from the Editor...
Anti-Gravity Gaming Network has always been a website, like a blog, for you to get all of your gaming news and reviews. However, previous readers of our website would have noticed that we had stopped posting new content for a while. This was because we were working towards releasing this, the Anti-Gravity Gaming Network eMagazine. In this issue we talk about everything related to sounds. From soundtracks, headsets and how to pick the best soundcards/ speakers for your gaming setup. Sound is something that is widely overlooked when it comes to gaming, so next time you play a game, we hope you will keep an ear out for the music, the sound effects and the other little twinkles that can make a huge impact on your gaming experience. We believe that by moving to a monthly released eMagazine, we are able to provide you with better quality content in a much more appealing way. Everyone loves pretty things! Also in the future, we will be able to bring you bigger and better competitions and free stuff to win. I know for a fact everyone loves free stuff, possibly even more than pretty stuff. Free pretty stuff though, that's just crazy. Thanks for putting up with us as we find our footing and make this the best darn tootin' gaming magazine ever!
Ryan 'LemonHunter' Sattell
Editor in Chief
meet some of the TEAM...
Jordan Antonelli
Brooke Geller
Brett 'Red' Sellar
Noel Wheatley
Daniel 'Duck' Bailey
With a weakness for all things Fantasy and Sci-Fi, Jordan turned out to be quite the dreamer, awaiting a chance to trade his pen for a lightsaber. Avid gamer and musician.
Brooke is a secret reptilian humanoid who is hopelessly addicted to coffee, video games and exclamation marks.
As a gamer since the days of DOS, Brett loves all things geek. Console, PC or Tabletop, he has probably wasted many hours playing it.
Gamer, Nerd, Console collector, Amateur Gaming Historian, Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms.
Daniel has been a PC gamer from a very young age, enjoying RTS and FPS over most other types of games. He also has a fond passion for table top gaming.
>>Have your say on our facebook page @ www.facebook.com/antigravnet and you could feature in the magazine << 2 | Anti-Gravity Gaming Network
Feature 16
RAZER SURROUND
HARDWARE IS ONLY HALF THE BATTLE Anti-Gravity Gaming Network | 3
Contents >> PRESCREEN 6
GAMES TO LOOK OUT FOR IN THE COMING MONTHS
REVIEWS 8
20
26
36
Anti-Gravity Gaming Network | Issue 1 | September 2014
ARTICLES 14
8 Bit City
16
Razer Surround
22
Greatest Game Soundtracks
FEATURES
Astro A50 Headset
The rise and fall of the rhythm gaming genre. Go back to where it started.
The Swapper
Razer Kraken Pro Neon Headset
Video Games: The Movie
31 RHYTHM GAMING
28
Building Your Sound
31
Rise & Fall of Rhythm Gaming
35
Video Game Symphonies
38
14 CHIPTUNES
Take a look at the world and culture of chiptunes.
Table Top: Infinity
BE OUR FRIEND 20 THE SWAPPER /ANTIGRAVNET
The Swapper is sure to be a game to mess with your morals with cloning.
@ANTIGRAVNET
28 BUILDING SOUND /AGGNTV
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Everything you need to know to get the most out of your sounds while gaming.
WIN ONE OF THREE RAZER KRAKEN NEON DETAILS ON HOW TO ENTER ON PAGE 19
8 ASTRO A50 HEADSET
22 VIDEO GAME SOUNDTRACKS
INDEPTH REVIEW
A LOOK AT THE BEST SOUNDTRACKS
Anti-Gravity Gaming Network | 5
PRESCREEN>> GAMES TO LOOK OUT FOR IN THE COMING MONTHS
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02
01 // SHADOW OF MORDOR Take advantage of the unique Nemesis System in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor to orchestrate your own personal plan of vengeance.
02 // ALIEN ISOLATION
03
04
Dsicover the true meaning of fear in Alien: Isolation set 15 years after the events of Alien as you play as Amanda, Ellen Ripley's daughter. 03 // BAYONETTA 2 Battle angels and demons as the sassy heroine, Bayonetta in Bayonetta 2.
04 // CIVILIZATION: BEYOND EARTH
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The latest instalment of the Civilization series puts you in the future with the collapse of modern society. Better help mankind! 05 // THE EVIL WITHIN Face unimaginable terror, fight for survival and poop your pants a little bit in The Evil Within.
06 // EVOLVE Four hunters, one monster, one epic game in a unique 4v1 gamemode.
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07
08
09
10
11
12
13
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MOST WANTED 07 // BORDERLANDS: THE PRE-SEQUEL Shoot, loot and launch yourself onto Pandora's moon in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. 08 // SUPER SMASH BROS Beat the crap out of your friends as your favourite Nintendo characters!
09 // HYRULE WARRIORS Cut down entire legions of enemies as Lin, Zelda, Midna and other characters from The Legend of Zelda franchise. 10 // NHL 15 NHL 15 brings hockey to life the sights, sounds and feel of real NHL action like never before.
11 // CRIMES & PUNISHMENTS Jump in the shoes of Sherlock Holmes to solve murders, thefts and disappearances in the fine tradition of the Conan Doyle novels. 12 // THE CREW Take part in a relentless ride to infiltrate a gang grown around detroit's illegal street racing scene.
13 // DISNEY INFINITY 2.0 Disney Infinity 2.0 brings your favourite Marvel Super Heroes to the awesome Disney Infinity universe. 14 // ASSASSIN'S CREED: UNITY Take to the French Revolution in the latest instalment of the Assassin's Creed franchise.
Anti-Gravity Gaming Network | 7
There really can be no doubt that the Astro A50 is an elite level headset, one worthy of praise.
Above: The Astro A50 headset.
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ASTRO A50 HEADSET REVIEW Author: Jordan Antonelli
As also discussed in this issue, there are a lot of factors in play when you go about building your sound set up, but when talking about your specific gaming needs, a good bet is to pick up a decent gaming headset. The problem is that firstly, there are a lot to choose from. Traditionally I've always defaulted to using a high quality headphone, with a microphone mounted above my computer, and while that was convenient for a while, the wires and cables connecting a dozen pieces of audio hardware just got too much. Luckily for me, I think we may have just found the headset to solve my problems. The Astro A50 is by no means a new piece of hardware. Released almost two years ago, the market has had a lot of time to decide whether or not they like this product. Up until now I was certainly familiar with the A40, the wired model, but the wireless A50 brings with it advantages that surprisingly, still havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been surpassed.
FEATURES In previous models, the Astro mixamp unit was wired to the head, which then connected to the computer. This time around, I can immediately appreciate the mixamp being stored inside the A50 ear cup. The trade off here is that the controls for the headset are now located behind the right ear cup, and while I found the volume switch easy enough to use, things like the EQ modes, and even the off button were a little too fiddly for my tastes. The controls for mic and game balance are kind of interesting, built into a large button inside the ear cup. Rather than individually adjusting their levels, you can push one side of the cup to lower the mic, but raise the game audio, and the other side for the inverse. This makes finding your levels a little too fiddly, but weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll go into that later. A great selling point for the A50 is that it'll connect to almost every one of your platforms. While you will need an adaptor to connect to the Xbox One controller for mic support, the system works well with really anything using an optical port, meaning most platforms designed with surround sound in mind. With a patch that your PS4 should already have by now, the A50 will be ready to go with mic support, so don't stress there. For legacy users still refusing to let go of last generation, your 360 and PS3 are also supported, thank god.
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What really separates the A50 from previous designs, as well as competing brands, is of course the fact that it's wireless. Well, kind of. The A50 is only really “wireless” when you're looking at a fully charged model, with a well-hidden transmitter. The transmitter itself requires at least two cables at any one time, but it can be hidden pretty easily. I found that the A50 could send audio with perfect clarity around 10 metres, which for me was the distance between my PC, and a few steps down the hallway outside my apartment. For you, that means the A50 should work well in any living room set-up. This is allegedly due to the high frequency of their wireless signal, which runs at 5.8 Ghz, thanks to their Kleernet technology.
PRICE One of the real downsides to elite level headsets is the price, one that I still have trouble justifying. In Australia you'll find the A50 for $300-
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350, which makes it one of the most expensive headsets on the market.
Above: The Astro A50 Wireless headset also comes in a branded Battlefield 4 edition.
The fact that the A50 is compatible with all of your devices makes the price tag make a little more sense. If you own more than a console or a PC, than you can consider the A50 an investment, as long as you’re prepared to move the transmitter when you move to a different console. The question you'll need to ask yourself is, am I really going to be getting $300 of use from this headset? If the answer is yes, then by all means go ahead, you'll love the A50. If not, then remember that there are alternatives that might save you some money.
