Gamecca Magazine June 2016

ISSUE 84 / Vol.7 June 2016

www.gameccamag.com

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Battleborn Overwatch Doom Homefront: The Revolution and more...

No Strings

Razer’s ManO’War

Of f the Wall Battleborn Reviewed

The Last Adventure

Uncharted 4 Reviewed

Big Screen

Asus’ PG 348Q

Teamwork

Overwatch Reviewed

Killfest DOOM Reviewed

On the Run Mirror’s Edge is back!

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Gold Award

Given to games and hardware that score above 90

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Silver Award

Given to games and hardware that score above 85

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Bronze Award

Given to games and hardware that score above 80

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Ed’s Choice

Given to products that stand out for various reasons. This award is not dependent on score.

H

ere it is… issue 84, the last issue of Gamecca’s seventh volume.

That means next month is our seventh birthday – seven years of bringing you a new issue of Gamecca Magazine every month. It’s something that I am unashamedly proud of.

From next month, there will be some changes in Gamecca, as we strive to bring you a magazine that is bigger and better.

While some of the new ideas have already been set in motion, I am not going to chat about them yet – you’ll have to wait for my next Ed’s Note to see what we have in store.

Suffice to say, though, that we’re extending our scope somewhat, and we have some pretty great stuff in store for our readers.

For now, though, I think a lot of attention is turning towards Los Angeles. E3 2016 is just days away and, like every year, the show should be crammed with great new stuff and exciting announcements.

As always, we won’t know the full picture until after the expo ends, but we do know that there are going to be some great games on display. Games like Battlefield 1, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Dishonored 2, For Honor, Mafia 3, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Titanfall 2, Ghost Recon: Wildlands and Watchdogs 2 have all been confirmed to be on

From the Editor

Done&Dusted

by Walt Pretorius

show there, and there are doubtlessly tons of others that haven’t been revealed yet. Speculation has it that titles like Crackdown 3, Gears of War 4 and Scalebound will be on display, too, but that list is far from exhaustive. As always, we’ll bring you our top picks from the LA expo in our July issue.

Conspicuously missing from the show is the Nintendo console. The company has confirmed that they won’t be showing it at E3 this year, but that it will be released fairly soon. It’s going to be pretty interesting to see what the Japanese giant bring to market after the all-but-failure of the Wii U, but we’re not going to be seeing it in LA. On the down-side, despite a number of great games being released recently, we are now officially in the traditional mid-year slump. There are a few titles coming out that are worth trying out, of course, but things have really slowed down for now as we hit the peak of the release-rollercoaster that will send us plummeting into a crazy end of year.

Yes, 2016 is halfway down, which means that while we’re in a bit of a release drought right now, things look pretty bright in the upcoming months.

And that’s more than enough from me. So I am off to go carry on with the big plans for Gamecca Volume 8 (and beyond).

You, well… you have a mag to read. Enjoy! g mgeect 2 c7a 8 4 ggl a ad

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THIS MONTH’S COVER

Time for a Wirror’s Edge comeback...

Publisher / Editor: Walt Pretorius walt@1337-media.com

Publisher / Art Director Katia Taliadoros Katia@1337-media.com

Writers: Alex Scanlon Charlie Fripp Lein Baart Katia Taliadoros Nthato Morakabi Rob Edwards Suvesh Arumugam Walt Pretorius

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Regular: Did you know More fastinating factoids

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Feature: Walking the Tightrope Will Mirror’s Edge make a triumphant return?

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Previews: Games 8 Games to look out for

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Reviews: Games 10 titles scrutinised

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Regular: Indieview Meet South African developers Zero Degrees...

Regular: Legacy The game that reinvented FPS...

Letters: letters@gameccamag.com

Competition Entries: competitions@gameccamag.com 2

Ed’s Note

Another volume done

Newsletter Subscriptions: www.gameccamag.com 116

Ramjet’s Rantality

Threaten this!

Marketing Contact: marketing@1337-media.com 128

The Time Betwixt

Copyright © Nova Mentis (Pty) Ltd 2009 - 2015

Did CoD mess up?

Taking fun seriously!

All rights reserved. No content may be reproduced, copied or transmitted without the express permission of the publishers. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the editors and publishers. All Trademarks and Registered Trademarks are the sole property of the respective owners.

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The Last Word

A little detox goes a long way

GAMECCA is published by Nova Mentis (Pty) Ltd

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Feature: The Next Battle New GPUs square off for a fight

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reviews: Hardware 9 bits of awesome tech

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Regular: Internet Oh, yes, Rule 34...

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Feature: Rolling the Bones A short history of dice

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COOL STUFF: Gadgets an awesome headset

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COOL STUFF: Comics Illustrated liertature to love

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Gamecca Vol. 7 Issue 84 June 2016

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s e d’ c E oi h C

It’s a great send off to one of the best PlayStation franchises around, and fans will have little reason to not enjoy Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

FeatureS 10

The Next Battle

HARDWARE Reviews 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32

Asus Swift PG348Q Monitor MSI GTX960 Gaming 4G Graphics Card Razer Blackwidow X Chroma Keyboard Acer Aspire S 13 Notebook Logitech G900 Chaos Spectrum Gaming Mouse Razer ManO ‘War Wireless 7.1 Headset Asus Matrix Platinum GeForce GTX 980 Ti Graphics Card MSI Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon Motherboard Raidmax Monster II PC Case

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THE NEX

TECHNOLOGY

New generation GPUs

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The Next Battle

XT BATTLE

s get to duking it out… gamecca84

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TECHNOLOGY

W

e often hear about a “war” in the sphere of technology. When new PlayStation and Xbox consoles launch, a “war” ensues. Processors also have a war, with Intel and AMD duking it out when it comes to that all-important component. Even overarching concepts, like Apple vs PC, or iOS vs Android, punctuate this concept. It’s a concept that has been around for a long time, and one of the longer wars has been between the NVidia and Radeon chipsets used in graphics cards. This

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war has just started its latest battle, with both companies releasing new chips to try and gain dominance in the market.

Let’s stop for a moment, and consider the implications of a “war” between NVidia’s GeForce and AMD’s Radeon chipsets. Aside from the fact that it affords us numerous opportunities to roll our eyes at the undeniably immature posturing of ardent fans of either product on social media, what exactly does this kind of competition mean for the consumer? Quite simply, it means that the creators of these products will need to put their best forward in terms of performance

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The Next Battle

and pricing in order to capture that all-important consumer spending, and therefore “win”. A war between competing manufacturers always has advantages for the consumer, no matter which side of the fence the consumer may sit on.

Back to the matter at hand. NVidia revealed their latest chipset at Computex, and it is now available for purchase. GTX 1080 and GTX 1070 chipsets have now become the NVidia flagships, with performance that trounces that of the previous super-models, the GTX Titan X and the GTX 980 Ti. This improved performance stems from a new microarchitecture than makes use of an

improved 16 nanometer FinFET manufacturing process, as well as significantly improved clock speeds; the GTX 1080 weighs in at a standard 1607MHz, compared to the 1000MHz of the Titan X. Additionally, the GTX 1080 (specifically) will make use of the much faster GDDR5X RAM standard, while the GTX 1070 will stick to the “normal” GDDR5 that has become industry standard.

The chip at the core of these new cards has more Streaming Multiprocessors, and delivers processing capabilities of around 9 TFLOPS, while the Titan X (which, allow us to say, is still

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TECHNOLOGY

an extremely impressive and highly viable GPU) pushes out around 7 TFLOPS. All this technical stuff breaks down to a few simple facts. This is a fast card – significantly faster than what we have seen in the recent past. It runs surprisingly cool, too.

Most importantly, though, for the cash strapped consumer, is the bad news. NVidia have upped the price of their latest GPU chipset. Prices for the GTX 1080 range from around ZAR13 000 to as high as ZAR16 000.

That’s a lot of cash for a single component.

This might leave a lot of people without an option but to turn their gaze towards the new

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Radeon, the RX 480, which will be significantly cheaper – possibly in the region of around ZAR5 000.

The RX 480 makes use of a new architecture too, which AMD have codenamed Polaris.

It makes use of a 14 nanometer FinFET manufacturing process, which is a bit more impressive that NVidia’s manufacturing technology. The thing is, though, that in initial testing, the Radeon simply does not deliver as much as the new GeForce cards do.

Here’s a bit of a performance comparison.

The GTX 1080 has a core clock speed of 1607MHZ, the GTX 1070 offers 1506MHz,

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The Next Battle

while the RX 480 runs third at 1266 MHz. Both the GeForce reference models employ 8GB of RAM, while the RX 480 uses 4GB. In terms of TFLOPS, the 1080 and 1070 offer 9 and 6.5 respectively, while estimates put the RX 480 at 5.1. Both the 1070 and the RX 480 offer a memory clock of 8GB per second, while the 1080 tops out at 10GB per second.

On paper, the only real thing that AMD has to offer with this outing is better pricing.

The RX 480 will outperform a GeForce 970, so it is a step up, but it’s also comparing a current generation to a previous one, which (while impressive) still won’t win the fight as

it currently stands. However, the generation is literally in its infancy, and AMD may still have a few aces up their sleeves (like the much anticipated Zen cores that should surface early next year).

As it stands, NVidia have fired an extremely powerful shot across AMD’s bow in the form of the GeForce GTX 1080. But it’s rare that a single battle even wins a war, quite honestly, and there is still time for AMD to pull out some remarkable stuff. Time will, inevitably, tell in this regard, and it’s pretty certain that no matter what takes place in the coming months, this (in industry terms) age old battle is far from over. g

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Asus

H C EW E T VI E R

Swift PG348Q A fresh look for games

TECHNOLOGY

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lagship products are always great, even if they do command a higher price. So taking Asus’ new ROG Swift PG348Q monitor out for a spin was a real blast. And Asus really went “gamer” on this ultra-wide, curved monitor.

It’s a little intimidating at first, but the ultra-wide viewing area is really great to use, thanks to the monitor’s curve. The 34 inch is wonderfully clear, and comes with a host of presets that allow the user to take best advantage of the display. Among these are some unusual features that could be considered “cheats”… but, then again, Asus is the company that came up with Sonic Radar to help you pinpoint enemies in FPS games, so it’s hardly surprising.

The three unusual features are a persistent, positionable crosshair (which helps improve your accuracy in FPS games), an on-screen timer (which is great for monitoring timed events) and an FPS monitor

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(not really a cheat, but great for bragging rights). All of these can easily be activated or deactivated with the PG348Q’s smartly position rear mounted controls (which includes a small joystick of those pinpoint tweaks.)

There are also screen mode presets which set brightness and contrast to predetermined levels for various game types, which can arguably help, but certainly does improve visuals. And the monitor even has a built in system to beef up refresh rates from 60Hz to 100Hz, which guarantees smoother visuals (but does put a little more strain on the PG348Q). It also incorporates NVidia’s G-Sync technology to avoid annoying things like screen tears and other visual abberations.

For connectivity, the PG348Q relies on either DisplayPort or HDMI, and has a built in headphone jack and 2 watt speakers. Additionally, it provides the player with an integrated four port USB 3.0 hub, which is great for cutting down on cable clutter.

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Asus Swift PG348Q Monitor

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Monitor

by Walt Pretorius

AT A GLANCE: SUMMARY

TECH SPECS • • • • • • •

With features aimed squarely at gamers, this flagship Asus monitor is a brilliant way to experience your passion.

Ma nuf a c t ure r D i s t ri but e r: Onl i ne :

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4 ink cartridge system Wireless function Print, scan, copy Double sided printing ePrinting Web connected

SCORE

A s us A s us w w w . a s us . c o m

AWARDS

It’s beautifully designed, too, although the base could have benefitted from needing a slightly narrower space to stand in. The outer bezel is extremely thin, making it great for a multi-display setup, and the centre column support structure means that it offers a wide variety of height and tilt options.

And it’s designed for comfort too. Using flicker free technology and ultra-low blue light technology, the PG348Q results in less eye strain for the user. In fact, it sports four levels of blue light filters that can be set according to your viewing conditions quickly and easily, meaning that marathon sessions will leave your eyes feeling less strained.

Ultra-wide, curved gaming monitors are becoming more and more common these days, and with products like this arriving on the shelves, competitors have their work cut out for them. If you can afford the bill, this is an absolutely brilliant monitor to get. g

Platinum Gold Silver Bronze Ed’s Choice

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MSI

H C EW E T VI E R

GTX960 Gam A lot of life left in this one

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TECHNOLOGY

ince the release of Intel’s Skylake processors, MSI have done some reinvention of their gaming brand. They are still delivering superb products, but the new CPU generation brought a few fresh ideas into the mix.

Now, at the start of a brand new GPU generation, it will be interesting to see exactly where they take things next, as the graphics card industry gets a massive shot in the arm from NVidia.

One of the great things about new GPU generations is that they don’t invalidate the previous generation – in fact, they take the GPUs that came before (most of which are still perfectly viable) and make them more accessible, thanks to better pricing for hardware that isn’t as “in demand” anymore. And while it will take a bit of time for that to filter through, devices like MSI’s GTX 960 Gaming 4G will be in much easier reach of more people in the coming months.

The GTX 960 Gaming 4G is quite a capable card, when all is said and done. While the 960 GPU isn’t everyone’s favourite chipset, it certainly gets the job done, particularly when accompanied by a very generous 4GB of RAM. There are very few games that would give this device any kind of trouble. And it does so fairly effortlessly over four supported displays (three on DisplayPort and one on HMDI). It also offers a

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single DVI output for those who are still using the older connection standard.

Aside from the included Gaming App software, which allows for effortless overclocking and monitoring, the GTX 960 Gaming 4G doesn’t offer too many bells and whistles. Most of the design approach, it seems, went into keeping the card cool and quiet.

Quite frankly, that’s exactly where it should go – with the massive heat generation of GPUs under strain and potential for huge amounts of noise, keeping things cool and relatively quiet is a pretty big thing.

It starts with the GTX 960 Gaming 4G’s fan system.

Twin Torx fans keep the air flowing, thanks to a custom blade design, and generous heat sinks just below them enlarge the cooling area.

In addition, the fans stop spinning when the card isn’t under a heavy load, making it significantly quieter when not used for gaming. And when you’re gaming, you have loud audio anyway, right?

Further heat dissipation is taken care of by SuperSU heat pipes, which have been specially designed to get rid of heat more effectively than before.

Overall, this is another dependable and reliable graphics card from the MSI stable. It performs really well under strain, and will serve anyone who gets hold of it beautifully for years to come. g

MSI GTX960 Gaming 4G Graphics Card

Graphics Card

SUMMARY We might be seeing a whole new GPU generation heading in, but the GTX 960 Gaming 4G still has a lot of punch to offer…

TECH SPECS • • • • • • •

GTX 960 chipset 4GB RAM 3 DisplayPort 1 HMDI port 1 DVI port Zero Frozr technology

M A NUFA CTUR E R M SI

DISTRIB UTO R TV R C o m p u ters w w w. tv r. co. z a

Platinum Gold Silver Bronze Ed’s Choice

SCORE

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by Rob Edwards

AT A GLANCE:

AWARDS

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Razer

H C EW E T VI E R

A smaller spider…

TECHNOLOGY

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azer have an approach to creating peripherals that is really inclusive. In other words, they want to make a great many options, so that anyone can find their perfect peripheral – and it will have a Razer logo on it.

There is a downside to this approach, though – it can get pretty confusing. When the differences between various products come down to just a few check boxes being marked differently, things can get tough when you want to find the product that is the perfect fit.

Take the Blackwidow keyboard range, for example. The addition of the Blackwidow X adds yet another variable to the ever-growing stable of Razer keyboards, but the differences between the Blackwidow X and the “normal” Blackwidow are not all that many.

With that statement there are a number of things you can deduce. The Blackwidow X, like the standard

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Blackwidow, is a tough, well-constructed and extremely reliable mechanical keyboard aimed squarely at the gaming market. It’s high grade switches are covered by well contoured keys, and it’s solid build means that it will stand up to the most rigorous of gaming sessions. It’s also Chroma enabled, which allows for a massive amount of visual customisation.

