Torchwood: The New World Debut Set

For fans of Torchwood, it's been a long wait. The Doctor Who spin-off, starring John Barrowman, ran for three seasons from 2007, but struggled with financial difficulties after the five-part third series Children Of Earth, and regular viewers have been waiting since then for a new run of adventures for Captain Jack and Gwen Cooper. But no longer: The New World was announced last Summer as the fourth series of the show, filming in both the UK and America over the first half of 2011, and airing on Brit channel BBC and American network Starz at a time undisclosed until today. It's been revealed that Torchwood: The New World will premiere on both channels on the 1st of July on the official Facebook page of the show. The page, set up to promote the new run, revealed that the season will feature CIA agent Rex Matheson as he "investigates a global conspiracy" and "a new team takes shape to face a threat much closer to home, as they realise that their greatest enemy is mankind itself". Sounds interesting, and there are just a few months left until we see this dark turn of events by humanity play out...

Coming Up For On-Screen In 2011

As you've probably noticed, reviews play a huge part here at On-Screen, and from what I can see there are going to be a heck of a lot more in 2011. To give you a little glimpse at just some of the stuff you can expect before 2012 arrives, here's a few lists of releases...
FILM: The King's Speech; Season of the Witch; The Green Hornet; Never Let Me Go; I Am Number Four; Paul; Thor; Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides; The Hangover: Part II; Kung Fu Panda 2; X-Men: First Class; Green Lantern; Cars 2; Transformers: Dark of the Moon; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2; Captain America: The First Avenger; Cowboys & Aliens; Spy Kids 4: All The Time In The World; Johnny English Reborn; Puss In Boots; The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part One; The Muppets; Alvin & The Chipmunks 3 (well, possibly); Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol; Sherlock Holmes 2 and War Horse (yes, there are a lot of movies!)
GAMING: Dead Space 2; Marvel VS Capcom 3; Bulletstorm; LEGO Star Wars III; Crysis 2; Homefront; the Nintendo 3DS; Portal 2; Child of Eden; Batman: Arkham City; Forza Motorsport 4; Gears of War 3; L.A Noire; Mass Effect 3; Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3; Call of Duty Sledgehammer; Star Wars: The Old Republic; LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean; Star Wars Kinect; Kinect Brain Training; The Elder Scrolls V; Tomb Raider; The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword; Halo: Combat Evolved HD and much more!
TELEVISION: Doctor Who Series Six; Merlin Series Four; Sherlock Series Two; Sarah Jane Adventures Series Five; Torchwood: The New World; Come Fly With Me Series One; Glee Season Two and Smallville Series 10!

Feature Reveal 5: Best Releases Ever

In the last decade, there were a heck of a lot of great entertainment releases, as there were in the 90s, and the 80s and so on. But which were the best? No, not of each year, which were the best EVER entertainment releases? I'm going to find out, investigate in every corner, and get your votes for the best film, video game, book, music track and board game releases from anytime, any place, no matter how obscure or popular. It'll be a feature that spans the whole year, culminating in December 2011 as I reveal just which releases came close to acheiving the top spot, and more so which ones were top of the list and thus get the awards. Of course, there are great new releases coming out this year too in all respects, so those that come out before December are welcome for your votes as well (don't worry, a guide to loads of these is coming to On-Screen very soon!). So for now, get thinking, send me your posts via Facebook or any of the blog posts you read and they will all be tallied up in months to come, with updates and teasers on which releases might come out on top sometime in the Summer. Other than that, have a great year, and I hope you enjoy whatever might come on screen (or paper) in 2011!

Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol Review (5/5)

I didn't think Steven Moffat could do it: no Doctor Who Christmas Special has ever been substantial enough to end Christmas Day on a high, and as we were promised the most bonkers science-fiction adventure ever by the writer, my hopes weren't high for 2010's showing. Why didn't I have faith? A Christmas Carol is a brilliant interpretation of Charles Dickens' classic, but strayed from the narrow formula by adding in superb stars Michael Gambon and Katherine Jenkins, using the time-travel nature of the show to its advantage and even featuring a flying shark! Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill were swept to the sidelines here as companions Amy and Rory (though judging by the brilliant Season 6 teaser at the end, we'll be seeing a lot more of them this Spring and Autumn) in favour of Matt Smith, who was on absolutely fine form as the Doctor once again as he attempted to turn the Scrooge of the story, Kazran Sardick (portrayed marvellously by Gambon), from evil before his friends were killed as their honeymoon ship crashed. What was equally impressive was that much of the episode was handed to Gambon and Jenkins, the latter even stepping in for a beautiful sing-song at the climax of the story while the former gave a depth never before seen to Scrooge with his romance and realisation of the inevitable lure of time. A few rough elements did rear their heads- the spaceship Amy and Rory were trapped on looked a bit retro for Who, and the Doctor's inability to save Jenkins' character from her off-screen demise seemed a little disheartening for December 25th, but nevertheless A Christmas Carol was the best Doctor Who Christmas Special so far thanks to superb casting in Gambon and Jenkins and a plot that managed to escape predictability by playing to the show's sci-fi roots!

