June / July Live Magazine

LIVE JUNE/JULY 2016 ISSUE

GHOSTBUSTERS: WIN Prize Packs!

We interview Dean Haglund: The X-Files & The Lone Gunmen: and Comedian!

Cosplay Star:

Raychul Moore Page 158

TM

44

pages of Game Reviews!

Page 20

Games . Movies . Consoles

Who you gonna call Welcome to this month’s issue of Live... I should say double issue cause we’re now bi-monthly. So Ghostbusters..? The movie’s out next month and we can’t wait. In fact we got inspired by the new movie to look at sequels and reboots in both gaming and hardware and we asked about your favourite reboot or sequel, check it out on page 18.

There’s some great comments by readers.

We also look at the new Ghostbusters movie with an interview with Jefferson Sage, the production designer of Ghostbusters, and a bunch of behind the scenes photos our friends at Sony Pictures gave us access to.

Still on the theme of sequels, we caught up with the amazing Dean Haglund, the one and only Ringo Langley from the X-Files and the spin off series The Lone Gunmen Dean is Published by

INSIDE 8 20 70 154 Feature: Sequels & Reboots

Game Reviews

Geek Out

l? now living in Sydney Australia where he’s a regular on TV and in comedy clubs. Check him out at his website and catch a show.

Games this month include: DARK SOULS III QUANTUM BREAK FAR CRY PRIMAL HYRULE WARRIORS LEGENDS POKKEN TOURNAMENT TRACKMANIA TURBO Plus we’ve got board games, comics, retro, trading cards, anime and a ton of cosplay. So don’t waste anymore time here on the intro, get into it and see you in a couple of months.

Rob Jenkins: Publisher and Editor P.S... Massive thanks to the team who made this month the best issue yet.

Cosplay

THE LIVE TEAM Publisher: Rob Jenkins (GTHQ) Art Director: Giselle Capozza (GTHQ) Game Review & Preview Editors: Nick Getley & Kylie Tuttle (Sticky Trigger) Retro Editor: Paul Monopoli Comics: Scott Sowter Cosplay Editor: Anny Sims & Tiffany Dean Sticky Trigger Writers: Kylie Tuttle Nick Getley Alex Holmes Aaron Milligan Ben Rachow Bridget Sweeney Sean Fox Sasha Karen Jason English Johnny Scene

JUNE GAME RELEASES! DATE

TITLE

FORMATS

01/06/2016

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir

PSV, PS3, PS4

03/06/2016

One Piece Burning Blood

PS4, XB1, PSV

09/06/2016

Mirrors Edge Catalyst

PS4, XB1

11/06/2016

Kirby Planet Robobot amiibo Bundle

3DS

11/06/2016

Kirby Planet Robobot

3DS

17/06/2016

Grand Kingdom

PS4, PSV

23/06/2016

Rocket League Collectors Edition

PS4, XB1

23/06/2016

Terraria

Wii U

24/06/2016

Mighty No 9

PS4, XB1

25/06/2016

Mario and Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Wii U

25/06/2016

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE

Wii U

28/06/2016

7 Days to Die

PS4, XB1

29/06/2016

LEGO Star Wars The Force Awakens

PS4, PS3, XB1, 360, 3DS, PC, PSV, Wii U

Dates are correct at time of publishing. Ask staff for details.

JULY GAME RELEASES!

DATE

TITLE

FORMATS

01/07//2016

Star Ocean Integrity and Faithfulness

PS4

05/07/2016

Prison Architect

PS4, XB1

08/07/2016

Carmageddon Max Damage

PS4, XB1

12/07/2016

Ghostbusters

PS4, XB1

15/07/2016

MX Vs ATV Supercross Encore Edition

XB1

16/07/2016

Disney Art Academy

3DS

16/07/2016

Monster Hunter Generations

3DS

28/07/2016

Fairy Fencer F Advent Dark Force

PS4

CTC

CTC

CTC

PRE-ORDE

OUT 18 NOV PRE-ORDER POKÉMON SUN & POKÉM Ask staff for details.

DER NOW!

VEMBER 2016!

MON MOON AT GAMETRADERS TODAY!

FEATURE

Since our theme this month is sequels and reboots, we thought we’d take a look at console sales, particularly looking at 2nd and 3rd versions.

Let’s start with the good old PlayStation. The original Sony system was released in 1994 in Japan and then in 1995 in North America. Its’ competition was the Nintendo 64 and the Sega Saturn and these systems are considered part of the fifth generation of video game systems.

The original PlayStation sold over 104 million globally and stands at number 4 on VG Chartz list of consoles. Some of the best selling games on the first PlayStation include, Gran Turismo with around 10 million sold, Final Fantasy VII with 9.7 million sold and Crash Bandicoot with around 7 million sold.

The little grey console was succeeded by the all time best selling console - the PlayStation 2.

PS2 The large black chunky system was released in 2000 and came with a dual shock controller and sold over 157 million globally - a phenomenal amount of hardware and one that is likely to not be overtaken in the near future.

The system saw over 3,800 titles released for it had some brilliant games released including Grand Theft Auto : San Andreas with over 27 million sold, Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec with just over 14

million sold and Metal Gear Solid 2 : Sons of Liberty. Other stand out titles include Tekken 5, Final Fantasy X and Kingdom Hearts.

It was a powerhouse of a system and even had HDTV resolutions with Gran Turismo 4 and Tourist Trophy supporting upscaled resolution of 1080i.

PS3 The PS3 was also well loved by gamers and sold over 87 million units from release date in 2006.

The first console to have a Bluray player built in and connected to Sony’s PlayStation Network.

It was so in-demand that it sold 600,000 units in the first few days of sales. Games like Grand Theft Auto V sold bucket loads - over 20 million in fact. Call of Duty : Black Ops II sold well with over 13 million while Modern Warfare 3 sold around the same amount.

Being a Blu-ray player ensured it’s success with the family as at the time, Blu-ray players were fairly expensive, so getting a game system and Blu-ray in one was a great deal for the lounge room.

PS4 In 2013 Sony released the PS4 to critical acclaim. Sony embraced indie development and many developers state that it is a more powerful system then the Xbox One from Microsoft. Using an AMD processor, the PS4 has

similar hardware as a PC making development easier and less expensive (according to Wikipedia). Some of the top titles so far include Call of Duty : Black Ops 3 and GTA V. FIFA 16 is also selling well with just under 8 million sold. The system is still young compared to it’s older predecessors and based on previous consoles it will still be selling for many years to come. At this stage the PS4 is outselling its’ rival, the Xbox One by 2 to 1. With only the recently announced Nintendo NX on the horizon, Sony could have console dominance for this current generation.

Each iteration of the console sees better graphics performance, audio improvements and developers taking advantage of the processors pushing graphics across your screen, but with the PS4 we may see something unique and exciting in the announced PlayStation VR. A console virtual reality system that takes players deeper into their games then ever before. It’s due out later this year - expect to see it on shelves in Australia around October 2016. The headset slips over your head to cover your eyes.

Using the PlayStation controllers - like the PlayStation Move, you get to control your interaction all the while looking around in a virtual environment. It’s exciting and has massive potential. Only poor software implementation will let it down.

Next month - Xbox...

independent

Sometimes when a gaming sequel or reboot (remake of the original title) is announced gamers wait with baited breath to see if it will be a hit or a flop! Of all the hundreds of titles release each year, you can bet that around a quarter of them will be a sequel or reboot to a game released the year prior or years before. Do they stand up to the first title?

Are they better than the first title?

What went wrong? What went right? What were the developers thinking when they made this?!

The Sticky Trigger Crew take a look at a handful of mentionable sequels and look at the good and the bad of some popular gaming titles.

Despite being pretty unanimously critically acclaimed when it was first released, there has since been a steadily growing backlash against the second entry in the Dark Souls series, with many regarding it as the redheaded stepchild (Not sure if this term is suitable in today’s overly PC world, feel free to switch it out with “ Zelda II”) of the franchise, an outlier that managed to eschew everything fans enjoyed about the first game in favour of upping the difficulty level in a misguided belief that this was the main draw of the games.

Maybe my perspective is a little skewed, as Dark Souls II was my first experience with what has since become one of my favourite franchises, but, even though the game was solid enough to draw me in, upon playing the other instalments (And the sublime Bloodborne), even I have

to concede that From Software’s B-Team dropped the ball in quite a few areas integral to the Souls experience.

First and foremost, the cohesiveness of the level design is all but gone, with the sensation of an interconnected world being replaced by treks through overtly video-gamey levels that usually culminate in a dead end and a bonfire rather than unlocking a shortcut to a previous area. Heck, in order to progress to Iron Keep one has to take an elevator from the top of a windmill to reach a volcanic crater, which makes absolutely no sense in terms of level geometry.

Another complaint is the overreliance upon hulking humanoid bosses in armour rather than unique creature designs and the difficulty of the combat being artificially raised by constantly throw-

ing mobs at you. Tracking is also kind of broken, with enemies rotating on the spot to follow your character’s dodges and a vacuum effect that will pull you into their area of attack even if you’ve seemingly managed to evade it…

And don’t get me started on the pointlessness of the adaptability stat.

Despite these flaws, however, Dark Souls 2 did improve upon the first in some respects, most prominently the PvP mechanics and the DLC and enhanced Scholar of the First Sin version went some way towards addressing the aforementioned complaints. Still, Dark Souls 2 will have to be content with being regarded as merely a “good” entry in a universally revered series.

Written by Sean Warhurst

fresh coat of paint. Even your antagonist, the eccentric yet charming Pagan Min, was designed to recapture the enjoyment people had for FC3’s pirate Vaas.

Ubisoft has never been a company afraid to iterate. Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, Tom Clancy’s Man-with-Gun: all operate on a simple equation. Make a great game, tweak a few things on the next instalment, and port the rest over wholesale. The Far Cry games – all under the umbrella of shooters in exotic, lawless places – have seen this become particularly egregious ever since the third instalment. In Far Cry 3, you were Jason Brody, an entitled rich kid

slowly turned savage through enduring the horrors of the lawless Rook Island. In Far Cry 4, you play as Ajay Ghale, a man who manages to make overthrowing a dictator in mountainous Kyrat seem as exciting as buying toilet paper.

There are new things, and they’re great – most notably the ShangriLa sections and the inclusion of a grappling hook – but the rest is near identical. Animations, skills, outposts, crafting and weapons, all ported wholesale and given a

Written by Aaron Milligan

It isn’t the worst thing, of course.

Unloading a machine gun from atop an elephant or destroying a convoy of trucks from a gyrocopter remain fantastic, fun moments in a gorgeous game. Outposts especially create wonderful storytelling moments, totally naturally.

But when you’re climbing a tower to unlock a portion of the map for the twentieth time, you can’t help but notice how exactly the same it all feels to before.

But you can ride an elephant. So, really, it all evens out.

Pokémon Gold Version and Pokémon Silver Version set the bar unrealistically high for sequels.

In the original Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow Versions, you started out, caught Pokémon, defeated Team Rocket, defeated the Elite Four and the champion, your rival, and everything ends with you on top of the world. Nearly four real years and three in-game years later, Gold and Silver begin and introduced a slew of mechanics that would change the face of Pokémon forever.

While the plot still focused on catching Pokémon, defeating Team Rocket, and beating the Elite Four and Champion, there were quite a few mix-ups. Team Rocket disbanded at the end of Red, Green, Blue and Yellow, but now they were looking to reform and trying to find the ex-Team Rocket Leader Giovanni, who went into hiding when he was defeated. After the Elite Four and Champion were defeated, that wasn’t it for players. After returning back home, they were told that they could go to the Kanto region.

That is to say, the region from Red, Green, Blue and Yellow. For fans at the time, this was amaz-

ing. Now players could return to where the franchise started and fight all (Except for Giovanni. The whole in hiding thing) the gym leaders they had fought before.

There was basically a whole other game to explore, seeing how things have changed in the last three years. To top it all off, after all 16 gym leaders are defeated, players could access one final area, Mt Silver, climb to the very top, and fight Red. The protagonist of the first games. He was the toughest trainer, and was a real challenge to defeat.

Even though Gold and Silver were new at the time, they hadn’t forgotten where they started.

With 100 new Pokémon added to the roster, the number of available Pokémon rose from 151 to 251. Both new and old Pokémon were scattered throughout routes, which meant you had a chance of running into a familiar face, or a new discovery.

Pokémon battles saw a switchup with the introduction of Dark and Steel type Pokémon and moves. Dark types hold the upper hand against Psychic types, which were the strongest type of

Written by SASHA KAREN

Pokémon back in Red, Green, Blue and Yellow. Steel provided a powerhouse of defence to outlast opponents. While Dark types have faded in popularity in recent years, Steel types can definitely be tough to get past.

There was a new way to acquire Pokémon too; through breeding.

With newly introduced genders, if two compatible Pokémon are left at the Day Care, they’d produce an egg. Nowadays, breeding is the bread and butter of constructing competitive Pokémon teams. The ability to hold items and moves that influenced the weather, like Sunny Day and Rain Dance were also introduced, and are huge staples in competitive battling today. There was a lot more of little things peppered into the game that made it all the more lively. A day/night cycle, daily events, the radio station, trainers giving you their phone number, minigames puzzles, there was just so much content that Game Freak hasn’t been able to encapsulate in a game since. While the games are getting on a bit now, Gold and Silver are still solid, and are worthy of being sequels to Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow.

The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim is the fifth main entry in the immensely popular Elder Scrolls series from Bethesda Softworks. It remains one of the most successful RPGs of all-time, selling over 23 million copies since its launch, having a constantly active fanbase, and sporting an impressive score of 94/100 on Metacritic.

What was it then, that makes Skyrim so brilliant?

Skyrim is an open-world RPG set in the Elder Scrolls universe. The Elder Scrolls games are famous for their huge open-world environments, though with Skyrim, Bethesda shifted their focus to creating a game world that was not only huge, but also highly detailed. Craggy cliffs and mountain ranges, hauntingly dark caves, massive open plains and thick forests are the order of the day, though there are also imposing fortresses, ruins, castles and other man-made structures. Bethesda truly outdid themselves with Skyrim’s environments.

It’s not enough to have an immense open-world in an Elder Scrolls game, you have to allow

players to play the game their way too. In this regard, Skyrim is extremely versatile. Feel like dual-wielding daggers or hand axes? You can. Are you more of a classic sword-and-shield adventurer? You can do that too.

Perhaps you’d like to try your luck with a bow and arrow, or magic wielding? There are a ton of options available, and there’s bound to be quite a few that suit your playstyle.

It seems as though every single thing that could have been improved upon since The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has been with Skyrim. The story is more engaging (though still rather short), the combat is tighter, the graphics are drastically improved and the amount of side missions and activities is fantastic.

So where does Skyrim fall short?

What could have been done better?

As with most Elder Scrolls games, Skyrim’s story fell very short of what it should have been, both in terms of quality and its length.

Hopefully the next Elder Scrolls game (which should hopefully

Written by nick getley

be announced soon) will feature a story with multiple endings, branching narratives and player input – if Fallout 4 can feature a fully-voiced protagonist there’s no reason why Bethesda’s other baby can’t as well.

When Bethesda developed Oblivion, a lot of what made The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind was cut from the game. A lot of this was understandable due to Oblivion being set in a different location, but as The Elder Scrolls series progresses, it feels a lot less like The Elder Scrolls. Morrowind had towns beset by disease and dust storms, huge insects used as transportation, as well as more weapons and armour (who else misses throwing stars and bo staffs?).

As far as sequels go, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was a drastic improvement over Oblivion. It’s extremely polished, but it’s missing that unique something that truly defines an Elder Scrolls game.

Here’s hoping the next game is overrun by Khajiit and Argonians, as well as unique weaponry and spells.

your say

BEST RE-BOOT OR SEQUEL “The best reboot I’ve seen in a while is probably the 2013 Tomb Raider. It was a really great way to restart a series that was growing stagnant and finally get a look at it from a new angle. While still raiding tombs and uncovering all kinds of mysteries, of course.

Not to mention it’s absolutely gorgeous to look at and really gives the player the feeling of growing and getting stronger along with Lara, showing her as the vulnerable person she was before she became the kickass Tomb Raider we all know and love” - Grace Hester

“Do I have to say Super Mario Bros 3 again? Ugh! Super Mario Bros 3 is still the best game ever made & It’s SNES remake made it look great & has a much needed save function. As a sequel it improves on the original in every way.

As for a reboot, that goes to the new Ratchet & Clank which is a celebration of the series and a new beginning for newcomers to come into the series. I love it so much as a Ratchet & Clank fan & it is the perfect example of a reboot done right.”

- Jean-Paul Bartolomei

“As a life long Doom fan.... What can I say.... The new Doom is rather average.”

- TeeJay Reed

“My favourite reboot so far has been the Super Paper Mario on Nintendo Wii smile emoticon it was a great ode to the old classic with really new 3d-2d aspects.

Maybe Doom will give that nostalgia a run for its money?”

- David White “Mortal Kombat keeps getting better” - Randall Hall

“Best sequel ever would have to be resident evil 2! Took everything about the first one and made it even better. Very rare for a game to be better than the original in it’s series but this definitely was.”

- James Derrick “The devil may cry games have always been a favourite of mine.”

- Joel Best

“Red Dead Redemption. Not alot of people had played the first when the second was released and the game was that captivating, enjoyable and well done that it sucked so many people in. Not many other games have done the same.”

- Brendyne Conway “You had me at Marvel Marathon!”

- Rory O’Donovan “For me it’s Tomb Raider, but everyone’s answering that so....”

- Justine Hartley

YOU’VE PLAYED OR SEEN? “Sonic 2 and 3 are my fav sequels :). I know no one likes CoD anymore but no denying Call of Duty 2 was best in franchise despite being a sequel and call of duty modern warfare (aka CoD 4) was best reboot they did.”

- Rolando Zolo “Gotta say the 2013 tomb raider reboot was damn good.”

- Dylan Faith “2013 Tomb Raider was and is superb.”

- Eric Owen “Best reboot is Pokémon alpha sapphire. So entertaining. Best sequel, dead island riptide!”

- Timmy Curran “Tomb raider - they took a shallow 3d platformer that was all about sexualized visuals into a stunning, deep story driven narrative about a girl struggling against incredible odds. The reboot plays smoothly, without the “did I jump just right” of the original (that resulted in lots of rage quits). If they made the reboot into a movie, it would be worth a watch.”

- David White

“The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess.

One of the best sequels ever made.

That the white wolf soldier is in fact link in the future, whom has come to teach the desendant link the ways of hero.

Not only that but the game itself gives a real dark and disturbing history in and out of the game in different sections.

Going from the demon king ganondorf to the depths of arbiter grounds, the dark realm and the darkness crowning over the land of hyrule.

Not only is this my favorite game by the zelda series thus far, it shows a wide in depth range of what total chaos is within a legend of zelda game.

It does have a lot of the main quest side of things swapped; instead of medallions in oot, mirror shards and the mask that midna wears from time to time. And I thought that was pretty badass haha. Out of all the zelda games I’ve played, twilight princess would have to be my number 1, 10/10 overall..”

- Aaron J Slattery

“Best reboot I’ve played would be the 3DS version of the legend of Zelda ocarina of time. How they kept true to the art style and didn’t change to much about the games mechanics allowed for all the nostalgia to come back from the good old days as a young lad running around not knowing what to do.”

- Tyler DeAngles “Best reboot would have to be Ratchet and Clank (2016) for me.