Those are the similarities. As far as differences, well… here goes. The Blackwidow X is quite a bit smaller, with a smaller wrist area. It obviously takes up less desk space, without resorting to the tactics of other compact keyboards like removing the number pad.

But a key concession has been made between the Blackwidow and the Blackwidow X. The X has no macro keys, which may be a deal breaker for some gamers out there. It also has no audio or USB pass through, meaning that it doesn’t need to connect to your PC at multiple ports,

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Razer Blackwidow X Chroma Keyboard

Keyboard

by Alex Scanlon

AT A GLANCE: SUMMARY

TECH SPECS • • • • • • •

The differences aren’t immediately apparent, but the X is a smaller, sleeker version of the Blackwidow, with a few features left off.

Ma nuf a c t ure r D i s t ri but e r: Onl i ne :

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Chroma enabled Mechanical Razer Synapse enabled 10 key rollover 1000Hz ultrapolling

SCORE

Razer A pe x I nt e ra c t i v e w w w . a pe xi nt . c o . z a

AWARDS

but also doesn’t help sort out cable clutter.

Further to that, the cable routing of the Blackwidow is also absent in the Blackwidow X. And, finally, the Chroma lighting system is not enclosed like with the original keyboard, meaning that the backlighting on the X is a little dimmer than the original.

In essence, then, the Blackwidow X is a more compact version of the Blackwidow. It may be lacking some of the features that the Blackwidow has, but the need for those really comes down to personal taste. Its performance is as good, and it’s build is as solid. So if you want a more compact version of the Blackwidow, the Blackwidow X is a great bet – particularly if you’re not bothered with macro keys and audio pass through.

It’s great to see that Razer have a wide approach to the market, but often the differences between their products are not clear at a purchase level, and require extra research. g

Platinum Gold Silver Bronze Ed’s Choice

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Acer

H C EW E T VI E R

Aspire

TECHNOLOGY

Sleek and Strong

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Although not a gaming machine, the highly portable S 13 will still serve you well with its powerful and tough build.

AWARDS

AT A GLANCE:

SUMMARY

Platinum Gold Silver Bronze Ed’s Choice

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ports it offers, it also has a USB 3.1 type C port – that’s the reversible one. While USB 3.1 devices aren’t all that common yet, it’s good to know that the S 13 is ready for them.

It also offers an HDMI output, SD card reader and a single jack for audio in and out (read and headphones and microphone).

In terms of controls and inputs, the S 13 has a wellspaced membrane style keyboard which, while compact and without a numpad, is still a joy to use.

Additionally, it has a large touch pad, but the lack of buttons accompanying that means that “right clicking” is a little trickier than on a more traditional touch pad set up.

The sleek design doesn’t compromise on toughness.

The S 13 is heavier than you might expect, but that’s probably because it is very sturdy, with metal and rigid plastic making up the bulk of its body.

So no, you probably won’t get much gaming in on the S 13, but if you’re after a notebook that is powerful, reliable and tough as nails, not to mention highly portable, it certainly is something you should be considering. Once again Acer have displayed a strong understanding of how a notebook should be made, and the S 13 fills its particular niche beautifully. g

SCORE

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Acer Acer w w w . a c e r. c o m

TECH SPECS • • • • • • • • •

4 ink cartridge system Wireless function Print, scan, copy Double sided printing ePrinting Web connected

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by Walt Pretorius

ot every device we see is great for gaming. And while Acer certainly do deliver great gaming oriented hardware, the Aspire S 13 is not one of them. That’s not to say that you can’t do any gaming on the S 13, but you won’t be playing Doom on it. Still, there is a lot of room for a device like this, as either an office or even student’s device.

The beauty of the S 13 is that it is super slim and highly portable, making it fantastic for those that need a decently powered notebook on the go.

And with a CPU that puts out around 2.5GHz of power, it certainly does offer more power that you might expect from a device that is relatively small and sleek. Combined with 8GB of RAM, and you start seeing a lot of potential here, with additional speed coming from the 512GB SSD that provides storage for the device. On paper, you could run some game software on those specs, but the HD graphics 520 chipset isn’t going to do much to help that.

The S 13 has a 13.3 inch LCD which, surprisingly, isn’t touch controlled at all.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it is a little unusual when you consider that most notebooks these days offer touch capability.

Another surprise is that, in addition to the two USB 3.0

Acer Aspire S 13 Notebook

Notebook

Logitech

H C EW E T VI E R

G900 Chaos S The Logitech flagship

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here have been so many clever ideas in the past that seeing new ones coming down well-trodden paths is pretty rare. But now and then one does arrive, and it makes so much sense that you kind of wonder why no one else did it before. It doesn’t have to be earth shattering or life changing… it just needs to be sensible, and it is just this kind of idea that makes Logitech’s G900 Chaos Spectrum wireless gaming mouse stand out amount the crowd.

This mouse sits at the top of Logitech’s gaming mouse roster, and with good reason. It sports a 12 000 dpi sensor, which is incredibly sensitive. Its tracking is great, and with a 1 millisecond report rate (in either wired or wireless modes) it is superreliable and extremely accurate. It does well on virtually any surface, too, thanks to its really great sensor.

The good idea I mentioned earlier – and something that is a little unusual in the high-end range – is that the G900 is ambidextrous. That in itself isn’t the good idea… it’s the way that Logitech handled it.

See, the twin side buttons are customisable. You can remove them on either side, place them on either side, or any combination, thanks to included extra buttons and side panel covers. That means that you can use it left or right handed, with extra buttons

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Logitech G900 Chaos Spectrum Gaming Mouse

Spectrum

Gaming Mouse

by Alex Scanlon

or not. It’s such a simple thing, really, but it makes quite a difference, and shows great design ideas from Logitech.

Speaking of design, the G900 is a good looking mouse, with a futuristic, almost weapon-like look.

It’s finished in matt and metallic plastic, and the “spectrum” part of its name comes out in fully customisable lighting. It looks as good as it performs, and while it is a little narrow in shape, it still is a great mouse to use.

The only real downside is that it doesn’t have a dock… although that isn’t necessarily a downside, because it’s quicker to just plug the cable straight into the mouse than to remove it from the dock first.

And with a decent battery life, if you’re diligent about charging, you shouldn’t run into any hassles.

The G900 Chaos Spectrum is a really great mouse for those wanting a high end device that isn’t cluttered or over-complicated. It performs admirably, and serves as a great multi-purpose mouse, without over-specialising for any particular game genre. And it really is the kind of mouse that can give the competition a run for its money. It has a bit of a hefty price tag attached, but it is worth every cent when it comes down to performance and comfort. g

AT A GLANCE: SUMMARY

TECH SPECS • • • • • • •

This is a really great mouse from Logitech: great performance and comfort, and leftyfriendly too.

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12 000 dpi sensor 10 button mouse Wired / wireless 32 hour battery life Ambidextrous

Platinum Gold Silver Bronze Ed’s Choice

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Razer

H C EW E T VI E R

ManO’War

TECHNOLOGY

The master, untied…

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Wireless

Razer ManO ‘War Wireless 7.1 Headset

s 7.1 Headset

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by Walt Pretorius

AT A GLANCE: SUMMARY

TECH SPECS

An excellent wireless headset, the ManO’War is comfortable, has decent battery lofe and delivers great 7.1 sound.

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• • • • • • •

2.4GHz wireless 50mm neodymium drivers Retractable mic On-ear controls 7.1 surround sound 14 hour battery life

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azer’s Kraken 7.1 Chroma headset may have just met its strongest competitor. The irony is that it’s in the form of another Razer product: the ManO’War. Named after yet another nasty sea creature, this new headset from razer sets a high bar for audio performance. But there is more to it than just great audio.

See, the ManO’War is a wireless headset, which immediately gives it a strong advantage. Although it is aimed at the PC market, it is also compatible with the PS4, thanks to that console being USB headset friendly, and it delivers excellent quality 7.1 sound without the need for tons of cables.

It utilises 2.4GHz wireless technology to deliver lag-free audio, and interfaces with the PC by way of a very small USB dongle. It can also connect to the PC by way of a detachable USB cable (in fact it needs to for recharging purposes.) But that isn’t something that should cause too much bother, for two main reasons. The first is that a single charge can last up to around 14 hours of continuous use (or, as they say on the packaging, seven days at two hours a day).

That’s not too bad.

The second reason it’s not a bother is that the ManO’War comes with a USB extension dock. This desktop dock can hold the audio dongle, which can be switched out with the charging cable as the need arises.

In terms of looks, it really is a pretty headset. There is a strong Kraken influence in the large, round overear cups, which house the powerful 50mm neodymium drivers. Both ear cups house controls, too – audio volume is on the left, while chat volume, along with the retractable boom microphone, is on the right. The right ear cup also hols the power button and USB connection port, while the left has a handy nook for keeping the all-important USB dongle safe.

The ear cups are finished with generous, sound isolating leatherette pads, with the broad head strap also having a comfortable leatherette pad. The ear cups also have a wide range of swivel, making the headset extremely comfortable all around, and easy to carry around your neck. In fact, the ManO’War is also surprisingly light, so protracted gaming sessions with great audio are highly possible.

Finally, it is Chroma enabled (hardly a surprise, really, because pretty much every Razer product is these days). This really only means that the LEDs on the ear cups can be adjusted, but personalisation capability is always a good thing.

Once again Razer have produced a great headset – the audio quality of the ManO’War is excellent, when all is said and done, and this headset will serve PC (and PS4) gamers beautifully. g

Platinum Gold Silver Bronze Ed’s Choice

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Asus

H C EW E T VI E R

Matrix Platinum GeF Big in size, big in performance

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TECHNOLOGY

sus is a company with a very solid reputation for creating great hardware, and with good reason. They have worked hard for many years to create components and hardware that really is top notch and, even if they do tip the scales towards the expensive side of things, they certainly do deliver the goods. And when you start moving into the highend of Asus’ offerings, even more so. Take the Matrix Platinum GeForce GTX 980 Ti graphics card as a good example of that.

This really is a monster of a graphics card, and not just because it has a flagship GPU. It is literally physically massive. Asus have never been shy about making big graphics cards, and while this isn’t the largest we have seen, it certainly does rank in the top few. You will need to make sure it fits into your case, and some kind of motherboard reinforcement may be a good idea, too.

But the size and chipset aren’t the only big features here – there’s also the question of RAM. It’s never a case of less is more with RAM, and Asus know that. That’s why this card has 6GB of RAM to chew through – once again, not the most we’ve ever seen, but still a very healthy number for those wanting to squeeze performance out of it.

Speaking of which, overclockers will particularly enjoy the

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card’s memory defroster and one-button safe mode options, while the side mounted load indicator will give those with a windowed case a clear indication of just how much strain the Matrix Platinum is under. GPU Tweak II software also makes for easy dialling up of power and voltages, and the overall performance of the card under overclocking strain is very good and surprisingly stable.

In terms of outputs, the Matrix Platinum offers three DisplayPorts, as well as an HDMI port and a DVI port. It effortlessly handles multiple screens, which is great for those who want to maximise their viewable area.

In terms of cooling (and noise) it utilises twin fans and DirectCU II technology, which effortlessly carries heat away from the GPU without creating a huge amount of noise.

And to top it all off, it looks great, too, with an enlarged cover plate, black heat pipes and, of course, the prominent performance LED. It does, internally, protrude past the dual slot back-plate, but you were warned that this is a bulky piece of equipment.

Size and price aside, this is a fantastic card. It performs truly admirably, and will serve anyone who invests in it well for years to come, despite the fact that we are on a generational cusp for GPUs. g gamecca84

Asus Matrix Platinum GeForce GTX 980 Ti Graphics Card

Force GTX 980 Ti

Graphics Card

SUMMARY It’s a bulky card, but it really chews through the toughest of tasks without breaking a sweat.

TECH SPECS • • • • • • •

GTX 980 chipset 6GB RAM Memory defroster Safe mode 3 DisplayPorts

M A NUFA CT UR E R Asu s

DISTRIB UTOR Asu s

AWARDS

w w w. a su s.c o m

Platinum Gold Silver Bronze Ed’s Choice

SCORE

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by Rob Edwards

AT A GLANCE:

MSI

H C EW E T VI E R

A strong core

A

TECHNOLOGY

great motherboard really is the core of a great PC. You can have the best components that money can buy but if your motherboard- the one thing that ties everything together – is dodgy, your whole system will be. I am pretty sure that you know this, but it’s good to point out in case you didn’t.

MSI’s Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon is a board that will allow you to squeeze all the top notch performance you can out of your components.

As part of their Performance Gaming range of products, this board has seen nothing spared in making it an excellent piece of hardware.

Utilising Military Class 5 components, which provide a higher temperature threshold and longer lifecycle, is just the start. In fact, toughness is something of a theme for this board, as with most other MSI boards for this generation.

This also manifests in the form of improved surge protection for LAN, and better anti-static protection.

Additionally, and very cleverly, the PCIe slots (which sometimes have to deal with heavy graphics cards) have been reinforced with steel to help withstand stress.

Although the look of the Carbon is down-toned compared to the usual, red accented MSI approach, it offers an LED lighting system that allows the user to customise the look with 16 million colours and 16 lighting effects. It looks

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quite striking, particularly since the board’s black and silver finish doesn’t distract from it.

In terms of overall performance, the Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon is great.

It’s quick and stable, and handles all kinds of loads, including overclocking.

Performance is also boosted with the implementation of certain technologies, including game traffic prioritisation via LAN (using the Gaming LAN system) and USB 3.1 Gen 2, which is twice as fast as plain old USB 3.1. Even audio performance is improved through Audio Boost 3 technology, and the onboard sound system delivers great audio effortlessly.

Even the way it utilises DDR4 RAM has been upgraded, with a faster performance from memory being the norm.

In terms of ports and connectivity, the Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon delivers all the expected options: full audio ports, HDMI, DVI and a variety of USB connectors. Those break down to a total of eight USB 2, six USB 3.1, one USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type A and one USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type C ports.

In fact, the Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon will provide you with everything you need to build a powerful and stable PC system. It’s a great backbone when all is said and done, and those that are serious about putting together a truly powerful PC will be able to do so with confidence using this motherboard. g

gamecca84

NAME MSI Z170A OF THE Gaming PRODUCT Pro Carbon Motherboard

Motherboard

SUMMARY MSI have once again succeeded in creating a great system backbone with this tough and reliable motherboard.

TECH SPECS • • • • • • •

Military Class 5 components Gaming LAN USB 3.1 Gen 2 Reinforced PCIe slots DDR4 boost Customisable LED lighting M A NUFA CT UR E R M SI

DISTRIB UTOR TV R C o m p u ter s

AWARDS

w w w. tv r. co. z a

Platinum Gold Silver Bronze Ed’s Choice

SCORE

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by Rob Edwards

AT A GLANCE:

Monster II A sensible home for your PC

TECHNOLOGY

Raidmax

H C EW E T VI E R

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PC Case

Raidmax Monster II PC Case

P

by Walt Pretorius

AT A GLANCE: SUMMARY

TECH SPECS

With excellent, practical design ideas, the Monster II makes for a great case to put all your beloved PC components into.

Ma nuf a c t ure r D i s t ri but e r: Onl i ne :

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• • • • • • •

Long GPU friendly 3 HDD bays 2 SSD bays 2 USB 3.0 ports Water cooling support Split compartment

SCORE

R a i dma x S ynt e c h w w w . s ynt e c h. c o . z a

AWARDS

C case design has come a long way in recent years, with those that come up with the ideas behind cases become much more aware of the needs of users. Those needs include things like the ability to house oversized components, the need for effective cooling, and the need to keep interiors uncluttered. Those are just a few things, of course, but they’re a healthy starting point when discussing a case like Raidmax’s Monster II. While it might not be modular or highly customisable, Raidmax worked a few very clever ideas into the design of this case, not least of which being the compartmentalising of the interior. The case interior is split into two compartments – the lower for the PSU and hard drives, and the upper for everything else. The fact that the only drive bays in the upper compartment are for optical drives keeps the main interior exceptionally roomy. It means that no graphics card will ever be long enough to clash with a drive cage. It also means that air flow through the main interior is excellent.

