March LIVE Magazine

MARCH 2014

IN GAMES, NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU

SCREAM..

SURVIVAL HORROR SPECIAL! Page 16

DYING LIGHT PREVIEW Page 48

TITANFALL

Special Report Page 26

Over 120 pages of games, anime, cosplay & more!

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INSIDE

WELCOME TO

MARCH

Survival horror’s been around almost as long as gaming itself. Almost.. it’s a genre that has legions of fans who love nothing more then sitting in a dark room at night and being scared senseless by zombies, monsters and ghouls that seem to pop up unexpectedly at various moments during play. While there’s been a regular flow of survival horror over the years, new systems with more powerful graphics, sound and AI mean that survival horror should get even more immersive if developers take advantage of the raw power of these systems. But let’s not forget the importance of story, of crafting a game in such a way that it sucks you in so deeply that you care about characters so much, that seeing them hurt or killed off can be an emotionally draining experience. Check our editorial on page 16.

16 26 48 100 124

Survival Horror

Titanfall: First Look

Previews & Reviews

Cosplay interviews

Trading Cards

THE LIVE TEAM Publisher: Rob Jenkins (Gametraders Operations Centre) Art Director: Giselle Capozza (Gametraders Operations Centre)

Titanfall is looking to be massive. It’s raced up the pre order charts and is one of the most anticipated games this year. Will it be all we hope? We asked our gaming experts for comment and you can read what they have to say on page 26.

Game Review & Preview Editors: Nick Getley & Kylie Tuttle (Sticky Trigger)

As always our U.K and U.S writers have let us know what’s happening in their part of the world and as always there’s a ton of reviews, previews and cosplay to keep everyone happy until next month.

Retro Writer: Paul Monopoli

Finally, if you like Live Magazine we’d love you to share the link to it. It’s a way to say thank you to our amazing team of writers at Sticky Trigger and Retrospekt who are some of the best and most dedicated people we’ve had the pleasure to work with.

UK Writer: Elliott Buddo

Hope you love this months’ issue as much as we do!

Cover photo taken by Mike Rollerson. See interview page 108 Cosplayer: Lollipop Heidi Cosplay . www.LollipopHeidiCosplay.com

Retro Writer: David Kudrev

US Writer: Serwa Aboagye Sticky Trigger Writers: Kylie Tuttle Nick Getley Alex Holmes Sam Babu Nick Pearce Aaron Milligan Ben Rachow Elliott Buddo Bridget Sweeney Sean Fox Miranda Nelson Dom Mallett

WHAT’S N WII AND DS ONLINE MULTIPLAYER TO SHUT DOWN Seems the low sales figures have convinced the big N to no longer support online multiplayer for many Nintendo games after 20 May this year, however, Wii U and 3DS are not going to be affected. There’s a full list of games and all the details here.

SAMSUNG SHOWS OFF NEW PHONE

WHAT’S HOT ON THE PRE-ORDER CHARTS?

With a big 5.1 inch screen but the same resolution of 1920x1080, Samsung talked about the S5 coming out in April. It features a 16 megapixel camera and is able to record video at 4k!

With a faster 2.5 gig processor and copying the Apple fingerprint sensor, it looks to be a worthy successor to the S4. If you’re an Android fan, watch out for it coming to your local tech store and mobile supplier.

CNet have a ton of information here.

At the moment, Destiny for the PS4 looks to be the hottest game on the VG Chartz USA pre order top 10. Followed by the Xbox One version. Also, Dark Souls II for PS3 is doing well in pre orders. The top games for 22 Feb (the time of the chart) are: Knack on PS4 with 329,036 sales globally followed by Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze with just over 198,000 sales.

NEW

Here’s what’s hot at the moment and what’s likely to be popular with gamers and tech lovers!

SOMETHING FOR YOUR WRIST? So we’re still hearing lots of rumours of the iWatch but nothing of real substance. In the meantime there’s talk of Sony launching a Smartband in March that looks very cool. Sony are going through some changes with them selling off their Vaio laptop brand to a Japanese investment firm and has also announced it is splitting its’ TV division off into a separate company. Seems Sony are going to concentrate on mobile, gaming and cameras.

CORTANA CAN HELP! Microsoft, following in the footsteps of Apple and Google have seen rumours flying around about their proposed new digital assistant named after a Halo character. Cortana will replace the Bing search feature and supposedly a mix of Sir and Google Now. We’ll probably see Cortana in the Nokia phones now Microsoft has purchased the mobile giant - Uou can get the details from the Verge site click here!

from the UK

GAMING IN THE UK It’s been raining and its been cold here in the UK.. In between the snowing and ridiculous amount of rain that’s been falling, one positive has come out it.... perfect gaming weather! Hello everyone and welcome to the March instalment of ‘Gaming in the UK’.

So, what’s been happening over here.....

quel to the hit Octodad which came out a few years ago. This game is drawing people in and rapidly gaining a fan base! But why? Well for starters you play as an octopus, pretending to be a human (you have a human wife and kids!) and go about your life like everyone else. Mastering mundane tasks like going to the store for groceries or eating out at a restaurant will give you hours of

And last but not least, everyone and I mean EVERYONE is standing by for Titanfall! EA are definitely on to winner here and the recent open beta proved to be a huge success with the game receiving rave reviews.

Titanfall’s success will be due to the fact that its graphically brilliant, has an addictive plot line and its nothing like we have ever seen before! Its not a reboot, its not a sequel - it’s its own stand alone title and for this reason alone, people cant wait to get their hands on the full game. I was a little disappointed to hear that there wouldn’t be any campaign or story mode in Titanfall when news first started coming out about. A bit of gameplay for the back story would have been a great addition.

However, where it lacks this portion gameplay, it is well and truly made up for in the online multiplayer and you will be far too consumed in the game to even think about.

“TITANFALL’S SUCCESS WILL BE DUE TO THE FACT THAT ITS GRAPHICALLY BRILLIANT, HAS AN ADDICTIVE PLOT LINE AND ITS NOTHING LIKE WE HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!” TellTale’s ‘The Wolf Among Us’ is getting some rave reviews over here and everyone has been waiting with baited breath for the second season pass. The Wolf Among Us has excited many gamers as we have been waiting for more old school adventure games. Graphically, The Wolf Among Us has given us something that has been very different to the highly rendered 3D graphics that we see on every other game. Whilst the story line may be based on fairy tales, the twist on how they are presented is incredibly smart and for this reason, its drawing people in.

Another game gaining momentum is Octodad: Dadliest Catch. The se-

laughs. Octodad is a bit of an odd game - you will either love it or hate it!

Namco Bandai game, Dark Souls II is drawing closer to release date and I one can’t wait! It’s gaining a lot of attention over here at the moment and I for one can’t wait till its release!

The developers have been releasing more and more teaser videos and stills of late and its just getting more and more excited to see the final product. The plot is still a little hush hush which is even more exciting!! I will have a review for you on this game in the April issue so watch this space!

March 2014 is going to be a great month for gamers!

Written by Elliott Buddo

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

from the US

GAMING IN THE US MORALS IN GAMING If you know me then you know I’m the biggest fan of Mass Effect you’ll ever meet. Not only that, but I’m also the most avid Bioware fan you’ll ever meet. And soon, I’ll probably be the greatest enthusiastic fan of Dragon Age you’ll ever meet (still haven’t beaten the game yet, but give me a few days). In conclusion, I love narrative driven video games. More specifically, I love video games with plotlines involving moral choices; games which require me to choose between actions that can impact my

opt for the decisions which will render my character morally “good” (or “paragon” for all my Mass Effecters out there). Even in situations where either a positive or negative moral choice has no lasting effect on the overall story arc, I opt for the side of paragons and Jedi; I began to wonder why. Although a morally positive choice offers me no benefit or consequence, why do I, as a gamer, always choose the positive side of any moral dilemma with which a game presents me? Is it possibly that this

ment which required participants to play through one of three randomly assigned game scenarios. The three scenarios were: No Russian (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2), The Power of the Atom (Fallout 3), and Free

“THOSE WHO MAKE CHOICES CONSISTENT WITH THEIR OWN PERSONAL MORAL CODES ARE LIKELY TO BE SATISFIED WITH THOSE CHOICES.” standing with NPCs and affect the skills and abilities I can use. I’m a gamer who finds her greatest entertainment from games which not only engage me with gameplay, but also challenge me morally.

While watching me battle, negotiate, and romance my through the world of Dragon Age 2 the other night, one of my friends made the comment, “you always choose the ‘good’ option!” It wasn’t significant at the time, but it’s something that has stuck with me until today. Admittedly, I do always

inclination says something about my moral character as a whole? Is it possible that, depending on how an individual plays through a video game, their choices and decisions represent their real-life moral compass? Don’t think about it too hard, you’ll hurt yourself. Thankfully, some really smart people have actually done research on this exact topic and published their findings in the Media Psychology Review journal.

A bunch of smart guys who like to study the effects of media on people’s psyche conducted an experi-

Labor (Fallout 3). In order to assess whether a player was “morally activated” or “morally disengaged”, participants were asked to write two or three sentences about the choices they made in the game scenario they experienced. The results were quite interesting.

The evidence of the experiment suggested that all players used moral management in order to enjoy the game. However, players who used moral disengagement were significantly more likely to choose the evil

options; while players who reported being morally activated were significantly more likely to choose the good options. This suggests that moral activation/disengagement has a clear relationship with moral choices in video games. This conclusion can be explained by the fact that players bear the responsibility for the choices they make in the game.

Those who make choices consistent with their own personal moral codes are likely to be satisfied with those choices. On the other hand, those who make morally disengaged choices will justify the choice to themselves – the most prevalent moral disengagement mechanism was the “it’s just a game” defense; with players reasoning that since the scenario was not real, their actions bore little consequence.

Players who made the evil choice did not enjoy the game significantly more or less than those who made the good choice. Ad-

ditionally, it is unclear when moral disengagement or engagement occurs in the process of playing and making moral choices. Morals may be disengaged before game play begins, just before each choice is made, after the choice, or all three. This study was also clear in its conclusion that many players, when faced with a moral choice, activated their moral sanctions against reprehensible behavior rather than disengaging them. So then, moral disengagement does play an important role in the cognitive and affective experience of video games. However, moral disengagement is not a necessary condition for enjoyment of moral choice games. Just as much enjoyment can be experienced by fulfilling the dictates of one’s personal moral code and following a morally activated path of action.

Despite the conclusion of the study, stating that enjoyment of a game is not dependent upon infusion of the gamer’s personal moral code, my belief about RPG’s is this – you get out what you put in. As in, when it comes to games such as Mass Effect, KotOR, or Dragon Age – I believe a gamer can find much more enjoyment from these titles when guided by their own moral code. No wonder I find it difficult to complete the entire Mass Effect series on renegade, or (even now) get frustrated when I add rivalry points to any friends in my party for Dragon Age 2. I’m a sweetheart in real life and I want my RPG character to reflect that. When it comes to video games, I’m the sap that’s totally morally engaged.

Written by Serwa Aboagye

www.fruitjungle.wordpress.com

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SURVIVAL HORROR Survival Horror. The sub-genre of video games that aims to induce tension, anxiety and even sheer terror into gamers. For those of you unaware, “survival horror” is a term that groups together action games that have a heavy focus on the survival of the protagonist(s) . Though they have been around since the 80s, the term “survival horror” wasn’t coined until the release of Capcom’s Resident Evil in 1996. Resident Evil also established several key elements of survival horror that remain today, although not necessarily in the newer Resident Evil games.

Survival horror has always been somewhat of a niche genre, as it often proves quite difficult to create a fun and rewarding survival horror, that is also a challenge and genuinely scary. It’s understanding then, that a developer may want to throw a scare or two into an action game, such as F.E.A.R., than create a wholly-survival horror game. The Resident Evil and Silent Hill series have also seen drops in sales since their respective debuts, and while I personally still

like both series, the sales figures don’t lie. In an attempt to reinvigorate the series, Resident Evil took a more action-oriented approach to its gameplay, while Silent Hill tried to stick to its strengths after experimenting unsuccessfully with Silent Hill: The Room (again, I liked it).

If the two biggest names in survivalhorror weren’t performing as well as they used to, what chance did a new survival-horror have, if any? You could be forgiven if you thought horror games were ironically doomed, but thanks to numerous PC-based indie games, scares are back in survival horror, and the influence has spread to pc and home consoles, as well as other indie developers and major game studios. 2014 and 2015 may well be nicknamed “The survival horror years” as there are a plethora of promising-looking survival-horror games set to release in them. No unlimited ammo, no superhuman strength, and almost no hope, these games are stripping survival horror back to its roots, in the best way.

SURVIVAL HORROR Outlast

(PSN, Steam) (Red Barrels) (05/02/2014)

Developer Red Barrels may be a relatively new name to most gamers, but its members have worked on such game franchises as Assassin’s Creed, Splinter Cell, Prince of Persia, Uncharted and Army of Two. These guys know games, and the PS4/ Steam title ‘Outlast’ is proof of that.

Outlast casts players as independent journalist Miles Upshur who, while acting on an anonymous tip, infiltrates Mount Massive Asylum. Abandoned for a long period, the asylum has recently reopened thanks to the aid of the Murkoff Corporation. Once inside, Miles quickly learns that the asylum holds a sinister secret, and his only hope for survival lies in the truth behind the horrors that lie within.

Outlast is already being praised by both fans and critics for its brilliant gameplay and atmosphere. A large amount of the gameplay revolves around investigation, exploration and hiding. With no means of combating the asylum’s inhabitants, players are forced to instead hide from them, adding to the tension as well as prolonging it.

daylight

(PC, PS4) (Zombie Studios) (TBA 2014) The staff at Zombie Studios have been working on various video games (and on nearly every available platform) since 1994. From Zork: Nemesis to the more recent Saw video games and the free-to-play hit Blacklight: Retribution, Zombie Studios have been honing their craft for a long time in the games industry.

DYING LIGHT (Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, PC) (Techland) (31/03/2014)

Techland’s other zombie franchise, Dead Island was less survival-horror and more action-horror with a heavy focus on four-player co-operative gameplay. According to Techland, ‘Dying Light’ will have more action, more survival horror (such as scavenging supplies and fortifying defenses) and more story. Sounds ambitious, but from the screenshots and trailer, it looks as though they could very well deliver on those promises.

Containing a dynamic day and night cycle, Dying Light sees players scavenging for supplies and rescuing survivors against traditional shambling zombies during the day, and faced by ferocious undead predators during the night, including several unique zombies that appear only at night (my fingers are crossed for Left 4 Deadstyle special zombies!)

Similar to Dead Island, Dying Light does contain both ranged and melee weapons, as well as crafting and upgradeable characters. Weapons include sledgehammers, rifles, knives, machine guns as well as more unique weapons. Creating a truly scary horror experience can be a challenge with an open-world game design, especially if that game has a weak story. Here’s hoping Techland manage to pull everything off when the finished game arrives.

Taking more of a Hollywood-style story approach, Daylight tells the story of a woman who awakens in an abandoned hospital with no memory of how she arrived there. With her mobile phone being her only light source, she must explore the hospital and discover the truth behind its criminal past in order to escape.

Not much has been made public of the game in terms of gameplay or if there is even combat present, but from the early screenshots it looks as though there is a heavy emphasis on exploration and atmosphere. Some of the screenshots look eerie, so it’ll be interesting to see the full game upon its release.

SURVIVAL HORROR The Evil Within

(PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One) (Tango Studios, Bethesda Softworks) (TBA 2014)

‘The Evil Within’ (‘Psychobreak’ in Japan) is from the wonderful mind of Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami.

Detective Sebastian Castellanos and his partners are investigating a mass murder when hell is unleashed. Police are murdered one by one, with Castellanos himself being attacked and losing consciousness. When he awakens, he finds himself lost in a strange world where monsters are very much real, and death looms around every corner.

Alien: Isolation

(Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, PC) (The Creative Assembly, SEGA) (TBA 2014)

W g s p e t t i s t

It may be unfair to compare The Evil Within to Resident Evil, but I think doing so shows just how different from Resident Evil The Evil Within truly is.

Early gameplay shootage shows Detective Castellanos having to avoid combat as well as face some truly terrifying situations, which is is a refreshing change from the combatheavy Resident Evil games.

T a ( f s g l i t b p h m

With Shinji Mikami on board, I have no doubt that he will try to avoid some of the errors made with the Resident Evil games, and try to keep things fresh and suspenseful with The Evil Within. It looks extremely promising, meaning horror fans should keep a close eye on this game.

I s a fi e a a s

soma

(PS4, PC) (Frictional Games) (TBA 2015)

While many SEGA-published Aliens game have been first-person actionshooters, ‘Alien: Isolation’ is a firstperson survival-horror. There hasn’t ever been a survival horror game in the Aliens universe (unless you count the slower-paced moments from Alien Trilogy on the PlayStation 1) despite it being absolutely ripe for the taking.

The protagonist of ‘Alien: Isolation’ is actually the daughter of Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver’s iconic character from the movies). The biggest thing to separate Isolation from other Aliens games, is the fact that Amanda Ripley largely only one xenomorph. this isn’t to say that there is only one alien throughout the entirety of the game, but it certainly shows that the Segapublished Alien games don’t always have to be intense firefights between marines and xenomorphs.

In fact, The Creative Assembly have stated that Alien: Isolation has taken a heavy influence from the first Alien film, which was probably the greatest film in the saga in terms of creating an unpredictable and terrifying atmosphere, which The Creative Assembly looks to recreate.

‘Soma’ comes to us from Frictional Games, creators of one of the most popular horror series in recent memory, Amnesia. There is almost nothing known about the game at this time, except that it is a sci-fi horror, set on a remote research facility where machines begin to take human characteristics. Thomas Grip of Frictional games has stated that players will “encounter a number of strange creatures, each an embodiment of an aspect of our themes”.

If Soma is as good as the Amnesia games, then Soma will definitely be an intelligent and terrifying game, and therefore, a must-have.

