Alpha Magazine (September 2020) by Heart of Alpha Ent.

Toxic Relationships And Their Roots

Celebrating Women In Film And TV

Ways to realize toxicity in a relationship and deal with it.

Celebrating women behind the scenes of our favorite films and television shows.

September 2020 â&#x20AC;˘ VOL. 4

ALPHA E

34 Top 5 Biggest South African Musicians 5 of the hottest and most influential artists in South Africa.

CONTENTS 4

Introducing Alpha News Global Our team here at Heart of Alpha Entertainment is proud to announce the newest department in our company

Toxic Relationships And Their Roots Ways to realize toxicity in a relationship and deal with it.

Funny Pages Laughing is the cheapest form of therapy. Allow us to ease your stress by reading through the jokes we have hand-picked just for you.

How Disney Ruined Star Wars An article about the reasons why the Disney Trilogy is a Flop of Gargantuan Proportions.

Top 15 Games You Can Play on the Xbox Series X Some of the best upcoming games you can take full advantage of during the upcoming holiday season and beyond

The Effects Music Has On Audiences Answering the question: does the lyrical content of music have an effect on us?

Poetry

Sponsored Posts

This Monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Writers: Nigel Wurayayi / Emmanuel Naicker / Bonolo Pule / Lehlohonolo Makgele / Lethabo Motseleng / Princess Sigidi / Motsosi Mathobela / Edgar Sono

2 | Alpha Magazine

EDITORIAL

or the last few months

Africans, and readers across

we have been locked

the globe, to stand up and fight

indoors, trying our best

for your country, to stand up

to help slow the spread of a

and make sure that those who

lethal virus. However, in that

are survivors of these horrible

same period of time, another

acts, and those who died as a

pandemic

result, receive the justice they

has

risen.

This

pandemic is not new at all. It

deserve.

has been present in society for years, but people choose to ignore it. The pandemic I speak of is sexual abuse, gender-based violence, police brutality,

and

child

abuse.

Before, it was the norm to just shrug these situations off and carry about your day as long as it did not affect you personally, but I urge you my dear South

At this moment, allow me to welcome you to a new month and to a new edition of our magazine. We hope you enjoy the read, our amazing team really put a lot of work into making sure that this is a fantastic read for you. If you happen to have any questions or queries, feel free to email us at heartofalpha@gmail.com

September 2020 | 3

4 | Alpha Magazine

September 2020 | 5

6 | Alpha Magazine

Introducing: Alpha News Global By: Heart of Alpha Entertainment

Our team here at Heart of Alpha Entertainment is proud to announce the introduction of the newest department in our company, Alpha News Global. Alpha News Global is a digital news platform where we will be posting and reposting content with the purpose of spreading awareness, encouraging empowerment, making a change, and fighting for justice. Alpha News Global can be found on Instagram and Twitter @AlphaNewsGlobal, and will be live on YouTube in the upcoming week. Our YouTube channel will feature an original video series by the name of #Justicefor that aims to honor the memories of those who lost their lives and received no justice. We will be going beyond the hashtag and taking a look at who they were, what happened the day they lost their lives, what happened next, and how you can help fight for their justice. We aim on uploading new videos regularly, and we encourage you to contribute to the channel by helping us find more people who deserve justice to feature on the channel. If you know of anyone who lost their life and deserves justice, even if they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t lose their lives, post them on Twitter or Instagram, tag us, and use our hastag, #ANGJusticefor. We will be monitoring this hastag regularly and will try to make sure we fight for justice for as many people as we can. Our team here at Heart of Alpha Entertainment and Alpha News Global believes in treating everyone equally. So, regardless of your race, religion, gender, color, creed, or sexual orientation, you matter to us.

September 2020 | 7

The Biggest Highlights of DC Fandome By: Emmanuel Naicker

The 22nd of August holds a significant place in the hearts of DC Fans, it is the day Warner Brothers and DC Comics hosted an online 24 Hour Virtual Event Experience for fans around the world to get exclusive news drops, and a platform to share and communicate with Filmmakers, Comic Writers, Artists, Game Developers and more in a Virtual Comic-Con called the DC Fandome, designed by comic book legend, Jim Lee. Seven years ago to the day, on the 22nd of August 2013, Ben Affleck was announced to be playing Batman in the upcoming film, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Here are some of the biggest reveals and news drops from DC Fandome, I will have more things to say about some of these than others based off the current knowledge we have of them.

1) The SnyderCut Teaser Trailer

Zack Snyder dropped the first teaser trailer for his long awaited, much anticipated cut of Justice League. And the most appropriate thing to say about it is...Hallelujah! The 2 minute and 30 second teaser consists entirely of shots that were not seen in the 2017 theatrical release of the film set to the track, “Hallelujah”, by Leonard Cohen. The most memorable moments of the teaser were our first looks at Superman in his iconic black suit that he wore after his resurrection in the comics, the other is that we finally see the new design change for the main antagonist, Steppenwolf, who now has a much closer design to what he had in his small cameo in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice Ultimate Edition. The most significant news of the SnyderCut that Zack dropped was that it will be released on the WB streaming service, HBOMAX, on the projected date of May 20th 2021, as a 4-episode miniseries consisting of 1-hour episodes, AND it will also be released as one long 4 Hour Movie Version. It has been confirmed that an international distribution plan is being worked on for those who will not have access to HBOMAX.

2) Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

Rocksteady Studios, the creators of the Batman Arkham series, revealed that their first game in 5 Years will be Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The 4-minute-long cinematic trailer opens with a shot of Brainiacs Skull Ship crashed in the middle of metropolis. We are then introduced to members of the Squad, being: Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang and King Shark. The sequence progresses in a bright and colourful fun manner as we see the squad fight off a small horde of Braniac’s robots. We see Deadshot utilizes a jetpack, King Shark wields a Gatling Gun and Captain Boomerang is a speedster. After all the robots are defeated the squad gets a call from Amanda Waller reminding them of their assassination mission, behind them, Superman saves a pilot from a helicopter, King Shark notices and gives a monologue about the arrival of the heroic Superman, right before Superman zaps the pilot with his heat vision to reveal his glowing purple eyes as the trailer ends. The discussion panel of this game was hosted by Rocksteady Studios Creative Director, Sefton Hill, as well as LEGO Batman & Bojack Horseman himself, Will Arnet. It was revealed that this game is set in the same universe as Rocksteadys previous games, The Arkham Trilogy. Sefton Hill stated that you will be able to switch between whatever character you wish on the fly, with each character having a distinct and unique skill set. The game is slated for a 2022 release.

8 | Alpha Magazine

3) The Batman

Director Matt Reeves, who brought us Rise of the Planet of the Apes & War for the Planet of the Apes, appeared on a panel with actress, Aisha Taylor. Reeves mentioned that his new interpretation of the Batman mythos will be an Elseworld story starring Robert Pattinson, is more of a crime noir thriller tackling the theme of corruption within Gotham. Reeves explained that the direction and tone of the movie is reminiscent of The Dark Knight Trilogy by Christopher Nolan and that this film will show Batman in his second year as an active vigilante with The Riddler serving as the main antagonist of the film, as well as having appearances by Andy Serkis as Alfred, Colin Ferrell as The Penguin and Zoe Cravits as Catwoman. As for the character of Bruce Wayne, the director stated that this is a more introspective, character driven story that explores Batmans soul, with inspiration mentioned being Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver. He explained that the style of Batmans suit, the Batmobile and the Batbike were meant to have a more homemade feel, as if Bruce Wayne built these himself. I admit I do like the design choices of the Batmobile as well as the Batsuit, except for the headpiece, which I strongly dislike. A great stylistic choice is that the film is being shot in England for the olden gothic architecture that adds to the mystique of the character and story, as well as having CGI skyscrapers added in post. In the midst of the global pandemic we are in, shooting has been halted for this film as it stands, Matt Reeves revealed that only 25% of the film has been shot, Reeves did not come to Fandome empty handed. He showed off a 2 minute and 23 second teaser trailer highlighting Batman and The Riddler’s growing obsession with him. We get a quick shot of Battinson taking down a thug using 1 hand, the Batmobile exhaust firing up and a vertical grapple upwards. The film is set for a release on the 1st of October 2021.

