December Gametraders LIVE

LIVE DECEMBER ISSUE 2020

MONSTER HUNTER ABOUT THE PRODUCTION PG 14

Go to page 30 for more details on Monster Hunter and find out how you could boost your chances of winning tickets!

From the Editor Hello and welcome to the December edition of Gametraders Live!

Inside we have an excellent behind the scenes article for the production of Monster Hunter plus a giveaway to go see the movie in cinemas! Two wonderful interviews with Natalya plays piano and David Kaye.

Plus some reviews of recent games, including Assassins Creed: Vahalla, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Marvel’s Spider Man: Miles Morales + a look into the top most popular games ever played.

We hope you enjoy the magazine and as always if you are interested in writing for our magazine please email live@gametraders.com.au

Emily Langford Emily Langford, EDITOR

What’s inside

ASSASSIN’S CREED VALHALLA

pg. 54

MARVEL’S SPIDERMAN: MILES MORALES

PG. 66

THE LIVE TEAM EDITOR & DESIGNER: Emily Langford

WRITERS: Paul Monopoli, Interviews / Retro Editor Craig Snow, Stephen LaGioia, Thomas Froehlicher & Lee Mehr, VGChartz

NATALYA PLAYS PIANO

DAVID KAYE INTERVIEW

Pg. 8

Pg. 32

CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS COLD WAR Pg. 78

MONSTER HUNTER GIVEAWAY PG. 30

MOVIES MONSTER HUNTER

INTERVIEW WITH DAVID KAYE

INTERVIEW WITH NATALYA PLAYS PIANO

ANIME

,tv&

Paul Monopoli

INTERVIEW:

Natalya plays piano The Fringe Festival in Adelaide is a treasure

the shows I was alerted to in 2020 was called

trove of talent, and some of the very best acts

‘Anime ‘n’ Chill’, a piano recital by Natalya,

make their way to our small city each year

comprising of various anime themes. Upon

during February/March. Artists, comedians,

hearing the first few bars of “A Cruel Angel’s

musicians and more put on shows that are

Thesis” I and the rest of the audience knew

entertaining and easy on the budget. One of

they were in for a treat.

I would put our NES console on and go over to the piano to try and work out the tunes to the Super Mario and other games. My interest in anime began a couple of years later when I came across Sailor Moon on TV and I of course immediately had to work all those themes out by ear too!

How did you come up with the idea to combine them?

Playing pop culture music on piano is nothing new.. it’s been around on YouTube pretty much since the platform With the 2021 Fringe fast approaching,

came into existence, and there are more

Natalya is gearing up for another set of

and more concerts happening globally

live shows. I thought I would take this

concentrating on the music specifically

opportunity to ask her a few questions

from nerd culture, which is fantastic to

about the show, its evolution and future.

see!

What came first? An interest in anime,

Is music one of the primary reasons you

or an interest in music?

watch an anime series?

I began piano lessons when I was five but

Music is a really important part of any

I think I really started to enjoy playing

visual medium and I do tend to enjoy the

piano when I realised I could play by ear.

series more if I dig the soundtrack. As an

example, the original Sailor Moon series has

Do you compose your own anime inspired

some incredible music in it, however the

music?

OST in the remake is very disappointing. A good soundtrack should enhance the visual

I have done so from time to time but my

experience, not detract from it, and in this

problem is I don’t like writing music down

instance it unfortunately does the latter.

so the ideas end up leaving me before I get a chance to record them. New Year’s

What are some of your favourite series?

resolution for 2021 - make an effort to write my compositions down!

I’m pretty old school and I used to watch a lot more anime than I do now, so some

When did you first get the idea to

of my favourites include Sailor Moon (of

perform anime music?

course!), Angel Sanctuary, Fruits Basket, Love Hina, and Death Note.

I actually remember performing a selection of Sailor Moon music for one of my recitals

Does your interest in anime music branch

while I was still studying music around the

out into video games?

time I was doing AMEB 8th Grade. The idea to perform my first solo concert of

Absolutely! My first solo concert was called

video game music came to me probably

WORLDS CONNECTED: Music from Final

over a decade ago, when I attended a small

Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts. I adore the

recital put on by a uni student at Sydney

music by Yoko Shimomura and Nobuo

Conservatorium who performed solo piano

Uematsu from these games. And in fact, I

pieces from Final Fantasy. But it wasn’t until

will be performing a brand new concert of

2017 when I went to see the Final Fantasy:

video game music at Adelaide Fringe 2021,

Distant Worlds concert that I thought it’s

called “8-bit ‘n’ Chill - a Piano Concert”,

time for me to do something... so I put on

as well as bringing back “Anime ‘n’ Chill

my big girl pants and somehow successfully

- a Piano Concert” back with a brand new

produced my first concert!

repertoire!

What was your first gig like?

The word gig is very broad... I’ve done

organising everything for it, so in one

everything from weddings to funerals,

word I’d say - stressful. After picking the

corporate gigs, musical theatre gigs,

repertoire, I would practice 4-6 hours a

opera, pub bands, metal bands, classical

day (while working a full time job and

recitals, religious choirs, contemporary

doing regular gigs on the side), I had

choirs, and everything in between. As

to organise the venue, the marketing,

such I wouldn’t be able to tell you what

lighting, getting reviewers in, what to

my fist gig actually was, let alone what

wear, video recording... there are just so

it was like! In terms of my very first solo

many elements that go into putting on a

concert, Worlds Connected in 2018, I

show, it was a very steep learning curve!

spent about a year or even longer

How important has social media been to

available on all music streaming platforms,

building a fanbase?

I’ve started composing again and I’ve worked on some new repertoire.

Social media is completely invaluable when building a fanbase! I already have a

What are your plans for the future?

small following on YouTube so using my catalogue of previous videos helps with

I have three shows coming up for Adelaide

credibility when pitching myself to a brand

Fringe Festival 2021. Anime ‘n’ Chill will

new audience, businesses and reviewers.

be back, with a brand new program! 8-bit

Keeping active and present on Facebook

‘n’ Chill is a new concert full of video

and Instagram helps to connect with your

game music, such as Final Fantasy, Super

followers on a daily basis, and interacting

Mario Bros, Ni No Kuni, Call of Duty, and

with people through comments and replying

much more! I’m also doing a pop culture

to their DM’s is definitely the most personal

piano duet concert with a very talented

and effective approach.

local pianist Emma Knights, called Nerd Hits for 20 Fingers. Once we’re over this

What have the reactions been like to your

global pandemic, I’ll resume my plans of

videos while in quarantine?

performing overseas. I’d love to take my Studio Ghibli - Chopin Style concert to New

To be honest I haven’t produced more

Zealand, and eventually Japan and Europe...

videos than usual while in quarantine

maybe even the US. I’m working on a

because, like many other people, I’ve

classical album at the moment and I’ve got

felt bored, disinterested, lethargic and

a composition project in mind that I need to

depressed due to losing most of my actual

stop procrastinating about!

work and gigs this year. I did get random sparks of inspiration and creativity every

Natalya can be found on Facebook at

now and again, so I’d make sure to utilise

“Natalya Plays Piano”, the website

them when they cared to visit. As a result

www.natalyaplayspiano.com and on Twitter

I’ve created a few albums that are now

@NatalyaPiano

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

MONSTER HUN

NTER

Nearly 20 years ago, writer-director Paul W.

S. Anderson and star Milla Jovovich teamed up with videogame company Capcom

– and by 2009 I was pitching Capcom on making a movie of the game.”

and Constantin Film, Germany’s leading

Over the next nine years, during his

to produce Resident Evil, based on the

play the game – which became something

independent producer and distributor,

bestselling videogame. Six movies and

$1.2 billion in box office later, the franchise stands as the most successful videogame

adaptation of all time. The franchise proved popular all over the world, but especially in Asia – and its popularity and success drove several promotional tours in the region,

which would lay the groundwork for the team’s next collaboration.

Now, the team has reunited for Monster Hunter, based on Capcom’s bestselling video game all time, “Monster Hunter:

frequent trips to Japan, Anderson would of a passion project. “I fell in love with

the imagery, landscapes, and magic of

the game,” he says. “As I played, I began to imagine it cinematically.” Because the gameplay of “Monster Hunter: World”

doesn’t rely on a narrative, Anderson had free rein to invent a story. “It felt like an amazing opportunity to build a whole

world on the movie screen, and there were countless stories to tell within that world.

The more I thought about it, the more

stories and characters began to take root.”

World,” and the origins of the project point

Anderson reteamed with Resident Evil visual

a fan of the ‘Monster Hunter’ game before

serves as producer this time, to design his

to Anderson’s time in Japan. “I was actually a lot of people in America and Europe, because I spent a lot of time in Japan,”

Anderson explains. “It became one of my

favorite countries to visit. Because of that,

I started playing ‘Monster Hunter’ in 2008

Bleach - Hanataro Yamada

effects supervisor Dennis Berardi, who also

vision of the monsters. “Dennis has worked on nearly all of our films,” says producer Jeremy Bolt. “He brought considerable

experience to developing Monster Hunter, which has a massive VFX component: the

monsters. From the beginning, Paul and

So, in his story, Anderson focused on a

Monster Hunter adaptation would be a

in the monster world, and the monster

Dennis’ work proved to everyone that a scary, captivating movie.”

