from the Editor... Moving forward through the year, we have a lot of exciting titles creeping up on us! It's a good time of the year for gamers, maybe not so good for their bosses who will be getting a rather large amount of their employees calling in 'sick'.
There are also many good conventions such as Oz Comic-Con and Supanova coming up all across Australia, so if you can, make sure you head on out to one! We have lots to read in this month's issue, including plenty of game reviews such as Oscura Lost Light, Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late, The Bright Lord DLC and a Druid's Duel. We also take a look at some awesome Razer hardware, the Razer Blade and the Naga Epic Chroma. Brooke also has done a great satire piece on how to analyse a game review on page 14 and since Jordan has no internet at the moment, he takes a look at what to do when you have nothing to do on page 10. In the mean time, enjoy your Easter, have a great time gaming and always live life like you have no respawns left.
Ryan 'LemonHunter' Sattell
Editor in Chief
meet some of the TEAM...
Jordan Antonelli
Brooke Geller
Brett 'Red' Sellar
Mateusz Kaplon
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.
Raised by "nerds and geeks" Mateusz has been an avid tabletop, PC and console gamer since the days of old. His passion is only stymied by the number of hours available in a day.
>>Have your say on our facebook page @ www.facebook.com/antigravnet and you could feature in the magazine << 2 | Anti-Gravity Gaming Network
Anti-Gravity Gaming Network | 3
Contents >>
Anti-Gravity Gaming Network | Issue 7 | April 2015
6
PRESCREEN
16 REVIEWS
6
GAMES TO LOOK OUT FOR IN THE COMING MONTHS
18
Razer Blade
8
ARTICLES
20
Kirby Fighters Deluxe
8
GTFO
10
Isolation
22
Oscura Lost Light
12
What Makes a Good Remake
24
Under Night InBirth Exe: Late
14
How to Analyse a Game Review
26
The Bright Lord DLC
30
Dead or Alive 5: Last Round
32
Razer Naga Epic Chroma
FEATURES
10 ISOLATION
36
Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires
40
A Druid's Duel
When you have no internet, what's a gamer to do?
12 REMAKES
What goes into making a good remake? We explore the formula.
BE OUR FRIEND 22 OSCURA LOST LIGHT /ANTIGRAVNET
A look at a beautiful indie game, embracing the art of simplicity.
@ANTIGRAVNET
40 A DRUID'S DUEL /AGGNTV
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All skill in this great little indie title.
24 UNDER NIGHT INBIRTH EXE:LATE FAST PACED ANIME FIGHTING ACTION AT ITS BEST
18 RAZER BLADE A POWERFUL GAMING PC ON THE GO
8 WOMEN IN GAMES GTFO THE DOCUMENTARY
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PRESCREEN>> GAMES TO LOOK OUT FOR IN THE COMING MONTHS
01
02
01 // PROJECT CARS Project CARS is the most authentic, beautiful, intense and technicallyadvanced racing game on the planet.
02 // LEGO JURRASIC WORLD Everyone loves a LEGO game and everyone loves dinosaurs. This game is a win win.
03
04 03 // SPLATOON A very unique FPS game coming to the Wii U, It's weird. We like it.
04 // BATMAN ARKHAM KNIGHT The latest instalment from the Arkham series. You get to drive the batmobile!
05
06
05 // THE WITCHER 3 Play a monster slayer for hire chasing a child of prophecy in a troubled and morally indifferent fantasy open world.
06 // BLOOD BOWL 2 Set in the fantasy world of Warhammer, get messy on the field in a game of gridiron with orks!
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Women in Games: GTFO A BRAND NEW DOCUMENTARY EXPOSING THE HARRASSMENT OF WOMEN IN VIDEO GAMES Author: Brooke Geller
Can you remember how many articles you’ve read on the subject of sexism in gaming? Probably not. In the average sociallyaware gamer’s regular consumption of games media, the amount of discussion encountered pertaining to the unfair treatment of women in our community is almost impossible to keep track of. Unfortunately, the prolific and unrelenting search for an end to this phenomenon has resulted in many opting to either turn a blind eye, or dismiss such discussions as ‘feminist rants’. So what do you do when the community refuses to read one more word on a problem that needs our attention now more than ever? It’s simple. Don’t tell them - show them. Luckily, Shannon Sun-Higginson has done just that. GTFO is the latest documentary from the filmmaker, and premiered at South by Southwest festival just last month. It explores the countless incidents of harassment experienced by female gamers simply for being women existing within a traditionally male-dominated industry. The scale of harassment dealt to women who are, god forbid, daring enough to pick up a controller and speak into their headset is staggering. GTFO tells the story of these women and their abusers - other gamers who have a massive issue with the fact that a woman could ever possibly enjoy the same flavour of interactive digital entertainment. But the mistreatment of these women isn’t always as obvious as a disturbing Xbox live message or crudely uttered insult mid-match. The director was inspired to create a documentary on the topic after witnessing footage of Miranda “SuperYan” Pakozdi being subjected to a tirade of
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"Gamergate brought these issues right out in the open, and this documentary is here to keep that discussion running."
Above: Director Shannon Sun-Higginson (far left) on a Kickstarter panel about modern feminism.
Above: GTFO is taking leaps in tackling sexism in video games.
Below: Muse Games designer and artist Emily Compton and Jess Haskins join the discussion in GTFO.
inappropriate behaviour from her own coach on Capcom’s livestream show Cross Assault in 2012. GTFO is not, in fact, a Gamergatetriggered comment on the industry. In fact, filming wrapped well before the notorious hashtag scandal erupted some seven months ago. The timing however couldn’t be more perfect. Gamergate brought these issues right out in the open, and this documentary is here to keep that discussion running. The fact is that the industry is in a state of conflict with itself. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock recently, you’ve probably noticed a gradual but definite shift in games and games culture to that of a more diverse and inclusive nature. We’re seeing the success of a huge amount of ground-breaking titles exploring a range of themes and social issues that many thought couldn’t be commented on within something as unsuspecting as a video game. The fact is that video
Above: The world premiere of the documentary at SXSW.
games have become one of the most effective ways to make an impacting statement on the status quo and challenge people’s notions of what we accept as ‘normal’. So why is it that such a daringly creative and intelligent form of media still allows space for a community so rife with blatant vitriol and abuse? The documentary is currently only available to backers of the film’s Kickstarter campaign, which raised over $33,000- that’s almost fifteen grand more than the project’s goal. Featuring interviews with developers, scholars and seasoned gamers of all genders, GTFO promises to be “the beginning of a larger conversation that will shape the future of the video game world”. Fingers crossed that public screenings will be available soon so we can get that conversational ball rolling.
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Isolation
WHAT TO DO WHEN THERE'S NAUGHT TO DO Author: Jordan Antonelli
Right: Thousands of books at my fingertips? ITTTYYY BIITTTYY living space.
