THE GUILD OF GAMEHUBS CEO, EDITOR Justin Chee justin@gamehubs.com
CHEERS, LOVE! WE’RE BACK!
ASSISTANT EDITOR Ah Kin Boon kinboon@gamehubs.com
We’ve received numerous requests as of late to increase the frequency of Gamehubs Magazine as a monthly edition rather than its current bi-monthly publication status. Well, we’re always listening but as a startup and running lean on resources as a whole, the tiny team behind this print project is still finding ways to grow industrially in hopes to achieve a near future where Gamehubs will be seen on shelves as a monthly periodical.
INTERN Tan Wei Sin david@gamehubs.com DESIGNER Denny Gunawan denny@gamehubs.com DESIGNER Adeline Adhiwana EDITOR - THAILAND Dom Chotivanich
dom@gamehubs.com
EDITOR - INDONESIA Dedy Sofan dedy@gamehubs.com CONTENT SPECIALIST Rafly Aditia rafly@gamehubs.com WRITER - INDONESIA Basmal Fagiansyah basmal@gamehubs.com WRITERS
Aiman Maulana, Kaylee Kuah, Ivan Cheong, Melvyn Tan, Nicholas Leong, Riez Forester, Alvin Niam GAMEHUBS MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED BY Gamehubs Sdn Bhd (1053045-A) 7.08A&B 1 Tech Park Tanjung Bandar Utama 47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Web: www.gamehubs.com Email: info@gamehubs.com Editorial: editor@gamehubs.com Facebook: facebook.com/gamehubs Twitter: twitter.com/gamehubs GAMEHUBS MAGAZINE cannot accept any responsibility for unsolicited contributions. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without permission. Articles in this issue translated or reproduced from Gamehubs Magazine are copyrighted or licensed by Gamehubs Sdn Bhd. All rights reserved. [Gamehubs logo] is the trademark of Gamehubs Sdn Bhd.
Once again, the Gamehubs team would like to thank you for picking up this issue and we’re happy to have your continuous support despite some minor glitches on our portal and the delay of this edition. But in positive retrospect, it is a delight to know that we’ve grown much bigger and thus are accommodating more fans and readers who’ve eagerly (and patiently) waited for our news and publications. In this issue, we’ve dedicated much of our space corresponding to the release of Final Fantasy XV. Most of us have waited for such a long time that in the very moment of the release, may seem as though the whole gaming universe is converging into the world of Final Fantasy and dimming others. Speaking of which, there’s also a review of the whimsical World of Final Fantasy, where we acquired just because it’s the only solace to the ever-long wait for the ultimate major installment approaching. As multi-platformers, we’ve attended BlizzCon 2016, albeit virtually in the comfort of our own secret headquarters and merged the keynotes into a special round-up article that covers some of Blizzard’s major announcements from the sassy Overwatch hacker Sombra to Ragnaros’ molten rampage in Heroes of the Storm. And multi-platforming does extend to dimensions beyond video gaming, where we talk about Magic: The Gathering Grand Prix Kuala Lumpur, one of the biggest trading card game events in Malaysia that truly celebrates every nook and cranny of the world’s most popular TCG. Last but not least, I would like to dedicate this short passage to welcome the Gamehubs Thailand team on board. (you can discover their works at th.gamehubs.com)!
JUSTIN CHEE CEO, Editor Twitter: juztion Battle.net: juztion#1795
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CONTENTS
GAMEHUBS MAGAZINE
CONTENTS
Upcoming
Cover Story
06 Watchdogs 2
Final Fantasy XV
Events 08 Magic: The Gathering Grand Prix Kuala Lumpur 12 Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Midnight Launches Event 16 Level Up KL 2016 The rise of the video game industry in Malaysia
34 In Dev 27 Allians
Special
Redefining Collectible Card Games
20 BlizzCon 2016 Roundup Blitzin’ Blizz
Interviews
34
31 Streamline Studios Press Conference On Final Fantasy XV 16 Level Up KL
Streamlining Fantasy
40 Titanfall 2 - A Titan's Voice
Technology
Raphael Corkhill's Interview
60 A Guide To Building A Virtual Reality Gaming Rig
46 Magic: The Gathering Interview with the artists
Reviews
Digest
52 World of Final Fantasy 56 Civilization VI
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Gamehubs Magazine - November 2016
65 Nintendo Switch 52 World of Final Fantasy
What’s Switch-ing On In 2017?
UPCOMING
WATCH DOGS 2 BY : T A N W E I S I N | E D I T E D BY : J U S T I N C H E E
During this year’s E3, Watch Dogs 2 was unveiled by Ubisoft at their press conference. Some were expecting it due to the teasers and rumours
IMPROVEMENTS & FEATURES
beforehand, but some were surprised. With a new protagonist and a slew of new gadgets, Ubisoft
With Watch Dogs 2, the hero is an all-new character
might be trying to give this IP a refresh, mostly due
named Marcus Holloway, who’s described as
to the underwhelming precursor that left players
"a brilliant young hacker who has fallen victim to
and fans alike disappointed. The original Watch
ctOS 2.0's predictive algorithms and is accused
Dogs released on May 2014 presented players
of a crime he did not commit". With his team of
a modern open-world where technology can be
hackers, he is set to shut down ctOS 2.0 entirely.
breached within the tip of the finger by the antihero protagonist, Aiden Pearce. While the concept
Set in modern San Francisco this time, the general
was interesting, it was criticised by having a one-
feel from the first game is delivered. In a gameplay
dimensional main character, visual downgrades,
video (claimed to be an Alpha-build running on the
and the lack of opportunity in exploring a world
PlayStation 4) released back in August 29th, Colin
where digital security is fragile.
Graham, the Animation Director of the game gave ada
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Gamehubs Magazine - November 2016
commentaries throughout the footage, explaining
synergy seems important as you are encouraged
features and improvements the game has to offer.
to cover your partners when in action. Lastly, there
First, Graham jumped into explaining that the
were short snippets of the new PvP modes called
hacking tools were expanded, giving players more
“Bounty Hunter” and “Invasion”. Unfortunately
options. Players can now expect new gadgets to
not much can be seen during those cuts in the
be featured in this installment. In the teaser during
video, but new modes may add some spice to the
E3, we saw a drone that can be controlled and be
original’s PvP .
used for hacking. The drone was showcased in the alpha build, reassuring players that they will indeed
Watch Dogs was undoubtedly a miss 2 years
get to use it. Called the “Quad Copter”, it can reach
ago. It does not live up the hype, and it was a
high grounds, perform scouting, hack towers and
huge disappointment when it first came out. It is
more. Another toy that they showcased was called
fair to see cynicism spread around the sequel this
the “RC Jumper”. It can navigate on ground and
time from gamers. Ubisoft did not really put much
physically interact with the surroundings while
marketing on Watch Dogs 2 too. I would say it is
Marcus is under cover. It can also make a huge
a wise decision because of what they did learned
jumps, allowing it to leap over obstacles.
with Watch Dogs. Showing too much promise at the beginning will not end well. From what we can
Marcus will be navigating the Dedsec App in his
see, Watch Dogs 2 may be ‘second-chance’ for
smartphone to look for objectives and missions,
them to find the IP’s identity. It does not look as
just like in the previous game. One thing that
gloomy as the original (San Fran was vibrant in
is worth mentioning in the footage presented
the game), the writings are still as edgy, but the
by Graham is the improvement of the driving
characters fit in this time. The hacking is still a fancy
mechanics when the player drives a car. If you
take compared to real world hacking. Nonetheless,
were familiar with the original installment, driving
if the game nails a certain element and establish its
in Watch Dogs was not perfect. It is worth pointing
charm, it can still be a decent game to be enjoyed
out as a criticism because driving is a pretty huge
by a wide audience.
aspect for open-world sandbox games. Given that Graham specifically addressed the improvement of driving in the footage, let’s hope that they heard our call and improved the experience of vehicular mobility. After some walking around the hotspots of San Francisco (while taking a selfie with the phone in-game) and shop for clothes, the footage jumped into a mini-mission, presenting combatrelated gameplay. Colin suggested that players can do non-lethal takedowns. It is also confirmed that players can do a full pacifist run of the game if they want to, summoning pacifists in the environment. Throughout the mission, the hacking mechanics look familiar when compared with the previous game. So rest assured that the skills you mastered from the first installment will not be wasted. There’s also co-op mode where you can do bigger scale missions with another player online. Teamwork and
Watch Dogs 2 is
NOW AVAILABLE on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
ada Gamehubs Magazine - November 2016
07
EVENTS
A MASSIVE GATHERING WHAT WENT ON IN THE MAGIC: THE GATHERING GRAND PRIX KUALA LUMPUR BY: JUSTIN CHEE
Magic: The Gathering Grand Prix Kuala Lumpur, which happened last weekend was actually a pretty massive ‘gathering’ of MTG players over the course of a three-day-full (October 21st to 23rd) event. Held at Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre and organised by Wizards of the Coast and Chain Links Events, the MTG convention attracted over 1000 players from around the world who had signed up in various competition formats in order to bag attractive cash prizes and MTGcentric rewards. Conversely, It has only been three weeks that MTG’s latest expansion Kaladesh was released, hence, Grand Prix Kuala Lumpur follows closely the mechanics of the Kaladesh set and the players are the first in the world to play competitive MTG with the new set of cards!
