Coming Up This Week: November 12th-18th

It's the end for Twilight, the beginning for Rockstar's biggest GTA yet and the return of COD- all this week...
We're entering perhaps the most packed seven days for the entertainment industry yet this Autumn/Winter, as a whole horde of big releases hurtle into stores and theatres everywhere in the week ahead. You'll be hard pressed to not find something exciting to catch, so that'll really make this week a great all-rounder for entertainment fans worldwide. Here's the full line-up...
CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS II- The world's biggest FPS franchise is back with a futuristic new entry, as the war for Call Of Duty moves to 2025. Secrets of the Cold War hold devestating ramifications nearly four decades later when America's own warfare technology is turned against itself in the ultimate battle for survival. Tag in the full Zombies campaign and COD's classic online offerings, and with Black Ops II you've got a truly sensational package. (Tuesday 13th)
GRAND THEFT AUTO V TRAILER- Next up we've got Rockstar's full unveiling of Grand Theft Auto V through a big new second trailer for the much-anticipated open world game. It's already looking like quite the stunner from the plentiful screenshots, but it's this video that's really getting people thrilled, so it falls down to one of the world's greatest developers to offer up the goods...have they still got what it takes? (Wednesday 14th)
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN PART 2- Believe it or not, the time has finally come for the Twilight Saga film franchise to wrap up before Christmas. Breaking Dawn Part 2 marks the end of boyfriends suffering across the globe with a bang, as Bella's newborn child threatens to tear the vampire world apart in a war of immortals. Can Edward, Bella, Jacob and the werewolf clan best the darkness of the Volturi? Find out now, once and for all...(Friday 16th)
SONIC & SEGA ALL-STARS RACING TRANSFORMED- SEGA are bouncing back onto the gaming scene with a follow-up to a surprisingly successful take on the Mario Kart series. All-Stars Racing Transformed riffs on last year's 3DS incarnation, incorporating multiple terrains and forms of vehicles for players on a variety of different formats to engage with. (Friday 16th)
CHILDREN IN NEED 2012- Britain's biggest and best live charity show is returning on Friday with a host of exciting acts. These include a prequel and trailer for the Doctor Who Christmas Special, a new broadcast from Strictly Come Dancing, a preview of the Call The Midwife Christmas episode and a golden moments showcase from the Olympic champions. It should be a heck of a night, one you really won't want to miss! (Friday 16th)
MERLIN: A LESSON IN VENGEANCE- After the shocking events of The Dark Tower, Gwen is still under the power of Morgana this week, attempting a dark attack on her husband under the influence of the High Priestess. Dark times lie ahead for everyone's favourite warlock, and one thing's for sure- the story of possession doesn't necessarily end in this instalment...(Saturday 17th)
AND THERE'S MORE- Threesome reaches its finale on Comedy Central tonight while Two & A Half Men and Arrow continue their respective broadcasts on CC and Sky1. Meanwhile, Michael McIntyre's Showtime and Mrs Brown's Boys Live hit DVD and Blu-Ray today, and the Skyfall DLC for 007 Legends launches this week too. Yep, it really is a big one for entertainment!
ON THE BLOG- We'll be bringing you reviews of Halo 4, Forza Horizon and Merlin: The Dark Tower in the next few days, along with the full GTA V reveal and more hot film, TV and games gossip to come.
AND NEXT WEEK...Prepare for another release onslaught, as Hitman: Absolution, The Muppets Christmas Carol 20th Anniversary Edition, LEGO The Lord Of The Rings, Now! That's What I Call Music 83, Merlin's eight episode and the Games Of Thrones Season One re-run finale all arrive on our shores!