For many years, the game was more popular in Asia than in the US and

Europe. Then came early 2018 and the release of “Monster Hunter: World,”

the franchise’s latest entry – and the worldwide fandom that was always

waiting. The game sold so well that it

became Capcom’s best-selling game of

all time, with over 16.4 million units. The film’s time had come.

Anderson’s screenplay took a decidedly grounded approach to the wild fantasy elements of monster hunting – in

real-world team that becomes trapped

world’s locations would be drawn from some of the real world’s strange and unusual but very real locations. “My

approach is always to make things as real as possible,” says Anderson. “We

were inspired by the amazing landscapes in the game to go to some of the most

incredible landscapes of our real world.

When we weren’t shooting in the natural world, we were shooting on very, very

large sets. Very rarely did we put an actor in front of a green screen to generate an environment. 80% of this movie is

real, and the 20% that is not real are the creatures.”

storytelling and design, he would give

At every turn, though, Anderson and

on to. “It was important to us to make a

original games that inspired them. “The

the real-world audience hooks to latch

grounded film. If the audience is going to

enter the monster world, the characters in

the movie should journey with them,” says producer Robert Kulzer.

the filmmakers kept hewing close to the movie pays honor not just to the ‘Monster Hunter: World’ game, but to the entire

franchise that I personally have loved for

ten years now,” says Anderson. “The game creators have created a richly textured world, and we embraced that.”

CHARACTERS IN PARALLEL WORLDS The Soldiers Heading up the cast as veteran army

“Not only is she an action icon; she also

a UN Joint Security Operation, is Milla

a soldier. She’s married. Maybe she’s a

ranger Captain Artemis, the leader of

Jovovich, who reunites with her Resident Evil director – and husband – Paul W.S. Anderson.

When he’d completed the screenplay,

Anderson had his first choice of actresses

right there at home. Still, Anderson had to do a bit of convincing with Jovovich. “My first thought was, really, from zombies

to monsters? You’ve got to be kidding me,” kids the star of Resident Evil. “He

said, ‘Just read it,’ and when I did, I felt

brings a lot of character to the role. She’s mother. And Milla did a huge amount of

research to make Artemis a real relatable character, training with the U.S. military.

Milla hung out with one of only 18 female

army rangers in the world and became very good friends with her, and she ended up

acting as our military advisor on the film – Milla’s character, Natalie Artemis, borrows the character name from our new friend.

The audience can really get under this character’s skin.”

like it captured everything I love about

“The rangers are some of the toughest

the character of Captain Artemis. She

explains. “The team that I have in place is

making action movies, but I really loved just felt real to me. I felt like it would be wonderful to play somebody that disciplined.”

“Who’s better to kick ass and kill monsters than Milla Jovovich?” says Anderson.

members of the U.S. Military,” Jovovich

composed of six highly elite soldiers. They

have history together -they’re a very close

knit, very well-oiled machine, and tough. So

it’s very shocking when they find themselves in another reality, dealing with something that we’ve never dealt with before.”

Hip-hop artist and actor Tip “T.I.” Harris stars as Link, a veteran ranger and

Artemis’ right hand. “Artemis and Link

down. I went on this journey and I could see everything vividly in my mind.”

have encountered some pretty tough

Australian actor Josh Helman, who

when they face this crisis, their chemistry

me personally was getting to play an

scenarios in their previous tours, and

comes to the fore,” he says. “My son is

a videogamer, and when I asked him if

he knows about a game called ‘Monster

Hunter,’ he said I should totally go and do it!”

Another member of the squad is Sergeant Marshall, a Communications Specialist,

played by Mexican actor Diego Boneta.

“When I first found out about ‘Monster Hunter,’ I was shooting ‘Terminator’

with a lot of heavy visual effects – so

Paul showed me the storyboards and explained that he wanted to limit the

CG element to the monsters and put the

actors in real locations, I was immediately on board.”

Meagan Good describes her character,

Dash, as “a masterful mechanic, incredible driver, and quick on her toes. From the

time I opened the script I couldn’t put it

plays Steeler, says, “A huge plus for Australian character. I play a lot of

Americans, so for me to be able to play

an Australian Special Forces soldier was a great challenge and a great privilege.”

Rounding out the crew, Jin Au-Yeung says that his character, Axe, was involved in

the first counterterrorism team in China’s Special Forces, called the Night Tigers.

“His background goes beyond the military experience,” he says. “I felt honored to be part of this this team, contributing to the safety of the entire world, so I was really

interested to see how I could bring him to life beyond the military aspect.”

The Monster Hunters After being dragged into the parallel

Anderson was not only impressed by

mysterious Hunter, played by martial artist

commitment to the role – even if Monster

world, Artemis finds a teacher and ally in a Tony Jaa. “Paul loved the idea of the Hunter being a physically skilled performer and

there is a very small list of artists who could be credible as a fighter,” recalls Kulzer.

“When Tony makes his entrance, he will be

as much a shock to anyone unfamiliar with his skill as he is to Artemis.”

“When Paul said, ‘Welcome to Monster

Jaa’s skill and acting chops, but by his

Hunter didn’t require Jaa to be quite as

committed as some of his previous parts.

“I’m a huge, huge fan of Tony Jaa – Ong

Bak, The Protector, pretty much all of Tony’s movies,” says Anderson. “The man gives himself to his films, and of course, Tony

does everything for real. There’s a great

fight scene in Ong Bak where his legs are on fire. I asked how they did that scene,

Hunter,’ it was a dream come true,” says Jaa. and he said, ‘Oh, it’s very simple. We just “When he showed me the storyboards, the

put gasoline on my legs, we lit my legs on

my character – my god, this character, it’s

to do it just once.”

different characters, and we talked about amazing.”

fire, and we shot really, really fast, and tried

“Tony was a real pleasure to work with – a

he is charged with all these responsibilities,

and a great comedian as well,” Anderson

definitely authoritarian. Paul has wisely

phenomenal martial artist, a terrific actor, continues. “Milla and Tony have terrific

chemistry in this movie; they’re obviously both great warriors but they’re also very funny together.”

“Working with Tony Jaa is crazy because, because he doesn’t just do stunts – this

and while he’s compassionate, he is also sprinkled in some moments of lightness into his adaption, which keeps things light in the face of pressure and the

knowledge that any day could be your

last. The Admiral deals with it in a kind of gamesmanship that has lightness to it.”

is his real life,” says Jovovich. “He doesn’t

Also joining the crew are German actor

and does a flip and a kick with a sword and

monster hunter; Brazilian actress Nanda

need wires. He just jumps off high places

everyone’s jaws are on the floor. Tony is a

real-life superhero – he’s the most unique individual I’ve ever worked with in action films.”

Veteran actor and monster movie legend

Ron Perlman joins the cast as Admiral, the leader of the crew of monster hunters.

“Ron has such great gravitas and is an icon of these movies,” says Bolt. “He brings

intelligence and leadership qualities to his role.”

“Admiral is a lifelong warrior and someone

who people depend upon for their life and

safety,” says Perlman. “He understands that

Jannik Schümann, playing Aiden, a young Costa as Lea, a researcher, Aiden’s partnerin-crime; and Japanese actress Hirona Yamazaki as Handler.

BECOMING THE CHARACTERS To play a squad of UN soldiers, the cast

understand military life. “Artemis has to be

the direction of Natalie Mallue, the film’s

needs to be smart and socially adept to

went through a rigorous training under military advisor.

“I knew of Milla as Alice in Resident Evil,

and I was surprised to receive a text from her,” recalls Mallue, who jumped at the

opportunity to become involved. “I was

very impressed with how interested and engaged Milla was in developing her

a physical stud, but an Army Ranger also navigate their way as a pioneer,” Mallue

explains. “They have to quickly judge what the next course of action would be. As

leader, Artemis must set an example to the troop – that is the burden of leadership.

Milla was ready – she has a go-getter

disposition and the mentality of a soldier.”

character. “I think a lot of people are scared

Mallue became a similar asset to the

that wasn’t the case with Milla – she asked

forces team. “Natalie’s advice put us in

to ask questions about the military, but great questions.”

Once Anderson had briefed Mallue as to

who Artemis was, Mallue advised Jovovich on building the character and creating a

backstory for her. “We literally went year by year and her time spent on this coalition team,” says Mallue.

education of the other cast in the special the best possible position to look like a

crack squad,” says Anderson. “She walked

through every single character, so that we

could also understand their ranks. She was

very committed, even communicating with me and Diego Boneta on WhatsApp in the middle of the night with advice like ‘Make sure your shirt is tucked in!’”