It looks as though thanks to these games that survival horror is set to make a triumphant comeback, with each of these games having a decent balance between an intriguing story, intense atmospheric gameplay and impressive graphics (Alien: Isolation is apparently going to be the most visually-impressive survival horror ever!). New games are announced every day, and I’m sure that we will hear of more future survival horror games soon. Horror fans get ready, you’re going to be very spoilt in the next few years!

Written by Nick Getley

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

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TITAN FIRST LOOK

No doubt you’ve heard the news: Respawn Entertainment and EA’s Titanfall’s beta was open to everyone with an Xbox One. Players all over the world were logging in, and experiencing first-hand is widely considered the most anticipated shooter in years.

The initial excitement of the beta announcement led to slight disappointment when Australian players learned that Titanfall had no local servers, and instead, Aussies would be relegated to various Asian servers, at the cost of latency-free gameplay. I’m happy to say that game’s Aussie connection is almost unfettered, with neither myself or other beta testers really detecting any lag at all. I have played roughly ten hours of Titanfall in the beta, and believe me when I can say, without hyperbole, that it is one of the best shooters I’ve played in years.

Perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself, and if you’re unfamiliar with Titanfall, allow me to introduce you to it.

Titanfall is the first game from Respawn Entertainment, a game studio founded by Vince Zampella and Jason West, creators of the insanely popular Call of Duty franchise.

NFALL Set in the future, Titanfall casts players as pilots, who control enormous mechs (large tank-like suits of armour [think Pacific Rim]) amidst the chaos of a war between various factions. Not much of the game’s backstory is known at the moment, due to the lack of a traditional campaign mode (as well as the little that can be learnt from the beta) but with gameplay like this, I’m not going to complain. Now, onto the beta itself...

Titanfall’s impressive visuals are immediately noticeable. The first thing I did (and would recommend other players do) is play the game’s tutorial. Admittedly, I probably would have been quicker completing my first few lessons had I not been practically drooling over the games crisp visuals and brilliant lighting.

Respawn, the balance between players and NPCs (Yes, non-player characters are among human players) feels just right.

diers and stall enemy titan shields), as well as other special weapons.

More weapons will no doubt be in the final version of the game.

Having friendly and enemy NPCs running around for you to shoot add variety to the gameplay, and makes for a refreshing change to the simple two-team gameplay of other shooters. The NPCs can take various forms (grunts, Spectres, etc) and rarely do any significant damage on their own, but when they attack in numbers they can cause substantial damage to your pilot or titan, especially in conjunction with enemy pilots (actual players). More games need NPCs running around in their mix!

The Titans (mechs) are an absolute blast to pilot. After a few minutes of a match, you will be alerted on-screen via an NPC on screen that your Titan will be ready to be deployed shortly.

When you summon them into battle, they drop out of the sky to wherever you are. After that, you can choose to pilot them manually or have them fight on auto-pilot.

When choosing to manually operate your titan, your player will climb into the cockpit and the screen then changes to show the inside of your Titan’s cockpit. You have a main

“YOU HAVE A MAIN WEAPON AND SUB-WEAPON INSIDE YOUR TITAN, AND THEY CAN ALSO HAVE EQUITABLE PERKS..”

Upon completing the tutorial, players are able to unleash all the skills they’ve learnt on the battlefield, and boy, is it exhilarating! Titanfall features 6-on-6 game modes, similar to Call of Duty. At first, I was upset by what seemed like identical deathmatches I’ve experienced before, but thanks to some clever thinking from

There is a weapon (or weapon part) for every type of shooter fan.

There’s a carbine, sub-machine gun, shotgun, DMR sniper rifle and smart pistol (a lock-on pistol) and each is deadly when used correctly. There’s also two fairly standard sidearms, a frag grenade, Arc grenades (which damage enemy sol-

weapon and sub-weapon inside your Titan, and they can also have equitable perks, such as a nuclear explosion when they are destroyed, or quicker reloading.

When you set your Titan to auto-pilot, you can choose to have it follow you or guard a specific area. This is

FIRST LOOK

“THE ACTION IN TITANFALL IS QUITE FULL-ON, AND YOU WILL RARELY HAVE MUCH TIME (IF ANY) TO APPRECIATE THE CHERRY BLOSSOM TREES AND WELL-DESIGNED BUILDING INTERIORS.” quite handy if you feel you’re on a roll on-foot, or if you wish to use your cloaking ability and snipe enemy players from cover.

I new the Titans would be cool, but I had no idea that the Titans would be amazing. Smashing through the core of an enemy titan and hurling the pilot within hundreds of feet away just doesn’t get old. Nor does killing everything around you with a well-positioned and well-timed nuclear blast.

Once you reach a certain level, you also unlock and earn “burn cards”, which act as a one-life/spawn perk.

You can collect and stock multiple burn cards, but you can only activate one per life, and once you use them, they’re gone. Some are small buffs to your player, such as increased movement speed, and others are modified weapons, like assault rifles with extra damage, or explosive sniper rifle shells.

The burn cards are a brilliant idea, as they can help a low-level player compete with other players (as they certainly did for me) and also help other players discover new weap-

ons or tactics. It’s doubtful that permanent perks like in Call of Duty will make an appearance as the burn cards manage to keep everything fair between players (seeing as they are frequently unlocked and only last one life).

There are only two maps present in the Titanfall beta, but both differ from each other enough to feel like complete opposites, but each belongs in the fantastic world Respawn have created. The action in Titanfall is quite full-on, and you will rarely have much time (if any) to appreciate the cherry blossom trees and well-designed building interiors.

Now you might have heard that there isn’t a story in Titanfall, which simply isn’t true. There is a story, which is told by the game’s NPCs, level design and other things. Sometimes, you’re simply fighting and absorbing the story, even if you don’t realise it. I’ve heard grunts talk about relationship problems, past missions, and even my own actions in the same match. Respawn’s past experiences with first-person-shooters have taught them that their greatest strength is multiplayer, so it makes

perfect sense for them to tell the game’s story through multiplayer.

Titanfall is shaping up to be one of the best competitive shooters of all time, if not the greatest competitive shooter of all time. The ingenious use of burn cards, wall running, mechs and Titanfall’s other unique features make this game feel like a huge advancement for shooters. If you’ve become cynical and jaded by the arguably “copy-paste” approach from other new shooters and sequels to established franchises, Titanfall will win you back, and then some.

Written by Nick Getley

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

“With Titanfall coming out this month, is there really room for new FPS franchise? What impact do you think Titanfall will have on the dedicated FPS crowd upon its release? Will it be a good or bad thing to have a new FPS on the market?�

Industry Comment..

The short answer is yes. However, let me extrapolate as to why: To subscribe to the notion that a new First Person Shooter would be adverse to the video game market is to promote the stagnation of innovative ideas in what is fundamentally a creative industry. The only opposition that can be expected from the FPS crowd of gamers is a spike in the rate, as well as volume, of profanities and allegations of sexual acts with our mothers from the mouths of the stereotypical Call of Duty kiddies out there.

The introduction of new major –and more importantly successful – FPS Games is what keeps the genre alive as there is always so much untapped potential to be explored. It would be unhealthy to rely on a monopoly of one or two FPS titles to dominate the marketplace with sequels, otherwise things become formulaic and the creative drive of an entire industry would succumb to the allure of profit over art form.

New major titles for the FPS crowd -let alone any genre- is not only good overall, but is perhaps most valuable at the birth of a new generation console. It is a crucial moment as it’s not enough to bring previous generation gameplay

to the next generation as video games, like other artistic mediums, have to break new ground in order to truly thrive. The ability of storytelling mediums to influence their audience is based purely on their creative merit and individually they are even more so remembered because of these merits. Every single successful developer’s career is defined by this, be it Tim Schafer, Gabe Newell, Ken Levine, Shigeru Miyamoto or even Hideo Kojima. All of these people teamed up with their studios to create something new at one (or more) point in their careers that ultimately impacted it for the better.

The fundamental requirement for success in any industry is the ability to present original ideas, anything short of that cannot be measured as being worthy of merit. Imagination is the key to progress and without it video games have no purpose.

SEAN FOX:

WWW.STICKYTRIGGERENTERTAINMENT.COM

The idea at TitanFall is a brand new FPS to take on the current market hasn’t really ever taken full form in my mind. How brand new and different can a FPS really be at this point, where people have very clearly voted with their wallets that they want more of the same. When Call of Duty: Ghosts - now with dog, was announced I don’t think I was the only one to have call backs to the Simpsons and Malibu Stacy’s brand new hat. I wonder if Titanfall will just be the ‘new car’ edition in this raging trend to only ever one up the competitors.

Now this isn’t to say I’m not excited for the game, I’m a huge sucker for both mechs, and parkour, and from everything I’ve seen I will enjoy TitanFall immensely. I just feel that we’re too quick to shout innovation at an FPS when sometimes amalgamation is more fitting. It’s a fine line in a world where nothing is new to not have this argument at every games release, however I feel that TitanFall is a prime example of a melting pot of the last generation of FPS, rather than new ideas.

Again, none of these things will make the game bad. I love it when games feel like they’re made to be fun, and if Titanfall doesn’t reek of a board meeting of 12 year olds who wanted to make CoD more fun, then I don’t know what does.

What I’m really hoping for from TitanFall is that it will teach FPS how to be fun again, and stop them focusing on the unnecessariness. I’m all for this one mech to rule them all, but am not yet convinced that in the darkness it will bind them.

HOPE CORRIGAN:

WWW.XXPGAMES.COM

“With Titanfall coming out this month, is there really room for new FPS franchise? What impact do you think Titanfall will have on the dedicated FPS crowd upon its release? Will it be a good or bad thing to have a new FPS on the market?”

Industry Comment..

Well, the release of Titanfall is almost upon us and no doubt a lot of gamers, shooter fans and non-shooter fans alike are likely asking the same question: do we really need another shooter? To me, this question is missing out a most important phrase: “that’s the same as all the others”. If one asks then, do we really need another shooter that’s the same as all the others?, the answer; I believe is an emphatic “no”. But this doesn’t mean we don’t need Titanfall, because we do.

Why oh why do we need more of the same when you just said we don’t, Alex? Well, I’ll tell you – it’s because Titanfall is different.

Gamers are right in thinking there is a glut of shooters in the market today. Due to the success hugely popular mega franchises as Call of Duty, Battlefield, Halo and Team Fortress 2 being, both new studios and old are looking for a hit to sustain them in these more grim economic times. What these studios and publishers fail to recognise is that these games are the massive franchises they are today because they are all unique and different to each other, and serve different needs of gamers. The mistake studios and publishers make trying to ape these mega franchises make is trying to make the “next” Call of Duty, or the “next” Halo, etc. Trying to beat these titans at being themselves is a fool’s errand at best, though. You can’t and won’t be able to make a Call of Duty clone that beats the origi-

nal, or moves it’s fanbase. So how then does one compete? The answer is simple: you make a different kind of game to the ones that already exist. You don’t take over someone’s existing fanbase, you create your own by believing in your own product and way of making a game.

What the industry needs is not more shooters that are the same, but more shooters that are different and innovative. Titanfall, from the makers of the original mega-success Call of Duty 4, looks to do just that – give us a refined and polished set of basic mechanics familiar to all shooter fans, but also give us an new set mechanics and toys to play around with. Titanfall is different from what comes before, and that is what the game industry, and shooter genre needs: different. Call of Duty will always be Call of Duty, but only Titanfall can be Titanfall. So we don’t need another shooter a clone of anything, by any means, but there is always room for another shooter that plays different and innovates and brings something new to the table. I’ll see you in Titanfall.

ALEX HOLMES:

WWW.STICKYTRIGGERENTERTAINMENT.COM

“With Titanfall coming out this month, is there really room for new FPS franchise? What impact do you think Titanfall will have on the dedicated FPS crowd upon its release? Will it be a good or bad thing to have a new FPS on the market?�

Industry Comment..

With Titanfall ready to drop, there’s definitely room for a new FPS franchise on the market.

Steam sales show that it’s not how much time you have to play a game that gets you to buy.

And, with the increasing age of the gamer demographic, there’s more money to be spent on games. Most gamers don’t choose between FPS franchises, they buy into both.

An AAA franchise is never going to push boundaries very far (if at all), and Titanfall will be no exception. And yet Titanfall is so more progressive than FPS’s we’ve seen for a long time, even outside of the AAA sphere. And gamers and critics will be (and are!) receptive to these changes.

A good reception relies heavily on good skill matching and severs. FPS gamers will resort to silly game types (i.e. 50 players per server with

insta-spawn mechas) when there’s in game issues or when they have an onslaught of awful matchmaking. Titanfall fails to cater to that and I worry that its lack of silly modes is cutting out possible players in order to remain serious. Unless EA gets their Origin servers and bugs ironed out in beta players will migrate to other games that offer good servers and matchmaking, or silly modes where it doesn’t matter if you lag out.

It’s great to see something on the market trying to be unique. The worst thing Titanfall will be is a mediocre attempt at something new. If it’s not mediocre but good, then we move towards innovation as a primary selling point for AAA games; though not very far or at all quickly enough for my liking. The only thing to fear is when Titanfall is a success and we see the same game four times in four years with slightly better graphics.

DENICA ZUKS:

WWW.XXPGAMES.COM

Competition is always good right? I mean, without competition how can one truly better themselves if there isn’t anyone out there to show them that there is always room for improvement? Over the past couple of years the FPS genre has become quite stale, populated by military shooters alike with Call of Duty and Battlefield to name the main culprits. None have really moved outside of their comfort zone to offer any type of fresh take on the shooter genre. Sure, we have all these fancy new toys and destructible environments but every iteration, is basically a re-skin with more items.

Better graphics, bigger maps and more weapons, but at its core the same generic gameplay which we’re all bored of. With Titanfall however, comes something that’s invigorating to the genre. At the helm a team of veterans lead by Vince Zampella and Jason West of former Infinity Ward fame. The team that made the original Modern Warfare what it was and ever since then, hasn’t been the same. Call of Duty seems to be the Michael Bay of the gaming industry, always trying to outdo itself with every new sequel. A lack of substance that has since seen the franchise with every iteration become less enthralling.

When I first saw it in person at E3 2013 I knew that Titanfall was going to be big however nobody agreed with me. Fast forward months later after everyone had gotten their hands on it, and

they loved. There’s just something about this game which has everyone up in arms for all the right reasons. It’s humans vs mechs, theirs action around every corner every 30 seconds and it’s not all about the graphics.

Players have the ability with their jetpack to parkour around the map and this introduces vertical gameplay. Endless possibilities with how you’d tackle another human player or even a mech blasting away. It definitely is a gamble being multiplayer dedicated with single player sprinkled in between, but that won’t stop those aggressively putting in the hours to master this game.

The endless possibilities to continually add new objectives, maps, story and weapons are definitely a key factor into why I’m excited for Titanfall. If Respawn can provide the post-release DLC support then who knows what they could come up with in the future. It reminds me of the good old days of Quake III and even Halo 2 which was the undisputed king of Xbox Live for years after its release.

If Titanfall can garner the same momentum that Halo 2 did when it was released I have no doubt this will be good for the industry and the genre.

It’ll ensure other developers are doing their best to develop a shooter, not to beat it but to be just as good.

ARTHUR KOTSOPOULOS:

WWW.OXCGN.COM

“With Titanfall coming out this month, is there really room for new FPS franchise? What impact do you think Titanfall will have on the dedicated FPS crowd upon its release? Will it be a good or bad thing to have a new FPS on the market?”

Industry Comment..

War. War never changes… While this Fallout adage works as a stirring (if cynical) commentary on human nature, it also is, alas, beginning to describe the FPS genre. FPS never changes?

Grim, yet not entirely unfair. But, once you hit “100 million copies sold,” and there’s no chance of slowing, how much can we really blame them?

The franchise to which I refer is COD, far and away the current overlord of the FPS genre.

While there are many FPS titles which differ greatly to COD, there is no disputing the shadow that this behemoth casts over the genre. For that reason, I welcome any and all daring new franchises to the scrum for public affection. TitanFall may yet become one of these yearly title franchises, but when it hits shelves this month, it will bring something that FPS needs - change.

While the concepts TitanFall brings to the table are not new, the sum of parts is much more refreshing. While from early reports it sounds like time in your Titan will deliver a traditional FPS experience, running around as a pilot will require a whole new skill-set. Apparently, this will be easy to learn, hard to master, the hope being that it will hook FPS faithfuls and casual gamers alike.

If it is fun enough, it could even cause a ripple effect of change through established franchises, something that I think many of them need. Do I think that there is room for a new FPS franchise?

I think that if the answer to this is ever ‘no,’ it will be a dark day indeed for gaming. Whether TitanFall will have the je-ne-sais-quoi to capture the hearts of gamers, and the minds of rival developers, remains to be seen, but I think it will be a wall-run in the right direction.

MEGHAN COLES:

WWW.XXPGAMES.COM

“With Titanfall coming out this month, is there really room for new FPS franchise? What impact do you think Titanfall will have on the dedicated FPS crowd upon its release? Will it be a good or bad thing to have a new FPS on the market?”

Industry Comment..

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X MARKS THE SPOT FOR FLIGHT SIM FANS

XPlane 10 is described as the most advanced flight simulator for Mac, Windows and Linux. Delivered on 8 DVDs, I would say there is some truth to that when you look at the immense data and graphics you get in the game.

You can fly a massive amount of air craft including the Space Shuttle, commercial jets and fighter jets. With Microsoft Flight Simulator no longer available for sim lovers, XPlane is the go to simulator for people who want to experience the joys of flight.

XPlane offers over 1400 aircraft

plans, request clearance and more.

So what’s it like to play? Firstly there’s the install. You have the ability to install as much or as little scenery as you like. The more you install, the longer it will take. Coming out on 8 DVDs in Australia, it’s a big game to install. I sat down and decided to play it safe by only installing the terrain around the U.K. This still took some time so I left it to install while I went off for a snack. After swapping a few disks when prompted I finally sat down to play. Install by the way took around 45 minutes.