HARDWARE AND DESIGN One of my biggest dislikes of gaming headsets is the form factor. I personally don't usually like having a monstrosity of hardware strapped to my head, the problem being that once I’m
Above: The A50 comes with a stand to put your headset when not in use
Right: The rear ports on the base station of the Astro A50. All the ports you need, with mininal cables.
aware of its presence, I find it hard to get comfortable. The A50 is still a big hunk of hardware, but it is by no means the biggest, and most surprisingly, does a pretty good job of keeping out of the way. The colour scheme for the headset is matte-black, with the occasional red in the case of a few minimal cables and LEDs on the wireless transmitter. For me, the colour scheme matched my Sidewinder peripherals and PC tower perfectly. If you get as picky as I do about matching colours, don't worry, the A50 doesn't scream for attention, no fluro colours here. The majority of the headset frame, including the cups, are plastic with said matte finish. The cups themselves are actually attached to the headband via metal extenders, which allow you to change its height. The design for this looks really nice, and secondly gives the headset a huge amount of customizability, especially coupled with the fact that the cups can also do a very large rotation. The top of the headband features a “floating pad design” which is something I've certainly seen before, but never in such a subtle way. Too often have I seen over-the-top supports for the pad, which make the design both larger, and far less attractive. The arrangement of the ears in relation the headband pad means that the headphones are always centred, and also share the weight of the design across all points of contact. Essentially what I'm saying is it makes the A-Series incredibly comfortable. The A50s are on the higher end of the weight scale for headsets, clocking in at around 363 grams, but I never once felt in anyway hindered by them. To test the weight I kept them on for an entire battery cycle, just to see how long it would take for me to give up on them. Surprisingly, I actually forgot I was wearing them. More to the point, I became so oblivious to the fact that I was wearing them, I forgot to take them off when I went to the bathroom, three times. Astro should put that in the ad... Of course part of this comfort comes from the inner sides of the cups, which are very well padded, and extremely comfortable. For me, I found the A50 felt sufficiently sturdy and tight around my head, as I've
had many headsets that were either too loose, or far too tight. The compromise here is that there is a little bit of audio bleed, but I didn't find it radical, or in any way intrusive into my microphone feed.
AUDIO AND MIC QUALITY While we're on the topic of microphones, the A-Series features a very high quality one, although some people won't like that it is fixed to the headgear. I really like that the mic's upright position is tied to its on switch, so when you push it up, you'll stop sending mic data, which I found is great for saving battery life. The mic gives you a fairly good frequency
deal, but simply something that sets it apart from similar headsets. When it comes to sound quality, I really can't fault the A50. While it is by no means perfect, I can pretty safely say that it’s as close as I've come so far. I'm someone that is very critical of the idea of surround sound in head gear, and I generally don't put a whole lot of stock in the people that throw all their eggs in say, the physical 7.1 basket, as opposed to virtual 7.1 units like the A50. Astro have really validated that for me, as it's been one of the best surround sound experiences I've had to date. Often Virtual 7.1gets a bad rap for its bass levels, but the A50
"for those who can afford the investment, it really does push the bar in comfort and quality." range, most of the human hearing spectrum, I found most of the input was cutting off after 15 kHZ. What this means is that you might find yourself losing a few of the treble frequencies, but all in all still a very high quality mic. If anything I found that it was perhaps a tad oversensitive and responsive, which made for a little more adjusting than I would like (at least the first time around) but once I found the right levels, it was fairly easy to make small adjustments. One thing to note is that the nominal impedance of the A50 is slightly higher than similarly priced gear, clocking in at 48 ohms. This isn’t really a huge
has in my opinion, an excellent bass representation. Part of the misconception here is that one needs “Beats” level bass pumping in their ears. The A50 levels feel incredibly natural, and feature a very warm bass tone, one that almost creeps up on you. This is the way it is supposed to be, and after sitting through a dozen THQ sound tests, the A-Series had sufficiently blown my mind. The frequency specs for the output have its range at 20Hz to 20kHz, who for the uninitiated, is the entire span of human hearing, although a few unconfirmed reports state that in actuality it is much higher. Like me, many of you will find your ears dropping off around 19 kHz or less, so rest assured that Astro have your back there.
Anti-Gravity Gaming Network | 11
In talking directly about the surround sound features, while gaming is a really great way to test these puppies out, I usually default to both a piece of music and a film of some kind. With a song that you really know, your aim is to discern every little musical nuance in the piece, so pick a song you know like the back of your hand. With film, what you're looking for here is realistic directional sounds, and dialogue levels in comparison to score. To cut a long story short, the A50 really impressed me here. I used Pan's Labyrinth to test the surround sound, and I was amazed at how well it responded. I've been able to test other similarly priced 7.1 headsets, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve found that the imbalance between treble and bass really throws me off. As for a song, go ahead and pull up your favourite jam. I guarantee, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll know whether or not you like a headset before you even hit the chorus. CONCLUSION There really can be no doubt that the Astro A50 is an elite level headset, one worthy of praise. If you want that experience cable free, you're really going
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to pay for it with the A50 because as we've mentioned, it isn't cheap. While there are a few downsides, like an inconsistent battery life as well as an internal lithium battery, the A50 really does hold up in most areas. Compared with similar brands, it excels, and all in a wireless package. As a potential buyer, you'll really need to consider whether or not you'll benefit from this unit, but for those
who can afford the investment, it really does push the bar in comfort and quality.
RATING
9/10
gamezone | 13
8 Bit City
Melbourne's blossoming chiptunes scene Author: Brooke Geller
Melbourne is undoubtedly the cultural epicentre of Australia. Okay, maybe I’m a little biased. But you can’t deny that it’s basically one big, thriving hub of live music venues, festivals, open mic nights and a virtually endless supply of buskers stationed on every city corner. You can enjoy live performances of absolutely any style of music you could imagine, from lively gypsy bordello to ominous doom metal. In a city that hums to a plethora of musical goodness, it’s impossible not to find a niche for every musical flavourand chiptunes is no exception. 8-bit music is probably one of the most pivotal and recognisable trademarks of classic video games. From the upbeat, poppy Super Mario Bros theme to the fastpaced, eighties action movie-style arrangement from the final zone in Sonic the Hedgehog, chiptunes probably hold a very fond spot in the childhood memories of most gamers. But for some, this genre of music is more than mere nostalgia. It’s a lifestyle.
Below: A Nintendo Gameboy. The weapon of choice for many Chiptunes artists.
"8-bit music is probably one of the most pivotal and recognisable trademarks of classic video games."
Late last year I attended the Maker Mixer workshop at Freeplay Independent Games Festival as a volunteer. I watched, fascinated, as a room full of festival attendees temporarily assumed the role of composers and recorded their own unique pieces of 8-bit music using little more than old school Game Boys. I was fascinated. It turns out that there’s a myriad of chiptune events kicking around in this fine city, and it’s been that way for a while now. SoundBytes is “Australia’s longest running chipmusic event” and provides Melbournians with an opportunity to shake what their mamas gave them to some delicious bleepy
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Above: Sometimes I wonder if the artist just sits on stage levelling their Pokemon.
Above: Nerds go crazy on the dancefloor for chiptunes. I'm sure alcohol also isn't at play here, surely...
goodness. SoundBytes have also been involved with Adelaide’s AVCon, providing a pumping audio experience for convention attendees. This month’s SoundBytes16:Shiptunes will take place September 19th (“International Talk Like a Pirate Day”!) at the Grace Darling Hotel in Collingwood, and will feature an array of chiptune sets from a variety of DJs and bands throughout the night. And yes, it will be pirate themed. The event will also mark the date for the first line up announcement for Square Sounds Festival Melbourne 2015 to be held next March. This awesome two-day event, formerly known as Blip Festival, is hosted in both Tokyo and Melbourne. Last year’s festival boasted a number of both local and international artists,
Above: Flyer for the Sound Bytes 'Shiptunes' event. if you are in the area, you should check it out!
as well as some crazy visual entertainment and workshops. For the budding 8-bit composer or curious classic arcade lover, the Square Sounds Festival website is a great resource for Melbourne chiptune workshops and upcoming local events. I highly recommend any retro gaming enthusiast check out Melbourne’s weird and wonderful 8-bit scene. Who knows- you might even find yourself inspired to pursue your dream of creating chiptunes for a living. Or at the very least, grab a beer and enjoy some crazy live music. Better start scouring Cash Converters for those Game Boys, huh?
Anti-Gravity Gaming Network | 15
>> FEATURE
"7.1 surround doesn't have to be something for a lucky few to gloat about."