I love the franchise and playing that game, I was hit so much with nostalgia. Going into the museum after finishing the game and seeing the old model for Qwark, I almost shed a tear. Also with collecting those cards and seeing all the weapons from previous games was so great. I felt 10 again.”

- McDaniel Delfin

gameS REVIEWS & PREVIEWS reviewS:

DARK SOULS III QUANTUM BREAK FAR CRY PRIMAL HYRULE WARRIORS LEGENDS POKKEN TOURNAMENT TRACKMANIA TURBO BATTLEBORN

S

dark so

souls iii review

REVIEW

DARK SOULS III When it comes to punishing-yetrewarding games, few do it better than the Souls games. One of the most challenging franchises of its time, the Souls series tasks players with surviving harrowing encounter after harrowing encounter, without ever letting up on the fiendish difficulty. FromSoftware have given us Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, Dark Souls II, and Bloodborne, with each entry in the series further refining its game play, whilst never straying too far from its original formula.

Now, we finally have ‘Dark Souls III‘, a return to the most popular of Souls games. It’s unforgiving, foreboding, and undeniably dark – but does it hold up to the Souls pedigree?

Dark Souls III takes place following the events of Dark Souls II, though returning players will discover the majority of choices for the ending of Dark Souls II have been ignored. The world is succumbing to the darkness and falling into ruin. The flame at Firelink Shrine must be lit to purge the darkness from the world, and usher in a new age. To do this, the player must defeat and return 4 lords to their thrones at the shrine: Yhorm the Giant of the Profaned Capital, the Watchers of the Abyss, Holy King Lothric,

Last hope of his Line and Saint Aldrich of the Deep. One lord, Ludleth the Exiled, still sits atop his throne, offering the player some information on their task.

Much like in Dark Souls and Dark Souls II, the story takes a backseat to the gameplay. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as there is a wealth of lore available for enthusiastic fans. If you’re hoping for a guide arrow, compass, mini-map, objectives or indeed any form of guidance, you’re out of luck. The Souls games reward exploration and the brave, so you’ll have to carve your own way through the dark.

Despite being left in the dark when it comes to progressing through the game, there are numerous NPCs to talk to that offer advice, clues and even items to the player that will aid them in their adventure. You can also bet your bottom dollar that the answers you seek like beyond the frenzied behemoth boss that blocks your path in most cases.

If all else fails, check out the Dark Souls wiki. Dark Souls has an amazingly dedicated community of players that will aid others in their quests.

Gameplay-wise, Dark Souls 3 plays a lot like Dark Souls and

Dark Souls II, though there are some new features, and the game feels more balanced. If you’re new to the Souls games, you’ll learn quickly that you cannot rush into any area swinging your weapon like a maniac – you’ll only get yourself killed.

Instead, you’ll need strategy, patience, and to keep your eyes on your health, stamina and FP. Players have a wealth of options available when it comes to equipping and wielding weapons. You can choose to use a one-handed weapon and a shield, with the ability to wear your shield on your back and hold your weapon with both hands. You can also choose to wield a two-handed weapon such as a clay-more or halberd, though if you build up your strength and dexterity, you can wield a two-handed weapon with one hand!

There are also spells to wield, such as healing spells and miracles, as well as offensive spells like the fireball and soul dart spells. Players can select a magic-wielding class at the beginning of the game, though levelling up certain stats allows other classes to utilise these abilities as well.

Returning Souls players should be able to pick up Dark Souls

Dark Souls III also looks fantastic, both in terms of its art direction and its graphics. The environments and the monsters that dwell within them are intimidating, unique and complement each other quite well. I was also extremely impressed with the game’s lighting, which has seen more attention than in previous Souls games, and truly adds to the immersion of the game.

III rather quickly, as the game can be played in virtually the same way. There are however, little tweaks in place that make Dark Souls 3 a little different.

For one thing, spells no longer have a number of uses players have to keep an eye on. Instead, we have the FP system. FP is not only depleted when you use magic, but also when you use weapon abilities.

Weapon abilities are also new to the Dark Souls experience, and can be used by players to decimate their enemies. While holding your weapon with two-hands, simply hold the left trigger to enter a special stance, from there, you press the right trigger to unleash an attack unique to that weapon type. Some weapons have swift forward lunges, others have spinning attacks that prove handy when surrounded, and others are useful in other ways.

The combat also feels more balanced and fair, though don’t expect it to be a walk in the park, either. Dark Souls III still manages to put up plenty of a challenge. Before I go any further I’m going to be open and honest with you, dear readers: I did not enjoy my time with the original Souls games. I wanted to like them, but I found that overall, the experience was not for me.

The difficulty, aloof story, camera system and odd bug deterred me from dedicating myself to previous Souls games, though all that has changed with Dark Souls III. I’m addicted to it, and couldn’t be enjoying my time with the game any more. Yes, it’s extremely difficult. Yes, the story could be more present and yes, everyone still mumbles weird absurdities when you yearn for a hint or an explanation of certain story element, but damn it all if Dark Souls III isn’t the most accessible Souls game yet.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAILER! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX0cvtjKt9E

Still, there are a few minor areas where the game could be improved. For one thing, the camera can be downright infuriating in small spaces. When you have no room to retreat, the camera can clip through you and your enemy, with the screen becoming a garbled mess of iron and steel.

The game is already stressful enough without the camera deciding to lose its mind too. There are also little bugs that miff the player, such as corpses that don’t quite settle when they die, and convulse awkwardly.

Dark Souls III will feel extremely familiar to fans of the series, though the skills learned from previous Souls games will serve them well. The game feels incredibly balanced and fluid compared to previous entries in the franchise, and it’s a well-polished and engaging experience overall. If the rumours are true, and this is the last Souls game, then it’s the perfect sendoff.

9.4 /10

PROS: VISUALLY IMPRESSIVE CHALLENGING COMBAT IS MORE FLUID FP SYSTEM IS A WELCOME ADDITION

CONS: ANNOYING CAMERA LACK OF A TRADITIONAL STORY

WRITTEN BY NICK GETLEY

WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM

quantum

m break review

REVIEW

quantum break Finnish developer Remedy Entertainment are one of the best story tellers in the biz. They have created some of the best narratives in video game history, with franchises such as Max Payne and Alan Wake. Unfortunately, they also have a proclivity for delaying their games, with Remedy titles rarely meeting their numerous, forgiving deadlines.

Originally an Xbox One launch title, ‘Quantum Break‘, Remedy’s latest action game, has only been released just now. Featuring Shawn ‘Iceman’ Ashmore and Dominic ‘Merry Brandybuck’ Monaghan, Quantum Break blends a live-action TV show with a 3rd person action video game in a truly memorable experience, but does it hold up to Remedy’s pedigree of fantastic titles?

Quantum Break begins with Jack Joyce (Ashmore) arriving via taxi cab to meet his best friend Paul Serene at Paul’s university. Paul works with Jack’s brother, William, on a scientific project at the university, which involves recreating black holes and experimenting with them in a controlled environment. William and Jack have had their differences, but for various reasons, William is no longer working on the project.

After meeting with Paul at the university, Jack agrees to help Paul with a demonstration of

Paul and William’s research.

While experimenting with black holes, William and Paul have discovered “Chronon particles”, which make time travel possible.

Whilst Jack and Paul are conducting the demonstration, William attempts to intervene, citing that “time will break” if Paul and Jack continue ime machine.

Something goes awry with the experiment, with Jack and Paul being exposed to Chronon radiation, distorting time around them and granting them time-control powers. Paul is sealed in the machine, with Jack attempting to free Paul as he regains his senses. Monarch Industries soldiers storm the campus, opening fire on Jack, Paul and William, with Paul’s only chance of surviving being to travel into the future.

Jack and William attempt to escape the university through a series of vents and maintenance areas, with the two soon encountering the leader of Monarch Industries, a version of Paul from the future, who attacks Jack and detonates the university, burying William in rubble. Jack escapes the university, but can he master time-control and save the future from Paul?

Straight out the gate, Quantum Break engrosses players with its well-crafted story. Remedy have outdone themselves with the

game’s narrative, and each character both in the live-action sequences and the game itself do an outstanding job of immersing the player in the world of Quantum Break. After the initial discovery of time-control powers, the narrative does focus less on those powers and more onto characters and their actions, though the story is still enjoyable for the most part.

Gameplay-wise, Quantum Break plays like other third-person action games, though with little tweaks that makes the game feel more fluid and immersive.

Jack can enter cover like in other third-person games, though he does so automatically as he approaches cover. While in other action games this might be a frustrating experience, Quantum Break manages to make each action sequence feel directly involved with the current state of the game’s narrative. When Jack needs to run, he runs. When he needs to walk, he walks, and when he needs to duck behind cover, he does. Remedy have blended gameplay and narrative together even down to the most minute details, and made it look effortless. More developers need to take this approach to action titles.

Max Payne was a grizzly shooter starring an even grizzlier cop,

PROS: BRILLIANT MOTION CAPTURE AND ANIMATIONS INTERESTING MIX OF LIVE ACTION AND VIDEO GAME SEQUENCES FANTASTIC NARRATIVE DELIVERY TIME-CONTROL POWERS ARE FUN AND STYLISH

CONS:

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAILER! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E087GDdXYl4

STORY DIGRESSES FROM ITS MOST INTERESTING FEATURE SHOOTING COULD HAVE BEEN TIGHTER

7.8 /10

Alan Wake was an intensely spooky and enthralling action title that used a clever flashlight and shooting mechanic, and Quantum Break has also has its own unique spin on third-person action. Early in the game, Jack states that he has fired a gun before, but is no expert. He isn’t the best at shooting a firearm, though this allows Remedy to integrate the use of firearms with time-control powers. You might not be able to spray an assault rifle with such reckless abandon as in Call of Duty or Gears of War, but you can trap a soldier in a time bubble, and then dash forward through time to engage that enemy in close proximity. It might not appeal to fans of more arcade shooting gameplay, but Quantum Break wants players to use the time-control mechanics, so its forgivable.

Visually, Quantum Break is serviceable, though is uses film grain, which may or may not rub players the wrong way, depending on their preferences. I personally can’t stand film grain in video games, though I understand Quantum Break is not your typical video game, given that is has live-action sequences. The film grain feels like it covers the game’s low detail character models, which is jarring considering there are so many filters and visual processes that compliment the game. Quantum Break runs at an unimpressive 720p on the Xbox One, which doesn’t break the game experience overall, but certainly harms it. There are also complaints about the game under performing on the PC too, despite being locked into 30FPS and at 1080p resolution.

There are times when playing video games where a game feels too short, and at other times, too long. Quantum Break is a game that knows not to wear out its welcome, taking roughly 8-10 hours to complete. There is much more of a focus on story during those 8-10 hours than in other action games, and the experience feels extremely satisfying overall.

Ultimately, Quantum Break is an entertaining experiment from one of gaming’s best storytelling developers. It’s not the tightest action experience, and the narrative would have been more entertaining had it stayed focused on time-control, but it’s still a terrific game worth checking out.

Welcome back, Remedy.

WRITTEN BY NICK GETLEY

WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM

far cry

y primal review

REVIEW

FAR CRY PRIMAL Ubisoft’s Far Cry 3 was (and is) a massively successful title.

Selling around 10 million copies, it brought the long-running FPS series to a mainstream audience, and it was only logical that Ubisoft would want to re-create that same success again with an inevitable sequel. Far Cry 4, however, did not receive as high praise as its predecessor, with many critics and gamers citing how close the overall experience felt like Far Cry 3.

himself gravely injured. With no safe haven and no allies, Takkar makes his way to Oros.

Gamers can be a frustrating and fussy lot, and while one series can find success releasing the same core gameplay over and over again for years, another franchise can be chastised for it.

One thing was for certain though, the same old Far Cry couldn’t happen again, and this new Far Cry is, well a far cry from what we’re used to.

Far Cry Primal’s story is delivered quite well, told through cutscenes that feature some truly exceptional motion capture and dialogue. Early cutscenes featuring Takkar and Sayla do a fantastic job of immersing the player in the world of Far Cry Primal, as Sayla’s emotions are conveyed perfectly through her body language. When you first meet Sayla, she is unsure of if she can trust you, and after the two of you survive an attack by a sabretooth tiger, she is understandably shaken and frightened. Her eyes constantly scan for danger, her body ready to run in order to survive.

‘Far Cry Primal’ takes place in 10,000 CE during the beginning of the Mesolithic period. It is set in the fictional Oros valley, though keen players will recognise the layout of the map from Far Cry 4, which Ubisoft Montreal has largely recycled for this game (not necessarily a bad thing). Players assume the role of Takkar, a hunter from the Wenja tribe. While hunting a woolly mammoth, Takkar’s hunting party is wiped out, and Takkar

Along the way, Takkar meets Sayla, a Wenja woman who is also on her own. She informs Takkar that the Wenja are being hunted by the cannibalistic Udam tribem and are scattered throughout the valley. The player must seek out the remaining Wenja, rebuild the tribe, and uncover the secret behind the Udam’s actions.

After the player escorts Sayla back to her shelter, her body language differs. She motions that she has food, but needs medical attention. The dialogue certainly helps, though you could easily

discern what is happening without the speech – that’s how good the body language and motion capture is in this game.

Speaking of the dialogue, Ubisoft Montreal enlisted the help of historical linguists to create the language spoken in Far Cry Primal. It’s fairly impressive, and certainly helps with immersion. According to Ubisoft, some of the earliest known language is 7000 years old, so they worked with the linguists to devolve the language even further. It’s fairly impressive, though still feels a little sophisticated for the era.

Ultimately, Far Cry Primal is entertaining, but it won’t “wow” players. It mainly serves to drive the action of the game, and in that regard it accomplishes its goal. It’s a shame that the story itself isn’t as enthralling as the motion capture and dialogue used to deliver it, but I believe that largely comes down to the game’s setting. Ubisoft Montreal were caught between a rock and a bronze age. I mean, how compelling could a game about cavemen be?

Gameplay-wise, players will feel immediately familiar with Far Cry Primal, which plays like any other first-person title. Players can run, jump, aim and shoot, though Far Cry Primal also has a focus on

PROS: AMAZING MOTION CAPTURE AND DIALOGUE MELEE COMBAT IS ENGAGING IMMERSIVE ENVIRONMENT AND DESIGN ELEMENTS

CONS: CRAFTING AND SURVIVAL ELEMENTS ARE EXTREMELY SIMPLISTIC AND FEEL UNREWARDING NARRATIVE ISN’T EXACTLY COMPELLING CAN FEEL REPETITIVE

melee combat. The melee combat works quite well, and helps bring a refreshing sense of danger to the FPS scene. Normally, players have assault rifles, grenades, and other overpowered weapons at their disposal. In Far Cry Primal, players have to craft their own spears, clubs, bows, arrows and more. Combine that with the various predators roaming the valley, and players will never feel truly safe, which is great.

Far Cry Primal features crafting and survival elements, such as gathering materials and creating weapons from them. While open-world survival games such as 7 Days to Die and Ark: Survival Evolved feature crafting recipes that begin as rather simple and become more advanced for more rewarding items, Far Cry Primal keeps everything

simple throughout the duration of the game. Recovering health is equally simple, as players only have to munch on some raw meat to regain their health.

While the crafting and first aid might seem overly simplistic for a caveman experience, it’s important to remember that Far Cry Primal is an action game primarily, and not a survival game.

Still, you never really struggle for any crafting ingredients, or the means to recreate weapons when the situation demands it.

There are moments in Far Cry Primal where the game truly shines. For one thing, players are able to take a number of different approaches to freely roaming the environment, as well as the game’s missions. They can choose a stealth-based approach, lurking out of sight until the opportune moment, they can

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAILER!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HjY1k1vXkY

7.4/ 10 launch an all-out attack if that’s more their style, or they can use a more strategic approach, such as setting fires that draw the enemy out. They can even lure predators to rival cavemen and simply let nature take its course.

Far Cry Primal is an interesting experiment from Ubisoft Montreal. On one hand, it’s a highly playable and enjoyable first-person action game. On the other, it still feels strikingly familiar to Far Cry 3 and 4. Despite this, the game is a lot of fun, due to how immersive Far Cry Primal’s world is. If you’re hankering for a decent action game that’s a little bit different, don’t hesitate to check Primal out.

WRITTEN BY nick getley

WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM

hyrule warr

riors legends review

REVIEW Back in 2014, Koei Tecmo and Nintendo brought us the hack and slasher Hyrule Warriors, which gave a Legend of Zelda coat of paint to Dynasty Warriors gameplay. They’re back at it again with Hyrule Warriors Legends. We were rather receptive of Hyrule Warriors when it came out, and this time, we’re just as receptive, for slightly different reasons.

As in the previous title, the plot of Hyrule Warriors is retained; the evil sorceress Cia storms the land of Hyrule, and it’s up to Link and the crew, as well as new character Lana, to save the day across time and space throughout locales presented in previous Zelda titles. This time extra story missions with extra characters are thrown into the mix. After various story missions, new missions will unlock that follow Linkle, a young girl with dreams of being a hero and having a magical compass, tries to make her way to Hyrule. In her various missions, she interacts with the old characters as well as new ones, such as the Skull Kid from The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, who steals her compass and has to get it back, much like his role in Majora’s Mask where he steals Link’s ocarina. The other new characters include Toon Link, Tetra, and Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, which they all made their debut in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. The implementation is nice characterwise; they all feel different from each other and provide different ways to play the game like the old characters, but it’s relatively

HYRULE WARRIORS LEGENDS lacking storywise; the new missions are scarce, and they play out only when the relevant story missions have been completed.

For players of Hyrule Warriors, there’s a lot of old ground to retread for little new reward.

Gameplay is largely the same, but there’s a few evolutions.

The base game still consists of running around, hacking and slashing enemies, and clearing out enemy keeps to make them your own. There puzzle element of the Zelda series is still prevalent, having to use the right item at the right time to make bosses vulnerable, such as making King Dodongo eating bombs when his mouth is open, or hookshoting Argorok when his tail flashes to bring him down. What’s new however is similar to fast travelling. At certain times, the playable character can be changed to another character already on the field, which essentially lets players jump from one side

of the map to another. Some maps also have Owl Statues, which with the newly introduced ocarina item, let specific characters travel from one side of the map to another. When characters aren’t being controlled, they can be commanded to go to certain characters or certain areas, which can put them in a section that could be beneficial later. These are fairly significant changes that take the already fluid gameplay and turn it up a couple more notches.

The Adventure Mode also has had a bit of a shakeup to incorporate previously released content from Hyrule Warriors and the newly introduced characters.

Travelling through a grid influenced on the NES The Legend of Zelda of many, many challenges, players can complete specific tasks. To unlock certain items for unlocking, a cell of the grid must be searched to reveal an aspect of the scenery that can

be destroyed, such as a bush.

With items won from other grids, such as a candle, these can be used to unlock new items such as new weapons and characters to then be unlocked through completing the mission. There’s not as many grid spaces as last time, but there’s still a lot of missions to complete and master.

A new edition is the My Fairy system. After being collected in Adventure Mode, players can have an elemental fairy with them at all times. These fairies have abilities that can be activated with the in-game magic meter, which are dependent on their ability, such as damaging enemies or healing the player. They can be dressed up with clothes or fed with food found in Adventure Mode grids, which can both influence the fairy’s stats.

As the game’s gone from the Wii U to the Nintendo 3DS, there’s a bit of graphical and power stepdown. Graphics are reduced in quality, with enemy frame rates being reduced when they’re a few steps away, and the draw distance for enemies is less than it was in the Wii U version, so there’s quite a bit of pop in.