So sitting in a commercial jet with the runway lined up before me, it was time to get in the air and see how things handled. I’d like to say at this point I’m not a pilot, I’m a gamer who’s been around a while and played classics such as Falcon 3.0, F22 Raptor and a bunch of other jet and flying games, including the old classic, Strike Commander on my old 486 many years ago. Sitting there I realised I had to calibrate my joystick, a simple process using the menu system. I pushed forward on the throttle and released the brakes and I started moving down the run-

“I SWOOPED LOW AMONG MOUNTAINS AND THEN BANKED BACK TO AN ALTITUDE OF 200 FEET AND SCREAMED PAST THE CITY BUILDINGS. COMING IN LOW AT SPEED SEEMS ALL TO REAL...” through add ons, so there’s bound to be an airplane you will want to fly.

Plus it features almost every airport on the planet and has artificially intelligent ATC that let’s you file flight

Firstly this isn’t a game for a casual player. This is a sim and you won’t find lot’s of fancy intro graphics and tutorials. At least I couldn’t find them.

way. In a few seconds I’d attained enough speed and I was away. The scenery looked amazing on my iMac 27 with 8 gig and flowed smoothly past. Sound too was clean and re-

alistic. It took me a few minutes to work my way around the cockpit and try out different views including a chase view and views from the airport and in the cockpit. I like to fly unimpeded so I choose to fly with the HUD showing but nothing else. After spending a while simply enjoying how real it all looked and felt, I decided to change planes and tried out a Harrier. This too felt very realistic with the screaming jet audio enhancing the feeling of being in the air. I swooped low among mountains and then banked back to an altitude of 200 feet and screamed past the city buildings. Coming in low at speed seems all to real and it was at that point that my wife called out, causing me to end up plowing into the ground at around 400 knots. Hmmm…

game I’d recommend you head over to the XPlane site or jump on the Facebook page set up by the Australian distributors. If you’re a flight sim fan there’s not too much out there that compares with the realism offered by XPlane 10.

I flew a number of aircraft during my review and again, whilst I’m not a pilot, the sim felt real and looked amazing. To get a good feel for the

Head on over to: www.facebook.com/xplane10Au

The latest version - XPlane 10, offers a ton of new features including: 3D cockpits and tons of new aircraft Brand new system for generating scenery for the entire planet.

Highly detailed weather rendering All new ATC and AI Aircraft system.

You’ll need a computer that can run the game and you can fly with mouse or joystick and keyboard - I’d recommend a joystick.

Written by Rob Jenkins Aerofoil maker and plane maker applications included!

FORMAT: PC | MAC | LINUX

OUT: 21 MARCH

RATING: G

PREVIEW

DYING LIGHT In 2011, Polish developer Techland made its first foray into the world of zombies with Dead Island, a firstperson survival game with RPG elements. It was well-received, and the game was followed up by a sequel, but it seems Techland have come back for more with some new ideas in the upcoming Dying Light.

Like Dead Island, Dying Light throws the player into a tropical world, but this time, instead of paradise, it’s the slums. Zombies are easy to handle on their own in this environment, but massive hordes cause the player to

hungry hordes. Running across rooftops, climbing up poles, and sliding under small gaps are all new ways to escape danger and traverse the open world. And what a world it is.

Techland have put a lot of effort into small environmental touches. Foliage is never static; trees, bushes and grass all blow in the wind, as do clothes still hung on the line. Puddles realistically reflect water, and palm tree leaves move realistically in the wind. Another new feature of the environment is traps. Using a remote you can activate electric fences and

During the day, you must be quick to do all you can, scavenging supply drops as the precious sunlight dwindles, and here in lies the decisions. Do you stop to help survivors crying for help, wasting precious daylight and risking being caught out in the dark, or do you ignore them get to those supply drops before the sun goes down? Decisions like this could result in a matter of life or death later on.

Nightfall is when the game becomes something more terrifying.

Zombies are no longer push-overs;

“NIGHTFALL IS WHEN THE GAME BECOMES SOMETHING MORE TERRIFYING. ZOMBIES ARE NO LONGER PUSH-OVERS; WHEREAS IN THE DAY THEY AREN’T TOO ACTIVE AND WILL BE EASILY TAKEN CARE OF, ZOMBIES BECOMES THE HUNTERS OF THE NIGHT.” find new tactics to survive, and one of those new tactics is Free-Running.

Reminiscent of the parkour mechanics in Mirror’s Edge, free-running introduces fresh ideas for avoiding the

explosives-rigged car alarms to dispatch larger amounts of zombies.

These are sure to be helpful when in the heat of pursuit.

whereas in the day they aren’t too active and will be easily taken care of, zombies becomes the hunters of the night. They are stronger, faster, and will actively seek you

out. Fighting them straight on as you would during the day will end in your death. It is at this time Dying Light encourages the player to a different gameplay style instead: Stealth. Zombies now stalk the narrow pathways through the slums, and the player must use stealth kills and alternate pathways to avoid being seen. An ability known as Night Sense alerts the player to zombies entering the darkness before them, and being spotted will alert all nearby zombies in the area. All the player can do if they hope to survive, is run.

And they’ll need to keep on running, because at night zombies can jump

and climb too, meaning climbing onto a nearby rooftop won’t keep you safe anymore.

Dying Light is shaping up to be quite the zombie game. Techland is building on the foundations left by Dead Island and reinforcing them with new mechanics such as freerunning, traps and nightfall, adding a lot more strategy and challenge than its predecessors, creating a stronger, smarter game. Only time will tell if all these elements fall in place before the dying light.

Written by Jacob Getley

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

FORMAT: PC | XBOX 360 | PS3 | XBOX ONE | PS4

OUT: TBC 2014

RATING: CTC

PREVIEW

FANTASIA: MUSIC EVOLVED When the original Fantasia film was released in 1940, I don’t think anyone could have predicted the path that entertainment would take in the future. The release of the Xbox One and its compulsory Kinect sensor will see the revival of the franchise with Fantasia: Music Evolved on Xbox One and 360 from the creators of Dance Central and Rock Band, Harmonix.

the areas have been shown so far in previews, including a sea floor and snowy terrain. To explore the area, the player can stroll left and right in front of the sensor and use their hands as an onscreen cursor. After locating a rift, they will see that it corresponds to a particular pop song that they then have to play through.

Prompts will display and the player can use gestures to fulfil these

area. Completing these objectives also adds to the backing music they player will hear as they move through the environment and that music will change depending on their choices while interacting with objects. Playing through the songs is also personalised. At various points in each song, the player will have a choice to play in the original song style, metal/rock, or orches-

“..WHAT IS YET TO BE SEEN IS WHETHER PEOPLE WILL TAKE THE FANTASIA CONCEPT SERIOUSLY OR DECIDE THAT IT’S JUST ANOTHER SLOPPY MOVIE TO GAME ADAPTATION.” From what has been revealed about the game so far, the story is this: the player enters the game world as Yen Sid’s apprentice (a throwback to the most popular section of the film) and he tasks them with collecting magical energy for spells. To do this, the player will go to different areas in the Fantasia realm and look for small holes in the universe. A couple of

prompts in order to gain magical energy.

It sounds simple but there really appears to be quite a bit of depth to this game. When a player first enters a new area, it will be dull and lifeless.

It can be brought to life partly by interacting with objects and partly by playing through the songs of that

tral. This way, each time you play the song can render a new version.

So far so strange. The game isn’t supposed to be a direct movie to game situation, not that Fantasia featured a strong central story anyway. By far, one of the most thrilling parts of the Fantasia movie was the incredible music, courtesy of The Philadelphia Orchestra. In Music

Evolved, the licensed music appears to consist solely of pop songs which, while entertaining, means that it probably won’t feel as epic. Hopefully there will be enough songs on release so that it doesn’t feel like you’re listening to the shortest playlist ever. Artists include Bruno Mars ‘Locked out OF Heaven’, Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and AVICII ‘Levels’ to name a few.

The objectives, much like other franchises from Harmonix, appear to be fairly loose and you can spend your time in the game doing whatever you like. There are no enemies to face and no big problems to solve. In fact, it doesn’t appear to be possible to fail at this game. Even if you know nothing about music, the game will manipulate what you’ve done to sound good. It sounds like a bit of fun, but not particularly challenging. There are certain people who will create challenges for themselves in games like these and look really cool playing them, though this isn’t enough to pull in the hardcore gamers, and we’re still waiting for a Kinect game that actually feels like a real game as opposed to a quick arcade experience.

According to several sources, the game is going to run natively in 1080p but, looking at what has been shown so far, it doesn’t really seem necessary when plenty of triple A games aren’t yet doing that. While the environment looks beautiful, the gameplay is touted to occur mostly during the songs and there aren’t a lot of visual elements onscreen during that time, just mixtures of colours. It’s a magical world that looks almost cartoonish and doesn’t need to look like real life. So as a selling point, it might be a little weak.

It’s easy to dismiss these games as party titles but Harmonix has been pretty successful so far in selling franchises like these. What is yet to be seen is whether people will take the Fantasia concept seriously or decide that it’s just another sloppy movie to game adaptation. As far as upcoming games go, it might be worth keeping an eye on this one as it unfolds. Might as well do something with that Kinect.

Written by Bridget Sweeney

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

FORMAT: XBOX ONE | XBOX 360

OUT: TBC 2014

RATING: CTC

PREVIEW

METAL GEAR SOLID V: GROUND ZEROES & THE PHANTOM PAIN The Metal Gear Solid (MGS) series is not only one of gaming’s most venerable franchises, but perhaps one of its best and most iconic. Arguably the inventor of the modern stealth game, or Tactical Espionage Action as the game itself would put it, Metal Gear Solid arrived in 1998 and deservedly won over a large and loyal fanbase. 15 years later and Metal Gear Solid has produced 3 numbered sequels as well as branching into spinoff properties. With each game from Metal Gear Solid 4 onwards, creator, director and producer Hideo Kojima has announced his

So yet again we are getting a Metal Gear Solid from Kojima, number five this time, but on a most unusual package - Metal Gear Solid 5 is split across two games: Ground Zeroes, a prequel of sorts, and The Phantom Pain, the full ‘main’ game.

Metal Gear Solid V (yes, why this is a V instead of a 5 does not make sense to anyone but Kojima) focuses on the further adventures of Big Boss AKA Snake AKA the protagonist from MGS3, Portable Ops and Peacewalker. Initially taking place directly after Peacewalker, MGSV

tively. The story of MGSV looks to be another piece of the (massive) puzzle of MGS chronology, but should efforts have been made to make the games accessible to new players as well despite being part of a larger tapestry. Kojima himself has also said he is using this entry of the series to explore more taboo and interesting topics than the previous games. Additionally, to the relief of many, he’s also promised to cut down on his infamously long cut scenes. On the acting front, usual Snake voice actor David Hayter has been replaced by 24’s Jack Bower-

“..THERE IS A DAY/NIGHT CYCLE THAT RUNS IN REAL TIME IN THE GAME, AND THAT DIFFERENT MODES OF TRANSPORTATION WILL ALTER HOW MUCH TIME PASSES IN THE GAME BETWEEN TRAVELING BETWEEN STAGES.” intention to step away from the series. However Kojima seems about as able to step away from the Metal Gear universe as Peter Jackson is able to step away from Middle Earth.

features more cold war tactical espionage action around the world, taking place in Cuba (Ground Zeroes) and Afghanistan (The Phantom Pain) in the 1970’s and 80’s, respec-

Kiefer Sutherland. Hayter has been with the series since Snake first spoke, so Sutherland has a lot to live up to.

As important as the story elements are, the gameplay elements of MGSV are where the real changes to the series come in. Previous entries in the series, as admitted by Kojima himself, had been railroaded affairs with a small degree of freedom, in terms of both mission structure and

real time in the game, and that different modes of transportation will alter how much time passes in the game between traveling between stages.

In both games, as in MGS Peacewalker, players will build a base as a HUB use it to develop weapons and new items. Innovatively, a smart-

versy, however. Kojima claims that MGSV is broken up into two games to give the fans the some of the game sooner and give them time to adjust to the allegedly radical new way MGS will be played – the idea being they pick up Ground Zeroes, get used to playing it and are then

“..THE GAME IS DESIGNED SO PEOPLE CAN EXPERIENCE ALL THE DIFFERENT WAYS TO PLAY THIS “NEW” VERSION OF MGS”

in mission gameplay choices. MGSV aims to turn this all on its head. The main game, The Phantom Pain, allows players to take missions in any order of their choosing. Additionally, within each mission the player is given a complete open world experience, with the ability to approach mission objectives from a wide variety of tactical standpoints. The prequel, Ground Zeroes, will offer a taste of this but on a much smaller scale. Kojima has also stated that there is a day/night cycle that runs in

phone app will be released so that players can interact with your base from your phone, allowing you to get some research done while at lunch or on the bus, and have your new gear ready when you get home to play. With a combination of innovations, both large and small, and the stunning new FOX graphics engine, MGSV might just be the best Metal Gear to play yet.

These exciting new developments do not come without a little contro-

ready for Phantom Pain. This idea has met with a mixture of curiosity and condemnation from within games journalism. Many claim that Kojima is essentially releasing a demo game at almost full price -younger readers, you might not remember this but there was a time when demo discs of games were provided to gamers through magazines and such, and you’d be able to play the first two levels or so of the game. However, Kojima says that although a straight play through

Ground Zeroes would take around two hours, perhaps up to four with additional non-campaign content on the disc, the game is designed so people can experience all the different ways to play this “new” version of MGS, and that they’ll in fact get sufficient bang for their buck. Whether consumers believe him, given that Ground Zeroes is almost a full priced game, remains to be seen.

No doubt a lot of MGS fans will be happy to get their hands on Ground Zeroes and get to grip with not only the new gameplay elements, but the new FOX graphics engine as well.

But buyers be warned, if you do purchase Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, please be aware that while it is considered by Kojima an essential part of MGSV it is not the full story and game of MGSV, and while it is a complete game in of itself it is a short one. While Ground Zeroes is released in March this year, the Phantom Pain will apparently not be released until at least March 2015 at the earliest – making Ground Zeroes that much more tantalizing.

Written by Alex Holmes

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

GROUND ZEROES:

FORMAT: XBOX 360 | PS3 | XBOX ONE | PS4

OUT: 20 MARCH 2014

RATING: MA15+

THE PHANTOM PAIN:

FORMAT: XBOX 360 | PS3 | XBOX ONE | PS4

OUT: TBC 2014

RATING: CTC

PREVIEW

MURDERED: SOUL SUSPECT It says a lot about the state of videogames and media in general that ‘solving your own death’ is not a wholly original concept for a story.

From the makers of jetpack shooter Dark Void and dimension-hopping puzzler Quantum Conundrum, it comes as no surprise that Airtight Games now takes on the action-adventure genre with their own unique style.

While Ghost Trick on the DS may have trod this path before, Murdered’s take sets aside goofy humour for a much darker, more surreal tone. Put in the shoes of Detective Ronan O’Connor, your first clue that

the murder iceberg. As it turns out, ghosts are real, and Salem is very, very haunted.

Being a ghost opens up a lot of different, exciting possibilities in terms of gameplay that might not be available in a more standard shooter franchise. A spirit himself, Ronan can now talk to ghosts and gather information on crime current and ancient; no longer bound by petty little things like walls and corporeality, he can also enter the minds and houses of the living, working the case right beside detectives lucky enough to still have lungs. The whole thing looks to play like LA Noire with a supernatu-

death. Being in limbo also means you can see and be seen by all sorts of demonic spirits: some helpful, some hindering you, and some just hungry. There isn’t a lot to see about the nature of the combat thus far, but expecting something similar to Bioshock Infinite’s mix of gunplay, magic and running away from towering monstrosities would be a safe bet.

While the graphics nor the gameplay don’t look to be straining the limits of their engines, the eldritch nature of the piece will allow for action, gunfire, and set pieces not restricted by realism or physics. If

“..THERE ARE FAR WORSE THINGS THAN DEATH. BEING IN LIMBO ALSO MEANS YOU CAN SEE AND BE SEEN BY ALL SORTS OF DEMONIC SPIRITS: SOME HELPFUL, SOME HINDERING YOU, AND SOME JUST HUNGRY.” things have gone badly is the sight of your killer putting several bullets into your body as you watch on spectrally from behind. Unfortunately, it’s not over that easily: Ronan has the bad luck to be a gumshoe in Salem, a town with more skeletons than closets, and his death is just the tip of

ral twist: rather than simply accusing someone of lying, you can reach in and pull the truth straight from their mind. Being dead has never been so convenient.

an action game that tests logic as much as reflexes is your bag, Murdered: Soul Suspect may be the case for you.

As Ronan says in the trailer, however, there are far worse things than

Written by Aaron Milligan

FORMAT: PC | XBOX 360 | PS3 | XBOX ONE | PS4

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

OUT: JUNE 2014

RATING: CTC

PREVIEW

QUANTUM BREAK In an era where it’s hard to tell where a game stops and an interactive movie begins, Remedy (Alan Wake, Max Payne) is looking to blur the line completely through their upcoming Xbox One exclusive, Quantum Break. In what is being described as “the ultimate Remedy game”, Quantum Break will mix the drama of a live-action television series with the intense thrill of a third person shooter.

Quantum Break follows the story of an experiment gone wrong, and the three characters whose lives have been altered with time-manipulating powers because of it. While it falls within the genre of an action styled

between watching and playing. The game features passages of gameplay, each of which are followed by an ‘episode’ of a live- action television series. It is hoped that players will engage with the action packed third person shooter sequences, but be able to kick back and immerse themselves in the live-action segments as they watch the story come to life. Not much is known on the number or duration of these live-action segments, but based on the emphasis shown in early teaser footage and interviews, it is expected that they will play a major part. Interestingly, players also have the option of watching the episodes immediately after unlocking them, or later on de-

the show, and plans to do so by offering a branching storyline and the ability to play as two protagonists, Jack and Beth...as well as the antagonist, Paul Serene. By playing as the villain, you’ll be offered choices through a system of ‘junctions’ that allow you to choose a specific future, altering present events and glimpsing the consequences before they even have a chance to happen.

While no concrete release date has been set, Quantum Break is expected to be released sometime this year.

