LIVE SEPTEMBER 2015 ISSUE
Mixing Games & Movies Special Report
HALO 5 PREVIEW!
Page 48
PIXELS GIVEAWAY! & BEHIND THE SCENES FOOTAGE Page 34
Video Games, Board Games, Comics & tons more!
Welcome This month we decided to take a long hard look at games that have been made into movies and vice-aversa. With the new game related Pixels hitting cinemas we thought it was about time we looked at two of our favourite pastimes - gaming and watching the big screen. Sure, some have bombed and others have been good fun. But has there ever been a truly great movie made from a video game or vice-a-versa? In our retro section (Geek Out) Paul Monopoli takes a long look at Ocean Software who were the kings of Movie License games‌ Jess plays Tokaido, Scott the comic editor is AWOL this month but we promise to capture and return him so we have a guest comic writer. And Jesse the anime fan-boy takes a look at Adventure Time Frost and Fire. Gamewise we take a preview look at Halo 5; Guardians plus Elder Scrolls Online : Tamriel Unlimited gets the review treatment and scores well.
INSIDE 20 46 76 102 THE LIVE TEAM Video Games & Movies Previews & Reviews
Geek Out Cosplay
Game editor, Nick Getley also looks at Rare Replay and likes what he sees! Can’t say the same about Godzilla as Jason English toils his way through it and finds it’s, well… not so good. A slight change to our format this month too with us putting ads in the sections they relate to. So all the game ads will be in the game section, pop culture product features in our Geek Out section - why? We want you to have a more enjoyable experience reading articles and finding products you love. Cosplay is huge and we welcome new cosplay editor Anny as our bestie Hayley scores a bigger writing gig - we wish her all the best. Have fun! Rob Jenkins Editor
Publisher: Rob Jenkins (GTHQ) Art Director: Giselle Capozza (GTHQ) Game Review & Preview Editors: Nick Getley & Kylie Tuttle (Sticky Trigger) Retro Writer: Paul Monopoli Board Games: Jess Wilson Comics: Scott Sowter Sticky Trigger Writers: Kylie Tuttle Nick Getley Alex Holmes Aaron Milligan Ben Rachow Bridget Sweeney Sean Fox Sasha Karen Jason English Johnny Scene
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Magic the Gathering Battle for Zendikar is available in-store from October 2! Check out page 88 to see which stores are holding pre-releases.
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NEWS september 2015
windows 10 for gamers! Firstly the Start Menu is back. Joy! Microsoft is pushing the “future is now” message with the new OS with lots of friendly photos and video of toddlers smiling and being happy. Interestingly they are also saying that your face will be your login and password - this could be amazing as passwords are the bane of our world at the moment. And hacking your account is something even top companies have experienced. It has Cortana and that can be handy as Siri is only on iOS at this stage so don’t be surprised if this move gets Apple moving in the AI direction on the desktop. Internet Explorer is out and Microsoft Edge is in. The new browser promises “the web you’ve always wanted” with the ability to write, type and even use your finger tips to draw directly on pages you can share with others. Trimmed down and free of distractions. But how will it perform as a game OS? The release of Windows 10 sees the OS converge with Xbox One’s OS so that means apps that work across all platforms as there is an Xbox app that comes pre built into the new Windows 10. The app means you’ll have an Xbox dashboard look on the PC that connects your systems. Cortana is also coming to the Xbox OS so expect some cool abilities to work across all your both systems especially connecting your Xbox One and Windows 10 PC gaming experiences. Full review soon...
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NEWS september 2015
New 5.2 inch Huawei P8 could be the smartphone you’ve waited for.
Android phones all do similar things, so how does one go about choosing the phone for you? Well let’s start with the screen size. The Huawei P8 has a beautiful 5.2 inch screen with 1080p that works in daylight. It’s well built with a metal Unibody and only 6.4mm thick. The unit is stylish looking and features a 13mp camera that has optical image stabilisation. So if you’re looking for an Android phone this could be the one!
New Worms Games Announced By Team17 Team17 announced two games to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of the Worms franchise; Worms 4 and Worms WMD. Worms 4 will be released strictly as a mobile title, featured smaller action packed bites of gameplay. Featuring an all new look and design that suits mobile devices, gameplay consists of an online multiplayer mode with turnbased synchronous strategy action that the Worms franchise is known for, as well as 80 single player missions. Over one hundred weapon upgrades available across five different themes.
blow things up, and buildings to hide in and to blow up. In a media release, Team17’s Marketing Director Mickey Torode said, “2015 is a special year for us as it marks both Worms 20th birthday and Team17’s 25th anniversary. Moving into 2016,
dubbed “The year of the Worm”, will mark the start of the celebrations of 21 Years of Worms.” Worms 4 will be released later this month for the iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad, while Worms WMD will be released in 2016 for the PC and the Xbox One.
