April LIVE Magazine

APRIL 2014

THIEF & TITANFALL

FULL REVIEWS Page 62

140 PAGES

OF GAMING, COSPLAY & MORE!

RETRO

SPECIAL EDITION!

We look back at the golden days of gaming...

OUT NOW!

See full review on page 74!

INSIDE 12 30 WELCOME TO LIVE! 53 110 Retro Special

Retro Comments

Previews & Reviews

Back to the Future?

This month we’ve looked back at some of our favourite games from what some might call, the good old days of gaming. There’s no doubt there was a certain energy about the 80s and 90s and even early 2000’s when it comes to gaming.

Systems like the NES, SNES, Megadrive and computers like the Atari ST and Amiga 500 had some incredible titles that seemed to cram brilliant game play and, for the time, amazing graphics, onto small floppy disks or cartridges. Icons such as Mario and Sonic we’re born in those days. Games featured the amazing ability to suspend disbelief and allow you to enjoy games in ways we’d never previously experienced. Do they still today?

So what’s next? We’ve got powerful new systems that promise much. We’ve got incredible technology like the Sony PS4 Virtual Reality headset and the Oculus Rift coming out hopefully this year. The Oculus System was just purchased by Facebook, and we expect the social media giant’s financial backing to result in amazing gaming experiences. But will they be simply eye candy or might they bring about a new era of immersive gaming? Will they take us back to the day when fancy graphics alone were not enough. A time when developers had to cram a whole game into a system like the Amiga that only had 500k or RAM. Think about that, 500k! And we got swept away with the story, graphics and audio. As gamers we hope that these new hardware devices enhance our gaming experiences, giving us amazing new worlds and experiences to enjoy. We hope they’ll take us back to when gaming was pure and exhilarating and had the ability to amaze us.

We at Live hope you enjoy this look back at gaming. Please share the magazine with your friends via social media or forwarding the link to the magazine. You can download it and drag it onto your tablet or read it online or on your phone. You can even subscribe by clicking the free subscription link on the back.

See you next month.

Rob and the team.

Cosplay interviews

THE LIVE TEAM Publisher: Rob Jenkins (Gametraders Operations Centre) Art Director: Giselle Capozza (Gametraders Operations Centre) Game Review & Preview Editors: Nick Getley & Kylie Tuttle (Sticky Trigger) Retro Writer: Paul Monopoli Retro Writer: David Kudrev UK Writer: Rob Jenkins US Writer: Serwa Aboagye Sticky Trigger Writers: Kylie Tuttle Nick Getley Alex Holmes Sam Babu Nick Pearce Aaron Milligan Ben Rachow Elliott Buddo Bridget Sweeney Sean Fox Miranda Nelson Dom Mallett

KEEP CALM AND

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CARDS CANVAS

MEMORBILIA FRAMES

WHAT’S N FACEBOOK BUYS BIG!

The internet went a bit crazy the other day with the announcement of Facebook buying start up, Oculus VR for $2 billion. Mark Zuckerberg said Facebook wanted to make Oculus a platform for “completely new kinds of experiences”.

With the weight of Facebook behind it, Oculus now will have the resources to take on Sony’s Project Morpheus, another VR headset system that recently was shown off. There were a ton of comments on the various forums and many people were worried the social media giant would take the unit into undesirable directions such as ads on and during games etc. Facebook are too smart for it to end up like this humorous video (click here!)…

Founder of Oculus, Palmer Lucky posted a long letter about the partnership ending simply with “We won’t let you down.”

Let’s give it a chance and see what they do. After all if they mess it up, fans simply won’t buy it.

OFFICE FOR iPAD! At last or too little too late? Either way it was reported that Microsoft finally released Office for the iPad as free download.

You can download via the iTunes store - Word, Excel and Powerpoint but if you have the Apple alternatives, you might wonder why bother?

NEW?

Here’s what’s hot at the moment and what’s likely to be popular with gamers and tech lovers!

GOT A SPARE $3,000 FOR SOME KICK BUTT GRAPHICS? Nvidia announced the GeForce Titan Z graphics card for a cool $3,000. So you can buy this or a new gaming rig. The CEO of Nvidia said at the company’s recent GPU Technology Conference that it would be powered by two Kepler GPUs and feature 12gig RAM. It also is powered by 5,760 processing cored and that basically means insanely fast processing power. Sure it’s expensive but for hard core gamers it will be very desirable!

NOKIA LUMIA 630 RELEASED SOON! Aimed at the low end of the market, this promises to be the first Windows phone with on screen buttons.

As of writing this there is no image on the Nokia website so you’ll have to wait for the announcement from the mobile giant.

gaming in the US

Video Games are interactive art Video Games are completely unlike other mediums of artistic expression such as film, crafts, music, and literature; because unlike those other mediums, a video game can punish you for improperly engaging them.

For example: unless you’re illiterate, anyone can read a book and understand what’s being said – even if the themes and motifs of a novel fly over your head, the book isn’t going to close itself in your face saying “you’re too simple minded to truly enjoy me, goodbye.” Likewise, music doesn’t turn itself off if you’re a terrible dancer; an easel doesn’t collapse if you don’t understand color schemes; a

engage with a video game is what makes the medium so fantastic, but is also what makes it nearly impossible for video games to go completely mainstream. Video games are interactive art, i.e. they can’t exist as art on their own, and they require a player to invest a part of themselves into the mechanics before they can truly be a complete experience. It is that “interactivity” which I believe prevents video games from becoming a full part of mainstream culture.

However, that doesn’t mean some titles haven’t broken through the barrier and simplified interactivity to a point where nearly anyone can enjoy

levels. Likewise someone who enjoys games such as Mario or Rayman may not view Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja with the same integrity. I think before video games can truly be considered mainstream, culture needs to be more open minded as to exactly what kind of experience can classify itself as a “video game”. I’m excited to see developers who are bending the rules of video game development by embracing this thought provoking idea;

“I THINK BEFORE VIDEO GAMES CAN TRULY BE CONSIDERED MAINSTREAM, CULTURE NEEDS TO BE MORE OPEN MINDED..” film doesn’t end prematurely if you can’t connect to the characters. Unlike these other mediums, a predetermined amount of skill is required for a person to enjoy video games – some people don’t understand how to coordinate themselves enough to use a controller. And if you incorrectly play a game, you’ll be punished with a “game over” or remain stuck on a level if you can’t figure out how to proceed.

I think the small amount of skill which is required for a player to properly

them; unfortunately such titles are scrutinized by their own audience as not being games at all.

Video games don’t need to be mainstream in order to be considered a strong pop culture influence or serious form of artistic expression.

However, I also think video games have room for inclusion as far as a mainstream audience is concerned.

The skill required to enjoy a game such as Titanfall verses the skill required to enjoy games such as Gone Home are on completely different

but ultimately I believe video games shall always remain a niche experience. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that… except for the fact I lay awake at night a cry for all the people who’ll never get to experience this incredibly powerful art form simply because they lack the appropriate motor skills or handeye coordination. Here’s to hoping one day we’ll reach a place where the definition of a video game is so blurred, everyone can enjoy them.

Written by Serwa Aboagye

www.fruitjungle.wordpress.com

gaming in the UK

U.K. News Round Up

Gamers in the U.K are in love with Infamous: Second Son as it held on to the number 1 spot on the UKIE charts ending week 13, 2014. Even though sales of the game fell it just held on followed by Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. After MSG V was Titanfall, FIFA 14and at number 5, The Lego Movie Video Game.

In other U.K news, the British Film Institute published guidelines for developers who want to claim tax relief for video game development. Ac-

However our reading of the release suggests that only games that are deemed of cultural value can get the tax relief. The Telegraph in the U.K has the complete story and says this is indeed good news for the U.K game industry. Video games are

“..THIS IS INDEED GOOD NEWS FOR THE U.K GAME INDUSTRY.” cording to the BFI site, the tax relief has been awarded approval by the European Commission and to quote the site: “The UK video games tax relief has now been awarded state aid approval by the European Commission and the legislation needed to implement the tax relief is being taken forward now by the Government.

The Draft Finance Bill 2014 was published on 27 March 2014 and DCMS will be publishing a final draft of The Cultural Test (Video Games) Regulations 2014 later in the year.”

expensive to produce and governments need to get behind the industry to drive creativity and to boost the industry resulting in more jobs. You can read the entire Telegraph report here.

Finally in our round up from around the web, The Huffington Post (UK) reports that gay characters in video games are being held back due to commercial fears according to Ubisoft’s Montreal Lead Writer, Lucien Souban. Check out the whole story here.

Written by Rob Jenkins

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Retro Games that Spawned Gaming Genres Do you like a particular genre of games over others? Maybe you love to raid dungeons in an MMORPG such as World of Warcraft or Star Wars: The Old Republic, or perhaps you enjoy pwning n00bs in Battlefield 4 or the newlyreleased Titanfall. Whatever your buzz, all the genres in gaming began with just one game (and in some cases, two).

The following is a list of some of video games’ most influential classics, with information about the games themselves and the genres they helped create. We’ve aimed to cover as many genres as possible but with magazine space being a precious commodity, we’ve had to only cover the big genres.

Say hello to the Grand Daddies of gaming!

Maze game - ‘Pac-Man’ (1980, Namco) If there’s one single video game character who is recognisable above all else, it’s Pac-Man - the yellow, round ball-man from Namco (now Namco Bandai). Long before the mascot era was ushered in by a certain Italian plumber and hyperactive hedgehog, Pac-Man was the first ever video game protagonist and the king of the arcade-era.

Essentially a game about eating, Pac-Man takes place in haunted mazes where players must eat 240 dots in a level, all the while being pursued by ghosts. Players are able to eat power dots (also known as power pellets, Pac-dots) which enable Pac-Man¬¬ to eat the ghosts, but only for a brief time.

One would assume from a brief glance that Pac-Man’s gameplay was rather simple (and compared to modern games, it is), but it’s cheerful sprites and bright colours hide

an addictive and tense game of cat and mouse. It was also one of the earliest examples of A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) in a video game, with each ghost having a different way of moving through the maze and a different approach for hunting PacMan. Pac-Man enthusiasts often state that to succeed at Pac-Man, players must learn to understand the different ghosts’ behaviours.

It has been 34 years since PacMan fever first struck the world, and Pac himself has managed to remain popular throughout that entire time. Sure, he’s had the odd game that has broken from his core mechanics (Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures was quite a departure from Pac-Man), but with a new cartoon series as well as a slew of new games across consoles, PC and mobiles, Pac-Man isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

The Maze Game Legacy: Mouse Trap (1981), Pengo (1982), I’m Sorry (1985), and more.

Shoot-em-up/Space shooter - ‘Space Invaders’ (1978, Taito) You can’t deny the importance of Space Invaders. It ushered in the era of space shooters (and shoot ‘em ups), both of which are still popular today. One of the shooters that followed the computer-only game, Spacewar! (1962), Space Invaders won game overs with its addictive gameplay and intense atmosphere.

Space Invaders saw players pilot a lone spaceship (which could only move on a lateral plane) in combat against an alien army. The aliens constantly advance, whilst moving sideways to avoid the player’s shots. Unlike other shooters where bullets can be fired instantaneously, shots have a slight delay in recharging, so timing one’s shots correctly takes practice, and is especially difficult against the strafing aliens as they increase in speed.

What was truly brilliant about Space Invaders was the tense atmosphere, which was gained by a soundtrack of just four descending notes, which increased in pace in sync with the aliens. At the start of the game, the aliens and soundtrack were quite slow, but by the end of a player’s run, they would both be absolutely manic.

Space shooters like Spacewar and Space Invaders were actually developed in response to real life events. The cold war and the space race both took place during the same time as the birth and rise of video games, and the public (particularly in the United States of America) lived in caution of both the perils of space and the threat of international conflict. It wouldn’t have been completely unreasonable then, to fear a combination of the two, namely the threat of aliens or a conflict fought in outer space.

Space Invaders has seen many ports and remakes across a wide variety of consoles. Earlier ports kept graphics and gameplay identical (such as the ones on the NES and Atari systems) but later systems saw inclusions such as special enemies and weapon power ups. Space Invaders remains a hugely popular retro title, and has gone onto influence a number of other retro and modern shooters.

The Shooter (Shoot-em-up) Legacy - Galaxian (1987), Galaga (1981), 1942 (1984), R-Type (1987), the Starfox series (19932011), Mars Matrix (2000), and more.

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Retro Games that Spawned Gaming Genres

Text-based adventure - ‘Colossal Cave Adventure’ (1976, William Crowther, CRL) All adventure game sub-genres can be traced back to Colossal Cave Adventure, a text-based cave-exploring game from computer programmer and cave enthusiast William Crowther. The layout of the in-game cave was based on the Mammoth Cave system found in Kentucky. Crowther designed the in-game cave so well, that new “cavers” could explore the beginning caves in the Mammoth Cave system in real life after getting familiar with the cave in Colossal Cave Adventure.

Gameplay in Colossal Cave Adventure is based on logic, and textbased, meaning that you are presented with a series of sentences and paragraphs similar to a book, and you must then type in the action you wish to take next into the text bar at the bottom of the screen. While it can be difficult for a modern gamer or a non-gamer to grasp, the game itself was a major hit with computer programmers

and computer enthusiasts from the 1970s through to the late 80s (and is still somewhat popular today).

Colossal Cave Adventure (often referred to simply as Adventure) has been ported numerous times across a variety of systems. Some versions even expand upon the original game, and the game is often presented in schools and to computer programmers for educational purposes.

It’s well known that Colossal Cave Adventure established the adventure genre, but its influence spread much further than that. Numerous sub-genres took features of the adventure genre and merged them with their own unique gameplay and design points. Visual Novels (which make up over 70% of PC game sales in Japan!) are text and picture (and sometimes animated scenes) based games, which feel like an interactive novel. Graphic Adventure games (which later earned the nickname “point and

click games”) presented the player with visual scenarios that required perception and logic to solve puzzles and progress through the story.

The Text-based adventure Legacy - Zork (1977), Shadows of Mordor (1987), Spy Snatcher (1992) The Graphic adventure Legacy King’s Quest: Quest for the Crown (1984), Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards (1987), Chaos on Deponia (2012) The Action-adventure Legacy Prince of Persia (1989), Metroid (1986), Tomb Raider (1996), Silent Hill (1999), and many, many more.

Puzzle game - ‘Tetris’ (1984, Alexey Pajitnov, Nintendo, Spectrum Holobyte) Tetris. The king of all puzzlers. Before puzzles games were boiled down to match-3 games such as Bejeweled and Candy Crush Saga, one puzzle game tested (and continues to test) gamers all over the world with it’s unique gameplay.

Developed by Alexey Pajitnov in the Soviet Union, Tetris is a tilematching game that was originally released on the Commodore 64 and IBM PC. In it, players must create lines or multiple lines to gain points as well as eliminate the shapes, which begin to accelerate in their rate of appearance as well as falling speed.

Tetris also addicted people with its catchy rendition of the Russian folk song ‘Korobeiniki’, which was known simply as ‘Song A’ in the game, and became widely known as the “Tetris Song”.

While Tetris was a popular game on the C64 and IBM, it’s release on the Nintendo Game Boy saw it become a global phenomenon. Fre-

quently referenced as the “greatest video game of all time”. Tetris (or a variant of it) has seen a release on almost every console since its original release. Without Tetris, the puzzle genre of games might not have happened and therefore, we might not have seen the likes many puzzle games.

The Puzzle Legacy - Columns (1989), Klax (1989), Bejeweled (2001), and more.

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Retro Games that Spawned Gaming Genres

Platformer - ‘Super Mario Bros’ (1985, Nintendo) While Mario made an appearance in Donkey Kong under the name “Jump Man”, it wasn’t until he got his own revolutionary title that he became one of gamings biggest icons, and that the platformer genre took the world by storm. Releasing on the Nintendo Entertainment system, Super Mario Bros ushered in the era of the side-scrolling platformer, as well as many classic elements from the sub-genre.

Created by Shigeru Miyamoto (Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda), Super Mario Bros told the story of a brave Italian plumber on a quest to rescue the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom from Bowser, a demonic “Koopa” (in Japan, he is referred to as the “great demon king”), which is a monster in a turtle shell.

Gameplay in Super Mario Bros involves traversing laterally (usually from left to right) throughout the game’s many levels to a goal at the

end of the level. Throughout these levels, there are numerous enemies and obstacles, as well as a time limit, which add to the game’s difficulty. The levels in Super Mario Bros are divided into worlds, with each world having levels that make it up. At the end of each world, is one of Bowser’s dungeons, which are more difficult than usual levels.

They are filled with lava and traps, and Bowser awaits at the end should Mario successfully navigate through the dungeon.

It’s impossible to find a gamer who hasn’t heard of Super Mario and his lankier little brother, Luigi. Their adventures have seen steady releases on every Nintendo console available including the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64, Gamecube, Nintendo DS, Wii and Wii U. The Platformer Legacy: The Sonic the Hedgehog series (1991-cur-

rent), the Crash Bandicoot series (1996-2010), the Jax and Daxter series (2001-current), the Kirby series (1992-current), the Alex Kidd series (1986-1990), Spyro the Dragon (1998-current, if you include Skylanders)and many more.

First-person-shooter (FPS) - ‘Doom’ (1993, id Software) The modern gamer owes a lot to Doom, the game largely responsible for popularising the FPS subgenre (or genre, depending on your personal opinion). Without it, we might not have some of gaming’s most popular franchises. Although one of id Software’s previous games (Wolfenstein 3D) helped establish the FPS genre, it was Doom that ushered in the era of the FPS. So much so, that many FPS games earned the term “Doom clones”.

Doom casts players as a lone space marine who is stationed on Mars. The Martian space marine base acts as security for the Union Aerospace Corporation, a multiplanetary conglomerate, which is performing secret experiments with teleportation by creating gateways between the two moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos. Mars is considered by space marines to be the dullest assignment imaginable.

This all changes when the UAC experiments go horribly wrong. Computer systems on Phobos malfunction, Deimos disappears entirely, and the armies of hell start pouring out of the gateway, killing or possessing all UAC personnel. Doom became an instant classic thanks to several unique features made possible by its revolutionary engine (which shared the same name as the game). It featured huge exterior and interior environments.

Where Wolfenstein 3D had a handful of Nazis, Doom truly did have the armies of Hell, as it presented a staggering amount of enemies on screen at once, and where other

games struggle to either have detailed textures or a smooth framerate, Doom managed to have both.

As I said earlier, the modern gamer owes a lot to id Software and Doom, and it’s not just because it led to the modern FPS. In the early 90s, the music industry was facing a huge change. A large number of Generation X grew sick of the poppy music of the 80s and early 90s, and longed for music that reflected their modern values and thoughts on popular culture. Grunge was the solution to their collective problem.

It offered the perfect escape to a jaded generation while giving the middle finger to the “wholesome American values” that were forcibly pushed onto them.

Similarly in video games, there were a number of gamers whose taste in games began to mature and/or deviate from the majority. They were no longer attracted to the bright colours and cheerful bleeps and bloops of video game arcades, and wanted games that would offer a welcome retreat from the cute graphics and simpler gameplay of the current arcade and console games. Doom came along at the perfect time in that regard, as it shared the spirit and rebellious attitude of the grunge and heavy metal at the time. If Nirvana ushered in grunge, then id Software ushered in the new wave of mature games.

The name “Doom” did not refer so much to the game’s content, as much as it referred to the impact that id Software knew it would have upon the entertainment industry.

Upon its release, Doom received more than its fair share of controversy and slander from parents, religious groups and the mainstream media, though despite the negative impact these forces had, the game had over 10,000,000 players after 2 years of its release.

The adult content and graphic nature of Doom helped push the idea that video games weren’t just for children, a stigma that is still unfortunately heard even today. When the majority of other games had no violent or mature content at all, id Software took a risk that ultimately paid off.

The FPS Legacy: The Call of Duty series (2003-current), the Battlefield series (2002-current), Goldeneye 64 (1997), The Quake series (1996-2010), Counter-Strike (1999), Left 4 Dead (2008), and more.

Games With Adult Content: The Mortal Kombat series (1992-current), Duke Nukem 3D (1996) ,The Godfather: The Game (2006), The Grand Theft Auto series (1997-current), Manhunt (2003), L.A. Noire (2011), and many more.

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Retro Games that Spawned Gaming Genres

Beat-em-up/Brawler - ‘Double Dragon’ (1987, Technos Japan) Another game that spawned an entire sub-genre of games, Double Dragon was one of the first popular arcade beat-em-ups (also known as brawlers). In it, players were cast as Billy and Jimmy Lee, two brothers who must rescue the woman they love (yes, they both love the same woman) from a criminal organisation.

Double Dragon is not considered to be the first beat-em-up, but I would like to make the argument that it is.

Yes, there were a handful of games that used hand-to-hand combat, but it was Double Dragon that set the standard for beat-em-ups with its varied level design, smart A.I., end of level bosses, co-operative multiplayer and tight combat.

