Live Magazine

October 2013

GTA V FULL REVIEW pg 28

NINTENDO: STILL RELEVANT? pg 15

Win a double pass! pg 90

99 PAGES

of gaming goodness!

BATMAN ARKHAM ORIGINS PREVIEW! pg 22

MINECRAFT! pg 14

www.gametraders.com.au

WELCOME TO october INSIDE New Releases Pages 4-8 Nintendo: Still Relevant?

Pages 15-20 Previews Pages 22-26 Reviews Pages 28-40 Gametraders News: Penrith Opening Pages 50-52 Comic & Graphic Novels Pages 58-59 Halloween Page 60 Anime & Manga Pages 61-67 Retro Round Up Pages 68-73 Cosplay Interviews Pages 74-87 Gametraders Logan Hyperdome Interview Pages 88-89 2 Guns Competition Pages 90-91 Your Say Pages 92-93 Trading Cards Pages 96-99

Welcome to Live Magazine and our October edition!

October already and that means Christmas is just around the corner. Here in Australia that means warmer weather, beaches, daylight savings and the great outdoors. In the northern hemisphere it means you’re getting ready to rug up and keep warm. Such contrasts in our lifestyle depending on our locations. So too with game playing. Some of us love nothing more then to put on the heater and get a few friends around on a cold night and play our favourite games.

Whilst here in Australia it’s likely we’ll be organising a Barbie (BBQ for the rest of the world) and throwing snags (sausages) on the Barbie and having a beer or two. Then it’s sitting down in front of the Xbox or Playstation and few fighting games, racing games, FIFA 14 perhaps or some FPS action.

No matter where you are, there’s a ton of gaming news and previews in this month’s Live magazine and to kick things off we take a look at Nintendo. The Wii U hasn’t been top of mind for gamers at present and many would say it’s a lack of great games and top third party titles. We ask industry writers what they think about Nintendo and where they’re headed. You’ll either hate the comment or find yourself nodding in agreement. Either way it’s an important discussion as Nintendo is a much loved and important part of the gaming culture.

With a ton of previews and reviews plus our monthly cosplay feature and anime releases there’s lots of good reading inside. Keep warm or keep cool.

Rob Jenkins - Publisher

THE LIVE TEAM Rob Jenkins: Publisher (Gametraders Operations Centre)

Johnathan Heng: Trading Card Writer

Giselle Capozza: Art Director (Gametraders Operations Centre)

Sticky Trigger Team:

Nick Getley & Kylie Tuttle (Sticky Trigger): Game Review & Preview Editors David Kudrev: Retro Writer Paul Monopoli: Retro Writer

Alex Holmes Sam Babu Nick Pearce

ONESIES

Now available at Gametraders!

More styles available. Slippers sold separately. Ask staff for details.

october re 3

RD

CTC

12TH

31ST CTC

releases 25TH CTC

C

CT

CTC

3RD

CTC

CTC

CTC

23RD

october re 1ST C

CT

CTC

19TH

CTC

10TH CT

C

releases 5TH

16TH

CTC Also available on Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, Wii U

9TH 30TH CTC

GET ‘EM AT GAMETRADERS!

CTC

CTC

future releases 13TH

NOV

CTC CTC

CTC CTC

NOV

21ST

NOV

5TH

CTC

$24.95

ea

..yes, it has a cape!

LOVE SUPERHEROES? STICK ‘EM ON YOUR IPHONE!

IPHONE 5 SUPER COVERS!

GAMETRADERS! ETRA M A

RS DE

MUST HAVE

G

NEW

TO

C

HO IC E

$ .95 EA REVERSIBLE BACKPACKS 59

NEW HOODIES!

$49.95EA

TIGHTS!

$29.95EA

Punisher Pewter Buckle $29.95

iPad Case $49.95

$19.95 Beanies $24.95

GET COMFY IN THESE! $13.95

$9.95

Big Bang Theory Caped & Crew Socks

Mario Slippers $39.95

Sleep Pants $29.95EA

preview

NINTENDO 2DS Nintendo recently announced it would be introducing a new member of the DS family onto the market – the 2DS. When the press releases first came out showing that the 2DS would look like, I was rather concerned that Nintendo were making a mistake by removing the 3D option off their console and slapping the two screens into a clunky looking piece of plastic – something ala LeapFrog like!

the design that the 2DS has been designed with a younger audience in mind. The 2DS has replaced the fliptop design (made famous by the DS family) with an almost wedged like shape. Size wise, the 2DS isn’t actually any bigger that a 3DS. Surprisingly, looks are deceiving with this console and its actually smaller when compared to the 3DS side by side.

hesitant about buying a 3DS over issues with their eyes. One can also assume that it will also stop mum and dad’s fears of hearing ‘crack’ with the flip top being bent back too far!

Being that the control pads are located in the centre of the unit, big and little hands will naturally and comfortably be able to navigate their way around the game. Buttons such as ‘Home’ and ‘Select’ are

“The removal of the 3D capabilities will allow younger children the opportunity to play games without mums and dads being concerned or hesitant about buying a 3DS over issues with their eyes.”

However after closer inspection, The removal of the 3D I might take some of those capabilities will allow younger thoughts back. children the opportunity to play games without mums It is obvious just by looking at and dads being concerned or

much easier to control then those found on the 3DS. There is no difference in the size of the screens in the 2DS

when compared to that of the 3DS. They are exactly the same, however the screen on the 2DS does feel like is made from plastic and could be prone to scratching. Screen protectors will be a must!

Hang on....So where is the stylus? Where do games go?

And does it take photos?

The stylus on the 2DS can be found on the top right hand side of the console next to a slot for an SD card. No difference in the stylus design here. Exactly the same as the 3DS. What is different is where games are inserted. Instead of the game cartridges being inserted in the bottom like in the 3DS, they game cartridge slot is now on the top of the console.

And yes, there is a camera... 2 of them in fact. They do take 3D photos, but don’t display them on this console. Why this feature has been included if you can’t view the images is rather confusing to me!

The 3DS featured stereo speakers, whereas the 2DS will have only mono sound when played through the speakers.

This may or may not be such an issue for the kids, however an avid gamer will notice the difference. However, all is not lost if a set of headphones are attached to the jack awkwardly located on the front of the console.

Another new added feature is the ‘Sleep mode’. As the 2DS can’t be closed, the sleep mode button will come in very handy! The 2DS will also be backwards compatible.

Verdict As noted above, it’s very evident that this console has been made to fill the gap in the younger market. There are no real added features that make me want to personally go out and buy this console. I will however be recommending it to friends with kids. Durability will be a plus for parents based on the new ‘wedge’ design, along with the lack of 3D capabilities for concerned parents. The console layout is clear and much easier in my opinion to navigate around than the 3DS, however all my thoughts lead back to the evidence that this was designed with kids in mind.

In saying that, it does have a kind of retro circa hand held Donkey Kong Jr feel to it! Was this a smart marketing ploy by Nintendo? You be the judge!

WRITTEN BY kylie tuttle (WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM)

The 2DS will be availble from 12 October.

Check with your local store today!

minecraft

papercraft! pre-order now!

Minecart Set

$19.95

Overworld Deluxe Set!

$44.95

Hostile Mobs

$14.95

Shelter Set $19.95 14.95 7� ASSORTED MINECRAFT PLUSH - PRE-ORDER NOW! $ .95EA Snow Set

$19.95

Utility Pack

$14.95

Animal Mobs $

14

feature

NINTENDO: STILL RELEVANT? What do you think of when you hear the word Nintendo? Quality games? Mario? Zelda?

Most of would say all of the above, after all, Nintendo gave us the SNES, N64, multiple Mario games and a whole lot more.

And let’s not forget the ground breaking Wii with its’ unique controllers and quirky games.

How many of us dragged out our Wii when friends dropped in, for a quick game of Wii Sport including the mega popular bowling game? So while the Wii was a massive seller and now the 3DS is also selling well, it’s the sales of the Wii U that has people wondering what next

And it’s the Wii U that is simply not selling in the expected numbers Nintendo expected.

Nintendo released its’ annual report at the end of March 2013 and this showed that while the Wii U started strong in it’s launch, sales slowed considerably.

But is it all that bad? Most commentators seem to think that the Wii U needs quality titles to push sales of the hardware.

Great new games will boost sales, but Nintendo needs to market the system. They’ve not done a great job in convincing customers to buy the hardware.

But is it all doom and gloom? A quick search on Google brings up quite a few news stories with a negative slant. TechCrunch on September 5th wrote an editorial headed “The Death of Nintendo Has Been Greatly Under-Exaggerated” and called the Wii U a “dud” saying “it’s much worse then a dud. As of

With Christmas just around the corner, Nintendo will be in a battle with Microsoft and Sony for the big family purchase. Most families looking to buy a console will budget for just one. Will it be the Wii U or will the other big guns win out. And if Christmas doesn’t see a lift in sales where does that leave the struggling

“WITH CHRISTMAS JUST AROUND THE CORNER, NINTENDO WILL BE IN A BATTLE WITH MICROSOFT AND SONY FOR THE BIG FAMILY PURCHASE.” for the former card company.

The Wii U is the the first of the 8th generation of game consoles, the Microsoft Xbox One and the Sony Playstation 4 will soon be launched finishing the release schedule of the major players.

right now it’s a colossal failure.”

Nintendo Life on the 23rd August had an article by Thomas Whitehead titled “Sales Data Demonstrates a Slow Wii to Wii U Transition Compared to Past Generations”

console? We asked some industry writers their thoughts on Nintendo and you’ll either hate the comments or find yourself nodding in agreement...

feature nintendo: still relevant?

INDUSTRY COMMENT “no other company has aimed at casual gaming..”

Seven years and over 150 million sales have passed since Nintendo released it’s dual screen handheld back in 2004, introducing true touch screen gaming to gamers for the first time. The concept proved such a success that Nintendo implemented it in its home console, the Wii U, via a touch screen in the GamePad, essentially creating a giant home DS in a way. However it was so poorly marketed, that even a year after launch the console has sold well under the expectations.

The Wii U is almost a write off with a lot of third party developers backing away from the system at alarming speed. Nintendo are heading down a very lonely path, a path that leads to a very grim future.

Nintendo have always been known as marketing to the casual gamer, they never seemed to be interested in “hard core” games and so they shouldn’t. No other company has aimed at casual gaming and while Nintendo may pull through, you have to wonder where that breaking point is. When will the ship sink and what will happen if it does? No, Nintendo will forge on, however I feel we will see the end of Nintendo in the home console department.

It would be a wise move if they did. But one does not simply drop it’s new console off the line, so what are we looking at? Nintendo need to boost sales to stay in the game, to do this they would need to re bundle the Wii U with some new titles. The Wii U could be re-marketed with Mario Kart, the heart and soul of its casual party games, along with a theme on the body of the console would drive a number of new sales.

Also, if Nintendo brought out a new Pokemon Stadium game, it could revitalize sales for the system. To do this, they would need to link in the DS handhelds like Sony is with the Vita system. Imagine playing Pokemon X or Y out and about, and then coming home to be able to use these in a Pokemon Stadium game? Or better yet, worldwide Video Game Championship tournaments VIA the Wii U? Anything is possible, Nintendo aren’t out yet, only time will tell if they can stay in the game though.

Al Caynes (www.tgeeknd.com)

nintendo: still relevant?

feature

INDUSTRY COMMENT “..BUT IS IT TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE?” Nintendo and I were best friends at school, right up until year 11. Nintendo handed up the Wii as it’s final assignment. While at first we all loved it, we soon realised that the Wii wasn’t really what we all wanted. It couldn’t live up to the previous work Nintendo had submitted, such as the Nintendo 64 and Gamecube. As we continued on with our schooling, Nintendo and I split apart. I became more close with my new friends Microsoft and Sony. They had innovation, and catered more for my needs.

While my analogy may seem a bit weird, I feel it rings true for most Nintendo fans. There was once a day when Nintendo was the best around. You just weren’t a gamer if you didn’t have a NES, SNES or N64. For me, the NGC was just as influential, for many others not so much. Nintendo then released the Wii, and while at first it seemed great, the lack of HD support, with the rise of HD televisions ensured that features that the Wii lacked became more obvious.

Nintendo have gotten with the times now, the Wii U has HD capabilities, but is it too little, too late?

Personally I don’t think Nintendo are out of the picture yet, but if they don’t change their strategy, they will be. Nintendo seems to think that people want all their old games rereleased, in HD, or marketed as a new game with minor changes. The fact is until Nintendo release games that are new and innovative; they won’t be the gaming giants we remember them as. Sadly, the Nintendo we remember fondly may just be a vision of the past.

John Wright (www.johnnoshark-reviews.com)

“..THESE GUYS ARE THE ROYALTY OF THE GAMING WORLD, AND WITH GOOD REASON.” Nintendo have become something of a joke within the gaming community for sure, but are they really dead in the water? Despite being a constant punchline to many, the once undisputed gaming champions are actually still one of the industry’s biggest innovators, best marketers and consistent developers. In fact, they’re one of gamings most honorable and respectable companies. So why all the hate?

Taking a look at the ‘next gen’ of gaming, Nintendo are the only real innovator of the lot – the only manufacturer straying from their own safe haven and taking risks, giving us something that isn’t proven to work within the confines of their audiences. And who else could take gaming series’ older than a good 20 years or more, experiment with new technologies, and still deliver fun and exciting games that excel both commercially and critically? Sure, Nintendo are a far cry from the giants they once were – mainly due to the influx of competition and option – but these guys are the royalty of the gaming world, and with good reason.

While Microsoft and Sony battle it out for ‘top spot’, taking jabs at each other and trying desperately to gain the market majority, Nintendo simply plot along at their own pace, make their own decisions, and keep pumping out the games their fans want, love and cherish. Nintendo today may be ‘irrelevant’ to certain crowds and audiences in the community, but – and correct me if I’m wrong – there’s nothing irrelevant about giving your fans what they want.

JOHN ELLIOTT

feature nintendo: still relevant?

INDUSTRY COMMENT “no single company is safe if they cannot adapt to the demands of the modern gamer.”

I’d like to think that in this day and age, any games company with a history of quality games is immune to “dying” or becoming irrelevant. Unfortunately, companies like Sega and Atari have proven that no matter how unique your games are or how strong your early catalogue is, no single company is safe if they cannot adapt to the demands of the modern gamer.

With the Wii, Nintendo managed to create a gap in the market that they cleverly were also able to fill.

Using well-known game figures like Super Mario, Nintendo created the casual games market for home consoles. Suddenly, people who had no prior interest in gaming were becoming hooked to laid back experiences like Wii Sports, Mario Party, and even exercise program-focused titles like Wii Fit and EA Sports Active.