Recently I moved house, yay. Things were looking up, I've got my own study for all my gaming machines, way more space than my cramped St Kilda apartment. My new house has no internet though, and won't for some time. Dang it. What is a guy to do? While I'm in a state of limbo there will be a few things I won't be doing. Twitch streams? Nope, won't be watching them. Netflix? Looks like the Netflix launch will just have to wait for me. Crunchyroll? Nope, no anime for Jordan. For all our concerns about turning into an online culture, it seems we've become one overnight. My new study holds thousands of dollars of machines, gaming and otherwise, and most of what they do requires some kind of internet connection. There are of course ways around this, and I've been in similar situations before, albeit not for as long as this. Wireless internet is expensive, and trying to game on it is almost impossible with such high ping. For the moment it seems I'm stuck, but that doesn't need to mean throwing in the towel. What I decided to do was see how I could embrace being disconnected. Let's get back to the classics, the things I'd throw myself into before I had that Unlimited Download plan. Surely not EVERYTHING I own requires a connection....right? The question for me became this, just what do I do with myself in the meantime? For my gaming, I initially tried to keep playing my new console releases, most of those are OK without a connection. Xenoverse,
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GTA V, etc. Quickly I found myself craving that online play, eventually it just started ruining my session, so those went back into the cupboard. I decided to go back and have another go at TES: Oblivion. A bit of a fan favourite, I knew I'd be able to sink a huge amount of hours into it, and I wouldn't lose any functionality by playing offline. After logging into my gaming computer I noticed something immediately, the last time I played Oblivion on the PC I was trying to mod it substantially. Dang it, 'cause it looks like I did a pretty dodgy job. The ground is blue and the sky is green, and the game just keeps crashing. Good one Jordan. Not having a
hours of game time, substantially more if I put a proper effort in. Next, what do I do without my TV and movies? There was no way I'd watch free-to-air, not in my lifetime, and we don't have Foxtel, so what is a guy to do. My media server is in pieces so there's nothing on that front...and I certainly can't stream, whether it be Netfix, Presto or Stan. There's always a movie or two left somewhere in the download's of my laptop but we went through those in the first week... As backwards as it sounds, I've decided to do some reading, or rather, a lot of reading. With a
spanning everything from junior reading to complex fiction. So, I think that is going to give me enough to keep me busy, hell I'm already halfway through the Thrawn Saga. On top of these treasures it turns out Dragonball and Naruto were living on my old hard drive, and while they aren't the new anime I've been watching, they'll just have to do until I can log back into Crunchyroll. For train trips to work I'll be working through LoZ Master quest on my 3DS, otherwise there's always room for another play through of a Pokemon title.
"let's get back to the classics... surely not everything i own requires a connection... right?" connection, I can't just reinstall... Eureka, I have the 360 disk! Crisis averted. No extra texture packs, no lighting packs, just classic Bethesda TES. Turns out I also still have the PC disk set for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Things just started looking up. With these two at the top of the agenda, I just booked in at LEAST 60
physical book? Of course not, this isn't the dark ages! Open the Kindle app on my iPad mini and you'll see a decent collection of books. We've got some Game of Thrones titles, The Sword of Truth series, a few classics, and even DC's Flashpoint series. But none of that compares to my Star Wars collection. I have the entire EU on my iPad and even though it isn't canon anymore, it is a hell of a lot of reading to catch up on. Star Wars fanatics will appreciate just how many titles are in the franchise,
All in all I think I've got a few hundred hours of reasonable content to get through, which isn't as bad as initially thought it would be. For someone who DIDN'T have an internet connection as a youngster, since I left home and moved away to the big city, even I didn't suspect just how internet intensive our community has become. We're constantly checkingin, tagging and tweeting, and that's just when we're out and about. When we get home our consoles and computers are talking with the rest of the world and we tend to forget just how frequently they do it. When we take away that connection we immediately become isolated, and that was initially quite daunting for me. For the next little while, my phone will be my connection to the outside world, my reddit browser and my internet banking, but my gaming consoles are going to have to kick it old school. It'll be disks, not downloads.
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What Makes a Good Remake CAN IT BE NOSTALGIA ALONE? Author: Mateusz Kaplon
With the recent release of "Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty!", I thought I would spend some time discussing what makes a good game remake. In the last ten years or so, we have found more and more of our favourite childhood games revived to enrich our lives once more. I have been around the block once or twice in my time and have come to an interesting conclusion and/or opinion myself. The first and most likely known remake was Counter Strike: Source. This was one of the earliest bug name remakes I can remember, and in my opinion, it was more or less exactly what we could have hoped for. It gave us awesome new graphics, smoother models, and
at least seemed to run smoother. In my books, it was perfect. Another game I am sure most readers have played is, of course, the Pokemon Series. The Pokemon series has, much like the Pokemon themselves, been evolving. The first remake I played was Fire Red on the GameBoy colour. It sounds silly, but all they did was add colour, allow you to access an in-game tutorial at any time, and when loading up a saved game it would remind you of the last four things you completed before switching the game off. Now I don't know about you, but I personally loved it, it kept the gameplay the same and really helped me get back in the swing of things if I hadn't played the game for a while. The next major Pokemon remake I played was Pokemon SoulSilver. The
"i hope that this trend of being able to swap between new and old graphics continues."
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Above: One of the most popular multiplayers of all time, Counterstrike is a classic.
Below: The ability to swap graphics is too cool.
graphics in this remake definitely had more than just colour added. Looking like Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, this game looked beautiful in comparison to its original. The other awesome feature added into these instalments was that HeartGold and SoulSilver allowed the first PokĂŠmon in the player's party to follow them, echoing PokĂŠmon Yellow where Pikachu
Left: How much difference colour can make.
gameplay modes. All of the games run at 60fps and all but the Halo 2 remake have a native resolution of 1080p. The biggest downside was how the multiplayer matchmaking system was a disaster, which was improved with future updates. That aside, the game did amazingly well, but I encountered an interesting dilemma. Sometimes the new graphics were too good. There are plenty of enemies that use invisibility shields - this was easy enough to spot in the original games but near-undetectable in the remakes. I never thought that the graphics could be too good, but I was proven wrong.
follows the player. Again, Pokemon hit a homerun, and I loved it. A bit of an oldie, but a goodie. The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, was of course a remake of, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right, you guessed it, The Secret of Monkey Island. The remake received a massive overhaul with more detailed visuals, a remastered musical score, voice work for characters and a hint system. It even included a feature to switch between 2009 and original audiovisuals at will. This was absolutely amazing! Going from a 16 bit colour to handdrawn visuals was outstanding, but the fact that I could swap between the two at will and revel in the nostalgia of days past? It quickly gave this game a spot in my heart. Another remake that included the feature to swap between the two graphic schemes was Halo: The Master Chief Collection. The collection consisted of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo 4. It was crammed with their full catalogue of extras, including all multiplayer maps and
This got me thinking and I realised a few things about our beloved video game remakes. Sometimes things can get a bit out of hand, with some simply being a remastered copy of a remake (Resident Evil). Some remakes have awesome new features, some donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. They all have improved graphics, and depending on the game, a new physics engine. But this can also complicate things - as I briefly mentioned with Halo, sometimes improved graphics can actually hinder you from playing as initially intended. What I take away from these is that remakes will always excite us. They have hype from existing fans that played the original to drive new fans to already existing franchises and allow for further remakes. The one thing all of these had in common though was the fact that, short of Halo (However easily overcome by the excellent execution allowing you to change graphics in/ mid-game), the games were able to be played as intended. If the game cannot be played just like the original, the remake is both a failure and disappointment in my eyes. That being said, I hope that this trend of being able to swap between new and old graphics continues, as I personally believe there is nothing better than playing the original.