Halo 4 Spartan Ops Episode 2 Trailer Unveiled

The second instalment of Season One launches this week.
Any major Halo fans out there will no doubt have blitzed through the colossal 8-10 hour single-player campaign of Halo 4 by now and be wondering where to head next. I'll be doing a full review of the game very soon, but before that rest assured that there's plenty of content to come, with ten new episodes of Spartan Ops launching every week that contain five missions each and a CGI cutscene to explain new events. This is Season One of a possible multi-tiered saga of DLC adventures on Requiem, and Episode Two- Artifact- revolves around Crimson and Majestic Squads travelling back to the Forerunner planet to protect the Infinity as the discovered artifact holds them tight to the shield world. The trailer for Episode Two can be seen below! Halo 4: Spartan Ops- Artifact ships on Xbox Live on Monday, November 12th.

Argo Review

Taking a true story and running with it, Ben Affleck's latest work is a masterpiece in modern filmic storytelling...
It's hard to deny that 2012 has been something of a landmark year for the film industry, with fantastic new entries to the roster including War Horse, The Muppets, Avengers Assemble, The Dark Knight Rises and Skyfall. Well, now we can add another beautiful instalment of filmmaking to the list, this time from the hands and mind of famed star and director Ben Affleck. Based on a true story of fear, religion and persevering hope, Argo stands as a crux of cinematic storytelling in a time where so many other thrillers and blockbusters rely on special effects and star names to do the hard work, forgetting to include a narrative deeper than the kiddies' pool along the way.

The story takes place in 1980s America and Iran, as a hostage crisis forces six US embassy negotiators to take retreat in their Canadian allies' home in the latter country. Affleck plays a CIA agent determined to rescue the trapped citizens at any cost, conducting an audacious plot which will take him into the front lines of danger and ultimately test his wits and loyalties to the limit. While this premise is undoubtedly one we've seen before in fictitious contexts, Affleck's handling of this scenario is masterful, his interweaving of real-world footage of the crisis with stunningly shot setpieces brimming with emotion and tension being the component of this masterpiece that raises it above all of its competitors with ease. Each and every member of the cast appears to have been handpicked for their roles perfectly despite the lack of big names beyond the director, making every single moment of the flick a joy to watch with ne'er a dull moment in sight.

Visually, Argo rightfully derives from the artistic style of its time, even going so far as to employ a retro-version of the Warner Bros Studios logo in its opening sequence to replicate this sense of nostalgia for a simpler age of communication and broadcast. Affleck clearly knows the tools of the trade for this era, and he's not afraid to throw in a few in-jokes regarding the status of the film industry then and now along the way, though he never lets the well-placed humour detract from the constant unease of the situation at hand and the gritty unbarred realism of it all. Make no mistake, the events depicted here really did happen, and given the displayed ramifications of Iranian outburst here it's no wonder that the full story of the 'Argo' event was not even declassified until over ten years after it occurred. Like The Social Network before it, Affleck mirrors Aaron Sorkin's respect for the events he is adapting, an approach which works marvellously as a whole.

Could Argo be crowned our Film Of The Year come December, then? That remains to be seen given the sheer quality of its competitors and indeed with Life Of Pi and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey still to come before year's end, but all the same that ambiguousness should not deter you from seeing it by any means. In fact, Argo is the greatest thriller and drama film we've seen arrive on our big-screens in 2012, a true masterpiece that will forever be remembered for its stunning recreation of one of the most endearing moments of hope and triumph over adversity in human history.
5/5

Assassin's Creed III Review

The only verdict you need on the climax to one of video gaming's biggest trilogies...
Five years in the making, the conclusive storyline of Assassin's Creed III certainly had a lot riding on it to perform in taking the strands of Desmond's story from 2007's Assassin's Creed up until last year's Revelations and building them into a cohesive finale. This is Ubisoft Montreal we're talking about, though, so naturally the developers bring us an almighty crescendo to this half-decade spanning saga, pulling out all the stops to ensure that we truly are left with more answers than questions this time around.

You might think this would mean we'd be spending a lot more time with our modern-day Assassin Desmond Miles, and you'd be right, but only to a certain extent. There are indeed entire missions and adventures dedicated to humanity's best hope of survival, and of course we do see a fitting resolution to the character's story arc here, yet the majority of your gameplay time will undoubtedly be spent in the past. Playing as half-Native, half-British hero Connor Kenway, you'll set out on a course of discovery and nationhood after a dazzling prologue that covers your inception as part of a tribe, with the Templar menace a key part of your journey through the American Revolution. Mercifully, Ubisoft do not let Revolutionary sentimentality get the better of the storyline, instead only depicting key figures like Washington and Franklin when it's necessary to the core narrative of the single-player campaign. Connor's arc is most certainly impressive, standalone in its own right and yet brimming with potential for future instalments.

