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14 32 50 WELCOME TO LIVE! 106 Welcome to Live Magazine and our July edition. This month we’re taking an indepth look at gaming icons… those characters that sold consoles, games and a ton of merchandise. Icons like Mario, Sonic and a whole lot more including the newer icons that are now established characters that can make a game simply by being on the game cover. We also take an in-depth look at the latest event in Australia - Supanova in Sydney… there’s a ton of great photos to browse thanks to Scott F Sowter who also got to interview Manu Bennet. Plus resident photographer Blake Robertson did an amazing job of capturing the energy and the fun of the day! We were fortunate enough to get a first look at the hot title Destiny! It’s a must read! See page 32 for our full cover on the game from our friends at Sticky Trigger! Our U.S writer Serwa Aaboagye believes the Wii U is poised for a comeback thanks to their showing at E3. What do you think..? Is the Wii U finally going to make it big? We’ve got a ton of amazing reviews and previews plus the always popular cosplay section now brought to you by our Cosplay Live website and event… details on this little secret soon. Theres something for everyone this month - keep warm or if you are in the northern hemisphere - keep cool. Rob Jenkins
Feature: Classic Game Characters First Look: Destiny
Previews & Reviews
Cosplay interviews
THE LIVE TEAM Publisher: Rob Jenkins (Gametraders Operations Centre) Art Director: Giselle Capozza (Gametraders Operations Centre) Game Review & Preview Editors: Nick Getley & Kylie Tuttle (Sticky Trigger) Retro Writer: Paul Monopoli 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 Bridget Sweeney Sean Fox Miranda Nelson Dom Mallett Matthew Raspe Tim Arnold
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FIRE UP THAT PHONE! Amazon announced the brand new Fire Phone as their next step into mobile computing. Amazon already produce the tablet, Kindle Fire and the new Kindle TV unit, both designed to compete with Google, Samsung and Apple, and now the Fire Phone. The new Fire Phone claims to be the only smartphone with Dynamic Perspective - tilt, auto-scroll, swivel and peek to navigate and access shortcuts and all with one hand. It also comes with a new technology called Firefly Technology - where you press the Firefly button and instantly identify and take action on phone numbers, web, TV, movies, music and more. Will it hit Australia? We’ll have to wait and see. For all the details visit: www.amazon.com/Amazon-Fire-Phone-32GB-AT/dp/B00EOE0WKQ
WHAT’S NEW?
MISSING PS4 FEATURES WHERE ARE YOU? Sony has promised that the features they announced last year will soon be on your PS4. the “sleep” feature along with allowing friends to take over games via the net are not yet on our consoles but the promise is they will be soon. While we’re on PS4, it seems the black box from Sony is outselling the other black box from Microsoft, at least in North America. According to PS4 Daily it’s the 5th straight month that the PS4 has been on top. Have you got yours?
BEATS BY DR. DRE
While we’re all waiting to see if Apple will soon release the iPhone 6, we do know that they have bought Beats by Dr Dre. The $3 billion purchase is one of the largest by Apple, but in a bit of bad news FIFA did ban Beats headphones from being worn in the World Cup stadiums. Let’s hope that FIFA don’t ever get an underwear sponsor or getting in is going to take a heck of a lot longer!
gaming in the US
WII U: AAA BEHEMOTH, FINALLY
For a console that’s well into the second year of its life cycle, the Wii U has not been met with the critical and public success of its much younger generational rivals – PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. However, despite disappointing sales achievements thus far, Nintendo is now poised for a brilliant comeback thanks to a dazzling showing at this year’s E3. From familiar faces like Mario and Link, to unexpected appearances by Bayonetta and Xenoblade, and even an intriguing new initiative called amiibo, Nintendo left its fans with a lot to be excited about this year. And while both Sony and Microsoft got me excited about video games at this year’s E3, Nintendo got me excited about Nintendo. As I watched the Nintendo E3 Digital Event with hopeful reservation and intense captivation, I couldn’t help
such as Legend of Zelda, Super Smash Bros., Star Fox, Pokémon, and Mega Man. Gamers who were not only concerned about the state of Nintendo these past couple years, but also saddened at the seemingly diminished shadow of the giant developer. So it was with great joy and enthusiasm that I watched Nintendo exhibit their monopoly on nostalgia and remind us all why we love Nintendo in the first place. As Reggie Fils-Aime, President and Chief Operating Officer of Nintendo America said so beautifully, “Those who love Nintendo know that no matter what’s going on in our lives, we can always count on these games.” 2015 is going to be the year of Nintendo, and it feels damn good to say that. Super Smash Bros. remains the biggest title on everyone’s mind, with the 3DS version being released
way to Wii U – introducing us to an open world epic reminiscent of earlier Zelda installations. Other 2015 titles to look forward to include classics such as Mario Party and Star Fox, while Nintendo continues to offer fresh experiences in upcoming games like Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, Yoshi’s Wooly World, Bayonetta, Xenoblade, and Splatoon. Each of these upcoming titles promises to recapture the delightful and addicting gameplay only Nintendo can offer. Unfortunately there is no new Mario on the horizon, but Nintendo didn’t leave its Mario fans empty handed. Mario: Mario Maker is a revolutionary 2D Mario level construction kit title which guarantees to bring innovative originality to the Wii U fan base. Why announce the next big Super Mario Bros. installment when
“NINTENDO IS CASHING IN ON OUR CHILDHOOD MEMORIES BY PROMISING US NEW MEMORIES WITH THE CHARACTERS WE’VE GROWN TO LOVE...” but feel like I was sharing the moment with gamers worldwide. Gamers who didn’t know the definition of “fanboy” and whose video game libraries expanded across multiple platforms. Gamers whose childhoods were defined by iconic titles
in October and the Wii U version following shortly thereafter, bringing 2014 to a smashing conclusion (see what I did there?). And while we’re all kicking each other’s asses with our own personal Mii Fighters, The Legend of Zelda will be on its
you can just let the fans create the next great Mario game themselves? Good call, Nintendo! Much like LittleBigPlanet and MineCraft, Mario: Mario Maker is sure to develop a rich and enthralling online community, deeply rooted in the Wii U’s
continued development. Even more notable, however, is Mario Maker’s potential implication on the rest of the Nintendo universe – Mario Kart Maker, anyone? Revealing an all-star lineup of both original and new first-party games, unique hardware innovation, and an irresistible charm, Nintendo has proved its gamble on Wii U is about to pay off. Nintendo is cashing in on our childhood memories by promising us new memories with the characters we’ve grown to love; a familiar plan, but a plan that will work time and time again. By getting back to the basics and reminding us why we all love to play video games, Nintendo has roared back to life. And that’s something we can all be excited about.
Written by Serwa Aboagye Twitter: @serwaaboagye
gaming in the UK
E3 & MORE!
Last month the world was wowed with some amazing new games and tech from the E3 event held in the US. This has some tongues wagging over here in the UK and there are a lot of people who are chomping at the bit to get their hands on some of these games coming out! The first game that has caused a lot of chatter has to be Destiny! If you were one of the lucky ones who got access to one of the Alpha codes, you would understand why Destiny is looking to be one of the BEST games to come out of 2014! Bungie, the developers behind Halo are definitely on to a winner here! A first person shooter set in space that isn’t a sequel! It’s a whole new, standalone game and it’s definitely going to be a big seller when its released in September. The Beta access will be available this month so if you can get your hands on a code, I suggest you play it! So many amazing titles were announced! Assassins Creed Unity,
ever, there is always a downside to E3. It’s the time when we find out that games that we were expecting to be released this year have been pushed into 2015! :( Victims of the ‘E3 push back’ this year were titles such as The Order 1886 and Batman Arkham Knight which in my opinion is the worse news this year! A lot of people have been looking forward to the new Batman instalment; however we will all just have to wait now! Delaying a game can sometimes be a blessing in disguise. It means that more content can be included or the developer wants to make changes to the game play or the visual quality of the game. This is all good in theory, but it kills us gamers who have been waiting for what feels like an eternity! It was also great to see that there was some realness to the roumours that have been circulating for months and months – the Playstation 4 will be sold as a limited edition with the
when you work out the price of the PS4 and the Vita alone, but heres hoping someone locks in a price really soon! On the Nintendo front, we didn’t really see as much as what we were hoping to have. A little disappointing as Nintendo needs to make a comeback and soon! One game that may help Nintendo is StarFox due for release on the Wii-U in 2015! My pick for games to watch out for over the rest of 2014: • Destiny (September) • Borderlands: The Prequel (October) • Evolve (October) • Assassins Creed Unity (November) Well that’s it from me in the UK folks! Will be back next month for the latest goss on the games scene over here!
“...THE PLAYSTATION 4 WILL BE SOLD AS A LIMITED EDITION WITH THE PSVITA!” Call of Duty Advanced Warfare, Battlefield: Hardline and the list goes on and on! Gamers will be spoilt for choice later this year when these titles and more are released. How-
PSVita! There haven’t been any con- Written by Elliott Buddo firmed prices at this stage, but the ru- www.stickytriggerentertainment.com mour mill is suggesting that we here in the UK could be looking at about 579 pounds. Not any real savings
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CLASSIC GAME feature article
TOP 10 CLASSIC GAME CHARACTERS
Whether it was in the dimly lit arcades or in the comfort of our lounge rooms , we’ve witnessed the classic gaming eras most memorable characters, narrowing it down to 10 is going to be tough. So with that said, if I’ve left out your favourite character, I apologize in advance.
#10 SOLID SNAKE
#9 CLOUD STRIFE
Appearing first on the MSX and then the Nintendo Entertainment System, what set the Metal Gear series apart from the norm at the time was the stealth. Whereas Contra had you running through “Gung Ho” and blasting everything in sight, Solid Snake was more of a smooth operator and relied on his wits to get him through sticky situations. Solid Snake really came into his own with the release of Metal Gear Solid on the Sony Playstation. This is where creator Hideo Kiama’s imagination could run free, not limited to the 8 bit systems, Hideo had polygons and CD quality sound to play with. What came out on the other end was one of the most iconic tactical espionage games ever released. Solid Snakes character now had a voice, and some amazing visuals and gameplay mechanics to boot. He was the gruff badass who always knew what to do.
Final Fantasy 7 was a momentous game for Squaresoft and Final Fantasy fans everywhere. The shift from the 16 bit era to the 32 bit was a huge one. Gone were the Super Deformed 2D character sprites and in rolled in the polygons, stunning backgrounds all married with yet another amazing musical score by Nobuo Uematsu. Final Fantasy had finally gone next gen. The protagonist of the story was Cloud Strife, a young man who believes he’s a member of an elite fighting team called SOLDIER. Cloud is a character that always caught the eye, if he didn’t win you over with his tale in the game already. The very first promotional posters that came out from Japan advertising Final Fantasy 7, pictures Cloud, looking off towards the town of Midgard in the distance. But what really caught my eye initially was the freakishly huge sword on his back. Not being much of an RPG buff prior, this really piqued my interest. And come November 17 1997, I ventured down to my local rental place and was first in line to grab it. Clouds ability to be a great leader, as well as show compassion for his friends was
E CHARACTERS #8 RYU
some great selling points, and as the story unfolds we learn there’s a much more tragic side to this brave hero.
Street Fighter 2 was the biggest thing to hit the arcades ever….yes..EVER! 1991 was a huge year for Capcom as they unveiled their brand-new 1 on 1 fighter to an audience who were getting tired of the staples of Beat em up or space shooters. It was a smash hit. It was the first Arcade game to incorporate the now classic 6 button set up (3 punches 3 kicks), and with a roster of larger than life characters, they were on to a winner. Shift forward to present day and a slew of sequels, side games and variations, Street Fighter is as popular as ever and its latest iteration of Ultra Street Fighter 4 is still wooing the fight fans. One Character that has been there from day one has been good old Ryu. Featuring in the not so great original Street Fighter, an arcade cabinet that used pressure sensitive pads to allow you to tap soft for jab and smash the button for hard. Ryu came against a slew of opponents that would continue to be Street Fighter staples such as Ken and Sagat. The roaming fighter with a huge appetite was instantly recognizable from his white Gi (karate outfit) red headband and his uncanny ability to throw blue fireballs. I’m willing to bet that anyone who stepped anywhere near an arcade in the 90s has heard his battle cry at least a few dozen times…HADOUKEN!!
CLASSIC GAME #7 LINK
Nintendo’s Zelda franchise amazed gamers with their first entry into the series with the Legend of Zelda. What was so special about it? A huge world to be explored, dangerous caves, a roster of monsters to slay, a princess to save and the Mighty Ganon to destroy and it was all up to the brave elfish looking Link. In 1986, this was something new and amazing. Prior to Zelda we had typing adventures where we were solely left to our imaginations. So to see it all play out in front of us on our Nintendo Entertainment System for the first time was mind-blowing. Links adventures spawned many other games from “A link to the Past” on the Super Nintendo, to “Ocarina of Time” on the Nintendo 64. It gave Nintendo fans a solid adventure game with strong characters and memorable storytelling.
#6 GALAGA SPACESHIP Not really a character per se, but definitely an iconic sprite in classic gaming. Galaga, made by Namco, was one of the first fast paced side to side space shooters to come out after the initial run of Space Invaders clones. The days when high scores prevailed and storylines weren’t necessary, Galaga had you strafing left and right firing away at a slew of enemy space ships. Occasionally you could allow one of your fighters to get caught by the enemy, only to capture it again and have double firepower! With smooth flowing character sprites, memorable sound effects and a catchy main theme, Galaga is the top ranked early space shooter in my book.
#5 DIRK DARING When Dragons Lair was unleashed in to the arcades in 1983, everyone’s jaws dropped. “it’s like playing a cartoon!!” we all shrieked in excitement. Dragons Lair looked amazing. Coupling the amazing animations of ex- Disney animator Don Bluth and a gameplay system that could be touted as the very first game to use “quick time events” , it was flashy, but most of all a coin guzzler. The Princess had been kidnapped by the Dragon and it was up to the courageous Dirk Daring to save her. Traversing through a castle full of traps, orcs, snakes, whirlpools, flying electric horses and so much more, the player had to quickly react to what was happening on screen with either a directional move or a button press to use the sword. This resulted in a heck of a lot of trial and error as the slightest mistimed or wrong move meant certain death. Since its release, it’s become a fan favourite and has its own cult following, even to the point that it’s been released on iOS and Android phones to fulfil your adventurous ambitions…without forking out a pocket full of coins to continue…
E CHARACTERS #4 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG Sonic was Sega’s answer to Mario. Despite eventually losing to the moustached plumber, Sonic still held his own with a great selection of games that adorned the Sega Megadrive. What blew gamers away was his speed, as he spun through levels at full pace weaving in and out of loops and tunnels, putting the MegaDrives “Blast Processing” to the limit. Whereas Mario liked jumping on heads and throwing fireballs, Sonic had the speed and spikes to do away with his foes. With the inclusions of some wacky bonus levels and slick design Sonic was a system seller and now the official Sega Mascot (poor Alex Kidd and Opa Opa). Sadly later instalments of the Sonic franchise never lived up to his predecessors, and aside from his first Dreamcast title in Sonic Adventure, Sonic started to fade into a world of sub-par games which further alienated the fans. Still, Sega fans still hold they’re head up high of what Sega achieved with Sonic, and for putting some good old fear into their Nintendo enemies across the road.
CLASSIC GAME #2 PAC-MAN
#3 MARIO Starting out as simply “Jump man” in Nintendo’s Donkey Kong, Mario graduated to his own single screen game with his brother Luigi simply entitled Mario Brothers. Then, the unthinkable happened. Super Mario Bros, one of the first side scrolling platformers was released on the Nintendo Entertainment system. Gamers went wild. Mario’s mission was to save the Princess by nimbly and acrobatically getting through all 8 worlds and get past the menacing King Koopa. With precision perfect controls, warp zones and sublime gameplay, Super Mario Bros was an instant classic. Since then, nothing has stopped the Plumber, he’s refereed Boxing Matches in Mike Tyson’s Punch Out, Prescribed you drugs in Dr Mario, Raced Karts in Mario Kart and even had his own RPG on the Super Nintendo. Mario is without a doubt Nintendo’s Juggernaut and I can’t see him slowing anytime soon. Plush toys, figurines, numerous games each year and probably even toilet paper are just a few of the things Mario adorns. His success is ultimately down to the games themselves, even though most feel the same these days, they still pack a tonne of fun and a great challenge. Certainly a recipe for success.
Wokka Wokka Wokka! Pac-Man burst into our arcades in 1980.A simple game pitting the ever hungry Pacman against a team of ghosts in a maze full of pellets. Weird idea to the uninitiated, but Pacman, is one of the most recognisable games of all time. Steering Pacman around the maze eluding the ghosts, collecting fruit and occasionally grabbing a Power Pellet to turn Pac into a ghost eating machine was a simple idea but oh so fun. Pro players like Billy Mitchell, would memorise paths in the game to achieve the ultimate result, a perfect game, before the games circuit board would go into glitch mode (Kill Screen) and reset. Pacman, while not as ridiculously marketed as Mario, still had some success with follow up games. Ms Pacman, and Pacman Jr were some of the earlier ones to use the original formula, whereas later games like Pac Land put Pacman into a sidescrolling scenario as opposed to the good old maze. Still to this day, not many games come close to the frenetic gameplay that the original Pacman offered. A true classic.
E CHARACTERS #1 DONKEY KONG Picking number 1 was a pretty hard decision as honestly the top 3 could all fit the number 1 slot, but, with the popularity of Donley Kong in recent years thanks to the likes of the documentaries such as “King of KongA fistful of quarters” and “Dr Kong” I had to choose Nintendo’s classic. Donkey Kong (meaning “stupid ape” to its creators) played out on a single screen with the protagonist Jump Man jumping and climbing all the way to the top of either towers or work scaffolding all the while avoiding flames, springs, pitfalls
and barrels being thrown at him by the cheeky gorilla himself, Donkey Kong. This like most early arcade classics was all about hi scores and who could get the furthest and much like Pacman, Donkey Kong was another to suffer the same screen of death or Kill Screen when players got to a certain level in the game. Donkey Kong was a hit with gamers and moved on to other bigger and better things. Initially featuring in his own LCD games courtesy of Nintendo’s Game & Watch handheld series. Then off to the Super Nin-
tendo for a reinvented side scrolling series which wowed players and media alike. Donkey Kong Country was a smash hit for Nintendo’s 16 bit powerhouse, and was granted 2 sequels. Apart from his short stint as a Kart racer alongside Mario in the Mario Kart series, it was a little quiet for the Kong Family until the release of Donkey Kong Country Returns on the Wii, thus reigniting the fans passion for the franchise. Donkey Kong, whether the good guy, or the bad guy, is to me, currently the most notable classic gaming character in the modern day. So, there you have it, no doubt there will be a slew of “Whaaaaat?!?!? Zelda at 7?!?!” or “Mario at 3?!?! Is he drunk??” But that’s how I see it in my eyes. At the end of the day everyone has their favourites, and certain characters are more nostalgic to them, it all came down to what you played growing up, and personal taste. But whether its Donkey Kong or Mario at Number 1 spot for you, the most important thing is that you’ve had fun with these characters along the way, and hopefully continue to do so in the future.