With a staggering 100 million titles sold as of June 2013, one would assume that the next Nintendo console would sell even more, the only problem is, it isn’t. This isn’t to say the Wii-U is an awful piece of tech. On the contrary, the Nintendo Wii did so well in establishing itself as a household necessity, that it has impeded its successor’s well… succession. The problem also stems from bad marketing, that is to say, an almost complete lack of marketing. Even at the release of the Wii-U, there was little-to-no awareness of Nintendo’s new console, despite it having a highly-marketable tablet controller.

Nintendo are still relevant, and with a back catalogue of gaming’s favourite characters like Mario, Link, Kirby and Starfox, they won’t be going anywhere any time soon. Their loving fan base will embrace any console and games they release in the future. Nintendo’s consumers aren’t going to fix this problem, and therefore, major decisions must be made by Nintendo. The question they have to ask themselves now is “Do we pursue the casual audience again? Or do we try to win back the hardcore gamer and compete with Microsoft and Sony?”

Nick Getley (www.stickytrigger.com)

nintendo: still relevant?

feature

INDUSTRY COMMENT “NINTENDO WILL RISE AGAIN WITHOUT DOUBT..”

Nintendo definitely are still relevant. They have a huge bank of money from the success that was the DS and the Wii. They definitely need to bring some of their standards into the 21st century however. The fact that they still don’t have an account system on either the Wii U or the 3DS is an absolute farce. Nintendo also need to start taking more risks with their games.

Everybody knows that Nintendo have some of the most creative developers in the industry but It seems like such a shame to see them working on the same recycled franchises. I think something that Nintendo could focus on is creating more smaller, budgeted titles for new and existing franchises. They have already attempted this quite a few times on the 3DS eShop and it has been a great success.

My nephew absolutely loves Nintendo but unless it’s a special occasion his parents can’t justify spending $60 for a 3DS game when he could get more than 50 games on his iPad for the same amount. I also think that Nintendo need to handle their launches better. Both the 3DS and Wii U have gotten off on the wrong foot with horrible delays to their “launch window” titles. We have seen this especially with the Wii U. The non Nintendo hardcore have seen no reason to purchase it within the first year due to a delayed lineup of their first year games and the lack of an account system. Taking these things into consideration I think that the Wii U will struggle more than any Nintendo console before it. Nintendo just haven’t done enough to improve sales of the system before the release of the PS4 and Xbox One. Nintendo will rise again without doubt though.

Shannon Grixti

“HOW THE HELL DID THEY KNOW THAT WOULD WORK?” Nintendo are still relevant in every way, shape or form. As a cultural icon, as the name behind the biggest, most popular and most recognizable gaming franchises, they aren’t going to be forgotten to the annals of history in the foreseeable future. In regards to their business, one might look at the Wii U and think that now, now is the start of the end…if you’re to completely ignore the company’s handheld market, which is set to get bigger once they release the 2DS. As to whether they’re irrelevant – I think, more than anything, Nintendo have proven over and over again that a lot of us, especially in the media, don’t really understand the core consumer anymore. We scoffed at the 2DS just like we scoffed at the Wii, and you know what? Those ugly, door-stop handhelds are going to fly off shelves, and everyone who initially thought ‘what the hell are they doing?’ is going to be asking ‘how the hell did they know that would work?’.

Personally, I’ve found it hard to like Nintendo as I played few of their games during my childhood – I’ve got no nostalgic ties, and I find Mario platformers to be incredibly banal. The thing about nostalgia, however, is that it not only lasts, but it can be passed on. Those kids you see today playing the latest Nintendo exclusives on the DS they all seem to own? Their eventual nostalgia is Nintendo’s insurance policy.

When Nintendo eventually falls, as everything does, their cultural impact will give them a very special place in history, and they won’t be forgotten or irrelevant for many years to follow.

Mark Ankucic (www.dustycartridge.com)

feature nintendo: still relevant?

INDUSTRY COMMENT “THE WII U HAS SOLD ABOUT 3.6M UNITS WORLDWIDE..”

Are Nintendo relevant? In my opinion Nintendo with the Wii U are not actually in competition with Microsoft or Sony, they are going to continue to do their own thing. Nintendo are a very stubborn company and they believe that their 1st party software lineup of Mario 3D, Zelda: WW HD, Donkey Kong: TF, Sonic: Lost World, Wii Fit U during this holiday along with Bayonetta 2, Mario Kart 8, Yarn Yoshi, Smash Bros. and X in early 2014 will get them back on track just like it did the 3DS after its poor start and Sony are hoping the Vita can do the same as sales for Vita have increased recently as well.

In my opinion this is what the Big N should do to make sure they do stay relevant: • Increase the virtual console library with GameBoy, N64 and GameCube titles.

• Merge Nintendo 3DS/Wii U Nintendo Network I.D’s so purchases can be synced and customers don’t have to purchase the same game twice at full price.

• More exclusives like Bayonetta 2 for example a Resident Evil 2 remake, Eternal Darkness 2, even a new Mega Man are projects fans want.

• Throw in a 3D Donkey Kong , Metroid and Pokémon RPG and realistic HD Zelda • And most importantly, reach out to third parties and pay for titles like Minecraft, Final Fantasy and EA titles and make Platinum Games a second party developer!

Nintendo has the money to do this! They have billions sitting in the bank and are not going to go bankrupt if the Wii U fails.

Here is some interesting sales information. The Wii U has sold about 3.6m units worldwide since November 2012, the same amount the PS3 achieved in its first year. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 sold 7.5m in its first 12 months but has recently just been joined by the PS3 in overall sales at 79m each. While the Wii sold an incredible 20m in its first year and has sold over 101m worldwide! What these numbers show us is slow first year sales don’t really mean anything at all just yet; let’s see what Nintendo comes up with in the next 12 months before we decide if they should stay or go.

Nick Pearce (www.stickytrigger.com)

Cape Tank $24.95

TANKS

Jersey Tank $39.95

GET ‘EM AT GAMETRADERS!

Avengers Fragrances $39.95EA

Caps $29.95EA

preview

BATMAN ARKHAM ORIGINS Batman: Arkham Asylum was a pleasant surprise to all fans of both Batman and video games alike. In a world where comic and film games have a track record for being remarkably average, such a game left a fond memory in all of our minds. Next came Arkham City where most of the major problems with Asylum (I’m looking at you, Titan Joker) were changed and we bat-hungry

Bat-game? Let’s find out. From the trailer, we see that there’s a lot more emphasis on the minor villains. Hopefully this means that characters such as Deadshot can be a part of the main campaign against Black Mask, instead of being an optional side mission (I for one am still waiting for Crazy Quilt to make an appearance.) The trailer is mostly focused around combat with Deathstroke,

seems a lot more aggressive and on occasion includes the surrounding environment; however the fluidity of combos that has been a key part of the Arkham franchise is still the same. Another addition to combat is a new standard of thug, the Martial Artist. The main difference between them and the regular enemy is his speed and ability to counter Batman’s counters, which in turn can also

“it seems that the developers of the Arkham series have again listened to the feedback and given the audience what they wanted gameplay wise without sacrificing the story.” fans were even more pleased.

Now the time has come for the third game in the series: ‘Batman: Arkham Origins’. The question is, will it carry on the tradition of improving the same formula to create a greater

probably as an advertisement for the DLC campaign.

be countered. After each fight with selected groups of thugs, there is a new grading system From the gameplay released at which shows you statistics of E3, there are many new features the fight you just came out introduced. One small change of including hits taken and is Batman’s fighting style which experience earned. This is an

easy way to keep track of your experience and to show you what you need to improve on, however I think that after multiple small gang fights the large block of text in your HUD could get slightly tedious.

One of my favourite additions to gameplay builds on the detective side of Batman.

Previously, the world’s greatest detective could simply look at some evidence and scan it immediately, showing him everything he needed to know. With the small addition of a crime reconstruction visualisation, the Bat-computer can take us through what really happened at the crime scene.

Once the visualisation is played out, the player can now interact with the reconstruction. From rewinding, pausing and even

format: PS Vita | Xbox 360 | Wii U | PS3 | PC | 3DS

walking around the virtual crime to collect more evidence and gain better understanding of the plot’s development and Batman’s deductive power.

Even from these small examples and the other evidence available, it seems that the developers of the Arkham series have again listened to the feedback and given the audience what they wanted gameplay wise without sacrificing the story. Batman: Arkham Origins is shaping up to be an equal if not greater game than it’s famed predecessors.

WRITTEN BY alex holmes (WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM)

Out: October 25

preview

ANGRY BIRDS STARWARS A long, long time ago in a galaxy far away, the force was strong, as were the… pigtroopers?!? That’s right!

The epic and internationally popular mobile game ‘Angry Birds: Star Wars’ has been remastered for gaming systems and will be out this month!

Bird flinging takes on a whole new meaning when you are yielding a light saber and

Angry Birds Star Wars looks to be very lucrative for distributor Activision who has picked up the title.

Chewbacca, R2-D2 and several versions of Luke Skywalker (Pilot Luke, Endor Luke and Jedi Luke) and the pigs taking on the forms of Darth Vader, Storm Game play wise, if you are Troopers and Boba Fett from unfamiliar with the previous the original Star Wars trilogy Angry Birds games its simple, and a setting obviously in the well kind of! You use a Star Wars universe and that is slingshot to launch birds at pigs Angry birds Star Wars! stationed on or within various structures, with the intent of Using the same core game destroying all the pigs. As design as the mobile game,

“Using the same core game design as the mobile game, Angry Birds Star Wars injects new characters, challenges and pays homage to the Star War’s universe.”

Rovio Entertainment are piggy backing (pardon the pun) of the success of the Angry Birds franchise by pushing Angry Birds Star Wars to console.

Downloaded more than 100 million times via mobile app,

you move through the game, new types of birds become available some of which have special abilities.

Angry Birds Star Wars injects new characters, challenges and pays homage to the Star War’s universe. In comparison to the mobile version¸ players Swirl that in with the birds taking will be able to enjoy 20 levels on the personas of likes of which have exclusively been

designed for the console game (on top of 200 levels already on the mobile version) totalling over 25 hours of light saber wielding, pig popping fun! And for the first time ever, players will be able to enjoy multiplayer mode. Playing in two-player coop mode will help to achieve a combined high score or if you want to, play against them (with up to four players) in competitive mode.

In addition to this, players will still get achievements and trophies, access to leader boards, high-def graphics as well as unlockable bonus levels, items and content.

This game will be addictive, at times frustrating but will definitely have you wanting to claim 3 stars every time! If you are already a fan of the Angry Birds or the Star Wars franchise you will be thoroughly entertained! If you’re not already a fan‌ are you ready to join the porkside?

WRITTEN BY kylie tuttle (WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM)

format: Xbox 360 | PS3 | PC | WII U | WII | PS VITA | 3DS

Out: October 30

preview

WATCH DOGS 2013 appears to be the year of the urban sandbox with Saints Row IV, GTA V, and newcomer Watch Dogs all releasing. However, Watch Dogs is that rarest of things – a new intellectual property from a AAA developer – Ubisoft Montreal.

Watch Dogs looks to be worth getting excited about.

Watch Dogs takes place in Chicago in 2012, in a world not unlike our own, and has the player assume the role of Aiden Pearce – hacker and vigilante. Aiden is an expert hacker and is bent on using his skills to better society and seek justice for past tragedies and wrongs as he sees fit, a morally grey anti-hero. With Aiden as its focus, Watch Dogs

interesting story though, the game boasts a proprietary graphics engine to give it that next-gen sheen, and packs the usual toolbox of sandbox abilities – large virtual city to explore, the ability to drive vehicles, stealth elements, gunplay, hand to hand combat and nifty parkour to get you from place to place on foot. But where Watch Dogs’ gameplay truly seems exciting is its hacking elements. In the Watch Dogs universe almost all major cities are controlled by a Central Operating System (CtOS), and Chicago is no different. Aiden’s hacking prowess allows him to get inside the CtOS and control the city systems. Police chasing you?

No problem, hack the nearest

aspect in which one player joins another player’s game secretly and attempts to hack their smartphone in order to obtain data. Developer Ubisoft Montreal has said that secretly entering players will integrate seamlessly with non playable characters, providing for some healthy paranoia and psychological tension, though more information is yet to come in regard to the multiplayer aspects of the game.

If Watch Dogs can live up to the grand scope of its ideas and its potential, it looks to be an urban sandbox that fully embraces the true virtual interconnectivity of our age – both in storytelling and in gameplay.

“POLICE CHASING YOU? NO PROBLEM, HACK THE NEAREST TRAFFIC LIGHTS AND CAUSE A THIRTY CAR PILE-UP TO STOP THE COPS!” looks to examine the role of technology in our increasingly computerised world.

Watch Dogs isn’t just an

traffic lights and cause a thirty car pile-up to stop those cops!

Watch Dogs also contains an innovative multiplayer

WRITTEN BY alex holmes (WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM)

format: Xbox 360 | PS3 | WII U Out: NOVEMBER 21 format: Xbox ONE | PS4 Out: NOVEMBER 29

Wallets ONLY

$24.95

EACH!

review

GRAND THEFT AUTO V Grand Theft Auto - the granddaddy of all open-world games and the franchise that opened the door to true anti-heroes in gaming. Since its humble beginning as a simple car-boosting game on PC and the Sony PlayStation, Grand Theft Auto has evolved into one of the most popular and successful franchises in gaming, and with good reason.

Grand Theft Auto mixes clever

design choices, such as the overuse of motion blur. Many fans cited that the game was nowhere near as fun to play as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which had more RPG elements (such as character stats and better character customisation) and more arcade-style driving mechanics.

Grand Theft Auto V is finally here and Rockstar have both

Andreas. The driving has also been overhauled to be more accessible, which is definitely a good thing. Overall, there is a fantastic mix of familiarity and innovation, which will win over long-time fans, newcomers and even people who didn’t enjoy GTA IV (myself included).

Grand Theft Auto V opens with a prologue mission, which also serves as the game’s tutorial

“Everything about GTA V is impressive. Every single thing! It’s as though Rockstar have taken the best parts from all their games and injected them into their best franchise.” writing, fast-paced vehicular carnage and action-packed shooting in a realisticallyportrayed open world.