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The Mai n Event The main event is the Standard Constructed format tournament where players participated using their very own constructed decks comprising MTG’s latest expansion sets. The main event features an attractive cash prize of $10,000 for 1st place or champion (that’s a pretty whopping sum), $5,000 for 2nd place finalist, $2,500 for 3rd and 4th place; up to a total of $35,000 cash prizes that would be distributed to 180 placings based on the number of participants who signed up for the main event (prize money will be paid up to 64th place if participation is 0-2,999 and paid up to 180th place if participation is over 3,000).
Magic: The Gathering Grand Prix Sealed side event
Moreover, players got to collect high amounts of Planeswalker Points multipliers and exclusive promo cards available only at Grand Prix KL. Planeswalker Points is a worldwide system that rewards players who participated (and win) in every sanctioned event by Wizards of the Coast.
Side Event In addition to the main event, there were Side Event tournaments where players signed up for other and various MTG format tournaments aside from the main Standard Constructed event - such as: • • • • • •
Modern, Sealed, Chaos Sealed, Turbo Mini-Master, Legacy and 2 Headed Giant.
With the collected points in the event, players got to exchange their points for exclusive and coveted MTG prizes.
Magic: The Gathering Grand Prix Sealed side event
Gamehubs Magazine - November 2016
09
EVENTS
Top 8 Wi nners For the main event, a total 769 players had a run at the trophy and the $10,000 prize money, which at the end of it all was Fumiya Matsumoto from Japan who came in at first place through his winning match against Mark Lawrence Tubola from the Philippines in the finals. Matsumoto himself also made the Top 8 a month ago at Grand Prix Kyoto. Congratulations!
1 st Place: Fumiya Matsumoto - Japan
10
While the Top 8 of Grand Prix KL has four accomplished veteran Japanese players (Matsumoto included), you might be surprised to know that 1st Runner Up Tubola, 4th place Anthony Lee from Australia and 6th place Marcus Oh from Singapore are first timers who did exceptionally well with a 9-0 finish in Day 1 and 2. Last but not least, Malaysian veteran Au Yong Wai Kin also made Top 8 (7th place) but has been in a sixteen-year hiatus from MTG Grand Prix events! For those looking to start Magic: The Gathering competitively, perhaps these players would serve as an inspiration.
2 nd Place: Mark Lawrence Tubola - Philippines
Friendly Grand Final Match Of MTG Grand Prix
Top 8s : Anthony Lee, Marcus Oh, Mark L. Tubola
7 th Place: Au Yong Wai Kin - Malaysia
Gamehubs Magazine - November 2016
International Vendors Grand Prix Kuala Lumpur is not just a tournamentbased event but also featured MTG vendors from Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and locally who are the official traders and dealers of MTG cards and products during the three-day convention.
Arti sts! Three MTG artists were also invited to offer card and playmat signings and sales of their original arts and sketches, the artists were Christine Choi from Seattle, USA, Titus Lunter from Copenhagen, Denmark and Lius Lasahido from Jakarta Indonesia.
Stay tuned to Gamehubs as we will be featuring the interviews with these artists MTG Artist: Lius Lasahido - Indonesia
in a separate article at page 46.
Gamehubs Magazine - November 2016
11
EVENTS
CALL OF DUTY: INFINITE WARFARE LAUNCHES AT MIDNIGHT EVENT
INFINITY & BEYOND BY: AIMAN MAULANA | EDITED BY: JUSTIN CHEE Oh hey, it looks like we had a brand new videogame launch event recently, and this time it's for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. A lot of people have been getting bored of the usual army warfare shooters as of late, especially with the market being saturated with those types of games. When Call of Duty wanted to add in futuristic space combat, a
lot
of
people
became
skeptical of the game. They're unsure if the game would be good but surprisingly, a lot of people are still able to put their faith in the game, as seen during the game's official launch in Malaysia!
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Gamehubs Magazine - November 2016
THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH EVENT
Gamers all over Malaysia eagerly awaited the release of the latest installment of the Call of Duty series in a launch event held at Galactic Laser, Sunway Pyramid. The event saw activities running from taking pictures with zombies to playing laser tag in order to win a very special PlayStation goodie bag. There were also demo booths dedicated to both Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare and the remastered version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, courtesy of Sony Malaysia. The demo booth was pretty packed...that is until the line to wait for the game was officially opened as plenty of them were trying their best to be the first to own the game.
Gamehubs Magazine - November 2016
13
EVENTS
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Gamehubs Magazine - November 2016
THE MIDNIGHT HOUR Once the clock struck midnight, gamers were finally able to get their copy of the game, with Sadiq Suleiman Musa, a student of LimKokWing University of Creative Technology, being the first in Malaysia to successfully obtain a copy. “I love Call of Duty and it’s interesting to see the series finally giving their take on sci-fi. It’s important for games nowadays to step out and try a new concept out, and I feel that the developer (Infinity Ward) will be able to make it fun and interesting” said Sadiq. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is a first-person shooter videogame with space combat implemented, which is a series first as the setting of their games are usually modern day army warfare. Gamers who picked up their copy at the event also received a limited edition Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare T-shirt, a 2-sided poster dedicated to the game, and a special Call of Duty-themed watch. It is estimated that there are 230 people who lined up to pick up their copy of the game. It’s rare to see videogame launch events happening in Malaysia, with Street Fighter V and Uncharted 4 being the previous ones but this event sees a favourable response, I personally hope that there will be more happening in Malaysia in the future. Of course, if there are more happening soon, we'll definitely let you guys know about it right here on Gamehubs! While this event solely focused on the PlayStation 4 version of the game, it doesn’t mean that the game itself is limited to one platform as Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is now officially available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PCs.
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EVENTS
LEVEL UP KL 2016 THE RISE OF THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY IN MALAYSIA BY: KIN BOON | EDITED BY: JUSTIN CHEE | IMAGE CREDIT: M D E C
Southeast Asia’s premier gaming conference returns to Kuala Lumpur for the 2nd year running, featuring interesting keynotes and panels about current and future trends in video game development from some of the biggest names in the industry, including our very own Wan Hazmer, lead game designer of Final Fantasy XV. There is a shift of paradigm where video games were once considered as unproductive and worthless, especially in Malaysia. Such a change of the traditional mind-set resonated in the government’s efforts to support the industry by organising its own gaming conference, Level Up KL. The five-day event (November 5 to 9) at Intercontinental Hotel, Kuala Lumpur attracted over 500 participants ranging from game developers, investors, game publishers and technology providers, from both local and international games industry. Industry powerhouses took part in sharing their knowledge and expertise, including seasoned video games industry professional Hector Fernandez of Sony Interactive Entertainment, co-founder of game accelerator GameFounders Kadri Ugand, Square Enix lead game designer for Final Fantasy XV Wan Hazmer, Lemon Sky Games and Animation CEO Wong ChengFei, and Passion Republic president Ng Aik Sern. Here are some of the highlights from the conference:
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Gamehubs Magazine - November 2016
Level Up KL SEA Game Jam Before all the demos, keynotes and panels, there were some behind-thescenes action in the form of SEA Game Jam, a 36-hour game jam organized by MDEC alongside partners Media Prima Labs. It pitted game developers from Southeast Asia to create games in a collaborative environment based on the ‘kid-centric’ theme, which was aimed for children aged 12 and below. Winners were given cash prizes, a set of the Samsung Gear VR, and the opportunity to commercialize their games via the upcoming Alpha Startups: Game Pre-Accelerator programme by Media Prima Labs and 1337 Ventures.
KEYNOTE
The winners of Level Up KL - SEA Game Jam
STREAMLINE STUDIO
Starve Up for Global Production Studio Alexander Fernandez
He started in an apartment in Amsterdam, now he's part of a studio that worked with prominent AAA titles (Bioshock Infinite, Street Fighter V, Final Fantasy XV)
The public conference kicked off with a keynote by Alexander Fernandez, the chief executive officer of Streamline Studios. Fernandez shared his experience and input on ways to make a game development studio successful, which includes building a company instead of just making good games. “I have met so many people over the past 15 years who have basically came up to me and said ‘Hey check out my game’, but what I’d rather see is this person saying ‘Hey check out my studio that’s making a lot of games because I’m building a company that’s built to last,” said Fernandez. He also underscored the importance in building a talented team to make sure the business can sustain itself over the years.
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EVENTS
KEYNOTE
VLAMBEER
You Don’t Stand A Chance: The Survival Guide Rami Ismail In contrast with the talk by Fernandez, Rami Ismail of Vlambeer delivered a bleak yet grounded take on some of the hard truths that indie game developers must face when they are in this industry. “The large majority of indie game studios do not actually survive their first game. If you’re starting an indie studio right now, chances are your first game is not going to be a success, it’s not going to be a big hit, and it’s not going to make a lot of money,” said Ismail. He also highlighted the fact that game studios can be easily deceived by all the stories of success, hence why they should embrace the concept of failure instead of being deterred by it.