4) Gotham Knights

This is the first game made by Warner Brothers Montreal since Batman Arkham Origins in 2013, a prequel to Rocksteady’s main Arkham Trilogy. We were actually blessed with 2 trailers for this reveal, an initial cinematic trailer as well as a Gameplay trailer, which is without a doubt more valuable. The trailer opens with a video message from Bruce Wayne to the rest of the Bat Family saying that he is dead and that they are to use what he taught them to become the new protectors of Gotham City. Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl and Robin are all revealed as playable characters, during a moment in trailer it is implied that it is in an open world setting. The trailer closes with a zoom into a large dark creepy room with a lullaby being sung in the background before a glimpse of The Court of Owls who will serve as the main villains, an underground Gotham City Secret Society of the wealthy and powerful. The second trailer showed off 7 minutes and 16 seconds of gameplay from the Pre-Alpha build of the game. It depicts Batgirl and Robin on a mission to stop a crime in progress by Mr Freeze. The environmental traversal, stealth and combat look very similar to that of the Batman Arkham games with more added on to it, such as more detailed health bars for enemies, and an RPG like levelling system for each character. The Game Devs revealed that the entirety of the game can be played either Single Player with AI bots or in 2 player Co-Op. The trailer ends during a boss fight as Batgirl and Robin try to defeat Mr Freeze. The game is set for a release in 2021. me is slated for a 2022 release.

September 2020 | 9

5) The Suicide Squad

Not to be confused with the Rocksteady video game Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Director James Gunn, who brought us the two Guardians of the Galaxy films in the MCU, gave us the official casting confirmations and a quick behind the scenes look at his sequel to the 2016 David Ayer film. The film has been described as a 1970s style War Film starring DC Comics characters. Margo Robbie and Jai Courtney will be returning as Harley Quinn and Captain Boomerang from the first film. We have Idris Elba playing Bloodsport, John Cena playing Peacemaker, Nathan Fillion playing T.D.K, Sean Gunn playing Weasel and confirmation that Taika Waititi is in the film but no word on who he is playing, if I had to guess I would say King Shark. The movie has a set release date of the 6th August 2021.

DC broke the internet with some of these reveals and set a new Gold Standard when it comes to Internet Events, with DC drawing in over 22 Million Views. The next DC Fandome event is scheduled for the 12th of September 2020, so save the date for even more incoming news and reveals.

10 | Alpha Magazine

Toxic Relationships And Their Roots By: Lehlohonolo Makgele

Ways to realize toxicity in a relationship and deal with it. First we have to realize the qualities of a healthy relationship to justifiably differentiate. The most concrete qualities being trust, as each partner should have the ability to count on one another, which is closely linked with communication, making sure that the relationship is honest and respectful. Patience and empathy serve as a good foundation for understanding, as both parties constantly grow at different speeds and find their values changing. Affection and interest are an important physical and emotional need which require a certain degree of flexibility and voluntarism. Gratitude makes a partner feel appreciated and valued, fuels up the voluntary will to do more to keep the other party satisfied and happy. Respect being – valuing each other’s perspectives, feelings, opinions and time as well as the very reciprocity in the relationship and each other’s individuality. Toxic relationships usually consist of behavior such as: angry reactions to feedback instead of staying open to it; being closed off to new experiences; using deception and duplicity instead of honesty and integrity; overstepping boundaries instead of respecting them; lack of affection; distorting who a partner is by denigrating them and being manipulative or controlling rather than being direct with enquiries or needs. Before approaching depth, here are ways to approach the situation safely. Although it seems obvious, communicate with your partner about the problem, focus on your feelings and state what you want. See if your partner is willing to do the work, trying to fix the relationship alone will only load you. Take care of your own health and well-being, as the more work you do on yourself, the easier it is to see whether the issues in your relationship are fixable. Consult a mental health professional if you think your partner has a serious problem or attempt couple’s counselling/therapy if a third professional party is needed. *For those who would like to HELP SOMEONE in a toxic or abusive relationship, here are some methods to assist. Help prevent isolation as it may not be best for them to live in their mind for too long, challenge gas-lighting by confirming with them that they are right to feel the way they do, counteract degradation, alleviate financial abuse – help where you can without enabling them, help them see clearly and help prevent violence by informing them that it is not good nor healthy, and discussing safety planning. Now think about this, how many relationships would have gone a different way if the goal was not just to find harmony as a couple but to simultaneously find harmony within themselves as individuals? Here is it: if not all then MOST of them. It is important to have self-awareness, not only to know yourself but to also deal with traumatic pasts and personal problems as they are identified as added baggage onto the relationships and may filer ones mindset and thinking. It is said that the healing process may be more painful than the wound itself but it is worth it a hundredfold.

Maturity in a relationship is not expecting to always be on the same schedule, find a partner who can appreciate your complexity. The idea that getting everything you crave is happiness should be thrown away. True happiness is based on embracing change and having the ability to be without always wanting more, only then will satisfaction, acceptance and appreciation come easily and naturally. Honest and calm communication combined with selfless listening can create good examples. Taking turns without interruption can cause for each partner to feel fully accepted and heard. Practice with this type of behavior can build a new level of understanding and therefore voluntary commitments can arise. Honest communication is the essential element that helps two people bond deeply and feel safe with each other. It causes mutual understanding, not attachments but connections and not expectations but voluntary commitments as well as giving both parties a sense of direct boundaries, sensitivities and supports harmony of the relationship. Expectations are rooted from the need to control. Control has the strong ability to destroy relationships. Letting go and having calm conversations allows both to be heard and creates space for both parties to come to compromising terms or meet in the middle. It is okay to want things in a relationship but if the wanting becomes too extreme, it can become a strong attachment that starts to create friction in the relationship. In a situation where problems arise, try to handle conflicts healthily by: understanding that it is not about handling your emotions, it is about handling your reaction to your emotions which can be mastered with time and practice; be direct about the problem without being hostile or evasive; not exaggerating by using the words ‘always’ or ‘never’; picking your battles- one at a time; being selflessly attentive, not objecting to complaints but rather being more understanding and co-operative; not belittling your partner and by taking a time out if needed. Once more to touch on, one of the most important factorsRespect and brief on portrayal methods, which may assist in avoiding or preventing conflict. Be responsive to your partner’s needs; avoid sharp or biting humor; never violate their confidentiality; banish all forms of contempt (inclusive of eye rolling); accept that you may have different opinions; support each other’s choices whenever you can; acknowledge their contributions to the relationship; apologize promptly for mistakes and learn from them; tell your partner you are proud of them and lastly, declare your respect for them in front of others. Know when to fight and when to let go. Your health matters more than a reputation and what you are perceived as, be your first priority.

September 2020 | 11

funny pages

612 | Alpha Magazine

I was in the restaurant yesterday when I suddenly realized I desperately needed to pass gas. The music was really, really loud, so I timed my gas with the beat of the music. After a couple of songs, I started to feel better. I finished my coffee, and noticed that everybody was staring at me... Then I suddenly remembered that I was listening to my iPod. Submitted by Sarah W.

A Woman Shoots Her Husband For Stepping On The Clean Floor... A police officer jumps into his squad car and calls the station. “I have an interesting case here,” he says. “A woman shot her husband for stepping on the floor she just mopped.” “Have you arrested her?” asks the sergeant. “No, not yet. The floor’s still wet.”