The Lee brothers are martial artists, who battle various members of the Black Warriors gang as they venture further and further into the gang’s territory. The players are able to call upon a variety of martial arts moves in their repertoire

to defeat the enemies as well as make use of various weapons that can be found throughout the levels, either on the ground or by disarming gang members.

Double Dragon was a tough game, and was one of the first games labeled a “quarter muncher” (an arcade game that is so hard, it’s as though it is devouring your money) by its fans and critics alike. Despite its difficulty, it was an extremely addictive game that saw it ported and released across a huge variety of consoles including the NES, Sega Master System, IBM-PC, Nintendo Game Boy, Atari 2600 and 7800, iPhone, and Xbox 360. It has also been announced as coming to the Nintendo Wii U through the virtual console network soon.

Double Dragon has spawned a number of sequels, a Hollywood movie (which was awful), and an animated TV series (which also had its own game) and still remains popular today. It popularised the

beat-em-up genre which despite varying degrees of popularity, has always seen a number of releases.

A popular evolution of 2D beatem-up games is the hack-n-slash sub-genre. While they have been around almost as long as beat-emups, they have maintained their popularity since the arcade era, and have a number of notable recent franchises.

The Beat-Em-Up Legacy: The Golden Axe series (1989-2008), the Streets of Rage (Bare Knuckle) series (1991-1994), the Final Fight series (1989-1995), Castle Crashers (2008), God Hand (2006), Zeno Clash (2009) and Scott Pilgrim Vs the Worl: The Game (2010).

The Hack-N-Slash Legacy: The Devil May Cry games (2001-current), the new Ninja Gaiden games (2004-current), as well as the God of War games (2005-current).

RPG/Action-RPG - ‘The Legend of Zelda’ (1986, Nintendo) Created by Shigeru Miyamoto (Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros), The Legend of Zelda aimed to recreate the sense of wonder and adventure Miyamoto felt as a child.

Growing up in a mountainous region of Japan, Miyamoto frequently explored caves and forests in his youth. As people began to grow up with games, they wanted more depth and story from them. The Legend of Zelda is widely regarded as the one of the earliest roleplaying-games (RPG), though in actuality it is more of an action-rpg, given its focus on real-time combat and arcade-style execution.

The Legend of Zelda tells the story of Link who has to collect the pieces of the Trifoce of Wisdom in order to save Princess Zelda from Ganon, the game’s antagonist. Gameplay has a heavy focus on arcade-style combat and exploration. There isn’t a strong sense of direction in The Legend of Zelda, but there are NPCs (non-player-characters) hidden throughout the world that will guide link through cryptic clues.

What is cool about the open-world design, is that players are able to complete any dungeon in the game at any time, which was unheard in games design at that point.

The sheer sense of adventure, original characters and enemies, as well as the iconic musical score made The Legend of Zelda an instant classic. The Legend of Zelda has become one of Nintendo’s most important franchises, and has seen 16 sequels (though not all of them on a major console).

The Action-RPG Legacy: The Diablo series (1996-2012), the Secret of Mana (Seiken Densetsu) series (1993-current), Illusion of Gaia AKA Illusion of Time (1993), Beyond Oasis AKA The Story of Thor (1994).

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Retro Games that Spawned Gaming Genres

Fighting game - ‘Street Fighter II: The World Warrior’ (1991, Capcom) The original Street Fighter game received positive reviews, but did not invent a genre of gaming like its highly-refined sequel, Street Fighter II. It introduced the world to Ryu, Sagat and other fighters, as well as the series’ iconic special moves (such as the Hadouken), but it proved to be a rather boring game with no lasting appeal. Enter Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, which contained multiple playable characters - each with their own fighting style - as well as a much improved engine over the first game.

The real strength of Street Fighter II lies with its brilliantly designed characters. Every character is an equal match to each other in terms of strength and advantages/disadvantages. It’s up to the player to learn these advantages and disadvantages, as well as develop their own tactics for defeating each rival with their chosen character. Each character also has their own arena and music to accompany them, some of these became immensely popular and have remained some of the most popular music written

for video games, and even gave birth to popular internet memes (Guile’s Theme Goes With Everything).

Another important feature of Street Fighter II was that it allowed players to fight each other, instead of the standard pre-determined fight patterns of computer-controlled opponents. While the original Street Fighter contained a versus mode, players were locked to using Ken and Ryu, whereas Street Fighter II allowed for far greater variety in local versus match-ups.

Street Fighter II almost singlehandedly revitalized the arcade scene in the 1990s, as it was the most popular arcade cabinet since Pac-Man. Selling over 60,000 original arcade cabinets (not the expanded versions of the game that came later), arcade owners could not keep up with the demand for multiple cabinets.

The Super Nintendo (SNES) port of Street Fighter II was Capcom’s highest-selling video game of all

time until 2009, when it was surpassed by Resident Evil 5.

The Street Fighter franchise has seen a staggering amount of revamps, sequels and spin-offs, and has seen a steady flow of releases available in arcades and on home consoles. It has had all manner of licensed properties based on it created, from a Hollywood action movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Raul Julia, to comic books, manga and an anime series called Street Fighter II V (a personal favourite of mine). With Ultra Street Fighter IV set to release this July, the granddaddy of all fighting games shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.

The Fighting Game Legacy: The Tekken series (1994-current), Soul Calibur (1998-current), the Mortal Kombat series (1992-current), Virtua Fighter (1993-2012) and the Dead or Alive series (1996-2013).

Western RPG - ‘Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness’ (1981, California Pacific Computer Company, Origin Systems) Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness (which is often referred to as simply Ultima I) revolves around a quest to find and destroy the Gem of Immortality, which is being used by the evil wizard Mondain to enslave the lands of Sosaria. With the gem in his possession, he cannot be killed, and his minions roam and terrorize the countryside. The player takes on the role of ‘The Stranger’, an individual summoned from another world to end the rule of Mondain. The game follows the endeavors of the stranger in this task, which involves progressing through many aspects of game play, including dungeon crawling and space travel.

The game was one of the first definitive commercial computer RPGs, and is considered an important and influential turning point for the development of the genre throughout years to come. It established many standard features of the RPG genre (at least, many of the beginning features) such as first-person dungeon exploration, an overworld (a traversible map which represents the game world), experience points, and an extensive character creation and progression system, which included various races, classes and stat points. Ultima I also features hit points, experience points and a currency system, which are staples of the RPG genre.

Ultima I has been ported and remade countless times, as it was in high demand for years after its release. There are 9 games in the main Ultima series in total, and it has also seen numerous spinoffs, including an MMORPG. Ultima is easily one of the most influential video games of all time.

The (Western) RPG Legacy: The Elder Scrolls series (1994-current), the Might and Magic series (1986-current), the Fallout series (1997-2010), and many more.

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Retro Games that Spawned Gaming Genres Japanese Role Playing games or JRPG’s stemmed from two games - Dragon Quest AKA Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy. It was important that both of these titles were looked at when compiling this list as JRPG would not be what we know it to be today without these two games!

‘Dragon Quest’ AKA ‘Dragon Warrior’ JRPG (1986, Chunsoft) Dragon Quest is considered by many to be the first Japanese roleplaying-game (JRPG). It tells the story of a hero who must defeat the dragonlord in order to save the kingdom of Alefgard and its princess.

Dragon Quest set many of the standard features that are used by other JRPG titles, such as overworlds (huge maps representing the game’s world that the player travels across), turn-based party combat, random monster encounters, experience levels as well as a focus on the game’s story. The game’s creator, Yuji Horii, stated that while he was influenced by Western RPGs like Ultima, he want-

ed Dragon Quest to have more of a story, and to feel inviting to both gamers and non-gamers alike.

Though heavily influenced by Ultima, Dragon Quest was very much a unique game. While selling well in Japan, the North American version (which had content altered in order to appeal more to Western gamers) didn’t sell as well as its Japanese counter-part. This may or may not be one of the reasons why numerous Dragon Quest games have not been localised and released in the west. Regardless, the impact and influence of Dragon Quest on both Western and Eastern JRPGs is undeniable.

Final Fantasy’ JRPG (1987, Squaresoft) Similar to Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy was a JRPG for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Whilst very similar to Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy had its own unique story and design elements, as well as a class system for the game’s characters.

The story follows four youths called the Light Warriors, who each carry one of their world’s four elemental orbs which have been darkened by the four Elemental Fiends. Together, they quest to defeat these evil forces, restore light to the orbs, and save their world.

While Dragon Quest sold well in Japan but suffered internationally, Final Fantasy managed to sell particularly well with the Western market, and as a result, eclipsed Dragon’s Quest in sales. Because of this, the Final Fantasy series became the most popular JRPG series in western territories, opening

the door for many others (including later installments in the Dragon’s Quest series).

Final Fantasy is one of the world’s most popular gaming franchises. It has seen a steady amount of releases and spin-off titles including fighting games, a strategy-RPG, and even a kart racing game (Chocobo Racing). There have been a number of animated movies, as well as various compilation CDs of the series’ amazing soundtracks.

Final Fantasy introduced a great number of console gamers to Japanese games and the RPG genre.

It should be noted that both JRPGs and Western RPGs have a rich history of influencing each other. While games like Final Fantasy have undeniably influenced other JRPGs, they have also influenced Western RPGs, and vice versa. Originally, the term “RPG” was a blanket term

for all role-playing-games, and it wasn’t until noticeable differences between Western-developed and Eastern-developed RPGs came about that the term JRPG was used for most Eastern RPGs. The JRPG Legacy: The Final Fantasy series (1987-current), the Shining series (1991-current), the Tales series (1995-current), the Disgaea series (2003-current), and more.

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Retro Games that Spawned Gaming Genres

Racing Game - ‘Pole Position’ (1982, Namco) Of all the genres in gaming, racing games are one of the trickiest to analyze the history of. There were many games before Pole Position that claimed to be racing games (Rally-X, Speed Race, Monaco GP), but few of these actually felt like actual racing games and instead felt like arcade games that featured cars.

Namco’s Pole Position however,

was the first racing game to feature a race track that was actually modeled from a real race track, and combined it with the popular behind-the-car third-person view that is associated with the racing genre. Not only that, but it was one of the first arcade racers with a realistically-depicted car, and not some whacky cartoon-like car.

Racing games arguably became the genre that pursues realism the

most, and a game like Pole Position certainly set the standard at the time of its release.

Upon its release, Pole Position was the highest grossing arcade game that year in North America, earning $61 million. It has been ported numerous times, and has even had a Saturday morning cartoon based on it.

The Racing Game Legacy: Super Mario Kart (1992-current), the Gran Turismo series (1997-current), the Test Drive series (1987-2012), the Need for Speed series (1994-current), and many more.

Real-time-strategy - ‘Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty’ (1992, Westwood Studios) Although Herzog Zwei is widely considered the first real-time strategy game, it saw a relatively small audience, due to it being released on the Sega Mega Drive. At the time, Mega Drive titles were primarily arcade titles and action titles with simpler gameplay, and PC would have been better suited to Herzog Zwei’s strategic gameplay.

Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty (renamed to Dune II: The Battle for Arrakis for some regions) took some of Herzog Zwei’s elements and refined them, as well as adding some of its own unique features which would later become the standard for many RTS games. It is based on the film Dune, which in turn is based on Frank Herberts science-fiction novel, Dune.

The player takes the role of the commander of one of the three interplanetary houses, the Atreides, the Harkonnen or the Ordos, with the objective of wresting control of Arrakis from the other two houses.

House Ordos is not featured in the Dune novels and is mentioned only in the non-canon Dune Encyclopedia. The basic strategy in the game is to harvest spice from the treacherous sand dunes using a harvester vehicle, convert the spice into credits via a refinery and to build military units with these acquired credits in order to fend off and destroy the enemy .

Some key elements that first appeared in Dune II and later appear in many other RTS games include: • A world map from which the next mission is chosen • Resource-gathering to fund unit construction • Simple base and unit construction • Building construction dependencies (technology tree) • Mobile units that can be deployed as buildings • Different sides/factions (the Houses), each with unique unittypes and super weapons • A context-sensitive mouse cursor to issue commands (introduced in

the Mega Drive/Genesis version) Another notable feature of Dune II was that it was one of the first games to support MIDI sound, and therefore, had vastly superior sound design compared to other games at the time. Dune II has often been described as one of the greatest video games of all time by a number of different game developers and publishers, as well as various websites and even Time magazine.

The RTS Legacy: The Warcraft series (1994-current), the Command and Conquer series (1995-2012), the Age of Empires series (19972013), and many more.

So there you have it - a wrap-up of some of the biggest genres in gaming. Have you played many of them? The standards set by many retro games are still found in games today. Experience levels, hit points, aiming crosshairs, over worlds - all of them came from somewhere. Many passionate developers aimed to tell a story, or simply aimed to create a game that was fun. As we look to the future of gaming one thing is for sure: its roots are firmly planted in a retro game.

Written by Nick Getley

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

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“..I SPENT MANY HOURS PAST BEDTIME UNDER THE COVERS, ENJOYING AND EXPLOITING THE MARVEL OF BACKLIT SCREENS. This was a tricky one for me, I have so many fond memories across many platforms and games that it’s hard to pick a favourite. An honourable mention has to go to Crystal Mines and the Atari Lynx, with which I spent many hours past bedtime under the covers, enjoying and exploiting the marvel of backlit screens. Of course, text adventures like Zork also hold a special place in my heart, but when you’re talking All Time Favourites I really have to go back to the game and console that started it all for me.

Obviously, the awesome 16-Bit power of the Sega Megadrive is what changed my life forever and put me on the path of gaming. My brother and I were gifted a second hand Megadrive by one of our cousins, along with what seemed like about 100 games but was probably only about 10, in around 1994. There were some real gems in this selection, like the impossible Another World and the original Mortal Kombat (which I was technically not allowed to play, but helped myself to anyway). Sonic was there, too, as well as Bubsy and Ecco the Dolphin, but the retro classic that got me hooked forever was Golden Axe. You could be an Amazon, and there were these great dragon-chicken mount things you could ride around.

They may not be cornerstones of retro gaming, lauded worldwide as the turning points in an era, but Golden Axe and the Mega Drive will always be what got me into gaming, and that’s what makes them my all time favourites.

MEGAHAN COLES:

WWW.XXPGAMES.COM.AU

“What’s your favourite retro game or console?”

Industry Comment..

“..LOADED UP A GAME CALLED BACK TO REALITY AND IT BLEW MY MIND..”

It was 1984, my parents brought home an Atari 2600 with pack in games Space Invaders and Air Sea Battle and oh boy, did I love that console! A few years later I went to a friends house to play their Atari 2600 when I saw a computer set up underneath his lounge room TV - It was a Commodore 64. He turned it on and loaded up a game called Back to Reality and it blew my mind, from then on I knew this was the game system that I was waiting for. Soon after my parents graced me with a C64 with disk drive and the rest is history.

When my friends were arguing with each other about which was the better system out of the Sega Master System or Nintendo Entertainment System, I was sitting back playing my awesome C64. With the awesome game line up it had from Shmups, Arcade, Platform and driving games, I was never bored. I find most games still hold up today namely The Last Ninja Series, Myth, Turrican series, Creatures 2, Hammerfist, Monty on the Run and special mention to Shinobi - the greatest 8bit port in my opinion.

Visually, some games would make Amiga owners contemplate how the C64 could even accomplish graphics so close to 16bit, and The Last Ninja 3 is a prime example. But what stands out for me about the C64 is its sound chip. The “Sidchip” as it was called had the most amazing sound and most developers exploited it to its limits. Games with the best soundtracks include Commando, Monty on the Run, Cybernoid, IK+, X-Out, among many others (there’s just too many to mention).

Now in my adult years I play and collect various consoles like the PC Engine, Sega Megadrive, SNES and current gen but what is still set up amongst my consoles is my very first C64, and my love for it is as strong as ever.

DARREN (DAZ) BORG:

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/RETRODOMINATION

“AFTER SCHOOL, ON WEEKENDS AND DURING HOLIDAYS I’D FIRE THIS UP AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT TO CONQUER THE LEVEL AND TRY TO FIND EVERY SECRET WITHIN THEM.” My childhood was full of great memories, setting up my Nintendo 64 in the lounge room during school holidays and squaring off against bots in Perfect Dark 64.

Upgrading the Nintendo 64 to an Xbox and conquering four player split-screen multiplayer with the Pistol on weekends. Many wonderful memories, but if we’re talking retro then for myself even though I’m quite young I can’t look past the Amiga 3000.

The Amiga 3000 is my personal favourite, because it was so old school, games were stored on floppy disks and the keyboard itself was covered with a thick plastic skin to protect it from dust any other substances.

the game and one that haunts you in every single level is the ghost of Aunt Matilda.

Starting 15 seconds after you’ve started the level, this ghost will mimic your every single move, and to keep you on your toes she’s slightly faster than you so if you don’t keep moving and collecting trash she’ll eventually catch up to you.

Not to mention that each level has an open tap and the longer you take the more flooded the level becomes. Quiffy can’t survive underwater for long so making haste is key within Flood.

Flood did poorly in sales due to the fact that it featured experimental gameplay but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it.

It had everything from Robocop, ESWAT, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, heck even The Blues Brothers had their own game.

After school, on weekends and during holidays I’d fire this up at any given moment to conquer the level and try to find every secret within them.

The Amiga 3000 was all about platformers and the best platformer that I had ever played as a kid that took me years to figure out what it was called was, Flood. I even had a poster of the games protagonist being chased down the sewer by an array of bad guys from the game.

Quiffy could climb and crawl on any surface, he could use weapons such as a flamethrower, grenades even shurikens, and obstacles such as missiles, lasers and lava would hinder any chances of successfully completing a level.

The game was based around a small green creature Quiffy, who was the last of his kind tasked with escaping the sewers to reach the outside world collecting as much trash as he could along the way.

As a side note for all you trivia enthusiasts out there, Flood was developed by a studio named Bullfrog Productions, which was founded by Les Edgar and the ever so famous Peter Molyneux.

It was published in 1990 by a company that goes by the name of Electronic Arts.

Enemies such as Psycho Teddy bears with a large mouth and a set of teeth where it’s stomach is, mechs with enemies inside of them just to name a few. Perhaps the scariest enemy within

It’s amazing to see how far back many developers and publishers go, that even in your childhood odd and rare games you can barely remember, they were apart of that.

ARTHUR KOTSOPOULOS:

WWW.OXCGN.COM

“What’s your favourite retro game or console?”

Industry Comment..

“IT WAS A LIGHT HEARTED, STEALTH-ACTION FPS SET IN THE 1960S WHICH HARKENED BACK TO THE STYLE OF SPY FLICKS, LITERATURE AND COMEDIES OF THAT ERA.” As much as I like to play games across all consoles, I like to think of myself as a PC Gamer at heart and while I could easily read a chapter from the gospel according to Gordon Freeman or Wolfenstein. My favourite retro game is a little more recent than those, it’s a little game from Monolith Entertainment called “The Operative: No One Lives Forever” that was released in 2000. It was a light hearted, stealth-action FPS set in the 1960s which harkened back to the style of spy flicks, literature and comedies of that era.

Specifically the game followed British spy Cate Archer and her escapades with the clandestine organisation UNITY in its fight to defend the word from the Bond-Villiainesque crime syndicate “H. A. R. M”. NOLF had great overall design, it had a strong story, it had a great sense of in-level pacing, the action was never boring, the stealth segments were challenging but never impossible and it’s quite possibly one of the cheekiest games I’ve ever played. Whether it be due to its innumerable spy movie references, its quirky Classic Bond-style gadgets (lip-stick grenades will forever be embedded in my memory),

its comical bystander conversations steeped in the 60s pop-culture zeitgeist (listening to a Moroccan merchant try to sell a monkey to an evil Henchman still cracks me up to this day) its eccentric list of cast members or its wildly fantastic escalation of events.

Another reason why No One Lives Forever remains dear to me is the fact that it still has a lot to offer modern game developers. It wasn’t afraid to have fun with the female protagonist’s involvement in a male-dominated spy-game, it could be outright silly and also drive the story with a serious tone with great success. It’s a little tricky for some developers to make a game where some people are killed off by being jabbed with pellets that cause them to burp until they explode and expect the player to take the succeeding events seriously.

SEAN FOX:

WWW.STICKYTRIGGERENTERTAINMENT.COM

“THE SEGA MASTER SYSTEM, WOW, WHAT CAN I SAY? The Sega Master System, wow, what can I say?

“Why on earth would you pick this Tim? I mean, with the Dreamcast, the Super Nintendo and a slew of other amazing systems out there….you chose this?”

Yeah… well, hear me out.

As a kid, I had always played games, whether it was standing on a barstool to reach the controls of an arcade machine or feverishly riding my bike to a mates place to check out the latest bunch of cassettes he’d gotten for the Amstrad; gaming was my childhood.

We didn’t really splash out and buy all the newest fandangled systems in my family. Heck, I missed the Atari 2600 altogether. But there was one time, after weeks of constant begging and house chores, I was granted the honor of getting my first home console.

Twas a grand old Christmas, unwrapping my Sega Master System plus.