Grand Theft Auto IV, though successful, received some criticism for its “bland” story and

listened to the criticisms of fans and offered something original, which is a balancing act that few can pull off. For starters, the game returns to the most popular location in the franchise’s history, San

(introductory missions designed to introduce the player to the game’s mechanics, story and controls). In it, players assume the role of a criminal on a heist (though later, the ability to play as and switch

enormous silencers for shotguns, similar to Payday 2: The Heist.

between multiple characters is unlocked). Taking hostages, the thieves plant explosives on the doors of a bank vault, and blast their way inside. Normally I can’t stand tutorial missions, as they are normally overused in much simpler games (who doesn’t know that the right trigger shoots in every game nowadays?) however in GTA V, the mission is still highly entertaining, and the game has enough mechanics to warrant a tutorial.

Upon making their getaway, the criminals are confronted by police, who of course, open fire. I assumed that the game would play and look a lot like GTA IV, with a simple face lift.

How wrong I was. During my shootout with the police, I was in awe of just how detailed the textures were, and how

drastic the improvement to Grand Theft Auto’s physics and shooting mechanics were. At one point I shot and wounded a police officer, with his body visibly being pushed back from the force of the bullet. I then shot him in the knee, and he shifted his weight onto his other knee, and attempted to draw his weapon with his off-hand.

When attempting to gather my thoughts for this review, I replayed the tutorial mission five times, and each time that I played it, the game’s artificial intelligence attempted different tactics to bring my criminal cohorts and I into custody.

Everything about GTA V is impressive. Every single thing!

It’s as though Rockstar have taken the best parts from all their games and injected them into their best franchise. The shooting mechanics are the best I’ve played in a Grand Theft Auto game, which is largely due to the fact that they are identical to the shooting mechanics from Max Payne 3 (another Rockstar game) which was undeniably flawless (in terms of gameplay). In addition to the shooting itself being refined and almost perfect, guns themselves can now be modified and customised to suit any players preferences. There are even

GTA wouldn’t be GTA without some automobile-related activities though, would it? And after the somewhat clunky driving from GTA IV, players could be forgiven for assuming that the driving in GTA V would feel similarly heavy and difficult to master. Thankfully, the driving has been refined, and though some vehicles feel heavy, it’s only the ones that should feel heavy, namely vans and trucks.

The cars also handle and drive differently depending on what type of car they are, unlike Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas where the majority of cars drove similarly. To put it simply, the driving in Grand Theft Auto V is a drastic improvement over Grand Theft Auto IV, but the sports cars and luxury vehicles still prove to be a challenge to master.

In addition to refined gameplay and story elements, there are now more RPG elements to GTA. In GTA V, Rockstar have brought back the stamina, strength and driving stats, and also added new stats such as lung capacity, special ability, shooting and stealth. Completing different actions and activities (such as triathlons, shooting range challenges and street races) will reward the player with a stat related to the activity being increased.

The aforementioned special ability stat increases how quickly a characters special move bar replenishes. Michael has the ability to focus his shooting (the game enters slow motion), Franklin has the ability to focus his driving skill (also a slow motion ability, but

review

grand theft auto v

with added driving control) and Trevor has the ability to withstand extra damage and deal extra damage with his special ability (think the closing scene of Scarface, and you’d be about right). The new special abilities are a lot of fun, and can often mean the difference between surviving a difficult mission, or winning a difficult street race.

Speaking of difficult, GTA V is the first time in the series I have been genuinely challenged by the missions. Some missions, I would say, feel almost too difficult. This is due to the random an unpredictable

are uncensored, and although they could be a lot worse, they certainly aren’t suitable for minors to play or witness.

When looking at these activities from a mature and adult frame of mind, they are perfectly acceptable, given the cleverly created world of Grand Theft Auto V. Rockstar both glorify and parody Hollywood films, their past games and even real life in GTA V. In my opinion, what can seem harmless and even comedic to an adult, may not be interpreted as so by a child.

Comparisons are inevitable to other Rockstar games, but to do so in a negative way would

pure entertainment. It really is the best Rockstar game to date.

What about multiplayer?

At the time of writing this review, multiplayer in Grand Theft Auto V is yet to launch, making it impossible to review.

From the available information and preview videos though, GTA V looks to be just as much fun online as it is in single player. Players create their own character, and are offered much more than simple games of team Deathmatch or capture the flag. Players

“Using the same coreWith Grand Theft Auto V, all the problems from GTA 4 have been removed or rectified. There is no more overuse of motion blur, there are no more boring or bland characters (or cartoon-like stereotypes like Roman) and all that’s left is pure entertainment. It really is the best Rockstar game to date.” game world Rockstar have crafted with GTA V. This is both a good and bad thing, as even when you have full health, it is possible for you to do if you are shot in the head, or set on fire.

Now, like all GTA games, there is a significant amount of adult content in GTA V. I do not endorse or condone an underage child playing GTA V. The game is rated R 18+, and with good reason. From the very start of the game, there is a fair amount of swearing, and after completing the first mission, I had access to stripclubs, and other risqué scenarios. These adult situations

make no sense. Rockstar are a developer and publisher that is always learning from their past games, and always finding new ways to improve. Grand Theft Auto 4 was a huge leap forward for the franchise, but a focus on a realistically-portrayed openworld meant that things such as character movement, the story and physics suffered.

With Grand Theft Auto V, all the problems from GTA 4 have been removed or rectified.

There is no more overuse of motion blur, there are no more boring or bland characters (or cartoon-like stereotypes like Roman) and all that’s left is

are able to form crews (using Rockstar’s Social Club website) and engage in a variety of match types, from Team Deathmatch to more unique features such as competitive heists and bank jobs.

Footage from the multiplayer component showed the hugely-open world of GTA V functioning online with multiple players without skipping a beat, or suffering from lag or framerate issues. I was an avid fan of Max Payne 3’s multiplayer, and if it is anything to go by, Rockstar will have huge plans and loads of fun in store for online play in Grand Theft Auto V.

Pros • Huge amount of content.

• Three likable anti-hero protagonists, instead of the usual one.

• Diverse missions and side activities make for the best GTA yet.

Cons • Some minor texture popup (more present on Xbox 360) • Some minor bugs (though they are currently being addressed)

Summary Grand Theft Auto V returns the series to its most popular location, but with more missions, side activities and detail than ever before. The game has a ton of content (which is also well-varied), a well-written story and brilliant game mechanics making it the perfect open-world action game to ride out the rest of this console cycle. A must-have.

9.5/10 WRITTEN BY NICK GETLEY (WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM)

review

RAYMAN LEGENDS Originally designated as a Wii U exclusive title due out in February this year, Ubisoft appears to have had concerns over the low Wii U console sales and decided to delay Rayman Legends until late August and release on Xbox 360, PS3 and PS Vita alongside the Wii U. With the delay, this has allowed Michel Ancel and his team to add a whole bunch of extra content with more levels

and kidnapped 700 Teenies (Little blue creatures, no not Smurfs, the ones from Rayman Origins). Murphy then awakens our heroes with a smack, and Rayman & his friends have a mission to rescue all the Teenies they can find. You can play single player or four play co-op with friends. To complete this adventure Rayman and co. must run, jump, climb, swing and swim to collect thousands

This is pretty much a direct sequel to Origins but in my opinion it’s much more polished and fun with a lot more variety.

Each level has a skull rating to determine difficulty from one (easy) to five (insanely hard), and trust me they do get hard towards the end with every level throwing something different at you! Collecting lums from hidden coins, enemies or turnips that you have to pull

“The Visuals are absolutely gorgeous and a lot of work has gone into every animation..” and a much more polished experience.

The story in Rayman Legends in very basic. Whilst our heroes have slept for a hundred years, the nightmares have invaded The Glade of Dreams

of Lums (small yellow creatures) along the way to rescuing the Teenies. Each level has ten Teenies to find, some are in hidden doors that open up new areas with puzzles to solve to reach the Teenie.

from the ground, each level also has a reward system for the amount of lums you collect 150 = Bronze Cup, 300 = Silver Cup, 450 = Scratch Card, 600 = Gold Cup the more you collect the more levels or bonuses you unlock like new characters,

9/10

costumes, art work, bonus levels, scratch cards giving access to more Lums, even bonus levels from Rayman Origins, which have been updated to match Legends visual style.

The difficulty increases at a steady pace, and expect to spend a few hours extra if you wish to find all the hidden rooms, lums and Teenies. One thing that deserves a mention is the musical levels that require you to control Rayman to the musical cues of actual songs like Black Betty or Eye of the Tiger! These are very well designed and show off how the difficulty can increase with some of these levels requiring ninja like reflexes to select Rayman’s correct ability at the right millisecond! The boss battles don’t really off anything

new but they are very clever and really show off the visuals with lots of animation going on in the foreground and background during the battle.

The level select screen is a map of paintings and can get a bit confusing to navigate through at times, and allows you to go to different worlds all which are very different from the last some levels are timed, some require stealth which is a nice surprise and adds a lot of variety unlike some other platformers that tend to rehash the same levels over and over.

The Visuals are absolutely gorgeous and a lot of work has gone into every animation and level videos online really don’t do the game justice until you see it in HD on your own screen; the art style is very reminiscent of an oil painting and that’s a good thing. Match that with the amazing sound track and the incredible accurate controls (Unlike DuckTales/Castle of Illusion) which manage to immerse you into some of the best gameplay available in 2013.

And with over 120 levels (Including forty updated levels from Rayman Origins) and a crazy soccer mini game make this title a must buy for

any platformer enthusiast or anyone who thinks Nintendo or Way Forward are the only 2D platformer developers left. I reviewed the Xbox 360 version but I recommended to anyone with a Wii U to go get this game now, it has be designed specifically for that platform and it shows. This is not something I thought I would be saying about this game but it is the best Non-Nintendo platformer ever made everyone should go buy it! Note. If you purchase the PS Vita version it will be missing 28 levels, these will be added later as free DLC.

Pros • Four player co-op (Five on Wii U) • Lots of levels all with variety • Amazing art/visual style • Gameplay is incredible

Cons • Sometimes frustrating • Rayman Origin levels only appealing to new players • Some levels can be quite long

WRITTEN BY NICK PEARCE (WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM)

review

TOTAL WAR: ROME II Reviewed on PC.

The original Total War: Rome was released in 2004 by developer Creative Assembly and was a critically acclaimed best seller, becoming one of the most loved games of the Total War series to date. Fans of the series loved the epic scale of the battles that previously could only have been read about in the pages of history.

men clashing across the field.

The single player campaign has been expanded with over 150 regions and more than 100 different factions. Controlling this vast empire however has been made a little bit easier with the new province system that allows player to manage multiple regions in the same province reducing the need for micro-management. The management of units has

large scale naval forces which can be used simultaneously with ground forces allowing for some spectacular coastal conquests. All of this is set out on an absolutely beautiful model of the ancient continents with small enhancements such as seeing the expansion of cities on the map in real time, adding to the grand scale of it all.

“it’s a visual delight with an in-depth campaign that is sure to satisfy the most hardcore strategy gamer. �

Huge campaigns and gigantic also been streamlined with battles was what this game was recruitment and movement now taking place in armies all about. that are raised under a general Rome II takes that scale to the instead of individually. The largest addition however is next level with an enormous the inclusion of naval battles campaign and large scale battles that see more than 5000 including sea regions and

But while armies play their part, politics must also be managed.

Within each playable faction you choose one of three parties for which you must amass power while plotting to take down your rivals. This can be achieved through diplomacy,

an advantage as they tend to make suicidal attacks and can sometimes even ignore your forces all together. The game also has some technical issues with sudden game crashes and in game bugs that can make for some frustrating moments.

bribery, or even assassination.

Each decision affects public opinion of you and as your empire grows can lead to a number of problems like ranging from small rebellions to full blown civil wars. You can also employ different types of agents including spies, dignitaries and champions and assign them different tasks to which they each can take unique approaches too. The endless machinations of the various competing parties and enemies make you feel like every small detail matters as your empire balances on the edge of knife.

The battles themselves however are still the best part of the game and with the features like true line of sight, which adjusts a units view according to both their terrain and type, the tactics that you can employ are endless and with over 500 different types of units available you will never be short for choices when building your armies. Being able to fortify your armies or force them into a quick march for more action points allows for a great range of control of your forces. Even the skill trees can be built up as traditions so that your new recruits can obtain the same bonuses as the rest of your forces. Once the battle starts you’ll find yourself flanking enemy forces, bombarding troops with projectiles,

Yet despite these flaws the game still begs to be played. It could be the amazing visuals that show off some remarkable textures in the landscape and charging, and slamming ranks fantastic character details as with cavalry all too cause each unit fights for survival panic and break the lines of showing pain, anger, and fear regimented troop formations. in equal measures. Or it could Using these tactics successfully be the excellent soundtrack can make all the difference that immerses the player with meaning that you don’t have grandiose orchestral tones that to fight to the last man and that create the perfect atmosphere you won’t need to risk the lives for the era. Honestly though, I of your own men doing it. But think it comes down to seeing in the end the thrill of getting the huge armies crash into up close and personal to the each other on the battlefield action is where the fun really and the satisfaction watching begins. Things like being able your cities slowly expanding out to control and follow siege into a vast empire. weapons in the first person and watching your ships crash into The latest instalment of the the enemy really make you Total War series Rome II offers appreciate the detail in which some of the best turn based the battles are re-created. More strategy gaming to date. It’s a often than not you will find visual delight with an in-depth yourself zooming in to witness campaign that is sure to satisfy the gory details. the most hardcore strategy gamer. The culmination of a Sadly the grandness of it all great historical setting with begins to wear away as the such a rich tactical experience number of factions begins to really makes this game a take its toll in the later game. joy to play. Unfortunately the With so many turns to complete experience is let down by an they can take up to 3 minutes incompetent AI, multiple game to cycle through and by turn 80 bugs and issues. Overall though they can take up to 5 minutes Rome II is a solid strategy game which does slow down the but it’s let down by technical action considerably. This also issues and minor bugs. becomes more frustrating to watch as the main problem of WRITTEN BY SAM BABU the game is the foolishness of your enemies. The AI is about as (WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM) far removed from the Caesars and Scipio’s as you can get.

Creative Assembly have let themselves down with AI that frequently makes decisions that give the player far too much of

7.5/10

review

DIABLO III Console RPG fans have certainly had to wait a long time between good RPGs. Since the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, there has been a trickle of RPGs released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, ranging from terrible to mundane, but all that has changed. Diablo has returned to consoles with a port of Diablo III. The PC version of Diablo III

1 and 2 (the game is much brighter and more cartoon-like than Diablo 1 and 2). While there is no denying Diablo III (on both PC and console) has a very different look to previous games, the gameplay itself is thoroughly enjoyable. How does the game rate overall?

Well, “stay a while, and listen”.

