Saw is one of the best thriller movies I think I have ever seen.

The ending and creativity has stuck in my mind for years. Then the movies got gorier and well, less excellent. And yet Saw has been excellent every time I have watched it. So now I wanted to check it out on 4K to see if it’s the best way to watch.

If somehow you haven’t seen Saw, let me tell you what you have been missing.

Two men wake up in a dingy bathroom chained to the wall, they don’t know how or why they got there. They start unpicking the puzzle to get themselves free, when they discover that the hacksaws they have found isn’t for the chains. It is for their feet. Don’t worry, not a major spoiler, was in every trailer when the movie came out. The movie also has an intricate situation going on outside relating to these two men.

Through a side story we discover the Jigsaw killer has been doing intricate killings where he puts people in situations where they have to sacrifice a lot to live. If they do, they get to go free with a new appreciation for life. Not many manage to survive.

Even on what must be my 20th watch of this, I am still blown away by how well this movie is written and made. The intrigue and plot lines are so well crafted, and while there is gore, it isn’t over the top. It’s just enough to make you uncomfortable, but not generally that graphic.

The 4K mastering in this edition is excellent.  Given the low budget nature of the movie I wasn’t expecting they could do much, but it looks much cleaner and crisper than the standard Bluray. There is also a more recent special feature which is also on the blu-ray disc with the creators and cast looking back on what they achieved.

The Bluray disc also comes with an absolute stack of older special features including heaps of behind the scenes stuff. When you watch those again and compare it to the newer features, it is interesting to see how they feel now that a lot of time has passed. It’s not very often I watch every special feature on a disc, but the backstory of how it got made is really fascinating.

Best of all, despite having seen this movie far too many times, I had never seen the Saw short film. As part of trying to justify its creation, the young writer and director made a short film. Here Leigh Whannell, who is the writer and one of the stars of the film, is in the reverse bear trap. It is pretty close to what winds up being in the actual movie, but with an interesting different take on the police interactions.

Saw is as excellent of a movie now as it was 20 years ago.

Thanks to the low budget nature of the movie, the forced need for practical effects makes the movie stand up in every possible way. And this collection is the best way to watch it that I have found!

The post Saw – Limited Edition (Bluray) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Limited Run Games, in partnership with Feral Interactive and Crystal Dynamics, is excited to solidify Tomb Raider’s Nintendo Switch debut with a physical release of The Lara Croft Collection.

Pre-orders for standalone copies and Collector’s Editions will run from May 10th until June 9th, 2024, exclusively at limitedrungames.com.

Lara Croft makes her Nintendo Switch debut with two Tomb Raider adventures in one treasure-packed bundle, featuring non-stop arcade combat and 2-4 player co-op. Leap into the fast-paced arcade combat and puzzle-packed platforming of two outstanding adventures for tomb raiders of all abilities; enjoyably easy to pick up, rewardingly difficult to master.

Penetrate dense jungles and navigate elaborate Aztec ruins in Lara Croft & The Guardian of Light, and investigate the cursed tombs of ancient pharaohs in Lara Croft & The Temple of Osiris. Blast through hordes of supernatural foes, overcome intricate Challenge Tombs, beat high scores, and equip yourself with a massive arsenal of unlockable weapons, equipment, and magical artifacts.

Limited Run’s premium Collector’s Edition of The Lara Croft Collection celebrates Lara’s 1990s roots and contains everything players want to commemorate their adventures in Guardian of Light and Temple of Osiris. Included are a journal-styled SteelBook, art prints, CD soundtrack and more. The entire collection comes in a trapezoid-shaped box that will fit perfectly with collectors’ late 90s Eidos PC releases.

This May, Limited Run Games will also open pre-orders for physical editions of Tomb Raider I–III Remastered — more details will be revealed in the coming weeks.

The post The Lara Croft Collection to Receive Limited Run Physical Editions appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

BMG announces Year of the Devil a multi-configuration celebration of the 40th  Anniversary of Mötley Crüe’s landmark second album,

Shout the Devil is the centrepiece of Year of the Devil and it is a Limited Edition Super Deluxe Box Set which features the newly remastered album on LP, CD and Cassette.

