use pipes to quickly hop around the battlefield, and springboard off allies (and enemies) to perform hero jumps. As some of the mission objectives require you to reach a target area on the map, mastering these options can make a huge difference to your progress.

Once the game is done with showing you the ropes, the difficulty does ramp up, especially by the third of its four worlds. Simply completing a level is rarely too challenging, but if you want to achieve a ‘perfect’ rating – and thereby earn more gold and skill points to spend on weapons and power ups – you’ll need to complete the map with all three team members alive and under a certain turn limit. Doing so can be pretty tough – most stages consist of a couple of battles with limited ways to heal between then, and your enemies are pretty punishing, but it’s the slightly finnicky control scheme that will be your undoing more than anything else, as there’s no confirm option for movement and no way to ‘undo’ a move. It’s not uncommon to just miss the square you wanted your character to move to thanks to a slight wiggle of the analog stick, leaving Rabbid Luigi stuck in the middle of nowhere and giving every enemy a free shot at him. There’s no mid-battle saving, so when this happens you’re pretty much forced to start the fight over if you want that perfect score. Thankfully, you can opt to replay missions once you’ve completed the chapter, so you can always go back and re-do any maps you didn’t do too well on first time around.

When you’re not battling Rabbids, you’ll be exploring the regions of the mushroom kingdom. It’s a pretty light and mostly linear path through the handsome environments, with a bit of light puzzle solving thrown in. There’s a faint Zelda-like quality in that some areas can’t be accessed until you’ve acquired new skills further into your adventure, which coupled with the inclusion of new challenge missions on existing maps gives you a reason to revisit older places, but for the most part the exploration is pretty straightforwards. It does offer a welcome break from a constant string of battles, though, and the surprising inclusion of a co-op mode makes for a similarly fun diversion.

The zany Rabbid humour doesn’t always mesh well with the Mario sensibilities – it’s weird to have roomba-alike character Beep-O talking about Hell and seeing things like a Bullet Bill stuck in a pair of underpants, and the less said about the rabbid perched on a rubber duck, in a giant toilet, wearing a bondage collar the better. By the same token, it never quite feels right to have Mario shooting things with a facsimilie of Mega Man’s blaster, or Peach gunning enemies down with a shotgun (though parents can take some solace in the fact that our heroes aren’t killing the enemies – they’re actually just freeing them from the strange melding of the Mario and Rabbid worlds). And yet – amazingly – it works.

Once you do manage to get over the strange fact that this hybrid creature even exists, it proves easy to love. It’s friendly, approachable, and whilst it has its quirks, they don’t detract from its sheer charm. It’s a perfect fit for the Switch, even if the Mario and Rabbids franchises don’t initially seem like a perfect fit for one another.

Way past cool.

23 years. That’s how long it’s been since the last truly good Sonic the Hedgehog video game. There’s been plenty of Sonic games in that time, of course, but few of them could be considered anything even approaching ‘good.’ Sonic became the epitome of a washed-up videogame icon; his relevancy dulled by developers not knowing how to make the transition from fast-paced 2D platforming to the 3D world. Even more retro 2D efforts felt off, with Sonic Advance and Sonic 4 not recapturing the feel of the older games. It was starting to feel like SEGA really didn’t know what to do with their beloved franchise, especially after the failure of re-imaginings like Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Boom.

And in a move that other developers could stand to learn a lot from, SEGA turned to the fan community. In particular, to Christian Whitehead, whose work on fan games landed him the job of adapting classic Sonic titles to newer platforms, as well as Headcannon and PagodaWest games, also known for Sonic fangames. And would you believe it, they’ve turned out the most authentic, most enjoyable Sonic game since Sonic & Knuckles.

The game takes place following the events of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, with Robotnik – sorry, Eggman – stealing a Ruby gemstone from Angel Island. This Ruby grants his robotic henchmen, the Hard-Boiled Heavies, strange new powers, and sends Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles back in time. The setup is a smart mcguffin that allows Whitehead and his team to revisit previous Sonic locations, as well as adding new twists to the classic formula, effectively remixing classic levels to introduce new gameplay mechanics and take advantage of capabilities of the Retro Engine that powers the game.