RAZER SURROUND
Levelling the playing field for 7.1 Surround Sound >> This month we've talked a lot about audio and getting the best from your sound gear. I remember the first time my Dad brought home a 5.1 system for our TV, it was amazing. Fast forward a decade and surround sound has become a big part of the tech world. In a very short time, media adopted surround options, and today you'll see a surround sound label on just about everything. For gamers, we made the jump from stereo headsets to 5.1, and since then, the infamous 7.1. Here is the problem, surround sound can be expensive. For a long time, I got around with just one set of headphones. I used them for music, gaming, I took them on the train, I took them to school, and life was good. Five years later and I've made a lot of purchases since. My floor is littered with a thousand dollars of headsets and headphones, each of them catering to a different speciality and function. Even I can
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admit, that is ridiculous. Sometimes the market can be a little too specific, and I wish I could go back to just one pair, but as a gamer I'm not sure I could get along with just a stereo pair. Luckily, this doesn't need to be an issue any more. If you're still using stereo, you'd be doing yourself a favour by taking a look at Razer Surround, a 7.1 virtualization alternative for the gaming market. Razer Surround is a 7.1 virtualization engine. It caters to any and every brand, and the standard edition is free. Many virtualization systems require you to buy a hardware option before giving you access to the software. That might be a set of headphones, a sound card, etc. This virtual sound engine is a software alternative to a physical sound card. Razer Surround is different in the sense that anyone can use it straight off the back, and you can bring any set
FEATURE <<
of stereo headphones to the table. Whether it be your Astros, Beats, AKGs, or even your loyal iPod headphones, Razer are levelling the playing field in gaming audio. Whether it be a driving simulator, or your shooterof-choice, Razer Surround facilitates a way for you to hear your surroundings in 7.1. This might be the roar of the car desperately trying to draft you, or the bullet whizzing past your head, with this system, even the the most humble stereo pair will help you pinpoint the direction of any and every little sound. If you already own a set of Razer headphones, you're even more lucky. Razer Surround comes pre-packaged with preferences for Razer peripherals, meaning you'll be getting the best use out of your headphones straight away. Virtualization has always been given bad rap, and the general consensus seems to be â&#x20AC;&#x153;Go Analogue or Go Home.â&#x20AC;? Physical surround makes sense due to the distance of speakers in your room, but when looking at a set of headphones, there is no distance. Humans only have two input points (I'll give you a hint, it's our ears.) so we strap a set of speakers to each ear and call them headphones. Regardless of whether your system is physical (analogue) or virtualized, your audio is only going to be entering through your ears. In actuality, where previous virtual engines have fallen short is in their quality or sound reproduction and their directional representation. Historically, many virtual engines have lacked the quality and accuracy to compete with analogue alternatives, so no wonder the sound tests always prefers analogue. Razer Surround represents an attempt to change that stigma, while starting with the lowest possible compatibility requirements.
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>> FEATURE
"Being able to load up one's preferences after I can't live without."
Precision is a must here, and Razer a fresh install is a luxury have put a lot of effort into making sure you can customize your experience to the pickiest of details, like the shape of your only available for Windows 7 and 8, and ears, and the size of your earphone cups, requires a measly 100MB of space. without the complicated software that often comes with such pedantic behaviour. Making use of some basic sound test, Razer Surround will help you analyse how For new users to the virtual engine, your headphones react to sound, and let you'll find that there are in fact two you adjust your surround preferences versions of Surround. The standard accordingly. Once you've settled on a edition can be downloaded free of profile for your headphones, Razer will charge from Razer's website, and only save that useful information for you in takes a few minutes to install. What the Cloud, meaning you can take that you will need is a Razer ID, although information with you anywhere. For me, I the installation will walk you through lose data all over the place, for a plethora creating that. Once you're registered of reasons. Being able to load up one's and installed, it's as simple making sure preferences after a fresh install is a luxury Razer Surround has your headphones I can't live without. Whether it be your selected, and you're ready to go. Surround new rig, or your friends, you'll easily be even has a demo tool to let you test the able to take your preferences with you, 7.1 before you even launch a game. meaning you'll be fired up and ready to go before anyone else has even plugged in. Access to Surround Pro doesn't come free, and will set Aussies A lot of you will be in the position I was back $30.00, but with it opens up once in, where you're only getting along an array of options for your virtual with one trusty set of stereo headphones, customization, with the ability to; and are not in a position to buy a half dozen more. What some manufacturers • Access Calibration don't want to tell you, is that you're and Equalizer features completely fine in doing that. I've been the poor high school student who could • Fine tune audio settings only afford one pair, and besides, who really wants a different pair for each day • Sync preferences to the cloud of the week? I know when it comes to gaming, for a long time I wanted a decent For those of you that aren't sure about surround experience,but lacked both paying for the upgrade, don't stress, you the money and knowledge to dabble in can use the standard edition free of physical and virtual systems. For people charge for as long as you like, and you feel that have used it, I'm sure all will attest like upgrading later, then that option is to the improvement it makes to a gaming always there. Razer surround is currently experience. With 5.1 and 7.1 headsets
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being so expensive, it's no surprisingly that many can't afford them. With a product like Razer Surround, the good news is that now you have some alternative options. 7.1 surround doesn't have to be something for a lucky few to gloat about.
Above: Some of the settings you are able to quickly change within Surround.
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Download Razer Surround from the Razer website and set up a Razer ID, then...
Visit www.facebook.com/antigravnet and post on our wall letting us know your favourite Kraken Pro Neon colour.
Competition ends 30/09/2014, winners announced on our Facebook page and in next month's issue
Anti-Gravity Gaming Network | 19
The Swapper
A cloning puzzler that is sure to screw with your morals. Author: Noel Wheatley Game Info: Format: PS4 Other Formats: PS3, PSVITA, PC Developer: Facepalm Games Publisher: Curvle Digital Release Date: Out Now
I love puzzle games, so when the chance to review “The Swapper” from Curve Digital and Facepalm Games came up I was keen to check it out. I had heard good things about this 2D puzzle platformer and that it was extremely well received when it first came out on Steam last year, winning countless indie game awards, However, since I'm not a big PC gamer, having the opportunity to check in on a console and confirm all the good things I had heard about it was rather exciting and it definitely didn’t disappoint. The story is set in a derelict space station, lost in the deepest regions of space. Soon after your arrival you discover the Swapper device that allows you to make copies of yourself and then (as the name suggests) gives you the ability to swap between the copies, eventually making you no longer you but still you (if that makes sense). The ability to clone yourself and then swap between these clones leads to a potentially interesting moral debate about what your actually swapping between your clones and if you are really you any more. This combined with the fact that you will inevitably have to sacrifice the clones to achieve your goals and solve the puzzles may make you question the actions of your in game character and ask if what
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OVERVIEW
Pros: Beautifully styled, fiendish puzzles, great Sci-fi / isolation atmosphere, confronting and unusual story premise Cons: Limited replay value for anyone but completionists, puzzle fanatics and those that want to try and speed run the game, controls seem a little sluggish at times. Bottom Line: Incredibly immersive 2D puzzle game with great atmosphere, stunning visual styling and great gameplay that’s almost a cross between the 2D origins of Metroid and the ingenious, sometimes seemingly impossible puzzles of Portal that’s well worth checking out.
option of going back to your original body without failing the puzzle. It would be remiss not to discuss the exceptional art style of this game, all the character models and environments where originally crafted from clay (and various other household items) and then recorded so that they could be used in the game. Along with the visually stunning aspects of this game, the accompanying hauntingly beautiful soundtrack helps to build the atmosphere for this game that is a combination of 2001 a Space Odyssey, Event Horizon with a small touch of DOOM thrown in for good measure. These aspects all help to add depth to the game and also a sense of isolation that has been the hallmark of so many great sci-fi stories. As you progress throughout the game the puzzles difficulty increases along with the need to be creative in your exploration. In some cases you will need to utilise the Swappers abilities in less than straight forward ways to manoeuvre yourself to explore new areas and over come the challenges that you have been presented to make the most of this unique game mechanic.
"unique game mechanics, semi confronting moral dilemma’s and a breathtaking visual style " they are doing is suicide, murder or something else entirely (but perhaps I'm just reading to much into it). The in game voice over’s, hidden messages and (for lack of a better term) giant space rocks hint at the possible moral and ethical issues of using the swapper device and the horrors of what might be achieved, while also reminding you that you are continually creating
and destroying life all in the name of progressing the story. As you move throughout the levels you will have to make use of your clones and the ability to swap between them to solve the puzzles that make up the core of this game. In doing so you will sacrifice many clones to achieve your goal, I spent a fair amount of time trying to keep the original me alive but the game eventually forces you to jump to another clone without the
This game is a fantastic 2D platformer with some unique game mechanics, semi confronting moral dilemma’s and a breathtaking visual style that is sure to keep fans of sci-fi and puzzles games engaged as they play through the various levels of this game. The Swapper was originally released last year on PC but only came to consoles this month with the bonuses of if you buy it for PlayStation is has crossplay functionality allowing you to play it on your PS4, PS3 and/ or PSVITA all for the one price. I played this game on the PS3 and PS4 and have to say that there was no real difference between the versions as expected so regardless of which console you get it on its sure be an enjoyable experience.