Also included are reproductions of the original 7” singles of “Too Young To Fall In Love” and “Looks That Kill” alongside a Pentagram Séance Board, Devil Board w/Metal Planchette, Metal 7” Adapter, album art lithographs, tarot cards, devil candle holder and more.  In addition, 7 rare demo tracks have been resurrected and are included as Shout at the Demos & Rarities.

Originally released in 1983 at the height of the Satanic Panic, Shout at the Devil catapulted Mötley Crüe to superstardom. Delivering on the hype and promise of their platinum debut, Too Fast For Love, Mötley Crüe’s second album hit the US Top 20 and was certified 4x platinum. For many music fans, Shout at the Devil was the first time they witnessed an album with this imagery and lyrical content on mainstream retail shelves.

Shout at the Devil continues to be a cornerstone of Mötley Crüe’s live set, with the band playing up to 4 songs from this iconic album at every show of the World Tour which is currently underway. Fittingly, the original touring cycle for this album saw Mötley Crüe jump from opening act to full on arena headliners.

The ground-breaking music videos for “Looks That Kill” and “Too Young To Fall In Love” set the standard for countless MTV moments. Those two singles, combined with the sinister title track, reckless cuts like “Knock ‘Em Dead, Kid”, “Bastard” and “Red Hot”, their frenzied take on “Helter Skelter” and the haunting nearly instrumental “God Bless The Children Of The Beast” helped create this era- and genre-defining album.

40 years later, Mötley Crüe is still going strong, bigger than ever and headlining stadiums around the world

Shout at the Devil, the  40th Anniversary is available as a streaming / digital deluxe edition and comes in the following physical Limited Edition configurations:  Super Deluxe Box Set, Picture Disc, Red / Black Vinyl, LP Replica CD, and Lenticular CD.

The post MÖTLEY CRÜE & BMG CELEBRATE 40th ANNIVERSARY OF BAND’S ALBUM appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Studio Ghibli has a substantial list of hits.

They just have rolled out banger after banger, and Princess Mononoke is now almost 26 years old.

Feel old yet? Well if that didn’t do it, My Neighbour Totoro is almost 35 years old, so you know, that 1997 jam ain’t so old after all. And now it has a new release as the 25th Anniversary Limited Edition that you can pick up on Bluray and DVD in one tidy package.

If you haven’t seen Princess Mononoke, let me tell you about this stone cold classic.

We enter a fantasy world where there are forest demons and gods. One day a massive boar attacks some villagers, it soon becomes clear that it is actually a demon.

The young man that takes down the boar / demon is unfortunately wounded, and this wound brings with it an evil curse. An elder discovers the source of the curse is a metal ball lodged in the boar, and so our young hero Ashitaka needs to investigate the cause of this ball to hopefully lift this curse.

Ashitaka ventures out, meeting a woman called San who is with some giant wolves. She runs and so he keeps traveling before encountering a new city.

This place has fire burning to make more advanced weapons like guns, and to do this they have to destroy the hell out of their surroundings.

Ashitaka discovers this place was the cause of the ball that corrupted the boar.

A battle kicks off where the mysterious San busts into the city to take out the woman in charge. Our hero Ashitaka finds himself stuck in between someone that wants to protect the environment, and someone that is focused on advancing their people.

Wedged in the middle of the two interests, he has to suffer the consequences.

Anyway, I won’t spoil more of the story but this is a damn good one.

Even after a quarter of a decade I still absolutely love it.

As with anything Studio Ghibli seems to make, the art and animation still looks absolutely gorgeous.

The Bluray package comes with the DVD and Blu-Ray, watching it on Bluray it just still looks so beautiful. The package comes with some behind the scenes content which was a fascinating watch, and it has a couple of stickers in the case as well.

If you don’t own Princess Mononoke on Bluray yet then this is an easy recommendation to add the 25th Anniversary Limited Edition to your anime collection immediately. If you do already own the original then there isn’t too much within this Anniversary re-release package to justify a repurchase.

