Gamecca Magazine October 2014

I S S U E 6 4 / Vo l . 6 October 2014

w w w. g a m e c c a m ag . c o m

Destiny Forza Horizon 2 Metro: Redux The Sims 4 FIFA 15 and more...

In Between

Bridging gaps in Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor

Dynamite!

Intel’s NUC: power package

In the Stars...

Does Destiny live up to the hype?

Outbreak

Revolution!

Assassin’s Creed: Unity takes a trip to France

Run zombie run!

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Ed’s Choice

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

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014 has been an odd year in many ways, and September is one of the months that ranks up there in the weird scales for a number of reasons. The world is, in my opinion, in a bit of a strange place.

Ebola has reached the USA. Johannesburg suffered its worst water crisis in 110 years. The global climate is all over the place. There’s quite a list of things that just seem weird right about now.

There have been a few things happening in the gaming arena as well, particularly with the whole GamersGate thing gaining a lot of momentum. It’s not really a new idea, that the relationship between game developers (and publishers) and journalists can get out of control. This suspicion arises from numerous factors, like the fact that many video game journalists are enthusiasts rather than trained reporters (and may not understand the ethical relationships that need to be maintained for responsible journalism properly) and that there have been numerous cases of publishers trying to get positive exposure for their products using decidedly underhanded means.

It needs to be said, in the defence of game journalists the world over, that not everyone who writes about games for a publication (be it print, online or whatever)

From the Editor

Oddities

by Walt Pretorius

is corrupted or swayed by tactics that may result in dodgy dealings. It is ultimately up to the reader to decide who they trust, of course, but not every publication is on the take. In fact, you’ll likely find that it is a small minority that allow themselves to be swayed in these ways.

Something else that happened in September was the South African launch of the Xbox One. At the time of writing this, it has been available here for just less than ten days, and the excitement from Xbox fans is almost tangible.

And so we have a renewed bout of the silly “console wars” argument locally, which wasn’t helped by the fact that PSN pushed up subscription prices by a rather hefty margin right at the end of the month.

September also saw the arrival of some pretty prominent titles, and the world is getting ready for a year end that will see a vast number of titles – many of which look really, really awesome – crammed into essentially a two month period. The Christmas release rush is upon us, and over October and November, game libraries will expand rapidly as wallets groan under the strain.

So, as we enter a new, hopefully less weird month, you really need to start mentally preparing yourself for an incredible deluge of end-of-year gaming goodness. Good luck! g

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THIS MONTH’S COVER

A new setting awaits for Assassin’s Creed fans in Unity...

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Regular: Did you know Some more facts from the world of video games

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Feature: Assassin’s Creed Unity A new world to explore and liberate

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

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PReviews: Games 7 titles in our crystal ball

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Feature: Middle-Earth Shadow of Mordor Building a bridge between epics...

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Reviews: Games 10 games inspected

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Regular: Legacy Maniac Mansion changed the way adventures are played...

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Column: Ramjet’s Rantality Overboard pranks

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

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

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Copyright © 1337 Media CC 2009 - 2014

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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.

GAMECCA is published by 1337 MEDIA

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Feature: The SMall Space Intel takes on the world with the NUC

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reviews: Hardware Six awesome items to own

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Regular: Internet Pulling fast ones for promotion...

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Regular: Security Will the Internet of Things be a Utopia?

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Column: Technically Speaking Playing the way we want to...

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Feature: Zombie Run The Appocalypse comes to Jo’burg

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Column: The Time Betwixt Growing jaded

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Gadgets Some must-have lifestyle items

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COOL STUFF Four of the latest comics to enjoy

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Gamecca Vol. 6 Issue 64 October 2014

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5

“From the scratch-built guns through to using military grade ammo as currency, Metro: Redux revives the unique flavours of the original titles.�

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FeatureS Assassin’s Creed: Unity Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor

PReviews Far Cry 4 Skylanders Trap Team LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor MX vs. ATV: Supercross Falling Skies Super Smash Bros

Reviews Destiny Forza Horizon 2 Metro: Redux The Sims 4 inFamous: First Light Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution FIFA 15 Crimson Dragon Velocity 2X Super Time Force

RegularS Did you know Legacy

COLUMN Ramjet’s Rantality

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Did You

Know?

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1…

that you’ll need a pretty impressive rig to run The Evil Within on PC? Console games have the luxury of not having to worry about minimum or recommended specifications, as you simply pop in the game and you are all set. PC gaming on the other hand, is a careful balance of matching the developers’ specs with your own rig. If gamers want to make the most of the upcoming The Evil Within, publisher Bethesda has warned that players would need at least 4GB of VRAM to run it. If gamers don’t Bethesda said that they “cannot guarantee optimal performance.”

2…

that Bungie has killed the treasure cave in Destiny?

For as long as games have been developed, people have been finding rather ingenious ways of exploiting whatever they can. In the best-selling Destiny title, it came to light that there is a specific spawn point the spews monsters at a pretty constant rate if players stood at a specific spot.

Killing the creatures to no end left players gather more loot than what was intended. Well, Bungie has now killing their fun by patching the spawn rate and items dropped. And this is why we can’t have nice things…

3…

that you can get Battlefield Bad Company for free?

As they say, some of the best things in life are free.

When it comes to video games, they aren’t necessarily the finer things, but we’ll take them for free anyways.

Microsoft announced that as part of their Xbox Live Games with Gold promotion, you will be able to get your grubby hands on a copy of Battlefield: Bad Company. We strongly suggest that you download it the moment it becomes available. It’s also worth getting Xbox Live just for that sole purpose. Bad Company is one of the funniest and most enjoyable combat titles that we have played in a long time. It’s a bit removed from the parent Battlefield franchise, which is exactly why we like it. gamecca64

DID YOU KNOW

Evil, treasure, freebies and Paris...

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that you can tour Paris as part of Assassin’s Creed Unity?

With every new game there is a bit of promotion that goes with it, but big studios like Ubisoft aren’t known for doing things quietly or on a small scale. If you are a fan of Assassin’s Creed, then you already know that Unity is due out pretty soon. Well, you probably also know that it will take place in Paris. So for Unity’s promotion, you can now get an online tour of Paris, narrated by non-other than actor Andy Serkis. In conjunction with Project Widow, it offers a 360 degree street level view of some of the locations that will feature in the game – like The Bastille, Notre Dame and Place de la Concorde.

5…

that Rocksmith 2014 will be coming to current gen consoles?

The gaming industry always goes through an awkward growth phase when new consoles are introduce, in the sense that they are never sure if they should port games to the new consoles, or just wait and develop new titles entirely – and sometimes you get a mix of the two, as with Rocksmith 2014. The guitar-learning game was first released last year for previous gen consoles, but Ubisoft announced that it has been newly developed for the Xbox One and PS4.

It will feature all the aspects from the older version, but will naturally have better graphics and some added goodies thrown in for good measure.

6…

that there is a Blizzard game that you can’t have?

Games developer Blizzard is notorious for being very secretive about projects and their associated release dates. For months on end, when enquiring about the eventual release of Diablo 3 on consoles the company said “it is ready when it is ready” and put the matter to rest. But now Blizzard has officially come out to say that their MMO Titan has been killed off forever – after being in development for seven year. As for the reason they let it go: they simply “didn’t find the fun”... g

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Assassin’s C GAMING

VIVA LA RE

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Feature: Assassin’s Creed Unity

EVOLUTION!

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By Walt Pretorius

Creed: Unity

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setting – one that will return the verticality to the title, and looks set to revokutionise the series as a whole. Assassin’s Creed: Unity (for PS4 and Xbox One) will be visiting the French Revolution.

Production Coordinator and Historical Researcher at Ubisoft, Maxime Durand, seems very passionate about this pivotal period in history.

“One could argue that the French Revolution is the birth of the modern world. It is during that time that the charter of rights was drafted; a document that, to this day, is the basis of the UN,” Durant said during a historical context Q&A. “It is also the turning point that began shifting western power from the traditional aristocracy to a new merchant class, the bourgeoisie. All of this happened in one

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he Assassin’s Creed franchise has visited various important periods in history. It has, over the years, showed us a different interpretation of events, particularly in the light that the series is framed by shadowy, all-encompassing conspiracies and secret organisations waging war in the shadows.

This year, Ubisoft will be treating fans to two new major instalments in the franchise.

One, subtitled Rogue, will be available on old generation consoles, and will serve to close the storyline started in Assassin’s Creed III and continued through Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag.

The other, however, will take us to a whole new

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of the most brutal and chaotic series of events in the history of Europe. In essence, the period beckoned an Assassin’s Creed game. We’ve taken special care to handle this complex period with great care to make the game accessible to a broad audience.

“The French Revolution is a pivotal moment in history as it marked the beginning of a global movement… It inspired modern revolutionaries who patterned their own revolutions on the French model. But the principles of the Revolution – Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité – also laid the foundation of the political liberalism that we take for granted today. It was far more than a simple rebellion against an unpopular King; it was a total

Feature: Assassin’s Creed Unity

Heads will roll...

rejection of repressive feudal principles that had endured for centuries. The French Revolution gave the middle finger (and the guillotine) to anyone who supported the old social order of Europe. The French Revolution was a time of firsts.

It included the first-ever assault on the entire concept of organized religion. The first genuinely “Communist” uprising (which was put down by other revolutionaries.) The first time women had ever wielded revolutionary power. The first modern police state, with show trials, informants, and public executions. On the brighter side, it included the first clear enunciation of modern liberal principles that we in the West take for granted. For all our focus on the American Bill of Rights,

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his way up in the army hierarchy to later become emperor, not only of France, but of a large section of Europe. Without the French Revolution, this could never have happened. The best way to sum it up is to say: “anybody could achieve anything” This all ties into many of the themes that are present in the franchise as a whole. For this reason, Unity may become a definitive moment in the series’ history. And, as to be expected, the title will refer to numerous important historical events.

“The game will cover several major events that occurred during the French Revolution,” Durand explained. “From the Estate General which marked

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the French Declaration of the Rights of Man predated the American document by a year.

“Before the French Revolution, people remained who they were born to be for the rest of their lives. Nobles remained nobles and commoners remained commoners. Nothing could alter the course of one’s destiny. Thanks to the results of the revolution, people could become whoever they wanted to become. Napoléon was the most vivid proof of that new way of thinking. Napoléon was Corsican; he had a hard time speaking French when he was young. He spoke it with a heavy accent during his early adulthood. It is truly fascinating to see that this short Corsican man managed to gradually work

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Feature: Assassin’s Creed Unity

the rupture between the King and the people to Robespierre’s arrest, the player will witness key moments from the French Revolution such as the Storming of the Bastille (as detailed before), the Storming of the Tuileries in August 1792 or the Prisons’ Massacres from September 1792, and of course, the beheading of Louis XVI in January 1793.”

But, like other Assassin’s Creed titles, the history of the period is a backdrop for the title, rather than an on-the-rails guideline for events.

“It is important to make a distinction here,” emphasised Durand. “When creating ACU, we did not want to be trapped by doing a checklist of historical events. We had to avoid that at all

costs. The story of ACU is Arno’s story, and this story happens to take place during the French Revolution (backdrop). Certain elements of the French Revolution affect and reinforce our main protagonist’s story. It is the Revolution that supports Arno’s story; Arno’s story does not bend to the Revolution. The game will be improved in that regard. We want this game to be a fun experience, reinforced by the French Revolution setting.”

It’s not the first time that Assassin’s Creed has visited revolutionary times. Assassin’s Creed 3 took us to the American Revolution. But, as Durand explained, there are numerous key historical differences between the two periods.

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social order of Europe.

“Secondly, the French Revolution was a time of firsts. It included the first-ever assault on the entire concept of organized religion. The first genuinely populist uprising (which was put down by other revolutionaries.) The first modern police state, with show trials, informants, and public executions. On the brighter side, it included the first clear enunciation of modern liberal principles that we in the West take for granted. For all our focus on the American Bill of Rights, the French Declaration of the Rights of Man predated the American document by a year. The French Revolution saw the birth of the charter of rights; it’s the inauguration of a new world. It also gave

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“First, I’d say the French Revolution is a very complex period filled with such rich history and we had so many events to choose from. Telling our story accurately while emphasizing on the important events that defined the French Revolution was probably the hardest thing. In complexity comparison and without simplifying it too much, the American experience of 17761783 mostly became a war for independance against the British crown. The French Revolution was a total rejection of repressive feudal principles that had endured for centuries and which is why the victims were mostly civilians. It gave the middle finger (and the guillotine) to anyone who supported the old

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Feature: Assassin’s Creed Unity

way to Napoléon’s war that changed not only Europe, but also the entire world. It is during that time that the old way was replaced by the new.

The other nations kept their monarchic structure, but the French Revolution made everyone realize that this model was doomed. A new system had to be found, and the foundations of that new system were laid.

“Finally, at the individual level, it was exceptionally bloody; nearly all of the victims were civilian. It was a time of terror in which no one was safe. A man could be sent to the guillotine on his neighbor’s whim. In sum, it was an extraordinarily violent, cruel, and momentous decade that took Europe by surprise. And while

we might think we know what happened, there are plenty of stories from that time which have, until now, escaped popular imagination. In essence, the French Revolution represents a perfect template for an Assassin’s Creed game. To this end, we believe that the fans who enjoyed our previous games are going to love the new setting.”

The forethought and research that go into Assassin’s Creed titles are part of what makes them so powerful. The feeling of authenticity they impart forms a large part of the immersion offered by the titles, and Unity looks to be no different.

So get ready for Madame Guillotine’s debut in this popular franchise; Unity is bound to rock. g

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Far Cry 4 GAMING

Welcome to the mountainous para tradition and violence.

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Far Cry 4

adise of gamecca64

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vehicle, the approaching helicopter descends just as Ajay and his guide escape the vehicle. It is here that they meet Pagan Min, the tyrannical, self-appointed king of Kyrat.

A feature that is at the core of Far Cry 4 is the expansive open-world environment filled with stunning scenes of the frosted mountain that are the Himalayas, lush forests and rivers, an assortment of temples, secret locations and many more places that players will be able to explore. Shangri-La changes the rules of reality for a surreal experience of the spiritual realm.

The Grapple is a new tool offering players the ability to ascend the mountainous regions that they will explore. Areas known as Adventure Zones are

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jay Ghale watches the snowcapped Himalayas sweep across his vision, the sunlit, mountainous paradise known as Kyrat rushes past from within the gloomy interior of a passenger truck. His mother’s dying wish was to have her ashes scattered back in her country of birth, a country she’d fled from 25 years ago while it was in the midst of a civil war. Unbeknownst to Ajay, his family founded the rebellion that now runs rampant within Kyrat and as the truck he travels in is stopped by a Border Patrol, he has no idea that his destiny begins at the outpost.

In the midst of the ensuing skirmish, as the Border Patrol begins to gun down the occupants of the

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Far Cry 4

drive and shoot at foes and an amazing new feature known as a driving takedown will see players jump from their own vehicle, kill the occupants of the other vehicle and take it as their own.

