Gametraders July Magazine

July 2013

D E N N BA N O I T A C I F SSI A L C D E US F E R V I OW R S T N I A S

PREVIEWS & REVIEWS

DOES AUSTRALIA NEED AN X-RATING FOR GAMES? pgs 8-10

pgs 23-29

COSPLAY

Interview with Clare Costigan pgs 46-49

XBOX ONE & PS4 Full wrap from Jessica Citizen pgs 4-6

www.gametraders.com.au

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WELCOME TO JULY INSIDE

Wraps off PS4 & Xbox One Pages 4-6 Does Australia need an X Rating?

Pages 8-10 Coming Soon Games Pages 11-12 Anime & Manga Pages 13-19 Superhero Profile: Batman Pages 20-21 Previews & Reviews

While it’s a bit quiet on the game release front, many gamers are anxiously looking forward to some big titles due out in August. The big news is the banning of Saints Row IV which was refused classification in late June. Publisher, Deep Sliver will likely modify the game and resubmit it for classification but the topic of many Facebook conversations has been should the game have been banned? We’ll cover the issue of games being refused classification inside along with some comment by gamers and journalists.

E3 almost turned into a battlefield with both Sony and Microsoft revealing more on the next generation of consoles. Microsoft had a start they’d probably like to forget, particularly after Sony countered on the issue of pre played games, game lending and the need to be constantly online to play your games. To its’ credit Microsoft made changes but has the damage been done? Editrix of Player Attack, Jessica Citizen gives us a wrap up on page 4.

This month also sees us featuring for the first time, Your Say. Here’s where you get to tell us what’s on your mind; be it a quick review, a rant or a comment on the games industry in general.

Pages 23-29

Have fun, enjoy July and share your gaming magazine with friends.

Your Say

The LIVE Team

Pages 32-34 Swords & Collectables Pages 36-38 Retro Round Up: E3 2013 Pages 40-41 Retro: The E3 of an Era Pages 42-43 Super Mario Gear Page 45 Cosplay Interview Pages 46-49 Trading Card Tournaments Page 52 Xbox One & PS4 Games Pages 7, 54-55

WRAPS OFF PS4 & XBOX ONE JESSICA CITIZEN - PLAYER ATTACK

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icrosoft and Sony have both taken the wraps off of their new consoles, and the world is divided.

There are the inevitable Sony fanboys who will snap up the PlayStation 4 regardless of what anyone says, and more than a few “Xbots” who stand behind their console of choice despite the drama. But then there are the rest of us - gamers who just want to know what the new consoles are about, what the differences are, and what we’ll be able to play on them.

If you’re in that third camp and are more than a little confused by all the announcements, backflips and backstabs going on in the console world at the moment, here’s a few bits and pieces that might help you make a decision when the new hardware hits shelves later this year. (Remember, while we don’t have a set date for the PlayStation 4 beyond “Holiday 2013”, the Xbox One is confirmed for November!)

but not as good for smaller chunks, better for handling more complicated graphics), HDMI in/out, USB 3, a Blu-ray drive, and Bluetooth capabilities.

In the PlayStation 4 camp, we have a brand new racer, Driveclub, from the developers of MotorStorm. Taking the driving action back to on-road tracks, Driveclub focusses on asynchronous multiplayer (so you’re racing against times rather than players), and emphasises the benefits of teaming up with other drivers.

Both consoles feature cloud storage, for save-games, Achievements/Trophies, personal data and other information.

Under the hood, the PS4 is powered by a single-chip x86 AMD Jaguar processor Knack is another all-new franchise, and 8 cores, while the Xbox One has 8 cores running a custom Microsoft CPU. described as a bit like a mix between Crash Bandicoot and Katamari Damacy. Knack himself is a three-footPrice-wise - in Australia, at least - they’re also comparable. An Xbox One will cost tall creature with mysterious powers $599, with a PS4 a little cheaper at $549. (including the ability to transform into a giant wrecking machine!). Knack can The extra $50 for an Xbox One reflects incorporate substances into his body to Microsoft’s choice to include a Kinect give him special powers - and these powers are then used to solve puzzles and take out enemies.

Alongside these new games, the PlayStation 4 lineup at this stage is boosted by some big2 peripheral as standard. If you’d like to name sequels. If you’re in the market for use motion-sensing or voice commands some more inFamous or Killzone, you’re in luck! New games from both series are on your PS4, you’ll have to buy a PlayStation 4 Eye and PlayStation Move available only on PlayStation 4.

First off: The consoles themselves. separately. inFamous: Second Son is set seven The Xbox One comes with a new 500 gig years after the (good) ending of harddrive, built into the device. While you But that’s enough about the hardware - what will really help you make up your inFamous 2, with a new lead character, won’t be able to change that, you can graffiti artist Delsin Rowe fighting against attach an additional external harddrive mind is the games themselves. the Department of Unified Protection. via USB if you need more space for your Killzone: Shadow Fall follows on thirty save-games or media files. As you might Right now, third party publishers like years after Killzone 3, and war is still EA, Ubisoft and Activision are keeping expect, we’re also looking at 8GB of raging. This time around, the first-person relatively quiet on their upcoming DDR3 RAM, wireless internet capabilities, shooter looks at the cold war between projects.

This means that most of the HDMI in/out, USB 3, and - wait for it - a the Vektans and the Helghast - one games we know about that are only Blu-ray drive. fighting to survive, the other fighting for headed to either PlayStation 4 or Xbox the right to exist.

One are being published by Sony and The PlayStation 4 is pretty similar: A Microsoft.

500 GB hard drive you can take out Flipping over to the Microsoft camp, and swap over as you like, 8GB of and the Xbox One offerings put the That doesn’t mean we’re not looking at GDDR5 RAM (more expensive, faster emphasis around the other way. The some great games, though.. for transferring large amounts of data, launch lineup contains a handful of big-

WRAPS OFF PS4 & XBOX ONE JESSICA CITIZEN - PLAYER ATTACK

name sequels, but all the light’s being shone on some exciting new franchises.

Ryse: Son of Rome is headed our way from Crysis developer Crytek. You’ll lead general Marius Titus from early childhood right up to becoming a leader in the Roman Army in this actionpacked hack ‘n’ slash epic. Quantum Break is also new - a time travel experiment has gone wrong, leaving a small bunch of people with the ability to manipulate time. Then there’s Sunset Overdrive, a ridiculous neon explosion of

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Sony is content to just make a killer gaming machine. The hardware’s comparable, and there are plenty of games coming to both consoles - so at this stage, it doesn’t seem that there’s an outright winner (particularly after Microsoft confirmed the Xbox One will not be region locked and will not require an always-on internet connection).

Both new consoles are due out by the end of the year, so you’ve still got

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agile combat, acrobatics and mutants.

some time to make up your mind. Keep an eye out for gaming exclusives - if

Don’t overlook the sequels, though...

you’re a Halo fan, obviously you’ll need

Forza Motorsport 5 has been

an Xbox! - but if you’re still sitting on the

highlighted as an Xbox One exclusive,

fence, you might just have to flip a coin.

bringing the racer to an all-new generation. Dead Rising 3 is set to scare the pants off of a new bunch of gamers in a new, open-world survival experience, and - of course - there’s a brand new Halo on the way.

