February LIVE Magazine

SEX July 2013 FEBRUARY 2014

in video g ames..

MASSIVE COSPLAY SPECIAL! OVER 30 PAGES OF COSPLAY INTERVIEWS & PICS!

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INSIDE

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Sex in Video Games Exclusive Interview with Al Lowe

WELCOME TO

february It’s Hot!

Previews & Reviews

No not the magazine, although some would judge by the cover of our February issue, that it might be full of certain types of photos and artwork that would be described by some as “hot”.

Retro

It’s the weather here in sunny Australia that is hot, and part of us here at Live Magazine are very envious of our northern hemisphere friends chilling (literally) out in winter weather. As we put this issue to bed we’ve just began another run of 40 degree C days. Our second run this summer. Today we’re expecting 42C… that’s 107.6F and tomorrow a pleasant 45c (113F). No matter what you measure it in, that’s damn hot. But as for hot content well that’s really what we’re tackling in this issue. We’re asking the question to our industry experts what they think about sex in games. Is sex and nudity in games a natural progression of gaming becoming more adult? After all movies and other forms of entertainment feature sex so why not games? Or is it just simply unnecessary and often tacked on just like nudity seemed to be in all those teen horror movies of the 70s and 80s…?

Massive Cosplay Special

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: Elliott Buddo US Writer: Serwa Aboagye Sticky Trigger Writers: Kylie Tuttle Nick Getley Alex Holmes Sam Babu Nick Pearce Aaron Milligan Ben Rachow Elliott Buddo

We also look back on the retro days of gaming and how sex began to show up in what was back then, a new entertainment medium. Sure the graphics were primitive and the dialogue was corny but like all medium, games have matured to the point were being a gamer is like being a movie fan. But unlike movies games haven’t quite made the transition into including adult themes in a way that doesn’t seem awkward or tacked on (although the argument could be made that often movies tack on sex scenes unnecessarily). We’d love to hear your thoughts on sex in games so we’re inviting you to give us comments, questions and feedback via email - news@gametraders.com.au Also we’ve got our Cosplay Super Special this month. A ton of pages featuring some of the best cosplayers around the world. If you’d like to be interviewed by Live Magazine please send us an email at cosplay@gametraders.com.au. Enjoy the issue and keep cool or keep warm our northern friends. Rob and Giselle Live Magazine

WHAT’S N RIP WINDOWS XP Microsoft have said they will officially no longer support Windows XP. So any problems users get after that date won’t be supported, patched or fixed by the software company. Interestingly though, a high number of people using PCs still use XP around 30% according to some estimates. Users should upgrade as XP won’t have patches for security anymore leaving them open to potential hacking…

FLEXIBLE SMARTPHONE! Billed as the “World’s First Curved, Flexible Smartphone” the LG G Flex is a 6 inch curved OLED that promises a more immersive and panoramic viewing experience according to their website. It offers their Real RGB HD display that is bright and sharp and using the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 2.26 Quad-Core processor they promise fast and smooth operation. Throw in a 13 megapixel camera and you’ve got a pretty cool device for those wanting something a little different.

THE CREW Cool games coming soon include The Crew. An open world racer where you get to race around the USA in a massive 5,000 square km environment. The official website bills The Crew as the “Next-Gen of Driving Games” and it’s not hard to see why. The graphics look amazing and if you take a look at the trailer you’ll see what we mean. I know just about every car game boasts great visuals, but you seriously need to check this out!

NEW

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

TITANFALL Titanfall is hotly anticipated and is due out on March 13. It’s a fast paced combat game that sees you piloting a Titan - a large robot armed to the teeth. The gameplay is fast and frantic and set in a futuristic environment where you get to pilot one of the different classes of Titans. At times you can disengage from your Titan and the game plays as a regular style FPS. Check it out here…

DYING LIGHT With new systems from Microsoft and Sony, there’s an abundance of great gaming heading our way in 2014 and one to watch out for is Dying Light, a first-person action survival horror game. The opening voice over in the trailers sounds a bit like Apple’s Jonny Ive? Apart from that, this looks a ton of fun and you have to avoid those affected by an infected population that are out to get you... just like in every other zombie style game.

MAC PRO I’m not sure many gamers will fork out the big bucks for a Mac Pro but the discussion out there is that this is a serious piece of hardware. It’s fast - very fast and in fact according to Futurelooks editor Stephen Fung it would cost you more to build a similar spec’d up Windows machine. Hard to believe but true. The Mac Pro is a beautiful piece of equipment that has tech journos like Leo LaPorte totally in love with his (check his post on www.techguylabs.com) and check Futurelooks article here!

from the UK

GAMING IN THE UK The war between Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s PlayStation 4 is well and truly heating up in 2014! With a steady flow of both consoles now streaming into the stores, users are faced with a tough decision - ‘do I go Xbox One or PlayStation 4?’ This really is a personal decision and there’s no right of wrong answer here. However, as a gamer, the question has to be asked - why aren’t either

in the future with regards to the total units sold per company. Could it be a neck to neck race? That’s anyone’s call at this stage. Namco Bandai have been pushing The Witcher 3 hard of late. Recently releasing more game play screeners its looking to be an awesome game and I have a feeling that it will be HUGE!! For those not familiar with The Witcher franchise, it follows the story of one of the remaining ‘witchers’ - a monster hunter gifted with

The dream becomes reality on 14 April 2014. Battlefield 4 has been causing a bit of a stir.... again!! EA and DICE recently announced that for the month of February, they would be having ‘Player Appreciation Month’. Why has this been causing a stir? Well, your pretty much getting something for free! Everyday when you log on, you will be rewarded with a bronze or silver battlepack (a suitcase packed full of goodies like XP boosts, camos, weapon attachments) something that would only be obtainable by levelling up. EA have advised that if a player logs in ever day over the month it will save a whopping 30 hours of game play! A lot of people don’t think this is fair as they have been working hard to level up to attain the battlepacks and enjoy the thrill of the chase so to speak. But is this enough to bring the fans back to Battlefield 4? Many are saying that DICE rushed to get the game released on all consoles and that it wasn’t finished. It has been met with many issues - server issues,

“RECENTLY RELEASING MORE GAME PLAY SCREENERS ITS LOOKING TO BE AN AWESOME GAME AND I HAVE A FEELING THAT IT WILL BE HUGE!!” company doing anything to entice the buyers to pick one console over the other? I think that both Sony and Microsoft could have done something for the buyers - a free 3 month subscription to Xbox Live or a 3 months subscription to PlayStation plus. I mean, you just forked out a few hundred quid, the least they could do is give you a little something to say thankyou! Ok, so it’s not the be all and end all, but a gesture of some sort would have been a great marketing ploy to draw people in more. With that being said, the consoles are still flying out the door and it will be very interesting to see some stats

unnatural powers. RPG based, you need to make ‘moral choices’ to change the direction to the game. Also causing a lot of chatter over here at the moment is Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls Online. With a little over 2 months to go until its release, this will be the first MMO from the developer and the talk around town is that fans can’t wait! The jury is still out on the subscription based online play, however, dedicated fans really won’t be phased in paying a few pounds a month to have access to a game that they only dreamt would be an MMO.

game freezes, lack of updates - all of which have left a sour taste in many players mouths. I truly believe that Battlefield can come back from the negativity as the franchise is brilliant, there are just some teething issues that EA and DICE really need to address to keep the fans happy. Well that’s it from the UK gaming scene for this month! Keep your eyes peeled for a review on Dark Souls II to be carried out by yours truly very soon!

Written by Elliott Buddo

(stickytriggerentertainment.com)

from the US

GAMING IN THE US Are you willing to pay $60 for a game you have already played? That’s the question more and more gamers, both American and abroad, are beginning to ask themselves. When Square Enix revealed Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition at VGX, I was baffled. For a game that was released not too long ago (March 2013) it seemed rather early for a re-release of any kind. Were the differences between the original version and this “definitive edition” so radically different, that a $60 price tag was justi-

me wonder about the future of such games and their future effect on the industry. So far, the industry has produced many remastered games, including: Kingdom Hearts, Shadow of the Colossus, Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, Ocarina of Time, and God of War. Looking into the future, gamers have even more remastered installments to look forward to, including: Final Fantasy X/X-2 and the original FarCry. Re-rendering the old graph-

classics a great way to make older games more accessible, or should it be, like colorizing black-and-white movies, widely considered a bastardization of the original art? It can be argued that the best way to appreciate a classic game is to see and play it the way it was originally intended. An older style of gameplay may come off as disappointing when melded with modern graphics, making these games less satisfying than they could be. Often times, there is a certain awkwardness to these remastered games. Some of them certainly don’t look like they were built to be viewed at 1080p resolution, and even with the enhanced original graphics, there are plenty of things that remain outdated about them, from control schemes to level design to animation. However, it’s easy to make the counter-argument. Ico and Shadow of the Colossus in particular look great on the PS3, don’t get me started on how many hours I’ve logged into Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix (oh god), and as I said

“PERSONALLY I LOVE THE IDEA OF REMASTERS. I THINK THEY HAVE AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO PLAY IN THE CONTINUANCE OF THE INDUSTRY’S SUCCESS.” fied? It didn’t take long for Square Enix to convince me of the answer to that question – Yes. The difference in graphics alone is remarkable; Lara Croft’s character model has been completely refreshed with impressive attention to detail. Additionally, there are many new flourishes added to the Yamatai island environment, such as dynamic weather and polished shadow effects. In fact, every aspect of the game’s graphic integrity has been newly brought to life thanks to the core capabilities of next-gen consoles. With Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition being such an obviously laborious project, it made

ics and putting a vintage game on a current or next-gen (or making it available as DLC) certainly succeeds in making classic games more accessible to modern audiences. But, is that a good thing? It’s the same argument made years ago over colorizing black-and-white films, a trend for a while in the 1980s and ‘90s championed by, among others, Ted Turner (whose Turner Classic Movies cable channel itself later shunned colorized movies completely). Film critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel famously called it “Hollywood’s new vandalism.” But are remastered versions of our favorite video game

earlier, Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is a remarkably enhanced version of its predecessor. So my question is: do the benefits of rerendering and remastering older games outweigh the risk of an experience not transferring well? Would you rather play the original version of a classic game than a remastered one? Personally I love the idea of remasters. I think they have an important role to play in the continuance of the industry’s success. The same way classic literature garners republished anniversary editions, which may include author’s notes or newly

annotated text; remastered versions of video game titles are a great way to make sure new players understand the classics which continue to influence the future. However, I’ll make the argument that a remaster should only be attempted if intended to be done “right”. That is, a complete rebuild – simply rerendering the graphics is just a lazy way to avoid innovation and creation of new content. Much like Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, a remaster needs to be a tedious labor of love and built with the same passion as the original; a passion which bleeds through a project and inspires a new wave of players to invest in the IP. So am I willing to pay $60 for a game I’ve already played? Absolutely, if the love is there.

Written by Serwa Aboagye (fruitjungle.wordpress.com)

PS4 GAMES Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Angry Birds Star Wars Battlefield 4 Call of Duty: Ghosts The Crew Cyberpunk 2077 Daylight Destiny Diablo III Dragon Age: Inquisition DriveClub Dying Light EA Sports UFC The Elder Scrolls Online The Evil Within FIFA 14 Final Fantasy XV Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Galak-Z Infamous: Second Son Injustice Gods Among Us: Ultimate Edition Just Dance 2014 Killzone: Shadow Fall Kingdom Hearts III Knack

LEGO The Hobbit LEGO Marvel Super Heroes The LEGO Movie Videogame Mad Max Madden NFL 25 Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor Mirror’s Edge 2 NBA 2K14 NBA Live 14 Need for Speed Rivals The Order: 1886 Putty Squad The Pinball Arcade Rayman Legends Skylanders SWAP Force EA Sports UFC Sniper Elite V3 Star Wars Battlefront Thief Tom Clancy’s The Division Uncharted Watch Dogs The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Wolfenstein: The New Order

Get ‘em at

XBOX ONE GAMES Angry Birds Star Wars Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Battlefield 4 Call of Duty: Ghosts The Crew Cyberpunk 2077 D4 Dead Rising 3 Destiny Dragon Age: Inquisition Dying Light EA Sports UFC The Elder Scrolls Online The Evil Within Fable Legends FIFA 14 Fighter Within Final Fantasy XV Forza Motorsport 5 Halo for Xbox One Just Dance 2014 Kinect Sports Rivals Kingdom Hearts III LEGO The Hobbit LEGO Marvel Super Heroes The LEGO Movie Videogame

Mad Max Madden NFL 25 Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor Mirror’s Edge NBA 2K14 NBA Live 14 Need for Speed Rivals Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare Quantum Break Rayman Legends Ryse: Son of Rome Skylanders SWAP Force Sniper Elite V3 Star Wars Battlefront Sunset Overdrive Thief Titanfall Tom Clancy’s The Division EA Sports UFC Watch Dogs The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Wolfenstein: The New Order Zoo Tycoon

Get ‘em at

FEBRUARY GAME R 13

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RELEASES 27

SEX IN VIDEO GAMES As the editor, I wrestled with this topic for a while. Sure we could have ignored it and focused on the latest game that is due out and avoided any potential controversy, trolls, and maybe complaints. Over the past 12 months we’ve seen a few games get an R18+ rating and some get refused classification only to be resubmitted with changes, then passed. So we decided to look at the issue of sex in games. Why does the word sex conjure up different reactions in different people. Why are some groups so opposed to sex in video games that the mere mention causes them to protest en mass, often before they’ve even played the game they’re trying to get it banned. So what’s the controversy? After all we have violence in games and movies, why not sex? Well I think it’s a personal choice, like religion and politi-

cal beliefs, each of us has an opinion. Each of us has a moral line in the sand we feel shouldn’t be crossed. Our culture, our upbringing and our personal beliefs dictate where that line is. For some, sex in games has been unfairly discriminated against by censors while for others sex in games is just unnecessary. But wait, I hear some people say, “we have so much violence in games so why not sex?” …good point. I guess it depends on how we see games. Do we see them in the same way as movies in that they can be representations of real life? Entertainment meant to be consumed on a variety of levels, some as purely fun, some as educational and sometimes games and movies are created to make us think. In Australia, we have a rating system that now offers game producers an

R18+ rating. The Office of Classifications states that an R18+ rating... “May contain classifiable elements such as sex scenes and drug use that are high in impact.” It goes on to say “Some material classified R18+ may be offensive to sections of the adult community.” Interestingly no mention of violence there. Sure gratuitous violence has seen games like Mortal Kombat be banned in the past but in many cases the game’s producers have resubmitted the game after changes and received a rating ensuring sale in Australia. The ratings system we have is designed to protect children from materials deemed unsuitable and most people will agree that’s a good thing. We’ve seen some instances where parents unknowingly, will go into a game shop and pick up a game for their young teen not knowing or understanding that it has elements that are not suitable for children. I know some Gametraders store owners have had to explain to parents why

to make a decision, and really that’s why we have a ratings system so that each game or movie is clearly marked informing the viewer or player of what to expect. Games and movies depicting sexual violence against women or men should result in the appropriate classification or ban. What I mean here is sometimes a documentary or movie may seek to expose the horrors of violence perpetrate on people, and whilst shocking to see, if it results in changes or justice then that producer or director has done a great service. But I guess when a game is made in a way to get school boys giggles at nudity or sex, you’ve got to question: is this important to the structure of the game? Is it an element that works within the story of the game or is it there to simply show skin? Ultimately, it’s the thinking behind the inclusion of any sex in a game that I wonder about. Is that female game character shown in such a way that is demeaning to women? Is it simply there to include nudity for effect in the wrong way? If I run throughout the streets of a FPS title shooting everything that moves, with blood spraying

“BUT WHAT ABOUT ADULTS? SURELY WE’RE GROWN UP ENOUGH TO MAKE OUR OWN CHOICES? I HEAR THE VOICE OF THOSE PROCLAIMING THAT AS LONG AS NO ONE GET’S HURT IT SHOULD BE UP TO THE INDIVIDUAL TO MAKE A DECISION..” a game is rated R18+ or MA15+ and parents have been thankful. After all, not all parents are up with the latest games and the ratings placed on those titles. But what about adults? Surely we’re grown up enough to make our own choices? I hear the voice of those proclaiming that as long as no one get’s hurt it should be up to the individual

out of the victims, is that ok versus a couple making love in a scene that is crucial to the developing story and shown in a respectful way? This will no doubt cause a debate among gamers and non-gamers. So we thought let’s ask some experts their thoughts and we got a mix of comments over the next few pages...