The post Princess Mononoke 25th Anniversary (Anime) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

This holiday season, perennial favorite A Charlie Brown Christmas makes its return to cassette tape for the first time in three decades.

Due out November the 5th, 2021 on Craft Recordings and available for pre-order today, this collectible, silver-colored cassette is limited to 5,000 units worldwide and makes the perfect stocking stuffer for PEANUTS fans of any age.

The timeless soundtrack to the enduring, 1965 television special features a host of yuletide standards from the Vince Guaraldi Trio, plus such originals as “Christmas Time Is Here” and the iconic “Linus and Lucy.” Click here to watch the release trailer.

The cassette serves as a companion piece to the recently announced “Silver Foil” vinyl edition of A Charlie Brown Christmas, which reimagines the album’s classic white cover with a stunning, embossed silver foil jacket.

Available October 1st 2021, the limited pressing can be found in several vinyl color variants at select retailers, while fans can pre-order a festive glitter-infused clear vinyl edition exclusively on Craft Recordings’ official store.

On December 9, 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas aired on TV screens across America and instantly captured the hearts and ears of a generation. Bolstering the animated special, based on Charles M. Schulz’s immensely popular PEANUTS comic strip, was an engaging score from Bay Area jazz artist Vince Guaraldi, who brought characters like Charlie Brown, Lucy, and Snoopy to life through his evocative cues.

Working primarily with bassist Fred Marshall and drummer Jerry Granelli, Guaraldi paired inspired interpretations of traditional holiday fare (“O Tannenbaum,” “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,” and “What Child Is This”) with original compositions, including the instantly recognizable “Linus and Lucy” theme, “Skating,” and “Christmas Time Is Here.” The latter song, available as both an instrumental and vocal track, featured young choral singers from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in San Rafael, CA.

More than five decades later, the Emmy and Peabody-winning animated classic now streams on Apple TV+ and has spawned more than two dozen subsequent PEANUTS specials.

Guaraldi’s soundtrack, meanwhile, has since become one of the best-selling jazz albums in history, second only to Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, and regularly ranks among America’s top-selling holiday albums every December.

In 2016, A Charlie Brown Christmas was certified 4x platinum by the RIAA, while last year, A Charlie Brown Christmas entered the Billboard 200’s Top Ten for the very first time, 55 years after its initial release.

The album has also been inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame and added to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry.

The post ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ Releasing on Limited Silver Edition Cassette Tape appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Meridiem Games is sorry to announce that the release of Fahrenheit: 15th Anniversary Edition for PlayStation4 will be delayed due to last minute manufacturing reasons.

Fahrenheit is a story driven interactive drama played in both first and third person perspectives. New York City is stunned by a series of brutal slayings that all follow the same pattern: ordinary people possessed by a supernatural force causing them to commit murder.

The story follows Lucas Kane who finds himself hunted by police detectives Carla Valenti and Tyler Miles after fleeing the scene of one such murder with no memory of what happened. What follows, is a thrilling, story driven adventure where your choices have a direct effect on how the story unfolds.

Fahrenheit: 15th Anniversary Edition will include a specially created case and sleeve, a sticker set, high quality printed artbook and a thank-you letter written by the team at Quantic Dream. This boxed edition is available to pre-order in specialist gaming stores now.

Although no new date has been set, the team is confident for a Q1 2021 release.

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The post Fahrenheit: 15th Anniversary Edition Releasing Early 2021 appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

During gamescom Opening Night Live Show, the return of a video game icon was celebrated with an exclusive trailer. On this Turrican’s 30th Anniversary, the classic video game franchise will rise in full force.

Factor 5 and Strictly Limited Games are above and beyond pleased to present you with a new chapter in the history of Turrican, a complete compilation of the classic action series – now on modern platforms.

The sensational Turrican series has been heralded as one of the finest video games of all time, mixing exploration with non-stop action, and one of video game’s finest soundtracks by legendary German composer Chris Huelsbeck. The optional in-game soundtrack has been fully remastered and re-arranged.