Twelve zones feature, eight of which are returning Zones from Sonic, Sonic 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Sonic CD, and each split into two acts. With the classic Zones, the first act is a mostly faithful recreation of the original level, though extended and with additional course options. The second act introduces new elements; in Chemical Plant Zone, for example, you’re able to mix chemicals with the purple water to turn it into a bouncy surface, whilst Oil Ocean act 2 adds a gradual buildup of smog which has to be cleared before it fogs your vision completely. The new elements never feel out-of-place, and the remixed layouts are designed to evoke a sense of familiarity whilst introducing enough new elements to encourage exploration. The new Zones are a perfect fit both thematically and visually, and fit in snugly alongside the classic levels.

The level design is pretty special, striking a delicate balance between allowing for high-speed runs whilst at the same time rewarding the more curiously minded. The game is mercifully light on high-speed traps – a trick Sonic Advance employed much too often, sending Sonic hurtling into spikes faster than the player can react and forcing memorisation of the levels – and the new mechanics and boss fights that are introduced make for some great, entertaining gameplay with few of the annoyances that plagued earlier games. Remixing the levels has allowed Whitehead and his team to pick and choose the most enjoyable elements of the games and sidestep the more frustrating mechanics – though that’s not to say you won’t sometimes be faced with drowning in underwater sections or crushed between moving platforms, or that the game doesn’t offer up a reasonable challenge.

Sonic Mania certainly looks and sounds great – the pixel aesthetic of the Mega Drive games is retained, though benefits from widescreen support and the careful removal of some constraints – sprites boast more detail, colour, and animation frames than their original versions, and the level art has been similarly tweaked. The soundtrack, which consists of remastered and remixed tunes alongside some new additions, comes from famed Sonic remixer Tee Lopes, and again fits Sonic mania perfectly. The result is a game that looks and sounds the way you remember Sonic looked, though viewed side-by-side there are clear differences. Likewise, the Bonus and Special Stages – lifted from Sonic & Knuckles and Sonic CD respectively – benefit from super-smooth framerates and a cleaned up appearance. The bonus stages also score you medals on completion, which unlock additional in-game items and game modes.

Most crucial of all, though, Sonic Mania feels like a classic Sonic game. The movement and jumping controls are tight and responsive, the physics and inertia feel natural, and the levels are designed to complement them perfectly. That’d wouldn’t be such a big thing were it not for the fact that Sega has tried and failed to recapture these elements for two decades, but Sonic Mania finally manages it.

The kicker, and what really sets it apart, is simple: Sonic Mania is not just a great Sonic game. It’s a great game by any standards, and maybe – just maybe – it’s the shot in the arm Sega’s mascot was so desperately in need of. Fans have been clamouring for this title for years, and now it’s here, it doesn’t disappoint.

Hey now, you’re an all star.

Hey look! It’s another Warriors game from Tecmo Koei – no, don’t give me that look. It might be easy to frown on Omega Force’s work as they churn out a seemingly endless stream of their signature Musou titles, but it really is doing their efforts a bit of a disservice. And as this latest crossover proves, Omega Force certainly aren’t afraid to mix up the formula, whilst at the same time keeping the core gameplay the genre is known for intact.

Warriors All-Stars, then, is a sort-of successor to the Warriors Orochi series, but with a wider-ranging cast to draw from. Whilst Orochi primarily featured characters from the Dynasty and Samurai Warriors series’, All-Stars plucks it’s heroes from other titles in the Tecmo Koei library and transports them to a magical world full of dog-people and monsters, where a sacred spring that gives the world it’s life is failing and three factions are vying for control of it. So, naturally, characters from other worlds are summoned to help.

You’re given a selection of a handful of heroes at the outset, each of whom is aligned with one of the three main factions (Kind-hearted Tamaki, hotheaded but earnest Setsuna, and stoic Shiki). You can unlock more heroes as you progress through the story mode, which presents you with a sizeable map full of battles to engage in. Most of these battles are optional, there to act as the game’s ‘Free Mode’ which is otherwise missing and allow you to grind out materials and character cards (more on those later), but some, denoted by special icons, are core story missions, hero missions, or dramatic battles. Each of the story missions and dramatic battles must be unlocked by fulfilling certain conditions; since some of these conditions require you to have not completed certain battles it becomes a bit of a branching path through the game’s storyline, leading to multiple different endings. Repeated playthroughs, therefore, are a must, but thankfully your character advancement and materials / card collections carry over.