In addition to rigorous physical and

Training wasn’t just late-night texting:

psychological training in order to better

camp at Fort Irwin National Training Center

tactical training, Jovovich would need

Jovovich also went through weeks of boot

in San Bernardino County, California, one

and to be the best you have to do the

It is here that Jovovich trained to respond

strength to do. It helped get me into the

of the US Army’s primary training centers. to opposing and insurgent threats – so that her responses to the monsters would be

Artemis’s own natural, instinctive reactions.

At Fort Irwin, Jovovich received the same

things that other people don’t have the

character of Captain Artemis – that feeling of invincibility. I needed the discipline – it

was a mental thing, to know that I was my healthiest, body and mind.”

training rangers receive in facing opposing

Jovovich’s costars also received training

the training is made as real as possible.

Meagan Good says the coaching included

and insurgent forces. She notes that

“There’s a desert, a village, a marketplace,

and people are like coming up to you,” she recalls. “They try and get soldiers to really

feel what it’s going to be like when they go overseas, and the stresses that you could come under.”

The discipline of Jovovich’s training carried over to production. “I was eating right and keeping my body at a high level. I woke up every day between three and four in

the morning, worked out for an hour, then start hair and makeup,” she recalls. “In

the military, you do the physical exercise for yourself – you want to be the best,

once the cast was together in South Africa. everything from how to hold a weapon to

how to engage a threat to how to perform as a unit. “It was as specific as to how you are walking in a line; you never do what anybody else does,” she says.

Harris recalls that the boot camp included “tactical training, how to clear a room, and engage from our positions – it all

happened so fast, I called it getting thrown in the blender. They just threw me into

the blender of all these different tactical instructions and we all just had to absorb it.”

Behind our world, there is another: a world of dangerous and powerful monsters that rule their domain with deadly ferocity. When an unexpected sandstorm transports Captain Artemis (Milla Jovovich) and her unit (TI Harris, Meagan Good, Diego Boneta) to a new world, the soldiers are shocked to discover that this hostile and unknown environment is home to enormous and terrifying monsters immune to their firepower. In their desperate battle for survival, the unit encounters the mysterious Hunter (Tony Jaa), whose unique skills allow him to stay one step ahead of the powerful creatures. As Artemis and Hunter slowly build trust, she discovers that he is part of a team led by the Admiral (Ron Perlman). Facing a danger so great it could threaten to destroy their world, the brave warriors combine their unique abilities to band together for the ultimate showdown.

Based on the global video game series phenomenon MONSTER HUNTER. Only in Cinemas January 1, 2021

#MonsterHunter

WIN A DOUBLE PASS! Thanks to Sony Pictures and Gametraders you could win a double pass to see the new Moster Hunter!

All you have to do is go to the Gametraders Facebook page and like the competition post, tag who you’re going to take and comment why you want to see Monster Hunter!

© 2020 CTMG. All Rights Reserved.

Paul Monopoli

INTERVIEW:

DAVID KAYE Rumiko Takahashi has been working

fairytale, InuYasha, to be her magnum

as a mangaka for more than a couple

opus. It is a tale between two ages which

of decades. Her rise to fame through

combines fantasy, action, romance and

the early 80s with Urusei Yatsura led to

jealousy.

a career that has endured to this day.

Though she has had continued success

Indeed, Takahashi’s works have proven so

with series such as Maison Ikkoku and

popular with audiences in the East and

Ranma 1/2, many consider the feudal

West that sequels are often requested (or

demanded) from die hard fans of InuYasha

yet menacing Sesshomaru, he also played

and her other works. While Urusei Yatsua,

Akane’s highly strung father, Soun Tendo

Ranma ½ and InuYasha all received

in Ranma ½. While he is not sure of the

animated specials in 2009, it would be

answers relating to Yashahime (spoiler

the latter that saw a further 26 episodes

alert), we had a catchup over Zoom to

being produced. Known as ‘The Final Act’,

discuss his career and the upcoming

this series ended the tale of Kagome and

series. With a Sesshomaru figure seated in

InuYasha… for now.

front of him, and a collection of other toys in shelves behind him (of other figures

Fast forward roughly a decade, and a

he has voiced over the years), he started

second sequel for InuYasha is being

to share details of his life behind the

produced. Known as ‘Yashahime’, the

microphone.

story revolves around the daughters of InuYasha and his brother Sesshomaru.

While starting his career in Canada,

Thrown together in an adventure of their

Kaye later found himself moving to Los

own, a lot of questions are raised along

Angeles, a move that many voice actors

the way. What happened to InuYasha,

make. Indeed, Kyle Hebert, Vic Mignogna,

Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Shippo,

Laura Bailey and Travis Willingham

Sesshomaru and Rin? How did the three

have all made the shift. David describes

girls lose their memories?

this as a personal decision, though the journey did not begin with voice acting.

I received an opportunity to ask

He explained that he has always had a

Sesshomaru himself, in the form of voice

passion for radio, and on a cold night,

actor David Kaye. Kaye is the voice of

when the radio signal was at its strongest,

many childhoods, including my own. He

he would be able to pick up stations from

has appeared in many series, and he has

across the border, in the US.

been a part of the Takahashi world for some time. As well as voicing the calm

“I lived up in a city called Peterborough,

on David. He and his friend, also called

Ontario, Canada, and as a kid I would

David, would hang out at a local comic

listen to all this American radio and

store where each weekend he was able to

all these great personalities on WBZ

spend a few hours with some superhero

Boston… I picked up some Detroit

legends:

stations, and I was just enamoured with these voices on the radio as a kid... I had

“Me and my friend David Hayes taught

this tiny little radio and I would listen to

at the University of Toronto for a while

these guys and always wanted to be a

as he’s a teacher. He did a lot of studies

part of that. For whatever reason, the way

and stuff on pop culture. His first job was

the sound was engineered to have these

at a comic book store called ‘Sandy’s’,

big compressors, mics, and all, American

and it was this awesome old book store.

radio to me just sounded bigger.”

I still remember that smell when you walk in, kinda dust and paper and books, ya

Comic books were also a strong influence

know? And it was in my home town. I used

to visit him, and the downstairs of this

David is a self confessed ‘wine nerd’, and

book store was packed with Marvel, DC

it wasn’t until many years later, after his

and all of it! On Saturdays he had a little

move to California, that he realised that if

job there to make a few bucks for the day

he could order wine and get it shipped to

and I’d go down and hang out, and that’s

his door, he could do the same with the

when I got to know Jack Kirby and Stan

toys on the back of comic books.

Lee characters. I would turn, of course, to the back of the comic books where there

“That was the biggest thing for me. I can

would be all of these advertisements for

order anything I want! And so it was many

cool toys that we couldn’t get in Canada.

years later, but I used to love all that stuff.

All this awesome stuff seemed to be not

And that’s where the love of comics and

available. Only available in the US only. It

cartoons stories (came from)… I sort of

was like, “Oh, come on!” I was just aching

became enamoured with the US.”

to be able to put some money into an envelope and get whatever I wanted!”

Like many people in the US, living the

be good to go on the air. It has to be

last 4 years under a divided country have

up here! It can’t be OK or fine, or ‘it’s

not been easy. His claims of finding life

a work in progress’, no. It has to be

a ‘little rough’ could be echoed from

good now, because there’s thousands of

both sides of the political spectrum.

people out there who are aching to do

Regardless, David still sees America as

a role in something, (so) you have to be

a land of opportunity. And with access

constantly studying, and so being in a

to major studios, such as Disney and

city like this just ups the game.”

Pixar, he feels the need to keep shooting higher.

Indeed, Kaye likens his time in LA to the song ‘Hotel California’ by the Eagles:

“If you want to play in a professional sports league, football, Australian rules

“It wasn’t until moved down here and

football, Australian rules rugby, which

I’m listening to that song one day and

is one of my favourite things to watch

I went ‘Oh my god! I get it!’ You can

on television, or a professional hockey

check out any time you want but you can

player from Canada, you want to play

never really leave. It hooks in you and

with the best players. You want to be

sometimes you get frustrated with it and

with them, and it ups your level and

then you go ahh, hmmm.” Relax…

your game, so that’s why I wanted to be here… I play this game with myself.