Written by Tim Arnold
www.stickytriggerentertainment.com
Images from Wikipidea.
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KAPOW!! BATMAN HITS THE TV 60’S STYLE POW! SPLATTT! Yes, the Batman franchise not only dominated the comic books, but also had its fair share of popularity on celluloid as well.
BA
The 1966-1968 TV series was a cult classic for its time, and still has its legion of followers to this day, but what made it stand out from the norm? To the casual observer the 60s TV series is a highly camp, tongue in cheek representation of the Batman mythos. Its colourful sets, overacting characters and highly moral driven episodes are a far stretch from the dark brooding Batman world we all know and love these days. But, for its time, it really nailed the comic book feel, and while adults found it quite humorous, kids too got a kick out of seeing their Dynamic Duo face off against some of the franchises most notable villains.
Cue credits, and you would have a tonne of kids sitting on the edge of their seats itching for more. This set up with the “Cliff Hanger” ending was very popular in early TV serials such as the Flash Gordon shorts that were shown at movie theatres and even later on with good old Doctor Who. It kept the audience intrigued and wanting more.
The format of the show, (as it aired twice a week) was usually a two part story, and was linked together by having a cliff hanger ending, where the heroes were stuck in an unthinkable trap, struggling to escape as the villain cackled at their plight. The shows narrator would jump in with“Will our Dynamic Duo get the Jokers Punchline? Tune in to find out! Same Bat-Time! Same-Bat Channel!”
For me, watching as a child, I personally loved the show, it was a nice departure from Masters of The Universe and other cartoons I watched. I’d always loved super heroes growing up, Hulk, Spiderman, The Fonz (that’s another story…) but Batman was the absolute favourite. After sitting glued to the television watching the latest episode in full Batman regalia (which my Father had made
me), I’d be off outside, running around singing the iconic Batman theme and jumping off stairs in an effort to catch some make believe Super Criminals. Cue some 33 years later and I’m watching my kids do the same thing. My opinions of the show now? Still the same, mind you I’m not running around dressed as Batman (Or am I? …shhhhh..) But, I will sit there entertained as always. The in jokes, and sometimes corny humour does bring a smile to your face, as well as the moral aspects of the show, such as the importance of fastening seatbelts (labelled in the Batmobile) to consuming enough milk as a child to make your bones strong….yes, I’m serious. It’s an ageless show that rightly deserves its cult status.
ATMAN T H E
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Casting Batman has always been tricky. Take the most recent uproar over Ben Affleck being cast as the Dark Knight or the introduction of…. dare I say it? George Clooney…(errrrr.. still recovering from that one..) Initially the role was supposed to be filled by, a then, well known Footballer, and take on a more serious tone. But creator William Dozier (Who also narrated the episodes) had other ideas. His idea was to make it into the fun, comedic tongue in cheek show that it is today. Cue our heroes. Now from a pro footballer, who has a great physique and would fit the role well, we got Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin, two very unassuming actors who you would never pick as caped crusaders.
The chemistry between the Dynamic Duo is fantastic. With the actors granted the opportunity to overact and have fun with their roles, it really helps nail that whole early comic strip feel. Batman with his almost Captain Kirk-esque pauses for drama and Robin with his over enthusiastic “Holy Cow Batman!” catchphrases. The pair (although initially odd choices) work fantastically well together. Later on the series introduced Bat Girl as well, catering to a younger female audience, and no doubt selling it for the ogling Dads too. Sadly the character was introduced in the dying stages of the series and failed to hit it off with fans. Despite her short stint in the series, Bat Girl (Barbara Gordon, Daughter of
Commissioner Gordon) still provided variety and flashiness from the then stale formula. Another notable bunch of heroes to appear on the show was the Green Hornet and Kato. Green Hornet was a series running at the same time as Batman, and was trying to cash in whilst the Super Hero Iron was hot, so to speak. But most notably, the role of Kato, Green Hornets sidekick, was played by none other than Bruce Lee! Imagine Bruce Lee fighting against Batman and Robin! Well, imagine no more. It happened and it was amazing. For further reading, and laughs, read about the rivalry the actors Bruce Lee and Burt Ward had prior to filming. It ends in a very confident Lee & a very nervous Robin!
W O R T H Y O U R W H I L E ? T H E
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So, what’s Batman without some Super Villains to punch up? Well the show offered in droves, the whole DC roster of bad guys made it on the show to try and get rid of the Caped Crusaders once and for all. The most interesting part about the expansive list of enemies was that a majority of them were played by popular actors and celebrities. Some high profile personalities were champing at the bit to get on the hit show and ham it up for the cameras. Frank Gorshin, Cesar Romero, Vincent Price and even John Astin (Gomez from original Addams Family) would all be recurring characters along the series 3 season reign, and revelled at playing over the top characters and also boosting their credentials in the process. The rogue’s gallery is quite expansive, and the even borrowed villains
from other series as well such as Superman or Green Arrow. Troubling Batman were the likes of The Joker, Riddler, Penguin, Catwoman, Mad Hatter, Mr Freeze and Egghead to name but a handful. And despite their evil intentions and sometimes hilarious traps for Batman, they’d always feel the hand of justice. Not without a bit of biffo mind you.. and this is where another iconic idea was utilised to great effect. Whenever there was a bit of fisticuffs between the two opposing sides (Usually every episode) every time someone got hit the words POW!!! Or SMASHH!! would flash up onscreen, very much like they would in a comic book, to great effect. This was a revelation, and a thing that would be used for years after, some for humorous purposes and others as homage to the original series.
So you’ve read the article and are intrigued by this colourful portrayal of the Dark Knight, is it for you? Well, I tend to have a case of “Rose Tinted Glasses on” when talking about the show. But looking at it then and now, seeing my kids enjoying it, and even having a chuckle myself, I say go for it. Its campiness and over the top acting may not suit everyone’s tastes, but I stress….turn the brain off for 30 minutes, put your feet up and just let it entertain you. If you’re looking for the dark brooding Frank Miller stuff, look elsewhere. Want a chance to giggle at some silly costumes, zany narrative and terrible acting? This is your show. So tighten that utility belt, pop on your finest cape and make sure you stock up on the Shark-Repellent BatSpray because where you are about to venture to is full of adventure, action and most of all fun.
Written by Tim Arnold
www.stickytriggerentertainment.com
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ROBIN - EVEN SIDEKICKS BECOME TRUE HEROES
So… the big 75th anniversary for Batman huh? That’s all fine and dandy but….what about Robin?? Sidekicks. Some Super heroes have them, most don’t. But would Batman’s reign as Gotham’s best crime fighter be as long without the assistance of the Boy Wonder? Not likely. Robin has pulled Batman out of some pretty sticky situations in the past, and earned his stripes as a true hero away from the “shadow of the bat”. Today, all the focus has been on the Dark Knight, so to change it up a bit, let’s talk about the underdog for a bit.
A Long time ago at a circus far far away… Debuting all the way back in 1940, Robin the Boy Wonder was introduced to entice younger readers to the comic franchise of Batman, and it payed off by doubling its readership. The creators feared that Batman would get stale or boring if it was only him thinking to himself. He needed “someone to talk to and work off” That someone was Robin. Robin became a favourite amongst readers and even got his own series in 1993. He’s endured Gotham’s most notorious criminals, led the Teen Titans and Young Justice, be-
came his own hero in Nightwing and has been killed off twice! (Not all the same person…there were a few Robins) So sidekick or no, it isn’t an easy job.
Dick Grayson Dick was the first Boy Wonder. He was a part of “The Flying Graysons”, a family Circus act who’s expertise were acrobatics and the Trapeze. Dick’s parents were killed by a mobster who had been extorting money from the circus. Batman, who investigated the crime took Dick under his wing and later entrusted him to be his sidekick. Batman, designed the costume for Robin consisting of a bright yellow cape, red top, green gloves, boots and undies and a small mask to cover his eyes. (ya know, cos..no one will be able to tell his identity…just like Clark Kent’s magical glasses!) One thing that always confused me though, Batman was a creature of the night, why on earth would he dress Dick up in the most vibrant clashing colours? Yellow, green and red? Not the best colours to camouflage yourself even in the best of places.. After many years of service, Dick decided to move on to bigger and bet-
ter things. He led the Teen Titans and took up the mantle of Nightwing. Now finally away from the Father figure of Batman, Dick could be his own hero. Much later down the track Dick would also take the role of Batman himself and have his own Robin to contend with, but more about that later. So with Dick off doing his own things, Batman was without a Robin…but not for long.
Jason Todd Jason was introduced shortly after Dick’s departure to mixed emotions. He was a street orphan who was caught stealing tyres from the Batmobile. Bruce Wayne once again took this mislead youth under his wing and modelled him into the new Robin. Whereas Dick Grayson was always the “goody two shoes” Robin and ever compliant to Batman’s orders, Jason on the other hand took things into his own hands, and was a lot more brash and troublesome. This in turn alienated the readers somewhat and DC Comics had to make a choice. Do we keep him? Or do we kill him? This was a hugely televised event in the DC history, as they decided to leave the fate of Jason Todd in the
ROBIN reader’s hands. They set up a phone poll where readers could call in to say either “yay” or “nay” on Robin’s fate. The numbers were in, 5343 said kill him, and 5271 said spare him. Quite close considering the initial dislike for the character. So “Death in the Family” was written and Jason met his end at the hands of none other than the Joker. Reading this as a youngster really invoked some strong emotions in me. It was ultimately a very tragic story, where Jason was hell-bent on finding his birth mother. Being lead from one country to another he finally finds her. It’s a very heavy storyline and really pushes the emotions. You really feel for Jason and its despite him finding what he was searching for, gets everything taken away from him soon after. One of the most memorable panels I remember as a child, is Batman cradling a bloodied Jason amongst a pile of smouldering debris. Powerful stuff. Jason Todd was dead (for now at least) and Batman was alone… again.
ROBIN Tim Drake
Tim Drake came into be the new Robin after Jasons death. A witness to the original murder of Dick Grayson’s parents, Tim was always fascinated by the dynamic duo and wanted to become a great detective. After discovering their true identities thanks to some great detective work, he was invited into the fold. Tim’s Robin was received a lot more positively than Jason’s portrayal, and even spawned his own series of comics that spanned over 150 issues. Leading the Teen Titans and starting Young Justice, Drake was certainly a busy boy. He later took up the mantle of Red Robin after the disappearance of Bruce Wayne and the emergence of Damian Wayne, the son of Batman and the new Robin.
Damian Wayne The true son of Batman, and rightful heir to the “Bat-Empire”. Damian Wayne was conceived by Bruce Wayne and Tahlia Al-Ghul (daughter of Ras Al-Ghul). Damian was trained by the League of Assassins from a young age then dropped into his father’s care, who was completely unaware of his existence. Damian was trained to be a born kill-
er. This obviously didn’t sit too well with Bruce, as he was all about justice…not killing.
Damian is one of the most complex Robins to date. The fact that he’s an actual blood relative of Batman as opposed to an “adopted sidekick” really proves for interesting reading. He’s a rude, violent youth who pushes the patience of all who are around him. Even his mother states to Bruce, “He’s your problem now” Dealing with his son, Batman goes through a myriad of frustrating situations. Is he too hard on him? Should he show more compassion? Even trying to get the respect of Damian is a challenge. Damian’s strong, brash character really divided the readers. It was a case of you either loved or hated him. To be honest, when I was first introduced to him, oh boy, I really disliked him. His cockiness and attitude really grated on my nerves, but as time went on, he really grew on me. Seeing the relationship between him and his father change over the course of time, and seeing what strains Batman had to go through to get there, is amazing reading. Even the teaming of Damian and the original Robin (Dick Grayson) as Batman for a short while really opened up interesting and humor-
ous conversations between the two. It always seemed like Dick and Damian got on well as they had a respect for each other.
Sadly, like most good things, they must come to an end. Damian was killed off recently in a heart wrenching story. I mentioned earlier about how “Death in the Family” pulled on the heartstrings, seeing Batman clutching his dead son nearly had me in tears. A shock in the DC universe, which left fans of Damian’s Robin demanding he return. There is something currently brewing in the Damian forefront.. whether he returns or not will remain to be seen, one things for sure.. it will ruffle some feathers. So, that’s the brief rundown of the most celebrated Robins in the Batman Universe. I could go on to mention Carrie Kelley from the Frank Miller “Dark Knight Returns” comics or even Stephanie Brown, one time girlfriend of Tim Drake, but…Id be here all day. So, whilst you all enjoy the 75th anniversary of the Dark Knight, blow up a few extra balloons, light up a few more candles for the cake and always remember… Even sidekicks become true heroes!
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Written by Tim Arnold
www.stickytriggerentertainment.com
“SEEING BATMAN CLUTCHING HIS DEAD SON NEARLY HAD ME IN TEARS.” Images from Wikipidea.
FAVOURITE CHARACTER opinion
WE ASK INDUSTRY EXPERTS THEIR OPINION ON WHO THEIR FAVOURITE GAME CHARACER IS AND WHERE THEY SEE THEM IN THE FUTURE... Without a doubt, my favourite video game character is none other than Vega from Capcom’s Street Fighter series. A narcissist and sadist in every sense of the word, he would happily spend as much time admiring himself in the mirror as he would battling the world’s warriors, so much so that he brings a mask with him to every battle to ensure that his beautiful face makes it out unscathed and a claw to give him that extra advantage! What appealed to me about Vega was his unique character design and move set within the Street Fighter universe. As an impressionable teenager who grew up with a love of martial arts movies, the fact that he would bring his claw to the fight was mind blowing and his aerial, high flying moves (his Izuna Drop in particular) were flashy and looked great. This coupled with the fact that he was also the only character who could directly interact with the background in his stage by being able to climb up and jump off the fence to perform his special attacks was again just further added to his appeal!
The fact that the Street Fighter IV games have been a resounding success and resurrected the franchise from the brink of death should hopefully pave the way to a 5th game in the series and my hope would be that Vega would be one of the past characters chosen to make up the new cast! Further to that, given Capcom’s penchant for doing crossover games with other companies (Marvel vs Capcom, Capcom vs SNK etc), I would sincerely love for them to once again team up with SNK Playmore and give us a sequel to the much loved Capcom vs SNK series, of course featuring Vega front and centre!
Written by Mark Cassar www.retrodomination.com
“WHAT APPEALED TO ME ABOUT VEGA WAS HIS UNIQUE CHARACTER DESIGN AND MOVE SET WITHIN THE STREET FIGHTER UNIVERSE.”
“MORTE FROM PLANESCAPE TORMENT. THAT SAID, BEING OLDER, ALL HIS SEXUAL INNUENDO IS A LOT MORE CREEPY NOW I UNDERSTAND IT BETTER.” I’ve been thinking about this for some time, my first thought was Boney from Monkey Island, the hilarious demonic talking skull who slanders you. But then I realised the true demonic talking skull of my heart, Morte from Planescape Torment. That said, being older, all his sexual innuendo is a lot more creepy now I understand it better. Where do I see him in the future? Well recently a Kickstarter for ‘Torment: Tides of Numenéra’ was successfully funded, but is only a thematic sequel. So I suppose is see Morte continuing to live on in my memory as a bad ass empty brain box.
Written by Danica Zuks www.XXPgames.com
This is a really tough question to answer - there are so many amazing characters in gaming, and they are great for so many different reasons. From the towering narrative-driven triumph of John Marston, to the smooth-talking, quick-stabbing Ezio, or silent yet compelling Link, my favourites are so many and so varied that I am at a loss to choose. I think I am drawn to stories, though, and so John Marston probably wins this round - but I don’t think Red Dead Redemption needs a sequel. Ezio’s story line is all wrapped up, and it seems that Ubisoft is concerning itself with creating many different Assassins now, rather than following an individual throughout their life, as they did with Ezio - I would like to see another female assassin, though, Ubi - so I suppose I will go with Link. I see him remaining silent and stalwart from this day, until the end of days, but I would very much like to see him given a little bit of personality - or perhaps a bit more age. A gritty, middle-aged Link is a pipe dream of mine.
Written by Meghan Coles
My favourite game character isn’t a main protagonist, isn’t a hulking mass of might or wisdom, or even part of the much-loved ‘white dude with stubble’ archetype, which I do admit to having favor over… No, no matter what I do or play, I can’t look past the one and only Garrus Vakarian, from Mass Effect fame. In a series which is absolutely chokers full of superbly written, acted and executed original characters, it’s hard to pinpoint who actually stands out. But from the first meeting with Garrus in Mass Effect 1, right up until the ending of the Third, Garrus was by my lonely Shepard’s side, and I shan’t ever forget. From his witty comments and conversations no matter the danger or scenario, to the surprisingly relatable and meaning-
ful, deep chats Shepard can have with him throughout the saga, Garrus is layered beyond anyone else I’ve seen in a game, and to top it off, badass to boot. Truly, he was one of the main reasons I loved the series. As for where he may end up in the future, that it, officially, quite unclear. A new Mass Effect was recently confirmed at E3, but the timeframe is still unclear, so whether or not he is destined to rear his beautiful head ever again is just as uncertain. If cannon permitting, I really do hope we see him at the very least make a fanserving cameo in a future ME title, but I won’t hold my breath. In a perfect world, Garrus would get his own spin-off game… ah, I can dream. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m in the middle of some calibrations.