With a slew of amazing games for the Xbox One coming out throughout the year, we will have to wait and see whether Quantum Break has what it

“CHOICES HAVING CONSEQUENCES IS NOT UNIQUE AMONG GAMES, ESPECIALLY IN RECENT YEARS, HOWEVER QUANTUM BREAK WANTS TO DO IT DIFFERENTLY.” third person shooter, not unlike their power-wielding protagonists, the game has a few tricks up its sleeve.

Through a series of unique game mechanics that aim to distinguish Quantum Break from mere Quick Time Event sequences, the game seems as if it is trying to bridge a gap

vices such as a smartphone or an iPad. Choices having consequences is not unique among games, especially in recent years, however Quantum Break wants to do it differently. Creative Director Sam Lake urges players to choose their ‘director’s cut’ of

FORMAT: PC | XBOX 360 | PS3 | XBOX ONE | PS4

takes to make a mark. Hopefully it won’t be too long as wait, because just as in the game’s aptly chosen tagline, time is the fire in which we burn.

Written by Miranda Nelson

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

OUT: JUNE 2014

RATING: CTC

PREVIEW

THE EVIL WITHIN The Survival Horror genre has taken some backward steps since the release of Resident Evil 4, which could be why the game is on every single platform you can imagine but handhelds (give it time). This look to be changing sometime in 2014 with Shinji Mikami directing ‘The Evil Within’, known in Japan as ‘Psychobreak’. Being developed in Japan studio Tango Gameworks (setup three years ago by Mikami), the studio also includes Ikumi Nakamura (Bayonetta), art director Naoki Kataki (the 2002 Resident Evil remake & Okami) & design lead Shigenori Ni-

will publish the game on PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One with a concrete date in 2014 yet to be announced.

Anyone familiar with Shinji Mikami will know he was the director of some amazing games, with his resume including games such as Resident Evil, Dino Crisis, Resident Evil: Remake, P.N.03, Resident Evil 4, God Hand and Vanquish.

He has also worked on Killer7 and the Devil May Cry series. His experience in the horror and action genres

“Not much has changed when it comes to instilling terror in the player,” Mikami says. “But people have got used to the tropes of horror and they know what’s coming next, so in that sense it is harder to make them afraid.”

The Evil Within seems to be going back to the original Resident Evil’s gameplay and avoiding the more recent action-packed Resident Evil 6. Players will be made to feel powerless in The Evil Within as there is scarce ammunition, confined spaces, as well as near-

“WAKING UP IN A LAND INFESTED WITH FEARSOME MONSTERS, HE HAS TO FIGHT HIS WAY THROUGH A WORLD OF DEATH AND MADNESS IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND WHAT’S GOING ON.” shikawa (Viewtiful Joe, Mad World) who Mikami singles out as future directors of their own studios. Tango Gameworks is yet to release a title but surprisingly Bethesda Softworks

undeniably make him an expert as to what truly makes a great horror title, though admittedly, the challenge has become greater for Mikami.

invincible enemies that will require you to conserve ammo and run and hide if need be. Tension will be the forefront of this world with Mikami aiming to fill players with dread, so

much so that they may want to avoid frightening sequences they must progress through.

The story follows Detective Sebastian Castellanos and his partners, Joseph Oda and Julie “Kid” Kidman, when they are called to the scene of a gruesome mass murder where a mysterious, powerful force is lying in wait for them. Witnessing the killing of fellow police officers one after another, Sebastian is then attacked and loses consciousness. Waking up in a land infested with fearsome monsters, he has to fight his way through a world of death and madness in order to understand what’s going on. Sebastian has to face his fears in order to survive the journey to discover what lies in the shadows of that mysterious force.

The start of the demo is atmospheric and creepy, with empty police vehicles scattered about and our character Sebastian cautiously making his way through the area enter a building. Inside, the main hall is absolute carnage as the building’s interior is a wreck and littered with bloody

corpses. Sebastian checks security camera footage and sees a ghostly figure effortlessly killing a squad of heavily armed police officers. He turns away from the screen, only to see the very same ghoul staring at him. It screams, and we cut suddenly to black. Sebastian’s eyes blink open only to find ourselves hung upside down with gallons of blood spilled all over the walls and ceilings, surrounded by mutilated corpses. A rather large butcher wanders into the room (reminiscent of the enemies of Shadow Man) and begins to carve meat from one of the dead bodies, then carries the meat over to a table.

A fellow strung up corpse near Sebastian has a butcher’s knife still stuck in it and slightly glowing. Sebastian begins to swing, attempting to gain enough momentum to reach it. He succeeds, and grabs the knife to cut himself down. After crashing to the floor, the butcher returns. It is apparent that to face him head-on would be suicide, so the player has to avoid the beast rather than attempt to confront it. An opportunity

FORMAT: PC | XBOX ONE | PS4

presents itself as the butcher begins to carve up more meat, and Sebastian deftly sneaks by. Combat isn’t always the right choice in The Evil Within, which makes for a refreshing change from most survival horror games.

Borrowing from horror movies, The Evil Within uses a variety of different techniques to scare the player, from simple “jump” moments (such as a body falling out of a laundry chute), to having to re-confront the butcher in order to steal his key so Sebastian can make his escape. This is where you have to get so close you share the protagonist’s anxiety and tension, as well as the relief he must have felt after making his escape.

Unfortunately that marked the end of the demo, but it more than made me keen for the full game! It’s great how in such a short time, The Evil Within has impressed me immensely, and with so many other great horror titles coming out, it looks like 2014 could be the comeback of Survival Horror!

Written by Nick Pearce

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

OUT: TBC 2014

RATING: CTC

REVIEW

FABLE ANNIVERSARY It’s hard to believe that Fable is ten years old. It seems like just yesterday that I was taking my first steps towards becoming a great hero in Albion, performing good deeds, killing wasps and...kicking chickens.

Though the Fable series has arguably strayed from its roots, both Fable II and Fable III shared the same love of adventure as well as the themes first established in the first Fable.

To celebrate the anniversary of Fable, Microsoft and Lionhead Studios have recreated the original Fable in

blast playing through Peter Molyneux’s iconic open-world RPG all over again. If you’re an experienced hero or a Fable newcomer, Fable Anniversary is well worth checking out, it’s a piece of gaming history that thanks to efforts of Microsoft and Lionhead, looks better than it has ever before.

Fable tells the story of you, a small boy or girl (the ability to play as a girl has been added into Fable Anniversary) who is living a normal life in a small village. It’s your sister’s

pens to have a box of candy for sale for three gold.

Upon attempting the three good deeds needed, the player is presented with shortcuts, or ways to earn money by misdeeds, such as taking a bribe for a man caught cheating on his wife. These choices once felt very fresh and important, though by today’s standards, feel like cartoonish parodies of direlyimportant decisions in games like Bioware’s Mass Effect series. Fable though, does contain a ton of

“YOU CAN ALSO TAKE ON A QUEST IN A DIFFERENT NUMBER OF WAYS, SUCH AS DEFENDING A FARM FROM A BANDIT PARTY, OR LEADING THE BANDIT ASSAULT ITSELF AGAINST THE FARM. QUITE A REFRESHING CHANGE FROM OTHER RPGS..” glorious HD resolution, which is being sold as a standalone title and in the recently-announced ‘Fable Trilogy’. Sticky Trigger was lucky enough to receive a copy of ‘Fable Anniversary’, and it has been an absolute

birthday and you are yet to get her a present. Your father informs you that he will reward you a gold coin for every good deed you perform in the village. Conveniently, there is a travelling merchant who just hap-

humour, and (in my opinion) the game is an extremely light-hearted approach on the normally overlyserious RPG genre. Being dared to pick on a homeless person with a bully, or smash a warehouse own-

er’s stock may sound like pretty serious crimes, but these are presented to the player in a laughably silly way. Any more silly and you would have a cartoon angel and devil on either shoulder attempting to coerce you, like in an old episode from The Simpsons.

It’s not long after you give your sister her present that your village in-

vaded by bandits. Your parents are murdered, and you are just barely rescued by Maze, the leader of the Hero’s Guild. While he may seem harsh at first, Maze takes the protagonist in and trains him to be a great warrior, who’s choices will affect their lives and the lives of many other of Albion’s inhabitants. For those of you new to the Fable series, or who haven’t played the original Fable, I won’t be going into any more specific detail with the game’s story, so as to preserve it for the inexpe-

rienced. I will say though, that it is a humorous and fun-filled story, that offers unique missions compared to other role-playing games such as The Elder Scrolls series and Diablo III, which are both mature and somewhat darker.

The real beauty of the Fable series (and indeed Fable Anniversary) is how accessible the game managed

to be. Other RPGs such as the Final Fantasy games and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (also released on the Xbox Original) can seem intimidating to an inexperienced RPG gamer, but Fable really was a lot more “user-friendly” than these games, and almost felt like a more mature Legend of Zelda game.

The combat in Fable Anniversary, is extremely simple to get the basics of, though more advanced tactics like dodging and flourish strikes (care-

fully-timed skillful blows in combat) will come with practice. All weapon strikes are initiated with the X button, all archery and ranged attacks are initiated with the Y button, and all Will (magic) attacks are initiated with the B button. Players can attack in any direction (similar to the Batman: Arkham games of Assassin’s Creed games) and can also lock onto enemies by holding the Left Trigger.

Thanks to these simple controls, all players, regardless of skill levels are able to enjoy Fable Anniversary, and most importantly, stand a chance against bosses, the often annoyingly-hard element of RPGs. Quests though, not combat, are the heart of every RPG. They reward experience, progress the story, and give one a chance to demonstrate the strength of one’s character, particularly in Fable, where players are tasked with making decisions

with world-changing ramifications.

Quests can be engaged by either talking to a quest vendor (a person in need, or a person of otherwise importance) or by reporting to the Hero’s Guild and accepting requests made to the guild. Quite often, the guild-related quests will give you an opportunity to explore a new area, which will then give the player access to a number of additional, smaller requests. This is a good thing because it makes the player feel as though they are truly exploring and experiencing Albion, without overwhelming them with a flood of quests.

The quests themselves, can range from a simple wasp-extermination mission, to joining an underground fight club, or assassinating a particular person. You can also take on a quest in a different number of ways, such as defending a farm from a bandit party, or leading the bandit assault itself against the farm. Quite a refreshing change from other RPGs that still holds up well today.

It would be quite rude of me to not mention Fable Anniversary’s fantastic soundtrack and unique voice acting. The Fable theme itself, was composed and recorded by Danny Elfman (yes, the Danny Elfman) so needless to say, it is a brilliant piece of music. The rest of the game’s soundtrack is equally as good, and Russell Shaw (who composed music for Syndicate, Theme Park, Populous, and more) does a fantastic job at creating an atmosphere with his music that few games have come close to.

As previously mentioned, Fable Anniversary is an Hd remake of Fable meaning that the game is more defined and presented in widescreen.

Unfortunately, sometimes the game can take a while to render its textures, even when you install the game to your Xbox 360’s hard drive.

This wouldn’t be so bad if the game looked as good as it can be, but if I’m going to be 100% honest, I’d say

there are definitely times where the game (solely from a visual perspective) looks as though a few shortcuts were taken. Textures are blurry, and some things looks eerily similar to they original Fable on the Xbox Original. With that being said, the game does look better than it has ever before, and it has seen a drastic improvement, I just know from playing other games (and indeed, other Fable games), that the game could’ve looked better, and at the very least, sharper.

So what else is new about Fable Anniversary?

For those of you well-versed with Fable, and are curious as to the revamp’s new features, allow me to mention them briefly: • 1080p widescreen graphics • New lighting, fidelity and special effects • All new engine, built on the Unreal 3 Engine.

• New save-anywhere save system • More seamless and fluid gameplay • User Interface and menus have a nice new book design • All the Fable: The Lost Chapters extra DLC. • Smartglass app (which helps in quests, as well as detail maps and take screenshots!), and of course, • ACHIEVEMENTS! Overall, Fable Anniversary is a fantastic modern version of a classic RPG. The game runs brilliantly, and contains all the extra DLC from Fable: The Lost Chapters too. The new lighting and effects are brilliant, I only wish the game looked a little sharper. For what it is (and its price) Fable Anniversary is a great game for Fable newcomers and experts alike. If you’re looking for a fun, lighthearted RPG, don’t hesitate to check out Fable Anniversary.

8.5/10 Written by Nick Getley

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

REVIEW

DRAGON BALL Z: BATTLE OF Z It’s hard to think of an anime that was as popular as Dragonball Z in the 90s. Sure, Pokemon, Cardcaptors and Neon Genesis Evangelion all got their share of the spotlight, but Dragonball Z was (and still is) top dog for many anime fans. One of the few anime that can be translated into a video game decently, Dragonball Z has seen games released on almost every major game console imaginable. The latest game, is Dragonball Z: Battle of Z on the Sony PlayStation 3. It features all of the characters and events that a DBZ fan would ex-

Battle of Z presents the series’ most popular story lines as simple missions through a menu. Sure it would have been nice to have a more detailed experience such as an explorable hub-level, but the menu’s simplicity allows players to progress through the game quickly and without any confusion.

If (like myself) you are unfamiliar with Dragonball Z, you may find yourself confused anyway, as there is so much content in the game it has to jump rather large gaps in the story,

still able to grasp the story and character’s through Battle of Z’s succinct presentation.

An opening tutorial mission sees Goku (DBZ’s main protagonist) on patrol. The game teaches the player the basic controls as well as some advanced maneuvers, such as flying, attacking and dodging, as well as other game mechanics.

Upon completing the mission (and every other mission), the player is rewarded a grade for fighting. The better you fight, the better your

“..IT CAN FEEL AS THOUGH YOU’VE BARELY HAD TIME TO MASTER THE GAME’S BASIC MECHANICS, AND THEN YOU’RE FLUNG INTO BATTLE ROYALES FEATURING SOME OF THE TOUGHEST BADDIES IN THE SERIES.” pect, but instead of one-on-one fighting like in past entries, it features large group battles, with up to eight characters duking it out at a time. Is it a satisfying game? Or is it a bumbling mess like Hercule? Read on...

though these usually events of little significance. Think of this game as a playable highlight reel, or a “best of Dragonball Z” and you’d be on track.

For the record, I’m only vaguely familiar with Dragonball Z, and I was

score, pretty simple. The grades aren’t necessary but they do add some replayability to the game, particularly to the side missions, which are non-canon events such as a seemingly unending army of Saiba

men that the player must defeat as quickly as possible.

Combat is Dragonball: Battle of Z is fast-paced, though it does feel as though there is a very limited amount of moves available for each player. While performing combos with their character, the player fills an energy meter. Projectile attacks and other special moves drain that meter, and eventually players can perform super moves, such as Tribeams. Unfortunately, it does feel as though every character plays the same. Yes, eventually you will unlock a huge roster of characters, but similarly to the Dynasty Warriors games (love them or hate them) it really does boil down to sing the best combo or move from your chosen character. Mash, rinse, repeat. I suspect that online multiplayer battles would have more variety, but single player’s enjoyment comes down to seeing the story progress, unlocking characters and cards, and achieving a high mission grade.

Some of the fights can be quite difficult, and these can be quite stressful. As the game advances so quickly it can feel as though you’ve barely had time to master the game’s basic mechanics, and then you’re flung into battle royales featuring some of the toughest baddies in the series. There is very little opportunity to counter your enemies, and none at all when you’re being juggled by a team of characters relentlessly. This difficulty does come with a satisfying bonus should you succeed though, it’s just a harrowing experience until you get there.

Ultimately, Dragonball Z: Battle of Z comes across as a rushed game with repetitive gameplay. Die-hard fans of Dragonball Z will enjoy it, but gamers who are simply curious might find their time better spent on another game.

Written by Nick Getley

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

5/10 PROS • •

Group battles in a Dragonball Z game!

Huge roster

CONS •

Repetitive

•

Some missions are mindless mash-fests.

•

Difficult

REVIEW

ZOO TYCOON Business-sim games AKA tycoon games have been around since the dawn of videogames, but were probably at the height of their popularity on PCs in the 1990s. Games like SimTower, Theme Park, Theme Hospital, Aerobiz and (to a lesser extent) Harvest Moon proved that both adults and children wanted to test their corporate mettle and see if they had what it takes to succeed in a simulated business world.

‘Zoo Tycoon’ is an ambitious zoosimulator from Frontier Develop-

allow players of all experience levels and ages to create and manage zoos that border on the fantastic.

Gameplay is extremely light on the normally-hardcore simulation side of things, and heavy on the interactivity and cute animals, making it a fun game for kids and adults alike.

Zoo Tycoon offers three different game modes which will suit players of all experience levels. Campaign mode offers a 15-hour story mode (of sorts), Freeform mode (where money is infinite and unlocking new

are at the main entrance gate to their zoo. Players are able to customise their zookeeper’s gender, hairstyle, face and uniform at any point in the game, so kiddies need not fret if their zookeeper isn’t quite what they wanted.

Navigating around the park is simple, thanks to two different movement modes and camera perspectives. Should a player want to take in the sights and experience their zoo first-hand, they can walk around as their zookeeper, as well

“IF YOU’RE AN ANIMAL LOVER, A FAN OF BUSINESS SIMS, OR ARE LOOKING FOR A GAME TO PLAY WITH YOUR KIDS, YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY GIVE ZOO TYCOON A CLOSER LOOK.” ments, developers of the underrated Kinectimals as well as the popular Rollercoaster Tycoon 3, and in it, players create the “zoo of their dreams”. While that might sound like an exageration, Zoo Tycoon does

content depends on your zoo’s level) and Challenge Mode (short challenges which unlock content for the other game modes).

When players start the game, they

as drive the zoo’s different animalthemed buggies around the park’s pathways. The other mode, is a bird’s eye view of the park, which is what I would recommend for the actual zoo construction, as it al-

lows for better planning and more even designing. Players are able to swap between the two at any time; I’ve found I regularly do and use the bird’s eye view to quickly drop my zookeeper at different enclosures at a much quicker speed than walking or driving.