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How to Analyse a Game Review A HANDY HOW-TO GUIDE FOR THE UNEDUCATED READER Author: Brooke Geller
Oh, game reviews. What would we do without them? Probably waste a lot of cash on terrible games. After all, a review’s purpose is essentially to critique a game’s ability to deliver on the fun times, and tell us if we should be clicking our lunch money away on Steam. Those intellectual types are always banging on about how we should read more- so why not read some reviews? But wait! You don’t want to take on this literary task unequipped and essentially blind. Over many years of games criticism, the avid readers of such reviews have formulated an unspoken format on how to best take on the information presented to them. However, by monitoring countless comments sections, tweets and blogs, I have managed to devise the exact formula for analysing any game review. Get ready to get educated, kids.
"don't even bother to attempt to weigh up the pros and cons in the article!"
Maintain a closed mind Some would say that keeping an open mind helps you to become a more wise and enlightened person. I say that this is absolute bollocks. Why let the trash of the world pollute your obviously superior thoughts with their nonsense? Let’s say you don’t like Lego games. Maybe you never even liked playing with Lego as a kid. Ever stepped on that stuff? So painful. Keeping true to your personality is essential to building character, so make sure you stay true to your Lego vendetta and take that exact same attitude right to the comments section of the review of the Lego Movie Videogame. Don’t even bother to attempt to weigh up the pros and cons presented in the piece. Scroll straight down to the comments section and let your Lego rage fly.
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Above: Opinions - the internet just doesn't have enough of them.
Below: Don't think, just post.
The review praises the environment in the game? No! The environment is made entirely of Lego! The reviewer is a LEGO LOVING IDIOT who clearly knows nothing about any game, ever. That website should be emailing you any day now, just begging you to take freelance gigs off their handsall thanks to your strong, intelligent mind. Skip straight to the numerical rating Game designers often spend years making a game before its release. Then reviewers spend days playing that game, then quite a few more hours writing a review. Then they re-write it, walk away from it, come back to it, read it again, cry, re-write it, and then send it off to their editor with a new sense of self-loathing (it’s a writer thing). Strangely enough, the people who read game reviews tend to skip those hundreds of eloquently written words and turn their attention purely to the game’s overall rating out of ten. When looking at this number, ensure to get very invested in it. Why is this game rated a six and not a seven? Or eight? You might think this is where you’d turn to the actual written review to see the reasons for this
phenomenon. No. Once again, just take your angry thoughts straight to the comments section. After all, you know better than the reviewer, right? Know what makes a great game A rich and engaging narrative; brilliant character design; an immersive experience that stays with you long after the final boss fight. These are all things that matter not when it comes to a well-made game. Two hundred different weapon choices, graphics that look nice on your giant TV and non-stop shooting are all that you should be looking for in a game. And if you ever see a review criticising a game that meets that criteria, you better dismiss it as utter garbage. Immediately.
reason. Or they might not respond to comments at alldon’t feed the trolls and all that. But you have opinions too, damn it, and it’s your right to have them heard! Try and connect with the reviewer on a personal level. Trawl through their Twitter feed and try to find a personal angle at which to connect with them. For example, informing them that you think their glasses are fake, and you don’t take game recommendations from faux nerd wannabes. What’s that? They have astigmatism? Insist that they’re liars who bought those cheap frames at Jay Jays for fifteen bucks, then demand they hand in their resignation to their editor immediately. On a similar note, make sure to see what other games that same writer has reviewed recently and what they thought of them. Insist that someone who thoroughly enjoyed playing a lame indie ‘masterpiece’ like Gone Home has no place in speaking a bad word against the latest Saints Row DLC. Make sure to throw in some insulting reference to their obviously useless university degree and you’re done. I’m sure the writer is at home behind their laptop right now, jotting down notes from all your constructive criticism and nodding fervently.
Engage with the reviewer It’s always great to get feedback on your writing. Some writers choose not to read the comments section on their reviews for some bizarre
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REVIEWS 18 20 22 24 26 30 32 36 40
Review 26
THE BRIGHT LORD 16 | Anti-Gravity Gaming Network
Razer Blade
Hardware
Kirby Fighters Deluxe
3DS
Oscura Lost Light
PC
Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late
PS3
The Bright Lord DLC
PC
Dead or Alive 5: Last Round
Xbox One
Razer Naga Epic Chroma
Hardware
Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires
Xbox One
A Druid's Duel
PC
20
24
30
32
36
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>> FEATURE
"RAZER ALWAYS SEEM TO BE PUSHING THE ENVELOPE WHEN IT COMES TO THEIR HARDWARE AND THE BLADE IS NO EXCEPTION."
RAZER BLADE Author: Ryan Sattell
The Razer Blade is often referred to as 'that overpriced laptop' followed by people saying "I could totally build a more powerful desktop for so much cheaper". Others say that it is "that sexy beast of a machine that I will give my first born child for". There are reasons people say both of these things, which I shall explore a little more in this review.
The Looks This is where the word 'sexy' comes in to play. This laptop looks good. I mean real good. One of the things I had noticed when first looking at the Blade was the size. It is a very thin laptop, but don't be fooled, as it is also very sturdy. I was worried at first thinking that it would snap if you mashed those keys a little too hard, but, unlike some other super thin laptops, it didn't feel like this at all. You can tell that a lot of design has gone into this laptop, which is something Razer like to make apparent. Not only is it aesthetically pleasing, but a lot of smart people with brains and stuff have put a lot of work into the heat distribution of the Razer Blade. The Blade looks sleek and neat and is not very heavy, making it very easy to carry around for a gamer on the go. This is also handy when you don't want to drag your big desktop around to your mate's place for a quick gaming session. Another thing that makes it even better for gamers on the go is the power pack, more specifically the size of it. The power pack is TINY, which is a great relief due to the standard we have grown a custom to with big gaming laptops. One more point worth mentioning as well is the battery life of the Blade. Of course battery life can change a lot depending on what you are doing and what you have various setting on, such as screen brightness, but through my use, the laptop lasted many hours on a single charge, making it great for university students.
