Weird Mind News Room Episode 155: Feb 9th - 15th

 *Music for some sort of Heights, I Think*

Well Hello again to all of you lovely people and who you want to be, My name is Sam and I welcome you all to the latest Edition of Weird Mind News Room where for this week we are once again delving into the mass amount of New Releases, Trailers and News Stories that you may have missed from the past week and gathering them all here for you to catch up on , So lets not waste too much time on the introductions and lets get to talking on all things media that This week has to offer.

New releases that prove to be The GOAT

Movies

Wuthering Heights

Now the first of the new releases is the focus of the novel into film focus of the week and its the sort of novel that fits into the timeframe of the overarching week itself, but in this case it has been a version that has caused quite a divide but may be in the case of the focus of what you may see as love and some sense of passion could mean something completely different for someone else, as we have the release of Emerald Fennel's take on the acclaimed novel of Wuthering Heights. The film will be based on the novel and will tell a gothic erotic phycological drama where tragedy will strike when Heathcliff falls in love with Catherine Earnshaw, a woman from a wealthy family in 18th Century England and soon a steamy romance of passion will begin to take shape. Reception on this film has been as I mentioned seems to be a bit more of a mixed or divisive take on the story as while most praise seems to be on the cinematography and some sense of the performances, the film has been critiqued on really being a self interpretation by the director when they were younger (and not even the full novel at that), the characters themselves are not how they are really supposed to be portrayed in the book, its somewhat misinterpreted s being very steamy and sexual when it seems to lack the focus and a sense of a divide as well about the marketing and on the use of the soundtrack done fully by Charli XCX (that personally I have no idea how this fits into the narrative in sound and tone), but some that will look past that and see it as a masterwork, but if you want to see it for yourself and make your own assumption, then you can check it out now in cinemas.

GOAT!

Now for the 2nd release of the week, this week in particular has a very strong animation release focus and we start off with a new sports based narrative in the way that when things seem much more challenging and possibly told your whole life that you will amount to nothing, no matter what they think, it is always important to dream big as we have the release of the all new new animated sports story with GOAT. This film will focus on an all animal based world and society and will follow Will (Caleb McLaughlin), a small goat with big dreams who gets a once in a lifetime shot to join the pros and play Roarball - a high-intensity, co-ed, full-contact sport dominated by the fastest, fiercest animals in the world. His new teammates aren't thrilled about having a little goat on their roster, but Will is determined to revolutionize the sport and prove once and for all that "smalls can ball". Reception on this new film seems to be a lot more well recieved with praise on the visual animation style that Sony has been testing out a lot with their films and for an appealing voice cast, even if the film is in the usual by the numbers sports based underdog type story. Now I did go see this myself and I enjoyed my time with the film and agree on the animation and voice cast being appealing and I did not mind the story, most issues I had mainly was some of the jokes were hit or miss and I felt for a lot of the film it's pacing was a little bit too quick in a lot of ways (also in this case in my opinion, this film did the dream big concept much better then Marty Supreme and gave Caleb McLaughlin more to do in this then in Stranger things) and I will say it is a good time for the family and if you want to check it out for yourself then you can catch the game now in cinemas.

Crime 101

As for the 3rd film of this week, it is time we head out on the focus to a bit of a Thriller narrative that will see a plan, a crew, an execution and the unrelenting amount of the Law raining down on them to take them down as its time for a simple and effective Crime thriller to grace our screens as we have the release of the new film of Crime 101. The film will follow the workings of an elusive thief (Chris Hemsworth) who is eying his final score, soon encounters a disillusioned insurance broker (Halle Berry) at her own crossroads. As their paths intertwine, a relentless detective (Mark Ruffalo) trails them hoping to thwart the Multi-million dollar heist they are planning. Reception on this new film has seen some very strong reception with praise on the simple but entertaining narrative, appealing performances (with strong praise to Hemsworth) and for being a surprise entertaining film to come out of nowhere in the early stages of this year and if you are up for the heist, the plan is a go with it out now in cinemas.

Looney Tunes: The Day the Earth Blew Up

For the 4th film that is in focus for this week, I will like to preface with this one that yes, this film did come out in the states already.... a year ago, however, it has taken a while for this film to get a distribution over where I am from until a few weeks ago and now finally it has arrived and things in all sense of the word are really about to crazy, wacky and overall.... Looney, as for the first time in their near 100 year history we have the release of their first fully 2D animated adventure with The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie. The plot will follow Daffy Duck and Porky Pig who after a series of antic that occour at their new job at the bubblegum factory, both will discover a secret alien plot to take over the Earth via mind control. Soon it will be up to the duo as well as Petunia pig to work together to stop the invaders while also trying to not drive each other insane in the process. Reception on this film then and still now seems to be very well recieved with praise on the appealing animation style, a simple but fun and goofy plot and the focus of 2 of the Tunes most iconic characters and their dynamic across this madcap sci-fi caper, and if you are up for some wackiness, then you can catch this film out now in cinemas over here while it may be available on streaming or physical media on other parts of the world.

