“Hotel Transylvania” is a hilarious must-see movie from start to finish. With an all star cast consisting of Adam Sandler as Dracula, Andy Samberg as Jonathan, Selena Gomez as Mavis, Kevin James as Frankenstein, Steve Buscemi as Wayne the werewolf, David Spade as Griffin the Invisible Man, and CeeLo Green as Murray the mummy, the movie is an absolute treat for all ages.

Mild Spoilers Ahead!

The movie defies “monster” expectations by having humans be the villains and the “monsters” be the victims. The story revolves around Count Dracula building a hotel to be a safe haven for monsters (and his infant daughter, Mavis) in 1895. Dracula’s wife was killed by humans, so he is adamant that nothing will happen to their precious daughter.

The movie jumps forward to the present and is now Mavis’s 118^th birthday. Despite her age, Mavis is, for all intents and purposes, a teenager. As typical teenagers who have overprotective parents, Mavis is eager to explore the outside world, particularly the human world. After Dracula allows her to go to the nearby village, which he has constructed and filled with zombies impersonating humans, Mavis decides that humans are terrible and she never wants to leave the safety of the hotel again. Dracula is now content with the knowledge that humans will never harm Mavis…or at least he is until a human named Jonathan stumbles into the hotel.

Jonathan is the typical young backpacker who wants to see the world while living out of his backpack. He is spontaneous and carefree, which instantly attracts Mavis, who is unaware he is a human. Dracula disguises Jonathan as a monster so his hotel’s reputation will not be harmed by the fact that a human was able to invade their territory. Jonathan takes the monsters on a wild ride to rediscovering the concept of fun and freedom, and ultimately challenges every misconception they have about humans.

Perhaps what makes this movie so great, besides the all-star cast, is the believable and relatable storyline of a father trying to protect his daughter because he loves her so much, while the daughter wants nothing more than to be free. The movie clearly portrays what a parent will do for their child in the name of love, and it shows the sometimes painful side of letting your child make their own mistakes. The movie also challenges against making judgments about others who you do not understand, which is a very important lesson for kids to learn.

“Hotel Transylvania” is a heartwarming, hilarious story that instills important life lessons into kids, which makes this movie an absolute must-see.

Rating: 4.5/5

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Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced that it will release a Windows PC version of its stunning Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 alongside the versions for PlayStation3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

The Windows PC version of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is being simultaneously developed by Madrid-based Mercury Steam, and builds on its critically acclaimed predecessor in every way. The new game features an all-new storyline, a larger cast of characters, huge open world environments and breath-taking visuals delivered via a much more powerful, brand new in house game engine called Mercury Engine 2.

Whereas the first game detailed the origin of Dracula and his legendary connection with the Belmonts, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, acts as a shocking finale to the Lords of Shadow saga, as Dracula returns once again; weakened and yearning for release from his immortal bonds. Facing a new and powerful threat, the vampire lord must amass his old powers – and his castle is central to regaining his abilities.

“Castlevania: Lords of Shadow successfully rebooted the franchise but now we want to go further and exceed people’s expectations on what to expect from the sequel,” commented Dave Cox, Producer of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 and Head of Product Planning and Development for Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH. “This new game tells a much broader tale and one that spans centuries. It is a game that pushes whatever format it is on to the absolute limit, and we are delighted that Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2’s rich blend of first-class fighting, deep exploration and rich storytelling are set to delight and enthrall PC users, too. There’s a darkness coming and with our new game engine, we hope to deliver something truly special across multiple formats that will set new standards for action adventure games …”

• Release Date: 2013
• Formats: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows PC
• Studio: Mercury Steam
• Contact: Steve Merrett, Voltage PR. 020 7502 4462, steve@voltagepr.com
• URL: www.castlevania-lordsofshadow.com

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If you are looking for a new twist on the vampire plot, Andrew John Robinson’s Vampire Vendetta should be next on your list of must-reads. Becoming a vampire, from Robinson’s point of view, is not the glitz and glam of Twilight, but neither is it the classical horror of Dracula.