Why I loved it? Well, apart from its sleek design and 2 built in games (Hang on and Jungle Hunt), it had, for its time, amazing arcade ports.

From the thrills of Shinobi to the excitement of Afterburner and Outrun, the Master System was the versatile system bringing the arcade to your home.

Didn’t fancy arcade ports? RPGs more your thing? We were introduced to a slew of benchmark RPGs in Phantasy Star, Y’s the Vanished Omens, Golden Axe Warrior, Miracle Warriors and Golvellius. And with Platformers like the sublime Sonic the Hedgehog, Alex Kid in Miracle World and Psycho Fox...we didn’t need jumping plumbers, believe me.

Shmup fan? We had the Power Strike series (Aleste), Cloud Master, Scramble Spirits, Galaxy Force and much more.

All in all, the Master System was a solid, albeit underrated system. It showed us that we could have great games in the comfort of our lounge and some of my fondest gaming memories growing up. Sega Master System, I salute you!

TIM ARNOLD:

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/RETRODOMINATION

“PLAYSTATION GAVE ME A PASTIME. BUT MEDAL OF HONOR MADE ME A GAMER. Retro gaming. There’s always something about the ‘Old School’ that brings a smile to my face.

Whilst I’m glad we have come so far in such a short time, it’s still fun to go back to the roots of your gaming and see where you started.

It’s difficult to decide what my favourite Retro game was: Gran Turismo 3 and 4 got me through my last year of high school. Need for Speed’s Underground series and Most Wanted got me hooked on cars. And I learned to drive in Gran Turismo 2. But the main title I always go back to, or at least the 2 titles I always go back to when I want a retro play through, has to be EA’s original classics that started it all: 1999’s Medal of Honor and it’s 2000 sequel, Medal of Honor Underground.

Medal of Honor holds a special place for me. It was the first game I ever bought with my own money. It was the first game I ever played for hours on end. It was in a simpler time, when online play, DLC, trophies/achievements and autosave didn’t exist. There was no secrets to look for, no mucking about to get weird achievements. It was just ‘here, go fight some Nazis and win World War 2. Then when you’re done, we’ll give you some cheats so you can go back and have even more fun with it.’ I’m a big war buff; particularly World War 2, so it was fun to discover things and learn as you played. Which back then, military games actually did. It wasn’t the mindless Call of Duty free for all gunfights it is today.

I first got this game in 2004, and even though it was 5 years old then I still fell in love with it. I loved its soundtrack. I loved the weapons (oh, we’re sending you into a highly volatile rocket facility. Here’s some Rocket launchers and hand

“What’s your favourite retro game or console?”

Industry Comment..

grenades.) I loved the light hearted humour they put in (use the ‘Germans speak English’ cheat and you’d see what I mean.) I loved its simplicity.

When I have a bad day and I just want to blast away at something, I still put it on and have a chuckle.

It spawned a whole series for me. Up until the 2010 reboot attempt (and it’s dismal sequel, which I believe EA killed the series with. But that’s another story) I bought every Medal of Honor that came out. I had the PC versions, the PS versions, all the expansions, and they all kept to the simple stuff. Shoot some guys, hit the objectives. It sounds monotonous, but… it just never was. It never felt like that. From the day I picked up my PSX controller to play the first time to today, the settings, the mood and the soundtrack all just give you a fantastic sense of adventure.

I look back on those days, and rather than feel sad and reminisce, I feel happy. Because in this next gen era, amongst my PS3, Xbox 360 and all their new games, these PSX classics are still sitting there proudly. Playstation gave me a pastime. But Medal of Honor made me a gamer.

BEN RACHOW:

WWW.STICKYTRIGGERENTERTAINMENT.COM

“IT WAS ACCESSIBLE, ENTHRALLING, EXCITING AND HECK, IT WAS BEAUTIFUL” When you’ve been gaming for over 20 years, its hard when someone asks you to pick your favourite game of all time, and narrowing it down to retro games doesn’t help much. One game, however stands out for me more than any other: The Secret of Mana on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).

One of the earliest action-rpgs I had ever played (along with Landstalker, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Illusion of Gaia), there was so much about The Secret of Mana that separated - nay, elevated it above all other RPGs at the time. It was accessible, enthralling, exciting and heck, it was beautiful. That’s right, I said beautiful.

The Secret of Mana (known in Japan as Seiken Densetsu 2) was originally planned as a sequel to Final Fantasy Adventure AKA Mystic Quest, but eventually became a barely-related but successful spinoff series in its own right. The game casts players as three heroes who must save the mystical Mana Tree with the Mana Sword. Initial-

ly a single-player game, the game does expand to optional two and three-player co-operative gameplay rather quickly as the other heroes are discovered in the story.

Mana’s story is a rich and moving one, and as a child, it was the first story in a game that actually moved me. There were highs and lows - the orphan hero (later named Randi) being banished from his village, the girl (Prinn) discovering the fate of her friends, and the magic Sprite’s quest for identity were all so deeply-written, it was unparalleled at the time.

Even years after its release, The Secret of Mana is still beloved by many gamers. Its beautiful story, amazing soundtrack and brilliant combat make it a must-play game for any RPG or retro gamer. Just talking about it has gotten me all warm and fuzzy.

NICK GETLEY:

WWW.STICKYTRIGGERENTERTAINMENT.COM

“THERE WAS NO WAY WE COULD HAVE AFFORDED A MASTER SYSTEM II.” My favourite retro game of all time won’t surprise some: I’m a puzzle gamer at heart & so Hugo III: Jungle of Doom ticks all my boxes. A text based game with graphics, you help Hugo save his girlfriend by getting an antidote to the spider bite she receives when your plane crashes into an evil jungle. But it might be a surprising to hear that in my youth I played it cooperatively. Me, my mum and my brother would all sit around the computer, taking turns, solving puzzles, picking up items. I think Mum humoured us, waiting for us to get some of the easier puzzles. But I finishing that game meant so much more when you could share the victory. Living in a small country town, before the internet, meant I was pretty lucky to grow up in a gaming family where we could share achievements like that.

My favourite retro console was a hand-me-down from older cousins. There was no way we could have afforded a Master System II. My brother and I loved it. If games ever pit us against each other I was sure to lose, my brother has always been better at video games than me. But Bubble Bobble, and Rampage, and Renegade did a lot to bond us sharing the victory made games so much more worthwhile. That said, the Master System II will always be intrinsically linked to my terrible shame: I could get to the Evil Wizard boss battle at the end of Mickey’s Castle of Illusion, but I would hand the controller over to my mum to finish the game because I could never beat the end.

DANICA ZUKS:

WWW.XXPGAMES.COM.AU

“What’s your favourite retro game or console?”

Industry Comment..

Mega Drive 16 bit! Sonic the hedgehog 2, I played that as a kid and I play it as an adult still, I’ve only finished it twice!!

RICHARD PIOTROWSKI The secret of evermore. It was basically the game that got me into gaming. It was mystical, had great combat, time travel and space travel. With a great storyline to boot.

LEXI CUTIONER I’d have to say Metal Gear on NES. Those were the days, before graphics trumped story.

AARON RODRIGUES

Shining Force 1 for Sega Mega Drive. Amazing game play and gripping storyline. Graphics were great for the time. Anyone who hasn’t played it hasn’t lived!

BEN GETLEY Commodore 64 - where in the world and where in time is Carmen Sandiego? Plus many, many more games! Still have it and have had it for a long time!!! Lol...

MICHELLE P GOWER Sonic 3 plugged into sonic and knuckles. Because the combination of game play, scenery and power ups represents the Pinnacle of sonic games completely unmatched by modern takes on the sonic franchise.

KAMRON BROOKS

Super Mario Bros on NES. It came with console & was all I had for very long time & got me into video games, still play it to this day over 25 years later.

JASON JAMES Duck hunter on the NES because I felt like a bad arse Star Wars character with my laser pistol and every time I saw that damn dog laughing at me I wanted to punch him in his face!

JASON THOMAS My first memory of video game was playing the James Bond The Spy Who Loved Me on my Amiga back in 1990 when I was 5. It may not be the most memorable game from history but it definitely stuck clearly in mine.

BRETT ELLIS Chrono trigger hands down is the greatest RPG of the early 90s, with in-depth story and great battle system anyone would lose hours, days, months trying to see all alternate endings. LONG LIVE RETRO GAMING!

SAM JENNINGS My favorite game on pc was Myst at that time the graphics were wow the best in its day the story and puzzles were great. You could take your time no rush i played it for hours , days, Weeks and the best part u could choose the ending which is one of the reasons I loved it so much.

STEPH MURRAY

My favorite game was Commander Keen on my old 486 computer!

BILLY BEELSON

Lufia 2. When people mention tearful moments in JRPG’s memories usually flood towards FF7. That moment has nothing when compared to the tragedy that is the ending to Lufia 2. Combine this with being a solid game with a great story, music and battle system and you get my nod as a lifetime favourite.

MICHAEL TOWNS Best retro console is the Super Nintendo. So many great games in the best of all time list come from there & it also has the best game ever on it... Super Mario Bros 3! USA had more games then us though.

JEAN-PAUL BARTOLOMEI Super Mario Bros on the NES was the first game that I played on a console. That game got me into games.

I still go back and play it when I’m nostalgic. I loved being able to use fire against my enemies.

“YOUR SAY”

We asked Sticky Trigger & Gametraders fans what their favourite retro game or console is..

Here’s what they said...

ANGEL ARMSTEAD I would have to go with Gradius III for SNES. Not only was it an outstanding side scrolling shooter, but it had a soundtrack that was purely intoxicating. I still find myself humming tunes from it at work regularly!

ADAM FOSTER Without a doubt Chrono Trigger on the SNES wins this topic of debate every time!! There was so much about that game that was unique and made it so fun to play! The story and time travel concept were amazing.

SHELLY FREED

I loved the Dukes of Hazzard as a kid, also the Commodore 64 was amazing, tape drive and all!!

The Amiga 500 was King though.

JARROD OSBORN - GAMETRADERS SALISBURY My best retro memory was a game called Kid Chameleon on the Mega Drive 2, it was a side scroller when you used to get different helmets that gave your character different abilities, my favourite being the tornado one that could make you fly. I played it so much i could pretty much speed run the entire game without dying.

MATT ABRON - GAMETRADERS MOUNT BARKER Retro console memory from when I was about 12ish..

Back in the day most of my school mates had a Atari 2600 which was a fine machine but I had my heart set on a very high end console for its day, the “CBS Colecovision” which was famous for having the first proper console version of “Donkey Kong”. After pestering my Mum for a solid 2 months or so I finally received my dream console for Christmas that year, I even got the special steering wheel module plus about 6 games included!! I certainly was the most popular kid in my year for a long time!!

Now that I own my own Gametraders Franchise I still am hoping that a customer brings a CBS Colecovision to trade in… but it won’t end up on display in the shop, it will be going straight to my house!

ADRIAN HARLOR - GAMETRADERS BLACKTOWN I reckon my Best Retro Memory is 80s Cartoons. Transformers, He-Man, Voltron, Thundercats, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Duck Tales, The Ewoks, G.I Joe, M.A.S.K and Robotech. I Remember watching the first Dino Riders on VHS (which I still have). It was such a cool concept. The VHS even had Ad Breaks promoting the Dino Riders Toys.

I love my Cartoons when I was a Kid Oh and Star Wars. Can’t beat Star Wars

RYAN HUTCHINSON - GAMETRADERS BACCHUS MARSH My memories are all the ones that many of us share; Alex Kidd in Miracle World built-in on the Master System II – My mum used to sing the soundtrack without realising it I played it so much!

Pinball machines at the local arcade – I would never tire of going to play the pinnies, especially Star Wars or Indiana Jones Mortal Kombat – In the Arcade, and on the Master System.

Micro Machines ’96 with the J-Cart – the first fully 4-Player game I ever encountered Lemmings – Endless puzzles and lots of fun Shufflepuck Cafe www.macintoshgarden.org/games/shufflepuck-cafe I think this game changed my life! Aliens, Vectored Graphics, quick reflexes and an off sense of humour are all things that still feature today in my life.

Cartoons like He-Man, Voltron, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, M.A.S.K, Dino Riders

BEN MAKEPEACE - AREA MANAGER

I loved sitting down on a rainy winter day and firing up the Commodore Amiga 500. I loved that computer. Sure I used it 99.9% for gaming and never really any work but it was a brilliant computer and so easy to use. Games that kept me coming back were Skychase, Turbo Outrun, Lemmings Sensible Soccer and Wings to name a few. I can also remember hooking up 2 machines and playing Falcon and trying to shoot my friend out of the sky. A few years later, I made the decision to sell the old machine cause a bright shiny new one was tempting me - the 486 PC. Doom was on the hard drive and life changed from that day on…

ROB JENKINS - EDITOR LIVE MAGAZINE My favourite game of all time is Wolfenstein 3D released in 1992, for its time it was cutting edge and the graphics weren’t too bad either, it was always a thrill to find a hidden room of weapons and supplies and it really kept you on your toes. The ending was fantastic, to kill Robot Hitler you had to empty all the rounds from your chain gun and then go to a cache in one of the rooms for more rounds, knowing that it was coming for you.

The anticipation and pressure was fantastic, loved it.

MARK LANGFORD - MANAGING DIRECTOR OF GAMETRADERS

Image source: Wikipidea

“REMEMBER WHEN...”

We asked the Gametraders team for their best retro memories…

Here’s what they said…

DON’T EVER PAY FULL PRICE FOR GAMES AGAIN..

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One of my earliest memories is dad bringing home an Atari 2600, and playing Asteroids. Physics based control scheme! Procedural enemies that kept changing size as you shoot them! Mind blowing!

DANIEL CHLEBOWCZYK Numerous, near 24-hour Goldeneye marathons which almost always descended into a furious game of ‘slaps’ and would invariably leave all participants bleary-eyed and humiliated at the hands of the one who would ALWAYS choose Oddjob.

BEN POLLOCK Growing up in Hong Kong in the 80’s I had some pretty neat access to games, first system was a famicom complete with disk drive. Remember those things? Floppy disks? No? Anyone? Hours of joy.

“REMEMBER WHEN...”

We asked our friends at Madman for their best retro memories…

Here’s what they said…

SLY IP My first memory of video games was an Atari 2600. My dad managed to swindle it for free from some sales clerk at a department store after he’s purchased a ridiculously expensive VCR. It had two parts to it and had one of the first ever remote controls (it wasn’t wireless). Anyway the Atari came with the games Asteroids and Pitfall, which had super detailed artwork on the cartridges that didn’t really match up with the 8-bit graphics and music of the actual game. I just remember sitting way too close to the TV playing those games and that they were too hard to ever finish.

BEN CLAY Like every other kid in 1992, my brother and I desperately wanted a Super NES. We asked our mother to bring one back from her holiday in Malaysia, where everything was significantly cheaper. Instead of a Super NES she bought us multi-game console that was better value because it came with 1001 games…

8-bit games that is. Though it was not exactly what we wanted, we had hours of family fun playing Tetris, Donkey Kong, Space Invaders, Super Mario Bros, Winter Games and hundreds more.

My parents never had plans to buy us a Super NES so we ended up borrowing our cousin’s console once a month over a weekend. We went to Civic Video to borrow games but the popular ones like Super Mario Kart and Donkey Kong Country were always out, so we were left with the lame film adaptation and product tie-in games such as Home Alone 2 and Cool Spot. If you don’t know what Cool Spot is, it was a 7-Up mascot that replaced Fido Dido. Yes, I played a 7-Up video game. It was refreshing. On that note, does anyone remember wearing Fido Dido t-shirts?

LEE-ANN Loading up games on my brother’s Commodore 64 from tape drive and coming back 1 hour later after the game had finished loading. Oh and the psychedelic colourful loading screen.

The Amiga 500 was King though.

GAB LOW

MANGA

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preview

Kirby: Triple Deluxe Everyone’s favourite pink puffball is back in a brand new game made just for him, and he is looking pinker and puffier than ever on the Nintendo 3DS. Kirby: Triple Deluxe is a side-scrolling adventure which sees lovable marshmallow Kirby travel through multiple worlds to rescue his arch-nemesis, King Dedede, and save the sky kingdom of Floarald.

In what can be described as a fairly orthodox side-scrolling platformer, Kirby:Triple Deluxe is a family friendly action adventure combining a familiar franchise with new features. Kirby is one of the few games where you can say it sucks, and it’s not only a fact, but also a necessary game mechanic. Kirby is out to suck like never before as a Kirby gameplay staple, ‘Copy Abilities’ will feature heavily in the game. By sucking in enemies, Kirby can copy their moves, required to get past some of those tricky platforming

to the gameplay. New and improved StreetPass functionality adds an extra element, unlocking hidden items and keychains not normally found in game.

Alongside the main quest, Kirby: Triple Deluxe will also feature some subgames to extend the fun past the main story mode. Possibly the coolest of these is the game’s take on Super Smash Bros, called Kirby Fighters, where up to four players can battle it out in an arena, with some crazy Kirby on Kirby action as Copy Abilities are let loose. If you’re

FORMAT: 3DS RELEASE: 17 MAY 2014 RATING: CTC

For those who want to try things from the perspective of Kirby’s nemesis, King Dedede, there are game modes where King Dedede is the star, and he features in a rhythm style subgame as well as in an extra edition of the main story where he is the playable character.

Kirby:Triple Deluxe has already released in Japan, but those of us on down under won’t be seeing it until May 17. The game looks set to be fun, light and airy, much like the beloved pink protagonist himself, but with an abundance of action,

“THE GAME LOOKS SET TO BE FUN, LIGHT AND AIRY, MUCH LIKE THE BELOVED PINK PROTAGONIST HIMSELF, BUT WITH AN ABUNDANCE OF ACTION, ADVENTURE AND PLATFORMING THROWN INTO THE MIX..” elements. Making use of the capabilities of the Nintendo 3DS, Kirby: Triple Deluxe pops in 3D, using both the foreground and background to bring separate elements and depth

looking for a more focused challenge, there are two arena modes which puts Kirby to the test as he battles through each of the game’s boss characters as fast as possible.

adventure and platforming thrown into the mix, Kirby is going to pack a powerful punch.

Written by Miranda Nelson

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

preview

Mario Golf World Tour Grab your clubs and get ready to hit the course – Mario Golf: World Tour is coming for 3DS and 2DS! Mario and his pals are returning to the game for the first time since 2004 and they’re promising a whole new wacky world for Nintendo fans and golf fanatics alike.

I’m just going to come clean about this now – I don’t really care about watching or playing real golf! It seems like something only middle aged men enjoy. Why is it called a birdie? When do you use a five iron?

I don’t know. That said, I don’t care about racing but I like Mario Kart. I don’t like many board games but I like Mario Party. If anything can make me enjoy golf, it’s a Nintendo party title.

ing to be less than serious about the whole affair. There are 13 confirmed playable characters (boo to no Dry Bones!) and this includes playing as your Mii. Will there be any advantage to playing Bowser instead of Peach or Yoshi instead of Mario? That’s yet to be seen but it would add another dimension to the game if it mattered significantly. If you decide to play as your Mii, you’ll be able to customise your clothing and accessories, which will have different effects in-game.

The courses will apparently be a mix of realistic golf courses and Super Mario themed environments. Players will deal with obstacles like wind, water, and a variety of sand traps that may or may not actually feature sand. One course that is being

“..ONLINE TOURNAMENTS ORGANISED BY PLAYERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD TO TEST YOUR SKILLS.” Not many details have been released about gameplay thus far but it isn’t too hard to guess the object of the game when it has always centred on a real life game. Hit the ball with a golf club to complete the course in the lowest number of strokes; it’s pretty simple. But this is a Mario game and of course it’s go-

promoted heavily is entirely underwater, not that this seems to affect the physics at all. Personally, I would find it more interesting if the ball behaved differently. It doesn’t have to be realistic but it seems important to acknowledge the different environment. There are other ways to handle it, though, and the previews are

a little light on the possibilities with this. I’m not writing that whole area off yet; it could still be great.

Golf is a social game and World Tour promises a whole host of online multiplayer features and an emphasis on community play. This is where the true value of the title is because, much like Mario Kart, people will have a reason to keep the cartridge in the console after they have already mastered the single player sections. If you really dig the competition, you will be able to jump into online tournaments organised by players from all over the world to test your skills. Maybe I’m too used to laughing at outrageous cheating videos of Mario Kart online but I’d like to think that the Mario Golf series offers an even playing field.

For a game that’s coming out in May of this year and was actually slated to be released last year, there is a surprising lack of specific information around about it. Of course, it doesn’t feature a storyline so this isn’t the deal-breaker it might be if sales depended on it. Like most of the casual titles in the Mario collection, people will go for it based on the history of each franchise and if you’re ever after a decent game for a handheld, it’s hard to go wrong with Mario. Regardless, it’s not long to go now before we can all try our hand at it and, if you’re like me, fail to understand the rules spectacularly and more than likely have Mario digging holes in the green! Oops!