A young boy enters a barber shop and the barber whispers to his customer, “This is the dumbest kid in the world. Watch while I prove it to you.” The barber puts a dollar bill in one hand and two quarters in the other, then calls the boy over and asks, “Which do you want, son?” The boy takes the quarters and leaves. “What did I tell you?” said the barber. “That kid never learns!”

An elderly couple are in church. The wife leans over and whispers to her husband, “I just let out a long, silent fart. What should I do?” The husband replies, “First off, replace the batteries in your hearing aid!” Submitted by Anonymous

Later, when the customer leaves, he sees the same young boy coming out of the ice cream store. “Hey, son! May I ask you a question? Why did you take the quarters instead of the dollar bill?” The boy licked his cone and replied, “Because the day I take the dollar, the game is over!” Submitted by Johnathan P.

One day, a farmer was tending to his livestock when he noticed that one of his cows was completely cross-eyed. He called up a veterinarian friend of his who told him to bring in his cow. The vet took one look at the cow, stuck a tube up the cow’s butt, and blew into the tube until the cow’s eyes straightened out. The vet charged the farmer a hundred bucks, and the farmer went home happy. About a week later, the cow’s eyes were cross-eyed again, but this time the farmer figured he could probably take care of it himself. So he called his hired hand over, and together they put a tube up the cow’s butt. The farmer put his lips to the tube and started to blow. Strangely, nothing happened, so he asked his hired hand to give it a try. The hired hand removed the tube, turned it around, put it in the cow’s butt and started to blow. “What are you doing?” asked the farmer, horrified. “Well, I wasn’t gonna use the side that YOU had put your lips on.” Submitted by Sihle N.

A bus carrying a load of people crashed on an icy road, burst into flames, and killed everyone inside. Upon arrival in heaven, God said, “Since you have died in a terrible way, I’ll grant you one wish before I let you into heaven.” The first woman, being a person always concerned on her looks, comes up to God and says “I wish to be beautiful.” God grants her wish. The next person can’t decide on what to wish for, so he ends up wishing for the same thing. At this point a man at the very back of the line starts to laugh. The next couple, seeing how utterly wondrous the two have become, makes their wish to become beautiful as well, and the man at the end laughs even louder. One after another, the people wish for the same thing. The closer God gets to the end of the line, the harder the man laughs. When God finally reaches him, he asks “What is your wish my son?” The man says, “Make them all ugly again!” Submitted by Nigel Wurayayi

Submitted by Rose M.

Three brothers wanted to give their blind mom a birthday gift. The first got her a big beautiful house. The second got her a brand new luxury vehicle with a driver. The third got her a talking parrot to keep her company. When they all got together, they wanted to know which gift she liked best. She said they were all great but she thanked her third son because she liked the chicken dinner best. Submitted by Saul M. A husband got his mother-in-law a cemetery plot for Christmas. It came with a coffin, tomb stone, the works. Next Christmas comes by and the husband gets her nothing. When the motherin-law asks, “Why didn’t you get me a gift?” the husband says, “You haven’t used the one I got you last year!” Submitted by Michael H.

A little girl is serving her father tea while her mother is out shopping. The mother comes home and the father says, “Watch this!” The little girl goes and serves the mother tea. The mother responds, “Did it ever occur to you that the only place she can reach to get water is the toilet?” Submitted by Anonymous.

Submit your jokes to heartofalpha@gmail.com and stand a chance to be featured in the next issue

September 2020 | 13

FILM

14 | Alpha Magazine

CONTENTS 16. Celebrating Women In Film And TV 18. Top 5 South African Television Shows 20. How Disney Ruined Star Wars

September 2020 | 15

Celebrating Women In Film And TV: Women Behind The Scenes By: Bonolo Pule Yes, it is no longer the official Women’s Month, but who says we should only celebrate our queens one month in a year? In the spirit of continuously celebrating Women doing great things, this month I have decided to write about women who are doing the most behind the scenes of our favorite films and television shows. This article is dedicated to acknowledging and celebrating the journeys of these beautiful queens. There are many more queens that are also doing the most in their own lanes and we see and appreciate them too!

Leanne Kumalo

Co-founder and Managing Director of the famous Seriti Films. She first started her journey at AFDA where she graduated with an Honors Degree in Film Production – Cum laude. The first feature film she produced was Bunny Chow (2005). She also co-founded Emzantsi Entertainment. Leanne also wrote and produced the short film Transactions (2008). She has produced 80 TV commercials in the last 9 years. Leanne’s most recent work is being the executive producer of The Imposter, The Herd and the most loved Gomora which are all produced under Seriti Films. She really is a powerful force to definitely keep watching out for.

Lala Tuku

Events Entrepreneur, Producer, Vocal Coach, Director, and Actress. A woman of many talents, and we definitely love to see it! She studied at AFDA and has a degree in Live Performance. Lala went behind the scenes and produced The Real Goboza (2009) and Top Gospel (2010). She was also an Assistant Director on the soapie Backstage. She is the head of new business development and communications director at Clive Morris Productions. She is the CEO at Corporate Icons Media. Lala was also a stakeholder relations manager and project manager for the National film and Video Foundation.

16 | Alpha Magazine

Nosipho Dumisa

Co-founder of Gambit Films. Yes, there is definitely a pattern here. Nosipho graduated at AFDA with a Bachelor’s degree in Directing and Screenwriting. Her debut feature film which she wrote and directed was Nommer 37 (2018). She was also the executive producer of this particular film. She was a script writer and researcher for The A- list. Nosipho wrote and was a Production Manager of Bravo! And All Access Mzansi. She also produced the show Suidooster. Her most recent work is directing the well-received South African Netflix original, Blood & Water. In which she wrote 2 episodes. Nosipho is definitely shining her light bright.

Gugu Zuma Ncube

Famously known as an actress, Gugu has ever since progressed to being behind the scenes well. A transition she made so smoothly. She has a degree in Live Performance which she obtained at AFDA (I swear I didn’t know they all went to AFDA). Gugu runs the Herculeon Production House and she co-owns Bomb Productions. She is the Executive Producer of two of Mzansi’s favorite soapies, Uzalo and eHostela. She is also the co-creator of aesthetically beautiful series Ifalakhe in which she also plays a small role on screen. Definitely can’t wait to see more from this power house.

September 2020 | 17

Top 5 South African Television Shows By: Princess Sigidi A list of the most 5 viewed television shows in South Africa

Uzalo Channel: SABC 1 Length: 3 Seasons What The Show Is About: Two families, the Xuluâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and the Mdletsheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, are set on a collision course that will set in motion a series of events that leads to the discovery of a very terrible and painful secret.

The Legacy Channel: SABC 1 Length: 6 Seasons What The Show Is About: The remake of the previous seasons Generations with more and different characters.

Skeem Saam Channel: SABC 1 Length: 7 Seasons What The Show Is About: A local drama series that follows the lives of three boys named Clement, Noah and Koloi, who struggle with tough situations.

18 | Alpha Magazine

Scandal! Channel: E.TV Length: 7 Seasons What The Show Is About: Scandal follows the lives of the people and families working at NFH magazine, as well as other characters in the show. It also tells the story of socioeconomic divides set in a local township of Soweto and the Johannesburg suburb New Town

Ifalakhe Channel: Mzansi Magic Length: 1 Season What The Show Is About: Ifalakhe is a cautionary tale about fate and destiny, and what happens when the gods answer prayers. Ifalakhe is the story of the powerful Okuhle tribe who wage war against the Khanya people who have been raiding their cattle and killing their women and children. What makes the situation even more complex is that Khombindlela, the Okuhle king, finds his tribe on the brink of suffering harsh repercussions from a prophecy that hangs over his head.

