October Live Magazine

HALLOWEEN EDITION! OCTOBER 2014 ISSUE

ZOMBIES

GAMING’S BIGGEST ZOMBIE FRANCHISES

HORROR SPECIAL MOVIES GAMES COMICS RETRO

United in Fear

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Feature: Gamings biggest zombie franchises Previews & Reviews

Retro

Cosplay

THE LIVE TEAM

FROM THE EDITOR It’s almost that time of the year. When people … well mostly kids, dress in scary costumes and go out Trick or Treating. We thought we’d get in on the fun by looking at games and movies that come under the banner of “horror”.

So you’re in for a treat (pun meant) this month with our look at horror movies including best slasher flicks, best zombie games and a whole lot more. Our comic writer, Scott, takes a look at horror comics and Khai our collectable writer has a detailed review of some Kotobukiya statuettes with a Freddy Kruger feel. Jess, one of our contributors takes a long look at obscure horror games from the past and the team from Sticky Trigger give you a ton of previews and reviews.

If you love cosplay we’ve got a ton of awesome interviews and photos along with our regular tips for cosplayers and photographers.

Grab a drink and chill out or warm up with this months Live and don’t forget just like Babu in Seinfeld says - “Tell your friends!”

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM MITTENS!

Publisher: Rob Jenkins (Gametraders Operations Centre) Art Director: Giselle Capozza (Gametraders Operations Centre) Game Review & Preview Editors: Nick Getley & Kylie Tuttle (Sticky Trigger) Retro Writer: Jess Wilson UK Writer: Elliott Buddo 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 Tim Arnold Matthew Raspe Sasha Karen

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BIGGEST IPHONE AND BIGGEST LAUNCH FOR THE NEW IPHONE 6 AND 6 PLUS. Even Samsung have been affected with the Korean tech giant now planning an early launch of their Galaxy Note 4. The report from the Korea Times reports that top management at Samsung are unhappy with the consumer reaction to the 2 new phones. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, said “Sales for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus exceeded our expectations for the launch weekend…”

With a reported 10 million sales for the first weekend of the new iOS phones, Samsung will have to work hard to ensure the Note 4 is a winner too.

APPLE WATCH ANNOUNCED! There’s already been so much blogged on this yet to be released product and it’s go the fans mega excited. Will it work with games? We’ll have to wait and see.

WHAT’S NEW?

SLEEPING DOGS GAMEPLAY FOOTAGE Our friends at Sticky Trigger reported that Square Enix and United Front Games released a trailer from Sleeping Dogs:Definitive Edition which showcases the new effects and remastered graphics - click and go to check it out. www.stickytrigger.com/games/first-gameplay-footage-for-sleeping-dogs-definitive-edition-released/

NEW 3DS AND 3DS XL TO LAUNCH Special announcement for Nintendo fans with the launch of the new 3DS and 3DS XL being announced for Australia and New Zealand. There’s some new features and Sticky Trigger has the lowdown here: www.stickytrigger.com/games/new-nintendo-3ds-new-nintendo-3ds-xl-tolaunch-21st-november-in-australia-and-new-zealand/

ASSSASSINS CREED UNITY PROJECT WIDOW Take a stroll through Paris!

Now this is cool. Ubisoft has launched what’s called Project Widow it’s a way for you to take a tour through Paris in a Google maps like experience. You can explore and uncover Assassins Creed secrets - head here for the experience! http://www.beta.projectwidow.net/

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Halloween has always been a big thing in the US. Dressing up in costume, trick of treating with the neighbourhood kids and watching scary movies has always been the way we celebrated Halloween.

However, more than more people are now taking their Halloween costuming to the extreme with some awesome game inspired cosplay!

Long gone are the poorly sewn, lopsided costumes Mom used to put together (sorry Mom!). Today’s costumes are more and more intricate with some very, very impressive replicas being displayed!

You can tell that A LOT of time and effort has been put into these costumes, right down to the smallest details with makeup, a scar, a torn patch on clothing etc. These gamer fans have studied the characters well!

There are so many options when it comes to cosplay, but here are a few of my picks for Halloween Cosplay 2014 and one example of what not to do!

Lara Croft

Tomb Raider’s leading lady is always a favourite when it comes to Cosplay. Some do it right and well, some do it quite badly! This Cosplayer seems to have nailed her representation of Lara right now to the boots and the thigh gun holsters!

Altair

Assassins Creed is quite possibly one of the biggest and hottest fran-

chises out right now! As such, Altair cosplayers are popping up all over the place! Take note of the detail in this player’s costume people!

The lace work, the leather cuffs, the boots… OK, so this one looks like he may have had a little professional help (the embroidery on the lower part is a bit of a giveaway) but for likeness to the real Altair costume, I give this a big thumbs up!

Last but not least, Aidan from Watch Dogs!

Now this one is a relatively new edition to the cosplay following the release of the Ubisoft game earlier this year, but wow! This guy has down pat got the Aidan look! The detail of the jacket, the hat (original merch im guessing!), the stance… this guy must have studied Watch Dogs for a while to pull that kind of detail off!

So… you wanna cosplay and you are on a budget? THIS right here is not a good look and unless you want your friends to all laugh at you, I suggest you either stay indoors this Halloween season, rethink you options or ask your Mom for help because this is totally not cool! Props to the dude for the festive blue present bow!

WRITTEN BY SERWA ABOAGYE TWITTER: @SERWAABOAGYE

HALLOWEEN IN THE

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Welcome to the Halloween issue!

Where gamers go bump in the night!

The horror and survival horror game genre’s will definitely be getting a work out this Halloween season!

My top pick for this month? It has to be Alien: Isolation which is out on October 7th!

This game has been quoted as being one of the scariest gaming titles hit shelves in a long time and quite literally will scare the pants of you! OK, I can’t guarantee that it will scare your pants off you, but it will be flipping scary! Check out the preview we did in last month’s issue as this game is going to be HUGE! Another game that good to be play with a group of friends this Halloween is Slenderman: The Arrival.

Not many people know much about this game, but it’s an indie title and can be purchased on the Playstation Network or the Arcade Market Place on the 360. Originally released on the PC as a free game (under the title of Slenderman), the developers have created a new game for the console games and OMG is it creepy!

The Slenderman is a fictional ‘urban legend’. He is depicted as resembling a thin, unnaturally tall man with a blank and usually featureless face, wearing a black suit. Stories of the Slender Man commonly feature

him stalking, abducting, or traumatizing people, particularly children.

In other words, he is a creepy and scary and you WILL scream while playing this game! In the game you are given tasks to collect items from different areas and at all costs, avoid being caught by the Slenderman who will just appear out of nowhere in front of you from time to time! *insert screaming here!* I won’t go into to many details as it will ruin all the fun for you, but do yourself a favour and head down to your local Gametraders store, pick up either some PSN credit or Xbox Live credits and get to downloading Slenderman: The Arrival today! I highly recommend that you play it with a group of friends this Halloween and with all the lights off! It will make you scream like a girl… every time!

Well that it from the UK for this month, Happy gaming and happy spooking folks! Mwahahahaha

WRITTEN BY ELLIOTT BUDDO

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ZOMBIES!

GAMING'S BIGGEST ZOMBIE FRANCHISES FEATURE While there is no shortage of zombie video games available, the number of games on console that become a household name are relatively few.

We here at Sticky Trigger love zombie games and we felt the need to revisit some of gaming’s biggest zombie franchises to see what exactly made them a huge success.

RESIDENT EVIL (1996) Where does one begin to summarise the brilliance of the Resident Evil games? When the series debuted, it popularised the Survival Horror genre (or subgenre, depending on your opinion), and cemented the fact that gamers want games that will scare the pants off them!

The Resident Evil games tell the stories of many characters, but most games revolve around characters Chris Redfield, Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield as they try to uncover the conspiracy behind the outbreak of a virus which turns people into zombies. In the first Resident Evil, S.T.A.R.S. Team Alpha is searching for Team Bravo after their helicopter crashed mid-mission.

Upon investigating the crash, Alpha Team discover the helicopter pilots body and shortly after, are attacked by mutant dogs. They take shelter in nearby Spencer Mansion, though of course, things are not what they seem inside.

So what made Resident Evil a huge success?

A great number of things. For its time, it was revolutionary. Gamers were still playing games like Doom, where the protagonist was armed with more firepower than most army platoons and the action was almost non-stop. Resident Evil introduced players to slow-paced unsettling atmospheres, and game design that was very much inspired from classic horror movies. Instead of running around like invincible action movie heroes, players had to conserve their ammo, ink ribbons (for saving the game via in-game typewriters) and healing herbs in order to survive. There were also While the game has significantly aged since 1996, I still remember the first time encountering a zombie in Resident Evil, and it was terrifying. The player encounters what appears to be a man huddled over a body. As they get closer, the sounds

of the zombie eating the body become more apparent, and then a cut scene plays, showing the zombie sense the player. He turns his head, blood smeared across his lips and face, his eyes both somehow lifeless and somehow able locking on to the player. What followed was the most intense knife fight of many gamer’s careers.

After Resident Evil’s immense success on the Sony PlayStation, it was later ported to the Sega Saturn, and has seen sequels on almost every console released since then. There was even a Resident Evil game on the Nintendo Game Boy Color!

While the series has seen many strange spinoffs and questionable genre shifts and mashups, there’s no denying that is was the game to popularise the Survival Horror genre, which might not have happened had Resident Evil been made.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR RESIDENT EVIL?

Both a sequel to Resident Evil Revelations and a current-gen HD remake of the original Resident Evil are in development, giving RE fans a lot to look forward to! Revelations 2 also sees a new protagonist introduced to the series – Barry Burton’s daughter Moira. Her exact connection to the story is unknown at this

point, but you can dollar it’s no mere happens to be the of Resident Evil’s members.

bet your bottom coincidence she daughter of one S.T.A.R.S team

HOUSE OF THE DEAD (1996) House of the Dead was one of Sega’s biggest hits during the arcade era of the 90s. In it, up to two players faced the zombie menace developed by the mad scientist Dr Curien.

So what made house of the dead a huge success?

House of the Dead took the awesome arcade shooting action of Virtua Cop and injected it with hordes of zombies and the occasional jump scare. For the first time in arcades, a black curtain surrounded an arcade cabinet, meaning that there was a very violent and scary game inside!

For its time, House of the Dead and its sequel, House of the Dead 2 were the unrivaled kings of the light-gun era. It wasn’t until Namco’s Time Crisis and Point Blank that another shooter could even come close to offering the thrills HotD did. It had

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR house of the dead?

At the moment nothing, though it would be nice if Capcom’s upcoming Resident Evil HD remake planted a similar idea into Sega’s collective brains. A reboot of the series as survival horror would be great (if handled correctly) but then again so would an HD collection, especially if it used the Nintendo Wii and Wii U’s remotes or the PlayStation 3 and 4’s Move controllers.

the perfect balance of jump scares, challenging enemies and frantic shootouts that shooter fans dreamed of.

After the immense success of House of the Dead, it was ported to the Sega Saturn (though critics cited that it was a very rushed and sub-par port) and PC. There have been numerous sequels, including the grindhouse film-inspired Wii title, House of the Dead Overkill. There were also two awful horror movies based on HotD as well, the first of which was directed by Uwe Boll. The less said about them the better!

dead rising (2006) From the wonderful mind of Keiji Inafune comes Dead Rising, the brilliant zombie franchise that almost never saw the light of day. That’s right, according to Inafune-san Capcom didn’t want to take the risk on yet another zombie franchise (Capcom being famous for the Resident

Evil games) but thankfully he somehow convinced them to give Dead Rising the go-ahead.

Dead Rising follows the story of numerous survivors as they uncover the conspiracy behind a zombie outbreak and the events that take place

years after it. The first game stars Frank West, a veteran photojournalist who aims to find the story behind the outbreak at Williamette Mall and get some gruesome photos while he’s at it. He has no doubt he’s up to the task, he’s covered wars, you know.

So what made dead rising a huge WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR success?

DEAD RISING? Dead Rising might have zombies, but it couldn’t be further from the tense survival horror of Resident Evil. Where Resident Evil saw players terrified of a handful of zombies or one monster, Dead Rising sees players having to deal with hundreds of zombies on screen at once, and in Dead Rising 3 on Xbox One, thousands. Not only that, everywhere you look lies thousands of potential weapons. Baseball bats, katanas, shotguns, park benches, lawn mowers, frying pans – almost anything can be picked up and wielded against the undead. Dead Rising also offered gamers a more menacing threat than just a hordes of the undead – there were also insane human survivors to contend with. The psychopaths (especially Adam the Clown) were genuinely frightening at times, and human bosses made for a refreshing change from monsters and “super” zombies.

There was also a strong element of comedy established in Dead Rising that has been present in every sequel. Players are able to find humourous “joke” weapons, such as umbrellas, bananas, buckets and ahem... “personal massagers”.

Dead Rising was a great game, but it wasn’t until Dead Rising 2 that the series really found its form, as it saw the introduction of combo weapons and combo vehicles. Combo weapons and vehicles are exactly what they sound like, a combination of two weapons or a vehicle and a weapon to make something much more deadly. A sledgehammer and a fire axe combine to make the “Defiler”, a heavy weapon that causes severe damage and mayhem. You can also create a lightsaber from combining a flashlight with gems (go figure!) and strap chainsaws to a motorcycle to make a “slaughtercycle”, which is as fun as it sounds.

With Dead Rising 3 on the Xbox One, many Dead Rising fans were worried that the series was going to take a more serious and darker approach.

Thankfully, all the bizarre and hilarious elements were left intact, only they were met with smartphone features, kinects gestures and voice commands, as well as the biggest and best looking Dead Rising we’ve seen yet! While other zombie games are concerned with claustrophobic terror Dead Rising 3 manages to mix horror, comedy and action all together in a brilliant bloody package!

With Microsoft Studios publishing Dead Rising 3 as an Xbox One exclusive, it’s a safe bet that Microsoft will want a sequel from Capcom and Capcom Vancouver when the time is right. The current story needs wrapping up in my opinion, so it would be nice if everyone’s war against the corrupt pharmaceutical conglomerate Phenotrans came to an end to make way for an entirely new storyline with new characters.

LEFT 4 DEAD (2008) WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR LEFT 4 DEAD?

Initially developed by Turtle Rock studios (developers of the upcoming Evolve), Left 4 Dead was bought

by Valve during its development.

Valve also developed its sequel, Left 4 Dead 2. In it players are cast as one of four survivors of a apocalyptic pandemic as they travel through infested areas looking for rescue.

So what made LEFT 4 DEAD a huge success?

Until Left 4 Dead, zombie games (though Left 4 Dead avoids the “Z” word) were extremely slow-paced.

Not only that, every event in the games was pre-scripted. For example, at the start of Resident Evil, depending on which character the player chooses, one of their S.T.A.R.S. team members is missing. It’s a story event, and completely unavoidable. In Left 4 Dead, there is very little story provided, and every major event that takes place on the survivors’ journey while dependent on a few conditions, is completely at random. Will they encounter a horde of infected, or will it be eerily quiet until the dreaded “Tank” decides to show up. There is no real way of predicting what lies around each corner, which is one of the best things about the Left 4 Dead games.

In addition to the unpredictable nature of the game, Left 4 Dead also does away with the traditional “slow and creepy” atmosphere of zombie games, and while it certainly can be unnervingly eerie, a great deal of the game players have no choice but to run. In this frantic atmosphere, strangers and even friends can become rivals and it truly does become survival of the fittest. I’ve seen sacrifices made, friendships tested and players well and truly Left 4 Dead.

Because of the random events (thanks to the ingenious “Movie Director” A.I.) the Left 4 Dead games have (in my opinion) the best replay value in gaming history. I myself have spent hundreds of hours playing Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2, and while I think it’s time for a sequel, I will never part with my copies of L4D1 and L4D2. They are classics.

Rumours of another Left 4 Dead game have been circulating for years, including one story that appeared on the internet of a tour-goer taking a snapshot of random video game code which other coders revealed to be from an unreleased Left 4 Dead game. The most recent rumour was started by an ex-Valve staff member who claims to have not only seen Left 4 Dead 3 being developed, but also Half Life 3. Because of Valve’s reputation for not finishing series (how long have people been waiting for another Half Life?), the future of the Left 4 Dead series remains unfortunately shrouded in mystery for now.

DEAD ISLAND (2011) Dead Island’s developer Techland have been developing their own video games since the year 2000 but it wasn’t until their FPS Call of Juarez that they became internationally renowned. While Call of Juarez and its prequel Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood were decent titles, they didn’t set the world on fire. 2011’s Dead Island however, was a huge success for Techland, despite sharing a few of Call of Juarez’s problems.

So what made dead island a huge success?

Despite a bland story and atrocious voice acting, Dead Island’s formula of co-operative multiplayer, combo weapons and first-person brawling made it popular, particularly with FPS gamers looking for change from the military shooter flooded marketplace.

Dead Island was succeeded by a pseudo-sequel, Dead Island: Riptide, which saw the same four survivors (met by an additional one) trying to defeat the military, who as it turns out were not “rescuing” people at all. While the story was still a little off, it felt as though Riptide had more direction that the original Dead Island.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR dead island?

Techland are currently developing a number of games, including Hellraid, a first-person medieval fantasy brawler (think Dead Island meets The Elder Scrolls), Dying Light, and Dead Island 2. There is also a thirdperson Dead Island title in the works from German game develop Fatshark called Escape Dead Island.

While some gamers like to argue that zombie games have lost their appeal, I like to think that there will always be room for the undead in video games. Thanks to games like Dead Rising, we get to experience a different kind of apocalypse, one that can be horrific but also have its moments of comedy. Games like Left 4 Dead also show that something as simple as fast-paced action, unpredictable A.I and teamwork can take everything you think you know about zombie games and flip it on its head.

ers that have taken the biggest risk. I feel as the games industry continues we will see more and more zombie games that dare to be different.

Will we get a fully-realised zombie survival RPG with complex conversations and moral decisions like in Bioware’s Mass Effect games? Will we see a massively multiplayer online role-playing game like World of Warcraft where players have different roles and have to band together to survive? Only time will tell...

Some developers like to play it safe with their zombies and opt for the limited ammunition, slow shambling zombies in tight corridors gameplay, but if you look at the list we’ve compiled here some of the biggest success stories have been from develop-

All images from Wikipidea.

WRITTEN BY NICK GETLEY

WWW.STICKYTRIGGERENTERTAINMENT.COM.AU

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HORROR'S UNHOLY TRINITY While church goers are aware of the Holy Trinity, horror movie buffs will be well aware of the unholy trinity - Michael Myers, Jason Voorhies and Freddy Krueger. These three horror movie characters frightened movie lovers from the late seventies and early eighties and continue to be popular today.