Little Amelie or the Character of Rain

For the final film of this week is giving us a little bit of an award season release film that will bring us something with a sense of wonder, magic and a lot of charm and will provide that sense of whimsy, no matter the weather, as we have the release of the new award nominated animated film of Little Amélie or the Character of Rain. The film follows the titular Amélie, a Belgian girl that was born In Japan that eems to have some sense of a secret power. Thanks to her friend, Nishio-san, the world is full of adventure and discovery and on her third birthday, an event will soon change the course of her life. The film itself has recieved some very well recieved reception with praise on its beautiful 2D animation style, its narrative and themes about the fragility of early childhood and being one of last years best animated and films in general and if you want to check it out for yourself, you can catch it now in cinemas in both subbed or dubbed.

Video Games

Mario Tennis Fever

As for the games of this week, the first one will be seeing us hitting the courts across some very strange and colourful terrain, which may seem like it may be a bit of a uneven terrain to do so, but this in the Mushroom Kingdom where the concept of this is about to reach a strong sense of Fever going around as the iconic Mustachioed plumber is hitting the courts for some new friendly and competetive game with the release of the new entry of this sport series with Mario Tennis fever. The new game will see you take on Mario, Luigi, Peach and a whole roster of character across this series as you compete in some extreme levels of hogh power tennis matches with new abilities and rackets to choose from and from across a new single player narrative that will see Mario and the Gang get hit with a strange curse that turns them back into babies and must find a way through the power of tennis to change them back. Reception on this new game has seen some mixed to modest reception with praise on the gameplay and online functionalities as well as roster choice, though some of the main game narrative is a little hit or miss to some that have played the title but may have its appeal overtime and if you want to hit the courts for a game or two you can play this title out now on the Switch 2. 

Reanimal

On the 2nd game for this week is seeing us making a journey to the realm of some horror as we are heading to a new creation by a studio that knows their share of a journey that seems like a setting that is massive in scope, but with your characters size, the horror that await are about to be gargantuan, as we have the release of the new horror from tarsier studio (the company behind the first 2 Little Nightmares) with the new title of ReAnimal. This game will see you play as a Brother and sister duo who will try and find a way to escape a hellish version of their old home and must find a way to escape from the town as well as explore in a non linear way in order to rescue their friends and get out alive and survive against twisted humans and demonic animal based creatures that lurk around every corner and under every surface. Reception on this new horror title has seen a lot of strong praise reception, with appeal towards the atmosphere, horror, narrative and gameplay mechanics, with most critiques being the loadtimes on some systems, some items being difficult to really see and the game length being a little too short for some critics, but its a welcome return for this type of game itself and may appeal to those that were underwhelmed by the recent 3rd Little Nightmares and if you are up for some new horrors then you can play it now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2 and PC.

High on Life 2?

For the last of the new releases is seeing us return to a bit of a cosmic and goofy adventure with strange creatures, radical worlds and the armada of weapons at your disposal that will belittle you and mock you on this new journey (though it may be with a voice change) as its time for a return to this oddity adventure as we have the release of the sequel to High on Life. The game will continue from the events of the original title and will see the original protagonist becoming a very successful bounty hunter after saving humanity in the first title. However, an evil Pharmaceutical conglomerate kidnaps their sister, Lizzie, and the character will soon seek to take them down. Reception on this follow up seems to be mixed to midest at best with praise on the visual aesthetic, humor, bosses and some new unique new features, though some critiques are mainly aimed at the underwhelming narrative, gunplay being a bit hit or miss, and the game with a fair amount of technical issues that is expected for most games these days, but if you want to head on this cosmic adventure, then you can play it now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC with a Switch 2 version releasing on April 20th.