RATING
7.5/10
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Video Game Soundtracks Red and Jordan share some of their favourites.
Author: Jordan Antonelli, Brett 'Red' Sellar Music has always played a major role in video games. While many of us don’t really pay attention to it with being busy actually playing the game, every now and then a game will stand out as just having something special. I’m sure that people will be screaming out at us of why we didn’t include this or that, these are just a few that were the most memorable to use. So, Jordan and I complied together a list of our favourite Video Game Soundtracks. While I went for some more recent titles, Jordan focused on more orchestral tracks.
RED Far Cry: Blood Dragon A topic of soundtracks would not be complete without the mention of the 2012 neon-soaked glory of Far Cry: Blood Dragon. Originally announced as a joke and eventually released as a stand-alone expansion, Blood Dragon was brilliant. The story was 80’s over the top, the weapons made pew-pew laser sounds and the soundtrack was magnificent. The soundtrack was composed of original music created by Melbourne electronic duo Power Glove and fits perfectly with the game. Every track was amazing, even going as far as to make fantastic montage music and suitably badass music for your ride on a Titanium Plated Cyber Battle Dragon. Also, can’t finish this without giving a nod to the opening moments to the game, riding in a helicopter,
Right: The heavy metal game, Brutal Legend. Featuring even more metal.
"I honestly don’t think it is possible for the soundtrack of Brutal Legend to get anymore metal."
Above: The laser visioned dragon powerhouse, Far Cry Blood Dragon
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Above: The one and only Nobou Uemastu.
blowing up a base with a minigun while “Long Tall Sally” by Little Richard plays in the background. How can that not put a smile on your face.
However, for the purpose of this article sake, I’ll be focusing on his work with Final Fantasy. He has worked on pretty much every Final Fantasy game (excluding some of the spin-offs such as Crisis Core or Dirge of Cerberus) since the original title in 1987, and he has produced some outstanding orchestral pieces. Personally, his best work has come from Final Fantasy VII, VIII and X, all with some pieces that I stick in my mind for all time. From VII you have “Listen to the Cries of the Planet”, “One Winged Angel”, “Aerith’s Theme” and “JENOVA”. X has the brilliant “At Zanarkand” is a hauntingly brilliant way to open the game, the simple piano combined with very limited dialogue was amazing. While some of the recent additions to the Final Fantasy saga have been fairly average, the one thing that will stay consistent is Nobuo Uematsu’s amazing talent. Oh, and the version of “One Winged Angel” that was done for FFVII: Advent Children is absolutely incredible!
Hotline Miami Brutal Legend While there is about 70 minutes worth of original score in Brutal Legend, which was composed by Peter McConnell (who also wrote the music for Psychonauts and basically every Lucas Arts game), it’s the licenced music that brings it to this list. I honestly don’t think it is possible for the soundtrack of Brutal Legend to get anymore metal. With the game opening to “Children of the Grave” by Black Sabbath, the soundtrack starts awesome and gets more awesome as it goes on. With artists such as Manowar, Judas Priest, Motley Crue, 3 Inches of Blood, Megadeth, Slayer and Rob Zombie just to name a few, the whole game is a collaboration of some of the best heavy metal from the past few decades. And it’s not just the music either, Lemmy Kilmister, Rob Halfod, Lita Ford and Jack Black are all in as voice actors, and The Guardian of Metal in particular being voiced and modelled after Ozzy Osbourne. While the game itself is great, it does fall short a little bit when the whole second act is basically an RTS. But, hey, that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy cruising across the map in the Druid Plow while “Through the Fire and the Flames” by Dragonforce is playing in the background.
Nobuo Uematsu It just seemed easier to include Uematsu on this list rather than any one game, considering he has been involved in about one hundred different soundtracks.
If you haven’t played Hotline Miami stop reading and go play it now. Seriously, it’s quite short, shouldn’t take long. Ok, good. Since playing, this soundtrack has taken up a permanent residence on every phone and MP3 player I own. It is some of the best driving music I have come across in a very long time. No lyrics, just amazing electronic beats. Combined of a few original tracks and some licenced, every track fits the setting of the game perfectly. Nothing else would work quite so well for the top-down stylized ultra-violence.
Honourable Mentions I was going to put the Halo franchise in here, and even though I absolutely LOVE the Halo theme, it just seemed a little too un-original. Now, while it is just a single moment from a game, I have to include Red Dead Redemption. About halfway through the game, during your first ride into Mexico, and “Far Away” by Jose Gonzalez starts playing. It is absolutely perfect.
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Right: Fighting dragons in their firebreathing glory in Dragon Age Origins.
JORDAN Dragon Age Origins The 2009 fantasy RPG, swept gamers away with its rich story and emotvie characters. For me, the score was what brought the narrative of Dragon Age truly to life. Inon Zur, who had previously worked on franchises such as Fallout and Baldur's Gate, recorded the score with the Northwest Sinfonia Orchestra as well as Aubrey Ashburn, who co-wrote and performed the award winning tracks, "I Am the One" and "Leliana's Song". DA:O is evocative of the, â&#x20AC;&#x153;powerful, melodic orchestral writingâ&#x20AC;? that Inon is known for, whether it be through his varied shifts in timbre, wide instrumentation, and
emotive melodic style. Bridging traditional folk and cultural sounds, with the raging drums of war, make DA:O a wild ride, and a supreme taste of High Fantasy.
Koji Kondos work on either Ocarina of Time or Wind Waker,
Shadow of the Colossus Kow Otani's work on this title proved to listeners and composers alike that it's not always the score that is important, but where you choose to use it. Following on this point, Otani clearly shows his aptitude at choosing when to use consonance or its inverse, dissonance. In doing so, he is able to highlight the desolate landscape of the game, as well as the terror of the monolithic Colossus. The use of instrumentation captivates the listener's attention, with the
"stop and take a moment to recognise the work that has been put into the audio of the game."
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delicate melodies of a piano, or the energy of a percussion section.
Below: Everyone's favourite Ocarina playing hero, Link from Legend of Zelda.
Ocarina of Time was perhaps the crowning jewel for Koji Kondo. Previously writing the scores for various Nintendo media, Kondo used Ocarina of Time to bring to life some of the original tunes from the Zelda franchise. The score for this title
for in Wind Waker would have to be Dragon Roost Island, hands down.
Brian Tyler's Black Flag
was so utterly captivating because of its relationship with the narrative, and absolutely intertwined with the emotive state of its landscapes and characters. While the whole OST is worthy of a mention, songs of note include the Song of Storms (Which players will know has it's own little sub-plot) as well as the Hyrule Field Theme, which has triumphantly steered players across the broad expanse of Hyrule. Wind Waker is perhaps Kondo's most interesting scoring work, and is fascinating when compared to the classic pieces of the franchise. The game's sea faring theme, mixed with the talents of a highly skilled composing staff have culminated in a Celtic inspired collection of hum worthy jigs. The interaction between game play and score is something I really enjoyed about Wind Waker. The way Orchestral hits are timed against Link's sword strokes let the score straddle the line between a diegetic and non-diegetic experience. The piece to look out
In wanting to open up to the full history of game scoring, I was nervous about the fact that I kept on coming back to Black Flag, again and again. Although Assassin's Creed IV is only a year old, the accompanying score was simply astounding. In 2013, Brian Tyler had just come off the back of Hollywood blockbusters like Now You See Me and Iron Man 3, so his inclusion in Black Flag seemed like overkill if anything. The thing that the score did best was its genre and theme representation. The soundtrack made one feel like they were sailing in the golden age of piracy. Whether it was the lull of a city port, or the war drums of an ocean skirmish, the use of instrumentation and dynamics helped the game grow the monotony of ocean ambience to a dire sense of urgency within seconds. Assassin's Creed games often have a cinematic sense to their scoring, and Black Flag excelled in that respect.
In conclusion, sound is a very overlooked part of video games. Everyone is always hammering on about the Story, the Gameplay, the Graphics etc. but the sound is just as important. Can you imagine playing Dragon Age, and something akin to techno is playing, it just wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work. Next time youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re playing something, stop and take a moment to recognise the work that has been put into the audio of the game.
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Razer Kraken Pro Neon Excellent audio with crazy colours. Author: Brooke Geller
There’s a few images that come to mind when I think of neon-coloured things. Nuclear waste. Those weird blacklight rooms you sometimes find at clubs. Tron. But after getting to know the almost ridiculously bright neon Razer Kraken Pro headset, one word comes to mind: comfort. You see, I have stretched ears. Wearing somewhat large jewellery in them- usually made of very hard wood or metal- can prove to be a little inconvenient when you’re also wearing something that squishes your earlobes to the side of your skull. And when I say ‘inconvenient’, what I really mean is ‘bloody painful’. This headset is so comfy. No need to wince with pain after peeling them off after hours of furiously clicking your foes into non-existence. A generous amount of cushioning and memory foam padding helps to achieve this, though this could prove to be problematic once sweltering summer temperatures hit. My advice is to crank up the aircon and keep some antibacterial wipes on hand, because it’s about to get sweaty.