Michael Myers Myers was the first to appear in a movie in the 1978 classic, Halloween. In the first Halloween movie, Michael Myers, as a six year old boy, kills his teenage sister on Halloween in 1963. He is hospitalised in a sanitarium but escapes fifteen years later. Retuning to his home town he stalks babysitter, Laurie Strode (played by a young Jamie Lee Curtis) while his psychiatrist, Dr Sam Loomis tries to track Myers down. As happens in many of the horror films of those times, the heroine, Laurie is attacked but fights off Myers long enough to allow Dr Loomis to save her by shooting Myers in the chest six times. Myers falls over the balcony and when Dr Loomis goes to check on the body, it’s gone. In the second movie, Michael Myers returns (Halloween

II released in 1981) as the movie starts right where the first movie ended.

The series continues with 10 movies in the franchise, with the latest movies from 2007 and 2009 being a remake featuring Malcolm McDowell as Dr Loomis,Tyler Mane as Myers and Scout TaylorCompton as Laurie. Both films were not well rated by critics but we won’t be surprised if we see another version in the future.

Jason Voorhees The Friday the 13th series began in 1980 and the first movie introducing us to Jason Voorhees who drowned as a boy at Camp Crystal because of camp staff being negligent. Jason’s mother, is revealed as the killer in the first movie when Camp Crystal is due to be reopened. Mrs Voorhees is decapitated at the end of the movie by the last surviving councillor, Alice. In Friday the 13th Part 2 we discover that Jason is alive and a grown man. Once again teenagers go to the camp and once again they are murdered, this time by Jason. The series has 12 films in the series including a cross over with Freddy Kruger.

So far the series has made over $465 million worldwide.

Freddy Krueger In 1984 Wes Craven gave us A Nightmare on Elm Street and serial killer Freddy Krueger. Freddy is a burnt vengeful monster that attacks in people’s dreams.

Wearing his trademark red and green striped sweater, brown fedora and metal claw gloves, he attacks children and teens in their dreams. Freddy the monster is created when parents hunt him down after he gets off of a child murder charge due to a technicality. He hides in a building but the parents find him then set fire to the building killing Freddy the human but creating Freddy the evil spirit. The success of the first film saw Freddy return in the 1985 film A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge. Freddy appears in a total of 9 movies including the cross over movie with Jason - Freddy vs Jason made in 2003, and in 1988 a TV series, Freddy’s Nightmares.

Some of these movie monsters have crossed over into games, comics and TV. They are still popular icons from a wave of 80s hor-

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ror movies that also saw Scream, The Thing, Aliens and lots more in what could be considered the best decade for horror films.

What’s your favourite horror movie? We’d love to hear from you, so head over to our Facebook page and let us know what scares you!

WRITTEN BY ROB JENKINS LIVE MAGAZINE PUBLISHER

TOP 5 GHOST MOVIES FEATURE

Ghost stories are some of the most frightening, because they almost always have some degree of basis in reality. Of course, many are proven to be hoaxes or just made up, but ghosts are always something that someone, somewhere is claiming to be real so there’s always that notion of truth. Or at the very least, those who want a great horror movie experience don’t try too hard to not believe! So here are 5 of the best Ghost movies to keep you up at night!

Paranoid speculation, or a horror movie turned horror story?

Poltergeist (1982)

Not only was it realized on a shoestring budget, but this is the most influential modern horror flick of all, and has pretty much scared more people than any other in history, with many genuinely believing this was real. The stripped back filmmaking, raw scares and minimal casting and effects that Paranormal featured has become a staple of modern horror films, and while it’s hard to forgive the influence this has had on the countless dodgy foundfootage impersonators, the movie is still entirely deserving as being recognized as far more than just one of the group.

Let’s kick things off with one of the most influential horror movies ever made, Tobe Hooper’s great Poltergeist. This movie opened the doors for so many budding filmmakers and horror enthusiasts, and between it popularizing the whole ‘Indian Burial Ground’ plot and the infamous “They’re here” line, Poltergeist is unforgettable and definitely deserving of the horror hall of fame.

Notably, some believe the actually film franchise itself is cursed, relating to some untimely deaths of people involved in production.

Paranormal Activity (2007) I understand the lore of the franchise dictates this has little place in a ‘ghost movies’ list, but the actual content of the film begs to differ. Forgetting the constant strain of awful sequels, and putting any prejudice that comes from its popularity aside, the first Paranormal Activity was a terrific feat.

The Orphanage (2007) The very foundation of this Spanish creepshow is enough to make your skin crawl; set in an abandoned orphanage, a boy with ‘invisible’ friends and ghost kiddies… yeah. But what really makes The Orphanage great is that it’s such a well-crafted movie that it doesn’t need to fall back on its setting to provide cheap scares, but rather sets the scene for a haunting tale of family and real horror. These aren’t jump scares, suspenseful build ups or gory encounters, but rather just a truly scary story that never lets up. This is what horror should be, or at least what a good ghost story should.

Insidious (2010) Insidious is a product of our homegrown horror and gore aficionado, Aussie mastermind James Wan, the brain behind the Saw series. Insidious is the ghost story through and through, but where it separates itself from the rest on this list is adding a bit of the weird and wonderful into the mix. It’s still a horror, for sure, but it goes to places few others dare, toying

with dimension and the strange.

The end result is a highly original film that, along with its equally awesome sequel, delivers one of the best scary stories this side of fellow list-topper Poltergeist.

The Conjuring (2013) I’m ending things with my personal favourite movie of the list – and another James Wan film – The Conjuring. Based on the real life case of paranormal activity by investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, The Conjuring browned the pants of audiences everywhere when it released last year. Even the starting scene with the doll alone (another of the Warren’s infamous cases) was enough to keep most viewers awake at night, but the whole film from start to end is a non-stop thrill ride that sticks with you. It has everything that makes a horror movie great, and more, taking real instances of reported hauntings and delivering a stunningly appealing yet frightening experience. With scares coming from all kinds of techniques, it’s fresh yet familiar.

The Conjuring mixes what audiences love about modern horrors with the brutal intensity of the stories of the classics, making for a highly memorable flick which has already spawned the production of both a sequel and a spin-off.

The Conjuring series is the new big name in horror, and with good reason.

WRITTEN BY JOHNNY SCENE

WWW.STICKYTRIGGERENTERTAINMENT.COM.AU

TOP 5 slasher MOVIES FEATURE

Ahh, the slasher film; perhaps the most iconic and celebrated of the many horror sub-genres. We all have a favourite masked maniac or psycho serial killer that we love to watch work their magic, but there’s too many of the greats to pick just one. So strap in and have a look at our Top 5 best Slasher Movie.

Halloween (1978) Perhaps the most influential and loved from the whole genre, the Halloween series defined what the slasher was back in 1978, when John Carpenter terrified audiences with ‘The Shape’, better known as Michael Myers. Myers and his signature mask (originally a modified William Shatner mask) popularized the style of the masked murderer in horror films with his brutal systematic slaughtering of anyone and everyone who got in his way.

The icing on the bloody cake that is Halloween is the films music, which while lacking any symphonic score, had one of the more eerie and effective original soundtracks seen on film with Carpenters own piano tunes, the main theme song proving almost

as iconic as Myer’s haunting presence and mask.

Friday the 13th Part 4: The Final Chapter (1984) Many of the Friday the 13th movies were, frankly, silly. And stupid.

And just plain bad. So bad they were good, of course, but there actually were a few standout entries that actually had the balls and the brains to be great slashers in their own right.

The best of these, Part IV: The Final Chapter (far from the final chapter in reality, but I guess it sounded good at the time.) This was the pinnacle of the Friday movies, with the best in production value (out of the decent ones) and in our hockey mask-wearing friend, Jason Voorhees’ antics.

The Final Chapter carries the series’ subtle humor well enough that it remained subtle, and didn’t shy away from including many of its best kills and moments, including the gruesome masklessJason scene which will have you bellowing with either sadness or joy. Friday the 13th Part IV is the definitive Jason experience.

Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) Freddy Kruger is yet another icon symbol here, and much like his fellow crazy list dwellers, was forced to endure some lessthan-great movies as his career as mass murderer went on. But thankfully, we still have his first foray, the original Nightmare on Elm Street. Nightmare is one of the most original slashers here – or anywhere for that matter – with Freddy hunting his victims in their dreams, making for some more tense scenes and definably fantastic deaths. Wes Craven’s classic remains a fan favorite today, and besides also giving Johnny Depp his first acting gig, ushered in a new era of spine tingling scares.

Scream (1996) Just when most had all but given up hope on the slasher genre – or even horror itself – along came Scream, recreating the formula and birthing the genre as we know it today. Scream broke new ground by making itself as much a mystery as a horror, and between the all-round great per-

formances and Craven’s best directorial work, was essentially a flawless horror which buried clichés and tropes to become one of the most important movies of the 90’s. It did, however, create its own whole new set of clichés and tropes... Funnily enough, Scream is also the luckiest movie gracing this list, being the least sullied by terrible sequels and even the only one without a modern remake! I just hope I didn’t jinx the latter…

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) I debated a bit about whether this jock-stainingly terrifying classic could be classed a slasher, but I came to realize it ticks all the boxes – then some. And I would be a terrible person if I didn’t give a nod to Leatherface, for pretty much inventing the masked lunatic, and doing so in the sickest way possible; with other people’s skin.

But honestly, you can’t go past Tobe Hooper’s original Chainsaw flick when it comes to gruesome deaths and a sense of helplessness, two of the most important aspects in traditional slashers or splatter films. Contrary to popular belief, the movie is not based on a true story. It’s inspired by various killer cases, but Leatherface and co. are their own original breed of insane, and if you’ve only been savvy to the many terrible remake’s or reboots, then this ’74 masterpiece is a must-watch.

WRITTEN BY JOHNNY SCENE

WWW.STICKYTRIGGERENTERTAINMENT.COM.AU

TOP 5 ZOMBIE MOVIES FEATURE

Everyone loves zombie movies – even those who hate them! But of course, the most popular always seem to be the ones injected with a hefty dosage of funny. But as this is our super mega awesome Halloween issue, we’ve decided to stick to those who know the walking dead are no laughing matter, delivering the gore, the scares and the action, all with some real quality. Here are the Top 5 Zombie movies, the biggest and best of the lot.

Dawn of the Dead (2004) I know this might be an unpopular choice, but I genuinely feel this 2004 remake of the seminal 1978 original tops it in every aspect today, the classic really showing its age. Much like the original one did for older zombie flicks, this modern take instantly set – and still holds – the bar for every zombie movie to follow it.

It’s perfectly paced story, tense dialogue and uncountable awesome zombie moments and kills make this a true modern classic, and one that will hold the throne for a long time to come. It was also director Zack Snyder’s (300, Watchmen, Man of Steel) first go

at a feature film, which he nailed for someone with so little experience.

28 Days Later (2002) 28 Days Later is one of the most successful and praised zombie films ever, along with its sequel 28 Weeks Later, and with good reason. More than most others, 28 Days Later tells its story in the most human and realistic way possible, but without sacrificing any of the good stuff. It’s still full of action and no-holdsbarred gore, and as entertaining and watchable a horror movie as you can get. I know there’s some discussion about whether or not the films ‘Rage Virus’ constitutes it being a zombie film, but that’s seriously just taking nitpicking to whole new heights, because at the end of the day, this movies infected are some of the creepiest and best we’ve seen on screen.

Night of the Living Dead (1990) Another remake which makes precedence over its original (1968) counterpart; Night of the Living Dead. Legendary special

effects & makeup artist Tom Savini’s only ever feature directorial effort is one of the finest examples of zombie horror, making the creatures in question more frightening than anything before it. It stays true to the original while mixing it up with modern techniques and more gore than you can throw a decapitated head at.

Plus it has the Candyman himself, Tony Todd, kicking ass in it… ‘nuff said.

[Rec] (2007) This Spanish horror flick is undeniably the scariest of the lot here, taking the popular found-footage style of recent years and actually making it a terrifying and intense experience, as a group of strangers find themselves trapped inside a zombie-infested apartment building. It spawned some lessawesome sequels and the fairly average US remake Quarantine, but [Rec] is a highly entertaining, original zombie movie with some real scares, and great filmmaking. A must watch for horror lovers, and certainly one to change any negative opinion on the found-footage style that has been plagued by countless cash-ins on its recent popularity.

World War Z (2013) I haven’t read the book the movie’s ‘based on’ so I won’t touch on any similarities (or lack thereof), but as I hear it, it shares naught but name. But despite that, World War Z wonderfully portrays how the world at large, opposed to just small groups of people, react to an instantly overwhelming viral pandemic. That alone makes it stand out, but it’s the sheer scale of the movie and of some of the particularly insane action scenes that make this one of a kind. It subjects us to a lot more action than scares of any kind, but that’s forgivable when it’s all done so well, and Brad Pitt’s tense scenes towards the end of the movie show us that it’s not all about the big budget grandeur to give us kicks.

WRITTEN BY JOHNNY SCENE

WWW.STICKYTRIGGERENTERTAINMENT.COM.AU

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THE CONJURING

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL MOVIE REVIEW

The Conjuring is one of the more humorous horror films I’ve seen lately; sadly this did not seem to be its purpose. At one point, I turned to the person next to me, asking if it was going to be another “Cabin In The Woods” experience. Being transported back into the ‘70’s, the film starts off on what seems to be a serious note, immediately introducing the weird happenings of entities terrorizing a house. The film is based on the Warren’s case files of paranormal activities that they investigated, so it’s interesting to see how two people have interpreted things that couldn’t be explained in such a time.

Ed (Wilson) and Lorraine (Farmiga) Warren were paranormal investigators in the 1970’s, they lectured as well as helped people who were in need of their services. The movie is based heavily around the idea of religion and the Christian way of expelling such horrors, even involving the Vatican’s role in approving exorcisms. These beliefs and how they affected people’s lives is fascinatingly told throughout this film, but at times comedic relief is achieved unintentionally and starts to draw the viewer out of the horror aspect.

Carolyn (Taylor) and Roger (Livingston) Perron have five daugh-

ters, and decide to move out into the country for a fresh start in life.

Home life is always chaotic, but that starts to seem low maintenance compared to what is about to haunt them. Something sinister is happening in their farmhouse, and the girls quickly attune to each mysterious force plaguing their home. At a loss, they turn to the Warrens for help, but even Ed and Lorraine have no idea what they have gotten themselves into.

It’s not only the family they’re trying to help at stake, but their own family too.

Each shot delivers a picturesque life with an eerie vibe that creeps in. There’s a constant wait for something to pop up on screen or to change before your eyes.

The set is beautiful in itself, marrying nature and horror superbly.

Costumes and makeup are used to their advantage, delivering believable and immersive characters. Everything comes across naturally, even with the most unnatural of things appearing. There are a couple of let downs, but for the most part, some of the more animated characters can be mistaken for what fuels nightmares.

The soundtrack largely relies on ambience, each scene being positioned in such a way to make you notice and anticipate any of the more subtle changes.

For the most part, The Conjuring is at best a nicely told story but leaves you yearning for that true mystery. There are certain reveals that make the phenomenon less so, and instead becomes cheap scare tactics akin to what was used in the 1990’s – think “stare at this picture to see something cool happen” and a screaming face eventually pops up. It’s almost at the point of ridiculous, but you can’t look away.

There are some moments that really bring you into the story and make you feel for the people that must have gone through such terrors, but there’s one question that lingered throughout watching the film, which made me quite detached – how much of this parallels their interpretation of mental illness?

Highlight: The Perron family’s girls do some of the best acting in the film. Each time they’re on screen; they really try to bring you into the story they tell.

WRITTEN BY KYLIE TUTTLE

WWW.STICKYTRIGGERENTERTAINMENT.COM.AU

7/10

CABIN IN THE WOODS

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL MOVIE REVIEW

When five friends take a weekend break at a cabin the woods miles away from home and civilisation, they quickly realise that they got more than they bargained for.

Together, they unravel the truth behind the mystery that is The Cabin in the Woods. Ok, so at first glance you would think this is going to be one of your typical ‘five kids go in to a cabin in the woods and they all die a horrible death’ predictable horror story...

WRONG! Well, not completely wrong, but almost. The Cabin in the Woods is not your run of the mill horror flick. It takes your perception of what you think you know about how a horror film will play out, pushes it to a whole new level and then flips it on its head.

It’s a Rubik’s cube of brilliance at every turn.

The genius’ behind this almost game-like puzzle comes from duo Drew Goddard (Cloverfield) as the writer and director and Joss Whedon (The Avengers, Buffy, Angel) as co-writer. It really isn’t just a regular horror film – it’s much more than that. Brilliantly, there are two separate story lines that run concurrent within the film.

They blend seamlessly and the concept behind the idea may be

a bit sick and twisted. It will not only intrigue and entice you, but glue you to the screen and have you wanting to know what’s waiting around the corner.

As a straight up horror film, Goddard and Whedon have written the script incredibly well. Their writing skill in Cabin is clever, ingenious and unpredictable. The concept behind using your worst nightmare or fear as the ‘monsters’ are brilliantly displayed. I would go as far to say that the horror portrayal of the film could be right up there with The Hills Have Eyes. In other words, it’s not for the faint of heart. If you’re jumpy or scare easily, this might be a film you will need to close your eyes on quite a bit. The gore scenes and the scare factor are very effective.

The script has been cleverly written in a way that you simply won’t be able to predict what’s going to happen 15 minutes in which I thought was brilliant.

I love the horror genre, but there is nothing worse than predictability and knowing how it’s going to end well before it ends. Something that shocked me a bit is that this movie was genuinely funny.

Clearly Goddard and Whedon

did not get the memo about horror slasher films not being funny!

For breaking the mould, I applaud them. Cabin will have you laughing and giggling at the one liners, the character interaction and even a few of the gory scenes which you would usually be closing your eyes in, but one scene towards the end of the movie was not only gory, but so over the top ridiculous (but in a good way) that it was impossible not to burst out laughing. Without the injection of the humour, how I would have felt about this movie could have been drastically different.

One thing Goddard did keep true to form with respect to the horror genre was the stereotypical characters; the slutty blonde, the athletic sports jock, the smart one, the pothead and of course who could forget the virgin! Starring Chris Hemsworth (Thor) as Curt, the jock, Anna Hutchinson (from Aussie drama Underbelly) as the slutty blonde, Jessie Williams (Grey’s Anatomy) as Holden, the smart one, Fran Kranz (Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules) as Marty, the pothead and Kristen Connelly (The Happening) as the virgin, the cast interact well, the on screen relationships aren’t

forced or feel fake. They all do a fantastic job with what Goddard and Whedon threw at them – normally a knife; bear trap, demon from your worst nightmares and underworld etc.