"
You’d be really lucky if you make a profit at all. You’d be really lucky if you break even.
Rami Ismail
Sound & Music Makes a Difference Falk Au Yeong (SoundtRec Malaysia) & Gwen Guo (IMBA Interactive) The focus shifted from visual to audio in this panel as Falk and Gwen shared what went on behind-thescenes, the different phases of setting up sound for the game, and some of the challenges that they faced. The crowd looked understandably lost at times when technical terms were used, but both of them did well in conveying the importance of soundtracks in video games, which can be undervalued at times by indie developers. Veteran gamers were even treated with a nostalgic trip to the past via a video clip, featuring iconic game imageries with their respective soundtracks playing in the background.
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Gamehubs Magazine - November 2016
Sound is just as important in creating an identity for games.
Falk Au Yeong
KEYNOTE
SQUARE ENIX
Reclaiming the Throne: How We Brought More Relevance into Final Fantasy XV Wan Hazmer
In one of the most anticipated panels in the conference, Malaysia’s Wan Hazmer, lead game designer of Final Fantasy XV, shared on how Square Enix tried to bring back the FF name as a powerhouse in the eyes of modern gamers. “We realised that Final Fantasy has lost its resonance and relevance over the years. Why are we losing this relevance?” he said. The main reason was attributed to a term called the ‘Final Fantasy disease’, where fans and developers alike believe that FF should just stick to the past (e.g. turn-based battles, non-open world gameplay). This caused Square Enix to restructure the entire
development team, allowing a fresh flow of ideas to create and market the game more effectively. This includes open communication with fans via forum and collaborations with external parties such as Audi, Epic Meal Time and Afrojack.
"
Why is Final Fantasy losing its meaning in the society of modern gamers?
Wan Hazmer
Level Up KL 2016 has been an engaging, insightful and fun event to attend as it caters to all who loves video games, be it a developer, publisher or a gamer. Most importantly, MDEC did a great job in making sure indie developers shared the same spotlight as well, which was one of the main objectives of the conference. Level Up KL might not be like E3, Gamescom or Blizzcon, but it might be the catalyst to kick start Malaysia’s rise as a gaming hub in Southeast Asia.
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SPECIAL
Blitzin’ Blizz BlizzCon 2016 Roundup
By: Ivan Cheong | Edited by: Justin Chee Another
year,
another
BlizzCon
over.
Although
there
were
no
major
announcements, BlizzCon 2016 is still an awesome event and filled with fun reveals all round. This year’s BlizzCon goes down as its 10th in gaming history and it also celebrates Blizzard Entertainment’s 25th anniversary. Here’s the full breakdown of all the biggest and best moments of BlizzCon 2016.
Image: www.pressakey.com
OVERWATCH
New Hero - Sombra
Blizzard has been teasing Sombra even before the release of Ana and when she is finally revealed in the opening ceremony, the crowd went wild. They were immediately treated with her very own animated short showcasing her hacking prowess. Later during the Overwatch presentation, her in-game skills and backstory were further explained. Sombra is currently live on the Overwatch PTR servers and is slated for a live release come this December.
Arcade Mode
Overwatch League
A specialised Arcade feature is currently in the
Overwatch is also getting its very own professional
works which will eventually replace the weekly
competition ecosystem. The announced Overwatch
brawl mode. New maps and new game modes are
League is set to bring Overwatch to the pinnacle
also announced to be in the works.
of eSports entertainment. This league will give the perfect opportunity for teams and players to thrive and develop their skills for years to come.
The Inaugural season will Overwatch Arcade Mode - youtube.com
begin in 2017.
Gamehubs Magazine - November 2016
21
SPECIAL
WORLD OF WARCRAFT
youtube.com
Patch 7.2: Tomb of Sargeras and beyond No major announcements were made for the long running MMO, but we did however get a sneak peek at what’s to come. Blizzard previewed a look at Patch 7.2 which will bring a brand new raid to the game named the Tomb of Sargeras. In addition blizzardwatch.com
to that, the ability to fly around the Broken Isles will also be made available in the patch. Beyond that, we get a taste of Patch 7.3 which teases Argus, the former home world of the Draenei now taken over by the Legion. Players can look forward in visiting that whole new map and taking the fight to the Legion. Before players will get to experience the two upcoming major patches. A minor patch will be implemented first where it will see the return of the Brawler’s Guild. The patch also features ‘micro holidays’ which are fun little diversions to mess
blizzardwatch.com
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Gamehubs Magazine - November 2016
around about when you’re not raiding.
DIABLO III
The Darkening of Tristram - Diablo 1 returns Diablo celebrates its 20th anniversary
by
travelling
back into the nostalgic days. Players will get to return into the depths of the Cathedral where it all began. With up to 16 different levels with 4 main bosses, you get to relive your Diablo 1 days perfectly. The game even changed the graphical setting by applying retro filters and eight-direction character movement to perfectly replicate that whole Diablo 1 feel.
Rise of the Necromancer
The new Necromancer class was also announced for Diablo III and is scheduled to arrive in 2017. The Rise of the Necromancer pack will allow you to get your hands on the classic Necromancer and summon the undead to fight by your side.
Gamehubs Magazine - November 2016
23
SPECIAL
STARCRAFT II Not much to take note of from the StarCraft II panel in BlizzCon this year. The third and final episode of the Nova Covert Ops mission pack will be released on November 22 and a new comic alongside it. As for the core game itself; new maps and new skins are announced as well.
youtube.com
New Co-op Commander Alexei Stukov
youtube.com
Google DeepMind Collaboration
Blizzard and Google announced an exciting partnership to use StarCraft II as a platform to
24
A new commander is on the way for the cooperative
test and research AI development. The API is set
mode, the infested Alexei Stukov. Part Zerg, part
to release next year and will allow anyone to build
Terran, his tactics are unorthodox but yet effective.
and train their own AI agents to play StarCraft II.
Imagine Siege Tanks that sprouts tentacles to lay
Looking forward for a face off between Google
waste to your foes. Yup, pretty macabre.
DeepMind versus StarCraft II pro player!
Gamehubs Magazine - November 2016
HEROES OF THE STORM
HEARTHSTONE
Varian Wrynn & Ragnaros Another two more heroes hailing from the Warcraft universe has entered the Nexus: King Varian Wrynn and Ragnaros, the Firelord. Varian will be the game’s very first multi-class Hero, switching between a tank or offensive warrior that will lead the charge. As for Ragnaros, he can incinerate foes with his high damaging AOE and single target skills. Besides that, Ragnaros can also seize control of allied Forts or destroyed enemy Forts to unleash different new set of abilities.
New Brawl Blackheart's Revenge
Take On the Mean Streets of Gadgetzan Hearthstone's latest expansion gets you up and personal with the crime syndicates of Gadgetzan with the announcement of Mean Streets of Gadgetzan! This crime syndicatethemed Hearthstone expansion is based on the newly progressed trade town of Gadgetzan. The influx of trade brought not only progress but also attracted 3 crime syndicates to compete for the riches that Gadgetzan offers. This reveal is not just about new cards but the expansion brings a brand new card archetype; Tri-Class Cards. The Hearthstone panel at
Blackheart is back with an all-new Brawl map. In
BlizzCon today introduced 9 tri-class cards that
this asymmetrical brawl, there are the attackers
will totally make gameplay even more crazy than
and the defenders. The attackers are tasked to
it already is. These new cards are divided into
protect Blackheart’s ship as it makes its way to the
three different groups. Within their respective
defenders core while the defenders must gather
groups, the tri-class cards can be used by THREE
cannonballs and open fire upon the ship before it
different classes instead of just one to expand
reaches and destroys the objective.
deck building possibilities.
Gamehubs Magazine - November 2016
25
IN DEV
REDEFINING COLLECTIBLE CARD GAMES ALLIANS MAY BE THE FIRST CCG WHERE YOU BECOME YOUR VERY OWN CARD! By: Bjรถrn Torstensson and Eric Gulve | Edited by: Justin Chee
I would say that Allians is first and foremost a Competitive Card Game, since the collectible aspect is mostly about teamwork. In the west there is a big "fandom" around video gaming entertainers and sharing their challenging and funny experiences online. We wanted to capture this in our unique gameplay and put our friends' gamer pride in the spotlight. The collecting aspect is more of a discovery or "pokedex" experience in Allians, where you might find a famous artist's card, and try it next to eSport idols and best friends. This serves to broaden players' expectations of "who can be good at games" - while we also legitimize it fairly by using actual Steam data and hard earned achievements.