Below: Bright blue for the boys (or anyone who is a fan of blue, really)
"after getting to know the Razer Kraken Pro headset, one word comes to mind: comfort."
The noise-cancelling ability is pretty great. However, others in the room will be subjected to the muffled soundtrack of your gaming. If they complain, maybe you’d like to politely remind them that it’s better than being forced to listen to tinny Aussie hip-hop from the headphones of some bogan on public transport. Audio is both bass-rich and vibrant, with more than sufficient clarity, but definitely favours the low end. It lacks manual volume and sound controls, but the simple design and drivers
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Above: For those with a yellow setup (not too common) there is a Kraken neon for you.
Above: Front shot of the Razer Kraken Pro Neon box.
Left: Bright colours... bright colours everywhere!
OVERVIEW
Positives: amazingly comfortable and lightweight, excellent bass Negatives: doesn’t deliver on the high-end in the audio department; neon shades may prove a little bold for some tastes
deliver enough on their own to not require additional tinkering. Available in 6 loud neon shades right out of an eighties aerobics class, the Razer Kraken Pro definitely makes a statement. The mic tucks away discreetly and is nicely flexible. As for functionality, there’s definitely no complaints to be made there- it gets the job done just fine, so ideal for plenty of multiplayer fun. An audio/mic splitter adaptor is also included, and the headset will easily connect to anything with a headphone jack. That’s one more free USB slot for you, friend. It isn’t wireless, but the cable itself does
Above: Rear shot of the Razer Kraken Pro Neon box.
if you like this Razer Surround
measure in at a lengthy (I’m sorry, I just couldn’t help myself) 1.3 metres. If you’re looking to invest a good chunk of change in a lightweight, super comfy headset that’ll lovingly hold your hands- I mean, ears- for hours on end while delivering some kick-ass immersive sound, the Razer Kraken Pro is a good bet.
Featured: Page 16
RATING
7.3/10
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Building Your Sound Find what's right for you. Author: Jordan Antonelli
Building your audio set up can be really tricky, partially because as gamers, we spend all of our time worrying about Graphics Cards and CPUs, and not enough time using our ears. Today we're going to take an in depth look at some of your options when sorting out your audio. For most PC users, the process is quite simple, and cheap as well. For more advanced users, there are a few upgrades you can make to really get the most out of your media, whether it be Film, Music, or your next LAN party.
It’s fairly uncommon for standard mobos to support a physical 7.1, and even if you're fitted with an Optical Port for a digital 7.1, you're still running the risk that your inbuilt sound card isn’t up to scratch on the processing side. It might be that you want to use a 7.1 system, process some higher quality audio, or run an audio DAW for editing like Pro Tools or Logic Pro. In that situation, you'll need some extra juice. Here's how you get it.
Internal Sound cards Soundcards When we get down to it, there are a few ways to get your computer to send all that aural goodness out. Firstly, look no further than your trusty mobo. Your dusty motherboard will in 99% of cases come fitted with a working sound card, albeit a fairly underpowered one. This card however, is perfectly capable of handling the audio needs of the general public, it's only when we move to niche processing needs and speaker arrangements that we need to explore some different hardware. Today, most boards will be able to handle a 5.1 system, many with Dolby Digital. The standard arrangement here includes headphones in the front port and a permanent speaker system in the back. To use myself as an example, my most basic PC set up involves my pair of Beats (Don't hold it against me) in the front, with my Logitech 5.1 in the back. That set-up works fine, but it has a long list of limitations.
Buying a sound card isn't a huge deal, in fact today it isn't really that uncommon. If you want a card inside your case, you'll likely require an extra PCI or PCI-E slot (Always check the hardware recommendations first). What you'll be doing from then on is instructing the system to bypass the on-board audio and send everything on a road trip through your shiny new card. Installation can take as little as 5 minutes, as long as you know ahead of time where the card is going, and your cable management isn't too horrendous. In my case, I bought a card to get around a faulty motherboard, and my internal card fit snugly under my graphics cards. Buying an internal sound card doesn't need to be a costly venture. A card capable of Dolby Digital in 7.1 will cost you under $40. If you required better processing, a high quality amplifier, and a plethora of input and output
Say you wanted to use a 7.1 system, or an “8 Channel” System.
"buying a headset for its brand is a recipe for failure." 28 | Anti-Gravity Gaming Network
options, those cards are always there as well, but you'll find they reach into the hundreds of dollars.
External Sound cards This option is a little more user friendly, at least on the hardware end. If you can stomach having one or two extra cables around, there’s no reason why you couldn't use an external, and they're perfect for people that need easy access to their cables, or switch out devices regularly. In most cases you'll be rocking Usb 3 for Windows devices, while Mac users also have hardware options for Firewire and now Thunderbolt. The advantage here is that these devices are portable, which makes it easy to service more than one PC system. I make use of an M-Audio Fast Track C600 for recording/powering microphones and instruments, something I can't really do with on-board audio. I pay for this functionality, with a buying price of $400.
Headphones Headphones should ideally be one half of your gaming set-up. When it's three in the morning and your house-mates are sleeping, you want to be able to hear the game you're enthralled in. With headphones, the sky really
Below: Beats by Dr. Dre Studio Spider-man Edition headphones.
Below: ASUS ROG Xonar Phoebus sound card.
its brand is a recipe for failure. Buy well-reviewed products, and know the limitations of your audio set-up.
Audio Headsets. A decent set of Cans (as we like to call them) goes far beyond simple gaming, you'll find yourself using them for just about everything. When it comes to good cans, expect a premium level quality, but don't expect gaming features like a mic, or things like onboard EQ control.
is the limit. Hell, you could use iPod headphones if you really like, but let me tell you, sound quality won't be very nice. Luckily with headphones, there are a few avenues one can take.
Gaming Headsets. It’s no secret that these headsets are built for gamers, so the feature list here is usually pretty big. A decent pair will cost between 100 and 150 dollars, and they'll usually feature a mic of some kind, be decently comfortable, and fairly nice quality. Spend over 200 dollars and you'll be moving into the realm of luxury headsets, so expect 5.1 and 7.1 headsets, as well as higher quality microphones, better frequency response, noise cancelation, etc. Depending what kind of headset you're after, you can actually skip on buying a sound card, as many feature one built in, meaning you can hook straight into USB. This is done largely from a compatibly point of view. In my opinion, the biggest problem with this market is the price. The key here is to shop around. Buy a headset that above all else, is comfortable. If you're going to be pwning noobs in Battlefield for hours at a time, you'll need something that won't hurt your ears, or your scalp. Always give a headset a test try of some kind. One of the biggest mistakes people make is buying a product online without having previously used it, and finding out that they can’t stand how it sits on their head. Go to an EB Games, or JB Hi-Fi, and sit them on your head for a minute or two, you will thank me for it. Next comes frequency response. For this field you'll want to test the levels of certain areas, for example treble, mid range and bass. You’ll need to find a balance between these three. Buying a headset for
Look to companies like Sennheiser and Audio Technica and you'll find entire ranges of headphones dedicated to studio monitoring or high fidelity audio. This is a great option if you want to invest in a great pair of headphones that you can ultimately take with you, you'll find that gaming brands rarely do well on the move. For around $150 you can get something like the Sennheiser HD280, which would be my recommendation for this category. They fit snugly to the head, and the audio quality is very nice. They aren't much to look at, but they'll suit any sound enthusiast. The misconception here is that any pair of headphones that isn't gaming specific will just be a pair of Beats, or similar. Now as someone who is ashamed to own a pair, I can tell you that if you have them, by all means use them. One of the regular complaints about gaming headsets are their terrible bass levels. Beats will fix that right off the bat. The counter to that point is that Beats have never made an audio solution that was worth the asking price, never. So if you want the brand name and the things that go along with it, fine. Just remember that there are alternatives. This goes for all brands. Just remember that there are alternatives. This goes for all brands.
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Speakers Now that we've covered your headgear, we can move onto speakers. The best thing to do here is to buy a product that is right for your needs. For most of you, a decent stereo pair with a woofer will do. And for something like that, you don't need to pair more than $100. Companies like Logitech and Creative have been doing this for decades, and until you understand specifics, these will be a safe bet. The rookie mistake here is to buy a 5.1 system for a tiny little desk, and it’s something that I am myself guilty of. While you aren't losing anything per se, a 5.1 set up will do you nothing unless you have the space for it to be used. In saying that, there are other options, for more experienced users. For users that really want to take the next step from physical speakers, a nice pair of Audio Monitors are your next big buy. Monitors feature a far higher and accurate frequency response than your standard stereo pair, and through them you'll be able to hear the full scope of your media. The main misconception with monitors is that they'll make your computer sound nice. That isn't true at all. In reality, a nice pair of monitors will make your computer sound accurate, which is a key difference. A nice pair will have you hearing things in a way you haven’t been able to before, and while that is often a good thing, it can also be a bad thing. Buying a pair of monitors will set you back a bit, no less than $400, and even then you’ll need a way to hook them up. Some will require XLR, some ¼, knowing what kind of connections your sound card has will help you figure out what cables or adaptations you'll require. Try to reduce the amount of contact changes your signal has. If you can, try to use one cable, rather than an adaptor on an adaptor, etc.