In battle, All-Stars is more or less the same Musou gameplay you’d expect: you control your hero and battle through hundreds of rank-and-file enemies, capturing bases and completing objectives, as well as occasionally squaring off against opposing heroes. Though the combat itself is rarely challenging, it’s satisfying and empowering, but the greater challenge comes from the constant flow of mission objectives. Balancing a desire to control regions of the battlefield with the need to defeat key opponents, protect allies, and enact strategic plans can be tricky in the more difficult battles, which quickly become a battle more of time management than of combat skill. Whilst most objectives rotate through certain core themes, the way they’re implemented on each of the game’s sprawling maps remains interesting even after dozens of encounters, though some of the story missions and hero recruitment missions can get old when you’re playing through the game for the fifth or sixth time.

Differentiating All-Stars from its peers are the new party system, which gives you primary control of one hero but allows you to be accompanied by four more; these will fight alongside you under the AI’s control, but can be swapped into combat for a while or called upon to trigger special moves, which range from basic attacks to longterm buffs and healing magics. There’s also a new Musou Rush ability, which when triggered supercharges your character and magically makes hundreds of enemies spawn in all around them, waiting to be cut down.

A more consequential new mechanic is the introduction of the Bravery system. Your character starts each battle with 1 bravery, but can earn more by completing objectives and defeating opponents. Doing so is crucial: opposing heroes also have bravery ratings, and if you’re fighting an enemy with a much higher bravery rating than you they’ll inflict a lot more damage with their attacks, whilst your own abilities will inflict much less. It’s a clever way of encouraging you to follow the mission objectives and complete side goals, rather than just letting you charge straight at the enemy commander and down them with a special attack (which is totally not something I’ve done in other Warriors games, honest).

Outside of battle, collecting and upgrading weapons is a thing of the past, partly due to the fact that some of the game’s character’s don’t use any weapons. Instead you now have character cards that can be equipped to their respective characters; these cards confer basic damage boosts and add elemental damage, but can be upgraded to include special skills and abilities by using materials gathered in battle.

As for the characters themselves, whilst they represent a good cross-section of Tecmo’s library, there are a few questionable choices and some characters that are notable for their absence. One of Warriors Orochi’s endearing features was the presence of ‘guest characters’ such as Sophitia from the Soul Blade franchise, but there are no such inclusions here, nor are there characters from outside Tecmo Koei published games, so don’t expect to see heroes even from Omega Force games that aren’t published by Tecmo – there are no Hyrule Warriors, Dragon Quest Heroes or Berserk cameos, for example. Whilst this is likely due to licensing issues, it’s a shame these games don’t have any representation in the All-Stars lineup, and makes this feel more like a Tecmo Koei All-Stars than a Warriors All-Stars.

So who do you get? Most of Tecmo’s core franchises are represented with characters from Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors, Dead or Alive, Ninja Gaiden, Toukiden, Deception and Atelier all turning up in various numbers, but there are a few curios to add to the bunch – Nights of Azure’s Arnice and Samurai Cat’s Nobunyaga Oda are a bit unexpected, but more so are Opoona – the title character from an obscure Wii RPG – and Rio – a hostess character from a Pachinko series of games. The character choices aren’t always the most obvious either – Dead or Alive gives us Kasumi, but also lesser-known DOA5 characters Honoka and Marie Rose, whilst the Dynasty Warriors selection stars fan-favourites Zhao Yun, Wang Yuanji and Lu Bu, but pairs them with previously unplayable Zhou Cang.

Warriors All-Stars boasts a cheerful, vibrant presentation full of lush colours and thematically appropriate music. The world the heroes are dragged to is similarly colourful, though stages representing other worlds (a Casino for Rio, a haunted forest for Toukiden, etc) are present and serve to keep things varied. The visuals are definitely a case of art style over technical prowess, but the game looks attractive enough and maintains a solid framerate even on a standard PS4.