Set twenty years after the events of Diablo 2, Diablo 3

The protagonist (a character created by the player), ventures into New Tristram to investigate the fallen star. Hordes of the undead rise from the ground, attacking the village and the soldiers protecting it. The player intervenes, and meets Leah, who asks for his help in rescuing Deckard from the crater in the cathedral. The player agrees, and thus the bloody adventure begins.

“it serves as both a great RPG for experienced adventurers and also a fantastic introductory title to inexperienced Role-playing gamers.” launched back in May of 2012, and had more than its fair share of problems. There were bugs, glitches, and even complaints from fans that the game had become too easy and that the art direction had deviated too much from Diablo

opens with Deckard Cain and his niece Leah reading ancient texts that foretell the “end days” and the events leading to it. The cathedral is hit by a falling star, which tears open the ground, swallowing Deckard into it.

If you’re unfamiliar with dungeon-crawling RPGs, that’s perfectly fine. There hasn’t been one on a home console in years (apart from the fantastic port of Torchlight).

The original Diablo wasn’t the original dungeon crawler, but

8/10 it certainly is one of the best.

Combining a dark, bloody and mature atmosphere elevated Blizzard’s original RPG above the competition. Ambitiously, Blizzard even managed to port Diablo 1 to the Sony Playstation, and even added local co-op.

Dungeon crawler RPGs are usually played from an isometric viewpoint, and usually from a zoomed out view. This allows game designers to hide enemies and treasures in fog or darkness, but also allows for many enemies to appear on screen at once. Diablo III seems to have hundreds of enemies on screen at times, and players must carefully decide whether to engage in combat with hordes of monsters or flee, depending on a number of things such as the number of healing potions, or their current equipment, etc.

Also in dungeon crawlers, combat is in real-time, like in

unlock additional skills and their stats improve. What’s great about Diablo III though, is how Blizzard have embraced the arcade-style combat of the game. There are challenges which reward buffs (temporary status improvements) and/ or bonus experience for completing them. It adds an Diablo III’s combat and controls extra challenge to the game, and also makes levelling up are extremely simple, almost too simple. In my opinion, it has fun, and not a chore. perfectly found the delicate Visually, Diablo III is quite balance between simplistic a departure from previous arcade controls and that of a more complex RPG. Combined games. That’s not a bad thing, with Diablo III’s graphics, which as the game certainly has its own unique look, but there are also simple, players could isn’t anything that particularly be forgiven for thinking that “wows” me about its graphics.

Diablo III is a shallow game with not much depth to it at all. That being said, we are three months away from the nextThere is, however, a very wellgeneration of consoles and written story with some highlyPC games, which means it is enjoyable gameplay. extremely hard for anything to come out and be graphically As with most RPGs, each kill superior compared to other and completed quest rewards recent games. the player with experience.

Upon levelling up, players Diablo III is certainly a lot of fun (I can’t stop playing it), and it serves as both a great RPG for experienced adventurers and also a fantastic introductory title to inexperienced Role-playing gamers. If you’re after a great co-op game or an entertaining RPG to ride out the rest of this console cycle, Diablo III won’t disappoint. action games. This added much excitement when Diablo 1 was released, as many console owners were used to RPGs having turn-based battles, a design technique of many Japanese RPGs, which were booming at the release of Diablo 1 (1996).

WRITTEN BY NICK GETLEY (WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM)

review

lost planet 3 Capcom’s Lost Planet series of games has always managed to sell decently and score generally favourable reviews, but never really blow the minds of fans or critics. ‘Lost Planet 3’ manages to tell an interesting and even emotionally moving story, whilst refining combat and stripping away meaningless grinds and coop gameplay. I questioned some of the decisions made by

The story takes place before the events of previous Lost Planet games, which is great for inexperienced Lost Planet players, but it also opens up the opportunity to give the story the polish that it deserves. Players are introduced to Jim Peyton, an extremely likable and human character, who gains employment with NEVEC (who are not quite yet the sinister antagonists they are in previous

and if it’s not mo-cap, it’s damn fine animation. Every single character behaves and moves like a real person. Everyone is realistically written (with the exception of the annoying Frenchman, Laroche), and the conversations are a wellcrafted balance between a Hollywood movie, and what you would realistically expect if the conversation were to happen in real life, particularly the video

“The facial motion capture is the best I’ve seen in any Capcom published game, and if it’s not mo-cap, it’s damn fine animation. Every single character behaves and moves like a real person.”

Spark Unlimited and Capcom when I read press releases, but thankfully the main campaign is better written and also plays better than every other entry in the Lost Planet franchise.

Lost Planet games) and is sent to the planet E.D.N. III to help further NEVEC’s interests there.

message scenes between Jim and his wife, Grace (who is back on Earth).

The facial motion capture is the best I’ve seen in any Capcom published game,

Lost Planet 3 begins as a typical action game. There is shooting, agile enemies, cover-

based mechanics, and a naïve (at first) hero who is baptised by fire, or in this case, thermal energy. There is even the overused technique of the clever introduction sequence, which is a typically unrelenting assault on the protagonist, after which the camera stays in place, and the character fades into the distance only to reveal the game’s title. The opening mission and the intro afterward made me expect a rather boring, by-the-numbers game. I was pleasantly surprised.

Of course, there is only so much innovation that can be put into a third-person action game this end of the current console generation, and while Lost Planet 3 is certainly accessible, it doesn’t offer any new gameplay or overly-exciting thrills at all.

Gone are the bipedal mechs from previous Lost Planets, and in their place are giant mechs, called “rigs”. I knew the second I saw one that I would probably be getting one as well, and that the game would try to make a big song and dance about it, which it did. Even if getting your own mech does sound exciting

let me explain: these rigs do nothing exciting, ever. If you are a keen sailor in your spare time and enjoy tying down rigging, then maybe you will find the robot repair segments exciting.

For me, having a giant and therefore slow mech slow down to a snail’s pace in a blizzard After reading other reviews of Lost Planet 3, I feel like I’m the only person who actually understands the game. Pardon me if that sounds arrogant, but to review Lost Planet 3 based purely on gameplay (which is still pretty solid) is to do the game a disservice. There really is a good story present here, and it’s delivered extremely well (for the most part). Between missions, a video message is played from Jim to Grace or from Grace to Jim. The player gets to see both sides of Jim and Grace’s relationship, and a lot of the conversations are what you would expect.

I actually smiled at the characters sending messages to each other. These messages (and other things, such as a photo of Grace in your Rig’s cockpit) are a constant reminder of why a man would come to such a desolate and

dangerous planet. What really works in LP3 is just how ordinary and unspectacular Jim Peyton really is. He’s just a man, doing his best in a decently paying job where death is a constant threat.

Despite a decent main story, and a touching romantic sub-story, the gameplay in Lost Planet 3 is quite dated.

That isn’t to say it’s bad, it’s just unimpressive. Gameplay missions usually take place on foot or in your rig, the former feeling a little too Gears of War and the latter failing to pique my interest.

Quite often, there is a repair or mining mission in which you pilot Jim Peyton’s rig.

When interacting with broken machinery or drilling through the frozen wastes, different actions are required to “simulate” the experience of controlling the mech. These are however, too simple or just too awkward to enjoy. The earliest rig mission involves fixing

lost planet 3

review

7/10 rigging which supports NEVEC’s home base, but it is so simple and over so quickly, it really does break any immersion the player may have experienced.

Why couldn’t anyone else do it? I was already rescuing people and fighting giant crab monsters, but apparently nobody else could be bothered piloting their rig the meagre 30 metres distance to the rigging.

No, Jim Peyton must do that, despite being a few kilometres away and single-handedly exterminating a nest of alien beasts.

Lost Planet 2’s co-operative gameplay has been axed in favour of competitive multiplayer in Lost Planet 3, which leaves me confused. In a game where humans are constantly fighting to survive in a sub-zero temperature, why bother making uniform characters compete against each other online. There aren’t

even matches that make use of the story in the single player campaign. Surely instead of Team Deathmatch, we could have teams fight over control of thermal energy hotspots. To summarise, the multiplayer is garbage, and not worth your time.

If you consider yourself a fan of a good story, check out Lost Planet 3 before you write it off for its tired gameplay. Ultimately, with dated and unexciting gameplay, Lost Planet 3 feels like something you have done hundreds of times before in other games, with a few odd and occasionally awkward mech mission thrown in to break up the monotony.

Thankfully, the story is told well and quite enjoyable.

WRITTEN BY NICK GETLEY (WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM)

GET ‘EM AT GAMETRADERS! 2" Deluxe 6-pack assortment

3" Articulated Figures

18.99

$39.99

$14.99EA

3" Bobbleheads $ with Glasses

18.99

7" Plush $

EA

18.99

3" Free Wheelin’ $ Vehicle with Figure

EA

19.99

6" Action $ Figures

EA

EA

22.99

Deluxe Plush $ with Sound

20" Wrestling Buddies with Sound

EA

$59.99EA

TM & © Cartoon Network (s13)

Gumby & Friends Bendable Boxed Set

$29.99 5” Bendable Pair

$12.99

Bendable Keychains

$6.99EA

Mini Bendable Pair

$4.99

Gumby & Pokey Bendables

$9.99EA

Animated Clock

$49.99

XY Starter Figure Boxes $29.99EA

$39.95 Collector’s Pins 3-pack $24.99 Red Genesect Collection Box

Team Plasma Tins $34.99EA

ULTRA PRO! See in store for pricing

COMING NOVEMBER - PRE-ORDER NOW! 2013 World Championship Decks

Kalos Starter Set Deluxe Decks Legendary Dragons of Unova Collection Box

$39.99

$24.99EA

$29.99EA

Black & White Legendary Treasures Booster

$4.99EA

XBOX ONE R!

22

ND

NOVEMBE

DAY 1 LAUNCH TITLES & ACCESSORIES:

CTC

CTC

CTC

CTC

CTC

CTC

CTC

CTC

CTC WIRELESS CONTROLLER

CHAT HEADSET

PLAY & CHARGE KIT

GET ‘EM AT GAMETRADERS!

PLAYSTATION 4 TH 29 NOVEMBER! DAY 1 LAUNCH TITLES & ACCESSORIES:

CTC

CTC

CTC

CTC

CTC

CTC

CTC

CAMERA

DUAL CONTROLLER CHARGER

WIRELESS CONTROLLER

CONSOLE STAND CTC

GET ‘EM AT GAMETRADERS!

CONFIRMED LISTS OF

NEXT GEN GAMES..

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Battlefield 4 Beyond Good & Evil 2 Call of Duty: Ghosts Carmageddon: Reincarnation Contrast The Crew Crusade Daylight Deep Down Destiny Diablo III Dragon Age: Inquisition DriveClub Doki-Doki Universe Don’t Starve Dying Light EA Sports UFC The Elder Scrolls Online The Evil Within FIFA 14

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Battlefield 4 Below Call of Duty: Ghosts The Crew Crimson Dragon D4 Dead Rising 3 Destiny Dragon Age: Inquisition Dying Light EA Sports UFC The Elder Scrolls Online The Evil Within Fable Legends Fantasia: Music Evolved FIFA 14 Fighter Within Final Fantasy XV Forza Motorsport 5 Halo Xbox One

PS4 GAMES

Final Fantasy Project Final Fantasy XV Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Galak-Z Human Element Infamous: Second Son Just Dance 2014 Killzone: Shadow Fall Kingdom Hearts III Knack LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Mad Max Madden NFL 25 Mercenary Kings Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Mirror’s Edge 2 NBA 2K14 NBA Live 14 Need for Speed Rivals Octodad: Dadliest Catch Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty

XBOX ONE GAMES Just Dance 2014 Killer Instinct Kinect Sports Rivals Kingdom Hearts III LEGO Marvel Super Heroes LocoCycle Mad Max Madden NFL 25 Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Minecraft Mirror’s Edge NBA 2K14 NBA Live 14 Need for Speed Rivals Peggle 2 Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare Project Spark Quantum Break Rabbids Invasion Ryse: Son of Rome Skylanders Swap Force

The Order: 1886 Outlast Secret Ponchos Shadow Warrior Skylanders Swap Force EA Sports UFC Sniper Elite V3 Star Wars Battlefront Thief Tom Clancy’s The Division Transistor Trials Fusion Watch Dogs Warframe War Thunder The Witness Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Whore of the Orient The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Wolfenstein: The New Order

Sniper Elite V3 Star Wars Battlefront Sunset Overdrive Thief Titanfall Tom Clancy’s The Division Trials Fusion EA Sports UFC Watch Dogs The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Wolfenstein: The New Order Zoo Tycoon Zumba Fitness World Party

Pre-order all Xbox One or PS4 Games at any of our stores!

COSP Cosplay costumes now available at selected Gametraders stores!

PLAY! Great for Halloween! Check with your local store today!

gametraders news

Gametraders live penrith store opening!

On Saturday September 21st, the very first Gametraders Live store opened in Penrith.

It’s a new concept in game stores, one that offers fun and activities for a larger audience.

Traditionally game stores have been about video games and consoles. Gametraders changed that around five years ago with the addition of new products such as trading cards, collectables including

concept of giving gamers a bigger range of product choice and extends it to include product experiences.

Mark Langford, Gametraders’ Managing Director and founder recently said in an interview “ I would describe Gametraders Live as an entertainment destination unlike anything in Australia”.

Gametraders Live Penrith showcased that philosophy

some quality card time.

Most Gametraders stores now offer tournaments, events and activities and the “Live” store franchise is built around having the space in-store to hold more activities. On just about any week you will find Gametraders stores holding trading card tournaments and the aim is to grow those event offerings in all stores. Penrith store will focus on

“..an entertainment destination unlike anything in australia” figurines, anime movies, manga books and clothing lines. These pop culture related product lines quickly grew in popularity and with no console releases at that time those secondary lines quickly grew into some of the stores’ most popular selling items.

The new “Live” store takes the

on their opening day with a number of events including a Dr Who dress up competition, a cosplay competition, Warhammer painting displays and tons more. Customers were able to try out new cosplay costumes in changerooms and card players could sit at the tournament tables with a hot coffee or cold drink and enjoy

events and will be promoting them via their new FB page.

So if you’re into cosplay, anime or trading cards or perhaps Warhammer, check in regularly with your store’s Facebook page and keep up to date with what’s on and whats hot.

Wade Beger, Product & Operations Coordinator, with Mark Langford, Founder and Managing Director

E F I L R U O Y N I Y A D A TODAY

This might be you.

You wake up at 6. Another day another dollar as they say. You’re tired. You’ve been working for years making another person richer. Everyday is the same. Get up, go to work.

Lunch if you’re lucky, then feel guilty when boss-man sees you taking your five... Then back at it. Suppose to leave at 5 but too much to do. Boss-man wants results, wants reports, wants their pound of flesh. Tired, tired, tired. Is this it? Is this what I studied for all those years. What about time for me? Enough.