The Co-op game mode features as one of the main attractions to Far Cry 4, set to turn off solo missions and let players participate in open world quests. These quests can be done as the player sees fit.

Although available on both current and next-gen consoles, Far Cry 4 looks to be a stunning title sure to supersede its predecessors both in gameplay, content and graphics. The development team has spent a lot of time improving key aspects of the title and one can only look forward to another brilliant Ubisoft title. g

AT A GLANCE RPG Adventure

Ajay Ghale arrives in Kyrat to scatter the ashes of his deceased mother only to be dragged into a civil war Pagan Min, the self-appointed king.

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

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Ubisoft Ubisoft Megarom

Nov 2014

Platforms

GENRE

ETA

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

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by Nthato Morakabi

scattered across the open-world to offer players new discoveries and encourage exploration.

Along with the scenery, a selection of animals that one would expect to find in the Himalayas populate the area, acting as both backdrop and danger source.

Players will be able to hunt the animals as well as place bait to draw them out. A new feature in Far Cry 4 is the ability to ride atop elephants as they stampede towards the enemy or to bust through enemy defences instead of merely watching the chaos.

New weapons and skills will be available in the game, including a Crossbow able to be used for stealth approaches and the ability to kick objects such as barrels, rocks and so forth. It will be possible to also

E M W A VIE G E R P

Skylanders Trap Team

A whole new range of Skylanders to collect.

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the game and allow players to use them in-game. All Skylander characters will be usable from Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure, Skylanders Giants and Skylanders SWAP Force. The Trap Team Skylanders will have new Trap figurines used to capture all forty-seven villains. These traps will also have a speaker that activates when a villain is caught to emphasize the villain’s capture.

The new Skylanders to join the ranks will be Gusto, Food Fight and Dark Food Fight, Snap Shot and Dark Snap Shot, Dark Wildfire, Gear Shift, Torch, Krypt King, Chopper and Wallop. Villains will come in the forms of leader Kaos, Chompy Mage, Chef Pepper Jack, Dreamcatcher, Dr. Krankcase, Wolfgang, Golden Queen, Gulper and PainYatta. Each of the villains require a specific type trap to be

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he evil Kaos returns to Skylands with yet another dastardly plot sure to put the citizens and heroes of Skylands in danger. This time however, he has blown up Cloudcracker Prison and released the worst villains to ever threaten Skylands.

The ensuing explosion has sent all the Trap Master Skylanders to Earth and through the Portal Master and the Traptanium shards can the escapees be captured and Kaos stopped. Thus the epic adventure of the Portal Master and the heroes of Skyland begins with the search for the rampant villains and their leader.

Skylanders has been a growing franchise utilizing NFC (Near Field Communication) devices in order to transport avatars of each collectable toy figure onto

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Skylanders Trap Team

Skylanders will come in three packages, a standard set, a Tablet set and a Dark Edition set which offers three limited edition Dark Edition Skylanders and an Ultimate Kaos Trap allowing you to capture and use Kaos in-game as well a Traptanium Portal, a Life Trap and a Water Trap, a Dark Edition Trap Collection Tray, a 2-Sided Collection Poster and Trading Cards and Sticker Sheets. The Tablet edition includes a wireless game controller and wireless Traptanium Portal that uses Bluetooth connectivity between the tablet and the Portal.

New characters with zany weapons and abilities, a new set of maps to explore and a range of new Skylanders to collect, capture brings is sure to be enjoyed by Skylander fans old and new alike. g

AT A GLANCE Action Adventure

Kaos has destroyed Cloudcracker Prison, freeing all the prisoners and it is up to the Portal Master and the Trap Team to capture them.

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

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Toys for Bob, Beenox Activision Megarom

Oct 2014

Platforms

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PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

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by Nthato Morakabi

captures from the Magic Trap, Life Trap, Fire Trap etc to the ultimate trap for Kaos himself the Kaos Trap.

This fourth instalment introduces to the series the new Trap Masters correlating with the storyline of escaped convicts that must be trapped. Each trapped Villain can then be used as a “hero� to fend off enemies, being stronger than regular Skylanders but limited to how long they can be used for. There are exclusive quests set aside for the villain characters which, when completed, will unlock unique upgrades. The villains can also be locked away in the Villain Vault within the Skylanders main world.

The mini-game from Skylanders: Giants makes a return as Skystones Smash, a tabletop card card game that uses numbers.

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LEGO Batman Beyond Goth

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Heroes and Villains arise!

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LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham

n 3: ham

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detective skills, and the Justice League jumps in to help.

However, even that is not enough and a collaboration of villains and heroes embark on an outer world escapade for the salvation of the universe.

As with all Lego titles, humour is the method of madness and LEGO Batman 3 continues where its predecessors left off. With a unique storyline filled with more plot twists than Wonder Woman’s twirling whip and an impressive roster of characters bringing this title to life in the assortment of unique personalities present.

It boasts an impressive roster of over 150 unique, playable characters, including members of the Justice league and a selection of villains, as well as BIG LEGO characters the likes of undead Solomon Grundy and the

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hat is the earth to do when evil rises in the pursuit of collecting the universe as miniature cities and planets? When the very heroes of the universe, the Lanterns in the darkness, have been used and their planets shrunk for the sake of a memento?

Brainiac, the mastermind behind this dastardly plot has used the Lantern Rings to achieve his goal and now, utilizing disguises, the ability to control minds and the collected Lantern Rings, he is truly a formidable opponent.

The Caped Crusader returns for yet another actionpacked adventure that pulls him out of Gotham and thrusts him into outer space to save the earth from becoming a trinket in Brainiac’s pocket. However, such a tremendous task will require more than a fancy suit and

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LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham

vehicle customizers, to ensure victory against foes.

For the first time, players will travel into outer space, moving across the galaxy to the various Lantern Worlds such as Zamaron and Odym in search of the Lantern Rings, the only way to stop Brainiac.

The hand-held version of the game offers Zero-Gravity gameplay, combat made unique with the all-new LEGO Hazard Builds. 45 Playable missions will focus on fastpaced gameplay along the original storyline featuring more than 105 characters.

Available on all platforms, the LEGO series looks to enthral gamers regardless of console and continuing the Legacy of the DC world and its collaboration with the zany world of LEGO, sure to continue for a long time. g

AT A GLANCE Action-Adventure

Brainiac wants to shrink all the planets and cities in the universe to add to his collection.

Earth’s heroes and villains must unite to defeat him.

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Traveller’s Tales Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment Ster Kinekor

Nov 2014

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PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

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by Nthato Morakabi

android Cyborg.

Missions will consist of puzzles to solve, mazes to explore and escape, races to find codes and more. Fight not only as your favourite hero and villain but fly in your specialized space-ship and blast down foes in the darkness of space.

The Bat-tastic Gadget wheel will allow player to upgrade their incredible abilities and powers as well as character suits, though only some playable characters will have a variety of suits to use. Costumes will be based on alteregos, comic reiterations and Cinema versions such as Man of Steel Zod, Man of Steel Superman, Batman Begins Batman and more.

Iconic areas such as the Hall of Justice, Watchtower and Batcave will give players access to shops, trophy rooms and

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Nov 2014 Blizzard Entertainment Blizzard Entertainment Megarom

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PLATFORMS

Rewriting the past, building a new future.

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

AT A GLANCE GENRE

MMORPG

Gerrosh Hellscream travels back in time to claim Draenor and raise an army or Orcs never seen before, unleashing terrifying war machines against his foes.

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By Nthato Morakabi

World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor

5 years in the past, as thick clouds hovered over the Orc homeworld of Draenor, Garrosh Hellscream appears outside of his time.

As the Orcs prepare to drink the blood of Mannoroth, the demon Lord who would lead the Orcs down a corrupted path through the Burning Legion, Hellscream steps in to prevent the catastrophic event that would lead to the eventual destruction of Draenor. Utilizing the technology that Garrosh hauls with him from his time, the Orcs unite to form a new, powerful army - Iron Horde. As the Iron Horde reshape history and claim Draenor as their own, building a Dark Portal thrusting them into the present era, only doom lies ahead for those standing in Garros Hellsceam’s way. As Azeroth falls to the might and savagery of the Iron Horde, who knows how many worlds will follow.

Two decades of growth and expansions have carried the Warcraft universe from generation to generation. This latest expansion pack to the World of Warcraft series sees the significant change in character level cap rise from 90 to 100.

Draenor is a new continent to explore featuring seven zones and 1 PVP zone while the world itself receives seven new dungeons, two new raids, new worlds bosses, new challenge modes and a host of quests to play.

In-game character models have been improved and now capture the character traits such teeth, bones, beards and mohawks as they should be with updated animations to draw out the essence of each character testing their character in the Heroic version of Upper Blackrock Spire.

The Pre-purchase bonus will give players a level 90 character boost, allowing them to jump right in to the Warcraft world. g

World of Warlords of Draenor Bound ofWarcraft: flame

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MX vs. ATV: Supercross

If you don’t have mud on your shoes, you are doing it wrong

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that they could pull off those insane twists and flips displayed on television.

MX vs. ATV: Supercross aims to do exactly that, and even though its fifth game in the series, they build on the knowledge of the previous titles to strengthen this year’s release. The premise for this one is rather simple: race in motocross and supercross categories while riding either motocross bikes or ATVs. The original games where developed by THQ, but since they fell into bankruptcy, this is the first game from developer Rainbow Studios. They haven’t been responsible for major titles, as they were part of the THQ group that got liquidated – but has since been

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or an outsider, the world of supercross might not seem that interesting, but all over the world, including South Africa, there is a huge community that jumps, races and speeds their way over humps, ditches and track every weekend.

It’s hugely exhilarating and it attracts thousands of spectators when professional events are put on. Most recently, the lawns in front of the Union Buildings in Pretoria where transformed into a giant motocross track, complete with high-action jumps and tricks.

So it’s actually no wonder that games developers have tapped into this segment of the market, and even if gamers don’t own a motorcycle they all wish

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For those that want to race against friends, it will feature multiplayer races where up to 12 riders can battle it out for top position. Rainbow Studios have also promised that the game will receive constant updated to add new content and to improve the overall gaming experience.

For the solo career, gamers will be able to create a rider which can be customized, as well as a Free Practice Mode. In this mode, “you can practice every track alone, via split screen, or online with up to 12 of your racing buddies, practice every track to perfection and/or perform the craziest stunts with freely selectable spawn-points and without timekeeping/hay bales/AI-opponents.” g

AT A GLANCE Sports

Done right, motocross has also been huge fun

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

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Rainbow Studios Nordic Games GmbH Apex Interactive

Oct 2014

Platforms

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by Charlie Fripp

resurrected.

To ensure authenticity so that actual riders will find familiarity in the game, more than 80 motocross companies will be featured, as well as 17 Supercross Tracks for both MX and ATV riding. A track can only take so many riders at one time, but the game will have 60 riders to race against, and a career mode with five different series to compete in: 250 East, 250 West, 450 MX, 450 ATV, 450 MX vs. ATV. To make things a bit interesting and to revamp the franchise since it’s under new developed, a new physics and control system will be introduced, as well as reinterpreting the “pre-load” from the original MX vs ATV games.

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Sep 2014 Little Orbit Little Orbit TBC

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PLATFORMS

Battle for Mankind’s existence

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

AT A GLANCE GENRE

Tactical Strategy RPG

Survive against the militant alien force as the resistance 2nd Mass, in order to save humanity from imminent destruction.

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by Nthato Morakabi

Falling Skies

n the aftermath of an alien attack, humanity stands incapacitated, save for but a few straggling survivors who have banded together on the outskirts of major cities, hoping to reclaim their planet. Children between the ages of eight and eighteen have been turned against their own through the use of a biochemical harness that kills its host when forcibly removed.

A resistance faction known as the 2nd Massachusetts (2nd Mass for short) stand against the aliens, led by Boston-born history professor Tom Mason whose son was rescued from the mind control harness. With no idea what the alien objective is and with most of the world’s population decimated, there seems to be no hope against the intelligent, tactical killing machines and now 2nd Mass fights outmatched, outnumbered and out-gunned.

Following on from the TNT series of the same name, Falling Skies introduces players to the ongoing battle for mankind’s survival against the Espheni invaders in a new storyline that will see players search for components that could very well save humanity.

Combining strategy and RPG, players will customize their squad, member’s skills, weapons and equipment and use their upgraded abilities in strategy combat.

Additional units can be obtained as human survivors are rescued and recruited when encountered.

Computer generated side quests are to continuously add missions while the non-linear campaign will allow players to take a variety of approaches to reach the mission objectives and achieve victory.

Falling Skies will be available for purchase on disc for the PS3 and Xbox 360 while a downloadable version will be available on Steam and on the Wii U. g

Falling of Skies Bound flame

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Super Smas WBros GAMING

The Legend of Super Mega Pokemo Mario Bros...or something.

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Super Smash Bros

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but also how well they recover.

A host of new characters enter the ring taken from other franchises in the Nintendo world to feature for the first time.

The nondescript Wii Fit Trainer from the Wii Fit franchise, the boy android Mega Man, Animal Crossing resident Villager, the adoptive mother of the Lumas from Super Mario Galaxy, Rosalina, and one of the Luma, Punch-Out fighter Little Mac, Pokemon X/Y final evolution pokemon Greninja, the player avatars in Nintendo (the Mii Fighters), Goddess of Light from Kid Icarus, Palutena, Fire Emblem avatar Robin and Xenobloade protagonist Shulk‌ all these will make an appearance. Many more characters are set to make their dÊbut in the franchise, too.

Fighters will have a total of four special attacks, beginning

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he arena is set, the fighters are ready; it is time to get in to the brawl with a favourite Nintendo All Star to smash your opponents down. Unlike typical fighting games that require opponents to deplete each other’s health for victory, Super Smash Bros is all about smashing your opponents out of the arena.

Gameplay is set to follow on from previous instalments of the Super Smash Bros franchise in sending opponents flying while increasing damage percentage, allowing players to send opponents flying further. In retaliation players are able to jump and use special moves in order to recover before being knocked out the arena and thereby losing the fight. Each playable character will have different weights which will affect how far they will be knock-able

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other handheld titles, including Super Mario 3D Land, Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Pokemon X/Y‌ unlike the Wii U version which will feature arenas from home console titles like Pilot Wings, Pilot Wings Resort and Mario Galaxy. Some arenas will be available on both consoles, including Wily Castle from Mega Man 2 and the Boxing Ring from PunchOut. Many more features will be available in game, including a multiplayer game mode called For Fun or For Glory, which will pit players against friends or other only players in randomly selected arenas.

The title promises to have cross-compatibility between the two console versions, however no news as to how that will work has surfaced. g

AT A GLANCE Fighting

Nintendo characters meet together for a CrossOver fighter, pitting iconic characters from Nintendo titles against each other on Classic locations for the brawl of the century.