Gamehubs Magazine - November 2016
27
IN DEV
Regular iconic characters are not omitted from the game, as they can be featured as exclusive collectables and prints, with popular artist followers and other game cross promotions as a driving market force. The point we want to bring across is that it can be equally beneficial for a card game to include non-fictional stories and characters thriving on social media, as it can be when including inspirational heroes from fiction. The latter is very tough to do when starting a totally new IP without the support of a Publisher's game character licence pool. Positioning ourselves in the social sphere with competent card game mechanics will hopefully give the players a larger pool of interesting opponents at all skill levels. Instead of every IP making their own CCG monetization spin-off, they can directly reach a lot of influencers simply by sending their characters into our game. Who knows, maybe you'll see characters that would never be a collectible card. It is interesting to mention the timeless collectible aspect, because traditional TCGs do rely on the value increase of cards that are no longer printed as a motivation for collecting. On the other hand, Allians gives you cards that are automatically updated each season. So if you collect it once you can come back every month and see it grow like a living character, changing appearance and specialities as you go. It feels like that player is actually fighting in your own team and staying with you, which is a powerful feeling that makes you connect with other people and appreciate them. And if you really want to, you can make a powerful picture of yourself and add mage or warrior effects to it with photo editors.
Explanation of icons displayed on the card design
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Gamehubs Magazine - November 2016
The card designed from the user accounts information
We feel that regular TCGs cost a lot of money to get into, where the social benefit lies only in your local TCG community. This type of social circle is usually separate from other events and networks that matter in your life, so making them more compatible and media relevant will help us bring the game to its full potential. Most other mobile card games simply lure people in with art and flashy effects, which feels a bit shallow when you pump cash into them. We want to engage people to the core of their gamer identity, let them mix with social idols, and keep our playerbase with competition oriented season content. We just made a card together with a National Champion of Hearthstone, something Blizzard would probably never do. This feeling of participation and community impact will be a unique way for card players to effect the metagame without waiting for new content updates. They just level up and invite people instead, while we add new game mechanics."
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IN DEV
STREAMLINING FANTASY STREAMLINE STUDIO ANNOUNCES THEIR FOOTPRINT ON FINAL FANTASY XV By: Aiman Maulana | Edited by: Justin Chee The development of Final Fantasy XV has taken almost a decade, and we're finally weeks away from the release of the game. Of course, if the game wasn't delayed months ago, a lot of us would have finished playing it by now but like I said before, delays aren't necessarily a bad thing. As the release date of Final Fantasy XV draws near, we at Gamehubs were invited to a press conference by Streamline Studio, who many of you know helped co-developed Final Fantasy XV, as well as other AAA games such as Street Fighter V. Here's what went down:
Streamline Studios Press Conference on Final Fantasy XV As reported by Forbes in July 2016, Square Enix picked the Malaysian-based Streamline Studios to help co-develop Final Fantasy XV. Some of you might be thinking why they picked a Malaysian video game development studio as opposed to some big international studio but it's not like they weren't qualified. After all, Streamline Studios did work on major titles like Bioshock Infinite, Street Fighter V, Gears of War, and many more. To the folks over at Streamline Studios, Final Fantasy XV is a testament to their video game development capabilities. At the press conference, Alexander L. Fernandez, Chief Executive Officer of Streamline Studios said: Streamline prides itself on constantly innovating and pushing the boundaries to become one of the world’s leaders in global game development. We’ve invested in creating an environment of the best global talents, technology, and creativity and that’s where it’s gotten us today. Our team is honoured to be working together with Square Enix on the development of such a renowned series as FINAL FANTASY. Gamehubs Magazine - November 2016
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IN DEV
Streamline Studios' Key to Productivity and Transparency
High
At this point in time, Streamline Studios is the biggest video game development studio in Malaysia. It's normal for a big studio to have plenty of projects running at the same time but with many projects, wouldn't it be tough to manage all of it? CEO of Streamline Studios, Alexander L. Fernandez, attributed their productivity to the company's own internal production platform called "Streamframe". The platform encompasses a fully transparent production process in the cloud that integrates with a full suite of collaboration tools that allow unified communication streams across the full production line. According to the CEO, the platform is necessary for the company to move forward as it not only increases Streamline Studios' productivity levels, it also provides transparency for their clients so that they can be held accountable for their work. In essence, it allows the studio to work with someone from the other side of the world as if they are working right beside each other. Sounds pretty nifty isn't it? It's quite similar to how video production studios like RodeoFX utilize their cloud-based system to work on Game of Thrones. 32
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The Rise of Games Southeast Asia
Development
in
For a company like Streamline Studios in Malaysia to score such a big project like Final Fantasy XV sounds like a dream but it is indeed a reality. The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) has been trying to foster Malaysia as a regional video games development hub as part of the #MYGAMEON initiative and this is definitely one of the biggest achievements in Malaysia thus far. But that doesn't mean that the rest of Southeast Asia have zero significance in the video game development world. According to the Southeast Asia Game Industry Initiative study published in 2016, the Southeast Asian games industry is currently flourishing and projected to grow by 30% between 2015 and 2018, driven by the rapid rise in internet access and ownership. This is the fastest growth of any geographical region. In comparison, the global growth rate is estimated at 7% for the same period. This tremendous enlargement of the games market in Southeast Asia provides vast opportunities for the industry to capitalize upon. Streamline Studios partnership with SquareEnix is merely the beginning, and it's a big sign of greater things to come for the Southeast Asian region. One would like to think what's next after Final Fantasy XV. What do you think will be the next big thing for Southeast Asia for games development?
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And at long last... the long awaited Final Fantasy XV is here! By: Tan Wei Sin | Edited by: Justin Chee
COVER STORY
FINALLY
(no pun intended), the long awaited Final Fantasy XV will be available on the hands of all Final Fantasy loyalists out there on the Playstation 4 and Xbox One. What seems like forever from now must be surreal for those who are eagerly awaiting, as Final Fantasy XV’s development legacy dates back to ten years ago. Notably, there are only a few games in the industry that actually hits the “decade” mark of development. First debut as “Final Fantasy Versus XIII”, the title first came to surface during Square Enix’s press conference at E3 2006. From confusion, media silence, cancellation of rumors and change of directors, Final Fantasy XV have come a long way to its slated release this coming period. As one of the most wellknown JRPG franchises, the return of Final Fantasy XV stirs anticipation of gamers all around the world. The Final Fantasy series is well known for its world-building, epic stories,
characters and gameplay. So, what’s in store with the newest entry of the ‘big daddy’ of JRPG? The story follows Noctis Lucis Caelum, the main character and the crown prince of Lucis. Noctis, accompanied by his three companions: Gladiolus, Ignis and Prompto are on a road trip to the city of Altissa, where the wedding ceremony between him and the princess of Tenebrae, Lunafreya Nox Flueret will be held. While the wedding is a part of the agreement between Lucis and Niflheim’s peace treaty, Noctis and the others soon found that the peace treaty is a ruse for Niflheim to invade Lucis and to steal it’s crystal, which provides protection to the entire of Lucis. While King Regis, King of Lucis and the father of Noctis, Lady Lunafreya and Noctis himself are reported dead by the Niflheim empire, Noctis and his party are on the run trying to retrieve the crystal and their home by defeating the Niflheim’s forces.
Gamehubs Gamehubs Magazine Magazine - November - August 2016
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COVER STORY
Worry not as the interactions with the other members will be minimal, as in Episode Duscae, Noctis can perform combo sequence attacks with each of the party members when requirements are met. This will give a sense of teamwork and chemistry between Noctis and the others while in combat. The change of combat system is certainly a big deal to older fans as it took a change of pace from what is familiar with the series. In order to compensate on that, director of the game Hajime Tabata revealed a new style of battle called “Wait Mode” during E3 earlier this June. Players are able to pause time momentarily and decide what to do during combat. The “Wait Mode” can also be turned on and off easily in the Option menu.
COMBAT CHANGES Combat systems of the Final Fantasy series have been gradually changed and evolved after the Active Time Battle (ATB) system last used in Final Fantasy VII, VIII and IX. Final Fantasy XV’s combat took a change of direction compared to the previous installments, calling it AXB (Active Cross Battle), where players are now able to fully control Noctis in battle mode. Dodge rolling and warping within the battle environment to avoid attacks from enemies are essential to avoid getting damaged. With a quick tap on the directional pad, Noctis’ weapon or magic will change depending on what is equipped on him. This time around, combat is much more action-packed and intact with the control of the players. As mentioned, players will only be controlling Noctis in the game while the other team members are being manipulated by AI, but players can still assign item usage to other members or command them to use their abilities when desired.
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WHAT THEY SAID... We're aiming to make it a game that can be played and enjoyed by both classic Final Fantasy fans and new people who have just come into it. I really want to reassure people that we've got that classic Final Fantasy feel.” Hajime Tabata (Interview with Gamespot)
HALF OPEN-WORLD, HALF LINEAR APPROACH When Episode Duscae first came to surface, players were impressed by the vast environment that can be explored. Speculations gone around about the game having some open-world elements. Later on, Tabata confirms that, but also stated when the game goes on, it will lean towards a linear path, giving the half of the game being open-world, and the second half linear. “That way, you won't get bored of an open world as the rest of the game tightens, so we made it in a way that you'll also get to advance through it as you have in conventional Final Fantasy games." Says Tabata during an interview with Japanese publication Famitsu. If all goes well, this is a pretty smart direction to take given that open-world games these days suffer from being unable to give players a good “playground” to explore. If the half of the open-world area is well crafted and pack with interesting events and side quests, players will be able to have a great experience exploring the world Final
Fantasy XV. Focusing on the main story on the second half will be much more immersive given that the players now have a good sense of the world itself through previous explorations. This is definitely one of the features that players can really look forward to experience.