Trailers to get you in a fever

Project Hail Mary

For the first trailer for this week, it is time we head off once again to the cosmos for some new sense of when the world and universe is on the verge of a collapse and disaster waiting to happen, when all hopes seems lost it will take one man to provide a miracle to save the day, even if they may seem like they are not the most qualified for the mission, as we have the release of the final trailer for the upcoming adaption of the acclaimed novel of Project Hail Mary. The film will follow Ryland Grace, a school professor who awakens on a spacecraft with no memory of himself or of his mission. When his memory slowly returns, he deduces that he is the sole survivor of a crew sent to the Tau Ceti Solar system in search of a solution of a soon to be a catastrophic event heading for Earth. Now in the search for Answers, he must soon rely on his vast array of scientific knowledge, sheer ingenuity, and human will - but he may soon realize that he will not have to search alone. So it has been a case that I meant to in most of the cases read the novel this is based on as someone has specified to me that from the looks of the footage and everything shown, the film may be differing a fair bit from the novel and that sense of uncertainty seems a little lost, but I am sure I will give it a proper read and for me personally I have been impressed with what has been shown in the sense of humour and look in the visuals that I feel that Lord and Miller may have in an appeal with (and personally I always enjoy a Lord and Miller production in their unique style) and from what I have heard already from early test screenings and viewings, it is seen as a masterpiece and I will give my hopes it will be a success and look forward to checking this out when the film releases in about a months time on March 20th.

Minions and Monsters

Now for the 2nd trailer this week and the 2nd one to come to us from the Superbowl as well, its a return to a series that you may think they have been very quiet in giving marketing for since the first 2 of this series were being marketed for about a year or so before its eventual release but I am sure it will pick up once the huge gaming IP film they are making is out into the world as it is time for something on a bit of a titan based scale to occour and it may be caused by an army of indestructible creatures and followers for all things evil, as the series is back once again as we have the first trailer for the 3rd entry of the Minions film series with Minions and Monsters. Set as a Prequel to the original Despicable me series and of the first 2 Minions films, the new entry will see the Minions in 1920s Hollywood, with some Minions of James, Henry and Ed looking to get into the industry and create their own Monster film. Through the power of some spiritual incantation they summon a small form of Cthulhu who will help them to find some real monsters for their monster movie and I am sure everything will work out in the process... Right? So the case of this franchise of Despicable Me and Minions really has been one that has had its share of Ups and Downs. If you read my review for the last Despicable Me you will know I was a fair bit disappointed in that one as it felt like they took some planned Tv series for this franchise and got like a few random episodes and smushed them together into a mess of stories that don't all really fully connect, where I said the comparison to the first 2 entries of that series were classics, the first Minions was a lot to manage and the sequel was better and this one from the outset does not sound too bad and could have some appeal of the realm of Hollywood film and stuff. Now this film has also already caused some drama online as it mainly has to do with the changing of the main Minion trio as for the last 2 it was a focus with Kevin, Stuart and Bob but now we have James, Henry and Ed (which does make me realize that all the Minions seem to be Male) and many are not happy about it (it nearly sounds like the Influencer Smurf from that recent Smurfs film all over again) but I am sure they will deal with the issue for this one and all will be fixed by the next entry but I guess we will see and I will give this a chance when it does as the film will be unleashed into cinemas from July 1st.

The Adventures of Cliff Booth?

So this one will technically go against my rule as it sits under the time length for a trailer to focus on but in this case again like the one I did a few weeks ago I will make an exception as its one that I forgot that it was planned to be coming out and is a follow up to an acclaimed directors first film entry as its time for the stunt man to get a focus of what happened after the crazy events of the end of the original film as we got a surprise trailer teaser at the superbowl for a follow up to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood with the Adventures of Cliff Booth. While plot details have not been fully given, the film is set about a decade after the tarantino film and will follow Cliff Booth, a former stuntman for Rick Dalton who after saving his life from some of the Manson cult turns into a Hollywood studio fixer. Now working in the shadows he will soon handle the industry's darkest secrets from scandals to blakmail and showcase a more grittier side to Hollywood's golden Era. So I will say truth be told that looking back on that original film, I was kind of underwhelmed in the picture in some capacity as there is a sense of some ideals that things were a lot more bigger in aspect but felt it was not fully planned out fully (but that is just me and may need to give it another proper watch at some point) but I feel with anything I did like the characters in focus from the film, especially Booth and I feel this could have some appeal of giving a focus to the stuntman to help get the job done and from the small teaser, its giving me the vibe towards another film of The Nice Guys from a decade ago and I hope it has that sense of appeal as that film was very entertaining but I guess we will see in due time. Now there is no confirmed release date as of yet but it is set to be confirmed for release later this year on Netflix, but likely will have a Limited cinema release at some point too.