Written by Jade Raven
www.stickytriggerentertainment.com
www.XXPgames.com
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DESTINY - ALPHA - FIRST LOOK
Gamers are passionate and intelligent people and because of this, we quite often know what games we like and don’t like. Gamers will often try to refer their friends to a certain game, only to be told by a friend “Nah, I’m good. I don’t like shooters” or “That sounds cool, but JRPGs aren’t really my thing.” This frame of mind often extends to publishers and developers as well and that’s fair enough. Certain developers have certain creative styles that some of us simply can’t enjoy, or find hard to embrace. For example, I’ve played every Halo game except ODST and Halo Wars and I just simply didn’t enjoy them. I’ve been critical of Bungie and Halo games in the past and I didn’t think I would ever truly enjoy a Bungie game. How incredibly wrong I was! Since its announcement, there has been information slowly trickling forth about Bungie’s upcoming multiplatform game, ‘Destiny’. The game never really became a priority for me (or even something I followed closely) until recently and even then you could have labelled me as “cautious” about the game. I recently received an invite to a public alpha of Destiny (a playable build of the game still in development) and I’m not ready to say goodbye to the game yet. I can’t get enough of it. It truly is a fantastic game, even in alpha! Before I get
ahead of myself though, I should probably do a quick introduction for those of you unaware of Bungie and their upcoming masterpiece, Destiny. Bungie Studios was formed in 1991 by Alex Saropian who later brought in developer Jason Jones after publishing his game, Minotaur: The Labyrinths of Crete. They released Marathon in 1994 for the Apple Macintosh computer system and the game would receive two sequels in the following years. Bungie’s big break, however, would be when they completely re-worked a third-person shooter they were developing for Apple and turn it into a first-person shooter for Microsoft. That game was Halo: Combat Evolved. Since Halo’s first title in 2001, the series has grossed over $3.4 billion, breaking a number of sales records and being compared to Star Wars by experts, due to its cultural impact. Bungie was bought by Microsoft in 2000, but split from them in 2007 to return to their independent roots. In 2010, free from the pressures of being Microsoft’s go-to developer for Halo, they were able to set their sights on a new intellectual property – Destiny. Now, finally, a playable build of the game has arrived and not only has it made me a Destiny addict, it’s made me a Bungie believer.
DESTINY IS CURRENTLY IN “ALPHA” STATE, WHICH MEANS THE GAME COULD CHANGE RADICALLY BEFORE ENTERING BETA AND REACHING ITS FINAL BUILD (THE FINISHED GAME). SOME CONTENT MENTIONED IN THIS HANDS-ON PREVIEW COULD BE ALTERED OR COMPLETELY REMOVED FROM THE GAME. IF IT IS, YOU CAN BE SURE IT WILL BE REPLACED WITH CONTENT THAT’S SOMEHOW EVEN BETTER.
Here’s what Bungie are saying about Destiny: •
Bungie and Activision describe Destiny as a “shared world shooter,” stating that the game really does not fit squarely into other genres such as FPS, RPG, or MMO. “Shared world shooter” means that the game can be played solo or in small groups and player advancement does not necessarily rely on other players.
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Destiny will feature a persistent, dynamic, online world that includes realistic changes of light and weather.
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Destiny’s story will unfold like a series of books and chapters.
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Destiny will have several game modes. Bounty resembles a “raid” in a traditional MMO and successful bounties can result in rewards of weapons, armour and items. Competitive multiplayer will occur as well, though players will have to voluntarily enter into it.
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Music will be by Martin O’Donnell in collaboration with Michael Salvatori and Paul McCartney.
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Bungie describes Destiny as resting on seven “pillars” essential to creating a great video game:
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A world players want to be in.
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A bunch of fun things to do.
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Rewards players care about.
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A new experience every night.
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Shared with other people.
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Enjoyable by all skill levels.
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Enjoyable by the impatient and distracted.
What is Destiny? Destiny takes everything Bungie has previously learnt from all their other games and combines with fresh ideas and the features of an MMO. I say “features of an MMO” because Destiny is not an MMO, but is instead being called a “shared-world” shooter. There won’t be thousands of other players running around and butchering the game’s frame rate, but there will be dynamic events, drop-in dropout co-op missions and events and loot. So much loot. Destiny is set 700 years after a catastrophic event has pushed mankind to the brink of extinction. During the “Golden Age”, mankind was able to colonize different planets in the solar system, which led to a great time of prosperity and exploration. An event called “The Collapse” however saw these colonies destroyed and the only survivors being left on Earth. A mysterious entity known as “The Traveller” helped Earth’s inhabitants survive and now dwells above Earth’s last city. Those who inhabit the city are now able to wield a power known only as “The Light”. Earth’s inhabitants discover that sinister alien races have taken over the collapsed human colonies throughout the solar system and that they
are rapidly approaching Earth too. The player takes on the role of a “Guardian of the City” and is tasked with investigating and eliminating the alien threat before humanity is wiped out forever.
Your Character
(Races, Gender and Classes) Destiny offers players three different races two choose from, each with two genders. Here’s a brief rundown on each race: The Humans – The humans are tough, reliable and uncomplicated. Bungie apparently took inspiration from real-life solders and combined that inspiration with the aesthetics of their Spartans from Halo. The Awoken – The Awoken are based off of mythological creatures such as elves, vampires, ghosts and angels. They are “exotic, beautiful and mysterious.” They, along with the Humans, survived the Collapse, though they were “deeply affected”. The Exo – The Exo are robotic in appearance, though not much is known about them at this point. “Sinister, powerful and tireless”, the Exo are a mix of the robots from The Terminator and Master Chief from Halo. As you can imagine, they can be quite intimidating. They are self-aware
machines created during the Golden Age, but have lost all memory since the collapse. When you’ve settled on a race and gender (which at this point is purely cosmetic), you will then pick a class for your character. The classes are as follows: The Titan – The “Faceless Knights” who protect people from countless enemies. They sport the best armour and shields and have lightning-charged fists. They can harness the Light to either deliver a powerful energy smash to the ground, or to create a strong defensive energy shield to protect them and their allies. The Warlock – Able to harness the Light in ways never seen before,
the Warlock is a powerful and “mystic” warrior. Their abilities include throwing a energy bold at their enemies (which is extremely devastating) and enhancing all their abilities by enveloping themselves in the Light. The Hunter – Quick with a gun and even quicker with a blade, the Hunter stalks the battlefield as though his enemies are mere prey. They’re able to create a solar gun of immense energy, which disintegrates their enemies. They can also charge their knife with electric energy, which devastates crowds of enemies. Each class has unique weapons, armours, challenges and many other things associated with it, so the player would be best advised not
to rush into choosing their class too hastily. You can though, have multiple characters and classes and I would advise making one of each to help you find your calling in the game. Thankfully, the alpha dropped me into an action-packed mission instantly, so exploring the classes was painless, unlike other MMOs like World of Warcraft and Guild Wars where it might take you a few hours and experience levels to discover how your class plays. The classes also have an advanced or upgraded class that can be reached once the player hits a certain level. Though the alpha was locked to level 8, I was able to catch a glimpse of the armour and weapons used by the advanced classes
through some shops and NPCs. If you thought other MMOs had impressive advanced class gear, just wait until you see what Destiny has in store for you. One armour set I saw was an intimidating crimson colour, with a matching cloak and unique pattern for the chest, arms and legs. While my initial armour was impressive, it had nothing on the advanced armour.
“DESTINY IS SET 700 YEARS AFTER A CATASTROPHIC EVENT HAS PUSHED MANKIND TO THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION.”
“NOT KNOWING WHERE TO HEAD NEXT I USE MY GHOST COMPANION TO LOCATE MY CURRENT OBJECTIVE. THE GHOST IS A HOVERING DRONE, AN A.I. COMPANION WHO WILL FOLLOW YOU ON YOUR ADVENTURES AND PROVIDE YOU WITH INTEL, AS WELL AS SHARE THEIR OPINION OF HOW THE MISSION IS CURRENTLY GOING.” Starting out, an Introduction to Destiny’s Main Campaign The alpha began with my character immediately being dropped into a mission. When the full game releases I’m sure this will change, but for now, the experience is light on story and instead focuses on action. The mission itself is a story mission, but the exact what’s and why’s are left in the dark for now. Upon getting dropped into the mission, it’s immediately noticeable just how gorgeous Destiny looks. Comparisons to Bungie’s previous game series, Halo, wouldn’t be fair, but Destiny benefits from more than just a raw hardware leap. Indeed, Bungie have learned a lot since Halo: Reach in 2010 and everything from the game’s environments, weapons and characters to the use of colours and lighting is infinitely better than anything seen in a Halo game. Truly, it is a stunning game from a visual perspective. The story mission available in the alpha was a curious choice. Neither the beginning nor the end of a series of events (which was good as it didn’t spoil anything), it didn’t flesh out the overall story, or even stand as an introduction to your enemy. With that being said, it provides a decent amount of variety and instantly dis-
played just how much Bungie have grown and what they’re now capable of as a developer. The mission takes place in Russia, where dilapidated buildings and ruined aircraft litter the scenery. The ground is patches of overgrown grass and dirt met with craggy cliffs. The Collapse has ruined the Russian countryside. It is broken, decayed – it is desolate. Compared to the bland environments of the Halo games, Destiny’s environments area huge leap forward for Bungie. They’re huge, detailed and unique and not one area feels like a repetition of an earlier one – they impress the hell out of me. I set out on foot towards a group of armed aliens walking nearby. My crosshair turns red indicating they aren’t friendly, so I look down my sights at them. They’re “Fallen”, an alien race that are very animalistic in their appearance. One thing that impressed me was how well the aliens functioned as a unit. They moved from building to building, wreckage to wreckage, scavenging as they went and always keeping an eye out for any outsiders or intruders. I watched them for a few minutes and judged which might be the best way to attack. Do I attack the leader (the biggest one at the back), or do I attack the little guys who I might be able to pick off with my scout rifle? My thoughts are soon made irrelevant, as one of the smaller ones spots me and begins to attack. At first, the
cautious ducking and weaving of the enemies reminds me of many a shootout in Halo, but once again, I’m shown just how different and better a game Destiny is. The enemies begin to co-ordinate, calling in reinforcements and attempting to flank me. Each enemy has their own strengths and weaknesses and they are well aware of them, their behaviour reflecting that. Thankfully, I’m a decent shot and although I was in danger, I manage to dispatch my foes with a few carefully-aimed headshots. Not knowing where to head next I use my Ghost companion to locate my current objective. The Ghost is a hovering drone, an A.I. companion who will follow you on your adventures and provide you with intel, as well as share their opinion of how the mission is currently going. Game of Thrones fans will recognise Peter Dinklage as the voice of the player’s Ghost immediately. As “cool” as it sounds having Dinklage involved with Destiny, something about his voice acting just doesn’t quite nail it. Sure, he’s playing a robotic A.I., but Halo’s Cortana should stand as proof that A.I. can have a personality and be a highly entertaining character. Perhaps Destiny’s directors and sound department just failed to find that balance of robot and personality that they have in the past. In any case, it’s nice to hear a “different” kind of voice in a game, when you compare Destiny to other games.
“THE ALIENS I ENCOUNTERED KEPT ME ON MY TOES AS THEY BOTH LOOKED AND FOUGHT EXTREMELY DIFFERENTLY FROM EACH OTHER.” After locating my objective, I summon my speeder bike. Gamers and other geeks will appreciate how thrilling it is to do this. Part Star Wars, part Halo, using a speeder bike in Destiny never gets old. You can use it to escape an intense battle, deal damage to enemies, or simply shorten the travel between objectives. It sounds amazing and handles brilliantly and is integrated perfectly. The feel of the mission dramatically changes after reaching the final objective’s location. Where I was once running around and taking in the beautiful-but-barren sights of the Russian landscape, I was now entering a dark and claustrophobic underground facility. The only thing the building had in common with its surrounds was that it was in a state of complete disrepair. A few more Fallen are inside, the resulting fire fights feeling similar, but different at the same time as the Fallen now have more objects in the environment to use for cover, flanking manoeuvres and other strategies. Somehow, the building grows even darker as I make my way further underground. Suddenly, Ghost informs me that something isn’t quite right. Before we can gather our thoughts a shrill scream echoes throughout the area. “It’s the Hive!” cried Ghost, as a number of faceless enemies come bounding and leaping from the
darkness. Where the Fallen used weapons and military strategies, the Hive are attacking with raw brutality, sprinting, crawling and leaping towards me with absolute ferocity. They scratch, bite and kick like monsters out of a creature horror movie and almost completely overwhelm me. Once I dispatch the smaller, more agile Hive members, I am encountered by Hive Knights, who shoot energy projectiles at me from a distance and in cover. There is no safe place to hide, I have to fight and fight well to survive. My Ghost informs me that the Hive hasn’t been spotted on Earth in hundreds of years. The threat facing mankind, it seems, is far greater than imagined. Ghost then tells me that if I see a sinister alien that can fly, I have to find
a way to defeat it. Sure enough, in the next room there is a large group of Hive being led by a truly intimidating and frightening foe, a Hive Wizard. The Wizard commands his minions to attack me en masse, whilst he hurls large energy bolts that explode with splash damage as they collide with my character and the environment. My shields are a nothing more than a memory as I frantically hurl grenades and use my Light ability in vain to combat the Hive menace. Eventually, I think their numbers enough to focus my attacks on the Wizard himself and just as I am an inch from death, I manage to shoot two successive headshots on the Wizard with my Golden Gun (the Hunter’s Light ability), disintegrating him. His minions are scattered, most fleeing and
the few that remain unable to coordinate an attack. They are easily taken down and the mission ends. Overall, the mission piques my interest. Clearly, I was there to gather intel, but learnt far more than I had planned. The aliens I encountered kept me on my toes as they both looked and fought extremely differently from each other. I’ve played nearly every major (and minor) shooter released since I started gaming some 25 years ago and I’m stoked that Destiny will be delivering a frantic (but fair) shooting experience that will see experienced gamers having to adapt and learn how to combat its alien enemies. It isn’t like Call of Duty, where SoldierX in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (released in 2007) fights identically to Soldier-Y in Call of Duty: Ghosts
(released in 2013). You can’t predict the outcome of an encounter with your enemies in Destiny and that’s great.
The Tower After the mission completed, I found myself upon my ship. Basically, the ship acts as a menu where you can decide to go to the Tower, Earth, or the Crucible. The Tower acts like a city in World of Warcraft, where you can pay for a number of good and services, store items, send or receive mail, receive rewards for missions and challenges completed, as well as a number of other player services. When I first arrived at the Tower, I was given a tour which rewarded me with new gear for my ac-
tions. I imagine this will also take place in the beta and full release of the game, as it was a great way to get introduced to your base of operations. In the exterior plaza, there are three entrances, each one taking you two a specific set of vendors. There’s the hangar, which takes you to the shipwrights and other related vendors, who can sell you a new ship or speeder bike, or upgrade or improve your vehicles. There’s the class vendors, known as the Vanguards, who can offer you rewards or sell you exclusive armour and weapons depending on your class (most has to be unlocked through challenges and specific levels though) and there’s the miscellaneous vendor area, where outfitters, emblem sellers and other vendors dwell. Outside in the starting area, are the mail service, gunsmiths and armour sellers, as well as an item appraiser who will unlock rare items found on missions so that you can equip them (if you meet their prerequisites). The Tower is also home to various NPCs, who are going about their everyday lives, conversing with both you and each other about various events and life at the Tower, giving an insight into the plight faced by mankind. There aren’t a major number of people around, but I imagine that is because they’re at another part of the city. From what I can gather from other alpha attendees, other players can see and interact with each other at the Tower, compare missions and take on bounties together. Australian Destiny players must have been a minority, as I was the only person present in the Tower whenever I played during the alpha period.
“I’VE PLAYED NEARLY EVERY MAJOR (AND MINOR) SHOOTER RELEASED SINCE I STARTED GAMING SOME 25 YEARS AGO AND I’M STOKED THAT DESTINY WILL BE DELIVERING A FRANTIC (BUT FAIR) SHOOTING EXPERIENCE THAT WILL SEE EXPERIENCED GAMERS HAVING TO ADAPT AND LEARN HOW TO COMBAT ITS ALIEN ENEMIES.” Non-Story Modes In addition to the main campaign (which can be played either singleplayer or multiplayer), Destiny will feature online competitive modes, as well as co-operative multiplayer modes and modes where rival factions can fight against each other. Here’s the skinny: The Crucible – Destiny is a shooter at heart and although it offers a brilliant mix of MMO and RPG elements, players will no doubt be keen for traditional competitive multiplayer modes. The Crucible offers exactly that, only you get to take your unique weapons, gear and other unlocks with you, which makes for some intense and unpredictable match ups. Though the alpha only had Control available (think Domination or Hardpoint), there were five other game modes found in the menu. No other modes have been announced, but there were other icons in the menu. One featured swords crossed over, which I’m assuming is Team Deathmatch and another featured a flag, which I’m assuming is Capture the Flag. I’m only speculating though and I’m sure Bungie will announce the remainder of Crucible modes soon. Patrol Mode – Patrol Mode offers players the opportunity to revisit
locations they’ve already partially explored during the story missions. They can drop into these locations on their own or with friends and explore the vast landscape, picking up optional missions along the way if they choose to. I spent hours exploring Russia and the variety of missions was remarkable. Though the story mission took place in a pretty large building (with an even larger subterranean area), it really was a mere freckle on the explorable area compared to what can be explored in Patrol Mode. The available quests are catered to your level, but you’re free to explore a huge amount area, regardless of if there’s a quest there or not. I wandered underground in Russia for an hour or so and found enemies at such a high level, I could barely scratch them. They weren’t Fallen or Hive and they were too much for me to handle. It’s a shame, because there was loot aplenty in the area. Strike Mode – Strike Mode provides a structured, progressive, cooperative adventure “ideal for pick-up groups or friends looking for a quick battle together”. Strikes are replayable, designed for three-person Fireteams and usually take 15-30 minutes to complete. Strikes always begin in a public area, so the Fireteam can begin par-
ticipating in public events, encounter other Fireteams heading out on other Strikes or other missions, or “just roam around and explore”. But once the Fireteam enters the “Strike proper” it becomes private and the Fireteam will no longer encounter other players. At that point, players go through a structured, crafted mission that culminates in one or more boss battles. The Strike I played was fantastic, but teamwork is absolutely vital to success. There is no room for lone wolves. Raids – Raids are extremely difficult, six-player, endgame missions that may take hours to complete. Eric Osborne stated that on one particular raid, he and his team “spent over 45 minutes just cracking the entrance.” Raids are designed for teams of players that have extensively upgraded their focuses, armour and weapons and are seeking a difficult endgame challenge. Raids recreate the high difficulty-extreme loot of dungeon raids found in MMORPGs like World of Warcraft. Bounty – Bounty is a weekly event where players locate certain highvalue targets for rewards and loot. Not much else is known at this point. Public Events – A Public Event is a global mini-game in Destiny, where local players may participate in a
game-determined objective in order to defend zones from enemies and earn loot. Public Events appear to be randomized and can occur at any time anywhere in Destiny, where multiple fireteams may participate in combating waves of enemies before encountering a boss. Faction Wars – Faction Wars is a game mode available from the main menu. Faction Wars was very briefly previewed in the Pathways Out of Darkness ViDoc with no mention since, thus very little is known about this game mode. Speculation suggests that the Faction Wars game mode offers players the ability to challenge other factions in a multiplayer competitive setting. Destiny’s core gameplay makes for exciting online battles, as players can use their levelled-up characters and equipment in a competitive arena. If you’ve unlocked a brilliant new scope for your rifle, you can take it online. If you’ve unlocked the homing swarm grenades, you can use them against other players in the Crucible. Because of this, you have to be a certain level in the full version of Destiny before you can jump into the Crucible, but when you get there,
you will experience what feels like a complete rejuvenation of competitive multiplayer.