September 2020 | 19

How Disney Ruined Star Wars By: Emmanuel Naicker So, how did Disney ruin Star Wars? Because they did not have a clear mapped out plan for a Sequel TRILOGY to one of the most popular, iconic and beloved franchises of all time. There, article over! Keep reading if you want more reasons as to why the Disney Trilogy is a Flop of Gargantuan Proportions. Full disclosure, Star Wars is one of my favourite franchises and very important to me and my childhood, so this is going to be more of a rant than anything else, you are very right; this is indeed a Hit Piece on Disney and their treatment of the Star Wars IP on the big screen. I don’t particularly enjoy talking negatively or about negative subject matter, but I will certainly enjoy this. I will take a only look at the Sequel Trilogy and not the 2 spin-off movies, Rogue One and Solo, nor the first ever live-action Star Wars series, The Mandalorian. There are Massive Spoilers Ahead for these 3 films, and if you haven’t seen them yet....Please Don’t. There will also be Major Spoilers for the Original Trilogy as well as the Prequel Trilogy, and if you have not seen those movies, please watch them and come back here. I can assure you I am not the only person who is deeply let down by these movies, all things considered I am actually throwing my hat into the ring really late, you only need to go to YouTube and search for video essays on these movies and you shall find many content creators expressing how disappointing and insulting these movies are to the audience and long-time fans. Shoutout to the YouTube channels of Mauler, The Critical Drinker and The Closer Look, I advise you check out the videos these talented people made breaking down and critiquing these train wrecks. As much as I would love to critique every single aspect of these movies, I will restrain myself and only talk about what story beats I feel are most important. There is a saying on the internet, “Nobody Hates Star Wars More Than Star Wars Fans”, and it would be funny if it wasn’t true. I am about to demonstrate that very saying in action. Before we start talking about this burning pile of garbage called a Sequel Trilogy, first we need a quick history lesson. On the 30th of October 2012, it was announced that the Walt Disney Company purchased Lucasfilm, the studio behind the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, and all their other assets for the Jaw-Dropping amount of $4.05 billion. Not soon after, it was announced that a follow-up trilogy set after Return of The Jedi would be produced, to continue the stories of our heroes, Luke 20 | Alpha Magazine

Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa. Veteran producer Kathleen Kennedy was appointed as Head of Disney’s Lucasfilm division and the first film in the new Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens, directed by J.J Abrams set for release on the 16th of December 2015, 10 years after the release of the last Star Wars movie, Revenge Of The Sith, the third instalment in the Prequel Trilogy Written and Directed by George Lucas. Revenge of the Sith was intended by Lucas himself to be the final Star Wars film to ever be made, and I desperately wish that was the reality of the situation. Before I start analysis of the Disney films, I need to say something...

The Importance of the Prequels

Between the years of 1999 to 2005, George Lucas, the Creator of the Star Wars franchise, decided to make a trilogy exploring the years before the events of the Original Trilogy. Admittedly the prequels received their fair share of hate from other Star Wars fans for it having its own problems, but the story, character work, and action given to us was purely superb, to the point of many Star Wars fans agreeing that these 3 movies have the best action out of the entire saga. These movies explored the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker and the tragic journey he underwent to become Darth Vader, one of the most legendary villains in all of cinema. These films followed the growth of the character and his brotherly relationship with Obi Wan Kenobi, him meeting his wife and mother of his children, Luke and Leia, as well as giving us the backstory for Emperor Palpatine and the transition of the Galactic Republic into the dictatorial Galactic Empire. The most important thing that George Lucas established in the Prequel Trilogy was that Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader is the Main Character of the entire saga and all 6 films at that time were all about his fall and redemption arc, in the world of fiction, a situation like this is called “Word of God”. The trilogy ended in an epic duel between Anakin and Obi Wan on the lava planet, Mustafar, with Obi Wan severely wounding Anakin to the point of him needing to be put into the iconic Darth Vader armour. At the end of the duel, Obi Wan takes Anakins lightsaber and passes it on to Luke during the first act of A New Hope.

The Force Awakens

When The Force Awakens was released, it was a massive hit critically and commercially. It grossed

$2.068 Billion Worldwide from a budget of $258.6 million. I have to admit, the very first time I saw this film I was blown away by it, the beautiful visuals and captivating action combined with a musical score from the legendary John Williams made this film exceed my expectations I had going in. To summarise the film, a young adult living on an isolated desert planet yearns for a greater purpose in life, they soon come into possession of a Droid carrying vital information that is sought after by both a group of rag-tag freedom fighters and a powerful tyrannical government. The young adult encounters an old war veteran who quickly becomes a mentor and father figure before being killed off by a powerful member of the tyrannical government who is strong with the force and who has a history with said war veteran. In the background of all this the tyrannical government reveals that they have a massive superweapon capable of annihilating entire planets, not soon after, the rebels launch a retaliation mission and the giant Planet Killing weapon is blown up by an ace fighter pilot who saves the day. This plot felt very very familiar to me, only after rewatching the film and participating in online discussions with other fans on the internet did I realise that the Plot of the film was copied almost Verbatim from Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope, with just the right amount of nuances in there to make it feel different enough. The illusion was shattered and the glaring unoriginality of the film was brought to light for me. It was clear as day that Disney and J.J. Abrams wanted to play it safe and give us something they knew would be successful, instead of prioritising the creation of a new plot and world-building. The new characters introduced are Rey, played by Daisy Ridley, who is a scavenger girl living on the desert planet of Jakku. Finn, played by John Boyega is a former Stormtrooper of the First Order who defects to the resistance after realising he is incapable of committing atrocities in the name of a tyrannical dictatorial government. Poe Dameron played by Oscar Issac, is the best Pilot of the Resistance. Kylo Ren, played by Adam Diver is a Force User who fell to the dark side. There is also Supreme Leader Snoke who is played by Andy Serkis. I will further talk about these characters when I am done giving the plots of the two remaining films. Let me talk about how the characters from the Original Trilogy are handled in this film. The members of the Star Wars Fandom have been waiting over 30 years to see their heroes Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Leia Organa on screen together again. We...Never...Get... That! Not just in this movie, our heroes do not reunite and share the screen once for this entire trilogy.

During the opening crawl of yellow text that gives us context to the story, the first words we read are â&#x20AC;&#x153;Luke Skywalker has vanishedâ&#x20AC;?. We only see him at the end of the film in a cliff hanger that is not done justice in the next film, Rey tracks him down to a remote planet and the final shot of the film is Rey holding out the Lightsaber of Anakin Skywalker to return it to Luke. Han Solo plays the mentor role to Rey and Finn, much in the way Obi Wan Kenobi was a mentor to Luke, however Han gets killed by Kylo Ren, who is revealed to be his son that he had with Leia, this killed off literally all hope of seeing Han, Luke and Leia on screen together again. Han Solo also appears to have undone all of his character growth from the end of the Original Trilogy, he is back to his old ways of being a Nomad in Space with his Wookie Warrior best friend, Chewbacca, instead of him being a high ranking general in the resistance. As for Princess Leia, she too has a role in this film which is very similar to her role in the original trilogy, but her character is treated with more respect, she is now a General and Leader of the Resistance, other than that, she is barely even a notable character in this film. I shall not give my rating out of 10 here, but I shall for each movie towards the very end of this article.