Also announced was Worms WMD, which will be playable on the Xbox One and PC. Retaining a more traditional art style compared to Worms 4, Worms WMD will feature 2S cartoon-inspired worms fighting in front of hand drawn backgrounds. An explosive new element to the strategic gameplay of the Worms franchise are vehicles to drive in and
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Harmonix Announces Van Halen and Other Bands For Rock Band 4 Harmonix announced that Van Halen will be making its Rock Band debut in Rock Band 4 with their number one hit “Panama”. As well as this track, more Van Halen songs will be made available as downloadable content after Rock Band 4’s launch.
tracks to be included in Rock Band 4. They were:
“For years we’ve wanted to bring Van Halen’s music to Rock Band,” said Harmonix CEO Steve Janiak in a media release. “Not only are the songs incredible in their own right, but they’re amazingly fun to play and perform, whether you’re on guitar, bass, drums, or vocals.” The last time Van Halen tracks were made available in a rhythm game was back in 2009 with the multiplatform title Guitar Hero: Van Halen. This news follows an announcement made on the 4th of this month that announced 17 new
4 Non Blondes – “What’s Up?”
Scorpions – “No One Like You” Slydigs – “Light The Fuse”
The Black Keys – “Fever”
Soul Remnants – “Dead Black (Heart of Ice)”
Disturbed – “Prayer”
System of a Down – “Spiders”
Duck & Cover – “Knock Em Down”
White Denim – “At Night In Dreams”
Eddie Japan – “Albert”
As far as the team at Sticky Trigger Entertainment is concerned, more songs in Rock Band 4 are good songs in Rock Band 4.
Fall Out Boy – “Centuries” Halestorm – “I Miss The Misery” Heart – “Kick It Out” Heaven’s Basement – “I Am Electric” Lightning Bolt – “Dream Genie” Rick Derringer – “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” Rush – “A Passage To Bangkok”
This puts the total setlist of Rock Band 4 to be at least 40 songs, in addition to over 1,600 downloadable content songs available to be downloaded at Rock Band 4’s launch. Rock Band 4 will be released on October 6th for the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One.
Heavy Gear Assault Leaves the Hanger, Enters Early Access Stompy Bot Productions announced that the upcoming mech-based game Heavy Gear Assault had entered into early access. Described as “mech e-sports combat”, Heavy Gear Assault draws heavily on the Heavy Gear universe, where people fight with their Gears in the mech sport ‘Gear Dueling’, on the planet Terra Nova. Due to having a connection with e-sports, the multiplayer mode is most prominent. Within the multiplayer are a number of ‘modules’, which contain the game’s different features, planned to be released intermittedly. The Battle Module contains the base gameplay of the above mentioned Gear Dueling, while there will also be the the Gear Bay Module, which allows for Gear customiation, and the Weapon and Equipment Module to supply Gears with a battle-ready arsenal. There’s also the meta-game influencing economy of the Black Market module, the Intelligence Module, which gives players information regarding the in-game CPU, and the Corporate Module, where players will be introduced to the notion of corporate sponsorship. However, there is also an episodic single player mode that is said to “draw upon the rich lore of the series’ universe and drop players in challenging situations that put their mech piloting skills and battlefield strategies to the ultimate test”, according to the Heavy Gear Assault website.
“This new phase of development has really energized our team, and we’re eager to keep the momentum going full speed,” said Marketing Director of Stompy Bot Productions John Nguyen in a media release. “Our early supporters have been dying to share their excitement with the world since it’s been underwraps, and we’re thrilled to see more players join in and provide vital feedback as we gear up for our full launch next year.” Previously, Heavy Gear Assault had attempted to be funded via Kickstarter in 2013. It was cancelled by Stompy Boy Productions at less than a week left, with only $44,981 raised out of a target of $800,000. However, that didn’t stop them, and was eventually successful with a second attempt at crowd funding
through the Heavy Gear Assault store in late 2014. Despite being in a closed alpha state until the announcement of its early access, a Heavy Gear Assault tournament took place in February. The tournament had a prize pool of over $1,200 and was sponsored by developer Epic Games and gaming hardware and software creator Razer. The Heavy Gear universe was first conceived in 1994, and has spanned, besides video games, tabletop games, role-playing games, books, card game, and a television series. Heavy Gear Assault will be officially released on PC and Linux in 2016. For now, the early access can be purchased with a main game pack from here.
Chiefs Win the League of Legends Oceanic Pro League Championships
On Saturday, the League of Legends Oceanic Pro League Championships culminated with a victory by the Australian eSports team Chiefs. The championships was held at Luna Park on Saturday night, and ended with the Chiefs achieving a 3 – 1 victory. “I feel absolutely incredible. I’ve never been more overwhelmed than I was when I hoisted that trophy in front of the crowd,” said Chiefs captain Simon ‘Swiffer’ Papamarkos in a media release. “I knew we had it after Egym set up that game winning play that allowed me to combo their entire team. From there, I knew we had what it took to close it out.”
