If you have been playing through Update 11: Treachery of the White Hand, you may have noticed a couple of things about it. First off, the plot is relentless bleak, dour and mean spirited. Secondly, the content is still quite buggy and subject to lag and rubber banding. When compared to last years free update Shores of the Anduin, this [...]

Microsoft unveiled its new next generation console, the Xbox One, yesterday at a major press event at its Redmond Headquarters. Microsoft’s Don Mattrick posed the question “”What if a single device could provide all your entertainment, what if it could turn on your TV and talk to all the devices in your living room?” and then went on to highlight [...]

Star Trek Online launched its first major expansion today, Legacy of Romulus. Unfortunately, due to my busy schedule at present, I have had precious little time to explore the free new content. The 10 GB patch not only provides a wealth of new material but overhauls many existing elements of the game. The most noticeable is the character selection screen [...]

This weeks Contains Moderate Peril Podcast starts with a look at the problematic launch of Update 11 for LOTRO. Brian and I reflect upon some of the bugs and problems that have arisen, as well as the positive changes such as the new Lore-master pet for Mounted Combat. We then consider Trion’s recent announcement that Rift will be going free to [...]

Contains Moderate Peril Episode 104: I'm a driving instructor from Johannesburg [ 1:02:27 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Assault on Precinct 13 was John Carpenter’s second feature-length film. The movies score was composed and recorded by Carpenter himself on a synthesizer in about three days. It features a minimalist style comprising of four overlaid music tracks at a time, which are used sparingly throughout the movie.  The pulsating beats and elongated eerie notes combine with a mournful main melody. [...]

One of the upsides of Update 11: Treachery of the White Hand, is the revision of the mounted combat trait system by Turbine. As a result the Lore-master class now has an additional pet that can be summoned while mounted and used in combat. The War Wolf  functions similarly to a skirmish soldier and is as equally erratic. However it does has some [...]

Having passed at the chance to see A Good Day to Die Hard during its theatrical release (due to the UK distributors electing to cut the movie for a lower rating) I finally caught up with the movie last night. The version I saw was the US “R” rated theatrical version and not the extended edition that includes three and a half [...]

I’ve been blogging for nearly six years and by sheer persistence the audience has grown and the traffic is respectable. There are plenty of web based tools available that can determine how well a site is performing and as a result I have recently started receiving a great deal more unsolicited material. This consists of press releases, invitations to review material [...]

Yesterday’s problematic launch of Update 11: The Treachery of the White Hand came as no surprise. As usual Turbine did their best to manage the problem but effective communication was not immediately forthcoming. The sad reality is that many players were expecting something like this to happen. It has become common place, not just with LOTRO but across the gaming industry. Buggy [...]

In this weeks Contains Moderate Peril Podcast Brian and I are somewhat surprised by how quickly Update 11 for LOTRO has gone from beta to final release. We also consider the ongoing issue of players not receiving their monthly Turbine Point grant. We also look two recent exploits that have affected both Diablo III and Neverwinter and the associated fallout. I [...]

Contains Moderate Peril Episode 103: Ooh You Are Awful... But I Like You! [ 59:13 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

For this month competition, Contains Moderate Peril is giving away a Blu-ray boxset of both seasons one and two of Game of Thrones. The collection includes all episodes from both seasons in full HD.  There is also a wealth of extras and behind the scenes featurettes. The boxset includes the following episodes: ‘Winter Is Coming’, ‘The Kingsroad’, ‘Lord Snow’, ‘Cripples, Bastards [...]

There is often a controversy whenever a well known literary figure is brought to the big screen. Physical descriptions previously established by the authors are often ignored in favour of casting a known star. However, books and film are very different mediums and there is always scope for positive changes, if they are done with intelligence and integrity. The casting [...]

Spoiler Warning. I have included some plot details and pictures in this review that may spoil Star Trek: Into Darkness for those who have not yet seen it. Please be aware of this before reading and scrolling down the page. After a prodigious marketing campaign, Star Trek: Into Darkness has finally arrived. At last all the questions that have kept [...]

Parker is somewhat of a departure from Jason Statham’s usual style of action movie. Based upon the character created by author Richard Stark (AKA Donald E. Westlake), Parker has an emphasis on plot and old school hard-boiled dialogue, over fights and mayhem. Although those elements are present in the film, they do sit rather awkwardly with the traditional approach to [...]

In 2010 I had the pleasure of attending Ray Harryhausens’s 90th Birthday celebrations held at the BFI. Hosted by John Landis, all manner of celebrities, character actors,  film makers both old and new and anyone who is anyone in the effects industry, queued to heap praise on this quiet and retiring gentleman. It was a wonderful evening and a fitting [...]