The content is high in impact. R 18+ material is restricted to adults. Such material may contain classifiable elements such as sex scenes and drug use that are high in impact. Some material classified R18+ may be offensive to sections of the adult community. A person may be asked for proof of their age before purchasing, hiring or viewing R18+ films and computer games at a retail store or cinema.

E D I V N I X SE S E M A G Sex in video games. A topic that has caused many a debate between gamers, non-gamers, parents and politicians alike. But what is it about the presence of sex in a video game that causes such a stir? While there have been numerous occasions where a game developer has used sex in a video game in a completely tactful way, when has a developer crossed the line? And what is it about sex in video games that causes such a stir? Almost every single civilization, both ancient and modern, has depicted acts of sexuality in their respective works of art. From dramatic performances, to pottery, paintings and even songs, sex has been a widely

stream Hollywood movie was in Humphrey Bogart’s The Big Sleep, although the sex in question was inferred, instead of actually shown. While this paved the way for more raunchy depictions of sex in later films, sex has been approached in earlier (but lesser known) films such as Flesh and the Devil (1926) and Hell’s Angels (1930), and pornographic films have in fact, been around since 1897. If film has been depicting sex since before video games, then why have so few video game developers approached the subject of sex, and why have so few been able to pull it off? There are a number of things that make sex in a video game a chal-

sible on older consoles and PCs. In fact, there was really only one video game series that successfully depicted sex in a DOS-era adventure game in 1987, the Leisure Suit Larry games from Al Lowe and Sierra Games. A clever mix of comedy, puzzles and racy adult content, Leisure Suit Larry is one of adventure gamings beloved classics. Graphics have come a long way since 1987, and while a more realistic and adult depiction of sex has been possible, it hasn’t always been accepted from a number of different people. There is a stigma that haunts gaming to this day that began in the early arcade-era of videogames. Due to the popularity

“QUITE OFTEN, PEOPLE THINK THAT BECAUSE WE HAVE AN R18+ RATING (FINALLY!) IN AUSTRALIA, THAT EVERY SINGLE GAME WILL SEE A LOCAL RELEASE.” accepted topic in many creative works for thousands of years. The first depiction of sex in a main-

lenge for any developer, seasoned or inexperienced. For one thing, hardware limitations (and in particular, graphics) made sex almost impos-

of Japanese video games such as Pac-Man and Donkey Kong, many non-gamers and mainstream media outlets concocted and supported

O E D S the notion that “video games are for children”, due to the often cute and manga-inspired characters found in Japanese games. Despite the popularity of more adultoriented games such as Mortal Kombat and Doom in the 1990s (and the popularity of adult games today), the notion that video games are strictly for children has been asserted all through the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and even today, despite the average age of a gamer always increasing. It’s understandable then, that a developer may have avoided sex in their video games (even if it would have been perfectly acceptable) due to the almost-constant negative treatment the video game industry has received in the past. “But we have an R18+ rating in Australia now! Shouldn’t EVERYTHING be allowed?” The short answer is no. Quite often, people think that because we have an R18+ rating (finally!) in Australia,

that every single game will see a local release. What it does mean, is that a game with adult content is more likely to see a release, so long as it falls within Australian Classification Board’s guidelines. While some games like Manhunt and Grand Theft Auto V seem to be approved without much of a hassle, the Australian Classification Board will refuse a game a local release on the grounds that the sex present is a reward for illegal and anti-social behaviour. This was one of the reasons that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas had to be modified before it was approved,

as the protagonist, CJ, could take women out on dates, participate in drive-by shootings, and then partake in some “hot coffee” with those women. Let’s take a look at some other examples of sex in video games. Some you may have heard about, some you might not have. Some have been completely tasteful, and some may have crossed the line, or dealt with the subject of sex poorly...

TOMB RAIDER

(Core Design, Eidos) (1996) Look back to the reaction’s to Eidos’ Tomb Raider video games when they were released. Anyone would have thought that the game revolved around elaborate underground strip routines what with the amount of lengthy discussions that took place about her chest proportions. According to Core Design (a subsidiary of Eidos, who published Tomb Raider), Lara Croft’s breasts were made gigantic by accident. An accidental mouse click meant that instead of increasing her bust size by 50%, the character designer increased them by 150%. After a collective immature giggle from the development team, Core Design decided to keep Lara’s famous look, which while gaining them a ton of notoriety, also seemed to have worked in their favour, as the controversy that followed probably helped the game sell. Thankfully, there was no poorly-executed sex scenes in Tomb Raider (there wasn’t any sex at all) and it truly was a groundbreaking 3D platformer, and had more to offer than just a busty protagonist.

FAHRENHEIT AKA INDIGO PROPHECY (Quantic Dream) (2005)

Fahrenheit is a fantastic game from Heavy Rain creator David Cage. A cinematic interactive drama, Fahrenheit rejected many of the norms of modern game design and instead offered it’s own unique gameplay, which many described as an interactive movie, or simply as an “experience”. Fahrenheit featured numerous sex scenes, although some were edited or deleted entirely from different versions of the game. This was not because Quantic Dream felt they had crossed the line of good taste, but rather, a suggestion from both Microsoft and Sony, as the did not allow adults-only rated games on their systems. During the sex scenes, players actively controlled the protagonist’s pelvic thrusts by maneuvering the controller’s analogue sticks, which might have seemed like a good idea in respect to the game’s direction, but felt goofy in its execution. It’s probably a good thing that Fahrenheit was made before Kinect and motion controls existed!

DANTE’S INFERNO

THE SIMS

There are doors shaped like female and male body parts which results in a terrifying environment that truly reflects the sin that created it.

Looking back at The Sims, it’s hard to believe that one of the world’s most popular family-friendly games created a stir for its sexual content, but it did. Despite the tasteful representation of sexual content and nudity (all of which was censored with pixilated boxes), some people still seemed to freak out at the fact that the light-hearted lifesim offered the opportunity to “woohoo” with other sims. The Sims went on to be an instant classic, and thanks to openly-gay game designer Patrick J. Barrett III, The Sims would even offer gaymers (gay gamers) the opportunity to have a relationship and “woohoo” with sims of the same sex. A first for video games.

(Visceral Games, EA Games) (2010)

Oh, and there are also women who crawl around like crabs, leaving very little to the imagination. When they approach the player, they briefly engage in sexual activity. It is horrifying, but I do not feel it crosses any lines, particularly when you play the entire game. It goes without saying that children should absolutely not be allowed anywhere near this game, but also, people with strong moral values may also find the game disturbing.

(Maxis, EA Games) (2000)

RIDE TO HELL: RETRIBUTION (Eutechnyx, Deep Silver) (2013)

Good lord, what an awful game. Trying to horn in on the popularity of the TV series Sons of Anarchy, Ride to Hell offered a broken and completely boring game with absolutely no redeeming qualities. The icing on the cake however, was a fairly hardcore (yet fully-clothed) sex scene early in the game between the game’s protagonist and some random woman he helps out of an abusive relationship. Because that’s what women want, right? To be saved from one violent pervert by another, and then violated through denim jeans? There are other sex scenes in the game, and absolutely none of them make sense. It feels like the developer gave up on creating a decent game and just added the sex scenes in to make up for an absolutely garbage product. I would say that the sex in the game crosses the line, but Ride to Hell gets nothing right at all, even its tacked-on sex scenes.

MASS EFFECT

(Bioware, EA Games) (2007 - 2012) Bioware’s Mass Effect series has some of the best dialogue and relationships found in any AAA games. The sex presented in the game is mature, but it still managed to cause a stir based on the presence of homosexual relationships. Damned if they did and damned if they didn’t, the fact that to women could have a sexual relationship but two men couldn’t infuriated many gamers and caused debates on both sides of the argument. The reasons behind the lack of a male to male relationship are still up in debate. Some say the male Commander Shepard voice actor refused to record homosexual dialogue, while others say EA games pressured Bioware to remove it out of the game for fear of hindered sales. The sex scenes in question were tasteful, and only occurred at the culmination of a well-developed relationship between two characters. I actually think that if more people viewed sex and sexuality in the same light as Bioware, the subject of sex in gaming would be more widelyaccepted.

GOD OF WAR

(SCE Santa Monica, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe) (2005 - 2013)

The God of War games have always presented a unique experience, and offers original gameplay and art direction loosely based on Greek mythology. It’s inevitable then, that sex would make an appearance at some point. Whether it’s some brief nudity or the immature oral sex mini-game, God of War’s sex scenes are actually pretty silly, though I guess within context when you look at the rest of the game. I mean, when you’re ripping apart people with bladed chains and punching, it’s highly unlikely you’re going to woo Aphrodite over a candle-lit dinner after a night at the theatre.

N I X SE O E VID S E M A G

While video games have certainly progressed with some topics (such as homosexual relationships and characters), it feels as though sex will take a lot longer than other topics to be accepted. Due to the early Japanese arcade games and the “mascot era” of the 1990s, video games still have to put up with the stigma that they are for children. Not only that, when you take the sex in a game out of a perfectly reasonable context (as people who don’t understand video games often do), they can create a mountain out of any molehill. At least we’re progressing, as mature sex in gaming has increased gradually, thanks to the efforts of brave game developers.

Written by Nick Getley

(stickytriggerentertainment.com)

INDUSTRY C S E M A G O E D SEX IN VI

COMMENT “AND THE REASON FOR THAT IS, SIMPLY: SEX SELLS.” Picture it: Gaming night. You’ve found the gold. Levelled up. Collected the enormous guns and thrown around some heavy objects. Your pockets are probably stuffed full of cigarettes and candy bars and all sorts of “nutritious” items. You’re about to unlock a super secret area that will allow you access to brilliant things like more gold and munchies, or the destruction of an entire alien race that may or may not actually deserve it. But what’s this? Over there, in the corner – No, blocking the only door to the super secret area – Now sashaying slowly and sensually in front of the camera – Ah. That’s it. This game has an R rating, and the naked ladies have arrived. They’re here for you, of course; you and your tall, dark, emotionally conflicted yet duty-bound (and extremely muscle-bound) leading character. They’re the only women in the world, apart from your purely platonic colleague – if you have one. And hey, she probably fancies you too. Why not? We have the permission to display more than just rusty machinery and pixellated blood spatters, so now the heads will roll, and so will the passionate, sweaty bodies. Video games have always been violent. Okay, maybe I never gutted any rogue marines in “Barbie: Race and Ride”, but I’ve burned mythical creatures to a crisp as a little purple dragon; decapitated pirates as a warrior princess; I’ve even shot down gasping, gore-splattered, spore-ridden zombies (before handing the controller over to a friend). I’m not going

to tell you that simulated violence is a catalyst for real-world disturbances. But when the blessed R rating is granted, and we don our bigboy trousers, and suddenly every over-18 game has at least one extremely busty female desperate to fall on her back for the brooding, intensely masculine protagonist, are we really mature? When the camera panning slowly over a curvaceous rear is the only solid (and I use that word lightly) example of a woman in an expansive, detailed virtual world, are the developers really trying to tell a story? They are not. And the reason for that is, simply: Sex sells. Of course, there are plenty of people who will play a game for its graphics; its views on moral conflict; its strategy and complex puzzles. But the seductresses, the prostitutes, the plunging necklines that expose everything except a well-rounded character – these all exist for a purpose. They remind us that despite women making up fifty percent of today’s gamers, they are not welcome in the gaming world. They are shunned, ridiculed, and sexually harassed. Art imitates life, and developers would like video games to reflect this, with the demand for gender equality tucked safely out of the way. They want their game to be more popular; they want players bragging about it to their friends and gagging for more; they want the easy sale. Developers are crossing a line with sex in video games, and it is leagues away from the not-so-secret entrance to maturity.

A.L. WINTER

There are two conversations that need to be had, one with video game developers and the other with the Australian Classification Board. The former involves discussing the use of sex in video games, how it impacts the story and the impact it has on not only the characters in-game, but the audience at large. With last year’s release of GTA V, we saw a game that was racist, featured hyper-sexualized women in submissive roles and casually utilized sex throughout the story under a failed attempt at “satire”. It was demeaning, alienating and insulting. Yet it sold like wildfire and was praised for its gameplay while people turned a blind eye to its blatant slut-shaming sexism as well as its poorly researched African-American characters. Bad writing aside, I know that the main marketing aspect for games like GTA V, Dragon’s Crown and many others is the fact that sex sells. I accept that, whether it’s a game or a movie; once all the explosions and action has been dangled before the audience, it can help to have that extra appeal in order to appear “edgy”. Be it a soap opera, a prime-time television show (Hint: Starts with “Game” and ends in “Thrones”), a feature film or a video game – sex appeal has it’s place. However, sex in video games should be more than dominant men and submissive busty women, and there are plenty of games that have successfully displayed this without alienating the potential audience at large. Sex should only be in video games if it needs to be there, if it helps to develop the story, develop the characters and if all genders involved give as good as they get. Both the Mass Effect games and Saints Row IV are perfect examples of this, for both serious storytelling and satire respectively… Also Game of Thrones. The discussion that needs to be had with the Australian Classification Board involves their use of the new “R” rat-

“AND THE REASON WE SAW A GAME THAT WAS RACIST, FEATURED HYPERSEXUALIZED WOMEN IN SUBMISSIVE ROLES AND CASUALLY UTILIZED SEX THROUGHOUT THE STORY UNDER A FAILED ATTEMPT AT “SATIRE”.”

ing. Thus far, the Classification Board has failed to utilize the “R” rating as it was hoped to be used by the public at large. Gamers hoped that the “R” rating would provide an environment to permit more freedom for game developers in terms of what content they can now provide to the Australian public. However, the fact is that the classification board is stuck in a mindset that video games should be treated more strictly than their film counterparts due to their interactive element. This reasoning however makes the fallacious presumption that films and television programs are incapable of influencing the viewer. That somehow the ideas and messages within a film narrative or somehow ineffective when compared to video games. The fact is the classification board has to learn to grant the same level of creative expression between screen media and video games or restrict them in the same manner. Are we grown up now that we have an “R” rating? Not yet, however neither are a lot of video game developers or the Australian Classification Board, but we’ll get there.

SEAN FOX (WWW.JOHNNOSHARK-REVIEWS.COM)

“THERE’S NOTHING WORSE THAN DEVELOPERS INCLUDING SEXUAL CONTENT IN THEIR TITLES FOR THE SAKE OF BEING CONTROVERSIAL.” Now that Australia has an R rating that means that developers should totally include sex in video games, right? I mean they include sex in movies, heck they even have movies based around sex. Sam Rockwell in Choke and the more recent Don Jon starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Everyone goes out and watches the movies, comes home and discuss what they did or didn’t like about them. You include sex in video games however and the whole world seems to crumble. How kids are prone to these games with virtual butt cheeks on their screen or even the occasional side boob that makes an appearance. I believe the reason for this, is how they’ve been included in the game to begin with. I have no problem with sex in video games, so long as its tasteful. There’s nothing worse than developers including sexual content in their titles for the sake of being controversial. There’s no need to include any sexual content in a video game so that the developer can turn around and say “Hey, we’re being edgy and our title is pushing the limits of video games. We’ve got violence, gore and also naked women.” If they wish to include naked characters in a game because they can and it has no relevance to the story or character, then I believe they’re doing so in an extremely un-tasteful manner.