In fact, the whole case seems to be geared towards excellent air flow. The front and top of the case are essentially massive vents, with place for two fans on each panel. The top panel can also be used for a water cooling radiator, and the bottom-most front fan services both compartment. The bottom compartment also benefits from the fact that the case stands slightly higher off of the desk (or whatever else it stands on) for even more effective venting of hot air from the PSU. Additional SSD brackets are built into the back panel, also keeping them clear of the main interior.

This makes cable clutter minimal, which one again supports good air flow. In fact, the only real complaint one could level at the Monster II’s interior is that it isn’t completely screwless – on, and maybe that you have to remove the “other” side panel to access the lower compartment, which is sealed off from the more traditional windowed panel. A side fan may have been nice, too, but the extreme potential for airflow means that this isn’t really a problem.

The top mounted control panel offers audio ports, as well as two USB 2.0 ports – so be sure your motherboard supports that. More ports would have been nice, but this isn’t really a deal breaker.

With a look that borders on retro, the overall appearance of the Monster II is more serious. It would be equally at home in an office and on a gamer’s desk, and the raised sections (which supply the larger space beneath and carry handles at the top) add a nice modern contrast to the parallel lines of the venting. All in all, a great option. g

Platinum Gold Silver Bronze Ed’s Choice

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Rule34 TECHNOLOGY

“If it exists, there is porn of it - no exceptions”

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by Suvesh Arumugam

Rule 34

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f you’ve never heard of Rule 34, you probably haven’t spent much time on 4Chan or Reddit, where long threads exist as proof that every action has an equal, sexually explicit reaction. Wikipedia tells us that the rule emerged from a 2003 comic drawn by Peter Morley-Souter, however most of us who know about the ubiquitous law know it from the numerous memes and references throughout the internet. A quick Google image search should catch up anyone still not sure what I’m talking about.

Most people have accepted this as a norm. I usually expect that should any major film or game title hit the internet, it won’t be long before there is an XXX version. This can prove quite embarrassing if you’re using torrent services to “creatively” acquire some new title and find you’ve managed to find the “alternate version”.

Hopefully you weren’t watching with your parents (or at your cubicle at work).

My point is that, it’s become more or less accepted.

Until now.

Blizzard Entertainment, the video game stable that has brought out many gaming greats like World of WarCraft, Heroes of the Storm (HotS), StarCraft and Diablo recently released their latest much awaited multi-player first person shooter, Overwatch. The game is a co-operative combat based shooter, using multiple characters with unique abilities to make up teams of six players.

Blizzard are no strangers to fan videos, especially of the “artistic” variety. I sincerely doubt that games like Warcraft pitting busty Elven maidens, Dryads and Worgens, played by a largely younger age group between 16 and 25 (almost 70% male), is not going to engender some pretty strange and wild sexual fantasies.

While most porn clichés are the centred around the pizza delivery guy and the horny soccer mom, I’d be willing to bet that people who immerse themselves in a

fantasy universe are willing to be a little more creative.

However, Blizzard took the unusual stance of condemning and cracking down pornographic renderings of their game characters and storyline, even though content creators claimed it should be viewed as fan fiction. One news report states that searches on PornHub (the largest porn website on the Internet) for the keyword “Overwatch” increased by over 800%. Blizzard have gone so far as to issue takedown notices of content or sites that seem to go against their stance. While Blizzard have not issued an official statement regarding their intent, some fans have linked it to their T (Teen) rating for the game. However, this seems a little unlikely since Blizzard have been much more liberal to similar fan fiction in the past, even sexually explicit content.

Overwatch is an interesting study, because it’s one of the few gaming titles that has little storyline - the game itself is centred around the co-operative experience. However, in promoting the game, Blizzard created a series of teaser animated videos that have gone viral on the internet and social media sites, with each video getting between 4-6 million views each on YouTube (and probably has more views on Facebook Video).

Interestingly, Blizzard also announced a possible digital comic series, graphic novel and animated series , focussing on some of the characters - particularly Solder: 76 whose mysterious identity and backstory has become a talking point from the teaser videos.

This may be a signal that game developers and other entertainment houses realise how much potential a franchise has and need to look further to maximising the revenue opportunities when they have a good one. Blizzard may want to ensure that they are in control of all mediums where their characters appear, and we may soon see the same for

“...every action has an equal, sexually explicit reaction.”

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movie franchises like Marvel and DC superheroes, as well as other major money spinners like Star Wars. We may see many of these studios crack down on perceived copyright infringement.

A big distinction between fan fiction and copyright infringement is the line between fair use and copyright, where fair use is the permitted use of copyrighted material without acquiring permission from the rights holders. This is mainly prevalent in the United States (South Africa does not have a fair use doctrine in force but allows “fair dealing” which is exemption from copyright infringement in specific cases like reviews, research or reporting news). Many creators of fan fiction have cited the fair use precedent in their defence of using copyrighted material in their content.

It usually comes down to the copyright holder’s attitude towards fan fiction. There are many writers and content creators who have seen themselves on the fence on the distinction between pornography and fan fiction. JK Rowling is known to have taken a strong stance against sexually explicit fan fiction of Harry Potter and other

“...Blizzard took the unusual stance...”

TECHNOLOGY

characters in the Hogwarts / Harry Potter Universe, though she is generally OK with other types of innocent works using her characters and locations. Lucasfilm (prior to their sale of the Star Wars franchise to Disney), who were once quite anti-fan fiction, went all the way to the other side by going as far as releasing tools for fans to rework Star Wars video material and to hold contests for fan fiction. If you’re a Game of Thrones fan (or Songs of Ice and Fire, if you love the books), don’t expect to find any fan fiction on Amazon’s Kindle Worlds (a fan fiction platform). George RR Martin has made it very clear that he’ll never allow fan fiction, as did JRR Tolkien and his estate (despite offers from studios and publishers).

Interestingly, CBS and Paramount recently dropped a lawsuit against Axanar Productions, a fan led and crowd funded initiative to make production quality Star Trek fan fiction. The Axanar film is intended to be professionallooking full length feature film, even going so far as to use actors and crew from other Star Trek productions. A 20 minute prequel was released with over 2 million views already - incurring the legal wrath of the studios. Producer JJ Abrams stated that “fans are all part of this work” and it was “not an appropriate way to deal with fans”.

I guess there is a small (very blurred line) between fan fiction and pornographic renderings of popular characters, but it may be an interesting period while we figure out what the internet accepts (and insists on) and what movie and gaming studios will allow. g

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Rule 34

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Features Walking the Tightrope

PReviews The Technomancer Dead Effect 2 The King of Fighters XIV Caravan Ghostbusters World of Warcraft: Legion Psycho Pass: Mandatory Happiness Final Fantasy XV

Reviews 70 74 80 86 90 96 100 102 103 104 105

Battleborn Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End DOOM Homefront: The Revolution Overwatch Total War: Warhammer Valkyria Chronicles Remastered Defense Grid 2 Tropico 5 Table Top Racing: World Tour Switch Galaxy Ultra

RegularS 40 106 112

Did you know Indie View Legacy

COLUMN 116

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Ramjet’s Rantality

gamecca84

AVAILABLE NOW AND OTHER LEADING RETAILERS

18V © 2016 and published by Koch Media GmbH, Austria. Deep Silver is a division of Koch Media GmbH. Dead Island, Deep Silver and their respective logos are trademarks of Koch Media GmbH. Developed by TECHLAND Sp. z o.o.

All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved. ”2”, and “PlayStation” are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. “ ” is a trademark of the same company.

Distributed Exclusively by Apex Interactive Tel: (011) 796 5040 www.apexinteractive.co.za Email: sales@apexinteractive.co.za All rights and trademarks and logos are copyright of their respective owners. www.apexinteractive.co.za

GAMING

Did You

Know?

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1…

that Naughty Dog went with a slow start for Uncharted 4 on purpose?

There have been many complaints that the first moments of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End are really slow. But Naughty Dog wanted this, because it creates an important contrast in the narrative, showing what Nathan Drake’s life has become after his retirement from adventuring.

The developers wanted to create a stark contrast between the nature of Drake’s life now to what it used to be with a scuba diving level that is really easy and cannot be failed. While some people hate the level, Naughty Dog believe that others will appreciate its implications for what happened before, and what takes place afterwards.

2…

that the PS4 is the fastest selling Sony console ever?

On May 22nd, PS4 sell-through figures broke the 40 million mark, making it the fastest selling console in Sony’s history. The company is predicting a further 20 million sales within the next financial year.

“We are truly grateful for the enormous support from our fans and partners across the globe, which helped us achieve this significant milestone in such a short span of time,” President and Global CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, Andrew House, stated.

Whether the PS4 will break the PS2’s record of a total of 155 million sold worldwide is debatable, because newer hardware will likely be released sooner than that goal can be achieved.

3…

that we almost lost Funcom?

Conan Exiles creator Funcom will continue developing this title… But Funcom only just dodged the bullet. Thanks to some carefully structure deals and an investment injection, Funcom went from US$6 million in debt to US$4 million in credit. “This investment is a major turning point for the company,” said Funcom CEO Rui Casais. “Funcom has been making great games for more than twenty-three years, but it is no secret that the company has had a strained financial situation in recent years that made it challenging to fully realize our new strategy and get back on the right track. This investment allows us to finally do that.” gamecca84

DID YOU KNOW

Slow starts, last minutes saves and more VR...

4…

that Google is getting into VR? VR is just so hot right now, and everyone wants in on the action. That includes Google. The company has unveiled Google Daydream, a VR system that is comprised of smartphones, a headset, a controller and apps.

But Google won’t manufacture their own headsets, rather providing reference models to partner companies. Daydream will cover several applications, including Google’s own YouTube, Street View, Play Movies, Google Photos and the Play Store. And, of course, games… several developers have already announced titles to work with this system, which may just take VR to the mainstream, thanks to the popularity of the Android platform.

5…

the No Man’s Sky developers have been receiving death threats?

Gamers takes things far too seriously sometimes.

Not everyone, of course, but there have been quite a number that have been sending death threats to No Man’s Sky developer Hello Games after a delay for the release of this anticipated title was announced.

“I have received loads of death threats this week, but don’t worry, Hello Games now looks like the house from Home Alone,” Hello Games’ Sean Murray tweeted.

“Thanks to everyone for being so supportive.

Apologies to anyone who feels hurt by this. We’ll try make it up to you with a good game,” he said in another.

6…

that Razer is getting into retail?

Well, actually, they have been in retail – the brickand-mortar, physical shop kind – for more than a year, with stores in Bangkok, Manila and Taipei. But they will shortly be opening a fourth retail store in San Francisco, the first for them in the West.

Taking a leaf out of the Apple playbook, the new store will measure 1 300 square feet and will showcase Razer’s products, ranging from gaming laptops through to keyboards, mice, headphones and mobile companion devices.

We probably won’t see one here in South Africa any time soon. g

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Walking the Tightrope Returning to the edge

GAMING

by Lein Baart

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Mirror’s Edge Catalyst

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Mirror’s Edge Catalyst

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ICE is not a studio known for being particularly adventurous.

While their earlier years may have seen them attempt a range of different games and genres, by and large the Swedish developer has stuck closely to shooters since Battlefield 1942 rocketed them to fame in 2002. There has been one notable exception however, and while Mirror’s Edge Catalyst may have received enough hype to rival even the likes of Watch Dog and Call of Duty, the original proved to be something of a sleeper hit.

That’s not to say that EA and DICE never had high expectations though. Indeed the developer initially predicted that the game would sell in excess of three million copies, a number which even five years after release it failed to reach. For those that did play it however the game proved to be something drastically different to what players had come to anticipate from both the publisher and studio, and while Mirror’s Edge was far from a perfect game it was a bold step in a new direction, one which has sadly been infrequently repeated.

It was the desire to create something completely out of the norm however that was one of the central motivations behind the creation of Mirror’s Edge.

Since Battlefield 1942’s release DICE had followed up with a total of eight sequels and expansions, and in 2007, by this time having firmly cemented themselves as an industry powerhouse, the studio begun to hint at expanding their portfolio.

While not a true venture into uncharted waters, the game was first-person after all, Mirror’s Edge was about as far a cry as you could get from Battlefield while still being in the same genre. Mirror’s Edge was entirely about movement, and almost every design choice DICE made centred on this. Instead of the browns and greys of war-torn arenas, gamers were instead given an urban playground of stark white skyscrapers and buildings, with contrasting tones of red, orange and blue allowing players to quickly visualise the best path forward to conserve momentum.

The central protagonist Faith was able to use guns, but this was almost always discouraged, as anything larger than a pistol had a noticeable impact on your

speed and Faith had the endurance of a cardboard box. Rather the game focussed on pushing players to constantly stay at maximum velocity while you sprinted, vaulted and slid past obstacles, and the experience was both unique and mesmerising.

Mirror’s Edge was not without its flaws however. The plot, which saw Faith employed illegally as a “runner” in an unnamed city ruled by a totalitarian government, tried to weave a narrative of corruption, oppression and conspiracy, but was too incoherent and inconsequential to tell an effective story, and the use of animated cutscenes in between levels was divisive at best. Likewise the game often sabotaged itself by deliberately forcing you to stop, such as when you needed to climb a drainpipe, and these moments could be jarring after having raced pellmell over a string of rooftops mere seconds ago. Equally as frustrating were the moments when the game seemed to force you into firefights, despite stressing that you should shun combat as much as possible, and these could quickly lead to infuriating bouts of trial and error. The problem with the game’s level design was especially noticeable when indoors, as Mirror’s Edge appeared to offering untold freedom but instead delivered a smattering of predetermined routes, which somewhat ironically gave it a claustrophobic feeling at times. For most these were issues easily overlooked, but it was not a title that suited everyone’s tastes.

Mirror’s Edge Catalyst might prove to be a different kettle of fish however. It appears that DICE have gone over the original formula rather clinically, and have scrapped anything that showed even a hint of dodgy design, including deliberate artistic choices the studio made with the first game.

While the central parkour mechanics look to be largely preserved, with the limited gameplay footage seeming to show Faith as being even more nimble than before, there have been several drastic changes.

By far the largest has been the decision to drop the tightly controlled levels of the original in favour of an open-world structure, a design which should be a natural fit for the gameplay

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Catalyst offers. To aid this Faith will have access to a Mag Rope, used to latch onto hovering cameras, and a disruptor, which can interfere with security systems.

Like its predecessor the game’s focus on free running and movement will tie into the combat system, however this time round guns have been dropped entirely, for Faith at least, in favour of melee attacks. Focus generated through continuously running at top speed will allow players to perform some spectacular feats, though the option to simply flee will often be as viable as direct confrontation. DICE’s changes are evident even in

46

the game’s aesthetics, as while the city will still be starkly white for the most part, with reds, blues and greens used as a sharp juxtaposition, there seems to be a subtle dirtiness to the environment that was not there before, creating a more realistic display, though perhaps not as distinctive as the original.

Another large change appears to be the emphasis Catalyst has placed on its story. Set in a city called Glass, which was deliberately unnamed in the previous release, the plot will still see Faith employed as a runner, who are people used to carry messages for those who wish to avoid the spying eye of the city’s totalitarian government. The Swedish

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Mirror’s Edge Catalyst

developer has been vague regarding whether Catalyst will serve as a prequel or reboot, claiming it to be neither, though from the few details available it seems that the title will blend both, using the general concepts of the first game while rewriting many of the finer details. A concerted effort looks to have been made to bring the narrative to the fore with Catalyst, and hopefully a large supporting cast will avoid the hollow feeling that the limited interactions of the first game created.