While it was always going to be difficult

How far and how good can I get? It’s

taking children out of school and moving

never over. It’s always a quest for what’s

them to a new country, David’s family

next, how can I make this sound better?

have thrived. Everyone is happy, healthy

How can I make this better? And that’s

and working.

honestly what this city has done for me. When you record something or

Most of his work is done from his home

you audition for something it has to

studio, which was a huge advantage

when COVID made its way across the

on a high energy morning show in

world

Vancouver, where his voice acting career was about to start:

“I’ve always had a professional studio in my house because I do a lot of promo,

“I was stunt boy and did all kinds of

network television and radio. I’m still

voices like Cowboy Dick ‘Howdy boys

doing IDs for clients, so I always had

and girls! Gonna play a little song for

to have a proper space, and when the

ya!’. I’d come up with characters like that

lockdown hit in March and the world

and we did the morning show... You’re

went ‘stop’, I was like ‘well, I’ve got

in there from like 4:30 till about 10:30

everything I need’ and a lot of people

or so, and then you have all day. Now

were scrambling, so I was very lucky.

in Vancouver, it’s such a great city, if it’s

Now you can do things from anywhere,

winter time you can ski or rent a kayak

so all the cartoons and video games,

and go to Falls Creek and go for a little

Ratchet and Clank and other cartoons I’m

paddle… So I had all this time, and I

on right now are all done from the home

signed up for this weird commercial

studio.”

modelling course… where I met my first agent Ross Rhodes… I drove him home

When asked how his acting career

one night and he said “You know, you

started, David grins and says “Well, I told

should do this. I’m just new and I’m an

a lie!”

agent here and if you want an agent, maybe, you know…” and I said “sure”.

Like Kyle Hebert, John St John and many

He goes “Well, go home and think about

others, his career began in radio. Radio

it.” I said “No no no, I’ve thought about

is not a career for those who like to be

it. Why don’t you be my agent?” He

settled in one place, and like many DJs

goes “OK” and that was it.

before him David found himself moving around. In the late 80s he found himself

About 6 months after that conversation

David’s new agent had some news for

him being able to return to the studio

him:

and make the call back.

“He said “There’s voice over stuff in

“And after the first session I went: ‘These

town, and I’m gonna put you up for

are my people. I want to quit everything

some things” and I said “OK” and he

I’m doing and I want to do this! This is so

says “Do you know how to do voices?”

much fun.’ So that became the focus and

and I went “yeah”. That was my lie. I

goal after that. I wanted to stay in this

had no idea what he was talking about:

business, and that’s how it started.”

“Yeah, I know how to do voices, sure!”

So he said “OK, good.” So one of the

David, along with many other Vancouver

first auditions I did was GI Joe, the great

based voice actors made his way into

American hero. DIC animation was doing

many of the live shows and movies that

a lot of stuff in Vancouver. DIC, we always

were being filmed there. Roles in The

joked it was “Done In Canada”.

X-Files, Sliders and Happy Gilmore provided David with some live action

After reading for General Hawk and a

credits.

few other characters, David took some time to go skiing. During this trip he

“They would have trouble finding me on

was told he had to make a ‘call back’ to

set. I would get bored because… I’d be

follow up the audition. After ‘one more

hanging on set with the sound guys or

ski’ down the mountain he realised that

watching the director of photography.

his keys were missing and the zipper

I’d be watching what’s going on behind

pocket of his pants was open. Thankfully

the scenes. I’m more interested in what

his bright yellow key tag stood out

they’re doing, when what I’m supposed

enough for someone to see them and

to be doing is learning my lines and

return them to him. He has no idea who

getting prepared. I think if I was serious

found the keys, but he credits them with

about it I could have done better and

more stuff on camera because I did like it. I

yet confident Sesshomaru in InuYasha. This

hated the audition process.”

bought him to reflect on the amazing times he had at The Ocean Group, and that he

David found that he was more comfortable

could not believe he was getting paid to ‘do

behind the microphone than the camera.

voices’.

Around this time Transformers: Beast Wars was in production, as were various anime

“And then InuYasha comes around, and I

series and US based cartoons. This was the

had no idea how huge it was, and Gundam

world he wanted to be a part of:

Wing and these characters and I loved going and playing Sesshomaru. I wouldn’t

“I wanna get behind this mic. That’s when I

see many of the other characters because

came alive, and this is what I’m supposed to

when you’re doing anime you do your lines

be doing.”

and you leave. I’d see Richard (Cox) once in a while and the Dobsons and a few people I

Ever the perfectionist, Kaye is highly critical

knew around the show, but otherwise I had

of his own work. After watching his episode

no idea who was in the cast. I couldn’t tell

of The X-Files he wondered why they hired

you.”

him.

David would often be given scripts of “I wouldn’t hire me!”

roughly 700 pages for an episode of InuYasha. Not being a regular cast member,

Most recently he starred in a film called

his day would involve him flicking to

‘Martian Child’ with John Cusack, a project

certain pages, recording his lines, then

he appeared to be happy with. He told the

leaving. Only 7 years later did he meet

director that if this was the last on camera

the voice actress behind Kagome at a

role he played then he was ‘good’.

convention, though he had no idea who she was beforehand. The huge fan reaction

I challenged David about his ‘lie’. Here is

at conventions started to arouse David’s

a man who can voice the highly anxious

curiosity about the show.

Soun Tendo from Ranma ½ and the calm,

“Then I started watching a few of them,

moved to the US. Regardless, he claims that

and I hate everything I do. We talked about

his replacement, Mike Dangerfield, did a

that earlier: Imposter syndrome. It doesn’t

great job of continuing the role throughout

matter how old I am... So it was just such an

the finale series. Fast forward a decade and

honour to play such a cool character, and

David Kaye has returned to play the demon

when I saw people dressed up as InuYasha,

lord once again.

as Richard’s character, and mine, as Sesshomaru with the mane, they went all in!

“The people at Bang Zoom and Viz were so

And still to this day, people were bugging

gracious. We worked some stuff out and I

me on Twitter: “I hope that they bring you

was able to come back and reprise the role

back”, “Would you do it again?”, “Why

for Yashahime, so… it’s been a long time. It’s

didn’t you do the last episode?”

wild how this stuff lives on!”

David did not return to play Sesshomaru for InuYasha: The Final Act as he had already

With voice actors from the Ocean and

aired he went on to answer questions

Funimation stable, I was curious about

from fans and was pleasantly surprised

who was actually in charge of dubbing

at the support he and the cast had

the show. Bang Zoom Entertainment

received.

have been charged with the task, though Funimation normally dub their shows in

“I kinda had to go on and answer

house or at Chris Sabat’s Okatron 5000

(questions). It was tough for me to do

studio. Viz and Funimation are both

because for this last little while I’ve been

promoting the show, with Yashahime

leaving the phone alone. It was a breath

debuting on Funi’s streaming service.

of fresh air to see comments from the fans and all the kind words, and it was

Changes in technology mean that

just really cool. I can say that they helped

this combined cast does not need to

me endure hell week in the US. So thank

meet up in the same place, though

you!”

David mentions being excited to see Richard Cox and Kirby Morrow’s names

As well as Yashahime, David has some

associated with the new series. Sadly,

fantastic projects coming out soon. While

exactly a week after this interview was

non-disclosure agreements prevent him

recorded Kirby Morrow passed away at

from speaking about some of them, he is

47. David and the rest of the voice cast

excited about some episodes of Scooby

have posted tributes and memories on

Doo he will be appearing in, Avengers

social media.

Assemble, the new season of Justice League and the upcoming Ratchet and

The first episode of Yashahime was

Clank game (David voices Clank). This

released on ‘voting day’ in the US. The

upcoming title promises a deep storyline

deluge of political discussion had caused

and some amazing characters.

David to take some time away from Twitter. However, as the first episode

“Yeah, there’s some fun projects I’m

working on now. I can tell people that even

Summer and Tara Strong, this project is one

though the pandemic has halted a lot of

to look out for.

things, one of the industries… that hasn’t slowed down is animation and voice over

“It’s crazy stuff! Weird! You can’t take your

podcasts. That’s just exploded, and there is

eyes off it.”

a lot of product out there.”

To find out more, David Kaye can be found One of these products in development is

on Instagram @davidkayevo, the website

by a Tasmanian team of puppeteers. An

www.davidkaye.com and on Twitter @

irreverent show featuring well known voice

dkayevo

actors such as David, Billy West, Cree

VIZ Media annouces Yasha' hime, a new animation : from the Inuyasha universe PRESS RELEASE SAN FRANCISCO, CA-Will Eisner Hall-

during a forest fire. While desperately

of-Farner Rumiko Takahashi reunites

searching for her younger sister, Towa

with lnuyasha production team Sunrise,

wanders into a mysterious tunnel that

along with Director Teruo Sato to create

sends her into present-day Japan, where

Yashahime - a new feudal fairy tale from

sbe is found and raised by Kagome

the lnuyasha universe.

Higurashi ‘s family.

In Yashahime, the daughters of

Ten years later, the tunnel that connects

Sessbomaru and Inuyasha set out on a

the two eras has reopended, allowing

journey transcending time. Set in feudal

Towa to be reunited with Setsuna, who is

Japan, half-demon twins Towa and

now a demon slayer working for Kohaku.

Setsuna are separated from each other

But to Towa’s shock, Setsuna appears

to have lost all memories of her older

a regular feature on The New York

sister. Joined by Moroha, the daughter

Times Bestsellers list throughout the

oflnyuasha and Kagome, the three young

2000s, while the anime aired on Cartoon

women travel between the two eras on

Network’s Toonami Adult Swim for over

an adventure to regain their missing past.