Spider-Noir

As for the final trailer that we have for this week is taking us back to the pages of some comic books and in the realm of being the first of the branching stories to come from an acclaimed duo (and soon trilogy) of animated stories based on one of the most famous characters in comics, as while we have seen the aesthetic of this portrayal of the character in the original entry, we are getting more of a focus to their backstory and in more of a setting in his time as we have been given a pair of trailers (with much difference being in colour grading) for the new series based on Spider-Man Noir. The series will follow Ben Reilly (Nicholas Cage), an aging, Down on his luck private investigator, who grapples with his past life as the only superhero in the 1930s New York known as The Spider. Soon when an exceptional case comes his way, he will soon have to don the mask once more and become the Spider once again to help to save the city from some powerful new threats. If I can say anything about this series in general was initially I was thinking this was going to be a bit ambitious as while I loved the portrayal of the character in the first Spider-verse film and when I heard about this project I was very interested and for a while it was quiet then there was reports of internal issues of the series being made a little after the 3rd Spider-verse was delayed but it turned around when first look images of the suit and the whole aesthetic was released and the tone and look to it all looks proper great and I am very interested in getting more of this character and for it being a bit of a different portrayal of the character that we have been getting all of the time and I am very excited for it all and thankfully we are not too far off release either as the series will be swinging onto Amazon Prime in Colour and Black and White from the 27th of May.

News for the Tunes

What is the Current State of Play like right now?

It is another week of starting off the news section with a focus to another Direct presentation of the video game studios (and possibly reports of another one from Nintendo Next week on the focus of maybe some first party titles from what I have seen but maybe its a stretch) but this week we are heading over to Sony for their first of State of Plays for this year and it seems with this presentation that if you were underwhelmed by the Nintendo One, then you maybe more interested in this outcome as they had some titles to show off at this with about just over 30 titles to focus on from some new looks to project announcements that we were not expecting or hoping for and I will be delving into the focus of what we can expect over these next few months or year or so but lets begin.

So the presentation started off with something of a bit of a surprise as we got the announcement of a sequel to the 2021 sleeper hit of Kena with the unveiling of Scars of Kosmora that will see the main lead return being much older and wiser on a big journey across many vast lands and locations, fighting dangerous creatures and finding special spirit allies on your journey to learn of some ancient secrets and it does look really nice and entertaining of a title and I will need to give that first entry a proper play at some point and do so before the game releases sometime later this year.

Next up we are returning to the ancient times to the lands of Yotei as the recent Ghost title has unveiled a new look at the Yotei DLC of Legends that will see you and other in an online setting go up against some nightmarish worlds and variations of the yotei six from the main title and it looks like it could be an exhilarating experience with this DLC releasing real soon from the 10th of March. 

Then one of the big games of last year has gotten a bit of a new edition on the way as it was announced at the direct that Death Stranding 2 will be making its way to PC real soon with functions of higher fidelity, a new way to play the beloved entry from last year with options of PS5 Dualsense functionality and I am sure will be worth a play (and will be modded to hell) when it releases on PC from March 19th.

Then one of the head of the next game has come along and given a new in depth focus on the title of 4 Loop that will see you team with a group of allies as you take on the powerful dangerous adversaries and alien invaders that will see you die and fail to learn and strategize and save the day and it seems like it has some potential of being fun when given a chance. While no official release date has been given, there is talks on sign up for a Closed beta on their website that may be worth a try when it does launch but I will keep an eye on when that does.

One of the titles that we saw in last weeks Nintendo Direct was given another new look in this state of play and that was with a focus to the new game of Pragmata with it showing some elements of the world that you will explore of this twisted version of Manhatten on this space station and getting a bit more of a focus to the bond between our 2 main leads and it seems to have some appeal and all the footage I have seen to this game has appealed to me so far and will be well worth a look into when this game comes out on the 24th of April.

We were then treated to what I see as the final trailer for the 9th entry of Resident Evil that gives us more of an insight to the setting, character focus and reason and for some of the stakes that are raised for this follow up and while I am still very excited, there was a part to me that feels there may have been a bit too much shown at this event but I may be overthinking it but may be best to keep it as such but wither way I am still very excited for this game coming out on the 27th of Feb.

We then got what is seen as the only mention of a remaster in this state of play was with the 3rd title of the legacy of Kain series with the entry of Defiance with it getting a focus of a new and improved follow up to the recent 2 entries with improved visuals and frame rates and will also come with a demo from a 4th entry that never fully materialized which sounds like quite an offer to see of what could've once been but may be well worth a try of the title when it releases from the 3rd of March.

We then got a little bit of an anime based focus for a few of the next ones with the first giving a look at a new entry of Brigandine with the title of Abyss that will see you take on the role of 6 heroes and strategize and do battle against a powerful regime and restore it back to harmony that I am sure will have some appeal to the fans of the series and could have some appeal with this title dropping sometime this year.

Moving onto the next title shown off was one of the few series celebrating the big 30 anniversaries and this was the first given some new focus with the unveiling that the 6th entry of the Dead or Alive fighting series (have to emphasize that its not the Beach Vollyball series) and will be dropping its way onto the system for more all out brawls with this port of the title hitting the PS5 on June 25th.

But I did mention that the series is celebrating the 30th anniversary and while nothing was majorly shown, they also confirmed that a new entry of the series was now currently in development with no set planned release date in mind as of yet but I am sure we will get an idea of release within the next year or so but stay tuned for more on that.