Above: Logitech Z906 5.1 Speaker System.
one stage or another you'll hit a roadblock. Part of this is due to hardware running on propriety software, so make sure you follow your signal chain, and always read the instructions. Learn the ins and outs of the sound properties screen. Where are you receiving your microphone inputs, where are you sending your audio? Are you digital or analogue? These questions will help you keep track of your mess. If all else fails, use your device manager to delete any troublesome drivers and reinstall them.
Conclusion
Software When dealing with audio solutions, namely for PC, the bane of my existence is dealing with drivers. Not surprisingly, this is more or less exclusive to windows. As with any hardware modifications/additions to your rig, there will be a number of drivers accompanying your new purchases, namely the sound cards. Some companies make this very easy, but in my experience, at
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At the end of the day, your audio set up needs to be for you and you alone. Design a system that meets your needs, and if you can help it, take the simpler route. Stick to a budget. Know your hardware. Keeping these things in mind will not only make the upgrade process a lot easier, but will also serve you in the future. Remember that there are set-ups for $100 that work better than some worth $1000, the real trick is finding what is right for you.
Rhythm Gaming The rise and fall.
Author: Noel Wheatley Many people seem to think that rhythm gaming first began with people gathering around their PS2’s grasping at their plastic guitars and rocking out to strains of classic rock beats and rhythmic clicking on buttons in the quest for pseudo video game rock stardom. But this genre, which seems to have practically died off after once saturating the market, started from very humble beginnings way back before home console gaming was the multibillion dollar industry that it is today. It's hard to believe that this entire genre started with 4 buttoned handheld game made back in the late 70’s.
The genesis of a genre Way back in 1978 rhythm gaming was born in the form a handheld toy called Simon, created by Ralph Baer (of Magnavox Odyssey fame) and Howard Morrison that had a seemingly simple premise of call and response. This basically meant you would hear a tune and then have to replicate it accordingly on the correct buttons with an increasing level of difficulty until you could no longer repeat the pattern. This seemingly simply game mechanic would go on to become the foundation of many rhythm games to come.
own creativity. After Dance Aerobics for the NES, there was a long gap between it and the next real rhythm game, but when PaRappa the Rapper appeared on the scene in the mid 90’s, everything was about to change and rhythm gaming was about to get its first shot in the gaming spotlight.
Rise in Japan - humble beginnings to cult status In 1996 the PlayStation already had a well established market presence, a loyal community and a huge library of well loved games, but then the Japanese musician and game designer Masaya Matsuura teamed up with American artist Rodney Greenblat to create the first rhythm game that would maintain its cult status to the modern day. Following in the footsteps of Simon (albeit in a much more visually appealing way) players of PaRappa the Rappa had to match up button presses to the icon on the screen to make the character rap and progress through the game. PaRappa quickly grew in popularity in Japan and around the world but it was its success in Japan that helped re-establish the genre from its seemingly unknown beginnings.
Studios/Enix appeared, but what was to come next changed the face of arcades to this very day. After the success of their previous 2 rhythm games, Konami release Dance Dance Revolution, a game that would go on to inspire many sequels and similar titles until this very day. The reason why DDR stood out from the rest lies in part with the physical aspect of this game, most of the other rhythm games used controllers, but Konami had seen that the success of rhythm games were amplified by how immersive the gameplay was. By putting the player into the game in some way like they did with the DJ set up in Beatmania or guitars in GuitarFreaks they could incorporate an interactive dance floor as the controller for the game. It was a risky move that payed off big time for Konami in the arcades (and later in the home console market), the success of these music games would result in the creation of Konami’s specialised internal music game division that became known as Bemani. At the same time DDR was stripping cash from people in the arcades, UmJammer Lammy was released and once again saw great success in Japan and other countries, and while similar to Below: The game to start it all. Simon.
The success of PaRappa spawned a sudden interest in this seemingly new genre from developers looking to cash in on this enthusiasm. Soon games like Beatmania and GuitarFreaks from Konami and Bust A Groove from 989
As we moved into the 80’s there where many licensed music games like Journey (from Bally Midway) and Frankie Goes to Hollywood (from Denton Designs/Ocean) along with a few others, there was only one real rhythm game that used the call and response mechanic. Dance Aerobics for the NES (made by Bandai) which had players copy the instructors moves on the corresponding buttons on the Nintendo Power Pad which was as floor mat style controller and the for runner to the DDR dance mat/stage. This game also featured a free form mode that allowed player to create their own tracks using the buttons on the Power Pad and their
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PaRappa in the game mechanics, rather than helping a rapper complete his raps this time you were a lamb who you helped to play the guitar and achieve its goals of stardom though the same system of matching the on screen prompts to the appropriate button response. Soon after came the release of Vib-Ribbon (once again from Masaya Matsuura) but this game had something very different to all the other games that had come before. In every other game released so far you could pick the song you played from a preset list within the game but in Vib-Ribbon Masaya Matsuura set a new standard by letting you insert any audio CD into the PlayStation and you would play a uniquely generated wireframe level based on that song and essentially turning your music collection into the game. Not to be left out, Sega threw their hat into the rhythm game ring with Samba De Amigo, a game that saw success in both the arcades and on the Sega Dreamcast that had you shaking plastic maracas to match not only the beat of the song but also the actions on screen, following the footsteps of using the peripheral to match the game that had been so successful for Konami. Bemani (Konami) also brought out Drummania, once again utilising the principle of immersive peripherals but focusing solely on the drumming but Drummania had one unique feature above its predecessors, it was able to link to the GuitarFreaks game and could allow players to play together across the two systems (and in later years, newer versions of both games could also link to Keyboardmania to create a super session allowing 5 player to link together at once). Now that the rhythm game genre had gained a cult following in Japan and slowly starting to make a name for it self around the world it was starting to
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peak the interest of gamers and developer around the world.
Infiltrating the western market Rhythm gaming had started to become a serious game genre. PlayStation had seen the release of the now iconic PaRappa the Rappa, UmJammer Lammy and Vib-Ribbon along with the arcade success of Konamiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s range of rhythm games, so with the next generation of consoles came a new generation of rhythm games for players to enjoy. The release of the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and Sega Dreamcast saw an improvement in processing power and graphics capabilities, this meant game designers could push their ideas even further. With this new generation of consoles rapidly establishing a solid consumer base and the growing interest in rhythm games, developers began working on new titles and games started to appear on consoles. Space Channel 5 for the Sega Dreamcast was released in 2000 and was essentially Simon for the Dreamcast, you had to repeat moves according to the prompts on the screen so that the main character Ulala could complete the in game tasks and progress the story. Not long after Space Channel 5 had captured the attention of gamers around the world, Frequency (from SCEA/Harmonix) arrived on the PlayStation2, featuring tracks from current artists. It also had each aspect of the song (vocals, guitar, drums, etc) split into various streams that you activated and maintained by tapping buttons to match the in game prompts in a beautifully crafted 3D neon lit environment, while also setting up some of the foundation game play elements for their future releases. Frequency was not the roaring success SCEA/Harmonix had hoped it would be, but it did quickly gain a cult following amongst a small but dedicated fan base. With the success of the home karaoke systems Konami saw an opportunity to take advantage of this trend and they released Karaoke Revolution which
put the player into the role of the lead singer for the first time through a microphone peripheral and allowed people to inflict their vocal talents (or lack thereof) on those around them. While the game was published by Konami it was made by Harmonix, which once again seems to be a hint at what was to come from this developer in the rhythm game genre. Also seizing on the karaoke trend, Sony Computer Entertainment released what was to be the first of many iterations of the SingStar Franchise, using the same idea of the microphone peripheral and putting the player into the role of the lead singer. Unlike Karaoke Revolution, SingStar saw rapid growth within the western market and saw it become a well established brand within the Sony stable of games. Following the visually stunning elements of Frequency, its much more popular successor and sequel Amplitude was released, which had key elements of Frequency but with many improvements to make it more appealing to a wider market including a slightly modified game mechanic, chat functionality and online co-op mode. The game once again featured current artists and saw the return of synthpop legends Freezepop who had featured on the game predecessor along with other Harmonix games. After being absent from the rhythm game genre for so long, Nintendo decided to jump back in with Donkey Konga which was created by Namco for the GameCube, the game used a bespoke bongo drum controller and like other games of this genre, you had to bang away on the drums to match the in game commands and occasionally clap loudly just above the drums so that the inbuilt microphone could pick it up and track it to match the in game commands. Unlike other games at the time this game had its own
Right: Nintendo joined the fight with Donkey Konga.
proprietary music, not mainstream tracks, which didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem to upset players of the game as the tracks had their own quirky style that suited the game incredibly well. The rhythm/music game genre was really starting to grow, but a new game that was released in 2005 was about to change everything and teach the world how to rock.