TRAVERSE THE WORLD IN DIFFERENT WAYS Almost every Final Fantasy game features airships, pilotable or not. But of course, players will be extra pleased if they have total control of the ship. Flying through landscapes of the worlds of Final Fantasy using your airship is an experience itself back in the days. With the half openworld approach mentioned by Tabata, transportation must come to mind. In fact, most of the teaser trailers featured the “brotrip” with a pretty cool looking automobile. The car, called the Regalia is the main transportation in the game. Tabata said Regalia should be considered as a party member in the game as how the previous titles treat their airships. Regalia is previously
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COVER STORY
owned by Noctis’s father, King Regis. Other than fitting itself to the gameplay as the primary transportation for the characters, the car, story-wise plays a big role too. Handed down to Noctis, Regalia represents the relationship between Noctis and his father. The car is also a metaphor suggesting that the journey Noctis partakes will be preserved by his father along the way. “But what about the whole airship thing? Near the end of the game, Regalia will acquire the ability to fly, allowing players to reach locations that are previously difficult or unable to pursue. With that we came to a full circle, and a call back to previous well-loved Final Fantasy titles. If you are a completionist, getting to this part of the game means it is time to get busy and explore for secrets (100% completion). Riding a Chocobo is also another way to travel across the lands. It seems like there will be a lot of fun riding chocobos since players can do a little glide or drift with them this time. In Episode Duscae, there were also wild Black Chocobos lying around Duscae, one of the beginning areas of the game. If you are an old-time fan, you might remember the colours that differentiate the species and their unique abilities. Coloured Chocobos will be returning to bring us joy along with its whimsical theme song.
MOVIE AND ANIME TO KEEP YOU CONTENT Since the game itself kept everyone waiting for such a long time, there are several extra content other than the demos and the trailers to quench the thirst of fellow fans. A feature-length CGI film named “Kingsglaive : Final Fantasy XV” was aired across movie theaters. According to Takeshi Nozue, the Total Visual Director of Kingsglaive, the movie can be enjoyed alone without playing the game and vice versa.
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Watching it however, will give viewers a deeper appreciation of the story. The movie and the game are meant to complement each other. Without spoiling too much, Kingsglaive’s narrative takes place in Lucis, while Noctis is on his way to see Lunafreya. It’s all about King Regis’ force of elite soldiers called the Kingsglaive. Wielding the king’s magic, protagonist Nyx Ulric and his fellow Glaives stand to defend the city of Insomnia, capital of Lucis from the advancement of Niflheim’s imperial forces. There’s also a 6-episode anime series called “Brotherhood Final Fantasy XV” available for free on the official Final Fantasy XV YouTube channel. To those who want to learn more about the characters, this series emphasizes on that exact aspect as the title suggests. Through each episode, we get to see the back story of how Prompto, Gladiolus and Ignis are aligned to Noctis as well as the nature of their relationship with the prince. Each episode is around 15-minutes in average so it is pretty easy to digest. If you do not have the time for the movie yet, which spans around 110 minutes, you can start with the anime first.
VR FEATURES During this year’s Sony E3 press conference, we were teased by “Final Fantasy XV: VR Experience”, showcasing Prompto donning a PlayStation VR headset and went gunblazing with his weapons. With PlayStation VR coming to the market, it was not surprising that they included this feature to promote the newest technology, but think of it in another way, have you ever BEEN in a Final Fantasy world? Tabata confirmed that it is not something players have to purchase separately, stating it is like an extra for people who bought the game. He also stated that the VR experience should be treated as a gameplay prototype instead of a story expansion. It sounded to me that it is what the title promotes, an “experience” that everyone can enjoy without knowing or understanding the story of the game. Knowing how passionate fans are, players who owned a VR headset is up for a treat.
CONCLUSIONS Final Fantasy XV has come so far. Looking back at their development hiccups, it was a journey like no other. It took a Phoenix Down on itself, brought back by the team and finally coming to the table. Furthermore, everything that we’ve been shown by Square Enix and Tabata’s team has been promising. It looks like the game was handled properly in every aspect like marketing, transparency and surprises. Perhaps because it is a well-respected IP, but we can tell that Square Enix banked into this title a lot. No matter if you’re a long time Final Fantasy, or just someone who just recently developed an interest on the franchise, buckle up and prepare to invest your time in this epic journey.
destructoid.com
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INTERVIEW
THE TITAN’S VOICE A SPECIAL INTERVIEW WITH RAPHAEL CORKHILL By: Melvyn Tan | Edited by: Justin Chee
Raphael Corkhill An Actor commonly known for: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (2016), Time to Pay Off Debts (2016)
Q: So, most obvious question first: What voice(s) did you do in Titanfall 2? A: My character is one of the primary soldiers in the Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation (IMC). You get to battle against me during the single player campaign mode and you’re able to play as me in multiplayer. Listen out for lots of tough British taunts and battle commands!
Elder Scrolls Online (2014).
Q: How did you get the role? A: I auditioned for several different roles roughly a year ago through my agent. The audition was essentially some dialogue, a speech and some battle commands. They wanted a very realistic, film-like vibe and their direction was to be tough and in control. A couple more auditions followed and I ended up flying to Los Angeles to record just before the summer.
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Q: You previously did voice-acting for Uncharted 4 and The Elder Scrolls Online, a modern actionadventure game and a fantasy one respectively. With Titanfall 2 being a science-fiction game, did you have to take a different approach with the voice acting, or were there common elements that made the genre transition rather easy? A: There was definitely a lot of new, futuristic lingo to wrap my tongue around. Many of the weapons and technologies in the game are brand new so even though I’m saying these words for the first time it’s important for it to sound as though they’re things I use all the time. The tone was also slightly different to TESO, which is in a high fantasy world and Uncharted 4, which has a lighter feel. Even though it is set in the future, Titanfall 2 is designed to be ultrarealistic, both in terms of the combat simulation and the narrative. My performance had to be very grounded with nothing over the top – no “acting” whatsoever.
Q: Did the voice-acting experience vary notably between studios? A: Each of the studios was a dream to work with. The directors and writers understand the games inside out and really helped me produce my best work. They are passionate about their titles and create an enjoyable, collaborative atmosphere. Uncharted 4 was pretty unusual in that they put two actors in the booth at the same time so we could bounce off each other in scenework. My partner was a joy to work with – a great actor and a true professional. In general, though, it’s just me in the booth alone with a mic, headphones and my imagination for company.
Q: Does being able to identify with a character make it notably easier to get into a voice role? Would feeling a connection with the plot or setting produce similar results in regards to that? A: Yes, this is definitely the case. With all types of acting, it is crucial to understand where I (the character) am coming from, what I want. Of course, there are big differences between my life experience and that of the characters I’ve played - I’ve never been to war, for example, or had to defend my homeland. But I always aim to find a connection to my characters and the situations they are in. After all, I think most of us have been threatened at some point, or wanted revenge, or felt vulnerable. I think that what I most connect with – as an actor and as a viewer – are universal human emotions and desires, rather than the specific events that produce them.
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INTERVIEW
Q: What voiceover agency are you currently affiliated with?
Q: Were there any particular eye-openers when you first started voice-acting for video games?
A: I have been with Imperium 7 in Los Angeles since 2011. They’re truly wonderful and I couldn’t be happier. Most of the interactive media projects are cast in LA with LA actors, so Imperium 7 is amazing because they let me record my auditions at home in New York.
A: The depth of the projects. I remember seeing the material for my first TESO session and being staggered at how extensive it was. Just think – an average movie is about 90 minutes long. TESO offers hundreds hours of gameplay. Those amazing writers spend years developing the story, then weaving in a vast network of subplots, each of which gives the player multiple paths to choose from.
I am also working with Paradigm Talent Agency in New York who are also fantastic. But I am always building relationships with individual video game developers, particularly independent producers, some of whom are creating the most exciting projects around.
Q: What influenced you to join this line of work? A: To be honest, I thought I would be a great fit for voice work in general. I have a deep voice and a wide range of accents, which are quite soughtafter. I started off narrating audiobooks, which gave me valuable experience into extended vocal production and from there merged into interactive media. I have since become especially passionate about video games because of their reach. It is humbling to think that millions of people around the world get to interact with my characters. The stories are also very sophisticated and deal with life’s big questions, which is what inspires me as an actor.
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I was also taken aback by the efficiency of the recording process. Even though there is a huge amount of material to get through, there are no rehearsals or technical setup as in theatre or film. This means that all the attention is on the actor so I can give them an “A” and a “B” reading for each line then move on. One of the other big eye-openers is that you can’t prepare the material in advance. Your first time reading the lines is when the engineer presses the record button – not just a cold reading, but a “frozen” reading. I definitely have to be on my toes, bring clear choices, and be ready to respond to direction.