BY JESSICA CITIZEN To see more from Jessica visit www.playerattack.com or check out their youtube channel at www.youtube.com/user/PlayerAttack

Microsoft wants the new Xbox to be the One console in your living room.

Player Attack . 8:30pm . Friday . Aurora - Foxtel 183

CONFIRMED LISTS OF NEXT GEN GAMES..

PS4 GAMES Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

Galak-Z

Driveclub

Final Fantasy XV

Watch Dogs

Diablo III

The Elder Scrolls Online

Human Element

Just Dance 2014

Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Realm Reborn Carmageddon: Reincarnation Wolfenstein: The New Order Deep Down

Final Fantasy Project

Kingdom Hearts III

Call of Duty: Ghosts

Octodad: Dadliest Catch

Warframe

Battlefield 4

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade

The Evil Within

Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty

NBA Live 14

Infamous: Second Son

Thief

Madden NFL 25

DaylightKnack

Beyond Good & Evil 2

NBA 2K14

Sniper Elite 3

Killzone: Shadow Fall

Secret Ponchos

Contrast

Mad Max

Outlast

Mercenary Kings

Tom Clancy’s The Division

Doki-Doki Universe

Skylanders Swap Force

War Thunder

Need for Speed Rivals

Whore of the Orient

Transistor

Destiny

The Crew

The Witness

Dying Light

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Don’t Starve

FIFA 14

Shadow Warrior

XBOX ONE GAMES Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

Forza Motorsport 5

Project Spark

Battlefield 4

Halo for Xbox One

Quantum Break

Below

Just Dance 2014

Rabbids Invasion

Call of Duty: Ghosts

Killer Instinct

Ryse: Son of Rome

The Crew

Kinect Sports Rivals

Skylanders Swap Force

Crimson Dragon

Kingdom Hearts 3

Star Wars Battlefront

D4

LocoCycle

Sunset Overdrive

Dead Rising 3

Madden 25

Thief

Destiny

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Titanfall

The Division

Minecraft

Trials Fusion

Dragon Age Inquisition

Mirror’s Edge

EA Sports UFC

Dying Light

NBA 2K14

Watch Dogs

Elder Scrolls Online

NBA Live 14

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Fantasia: Music Evolved

Need for Speed Rivals

Wolfenstein: The New Order

FIFA 14

Peggle 2

Zoo Tycoon

Final Fantasy XV

Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare

Zumba Fitness World Party

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

DOES AUSTRALIA NEED AN X RATING?

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o sooner did Australia get an R18+ classification for games then we now see our first game refused classification under the new ratings system.

Saints Row IV was refused a rating effectively banning the game until modifications are submitted. The question is why was it banned? The Classifications Board released a report on the banning explaining that the game features a weapon that, when used by the player, “creates a vsual depiction of interactive, implied sexual violence.”

Secondly the Board refused classification because of the

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use of “an optional mission which involves the player obtaining and smoking drugs referred to as ‘alien narcotics’.

Smoking the ‘alien narcotics’ equips them to progress through the mission more easily.”

Fans have voiced their opinions on Facebook with a majority of posts reflecting anger and frustration with the decision with some fans stating they will import the game if necessary. A posting on the Gametraders Facebook page asking for fans to give us their thoughts on banned games saw a mix of views...

YOUR SAY from our facebook page..

“I hate how the ACB is banning games, even though we have a R rating, WITH A PASSION. I don’t really see the point in banning them when we now have a rating specifically for adult games. I can understand sometimes, like that mission in MW2 where you go into an airport. But I don’t see the point in banning games that were meant to get an adult rating in the first place, which is the point of announcing a R rating in the first place. People get around it by buying the game though Steam or some other digital method. I see no point in banning games now as we have an adult rating and as people can and will find ways around the banning, buy importing, buying digitally, or even pirating them.

“What is the point of the government or ACB or whatever you like to call them banning games in Australia Duke Nukem Forever was allowed and that’s ruder than SR 4 If we’re allowed to play a psycho like that mission in MW2 where you mindlessly shoot civilians at random than I see absolutely no reason in Australia banning games that are intended for adults I thought that was why the Aussie government finally made R18 so they can “unban” games that were banned before.”

If the ACB was to ban a game, they should have a decent reason with proof of why, and a GOOD reason why it exceeds the R18 rating.”

Alex Swanson

James Drummond

“Im against banning any game just for drugs use while any movie can pretty much use drugs how they want, you start to wonder why we even bothered getting that R18+ rating if somethin like drugs aren’t allowed to be used.

I think it’s sad when a group of people decide what Australians can and can’t handle when it comes to games and think it really should stop soon. It should be the individuals choice whether they can handle what’s going to be in a game and if you can’t handle it don’t buy the game it’s really not that hard.

Banning games just makes people import them off eBay instead so nobody wins when you ban a game.”

James Smith

A

s we were putting this article together, notification came through that another game has been refused classification from the Australian Classification board. State of Decay, offered on Xbox Live Arcade has been delayed while developers, Undead Labs works with Microsoft to get the game approved by changing names of medication in the game. Are developers pushing the boundaries with what can and can’t be featured in a game or are the censors overly sensitive when it comes to violence, sex and drug use in games? Here’s what people in the games industry are saying:

industry comment “The news of Saints Row IV being denied here in Australia really shook the internet, especially as it had been so recently that we had gained the right to have R18 games. I heard slues of ‘What’s the point’ and ‘I’m an adult, I should be able to decide for myself’ from all corners of my social spectrum, and while I agree, I wonder what they’re really fighting for. Originally all we knew of why the game was denied came under the quote of ‘sexual violence without context’ and when I read that I had assumed the worst. It sounds harsh, it sounds like meaningless and depraved acts, and even though I’m a fan of the series and understand that Saints often takes a lighter look at, well everything, I couldn’t help but feel that there are definitely some acts that fall beyond an R18 and until we gain that rating it is irresponsible to just lump all adult titles in to a category that doesn’t describe them, as people make informed decisions about what they want to play using this standardized method. Furthermore had the reason for the classification had been what I feared it to be, then I wouldn’t have played the game. Saints IV, despite my love of the series would have taken it too far, for my personal tastes, and I feel anyone arguing that we should have such acts that are “without context” may need to look a bit harder at what it is they want from gaming. As it stands the verdict was delivered due to a weapon, which is a fair bit more unseen than just bashing people with a dildo like previous games had brandished. Without seeing gameplay footage of it being used, it’s hard to give a well-informed opinion on whether or not this is ok, but I’m sure that my game will be just as good without it, and maybe I get the added bonus of not scarring anyone for life. The moral issues of whether or not ‘adults’ should be able to choose what they can play is entirely another argument, but I think perhaps people should be looking at why they want to play games with such depravity in them, rather than whether or not they’re allowed to.”

Hope Corrigan, www.xxpgames.com

d

efuse

ed R lassifi me c . a g r oard pute com ification B : first s s IV la w C ts Ro rnemnt: ‘Sain e se on lian Gov a le e ra R t s u ia A d y the e: Me Abov cation’ b ifi s s Cla

industry comment cntd.