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FEATURE <<
The Power The 2014 model of the Razer Blade we got our hands on (they have a new version out which has updated hardware) has an i7-4702HQ processor coupled with 8GB of 1600MHz RAM and a GTX 870M GPU. This thing is a beast, especially for such a slimline 14inch laptop. Speaking of such craziness in a 14inch laptop, let's not forget about the QHD+ LED touch screen with a native resolution of 3200x1800. Everything looks B-E-A-UTIFUL on this screen - perfect to make your gaming experience a step above the rest and also making it very handy for designers who require a high quality screen. I've tried a few different games on the Razer Blade and have only seen good things. I had noticed that while playing The Sims 4 that the system fans spun up quite loud, but it didn't drop frames or alter the gaming experience. However the noise was a tad annoying. It didn't get as loud when playing Evolve, which was good. The good thing is that where your hands rest on the laptop when playing doesn't get overly hot. This is thanks to that science stuff they did which directs the heat near the top of the chassis near the power button. That area definitely gets hot, almost to the stage you could cook on it - but Razer have distributed the heat here intentionally as it is somewhere you would never touch when using the laptop. There are 3 USB3.0 ports and a HDMI port. There aren't any other display ports and there is no ethernet port, but I don't see this as a bad thing. Majority of screens now have HDMI compatibility and if you have a Razer Blade, my guess is you would have a decent screen/TV if you are wanting to connect it up. The no ethernet port is due to the small profile of the laptop and I much prefer the smaller laptop instead of an ethernet port.
The Conclusion The Razer Blade is a premium laptop. Razer always seem to be pushing the envelope when it comes to their hardware and the Blade is no exception. It's obvious that with the price tag attached to the Razer Blade that is it not for everyone, but for those who do want the best and can afford the best, I highly consider the Razer Blade.
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REVIEW
Kirby Fighters Deluxe A BRAWLERS GUIDE TO KIRBY Author: Mateusz Kaplon
One of the iconic characters of our childhood returns yet again in this new instalment available on the Nintendo eShop. Kirby Fighters Deluxe for 3DS is an upgraded, stand-alone version of the mini-game that is in Kirby: Triple Deluxe. Everything a Kirby fan really wants; an all out Kirby brawl!
Game Info: Format: New Nintendo 3DS XL Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo No. Players: 1 - 4 Online Multiplayer: No
Sold as a stand-alone eShop title, Kirby Fighters Deluxe includes new stages, team battles and a new item. It also rewards true fans who already own a copy of Kirby: Triple Deluxe with the new Beetle and Bell abilities, as well as the Waddle Dee Train Tracks stage. For those who haven't played before, the game is a lot like Super Smash Brothers (SSB). Instead of an assortment of characters from across Nintendo's universe, you play as Kirby with one of 10 copy abilities. These include: Sword, Cutter, Beam, Whip, Parasol, Archer, Bomb, Hammer, Fighter and my personal favourite, Ninja. Also, for those of us who own Triple Deluxe, you also have access to Bell and Beetle.
"the 3D worked really well with the colours schemes and was even incorporated into boss fights."
After you have chosen your Kirby, you set off through a series of stages against all of the other abilities. Much like SSB, you compete against your enemies stage by stage, opponent by opponent, eventually ending with a boss fight or two (Okay, there are only two boss fightsâ&#x20AC;Ś). You often fight multiple opponents at once, sometimes with an AI buddy to assist you. There are also several different difficulties, with a special surprise unlock bequeathed upon those who beat the game on the Very Hard difficulty. The game plays well in my opinion, however the controls take a little bit to get used to. As much as the game seems to conceptually
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Above: Remember to check out ALL the stages!
be a lot like SSB, the control layout and mechanics are nowhere near as complex. There are only so many attacks that you can perform, which was slightly disappointing, but was easily outweighed by incorporating the SSB dodge mechanics. One could make the argument that it is somewhat of a SSB knock off by sharing so many concepts and mechanics. I personally make the argument that by incorporating a new, yet limited, attack system and pairing it with a fluid and effective dodge mechanic, it creates a game that requires the player to learn the fine dance that is a multiplayer brawler. As you progress through difficulty levels you learn very quickly that you cannot be a simple brawler. You definitely need to use combination moves more and more, as well as the dodge mechanic and making use of openings. Aesthetically the game was great. I loved the stages, there are actually more stages to play on than there
are rounds, so make sure to take a peak in multiplayer mode, or alternatively training mode if there is no one about to share in a game. The soundtrack was lovely and included the easily recognisable (and satisfying) "complete" tune once victory is achieved. What really took the cake for me were the colours, they were crisp and bright, almost popping out of the screen. On that note (pardon the terrible segway) the 3D worked really well with the colour schemes and was even incorporated into boss fights. It was nice, smooth, and I found that it didn't slow down the graphics as I've experienced in other games. The multiplayer is definitely fun, allowing ko'd team members to float around as a ghost to pester the enemy. However, in my opinion, the multiplayer is the biggest letdown this game has. There is no online capability, which as a low cost game I can somewhat understand. But the fact that others who join your game that do not own a copy are limited
Above: A quick and easy game setup screen, this game is user friendly, even nan and pa can do it!
to the choices of Sword, Cutter and Beam really makes it a letdown. Kirby Fighters Deluxe is a fun game to play. If you are an avid Kirby fan or enjoy a good all fashion brawl, this game is definitely for you. It's not a game you will be able to sink an entire weekend into as a result of the repetitive nature this game has, but most definitely has a good price considering that you will be easily able to pick it up and play in a spare moment. Falling under the $10 range on the Nintendo eShop, I would encourage fans of Kirby or brawlers to pick up a copy. All in all, I would rate Kirby Fighters Deluxe a 7/10, definitely a fun way to kill some time.
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REVIEW
Oscura: Lost Light
REVISITING THE FORGOTTEN ART OF SIMPLICITY Author: Brooke Geller
Game Info: Format: PC Other Formats: Mac, Linux Developer: Chocolate Liberation Front Publisher: Surprise Attack Games Release Date: 24/2/15 No. Players: 1 Online Multiplayer: No
Right Top: It is up to Oscura to restore light to the world. Right Bottom: Puzzles abound in the Driftlands.
As picturesque and idyllic as nature can be, there are certain wild and untamed lands that teem with terror- especially long after the sun has gone down. Oscura: Lost Light revisits our most haunting camping memories with the swampy, eerie surrounds of the Driftlands. This is a place fraught with danger as cloven hoofed beasts and sharptaloned creatures of the sky lurk around every corner, awaiting the arrival of our unlikely hero Oscura. Taking place before the previous two titles in the franchise, the young apprentice lighthouse keeper has been ordered to seek out the lost shards of the destroyed Aurora Stone. Whilst his defenceless nature would usually prove to be a disadvantage, the dramatic destruction of the Stone resulted in Oscura being gifted the ability to wield certain powers. And so our scrawny little klutz must brave the belly of the dark forest, commanding the powers of Construction, Destruction, Gravity and Time to ensure his mission is successful. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an undeniable sense of simplicity to this game, and yet the gameplay still proves to be both frustrating and challenging. The puzzles presented arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t so much tricky to figure out as difficult to pull off.