Written by Bridget Sweeney www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

FORMAT: 3DS RELEASE: 3 MAY 2014 RATING: CTC

preview

Raven’s Cry Here be dark waters boy. You’re a long way from old Blighty now. And don’t let the crystal blue water and the lush tropical islands fool you.

This is a dark place for a Kidd like you. So grow yourself a Blackbeard and prepare to battle the ruthless pirates that led you into this godforsaken place…

Didn’t depress you enough to stop reading? Oh good, because Raven’s Cry is looking to be quite a bit of fun when it launches later this year. TopWare Interactive, the games developers, say that unlike most Pirate stories this one is much darker, focusing on the ruthlessness of the men and women who plundered the Caribbean during the 17th century.

The storyline itself is interwoven with historical and fictional elements, with historically accurate architecture, naval battles, duels, and several modified weapons of the era.

You play as a young Scotsman who witnesses the destruction of his shipand entire family-at the hands of a nasty pirate chap, who leaves you with a missing hand and a lot of anguish. After replacing your missing hand with a handy Hook (good thing you aren’t a captain or you’d be the bad guy!) you set out to seek revenge on the man who led the attack, and the crew he ordered about. Along the way you’ll hack, slash and shoot

your way through a variety of areas.

From quaint little tropical towns, the cess pool of filth that is the Pirate Capital, Port Royal, the old Cuban city of Havana, all the way to ancient and mysterious Aztec ruins. You are accompanied on your journey by a pet Raven, which you can use to scout for enemies, although expect to scheme and deal with many other scoundrels and drunken louts along the way if you’re to succeed in your little vendetta.

pending on your actions, and these have an effect on how the world around you reacts to your actions.

Accumulate enough fear and you can use this to send your enemies fleeing in terror; increase your notoriety enough and wanted posters will start popping up, which you can then remove ala Assassins Creed style. Make your enemies bleed and suffer instead of a quick death, and your morality also changes, thereby affecting the world around you. Pirate Charms that you collect

“YOU ARE ACCOMPANIED ON YOUR JOURNEY BY A PET RAVEN, WHICH YOU CAN USE TO SCOUT FOR ENEMIES..”

The game also features role playing elements, such as a morality system, magic items which can increase your skills, and several side quests to keep you occupied. You can also accumulate ‘Fear’ and ‘Notoriety’ de-

can be used to boost your attacks, summon flocks of savage Ravens (Hitchcock would be honoured) and even cast magic to help you battle.

Naval battles can be fought, and certain enemies can be challenged to duels. Modified weapons are also at your disposal, such as the pistol sword (self-explanatory) and the ‘Axe Rifle’, which looks like a 17th century version of the Gears of War Lancer weapon. No doubt they will come in handy and you chase your foes across this luscious, sun baked hell.

Ravens Cry will be sailing in on May 7 for Windows, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

Written by Ben Rachow

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

FORMAT: PC, 360, PS3 RELEASE: 7 MAY 2014 RATING: CTC

preview

DriveClub If you’re like me, and have been hanging out for a new game to test your virtual driving mettle in (as I’m sure we’ve all finished Gran Turismo 6 already) then you’ll be pleased to know that Evolution Studio’s upcoming next gen title Driveclub is scheduled for a release later this year.

It’s been in the pipeline ever since early last year when it was first announced, and it’s looking to be one of the prettier looking titles for next gen. Don’t get too excited though Microsoft lovers, because this little wagon is Playstation 4 exclusive.

Driveclub centres the majority of its racing on teamwork; Evolution said from the beginning that they wanted to build a racing game to enjoy with your friends. Start a club, climb the ranks, race together and reap the rewards as a team; alternatively if

at a later date, or that their avatars and times will be available to race against at any time, remains to be seen. Rather than be a full on GT style simulation, Driveclub leans more towards being a playful simulator experience, similar to Grid 2 and etc.

The graphics, being a next gen title, look stunning. The lighting and

“..FROM ALPINE ROADS, STREET COURSES, INDIAN RAINFOREST, NORTH AMERICAN MOUNTAINS, SCOTTISH HIGHLAND..” you’d rather do it solo (or just don’t like people) there is also a fully integrated single player mode. Driveclub mentions that you and your friends will ‘always be connected’; weather this means that you and your friends times will be recorded for you to race

shadow effects constantly change with the surroundings. The sky effects are organic and fully dynamic, meaning that potentially no 2 races will ever be the same. Even the trees on the side of the circuits are individually rendered, rather than simply ‘painted’ on as other titles do.

FORMAT: PS4 RELEASE: TBC 2014 RATING: G

The cars themselves look fantastic, with detailed interiors and the options to modify their visuals such as paint and vinyls (no word yet on any other body modifications.) Thus far screenshots have shown the likes of Mercedes Benz, RuF, Audi, Lotus, McLaren, Pagani, BMW and even little known Russian marque Marussia (hopefully faster than their F1 team.) Driveclub features a host of the latest and greatest cars to hit the market, although expect plenty of your old favourites as well.

Locations for the beautifully rendered tracks look to be a world tour of things, from Alpine Roads, street courses, Indian Rainforest, North American mountains, Scottish highlands, and much more. No word thus far if there will be any real world tracks in the game (many courses seen so far seem to be based in real world locations) although this shouldn’t detract from how great this title is looking. You don’t need Nurburgring to make a great game, and it’s been proven before. Driveclub is looking to be a fun game, with locations and cars so detailed you’ll want to stop and have a look.

Whether you want to take on the racing world alone, or team up and share the rewards, Driveclub has it all at your fingertips.

Written by Ben Rachow

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

preview

Mirrors Edge 2 The original Mirror’s Edge came out way back in 2008 to much acclaim, but never really found the big mainstream audience that publishers EA were hoping for. However, the game did garner a cult following thanks to its unique visual style and equally unique gameplay. Fans believed for years that a sequel would never see the light of day, but in June 2013 Mirror’s Edge 2 was finally announced.

However Mirror’s Edge 2 is less of a sequel and more of a remake and/or prequel. Main character Faith looks set to return upon PC, Xbox One, and PS4 sometime soon, though exact release dates have yet to be confirmed – 2016 is rumoured as latest time to expect the game.

because in this future all communications are monitored and the only way to transfer information safely is to deliver physical copies. Faith must run and make her way past both environmental obstacles and government forces bent on stopping her.

For those not familiar with the original Mirror’s Edge, Mirror’s Edge 2 (if it indeed will be called that, though

The gameplay of Mirror’s Edge 2 will also mirror that of the original: the player controls faith, running across

“FAITH MUST RUN AND MAKE HER WAY PAST BOTH ENVIRONMENTAL OBSTACLES AND GOVERNMENT FORCES BENT ON STOPPING HER.” one would suspect reverting the title to simply ‘Mirror’s Edge’ is likely) revolves around Faith, a ‘runner’ and her quest to free the people in the city she lives in from the dystopian government that ruthless controls the population. Faith is a ‘runner’

the mirrored gleaming city she inhabits in ‘true’ first person style. This means that as faith runs, ducks, and weaves the player’s view changes to depict fairly realistic angles and perceptions of what a person actually performing these actions might see.

Faiths has the ability to spot the best

parts of the cityscape to run and climb over; presented to the player as a special ability that allows Faith to see parts of buildings she must access and run over as the colour Red. Faith is not especially strong, not exceptionally skilled in combat, meaning that while the player can take down opposition, the player must keep faith running. However, EA favourite developer DICE is taking on the project, so we can expect to see deeper combat elements.

Additional elements that have been mentioned, though not in great detail, include a more open world approach to gameplay and the inclusion of multiplayer in seamless form – the idea being to create a living breathing world for players to inhabit. DICE, however, have been quiet on the matter and are dedicated to patching Battlefield 4 before continuing work on the project.

DICE however, have confirmed that the much touted Frostbite engine is

FORMAT: PC, XB1, PS4 RELEASE: TBC 2014 RATING: CTC being used to create the game, thus guaranteeing one heck of a visual package.

Mirror’s Edge has been granted what so few fan-favourite franchises often are: a second lease on life. The game industry needs fresh and exciting new creative directions, and the revamped Mirror’s Edge looks like it might do just that.

DICE have proven themselves often to be talented developers and perhaps with their experience and talent Faith and Mirror’s Edge can finally, if you’ll pardon the pun, hit their stride.

Written by Alex Holmes

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

review

Titanfall On consoles, the online shooter landscape has been dominated for years by a trio of franchises: Call of Duty, Battlefield and Halo. Other franchises have come into the mix at one point or another, but few have managed to survive in the shadows of the three FPS juggernauts.

After leaving Infinity Ward (And taking several key staff with him) Vince Zampella (creator of Call of Duty) announced a new studio and a new sci-fi shooter in development to be published by EA Games. That studio is Respawn Entertainment, and that game, is ‘Titanfall’.

Finally, after millions of gamers have been “standing by” for an unbearable amount of time, ‘Titanfall’ has landed. With no single-player offline campaign, it seems as though Vince Zampella and his team of ex-Infinity Ward staff have focused on what they do best - online multiplayer. Is Titanfall the sci-fi messiah we’ve all been waiting for? Or have we been lead astray by the recent hype?

After pressing start at Titanfall’s title screen, a video introduces players to the world of Titanfall. Actual recorded footage of people, life events and space exploration met with realistic animated cut scenes of advanced spaceships and planets, which was clever and also lends realism to the game. Watching the video, it isn’t too

outlandish to think that events like these could happen in our lifetime.

Perhaps it was just the clever use of real footage beforehand, but the opening video helps draw a line between the real world of now and the fictitious future found in Titanfall.

With so much original content found in Titanfall, it’s inevitable that new pilots (players) will have to complete an introductory tutorial. Thankfully, this has been made as painless as possible, and is over rather quickly.

By the end of the tutorial, you will know how to move in the game world both on foot (including wall-running and double jumping) and in your Titan (mech). You will also get a brief introduction to the game’s weapons, as well as some of your Titan’s weapons. From here, you are free to jump into multiplayer matches of your choosing, or play the game’s

modern gamer is accustomed to.

It breaks tradition, and instead of a long-winded series of extremely-scripted story events ala Call of Duty (where the player either rushes check points or spends an insufferable amount of time behind cover), the campaign’s story events take place during actual multiplayer matches. For me, this has both good and bad points to it.

If you consider yourself a competitive online gamer, you can happily run into the fray of battle and ignore the mission briefings as well as the silly bravado that takes place on your cockpit’s screen. If like me, however, you would like to learn more about the world in Titanfall, you might find that learning the campaign’s details take more than one match on a particular map.

“YOU ARE FREE TO JUMP INTO MULTIPLAYER MATCHES OF YOUR CHOOSING, OR PLAY THE GAME’S “CAMPAIGN” MISSIONS..” “campaign” missions, which are also online-only and a multiplayer affair.

I say “campaign” with quotation marks because Titanfall’s campaign is a rather odd affair, because of both how it was made and what the

There’s so much going on it can get daunting sometimes, and I must admit that the intricacies of Titanfall’s story were missed by myself and other players I know. That isn’t to say that there isn’t a story - far from it. It’s just that unlike in other

game’s there are no rest periods to take the details in, but this also means that there are no annoying moments where you feel like you’re being bludgeoned over the head with the game’s story like in other FPS games (I get it, I get it, the Russians are bad! Now stop blocking my way!). Perhaps Zampella and Respawn thought that they should focus on the balance between a campaign and multiplayer, and not deliver yet-another tired FPS story. I mean, aren’t we all sick of the same old military shooter stories by now?

I know I am, but here’s the thing: Titanfall is the one shooter that doesn’t have a story that has the potential to have an mind-blowing story. Seriously, the world looks like something out of a Ridley Scott scifi movie, I just wished it had a single-player story to match, as it feels like a missed opportunity.

The story itself tells the tale of two warring factions. The IMC is a major corporation, which has come to the frontier to extract valuable resources, and the Militia are the civilian military of Titanfall, and act as the resistance against IMC’s evil corporate empire. The Militia’s main characters are Mac, a Titan war veteran and former mutineer, Bish, the intel specialist and Sarah, a Militia marauder corps leader.

If I’m to be completely honest, the characters are pretty weak, and while they might initially feel like many characters you’ve seen in a game or movie before, they don’t feel that important. Because the story takes place in multiplayer matches, having them fight alongside you (or for you) would feel jarring to the multiplayer experience, and because they don’t, they feel completely ineffectual, or worse, like politicians (in that they don’t actually fight in wars). Despite this, the campaign is an enjoyable experience, it just tends to clash with the multiplayer nature of Titanfall, especially when the enemy team could be capturing points while you’re listening to your two commanding officers drunkenly bicker.

the battle after being defeated.

•

•

Pilot Hunter - Attrition, but only pilot kills are tracked.

•

Capture the Flag - Two teams must capture the opposing team’s flag from their base, and return it to their base. Having Titans in Capture the Flag truly shakes up the traditional CTF formula. Do you hitch a ride on a friendly titan, which will no doubt make you a highly-visible target?

Or do you sprint on foot with your cloaking ability active. You might be thinking to yourself “Yeah yeah, I’ve played CTF before!”, but trust me, you haven’t played it like this. Titanfall breathes life into a classic shooter match type.

Multiplayer is the order of the day though, and Titanfall truly does deliver a balanced and exhilarating experience in that regard. There are numerous modes available and each of them is a blast: •

Attrition - Titanfall’s version of team deathmatch, this mode sees players aiming to get the most kills in a time limit. Killing NPCs and pilots rewards points, though killing NPCs doesn’t give as many points as killing pilots (players). The first team to 250 points wins the match, and the losing team must extract from

Hardpoint Domination - The two teams fight for control of three key points on a map. Each point begins neutral at the start of a match, and can be captured by either team. Holding a point adds score points, and when the score limit is reached, the losing team must evacuate to their dropship.

•

Last Titan Standing - The two teams both begin in their Titans, and the game ends when all Titans on a team are destroyed.

Strategy and co-operation are key in this game mode, and lone wolves should consider becoming team players, as running off

solo will only lead to bitter defeat. You’ll want to learn the ins and outs of different Titan weapons and customisations if you’ll want to succeed!

Where Titanfall truly shines though, is its shooting mechanics. I was beginning to think that something was awry with the new consoles, as the shooting games I’ve played on them just didn’t feel quite right with the Xbox One and PS4’s controllers, but Titanfall works perfectly. Whether you’re on foot or in a Titan, the controls are extremely accessible and highly responsive. Experienced FPS gamers will be able to jump immediately into the action with confidence, and it won’t be very long before more inexperienced gamers grasp the game’s controls either.

There are a total of 15 maps in Titanfall, and each one definitely has its own identity while complementing the others. Unlike other shooters, there really isn’t one bad map in the game. The free-running mechanics and Titans have a huge influence on the map design, but it isn’t an awkward mess of zip lines and seemingly randomly-placed objects like in Far Cry 3’s multiplayer.

Far from it, these are logically designed maps with loading bays, office buildings, tactical areas, natural scenery, destroyed buildings and

all manner of unique features that have been used perfectly.

Some maps are military bases, with open areas designed to gather Titans for immense battles, but with rooftops that allow for sniping, and damaged buildings and tight corridors which make for thrilling wallrunning chases and shootouts.

Other maps are huge outdoor areas, where players will want to find a protected route to massive gun turrets to help turn the tide of battle.

Weapons-wise, Titanfall has got you covered. There isn’t a ton of variety though, which has had other players tell me they’re disappointed as there really is only one or two types of some weapons. Compared to other games, there isn’t very many weapons at all, but Respawn have managed to provide players of all types enough tools to cater to them.

The weapons also have unlockable mods (again, there isn’t many) that

will also help cater to different play styles. Do you like to leap from rooftop to rooftop, sniping your prey and then disappearing into the scenery?

Try a sniper rifle with a stabilizer and an AOG scope (and use your cloak ability!) Or are you wanting to hold a fortified position and provide cover for your team mates? Try the enhanced-zoom scope and a suppressor instead.

The Titan weapons are pretty much just Titan versions of Pilot weapons.

There are chain guns, cannons, rail guns, arc cannons and more, so your Titan can be just as friendly to your play style as your pilot is. I prefer to go in with a high-damage, lowdefense Titan, and combine it with a nuclear core that can destroy enemy pilots and Titans upon detonation.

Sometimes though, I like to have a Titan sniper, which is equipped with a vortex shield (A shield which can suck in enemy rounds and then

hurl them back at the enemy) and rail gun. There are also three different types of titans - the Atlas (which has a balance between armor and speed), the Stryder (which is nimble, but has less armor) and the Ogre (a tank on legs). Learning these will mean the differences between successful games of Capture the Flag and Last Titan Standing, though the standard Atlas is capable of every game mode.

Some players might find the lack of options disappointing, but it helps

ful for enemy pilots and Titans, the afore-mentioned Vortex Shield, and the Particle Wall, which is a shield that blocks incoming enemy projectiles and rounds, but allows for your shots to pass through.

Pilots can use the Cloak ability, which almost completely conceal their appearance from enemy pilots and Titans (which is cancelled if you fire a weapon) for a limited time, the Stim ability, which allows players to move quicker and have enhanced regenerative health abilities for a

“THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 15 MAPS IN TITANFALL, AND EACH ONE DEFINITELY HAS ITS OWN IDENTITY WHILE COMPLEMENTING THE OTHERS.” level the playing field knowing that everyone else has the same carbine or shotgun, and it also takes out that annoying “weapon learning period” that comes with a new FPS. Being a game from the Call of Duty perfectors, you might expect a little something extra to help customise your pilot, and you’d be right. These aren’t perks though, these are tactical abilities and burn cards. Tactical abilities are equipped by Titans and pilots are can help in a variety of situations. Your Titan can unleash an electrically-charged cloud of smoke (Electric Smoke), which is harm-

limited time, and the Active Radar Pulse ability, which allows pilots to see enemies through walls for a limited time.

Burn Cards are one-use, one-life perks which are earned throughout the game. Some of these are pretty simple, such as “amped” weapons (weapons with enhanced damage, rate of fire or other unique perks), or enhanced speed, and others are more rare and have greater effects, such as unlimited grenades (which need to recharge) or a permanent tactical ability. I almost spent an entire game being able to see through

walls, but I died and lost the burn card’s effect. You can take up to three into a battle, but you can only use one at a time (no invisible Xray vision grenade spamming, I’m afraid!). Once again, the burn cards are fun without providing too much of an advantage to players. Proof that Respawn have learnt what makes a great, balanced shooter.

Visually, Titanfall looks great. As I said earlier, some of the art direction is very reminiscent of a Ridley Scott film. The weapons, vehicles, maps and characters all blend seamlessy to create the best atmosphere I’ve seen in a shooter

in years. Respawn have said that their influences include Ghost in the Shell, Bladerunner, Star Wars and the classic Sega title, Abrams Battle Tank. While I can’t see any Star Wars influences (maybe the ‘Boneyard’ map) I can see where the other influences have blended with Respawn’s vision. Even the tutorial is impressive.

Titanfall is easily the best shooter I’ve played in years. I’m eagerly awaiting the announcement of DLC and am keen to see what direction Respawn will take the game and its inevitable sequels. The unique features such as burn cards, Titans, free-running, tactical abilities and the maps all blend to create one of the most original and fun online games in recent memory.

9/10 PROS • • •

A refreshing take on the FPS genre Extremely fun, but also extremely accessible Tons of replayability

CONS • •

Odd execution of campaign Lack of weapon variety

Written by Nick Getley

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

review

Thief It’s been a long time between jobs for Garrett, master thief from the iconic Thief video game series. In fact, it was almost ten years ago that Thief: Deadly Shadows was released on the original Xbox and PC, and while the announcement of a new Thief game got old-school pickpockets excited, the excitement was also met with caution. Was rebooting Thief really necessary? How could Thief be brought back after such a long hiatus? Worry not gamers, for this is indeed a new breed of Thief, but it also happens to be one that any gamer can enjoy, despite a small amount of bland features.

‘Thief’ once again casts players as the master thief, Garrett, as he steals from the corrupt rich and gives to... himself. Garrett is not your classic hero, in fact, he is more of an anti-

While it may sound like a stealth fans murky cup of tea, it does in fact feel rather bland, thanks to a repetitive design and an extremely limited colour palette. Where other developers have realised that if a game is predominantly made up of greys, blacks and browns that it pays to have some unique design choices (such as a unusual palace, factory or the odd trip to an asylum), Eidos Montreal have chosen to stick with a dark and grimy theme, which works, but doesn’t “wow” the player, not even for a second.

The game’s story also takes a backseat to the stealthy gameplay (which I will address in moment), and while the Thief series has always felt more gameplay-focused, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Garrett bares almost no redeeming or unique qualities of

gether, or even get along. Instead, it feels like a race, which is ultimately very silly of two master thieves to be doing when there is delicate work to be done.

After successfully obtaining the item, the two witness a supernatural ritual being practised by a mysterious cult. Erin’s curiosity gets the better of her, and in an attempt to stop her revealing their presence, Garrett steals her climbing hook. As one would expect, the two begin to wrestle for possession of the hook, with Erin falling into the ritual area itself. A large explosion decimates the area, with Garrett and Erin both being enveloped in the arcane destruction.