Whilst Warriors All-Stars could more accurately be described as Tecmo Koei All-Stars, there’s still plenty here to enjoy. The lack of game modes and complete absence of multiplayer are disappointing, and whilst the Story mode offers a ton of side content it doesn’t quite measure up to the generous offerings Omega Force are known for. There are some neat new features, and like any crossover it’s fun to see your favourite characters interacting with one another, but All-Stars still feels a little too tied to the core Musou mechanics and relies heavily on the player’s affection for a cast of relatively unknown characters. That said, the basic gameplay is as entertaining and addictive as it’s ever been, and even if All-Stars is just a stop-gap before the more radical changes coming in Dynasty Warriors 9, it’s still a hell of a lot of fun.

We’re almost at the end of the year, and what better time to be KAWAII, than now! We have a triple threat on our cover with Neptune, Keshia and Lua Stardust… you’re welcome!

You will also see some amazing babes making their Elite Debut such as Cecylia, Ghostkitten, kpax, Mahnee, Lauren Fernandez, Nikita KLOSEWOOD, Opal Rose and Rhynn Fox.

We also have the return of beauties such as Killpop and Vaughn.

There are many awesome brands on show this issue including Creep Street, Deth Kult, Soft Kitty Clothing, Camilly Clothing, Killstar, Malice Lingerie, Mr. Ducktail and more.

Music from Arcane Roots, Reel Big Fish, Anti-Flag, Mad Caddies, Waterparks and more.

More games? Ok… here it goes… Grimoire: Manastorm, Forza Motorsport 7, Super Mario Odyssey, Steamworld Dig 2, Shadow of War and more

That’s all for now folks! Stay classy.

It’s the end of 2017 and we are setting it off with a bang… the insanely gorgeous Pulp! She will be back again in 2018 but we just wanted to show you how amazing she is!

You will also see some amazing babes making their Elite Debut such as Isabella Jaxx, Kitty King and Maddison Myers.

We also have the return of beauties such as Sian Marie, Aemelia Fox, Luna Louise and Sian.

There is also a double of double features… first it’s Amanda Ellen and Nymphae, then Laika and Teeniebash.

There are many awesome brands on show this issue including Malice Lingerie, Creep Street, Deth Kult, Growl & Grandeur, Camilly Clothing, Downfall Clothing, Mr. Ducktail and more.

Music from Enter Shikari, Cradle of Filth, Counterparts, Northlane, our Top 5 albums of 2017 and much more.

More games? Well we have Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Tower 57, Super Lucky’s Tale, Wolfenstein II, Sine Mora Ex and more.

That’s all for now folks! Stay classy.

Happy New Year! It’s time for the first issue of the year and we have the INCREDIBLE Erica Fett on our cover. It’s her second time on the Elite cover and hopefully will be many more!

You will also see some amazing babes making their Elite Debut such as Akiramai, Chicory, EmmaLou, Kim Finch, Samantha Sims and Wolf.

We also have the return of beauties such as Alivix, Betti Dooley, Cookie Boggino, Nayru and Rebecca Lotus.

There are many awesome brands on show this issue including Malice Lingerie, Creep Street, Deth Kult, Growl & Grandeur, Camilly Clothing, Downfall Clothing, Mr. Ducktail and more.

Music from HIM, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Tonight Alive and more.

More games? Well we have Return to Azeroth, This is the Police, Cuphead and Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition.

That’s all for now folks! Stay classy.

Wow! Have we got something special for you this issue… we recently had a trip to Spain with some amazing beauties so have a 7 girl special!

You will also see some amazing babes making their Elite Debut such as Anusmundi, Anyanka, Chibbi, Khaleesi, Real Life Pirate and Tari.

The Spain trip was amazing and included Aemelia Fox, Cookie, Keshia, Kuroha, Laika, Georgia Annable and Peaches.

There are many awesome brands on show this issue including RSI Apparel, Small Victory Clothing, Downfall Clothing, Camilly Clothing, Deth Kult, Mr. Ducktail and Growl & Grandeur.

Music from Black Veil Brides, Alien Ant Farm, Feed The Rhino, Motionless in White, While She Sleeps and more.

More games? Well we have Dynasty Warriors 9, Kingdome Come: Deliverance, Darkest Dungeon, Owlboy, Sky Force Reloaded and Under Night In-Birth Exe: Late.