If, however, due to the story or events that unfold prior to any sexual content, result in a little skin being shown then I don’t mind. GTA is a perfect example. The Lost & the Damned which was the first of two DLC released, and in GTA IV it included a character who had just finished up a lovely back massage and fortunately enough was butt naked. This in relation to the story is understandable because the character and setting attributed to the lovely scene that we were prone to next, virtual male genitalia. In a more tame showcase, Trevor in GTA V stripped down to his undies until he finally took them off during one cutscene to showcase the size of his manhood. Whilst it wasn’t as graphic as GTA IV, it was still male nudity relevant to the character and the conversation that took place. What I enjoyed was that, both times they weren’t dragged out to the point where it just became a joke. I won’t talk about “Hot Coffee” from San Andreas because I think we can all agree that was just a silly thing to include and whilst funny, it just wasn’t worth anyone’s time or attention. GTA and Rockstar have evolved from that though, and in such a character and story driven game which includes a myriad of other sexual content, I completely understand that the game will either feature sexual content that is relevant or not relevant to the story. As it is such a large diverse living world, It’s understandable and can be forgiven. But in a shooter that’s 5-7 hours to include any form or sex or naked skin because we can, shouldn’t be an option. Sex is a natural thing in life and it happens everyday, I’ve got no problem with that. My favourite inclusion of any type of sexual action in a game however is in The Witcher 2. This is an extremely mature game and when the opening cutscene has Geralt of Rivia has him engaging in sexual intercourse with a women< I wasn’t thrown back but couldn’t help but think “This is how you do it” You present to me intelligent dialogue, a great plot, driven characters with back-story, and I’ll enjoy any other mature themes you may throw at me during my experience. As games become more story driven and realistic, I wish for developers to not waste time on characters doing it for the reason that “We can do that now”. It is lazy and will impact my overall experience on the game.

ARTHUR KOTSOPOULOS (WWW.OXCGN.COM)

“IT’S AS THOUGH SEX IS THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM BUT NO ONE IS WILLING TO ADDRESS IT..” Whenever this question floats around the first thing that comes to mind is why do we find sex worse than violence? Even staunch R18 supporters who want to tear the spines out of their victims in full HD with all realistic blood spatter can get a little squirmy when sex is proposed and this seems even more perplexing when you consider how sexualised video games tend to be. With boobs and butt at nearly every turn, it’s as though sex is the elephant in the room but no one is willing to address it, as though we are all too refined and are averting our eyes. I personally like sex in video games, I find it adds depth, can make characters more believable, and when done well can even teach us something. As long as sex is represented in a realistic and mature manner, with their influence videogames can help to reinforce healthy sexual attitudes, and at the core of this they must show that there should always be choice. This is for the player as well, if someone should prefer to play a video game with no sexual context or interaction then these options should be well within their reach. Both video games and sex often undeservedly cop a bad wrap for being obscene or unhealthy, so perhaps it is in their best interests to work together in changing such perceptions.

HOPE CORRIGAN (WWW.XXPGAMES.COM)

To me, the question is not whether video games, a relatively new form of media, have gone too far in their portrayals of sex, but whether sex is being included in games in a way that will allow the industry to grow into a more complex form of storytelling, just as in books, movies and television. Often, when I have encountered graphic sex scenes in games - one in Red Dead Redemption, one of my favourite games, springs first to mind - they seem utterly unnecessary, a tacked on bit of scandal to shock and amuse. All too often they add nothing of value to the narrative, and I think that this, rather than the portrayal of sex in games, is the most prominent issue. The more recent, and very similar, scene found in GTA V suffers in the same way; it is a crass display included to add to the shock value of the game. While this portrayal has its place, it is tiresome in its repeated use of sex in gaming to show the bestial side of human nature - why not use it to show gamers how good a character is, instead of how vile? As video games become more accepted as a mainstream form of entertainment for all ages, sex will become a larger part of gaming for adults, just as it is in TV or movies. As a part of adult life and a prominent feature in general media, it seems inevitable that sex will appear more and more often in games. What is important to ask is not whether or not this should be allowed, but whether or not it is handled in a way that will enhance the rich culture of gaming, or restrict it to base comedy and adolescent yearnings.

MEGHAN COLES (WWW.XXPGAMES.COM)

“..SEX WILL BECOME A LARGER PART OF GAMING FOR ADULTS, JUST AS IT IS IN TV OR MOVIES.”

Sex in video games. Some people say that like it’s something that should be considered unusual. And I suppose, on a purely statistical viewpoint, it is unusual – only because it’s not very common. But really, sex is just sex. Sex is something every single person will encounter in their lives. Sex is something we do for fun. Sex is a part of life – hell, sex is life; it is literally the primary factor of the continued existence of our species. The question of “Has it gone too far?” I find to be ridiculous. Why? Because it is so normal that it should not be considered unusual to be featured in any artistic medium, especially one as popular as video games. I find the very question to be on par of if someone were to ask, “Humans in video games. Have the gone too far?” – it simply should not need to be asked, and just shows how restricted and sheltered our community and society is. Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely games that have no need to feature sex in any capacity. Most of them, actually. But if the developers who are creating these games – these stories, and these characters – feel that sex should be present in their particular game, there is no

“..THERE IS NO GOOD REASON WHY THEY SHOULD HAVE TO THINK TWICE ABOUT IT, IT’S THEIR GAME, IT’S THEIR CHOICE. AND IF WE DON’T LIKE TO PAY IT, WE DON’T HAVE TO PLAY IT.” good reason why they should have to think twice about it. It’s their game, it’s their choice. And if we don’t like it, we don’t have to play it. Not to mention that we have an established classification board between the players and the developers to detail things like sexual activity. At the end of the day, sex is a normal part of life, whether you like it or not. And a big one at that. In fact, right now, someone somewhere is having sex. Let that sink in. Now why is something that is so normal, enjoyable, important and happening right now too sacred to have a place in the most popular entertainment industry in the world? The real question isn’t about sex in video games. It’s about how some people view sex in real life.

JOHN ELLIOTT

N I E V I S U L C EX When you look at games throughout history that depict sex, few have managed to do it successfully. One of the earliest (and greatest) game series depicting sex was the hilarious Leisure Suit Larry (released 1987) from Al Lowe and Sierra. Nick from Sticky Trigger caught up with Al in a recent interview and the two chatted about sex in gaming, What compelled you to create Leisure Suit Larry? I thought that it was time for a game that was funny and maybe for a game that treated current day topics and subject matter and the way that I did that was updating an old game that had been around for years called Soft Porn Adventure. When I looked at it, it was really out of date and I made a joke that the plot was so old it should be wearing a leisure suit and I got a laugh. And I thought ‘hey, leisure suits must be funny’ and I said ‘you know, the only way I could remake this game is if you let me make fun of it... as a parody, as opposed to really doing it’. And everybody thought that was a good idea so I took my first stab at comedy writing. Was soft porn adventure more of a ‘serious’ game? Yeah it was, it had an odd tone to

it. It had no protagonist, there was no central character what so ever, the game talked to you, the player in phrases like ‘I am your puppet master. Command me and I will do as you wish’ and stuff like that. It was basically a ‘serious’ game about a guy trying to get laid! It just seemed too whacky to be serious, so using that same premise I thought well I should make fun of it! The first thing I did was come up with the character that a person could relate to on screen. Someone that you could play as and think the real breakthrough for me came when I realised that its difficult to have comedy with just one voice; that its much easier to work with a side kick and that’s when I realised that the narrator could be the comedian and that Larry could be the brunt of the jokes . Suddenly that made it a lot simpler to write the comedy. It definitely worked well, particularly in the recent remake - he’s actually got quite a voice on him too - the narrator, which worked brilliantly. We love that guy! Brad Venable did a great job in that role! So what’s the most important aspect with your development time with Leisure Suit Larry? Was it the jokes? The puzzles? Or was

it offering adults a different kind of video game to play? From my mind, Leisure Suit Larry was the first ever to be a realistic world. Everything Else was fantasy like Mario or Zelda.

Yeah, back then games, well... I’m not sure why I started this sentence with back then (laughs) because its the same way today. It’s either stories and spaceships in the galaxy right? There’s a hole. We’ve dug a deep rut and seem unable to get out of it. There are a few exceptions to the rules, but by far there’s way too many games that fall back on those two dimensions. Even the ‘realistic’ soldier games are a fantasy of war. Exactly! But, back to your original question. Because I used the puzzles and the structure that was in the original sort porn game, my challenge was to make the character interesting . First of all, to create a character and give him some sort of personality and then the tough part was to make the character loveable in spite of the fact that he is kinda smarmy and sleazy! (Laughs). It was a fine line to walk because I wanted him to be the butt of the jokes, I wanted him to be not to bright and to be kinda this, terrible excuse of a ladies man. On the

W E I V R E T N

e w o al l other hand, you can’t really relate to a character that’s too far down that trail; he had to be an anti hero, so that was the tough part. The jokes themselves, I didn’t really know how to be funny in a video game. So I just, kind of... anytime I thought something was amusing, I threw it in! And that was the biggest surprise to me of all, that after

never knew anybody from there, we never had the interaction. There were no game-cons’ of any of that stuff back then. We were just kind of these guys laden up in the mountains and because of that, I tried to make a game that would make Scott Murphy laugh; that would make Ken Williams laugh; that would make Jim Walls laugh and so that was really my target market. The fact that mil-

come up with some crazy idea and I would say to my wife ‘well, you know...what do you think of this?’ and she would go ‘ewwww’ and I would go ‘oh, that’s alright I can put that in’. And if she’d say ‘NO!’ then I would say ‘oh, I guess that’s probably gone too far’. She was my best judge on where my line was on this thing.

“BUT YOU KNOW, I NEVER VIEWED THE GOAL OF THE GAME AS PORNOGRAPHY. I NEVER THOUGHT THAT THE SEX WAS WHAT THE GAME WAS ABOUT.” the game came out, people actually thought it was funny because I actually had no idea what I was doing!

lions of other people actually bought the game and spent hours doing it always came as a surprise.

I think if something is funny, its funny! It’s as simple as that. I imagine you might have thought ‘what do gamers think is funny?’ at one point, but I guess it was largely ‘what everyone else does’.

And when you made ‘Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards’, did you ever feel you crossed the line with any of its racy content in the game?

I kind of went for what I thought my buddies would laugh at. You know, the people around Sierra that wrote adventure games also played adventure games and because we were so isolated away from everyone else, we didn’t really associate with any body. We admired Lucas Games, we played them, but we

You know, I had a pretty good censor. It wasn’t Ken Williams, because all through our development, Ken said ‘oh yeah, just go ahead and make it as adult as you want to!’ until we got close to the end and then when he actually saw the game he was like ‘oh, I don’t know we can sell the game with this or not’ (laughs). But my censor was my wife. I would

But you know, I never viewed the goal of the game as pornography. I never thought that the sex was what the game was about. I always thought that the game was about making fun of people who see sex as you know, an end all... so important. Absolutely! I think that actually comes across fairly early on in the game as well as Larry having this kind of affirmation that he wants more than just technically getting laid. Yeah, yeah.... but he will settle for getting laid! (laughs). How did audiences and critics react to Leisure Suit Larry’s adult

al writers or say artists, home makers, hobbyists, there was none of that. It was pretty much an engineering machine.

content when it was released? Well you know, it was a different time. There weren’t many home computers and the ones that ex-

IBM 16 Junior or on a computer that had an EGA graphics card and at that time when the game originally came out, EGA graphics cards cost $600!

Remember it was DOS based so, if you had trouble altering your config.sys file or rewriting your autoexec.bat file or any of those sorts of things, you had to be a puzzle solver to get the damn machines to work and so therefore, adventure games were the perfect medium for that period. Consequently, we got very few complaints from people about the games. There were a few later on that said ‘oh, police questions drinking prostitute and then have sex’ but the complaints were

“IF YOU CAN WATCH AN R RATED MOVIE, IF YOU CAN BUY A NOVEL AND READ THE NOVEL ABOUT EXPLICIT SEX, THEN WHY CAN’T YOU INTERACT WITH IT IN A GAME?” isted couldn’t play the game. It was the rare machine that had enough graphics power and by machine, I mean PC. The rare IBM PC had the ability to play the game and later on I realised after talking with people, that most people played the game in black and white as that’s all they had. They had a green screen monitor - you know, green and black pixels which was horrible , I’m not sure how they watched that (laughs). The only place that 16 colours was on an

Just the card itself with like 16kb of memory or something, there weren’t many of those around. So it wasn’t a big deal. Now as the games went along as the years passed, more and more computers, more and more PC’s got the ability to render the games and therefore more people saw them. But yeah, when it first came out, there wasn’t much. The people that did see it were mostly the people that had home PC’s and were engineers, scientists. Very few

so few. And remember, there was no internet or email. People actually had to get out a pen and paper and a stamp, an envelope and walk to the mail box and stuff and it was a hell of a lot of trouble to do. It wasn’t the same as ‘hey, I’ll just leave a comment here’ and click and type and show your stupidity. Yeah, that’s one unfortunate side effect of the worlds connectivity now.

e w lo

W E I V R E T N I E V I S EXCLU

Well, I do my best not to read comments now a days! Have you kept up with any modern video games? You know, I tend to play some casual games. I try to play all the funny games that come out.... That was a joke! (laughs) I was going to say! I was trying to think of some! No, not that much at all. I don’t mind that people aren’t trying to make a new funny game because we are left with so many classics like Larry and I frequently play Monkey Island and other games like that. I love those games. If you haven’t kept up with any modern games, has anyone ever said to you ‘have you heard about this game?’ or anything that’s sort of crossed the line? Oh of course. People still keep me informed. I mean, I have a daily joke list that I call the cyberjoke3000 that goes out to thousands of people every day. I’ve done it for, gosh... more than 15 years now, so people still relay things to be. I still stay in touch with people. I’m on Facebook and Twitter. I try to stay current, but for the most part, I think my gaming is 98% casual games today.

Now, while you didn’t work on it, did you see much of the more sexual driven Leisure Suit Larry Magna Cum Laude that came out on Xbox and PC? I actually went to the store and paid full retail list price for the product, sadly. Yeah, I played it and yeah... I guess in one sense, I was... it kinda made me feel good. It proved that what I did wasn’t that easy if you know what I mean (laughs). Oh absolutely! The spirit had completely changed. Yeah, they had a tough time. The kind of thought that the games were about tits and ass and I always thought the games were about comedy. There were some scenes actually in Magna Cum Laude that were funny and that were original, creative and I would have been proud to of written, but they were separated by so much dead air. So much horribly misguided game play that you couldn’t enjoy the scenes that were there. Unfortunately Box Office Bust, didn’t even have those. It was just a disaster. One of the worst games ever. Yeah it was unfortunate because in one of the original Larry’s, you got to a certain point that if you did the wrong thing your penis would blow up and you had to reload. And then in the later games, there were no consequences; there

were these little moral lessons that you could learn from Larry 1 with a joke and in the later games, I think Larry must have had sex about five or six times in an hour of game play and it wasn’t, and not that original games rewarded it, but it wasn’t even any sort of reward for hard work. It wasn’t even clever. There was one bit that was just like a hard core porno. It was a bit full on. So I guess, you kind of have to have you context if you are going to put sexual content in a game. You have to do more than just throw in the sex itself. I think the fact that particularly a few, and this was true was a few years back, that the graphics resolution and the realism of the characters and so forth wasn’t high enough that it made for a good pornography experience anyway. Why would you want to pay that kind of money for games when you could get much better porn at the video store for a buck or two? (laughs) It seems a waste of money. Today, I’m sure there are somewhere, there must be really high class graphics or pornography. I haven’t seen it, so I’m not fair judge. Sticky Trigger likes to look at things differently to other websites and we have had a lot of people come to us and say ‘hey, we’ve been getting raw reviews

on this’ and one game was actually called ‘Seduce me’. It was half card game, half fantasy novel, but it was written by women, for women and it actually has a lot of high resolution art work. It was classy all the way and unfortunately they get hounded constantly by religious groups, anti gay lobby’s constantly hounding them. So there are definitely people that try to do a sexual game, but in a classy way.

want to see. There shouldn’t be any censorship at all. But, parents censoring what their children, I think that’s just parenting. When you’ve come of age and your old enough to see what you want to see and do what you want do, so I’m all for it.

That’s good, I’m all for that. It just hasn’t been done very well in the past.

Oh good! Finally!