9/10

Surprisingly, some of the best moments in the movie belong to acting veterans Richard Jenkins (The Rum Diary) as Sitterton and Bradley Whitford (Billy Madison) as Hadley. Their inclusion to the cast made this movie, with respect to the roles they played.

Slapstick and tongue-in-cheek hilarity - you won’t be able to help but laugh due to an unfortunate, yet often talked about mishap to Hadley There’s an unsuspected and vital cameo toward the end with a very famous star, but I’ll leave that as a surprise! Cinematographically, there are some stunning aerial shots at the beginning of film. Great choices for location and shooting angles were made whilst filming this movie, honing in on specifics which may not seem so relevant until the end of the movie where you begin to realize if other choices had been made by the characters, the film could have taken on a different story; but would it have ultimately ended the same way? The ending was a bit naff, but considering the lead up to it, I’m prepared to look past that.

The Cabin in the woods really does have a brilliant concept that drives the plot of the movie. It’s the execution of that concept from beginning to end will fascinate and excite the viewer.

Highlight: Interaction between Sitterton and Hadley and the elevator scene.

WRITTEN BY KYLIE TUTTLE

WWW.STICKYTRIGGERENTERTAINMENT.COM.AU

Based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirman, The Walking Dead tells the story of a group of survivors following zombie apocalypse. County sheriff, Rick Grimes wakes from a coma in a hospital bed to find that the world he once knew has changed and changed forever. He is alone and confused and in ‘walker’ filled world and desperate to be reunited with his family. The journey finds survivor’s banding together to stay alive, facing trial and tribulation along the way in their travels, making new friends and with an end goal – survive the zombie invasion and find sanctum.

In 2010, AMC picked up the story and sent out a teaser season of 6 episodes to ‘test the waters’ with viewers as to whether the series would be successful. Their test proved to be a very fruitful experiment! At the time the first season was aired, there was nothing on TV like it. The pilot episode scored a whopping 5.35 million viewers making it the most watched series premiere of any AMC television series to date!

The Walking Dead has a HUGE worldwide following and each season garners more and more fans!

Airing a total of 4 seasons todate, season 5 is due to air on October 31st. So if you have been living under a rock and are yet to watch The Walking Dead, you have no idea what you are missing! Before season 5 starts, Bronte Hoy gives you a quick recap to bring you up to speed with what happened on season 4... *Deep Apocalypse Voice* Previously, on the Walking Dead…

Thirty days after the Woodbury massacre, the prison has become too good to be true. Crops are growing, the Woodbury survivors are happily bonding with the original group, and things are relatively quiet on the walker/Governor front. However, it seems the peace was never meant to last as a deadly virus begins to spread through the prison and a mysterious murder occurs that sends the prison reeling.

While the residents of the prison fight for their lives and each other, the Governor is revealed to be forming another army of survivors to take down the prison. Only when the residents are well on their way back to health does the Governor arrive looking for blood (and maybe guts). Rick offers for the two groups to live together peacefully but a lengthy bloodbath ensues when Hershel is brutally beheaded.

The Governor is killed but the prison is overrun with walkers, violence, and despair. The group is scattered and remains separated from one another for the rest of the season but each survivor becomes hell bet on getting to the mysterious safe haven known as “Terminus”. Many are lost along the way and select few make it to Terminus, but things aren’t at all what they seem in the promised paradise.

The group are fired upon and trapped inside a train carriage, and the season ends on a killer quote.

“They’re gonna feel pretty stupid when they find out,” Rick says, “that they’re messing with the wrong people.”

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ASSASSINS CREED: R

ROGUE PREVIEW

Assassin’s Creed fans rejoice! You get a double dose of stalking and stabbing this year with the upcoming release of Assassin’s Creed Rogue.

So just what is Rogue going to be about and why will it be worth playing? We’ve had all this time to speculate about Unity and now the facts are flowing thick and fast for Rogue, with little time left to wonder because it comes out in November!

The game is mostly set in 18th century New York during the Seven Years’ War, slotting nicely in between the events of Assassin’s Creed III and

IV. You will play as 21-year-old Shay Patrick Cormac, a young man who was taken in by the Assassin Brotherhood when his father passed away. He doesn’t really care about the goals of the Assassins and lives a carefree life. That is, until a plan goes awry and the Order turns on him. Then comes the real shocker: he decides to join the Templars so that he can destroy those who betrayed him. Apparently you’ll spend most of the game fighting on the side of the enemy in every AC game to date.

RELEASE DATE:

8 NOVEMBER 2014

FORMATS:

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This isn’t the first time players have controlled a Templar, though. Playing as Haytham Kenway was the fantastic introduction to Assassin’s Creed III, leading to the ultimate reveal. I vividly remember throwing down my controller with a gasp, unable to believe that I had been playing as the “bad guy.” It really changed the entire dynamic of the power struggle in the game. It’s too easy to view things as Assassins = good and Templars = bad. Life is full of grey areas and as the AC universe continues to grow, it’s important to develop this depth.

an Assassin, this time they will be boarding your ship. They will also hide in a myriad of locations and do anything to kill you. So, uh, good luck with that.

The most startling part aside from Ubisoft having an extra game hidden up their collective sleeves is that this instalment in the series has been developed for PS3 and Xbox 360. It seems like a crazy move to put out a game specifically for last generation consoles but it does cater for those who either can’t afford or don’t care about the newer ones.

"It really changed the entire dynamic of the power struggle in the game."

One thing that pleases the sociopathic side of me is that abandoning the Assassins means being able to ignore their frustrating (at times) “creed.” According to game director Martin Capel, you can kill indiscriminately if you want to. Beggar getting in your face? Time to die. Crier annoying you? Nice knowing you. As long as you get results, it seems the Templars can’t care less how you get them.

Rogue will also have the naval exploration that made Black Flag such a hit, with some slight additions and alterations to suit the situation and location. The freezing waters of the North Atlantic will hurt you, for example, destroying any plans to simply run into the sea to escape enemies. Also, while you were the one boarding ships in Black Flag as

Perhaps it’s the cynic in me talking but I sincerely hope that the game doesn’t just feel like a mish mash of concepts that never made the main series with obviously recycled assets, as I fear it will.

Right now, the jury is still out on whether releasing both games in the same year is a wise decision.

The trailers are certainly compelling and Shay seems like an interesting character but are gamers willing to drop money on both at the same time? I might, if only to feel the joy of stabbing lots of civilians without desynchronising.

WRITTEN BY

BRIDGET SWEENEY WWW.STICKYTRIGGERENTERTAINMENT.COM.AU

HANDS ON W SUPER SMASH BR

WITH ROS

PREVIEW

Three weeks from release of Super Smash Bros. For Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo decided to send select Club Nintendo Members four codes for an early access to a special demo. Alex and Sasha got their hands on these codes, which gave privileged gamers access to five characters – Mario, Link, Pikachu, Villager, and Mega Man – and the ability to fight on the Battlefield stage. How does this demo set the arena for Super Smash Bros. For Nintendo 3DS? Will the full game be worth your hard earned coins?

Read on as the Nintendudes go through their preview of the Super Smash Bros. For Nintendo 3DS Special Demo Version.

Gameplay Alex

The gameplay of Super Smash Bros. remains as timeless as ever: you pick your favourite Nintendo character to match up against up to 3 other characters that can be NPCs or other players (in the final build). Each character has their own unique attacks and weapons based on the games from which they come. Super Smash Bros.’ brilliance comes from its intuitive yet deep gameplay – you’ll get out of the fighting exactly what you put in. For people like me, who cannot memorise the combos and moves other fighting games often require,

Super Smash Bros.’ combat allows for easy access fun, and an ability to really skilled if desired. Happily, this gameplay translates perfectly to the 3DS. Each of the five available fighters have their own distinct flavour – the full roster of 51 characters will certainly give players bang for their buck.

Sasha

Everything here is what you’ve seen before in previous Super Smash Bros. instalments where gamers go head to head as some of gaming’s biggest icons and rack up damage in the form of an increasing percentage to represent damage. The higher your percentage, the more your characters will fly. Push your opponents off the map or out of the camera view, and you gain a point. In this instalment, there’s a well-deserved coat of new paint. The demo is set to matches for two minutes, with points only. For Smashers returning from previous instalments, gameplay is faster than Brawl, but still slightly slower than Melee. For gamers new to the Smash Bros. franchise, this means that the speed of gameplay feels pretty good.

Graphics Alex

This game is absolutely pushing the 3DS hardware to its limit, and dang if it doesn’t look as great. Having a visual fidelity comparable to Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii, the 3DS is very much capable of running the high octane fights that are characteristic of Smash Bros. This is quite impressive given the amount that can be happening on the screen at any one time, characters, items, and all.

Sasha

Everything in the demo flows like a dream. You’d think you were playing Super Smash Bros. Melee or Super Smash Bros. Brawl, previous instal-

ments in the Super Smash Bros. franchise, on a small portable TV. Most of the gameplay runs in a solid 60 FPS in both 2D and 3D, with rare dips when multiple explosions occur, the exception being assists from assist trophies and Pokémon from Pokéballs run in 30 FPS. The 3D, while not adding much, does add a subtle depth.

Controls Alex

One of the most important parts of fighting games are the controls, and the Super Smash Bros. franchise is no exception. The controls on the 3DS feel intuitive, responsive, and tight, and best of all if you don’t like them, you can customise them. That being said the 3DS slide pad was likely not built for intended levels of high impact use, so there is a worry that over time the slide pad will come off. For me however, I didn’t have any odd issues.

Sasha

Super Smash Bros. For Nintendo 3DS plays differently compared to its console predecessors obviously due to the new platform, and I’m not sure if it’s years of Smash Bros. experience with controllers, but something feels slightly off, at least on an XL. You move with the thumb pad, jump with X and Y, attack with A and B, and grab with L and block with R, with taunts mapped to the directional pad. During play, I find my fingers rest underneath the system, not on the triggers, and when I move my fingers for the triggers, more often than not I can only focus on blocking or grabbing at a time; fingers on both triggers and thumbs on the thumb pad and face buttons is too straining so far. Maybe this will come with time in the full version of the game.

Speaking of slightly awkward controls, playing with the thumb pad feels imprecise at times, where an

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4 OCTOBER 2014 (3DS) Q4 2014 (WIIU)

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attempt at inputting a down smash attack ends up in a down tilt. Maybe it’s me, maybe it’s my circle pad, maybe it’s the game; I’m not too sure. For Smash veterans, this may take some getting used to.

Multiplayer Sasha

Local play between friends is where the Super Smash Bros. franchise shines, and Super Smash Bros. For Nintendo 3DS is no exception. Between handhelds, there is no lag, so playing with your friends offline will contain hours upon hours of local fun, just like previous instalments.

The Super Smash Bros. For Nintendo 3DS Special Demo only contains two minute point based matches for local play options for multiplayer, so other modes such as Smash Run, or online play, can’t be assessed at this time.

The Little Things Alex

Despite being frowned upon in competitive use, I’ve always been a sucker for the Smash Bros. items. I am more than happy to report Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS contains many excellent and fun new items including the Blue Shell from the Mario Kart franchise, the Cuckoos and Bombchus from the The Legend of Zelda franchise, and the character Lon’qu as an Assist Trophy from the Fire Emblem franchise.

I look forward to discovering more as I go on, but each new item I found really helps amp up the Nintendo love and fun already present in the game.

The high quality of music found in the Super Smash Bros. franchise returns as well, and it’s as epic as ever, providing a great audio backdrop to the frantic matches.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS managed to deliver what was Alex and Sasha were hoping for; a perfectly ported Super Smash Bros. experience to Nintendo’s handheld console. We were generally satisfied with the controls, impressed with graphics, and happy that the core gameplay remained as sound as ever. They both eagerly await the release of the full game, and the complete Super Smash Bros. experience. Interested challengers and veterans alike to the Super Smash Bros. franchise can enter the fray when the full game is released on the 4th of October.

WRITTEN BY ALEX HOLMES & SASHA KAREN

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DESTINY REVIEW

After 5 long years, Destiny is here. Since its announcement in 2009, Bungie have been teasing gamers with trickles of information but it wasn’t until 2013 that we finally saw the actual game. For many gamers, it’s been an almost unbearable wait to see what comes after Halo for Bungie. While every AAA game these days gets arguably too much hype before its release, Destiny is a damn fine game that deserves the attention it gets.

The only gripes I have with the game are unwanted side effects that actually stem from its broad appeal, but more on that later. For now, let’s get to know the game.

WHAT IS DESTINY? Destiny takes everything Bungie has previously learnt from all their other games, and combines with fresh ideas, and the features of an MMO. I say “features of an MMO” because Destiny is not an MMO, but is instead being called a “shared-world” shooter. There won’t be thousands of other players running around and butchering the game’s frame rate, but there is dynamic events, drop-

in drop-out co-op missions and events and loot. So much loot.

Destiny is set 700 years after a catastrophic event has pushed mankind to the brink of extinction.

During the “Golden Age”, mankind was able to colonize different planets in the solar system, which led to a great time of prosperity and exploration. All of this was made possible with the aid of The Traveler, a mysterious sphereshaped entity. The Golden Age was interrupted by an enemy of

The Traveler known as the Darkness, which attacked and destroyed all of mankind’s colonies except for Earth, which only has one city left.

Now the Traveler sits above the city, protecting it as best it can, though it no longer speaks to us and communicates through the Speaker, who will “guide” you through your journey (he actually does a pretty rubbish job).

Some of Earth’s inhabitants are

able wield a small part of the Traveler’s power, known as “the light”. They are “the Guardians”, and it’s up to them to reclaim Earth’s colonies and wipe out the Darkness before mankind is wiped out once and for all.

STARTING OUT When you begin the game, you’re tasked with creating your character. You can be male or female and one of three races. There are the Humans, who are tough, reliable and uncomplicated. Then there’s the Awoken, the blueishgrey skinned race who are rumoured to have been created in the collapse. Finally, there’s the Exo. The Exo were created in the Golden Age to protect humans.

They are self-aware and highly complicated robots that are just as capable as any other warrior.

There isn’t a great deal of options for creating your character but similar to The Elder Scrolls games you won’t spend a great deal of time looking at yourself as the game is played mainly in a first-person perspective. I would have preferred a few more faces at the very least; I avoided making a human because all of the humans have Gears of War-style faces with stone jaws. I don’t feel they match all of the game’s different hairstyles and face paints, but a more average face would have. The Awoken and the Exo are fine though.

After you choose your race, gender and look, you then pick which class you want to play as. You can have multiple characters

which means you can experiment until you find which one is right for you, so don’t stress about getting everything “right” straight away.

The classes in Destiny aren’t as detailed as in MMORPGs, meaning that fireteams (co-operative teams of three that can go on patrols, strikes and story missions together) can be made up of any combination of the three classes and still have a chance of succeeding in battle. Sure the Titan is the “soldier” of the group, the Warlock wields the Light almost like magic and the Hunter is most like a “rogue” (high risk but high damage), but the differences are primarily cosmetic and based on their special abilities. The Titan smashes the ground with an explosive ground pound attack, or he can create shields in battle.

The Warlock can hurl destructive Nova Bombs at their enemies, or can temporarily boost all their abilities while setting their enemies on fire with their melee attack. The Hunter is able to wield a golden gun made of solar energy, which is as destructive as it sounds. His other selectable ability is Arc Blade, which is a deadly lightning-based knife attack.

Every class has a subclass that can be unlocked at level 15, or the player can continue developing their main class or swap between the two at any time.

THE MAIN STORY When you’re done creating your character, you’ll set out on your mission to save mankind. You actually begin resurrected by a Ghost, a flying sentient droid cre-

"The firsT time you travel to the moon or a new planet you will find so much to be impressed by."

ated by the Traveler. Ghost is voiced by Game of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage, but it’s far from his best performance. He is frequently dull as Ghost and while I’m well aware that he is playing a droid, there are other super-intelligent droids and robots in the game that managed to score a personality chip. I can only assume that the Dink is present to give the game a broad appeal, but when the voice acting industry has insanely talented people like Troy Baker, Nolan North, Steve Blum, Laura Bailey, Jennifer Hale and more, it just seems like a silly move. This is even more unfortunate when you consider how great a character Cortana from Bungie’s own Halo was.

Thankfully Destiny’s opening mission while bland, does away with the annoying tutorial level (kinda).

You’ll still be introduced to some of the game’s mechanics, but you won’t be tasked with learning how to walk, jump, crouch, etc.

Instead, you’ll be earning your shrike (speeder bike) and ship, two things that you’ll absolutely need if you’re going to be hopping around the galaxy.

One problem with Destiny’s story is very similar to that of other open-world games. When you leave the story’s progression up

to the player, it feels weaker. For the sake of your own personal enjoyment (and actually learning what little story there is) I’d recommend doing the story as soon as you are the required level to attempt it. Otherwise you’ll be playing it infrequently and getting gear that’s very much beneath you.

Another problem is that the writing for the story is just generally weak. The only time I was genuinely interested in the story was when I traveled to the Reef, where the Awoken dwell. I found the Queen and her brother to be very interesting characters, but they were literally the only characters I did find interesting, and even then they reminded me of Princess Nuala and Prince Nuada from Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, only more like their emo cousins. The rest of Destiny’s story falls into the same traps as previous Bungie games – weak characters, an almost silent protagonist and just not enough story development. That isn’t to say the game isn’t fun, it’s just that for the most part, there is a distinct lack of an actual story in the game’s “story”.

Also, the Dink stinks. Maybe his Ghost needs an upgrade, because his dialogue feels like he is a GPS or objective reminder.

To put it in perspective, you will travel to the moon searching for a guardian outpost in one mission.

Ghost will say something like “here we are... the moon. Let’s find that outpost”. Upon finding the outpost you will see an old computer which Ghost can hack into, which he will again address in the most boring way possible

like “Look, the outpost. I’ll see what I can find on this computer”.

Bla bla bla one half-assed pseudo-joke later and you’re defending him against an alien attack.

It’s the story’s unique turns and events that are really the highlight of the story, as well as the game’s environments. The first time you travel to the moon or a new planet you will find so much to be impressed by. Venus’ sky is being pierced by asteroids and rain, Earth is littered with rubble and remnants of military bases and the moon is so stark that is almost feels surreal to walk on it.

There is also a moment in one of the early Venus missions that will genuinely take the player by surprise. It is so challenging (at least on Hard mode) that it feels like a miracle to survive it, which is great.