“I’ve always been a fan of the Saints Row titles. Originally, for a fun, comical take on the classic gangster formula games like GTA established years before. But as they grew, I fell in love with the unbelievable insanity they ended up becoming.

No boundaries were unpushable, and nothing was sacred. The South Park of the gaming world, if you will. To censor Saints Row IV – even in the slightest touch, say to take out the particular ‘probe’ weapon that has caused a stir – I feel would be to deliver a low blow to its very soul. That may sound like a bit of a stretch sure, but as a lover of all forms of art, I don’t think anything should ever be censored. If you think certain people shouldn’t have access to certain content, the solution isn’t making the go away, it’s simply the need for our laws and regulations which keep content out of the wrong hands to be enforced stricter by all angles, from the parents to the retailers. That goes for everything, not just games. I don’t want to support the notion of people dictating what artists can put into their own work based off other peoples standards, so if – and when – I play Saints Row IV, it will most definitely never be a version which has seen any editing at the mercy of the Office of Film and Literature Classification.”

By John Elliott, www.stickytrigger.com (See preview on Saints Row IV by Sticky Trigger on page 25)

“..but don’t potentially take away a game I was personally looking forward to, just because someone else didn’t find it appropriate. Let me make that choice thank you!” - Nicholas Simonovski “An R18+ classification for video games in Australia meant access to adult content in its purest form, not knowing that games which feature tasteless materials could be Refused Classification. Saints Row IV has been RC’d due to its inclusion of an ‘Alien Anal Probe Gun’ which allows users to thrust the dildo-like weapon into an enemy or civilians backside as well as the inclusion of drugs which reward players. Whilst the game does features aliens, it’s extremely interesting to see games before the R18+ classification, released in Australia with similar included context. Some merely changing the names of the implied drugs to something else and passing with no problems.”

By Arthur Kotsopoulos, www.oxcgn.com

“I’ll be honest, I personally disagree with the Australian Classification Board’s decision to refuse classification for Saints Row IV. While I can understand their grounds for their decision, I don’t think it was the right one. I can see how they can consider the use of an anal probe sexual violence, but I think it’s pretty absurd to even suggest that using a silly weapon like this is even remotely akin to an example of real-world sexual assault/violence (which I find absolutely abhorrent and inexcusable). We know Saints Row has long been about over the top stupidity, and that’s exactly how I see this weapon. It isn’t trying to suggest that sexual violence is funny, it’s just a crazy weapon that fits in with the alien theme of this game. The fact they pixelate the victim’s bottom I feel only further proves this. Ultimately though, gamers should have the choice to deem this weapon inappropriate. If they want to use it, let them, if they don’t, they won’t. We have an R18+ rating now for a reason. If something is clearly touching on adult themes then rate it accordingly, but don’t potentially take away a game I was personally looking forward to, just because someone else didn’t find it appropriate.

Let me make that choice thank you!”

By Nicholas Simonovski, www.stevivor.com

COMSIONO G N..

Out 20th August

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BA

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Out 22nd August

Xbox 360 . PS3 .Wii .Wii U . Nintendo 3DS

August 2013

Out 29th August

Out 22nd August

Out 14th August

PRE-ORDER IN-STORE TODA Y!

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Out 21st November

Out 31st October

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Out 5th November

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October 2013

Out 17th September

Out 30th August

COMSIONO G N..

PRE-ORDER IN-STORE TODA Y!

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ANOTHER

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enying death grandparents due to is a high his father’s work. Kouichi stakes game. has been assigned to There are few Class 3-3 at Yomiyama North Middle School anime that can get under your skin without the knowledge that the class is cursed. and surprise you quite The answer to it may like Another. The next lie in the aloof student entry in to the horror anime genre is a chilling with an eye patch, Mei and atmospheric series Misaki, but it seems no one knows she’s even that has an excellent balance of shock value there. with plot.

Another will definitely remind others of Final Set in the rural town of Yomiyama, Kouichi is the Destination with the newest resident having numerous and creative death of its characters moved to live with his

every episode. They come fast and with great timing to gain the most emotional impact, which culminates with an astounding finale that is sure to keep you talking.

From the director of Blood-C and xxxHOLiC and animated by the studio that brought you Angel Beats!, Another definitely proves that it is a must have for any horror anime fan.

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Kaiju What is Kaiju?

Kaiju is a Japanese word that literally translates to “strange beast”. However, the word Kaiju has been universally translated and defined into English as “monster” or “giant monster” and refers to science fiction films from Japan featuring unnatural creatures of immense size. Kaiju films usually showcase Kaiju of any form attacking a major Japanese city or engaging another (or multiple) Kaiju in battle.

many exciting Kaiju battles over the years in our favourite Anime and Films, for example in Evangelion, Troll Hunter, Chaw, Gurren Lagann and of course, the Full Metal Panic series!

Where can I see Kaiju?

Head over to www.kaiju.com. au to see some of the best Kaiju battles and exclusive footage! You can also go in the draw to win a kaiju-sized DVD pack of all our monstery, roboty faves! You can also win your very own Kaiju to create your own battle scenes at home!

The most famous Kaiju is Godzilla. The most recent Kaiju battles though, you’ll see in the movie Pacific Rim (in cinemas this month)! There have been

You can also go to your local Gametraders store to find a huge selection of these DVDs and Blurays on sale now!

SUPERHERO PROFILE: BATMAN

W

ho’s the world’s greatest detective?

Batman.

Also known as the Dark Knight, the Caped Crusader and the Batman, he’s the creation of artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. Batman appeared in first in Detective Comics issue number 27 in May 1939.

So who is Batman? As we all know Batman is billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne.

When Bruce was a young child he witnessed the murder of his parents and this saw him swear revenge on all criminals. He undertook a journey that took him across the globe so that he could learn the various skills to become a crime fighter. His studies included, criminology, martial arts and forensics. When he returned he decided to fight crime but it wasn’t the best of starts for young Bruce with him being beaten up by the very people he was doing his best to protect. He realised that he needed to have an impact criminals that would cause them to fear him and create a mystery about this caped crusader. On seeing a bat crash through his study window, he was inspired to create his alter ego, Batman.

Over time, Bruce built his secret underground base under Wayne manor and his butler Alfred became his confidante, assistant and gave the young crime fighter advice and helped out with any injuries sustained in his fight over crime. Over time they developed a range of gadgets and weapons to help Batman fight crime and bring criminals to justice.

Unlike many super heroes, Batman has no super powers. He relies on fear

(hence the bat suit), his martial arts skills, weapons, his ability to out think his opponents and the huge reserves of money to help develop those weapons and gadgets.

Some of Batman’s foes include, the Riddler, Joker, Penguin, Two Face and Catwoman. These and other regularly appearing criminals are often referred to as the “Rogues Gallery” and throughout the Batman movies and comics we often see the Dark Knight taking on these and other criminals.

Robin came along in the guise of Dick Grayson who is part of the Flying Graysons, an acrobatic family that were circus aerialists. Young Dick saw his parents killed when a gangster sabotaged the high wire they were performing on. Witnessing this from the audience, Bruce visited Dick to comfort the youngster and so Robin was born.