11 years nearing 200 episodes, and

“The three heroines are beautifully

produced four film adaptions.

designed. I am looking forward to their

About VIZ Media:

adventures,” said Rumiko Takahashi who

An international authority on manga for

is leading the main character design.

more than three decades, VIZ Media is

Teruo Sato will direct Yashahime, along

leading the way in what’s now, new and

with Katsuyuki Sumisawa on script, while

next. Reaching one in four millennials

Yoshihito Hishinum is responsible for

and half of all GenZ manga readers, VIZ

animation character design, and music

is at the forefront of America’s Japanese

from Kaoru Wada. This series is produced

pop-culture phenomenon, which today

by Sunrise, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV.

dominates multiple industries from

“We couldn t be more thrilled to

publishing and animation to film and

announce the acquisition of Yashahime.

gaming.

The lnyuasha universe has been a true

VIZ is proud to be the #I destination for

pinnacle when it comes to delighting/

manga in America and home to some

ans of all generations and we ‘re seeing

of the most prestigious anime brands

that now, two decades later. with original

driving the industry. Combined with

Inyuasha episodes streaming on Netflix

a market share footprint larger than

and Hulu. We ‘re excited for fans to

household names collectively, VIZ has

revisit this magical world created by the

pivoted from a localization company to a

iconic Rumiko Takahashi.” Brad Woods,

market leading pop culture publisher and

CMO VIZ Media

producer. For more about VIZ Media,

The critically acclaimed and multi-million

please visit viz.com

dollar grossing Inuyasba franchise was

gameS

ASSASSIN’S CREED VALHALL

CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS COLD WAR

LOOKING AT FIVE OF THE MOST POPULAR GAMES EVER PLAYED

S

LA

REVIEWS

Craig Snow

Looking at Five of the Most Popular Games Ever Played When it comes to deciding what to do

high quality and visually impressive games

in your spare time, we all have plenty of

now being available on the smaller screen.

choices. Some will play sports, others may

Perhaps the best example of this is with

want to read, and of course a significant

casino games. The days of average images

number of us love playing games.

and buffering games are long gone, and you can even play with live dealers on

The advancements in technology over the

websites like Space Casino, which highlights

years have increased both the range and

just how far we’ve come. Of course, mobile

quality of what’s on offer. For traditional

gaming of this kind has the huge advantage

gamers, we have a range of options

of being accessible 24/7 - and on the move

between PC and consoles, with the

as well. Essentially, there’s more choice than

PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S being

ever for core and casual gamers alike.

just two of the latest platforms to hit store shelves.

Below we’ll outline some of the biggest games that have ever released, and which

Another way we can play games is on our

have captured the attention of hundreds

phones. Again, that’s down to the way

millions players in recent years.

technology has developed, with increasingly

CANDY CRUSH SAGA

Sticking with the theme of mobile gaming,

As it’s a free-to-play app that can be

the number of people that play Candy

downloaded it doesn’t have an entry cost,

Crush Saga is insane. Last year, it was

unlike most of the other games on this list,

reported that over 272 million people

so it has a distinct advantage over much

actively play the game each month, with

of the competition, but the figures are

nine million of those playing for three

nonetheless incredible and show just how

hours a day.

in-demand Candy Crush remains almost 10 years since it debuted.

MINECRAFT

Minecraft has comfortably sold over

devices has no doubt helped in this

200 million copies since it was released

respect, but none of that would matter if

over a decade ago, and it’s still going

the core game wasn’t stellar.

strong. The addictive levels of creativity and challenge it provides has ensured its longevity and guaranteed its appeal to a whole new generation of players. Its wide availability on PC, consoles, and handheld

GRAND THEFT AUTO V

Grand Theft Auto V has proved to be

remarkable rate - 135 million copies had

a ridiculously popular game since its

been sold at the last count at the end of

release in 2013. Several Grand Theft Auto

September.

games have released to both critical and commercial acclaim over the years, but none to quite this extent. Not only had the game brought in over $6bn in revenue by 2018, but it continues to sell at a

Wii SPORTS

Nintendo and its games are renowned in

Wii itself owed much of its success to the

the gaming world, so when Wii Sports is

broad appeal of Wii Sports. And broad it

the company’s best-selling game of all-

was - Wii Sports was, at the time, nothing

time you know there’s something magical

short of a cultural phenomenon.

about it. Granted, Wii Sports was a packin outside of Japan, so its shipment total of 82.9 million owes a lot to the success of the platform it released on, but in turn the

FORTNITE

Unlike the others on this list, Fortnite is a

a new giant - Epic Games - in the video

relatively new release, having only existed

game publishing and marketplace

since 2017. However, that hasn’t stopped

realm too.

it rapidly amassing over 350 million players. While it’s free to play, which

Those are just some of the most popular

certainly helps when trying to attract as

games to have emerged in the past

many players as possible in a short space

decade or so, and the numbers involved

of time, and it owes much to its rival

show just how big gaming has become

PUBG, Fortnite was nonetheless able to

and how great the rewards can be for

take an emerging genre and catapult it

those who manage to create that all-

into the stratosphere.

important a combination of great game with wide appeal. Meanwhile we players

The result is a game that has left its rivals

get to experience a multitude of great

in the dust and bankrolled the creation of

games - and it’s only going to get better.

Stephen LaGioia

ASSASSINs

REVIEW XONE:

s creed: Valhalla

Dark Age themes and Norse mythology

great fit for the AC formula. The Medieval

have seemingly become “en vogue” of

England and Norway locales are wondrous

late, with the rise of shows like Game of

and atmospheric, brought to life by some

Thrones and Vikings, along with games

stunning visuals. Despite playing on the

like God of War. With Assassin’s Creed

Xbox One, I was dazzled by the truly

Valhalla, Ubisoft successfully draws from

gorgeous landscapes, along with highly

these fun themes while making them its

impressive lighting effects and draw

own. Valhalla managed to hook me with its

distances. It was a sight to behold gazing

cinematic qualities and its unique blend of

upon the towering, distant mountains of

action, stealth, and exploration. With such

Norway, or watching the sunlight softly

scale, depth, and versatility, this feels as

reflect on the water as I sailed the rivers of

much like an Assassin’s Creed game as it

Mercia.

does a Viking simulator. And that’s (mostly) a great thing!

Complementing this is the atmospheric soundtrack; the melodic choirs and

That said, there are a couple of areas

instrumentals further set the mood and

that ring a tad shallow or spotty. With a

immersed me in my journey. Dynamic

convoluted Skill Tree, occasional bugs,

day-night and weather effects, as well as

and combat that feels a bit clunky and

the random, shifting behaviors of NPC

underwhelming in the early goings, this

inhabitants also add to this organic feel.

Viking romp certainly isn’t blemish-free.

Nice touches here and there, like the

Regardless, Valhalla stands out from its

ruined ancient Roman structures scattered

predecessors in many areas, from its

about the wilderness, serve to add some

streamlined progression and open-ended

historical depth and authenticity too.

gameplay to its gripping campaign and lush environments.

The game largely draws from the sandbox RPG style of Odyssey and uses it to its

The gritty, grandiose Viking themes make

advantage. At the same time, Ubisoft

for a cool backdrop and really prove a

has dialled back some of the scale and

complexity a tad, especially with the

this time, and head-to-head combat

progression, questing, and weapons/

plays a larger role. In most cases, though,

armor. For my money, though, this more

satisfying stealth kills are still an option for

streamlined, focused structure nicely

the more traditional assassins out there.

strikes that sweet spot between depth and accessibility.

The game’s narrative partly draws from its roots of conspiracy and historical

At least in part, Valhalla still feels familiarly

discoveries, albeit on a subtler level.

AC, with trademark mechanics like

But really, Valhalla shines more when it

stealth kills, roof-diving, and “blending

deviates from the more typical AC threads.

in” amongst the townsfolk. At the same

The story captivates with its tale of Viking

time, the prominent Norse themes, vast

adventure and vengeance, intermixed

open-worlds, and some neat gameplay

with Middle Age political strife and war.

additions and twists grant it a distinct

You play as the (male or female) Norse

feel. There’s more of an action-RPG vibe

Eivor, whose dark past and harsh living

conditions in Norway coaxes Eivor and his

more interesting several hours in, when

brother Sigurd to seek greener pastures.

the stakes get higher, secrets are revealed,

Being a Viking, this means sailing for

and Eivor’s influence in the fractured

occupied regions - England in this case

English kingdoms increases.

- and partaking in raids, scuffles, and plundering.