Closing Thoughts On the Alpha and Destiny’s Future Release. Destiny is shaping up to be one of the most impressive games of all time. Even in alpha there is a staggering amount of content available and to say Bungie has grown since creating and refining Halo would be an understatement. Destiny takes the best parts of several game genres and blends them all together into a highly-accessible and thrilling experience. I’ve already found more to love in this “small” section of the game than in most finished shooters available. The alien forces I encountered in the alpha are all extremely different to each other in both appearance and how they fight. Halo’s Covenant forces are a disorganised motley crew by comparison and each alien race in Destiny is comprised of numerous sub-types which all belong together
and complement each other. The environments in Destiny are also impressive, not just when compared to Halo, but compared to all games. Where Titanfall impressed me with its Ridley Scott-esque levels and ability to both imitate and complement its Star Wars and Alien influences, Destiny offers an original and impressive universe, its only influences being that of Bungie’s own back-catalogue of high-quality games. It is a wonderfully unique shooter. When Destiny releases, it will set both a new benchmark for quality shooters as well as stand as proof that Bungie have grown immensely since their creating and development of one of the world’s most beloved shooters. I have no doubt that Destiny will soon be regarded as Bungie’s magnum opus, an amazing shooter that will appeal to shooter, MMO and RPG gamers, both hardcore and casual. Destiny’s beta is scheduled for the 17th of July this year. The Full release is scheduled for September 9th, 2014.
Written by Nick Getley
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“DESTINY IS SHAPING UP TO BE ONE OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE GAMES OF ALL TIME.”
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WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT Geralt of Rivia, the most badass video game protagonist this side of Doomguy, makes his triumphant return in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Following on from the acclaimed Assassins of Kings, Wild Hunt continues our brave heroes’ journey into new territory, taking a more personal approach to this chapter of his life. The story takes place around the Wild Hunt, a force and event we’ve heard mentioned over and over again throughout the series, but never having had its dark shroud of mystery truly explored until now. The Hunt leaves naught but blood and chaos in its wake, and of course, who else can stop it but our dear monster hunter, Geralt? Details are still kind of scarce surrounding this otherworldly enemy, but with good reason, with The Witcher known for featuring very deep stories which are explored as the player progresses. If you want the truth, you’ll have to earn it, through blood and steel. The franchise was started back in the early 90’s in a series of books by Polish powerhouse fantasy author Andrzej Sapkowski, and has even been blessed with a terrible TV series and movie... but it wasn’t until the franchise found itself in the video game world that it received the worldly recognition and praise it deserves. While players new to the series could easily pick up the second
instalment with no prior knowledge and find themselves with a perfect starting point – due to the characters amnesia – Wild Hunt is aimed more towards those who’ve at least experienced the narrative of the series’ last game. No amnesia this time around I’m afraid. So if this game looks to tickle your fancy in just the right ways, you’d be wise to pick up a copy of Assassins of Kings if you haven’t already given it a once over. You won’t be disappointed. The previous Witcher games are both very large RPGs, at least as
which the developers, Poland’s CD Projekt RED, have described as being “a living open world larger than any other in modern RPG history”, which while a very bold statement, one that initial footage actually does back up. What we’ve seen of Wild Hunt suggests that the end product is pushing to be a game of unparalleled size and scope, and I just hope CD Projekt know how to utilize the space to ensure we’re not just wandering a purposefully gigantic game world with little in the way of well-
“...BUT WE’VE BEEN ASSURED IT’S NOT THE LAST OF THE FRANCHISE OR THE UNIVERSE IN THE GAMING WORLD.” far as scale and story is concerned, but did fall short of the actual freedom aspect. Wild Hunt is looking to fix that, delivering an open world
paced or placed content. But assuming the developers, who I may add have never delivered anything under masterful, deliver on their
promise of 100 hours of gameplay (50 for the main campaign, and 50 for sidequests), we shouldn’t have any problems finding something to do and someone to kill as we explore the Northern Kingdoms. If you’re unaware, Geralt is a Witcher, which is a mutant essentially created to hunt monsters. Never mind the commentary the game often provides on being different and the challenges that go with it, we’re all about the monster slaying part here, and thankfully Wild Hunt will have it in spades. With 80 different types of monsters or creatures to cull, the player must adapt and learn the strengths and weaknesses of his enemies. Coupled with dynamic changes to tactics depending on environments and time of day, combat should be proficiently challenging and engaging. The basics from The Witcher 2 are rearing their head again, albeit with a fresh coat of paint, mixing swordplay and
magic in ways that can complement each other, and however the player likes to approach a situation. Personally, I put the magic on the backburner and get in close and personal for some good old-fashioned stabbing. After a recent delay, pushing the title back into 2015, CD Projekt RED are pulling all stops to polish up and deliver what hopefully gives Geralt a worth send off. Wild Hunt is the last in the trilogy, and the end of Geralts story, but we’ve been assured it’s not the last of the franchise or the universe in the gaming world. The Witcher 3 is most definitely going to set the bar for modern RPGs higher than ever – a bar too, which the industry has been hard pressed to reach since Assassins of Kings raised it those few years ago.
Written by Jade Raven
www.stickytriggerentertainment.com
preview
MIDDLE-EARTH: SHADOW OF MORDOR For those of us sick of gritty firstperson shooters and those who love them, games like Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor are just what we want to see in development for our new next generation consoles. So grab your sword-belt and let’s see what we can expect from this promising action role-playing title from Monolith Productions. The whole story takes place between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. You slip into the role of Talion, a ranger tasked with guarding the Black Gate of Mordor. As Sauron’s armies begin their sweep across the land, they kill everyone in their path, including Talion’s family. Here is the interesting part, though: they kill Talion too. He is mysteriously resurrected with wraithlike abilities and decides to exact his revenge using these newfound powers. You range your way across the land, tackling new challenges and meeting new foes. No hobbit hijinks here, this is a very dark business in the shadow of Mount Doom. Every time a game specifies that it is open world right from the beginning, I get a little shiver of excitement. It just feels right that a LOTR game works this way because you have to get the sense that Tolkien’s world is big – very big. And forget about Mordor being the barren wasteland you
see in the films. This is just before Sauron and his armies destroyed all of it so you’re bound to see some variance in the terrain and different communities. You’ll even get to meet Gollum! Of course, this particular story isn’t even mentioned in the books at all but there has been a lot of work put into making sure that it fits with the canon and possible creatures existing in that universe. I can’t imagine Talion’s quest for revenge leading to a storybook ending. This is part of the LOTR franchise after all and we all know what Sauron
hinted that interacting with Gollum might be a turning point for Talion, as he recognises something of himself in this sad creature. By far the most touted feature of the game so far is the Nemesis system. As you fight certain foes, they learn how you operate and will change their behaviour accordingly to have a better chance at defeating you. The question is how noticeable that will be. Some early previews suggest that it really works and creates foes that you will really despise and want to defeat. Something like this
“...AND WILL CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOUR ACCORDINGLY TO HAVE A BETTER CHANCE AT DEFEATING YOU.” does later on. How will his ending reconcile with the plot that follows? It’s a pretty big thing to speculate on. Lead writer Christian Cantamessa
could really set it apart from anything around right now and just push the game from great to outstanding. Talion will be able improve his skill-
set through two skill trees, ranger and wraith. The ranger side are more standard abilities, necessary combat skills and stealth. Wraith abilities will be more interesting to play with, such as imposing your will on enemies and teleporting right in close for the kill. How you choose to upgrade him will depend on how you like to take down enemies. The Nemesis system will no doubt add another layer to the importance this already has within a game. If you always use the same method and put everything you have into that, what will you do when the enemy adapts to it and keeps taking you down? It will be a delicate balancing act and one that I suspect MMO fans in particular will enjoy. Games from the Lord of the Rings franchise occupy a strange space when it comes to expectations of greatness. We can easily expect that a game released as a tie-in for a movie is going to be bad but
games that have been in the works for a while and stand on their own can be good. With the Hobbit trilogy making big bucks at the box office, it’s no surprise that more games have been planned. As far as I can see, though, this one isn’t about garnering more interest in movies. It might just be one of those rare games based on a book or movie that is worth playing. Another romp around Middle-earth is always welcome.
Written by Bridget Sweeney
www.stickytriggerentertainment.com
FORMAT:
PC, 360, PS3, PS4, XB1
RELEASE:
8 OCTOBER 2014
RATING: CTC
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ALIEN: ISOLATION
The world’s most dreaded sciencefiction monster is returning to the video game medium this October as the folks over at development studio Creative Assembly are bringing the infamous Xenomorph to the Survival Horror genre. After 2013’s abysmal “Aliens: Colonial Marines”, the folks over at Creative Assembly have taken to a return to the franchise’s original aesthetics with what lead designer Gary Napper has described as a “Lo-Fi Sci-Fi” setting. Essentially, no more space jarheads shooting up James Cameron’s sets while fighting off hordes of alien variants with an arsenal of bombastic weaponry. Fifteen years after the events of Ridley Scott’s 1979 film “Alien”, Alien: Isolation see’s the player take control of Amanda Ripley, the daughter of Alien protagonist Ellen Ripley, who is now a Weyland-Yutani employee searching for the answer behind her mother’s mysterious disappearance all those years ago. Her search ultimately takes her to Sevastopol Station as she follows a lead to find the black box of the Nostromo from the original film, only to discover that the station is under siege by a singular Xenomorph. Creative Assembly have diligently created a game remarkably well-tied in to the designs of not only H. R. Giger’s original alien design, with the
Isolation’s Xenomorph being over seven feet tall instead of the smaller quadrupeds we’ve seen in previous games like ACM and the Aliens Versus Predator string of games. Indeed, from the footage that has been put out so far, Alien: Isolation’s interpretation of the Xeno seems more complicit with what Ximena Gallardo once described in her book - Alien Woman: The Making of Ellen Ripley as “A nightmare vision of sex and death”. However Sevastopol Station has also been designed to be reminiscent of the Nostromo and have expanded on the designs of the Alien film universe in the same vein. This not only means a nostalgic sense of level design, but Lo-Fi Sci-Fi gadgets and retro-style electric equipment. Mix this with sending a female protagonist through low-light environments which have been made to throw shadows and you’ve got the aesthetic formula for Ridley Scott’s horror classic. Hell, if Creative Assembly’s writers have really done their homework, maybe
in both story structure and physical elements. Of course the pride of Alien: Isolation so far for the developers has been the programming of the Xenomorph’s AI as each encounter see’s the monster stalking the grounds without a preset routine so each playthrough will see this “perfect organism” traverse a different path. Thereby amplifying the player’s reliability on their handheld motiontracker as they aim to circumvent or escape a monster the player cannot kill singlehandedly. On top of this monstrosity, the player will also have to combat other human survivors on board Sevastopol and some of the androids still lurking about or waiting in their pods. With E3 2014 having come and gone, there are plenty of videos out there to discover more about Alien: Isolation. However from what we’ve been given already, Alien: Isolation is looking to be a worthy entry into
“WITH E3 2014 HAVING COME AND GONE, THERE ARE PLENTY OF VIDEOS OUT THERE TO DISCOVER MORE..” we’ll even come across allusions to the works of Joseph Conrad, which have thoroughly permeated the films
one of history’s greatest feminist film/video-game franchises.
FORMAT:
PC, 360, PS3, PS4, XB1
RELEASE:
7 OCTOBER 2014
RATING: Written by Sean Fox
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CTC
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FORZA HORIZON 2
Over the years, the Forza franchise has worked to prove itself over and over again, eventually becoming one of, if not the, most respected racing game on the market. It played heavily on its ‘Motorsport’ title, aimed at delivering an authentic simulation experience that never too far excluded the more casual petrol heads who just have a love of some stunning autos. In short, Forza Motorsport was always the racing sim for the regular Joe. Then came along Forza Horizon. Throwing the formula out the window, Horizon was an open-world, far more casual vision of the name. It was fun, fast, instantly gratifying, not entirely original, but wholly satisfying and above all, fun. It worked, and thus the series we knew was split in two. And apparently successful enough to warrant a sequel, in
to be a lot bigger this time around, and the new setting feeling firmly in place with the very idea of overly expensive, gorgeous supercars and leisurely driving. It’s a lot more suitable, and visually relaxing than the Colorado outback. Horizon 2 is a petrol heads wet dream! The fan-favourite Barn Finds makes a return, allowing willing drivers to find some hidden gems left to weather the elements, and breathe new life into them by restoring these classics. Creative Director Ralph Fulton tells that “that more than half of our Barn Finds in Horizon 2 are completely new to Forza, so when you find them you’ll never have seen them before, so restoring them is gonna be an extra thrill.” I’m all for some new beasts to get behind the
“THIS NEW EUROPEAN SETTING COMPLETELY REVITALIZES THE FORZA GRAPHICAL DEPARTMENT.” this year’s newly announced Forza Horizon 2. Horizon 2 takes us away from the American setting of the last game, and gives us a trip to southern Europe, again during the fictional ‘Horizon Festival’. Spanning over Italy and France, the Fest is going
wheel of, as at this stage, it’s becoming rarer and rarer to see anything out of the ordinary in a games car arsenal. But Horizon does have a leg up on the Motorsport series, with the varied terrain allowing some very welcome off-road gameplay thrown into the mix, so expect a fairly balanced lineup here.
FORMAT: 360, XB1
RELEASE:
30 NOVEMBER 2014
RATING: CTC
This new European setting completely revitalizes the Forza graphical department. It’s a gorgeous landscape, with some immaculate detail that will be pure bliss to enjoy as we take the wheels of some of the world’s finest autos. The Xbox One version of the game is locked in at 30fps at 1080p, so eye candy is a sure thing. Horizon 2 also features a franchise first, in the new addition of a dynamic weather system, coupled with the day & night cycle. Visually, Horizon 2 blows the competition out of the water. But I’m afraid even some cool features like Bard Finds, and a long list of events (the pleasantly entertaining Showcase Events are making a return too) and some auto eye candy, can’t sell this game alone. It’s all
stuff we’ve seen before, just prettier. With the end of 2014 alone, as well as the near future, seeing a handful of exciting new racing games – new IPs with entirely new ideas especially – what we’ve seen so far of Horizon 2 doesn’t quite sell it as the lead competitor. Huge, open world racers are the new ‘in thing’ right now, so Forza Horizon 2 is going to need some work to seriously separate it, less it suffer as being hailed an unnecessary sequel. History repeating though, the game will launch a highly polished flagship, so do keep an eye on the Horizon 2 news, which we’ll be bringing you as it approaches.
Written by Jade Raven
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review
WATCH DOGS
It’s always refreshing when a developer and a publisher take a chance on a new intellectual property, and even more refreshing when the public get excited for it. ‘Watch Dogs’ from Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft was announced at E3 2012, and had been steadily gaining interest since then. Now, after a long wait (made even longer by a delay) Watch Dogs is finally upon us, and while it isn’t quite the open-world messiah we had hoped for, it’s still a fantastic title and a must-have game.
Gameplay-wise, Watch Dogs is going to feel very familiar to anyone who has played a Grand Theft Auto, Saints Row, Sleeping Dogs or indeed any other open-world game. Controlling the protagonist took some getting used to at first, as Aiden isn’t the most nimble of people, and some things like the driving suffer compared to other gameplay elements like shooting, hacking and the mini-games. For the most part, the gameplay is adequate, but it certainly feels clunky at times.
Watch Dogs tells the story of Aiden Pierce, a hacker vigilante who seeks revenge after the accidental death of his niece. Aiden works as a jack-of-all-trades of sorts, and takes on all manner of risky jobs for a variety of clients. I would elaborate on Aiden further, but the fact is, he can be summarised quite briefly as
While I probably shouldn’t compare Watch Dogs to other games (as I’m reviewing it based on its own merits and content), it’s hard not to mention the absence of blind-firing from cover. It’s odd that someone as proficient with weapons as Aiden Pierce wouldn’t take an easy headshot from the safety of cover if he could. The
in an open-world game. Eventually, players will get used to it, but at first they will definitely see their share of accidents and running over pedestrians. It might also seem like a strange thing to mention, but I swear Watch Dogs’ graphics have actually been scaled back since we saw it’s debut footage some time ago. Graphically, this game does nothing for me and when I saw the first footage from the game after it’s announcement, I could scarcely believe my eyes. Perhaps it was stripped back because of its multi-gen release, maybe the frame rate wasn’t stable, I don’t know. In any case, the game looks fine, but not as detailed as one would expect. Now, onto the hacking, which is the most unique feature of Watch Dogs,
“UNLIKE THE CLUNKY DRIVING AND LESS THAN NIMBLE PROTAGONIST, THE HACKING IS IMPLEMENTED PERFECTLY.” he doesn’t really explore his past or show any growth as a character throughout the duration of the game. This wouldn’t be a problem if Aiden Pierce was fascinating or even interesting as a character, but the truth is, he isn’t. Thankfully, the missions and side activities make up for his rather cardboard personality.
absence of such an easy to implement mechanic means that Aiden is frequently popping up from cover like a human whack-a-mole game, which seems a bit silly (and risky for the character). Watch Dogs also sees some of the worst driving mechanics I’ve played
and probably the sole feature that gamers are keen to experience. Unlike the clunky driving and less than nimble protagonist, the hacking is implemented perfectly. Whether you’re in a vehicle or on foot, most of the hacking is as simple as pushing or holding a single button. These single-push hacks are akin to flick-
ing a switch or overloading circuits, and are usually used to switch traffic lights, raise road blockers, explode power transformers or other simple functions. There are of course, more complicated hacks such as compromising networks or navigating from security camera to security camera to access hard-to-reach areas to accomplish mission goals, and these hacks are also achieved by using Aiden’s phone (initially).
altered brainwaves), slot machines, logic puzzles (using Chess pieces), perspective-based QR codes to find, car boosting, and online game modes. The online game modes include car races, tailing, decryption racing (racing to see who can download a file first), online hacking (think hide and seek) and a free roam session.