Newxt we are taking a trip over to the award winning studio of Remedy (well besides talking on the concern of the new head of that studio that sounds like it could be of concern) as we are talking on the surprised announced sequel with some gameplay at the sequel to Control with Resonant that will see you travelling across a twisted and warped form of some of a bustling metropolis to battle sinister and corrupted forces and contain any disruptive anomalies and it looks very ambitious and visually a sight to behold and I am sure it may be another award winning contender when the title releases sometime this year

Now for one that initially I thought was a new entry of the Doom series, we were actually given a new look and announcement of a title known as Crimson Moon that will have you play as a form of Knights as you take on some dangerous, deadly and corrupt creatures and beings in this gothic land and setting and even if its not the series I was initially thinking the aesthetic has been something that I may well give a go at as it has some appeal and will be worth a play when it releases sometime this year.

Then from the studio that is often known for the creation of one of the biggest game and card franchise of Pokémon of Game Freak has come along and provided us with a look at their new title of Beast of Reincarnation that will see you take on the role of a young female warrior who aided by her floral wolf creature will travel across some visually splendid lands and fight against some very powerful and visually striking monsters and creatures and I feel for certain this will have some appeal of showing that the studio can show their unique work and effort and could put something like this into a new entry of that series of Pocket Monsters and will be well worth a try of this title when it releases on August 4th this year.

Now for the 2nd of the 30th Anniversary announcement titles was one series that I felt I hoped more then anything we would get a new entry with but I guess we will have to do with the outcome of the option provided as we got the unveiling of the 30th Anniversary edition of the original entry of the Rayman series that will bring an all new updated visual style and aesthetic and new modes and powerup options to defeat the evil Mr Dark and save the electoons and the great Protoon and restore peace to the valley that he calls home and while I still wait and hope for a sequel to either Rayman 3 or Rayman Legends in the near future I will take this for the time being and you can play this new edition title now in a digital format with a physical release for Playstation and Switch set for release on June 26th.

We then recieved an all new look at the recently delayed entry of the new indie title from Yacht Club games of Mina the Hollower that will have you as a small mouse named Mina, who is an inventor and Hollower as she travels to the lands of Tenebrous Isle to figure out why her inventions of Spark generators have gone out and it looks like the follow up to the studios golden boy of Shovel Knight was not a one trick ordeal and will be well worth a try of this title when it releases sometime this spring.

Then one of the acclaimed Indie titles from a year or 2 ago has gotten a return in the form of a prequel with a return to the world of Neva with the Prologue that will explain how the main characters of Neva and Alba first met and on the incredible and dangerous journey that these 2 will set across that will build their bond into how we find them in the original title and I am all for this wonderful visual art style and worth seeing how the story began for these 2 with this title releasing on the 19th of February.

Heading over to the next title that was unveiled we are heading to a location in gaming that I feel we may be starting to see a lot of lately which is in a sort of an ancient feudal Japan with the title of Yakoh Shinobi-Ops that will see you and 3 other players portray ninjas and sneak and kill your way through compounds and other fortresses and complete your mission as quickly and as quietly as possible and while I may feel the setting is starting to be overused, I will say the concept is interesting and may be worth a try when the game launches sometime next year.

Then a title that is based on a Korean novel known as the The Bird that Drinks tears (not gonna lie, that title goes hard) we have the unveiling of a new game of Project Windless that looks like a Dynasty warriors based game but you are playing as a Buff humanoid chicken and are absolutely slaughtering through waves of enemies against a powerful leader looking to strike you do and in all sense of things I am interested by the primary lead alone and may give this a look into when it comes out sometime soon.

Then we are blasting off to a galaxy far far away as we were given an all new look at the upcoming new Star Wars Galactic Racer as it seems we are playing a masked figure that will be proving who is the best racer in the galaxy as you battle and speed your way across courses seen in this universe of films, shows and novels and visually it looks striking and I hope it brings that appeal many had from the original Episode 1 Podracer games but I guess we can find out when the title speeds onto the console sometime this year.

Then we are getting our license to kill back out and renewed as we got an all new look at the upcoming 007 First Light game that will have you play as a Young Bond as he is starting out as an agent and will be proving his worth into becoming the iconic spy that we know him for today and from what I have seen of some of the iconic move set from their Hitman games and updated extra elements, I have a feeling this will be well worth a play of and every piece I have seen for this game in recent memory has been very exciting and I am definitely giving this a play when it does release from May 27th.