A year passes, and Garrett awakens on the back of a beggar’s cart, with

“..OTHER RECENT STEALTH GAMES HAVE MANAGED TO PRESENT INTERESTING ENVIRONMENTS, CHARACTERS AND PLOTLINES AS WELL AS ADDICTING GAMEPLAY” hero, similar to Batman, although with slightly less gadgets. Now that I think of it, this newly-rebooted Thief also bares a very Nolan-esque atmosphere. The city is cluttered with cobblestone streets, uninviting highrise buildings, abandoned marketplaces and dank slums.

his own, and instead feels like a boring mash-up of several other established characters.

At the beginning of the game, Garrett meets up with fellow thief Erin in order to steal a particular item for a client. Why they bother to team up is beyond me, as they never work to-

no memory of where he has been since the incident. The city was no paradise to begin with, but there is an even greater divide between the upper and lower classes, with the streets littered with beggars who are infected with a deadly disease known as “the gloom”. Bodies are gathered on carts and sent to a fac-

tory for processing, and guards patrol the city harassing citizens and eliminating anyone who has been in contact with the infected, even if they are healthy themselves. After regaining his bearings and contacting a former contractor, Garrett reenters the thief-for-hire business, discovering a sinister and shocking conspiracy that leads all the way to the city’s ruler himself, the Baron.

There’s something not quite right about the story’s execution in Thief.

It is entertaining, that’s for sure, but like the environment design and most of the characters, it feels rather pedestrian when compared to other games. While fun and addicting gameplay should arguably be the focus and main draw of a stealth game (and in that regard Thief does more than deliver), other recent stealth games have managed to present interesting environments, characters and plotlines as well as addicting gameplay, such as Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Hitman: Absolution (also both Square Enix titles).

Stealth mechanics and strategic gameplay is what Thief is all about, and this is where the game really shines. Garrett (in the right hands) is a ghost’s shadow, able to pilfer and loot the shiniest trinkets in the blink of an eye. He can also be a

lar spot and fails to look nearby or beyond that area. Whilst looting a house, I clumsily knocked over a glass and shattered it. Guard ran to the area, and while I was only hiding on the opposite side of the table, they were transfixed on the remnants of the glass, and did not once look up or even bother to peer into the shadows with their lanterns. I must have been a metre away, and had managed to completely elude the guards.

Stealing is similar to getting around the levels, as the press of a single button usually opens a container and snatches the loot within. If there is no loot, Garrett closes the container and moves on. If there is loot, Garrett automatically pockets it and then moves on. It makes for quick and easy gold, as well as keeps the stealing aspect of the game from becoming annoying or boring (imagine having to look for a container, then it’s lock or handle, and then finding the contents within, and then having to close that container). Some gamers may find that Garrett’s initial skill makes simple tasks feel rather easy, but he is a master thief. Hell, he is the best thief that there has ever been in a video game.

Just as Sam Fisher (Splinter Cell) can now mark and execute multiple enemies and bust caps in their col-

deadly rogue, stealthily and brutally besting even the toughest of guards.

Or (as I often did) he can simply play each situation by ear, and use his instincts to guide him. He is also able to purchase a variety of skills and equipment to aid him throughout the game, and while the environments may seem stale at times, there is a huge amount of ways you can infiltrate certain buildings or complete your missions. There is loot to be found in the darkest corners of some buildings, or even in secret stashes that require exploration keen observation, as well as challenges that reward experience and initiative such as “steal all the loot” or “lockpick every lock” in a level/chapter.

Movement-wise, Garrett traverses buildings, fences, ropes and other obstacles with fluid grace, and while the simple use of the left trigger as a run/vault/slide/whatever-maneuveryou-need button initially felt cheap, it did help illustrate Garrett as the nimble master thief he is. It also makes for some really cool running sequences that are almost on par with the brilliant Mirror’s Edge (in terms of style).

Should Garrett inadvertently draw the attention of guards, he can hide in the shadows or attempt to escape the situation. Far too often though, the A.I. hones in on one particu-

lective heads in half a second, Garrett can steal an entire room’s worth of loot in a minute or so. He’s just that damn good.

If one does find the game difficult at times, they are able to make use of the upgradeable “focus” skill, which highlights various routes, loot, enemies and also enables different skill moves, such as quicker lockpicking or more skillful combat maneuvers.

Use of the focus skill is limited, but the focus gauge can be refilled by potions or by eating special flowers which can be found throughout the game or bought from vendors.

If at any time players wish to take a break from the main story, they can compete in various challenge levels against other players for a spot on the levels’ leaderboards. Some of these offer a unique experience from the story while utilising the same mechanics.

Ultimately, Thief is a good stealth game with solid mechanics that last for the length of the game’s story and beyond. While it lacks some of the excitement of other Square Enix-published stealth games, it is quite possibly the most accessible currently available, and well worth checking out (particularly on the PS4, PC and Xbox One) despite the slight lack of a polished narrative.

Written by Nick Getley

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

PROS • •

7/10

Accessible

Rewarding gameplay

CONS •

Boring story and characters

•

Some textures are slow to load, lip sync during some cut scenes is off.

•

‘Clumsy’ A.I. (at times)

review

Dark Souls II The first Dark Souls was (and still is) nothing short of a phenomenon.

More than simply “the hardest game ever”, it was a rewarding game that addicted and challenged gamers of all experience levels. Hidetaka Miyazaki announced ‘Dark Souls II’ at the Spike Video Game Awards in December 2012, and went on to say that the game would be just as unforgiving as Demon Souls and Dark Souls, but would be more accessible and also have multiplayer gameplay.

After much anticipation, Dark Souls II has finally released. While I was initially concerned that the game being “more accessible” meant that the game would have a drastically reduced difficulty, I’m happy to say that Dark Souls II is just as merciless as the previous Souls games while being the best possible sequel it

wanderer, cursed with undeath. Being Hollow is a degenerative state, while it might seem like immortality at first, in actuality it means that both the victim’s body and mind will rot, until all that is left is a mindless zombie, consumed by madness and constantly pursuing souls to devour.

It is a terrifying fate that should befall no one.

At the beginning of the game, the player is introduced to the Firekeepers, a group of strange old women that aid the player in creating their character’s appearance and starting class. If you are new to the Souls games, I would recommend exploring Things Betwixt (the beginning area) and learning the game’s various controls. Once the player has reached the end of Things Betwixt, they can go wherever they wish. Be

Scrolls V: Skyrim, the leveling up system may seem complicated, but upon learning what each stat does, players should have no problem matching their character builds to their play style.

Visually, Dark Souls II looks a great deal better than Demon Souls and Dark Souls, whilst still retaining that undeniable Dark Souls look. There is also (in my personal opinion) much more variety in the environments and in the game’s monsters/ enemies. I found that in Dark Souls, the beginning of the game was populated by innumerable zombies and the occasional knight, the latter of which had their faces covered up by helmets. While this helped the towering knights feel menacing, I’m glad that there are creatures with more personality and variety in their

“VISUALLY, DARK SOULS II LOOKS A GREAT DEAL BETTER THAN DEMON SOULS AND DARK SOULS, WHILST STILL RETAINING THAT UNDENIABLE DARK SOULS LOOK.” could be. It looks better, plays better, and has more of a story than Demon Souls and Dark Souls. Get ready to be punished all over again gamers, Souls is back.

Set in the same world as Dark Souls (though thousands of years apart), players are once again cast as a

warned, nowhere is friendly, and death lurks around every corner.

This is what Dark Souls is all about.

Defeating enemies in Dark Souls II allows you to harvest their souls, which are used both to level up and also as currency in the game. Compared to other RPGs like The Elder

visual design present in Dark souls II. Early cave trolls in the game wander about their lairs, blinking, breathing, drooling and moving about. This might sound rather pedestrian compared to other games, but it certainly shakes up the feeling of entering room after room in Dark Souls, only to find yet another

knight standing perfectly still, blocking the only route to go.

I only take issue with a few of Dark Souls II’s features, as there are a few things that feel like a step backward. For one thing, you can only level up via one Firekeeper at Majula, the coastal village. In Dark Souls, players were able to level up at any bonfire, yet in Dark Souls II, this is only available through one particular character in one particular area. Sure, we now have the benefit of quick travel from the beginning of the game (without the need to upgrade bonfires), but it does feel strange to only be able to level up in Majula.

Another feature that I disagree with was how the multiplayer was executed. There is no constant multiplayer, and instead multiplayer ends after you help (or are helped) with the defeat of a boss. After playing

the game online, the longest you will play with other people is a few minutes. It’s only my personal opinion, but I would have liked to two players to be able to stay together for as long as they wish, maybe at the cost of a reduction in sould earned from defeating enemies. For the record, the way that multiplayer has been handled in a much more “ Dark Souls II way” than the mode I had been yearning for. It would have been nice though, what’s that saying... “misery loves company”?

Dark Souls II takes the brilliant gameplay, story and atmosphere from previous Souls games and manages to both shake them up and improve upon them. The definitive Souls game, Dark Souls II is an instant classic which will provide many hours of entertainment and is well worth a purchase.

Written by Nick Getley

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

9/10 PROS • • •

Still challenging, but more accessible than previous games Looks fantastic Multiplayer!

CONS •

None

review

The LEGO Movie: The Video Game I’ve been a fan of the LEGO games after playing a demo of LEGO Batman to death on my PS3. Since then, the following instalments have always provided me with hours of fun and laughs and bought back childhood memories of playing with buckets and buckets of LEGO bricks.

The LEGO Movie: The Videogame takes the best of the newly released movie (The LEGO Movie) and melds into the game. The game re-enacts the movie as an interactive movie ‘spoiler’ so to speak. Many film to game adaptations always seem to miss the mark, however TT Games have managed to cohesively meld the two together providing a fun and amusing experience for the player.

The game does not feature ‘scene for scene’ from it’s film counterpart.

A smart move by both TT Games and Warner Bros./Roadshow Films

chosen as the ‘one’ in a prophecy to save the LEGO world from Lord Business and his intention to unleash the ‘Kragel’ - a super weapon.

As with the movie, The LEGO Movie: The Videogame has a star studded cast of voice actors. Chris Pratt as Emmett, Elizabeth Banks, Will Ferrell, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Alison Brie, Nick Offerman and Charlie Day who featured as the character voices in the film, are also featured in the game.

If you have played the previous LEGO games, you will be familiar with the gameplay - fight the enemy, collect the in-game currency blocks, solve puzzles assembling vehicle and equipment etc.

Co-op game play (not available online) again features heavily in this

tem of sorts as to what character you will need to use to complete the task. With over 90 playable characters in the game such as Batman and Green Lantern, when required to switch characters, its as easy as a few simple button clicks to switch between the characters to complete certain takes on each level.

Some of the tasks that Emmett is required to carry out (such as on the building site) can get a little monotonous and repetitive after a while.

At times they feel almost unnecessary and just button mashing, on the plus side they do allow for the chance to find exciting unlockables and more importantly, the chance to unlock further characters.

This game also features a new form of characters which is dependant on the type of character you

“..THE LEGO MOVIE: THE VIDEOGAME WILL ENSURE HOURS OF ENTERTAINMENT FOR A YOUNGER AUDIENCE.” to leave some thought to the imagination.

Delivering some hilarious and amusing scenarios, you play the main man and protagonist, Emmett. Emmett Brickowski is a little LEGO man with big LEGO dreams who has been

game like the previous titles. However, if playing alone, having to swap between a few different characters to complete the level can get very frustrating trying to remember who is the best LEGO man (or woman) for the task at hand. Cracked walls and glittery walls act as an alert sys-

play - Regular Builder and Master Builders. Regular Builders, such as protagonist Emmett are unable to build or create objects out of the piles of LEGO scatter around the level without having found the correct instruction pages. I found this type of character a lot of fun to play

as I like to explore the scenery and see what I can find. A lot of times in games, items can be missed as the objective of the game is to get from point A to point B. However, by making the player look for the instructions, this not only allows the player to explore the world, but also (in my opinion) extends the game play time. Master Builders, like Vitruvirus and Wyldsyde on the other hand can grab and create something new without the need for the instructions.

Graphically, I really enjoyed seeing that the previously 3D rendered backdrops and buildings in each level have been replaced with LEGO blocks. This change in direction really made me feel like I was in a LEGO world.

TT Games have been making Lego games for almost 10 years. They know what they are doing and the old saying of ‘if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it’ is one that does work for them.

However, I do feel that this game was directed at a much younger audience than that of say Lego Batman or Harry Potter. I personally would have liked a little more ‘creativity’ ability in the games and something a little different then the previous LEGO games. OK, so none of the previous games have had a 3D animated movie included in them, but it would have been good to have seen

something new the player could do.

I make this comment as there is the usual co-op game play, hardly any vehicles in the main story levels and when you do find one, there isn’t much use for it. Further to this, the fights and battles in this game are a little too watered down from what i’m used to with the previous LEGO games, however, I do understand the ‘dumbed down’ violence factor as the movie was intended for young audience. Combining the movie and game in one meant that something had to take a step back, in this instance some of the more fun and to be expected components of the previous game titles.

The LEGO Movie: The Videogame is a funny and is very entertaining game, however, it lacks a little oomph in certain areas to give it that something different to the previous LEGO titles. This game is by far one of the best movie adaptations that I have seen in a long time. Featuring a good script, great graphics and plenty of playable characters, The LEGO Movie: The Videogame will ensure hours of entertainment for a younger audience.

Written by Kylie Tuttle

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

PROS

7/10

•

Great script

•

Fun factor for a younger audience

•

Eye Catching environments

CONS • •

Difficult narrative at times Relatively short

review

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z When I first heard of ‘Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z’, I didn’t think much of the announcement. In fact, I probably uttered “meh” and then went onto gush about one of the more heavilymarketed games, like Titanfall. Now that I’ve actually played the finished game, I’m happy to say despite being extremely linear and having a few minor issues, Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is both a challenge and enjoyable for action games fans.

Yaiba is not your typical action game, at least not in terms of its story. It casts players as Yaiba Kamikaze, an insane shinobi who in the game’s opening cut scene is almost killed by Ryu Hayabusa (protagonist of the Ninja Gaiden series). After being revived by Forge Industries (and transformed into a cyborg), Yaiba is then hired by Forge to put an end to

and that’s putting it nicely. He is foulmouthed, bloodthirsty and has absolutely no loyalty or moral compass to speak of. If you like jerk characters then you will love Yaiba’s smartass remarks, and his tendencies to rip someone’s arms off on a whim. If, however, you grew tired of similar characters such as Deadpool in his feature game, you might grow sick of Yaiba’s constant cussing and ul-

“..BUT AS MUCH AS YAIBA’S STORY AND CHARACTERS FEEL UNINSPIRED, THEY DO STILL MANAGE TO ENTERTAIN.” a zombie outbreak. The zombie outbreak means nothing to Yaiba, who merely wishes to exact his revenge on Ryu Hayabusa, and kill the head of Heavy Forge industries as well.

Yaiba himself is an absolute jerk,

traviolent work ethics. Other characters in the game, are relics of games gone by. There’s Miss Monday, the busty and highly-sexual Forge employee who acts as Yaiba’s guide.

That is, if she wasn’t cracking jokes and spouting double entendres at every opportunity. Alarico del Gonzo,

is your typical corporate sleazebag who harbors ulterior motives for rebuilding and hiring Yaiba Kamikaze, which pretty much sums him up.

It might be that I’ve played every other Ninja Gaiden game, and it might also be that I came into the game with lowered expectations, but as much as Yaiba’s story and characters feel uninspired, they do still manage to entertain. Political correctness is enforced everywhere today, and even though Yaiba is far from a respectable character and Miss Monday is a sultry maneater, I don’t feel they cross any lines in terms of taste. Much like Suda 51’s Killer is Dead game, Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is heavily influenced by movies and other entertainment forms from yesteryear and as such, the characters are more like sexualised or foul-mouthed cartoons rather than politically-incorrect tools. I’m sure there will be arguments about

the political correctness of some of Yaiba’s content, but I feel the game is fine, and will appeal to a variety of people (particularly those with a sense of humour).

If you’ve played any of the Ninja Gaiden games (or any other hackn-slash action game), you will know what to expect from Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z’s gameplay: Combos, slashes, counters and a metaphorical sea of enemies to carve your way through. While it has its roots in Ninja Gaiden’s style of combat, I actually feel that Yaiba has fairly unique combat compared to other hack-n-slash games. Quite an achievement really, as I’ve played countless other hack-n-slash games and I found Yaiba to be the most fun I’ve had in a hack-n-slash game in years.

Combos are primarily made up of sword slashes, bionic arm punches

and flail strikes. These weapons are all assigned to three different buttons and combos are executed via a simple mixture of these three buttons.

Sometimes though, combat does not go as smoothly as one would hope, and it feels as though the more unique zombies that appear (and end up appearing in mixed groups quite frequently) only create frustration, due to Yaiba’s paperrock-scissors style of combat. Some zombies are vulnerable to punches, but almost immune to sword attacks.

Some are weak to fire, and others are just about fireproof. At first, this adds strategies to individual encounters, but eventually (when you’re fighting a hundred zombies at once) it just makes you attack the wrong zombie with the wrong weapon, or waste a hard-earned weapon on a zombie that required a single strike.

In this regard, Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z feels sloppy, and not a knee-deep

in zombie guts kind of sloppy. A bad one.

Throughout the game, Yaiba has numerous chances (via a combo or distracted zombie) to improvise and gain a new-but-temporary weapon.

These are quite often the result of the horrifying execution of an enemy, such as ripping a clown’s arms off (yes, I said clown) and creating “nun-chuckles” (nunchaku made from dismembered arms) or ripping the spine out of an electric zombie and creating the “spinal-zap”, an electric spine-whip. Creating these weapons is usually extremely gory and within the context of Yaiba, absolutely hilarious.

Unfortunately for Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, its level design is all over the place. At times, it can be competent, but boring (a graveyard, really?) and at other times, it seems to be an absolute mess. You won’t get lost, but

you will get frustrated that you can’t leap and wall-run throughout the levels as gracefully as, well, a ninja should.

Unless, of course, you count the scripted wall-running and flailswinging moments, which are actually pretty damn cool. Throughout his journey, Yaiba will have to think of his feet to quickly traverse numerous obstacles or escape certain death. These stunt sequences function as QTEs (quick-time events), where players will have to press a certain button at an exact moment to successfully navigate through a level. Let me put you at ease: these aren’t the extremely worn-out and/or annoying QTEs you’re used to, and you will probably only die a handful of times. I didn’t encounter a QTE that held me back, and managed to beat most on the first attempt. This was no thanks to Yaiba’s camera system, which at times seems to

6.5/10 PROS hate you like you slept with its girlfriend. It’s not a constant onslaught of camera hiccups, but is enough to annoy you more than once, particularly in urban levels.

After my time with Yaiba, I’m left a little confused. I don’t feel like it aimed for a mass audience, but rather the small group of people who enjoy Ninja Gaiden games and the enjoyable button-mashing offered by Japanese hack-n-slashes.

On one hand, I enjoy the combat and the B-grade characters, but on another hand, it feels like yet another dated Japanese action game.

Yaiba would have been amazing on the PlayStation 2, but this is the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 we’re talking about. We’ve seen the almost-flawless God of War titles and other great hack-n-slash games that came in their wake, and although Yaiba certainly qualifies as a game

I would enjoy, I doubt it will make an impact on most other gamers, who are probably happily assassinating pirates and templars, or piloting their titans. If you enjoy zombies, humourous games and the Ninja Gaiden series, you probably qualify as one of the few this game aimed to please.

Written by Nick Getley

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

•

Mindless violent fun (yes, that’s a good thing)

CONS •

Annoying camera angles

•

Forgettable story

•

Unrefined combat ideas

review

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst in a world of fighting games that rely heavily on practice and technique, the Naruto series has always strived to be different and embrace its own mythos. My knowledge of the universe may come second-hand and my patience for shonen’s particular tropes may run thinner the older I get, but one thing remains true: the Naruto world makes for a damn good fighting game.

For those who follow Naruto, the story begins just after the defeat of Pain and Naruto becoming the Hero of Konoha. (For those who don’t, that’s about 450 chapters in.) After so many games in the past starting from the very, very beginning of the tale and only getting a few

characters to choose from, all with their signature attacks, many with alternate costumes and special teams to play around with.

But it’s not about the story. A game with a name like Ultimate Ninja STORM 3: Full Burst could only be about the fighting. Utilising a 3D battlefield allows the ninjas to actually move like ninjas, able to dash and dodge and teleport about the space with satisfying speed. Taking a leaf from Marvel vs Capcom, each character has three health bars instead of going three rounds. Two support characters can assist you in battle but cannot be switched in, instead requiring a short cooldown period before being able to be summoned

“..FIGHTING IN THE INCREDIBLY LAGGY ONLINE MODE IS AN EXERCISE IN FRUSTRATION..” arcs in, not having to trudge through those early moments to get to the good stuff comes as a great relief. If you’ve never experienced the series, though, watch out. Terms and references come thick and fast, and a newcomer will quickly be completely lost as to why everybody is yelling about Sasuke and Jinchuriki. Fans and newcomers alike, however, will be very pleased once they reach the character select menu in multiplayer. Full Burst boasts a whopping 65

once more. The concept is there, but the execution allows for some very cheap tactics that may not appeal to the more seasoned fighter.

