WHERE ENTERTAINMENT GETS REVIEWED
ENTERTAINMENT NETWORKS JUSTIFIED
GOLDENSUN REVIEWED
GEARS of WAR 3 PREVIEW PLUS: 路 Steve Jobs Special 路 Golden Sun DS Reivew 路 Golden Sun Retro Review
NEW LAYOUT COMING Issue #5
Steve Jobs 19552011 Free Magazine
Issue #5
This month we remember Steve Jobs, and preview Gears of War 3, Plius we announce a new look for our upcoming magazines. We have left our magazine short in loving memory of the design legend Steve Jobs.
Features 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
ENJ New Look Magazine Coming Soon... Gears of War 3 Review Gears of War 3 Concluded Golden Sun DS Review Golden Sun DS Review Concluded Golden Sun Retrospect Review Golden Sun Retrospect Review Concluded Forum Invite Forum Invite Concluded Connor's Blog ENJ Competitions Rise of the planet of the Apes Review Planet of the apes review Concluded Steve Jobs Memorial Steve Jobs Memorial Gaming News
Welcome ENJ is an online entertainment magazine based in Scotland, UK. Founded in 2011 by several enthusiastic students, the idea behind the magazine was really simple to provide entertainment news to the world in a short space of time. We currently provide news for gaming consoles and movies but as our empire expands we hope we can provide more content. A new issue is released every month with action packed content ready for you to read. But we know we can do better. Please read the last page of this magazine to become a part of the crew. Contact us: enjreviews@gmail.com
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WHERE ENTERTAINMENT GETS REVIEWED FREE MAGAZINE
Contents
ENTERTAINMENT NETWORKS JUSTIFIED
MORE CLASSY... BETTER LOOK.... ALL COMING SOON...
GEARS OF WAR 3 PREVIEW This month sees the release of the third and final part of the critically acclaimed Gears of War saga. The original Gears stunned audiences upon release with it being the first game to make use of Epic’s Unreal Engine 3. Gamers were wowed with Gear’s stunning visuals and massive set-pieces. Gears quickly gathered up a huge fan base and its popularity continued to boom with the release of Gears 2 in 2008. Gears of Wars 2 ended with a cliffhanger. Jacinto had fallen and the remainders of the COG cling to the Sovereign. Dom has been forced to euthanize his long-lost wife due to her being tortured beyond recovery. The Hollow has been flooded with water and, in an after-the-credits reveal, came the revelation that Adam Fenix is still alive, and looking desperately for help. Humanity was on its last legs. Gears of War 3 picks up some time after where its predecessor left off. During the time that has passed during Gears 2, the human race has been trying desperately to cling onto any hope of survival…and Dom has spent the time growing a sweet ass beard. The campaign is more or less what you’d expect from a Gears game. The story can be played by up to four players cooperatively, either via split-screen or over Xbox Live. The primary player controls Marcus for the majority of the game, however some sections of the campaign require the player to switch control to Cole Train, which allows events to be experienced from a different point of view. The hugely popular multiplayer mode returns once again, allowing ten players to test their skills against one another. Popular modes from previous instalments, such as Team Deathmatch, Warzone, Execution, King of the Hill, Capture the Leader and Wingman.
GEARS o PREV
LockED an Also returning is the Horde co-operative mode, wherein players must team up to together survive onslaughts of attacks from Locust hordes. The mode that inspired Halo’s Firefight and Call of Duty’s Zombies has been improved this time around, kills now gain rewards for the player and, every tenth wave, a boss character appears. New is Beast mode, where roles are reversed and players control the Locust forces and attempt to exterminate the humans over twelve rounds. Interestingly, the result of the Fate of Carmine campaign will be revealed. For those of you who don’t know, this was a campaign set up by Epic before the release of the game. Clayton Carmine, brother of the late Benjamin and Anthony , appears in Gears of War 3. Fans bought one of two different t-shirts, one reading ‘Save Carmine’ and the other ‘Carmine Must Die’. Whichever shirt sold most copies….would be the fate of Clayton in Gears 3. Also, all proceeds were donated to Child’s Play. As well as Carmine, the fates of Marcus and the rest of the COG team will be revealed in this epic ending to one of the biggest gaming sagas of all time. Gears of War 3 is available now in all moderate game stores.