Using Aiden’s phone and hacking ability does create some genuine excitement in Watch Dogs, as players will be able to use Aiden’s abilities to take down criminals, armed gangs and even cause massive blackouts in part of Chicago. They can even hack a criminal’s phone, causing it to explode and killing everyone around them. Much like the free-running and stealthy assassinating of Assassin’s Creed, Watch Dogs absolutely nails its hacking elements.
All the online game modes are fun, but the online hacking also blends into single player, which can frustrate some people if they’re trying to play the main story in Watch Dogs, as they are being interrupted. Speaking of being interrupted, your screen will constantly throw up side missions and activities at you, and there’s no way around it. You might walk past a criminal, intercept an incriminating phone call, or be invited to hack someone online. It happens frequently and it can get quite tiresome.
In terms of missions, mini-games and activities, Watch Dogs offers a ton of content, and well varied content at that. There is of course, the main campaign, where Aiden embarks on a quest for vengeance and upon doing so, stumbles across a far greater plot. Then there’s a plethora of side activities, including augmented-reality phone games (AR games), digital trips (bizarre mini-games caused by
Watch Dogs is set in Chicago, albeit a very technology-focused Chicago. Every single person has a smartphone on them, and every single neighbourhood is jam-packed with cameras and networking devices which monitor everyone at all times. Aiden of course, takes full advantage of each and every one of these devices, as the player can hack smartphones, bank accounts, surveillance
cameras, transformers, data networks and other items to complete his missions (the player can also hack things whenever they want for their own amusement). I’m of two minds about Watch Dogs’ vision of Chicago. On one hand, the hyper-connected Chicago is a fantastic setting, both plausible and yet slightly-futuristic. I don’t mean futuristic in a Minority Report or Back to the Future Part 2 kinda way, but more in the way I can see cities reflecting that look and behaviour in the very near future. On the other hand, the story doesn’t really explore the parallels between our lives and those of the civilians in Watch Dogs, which is a shame. With reallife topics like social networking, hacktivism, and NSA conspiracy theories, I would have appreciated Ubisoft Montreal exploring these
FORMAT:
PC, 360, PS3, XB1, PS4
RATING: R18+
real-life issues in the fictional Chicago they’ve created. It feels like a missed opportunity, as there are inklings of paranoia and privacy invasion throughout the game, they simply aren’t explored. Instead, Ubisoft Montreal have chosen to solely present Aiden Pierce’s story, which is a pretty by-the-numbers affair. I can see Watch Dogs getting a warm welcome in the games industry, and it does deserve it. While some of the game mechanics are a little underdeveloped or even tired (I’m looking at you, online races) the majority of gameplay is solid, and the game offers a unique experience that hasn’t been offered before. There’s something for everyone in Watch Dogs, even if its story feels a little flat.
Written by Nick Getley
www.stickytriggerentertainment.com
PROS
• • •
Huge amount of content
Hacking is implemented well and a lot of fun Unique
CONS • • •
Main story feels short, uninspired
Clunky driving and running mechanics
Lack of standard open-world features
8/10
review
MURDERED: SOUL SUSPECT
It’s not often I’m torn with how to approach a game review. I quite often know how I feel about a game. Whether I loved it, loathed it or anything in between. I also know the difference between an okay game that I personally like, and a game that I loved that is also fantastic on a technical level. ‘Murdered: Soul Suspect’ is a game I simply can’t get enough of. I want DLC and/or a sequel and I want the game to do phenomenally well in sales. I do know though, that it is far from a perfect game, but if other people can overlook it’s linear gameplay and average visuals, they will discover an enthralling concept for an adventure game that is truly unique.
even get to control him yet! Thankfully (for me), Ronan’s investigation doesn’t quite end there.
Murdered: Soul Suspect casts players as Ronan O’Connor, a detective on the hunt for the Bell Killer, a serial killer who has been preying on
Now, Ronan must somehow track down the Bell Killer, and find a way to apprehend him from purgatory. Along the way, he will encounter
Separating from his body, Ronan is now a spirit. He does not take the news well, as he frantically tries to re-enter his body in vain. The energy around him transforms the environment; everything looks different, and at the same time, looks the same. Engulfed in a bright light, he encounters his wife, who had passed away before him. At first, it seems like a beautiful reunion, but his wife informs him that he is on a different plane to her, and that he cannot join her until he resolves his unfinished business from when he was living.
adventure game with stealth and action elements. Players control Ronan from a third-person perspective. This isn’t your typical action game, you won’t be throwing any punches or shooting any guns. Instead, you will be investigating crime scenes and other environments. More importantly, the story’s progression is directly linked to solving some puzzles. For example, investigating your own murder scene will reveal important plot details and clues about the Bell Killer. “Why was he here? Why didn’t he bring a weapon? If I interrupted him, what was he searching for? Where is he going next?”. All these answers can be unearthed by gathering vital clues, and putting important events in the order in which they unfolded. In addition to using the detective skills Ronan learned in his former state, Ronan will also learn that he
“IT’S MERELY AIMING TO TELL A STORY, AND IT’S DEFINITELY ONE THAT HASN’T BEEN TOLD BEFORE.” victims in Salem, Massachusetts. Ronan encounters the Bell Killer and attempts to apprehend him, only to end up losing the fight and getting thrown out of a window. The Bell Killer then finishes off Ronan with his own gun. Just like that, Murdered’s protagonist is...murdered. I didn’t
demons, lost souls, residual energy and other supernatural entities that will put his detective abilities to the test. Murdered: Soul Suspect is a mix of gameplay styles, but if you had to label it, I guess you could call it an
has gained (and will gain) supernatural gifts. He can possess anyone he comes across, witnesses, cops, random people - even animals. Possessing people will allow Ronan to read their thoughts. Perhaps someone saw a vital clue, but doesn’t know how vital it actu-
ally is. Maybe a cop knows some recent events that can aid Ronan, but wouldn’t voice them to his peers whatever the situation; Ronan has a gift that will help him learn more than the living. In addition to investigating, Ronan will also encounter demons and other dark entities. They will sense him and hunt him down, hoping to devour his soul. Players can hide Ronan in energy left behind by spirits that didn’t escape purgatory and withered away into nothing. A stealthy game of cat and mouse then begins, as Ronan can destroy demons if he approaches them from behind unnoticed. I wouldn’t quite call it a stealth kill, as they’re already dead. Perhaps it’s rather, a stealth exorcism? In any case, these moments rarely serve as a challenge, and feel more like a diversion. After all, we can’t investigate all day, can we? I just wish there was a little more depth to these moments. They’re enjoyable; they just don’t advance in any way. Visually, Murdered: Soul Suspect won’t win any awards, but it certainly has a competent level of detail. Being a fan of supernatural lore, ghost stories and other paranormal stuff I was greatly impressed by how accurately Murdered depicts so many elements from ghost stories, such as residual energy (ghost flames from
witch burnings, ghost buildings that hosted important events, events that loop over and over), spirits that flicker and disappear (so as to remain hidden, even from Ronan), demons and shadow people, and other elements. If you’re a ghost-nerd, you’re going to enjoy this game. Not everything is perfect in Murdered, but it isn’t trying to be either. While it falters compared to other games in some areas, it also triumphs in areas other games don’t. It’s merely aiming to tell a story, and it’s definitely one that hasn’t been told before. If you’re looking for a game that dares to be different, give Murdered: Soul Suspect a go. Paranormal enthusiasts won’t want to miss out either!
Written by Nick Getley
www.stickytriggerentertainment.com
PROS • • •
An engaging and clever supernatural story
Investigations are loads of fun Stealth moments help shake up the gameplay.
CONS • •
Linear, despite having the illusion of being very open Average graphics
8/10
FORMAT:
PC, 360, PS3, XB1, PS4
RATING: M
review
TOMODACHI LIFE
There was a time where anything could be a video game. Developers and publishers saw the potential behind creative ideas (no matter how zany or original they were) and took the risk supporting it. At first, many of these games were from Japanese developers and publishers, such as Parappa the Rapper, Cho Aniki, and the Katamari series. Hell, even classic game franchises are wildly different to the military shooters, simulators and gritty combat games of today. Look at Super Mario, an Italian plumber who goes on a crazy journey to rescue a princess from a turtle-dragon (demon king in Japan), all the while eating mushrooms, throwing fireballs and jumping on turtles. Try getting that idea greenlit today. ‘Tomodachi Life’ from Nintendo is a game made with complete disregard for the current trends in gaming – It
right fun! At the beginning of the game, players will import their existing mii’s, or create new ones. Tomodachi Life will see mii’s doing more than bobbling about like finger puppets though, you will then program their personalities, voices and other slick new features to make them unique. I tried to create my friends and I as accurately as possible, and it’s kinda scary how much they behave like their real-life counter parts, both on their own and when hanging out with each other. I have one friend (who shall remain anonymous) who is very direct with his speech. He also has this unique talent to derail any conversation with a completely non-sequitur remark, so I cranked his “unique” stat and his “direct” stats right up when making his mii. In game, he also derails conversations, and frequently says something unrelated or inappropriate. Perfect.
est strength and weakness. Engaging in various social activities with your islands inhabitants will steadily unlock new features for the island, but the game at no point tells you what you should be doing. You can look at the empty lots to find out what you need to do to unlock that building – but even then, that’s not a definitive goal as such. In terms of activities, Tomodachi Life
“WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT THE MORE YOU ENCOURAGE YOUR MISS TO SOCIALISE, THE MORE YOU WILL GET OUT OF THE GAME.” doesn’t care what should be popular, it just wants to be fun. Starring Nintendo’s Mii’s, Tomodachi will see you and your friends living on an island, with all manner of strange and wonderful things happening every day. It’s unique, it’s weird, and it’s down-
After you’ve made or upgraded your miis, you’ll be greeting them into their apartments on the island. From there, it’s up to you how you want to play. Tomodachi Life presents players with a very open style of gameplay, which is both it’s great-
offers a huge amount of fun and bizarre things for you and your friends to do. Sometimes, the islander will straight out tell you that they want to try something ie “I want to dye my hair a fun colour” or “I want to relax in a bath” and other times, they will
FORMAT:
NINTENDO 3DS
RATING: PG
different songs, and have them put on a concert for the other islanders. I laughed myself stupid when I wrote a metal song all about how much I love coffee, and then proceeded to headbang like it was a great choice of topic for a song.
wander off on their own and discover something to do. One time I found my islanders gathered in a large group by the town fountain, where they were heavily engaged in a rap battle. Being a Nintendo game, the rhymes exchanged were family-friendly, with no expletives at all. This only added to my enjoyment though, as the islanders will rap about being “rap supernovas” or “rhyme psychologists”. Other activities will depend on what gifts you give to your islanders. I gave my mii a guitar, which he then used to show off his skills to other islanders. I gave another islander a voucher for a dog, and the next time I saw them, they were enjoying the dog’s company in their apartment. There are heaps of gifts you can give your islanders, including skateboards, metal detectors, ballet lessons, mirrors, different outfits, sports items and of course, Nintendo products. You can also teach them
At its core, Tomodachi Life is about relationships. Your islanders will socialise with each other, quite often becoming friends and sometimes, even more. You don’t have a great deal of interaction here, but rather, you get to sit back and watch the fun or chaos as it happens. There are times when you are asked if someone should become friends with someone else, or if they should reveal greater feelings to another islander, but you won’t be instigating these events – you’ll just be prompted for input as they occur. During my time with Tomodachi Life, it was difficult to gauge if it indeed has an end, as some features are locked until you can play with another player via Nintendo’s Streetpass feature. What I can tell you is that the more you encourage your miss to socialise, the more you will get out of the game. They might even have children! As you may have guessed from the rest of the review, Tomodachi Life offers a lot of fun distractions, random events, and indeed all manner of strange things for you and your
friends to enjoy. Kids are going to absolutely love the game, but there are definitely moments that adults will enjoy too. Dare I say it, Tomodachi Life will appeal to fans of the popular app Bit Strips, as it offers similar enjoyment (although a lot more variety). Tomodachi Life is great game that can be enjoyed for a few minutes, or as much as a few hours. It offers the best use of the Nintendo Mii’s so far, and combines accessibility with a sense of humour that anyone can enjoy. Kids will love it.
Written by Nick Getley
www.stickytriggerentertainment.com
PROS
8/10
•
Tons of content
•
Wonderfully unique
•
Open-ended accessible gameplay that anyone can enjoy
CONS • •
Lack of definitive direction
Requires Streetpass to unlock everything
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collectibles
HOT TOYS 1/6TH SCALE 1966 BATMAN AND ROBIN If you’re like me, who grew up in the 80s, then most likely you have memories of the 1966 Batman TV series. These were re-run on Australian TV seemingly every day for years, where I can still remember coming home from primary school and watching episodes of this campy classic show! Everything from the opening theme, outlandish costumes, comic-inspired sound effect text splayed across the TV during fight scenes, holy campy acting and dialogue.........it’s all nostalgic bliss for me! I loved it as a kid, and I still love it now looking at these amazing figures from the TV series. The first prototype photos of the figures from Hot Toys looked amazing, and for the most part they turned out to be perhaps the best ever figures made of the Adam West and Burt Ward incarnations. Read on below to find out all my thoughts on the good, and the not so good, for the Dynamic Duo :)
PACKAGING I absolutely LOVE the box art for these two figures, and am glad that Hot Toys have gone with such a bright, colourful, and campy style perfectly in tune with the source material! I still would’ve preferred the shoe box style like the Hot Toys Spiderman and recent Sideshow Darth Vader figures, but these boxes are pretty decent. A beautiful touch by the Hot Toys package designers is that the cardboard insert is designed to be used as a diorama piece for the figures. The TV show always had the Dynamic Duo climbing up the side of buildings, and with the box and integrated opening windows, you can recreate those scenes perfectly! It’s a really great homage to the TV show and one that shows Hot Toys really did put a lot of thought into the packaging.
ACCESSORIES Accessories wise, both figures are pretty light on when compared to some of the more deluxe figures, but I guess I can’t complain too much. With Batman you get no less than 13 hands in total, all designed to be used with the various accessories or with the usual poses. Like previous Batman figures, it also comes with two swap out face sculpts in addition to the standard. All three face plates attach to the headsculpt with magnets, and work perfectly to make for one amazing likeness to Adam West. Also included is the bomb of course, along with his Bat Radio, batarang, rope, and the can of shark repellent. For Robin, he’s even lighter on than Batman, with only 10 hands in total, and the same Bat Radio and batarang. His only unique accessory are the handcuffs, which appear to have a metal chain. All the hands are fairly easy to swap out, and I never felt I was about to snap the wrist pegs. And again, the hands are sculpted and painted very well and match the colours on the main body.
FIGURE - BATMAN First up with the figure, the crowning glory has to be the head sculpt. Hot Toys simply does the best head sculpts in the 1/6th scale world. The eyes have an unbelievable gloss and realism in the way they reflect light. The swap-out face plates are also very well done and sit nicely into the cowl for a perfectly realistic look. The paint app on the skin texture is very realistic, and is the usual high Hot Toys standard. The paint on the cowl and neck piece is nicely done too, but is a slightly different shade to the cape, although it’s not too big a deal. The ear pieces are a soft plastic and curve nicely with the cowl. Along with the lighter coloured eyebrows and nose features, the head sculpt is as perfect as you’re going to get! The cape is made of a nice, fine, and light material much like satin. It drapes and folds quite nicely, and is aided by little clasps that can be clipped to the buttons on the shoulders and back of the figure. However, they are extremely difficult to connect, so I would probably not even bother. The belt is a nicely molded yellow plastic, with a metal centre buckle piece. The blue shorts are a nice satin material like the cape, and look pretty nice as a hallmark of an era where superheroes did wear their underwear on the outside ;)
The boots are also a nice soft plastic, with actually pretty great ankle articulation, both up and down and the ankle rocker for wider stances. There is one major design issue with the figure in the extremely delicate outer grey suit. I cannot even begin to stress this point enough - make sure you cut your fingernails, trim off any excess skin from your fingers, and in general just make sure you can’t snag the suit on anything! At times I felt like just breathing on the suit would damage it! The suit is made of very fine, cotton like material similar to thin business socks. It’s so delicate that it is highly likely that you’ll damage it unless you’re extremely careful. While posing for some quick photos, I was sure I started noticing more and more tiny fluffs and pulls that were just waiting to get worse. I would highly recommend choosing one iconic pose that you’re happy with, put the figure into that pose, and probably never touch it again! It’s such a shame for this figure to have such as issue, because everything else is so much fun! But not posing this figure through fear of damaging it pretty much means it’ll be a statue for me, more or less.
FIGURE - ROBIN As with the Batman figure, the Robin figure has an excellent likeness to Burt Ward. It’s incredible how Hot Toys can capture the actors’ likeness even through molded pieces like the mask or cowl. The paint app again is very nicely done, with realistic skin texture and glassy eyes. I found the Robin suit to be far more durable and much more fun to play with, so overall, I actually like the Robin figure more! The suit has awesome layering and use of different textures. The red vest with attached cape is made from a fine canvas type material that is not overly delicate. I love the loose yellow stitching down the centre of the vest, and the Robin logo is stuck on fairly straight unlike my Batman chest logo, which was slightly crooked. The green undersuit is actually a one piece with the green underwear I think. The cape is made from a very similar material to the Batman cape, and is a great golden colour. It comes already folded and clasped to the shoulders, so there’s minimal futzing around with it. Looks pretty great just straight out of the box.