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

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Bandai Namco Nintendo Core Group

Sep 2014

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by Nthato Morakabi

with a standard special and three directional specials; specifically the side special, up special and down special.

Shielding and dodging, as well as throwing, will be usable combat actions.

Custom parts will be collectable and then used to customize certain aspects of characters, such as the special attacks for fighters like Mario, whose fireball attack can have various executions. Along with custom parts, players will be able to use various items in-game; the Smash Ball will allow players to use a move known as the Final Smash, which is a once off special move, the Fire Bar from the Super Mario games attacks enemies with fiery flames, the Steel Diver is the submarine used as a gun and many more items.

The 3DS version will have its own set of arenas taken from

MiddleShadow of

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A hype-machine mishap? O 42

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Feature: Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

By: Lein Baart

-Earth: f Mordor

Or a revolution in gaming?

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he Lord of the Rings is not an easy intellectual property to take on. First you have to contend with the fact that Tolkien, the master that he was, created such a tightly woven and immense body of lore that simply trying to find a gap in the narrative of Middle-earth is an immense task in and of itself.

While small details may remain obscure, by and large the collected works of Tolkien represent a breathtaking display of an imagination that has created a world rich with a history seemingly as complete as anything that real life has to offer. What has naturally followed is a mass of adherents utterly opposed to anything that would attempt to rewrite or alter the canon of Arda, let alone introduce a completely new chapter to the saga. This is the task

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that Monolith have chosen however, and while the developer, best known for Alien versus Predator 2, No One Lives Forever and F.E.A.R., might have been somewhat absent over the past decade, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is looking to place Monolith firmly in the spotlight once again.

Set between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Shadow of Mordor will tell the story of Talion, a Ranger of Gondor who is killed during the retaking of the Black Gate by Sauron’s forces and revived by a mysterious wraith-like entity in order to exact vengeance for the death of his loved ones. While canonically placing the game on very shaky footing to begin with, both in terms of its setting and the resurrection, the game will offer the chance to explore an aspect of Middle-earth seldom covered, namely the

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Feature: Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

orcs and the land of Mordor, in particular a Mordor that has yet to be totally corrupted by Sauron’s influence. As design director Michael de Plater put it, “While it’s not the blasted hellspace we’ll see later, it’s still the most dangeous, intense and active place within Middle-Earth.” It will also be a land inhabited by creatures other than servants of the Dark Lord, and thus expect to see tribesmen and Men of Gondor in the last days before they were pushed from the land.

Shadow of Mordor will unfold in the guise of a third person action adventure, one that seems to draw more than a little inspiration from the most successful franchises in the genre. Even from just the briefest glimpses of the gameplay videos that Monolith has released it is clear that the Assassin’s Creed series has played a major influence in the development

of the game, with Talion bearing a very obviously familiar agility. Players will be able to clamber up walls, buildings and towers with graceful ease, or hide in foliage in order to sneak up on unsuspecting orcs. There will even the ability to assassinate foes from the air, let alone the more mundane stuff like backstabbing and silent kills. Once combat has started though another spectre looms large over the game, its shadow cast in a very canny resemblance to the Batman: Arkham Asylum/City titles. Players should find themselves with the ability to attack, dodge and counter in a manner that would do the Caped Crusader proud… if he used swords and had a fancy for grisly decapitations that is. Enemies will have icons flash to indicate their intent to attack, and in response Talion appears to have an impressive array of moves,

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both natural and supernatural, to ensure that he doesn’t wind up a lifeless corpse yet again. Even should you die however it appears that this will only be a temporary setback, and resurrection will be an experience you will get to know painfully well.

What Shadow of Mordor is looking to bring to the table though has set tongues wagging in anticipation, and will be the mechanic that could either make or break it. The game will introduce what Monolith are calling the Nemesis System, a feature that, simply put, aims to ensure that each playthrough of the game is unique in how the very story unfolds. The game’s A.I. will adapt and respond to the actions of the player, meaning that each encounter will inform not only the next but also the whole structure of the orc tribes that Talion is aiming

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to destroy. For instance, an orc captain that the player had wounded but not killed in a previous encounter may return later, replete with the scars of the past battle and a burning desire for revenge against Talion.

Likewise, a character may have risen to prominence due to your completely optional removal of a rival warlord, thus making him a tougher foe when you do eventually face him. Monolith have even promised that events can occur completely independent of your actions, such as a duel between chiefs, and that each time you play the game entirely unique enemies will arise, each with their own particular characteristics, personalities and more. It’s also here that Talion’s wraith abilities will rise to the fore, as players will have the option to do far more than merely kill their opponents. For instance an orc can be dominated,

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Feature: Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

allowing you to plunder its mind for clues as to its relationships with other orcs, and from there can be either turned into a minion of the player or let loose to spread terror amongst its fellows. Each option will have different outcomes, and thus each encounter will be different. It’s a system that holds truly staggering potential, and if pulled off properly will set Shadow of Mordor apart from anything that has come before it.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is a game then that is filled with contradictions. On one hand it draws heavily from past sources, both in gaming, films and books. Its inspirations are clear, and Monolith has done little to disguise them, eagerly appropriating what has made these various franchises so massively successful in their own right. On the other however, this is a game that may drastically alter how we

perceive gameplay and story in the future, especially how they interact with one another. While certain other titles with procedurally generated content have failed to live up to expectations, Shadow of Mordor appears to be staking its entire worth on how well these two elements combine, rather than using it as a gimmick to rope in the optimistic. If the Nemesis System does not live up to its promise Shadow of Mordor will be a quickly forgotten and abandoned title, yet another in a long line that pledged far more than it could deliver. If however it does manage to fulfil its potential this will be a game that could be remembered as the creator of an entirely new method of storytelling, one which places the narrative in the hands of the player and gives him the means to create his own personal story. g

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E M W A IE G EV R

Destiny GAMING

Some evolution required‌

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Destiny

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necessarily deserve. That said, it certainly doesn’t live up to the lofty promises made by marketing departments and press releases. To be fair, Destiny is a good game, and it delivers a lot of fun. But it isn’t what we were told we would get.

Set in an indeterminate future, Destiny brings us to a world where a mysterious, intelligent alien planetoid has changed our solar system. The Traveller, as it is called, has transformed worlds, and has allowed humanity to spread across new planets. But the Traveller’s old enemy – simply, and blandly, called the Darkness – has left it weak, and it is up to a group of heroes called the Guardians to set things right. The player’s character is brought back from the dead, and is introduced to this role.

The plot feels a little like pseudo-spiritual science

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estiny is Bungie’s first title away from the confines of its Halo universe. Published by Activision, this much hyped “MMOFPS” provides the player with something new from the studio that created one of the bestselling FPS franchises out there. But under the weight of Activision’s extreme hype engine and the pressure of delivering a title that breaks several moulds and boundaries, Bungie seems to have lost sight of certain elements in the overall construction of the game.

It needs to be said, right off the bat, that Destiny has been receiving a general raw deal in terms of reviews. Perhaps buying into the hype machine soured more than a few views of the game, and it has been getting a beating in reviews that it doesn’t

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Destiny

fiction, and it is crammed with clichés and the like.

Sure, there are some great voice actors present within the game (you’ll be recognising voices all over the place), but they don’t do much to mitigate the fact that the narrative is weaker than it should be, and it’s telling is a bit clumsy. That’s to be expected, though, because most open-world games that try not to herd players along with a story-line manage to take narrative missteps more often than not. And, quite frankly, the lack of emotional connection to the plot doesn’t really matter, because Destiny delivers tons of fun in terms of action. The combat dynamics are excellent… but we’ll get to that in a bit.

One of the complaints that has been levelled at Destiny is that there is a sort of “soft” level cap.

When you hit level 20, you’re pretty much done with

the plot, and your skill tree is more or less exploited to its fullest. But the player can keep gaining levels, and gains access to better equipment. This equipment (unlike earlier level equipment) has a lot of different buffs and abilities attached, and the player who is patient and pedantic will really be able to trim up their experience and customise their character, even if they do (for now) have to revisit areas they have been to a bunch of times.

Destiny offers three types of character classes; the stealthier, gunslinging Hunter, the energy magic driven Warlock and the battleground expert Titan. At earlier levels, these characters don’t feel particularly different. There are no class restrictions on weapons, and the only real differences come in the skills that the players develop. Even these seem to be cosmetic

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back for more.

And all of this takes place in beautifully crafted levels across four planets – Earth, the Moon, Venus and Mars. Each setting has its own flavour, and beautiful vistas are cleverly crafted to let the player feel a truly grand scale, even if everything is not explorable. Little details abound, making these places seem lively and, ultimately, very real. The levels are large and freeroaming, with missions taking place in areas that can be revisited, or have been visited before. And because of its MMO aspirations, you may well run into other players while doing missions. Sometimes they may even help you, or join up with you to form a fire team.

But the game is just as fun played solo.

Destiny combines FPS elements with RPG elements and then introduces it into an MMO style game.

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differences, because each class has an area-attack, grenade-like skill, or a higher jumping skill, and so on. And they roll out in pretty much the same order.

Real differences start showing up later, but these have as much to do with the players customisation choices as they do with design.

But it doesn’t make too much of a difference to the player who is going to sink their teeth into what Destiny does best – combat. Clever AI, that is wonderfully varied over the different enemy types, great implementation of cover and verticality, and an array of weapons (that sometimes also feature upgrade trees) combine into making Destiny a challenging and highly enjoyable FPS. The action is intense and often very challenging, and offers just the right kind of addictive nature to keep you coming

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Destiny

content (like the Heroic Strike missions), all of which will undoubtedly add up to making Destiny a truly fantastic game (once a few issues have been patched away). But it feels unsure of its identity for now, and comes across as a little half-baked. It’s great fun to play, and the combat is really well handled. But Destiny has some way to go before it develops into the killer title that we were lead to believe it would be right out of the gate. It’s pretty certain that it will get there, and there are numerous reasons to keep plugging away at enemies in the large and beautiful environments even in its current state. Just be aware that you may have to wait a while for Destiny to evolve from decent to awesome. And that’s a little disappointing, really, because we were promised much more than what we got. g

AT A GLANCE MMOFPS

REVIEWED ON

Destiny almost folds under the pressure of developer ambition and publisher hype. It has some way to go before it becomes a truly awesome game.

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Bungie Activision Megarom

PARENTAL ADVISORY

16+ gamecca64

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

ACCESSIBILITY

Hard-Core Medium Casual

PS4 PLATFORMS

GENRE

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

Score

79 53

by Walt Pretorius

Unfortunately, it doesn’t manage to pull the combination off too well. The FPS part is extremely solid. The RPG sections are a bit light and underdeveloped. The biggest loser, though, is the MMO part. Communication between players is difficult, for example, unless they’re in the same party. Organising competitive matches in The Crucible is painful, due to no private lobbies and no customisation options. And getting a group together for the weekly Heroic Strike missions isn’t much better. It’s almost as though you’re a loner in a multiplayer world here. If the combat wasn’t so compelling, this would be devastating to Destiny.

It feels like Destiny is a teaser, in its current guise, like a really big demo for all that is still to come. And Bungie are already rolling out their new ideas and

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Forza Horiz GAMING

Southern Europe has never looked

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second title – and they didn’t disappoint.

Forza Horizon 2 takes things a bit further by allowing drivers to drive wherever they want. Sure there are still races where player have to stick to a prescribed track, but it added races where player can race any path that they want, as long as they go through all the checkpoints in sequence.

Although it’s one of those titles that gamers can’t actually finish, the concept of the game is actually very easy: once players have chosen a category to race in, they have to finish four races – that will constitute as a championship win.

Once they have won 15 championships, they will become eligible for the Horizon finale, an epic race that spans most of the map. When that is complete, they have effectively completed the game, but they can still carry on with the

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ver since the Xbox started to gain traction in major parts of the world, the Forza franchise was right there, kicking dust in gamers’ eyes. It has over time become one of the most successful franchise in history, and Microsoft has played a huge role in its development.

The original Forza games (there has been five so far) managed to get the franchise off the ground and the track racing mechanic proved to be hugely popular. But in 2012 Microsoft decided to do something different – they commissioned the development of Forza Horizon, an open-world racer free from the boundaries of pre-set tracks.

Although it happened for different reasons, the first game was so successful that Microsoft decided to do a sequel, and promised a lot more would be included in the

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remaining championship if they please.

And Forza Horizon 2 has no shortage of championships that can be entered or cars to drive. Categories such as Hot Hatch, Modern Supercars, Extreme Offroad, Modern Hypercars or Extreme Track Toys can all be raced in, and each one has their own set of competitors with different traits.

Speaking of competitors, the game has no AI drivers to compete against. The Forza franchise has always made use of Drivatars, and this one is no different. A drivatar is an actual player’s ghost car which drives and reacts just as the real player would – with driving data taken from previous Forza games as well as Horizon 2. It provides for better competition in races and also makes things a bit fair.

And of course players would need a trusty steed to compete in, and here the Forza franchise once again

doesn’t disappoint. Almost every car imaginable has been included – well, almost, as the tally is over 200 vehicles.

As mentioned, the is a good number of racing categories for players to dig into, so there is everything from a VW Rabbit, a 1950’s Ford pickup all the way though to some of the most sophisticated and fastest cars imaginable.

The 2014 Lamborghini Huracán is featured on the cover of the game, but other hypercars include the McLaren P1, LaFerrari and the Lamborghini Veneno. There are rally cars like the Subaru WRX STi, and for those who like to feel the wind in their hair there is the Ariel Atom as well as several other competitors in the class.

There really is something for anywhere, and the beauty of the game is that you don’t have to climb the ladder from slow cars to the fastest ones. If you want to compete through the entire game driving mid-performance cars, you

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their travels include Nice, San Giovani and Castelleto.

Locational details have been recreated to make copies of the real town, although on a bit smaller scale. Driving through the countryside, players will be able to barns, tractors and crops growing alongside the road, and there is a distinct difference in scenario between France and Italy.

But urban settings are just as exciting. The game makes use of a full day-night cycle as well as dynamic weather, so if you managed to time it perfectly, you will be able to see the lights of the houses come on individually as the sun sets, and then in unison all the street lights will start to illuminate throughout the city.

Which brings us to the graphics – and it can simply be summed as amazing. Forza has never been one to shy away from pushing the graphical boundaries and Horizon

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can do that.

Once a chosen ride has been acquired, the world is ready for exploration. The nature of the game is that it’s an open-world environment, meaning that players are free to drive wherever they want.

When not in a race, gamers can try to stack up skill points, which are awarded for doing crazy stuff like jumps, maintaining drifts and smashing through some poor farmers crops. Skill points add modifiers and enhancements to the game, like discounts on car upgrades and cheaper fast traveling to locations.

Where Forza Horizon took place in the desert of Colorado, Horizon 2 takes place in picturesque France and Italy – southern Europe. The main hub for the fictional Horizon festival is located in the middle of the countryside, but towns that games can visit throughout

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ultra-smooth, trees and grass have detail and definition and buildings have added-extras to make everything believable. Players who are familiar with the Forza franchise will know exactly what we are talking about, but you only have to look at the images used on these pages, as they are all in-game graphics.