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare Review (6/10)

Red Dead Redemption (9.5/10) was one of my personal favourite video games in 2010: the story of a cowboy struggling to cut ties to his past in the dying Wild West was superbly emotional for Rockstar, the diverse game-play made for a thrilling experience despite bugs and the visuals were some of the best on the current generation of consoles. My question with the sort-of-but-not-sequel Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, is just what happened? Once again, you play as John Marston, but now in a mock-horror scenario where zombies have taken over the West, and you must find a cure, saving towns from the once-dead adversaries all the while. It makes for an interesting premise, sure, but the execution of Undead Nightmare's plot is all over the place, featuring severe changes to the continuity of the original that fans will either learn to live with or absolutely hate. Worse still, the fun mechanics of the original like Dead Eye and horse riding are made tiresome here as they are used repetitively for hours on end (you have to shoot EVERY zombie in the head, and boy are there a lot of them), a feat which I thought near-impossible after playing Red Dead Redemption for so long. Okay, so as a downloadable content pack (which this started out as, now it's a retail release) this is a decent expansion with a good ten hours of plot and side missions to keep fans occupied, but as such an awkward variation of the amazing original, this isn't worth £25 by a long shot. Head online to buy this one.

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands Review (7/10)

Released in tandem with the rather tepid Sands of Time movie (3/5) last May, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is a standalone yarn that takes place within the acclaimed gaming trilogy featuring the titular monarch. Fans will immediately find themselves in very familiar territory as the Prince returns to his homeland to find it plagued by a terrible army of the undead (isn't the zombie trend in video games getting old yet?), and must traverse the ruins of an ancient fortress in the hope of fending off the hordes long enough to close the passage between life and death. I was never around for the Sands of Time trilogy on PlayStation 2, but rumour has it that the plots were complex and exciting romps, so The Forgotten Sands perhaps fails to stay true to its roots in that the story isn't really gripping stuff, bordering on being unlikeable given how predictable each twist is. You'll also be a little disappointed, too, with the graphics: while the locations the Prince travels to are exotic and detailed, the model of the character himself and others he meets are pretty hideous for a 2010 title. Thankfully, the game-play doesn't let up, harkening back to the days where the protagonist would traverse ledges and poles for no other reason than getting to the next room. The Prince's movement animations are fluid thanks to the use of the Assassin's Creed engine, but most gamers will be pleased to here that this is a lot more difficult than that successful series by Ubisoft, requiring lightning reflexes in later plat-forming challenges and mixture of magical powers in intense battles with the undead. The Sands of Time return to allow players a few chances to rewind their progress should they fall, but there is a limit so that things don't get too easy. My only real problem with The Forgotten Sands is that given its recent release, it feels more than a little dated with a mixed bag visually and an at times agonising camera that makes wall runs and jumps more of a pain than they should be, but at roughly a tenner in stores now it's well worth a look if you want a challenging plat-former that innovates in many respects.

Professor Layton & The Lost Future Review (10/10)

When I first played Professor Layton and the Curious Village (7.5/10) for Nintendo DS in 2008, I didn't exactly 'get' it: the puzzles weren't well intergrated in the exploration-based game-play; the plot was average at best and there wasn't enough voice acting to make it substantial enough to stand out from the crowd on the handheld. Two years on, and my, things have changed. The aformentioned crowd that once consisted of hits like Mario Kart DS, New Super Mario Bros and Zelda: Spirit Tracks is long behind the console, and the DS is fledging for final titles now as its successor the Nintendo 3DS (out in March) looms over it. Never mind that, however, as even if there were some excellent DS games out this year I have full confidence that Professor Layton and the Lost Future would have trumped the lot. It's rare that I come close to tears at a video game plot, but The Lost Future's storyline is utterly compelling, shocking and most of all moving to the very last, a heavy departure from the bog-standard tales of the original. This time, Layton and his apprentice Luke find themselves on the trail of a letter sent from ten years in the future in the midst of the disappearance of several scientists in London- but not all is as it seems, and though I won't spoil some of the final twists, sufficed to say that they remain some of the best I have witnessed alongside those in books and films! It would all mean nothing if the puzzles were once again jarring with the main narrative, yet Nintendo have managed to intricately craft flowing dilemmas that stop Layton and Luke from moving forward in the story until they have solved them. This approach feels far more satisfying, less at odds than before and so making The Lost Future the single best DS game I have ever played. Seemingly minor areas like the soundtrack and visuals are also handled beautifully, the latter presented through amazing hand drawn cut-scenes which wouldn't feel out of place in a Japanese animé flick (that's a true compliment), such that this sequel is a massive advancement on its predecessors, bringing all its elements together to form a must-have game that's challenging, emotional and thrilling at every moment!