Wednesday 8 December 2010

The E14 Awards 2010

Best Fantasy DVD Release

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Starring: Lily Cole, Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer
Director: Terry Gilliam

Lionsgate Home Entertainment

Combining his always faultless sense for striking imagery and great casting with an excellent modern fantasy story, Terry Gilliam has produced possibly his best movie since Brazil. A great, dark fairytale, with a stellar cast and fantastic cinematography.

Also Nominated
14 Blades: A near perfect adventure/kung-fu movie and full of emotion. They don’t make them this good that often.
Baccano!: The Complete Series: An excellent, pulp, action horror story with some great animation to boot.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: An excellent kids movie, with more than enough to entertain an adult audience too.


Best Sci-Fi DVD Release

The Sky Crawlers
Director: Mamoru Oshii
Manga Entertainment


Simple, beautiful and understated – as well as being fucking gorgeous to look at – The Sky Crawlers is a wonderful take on a war movie, mixed in with some rather odd sci-fi elements that work together. The fusion of CG and cel animation looks great – especially in the dogfight sequences. A brilliantly animated, well paced war story with some very solid storytelling.

Also Nominated
The Day of the Triffids:
An entertaining sci-fi mini-series, that shows what UK television can achieve when it’s not farting around with that other sci-fi show.
Fanboys: If you’re into geekery, Star Wars and/or Rush, then Fanboys is a movie you’re going to love.
Predators: A thoroughly enjoyable action romp that whilst not having too much originality to the proceedings, has plenty to keep the fans happy whilst expanding the concept of the Predator creature and giving it more dimensions.

Best Horror DVD Release

Higanjima: Escape from Vampire Island
Starring: Hideo Ishiguro, Asami Mizukawa, Dai Watanabe
Director: Kim Tae-Gyun
Manga Entertainment


Higanjima: Escape from Vampire Island is tense and nail-biting, yet also incredibly touching. We really fall in love with the characters; the boy-come-hero, the tough guy, the loser, the geek, the girl, and, of course, the fat kid. This theme of friendship is what makes the film so loveable. As if really creepy vampires and hot Japanese Emo kids wasn’t enough, this film is also genuinely brilliant for its production values, intense plot and exceptional cast.

Also Nominated
Daybreakers:
An excellent horror/sci-fi movie that entertains and proves that horror can still be culturally relevant, when it’s not in the hands of doe-eyed school girls.
Resurrecting the Street Walker: A strong, dark...no...fucking grim slice of real horror nastiness.
Zombieland: A bizarre mix of zombie/post-apocalyptic shock and indie comedy that works incredibly well together.

Best DVD Release in Another Genre

WWE - Breaking the Code: Behind the Walls of Chris Jericho

Starring: John Cena, Hulk Hogan, Chris Jericho
Clear Vision

After what seems like a lifetime, WWE has dedicated a three-disc set to Chris Jericho, and it’s a fantastic collection. The main focus of is a very well put together biography, and a mixture of Jericho’s greatest matches, and also his greatest moments. It’s clear to see that Jericho had a massive amount of input, as there really is a good spread, featuring matches with a wide variety of opponents.

Also Nominated
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs:
An truly excellent sci-fi comedy – amazing in every way.
James May's Toy Story: This is a great fun show for all the family to watch and bring out the kid in you all over again.
Sons of Anarchy: Season One: Fantastic first season, well worth a watch and recommended to anyone who enjoys The Sopranos, The Godfather or Goodfellas.

Best Fantasy Book Release

The Saga of Larten Crepsley: Birth of a Killer
Darren Shan
HarperCollins


Gripping and intense in all the right places, whilst still managing to be intelligent, emotional and sensitive where needed. A writer for both children and adults, Shan succeeds yet again in creating a novel that appeals to all age groups and neglects no one. This book will not disappoint any fan of Vampire fiction or general fantasy. For fans of Shan’s work, it is the Holy Grail, answering many questions.

Also Nominated
The Chronicles of Solomon Kane
(Various): An excellent pulp fantasy compilation featuring Howard's greatest character.
The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart (Jesse Bullington): This will certainly be one that you remember long after you’ve finished it.
Warhammer: Bloodborn (Nathan Long): The characters are awesome, the set-pieces are exciting and the blood flows frequently.

Best Sci-Fi Book Release

Seeds of Earth
Michael Cobley
Orbit


Cobley is clearly aware of the depth and complexity of the story, and the pace of the plot is top-notch, even going so far as to divide the chapters with the names of each chapter's focal character. The characters are broad and interesting, with well-developed personalities and defects. A tremendously well-written, imaginative, engaging science fiction masterpiece.

Also Nominated
Mass Effect: Retribution
(Drew Karpyshyn): A great lead into Mass Effect 3 and essential for any fan.
The Orphaned Worlds (Michael Cobley): Another quality entry in the series, with well-developed characters and a final third that will leave you speechless.
Warhammer 40,000: Rynn's World (Steve Parker): A great slice of military science-fiction, that will even appeal to non-Warhammer fans.

Best Horror Book Release

Mr Shivers
Robert Jackson Bennett
Orbit


A genuinely haunting atmosphere pervades the novel, blowing through the paragraphs like the red dust on the wind, and the dialogue can either creep forward like the scarred man, or pound down like a bucket of iron and blood in a thunderstorm. A powerful, haunting, Gothic western that is the best new thing published for a long time.