There are a number of other, smaller aspects that make the game exciting as well, such as the speed cameras, the Forza Showcase events, the multiplayers aspect and the return of the Barn Finds, but we’ll leave that up to the players to explore for themselves.

In conclusion, Forza Horizon 2 should be on every racing enthusiasts shopping list, as it is probably one of the best out at the moment. The graphics are absolutely gorgeous, there is a huge variety of cars to choose from, and it’s extremely fun. g

AT A GLANCE GENRE

Racing

REVIEWED ON

x0

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Playground Games Microsoft Microsoft

PARENTAL ADVISORY

6+ gamecca64

PLATFORMS

Those familiar with the Forza franchise will know exactly what to expect

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

ACCESSIBILITY

Hard-Core Medium Casual

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

Score

85 59

by Charlie Fripp

2 just further proves why Forza is one of the definitive leaders in recreating authentic races.

The smallest of details have been added to the world, like logos on trashcans and tables and chairs next to coffee shops. But the while the world’s detail has been painstakingly recreated, the true beauty of Horizon 2 lies with the cars.

Small, individual rain drops can be seen all over cars when parked outside, and after the rain has abated, highlydetailed reflections can be seen in the pools of water that gathered in dips in the road.

The interior of the cars have also been recreated to be an accurate representation of what their real-life counterparts look like, and while driving with the in-car view, player can see their drivatar physically changing gears.

In short, the overall graphics are amazing – car bodies are

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Metro: Redux GAMING

Going down to the underground‌ a

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future view by Metro: 2033, and it is this title that has benefitted most from this Redux edition.

That’s because the title has benefitted from a massive number of tweaks, thanks to systems that were improved for the second title. 2033 now features things like Last Light’s menu wheel, and other enhancements that come from the renewed development cycle that spawned the latter game.

Overall, both titles look much better than they did on previous generation consoles. The graphical differences are very marked, particularly in 2033. But there are other tweaks that also have made the experience better. The AI is smarter and more sensible this time out, for example, and the game (both games) feel a bit less clunky.

Metro: Redux – like the previous releases of the two games that make it up – won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. Sometimes it feels extremely linear, with the only freedom afforded the

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ridging the gap from one console generation to the next can often have strange results. One of the things we have seen this time around is the massive amount of “remakes” and “revamps” on titles that came out late in the seventh generation’s life-cycle. The Metro franchise’s second game: Metro: Last Light came out fairly late for the Xbox 360 and PS4, and so it is no surprise that a reworked version has hit the shelves. But it brings with it the previous game – Metro: 2033 – bundled together and branded as Metro: Redux. And 2033 is a considerably older game. That, though, is not necessarily a bad thing.

Metro: Redux reintroduces us to the Moscow Metro, where the remnants of humanity have taken refuge after a nuclear holocaust turned the world’s surface into a wasteland populated by mutated creatures and numerous other hazards. We were first treated to this dark, depressing

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a bit more freedom, too. But, ultimately, it’s worth playing both… it feels like a much longer, more cohesive experience overall.

And, let’s be honest, it’s great value for money. There are two full games here, as well as all the DLC, and two modes to experience the games in. Whether it is the more fastpaced, action packed Spartan mode or the more measured, thoughtful Survivor mode, the experience can be tweaked a little, giving the player more of what they enjoy. It makes sense to replay both games in the different modes as well, for added challenge and longevity (something that the game needs, thanks to its almost conspicuous lack of multiplayer.

So if you want to spend some time either reliving the dangers of the post-apocalyptic Moscow Metro, either as a revisit or as a new experience, Metro: Redux is a great way to do it. g

AT A GLANCE GENRE

First-person Shooter

REVIEWED ON

x0

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

4A Games Deep Silver Apex Interactive

PARENTAL ADVISORY

18+ gamecca64

PLATFORMS

A great way to experience both Metro titles on next generation hardware.

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

ACCESSIBILITY

Hard-Core Medium Casual

PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

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88 63

by Walt Pretorius

player being areas that open up slightly and allow different paths towards the same goal. But that’s part of the game’s charm. It has a story to tell, and too much freedom (as we all know too well) can hamper the progression of any tight narrative. The weird accents and claustrophobic, almost survival horror moments are still there, and for those that don’t mind sacrificing freedom for plot, Metro: Redux offers a lot of charm. From the scratch-built guns through to using military grade ammo as currency, Metro: Redux revives the unique flavours of the original titles.

That flavour, though, might not sit well with some. It could be argued that Metro: Redux doesn’t fully satisfy either an FPS or survival horror classification. That said, it does make the title unique, and although the story in Last Light is a little weaker than in 2033, it still provides the player with a different take on the apocalypse. Last Light gives the player

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The Sims 4 GAMING

Two steps forward, two steps back

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Not that it isn’t a cool game. With improved graphics and smarter Sims, it really is a great game to look at and experience. The Sims themselves have much more personality, and controlling them requires much less micromanagement. In fact, their ability to multitask effectively makes it much easier to keep their moods up.

They socialise while eating or working out, for example, and things like that make a big difference.

Two things that truly stand out in the Sims 4 are the creation tools and the new emotion system that has been employed.

In the first case, whether building a house or creating a Sim, the player has a lot more control (particularly over Sims). All kinds of faces and body types and be made, and the player will be able to happily tweak for hours with a massively intuitive toolset that determines everything

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he Sims started out as an ambitious project many years ago, and the franchise has never had to look back since. Sure, it may not be the biggest seller on the planet, but there are those out there that ardently – rabidly, even – follow the series and purchase every single new expansion and stuff pack, to make the lives of their virtual families more… well, more everything.

So it’s hardly a surprise that Maxis has released yet another version of the Sims. It’s the pattern. Release the main game, follow up with a bunch of expansions, and then reset the whole lot with a newer version of the title. And this time round it feels more like a reset than ever before. The Sims 3 did, too, because the Sims 2 had grown massive by the end of its run. But the Sims 4 feels like they have taken all of our cool toys away.

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Sims title ever, but it requires a bit of work to get there; that potential is only a glimmer at this point.

There are plenty of reasons to try the game out, and even invest numerous hours in to it; the characters themselves, despite living in a world that is almost barren in comparison to earlier versions, are as endearing as ever. But be warned that you will likely feel as though you’re taking not just one step back, but several, when you leap onto The Sims 4’s bandwagon. It’s going to leave you delighted in some aspects, and disappointed in others.

Perhaps Maxis have intentionally put these restrictions in place to ensure that they have lots of room for the numerous expansions that we will see for this title.

Whatever the case may be, The Sims 4 will only achieve its full greatness after one or two of them have arrived. g

AT A GLANCE Simulation

REVIEWED ON

Although it has a number of excellent features, the small world and limited options make it feel barren next to the previous title.

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Maxis Electronic Arts Prima Interactive

PARENTAL ADVISORY

12+ gamecca64

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by Walt Pretorius

from physical dimensions that are much more natural, right through to the style of the character’s walk.

The emotion system supplants a few earlier game dynamics, and Sims will get into moods based on the gratification of their limited aspirations and traits (there are fewer than before, sadly). Feeding these emotional states results in better moods and easier management of the Sims in general, which is a great touch.

Sadly, though, The Sims 4 really has stripped away a lot of what could be done in the Sims 3. Sure, the likely expansions will sort these things out, but the transition to Sims 4 is jarring. The neighbourhoods, for example, are tiny, and options for clothing and furnishings are much more limited. It’s happened before, but this time it feels like a bigger pruning.

In short, The Sims 4 has all the potential to be the best

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inFamous: First Light Tripping the light rebellious

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expansion feels a little flat. Even with a few added refinements, and Fetch’s awesome super-speed running ability, she feels almost incomplete next to Delsin.

Except that she is a much more likeable character.

The plot plays out as a series of memories recounted while Fetch is being interrogated by the DUP’s leader, Augustine (the villain from Second Son). It’s a nice touch, and shows a side of Fetch that was never explored in the main game. These memories are also interspersed with combat test missions that Augustine subjects Fetch to.

These serve as a way to bring inFamous: First Light’s challenge arenas into the story.

Those challenges also help add longevity to a title that feels extremely short. They tie in to online leader boards, making the whole thing a lot more fun and competitive for those seeking bragging rights. Those that own Second

GAMING

hile inFamous: Second Son did suffer with a few detractors, playing as Delsin Rowe allowed us to experience a range of powers that he acquired from other Conduits. And that was what really made the game fun, because the player could chop and change their abilities as needed, taking on a different approach to battles when required.

That’s one of the things that is missing in inFamous: First Light, an expansion released for the original game.

This title sees the player return to Seattle, this time in control of Fetch. Those that played Second Son (and you really should before taking on First Light) will remember that she was the ally that Delsin gained his neon abilities from. While inFamous: First Light explores those neon powers more deeply than Second Son did, having only one power set in this four-hour

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interesting, more stealth-like dynamic.

One of the tasks is pretty fun, though, and involves extremely high-speed races that see Fetch ducking through little pink clouds for added speed boosts. They’re great fun and can prove challenging, but can also wear a little thin if you do too many in a row. And, with Seattle being open (just like in Second Son) you could quite easily do them all in a row. Now that you’d want to. inFamous: First Light has its strengths and weaknesses.

When everything is added up, though, it feels a bit more like fan-service than an extra exploration. It’s a decent stand-alone expansion, but its few intricacies would be lost on those that haven’t played the original. It’s great to get back to Seattle and experience a more enticing character, but a little more meat on inFamous: First Light’s bones would not have gone amiss. g

AT A GLANCE Action adventure

It’s a decent expansion, and it explores an interesting character, but it could have used a little more meat on its bones.

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Sucker Punch SCEE Ster Kinekor

PARENTAL ADVISORY

16+ gamecca64

Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

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REVIEWED ON

PS4 PLATFORMS

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PC X360 X0 PS3 PS4 Wii U PSV 3DS AND iOS

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77 69

by Walt Pretorius

Son will also have the opportunity to use Delsin in these challnges, which adds a bit more variety to the mix.

What inFamous: First Light has going for it is a good story featuring a character that is more interesting and ‘real’ than that of Second Son. This look into the life of Fetch, which investigates her origins more deeply, is very interesting for those that truly enjoy the inFamous franchise. But it leaves much to be desired in its short span. There is no good/evil dynamic, for example, and the tasks that Fetch needs to perform to unlock sections of the city are more limited and repetitive. Also, the heavy DUP troops that were present as enemies in Second Son are conspicuous in their absence, with enemies in inFamous: First Light that just don’t feel threatening enough. On the upside, Fetch has to spend a lot of energy dodging cops, which makes for an

E M W A IE G EV R

Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution The Allied Shinobi Forces battle!

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Orochimaru and Zetsu are recruited into the Akatsuki.

The next footage focuses on Itachi and his comrade Shisui as they face the incoming coup that the Uchiha have planned against the Hidden Leaf Village and how Itachi became the man to kill his entire village save for his younger brother Sasuke.

The final footage focuses on the time before the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze’s mission with his squad consisting of the young Obito, Kakashi and Rin. The bond between Minato’s wife and mother of Naruto Uzumaki, Kushina Uzumaki, and Obito is shown revealing the resemblance between Obito’s dream and the coming Naruto’s dream before Obito’s supposed death.

Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution is very similar to previous Ninja Storm games. However, unlike the previous game, Revolution focuses on the Allied Shinobi Forces and the unity

GAMING

he Fourth Great Ninja War has been a battle of mass proportions, instigated by the masked figure posing as Madara Uchiha, only to reveal himself as Obito Uchiha… who was thought dead. His goal is the Infinite Tsukuyomi, his Sharingan cast onto the moon to control all the inhabitants of the earth through genjutsu.

The forty minutes of unseen footage relates to the key antagonists of Naruto Shippuden. The first reveals the formation of the Akatsuki and the recruitment of its members moving from the death of Hanzo of the Salamander, by the original members Nagato and Konan.

Obito, under the pseudonym of Tobi, establishes the Akatsuki with Nagato, now using Yahiko and other bodies as an entity known as Pain. From here on out Puppet Master Sasori of the Red Sand, Deidara, immortals Kakazu and Hidan, Itachi Uchiha, Demon of the Mist Kisame,

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n and explosive tags and more. Some are customization items to place on your character from ANBU masks to swords and weapons displayed merely for aesthetics and remain unusable.

Fights are as intense as before, requiring a combination of button mashing and “cancel” actions to build combos and complete with a variety of finishers both in the air and on the ground. A new fighting feature appears in the form of “rails” that characters can slide around and use to unleash attacks on opponents but these appear randomly and only in certain fights. There is also the battle format that requires fighters to bout it out in a four fighter match with the goal being to collect the most Battle Orbs by knocking down opponents.

As a Naruto fan, this game is worth getting and gives the feel of both the anime and the feeling of fighting as one of the anime ninja. g

AT A GLANCE Fighting

REVIEWED ON

The Fourth Great Ninja War has brought the Five Great Nations together to form the Allied Shinobi Forces, the first alliance of its kind.

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

CyberConnect Bandai Namco Megarom

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by Nthato Morakabi

between the Five Great Nations: the Leaf, Lightning Mist, Sand and Rock.

The World Ninja Tournament becomes the “story” based game mode, with the ninja world brought together for an epic tournament consisting of every ninja nation. A wide roster of characters can then be unlocked with the progress made through the various levels of difficulty. Over a 100 characters will be playable including different versions of them such as Naruto, his Sage Form and a new Mecha Naruto with his own storyline part of the World Ninja Tournament.

A series of collectible items are available to find, win and unlock within the World Ninja Tournament, either through successful completion of battles, fights against online player Avatars scattered around the region or by trying luck at the lottery machine. These items work as Ninja tools to aid in battle, from chakra and life recovery items to kunai bags

E M W A IE G EV R

FIFA 15 GAMING

Look at me!

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to how it feels. And while it certainly isn’t lacking in substance, one cannot help but get the impression that this year the developers thought style was all important. Like when a zinger lands itself in the back of the net – the player will be treated to numerous replays which take far too long to dismiss. Sure, if you land a particularly sweet goal you may want to see it once again. But not everyone does. And if it’s a goal against you, all the good looks in the world couldn’t remove the sting from the wound. You don’t want to relive it.

This game is an extremely accurate simulation, and fans will likely enjoy most f what they find. Improved physics are, of course, the order of the day, and there are numerous tweaks that make the game better than what we saw before. But there are also a few chinks.

One is in the form of the AI. It manages to be both

GAMING

nother year, another FIFA. For FIFA 15, though, it’s the second iteration to arrive on the latest platforms. This means that developers have had a bit more than a year to get to grips with the intricacies of the PS4 and Xbox One. And it shows, particularly in terms of presentation.

FIFA 15 looks and sounds good; lively crowds pack detailed stadiums as players tear along the pitch, the grass getting damaged and stains appearing on once pristine kits. It looks and feels very much like an exceptionally well produced live broadcast of the real thing.