Along with the original team at Factor 5, Strictly Limited Games curated and developed an anthology that not only lets you play through the history of Turrican’s finest moments, but also discover new information and secrets from the many extras packed in.

The classic series comes with a selection of filters and borders to customize the experience. Additionally included is the fabled and long-lost Super Turrican Director’s Cut, which features all the cut content reinstated, as well as the brand new Score Attack version. The legendary music can now be enjoyed in two ways: In-game, the player can choose between the original chiptune soundtracks or the new arranged versions by composer Chris Huelsbeck.

Turrican Anthology Vol. 1

• Turrican (Amiga)
• Turrican 2 (Amiga)
• Super Turrican (SNES)
• Super Turrican Director’s Cut (SNES)
• Mega Turrican Score Attack (MD/GEN)

Turrican Anthology Vol. 2

• Turrican 3 (Amiga)
• Mega Turrican (MD/GEN)
• Mega Turrican Director’s Cut (MD/GEN)
• Super Turrican 2 (SNES)
• Super Turrican 1 Score Attack (SNES)

Nintendo Switch Editions are each limited to 3500 copies worldwide, while the PlayStation 4 Editions are limited to 2000 copies each worldwide.

The Turrican Collector’s Edition and the Turrican Ultra Collector’s Edition  encompass the two Turrican Anthologies and include lots of great extras.

One highlight in particular is the full-length documentary Blu-Ray created by industry veterans Audi Sorlie and John Linneman. With its developer interviews and in-depth look into the world of Turrican, this documentary is sure to please both old and new fans of the Turrican universe.

For all retro enthusiasts Strictly Limited Games brings out original retro cartridges for SNES and Mega Drive / Genesis with brand new cover arts from the two legendary box illustration artists Tom DuBois and Mike Winterbauer. Their work will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Also, Chris Huelsbeck’s most acclaimed sound work curated and mixed by himself for a brand new exclusive vinyl set! Hailed as one of the greatest retro game soundtracks of all time, now for the very first time on vinyl.

Furthermore, selected contents from ININ Games for digital and retail are also in the works, but with less content than the exclusive, limited editions from Strictly Limited Games.

Everyone that works on STG is a volunteer. If you like the site and it’s contents please think about donating. Even a small amount helps keep the servers running.

The post The Return of a Legend! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

SteelSeries are very excited to announce a limited edition range of products are now available for pre-order & sale in Australia and New Zealand this week.

Introducing the Limited-Edition CS:GO Neon Rider collection, including the Sensei Ten gaming mouse & QcK Large mouse pad.

This new Neon Rider collection inspired by Red Moon Workshop’s beloved CS:GO skin is an exclusive collaboration combining the popular Neon Rider skin and SteelSeries’ award-winning peripherals to create an exciting collection specifically made for CS:GO enthusiasts around the world. The collection includes a Neon Rider designed Sensei Ten, and Qck L and QcK Prism XL mousepads.

From creating the first products for competitive players, to being the first professional sponsors for teams and events, to creating products just for fans of the game, we are proud to continue to be a part of the world of Counter-Strike with this exclusive collaboration. With the high performing sensor and comfort of the Sensei Ten and massive size of the QcK, we picked these products to be the perfect additions to any CS:GO player’s setup.

For over 10 years, the SteelSeries Sensei defined the world of competitive Counter-Strike with its iconic shape and performance. The Sensei Ten Neon Rider Edition brings to life the highly-stylized aesthetics of CS:GO’s Neon Rider skins in a one-time-only collection that will elevate any setup with a colorful synth-wave vibe.

The Sensei Ten Neon Rider Edition uses SteelSeries’ flagship sensor, the TrueMove Pro. This sensor, designed by SteelSeries and PixArt, is the highest rated SteelSeries sensor with true 1-to-1 tracking, 18,000 CPI and 450 inches per second (IPS) tracking speed. The TrueMove Pro also provides advanced tilt tracking to stabilize the mouse’s tracking during abrupt or angled movements like angled drops, tilt slams and quick flicks.

The Sensei Ten Neon Rider Edition will be available in limited quantities, with each mouse sporting its own unique ID number.