Given that that there has been an eight year gap between the release of Mirror’s Edge Catalyst and its predecessor it can be hoped that DICE have

had plenty of time to polish out the rough edges in between releasing umpteen Battlefield games. The studio have gone on record saying that Catalyst is do or die for the franchise, and because of this it seems that the developers have made a deliberate attempt to both appeal to a large audience while retaining the individuality of the franchise. It’s a tricky line to walk however as for many the original’s uniqueness was one of its most endearing qualities. What can be hoped is that DICE will be able to find a happy compromise, though whether this holds true will only be evident once the game actually launched in early June. g

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The Technoman GAMING

Dust, Guns and Sorcery

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The Technomancer

by Lein Baart

ncer

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sun. The resulting exposure to solar radiation has seen the fragile civilisation built on the Red Planet almost completely destroyed, with the few clusters of humanity that remain battling to survive against not only the environment and its mutated species but a crippling drought. Stepping into the role of novice Technomancer Zach, who is part of an order of mage-warriors with power over electricity, the game promises a fairly standard suite of RPG features, which includes a companion system and the ability to resolve quests with either brute force, dialogue or stealth.

As far as gameplay is concerned, The Technomancer appears to be aiming to rub shoulders with the likes of The Witcher, offering a melee-focussed brawler in which you combine electrical powers with one of three fighting

GAMING

hen Mars: War Logs first released in 2013 it wasn’t exactly met with the acclaim that French developers Spiders were no doubt hoping for. By all accounts an ambitious game, the cyberpunk action RPG had definite promise in spite of its poor writing, awkward graphics and unwieldy controls, though unfortunately it never became more than a minor release. This hasn’t stopped Spiders from forging ahead with a sequel however, and likes it predecessor The Technomancer has, on the surface at least, a lot of potential on offer.

Set in a distant future in which mankind has colonised Mars, The Technomancer begins approximately 120 years after a shift in the planet’s tilt saw it move closer to the

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The Technomancer

styles, each with their own benefits. The staff style will allow for better control against groups, while the use of a sword and gun will suit those who prefer agility and the sword and shield combination will favour defence and counterattacking. Being an RPG the game will of course allow for the usual skills progression, those these will emphasis combat abilities, with a dedicated skill tree for each style and another for technomancy powers. Crafting will also make an appearance, and players will be able to customise the aesthetics as well as the attributes of equipment from scrap found through looting and adventuring.

Mars: War Logs was not exactly the prettiest of titles, and here it appears that The Technomancer has received

significant attention. Gameplay video have displayed characters that no longer look like they were born and raised in the uncanny valley, and if the trailers can be trusted, there should be some genuinely pretty lighting and environmental effects.

Overall The Technomancer appears to have obtained the budget that Mars: War Logs desperately needed, and at the very least should be a more polished second outing, hopefully allowing the narrative and mechanics to complement an intriguing premise and setting. Whether this will be enough to raise the game above the mediocrity that has so often plagued Spiders previous offerings, despite their eagerness and tenacity, is another question entirely however. g

AT A GLANCE Action RPG

There is a lot of promise to be had here, but The Technomancer will have to work hard to overcome its predecessor’s failings Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

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Spiders Focus Home Interactive Apex Interactive

Jun 2016

Platforms

GENRE

ETA

PC X0 PS4 Wii U X360 PS3 PSV 3DS

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Oct 2015 Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

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BadFly Interactive BadFly Interactive Online

PLATFORMS

Be alive to experience this...

PC X0 PS4 Wii U X360 PS3 PSV 3DS

GENRE

AT A GLANCE First-person shooter

BadFly took their time into creating a game that hopes to deliver from look, to gameplay and experience.

gamecca84

by Sibonisile Motha

Dead Effect 2

on’t you just love those moments when you wake up from an intense nap only to be confused as to who you are, where you’re from and how the heck did you get on this ship filled with zombies?! Those moments suck because now you have to start figuring your way out of a very bloody annoying situation. Dead Effect 2 makes those moments really fun to go through.

You are aboard the ESS Meridian (where the first game ended) and you must not only get out but fight of some pretty antagonistic enemies along the way. Unfortunately, this isn’t going to be as straightforward as you would like it to be (who would want it easy anyway?).

There is something or someone aboard the spaceship that is seemingly awaiting you. To be more specific, to get into your mind and control it. This unknown but truly dangerous and powerful threat is one that you have to eliminate.

To accomplish this daunting task, you will have some tools at your disposal. These come in the form of weapons and upgradable gear. These weapons range from “let’s get through this quickly” to “I want a bloodbath more than the zombies do”. These weapons are upgradable and this can make for a great FPS experience that you can customise as you go along.

Your character’s body can be enhanced with implants (as if being designed to be fearless wasn’t enough). You will appreciate all this when faced with boss fights (we all know how those go).

The graphics and overall appeal of this title speak volumes of the time and effort taken by BadFly into making this game a complete experience. g

Dead Effect 2

E M W A VIE G E R P

The King of Fighters XIV

E M W A VIE G E R P

The King of Fighters XIV

Reviving a legendary fighter in next-gen glory.

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

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SNK SNK, Atlus USA, Deep Silver TBC

PLATFORMS

GAMING

Aug 2016

characters.

The story follows worldwide unrest due to numerous spin-off tournaments calling out fighters in supposed King of Fighter tournaments. The low quality of the tournaments calls for one unique KOF competition. A billionaire by the name of Anotonov claims to be the first champion, buying out all the rights for the KOF tournament.

This move creates unprecedented enthusiasm from fighters new and old from around the world, called to the unified tournament through a special invitation.

The characters will be receiving

PC X0 PS4 Wii U X360 PS3 PSV 3DS

GENRE

quite an upgrade following the 2D to 3D revamp, even though characters will be 3D models on a 2D plane like Street Fighter IV was. KOF XIV will feature “Max Mode” similar from previous games in the series. This means players will be able to perform unlimited EX special movies for a short period of time. Each player will have three “supers”: super special movies, Neomax super special moves and the new Climax super special moves, all controlled by power gauges.

A lot of work has gone into this PS4 exclusive, reviving the old fighter for an intense next-gen experience. g

AT A GLANCE Fighting

The fighters are back, the roster is bigger, and the fights just got better in this PS4 exclusive of arcade legend: The Kind of Fighters

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by Nthato Morakabi

S

NK is a company that is almost as old as arcade gaming itself. The creators of the NEO GEO home, handheld and arcade consoles, developers behind iconic titles Metal Slug, Art of Fighting, Samurai Showdown, Fata Fury and of course The King of Fighters.

KOF XIV comes from a very long history and is the product of the SNK CEOs desire to develop appealing video games. It will also be the first KOF title in 3D. Directed by Yasuyuki Oda, who directed Street Fighter IV, KOF XIV promises a new story and large roster of new and returning

Caravan

E M IEWW A VIE G EEV R PR

Caravan C

aravan is a picturesque view of a time of trade, survival and mystery. This isn’t just another trading game, this is a game of strategy. You will assume the role of a prince who lives a life of luxury and no labour, until events occur that result in him embarking on a journey of his own.

Because this is meant to be somewhat realistic to the Orient, your journey will be met with some challenges. You will have to fight your way through greedy bandits, ghouls, beasts and djinns (I googled it and yeah, they seem to be delightful creatures).

To enhance the experience of this game, you can complete quests you may come across in towns and possibly earn some valuable rewards.

Quests are usually a very enjoyable part of any game, apart from the main storyline, and in a title where trade is almost crucial, completing them for a reward can be beneficial to your own inventory.

On the subject of inventory, each player gets to manage their own cart. What goes in, what goes out is all up to you.

Trading is to be seen as a strategic in the decisions you eventually come to make. I can picture being faced with a situation where you have to choose between the best and least worst option.

The backdrop is set with an Arabian Nights ambiance, and beautiful colours that tell the stories of the lands, the people, the mysteries and the demons that lurk about. Caravan’s environment seems designed to keep the player aware of the task at hand and reassure the importance of playing your cards well (I just realised what I did there). g

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by Sibonisile Motha

You won’t trade this one

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AT A GLANCE Exploration Adventure

Looks to be a nice take on a trade-strategy game. The environment, the characters and the story work well overall.

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GAMING

Q3 2016 Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

FireForge Games Activision Megarom

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Newbies busting ghosts and taking names.

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AT A GLANCE Action

A quartet of rookies take on the ghosts of New York City in this isometric action title, based on events following the feature film.

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by Nthato Morakabi

Ghostbusters

n light of the upcoming Ghostbusters movie that features a unique all girls Ghostbuster team, Activision have been working on a new title by the same name. Hardly even on the circuit, online critics have dubbed the film as a failure sure to be a let-down, but let’s not jump into that as only time will tell. We should also note that this top-down action title from Activision will not feature either cast from the old or new Ghostbusters, but instead what seems to be a team of high school students.

The game takes place after the events of the Ghostbusters film, following a couple of newbies keeping ghosts at bay in New York city, while the real Ghostbusters are out in the world. The rookie quartet have varying personalities and abilities, playing to the co-op gameplay and spurring on teambased strategies. Armed with the iconic proton pack, ghost busting will be reminiscent of the films.

As players take on the ghosts of New York, they will have to upgrade their gear as well as their characters’ abilities. Tasks will be given for completion, a myriad of creatures to defeat and hidden collectibles scattered across the city. Each character selectable will also have a unique play-style, encouraging players to switch around and experience different aspects of the game.

Activision has also announced a mobile version of the game called Ghostbusters: Slime City.

It will also be an isometric action title but with synchronous co-op – two players playing together simultaneously on separate devices. Slime City will also coincide with the film releasing in July, available on the App Store, Google Play and Amazon Appstore. g

Ghostbusters

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World of Warcraft: Legion

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World of Warcraft: Legion Fight all your demons

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franchise is very successful at is captivating players with their various storylines. The joy of an epic quest that lies ahead of you is always something that can keep you looking forward to the challenge. Legion is no different.

There is an imminent threat of the Burning Legion unleashing demonic horrors and summoning the Dark Titan Sargeras (he is definitely not a guy you can have a nice cup of coffee with). Now it doesn’t help that the Burning Legion have figured out the key to bringing Sargeras into the mix.

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This is where you - Azeroth’s heroes- to stand against this and see to it that it does not come to pass for everyone’s sake.

In order to do this, you will have to discover and master the artefacts that have the capability to stop the Legion. Oh, you may have to make a pact with a group of people who can help. Put some rather awesome battles in the mix and you’re on your way.

The world created in this game looks as thrilling as the storyline, one you will enjoy, no, love being immersed in. g

AT A GLANCE Massively multiplayer online RPG

It seems highly unlikely that fans of the franchise are going to be disappointed by the sixth expansion. This looks to be another success for Blizzard.

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by Sibonisile Motha

I

t is no secret that Blizzard Entertainment is having a rather great run with the games that they have been putting out.

They have amassed millions in fans of the titles and always seem to be doing all they can to push beyond what we can expect from games.

World of Warcraft. I could just end this right here, as it is hard to find someone who hasn’t either heard of World of Warcraft of is crazy excited at the very mention of the words.

One of the things that this

Psycho Pass: Mandatory Happiness T

okyo, 2112. Humanity can be a vile and dangerous creature. The future has seen this destructive tendency, and hopes to eradicate it through quantifying everyone’s mental state and disposition. Everything from emotional tendencies to criminal behaviour is recorded – the goal; attaining true happiness. In order to determine the morality of an individual’s heart and soul, a value has been calculated – it is commonly known as the PsychoPass. Most important of these values is the Crime Coefficient, a number that presents an individual’s potential to commit crime.

Psycho-Pass is a visual novel following two new detectives who have been assigned to the MWPSB(Ministry of Welfare’s Public Safety Bureau) Criminal Investigation Department Division 1.

The story takes place in the distant, futuristic Sado Marine City. Nadeshiko Kugatachi is a cool, calm detective who takes on her orders with theoretical reasoning. Though she lost her memories in an accident, she performs her duties with high level efficiency. Takuma Tsurugi is a latent criminal whose childhood friend vanished in Tokyo. The disappearance gradually caused his Psycho-Pass to grow murky leading to his incarceration. His only way out was to become an Enforcer- a detective with a high Crime Coefficient able to find other potential criminals.

An intriguing storyline based on an anime and a couple of movies, Psycho-Pass is very much an interactive investigative title. Players can expect a lot of reading as they take on case files to clarify investigations, interrogate and question the public, all the while finding out more about each of the detectives.

Although gameplay has been shown for the Xbox One, the official website only shows content for PS4, PS Vita and PC. g

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MAGES./5pb NIS America TBC

PLATFORMS

by Nthato Morakabi

Is there such a thing as Mandatory Happiness?

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GENRE

AT A GLANCE Interactive Adventure

Two detectives have joined the MWPSB Criminal Investigation Department Division 1, driven by personal endeavour while rooting out evil in this anime inspired visual novel.

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Psycho Pass: Mandatory Happiness

E M IEWW A VIE G EEV R PR

AVAILABLE NOW

Copyright Š 2015 -2016 Razer Inc. All rights reserved. Actual product may differ from pictures.

Information correct at time of printing.

Distributed by Apex Interactive Tel: (011) 796 5040 www.apexinteractive.co.za Email: sales@apexinteractive.co.za All rights and trademarks and logos are copyright of their respective owners. www.apexinteractive.co.za

E M W A VIE G E R P

Final Fantasy X GAMING

Never really Final, is it?

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Final Fantasy XV

by Sibonisile Motha

XV

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was reported to be kinda-sorta-dead after the enemy invasion in Lucis (no one can say for sure) so your journey to your bride-to-be changes as now you are on a quest of sorts to fight for your kingdom and restore order and peace (and hopefully find out that you’ve been Punk’d about the whole your-dad-being-deadthing).

What would a prince be without his clique? Our young fellow has a few friends that are each useful allies in their own ways. Noctis is the only playable character however.

Most of us have come to know Final Fantasy for the very large monsters that you have to battle with, this is what makes or breaks the combat aspect of the game.

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ou would have to be living under a rock to not know what the words Final Fantasy are about. More so, you would be much delayed considering that this piece is about the fifteenth instalment. So much to tell you so let’s get straight to it.

In the world of Eos we have nine different kingdoms and these kingdoms once had a magic and powerful crystal that helped them amass power. Only one of these kingdoms never had a crystal, and only one still has theirs. Boom! Your battle background story. You assume the role of Noctis Lucis Caelum, crown prince of the Lucis kingdom (the only kingdom you can trust with your jewels apparently). His dad

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From what Square Enix has revealed, fighting is going to be fun. Fun in the sense that it will probably be hard at first but really awesome once you master the combo moves and the magic that can be wielded by Noctis.

This fluidity is what they hope to achieve with FFXV. Okay, superpowers! Let me just tell you that because Noctis has royal blood of the Lucis kingdom, you can do some pretty cool things. “What cool things?” you ask in a cute child’s voice. Well, you can “forge” weapons from thin air, grasshopper! Not just thin air exactly, but more of using the elements around you to create weapons. Noctis can wield daggers, swords, shields and phantom swords (these can be collected throughout the game). You can also warp for short

times and limited distances. YOU CAN WARP! You can be fighting an opponent, disappear and appear elsewhere, and out of nowhere…SURPRISE you’re in their face! I have a hunch that they are not going to make this ability too easy for us to know and use. But who cares? Unless you can warp in real life.

The graphics are beautiful in true Final Fantasy style (and yes, I will forever be jealous of the characters’ hair). Side note, Square Enix has made a full-length movie that is based on the world of FFXV from Noctis’ father’s eyes (it’s called Kingsglaive). One day in-game is equal to one hour in real-time (I can foresee many spending in-game months and losing track of realtime). g

AT A GLANCE Action RPG

Picture what you would expect from Final Fantasy and throw in some fun abilities, amazing graphics, a good story and you’ll have a noteworthy instalment.

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Sep 2016

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Battleborn GAMING

Grinding to save the last star

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Battleborn

by Walt Pretorius

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campaign. With the zany characters, quirky graphics style and constant (generally ho-hum) one liners flying about, one would think that a slightly less cataclysmic back story would have been a better fit.