Also Nominated
The Dead
(Charlie Higson): Another stonking read and yet more evidence that Higson is on to a winner.
John Dies @ The End (David Wong): A thoroughly enjoyable and original story from a clearly gifted comedy writer.
Vampires - From Dracula to Twilight: The Complete Guide to Vampire Mythology (Charlotte Montague): A highly entertaining and informative book that is recommended to all vampire fans.

Best Book Release in Another Genre

The Sounds of Star Wars
Ben Burtt and J.W. Rinzler
Simon & Schuster


The back story behind the dialogue and sound effects is simple, but engaging, and there’s never so much tech-talk that you feel lost. It’s very much designed with the casual movie fan in mind; and that’s a good thing. An awesome idea pulled off wonderfully. Every Star Wars fan will want to own this, if only so they can pull off of a perfect sound effect when they need one.

Also Nominated
To Do or Die
(Max Adams): An enjoyable action/adventure story. The WWII setting is little more than chrome, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as it lets the adrenaline shine through without being lost in the details.
Nerd Do Well (Simon Pegg): A very entertaining insight into one of the most Emotionally Fourteen people ever.
Rumble Road (Jon Robinson): A very good behind the scenes look at the world of wrestling.

Best Fantasy Game Release

Assassin's Creed II
Ubisoft

Assassin's Creed II is what Assassin's Creed should have been. Lots of variety, including the addition of money, has made the overall experience bigger and better in every way. A fantastic game and an essential purchase

Also Nominated
Final Fantasy XIII:
Final Fantasy still does what the series has always done best: create wonderful universes with its own history and great characters, in which to tell great stories.
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4: A brilliant addition to the LEGO franchise and one of the best games in the series since LEGO Star Wars.
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light: An absolute blast to play.

Best Sci-Fi Game Release

Halo: Reach
Bungie/Microsoft Games Studios

Technically, this game is superb. The environments are detailed, with rich colours and jungle scapes during the planetary levels. One of the best things about this game is the sheer scale of it. Ships go streaking past close-by that have no relevance to your mission, while all the time capital ships and small fighters are flying and zipping around respectively further back. Words are scarcely enough for this game, which is thrilling and saddening all at the same time. An absolute masterpiece, and a fitting send-off from Bungie and Microsoft.

Also Nominated
Mass Effect II:
An absolute masterpiece in game design, and an example of how to make a truly superb series even better.
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker: A brilliant addition to the Metal Gear Solid universe and comparable to any other of the games in the franchise.
Starcraft II: This is one of the greatest RTS games out there and one of truly essential games you must buy for your PC this year.

Best Horror Game Release

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Mercurysteam/Kojima Production/Konami

A truly epic reboot to Konami’s twenty-five year-old franchise that makes Castlevania a AAA game again thanks to Mercury Steam and Hideo Kojima. It pulls off everything to near perfection.

Also Nominated
Call of Cthulhu - Arkham Now:
Revisiting the Legend Haunted City: A thorough and excellently put together sourcebook which is essential for modern era keepers.
De Profundis: Second Edition: The book simply oozes theme from the outset and makes you want to set up your own group of players and get cracking straight away.
Shambles: All in all, this is a fun, comedy RPG that will provide a night of giggles.

Best Game Release in Another Genre

Umlaut: Game of Metal
Cubicle 7

UmlaĆ¼t: Game of Metal plays like Mornington Crescent crossed with Metalocalypse and This Is Spinal Tap. If you’re looking for – and what a rare thing this is – a genuinely funny RPG that you can whip out and play with anyone, with zero preparation time, then you are absolutely going to love this.

Also Nominated
Legend of the Five Rings (4th Ed.): If you’re after an alternative to one of the more mainstream RPG systems, then this is definitely one you should consider.
NHL 11: NHL 11, as with all the games in the franchise, is fantastic and has managed to top NHL 10 and all previous years.
Rock Band 3: Without a doubt, the best music game we have ever played. Stitch that, Parappa the Rapper!





STAR WARS - FATE OF THE JEDI: VORTEX GIVEAWAY

In a stunning turn of events, Luke Skywalker and his son, Ben, joined forces with members of the Sith armada sent to kill them—and turned their combined might against the monstrous being Abeloth. But with one menace dealt with, a new and even more insidious threat looms.

Now Luke and Ben must go on the run, taking along the inscrutable—and ever dangerous—Sith apprentice Vestara Khai. With a host of Sith warriors in hot pursuit, the Skywalkers soon find themselves trapped on the moon Pydyr, caught between their former allies and a mob of angry Fallanassi. A new truce may be their only hope. But can a Sith ever be trusted?

With the Jedi's most famous father-and-son team outnumbered and outgunned, the countdown to galactic disaster has begun—and time is running out.

Thanks to our friends at Random House, we've got a copy of Star Wars - Fate of the Jedi: Vortex to give away! For your chance of winning, send your name and full postal address to jedigiveaway@yahoo.co.uk before midday on Wednesday 15th December. The first name out of the electronic hat will win a free copy...but also the next ten names will win a free copy of either Star Wars - Clone Wars: No Prisoners, Star Wars - Clone Wars: Wild Space or Star Wars: Millenium Falcon!

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