Movies and Television In the 60’s a camp Batman TV series was produced that saw a surge of interest in Batman and later on movies too saw actor Michael Keaton take on the role with Jack Nicholson as the Joker. Additional movies were produced with both Val Kilmer and George Clooney taking on the role of “the Batman”.

Recently we’ve seen the excellent Dark Knight movies from director Christopher Nolan featuring Christian Bale. These showed Batman as a darker character and featured darker versions of the foes we saw in the Michael Keaton movies. With rebooting movie franchises all the rage at present will we see another reboot as we’ve seen now with Spiderman and Superman? Time will tell. In the meantime here’s some

Batman trivia you may not have known...

BATMAN TRIVIA! The casting of Michael Keaton caused a real stir and resulted in fans writing 50,000 protest letters to Warner Bros offices. Still the movie was a success and we saw Keaton make a second film as the Caped Crusader.

Actress Sean Young was originally cast to play Vicki Vale opposite Keaton but broke her collar bone while filming a scene in the movie.

The scene was written out of the film and we ended up with Kim Basinger.

According to the Internet Movie Database there were a ton of actresses considered for the role when Sean Young couldn’t continue including - Jamie Lee Curtiss, Ellen Barkin, Madonna, Geena Davis, Jodie Foster, Melanie Griffith, Linda Hamilton, Sharon Stone and tons more.

Robin Williams was considered for the role of The Joker but Jack Nicholson got the role and demanded top-billing.

The Dark Knight movie is the first Batman feature film not to have the word “Batman” in the movie title.

SUPERHERO PROFILE: BATMAN

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splinter cell: backlist.

Sam Fisher has returned for Splinter Cell and this time it’s personal. Fisher hasn’t been seen since 2010’s Conviction but this time he’s back with a vengeance – ready to get back to killing in sequence, sneaking past guards and taking down terrorists with silent kills. The night vision is back, the guns are slicker, the shadows darker and the situations are more dangerous than ever.

xbox 360 . ps3 . pc . wii u

but perform missions together as assigned by the President.

The Fourth is now led by Sam who must take on a group of terrorists who begin to unveil a series of escalating attacks on the United States. The attacks seem to be random at first but a pattern begins to emerge.

The attacks lead Sam around the world with a few familiar faces in tow. Sam meets up with Anna Grimsdóttir, Victor The new game takes place five Coste and Andriy Kobin, who all join Sam in taking down years after Conviction’s events the terrorists, one level at a which left Sam Fisher bringing time. Like previous Splinter Cell down more moles within his titles, the fun is always in the covert group. Meanwhile, Patricia Caldwell, the President, sneaking and Blacklist will be no different. Ubisoft have vowed decides to shut down the ultimately corrupt, Third Echelon. to look closer at creating the best stealth action experience She replaces it with the Fourth Echelon; an elite team of cover possible by focusing on the story and the level design. You’ll ops agents drawn from several be given each scenario and different agents around the you can find your own way world. They all exist and act as around or simply go through a mobile and nomadic unit

the mission without even killing a single person.

Other than a kick-arse campaign, the game will bring back the awesome multiplayer mode called Spys vs. Mercs.

You will play as Sam and a few other squad members as you try and take out one another in a range of well-known settings and levels. The game will be on our shores on August 22nd for PC, PS3, Wii U and Xbox 360.

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Previews PROVIDED BY WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM

disney infinity.

xbox 360 . ps3 . pc . wii . wii u . nintendo 3ds

Disney Infinity is going to be the greatest crossover game you may ever see. Imagine every single Disney character you could think of inhabiting whatever Disney world you wanted. Whether it’s Mike Wizowski on the Black Pearl or Wreck-It-Ralph having fun in Never Never Land, it will be possible in Disney Infinity.

The game comes from Disney and Avalanche Studios who have teamed up to create an incredibly rich and diverse set of worlds to play and explore.

world will talk to you and give you a task based around that area. So if you have Mr. Incredible, he can play in the world of The Incredibles or if you have Lightening McQueen you can inhabit the world of Cars. Just imagine, the Play Set is a bit more of a campaign mode while Toy Box will be the sandbox, do-what-you-want area for just mucking around and being awesome.

Disney Infinity has a unique way of playing and collecting characters as you play the game. The game will have The game will have two major different figurines which you modes called Play Set and can purchase from retailers.

Toy Box. Toy Box was originally From there, the characters will established in the Toy Story 3 become integrated into the game where you can roam game as you collect more, and explore the world setting up your own scenarios and just much like the ever popular Skylanders. Eventually, you can finding out cool things. Play Set buy all your favourite characters is a self-contained world that has its own crisis and gameplay. such as Mr. and Mrs. Incredible, Jack Sparrow, Jack Skellington, Characters that inhabit the

Phineas and Ferb, Sherriff Woody and Buzz Lightyear. When you get the new characters, you will unlock their character in the game and their world along with them. The game will continue to expand and grow as you play more and collect more characters.

The game will be available on August 20th for Xbox 360, Wii, Wii U, PS3, Nintendo 3DS and PC. The game has the Infinity Base and will include three figurines with dozens to follow.

Previews PROVIDED BY WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM

saints row 4.

xbox 360 . ps3 . pc

D E N

N A B These creatures from outer space kidnap the President and his crew but little do they know what they’re packing. The newly revealed DubStep Gun will cause some real chaos when the game comes out in August. The game will feature the ability to create your own character or even port You were a gang member, then a your character from Saints Row 3 to continue their story. Also gang leader, then a pop culture not just your character, but your icon, now you’re the leader of weapons will be given the ability the free world. This is Saints Row to be modified. You want a rocket 4. The madness that was Saints launcher that looks like a guitar Row 3 continues in the latest iteration from the guys at Volition. case? You got it! Want a laser gun that makes people’s heads pop The game begins five years after the original game and will feature right off? You can have that too! all the things you’ve come to The game will also feature new know and love from the previous vehicles such as flyable UFO’s titles. You and your cabinet of from the Zen and even gigantic series regulars are in charge of America but still operate out of a mechs that you can take over, newly modified Steelport. The city run, fight and shoot with till your heart’s content. The game becomes the target of an alien invasion as you take on your new will also give your character superhuman abilities such as enemy, The Zin. flying, ice blasts, super strength (Editor’s note: We received this preview just prior the announcement that Saints Row was refused classification. We decided to still feature this preview as the developer is likely to resubmit the game for approval)

and superspeed. The game will have you operating out of the White Crib and will have you setting your sights on rescuing the world and your gang one at a time.

Yes, it’s all that insanity and so much more. Saints Row 4 will be coming out on August 22nd for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Don’t forget to get your pre-order in now to experience the lunacy from day one.

CTC

reviews PROVIDED BY WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM

the last of us.

ps3

Naughty Dog continue their tradition of making triple A titles with mass appeal and incredible visual storytelling.

Their latest original IP, The Last of Us – an exclusive for the PS3 – is a masterpiece of narrative, pacing and gameplay that holds you from the first few minutes and doesn’t let you go until it’s final moments. Most of the game is set decades after a disease becomes widespread across the United States. The fungal infection causes humans to go mad and some to even become monstrous creatures.