"
"
With all types of acting, it is crucial to understand where I (the character) am coming from, what I want.
Q: Your résumé lists you as an accent specialist. Do accents and dialects come as naturally as an acquired language, once you've mastered them?
Q: Having done voices for ESO, Uncharted 4 and Titanfall 2, would you prefer your next video game voice acting gig to involve a different genre from these three, or are there other factors that you would consider? A: What I care about above all is the story. For me it doesn’t really matter if it’s set in ancient history, the present day, a dystopian future or an alternate universe. But some of the new types of gameplay are extremely exciting. The point-and-click style of the Telltale series takes interactive storytelling to another level. And I think Virtual Reality could be the future of entertainment in general – I’m looking forward to working on a VR project. There are also a few different types of role I’d love to play. Some of my favourite characters are morally ambiguous, such as Kevin Spacey’s Jonathan Irons for Call of Duty and Shaun in Fallout 4. But I’m also drawn to complicated heroes like Ellie in The Last of Us. Then again, maybe NCAA Football 18 should hire a Brit to be the announcer! My friends would be blown away.
A: One of the most important skills behind accent work is understanding how we physically produce the sounds that make up language. Without getting too technical, the tongue, lips, throat all move in different ways for different languages. Each language also has a unique prosody – or “music” – to it; there is far more rise and fall in Irish or Welsh than there is in Spanish, for example. Once I have a grasp on the specific sounds and music, I then apply these while speaking English, which produces the distinctive accent. After that it is just a matter of muscle memory and practice. For instance I would memorize a Shakespearean sonnet then use a different accent for each of the fourteen lines. I feel that I have mastered an accent when I can switch between it and another accent without having to think or worry.
Raphael Corkhill in Hamlet
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INTERVIEW
Q: In a 2014 interview with Dulfy, you mentioned that you're more of a boardgame player (and D&D fan) in regard to RPGs. What makes boardgame RPGs appeal to you more than video game RPGs? And have your gaming practices/interests changed in the past two years? A: I grew up playing boardgame RPGs and still love the face-to-face interaction of D&D. I play with a couple of different groups here in New York and I find that it’s a great way to escape the intensity of the city for a few hours each week. There is also a connection to what drew me to acting – a chance to indulge my imagination, explore different worlds and inhabit different characters. I’m really into VR gaming now. VR has leapt forward in the past couple of years. Video games already give players unprecedented control over the direction, performance and action of a game. But VR takes interactive media to a whole new level – I was blown away the first time I experienced it. The possibilities for VR are almost endless and I am excited by the opportunities it presents for gamers, producers and performers.
Q: Based on one of your responses in that interview, is it safe to say that you get quite a bit of leeway in voice acting, especially compared to film/TV or stage acting? A: Funnily enough, video game producers are actually stricter when it comes to the text. On film and TV in particular, actors can change around words to make a sentence sound more natural, and they are even sometimes given leeway to go off text completely and improvise. For video game voice acting, however, the director and writers ask us to perform lines exactly as they are written. If they think it sounds unnatural they just re-write the line on the spot. The lines are also usually accompanied by specific emotions they want to see, such as intimidating or pleading or playful. This is probably because actors are almost always recorded individually and a conversation between two characters is edited together later. The actors need a prompt to get the feel of a scene because they can’t play off another actor like you would on screen or on stage. Nevertheless, my experience is that the directors and writers just want to see what we bring to the script – they’ll give direction where necessary but they offer us lots of freedom to explore and play.
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"
What I care about above all is the story. For me it doesn’t really matter if it’s set in ancient history, the present day, a dystopian future or an alternate universe.
"
Q: What project(s) - both video game-related and otherwise - are you getting involved in next? A: I am currently working on a stage production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, which will open in New York in January 2017. I also recently shot a short film that is currently screening around the festival circuit and I will be the lead in a feature film by the same director next year. There are a couple of other interactive projects in the works that I’m extremely excited about. However, we’re required to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements so I’m not allowed to reveal anything about them yet.
Q: What are the primary things that aspiring voice actors should take into account?t A: First, it is crucial to learn how to take good care of your voice. Smoking, excessive shouting and pushing your voice when you are ill are definitely not helpful. Second, acting lessons are vital because there is really no major difference between good acting for theatre, screen or video games. Third, listen to the demo reels of established voice actors then create your own, showing off your strengths (for instance only do accents you excel at). Being able to speak different languages fluently is a huge benefit. Finally, submit your demo reel to talent agents in order to get representation. Your agent is the person responsible for sending you auditions then getting your work heard by the video game companies.
Many thanks for the excellent questions!
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INTERVIEW
ARTIST INTERVIEWS OF
MAGIC: THE GATHERING GRAND PRIX
Christine Choi - Seattle, USA
Titus Lunter - Copenhagen, Denmark
Lius Lasahido - Jakarta, Indonesia
3 artists were invited to attend this Grand Prix for artist signing. They are Christine Choi from Seattle, USA, Titus Lunter from Copenhagen, Denmark and Lius Lasahido from Jakarta, Indonesia. At Gamehubs, we had a chance to interview the 3 of them, we're pretty thrilled to have their insights published here!
Q : Tell us about yourself. (background before and after becoming an artist)
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Christine :
Titus :
Lius :
I actually started out in school wanting to be into the sciences. I have always been a biology nerd, and actually still enjoy learning about what a miracle our world is to exist and to function as it does. I have always been involved in the arts however, and as it turned out - I ended up going to art school instead. My career started out in comics, moved onto video games, and here I am today!
Well, I did a few years of art academy before switching to game design. I always had a fascination for game development so moving into production art seemed like the logical choice. After I graduated I went into the field as a concept artist and have been doing that for the last 6 years. My work on Magic started 3 years after I started playing the game; player first - artist second so to speak. Though, in reality they are very close together.
Hi, I'm Lius Lasahido. I'm an illustrator. Drawing has always been my hobby since young age. Therefore I took graphic design major in university, as there were no illustration school or major in Indonesia. As I graduated, I joined an illustration studio, called Caravan Studio in Jakarta for 5 years, and then I started becoming freelance artist in 2013. Freelancing has been a great experience for me, I have worked for several TCG companies, until I got to work for MTG in 2014.
Gamehubs Magazine - November 2016
Q : As an artist, how is it like to work with Wizards?
Christine : Wizards is a really awesome client! Basically, they send a description of the art they need for the card. I send them a few rough thumbnails, and they pick the one that they want to go to final. I don't really know about "how good" the card will play, but I like that because no matter what, everyone tries their hardest on every card assigned.
Titus : Opaline Unicorn - Christine Choi
It's great. That's really all there is too it. The art directors know the artists well, they give us a lot of leeway and understand what they will get in return. I write a fair bit about my process so if you want to know exactly how pieces are made I can refer you to one of my articles h e re : h t t p : / / p ro j e c t - d i s c o v e r y. com/blog/2016/9/30/making-ofdynavolt-tower
Lius :
Cascade Bluffs - Christine Choi
It's every fantasy artist's dream to work with Wizards, as MTG is the oldest TCG in the world. I feel honoured to be able to work with great art directors in Wizards, also to have the opportunity to go to Grand Prix all over the countries and meet great fellow artists.Usually the art director will email me with the art brief, showing description of the artwork, or course they will mention what the artwork is for (for cards or packaging or campaign or trailer, etc.) then I will provide the sketches and so on.
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INTERVIEW
Q : How does it feel when you see your work turn into a card?
Christine : It's really satisfying to see the outcome of all the collaboration of so many people. There are art directors, designers, writers that have worked for months on each card, and the feeling when holding a new card for the first time never gets old.
Titus : Super surreal. It's a very weird and dreamlike sensation. I used to be on the other side of the table trying to get signatures and now the roles are reversed. Sort of, I still try to get as many cards signed by other artists. It's hard to put into words, there is a sense of pride, disbelief and glee. Spoiler season is always fun! It's without a doubt the most fun I've ever had working.
Ruthless Instincts - Lius Lasahido
Lius : It feels surreal to see my artworks printed into cards. I have worked for several TCGs but none of them prints the card. Most of them are online based. So, it is really a great thing, to have them as cards and have people actually play the cards, including me :p
The card designed from Luis' Artwork
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Silverstrike Shadows Over Innistrad - Lius Lasahido
Q : What do you think about the MTG community over here at Malaysia?
Christine : Malaysia is awesome, and it was great to see and meet so many fans. This was my first GP, and it was an excellent experience for me, personally. I feel the community in Malaysia were friendly, and very passionate about Magic! It's not everyday that I get to do events such as this. It was a humbling experience, and I'm grateful for such a warm welcome and stay at GP KL 2016.
Titus : I love how people seem to be super friendly. I didn't get a very long in depth look but everyone seemed super open. Talking deck strats, helping each other out, suggesting cards. By the looks of it everyone had a good time which is the most important.