It simply has no impact.

In fact, a lack of impact is something that pervades the whole experience. Weapons feel oddly underpowered, the roar and rumble of chaotic combat seems downplayed, and characters seem to have little effect on the world – even though they do.

It feels, somehow, like you are disconnected from the experience, and even if you find a character that suits you down to the ground, it just doesn’t feel quite like it should.

The two main areas of play are the campaign, and multiplayer combat. As far as the campaign goes, it

GAMING

earbox Studios have been around for a while, and while they have managed to make more than a few solid games, everyone really remembers them for the unique and unarguably excellent Borderlands series. And so, when it was announced that they were launching a new IP, most people probably expected something along the lines of Borderlands. What they got instead was a first-person shooter and MOB hybrid that simply doesn’t manage to jump the hurdles effectively.

Battleborn sees the player take on one of numerous preset heroes, fighting in a war to save the last star in the galaxy. That seems like a pretty serious quest, really, but Battleborn manages to never actually create any kind of urgency within its

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offers the player stages that will take around seven hours to complete. If you do the math, you will realise that this equates to just under an hour per stage, which really is quite long. The truth of it is that each episode lasts far longer than it should. It would have served Battleborn well if Gearbox had trimmed down the length of each chapter and included more missions.

The real problem with the length of these missions is that the enemies the game throws at you start feeling extremely repetitive before long, and it throws tons of them. Missions turn into a rinse-andrepeat of go to the next point, fight off enemies, do a special task or two, fight a boss, start again. Had Gearbox worked a more varied game dynamic into the campaign missions, things would have been much

better.

What does work well with the longer campaign length – and is, in fact, one of Battleborn’s saving graces – is the way that characters level up. Each mission starts with the character pretty much at level one, and as the mission progresses, new skills are unlocked on the fly. Each new skill will provide the player with two (or sometimes three) choices which need to be made fairly quickly. None of them are bad choices, but they can affect play style, so it does add that lacking sense of urgency, at least a little bit.

Another choice that the player gets to make is how to spend shards, the game’s currency. It is all earned in mission, and doesn’t carry over from one mission to the next. It can be used to unlock turrets at certain points, or to activate drones to assist the player in a

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useless if you’re flying solo. There are a number that can work well on their own, but no character in Battleborn is truly independent of a group dynamic.

Some don’t work well outside of a group at all. And that’s fine for those who want to play the game co-operatively, which is pretty much how Gearbox intended for it to be experienced. But playing on your own can get tricky, if not frustrating. And if you’re going to leap into some random co-op game, always keep in mind that you run the risk of being part of a muppet-squad that doesn’t work well together.

One of Battleborn’s strengths is its great cast of characters. They run the gamut from fairly vanilla soldier types through to multi-armed magicians and fungus-inspired healers. But they’re not all available from the outset, and the player will need to put in

GAMING

number of ways. It is also needed to unlock the loot that a player collects during playing. Loot is pretty much the only perpetual character enhancement as it carries over more or less permanently. Each character can have three loot items on any given mission, but these need to be activated using shards as the mission progresses. Like the skill choices, picking the right equipment to activate can make quite a difference, and the dynamic of deciding whether to activate a turret for the good of the group, or to activate gear for the good of the player can be quite fun.

And that leads to the next point. The campaign can be played as either a single player, or as a coop team. The way the characters are structured, though, means that some of them are pretty

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a lot of work to unlock them all. It’s a progression system, yes, but it’s not the best sort for a game in which customisation doesn’t exist. A few unlockable characters would be fine, but starting with the bulk of the cast locked and a limited selection of frankly boring characters at the outset was a misstep.

With multiplayer being such an important part of the equation, it’s hardly surprising that Battleborn has a fairly solid player versus player component. At least, two out of three modes work fairly well. Capture delivers familiar domination mechanics, while Incursion is a watered down version of the single player campaign, although devoid of those massive firefights.

The third mode, Meltdown, tries to marry MOBA and FPS elements, but a game with an FPS viewpoint

doesn’t work particularly well if the map overlay you have is too small – and that’s exactly what Battleborn has, so it doesn’t work all that well.

Battleborn had tons of potential, but overly long missions, some poor design ideas and a lot of grinding make it a game that has more weak points than strong ones. Had it utilised a quicker play style and been more generous from the start in terms of playable characters, maybe things would have been a little different. But there are problems at the core of this title that stack up, making it a game that feels like more of a chore than the fun, chaotic slugfest Gearbox intended it to be. As a developer, Gearbox are going to have to go back to the drawing board for their next release, and maybe be a little more considered in their approach.. g

AT A GLANCE First-person shooter

Although it has some great ideas, the overall package that Battleborn presents is disappointing.

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Gearbox 2K Prima Interactive

PARENTAL ADVISORY

16+ gamecca84

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

AWARDS

Platinum Gold Silver Bronze Casual Ed’s Choice

REVIEWED ON

x360 PLATFORMS

GENRE

PC X0 PS4 Wii U X360 PS3 PSV 3DS

Score

70 73

E M W A IE G EV R

Uncharted 4: A GAMING

One last adventure

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Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

by Walt Pretorius

Thief’s End

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n

aughty Dog pretty much stunned the gaming world when they released the first instalment of Uncharted, around nine years ago. Since then, they have managed to keep things in high gear with this series, establishing a pace broken only by the release of the equally brilliant The Last of Us. That break from Uncharted has had an effect of this fourth and final Nathan Drake adventure, too. See, one of The Last of Us’ strongest points rose from the way in which the characters evolved within the narrative, showing a kind of maturity that didn’t really exist in the more testosterone-driven Uncharted series. With this fourth outing, though, Naughty Dog have taken a page or two out of the Last of Us playbook in terms of the way they portray the characters, which adds a great level of maturity and depth to the title.

The game kicks off with Nathan Drake retired and married to long-time co-conspirator Elena Fisher. Through a series of retrospective sequences that show Drake’s past, as well as the appearance of his brother (who was presumed dead) Nathan gets tempted back into a life of high adventure, as the two of them go in search of a treasure that has eluded them all of their lives – the fabled treasure of pirate Captain Henry Avery.

They set off on a journey that takes them around the globe and visits locations like Scotland and Madagascar, with the latter being where the bulk of the game plays out.

It is pretty standard Uncharted stuff, really, full of traversal challenges, puzzles and combat. In fact, at times it feels as though previous Uncharted games were somehow “bigger” in terms of action sequences, but the down-to-earth nature

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of Uncharted 4 suits it well.

Here the heroes are older, and their lives have changed drastically from the last time we saw them in action.

Drake has a steady job, for example, and a wife – who he keeps in the dark about his latest adventure. It’s a more believable, more human approach to the characters, and it does the entire experience a lot of good. This time around Nathan Drake isn’t some adrenaline junkie searching for yet another treasure. He is more real, more grounded and far more believable.

This is helped along by a stellar voice cast. Nolan North, Emily Rose and Richard McGonagle reprise their roles as Nathan, Elena and Victor “Sullie” Sullivan respectively, while newcomers Troy Baker and Rafe Adler do a superb job of their roles. Sadly, Laura Bailey, who plays the part of South African mercenary leader Nadine Ross, manages to fail miserably at her accent. In fact, the choice of voice casting South African characters is extremely odd here… while numerous Americans were used, South Africans Gideon Emery, Cokey Falkow and Stelio Savante bring authenticity to it… creating a weird mix of real, and really bad, accent work. Surely Naughty Dog could have just gone with overall authenticity and used more of the many talented actors South Africa has on offer?

OK, rant over… we’re sensitive about it here in South Africa because various entertainment media have, for years, butchered the way we speak. But anyway… back to the review.

Uncharted 4 offers the player grand scale, and manages to break away from the linearity the series is known for. While there are still linear sections, and improved AI and many more open areas allow the combat to become fluid gamecca84

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

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It’s bigger and grander than before, yet is also more mature and seasoned:

Uncharted 4: A thief’s End is a great way to end a

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Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

16+ AWARDS Platinum Gold Silver Bronze Ed’s Choice

Score

96

AT A GLANCE

PARENTAL ADVISORY

REVIEWED ON

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great franchise.

Naughty Dog SCEE Ster Kinekor

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Adventure

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Speaking of traversal, Uncharted 4 does it well, as is to be expected. There are maybe a few too many of those “handhold breaks as you grab it” moments, but Naughty Dog have reworked the movement system to create movement that is natural and flowing.

There are more than a few heart stopping moments, too, and player timing is pretty important fairly often. The grapple also adds greatly to the fun of traversal.

And, of course, the breadand-butter: those exciting scripted sequnces that drive the adventure home.

Some of them are less grand than one might expect, but they’re still fun and tie in with the more mature nature of the game.

On the whole, the 15 or so hour campaign is satisfying and enjoyable, and possessed of a humanity that we haven’t seen before in this franchise. The story is well told, largely because it is less about the treasure and more about the people looking for it. It’s a great send off to one of the best PlayStation franchises around, and fans will have little reason to not enjoy Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. And once the drama and revelations are over, it even offer some exciting and very well handled multiplayer modes to keep the action going.

While there may be a few things that don’t sit perfectly here – like some repetitive sequences, and some puzzles that are simply too easy – Naughty Dog have done a great job in creating Nathan Drake’s one last adventure. It’s a satisfying and fitting road to Nathan Drake’s retirement, and may even bring a nostalgic tear to your eye in the final moments. Once again, Naughty Dog have created a great game. g

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and less pedestrian than before. Players can take any approach they like now, from a guns blazing assault through to sneaky, stealthy approach, and AI partners will follow suit. There are a few things that could have been tweaked – like not being able to hide bodies after stealth kills – but, in general, the combat this time around is extremely satisfying. Along with the wider spaces, Naughty Dog have brought a large degree of verticality into the combat, with the player’s grappling hook and zip lines making for fun options when taking on the bad guys.

I mentioned grand scale before, and it really shows when you glimpse the game’s stunning vistas.

There is a lot of prettiness here, and the eye candy will have you catching your breath from time to time.

This is, of course, helped by an extremely good level of graphics. The tiniest of details and the longest of distances are all handled with equal care, and minimal repetition and intriguing level design and decoration mean that there is always something to catch the player’s eye. Seeing the ruins of a palatial pirate stronghold overgrown by a relentless jungle is absolutely awesome here.

Another great new aspect is the 4x4 vehicle that the player will get to use after they arrive in Madagascar.

While driving around freely is something of an illusion (because there really are limits to where you can go, and you eventually need to go down the path Naughty Dog wants you to, even if it is a wide path) it is still a fun and unique activity within the Uncharted paradigm. It ties largely in to traversal puzzles, and the player will need to identify different kinds of terrain and even use a winch to get past certain obstacles.

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E M W A IE G EV R

DOOM GAMING

Back to basics…

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DOOM

by Walt Pretorius

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With the release of this rebooted version of Doom, id went back to what made the original game great, and they tip their hat to old school gaming ideas and mechanics a hell of a lot. For example, Doom eschews the idea of healing over time – like you would see in most modern FPS titles – and goes back to the basics of letting the player collect health boosts in the level.

The same goes for armour and ammo. Instead of having to scavenge ammo from guns or find armour in moderately sensible places, Doom liberally scatters all of these things about, and colours them brightly for easy recognition. Killed enemies will also drop these items, so there really is a lot of it about.

But that’s not the only way in which Doom pays homage to its own history. The very dynamic of the game itself goes right back to its roots and starts from there. As the

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he first-person shooter genre has progressed by leaps and bounds over the last few decades, moving from pretty much being excuses for violence to being deep, meaningful, narrative driven epics that don’t just let you shoot stuff, but shoot stuff with meaning.

So when id Software decided to release Doom 3, more than a decade ago, they went for that idea. They brought in a gloomy, scary atmosphere, and tried to inject all those pesky narrative components into the experience that would make it stand out in a market that was post Half-Life. The thing is, it didn’t work out so well. Because, largely, Doom has a legendary status, and that status is defined by the fact that you have a gun, there are demons, and you kill them. End of.

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game kicks off, your character wakes up, and you kill a demon. Then, seconds later, you find a gun and kill some more demons. A few paces further, you find the iconic Doom armour, and kill a few more. The action starts at the very beginning, and doesn’t let up until you’re standing over the steaming corpse of the last boss. It’s around 15 hours of guns-blazing glory, full of extremely graphic violence and more enemies than you can shake a stick at.

And that’s fine, because it really is what Doom is meant to be. How it stacks up in the modern market, that has a vast amount of gamers who may not know what the first Doom games were like and who might expect a little narrative remains to be seen. This game is more fan service than anything else, really.

Speaking of narrative, Doom does try to get a bit of a

story going… but only just. It’s a simple one really: while searching for an alternate energy source, the Big Bad Corporation opened a portal to Hell on Mars. The player is pissed off about it. He has a gun. Cue death. And, quite frankly, it doesn’t need more than that, although – as said before – younger players may find this lack of depth a bit odd, what with the existential crises and long plot arcs thrown out by other games.

There are some differences, though… where the original games were fairly linear and put the player in fairly tight areas, this new Doom opens up in all directions. Cleverly constructed levels are full of nooks and crannies that can be explored and used to tactical advantage, and the overall verticality of the affair has been ramped up, allowing the player to dash around in virtually any direction while dealing death. Because Doom. The

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“alternate fire” mods, that can be switched between on the fly and add a little variety to all the deathdealing. These mods can each be upgraded, too, as can unmoddable weapons like the basic pistol and classic double-barrel shotgun.

In fact, there is a lot that can be upgraded here. The character’s armour, for example, can be upgraded in the fields of health, armour and ammo capacity, and the character himself can be modified using runes that are unlocked by completing mini-challenges scattered throughout the game.

Most of these upgrades come in the form of collectibles, although some are earned by completing in-game challenges. There are other collectibles too, and completionists will have a great (if sometimes frustrating time) in getting them all. Luckily you can go

GAMING

quick, brutal Glory Kills – which are basically melee finishers that can be activated when an enemy is weak enough – drop more loot, as does the chainsaw when it is used to pretty much eviscerate any enemy you’re willing to get near to. Although it is governed by fuel and can make three attacks before needing a recharge, the chainsaw will see all of your ammo pretty much refilled after a single attack.

Speaking of killing things, some of the franchise’s most iconic weapons make a return. Perhaps most impressive is the shotgun, which delivers a resounding roar and deals tons of damage. But the chain gun, pulse rifle and others are back, too, allowing the player to choose their flavour of destruction. And following more modern ideas, the guns can be upgraded. Most weapons offer two

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back and replay levels without impacting your campaign progress to do so.

And what would great guns be without awesome enemies? Doom recollects and reimagines the classic enemies of yore, making them smarter and tougher… but just as fun to kill.

So there you have it – good graphics, tons of action, intelligent enemies and exciting environments. It really seems almost too good to be true… and it is, a little.

See, there is a question of relevance here. FPS games have moved on, and while the Doom campaign is great fun, it doesn’t have the depth that other games offer.

Additionally, the multiplayer component of the game is weak when compared to contemporaries, even though every platform is supported by map creation tools.

Doom will do well, there’s little doubt about that, even

if it is fans of the older games clamouring to get it. But while it is fun and a great way to kill a few hours, the truth is that the game is riding on its reputation more than anything else. The time of mindless shooters is long past, sadly, and for Doom to become a truly viable franchise, id will need to do more than modernise the older formula. Sure, the fans will disagree, but modern gamers demand more, and Doom needs to evolve beyond fan-service to remain a viable franchise. I hope it does, without losing the quintessential nature of the franchise that is captured so well in this reboot. They don’t need to do a lot to modernise it, but they do need to do something to make sure that this franchise’s legacy moves from legendary nostalgia to modern day competitor. That said, though, the amount of nearmindless fun it provides is unparalleled. g

AT A GLANCE First-person shooter

It’s great to experience Doom on modern hardware, but as much fun as it is, the series needs to move away from fan-service towards a few more modern ideas.