So what is in your mind about sex in video games that makes some people freak out? I think its because video games were originally seen as children’s toys. I think it all grows from that 30 years ago. Kids play with Atari 2600’s and then Nintendo’s and you know, but all those kids are now 35 years old. They’ve all grown up into mature adults and in my mind, they should be able to play whatever it is they

This article actually stems from the fact that we only just recently got an adult rating approved for video games in Australia. We never had one before. We finally got one! I do believe that censorship begins in the home, but we have a lot of people contacting us and asking us our thoughts because they want to play absolutely everything. If you don’t want to see something or play something, it should be as simple as you don’t buy it. Yep! Amen. That’s exactly the way it should be. It was always odd to me that the stores that sell essentially soft core pornography in the novel sections and maybe even

Sports Illustrated Swim Suit issues and all the other sexual overload that modern consumers are faced with, then suddenly to be become very prudish to video games just makes no sense what so ever. If you can watch an R rated movie, if you can buy a novel and read the novel about explicit sex, then why cant you interact with it in a game? I think that the interactive nature as well as the fact that video games were seen for children can tend to freak out children. I think mainly mothers. When I was growing up, I would have been around 6 or so, but I got Mortal Combat and was sneaking around to my cousins place and playing LSL on the ol’ DOS. My dad was of the opinion that ‘it’s just a video game. Your kids are smart enough to know what they do and don’t do.’ But it was the interactive nature of things that tended to freak out my mother a bit more. What bothers me is the people that

protest the fact that they don’t want me or you to see what they don’t like. It makes no sense. It’s like ‘if you don’t want to see it, fine! Don’t buy it! If you don’t want your kids to see it, Fine! Parent your children!’. On the other hand, don’t tell me what to do! I think that’s with everything, not just video games. Based on your experiences and where you see video games today, are you able to give me a rough idea on where you think sexual content will be in the coming years? Will it finally be universally accepted? Do you think adult content will increase gradually? I would hope so and I would hope that we would be able to deal with themes in a more mature way. I mean, Larry was anything but mature, you know... it was immature! But it was trying to parody the whole problem. Video games have a ter-

rible record of treating serious subjects seriously and I love would to see that change in the future. I think it will. I think it’s got to. I remember at the very first awards ever given out for games - I think it was 1987. Ken Williams was the president of the Software Publishers Association and in his key note speech at the awards ceremony he said ‘I think that some day we will view the academy awards as the ‘non interactive medium of story telling’ and that the real awards will be given and the interactive gaming awards shows.’ I always thought man, that’s a long way from that, but still that was 25 years ago and I think we are getting closer to it, but we got to have some serious games that are the equal to a serious novel. We’ve got to have sexual content that’s equal to a serious film. You know, I think that’s coming. God, I just think that there’s more to gaming than just a slightly better frame rate and more pixels.

I find that video games back in the 80’s and the 90’s they were driven and the new technology kind of helped people reach their imagination quicker, but now before a game even gets approved people are asking how many sequels can we get out of it and you have to offer a familiarity about it. I guess a games pitch now would be ‘Well, it’s like Call of Duty’ or ‘It’s like Mario’ but instead you do this and it’s basically this much old game and then that much new. I see that as a problem. I couldn’t agree more. I went through the exact problem about 8 years ago now. I developed a game, designed a game called ‘Sam Suede: Undercover Exposure’ and it was going to be an action comedy. Not an adventure game, but an action comedy and it featured kind of a young guy who was a wanna be detective who ended up getting thrown in a situation where he had to solve a crime. We took it to every major publisher, this was in 2006. Every publisher

al lowe said they loved it, the writing, they thought it was funny, they liked my games and I had a good track record. I got all these stories and when we finished the pitch, a lot of them said things like ‘well this is the first game I’ve seen in years that I would actually play myself’ which is kind of a scary for a guy who is running a game company. And yet, everyone of them would say ‘what are your comparables?’ and because there

what they could find in the realm of action comedy and all they could find was ‘Psychonauts’, the Tim Schafer game. I mean it was a good game, but it had very off putting graphics and it didn’t really... it looked like a child’s game and yet it was anything but and so, they checked the sales figures and said ‘that only sold so many thousand copies, so that’s all we could fund your game for. You can’t do it for that price. We can’t

been done? Where could we push the wall?’ and the attitude is totally different now. Finally, what advice would you give to any developer who is contemplating putting sexual content into a game? Be prepared for the consequences. I think that is the best advice I would give. I wouldn’t say don’t do it, but you should be ready to not only justify it,

“..BUT YOU SHOULD BE READY TO NOT ONLY JUSTIFY IT, BUT ALSO TO PUT UP WITH A LOT OF HASSLE FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO DON’T WANT YOU TO EXPRESS YOURSELF OR ARE WILLING TO MAKE YOUR LIFE MISERABLE BECAUSE OF IT. were no action comedies at that time, we would say ‘there really isn’t any comparables available - it’s unique property’ and that just shut the door right there. It was just the same as saying ‘please don’t give us your money’, because what they would do inevitably is go back and look at

fund you’. In other words, you cant make money, because it won’t sell any differently than this other game. You just can’t fight that. In the 80’s, Sierra’s attitude, and I think most of publishers was, ‘What isn’t on the market? What hasn’t

but also to put up with a lot of hassle from a lot of people who don’t want you to express yourself or are willing to make your life miserable because of it. I’m hoping that will one day go away, but I don’t see it being much less today than it was 25 years ago.

RATINGS GUIDE

The content is very mild in impact. The G classification is suitable for everyone. G products may contain classifiable elements such as language and themes that are very mild in impact. However, some G-classified films or computer games may contain content that is not of interest to children. The content is mild in impact. The impact of PG (Parental Guidance) classified films and computer games should be no higher than mild, but they may contain content that children find confusing or upsetting and may require the guidance or parents and guardians. They may, for example, contain classifiable elements such as language and themes that are mild in impact. It is not recommended for viewing or playing by persons under 15 without guidance from parents or guardians. The content is moderate in impact. Films and computer games classified M (Mature) contain content of a moderate impact and are recommended for teenagers aged 15 years and over. Children under 15 may legally access this material because it is an advisory category. However, M classified films and computer games may include classifiable elements such as violence and nudity of moderate impact that are not recommended for children under 15 years. The content is strong in impact. MA 15+ classified material contains strong content and is legally restricted to persons 15 years and over. It may contain classifiable elements such as sex scenes and drug use that are strong in impact. A person may be asked to show proof of their age before hiring or purchasing an MA 15+ film or computer game. Cinema staff may also request that the person show proof of their age before allowing them to watch an MA 15+ film. Children under the age of 15 may not legally watch, buy or hire MA 15+ classified material unless they are in the company of a parent or adult guardian. Children under 15 who go to the cinema to see an MA 15+ film must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian for the duration of the film. The parent or adult guardian must also purchase the movie ticket for the child. The guardian must be an adult exercising parental control over the person under 15 years of age. The guardian needs to be 18 years or older.

Valentine

e’s Giveaway! What’s in the box! Batman Cap Mushroom Cap Big Bang Theory The Party Game Big Bang Theory knee high socks x2 Donkey Kong plush Luigi Plush

Carona Board Shorts Wonder Woman Shorts Super Mario Checkers Wonder Woman & Superman Freezer Mugs Anime DVDs

How to Win:

1. Share a link to Live magazine on your Facebook page, Instagram or Twitter. 2. Email us proof of your share (a screenshot is fine) and a short Valentine’s Day poem at news@gametraders.com.au. It can be funny, romantic.. up to you! Best poem wins!

Winner will be notified by email on Monday 10th February.

There are BIG Problems in Ponyville, so round up some ponies and lend a hoof! With My Little Pony® Collectible Card Game (MLP: CCG), you can now collect and play your favoUrite ponies. Look for Twilight Sparkle, Nightmare Moon, Fluttershy, Parasprites galore, and more! And be sure to watch out for those Troublemakers!

My Little Pony Collectible Card Game Organised Play Program

Two different pre-constructed Theme Decks:

To launch the new collectible card game in Australia, selected Gametraders stores will be hosting Organised Play launch events in store! To learn more about the Organised Play program or to volunteer please visit www.bantertoys.com.au

•

This game is made for 2 players. Each player must have a 56-‐card deck of MLP: CCG cards to play. Premiere Edition contains over 250 cards! Recommended for ages 10 and up. Look for Theme Decks for Mane Pony Cards (required to play), exclusive foils, and more!

12-Card Booster Packs: • • •

1 Rare, 3 Uncommon, and 8 Common Cards Foil Cards in approximately 1:4 packs. (In addition to the other foils)

Ultra Rare Foil Cards in approximately 1:13 packs. (In addition to the other foils)

• • •

59 Collectable Cards - 1 Exclusive Foil in each - 1 Non-Foil Mane Character Card (Mane Character Cards are required for gameplay, these are only available in Theme Decks) Action Tokens Rules

Play Mat

This deck provides everything a single player needs to begin playing this fun and strategic 2-player game that brings the magic of friendship home with the My Little Pony Collectible Card Game!

For information on the Australian Organised Play program please visit www.bantertoys.com.au

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PREVIEW

DAYLIGHT First person shooters and RPG’s seem to dominating the gaming world at the moment and gamers are wanting more. Making a come back is the genre gamers have been missing - survival horror. Daylight (available on PS4 and PC) will be one of the most enthralling, suspense thrilling games to hit the market in 2014. Imagine waking up alone in an empty, cold and dark environment. You have no idea where you are. No memory as to how you got there. Using the only light source available

Daylight looks to be a ‘edge of your seat’ game when it’s released. Played from a first person prospective, you will play a women who has gained consciousness. Disoriented, you will start to explore the empty hospital with the use of a mobile phone as your only guiding light. This game proves to be incredibly interesting as you have no access to weapons and you must explore the hospital and attempt to escape its criminal past. What is most compelling about Daylight is that every experience will be different. Every room will be differ-

story that has been pumped into the game, and whether you make it to the end or not, something will draw you back to it to play it over and delve deeper in to the every changing story alternates. Your mobile phone will be your saviour. It’s not only used as a source of light, it is also used as your map as well as your compass to assist with guiding your through the many, many cold, dark rooms in an attempt to find your way to freedom. Daylight has a very reminiscent feeling of the 2009 title, Slender-

“A PLAY ON LIGHT AND SHADOWS WILL HAVE YOU FEELING A LITTLE ON EDGE MOST OF THE TIME, BUT THIS IS PART OF THE SUSPENSE AND THRILL THAT WILL COMPEL YOU TO KEEP PLAYING.” - your mobile phone, you soon realise you are in an abandoned hospital. But are you really alone?

ent. If you start a new game, don’t expect to play the same levels over - nothing stays the same. There is a substantial amount of game play and

man with regards to the limitations of light and abandonment, the fear of the unknown and being watched. Visually, the environment is what

you would imagine an abandoned hospital to be like - cold, damp, dark, littered with old medical equipment and spine tinglingly eerie. A play on light and shadows will have you feeling a little on edge most of the time, but this is part of the suspense and thrill that will compel you to keep playing. The survival horror genre is making a big impact this year and Daylight will be one you need to definitely keep your eyes on. Riveting game play, competed with a brilliant non recurring story line will ensure fans of survival horror and new comers alike with be well entertained and engaged. ... just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look behind you.

Written by Kylie Tuttle

(stickytriggerentertainment.com)

FORMAT: PS4 | PC

OUT: TBC 2014

RATING: CTC

PREVIEW

THIEF When it comes to a reboot, developer Eidos Montreal and publisher Square Enix know more than a thing or two about this and how to make a reboot successful. Coming off the high of Tomb Raider and Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Eidos and Square Enix bring back one off the best stealth titles of all time - Thief. Bringing a ‘modern’ twist on a ‘Robin Hood’ style game, Thief looks to be another success. After being announced in 2009, Thief was officially announced to be coming to all platforms in early 2013.

rett, a master thief as he steals from the rich to give to the poor. Garrett has been away from his home town for sometime, however on his return to ‘The City’, he discovers that a dictator has overruled his home town. Infested by a plague, The City’s rich become richer and Garrett plans to take advantage of this situation. Pulling similarities from the previous games in the series, armed with a cross bow and a swift pair of hands, players must use the ability of stealth in order to complete challenges and resorting to violence if all else fails.

a big part of your success in the game. As you progress though the levels, guards and other non playable characters will attempt to thwart you in your tracks, try to expose you and even worse, kill you. Slinking into the darkness and ducking through the dark alleys of the City, Garrett has a myriad of silent ‘killers’ should the need arise - the blackjack move will be one that you will use quite often and has very much, the desired effect. An interesting mode in Thief is ‘Fo-

“GAME PLAY WILL REQUIRE THE PLAYER TO MAKE CHOICES. GIVEN A NUMBER OF PATHS, YOUR APPROACH TO EACH LEVEL WILL DETERMINE THE OUTCOME OF GARRETT. USE OF THE ENVIRONMENT WILL PLAY A BIG PART OF YOUR SUCCESS..” This instalment of Thief is not the sequel to the previous game, instead its a reboot of the original Thief title. Set in the Victorian age with steam punk aesthetics, you will control Gar-

Game play will require the player to make choices. Given a number of paths, your approach to each level will determine the outcome of Garrett. Use of the environment will play

cus’. Use of the focus mode will provide several advantages. One example is Garrett’s sense of sight will be enlightened. This ability will allow the player to see objects which

THIEF can be used for climbing or light for guiding your way. Focus can also be used to slow down time. This effect helps Garrett steal more effectively whilst pick pocketing. The Focus ability can also be used to take out enemies in a moment of attack. Thief visually has a very uncanny resemblance to that of the 2012 Bethesda Softworks game, Dishonoured. Presenting an often dark, smog ridden environment, Square Enix have encapsulated the visual effects of a Victorian age. Slick visuals such as light refraction through window panes, the play on shadows in the night and minute details in the Victorian era buildings and furniture confirms that a great amount of time and effort has been taken to ensure that the game play is a treasuretrove for the eyes.

2014 is heating up to be a massive year for gaming and Thief is one title that we are very excited about. We will have a full review for you on this title once itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s released!

Written by Kylie Tuttle

(stickytriggerentertainment.com)

FORMAT: PC | XBOX 360 | PS3 | XBOX ONE | PS4

OUT: 27 FEB 2014

RATING: MA15+

PREVIEW DESTINY If Mass Effect and Halo had a baby and that baby was raised on nothing but red bull and rainbows, then it might start to resemble the amazing creation that is Destiny. Bungie the legendary developer of the Halo games has teamed up with Activision to create what they like to describe as a “shared world shooter”. Set on a desolate version of Earth where the last surviving city of some calamity called “the collapse” sits beneath a giant orb known only as the Traveller. All that is known is that when the traveller arrived, it began a golden age on earth until something

one of three different races. There are the Humans who are tough and reliable, the ethereal Awoken both mysterious and deadly, and the Exo, undead killing machines. Each race you will also be able to choose one of three distinct classes each with their own looks and abilities. These are Hunters the roguish bounty hunter type, a heavily armed and armoured soldier class called Titans, and the Warlocks who wield the Traveller’s arcane energies. There are also a ton of weapons to be found as well as different Armours all of which will be customisable, adding even

from Mars. This is all put together in painstakingly detailed world that features some truly breathtaking landscapes with co-operative and competitive multiplayer featuring an advanced matchmaking system. There is also talk that space travel is apparently going to be a big part of the game with a hangar known as the tower where players will be able to purchase and upgrade ships for interstellar travel. By the looks of things it looks like Bungie is set to repeat their success all over again making huge waves with their brand new take on the fps genre. Destiny

“BY THE LOOKS OF THINGS IT LOOKS LIKE BUNGIE IS SET TO REPEAT THEIR SUCCESS ALL OVER AGAIN MAKING HUGE WAVES WITH THEIR BRAND NEW TAKE ON THE FPS GENRE.” hit earth and tried to destroy all of humanity. The survivors are protected by the Guardians who draw powers and abilities from the Traveller. Players take control of the Guardians as

more individuality to your character. They’ll be used to fight the vicious wasteland pirates known as the Fallen and the Cabal a gigantic hulk like race who seem to originate

FORMAT: XBOX 360 | PS3 | XBOX ONE | PS4

comes out on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, and PS4 on September 9th 2014.

Written by Sam Babu

(stickytriggerentertainment.com)

OUT: 9 SEPTEMBER 2014

RATING: CTC

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PREVIEW

SUNSET OVERDRIVE Welcome to the Awesomepocalypse. It is the near future. Your city has been blown to smithereens. Its population has been killed, or turned into hideous mutants. You have an overpowered arsenal at your disposal, and one mission in mind:

Clank, you shouldn’t be surprised. Your unnamed hero must traverse the wrecked city, avoiding nasty mutants and fiery death as you try to figure out how to send these demon spawn back to where they came from.