While the lessened graphics are noticeable, the reduction in draw distance isn’t as much of a problem. As gameplay consists of focusing on the enemies right in front of you, there wasn’t much of a focus on far-away enemies to begin with. As long as the enemy in front is focused on, the sur-

rounding enemies who haven’t quite loaded in yet will get hit anyway, so it’s not much of a major concern. The game sees a framerate bonus on new Nintendo 3DS consoles, but it isn’t unplayable on regular Nintendo 3DS consoles. 3D is enabled on new Nintendo 3DS consoles only, and suffers some framerate issues with it on, but again, it’s nothing to not worry about; it’s still playable.

Just like Hyrule Warriors, there’s planned downloadable content in the works in the form of four packs. The four packs will focus on The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Each of the packs come with new My Fairy clothes, new adventure maps and battle scenarios, and characters. So far, Medli from The Wind Waker and Marin from Link’s Awakening have been confirmed, the former being free for all players. Purchasing the content now through the season pass also gives players instantly a costume for Ganondorf based on his appearance in The Wind Waker. If the add-on content is just as substantial as it was in Hyrule Warriors, there’s a lot to look forward to in this game’s future.

Hyrule Warriors Legends isn’t a step forward or backward from Hyrule Warriors, but more of a

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAILER! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGDEUPZNlh8

7.5/ 10 step to the left. It brings changes to the gameplay, albeit a little haphazardly, but skimps out a little with an overall lack of power behind it. When it comes right down to it, there’s another platform this fantastic hack and slasher can survive on, and this time it can be taken anywhere you want.

PROS: NEW CHARACTERS FEEL GOOD THE FAST TRAVEL GAMEPLAY MECHANICS SPEED UP THE GAMEPLAY BASE GAMEPLAY IS LARGELY UNCOMPROMISED

BY BEING ON THE 3DS

CONS: NEW CHARACTERS IMPLEMENTATION INTO THE STORY IS POOR GRAPHICS TAKE A HIT

WRITTEN BY sasha karen

WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM

POKKEN TOU

OURNAMENT review

REVIEW

POKKEN TOURNAMENT It took twenty years, but we finally have a game from the ground up where the aim of the game is not to give commands to Pokémon via a menu, but to play as that Pokémon and beat down another Pokémon.

Pokken Tournament is set in the Ferrum Region, a secluded island from the rest of the Pokémon world. Here, traditional Pokémon battles with trainers taking turns to deliver commands for their Pokémon are thrown out the window, and instead Battle Trainers commence in Ferrum Battles.

There’s sixteen different Pokémon to play as, each with a different playstyle. There’s Pikachu, a Pokémon staple, then the fighting types like the many armed Machamp and the aura-using Lucario, then things start to get a little Nintendo ridiculous with Pikachu Libre and Chandelure, the ghost and fire type… chandelier.

Even legendary Pokémon make an appearance, with Suicune and Mewtwo, as well as Shadow Mewtwo, but more on that later.

There’s enough variety to either have fun with a wide range of characters, or to find the one character that applies the most to a player’s style.

For the most part, the models of the Pokémon look pretty good.

There’s a bit of realism thrown

into the Pokémon, with being able to see the fur on Pokémon like Lucario, or cracks in the ice of Suicune’s head piece, and the attacks are a treat to look at.

Everything else is a bit of a letdown though. Some background characters and Pokémon in the various playable arenas are just a 2D image moving back and forth, and if you’re not watching the game on the GamePad, even the shadows look a little off.

Despite being developed in part

by Bandai Namco, the creators behind Tekken, Pokken Tournament is by no means a complicated fighter. There’s no need to memorise half circle kick punch punch to execute your favourite combo; moves are relegated to hitting a button or a direction and a button. It feels nice to pick up and be able to play a Pokémon after a few minutes as opposed to hours and hours of training. The downside to this is that you’ll be seeing the same string of moves played over and over, so it may feel a little repetitive at times.

With that being said, the moves aren’t universal. One Pokémon’s button movement may be an attack, but on another Pokémon it may be a temporary buff, so each new Pokémon needs an extra bit of time to figure out to acclimatise you to it after getting used to one Pokémon.

In traditional Pokémon games, Pokémon have types which play

out like scissors-paper-rock.

The commonly used example as shown by each game’s three starter types is that a grass type beats a water type, a water type beats a fire type, and a fire type beats a grass type. This is slightly reborn through the attack triangle; attacks come in normal, grab, and counter varieties. Normal attacks beats a grab attack, a grab attack beats a counter attack, and a counter attack beats a grab attack. While matches may consist of button mashing, it’s a nice little homage to the battles of the main games.

Combat shifts through Field and Duel Phases. Field Phase allows you and your opponent to move around the area at will, while a duel phase is more akin to traditional 2D fighters were both fighters play on the one plain. These changes occur after a strong hit connects, and really produces a nice sense of flow in battles.

Besides the Battle Pokémon, support Pokémon can be picked too. Each support Pokémon are found in a set of two, with one of three different sets being able to be selected per battle, and out of the two support Pokémon being able to be selected per round. These supports can attack or disrupt the opponent, or enhance your own Pokémon with attack, defence or speed buffs, healing, or other bonuses.

In battles, the support Pokémon has a set amount of time before it can be activated, from quick charges that benefit the player a little, to long charges that benefit player a great deal. It is a bit of a shame that support Pokémon can’t be mixed and matched instead of being forced to use them in a set, even though the sets of Pokémon generally complement each other.

Each Pokémon has a special form they can enter called a Synergy Burst. During battle, causing hits, using specific support Pokémon or collecting Synergy Power in Field Phase raises the Synergy Gauge. Maxing it out sends you into Synergy Burst, which increases your Pokémon’s stats and upgrades your moves, and if the Pokémon has a Mega Evolution, Mega Evolves it. Once per Synergy Burst, a Burst Attack can be used, which if it hits, causes massive damage. The Synergy Burst is comparable to that of Mega Evolution from the newer Pokémon games, which changes a Pokémon’s appearance, stats, and ability. As a Pokémon fan things like this do right by the main games.

The last aspect of battles is Nia’s Cheer. Nia acts as a menu descriptor, tutorial, and story device, but more on her later. A number of cheers are unlockable that give various benefits based on how the battle is going which can influence a number of things, such as maxing out your support Pokémon or Synergy Gauges.

Pokken Tournament has five main game modes – Practice, Single Battle, Local Battle, Online Battle, and the Ferrum

League story mode. The game suggests trying the Practice area first, which contains tutorials, a free training, and practicing the specific moves and combos of each Pokémon.

Single Battles allow straight up player versus computer action, with various options to fiddle with. There’s basic battles, which are the former, or extra battles, which throw in a Mario Kart-esque element with random boxes. Gaining one can boost the synergy gauge, recover HP, and can give a positive or negative status.

Local Battles play out exactly the same, except with two players, with player one being forced to play as the GamePad. Its arcade roots really shine here, as instead of playing as both characters on the TV, player one’s point of view shown on the GamePad is from their Pokémon, while player two uses the TV and has the view of their Pokémon. As a side effect of showing this much action from two points of view at once, the framerate is cut in half.

It’s unfortunate, but it plays really well.

Online battles are split between Rank and Friendly Matches. Battles here are in their basic variety, so no extra battles. Rank consists of a point system where players of the same rank are matched against each other. Win battles, earn points. Earn enough points, upgrade your rank. Friendly battles can be played with anyone with no impact on grade, or specifically friends. To play with a specific person, instead of a lobby system, players have to en-

7.3/ 10 ter a VS code. This feels archaic compared to other Wii U online multiplayer games; Nintendo tried to ditch friend codes for users to add each other in online games and replaced them with the Nintendo Network ID to add and find friends to play with.

As the original Pokken Tournament started its life as an arcade game in Japan, there wasn’t a story to be had. In this version, there is, but it’s barely there. You, a rising Ferrum Trainer, and your advisor Nia are going for glory in the Ferrum League. However, a mysterious girl appears at the end of one of your matches with her Shadow Mewtwo that crushes your Pokémon in battle. As a story mode, it sucks. You talk to a few generic trainers about how great they are or about the Shadow Mewtwo that destroys everyone, the League Masters who talk about how great they are, your advisor that talks about how great you are, and the mysterious girl who talks about the Shadow Mewtwo. The voice overs that random trainers, the League Masters, your advisor and the mysterious girl are either grating or difficult to understand.

It just feels shoehorned.

However, in terms of content, there’s many NPC battles to be had. The story mode is split into different leagues, and within these leagues are three parts; League Matches, Tournaments, and the Promotion Tests.

Each league starts with League Matches, where you start at the highest rank and have to battle five battle trainers in a row. Your wins and losses are tallied up to give you a new, lower rank. Entering the top eight opens up the Tournament, where the top eight fight each other in a tournament bracket. Coming first here then opens up the Promotion Test, where you can fight against the League Master to open up the next league.

Customisation comes through in My Town, which is essentially a glorified menu. Here you can buy and customise clothing options to change what your appearance as a battle trainer looks like, change your title, edit your Support Pokémon, change Nia’s Cheer, and fiddle with various other options. There’s a large amount of items to unlock, which can be done at random or at various milestones.

Pokken Tournament delivers an experience no Pokémon game has ever before; the thrill of beating your opponent down as a Pokémon, not a Pokémon trainer. There are some rough edges here to be had, but at its core, Pokken Tournament is a strong fighting game with a number of playable Pokémon that isn’t too many or too little that contains gameplay that doesn’t take an expert to master.

PROS: JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF CHARACTERS NO COMPLEX CONTROLS LOTS OF STORY-BASED BATTLES TO BE HAD

CONS: THE STORY IS TERRIBLE VOICE ACTING IS BAD ONLINE WITH FRIENDS RELIES ON VS CODES

WRITTEN BY sasha karen

WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM

TrackMan

nia Turbo review

REVIEW

trackmania

turbo

Nadeo’s Trackmania is a racing game that millions of people have seen, though nowhere as near as many people know its name. Videos of Trackmania have gone viral on the internet, and chances are you if you have seen a video game involving crazy stunts, breakneck speed and over-the-top tracks with loop-deloops, chicanes, and jumps that span hundreds of feet, you’ve been watching someone play Trackmania.

Trackmania‘s publisher, Ubisoft, have just released ‘Trackmania Turbo’, the first console version of Trackmania since 2009’s Trackmania Wii. It still features all the insane features from previous PC entries, so how does the game hold up on console?

Trackmania Turbo was designed with a simplistic-but-accessible approach to gameplay. Everything is accessed from a menu, there’s no convoluted story mode, you’re simply offered a series of activities to partake in.

Speaking of activities, there are a number of single-player and multiplayer modes available to choose from, including Campaign Mode, Double Driver Mode, Split Screen, Hot Seat,

Arcade Mode, and the game’s Trackbuilder.

TrackMania Turbo’s Campaign Mode is where players will spend the majority of their time, as it’s where you unlock track parts for the game’s Trackbuilder mode.

Campaign Mode offers players the chance to play over 200 levels across 4 different locations: Rollercoaster Lagoon, International Stadium, Canyon Grand Drift, and Valley Down & Dirty.

Campaign Mode begins with nary a challenge on offer for the player. These also introduce the player to the game’s various mechanics, so it’s understandable that players won’t even flinch at their basic difficulty. It isn’t long, though, before players face their first, jumps, chicanes, loop-deloops, ramps, pits and other wild features.

Campaign Mode offers players tons of levels to experience, and the majority of them are an absolute blast. There is the occasional track that catches you off guard, as many of them introduce you to new techniques or features which will be used in a truly challenging level later on. I wouldn’t necessarily call these

unfair difficulty spikes, more like gauntlets that aim to challenge the player.

Completing Campaign levels rewards the player with various medals. Do a serviceable job, and you’ll earn a bronze medal.

Do even better and you’ll unlock a silver or gold medal. There is even a medal above gold called Trackmaster, which offers players unique rewards when achieved, such as unique paint jobs for your car.

While the single-player levels are fun, TrackMania Turbo’s reward system feels extremely out of date. It’s frustrating that players are relegated to playing the game’s Campaign levels to unlock track features, even if the levels themselves are entertaining. Early during my time with TrackMania Turbo, I wanted to experience the Trackbuilder,

PROS: ACCESSIBLE UNIQUE FANTASTIC SENSE OF SPEED MUSIC REACTING TO THE GAMEPLAY IS GREAT

8/1 0

CONS: ANNOYING REWARDS SYSTEM FORCED CAMPAIGN COMPLETION but found that I couldn’t build much, despite having completed a number of Campaign levels – I had to go back and earn gold medals.

In addition to the single-player campaign, there’s also a twoplayer campaign, though it is quite odd. Double Driver sees two players both controlling a single car. Both their actions have to be in sync for the car to be operated. Don’t worry, it isn’t as frustrating as it sounds, and somehow works quite well.

You can also challenge local friends to a game mode where everyone shares the same screen. The result is a chaotic game of tug of war, which feels reminiscent of Codemasters’ Micro Machines games. Online multiplayer sees up to 100 other players racing against each oth-

er. For the sake of the player’s sanity, the cars don’t collide with each other, but appear as ghosts on the players screen. When something goes wrong (and it does), the player is treated to seeing dozens of cars flying off the track in all directions – something unique and thoroughly enjoyable about Trackmania Turbo.

The Trackbuilder is extremely simple, and if I can manage to build a fun and engaging track, anyone can. When starting your track, you can change the height of where you’re going to place a part, and pick from a number of parts. From there, the game will only allow you to place compatible parts down, making designing a track pretty much fail-proof.

You can also choose to have a randomly generated track from your unlocked parts, as well as

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAILER! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7M30JnM-1w

upload your track and download others. There’s a ton of replay value on offer for dedicated players.

Trackmania Turbo fills a gap in the current racing games available. It offers fast-paced thrills, hours and hours of gameplay, and is extremely accessible – anyone can jump into the game and have a blast. For its asking price, the game offers a ton of value for both hard-core and casual racing fans, it’s just a shame that unlocking additional track parts has been made unnecessarily difficult.

WRITTEN BY nick getley

WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM

BATTLE

EBORN review

REVIEW

BATTLEBORN Battleborn is Gearbox Software’s fusion of First Person Shooters and Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas, and is dubbed a Hero Shooter. Mixed in is a huge dose of the humour we all know and love from the Borderlands franchise. This is a game that is a departure from the norm, but it’s a wild ride that you’ll never want to get off.

as such each playable character controls a little differently. Instead of guns instantly firing and hitting their target, or hitscan, each projectile fired seems to have a different property in size and speed instead of all being the same thing with a different flash; there’s an extra level of uniqueness added to each Battleborn.

As Battleborn has been defined as a Hero Shooter by Gearbox Software, there’s a level of significance placed upon the playable characters. There are twenty five different characters to choose from, from five factions; the military-based United Peacekeeping Republics, the hi-tech and high class Last Light Consortium, the nature-loving Eldrid, the rogue Jennerit, and the rebellious Rogues. Each character has their own unique weapon and three abilities. There’s a lot of variety to be had here, each with their own unique playstyle; there are characters who focus on melee, guns, healing, tanking; there’s a role for everyone.

Each character looks different and plays different too; moving from one character to another can be a trial in of itself, but it’s a rewarding experience.

The voice acting for each character really shows Gearbox Software’s attention to detail for each character, adding life to them. A little cheesy at times, but in the endearing way. If two people choose the same character on opposing teams, yours might make a quip about an evil twin approaching.

Controls feel right. Each Battleborn plays a little differently, and

At the start of each match, every player starts out at level one, and earns experience, ending at level ten. At each level, a helix point is earned to unlock a mutation.

These mutations can exponentially affect a character’s playstyle, turning them into either a more defensive or offensively built character, or somewhere in between.

Besides character levels, there is commander rank and character rank. Commander rank governs a players overall progress and appears as their level dur-

ing matchmaking, while a character rank is purely for individual player’s progression, and can give players taunts and skins.

While not specifically relating to character rank but character progession, each character has five specific challenges, like damage enemies with a certain skill, or play so many matches with a specific character, which give lore entries relating to that character. Both of these ranks earn experience after completing matches, and with a max commander rank of 100, and character rank of 15 for twenty five Battleborn, there’s a lot to unlock.

A game can have all the characters in the world, but it would mean nothing without game modes to play them in. The major focus of the game comes through its online modes Capture, Incursion and Meltdown.

Capture is the closest Battleborn has to a traditional FPS game mode; there are three points to capture, and each point is worth one point per second, with 1000 points needed to win. In comparison to the other two modes, Capture matches are the quickest.

Incursion brings out the MOBA in Battleborn. Each team of five has two sentries and minions flowing from each side. The aim

is to take down both of the opponents sentries, but they have strong shields and can obliterate players. Minions, however, can take down shields easily. Therefore, minions have to be escorted to the sentries, then players take down the sentries. Of course, there are players to kill, but if you focus on just players, minions will wreck you. A good chunk of time’s needed for Incursion matches, running upwards of up to half an hour.

Meltdown takes on a more interesting approach to the FPS cross MOBA hybrid. Each team must guide their minions into furnaces located on the opponent’s side of the field to score 500 points to win. When a team reaches 250 points, the furnaces they need move back, making their job harder. These matches run alongside Incursion for having the longest playtime at half an hour.

Throughout all these game modes are orange shard crystals. When collected, these can be used to build and upgrade turrets, accelerators to speed you and your team while slowing down opponents, and supply stations to give off health, and buy Super Minions to make life easier for you by having a bigger, stronger, bulkier minion roam the field. Along the lines of Super Minions, Outcast Thrall Mercenaries can also be taken down to win them on your side to give you even bigger, badder, and burlier NPCs to help you out. Focusing on straight up attacking and neglecting Shard usage can

put your team at a disadvantage, so it provides a nice little break in combat against players.

The story mode comes straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon – all the stars in the galaxy are being wiped about due to the other-dimensionally Varelsi and Lother Rendain, usurper of the Jennerit Empire. This star destruction is seeing all life in the galaxy being wiped out. Now, there’s only one star left, Solus.

It’s down to those who were born for battle, or the Battleborn if you will, to team up and protect Solus from falling to the Varelsi and Rendain. It’s definitely cheesy for sure, but Battleborn seriously doesn’t take itself seriously, and hams everything up. The plot is separated across a prologue and eight missions, which focus around a number of game modes that help players get set for the multiplayer. Each mission ends with a score and gets a medal rating, which begs for replayability. The prologue and epilogue feature a hand-drawn, giving more credence to the Saturday morning cartoon vibe. Each story mission kicks off with some rocking guitars and presents each player as an actor, starring as the character being played. It’s a little thing, but it fits and it’s awesome. The plot isn’t perfect however; the ending does have a bit of an unfortunately open ending, and some missions can be on the repetitive side, and then others are way too hard for their difficulty level, but there are plans for future paid story missions, and Gearbox Software have stated they are looking in scaling

9/1 0

back the absurd level of difficulty, so the room for improvement is definitely there.

It wouldn’t be a Gearbox Software developed game if there wasn’t some emphasis on loot.

Scattered throughout story missions, given out as level up awards, or purchasable in packs with in-game credits earned from completing matches, players can acquire gear that helps out in a number of ways, with bonuses to attack speed, critical hits, movement speed, health and shield regen – the list of bonuses go on and on. Ranging from common gear to epic, each piece of gear has a necessary Shard requirement per match. This adds another level of complexity to shards; whether to use them on yourself or for the good of the team.

As of publishing, the plan for future content will see new Battleborn, maps and game modes being added for free, and extra

story missions, and new character skins and taunts being added to be purchased with actual money. When characters are released, they will be unlocked with various requirements, much like most of the other Battleborn.