You play as Joel, a middle-aged man struggling with the loss of his loved ones as he makes his way across a destroyed United States, escorting a young teenage girl by the name of Ellie. As tension begins to grow and bonds begin to strengthen, every situation goes from bad

to worse and the stakes get higher. But will you be the last to survive?

Naughty Dog had continually worked on the dynamic fighting and shooting mechanics throughout the length of the Uncharted series, and here they’ve perfected them. The Last of Us is a tense, nailbiting experience that works on players actions. Enemies will react to your movements, and you have to work to find ways you can throw them off your trail. Find a bottle or brick while your stealthing your way through a building? Keep it for the ideal moment when you can use it to distract the enemy and sneak past. It’s finding the right times to use your items, as they can often be very scarce, that make some of the encounters really exciting.

The game’s movements all feel fluent and rarely disjointed from the action taking place.

Whether it’s an intimate moment between Joel and Ellie as they talk about their past or a tense encounter dodging those frightening clicker creatures, the game’s pacing and gameplay is varied and always enjoyable. There’s only the odd moment of familiar actions but it’s all a part of the learning curve.

Even on a six year old console, The Last of Us still manages to pull out some new tricks visually.

Whether it’s the seamless loading times, the stunning skies or the incredibly dense environments, the game is a sight for sore eyes. Every level is punctuated with unique visual cues and an attention to detail rarely seen in a console

reviews PROVIDED BY WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM

the last of us.

ps3

game. It’s the new bar which console games should be put up against, even if it’s a bit gory and earns its R rating on more than a few occasions.

The game’s facial animations and movements all look very natural with only a few glitches and gaffs that happen early on in the game. You can tell there has been a lot of design and research by the look of the game’s lush and beautiful environments. The characters are completely fleshed out and all feel unique, even if this story has been told before (See: The Walking Dead). Joel and Ellie look and move like real people without any awkward motion capture. The game is a testament to this console generation and I’m sure many Sony fanboys will be beating their chest for months to come about the games awe-inspiring moments.

The Last of Us is a very natural game. The games ambience flows perfectly between level to level as you hear the sweetest noises traversing the American apocalypse. The sound of birds swooping by, the rustle of leaves falling in the autumn and the winds blowing all year round; the game is a pleasure to listen to. Not to mention the stunning voice acting from the leads, Troy Baker (Bioshock Infinite’s Booker and the new Joker) and Ashley Johnson (who also completed the motion-capture). All their dialogue was written naturally and never feels disconnected from the events taking place.

The music by Gustavo Alfredo Santaolalla is a beautiful and melodic acoustic score that is often subtle but somber when heard in the game’s darkest moments.

9.5/10

Despite a few graphical glitches that will no doubt be cleaned up with patches, The Last of Us is a full and engaging experience that is dark and dangerous to its shadowed core. While pushing away from the usual survival tropes, it embraces a more cinematic vibe will letting the gameplay create dynamic action sequences for the play to enjoy rather than just sit and watch.

Written by Harrison Engstrom

reviews PROVIDED BY WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM

remember me.

xbox 360 . ps3

Sci-Fi post-apocalyptic combat games are a nice break in the sea of zombie thrillers and general shooters that seem to flood the market at the moment. Capcom and I have had a very rocky relationship; they’ve published some of my favourite titles, and also some more questionable titles so Remember Me quickly became an interesting and more anticipated concept. Created

by Dontnod Entertainment, Remember Me is their first AAA title and they’ve made quite a big impression.

The world, visually, is what you’d expect from a typical current gen game. They’re not completely mind-blowing but they’re detailed. Extremely detailed. In a typical linear fashion, Neo-Paris is as

packed to the brim as it can be. It adopts an Assassin’s Creed-type gameplay style of climbing buildings with locked camera angles which really add to the cinematic feel and appreciation of your surroundings. The world Dontnod created is absolutely beautiful in its derelict state.

There are journals to find and each tell you more about different parts of the world, which really adds to the history of getting to know what and why Neo-Paris exists.

Manipulating, extracting and wiping memories is how Nilin will survive this world now called Neo-Paris. Scouring the slums, you hear how decrepit the world has become as filthy degenerates walk past, whispering slurs at you. These

reviews PROVIDED BY WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM

remember me.

xbox 360 . ps3

started to remind me of the Splicers from BioShock, as they start to creep on you in the darkest of corners in the streets.

Combat is interesting and quite arcade-like. You’re introduced to a system where you get to choose how your combo is formed. There are various attributes to your combo, some reduce cooldowns, multiply damage or even generate health, so you can try to customise these to something that suits your gameplay style.

At first, combat was really exciting. I enjoyed timing each move correctly to get the bonus of the next move, but after a while I found the camera to impede quite a bit and overall it felt like a series of quick time events. Eventually, they did just become quick time events! The

camera getting in the way of not only combat but general gameplay added an extra difficulty and chunkiness that the game really doesn’t need.

Once you wrap your head around each ability and get a combo right, combat feels so rewarding despite everything else.

As you progress through each level, or Episode as they’re called in Remember Me, different enemies are introduced. Some act more like tanks, others are much stealthier, and this provides a nice variation of things to fight.

I want to go back and rediscover the game so I can read a little more into the history of Neo-Paris, which has to say something about the success of

7/10

this original game world. While I did encounter a few difficulties that with a little more polish could have been overcome, I enjoyed the humour, story writing, the combat most of the time and the actual memory aspect of the game when it wasn’t just about action. More of that please!

Written by Yiánna Paris

Final Fantasy - Sky: The Art of Final Fantasy Book

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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 July...

FAR CRY 3: BLOOD DRAGON “Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon is an over-the-top apocalyptic shooter base in the future. It is 2007, you are a Mark IV soldier, Rex Power Colt and are hunting down Sloan when you discover he is trying to start another world war. The game is full of cheesy puns and one-liners with enjoyable gameplay in its 6 hours campaign. The main missions are fun and the humour is spot on, but it is reasonably easy to beat even on its hardest difficulty.

By far the best part of this game are the Blood Dragons, which are dinosaurs that shoot lasers out of their eyes. They add for a lot of variety and you can pilfer cyber hearts and throw them into enemy bases to make them attack. While this can be a lot of fun the AI leaves something to be desired going for amazing to downright awful. The cutscenes do sometimes overstay their welcome but can be skipped almost straight away. This game also has the best tutorial ever and even humorous loading screens. If you are looking for a good laugh and some good ol’ 80’s action you should definitely pick this game up. I am giving it 8.5/10.”

By Matthew Kenealy

CTC CTC

SONIC LOST WORLD “Sonic Lost world is the game Sonic fans from way back have been waiting for! A nod to the unreleased Saturn game Sonic X-Treme, Lost Worlds finally allows players to experience this truly unique take on the adventures of the Blue Blur. The game utilises spherical and planetoid world design just as 1996’s Sonic X-Treme had planned. Very similar in nature to 2007’s Super Mario Galaxy by Nintendo, but with the speed only Sonic fans can handle. So strap on your red sneakers and spin dash into Gametraders to preorder your copy exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U!!”