While I know there is good DLC in the works, I can’t help but feel underwhelmed by the game’s story overall. I wouldn’t say that I’m disappointed though, as I know that shooters are games with action first and story second and I didn’t know what to expect with Destiny.

If it had the complexity, decision making and well-written lore of the Mass Effect games (which had a shorter development time), I would have been in sci-fi heaven.

OTHER MODES Destiny’s greatest strength is the sheer amount of activies that is has on offer. Sure they all revolve around shooting things, but never before has a game been so amalgamative of all its influences. Not

only that, but the rewards of each activity will aid the player in another area of the game. A gun that can be obtained only in multiplayer might help you survive a level 20 Strike, or it might need to reach a certain amount of kills before it can be upgraded, which might be a task fulfilled outside of competitive multiplayer modes.

In addition to the story, players can enter the Crucible, go on Patrol, complete Strikes, or go on Raids. The Crucible is your competitive multiplayer mode, which has a number of different modes of its own. I was excited when I saw a number of different modes, but some of them are just different takes on Team Deathmatch.

Clash is classic 6-on-6 Deathmatch, Rumble is a 6 player freefor-all (every man for himself) and Skirmish is a 3 player deathmatch on small maps with revives.

There’s also Control, where players hold key locations on a map (think Call of Duty’s Domination) and Salvage, where players compete to hold different relics.

All in all the multiplayer is fun, but the game’s loot system can come back to bite players on the butt here. You might have a great story mode loadout for your character, but it might not do well at all in competitive multiplayer. While you can compete from a very low level in the Crucible, I wouldn’t recommend doing so until you have a complete set of uncommon gear, and even then you will need to be at least level 15 before you can take on most opponents at low-level modes like Control.

Once you level up though, you will be having a ball as everybody

having unique weapons and armour makes for very unpredictable matches. You will have to learn who is the biggest threat and why, and adapt your tactics with each game.

When you’re not killing everyone or killing nobody at all in the Crucible, you’re also able to go on Patrols. Patrol Mode is a very exploratory mode where you will land on a planet, and pick up various missions from beacons around the area. In the beta, the story covered only a small part of Russia, which made the Patrol mode feel great as the area you could explore in it was so much bigger than in the story missions present in the beta. With the final build of Destiny though, you will see every nook and cranny there is to see relatively quickly. Considering out entire solar system is at threat, it would have been nice to see a lot more of Russia, or even go somewhere other than Russia.

Patrols usually involve similar objectives, but they are a nice way of learning levels, obtaining collectible materials (which can be traded towards leveling up and gaining reputation) and hanging out with friends for a quick game.

Strikes are missions with a higher probability of better loot with a higher difficulty. While the loot drops are very much random, they are extremely beneficial to do and are an absolute blast with a tight-knit fireteam of friends. A friend and I tried to beat a Strike that was a much higher level than what we were, and while we didn’t beat it, we gained a few experience levels and obtained loot

that became vital to our future success.

Raids are 6 player co-operative missions of an even higher difficulty. In addition to obtaining random loot, there will also be a variety of different raids with different armour sets and legendary weapons to be obtained by completing the raids a number of times.

There are no objective markers or hints given to the players at all, and due to the extreme difficulty, matchmaking is not supported.

You best be making friends if you want the best gear in the game!

SO HOW DOES IT PLAY? Destiny is pretty, smooth and feels great to play. When I say feel, I mean that the shooting mechanics are perfect, the shrikes and other vehicles feel great and are easy to handle and maneuvering your Guardian is a breeze as well. The graphics might not be groundbreaking as the game was in development for a long time (and it’s on two generations of consoles), but the art direction is decent and the lighting is spectacular. When you’re above ground, shadows behave realistically, light blooms and reflects off things as it should and the scenery is quite impressive. Under ground, lighting is even more impressive, with flickering lights, flares and other light sources behaving as they would in real life.

There’s also a decent variety in the interior design (though some caves on Venus feel a little too similar to each other) of buildings and caves, particularly those that aliens have converted into bases or lairs.

8/10

I mentioned in my introduction that I have a few small gripes that actually come from Destiny’s broad appeal, which I shall talk about now. Destiny is at its heart a combination of a number of different game types. It’s a shooter with MMO elements such as dungeon raids and social hubs, but it’s also an open-world shooter similar to Borderlands with smaller but more unique locations. It also offers a story that is more on par with Halo than the MMOs it draws inspiration from. While the character system and loot system only benefit from this the actual levels and activities feel repetitive, as the same location you were just in for a story mission is the same place you will need to go to countless times on Patrols.

I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve seen the same underground area in Russia over 100 times already.

Much like The Sims 4, Destiny has been made with future DLC in mind. The level “cap” is at 20, there is only a handful of Strikes currently available, and the first Raid hasn’t even appeared ingame yet (though it should by the time you read this). There is still plenty to do, but as it stands the story is both forgetful and short, the multiplayer has three very similar modes and there is only a handful of Strikes, which are the funnest part of the game for those looking to experience a challenge with friends. While the game is the most fun I’ve had with a

shooter in years I don’t know how long the core game will hold its appeal. With two DLC packs already listed online and a ton of limited-time events popping up I’m certain that Bungie will deliver though.

Destiny might be the most overlyhyped game since Call of Duty: Ghosts and Battlefield 4, but unlike those two it delivers a game that is lag-free, problem free and a ton of fun. People will probably use the word “innovative” when they talk about Destiny and while I disagree with that, I certainly feel taking the risk of adding MMO elements to it has more than paid off for Bungie as they have a solid title with an even better future. I’m also for any game that takes the

dated shooter genre in another direction.

For all the small gripes I’ve mentioned (and they are small) I can’t stop playing the game. I already have one max-level with one character and by the time you read this I’ll probably have another.

PROS:

CONS:

THE BEST SHOOTER IN YEARS A TON OF CONTENT FOR THE ONLINE GAMER MMO ELEMENTS REALLY ADD A FUN CHALLENGE TO THE FPS GENRE

REPETITIVE USE OF LOCATIONS MULTIPLAYER CAN SEEM UNBALANCED AT FIRST THE DINK STINKS

WRITTEN BY NICK GETLEY

WWW.STICKYTRIGGERENTERTAINMENT.COM.AU

HYRULE WARRIORS REVIEW

S

Hyrule Warriors’ sees developers Omega Force and Team Ninja, along with hack and slash producer giant Koei Tecmo, known for their many Warriors games team up with Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda franchise, taking characters across many years and places them into a Warriorsstyled game. Will the sword blade of Hyrule Warriors cut deep into your free time, or will it leave you unscathed?

Deemed by Hyrule Warriors supervisor and Legend of Zelda franchise supervisor, designer, producer and director Eiji Aonuma as non-cannon

in the Zelda universe, Hyrule Warriors sets the stage with Princess Zelda and Captain Impa watching over the Hyrule Royal Army, noticing star trainee, Link. Evil forces lead by the sorceress Cia threaten the land of Hyrule and kidnap Zelda, and a series of events sees the band of heroes team up with Lana and a cast of thirteen playable characters ranging across time from Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword. The story comes across as nothing more as slightly above average crossover fanfiction, but for what Hyrule Warriors lacks in plot, makes up in its

addictive gameplay.

Gamers should keep in mind that Hyrule Warriors is not a Zelda game, but is a Warriors game.

There are no dungeons to explore, and no complex puzzles to solve. I myself have dabbled here and there in the Warriors series, so I knew a little about what I was getting into, but I wasn’t expecting anything at this level of quality.

The gameplay of Hyrule Warriors can be summed up in three words: hack and slash. Generally, a level of Hyrule Warriors will see gamers

choosing a character and taking on a battleground. Each battle consists of various keeps which are held by you, shown in blue, or by enemies, shown in red or yellow.

Really Hylian Captain? I’m doing just fine.

Battlegrounds are littered with minions and your own soldiers, and you have the task of hacking and slashing your way through the hordes through combos of the X and Y buttons. Fight enough minions in an enemy controlled keep, and the keep boss appears.

Silly King dodongo, surely you know by now bombs give you heartburn!

but there’s nothing quite like stabbing King Dodongo right in his yellow head, or slicing intimidating armies to mere mooks.

The items and weapons found within the game are a little bit deep, which may take some Zelda veterans by surprise. Enemies will drop weapons from time to time, which may be stronger than the weapon you already have, or contain a multiple of many skills, which could be increasing the number of hearts found in battle to increasing the elemental damage from that weapon.

In addition to weapons, enemies can also drop materials and rupees which can be used in many ways; you can craft badges to expand

" It brings you in with a nostalgic hit from the past, and it gives you modern day hack and slashing!"

Beat them, and then you take ownership of the keep, spawning more soldiers to fight for you. In addition to the minions, and the keep bosses, captains, generals and giant bosses can appear to give you a hard time on the field. The captains will appear, and taking them down can definitely turn the tide of a battle. The giant bosses retain a bit of the Zelda franchise’s puzzle elements, where you have to use a sub-weapon to expose their weak point. This all may appear to be monotonous on the surface,

character’s combos, improve healing and defences, or prolong the periods of various buffs, and you can mix potions which effect the kinds of weapons that enemies drop. While this complexity may appear daunting, it’s all worth it when you pick up a new method to cut down your foes to size.

Apart from the story, or Legend Mode, Hyrule Warriors contains free, adventure, and challenge modes. Free mode allows you to

take any character you’ve unlocked and play them in any of the scenarios from Legend Mode, in case you really want to scratch that hack and slash itch.

It brings you in with a nostalgic hit from the past, and it gives you modern day hack and slashing!

Adventure Mode is filled to the brim with gameplay, and will see completionists spend many hours trying to complete everything. The map from the NES Legend of Zelda from 1987 is split into an 8 by 16 grid, with each cell in the grid being a challenge. That’s 128 challenges.

Challenges can range from taking out enemy captains, to fighting giant bosses, to cutting down a certain number of enemies, or even the quiz style levels, where you’ll have to kill a certain enemy. At the end of each level, Hyrule Warriors grades gamer’s performance by awarding a C, B or A rank, with some cells giving prizes such as new weapons, heart pieces and even characters.

Initially, one level is available, with other levels locked. You can unlock levels by earning the specified rank.

Adding to the NES Legend of Zelda aesthetic is that some levels require the use of items gained as rewards to unlock the chance to earn prizes in other maps. If a cell’s prize requires a “search”, there is a tile in that cell of the map that requires investigating. If a gamer wins a compass from an earlier map and uses it, an area in that section of the map will sparkle, where then another

7.5/10

PROS:

CONS:

SO MANY HOURS OF GAMEPLAY AVAILABLE, WITH MANY MORE HOURS COMING THE TRACKLIST HACK AND SLASH DONE RIGHT

NOT MUCH ELSE IN TERMS OF VARIETY IN GAMEPLAY DOWNGRADE FOR LOCAL CO-OP

item must be used to reveal a secret. For example, a compass might make a wall sparkle. Use a bomb, and you can unlock the ability to win a new sword. Some challenges proved to be quite, well, challenging at first, but it may take multiple retries to see what general moves when, what keep is targeting first.

Getting to know your enemies and being able to slice them up all adds towards the addiction.

I never knew spiders were artists.

Just like how they function in Zelda games, chests containing Pieces of Heart and Heart Containers can be found throughout the many levels, which either add an extra heart to your health meter after collecting four, or after collecting one respectively. In addition, 100 Gold Skulltulas are scattered throughout the many levels, which when collected, add a puzzle piece of sorts to one of five in-game illustrations, amongst unlocking other things. With many secrets to be found, completionists will be extremely pleased.

The graphics in Hyrule Warriors are a mixed bag. The character models and pre-rendered cutscenes look amazing, while the environments

look lovely from afar, but fall a little flat up close. This doesn’t matter too much, as exploration is not a major point in any Warriors game. Unfortunately, everything takes a turn for the worse when Hyrule Warriors goes into local co-op. To be able to output to the TV and the GamePad, the resolution for both players are reduced, and everything looks a little jaggy. As the co-op itself works like a charm and integrates really well, the cost is almost staggering.

Gamers with finely tuned ears will recognise most of Hyrule Warrior’s music comes from previous titles in the Zelda franchise in form of hard rock and metal covers. The rocking guitars add extra power to your combos, urging gamers on to victory. There’s also a music player and the option to play any previously heard track in game during any level of your choosing. More choice is never a bad thing.

Planned downloadable content is in the works for Hyrule Warriors, furthering many more ways to hack and slash in the future. Gamers can pre-purchase the four different packs today, and get themselves a Dark Link costume for their trouble. Over the next four months,

three more characters, three more adventure maps and two different game modes will be added to the main game. Considering there are 128 different levels in the initial adventure map, this could possibly add hundreds more levels to play.

In addition to the paid content on October 17th, free content will be available which will see Hyrule Warriors villains Cia, Volga and Wizzro as playable characters.

On the whole, Hyrule Warriors doesn’t deviate much from the core gameplay of hacking, slashing and keep taking. However, Omega Force, Team Ninja and Koei Techmo have taken what works, and focused their efforts to make this a very, very, VERY compelling game. The graphical drawbacks to local co-op, while still encompassing fun, do bring the enjoyment down a little. If you don’t intend to play with anyone else, then you’ll have a smooth time.

WRITTEN BY SASHA KAREN

WWW.STICKYTRIGGERENTERTAINMENT.COM.AU

THE LAST OF US: RE

EMASTERED REVIEW

The timing of a new console’s launch can mean a lot of developers release a game on an older machine instead of an optimum one. For the most part, this is usually an accepted fact but quite often there are games that warrant a rerelease, a trend we’re seeing more and more of on today’s consoles.

From the brilliant Tomb Raider reboot, to the upcoming Sleeping Dogs and Grand Theft Auto V ports it seems that everyone is getting the chance to play some of last-gen’s greatest late releases. Naughty Dog’s the Last of US was an amaz-

ing title and if ever there was a game that deserved a re-release, this is it. Thankfully, The Last of Us Remastered has arrived on PlayStation 4 looking gorgeous, evoking emotions and running at 60 frames.

The Last of Us tells the story of Joel and Ellie, two survivors of a viral apocalypse. The game opens with Joel’s daughter, Sarah, awaking in the middle of the night. There are loud noises outside, and she calls out to her father to find out what’s going on. Not hearing a response, she wanders the house looking for him. While most games deliver a pretty by-the-numbers game intro, The Last of Us takes the time to present us with both a more realistic and cinematic intro. Sarah getting up and stretching, as well as rubbing her eyes when she walks is amazingly realistic of someone still not fully awake. There are also explosions in the distance that can be

events since live in slum like quarantine areas, which are surrounded by massive fences and “protected” by armed guards. Joel works as a smuggler with his friend Tess. They track down a local gangster to recover a stolen weapons cache. The gangster reveals that he traded the goods to a resistance group known as the Fireflies. When they track Marlene (the leader of the Fireflies) down, she says she will double the weapons cache if they agree to smuggle a girl outside the quarantine zone to a group of Fireflies that are waiting. Joel agrees.

I’m sure by now you have figured out that the girl is Ellie, The Last of Us’ other main character. While on their journey throughout the quarantine zone, Ellie reveals to Joel that she was attacked by an infected, but has not “turned” like other victims. Ellie becomes one of the

"The Last of Us takes the time to present us with both a more realistic and cinematic intro." viewed when walking past windows.

Unlike other games, The Last of Us doesn’t make a major point of background events like the explosions, they are simply there and the player becomes much more immersed for it. The combination of realistic animations and realistic game direction in The Last of Us is extremely impressive. I won’t go into too much more detail, but even the game’s introduction has more life and drama to it than most other games have in their entirety.

Fast forward past the intro to 20 years later, where Joel is living in a community of survivors. The cities are no longer safe, and those who have survived the apocalypse and

most important assets to the future of mankind. Could her body contain the cure that they had hoped for?

There is much more to the story than a simple tale of survival against The Last of Us’ version of the zombie apocalypse. In fact, The Last of Us’ story both outperforms and dwarfs other games’ stories by comparison. Where other games have one or two scenes amidst a barrage of action scenes to create the illusion of emotional investment (I’m looking at you Call of Duty with your London bombing scene in Modern Warfare 3!) The Last of Us genuinely allows the player to empathise with its main characters.

The story also deals with topics that other games don’t (or have attempt-

ed to unsuccessfully) such as survival, guilt, grief and suicide. While the pseudo father-daughter relationship that Joel and Ellie begin to form throughout the story may have felt predictable to me at first, it was the way that Naughty Dog had created that saw me emotionally invest in the story. By the end of the game I had two characters that I genuinely cared about, the last game I remember to have that effect on me was Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead.

While The Last of Us offers a drama set in a dilapidated landscape it still very much offers its fair share of action and stealth gameplay. Frequently throughout Joel and Ellie’s journey together the player will have to evaluate combat scenarios. Is it better to sneak past the enemy, or to try and take them out one by one with stealth? Do we have enough ammo just to openly engage in gunfire? Of course, stealth has its tactics and advantages, such as being able to choke out enemies from behind, or to shiv them (if the player has a shiv left). You can also throw bricks, bottles and other things to distract them, though this can be a trickier affair when dealing with the infected.

There is also some crafting in the game, though don’t get too excited, Minecraft fans. This is survival at its most basic, meaning that if you encounter fabric you might be able to create a bandage, or if you’re extremely lucky you can create a shiv or Molotov cocktail from different ingredients.

While the action is fun, it’s the story and its characters that really steal the show in The Last of Us. Joel and Ellie’s relationship is touching, even moving, and few other games in recent times have managed to make gamers actually care about

9.5/10

its characters. It isn’t just the fantastic writing to thank for that, but also the amazingly-detailed animations and voice acting found in the game as well. Troy Baker is excellent as always a Joel, and while I wasn’t familiar with Ashley Johnson as a voice actress beforehand she certainly shines in The Last of Us. There are also a number of other fantastic voice actors providing voices for the game including Laura Bailey, Nolan North and Jennifer Hale.

While The Last of Us was already an amazing game (and quite possibly the best game on the PlayStation 3), The Last of Us Remastered really is the definitive version of the game, with more detailed characters, numerous patches and animation refinement, as well as the game running at 1080p and running at 60 frames a second. It might not sound like much, but when you compare it to the PlayStation 3’s 720p graphics at 30 frames a second, it certainly makes a difference. It’s also a constant 60 frames a second, which runs like a dream compared to Tomb Raider which jumps from 30 to 60 depending on a number of factors. Somehow the perfect game just got a little more perfect.

PROS:

CONS:

AMAZING STORY LOOKS FANTASTIC AND RUNS BRILLIANTLY ACCESSIBLE

NONE

While a lot of people might be protesting current-gen re-releases (and for the record, there will be too many) The Last of Us really is a game that everyone should experience. It’s perfect across the board and will easily be one of the most memorable experiences a gamer (and non-gamer) can have.