Deal with it.

Thankfully you have an arsenal of whacky and conventional weapons at your disposal to combat these nasty intruders, with power ups scattered throughout the game helping you make them ridiculously overpowered and capable of killing everything nearby (cause let’s face it,

No, this isn’t Detroit. This is the newest title from Insomniac games, Sunset Overdrive. Despite the title sounding like a 1980’s arcade racer, Sunset Overdrive is far from it. Set in the unnamed city that your char-

weaponry; from a record shooting crossbow to cans of fizzy drink that seemingly cause your shotgun to produce mini nukes. One can only assume that the rest of your arsenal will be just as capable of upgrading to overpowered munitions; my guess is the BFG will launch mix tapes of Kesha and Pit Bull. Exploration of the city focuses a lot on the agility of your character; wall running, acrobatic leaps and bounds, ziplines, and much more. Don’t get too cocky leaping from wall to wall though, there isn’t any

“EXPLORATION OF THE CITY FOCUSES A LOT ON THE AGILITY OF YOUR CHARACTER; WALL RUNNING, ACROBATIC LEAPS AND BOUNDS, ZIPLINES, AND MUCH MORE. DON’T GET TOO COCKY LEAPING FROM WALL TO WALL THOUGH...” acter lives in, it looks to be the most light hearted end of the world title we’ve seen in a while. Then again, considering this is the company that brought us Spyro and Ratchet and

who wants a fair fight?) it also appears you aren’t alone in your escapades, as the trailer reveals a few friends helping you along the way with some rather unconventional

bales of hay to break your fall in this one. Just streets of angry, mutated…er, mutants. A big city like this, despite its broken and decaying state, is bound to hold hours of

adventures and exploring. And fighting, of course. Considering that the developers also made the acclaimed Resistance series you can expect the combat to be pretty solid. Add in some leaps and bounds, ala Assassins Creed, and a huge dose of Ratchet and Clank style WTF insanity, and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking at an action packed, but seemingly more comical way, to welcome the end of society. Prove your parents wrong. Show them that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re more cut out for this than flipping burgers and serving food. Sunset Overdrive will be leaping, bounding and blasting its way onto the Xbox One as an exclusive 2014 release.

Written by Ben Rachow

(stickytriggerentertainment.com)

FORMAT: XBOX ONE

OUT: TBC 2014

RATING: CTC

APP REVIEW

STICK TENNIS Anyone for Tennis? Stick Tennis is highly addictive… you’ve been warned. It’s one of those games you want to keep playing so that eventually you win your way through all the game play modes. Made by Stick Sports Ltd, Stick Tennis is just one of the “stick” series of games they offer. There is also Stick Cricket, Stick Footy and Stick Racing. It’s a free game but does offer in-app purchases such as better rackets

you get the drift of it. You can also put on back spin by swiping back toward you, but I’ve found the other player (the AI) will often rush the net and generally results in you getting a shot blasting by you. Sometimes, however, this strategy does work and you get to play a passing shot whilst they are at the net. Serving is fun, you tap once to throw the ball up then you swipe where you want the ball to go. I’ve found that if serving from right to left, you can swipe toward the middle line and

soon and it’ll result in an out. Swing too late and it can end up in the net. In game menus allow you to visit the “store” where you can upgrade your racket giving you greater power or accuracy. Also you can buy more balls that can be needed to take on certain players in some matches. There is a practice mode where you can improve your game, a World Domination mode where you get to take on the greats of tennis, a Friends Challenge via Facebook, but from what I can work out

“ACCORDING TO THE DESCRIPTION IN ITUNES THERE ARE 10 REALISTIC COURT SURFACES TO UNLOCK, MORE THEN 70 PLAYERS TO PLAY AGAINST AND OF COURSE YOU CAN EARN TROPHIES AND BONUS BALLS.” and extra balls that allow you to buy into other tournaments. You play by swiping the screen, for example, if you swipe to your left your player hits to the left and if to the right… well

with the right timing, serve an ace. Same with timing your swing just right and aiming wide of the player you can sometimes grab an ace that way too. To win consistently you do need to work on your timing. Hit too

as I haven’t played it is you need to get a Facebook friend to have the game installed to play online. There is also a daily challenge that allows you to complete a challenge every 24 hours. There’s also The Slams

where you can play in various tournaments in different countries on different surfaces such as grass, clay and indoor courts. According to the description in iTunes there are 10 realistic court surfaces to unlock, more then 70 players to play against and of course you can earn trophies and bonus balls. This is a great mobile game but I prefer it on my iPad over my iPhone. Bigger graphics help with the game play. The in-game sound is terrific and highly atmospheric with umpire calls and the crowd cheering points. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been given great reviews and is one of those games that has long term playability. Highly recommended!

Written by Rob Jenkins The Editor

8/10

REVIEW

GRAN TURISMO 6 You would expect me to say that Polyphony’s newest racing title, Gran Turismo 6, was a big step up from its predecessor. That you will be in awe of its graphics, it’s garage in excess of 1,000 cars, it’s wide range of tracks, it’s dynamic day and night cycle, and it’s larger career mode…

ing with some cars), and when you unlock paint items you are now able to use them as many times as you like, as opposed to the one time use they offered in GT5. The cars are the stars of the game, with graphics so good that at times you just want to stop and look around.

…And you would be correct. Gran Turismo 6 has learned from it past and built on it, and straight out of the box it has proven to be a worthy addition to the 15 year dynasty of GT. Almost all the vehicles from the pre-

If the cars are the stars, then the tracks certainly play a strong supporting role. GT6 features a healthy variety of new and old tracks, some original designs and many of the real world tracks that the GT fans

it is the night cycle where you really start to the see the work Polyphony put into this. Mount Panorama, the legendary Bathurst track, this a fine example. At night, your high beam lights bounce of the concrete walls just waiting to end your day. And when you come down the mountain, through Forests Elbow onto the back straight, you can see all the lights of the distant towns and cities, all spread out before you. It gives you a real sense of adventure, and certainly sends a shiver down my spine everytime.

“GT6 ALSO HAS A CONSTANTLY UPDATED ONLINE SECTION, WITH SEASONAL RACES, TIME TRIALS AND SPECIAL EVENTS, WITH HEALTHY REWARDS TO KEEP YOU KEEN LONG AFTER YOU’VE WON LE MANS.” vious Gran Turismo 5 return, with the addition of a couple of hundred new ones. The car customization is one aspect that has definitely improved; aero kits and paint jobs are now more varied (although still lack-

have come to love and learn. From the roof of the world in Switzerland to the humble stadium go cart track, the world is your automotive playground. Many of these tracks feature a dynamic day and night cycle, and

Career mode has been expanded, with more events and the return of the license tests to progress (GT5 featured license but there was no need to pass them to proceed through the story.) Driving mis-

sions and one make races, as seen in GT4, also make a return. Many of the career mode races featured a performance limit, but there’s normally plenty of leeway to tinker with your beloved autos. GT6 also has a constantly updated online section, with seasonal races, time trials and special events, with healthy rewards to keep you keen long after you’ve won Le Mans. Several free vehicles have also been released since the games launch, with several more promised to be on the way. Whilst other new racing titles may have believed in quality over quantity, GT6 has embraced the ‘race all the cars on all the tracks’ attitude. It’s a theory they’ve worked on for 15 years, and it still makes their titles a hit today. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.

Written by Ben Rachow

(stickytriggerentertainment.com)

PROS • • •

More cars than you’d ever need.

Stunning tracks, with a photo realistic day/night cycle.

Constantly updated seasonal events means you’ll never not have a race to win.

CONS • • •

Engine noises still aren’t up to scratch. Car customization can still be a bit limited at times.

The AI can still be occasionally prone to doing dumb things (which I guess is just human nature).

8.5/10

REVIEW

SUPER MARIO 3D WORLD Super Mario 3D World is everything Nintendo stands for in gaming, it is the whole reason anyone plays videos games, to have fun. Having played Super Mario 3D Land and enjoyed it, I wasn’t expecting 3D world to be much different, well I was wrong and then some. The amount of colour and charm and variety of gameplay is outstanding and the Cat suit is one of the best additions to any Mario game ever! It adds speed and the ability to attack enemies instead of the traditional head stomp. It opens up great new ways of gameplay and a slightly easier way for younger kids to play. Super Mario 3D Land is a tech demo for Super

Peach and Toad stumbling across a strange clear pipe and for once actually using some tools and plumbing skills to fix it. Then suddenly a Sprixie (fairy like creature) appears only to have Bowser come along and kidnap the Sprixie right in front of the group! Down the new warp pipe he goes to Sprixie Kingdom and our heroes follow to rescue the Sprixie and defeat Bowser in twelve new worlds! The four player adventure is absolutely gorgeous in HD with so many colours (unlike most games today that are over using blacks and greys with dark worlds). The animations are amazing, especially as the cat

so cute “meeoow” when you finish a level. Playing multiplayer will help with some of the harder levels late in the game (Champion Road is evil!). Mario is the all-rounder - nice speed with a decent jump and easy to control. Luigi has the highest jump and runs slightly faster but is harder to control. Peach is slow but has a floating jump which helps for a lot of the harder levels and Toad is superfast which helps for the levels that have a time limit. This really adds to the gameplay. Every single level can be finished with every character (which is actually a checklist and

“I BELIEVE IT HAS A GREAT BALANCE AND YOU CAN ALWAYS TRY COMPLETE THE LEVELS WITHOUT POWER UPS WHICH MAKES IT A LOT HARDER!” Mario 3D World; it truly is the reason to own a Wii U! The story starts off with Mario, Luigi,

when you prance around on all fours and climb a wall only to slide down with your claws leaving scratch marks on the surface and the ever

something you need to do to finish the game 100%), but some levels are easier if you use a specific character and even have buttons

you need to stomp that are character specific to collect items. The game has eight worlds and four secret ones to unlock. Every level has three green stars to collect and a stamp (which can be used with Miiverse posts). The infamous flag pole is also an objective for every level; reach the top for 10,000 points and you get a nice golden flag on the level select screen. Grab the three stars and you will get a spinning Star above the flag. Finish with all characters and the star turns gold! Do this to every level in the world and you get a paw print on your checklist! The powerups provided are new and some old. Of course the brand new Super Bell I mentioned already, but there is an alternate Lucky Bell that gives you the same power as the Super Bell but allows you to stomp

er Nintendo game, you have music from previous entries and other franchises. Everything is perfectly balanced for the level you are in and the music changes speed and tone accordingly. I have seen a few reviewers saying the game is a bit too easy well unlock the secret worlds and then the Crown World and say the game is easy. I believe it has a great balance and you can always try complete the levels without power ups which makes it a lot harder! With twelve worlds, a secret playable character, hundreds of secret stars and loads of secret stamps to collect along with gold flag poles the game runs in at well over eight hours, to collect everything 100% alone I’d wager around thirty hours with a couple friends sixteen to twenty hours. This game is a must buy for any gamer wanting a chal-

“OWNING A WII U IS A NO BRAINER!” down as an invincible gold statue! There is also the Tanooki suit, a portable cannon box, a portable Beam box (light to kill ghosts), Propeller box, your traditional Super Mushroom to go from small to big, the Boomerang, Super Star, Fire Flower, Kuribo’s Skate, Mega Mushroom, Goomba Suit and the Double Cherry which multiplies your character even if you have a power up! Phew! I was in control of six Mario’s at once and it was really fun and hard at the same time but made the boss battle much easier! Also included is the White Flower Tanooki suit that makes you invincible. If you die five times in a level it appears. By using this you can collect stars and stamps and the golden flag pole but it won’t actually account for you finishing the level with that character. It is good to use if you are getting stuck and just want to breeze through and start a new level and come back later on. The audio is of course like any oth-

lenge, for any gamer wanting multi player on the same screen back in his/her lounge room. Summary: Anyone can play this game and enjoy it, it combines all the best of Mario into one great package and never disappoints, if you do not own a Wii U and are on the fence, please do yourself a favor with Zelda Wind Waker HD, Wonderful 101, New Super Mario Bros. and now Super Mario 3D World. Owning a Wii U is a no brainer! These games are great and soon the Wii U library will expand with Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Brothers, Bayonetta 2, X, Hyrule Warriors and Shin Megami Tensei vs Fire Emblem. It’s a good time to be a gamer! Go buy this masterpiece of entertainment and fun right now this is something only Nintendo is capable of providing us with don’t skip it!

Written by Nick Pearce

(stickytriggerentertainment.com)

10/10 EDITOR’S CHOICE AWARD!

PROS •

Four player co-op.

•

Gameplay is incredible and changes a lot.

•

• • •

Lots of levels all with variety.

Captain Toad levels. Cat Bell Powerup!

The happy joyful worlds and fun they provide.

CONS • •

Sometimes frustrating (Crown World).

It eventually comes to an end.

$14.95 EACH

OUT 27 FEB!

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RETRO

BLASTS FROM THE PAST!

Earlier on in this issue we’ve taken no amazing sound effects, nope this a look at sex in video games. We’ve was purely type and read. The game asked our industry experts their was later ported to the PC by Gary thoughts, we’ve even interviewed Al Thompson in the early 90s and was Lowe who created the original Lei- featured on the collectors edition of ThrasosVarnavaThvg.deviantart.comThrasvarnava@gmail.com sure Suit Larry game, but what about Leisure Suit Larry called Leisure Suit other older formats and games… did Larry’s Greatest Hits and Misses. they ever cross the line from mild innuendo and flashes of skin to some- Staying in the early 80s a Japanese thing a bit naughtier? Well yes they couple released Night Life, which did and so here’s a look back at the was the first Japanese erotic game good old days of gaming featuring and was marketed as an educational piece of software aimed at helpthe oldest of human pastimes. ing couples enjoy their sex life… Back in the early 80s a text based hmmm. It wasn’t until the CD-ROM adventure game called Softporn Ad- came along that adult video games venture was produced for the Ap- featured clips that showed a bit more ple II computer. Created by Charles then cartoon style graphics. While

game play by making adventure style games like the Leisure Suit Larry games or poker based games that were based on the classic poker rules and featured a variety of attractive opponents. One such game on the Amiga, Teenage Queen, did not feature photo style graphics but instead went for a highly artistic drawn by artist Jocelyn Valais and featured a look that was very different to the rest of the poker games available at the time. The game was released on the Amiga, Amstrad and a DOS port too, The 90s also saw the Gals Panic series which featured a puzzle style

“SO IT WOULD SEEM SEX IN GAMES HAS BEEN AROUND ALMOST AS LONG AS GRAPHICS IN GAMING.” Benton, the game had you typing your way through an adventure that featured adult situations described on the screen in text. No graphics,

many of these “games” were nothing more then opportunities to show nakedness and more, we also saw some games that tried to include

of game play and resulted in nine sequels. In 1992 and interactive romance by the name of Dokyusei was released and was more of a

story that you played and read your way through. Other games under the genre of “visual novel” were released by Japanese publishers that ranged from stories with very dark themes to romantic and fun. So it would seem sex in games has been around almost as long as graphics in gaming. As hardware improves so does the graphics shown in the game and of course this results in more controversy. It seems the more realistic the look and feel of the game, the more likely it will have the censors debating the rating of if indeed the game is given classification. With more powerful hardware we see greater potential for gaming to be more immersive and one wonders how long before we see games that really do emulate real life … anyone for the Matrix?

The Amiga 500 featured an interesting mix of “strip poker games”. Image from Wikipedia.

RETRO

THE 5 GREATEST GAMES OF ALL TIME!

This list is my own personal top 5, so take it with an extreme amount of bias. Now with that out of the way, let’s get stuck in!

SUPER MARIO WORLD -

ThrasosVarnavaThvg.deviantart.comThrasvarnava@gmail.com

SUPER NINTENDO

Let’s start this list off by thinking big! When I say big, I mean the largest overworld map of any Mario game at the time. Subtitled “Super Mario Bros. 4” in Japan, this Super Nintendo launch title is, to this day, the pinnacle of the series. Following on from the events of Super Mario Bros. 3, Mario and Luigi are now joined by the many coloured dinosaur Yoshi. The controls feel more fluid than the previous three games which makes it a joy to play, and the difficulty is pitched at just the right level. With many hidden surprises and secret levels, it really is no wonder that Super Mario World is the first game that comes to mind when someone starts talking about the “greatest games ever”.