Written by David
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GOLDEN SUN DS REVIEW
Creating a sequel to a much loved classic is hard, much harder than you can imagine. No, let me rephrase that, it is much harder to create a sequel worthy of an originally loved game as anyone’s with video games can tell you. This monumental task is made even more gargantuan when the series in particular has an almost cult like following chomping at the bit for more of that oh so tasty experience. Camelot has attempted to satisfy Golden Sun's feverish fan base with their latest offering in the series, Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. Having been released almost nine years after the original game, Dark Dawn continues the story of psynergy and alchemy thirty years after the original events. Taking control of Matthew you must find and destroy the source of psynergy vortexes ( psynergy being the type of magic used in the Golden Sun series) which are sucking the earth dry. Along the way you will meet new friends and allies, all whom have their own abilities at aid you in your quest. The story as a whole is not as strong as the original two games, however it is still a strong contender for one of the best on the DS. Continuing the trend set in the first game, you are aided in your adventure by beings
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Written by Blake known as Djinn, magical beings imbued with pure psynergy of one of the four elements. These beings are given to the characters and allow them to learn new abilities, allowing the player variety in how they choose to customise their characters and how they play their game in general. This sprawling adventure does nothing out of the ordinary, when we compare it to others in the genre. you walk around the over world map, trotting along from town to town with the occasional cave or castle popping up from time to time, all the while randomly encountering enemies which are rightfully disposed of. In this respect Golden Sun Dark Dawn follows the path laid out for it, but it does it well enough to work. Being a traditional turn based RPG Golden Sun uses a system which can tend to get monotonous over time if not executed well. Camelot have attempted to remedy this problem by dishing out fast paced battles couple with dazzling fighting scenes, in which they have succeeded. While not as revolutionary or spectacular as the originals effects (keeping in mind the hardware and the age of the game) the DS submission is still one of the more eye catching visuals of any of the games on the same system.
As Camelot have quickly associated themselves with high quality audio to accompany their creations it almost seems like an expectancy that Golden Sun Dark Dawn continues this trend, which it fortunately does with top marks. The battle sounds personify each action giving each attack character. In fact the whole game is given life by the music and sounds Camelot have managed to fit inside the small NDS cartridge. The battle chorus pulls you in, hooking you, almost making the argument that many random battles are made that much more enjoyable simply by the tones you hear throughout. The towns are each given their own character by their own tunes and villains and heroes personified by their signature themes. This role playing series has become famous for not only its fast paced battles, astounding music and awesome story but it would not be complete without the various puzzles which go along with them. Golden Sun Dark Dawn has, just like the original, many puzzles throughout the many dungeons in the game. Some ranging from easy to intermediate, although none will cause you to fling your handheld at the wall in complete rage, they are still a fun challenge.
Golden Sun Dark Dawn is a very good stand-alone game. It has every feature to make it a great game, namely great music, amazing visuals and a solid base of gameplay. Camelot have fallen down in one very important are unfortunately. That area being the difficulty, of which is insanely easy. Most to nearly all of the game can be played through using simple blunt attacks with no need for psynergy or any real strategy. For the casual gamer this may be a nice change to the traditional RPG’s, however, for a fan of the series it is almost heartache that the game is as easy as it is. If possible I would recommend you to play the first two games on the GBA through at least once, as many events in this installment tend to spoil the game, fortunately Camelot have included a nice recap of the story for newcomers to the series. If you are looking for a great RPG to play on your NDS you would be hard pressed not to pick up this game. I can say that under the originals shadow, Golden Sun Dark Dawn is a mediocre game, but as a stand-alone game it is a great experience that I highly recommend.