In this realm vampirism is a virus that was first used in battle but has gotten out of hand. It is a disease that many fear to get, despite it being extremely difficult to do so. This new race of people has created a politically charged setting with a high level of misinformed individuals who do not tolerate what is unknown to them and thus try to eliminate it.

Robinson offers up a world that is described with such great detail that it is hard to believe it doesn’t exist. Every room is laid out in front of readers like a universal blueprint, or an expertly-sketched rendering by an interior designer. There is nothing more readers will want than to get the chance to spend at least a couple of days exploring the Eagle Estates Private School. This school may not be as magical as Harry Potter’s Hogwarts, but it holds just as much appeal to readers and, like Hogwarts, seems to be a world all its own.

The only setback is that the story revolves around a set of characters, so other than their interactions with each, other not much else is seen of the experience a student would have at Eagle Estates. Readers will definitely pick up on the over-the-top security measures, and the comings and goings of students, but there is not much detail regarding the differences between the lives of vampire students and “norm” students. Readers get just enough information about the students’ lives to quench their curiosity, but they will soon wish there was more.

The ending is also a bit abrupt, especially in comparison to all the drama that goes on throughout the book. Rosemary, the daughter of an arms dealer and now a newly-turned vampire, is kidnapped by the Anti-Vamp League, and it is up to her friends and the man who made her a vampire to come to the rescue.

The case becomes such a high priority that even the president of the United States is involved. If things go wrong it could mean the end of Eagle Estates, the president’s reputation, and the disintegration of a family. The stakes are set high, as a group of rich kids learn to take care of themselves in order to save their friend. Not only will they change their lives, they will also change the future of all the students to enter the gates of Eagle Estates, vampire and norm alike.

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Those fearing vampires will now forever be associated with the awful “Twilight” brand name are in for a treat. Konami announced at E3 they are working on two new Castlevania games: Mirror of Fate and Lords of Shadow 2. Both are set after the events of Castlevania: Lords of Shadows, released in 2010 on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles. Taking place in 11^th century medieval Europe with a plot concerned with the beginning of the Belmont/Dracula feud, Lords of Shadow served as a reboot to the series featuring the new character Gabriel Belmont.

Originally revealed by Nintendo Power a few days before E3, Mirror of Fate is being developed for the 3DS by MercurySteam, the studio that made Lords of Shadow. Set 25 years after Lords of Shadow, the plot follows Trevor Belmont as he tries to discover what happened to his father, Gabriel Belmont. Trevor, however, is far from being the only playable character. Simon Belmont, Alucard and one other yet to be revealed character will all be controllable, with the player switching between characters in predetermined areas in the game.

Interestingly, many of these characters have already appeared in the franchise, although under different circumstances. Trevor Belmont was the main character of Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse on the Nintendo Entertainment System and also featured in Castlevania: Curse of Darkness on the Playstation 2 and Xbox, both of which were set in the late 15^th century. Simon Belmont is probably the most famous of all Belmonts, having been in several Castlevania games, including the first two, and was born in 1667. Alucard, the son of Dracula, has also been playable in several games, with his most noteworthy appearances being in Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse alongside Simon, and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

It is unclear whether these characters in Mirror of Fate are meant to represent the characters listed above in an alternate universe, or are simply completely different people. Perhaps Konami is trying to ease fans into this reboot by including familiar characters.

Also uncertain is the style of the game: although it is known the game will be set in 2D, it is not known if it will feature different levels, as was the case of Lords of Shadow, or just have one big playing area, with certain areas requiring special abilities for access. Previous games that have fallen into the latter category have been nicknamed “Metroidvania” for their gameplay reminiscent of Metroid. Since Symphony of the Night, all major 2D Castlevania games have been this way.  However, with the reboot and a different story may come a different style of gameplay.

Mirror of Fate is meant as a prequel to Lords of Shadow 2, setting up the events for its console counterpart, and is due for release this fall.

Although details are scarce about Lords of Shadow 2, some elements of the plot were revealed. The game will star Gabriel Belmont, now a vampire, as he deals with a new threat in addition to his former family hunting him down. The debut trailer showed Alucard, although at this time it is unknown whether or not he will be a playable character.

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