Similarly, our old friends the super and ultra attacks are present as well.

Rather than boost your meter via landing attacks a la Street Fighter, you instead charge up and release your Chakra through an incredibly simple three-button input. Though the computer is nice enough to not

abuse this, fighting in the incredibly laggy online mode is an exercise in frustration with nothing to stop players from spamming these attacks over and over again. Full Burst puts a lot of mechanics like these into its bag - Dynasty Warriors-style action sequences, fights against skyscraper-sized foes, QTE-styled battle cutscenes - but all of them suffer the curse of being a much lighter, less satisfying version of each concept.

This is doubly true with the story missions. Inside missions, you are given the choice to either take the Hero route or the Legend Route, but these really boil down to Easy or Hard paths. Confusing at best and forcing players to run the story twice at worst to gather the experience within each route, strangely going towards boosting your choices of inbattle items. None of this is helped by the inexplicable slowdown encountered all over the place. I counted a dozen times in the first few hours where a character’s lips were moving long after the dialogue was over, and while the battles run smoothly for the most part, apparently the engine dies at the thought of someone running down a hallway without lag. It’s disturbing that these things should still be happening after so many games on this engine.

Griping about the nonsensical story helps nobody, as tempting as that is. The fact of the matter is that Full Burst tried to juggle a dozen different systems and ended up dropping the ball on nearly all of them. If you want a simple, fun fighting game to challenge your mates to that is bears a massive cache of the source material, Full Burst is the game for you. If you’re looking for a game like Street Fighter that focuses on doing one thing very, very well, then it’s best to look elsewhere. This burst may not be full enough for you.

Written by Aaron Milligan

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

6.5/10 PROS •

Huge cast of characters

•

Packed with Naruto Lore/story

•

Easy system to get into

CONS • •

Fame rate issues

Shallow super system

review

Yoshi’s New Island In 1995, Nintendo decided to give Yoshi - the famous green dinosaur we all know and love – a starring role in a game all of his own after the massive popularity he garnered after his debut in Super Mario World.

This game was Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. Met with critical acclaim, the success of the game caused Yoshi to be the star of his own series, receiving several other games, like sequel Yoshi’s Island DS and spiritual successor Yoshi’s Story. However, despite this, Yoshi’s starring forays tend to be few and far between. So it was a big surprise when in 2013, Nintendo unveiled two new Yoshi games; Yarn Yoshi for Wii U, and a new sequel to the first Yoshi game: Yoshi’s New Island, developed by Arzest, who developed Yoshi’s Island DS back when they were formerly Artoon.

This twist, while relatively harmless, may be found disrespectful to fans of the original game, for changing what was originally a happy ending to a classic game. And although it didn’t affect me that much due to never getting that far into the original Yoshi’s Island, the game could have easily still easily worked without this plot point, but moving on. As the stork flies towards his destination, he is once again attacked by Baby Bowser’s magical caretaker, Kamek the Magikoopa, who with his minions, kidnaps Baby Luigi, but fails to kidnap baby Mario, who falls from the sky and lands safely on the floating Egg Island, which is a different setting to the original game (hence the “New Island” moniker). Found by a group of Yoshis who have recently been terrorised by Baby Bowser (who wants to turn Egg Island into

“..YOSHI’S NEW ISLAND IS A GAME THAT EMPHASISES EXPLORING OVER GETTING TO THE END OF THE LEVEL.” Starting directly after the ending of the original game, New Island begins with the revelation that the stork had accidentally delivered Baby Mario and Luigi to the wrong house, causing the stork to set off again to deliver the babies to the right house.

his own private paradise), the Yoshis and Baby Mario team up to save the island and Baby Luigi.

Like previous Yoshi’s Island games, Yoshi’s New Island is a game that emphasises exploring over getting to

the end of the level. If you play it like any regular platformer you will be disappointed, but if you play it to explore, you will like what you find. In every level, there are 20 Red Coins and 5 Flowers to find, and you won’t get them unless you explore every nook and cranny. Despite this emphasis on exploration however, the levels are oddly linear and short.

Most tend to be straight paths with the occasional door to other rooms, including the castle levels. It’s a shame too because this linearity betrays the game’s emphasis on exploration.

As is the series’ tradition, instead of having traditional health, Yoshi can only be killed by pitfalls, spikes and lava. The real challenge is avoiding getting hit by enemies, as this causes Baby Mario to be sent into a bubble as Yoshi’s Star Counter goes down, and if Yoshi does not get to Baby Mario before the meter runs out, Baby Mario will be kidnapped by Kamek’s minions. The Star Counter has a count of ten by defeat, and by finding stars throughout the kevel, it can be boosted to a maximum of thirty. If Yoshi can finish a level with 30 Stars, all Flowers and Red Coins, he has fully completed it (and unlike previous titles, you don’t have to collect all the flowers and red coins in one run, which is very useful). If all levels are

100% complete, the world’s secret level will be unlocked. These secret levels are much more challenging then the main levels, which is a good thing, as unlike Yoshi’s Island and Island DS, New Island is much less difficult. Levels aren’t really that difficult. In fact, a good portion of my deaths were from accidentally ground pounding in mid-air over a pit (although this may be a problem of the 3DS control-nub rather than Arzest’s fault.) However, this lower level of difficulty does make it easier for younger gamers and newcomers to play. If you die three times in a level, you will be given the Flutter Wing, which allows you to constantly flutter jump without losing altitude. Because you can’t keep gaining height with this, only distance, you still have to do platforming to get to higher areas, so it makes the game easier for those having trouble without handholding them. And if you die while using the Flutter Wing, you’ll be given a stronger variant that makes you invincible to enemies.

The usual egg mechanics are present, yet oddly egg-rebounding puzzles are not that common. Annoyingly, when standing still Yoshi takes a full second to grab and egg to prepare to throw it, which really shows during segments where Yoshi has to rush but nabbing objects requires precision. Speaking of eggs, the big-

gest new feature of the game are the Eggdozers, of which there are two kinds. If Yoshi eats a giant Shy Guy, he will lay a Mega Eggdozer. These giant eggs will destroy everything in their path when thrown, allowing Yoshi to access blocked paths and gain extra lives. However they really don’t add much besides being visually impressive, and slow down the action each time one is used. Metal Eggdozers on the other hand, add an interesting new dynamic gameplay. Obtained when Yoshi eats a Metal Shy Guy, Metal Eggdozers will also destroy everything they roll into, but they also grant Yoshi the ability to go underwater. Walking underwater allows Yoshi to access new paths and can obtain hidden goodies. The trick is to know when and where to throw the egg, otherwise you’ll rise to the surface too early and miss out on collectables. There is also a really cool segment in one level where a Shy Guy disguises himself as a

Yoshi and copies Yoshi’s movements, but is in a maze and must be lured into a spike trap while the real Yoshi has to traverse different terrain while figuring out the right movements. Sadly, this mechanic only appears in one level and is not used again.

A major point of contention when the game was first revealed was the art-style. The levels looked like the traditional crayon-like look of the original game combined with the 3D characters of Yoshi’s Story, with many claiming it looked odd and ugly. I too had reservations about this, but fortunately the artstyle works quite well in the game, it just needs to be seen in person.

Some of the enemy models are imported from New Super Mario Bros 2, which kinda clashes with the rest of the games style (particularly the Final Boss), but overall, the models are charming and compliment

7.5/10 stick with them. Its ease of difficulty and level design will easily leave newcomers and younger gamers with a fun game to enjoy, but it will also leave series veterans wanting.

the art. The soundtrack on the other hand, is quite the mixed bag. Most of the songs are pretty harmless, though unmemorable, but the ones that use Kazoos, such as the Title Menu theme and Cruise the Clouds level theme are really harsh on the ears. This is somewhat counterbalanced by some songs that are quite good, such as themes of levels like Hop ‘n’ Pop Till You Drop and Bandit Valley.

The vehicle transformations from previous instalments also return, but work much differently now. Whereas in the original game they compulsory parts of the level, the majority of these in the new game are optional segments with the exception of the first few levels. Instead of having multiple pathways, these segments are now rather linear and somewhat lack the charm of the original transformations. All of these transformations use gyro-controls, which work

well for some like the minecart and bobsleigh, but in the case of forms like the helicopter or submarine, the more precise control needed works against the gyro-controls’ favour and these segments tend to be hard due to their imprecise controls.

The boss fights in the game are of the trademark “three hits to defeat” variety and are rather easy. Unlike previous games where each fortress and castle had a different boss, all the fortress levels have Kamek as their boss, while only the castle levels have the series’ traditional souped-up giant version of regular enemies theme. Disappointingly, the final boss is rather easy and doesn’t really differentiate itself from the final boss fights from Yoshi’s Island and Island DS. Yoshi’s New Island is a game that sticks to the core values of the original Yoshi’s Island and throughs in a few new ideas, but doesn’t really

Overall, Yoshi’s New Island is a solid, fun game. Its design allows a newer generation of gamers to enjoy a game many of us enjoyed many years ago in the past, and it does offer some new and interesting concepts to keep the gameplay from being a retread of its predecessor. Older fans however, will be left wanting and will have to look elsewhere for what they seek.

Written by Jacob Getley

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

PROS •

Newcomer-friendly

•

Metal Eggdozers are awesome!

•

•

No more “Perfects Runs”

The Yoshi Clone segment

CONS •

Levels are too easy and short

•

Soundtrack is a mixed-bag

• •

Linearity

Gyro-Controls for Transformations

review

South Park The Stick Of Truth I didn’t get to grow up with South Park. Coming from a certain age when Bart Simpson was the most dangerous thing on television, the boys from Colorado might as well have been the Antichrist with how crude their humour was. Even if the reception on the one channel that showed it had been good enough, a cartoon about kicking babies and eating poop was never going to fly.

As an adult, it turns out all that moral hysteria was so much hot air: South Park’s humour is sharp, their commentary cutting and ruthless, and their morals reasonable and levelheaded in a world gone politically correct.

Distilling that into videogame form has not gone well in the past. If you’re too young to remember the first-person shooter South Park or the kart racer South Park Rally, count yourself lucky: even the creators are ashamed at how terrible they were and have committed themselves, delay after delay, to breaking that cycle with The Stick of Truth. What we have gotten for those efforts is exactly what it should be: an episode of South Park with you at the helm, the whole of the quiet little mountain town open for exploration.

Taking on the role of the new kid in town, you are drafted into Cartman’s army in the current Dungeons and

Dragons-style game that they’re playing for your prowess in battle, ability to make friends on Facebook really quickly, and powerful farts.

The game pokes fun at its clichés even as it embraces them - Cartman mentions that they know taking turns is lame, but that’s just what they’re going with - and being able to frame the limits of a game universe within a bunch of kids actually playing a game greatly helps with getting to grips with the sometimes obtuse system Obsidian has chosen. This is a game that demands your time, but doesn’t waste it. The level cap stops at 15, battles can be circumvented with clever use of the environment, and a skilful infliction of status effects is necessary for quick and brutal victory. For a game whose source material is most fervently devoured by young teenagers, the game really

If you’re not thinking about it and completely to grips with the system, you can very easily mess things up and make the game much harder for yourself. Missable items and achievements abound and can be very well-hidden; if you happen to be charging through an area and saved over that file, well, too bad for you. Restart the game from the beginning if you want that achievement. Combine that with some occasional framerate issues, unwieldy keyboard controls, and progression-blocking bugs, and you have a product which, while solid overall, is peppered with issues that really should have been ironed out over such a long development time.

Then, of course, there are the stormy waters of censorship. In their usual form, Trey and Matt chose to mock

“THOSE WHO DON’T ‘GET’ THE SOUTH PARK BRAND OF HUMOUR MIGHT FIND IT CRASS, OR OFFENSIVE, OR JUST TOO SHORT.” expects you to think about your build and make the New Kid you want instead of some all-powerful demigod of the frozen Colorado township.

It’s in chasing this goal where the meat of the game falls down a little.

the censors rather than haphazardly patch over missing content. Considering what wasn’t cut out, the choices of what was cut and what was not is confusing at best. From the koala-laden explanations we get in lieu of these scenes, though,

it doesn’t sound like we’re missing anything vital, so it can be given a pass.

What it comes down to is that The Stick of Truth is a lot of fun. The game rolls around with the same rhythm as a normal South Park episode would, ramping up from innocent beginnings to the unbelievable ridiculousness that the series is known for. Small technical issues are really the only things to slow your momentum and enjoyment of the utter avalanche of references we get around every corner of the game. This is a game that goes for quality over quantity, running only 10 to 15 hours, never overstaying its welcome or inviting boredom.

This game is not Skyrim, but it is a game where you can command Cartman to swear a zombified underpants gnome to death and then fart on its corpse. Those who don’t ‘get’ the South Park brand of humour might find it crass, or offensive, or just too short. If you can cast that aside and just enjoy the ride, however, this game is a hell of a good time.

Seriously, you guys. Seriously!

Written by Aaron Milligan

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

8.5/10 PROS • • •

Packed with humour and references

Tight, intelligent battle system No grinding or time-wasting

CONS • •

Many small technical issues

Lots of missable collectables and achievements

review

Pinball Arcade I’ve been a hardcore pinball fan since I first discovered it in my youth.

Something about the bright flashing lights, loud noises and simple gameplay entranced me. A mutual interest of my father’s and my own, we would often venture to the video game arcades in our area and play the few remaining pinball tables that were left. It’s a shame that pinball has faded in popularity over the years, but as with most past-times, there are a few developers hard at work to recreate the magic of pinball via a video game.

and the first season of DLC - 22 tables in total. Here’s the full list:

One of the latest pinball games, is ‘The Pinball Arcade’ from FarSight Studios, which has recently released on the PlayStation 4. A re-release of the pinball collection that was developed for the PS3, the PS4 version features enhanced graphics and ball physics, making it one of the most accurate pinball simulations ever.

Featuring some of the most popular pinnies of all time, The Pinball Arcade will win over those new to pinball, and is a must-have for pinball wizards.

Initially, The Pinball Arcade was a downloadable title, where players could purchase tables they were interested in individually. This retail release of the game, however, sees all of The Pinball Arcade’s downloadable releases from the game’s launch

•

Tales of the Arabian Nights

•

Black Hole

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Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

•

Theatre of Magic

•

The Machine: Bride of Pin-Bot

•

Medieval Madness

•

Cirqus Voltaire

•

FunHouse

•

Gorgar

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Monster Bash

•

Black Knight

•

Creature from the Black Lagoon

•

Harley-Davidson, 3rd Edition

•

Taxi

•

Elvira and the Party Monsters

•

No Good Gofers

•

Scared Stiff

•

Big Shot

•

Twilight Zone

•

Star Trek: The Next Generation

•

Attack from Mars

•

Genie

The collection is made up of some of the best tables from the best pinball machine manufacturers - Williams,

Gottlieb, Sega, Bally, Stern and Data East. All of the tables have been recreated as faithfully to their real-life counterparts as possible, with graphics and physics that are incredibly close to the real thing.

Any closer, and you’d be playing them at an arcade. I’ve played every pinny on the Pinball Arcade, and can verify the realism of the numerous tables I’ve played as various times in my life. The Twilight Zone table is just as I remembered it as a child - difficult, and full of dialogue from the TV show. The Star Trek: The Next Generation is another I played frequently growing up, not one detail from the real-life pinball machine has been ommited from its digital recreation.

The Big Shot table comes from a simpler time (the 1970s) and is a prime example of the simplicity of earlier pinball machines, as well as the addictive nature of pinball. I first played it as a novelty and educational experience, but quickly discovered that it hides a fiendishly addictive table beyond its humble appearance.

My personal favourites, however, are the Williams-made Fun House and Gorgar. Both are prime examples of the passion and skill that Williams displayed with each and every game and pinball table they

9/10 made. I especially love the fantastic sound effects that Williams were capable of, in my opinion, they were years ahead of other rival developers (in terms of sound design).

The Pinball Arcade benefits from modern game design features, such as local multiplayer, online leader boards and a “Hall of Fame Score”. The online leader boards can be filtered to show your PSN friends, as well as the high scores

you can shows off your score to your friends or you can compete online via the leader boards!

The Hall of Fame score, is your combined score across all the tables you own. This helps illustrate your average skill level, and also helps gauge what tables you can improve upon.

This disc version of The Pinball Arcade is also compatible with future DLC for the game.

“..AS A PINBALL FAN, I CAN EASILY SAY THE PINBALL ARCADE IS SOME OF THE MOST FUN I’VE HAD IN RECENT MEMORY.” for the selected table from around the world. Thanks to the Pinball Arcade, there’s no argument about who is the best player on The Creature From the Black Lagoon -

The amount of fun you have, as well as the amount of appreciation you have for The Pinball Arcade will vary on a number of factors, though these aren’t as exclusive as you might think.

If you love puzzle games (due to their accessibility and addictive nature), then I will urge you to check out The Pinball Arcade. If you are old enough to remember playing Pinball (and enjoying it), then I urge you to purchase this title immediately; as a pinball fan, I can easily say The Pinball Arcade is some of the most fun I’ve had in recent memory.

Written by Nick Getley

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

PROS • •

Fantastic value, countless hours of entertainment The most realistic pinball simulation yet

CONS •

None

history of comics

“A Geeks History of Comics” If you asked one to sit down and write a history of video games, one would have to cast his mind back to the 70’s (although it’s history can date back to at least 1947). So at least fifty years of history to account for. However if you were to sit down and contemplate the history of comic books, one must take a leap back to at least 1830. As you, dear reader, might realise, this is quite the mammoth task. A task I am up to the challenge of completing.

As a young boy of six or seven I recall my mother taking me to the newsagency and buying me my first comic, “The Spectacular SpiderMan”. I now, as an adult, own more comics than I care to count, which takes up more space than my home

Rather than bore you with a detailed essay on the history of the comic book medium, I would like to take you on a personal journey through comic book past. My personally selected highlights from it’s rich almost 200 year history. From the humble newspaper comic to the superhero.

From DC to Marvel. From Image to Dark Horse. Lets look back.

As it is known today, the first official ‘comic book’ sprang to life in 1933.

It was a humble collection of older newspaper stories all bound together (or rather stapled) and sold as one collected book, thus the comic book was born! From here, the most notable of these newspaper comic book heroes was Lee Falk’s The Phantom, shooting his way off the page in

In 1938 two young Jewish immigrants to the United States were about to change everything we knew about popular culture. These two men, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster who, as teenagers would continuously work on projects together.

Jerry, the writer, would come up

“THINGS WERE CERTAINLY DIFFERENT IN THE EARLY DAYS. IN THOSE FIRST FEW ISSUES SUPERMAN COULDN’T EVEN FLY..” is seemingly willing to offer. Collecting comics is a fulfilling, enlightening and rewarding (and often expensive) hobby. I can only begin to imagine the collections that some people, who I’m sure have been collection far longer than I have been alive, must have. Such rich history. It almost makes me curl up and weep out of envy alone.

1936. Although the Phantom never really became a ‘comic book’ until the 1940’s, it is important to take him into account. He is one of the first, great recognisable heroes of pop culture, and remains an icon of the genre to this day. He may never have reached the heights of success that his successors would enjoy, but he continues on with a great legion of fans.

with crazy ideas and Joe who was quite the artist, would pencil these ideas down. One night Jerry had an idea and couldn’t sleep. He ran to Joe’s house, the two of them began to create what would become in 1938, Superman, the first real SUPER HERO. Published by the comic book company Detective Comics (later DC Comics) Superman would become their biggest hit.

be at the scene of trouble and it wouldn’t seem suspicious. Then a quick spin in a phone-booth later and the man of steel himself would emerge, ready to fight injustice, right wrongs and do lots of things involving “the American way”. Superman would go on to become one of the biggest pop culture icons in history. From the wonderfully camp George Reeves television series of the 50’s through to the, ironic in their own right, Christopher Reeve films of the 70’s-80’s. Even last year we saw Superman return to big screens in the epic blockbuster Man Of Steel, which met to great box office returns, cementing the fact that first superhero isn’t going anywhere. He maintains immense popularity even though he has been through a few rough patches (which we will get to later).

He was super strong, could leap tall buildings in a single bound and was as fast as a speeding locomotive! Things were certainly different in the early days. In those first few issues Superman couldn’t even fly, but the essentials were all there. Superman was an alien from the planet Krypton, sent to Earth by his father, in a last ditch attempt to save his race from destruction. On Earth he was to be raised by the Kent family, who named their new child, Clark.

As a grown man, Clark worked as a newspaper man, so he could always

There is no way you could sit down to write a history of comics without taking into account the father of all superheroes.