TOMORROW This could be you.

You wake up. Another day another great day. I’m my boss. I make the call. I decide. You jump out of bed. You grab breakfast and you’re thinking about that new game coming in today and all those customers who pre ordered to collect. You think about how much people rely on you cause they love games. Those new DVDs came in from the supplier too. Plus those very cool new figurines. It’s gonna be a good day. Your staff turn up, they’re happy to have a job, a boss that is fun. It’s gonna be a good day. Yeah you work hard.

But it’s all yours. Yeah you’re busy. But you keep the money. You’ve got games, movies, collectables and consoles surrounding you. Microsoft and Sony about to launch new hardware. It’s going to be a golden time again. Excitement, powerful new consoles. All new games - life is good. Go play.

Ready to take control of your life? Find out about owning your own Gametraders franchise and changing your today into an exciting tomorrow. Contact Managing Director and founder, Mark Langford on marklangford@gametraders.com.au or call (08) 8338 2557

Max Usage 500Ml Daily: not recoMMenDeD for chilDren, pregnant or lactating woMen anD inDiviDUals sensitive to caffeine

Terms and CondiTions: CondiTions apply, see sTaff for full Terms & CondiTions. 1. The promoTion will be open from 06:00am ausTralian CenTral sTandard Time (aCsT) 30 sepTember 2013 unTil 12:00pmaCsT on 4 november 2013 (promoTion period). enTry in The promoTion is only open To sa residenTs aged 18 years and over; and aged under 18 years, who have obTained Their parenT or guardian’s ConsenT To enTer The promoTion. pre order Call of duTy ghosTs or buy a moTher aT evenT/greaTer union Cinema To reCeive a promoTion enTry form, CompleTe The enTry form (providing all deTails required) and plaCe iT in The enTry box provided aT The parTiCipaTing ouTleT. parTiCipaTing ouTleT is The greaTer union Cinemas arndale, evenT Cinema marion, gameTraders marion and eb games arndale (parTiCipaTing ouTleT). manual random prize draws will be ConduCTed aT The Cinema evenTs on The 4Th november from 9pm-12am from all eligible enTries reCeived during The promoTion (draw). winners will be drawn from The ToTal pool of enTries. The winners will reCeive The opporTuniTy To play Call of duTy in The nominaTed Cinema ThroughouT The nighT for a limiTed Time. seaTs are limiTed and CoCa-Cola amaTil CannoT guaranTee seaTs in The Cinema if aT CapaCiTy, The winners will be given prioriTy. promoTer is CoCa-Cola amaTil (ausT) pTy lTd (abn 68 076 594 119) of 40 mounT sTreeT, norTh sydney, new souTh wales 2060.

AION 4.O DARK

$25 NCSoft AION Cards available in store from Oct 2013!

K BETRAYAL!

Enter a World of Beauty and Danger

AION® 4.0: Dark Betrayal is the most recent chapter in the ongoing struggle for the world of Atreia.The Elyos and Asmodians, sworn enemy races, battle for control of their world.

However, there are other obstacles that stand in their way, including the belligerent Balaur, an intelligent and warlike race who, now free from their dimensional prison, are out to conquer the world.

everywhere else and should be here as well for uniformity. And of course, Daevas need a place to spread their wings and soar while they work their way to the new level cap. Players will adventure through the lands of Katalam and Danaria, two new zones filled with ancient mysteries left behind by their former residents.

But players should be cautious, as members of the enemy faction will also be questing nearby.

After the defeat of the Dragon Lord Tiamat, both sides celebrated a hard-won victory. But a new evil has risen to take Tiamat’s place, and this shadowy figure has been consolidating his power for a very long time. Atreia is still in danger, and Daevas must once again take up arms to defend their home.

Fans of instances will be thrilled to discover that eleven new instances have been added for players to explore and loot. New armor, new weapons—it’s all waiting for you to claim. Just defeat the denizens of these ancient areas and reap the rewards.

With this newest free expansion, players see the level cap raised to 65.The word Daeva is capitalized

And, for the first time in its four-year history, AION has added not one, but two new classes! Players can

create a powerful Gunslinger or a graceful Songweaver. For mobility and sheer explosive power, the Gunslinger is hard to beat. However, the Songweaver is a versatile and powerful class, able to heal, damage, and crowd control all with the power of music.Those who underestimate this diverse and powerful class do so at their peril.

The battle for Atreia continues unabated. And with new enemies appearing, Daevas will need as many allies as they can find. Heed the call and join the battle.You may just save the world. ©2009 – 2013 NC Interactive, LLC. All rights reserved.

Aion, Dark Betrayal, NCSOFT, the Interlocking NC Logo, and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCSOFT Corporation.

LINEAGE II ®

Nine Years of Epic PVP Battles and Still Going Strong!

With the most recent chapter in the Lineage® II saga, Lindvior, Lord of the Western Winds, unleashes his wrath against Aden. Sent by Shilen, the Goddess of Destruction, his assault chills the very air on which he flies.

Players brave enough to challenge him can expect an incredible fight—after all, it isn’t every day that one fights an epic dragon that is the hand-picked champion of a goddess. But the rewards will be worth the peril.

Lineage II continues its 9-year legacy of cutting-edge PVP with the introduction of the Dimensional Siege, a contest that allows players

to fight with their clans to capture Castles on the dimensional server and secure great rewards—and bragging rights—for all to see.

Lineage II continues to be one of the most complex and PVP-focused MMOs available today. And with NCSOFT’s Truly Free™ model, 99 levels of fun and fighting await. Choose from one of over 32 possible classes and begin the journey of a lifetime. © 2004 - 2013 NC Interactive, LLC. All rights reserved.

NCSOFT, the Interlocking NC Logo, PlayNC, Lineage, Lineage II, Goddess of Destruction, Lindvior, Truly Free, L2 Store, L2 Galleria, NCoin, Path to Awakening, and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCSOFT Corporation.

$25 NCSoft LINEAGE ii Cards available in store from Oct 2013!

$22 .95 With Season 4 about to come out - see where it all started with Volume One!

comics & graphic novels

THE WALKING DEAD “The Walking Dead” is a monthly black-and-white comic book series created by Robert Kirkman that follows a group of survivors through a world overrun by The Walking Dead as they struggle to survive an even deadlier threat: Living humans so terrified about their own survival that they are willing to sacrifice everything else.

translated into more than 30 languages, and is available in over 50 countries worldwide.

IGN called it “one of the best monthly comics available” and Complex hails it as “one of the best comic series of all time.”

It’s also become the highestrated drama on basic cable of all time.

The AMC television series, with Winner of the 2010 Eisner Award Kirkman serving as a writer and executive producer, for Best Continuing Series, the had 11 million viewers for the Skybound comic has been

season two premiere and was instantly renewed for a third season. As the first TV drama to be launched around the world simultaneously, it’s in 120 countries, translated into 33 languages and is in 250 million households.

The Walking Dead also dominated the New York Times’ bestseller lists for graphic novels and was the top seller for 2011.

Artwork above is a sneak peak of the coming volume 19 “March to War”

HALLOWEEN AT GAMETRADERS

YU-GI-OH KIDS COSTUME

$19.95

ONESIES

tights

$29.95EA

new DVDS & bLU-RAY!

$19.95

limited edition’S:

$49.95

$149.95

$49.95

$24.95

$99.95

$39.95

$34.95

$59.95EA

$89.95EA

$29.95 $34.95

$59.95EA

$24.95 $29.95

$59.95EA

limited edition’s:

$89.95$EA89.95EA

$149.95

anime

REEL ANIME

is back for 2013!

We’re super excited that once again, Madman Entertainment are set to host REEL ANIME – coming to a cinema near you!

EVANGELION: 3.0 YOU CAN (NOT) REDO will lead a stellar line up of some of the best new animated feature films direct from Japan: • • • •

009 RE: CYBORG A LETTER TO MOMO GHOST IN THE SHELL: ARISE THE GARDEN OF WORDS

Traditionally a bi-annual event, 2013 will mark the first time REEL ANIME screens as a yearly program.

prestigious ‘Animation of the Year’ For more details about REEL ANIME 2013 Japan Academy Prize award), 2013 please visit: www.reelanime.com Makoto Shinkai’s CHILDREN WHO CHASE LOST VOICES and the first film in the new Berserk Golden Age Arc trilogy, BERSERK MOVIE 1: THE EGG OF THE KING. The 2013 festival sets some new precedents – with so many acclaimed and fan demanded films on offer, not only does REEL ANIME screen annually for the first time across both Australia and New Zealand, but there will be REEL ANIME SPECIALS – one day screenings outside the main festival.

REEL ANIME 2013 will screen in Previous REEL ANIME events have selected cinema locations across included Studio Ghibli’s FROM UP ON Australia and New Zealand.

POPPY HILL, Mamoru Hosoda’s WOLF CHILDREN (winner of the

anime

REVOLUTIONARY

GIRL UTENA

“Smash the world’s shell for the revolution of the world!”

Released in 1997, Revolutionary Girl Utena was a landmark for of its time and even to this day it still is.The story focuses on teenage girl Utena whose chivalrous spirit will put her at odds against the school’s student council members as she seeks to defend the Rose Bride from their clutches.

The series breaks many of the expectations one has for a shoujo series most of which is a lackluster female protagonist. Instead of being passive, Utena is a lively and assertive character that you can’t help but give your support behind.

Directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara, of Sailor Moon fame, be sure to have your eyes peeled for a fantastic transformation sequence and a balance of comedy intermixed with the drama.The animation of the series is also a delight to watch to this day and the soundtrack is a must listen that truly heightens the viewing experience.

In the end, Revolutionary Girl Utena is a show that truly revolutionized all shoujo anime to come after it and so it is a series not to be missed for any serious anime fan.

anime

LUPIN THE THIRD A WOMAN CALLED FUJIKO MINE One of the most recognizable characters from Japan, Lupin the Third, is a series that has seen many adaptations from book to manga to anime. Dubbed as the world’s greatest thief, Lupin makes an effort to ensure each heist is as extravagant as the next. So in celebration of its 40th year TMS created a series that celebrated not it’s main stay character but delved instead into the history of one of their little explored side characters

- Fujiko Mine. Unlike other Lupin series, Lupin the Third ~ A Woman Called Fujiko Mine is definitely not aimed at children. Sex, nudity and dark themes are abound in this latest adaptation as Fujiko is not hesitant to use her feminine charms to get her way.This latest adaption focuses on how Fujiko interacts with the classic cast of characters from this franchise ranging from Lupin himself to the quick shot Jigen and the samurai Goemon. Interwoven

within this character drama is an overarching narrative that is as gritty and dark as the animation for the series.

Overall Lupin the Third ~ A Woman Called Fujiko Mine is a necessity for all Lupin fans but also for all those who are interested in something a little darker, a little more riskier than the standard anime fare.

NOW!

IN-STORE $49.99

$59.99

$64.99

$59.99

$59.99

$49.99

GET ‘EM AT GAMETRADERS!

NEW

a g n a m

POKEMON ADVENTURES VOL. 01-07

$14.95EA

POKEMON BLACK & WHITE SLIM VOL. 01-04

$69.95

$14.95EA

$14.95

$9.95EA

POKEMON ADVENTURES diamond & pearl/platinum VOL. 03-06

$19.95

$14.95

$14.95EA

$19.95

$19.95

$14.95EA

$14.95EA

$14.95

retro round up

HISTORY OF NINTENDO When you think of Nintendo, what things spring to mind? I’m sure the more popular thoughts would be things like the WiiU, 3DS, Zelda, Mario, Streetpass, Pokémon and Smash Bros. right?

as a playing card company who primarily marketed and sold a traditional Japanese card game called Hanafuda (or Koi Koi like in the epic feature-length anime ‘Summer Wars’).

Well, fellow gamers let me give you a history of Nintendo before the NES and Famicom consoles that have taken home gaming to a level seen as a norm today.

They didn’t always specialize in

Nintendo still produce and sell playing cards today. The company continued to focus primarily on playing cards until 1956 when the company decided to try other ventures

slowly towards a more ‘family entertainment’ venture in 1966 when the Ultra Hand toy was made by Gunpei Yokoi who continued on to make the Game & Watch consoles from 1980, the Game Boy in 1989 and the short-lived Virtual Boy in 1995 before he moved on from Nintendo in 1996. Gunpei also did work on the Bandai WonderSwan portable console before he passed away.

“..I hope you think about Nintendo’s roots and beginnings, because with such an awesome history, we don’t know how long this exuberant company will be around for.” home games consoles either.

The company ‘Nintendo’ (or as roughly translated from Japanese as ‘luck from heaven’) was founded in 1889

out like taxi cabs, food like instant rice and noodles, even a TV network just to name a few ventures.

Nintendo started to head

In 1973 Nintendo continued with electronic entertainment by moving on to Laser Clay Shooting games with the most famous one called Duck Hunt.

The 1976 release of the game is

the first increment of the game came from, and you don’t have a laughing dog mocking your misses either! The company also secured rights for the distribution of the Magnavox Odyssey in Japan in 1974. The Odyssey is the first consumerbased video game console which came out in 1972.

Nintendo didn’t want to fall behind with technology so in 1975 they jumped in to the video arcade market with the first arcade game from the company being EVR Race and many more to list, but notable classics come to mind like Donkey Kong in 1981 and its sequels, Popeye in 1982, Mario Bros. in 1983 and Punch-Out and Super Punch-Out in 1984.

Which brings us right to the Famicom in 1983 which is

the Japanese counterpart of the NES which came out in Australia in 1987 and well, that is a different part of history.

So next time you don your trinket with the Hyrule insignia, rave on about how ‘retro’ Mario is or when you have bouts of Smash Bros. or Mario Kart with mates? I hope you think about Nintendo’s roots and beginnings, because with such an awesome history, we don’t know how long this exuberant company will be around for.

This is Dave Kudrev from Retrospekt.com.au, signing off!

WRITTEN BY DAVID KUDREV founder - retrospekt (www.retrospekt.com.au)

retro round up

CLASSIC HORROR GAMES! As video games have evolved over the years developers have been working overtime to make their imaginary worlds as realistic as technology will allow.

From flowing water to clear blue skies, video games can immerse you in a fantasy world of magic, mayhem and horror!