The Last Jedi

This was the first and only time I ever walked out of a Star Wars film feeling conflicted about what I just saw, and for something like Star Wars, this was definitely not a good sign. This movie was written and directed by Rian Johnson. He decided that he wanted to take his movie in a Subversive Direction, subversion of expectations was his mantra for this film. He concentrated first and foremost on making the movie he wanted to make and not taking into consideration the fans or how they would react to the story choices. On paper this is a great ideology for a filmmaker to have, but to many people, myself included, that way of thinking should only apply when making something completely original, and not while tackling such a massive and widely beloved franchise like Star Wars. Okay right off the bat, I have to praise this film for some of the same some reasons I praised The Force Awakens, the Beautiful and Stunning Visuals as well as the masterful original score by composer John Williams. After watching this movie several times, those elements are literally the ONLY things worth praising in this movie. Where this movie seriously stumbles and falls flat on its face, is in arguably the most important aspects of any of the Star Wars movies, the Story and the Characters. We need to get the elephant out of the room firstly, J.J Abrams had story outlines ready that could have been used in Episode 8 that would have continued the plot threads of Episode 7. Rian Johnson decided to throw all of those ideas out to follow his own vision which September 2020 | 21

can be considered Extremely Divisive at Best & The Worst Star Wars Movie of All Time at Worst. I agree with the latter (well at least until The Rise of Skywalker came out that is...) Every single creative choice Johnson made with the story was hands down the worst one, not to mention there is a large portion of the movies run time which serves for No Purpose in the film and is used to talk about wealth politics. Many fans like myself agree that this time could’ve been taken to make a more efficient story, but Nope. In The Force Awakens, the main driving force of the story is that the Resistance and the First Order are in a race to find the missing of a map left behind by Luke Skywalker, who according to Han Solo, went on a quest to find the First Jedi Temple. The Force Awakens ends with Rey face to face with Luke on the cliff of an island, Rey reaches into her bag and stretches her hand out to Luke holding in it the Lightsaber of his father Anakin Skywalker. The Lightsaber that Anakin used all throughout the Clone Wars and was taken by Obi Wan after losing to him on Mustafar, the same Lightsaber that Obi Wan gave Luke at the start of a New Hope and that he lost while fighting Darth Vader on Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back. We see a stare from Luke, dressed in full Jedi Robes which resemble those used by Obi Wan, and a reaction shot of Rey with a nervous look on her face, the camera zooms out and Iris Wipes to roll credits on a Cliffhanger Ending. With every mainline Star Wars film, there has always been a time jump of at least 2 years in universe between entries. There is no time jump whatsoever between the end of Episode 7: The Force Awakens and the beginning of Episode 8: The Last Jedi. At the beginning of The Last Jedi, after a two year wait for this movie to be released, Rey gives Luke his father’s Lightsaber, Luke looks down at it, looks at Rey and he just throws the Lightsaber over his shoulder and walks down past Rey in an almost comical manner of editing. Rey has the same look of Visible Confusion that we all do. Luke reveals to Rey that he did not come to this planet to find the First Jedi Temple, but instead to live as an isolated nihilistic depressed hermit and die after cutting himself off from the Force, because he gave up and lost all hope after Ben Solo/Kylo Ren killed most of the other students and burned down his Jedi Temple. The reason why Kylo decided to turn against Luke was because Luke sensed the dark side of the force growing within Kylo, who was in early stages of being manipulated by Snoke, in a moment of weakness Luke tried to kill Kylo in his sleep to try and defeat the evil early. Kylo realised Luke’s betrayal and destroyed the Jedi temple. Luke decided that he will teach Rey 3 lessons about the force and the Jedi however he only 22 | Alpha Magazine

teaches two and the third is never brought up again. Luke and Rey then get into an altercation after Luke witnesses Rey communicating with Kylo Ren through The Force, an altercation that Rey wins with ease. At the very end of the movie, Luke walks out to face down the whole First Order with nothing but his Lightsaber, it is then revealed that Luke is still on that far away planet only projecting his image across the galaxy to buy the Resistance time to escape. The shear strain put on Luke from the projection ultimately kills him, giving the character a very unsatisfying conclusion to his character. The story choices for me and other fans were extremely frustrating because of how blatantly inconsistent the writing of Luke’s character was in this film, especially compared to the man he was in the Original Trilogy. Luke Skywalker had the perseverance and was steadfast in his belief that he could save his father Darth Vader and redeem him. Darth Vader was a leader in the forefront of genocide against the Jedi Order, he committed countless atrocities under the direction of Emperor Palpatine and in the name of the Galactic Empire over a course of 20 Years. Throughout Episode 6: Return of the Jedi, Luke’s entire goal for the film was to redeem his father and destroy the Emperor, he succeeded in the first task by bringing Anakin Skywalker back to the light side and allowing him to destroy the Emperor by throwing him the reactor of the second Death Star which promptly blew up soon afterwards, and as Anakin confessed before he died of his injuries, Luke saved him. In Episode 8: The Last Jedi, its shown that Luke attempted to kill his own nephew without even trying to talk to him or communicate with Han and Leia. Luke admits that this was a moment of weakness for him, and that is understandable to an extent, however he runs away to a be a hermit on an uncharted planet instead of trying to fix his mistakes. The writing inconsistency annoys me because from what we have learned from the entire Original Trilogy is that the character of Luke Skywalker simply does not lose hope, and he does not give up. The next extremely frustrating thing about The Last Jedi is the complete wasting of Supreme Leader Snoke, played by Andy Serkis. During The Force Awakens, he was set up to be the next Big Bad and main villain of the Saga after Emperor Palpatine, days after the release of The Force Awakens, the Internet was flooded by fan theories about Snoke’s true identity and role in the next film. Rian Johnson however thought Your Snoke Theory Sucked and decided to have Kylo Ren kill him in a shock twist halfway through The Last Jedi, this was done in the name of Subverting Expectations and to set up Kylo Ren as the Big Bad for the new trilogy. He succeeded in the first part but to the detriment of

the data, because not long later in the film, Rey defeats Kylo… again. That immediately killed off all potential for Kylo Ren to be taken seriously as the main villain of the trilogy, causing J.J Abrams to bring back Emperor Palpatine in the next movie. Another issue I take with this movie is the overabundance of comedy. There is a heavy injection of the Marvel-type bathos humour in this movie during moments that could be more dramatic and exciting, this kills the tension and feeling of dread and suspense, Yo Mama jokes Do Not belong in Star Wars. This film does things, story and character wise, that will be undone by the next film, The Rise of Skywalker. Some of the things changed in the next film are Rey’s heritage, Kylo Ren’s appearance, the state of Anakin Skywalkers lightsaber, and the importance of the character Snoke.

The Rise Of Skywalker

Star Wars Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker, directed by J.J Abrams is a Complete, Total and Unmitigated Disaster. This movie is a textbook example of How To Fail at Endgame. To be completely honest I do not even want to type a lot about this movie because the thought of the plot gives me an aneurism. The positive aspects of this film are exactly the same as the previous two, the stunning visuals and the John Williams score, virtually nothing more. This is clearly a film that should have been 4 hours, cramped into 2.5 hours, because of this the story and pacing of the film suffers and feels like it was ripped straight out of a bad late-2000s video game. The first sentence of the yellow opening title crawl is “The Dead Speak”, this is used to reveal that Emperor Palpatine is still alive and survived blowing up in Return of the Jedi, and that Anakin Skywalker failed at his entire purpose as a character. The characters need to find a triangular prism called a Sith Wayfinder to locate Palpatine, it’s said that there are only 2 known to exist, Kylo Ren finds the first one in the opening of the film before finding and confronting Palpatine, it is there that Palpatine reveals that he has been the one manipulating Kylo Ren and orchestrating his turn to the dark side from the very beginning. Kylo discovers everything he ever believed in was a lie and everything he has ever done was for naught, yet he shrugs this off like it is no big deal. It is the mission of Rey, Finn and Poe to get the other Wayfinder, this causes them to go on an illogical meandering quest to a desert planet to find a dagger with Sith engraving carved into it that will reveal the location of the other Wayfinder. They are led to the Endor system where the dagger points in the direction of the wreckage of the second Death Star, which