And that is where FIFA 15 starts showing cracks.

It seems, as times, that the development team were so keen on showing off how good the game looks and sounds that they forgot to pay enough attention

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the opposition to capitalise. And with goal keepers that alternate between smart and overly twitchy, that could lead to problems. Add to that the fact that the game seems to prefer long shots to smart, crossing play, and you have a title that manages to get a lot right, but slips in some fundamental principles.

FIFA 15 is by no means a bad game. But it is more frustrating than last year’s version, and it does have a few weird eccentricities that simply don’t gel well with the overall experience. It almost seems as though this year’s title is more of a spectator sport than a simulation, and the player may sometimes feel a little marginalised in favour of the developers showing off.

Still, the great moments are there, and FIFA 15 remains as one of those games that players will get truly involved in and passionate about. g

AT A GLANCE Sports

REVIEWED ON

This year’s game shines in many areas, but it feels like some others have been given too little attention for it to be a truly cohesive simulation.

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

EA Sports Electronic Arts Prima Interactive

PARENTAL ADVISORY

3+ gamecca64

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x0 PLATFORMS

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80 75

by Rob Edwards

really clever and absolutely daft, almost at the same time. Players will perform brilliantly in one moment, but when no-one understands the intention of your telegraphed pass, it shows a weakness that really shouldn’t be there.

This may well be the result of the improved emotional responses put into the game – these are more of a double edged sword than a chink, really. While this emotional element of the game goes a long way to make everything more believable, there are moments when it actually feels invasive. For example, blazing down the pitch, an attacker tries to tackle you. He goes down, and your player – instead of sprinting along as you’re directing – may well pause to throw up his hands in a “no foul” gesture. That’s really realistic, yes, but if this does happen it could well open opportunities for

E M W A IE G EV R

Crimson Dra GAMING

Take to the skies

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Crimson Dragon

by Charlie Fripp

AT A GLANCE GENRE

Rail shooter

REVIEWED ON

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A fun way to seriously take on the task of training your dragon...

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Grounding Inc Microsoft Studios XBL

PARENTAL ADVISORY

6+ gamecca64

PLATFORMS

agon

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ilms that have been turned into video game more times than not have a reputation of totally stinking, and the recent How to Train Your Dragon game is no exception. But this isn’t a review of Toothless and friends, but rather of a game that kind of takes the premise and does its own thing.

Crimson Dragon take place in a fantasy world, where humans have bonded with dragons and eventually earned their trust so that they could be ridden. Start seeing the similarities now? Well, you should, because that will give you a good idea of what it’s all about – but better.

See, these dragons aren’t just your runof-the-mill flying reptiles, as they have been outfitted with a massive arsenal of guns and explosives. Starting the game, players will take to the skies on a pretty average dragon.

Making use of two firing modes, gamers will be able to shoot forwards and backwards by turning the camera.

There are other dragons that will try to hinder your quests, and ultimately players will discover there is a HUGE dragon that has awoken after a very long slumber – which needs to be subdued. The plot of the game pretty much revolves around gamers doing odd missions that build up to them taking on one of the biggest dragons this side of the sun. Naturally, players will unlock different dragons to battle with, each with their own strengths.

The graphics aren’t fantastic, but for a free Xbox Live game, it is pretty much worth it.

It’s one of those games where it wouldn’t take you very long to complete, but its great fun to play for a couple of minutes a day. g

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Part schmup, part platformer, part speed test... all fun!

Action

PS4

PLATFORMS

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

FuturLab FuturLab PSN

PARENTAL ADVISORY

7+ gamecca64

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ACCESSIBILITY Hard-Core Medium Casual

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AT A GLANCE

GAMING Bound of flame

Game at speed

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by Alex Scanlon

Velocity 2X

ixing genres can be a tricky thing, but the way the developers of Velocity 2X did it is almost pitch-perfect. Here is a game that effortlessly combines vertical scrolling space shoot-em-ups with action side scrolling platform adventure… and neither part feels out of place.

That’s quite a feat, because Velocity 2X could quite easily have fallen into the trap of trying to be too many things at once. Rather, it is a challenging game with varied elements that are all tied together by one vital element: speed. Each of the fifty levels is a time trial, combined with movement and ability based puzzles. Whether you’re flying your spaceship through maze like levels where quick and accurate teleportation is vital, or guiding your character through levels in which hazards are designed to break your pace, it’s all about getting though the affair as fast as possible.

To this end, Velocity 2X features a simple, yet extremely effective, control scheme. The player doesn’t need to get bogged down in control complexity when every split second counts, after all, and this title allows for snap decisions to be executed effectively and easily. If they’re bad decisions, tough – you can make your moves without hassle.

Graphically, it follows the trend that a lot of indie developers are popularising, which means that visually it reminds one of a simpler age. And that’s fine, really, because it allows the player to focus on its enticing and addictive game dynamic.

And with a scoring and leader board system, you’ll likely (if you enjoy bragging rights) go back to it over and over again.

It’s simple, addictive and varied, and works really well on either the PS4 or the Vita. In short, this is a great indie game. g

Velocity 2X

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E M W A IE G EV R

Super Time F GAMING

Slipping through time

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Super Time Force

by Charlie Fripp

AT A GLANCE GENRE

Side-scroller

REVIEWED ON

x0 It can be frustrating but also a lot of fun

Developer: Publisher: Distributer:

Capybara Games Microsoft Online

PARENTAL ADVISORY

6+ gamecca64

PLATFORMS

Force

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ide-scrolling shooter video games have probably been around for just as long as the first computers have. Many a weekend has been spent huddled around the PC screen, each one strategizing how they would approach the 8-bit situation should their friend fail.

Super Time Force aims to bring the 8-bit battles back to life, but it has a bit of a twist in the gameplay. Most of the Side-scrolling shooter games from years gone by relied heavily on two-player interactions, like Contra or Golden Axe, but Super Time Force will let gamers play as three characters at once.

After some bad things happen in the present world, the Super Time Force, a timetraveling military organization, gets sent to different time periods across the world by Colonel Repeatski, in order to make sure that bad things don’t happen.

Taking control of one character, players will be able to pause time and bring in another character. Then instead of having to control two different characters, the two characters then combine into one. It does get a bit confusing, but players can have up to three characters combined into a single unit.

Since each character has their own strengths and weaknesses, combining them all into a single unit will give gamers access to all the characters’ abilities. The game is really addictive, but can be hugely frustrating at times, as some of the level as time-based, and it just seems impossible to get through them.

But that is the nature of 8-bit games – they were notoriously difficult. If you are looking for some 8-bit fun with a serious sense of humour, definitely go grab this one. g

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The Poin Proge GAMING

Maniac Mansion revo

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Legacy: Maniac Mansion

t & Click enitor

olutionised gaming...

By Lein Baart

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Why was it created?

Maniac Mansion began life when legendary designers Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnik were tasked by LucasFilm Games (as it was known back then) to create an original title for the Commodre 64 computer. Having previously discovered a shared interest in B-horror movies, humour and television, the pair quickly began to brainstorm ideas based on teen horror movies, though, according to Gilbert, they struggled to string these together into a coherent whole. It wasn’t until Gilbert was introduced to the fantastic King’s Quest franchise (itself a major contributor to the genre) that Maniac Mansion truly began to take form, as the adventure genre served as a perfect fit for the game they wanted to create. Gilbert however was dissatisfied with the parserbased inputs this style of game most commonly employed at that time, and thus strove to develop a title that was almost entirely reliant on mouse commands.

Rather than having to type which instructions the parser gamecca64

analyser was looking for, the idea was to simplify everything into a list of verb commands that would remove the need to guess what the action and object were programmed as. The final product was a game that had players using three distinct characters (selected from a roster of 6) to scour a creepy mansion in search of an abducted cheerleader, using items to solve the myriad of puzzles that the game presented.

Why do we care?

Maniac Mansion stands out as the title that ushered in the advent of point and click games.

The elimination of the parser input meant that adventure titles were no longer reduced to frustrating guessing games in which the players had to try and imagine what the developers had labelled a particular bunch of pixels as. This was a game though that did far more than introduce a new type of gameplay. Maniac Mansion was one of the first titles to have multiple endings based upon which characters you selected in the beginning, and its blend of comedy and horror meant that it was as entertaining as it was technically impressive. While many aspects courted the fringe of controversy for the time, (to the point that the NES port had to be heavily modified before its release), Maniac Mansion was simply a brilliant blend of story, dialogue and gameplay that still stands up to this day, and served as the inspiration for many legendary titles, such the Monkey Island series, to come.

Even the game engine that Gilbert built for it became well known in its own right, with just the mention of SCUMM (Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion) enough to fling many older gamers into flights of rosetinted nostalgia.. g

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1

987 was a booming time for the gaming industry.

Having only just avoided total calamity with the Video Game Crash of 1983, gaming was starting to come back in a big way, with drivers like the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) pushing the industry into the mainstream once again. It was also a time that saw computer gaming come to the fore, with desktop graphical technology having finally allowed titles such as King’s Quest to compete with its console brethren. For fans of the platform however, 1987 will always be distinguished by the release of Maniac Mansion, a game that would redefine the adventure genre, arguably turning it into the most popular style of game in its time until the rise of the first person shooter.

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Ramjet’s rantality

here’s this thing that people do, see, because they think it’s funny. It’s considered a “prank” called swatting. The idea is that while someone streams their gameplay footage via services like Twitch (an already narcissistic activity, in my mind, but anyway), some intrepid, bored idiot finds out their address details and sends false information to law enforcement officials, resulting in a SWAT team showing up at the victim’s house. Funny, right? Not really. Not at all.

How much swatting is going on seems to be up for discussion. There are hoaxes about it happening, too, and reports of kids being sentenced to long prison terms that simply aren’t true. There have been those who have landed in hot water, sure, but a number of reports have been fallacies.

I, for one, wish that they weren’t, because, quite honestly, this kind of prank goes beyond irresponsible.

It’s stupid, dangerous, wasteful and illegal. Not that any of these things deter gamers, mind you.

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Piracy is illegal, too. That doesn’t stop gamers from stealing stuff and negatively impacting the industry in their own special little way.

So, anyway, back to swatting. So for shits and giggles, these selfentitled, brainless little prats go about wasting governmental resources, time, money and quite possibly endangering the victims of their pranks.

Really, really smart. The mind truly boggles at the fact that something like this even exists.

We live in a world in which our actions have consequences, and a maverick, “look at me being the rebel” approach might seem cool, but may well land you in very hot water.

I hope it does. I really do.

Because idiots like this manage to get every gamer painted in a bad light, and I (for one) am tired with being associated with a bunch of brain-dead brats whose parents have no idea about teaching discipline, responsibility and selfcontrol. Harsh? Yes. But I don’t think you’d find it half as harsh if you’re lying handcuffed on the floor of

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BY rAMJET

Funny...

Not

your living room with the barrel of a gun pointed at your head for someone else’s amusement.

How long before something goes wrong with a swatting prank and the victim gets hurt or killed? And what would the prankster’s reaction be?

Sorry? It was meant to be a joke? Oops?

Not good enough. No, rather people who do this kind of stuff because they think that being a gamer makes them some kind of cool, rebellious rogue need to learn that just because they have “l33t” skills doesn’t mean they can do whatever the hell they want, for their own amusement. Maybe a stretch in prison would (aside from deservedly screwing up their entire lives) teach them that we live in a world where what you do comes back to you.

And maybe a few years of dodging joysticks in the shower when impromptu “hey, the soap fell” games ensue would finally teach them that we live in a world in which the individual is not necessarily more important than the collective. One can only hope. g

FeatureS 90

The Small Space

HARDWARE Reviews 96 98 100 102 104 106

Asus Strix Pro Gaming Headset Asus Strix Tactic Pro Mechanical Gaming Keyboard ASUS Gladius Optical Gaming Mouse Asus Strix Claw Optical Gaming Mouse Logitech G402 Hyperion Fury Ultra Fast FPS Gaming Mouse Asus Rampage V Extreme X99 Motherboard

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Internet Security

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TECHNOLOGY

or decades now, the aim of many computer manufacturers has been to produce powerful machines that are smaller yet still powerful. In the relatively short time that computers have been employed by human beings to make our lives infinitely easier, we have seen one evolution upon another as these devices keep getting smaller and smaller.

The world’s first programmable digital computer, the Colossus, was developed in 1943 for British code breakers during World War 2, and filled an entire room. Its computational power wasn’t measured in modern terms, but it has been calculated that it performed at around 5.3MHz (an astounding amount of power for a computer that long ago). Now, seventy years later (which is not that long in real world terms) you can get a machine that is several hundred times more powerful in terms of computational ability… and it fits in a small bag.

No, not a smartphone or tablet (although they do fall into that category). Rather, take a look at a remarkable product from Intel, called the Next Unit in Computing, or NUC for short. It is a small form factor PC, which can be bought as a kit or motherboard, that Intel is throwing a lot of time and effort behind. The kit comes with a case and fan, an external power supply and a VESA mounting plate. The motherboards come with a CPU already built in. And they have been around for a while, too, quietly revolutionising the way computers are used.

“The NUC has a special place in the PC market,” says Vince Resente, Enterprise Technology Specialist at Intel South Africa.

“It is small and very compact which means it is not very

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easily upgradable. It will not replace the tradition back office PC but is an excellent front desk and Call Centre footprint.

Certain SKUs have SATA disk capability that makes the configuration more affordable than an mSATA.” Intel is obviously pushing ahead very strongly with the NUC. In the short time that they have been on the market, four generations have already surfaced. Although they have primarily been focussed on business and enterprise needs, the NUC is starting to show potential as a new wave of computing that could see traditional desktop towers become a thing of the past. ” The NUC is a perfect fit in the Digital Signage, Call Centre and Home Theatre space,” says Resente. “The NUC could be an alternative to a full desktop or a first PC for a school lab setup. The NUC is also a great “intelligent fully manageable” thin client.”

But why the NUC? There are, after all, numerous products that fill gaps that the NUC slots into, including the likes of media players. However, there are several factors that set the NUC apart from, and above, those devices. It’s relative small size (at around four square inches and low power usage are great advantages, as well as reasonable hardware costs.

But elements like an excellent memory footprint, HD (and better) screen resolutions and a wide operating system support set the NUC apart from other units. It becomes apparent, on further investigation, that the NUC doesn’t just fill one gap.

It fills many, just like any “more traditional” computer would.

It is multifunctional, rather than focussed, and that is a particular strength that cannot be overlooked.

While the current generation gamecca64

Feature: The Small Space

“The NUC is a perfect fit in the Digital Signage, Call Centre and Home Theatre space.” gamecca64

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TECHNOLOGY

of NUC devices are not going to fill the gap for hard-core gamers just yet (unless you’re running an undemanding game) a look at the evolution of the devices certainly demonstrates that the idea is not far-fetched that these miniscule devices may soon be able to handle anything that a large desktop can. In just a little more than a year, processing power (for example) has risen from 1.8GHz to 2.6GHz (depending on model, of course). Development like that, along with the fact that a NUC can handle up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM, shows that it is a powerful little machine indeed. NUC models are now available in i3 and i5 variants, which is quite a step forward from where they began.