The elbow articulation is a little tight, but you can manage to get his arms and elbows bent into his iconic fist in hand gesture that he always does in the show. The leggings are a much more durable material than the Batman suit, and don’t feel as delicate at all. I was able to move the legs and knees around quite a bit without too much fear of damaging the suit. The only negative point on the leggings is that they are such a fine material that they make the knee joints stand out more than they should, reducing the realism. The little fold down boots are also really nicely molded, and are soft enough to still allow some great ankle articulation. Overall, the Robin is a really solid figure, and perfectly complements the Batman figure. Together they make for an incredible display in your collection.
FINAL THOUGHTS I’ve included a couple of quick photos of the two figures together. Each figure is pretty decent in their own right, but together they just draw attention in the display cabinet. The bright colours, perfect head sculpts, and great accessories really make them pop on the shelf. If you have even the tiniest pang of nostalgia as you see these figures, then they’ll be great for you! I loved the TV show back in the day, and these figures just bring all those memories flooding back. Just be very careful with their suits and you should be fine. For now, I just can’t wait until the 1966 Batmobile is released! The day these two can be posed next to that awesome machine will be a day long remembered! If you haven’t already, check out the full video reviews of both figures on the Kool Kollectibles youtube channel! Check them out, subscribe, like, and comment with your own thoughts :) Written by Khai at Kool Kollectibles www.koolkollectibles.net www.facebook.com/KoolKollectibles www.youtube.com/user/ckly76
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retro
VIDEO GAMING HEROES THAT TIME FORGOT
The next Smash Brothers game is soon to be released upon a waiting world of Nintendo fans. The last game featured Sonic the Hedgehog, but this time around Megaman and Pacman are joining the fight. Nintendo have been pushing crossover games lately, with Sonic and Mario engaging in sporting events, and Pacman joining the karting action in Mario Kart GP. With all of these big names getting together for a brawl it makes you wonder about those long forgotten heroes who will never fight again. Lest we spare a thought for the Oliver Twin’s egg shaped hero Dizzy. Dizzy had some eggselent adventures, and was eggsactly the kind of hero that Mario starved home com-
Kingdom Dizzy”. Later Dizzy games were ported to 16 bit computers, the Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Megadrive. Jack the Nipper was an anti-hero who wanted nothing more than to be as naughty as possible. Released on the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, Spectrum and MSX computers, the Gremlin Graphics star featured in 2 games. The first featured Jack trying to be as naughty as possible by wandering around the city and causing mayhem by using weed killer in gardens, using his pea shooter to hit passers by and using glue in the local false teeth factory. The only danger was getting spanked, which caused your health bar to decrease until you lost a life. If you died, Jack
original game (titled “Hebereke”) never received a release in the US and commands high prices on Ebay in both its NES and Famicom forms. A platforming adventure, Ufouria is lauded as one of the greatest NES games ever released and is considered to be the pinnacle of the series. After this Sunsoft’s hero mainly featured in puzzle games, and one 4 player over head bead em up before fading into obscurity in the early 2000s. Monty Mole was another hero from the Gremlin Graphics stable who debuted in 1984 and featured in 5 games. The first game sees Monty as a wanted criminal who was caught stealing coal and eventually gets
“JACK THE NIPPER WAS AN ANTI-HERO WHO WANTED NOTHING MORE THAN TO BE AS NAUGHTY AS POSSIBLE.” puter fans were craving. Apologies... I’ll stop with the egg puns now! Dizzy’s series of platforming adventure games featured puzzles that needed to be solved by finding the right item for the right location. The original game, titled “The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure” spawned a series of sequels on the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and Spectrum computers culminating in the final game “Crystal
would walk on the screen and insult you. The sequel saw Jack in the African jungle causing more mischief, but it wasn’t as groundbreaking as the first game. Hebereke is a little known Japanese video gaming hero who made his debut on the Nintendo Entertainment system, in a game that we in the West know as Ufouria: The Saga. The
sent to prison. In the second game, Monty’s friend Sam Stoat releases him from prison, which leads on to the third game which was aptly titled “Monty on the Run”. The sequel game saw Monty trying to acquire funds to purchase his own Greek island. The final game “Impossamole”, released in 1991, featured Monty as a super hero who was recruited by aliens to help recover
VIDEO GAMING HEROES THAT TIME FORGOT their sacred scrolls. It’s a strange way to end the series, but there you go! The PC Kid known as Bonk was the caveman hero of the PC Engine or Turbografx 16 (depending on your region) video games consoles. Bonk featured in 3 platforming titles that are highly sought after for video game collectors. The little caveman also made his way to the Nintendo, and Super Nintendo Entertainment systems under the title “BC Kid”. The original PC Engine adventure was remade for the Playstation 2 and Gamecube, but aside from that Bonk has remained quiet since his final Super Famicom game in 1995. The character has featured in other titles, particularly of note is the 10 player Bomberman game for the Sega Saturn. If you can get your hands on 2 multitaps, 10 people and 10 controllers then you’re in for a good time! Are there any other heroes that time has forgotten? Let us know on the Gametraders Facebook page!
Written by Paul Monopoli
retro
MARIO VERSUS SONIC - BATTLE OF THE AGES
Mario versus Sonic, the age old argument that gets Sega and Nintendo fans in a tizzy. From the times of the 16 bit console era when Sonic was introduced as Sega’s new “Blast Processing System pusher” the rivalry began. Today we talk about the two’s strengths and weaknesses, and who ultimately won. To make it fair, and interesting, ill voice my opinions on the Sonic franchise and I’ll get my good friend Mark Cassar from retrodomination.com to share his thoughts. Prepare for war! Sonic, Sega’s Speedy SaviorTim - So the 16 bit era was upon us, we’d unwrapped the shiny Mega-
hog. Brainchild of Yuji Naka, Sonics creation was for the sole purpose of competing with the nefarious moustached plumber that Nintendo had been spamming for years. As opposed to happily bouncing off his foes and throwing fireballs in a desperate attempt to rescue Princess Peach, Sonic on the other hand used his speed and spikes to undo the sinister plans of Dr Robotnik. Spinning and dashing through levels, Sonic the hedgehog impressed with his smooth scrolling, ability to defy gravity and tear up levels leaving none in his wake. Sega were on to a winner, and had found their new hero. Sonics powerups included, extra
as well as providing a fun and exciting new way of traversing terrain. Bonus levels in earlier games saw the wily hedgehog bounce around a maze of springs, collecting coins and the elusive Chaos emeralds to up his score and life count. Not content with just Sonic at the helm, Sega introduced some more characters into the fray, with his trusty companion Tails and the menacing Knuckles, all joining in for a varied game experience. 2D games aside, Sonic also ventured into the 3d world with Sonic 3D on the Saturn, and more impressively, Sonic Adventure on the mighty Sega Dreamcast. On these platforms, speed had a new mean-
“WHILE SONIC MAY HAVE RUN RINGS AROUND MARIO IN THE 16BIT ERA, THE SAME CANNOT BE SAID FOR THE 32/64 BIT ERA & BEYOND.” drive and were about to be blown away by its capabilities, but what did Sega not have that Nintendo did? A solid mascot. In the old days Sega were relying on poor old Alex Kid and Fantasy Zones Opa Opa to represent the brand name. But despite Alex Kidd’s cutesy nature and Opa Opa’s exploits in the Fantasy Zone, Sega needed something new and fresh, enter Sonic the Hedge-
health (in the form of rings which were littered around the landscape) a handy shield which made him impervious to harm, a speed booster in the form of fancy red shoes and an invulnerability charm. He could swim, run and spin his way through levels with ease. Springs, loop de loops and ramps assisted Sonic to great new heights
ing, and a new dimension. Our blue Hedgehog blasted his way through beautifully rendered 3D courses as well as some tricky platforming sections. On top of that, he allowed the player to nurture small creatures he’d rescued via a Tamagotchi style mini game using the Dreamcasts VMU unit! From Sonics times on the Dream-
“IT TOOK UNTIL 1998’S SONIC ADVENTURE ON THE DREAMCAST FOR SEGA TO COME UP WITH AN ANSWER TO SUPER MARIO 64, BUT BY THEN IT WAS A CASE OF TOO LITTLE TOO LATE.”
cast though, I must admit, he did hit some roadblocks. Sonic Unleashed had sonic suffering an odd bout of Lycanthropy and numerous appearances in poor Olympics games against Mario started to tarnish the once proud Speedsters image. Sonic 4 and its relative chapters were released later on, and re-established some credit to the franchise, but was nit-picked by the newer generation of gamers. Currently, Sonic is enjoying his role as a race car driver in Sonic All Stars Racing Transformed where he and a slew of Sega characters revel in speeding around in a series of “Sega fan service inspired” environments. Since the collapse of Sega, to be honest, Sonic has struggled to find a home. Appearing on the Wii (Heaven Forbid!!) in a series of subpar titles, as well as mobile devices in simple “race inspired” games with no depth. The legacy of sonic has fallen from grace, but what a damned good legacy it was. Mark - It cannot be understated as to what Sonic has meant to Sega. At a time when the company was not even a blip on most consumers radar, this spiky blue hedgehog not only managed to thrust Sega into the spotlight, he would also help them to go and do the unthinkable: take the fight to both Mario and the be-
hemoth that is Nintendo and to also take away over half of the their market share. It’s hard to argue against the quality of Sega’s Sonic titles during the 16bit era. The Mega Drive (and the MegaCD) games are not only some of the finest to appear on the platform, but in the genre itself. That’s not to say that Super Mario World wasn’t a fine game in its own right (it happens to be my favourite in the series!), because it was. But were Sonic seemed new and fresh at the time, Super Mario World seemed like more of a sequel to Super Mario Bros 3 instead of bringing something new to the table. While Sonic may have run rings around Mario in the 16bit era, the same cannot be said for the 32/64 bit era and beyond. The fact that Sonic would never really receive a true 32bit sequel (Sonic 3D was initially released on the Genesis and was ported to the Saturn after Sonic X-Treme was cancelled) speaks volumes about Sega’s struggles with the Saturn. Nintendo however had no such problem as Super Mario 64 launched alongside the Nintendo 64 to critical acclaim. Gone were the 2D sprites of old, as Nintendo truly embraced the new technology and Mario seemed
right at home in his new 3D platforming adventure. Complete with its dynamic camera, fluid controls and an emphasis on exploration, it would go on to define a genre much like the original Super Mario Bros did before it. It took until 1998’s Sonic Adventure on the Dreamcast for Sega to come up with an answer to Super Mario 64, but by then it was a case of too little too late. While Sonic Adventure was also a great game, it paled in comparison to Nintendo’s effort. With the exception of its sequel, 2001’s Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic has really struggled to find his identity in the 3D space. While Mario go on to star in such classics as New Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 and Super Mario 3D World, Sonic has been subjected to a slew of poorly received games on a number of different platforms and has never really been able to match his initial greatness. So all in all, Nintendo’s Plumber wins this round. His ability to sell any sub-genre and slew of quality titles gets him over the line. Despite his recent overuse, he still gets the job done, whereas Sega’s mascot really has dropped the ball. Bad use of the character and the decline of Sega have hampered the once mighty character.
Tim - Maybe one day, as opposed to the two competing against each other in an average sports or racing game, we will get a Super Mario and Sonic Adventure, that features the crisp and sublime gameplay of a modern Mario platformer. It may happen, and if it does it will be a great day. The Ying and Yang of Sega with Nintendo would be for the first time ever, at peace with controls each other.
Written by Tim Arnold
www.stickytriggerentertainment.com and
Mark Cassar
www.retrodomination.com
www.havenexpo.biz/
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SEX TAPE
When Jay (Jason Segel) and Annie (Cameron Diaz) first got together, their romantic connection was intense – but ten years and two kids later, the flame of their love needs a spark. To kick things up a notch, they decide – why not? – to make a video of themselves trying out every position in The Joy of Sex in one marathon three-hour session. It seems like a great idea – until they discover that their most private video is no longer private. With their reputations on the line, they know they’re just one click away from being laid bare to the world... but as their race to reclaim their video leads to a night they’ll never forget, they’ll find that their video will expose even more than they bargained for.
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QUESTION: What does Cameron Diaz says “you can’t get it down from the cloud” what does Jason Segel respond?
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DELIVER US FROM EVIL
In Deliver us from Evil, New York police officer Ralph Sarchie (Eric Bana), struggling with his own personal issues, begins investigating a series of disturbing and inexplicable crimes. Discovering the crimes are occult related, he seeks help from an unconventional priest (Edgar Ramirez) to aid him in the investigation. Based upon the book, which details Sarchie’s bone-chilling real-life cases.
Only at the Movies! July 24
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WHY BATS? comic books
WHY BATS, MASTER WAYNE?
If I was to rank my all time favourite comic book heroes there is no doubt in my mind that Batman would be number one on the list. But why do we love Batman? A man deeply troubled, who instead of going to therapy like the rest of us, dresses up like a giant bat and fights crime. It’s all pretty messed up. Yet since his creation in 1939 he has remained one of the biggest pop culture icons of all time. So why is that? One obvious argument might be that, unlike lots of other comic book characters who have enjoyed such longevity, Batman has been treated far better than other characters. In film, TV, games, the list goes on. Bat-
ter with respect and was a box office smash. Batman produced three sequels, Batman Returns, Batman Forever and Batman and Robin. While the sequels never enjoyed the critical successes of the first film they certainly enjoyed the financial rewards. Well... Not so much Batman and Robin... It was a bit of a flop. The 90’s also produced the Batman animated series by Paul Dini. This series would become immensely popular and even go on to win an Emmy. The series was of the highest quality and I have very fond memories of it. A cast beyond that of your average cartoon including Mark Hammil as The Joker. This series
Burton’s previous effort. The film featured Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne. Bale brought a sense of gravity to the role and made it his own. The film fleshed out Batman’s supporting cast as well with such great character actors as Michael Caine is Alfred and Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon. The film tackled some of Batman’s more obscure villains such as the Scarecrow and Ra’s al Ghul. In 2008 Nolan would again return to the directors chair for the sequel The Dark Knight. Now this is where things really heat up! The film was a monster success grossing over $1 billion at the worldwide box office
“WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT, THE ULTIMATE NEMESIS FOR A BAT WOULD BE... A CLOWN?” man seems to be in far more quality projects consistently. The hugely successful 1966 TV show featuring Adam West was certainly a high point for the character. That show just like the Superman series before it, brought Batman into lounge rooms around the world. Cementing the character as a pop culture icon. From here we can look at the 1989 Tim Burton Batman film. This film was one of the first dark, great superhero films. It treated the charac-
are certainly stood the test of time and has proved that Batman truly is the king of television superheroes. It wasn’t until 2005 that, Batman returned to the big screen in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins. Nolan brought with him a sense of darkness and and realism that would ever change the way the general moviegoing public perceived Batman. Batman Begins was a phenomenal success. It’s drew more from the comic book version of the hero than Tim
and featured Heath Ledger in one of his final roles as The Joker. Ledgers portrayal of The Joker would go on to become a pop culture icon in its own right. I recall not being able to go into a clothing store without seeing his smiling face printed on every T-shirt in sight. Is catchphrase “why so serious?” on the lips of every comic book fan in the world. The role would go on to win J and Oscar for the supporting actor, which sadly he received posthumously after his
death. The film was nominated for 8 Academy Awards in total and also won for best sound editing. It’s easy to see why people often refer to “The Dark Knight” is one of the best comic book movies ever made. In 2012 Christopher Nolan finished his Batman trilogy with the final film The Dark Knight Rises. While the film was certainly a success has achieved mixed reception among comic book fans. Personally I find elements of the film enjoyable but as a whole I really don’t appreciate The Dark Knight Rises however, this could be an argument for another day. The film wrapped up
nicely and left the characters with a definite ending. In 2015 we will see Batman return the Silver-screen being portrayed by actor Ben Affleck. This announcement was met with all a lot of criticism from the fan base however personally I am looking forward to seeing what Affleck can do with the role. Batman has also been seen recently in the trilogy of video games the Arkham series. Batman Arkham Asylum on the Xbox 360 PlayStation 3 went on to be a smash success. Featuring the voice cast of the animated TV show, the video games drew primarily from the comic booksx as inspiration and was a hit with fans of the character and non-fans alike. The games sequel Batman Arkham City was also an enormous success. This was followed up by a prequel to the original game Batman Arkham Origins. These game’s enormous popularity and their genuine attempts to capture the feeling of being Batman made them a great landmark in the portrayal of superheroes on video game systems. It also goes to show that Batman really does work in almost any medium. Enough about the way Batman is depicted in the mediums let’s talk about comic books! Since his creation in 1939 Batman has stood the test of time is one of the enduring comic book characters. During the 90s even Superman struggled to sell books however it seems a Batman has never really had this problem people continually flock back to the character. It’s hard to put down a
reason why this is so, but I believe personally, that maybe it has something to do with the fact that Batman is easier to write for then say Superman. Superman is essentially invincible, there is very little that can hurt him apart from a green rock... Batman on the other hand is just a regular guy. Has no superpowers. He just happens to be very good at what he does. Backed up by some martial arts training and some incredible gadgets, as well as being a very smart man, this is all Bruce Wayne has to combat the forces of evil Gotham city. I think this aspect of the character makes him very interesting and enjoyable to read as a comic book reader. He can’t just fly away from trouble so it makes him more dramatic and daring and you do feel a sense of danger when Batman is in sticky situations. There is just greater drama to be achieved when writers take on Batman. Not only that but some of the greatest writers and comic book history have taken on Batman. Allen Moore, Kevin Smith, Scott Snyder, just to name a few. Batman consistently pulls quality writers into his world. Finally I think the greatest aspect of what makes Batman so popular is his rogues gallery. Characters like The Joker, Penguin, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Two-Face Bane, Scarecrow, Killer Croc. With the excep-
tion of maybe Spider-man it’s very plain to see that Batman has some of the best villains in comic book history. Characters like The Joker have pushed Batman far beyond the realm of the regular comic book character. They say hero is only as good as his villains, considering Batman has some of the best films in the comic book industry, well, I guess the rest is obvious. There is no doubt in my mind that Batman will continue as the worlds most popular superhero for some time to come. Later this year we will see the beginning of the TV series Gotham, so get ready for more Batman on your television screens. Next year we see the next instalment in the Arkham video game series with Batman Arkham Knight. As you can see we are going to be pretty Batman saturated for the next few years. I could sit here and try to explain all day as to why that Batman is so popular. At the end of the day I guess it’s just that Batman is pretty damn great. As long as the general public are happy to keep eating up Batman merchandise and stories he’s not going anywhere. The dark Knight will continue on and I’m perfectly okay with that.