based on the ending of Return Of The Jedi, there shouldn’t even be any wreckage left. Rey makes her way inside the wreckage and finds the Wayfinder, Kylo Ren appears and steals the Wayfinder from her and crushes it in his hand. Rey and Kylo engage in a duel on the wreckage, Leia reaches out through the force to distract Kylo then allow Rey to land a killing blow, the exertion of the forces causes Leia to die and fade away into the force. Less than a minute later, Rey places her hand on Kylos torso region and completely heals him of the fatal wound. Right after that Kylo imagines a vision of his father Han Solo and has an imaginary conversation with him, in which moment he decides to turn back to the light side. From there Rey steals Kylos ship and tracks down Palpatine, with Kylo Ren not far behind, they confront Palpatine but are captured and they have their energy drained out of them. Palpatine throws Kylo Ren down a pit using the force, at a moment where all hope seems lost; a giant resistance fleet made up of hundreds of ships arrive to Palpatines location in a moment reminiscent of the Portals scene from Avengers Endgame. Palpatine points his hands to the sky and unleashes a giant surge of lightning from his fingers that shuts down every ship that the lightning strikes. Palpatine directs his lighting to Rey and she blocks it with one lightsaber, the cringiest dialogue of all time happens next when Palpatine says “I am All the Sith” and Rey replies with “And I...am All the Jedi” (I felt like that Laughing Mexican Man meme when I heard it), Rey then ignites a second lightsaber and reflects the lightning back towards Palpatine, burning his face off and killing him. Rey collapses out of exertion and dies, Kylo then crawls back up out of the pit, he puts his hand on Reys midsection and he brings her back to life using the force, they kiss before Kylo collapses and dies as his body fades away into thin air. During the final scene of the film, Rey travels to Tatooine, the home planet of Anakin and Luke, she goes to the home Luke grew up in and buries the two lightsabers deep in the sand (very symbolic isn’t it). An old woman approaches Rey and asks her name, Rey tells the old woman her first name and pauses for a while before seeing the Force Ghosts of Luke and Leia and says her name is Rey Skywalker as the film ends. At the same time the script is very reactionary and tries to course correct from what The Last Jedi did, and retcons so many plot points it’s become very hard to keep track of. During the Last Jedi, Anakin’s lightsaber is broken in half, in the next film it’s fixed, in the Last Jedi, Kylo Ren destroys his helmet, in the next film he repairs it, in the Last Jedi the character of Rose, who plays a large role in that story, is introduced and she only has 1 or 2 scenes. The most blatant of these September 2020 | 23

retcons is the issue of Rey’s parents, in the Last Jedi, its revealed that her parents were nobodies who sold her off for drinking money, in the Rise of Skywalker, its revealed that her grandfather is Palpatine. The conflicting ideas and visions of these two directors turn the sequel trilogy into a narrative mess. This film is the opposite of the Last Jedi because it’s all about the plot and pays less attention to character development (well that is difficult to pull off anyway considering this is the final instalment of a trilogy, the characters are supposed to be developed well enough by this point).

My Ratings for these three films are: The Force Awakens: 6.4/10 The Last Jedi: 5.2/10 The Rise of Skywalker: 3/10

Characters

Next, let me quickly breakdown and analyse the 3 new characters introduced, I mean no hostility towards the actors, they did good jobs with the material they were given, this will be about how the characters are written. Poe Dameron – This character is an ace pilot we meet at the start of the Force Awakens and is a relatively cool character although he has a serious lack of screen time. Except being the one to fire the shot that destroys Starkiller Base in The Force Awakens, he has nothing notable to do, in the second film especially. In the Rise of Skywalker, it’s revealed that he used to be a spice runner in an attempt to make him seem more interesting; however, this contradicts the backstory given to him in other Star Wars media which says he is born and raised as a pilot. He has a relatively flat character arc. Finn – Finn is If Wasted Potential was a Person. Finn was a former stormtrooper who defected from the First Order and helped Poe escape imprisonment in the opening of the first movie, he meets Rey on Jakku and they build a friendship. At the start of The Last Jedi, he plans to desert the resistance but is stopped by Rose. In the Rise of Skywalker, the most notable things he does is always stay by Rey’s side and try to rescue her from any trouble she may find herself in. This man’s entire character arc is Running Away and Saving Rey, Running Away and Saving Rey, Running Away and Saving Rey. If used properly he could have become a new icon among Star Wars characters, and him being a former stormtrooper offered up numerous opportunities for deep dialogue and character introspection, how does he feel killing stormtroopers when he knows they are still people like him under the helmet. Rey – Rey is a Mary Sue, which is an Unquestionable 24 | Alpha Magazine

Fact. A Mary Sue is a term used for a fictional character that is overly competent and perfect in everything that character does to the point of it being absurd, these characters are often flawless and idealised people who are well liked and respected by everyone they meet, and have no notable weaknesses, flaws, or shortcomings. She uses The Force without Any Training only a few hours after hearing confirmation that The Force and Luke Skywalker are real, she defeats Kylo Ren, who was trained by Luke Skywalker and Supreme Leader Snoke, in a duel while wielding a Lightsaber for the first time in her life. She defeats Luke Skywalker in a 1 on 1 duel, she displayed immense power in the Force by lifting dozens of massive boulders with little effort, and during the Rise of Skywalker she uses the advanced technique of Force Lighting by complete accident. In the lore of the Star Wars universe, one can only learn to use Force Lightning after it has already been used on you, but not for Rey. Her proficiency in the Force would not be an issue if The Prequels had not established that a Jedi needs to be trained from an infant to use of the Force, and decades must be spent training and meditating to become a Jedi Master, yet none of these rules apply to Rey because the story demands she be extremely OP. A popular counter argument that people make when defending Rey is that “People dislike Strong Female Characters”, that is THE most Invalid point you can make when analysing this character, because it doesn’t matter what this character looks like, the point is the character is too Overpowered without getting adequate training, or learning any lessons to reach their goals, the power feels unearned. Another point I have to make as to why I hate the writing of these films is, it actively ignores and undermines the events, reveals and characters of the prequels, most notably Anakin Skywalker. Before Disney bought Star Wars, the franchise consisted of 6 films, the Sequel Trilogy Disney made ignored 50% of the story told in the Star Wars universe because it is no secret that J.J Abrams is not a fan of these movies, it also undermines the entire character arc and the final accomplishment of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, who was the Main Character of the entire saga, by showing that he failed to kill Emperor Palpatine.

Constructive Criticism

And Lastly, as much as I enjoyed venting my frustrations in saying how trash these movies are, I would like to end by saying what I think would’ve made the Sequel Trilogy good. The solution is quite simple, have all 3 scripts finished and locked, and have a clear laid out plan! Most importantly, film the entire trilogy at once, Lord of The Rings style, so last minute reactionary changes aren’t made to the next film and the creative direction of the entire story remains intact and seen through to the very end.

September 2020 | 25

Gaming

CONTENTS 28. Top 10 PC Games to play in 2020 31. Top 15 Games You Can Play on the Xbox Series X

September 2020 | 27

Top 10 PC Games in 2020 By: Motsosi Mathobela

The year 2020 has served the whole world with lemons, the Covid-19 pandemic has gripped us all. It sort of feels like the world has come to a stop. But right now, we are going to make lemonade with those lemons, a metaphorical drink as we sip into the world of PC gaming, better yet, the games that are already released and are anticipated this year. But before that, let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, well, just play along, no pun intended. Let’s fade into the past. Imagine my brother and I, this is pre-teen period by the way. My dad just gave us his work laptop, he bought a new one. Anyways, my brother and I embarked on a journey to discover the world of PC gaming, my favourite gaming platform by the way. The laptop had horrible specs, all I can remember is the Windows running on it was Windows 98. Really, it was a horror-fest, but we didn’t care at the time, we just didn’t know enough about computers. One of the first things we did was buy those value pack games, the 100 in 1 disc pack, now that I look back, it was awesome. But after a while we wanted to jump to the next level. I don’t remember where we found it, but we were suddenly playing FIFA 99, back then it was an incredible game, it has awesome 90s music and commentary, best of all we played FIFA on the keyboard. Fast forward a few years later, my grandmother is hosting a Stokvel, the DJ is setting up, me and my brother are watching him, for a bit more perspective, at this point we had played Grand Theft Auto 1,2 and Grand Theft Auto London. When the DJ turned his PC on our eyes sparkling into his monitor, we missed every other icon on his desktop and only noticed Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, we asked him to open it, obviously feeling superior, he did. That experience blew our minds, worst of all, we had completely missed Grand Theft Auto 3. This was before the internet was a common thing in the township, let alone computers. Well, we got a copy of the game from him and we lived happily ever after. As a side note, I want to thank the gods of the gaming realm, because PC gaming kept us from the streets of the township, games gave us purpose, opened our imaginations and for that I salute gaming, as I am a crusader of the PC Kingdom.