The hitching point, for now, would come down to graphics processing. Current NUC models use integrated Intel HD Graphics chipsets (with power once again dependent on the model), which allows full HD displays via the unit’s DisplayPort or HDMI output.

With advances in graphics processors, as can be seen in the numerous powerful gaming notebooks that are hitting the market, as well as miniaturisation of memory and the strong growth of SSDs, it is not at all unthinkable that a fully gaming capable NUC will become a reality in the near future.

And Intel are fully behind the idea that the NUC – and future small form factor machines – are the wave of the future.

“Intel has stopped any development of ATX motherboard form factors in favour of the Ultra Small NUC form factor,” explains Resente.

“With the further shrinking of the “Die” Intel has started further development of the SoC (system in chip) which will make even smaller form factors

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available in the near future.

Fanless devices are soon to be launched which makes their usage model endless.”

For now, though, the NUC will likely continue to fill its more ‘traditional’ functions in the enterprise market, as well as begin to gain traction in the home entertainment market. After all, with home entertainment becoming increasingly digitally orientated – including online services that deliver movies and series to subscribers – the need for a computer to deliver home entertainment will become vital. The NUC, thanks to its HD graphics output and full surround sound capabilities, slots perfectly into the space.

It goes beyond the idea of a traditional media player, because it allows the user to do much more than a media player would, even if it is used as part of an entertainment setup. You can even fix the small, cool running NUC to the back of a monitor or TV with an included vesa mount.. Added features like built-in Wi-Fi, WiDi, 4K display,Bluetooth and USB 3.0 ports go further to make this device more than viable for this kind of use, as well as many others.

The NUC is fast becoming a perfect solution for many computing situations. As supporting technology (in fields like RAM, storage and graphics processing) become more advanced, the NUC will develop into the face of modern computing. It might take a little convincing to tear traditionalists away from their comparatively gargantuan desktops, but the proof will be in the pudding; the uncomplicated, powerful potential housed in the NUC will win over anyone looking for ease, convenience and less clutter. g gamecca64

Feature: The Small Space

“The NUC could be an alternative to a full desktop or a first PC ...”

“The NUC is also a great “intelligent fully manageable” thin client.”

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Asus

H C EW E T VI E R

Strix

The master, untied…

TECHNOLOGY

A

good headset can provide a very big edge in gaming, and Asus have demonstrated their understanding of this concept in the form of the Strix Pro Gaming Headset. It joins the Strix range of components and peripherals (for those who like uniformity) as a multiplatform stereo headset that really delivers the goods.

And it looks good too. The Strix logo (owl eyes and eyebrows, essentially) has been cleverly worked into the design; the powerful 60mm neodymium drivers are housed behind clear panels in the ear cups, are accented with a bright orange. When the ear cups are folded down (they rotate a full ninety degrees) and the headset is laid flat, this element, combined with the shape of the ear cups, looks just like the logo. It’s a nice touch when all is said and done, and one that speaks volumes about the design approach taken for this product.

The Strix Pro features large, generously padded over-ear cups, and a padded suspension style headband.

The great degree of cup rotation adds to the comfort of the headset, but they can get a little tight after protracted periods of use.

The orange accents and overall design of this headset make it look the part of a serious piece of gaming equipment.

The left ear-cup also has an interface to handle a removable mic, which is fully

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positionable. Unfortunately, volume controls are not present here. Rather, they form part of an inline system which, while really good, is excluded when the headset interfaces with other devices.

It is fully compatible with a wide variety of devices, thanks to an interchangeable cable. It’ll even work with a PS4, which is a brilliant bonus for those that game on multiple devices.

It’s inline volume control doesn’t require power, but a USB plug on it provides power to an integrated noise cancelling system. It also allows for mic muting, and has an oversized volume knob that makes adjustment easy. Unfortunately, the mic muting, volume control and active noise cancellation are not really viable for anything put PC use. Then again, Strix is chiefly a PC brand… and added versatility really is a bonus.

When it comes to audio quality, the Strix Pro is great.

It offers great sound across the full range, with crisp and clear audio enhancing any gaming experience.

Its versatility is great, too, although some aspects could have been handled a bit better. That said, you won’t find the performance or aesthetics of this device disappointing. It’s a great headset, when you get down to what’s important, and it’s tie in with the overall Strix look is an added bonus that helps not only create a striking piece of equipment, but develops a strong brand identity too. g gamecca64

Gaming He

NAMEStrix Asus OF THE ProPRODUCT Gaming Headset

eadset

Summary A great headset from the Srix stable, with multiple system compatibilities and stylish looks.

Tech Specs: • • • • • • •

60mm drivers 90 degree rotation Suspension system Multiple compatibilities Active noise cancellation Removable mic boom

Manufacturer: Asus Distributer: Asus Online: www.asus.com

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by Walt Pretorius

AT A GLANCE:

Asus

H C EW E T VI E R

Stix

An unassumi

TECHNOLOGY

A

sus’ Strix range use to tagline “unleash your gaming instincts”. Like so many other products, the implication is that using their peripherals and components might make you a better gamer. In a way they will – provided you have the necessary skill.

Sure, a bad workman blames his tools, but poor tools certainly can hamper gaming performance.

Thankfully, the Strix range doesn’t fall into that category.

Taking advantage of the peripheral market is another thing that Asus is doing with Strix, and so a gaming keyboard is a sensible addition to the line.

And, quite frankly, the Strix Tactic Pro is a sensible keyboard. At first glance it seems a little plain, but most of its power lies under its fairly unassuming exterior.

Not that it doesn’t look good, mind you. The owl

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theme of the line carries through into a design that looks predatory, and slightly mimics the shape of the logo (it seems like the eye and brow logo may become rather prominent in future).

Featuring fully mechanical keys (in a variety of Cherry MX flavours) the Strix brings thirteen dedicated macro keys to the table. That’s a lot, and they are extremely sensibly placed. Ten are ranged to the left of the main keyboard, and three are tastefully set into the “wrist rest” area. These last three almost resemble mouse buttons and, unlike other keys on the Tactic Pro, they are not backlit. In addition, eight of the function keys can be retasked to serve as marco keys – making for a total of 21. With three profiles, that’s a total of 63 macros, all of which can easily be recorded on the fly.

That’s pretty impressive.

The WADS keys can also be switched with orange key caps, making them more visible at a glance. It’s a

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Asus Strix Tactic Pro Mechanical Gaming Keyboard

Mechanical Gaming Keyboard

ing edge…

by Walt Pretorius

nice touch, and one that I personally use whenever the option is available.

In addition to that, the Tactic Pro has some other features that also make the gaming experience easier.

N-Key Rollover, for example, eliminates ghosting to a massive degree, and a full array of multimedia controls and mode indicator lights make using the Tactic Pro easy and enjoyable.

All the keys (except for a handful) are backlit – and it’s orange, just like everything else Strix. You’re not going to change the colour, either but, quite frankly, it’s really visible in low light conditions.

Naturally, the Tactic Pro comes with a full suite of software, but it also functions perfectly well as a plug-and-play device. It’s friendly and effective, an uncomplicated gaming keyboard that doesn’t sacrifice on features. In all, it’s a very good addition to a range that is sure to gain a lot of ground. g

AT A GLANCE: Summary

The Tactic Pro fits in well with the apparent Strix approach of no-nonsense effectiveness.

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Tech Specs: • • • • • • •

Mechanical Cherry MX switches 21 macro keys 3 profiles N-Key Rollover Backlit

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Asus

H C EW E T VI E R

Gladius A solid addition to

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TECHNOLOGY

ust because Asus have launched their new Strix range doesn’t mean that their Republic of Gamers (ROG) line is suffering. In fact, ROG is doing perfectly well, and still manages to introduce some very solid ideas to the mix. And, like the Strix line, ROG isn’t just about components – there are some excellent peripherals that form part of the line-up.

Named after the swords used by Ancient Roman generals, the Gladius optical gaming mouse enters the ROG arsenal (which seems to like the Ancient Roman name, considering the Maximus moniker attached to their motherboards) as a truly excellent weapon. The Mayan style rubber grip on the side might be confusing historical influences for purists, but those that sensibly let little details like that slide will find that the Gladius is an excellent gaming mouse option.

It’s slightly longer and a little narrower than the Strix Claw (also reviewed in this issue) but the small dimensional differences don’t make it any less comfortable. It’s great ergonomic design favours righthanded users (once again, lefties get the short end) and makes for extremely comfortable operation. The main buttons are completely separate and widely spaced, with a concave design that adds a bit more comfort to the mix. Between them is a well-placed and designed wheel, with a single dpi switching button just aft of it. Both sides

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ASUS Gladius Optical Gaming Mouse

Gaming Mouse the ROG arsenal

by Walt Pretorius

feature the aforementioned Mayan textured rubber grips, and the right side features two thumb-accessible buttons.

This mouse is all about options. It features interchangeable feet, for example, and an interchangeable cable. That’s where things get a little confusing… the Gladius is not a wireless mouse, but you can unplug the cable and replace it with another option. One is braided, the other is not. However, the fact that you can unplug the cable could be seen as misleading. A cabled mouse is arguably better for gaming, of course, but there could be a false impression created here.

Something else that can be changed – and this is really great – are the switches under the primary mouse buttons. The unit actually ships with extra Omron mouse switches, which adds longevity to the mouse. In all honesty, I have never actually worn out mouse switches, but the thought is a great one. And it also allows for easier access to the interior of the mouse, for those who like to keep things really squeaky clean.

Armed with a 6400 dpi sensor, the Gladius is a sensitive and responsive mouse. Although it has fewer buttons (by one) that the Claw, it delivers a great level of comfort and hassle-free operation, while still retaining a level of customisation that extends into the ROG product line more often than not. It is, basically, a great way to go. g

AT A GLANCE: Summary

If you want to tinker with your mouse, then this responsive and comfortable ROG option is a no-brainer.

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Tech Specs: • • • • • • •

5 programmable buttons Instant dpi switch Right-handed 6400 dpi Interchangeable switches

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H C EW E T VI E R

Strix

Optica

Accuracy and comfort… what more

TECHNOLOGY

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sus’ Strix range is starting to make something of an impact among gamers, and they have spread their view fairly wide – just like they have with their ROG range. So instead of just components, the Strix products encompass some pretty nifty peripherals too.

The Strix Claw, for example (with the name obviously coming from the owl referred to in the range’s name) is part of this new range, and it provides the gamer with a comfortable, sensible mouse solution.

Armed with a 5000 dpi sensor, the Claw makes all the right moves for a wired, right handed mouse. While ambidexterity in a mouse is always an important consideration, this particular device does tie in to the fact that the majority of people out there are right handed. Because it is mot ambidextrous, it’s ergonomics make for a very comfortable mousing experience. It’s slightly wider than expected, and has concave buttons that allow for a very comfortable finger position. Between the two main buttons is a generously textured mouse wheel, and to the rear of that are two dpi switching buttons.

Situated near the thumb are three extra programmable buttons; two at the top and one larger one just below.

They aren’t textured or anything like that, but the ergonomics of the mouse make it really easy to differentiate between them.

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That brings the design to the fore once again. This mouse really hase a great feel under the hand and, while it could have been a little heavier, most people will find it perfectly comfortable to use.

The cord connection is also fairly nifty, because it is angled upwards, away from the mouse surface. This would theoretically prevent snagging and cut down on drag, but we didn’t really notice too much of a difference. Yje cord is braided, though, and features a fairly generous 2 meter length.

In a nice touch, there is an illuminated dpi indicator in the right button, and the Strix logo and scroll wheel also light up with the range’s orange colour.

At 5000 dpi, it isn’t the most sensitive mouse we’ve ever seen, but it certainly isn’t a slough either. The Claw is responsive and accurate and, ultimately, that’s what you want from a mouse. It has an extremely comfortable weight and design, and while it might not offer every bell and whistle that has been invented for mouse devices, it certainly does a more than decent job in delivering the kind of performance you’d want. It is an uncomplicated yet stylish option for those who want a reliable, effective and comfortable mouse – without wanting to get bogged down in intricacies and technicalities.

It’s a no-nonsense device that does exactly what it is intended to do. g gamecca64

Asus Strix Claw Optical Gaming Mouse

al Gaming Mouse

e do you need?

Summary It’s not the fanciest mouse around, but the Claw is comfortable to use and responsive.

And that’s all it really needs to be.

Tech Specs: • • • • • • •

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

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by Walt Pretorius

AT A GLANCE:

Logitech

H C EW E T VI E R

G402 Hyperion oks o l s u o i r Fu

TECHNOLOGY

L

ogitech have been a go-to brand for mouse products for years. With products that span a wide variety of applications, they have managed to secure themselves in many sectors. But the gaming mouse field is getting hotter by the minute, and older members of the manufacturing arena need to stay on their toes in order to not be unseated by newcomers. That is the challenge that Logitech faces, and it is why it creates products like the G402 Hyperion Fury Ultra Fast FPS Gaming Mouse.

That’s quite a mouthful, and the name evokes images of a truly impressive rodent that eats all other comers for breakfast. And it certainly looks the part. Logitech have really refined their aesthetics of late, and the Hyperion Fury shows not only a solid approach to ergonomics, but also a great approach to the way the product looks. It’s design is

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completely asymmetrical (and yes, that means that it is not an ambidextrous mouse). The main right button, for example, is longer than the left, and the entire unit features gentle curves that help it become more comfortable for long sessions. It is fairly narrow, but it has a good length.

The entire surface is finished in high-tech, non-slip materials and the right side panel is textured for added grip. The left side (the thumb side, that is,) features three easily accessible buttons, while the main left button has two addition ‘sub-buttons’ built into it.

These can be a little tricky to get to, but overall button placement here is sensible. A scroll wheel can be found between the generously spaced main buttons, for a total of eight programmable buttons.

On paper, this wired mouse is pretty much perfect.

And, quite honestly, it’s performance is really good.

It also allows for on-the-fly adjustment of four levels

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Gaming Mouse

Logitech G402 Hyperion Fury Ultra Fast FPS Gaming Mouse

n Fury

by Walt Pretorius

of dpi, from 240 dpi to 4000 dpi. And that is one of the areas in which it battles to compete. Not the adjustment, but the maximum dpi. 4000 sounds like a lot and, in most cases it is more than sufficient. But more demanding gamers may… well, demand more, and this apparent slight quibble (what’s a few thousand dpi between friends, right?) may well see them looking elsewhere for performance and sensitivity.

It’s a relatively minor complaint, and all but the most ardent will probably not notice a marked difference between the performances of this particular mouse and one with a little more sensitivity. Other features, like the Delta Zero sensor technology employed by the Hyperion Fury, do add sensitivity and performance benefits.