When creating an enclosure, players choose the size of the enclosure (larger sizes need to be unlocked and then researched), and what type of habitat the enclosure will feature. Different animals can live various enclosures, but will only thrive in certain ones. For example, chimpan-

zees can survive in a savannah, but will thrive and love to live in a tropical enclosure.

After constructing an enclosure, players can then decorate them, as well as build a number of improvements to them. Some of these include compulsory feeders and bathing utilities, and some of them are for the animal’s enjoyment or interaction with the animals. It’s extremely enjoyable watching the animals play with their different toys (especially the chimpanzees!) and Frontier De-

velopments have done a fantastic job not only simulating a zookeeper’s job, but also the various behaviours of different animal species (lemurs and sloths being this big kid’s favourites!).

and the animals themselves have a small amount of needs that require attention. Most of these are pretty simple to manage, but they can become difficult when the player’s zoo becomes larger.

When interacting with the animals, players are able to feed them using the controller or hand gestures via Kinect, wash them with a hose, or mimic the chimpanzees and felines through a special play screen. It’s impressive how different each animal’s personality can feel, and just how fun each interaction remains time after time. I got particularly at-

Now, the Xbox One version does contain more content than the Xbox 360 version of the game (as one would expect), though both versions are enjoyable. The Xbox 360 version of Zoo Tycoon is a single-player game, while the Xbox One version boasts an impressive four-player cooperative feature, which is even playable when the host player is offline.

tached to Frazier, my baby elephant, who would bound over to my zookeeper when spotting him, and then squeal for fruit.

Yes, you can manage your team’s zoo even when the zoo’s owner isn’t playing. Pretty slick.

There is over 100 different animal species in the Xbox One version of Zoo Tycoon (65 in the Xbox 360 version) and a huge variety of unlockable content for the game including shops, entertainers, decorations and other staff (who make your job that little bit easier). Staff, shops and utilities often need repairing or restocking (as do the animal enclosures)

After spending a fair amount of time with Zoo Tycoon, I only have a few minor gripes with the game. One is that it feels as though the unlockable content comes too easy, as you are given multiple rewards for almost every possible action. Bought a milkshake stand? Here, have five different animal species! Ran a TV commercial? Here’s a stack of cash and ten more animal species! As I said,

this is only a minor gripe, and I imagine you unlock so much content with every action because there really is so much content available. I also imagine that unlike in real life, every possible zoo location in Zoo Tycoon from North America to Australia and everything in between is able to successfully maintain every species of animals, which is a good thing.

If you’re an animal lover, a fan of business sims, or are looking for a game to play with your kids, you should definitely give Zoo Tycoon a closer look. While it can get a tad repetitive, it features a ton of fun and accessible gameplay that kids will love. One of the few games in my collection that I can not only show to everybody, but also amuses everybody.

Written by Nick Getley

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

PROS •

Cute and life-like animal behaviour.

•

Multiplayer on the Xbox One is brilliant.

•

7.5/10

Possibly the most accessible business-sim ever. Anyone can play.

CONS • •

Starts to feel repetative, especially on a long play session.

Can be difficult to manage the increasing amount of tasks and challenges found in larger zoos.

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REVIEW

HARVEST MOON 3D: A NEW BEGINNING The Harvest Moon franchise has been around since 1996, and is still running to this day. Despite this, I have never played a game in the series before; my only familiarity with the series is that I recall my cousin playing the original SNES game one time. So when I was given the opportunity to play the latest installment of the series, I jumped at it.

When you start up the game, you are prompted to choose your gender and customise your character.

Although the customisation options

gins with the player heading for his new hometown (where his parents owned a farm) when he sees an old man pass out in the woods, and helps him out. The man introduces himself as Dunhill, and informs you about how people have been leaving the village recently to live elsewhere.

He takes you to your old farm, and explains the basics of the game to you, which consists of a lot of tutorials. After those tutorials, you finally get some free time. Too bad it’s just as tedious.

stored with food you can cook, but it’s more of an annoyance than a necessary mechanic. Tending the crops takes about ten minutes and once that’s done, all you can really do is buy more seeds at the grocery store or explore the woods outside of town to gather insects and other things to put in the shipping bin to make money.

Crops take about five to seven days to grow, so you’ll be spending a lot of time in these woods collecting each and every living thing to sell like a

“BUT AFTER ABOUT THREE IN-GAME WEEKS IN, SOMETHING WONDERFUL HAPPENS. AN ARCHITECT NAMED REBECCA AND HER SON TONI MOVE INTO TOWN, AND YOU ARE ASKED TO BUILD HER HOUSE.” are simple, character customisation is a first for the series, and is a welcome addition, although some may be bothered by the six-character limit for names (this applies to all things you can name as well). The story be-

At the start of the game, there really isn’t much to do. All you have to do at the farm is plant and water the crops. There’s a health mechanic where if you do too much farm work you’ll faint and the meter can be re-

crazed kleptomaniac. Oddly, despite the annoyance of the amount of tutorials at the start, some tutorials show up later than you would prefer; you aren’t taught about how the shipping bin works until Day 3

for example, although fortunately you can still use it before this.

After selling your freshly grown crops for a few days (about a week in), an animal dealer named Neil shows up and gives you a cow. He’s a typical moody anime guy who’s a bit of a jerk sometimes, which I felt was jarring considering the rest of the game is peaceful in tone. Neil shows up in the town from Monday to Thursday, selling animals, fodder, medicine, treats, etc. At first, he only sells Cows and Chickens, but when I tried to buy a chicken the game informed me that I didn’t have room on the farm. It turns out you need to make a chicken coop, but the game doesn’t even tell you this for about another two weeks. Taking care of Cows isn’t too hard; brush them, milk them, give them treats, make sure

they have fodder to eat, and letting them graze outside. But even when taking time to do this and tending the crops, you’ll still have plenty of time left over. Back to being a kleptomaniac then.

Other things happen during the month, but again they are few and far

between. You are given fishing traps to catch fish at fishing spots (annoyingly, if you don’t place them in the right spot when on the rock you’ll just discard them in the river instead), a blacksmith named Iroha moves into town who will give you upgrades for your tools if you keep giving her gifts (and gives you a hammer and axe so you can finally make use of all those rocks and branches you found in the woods), and meeting the Harvest Sprites; two little elf-like creatures who serve the Harvest Goddess.

They teach you how to use Sound Stumps to open up new areas in the woods, but so far all they’ve given me is the ability to take a shortcut in the forest rather than open up a new area to explore. And despite all these events, you still spend up to half the day in the woods collecting bugs to sell.

After a brief and amusing animation where the player builds a house as if Bob the Builder learnt Shadow Clone Jutsu, the house is built and Rebecca gives you some blueprints as a thanks. Blueprints let you build various things with all that previously useless junk you’d find in the woods.

That chicken coop I mentioned before? Now you can make one and raise chickens! Those building materials that couldn’t be stored in the chest in your house for some reason? Build a storage shed that lets you store materials! Rebecca sells even more blueprints at her house, so you can make all sorts of stuff.

Fences, benches, street lights… heck, even houses!

At this point, you’re probably wondering why play this game when barely anything happens? And I don’t blame you; the pacing is very slow. But after about three in-game weeks in, something wonderful happens. An architect named Rebecca and her son Toni move into town, and you are asked to build her house.

jects you’ve made with blueprints, and move already existing objects in the town. You can move pretty much anything; just walk over to an object and pick up. You can even move houses and farmland. Also, time doesn’t move in Edit Mode, so you’re free to edit to your heart’s content. This level of customisation

The other thing you unlock when Rebecca moves in is Edit Mode.

Edit Mode allows you to place ob-

makes the game much more fun, and handy too. I used it to expand my farm fence and add a chicken coop. Festivals are also held every month, where you can take a crop or animal to compete with other towns for prizes.

So it takes about one month ingame, but things finally pick up steam. Dunhill asks you to build stuff for the town’s revitalisation project to make it more homely and to attract new residents. My countless trips to the woods are now about finding supplies to build things with. I can now catch fish with a rod or build new fish traps with blueprints. I can sell milk and eggs to make a profit.

I’m now task driven and it’s fun! It’s just a shame it took three weeks for it to happen.

PROS •

Character Customisation

•

Edit mode

•

Blueprints

CONS •

Slow Start

•

Pacing Problems

•

Lots of Tutorials

Harvest Moon 3D: A New Beginning is a game fans of the genre and series will enjoy, and is easy for newcomers to play too. It has charming, if simple, visuals and some nice calming background audio. Its customisation and Edit Mode are fresh additions that breathe a new life into the series. It certainly lives up to its name, but you’ll have to judge for yourself whether or not three weeks is worth the wait for that new beginning.

Written by Jacob Getley

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

8/10

REVIEW

TOMB DEFINITIVE RAIDER: EDITION Reboots are becoming more and more common in the gaming industry. At first, the concept of reinventing classic game franchises may have seemed unnecessary, and to a cynical majority (myself included) it may have also felt as though game designers were running out of ideas.

Some reboots have been dreadful, such as ‘Syndicate’, whilst others such as Mortal Kombat, have rejuvenated stagnant franchises.

The reboot of the iconic Tomb Raider series in 2013 was announced some

Tomb Raider re-introduces players to Lara Croft, though not quite as they know her. Lara is younger (she hasn’t even been on a single adventure/expedition), naive, and a lot more realistic (both in attitude and in her physical appearance) than in her previous games.

Aboard the ship “Endurance”, Lara, her mentor, her team, and the ship’s captain are in search of the lost kingdom of Yamatai, off the coast of Japan. Whilst sailing through the “Dragon’s Triangle” the Endurance

tombs and island inhabitants.

‘Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition’ was announced by Square Enix in December last year. This fully rebuilt version for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One features an obsessively detailed Lara and a fully realised lifelike world. Showcasing spiffy 1080p graphics, vastly improved character models and particle effects, all the previous release’s DLC, (including 6 different outfits for Lara),voice commands, as well as a digital art book and comic, ‘Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition’ boasts

“IN FACT, THE WHOLE GAME REALLY DOES FEEL MORE ALIVE. I FREQUENTLY STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF EXPLORING JUST TO TAKE IN THE SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT..” three years ago, and although ‘Tomb Raider’ bears a closer resemblance to the popular Uncharted series of games then it’s own roots, the finished product is nothing less than amazing.

is hit by a freak storm, with Lara and her comrades finding themselves stranded on an isolated island. Lara must learn how to become a survivor, scavenger and warrior in order to rescue her friends, escape the island, and overcome the treacherous

the most beautiful and believable world in a Tomb Raider yet, but do the enhancements really make for a truly better game?

When I first booted up ‘Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition’, I immediately no-

ticed the new and improved character model for Lara. Her hair behaves more realistically, particularly in the wind or rain, and even her facial expressions seem to be more realistic of the situations she faces. When Lara is injured, her face reflects her pain, with her mouth open and her teeth gnashed together. When she is exploring a hidden tomb, her face is full of curiosity and wonderment, and there are other instances where her facial expression is determined by a recent development in the game’s story. While facial expressions are certainly not new to video games, the way in which they’re used is what is impressive about ‘Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition’, especially when they are met by the impressive new mud, sweat and other environment effects.

Another new addition to TR:DE is the ability to use voice commands, which are made possible by the Xbox One’s Kinect and PlayStation 4’s Eye camera. These are quite simple and while most people may see them as a gimmick, they can

be helpful for swapping weapons quickly during combat, or navigating the in-game menus. I also found that unlike Dead Rising (which thinks I’m constantly shouting to attract zombies), TR:DE is calibrated in a way to only recognise loud commands, which makes for a better, frustrationfree game.

While the island contains many criminals and psychopaths, Lara’s nemesis in ‘Tomb Raider: Definition Edition’ (I feel) is the island itself. Thanks to the efforts of Crystal Dynamics, the environment is even more menacing than before. Harsh winds blow the grass and foliage realistically, and even the weather over the ocean somehow looks even better. Edges of jagged cliffs are more refined, and the tombs feel more live. In fact, the whole game really does feel more alive. I frequently stop in the middle of exploring just to take in the surrounding environment, and thanks to the lack of a traditional HUD, my TV screen is free to display the gorgeous visuals Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition has to offer.

PROS • • •

Absolutely gorgeous. A fine achievement in graphical quality.

Brilliant story and character development (at least, for the protagonist).

A perfect reboot of an iconic franchise.

CONS •

None.

Summary:

When it boils down to it, Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is a brilliant game that didn’t need a facelift, but has certainly benefited from it. If you haven’t played the previous release of the game and you have a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, don’t hesitate to pick up Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition. It’s the perfect game that has somehow been improved.

9.5/10

EDITOR’S CHOICE AWARD! Written by Nick Getley

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

APP REVIEW

FIZ: THE BREWERY MANAGEMENT GAME I have a passion for frothy beverages of the alcoholic persuasion. In fact, a favourite past time of mine is brewing beer at home. While I like to think I can brew a pretty mean dark beer, I’m still a newbie in the art of ale production. Until I gain more experience, I’m going to happily live out my frustrated dreams as the almighty beer baron in Fiz: The Brewery Management Game.

From the humble beginnings of a garage, your pixelated doppelganger must brew their way to the top,

lager to sell at a questionable establishment called “The Hole” is as fun as it sounds.

If you’ve spent time with other sim management titles like the great Game Dev Story, Fiz will instantly feel familiar. The fundamentals are easy to grasp, yet underlying this is a challenging experience. Brewing recipes to sell at cutthroat pubs may sound simple (and it is), but there’s more to it. Part of the challenge is to understand your customer’s preferences and competitor’s strategies. If

downright frustrating. Too often I felt the need to restart my whole game because my funds had been wiped out, and it is incredibly tedious to rebuild from scratch. Don’t stress though. You don’t need to have a business degree to play Fiz and aside from a few difficulty spikes it’s extremely light-hearted and fun.

The visuals are pixel-gorgeous, and the humour often had me chuckling.

Even though the music is limited to one looping track, it fits the tone of the game perfectly.

“IT’S GENUINELY EXCITING TO UNLOCK NEW BEER RECIPES AND DEVISE STRATEGIES TO TURN A PROFIT AND I’M SURE THE DIFFICULTY SPIKES WILL GET IRONED OUT IN UPDATES.” seeking that elusive perfect batch of beer. Along the path strewn with the failure of once hopeful brewers, you unlock new recipes, marketplaces and quirky employees. Employing a ninja to brew a “Get Off My Lawn”

you don’t get it right, that brew you just invested heavily in won’t move off the shelf.

Unfortunately the difficulty of Fiz often yo-yos between compelling and

What I really like about Fiz, is that there is always something to do.

Some other management games rely heavily on timers (i.e. click a button and come back in a few hours). In Fiz, quick brew times,

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD! constantly evolving challenges and special events means you never run dry. Ultimately, if you are crowned the king of beer production, there’s also a Game Plus mode.

Something that also impressed me is that I always felt like I was learning. It’s the same concept when you watch CSI or NCIS, and you feel like you’re now an expert on crime scene forensics. I’m under no false impressions that I actually know more about beer production than when I first started, but full credit to Bit By Bit Studios for crafting such engaging and enjoyable experience.

For the most part, Fiz strikes an excellent balance between providing a fun, yet challenging management game. It’s genuinely exciting to unlock new beer recipes and devise strategies to turn a profit and I’m sure the difficulty spikes will get ironed out in updates. For less than the cost of a beer, this is definitely one to consume.

PROS

9/10

•

Enjoyable management core

•

It’s about beer

•

Charmingly presented

CONS • •

Difficulty Spikes

You don’t get to drink the beer

Written by Stephen Mitchell www.grabitmagazine.com

APP REVIEW

THE SHADOW SUN It was 2009 when Ossian Studios first set about creating a triple-A RPG experience on iOS and finally we can enjoy the fruits of its labour.

The Shadow Sun is great! Set in the city of Shar and its surrounds, you create a hero that will explore banditridden streets and alleys, rat-infested sewers, rolling sand dunes and more. On this journey you’ll hone skills that accentuate your playstyle, be it brawler, thief or mage, while you fight and trade your way through a city richly grounded in a mythology that echoes ancient Persia. Sweep-

its people, unchecked as political factions vie for power using you as their pawn. It’s a lot for one hero to overcome, but that is the nature of RPGs: learning the skills and attributes necessary to grow into legend and myth. Creating, through experience, the sort of character that a civilization would look to should your world need saving.

Ossian Studios should be commended for setting themselves such lofty goals. For achieving them, they should be celebrated. The touch-

ments that movement comfortably.

The bars that provide quick access to your spells, skills, weapons and potions retract off the edge of the screen when not in use, leaving extra screen real estate to appreciate the world so lovingly created.

Your loot can be admired, too, as the detailed armour and weapons you have fought hard to earn adorn your character during gameplay.

These items are put to use in realtime combat that is visceral, and to which you feel actively connected,

“THE GRAPHICS ARE CERTAINLY PRETTY AND DO A GOOD JOB, BUT IT’S THE ENGAGING STORY, THE CHARACTERS YOU GROW TO GENUINELY LIKE, AND THE ADDICTIVE GAMEPLAY THAT GIVE THE SHADOW SUN LEGS.” ing orchestral music waxes and wanes in the background, befitting of such an epic adventure.

Yet Shar isn’t a happy place. There is a plague scouring the land and

screen comes alive with a sense of adventure. You will not be hindered by the controls. The left thumb stick for directional movement is responsive and accurate, and swiping on the right for camera control comple-

as opposed to just spectating. With practice you can become skilled at blocking and evading. If you prefer you can employ stealth tactics and build yourself a master thief, picking the pockets of unsuspecting nobles,

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD! and using their wealth to turn the balance to your favour in well-stocked merchant shops.

The graphics are certainly pretty and do a good job, but it’s the engaging story, the characters you grow to genuinely like, and the addictive gameplay that give The Shadow Sun legs. In the early impressions I posted on our website, I said that the more I played, the more I wanted to play. This turned out to be so much so that after finishing my first play through as a classic sword and shield brawler, I started again, keen to explore the attributes of a rogue.