By Jon Tannahill

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

YOUR SAY XBOX ONE

THE LAST OF US

“‘You always need an Internet connection for Xbox One’ Hades himself couldn’t have produced the outcry that went around the world when Microsoft announced that their new Xbox, The Xbox One had to have a live internet connection for it to even work.

Lets think about that for a moment. A device that always has to have an Internet connection.

How many devices do you have right now that have Internet? People with Smart TV’s, iPads, Tablets, Mobile Phones, Streaming Music, Streaming Videos, Apple TV. Even your current Xbox 360 and PS3 need Internet. Have a Wii console? Nintendo still send you messages randomly if you have an Internet connection.

The Xbox One will sell like hotcakes. Microsoft have had online gaming going before anyone else (Dreamcast doesn’t count). They know what they are doing. And when 90% of your household electrical devices NEED Internet connection anyway. It isn’t so bad after all.

Call of Duty? You need Internet connection, Emails? You need Internet connection. Order pizza on your iPhone? You need an Internet connection.

You already have devices that need an always-on Internet connection.

Hope to see you at the midnight launch!!”

“It’s 2033 and it’s here, the end of human civilization. Zombie like creatures of every shape and form are causing violence and catastrophe in your hometown. You have no choice but to take the beasts on. You hear a horrific scream and what seemed like gunshots firing off in every direction.

You glance around to see your friend lying nearby in a pool of blood. Prying a revolver out of the hands of a mangled missing limb you shoot the zombie down and rush over to your barely alive friend. “It’s true this really is the last of us”. You’re friend grasps for air, taking their very last breath.

There are only two outcomes on this postapocalyptic day. Life or death. You choose.“

By Amy Layt

By Mark Timbs (Written 14/06. Microsoft have now reversed it’s initial decision to have the Xbox One “check in” among other changes - Ed)

DUST: AN ELYSIAN TAIL “Dust: An Elysian Tail is an action-RPG game where you play as Dust, an assassin with no memory of who or what he is in which he must sets off in a journey of self-discovery with a talking sword called the Blade of Ahrah and little bat companion name Fidget whom is the guardian of the sword. The graphics was superb, it was like watching an Anime of sorts. The music was great and it gives off the right mood to the game and the game play was all right. It’s available on XBLA and Steam, I’m giving it 9.5/10.”

By Marc Sola

YOUR SAY YU-GI-OH “Yu-Gi-Oh! As a trading card game and a video game has spanned many years, had been presented on different platforms and has been a staple in many people’s lives. Presently the trading card game is at an interesting point, many believe that the present game state is awful, considering that the top two decks cost more than most people’s collections (each deck is at around $1000 depending on the variant). However, the game is at an all time high in popularity and is still growing, on the Queen’s birthday just gone there was the largest turn out at an Australian nationals ever recorded, with over 300 participants from all over the country playing for the title of national champion. The game will continue in this rise, I believe, for as long as Konami’s ideas remain original and they can appeal to players of all skill levels.”

POSITIVE RETAIL INDUSTRY SALES MARKETING “I am looking forward to the release of Ubisoft’s Watch_Dogs in November, however if you work for the American government, you most likely already knew that.

Unless you are Amish or have been living under a big “I’m Australian and don’t care” rock, you have probably heard about the US government’s PRISM, which is a top secret national security electronic surveillance program. In layman’s terms, the US government uses technology companies such as Facebook, Apple and Google to seek out potential threats. Sound familiar? I don’t know about you (PRISM does), but this just makes me even keener to play Watch_Dogs, where I can take control of all this surveillance technology for myself! Now, I’m not a conspiracy theorist who thinks that PRISM is just a gigantic marketing campaign by Ubisoft, and the whistle blower is actually an actor, BUT if this was the case, I’d be the first person to take my hood off to them. I have struggled to find a precedent where a video game has been positively affected in sales by real world events unrelated to media; however there is always a first for everything.”

By David Thorpe

By Finlay Reid

ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW LEAF ”Animal Crossing: New Leaf follows the same formula as previous games in the series. You move into a new town. This time, though, you’re in charge as the mayor--don’t worry, Tortimer’s not dead. Tom Nook is now a real estate agent, with his shop run by his nephews Tommy and Timmy. There are still the usual Animal Crossing “chores,” like collecting fruit, donating fish, shells, and fossils to the museum (or selling them for beaucoup Bells), and maintaining your town’s appearance by watering flowers and picking weeds. New Leaf sets a new standard for the Animal Crossing series, and provides a fun, near-limitless world for you to shape in any way you see fit. As far as video games go, it’s a bright, refreshing change of pace for those of us who are getting a little worn out by the state of gaming today.

REVIEW ROUND UP: • Positive: Optimized control and item mangement smooth out the gameplay from previous installments.

• Positive/Negative: There are tons of new items to pick up and near-limitless customization, but storage space is limited, and so far there’s no way to increase storage space, drastically limiting your options.”

By Alexander King

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MICHONNE’S KATANA

M

ichonne is a mystery. Arriving armed with a katana and towing two jawless zombies (or bities) she is a key character in the Walking Dead TV series and comic series. In the comic book series, Michonne was a lawyer before the outbreak and a mother who was going through a divorce and losing her children.

In the TV series she comes across as a reserved warrior who keeps to herself but projects an air of strength. Actress Danai Gurira plays Michonee in the TV series and was chosen because as creator Robert Kirkman says “there’s a lot to that role, and Danai, more then any other actress showed us that she could exhibit that strength and show what an intense character she could be...” (The Hollywood Reporter) Michonne was voted number 86 on IGN’s Top 100 Comic Book Heroes and part of her appeal is her expert use of her katana. Katanas are traditionally made Japanese swords used by samurai in feudal Japan. It’s a curved sword, slender with a single-edeged blade and known for its’ sharpness and strength. Katana’s are made from a specialised Japanese

steel called Tamahagane which, according to Wikipedia, “is created from a traditional smelting process that results in several, layered steels with different carbon concentrations.”

Many Gametraders stores offer Michonne’s katana where applicable state laws allow the sale of replicas. Our katana is licensed and crafted with traditional Japanese sword

making techniques and is hand-forged from 1045 carbon steel. he handle is wrapped in genuine ray skin and leather.

Don’t be fooled by the imitators.

This is a limited edition sword and only 2,000 pieces will be made. Comes complete with a Certificate of Authenticity.

$349

Thank you to store owner Rob of Macarthur Square for this photograph from E3 2013.

retro round up: E3 2013

david kudrev - RETROspekt

T

he Electronic Entertainment Expo (or E3 as it is better known) is over for another year, with major announcements and features unveiled for the newgeneration consoles. It wasn’t just putting the D R M in dramas with the PS4 VS. Xbox One, but also games themselves.

I think this is a good opportunity to comb over what games were announced this year that are heavily retro-inspired; SEGA - Not only was Sonic: Lost Worlds showcased, but a classic title getting the same reboot treatment as DuckTales: Remastered is Castle of Illusion HD. SEGA debuted the trailer at E3 with a release date of “summer 2013, which could mean anything between June and September and will be available on Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, Steam, and Nintendo eShop.