In 1939 a small comic book company called Timely Comics launched one of their most successful comic book series, Marvel Comics #1, featuring The Human Torch and Namor The Submariner. Yes, Timely Comics would eventually (in 1961, to be exact) become MARVEL COMICS! Next time in “A Geek’s History of Comics”, we will look at the foundation of Marvel Comics and the beginnings of their “Superman”, CAPTAIN AMERICA. To be continued, in the next thrilling issue.

“..SUPERMAN WOULD GO ON TO BECOME ONE OF THE BIGGEST POP CULTURE ICONS IN HISTORY.” Written by Scott F. Sowter Images from Wikipidea.

comic review

Batman: The Killing Joke (DC Comics) If you are going to start with getting into comics, look no further than Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke. One of the most influential and important Batman one shot stories to date. The thing about The Killing Joke is, it’s all about everyone’s favourite homicidal maniac, The Joker.

Released in 1988, only two years after Frank Miller’s groundbreaking “The Dark Knight Returns”, The Killing Joke, would go on to shock fans of Batman worldwide. Ladies and gentleman, this particular issue is NOT for the faint of heart. This is the issue of Batman that features the horrific scene where The Joker shoots Barbara Gordon (aka Batgirl) in the spine, rendering her a paraplegic for the remainder of the series, it only gets worse from there.

The issue comes off with the same impact of the 2008 film The Dark Knight. That feeling you got at the sight of The Joker, what wouldn’t this guy do for fun? This comic is one of those key issues that truly makes you understand how completely evil this manic is. It’s one of those stories that sticks with you and rocks you to your very core.

It’s also worth noting that this is the first issue to ever attempt to give The Joker some form of back story, and does so very well. A story that would be later revisited in the hit video game Batman: Arkham Origins.

10/10 Written by Alan Moore . Art by Brian Bolland

Written by the legendary Alan Moore, the genius behind some of the greatest ever comics, Watchmen, From Hell, V For Vendetta and the reboot of Swamp Thing, just to name a few. He commands this issue with his usual sharp tongued writing and cynical direction. He makes a Batman comic all about The Joker, Batman himself only really appearing in the final few pages. This daring feat makes The Killing Joke stand out for it’s time.

Brian Bolland fills the pages and fleshes out Moore’s writing with a rich 80’s style art that just makes you swoon for the old days of pop

art gone by, but with a dark edge naturally.

The single issue is a highly sort after one, but fear not, it has been collected with some additional content and republished by DC in 2008 as a nice, big, hard back graphic novel available now at all good comic retailers. If you want to get into comics, if you have ever been curious, maybe you just love Batman or The Joker, than The Killing Joke is an absolute MUST own comic for you!

Written by Scott F. Sowter

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retro

Flappy Bird demakes for Retro consoles For those of you who have a Smartphone or tablet device would surely know of or heard of this game that came out in 2013 that was then pulled from respected app stores due to its frustrating and addictive nature. For those of you who missed out, don’t fret because the developer is planning on rereleasing the game back to the App Stores in the near future.

A game so simple that has caused much controversy around the world wide web has also brought many fans together to make various clones of the game. What is more interesting is that many of these clones are in fact demakes, as in fans have made put in such an exuberant effort to release clones of the game on to older gaming systems.

Here are just some that I’ve covered in my daily news posts over on Retrospekt:

Creepy Bird Veccy Bird (Super Nintendo) (Vectrex) This release is currently in development by Piko who made various homebrew games for the SNES recently as part of a 4-in-1 Multi cart Kickstarter project. This release throws the game in to a different theme with a, well, creepy look but still keeping to the traditional SNES and Flappy Bird gameplay, feel, sound and graphics.

This came at quite a surprise coming across this release. For those of you who don’t know, The Vectrex is a console/screen all in one made in 1983 by Milton Bradley which primarily focused vector-based graphics for gaming using overlays to add colour on to the screen.

If you look around well enough, you could find a flash cartridge in which you can add the ROM to the cart and play this release. Thankfully the Vectrex is a heavy unit too heavy to throw across the room in frustration.

Flappy Bird (Commodore 64) This is not an official release yet it does bear the same name as well as the sound and looks of the original game but only 8bit. Flappy Bird has been demade for by various fans of the system and the game. If you can find a way to play ROMs on a Commodore then give it a shot!

Flappo Bird (Atari 2600) Flappo Bird is one of the first demake of Flappy Bird that I came across and works great on a console as old as the Atari 2600/VCS. I guess that is the beauty of simplicity in certain video games coming back in a big way and that it doesn’t entail gaming with around 14 buttons on a game controller.

Just like Flappy Bird on C64 and Veccy Bird, ROMs are available on the web for them and install on flash cartridges or emulators. They’re generally free unless these games are packaged with the cartridges, box and manual.

Written by David Kudrev www.retrospekt.com

retro

Why Super Mario World is the Greatest Game Ever A couple of months ago I shared with you, the wonderful reader, my top 5 video games of all time. At the top of the list was Super Mario World, and deservedly so! In my article I provided a few reasons why, but I also had 4 other games to cover.

This month’s article will be solely devoted to Super Mario World and just why it is so perfect. Let’s not waste any more words and explore this brilliant game!

As most Super Nintendo gurus will know, Super Mario World was a launch title for Nintendo’s 16-bit powerhouse and it was also the first ever pack in title for the console.

The game sold over 20 million copies during the life of the Super NES, which is double the second highest game (Donkey Kong Country) on 9 million.

as aesthetically pleasing as later releases such as Donkey Kong Country or Super Mario RPG. The real charm with the game,however, lies in the simplistic graphics. They are a step up from Super Mario Bros 3 but retain the fluidity of the 8-bit title which was an outstanding feat for the original Nintendo Entertainment System.

To go with these fluid graphics are some of the smoothest controls you will ever experience in a game. The player always feels like they are in complete control of Mario or Luigi, whether they be walking, running, swimming, jumping or on the back of Yoshi. The player demands instant reaction with each button press and is never disappointed, no matter how urgent the response. If for some reason Mario or Luigi do fall off the screen, or hit a Koopa, it never feels

16-bit graphics allow for the game designers to add a little more life into both the heroes and villains alike. Koopas now walk upright and can be bumped out of their shells when jumped on, and Mario and Luigi have more frames of animation which gives them more of a presence. The Koopalings are back from Super Mario Bros 3, and they appear to be more aggressive and lively than Mario’s last encounter.

“SUPER MARIO WORLD HAS HAD A LIFE, AND THOUGH IT HAS BEEN ENHANCED THE CORE GAME HAS CHANGED VERY LITTLE SINCE ITS ORIGINAL RELEASE..”

Numbers don’t tell the whole story however, as proven by Star Wars Episode 1 being in the top 20 grossing films of all time. Don’t get me started on that one...

The first thing to keep in mind is that Super Mario World is a launch title, and as such is not going to be

cheap. If you become stuck on a level it never feels impassable. It may take a few goes to fly under the Butter Bridge to reach the secret goal, but you know if you keep trying you’ll get it eventually.

The Mario series has always been full of character, and the enhanced

The game is so detailed that even years later you can find something new. Personally, I was not aware that Mario actually punches Yoshi on the head to make him poke his tongue out until about a year ago, 23 years after the game was published!

the enhanced Super Mario All Stars pack was released with Super Mario World, Luigi was given a makeover, making him appear different to Mario. In Super Mario Advance 2 Luigi could jump higher and the brothers were voiced by Mario voice actor Charles Martinet.

Super Mario World features the largest over world map of any Mario game at that time, though the game can be completed in 11 levels if you fancy a challenge, or you can try for the juggernaut of completing all 96!

While the game is rather linear, the option of completing some levels in more than one way does make the player feel like they have more freedom to explore.

though with a 16-bit flavour that will tantalise your auditory senses. The additional bongo drums that play when you ride Yoshi just adds to the fun beats in the game. Your typical Mario sound effects have been given a 16-bit upgrade and fit with the gameplay nicely.

The music to Super Mario World is your typical bouncy Mario affair,

Super Mario World has been given a few upgrades over the years. When

Super Mario World has had a life, and though it has been enhanced the core game has changed very little since its original release in November 1990. The point is that it doesn’t need to change, as the game is perfect as it is. Perfect gameplay, graphics and music that fit the theme, and a lot of world to explore. If you’ve never played Super Mario World before, get out from under that rock you’ve spent the past 23 and a bit years under and treat yourself.

Written by Paul Monopoli

retro

Looking Back on Ghostbusters (The Video Game - 1984) On February 24th, legendary comedy actor and writer Harold Ramis passed away after a number of years battling illness. As a child, I was obsessed with the Ghostbusters movies, and found Ramis’ writing and acting to both be absolutely hilarious. I would often pretend my house was haunted and that I was trapping the ghosts, sometimes I would pretend the toaster was the a ghost trap. I was ecstatic then, when my parents surprised me with the Sega Master System version of the 1987 Ghostbusters video game.

Originally published by Activision on the Atari 800 and Commodore 64 in 1984, Ghostbusters was later ported

At the start of the game, players have a limited amount of cash which they can use to purchase various pieces of ghost-busting equipment. Do you prioritise a sports car, which leaves minimal room for equipment bur ensures arriving quickly to the scene of a ghost attack? Or do you load up the slower, more familiar ambulance from the film itself, which can hold more traps, baits and vacuums?

David Crane (who also created Pitfall!) states that Ghostbusters is a action game that also implements a business simulation, as you start a paranormal exterminating business with bank money. He got one particularly clever idea from this that

Controlling your squad of Ghostbusters is surprisingly simple.

When not in combat, the player is presented with a map of New York City. When the Ghostbusters receive a phone call from a customer, the building the ghosts are found in will light up purple, and then red when it becomes an emergency.

“..YOU CAN SWAP BETWEEN TWO DIFFERENT GHOSTBUSTERS AND THEN HERD THE GHOSTS TOWARDS A GHOST TRAP.” to the NES and Sega Master System. In it, players attempt to thwart the coming of Gozer by apprehending as many as ghosts as they can before the key master and the gatekeeper meet at the Zuul building. Of course, the players cannot actually prevent Gozer’s arrival and instead, must use this time to prepare for the numerous Marshmallow Man attacks, innumerable ghost attacks, as well as the final battle with Gozer (and even getting to that is difficult!)

also allowed the game to gradually become easier for returning players. If you have played the game before (and were relatively profitable as a business) you could enter your account number (which acted as a password of sorts) and start a new game with previously-earned money. As the game was quite difficult initially, it was a welcome feature that may have also been the first of its kind.

You then select which building to go, and then have to drive there in the Ecto-1.

Driving to the buildings can prove difficult, as there are numerous New York citizens driving their cars in a panic, swerving from lane to lane and driving at a fast speed. This is actually because Ghostbusters began as a car-combat game, and was transformed into a Ghostbusters game by David Crane after

Activision informed him they had acquired the rights to a game based on the Ghostbusters film.

Once you get to some actual ghosts, you can swap between two different Ghostbusters and then herd the ghosts towards a ghost trap. The controls may seem initially tricky to new players, but after some practice, players will be able to control two Ghostbusters as well as they can control a single character from any other game. Successfully capturing ghosts earns the player money, which can be used to buy better equipment, but is often better saved to pay for the damage repair bills that will be sent to the Ghostbusters after a Marshmallow Man attack. Yes, just like in the movie, The Mayor’s Office is trying to screw the Ghostbusters!

After just one session with the Sega Master System version of Ghostbusters, I had quickly rediscovered that there is no such thing as “just one session”! The game still holds up well today, and the business sim-

ulation aspects give it so much replayability.

Fun Fact: If you leave the title screen running without starting the game, after a set time, karaoke lyrics will display, and the player can sing along to Ray Parker Jr’s Ghostbusters theme.

After the success of the 1984 Ghostbusters game, there were numerous other Ghostbusters games made in the following years including an action-platformer for the Sega Mega Drive, a shooter made for arcades based on The Real Ghostbusters (the cartoon), a platforming game based on Ghostbusters 2 for the NES, a number of handheld con-

sole games, as well as smart phone games. In 2009, Termina Rality developed the fantastic Ghostbusters: The Video Game, which featured a script written by Harold Ramis and Dan Akroyd, and even featured voice acting by the entire film cast (except for Sigourney Weaver).

The retro Ghostbusters game (along with the original movie) will always have a special place in my heart, thanks to the amazing characters and stories created by Harold Ramis and Dan Akroyd. There’s no doubt that the Ghostbusters will remain a classic franchise for all time.

Written by Nick Getley

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

retro

SHOW ME

How some smar

From PONG to Super Mario Bros to Final Fantasy VII to The Last of Us. There are many games that live in our hearts and stay in our memories forever. But for a games collector there are games and consoles that went under the ‘mainstream radar’ and become a lifetime obsession to own. They may not have been the most entertaining of game, it wasn’t their gameplay, graphics or music but the story behind the manufacturing and distribution. Their history becomes more of an importance than the games itself. Here are the stories behind these video game gems.

Stadium Events... Valued at $13,000?

Stadium Events valued around $13’000. It is not uncommon for games to be recalled but this one tops the records for most valuable and rare. In 1987 Bandai (now the company known as Namco Bandai since the merge in 2005) released Stadium Events which included a soft mat similar to todays Nintendo’s Wii Balance Board. A year after release Nintendo bought out the rights to the game, renaming it World Class Track Meet. All shelf copies were recalled and destroyed although it was estimated that around 200 copies were sold. One recently sold on Ebay for $41’000. A man from the United States had found one in his garage and was planning on donating it to Goodwill but instead he put an auction on Ebay and became $41’000 richer.

E THE MONEY!

rt collectors are making thousands on classic titles...

Only 200 units ever made of S.T.A.R.S console...

The Resident Evil (Biohazard) Dreamcast. To celebrate the launch of Capcom’s fourth instalment of the Resident Evil Franchise, Capcom joined forces with Sega to produce the Claire Redfield Dreamcast Console and the S.T.A.R.S Limited Edition Console. Each console were plaqued with a number and matching controller. Only 1800 units were manufactured of Claire Redfield’s Dreamcast and with only 200 units made of the S.T.A.R.S console be prepared to search the rest of your life to find one.

The $20,000 gold cartridge?

The Most well known and rarest of all – The 1990 Nintendo World Championship Grey and Gold Edition cartridges. In 1990 Nintendo promoted a video games competition that toured 29 cities in the United States. Thousands flocked to compete over 3 days of gaming but only 90 competitors won the 1990 Grey Nintendo World Championship Cartridge. A later contest was held by Power Magazine and the Gold 1990 Nintendo World Championship cartridge were given to 26 lucky prize winners.

For more details see the Wikipidea article. Click here!

Written by Oz

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cosplay

Tarah-Rex Cosplay Cosplayer from Canada Tarah-Rex is a Cosplayer based in Canada. Tarah-Rex started out cosplaying in 2011 and makes all her own costumes, read on to find out more..

Tell us a bit about yourself - where you are and how you got into Cosplay..

I’m based in Victoria, BC, Canada. I always admired and envied Cosplayers and their skills but it was never something I thought I could do. In 2011 a neat opportunity came up that involved cosplaying a character that all my friends told me I resembled, so I went for it on a whim. I came pretty close to getting the opportunity, but in the end someone else got it. The whole experience gave me the drive to just make a cosplay anyways, so I pieced together what needed to be done, taught myself the very basics of sewing, learned some crafting tricks along the way, and then my Lilith cosplay was born.

After that I never turned back.

Who are your favourite characters and why?

I don’t have very many Cosplays under my belt yet, but my favourites would have to be my Lara Croft Cosplay and my recently completed Cosplay of Elsa from the Disney movie, Frozen. This is mainly because I relate to both of these characters

extremely well. I have had (and still occasionally do) a lot of trouble with bullying because I am a very different sort of person with different hobbies and interests. For years I struggled to figure out who I was as a person, and when I started Cosplay everything just kind of clicked.

I feel like Cosplay was my “let it go” moment so to speak hahaha! Both these characters initially struggled with insecurities and personal demons but ultimately embraced themselves and accomplished more than they thought they were capable of.

Tell us about the costumes - do you make your own and if so how do you start a project?

I make all my own costumes myself.

Each costume is a learning experience with new skills to pick up and master. For me, a Cosplay starts with the right character. There are plenty of characters out there with amazing designs, but something needs to click for me to Cosplay a character. That can either be that I relate to their story or it can simply be that I find their costume a “doable challenge” for my current skill level, but there needs to be some passion behind it for me to Cosplay them. I have plenty of unfinished costumes because I just wasn’t that into the character from the start. After that, I evaluate every part of the

costume and collect as many reference pictures as I can find, then I build an action plan for the tougher parts of the costume so they won’t be a huge speedbump in the whole process. Once that’s done, away I go into the making of the costume!

The various “cons” are a big part of Cosplay - what are your favourites?

I actually haven’t had a lot of opportunities to attend many con’s. It’s extremely expensive to fly to the US from Canada and there aren’t many big cons in Western Canada. So far I have attended PAX Prime 2012 and Dragon*Con 2013, as well as a few smaller local conventions. As a Cosplayer, Dragon*Con is easily my favourite to attend. It’s like a giant gathering of all the coolest people in the world and I feel more at home there than at any standard house party. I met so many amazing people and got to meet some of my best friends in person finally! It was an amazing experience.

The Will Box | www.facebook.com/thewillbox

How important are photo shoots for you as a cosplayer and do you do them regularly?

Photo shoots are very important to me. Not for the element of getting “prettied up” or feeling like a model, but for closure of the costume. I feel like it’s a necessary part of the Cosplay process, like an official closing of each costume saying “This is now 100% finished and documented”. I try and do a photoshoot of every Cosplay I make to give myself that closure. I also consider it a part of the creative process because once the costume itself is done, I get to sit down and think to myself “Okay, how can I make an epic photo shoot for this? What location and which props will set the tone for the character?”.

I get to write a mini story in my head and build it up to create the scene I want for the shoot and really get into the characters head.

Tell us a bit about the process of getting ready for a photo shoot. Is it a lengthy process and how do you go about it.

I am a very low maintenance person, so I try and limit prep time as much as possible. Usually I do a trial run of makeup a few days before to make the process faster before the shoot itself. Depending on the costume, sometimes I need to have the wig on first, and if the wig is inconvenient to wear it means I need to have parts of the costume on before the wig goes on, etc. To plan the process out for each costume, I basically look at the costume and think of what order I have to put each item on in, then go from there.

What have you got coming up this year? What events are on your calendar?

This year I am fortunate enough to be representing www.geeklurv.com.

They have been kind enough to give me the opportunity to attend more cons than I would normally be able to go to. To kick the year off I attended Emerald City Comicon in Seattle. I will also be attending Fan Expo Vancouver, Northwest Fan Fest, and closing it all off with Dragon*Con at the end of the summer. I am really looking forward to meeting more people in the community and specifically meeting more cosplayers who are local to me in the western Canada region.

Finally where can our readers go to find out more about you?

Most of my progress and updates are documented on my Facebook and Twitter, but I do have a Blog I recently started as well for expressing my opinions and experiences within the Cosplay and gaming community.

www.facebook.com/TarahRexCosplay Twitter:@TarahRex Blog: www.cosplayconfab.com

All photographs taken by Shaylene Hebert

TARAH-REX COSPLAY www.facebook.com/TarahRexCosplay

“PHOTO SHOOTS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO ME. NOT FOR THE ELEMENT OF GETTING “PRETTIED UP” OR FEELING LIKE A MODEL, BUT FOR CLOSURE OF THE COSTUME.”

Darcy&Peggy | www.facebook.com/Darcy.Peggy Kiwira Photography | www.facebook.com/Kiwira Desmond Kok Mun Chung | www.facebook.com/roxwiindy

cosplay

Muze Cosplayer & Cosplay Photographer Muze is a cosplayer & a photographer based in California,USA. We ask Muze what it is like to be both a Cosplayer & Cosplay photographer and also how someone gets into the world of Cosplay...

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into cosplay, both photography & cosplaying?

I first started cosplaying in spring 2007 and it was for an event call Anizona in Arizona, USA. I basically went with friends and decide to also try dressing up. I later pick up photography a few months later during summer of 2007 at a cosplay gathering, at the time I just thought it would be fun to take pictures of cosplayers.

What are your favourite characters and costumes when you dress?

My all time favorite character would be Vocaloid Hiyama Kiyoteru, due to the natural of Vocaloid the character is always portrayed differently in different songs. Thus it felt like doing a new character everytime. I don’t really have a favorite costumes as I only do characters that I study and have a desire to cosplay as them, so in a way I like all my costumes.

As a photographer tell us a bit about your cosplay portfolio - how did you start and which came first

the photography or the cosplay?

Going in to details, I started taking pictures after I started cosplay. For a good 3-4 years my gear consist of Canon 5D Mark I and the 16-35mm f/2.8 Canon lens. This is can explain why a lot of my early photos are long shot, landscape, and dynamic angles because I was only shooting with a wide angle lens. It was not until the recent 2 years that I have upgraded my body to Canon 5D Mark III and started working with 50mm f/1.2. I also started working with flash since Fall 2013 and am currently using 4 flashes.