Cyberpunk 2077

Type: Open-World RPG Release date: 18 November 2020 Cyberpunk 2077 has sadly been pushed back twice now. Sad times. However, this might be a good thing as it gives the developers more time to give the game a proper polish. This is the next open-world RPG from the incredible CD Projekt Red - the team behind the awesomely popular Witcher 3. The new game has plenty of promise and when we saw it at E3 and shown off in the gameplay trailer, we were utterly blown away. Even more so when the trailer dropped with an appearance by Keanu Reeves. Now we’ve seen plenty more in the way of teases including a wonderful live stream with plenty of details to get excited about.

Assassins Creed: Valhalla

Type: Open-World RPG Release date: 17 November 2020 The next Assassin’s Creed is coming with a Viking theme. Players will be taking on the role of Eivor, a mighty warrior and clan leader. You’ll be raiding enemy fortresses, exploring the wonderful open world and earning a place in Valhalla too. Certainly an interesting change of direction for the series and one we’re looking forward to.

28 | Alpha Magazine

Rainbow Six: Quarantine Type: Tactical Co-Op FPS Release date: 2020

Set several years in the future, an alien parasite has been unleashed upon the world and it is up to the Rainbow Six team to drop into quarantine zones to fight this mutating threat. The game will be a three-player co-op shooter, encouraging teamwork as you fight against alien monsters rather than each other

Sherlock Holmes Chapter One Type: Detective Adventure Release date: 2021

From the developers of the excellent Sherlock Holmes game comes an open-world detective adventure where you’ll play as the young Sherlock Holmes investigating the death of his mother. The developers say there will be “minimal handholding” and you’ll be able to get everyone in the world to help with your investigation, even if that’s just asking for directions.

Tell Me Why

Type: Narrative-driven Adventure Release date: 27 August 2020 From the team behind the highly-acclaimed Life is Strange franchise comes another narrative-driven adventure in the form of “Tell me why”. This game is set in a small town in Alaska and centres around two twins with a troubled childhood. This is also “the first playable videogame hero from a major studio and publisher who is also transgender”. Expect a rich story and engaging narrative here.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Type: Action Adventure Release date: 5 November 2019

The newest release from Rockstar Games was an instant hit upon release. Red Dead Redemption 2 is an engrossing western following Arthur Morgan and his gang as they try to survive a fictionalized Wild West as outlaws on the run. However, the game is much more than just that. Whether it’s getting lost in the story, following through on every side quest to its conclusion, or just bonding with your horse, RDR2 is one of those games where you can easily sink 50+ hours into and still have something to do. The gameplay is stellar, and the graphics are gorgeous. You can even run the game in 8K, if you have the hardware. Definitely give this a look if you haven’t already. September 2020 | 29

Death Stranding

Type: Action Release date: 8 November 2019 If the name Norman Reedus is what got your attention when someone mentioned Death Stranding, well then you’re in for a treat. However, this game is getting a lot of attention for more than just the big names attached to it, which incidentally include Mads Mikkelsen and Léa Seydoux. As porter Sam Bridges, you bravely traverse an apocalyptic United States to deliver valuable cargo, navigating lands overrun by terrorists, bandits and these invisible creatures called Beached Things. This awardwinning action game is a treat to all the senses as well, thanks to its great storyline, which may be reminiscent of the current pandemic, good gameplay, fun quests, and impressive sound and visuals.

Doom: Eternal

Type: First-Person Shooter Release date: 20 March 2020 Doom: Eternal takes everything from the remastered Doom of 2016 and turns it up to 11. The game is intense, visually and sonically overwhelming, and is exactly what you would expect a fever dream inspired by Doom would feel like. The gameplay is a seamless first-person shooter where you trek into hell to battle an assortment of never-ending demons and reclaim an overrun earth. Refilling your health sometimes requires quite literally tearing monsters apart, and there is some need to be creative with your weapon choice, depending on what demon you’re facing. However, this game is all about creating havoc and rushing into battle as loud and as brash as possible. Not only is Doom: Eternal a hell of a ride (pun intended). It’s also a gorgeous looking game that takes advantage of the newest hardware. And, it’s a 2v1 multiplayer mode where one player takes control of the “slayer” and faces off against two more player-controlled demons.

Horizon: Zero Dawn

Type: Action Role-Playing Adventure Release date: 7 August 2020 When Horizon Zero Dawn hit the Playstation 4 in 2017, it was instantly hailed as one of the best games of the year. And with its recent release on PC, Guerilla Games has brought this amazing game to a whole new audience. Even though the game has technically been out for a few years, it is still absolutely gorgeous and can now take advantage of higher end PC rigs for higher resolution and frame rates. The game follows Alloy in a post-apocalyptic world where she has to battle robot dinosaurs and human cults while unearthing a tale that is as intriguing and complex as it is beautiful. While an open-world game with a female protagonist using a bow and arrow might be a little too reminiscent of Tomb Raider, Horizon Zero Dawn quickly leaves the comparisons behind for a unique and immersive experience.

Half-Life: Alyx

Type: First-Person Shooter Release date: 23 March 2020 No game has been as anticipated for as much or as long as Half Life 3. So, as gamers will have to wait a little longer for it, Valve has graced us with what may be the most compelling reason to get a VR headset with Half-Life: Alyx. Half-Life: Alyx is set 5 years before Half-Life 2. What starts as a rescue mission for the protagonist’s father evolves into attempting to steal a superweapon from the alien overlords. From the interactive puzzles, the well-thought out combat and the fantastic story, this prequel is a welcome dive back into the Half-Life world that has been universally praised for its quality. 30 | Alpha Magazine

Top 15 Games You Can Play on the Xbox Series X By: Emmanuel Naicker With the next generation of consoles fast approaching with their release dates set for Holiday of this year, Microsoft is swinging for the fences by introducing us to the most powerful Console Hardware we have seen so far, as well as introducing Pro-Consumer business practices such as Xbox Smart Delivery, that enables owners of the Xbox One version of a game to get a Free Upgrade to the Xbox Series X version of a game if the games Publisher is on board, to the convenience of Xbox Game pass which acts as Netflix for Games, enabling you to download a game and play it as long as you have a monthly subscription. You cannot forget about the absolute god-send that is Backwards Compatibility, which is ideal for Veteran Gamers who have accumulated a massive collection of games over the years, it allows players to play games from the Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Original Xbox on the Xbox Series X Hardware. The console offers a 12 TFLOPs, 52 CUs at 1.825GHz, Custom RDNA 2 GPU; 8x ZEN 2 Cores at 3.8GHz CPU and a native 4K Resolution with a 4K UHD Blu-Ray Drive. Here are some of the best upcoming games you can use to take full advantage of the power of this console during the upcoming holiday season and beyond: 1) Cyberpunk 2077 2) Halo Infinite 3) Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League 4) Gotham Knights 5) Hellblade 2 6) Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War 7) Far Cry 6 8) Atomic Heart 9) As Dusk Falls 10) Avowed 11) Hitman 3 12) Forza Motorsport 13) Gears 5 14) Hood: Outlaws and Legends 15) Scorn These titles, some of which are Xbox Exclusives, will push the console hardware to the max, as well as deliver a smooth 60fps while still supporting 4k resolution, instead of having to choose between one or the other.