Ossian Studios has birthed a series here, not just a game, and there will be many gamers - myself included - eagerly awaiting the next entry in this new saga. Your hero hails from lands to the north of Shar and I want to go there and see what they look like. I’ve enjoyed my time in this desert kingdom immensely, but now that I’ve had a taste, I long for the horizon.

PROS •

Deep and detailed world

•

Controls work well

•

Engaging Story

CONS •

Takes a bit to get going

9/10 Written by Garry Balogh (www.grabitmagazine.com)

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YOUR THOUGHTS To submit your "thoughts" on a game, anime movie, figurine, anything gaming related, please email news@gametraders.com.au

GAMING TRIVIA: NOLAN NORT

BLADE KITTEN: EPISODE 1 - XBOX LIVE, PSN, STEAM

Nolan North certainly has had a busy voice-acting career, not just with western games like the Uncharted trilogy, the Transformers games and Assassin’s Creed, but with Japanese games like Final Fantasy XII, White Knight Chronicles I & II, Valkyria Chronicles and Lost Odyssey, as well as Australian game Ty the Tasmanian Tiger ... he’s also a TV/movie actor, recently playing the helmsman of the USS Vengeance in Star Trek Into Darkness!

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” sidescrolling platformer presented in an cell-shaded anime-style. Blade Kitten is a very charming game with many funny moments and pretty good voice acting (the game is fully voice-acted). The platforming itself is clever and enjoyable without being overly challenging. This is a game that is definitely worth getting! I’ve talked with Blade Kitten’s creator, and it looks like Blade Kitten: Episode 2 could be released this year (2014) - possibly combined with Blade Kitten: Episode 1 as a full game.

THE LAST OF US: LEFT BEHIND - PSN

“THIS IS A GAME THAT I CONSIDER TO BE RIGHT UP THERE ALONG WITH THE LAST OF US AND THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME AS “MUST PLAY” GAMES!” I absolutely LOVED IT!!! It was totally worth the cost, and waiting for first time in a VERY long time I found myself staying up to the early hours (4am) gaming. I had intended to play it in installments over a few days as to make it last, but once I started playing I couldn’t stop! If you loved The Last of Us, then you must get TLOH: Left Behind (via the PSN - a patch update for The Last of Us is required). Also, I recommend reading the 4-part comic book series, The Last of Us: Amercian Dreams prior to playing TLOH: Left Behind, as it’s a prequel to the events of TLOH: Left Behind.

STURMWIND - DREAMCAST Sturmwind is a shoot ‘em up video game for the Sega Dreamcast console. It was developed by Duranik, and published by RedSpotGames on April 24, 2013 as an independent commercially released game. The game has received extensive press, major videogame publications in the United States, Germany and Japan all reported about its announcement.

German magazine Chip called Sturmwind’s effects “very amazing in relation to the systems’ age.”

It is the first original game released for Dreamcast since 2009’s Rush Rush Rally Racing and IRiDES: Master of Blocks.

The game uses a hybrid 2D/3D game engine. The game is basically a 2D horizontally scrolling shoot’em up, but there are also section where the scrolling is vertical. The game has 16 levels which are divided into 7 different worlds, with more than 20

bosses and hundreds of different enemies. Three different levels of difficulty will be available.

The game is region free (works on any MIL-CD compatible Dreamcast) and will support both PAL at 50 Hz and 60 Hz, as well as NTSC and VGA. Apart from the standard joypad, Sturmwind may be played with the arcade stick (both analog and digital), and the controls are configurable. The game also makes use of the VMU and the rumble pack. Also, it is the first commercial game supporting the SD-card adapter. On the SD-card it is possible to save high scores, replays and even the addons.

I found it to be a lot of fun - first time I’ve played a ‘shoot-em-up’ game in a VERY long time (it’s great that you can change the direction of weapons fire to behind you - makes it handy for those sneaky enemies). So great to see a new release Dreamcast game!

Further features include FMV sequences, CDDA sound, an award trophy system with unlockable content and the ability to place one’s highscore on the internet using a code.

VALKYRIA CHRONICLES - PS3 It often puzzles me when a REALLY well-made game isn’t well-promoted (if even that) by it’s publisher. Such was the case for the SEGA developed title, Valkyria Chronicles. Yet despite the lack of promotion and fanfare, the game was critically acclaimed and musch-loved by both gamers and critics. It’s also a game that’s been difficult to properly describe as well. Perhaps the best description is that it’s a real-time/turnbased, tactical/strategy simulation RPG - it’s certainly a unique game and there really isn’t anything else like it. It is, without a doubt, the most underated game on the PS3!

The battle system plays sort-off like a strategy RPG in that you select your characters and get move them or make them attack, then your en-

emy does the same - except that in Valkyria Chronicles, you move your characters in a real-time/3D environment. A movement meter determines how much you can move your character, and you can attack/ heal/etc only once per turn, but you can move around before and after you attack - which is handy since enemies can attack you while you control your characters, and they can also counter-attack as well. The game features stunning visuals - a water colour-styled cell-shading, the soundtrack is fantastic (never dominating the scenes, but complimenting them), and the voice-acting is really well done.

The game’s story centers is set in Europa - a parallel-version of Europe where two collections of nations, the

Empire to the East and the Federation to the West go to war, with the small neutral nation of Gallia caught in the middle. The story sees Gallia invaded by the Empire in order to obtain a powerful ore called Ragnite, which is plentiful in the small nation.

In the small border town of Bruhl, university student Welkin Gunther, his younger sister Isara and a member of the Town Watch, Alicia Melchiott, are forced to flee to the nation’s capital.

This is a game that I consider to be right up there along with The Last of Us and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as “Must Play” games!

All written by Paul Leach

RETRO

SURVIVAL HORROR SPECIAL

HOW TO SURVIVE RETRO STYLE! The horror movie genre has been started to make a real impact on the genre. One could argue that only the around since the dawn of film, and with it the villains who make these graphic ability of modern day consoles could allow an element of refeatures come alive. Early movies alism that would shock and surprise such as the 1922 feature “Nosferatu” ThrasosVarnavaThvg.deviantart.comThrasvarnava@gmail.com gamers. However, truth be told, horand the Universal monster movies of the 1930s cemented the horror ror and survival games have been villain in the minds of the movie go- around for decades, and not just as ing public. Since then these modern text adventures. day horror heroes and anti heroes have become household names. For Not many readers would have heard every “Ash” from Evil Dead there is of “Ghost Hunters” by Code Masters, a Freddy Krueger, or for every Van released in 1987 and considered to Hellsing there is a Chucky. These be one of the earliest examples of movie legends have been cemented the horror-survival genre. Coded by

equivalent of an energy bar. When you are sufficiently scared it’s game over! Released on the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC, this platformer features a unique platforming, separate shooting system which takes some getting used to.

“Total Eclipse” is another lesser known survival series, but with few horror elements. In the first game you play an archeologist who has two hours to ascend the pyramid and destroy the statue of Ra, which will lift a curse, which will stop the

“BEHIND THEM THE DOOR SLAMS SHUT, THE SPIRITS AWAKEN AND WHAT WAS A SUPPOSED TO BE A SIMPLE TASK TURNS INTO A FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE.” in the minds of the ever expanding, pop culture loving public.

Up until recently it has been a different story for the video gaming world. Only now have games such as “Resident Evil” and “Silent Hill”

the Oliver Twins, best known for creating the “Dizzy” series, this game is a far cry from the land of the Yolkfolk. The hero, Hunk Studbuckle, has to search the mansion for his lost brother, but you have to keep an eye on your terrormeter, which is the

moon from exploding, which will save the world! The game, released on home computers, uses an early 3D engine known as “Freescape”.

The game “Driller” was the first to use this engine, and it was also used in the game creation tool “3D

Construction Kit”. A sequel to “Total Eclipse” was released, under the title “The Sphinx Jinx”. This game upped the ante by giving the player a single hour to find the twelve pieces of the sphinx. Featuring an impossible invisible maze, this game was given away on the cover of computer magazines and through the Home Computer Club in the UK.

ket, but the images within the game are considered to be disturbing in places.

Yes it’s impossible but at least no one had to pay for it!

This seems to be the traditional setting in the survival/horror genre and it certainly provides a heavy dose of atmosphere for the player in this game. The two protagonists enter the mansion in search of a piano, each for their own reasons. Behind

“Sweet Home” for the Famicom is considered to be the spiritual prequel to the “Resident Evil” series. Released by Capcom in 1989, this RPG

Inspired by the writings of H.P. Lovecraft, the “Alone in the Dark” series debuted in 1992 on PC, with other ports to follow. One fact about this game that may not surprise you is that is takes place inside a mansion.

“Alone in the Dark” game cover

Screenshot from “Alone in the Dark”

is considered to be one of the first psychological horror games and is based on the Japanese movie of the same name. The producer of the film had a heavy hand in the creation of the video game which requires the player to put to rest an angry spirit.

The story has elements of “The Blair Witch Project” in which a documentary team arrive to capture the story of what happened in the mansion the game takes place in. During her life, the evil spirit was supposed to have kidnapped children and burned them alive. Unfortunately their presence awakens the spirit, which is where the player steps in. The gameplay is not unlike most JRPGs on the mar-

them the door slams shut, the spirits awaken and what was a supposed to be a simple task turns into a fight for your life. After 2 sequels the series was put to rest in 1994, though it was revived in 2001 and again in 2008.

There we have some early examples of survival and horror/survival games, but maybe you have some other classic titles you would like to share with the gaming community.

As always, hit us up on the Gametraders Facebook page and tell us about them.

“Ghost Hunters” game cover

Written by Paul Monopoli Images from Wikipidea.

Screenshot from “Total Eclipse”

RETRO

SURVIVAL HORROR SPECIAL

TOP 5 HORROR-THEMED GAMES Horror games are the theme for this month’s magazine, so I decided to backtrack and reminisce on 5 games that have made great definitions of horror themes in a video game. The top 5 that I cover aren’t in any preferred order and there are plenty of fascinating titles out there that go further back than the 90s like Chiller and Maniac Mansion.

ThrasosVarnavaThvg.deviantart.comThrasvarnava@gmail.com

PHANTASMAGORIA

(SIERRA, PC/SATURN 1995) Mentioned again in Gametraders Magazine last month in the top 5 controversial video games due to its graphic content and questionable sexual references, I didn’t get to delve in to the storyline of the actual game.

The Full Motion Video intensive game puts you in the role of Adrienne who is a writer and has bought a mansion out in the country with her husband.

The mansion is previously owned by a brutal and demonic magician from the nineteenth century.

Adrienne then starts to get visions and nightmares of the magician’s past experiences which is more than enough inspiration for her new novel.

ZOMBIES (KONAMI/LUCASARTS, SNES/MEGA DRIVE, 1993) Zombies (or Zombies Ate My Neighbours as it is known in the US) is a challenging top-down shooter following the traditional reigns of Gauntlet. The objective of the game is you plow through over 50 stages rescuing innocent people scattered around the levels.

You’re given a barrage of arsenal to fight Zombies, possessed dolls, chainsaw wielding maniacs and many more monstrosities who are out to get you and the innocent.

I should add that if you know of the classic adventure game Day of the Tentacle which is a sequel to the previously mentioned Maniac Mansion, then you’ll find cameo appearances of the infamous tentacles in Zombies.

SPLATTERHOUSE

(NAMCO, ARCADE/PC ENGINE/FM TOWNS, 1988) For a game that is over 25 years old, it still has pretty creepy undertones in this sidescrolling hack and slash horror. You play as Rick Taylor, and your girlfriend has been kidnapped by the evil Dr. West.

You have super human strength due to a mask that has appeared in your possession (which makes your character look a lot like Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th) and you must wade through stages to rescue your girlfriend. Along the way, you find possessed rooms, swamp monsters, mutilated zombies and other creepy crawlies trying to stop at your tracks.

Great game! However I’ve been informed that the 2010 reboot is worth avoiding..

SYSTEM SHOCK 2 (IRRATIONAL GAMES, PC/MAC, 1998) Worth mentioning as a flashback to the innovative former company Irrational Games. System Shock 2 blew gamers away with its atmosphere and in-depth customisation of your character as well.

The sequel takes place 42 years after the events in the 1994 game System Shock in which a corporation has made a new ship the Von Braun which has sent out a distress signal. You play as a marine who is sent in to investigate what is happening.

The moment you enter the Von Braun, you’re in another world. Corridors with scribbles written in blood, along with infected crew members out to rip you apart. This particular game paved the way of future classics like Deus-Ex and Bioshock.

GABRIEL KNIGHT: SINS OF THE FATHERS (SIERRA, PC/MAC, 1993)

For a game that is over 25 years old, it still has pretty creepy undertones in this side-scrolling hack and slash horror. You play as Rick Taylor, and your girlfriend has been kidnapped by the evil Dr. West.

You have super human strength due to a mask that has appeared in your possession (which makes your character look a lot like Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th) and you must wade through stages to rescue your girlfriend. Along the way, you find possessed rooms, swamp monsters, mutilated zombies and other creepy crawlies trying to stop at your tracks.

Great game! However I’ve been informed that the 2010 reboot is worth avoiding..

HONOURABLE MENTIONS Resident Evil (PlayStation 1995) Silent Hill (PlayStation 1999) I have no mouth and I must scream (PC 1995) Aliens VS Predator (PC 1999) Dark Seed (PC 1992) It Came From the Desert (Amiga/PC/Mega Drive/PC Engine 1989)

Images from Wikipidea.

Written by David Kudrev www.retrospekt.com.au

LOVE RETRO?

HEAD INTO GAMETRADERS FOR RETRO & PRE-PLAYED GAMES & CONSOLES, PLUS SAVE EVEN MORE WHEN YOU TRADE! RETRO-FEST: COMING TO GAMETRADERS IN APRIL!

COLLECTIBLES

LATEST FIGURE REVIEW Sideshow Collectibles 1/6th scale Darth Vader Deluxe

Darth Vader is undoubtedly one of the most iconic villains in cinematic history. His entrance during the opening scene of Star Wars was pretty much his entrance into the subconscious of millions of fans around the world, where the sight and sound of him would be forever ingrained into our pop culture hungry brains.

No Star Wars collection is complete without a Darth Vader collectible of some sort. The character has been released so many times in so many forms, it’s almost a given that a fan

holds up very well today. But times and toy technology move on, and it was time for Sideshow to up the ante again in the 1/6th scale arena.

And if there was ever a Darth Vader collectible that is a must-have in any Star Wars collection, it is this new Darth Vader Deluxe package.

In this scale, Sideshow (and everyone else for that matter) have been in the shadow of Hot Toys in recent years. But with this new figure, Sideshow have shown that they can at least improve and keep up with the

“..REALLY HAVE DONE THE CHARACTER JUSTICE..” would have some incarnation already. Sideshow Collectibles had already released a 1/6th scale Vader figure a few years ago, which still

best in the business. The figure certainly doesn’t match the amazing quality of the best from Hot Toys, but it’s pretty damn close.

PACKAGING

ACCESSORIES

For this figure, the packaging is definitely one way in which Sideshow have tried to match the look, feel, and quality of Hot Toys. This is definitely the biggest box of any Sideshow figure I own, and it’s needed to hold the numerous accessories. The outer cover has a nice matte black finish, embossed with the outline of Vader’s iconic visage.

Once you take everything out of the box, it’s obvious this release is very deserving of the “Deluxe” moniker.

The package is absolutely filled to the brim with accessories. The set comes with two stands that include red LED lightup features which give a nice red glow when turned on. One stand is the larger main stand for the figure itself, and the other a smaller stand on which to display the separate pieces of his helmet.

The back of the box has a great shot of the figure in his well-known “look into the distance” pose. It’s shown with the Death Star window background, which would have been an incredible accessory to have, but unfortunately a backdrop diorama was not included.

Upon opening the shoe box styled package, there is another piece of great artwork on the cardboard insert, this time showcasing the alternate headsculpt accessories. This again is very much like how Hot Toys present their figures in the packaging, so it’s definitely obvious Sideshow are following their lead.

It should be noted that the separate head piece doesn’t have to be used on the stand, and can be used when posing the figure with the unmasked headsculpt. The main mouth and face section of the separate helmet piece is very nicely detailed and painted. The unmasked headsculpt itself doesn’t really seem to be an accurate representation of Sebastian Shaw from Return of the Jedi, but I’m not sure if that was the intent. It looks as though Sideshow tried to make the sculpt a combination of both Shaw and what an older Hayden Christensen might look like.

Either way, it’s done quite nicely, although the paint application is not of the lofty Hot Toys standard.

The figure also comes of course with Vader’s lightsaber, both in the lit and unlit versions. Note that there is no actual light up feature in the saber, which is something I prefer as it’s one less tiny electronic feature that can go wrong. Hot Toys went that

route as well with the DX07 Luke Skywalker figure, and I think Sideshow made the right decision to follow suit here.

And then we get to the hands! There are more swap out hands here than most figures I’ve seen. From finger pointing, to hand waving, to fist pumping, to force chocking, whatever hand you could want is here!

You’ll have plenty of fun trying them out and thinking which scene from the movies to pose him in. The best thing about the hands is that Sideshow have included wrist pegs in each one, which is a huge bonus.

A major gripe with Hot Toys figures is that each hand sculpt does not include a wrist peg, so you have to be extremely careful not to break the delicate wrist pegs. Spares are given, but it’s nothing compared to having them inbuilt into each hand as they are here, so huge kudos to Sideshow for including that!

FIGURE Sideshow’s first Vader figure from a few years ago apparently had issues with it being too tall, and the fandom weren’t too impressed with supposed inaccuracies with the helmet.

I love Star Wars, but not to the extent where I’ll pour over the minute details on a 1/6th scale figure. With this new Vader, I’m pretty sure most collectors will be extremely impressed when its taken out of the box!

The body this time is slightly smaller than the previous Vader, correcting the height issue somewhat, but he still towers over most other figures such as the Hot Toys DX07 Luke or Sideshow’s own Boba Fett figure.

That to me is perfectly fine, and he certainly doesn’t look oversized on display.

The helmet is a great representation of his iconic look, and the black shiny dome looks pretty great to me (despite some QC issues that I mention later in the review). The cape and inner skirt are the other stand out feature, and are made of an extremely fine and delicate material.