The game’s campaign - which clocks in at a robust 50 hours - comes with a variety of

The plot is pretty straightforward and

fun activities that largely lets you play your

simple early on, and rings rather similar

own way. Tasks typically involve taking

to Michael Hirst’s Vikings series at times.

out enemies, conquering lands, and/or

It’s a bit of a slow burn, to be sure. Much

snagging loot in some fashion. Yet, there

of its intrigue tends to stem from its

are usually multiple avenues offered in

cast of colorful, morally grey characters,

how you get these done. Some missions

solid writing, and great voiceover

get more creative too, including one

performances. Still, the plot does get

where you must seek out an exiled king

hiding in a crypt and literally carry him back

and finishing main quests to just climbing

to your settlement for deposition.

atop fast-travel vantage points and diving off them. This tool is also a handy indicator of

You may find yourself getting lost in the

your overall strength, which will give you an

bustling township life of dice romps,

idea of how tough a clash with a particular

amusing drinking games, and even Viking-

opponent will be.

era rap battles called “Flyting.” You can spend much of your time just traveling the

You’re also granted subtle choices during

wilderness and hunting (particularly fun

the campaign itself, along with full-blown

when traversing the area on horseback -

splits in story paths. These include plot

or wolfback). You can even do some light

beats like joining up with a particular clan,

puzzle-solving by way of small crypts and

picking an area to travel to, and choosing

buildings that hold loot.

to let an adversary live or die. Many of these decisions have at least a small ripple

This impressive versatility in the gameplay

effect that crops up later in some form. For

extends to fighting moves and techniques,

instance, a fighter you’ve spared may pop

as well as conflicts in general. You can stress

up later and play a role in the story. This

pure strength with close-range combat,

unique campaign takes on a somewhat

pull off stylish skills/abilities, or play a

sporadic structure of segmented chapters,

more stealthy, classic AC game of climbing

which tends to give it a more fluid, open-

buildings, hiding in hay, and blending in. You

ended feel, and keeps the predictability at

can play a more long-range game and go in

bay.

bows blazing or rely on power in numbers by calling for raids.

For as strong as the campaign is, there is much incentive to venture off the beaten

This unrestricted style is further driven home

path and explore, which is fitting given your

by a handy Power Level, which is a sort of

Viking pedigree. Side quests mostly take a

universal xp system that builds by doing

back seat in Valhalla; they’re prompted via

various tasks. These range from getting kills

“World Event” icons and dialogue queues,

and often consist of small tasks requested

are also platforming-esque “Flying Paper”

by NPCs. Examples of these mostly marginal

challenges, which have you chasing drifting

events are delivering grain and aiding a

tattoo designs for Eivor. These enticing

couple of guys in burning down a shack.

goodies beckon you to explore the vast, diverse landscapes of Valhalla.

There are plenty of other distractions to

Another amusing pastime is the ability

be had, especially when it comes to the

to build and play around in your own

abundant loot and collectibles. Mini-

settlement. This feature adds a rewarding

boss “Zealots” can be hunted down and

twist to the gameplay, and further

killed for rewards, setting the stage for

incentivizes raiding and plundering for

some heart-pounding duels. Items like

resources. Gathering certain materials

Artifacts, abilities, and treasure maps can

will allow you to construct buildings and

be obtained, along with materials that can

upgrade your settlement incrementally.

be put towards settlement building. There

These buildings will open up new side

activities, as well as increase Eivor’s

hub of progression.

strength and usefulness. Huts can be built to unlock hunting and fishing tasks, for

Speaking of raids - these side activities

instance.

are one area where Valhalla truly shines, along with larger-scale assaults. Much like

Various items can be bought via Trading

the sailing and sea battles in Black Flag,

Posts, while the Blacksmith allows you

this is a major highlight and one of the

to customize and enhance your gear.

primary sources of fun. Certain towns and

There’s also the Barracks, where you can

settlements are marked on your map as

manage and tweak your raiding crew.

raiding spots, which can be ransacked by

You can even recruit Viking fighters for

sea or by blowing your horn on land to call

raids that others have made online -

forth troops.

marking the one semblance of multiplayer

Heck, even the somewhat-lengthy

functionality in the game. Like the Power

sea voyages to get to these spots are

Level, settlement building makes for a nice

often enjoyable. You can liven up your

throughline and centralized

exhilarating river travels with some jaunty

Viking tunes or even tales recited by your

While the emphasis on fighting makes

crew. It’s a subtle touch, but a nice one.

for some exciting moments, the actual

Of course, the fun really begins when you

close-range combat mechanics leave a bit

and your fighters belt your war cries and

to be desired early on. Their somewhat

rush the enemy gates. These areas are

clunky nature tends to lack a feeling of

usually met with several hostile foes with

fluidity and verges on repetitive at times.

varying strengths and weapons, along

With skills, abilities, and bows out of the

with distraught peasants running around

equation, fighting can devolve into basic

frantically.

hacking and slashing. It often becomes little more than an awkward dance with

Like solo missions, these assaults and raids

enemies whose erratic behavior can be

can be tackled in multiple ways. You might

tough to read. It’s a bit of a free-for-all

charge a battering ram through the gates

that’s somewhat “hit and miss,” if you’ll

and start slicing and dicing (a super fun

excuse the pun.

endeavor). Or you may prefer to scope out the area Far Cry-style with your scouting

That said, combat does get far more

raven and pick off foes one by one. Once

enjoyable and nuanced when Eivor learns

the enemy troops have started to thin, you

more moves beyond basic strikes and

can get to work on breaking down doors,

dodges/parries - and there’s no shortage

setting buildings ablaze, and pillaging

of them. You’ll gain skills, which are

wealth and goods. These events are

various moves, perks, and buffs earned

both thrilling and rewarding, and I often

through a large - and quite messy - skill

found myself putting off the main quest to

tree. Most are fun to pull off, and open

embark on yet another raid to get more

up more useful avenues for attacks and

coveted wealth. Just like real Vikings,

counters. An example is the devastating

these earnings will bolster your settlement

“Stomp” move that can be performed

and equipment.

on a fallen foe. The impactful abilities are particularly neat though, as eight of these

collectible moves can be affixed to hotkeys

unique traits and coincide with skills and

and accessed simply and swiftly when

abilities, as many skills will grant buffs to

fighting.

gear falling under that category. It’s an organized, intuitive system that allows for

These include moves such as axe tosses

flexibility without being too convoluted.

and fire strikes, and ranged moves like poison shots and raven-aided diversions.

Playing through my expansive journey with

Having this array of offensive tools at your

Eivor has been quite memorable - and

disposal breathes much-needed fun into

a pretty smooth one technically, despite

the combat - though it takes some time to

playing on the Xbox One. Regardless of

get there. In more typical AC fashion, you

your console, Valhalla is a rich experience

can of course still get crafty with stealth

cinematically and in terms of gameplay. As

kills from behind, above, or below. While

a side note, though, next-gen hold-outs

these assassinations take more of a back

should be warned that the load times on

seat in this game, they’re still delightful to

these older consoles can be rather lengthy.

pull off.

Added to this was the occasional bug,

One remaining strength that warrants

like getting stuck in some rocky terrain,

a mention is the system of weapon and

falling through a surface, and a couple of

armor upgrades. Unlike recent entries,

disheartening game freezes.

Ubisoft keeps things somewhat simple with a more limited palette of weaponry

These occurrences were very minor,

and gear. Depth and versatility has

though, and largely forgivable given how

instead been added to the system of

much I enjoyed Valhalla as a whole. Beyond

enhancements and “perks” for existing

these slight blemishes and the somewhat

gear. Upgrading and customizing

“slow burn” of both the combat and story,

equipment is done by gathering materials,

there’s much to love about this gripping

as well as obtainable Runes that can be

Norse epic. I look forward to setting sail

swapped out. Weapons and armor fall

again and embarking on more Viking

under a three-tiered system consisting of:

escapades.

Bear, Raven, and Wolf. These come with

Lee Mehr

Marvel's Spider-M

REVIEW PS5:

Man: Miles Morales

[Reviewer’s Note: Although I do my best to

to grow under the tutelage of Peter

avoid SPOILERS, I will mention story details

Parker, and has moved from Brooklyn to

that I liked/disliked, albeit as vaguely as

his grandmother’s apartment in Harlem.

possible. Reader discretion advised.]

Still wrestling with these newfound responsibilities and his father’s untimely

The overnight critical and commercial

death, more responsibility is thrust upon

success of Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018)

Miles after learning Peter’s taking an

showed how Insomniac Games took uncle

overseas work vacation with Mary Jane.

Ben’s greatest lesson to heart, surpassing

As a new threat emerges, known as “The

all of Activision’s previous tries in the

Underground,” Miles swinging solo

past decade. With the later-released

presents a decisive question: does he

expansion packs and now this side story,

deserve to call himself Spider-Man?

there’s clearly no intention of slowing down. Spider-Man: Miles Morales lands

Such emotionally earnest intentions

in an advantageous spot too. By being

course through this story across a couple

both a cross-generation title launching on

of understated avenues. During both

PS5 and a lower-priced ‘sidequel,’ akin

the discovery of Miles’ exclusive Venom

to Uncharted: Lost Legacy, Insomniac

Abilities (bio-electricity) and his less-

gets to flex its technical knowhow whilst

assured swinging animations at the

maintaining the realistic expectation of not

beginning, it’s easy to sympathize with his

having to reinvent the foundation. Despite

hesitation of assuming this mantle. It’s

several mechanical tweaks giving Miles

not just any role either; there’s something

an improved action vocabulary, a prosaic

about Spider-Man that New York has been

plot and some weak characters harm an

comfortable with for nearly a decade.

otherwise engaging game.