Yes horror!! It’s a little known fact that for years now video game developers have been trying to scare us! From dodgy movie licenses to original ideas

Many a classic horror film franchise has been turned into a game, though these tend to be hit or miss affairs. Halloween on the Atari 2600 was a strange title where you were required to fend off the advances of the deranged Michael Myers and protect the children. Your character was a babysitter who people assumed was Laurie, the main character from the film. The game was silent until Myers appeared on the

Crystal Lake has been killed and resurrected possibly more times than any other movie villain. While Jason may be a famous and successful killer, the games he has featured in have been anything but.

In 1985 Domark released a horrible Friday the 13th adaptation for Amstrad, Commodore and Spectrum which met with negative reviews from critics and fans alike. Four years later LJN

“With a moody soundtrack, creepy sound effects, plenty of blood and gore, and an atmospheric feel, many 90s gamers would yell out in shock as a monster came out of nowhere and started attacking. ” that make you jump in your seat, game makers are out to get you! With that in mind, keep a change of pants nearby as we delve into the dark depths of scary video games!

screen, where he would be accompanied by a rendition of John Carpenter’s haunting theme song from the movie.

Jason Voorhees, the killer from

released a Friday the 13th video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System which was met with an equally poor response from gamers and the press.

Most Mortal Kombat fans would be familiar with Freddy Krueger’s appearance in the latest game of the series.

Freddy’s video gaming presence extends back much further than that however, as the NES played host to a game based on the third movie of the franchise; “The Dream Warriors.”

This beat-em-up platform game had players recovering the remains of Freddy so they could burn them in the furnace to end his reign of terror once and for all! Or at least, until the next sequel came out.

Unlike most other horror movie cash in games, this one was reasonably playable and is worth tracking down if you’re a fan.

Poor little maniacal Chuckie never received his own video game, though a Child’s Play Kickstarter was setup not that long ago. Sadly the developers were unsuccessful and the game was never made.

Most of those licensed games were as scary as the movies they were based on, though for all the wrong reasons. The problem with licensed games is the cost of the license itself which eats into the budget of the game. Copyright holders usually want a lot of money for the rights to base a game on their movie which leaves less money for development, so it’s little wonder that these pieces of software often turn out so bad. Thankfully developers have used their imaginations to develop some original ideas, most of which have turned out to be rather brilliant.

Doom, developed by id Software, was the first game that made many people jump out of their chairs. With a moody soundtrack, creepy sound effects, plenty of blood and gore, and an atmospheric feel, many 90s gamers would yell out in shock as a monster came out of nowhere and started attacking. While the engine was improved upon and games such as Hexen and Quake are considered to be technically superior, nothing beats the original Doom for sheer atmosphere and playability.

Shinji Mikami created the survival horror series Bioshock, known as Resident Evil outside Japan. While Mikami has been rather open about his dislike of renaming Bioshock to “Resident Evil” in the West, he has created a series that has sold over 50

million units worldwide. In the original game Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine investigate a mansion full of zombies and other creatures. Though the character roster has expanded and the series now includes over nine games, players can still get a fright when they play through any of these classic titles.

There have been many video games released within the horror genre, both licensed from movies and original ideas.

From Alone in the Dark to Silent Hill, game developers have been working for years to get a good scare out of gamers and will continue to do so in the future. For now, keep gaming and Happy Halloween!

WRITTEN BY paul monopoli RETRO WRITER

retro round up

SECOND HAND TIPS So you’re out and about and come across a garage sale. You see a treasure trove of gaming goodies, disks, cartridges and maybe a console too! You’re about to plonk down your hard earned cash but buyer beware. There’s a few things to look out for so you don’t end up with a dud console or disks or cartridges that won’t load.

We paid a visit to our resident expert collector of all things retro whom we’ll call Super

Simon’s) top tips for buying and you want to sell eventually or selling game gear. trade - a booklet is a must.

Buying.

If you’re buying PC games be especially careful. Some games First up ensure the disc or have once only registrations disk doesn’t look too badly online and then you may not scratched. Most second be able to play them. Also hand games may have light older games from Windows 3.1 scratches but deeper scratches or Windows 95 days may not may need a resurfacing at work at all on newer systems. your local store. Also if if’s badly Do a search online if you really scratched it may not be usable want a game but are not sure no matter what we can do. if it will play. Also does it come

“ThERE’S A FEW THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR SO YOU DON’T END UP WITH A DUD CONSOLE OR DISKS OR CARTRIGES THAT WON’T LOAD.” Simon. His super powers are limited to collecting games and consoles and running our game dispatch department.

Not sure if Kryptonite hurts him but we did see him wearing some socks with a cape on them! Anyway here’s SS (Super

Secondly check the plastic case - if it’s cracked you might want to buy a replacement if that’s important to you. Also does it come with manuals or instructions? Again it may not be important to you but should

with the original box - if you’re a collector you want a box!

Check for manuals and ensure they all look in good condition.

Find an old console you want?

Maybe an old Dreamcast or NES? Firstly see if you can have

it working. Plug it in, ensure all cables are there particularly AV cables. On new TVs you’ll need an adapter to plug the old style arial plug into a TV - Gametraders does sell adapters for some systems.

Is the console clean? Does it have scratches? Some wear and tear is expected but drink stains like coffee or cola on the console or controller is a red flag. Also make sure the controller buttons and sticks work and are not sloppy and broken. Does it need any memory cards or units? With cartridge systems too much dust can mean problems so always check them and see if you can plug it in and see it running.

SUPER SIMON

the collector

Top tips for selling.

His top tips for buying and selling 2nd hand.

If you’re selling here’s some tips: • Ensure the system and software is clean.

• Wipe plastic down with Mr Sheen or similar.

• Boxes add value - so if you’re looking to one day sell, keep your box.

• Some rare games or those that people really want include: • Conker’s Bad Fur Day on Nintendo 64.

• Mario Party games are still popular as are Final Fantasy on Nintendo.

• For Playstation look for early Resident Evil games along with Spiro the Dragon and any RPG games by Square Soft • On Xbox (original) check out Fable and GTA San Andreas. Halo too is a great game to have in your collection as is Elder Scrolls Morrowind.

If you want to sell or trade to a Gametraders store, you must take them in. It’s difficult to give a price over the phone until the condition of an item is seen. And if you want the maximum trade, ensure you follow our guide with regard to clean items, all cables and manuals.

Got questions on old games? Ask your local store for help or write to us via our Facebook page

interview

Photographer: George Wong www.georgeckwong.com

COSPLAYER: JACK ACTION Cosplayers often dress in the costumes of their heroes. Batmans, Superman, Spiderman to name a few. They do this for a number of reasons, the challenge of getting the look just right. The passion they may have for that particular character or a combination of both. One thing we see regularly when we interview cosplayers is the dedication to their craft, in this interview we

Tell us how you got into cosplay and when..

What do you love about cosplay?

I got into cosplay in 2006 after having played MGS3 repeatedly. I really liked Naked Snake and wanted to do his outfit. My first convention was Sydney Supanova. My first attempt of Naked Snake was rather terrible with not a lot of research done. Now 7 years later I focus a lot of research

The ability to perform openly to friends and other people. Since I was 10 I did theatre on and off and cosplay is an extension of this. Grand costumes.

Melodramatic characters.

Interesting voices. All able to be learned by us as cosplayers to then transition into the convention community.

“People love it when they find out Dad and I are cosplaying a Father and Son team with the roles reversed. He gets a lot of attention directed his way due to him being a Dad that does this with his son.” talk to an amazing cosplayer who is totally dedicated to getting it just right but is a hero in his own right as he battles CF or Cystic Fibrosis.

with gears and learning the characteristics and sometimes voices of the characters I portray.

I’ve entered some costume competitions over the years and a lot of the time I just go up on stage in-character and improvise (this year as either

click the photographers names to see more of their works!

scenes when speaking of Big Boss).

Voice acting side, I love David Hayter’s performance of this Snake. Each MGS game he does a different voice and portraying any of the Snake’s he is cast as is always a fun challenge to get right when I do it on stage and just around a convention in general. The Photographer: Ecky voice Big Boss is associated with is different in mannerisms Big Boss wearing my Olive Drab and tone to Solid Snake and I find it easier to do and the one Survival Suit from MGS Peace I practice the most.

Walker. My brother Alex, who is just starting to look into other You’re getting some treatment things, normally borrows my at the moment for CF - can MGS4 Johnny Sasaki outfit. you tell us if that affects your cosplay and how you get People love it when they find out Dad and I are cosplaying a through those times when you are not well?

Father and Son team with the

Photographer: Noel Gosiengfiao

Big Boss or Solid Snake). I won “Best Cosplay – Advanced” at Melbourne Supanova for my in character stage improvisation of Big Boss from Peace Walker and then “Best Skit – Advanced” for a rehearsed performance as Solid Snake from MGS1 with a friend who did Psycho Mantis and Colonel Campbell’s voice actor Paul Eiding who generously donated his voice for our custom script’s codec calls.

Lastly, for me it is a family thing. My Dad gears up as MGS4 Solid “Old” Snake and sometimes as an old looking

roles reversed. He gets a lot of attention directed his way due to him being a Dad that does this with his son. We both also LOVED appearing on ABC’s Good Game as Solid Snake and Big Boss back in June for their characters brought life in cosplay segment in the week leading up to Supanova.

What character is your favourite and why?

I’ve been hospitalised before this year as well due to Cepacia (something that can quickly and very easily kill a person with CF but anyone without CF is 100% immune) and I missed out on going to Oz Comic Con at Adelaide in March and thus missed meeting one of my favourite voice actors, Paul Eiding, again.

As I was born with Cystic Fibrosis, I know no different so Easily Big Boss. He is a man who was made into a hero (not when problems occur I just deal with and tough it out as his choice) and then turned best I can. But missing out on into an icon to be feared the convention was saddening. and respected by America’s enemies and allies in the game My spirits were lifted when Paul Eiding gave me a call and series. All this falls apart as he wished me better after a close ages and with MGS5 coming friend who went passed on my out over the next 2 years we number to him!!! will see him fall and possibly transition into the villain that Getting through it now I think is wants to bring total ongoing war to the world (what MGS1, 2 a little easier. My dad is looking and 4 mention a lot in their cut after my toy gun business,

interview cosplayer: jack action

Photographer: MtKnot

Photographer: Diego Ramirez

Armoured Heaven, and I have EB Expo to look forward to where I’ll be at Ubisoft’s section as Kestrel from Splinter Cell Conviction/Blacklist as their official character alongside Sydney’s Mad Maven who will be my co-op buddy Archer!!!

I currently have a PICC line in my left arm which runs up through my vein into the top of my heart and through to the right side of my body. This delivers antibiotics to boost my lung function capacity similar to a cannula but doesn’t need to be replaced every 3 days.

Tell us a bit about CF and if readers want to know more where should they go?

CF, or Cystic Fibrosis, is a Chronic Illness that one is born with. It affects your lungs and digestive system primarily.

Tablets are required to be taken to digest food since my digestive system doesn’t work.

I’m pretty lucky with 27 years of living with it I have had minimal

hospital visits when compared to other CF patients. It has killed a lot of people with CF I knew growing up. Those people did have Cepacia (like myself) which is basically a severe lung infection that is near impossible to defeat. Even a lung transplant may not cure someone with CF from Cepacia as it has the capability of jumping organs and affecting your new lungs again. It can also grow in antibiotics designed to kill it.

Best place for all info regarding this disease is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation or even the Starlight Foundation! They grant wishes to all kinds of sick kids and when I was 12 they flew my family and I off to Legoland Denmark for an epic holiday!!!

You’re going to some future events - who as and how long does it take you to prepare?

I’m really looking forward to October and November. First up is EB Expo. I’ll be Kestrel at

the Ubisoft section on Friday and Sunday and just doing my own thing as Big Boss on the Saturday wearing my Stealth Suit (commissioned by Lary at SuperHero Concepts in Melbourne) Later that month I have Armageddon where I’ll be at my stall Armoured Heaven selling toy guns (yeah I’m a Drebin) and again will be filling the boots as Big Boss in my stealth suit and also my Tuxedo, which I wore at Supanova on preview night at Sydney this year, on the Sunday.

November is Brisbane Supanova! Again at my stall Armoured Heaven with a HUGE Quad Booth! Same size as what I had running at the Sydney event. Costume so far will be a surprise but it’s MGS related with some much needed Christmas cheer! Sunday I’ll be cosplaying as someone other than “Naked Snake” from the MGS series and cosplaying as “Snake Plissken” from Escape From New York ;)

cosplayer: jack action

interview

Photographer: Armoured Heaven

Finally, who are your favourite cosplayers you follow and look up to?

I follow “Jenn Croft” and her epic Lara adventures. My business supports her with some toy gun donations and they have featured in a few of her images that have been published professionally by cosplay articles around the world (I enjoy the soft advertising).

I follow “Riot Arms Prop Fabrication and Photography” as well. He and I help each other out cosplay prop wise. He assisted with the creation of Jenn’s toy gun modification I donated and he does a great deal of commissions with top of the line work.

And I follow Lithium Cosplay.

Close friend for a number of years who has knocked out a mean and badass Maya from Borderlands 2.

And finally my little brother. He borrows my MGS4 Johnny Sasaki cosplay but I look up to him because he’s taller than me.

Photographer: Trung Do

click here to check out JACK ACTION’S facebook page!

4-PACK! GRAB A

ONLY

8

$

.99

While stocks last. Ask staff for details. © 2013 THE COCA-COLA COMPANY. ‘MOTHER’ IS A REGISTERED TRADE MARK OF THE COCA-COLA COMPANY.

GET MORE!

CHECK OUT OUR NEW

PRODUCT DIRECTORY! products.gametraders.com.au

interview

Photographer: Rob Jenkins

COSPLAYER: r4h scal This month Live Magazine met up with a couple of passionate and dedicated cosplayers in Sydney during the opening of our new Penrith Live store. We spoke to a couple of amazing people with a passion for character costumes. First up, we speak to Sarah Callan aka R4Hscal, an immensely creative cosplayer based in Sydney.

and as a teen I would take any excuse to dress up! It wasn’t until I was “studying” for my HSC that I found out about the crazy world of cosplay. A friend went down to Supanova in Sydney, and came back with photos of the convention. The one shot that got me hooked was two stormtroopers. I grew up on Star Wars, and was gob smacked

them I usually find myself in kit every month, sometimes every week!

Why those characters?

The lure of hundreds of excuses to get into costume with the 501st keeps me coming back. Being able to put on a helmet, and becoming something else entirely is just

“..but through costuming I have been thrown way out of my comfort zone many times. I’ve learnt to use resin, make armour from foam, pepakura paper craft, and even make realistic weapons. ” Hi Sarah, tell us a bit about yourself - when did you get into costumes and how?