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"a precise touch and perfect timing are crucial in navigating the treacherous road ahead" The incredibly sensitive controls mean a precise touch and perfect timing are crucial in navigating the treacherous road ahead to reach the next glowing beacon of hopecheckpoints. For those who aren’t so familiar to the genre, or perhaps haven’t dabbled in such a style since the days of the classics, there’s a lot to get used to. But nailing those difficult levels is incredibly satisfying- and the safety net of unlimited lives doesn’t hurt either. The Driftlands resemble a gothic, steam punk fairytale, complete with gears and all. Don’t get too close though- those gears are lethal. The constant threat of an impending impale is very real, with antlers, thorns and
various other miscellaneous spiky objects all threatening to put an end to Oscura’s short life. Despite its sinister, gloomy overtones, Oscura: Lost Light is still lacking that magical, enchanting allure that we’ve come to expect from similar recent releases like Ori and the Blind Forest. And the dark shadowy environment still doesn’t quite compare to the likes of Limbo. Nevertheless, there’s a distinct neon-macabre vibe to this game that I can’t help but feel drawn in by.
Above: Spikes, spikes EVERYWHERE!
to handle, and I feel Oscura’s powers could have more potential with a touch screen device. Whilst not promising to become a frequented favourite in my library, Oscura’s mash up of old school and new school has succeeded in taking me down a fond path of nostalgia. A dimly lit one perhaps, but pleasurable nonetheless.
The first in the franchise to be released on PC, I really think this game would have felt more natural on Android or iOS- the keyboard controls are a little odd
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REVIEW
Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late HIGH SPEED, ANIME FIGHTING ACTION Author: Brett Sellar
Game Info: Format: PS3 Developer: French Bread Release Date: 27/02/15 Online Multiplayer: Yes
I have said in the past that I’m not big on fighting games, with the exception of Guilty Gear and BlazBlue. But Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late is absolutely bang on the mark of being as good as them. From the word go, I was hooked. It just happens that Under Night In-Birth was published by ArcSystem Works, the same people who worked on Guilty Gear and BlazBlue… what a coincidence. Under Night takes place in Japan where a phenomena called the Hollow Point has been enveloping parts of the country once a month for several centuries. Areas that are engulfed by the Hollow Point are home to shadow-demons creatures called Voids that feast upon Existence and cannot be perceived by normal people. The few people that can see them are targeted by the Voids and are either consumed
by them or lose their sanity; however those that survive an attack are known as an In-Birth. These people are in a sort of limbo, and they gain the ability to control Existence. But we all know a storyline isn’t why people play fighting games, so you know, time to fight stuff! Much like Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, Under Night is a 2D fighter that is given a heavy coat of anime paint. It has sixteen different characters and they all feel unique to play. My personal favourite was Merkava, a human who pursued the status of a Re-Birth but was consumed by the power of Existence and turned into a Void. He fights by stretching his limbs to strike at the enemy and can fly just above the enemy and launch some powerful strikes from above. Why I love this though is because it’s not like other fighting
"this is quick, heavily reliant on combos and has a vast list of long and short range attacks." 24 | Anti-Gravity Gaming Network
Above: So much going on, and every bit of it is awesome.
Below: 2D characters and a semi 3D background. Give me more of this!
games. Series like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat are slow and very grounded; but this is quick, heavily reliant on combos and has a vast list of long and short range attacks. What makes Under Night interesting is the GRD meter (standing for Grind Grid). Once you fill the meter you gain a Vorpal status - granting a damage boost
Below: Spellbooks, summons and flying rubber bat things. This game has it all.
and the ability to Chain Shift which can be used for special combos and to pause the fight. GRD is gained by landing attacks, blocking attacks and basically playing aggressively. You lose GRD by having an attack blocked and backing away from your opponent. This simple feature stops people using the
same attack or blocking constantly and rewards aggressive play styles.
and it just doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the same pull that BlazBlue did for me.
Under Night looks beautiful and I absolutely love the art style. While some of the characters are fairly generic anime tropes, there are a few that are so brilliant that they more than make up for it.
While the online matchmaking is very well done and can match people from other regions, I can see it becoming a ghost town very quickly.
At first, Under Night was a bit complicated and it took a while to get my head around, but once I did it was a brilliant experience. I do however have concerns for the games longevity, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a very niche market for this style of fighter
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SHADOW OF MORDOR THE BRIGHT LORD Author: Brooke Geller
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REVIEW
At the very cusp of 2015, I resolved that this would be the year that I would strive to be more elf like - elvish, if you will. Not exactly the most ordinary of New Year resolutions, I know. But there’s just something about elves that really gets me. They seem to possess every desirable characteristic that I lack- silky straight hair straight out of a conditioner commercial, immeasurable amounts of both grace and strength, and infinite wisdom gained over an entire immortal lifetime. Slightly unrealistic expectations to place on myself, sure. There’s just something undeniably bad ass about being able to masterfully wield a bow whilst managing to keep a head full of braids perfectly intact. In the latest DLC instalment in the understandably praised Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, we see the elf Bright Lord Celebrimbor traverse the ashen wastelands of Mordor with the one ring itself. The aim of his mission? To utilise the Ring of Power to take down Sauron and rescue his family from the scaly bastard’s metal talons. Did Middle Earth just get its own version of Liam Neeson? Hell yeah it did. Unlike prior DLCs which focused mostly on new maps and combatants, The Bright Lord is a prequel to the events of the main game. Set thousands of years prior in a now familiar and desolate part of Middle Earth, Celebrimbor has made it his duty to assemble a mighty Uruk and challenge Sauron’s claim to Mordor. However, the Ring of Power threatens to overcome our hero and corrupt his noble soul at any moment. Tolkien lore nerds rejoice! Apart from being a narrative blast from the past, what fresh
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Game Info: Format: PC Other Formats: PS4, Xbox One Developer: Monolith Productions Publisher: Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment Release Date: 24/2/15 No. Players: 1 Online Multiplayer: No
Below: Play as Celebrimbor as he battles Sauron for control of Mordor.
"did middle earth just get its own version of liam neeson? hell yeah it did."
Above: Archery skills are taken to a whole new level.
Above: Guest starring Galadriel! For like, twelve seconds.
Below: An Uruk six pack? No... thank you....
within RPGs, but will challenge the way future games are designed.
if you like this Shadow of Mordor Review
Reviewed: Issue 3, November 2014
features does The Bright Lord bring to the table? Celebrimbor’s command of the Ring of Power allows him the power of invisibility and a time-suspending advantage during combat. These new abilities can sometimes prove to be slightly tricky to access and navigate during a typically frenzied fightespecially when faced with many of the rough new opponents on offer. There’s a whole new slew of vile, cocky Uruk war chiefs to tear through, and they are rough- they’re like hybrid Gremlins on steroids, with armour that makes them look like undead Hannibal Lectors. Uruk scuffles offer challenging satisfying combat straight from the word go. Staying true to the game’s original offerings, fights offer far more than just a blur of keyboardmashing. Victory can only be granted from well thought out strategy. However, the swarms of enemies when fighting within Uruk strongholds can seem clunky and overwhelming in a not-so-satisfying way, replacing graceful melee combat with panicked
back flips in an effort to retreat from the messy jumble of sharp spears and cockney accents. Although there is an almost exclusive focus on heavy battle, there are also plenty of opportunities to get your elf stealth on and take down some enemies on the sly. This is helped by new branding abilities, allowing Celebrimbor to muster his Uruk minions with some sneaky mind control. No need to threaten your way into the hearts of lowly, doublecrossing soldiers- after all, that’s hardly the graceful elf way, is it?