What it really comes down to (as it so often does with mouse devices) is comfort, and this one certainly will suit many people. As long as they’re not left handed, of course. g

AT A GLANCE: Summary

It might not be the most sensitive mouse on the block, but it looks great and is very comfortable to use.

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L o gi t e c h L o gi t e c h w w w . l o gi t e c h. c o m

Tech Specs: • • • • • • •

240 – 4000 dpi Corded 8 programmable buttons On-board memory Delta Zero sensor tech

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Rampage V

TECHNOLOGY

Asus

H C EW E T VI E R

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by Walt Pretorius

y r e

… y a w

here comes a time in every type of components cycle when big changes happen; through a confluence of new technology and innovative thinking, these moments see true leaps forward in the technological sphere, and produce new products that are not only exciting, but also set the bar for future devices. These are defining moments for technology.

And the results of these defining moments are often extremely impressive, and one of those devices – a combination of several new technologies coming into play – is the Asus Rampage V Extreme motherboard.

Launching into extremely technical, detailed explanations of this product would allow those in the know to see exactly why this motherboard sits on a pinnacle of PC technology. We’ll try avoid getting overly technical, though – even if this board is securely aimed at overclockers and enthusiasts.

At the heart of the board is the Intel Express X99 chipset which, combined with a compatible i7 LGA 2011-v3 socket CPU, forma a basis for already extreme performance. When this potential is combined with DDR4 RAM – the new, faster and more powerful standard that works with this board – the potential for unleashing really blistering performance is almost obvious. But wait, there’s more to consider; for example, the fact that this board doesn’t support a paltry four RAM DIMMs, as is pretty standard these days. Instead, it doubles up on the number, allowing for eight RAM DIMMS to be used. And then there’s the fact that it offers 4-way SLI or CrossFire GPU support, making use of sensibly spaced PCI ports for jut that purpose.

At the heart of this board’s design is overclocking – and doing so in a safe way, while still breaking all kinds of limits. In fact, to date, the Rampage V Extreme X99 has set just under 30 world records for overclocking, and clever design ideas allow it to perform at really high capacities. For example, extra pins have been added to the CPU interface to create a priority circuit with contacts found on Haswell-E processors. This patented OC socket, which Asus created, leads to lower RAM latency and higher frequencies, as well as increased stability while overclocking on any level.

Additionally, RAM performance has been optimised with a layout that reduces “crosstalk” and signal reflections, as well as cutting down on signal timing issues. That, combined with Asus’ close work with DDR 4 vendor’s, means even more stability under high strain.

Asus Rampage V Extreme X99 Motherboard

Laser Mouse

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technology, which allocated more bandwith to gaming activities. Additionally, LANGuard LAN ports ensure better surge tolerance and greater resistance to static electricity.

And then there’s KeyBot, Asus’ impressive on-board keyboard “upgrade” that allows any keyboard to record macros via the function keys, as well as the extremely impressive RAMDisk technology, which enables the user to employ parts of their RAM as a ‘drive” and eliminate long loading times.

Everything about this board is intended to make things very extreme, and with ease. Even installation of the board and components has been optimised for easier use, making it not only an extremely powerful motherboard, but a very user-friendly one too. And with bells and whistles aplenty – including things like an amazing 14 USB 3.0 ports and 2 SATA Express ports (for that all-impressive 10Gb/s performance) there is very little that can be faulted here.

The Rampage V Extreme motherboard is a shining example of how innovation and new technology combine to create a product that is truly exceptional. It really has more features and performance enhancers than we have the space to dig into here, but suffice to say that – even at a relatively steep price – this board’s performance, stability and overall excellence make it worth every cent you’ll expend on it. And it’s safety systems and clever architecture mean that you’ll be overclocking to your heart’s content with confidence.

Quite simply, if you want to build an extreme PC, with all the latest tech and performance that is off of the charts, there really is no other option. What Asus have done with this board is nothing short of remarkable, and it shows the manufacturer’s overall prowess and keen understanding of market needs. g

AT A GLANCE: NAME OF PRODUCT

Summary

If you want to build the best system money can buy, you need to start right here…

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

Tech Specs: • • • • • • •

X99 Chipset DDR 4 support (8 DIMMS) 14 USB 3.0 ports RAMDisk 4x SLI / Crossfire support Patented OC Socket

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Asus Rampage V Extreme X99 Motherboard

And then, of course, for those that want to monitor their overclocking and have everything easily accessible, there is the OC panel, either in the form of an in-case display, or a desktop control device. Each option provides tons of information regarding fan speeds and temperatures, and allows for easy activation of overclocked modes.

The various overclocking options are backed up by a safe boot system, which allows you to reset bios settings with the click of a button housed on the motherboard.

This automatically resets defaults to the bios, and removes the dangers posed by overambitious overclocking attempts – or even when components are starting to show strain.

Naturally all that extra performance needs a reliable power source. By incorporating a custom-designed power management system and combining it with top grade components (including things like microfine alloy chokes and technologically advanced MOSFETs, the board manages to deliver cleaner, more stable power exactly where it is needed.

A number of these components also generate less heat, which is naturally a massive consideration when this board is utilised to its full capacity. Asus have engineered a number of systems to help reduce heat as well, including direct contact copper pipes combined with oversized aluminium heat sinks. Additionally, the board offers 8 4/3 pin fan connectors, as well as an additional three 2 pin fan connectors, and allows for hat monitoring of up to seven key components and areas. It is also compatible with more extreme cooling methods, including liquid nitrogen cooling systems.

Anyone who is overclocking a motherboard to the degree that the Rampage V Extreme allows wants great performance, and that performance – more often than not – is seen in gaming. So Asus built this board to provide the best possible gaming experience. Various systems work together to make the user’s experience as great as possible.

For sound, it features gold plated 8-channel audio outputs, an integrated headphone amplifier, ELNA capacitors (for warm, rich tones) and integrated audio profiles for various game types. It also features enhanced microphone noise reduction systems.

And speaking of sound, Sonic Radar II will give you an arguably unfair advantage over your enemies in FPS titles, as this Asus technology displays enemy location based on the noise they are making in-game.

Another gaming-oriented feature comes in the form of LAN components optimised for gaming. This includes GameFirst III

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Not U2!

Giving people things they don’t want.

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mgeect 2 c4a 6 4 ggl a ad

by Suvesh Arumugam

Not U2!

F

ans of all things Apple will probably tell you that Apple never misses the mark with their products and elaborate launches. Their much publicised public (and legal) rivalry with the world’s biggest smartphone supplier, Samsung, is a constant yo-yo battle that has most of us entertained while we wait for the next season of Game of Thrones (which is only just slightly more violent and disturbing).

Steve Job’s may well have been doing somersaults in his grave when new Apple CEO and veteran rock band U2 managed to tick off a few hundred million people.

Apple’s highly anticipated product launch event for iOS 8 and the iPhone recently saw a surprise announcement. Apple promised that all iPhone and iPad users would be able to get the long awaited latest album from U2 for free. But the kicker was the next bit.

You didn’t have to download the album, it was already in your iTunes folder if you upgraded your operating system to iOS 8. What Cook and Apple probably thought would be greeted with joy (like an extra rasher of bacon with your breakfast order) was met with anger and hostility. A social media storm ensued, with an avalanche of complaints, memes and general negative sentiment around the album and Apple.

Apple customers were livid that they had no choice about whether they would receive the album or not.

What made matters worse was that the album was almost impossible to remove from their accounts.

Eventually Apple had to design a special App which customers could download to remove the album and a dedicated website with step by step instructions to do so. All in all, it was probably Apple’s worst PR nightmare come true and a roomful of executives are probably still in debriefing sessions asking what

went wrong. I can see the logic in their thinking here. Samsung had incredible success with their partnership with hip hop mogul Jay Z last year, giving Samsung users the opportunity to download the album for free a day before its release.

Alternative rock band Radiohead also did something similar back in 2007 with their “In Rainbows” album with great success. Why not take it one step further and put a free surprise in everyone’s shopping basket? The problem is they didn’t actually answer that question.

One of the biggest reasons why not to mess with people’s music libraries is privacy. In an age where information is collected and traded

by Big Data, where more and more people are becoming cagey about having control of their information and their right to privacy. While most of us would love to get a free case of beer, it would make us feel a little more than uncomfortable if Heineken entered your house without you knowing and put it in your fridge. It may also cause further problems if you don’t particularly like Heineken, and many of the people against the Apple stunt felt that not having a choice about an album inserted onto your device that you probably wouldn’t want is just bad for business.

While Apple may still be reeling from the backlash, U2 frontman and philanthropist Bono was generally upbeat about the promo.

And understandably so. Apple is rumoured to have paid the band somewhere in the region of $100 million (whereas Samsung paid Jay Z around $5 million). Their album, Songs of Innocence, was pushed to well over 500 million devices and Bono was pleased to report in a radio interview that at least 38 million people had played the album within the first 7 days of release.

Aside from the payday, that’s not bad for a bunch of ageing rock stars.

Their previous album had sold

Hey...put a free surprise in everyone’s shopping basket?

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around 150 million copies in total. The downside is that they probably have the most deleted album in history (as many internet sites have reported) with some saying that as little as 6% of iTunes users actually kept the album.

While the results may not have been ideal for Apple, it’s probably not the last promotion or publicity stunt we’ll see like this. As the rules of the entertainment business change, more and more artists, film makers and content creators are forced to give away their product for free. Not long ago Prince fell afoul of the music industry by giving away free copies of his album in local newspapers in each city he toured in to drum up ticket sales. But while the old guard lament the old days of private jets and bottles of bubbly, the new music industry is realising that it’s deals, like U2’s partnership with Apple, that will get the artists of the future to the top. And the competition is pretty tough. While established artists are having some success with crowd funding, it’s still risky business as opposed to a guaranteed pay cheque from the world’s biggest music retailer.

Now with product placement outgrowing the movie industry and now extending to television (ever notice how everyone on Ray Donovan has an iPhone but the Arrow uses only Microsoft PC’s and tablets?) it’s clear that only numbers that count in the future are audience. If your reach is far enough, the money will follow.

I’m sure many musicians and filmmakers are lining up to get onto the next OS X, Windows or Android release and would gladly weather the bad press if it means they could get mass exposure. After all, in today’s social media fuelled society, the line between fame and infamy is very blurred. g

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Not U2!

Apple customers ...livid that they had no choice...

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An Internet of Things Utopia

Protection in the age of connectivity

TECHNOLOGY

by Iwan Pienaar

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tablets. But one should not lose sight of the security impact that losing control of these devices could have. Just take a moment to consider what could potentially go wrong if somebody hacks into your microwave or blender. And while not necessarily the stuff of nightmares, there are real physical dangers.

We are also seeing vulnerabilities around malicious users hacking into baby monitors or home surveillance cameras.

Recently, there has been more than a few celebrities who are blushing about their personal photographs being leaked online. And while this might not be a direct result of IoT, it shows the potential impact that living the connected lifestyle can have on all spheres of our lives.

A study from HP found that 70 percent of the most commonly used IoT devices contain vulnerabilities.

But not only are these devices hackable, they are also sharing information without us knowing. The study found that 80 percent of devices leaked private information such as the user’s name, email, home address, date of birth, or credit card information.

Rapidly evolving technology is already seeing many of us struggling to keep up. Every week there seems to be a new trend to be aware of or a new innovation that could save us time and money in the world around us. This leaves people with very little time to really digest what is happening and what it means for them. Slowly, we are seeing people becoming more aware that devices are changing and technology, by its nature, is being integrated into things like clothes, appliances, watches, and the like.

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An Internet of Things Utopia

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he Internet of Things (IoT) has received significant media exposure in recent months. But is this the next big thing or merely another piece of hype that promises much but delivers little? Many analysts believe that while its impact has the potential to change people’s perception towards technology and its benefits, it is best to take a cautious approach especially when it comes to the security of devices.

If you are confused about what the IoT actually is, think about controlling your washing machine with your smartphone, or using your tablet as a remote control for your television. So at its most basic, IoT translates to providing connectivity to a myriad of devices, making them easily accessible (and controllable) via the internet. And this is not some mere pipe dream.

In 2003, London started using surveillance cameras to track and impose charges on vehicles entering the downtown area to reduce inner city traffic. Crossing an invisible line into downtown triggers an automatic snapshot and recognition of a vehicle’s license plate.

The system bills the car owner instantaneously and payment is required by endof-day or a severe penalty is imposed.

The IoT is certainly gathering momentum.

Global research house Gartner estimates that by 2020, there will be nearly 26 billion devices on the IoT. Given the rise of smart watches and wearable technology, this is not that difficult to imagine.

Already there are mobile applications that let people do amazing things with their appliances at home using their smartphones and

It is not all doom and gloom. Taking a closer look at the issue of security, Security Intelligence writer Omner Barajas feels that the cyber security landscape is already adjusting to the new demands of this widespread network. Unfortunately, we are not approaching a perfect world yet so the security around devices is not happen automatically and is therefore dependant on people implementing proper controls to their devices and what consumers can share.

But all of this might not even happen.

Cynics argue that true IoT will never materialise.

Given the sheer amount of standards in the market and their inoperability with one another, it seems unlikely that manufacturers will work together on creating a universal way of connecting these devices. While the internet was founded on open standards and the principle of sharing, those values (for the most part) are long gone. Will governments and private sector businesses really agree on a way forward?

And because of the security issues associated with the IoT, there are those analysts who believe that because more nontech savvy users will start connecting to the internet the weaker the security will become. Not only will manufacturers need to protect the devices but protecting the users (and the integrity of the network) becomes critical.

This might be an overly negative view on something that has so much potential.

However, as with any emerging trend, there are opportunities aplenty for innovative users. They just need to mind the security gap. g

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BYcHARLIE Fripp

The Way I Roll…Probably Down a Hill T

Technically Speaking

here is one thing in recent video games that has been rearing its ugly head, and that is the quick patching of loopholes left over from the development process.

Hey, if it’s there, I’m going to make use of it.

But clearly the way I want to play a video game is very different to the way in which the developer intended the game to be played, and they obviously want me to play a game a certain way. But I have to admit that there is a fine line between playing a game the way I want to, and exploiting a bug.

A good example of this could be the “treasure cave” that was recently discovered, and subsequently patched, in Bungie’s Destiny.

There is no doubt that Destiny is a great game, but it can be a bit of a slog getting better gear.

The cave provided some clever thinkers with a quick way to gain better gear, and even though they didn’t exploit the game, Bungie felt that

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it wasn’t how the game was meant to be played.

In short, Destiny’s world works on instances, and as soon as you leave an instance it respawns all the characters that were present. If you stand in one instance and shoot creatures in another instance, they will perpetually keep on spawning, increasing your chances of dropped loot. It’s not an exploit, but using a system on which the game was built.

If that is the way in which I want to play the game, let me. But Bungie patching the spawn rate of the first cave isn’t giving me the opportunity to play the game that I want to. Come to think of it, all games should allow you to play the way you want to.