Right: Um Jammer Lammy. Far Right: Dance Dance Revolution, that crazy arcade dancing game.
Left: The Dreamcast Rhythm game, Space Channel 5 Far Left: Vib Ribbon, rock to your own music.
Everyone wants to be a Rock star In 2005 Red Octane and Harmonix came to market with something that wasn’t necessarily a new idea, in fact it was just meant to be a home version of the highly successful arcade game GuitarFreaks, but it took the world by storm. Guitar Hero was released to critical acclaim and became an overnight sensation and spawned multiple incarnations. Players became obsessed with the game and rapidly gained cult status thanks to its use of tracks from a wide range of genres and fantastic controllers modelled after and actual black Gibson SG guitar, which helped give played the added sensation of really playing and further immersing them into the game play. After
the success of GH1, the release of GH2 and the addition of new game modes and optional redesigned controllers, the Guitar Hero franchise continued to grow and would eventually become a billion dollar franchise to become one of the top selling games of the time. In 2006 Red Octane was brought
band on a single system or against other bands or players online. With Red Octane’s new relationship with Activision going strong, Harmonix wasn’t just sitting by idly with MTV, instead they had partnered with competing developer Electronic Arts and started working on their own rhythm game franchise,
"A new game that was released in 2005 was about to change everything and teach the world how to rock." Below: The powerhouse to rival Guitar Hero, Rock Band.
out by Activision who had spent $100 million (USD) to acquire the still growing Guitar Hero franchise and Harmonix was then picked up MTV which resulted in some temporary concerns about the future of the franchise, but quickly enough Red Octane was paired up to work with the team from Neversoft of Tony Hawk fame to keep the Guitar Hero franchise alive. Soon after the new partnership, new Guitar Hero games and peripherals started to be released, and evolved along with the emerging new generations of consoles and including some dedicated tributes to bands like Aerosmith and Metallica as well as growth to include more peripherals such as drums and microphones along with the ability to play together as a
Rock Band. It was incredibly similar to Guitar Hero and quite understandably so considering the work that they had done with Guitar Hero, but until that point Guitar Hero had no equal. With the release of Rock Band and their slightly more realistic controllers, it split the market. You where either on the side of Guitar Hero or the usurper Rock Band. Few were fans of both but this seemed to start a war between the franchises with releases coming thick and fast with both desperate to gain a bigger share of the market than the other and all the time it seemed like the money and growth would never stop. Little did they know that the end was just around the corner.
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Near death of the Genre Guitar Hero and Rock Band had seemingly run their course, sales where dropping and developers needed to innovate to recapture the interest of gamers, create something new, move into a new direction. That direction turned out to be DJ Hero for Activision and more band specific releases for EA. This in my mind was the beginning of the end, especially with unoriginal content being repeatedly released for both the Rock Band and Guitar Hero franchises and even with both platforms allowing for micro transactions, it seemed like there was nothing left in the tank. So Activision jumped first and took a bold step in and revived the mechanic of Beatmania in the form of DJ Hero. As with all other modern rhythm games the call and response mechanic was present in this seemingly new take on rhythm games but instead of the traditional guitar, drums, microphone or even keytar, this heralded back to the age of Beatmania and used a fader, turntable and various buttons that would need to be used to make your way through a series or custom made tracks that had been mashed together just for DJ Hero. Even after the initial lower than expected sales of DJ Hero, the sequel was released and that seemed to be the death for the genre with the majority of gamers rapidly losing interest in the genre. While Activision and EA where driving the genre into the ground, other new games started to emerge that seem to throw back to the roots of the rhythm gaming. Games like Audiosurf for the PC that seemed to take inspiration from Vib-Ribbon in allowing you to use your own audio files to create custom tracks and the game play style/design similar to Frequency and Amplitude. At the same time DDR and other rhythm games had maintained their dominance in the arcades. It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough to keep the genre in the mainstream and slowly it started to fade back into semi obscurity with
the Guitar Hero, Rock Band and DJ Hero franchises being closed down. Conclusion: The rhythm games genre is so massive that covering every single moment would take forever, but throughout its genesis to its seemingly impossible fall, it has served a great medium for those of us with a passion for both music and gaming that wanted to get more from our gaming experience. While writing this I would be lying if a didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say that I had gotten somewhat nostalgic for the times when my friends and I would compete for the high scores in Guitar Hero and Amplitude or worked together as an incredible band to rock out like (in our minds) no one had done before. As I sit here surrounded by the plethora of guitars from the various iterations of the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises along with my copies of PaRappa the Rappa, Donkey Konga, Amplitude and Frequency along with many other games and peripherals from various other rhythm game franchises I remember why I loved this genre so much and why I hope one day it will return to
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Above: The title that helped kill the genre, DJ Hero.
Below: The collection that is not uncommon in most gamers' houses.
its glory days so we can all be rock stars in our own right once again. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re now reminiscing about the joy of rocking out to you favourite track and miss that sense of immersion like I do, then why not help relive the glory days and dig out that old game, dust off that old plastic guitar, plug in that mic and warm up the drums. Get the band back together for one last gig and rock out one more time for a genre that saw its origins in something so simple and evolved to something that truly rocked.
A Class Act Game music brought to life by symphony orchestras Author: Brooke Geller
Games are such beautifully orchestrated pieces of entertainment. They’re the perfect blend of astounding visuals, riveting narrative, and unique method of person-tomachine engagement. Of course in the background of all of this, tinkering with our subconscious as we lose ourselves in the mechanics and anticipate our every next move, is the soundtrack. Just like in film, the right piece of music at the exact right moment in a game can illicit so many emotions. Triumph after mashing your thumbs in to an almost bloody mess after a frenzied swarm of enemies. Reassurance and calm once you reach a safe camp. And of course, everyone’s favourite: that ‘oh, crap’ feeling that comes when the music takes an unexpectedly dark turn and you realise you’re in for one hell of a fight… with no ammo. It’s amazing how just a few carefully arranged sounds can be capable of telling us to feel rewarded, cautious or calm. Over the past decade, we’ve seen video games fight for their right to be recognised as a true form of art, or at the very least an acceptable and legitimate way for well-respected grown adults to pass their time. Games aren’t just the domain of the unemployed and pants-less, folks. Games are fancy. How fancy, you might ask? Well, so fancy that some of Australia’s most well-respected symphony orchestras are holding live performances of your favourite game soundtracks. Late last year, a number of Australian symphony orchestras held concerts in ode to some of the best video games every created. Zelda, Halo, Skyrim, BioShock- take away the swords, guns and all those pretty graphics,
"the right piece of music at the exact right moment in a game can illicit so many emotions." and instead you can have a huge opera house full of people in suits, watching the music happening right before their eyes.
Below: Compilation CD made and performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
These arrangements are usually performed with actual game footage projected behind the orchestra, providing an innovative and fresh new environment for gamers to gather and appreciate their favourite medium that doesn’t involve exhaustively traipsing around a convention all day. Plus, it totally boosts your cultural points. Video game music concerts started in Tokyo in 1987. In the past year, Australian concerts have taken place in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. In fact, Sydney has its very own dedicated symphony orchestra- Eminence Symphony Orchestra- who exclusively specialise in performances of classical music from anime and video games. But again, this isn’t just about being able to watch the bare-bones process of a piece being performed for your super grown up enjoyment. It’s about
the emotion. Expensive bow ties and seating allocations take the sideline as you’re suddenly thrown right back in the memories of gaming sessions past. Seriously, the fact that a whole bunch of gamers and classical music connoisseurs alike can come together, sit in a beautiful opera house for three hours and be collectively moved by the music from a series of video games is pretty damn cool, don’t you think?
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Video Games: The Movie A feature length documentary on the games industry. Author: Brooke Geller
Documentaries can be exciting, inspiring, informative, emotional and sometimes lifechanging. They can also be dull, overhyped and rife with overused clichés and tropes. For me, there's nothing worse than wasting a good hour or two of potential gaming time to a downright awful documentary that falls in to the latter category. Unfortunately, Video Games: The Movie is one of those documentaries.
other obscure economics that we’ve all heard a million times before.