Tell us a bit about the various “cons” do you go to them and do you have any favourites?

I have been to conventions in California, USA, Singapore, and Taipei, Taiwan.

The medium size up California cons usually are hosted in a hotel’s convention room while the large size one are hosted in actual convention hall. The general idea is that since it can be difficult for con-goers to commute from home every day (some conventions can be up to 8 hours drive away), being connected to or close to a hotel become a necessity for some of the cons. This also allow the cons to schedule events up to midnight so there is always some-

Muze | www.facebook.com/muzephotoncosplay . Lenneth XVII | www.facebook.com/LennethXVIIxMako . NaNeee? Photography | www.facebook.com/naneeephotos Chris Decker Cosplay & Commissions | www.facebook.com/DeckerCommissions

thing to do. While conventions in Singapore and Taipei does not find the need to work with hotels as it is very easy to commute from home to events at these countries, but this does not necessary mean the events are smaller in the number of attendees as Asia tend to have a higher population density.

My favorite USA convention would be Fanime at San Jose, California and non-USA convention would be Anime Festival Asia – Singapore at Singapore. I like Fanime because while it is a very large-sized convention, it does not feel commercial where the main focus is sell products. It is also surrounded by a variety of location making it easier to set different photoshoots apart. AFA on the other hand, due to its location in Asia and its size, enables them to be able to invite more guests from

the Japanese Anime/Music Industry, making it easier to meet people from the production team on the series you like.

Do you feel there is potential career opportunities for cosplayers and if so what do you feel they are? What about cosplay photographers, is it a passion more then a way to make a living?

As a cosplayer I feel there are a potential career opportunities as some of the internationally known cosplayers are are able to make a certain profit through cosplay. However I feel not only the opportunities are scarce, but the demand of such career from the anime/game industry is also not enough to make it a sustainable career. While perhaps you can be a “professional” cosplayer making a living selling your prints (without getting into the fact that most game/

anime character people dressed up as are copyrighted material from the design artist/company so it is tricky when someone is making money out of it) and taking modeling jobs for anime/game companies at age 2030, are you able to continue down this path when you are age 30-40?

What about age 40 plus? While been a model in a similar existing industry such as fashion model, there is a demand for models of different age so there is a direction model can take as they age, where in a cosplay career I do not see it.

I also do not feel the potential of cosplay photography being a career choice is very high because: 1. In a market sense, there are way too many people offering similar service for free for cosplayer to justify hiring a photographer at a fee con-

Muze | www.facebook.com/muzephotoncosplay DIVA Cosplay | www.facebook.com/DivaCosplay Lenneth XVII | www.facebook.com/LennethXVIIxMako Fry Fry Photography | www.facebook.com/fryfryphotography Simply Random | www.facebook.com/simplyrandom Mein Karakuri | www.facebook.com/mein.karakuri Peggy Sim | www.facebook.com/Darcy.Peggy

sistently. While there are chance that cosplayers may hire a photographer at a high price, but those chance are rare. Thus making it more qualify for a potential side income than a career.

2. Cosplay photography basically means shooting people in costume and those costume are base off copyrighted material. While I do not understand completely how legal matter works, I simply feel the only reason parent company/artist have not taken any action as of it is because none of us worth enough money to justify it been taken into account, plus currently most of the work is been done at a non-commercial base. But as soon as it is done commercially and the person is making enough profit, I’m sure it’ll become a topic of discussion for the creator of these works.

Overall I feel that while a person (be it the cosplayer or the photographer) can achieve high fame through this hobby, how do the person wisely use this fame and turn it into something sustainable would be the big question.

With the rise in interest in cosplay we see more and more new people visiting “cons” in costume, do you have any advice for cosplay photographers who are visiting?

Is there an etiquette to follow?

I would say be polite, ask, and pay attention to your surroundings. Ask if the cosplayer is okay to take their photo, wait if they are not ready, and do tell them where they can find their photo. I will not comment much on how the photo taking is to be carry out as everyone works in their own way and view cosplay photography differently. I will only say that photography in general, especially when your subject is human, is consider a mutual project and thus should be carried out with a mutual understanding.

When you visit “cons” do you then get contacts to arrange more photo shoots? What then happens, let our readers know how you set up a shoot and then get ready for the day of the shoot.

While it varies between photographers, I prefer to either to contact or be contacted at least a few days before the actual shoot as I need the time to research on the series where the characters are from, character personality, art reference from official sources, light & color composition, backgrounds the specific convention offer, pose & composition, effect I want, etc. The more pre planning is done the more efficient the shoot would go. Also I would always add another hour into the estimate time required for the shoot because no shoot ever starts or ends on time.

While at the shoot, I would first let the cosplayers do a final check on their costume/makeup while I look at the location again to see how I want to place the light as the light condition can be different at the time of

Darcy&Peggy | www.facebook.com/Darcy.Peggy Kiwira Photography | www.facebook.com/Kiwira Desmond Kok Mun Chung | www.facebook.com/roxwiindy

the shoot. Then the rest is a standardized procedure, communicate with the cosplayers on what I want, listen to what they want, to establish mutual ideas. Go through a few compositioms, take a break to let the cosplayer check their costume again, preview the raws, and hold a small discussion with the model on whether the direction we’re heading towards is good. I’m a strong believer in cosplay photo is a joint effort so I welcome discussion, even in the case that our art direction greatly differ.

When the shoots are finished and I’m back at home/hotel. I would first send out all the small size raws to the cosplayers for review, we than have a discussion on which photos I like and which photos they prefer.

The result will then be color procession by me if the cosplayer prefer (I generally processed the color base off the feeling of the original series), it would than send to the cosplayers again for review/discussion. Only than would the photo be put into detail editing (clean up, sharpen, etc.) and be ready for post.

Finally, where can our readers go to find out more about you?

www.facebook.com/muzephotoncosplay

“MY ALL TIME FAVORITE CHARACTER WOULD BE VOCALOID HIYAMA KIYOTERU, DUE TO THE NATURAL OF VOCALOID THE CHARACTER IS ALWAYS PORTRAYED DIFFERENTLY IN DIFFERENT SONGS. THUS IT FELT LIKE DOING A NEW CHARACTER EVERYTIME. I DON’T REALLY HAVE A FAVORITE COSTUMES AS I ONLY DO CHARACTERS THAT I STUDY AND HAVE A DESIRE TO COSPLAY AS THEM, SO IN A WAY I LIKE ALL MY COSTUMES.” Maru | www.worldcosplay.net/member/princemaru Riku | www.worldcosplay.net/member/arisatou

Worm Misa | www.facebook.com/phale.misa Haley Christine Minish Cap - Minmincap

www.jaytablante.deviantart.com/art/The-Tea-After-Party-169279280

JAY TABLANTE PHOTOGRAPHY

Photographer: Kris Ezergailis | www.WhatABigCam

cosplay

Jay Tablante Photography Cosplay Photographer Jason Tablante Jason is a very well-known photographer from the Phillippines. Photography was an accidental career for him, but with his outstanding images you would think he’s been taking photos all his life! With a cross between reality and illustration, these images speak for themselves. Find out how he creates these magical pieces..

called “cosplay photography” until later down the line when people labeled out work as such. For me, it was just an expression of the fanboy in all of us.

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into cosplay photography?

I’m a commercial photographer by trade. Most of my clientele revolves around ad agencies, companies and such. So on a regular day, you could see me shoot myriad of stuff from credit cards, soda bottles, cans, diapers, etc... Shooting cosplay is a creative outlet. All the print proceeds we eventually get out of this is donated to local charities. With the money issue out of the question, it becomes easier to collaborate with other industry professionals since they all know it’s just for the love of it.

Photography was an accidental career in the making for most my school years. I actually studied to become a software developer, but the allure of holding a camera got stronger as I went through college. This started out as shooting school mates / aspiring models for free to build each other’s folios. I then took an internship with a professional photographer for two years, and the rest is history.

The love of shooting cosplay actually came out of two fronts. One is from my love for comics and anime, and the other, my frustration is an illustrator. I wanted to draw, but I can’t get past glorified stick figures. I frustratingly knew in my heart that I can be creative -- if I just practice hard enough. So the merge between my love for pop-culture and photography came to be. I didn’t realize it was

Photography is changing and gaining an income is changing, tell us is cosplay photography a big part of your photography or is it done out of love for the art?

Who are some of your favourite cosplayers you’ve photographed?

A quick run of the list would be (and in no particular ranking order): Alodia (given that we’re also neighbors in Manila), Yaya Han, Riddle, Marie Claude and Vampy.

Tell us a bit about a typical cosplay photoshoot - how do you prepare and how does it go?

mera.com

“I WANT PEOPLE TO HAVE A DOUBLE TAKE WHETHER OR NOT IT’S A REAL PERSON OR A DRAWING.” The typical time table is about a month if you just consider one shoot. This starts off with several late night meetings with art directors / creatives to talk about the concept of the shoot. We then cast the cosplayer / model for the shot, and rope them into the production process. The shoot proper is about 1/2 a day for the talent, but could also stretch out depending on other asset materials (e.g. special effects images, backgrounds, items, etc...) necessary to complete the image.

Then post-production would take about 1-2 weeks as the revisions are passed back and forth. Applying some industry practices, we get to come up with a gant chart of sorts with shoots happening in various stages. This is important since we need to schedule things in between actual work shoots too.

Some images would take months, because some elements still need to be shot. The timing and opportunity would come down the line to complete them.

Do you visit any of the many “cons” that are on and do you shoot there?

I mainly shoot in a studio or a setdesign environment. I attend the cons to scope out the current trends of the community so to speak and www.jaytablante.deviantart.com/art/Green-Phoenix-in-the-Sky-365142784

www. jaytablante.deviantart.com/art/Lara-in-Rain

“..IT WAS TO BLUR THE LINES BETWEEN PHOTOGRAPHY AND ILLUSTRATION. I WANT PEOPLE TO HAVE A DOUBLE TAKE WHETHER OR NOT IT’S A REAL PERSON OR A DRAWING.”

just to mingle about. I’m there as a fan more often than not.

While photography is all about the art, people often like to know what gear you take on a typical shoot to create your images. Tell us about that.

I switch between a Canon 5D Mark 3 or a 1D-X depending on the situation. But over and above the camera gear, I always carry my initial set of eight strobes to most shoots. It could add up if the concept for the shoot calls for it.

How do you get your style of photography, is it a natural evolution that comes over time or is it something you’ve set out to create?

I would consider it to be both. As much as you’d want it to happen naturally, you also have to set a direction to where you want to take you craft. I wanted to make our images come into full circle with the original medium where all these characters originated. With that in mind, it was to blur the lines between photography and illustration. I want people to have a double take whether or not it’s a real person or a drawing. That objective enabled me to learn lighting techniques in conjunction with collaboration from other industry professionals to make it happen.

www.jaytablante.deviantart.com/art/X-Force-Psylocke-407811480

Finally where can people go to find out more about your work??

I’m quite the active type in social media, so here are my links:

www.facebook.com/jaytablantephotography jaytablante.deviantart.com www.jaytablante.com Twitter: jaytablante IG: therealjaytablante Tumblr: takemondaysoff (but I rarely update this)

n-407756091

www.jaytablante.deviantart.com/art/Cold-Dark-and-Lonely-427956083

www.jaytablante.deviantart.com/art/White-Phoenix-of-the-Crown-296757444

JAY TABLANTE PHOTOGRAPHY

www.jaytablante.deviantart.com/art/Sailor-Mars-Pinup-388854863

www.jaytablante.deviantart.com/art/Somewhere-in-Arkham-City-335109533

JAY TABLANTE PHOTOGRAPHY

Photographer: Brett Greig

Photographer: Kris Ezergailis | www.WhatABigC

cosplay

Jester Cosplay Cosplayer from Gold Coast Jester is a cosplay from Gold Coast Australia, who started Cosplaying in 2004 and recently came back after a 5 year break.. See what she has to say about what it’s like to be involved in the Cosplay world and the changes from then to now..

Welcome to Live Magazine Jester, tell our readers a bit about yourself, what area you live in and what cosplay you’re into.

I’ve been cosplaying since 2004, decided to take a small break in 2007 and just recently come back in 2012.

I live in Queensland on the beautiful Gold Coast.

When I am not sewing, baking, being a crazy cat lady or fighting crime like Sailor Moon meets Fionna from Adventure Time, I am a Graphic Designer by day. My dream is to make cosplay a Full-time job one day.

My choice in a cosplayer - I am a mixed bag! I will either cosplay something from an anime or manga that has been out forever, or I will cosplay something that is popular but then I would fall in love with the costumes or characters that not many people have seen around (like my first ever costume Rikku Berserker from Final Fantasy X-2 or A.B.A from Guilty Gears).

Do you make your own costumes?

If so, how long does a costume take to make?

I make all my costumes myself, draft and alter 80% of my patterns for costumes. Some costumes may only take me anywhere from 2 weeks to up to 10 months to make, all depending how quickly I can get my resources together (fabric, wig, contact lenses, footwear and if the character has a prop).

I know you have called yourself an ambassador for cosplay and zero tolerance for bully’s. Tell us about the industry and what you see (if you’re comfortable doing so) As I mentioned above, I started in 2004 when cosplay and conventions were tiny in Australia and Brisbane only had really one main convention, and to many of us it was our way to take our fandom of the character to the next level. We were a happy little family as a sense, when no matter where you were from or what you did during the day, we were always there for each other.

When I came back into the cosplay world after a 5-year break, alot had changed. The conventions are bigger, more of what I would like to call “Normals” attended a convention, it was not just for cosplayers or Geeky Nerds. I now see ‘normals’ and cosPhotographer: Luke West

Camera.com

“MY CHOICE IN A COSPLAYER - I AM A MIXED BAG! I WILL EITHER COSPLAY SOMETHING FROM AN ANIME OR MANGA THAT HAS BEEN OUT FOREVER, OR I WILL COSPLAY SOMETHING THAT IS POPULAR BUT THEN I WOULD FALL IN LOVE WITH THE COSTUMES OR CHARACTERS THAT NOT MANY PEOPLE HAVE SEEN AROUND..” players mixing, which they do well, but there are a few bad apples who see cosplayers not as just people having fun and expressing their love for the character, which most do it is just something fun to do with their friends, a hobby, maybe a stepping stone towards being a seamstress or a voice actor or even modeling.

But this group of people see it as, they are dressed as my favorite character, it isn’t right, where is X, Y and Z on their costume, which then the person feels insulted that they have not been “entertained” or they haven’t represent the character and they go and approach them or take photos in a unflattering nature and post them on online.

I am not saying it is all sunshine and rainbows in the world of cosplay because there are a few cosplayers that can intimidate, belittle and just make cosplayers feel unwelcomed, specially newbies to the industry.

To me, bullying can be something as small as making someone feel unwelcomed, belittling them, intimidating them, rude remarks, and do unacceptable things to a person whether it will be verbally or on any of the forums and social media sites or through emails and personal messages. That is bullying there is no two ways about it.

What do you feel the answer is? I know some sites now are taking a zero tolerance to bullying and abuse on forums or social media.

I feel that nothing will stop bullies, there will always be bullies in our lives. I personally feel the best action is to take zero tolerance, so deleting the comments and not adding fuel to the fire (not commenting or arguing back) plus blocking or banning people. I feel people do get labelled easily as being a ‘bully’ because they speak their mind, or stand up for themselves, which is totally different from bullying on social media sites and forums. I guess it goes back to the old saying ‘if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all.’

You mention that some people can use cosplay as a stepping stone to careers in acting or voice work or costume creating, do you see a time where a cosplayer can make a living out of simply cosplay?

Consider how in some countries some gamers now are considered full time athletes who compete..

The perfect answer to this is Yaya Han, she was my inspiration to start cosplaying, way back all those years ago and now she travels around the world being a special guest, a judge and even selling her merchandise, plus she has appeared on Heroes of

Cosplay, Faceoff and King of Nerds.

There are so many cosplayers now making a living out of cosplay, some have found a niche in the market to sell their talents and merchandise like Kamui, Jessica Nigiri, Alodia Gosiengfiao and that is only naming a few people that have made it into the cosplay world.

If we look at the world of modeling, some high end models are making a very good living from catwalk and magazine work, can cosplay go this way in the future or do you think it may be too niche?

I say “why not”, there have been stranger things walk down a catwalk than cosplayers. But in saying that, would the cosplay industry want to open their world to the high end fashion industry, I don’t know. I don’t see it, I can see designs being influenced by it and possibly cosplayers going to modeling but I just don’t see the two worlds merging like that. Cosplayers on allot of their social media pages have had modeling photoshoots as well as being a cosplayer, so they both do go hand in hand well but I do not see cosplay on the runway.

We’re seeing more and more cosplayers making their own costumes and with so many new players entering the market, can you share any tips on making costumes?

Here is my top 5 tips, that has saved my fingers, my sanity and the big cosplay day.

1. Never underestimate hot glue.

(My very first costume was hot glued together fabric) 2. Know your sewing machine, just don’t race in and go, I want to make a costume NOW!! Work out what each stitch is for.

3. Have at least 3 unpickers and tea/ coffee. These two items are magic items, that will get you through anything and maybe Chocolate.

4. Do your research, have as many reference photos as possible, photos of cosplayers, find tutorials, look up how much will it cost to put this costume together, right down to the buttons or zipper of the costume.

5. When going to a convention with your costume. Take an emergency repair kit, needle and thread, bandaids, body/fashion tape, eye drops (for contact lenses) and I have even brought my hot glue gun with me once.

6. I know I said 5 but this one is SUPER important.

-HAVE FUN, RELAX, DRINK WATER AND MAKE FRIENDS.

We’re seeing more and more cosplayers making their own costumes and with so many new players entering the market, can you share any tips on making costumes?

I am all over the place. Type in Jester Cosplay in most Social Media sites to find my fun adventures. Or if your a lazy bum here:

www.facebook.com/jestercosplay www.twitter.com/JesterCosplay www.instagram.com/jestercosplay jestercosplay@gmail.com

Photographer: Brett Greig

“HAVE AT LEAST 3 UNPICKERS AND TEA/COFFEE. THESE TWO ITEMS ARE MAGIC ITEMS, THAT WILL GET YOU THROUGH ANYTHING AND MAYBE CHOCOLATE.”

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Spider-Man’s world is becoming increasingly dangerous, as new powerful villains emerge to take on the hero -including Electro (Jamie Foxx), a being made of pure energy. At the center of the villains is Oscorp, the corporation responsible for creating the spiders that gave Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) his powers—and which seems to have a suspicious interest in Spider-Man. As these sinister forces push Spider-Man beyond his limits, he’ll learn that he has put the people—and the city—he loves most at risk; being a hero comes with a cost. Also starring Emma Stone.

Only at the Movies! April 17, 2014

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wargaming

Retro Wargaming This month we turn our collective brains at Retro in a big way, retro arcades, PC and Console games, TV shows and even Wargaming all have a Retro past.

As I mentioned in last month’s article, modern wargaming really began in the 1930s and when we go back that far we’re out of Retro territory.

Dial it forward into the ‘70s and ‘80s and we’re in a true Retro time-space.

When I think Retro wargaming, my first thought turns to Rogue Trader.

This game is the precursor to Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000, it’s the first edition of the current Sci-Fi wargame. The game took typical fantasy archetypes such as nights, elves, goblins, rat-men, dwarfs and jumped them all 40,000 years into the future! What really marks this in my retro field of vision is the inclusion of tongue-in-cheek elements of which there are far too many to name and highlight, but here are a few choice examples:

There was the Marine chapter with a multicoloured emblem called the Rainbow Warriors.

Ork Rock-Band models known as Goff Rockers.

And it’s this retro ‘look’ to vehicles that leads to the second wargame that comes up when I ask people about Retro wargaming; Battletech.

Giant mechs/battlesuits with angled armour, lasers and an arsenal of weapons at their disposal really connects to the Retro imagery for me.

Having them stalking around the bat-

Chaos Noise Marines, the cock rock hair-metal bands of the grim dark future. When they were first introduced to the game, they had Mohawks, leopard-print armour and guitarguns.

They included all sorts of human colonies with strong, hyped-up Mad Max imagery and feel.

I also feel like the tanks and armour of the time really embody the Retro fee;, tanks such as the iconic Space Marine Razorback with its jutting angles and sharp lines.

tlefield blowing each other to pieces is reminiscent of many other TV shows and indeed their own Battletech Cartoon which linked to a line of toys/action figures.

A standout in the Retro-feel aspect for me is the CityTech expansion for the original Battletech game, but if you look at the cover art from recent versions it still screams Retro to me!

Updating over the years to 2014, and just one look through Battletech’s current range gallery proves to me that this game is still firmly anchored in the Retro feel that it began with. This link proves to me that this game is still firmly anchored in the Retro feel that it began with.

Written by Ben Makepeace

Rainbow Marines

Rainbow Warrior Space Marine

Noise Marine

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