It truly feels like we’re being given a different perspective on his character. Not yet humbled by years of self-enforced wraith existence, the wise and carefully spoken Celebrimbor of early Mordor is a far more aggressive and egotistical warrior, finding himself more tempted by the path of victorious war lord in the spiteful face of Sauron. Yet his story still lacks somehow. Maybe it’s because the original game’s storyline already filled us in on Celebrimbor’s fate. Whilst not a wildly new experience in terms of storyline or setting, The Bright Lord offers a chance to really explore the possibilities of the nemesis system and step up the difficulty level in terms of hard out combat. Sure, playing around with new abilities is a pretty cool way to waste time. But taking down that seemingly unbeatable Uruk war chief with a face like a smashed eel who’s kicked your ass in the last five battles? Now that’s satisfying.
This instalment truly shows Shadow of Mordor’s signature nemesis system at its best as Celebrimbor takes control of regions, orchestras ambushes and takeovers and attempts to corrupt the ranks of the Uruk army from within. I really feel that this feature has not only set a new standard for the way enemies are encountered
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REVIEW
Dead or Alive 5: Last Round TIME TO FIGHT AGAIN Author: Brett Sellar
Game Info: Format: Xbox One Other Formats: PC, PS4 Developer: Team Ninja
ad or Alive 5: Last Round is an expanded version of Dead or Alive 5: Ultimate, which was an expanded version of Dead or Alive 5… I’m starting to think that Team Ninja don’t really have much else going for them. There is not much to say on DoA5: Last Round that I didn’t already say about Ultimate. Dead or Alive has always been in another class of fighters compared to Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter. They have always been more fluid and faster, requiring more skill. Watching someone who is genuinely talented at DoA is far more entertaining than Mortal Kombat, there is just something very impressive about it. I have always said that Dead or Alive was visually stunning to look at and the animations were absolutely top-notch, and in Dead or Alive 5: Last Round it does not disappoint. The character models are fantastic and they have added a few nice little touches to the areas that really make it great. This is again where watching people who are actually good at the game pays off, it flows beautify between blocks, counters, throws and strikes, and really makes me wish I was better at it. With such
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a large roster of fighters, I’m very impressed that they all feel unique to play as. Everyone has a feel to them and a style all their own, be it an American style wrestler, a Ninja or Brad Wong, the Drunken Fighter. Also, to have stage transitions in a fighter isn’t something new, but DoA5 nails them. They come across as believable and organic. They just work so well in the flow of the fight. Much like the previous version of DoA5, the characters sweat while fighting. This is actually a really cool feature, especially with the current gen graphics - watching the slow motion replay as the sweat flies off on a solid hit really adds to the moment. But its true
all it does it soak through their clothes to reveal their underwear.
and added in two new arenas. So as far as new content goes, it’s nothing overly ground breaking.
So… one step forward, two steps back.
So yeah… that’s about it as far as the game goes. Storyline is still a complicated mess and the game still suffers from the massive oversexualisation of the female characters. And yes, I still think this is solely aimed at 12 year old boys. But it’s still one hell of a fighter to play.
I think one day I’m going to sit down and play all the Dead or Alive games just so I can make sense of the storyline. I feel like it should be genuinely interesting; however it’s presented in such an awful way that I had no idea what is going on. You eventually use every character, but just in three random fights at some point in the storyline. I could never really figure out what was happening. Team Ninja hasn’t really done anything incredible with this third
"the game still suffers from the massive over-sexualisation of the female characters." nature is revealed when fighting as one of the female characters and the convenient shots of cleavage glistening in sweat. It isn’t helped with the effect of fighting in water - your characters outfit gets soaked, which when used right looks genuinely impressive, until you get to a female character and
remake. They have stuck to the same formula that has worked for them in the past and have come out with a fairly solid and fun to play fighting game. But when you are working off DoA5 (an already successful game), you can’t really go wrong by adding more content. As far as anything new goes, they have added two new fighters, taking the total roster to an impressive 34 in total,
A quick side note about this game as a series. Even with the exceedingly pointless Dead or Alive: Extreme Beach Volleyball, it has finally happened; DoA has finally come full circle and will be turning into very soft-core hentai. It was announced that the first DLC for DoA5: Last Round will include, and I quote, “Explosively Destructible Costumes”. So basically, you will strip characters as you fight them. I shouldn’t act surprised this is a thing though, especially when you look at some of the goodies available in the collectors editions. Ranging from poster of half-naked female characters and one of those mouse pads where it has massive boobs built in to rest your wrist on. Oh and codes for the Beach Party and Ultimate Sexy Costume DLCs. Oh Japan, you so crazy.
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REVIEW
Above:Yes it comes with stickers.
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Razer Naga Epic Chroma ALL THE POWER IN THE PALM OF MY HAND Author: Jordan Antonelli
Left: His and Her peripherals. Green for girls, right? Because the letter G?
Peripherals are something we all get excited about. I've seen people spend hundreds on subpar products, and 20 dollar products take the cake. Razer have made a name for themselves in the peripheral market and at this point I've used most of the products in their peripheral range. Gamepads, Keyboards, Mice, Headsets, you name it. Over Christmas I was ecstatic to look over some of the new Razer Chroma gear, the Blackwidow keyboard and the Deathadder mouse. I was pretty impressed with what I saw, so when I was offered a chance to test out the other gaming mouse in Razer's Chroma arsenal, I was jumping for joy. The Epic Naga Chroma is an interesting product, for a few reasons. The Naga series is one that over the years, many people have criticised for having TOO many features. I've had a good play with a few Nagas over the years, but the Chroma certainly has a few features that bump it from being a good mouse, to a great mouse. First of all, the Chroma is a fully wireless device. After using the Microsoft Sidewinder mouse for so long, I know a little bit about wireless mice. While I absolutely love them, I also realise what a nightmare they can be when they work incorrectly. After putting it through the usual rigours of my gaming habits, I was content with the performance. I recall in prior years the speed of the mouse would often be compromised as the batteries went south, but that isn't a problem on the Naga Chroma.
Left: "Docking bay 94." "94? We'll be there."