That’s all for now folks! Stay classy.

Guess who’s back… it’s Rouge! We love this red-headed vixen and boy does she deliver for her cover issue.

You will also see some amazing babes making their Elite Debut such as Daisy Dillon, Katy Croft, and Courtney.

There are also some returning babes which include Amortentia, Hope Brookes, Jacqueline, Zoe Marie, Scribbles, Jazz Megan and JessicaLou.

There are many awesome brands on show this issue including The Custom Kings, Dead Angel Society, Small Victory, Malice Lingerie, Ink Poisoning, Mr. Ducktail, and Killstar!

Music from Gary Numan, Sepultura, Veil of Maya, Dance Gavin Dance and more.

Also… the Gamer Girl section is back…. check her out!

That’s all for now folks! Stay classy.

Hello Readers!

Some of you may have noticed that we got ourselves a Spotify account! We will be bringing you regular playlists including our Album of the Week, Top 10’s and Festival previews! Head over to Spotify now, follow us and get listening!

With Slam Dunk Festival only a month or so away we decided to give you the essential tracks from every artist on the bill, check it out here!

Having covered the brilliant ‘Braille’ in our latest issue we thought we’d bring you more news from the Palm Reader camp today. The five piece have this week dropped a dreamy video for their brand new single off of Braille, titled Inertia.

Watch the video here!

That’s not all either, fresh off supporting Rolo Tomassi around Europe and the UK, Palm Reader will be headlining some shows of their own as well as making a trip over to the often neglected Ireland!

It’s Monday so here is your ‘Album of the Week’!

Seeing as the almighty Cancer Bats are over this week celebrating ten years of their breakout album ‘Hail Destroyer’ with FOUR shows at the world famous Camden Underworld we thought we’d give you not that record BUT their brand spanking new surprise album ‘The Spark That Moves’, released on Friday out of absolute nowhere!

Listen to it here!

Despite only being in its second year the Heavy Music Awards is something that everyone from our world has latched onto immediately and is seen as a big event for everything heavy. This years nominations were revealed the other night in Manchester at the launch event held at the Gorilla venue which saw performances from Loathe, Cold Years and Milestones.

The awards show itself takes place on August 23rd at Koko in London the day before Reading & Leeds kicks off. Voting is open now and you can enter your votes here!

Check out the finalists and make your decisions!

Best Album

Code Orange – Forever (Roadrunner Records – Produced by Kurt Ballou & Will Yip)

Converge – The Dusk In Us (Epitaph Records / Deathwish Inc – Produced by Kurt

Creeper – Eternity, In Your Arms (Roadrunner Records – Produced by Neil D. Kennedy)

Enter Shikari – The Spark (Ambush Reality – Produced by David Kosten & Rou Reynolds)

Mastodon – Emperor Of Sand (Reprise Records – Produced by Brendan O’Brien)

The Menzingers – After The Party (Epitaph Records – Produced by Will Yip)

While She Sleeps – You Are We (Independent – Produced by While She Sleeps)

Best UK Band

Arcane Roots (Easy Life)
Architects (Epitaph Records)
Creeper (Roadrunner Records)
Enter Shikari (Ambush Reality)
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes (International Death Cult)
Marmozets (Roadrunner Records)
While She Sleeps (Independent)

Best International Band

Code Orange (Roadrunner Records)
Converge (Epitaph Records)
Mastodon (Reprise Records)
The Menzingers (Epitaph Records)
Metallica (Blackened Recordings)
Parkway Drive (Epitaph Records)
Trivium (Roadrunner Records)

Best Live Band

Presented by Jackson Guitars
Architects (Epitaph Records)
Enter Shikari (Ambush Reality)
Every Time I Die (Epitaph Records)
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes (International Death Cult)
Ghost (Loma Vista Recordings)
Gojira (Roadrunner Records)
While She Sleeps (Independent)

Best UK Breakthrough Band

Bad Sign (Basick Records)
Conjurer (Holy Roar Records)
Employed To Serve (Holy Roar Records)
Holding Absence (Sharptone Records)
Loathe (Sharptone Records)
Milk Teeth (Roadrunner Records)
Venom Prison (Prosthetic Records)