WRITTEN BY NICK GETLEY

WWW.STICKYTRIGGERENTERTAINMENT.COM.AU

THE SIMS 4 REVIEW

It’s hard to think that there are gamers among us who have never played a Sims game. It’s almost like a rite of passage into gaming maturity when you think about it. Not only does it offer a funny experience that stars you, your family and your friends, but it also teaches real-life responsibility, time management and even elements of strategy that are integral in real-life and games.

The Sims was originally released in the year 2000, and while compared to newer entries in the series it might feel extremely basic (especially from

a visual perspective), it took the world by storm. The last game in the series, The Sims 3 was released in 2009 and while it had plenty of life still in it, Maxis and EA really wanted to take advantage of both their extensive experience and modern PCs to deliver the best Sims game yet. It could not have been an easy task developing a follow-up to The Sims 3, and difficult decisions must have had to have been made. Why am I saying this? Because despite the Sims themselves looking the best they ever have and behaving both amazingly realistic and at oth-

er times hilarious, the lack of some features makes me wish there was just an eensy bit more development time. For the record though, I still feel that The Sims 4 is a stellar game, just don’t expect to be freely roaming around your neighbourhood discovering hidden treasures with a dog just yet.

When players begin The Sims 4 they will be required to create their first Sim or family of Sims, as per usual. There is a plethora of customisation options available, though admittedly it offers more modern,

trendy and hipster-friendly options than previous games. This is both a good and bad thing, as I was able to make myself (I absolutely fall under the label of hipster) by selecting a newsboy cap and Ray Ban Wayfarers-style shades. Creating older people (such as your grandparents) will prove a challenge, as they are pretty much relegated to wearing extremely unflattering floral dresses or the stereotypical polo shirts and cardigans.

Creating a Sim’s facial features has been made more accurate than

ever before, thanks to the easy “Detail Edit Mode” that is accessed at any time during the creation process. Need more or less love handles? Do you have big shoulders but skinny arms? Tweaking every single feature imaginable on your Sim is as simple as clicking and dragging with the mouse. I find most games just don’t have enough options to make myself, but The Sims 4 has one of the best avatar creators I’ve ever seen, almost on par with WWE 2K14. You can also “play with genetics” and create another family member based on the genes of your current family members. Always wanted a little brother or sister? Click the play with genetics icon and go nuts.

After you’ve created the look of your Sims, you then have to crate their personality. There are a good number of options available, and while

a beach neighbourhood. You have a small amount of money to play with at the beginning of the game, but you can choose to buy a vacant block of land and build a house on it if you wish. When the first Sims game was released I used to build insane homes, usually two stories and usually cluttered with possessions. I would expand on the house like some sort of mad builder with no plan, just as long as it could hold all my possessions. I wasn’t a fan of the actual house building in The Sims, but thankfully The Sims 4 has the most accessible room and house building feature I’ve ever played with.

Buying possessions and furnishing rooms is also simple, though Sims 3 fans will have to learn the new system. If you like me, think a kitchen is a room for cooking food and nothing else, you’ll want to get

"I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT NEW-COMERS TO THE SERIES ARE ABSOULTELY GOING TO LOVE THE SIMS 4" it may feel slightly limited (you can be “good”, “bad” a “snob” or “outgoing” with nothing in between or any indecisiveness) all of these traits have much more impact on the gameplay than before. A Sim that is gloomy, creative and a music lover may write their best music when they’re upset and they have a guitar nearby, another Sim might be an introvert geek who simply wished to stay at home with their collectibles and video games.

it built as quickly and as simply as possible. Say hello to The Sims 4’s new “styled rooms” feature, where you can pick pre-furnished rooms out of the game’s buy mode like a furniture store catalogue photo that you can buy! It makes for much less time building for those of us who prefer to be doing other things. So creating a Sim and building a house is cool and all but what can we expect from the actual core gameplay?

After you’ve created your Sims, you’ll be moving them into a house to live. There are two neighbourhoods available, one featuring pine trees and having a suburbs-meetsthe-woods feel and the other being

This is where reviewing The Sims 4 becomes a tricky task. On one hand, I have no doubt that newcomers to the series are absolutely going to love The Sims 4. On the other hand, series veterans like my-

8/10

self may find they can’t wait to see which direction the inevitable downloadable content will take. At times, it feels like the Sims 4 is almost a reboot of the iconic life-sim instead of a straight sequel, as many features from The Sims 3 have been removed. I’m assuming that Maxis made a conscious decision to make the Sims themselves the best Sims they could possibly be, as the behaviour, conversation and animations are the best that the series has ever had.

With that in mind, due to the focus on the Sims’ development, you will

spend a lot of your time with The Sims 4 on the basics – getting a job, learning hobbies and trying not to sleep on the floor. As I said before the Sims are the best they have ever been, it just would have been nice to be able to freely roam around my neighbourhood, and if the neighbourhood hat more than the occasional fishing hole and plant to keep me entertained.

At the time of writing this review, there are a few minor issues that are present in The Sims 4. One example of this is that babies are occasionally born with out of propor-

tion limbs (hello, snake arms!). I’ve heard whispers of other glitches, but at this point I haven’t encountered any in my own game.

When it boils down to it, The Sims 4 is fun to play, which is all that matters. Maxis and EA have a reputation for decent DLC and players can be sure to expect that they are hard at work making some (as well as a few patches) so that The Sims 4 will be the game will universal appeal.

For now, you can catch up with your old self and be surprised by the amount of new tricks they know.

PROS:

CONS:

FUN AND AT TIMES HILARIOUS ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE BRILLIANT ANIMATIONS AND PERSONALITIES

FEELS LACKING COMPARED TO PREVIOUS ENTRIES IN THE SERIES OCCASIONAL GLITCH

WRITTEN BY NICK GETLEY

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FINAL FANTASY CU

URTAIN CALL REVIEW

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call comes off the coattails of the first Theatrhythm Final Fantasy which was released in 2012. From my hands on experience with the new installment, it seems to be superior in every way, as a sequel should. But is this sequel to a hybrid rhythm RPG worth your money?

The stage of this game is set in the Theatrhythm Final Fantasy world from the last game. In the middle of the two opposing god forces of the world, Cosmos and Chaos, lies the Music Crystal. Once, Chaos tried to

disrupt the harmony of the Crystal, but was stopped by Cosmos’s heroes of light. The game reminds us that time repeats itself, and Chaos is once again threatening the Crystal; he must be stopped! Or, so goes the rather non-existent plot, but that’s okay. At its core, Curtain Call is a rhythm game, and it’s definitely got rhythm.

Any good rhythm game has to have a good set list, and Curtain Call is packing quite a setlist. 221 songs from over 25 titles feature in this game, up from 76 from the first game. I’m no good at maths, but 221 is almost three times more than 76.

Curtain Call features all the tracks from the first Theatrhythm, all of its downloadable content songs (bar one), and then some. The tracks at first span Final Fantasy I, II, V and IX, but as soon as you clear a few songs, the rest of the soundtrack will unlock itself. For the most part, that’s how you unlock everything in the game, simply by playing the songs through. And with 221 songs, there’s a lot to play.

Once again, songs are split into Battle Music Stages (BMS), Field Music Stages (FMS), and Event Music Stages (EMS). BMS has gamers fighting enemies to music and in FMS, you cross various locations along to the rhythm of songs used in the franchise. In EMS, a montage of cut scenes from various titles play out in front of you, and you play along to the rhythm. In all these different game types, you must hit, hold, or slide Triggers for points. The closer the Trigger to the circle marker, the more points.

The number of play styles has also changed from the first Theatrhythm game from one way to four. The stylus style of tapping, holding and sliding the touch screen to hit the right Trigger returns, along with the

new additions of button, a hybrid, and one-handed styles. Button style sees you using any of the face buttons or triggers and the thumb pad to hit the onscreen triggers, hybrid allows you to tap and hold with the stylus on the touch screen and slide with the thumb pad, and one-handed style uses just the L trigger for taps and holds and the thumb pad for slides. In being wary of ruining my touch screen, I jumped at button style. It works like a dream in BMS, but the hold Triggers in FMS require you to follow them, and sometimes they end in a slide. When you’re using the thumb pad to move and then quickly jerk in a new direction to try and keep your chain going, more often than not it doesn’t work out too well and you might mess up.

Also joining the cast of the mass of songs are the characters. Over 60 characters are available to choose from with six more planned via downloadable content (up from 30 in the previous game), ranging from the main series, their sequels and then the spin-offs. From the start, you can choose from a select cast to start off your party of four, leaving all the other characters as unlockables.

The characters in your current party of four are used in the BMS and the FMS. In Final Fantasy fashion,

power to do more damage or to hinder enemies, or give you an extra push in FMS. Completing any kind of song earns points called Rhythmia, which helps restore the Crystal. When you reach certain Rhythmia amounts, more things are unlocked within the game, like EMS, songs available to be listened to in the song test and changing the chime when you hit Triggers.

Gameplay is split into three main sections: Music Stages, Quest Medleys and the Versus Mode. In Music Stages, you can choose to play any one song from the extensive library, or allow Curtain Call to randomly pick one for you. You can also add songs to a favourites list, and one song can be chosen to be a Quick Play song. If you play through a song and think “This is a really great song! I wish I could have the option to select this song right from the save select screen!” then you’ll be thrilled to hear this is what the Quick Play option does.

Quest Medleys come from the iOS version of the first Theatrhythm, and then have been upgraded further.

Gamers find Chaos Maps, a succession of FMS and BMS across a field and a dungeon which ends with a Final Boss BMS. The first

"221 SONGS FROM 25 TITLES FEATURE IN THIS GAME, UP FROM 76 FROM THE FIRST GAME." each character can earn experience points to level up and learns various abilities to aid them in their quest to restore balance to the Crystal. Abilities are activated automatically during gameplay, which can give you the edge in a BMS and give you the

time through the map, each stage will be presented as an unknown with only the game the song comes from being shown. Some maps have branching paths, so it can take more than one play through to see what songs and prizes are

9/10

PROS:

CONS:

A LOT OF SONGS MOST OF THE SONG CHOICES ARE AWESOME THE LITTLE THINGS LOTS OF DLC TO COME DIFFERENT PLAY STYLES

VERSUS MODE’S EX BURSTS NO LEADER BOARDS? PLAY STYLES DON’T ALWAYS TRANSLATE BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT STAGE TYPES

waiting for you. If bosses are vanquished, certain colour shards are won, which, in addition to Rhythmia, allow for additional characters to be unlocked. Chaos maps come in short, medium and long flavours, allowing for playtime ranging from a quick go on the bus to a proper sit down at home. In all, it’s a great mode to present gamers with songs they may not have chosen before.

Versus mode allows you to go head-to-head against the AI, friends (both off and online, but one game cartridge per player) and random people online, where you duke it out and see who can get the highest score in a BMS. EX Bursts can be found in this mode, where a random effect is sent to your opponent’s game after you accumulate a number of successful Trigger hits and enemy defeats. This can range anywhere from buffing the monster you’re currently fighting, to swapping HP of you and your opponent, to changing the speed of the incoming Triggers or making anything less than a critical register as a bad. With 221 songs, there’s a fair chance that you’ll run into a song you’re rusty on and may not get the timing just right. This’ll be your undoing, and it’s a little unfair.

While there’s an option to turn off EX Bursts, it doesn’t feel right; you may as well go and just play offline and try and improve your score. It’s a real shame though; on paper it seems well, but if you don’t hit every single Trigger on time, prepare for a world of pain.

Besides perfecting scores, there’s a lot to do for perfectionists. Collectable “CollectaCards” are found throughout the game, going into a digital folder, each with a description on the back. Each card comes in a normal, rare and platinum vari-

ety, so there’s a lot to collect. These cards aren’t just for show too; gamers can equip cards to their party members for an extra boost. In addition, there’s also an extensive trophy list, which may keep dedicated gamers going for hours on end.

StreetPasses see usage here too, with a customisable “ProfiCard” that shows off your stats, a silly title, a little message and your favourite Chaos Map, so passer-bys can follow in your footsteps. Literally, as the path they took and the Final Boss’s prizes they won will be shown.

A leader board would not have gone astray, so there could be a way to judge how well gamers fare against the rest of the world on a specific song. Unfortunately, such leader boards are nowhere to be found. Maybe sometime in the future these feature may become available There is an option to take in-game screenshots of your score screen, so you can have proof of a really good score and post it online on forums and to your friends, but a leader board would have made this easier.

Regardless of the somewhat flawed Versus mode, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call is a beautiful rhythm RPG. With at least 221 songs to perfect and over 60 characters to level up, there’ll be many, many, many hours for all kinds of gamers. A must have for Final Fantasy fans, rhythm gamers, or people who want a good game.

WRITTEN BY SASHA KAREN

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OUT 11 NOVEMBER!

RESIDENT EVIL REV

VELATIONS 2 FIRST LOOK

Capcom (creators behind Dead Rising 3) have recently announced that Resident Evil Revelations 2 is in development for the PlayStation 4 PlayStation 3, PC. Resident Evil Revelations 2 will be available across Australia, New Zealand, Europe and North America in early 2015.

Evolving the episodic chapter set-up of the original Resident Evil Revelations, Resident Evil Revelations 2 will initially release as a weekly series of episodic downloads. Each of the four episodes features hours of

terrifying gameplay ending with dramatic cliff-hangers that leave players fully engrossed and anticipating the next twist in the gripping horror story. A digital download option of the Complete Season will also be available to ensure fans can get each episode as it rolls out, and a retail disc version will arrive following the final episode. Both the disc version and Complete Season will include additional game content, which will be detailed in the coming weeks and months. With the variety of options available, Resident Evil fans will have more choices available to them than ever before.

The beginning of the Resident Evil Revelations 2 tale sees fan favourite Claire Redfield make a dramatic return to the horrors that haunted her in the past. Survivor of the Raccoon City incident depicted in pre-

vious Resident Evil games, Claire now works for the anti-bioterrorism organisation Terra Save. Moira Burton, new recruit and daughter of Resident Evil legend Barry Burton, is attending her welcome party for Terra Save when unknown armed forces storm the office. Claire and Moira are knocked unconscious and awaken later to find themselves in a dark and abandoned detention facility. Working together, they must find out who took them and to what sinister end. With the terrifying Afflicted enemies waiting around every dark corner, players will need to use their ammo and weapon supply wisely, in classic survival horror style. Will Claire and Moira make it out alive and discover what’s led to them being taken to this remote island? Who else will they come across? A story of twists and turns will have players guessing the next

step at every turn.

Fans will be able to share in the experience participate in the weekly conversation around the drama when it releases early next year.

Capcom will be releasing details on how fans can join in and start speculation on the horror event of the season soon. Keep your eyes on the Resident Evil Facebook page and the official website www. residentevil.com for all of the series chatter as it happens.

In addition to the episodic story mode, Resident Evil Revelations 2 will have additional play modes.

More details will be revealed as soon as they become available, but boy we are excited for this title!!

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awesome STATUES COLLECTIBLES

Last issue we gave a rundown of the upcoming figures from the likes of Hot Toys and Sideshow Collectibles, but they were not the only companies to tease some incredible stuff at the recent conventions and on their websites.

Figures are great in that they are articulated and can be posed and changed in your display. But in many cases, statues of various sizes can sometimes be even better. Despite the static nature of statues, the fact that joints are no longer a concern means statue makers can really put all their efforts into the actual sculpt of the piece.

Two companies really stand out for me in Kotobukiya and Pop Culture Shock Collectibles. They both create statues from source material that really tap into the love of collectors, with Kotobukiya more varied with statues from movies, comics, anime, and Japanese culture.

And very much in tune with this month’s Halloween theme, Kotobu-

Shunya Yamashita.

I think the outfits have already been shown by cosplayers at recent comic conventions, and why not! They look amazing!

They should be releasing in the Oct/ Nov time frame, so definitely look out for them to add to your collection.

They will definitely be head-turners in any display cabinet!

But of course, Kotobukiya also have some amazing comic related statues coming too. They completed their DC Comics New 52 Justice League, and are now focused on completing the Avengers Now team before the end of the year. Hulk, Black Widow, Captain America, and Hawkeye have all been released now, with only Thor and Iron Man to come. Thor looks great in a nice powerful pose, and the helmet really harkens back to the comic source.

For Iron Man, they’ve also gone for something a little different and will release a black and gold variant of Iron

"..THEY WILL DEFINITELY BE HEADTURNERS IN ANY DISPLAY CABINET!" kiya will be releasing very shortly two awesome statues based on the horror classics, A Nightmare on Elm St and Friday the 13th. Kotobukiya have done their own take on Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees with the new Bishoujo statues based on artwork by famed Japanese artist

Man in tune with the new Avengers Now team. The colours do really pop on this one too! The full Avengers team should be available before the end of the year, so definitely keep an eye out in the lead up to Christmas for you comic fans!

Of course gamers are not to be forgotten, and this is where Pop Culture Shock Collectibles really comes to the fore. They are a smaller company with a big focus on Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, and Masters of the Universe (strangely enough!)

They have released various highend Street Fighter statues in the past, but are now releasing statues from the latest Street Fighter 4 character designs. All coming in the next 6 months or so are characters such as Balrog, Dhalsim, Gouken, Ryu, and Honda.

The “mixed media” statues (that is, they use different materials for clothing and accessories) are simply astounding in their level of detail and paint application.

Each statue is in 1/4 scale, so stands roughly 18” depending on the character. That means each statue in its own right could be the centrepiece in any collection!

Imagine collecting all of them and displaying this set of amazing statues together! That would make for an incredible gaming room display!

So there’s definitely a lot of incredible collectibles coming out in the lead up to the end of 2014. Most companies have really raised the bar this year in terms of sculpting accuracy, attention to detail, paint application, and just the sheer variety of stuff available. There really is something for everyone, at every price point! Happy collecting! :)

WRITTEN BY

KHAI AT KOOL KOLLECTIBLES www.koolkollectibles.net www.facebook.com/KoolKollectibles www.youtube.com/user/ckly76

OBSCURE HORROR GAMES RETRO

Over the years three horror game franchises have made a big name for themselves. Most gamers will know of and recognise the big title releases even if they do not play these games themselves. Interestingly Resident Evil, Aliens and Silent Hill all have less well know spin off titles that provides a different, unique and more obscure take on their respective franchises.

Resident Evil Gaiden, Game Boy Colour – Resident Evil Gaiden was first released for Game Boy Colour on December 14, 2001. Co Developed by Capcom and M4, Gaiden marks the first release of a Resident Evil game on a handheld system.