Currently a season pass is available, which will give players an instant unlock key each time a new character is made available, which will remove any in-game locks and make that character selectable, as well as provide a discount on the upcoming story missions.

Battleborn contains a wealth of joy. With twenty five characters, multiple different ways to play them, and multiplayer modes that provide a platform for extensive battles, there’s enough content to drown in. Between fighting against the Varelsei, the Jennerit Empire, and each other, there’s enough to leave players sucked in for hours and hours and hours. Everyone should play Battleborn.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAILER! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEtV0eGYmAU

PROS: CHARACTER VARIETY FEELS RIGHT FUSION OF FPS AND MOBA WORKS HERE VOICE ACTING ON POINT

CONS: SOME STORY MODES CURRENTLY HAVE IMBALANCED DIFFICULTY STORY ENDS UNSATISFYINGLY OPEN

WRITTEN BY sasha karen

WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM

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geek o BEST REBOOT OR SEQUEL?

retro sequels

DEAN HAGLUND:

anime

your say

FROM THE X-FILES interview

pokemon tcg

BOARD/CARD GAMES

the gamer diaries:

1993-1994 retro

retro

anime sequels

collecting tech stuff collectables

rarest console or pc item?

your say

return of the redux

comics

out a passion for daleks

interview

leonie tagan fine arts

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ghostbusters: win tix!

ADVERTISING FEATURE

dean haglund

FROM THE X-FILES TO EXPAT www.deanhaglund.com

Live Magazine got to talk to comedian, artist, and star of both The X-Files & The Lone Gunmen TV series, Dean Haglund.

Dean is best known for his role as Langley on both The X-Files, and The Lone Gunmen. Dean is now living in Sydney, Australia and is a regular at comedy festivals. Here’s what we talked about...

Hey Dean welcome to Live Magazine, you’ve been busy in Australia lately - tell us what’s happening.

Thanks for the interview. Sydney is fantastic and keeping me very busy. Performing, painting, etc.

It’s is really great.

Pay per laughs? What’s that all about?

I realized that when I moved here there is a big comedy scene and all these names that I am not familiar with, and it was the same way with me. So I couldn’t expect for anyone to shell out the big bucks to come see me perform, therefore, I placed the onus on myself in the exchange of cash for laughs.

Instead of paying upfront for the PROMISE of laughter, you pay afterward for the AMOUNT OF LAUGHS you already had. And you determine what that is worth to you, so for some it is a lot and

others it is as much as they can spare. Everybody wins.

You probably get asked this a lot - but what was your favourite episode of the X-Files and the spin off, Lone Gunmen?

So many favorites, but I still like Humbug to see Jim Rose’s Freak Circus whom I use to see in bars in Vancouver when I went to University there. Of the Lone Gunmen, I liked them all, but the one with the super intelligent chimps was really fun to shoot. Monkeys are fun.

We’re looking at sequels and reboots this month, the latest X-Files was a bit of a continuation more then a sequel but ended at a point where we’re left asking, “What’s going to happen now?” Any thoughts on that? Will there be more episodes?

I’m no FOX executive, but if I saw the rating numbers and know how hard and expensive marketing an unknown brand is to do, I would that think it would be both cost efficient and a no brainer to continue. And with both David and Gillian saying they are into it, I think that it would be just a matter of scheduling.

I’ve always thought the Lone Gunmen were one of the best parts of the series, but in the

most recent 6 episodes, you guys were hardly used, do you think there’s a future for the Gunmen?

I am not sure, but the IDW comic book series called Season 10 that Chris Carter was working on before the series re-boot, the Lone Gunmen are alive and working under a cemetery. And he said that this was official canon but then went on to say in another interview that we are really dead.

But if I know Chris, he will figure out some really clever way to make the Gunmen a part of the show again!

Now you’re a great artist too, what sort of art are you into?

Thanks. I am painting in oils and watercolors these days, getting commissions based on my instagram account - you can check it here: instagram.com/deanhaglund which is keeping me busy. I am loving the cityscapes here in Sydney and working a new series of canvases based on my neighborhood of Newtown. I hope to gallery show sometime in the future so I can present those.

You and Phil Leirness produced a Documentary “The Truth is Out There” can you tell us about that and will there be a second edition?

Phil came to convention one time

Visit Dean’s website for all his news and was amazed at the conversations that I would have and the fascinating people I would regularly run into at these things, and thought that would be a natural subject for a documentary. It is about conspiracies, consciousness, and comedy - since we discovered while uncovering some of these things, that a search for the truth can actually be fun. So it’s not making fun of anything but instead approaching all subjects with a sense of joy and wonder, which gets the subject to relax and not be defensive. We are shooting a second one now, following some of the threads that we had to cut out of the first one.

To win - tell us your favourite conspiracy theory.

Enter here: https://app.e2ma.net/app2/audience/signup/1815188/1750786/

the lone gunmen: tom braidwood (frohike) dean haglund (langley) bruce harwood (byers)

What’s coming up for Dean Haglund? Any movies or TV in the future?

I am now a recurring guest host on national Australian TV. I was a guest on Studio 10 once and they said I should come back and so now I am on that every few weeks for 3 hours with Ita, Joe and Jess.

It starts at 8:30 a.m. so I get that no one ever sees it. And I got a movie coming out this year called the Lady Killers that will be doing the festival circuit in a few months.

Finally, where can our readers go to find out what you’re up to?

TW @dhaglund FB deanhaglund performing page and www.deanhaglund.com

The Truth is Out There movie... truth-is-out-there.com

BOARD/CARD GAMES

POKÉMON TRADING CARD GAME Since Pokémon released in 1998 in Australia I have been a fan.

From the games to the anime, books and merchandise released over the years I have amassed a lovely collection however one aspect of Pokémon that I never owned growing up is Pokémon Cards. These cards were all the rage in the playground at Primary School with trades and battles happening daily however I could never share my love for Pokémon with my fellow friends in this aspect of the franchise. Lately that has changed and the pull of the cards has lured me into once again catching them all, this time in a completely new way for me.

The Pokémon trading cards were first released in Japan in October 1996. The cards were published

by Media Factory and featured the popular monsters of the video games. Over the last 20 years an extremely large amount of series, games based packs, booster packs, tins, promo cards and exclusives have been released. The Pokémon Trading Card Game Online was released via web browser in 2011 and gave fans a new way to play. Allowing players to battle and trade to players all over the world opened the game up again to old and new players.

Existing players could once again get the thrill and challenge of battling players this time around the globe and pitting the skills against unknown players allowed for fierce competitive play they may have been lacking in their normal competitive play. For new players it allowed easy access to the game with great tutorials stepping you through from the basics of the games to the more strategic plays. For me it was a great way to get into the game.

I participated in the Beta for the online game and was surprised at how easy it was to get in to.

As I had never played the card game I was a bit apprehensive of how the attacks worked and how you won a battle. I knew it would not be like the games in the sense of Power Points (PP) for moves and switching Pokémon in and out but I was keen to learn. I selected the grass deck as my base as it featured two of my favourite Pokémon, Butterfree and Meganium and had a great time playing. Unfortunately, after the Beta I didn’t continue playing as my laptop would keep freezing when I launched the game and it was unplayable for me. Recently I have re-loaded my file and starting playing again. Re-doing the tutorials was a great refresher

however I was sad to see my grass deck was no more. My new base decks do include one of my other favourites in Chespin so that made up for it!

Something that draws people into collecting cards is the excitement of seeing which cards you pulled.

Opening the packet and revelling each card one at a time, hoping that each is either a rare or holographic card or featuring your favourite character is both exhilarating and suspenseful. The thrill when you revel that special card is addictive however the disappointment when you pull doubles or no rare or holographic cards is just as strong in the opposite direction. Another great draw card to Pokémon cards is being able to complete a set and feeling like you have accomplished your Pokedex but in a much different way to the video games.

Not only are Pokémon cards great to collect and trade they also make for quite a fun card game.

Being able to build your own deck to challenge opponents is awesome as it allows for complete customisation. While building you deck there are quite a few options to take in to consideration: do I focus on mainly one element? If so, do I also include a small amount of Pokémon in my deck with an element that is super effective against the element my main element is weak to? How many potions, revives and healing options do I include, do I take in multiples of the same evolution chain so it is easier to get a final evolution and how many items and support cards will I need? These decisions

plus knowing how to get the most out of your Pokémon through the item and support cards can make or break your deck in competitive play. The Pokémon Trading Card Game World Championships are held each year with players competing in three separate age groups to become the Pokémon Master.

Trading, selling and collecting is a great way to become part of a new community and to meet new people with the same passion for the game as yourself. There are many groups on Facebook who regularly post their new additions to their collections or who are willing to help you finish your deck by trading cards you do not require.

While it is great seeing all the awesome and rare cards other people are opening it can also get a little sad when you aren’t lucky enough to get those cards yourself.

It is currently a great time to be a card player and collector. The Animal Crossing Amiibo cards have sold extremely well for Nintendo and with the series into their fourth series who knows when or if these will come to an end. The Legend of Zelda trading cards have recently been announced and with the Mewtwo Amiibo card which came included in the first print editions of Pokken we may see more Pokémon cards with Amiibo functionality. Playing online or playing with family and friends can be a great way to share your love of the franchise.

Also many Gametraders stores are holding tournaments for not only Pokémon but Yu Gi Oh and

Magic the Gathering card games there are many ways to enjoy your favourite card games and meet new people. Make sure to check these out and don’t forget to pick up some new cards while you’re there! With other people being there to trade with you may just get that one card someone needs for them to trade you the card you have been searching for!

WRITTEN BY JESS WILSON

retro the continuing story of retro editor, paul monopoli’s journey as a young gamer...

The Gamer diaries: Prior to the school holidays I figured out how much money I had, and how much more would be needed to purchase the Super Nintendo, Street Fighter 2 pack.

SF2 was the game I was never able to get sick of. I had played fighting games on various systems, including my humble Amstrad, though most of the warriors you controlled were generic and faceless. Capcom made a wise move by including back stories for the World Warriors. A good story can take a game to a whole new level, and while the story of “Street Fighter 2” was hardly pulitzer prize winning material, it gave kids something to talk about.

For a long time after its release various publications were still talking about the stories of Ryu and the rest of the cast, though this may have had something to do with the multiple re-releases of the game.

During the school holidays I worked in the office of my father’s workplace to finish earning the money for the console. The work involved filing and administration, though when they noticed my ability to quickly pick things up on a computer I was given less menial tasks. During the second week I had earned enough, and my aunt, who worked at John Martins, had purchased the bundle for me with her staff discount card. I got the system home,

connected it to my TV, tuned it in, turned it on and sat back for a minute. I paused to take in the momentous event of owning the best video game system on the market, with the greatest fighting game of all time. It was glorious!

When that was all over I got stuck in to “Street Fighter 2”!

My parents had been discussing buying a PC, as it was thought that buying a computer that could help me with my homework would be in my best interests. I was in the middle of my high school years, and more of my friends were using PCs for their school work. The day after I acquired my Super Nintendo my parents purchased our first PC. I was not consulted on which PC we should buy, though if I had I would have done some research and chosen something with a little more power than the Amstrad 5286 that we ended up with. A friend of the family suggested it, and he even said that he was considering purchasing it himself. I don’t know how true that statement was, but it was enough to convince my parents.

So the Amstrad CPC6128 was packed away, and it was replaced with the shiny new Amstrad PC. In late 1993 I had entered a whole new realm of gaming. I had my Gameboy, and now a SNES and a PC. By this time the Amstrad

CPC was a dead system, though I still wanted to keep it. At the time the idea of having an interest in retro video games was pretty much unheard of. If a system got old then you threw it out, it was that simple. Still, this computer had been a big part of my life for the past 5 years. It was a friend who was always there, that never judged and would play awesome games with me. How can you just forget all about that?

At school I started to trade 3 1/2” discs with my friends to start building my collection of PC games.

The Amstrad CPC 3” discs were close to $10 each, though with 3 1/2” discs you could buy a pack of 10 for double that. Very little thought was given to piracy, being that we were all poor school kids. If anything copy protection was seen as a slight nuisance, something you would have to tinker with, or try a more up to date duplication program on. If the copy worked then it was all worth it. I filled my blank discs with the “Commander Keen” series, “Duke Nukem” 1 and 2, and many more. This was the dawn of the era of serious PC gaming, whereas previously the IBM/PC clones had only been thought of as serious machines. One game that really grabbed my attention at this time was a little remembered classic called “Secret Agent”.

1993 - 1994

1993 - 1994

Where games like “Duke Nukem” boasted reasonable sized sprites, “Secret Agent” had a small character with a larger playing area.

Coming from Apogee, the same stable as “Commander Keen” and “Duke Nukem”, “Secret Agent” was a platform game that was filled with action and secrets.

It became a favourite among my group of friends. Looking back on it, Apogee Software were one of the companies that pushed PC gaming into the mainstream. Advanced platform games, shoot em ups, the kinds of games you would expect to see on consoles could now be found on your humble computer, thanks to Apogee.

Back on the Super Nintendo, “Street Fighter 2” was the only game that I owned for a number of months, but it seemed like it was the only game that I needed. Wherever I went, everybody wanted to play “Street Fighter 2”. If I went to Clinton’s house, James’ house, Steven’s house, it was the game that we never got sick of. If the person I was visiting didn’t own a Super Nintendo, I would take mine with me. In 1993 Nintendo Magazine System was launched. From memory there was even a TV ad campaign for it, and it heavily promoted the “Street Fighter 2” content that was included with the first issue.

It also featured “Super Mario Land 2” on the cover, another game that would suck up a whole heap of my time when I finally got my hands on it.

Just before Christmas I saw an ad for “Super Mario World” in a catalogue. I forget which store,

though I suspect it may have been Harris Scarfe. The other game that I had become obsessed with had been reduced to $49.99, a bargain! I went to the store to buy it and as I walked out I ran into Clinton. That is what is known as ’Adelaide small town syndrome’, where it is rare to go out and not run into someone you know. I showed him my new prize and he invited me over so we could play the game together. I came over with the Super Nintendo and we ended up playing “Street Fighter 2” all night. I suppose when you’re given a choice of either playing a game simultaneously with someone, or taking it in turns, most people would take the first option.

Either way, I had no complaints.

That Christmas I opened up my presents to find two Gameboy games. The first was a copy of “Bart’s Escape From Camp Deadly”. A tough as nails platformer, this Simpsons game did exactly what it said on the box. As Bart Simpson you had to escape from the dreaded Camp Deadly.

This was one game that suffered badly on the blurry Gameboy screen, though I persevered until I finished it. It took a long time and a lot of Game Overs, but I was determined to see that one through to the end.

The other game was “Terminator 2” for the Gameboy. I played this one through to the end as well, though it was another difficult game. I don’t normally enjoy playing games that mix genres, but this one did it well. T2 included platforming levels, motorcycle levels and puzzle levels. I can re-

member taking this one out with me on many car trips.

I believe that the experiences we have in life shape us into the people that we grow into. What happened in early 1994 would start my evolution into a video game collector, though if I had my time again I would never have done it this way. After a few months of owning a PC, Super Nintendo and Gameboy, my Amstrad CPC was being neglected. Mum came to speak to me and told me that my cousins were interested in buying it, but that it was my decision whether I wanted to get rid of it or not. I thought about this over a number of days, pondering whether I wanted to sell my old friend. I went out to the shed where it was being stored, connected it to the power and had a game of “Jack The Nipper”. I enjoyed it, but I wasn’t really feeling it anymore. I tried a few other titles, but they all seemed to pale in comparison to my shiny new Super Nintendo and PC. I gave Mum the go ahead and she sold it to my cousins for $100. They were supposed to give my parents $50 on pick up and $50 at a later time. That ‘later time’ never happened, and they never did end up paying the other $50.

The price of Super Nintendo games was prohibitively expensive for a school boy without a job, so I found myself playing my PC a lot more. As I mentioned previously, the Amstrad 5286 was underpowered, featuring a 286 processor in an age where most of the PCs on the market had 386 chipsets. As a result I struggled

1993 - 1994

to play one of the biggest games that was released at that time, “Wolfenstein 3D”. While not the first game to be released in a 3D perspective, it was certainly the one that bought he genre into the mainstream. Like most success stories in video gaming history, “Wolfenstein 3D” spawned clones that were nowhere near as good as the original.

The first time I wandered around that Nazi castle I was in awe. The enemies would come right at you, and as items got closer you would see them become larger and clearer (though still pixelated).

Shooting the enemies and seeing their reaction was just amazing. Finding the various guns and seeing them in action was a great feeling. I wanted to keep playing to find them all. Accidentally pushing the Space button while standing next to a wall and finding a hidden passage was another pleasant surprise. As my computer was unable to handle the game I had most of these experiences while I was over Carmelo’s house, as his PC was more than capable of managing the 3D graphics.

Having a below spec PC was becoming an issue for me. I needed a more powerful computer, but I had no money. A few months after my 15th birthday I managed to get my first ever job at the BiLo supermarket in the Ingle Farm Shopping Centre. It would take me time to save for my new computer, especially as I had a tendency to spend money on blank discs, videos and CDs. I didn’t quite understand the concept of

saving, and my meagre earnings were being eaten up by things I could now afford to buy.

In the early 90s, Sega had discounted their Master System 2 consoles to $99. Steven’s parents had purchased him one, and he also got a copy of “Sonic the Hedgehog 2”. The prospect of playing a Sonic game as Tails, the flying fox, was exciting. Unfortunately the Master System version of the game has you rescuing Tails, rather than playing as him. Regardless, the game featured some interesting ideas that weren’t present in the Megadrive version. I have never enjoyed games that feature mine carts, and that includes “Donkey Kong Country”. I found the hang glider to be an interesting addition, though Steven and I struggled with it. Through perseverance I was able to master it to the point where I could easily get the Chaos Emerald in the windy level. After several tries I successfully completed the game with all Chaos Emeralds while Steven watched.

That was my big gaming achievement for 1994!

Anyway, that’s all the space I have for this issue. Join me next time as I finally get that new PC, and am introduced to the world of LucasArts! If you’re interested in checking out the other things I do you can follow me on Twitter @ dizrythmia I can also be found writing articles and giving interviews on www.retrospekt.com.au

WRITTEN BY paul monopoli

retro

RETRO SEQUELS Sequels can be a hit and miss affair, even where video games are concerned. If a game is popular enough, then the chances are you will see a follow up of some description, just like a Hollywood movie. This month I decided to take a look at some of my favourite retro sequels.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time I have some great memories of playing the original TMNT arcade machine, though the lack of decent ports annoyed me somewhat. Lots of people love “TMNT2: The Arcade Game” on NES, but I can’t get into it. The same cannot be said of “Turtles in Time”, which is a joy to play.

If you are unable to find the arcade version of the game, the Super Nintendo will do. Yes, it has modified levels and enemies, but the core gameplay is the same.

Hacking and slashing your way through the levels may sound boring, but the music is amazing, there’s so much colour, and you

know what? It’s just a damn fun game! It’s easily the finest TMNT game to grace a home console, and one you will find yourself revisiting every once in a while.

SNK vs Capcom: SvC Chaos Not only a sequel, but the final SNK vs Capcom crossover game released to date. Capcom had released their “Capcom vs SNK” series using their own game engine, though SNK had only given us the brilliant “Match of the Millennium” and some decent card games. Sadly “SvC Chaos” was initially only released on the Neo Geo, which was very close to the end of its life. Though full of very questionable Engrish, the game boasts more of a “King of Fighters” style of gameplay, which works, even with the Capcom roster of characters. The moment I performed Ryu’s ‘hadouken’ on my Neo Geo I knew I was playing something special. The game even features some unique characters, such as Violent Ken (a

counter to Evil Ryu), Red Arremer from “Ghosts and Goblins” and the original Princess Athena from “Athena”. The game was ported to the PS2 version, which features more playable characters than the Neo Geo original, and it’s more affordable.