September 2020 | 31

MUSIC

32 | Alpha Magazine

CONTENTS 34. Top 5 Biggest South African Musicians 36. The Effects Music Has On Audiences

September 2020 | 33

Top 5 Biggest South African Musicians By: Edgar Sono

Music plays a big part in pop culture and society as whole; from fashion trends to the language we speak every day, music has shaped society into what it is today. South Africa has a plethora of cultures, each having their own sounds which all culminate into a beautiful mixture of music for everybody to enjoy. The diversity in South Africa has given rise to a wide variety of music artists, and in no particular order, here are 5 of the hottest and most influential artists in South Africa.

Black Coffee (House, Classical)

Nkosinathi Inocent Maphumulo, A.K.A Black Coffee, has been in the music industry for over twenty years now having started his career way back in 1994. The veteran has a large skill set seeing that he has been credited as a D.J, producer, singer and songwriter and was awarded the Breakthrough D.J of the Year Award in 2015, which he won at the D.J Awards in Ibiza and continues to be on of S.A’s best exports. His accolades include multiple SAMA Awards including Best Urban Dance Album and Best Male Artist, multiple Metro FM Awards including Best Produced Album and Best Dance Album and he also has a few international awards including a BET Award for Best International Act and a Best Breakthrough D.J Award.

Nasty C (Hip Hop, Trap)

Nsikayesiszwe David Junior Ngcobo is a singer, producer, songwriter, and more importantly, rapper who rose to stardom in 2015 after his breakout hit “Juice Back” which topped the charts and ensured that the young rapper was forever edged into the hearts of hip pop fans everywhere. Nasty C has taken the whole rap game by storm with both his albums, “Bad Hair” and “Strings and Bling”, receiving much praise from fans and critics alike. It’s hard not to see Nasty C as the face of S.A hip hop right now after it was announced that he had signed to Def Jam back in September of 2019 with news of a new album “Zulu Man With Some Power” keeping everyone on their feet. The young man has multiple accolades under his belt including being the youngest recipient of the Best Hip Hop Award, multiple Metro FM Awards including Best Hip Hop Album and Song of the Year and he also has a BET Award for Best International Act, and it will be interesting to see where he goes from here.

D.J Maphorisa and Kabza De Small (Amapiano, House, Hip Hop) Themba Sonnyboy Sekowe and Kabelo Motha, The Scorpion Kings, have emerged as one of the best duo’s in the Amapiano era, garnering praise for their innovative sounds and songs that make every event a certified 11 out of 10 whenever they are played. The two have accomplished a lot during their rise to fame and are regarded as Kings of Amapiano and show no signs of slowing down with multiple tracks that have topped the charts, and a few awards under their belts including the 2020 DSTV Mzanzi Viewer’s Choice Award. The duo have become a staple of Mzanzi’s music era and they are not going anywhere anytime soon.

34 | Alpha Magazine

Sho Madjozi (Gqom, Afropop, Hip Hop) Maya Christinah Xichavo, a rapper, songwriter, actress, and poet. Sho Madjozi has proven herself to be one of the most prolific artists to come out of Africa with her unique sounds inspired by Gqom infused with her Tsonga style signature. She took over the S.A music scene and garnered international acclaim for her music. Her video on Colors gained over 2 million views on YouTube and put her on the map. She has featured with multiple international artists and her appeal continues to grow. She has multiple accolades boasting multiple SAMA Awards, a BET Award, and an AFRIMA for Best Music Video. The future looks bright for the young queen.

A Reece(Hip Hop)

Lehlogonolo Ronald Mataboge, better known as A Reece, is a rapper, songwriter, and producer who has earned praise from devoted fans for his beautifully sampled instrumentals and his chilled relaxed flows coupled with some innovative word play and heartfelt sentiment. He has been a main staple in the music culture of S.A. The man has been releasing classics ever since he signed â&#x20AC;&#x153;and later leftâ&#x20AC;? for Ambitious Music. His sound has changed over the years, no doubt influenced by his main producer, MashBeats. The two have created a unique and ear pleasing sound that is just too good to miss.

September 2020 | 35

The Effects Music Has On Audiences By: Lethabo Motseleng

Music...it’s been with us for a very long time and has been used for a variety of things: from creating a safe passageway into the next life for those who are no longer with us, and also asking those above us to provide us with rain or thank them for a meal. It’s something that we call on in order to speed up those Saturday mornings cleaning mama’s house, those long drives with loved ones, and additionally, it sets the mood for procreation. For something that’s been with us for this long, it holds a significant impact in our lives and thus begs the question, does the lyrical content of music have an effect on us? Ever wonder why some of your favorite album covers are ruined by the Parental Advisory sticker? This is because prior to its creation in 1985, music lovers would buy albums for their children & themselves only to find it laced with curse words and other lyrical content, which aren’t suitable for kids and sensitive listeners. This label works well but it doesn’t stop artists from expressing themselves freely on wax. Does this freedom mean that artists are permitted to saying whatever it is that they’d like to say on whatever topic, even sensitive ones like rape and murder? Won’t this have a negative impact on society? Yes, it may as the continuous use of misogynistic, racial, homophobic and violent slurs will become desensitized to the listener. The same listener will go out into society and may attempt to replicate these lyrics. They will not find anything wrong with any of the above, thus creating a society of people who are withdrawn of human emotion. The same may be said about violent movies and video games. In that same breath, it is important to note that we should be able to enjoy music as an expression of someone else’s emotions rather than their gospel. In the early 2010s, a musical group sprung out of Los Angeles which rapped about raping women, killing police officers, committing suicide and depression. This group became known as OFWGKTA [Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All]. They received a lot of media attention due to their music; they were adamant that their music did no harm but should rather be looked at as an expression of the dark and twisted fantasies which lay within the human mind. While also saying that they did not condone nor participate in any of these acts. As a lover and creator of music, I always remind

36 | Alpha Magazine

myself that the lyrics of the music I listen to should not be taken as law. I should always act on my own discretion and make my own decisions on whatever it is that I wish to engage in. This is an outlook which may work well for others who find artists who have offensive material. It’s in your hands at the end of the day, so next time you pop in a new album be open minded and enjoy the person’s expression on how it feels for them to be human.

poetry September 2020 | 37

Pastors Are Supposed To Be The Shepherds By: Nicholas Gordon

Pastors are supposed to be the shepherds A willing flock has bid to guide their souls. So must you be yourself a lamb of courage, The one most lost amid the moral wreckage Of Adam’s sin, whose grief must be the fold’s. Remember we are all but broken potsherds, Sustained alone by faith in some great whole.

Amends To Nature By: Arthur Symons

I have loved colours, and not flowers; Their motion, not the swallows wings; And wasted more than half my hours Without the comradeship of things. How is it, now, that I can see, With love and wonder and delight, The children of the hedge and tree, The little lords of day and night? How is it that I see the roads, No longer with usurping eyes, A twilight meeting-place for toads, A mid-day mart for butterflies? I feel, in every midge that hums, Life, fugitive and infinite, And suddenly the world becomes A part of me and I of it.

38 | Alpha Magazine

Poem For The Loss Of A Friend By: Aislinn Armstrong

In our world, you are still here in spirit, to guide us, help us and do what you do best, make us laugh when times get hard. You are now the wind beneath our wings, The air in which we breathe, The water in which we need, Gone but never to be forgotten, Reaching up for the stars, I can still feel your hand, reaching down and guiding me which way to go, Looking at the footprints in the sand, the two sets of feet…and when times get hard.. I will know that when there is only one set of footprints…I know that you will be carrying me, At this time, In our hearts… We are in sorrow for our loss but we know that if you could still be heard in which the way we hear things… You would tell everyone to stop and stare around us, that we have the most powerful thing that anyone could ever have and that is life itself.