Based on a new chapter of Umbrella’s experiments with Bio Organic Weapons (B.O.W) the game once again places Leon S. Kennedy and Barry Burton in a desperate fight for survival amongst Umbrella’s terrifying creations. The game takes place onboard the luxury cruise liner Starlight which has become over run by zombies due to transporting Umbrella’s newest B.O.W. Leon is sent to investigate the new B.O.W and when headquarters loses contact with him Barry is sent in to retrieve Leon.

Once onboard the ship Barry crosses paths with an orphan girl Lucia who has the ability to sense the new B.O.W. Gaiden presents the player with puzzles to solve, 100 rooms to explore covering 4 decks and 1 sub-

marine in 11 locations, 7 weapons to master and 3 types of armour, traps to avoid and more than 100 items to collect and use. The gameplay consists of a top down exploration mode and a new first person battle mode unique to this entry. When the player is attacked by a zombie the gameplay switches to the first person view where there is a long horizontal bar with a cursor moving back and forth.

To attack the zombie(s) you must press the action button as close to the target area as possible.

Aliens Infestation, DS – Aliens Infestation for the Nintendo DS is a unique take on the Aliens franchise.

The game was released on September 29th, 2011 and was developed

by Wayforward Technologies and

game off with only four marines in your squad you have to rescue up to 15 other marines to help increase your chance of survival. If a squad member falls in battle this results in perma death for the character.

Each of the 19 squad members has distinct personalities with different in-game text dialogue. Even though each of the marines has different personalities they all share the same equipment and upgrades will carry across to each character.

While traversing the USS Sulaco and Planet LV-426 players are expected to backtrack for new weapons, items and new areas that may be discovered due to these new upgrades while the games map is viable on the lower screen. Hordes of Xenomorphs, face huggers and a

"PEOPLE WILL ALWAYS HAVE A FASCINATION WITH HORROR" Gearbox Software. Set after the events of Aliens and Alien 3 you play as the Colonial Marines who have been sent to investigate and recover the life form detected aboard the USS Sulaco which has been discovered adrift in space.

Infestation is the only game in the Aliens franchise which has all the hallmarks of the Aliens movie presented in a Metroidvania style. Starting the

variety of other iconic enemies hide in the shadows of the eerie atmosphere this game provides. Combat is fairly basic with shooting the enemy the usual choice. The game also offers a cover system and the ability to sneak through stealth missions.

Silent Hill Shattered Memories, Wii - Silent Hill Shattered Memories released originally for the Nintendo

All images from Wikipidea.

Wii in 2009 presented players with a reimaging of the first instalment of the series. The premise of the game stays the same with players once again controlling Harry Mason in his quest to find his missing daughter Cheryl. What makes the game unique is the different fictional universe it is set in, altered characters as well as new ones and a new take on the plot. The more obscure parts of this game which sets it apart from the other games in the series is the psychotherapy sessions Harry is present at throughout the game.

While at these sessions the therapist

will ask a variety of questions and depending on how these are answered they will change various gameplay elements. In Shattered Memories another unique feature is not having the ability to fight or attack. Harry’s only option is to flee from any monsters in his path. Throughout the game you can collect flares which will help stun the advancing creatures. Another option to help you flee from the monsters is to block their paths by knocking down objects. If a monster manages to grab on to Harry he will slowly lose health while his running time decreases.

These three games are examples of different spins on what is expected from these big budget game franchises. If you ever get the chance to play any of these please do not hesitate to experience playing well known characters in existing locations in a unique and obscure way.

WRITTEN BY jess wilson

WERE THEY REALLY THAT SCARY? RETRO

RETRO HORROR GAMES Remembering early games is a bit like remembering early movies. At the time, the Exorcist was terrifying (many would say it still is one of the most frightening movies of all time) and the same with some games.

Early games from the 80s like the 1981 Asylum on the Tandy TRS-80 was an extremely simplistic looking game that did it’s best to give you scares with graphics that my kids would laugh at today. Yet I can remember playing for hours doing my best to escape the labyrinthine asylum I was stuck in.

When you we look back at the earlier decades of gaming and we think about horror one thing is clear. Graphics have made an important contribution to just how scary a game can be. In the 80s graphics were pretty simple. Games like Haunted House on the Atari 2600 had simple graphics and sound and compared to today’s pixel drenched titles, they look very simplistic and not very frightening. However we need to look back in context. At the time those graphics and sound fx were cutting edge.

The probably did scare some players with sudden noises and the way they build tension through clever story progression.

But some horror games such as the 1983 Halloween on the Atari 2600 with a simple and very much a video game sounding attempt at the John

Carpenter themed sound track, just didn’t sound or look scary.

Also from the early 80s, the Commodore 64 version of The Evil Dead (1984) was a top down attempt to bring the movie to gaming that didn’t scare.

The 80s also saw some programmers do their best to scare us with graphical text adventures such as Jack the Ripper on the ZX Spectrum.

The game received an 18 certificate due to gory graphical nature of the game and Sinclair User Magazine said: “The first game ever to receive an “18” certificate. Very literate effort from St. Brides, with ‘gore’ added by CRL..

7th Guest (also 1993). Sound cards from companies like Creative Labs with their Sound Blaster meant games sounded scary. So too with the addition of graphic cards such the Voodoo 3dfx card meant graphics looked better and moved with realism that made playing a game more immersive.

I can remember buying my firs PC, a 486 DX-40 if I remember correctly and ensuring the manufacturer had loaded up the shareware version of Doom for me. Bringing it home, I had my brother and friends drop by to take a look at my latest toy.

Back then many of us gamers were still using and loving our Amiga 500 systems and I can distinctly remember some people questioning my decision to go the PC route. Well,

"Doom was, at least for me, the first game that had genuine moments that made you jump" By the end of the 80s, graphics improved and we saw more blood and gore and sound too added tension to games. Then came the 90s and PC gaming was a challenge to consoles.

Faster processors allowed gamers with a 486 PC play games like Doom (1993) and full motion games like

after firing up Doom all questions were answered and within a few weeks many of my gaming friends had their Amiga’s for sale and had ordered PC rigs.

Doom was, at least for me, the first game that had genuine moments that made you jump. I can remem-

ber playing after the family had gone to bed and using headphones so that I didn’t wake anyone. There were moments where a loud sudden noise or sudden appearance of a demon or spectres would literally make me jump. It didn’t help I’d be playing at midnight with most of the lights off…

Today games are much more explicit. Graphics are very real, same with sounds. The horror is there on

the screen more so then in the past with sometimes stunningly rendered artwork that leaves nothing to the imagination. Are today’s games scarier then the past? I’m not sure. Today’s games are definitely more in your face visually. But there was something about the retro gaming that had you immersed in the world you were focused on. Perhaps the simplistic graphics meant what they lacked, you made up with imagination?

All images from Wikipidea.

WRITTEN BY ROB JENKINS

CASTLEVANIA: WH THROUGH TH Wow! Castlevania, Konami’s brilliant horror franchise that has tested gamers over the last 25 odd years.

The game that had it all for horror enthusiasts - Bats, skeletons, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Grim Reaper and of course Count Dracula himself. Read on as I countdown the top 5 releases from the Castlevania franchise and get a bit of help from two of my retro gamer friends for some notable mentions!

Generally the story of an average Castlevania game revolved around the Belmont family trying to rid the world of Draculas Curse. With their trusty whips in hand, they jumped, swung and whipped their way through vast landscapes comprising of graveyards, haunted castles, beautiful caverns and took on the mightiest of monsters on the way.

Castlevania was a hit from the outset, and provided the player, with a tough as nails challenge coupled with a horror theme that drew in the fans.

Early Castlevania games featured a linear mode of play where the player traversed from point A to point B to finish the level, but later games opened up the world and let players initially, select branching paths, and later on have a huge area to explore freely, as the protagonist levelled up and obtained more power ups, such as a “Double Jump” for instance,

it would make earlier inaccessible areas now free to explore. So you found yourself, going back to explore every nook and cranny to find powerups, secrets or advance further in the game. This spawned the term “Metroidvania”, whereas Metroid was of the same play style, wherein you’d retrace your steps to discover more gameplay.

Entertainment System.

The transition to the 3D realm wasn’t an easy one for the series, as the dreadful Castlevania 64 and early PS2 titles struggled to win over fans with its clunky controls and uninspiring settings. Castlevania, in my eyes, always played better in a 2d format. After a few attempts, Konami returned to form within the handheld market with the sublime Aria of Sor-

Taking control of Simon Belmont, your mission is to rid the land of the evil Dracula. Whip in hand and a myriad of powerups you attain in your travels, Simon is hero to be reckoned with. Although he may walk quite slowly and seem clunky to control, it all adds to a part of the charm. One thing that has always been a staple in the series is

When trying out a new series of games, I like to go back where it all began, to see where it all emanated from, and to see how it’s evolved.

The original Castlevania is a no frills action platformer that will test the reflexes and the tempers of most gamers.

"When trying out a new series of games, I like to go back where it all began..." row and later Dawn of Sorrow, once again opting for the 2D style, and to great success.

With over 30 titles in the series, where on earth should you start?

What’s some of the best the series has to offer? Well, here’s my Top 5 list, as well as some choice pics from a few friends.

5. Castlevania - Nintendo

its amazing soundtracks. Classic tunes like “Bloody Tears” and “The Beginning” delight your ears along your travels. So popular were the songs that they have been reused and remixed for later versions of the game.

Along with the usual locales such as graveyards etc, once you progress further in the game and gain access into Draculas Castle, you’ll be

HIPPING HE AGES RETRO

tested with some of the most vicious platforming tests created. Through the Clock Tower, where you leap from cog to cog, or the many stair cases that slow your player down, Castlevania will have you tearing your hair out in frustration, but, that’s how it was back in the day. Rock solid, full of character, and addictive.

4. Portrait of Ruin Nintendo DS Portrait of Ruin was released after the sublime Dawn of Sorrow on the DS, and boy did it have to live up to some expectations as Dawn of Sorrow had blown fans away. What separated Portrait of Ruin From its predecessor was you played with two characters, which could be “quick switched” in to play with the press of a button. Each character had their own pros and cons, and made for some inventive teamwork in order to get past certain areas of the game.

Once again the developers adopted a varied weapons system, allowing you to sample out what worked best for you. While not as in depth as Dawn of Sorrow, it still used that brilliant Metroidvania style of play, keeping you on your toes, and making you want to get full percentage of map completion. Coupled with some fearsome bosses, another stellar soundtrack and crisp controls, Portrait of Ruin is an underrated gem on the Nintendo DS.

3. Order of Ecclesia Nintendo DS With a strong female lead and returning to rock hard gameplay, Order of Ecclesia sadly is an overlooked title in the series. Released after Portrait of Ruin, and the last to appear on Nintendo’s DS, Ecclesia bypassed many fans. Its use of the Glyph system, where glyphs from downed enemies can be equipped to assist with spells or add an attribute for a certain weapon added depth to the game, allowing players to fully customise dependant on the situation at hand. Fiddly and frustrat-

Draculas Curse on the NES with its branching paths, Super Castlevania 4 opted to return to basics, with linear levels. But don’t let this detract away from the experience. The

"When we hit the 32 bit CD based era, Castlevania fully came to life." ing at first, but once you get it set up to your tastes, is when it becomes really fun. With levels being played out in a semi linear format, navigated to by an overworld map, there was a world of difference between this and its predecessor. Not for everyone, but a solid entry and terrific swansong for the DS.

2. Super Castlevania 4 Super Nintendo This was the very first Castlevania game I played and am somewhat partial towards it. The graphical leap between the NES trilogy and this were astounding. Although unlike

mood of this game, with its amazing soundtrack full of heroic themes and brooding organs, the beautifully animated levels ranging from dense forests infested with zombies, to beautiful caves with waterfalls to leaping from giant swinging chandeliers with pinpoint accuracy. Super Castlevania was an audio and visual treat. All the charm of the first 3 games was crammed into this SNES cart and lovingly spruced up into the 16 bit world. Definitely a classic.

1. Symphony of the Night - Playstation 1/ Sega Saturn (Japan)

When we hit the 32 bit CD based era, Castlevania fully came to life.

Touted as the best Castlevania game ever, it won the hearts of many fans worldwide. Symphony was the game that introduced the “Metroidvania” style gameplay, and to great effect. Part platformer, part RPG (elements) Castlevania had changed for the better.

Playing as Alucard you gracefully leapt from area to area, uncovering the secrets of Draculas castle.

Equipping a myriad of weapons and items on your journey, it felt as if we finally had control of our hero, and the freedom to do what we wanted. Lush visuals and a CD based soundtrack (which back in those days was really really impressive!)

Symphony of the Night set a new benchmark for the series, many who still believe hasn’t been topped yet. And apart from all that, Alucard is probably one of the coolest characters seen in the franchise.

CASTLEVANIA: WHIPPING THROUGH THE AGES WRITTEN BY TIM ARNOLD

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game) with its music and sound effects keeping true to form with the series lineage.

Notable mentions Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge (Game Boy) When you have a franchise the likes of Castlevania that is absolutely littered with stellar titles (talk about your first world problems!), it’s easy for some titles to get lost in the shuffle along the way and not get the recognition that they are due. While much of the Castlevania spotlight has been rightly shined upon on such classics as Symphony of the Night (PlayStation), Super Castlevania IV (Super NES) and Dawn of Sorrow (Game Boy Advance), one title that does not receive nearly as much kudos that it rightly deserves is the Game Boy’s second Castlevania offering: Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge!

While it’s true that the first Game Boy Castlevania offering was by and

large a lacklustre and disappointing effort featuring sluggish controls and bland visuals, it’s sequel more than made up for it by taking everything that was wrong with the original, flipping it on its head and then ramping it up to eleven. The end result being is a fantastic game that was not only one of the best handheld Castlevania games to date, but one also one of the best in the entire series.

While the original title’s visuals were bland and boring, Belmont’s Revenge features visuals that are backgrounds and sprites that surprisingly detailed and interesting, especially considering the green monochrome screen of the hardware that it’s running on. It also wouldn’t be a Castlevania game if it did not feature an amazing soundtrack, and thankfully Belmont’s revenge does not disappoint (it should also be noted the soundtrack was also one of the few redeeming features of the original

However, the area in which the sequel received the biggest improvement was most definitely in the game play department. Gone were the sluggish controls of the original, instead replaced with pixel perfect platforming action reminiscent of its NES bigger brothers.

One area in which Belmont’s Revenge deviates from the norm is with its borrowing a little from Capcom’s Mega Man formula. Instead of being forced to take a linear path for progression as per the previous games in the franchise, players are instead given the choice of four different castles to explore and tackle in any order they wish. All in all, Belmont’s Revenge is an enjoyable experience and is a title more than worthy to bear the Castlevania name and is well worth checking out if you can track down a copy for a reasonable price!

Mark Cassar www.retrodomination.com

Dracula’s Curse – Castlevania III NES When I was asked to write a short paragraph on my favourite Castlevania game, I immediately thought back to the NES, Dracula’s Curse was a no brainer!

The Third instalment in the Castlevania franchise and set 100 years before the first appearance of Simon. You take control of yet another Belmont, Trevor, however good old Trevor isn’t alone and along your travels you will meet other exciting characters that will join your ever growing party (only one at a time though). The powerful sorceress, Sypha Belnades, Pirate, Grant DaNasty and of course Dracula’s own son, Alucard, in his first Castlevania appearance. Alucard (Spelt Dracula backwards) was intended to be a mirror image of his father, as evidenced in his name. However he is best known as his role in the excellent, Symphony of the Night.

Konami, took the hint and abandoned the Role Playing element that failed Simon’s Quest and returned to its roots in plat-forming. This is what made it so damn enjoyable to play, and for those who were completionist’s, it has multiple

endings dependent on your choices.

The game also offered Easter Eggs, that’s right! On North American and PAL releases of the game you could access several hidden features, just by typing a particular name at the character name screen. Want more lives? Well type in “HELP ME” and you start the game with 10 lives, you could also select whether you want to start the game with any of the three companions.

Like most of the Castlevania games, the soundtrack was it’s key feature and Drac’s Curse was no exception, its just brilliant in 8 bit. Many would argue that Konami were the best at 8 bit soundtracks. I would have to agree if it weren’t for Sunsoft. (Just listen to Journey to Silius Level 1 on the NES) Unlike the more advanced, fast paced Super Castlevania IV and the excellent Symphony of the Night, Drac’s curse was simple, elegant and offered the player hours upon hours of replay ability. It consumed my childhood and it holds a special place in my 8 bit heart.

Matt Cawley www.retrodomination.com

All images from Wikipidea.

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WELCOME TO THE NIGHTMARE

COMICS

Horror has always been a genre near and dear to my heart. I did my thesis on horror films, so I like to think I know a reasonable amount about the genre. Horror comics on the other hand are something I didn’t discover till I was much older. I was content for most of my life to read super-hero comics and never really look beyond that genre. But as you get older you realise that comic books have so much more to offer than just flying people in tights, they can also scare the living hell out of you!

Today we will take a look at a few of my favourite horror comics and what makes them so damn scary!

Crossed Anyone who has gone into a comic store will have eventually stumbled upon Crossed. It’s twisted covers enticing you to just take a peak inside the pages, only to discover some of the most twisted, disturbed art and writing you will ever see. Crossed was first created in 2008 by comics legend Garth Ennis, about a horrible plague that transformed people into sadomasochistic monsters, happy to rape, torture, kill and eat anyone they came across, and not always in that order... The comic is simply horrific and only for those with the strongest of stomachs. If you put the truly

nightmarish stuff of Crossed to the side, what you will find is a deep, intellectual story. Something that could only come from a writer as good as Garth Ennis. It tells a tale, not unlike The Walking Dead of a group of survivors trying to keep themselves together in a world gone mad. They witness acts beyond evil and still keep fighting to stay sane and stay alive. Ultimately Crossed might be the most intense comic ever written and it is only for die hards of the horror genre. But if you love a gorefest it is certainly the comic book for you!

vivors dealing with a zombie apocalypse. Created in 2003 by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore the series has achieved an almost comic book royalty following in it’s short run. Personally I don’t really get the hype. It’s not quite as well written as Crossed nor does it have the full tilt horror impact. I also find that once Tony Moore left the book the art was never quite as good. But that is all my opinion, an opinion that is certainly in the minority. There is no denying that The Walking Dead has become bigger than it’s simple origins. I am happy

"PEOPLE WILL ALWAYS HAVE A FASCINATION WITH HORROR"

The Walking Dead The big one! The Walking Dead has grown from a small time comic to an international phenomenon. With the help of a hit TV show The Walking Dead has grown to become one of the biggest comics on the planet. An issue one in its first printing has become the most valuable comic ever in the shortest amount of time. Not to say there aren’t more valuable comics out there, but for a book to jump from five dollars in value up to thousands in only ten years is unheard of. The comic has a simple of sur-

to consider it an important part of comic book history. It is probably the biggest independent comic book hit ever, that alone makes it important!