You’ll notice in specific side stories or when Miles’ buddy, Ganke, begins the

A year after the events of Spider-Man,

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man app,

Miles’ life has become quite hectic. He’s

that Harlem isn’t quite sure of his aptitude

been bitten by a radioactive spider, begun

either.

These palpable emotional stakes for

Beyond those stated annoyances, I didn’t

Miles rarely translate into the phoned-in

find Miles to be that compelling of a

main storyline though. Early on, there’s a

protagonist. This isn’t to take away from

decent rhythm of story and gameplay until

Nadji Jeter’s performance or his supporting

a dramatic bridge sequence - probably

cast. Aside from Troy Baker showing

my favorite part. After that, the narrative

up for the day, everyone was more than

is set on a predictable path that relies on

serviceable at their given roles. My issues

obvious contrivances to reach its climactic

come down to some of his cringe-inducing

ending. One of the weakest qualities in

dialogue and how closely he lands to the

this equation is the villains. Appropriating

other Spider-Man in attitude. When you

a B-lister from the Iron Man franchise,

have someone who suggests their own

Simon Krieger could’ve been an interesting

rich potential I don’t see how a lesser

choice; unfortunately, the writers thought

Peter Parker who’s trilingual and a different

“smarmy Elon Musk plus fitness dudebro”

ethnicity can maintain the same attention.

was enough. Miles’ central conflict comes from another less-popular source: The

To elucidate my dilemma: the fan-expected

Tinkerer. She and her band of vicious

“New York standing with Spider-Man”

cyberpunk-admiring minions only have

scene wouldn’t have landed without the

unexpected aesthetics to boot. Despite

substantial side content. Side Missions

attempting more of a nuanced conflict

in particular crystalize the little details

between Miles & The Tinkerer, the drama

that make Spidey so beloved for me.

propelling the final act is forced and

One mission involves a homeless center

actually hypocritical on her part. The way

(F.E.A.S.T.) being hastily condemned,

it tries to squeeze emotion only makes the

thus forcing workers & homeless alike to

artifice more noticeable.

survive in the blistering cold. What begins as sewage issues blossoms into armed thugs, nefarious land acquisition plans,

and corrupt government bureaucracy for

discreet comic; conversely, the inspired

Miles to discover and stop. The best part

touches in Miles’ familial life and side

is seeing your success change this slice of

missions showcase greater creative

Harlem. The makeshift tents and garbage

inspiration. It’s like wading through muck

can fires are replaced with F.E.A.S.T.

to get heartfelt moments such as when

North’s lights coming back on and there’s

Miles converses with his deaf love interest,

a lovely welcoming committee outside its

Hailey, in sign language. If you venture

doors. These are the type of examples

hard enough you’ll understand the earned

that sustained my engagement between

reputation of Harlem’s new Spider-Man;

staid campaign revelations.

then again, it’s a shame you have to do that.

In sum, it’s a bit frustrating to manage my

By sticking with a polished foundation,

appreciation for a lopsided effort. The

one doesn’t need to try admiring Miles

insane predictability makes me suspicious

Morales’ gameplay. For anyone who

that this main storyline was lifted from a

hasn’t played Spider-Man, the core can be

broken into two components: the open

One of my favorite additions is Miles’

world traversal of nearly every Spiderman

innate camouflage. Despite appreciating

title mashed with Batman: Arkham’s

Spider-Man’s flexibility compared to

Freeflow combat system. It’s another

Batman’s more scripted demands for

sub-genre that’s become typical in the

gargoyles or specific perches, stealth

AAA industry, but it’s so damn rewarding

wasn’t often an option after being

and fitting for this universe. Spidey

detected the first time; now, Miles could

Sense meshes perfectly as a warning

be against eight goons mid-fight, turn

indicator, his wall-crawling abilities enable

invisible, whisk himself to the rafters,

more flexible stealth options than other

and recalibrate his approach when

copycats, and on and on it goes. The

they go back to an investigative state.

arguments made back in 2018 still hold up

Considering the copious enemies and

today; it’s an incredibly fitting system for

expansive levels there’s a greater necessity

this universe.

for it as well. The ebb-n-flow of this stealth-action foundation feels intuitive

Miles further solidifies his utility with

and dynamic past the rolled credits. The

special abilities that are all his own.

greater number of enemies complements

After a critical moment in the beginning,

this aspect and puts a heavier emphasis on

Miles unleashes his bioelectric-enabled

stealth I can’t help but admire.

super punch and its concurrent stunning properties. Along with that, there’s a

Traversing the city feels better thanks to

greater area-of-effect (AoE) emphasis

more tricks and added polish. There’s

when managing more enemies this time

also a story told through Miles’ swinging

around. All of the previous moves,

animations as well. I can’t help but feel

counters, and finishers are here as well.

like he intentionally looks less-polished in

The gadgets are limited, yet purposeful

the beginning as to show him growing in

in implementation in either combat or

confidence – some might say swagger –

stealth.

after a critical revelation. To emphasize

just how high the bar has been set for

There’s still a critical question left to

Miles Morales’ web-swinging locomotion,

answer: is Miles Morales’ gameplay

I’ve had several fights with myself on

better than its predecessor? When it

whether fast traveling was worth it

comes to the retooled stealth-action

compared to the fun moves I could

foundation, I lean to the affirmative. But

perform with web-swinging, lightning-

I’m uneasy because I do wish there was

quick load times be damned.

also something more here. Removing less-pleasant qualities like MJ stealth

Enjoyable as it is, all isn’t perfect. While

segments is one thing, but other breaks

I still appreciate the flexibility of stealth

from combat or traversal aren’t a bad

and combat, it doesn’t seem like Spider-

thing outright. Paring down extras just

Man’s enemies do. There was a peculiar

to add minor boring ones, like recording

tendency for The Underground’s average

nature sounds, shows there’s still work to

IQ to plummet as their numbers would

be done. If the supplementary mechanics

dwindle. The game can manage double-

in Spider-Man were too grinding for you

digit combatants at once, but the last

then there’s no question this’ll outrank it.

remaining one or two goons would

Since I purchased the PS5 version, I can’t

often watch paint dry or get stuck in the

provide any reliable data about the PS4

geometry, walking in an endless loop.

version’s potential technical issues. In my

Also, the second encounter against Rhino

next-gen experience, however, this entry

descends into cheap nonsense during

ran near-flawlessly on performance and

his final stage. All of the attacks capable

fidelity mode. One of the reasons I was

of cancelling your necessary windups

excited to make the console jump was

became so obnoxious, nearly to the point

having those kinds of options: to crack

of me lowering below Amazing difficulty

out fidelity during cinematic moments and

to finish. Finally, auto-lock targeting has a

performance for the rest. Regardless of

habit of acting finicky when fighting a glut

which option you select, it’s still a looker

of goons.

too.

Technical qualities aside, the art style is

As to be expected with one of the most

something of a mixed bag in terms of

respected big-budget studios today,

preferences. I applaud setting the events

Insomniac has another winner in the

around Christmas, as I’m sure the various

sound department – both foley and

snow/snowfall details couldn’t have been

OST. The punches, web-swinging, the

easy. NYC has been lovingly rendered

crunching of snow, and more have a great

from head to toe. But whether it’s the

amount of texture put into them. I don’t

crimson paramilitary Roxxon troopers or

have the disposable income to throw

the gaudy-purple cyberpunk Underground

yet another $100 down for the PS5’s 3D

vandals, it’s a shame Miles is often stuck

Audio headset, but I’m confident enough

to fighting discarded Hasbro toys. They’re

with this game as-is to believe it’ll sound

more threatening with respect to their

incredible. The occasional audio issues

meaty punches and impressive arsenal

of in-game dialogue fading during a

than their style.

fight, among other anomalies, do little to change my attitude. Composer John

Paesano also returns to make a successful

also worthwhile. From beginning to end,

argument that hip-hop & orchestral music

I came in with the tempered expectations

can go together. Hats off to him and the

of a ‘sidequel’ and got just that. The

rest of the sound department.

challenge with such stories is in cementing meaningful distinctions; that endeavor

Value is something of a conundrum

succeeds and stumbles between gameplay

depending on how much you value the

and story respectively. The nuanced action

completionist content in Spider-Man. Even

vocabulary is engaging and focused, but

if one appreciates the intentions of Miles

the emotional context propelling said fights

Morales, it’s important to know you’re

can feel deflated by erratic storytelling.

getting about half the amount of content – campaign and total – for $50 (PS4/ PS5). Personally? Even a 7.5-hour main campaign capable of keeping my attention with some quality side quests hits my subjective threshold. This doesn’t include the gamut of cool suits to collect or New Game Plus mode – which I’m much more tempted to try out than after completing The Last of Us Part II. The upfront cost for a self-proclaimed side story may shock at first, but you’ll see the value in due time.