This allows the cape to perfectly drape over the shoulders, but still be able to be placed in strategic positions. It’s so fine and soft in fact that I’d probably warn you to make sure your fingernails are trimmed just in case it catches on anything and you tear it.

Articulation is pretty good, and isn’t too hindered by the outfit apart from the ankles which don’t really have much movement at all due to the hard boots. But apart from that, you can definitely get him into some decent dynamic poses.

The body suit itself is a nice leatherlike material which covers the arms, body, and legs. The only issue is that it tends to bunch up around the crotch area, causing some unfortunate creases which can’t really be straightened out. The suit around the legs tuck into the boots, which effectively push the suit back up into the crotch, so there’s not much that can be done about it. But with a bit of futzing and creative posing or draping of the cape, it still looks perfectly fine.

The shoulder armour is nicely done, but is a little delicate so be careful where you press when swapping out the head.

The last major feature of the figure are the lightup features of the chest plate and belt. Out of the box, you’ll need to use a screw driver to undo the battery compartments and pull out some plastic to allow the batter-

ies to contact their electronics. The screws are rather tight, so this part of the unboxing can be rather frustrating, but go slow and carefully and you should be OK. Once done, the lights flash quite nicely and add another level of realism to the figure.

and cool as he can be. But once all setup, he definitely has a huge presence in the display cabinet.

“THIS PACKAGE REALLY SHOWS THAT SIDESHOW ARE PUSHING THEMSELVES TO KEEP UP..”

FINAL THOUGHTS Darth Vader is one of the most iconic villains ever to grace the silver screen, and Sideshow really have done the character justice with this Deluxe release. The likeness, both quality and quantity of accessories, and special touches like the lightup features all combine to make this a must-have for most collectors. This package really shows that Sideshow are pushing themselves to keep up with Hot Toys at the forefront of 1/6th scale collectibles. I highly recommend it!

Note: I did a video review on the Kool Kollectibles youtube channel, so hope you can check it out, subscribe, like, and comment with your own thoughts on the figure! :)

Written by Khai at Kool Kollectibles www.koolkollectibles.net www.facebook.com/KoolKollectibles www.youtube.com/user/ckly76

Swapping out the hands to get the pose you want is fairly straightforward. Straight out of the box you’ll probably have to futz around with the chest plate, belt, inner skirt etc just to make him look as movie accurate

Cosplayer: Raychul Moore | www.facebook.com/RaychulMoore

ADAM PATRICK MURRAY COSPLAY PHOTOGRAPHER FROM USA We were fortunate enough to interview Adam Patrick Murray, a photographer who’s work featured in our February magazine interview with Amie Lynn! He’s photographed some of the most well-known Cosplayers including Amie Lynne, Jessica Nigri, Angelica Dawn & more! Check it out..

Welcome to Live Magazine Adam - How did you get into Cosplay photography?

Well there was definitely a story behind it! I got a divorce in 2011 and lost most of my friends in the process. So one day I decided to pick up a camera and take it to a local gaming tournament convention called Devastation in hopes to hang out and maybe make some friends. The camera was just kind of my safety blanket in that situation, but I had a ton of fun taking photos and talking with people (many whom I’ve become good friends with since then) so I kept with it. I did a number of conventions in the coming year after that and did the typical

show floor shots. I quickly found myself wanting to do some one on one work with some of these women like the other fashion/portrait head shots I had been doing and reached out to a local Phoenix cosplayer Paris Sinclair. I originally wanted to do some fashion work with her but it was right before Phoenix Comic Con 2012 and she asked if I wanted to take some photos of her Storm so she could sell prints there. We met up, shot her storm in downtown Phoenix, and the rest is history! Through her I met all the other notable local girls (Lindsay Elyse, Angelica Dawn, Jessica Nigri, Amie Lynn, and more) and my connects grew from there.

Your work is very natural and by that I mean there doesn’t seem to be a lot of post shoot additions via compositing using Photoshop. It’s refreshing to see. Tell us about your style of cosplay photography.

Thank you for picking up on that, it’s

definitely what I like to go for. You see, I approach cosplay a bit differently from other photographers in many aspects. First off, I come from a video background so when I shoot something (video or photo) I am used to getting how I want in camera. I actually see my photographs as stills from a video, and because compositing in video is something I don’t do I also don’t think to do any compositing in photos. I hope that makes sense in writing :P Secondly, I actually don’t see myself doing cosplay photography as much as taking portraits of the people wearing them. Some of these cosplayers have become great friends and when I line up a shot I focus on capturing the cosplayer within the costume, not try to recreate the character in real life. I think that’s the difference most people see as well, I’m not trying to recreate a scene from an anime in human form, I’m trying to capture the person inside of the outfit. The result is a very personal and raw looking into the

COSPLAY

PHOTOGRAPHER “SOME OF THESE COSPLAYERS HAVE BECOME GREAT FRIENDS AND WHEN I LINE UP A SHOT I FOCUS ON CAPTURING THE COSPLAYER WITHIN THE COSTUME, NOT TRY TO RECREATE THE CHARACTER IN REAL LIFE.” WWW.ADAMPATRICKMURRAY.COM

Cosplayer: Lindsay Elyse | www.facebook.com/LindsayElyseFanpage

photo, heavy compositing and editing would take away from that and blur the purpose of the photo.

How do you go about preparing for a cosplay shoot? What is your process from start to finish?

So it all begins with the cosplayer coming to me and asking if I want to shoot them in their outfit. I rarely turn down shoots because of the content, because like I said before, I don’t care what the cosplayer is wearing, I want to capture the person behind the outfit. And I’m not as big of a nerd as most of these women are so 9 times out of 10 I don’t even know who the character is so I have

to start off with a bit of research, see what their outfit is, and what kind of setting they are usually in. After having done some research the biggest thing we have to think about is the overall tone of the shoot. Is the character silly? Are they angry? Do they have elements that define them?

And so forth. The tone then informs the location, the style of capture, and the lighting techniques. And the final factor is the personal preference of the cosplayer. Some of them only liked to be photographed a certain way, or they don’t have certain elements of their costume complete, so I have to take that into account. After that we are ready to shoot! I gener-

ally try to go for only a handful of photos and make them count. I see everything we do as a collaborative effort so I’m always working with the cosplayer to make sure they are getting something they are proud of as well. After we get what we want (usually happens pretty quick, especially if I know they are a friend) I import the photos, and send the cosplayer all the photos as previews. They tell me which ones they like and I edit them up for them, as well as a few for myself. I try to spend less than 5 minutes per photo, then send over a web and print ready version of the photo to them.

Do the models come to you or do you seek them out?

Almost all of my connections are referral based now. Luckily for me Phoenix has a pool of amazing models and everyone knows everyone else so I’m constantly getting introduced to cool people!

Cosplayer: Amie Lynn | www.facebook.com/amiehabit

Also, do you organise make up or do the subjects take care of that side of the shoot?

The models almost always do their own makeup. Since I go for more of a natural look and nothing crazy I rely on them to know what’s best for the situation.

What sort of gear do you recommend for people wanting to get into cosplay. What basics should one have before they start?

I get this question a lot, and I always say that the most important piece of gear that you need in order to make great images is dedication. Regardless of what camera, lenses, or flashes you have, if you don’t have dedication then your work will never get to where you want it to be and no amount of gear can take the place of practice practice practice. BUT you do need something to practice on so I recommend starting off with something simple like a Canon XTi with a Canon 50mm f/1.8. You can easily get that combo for $300 and get amazing results with practice.

I always stress to not get gear until you KNOW you need it, rather than buy something in the hopes it

will make something better. Nothing beats just going out and shooting, playing with different settings, and failing over and over and over again only to learn from your mistakes and do it better the next time!

Do you have any funny stories from a shoot you can share?

Oh man! Working with awesome and silly people like Jessica Nigri and Amie Lynn has definitely put me in some super crazy situations, but I can’t think of too many that leap to mind… There was this one time I put on Jessica’s Elsword Online cosplay after she was done and she took photos of me mimicking what she had just done. It was hilarious! I even edited it the same way and put my watermark on it but changed the name to Jessica Nigri.

Finally, where can our readers go to see more of your work??

“OH MAN! WORKING WITH AWESOME AND SILLY PEOPLE LIKE JESSICA NIGRI AND AMIE LYNN HAS DEFINITELY PUT ME IN SOME SUPER CRAZY SITUATIONS..”

WWW.ADAMPATRICKMURRAY.COM

My website: www.adampatrickmurray.com is the best place to find the best of all of my work, including photo, video, and audio. www.facebook.com/adampatrickmurray is my Facebook fan page, and I’m posting there daily with all the shoots that I do. And I have an online store at adampatrickmurray.storenvy.com where I sell one of a kind instant film of all the models I work with!

Cosplayer: Jessica Nigri | www.facebook.com/OfficialJessicaNigri

WWW.ADAMPATRICKMURRAY.COM WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ADAMPATRICKMURRAY ADAMPATRICKMURRAY.STORENVY.COM

Cosplayer: Lindsay Tatertot | www.facebook.com/LindsayTatertot

Cosplayer: Itty Bitty Geek | www.facebook.com/ittybittygeek

COSPLAY

Photographer: Andy Wana | www.facebook.com/AndyWanaPhotography

SOMETHING WICKED COSPLAY COSPLAYER FROM SYDNEY

We interviewed Dan aka Something Wicked Cosplay, from Sydney, Australia! He’s been Cosplaying for just over a year and already has over 7 thousand Facebook fans! He makes his own costumes and provides us with the top tips to costume making - check it out!

Hi Dan tell us a bit about yourself, what you do and where abouts you’re from.

Hi my name is Dan, I cosplay under the name of Something Wicked Cosplay and I have been involved in the cosplay scene for just over a year now. My interests include video games, comics, horror movies, prop building and collecting, cosplay, volleyball and other fitness related activities such as going to the gym and training at home. I’m from Western Sydney and currently reside in the Hills District.

This year I will be taking my first steps into a casual teaching role

(PDHPE) in high schools in and around my area.

(uncharted - playstation) and Daryl Dixon (The Walking Dead).

What are your favourite characters to cosplay?

At this point, 2014 is looking busy as I’ve got an array of costumes planned - Aquaman, The Flash, Cyclops and Gambit (X-Men), A new Spidey suit, a male version of Harley Quinn and Legolas (the hobbit) just to name a few.

The first 6 months of my cosplay life saw me Cosplaying mainly as Spider-Man, he’s definitely my favourite character of all time and naturally, was my first choice when it came to cosplay. As the poster boy of the Marvel universe, Spider-Man is instantly recognisable, and for this reason, Cosplaying as the character has been a pretty cool experience.

Spider-Man is ultra flexible, hangs upside down and sits on ledges high above the city, I’d be lying if I said that Cosplaying as the character didn’t introduce me to some unbelievable (and sometimes scary) experiences. Besides Spider-Man, I’ve cosplayed as characters such as Deadpool, Robin, Nick Ramos (dead rising 3 - xbox), Delsin Rowe (infamous: second son - playstation), Ash Williams (Evil Dead), Nathan Drake

Do you make your own costumes? Tell us a bit about how you go about that process My Spider-Man suit is a commissioned costume, it was initially going to just be a display piece in my collection, but after collaborating on a custom build with the designer, I decided it would be my entry into the cosplay scene. The costumes that followed were, in most cases, made by me. In the cosplay scene, it’s common to work with other cosplayers when it comes to designing costumes, making props and building wearable pieces.

Photographer: Kris Ezergailis | www.WhatABigCamera.com

Easy steps to making a costume: • • • •

• •

Find a character you can connect with RESEARCH - find lots of reference pics Put together pieces that you need, this includes props, clothing items and makeup

Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Yes, there’s no shame in asking your mum/grandmother to sew for you Be creative!!

Above all things, make sure it’s something YOU can have fun in.

Do you attend many of the “cons” … what is your favourite and tell us how you go about preparing for an event.

I try to attend as many cons as possible ranging from Pop Culture cons such as Supanova, Anime cons like

SMASH and video game cons such as PAX. My favourite con would probably be Supanova, as it’s currently the biggest convention held in Sydney. The best thing about cons is that they are held in locations, in our case, all around Australia. At this point, I’ve attended conventions in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, but I’d really love to attend more and possibly even branch out into the United States of America.

Going to conventions is awesome, particularly when you attend them with friends. I’ve had the most fun at conventions, when I’ve taken part in group cosplays and spent the day running around with my friends. Preparing for an event like Supanova usually occurs months ahead of time, making the costume, building the props and perfecting/detailing the overall look of your chosen character. In saying this, it’s not uncommon for a cosplayer to make a costume at the last minute, most of the time, the night before a con.

Any funny moments from an event you’ve been at?

One moment that stands out in my mind, wasn’t actually funny, but something that I will never forget.

It was during one of my first photoshoots in the city as Spider-Man. Naturally, as Spider-Man, wall crawling and being up high are part of the job, and are pre requisites in getting that one awesome picture. Before I started Cosplaying, I wasn’t the best with heights, if anything, you could say I had a slight phobia/fear of heights. All this changed however when I found myself on the edge of a building, 11 storeys high, looking down at the tiny people in the street and feeling the wind pushing me around ever so slightly. It was something I never pictured myself doing within the entirety of my existence, and now, it just feels like another day on the job.

Photographer: Ecky Reyes | www.facebook.com/ecks.photography

Photographer: Arujei Abad - LMKusanagi | www.lmkusanagi.deviantart.com

Do you have any advice for new cosplayers?

Cosplaying is a great way to express yourself through your fandom and can be an awesome experience if you allow it to be.

• • • • •

Have fun

Accept that everybody is different, therefore, there is no “right” way to cosplay Be confident and don’t be afraid

Connect with other cosplayers, the fun increases in numbers Have more fun!

What about games, what’s your favourite?

My favourite game of all time, is easily the Streets of Rage series on the Sega Megadrive. I grew up playing my Megadrive and the nostalgia of conquering games as a kid with my mum on a daily basis, still lives with me today. I was also a playstation

kid, crash bandicoot ruled my life and Abe’s Odyssey followed close behind.

These days, I own consoles from both Microsoft and Sony, and I enjoy games such as Battlefield, Uncharted, NBA and WWE 2K14, Halo, and anything with zombies.

I love my Nintendo DS XL and PS Vita as well, just finished Pokemon and it was brilliant. I really can’t wait to see what the future holds for the Vita as well, it’s a powerful little device and will hopefully have a bunch of cool games this year.

“IN THE COSPLAY SCENE, IT’S COMMON TO WORK WITH OTHER COSPLAYERS WHEN IT COMES TO DESIGNING COSTUMES, MAKING PROPS AND BUILDING WEARABLE PIECES.”

Finally, where can readers find out more about you?

You can find me on Facebook under the name Something Wicked Cosplay:

www.facebook.com/wickedm6 I’m on Instagram and Twitter as well - Username: @wickedm6

COSPLAY

PHOTOGRAPHER Miyuki Hara Cosplay | www.facebook.com/MiyukiHaraCosplay

MIKE ROLLERSON COSPLAY PHOTOGRAPHER FROM USA

We scored an interview with Mike Rollerson, a photographer who’s work also featured in our February magazine interview with Amie Lynn!

His photos speak for themselves and seeing as we’re focusing on Survival Horror this month, we feel like Mike’s work fits right in! Check it out..

Hi Mike - you’re one of the most prolific cosplay photographers we’ve interviewed, tell us how you got started in photographing cosplayers?

I had my first experience with cosplay many years ago at E3 (an annual videogame industry trade show) and was blown away by some of the work I saw brought out by different companies; full-scale set recreations pulled straight from a video game and incredibly detailed costumes to match. The experience was really unlike anything I’ve seen before and instantly had me inspired.

Prior to E3, I really had no interest in photography - the whole thought of

wedding photography, portraits and landscapes just really didn’t interest me but something about seeing these over-the-top set designs and costumes had me hooked. I went through what must have been half a dozen disposable cameras during the event and purchased my first real camera immediately following it. Cosplay is what really got me into photography and I’ve been enjoying it ever since!

Tell us a bit about the process, how do you plan a shoot?

I’ll typically start out with just a basic theme to work off of (a recent cosplay example would be Silent Hill), brainstorm a few different ideas based around that theme and run those by a model or cosplayer that I think would also be interested in the theme and work with them on finalizing a plan for the shoot. One of my goals with every shoot is to create something that everyone envolved can enjoy as well as have a fun and

memorable experience putting the shoot together; working with a team just as excited about the shoot as you are will lead to much greater results. Once we have a look for what we’re trying to create, we’ll pull together any materials needed for the shoot (creating a costume, props or set pieces as needed) and in some cases bring a few more people onto the project (makeup artists, effect/ prosthetics designers, stylists and prop builders).

The complexity involved in any shoot really varies based on the theme, location and timing of it - planning a photoshoot with a cosplayer who already has a finished costume is completely different from creating a theme, putting a team together and creating everything from scratch.

Your work has a strong stylish look, I know photographers can sometimes be a bit secretive on their process but tell us how much is make up and how much

Cosplayer: Todd Graziano

is done in post processing?

I’ve always been a big fan of traditional makeups and effects - while I do use a lot of post-processing to set the mood of a photo or apply effects that might not always be possible possible in our shooting location (such as adding fire or blending multiple exposures togehter), I try to limit post-processing on makeup to the very minimum. Makeup and prosthetics on recent shoots have typically been designed or created by myself, the model/cosplayer or a makeup/prosthetics artist brought in based on the theme and complexity required; some shoots have involved 8 or 9 hours of makeup time to have prosthetics pieces fitted, attached and painted to create a specific look we were going for.

Do you attend a lot of the “cons” that are on and what ones?

I try to attend most of the California anime and comic conventions - Anime Expo, Comic Con and Fanime

being the 3 main ones each year. I really enjoy these cons as they’re a great way to meet and work with new cosplayers as well as shoot a large variety of costumes over the course of a few days.

doing photoshoots with them and eventually blended the horror theme, makeup and effects a bit more it into my cosplay photography.

We’re seeing a strong showing of zombie style photos - is this a particular interest for you - horror?