It serves up some gore and scares, compared to Crossed it seems like a children’s book, but it has enough to satisfy horror lovers.

The Darkness The Darkness is a fantastic comic that blends the horror genre with the superhero genre. It tells the story of a young mobster named Jackie Estacado who on his twenty-first birthday inherits a dark power known as

‘The Darkness’ it give shim superhuman powers and abilities. Jackie becomes a monster capable of great and evil things. He continues walking a fine line between good and evil.

The comic is great as a genre mashup and an interesting character study of it’s tormented lead character. The comic was also the basis of the hit video game of the same name. The video game was more of a re-telling of the 2004 reboot. It removed some of the more super-hero aspects such as his suit and mask but was still a great experience and is a must play for anyone who read the comics, as is the comic a good read for anyone who played the game.

Army Of Darkness The wildly successful Army Of Darkness comics continue the adventures of Ashley Williams the hero of the Evil Dead film saga. Ash continues his fight against the Deadites in different times and places. Army of Darkness continues the great horror themes present in Evil Dead and brings the humour of Army of Darkness to create a truly unique series that has stood the test of time. Any fan of horror cinema is a fan of the Evil Dead films and the comic advances the established story pushing it to new heights. Just last year the story “Ash Saves Obama” was published, featuring Ash saving the president of the US from a Deadite threat. It’s delightful little touches like this that keep the Army of Darkness comics in wide popularity and make it a truly fun read.

People will always have a fascination with horror. It’s a safe way to experience fear and death knowing that the threat can never hurt you. While people love to be scared there will always be a market for horror comics. I have only touched on the surface here, there are so many other great titles out there. Locke and Key, Winter City, Left Hand Path, 30 Days of Night, Marvel Zombies, Swamp

Thing, From Hell, just to name a few.

I just talked today about a few of my favourites, but if you have a thirst for blood and a love of nightmares, there are plenty of comics out there for you to explore! Have a scare!

WRITTEN BY SCOTT F. SOWTER

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DANGER MUSIC

This month we are talking to Paris based musician, Danger. Tell us a bit about your music - how would you describe it?

My music talks about that moment when you get lost in Blockbusters and Video games, and then this castle is starting to collapse. That’s the theme of my last EP. What inspires your music?

I prefer listening to music through movies and video games, through music video or in concert, but actually quite rarely for music itself. Actually, I rather raise the question of emotion through music and visual narrative context.

You’ve said that you grew up with video games, TV and movies, what games and game systems did you grow up with?

My main influence and my first system was a Commodore Amiga 500 I discovered the music of some games like Shadow of the Beast that really marked me. So I started to make music on amiga, on these vertical scrolling sequencers called trackers.

Are you still into games and do they inspire your music today?

Yes, although I do not have much time to play before, I make sure to test the majority that is happening in

the video game industry. Games videos define new ways of understanding the world, which are used by both agencies and communication on users in an unconscious way. I like Shadow of the Colossus, Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, Bientôt l’Eté, The last of US, and some bad freemiums...

Your imagery is amazingly cool - how did you come up with the graphical style you have?

I grew up between the US culture, the French culture and the Japanese culture through films, books, comics, manga, and video games from each continent, this is what made my own culture.

Which musicians inspire you and why?

Right now I would say TeamSesh, Bones: I love their creativity and imagery. Yuzo Koshiro then: For these compositions, techno / house on street of rage and Howard Shore: For his OST including the films of David Cronenberg.

Tell us a bit about the film clip for 1:30, where did the idea for the look come from?

It’s a documentary about the making of Danger’s mask, around the fetishism of mass production, and influenced by Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell opening scene. I also like

the idea that it is impossible (or really expensive) to make this video other than using Computer Graphic.

What’s next for you? Do you have and projects you are working on that you can share with our readers?

I’m working on Danger next episodes, also I recently created my own label : 1789. Sunset my new project comes out Oct. 6, 2014.

Finally where can our readers go to find out more about you? www.2emedanger.com www.1789records.com

www.2emedanger.com

COSPL

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cosplayers, interviews, tips, photographs and event ve website (www.cosplaylive.com.au) and expo.

Inside: Interview with: Illisia Cosplay Martin Wong (Photographer) Yelaina May + more!

Special Report: Cosplay Live Expo Photography tips Cosplay tips

ormation, and cosplaylive updates.

n Centre. www.cosplaylive.com.au

ILLISIA COSPLAY www.facebook.com/IllisiaCosplay Illisia tell us how you got into cosplay.

When I was 14 a friend told me about a convention in my city, and we decided to go and take a look. When I arrived and saw that many people was dressing up as their favourite characters I thought I’d totally love to do that.

What sort of cosplay do you do?

I usually cosplay Videogame characters, because I’ve spend most of my time playing them since very young, but I also enjoy dressing up as my favourite anime/manga characters.

I tend to choose powerful/deadly femenine characters, but I’m trying not to get stuck just in one role.

Being from Spain do you travel to many of the “cons” in Europe?

I try to! Although travels are pretty expensive, I love going to other cons and meeting people from all around the world.

I visited Gamescom in Germany last year and I hope to visit more cons in Europe shortly.

Do you make your costumes or buy them or a combination of both?

I make them myself, because it’s my favourite part of cosplaying. Crafting a cosplay is my way of liberating stress and a great way to express my creativity.

What is the cosplay scene like in Spain, is it popular?

Cosplay is growing more and more popular in Spain, but even though the cosplay community is growing bigger, it is not a very well accepted hobby among the common people.

When I visit other countries’ conventions, I become aware of how people is much more respectful with cosplayers in other countries.

What’s been your favourite con you’ve visited?

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Until now, my favourite is Gamescom. It’s huge and full of videogames and I can’t resist that, but I’ve heard many good opinions about other cons that I can’t wait to visit.

Do you plan to visit overseas events?

Sure! If my budget wouldn’t be a problem, I would have already visited some, but I hope I can travel to some convention overseas soon.

Any plans to visit Australia?

Of course! Australia is on the top of my list of “places to visit”. I think it’s a wonderful place, with beautiful landscapes and the Australians seems to be amazingly kind, so I can’t wait to visit it.

Where can our readers go to find out more about you?

You can find me on my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/IllisiaCosplay or by Twitter: www.twitter.com/IllisiaCosplay

Photographer: JesĂşs Clares | www.facebook.com/jesusclares

Photographer: Peck Photography | www.facebook.com/peckfotografia

ILLISIA COSPLAY

Photographer: Vrael Cosplay | www.facebook.com/VraelCosplay

ILLISIA COSPLAY Photographer: JesĂşs Clares | www.facebook.com/jesusclares

Photographer: Vrael Cosplay | www.facebook.com/VraelCosplay

Photographer: JesĂşs Clares | www.facebook.com/jesusclares

ILLISIA COSPLAY

Photographer: Vrael Cosplay | www.facebook.com/VraelCosplay

ILLISIA COSPLAY

MARTIN WONG www.facebook.com/MARTINWONGPHOTO

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PHOTOGRAPHER

Martin, tell us a bit about yourself, where you are based and how you got into cosplay photography.

You’ve photographed some of the most well known cosplayers around, how did that come about?

I am currently based in Northern California, and I got into shooting cosplay because an old friend of mine wanted me to share a room few years ago at a local convention and introduced me to cosplay because she knows that I shoot photography.

She said it would be something interesting to me and IT DEFINITELY WAS. And I’ve been shooting cosplay ever since!

I didn’t know if people were well known when I first started, I just went around convention and asked any cosplayers that I like to shoot.

You have an interesting and unique style, how would you describe it for our readers?

I really like my subjects to stand out from the pictures and I try to accomplish that by using vibrant colors and contrast. I also like to use creative lighting to separate my subjects from the background.

And how did your “look” develop?

Are we talking about me or my works? If you are talking about me, I am known as that photographer running around the convention with very colorful pants. If you are talking about my work, then it has to do a lot a lot of practice and experimenting.

You’ve got an amazing cosplay book, what made you decide to create a book and how did you get all those amazing cosplayers involved?

I always love traditional media like canvas, prints, and books. So of course I decided to make a book so that people can share the same appreciation that I have. A lot of the cosplayers that I shot with became great friends with me and they are definitely amazing for helping me out.

With your particular look, do you do much post processing and how long do you spend on an image?

I spend a lot of time in post processing because I wanted to create art the way that I envisioned in my head.

On average, I spend about 6 hours on each photoshoot picture that I process.

We’d love to know more about your process of creating an image, tell us how it starts and what is the time line of creating a particular image or working with a particular cosplayer.

Have an idea of what you want is very important, and that can be difficult when you are limited by time, environment, and tools, so you definitely need to be very creative on the spot.

As soon as I spot out a cosplayer that I would like to shoot, I would ask them to do a photoshoot with me. If they agree, then I will instantly brainstorm how to shoot the cosplayer and where I need to shoot them. I usually start creating images in my head on our way to the shooting location and have a general idea of how I want my final shot to look like.

There are different interactions with different cosplayers, some love to create poses as I shoot, and some love to have me pose them. Shooting at convention usually takes about 10-15 minutes from the first shot to the last shot.

Once I go home, I will look at all the photos from the photoshoot and slowly narrow down to the one shot that I like the most. Then I will jump

right into it and start process it the way I want the final product to look like (while it is still fresh in my head).

Many things are involved in editing the pictures, I might want to change the color to set the tone, or bring out the texture to show the material, or even add new environment to the pictures to change a new world. After I am satisfied with the final product, I would ask a few close friends to check out the shot for me to see if I missed anything or if there is something I can add to improve the image.

What advice do you have for new photographers getting into cosplay?

Do not afraid to try and do not afraid to copy. There is no shame in learning how other operate and discover if you like it or not. Photographers develop their style over time regardless if they know it or not.

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

They can always follow me on Facebook (FB.com/MartinWongPhoto) and Twitter(@MartinWongPhoto)

MARTIN WONG

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MARTIN WONG

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MARTIN WONG

MARTIN WONG

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MARTIN WONG

FOXXI LOXXI www.facebook.com/FOXXILOXXICOSPLAY This month we’re talking to Foxxi Loxxi, a Sydney based cosplayer. Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and how you got into cosplay?

The first thing you should probably know about me is that my real name is Lauren, I’m 24, and I’m never going to grow up :P I’ve been dressing up in anything I can find since I was big enough to reach the lace doilies on my grandmothers coffee tables and turn them into capes. My methods and techniques have just slightly improved since then.

I got into cosplay after going to my first Supanova to see James Masters a couple of years ago. Until then I’d been a little isolated since I knew what I loved but didn’t really have anyone to really share it with.

Seeing an entire community so into costumes and dressing up was mind blowing. The following year I created my first cosplay, made in 3 days from my mothers left over quilting fabric

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and a horrible party store wig, took it to Sydney Supanova and had an absolute blast!

playing a character I love and I tend to find it makes the cosplay very unique.

It wasn’t until I’d graduated from university that I started working with photographers, and putting more time and effort into costuming. A beginner cosplay photographer was looking for cosplayers to work with and since I was a beginner myself I put my hand up and have been getting more involved ever since!

Tell us about the costumes themselves, do you create them or buy them or a combination of both?

What sort of characters do you love cosplaying?

I want to say that I love all kinds of characters, but when I look back on who I have created they tend to lean in favour of the creepy, haha. A lot of my costumes involve facepaint and contacts, and it’s always fun to see reactions at cons.

I also really enjoy genderbending characters, which means taking a male character and creating a female version of them (or vice versa).

I never let gender stop me from cos-

It depends on the costume but I have never all out bought a costume at this point. For a big costume like Duela Dent I made everything from scratch except the top hat and the cane (and shoes haha). I fully sewed the corset, the gloves, and made the shoulders, collar, and backpack myself. I made a lot of mistakes and learnt a lot in the process.

I do a fair bit of ‘clothesplay’ aswell, which is where you take pre existing items of clothing and alter them to suit your cosplay. The punk Batgirl I recently wore to OZ Comic Con is an example of that: I didn’t make the denim jacket myself from scratch but I took a second hand one and extremely modified it. It was dyed, taken in, spiked, painted, and patched for my needs.

Photographer: E Photography | www.facebook.com/ecks.photography

How long does it take you to make a costume?

Again, it depends on the costume.

For example, I made my Dark Phoenix suit in about a week before Free Comic Book Day but making femRyuk took a few months to get all the bits and pieces just right (I started that costume last year and only recently wore it for the first time at SMASH in August). I have at least 2-3 unfinished costumes laying around at home at the moment that I started working on but then got distracted by a new costume for a closer event, or simply got stuck on making a particular part. At the end of the day it depends on when I need the costume for and how detailed it is. I knew I wanted Duela Dent for Supanova, and I built her in about a month, but I have a Princess Peach dress at home 90% finished but I didn’t want to wear her until EB Expo so I hadn’t focused on her (I should probably do that, it’s right around the corner!).

Tell us about the cons you go to, any favourite events?

This is the first year I’ve gone to any conventions outside Sydney so that’s been a lot of fun. I think it’s mainly the friends you go with that make any convention, big or small, but I do really love Sydney Supanova. You never forget your first haha.

I really loved EB Expo last year too.

Not as big for costuming but playing all the games, the new consoles, and running into developers is really an incredible experience. It was so different from anything I’d been to previously, I absolutely loved it.

That being said this is the first year

I’m going to PAX in Melbourne. I hope that’s going to be as awesome as I think it is!

or body paint that might need touching up), and can fit in a small bag or pocket.

Do you have any tips for new cosplayers who are about to make their first costume and attend an event?

And don’t forget the most important thing: Have fun!

Be prepared and plan ahead! There’s nothing worse than stressing over a cosplay at the last minute and if it’s your first time you want everything to run as smoothly as possible.

If there’s something you need for your costume that you have no idea how to make don’t be afraid to Google it! Chances are someone’s already made it, and made a tutorial to show you the easiest, pain free method. If you’re still having trouble, message or email a cosplayer and see if they can help. You’re never alone :) Always do a trial run of the costume before the event, especially if it involves makeup! You want to know how your costume feels and works.

Whether you can sit down in it, or run, or jump, or even go to the bathroom. Practice makes perfect with makeup so if you’re unhappy with how it turns out the first time don’t be afraid to wash it all off and try again until you’re happy.

Don’t forget to sit down the night before the event and create an emergency kit. Captain Patch-It won’t always be there to save us if something goes wrong and a quick fix on the day can make the difference between having a sad event and a great one. An emergency kit should include things like needle and thread, some quick drying superglue, bobby pins and safety pins, and extra makeup (if you have face

You’ve done a few amazing photography sessions, tell us about a typical shoot Why thank you! Each photographer has their own style of shooting but generally we’ll discuss the ideas online before the shoot and decide on a location together. I like to show up with my makeup done and majority of my costume on, unless it’s something I can’t drive in!

Shoots tend to take a few hours and it involves a lot of working together to get the pose and lighting just right.

We always use a lot of reference photos, either of the character or particular poses that we’re trying to embody in the images. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, and sometimes we end up with something completely different from where we started! It’s all in good fun, and all the photographers I’ve worked with have been really lovely laid back enjoyable company. We work until we run out of ideas and then it’s time to go home!

Majority of the time I see the photos before they’re put online, and the photographer does most of the editing magic (I wish I could take credit but alas, I am not very good at it).

They must get so sick of staring at my face though!

Do you do your own make up and styling?

Sure do! My biggest challenge has

Photographer: CMOS Photography | www.facebook.com/CMOSsphotography

Photographer: What A Big Camera | www.facebook.com/WhatABigCamera

been using body paint - I had a really bad time one event with a costume I hadn’t done a makeup test for. My body paint pretty much melted off by the time I went home, it wasn’t a pretty experience at all. Trial and error, always do a makeup test!!

My next big thing to tackle will be wigs. I recently received my first lace front wig, which is a wig that is essentially glued to your head to look like a natural hairline. It’s going to be an interesting learning experience for me, I can tell!

Do you have any tips for new cosplayers with sharing images and social media?

Always be respectful - to yourself, your photographers, and your community: Sharing photos online is a wonderful way to get in touch with a lot of people, but the internet isn’t always polite. Respect yourself enough to know that a negative comment isn’t a reflect of yourself, or your self worth.

It’s impolite to share images that others have worked on for you without crediting them. Always respect your photographers/editors - they deserve credit too.

If you decide to create a Facebook page for your cosplay remember that it’s not all about Likes. I created a cosplay page so I could separate it from my personal one. Originally I was embarrassed by my geeky little hobby and wanted to create a safe place to share what I loved because I didn’t think those in my life would really understand. It’s amazing how many people from my personal life supported me and are always excited by what I’m doing next. Respect your community and those who sup-

port and encourage you, including other cosplayers.

play and in my mind any form of creative output is positive.

Put in what you want to get to get out of social media. Share what you love and others will love it with you :)

Any community, especially one so predominantly online, has it’s fair share of opinionated bad eggs. But that shouldn’t detract from the genuine positive experiences of cosplay itself. Like all hobbies it’s a forum to meet new people and share what you love whether that be comic books or a tv show but cosplay brings together people who can normally be shy or reserved. Donning a costume helps inspire confidence, and there’s nothing I love more at cons than watching Supergirl and Clark Kent high fiving each other, or The Joker and Batman eyeing each other off from across the con floor. I meet a lot of really fun people just by pulling faces at them in costume, or braving my own shyness to compliment someone else. Cosplay promotes socialising in a stereotypically shy and reserved group (I know I was one of them!) who can normally feel isolated or extradited by those who aren’t as geeky or nerdy as themselves. There’s no gatekeeper on Cosplay: any gender, age, weight, or race is welcome to have fun and enjoy themselves!

What do you feel cosplay does for you?

Cosplay has pushed me to learn more, do more, and be more!

I’ve learnt so much both from physically making things and from the people I’m inspired by. I’m now attempting things I couldn’t even fathom when I first started, and I feel like I’m constantly levelling up with each intricate piece I conquer.

The main thing, for me, is that I’m a project person. I like making things and pouring energy into creating something new. When I first started heavily getting into cosplay my family was going through a really rough time. Focusing on making something, anything, helps me keep my head clear and my hands busy when I was feeling stressed or sad.