Written by Scott F. Sowter Images from Wikipidea
FREE
COMIC SAMPLE! MECHANICAL KNIGHT
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app review
FLICK SOCCER
With the World Cup fresh in our minds we laced up our virtual soccer boots and took to the field in Flick Soccer. Flick Soccer, as you’d imagine is about flicking the ball and scoring goals and hitting targets. It’s one of those addictive games where you have to have “just one more go”. Part of that addiction comes from the very cool after touch you can add to the ball after you’ve taken a shot. You can curve the ball by swiping across the screen and even cause the ball to dip by swiping downward. In Quickfire mode you are placed on a pitch with only you and a goal and keeper. You have to shoot by flicking the ball and curving to avoid the keeper. There’s a target to and hitting the red centre gives you extra time to gain more points. In this mode you’re racing agains the clock to score as many points as possible. Scoring a goal is the minimum you want to do but hitting the target results in you getting between 1 and 3 seconds of additional time and allowing you to get more points. Adding curve to a shot and scoring also increases the points for each goal. This mode is highly addictive and will keep you wanting another go to try to best your previous score. At the start of the game, the goal keeper is not too good, but his skills improve as time races on.
There’s also a Smash It mode where the goal is covered by glass and hitting this smashes the glass but it becomes more complex as the game proceeded. Crossbar is where you have to aim at the cross bar and avoid the keeper and defenders and you rack up points by hitting the cross bar and even more points
when you manage to hit the target and crossbar in the same shot. Overall it’s a fun time waster and is available on a number of formats. Check it out here: www.fullfat.com/games/flick-soccer
Written by Rob Jenkins
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MUST HAVE!
COSPLAYLIVE The next big thing..
Every month we bring you the worlds best cosplay as part of our new Cosplay Live website and expo. For more information check out
www.cosplaylive.com.au
Photographer: Beethy | www.beethy.deviantart.com Cosplayer: vera chimera cosplay | www.facebook.com/yaseminarslan.official
VERA CHIMER cosplay
VERA CHIMERA COSPLAY
COSPLAYER FROM SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA!
This month we’re talking to Vera Chimera Cosplay, first up tell us a bit about yourself and where you are based. I have been cosplaying for several years, but it’s only been the last couple of years where I’ve wanted to step it up and learn new things in terms of design and craftsmanship. I live in the Lower Blue Mountains in Australia. You have some amazing cosplay, tell us a bit about the process of creating your costumes. Thankyou! I always start by doing some extensive research on a specific character. Let’s take Katarina for example... I collected dozens of reference images from her model in-game, then other concept art and fan art. I’d also see how other cosplayers went out making the same costume; this is often where I get inspired to choose certain fabrics, and make colour/texture charts to get it right. Next is drawing out the costume on paper, which helps me find important seam lines and other functional details. Then it’s off for fabric shopping, pattern grading, and many hours of sewing and crying thinking it’ll never end! Makeup, expression, and posing are very important, too. These really bring the character to life. Again, I do alot of research to find
what I like. For poses, I often look at haute couture magazines or anime PVC figurines for inspiration. Cosplay is becoming more popular worldwide, where do you think it’s headed? Is there a future in it for someone perhaps wanting to be full time?
outlet, and I hope that most cosplayers aren’t cosplaying simply for the fame and money. Sure, some could make money by selling posters and doing commissions, but it’s something I’ve found to be ineffective (much thanks to Australia Post being a massive rip-off, haha).
Several years ago I never imagined cosplay evolving into what it is today. Now we have international competitions, cosplay celebrities, and even TV shows about it! I’ve also noticed a difference with the general public, who are quite fascinated with the hobby instead of shunning it. I’m not too sure how else cosplay will evolve, but I do see this hobby creating more of an impact in the gaming, comic and anime industry in terms of how characters are designed. It’s also a great way to create gender equality in the geek world.
If anything I hope people can turn cosplay into a career through other means, such as costume and prop design for theatre and film.
I do see a bit of a downside due to too much exposure, where competition and rivalry will divide people, which is not what cosplay is about. There’s been a taste of that problem here and there, and even though it is a simpleton issue, it shouldn’t be ignored.
For the most part I just come along as a visitor, but I have recently been attending Supanova as a cosplay judge, which has been a wonderful opportunity. And at Melbourne PAX last year I was part of an amazing panel, and hope to host a couple this year. Hope to see you all!
Some people in America, Korea, Japan, Germany, and other countries are making a living off cosplay. Personally I see this as a very restricted
Photography is a major part of cosplay - do you do many photo shoots and what’s involved in the process?
What events and “cons” do you attend and do you do this regularly and as a visitor or a special guest? I often attend all the conventions in Sydney, and I also attend PAX and Melbourne Supanova. I’d love to travel up to Brisbane and see some of the cons there, as they’re apparently the best in Australia.
RA
Rachel Lewis Photography | www.fiathriel.deviantart.com
Beethy | www.beethy.deviantart.com
I try to do a couple of shoots a month, depending on how many costumes I complete or how inspired I feel. When a shoot does come around, I thoroughly plan out the process with the photographer. Location, time, poses and means of travel are planned several days beforehand. I’ve been fortunate to work with some extremely talented photographers, but the most fun to work with have been Beethy, Andy Wana, Rachel Lewis, Charmaine Morgan, Shiro Ang and LMKusanagi. I’d love to collaborate with many more photographers, including Darshelle Stevens, Zim Killgore, or anyone who wants to work together! You’ve built up a strong following - tell us a bit about that process and what other social media do you use. I created my Facebook page right after it was announced that I was live-action Lilith in Borderlands 2. It was such a bizarre feeling having the spotlight on me, and it took a lot to get used to. But from day one, I had so much support from all these people around the world, most of whom were complete strangers. And I recently hit 35,000+ Likes! I really don’t know how, haha! I love interacting with people on my
page, and I’m an extremely honest and open person. I guess that helps. I want to represent “me”. A horrible taste in humour helps, too, haha. Some followers have come from other cosplayers sharing my page. Katyuska Moonfox has helped me out there. Sharing has been a great tool in spreading everyone’s art around. I mainly use Facebook and DeviantArt, but I often use Twitter and Ask.fm. What do you find is the best way to connect with fans and followers? Be real. Be open. Be willing to learn through your mistakes. Appreciate every single person who supports what you do and acknowledge they’re there. Do you get any negative and how do you deal with that? I used to get quite a bit. Now I get practically none. But I think that has to do with a lot of recent evolutions in my life, and how I choose to cope with any negativity. Most of the ‘bad stuff’ these days is misogyny and/or perverted comments, and I often deal with that with humour. It’s a great tool against your foes. Speaking out about it also helps to spread a clear message that
this kind of behaviour will never be tolerated. Ever. If readers would like to know a bit more about you, where can they go to see more of your work? DA: vera-chimera.deviantart.com FB: Yasemin Arslan - Vera Chimera Cosplay Ask.fm: @verachimera Twitter: @vera_chimera These are the sites I’m always on, and I’m available to help anyone with their cosplay questions, or even crazy questions! Thankyou so much!!
“BE REAL. BE OPEN. BE WILLING TO LEARN THROUGH YOUR MISTAKES. APPRECIATE EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO SUPPORTS WHAT YOU DO AND ACKNOWLEDGE THEY’RE THERE.” WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/YASEMINARSLAN.OFFICIAL
Beethy | www.beethy.deviantart.com
Beethy | www.beethy.deviantart.com
WWW.VERA-CHIMERA.DEVIANTART.COM
Beethy | www.beethy.deviantart.com
WWW.VERA-CHIMERA.DEVIANTART.COM
mad maven cosplay
MAD MAVEN
COSPLAYER FROM SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA!
This month we’re talking to Mad Maven, first up tell us a bit about yourself and where you are based. I’m a Sydney based cosplayer and have been making costumes and attending conventions both locally and interstate for the last two years. Costuming is something I enjoy in my spare time that draws on my other interests like sewing, prop making & design. You have some great cosplay, do you make your own costumes or do you put them together from various costume outlets? I make all my costumes because it is my main interest in the hobby - making the outfit. Almost all the skills I needed to make different components I have learned along the way through trial and error, tutorials and learning from other people. I enjoy discovering new techniques, more efficient processes and cheaper ways to make costumes. It also strengthens the connection between cosplayers. Working on costumes of projects together is where all the fun is. Cosplay is becoming more popular worldwide, where do you think it’s headed? I admit from my perspective it is difficult to say because my participation is purely as a hobbyist. I have
friends that give their all to the professional pursuits of cosplay and see how hard they work to make cosplay something great. I believe that more people are becoming involved and it features more at conventions which definitely brings a fun atmosphere to the event. Cosplay will keep growing because essentially it’s great fun and anyone can do it. What costumes are you working on at the moment? I guarantee in the back of every cosplayers mind there is an endless list of costumes they would love to make. I am no different. The current projects I’m excited about include Kruger from Elysium, as a huge fan of the character and film. Maleficent, Artemesia from 300, Pocahontas, Shredder from TMNT... the list goes on! What “cons” are you attending? Locked in for this year Sydney Supanova, Sydney SMASH, Melbourne PAX and Brisnova. You’ve built up a strong following - tell us a bit about that process and what other social media do you use. I’m the first to admit I am not a social media expert. Other cosplayers or photographers have told me how to run the fan pages on different
platforms. Facebook and Instagram are the least burdensome and I enjoy sharing quickly progress photos or photoshoot results. Honestly I believe if you focus on your main pursuit which is the fun of producing great costumes the rest follows. Updating your followers frequently on your happenings also keeps them engaged. People pursuing professional cosplay need a different approach all together. Watching other friends that do this the social media side is a full time job. Scheduling posts, producing and shooting new costumes, updating what’s happening with your life, checking in with fans and what they would like to see - It’s a lot of work and people don’t realise how hard some of these lovely people work. My representation is much less focused but it allows me to connect with people in the scene while still keeping costuming and fans separate from the rest of my life - sometimes I don’t need to be cosplaying anyone but me. What do you find is the best way to connect with fans and followers? At conventions. I enjoy talking and interacting with people face to face. It also allows real discussion of costuming and allows me to give advice to people that would like to make a similar costume or want to try cosplay next time they attend.
n
Kris Ezergalis | www.facebook.com/WhatABigCamera
Do you get any negative and how do you deal with that? I know a lot of people that have suffered negative experiences and I am sorry for them but I’ve only ever enjoyed myself. Also I don’t feel any pressure when I cosplay because it’s just a hobby to me. If someone doesn’t like it - that’s ok! People that have much larger followings than me and deal professionally with cosplay receive a lot more. The great thing is you have your friends in the scene that are there to support you and know exactly what you are going through. If readers would like to know a bit more about you, where can they go to see more of your work? I update my facebook page the most frequently.
www.facebook.com/MadMavenCosplay Instagram is a place they can see quick snaps as I sew and run around at conventions.
www.instagram.com/madmavencosplay
E Photography | www.facebook.com/ecks.photography
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/MADMAVENCOSPLAY
The Blake Image Photography | www.facebook.com/theblakeimage
Kris Ezergalis | www.facebook.com/WhatABigCamera
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/MADMAVENCOSPLAY
E Photography | www.facebook.com/ecks.photography
“HONESTLY I BELIEVE IF YOU FOCUS ON YOUR MAIN PURSUIT WHICH IS THE FUN OF PRODUCING GREAT COSTUMES THE REST FOLLOWS. UPDATING YOUR FOLLOWERS FREQUENTLY ON YOUR HAPPENINGS ALSO KEEPS THEM ENGAGED.”
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/MADMAVENCOSPLAY
SUNDAY COSPLAY cosplay
SUNDAY COSPLAY
COSPLAYER FROM CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA!
This month we’re talking to Sunday Cosplay, first up tell us a bit about yourself and where you are based. Hi I’m Sunday, and I generally go by this name on and offline, Sydney Supanova is my 2 year anniversary of cosplaying. I got into cosplay when my friend asked me to come with her, she wanted to dress as team rocket and I thought nahh thats a bit weird and it was 2 days before, so we didn’t end up doing anything. When I got there though, I was the weird one not being dressed up, and everyones costumes looked amazing, so I decided I would have a costume for the next Supanova. So I spent a year planning and building Pyramid Head, I haven’t looked back since. Up until recently I was working out of my bedroom in Canberra but I’ve moved into my own place in Goulburn and cosplay definitely dominates every possible surface. You have some amazingly complex cosplay, tell us a bit about the process you go through to create them. How long does a costume take and what sort of planning goes into it. It’s a lot of research (browsing google images mostly) reference pictures are really important, I usually look for 3Dd files too so I can get a good look at them from all the angles I need.
A lot of my builds involve pepakura which is a paper folding technique, it flattens out 3D files, you print them out to make templates then reassemble them to make the 3D object out of card or foam in real life, and then I make it again because the first one is rubbish lol. I can’t honestly say how long they take, it’s all different, ranges from 3 days to 3 months, I’ve been working on one now for almost a year. I see you’ve recently started using a 3D printer, tell us a bit about that. They are an amazing tool once you get used to using them. I get asked a lot how they even work so I’ll explain. Its a rather similar process to your regular ink printers at home, but instead of ink it uses plastic, and deposits a small layer of plastic on the print bed, then continuously adds hundreds of layers until it builds up the final product. I can print pretty much any 3D object from the computer. Are they expensive to buy and use? Mine cost just over $2000, which considering the technology and ability of the machine, is quite reasonable. The plastic print material is around $40 a kilo, a helmet uses about half a kilo to print, so it’s actu-
ally quite a cheap thing to run. The main cost you are paying for if you need something printed is the time, an average helmet takes 20+ hours to print and I spend many hours getting a model prepped for printing. Cosplay is becoming more popular worldwide, where do you think it’s headed? It is becoming very popular, I really don’t know where it’s headed or where it could go, most people do it for fun or as a hobby, a few definitely wish to pursue it professionally, myself included, and it’s actually starting to become viable choice. (someone sponsor me please :P) What costumes are you working on? I am currently just focused on getting Samus Phazon armor done, which I’m building to a much higher standard than usual and entering it into a competition overseas which focuses a lot on craftsmanship and intense inspection of the suit. Other than that I just like to make helmets and props and not full costumes. What “cons” are you attending? I attend almost every convention on the east coast of Australia, Supanova, SMASH, Armageddon,
Y
Shutterabuse Photography | www.facebook.com/shutterabuse
“I AM CURRENTLY JUST FOCUSED ON GETTING SAMUS PHAZON ARMOR DONE, WHICH I’M BUILDING TO A MUCH HIGHER STANDARD THAN USUAL AND ENTERING IT INTO A COMPETITION OVERSEAS..”
Comic-Con, PAX. Later this year I’m heading over to America for Dragon*Con and perhaps Salt Lake City Comic-Con. Next year I hope to be in America again for Emerald City Comic-Con, WonderCon, Megacon and PAX east. I also attend smaller cons in Canberra. I help organise CanCos which is Canberra Cosplay, it consists of just over 300 people, we have meets every couple of months.
If readers would like to know a bit more about you, where can they go to see more of your work? The best place to find me is on my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/SundayCosplay
My Twitter @sundaycosplays Or instagram @wowsuchinstagram (yeah I’m a bit a Doge fan and it started as a joke)
Ben Yosef - Decade Three Pictures | www.facebook.com/d3cadethree
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/SUNDAYCOSPLAY
Ben Yosef - Decade Three Pictures | www.facebook.com/d3cadethree
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/SUNDAYCOSPLAY
IRON cosplay
BUILDING IRON MAN A COSPLAYER TELLS ALL!
Great cosplay takes hard work, planning and creativity. Complex costumes such as an Iron Man costume is a big job and we decided to find out just how much work this really is. Natalie Stone fills us in… The idea - why I decided to build ‘Iron Man’: Deciding to build the cosplay kind of just hit me! I’ve never built anything like this before. I love the idea and marveled at the detail of Tony Stark’s red and gold suit. I thought, ‘One day I’m going to build that suit’. I also follow a group, Cosplay Heroes, over in the United States who volunteer at local charity events and hospitals. So this was another contributing factor. The happiness that the magic of cosplay can give to someone else inspired me to share this experience with others. We cosplay as our heroes – but we really are just personifying someone else’s hero. The planning process: To get started on a foam build, you need to source out Pepakura. Pepakura is a paper model that you can view in 3D on your PC. I used Pepakura Designer and Pepakura Viewer to create my suit which can be downloaded. My ‘Iron Man’ armour was from a site called RPF and it needed to be resized to fit a 5ft girl. I printed them off so to cut templates into stencils, then trace around the
stencil on to your foam, and then just cut it out - carefully! It’s like putting a giant 3D puzzle together. Getting materials - Is there a budget?
A budget is so important with any cosplay. You need to set yourself a budget when building; this depends on your affordability and the quality of the product you plan to use. Foam and glue make up the majority of the building materials, such as the foam density, the type of glue, whether a hot glue or super glue and the quality of paint. Best to buy what you need as you go. Timeline - do you work to a timeline or simply work when you have spare time?
Because I work fulltime as a Chef, this is what I do in my spare time. I try and plan to build a set of armour for each convention. I build mainly on my days off from work whilst on a sci-fi viewing binge or during break at work I’ll set up a table in the restaurant and cut out my stencils for gluing at home. I have a supportive workplace! The process - how to start, overcoming problems, getting that first look finished. I used 2 different types of EVA foam firm 6mm impact foam for my boots & legs and a standard 6mm EVA foam
from Clarke Rubber for the rest of the build. EVA is used for floor mats, yoga mats and general padding. The quality of foam comes down to the density. The hardest part is getting your suit pieced together to fit. It takes time and patience. To start a foam suit, you basically need stencils, foam, hot glue or super glue, Stanley knife or a crafts knife, cutting board & markers. The cheapest and cleanest way of sealing your foam is by coating it with standard PVA wood glue from your local hardware shop. I applied 6 to 8 layers on each section of my build. After the 6th layer, the foam had absorbed the glue & became solid. You may have to fill in noticeable gaps with ‘Selleys No More Gaps’ filler from Bunnings. It’s inexpensive and flexes well. Flex is one of the most annoying problems. I’ve seen armour cracking under pressure from just being worn. So I started researching ways of painting a suit to make it flexible. I had an opportunity to chat with a Car Detailer, & suggested mixing acrylic car paint with liquid plastic, which acts as a flex additive. I found that I could bend the armour around on itself without cracking. To get my finished look, my gold and red paint
MAN was air sprayed and then sealed with a clear acrylic coat. Finishing - do you do “weathering” for costumes, fine tuning the look, last minute add on’s etc.?? I’m experimenting with weathering. To do this, I air sprayed underneath the defined edges a shade darker of red onto the suit to shadow the highlights. Days before a convention, I’m hit with ideas, but don’t have the time to do them. I find that it is best to be focused at the start of the project to ensure that each piece is made properly. The fine tuning comes to making sure everything fits, the paint, the acrylic sealing is all done correctly from the start, and so the final step is suit up! Presentation - who do you show, do you plan it for a “con”, do you organize photos?