Fantasy World Dizzy The third game in the Dizzy series offers improvements over the previous 2. The original “Dizzy” wasn’t the most difficult game in the world, though its sequel, “Treasure Island Dizzy”, was impossible for the average gamer, due to you only being given a single life to complete the game.

“Fantasy World Dizzy” set to balance this, by offering more lives, more game play, and improved animation. Like any of the games in the main range, this Dizzy adventure is a platformer that requires you to pick up items and use them in specific places, all the while avoiding enemies.

There are hidden coins to collect, and this is the first game to feature Dizzy’s friends, the Yolk Folk.

All of these nice little additions give the game a more immersive feel, and it’s a game that can really eat up your time once you get started.

this task. In “Sorcery +” you have to continue your quest to defeat the evil necromancer. Featuring very fluid animation for its time, the only downside to “Sorcery +” is the constant disc access. Other than that, the controls are spot on and the graphics are nice and colourful.

Super Mario World Rarely an article is written where I don’t gush over my favourite game ever. The follow up to “Super Mario Bros 3”, and a launch title for the Super Nintendo, “Super Mario World” is the greatest game of all time… in my opinion.

The graphics are very colourful, and the sprites are beautifully animated. The music is jolly and the controls just feel so good. If you die you know that it was your fault, and not the result of cheap gameplay. A massive game spanning multiple worlds, “Super Mario World” also introduced the world to Yoshi, the dinosaur with a big tongue. With traditional “Super Mario Bros” game play backing up a range of new enhancements, it’s little wonder that so many people still love “Super Mario World”

Sorcery + Initially an Amstrad CPC exclusive title, “Sorcery +” is the sequel to the original “Sorcery”. This game follows the premise of the original, where you have to rescue all of the wizards by collecting items and using them in the correct areas. The original “Sorcery” would end once you have completed

WRITTEN BY paul monopoli

collectables

THE AMAZING WORLD OF COLLECTING TECH STUFF! If you read game and tech magazines you’re probably a bit of a tech geek like me. I love technology, but more so for the gear I actually love using. Smartphone, cameras, consoles and sound equipment all are things I use daily or at least weekly. What I didn’t really know is just how collectable some of these products are. In the past we’ve looked at rare consoles and rare games but you’ll be amazed at the prices collectors are asking and paying for other tech items… let’s take a look.

Firstly we came across a story about the good old iPod. Yep those original little music machines are now fetching big dollars on eBay. Browsing the top listings sees one particular listing showing a “Collectors Set” of 3 iPods. There’s first generation 20 GB, a 10 GB and a 5 GB. They are the original units that Steve Jobs unveiled in 2001 and you can check out that video here: https://youtu.be/kN0SVBCJqLs The listing is priced at U.S $50,000 and there’s currently 7 people watching the auction.

First generation iPod: There’s also a 2nd generation White 20 GB unit still boxed listed at just

$20,000 - this one is still boxed and never been opened. It’s generating a bit of interest with 17 people watching at the moment.

For the Beatles collector there is a very rare limited edition Apple iPod Classic Beatles Box set apparently 1 of only 2500 made.

It comes in a collectors box and retailed for $795 with selections from The Beatles back catalogue on CD included. It also has a guitar plectrum but did not come pre loaded with the groups songs, you’d have to rip them yourself.

This rare unit priced at just under $10,000.

What about games and consoles… what are some of the rarest around?

Stadium Events: NES … probably the most valuable video game for collectors.

One copy recently sold on eBay for $17,500. Apparently only around 200 copies made it to customers hands and today around 20 still exist. It was released by Bandai in 1987 as Stadium Events, but Nintendo bought the rights to the game and re-released it as World Class Track Meet. To avoid customer confusion, Nintendo had all the copies of Stadium Events pulled from shelves and had them

destroyed but around 200 made it into the hands of gamers. A story about one lucky customer goes that he was about do donate a copy to Goodwill not knowing the value of the game, but he came across a story of a sale of a copy on eBay for around $10,000. He had a factory sealed copy without the Fitness mat that went with the game. The story goes he was going to return it originally but I guess he forgot about it until he came across the story of the other unit being sold, so he listed it and it sold in 2010 for $41,300!

There’s one on eBay now listed at U.S $11,999.99 with 62 people watching. It’s the cartridge only so imagine what boxed copy would sell for. Wikipedia states that only the NTSC copy is rare as the PAL version was not recalled. So if you’re searching online - don’t be duped.

Looking at rare hardware I tapped into the well of knowledge our retro editor, Paul Monopoli, has and he suggests that the FM Towns is uber rare. Released in 1993 by Fujitsu and exclusive for the Japanese market, it was the first 32bit home system and came with a CD-Rom and a disk drive. It had an AMD 386SX processor that ran at 16MHz and could produce

“stadium events: nes... probably the most valuable video game for collectors.”

1024 sprites in 16x16. Looking online, there are not many consoles around to buy. In fact browsing eBay I found a copy of Raiden Densest for $999. Paul also suggest the PC Engine LT is rare and pricey as he just purchased one for himself. Online they are priced around $1300 with many fans watching. They can go for more depending on the condition, with prices of $4000 not unheard of.

Looking at the pricing of some of these items, who would have thought that an original iPod would be worth a mint? Or that a console they played on is probably worth triple what they paid for it … or more?

You just never know.

your say

WHAT IS YOUR RAREST “Well I have a Pokémon N64, a Black Zelda 3DS & a MGSV PS4, but they aren’t really that rare... but this is! Ladies & Gentlemen... the 10th Anniversary Final Fantasy VII PSP!” - Jean-Paul Bartolomei

“Bought this console from Ebay a little while ago. I also have this. Apparently it’s extremely rare. Got it fairly cheap too.”

- Michael Pesak “Ive got a sega master system II in original box. It still has a sticker on it saying you can get $50 cash back from Kmart.”

- Joel Best “Not sure. Maybe my Super Famicom Box (originally used in Japanese hotels).”

- Adrian Osty Ilsley

“Here is rare console! This my friends is an IS-NITRO CAPTURE. Used when making Nintendo DS games to test them and can also be used to play the games on a TV screen.”

- Gina Ashley Watson

T CONSOLE OR PC ITEM? “I have a few uncommon ones. A Dick Smith Wizzard. A Sega SC 3000, which I couldn’t be arsed to get out of the box. And this guy. Had it for years.”

- Aaron Yanner

“Possibly my rarest console is my IS-CGB-Emulator (Gameboy Colour Development Kit).

Back in the late 90’s it was sent back to Intelligent Systems and was upgraded to include the ability of developing and debugging Gameboy Advance games essentially making it an IS-CGB and IS-AGB Emulator.”

- Michael Behar “I have quite a few kinda rare consoles ranging from Sega Master system, to NES Top Loader but my favourite is the Atari 1040 STe it was my first computer system growing up and me and my brother played many many hours fighting away on gauntlet especially haha. I also can’t pass up the opportunity to post the back of the Immortal box with the “graphics to die for.”

- Cameron Gilbert

your say

WHAT IS YOUR RAREST “ I actually don’t know if this was a rare thing or not, though I got to say for me it is a pretty cool idea. The game ‘Halloween harry’ by S.O.D.A on floppy disk in a specially made ‘CD’ case. Did any other games of that era do this?”

- Das Dos “Philips CD-i. One of the worst consoles ever? Definitely up there.”

- Nick Schumi “This is my rare beauty, Japanese exclusive final fantasy 13-2 PS3 console” - Jacob Lee-Moore

“I have a Gameboy colour Pokémon edition and a com64. both in storage.”

“SEGA Dreamcast. It’s my baby.”

- Timothy Colin Small

- Brett Hewitt

want to have ‘your say’ featured in live magazine?

head over to gametraders facebook page: www.facebook.com./gametradersaustralia and keep an eye out for the next ‘your say’ topic/status update.

T CONSOLE OR PC ITEM? “Few handheld/tabletop consoles that I have sitting atop of my Sunnyvale 6 switch Atari 2600 Woody.”

- Aaron Hunter

comics

RETURN OF THE REDUX

We have seen in recent years a very strange trend in comic books. Well not really so strange and there is a painfully obvious reason for it. That is the return of classic story lines. The most guilty of this is Marvel. We are seeing storylines from comic books being re-printed and changed with alarming regularity. Civil War 2 has just his shelves. Last year we saw a return of the Secret Wars. DC comics just brought back Frank Miller’s Dark Knight.

So why are comic book companies suddenly mining the past?

The answer is painfully simple…

Money.

Comic book sales haven’t been the best in recent years. Well…

Print hasn’t been great, they still live a happy life on digital platforms. That said they aren’t what they were. But! Movies, oh boy have there been some movies!

Nearly every blockbuster out now days is a comic book movie.

Which is great for us fans. But the

problem comes when the book sales aren’t living up to the movie ticket sales. Thus we get a period of time where comic books are trying to be like the movies coming out. It’s really interesting. For years fans have complained that their comic book movies haven’t been enough like the books, and now the books are virtually imitating their on screen counterparts. Captain America: Civil War hit cinemas last month and was AMAZING! So this year we get Civil War 2. Hoping to capitalize on the movie’s release. Which makes sense from a business perspective. This year also saw the release of the (awful) Batman Vs Superman film. Suddenly Dark Knight 3 is released by Frank Miller… Ben Affleck’s Batman is inspired by Frank Miller’s Batman.

Now, while this might be great for comic book sales, I feel that the work might be suffering. We are getting a spout of unoriginal stories that do feel like what has

come before and are seeming only to continue to twist the established mythologies and make the story lines more dense and really hard for new comers to jump into. Personally I love seeing new, original stories that challenge the characters and forces them to grow… Then again with some of these character’s histories nearly spanning fifty years it would be hard to find new ground for them to cover.

Which leads to the next issue, the reboot. Marvel comics last year rebooted their universe with the Secret Wars. Which essentially re-set the Marvel Universe.

Which isn’t a bad idea, it lets new people jump into a new continuity. But at the same time it feels like the cheap way out. It’s like we have run out of ideas. The old guard seem to be unable to carry on with newer stories for a new age. For an older fan like myself it makes it feel like there is nothing new under the sun. I’ve read these stories before… Why would I read them again? It’s almost like remakes…

All those negative thoughts out of my brain, that said as a comic book fan I’m still super excited about stuff like Dark Knight 3 and Civil War 2! Of course I am. While it sucks we aren’t getting new stories, of course the familiar is nice.

It’s a safe, wonderful feeling of nostalgia. So call me cautiously optimistic about the future of the comic book industry. I want new stuff, yet at the same time, I’ll still buy these remakes and re-boots.

BY scott f. sowter

PRE-ORDER NOW!

CTC Available on PS4 & XB1.

Released 30 September 2016.

anime

ANIME SEQUELS GHOST IN THE SHELL ARISE Set in the year after the fourth World War, cyborg and hacker Motoko Kusanagi finds herself wrapped up in the investigation of a devastating bombing. But she’s not the only one looking for answers — as she delves deeper into the mystery of who is behind the attack, a specialized team unlike any before begins to take shape.

PARASYTE PART 2 It has become all-out war between humanity and the ‘Parasites’ – the tiny creatures who are rapidly taking over the brains of the human populace.

But nothing is black and white in this struggle. Why have the Parasites come to Earth? Are they here to cull our numbers? The planet may be better off preserved from the destructive nature of humanity, but we also want to fight to protect our loved ones. Amidst this conflict of values, Shinichi and Migi must continue to work together in the escalating fight against the Parasites.

& CONTINUING SERIES...

Love anime and movies like Parasyte Part 2 from Director Takashi Yamasaki?

We do and can’t wait for some of these to hit shelves. Check out what’s coming soon and yes, you can pre order at Gametraders!

SAILOR MOON R (SEASON 2) After unexpected guest Chibi-Usa falls from the sky and tries to claim the Silver Crystal as her own, Usagi quickly learns this cheeky little pink haired girl is the least of her problems. The Black Moon Clan, in their unending quest to destroy Crystal Tokyo and change the future, have come back in time to corrupt present day Tokyo! Together the Guardians fight the Black Moon’s dark forces, but struggle to understand the truth behind their sinister plan. Is there anyone the Sailor Guardians can turn to for answers? That pink haired girl may hold the key to Sailor Moon’s victory after all!

BLACK BUTLER : BOOK OF CIRCUS (SEASON 3) Ciel and the demon butler Sebastian are summoned by the Queen to investigate multiple reports of missing children. When their underworld contacts reveal the disappearances increase when the mysterious Noah’s Ark Circus comes to town the demonic duo must impress an enigmatic ringmaster in order to go undercover as performers-to Sebastian’s delight and Ciel’s disgust. At the core of the circus is a troupe of unique performers from Dagger the knife thrower to Beast, the beautiful tiger tamer. All are connected by someone who changed their lives, someone who raised them from the gutters of London to the heights of the big top—but at a price.

DALEKS FEATURE

a passion for daleks! www.facebook.com/groups/ausdalek

We caught up with some folks who just love tinkering with Daleks and building their own… Welcome Helen, Raph & Dawn! Tell us a bit about your group and what you do.

Helen: Generally we build daleks to be pretty accurate to the screen versions (although we also have fun and might make a silly one later) and we take them out to community events and conventions where we show people how they are made, how they work and generally run around being daleks. We have also added fund raising to our repertoire for the Australian childhood foundation – raffles, selling fudge and gingerbread and other little bits.

Raph: We create props from Doctor Who and we use them to entertain the public at events such as Oz Comic Con. Dawn: Our group is made up of a diverse bunch of people with a love of the TV series Doctor Who, however it is his arch nemesis race known as the “Daleks”, that has brought us together. They scared me as a child watching in the 70s/80s period and they were the one element of the show that I never forgot... We discovered that there where quite a lot of people that loved the daleks and so with a handful of people with the same passion, we found

ourselves pulled together with a common love.

was a lot of smoke coming out of the neck section............

Roy: The group is about entertaining the masses of people at the cons we attended in Adelaide, we are the dalek builders union Adelaide, and have a few varying dalek props. I guess I got involved with this group some four or five years ago when I met Raphel Segal, and he came up with the conception of the Aus dalek builders which from that idea the group began to grow.

When did you all get started in building Daleks and how did it become the Australian Dalek Builders Union?

We have about, 7 core members in the group who basically run it, get every thing prepared for the cons, then we have the followers on our face book page, which I believe is over a hundred members, give or take. There are basically a few varying types of daleks, from the classic 60, 70, series to what is now called the new series daleks, we have about 8 or 9 props at the moment. We started as a small group of people, maybe two or three, which grew over a period of time to what it as become today, most materials used are fibreglass ,wood and plastics.. They generally take four to six months to make, some times can take longer. One incident that happened to myself at one of the cons was, while I was in one of the props a couple of wires crossed which caused a short, so viewing it from the outside there

Helen: I have always been a huge Dr Who fan and had seen the Union at a few cons and they were always friendly and such and then a friend of mine was clearing his collection and GAVE me his dalek which was in need of a bit of repair (it has sat outside in sea air).

That’s when I let the union know what I had and asked for help repairing and repainting. Next thing I know I’m learning how to sand, bog, paint and ended up on the committee! It was already called the ADBU when I joined.

Raph: I started building my dalek in 2006. I posted a joke page up on facebook called The Australian Dalek Builders Union as sort of a funny take on the british guys who were calling themselves the Dalek Builders Guild.

I thought Australia wouldn’t have a guild it would be a union. I shortly stopped using the page and I left it alone for probably almost 2 years. One day I pulled it up and had a look at it and there were a bunch of people posting pics and discussing stuff. Most of them were in Adelaide and we all decided to have a meeting at my

house to introduce ourselves and see if this is actually going to be ok to turn into a club. We met that week and the Union was off and running.

Dawn: So what do we do? We build them with care and love and attention to detail... with the help of a wonderful group in England called Project Dalek, who have had access to the TV used prop Daleks, so they were able to take measurements and put them into workbooks and guides for anyone who would like to build one... I meet a few people of the “Project Dalek” forums and found that a couple lived here in Adelaide... eventually after a number of discussion we all decided that we should meet and see if we can start a group, there were only about 6 of us originally, we talked about just helping each other building theirs but as we talked someone asked the question “then what?”, hmmmm an interesting question... so then talk started about conventions and maybe we should see if people would love to see a dalek at a convention and it turns out..yes indeed they did.

The name of the group sort of worked itself out pretty quickly, we wanted to make sure people knew who we are and where we are from so Australian had to be in the title and of course the word DALEK had to be in there, we are a union of people coming together with a common goal and love so that is how the name basically came about... It’s grown since then with more wonderful people and that is how our humble beginnings started.

How many people are involved in your group?

Helen: There are groups all over Australia but for the Adelaide group there are about 8 core members, we then have our cosplay friends and our ‘retail’ helpers who come along to help us fund raise. I really need to say it’s open to all ages and skill levels and as much time as you are able/willing to commit.

Raph: Initially the group was around 10-15 members but it has grown and now there are affiliates in other states.

Dawn: How many active builders in the Adelaide group? 12- active builders at the moment, but we also have builders in other states which is fantastic, we all interact with our interstate people through our ADBU facebook page. We have a lot of people that also do other things with the group, we have a group of Doctor who cosplayers that join us at the conventions and people absolutely love seeing the daleks and the various doctor who characters interact with each other and the general public. So in all in the Adelaide Chapter we have about 20-30 people actively involved.

There are different types of Daleks you build, can you tell us about the different types are some motorised and others made for a person to control from inside?

Helen: I’m still learning a great deal about the types. I tend to be able to tell a classic from a movie to a new series but it’s a bit like

cars – some of the members can tell just by looking at a picture of a neck cage what episode it’s from… me not so much! Some are remote controlled, some are what I call ‘flintstone’ powered (you sit on a bench seat inside and push with your feet) while others have had wheel chair motors installed.

It’s up the individual and cost/time etc.

Raph: Mine is a Radio controlled Dalek, some have wheelchairs in them and others are flintstone powered.

Dawn: Some of the members can make a dalek within a couple of weeks, some members can take a little longer. I have been working on my dalek for 6 years in-between raising a family and doing other costuming commitments...

How do you get started on a typical project and what materials do you use?

Helen: I was lucky and had a damaged one to start repairing.

Generally people use fibreglass, mdf in this group. There is a group online called project dalek (from the UK I believe) where you can join and get the plans to download – from there it would depend on your skill level as to whether you started building on your own or worked with a group to help you out. I worked with the group (Mostly Roy as we both live north) as I had not much idea what on earth I was doing. I became the queen of sanding pretty quickly!

Raph: First of all you join Project Dalek Forums and read read....

Then you decide on the model

you want to build and ask questions. Plenty of people are willing to help. I used predominately MDF on my Dalek but most are fiberglass.

Dawn: Generally the first thing you look at is what are you going to make it in... generally fibreglass because it is a lot lighter to move in than an MDF made dalek which is a lot heavier to move around. The next decision would be what era dalek are you looking at doing, whether it be a 60/70, 80s or the new series dalek or perhaps an altered dalek eg. Special Weapons Dalek or Supreme Dalek, they all have their difference challenges. Most of the time we use either Fibreglass, MDF or a mixture of both in some form. We also use silicone moulds for making various fibreglass parts eg... shoulder slats and neck blocks etc.