If you thought “the first ever in depth feature length documentary about the video game industry” could be anything but dull, then I’ve got some sad news for you, buddy. Video Games: The Movie initially comes across as more of a history lesson, or long-winded Wikipedia entry. The viewer is bombarded with tired, overworked statistics on the average gamer, consumer patterns and various
To the novice gamer or unfamiliar newcomer, the documentary does a decent job of commenting on the eye-rolling violent reputation of video games in the eyes of the media, and thoroughly defends the recognition and justification of games as an art form. This is demonstrated by tracing history back to the very beginnings of the immersive nature of what we now understand to be the very ethos of modern games, reminding
The narrative then jumps back and forth across the timeline of video game history, focusing instead on the many unique and varied aspects of the video game medium. From eSports to the intricatelyexplained technical process behind the humble game, virtually every topic is covered- yes, including virtual reality (see what I did there?).
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the viewer to take a moment to really appreciate the depth of narrative that we often take for granted in modern games.
Below: The future of FPS games? I bloody hope so!
It also beautifully delves in to the unique storytelling experience offered through games, and actually explains the bright sparkly future for gaming technology- including the potential to educate future and current younger generationsin a totally non-boring way. But the message could be lost on those with short attention spans
Left: Who doesn't love a giant stadium filled with people to watch competitive eSports?
early on, as the film often fails to maintain the viewer’s attention with its tendency to simply lay down fact after monotonous fact. However many its pitfalls, the film does have a few redeeming features, and these lie in the quality of its interviewees. The film boasts some big names in the industry like Nolan Bushnell, Al Alcorn, Reggie Fils-Aime, Ed Fries, Hideo Kojimathe list goes on and on… and on. The ever-endearing and super wise uber nerd lord Will Wheaton shines as usual as he delivers beautiful insights on the beauty of the video game, his own cherished memories of the very early Nintendo years, and as usual sums up everything perfectly. Seriously, why didn’t they get Will Wheaton to direct this thing?
had games. Like… Donkey Kong. Thanks for your input, Zach. Unfortunately, no amount of Will Wheaton can save this confused, overexcited montage of classic arcade gameplay footage and obligatory shots of cosplayers milling about at conventions. It seems like Video Games: The Movie had such a beautiful message to convey, yet in all its excitement buried it under a mountain of numbers, boring tropes and Zach Braff.
Zach Braff earns his title as executive producer (explains a lot, right?) by informing us of this one time when he owned an Atari. It
RATING
5/10
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Table Top: Infinity
A battle between Red and Duck.
Author: Brett 'Red' Sellar, Daniel 'Duck' Bailey
Today two gamers sit at either end of a massive war field, preparing their glorious army for a battle in the midst of a very populated, extremely busy.... okay so there was one building and a couple awesome towers of dice and paper clips. Red and Duck are preparing for a game of Infinity. For those who haven’t heard about Infinity it is a tabletop war game based on city scape combat. A typical terrain layout will have lots of corridors, sniping towers and general clearings for some longer range combat.
Duck - “So traditionally there are more than three barricades and buildings in a game of Infinity” Red - “Don’t go mocking the terrain… It’s not my fault it took me half an hour to build that thing!” Duck - “Well we have half a proper building, means our snipers get to work this game!” Red - “Well, mine did in the first game.” Duck - “Wiping out half my army is a little bit more than work.” Red - “In the first turn of the game... Your first turn.” Duck - “It is very hard to place all the team in an area covered by the little terrain. Got completely schooled by the ARO”
ARO or Automatic Reaction Order is an action that allows a player to react to the active players orders. Basically, if your opponent moves in the Line of Fire of your models, you can take action against it, simulating a fast-paced firefight. Move past the wrong alleyway, and you could get gunned down by an opponent’s HMG in your own turn… Something that Duck had a lot of experience with thanks to a well-placed Sniper by Red. As far as the basic flow of the game goes, each player gets a certain amount of Orders equal to the number of units you have on the table, plus an extra Order only usable by your Lieutenant. These Orders can be used by any unit and you can use multiple Orders on the same unit. For example, if you need your Medic or Doctor to get to an incapacitated unit, you could use 2
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Above: Just so you have a visual of the one and only building (besides the paperclip tower).
Above: Red's sniper started his turn with Line of Sight of the enemy, opening fire straight away for a wounding shot.
could see through until you started firing, there is only so much damn terrain to hide behind.” Red - “Once again... Back to mocking the terrain. THERE WILL BE MORE NEXT TIME!”
TURN 1 - Duck
or 3 Move Orders to get them there, then use another Order to revive the unit. The battle lines were drawn, the terrain (sparsely) laid out and the armies were deployed. The Nomads for Red and the Combined Army (mock at this stage, currently in transit) for Duck, 200 points. Both players rolled a D20 for first turn, Duck wins, but passed to Red.
with an ARO to fire back. Thanks to the 2 Bursts of the AP rounds, Red’s Intruder managed to get a shot through and made a mockery of the limited armour of Duck’s Infantryman. The infantryman took a wound and was incapacitated, waiting for the help of Duck’s Medic. Red spent the rest of his Orders moving the remainder of his Nomad army, staying well behind the single piece of cover.
Red - “That was your first mistake!” Duck - “I’m sure there will be plenty of time for real mistakes.”
TURN 1 - Red As was always going to happen, Red’s Intruder immediately had Line of Sight(LoS) and opened fire. Red spent an Order and his Intruder, fired a burst of Armour Piercing(AP) rounds at Duck’s Morat Infantryman, with Duck retaliating
Duck- “I honestly didn’t notice the gap your sniper
Duck went straight into damage control and spent an Order to move his Morat medic in range to revive his infantryman. As Duck moved into the open, he had no choice but to move through LoS of Red’s Intruder. The Intruder fired with an ARO and the medic attempted to Dodge out of the way and succeeded to do so. Duck spent another Order to attempt to revive his infantryman, but failed the roll, removing the infantryman as the first casualty of war. Duck spent an Order to attempt to move his Malignos out of the Intruder’s LoS, but a well-placed ARO shot found its target and wounded him, moving him to the incapacitated state. Once again, the medic moved to get in range to revive. But, Red’s Intruder managed to get off another well placed ARO shot and wounded the medic, incapacitating him. Having no other way to revive units, both the Malignos and medic were removed as casualties. The rest of Duck’s Orders were spent moving the remainder of his army, ready to engage in close combat.
Red - “Well, a rather fortunate first turn if I do say so myself.” Duck - “I’m really starting to hate this ARO crap!” Red - “Yeah it certainly didn’t do you any favours this game.”
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TURN 2 - Red Red had a rather dull second turn. Spending his Orders moving his army up closer to the building in the middle of the table. Again staying well out of LoS of Duck’s remaining army.
Duck - “See the downside of actually thinking about where to hide your troops.” Red - “I’d like to point out that at this stage I still have all of my troops."
snipers opened fire. The Sniper fired with a 2 Burst of AP rounds which shredded the Intruder’s armour and scored a wound, incapacitating him. With the Intruder finally out of the game, Duck spent the remainder of his Orders to move his army.
Duck - “Finally my army has had their rightful revenge on your pitiful sniper!” Red - “Pretty sure he made his points worth right there.”
TURN 3 - Red TURN 2 - Duck The main objective of Duck’s second turn was to eliminate Red’s Sniper. Duck moved his Morat Sniper into LoS with the Intruder and both
Turn 3 is where all the action takes place and the game is ultimately won. Red used his first Order to move his Wildcat into LoS of Duck’s Lieutenant, Charontid, and opened fire using
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his Combi-Rifle. A full 3 Bursts went to waste as Duck managed to out roll and score a wound on his ARO shot to incapacitate the Wildcat. The rest of the turn was spent moving units around.
TURN 3 - Duck Duck started his turn by moving his Charontid into LoS of my Lieutenant, Reverend Custodier, and fired a burst from his Combi-
Left: Things start moving for a move close combat oriented game as the armies group around the building.
Rifle. Red managed to Dodge out of the way, but it was immediately followed by another move Order and straight into close combat. In close combat, the Charontid made short work of the Custodier thanks to his Monofilament Close Combat Weapon, killing her outright in one turn of combat. This was pretty much the story for the rest of the game, Duck’s Charontid moving between units and killing them swiftly in close combat.
WINNER - Duck
Left: Soldier down, time for the medic to move in for the revive.
Duck - “Really an interesting game and I can really see how more terrain would make use of all our extra abilities and would make close combat a lot more useful.” Red - “Kind of wish I had have known about the Camouflage of my units and how to use it. Also, would have liked to combat jump my Hellcat medic in."
Left: Carnage. Duck rips apart Red's army in close combat.
Duck - “I also appreciate the different rolling method the game uses, having to roll below your own ability score but above the other player and then having saving throws above a certain threshold makes it just feel different.” Red - “Not to mention the whole vast array of modifiers. I’m disappointed the Optical Disruptor of my Reverend Custodier didn’t get into play much, that -6 to Ballistic Skill rolls would have been VERY helpful… If I wasn’t destroyed in close combat.”
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