To add onto the wireless discussion, the charging system does intrigue me. Firstly, there is no external batteries, something my Sidewinder mouse didn't use and as a result was costing a fortune in replacement batteries. While the Naga doesn't make use of removable batteries, the built in power supply
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REVIEW
Above: How lovely... all the colours of the rainbow. I can finally make all my gear magenta colours, just like I always wanted.
is fairly flexible. If you'd like to run the device wired you absolutely can, which is a comfort I've come to appreciate in top tier wireless devices. Plug the supplied micro usb chord straight into the mouse and it can go straight into the computer. If you'd like a truly wireless mouse, plug the same chord into the Naga's supplied charging dock. The dock has a magnetic lock for the Naga, holding onto it until you're ready to use it, all the while powering it up. I've seen dock designs before, but the unique design of these charging features gave it a sense of quality I never experienced with other designs. Magnetic contacts are welcome, as is the custom micro chord, but only time will really tell whether I end up using this as a wired or wireless variant. For now, wireless is looking pretty good. Backing up the design of the other Chroma devices is Razer's fully customisable lighting. With major updates to Razer's configuration tool, the Chroma peripherals have even more options than ever before. The one feature I appreciate is being able to push a lighting
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profile to other Chroma devices. My obsessive tendencies with my Chroma settings were a little easier to update with this tool, but if you want the full shebang, the answer is yes, you can customise every light on the Naga to any colour your want. The body of the Naga has gone through some changes over its lifetime, what originated as entirely too small of a device has grown to something a little more reasonable. But rather than offer custom side attachments to match size and shape to one's hand, Razer have chosen to stay with one body option. I honestly think this makes the design feel a little more sturdy and is a welcome change in philosophy, rather than keeping customisability in a counter productive state.
changed this time around, with 12 to be exact. Set up like an extended num pad, close inspection of the device revealed a few possibilities that I hadn't considered before.
The feature iconic of the Naga product has always been the extra custom keys built into the device, and we've seen them in a few forms. We've seen a few MOBA variants with a more limited number of spare ability keys, but the usual occurrence is usually a huge amount of keys lining the side of the mouse. This hasn't
If you want to use the mouse for what it's for, boot up your RPG or MMORPG of choice. The 19 programmable keys mean you can organise items, abilities, strategies and macros all in your right hand without needing to reference anywhere else. I've seen it used inside games like Starcraft to remove inefficient back and forth movement with the mouse. I've seen how well it works in Dragon Age Inquisition which I just went back to play again (and once more, was supremely impressed). The Epic Naga
Custom keys on mice are usually set up one of two ways. The most common of these is to have them run parallel to the desk, starting just under the left click. The other option, used far less often, is to stack them in a vertical fashion. This option is largely ignored because of the size of the device, however after using it for a few years it has become my preference, ESPECIALLY inside shooters. My reactions would often have me grip the mouse instinctively during stress, which I could tweak to activate either a counter with a knife, or a reload. That set-up works far less effectively with the traditional scheme. On the Epic Naga, the 12 tabled keys allow you to pick one or the other, and until now, I never even thought about the system in that way. The big addition in the Epic Naga Chroma is that these keys are now mechanical, which is a feature that is subtle due to their size, but effective in getting good response. This also creates a uniform experience across your entire mechanical set up.
could easily revolutionise your gaming experience and certainly makes a strong case for being the best available computer mouse on the market, hands down. Cost is an important issue to talk about in regards to the Epic Naga. Razer have received some criticism in the past for their pricing. As a consumer, I have found myself in positions where I've had to forgo a purchase because I just couldn't justify the cost. With this latest addition to the Chroma team, we could be looking at more of the same... Online retailers have the Epic Naga sitting around the $150 tag, which in itself is not unreasonable considering the plethora of features in the product. I guess I'd feel a little better knowing that $20 off that stock price would guarantee that the Epic Naga went from being a good deal to being an amazing deal. My first Razer product was an Abyssus mouse which I bought for maybe $40 dollars. At the time this was both a great purchase and a reasonable price. Today, buying a Deathadder is going to cost less than half that of the Naga, and I wish Razer would consider investing in their community by making the mouse a tad more affordable, and as a result getting into the hands of more of their consumers. I guess the real contest comes down to comparing the mice in the Naga range, which as it stands is still only the Naga and the Deathadder. The Naga does feel good in the hand, but its smaller profile makes it a little harder to control when compared to the Deathadder. In turn the Deathadder is one of the better mice in Razer's entire range for nothing more than that reason. Improvements to the design of the body have brought the Naga a little closer to the front runners, but in my opinion it still doesn't feel as solid as other products. This is fine for
many gaming profiles, but constant feedback I get from the Deathadder
down, every time. Does it feel AS nice? Not really. Does it matter
"I'VE HAD A GOOD PLAY WITH A FEW NAGAS OVER THE YEARS, BUT THE CHROMA CERTAINLY HAS A FEW FEATURES THAT BUMP IT FROM BEING A GOOD MOUSE, TO A GREAT MOUSE." is its performance in FPS, which is something I really struggled to contend with the Naga. For MOBA, MMO, RPG, etc, the Naga creams the opponents, but for FPS, it just doesn't have enough dispersed weight to be used effectively. In saying that, every other feature the Naga has blows the Deathadder out of the water. Wireless, on the fly DPI switching, 12 numerical keys and a multi directional mouse click make this contest a non issue. The Naga will win this argument hands
though, considering the mass of features it brings to the table? I think it more than makes up for any shortcomings. Price wise, the choice will always come down to, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Can I afford to pay twice as much for a mouse?â&#x20AC;? Should the answer be no, then the Deathadder is still a very solid buy for a good product. If the answer is yes, the Epic Naga Chroma will not be a buy you will regret, and it'll be a long time before you even so much as look at another mouse.
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DYNASTY WARRIORS 8: EMPIRES Author: Brett Sellar
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REVIEW
Game Info: Format: Xbox One Other Formats: PS4, PS3, PS Vita, Xbox 360, PC Publisher: Koei Tecmo Release Date: 24/02/15 Online Multiplayer: Yes
Dynasty Warriors has never been a series that I have had all that much interest in. Much like Dead or Alive or Street Fighter, I am baffled at how many games they can release with different words added to the title - and yet people continue to buy every one of them…despite them being the same game. But you could say the same thing about sport games. Dynasty Warriors is a hack and slash style game where you play as a powerful warrior in a generic Chinese setting while you proceed to murder thousands of expandable cannon fodder enemies. The Empire version of the game takes a Total War style approach and gives you control of a whole kingdom as you fight for control of the land. This is where the games problems begin. Depending on what kind of character you pick to play as, you
will fall into a role in the kingdom. Play as a Ruler and you will have full control over the actions of your kingdom, choosing who to invade and form an alliance with. As a Prefect you can advise the Ruler and can choose to overturn their orders. As a Lieutenant you are the leader of your own forces and pretty much just get told what to do by a Ruler. In my opinion, the game is best played as none of these, instead you should play as a Free Officer. Basically, you play as a mercenary and sell yourself to whoever is offering and if you choose to, you can join up with any kingdom and become a Lieutenant. But the game is best played when you go for a Vagabond unit with other Free Officers, overthrow another kingdom and become the new Ruler. As a Ruler, much like Total War, you control everything your kingdom does. Every six months you host a
"i made a character that looked like a pirate and began to actually play the game." 38 | Anti-Gravity Gaming Network
war council and decide where your Officers priorities will sit. Build mines, marketplaces, weapon forges to gain more money, minerals and weapons. With Empires offering so much to do, it’s all a little bit complicated and most of it is pointless. I found myself having to Google how to actually achieve some of the quests because the game gave zero indication of how to actually do it. You have to balance your Officers happiness and how much they like what you’re doing, just so they won’t try to over overthrow you… which ended badly for any Officer that tried that on me. My absolute favourite thing about Empires was the amount of customisation you can go into when creating a new character. While you can use one of the 800 or so that are already in the game, creating your own makes for some hilarious results. For example, make a male character, set all the sliders to max and giving him the most excessively massive armour in the game. This results in a giant that towers about two feet taller than everyone else and is three times as wide… then equip him a flute or harp as a primary weapon. But once the sight of this giant prancing around the battlefield attacking with a flute wore off, I made a character that looked like a pirate and began to actually play the game. The bulk of Empires is played much like other Dynasty Warrior games, on a battlefield where you completely destroy expendable soldiers and
to do anything else, except get a few thousand kills a fight. You also have access to stratagems that give you a bonus or the like in battle. One might heal you and any other Officer nearby, or one might let you build Catapults or Archer Towers. You also have Grand-Scale Stratagems that force allied Officers to withdraw while you prepare for something massive. One I had forced 2 allied Officers to leave the battle and after a short while would rain arrows down across the entire battlefield.