My name is Sarah, but most call me Rah. I was born and raised in Newcastle, but have lived in Sydney the last five years. As a kid, I was always wanting fancy dress parties for my birthday,

that someone could actually BE a stormtrooper.

And what characters do you cosplay as the most?

My most commonly worn is my Stormtrooper. I’m a member of the 501st Legion (a Star Wars costuming group), and through

so awesome. Under a few kilos of white plastic you become nothing but a stormtrooper.

No gender, no looks, and no face for people to connect to.

Get a squad of stormtroopers together, and suddenly you’re just a somewhat intimidating trooper.

Photographer: Ecky

What draws you to a character?

I’m a bit alternative, and have been a tomboy most of my life, so that does influence my choice in characters. I love any character that’s rough and tough, and maybe has a few anger issues, haha. Lets just say my Morality in Mass Effect swings pretty far to the Renegade side. Characters matter to me just as much as, if not more than, their outfits.

Mama’s costume is very simple, but she’s such an unhinged

character. I value strength and badassery over femininity or sex appeal, and love me some armour.

Tafe, and only got accepted because of my portfolio of costumes that now make me cringe! Fabric is my friend, most of the time, but through costuming I have been thrown way out of my comfort zone many times. I’ve learnt to use resin, make armour from foam, pepakura paper craft, and even make realistic weapons.

I have a pretty standard system for new costumes: Research, research, research, start, panic, research, finish. I spend probably an obsessive amount of time researching the details of a costume. If it’s a game character, I have a quick look at promotional images, and then largely ignore them and go in-game to record every miniscule detail.

I discovered very quickly with Lilith (from Borderlands) that the promotional shots varied an awful lot from the in-game character, and since then I’ve always gone for the actual character I play. Once I’ve got more details than is good for my health, I set about figuring out how to make it all, what parts come together and how it all goes on. Third stage of research is reading up on any new techniques I need to accomplish everything. I hate going in blind, so Google comes in super handy. After making the costume, my final and favourite step is weathering.

You make your own costumes And how long does a so tell us how difficult is it to particular costume take to create a costume - tell us a bit make? about the process.

It can vary hugely. Part of it I’ve been sewing for years. is how often I can sit down, I probably really got into it or how much time I can when I was ten, and made my dedicate to it. I have a bad own stuff on and off through habit of starting a costume, highschool. After I recklessly and then putting it aside for blazed through my HSC I went a few months while I work on and studied Fashion Design at something else. I avoid getting

interview cosplayer: R4Hscal

Photographer: Ecky

cosplayer: R4Hscal

interview

forward to PAX, it sounds like an amazing con, as well as my usual haunt of Sydney’s Supanova, and Melbourne’s Armageddon.

Photographer: Ecky

Photographer: Ecky

fed up with a costume by working on more than one at a time, so I might work on four costumes over the course of six or so months, but if I’d done them solidly in blocks they might have taken less than a month. I started on my costume for Sydney Supanova in June 2014, back at the start of this year. I spent four months researching and planning before I physically started anything, and still have a very long way to go.

What about weathering a costume?

To me, the devil is in the details.

Accuracy and detailing is very important, but weathering is the thing that takes a costume from fancy dress to a believable costume. If you’re living in a post-apocalyptic world, there is no such thing as clean. That goes for both clothes and skin.

Anime holds a slight exception to the rule, but if you’re bringing

a character off the screen and into the real world you have to consider what their environment in the real world would be. Even if it’s as simple as wearing in the garments, getting rid of the just-made starched look, wearing in the knees, elbows, and pockets. It’s not right to see a brother of the Nights Watch dressed in fresh, nicely matching blacks; or to see a set of N7 armour looking like you’ve just stepped out of the recruitment office. It’s a scary idea- you’ve just spent months on a costume, and probably more dollars than you want to count. The last thing you want to do is take to it with paint and dirt and sandpaper.

You don’t want to ruin your hard work! Start off with little bits, build it up in layers until you’re happy with it. It’s simple to achieve, and it adds so much!

I wish there were more conventions in Australia!

I’m heading up to Brisbane for Supanova at the start of November, I’m working on three costumes for that at the moment. Next year I’m looking

Add on- It can be really intimidating to first start out in cosplay, when you see some of the costumes that people create. I was lucky, and had a good foundation of sewing knowledge, but I’ve learnt so much along the way. One of the great things about cosplaying is pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone, and increasing or creating skill sets to produce a costume you can be proud of. It’s so easy to get started now that there are so many ready-made costumes available online. I think it’s a great place to begin, and then move upwards from there!

Find someone to teach you how to sew, or go to Professor Google and lay your needs at his mighty feet. I’ve learnt more from tutorials through Google and Youtube than from people around me, so don’t be scared if you don’t know many people to help you out! And the greatest thing I can suggest is, never be afraid to talk to a cosplayer and ask them how they made something. Most of us are more than happy to share our knowledge, and I want to help others grow their own passion! In the words of Dr Seuss, “You don’t know what you can do, until you try.”

click here to check out r4hscal’s facebook page!

interview

Photographer: Ecky

COSPLAYER: Æ rchetype While we were fortunate to have Sarah visit our recent Cosplay competition as a judge some of us were a bit taken back when Judge Dredd walked in the door packed ready for action ... and ready to be the co - judge of the Penrith cosplay event. Here’s our talk with Dylan Wech, a guy who really loves his characters and is able to cosplay them brilliantly.

irrevocably changed. I was fascinated by the fantastical and my imagination soared.

I remember making my first Judge Dredd costume when I was 11 years old and wearing it to a school formal. I didn’t care that everyone else was dressed in normal clothes, I just saw it as an opportunity to dress up. In 2007 I made a Secret Apprentice costume from Star Wars : The Force Unleashed and

I am always thinking about new costumes to make. The creation of a costume is a very rewarding process and once I have finished one I am eager to move on to another.

What do you like about being a cosplayer?

Costuming is a very freeing experience. To inhabit a character for a day or even a

“To dress as your favourite character is the ultimate expression of fandom and I applaud anyone who has the courage to throw off the ‘norms’ of society and just let revel in what makes them happy.”

Dylan, how did you get into cosplay and when?

I became interested in costumes at a very young age. After seeing Star Wars at around 4 years old my life was

attended Supanova Sydney for the first time. It was an amazing experience and I met some great friends and soon after joined the ranks of the 501st Legion and started making more and more costumes.

few hours is a hell of a lot of fun. You get to wear a different persona, you can be a total badass or a cool and calm character. Sometimes you’re more confident than you may

powers. I guess I can relate more as I’m pretty flawed myself, it makes it easier to inhabit a costume when you have some common ground.

Other costumes I have done include a man of the Night’s Watch from Game of Thrones, Commander Bacara from the Star Wars Universe and a 6 foot Jawa.

Do you make your costumes or buy them and use the purchased costume as a base to build on?

Photographer: Ecky

be in reality, you’re empowered by the armour of anonymity.

To dress as your favourite character is the ultimate expression of fandom and I applaud anyone who has the courage to throw off the ‘norms’ of society and just revel in what makes them happy.

Tell us about your favourite characters and how you cosplay them.

My latest costume is a Street

Judge from the 2012 movie Dredd 3D. I have been a fan of Dredd since I was around 8 or 9 years old. The only comic I ever wanted was 2000AD. That obsession has stayed with me to this day and when I saw Dredd I knew it wouldn’t be long until I would be donning the leather and taking to the streets. I am less conventional in my chosen heroes. I prefer flawed characters with more mundane strengths to the Supers with their god-like

Where possible I construct my own costumes and props. If you make something yourself you feel more invested in the costume and feel like you really own the character. Often times something needs to be sourced such as wigs, fake beards or items of clothing.

I’m not a ‘purist’ by any means who has to sew every stitch of my costumes but I do like to make as much as I can where possible. I also trade skills for a few items with friends such as making them props in exchange for sewing services.

There is nothing wrong with buying a costume to express your passion, I just prefer the challenge of creating something with my own hands.

It’s far more satisfying.

What are your favourite “cons” that you visit and why?

Supanova Pop Culture Expo is one of the best conventions in Australia, the crew do an amazing job and it just gets better every year. Sydney Zombie walk is also a great day out. It’s a chance to get a little darker with your costumes.

Last year my friend Kendall and I attended as Zombie Stormtroopers and she took

Photographer: Ecky

Æ rchetype

interview cosplayer: Ærchetype

Photographer: Ecky

out best costume. My favourite convention is DragonCon in the USA. It is by far the best event to go to in terms of costumes and hilarious after hours shenanigans. I have been for the past 2 years and I intend to keep going back, it’s that much fun. It’s 5 days of 24/7 random adventure.

and create events themselves which is fantastic. I myself am involved in organising a Cosplay Competition at Ironfest in Lithgow next year. The theme for the event is Life on Mars so we’re hoping to see some interesting costumes.

“There’s no fate but what we make.”

What’s the cosplay culture like in Sydney - are there many opportunities for fans?

If you could meet someone famous who and why?

It is getting bigger and better every year. It is great to see people’s skills improving over time and really getting into the scene. There aren’t as many opportunities in Australia as there are in Japan or the USA but I guess it makes us appreciate what we do have.

I’m starting to see more costumers take up the banner

I would like to meet the man who cancelled Firefly....it’s probably best I don’t tell you too much as you may be compelled to give evidence later in court. I reckon I’d like to have a drink with old Captain Tightpants, Nathan Fillion. I predict that would be a hell of a laugh.

click here to check out Ærchetype’s facebook page!

Finally what’s coming up next for you - what costumes or events are you planning on?

Next on the costuming block for me is Kruger from Elysium. I was really impressed with Sharlto Copley’s performance as the unhinged mercenary.

I am pretty particular with what costumes I like to do, I need to have some sort of connection to the character...not just because it looks cool or it’s popular. I go for costumes that mean something to me.

I’m aiming to have it ready for Supanova Brisbane in November. I’m also currently building a Cenobite from Hellraiser for Sydney Zombie Walk and a few other interesting projects that will be revealed at a future date.

A costumer needs some secrets. ;)

photographer: ecky - click here!

interview

GT LOGAN HYPERDOME! This month we decided to head north to sunny Queensland to talk to Steve at our Logan Hyperdome store. For all you readers in the northern hemisphere just heading into autumn (or Fall) just sit back and think of this lucky couple in the Sunshine State!

Tell us about your store - what is it that customers love?

products – there’s definitely something for everyone! It’s great to be able find just the right thing for gamers, collectors, card players and the mums & dads too!

What games do you like to play when you have time?

Definitely depends on the mood – a long day at work calls for a mind-numbing

What was your first gaming experience and when?

I remember when my Dad brought home the NES with Super Mario and a racing game called Rad Racer w/3D. That’s when I realised that these are fun to play and collect! I remember being torn up when a Konami or Capcom game didn’t have the Nintendo logo on the game sleeve!

“OUR DIVERSITY OF PRODUCT KEEPS PEOPLE COMING BACK AND WE TRY TO KEEP UP WITH A RANGE OF THE LATEST PRODUCTS - THERE’S DEFINITELY SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE!” We constantly hear customer’s excitement over our competitive pricing and our service. Our diversity of product keeps people coming back and we try to keep up with a range of the latest

shooter to zone out and relax! Usually games like Tomb Raider or Last of Us keep me entertained. I’m looking forward to giving GTA V a serious go as soon as some time frees up!

Any thoughts on the next generation of consoles from Microsoft and Sony?

They look great –really powerful systems. The graphics have come a long way, especially

when dealing with facial expressions. Plus a good list of games is on the way too, so I’m excited to see them arrive.

Where do you see gaming in 5 years time - 3D? Oculus Rift style gaming experience??

3D seems a little on the trendy side. I believe gaming will follow a similar route to the way of Blockbuster. Online play and downloads will definitely start to increase (think Netflix – US company).

What events do you have coming up over the next few months in the lead up to Christmas that customers need to know about??

Deals: • Anyone who preorders a PS4 or Xbox One gets 2 vouchers for $5 off an associated game purchase • If you see something you like, get in and lay-by, so you can pay it off for Christmas!

• All customers save 10% when they pre-order with us.

Events: • We’ll be at Supanova Pop Culture Expo in Brisbane, November 8-10 at the RNA Showgrounds. This is an awesome show and customers can pick up some great deals!

• We hold Friday Night Magic every Friday, plus we have Theros Game Day coming up on Sunday 20 October.

GAMETRADERS LOGAN HYPERDOME AT SUPANOVA IN BRISBANE nov 2012.

GAMETRADERS LOGAN HYPERDOME WILL BE AT THE SUPANOVA POP CULTURE EXPO IN BRISBANE NOVEMBER 8-10 AT THE RNA SHOWGROUNDS!

• We hold regular YuGiOh tournaments for our YuGiOh players on Sunday afternoons, plus Vanguard at least once a month.

Check in-store for more details!

2 GUNS!

A

cademy Award® winner Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg lead an all-star cast in 2 Guns, an explosive action film that tracks two operatives from competing bureaus who are forced on the run together. But there is a big problem with their unique alliance: Neither knows that the other is an undercover federal agent. For the past 12 months, DEA agent Bobby Trench (Washington) and U.S. naval intelligence officer Marcus Stigman (Wahlberg) have been reluctantly attached at the hip. Working undercover as members of a narcotics syndicate, each man distrusts his partner as much as the criminals they have both been tasked to take down. When their attempt to infiltrate a Mexican drug cartel and recover millions goes haywire, Trench and Stigman are suddenly disavowed by their superiors. Now that everyone wants them in jail or in the ground, the only person they can count on is the other. Unfortunately for their pursuers, when good guys spend years pretending to be bad, they pick up a few tricks along the way.

Only at the Movies! October 10! © 2013 CTMG. All Rights Reserved.

RELEASE DATE: 10 october 2013 ACTION GENRE: CAST: DENZEL WASHINGTON, MARK WAHLBERG www.2GUNS.com.au WEBSITE: director: Baltasar Kormákur

COMPETITION! we’re giving away 20 doubles to ‘2 GUNS’!

TO WIN A DOUBLE PASS, Watch the trailer FROM THE WEBSITE ABOVE & inbox us the answers to these 2 questions on OUR Facebook PAGE! 1. How much did the two guys steal from the bank and put in the car trunk?

2. After Denzel Washington tells Mark Wahlberg to pull over, what did Wahlberg say?

YOUR SAY

Each month we’ll feature your thoughts on games and popular culture. Plus, we pick a comment we feel is the “comment of the month” and give away a DVD from our friends at Madman and Hanabee! Here’s what you had to say leading up to September...

Thinking of the next generation of gaming just around the corner and among the hustle and bustle, you might instead consider a gaming PC? Stress no more, because with PCs you have a magnitude of choice and varying degrees of customizability!