There should actually be a law against designing linear games, as you only go through the specific motions that the developer wants you to go through. Luckily there hasn’t been too many linear titles this

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year…

My views on exploiting a game for your character’s gain also falls into a bit of a grey area.

If developers didn’t pick up the exploit during inhouse demos, beta tests or bug hunting, they deserve to be punished for – which often ends with my character being invincible with 6000 shells in the shotgun.

But exploitation during multiplayer games are a very big no-no for me, as you not only have an unfair advantage over me, but its cheating.

But I guess that is the nature of the video games beast, as you can’t always get what you want, and you eventually have to make some concessions. I’m sure there must be many people who have played a game and thought ‘oh, I wish that I could do that’.

Well, that is how I feel about most games, and I often wonder why didn’t include the features that I wanted.

Maybe I should become a video game developer’s consultant. g

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FeatureS 120

Zomibe Run

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The Time Inbetwixt

Gadget Reviews Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W830 Digital Camera Sony Walkman 3-in-1 Wireless Music Player

Cool stuff 130 132 134 136

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Afterlife with Archie TP Vol.1 Death of Wolverine #1 Howtoons [Re]Ignition #1 Low #1

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Get some training f

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Zombie Run

ieRun

for the real deal…

Carol Willis

We’ve seen it hundreds of times before: a group of desperate survivors trying to outpace the relentless shuffling of a zombie horde. The desperate struggle to survive against the odds as a world filled with undead creatures turns humanity into prey is a popular theme in TV shows, movies and more, and even though the idea is horrifying, zombie apocalypse themes are massively popular.

But here’s the thing… you might think the idea of zombies turning the world on its head is cool, but how would you really do? Would you really, really be able to survive?

If you’re in Johannesburg on the 25th of October, you might just have a chance to find out. That’s when the next Zombie Run is taking place. And it’s for a good cause, too. We spoke to Race Director (aka Zombie Head) Carol Willis about this awesome event, about how it works and about who she thinks would survive. by: Photography by:

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Walt Pretorius Stephen Railton

Organiser:

Carol Willis

More Info:

zombierunsa@gmail.com

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GM. So what exactly is a Zombie Run? CW. Zombie Run is a popular concept overseas, where runners or survivors try to navigate a short 5km course riddled with zombies. Runners carry 3 flags around their waist, similar to flag football – these represent their lives and the zombies do everything possible to grab them. Loss of all 3 lives means the runner has been turned GM. How did this all start?

CW. I have watched the international events with great interest for a while and was expecting it to arrive here in SA. When it didn’t, I decided to organise it myself and enlisted a team of my event management students and loyal friends to help me organise the first one. Traditionally, the international events are charity fundraisers and have stayed true to this by using the funds raised in each event for environmental charities and organisations.

GM. There will be a few differences to this year’s event.

Can you tell us more about

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them?

CW. For the first time, we will have no set course. We are calling this event the Choose your own Adventure edition and the venue is perfect for this. The venue lends itself to allowing runners to choose their own route, like survivors would and take the risk that they will run into zombies or add distance to their run. Armed with a map, they will be given the chance to plot a route of sorts, but we all know that what you see on a map and what you see in reality are often very different.

And when running away from a flesheating zombie, can you really be assured you will take the correct turn?

GM. Zombies and runners… how exactly will it work?

CW. Zombies are our diehard fans and they go to great lengths to get into character. The make-up is always incredible to see on race day. They will have “zones” where they are permitted to stumble around and chase runners that come through.

Runners are people looking for a bit of fun and maybe a really hard training workout (there is

nothing at all like sprinting for 5kms to get your cardio workout in). They will have a map and various checkpoints to find on the route. Once they have found the checkpoints, they can head back and hopefully they make it back with at least 1 life intact to claim survivor status.

GM. What kind of distance are we talking? Are the runners going to be dodging zombies all day?

CW. If a runner is smart about the route they run, we are talking 5kms.

If they get lost or run sections more than once, they will extend that. If they are slower and choose to only find the minimum number of checkpoints they will probably do around 4kms. The game runs for 2 hours which is more than enough time to run slowly, plot your route and hide from the zombies for recovery. The zombies will be in certain zones so there are plenty of safe areas for runners to catch their breath and decide on their next move.

GM. Will there be other events besides the run, like make-up

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... “The idea me a great ide funds for envi

Zombie Run

of the zombie apocalypse gave ea for generating awareness and ironmental charities�...

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... “We have great prizes up for grabs”... competitions and the like?

CW. Oh yes, we have just introduced our Zombie Ankle Biter category which is just for the kids.

Every child will have the chance to run a mini course but most importantly they are all dressed as zombies and will take part in the dress up competition. In addition, we always have prizes for best dressed zombies, most creative runners, and a few crazy prizes that we give away on the day as our fans surprise us.

GM. Any restrictions on who can participate?

CW. Not at all, children under 12 will have a separate race but any and all are welcome to take part GM. How many people do you anticipate attending this year?

CW. We are preparing for 1000 participants in the main run and 200 children in the ankle biters event.

GM. Doesn’t everyone want to be a zombie?

How do you motivate people to be runners?

CW. Strangely, we don’t have too much

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trouble motivating people to be runners. It depends on each person’s preference but we have also seen repeat attendees will opt to try the other category so they have the full experience. In other words, if they tried being a runner first, the next time they will be a zombie so there is always plenty of movement.

GM. Aside from bragging rights, is there any kind of reward for runners who survive the ordeal?

CW. We have great prizes up for grabs. We take the survivors flags (they have to come back with a flag to prove survival), and enter those into a draw for a large prize. We also do spot prizes and draws, dress up competitions (believe it or not, runners can be creative with their outfits too).

GM. Tell us a little more about why you do this…

CW. I have always been a bit of a hippy, I guess. My dream has always been to work with environmental groups and save the world. The idea of the zombie apocalypse gave me a great idea

for generating awareness and funds for environmental charities – if we don’t look after our planet, we may just end up with a real apocalypse. So there is a serious side to what we do. All event profits are donated to organisations that do great work and so far we have donated to the EWT, Birdlife SA, Freeme Wildlife Rehab Centre, Durban Beach Clean-up and Monkey land.

GM. Let’s talk details… when, where and how much?

CW. 25 October 2014, PWC Bike Park in Bryanston, R180pp unless you have a group of 10 and want to claim the group discount. Details on group entries can be obtained by a simple email to our zombie admin on zombierunsa@ gmail.com GM. On a final note, who are you rooting for – zombies or runners?

CW. The zombies bring the entertainment factor and man, what a fun bunch they are! So I’d have to say I am rooting for the zombies here. g

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Zombie Run

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I

The Time Betwixt

t’s amazing the jadedness that age brings with it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not old in any true sense of the word, but even so, having spent pretty much my entire life glued to a screen, I find myself more and more difficult to please. I used to spend hours utterly absorbed in whatever game had caught my fancy, my imagination sent along innumerable paths as I struggled to master whatever challenge the game presented to me. In a very real way that game had become my world, at least while I was playing it, and no matter the age, the graphics or the gameplay, every title had the potential to transpose me into another reality.

But then I grew older, and what was once novel and new, fascinating in its possibilities, likewise grew stale

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and repetitive. In part this was due to the gradual maturation of gaming in general, with seemingly every title adding something to the medium by the mere fact it was created, while the industry’s explosive growth quickly rendered older games obsolete in comparison to their newer, shinier kin. More so however was the fact that I no longer found myself able to cope with flaws that I had once glossed over. Every title, rather than standing on its own merits, was weighed and measured next to its contemporaries, and if found wanting, was quickly ditched. Always it was about the thrill of captivation, the search for a title that allowed me to recapture the wide-eyed wonder of my childhood, and my magpie mind was and still is quick to leap to whatever game I think can satisfy this need.

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BY Lein Baart

The Glory to Come...

Nostalgia, as my GOG account can attest to, is a powerful force.

That doesn’t mean however that modern gaming has nothing to offer. While you’ll hear many older gamers bemoan the rise of 3D graphics, in truth we live in a time where gaming is a vibrant, expanding field that may just be scratching the surface of its possibilities. We’re already seeing it with recent titles such as the Dark Souls series blending of multiplayer and single-player, or developments like the Oculus Rift that may fundamentally change the way we interact with our digital distractions, and who knows what the future may hold for the industry. What it definitely will be though is more memories to come, and plenty more chances to watch yet another sunrise through bloodshot, gummy eyes.g

an Intel NUC i3 D34010WYK! Courtesy of Corex & Intel Unpopulated NUC will require additional components not included in prize package

TO ENTER: Send an email to competitions@gameccamag.com Tell us what NUC stands for.

Insert “NUC” in the mail’s subject line Subscribe to www.gameccamag.com Become a fan on Gamecca’s Facebook Page

Competition closes 31 October 2014. Gamecca subscribers only. South African residents only. Prizes may not be exchanged for cash. Competition closed to employees (& employee’s family) of 1337 Media CC, Corex and Intel.

The judges’ decision is final. co mp e t i t i on • c o mp et it io n • c o mp et i ti on • com pe ti ti on • com pe ti ti on • com p etition •

com p e ti ti on • com p e ti ti on • com p e ti ti on • com p e ti ti on • com pe ti ti on • com petition • c omp et itio n • c ompetition • co mpetition

WIN

Sony DSC-W830

Digital Camera

LIFESTYLE

Pocket perfect!

T

his particular camera truly is pocket-sized; you’d be challenged to find a pocket that this really little yet powerful photographic device wouldn’t fit into. And yet, despite being a really little device, it packs a lot of punch for those who want easy, convenient photography on the go.

It produces images at a surprising 20.1 megapixels, and features an equally surprising 8x optical zoom (that’s the kind of zoom you want, rather than digital). It has a host of other features but that doesn’t include full HD video. It captures video at 720p. You can’t have everything… but you can get great quality images with this device. g

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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W830 Digital Camera

etW g ad IE G EV R

Sony Walkman 3-in-1 Wireless Music Player

etW g ad IE G EV R

Sony

3-in-1 Wireless

Music Player Versatile songbird.

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LIFESTYLE

he Walkman 3-in1 is pretty large when it comes to a wearable music player, but once you get listening to the great audio that the 30mm drivers used here deliver, size won’t matter.

And it is surprisingly versatile, too, which cannot often be said about a device like this.

It offers 4GB of on-board storage, which allows for a lot of tunes to be loaded on to it. And it also fills the role of headphones, with a detachable cable enabling connection to any device with a 3.5mm jack output. And it has “external” speakers, too, allowing it to play music “out loud”.

All in all, a fun, quality and impressive way to listen to your favourite songs. g

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Afterlife with A

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Title: Writer: Artist: Publisher:

COOL STUFF

Archie TP Vol.1

Afterlife with Archie TP Vol. 1 Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa Francesco Francavilla Archie Comic Publications

It feels like Archie and his friends have been around forever, but now the zombie apocalypse has come to Riverdale, and they will need to fight for their very survival. When witchcraft goes wrong in the small town, Jughead falls prey to the zombie virus, and soon the infection is out of control. Now Archie and the rest of his friends need to find a way to stay alive as their happy little community crumbles around them.

Afterlife with Archie is expertly written, and Francavilla’s artwork is the perfect, if horrifying, compliment to the story, making this book a real page turner.

by Clive Burmeister

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Death of W

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Title: Writer: Artist: Publisher:

COOL STUFF

Wolverine #1 Death of Wolverine #1 Charles Soule Steve McNiven Marvel

IWolverine has been an unstoppable force for so long that nobody ever thought he could die. But losing his healing factor has changed everything.

Although he retains his super strength and speed, it was the healing factor that not only defined his powers, but it was also keeping him alive. Now, as every enemy that Wolverine has accumulated over the years sees an opportunity for complete revenge, Wolverine must decide whether he stays out of sight to give his friends time to help him, or whether he carries on being the man he is, and keeps fighting, even in the face of death.

by Clive Burmeister

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Howtoons [R

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Title: Writer: Artist: Publisher:

Howtoons [Re]Ignition #1 Fred Van Lente Tom Fowler Image

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by Clive Burmeister

There is usually a negative association with educational material that is fun.

Howtoons eradicates that. Howtoons is an enjoyable comic about a family facing the real implications of global warming, and the drastic solutions some might go to in facing this threat. But it’s also so much more than that. The comic ties in scientific facts, encourages thinking, and even incorporates fun little side projects where you can make useful gadgets from spare bits and pieces. The story is riveting, the science tips are invaluable, and the presentation will not only keep you hooked, but will spark your imagination too.

Howtoons is comics done right!Howtoons is comics done right!

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COOL STUFF

Re]Ignition #1

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1

E YL W T ES IE lIF EV R

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COOL STUFF

Low #1 Title: Writer: Artist: Publisher:

Low #1 Rick Remender Greg Tocchini Image

The Sun is expanding. It has chased civilization into the ocean, into the deep and dark depths where they can still survive.

But survival has its demands as well. Air, food and other resources are a constant worry, not to mention the Scurvy Horde. But there are those who can help; Helmsmen who can pilot special oversized suits of great power, and optimists who not only dream of a better future, but have the drive to find it. But the future is a hard place, a dark place, where bad people plot an end to optimism and Helmsmen alike.

by Clive Burmeister

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107 Back Issues avail

lable online for free

E

THE OBSERVER

very action we take as individuals or as a group has a ripple effect. Technology grows, our tools change, our mediums change and repercussions happen… and entire industries are affected.

It doesn’t take a genius to see that industries in which discretionary retail product categories such as music, gaming and movies have been directly affected by either illegal or legitimate acts in the digital world. So what does it say about our society when one popular retail chains that has been flourishing for forty years, is now under business rescue?

These are not the only mediums that are being affected by our everchanging, technological reality. Book shops and publications are suffering the consequences too, as information transforms into a new generation of digital consumption options.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not dissing technology or the digital

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future. I think that the potential of this medium is incredible. Technology, information and social media have made life richer and so much easier. It’s just simply that we are gaining so much by losing a balance and the consequences are proving to be potentially very dire.

On a level it almost seems sad. It almost seems that the excellence has been dragged out of the excellent. What do I mean? Well, as far as digital information is concerned, the internet’s vast knowledge base is so incredibly awesome and yet it can be so awesomely unreliable.

Gertrude Stein said: “Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense”. The issue of free digital information versus paid information is also troubling; will our pockets have to define the legitimacy of information in the near future? Where do we find the balance in sifting through our sources, particularly when social media is

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BY Katia Taliadoros

Digitally Fooled...

starting to become the number one source in revealing information and news? Who do we believe, or trust?

In our reality today we have extreme scenarios slowly infiltrating into our day-to-day lives. Albert Einstein said: “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity”.

One can only but wonder where we are heading and what lies in store for children’s future realities. One has to ask, are we as human beings, with the bizarre sense of nature, really ready for the exponential growth in technological change? Or will we head towards a fate in which our intention towards information and education may be challenged by our selfish need to take control – while, ironically, losing more and more of our privacy, freedom and the control we crave…

For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled”…Richard P. Feynman. g