The QcK L Neon Rider Edition is a 450mm x 400mm x 2mm mousepad decorated with the distinctive flair of the Neon Rider skin. The QcK L Neon Rider Edition uses the exclusive QcK micro-woven cloth for maximum control and optimized for both low and high CPI tracking movements.

The  QcK Prism XL Neon Rider Edition is a 900mm x 300mm x 4mm RGB mousepad, with two-zone illumination. Powered by SteelSeries Engine, users can easily setup thousands of in-game lighting notifications and sync the mousepad with all their other SteelSeries devices. Like the Sensei Ten Neon Rider Edition, each QcK Prism XL Neon Rider Edition will be individually numbered to show its limited-edition status. (The QcK Prism XL Neon Rider Edition is not available in ANZ).

Ride the Neon with SteelSeries’ Sensei before the weapons of choice are all gone.

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The post SteelSeries Australia Announces Neon Rider Limited Edition Range appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Videogames Mental Health Charity, Seven Squared and independent developer and games label, Team17 today announced the launch of a new Worms ‘Incoming!’ T-shirt available exclusively through Seven Squared’s website with 100 percent of profits going to Safe In Our World.

Officially launched in 2019 on World Mental Health Day, Safe In Our World is an accredited charity supported by industry luminaries, veterans and ambassadors across the world. Its mission is to create an online destination where people can seek help, gain access to resources and information, and discover stories from real people within and surrounding the games industry.

Simon Kay of Seven Squared / AT New Media said, “One in every four people around the world is affected by mental health issues, and we passionately believe in Safe In Our World’s mission to help anyone among our gaming community in need of support and understanding. We’re thrilled to see those same values are shared by Team17, and we appreciate backup from the iconic Worms franchise – a true gaming classic, established in 1995. It says so on the shirt!”

Max Everingham of Team17 said, “Raising awareness of mental health issues is fundamentally important for companies and individuals alike, and at Team17 we want to do our part. The opportunity to team up with Seven Squared and assist Safe In Our World’s mission is one we wanted to support, which is why we chose to provide them with our most iconic franchise.”

The Worms ‘Incoming!’ tee is available now for £19.99 through Seven Squared, with all profits going to Safe In Our World’s campaign to raise mental health awareness in the games industry and among gamers around the world.

To purchase the new T-shirt before they are all gone, visit the official website.

Everyone that works on STG is a volunteer. If you like the site and it’s contents please think about donating. Even a small amount helps keep the servers running.

The post Seven Squared Partners w. Team17 for Limited WORMS T-Shirt appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

In collaboration with Microsoft and CD PROJEKT RED, Seagate today announced the latest addition to its popular line of storage for gamers – Game Drive for Xbox Cyberpunk 2077 Special Edition.

With the 2 TB Game Drive, users can extend the storage capacity of their Xbox One console by balancing their gaming workload between console and external HDD. Fashioned with an enclosure inspired by the Cyberpunk aesthetic, the collectible, special edition Game Drive has a sleek, light, and portable design giving gamers the option to play in style and on-the-go.

Set up is a snap, as the game drive is instantly recognised by the Xbox One console and easily installed through Xbox OS. It is compatible with the full family of Xbox One devices, does not need a separate power cord and can store more than 501 downloaded games plus downloadable add-ons and achievements for continued gameplay on Xbox One, Xbox One S, or Xbox One X consoles.

Game Drive for Xbox Cyberpunk 2077 Special Edition from Seagate is officially available from today in Australia exclusively via eBay.  In New Zealand, Game Drive for Xbox Cyberpunk 2077 Special Edition from Seagate with an is officially available at Mighty Ape and PB Tech.

As with all of Seagate’s Special Edition Game Drives, this collectible will be available in limited quantities. The only officially licensed Cyberpunk 2077 hard drive for Xbox One is available for presale today.

Everyone that works on STG is a volunteer. If you like the site and it’s contents please think about donating. Even a small amount helps keep the servers running.

The post Seagate Release Game Drive For Xbox Cyberpunk 2077 Special Edition appeared first on Shane the Gamer.