GOLDEN SUN RETROSPECT REVIEW
Golden Sun Dark Dawn was released on November 29th 2010 to avid excitement and exaggerated expectations from fans the world over. With this in mind I decided to push father time back into his wheel chair and re-enter the realm where Camelot's elemental experience began. This being the original Golden Sun, released in 2001 for the Gameboy Advance. Conforming with the formula of most console Role-Playing Games, you take on the persona of silent protagonist Isaac, a boy who gets thrust into the thick of a plot to unleash alchemy on the world and in turn destroy it, which he must stop. Along the way he teams up with Garet, Ivan and Mia, each with their own history and reasons for joining the quest. While on the surface Golden Sun screams cliché like my next line, it's the journey, not the destination, which is what truly engrosses the player and urges them to move the storyline forward. Fraught with danger, suspense and excitement I would rate Golden Suns narrative among the best of the handheld, if not, the collective Role-Playing genre. The best story in the world, however, would not make up for horrid game. Fortunately Golden Sun delivers in spades a simple, yet engrossing battle and
upgrades system. Each of the characters is aligned with one of the four elements of the alchemic world. These elements being earth, fire, wind and water. These alignments are where they derive their magic or abilities from, this is to be called psynergy. While Camelot have, like most any RPG's, inserted the tried and true level-up system, they also have a peculiar addition, the Djinn. Djinn are monsters that join our heroes throughout their quest. They are found all over the Golden Sun world, each of whom are, like the 4 main characters, fused with one of the four elements. The characters use these Djinn to power themselves (stat’s and new psynergies) up in the element of which the Djinn are derived. The long standing staples of an RPG are still present in terms of customisation of weapons, armour and accessories. It sounds much more complicated than it really is, with Camelot providing easy to follow tutorials for the simple play-through, but also allowing the strategic minded player to explore the many options which are presented To compare the visuals of Golden Sun to any other hand-held at the time of release would be like comparing your plain old household pet to my shimmering unicorn, it's so
far-fetched that you would be quickly put back in your place quicker than my pay cheque at my local bar. Camelot had really outdone themselves with 2d beauty which has, even now, rarely been matched in terms of battle effects. Towns and dungeons are both very high quality in terms of artwork, ranging from the shy little town of Vale to the town of tree's, Kolima.. While the outer world may leave some players wanting, the sheer scope of the map is enough to amaze. The music in this game was a real shining light throughout the whole play-through, with the narrative and the music being used in tandem to engross the player. Motoi Sakuraba has created music which could be the staple of a series, much like Final Fantasy's orchestral tunes, slightly different, yet oh so similarly effective. A nice addition to the dialogue was the input of sound which can only be described as “simlish”. That being, higher or lower pitched mumbles which add intonation for whom is talking at that point. The audio throughout Golden Sun adds, and in most ways, creates the feeling of an epic, engrossing adventure that is not to be missed. Camelot have even appealed to the competitive nature of those who choose to play Golden Sun. the multiplayer
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option allows two players to link up, with the use of a Gameboy Advance link cable, and pit one team of heroes against the other. This feature is absent in many RPG's and it adds a certain personal aspectfor the player and their own game. Golden Sun is not overly long, and is not drastically short. Being roughly around 30 hours per playthrough it is long enough to hold the players attention but not too long as to drag on, in fact coming to the end of my playthrough I began to wish it hadn’t. I was left wanting more, so much in fact that I found it hard not to restart a new game just to find what I had missed out on my first time through. Like all games, while not many, there are some downsides which could be expanded on. The after game events, which are prevalent in many RPG's are bare. Very bare, in fact there is one dungeon of puzzles and a super boss. There are also the slow frame rates and pixelated images which plague the battle scenes when a lot of graphics are being used at once, although minor it is a detraction from the spectacle you are being treated to. These would be my only detraction from an otherwise great game which has pushed the boundaries of what is possible with the
hardware at the time. To be honest Golden Sun still holds up very strongly against many of the handheld RPG's in today's “advanced� gaming generation. In retrospect, Camelot made a game which was ahead of it's time in terms of development quality and overall playability for a hand-held. In my humble opinion I believe this is a must have for any RPG lover who is looking for a new universe to dive into. Scores Story:8 Gameplay: 8 Visuals:8 Audio:9 Multiplayer:7 Overall: 8/10 Golden Sun is a must have for an RPG hand-held fanatic and a fine pick-up for the casual gamer.