You can find my current props work projects at www.facebook.com/natstonproductions
I plan all my work for a convention in advance and have a clear goal to make sure they’re ready and photogenic for a big weekend. I don’t organize photos, I just show up and have fun. AVCon 2014 will be the first time I enter into a cosplay competition, so I’m very excited to meet some brilliant local Cosplayers! Hoping to inspire more people to get out there and build!
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NATSTONPRODUCTIONS
“TO START A FOAM SUIT, YOU BASICALLY NEED STENCILS, FOAM, HOT GLUE OR SUPER GLUE, STANLEY KNIFE OR A CRAFTS KNIFE, CUTTING BOARD & MARKERS.”
“I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHAT WITH A CAR DETAILER, & SUGGESTED MIXING ACRYLIC CAR PAINT WITH LIQUID PLASTIC, WHICH ACTS AS A FLEX ADDITIVE. I FOUND THAT I COULD BEND THE ARMOUR AROUND ON ITSELF WITHOUT CRACKING.” WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NATSTONPRODUCTIONS
cosplay
COSPLAY AT Photographer Blake Robertson from www.thebakeimage.com.au headed off to Supanova in Sydney and captured some of the Cosplay action!
SUPANOVA!
sydney supanova wrap up!
A GEEKS PARADISE - SYDNEY SUPANOVA 2014 BY SCOTT F. SOWTER
America may have Comic-Con, but for us great-southern-landers we do have Supanova! Australia’s geek paradise! I had the great pleasure of hitting Supanova at Sydney this year and it was one of the best I’ve been to so far. We hit the Super-dome on Friday morning for what would be the most star studded Australian pop culture expo in history. Stars including Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones), John Barrowman (Dr Who, Torchwood, Arrow), Manu Bennett (Spartacus, Arrow, The Hobbit Trilogy), George Lazenby (James Bond), Katie Cassidy (Arrow), Ming NaWen (Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD), Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica), Rose McGowan (Charmed, Conan, Scream), Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite), Patrick and Carl Purcell (Winter City Comics), Nicola Scott
hall, loaded with the weird and the wonderful. Pop culture merchandise from wall to wall and not nearly enough ATM’s at arms length. It is truly one of those wonderful spaces where people can truly be their normal, geeky, extroverted selves without fear of public scorn. I arrived on Friday morning to jump into a queue. Which I stayed in... For quite some time. Being media at Supanova does come with its privileges, however, jumping the line isn’t one of them. Whilst in this first queue my bubbly girlfriend (and photographer) struck up a conversation with our neighbours, a family who had flown all the way from Perth so their son could meet Stan Lee. That’s dedication! I too was taking the chance to meet one of my personal heroes, Stan
seconds later I was walking out of the photo booth. It wasn’t a very long time to stand next to my idol and smile, but it was enough. I’m now happy to say I have a photo of me looking like a fool standing next to the greatest living comic book writer. After the photo it was time to get his autograph via my fourth line. Reunited with the Perth family, they gave more details on their pilgrimage. Their twelve year old son had written an essay for school, ‘Why Stan Lee should win a Nobel Peace Prize’ and intended to present Stan with a copy. (Most awesome parents ever!) I found this whole exchange very sweet and proof of the profound effect Stan Lee has on people. You can’t help but fall in love with the guy and his creations. I saw some amazing Stan Lee collectables in the hands of my fellow ‘True Believers’. My piece was
“GAMETRADERS WAS OUT IN FORCE WITH A GREAT BOOTH BROUGHT TOGETHER BY THE BLACKTOWN AND MACARTHUR SQUARE STORES.” (DC Comics)... And the list truly goes on and on. Oh and STAN LEE was there!!! The godfather of the comic book industry himself! It was pretty damn great! Once again I found myself surrounded by all of my geeky brothers and sisters in one giant, over-crowded
Lee. The first order of the day was to jump into my second queue for my coupons and ‘True Believer’ Stan Lee pack, which included a limited edition Stan Lee Pop Vinyl, photograph with ‘The Man’ himself and his autograph. I walked into the little photo booth (after queue #3), and there he was. Three and a half
Fantastic Four Annual #2 (1964) featuring my favourite character Dr Doom; a beautiful gift from my lady. Now signed by Stan Lee! That was a pretty incredible experience. Certainly the highlight of my weekend. Moving forward in time... Saturday was not a good day for me. I be-
came very ill. I sat outside the hall most of the day with my poor girlfriend doing whatever she could to pull me through to the end. While sucking on strepsils I was able to watch the SydNova attendees line up in the rain (some scantly dressed) for hours just to get in the door. The entry queue was still hundreds deep after midday. A respite from my illness (a cold, don’t worry I’m fine now) allowed me to get inside for a brief period of time to interview the wonderful Nicola Scott, a phenomenal artist for DC comics. We also got around to see most of the stalls. There was some amazing merch available! From swords to comics to the ever coveted Pop Vinyl toys, there was some stunning stuff on display, as long as you had the cash! Sunday was a better working day since my illness had become a bad
memory. More queues and a couple of celebrity interviews down and I was back to enjoying the event. Despite the weather (11 degrees and raining) many cosplayers still showed up and some still wearing as little as possible. Firstly I will get this off my chest, I am not a cosplay person. I really don’t get it or have the time to dip my toe into it, but wow can I appreciate it! I got to hang out with Batman in a dress, went to the urinal next to Gambit and have lunch with Deathstroke, it is a totally surreal experience. The amount of time and dedication these people have put into something they truly love is really quite admirable and very impressive. Gametraders was out in force with a great booth brought together by the Blacktown and Macarthur Square stores. Selling all sorts of toys, com-
ics, collectables and even board games. They nailed it without a doubt and looked like they were having some fun while doing it! Supanova is a great event for all ages. Being able to meet and mingle with fellow fans of whatever you are interested in is a great experience. The chance to have a photo with your favourite stars or get them to sign something precious to you, it all makes the event worth while. For geeks, conventions are our church, our chance to celebrate our love of everything we hold dear, be it comic books, movies, TV, video games, anime, manga, dressing up, there is something for everyone at Supanova. I had a blast there and can’t wait for next year! Hopefully I will see you there!
Images by Rob & Adrian from Gametraders Macarthur Square & Blacktown at Supanova 2014.
Images by Rob & Adrian from Gametraders Macarthur Square & Blacktown at Sydney Supanova 2014.
Images by Jessica Maguire at Sydney Supanova 2014.
sydney supanova wrap up!
INTERVIEW WITH MANU BENNET BY SCOTT F. SOWTER
Growing up, I was a massive fan of the character Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke. One of the great stand out DC comic villains, Deathstroke has a great and prolific history as a popular character. When I heard that Slade Wilson was going to feature heavily in the CW’s TV series ‘Arrow’ I was very excited. And when they announced the casting of the great Manu Bennett in the role I was beside myself. Manu had previously tore up the screen as Crixus in the Spartacus TV series (also worth a watch!) so I was very keen to see what the Australian-New Zealand actor would bring to the role. Spartacus certainly showed Manu’s impressive range and I was keen to see that talent bring Slade Wilson to life. I think fans of the last two seasons of Arrow would agree that Manu has really delivered one of the best TV villains to date. I got the chance to hang out with him briefly at Supanova Sydney and have a chat about Deathstroke. He was a complete gentleman and very fun to talk to.
that I was even going to play Slade Wilson. I’d just been in Kuwait doing a USO tour to visit the military on behalf of Spartacus.
Scott: It’s a great opportunity to meet you, playing quite possibly one of my single favourite characters in comic book history, so thank you. How did you get the role on Arrow?
Now you know, it’s senseless for me as an actor to start playing a scene on an island with a young kid that’s been marooned and start likening that to the DC comic’s version of Slade Wilson and Deathstroke. Because that story doesn’t have any place what so ever. As they started to develop that storyline with Shad-
I’d done an audition for a special forces character named Holloway, so there was no lead on to the idea
I’d spent some time at the various bases and I’d met some special forces guys. One of them showed me a choke hold, which I initiated in my audition for Arrow in LA, and ended up choking out the reader that was in my audition scene. He fell on the ground unconscious, the director told him to go wash his face. I thought I was about to get kicked out of the room and then they told me it was absolutely perfect! That’s how I got the role. The funny thing was that whole energy came from those special forces guys in Kuwait, so it was funny that once I started playing Slade Wilson on the island, he was a special forces soldier. I took some of that experience with those military guys and added that to the attitude I portrayed as Slade Wilson. How much of DC’s Deathstroke did you bring to the Tv role?
ow and made it a love triangle, again that’s got nothing to do with the way the DC comic is written. I never like to engage myself in too much historyonics with established characters because you just end up closing yourself up in the walls of what has already been defined. I like to play characters with a natural progression that’s on the written page. So, the scripts that were arriving for me for Slade Wilson, I didn’t even think about Deathstroke. As a matter of fact, I had bought all the Deathstroke comics about one month into being on Arrow, but I didn’t start reading them until I got the first script that was about me playing Deathstroke. Then I found out about the first appearance of Deathstroke in Teen Titans. And it was the death of his [Deathstroke’s] son at the hands of the Teen Titans that propelled Deathstroke into this world of vengeance. I guess Andrew Kreisberg [writer on Arrow]and the other writers had orchestrated this vengeance mission in this particular show to be based on the death of Shadow. But I could see that same feeling resonating. The thing is, Deathstroke in the comic books isn’t so Mirakuru-driven-crazy or anything like that, so I was quite sensitive about that when
“ ONE OF THEM SHOWED ME A CHOKE HOLD, WHICH I INITIATED IN MY AUDITION FOR ARROW IN LA, AND ENDED UP CHOKING OUT THE READER THAT WAS IN MY AUDITION SCENE. HE FELL ON THE GROUND UNCONSCIOUS, THE DIRECTOR TOLD HIM TO GO WASH HIS FACE. I THOUGHT I WAS ABOUT TO GET KICKED OUT OF THE ROOM AND THEN THEY TOLD ME IT WAS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT! THAT’S HOW I GOT THE ROLE.”
- MANU BENNETT it started. Kind of like this, Shadow in the background and Slade Wilson hallucinating like he was only her voice. He wasn’t even a character of his own, so I was tug-o-waring with the writers about how far from the DC comic origins that was straying. Because I didn’t want to ruin the integrity of the character. I wanted to make sure that Slade was still the thinking character. I wanted to keep him nobel, with a system of honour. What was it like to get into the head of that kind of villain? For me personally, when you play a bad guy you never play the villain. You want to make that character responsible to some rationale. If there is no rationale there, you end up with a moustache-twisting bad guy. I’m still quite confused as about how he is such an evil guy, because at the end of the day he’s totally convinced that this young kid, who he knows has a bevy of girlfriends that he’s dumped one after the other, was responsible for the death of Shadow. And he holds him to task for that! It was also Oliver who injected him
with the Mirakuru, so was it even Slade who fell into this hole by himself?
favouritism. It’s a privilege to be on something that’s internationally successful again.
As an actor going from season one, where Slade is very likeable and sort of this educator or teacher-
Getting the wrap-up signal. What can we expect next from you? Film? Are you going to continue with Arrow? What’s the next step?
I think he’s lovable! The audience loved him. He was the guy that delivered the kid from his own fate and gave him the skills necessary to become The Arrow.
I’ve enjoyed taking three really strong characters to their peaks. I took Crixus in the Spartacus series, he reached a nice peak and I loved being a part of that. And Azog, a very strong character who is coming to his peak now in the third Hobbit film. Slade Wilson seems to have come to a peak. I just don’t want to be in something that tapers off. That’s my issue, will there be a life for Deathstroke that I think personally, as an actor, that is rewarding for me or are there other characters to build? That’s the Mirakuru question! (laughs).
So jumping into season two, did you get to have more fun playing that darker side of Slade? Oh yeah! As an actor you like to find the roller coaster ride. There were a lot of challenging scenes, some of the twists could have been stretched out a bit more, like the Shadow love story. TV moves fast and the writers need to execute finales that will keep people glued to their sets for next week’s episode. Having been on Spartacus, it was very good at delivering roller coaster rides and huge finale endings. It’s interesting to be on another show that’s executing with that same fan
That brought our interview to a close. We then had a laugh and took some goofy photos together. Manu was such a joy to speak with and very open about the acting experience. Don’t forget to catch him in the final film of The Hobbit Trilogy, in cinemas later this year.
sydney supanova wrap up!
INTERVIEW WITH NICOLA SCOTT BY SCOTT F. SOWTER
“ESSENTIALLY WHEN I DECIDED THAT I WANTED TO GET INTO COMIC BOOKS I KNEW I WANTED TO WORK AT DC.” - NICOLA SCOTT
Nicola Scott is an Australian comic book artist who works for DC comics. The body of work includes the Secret Six, Birds Of Prey and the ground breaking New 52 title Earth 2. I had opportunity to sit down with Nicola at Supanova and talk to her about her body of work and what was like getting a job at DC comics. I’ve always loved your work, I’m a very big fan of Bane and the way you drew him in Secret Six was just fantastic! First things first though, how did you actually get your job at DC comics? A lot of perseverance and a lot of good luck! Essentially when I decided that I wanted to get into comic books I knew I wanted to work at DC. That to me was the end goal. My knowledge of the comic book industry and the art of sequential storytelling was very limited when I started. My portfolio showed that I was actively pursuing work at DC comics. I always had drawings of DC characters in my portfolio and when I would go to conventions I would actively pursue DC editors to see my work and after a while some DC writers began to notice me. I then had some great DC writers campaigning for me at the office, writers like Gail Simone, so they wanted to work with me. Editors at that point would say, “You know what you’re doing, you know how to draw but maybe you’re
not quite there yet”. I reached a point about four years later where I was at San Diego, Comic-con and it was just great timing. It was a Sunday afternoon and it was a great show but I haven’t walked away with my dream job, so I decided to go back to the hotel have a nap because I was exhausted when Gail Simone came running up to me and said I think we have an opening on Birds Of Prey, please go speak to my editor. So I went up to him and said “Hi my name is Nichola Scott” and he said “oh I know who you are!” So that was a little scary, so I showed him my portfolio and he said “Well I’ve never worked with an artist from Australia before so let’s see how this goes!” It was a test I wasn’t announced as the ongoing artist, I was just doing an issue and again incredible good fortune, my first issue was issue one hundred. It was a landmark issue, it was the beginning of a new story arc, and I knew I had to deliver good work, and I had to deliver it on time. And it wasn’t long before I got the script for the next issue and then the next one and I thought to myself, “well it looks like I’m going to be here for a little while”. So by the next year I had written twelve issues without a break. I had a good relationship with my editor I had a great relationship with Gail Simone who had just left to go on write Wonder Woman, and then they told me I was going to
get an exclusive contract. So I went under contract with them and I been under contract with them ever since. How did it feel to get that dream job? At first I was very realistic, I knew that this was my big break, I just needed to not f**k it up. (laughs) Is was very much a feeling of I just have to deliver! Getting a good job is good luck and hard work but keeping the job is the real work! I always thought that when I got my big break I would just party and celebrate that realistically I just had work to do. There was literally a script in my inbox for me when I got home. Then I thought I would celebrate when I got onto a Wonder Woman project, but when I did get onto a Wonder Woman project I still had no time to celebrate. I only started feeling comfortable with my role of DC after a number of years, I mean I’m still so green and my knowledge of the industry is still quite limited considering I’m on the other side of the planet. It took me a long time to become comfortable with the idea that I was a DC staple. So it has only been in the last couple of years that I realised, “yes I’m one of the DC regulars now!” Firstly I’m very much a Marvel guy, but when the New 52 came out I got into Earth 2 and thought it was absolutely fantastic, your
art is phenomenal! Thank you! What was it like to jump onto a book like that? where DC was trying new things certainly in terms of their characters and gender stereotypes and exploring sexuality? The whole experience of being on Earth 2 was a big shift for me. Until that point I had only worked on smaller books. They had been team books but teenager teams, girl teams, fringe teams. I’ve never really done a big boy book! You know a real masculine and testosterone fuelled book. I’d been campaigning for one for a year or so mainly because I wanted to see if I could do it. I call it “legs spread acting” everyone’s in action pose all the time. In the Secret Six, no one was in an action pose even when they were in action! So when they gave me the job I thought to myself “oh my god they’ve given me one
of these big boy books! Then when the great idea started coming up like “let’s make our main character, our sort of Superman representative, in this case the Green Lantern and lets make him gay and just have that sort of be incidental”. It’s not his defining characteristic, he is absolutely the alpha male. He’s the man! He just happens to be gay. We aimed for a multiracial and really interesting and broad cast. To a great extent I think we were able to stick with that. Lastly, what is the most awkward and creepy thing that you get asked to draw at conventions? I actually don’t get creeped on that often. It’s very odd I hear so many horror stories from so many female creators about inappropriate behaviour. It honestly doesn’t happen to me as much, I don’t know maybe it’s because I’m older, or because I’m taller, I’m louder, I guess I can be a little intimidating. Therefore those
people who are looking to throw that awkward energy at a female might look at me and think “Oh no not her, she might smack me down!” (laughs) Even when it does happen my natural reaction isn’t shock or disgust, my natural reaction is just a laugh. It’s not even laughing at them it’s just the thought of “Oh my god that’s embarrassing!” “You didn’t mean it like that obviously?” I just give them the opportunity to back out of it. I just can’t believe that people do any of that shit I mean seriously... So does happen I’m just like “No!” (laughs) Thank You so much for your time Nicola! It was my pleasure, absolutely! We left the very animated Nichola Scott there, she was such a great joy to talk to! She is currently working on a new project with Alan Moore, feel free to look it up yourself but it looks like it’s gonna be great!
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