I’ve always been a big fan of the horror genre - I grew up back in the PSone days playing the Resident Evil and Silent Hill series and still consider those to be some of my favorites to this day. Fatal Frame on the PS2 was another favorite of mine!

My first experience with the horror theme was a few years back when I ended up at a Zombie Walk during the San Diego Comic Con. For me, the big appeal was that (like cosplay) it was so different from the traditional types of photography I’ve seen before (weddings, portraits and landscapes) - the effects that some people created for their looks were just incredibly detailed, imaginative and sort of an expansion on cosplay (focusing on effects, makeup and creating a unique character opposed to re-creating an existing one). After the zombie walk I became friends with some of the “zombies,” started

What about horror movies and games - any favourites?

I know gear isn’t the most important thing, but you’re getting great image quality in low light, tell us what’s in your bag.

I’ve always been a Canon shooter starting out with the Rebel XTi and picking up a 40D and 7D to go along with it. Despite the Rebel XTi being my first camera and a very basic one by todays standards, I still bring it out with me to most events and find

“I’VE ALWAYS BEEN A BIG FAN OF THE HORROR GENRE - I GREW UP BACK IN THE PSONE DAYS PLAYING THE RESIDENT EVIL AND SILENT HILL SERIES AND STILL CONSIDER THOSE TO BE SOME OF MY FAVORITES TO THIS DAY.” the results from it still hold up to the newer bodies.

My most common lenses on shoots would have to be an 8mm fisheye, a 30mm and a 70-200mm. The 8mm, despite being a specialty lens (and one you’d normally not want to shoot people with, due to the distortions) tends to give some really interesting possibilities and angles that enhance the Cosplay and Horror themes rather than limit them.

Monika Lee | www.facebook.com/London2191Cosplay

A lot of my look comes from the lighting though - I shoot mostly with speedlights, using anywhere from 2 or 3 up to 7 or 8 per shoot (modifying the light with snoots, grids, ringflash, beauty dish, softboxes or gels)

a handful of conventions coming up throughout the year and a few other events I always enjoy covering.

What’s coming up for you in 2014? Any plans to visit events or do more cosplay themed shoots?

I recently set up a Facebook page at:

Lots to come in 2014! I have a few shoots in the planning process right now that I’m really looking forward to,

Finally, where can people go to see more of your work?

www.facebook.com/MikeRollersonPhotography

I’ve been uploading my most recent shoots to this page along with news and behind the scenes photos. I also have a portfolio up at

www.MikeRollerson.com

As Mahio Cosplay | www.facebook.com/AsMahioCosplay

Miyuki Hara Cosplay | www.facebook.com/MiyukiHaraCosplay

Hectec Design | www.facebook.com/hectecdesign

WWW.MIKEROLLERSON.COM

COSPLAY Jack Liu | www.alucardleashed.deviantart.com

MELTING MIRROR COSPLAYER FROM CANADA

We interviewed MeltingMirror, a Cosplayer from Canada, who loves video games & anime - check it out!

Hi and welcome to Live Magazine.

Tell us abit about yourself..

I’m a Canadian cosplayer who has always had an interest in video games and anime, even when I was little. Getting into cosplay only seemed like a fitting addition to my hobbies. I started making costumes in 2004 and since then I have been striving to learn new skills and challenge myself with my new projects.

I work in an office as my regular job and in my free time I work on my costumes.

How and when did you get into Cosplay?

My friends peer pressured me into making a costume for the first convention that popped up in our region in 2004. I never heard of cosplay before that point. I picked a char-

acter out of the blue, Oruha from Clover, because she had big curly black hair like myself. I threw a few things together from my wardrobe and bought some fabric to finish the job. I had a great time, so naturally we went through it all over again the next year. Instead this time I made my costume from scratch, it was Kouga from Inuyasha. Afterwards, I slowly started taking on more projects and visiting more events. Now, every year I attend about 10 conventions and I make 5-7 costumes.

Who’s your favourite character to cosplay and why?

I really enjoy cosplaying as Korra because there is always an abundance of people dressed up as other characters from the show that you can interact with. Most of them want to take photos together which is nice.

She has a wide range of emotions and has many scenes that can be reenacted.

Do you prefer attending Cosplay events or being involved in photoshoots? Tell us abit about both experiences as a Cosplayer, what’s involved?

Photoshoots done outside of events are rare for me, so they are part of my convention experience. If I don’t get a good photo or two at an event I am a little disappointed.

Conventions are definitely more fun overall. I use them mostly as an opportunity to see friends who live in other cities. My enjoyment of the event depends on whether my friends are there.

Photoshoots on the other hand are more like work, but its still fun. Most of the time I don’t know what to expect from a shoot but I am always excited to see the final result. I like that I can look at a photo and see all that hard work paying off.

“I REALLY ENJOY COSPLAYING AS KORRA BECAUSE THERE IS ALWAYS AN ABUNDANCE OF PEOPLE DRESSED UP AS OTHER CHARACTERS FROM THE SHOW THAT YOU CAN INTERACT WITH. MOST OF THEM WANT TO TAKE PHOTOS TOGETHER WHICH IS NICE.” Are you a gamer? Any favourite games?

I try to fit in games to my schedule but it gets pretty hectic when I have a lot of event to attend. Especially in the summer.

My favourite game from my childhood is easily Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Mike Kowalek | www.eleventhphotograph.com

And lastly, where can people go to find out more about you?

I’m on many social networks so pick the one that suits you.

My recent favourite is Xenoblade on the Wii. I like the battle system and the characters. I had to restart the game after 30 hours of progress because my system was wiped for some mysterious reason. I then clocked in 120hrs to finish it.

www.facebook.com/MeltingMirror

I also have quite the backlog of games to play on my PS3. Hopefully I can find the time for it.

www.the-mirror-melts.deviantart.com

Facebook has my general updates and progress shots and it is updated several times a week.

www.twitter.com/MeltingMirror

Twitter has my day-to-day costume updates and updates from the convention floor.

Deviantart is where I post my best photos

Mike Kowalek | www.eleventhphotograph.com

Jack Liu | www.alucardleashed.deviantart.com

Jack Liu | www.alucardleashed.deviantart.com

Jack Liu | www.alucardleashed.deviantart.com

BOARD GAME REVIEW THE WALKING DEAD: THE BEST DEFENSE Board games are coming back into fashion in a big way. Sure some might say they never went out, but with the immersive experience offered by video games on PC or consoles and now more and more on tablets and phones, board games took a bit of a back seat for a while. But something changed, people started to really enjoy the social side of gaming, sitting around on a Friday night with your friends and playing Wii Sports or Singstar became a regular event for many. Board games are an extension of that experience, grab-

an instant hit with gamers. Some are based on TV series or movies and include those characters you’ve grown to love (or hate) and that’s what makes them so much fun.

Recently we sat down with The Walking Dead - The Best Defence Board Game, described as a co-operative game where players take on the roles of the TV series characters.

Rick, Glenn, Daryl and Michonne all feature along with other characters.

In the game, you and other players are in the hunt for Walkers and you

out losing a member of the team to the Walkers. The game comes with four location boards that make up the game board by putting them together - also this ensures a randomness for future games. Plus you get resource cards, equipment, ammo, food, tokens, character cards and tokens, dice and the badge of leadership.

First up you choose a character (survivor) to play as. You set up the “board” which is the 4 locations put together. After setting up the cards

“TO WIN YOU NEED TO SURVIVE 12 TURNS WITHOUT EXHAUSTING RESOURCES WITHOUT LOSING A MEMBER OF THE TEAM TO THE WALKERS. THE GAME COMES WITH FOUR LOCATION BOARDS THAT MAKE UP THE GAME BOARD...” bing a few friends, some snacks and drinks, and a fun board game can reward players with hours of enjoyment. Recently a new type of board game hit stores and they’ve been

need to defend four locations in order to stay alive.

To win you need to survive 12 turns without exhausting resources with-

you roll a die to see who is leader.

The leadership changes which is good as the leader moves the survivors to locations. Fighting revolves around rolling the dice and taking

out the Walkers. Walkers deal damage to survivors or resource cards.

You don’t want to take too much damage or let your resource deck run out of cards as that results in the Walkers winning.

You need to trade ammo to help each other survive and if you don’t run out of resource cards, don’t have anyone die and make it through the 12 rounds you win. When we played we found the rules a touch confusing at first. Perhaps due to not having played enough board games for a while, but after watching this excellent review and tutorial online, we found it fun.

We’d highly recommend the game for a Friday night beer and pretzels game evening or if you’re under 18 make it something non alcoholic and pretzels (or chocolate).

Most Gametraders stores can get this in for you and if you are a fan jump on it.

Click here to see the tutorial!

Written by Rob Jenkins

7.5/10

TABLE TOP GAMING

TABLE TOP GAMING: WAR GAMES! Wargaming is an ancient pastime.

From carved soldiers in Roman times, cast and stylised medieval warriors to tin soldiers and modern miniatures, even Chess is linked to the fascination with enacting strategy battles with little figures.

Modern Wargaming was born out of this, and began in the 19th Century.

Various games arose and evolved out of a desire to recreate historical battles, to see if the outcome could be different, and to fight hypothetical scenarios between the various forces.

Popular Tabletop Wargaming arose in the 70’s and 80’s, a ‘golden age’ if you will. There were many historical, military and strategic games being played. Also roleplaying games such Dungeons and Dragons were popular, and players were amassing large armies of models which they needed for their players to wade through on their quests. They needed to be able to use these models

on a larger scale and so fantasy wargaming arose.

In the last 30 years the fantasy and science fiction wargaming scene has grown and diversified. Key elements in this pastime are often the assembly of miniatures, painting the miniatures, collecting them and of course playing games. Games Workshop produces the oldest of these fantasy wargames; the high fantasy world of Warhammer Fantasy Battles, and arguably the most popular global wargame, a game which is set in the science-fiction, neo-gothic dystopian grim darkness of the far future: Warhammer 40,000.

Privateer Press’ Steampunk world of Warmachine celebrated its tenth birthday not too long ago. This world expanded with the introduction of Hordes, allowing players to control gribblies and hulking monsters in addition smashing apart their opponent’s steam-powered robots!

Other notable miniature wargames are:

Infinity: Manga/Anime inspired SciFi battles with infantry, battlesuits and more.

Malifaux: A small-scale skirmish Wild-West/Steampunk/Magical/ Gothic/Victorian game with all sorts of far-out models.

Distopian Wars: A world of Steampunk Victorian battles on Land, Sea and Air. Flames of War: World War 2 historical battles – tanks, infantry, artillery!

More recently we’ve seen major franchises venture into this territory to the excitement of gamers and sci-fi enthusiasts everywhere.

The two big ones here are X-Wing and Star Trek: Attack Wing. Both of these games include pre-painted miniatures making them nicely collectible, but without the enjoyment of painting and customisation.

Some gamers may like this, some may miss it.

X-Wing recreates spaceship battles from Star Wars, and allows players to fight hypothetical engagements with their fleets. This game really brings to life this quote, “We’ll have to destroy them ship to ship. Get the crews to their fighters.”

– Darth Vader Star Trek: Attack Wing lets players take on the roles of fleet commanders who can customize, upgrade, and assign famous crew members to their fleets.

Tabletop wargaming is at an exciting point. There are a lot of very cool games out there with low start-up requirements. Most of these games are full of very sexy miniatures just waiting to be painted and showcased on the battlefield. With the onset of some affordable pre-painted games from major sci-fi names, you can also indulge your ‘what if’ questions on the battlefield.

Written by Ben Makepeace

TRADING CARDS

TRADING CARDS: THE HISTORY The trading card industry is an ever expanding industry from companies in Japan to American corporations, no one can deny the relevancy trading card games have on popular culture. The history of the industry is really important to understanding what has built the industry as we know it today.

Some of the very first trading cards in the world were actually cards used to advertise products and started circulation in 1886 in the US. These cards were inserted into cigarette

Children used to stand out the front of tobacconists and ask for the cards (which were often tossed away) for their collection.

Following the success of the ‘cigarette cards’, trade cards were produced and supplied to store owners to hand out to customers following purchases at their stores. At the height of World War II, the trade cards were phased out due to limited paper resources. After this period, trading card manufactures took to producing ‘tea cards’ - which were

Baseball cards were and are still to this day huge with collectors. Again, the cards were printed in the early 1860’s as a form of advertising but became big with children. Some of the worlds most valued trading cards today are baseball cards dating back to 1903.

Today when someone says the word ‘trading cards’, the first thought that will pop in to most heads are Pokémon, Magic the Gathering and YuGi-Oh.

“MAGIC THE GATHERING WAS SO SUCCESSFUL FROM DAY ONE THAT EARLY ON WIZARDS OF THE COAST WERE RELUCTANT TO DOING ANY FORM OF ADVERTISING FOR THE GAME AS THEY WERE UNABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THE DEMAND!!” packets and used as stiffener to help the packet keep shape. In the early 1900’s over 300 different companies were using this form of media to get their products known to the public.

similar to the cigarette cards and slipped into packets of tea in the UK and ‘bubble gum cards’ in the US - a piece of gum encased in a wrapper with a collector card.

The mainstream industry of trading cards began on August 5 1993 with the release of the trading card game Magic the Gathering, this started the trading card phenomenon in the

west. Richard Garfield, a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania in the US used his free time to design the game which was then ‘road tested’ by local volunteer’s to fine tune the gaming process. In 1991, the then CEO of Wizards of the Coast (the publisher and distributor for Magic the Gathering) saw real potential in the game as it as a portable game and could be played during the down time moments at gaming conventions. After some fine tuning and tweaking, Magic the Gathering underwent a general release on August 5 1993.

Originally, Magic the Gathering was to be called just Magic, however it was considered to be too hard to trademark the product. Magic the Gathering was so successful from day one that early on Wizards of the Coast were reluctant to doing any form of advertising for the game as they were unable to keep up with the demand!!

The hype then built when the Pokémon trading card game stepped into the market on January the 9th 1999.

This game bought competition to the industry with a large following however soon dying out to other fads through the community with some other smaller card games being released around that time however not many of those games stayed around for long with high competition from Magic the Gathering a lot pulled out of the market. With the introduction of the Pokémon cards, this opened up opportunities for Nintendo to franchise the video game!

Being introduced in 2002 to the US market, the popular trading card game Yu-Gi-Oh was released this was met with resistance from Wizards through the copyright retained

by Wizards of the Coast to the term “Magic” as it was shown as a prominent feature of the game. While the matter never made it to court, the name was changed to “spell” and

Yu-Gi-Oh became one of the most prominent games in the west second to Magic the Gathering.

The competition was increasing with new inclusions to the market from Japan with Weiß Schwarz and other trading card game imports this continued until Bakugan Battle Brawlers introduced the concept of item based trading card game’s using figurines as essential parts of the game play while this trend market opening the market to be as full of life as ever.

The history leads to the current popularity and by far the most popular trading card game by far is still Magic the Gathering followed by Yu-GiOh and Pokémon. These three have remained timeless throughout the trials of competition. The older classic card games have remained on top of the ball in terms of competition. This has made the industry a really competitive sector and one that will see more brilliant moments to come.

Today, the market is full of trading cards ranging from Pokémon, YuGi-Oh and Magic the Gathering, but also additions from My Little Pony, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings and the market grows everyday.

Trading cards do no discriminate against the age or the sex of the player. There are many trading card games to cater for the young or old, male or female.... the only question you have to ask yourself is ‘what one do I want to start playing?’

Each month I will introduce you to some of the many trading card games available on the market, explain how the games are played and provide you with some gaming hints!

Watch this space!

Written by Dom Mallet

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

TOURNAMENTS TRADING CARD

SA

Ingle Farm No current tournaments.

NSW

Pokémon - Saturday 2pm

Pokémon - Monday 6pm

Magic the Gathering - Thursday 6:30pm

Cardfight!! Vanguard - Tuesday 6pm

Cardfight!! Vanguard - Sunday 2pm

Yu-Gi-Oh - Wednesday 6pm

Macarthur Square (Campbelltown)

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

Yu-Gi-Oh - Wednesday 5:30pm

Mt. Barker

Parramatta

Yu-Gi-Oh - Tuesdays & Saturdays 3:30pm

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

Magic the Gathering - Monday & Fridays 3:30pm

Cardfight!! Vanguard - Sunday 2pm

Pokémon - Wednesday 3:30pm, Sunday 11am

Weiss Schwarz - Saturday 10am School Holiday Additional Tournaments:

SEAFORD

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

Yu-Gi-Oh - Wednesday 4pm

Cardfight!! Vanguard - Tuesday & Thursday 2pm

Cardfight!! Vanguard - Friday 4:30pm Pokémon - Monday 4pm

GAMETRADERS LIVE PENRITH

Magic the Gathering - Monday 6pm

Cardfight!! Vanguard - Saturday 12:30pm

My Little Pony - Tuesday 5pm (4:30pm registration)

Yu-Gi-Oh - Sunday 12:30pm

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

Salisbury Yu-Gi-Oh - Saturday 12.30pm & Thursday 4:30pm

BACCHUS MARSH Magic the Gathering - Friday 5:30pm

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

MILDURA Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Magic the Gathering and Cardfight!!

Vanguard every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Check their Facebook page for times and event details.

ACT

Junior Yu-Gi-Oh (ages 14 & under) - Saturday 10am Advanced Yu-Gi-Oh - Saturday & Sunday 10am

Marion

VIC

Blacktown

Hyperdome Yu-Gi-Oh - Saturday 10am, Tuesday 6pm Pokémon - Saturday 2pm

QLD

Chermside Please check their facebook page.

Logan Hyperdome Magic the Gathering - Friday 7pm (doors open 6pm) Yu-Gi-Oh - Sunday 2pm (doors open 1pm) Cardfight!! Vanguard - Dates announced on FB Pre-Releases and Special Tournaments announced on Facebook.

Mackay Yu-Gi-Oh - Sundays 3:45pm Cardfight!! Vanguard - Monday 5:45pm Magic the Gathering - Friday 6:15pm

Morayfield Please check their facebook page.

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