Year: 2020

Gamescom, the largest video games convention in the world, will not take place this year. The decision to cancel the 2020 event comes after the German government announced a ban on all major events until August 31. Gamescom was scheduled for August 22-24, meaning it only just fell within the bounds of the event ban….

During these unprecedented times, when staying at home is of the utmost importance, us here at The AU Review are going to be doing everything we can to help readers live their best lives, indoors. As with many other media companies who typically focus on getting folks out and about, we’re shifting to adapt to…

I’ll admit that faith-based material isn’t always the most attractive prospect for me.  Sure, you have your Last Temptation of Christ‘s and your Passion of the Christ‘s, but His story is one that doesn’t particularly entice me; most likely born from my personal relation to religion as a whole. That being said I certainly won’t…

We’ve been waiting for a new entry in the XCOM franchise to be announced for a while now. Following the announcement that XCOM 2 would be coming to Nintendo Switch in May, fans began to feel like maybe they wouldn’t be waiting long. We’re not sure even they could have predicted an announcement would come…

During these unprecedented times, when staying at home is of the utmost importance, us here at The AU Review are going to be doing everything we can to help readers live their best lives, indoors. As with many other media companies who typically focus on getting folks out and about, we’re shifting to adapt to…

Minecraft is getting a bit of a makeover. The PC version of the ever-popular building game will soon support high end Nvidia RTX graphics cards. The update will allow the game to take advantage of the RTX series’ raytracing functionality. Raytracing, for those who aren’t familiar, is a new way of modeling in-game lighting. Rather…

4-piece Kiwi indie-rockers The Beths are back with a new killer track, “Dying to Believe”. It’s the first release since their critically acclaimed debut album Future Me Hates Me which was released in 2018. I saw The Beths at Splendour last year and was blown away by how good they were. Seriously fresh, great songwriting,…

During these unprecedented times, when staying at home is of the utmost importance, us here at The AU Review are going to be doing everything we can to help readers live their best lives, indoors. As with many other media companies who typically focus on getting folks out and about, we’re shifting to adapt to…

“The world is in crisis but our artists are expressing themselves as powerfully and eloquently as ever…” That’s the message from the judging panel tasked with the unenviable duty of selecting the winner of the 2020 Stella Prize. This year, journalist Jess Hill took home the $50,000 prize for See What You Made Me Do,…

I did not expect to have as much fun with Minecraft Dungeons as I have. I’ve been a fan of the Diablo-style ARPG for many years and one of my favourite things to do is inspecting new takes on the formula, poking around to see how they stack up to the genre’s eternal grandfather. It’s clear…

Earlier this month, Brisbane based Singer-Songwriter Jack Carty released “Welcome to the World”, the second track off his forthcoming EP. It follows on from “Why The Universe Expands”, which came out earlier in the year. Both tracks were written in anticipation of the birth of his first child – a theme which we expect to…

During these unprecedented times, when staying at home is of the utmost importance, us here at The AU Review are going to be doing everything we can to help readers live their best lives, indoors. As with many other media companies who typically focus on getting folks out and about, we’re shifting to adapt to…

In such strange times, there are certain things in life that are bound to bring some kind of familiarity to what, at times, feels completely foreign. One of these things is Laura Marling, her songwriting, and the re-assuring nature of her stories. Returning with her seventh studio album, Song For Our Daughter is Laura Marling…

During these unprecedented times, when staying at home is of the utmost importance, us here at The AU Review are going to be doing everything we can to help readers live their best lives, indoors. As with many other media companies who typically focus on getting folks out and about, we’re shifting to adapt to…

Though the blueprint behind Come As You Are is quite insultingly familiar – three sexually-charged men on a road trip that’s as heavy on situational humour as it is on their own self-discovery – director Richard Wong proves that appearances are indeed deceiving. The core structures of the road-trip-comedy are in place, but Come As…