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Id Software Bethesda Ster Kinekor

PARENTAL ADVISORY

18+ gamecca84

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

AWARDS

Platinum Gold Silver Bronze Casual Ed’s Choice

REVIEWED ON

x360 PLATFORMS

GENRE

PC X0 PS4 Wii U X360 PS3 PSV 3DS

Score

82 85

E M W A IE G EV R

Homefront: The GAMING

Good intentions

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Homefront: The Revolution

by Rob Edwards

Revolution

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to take back one city at a time. The starting point, and the setting for the game, is Philadelphia, a city very significant in America’s real struggle for independence from the British Crown.

It’s a good start, but pretty soon Homefront: The Revolution’s biggest issue – inconsistency – starts raising its ugly head. It’s everywhere, and it manages to take a game that had tons of potential and lay it low.

The first inconsistency is in the story telling. The premise and individual events are often handled really well, but the overall narrative feels weak and underdeveloped. Sure, maybe this makes it more of a tale about the people, rather than the movement, but even then characters feel under baked and often unlikeable. It gets scattered at times, too, but you can excuse that on the war effort.

Next are the environments and, quite frankly, they’re

GAMING

t was almost hoping against hope that the follow up to Homefront would survive the rigours that the franchise did. After a lacklustre start and the closure of THQ, the odds were really stacked against this title.

Sadly, it didn’t overcome them.

The game starts out with an interesting hook – although it seems to distance itself from the original title somewhat. Korean goods permeate the American market, including weaponry used by the military. But when the US defaults on its debt, the back door on all of these devices is activated, and they simply stop working. This leaves the US ripe for the picking, and the North Korean KPA sweeps in. While initially posed as a humanitarian mission, it soon becomes apparent that the KPA is an invading force. And so a resistance movement evolves, of which the character is a crucial part, planning

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excellent. Philly is divided into eight distinct zones, each with its own flavour and feel. From all-out warzones through to tightly controlled areas under full occupation, this game offers them all. And each one requires a different approach… guns blazing in the war zones, slightly calmer in the occupied areas. But that’s where the problem comes in. The inconsistency isn’t with the environments, but rather with the AI. Detection, for example, is a hit and miss affair, rendering the stealthy play needed in occupied zones almost useless. One guy won’t see you standing in front of him with a gun pointed at his head, while another will spot you right through a brick wall. While a reliance on stealth isn’t essential, you’re going to be forced into a more overt play style, which harms the suspension of disbelief a bit.

The gun play is great, and the enemies aren’t bullet-

sponges, thankfully. Guns can be modified and other equipment can be scratch built, making for a fairly satisfying experience. But it is hampered by frame rate stutters, inconsistent mechanics and an AI that varies between super cunning and daft as a brush. It can provide a fun experience, but you’ll have to be patient with it for the most part, which isn’t really a strong suit among gamers.

And then there’s the co-op… six short missions that don’t really add significantly to the experience. They can be replayed on higher difficulty levels, but that’s about it.

Homefront: The revolution feels unfinished, as though it was rushed out to avoid yet another delay. And that means that it is a missed opportunity; while the game certainly has its heart in the right place, the final execution of the game leaves a lot to be desired. g

AT A GLANCE First-person shooter

It has the best of intentions, but somewhere between the initial idea and the final product, thing went wrong for Homefront: The Revolution.

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Dambuster Studios Deep Silver Apex Interactive

PARENTAL ADVISORY

18+ gamecca84

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

AWARDS

Platinum Gold Silver Bronze Casual Ed’s Choice

REVIEWED ON

x0 PLATFORMS

GENRE

PC X0 PS4 Wii U X360 PS3 PSV 3DS

Score

60 89

E M W A IE G EV R

Overwatch GAMING

The great leveller...

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Overwatch

by Walt Pretorius

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been done before. But when you dig into it, you will find that the extremely careful balancing act that Overwatch employs not only makes for a great game, but a great game that is accessible to everyone. No-one feels really left out here, because the 21 characters have something for all tastes and skill levels. So if you’re relatively unaccustomed to online FPS team based shooters, but you still want to get in on the fight, you could use the grunt Soldier 76, or the high flying, rocket firing Pharah.

If you prefer defensive play, there’s Bastion, the robot who transforms into a turret. Armoured bad-ass Reinhart is great for newbies who want an up-close-and-personal tank, while healer Mercy is great for beginners who like support roles. None of these are for newcomers only, of course, and more experienced players have a wide variety of characters to choose from. All the characters

GAMING

hile we have seen great games released this year (and even this month) Overwatch really is a title that stands out. It manages to take numerous elements that could be considered fairly thin, and work them into a game that is intense, exciting and surprisingly deep. Once again, developers Blizzard show a keen understanding of what games should be.

Players take on the role of heroes that once worked for a global defence organisation called Overwatch.

Overwatch may be a thing of the past, but the need for protection is still there. The fact that the characters are fighting other Overwatch characters is really just semantics.

Blizzard managed to do a number of things with Overwatch that make you wonder why they haven’t

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are loosely grouped into the categories of offense, defence, tank and support, and every one of them requires a slightly different approach. That’s one of the genius design decisions made with Overwatch – the fact that every character is unique, and no character is significantly stronger than any other, unless they’re put into the right hands. Everyone can feel like they make a difference in an Overwatch game, and when team play is employed, things get even better.

No character offers an easy solution to the fight, but they do all provide a surprising amount of versatility that players can easily make their own. By using the character’s three skills smartly, and by working with others who complement those skills, Overwatch can be an extremely exciting endeavour. There is a lot of exploration to do here, and while many may criticise the

fact that the characters do not progress at all during the game (save for new skins, poses, audio lines and such) the truth is that you can get really stuck into a character as you discover all their nuances… and each map allows a different approach.

Speaking of which – there are 12 maps at the moment for Overwatch, but Blizzard did something here that once again may seem strange, but ultimately makes sense.

Each map has a dedicated game mode. So you won’t be able to play a variety of game modes on any particular map… just the mode it was created for. It seems like an odd decision, because it really limits what players can do in terms of mixing and matching things up. But it also allows players to develop extremely tight strategies, particularly if they’re in a group that works well together.

The games are almost always fast paced,

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choose favourites.

Each mission can last for a while, but never overly long, which is a blessing. Overwatch allows for quick hits, and protracted sessions are best made up out of numerous bouts, rather than one long one. That adds some versatility to the game, in terms of time spent. But you’ll probably spend longer in it, because the quick sessions are super-addictive, and never really get old. Even though the maps never varying their objectives, the six-on-six combat means that the variety within your team, as well as your opponent’s team, keeps things pretty fresh.

Also keeping things fresh is the ability to switch characters during a map. A pesky Bastion may warrant the use of Genji’s bullet blocking or Reinhardt’s mobile shield, and switching to that character mid-stream (when you respawn or if you return to the team’s start point)

GAMING

but taking the time to explore a map, discovering choke points, elevated areas and other possible advantages will reap rewards. And because each map is designed around a specific game type, it becomes fun to try and learn the exploits and advantage points of that map without having to get overly concerned about switching up tactics. Route 66, for example, is a road and desert map on which one team has to escort a payload vehicle, while the other has to stop them. It is crammed with high vantage points and claustrophobic underpasses, and the tactics for it would be very different for those needed in the double capture point map Volskaya Industries. For this reason, the maps themselves, resplendent in details and beautifully designed, become characters themselves, and players will quickly not only develop tactics, but they will also

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may well change the course of a battle. A lack of support characters could quickly be rectified, or if you find that your abilities with a certain character simply aren’t working, you can just switch out. It’s further genius, because it adds yet another layer of strategy to the game. It’s also a good reason to try out other characters and learn their tricks and strategies, too.

And it feels fantastic. Overwatch brings the pace and chaos of fast paced combat home beautifully, all with great graphics and excellent special effects. Moving through the world provides the player with a definite sense of being there, thanks to a number of elements working well together. Even the character’s banter adds significantly to the experience, as well as little hints at histories scattered around the levels (mainly in the starting rooms).

So that’s what it all comes down to – a game that is so cleverly constructed and carefully balanced that every player can feel as though they are making a significant contribution to their team. Sure, there are better players than others, but by keeping characters on the same level throughout, the playing field is levelled somewhat.

Whether you’re playing against humans or the AI (with a team of humans, there is no single player here) Overwatch provides a thrilling, vibrant world to play in, as well as a memorable cast of very varied characters. It really is a work of genius, and although it will likely take a few expansions, like new characters and new maps, to counter the lack of progression in terms of keeping player interested, there is little doubt that Blizzard (because Blizzard) already have a bunch of stuff waiting in the wings. And that’s just awesome. g

AT A GLANCE Team shooter

REVIEWED ON

With careful balance, great levels and fantastic characters, Overwatch is a game that virtually anyone can feel great playing.

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Blizzard Activision Megarom

PARENTAL ADVISORY

12+ gamecca84

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

AWARDS

Platinum Gold Silver Bronze Casual Ed’s Choice

x360 PLATFORMS

GENRE

PC X0 PS4 Wii U X360 PS3 PSV 3DS

Score

95 95

E M W A IE G EV R

Total War: Warha GAMING

The fight fantastic

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Total War: Warhammer

by Alex Scanlon

ammer

97

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campaign, you won’t have much variation outside of the four starting points. Also, humans and vampires are enemies, while orcs and dwarves are enemies. What this means is that, should an orc army attack a human settlement, it cannot occupy it. That dashed my plans of world domination pretty solidly, even though I could do battle against races that weren’t my traditional foe.

Each faction brings a very different feel to the table.

Humans are the most “traditional”, although they have the ability to field powerful wizards whose battle magic can turn the tide of a skirmish. Dwarves lack any cavalry, but make up for it with thunderous artillery and aerial units.

Orcs must keep fighting, or their “flightiness” rating drops and attrition and dissent sets in… on the flipside, constant fighting spawns a WAAAAGH, which grants a bonus army for the player to loot and pillage with. Vampires (my

GAMING

t seems like a no-brainer: the tactical knowledge of developers Creative Assembly teaming up with the inspired world-creators at Games Workshop to bring Total War: Warhammer to life really seems life something that should have been done years ago.

Let’s be honest – the historical factions in other Total War games have started to feel repetitive and past attempts at bringing Warhammer to the PC have been less than stellar. This is the right combination for both parties involved, and not only does Total War: Warhammer bring a great fantasy themed strategy title to the table, but it refreshes the whole Total War franchise massively.

Sadly, though, Total War: Warhammer is not perfect.

There are only four playable factions – humans, dwarves, vampires and orcs. Each of these also has a fixed starting position, which means that every time you start a new

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personal favourite) have no ranged units, and they must exert influence over provinces before settling them, lest that pesky sunlight burns them all up. That said, they can raise dead pretty much anywhere for a quick troop boost, and have some truly exceptional units in the upper echelons.

Getting to those upper echelons can be a problem, though, because a fifth, unplayable faction – Chaos – sweeps into the fray a little too soon, and all but the most perfect empire-building strategies will suffer under its mutated heel. It’s a little easier for the Dwarves and Orcs, who inhabit the southern sections of the map, but it would have been great of Creative Assembly had given us a little more time before Chaos crushes us.

The widely varied factions and units make for some exciting strategy play, while upgradeable hero characters can, at higher levels, really turn the tide of a conflict. All

of these ideas bring a massive amount of freshness to the table, making Total War: Warhammer the most exciting Total War game in ages.

The diplomatic game is as exciting, and certain races like humans excel at it, while orcs haven’t a clue. Even this variation adds a degree of freshness to the title, and playing on the campaign map can be as exciting as the battles themselves. There are also a handful of scripted mission battles to undertake, but these could have been utilised more often and slightly better (making a player move an army far away to complete a mission while Chaos is knocking on the door is splitting focus too much.)

There will undoubtedly be more races released later, filling this game with more denizens of the rich Warhammer universe. As it stands, though, it is a breath of fresh air and great fun for fantasy and strategy fans. g

AT A GLANCE Real time strategy

While it has a few weaker aspects, this is the freshest (and best) Total War game we have seen in a long time.

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Creative Assembly Sega Ster Kinekor

PARENTAL ADVISORY

16+ gamecca84

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

AWARDS

Platinum Gold Silver Bronze Casual Ed’s Choice

REVIEWED ON

PC PLATFORMS

GENRE

PC X0 PS4 Wii U X360 PS3 PSV 3DS

Score

88 99

E M W A IE G EV R

Valkyria Chronicle Remastered GAMING

War is hell

100

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Valkyria Chronicles Remastered

GENRE

This blend of three genres is heavy

side, yet provides the player with thrilling, heart-

PC X0 PS4 Wii U X360 PS3 PSV 3DS

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

16+ AWARDS Platinum Gold Silver Bronze Ed’s Choice

Score

85

AT A GLANCE

PARENTAL ADVISORY

REVIEWED ON

PLATFORMS

stopping moments.

101

by Walt Pretorius

on the narrative

Sega Sega Ster Kinekor

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Strategy

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

It’s full of tension and whiteknuckle moments as a result, and the player will be on the edge of their seat right to the last moments, even if the game does follow a kore sedate, turn based pace. It’s exciting stuff, and every victory feels like a real achievement (as it should) thanks to the game’s challenging nature.

With five fighter categories and the ability to assemble squads, the tactical approach extends into squad composition, too. But so does the role-playing element.

Each character can advance, gaining experience and better abilities after combat.

They also have back stories that provide them with advantages that often relate to specific conditions or circumstances, so choosing the right fighters for a given scenario can make all of the difference between victory and defeat. And, as a nice touch, some of the characters have history with other characters; grouping them in a squad can provide even more advantages as they work well together.

As far as the remastering goes, everything was handled extremely well. While the game dynamics obviously work on the newer PS4 hardware, the graphics and other presentation elements also made the leap really well. While it might be surprising that a game as “old” as Valkyria Chronicles got the remaster treatment, it made the transition admirably, and is as enjoyable now as it was when it was first released.

The only real downside here is that the overall package feels a little thin. It offers the original DLC missions and an added difficulty level (as if it needed one) but not much more. Still, fans of anime and deep strategy at a squad level with certainly get a kick out of its complex, challenging dynamics and deep narrative. g

PS4

es

G

enre blending is something we’re seeing more and more of, but it isn’t an entirely new idea. And to say that we were seeing great examples of it eight years ago may not seem like an impressive statement, eight years is an eternity in the world of video games. So when we consider that when Valkyria Chronicles was effortlessly blending three genres when it was first released for the PS3 in 2008, it should deliver a bit of impact.

Set in an alternate version of Europe during a great war that kind-of parallels World War 2, Valkyria Chronicles put the player in command of Squad 7, a group of soldier who undertake numerous tasks as their contribution to the war effort. The entire thing is presented as a history book, which strongly implies (quite correctly) that Valkyria Chronicles is strong on narrative. The story is engaging and rich, and the art style is great (particularly for anime fans). Much of the time you spend with Valkyria Chronicles is taken up by cut scenes, which are vital for the experience- so prepare yourself for a lot of video watching.

As for the three genres…

Valkyria Chronicles blends turn-based strategy, roleplaying and third-person action elements together really well during its missions.

The player can direct every character in Squad 7, directing their movement to take advantage of situations.

It really is necessary to do so, because the game can be extremely challenging.

Each character has a limited amount of action points, so careful planning is also needed, so as to not get caught on the back foot.

Missions can be brutal, and every player decision has an impact on the game.

A bad squad composition or ill-timed move can see the mission fail rather quickly.

NAME OFGrid Defense THE2PRODUCT

E M W A IE G EV R

Defense Grid 2 The aliens keep coming…

102

REVIEWED ON

This is a great, and

XO

surprisingly deep, tower defence game with tons of replay value.

PLATFORMS

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Hidden Path 505 Games Online

PARENTAL ADVISORY

12+ gamecca84

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

AWARDS Platinum Gold Silver Bronze Ed’s Choice

Score

Defence

PC X0 PS4 Wii U X360 PS3 PSV 3DS

GENRE

AT A GLANCE

GAMING Bound of flame

by Alex Scanlon

t

ower defence games might not appeal to everyone, but min-maxing a bunch of towers will waves of enemies bear down on their goal – in the case of Defense Grid 2, your precious power cores – has a certain something to it that many players love.