For the next few titles were from a section that was dedicated from the studio of Konami that had a few announcements in focus and they started off with the confirmation that a Volume 2 of the Metal Gear Solid Master collection was on the way this year and it seems they were very front heavy with volume one as this volume is very light with the only titles confirmed being MGS4 and Peace Walker on the title, where I feel personally they could've added the Metal Gear Acid titles, Portable Ops, 5 Ground Zeroes and Phantom Pain and also at a stretch, depending on canonicity of Metal Gear Rising Revengeance but I guess we will take what we can get and maybe they can add them in before the titles release (or save those for a Vol.3) when it drops on August 27th.

But keeping things in the stealth genre but mixing it in the more zany cartoon aesthetic, we got an all new look at the game of Darwin's Paradox that will have us play as an Octopus named Darwin as you try to escape back to the ocean and from being turned into sea food and it seems like a stealth game of Inside or Limbo, mixed with the goofy nature of an MGS title or Octodad and it was confirmed with this presentation of a release date, alongside a demon that gives us a nod to Snake with this title now set for release on April 2nd.

As for the focus from stealth to all out metroidvania, we are returning to the popular series of Castlevania with a new title of Belmont's Curse that will see us in the role of Trevor Belmont as you travel across a medieval France in the late 15th century and defeat some powerful adversaries including one dracula and if its like any other entry of this sidescrolling series then I am all for it and will be giving this a go when it releases later this year.

The 2nd last title given a focus from Konami at this presentation is bringin us back to a series that may have had a bit of a recent release but the outcome is a lot more messy, but with a title that was given a new look after being unveiled and teased in a presentation 4 years ago but we have an all new entry of the Silent Hill series with the new entry of Townfall, that is being developed in partnership with Annpurna entertainment and seems to giving us a small British coastal town setting which has some interesting aesthetic (but is already unrealistic as there is no Guns in Britain and should've been done with Knives) but overall I am interested to see what they do with this entry when it releases later this year.

The final title from Konami shown at the event is an unveiling of a new RPG from the studio known as Rev. Noir which will see a strange phenomenon in relation to a world of light fall that brings death to those that it touches and will see us take on the role of a boy with Amnesia who teams up with a special girl to have save the world and her from this strange Phenomenon and it has its nice flair and aesthetic and it could have some appeal tale and gameplay narrative in focus and could be worth a play when it releases on the console in the near future.

Then a title I initially thought was a different franchise altogether but then when it was revealed what it was I got so hyped for it as it was unveiled we are getting an all new game based on the action series of John Wick (initially my first instinct was that this was a game being based on the Kingsman franchise) and from the looks of early gameplay and visuals, it actually looks like this may have some appeal and looks deadly (plus you have Keanu Reeves back for the role so its all coming together) and I am excited to play this title when it releases sometime also in the near future.

We are then jumping over to the studio of Bungie as they have unveiled a look at their new multiplayer shooter of Marathon, a follow up to the original title from 30 years ago and will have you become a member of certain factions and do battle to survive and look for supplies aboard this specific ship and I am sure it will have some nostalgia to it all and could also provide a new wave of fans with this title dropping very soon from the 5th of March.

We were then treated to an all new extended look at the newest title from House Marquee of Saros that shows off some of the narrative, the setting of this strange planet and the affect the planet has in terms of lighting, terrain and enemies when the sun is shrouded in an Eclipse and I am all for trying this and seeing what they took from Returnal and gave it quite the appealing boost and will be giving this a try from its release on April 30th.

Then for the last of the focused fighting titles from the event, we were given some new look and update to the upcoming new fighting title of Marvel Tokon fighting souls where alongside the previously confirmed characters of Spidey, Cap, Ghost Rider, Iron Man and Doom, this new trailer gave a tease of the upcoming single player narrative as well as confirmation that some of the X-Men are part of the roster including Storm, Magik, Danger and of course Wolverine to the roster that may be growing more and more as the development moves on and I like the visual aesthetic and am intrigued to see the full roster and story with the title now set for release on August 6th this year. 

Then after a bit of the usual PS Plus updates, it is time to emphasize to ZEUS that your son has returned once again and bringing the destruction of Olympus to a new high fidelity as after months of speculation, it was finally unveiled that the remake of the original God of War titles are in the works and will focus on the original trilogy for the time being and the original voice of Kratos is back. While I expected that they were also going to have the Prequel of Ascension as well as Ghost of Sparta and Chains of Olympus getting the same treatment, I am sure that could be a 2nd remake trilogy in the works but I guess we will see in due time for more info and first look but either way I am excited to give this a try when it does.

And wrapping up the event with one final game, we are staying with the previous game franchise as we have an all new title set in the event of that trilogy as they unveiled a 2.5D Metroidvania style game of Sons of Sparta as we play as a much younger Kratos as he undergoes Spartan training in the Agoge alongside his brother Deimos and soon travel across the deadly fields of Sparta to rescue their friend and who hasn't returned and it really seems like quite the adventure and I am for sure giving this a try with this being a surprise reveal and dropping on the day of this direct itself, which is a welcome surprise.

