From the Editor
Expectations by Walt Pretorius
J
ust last month, right here in the Ed’s Note, I spoke about introducing new elements to our Lifestyle section. We added board games, Role-playing games (the table-top variety) and book reviews to the section, and the response to these new additions has been great – so much so that we decided to do a little more in this August 2016 issue. I also spoke about the fact that these new elements are not going to replace video gaming, which is the heart and soul of Gamecca Magazine. As luck would have it, the production cycle for this issue saw very few video game releases, so the increase in Lifestyle section articles and fewer video games on review has resulted in a larger than normal Lifestyle section, and a smaller than normal gaming section. Oh the irony. So here it is again, in case you didn’t believe me the first time around – video gaming will always be the main focus of Gamecca Magazine. Unfortunately, we are at the mercy of the video game industry and their often odd release schedules. This time of year is generally very quiet, but 2016 has been quieter than normal. With that said, the month of August is seeing the release of at least two potentially great games; Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, and No Man’s Sky. I am particularly keen on the latter, and I
am anxiously awaiting the delivery of our review copy as I write this. And I am avoiding reading about it online. No Man’s Sky has had more than enough controversy thrown at it. When it was delayed a few months ago, the developers received death threats (a practice which is not only extremely immature, but is totally abhorrent, yet is far too common in the industry). And more recently, an intrepid gamer who spent a fortune on an early release copy has claimed to have finished the game in a relatively short time, bringing into question whether the game is as vast as the developer claims. I try to ignore all of that. When reviewing, I try to have as clean a mental slate for any given game as possible. And then there’s the fact that, even after almost two decades of writing about games, they still excite me. Even when I have low expectations of a new title, I get a twinge of excitement when it arrives on my desk (or, more commonly these days, when the download code arrives in my mail box.) And so, despite the controversial goings-on around No Man’s Sky, I am looking forward to exploring the game. Right, enough of that… in this issue we have a great selection of things from across the spectrum of geekdom, and I am pretty sure you want to get to it. So, without further ado… welcome to Gamecca Magazine issue 86! g
mgeect 2 c7a 8 6 ggl a ad
3