EA - Granted that it’s not made by Westwood Studios anymore, EA has announced the up and coming Command & Conquer which appears to look like a mash-up of Generals and Red Alert with the developers moving away from the struggle between NOD and GDI in which the original series was based on.

Nintendo - Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze will be coming to the Wii U exclusively. The game is reminiscent of Donkey Kong Country Returns which is out at the moment on both 3DS and Wii but in this one reintroduces another playable

character who is Dixie Kong (You may remember her from Donkey Kong Country 2). Looks like a fun new game for a classic franchise.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Two Worlds: Although it is similar to Link to the Past and does include the Dark World as well as Light (hence the name), the game does introduce a whole new mechanic with the ability to flatten yourself against walls to get through various obstacles in the game. A Link Between Two Worlds will be exclusive to the 3DS console.

Another exclusive to the 3DS is a sequel to Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. Yoshi’s New Island albeit looks very similar to the SNES Yoshi’s Island but as usual with a ‘reboot’ there’s new features and new graphics. Fans of the original game will be chuffed about this one I reckon.

Namco Bandai - Pac-Man Museum. The pack includes the classic Pac-Man games as well as Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ and Pac-Man Battle Royale (which features up to 4-player pill-munching where you fight each other off in the maze).

This pack will be out by the end of this year to Europe and Australia on Playstation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, Steam and the Nintendo eShop as a digital release.

BY DAVID KUDREV founder of retrospekt www.retrospekt.com.au

RETRO: THE E3 OF AN ERA E

E3

PAUL MONOPOLI - RETRO WRITER

3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, has come and gone for yet another year and we’ve had presentations from the current three overlords of video gaming, with lots of excitement and equal amounts of disappointment. E3 as an expo has been running for 18 years now and has provided video game companies the opportunity to showcase their up and coming wares.

The first E3 took place during that transitional time between the 16 bit and 32 bit eras. While the Super Nintendo and Megadrive were the current leaders in video game technology they were soon to be (or were in the process of being) replaced with the Nintendo 64, Saturn and Playstation by newcomer Sony. This E3 not only showcased these three systems, but also played host to the Atari Jaguar,

3DO, the Neo Geo CD system and the Nintendo Virtual Boy. E3 has been referred to as the convention where you “see the future first” and this was certainly true of the first show. With games such as Killer Instinct, Ridge Racer, Megaman X3 and Virtua Fighter on display this was one event not to be missed. During this first E3 Capcom were celebrating 10 years in the industry and were proudly showing off such classics as Dark Stalkers, Breath of Fire 2, Biohazard (Resident Evil), Dungeons and Dragons: Tower of Doom and um, Street Fighter the Movie. Well maybe they weren’t all classics...

Aside from showing future gaming gems, E3 is also the place where some games are shown, never to be seen again. During the second E3 in 1996, two brilliant games were shown on the Virtual Boy that simply disappeared; Bound High and Dragon

Hopper. Though Bound High has been found by Virtual Boy enthusiasts in the past year, Dragon Hopper has yet to make another appearance.

In 1995 Castlevania was to receive another installment on the Sega 32X in the form of Castlevania: The Bloodletting. This game never saw the light of day and the team instead ended up releasing Castlevania:Symphony of the Night on Saturn and Playstation. With history showing the quick demise of these two systems it does make you wonder whether quality games of this calibre could have saved them from failure.

“Aside from showing future gaming gems, E3 is also the place where some games are shown, never to be seen again.”

It wasn’t only games that came and went without a trace however. During the first E3 two notable peripherals were shown once and never released.

The Super Nintendo was to have a Q-Sound controller released for it. Q-Sound was an advanced surround sound system used by Capcom on its CPS2 arcade hardware.

The controller that is described by the “Armchair Empire” (www. armchairempire.com) as an eyesore of a controller had a stick attached to it with a speaker on either end. Atari were showing off their Jaguar VR headset which ended up going the way of the Virtual Boy before it was even released. It seems at this time the world just wasn’t as ready for VR headsets as the developers appeared to think.

E3

would be your source of E3 news. Multiformat magazines with as C+VG would provide general coverage while specialist magazines such as Nintendo Magazine System would give you specific coverage on the formats covered by the magazine. Today however the world is able to view keynote presentations as they happen. I don’t know about you, but I would have loved to have had video streaming technology back then to see some of these early shows for myself.

PAUL MONOPOLI RETRO WRITER

In the days where the Internet was in its infancy and out of the price range of the average household video game magazines

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MARIO TIME

Cosplayer: Clare Costigan Photographer: Nathan Hendry

PROFILE: clare

E

ach month we’ll be talking to someone involved in the world of gaming, cosplay, anime or pop culture...

This month we talk to Cosplayer Clare Costigan aka Vixen Gamer.

Gametraders: Clare tell us a bit about yourself - we know you’re a cosplayer but you’re also a presenter and model. What else do you do?

Clare: I have a pretty hectic schedule at the moment. I’m a commercial model as well as a cosplay model, a presenter for the gaming show Save Point which has just moved to FOX 8. But possibly one of my biggest passions is writing. I’m actually currently writing my first horror/thriller novel titled Nation Z which will be releasing later in 2013. And on top of all that I’m an actress – I don’t just love dressing up as femme fatales, I like to live them out too.

Gametraders: When did you get into cosplay and what was the thing that drew you in?

Photographer: Richard Ward Clare: I’ve been cosplaying for about 3 years now and there is one overwhelming reason as to why I was so attracted, and still am attracted to cosplay; I feel there aren’t enough powerful female lead characters in popular culture today. Cosplay is essentially my way of addressing that.

In my cosplay word I have the power to create all sorts of fabulous females.

That and dressing up is a hell of a lot of fun.

Gametraders: Who’s your favourite character and why?

Clare: My favourite character has to be my Femme Ezio cosplay. She isn’t an ‘original’ character so to speak but she represents strength, skill and charm. She is essentially Ezio’s female equivalent and that’s a pretty juicy character in itself.

Gametraders: We know some cosplayers make their costumes, do you and if not how do you get them?

Clare: I’ll be honest with you and admit that I didn’t get into cosplay because I love sewing, I actually hate it. The number of times I’ve had

screaming matches with my sewing machine bobbin head is comical! I make some pieces; I’m pretty handy with polymer clay and rather enjoy making weapons but sewing, ugh!

Ebay and Etsy are wonderful sites to gather individual pieces. I absolutely adore styling an outfit and find I can make most of my costumes through gathering pieces from online and then tailoring/ adding effects to them.

I make them into what I want. Saying that I don’t like wearing cosplay costumes straight out of the packet either – not that there is anything wrong with that, I just like to put my own personal touch to costumes.

Gametraders: You’re also a gamer - what are your favourite genres and tell us what games you love from both the past and current generation.

Clare: I’ve fallen pretty hard for League of Legends (Ashe) and that’s taking up a lot of my gaming time. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade holds the title of most beloved game (obsession?).

Continue to next page..

“My favourite character has to be my Femme Ezio cosplay. She isn’t an ‘original’ character so to speak but she represents strength, skill and charm.”

Photographer: Richard Ward

Photographer: Kris Ezergailis I play a human mage with frost skills.