Defense Grid 2 places the player in command of a crew who need to rid the galaxy of an alien infestation, and they do it by using tower. There are several varieties of towers here, as well as different kinds of alien invaders to deal with. Interestingly, there are no aerial enemies but, quite frankly, the game doesn’t need them. You’ll have your hands full enough with dealing with the ground pounders.

Defense Grid 2 is crammed full of tense moments. As the aliens steal your power cores, they need to move back along the path they came along, giving your upgradable towers time to deal with them again. If they are killed, they drop the core, and it slowly moves back to where it belongs… but another alien can grab it for a quick getaway. This leads to more tension than one might expect in a game of this nature, and choosing the right towers needs to take this into consideration, too.

When all is said and done, the large number of play modes and modifiers that the player can choose from, as well as the varied ways in which towers can be employed, make Defense Grid 2 a very enjoyable defence game. It’s got a fairly interesting story, too, and a few other features that allow it to stand out. If you enjoy defence games, then this one is certainly worth at least a look. g

79

A

Management Be a loving leader or a terrible tyrant in Tropico 5, which makes a very welcome appearance on

REVIEWED ON

PS4 PC X0 PS4 Wii U X360 PS3 PSV 3DS

GAMING

GENRE

AT A GLANCE

Have a banana…

console platforms.

PLATFORMS

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Haemimont Kalypso Online

PARENTAL ADVISORY

16+ gamecca84

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

AWARDS Platinum Gold Silver Bronze Ed’s Choice

Score

Tropico 5

79 103

by Alex Scanlon

hile no-one wants to live in a Banana Republic, running a virtual one can be quite fun.

Tropico 5 was great on PC, and it has made the transition to console fairly well, even if the rate at which you can do things is slightly slower.

It comes down to the game needing quite a number of control inputs, but it has been handled fairly well in the transition. It also makes it a pretty unique offering for console owners, who don’t have a ton of management or building games to work with.

There is not much different here from the PC version – save for a reworking of the control system. The player still takes on the role of El Presidente, and needs to guide their tiny country through various eras, starting with the Colonial era and ending in Modern Times. Each brings its own challenges, like the flippant King of the Colonial Era, or the constant machinations of the Cold War. Through it all, the player can perform all kinds of deeds, building up their island and its economy all the way. You can choose to be a beneficent ruler who bestows freedom and liberty of your populace, or you can be a tyrannical despot who lines his own pockets while people starve… or anything in between. It’s great fun, and well worth the effort of getting hold of.

It offers surprising levels of complexity, too, and the player will continually be weighing up various factors in the way that they manage their island nation.

Management fans, control freaks and all those sorts will get a kick out of the game’s zany humour, great looks and many challenges. g

Tropico 5

e m w a ie G v e R

Table Top Racing: World Tour

E M W A IE G EV R

Table Top Racing: World Tour tag line here, tag line here

decent presentation, but there are simply too many design flaws for this to be

PS4

a big hit.

PLATFORMS

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

situation, and them seem thoroughly useless mere moments later.

Table Top Racing: World Series is a far better concept than final product.

It’s great for youngsters (the really young ones) but anyone wanting a significant challenge or to work their way through a career where achievements are not too easy will find the game lacking.

It really could have been tons of fun, but it seems that moving from OK to excellent wasn’t part of the development agenda. It’s a pity, because it could have been awesome. g

Playrise Edge Ripstone Online

PARENTAL ADVISORY

3+ gamecca84

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

AWARDS Platinum Gold Silver Bronze Ed’s Choice

Score

It’s a great idea and has

REVIEWED ON

PC X0 PS4 Wii U X360 PS3 PSV 3DS

GENRE

GAMING Bound of flame

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Racing

enough, with bright vibrant colours, and the mini cars all have a lot of character.

But they also almost all have the exact same feel, with differences so slight that they’re almost imperceptible.

Sure, you can upgrade the cars, which is great, but they never really get to a point of being fun to drive. And the game has a nasty tendency to make sure that the car that is in front stays in front, despite Mario Kart style weapons and power-ups scattered around the races. None of these feel like they have a consistent, significant impact on the game. One might help you out in one

50

by Rob Edwards

Q

uick hit racing games can be a blast, but they really need to be handled correctly if they’re going to deliver the goods that players want: a decent challenge, a sense of speed, and lots of fun.

Table Top Racing: World Series offers fun, at least at first, but you’ll pretty soon come to realise that the game is thoroughly repetitive, and without much challenge. Players will take their miniature cars onto a variety of tracks, all places where everyday objects appear as giant obstacles and course decoration. The environment is pretty

Switch Galaxy Ultra

E M W A IE G EV R

Switch Galaxy Ultra tag line here, tag line here

If high speed and obstacle avoidance are your thing, look no further. If depth is something you need,

REVIEWED ON

PS4

maybe look elsewhere...

PLATFORMS

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Atomicom Atomicom Online

PARENTAL ADVISORY

3+ gamecca84

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

AWARDS Platinum Gold Silver Bronze Ed’s Choice

Score

Racing

PC X0 PS4 Wii U X360 PS3 PSV 3DS

GENRE

AT A GLANCE

GAMING Bound of flame

by Alex Scanlon

S

witch Galaxy Ultra is reminiscent of many old school arcade style racers. It doesn’t demand much of the player in terms of controls – you can accelerate, brake, boost and switch lanes. But it’s really about getting a fast time by avoiding obstacles, and at later stages it requires reflexes that are near-super-human.

The game puts the player in the role of a deep space freight hauler who needs to make some cash to pay off a gambling debt. His job is to run Tanlatum (because who uses normal elements these days?) from one spot to the next in a variety of upgradeable space ships that need to make use of predetermined paths.

Along each journey, the player will need to avoid other haulers, broken track sections, barriers and other obstacles, while collecting Tantalum in a weird mid-level worm hole.

It sounds a lot better than what it is.

While it is a decent distraction, it’s a pretty repetitive game, and the attempts at working a compelling narrative into the mix are never fully realised. Instead, Switch galaxy Ultra offers the player a pretty repetitive experience, even if the difficulty curve of the winding space highways does increase steadily.

So if you’re after a fairly good-looking game that is quick, demands a lot from your reflexes but not much from your higher reasoning abilities, then Switch Galaxy Ultra may just be the one for you. Don’t expect depth or worldchanging plot devices, because there aren’t any of those things here. The developers really could have gone a lot further with the concept, and it really is kind of sad that they didn’t. g

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The Low Down with Geoff Burrows

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nyone who has followed the South African gaming scene over the last few years should

recognise the name Geoff Burrows, who served

GAMING

as editor of NAG Magazine. Now that NAG is no

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s, Founder of Zero Degrees Games

By Nthato Morakabi

han Zero

more, Geoff has moved from writing about games to creating games. We had a chat with him about what’s coming up, how he got here and how exactly he came up with his studio name‌

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there, called Roxy’s Quest – a side-scrolling platformer somewhat reminiscent of Metal Slug.

IN

3 GM: What was that one game you played that made you want to develop games in the first place?

1 GM: Who is “Zero Degrees Games” and the people behind the scenes? Where does the name stem from?

GB: Zero Degrees Games was started by me as the sole developer in June 2015, but since then has grown to include Richard Braum to manage the music and some production tasks, as well as being a great person to bounce ideas off. We also work with a few other people who have come on board for specific tasks, like writing and additional art.

The name is my own creation. It refers to my somewhat anti-academic stance in life: I literally have zero degrees. I tried twice (once at RAU (now UJ) and again through UNISA. I don’t really like textbooks.

GAMING

2 GM: When did the call to be a game developer come and was there a particular game that inspired it?

GB: I cut my teeth on the level editor for Quake 1, way back in the ‘90s, and drifted in and out of casual design over the years until 2013. It was then that I made my first complete game, a marketing game for NAG/ rAge when I still worked

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GB: Lemmings. I used to draw levels for Lemmings all over my schoolwork and any scrap of paper I could find, from the day I first played that game. I would fantasise about what it would be like to build real levels for an actual computer game – at the time that technology was way beyond my grasp.

4 GM: Considering your studies, regardless of the whole Zero Degrees aspect, what field of study did you fall into and was there any intention of becoming a game developer?

GB: I started with a BA (Psychology), but dropped out pretty quickly. Then I tried my hand at a BCom (Informatics) and managed to scrape my way to third year, but eventually gave up on that as well. The only thing I’m actually qualified to do is 3D art thanks to a certificate I received during a one-year course at Learn 3D. Unlike my previous attempts, that was actually a deliberate move into the game dev space – it just took a little longer than I anticipated.

5 GM: Would you have studied game development if you gamecca84

could? Would it help an aspiring Game Developer to study?

GB: If game development degrees existed when I was the age to study them, I think I would have done so in a heartbeat. I love the fact that degrees and even short courses exist these days that can help kick-start a potential game development career, and I think any young folk looking to go into this industry would do well to at least look into such things.

6 GM: Exploring the industry on your own must be difficult? Care to share advice, struggles, victories or challenges you faced?

GB: This is an industry with some interesting challenges, but like any business it follows the same rules: make a good product, get people to notice it, sell it to them, and keep doing that. If you follow your passion, and do what you love (in this case, making games), then the rest of the stuff will fall into place one way or another. Also, don’t be afraid to partner with a “suit” – someone who knows and cares about business. If you can find the right business partners, you’ll be happy and so will your players.

7 GM: The games industry… where do you think it will be in the next 5 years?

GB: Bigger and better than it is now! Hopefully not drowning in too many sequels and reboots. Unless

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8 GM: What does being a game developer mean to you both as a gamer and as a developer?

GB: I’d be lying if I said it was anything but a dream come true. As a developer I’m paying more attention to games now than I ever did, even more so than during my seven years in the games press business.

It’s challenging but infinitely rewarding, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life making games.

9 GM: Looking into the indie scene, are there any developers you look up to?

GB: Since I’m sitting at the bottom of the food chain, I currently look up to every indie developer who actually has a finished, commercial game! In particular, I have huge respect for fellow Saffers Chris and Nic Bischoff (The Brotherhood), who have been a source of inspiration for me thanks to their level-headed but passionate approach to game development.

10 GM: And in terms of community? Are you part of a Game Dev community?

GB: Nope. I’ve mingled with some of the Make Games SA crowd, but don’t consider myself a “member” of the organisation. I’ve always had a place at the NAG Online forums and do have my eye on the newly-formed Interactive Entertainment South Africa

(IESA).

aiming for Q3 2016

11 GM: Ah yes, the IESA are making big waves! And speaking of making waves, is there a game you are currently developing?

15 GM: There’s a myriad of game engines freely available these days, which one do you use and why?

GB: Yes. It’s called Among the Innocent: A Stricken Tale

12 GM: I remember this from our rAge Expo chat last year. Will you tell us a little about it and key feature about Among the Innocent?

GB: Among the Innocent is a first-person adventure game set in the eastern Free State, South Africa.

The gameplay strongly leans towards that of old-school point-and-click adventure games, like Monkey Island and King’s Quest, but with an aesthetic inspired by horror and thriller films, both classic and modern. The gameplay focuses on exploration, narrative, and puzzle-solving.

Among the Innocent is the first game in a series of five, together called the Stricken series. Each game will be “A Stricken Tale” – so get used to seeing that name!

13 GM: Local is lekker haha, what inspired it?

GB: Lots of things: my own life, the South African countryside, the human condition, coping with emotional stress, and many more things that would spoil the story if I went into them!

GB: I use Unity, simply because it has the tools that I need to make a game. I’m an appalling programmer – I’m really more of an artist and game designer – and Unity tools like PlayMaker and Adventure Creator let me get on with the business of making a game, while they handle the number-crunching under the hood.

16 GM: In closing, and just for fun… what is your favourite game of all time?

GB: Fallout 2

17 GM: And what are you currently playing?

GB: Heroes of the Storm (it’s my little addiction), Grim Dawn, The Interactive Adventures of Dog Mendona and Pizzaboy, and XCOM 2.

18 GM: Nice, If you were given the opportunity to work on any game, what would it be and why?

GB: I’d love to be given the reins on a new Legacy of Kain game. It’s one of my favourite series (especially the first game), and I’d be keen to see what I could do with that lore.

14 GM: What platform are you looking to release it on and do you have a release date?

19 GM: Thanks again for taking the time to chat to us, from what I played at the rAge Expo last year, Among the Innocent looks like a great game.

GB: C first, then console if possible at a later date. I’m

GB: Cool stuff, and it’s my pleasure! Glad you liked it. g

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it’s a Blackthorne reboot – I’ll gladly take that.

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Legacy: H GAMING

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Legacy: Half-Life

Half-Life

nvented

By Lein Baart

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Why was it created?

studio called the Cabal the entire game was reworked and fine-tuned, all in an attempt to create a title that seamlessly fused story, action and horror. Helped along through the hiring of science fiction author Marc Laidlaw, what gradually emerged was a game true to the original vision of the studio, and on the 8th of November 1998 Half-Life was unleashed upon the world.

Why do we care?

First-person shooters up until

Half-Life’s release had be dominated by games made in the style of

When Valve first opened shop in

Doom, Quake and Duke Nukem

1996, after founders Gabe Newell

3D; titles in which the emphasis

and Mike Harrington decided to

was placed squarely on relentless

leave Microsoft to venture into the

action with little room for niceties

unknown world of game development,

such as exposition. Half-Life not

the intention had always been to try

only tampered with the formula, it

take first-person shooters in a new

completely upended it, and from the

direction, one that would have plot as

beginning there was a dedication to

central accompaniment to the frenetic

narrative and pacing that was entirely

action that hallmarked the shooters of

foreign to the genre.

the time. The trouble was that after a

What truly makes Half-Life stand

year of development, and just a few

out though, even to this day, is the

months shy of its proposed November

sense of agency it imparted. While

1997 release date, the game that the

ostensibly players took the role of Dr.

fledgling studio had created was little

Gordon Freeman in a story focussed

more than what designer Ken Birdwell

on the invasion of alien creatures,

termed a “Quake Total Conversion”

the character was completely silent,

(essentially just a reskin of the

never fully seen and you almost

original), and more even damning it

never lost control of your actions.

was little fun to play.

Even during set-pieces, which were

Thus Valve took the decision to

a novelty at the time, you were free

almost completely begin afresh, and

to do as you pleased, and unlike

a team was quickly assembled to

its bombastic modern counterparts

pile all the good elements of their

these scenes were handled with

previous efforts into one massive

a sense of subtlety and purpose,

level to evaluate just what would

constantly working in aid of the plot.

make the game enjoyable. It was

Half-Life was and still is a ridiculously

at this point the seeds of Half-Life

immersive experience, and stands

as we know it were truly sown, and

as a lesson on how weaving plot and

through a collaborative process the

action should be done. g

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Legacy: Half-Life

I

998 stands as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, years in gaming, with a slew of titles that reads like laundry list of any publisher’s reboot wet dream. It a year that saw Metal Gear Solid, Ocarina of Time and StarCraft all hit the shelves (this being only a tiny selection), 1998 also proved to be pivotal for the firstperson shooter. Half-Life’s release would fundamentally alter the genre as it was known, and in many ways its influence is still felt today

i

Ramjet’s rantality

t strikes me as odd, really, what people think they can get away with. And how absolutely self-important they are. By people, of course, I mean gamers…

So let’s look at the fact that Hello Games, the developers of No Man’s Sky, have been getting death threats after they delayed the release of the game. Does anyone realise how absolutely pathetic that is? Is a game really so important that you have to threaten someone’s life (potentially breaking the law in several countries) because it’s going to come out a bit later? Or is it just that they are so pathetic that they cannot live without a game? It don’t care what anyone says, it’s freakin’ ridiculous.