Coastal Breach - Titus Lunter
I think it's great that Magic has these two strong sides. In the one it's a complicated game which can be played at a very high competitive level with no margin for error. On the other side you can play it casually, make infinite combinations of decks that are fun and wacky just to have fun with friends. It seems that people in Malaysia understand that very well.
Lius : I think it's good that Malaysia has quite a big MTG community. These communities are the ones bringing life to MTG and MTG artists. I'm grateful for them.
Ulamog - Lius Lasahido
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INTERVIEW
Q : Any words to our audience who may be an artist too?
Christine : Practice, practice, practice - you can never get too much practice!
Titus : Don't give up. No matter how hard it gets. The difference between a successful artist and a non successful one is that one of them didn't quit. It took me 3 years of submitting my work to get an invite. It took me even longer to get to that point. Most of art is about figuring out who you are and what you want. How well you deal with adversity and if you can bounce back. Be smart, read up, talk to other artists and hang in there. It's worth it in the end.
Lius : Never stop practicing. You have to always be better than yourself before.
Liberating Combustion - Lius Lasahido
Deathsworth - Lius Lasahido
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Q : Lastly, where can we find more of your works and support you and your works?
Unholy Hunger - Lius Lasahido
Christine :
Titus :
I have a selection of work on my website, http://christinechoi.ca.
Lately I mostly write articles on how it is to be an artist and you can find those over at project-discovery.com along with my store and some other cool stuff. As for artwork you can follow me on artstation or go to my site at tituslunter.com.
Actually, I will also be at the Emerald City Comic con in March 2017, in Seattle. If anyone will be in the neighborhood, stop by and say hi!
If you want to hear mostly MTG related ramblings you can also follow me on twitter @tituslunter.
Lius : I usually post my artworks online. You can find them on: Instagram : @lasahido Artstation:www.artstation.com/ artist/lasahido Dynavolt Tower - Titus Lunter
Also here is my new studio website: polarengine.com
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REVIEW
A WHOLE NEW WORLD A Treat for Final Fantasy Fans Across the Globe BY: AIMAN MAULANA | EDITED BY: JUSTIN CHEE
World of Final Fantasy is filled with fanservice… not the NSFW one, and it’s a wonderful experience for fans of the series.
IMPROVEMENTS & FEATURES
Gamers all over the world are excited for Final
World of Final Fantasy is a classic turn-based RPG
Fantasy XV but before we reach there, Square Enix
like the Final Fantasy of yesteryears. In fact, Square
has one more adventure for us to enjoy, and that’s
Enix has made the combat system even easier as
World of Final Fantasy. The game revolves around
players can choose between ‘Wait’, ‘Semi-Active’,
the brother-sister duo of Lann and Reynn, who are
and ‘Active’ battle modes in the settings menu. In
capable of controlling monsters in Grymoire known
Wait, enemies will not be allowed to do anything
as ‘Mirages’.
when your turn comes up, which is easier for the casual crowd to swallow. In ‘Active’, be it Reynn
Apparently, both of them lost their memories and
or shine, time will wait for no Lann! No seriously,
according to a godlike being known as ‘Enna
when your turn comes up, the enemies are still able
Cros’, they were once powerful Mirage Keepers
to move first if you don’t choose an action in time.
that controlled a whole army of Mirages and had the power to take over the world. Following the prophecy of ‘The Jiants from the Hills’, the duo travelled to the world of Grymoire in order to seek out their lost memories, repair their bonds with the lost Mirages, and to discover the truth behind the darkness lurking in Grymoire.
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As for ‘Semi-Active’, it will be just like in ‘Wait’ mode if you’re using the classic battle user interface, but it will be like ‘Active’ mode when you switch to the basic battle user interface. What you need to do in the game is to travel from point to point, fight monsters, and move forward the story. However, unlike previous Final Fantasy games, you can only play as Lann and Reynn, but you can catch those Mirages and make them a part of your team. Even then, they’re not a standalone character in battle, as they have to be ‘stacked’ to either Lann or Reynn, and that’s when the combat system can get a bit complicated. Mirages have 4 different sizes which are S, M, L, and XL. The protagonists can switch between a regular human form, which is an L-sized character, and the smaller ‘Lilikin’ form, which is an M-sized character. When Mirages are stacked to a character, that character will have their stats augmented and they will also have access to the Mirages abilities. The Mirages can be leveled up and evolved or transformed to another Mirage, but whether you choose to do so is highly up to you as in can affect your characters’ stacks. In battle, you can choose to remain stacked or unstacked, in which the latter will have you gain more turns in battle in exchange for weaker individual combat prowess. Despite what the game tells you, you’re better off being stacked in order to avoid certain death.
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COVER STORY
REVIEW
OPINIONS ON WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY
Truth be told, World of Final Fantasy has a more
save the world from destruction as told by the
‘Kingdom Hearts’ feel rather than a Final Fantasy
prophecy’ story. Even the game in itself is a bit too
feel, most likely because of its cute visuals. The way
easy, as it’s near impossible to get a game over.
Square Enix made the combat system makes me
With the exception of storyline boss battles, you
feel like they’ve missed out on a huge opportunity
will be sent back to your home base at Nine Hills
to nail down a solid game. I know there’s a huge
with all your experience points and items still intact
number of people who enjoy the Pokemon-style
if you lose a battle.
RPG, where you capture monsters, grow them, and use them in battle, myself included.
The appearance of various past Final Fantasy characters, all of which can be summoned in
Unfortunately, they opted for the Mirage stacking
battle, is a great fanservice for gamers but that
system which is weird in itself. You are either riding
also highlights the problem with the game. It is a
on a monster while another smaller monster is
fanservice game for Final Fantasy fans as opposed
on top of your head, or 2 monsters smaller than
to a full-blown RPG adventure. Don’t get me
you on top of your head, which just doesn’t make
wrong, it’s not a bad game, but it’s definitely not
sense in battle. It would be much better if they did
one you’d want to pick up if you have not played a
something like Ni No Kuni, where you just capture
number of Final Fantasy games before.
monsters and use them in battle by themselves. In which case, you can either just have Lann and
With that in mind, I give World of Final Fantasy 3
Reynn watch from the sidelines, or have them
out of 5 stars. If you don’t have the money buy a
do battle themselves if you don’t want to use the
number of games every month, I’d highly suggest
monsters, just like in Ni No Kuni.
saving it for Final Fantasy XV instead.
That would make much more sense story-wise, especially given how young and naïve these 2 characters are. Without spoiling the game too
FINAL SCORE
much, I can say that the storyline in itself is very cliché, as it is your typical ‘chosen one who will
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REVIEW
CIVILIZATIONS UNPACKED Civilization VI Review BY: IVAN CHEONG | EDITED BY: JUSTIN CHEE
gameranx.com
gamerevolution.com
The legendary Sid Meier’s Civilization series returns yet again with its sixth instalment and this 4X strategy game series never fails to deliver fun, satisfying tactical gameplay. The game of course still retains its original concept – to build a civilization that can withstand the test of time! Only this time there so many more ways to turn your civilization into world-conquering superpower. First off, the game looks incredibly beautiful. The art direction of the game took a sharp turn by going to a more cartoony feel in comparison to the realistic looking art style of previous Civ games. Animations are fluid and the landscapes looks more vibrant and colourful. To some, the art style may not be agreeable as they do not reflect the game’s more serious tone. The game is supposed to represent the real world of things and the art style may be a bit out of place in representing that aspect of the game. I personally loved it and I think it adds more personality to the game - especially to the Civ leaders. The game also manages to recruit Sean Bean as the new narrator, his strong British accent definitely adds a nice touch. Sometimes it feels like Boromir is the one reading out famous quotes and explaining how cool my Civ leader is when you load up a new game. It's the little things like these that represents the quality and polish of Civ VI.
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DISTRICTS: A NEW EMPHASIS ON TILE MANAGEMENT
pastemagazine.com
pastemagazine.com
The foundation of what makes Firaxis's newest installment different this time is the brand new district planning and the importance of terrain tiles. In Civ V you can just construct all your key buildings all stacked up in your main city tile and leaving the surrounding terrain tiles for other improvements. The new city system, in which key buildings such as markets, temples, and barracks that have always been built in nearly every city to give them basic functionality have now been broken out into 11 types of “districts”. These new districts must be placed on tiles within a city’s borders - no longer stacking them within a single city tile. The number of districts you can build is limited by the population of a city, so in certain cases you will be forced to specialize each city’s function. This creates a lot of variety and paths for your game as you can have one city that is focused on generating wealth with its commercial district and trade routes, another focused on generating culture, or just go full military outfitting every one of your cities with an Encampment.