Onto the game-play, then. For anyone who's played an AC game before, there'll be a major sense of reinvention and refinement present here the likes of which we haven't seen proper since Assassin's Creed II introduced us to Ezio Auditore. It's hugely refreshing to see such a variety of new mechanics such as ship battles, visceral combat sequences and fort battles thrown into the mix that don't tamper with the foundations, since this really gives a sense that the developers have hit their stride and know exactly how to revolutionise things every now and then. Each assassination feels suitably grand with a large degree of scale, ramping up the tension to the point that by the time Connor reaches his final target you won't be able to hang on to the edge of your seat any longer!

The beautiful narrative and hugely refined gameplay engine are representative of the overhaul to the visuals, the multiplayer and countless other elements the Montreal branch of Ubisoft have landed Assassin's Creed with this time around. Truly, Assassin's Creed III returns to the franchise back to its roots, crafting a near-perfect blend of stealth, combat and historic nostalgia to provide one of the defining video gaming experiences of 2012, a definitive Game Of The Year contender without question. No matter what qualms you've had with the series so far, this is a must-have purchase. New to the franchise? There's never been a better point in the saga to jump on and ready yourself for further masterful adventures...
10/10

Star Wars Episode VII Writer Announced

An Oscar-nominated screenplay writer tags on to one of the biggest film projects in history!
No doubt hoping to qualm the disbelief at the film's announcement earlier this week, LucasFilm have now confirmed the writer for their upcoming science-fiction sequel Star Wars Episode VII. In the press release confirming that the man who brought us Toy Story 3, Michael Arndt, will be penning the first instalment of the new trilogy, the movie studio also have announced that the flick will be entering pre-production within the next month. For such a dramatic leap forward in progression to have taken place for the new Star Wars is rather unprecedented, but what with the release window looming just over two years away from now, perhaps it's the right move to push on so as to ensure we get to see this big new project attain all its much-deserved glory! Star Wars Episode VII will release in cinemas worldwide in 2015.

An Idiot Abroad Return Date Confirmed

Karl Pilkington returns for European antics later this month!
Following up the success of their 'Comedy Fridays' schedule currently inhabited by Modern Family and Trollied, Sky1 have this week confirmed the return date of the comedy documentary show An Idiot Abroad to their digital channel. The third season of the programme sees Karl Pilkington journey across Europe with famed dwarf actor Warwick Davis in the basket of his bicycle, encountering an all manner of strange and shocking people and events along the way. It's a simple yet hilarious premise that could well carry itself strongly through the three-episode run of specials when they air each Friday. An Idiot Abraod 3: The Short Way Round commences broadcast on Sky1 on Friday, November 30th.

New Les Miserables Trailer Debuts

Discover the secrets behind one of 2013's most exciting movies...
Never underestimate a good musical- if there's one thing that fun flicks such as Mamma Mia and Rock Of Ages have taught us of late, it's just that. Viewers such as myself tend to love a good, old-fashioned sing-song in the cinema so long as it gets the bombast and strong direction it deserves, which certainly seems to be the case with the upcoming big-screen adaptation of Les Miserables. The film focuses on Fantine (Anne Hathaway), an escapee from a vile factory; Jean (Hugh Jackman), a town's mayor who vows to help her and her illegitimate daughter (Amanda Seyfried) and a war between the men of Britain led by their captain (Russell Crowe) and rogue rebels. Already, you should be able to see that there's a lot of star factor on board for this project, but if you add in Eddie Redmayne, Helena Bonham-Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen into the mix then we can be sure that this one will become really special. The trailer for the exciting flick is below...Les Miserables releases in UK cinemas everywhere on January 11th, 2013.