We live in a world where a war in the Middle East is sending tons of refugees to countries that don’t want them, where unemployed hordes are resorting to crime because the economy is shot, where the food we eat is laced with harmful substances because it means more money for manufacturers, where

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poverty and disease hold sway over large portions of the population, and where the election for the next “leader of the free world” is a choice between a liar and a moron… and these guys are sending death threats because a game got delayed. How utterly, inexcusably, irretrievably pathetic.

Because, in the mind of many, many gamers, here’s what the deal is: “You need to make a game for me. It needs to be on time.

It needs to be absolutely brilliant. And I will download it and play it for free. Because I am important. The universe revolves around me.”

Here’s the deal, kiddies, right from the mouth of reality. You are not important.

You are just a speck among billions of other specks, and the fact that you are upset about the fact that a game is released late means exactly squat in the greater scheme of things. It might be a big thing in your little world, but your little world has an inhabitant of one, and is thoroughly outweighed by the

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BY rAMJET

Threaten This!

rest of the world around you.

You mean exactly nothing, in the greater scheme of things. And if you think that sending a death threat to someone makes you cool, or important, or aggressively macho, or whatever, maybe you should take a step back and try learn a few things about life and the world until your testicles have dropped.

Because this behaviour – no matter what the cause – is not only unreasonable, stupid, selfish, arrogant and beyond ridiculous, it is also the behaviour of an immature, childish brat. And those kind of people are the doom of our society, folks. Someone needs to beat you down, because your parents never taught you discipline, or what it means to be a decent human being.

In fact, that is my sincerest wish for any idiot who ever sends a goddamn DEATH THREAT for anything gaming related – that you have the shit kicked out of you, repeatedly and without mercy, until you learn how to live in this real world. See how violence really feels. Moron. g

FeatureS 120

Roll the Bones

COLUMN 128

The Time Betwixt

Cool stuff 126 130 132 134 136

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Bang & Olufsen Earset 3i 3 Floyds: Alpha King #1 Aliens: Defiance #1 Punisher #1 Satellite Falling #1

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Roll the Bones LIFESTYLE

The odds of fun are high… 120

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Roll the Bones

121

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tu a Fe

W

e see them so often that

users are superstitious about their

we almost

dice. Some role players won’t let

forget about

anyone else use, or even touch, their

them. And yet, they have been

dice, and more than one gambler at

around for centuries – millennia,

a craps table in a casino believes

even – and have so integrated

that he has a way of throwing the

themselves into our world that even

dice that is better – or luckier – than

our language has adopted them

others.

to be symbols of luck, chance and

So when did these small objects

even fate. I am talking about dice,

first start becoming something that

traditionally cube-shaped objects

helped us define random chance?

with different numbers on each side,

Well, there’s a lot of speculation, but

rolled to generate a random number.

a lot of evidence points to dice being

They represent luck and chaos in

used as far back as around 2600

so many ways, even in our speech.

BC. That’s more than 4 600 years

“Roll the dice” means take a risk

ago. Back then, in Mesopotamia,

or see what fate has in store, when

a game called the Royal Game of

something is “dicey” it is risky, and

Ur (at least, that’s what we call it

“dicing with death” means risking

now) was played with dice. But that

your life. This last one even became

wasn’t the only place that chance

symbolic for fighter pilots in World

was needed to challenge and boost

War 2, where they used dice to

players. In fact, if you go back

represent the risky nature of what

another 900 years or so, to three and

they did, and were used to bring

a half centuries before the current

good luck. After the war ended,

era, the Ancient Egyptians played

in the 1950s, fuzzy dice began

a game called Senet, and they also

appearing hanging from the rear view

used dice.

mirrors of many cars, a proactive

Rome where, even though gambling

those brave pilots.

was illegal, betting on dice was a

anyway? Well, if you follow a geek

LIFESTYLE

Dice were also used in Ancient

believed to have been derived from So why are we talking about dice,

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It’s small wonder than many dice

common practice.

The common six sided dice is

gaming lifestyle that is wider than

something we’re all familiar with, but

just video games, you will come

modern game playing has brought

across them fairly often. They sit

a whole bunch of new dice shapes

at the heart of many board games,

with it. Or so we would like to think.

table top wargames and role playing

But dice with more sides to them

games, where they once again

are also pretty ancient; believe it

represent change, fate or luck. Even

or not, you can find an image on

the most commonplace of board

the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s

games – things like Monopoly or Risk

website that shows a 20 sided dice

– use dice to introduce chance into

dating back to 200 BC.

a game. Even the best player can be

With that said, dice with more

laid low by a few bad dice rolls, and

sides than six only became a little

everything can switch when good

more common in the 1970s, when

numbers come up.

games like Dungeons & Dragons

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tu a Fe

and several types of table top

of polyhedral dice extends the

wargames needed to make use

range of chance, really, which

of chances different from the

works for numerous games.

“one in six” offered by a standard

In addition, many games will

cube. And so the polyhedral

modify the dice numbers by

dice that are becoming a more

adding bonuses to rolls (this is

common site were developed.

particularly evident in table top

Polyhedral (meaning many sided, from the Greek

chance and skill working in

“polýedron”) dice come in

concert. The end result will often

six main variants: four sided

be compared to a target number

(tetrahedron), six sided, eight

needed for success… and that’s

sided (octahedron), ten sided

how a game like Dungeons &

(pentagonal trapezodehron),

Dragons can simulate actions in

twelve sided (dodecahedron)

a way that takes skill and “stuff

and twenty sided (icosahedron).

happens” into account.

Many game systems will also

variations of dice, if we stick

together to get a number from

with the role playing example,

one to one hundred, with the one

is that certain weapons do

dice representing multiples of

more damage than others… at

ten and the other representing

least, potentially. When a foe is

multiples of one.

struck with a broadsword, for example, it will likely do more

use, which you will see on the

damage than a dagger would.

table at almost any wargame

But other factors come into play

or role playing game, there are

(which we won’t get into right

numerous other varieties that are

now) and so, essentially, the

less commonly employed. These

“bigger” dice assigned to the

include 18, 24, 50, 60 and even

broadsword indicates that it has

near spherical 100 sided dice.

the potential to do more damage

You may be rolling your eyes

than the dagger. Most times, it

(instead of dice) and asking

will, because, one again, if you

“why?” Well, it all comes down

compare a four sided dice to

to mathematics and probabilities.

a ten sided dice, you are more

Rolling the number 1 on a six

likely to get a one on the four

sided dice is “easier” than on a

sided dice. But you can still get it

twenty sided dice, for example,

on the ten sided dice, too.

simply because there are so

LIFESTYLE

Another reason for so many

employ two ten sided dice rolled

While these are dice in common

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role playing games) to show

Luck. Chance. Fate. These

many more numbers that the 20

things are all represented by

sided dice could land on. I could

dice. But so is potential; the

bore you with a bunch of analysis

potential to get lucky, to win big,

that only mathematicians

to come out on top. And let’s

understand, but essentially a

not forget the potential to have

one in six chance will come up

a great amount of fun, which is

far more often than a one in

something that normally happens

twenty chance will. So the use

when the dice come out to play.g

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Bang & Olufsen

Earset 3i Tiny, but huge…

B LIFESTYLE

ang & Olufsen don’t exactly make cheat and nasty audio devices. In fact, they’re nowhere near nasty, and not exactly close to cheap either.

But their higher pricing does come with excellent quality, and those that take their audio super-seriously may well want to spend the extra cash to get a truly great product.

The Earset 3i delivers awesome audio, and is full of smart ideas – not least of which being a telescopic support arm that means you can adjust your fit for the most comfort. This is a great headset for 3.5mm jack supporting devices.g

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Bang & Olufsen Earset 3i

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The Time Betwixt

nless you have been stuck in a cave this month, which I will assume is unlikely since you’re reading a column published in a digital gaming magazine, you’ll no doubt have heard of the absolute furore that has been unleashed upon Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.

The internet has decreed in all its righteous fury that CoD has crossed the line, and with froth at the mouth have made it clear that Activision and Infinity Ward have trespassed against us.

Thank goodness that in our hour of need EA and DICE have chosen to bestow upon us the divine blessing of Battlefield 1, and we have found light at the end of the tunnel.

Except I just have one little question regarding CoD’s undoubtable malfeasance: why all the hate? I just can’t understand why now, after ten years of the shovelling down the same shit, all of sudden the public has collectively decided the franchise has transgressed.

Granted, restricting access to CoD 4 Remastered only to those who purchase the latest instalment sets a new

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low on the dick scale for even Activision, but most of the vitriol seems to be targeted at Infinite Warfare itself. I’ve read some of the speculation, but honestly none of it makes sense to me. I’ve seen people bitch that the series has become too repetitive, but that ship sailed at around about the time Black Ops 2 released.

Others have pined for the stories of previous games with a more “realistic” setting (because healing bullet wounds with the power of panting is the definition of realism), but the idea of CoD and good writing only made me laugh.

I actually happen to think that a space-themed shooter has some potential, seeing that it hasn’t been sequeled to death at this point in time. Not that I would trust CoD to do it justice, but that is beside the point.

Let us not forget though that EA have apparently performed some miraculous feat of one-upmanship by setting that latest Battlefield in World War 1, a conflict that was fought predominantly with shitty weaponry and in cold, mudfilled trenches over archaic

gamecca84

BY Lein Baart

The Great CoD Mistake... political alliances. Battlefield 1 will never give an accurate depiction of the war and its conditions because dealing with trench foot does not make for exciting gameplay. Instead the trailer made it quite clear that we’ll be dealing with same manic, overblown, barely interactive shit that has come to define shooters, with a crap story that will strive to create a sense of patriotism over what was almost entirely a political war. Because you know, dulce et decorum est and all that.

Don’t get the wrong impression however, I’m not defending CoD here, as I have little more than contempt for both franchises. All of the above is pointless anyways, as no matter how many dislikes Infinite Warfare may generate on YouTube or how loudly people proclaim EA have won this year’s annual pissing contest it will come to nothing. By the time both games have released most of this will have been forgotten, and both publishers will still be making obscene amounts of money. g

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E YL W T ES IE lIF EV R

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Title: Writer: Artist: Publisher: Rated:

3 Floyds: Alpha King #1 Brian Azzarello & Nick Floyd Simon Bisley Image Mature

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by Clive Burmeister

It’s not often that you see a team up like this. Simon Bisley: responsible for the amazing artwork in classics like Slaine and Lobo.

Brian Azzarello: Best selling writer on 100 Bullets and the Joker. When two names synonymous with great comics like these two guys come together, you can expect it’s going to be something good. Alpha King certainly has the initial look and feel of a Bisley book, with his unique style bursting out of the pages, but Azzarello definitely brings his talents to the party as well, with his experienced touch at story telling. Worlds collide and demons walk among us, in a fantasy bloodsoaked tale. This is guaranteed to be something different.

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COOL STUFF

GET GRAPHIC

LIFESTYLE

E YL W T ES IE lIF EV R

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Title: Writer: Artist: Publisher: Rated:

Aliens: Defiance #1 Brian Wood Tristan Jones Dark Horse Teen +

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by Clive Burmeister

Everyone’s favourite Xenomorphs are back, this time brought to life by acclaimed comic book writer Brian Wood.

It’s no surprise the Brian Wood knocks it out of the park, perfectly capturing the “feel” of the Alien franchise, with a story that one could easily imagine on the big screen, and Tristan Jones’ artistic style and detail further compliment the book, making Aliens: Defiance one of the best looking Aliens books I’ve seen. In the first issue we see the plot laid out before us, as the Weyland-Yutani Corporation are once again up to no good where the Aliens are concerned, and the fate of humanity may now rest on the shoulders of one injured marine and a handful of synthetic security drones.

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COOL STUFF

GET GRAPHIC

LIFESTYLE

E YL W T ES IE lIF EV R

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Title: Writer: Artist:

Punisher #1 Becky Cloonan Steve Dillon

Publisher:

Marvel

Rated:

Marvel

gamecca84

by Clive Burmeister

Frank Castle became the Punisher when his family was killed in the crossfire of a mob hit. Now, using his extensive military training he hunts down criminals without mercy. This new series sees a return to the way that the Punisher should be represented in comics, in the style of the old Marvel MAX series. This comic is hard, brutal, graphic, explicit, and it doesn’t pull its punches; which is just like the character that it’s all about, and in my opinion is the only way to tell a good Punisher story.

It also looks like Cloonan has done her research on the character, as she captures not only intrigue of a classic Punisher script, but also brings a fresh approach to the series.

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COOL STUFF

GET GRAPHIC

LIFESTYLE

E YL W T ES IE lIF EV R

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Title: Writer: Artist: Publisher: Rated:

Satellite Falling #1 Steve Horton Stephen Thompson IDW Mature

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by Clive Burmeister

After the death of the girl who meant the world to her, Lilly leaves Earth for a destination where there are no humans, no-one to remind her of Eva. On Satellite, Lilly poses as a taxi driver, affording her the perfect cover to be amongst the alien population and learn all sorts of useful information, which she can then utilize in her real job, that of a Bounty Hunter.

Using an advanced holographic technology, Lilly can appear as any being that can get her close to her target, without ever having to reveal who she really is. Satellite falling is a nicely put together science fiction story, with a fast developing plot, vibrant artwork, and is a thoroughly entertaining read.

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COOL STUFF

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I

THE OBSERVER

t is somewhat disconcerting to think that we live in a world so influenced by everpresent technology that the idea of a “digital detox” has become a thing. More than a thing; there are now companies that specialise in training people to get away from technology and to relearn social skills and interactions that have been damaged by the presence of smart devices, the internet and other pervasive technologies that have become common place.

But is digital detoxing real?

Is it beneficial, or just another fad for people to make money from? It seems to be quite real.

A survey done with a group of 35 prominent business people after they attended digital detox in Morocco (as far as they could get from their smartphones and laptops) revealed some interesting results. During the four day detox, the group spent time in the desert, away from cell phones and Wi-Fi, and learned that their skills at connecting with others were lacking.

Attendees of this event reported numerous changes and benefits, as did those observing them. In the first instance, even after only four days, they developed better posture.

Good posture has many health benefits, and the act of raising their viewpoint from their hand level to the eye level of the people they were interacting

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with helped them straighten up.

It also increased the amount of eye contact that the attendees experienced, which is important for fostering deeper relationships and higher degrees of empathy.

Even the most trivial of conversations can turn into deep and revealing interactions when Google is taken out of the picture. Attendees were not able to quickly search for answers, but rather had to discuss and find answers and solutions to conversation topic and questions.

Conversations tended to last longer, and even evolved into creative storytelling and playful banter when the search engine option was unavailable.

Attendees also displayed an improvement in memory, even after only four days. When a smartphone can keep important information like telephone numbers and other contact details stored, people will tend to become lazy with remembering these things. This spills over into other aspects of memory, negatively affecting particularly short term memory. But removing the ease of access presented by these devices made attendees flex their memory abilities, which showed remarkable improvement very quickly.

Another benefit was in the area of sleep, which is something that neuroscientists have been working on for some time. It is believed that the blue light gamecca84

BY Katia Taliadoros

Detox...

common to electronic devices interferes with melatonin in the body, making us more alert when going to sleep. Checking a device before bed can interfere with the quality of rest the person experiences, and attendees to the four day desert detox reported that they felt better rested after less sleep.

The constant distraction and undeniable addiction that connected smart devices offer us can be harmful to us as part of a society. It is clear when, at virtually any social gathering, at least part of the people are too busy checking facts and accessing emails on their smartphone to be fully engaged in a meaningful conversation.

These devices may have made our lives easier, but as they get smarter, we get lazier. Not dumber, as some would suggest, but certainly lazier. This is part of the human condition, a biological imperative to get the best results with the least effort. That’s not always the best way to go about things; the easiest road doesn’t always offer the greatest rewards.

Perhaps a full four day detox in the middle of the desert is not something everyone can do, but we can all make a concerted effort to at least spend some time, each day, away from technology. The benefits to us personally and to society as a whole may well be surprising. g