SNK VS CAPCOM: MATCH OF THE MILLENIUM - NEO GEO POCKET During 1999 and the early 2000s rivals SNK and Capcom teamed up to deliver a series of games featuring characters from their respective rosters. A majority of the games released were beat em ups, though there were 4 SNK vs Capcom card clash games, the most recent of which is available on the DS should you be able to track down a copy. Match of the Millennium was the first title in the series and it made full use of the Neo Geo Pocket’s control stick, which was perfect for fighting games. For the first time you could pit Ryu and Iori Yagami against each other, or team up Ken Masters and Terry Bogard. There were hidden characters, mini games, and the

WONDERBOY 3: THE DRAGON’S TRAP - SEGA MASTER SYSTEM This game actually goes by a number of titles depending on the system you play it on. On the Sega Master System is goes by the above title. On the PC Engine it’s called “Adventure Island”, however on its US counterpart the Turbografx16 the game is called “The Dragon’s Curse”. If you are able to, I recommend playing it on one of those two machines as opposed to the Master System version, as the graphics are far superior. Regardless of which system you choose however the gameplay is exactly the same, and it is fantastic. Another platformer, the controls are a little more rigid than Super Mario World, but the ability to select different animal forms which have their own special abilities that allow you to explore different areas of the game keeps you hooked.

UFOURIA - NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM I won’t go into too much detail about Ufouria as the game is quite similar to Wonderboy 3. An expensive game unless you’re a lucky shopper, Ufouria is another platforming title that features a world that has areas that are locked until you gain other characters who can explore them. With fluid gameplay, this is one of Sunsoft’s finest titles and it’s well worth tracking down a copy.

“WITH FLUID GAMEPLAY, THIS (UFORIA) IS ONE OF SUNSOFT’S FINEST TITLES AND IT’S WELL WORTH TRACKING DOWN A COPY.”

ability to link consoles for some multiplayer beat em up mayhem. The Neo Geo Pocket is not a well known console on our shores, but if you can track down one and a copy of this game, well, you’ll thank me later!

STREET FIGHTER ALPHA 3 - ARCADE Arcade or any of the decent home ports that are available. With the largest roster of characters of any Street Fighter game at the time, Alpha 3 was superb. It featured the very same gameplay mechanics as the first 2 games in the Alpha series, then bumped them up a notch with the ability to select your fighting style. With silky smooth controls, gameplay that doesn’t feel cheap, and a wide variety of characters to choose from, Street Fighter Alpha 3 is the pinnacle of one on one beat em ups. This game alone is the very reason I started to collect arcade machines.

So that is my personal top 5 greatest games of all time. During the month while you wait for the next issue of Gametraders Live why not take the time to create your own list. Maybe you agree with some of the games I’ve selected, maybe you don’t like any of them. Either way, head to the Gametraders Facebook page and share your thoughts with the rest of the gaming world!

Written by Paul Monopoli

RETRO

5 CONTROVERSIAL VIDEO GAMES Video games have been around for a long time now, with the first recorded electronic game being Tennis for Two created by the late William Higinbotham in 1958.ThrasosVarnavaThvg.deviantart.comThrasvarnava@gmail.com Since then so many different This could arguably be the first video game with graphic content. Based kinds of video and computer games have on the cult film starring the Sylvester Stallone and the late David Carembraced the market. Some that make radine. The objective of this game is to run over as many pedestrians as us laugh, some that make us cry, some possible before the time runs out. that educate, and some that are just mindless fun for all ages. Although this game predates Carmageddon, it has been a template that paved the way of violent video games even without any visible blood, Although there are many games that there was still the imagery and implication of death by running over â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;gremhave hit controversial levels pushing the linsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. boundaries of what some are deemed artistic, when others deem tasteless or containing unnecessary graphic content. This is not to imply that all controversial games were bad games and only questionable content used as a gimmick, but there are some that stirred enough attention and praise among gamers which unfortunately got thrown in to various categories.

DEATH RACE

(EXIDY ARCADE 1976)

Here in order of release dates are 5 of many games out there that are worth mentioning that have pushed boundaries of censorship.

MORTAL KOMBAT (MIDWAY GAMES ARCADE 1992) I’ll never forget laying my eyes on the game for the first time at a local Fish ’n Chip shop and how much blood there was in the game. Mortal Kombat was not the first game of its genre, but definitely one of the first to push graphic and (at the time) realistic visual content to a video game. The main factor of controversy in this game was in fact the Fatalities which were finishing moves performed at the end of the round entails mutilating the opponent in the most violent way possible. In fact this is one of the first games that pushed governments around the world to implement classification ratings systems for home video game systems. It also was one of the most infamous for censorship with home console ports. For example, the SNES version had the blood replaced with sweat, and the Mega Drive version had the blood and fatalities hidden which was unlockable with a code. That code was plastered later on TV commercials from SEGA and gaming magazines. Good ol’ A,B,A,C,A,B,B at the Kombat Kode dialog screen.. Whoops!

DOOM (ID SOFTWARE DOS 1993) NIGHT TRAP (DIGITAL PICTURES MEGA CD 1992) Ahh yes, this game has been ported on so many platforms and devices like digital cameras and calculators, and also caused a large stir with the general populace. Being one of the buzz words used in mainstream media and also a title blamed for the Columbine Massacre among other shootings around that time. For those of you who don’t know, Doom is a 1st person shooter made by id Software who created Wolfenstein 3D which gets an honourable mention. You play as a marine sent to a facility on Mars where demons have broken loose and are causing major havoc on the planet. As mentioned above, this game has been ported on just about every gaming platform you can think of so finding a copy will not be hard.

One of the more ‘well known unknowns’ in video game history was the Full-Motion Adventure (or FMV) game Night Trap which was released as a launch title for the SEGA Mega CD add-on for the Mega Drive. Night Trap is about a group of friends having a sleep over in a huge house which is covered with surveillance cameras which you, an agent of the SEGA Control Attack Team must survey and lay traps down. The content in the game was deemed controversial due to the violent imagery rather than visible violence or sexual scenes filmed. Thankfully the controversies only lasted a year, then forgotten and later ported to 3DO, Mac, and DOS.

CARMAGEDDON (STAINLESS SOFTWARE DOS 1997) Let me take a moment to mention more about this game rather than the controversial content. It is an open-world racing game where you have many choices on how and where you can win the race. Either smash all the opponents with the various manic power-ups spread out in the stage or race traditionally through the various checkpoints. Of course if you haven’t figured it out already or played the game, the graphic content in the game is primarily focused on running over pedestrians for points with trails of blood left from tyre tracks. Surprisingly the game didn’t get banned or censored in Australia but rather got slapped with an MA15+ sticker with bolder font. This is a game definitely worth playing due to how much fun it is (ignoring the pedestrian factors) and a remake of the game is currently in development by the same company who made the original, which will be released on nextgen consoles.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS There are so many games worth mentioning, here are just some more known for controversies: Grand Theft Auto (Language, violence, criminal activity) Custer’s Revenge (Racial profiling and sexual content) Voyeur (Adult themes) Phantasmagoria (Graphic death scenes and alleged rape scene)

Punch Out (Racial profiling) Wolfenstein 3D (Nazi imagery and violence) Duke Nukem 3D (Violence, language and Nudity) Postal (Anti-law and violence)

Written by David Kudrev www.retrospekt.com.au

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Terminator Style Fiberglass Helmet

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COLLECTIBLES

LATEST FIGURE REVIEW

Hot Toys 1/6th scale DX13 T800 Terminator (Battle Damaged Version) When Terminator 2: Judgement Day was released in 1991, the movie blew me away with its incredible action and state-of-the-art special effects (for it’s time). Even now, more than 20 years later, the movie still packs a punch in the action department, and I think still represents both Arnie and James Cameron at their very best. In late 2012, Hot Toys released a new Terminator figure in their DX line, which was the standard classic

nounced the DX13 Terminator (Battle Damaged Version), which pretty much had all the things the collectors had wanted with the DX10 figure! DX13 was released internationally in late 2013, and will be finally arriving in Australian stores in early 2014 and it is definitely worth the wait! The DX13 Terminator ranks right up there with the very best from Hot Toys, and as an overall DX package, the DX13 comes packed to the rim with awesome accessories. Read on to find

“..ONE OF THE BEST FIGURES EVER RELEASED BY HOT TOYS.” look of the character near the start of the movie. This left fans wanting more, and luckily Hot Toys then an-

out all about this incredible collectible figure! :)

PACKAGING

ACCESSORIES

As with all DX packages, the DX13 box and contents are beautifully designed and arranged. The box matches the faux-leather look and feel of the DX10, this time obviously with the battle damage befitting the figure. The bullet holes and subtle bleeding effect is very nicely done.

All DX figures should come loaded with accessories, and thankfully DX13 is one that comes pretty well jammed packed! The Terminator’s alternate fully battle damaged head definitely steals the show! Note that the alternate head sculpt for the T-1000 shown here is not available in Australia.

Again, as with all DX figures, the contents are first covered by a thick piece of cardboard with their signature dark foam backing. Each card always has some sort of accessory or artwork, with the DX13 having a cutout piece of the Terminator’s battle damaged jacket. A nice touch if nothing else. Once that cardboard insert is removed, the contents are revealed in all their glory! And what a sight to behold the DX13 figure is! The figure and accessories are seen, with the T1000 statue nicely wrapped in grey soft material to prevent damage.

The detailing on the head sculpt is incredible, with the paint app really highlighting the subtle details in the flesh, skin tone, exposed endoskeleton, and the impressive light up eye. The left eye retains the ability to be moved via the rolling eyeball system, whereas the right exposed eye has a great LED to show the red eye that is so iconic. The various battle damaged hands are incredibly detailed, with all sorts of blood, torn flesh and leather, and metallic endoskeleton showing through. It’s great that Hot Toys included the iconic thumbs-up gesture to recreate that final scene.

Of course being the battle damaged version, one of the key accessories is the broken arm that happens after his fight with the T-1000. This is attached by removing the regular left forearm of the figure and swapping

with this accessory. The swap out is a little tricky, with the joint being tight, but just go slow and nothing should snap off. I’d also recommend doing it after you’ve removed the jacket. The paint application on the torn arm is pretty good, with some nice blood detailing on the chrome exposed endoskeleton.

Of course with the torn arm accessory, the jacket needed to suit that look, and so Hot Toys have also included a second jacket with the figure to go specifically with that look. This fully battle damaged jacket is nicely tailored, riddled with bullet holes and weathering effects, and the tears are cut just right. It’s great that little details like the bullet holes are also accompanied with slight blood seeping out. It just totally adds to the realism that is designed into this piece.

With both the semi-battle damaged and fully battle damaged head sculpts, DX13 also comes packed with the accessories to accompany both looks depending on the time in the movie. So it includes the grenade launcher with grenades and bandolier, machine gun, pistol, and

FIGURE that awesome steel rod that the T-1000 drives through him in their epic battle. Depending on which part of the movie you want the figure to represent on your display, it’ll have the accessories to go with it! Last but not least, the other key accessory is the T-1000 statue itself. It comes standard with the “silver surfer” type head, and the overall chrome paint app is fantastic. They even include a small lint free cloth for you to buff it up and remove any finger prints! I would’ve preferred a more static pose, as the one they have chosen is a very specific battle scene from the movie where the T-1000 holds and twists the T-800’s arm. That is the intent, where the arm of the DX13 figure is inserted through the hole, and the fist attached on the other end, giving the illusion of the hold/twist. It’s a nice touch, but I’m not sure a lot of collectors will use it.

Onto the figure itself, and this new body is amazing to say the least. The gaping wound in the chest is beautifully painted, with all the requisite gore surrounding the exposed endoskeleton. It’s incredible that the t-shirt is cut to perfectly fit, and has blood seepage and bullet holes to add that incredible realism.

As an initial comparison against the previous DX10 clean version, both straight out of the box look pretty amazing. But the DX13 is just a huge improvement in the likeness to Arnold Schwarzenegger. The DX10 still just has that younger, less wrinkled, less defined look to it. That could perhaps be a fault of the somewhat soft and less-detailed paint app on the head, where the skin tone is very flat. But with the DX13, even the smallest details are present in the facial paint app and sculpting, with wrinkles, skin texture, and overall sculpt improvements all showcasing how far Hot Toys can improve within a short space of time.

The articulation is also top-notch, with barely anything that is missing from figures of this sort. The arms have double jointed elbows so that it can achieve those weapon holding poses in a natural manner, and the biceps and wrists all articulate nicely. The exposed left knee is also beautifully done, and articulates via a single knee joint that is very strong and stable. Again the paint app with the exposed flesh and skeleton, and the torn leather pants is also incredibly done. The lower leg can also swivel to point the feet, and overall the legs articulate as they would with any other 1/6th scale figure. The only real limitation in the legs is the tightness of the pants, which restrict the extent to which the legs can be moved forward or to the sides. But that’s a minor problem in the scheme of things.

Pick any iconic scene, pose, or gesture from the movie, and DX13 can pretty much replicate it without too much of an issue. I have to say that I haven’t had this much fun playing around posing a figure since perhaps the DX07 Luke Skywalker or DX11 Joker figures.

As mentioned above, the LED light up feature on the eye is nicely done, and is quite bright in all light conditions. Swapping out the heads on the body was relatively easy, and the light up feature is easily accessed by removing the back of the head as with other DX figures.

net. The only issue I have is that the DX13 body is slightly larger/taller than DX13, which is then made even more pronounced with the higher stand that comes with DX13. But with some creative posing, that slight increase in size can be masked if you still want both figures displayed together.

The full battle damaged look of DX13 is where this figure absolutely shines. It just POPS when fully decked out with accessories on display! The posing options, the exposed flesh and endoskeleton, the light up eye, all just give this piece some serious presence.

FINAL THOUGHTS The detail in everything that comes with the DX13 Battle Damaged Terminator package just makes it one of the best figures ever released by Hot Toys. The head sculpt likeness in both semi and fully damaged versions is incredible. The accessories are numerous, and complement the figure perfectly - the inclusion of the T-1000 statue is definitely nice to have. And the figure itself is just phenomenal. The new unique body I think warrants the different version release to DX10, and I for one am glad that I can have both side by side. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still on the fence about this figure, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be!! Jump off and RUN to get it instore as soon as it comes in!! It is an absolute classic figure of one of cinemas iconic characters. I promise you will not regret the purchase. :) Having both DX10 and DX13 together is just a beautiful way to display this iconic character in your cabi-

Note: I did a video review on the Kool Kollectibles youtube channel, so hope you can check it out, subscribe, like, and comment with your own thoughts on the figure! :)

Written by Khai at Kool Kollectibles . www.koolkollectibles.net . www.facebook.com/KoolKollectibles . www.youtube.com/user/ckly76

FAN FICTION

ASSASSIN’S CREED 4:PARTBLACK FLAG 2 - PLANTATION MISSION.. My fingers flex around the cheap metal spyglass currently in my grasp, as I watch the soldiers assigned to the plantation below. They tread the same path over and over, never faltering, never tiring. I keep an eye out for the holder of the key but after a few moments with no luck, it appears I will have to find him on land. It shall be easy enough to sneak onto the plantation; my only concern is the men atop the wooden towers. They are like jaguars stalking an invisible prey; their eyes looking over every

from the crow’s nest to the deck. About half a foot from the deck I release my hold on the rusted metal ladder and land with a soft thud on the wood. I move towards the railings and crouch atop them, the splintered wood creaking under my weight. My eyes seek out my quartermaster and after a silent tilt of the head; I leap from the railings into the icy depths. Moving swiftly I make my way towards the shore, diving below the depths as much as possible to avoid

and the sand clings to my boots like small Mollusca’s. I take a moment to assess the position of the guards as I creep forward; they are still treading their paths and show no signs of having seen me. I hear the sound of feet coming my way and like a flash of lighting striking the sand; I have leapt into the crops before me, dodging the fence as I go. Barely a second later the man has reached the gate, he stands for a moment. Looking for movement his eyes searching where I stood a mere mo-

“AS HE REACHES THE HAY I KEEP QUIET, WAITING FOR HIM TO TURN HIS BACK TO IT AND HOPING HE DOESN’T SEND HIS SWORD THROUGH ME.” detail, trained to find an intruder like me. I place my spyglass back onto it’s holster and make my way down

detection. The small red crabs scurry out of the way as I step onto the shore. Water drips from my clothes

ment before. I hold my breath even though I know he could not possibly have seen me and wait.