And how long does it take to finish?

Helen: It is possible in about 4 months but it really comes down to how much time you have. You

can take as long as it needs really – if you don’t have much spare time it could take years but there’s no rush. I guess it’s like hobby cars and depends how impatient you are, how much time you have etc.

Raph: Mine is 10 years old and I don’t consider him finished but some can build them in as little as 12 weeks.

Tell us about some of the funny things that have happened at cons…

Helen: I haven’t been ‘in’ my Dalek for long but the others do think it’s funny to leave you inside it (you need a helper to hold the top heavy part while you get out). During repairs of mine we took him for a spin (yes we name them… I let my daughter name him so he’s Jeffrey.. instills fear?) and the mdf seat unbeknownst to us had rotted through and we hit a bump and I fell right through the seat like a ducking stool… I think it would have been funnier outside to hear the dalek voice squeal OW!!

Raph: I almost got myself ejected from a con by defending one of our Daleks. It had apparently scared a child and the management came to see me. They thought I was being glib when they said “We believe one of your Daleks has scared a child here at the convention...” I said “Yes it is our core business!” they were not impressed and wanted me out but thankfully they saw reason in the end. I mean there were dudes covered in fake blood, and others dressed as characters from Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm St. Go figure...

Where can our readers go to find our more about the ADBU? Raph: Facebook is the best place to come and introduce yourself: www.facebook.com/groups/ausdalek/ Facebook is a great place to join, ask questions, start your own build, find out the next convention we’ll be at etc or come to a con and find us there for a chat.

ARTIST FEATURE

LEONIE TAGAN FINE ARTS www.facebook.com/ltfinearts

Live Magazine had a chat with talanted artist, Leonie. First up tell us a bit about how you got into art and what you like to paint.

I have always been very artistically minded, mostly sketches. I was that hopeless person at school that drew on every page, even during exams. I went through a dark period about 8 years ago after I suffered my injury and started suffering with the neurological problems and burnt all of my artwork from before, thinking my art days were over. Was a lot happening and an adjustment to a different life and losing the ability to do all the things that were me. But with the help of family, animals and psychologist, I started to teach myself to paint with my left hand. I was right handed.

I didn’t do a lot of painting before, preferring to draw. My drawing ability isn’t as strong now, but the imperfections in painting helps make them really unique, so over the last few years I have developed my paintings. Started off on model animals painted to look like mini version’s of my own pets. Then I decided to paint a spitfire on canvas as aircraft are a passion. Now I am exploring my love of sci fi and fantasy. I grew up with star wars and love it so the enterprise was the inspiration for the first 2 sci fi paintings I have ever done. I recently changed to

oil paints from acrylics and wow!

The possibilities are as big as the universe! I am developing a fantasy character for a great author friend of mine. Well bringing his vision to life. I love all thing’s sci fi, dragon’s are my favourite fantasy subject and coupling that with my love of adventures, I have some really cool projects currently in planning. I’m just not as good at accurate people portraits. I paint because I love the journey each one takes me on. I get lost in the world I am creating.

You do a lot of sci fi themed paintings, do movies and TV shows inspire you?

They sure do. Those also helped to shape my own visions and drive my own creativity in making up my own sci fi world! Star trek and star wars have been probably the most influential, I am an avid gamer and sci fi games of all types are other avenues from which I find influence. Drawing random squiggles on a blank piece of paper and seeing what comes from that is great too.

What about your character paintings, how do you choose who to do?

I normally do character portraits on request of family or friend’s, others are those I admire or am really fond of. Or to give myself a

big challenge as characters I find really hard to paint, so I’ll do ones to improve my skill and never stop learning when an artist.

Tell us about the process of creating your art. We have a lot of anime and manga fans as well as cosplayers who read Live, so maybe explain how you get the idea for your next project and what steps you go through.

Often my projects start as a daydream. Something pops into my head, or I see a movie or image or from a book. I then start rough sketches to develop and fine tune what I’m feeling or seeing in my head. It can take months sometimes to clearly get the ideas down. Sometimes they come clear as day. Once it starts to take shape, ill fit the pieces of the puzzle together to form the image on canvas. Then from there it takes off, and soon it comes to life. I am known to just wing it too and go in blind and just see what happens and let the painting choose its own destiny.

What sort of equipment do you use? Where do you get it?

I use a range of things depending on what effect I am trying go achieve, what I am painting, or what malfunctions I am facing with my disability. I have to think

so far out of the box in life, applying that to my art is pretty cool. I often have to use one of my cats as a hand rest because I don’t even have the strength to hold it up I paint on my own. Basic kit is a fat max tool box. It is the mothership and holds everything I need and more. I have tools for sculpting, my paint brushes, various containers for all the fluids painting requires, an easel on wheels, primers for canvas prep,chalk to use to draw on painted backgrounds. I get most of my supplies from art shops. Making the change to oils was only possible thanks to a wonderful person, a fellow artist that generously gifted me a big box full of oils and some paint brushes better suited for oil paints.

Is this a passion you see being a life time commitment?

Definitely. I cannot work a normal job now which sucks, my art makes me feel like I have a job to do. So it is far more important now than it ever was before. Its a passion that grows more and more every single day.

And you sell your art? How do readers go to find out more?

I sure do. Just starting to at least.

Hoping to have a stand at a con in the near future, but I can be found on my Facebook page, Leonie Tagan Fine Arts. I take commissions or have random art to sell and often a small amount of prints available. Check out my page to see everything I can do and to learn a little bit more about my world:)

advertising FEATURE

advertising FEATURE

GHOSTBUSTERS Thirty years after the original film took the world by storm, Ghostbusters is back and fully rebooted for a new generation. Director Paul Feig combines all the paranormal fighting elements that made the original franchise so beloved with a cast of new characters, played by the funniest actors working today. Get ready to watch them save the world!

SAVING THE WORLD JULY 14, 2016! © 2016 CTMG. All Rights Reserved.

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GHOSTBUSTERS : interview

Interview with production designer

jefferson sage by j. i. cuenca

Our friends at Sony Pictures shared a commissioned interview with Jefferson Sage, the production designer of Ghostbusters - have a read of what he had to say about the film...

What does Ghostbusters mean to you?

I come from the generation that experienced full-throttle the first movie coming out, and I remember that the excitement was off the charts!

What are your memories of the original movie from 1984?

I was living in New York at the time, and I remember that there was this odd movie coming out that no one knew about but that I thought was interesting. So I went to see it and loved it! It was a fantastic blend of humor with goofy science, and I liked the idea that they had these weapons they didn’t really understand to fight the ghosts. And it was also this action story with these unlikely heroes that was just fantastic. So, it sort of had everything! Before the movie came out, I was never a great fan of those guys, but after seeing the movie they all lit up for me.

Could you ever have imagined

back then that one day you would work on a Ghostbusters film?

Never! I still had a long ways to go before even imagining something like this… I wasn’t even sure what sort of work I would be in --. And, to be honest, who thought it was even going to get remade?

So, what were your first thoughts when you found out they were going to make a new version of that beloved comedy and that you were going to be involved as production designer?

I felt a combination of panic, coupled with intense excitement, as my mind immediately went to solving the practical problems that such a huge project would have ---.

What did you think of the script when you read it?

I loved it. For me it is a no-brainer to have these four amazing actresses be the Ghostbusters because they are such excellent comedians. It’s a whole new take on the “mad scientist” aspect of the story that immediately sold me.

I also felt that it honored the first movie, which is fantastic because it allowed for added layers to the comedy that you wouldn’t get oth-

erwise. And, there is a fan base you don’t want to let go of, and this movie also rewards their faith in the story ---.

And at the same time it is a new story with a new vision.

Yes, and that was the main challenge: to tip our hat to the original film and at the same time deliver something new, and feel like we were breaking new ground ---.

How did you achieve that?

Well, in my case many questions came up pretty quickly regarding iconic locations and spaces from the original movie or, for instance, what the Ecto vehicle would look like. Was it going to be similar to the original or would it have a completely different rendition? So, we had to explore our way through these questions and many more to decide what the right level of pushing familiar buttons would be while also moving our story into a new era.

What were your main concerns in approaching your job as production designer?

The first challenge and my immediate cause for some panic when I was hired had to do with time, because even though filming was at that point close to five and a

TM

visit www.paranormalstudieslab.com & watch this video about the science behind the ghostbusting equipment...

half months away we needed a large arc of design time to make many decisions. All those issues we just discussed required a thorough exploration from me and my team, and we also needed time to get Paul Feig into the discussions so he could him think about them and help him make choices. And the months came and went unbelievably fast as we were working our way through all these different things.

One of those key decisions surely had to do with the look of the ghosts, right?

Oh yes, because they were important characters too. We had to decide what they would look like and also how they would behave. There was a whole series of questions regarding them, because as the story evolves they get more lavish and bigger and more threatening ---. So finding the right tone for the ghosts and matching them through the movie to the developing story was important and took a ton of design time; this included a discussion regarding the inclusion (or not) of Slimer – which for a long time kind of hung out there…

And we had to hit that balance between having the ghosts be scary and funny at the same time. As I said, they are characters in their right ---.

little bit further in the scary aspect of the film while still having a lot of fun.

The city of New York is again almost a character in the movie.

Absolutely!

The first time Paul and I sat down to see where we would start with this project we decided that New York would be almost the other unspoken character in the movie. It motivates so much about who the Ghostbusters and even the ghosts are! At that time we thought we were going to shoot the film in Manhattan; although later we ended up filming in Boston (for a number of different reasons), New York City is still where the story takes place ---.

How was the shoot in Boston?

Boston is great, and I have actually done a couple of movies there before this one. So it was familiar, as I already new a lot of the local crew, and that was important because you want to go into a project like this with as much support as you can muster; but knowing Boston and its potential for finding the locations we needed was good and made me feel much better than if we had ended up in a place I had never been to before.

And that must have required taking into consideration modern sensibilities.

Can you mention some of the differences between this Ghostbusters and the original from 1984?

Yes because kids these days are not scared by the same things as before, so we felt we could go a

We departed from a lot of story points if they in any way hindered our intention to be original. For

instance, instead of having their headquarters in a firehouse, here the Ghostbusters initially end up in a room above an old Chinese restaurant. So we wanted to honor some of the traditions from the previous movies, while also building new ones.

Speaking of that, what can you say of the new proton packs you have designed to battle the ghosts?

Being aware of the technology today, we wanted to feel there was real science behind the design and actually talked to a physicist who was very helpful. This way when the Ghostbusters build these packs, all of that science would be tied up with other inventions they make so that they all made sense in the story. An important thing about the technology was the fact that the Ghostbusters are basically “street” scientists; they didn’t have much money or formal degrees, but they are nevertheless brilliant people that are able to put this together. Much of their work is improvised and decidedly “low-tech”, in that they are scroungers and often make do with found objects they collect on the streets of New York.

And how is the new Ecto vehicle?

In the line of what I was saying, we felt the car should be something ordinary with the technology sort of bolted on to it. Our version, which is a modified Cadillac hearse, evolves throughout the course of the story. And then there is another vehicle that a character – who also wants to be

a Ghostbuster – sort of tricks out which we called the Ecto 2, but that is really a bike.

Then you also had to figure out the ghost trap.

Yes, and we knew how we wanted it to function in the action – which was somewhat similar to how it was used before, although we updated it and gave the trap a more complex shape and odd hinges to make it crack open in a more unique and sophisticated way. Building the trap and getting it to work while also collaborating with the visual effects people was important too, as they would have to add layers of lighting and energy that would emanate from the trap later in post-production.

Did the wands evolve too?

Yes because they started out being these kind of big and heavy clunky things that just did not look right, but we learned as we were moving along and ended up getting them closer to a contempo-

rary look that could be handled by our female Ghostbusters.

How was your collaboration with the visual effects people?

Great! Luckily a lot of our work had already been discussed during preparation, so they constructed pre-visualized shots of many of the sequences we needed to do and that would require their input, which was really useful, especially with the ghosts. They were also tasked with creating very complicated digital backgrounds that would extend and complete the physical sets that we were building - the goal being an absolutely seamless visual. So, there was a lot of back-and-forth between the two departments to be as efficient as possible.

And how was it for you to work so closely again with a filmmaker like Paul Feig? What do you believe he has brought to this new Ghostbusters as a director?

It is a pleasure on many levels to work with Paul, besides that he is such a nice guy and a true gentleman! What’s unique about Paul is that, having been an actor, a musician, a comedian, and a writer - the fact that he has played on all those stages - informs who he is as a comedy director. Accordingly, he brings enormous and varied talent and experience to the set. But perhaps most importantly, everything is personal to Paul, and he builds the humor organically from the characters. Of course, we design a film based on those characters, and as Pauls vision for a story becomes specific and particular, so the design can follow ---.

So, how do you look back at the whole experience of working on this film?

This is clearly the biggest job I have had the opportunity to work on, and also the most imaginative! It has been a dream come true for me.

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ghostbusters - 14 july 2016!

ghostbusters - 14 july 2016!

GHOSTBUSTERS: OPINION

girls can be gho Some of you might remember when Ghostbusters came out in 1984. Critics and movie goers loved it. In fact, it holds a massive 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

It was number one at the box office in the U.S for five consecutive weeks and was the second highest grossing film of the year.

Hollywood knows that when you make a great flick, you immediately schedule a sequel. They did and it too went on to make a ton of money. Although not as well received, fans loved seeing the team back for a second movie. The sequel came out in 1989 and of course a third movie was planned with Dan Ackroyd writing a script for “Ghostbusters III: Hellbent” The main actors were not so excited about a third film, particularly Bill Murray who’s wasn’t keen on sequels. Ackroyd and Harold Ramis wanted a new generation of Ghostbusters to be in the film, but alas the project never really came to be until in 2014 when it was announced that director Paul Feig would be making the new movie with an all female crew of Ghostbusters. Chris Hemsworth took the role as male receptionist and the film got made. It’s due out on July 14 and as sometimes happens, the internet went nuts.

Why? Here’s where it gets complicated.

The trailer they released has the dubious honour of being the most disliked video on YouTube… hmmm.

The new film features Melissa McCarthy, Kirsten Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones and isn’t a sequel but a reboot. This might be one reason some fans have reacted so negatively. Plus there’s been reports of people not happy because the Ghostbusters are female this time...

Also, some folks decided that the role of Leslie Jones is demeaning to black people cause she’s not a scientist like the white actors, but a street wise transit worker. Others got upset because there isn’t Asians, Latinas and just about any other race or colour skin in the movie. What next - should we pick one of every nation for every movie we make..? Just to keep everyone happy. Yes according to some writers like The Guardian’s, Vanessa E Robinson who had gripes about the movie, as did Nico Lang of Salon and Akilah Hughes of Fusion - who expressed issues with casting choices. Here’s a thought, go make a movie yourself and that way you create what you want rather then putting down other peoples creations...

Seriously PC (political correctness) is out of control. It seems you need to take so much care in creating art - and art is subjective and personal, yet whatever anyone does create something, there will be a minority bunch or angry trolls and keyboard warriors that want to shout down the effort of creative people. Art then becomes a controlled expression driven by the need to appease rather then the freedom to create.

Someone stop the internet, I want to get off!

Back to the movie... Yeah it’s got females - so of course that means we should all hate it (please recognise my scarcasm) but the trailer shows great visuals, snappy wit and a chemistry between the team. However, if we were to browse through some Tweets and comments from men who’ve complained about something they’ve not yet seen, you’d think we were back in some stone age society. I’m sickened by the idiotic comments that are nothing but misogynistic - a word I never thought I’d use cause it seems over used today and often incorrectly, but this time it fits.

Interestingly it’s the Fusion site that has an article that slams the

ostbusters too! hate about this movie. It also features some of the comments below the article that to be honest are breathtaking in their hate for something they’ve not seen.

What’s wrong with parts of the male population? Why the hate?

Last point. Don’t judge a movie by a short trailer that is probably not

well cut. The second cut trailer is much better.

How on earth can we judge a movie by a 3 minute short trailer not just judge, but destroy it? You can’t. Simple.

Here’s a point… women make great movies like men make great movies. We’re all human, we just

have different gender… thank goodness or there’d be no more population.

I’m looking forward to it, I want to see this new visualisation of the story.

I want to see a new take on an old favourite that brings back warm nostalgic memories that, in this day and age, we desperately need.

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COSPLA raychul moore

cosplay interview

HIRYUU

PHOTOGRAPHER interview

HANNAH O’NEILL axe massacre PHOTOGRAPHER interview cosplay interview cosplay interview

SURVIVING A CONVENTION

vestiige photography

tips for SURVIVING A CONVENTION

JENNIFER KAIRIS

PHOTOGRAPHER interview

by tiffany dean

from cosplayers & photographers

AY COSPLAY, COLOUR & CONTEXT

photography tips chasing likes!

the loneliness

of fame

cosplay editorial

COSPLAY

raychul moore www.FACEBOOK.COM/RaychulMoore

Thanks Raychul for letting us talk to you again, you’re one of the worlds most successful cosplayers, and online personalities with your Youtube channel. What’s been happening in 2016 for you and what’s coming up?

Whoa, thanks for the super compliments!! “One of the world’s most successful cosplayers”, that’s now going on my business card! ;D Well, I took a small break at the beginning of the year; last year I had about a con a month, and a few months I had more than one. So I needed a small break to catch up on some games I was falling behind on, do some major cosplay repairs and start planning new cosplays for this year.

But con season has really geared up and now I’m right back into it!

My subscribers and fans are like family to me and going to cons is where I get to meet so many of them and see some of them that I have missed since last time!!!

That sounds a pretty full year, so tell us a bit more about the cons you’ve been to. What was your first and what was it like?

My first con ever way SDCC back in like 2005, or 2006. It was also my first time cosplaying. A friend of mine wanted to do a group

cosplay, I thought she was crazy!

We were gonna walk around in public, in costumes, and it’s not even Halloween!! But she talked me into and from the first moment we stepped foot in that con, I was hooked!!! Being around so many people who were into the same things as I was and shared the same passions was amazing! I was hooked, and have been cosplaying ever since!!

Have you had any negative con experiences?

Luckily, no, I have never really had any bad experiences meeting people at cons and stuff! Everyone is usually always really nice and super awesome to me! I’ve only had the “Cammy-butt grab” maybe once or twice, and it’s usually by younger kids who don’t know any better. Until they try that with me, of course, and then they know better after that. :D And on the other side of the coin, what about positive experiences?

Oh yeah, I’ve had sooooo many awesome experiences!! Cons are one of my most favorite things I get to do through my cosplay!!

We’ve had dance parties at my booth, I’ve gotten to meet some of my closest online friends and

so many people I’m in gaming groups with and just traveling to new places is always fun as well!

I also always love it when I get to judge cosplay contests because I learn new ways to craft things and new ways to work with different materials just by talking to the contestants about how they made their cosplays.

Let’s get down to details - how do you prepare for a con?

First, gotta decide what cosplays to bring! Usually, a different one for each day and then a backup one as well, just in case. :) Also, lots of safety pins, velcro and gel insoles for your shoes. :) And on the day, what’s your timeline like - any pre-con final minute things you go through?

The first day is usually the toughest, well only the first morning because I’m usually still setting up by the time the con opens. So it’s like a mad rush to wake up, shower, get in cosplay, get into the con center and then get everything set up! :) After that, it’s usually just all fun from there!!

At cons, many cosplayers are swamped by fans and also photographers, how do you handle fans and the photographers?