And from that was all that the State of Play had to offer and I can see where some of these does more then the Nintendo Direct last week but I enjoyed my time with both of them as I felt both provided a lot of very exciting titles for each system and will be well worth giving a play on all and hopefully some will have some crossplay to experience them when possible but I will say both have their strengths and issues but overall a solid state of play for once by Sony. Sure I hoped we may have seen some more new gameplay at the Wolverine game but I am sure that is in a few weeks as they did mention Spring for that so I guess we will keep an eye on when that does.

But what do you make of this state of play, what game are you the most excited for to play and what did you hope to see get unveiled at this event, Let me know what you think down below in the comments.

Hodge Podge of Norse Tales, Dragons, Movie Monsters and some studio shakeups

As for the last of the stories for this week is the usual affair like any other story of the week as we have a bit of a selection of some hodge Podge news of stories that don't have a lot of connections but have some semblance of importance from New castings, project, dates, items and shakeups that may have occoured over the last week but we can delve into them here and see what you may have missed and what there is to offer in the future.

So we will start off on this weeks hodge podge with a focus to some casting News and we are once again returning to the realm of the Norse gods for this story as we are talking once more about the upcoming game adaption based on God of War. Now we have seen a fair few names from this title getting casted already from Kratos, Odin, Thor, Siri and Heimdall and likely case we will see a fair few more to go but there is one that has been a question in specifics is for the casting of one important member of the cast and that is with the focus of the young son of Kratos with Atreus and that was finally announced on Monday of this week as the role was finally casted with Chucky and Long Bright River star of Callum Vinson has been cast as the young child of the God of War and I can see it fit well in look and tone and I feel it will be beneficial for his career in the casting to this role and hopefully we will get a sense of range in his performance as the series progresses or how long they will focus on the Norse era itself but so far I think the casting of this series has been pretty solid so far in some familiar and more newer faces overall. Now I know for certain there is a lot of other names still from this title and possibly from the 2018 game to get casted for this role and I am sure they will cast everyone by the start of this filming some point in the next few weeks or so, but I hear anything new I will provide it in a later episode.

Now for the focus of a new project adaption, this one I meant to give a focus on last week but it seems to have slipped my mind but it looks like another classic fantasy book series is getting an all new treatment and new attempt at an adaptation as it was announced that a new series adaption based on the book series of Eragon will be in the works and be released at some point onto Disney+. For those that are not familiar with the source material, it tells of a farm boy named Eragon who comes across a mysterious Rock in the mountains that turns out to be a Dragon egg that hatches to a dragon named Saphira. Soon the 2 of them and a storyteller named Brom flee from the land when the evil King Galbatorix sends an army of Monsters and creatures to capture the powerful egg and in the process will discover that Brom is part of an ancient group of Dragon Riders, that soon teach Eragon on the ways of the rider. Now of course this is not the first time this series has been adapted, as least we forget about the 2006 film adaptation that turned into quite the disaster in reception critically and financially that may not have been the most faithful of telling of the first stories but I am sure with the right creatives (with this series being helmed by High Potential and Superman & Lois showrunners Todd Harthan and Todd Helbing), budget, cast and visuals, it may help to make this beloved series a reality and be beloved overall. Now at the moment there is no indication of when this series will be in the works or when we will see it for the moment, but once I hear anything new then I will provide in a later episode

Well I feel at this rate there may be something every week or find something when I can but we are talking about that popular building brand of LEGO. So I have talked about the confirmed and the rumoured from the Pocket Monsters, the heroes of Hyrule, those K-Pop Demon Hunters and even the likes of that Silly old Bear and that Big Green Ogre that I have to wonder what else I may have to talk about in sets. Well initially I could've talked about a set that is on the way that will focus on that Red head Journalist and his faithful Dog on a mission to space but I will wait until I get some confirmation and first look to it but instead we will talk about a different kind of Canine that is a bit more imaginative and adventurous as they have unveiled a lot planned set based on that lovable Beagle of Snoopy and bird Friend Woodstock. Now the set will consist of a 2 in 1 build in some form as the first instance is of Snoopys Red Dog House with a small buildable typewriter of him writing his next new story of fighting his arch enemy of the Red Baron and then remove the dog house and there is a little campfire set for the 2 to roast some Marshmallows and the simple nature and look is really charming. Now the set is not too pricey with it coming in at a nice €80 which is not bad for the set range and piece size and I am sure it will be well worth a pick up for a nice little display when it releases a little later this year at the start of June but overall I will see when it comes out and hope for more new sets like this in the future with some decent priced sets too but I am sure there will be more sets to talk on but I will update if anything new comes along in following episodes.