I also adored the new Tomb Raider, man that was a kick ass game. I really like the Assassins Creed realm too.

I’ve been on console for the past few years but I keep switching back to PC. I like games that are full of fantasy, adventure and have ranged magic casters. I’m obsessed with the zombie apocalypse genre too. In saying that if the game doesn’t have a strong female lead I won’t touch it. I like to pretend that’s me in the game… I guess that’s a form of escapism.

Gametraders: You’re heading off to E3 soon, what are you most excited about seeing?

Clare: I’m so excited! I can’t wait to see what Ubisoft have to unveil.

From what I’ve seen of Black Flag so far I think there is something pretty

Photographer: Nathan Hendry

awesome in the works and I’d like to see more. I want to find out if there is more Lara Croft on the horizon. Square Enix and Crystal Dynamix can’t leave us girls hanging! I’m curious to see what goodies Blizzard has to offer.

Heck, I am just dying to see it all.

Gametraders: Are you excited about the next gen consoles from Sony and Microsoft?

Clare: What I really enjoy most about next gen consoles is the competition of these two companies. Both consoles will be great – they will both play my games and at the end of the day that’s really why I use them. But I love to watch how each company pushes the other and see what they can come up with that will take gaming forward. Consoles best days are yet to come. Although I really wish

someone would hurry up and make virtual reality a ready option. I’d love to live out all the action of my avatar. A girl can dream.

Gametraders: Finally, which is your favourite Gametraders store?

Clare: The folks down at the Blacktown store (NSW) are wicked.

I’m always in there salivating over the weapons in their glass cabinet and they let me drool all over the floor.

I always joke with my friends that if the zombie apocalypse strikes I’m heading straight to Gametraders to raid the weapons cabinet. Again a girl can dream

Check out more on Clare at:

thevixengamer.com

Huge thank you to the following photographers for allowing us to use the photographs of Clare - Nathan Hendry, Richard Ward: facebook.com/realworldphotographic and Kris Ezergailis: facebook.com/WhatABigCamera

PROFILE: app development

M

aster Thief - Now available on iPhone, iPad, iPod & Android

We caught up with Richard from Universal Chicken, and talked to him about his new app Master Thief and the challange of being a developer.

Gametraders: Hi Richard, tell us about Universal Chicken and what you do.

Richard: We’re just a bunch of friends who enjoy making games together. We officially started as a team about two and a half years ago when Jaunay wanted to get a regular group to work on games, and we’ve taken stuff to AVCon’s Indie Games Room each year since under that banner.

Master Thief was had been around for a while at that point and had even already appeared at AVCon, but we later took it on as a group project since it’s something we all wanted to work on. Game development is a hobby for us, so we do it alongside of our jobs and more or less just make things which we think will be cool.

Gametraders: You’ve just released Master Thief and it’s seen a jump in downloads, what’s happening there?

Richard: Well, I think there’s two things.

First is actively supporting the game with new levels, features and updates, which we’ll continue to do. We’ve just released on Android, we’ve got our second major update in the works, and are also working to get the game on more platforms.

Secondly, our game has been picked up by review sites, who’ve really helped spread

the word - it doesn’t matter how good your game is if nobody knows about it. They also have active communities, which gives us an opportunity to talk to people who play the game and see what they think.

Gametraders: We’ve heard you’re looking to release extra levels free - tell us why and when that will be available.

Richard: One of my favorite games back in high school was Neverwinter Nights. It had this great system with its expansions where they came with new content, but the cool thing was that they added new features into the game which players could use in their own custom content.

Buying an expansion wasn’t just a few hours of new gameplay, it unlocked access to hundreds of new user made campaigns. So, to us it’s more about the features than the levels. We’ll release more paid booster packs in the future, with the plan being that each one will add new features. We’ll also continue to release more levels separately from those on an ongoing basis, probably for at least a few months. The ultimate dream - no promises!

- is to share our level creation tools so that players can make and share their own levels. That’s a long way and a huge amount of work from where we are now, though. But it’d be sweet to play levels that we hadn’t even thought of!

Gametraders: Ok, back to the development itself, how long did it take you to create Master Thief and how many in the team?

Richard: There’s three of us in the core

cover. The game was developed over around three years, but due to day jobs it was nowhere near full time. It started as probably a few hours a month each and eventually grew to a few hours a week each. And we’ve also done work on some other projects along the way, so there were times when it got put aside for a bit.

Gametraders: What was the biggest challenge in development?

Richard: Haha- picking a deadline!

Games are like any other kind of software, only moreso - there’s always more stuff you want to do than time to do it in. So the challenge, especially with a hobby project that you’re doing for fun, is balancing when you release something against how much stuff you put in it and how long you spend polishing it.

Gametraders: Finally, what’s next for Universal Chicken?

Richard: Well, we want to focus on Master Thief for a while still. We’re planning on at least two more booster packs which we’ve already got pretty solid ideas for, and we’d like to get a pretty significant number of levels in there before we call it a day on that one. We’ve also got a bunch of other game prototypes we’d like to return to or ideas we haven’t had a chance to try out yet. We took a game called “Quube Twodee” to the Indie Games Room a couple of years ago which was received really well, which we only shelved because we weren’t sure where to take it. Maybe we’ll go back to that? But there are plenty of other possibilities, too.

team, and we had help from about half a dozen others in areas our own skills don’t

Gametraders are the publisher of Master Thief and have a number of games on the iTunes store. Click here to download Master Thief today!

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YU-GI-OH OCEANIC CHAMPIONSHIPS Y

ugioh Oceanic Championships has just past and the one standing left standing at the top is none other than Christopher Mattiske who is one of our local players down at Gametraders Marion. After surviving 7 rounds of Swiss, battling his way through the latest decks to hit the Yugioh scene such as elemental dragons, evilswarms and prophecies, he makes it into the top 16 cutoff with a score of 5 wins, 1 loss and a draw. What makes his story more remarkable is that he was ranked 16th after Swiss out of 192 players.

Since it was a one day event, top 16 commenced straight

after which meant there was no time for rest.

Christopher continued his lucky streak to pull out amazing hands during most of his games which included his final match which only took 5 minutes to finish. ‘What deck was he using?’ you ask? He was using the new elemental dragons which combined with the latest rank 7 Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack (from the new Lord of the Tachyon Galaxy) and Light & Darkness Dragon; this deck is one deck to beat. For this format, it’s definitely the fastest deck and you can regenerate your hand by using a card called Super Rejuvenation so you don’t minus yourself by ditching cards for effects.

The only way you can counter such a fast deck is if you manage to draw into a Maxx ‘C’ in your opening hand so if they explode with their moves, you can gain a large hand advantage that may help you during your turn.

So who said playing card games doesn’t have its rewards?

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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 Blacktown................................. (02) 9676 1411 Macarthur Square (Campbelltown) (02) 4620 0750 Nowra........................................ (02) 4422 8790 Parramatta................................ (02) 9633 2833

Christopher walks away with an iPad, booster boxes and an all-expense paid to Las Vegas to attend the World Championships on 10th & 11th August 2013. Congratulations to Christopher Mattiske on his win at Oceanic’s and good luck for the next challenge ahead!

BY JOhNATHAN HENG

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