His weariness is glaringly obvious, his stance is slouched, his clothes crinkled from a long day. He steps with heavy feet, the sun beating down against his back. I can almost see the dread and frustration washing over him as he turns around to walk back to where he was. I count to twenty slowly under my breath before I begin creeping through the crops towards the center of the plantation. I see a bell tower just to my right and another straight ahead in the distance. If I have any hope of getting away with this without alerting the guards these will have to be dealt with swiftly and silently. I see the warehouse up ahead by the second bell tower, the two wooden towers from before are placed in prime positions to detect thieves. In order to proceed I will need to disable the closest bell and the guards around it. I sneak closer towards the edge of the crops, the bell tower is close to me. Close enough to reach out and touch but the guards must be dealt with first. The bell is in front of what appears to be a shed, insignificant if not for the cover it provides. There is a bale of hay just off to the right of the bell and shed with some more crops far to the right of that. A guard is standing at the right entrance to the plantation; another is patrolling between some-

thing behind the barn and the bale of hay. The third and last guard patrolling this area is now standing close in-between the bell tower and me. Looking around and seeing no one else in hearing distance I let out a short whistle to draw his attention my way. He looks around indicating he has heard me and after a few more whistles he has rather foolishly come my way. I wait until he is at the edge of the crops before reaching out and pulling him backwards into the darkness. Before in my earlier years I would not have thought twice of plunging my blade through his neck. However, now I see that there are ways to stay quiet without taking the life of an innocent man. So instead of a blade, a fist to the temple is what greets the guard. Once I am sure that the man is hidden from site, I look around to check if there are any more guards in the vicinity. The guard that was patrolling by the hay has gone and in my youth I would have gone straight for the bell. However I have learnt caution with the passing of time and instead I make a dash for the bale of hay. As I reach the hay I dive in just as the guard turns and makes his way towards it. He too looks weary, however his steps are not as heavy and he is more alert. As he reaches the hay

I keep quiet, waiting for him to turn his back to it and hoping he doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t send his sword through me. As he reaches the hay and turns around I reach out and pull him back disposing of him, in much the same way I had with the other. I take a moment to catch my breath and then race towards the bell quickly cutting the rope. Simply by chance I glance upwards at the guard atop the closest wooden tower. He is starring down straight at me and I quickly pull out my blow pipe with a sleeping dart inside and hit him in the shoulder. He goes down swiftly but I now only have a minute or two to get up there before he awakens and alerts everyone. I look around quickly there is the first guard I saw still patrolling and a couple littered around. My best bet is to use the crops to get to the ladder so before anyone else can see me I move towards them. The crops thankfully are thick enough to hide me and go all the way to the tower. I race towards the ladder pulling myself up swiftly however half way up I hear the voice of a guard below me. I take a gamble and keep climbing hoping the man will follow me apposed to calling for help. As I reach the top I quickly move towards the guard on the ground and knock him out. I hear the sound of the man from before making his way up the ladder. I have two choices, stay where

I am and hope he comes up before calling for help or climb up to the roof and hope he doesn’t see me. I choose the later and scramble to get up there. As I expected, he goes straight to his fallen comrade when he does not see me. Allowing me to slip down and knock him out from behind. As I go to do just that, the man has already gotten up sword in hand I have no choice but to draw my own. I bring my sword down before he has a chance to call out. Even though the man has brute force on his side I still bring him down quickly countering against his own strikes. The man falls dead to the ground and I slip down the ladder as silently as I had come. The sun is starting to come down and I use the cover of the rapidly diminishing light to make my way

“WITH ONE LAST GLANCE BACKWARDS I TURN AND DISAPPEAR INTO THE DARKNESS LEAVING THE EMPTY WAREHOUSE BEHIND.” to the second bell. So far I had been able to avoid the guards for the most part. However, there are too many guards surrounding the bell to remain undetected. So I decide to confront all three at the same time. As I reach into my pouch I come to the startling realization that I am out of smoke bombs and therefor out of options. I scourge around in my pack hoping to find a stray one but alas there is only blowpipes left. With a blowpipe clutched in my hand I realize that I could use a berserk dart. Turn the guards against each other. Of course this means that blood will have to be shed but there is no other

way. So berserk dart in hand I creep forward and hit the toughest looking guard with my dart. Within seconds there is chaos as the guards fight one another. I watch as he swings his axe around him catching one of the guards square in the stomach. He kills another with the use of a small bomb. However, before the guard can bring down the other two he himself is bought down. By this time I have reached the warehouse and am crouched on the roof. The two remaining guards are on high alert, however, before they can find me I leap from the roof top double assassinating them before they

can blink. With no remaining guards in the area and the darkness blanketing the area I easily approach the bell and disable it. Now, completely alone in the area, but aware of the guards patrolling the other side of the plantation I swiftly approach the warehouse. Letting out a call to my crew we take the booty and they row it back to the Jackdaw. With one last glance backwards I turn and disappear into the darkness leaving the empty warehouse behind. Written by E.J Tales

STAY TUNED FOR CHAPTER 3!

SUPER LAMPS! PRE-ORDER NOW! AVAILABLE IN MARCH!

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R T X E Y A COSPL Welcome to our February Cosplay Extravaganza! We’ve got over 30 pages of interviews and photos, from some of the most amazing Cosplayers around the world! If you’re a Cosplayer and would like to be interviewed by LIVE magazine, we need quality photographs (similar to those seen in this article) with photographers approval as well as their contact details, and a link to your facebook page, website or any other gallery. Please email us at: cosplay@gametraders.com.au While we can’t promise we will interview everyone, we will do our best to get back to you ASAP.

John Pryke | www.facebook.com/JohnPrykePhoto

East

! A Z N A G RAVA Adam Patrick Murray | www.adampatrickmurray.com

ton Chang Photography | www.eastonchang.com

Lorenzo So Photography | www.facebook.com/LorenzoSoPhotography

Green House Photography | www.facebook.com/GHPFans

Adam Patrick Murray | www.adampatrickmurray.com

COSPLAYER VICTORIA COSPLAY COSPLAYER FROM USA

This month we speak to Cosplayer Victoria from USA who’s been in the Cosplay world for over 7 years now! Hi Victoria and welcome to Live Magazine. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and where you are from? I’m originally from Philadelphia but I no longer live in the city. I run my own birthday party business, model professionally and am an occasional Nanny. I love Ancient Egyptian History, Doctor Who, the DC Universe, Cosplay, Reading, Writing, Comics, Doll Collecting and Elizabeth Taylor. And when did you get into Cosplay? About 7 and a half years ago.

What are your favourite characters and do you make your own costumes? I’m partial to characters from the DC Universe and Disney Princesses. I

make my own costumes, alter preexisting costumes and I also commission others to make costumes for me. Tell us a bit about the many “cons” you visit and what a typical day is like at them? At the moment, I’ve been attending conventions around the country for 11 years, long before I was a cosplayer. I’ve been to shows as a simple con goer, a member of the press, a cosplayer and working as a booth babe. Days as a cosplayer are hectic. You’re trying to get your costume done in time for the show, there’s tons of packing to do and you literally can’t walk 2 feet without stopping because someone wants to take a photo of you. Sometimes there’s group photo shoots to attend which are always fun or I organize my own. Days as a cosplayer at a con are busy, busy, busy.

“..YOU LITERALLY CAN’T WALK 2 FEET WITHOUT STOPPING BECAUSE SOMEONE WANTS TO TAKE A PHOTO OF YOU..”

Have you had any funny moments at a Con you can share with our readers?

I attended the Pennsylvania Ren Faire this year dressed as Esmeralda from Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame. One of the Faire’s actresses chased me down screaming “Esmeralda!” and gave me a ring. She named me Queen of the Gypsies for the day and showed me the secret Gypsy power fist pound that was very reminiscent of the Wonder Twins. How do you see cosplay today it’s certainly grown in popularity, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the industry at the moment? It’s definitely changed from when I started roughly 7 years ago. It’s become mainstream and everyone seems to be doing it. It’s not just for comic fans or crafty people anymore and it’s not weird. It’s the cool thing to do.

Do you see cosplay evolving into a career for some artists such as yourself or photographers? What I mean is can it or is it already able to be a full time role? I’m going to be brutally honest; it’s rare for someone to do this full time and still be able to afford to live. Everyone needs a day job. Everyone has bills to pay. I know there are some women who do this full time but they also have a boyfriend or husband at home to support them. It’s not realistic to think you can get into cosplay assuming you will make the equivalent of a 40 hour per week paycheck and have health insurance. Very few people are able to turn themselves into a brand and cosplay “full time” independently. For me personally, I don’t see cosplay as a full time career. I just don’t think that’s realistic. It’s a hobby that leads to amazing opportunities. I get to travel, be a guest at shows and sometimes it puts money in my pocket. But it’s not my full time job.

Tell us why you are involved in cosplay - what do you get out of your craft? The core is my love for comics book and Disney characters. I didn’t get into cosplay because I was a fan of crafting per say. Aside from making jewelry and dresses for my Barbie dolls, I wasn’t a crafty person. I’ve been into geek culture for as long as I can remember. I grew up watching the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman series, The Superfriends, the Christopher Reeves Superman movies and the Tim Burton Batman films. I read my first comic book when I was in the 4th grade. I’ve been into geek culture literally most of my life. I use to write fan fiction and sketch a lot. Cosplay seemed liked the natural next step in expressing my fandom. I enjoy bringing a character that I love to life through costuming and photography because it’s rooted to my childhood and I’ve had a life long love affair with that world. Do you have advice for people wanting to get involved? Google lots of tutorials online. Cosplay who you love. Practice makes perfect and have patience. You are going to go through a lot of trial and error. Most importantly, have fun! Finally, where can people find out more about you? www.facebook.com/VictoriaCosplay www.twitter.com/VictoriaCosplay www.victoriacosplay.blogspot.com http://instagram.com/victoriacosplay All photos by Green House Photography: www.facebook.com/GHPFans Wonder Woman costume made by: www.threemusesclothing.com

“GOOGLE LOTS OF TUTORIALS ONLINE. COSPLAY WHO YOU LOVE. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT AND HAVE PATIENCE. YOU ARE GOING TO GO THROUGH A LOT OF TRIAL AND ERROR. MOST IMPORTANTLY, HAVE FUN!” - VICTORIA COSPLAY. WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/VICTORIACOSPLAY All photos by Green House Photography: www.facebook.com/GHPFans

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COSPLAYER

KHLOEE KEROSONEE COSPLAY COSPLAYER FROM AUSTRALIA

We interviewed an Aussie cosplayer this month, Chloe, based in Sydney NSW. She’s only 18 and makes all her Cosplay costumes! Take a look... Hi Chloe, tell us abit about yourself.. My name is Chloe as you know, I’m a Christmas baby, 18 years young & I’m living it up in Sydney, NSW! How and when did you get into Cosplay? I first got into cosplay in 2012 at Sydney Supanova. A couple of my friends were going & it sounded like a lot of fun so I figured that I may as well give it a go & jump straight in, little did I know that I’d quickly fall in love with it. What do you think of the Cosplay scene in Australia? The cosplay scene in Australia is amazing! It’s grown so much in the past few years & I can’t wait to see how much it will continue to grow!

Do you attend many Cosplay events?

the lipstick colour right down to the eyebrow style.

I attend almost all of the conventions in NSW such as Supanova & Smash. This year I’m hoping to start adventuring a bit more & go to some conventions in other states!

How long does it usually take to get ready for a Cosplay event or photoshoot?

Who’s your favourite character to cosplay and why? Harley Quinn, without a doubt. I just feel such a strong connection to her! Shes such a fun & goofy character to cosplay with some amazing costumes. Plus it give me a legitimate reason to play amazing grace on kazoo! Do you make your own costumes & do your own make up? Yes I make all of my own costumes as well as most of the props that go with them. It’s very time consuming but so very worth it in the end! I do all my own makeup too, I try to make it as accurate as possible from

How long I take normally depends on what character I’m cosplaying. Most characters like Catherine or Daenerys only take me an hour to get ready but any of my Harley costumes, her original one specifically, take me around two due to the fact that I have to do full face paint, put my mask on, style my hair & finally put my costume on! Finally where can people go to find out more about you? All of my cosplays can be found on my Facebook page!

www.facebook.com/ KhloeeKeroseneeCosplay Photograph above: Lorenzo So Photography www.facebook.com/LorenzoSoPhotography

Corduroy Photography | www.facebook.com/Corduroy.Photography.Aus

“I MAKE ALL OF MY OWN COSTUMES AS WELL AS MOST OF THE PROPS THAT GO WITH THEM. IT’S VERY TIME CONSUMING BUT SO VERY WORTH IT IN THE END!” Photographs above & below: Lorenzo So Photography | www.facebook.com/LorenzoSoPhotography

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/KHLOEEKEROSENEECOSPLAY

COSPLAYER

Photographer: Fox Williamson www.facebook.com/cosplaycloseup

SARA MONI COSPLAYER FROM USA

We interviewed the lovely Sara Moni, a well-known Cosplayer from the USA! Not only is she a Cosplayer, but a Nintendo & PC gamer too! Check it out.. Hi Sara, tell us abit about yourself.. Hi there! My name is Sara Moni And I am born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. I am an only child and I grew up in a creative household. My mom used to model, and my dad used to be a DJ- And now he restores classic cars. So I have a passion for fashion, and attractive engines! They also both enjoy science-fiction and fantasy so I grew up loving it too. Not celebrating Halloween, I seized every opportunity I could to dress up. How and when did you get into Cosplay? I have been making costumes since about 2007. But I did not get really into it until 2010. I have a great group of friends who are also costumers and I love the work they did! In 2012

I joined the Arizona Avengers, a Marvel costuming group for charity, and met so many supportive people. Then I got a really good deal on a new sewing machine, and the rest is history! Ha! What do you love about Cosplay? Being able to step aside from reality and be someone or something bigger than myself or anything I know. I love crafting things and making things with my hands to cancel out how much I use the computer, phone, or any technology. There is something very satisfying and natural about it. I can’t put a price on the feeling I get when I am becoming the characters that I love. Not to mention being immersed in a world and community of like-minded people. I have yet to have a bad or negative experience and I think there is a lot to be said about that.

Who’s your favourite character to cosplay and why? So far, either Wasp or Miss America Chavez. The version of Wasp that I cosplay is her ultimate version, And it is a version that I have never seen done before. She is one of my favorite characters and this version of her looks a lot like me! Also she has the big wings which are always fun to wear, and I get to have short hair! My natural hair is about to my mid back, so wearing a pixie cut wig is totally out of the norm. Miss America Chavez is one of my favorite characters from one of my favorite series: Young Avengers. She embodies all of the awesome butt kicking heroine traits that I can’t get enough of! I am also so happy to have another heroine of color in the Marvel universe. When I posted that cosplay on tumblr, I was actually recognized by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie for my work! That was such an awesome feeling to get their approval! So I am officially a ringer for Miss Chavez!

Ryan Leasure Photography | www.ryanleasure.com

Are you a gamer? If so, what’s your all time favourite game?

Ryan Leasure Photography | www.ryanleasure.com

I am a classic Nintendo fan and PC gamer. I also love fighting games and turn-based RPG’s. My all time favorite, wow, I think it would be the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. The Zelda series is my absolute favorite, and right behind would be Donkey Kong country. I actually just decided on my first Zelda cosplay! I love to keep surprising everyone, So I will just give a few hints as to who it will be: It will be based off of the character design from Skyward Sword, but this character has been in the Zelda series from the beginning! ©Allan S. Adler | www.adlerphotographic.com

Do you attend many Cosplay events?

Is it difficult to get into character at times? And how long does it take you to get ready for an event/ photoshoot? No, I am always ready to have fun and enjoy myself when I get dressed up. I remember when I was at Alamo City Comic Con (San Antonio, Texas, USA), I was very sick the whole con, but the minute I stepped out on the con floor and made people smile, I felt like a million bucks! I love meeting new people and taking pictures and chatting with other Marvel fans. Usually it takes me about an hour to get ready, sometimes less. For the Thor premiere, I made a Frost Giant cosplay and that involved body paint, nearly 3 hours worth the first time! I was working with my friend, who is also an extremely talented airbrush artist, and after the second trial run, we were able to get me blue in an hour!