A five-piece band with Jake Webb in the middle, Methyl Ethel are known for making music that is both alien and familiar, intimate yet unknown. Amidst all the uncertainty we’re experiencing, we can be certain of one thing: that their new EP, Hurts to Laugh, will explore feeling and emotion in a way that intertwines…

In a media landscape full of remakes and remasters, it takes a masterpiece to stand out. Such is the case with Final Fantasy VII Remake, a modern take on an RPG considered one of the greatest of all time. Here it takes on another accolade — it’s also one of the greatest examples of how to…

It was announced late last month that the inaugural Yarra Valley Writers Festival would be an online-only event. Today, organisers have revealed a jam-packed livestream line-up for the May 9th celebration. Programmed by playwright Hannie Rayson, the festival will extend its reach beyond a single Saturday, with book clubs and author chats running into late…

90s alt rock festival Spring Loaded has today announced a new date for its Sydney event. Grinspoon and Frenzel Rhomb will now tear up The Lawn at Royal Randwick on November 7th. Original tickets will remain valid. A new date for the Bribie Island event, set to take place at Sandstone Point Hotel, will be…

During these unprecedented times, when staying at home is of the utmost importance, us here at The AU Review are going to be doing everything we can to help readers live their best lives, indoors. As with many other media companies who typically focus on getting folks out and about, we’re shifting to adapt to…

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a year since Helen Scheuerer wrapped up The Oremere Chronicles with the action-packed War of Mist. But Scheuerer isn’t about to let fans struggle through isolation without the company of Bleak, Henri, and the gang. Hitting bookshelves on April 16th, Dawn of Mist takes place before the events…

The newest single, “She Keeps Me In Her Locket” by Venture Boi has graced our speakers and demands our attention. Originally from Birmingham, AL, the band has made their presence felt by exploring diverse genres of music. Lead vocalist Matt Sanderlin, has probed various styles such as pop, electric, folk, space-punk, with influences from Beach…

Although legendary festival Coachella may not be around for its usual April timestamp, an important part of the event’s history will still be taking place this month. Postponed until October, due to COVID-19, those with tickets to the annual pilgrimage may have to wait a few more months before giving themselves over to what many…

Alt-Country has been enjoying something of a renaissance in recent years. You need only look at the recent success of Jason Isbell and more, to see this. But, for all those award winning artists, there are so many plugging away, creating quality music, often ‘under the radar’. In that vein, let us introduce you to…

With venues across the country closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, performers are looking to digital platforms to share their creativity. Enter Sarah Marriott and an exciting new project, dubbed Lounge Room Sessions. With more than 2,000 tuning into the first event last weekend, Lounge Room Sessions are already off to a flying start. Fronted by…

Far North Queenslander Greta Stanley has released a new track, “Soak Into This” as her first single for 2020. This follows on from her triumphant EP Sun In My Eyes, which was released last year. Stanley has well and truly established herself on the Australian indie-pop scene, with sold-out headline shows last year, and quality supports with…

*Due to the current global crisis the planned 2020 Tribeca Film Festival has been postponed. The AU Review has been in contact with the respective representatives for available films in order to give them the coverage they intended. A commentary on the so-called perfection of social media, Eamonn Murphy‘s quirky short A Better You is…

PlayStation have revealed its next generation  wireless controller. Dubbed DualSense, the controller will ship with the PlayStation 5 console later this year. The reveal came via a post on the official PlayStation blog. The post details the controller’s capabilities and the thinking behind its design. Let’s break it down Its overall design is a stark…

Months ahead of its originally slated streaming release date, four-time Oscar winner Parasite has been bumped up Stan’s schedule and arrives in just a few days. For those who are yet to see what the hype is about, Bong Joon-ho’s history-making tragicomedy will be available on Stan (in all its 4K glory) from Easter Saturday,…

I’ve never played an Animal Crossing game before. This might make me a terrible Nintendo fan. My curiosity was piqued by Animal Crossing: New Horizons in the lead-up to its launch. It seemed to offer something calming and unchallenging in a global moment of hardship and complexity. Fans have now had over two weeks to…