Written by Blake
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RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
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The Rise of the Planet of the Apes incorporates issues on animal testing, animal rights and the nature of humanity, all amidst the genre of an emotional sci-fi drama. And it delivers with celerity, wowing us from the get go, especially with regard to the special effects. Weta Digital have put in a great effort, creating some very realistic realistic primates using performance capture technology. The effect, complimented by the fact that there's not a monkey suit in sight, allows the medicallyenhanced Apes to really shine, and thus helps create a convincing and compelling motion picture. Set in near-future San Francisco, geneticist Will Rodman (James Franco) creates a memoryenhancing serum which he hopes, for personal reasons, will cure alzheimer's. All he needs is approval from the board to
test on humans and he will be well on his way to achieving his dreams. However, when a mother Ape goes crazy and trashes a board meeting, Rodman's achievementsto-date are considered a failure. Funding for his life changing drug cease immediately, and his test subject Apes are sentenced to death. Except Rodman is not quite as willing to give up on his project as the board members are. He sneaks one of the Apes – cute baby Caesar – away from the laboratory, and he continues his research at home. As Caesar grows it soon becomes clear that Rodman's memory-boosting serum not only boosts memory, but also improves entire cognitive ability. The drug has enhanced Caesar's intellectual ability to close to, if not wiser, than man’s.
However, Caesar exposes his identity to the neighbourhood when he protects Rodman's father from an aggressive bout of alzheimer's. It is a heart felt scene, which is worsened by the fact that Caesar's good deed gets punished. Caesar is sent to the San Bruno Primate Sanctuary, a hell-hole somewhat closer to a prison than an animal refuge, and it is here that animal cruelty leads to Caesar's rebellion. He is bullied one too many times by the human guard, and he quickly looses his naïve, romantic desire to be like humans. Instead, he finds refuge with those of his own species, and the result is what leads to the rise of the planet of the apes. Verdict. The Rise of the Planet of the Apes could be criticised for over glorifying the innocent nature of
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ing the innocent nature of Apes. The Apes are not quite as threatening as the trailer implies, and their hero, Caesar, with his cheery disposition, his ability to resist brutality combined with his inscrutable behaviour, borders close to becoming a Mary Sue However, The Rise of the Planet of the Apes is emotional, well-crafted, wellscripted and it contains some of the most incredible special effects to date. It is a heart felt drama in which some underlying issues such as animal cruelty and laboratory experiments are dealt with delicately. And all though it may not strive to be an all time encompassing classic like the 1968 original, it is still a mind blowing film - as far as prequels go.
Steve Jobs 1955 - 2 11 Steve Jobs, the Co-founder of Apple.Inc, died on the 5th October a date that many will remember for years to come. His death came one day after the iPhone 4S was announced. Apple Press Release: 'We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today. Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve. His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts.'
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GAMING NEWS Apple, the masterminds behind the iPad and iPod, have finally released a successor to there iPhone range - the iPhone 4s - just one day after former CEO Steve Jobs died. The new iPhone comes with Apple latest software, iOS5 which brings many exciting new features including Siri, a voice program. It also sports an A5 processor, just like the iPad 2. Many Apple fan boys are angry that the design of the new iPhone wasn't altered - like previous releases. This has lead people in to bypassing the upgrade. Although it hasn't stopped the one million preorders on the Apple web site.
GTA 3 Coming to Smartphones It is ten years since the release of the PS2 classic Grand Theft Auto III and to celebrate Rockstar Games has announced that the 3D action title is to many popular mobile devices. It’s due to hit both iOS and Android some time this autumn. Compatibility has been confirmed with iPad 2, iPhone 4S, Droid X2, HTC Evo 2, LG Optimus 2X, Motorola Atrix, Samsung Galaxy X2, Acer Iconia, Asus Eee Pad, Motorola Xoom and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.
Battlefield 3 Cop killing outrage EA Games has responded to the recent revelation of cop-killing in upcoming first-person shooter, Battlefield 3. “Players can also engage in handto-hand combat: repeatedly punching enemies in the face; stabbing soldiers to death with knives,” read the rating summary. “In one sequence, a restrained character's throat is slit (offscreen); in another, players shoot police officers to complete a mission objective.” Battlefield 3 launches for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC on October 25 in North America and October 28 across Europe.
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