Best International Breakthrough Band

Brutus (Hassle Records)
Can’t Swim (Pure Noise Records)
Knocked Loose (Pure Noise Records)
Palaye Royale (Sumerian Records)
Sløtface (Propeller Recordings)
Stand Atlantic (Rude Records)
Waterparks (Equal Vision Records)

Best Album Artwork

Presented by The Pit
Bell Witch – Mirror Reaper (Profound Lore Records – Artwork by Mariusz Lewandowski)

Converge – The Dusk In Us (Epitaph Records / Deathwish Inc – Artwork by Jacob Bannon)

Creeper – Eternity, In Your Arms (Roadrunner Records – Artwork by Nicky Barkla)

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – Modern Ruin (International Death Cult – Artwork by Dean Richardson / Studio Yuck)

Mastodon – Emperor of Sand (Reprise Records – Artwork by Donny Phillips)

Northlane – Mesmer (UNFD – Artwork by Jacques Duquette / Fvckrender)

Sikth – The Future In Whose Eyes? (Millennium Night – Artwork by Meats Meier)

Best Festival

2000trees Festival (United Kingdom)
Arc Tan Gent (United Kingdom)
Bloodstock Open Air (United Kingdom)
Download Festival (United Kingdom)
Hellfest Open Air (France)
Slam Dunk Festival (United Kingdom)
UK Tech Fest (United Kingdom)

Best Photographer

Corinne Cumming
Ben Gibson
Joshua Halling
Paul Harries
Tina Korhonen
Jennifer McCord
Ed Mason

Best Producer

Kurt Ballou
Romesh Dodangoda
Neil D Kennedy
Dan Lancaster
Brendan O’Brien
Will Putney
Will Yip

This weeks Album of the Week has come out of nowhere. Having only discovered this band a few days ago having released Annihilated on Friday, Sectioned have created an absolute beast. If you’re a fan of noisy, headache inducing hardcore with metallic edges and futuristic elements in tone and soundscape then you will love this.

Check it out here!

Miss Deadly Red is here… and with a bang! Possibly the hottest natural redhead on the planet… she rocks Killstar and more this issue.

You will also see some amazing babes making their Elite Debut such as BellaSophia, Ivy Rose Gehenna, MandeeLou, Nikita Caslida, Raven Wynter and OhSammiii.

There are also some returning babes which include Dani Divine, Luna Louise, Ruby Rogue, Rebecca Crow and Runa.

There are many awesome brands on show this issue including Zombie Makeout Club, The Custom Kings, Dead Heron, Alibi Clothing, Malice Lingerie, Camilly Clothing, Mr. Ducktail and Killstar!

Music from Slam Dunk Festival, Lower Than Atlantis, Rolo Tomassi, Skindred, Trivium and more.

That’s all for now folks! Stay classy.

One of the most anticipated records of the year has finally been unleashed upon us and instantly takes our coveted album of the week spot. Parkway Drive are onto something big, really big and Reverence has confirmed the bands intentions for the future and where their career might be heading!

After sitting with the record for a few more days, our editor and writer of the Reverence review would like to change his tune. The songs on Reverence are colossal and capture where the band are heading perfectly, every track has a unique sound and flavour. Wanting Parkway Drive to deliver the same old metalcore they’ve had perfected for years would be selfish to want and unnecessary to need. If you’re still unsure, give it some time, the band have come out and said they’ve outgrown metalcore and are moving away from what you might expect from them. They are a shoe in to be bona fide festival and arena headliners and that is where these songs are destined for. Now play it loud and snap your neck to this!

Released a couple months ago Baltimore’s very own Pianos Become The Teeth have delivered another compilation of well thought out alt rock that cut straight to your emotional core. They picked up where they left off on Keep You and pushed the boundaries and dimensions of the band further to create a fresh, new, interesting sound for the band.

Check it out here and head to a live show later on this year as they head out with Kamikaze Girls and share headlining duties with Foxing!

August 9th & 10th – London – Bush Hall
August 11th – Brighton – The Haunt
August 12th – Manchester – Rebellion
August 13th – Dublin – Whelans
August 14th – Glasgow – Stereo
August 15th – Newcastle – The Cluny
August 16th – Bristol – Arctangent Festival