It’s super important to me that anyone who comes up to say hi to me or get a pic, that they get my full attention and their experience meeting me and chatting with me doesn’t feel rushed. So I really try my best to make sure I give each person my full attention while also giving new people who walk up a small gesture or smile so they know that I know they are there and I’ll be with them in just a sec. :D Same thing with the photographers, but if they are some one I know or wanna schedule a shoot with, then I always do my best to schedule it for after the con so I can spend as very little time away from my booth as absolutely possible.

Do you tend to schedule a photo session with a particular photographer/s at a con?

Oh, got a little ahead of myself on the last question! Yep! I do usually schedule shoots with photographers while I am at a con!!

Some of the guys I like to shoot with whenever possible don’t live near me, so when our schedules match up, I try to steal them away for a bit to go take pics!!! :D Who initiates it?

It depends, usually the photographer...but the guys who I’ve shot with several times before and really like working with, I’ll reach out to them anytime I’ve been signed on to guest at a con to see if they have plans on attending too!! :D Do you ever get paid for shoots or the other way round or is it more a collaboration of artists sharing ideas and results?

I’ve been paid to do shoots before, but usually prefer to collab with people who just wanna have fun and take some cool pics! It’s really fun to see different photographers styles and takes on a cosplay come through with the photos. You can shoot the same cosplay with 4 different photographers and get 4 totally different results. To me, this whole industry is all about passion and creativity, so I have the most fun when collab-ing!!

Back to cons - what’s a typical day like for you at a con?

Usually I try to spend as much time at my booth as possible, just hanging out there, doing meet n’ greats and signing print. And then depending on the con, I usually also speak on panel or two and then judge cosplay contest on one of the evenings. And then, I go back to my hotel room, eat as much food as I can put in front of myself and then pass out in bed so that I can wake up and do it again the next day!!

Can you share with us some tips on surviving a con?

It always helps to have someone there with you who isn’t cosplaying. That person can help watch your booth while you step away for a sec, be there to get you water or a snack when you need it and to help you by just being there when you might need something. If you don’t have someone that can help you, then it also really makes a con more enjoyable when you know some of the other cosplayers there or take a few moments to get to know your booth neighbors! I’ve

made some of my closest confriends that way, and it also helps for when you need someone to help you reattach something that has come undone on your costume and you just can’t reach it yourself. :) Last question - thinking back to your early days attending cons and cosplaying - what tips can you share for those just starting out..?

My main tips would be, to bring bandaids for your feet, even comfy shoes start to hurt after walking in them for several hours.

Remember to drink a lot of water, cons can be super busy and hectic to where you might forget to eat or drink...so yes, water! And, if you’re planning on attending a con and walking around and wanna cosplay as well, be ready to be stopped for a lot of pics... so don’t cosplay on a day that you have a panel you really wanna go to or are on any type of schedule. Getting around a con while in cosplay can be a bit crazy, so only cosplay on a day that you don’t have anything you really just have to go see or do that day.

Ok, really final question - what are you working on for the rest of this year or next year you can share?

I’m working on some new cosplays this year and rebuilding one of my all-time favorites as well!

One of my new cosplays I’m working on right now is She-Ra. I can’t wait! Been wanting to make her costume for several years now, so I’m really excited!!! I’m also re-vamping my Cammy cosplay with completely new everything;

bodysuit, gloves and arm guards!

Then my big project this year is I’m working on a new Kratos cosplay with full armor, both blades and the Golden Fleece. It’s a huge goal and has been a bit difficult right from the start because I’m learning how to build armor and work with materials I’ve never worked with, but that’s also the fun part of it all!! I’ve been doing cosplay crafting streams a lot recently and my Patreon.com members get all the sneak peeks and progress pics for my big cosplay builds too. They’ve seen the tears of frustrations and the smiles of success...which is what makes cosplay so rewarding to me!!!

Thanks Raychul! To see more of Raychul’s Cosplay visit: www.raychul.com

www.facebook.com/RaychulMoore

www.youtube.com/user/RaychulMoore

www.instagram.com/theraychul

“It’s super important to me that anyone who comes up to say hi to me or get a pic, that they get my full attention and their experience meeting me and chatting with me doesn’t feel rushed.”

COSPLAY

axe massacre www.FACEBOOK.COM/AxeMassacreCosplay

Welcome to Live Magazine Axe Massacre Cosplay! Firstly how did you get into cosplay and what was your first cosplay project?

It all started when a group of my friends took me to Avcon back in 2011. They told me about this thing called cosplay very briefly and being really into dressing up I ran to Shin Tokyo and bought a Yuki cross cosplay from Vampire Knight (it was my current obsession at the time). It was until I got to the convention and saw all the amazing handmade costumes that I really got a taste of what cosplay was, and from that moment on I knew I wanted to be a part of that crazy world. As for my first real cosplay project, I would have to say that was Leeloo Dallas from The Fifth Element; It was the first cosplay I actually made anything for, I spent hours styling the wig, hand-stitching elastic onto the leggings and making the giant orange suspenders out of flagging tape.

How about your name - Axe Massacre - where did that come from?

It actually came from a song that my high school friend wrote about me. It was about my behaviour towards boys, playing on the cliché

of being a heartbreaker but instead saying I massacred hearts - with my axe - hahah. She wrote the song right before I decided to create a cosplay page and when the time came to think of a name the song was still bouncing around in my head and bam! Axe Massacre! I stuck with it because it gives people a bit of an idea what I’m about when it comes to my choices of characters for cosplay and because it has the same initials as my real name hahah.

Now you also do a bit of modelling, do you find that cosplay and modelling cross over?

For sure! If it wasn’t for all the modelling I’ve done I would still be a frozen pea in front of the camera! I was always told to do modelling all my life to improve my posture and my self-confidence and I’m glad I took that advice and encourage others to do the same, especially if they’re a cosplayer who wants to be able to take wicked photos.

It’s also about learning your angles, learning about the way different lights and shadows work with those angles and learning about the different techniques every photographer has and how to work with them. Modelling is also great for strengthening mus-

cles, especially ones you didn’t know you had. God knows I still have a long journey ahead with my posing but when I look back on my first convention photos I’m amazed at how far I’ve come and highly recommend that everyone does a little bit of modelling.

What’s been you most difficult project and why?

Cruella De Vil’s Power in Pinstripes suit, hands down. I don’t even know how I made it through building that devil costume, it looked so innocent when I started but by the end my hair was falling out. There were so many aspects of the costume I was just not even remotely prepared for, I half blame that on dodgy reference material haha. The suit, though it looks simple, was a piece of engineering; it had separate pointy shoulders built into the suit, both sides of the suit were completely different due to the giant wrap around collar which was then covered in beading (never again), then the entire suit was covered in lines of sequins. To top it off there was then the giant fur cape and muff, the ridiculous couture hat and the physics-defying shoes. I worked on the entire costume for around 4 straight months, and I had to try not to bite every person who pulled me away from it.

Photographer: Nathan Tan | www.facebook.com/gotsuperpowers

Photographer: Charlie Nicholson | www.facebook.com/gotsuperpowers

Photographer: Nathan Tan | www.facebook.com/gotsuperpowers

Who inspires you?

I’ve always been madly in love with Miss Sinister since day one, she’s so fierce and gorgeous and obviously badass. Major Sam as she’s the biggest thing that inspires me to do sewing based costumes, and of course all of the incredible Adelaide cosplayers I honestly don’t know where’d I’d be without them, especially my main beauties Villain Visage and Jennifer Reilly Cosplay.

Some fun questions: You’re stuck on an island, what book, movie and food would you take?

As much as I love reading I’d probably take the marital advice book, you know the one where it looks like a book but its got a giant flask and two shot glasses inside instead? I’d fill it with rum and do shots with myself while watching Wayne’s World and eating Tuna Mornay (I may have sneaked chocolate into the book too).

Who would you love to meet in history?

There’s a million people I could answer with but I’ll go with Wendy O. Williams, that goes without explanation.

What 3 tips can you give to a new cosplayer who’s about to go to their first con?

1. Make sure you’ve got all your ‘luggage’ and transport sorted a couple of weeks before the con.

Nothings worse than realising on the day of the con you have no idea how you’re going to get there or how you’re going to carry a backpack when you’re wearing giant pauldrons.

2. Make sure you fuel up before you go to the con or at least take enough money to get you something when you’re there (though I recommend going for a small walk to a fast food chain because its cheaper and you get tastier food). If you can’t eat due to lack of funds or an incredibly tight cat-

suit then at least make sure you stay hydrated that is my one absolute definite thing you must do.

3. Make a list. Make a list of all the stuff you need to do, and all the stuff you need to have ready on the day of the con. It pays to be organised.

What is the best way to chill out after a con?

Beer and junk food! Maybe a little dancing.

What superhero would you be and why? ...is cheese a superhero?

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

My main page is Axe Massacre Cosplay on Facebook You can also check out my Twitter and DeviantART under Axe Massacre And my Instagram girlwiththealientattoo

Photographer: Nathan Tan | www.facebook.com/gotsuperpowers

COSPLAY

JENNIFER KAIRIS www.FACEBOOK.COM/JenniferKairisCosplay

Hi Jennifer, welcome to Live Magazine. You really have an impressive resume, can you share with our readers some of your highlights…

Hi, and thank you! I was the lead actress in a recent feature film called ‘Excess Baggage’ available now. I was also an actor in the shows ‘Walking and Circles’ and ‘Warrior Showdown’ where I performed my own stunts in several fight scenes. I have been a backup dancer for the J-Pop band ‘Girl Next Door’. I have been a backup dancer for Smashing Pumpkins.

Acted in a couple of local and national commercials, as well as performed in many live shows for Disney and Universal Studios You’ve done stage combat fighting, dance, and sword play - they are an interesting mix for an actress, can you tell us a bit about that and if you’ve used them in any of your work..

Yes, I started as a dancer doing shows, and then a casting call went out for girls who looked like Cathrine Zeta-Jones from the movie Zorro to do a live stunt show involving sword fighting. I ended up getting casted for the show and a stunt team taught me how to sword fight. Having a background in dance really helped me

with stunts, since I was learning a lot of choreography, but with swords. It was really awesome!

From there, I met other people from the world of stunts and they would ask me to be in their projects. I still continue to do stunt work from time to time.

settings pick up every little detail so looking your best is important.

I also like to drink plenty of water, and be as absolutely prepared as I can be, whether it’s making sure I know my lines or my routine. I have to make sure I have it committed to memory.

On to cosplay, how often are you doing cosplay and what has been your favourite cosplay so far?

What’s been your favourite cosplay shoot?

I use to do cosplay all the time, but since school started up again I haven’t had much time for creating new costumes. I still do it in my spare time, I like to try and get at least 3 or 4 new costumes out a year. A very small number in the cosplay community, but I love cosplaying even though I don’t get to do it as often as I like.

My favorite cosplay so far is my Psylocke cosplay. I love the character, and the costume is probably the most comfortable to wear out of all of my cosplays.

Being in front of the camera, both still and motion, can you tell us how you prepare for a photo shoot?

Well, getting plenty of rest is a big thing for me. If I’m well rested, I can perform better and you look better. Cameras with their HD

My favorite cosplay shoot was probably my Assassin Jane shoot. I loved the location of it. It was in the middle of nowhere in this abondoned building with rubble and debris everywhere. We got a lot of cool shots and video that day. Here’s a link: https://youtu.be/cyanDlFjIYI What has been the most important skill you’ve learnt for your career?

Patience. LOL! Being in the entertainment industry, in any part of it, takes a lot of patience and a very thick skin. You hear so much rejection everyday, but when you hear that yes, it’s all the more exciting. That’s in dance, acting, stunts, and even cosplay. It’s takes a lot of time and patience to put together a costume from scratch. But once it’s created, you feel awesome that YOU made it.

Photographer: Brad Hills

Photographer: Brad Hills

What do you hope to do next, any plans for the rest of 2016?

For cosplay I hope create a Kitana,from Mortal Kombat, costume and I’m thinking about doing Misty costume from Pokémon Acting - I’m in talks to act/dance in an upcoming feature film, but I’m not allowed to say much more than that.

I am currently a correspondent for Twitch.tv/NetherRealm’s MKX Pro League show airing every Wednesday live from 5pm - 7pm (pst).

I am also on a Heroes of the Storm team called the Mystiks and we stream on Twitch.tv/TGLive every Monday and Tuesday from 7pm 9pm (pst).

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

Twitter: @ElvenHuntress Facebook: www.facebook.com/ JenniferKairisCosplay Instagram: @jedi_mindtrick Snapchat: Jedi_Mindtrick YouTube: DragonbornJustJK Website: www.jenniferkairis.com

Photographer: Brad Hills

Photographer: Brad Hills

Photographer: Brad Hills

JENNIFER KAIRIS cosplay

COSPLAY photography

vestiige photography www.FACEBOOK.COM/vestiigephotography

Welcome to Live Magazine, can you tell us a bit about yourself and where you’re based?

Hey there! My name is Michael Steel, commonly known by my alias as Vestiige Photography.

I am a professional photographer from Portsmouth, England. I moved to Perth, Western Australia in August 2012 to start my life anew with my family, and to base my career in photography here.

My preferred photographic style is action portraits and surrealism, a medium that is able to bring audiences to awe with its diverse processes and techniques. My dream job is to travel the world taking tons of incredible photographs that involve and inspire thousands of people, bringing them closer to one another and to become more creative within themselves.

You’re into both photography and videography, what sort of work do you do most?

Photography has always been my top priority and skill specialty, but videography has also become a very vital part of photography in the professional industry. If you can work a DSLR with photos, you should definitely learn to know how to use it with video also. It really helps me to become better with my direction and angle work, treating my shots like stills from a

blockbuster movie. I thoroughly enjoy doing video with my good friend Al Hanafi (aka SirGlaxer), creating cosplay music videos at conventions and local events.

Tell us about your cosplay photography, how did you get into that genre?

Cosplay photography is pretty much a genre belonging to portraiture; you’re shooting a person, but that person is dressed up as a character that they love and have wanted to become. Shooting their portrait helps them bring that character to life, and I love doing that, especially when it comes to shooting a character that I also personally love. It’s a great way to make new friends, give you great practice on post processing, and being introduced to a much more expanded interest of characters and series you may have never heard of.

You’re quite passionate about your art, and you’ve done quite a bit of study.. has that helped with cosplay photography?

Studying photography is always a great help in further developing your skills, but it is not vital. A lot of famous photographers tend to be self-taught, but a lot have also done studies. The reason I enjoy doing studies in photography is because I get to meet so

many different people with different styles of photography, and it has also helped me better understand the photographic industry and how to develop a successful business. It also gives me drive to create with a large variety of assignments that I have creative control over, regardless if it set to a certain medium or theme.

Do you visit cons and any plans for the rest of this year?

I love attending the conventions in Perth since they’re filled with so much talent and friendly people.

The conventions have gradually become more popular and larger, and it’s great to see the cosplay scene become more recognised and known to the general public now. I used to attend the MCM London Expo back home, and that was always good fun too, but generally became too repetitive and overcrowded, so it was great to see that Australia had better conventions here that were more people-friendly. I would love to visit conventions all over the world and do a lot of cosplay music videos, meeting lots of different people and become friends with them.

What about gear, what do you use on a typical shoot?

I’ve always been a Nikon kid, and I always take my camera with me

“Shooting their portrait helps them bring that character to life, and I love doing that...” when I can. I shoot with a Nikon D750, a fantastic piece of gear that will carry me through my creative highs and lows for years to come.

When it comes to doing a shoot (cosplay or not), I like to use LED lights, portable flash kits, a variety of lenses to get different results, and a bunch of friends to come help me and hang out. Assistants are very vital, and I wouldn’t be able to do half the stuff I do now if it wasn’t for their help.

Do you charge for cosplay shoots?

At the beginning of my journey through cosplay photography I shot for free, and shot everything whatever people threw at me.

However, over time it started to become draining and costly on myself and my funds, and having a Facebook Like and Instagram repost didn’t get me anywhere.

After being much more confident in my work and being more well known throughout the community I decided to start charging for my shoots, but in doing so, I offered people the very best of my abilities for their shoot, making sure they were filled with excitement and joy in the end results of the

shoots we do. This led to me becoming more creatively open with those I worked with, and develop a relationship where we trusted each other with our decisions and executions, plus being able to finally earn money from what I love doing is a massive bonus, because I can now afford better gear and fund my business further with things like my own website, business cards, etc.

Exposure can only ever get you so far until you get fed up or completely drained.

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

Firstly I’d love to thank those who took the time to read this, I really appreciate it! If you guys would love to check out more of my work you can do so via Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube...

INSTAGRAM: @vestiigephotography FACEBOOK:

facebook.com/VestiigePhotography

YOUTUBE:

youtube.com/channel/UCaR4AMlWhw3smRn6geXeQ1w

COSPLAY photography Welcome to Live Magazine Hiryuu, You’re based in Melbourne, what’s the cosplay photography scene like there?

From my personal experience, it’s good and supportive. I always have cosplay photographer friends who are willing to help out with shoots and lending me equipment if I ever want to test out a new lens and whatnot.

How did you get started in photography and then cosplay photography?

Few years ago I was at a convention in Melbourne and I borrowed my friend’s camera to take photos of cosplayers.

Turns out, I really enjoyed taking photos a lot. I especially like editing the photos as it plays hand in hand with me being a digital designer outside of cosplay photography. From there, I’ve kept taking photos and even ventured into other types of photography such as landscape photography.

It’s been awesome!

What’s you’re favourite type of shoot - studio or location?

It would definitely have to be a location setting. I find it more enjoyable to go out and shoot at a location that fits the character I’m shooting. Plus, I like the whole side of being adventurous, exploring new locations and just going on road trips to do shoots. It’s always good to get that fresh air when I’m not indoors editing photos :’D

HIRYUU www.FACEBOOK.COM/HIRYUUCOS

Photographed any of the big name cosplayers? What was that like?

I’ve photographed a few local Melbourne cosplayers who have a large fanbase. They’re great to work with and it’s nice when both photographer and cosplayer can collaborate together in shoots.

Also, I haven’t photographed overseas cosplayers like Reika or Kaname before, but I have met them at cons though! I even got them to sign my camera lens hood :’D Kaname had a shocked facial expression when he saw what I wanted him to sign.

Who inspires your photography? Anyone in particular?

How long is a piece of string?

Hehe. I get a lot of inspiration from all types of photography.

But, to name one, I do love Masahi Wakui’s photography style – It’s very cinematic and has a distinct style of capturing the streets of Tokyo at night and making it look like a photo that’s come out from a Studio Ghibli movie. It’s truly amazing!

Tell us about cons - do you attend them and shoot there.

What experiences have you had?

I certainly do go to cons and shoot there. Cons are great for meeting new cosplayers, photographers and socialising with friends that you hardly see outside of cons.

Come to think of it, some of my closest friends are from meeting through cosplay!

What’s your gear of choice for a shoot?

I use my Canon 5D Mark III camera and I do love my prime lenses. So, I usually stick to my trusty 50mm lens, but lately I’ve been using and exploring more wide lenses like a 16mm and 24mm lens for my shoots to get a variety of angles and styles in my shots.

Any plans for the rest of this year?

Will most likely do more shoots and also will try to get back into shooting more landscape photography (must stop procrastinating haha) and just keep improving my craft where I can. It’s fun and good for my creative outlet :)

Finally where can we see more of your work?