Now on the focus of the release dates that we have for this week, we have a selection of 2 in mind to focus on, and this first one may be overdoing it and feel I may have missed it from the recent state of play but this was unveiled before the event as it was announced that we have an all new release date for the 5th title of the Dark Pictures Anthology of Directive 8020 with this title now set to release on May 12th of this year. Now this title has had a bit of a rocky release as the title was teased and unveiled back in 2022 in the post credits of The Devil in Me and then was unveiled for a release in 2025 which was initially set for October 2nd, but had a delay due to some Layoffs at the company of Supermassive (and I feel they probably wanted to focus on their release of the 3rd Little Nightmares they were also working on that released the week later) but a Mid May release seems like a decent fit overall as it will give it some chance of appeal and will be well worth a return to this series and hopefully will provide some scares and uncertainty by its release and then we can look towards the future and see what other aesthetic they will be delving into but I guess we will see by its release in about 3 months time.

But speaking of some new dates, we have been given an official update to a project that was first hinted at a few weeks ago but it seems like it is going full steam ahead as it was confirmed earlier this week that the planned 4th entry of the Mummy series with Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz has gotten an official release date with it now set for May 18th 2028. I feel in all personal sense that it will fit well for timing to give an ideal of giving some time for that new Mummy film out in April to have its chance and then follow it up with a focus to the return of this beloved franchise with the return of these leading duo. Now I am not fully sure on when this will be set and if this will retcon any previous entries (as I heard initially that the 3rd film may be retconned or something) but either way I am all for checking this out when it does release and I am sure it will be a welcome return for this franchise when it does reawaken in the future.

This next story is more of a bit of a questionable debate of what the outcome of it all but it seems we may be seeing a possible repeat pattern to another project from around a year ago as we are talking about a recent title release and some updates to it all and it comes to do with High Guard. Now this title has had a bit of some history and ordeal with its announcement being overhyped as the final unveiling at the game awards last year, then went a bit quiet up to about a day or 2 before the title dropped for free in late January and it had some decent reception and decent player numbers (even if the usual flair of people say game bad and not iterate on why its bad too much but just to follow the trend) but it looks to be the case that the title may be in some uncertain concern as there was a few reports spotted on LinkedIn and other forms that some developers on this title have been laid off and seem to be the concern that the game may be going the way of the title of Concord and be shut down very soon after. Now it has not been given full confirmation of the sorts as their seems to be a bit of a team still left working on the title and is still planned for the 1st year road map was revealed so it could be still in the process overall but the outcome currently may be of concern but I guess we will see if it will survive this hiccup or be hit of a roadmap left untraveled, but if I hear anything new I will provide it in a later episode.

And the last of the stories is with a focus to a film project and setting that had potential but seems to be a little messy or of concern that it could had great potential overall as it was reported earlier this week that a planned animated project at Sony Animation that was set in an era inspired by Thailand Spirits has essentially been shelved at the studio. Now not much was fully known about the project but the film was being helmed by Matt Braly and was helped in being written by Rebecca Sugar who both worked together on the animated series of Steven Universe (and I believe also worked on some aspects of the Disney series of Amphibia) and it is a shame that the project cannot have the chance to see the light of day as I feel it would have some potential and seems appealing but according to the studio in focus, it seems like the company said the project was not "commercial enough" which seems to be a bit of a too early to judge and going off of the style of the character designs and aspects could have great potential and would've worked to give some love and respect to that countries lineage and history. Do I see it getting made, I can see it happening and there seems to be a push online for it to get its chance to be made by the studio or from other studios in general (I feel like Pixar would allow it to be made and could show some great respect for the concept) but I guess we will have to see in the future but I hope it does get that chance and if there is anything of an update to it all I will provide it in a later episode.

But what do you make of these stories, do you think its a solid casting of Atreus, will you be watching the new Eragon adaption and if you ever watched that original film take, what are your thoughts on it, are you going to buy the new Snoopy LEGO and what other brands and icons do you want as a set, will you be picking up the new dark pictures title, are you excited for a 4th Mummy movie, do you see the High Guard game surviving and this is just a small snag in the process and do you feel the shelving of this project was necessary or does it need a better chance to release of go to another studio? Let me know what you think of them all down below.

And with all of that now, this brings us to the end of episode 155 of Weird Mind News Room and I hope you enjoyed the ramblings for another week of content focus and rambles overall. Let me know your thoughts on all that was discussed down below and as always I hope you all stay being wonderful people and have a great day everyday and I will see you all in the next episode :)

Take care, keep being you, signing off

Sam H :)