If Spider-Man was Insomniac’s rebuttal to this titular hero’s decaying status within games, Miles Morales is its claim that story opportunities beyond Peter Parker are

Thomas Froehlicher

REVIEW ps5:

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Following a mediocre fourth episode in

Activision’s blockbuster is a deep dive

a futuristic orientation for the shooter

chronology, and historical figures. From

the sub-series, and generally speaking

franchise as a whole in recent years, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War returns the subseries to its initial premise of covering the

Cold War. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is a return to fundamentals in numerous ways; it’s worth remembering, after all,

that Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 didn’t even

feature a solo campaign, marking a break with genre tradition at the time. Treyarch has made a big U-turn on that this year,

delivering a full story with a lot of effort clearly put into it.

into the Cold War, its famous locations, East Berlin to Cuba and Moscow, you’ll

find it to be quite a realistic experience thanks to multiple details in or around

those locations. For example, the story has you meeting Reagan and Gorbachev, you can see the development of computing

in the 80s, the strange soviet architecture, and much more. Culturally speaking, the campaign is valuable (even fascinating, if you like history) thanks to its mostly

accurate depiction of the Cold War era.

Of course, Call of Duty is still fiction, and

you can choose between a number of

to make the campaign even more

your way. That also has consequences on

the game introduces its own elements

entertaining. The Black Ops sub-series has created notable characters before, and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

is no exception. I’ve played numerous

Call of Duty titles over the years and the Black Ops ones have had the strongest

different lines and direct the conversation the outcome of missions, and even the

whole story. Never has the player been so

deeply involved in a Call of Duty narrative, which makes this feel like a fresh and exciting addition to the franchise.

characters and storytelling by far. Woods

So the atmosphere is great, but that’s not

a pleasure to see him in Cold War; his

well. Both gameplay and game progression

is the coolest guy in Call of Duty and it’s

eccentric personality, which reminds me lot

of Bruce Willis or Sylvester Stallone in some of their more famous action movies, makes a couple of missions here particularly fun.

The main antagonist, Soviet spy Perseus, is also a memorable villain, because he’s

totally elusive and you spend most of the campaign hunting him. He becomes that kind of mythical, unreachable, cunning

target that can make a fictional work stand out. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

features plenty of characters and actually quite a lot of dialog, as well as player

choices. When you talk with your NATO

teammates or various allies, for example,

the only thing that this campaign does are rather innovative too. For example, the collectibles that are hidden within

story missions are no longer things you

just pick up for the trophy/achievement.

In Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War those

items are clues to be used in side missions that require the player to solve some kind of puzzle (break a secret code or mark the right suspects). Such cleverness in

the campaign’s structure feels new and

motivating. This installment is also subtler than most Call of Duty games to-date in terms of gameplay. Numerous parts of

campaign feature stealth sections where you have to discreetly infiltrate enemy zones, for example, rather than killing

everybody as usual, and the spying part of

experiencing a non-linear solo mode, at

different ways. Solo missions are therefore

set the bar really high.

the KGB mission can be completed in four

more varied and much more interesting to

least, but this was the perfect occasion to

play compared to past entries.

The main downside is that, despite all

The campaign itself has three different

last more than ten hours, and that’s

endings, which in itself is a big step

forward for the series, but I can’t help thinking there was room for more.

Seeing how complex the structure of the campaign is, I did expect more scenario branches, or at least a couple of bonus trophies/achievements for secondary

objectives. There is genuine pleasure in

the side missions, the campaign doesn’t partly because missions are quite short on average. On top of that, the enemy AI is poor, and there are significant

incoherencies in its behavior (enemies will

easily spot you but never pay any attention to your AI-controlled ally, for example).

That said, it’s still heart-warming that a

shooter series that deemed a campaign

“non-essential” just two years ago has

side objectives to complete, numerous

this year.

which are exclusive to it. To get top marks,

returned with such a great solo experience

Zombies mode has been a tradition in the Black Ops sub-series for years now, and

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War doesn’t

fail to deliver on that. Once again players can unite against waves of brainless but quite persistent undead. Each “wave” means that a group of zombies will

attack players, who can then rest for a

few minutes once every foe is down and prepare for the next wave. The goal of

the four players is to survive the longest

power-up items, and futuristic weapons the team has to open hidden paths by using points received by eliminating

zombies. This requires strong cooperation between players, because the cost of opening all the map and surviving is

enormous. To conclude on zombies mode, it’s definitely a great component of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War thanks to the

amount of content it includes, as well as

its challenge level and how well it drives cooperation between players.

possible time, but also to exfiltrate by

Competitive multiplayer is always a crucial

in a short exfiltration window, generally in

and here again Black Ops Cold War finds

helicopter. That requires the team to meet a highly dangerous area full of zombies.

It’s a lot trickier than it sounds, because

difficulty level curves up quite quickly. At the start you can shoot a zombie down

with just two bullets, but by around wave 20 you need two magazines and there at least twice as many to take out.

The map for zombies mode is rather large

and interesting to explore. There are a few

part of the Call of Duty experience too,

the right balance. The eight multiplayer

maps turn out to be adequate for all types of play. Snipers like me have enough

distance to carry out their role (“Miami” and “Checkmate” are truly enjoyable

in terms of long-range engagements),

while other maps (or parts of maps) are

perfectly suited for close combat. As usual, numerous game modes with as many

different rules allow for broader scope of

gameplay, and eventually more satisfaction.

All of this means it’s very motivating to

engaging as it is; it reminds me of Modern

can build yourself a unique arsenal and

Personally, I find team deathmatch really Warfare 2, which was (and remains) my

all-time favorite entry in the series. I’d also like to point out the possibility of listening to a playlist of music taken from the solo campaign. That’s a wonderful idea, and

the original soundtrack itself is really solid

progress in the multiplayer, so that you

strategy. The only disappointment is the low number of guns so far. Speaking for

my speciality, three sniper rifles is definitely the low end of what you expect to get in FPS games nowadays.

(there are plenty of mystery-themed tracks

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War seems to

I don’t imagine reverting back to silent

of map design. In a handful of larger

with great orchestration), so much that multiplayer games.

Weapon management is very addictive.

Treyarch has a lot of experience in the

field, delivering a great equipment menu

and tons of possibilities. “Wildcards” allow you to bend the rules and get yourself

one special advantage, like carrying two main weapons. Weapons themselves

have dozens of available attachments (although you have to play a lot to

unlock them) and you can place quite a few. The effectiveness of rifles or guns

is dramatically improved as you level up

and add more attachments, and you can choose the ones that fit your playstyle.

be trending towards Battlefield in terms maps players can drive various vehicles such as tanks, snowmobiles, or boats

in domination mode, for example. It’s a

laudable effort to help enrich the series,

but I can’t help noticing the massive gap between Cold War and the equivalent

game modes in Battlefield V. EA’s game has much larger skirmishes, with more

vehicles allowed on the same map, more players, and better animations. And that

was two years ago... and on the PS4. With

such timid armored warfare and large-scale maps, Call of Duty isn’t hitting standards long since established by its rivals in

this area, especially now we’re in a new generation of hardware.

Talking about the PS5 version, it doesn’t

an actual trigger. The button can literally

compared to the PS4 one. Call of Duty:

other words, if you attempt to fire in a way

show any noticeable improvements

Black Ops Cold War is still an impressive

AAA game that boasts spectacular visuals, but the modelling and animations aren’t

special when compared to the best-looking games on the PS5, or even the PS4. There is, however, a visibly improved artistic

approach to the campaign, especially in the last chapters where the protagonist Bell

is in search of his own identity. There’s a

get “jammed” if you try to fire too fast. In that the real weapon would not handle,

the R2 button resists and you can’t push

or fire at all. After having played the PS4

version for one week before shifting to the

PS5 one at the system’s launch, I can vouch for the fact that the difference in terms

of controller experience is massive and it makes the game a lot more enjoyable.

very Hollywood-esque sense of direction in

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is a very

of the historic sequences, which I think is

one of my personal favorites. Although

certain eerie mystic scenes, as well as some a great cinematographic effort that goes beyond the frame of technical graphics.

The PS5 version does feature a better

framerate and also benefits from the haptic response of the DualSense controller.

The DualSense never seems to vibrate in quite the same way twice, giving you a

more realistic feeling of a helicopter flying above you, for example, or a grenade

detonating. But the firing button is even more impressive, because it simulates

with stunning efficiency the handling of

solid installment in the series and already short, the campaign is great, and in many ways innovative too. It has some clever story-telling and a superb Cold War

atmosphere, full of historical references and cool characters. The multiplayer

modes really deliver in terms of fun and

content to unlock over time, however the

franchise is beginning to really fall behind when it comes to vehicle warfare and the

overall scale of battles, as well as visually, even if the DualSense has ushered in a

minor gameplay revolution thanks to the inclusion of haptic feedback.

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