My facebook page is where I post my photos: facebook.com/hiryuucos I also have Instagram: instagram.com/hiryuux And World Cosplay:

worldcosplay.net/member/hiryuucos

“Cons are great for meeting new cosplayers, photographers and socialising with friends that you hardly see outside of cons. Come to think of it, some of my closest friends are from meeting through cosplay!�

COSPLAY photography

HANNAH O’NEILL www.FACEBOOK.COM/hannahoneillphotography

Hi Hannah - welcome to Live Magazine. Can you tell us where you’re based and how you got into photography.

I’m based in Canberra and I got into photography when I was eighteen. I wanted to take photos of my pets, so I saved up the money to buy my first DSLR. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, but luckily I had a patient model in my dog! I’ve basically learnt through trial and error, which is one of the luxuries of digital photography.

What about cosplay photography, how did you get started in that?

I started cosplaying myself around the same time I picked up photography. I used to bring my camera along and shoot while in cosplay. For a long time I couldn’t decide which side of the camera I preferred to be on, but nowadays I definitely want to be behind it.

Do you do many con shoots or are you more into planning a shoot on specific locations?

The latter. I find shooting at cons to be pretty stressful as I’m a bit of a wimp and don’t like approaching cosplayers I don’t know or rushing shoots. I do enjoy creatively using what I’m giv-

en in terms of location, trying to do something different to the tens of photographers shooting in the same place. Cons for me are a chance to catch up with my interstate cosplay friends.

a skill I envy and aspire to have someday.

What gear do you use on a typical shoot?

Too many to mention, but here are a few of the top ones:

Until recently I only ever carried a 50mm prime lens and maybe a piece of white poster board to use as a cheap reflector, mostly because that’s all I had. Recently I got myself a Speedlite to play with, but I only bother bringing lighting gear along if I have a fair bit of time to work with. The more gear you have the more time you spending fussing around rather than shooting. This is particularly important at cons, as you don’t always have the luxury of time.

Something I’ve started bringing along recently is a stepladder! I’m pretty short so it can help to get some good angles without climbing whatever’s handy and risking my expensive gear.

Buy a cheap prime lens. Both Canon and Nikon’s 50mm 1.8 give you a great bang for your buck and are huge jump from the kit lenses most new photographers have.

Who inspires your photography?

Steamkittens and Artificial Photography & Videography. They both have a vibrant, unique style and they consistently put out quality images. They’re also both great at post-processing, which is

Do you have any tips for new photographers interested in cosplay?

Don’t be afraid to look silly! Lie on the ground or get up high and get some interesting angles.

Be respectful of cosplayers. Be polite when asking for photos.

Don’t touch people without asking. Your work should be collaborative - some of my best photos have been suggested by the cosplayer.

Try and fix loose threads, stray wig hairs and other minor costume malfunctions before shooting. It’ll save you a lot of time when editing!

Finally, where can our readers go to see more of your work? facebook.com/hannahoneillphotography

and www.hannahoneill.com

Cosplayer: Soylent Cosplay | www.facebook.com/soylentcosplay

Cosplayer: Ebil Cosplay | www.facebook.com/ebilcosplay

Cosplayer: Helen Wells

Cosplayer: Soylent Cosplay | www.facebook.com/soylentcosplay

Cosplayer: Nutmeg Cosplay | www.facebook.com/meginatreecosplay

Cosplayer: Silver Lights Cosplay |

www.facebook.com/Silver-Lights-Cosplay-1549887295302003

Cosplayer: Beau Cameron

Cosplayer: Scarlet Moth Cosplay | www.facebook.comscarletmothcosplay

cosplay EDITORIAL For many of us in the vast world of Geekery, Conventions are a big thing we keep a note of for our yearly calendars.

Whether it be a Convention for all things pop culture, or a Convention with a more targeted focus like Anime or Gaming, they are a place where we can gather with our fellow Geeks and unite in all the glory of all that our beloved Conventions provide.

As a Cosplayer, Conventions are often a focus point. We often make our costumes to wear to Conventions, whether it be solo or as part of a group. Conventions are a great place to meet new friends and fellow people who are Cosplaying from the same universe we are – and it can be super cool to see people in the same costume – GROUP PHOTOS FOR THE WIN!!

All the fun aside, Conventions can be exhausting for every attendee. Throw into that a costume that may be uncomfortable to wear, pain can be thrown into that mix too.

There are a few things that we – especially Cosplayers – can do to try and ease some of the exhaustion and pain so we can get the most out of our time at a Convention and enjoy it thoroughly ☺

Bring a helper, food and water This may or may not seem obvious to some. As a cosplayer, I

SURVIVING A CONVENTION

BY TIFFANY DEAN COSPLAY have learnt this the hard way on some occasions. It’s easy to forget to take food and water when we are up til 3am finishing our costume (admit it...we’ve all done or do it...). Convention food and drink is hideously expensive, so trying to plan early can save a lot of money. Water is an absolute must because even if you forget to eat (try to not do that too!) staying hydrated is imperative. It can prevent you from overheating (Conventions are crowded and can be like a sauna on even the coldest winter day) and can stop you from feeling tired and sickly.

Food is important as most of us are on our feet all day – sugar levels can drop and you can get shaky and dizzy. Taking healthy snacks can help you from splurging out on all those expensive sugary convention foods!

A helper is also a huge help, whether it be a friend or a family member. I always, ALWAYS take someone (usually my Mum because she’s THAT awesome).

They can help you in and out of your costume, and if you’ve got

limited sight or movement from your costume, they can help you navigate through the Convention. In some cases they may need to feed and water you too... costumes can be tough to work around. Anyone who captured a glimpse of me being fed and watered in my Deathwing costume at this years Adelaide Oz Comic Con will know EXACTLY what I mean ☺

Take a Break This is another one that may or may not seem obvious. In the excitement of being at a Convention, it’s easy to forget how tired we are or that we just need to sit down for 5 minutes. Tying this in with when you eat will make it easier. Also planning what you want to do and see at a Convention ahead of time is beneficial as you can factor in some rest times, even if they are only 10 minutes long. Taking a rest will enable you to last longer throughout the day, enjoy the Convention more and can give you brief respite from any costumes that may be pain-

Photo by Maetogrophy (www.facebook.com/maetogrophy)

Photo by SFX Images (www.facebook.com/SFXImages)

“In some cases they may need to feed and water you too...costumes can be tough to work around.

Anyone who captured a glimpse of me being fed and watered in my Deathwing costume at this years Adelaide Oz Comic Con will know EXACTLY what I meaN...”

Photo by Tracy Dean (Cosmo). Edit by me, Tiffany Dean Cosplay (www.facebook.com/TiffanyDeanCosplay)

ful, exhausting or even just stuffy (many have little or no breathability).

Comfort has got to come before anything because if you are not comfortable, you won’t be happy.

Put yourself first and take a break if and when you need it – so take a break, relax and have FUN! ☺

Be mindful of Costumes This is one for both Cosplayers and attendees not in costume.

When I say be mindful, I don’t mean you can’t wear what you want. I mean that Conventions are busy – VERY busy – and there’s a good chance you may get bumped into, prodded and squished.

Whilst we shouldn’t have to make our costumes hard wearing enough to wear into a real battle, trying to make them sturdy enough that they won’t break can save a lot of heartache.

It’s a horrible feeling when all that hard work breaks because you’ve been bumped into (or have bumped into someone / something) or someone has prodded your costume.

People should never, EVER touch anyone without consent, and this is something Conventions are working to try and make less and less of a problem, however in the excitement of the atmosphere, it’s still a common occurrence. Wearing my Deathwing cosplay to Adelaide OZCC was an eye opener for how common a practice this still is. Even I was surprised at how often people came up to me and touched and prodded my costume, to the point I started to get very weary of people coming up to me. Touching people is a big no, no – especially without permission - and it’s something for a discussion another time...

I was lucky that my costume didn’t break or have anything fall off, however many of us are not this lucky. Don’t be afraid to politely ask people to not touch your costume.

To those not in costume – it’s totally okay to be excited (we get excited in costume too!), but please be mindful of someone’s costume as it’s often a lot of blood, sweat and tears that has gone into it’s construction. Someone may have bought their costume, and they may have saved up for quite some time. Do not under any

circumstances touch a costume to find out what it’s made of – always ask first. Under the costume is a real person, prodding might cause them pain, discomfort, or the breakage of something that may be fragile.

Another thing for us cosplayers to try and be mindful of is the weather for a Convention. We are all guilty of at some point making a costume that’s better suited to hot weather and wearing it to a Convention in Winter and vice versa.

Whilst it’s not always possible or practical to be mindful of this (as some of our cosplays are time or Convention sensitive, which means weather isn’t a factor), if you can do this for some of your costumes, the time at a Convention will be much more comfortable! ☺ All in all, it’s important for a Convention to be enjoyable for everyone. Once the fun and excitement of the day (or days!) is over, go home, kick back, relax and recuperate for your next adventure as a super hero / heroine / villain or something else completely different! ☺

TIFFANY DEAN COSPLAY

www.facebook.com/tiffanydeancosplay

cosplay & photography tips

tips for...

surviving a convention “My tips is that cosplayers should not be scared of approaching togs. Togs should not be afraid of approaching cosplayers. If you do that, everyone just remains afraid of one another.”

- Chris Such

“As a cosplayer I love showing off the parts of my costume I am most proud of.

Ask them what they feel is the coolest/best part of their costume and forces on that.”

- Nathan Vandenberg

“Don’t leave prep work at the very last minute to make sure you don’t miss anything on the day, and rest well the night before you work better when you’re well rested :) Respect people’s time and availability. This applies to both cosplayers and your fellow photographers. Know your equipment well so cosplayers won’t have to waste their time unnecessarily waiting for you to be ready, and respect other photographers’ scheduled shoot times.

Cons are a great place to have fun with cosplayers and other photographers - so just chill, and have fun!”

- Nathan from I Got Superpowers

“Cons are a great place to have fun with cosplayers and other photographers so just chill, and have fun!”

- nathan from i got superpowers “Tip 1: Getting to know the convention location So that you have go to spots to shoot in to make your shots more appealing.

Tip 2: Prepare your kit so that its easy to move around with. Run and gun gear that’s easy to set up and shoot quickly and efficiently.

Tip 3: Do your homework. What cosplays are on trend. Can be dependant on recent game releases, current films and Anime series which are popular. Understanding the nature of characters will help you pose and direct your model.

Tip 4: Communicate well with cosplayers, ask permission for shoots and even plan shoot times and meet up spots to ensure you capture the costumes that inspire you.

Tip 5: Cosplay is not consent.

Always respect your cosplayer, never touch or adjust their costumes without asking first and make sure you pick up on the cues. If they are eating lunch or on a toilet break it may not be time to ask them for a shot.”

- Charlie from I Got Superpowers

“Have a game plan before going into con. And make sure to prepare ahead of time before the main event. One of the worse things that can happen is not having a spare battery or memory card when you run out. Know your gear and get comfortable at it like it was second nature.

shots and composition rather on figuring out how to adjust your settings when you shoot outdoors or indoors. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Bring water and snacks to keep you going and downtime short. And have fun. Because if you are your shots will look amazing.”

You want to reserve your creative energy coming up with the best

- Angelo from I Got Superpowers

I GOT SUPERPOWERS

cosplay & photography tips more con photos from the talented guys at i got superpowers... visit facebook.com/gotsuperpowers for more cosplay shots!

PHOTOGRAPHY tips

COSPLAY, COLOUR & CONTEXT

So you’re already to do your first cosplay shoot. Maybe you’re a photographer or a cosplayer - it’s exciting.

Camera? Check!

Reflector? Check!

Lighting? Check!

Bag packed, ready to go. But did you plan the event? Did you scout a location or two? What about the time of day? Where will the sun be? Will it be harsh leaving your subject with hard shadows? What about the context… where were you planning to shoot the scene?

Is that important?

Well yes it is. After all, you’re shooting cosplay - imagine if they filmed the next Batman in some small town where there is no crime, no drama, no mood?

Be pretty weird film to watch with no real context. Same with colour grading and lighting. Colour grading is when a photo or video is altered to enhance the colour of the

image. The Matrix for example had that green colour added to it to give you that sense that you’re in the matrix, that there is a digital world involved.

Then when Neo is on the Nebuchadnezzar the colour tones change to more a blue. So the real world has a blue subdued tone of blues and greys while the digital world of the matrix is green tinted.

Lighting.

If you’re shooting a dark moody character, it will look more acceptable to match the colours of the character, unless of course you’re wanting to “break” the rules… then you can do whatever you like. So maybe a Deadpool shoot has a different feel to a Princess Peach shoot.

Context.

Take a look at some great cosplay photos… yes I said cosplay photos. You see there’s a couple

of types. There are con photos often they are more of a portrait of a great cosplay. Then there is really good cosplay where the scenario, the background, the lighting … everything is taken into consideration. Then the photo is created. Now there may be some times you can’t create everything in camera without a big budget, and most of us shooting cosplay don’t have unlimited budgets. So that might mean going into post production and doing some compositing. Allow for that. Shoot on a clean background so you can cut the character out if needed and then add them to the right type of background.

For example, this photo (right) is meant to be creepy. So I shot it as a silhouette and put the cosplayer/model into a creepy hallway with poor lighting. Spreading her fingers gives it a weird disjointed look like she’s not right, a ghoul or something. The context of the hallway, the lighting makes it work.

Taking this in an office or outside of a con might not have the same effect.

No if all you want to do is create some great portraits of a cosplayer - fine. Get a clean background and shoot. But if you want to create the feel, think about the end result and shoot for that..

Have fun!

WRITTEN BY rob jenkins

Model: Rebecca Egan | www.facebook.com/gandgcosplay

cosplay EDITORIAL Sitting quietly the other day in from of the TV, I picked up my iPhone, checked Facebook, SnapChat and Instagram and then thought “What am I doing?”

I was suppose to be relaxing after a long day’s work. Chilling out some would say after a late dinner, yet here I was checking to see if there was any new likes or shares and so on.

Now don’t get me wrong - there’s nothing bad about doing that.

Lots of people relax by checking their social media while watching TV or listening to music. But this was the third time I’d done it in one episode of Seinfeld that was on the cable TV. It got me thinking about our lives and how very different they are today compared to 20 years ago when there was no social media to think about. Back then you’d watch TV, read a book or play a game and be focused on it totally. Now it seems that even during a great movie or game, we still have our lifeline to the rest of the world (smartphone) handy in case something else happens…

I wrote down the heading Chasing Likes and kept it in mind to write about it. But just before starting this column I typed into Google “Chasing Likes” and non other then Pope Francis used the term to decry chasing “likes” on social media!

Here’s what the Pope said:

“I would dare say that at the root of so many con-

chasing likes!

the loneliness

of fame temporary situations is a kind of radical loneliness that so many people live in today. Running after the latest fad, a like, accumulating followers on any of the social networks.”

As a photographer I understand what he’s talking about. We take photos of cosplayers (or anyone or anything else) and we post on social and wait for the ego to be soothed by a barrage of “likes” and comments. I know it’s the same for some cosplayers. Checking the numbers on your social media and then worrying if someone else that you perceive to be in competition, suddenly overtakes you. What do you do then? Think about it. Do you shrug it off or do you get tempted to boost and buy more likes?

Now before I get a bunch of angry hate mail, if you’re making cosplay or photography a career then you do need to boost and get more fans. But if you’re doing it to beat someone else in numbers, or to quench your thirst for more fans then anyone else in

JusZ cosplay with a photo by Charlie Nicholson from I Got Super Powers, the Adelaide based team, well known in the cosplay community for quality photography work and a passion for working with cosplayers of all styles.

Cosplayer Tiffany Dean showing a well thought out costume, location and brilliant photo by SFX Images

your neighbourhood then maybe you need to check why you’re doing it. The problem is this, someone else will always come along and have more then you. Or be perceived to be better, more popular, more creative… or whatever measurement you use. You can’t win. Sure, you might be number one for a short while but inevitably you will be overtaken.

Guess what? It’s not important.

It’s better for you to produce quality work (costumes or photos) that you loved making then creating crap or worse still selling out to the “fans” who are simply there to see how much skin you show. I’ve seen some excellent cosplayers chasing likes by showing more and more. They’ve gone from artists to almost soft porn pinups.

Now again, don’t get me wrong - if you love being a model and showing your shape that’s part of the territory, we’ve been given

eyes to appreciate beauty and creativity.

But what’s behind your motivation?

Likes or creating art. Chasing more and more likes is gluttony, but creating art whether it be cosplay, pinup modelling, photography has a much more pure motive. The desire to put your gifts and talents to use positively.

To create beauty so that others can enjoy and be wowed by what you’ve done is so much more satisfying then sacrificing your art for numbers...

So what’s your motivation? Is it creating cosplay, cosplay photography or perhaps being an amazing model? Or is it just the sad need to be “liked”?

WRITTEN BY rob jenkins

HOW RATINGS WO The Australian Classification CTC

CTC - Check the classification.

The content has been assessed and approved for advertising unclassified films and computer games.

Any advertising of unclassified films and games must display the CTC message on posters, trailers, on the internet, and any other types of advertising.

G - General.

The content is very mild in impact.

The G classification is suitable for everyone. G products may contain classifiable elements such as language and themes that are very mild in impact.

However, some G-classified films or computer games may contain content that is not of interest to children.

PG - Parental Guidance.

The content is mild in impact.

The impact of PG (Parental Guidance) classified films and computer games should be no higher than mild, but they may contain content that children find confusing or upsetting and may require the guidance of parents and guardians. They may, for example, contain classifiable elements such as language and themes that are mild in impact.

It is not recommended for viewing or playing by persons under 15 without guidance from parents or guardians.

M - Mature.

The content is moderate in impact.

Films and computer games classified M (Mature) contain content of a moderate impact and are recommended for teenagers aged 15 years and over.

Children under 15 may legally access this material because it is an advisory category.

However, M classified films and computer games may include classifiable elements such as violence and nudity of moderate impact that are not recommended for children under 15 years. Parents and guardians may need to find out more about the film or computer game’s specific content, before deciding whether the material is suitable for their child.

ORK: Board

There are two separate Boards that are independent from the government and from each other. There is the full time Classification Board that decides the classifications of films, video games and certain publications and the Classification Review Board that meets only to review a decision of the Classification Board when there is a valid application for review.

The Board bases its’ classifications on six elements: Themes, Violence, Sex, Language, Drug Use & Nudity Below are a list of classifications you’ll find on games and movies:

MA 15+ - Mature Accompanied 15+.

The content is strong in impact.

MA 15+ classified material contains strong content and is legally restricted to persons 15 years and over. It may contain classifiable elements such as sex scenes and drug use that are strong in impact.

A person may be asked to show proof of their age before hiring or purchasing an MA 15+ film or computer game. Cinema staff may also request that the person show proof of their age before allowing them to watch an MA 15+ film. Children under the age of 15 may not legally watch, buy or hire MA 15+ classified material unless they are in the company of a parent or adult guardian. Children under 15 who go to the cinema to see an MA 15+ film must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian for the duration of the film. The parent or adult guardian must also purchase the movie ticket for the child. The guardian must be an adult exercising parental control over the person under 15 years of age. The guardian needs to be 18 years or older.

Parents and guardians may need to find out more about the film or computer game’s specific content, before deciding whether the material is suitable for their child.

R 18+ - Restricted to 18+.

The content is high in impact.

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

There is also an X 18+ for adult films and these titles are only available for sale in the ACT and the Northern Territory.

Sometimes games are refused classification. This can cause gamers to be frustrated, citing that the R18+ classification should take care of adult content. But still some games don’t get classified until the publishers/developers have addressed the concerns of the Classification Board.

Want to know more? Visit the Australian Classification website www.classification.gov.au

CTC

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