It may be daunting at first for a beginner, but buying a custom PC is always a great choice, as you get to choose what you want out of your machine and there are many forums, websites and Youtube channels out there that have many users always willing to help all types of people through their custom PC escapades!

NEXT GEN CHOICE & GAMING PC’S: A LITTLE INSIGHT FROM THE OUTSIDE

There is also the choice of having ‘pre-built’ custom PCs from certain retailers, which makes it even easier and much less daunting for beginners and in either situation, much cheaper than pre-built branded PCs, which (unfortunately) do limit you with expanding, customizing and warranty conditions.

So, the next generation of gaming is proving to be big and filled with choice, the question is, what will you choose to be your next Beast of a Console/System?

By Ilija Vrtaric

BLADE KITTEN Blade Kitten (Xbox360/PS3/WIN) is an Australian IP/DLG developed by Australian developer Krome Studios and published by Atari. It’s a “2.5D” side-scrolling platformer presented in a cell-shaded anime style. Blade Kitten is a lot of fun with some very funny moments and very good voice acting (the game is fully voice acted). The platforming itself is clever and enjoyable without being overly challenging. This is definitely a game worth getting!

By Paul Leach

YOUR SAY PHOENIX WRIGHT: ACE ATTORNEY

GRAND THEFT AUTO V

“Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney” is the first game from the Ace Attorney franchise on the Nintendo DS. Introducing Phoenix Wright as the Defense Lawyer and protagonist of the series, we play as his character in solving countless cases that is brought to light in court. Ace Attorney has great humor, art and enjoyable characters to discover. The graphics are appealing to look at; as a visual novel game, we are playing from a first person’s point of view. Using the DS stylus is optional; however the game isn’t just limited to the keypad - you can use the microphone as well! The music is great and slightly ecstatic, and the game is easy to comprehend. Overall, enjoyment is great for those who love its story and intertwining cases. Ace Attorney is a fun visual novel and simulating game which stimulates logical thinking throughout the entire course of its game play, and this continues on in its sequel titles! Hopefully for Aussie fans, its latest title “Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies” will make its way to our eShop!

GTA V is possibly the last great game to come out on current gen systems. It is the ultimate send off to 8 years of 360 and 7 of PS3. Everybody has no doubt garnered or heard of what a fantastic game this is. The character switching and back stories on each of them add a thirst for replay and there is much replay value in this game. It is a game worth getting up at 7am for or sticking it out till midnight and faking a Sickie the next day. Thank you Gametraders for opening early so I could play GTA for many hours before work and thank you from all of us for getting up at 5:30am to sell it to us.

By James Donald

By r0lan

Want your say in next month’s magazine? Email us at: news@gametraders.com.au with your short article!

SHADOWLOO SHOW Shadowloo Showdown is hailed as The biggest fighting game event in the Southern Hemisphere and growing.

The 2013 event is taking place at “The Atrium” which is an event room at the Flemington Race Center just outside the Melbourne CBD on October 12th-13th. Aside from all the local Australian talent coming down to compete at SS2k13, there will be players traveling in from New Zealand, Japan, Kuwait, France, England, America, Singapore and many more nations.

Special guests so far including team Mad Catz consisting of Tokido and Mago. AVerMedia’s star player from Taiwan; GamerBee as well as Evolution 2013 champion from Singapore; DM|Xian.

For those who don’t know, Xian became the EVO Super Street Fighter IV champion in Las Vegas using Gen, beating out over 2000 other competitors.

BUT, Xian has yet to win an SS event. If he does, he will be the first player to ever win EVO and SS in the same year. Hopefully the Australian’s can stop him though!

Last Shadowloo Showdown, there were over 400 competitors and hit just over 20,000 concurrent viewers on our TwitchTV channel. This year the aim is to beat those numbers!

FEATURES List of official tournaments being run at SS2k13: • Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition 2012 (Xbox 360) • Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 (Xbox 360) • King of Fighters XIII (Xbox 360) • Injustice: Gods Among Us (Xbox 360) • Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (Sony PS3) • Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown (Xbox 360) • Super Smash Bros Melee (GameCube/Wii) • Super Smash Bros Brawl (Nintendo Wii)

WDOWN:

THE BIGGEST FIGHTING GAME TOURNAMENT IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE! There will also be various other fighting games for people to play that may not have made the tournament list such as Dead or Alive 5, Skullgirls, Guilty Gear and more.

One other key feature is SS2k13 will play host to a Fighting Game Themed Cosplay Competition with cash and prizes on the line. We’ll also be publishing a book after the event featuring some of the great shots and edits thanks to Soltography and Bosslogic Inc.

Want to know more about shadowloo showdown?

Visit the Webpage: http://ss.shadowlogic.com.au

WGree$ngs izKids Games/NECA! from WizKids Games/NECA!

ed m ore informa1on regarding the upcoming Yu-­‐Gi-­‐Oh! HeroClix: Series OH ne starter Series set (SKU We recently released more informa1on regarding the upcoming Yu-­‐Gi-­‐Oh! eroClix: One starter set (SKU NECA! ow u p, w e p artnered w ith a

h andful o f w ebsites t o p romote t he fi gural c ontents o f t his e xci1ng 71169) and as a follow up, we partnered with a handful of websites to promote the figural contents of this exci1ng . HeroClix starter set.

garding the upcoming Yu-­‐Gi-­‐Oh! HeroClix: Series One starter set (SKU with a handful of websites to promote the figural contents of this exci1ng The fan ctommunity response to the pYreviews u-­‐Gi-­‐Oh! hHas eroClix as been nothing short W of e’re phenomenal. We’re response o the Yu-­‐Gi-­‐Oh! HeroClix been pnreviews othing shhort of phenomenal. to ost couple one A of nime the mpost popular nime with m the #1 collec1ble ple very one eoxcited f the m popular roper1es wAith the p#roper1es 1 collec1ble iniatures game, m Hiniatures eroClix. g ame, HeroClix.

Oh! HeroClix previews has been nothing short of phenomenal. We’re pthe acket contains ll otf he the HmeroClix: eries OHne sctarter preview cin ontent pular roper1es w #1 YScu-­‐Gi-­‐Oh! ollec1ble game, eroClix. set s aThis ll oAf nime Ypu-­‐Gi-­‐Oh! Haith eroClix: eries One siniatures tarter sSet preview ontent collected one collected in one convenient and ifnforma1ve resource your perusal and your taff’s rfeference.

Pslease ree orma1ve resource or your perusal and for your staff’s reference.

Pslease eel free to hare fteel his fw ith to share this with your sSales eams, sdocial onutlets, distribu1on niewsleGers, etailers, and any poar1es! ther interested par1es! eroClix: eries One starter sm et edia preview content collected n aond ne any orther ocial media otutlets, istribu1on ewsleGers, retailers, interested

our perusal and your staff’s reference. Please feel free to share this with Please nnewsleGers, ote that all images adnd isplay “Not Final Image” watermark due to minor color revision in the final product. tribu1on retailers, any tohe ther interested par1es!

images display the “Not Final Image” watermark due to minor color revision in the final product.

ot FBeginning inal Image” atermark due tio m1 inor revision in the final p–roduct.

Dw ecember 2013, t’s me ctolor o duel as never before with Yu-­‐Gi-­‐Oh! HeroClix! And prepare for the wider er 255-­‐figure 013, it’s s1et me t o d uel a s n ever b efore –

w ith Y u-­‐Gi-­‐Oh! H eroClix!

A nd p repare for the woider release with the Yu-­‐Gi-­‐Oh! HeroClix: Series One gravity feed (SKU 71170), due ut in February 2014! e w ith t he Y u-­‐Gi-­‐Oh! H eroClix: S eries O ne g ravity f eed ( SKU 7 1170), d ue o ut i n F ebruary 2 014!

el as never before – with Yu-­‐Gi-­‐Oh! HeroClix! And prepare for the wider eroClix: Series One gravity feed (SKU 71170), due out in February 2014!

COMING TO GAMETRADERS:

FEBRUARY 2014 PRE-ORDER NOW! *ARTWORK NOT FINAL. ASK STAFF FOR DETAILS. © 2013 WizKids/NECA, LLC. HeroClix, SwitchClix and WizKids are trademarks of WizKids/NECA, LLC. All rights reserved.

PRE-ORDER NOW! DIORAMA WITH FIGURES - 3 3/4” SCALE

shadow specters booster set 49

9-card booster available 8 november!

COLLECTABLE TINS 2013 WAVE 2

TIN CONTENTS: 2 Cosmo Blazer Booster Packs 2 Lord of the Tachyon Galaxy Booster Packs 1 Number Hunters Booster Pack 4 Super Rare Cards 1 Secret Rare Card

available 22 november!

LEGENDARY COLLECTION 4: JOEY’S WORLD

judgement of light deluxe edition

available 11 OCTOBER!

available NOW!

TRADING CARDS:

SA

Ingle Farm

No current tournaments.

NSW

Blacktown

in-store tournaments!

Yu-Gi-Oh - Saturday 10am, Sunday 10:30am Magic the Gathering - Thursday 6pm

Marion

Cardfight!! Vanguard - Sunday 2pm Weiss Shwarz - Saturday 2pm

Pokémon - Monday 6pm Cardfight!! Vanguard - Tuesday 6pm

Macarthur Square

Yu-Gi-Oh - Wednesday 6pm

Cardfight!! Vanguard - Tuesday 5:30pm

Magic the Gathering - Friday 6pm (Arrive 5:30)

Magic the Gathering - Tuesday 5:30pm Tournaments on 5:30 every Wednesday. Please check their facebook page for details.

Mt. Barker Yu-Gi-Oh - Sunday 4pm

Parramatta

Magic the Gathering - Saturday 4pm

Yu-Gi-Oh - Thursday 6pm, Saturday 2pm

SEAFORD

Cardfight!! Vanguard - Sunday 2pm

Yu-Gi-Oh - Wednesday 4pm

Weiss Shwarz - Saturday 10am

Cardfight!! Vanguard - Friday 4:30pm

School Holiday Additional Tournaments:

Pokémon - Monday 4pm

Yu-Gi-Oh - Monday, Wednesday & Friday 2pm

Magic the Gathering - Monday 6pm

Cardfight!! Vanguard - Tuesday & Thursday 2pm

Yu-Gi-Oh PRO (Paid - $10) - Sunday 1:30pm

GAMETRADERS LIVE PENRITH

Salisbury

Cardfight!! Vanguard - Saturday 12:30pm

Yu-Gi-Oh - Saturday 12.30pm

ACT

Hyperdome

VIC

BACCHUS MARSH

Yu-Gi-Oh - Saturday 10am, Tuesday 6pm

Magic the Gathering - Thursday 5pm, Sunday 2pm Yu-Gi-Oh - Sunday 10am

Yu-Gi-Oh - Sunday 12:30pm

QLD

Chermside Please check their facebook page.

Logan Hyperdome Magic the Gathering - Friday 6pm

Cardfight!! Vanguard - Sunday 12pm

Yu-Gi-Oh - Sunday 3pm (Register 2:45pm, book in advance to secure a spot).

All TCG Casual Play - Sunday 10am - 4pm

Cardfight!! Vanguard - Dates announced on FB

TCG WEEKLY SPECIAL: 15% off TCG Stock every Sunday!

Pre-Releases and Special Tournaments announced on facebook.

HIGHPOINT Yu-Gi-Oh - Sunday 5pm Magic the Gathering - Sunday 5pm

Mackay Yu-Gi-Oh - Sundays 3:45pm Cardfight!! Vanguard - Monday 5:45pm

MILDURA

Magic the Gathering - Friday 6:15pm

Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Magic the Gathering and Cardfight!! Vanguard every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Click here for times and event details.

Morayfield Please check their facebook page.

trading cards

cardfight!! VANGUARD TCG The Vanguard TCG scene is heating up in Australia as our Cardfight! Vanguard Regional Qualifiers are upon us this coming weekend where we will see which clans will make it into the top spot. If your skills prove unraveled and lady luck is on your side, there’s a chance to win a trip to the Continental Championships which will be held in Singapore later on this year where you’ll

Even Aqua Force made an appearance as a first place winner in one of the qualifiers! It still shows that most decks can make it to the top, with a little bit of luck!

$100 travel support for first and a $30 vanguard voucher for second. There’s a lot you can learn from a high level event and that is missing ride even just once, will not bode well for you if your opponent hits ride and you proceed to hit nothing to catch up.

Gametraders Marion was lucky enough to host a State Championship recently for South Australia and the level of I’ll be heading to the Regional competition was as fierce as Qualifiers in Sydney this always. 28 players attended the weekend so come and say

“GAMETRADERS MARION WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO HOST A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP RECENTLY FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA AND THE LEVEL OF COMPETITION WAS AS FIERCE AS ALWAYS.” get to compete against other Regional champions. So far from the qualifiers held around North America, the crowd favorites for clans so far seems to be Kagero (The End), Gold Paladins (Ezel cross ride) and Bermuda Triangle (Prisms).

event with members of Team Sagramore taking the top spot.

Jordan Treacher came first with Royal Paladins (Majesty Lord Blaster build) with me coming in a close second with Kagero (The End build). We both received medals as well as

hi or just challenge me to a game of Vanguard! You can never have enough practice in standing the Vanguard! Catch ya!

WRITTEN BY JOHNATHAN HENG I.R. STUDIOS

Find your nearest store...

South Australia Ingle Farm.................................. (08) 8265 7283 Marion....................................... (08) 8296 1144 Mt Barker................................... (08) 8391 6300 Salisbury.................................... (08) 8281 0966 Seaford...................................... (08) 8327 1966 ACT Hyperdome................................ (02) 6293 3751

New South Wales Gametraders LIVE Penrith.........(02) 4731 3894 Blacktown................................. (02) 9676 1411 Macarthur Square (Campbelltown) (02) 4620 0750 Parramatta................................ (02) 9633 2833

For more info visit: www.gametraders.com.au Queensland Chermside................................. (07) 3861 5000 Logan Hyperdome..................... (07) 3801 5599 Mackay...................................... (07) 4944 0998 Morayfield.................................. (07) 5495 7705

Victoria Bacchus Marsh......................... (03) 5367 0717 Highpoint................................... (03) 9317 0188 Mildura....................................... (03) 5023 7702

Gametraders L!VE Mildura Opening Soon!

Can’t see what you want in-store or on our website? Check out our product directory!

Terms & Conditions October Magazine valid until 31/10/13, unless specified otherwise. Stock is subject to availability and change without notice and may vary from store to store. No Rain Checks.

All dates and prices are correct at the time of printing.

products.gametraders.com.au