INDIVIDUAL CITY HAPPINESS LEVEL The empire wide happiness level system that was present in Civ V has been reverted back to individual city happiness. Happiness is now based on how many amenities it has available. Amenities are acquired by the natural luxury resources or by constructing happiness
herebegeeks.com
generating buildings within the city. This is a nice change if you plan to rapidly expand your territory. As long as your newer cities have the luxury resources to support them, you're more developed cities will not have any major implications to its productivity and growth. Thanks to these new prioritization on luxury resources, it now seems almost necessary to expand fast and hard during the early and mid game phases in order to stay competitive. Definitely a welcomed change compared to the usually mundane mid-game phase that can be found in Civ V.
civilization.com
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REVIEW
GOVERNING YOUR PEOPLE Ruling your empire will never be complete without a proper government installed and Civ VI has provided an extremely interactive and customizable government system. You can choose from various kinds of government such as Monarchy, Communism, Theocracy, or Democracy just to name a few. Each of these governments are represented by a few auxiliary bonuses and policy card slots. These policy card slots is heart and soul on how you want to play out your government. They are separated into four different slot types; military, economic, diplomatic, and wildcard slots. Policy cards can be earned via the Civics tree (similar to the Tech tree but powered by Culture points instead) and can be assigned to its corresponding colour slots. Going for a domination victory? Enforce the Logistics policy card which grants units +1 movement if starting on friendly territory. This allows you to quickly deploy your army to the frontlines and provide reinforcements. For those who prefer to be a production powerhouse, pick up the Public Works policy and you will start churning out builders to help developing your lands. There are dozens of these cards, and mixing and matching them can create a government to go with nearly any type of playstyle you could want.
CLEANING UP If you have been playing Civ games as long as me, you will understand how long a game can be and most of the time are spent waiting for your opponents to finish their turns. The first problem that Civ V had is that players will end up, more often than not, more workers than it needs especially towards the late game where you will be stuck with a bunch of automated idle workers when there are no more tiles to improve. Turns just takes much longer to calculate if you don’t manually disband them. Civ VI solves reduces unit clutter by making the Workers (now called Builders) only to have a limited amount of build charges. After a Builder’s build charges has been used up, they will automatically expire. Besides that, this new feature adds another level of interactivity where now even improving tiles need careful thought and consideration so that you don’t waste a build charge.
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WONKY AI Alright now we get down on the most apparent flaw that Civ VI has. The AI is kinda awful. The AI civ nations are each guided by one of the available 20 leaders, each with their own agendas. These agendas determines how the AI behaves in your game. This new agenda system is actually great because it makes it easier for you to know what you are dealing with. Not all agendas will be revealed to you however, you either have to cosy up with them or use espionage to reveal their hidden agendas. Sounds great on paper and I have seen this work well in some games. However, the AI seems to throw the whole agenda system out the window at times. The AI are often incredibly bipolar and aggressive at the oddest of times. During combat, the AI will lose all tactical coherence and will often suicide their units into decisive victories for you. Even when the difficulty is cranked up all the way to Deity mode, winning key battles felt meaningless and unsatisfactory as the AI went bonkers and decided to go all in instead of doing a strategic retreat and live to fight another day. This is a major problem that needs to be fixed hopefully ASAP.
CLIMBING THE TECH TREE Moving on, there are certain minor complaints I have regarding the tech tree. I’m liking the new ‘boosting’ feature where it allows you skip a couple of turns forward into completing your research by accomplishing certain objectives. For instance, you get a significant boost to your research on Archery when one of your slingers kills an enemy unit, effectively cutting a 14 turn research to 7 turns. However, when you arrive on the late game techs, these boosting practically slows to a halt as most of the boosting objectives are increasingly harder to earn for players not going for a science victory. Also there are a lot of dead end tech paths that don’t make sense. For example, early era light cavalry not leading into late era light cavalry. All in all, Civilization VI is still a pretty great game. It is by far the most fully-featured launch version in the entire series. The new district system, emphasis on tile management, research boosts, highly customisable governments, and a unique art style all come together in creating a Civ game that feels familiar yet refreshing at the same time. Although the AI could use some major revamping, and some minor bugs here and
FINAL SCORE
there, Civ VI will go down in my books as one of the best Civ game in the series.
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TECHNOLOGY
A GUIDE TO BUILDING A VIRTUAL REALITY GAMING RIG BY: KAYLEE KUAH | EDITED BY: JUSTIN CHEE
tassin.co
Getting your PC ready for Virtual Reality Gaming
not to worry it’s simpler that you might think. It
is going to require a pretty impressive system,
comes down to the basics of picking the right
irrespective of whether you’re going to use the
components for VR and plugging them in. Now
Oculus Rift or the HTC Vive. It’s important to boost
before we begin just keep in mind that building a
the power of your PC to ensure that your pixel
VR-ready PC is going to be a significant amount
refresh rate remains high. These VR devices have
of monetary investment. Expect your entry-level
two HD low persistence displays refreshing at 90
VR PC to set you back about RM5,000 or about
times per second and if it dips below that you’re
USD1,000. Not including the VR hardware itself.
going to start feeling fairly sick. Okay so let’s break down what you’re going to For those of you that have never built a PC before,
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need:
CPU & MOTHER BOARD
GPU
There are certainly areas of any VR-ready PC build in which you can skimp a bit. The CPU is not one of them. You’re going to need something with at least a quad-core processor. So resign yourself to spending a bit more money in this department. If you are going with a motherboard and build that supports Intel chips, the new Intel i5-6500 won’t
AMD RX 480
trustedreviews.com
break the bank. If you’re planning an AMD build, anything at or above the level of the FX-6350 processor should work. But I’d recommend spending a bit more to get an 8-core processor like the FX9370 or the i7-6700K to future-proof the build. It is also just as crucial to understand that your motherboard will play a significant role in the building
NVIDIA GTX 970
bit-tech.net
of your VR-ready gaming PC, most contemporary boards will do its work but put extra efforts in sourcing for one that will be compatible with the aforementioned CPU units.
AMD R9 390/290
cryptomining-blog.com
Your Graphics Processing Unit next to the CPU is the most important component to consider when building your VR PC. It’s more critical than ever to maintain the recommended 90 FPS framerate as
i5-6500
ru.gecid.com
each missed frame in VR is visible. Continuously missing framerate can be a fairly uncomfortable experience. As a result, GPU headroom becomes critical in absorbing unexpected system or content performance potholes. For a budget build, the AMD RX 480 will handle most VR apps and games at an attractive price point. However you could also consider the NVIDIA GTX 970 or the AMD R9 390/290. Both will be able to run
FX-9370
youtube.com
most VR games at high or very high settings while maintaining a constant frame rate.
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TECHNOLOGY
youtube.com
RAM
POWER SUPPLY Power supplies are a crucial part of a PC build and investing in a good one will save you a lot of grief down the road. Depending on the components you’ve picked you’ll need to estimate how much power you’ll use. But if you need a specific pick do have a look at Corsair's 500-watt CX550M power supply. If you are not the type who would live with
digitaltrends.com
messy cables dangling freely in your PC, you can check out modular PSUs, where the cables and connectors for your components are detachable potentially keeping your PC’s internals more or less mess free.
amazon.com
The recommended onboard RAM for most games hovers around 8GB, and the same holds true for VR. If you plan to also be editing video or rendering graphics with your VR PC, it might be wise to upgrade to 16GB. Otherwise, 8GB will likely be plenty. RAM is relatively cheap and easy to install, making it easy to upgrade if you need more later on.
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Corsair CX550M
herebegeeks.com
THE OTHER STUFF THAT MIGHT MATTER Now you’ve got the core items covered for your VR rig, you can consider uplifting the aesthetics of your PC by looking out for sleek and cool casings to contain all the core goodies you got there. The look and feel of the PC will be entirely up to individual preference but some casings would determine the overall weight of your PC due to its material (eg. plastic vs metal), so if you move around often with
does offer lightweight casings that look just as spectacular. And while your CPU would normally come with stock coolers (usually fans), you can also opt for self-contained liquid coolers, which are quite popular with rig building enthusiasts these days. Make sure to budget your PC component parts beforehand to make sure you don’t go overboard. Building a PC isn’t hard and this upgrade will make sure that your Virtual Reality games and apps run smoothly.
your PC do keep in mind that the market,
anandtech.com
forbes.com
gamecrate.com
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DIGEST
WHAT’S SWITCH-ING ON IN 2017?
For months, Nintendo has teased about the Nintendo NX, leaving fans the world over pondering about the company’s supposedly next-gen gaming console. It was only recently that the veil surrounding the NX has fallen, revealing the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo announced that they will be having a presentation dedicated to the new Switch in January 12th or 13th however specifics of the presentation have yet to be finalised but we can all expect information such as price and launch lineups to be unveiled. The attention it garnered was pretty phenomenal where over 20 million views have been registered just for the First Look video on Youtube at the point of writing this. Rumours have it that the Switch will be releasing worldwide come March 2017 but it’s best to leave it for Nintendo’s very own announcements in this coming January. The feature that might possibly be the Switch’s strongest point against existing consoles in the market would be third-party game support. As such, companies like Capcom has informed about considerations to bring their games to the Nintendo Switch, and more specifically, multi-platform games that are already available on both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Additionally, Square Enix, Bethesda, EA and other publishers have also expressed interests in supporting the Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo Switch - Handheld Mode
Nintendo Switch connected to your TV
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