The fact that I have an entire support group of encouraging, positive people egging me on and helping me up when I’m down (even if they don’t know it) is awesome. I’ve learnt so many new skills and I’ve met so many new friends through this hobby that it has been nothing but positive for me. I’ve never felt more at home than in this community of whacky wonderful weirdos :P Do you think cosplay can be a positive art form for people and why?

I definitely do, because everyone gets something different out of cos-

Finally where can readers go to find out more about you?

My Facebook page is

www.facebook.com/foxxiloxxicosplay

And you can find me on Twitter and Instagram @Foxxiloxxi too :)

Photographer: JMJ83 | www.facebook.com/jmjphotoequine

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Photographer: Volk Photography | www.facebook.com/VolkPhotography

Photographer: What A Big Camera | www.facebook.com/WhatABigCamera

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Photographer: JMJ83 | www.facebook.com/jmjphotoequine

foxxi loxxi COSPLAY

foxxi loxxi COSPLAY

YELAINA MAY www.facebook.com/yelainamaycosplay Yelaina tell us how you got into cosplay and why I got into cosplay because I went to the Calgary Comic Expo in April of last year and saw all the amazing costumes!

I have always loved to create things with my hands and I love everything Sci-Fi and Fantasy so it is the perfect mixture of them! And it is so rewarding to make something come to life that you have seen in a movie or video game.

What characters do you love cosplaying and why?

I personally love to cosplay video game characters. I find that you really develop an emotional attachment to the characters when you “live” as them for so long while you play a game. Now that doesn’t mean I don’t love movie/TV characters as well, I just don’t have the same connection with most of them. That being said I am in the process of creating a gender-bent (female version) or Azog from the Hobbit. I am very emotionally attached to these movies. Haha.

With regard to costumes, do you make them yourself?

Of course! That is the part I enjoy the most. Wearing them is great and getting all the praise and compli-

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ments, but it would not be the same if you did not make the costume. It is so rewarding to work so hard to create something and then to have someone, or lots of someones, appreciate it.

How long does it take to create a costume from scratch.

It depends on the costume and the amount of time I have to do it. I work full time so crafting only happens on the evening and weekends. Usually it takes me a couple months to get a costume to the point where I think it is complete. However, right now I am working on 3 costumes in 1 month!

Hopefully I can finish them all in time.

Tell us a bit about the cons you visit and what sort of experience you’ve had with them?

I have only ever been to the CalgaryExpo but I will be going to the Edmonton Expo in September. I love them.

Everything about them I love the people there, because you know that they love the same stuff you do, and you just start off with things in common! I love the shopping and of course the costumes! Its so amazing to go to them dressed up and pretend to be a celebrity for a while.

Cons and photos seem to go hand

in hand, how do you handle the many people wanting a photo?

You just handle it. Haha. Don’t expect to get anywhere quickly, ever. If you need to get to a panel in an hour across the room, leave now. Haha.

But its fantastic. I love it and I love that people like what I have made!

It’s the ultimate compliment to have someone want to take a picture with you because of what you have created means something to them.

Have you done many photo shoots with photographers and

what is that experience like?

I have never actually. I borrow a camera and my fiance, Curtis, takes the pictures. Haha. I am way to shy to feel like I will act naturally around a stranger. I am sure its not bad at all but I am absolutely terrified to do it! Haha.

What’s coming up in the future for you?

Right now I am just working on some commissions for a couple friends of mine from the UK and then I am cre-

ating a cosplay for Weeble Cospaint/ Aspen Comics.

They are collaborating with a bunch of cosplayers to create a “trading card” set of the Aspen Comics characters! I have been chosen to create Faye from Soulfire and I am super excited for this opportunity!

I will be attending the Edmonton Expo in September but don’t have any plans past that until Calgary Expo next year. I am hoping to make a bunch more conventions next year though!

Finally where can our readers go to find out more about you and your cosplay?

Well I am most active on my Facebook page, Yelaina May Cosplay.

That is where 90% of my content is posted and where you can find me easiest! I also have Instagram (@ YelainaMayCosplay) and Twitter (@ YelainaMCosplay) that I am trying to keep updated!

LUMINA COSPLAY www.facebook.com/LUMINACOSPLAY This month, Live Magazine is talking to German Cosplayer, Otaku and gamer girl, Lumina Cosplay.

Firstly, can you tell us how you got into cosplay?

Hello and thank you for the opportunity to do this interview. Well ... it all started in 2002 when I had bought a German Anime / Manga / Japan magazine, which had an extra article about cosplayers and I immediately admired all these great costumes.

Shortly after that I had informed me what cosplay is and where it comes from and all that.

But in 2006, I really started with Cosplay with a friend who also was cosplayer. It was very exciting to wear my first Cosplay and I don’t know, since that day I do it.

What sort of characters are your favourites to cosplay?

Definitely game characters! I’m a huge Final Fantasy fan, this is the reason why my artist name is Lumina, one of the characters from Final Fantasy XIII-Lightning returns. I feel more attracted to game characters from Final Fantasy, Zelda, or other games.

But next year I want to cosplay some Disney characters, this is my dream. :)But It’s most importantly that I can identify myself with the characters. It does not matter to me whether the Character is very large and thin or

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small and chubby. Oh and I cosplay mainly girls or women.

to year. What also has many disadvantages.

You’re also an Otaku and gamer, what anime and manga are you most interested in?

A few years ago Cosplayer were something special, we were a small community and we were like a family and have helped each other. I have the feeling that today “Cosplay’’ means for many people to be better than others, to have more likes on Facebook than others and the less you wear the better it is.

I must admit that I don’t read or own a lot of Mangas. But my favorite manga is Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, it all started for me with this manga or rather with the anime. Also, I’ve always been a fan of Card Captor Sakura and Chobits. I’m a big fan of magical girl Mangas and Animes.

And after more than 20 years my favorite anime is still Sailor Moon.

Of course I watch other animes like Ranma 1/2, Detective Conan, blue exorcist, Kamikatze Kaito Jeanne, Guilty Crown, Devil Hunter Yohko and many many more.

What about games, what are you playing at the moment?

As already mentioned, I’m a huge Final Fantasy fan and have played almost all parts. At the moment I’m playing Tales of Xillia and Star Ocean -The Last Hope. Unfortunately I don’t always have the time to play games.

Of course not all are like that, I know many cosplayers who help each other and didn’t forget why they started with cosplay.

What ‘cons’ are your favourite?

Small Conventions are my favorites because you still have this familial feeling that you don’t have on a big convention.

But since two years I don’t go to many conventions anymore because lack of time and cosplay and conventions are already an expensive thing. But for that, I enjoy every single Con where I am.

Tell us about the cosplay scene in Germany and Europe.

Many cosplayers are getting involved in making costumes or accessories. Are you also doing that side of cosplay too?

I can’t judge how it is in other countries of Europe but I think that it’s similar as in Germany. The cosplayer community is growing from year

So what relates to sew ... I try it now and then, but I’m not good at sewing.

And I’ve often help but that’s ok it’s not a shame to have sew help.

But I do accessories. Especially since a short while I work with polymer clay and make jewellery. What I have now learned through my Silmeria Cosplay is to make armor Cosplays. Thanks to a friend who had helped me, I wish to make in the future even more armor cosplays.

So yes I do these things but I’ve often help because my hands are all thumbs. xD You recently crossed over the 10,000 fans mark on Facebook, and many cosplayers love sharing there art, can you give us some tips on how to reach people and get them interested in what you are doing?

Well at first I shared my page with my friends and my friends have made​​ advertising for me and from time to time many people were aware of me.

Also on devianart were many nice people who advertising for my Page.

For some time I also make Share for share actions. This means you share a page from a Cosplayer and this Cosplayer shares your page. I’m not doing it for me, I do it to help others.

I think it’s important when you have the same interests and the same passion for one thing you should stick together and help each other, no matter where you come from or how good you are.

think about it as a platform for sharing? Do you recommend it to new cosplayers?

So my advice is when you want the other people interested in your work or when you want the people pay attention to you and your cosplays just share your page with other groups or with your friends. Share and advertise, this is actually the only tip I can give you.

I see many cosplayers are also users of Deviant Art - what do you

You can find me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/LuminaCosplay And on DeviantArt: www.xiiiluminaxiii.deviantart.comnot

Since I’m also on DeviantArt I can recommend this platform. Even though I’m not always active on DA I think it is a good platform to share the own work and I like DA because there are so many very nice people.

Finally where can we find out more about you?

Photographer (all images): Patricia Stummer www.facebook.com/Stummerpati

TERRY BUTLER www.facebook.com/vectorsigmacreations This month we chatted to Terry Butler from Vector Sigma Creations. Along with Alan Snider, Vector Sigma Creations do amazing prop replicas from movies, games and animation. We started off asking Terry if he’s cosplayed himself: I personally have not actually cosplayed as anyone yet. I would love to build a Unicron costume one day from the 80’s animated movie. I also love the stuff people are making from Skyrim, so many talented people out there.

Terry, what got you into props and creating them?

I started taking commissions for props because people kept wanting to buy the stuff I was making for myself ! I do blog write ups showing how most of my builds were done, that way anyone can make their own. But if someone just wants to pay me to do it for them, I am ok with that too.

A lot of my work is just stuff that I want to have myself, and often I will end up selling it to someone. If a client wants something made specifically for them though, they contact me through either my website or my

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Facebook fanpage where I get the pertinent info to put together a price quote. If we agree, then I retain a deposit to get started. The deposit goes mainly toward supplies to get the project done. Pricing is determined by the cost of supplies needed, and the amount of hours it will take to get the project finished.

What about making costumes?

I have not made any costumes per say. I make accessories for costumes such as buckles, helmets, some armor pieces, etc. I have no sewing skills and elaborate armor and parts require constant fitting and such to make sure it is comfortable and properly fits. Helmets and weapons seem to be my specialty.

So far, I guess my prop weapons are the most popular. My work has been featured twice on Kotaku, one for the Triple R Repeater from Bioshock Infinite, and once again for the Mass Effect Locust sub machine gun. my Iron Man/Spawn mashup helmet has been pretty popular too.

Do you visit any of the “cons”?

I try to go to the local conventions whenever possible, but they tend to be geared towards Anime, which

I like, but I REALLY want to go to Dragoncon . Dragoncon is the mecca for all things geeky ! I just recently did a prop making panel at a local convention and have signed up for another in November. It’s a great way to meet new people with similar interests.

Do you create props for people outside the U.S? I tend to keep shipping here in the mainland US, I’m not the best at keeping up with customs laws and such and A lot of things that get shipped overseas, especially Australia, get damaged or lost and shipping can get really expensive! I will try to work with anybody though and will consider commissions from almost anywhere.

Where can readers see more of your creations?

My Facebook fanpage is at

www.facebook.com/vectorsigmacreations

My website is www.vectorsigmacreations.com and I have Twitter at @Weaselhammer.

I try to keep everyone up to date on my projects and share pictures along with general craziness!

www.facebook.com/vectorsigmacreations

THE 3 LEVELS OF H BROUGHT TO YOU BY WWW.COSPLAYLIVE.COM.AU

Level 1: Eye-patch and NERF, the ultimate accessories.

LEVEL1: Cosplay on a Budget/I have this random gear...

Let’s make this happen!

Level 1 can be best identified by an assortment of items brought together to form a cohesive look for your Halloween party. The acquiring of these items is usually done through a series of last minute trips to your local toy store, Op Shop and what you’ve got at the back of your closet. However, just because the birth of the outfit is from questionable sources doesn’t mean that the final product isn’t eye catching, functional for parties and comfy to fall asleep in.

Advantage: Level 1 provides the wearer with the perfect party outfit, commonly lightweight and sporting layers, this provides the wearing with body heat regulation, a very high need in the Australian October climate. Level 1 is also extremely trustworthy in presentation, it is largely made from already factory assembled clothing and accessories. This allows your look when you walk in the door at 6pm to stay intact when it hits 4am and someone’s put together a new batch of Halloween punch.

Disadvantage: Level 1’s fault lies largely in its last-minute assembly.

While this is no problem at your local establishment or friend’s Halloween party, the look will be heavily outclassed if you’ve been invited to a Halloween party by the Queen of England or David Bowie.

Bonus Advantage: Thanks to the rag-tag nature of Level 1, the addition of a ‘do-it-yourself’ zombie or movie make up face painting set from your local discount shop means that you can easily up the level of your outfit without the fear of getting the material covered in paint or alcohol/ mud/ fairy floss/ lipstick.

HALLOWEEN PARTY

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Level 1: 2 op shop jackets cut and tied together- $15, facepaint kit- $5, 20c coin- $.2, the chance to wear two ties at once - priceless

THE 3 LEVELS OF H BROUGHT TO YOU BY WWW.COSPLAYLIVE.COM.AU

LEVEL2:

Level 2: Pac-Man, the sexiest of all store bought costumes

The Store Bought Level 2, the store bought costume is a staple of the Halloween scene and as such become a crucial makeor-break season for costume stores.

But how does it really go on the Halloween party scene? The knee-jerk reaction to a store bought costume will be an uninformed member of the costumed public saying that it’s not a real costume, just someone wanting to be a “Hot maid/ bumblebee/ ghostbuster/ carrot/ pilot/ ball pit” for the night. Yet, the store bought opens up a whole new world for the costume potential, you may not have the cosplay know-how to create a wearable Dalek but you can bet your bottom dollar that there’s a store stocked version out there waiting for you. A store bought costume puts you on the cliff edge of good or evil; it is here that you can side with banality and buy the standard male or female “hot fireman” costume, OR you can swim with pop culture and turn up to your party as Buzz Lightyear or Ironman.

just a one stop shop for the complete ensemble be it a physical store or internet search.

Advantage: Level 2 is the answer to someone wanting instant recognition of their character costume. With store bought you’re buying something of a certain level of quality in the make and attire. Level 2 also offers an extremely functional advantage to the time-starved Halloweener, no need to search several sites,

Disadvantage: A good store bought costume is not cheap. While an Op Shop jacket could set you back a couple of dollars, an official licensed character jacket is going to be much more than the dollars you find at the back of the couch. Another disadvantage to the store bought is its tendency to rip or break when put in

situations it was not made for. Halloween parties are by and large usually involving a fair amount of dancing and hijinks; an Elsa store bought costume could come under a lot of stress to the point of tearing as you show the party your break-dancing skills on the Twister matt.

HALLOWEEN PARTY

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LEVEL3:

Level 3: The most beautiful of all levels, but the most in danger of spills

The Full Cosplay Level 3, the full cosplay, is the most impressive and awe-inspiring of all possible levels at a Halloween party. It’s the cosplay that you’ve been working on for months and can’t wait to show off at the upcoming party.

Knowing that all the pictures taken of you will be adorned with praise on Facebook, secure in the knowledge that any photo a party-goer takes with you will be their new display pic for at least a month. With a full cosplay at a party, there comes a price.

And that price is danger, a full cosplay at a Halloween party is a one way ticket to the danger zone. Your cosplay will be at not the mercy of people begging to have a selfie, but rather at the mercy of the party itself.

Rips, spills, stains, fake blood splatters, all these factors and more will affect if your cosplay will survive the night.

Advantage: Your cosplay will be the centre of attention, people flocking to you in awe. Turning up to this party in full cosplay will provide your social media feeds with content for months.

Disadvantage: A spilled beer, a party pie loaded with tomato sauce and a hug from a blood splattered zombie are just some of the dangers that could turn your cosplay to cosruined. Another disadvantage to the

full cosplay at a Halloween party is the lastability; worbla armour is infamously known for being uncomfortable to sleep in, let alone waking up on the lawn with a sprinkler for a pillow.

Bonus Advantage: There is a way around the dangers of Level 3 at a Halloween party, embrace the cos-

tumed danger, do you have a cosplay that is detailed with battle damage, and maybe you’ve got a character that could always use some more smudged fake blood upon it. This is your secret weapon to success, with each spill or damage done to your cosplay it only becomes more and more authentic.

THE 3 LEVELS OF H BROUGHT TO YOU BY WWW.COSPLAYLIVE.COM.AU

Level 3: More blood the merrier.

Photographer: Maetogrophy Original Background Art: www.achristouillustration.com

WRITTEN BY DUSTIN WILSON WWW.COSPLAYLIVE.COM.AU

HALLOWEEN PARTY

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Cosplay Live Expo and Afterparty is dedicated in giving cosplayers the tools to bring their cosplay to life in way never before experienced, from creation to posing tutorials. 7 March 2015. To find out more, visit

www.cosplaylive.com.au

“

5 TIPS TO BETTER If you want great photos of cosplayers there’s quite a few ingredients that make a photo that stands out. It’s not just you the photographer, there’s the very important subject … the cosplayer.

Now not all cosplayers are seasoned professionals with a dozen photo shoots under their belt, many are just starting out. So here’s my top 5 tips to ensure your shoot goes well.

Tip 1 - do your homework. If you’ve set up a shoot with a cosplayer, ask him or her about the character, then jump online and find out what you can about this character. Are they bright and funny? Dark and moody? This will help you capture their character in a better context. A dark moody character may not suite a fun pastel background and so on.

Tip 2 - Get into good light. Bright sunlight can really affect your photos. It can cause harsh unflattering shadows and cause your subject to squint. If you’re shooting outdoors look for quality shade - but be careful of dappled light- shade under trees gives you an uneven shade that looks unattractive.

Tip 3 - Know your gear. Yes cameras are brilliantly made and can take awesome photos on auto mode. But by knowing your camera and how to shoot in manual, aperture priority and shutter priority you can over ride some settings to create what you want not what the camera sees. Take for example a bright sunny day. You turn your cos-

player away from the sun to reduce harsh shadows on her face and you take a photo where she turns out too dark. What’s happened is the camera is trying to make the whole photo the same light intensity. But you want her face to be perfectly exposed… so by using “spot metering” or maybe over riding the settings and dialing in some exposure compensation you can get her exposed right but then the background blows out too bright. That might be fine but let’s say you’ve got a great background too… you need to work the camera to get the right balance of light in background and subject. You may need to use a flash to fill in the shadows on her face.

Tip 4 - Don’t be a creep. Creepy guys who want to touch their subject freak some models/cosplayers out. Don’t do it. Have a female assistant (if you’re a male) or ask if you can adjust something but be sensible - if you don’t know them don’t touch them. Never touch anywhere too close to their body. You may know the model and she’s fine with you pushing her hair back but to be safe, ask her to do it or have a female assistant help.

Tip 5 - Talk and encourage. Cosplayers like models, love feedback - no not “work it baby” but more along the lines of encouraging thing line “this looks great” or “great pose” or “awesome costume” They’ll get into the flow and your shoot will have more energy and will result in better photos.

BY ROB JENKINS

R COSPLAY PHOTOS

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

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