I make all of the major events in my home state. I would love to travel in the US, but especially outside of the states! I have been invited to a few in other states, but I am only able to attend what I am invited to. (Show me some love, Australia! I want to visit you! Haha!) Have you had any funny cosplay experiences perhaps at a con or a photo session you can share? I have had a few funny moments here and there, but my favorite was when I met Danny Trejo. I was taking some pictures with some Psylocke fans, and I happened to see him walk by with his bodyguards. I just said his name quietly, and he turned around and jumped in the picture with me! We took two pictures and he was such a sweetheart! After his panel was over, I was still in the same spot, and he came by again with compliments and awesome things to say! Right when people started to notice, he made his exit, but not before I gave him one of my contact cards! Ha! In the moment, I just thought to myself, why not?!

Lastly, who are your favourite Cosplayers & why? Fahrlight, because she is one of my absolute favorite Loki cosplayers and she is so humble and gracious. It is such a wonderful thing to see cosplayers having fun and she absolutely does! (And she even gave me a shout out on my birthday!) I think it is immensely refreshing to see successful cosplayers that are unique, so anyone who fits that description is my favorite!

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/SARAMONICOSPLAY

ÂŠAllan S. Adler | www.adlerphotographic.com

Fox Williamson | www.facebook.com/cosplaycloseup

SARA MONI

Fox Williamson | www.facebook.com/cosplaycloseup

COSPLAYER

JwaiDesign Photography | www.facebook.com/JwaiDesignPhotography

AMIE LYNN COSPLAYER FROM USA

We interviewed Amie Lynn, a very well known Cosplayer in the Cosplay world! She’s current living in Arizona, USA, and is a massive Playstation fan! Here’s what she had to say.. Hi Amie, tell us abit about yourself.. Hello I’m Amie! I’ve moved around a lot my whole life, but I’m currently living in Arizona where I’m working hard for my degree! I’ve always been into video games and anime, and have a love of trying new things all the time! How and when did you get into Cosplay? I got into cosplay when my friends asked me to be a part of their group for Code Geass. It was at Anime Expo 2009 when I wore my first cosplays, C.C. and Fuu! What do you love about Cosplay? The thing I love most about cosplay isn’t actually wearing the costume.

It’s getting to be creative and make something with my own hands! I also love cosplay because it’s how I met most of my best friends. Who’s your favourite character to cosplay and why? My favorite character to cosplay right now is my Silver Scythe costume because it’s actually a character I got to help design with the super talented Jeff Matsuda! The costume will be featured in the upcoming video game, Comic Conquest. Tell us about the process of getting ready for a Cosplay event. The day I’m going to wear a costume it normally takes around 2 hours. One hour for make-up and prep, one hour for wig styling and piecing the costume together! It’s quite an ordeal, and some of my costumes actually require a second person to be around to help me put everything on, like my Lightning!!

You have over 307 THOUSAND fans on Facebook! That’s amazing! How did you become so well known in the Cosplay world? I ask myself that literally everyday. I truly believe that as long as you are passionate about making costumes, and you love meeting new people and sharing your work, the right opportunities will come your way! And a lot of luck always helps!! You also have a YouTube channel - tell us about that. What do you use that for? I created a youtube channel only so that I would be able to post blogs for my fans on facebook! That’s really the only reason it’s there, just another way I get to interact with those who love cosplay! Do you attend many Cospaly events? I do, normally I will do 1-2 conventions a month. My favorite events are ones that have a lot to do with

OVER

307,000

FACEBOOK FANS!

Adam Patrick Murray | www.adampatrickmurray.com

video games! But my favorite events to cosplay at are anime conventions. Are you a gamer? If so, what’s your all time favourite game? Yes! I love everything Playstation haha! I am a shameless Sony fangirl. My favorite video game series is Metal Gear Solid! The third one is my favorite. And finally, where can people go to find out more about you?

Adam Patrick Murray | www.adampatrickmurray.com

“I TRULY BELIEVE THAT AS LONG AS YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT MAKING COSTUMES, AND YOU LOVE MEETING NEW PEOPLE AND SHARING YOUR WORK, THE RIGHT OPPORTUNITIES WILL COME YOUR WAY! ”

www.twitter.com/misshabit www.facebook.com/amiehabit www.youtube.com/amielynnofficial

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/AMIEHABIT

Adam Patrick Murray | www.adampatrickmurray.com

Mike Rollerson Photography | www.facebook.com/MikeRollersonPhotography

Adam Patrick Murray | www.adampatrickmurray.com

COSPLAYER

EVEY DANTÈS COSPLAYER FROM AUSTRALIA

We interviewed Evey Dantès, a 22 year old Cosplayer from Sydney, who’s favourite character to cosplay is Harley Quinn.. Read all about her here!

party I’ve ever had has been dress up. Growing up I was Batdog (My own dog version of Batman) more than I was ever myself.

Hi Evey, tell us abit about yourself..

My favorite thing about cosplay is the way I feel when I’ve done my best to capture a character, I feel like I become them. Seeing the faces of people and especially children when they recognize my character is a pretty amazing feeling, I feel so honored when people want photos with me or such!

So I’m Evey Dantès, I’m a 22 year old cosplayer from South of Sydney. I spend my spare time watching series/movies, sewing or mindlessly scrolling the internet. How and when did you get into Cosplay? My sister got me into cosplay about 3 years ago when she took me to my first convention. She had dragged me along to it after months of begging me to join her and I loved it. I couldn’t get over how confident these people seemed dressed up as their favorite characters and how much effort they had put into their costumes. I’ve always been a costume person. I think every birthday

What do you love about Cosplay?

Who’s your favourite character to cosplay and why? My favorite character to cosplay will always be Harley Quinn. I feel that of all the characters I love she is the one I see myself the most in. When I dress up as Harley, I am Harley. Do you attend many Cosplay events? I do attend a lot of conventions but

nothing beats sitting at home watching my favorite shows dressed up in the characters from it. The best part about conventions is seeing my friends and all these people in their amazing costumes that they put a lot of hard work into. Are you a gamer? Any favourite games? I get asked all the time if I’m a gamer girl and the truth is no. I wouldn’t call myself a gamer. I do enjoy quite a few games such as; the Bioshock series, Alice Madness returns, Grand Theft Auto (especially 5), Borderlands, any of the Batman games and the Sims, way too keen for Sims 4. I also still play Age of Empires and Roller-coaster Tycoon every now and then! Who are your favourite Cosplayers & why? My favorite cosplayer would definitely be Katyuska Moonfox (www. facebook.com/KatyuskaMoonFox)

Easton Chang Photography | www.eastonchang.com

She is probably the most amazing person I know and has always supported me and made time for me. I’ve found so many amazing friends through cosplay, it would take me forever to list them all but I think it’s really important for cosplayers to support each other and I’m glad the majority of cosplayers already do this!

“SEEING THE FACES OF PEOPLE AND ESPECIALLY CHILDREN WHEN THEY RECOGNIZE MY CHARACTER IS A PRETTY AMAZING FEELING..”

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/EVEY.DANTES.INFERNO

Easton Chang Photography | www.eastonchang.com

“I’VE ALWAYS BEEN A COSTUME PERSON. I THINK EVERY BIRTHDAY PARTY I’VE EVER HAD HAS BEEN DRESS UP.” WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/EVEY.DANTES.INFERNO Andy Wana Photography | www.facebook.com/AndyWanaPhotography

WhatABigCamera Photography | www.whatabigcamera.com

Easton Chang Photography | www.eastonchang.com

COSPLAYER

John Pryke | www.facebook.com/JohnPrykePhoto

KATYUSKA MOONFOX COSPLAYER FROM AUSTRALIA

After speaking to Evey Dantes, we tracked down cosplayer Katyuska Moonfox who Evey spoke so foundly of! Here’s what she had to say.. Hi and welcome to Live Magazine. Tell us abit about yourself..

Hi there! I’m Katyuska and I’m a cosplayer from Brisbane, Australia! How and when did you get into Cosplay? I first got into cosplay back in 2007, conventions were something I hadn’t really heard of or experienced before and a couple of friends from school thought it would be a fun idea to go! Of course I didn’t understand the extent of cosplay back then and just how accurate peoples costumes were, I threw something which resembled one of my favorite final fantasy characters and rocked up. Was a little embarrassing to be honest but too much fun not to go again! What I love about cosplay was the fact I could be anyone I wanted to, I got to

wear clothes I thought were cool in a way that represented my fandoms! Now I still feel that but also get to share my costumes and fandoms with a lot of people and it’s an awesome feeling. Who’s your favourite character to cosplay and why? Hmmmm my favourite characters are always changing but as a cosplayer I feel my favourite character to cosplay is always the most comfortable to wear. Most costumes can be really out there and cool but uncomfortable as all hell! Kasumi is probably the most comfortable for me! Bayonetta was crazy fun but because my guns were screwed to my shoes I kept wobbling and not stepping far ahead enough. Do you attend many Cosplay events? I’d love to travel and visit more conventions and I do go to Brisbane and occasionally Sydney ones. All de-

pends on if I can afford it, costume making sucks a lot of money! How long does it usually take to get ready for a Cosplay event? Getting ready for a cosplay event takes a couple of hours. If I’m not rushing to fix things up, makeup will take a good hour plus wig styling and costumes with fiddly bits can take ages to put on. I’m usually late to a convention and rock up around midday. I need to work on that I think. You have over 600 thousand fans on Facebook! How did you become so well known in the Cosplay world? Cosplay has become increasingly popular outside of those who actually cosplay themselves and it’s become a lot more socially acceptable. Gaming, anime and pop culture in general are taking over the world. I think I just got lucky to be honest.

Andy Wana Photography | www.facebook.com/AndyWanaPhotography

How do you keep all your fans interested in your work? Do you interact with them through social media, post regularly? I like to post more about the things I love and provoke discussions with people on my page about games I like and other things. Share other great cosplayers’ work. I like to think I’m offering a culture to people and not just myself. Are you a gamer? If so, what’s your all time favourite game? My all time favorite game is Final Fantasy 8. It was my first Final Fantasy game I played and stuck with me the most. I felt a lot of the plot wasn’t spoon-fed to you and you really had to read between the lines to understand it. I have a lot of personal theories on it. Overall it’s a big part of my life. I do love gaming in general but prefer story over gameplay. RPG’s are my thing.

Do you look up to/inspired by any particular Cosplayers? To be completely honest I’m inspired by all cosplayers. It’s not about recognition, I look to quality and dedication. I have a lot to learn and I’m still very much a mediocre costumer and am always looking learn things from people. When I first went to a convention I felt at home, everyone was so lovely. I see every cosplayer and convention goer as a potential friend. We’re all joined together by something we love.

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And finally, where can people find out more about you.. You can find more about me on my Facebook page or DeviantART:

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/KATYUSKAMOONFOX WWW.MOONFOXULTIMA.DEVIANTART.COM

KATYUSKA MOONFOX John Pryke | www.facebook.com/JohnPrykePhoto

John Pryke | www.facebook.com/JohnPrykePhoto

KATYUSKA MOONFOX

COSPLAY

PHOTOGRAPHER

RYAN LEASURE COSPLAY PHOTOGRAPHER FROM USA

We discovered this amazing photographer after talking to Sara Moni, who has photographs taken of her by Ryan Leasure. Born & raised in Phoenix, Arizona, he creates unreal photographs, and explains how it’s all done right here at Live magazine! Welcome to Live Magazine Ryan could you tell us abit about yourself? Where do you live & what you do? Well, first off, I just want to thank you so much for asking me to do this interview. I was born in Phoenix, Arizona and have lived here my entire life. Yes, it really does get to 115 in the summer! For the past seven years, I have been working for a photography studio as a retouch artist/graphic designer. About eight months ago, I decided that I wanted to do more than just retouch people’s skin all day. So I picked up a camera and started to shoot friends, co-workers, and whoever who would let me take their picture, honestly. I completely

fell in love with the whole process and have been hooked ever since. We’ve seen some awesome superhero/Cosplay photography. How did you get into this genre? It’s quite funny actually because I had no idea what Cosplay was originally. One of my coworkers said he had a friend who did Cosplay and that I should take her pictures because my style would fit in great. My response was, “what the heck is Cosplay?” He then explained the whole Cosplay concept to me, and because I was already a huge nerd for super heroes, I became really engaged with photographing cosplay models. Do you have a favourite Super Hero? It’s so hard to choose because each one has really cool abilities, but at the moment, it would probably be Flash. Being able to have super speed would be amazing!

Can you tell us abit about the process of making these images? Is there alot of editing/adding effects after the photos are taken? Mostly all of my work that you see is composited. This means that I shoot my background and models separately and use Photoshop to combine them into one image. I photograph the models inside a studio on a white background and then cut them out and place them in the background. I have a couple of techniques that I use to get my unique style but mostly it is just dodging and burning. I am a huge fun of adding special effects like fog, gunfire, rocks flying, explosions, etc. Anything that helps bring the image together. There is a good amount of time involved into my images. It usually takes around 2-3 hours of Photoshop work for each image. For some of my big composites, like the Justice League Fight Scene, it can take up to 20-25 hours.

“PHOENIX IS ACTUALLY A HOT SPOT FOR COSPLAYERS SO I FEEL REALLY FORTUNATE TO BE LIVING HERE WITH SO MANY GREAT OPPORTUNITIES.” WWW.RYANLEASURE.COM Left & above model: KatyBear | www.facebook.com/katybear1031

Song Ja Park | www.facebook.com/LoveSongJaPark

How do you choose locations for these shoots? Do you discuss with the model/Cosplayer beforehand or is that all up to you? My photo shoots are completely planned and thought out. I never go into a photo shoot and just “wing it”. I try to plan my shoots a couple of weeks in advance so me and the cosplayer can come up with a game plan. The first thing obviously is to figure out what character the model wants to do. Then we start brainstorming on what a good location would be for that character. Afterwards, I go and shoot that location by myself to get a good background that would match perfectly with that character. For example, in my Lady Punisher composite, I knew that I wanted the scene to be dark and grungy. I went and explored and found these random old grungy pillars in a rock field, and went from there. I love exploring new scenes and finding unique places that really catch my eye.

Elizabeth Wither | www.facebook.com/ElizabethWitherCosplay

What gear do you use for a shoot? I use a cannon 5d, Canon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 Lens, Alien Bee Lights, and Westcott umbrellas. But I can’t stress this enough! IT IS NOT ABOUT THE GEAR YOU HAVE OR DON’T HAVE! Just use what you have, buy what you can afford, and then do the best possible job you can with what you have. Don’t let the gear stop you from creating beautiful work. Where do you find these Cosplayers to photograph, at Cosplay events, through social media, friends? When I first started out I would just message Cosplayers through Facebook telling them “hey, I would love to work with you, here is a link to my portfolio, let me know what you think.” Phoenix is actually a hot spot for Cosplayers so I feel really fortunate to be living here with so many great opportunities. I actually have never been to a Cosplay event but I

am going to my first one at Amazing Arizona Comic Con in Phoenix on January 24th! Do you have any new projects coming up? Yes I do! In 2014, I plan on creating another epic fight scene like I did with the Justice League. I also plan on doing some free online photography/Photoshop tutorials to help other photographers learn and improve their skills. And finally, where can we go to see more of your work? People can find my work at:

www.ryanleasure.com or my Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/ RyanLeasurePhotography

Justice League of Arizona | www.facebook.com/JusticeLeagueArizona

WWW.RYANLEASURE.COM

Justice League of Arizona | www.facebook.com/JusticeLeagueArizona

WWW.RYANLEASURE.COM

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Victoria Bacchus Marsh......................... (03) 5367 0717 Highpoint................................... (03) 9317 0188 Gametraders LIVE Mildura........ (03) 5023 7702

Can’t see what you want in-store or on our website? Check out our product directory! Terms & Conditions February Magazine valid until 28/02/14, unless specified otherwise. Stock is subject to availability and change without notice and may vary from store to store. No Rain Checks. All dates and prices are correct at the time of printing.

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