occasionally fight other Officers who barely put up a fight. Once I figured out how to easily defeat enemy Officers, the fights unfortunately became a joke. I could invade a territory by myself with about 2,500 troops and completely destroy the enemy force of about 15,000. The combat itself is fairly basic, depending on what weapon you pick (of which there about 200 different ones). You have basic combos and power attacks and a sort-of overdrive attack. But I found that I had one power attack with the Great Axe that was so overpowered that I didn’t need
The game as a whole looks fairly awful to boot. The frame rate during battles would be fine, but on the Kingdom menu, the weapon forge or item shop it would lag something fierce. During battle, the enemy soldiers bounce around the field as you destroy them and they just appear from thin air. The moving animations are clunky and the combat is very blocky and not fluid at all. Weapons and armour have serious habits of clipping through character models. Along with this, every battlefield was just the same boring shade of brown, yet the Officers would be dressed in the brightest of colours. Dynasty Warriors 8: Empire is forgettable at best. Don’t get me wrong, I had fun playing it this week, but I can’t see myself ever picking it up again. It tries to do a lot of things, but just falls short of any of them being good. While the battles are fun, they get very repetitive and dull very quickly. I might just pick it up to play with the character creator again.
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REVIEW
A Druid's Duel HARNESSING THE POWER OF NATURE, CELTIC STYLE Author: Mateusz Kaplon
A Druidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Duel is another lovely success story thanks to Kickstarter. The game is indie developers Thoughtshelter Games take on turn based strategy. The crowd funding campaign was launched on the 11th of March, 2014, raising $7,780 for further development and production, with a final product hitting Mac, Windows, iOS and Linux as of the 25th of February, 2015. It definitely looked like a super advanced version of chess, but plays out quite differently with a lovely professionally composed and recorded soundtrack and simple yet elegant artistic style. I expect this game to keep players engaged for hours on end. You play as Warren, a young druid fresh from his Esoteric Training with The Druids of the Esoteric Orders. Recently, The Realm of Six Seasons has discovered someone or something has disturbed the delicate balance of seasons which has cycled constantly since time began - this is likely to be disastrous to the fertile but delicate landscapes. You must find the six season stones and restore balance to the realm! Are you game enough? Each level plays out on a game board (which looks stunning by the way), however the board is malleable for players and if used with the right units becomes a sandbox and tactical gold mine. The aim of each level is to conquer all enemy tiles. Each tile increases the amount of mana you have to spend to spawn additional units, or use special abilities, each turn. The combat is simple (one hit kills), meaning that this is an all strategy, no luck game. A game all strategists will love to indulge in. There are 4 different classes available to choose from, each with
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Game Info: Format: PC Other Formats: iOS Developer: Thoughtshelter Games Publisher: Surprise Attack Release Date: 25/02/15 No. Players: 1 - 4 Online Multiplayer: Yes
Below: Use Eagle form to cover large distances and assassinate units behind enemy lines.
"The combat is simple, one hit kills, meaning that this is an all strategy, no luck game."
Above: Warren, our beloved protagonist.
Above: Use the waywalker wisely and turn the board against your enemy and to your advantage.
Below:Bear form in action, watch out for these guys!
is very “calm”, not taking too much attention from the game itself and is accompanied by a pleasant soundtrack and music. The single player/story mode spans over more than 130 levels and includes local play for LAN's as well as the opportunity for online play. The online play is somewhat lacking but is being worked and improved on by the developers.
varying mana costs ranging from 5 to 20 mana a piece. The Guardians are simple melee units, with their true strength lying in numbers and with their animal form, the wolf. The wolf can traverse large distances on the board at the cost of losing their attack that turn. Wind Riders are in my opinion one of the handiest units in the game. Being ranged units, they are completely useless in close quarters, however it make up for this with it’s eagle form. An amazingly versatile animal form, the Eagle can pierce right into the middle of enemy territory, disconnected land masses and even attack otherwise unreachable units. The Wind Rider/Eagle can also be a good way to get rid of powerful foes. On the higher end of the mana scale we have the Snarclaw Druid. These are the juggernaughts of the game. If we were to compare them to a chess piece, these are your tower pieces. The Snarclaw, when in Bear form, can cover great distances and even take two attacks a turn. This unit is an absolute killing machine! I would
definitely recommend these when in need to take out several enemy units, or deliver a crippling blow to their forces. Finally, topping the mana chart (and consequently the most versatile unit), we have the Waywalker. The Waywalker is easily the equivalent of the Queen in chess. Waywalkers rely heavily on mana so are usually a late game choice, but they have an amazing and unique ability in this game; they can change the board at will. Within a certain range this unit can add and remove board pieces, obstacles and even steal enemy tiles. This is at a cost of course, so be wary and use them wisely.
The game also offers different difficulties, which, on the lower end, are a very good introduction to strategy gaming. On the higher end however, be prepared to stare at a screen for minutes at a time calculating the best move, or pressing the restart turn button over and over again (I did find it somewhat of an issue to judge the difficulty scale in the game and would recommend new strategists start on the low end). With plenty of variety for new and experienced strategists and players I rate the game highly and can’t wait to play it with friends. It is appealing to the eyes and ears, and can range in difficulty from being a casual play to a noodle scratcher. I do hope the multiplayer interface itself gets the improvement it needs.
The game may not have a lot of different units to choose from, but your preference impacts the mechanics of the game fundamentally, giving you countless options to choose from - the only problem is making the right choice. As mentioned earlier, the art and style of the game is enticingly beautiful. It
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