The Oceanic Pro League Championships wasn’t just all about the competition though, as there were many other things League of Legends fans could do. This included fan art and cosplay competitions Q&A sessions with pro players and League of Legends developer Riot Games, and even games based on League of Legends characters, such as archery and bowling. After their victory, Chiefs will be travelling to Istanbul, Turkey, to represent Oceania in the International Wildcard Invitational. Teams competing in the International Wildcard Invitational come from from all over the world, including Brazil, Turkey, Japan, and Russia, and will compete for
a chance to enter the Mid-Season Invitational. The Oceanic Pro League Championships was viewed by people at Luna Park, in selected Hoyts cinemas via satellite, and streamed online on YouTube and Twitch. According to their website, the Chiefs “have strived to achieve excellence in eSports, focusing on consistent strong performances and maintaining dominance over the Oceanic scene”. We hope that they can maintain dominance over the international scene too.
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NEWS SEPTEMBER 2015
Mighty No. 9 Delayed to 2016 Comcept announced via an update on its Kickstarter page that Mighty No. 9 has been delayed to 2016. The delay was attributed to online features not working as intended. “All of the core content for the game is developed and in a complete state,” the update from comcept said. “However, there are still bugs and issues pertaining to the online features that are included in the game. These bugs and issues have a direct affect on enjoyment of the game, so a decision was made to work these issues out before release.” As for when Mighty No. 9 will be released, comcept hasn’t set a
date. “We are unable to confirm a final release date at this time,” the update from comcept said. “[However] we will be aiming for a release in Q1 2016. Once a solid release date is set, we will announce it immediately to our backers and fans.” Another insight into Mighty No. 9‘s current status is that platform survey results from backers have been lacking. Platform surveys were sent to Mighty No. 9 Kickstarter backers who donated $20 or more in early July, with the intention that backers would fill them out to notify comcept what platform they wantedt to recieve their digital copy of Mighty No. 9 on. “We have …only managed to receive around half of the total
responses needed for the survey,” the update said. “Considering the fact that the game’s release has been delayed, we are planning to open another platform survey once a final release date has been settled upon.” Mighty No. 9 was originally going to be released worldwide on the 18th of September on PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U, PlayStation Vita, and the Nintendo 3DS. As mentioned earlier, the game is now set for a release period during the first quarter of 2016.
Vega Slashes His Way Into Street Fighter V
Capcom announced that the Spanish Ninja Vega will be returning to Street Fighter V. Vega joins a cast of already introduced Street Fighter mainstays Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Cammy, M. Bison, Birdie, Nash, and the other new challenger Necalli. Capcom have changed how Vega plays; before he had access to the one fighting style. Now, Vega has access to two different fighting modes: claw
or no-claw. No-claw mode gives Vega command grabs and different attack properties. These modes can also be changed on the fly. Vega’s V-Trigger, a new mechanic in Street Fighter V that operates differently for each character, is the Bloody Rose, where after throwing a single rose at the opponent, he charges at it, sending out a flurry of attacks as he goes. Sporting more realistic graphics,
Street Fighter V is the latest title in the Street Fighter franchise. First announced on December 6th 2014, Street Fighter V is said to be the only version of Street Fighter V that will be released, as opposed to Street Fighter IV’s Super and Ultra editions. 16 characters will be included on disc at launch, with more characters to be released after. Street Fighter V will be released for the PlayStation 4 and PC in 2016.
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R E B M E T
P E S
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! S E S A E
L E R
R E D R O E R P T A W ! O S R N ETRADE M A G
DATE
TITLE
FORMATS
01/09/2015
Metal Gear Solid 5 The Phantom Pain
XB1, PS3, PS4, 360
01/09/2015
Act of Aggression
PC
01/09/2015
Heroes of Might and Magic 7
PC
02/09/2015
Mad Max
PC, XB1, PS4
03/09/2015
Brothers A Tale of Two Sons
PC, PS4
03/09/2015
Lost Dimension
PSV, PS3
04/09/2015
Rugby World Cup 2015
XB1, 360, PS3, PS4
05/09/2015
Little Battlers eXperience
3DS
09/09/2015
Tearaway Unfolded
PS4
12/09/2015
Super Mario Maker with Artbook
Wii U
15/09/2015
Forza Motorsport 6
XB1
15/09/2015
Destiny The Taken King Legendary Edition
XB1, 360, PS3, PS4
17/09/2015
NHL 16 Legacy Edition
360, PS3
17/09/2015
Pro Evolution Soccer 2016
PC, XB1, 360, PS3, PS4
17/09/2015
Etrian Mystery Dungeon
3DS
22/09/2015
Blood Bowl 2
PC
24/09/2015
Skylanders Superchargers Starter Pack
3DS, Wii U, Wii, XB1, 360, PS3, PS4
24/09/2015
FIFA 16
XB1, 360, PS3, PS4
28/09/2015
Sword Art Online Lost Song
PS4, PSV
28/09/2015
LEGO Marvel Avengers
PC, 3DS, Wii U, PSV, XB1, 360, PS3, PS4
28/09/2015
LEGO Dimensions Starter Pack
Wii U, XB1, 360, PS3, PS4
28/09/2015
Project X Zone 2
3DS
29/09/2015
NBA 2K16
XB1, 360, PS3, PS4
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FEATURE ARTICLE
When video games first appeared, many saw them as a fad that would disappear along with pet rocks and hula hoops. After they established themselves as part of popular culture, however, many movie buffs speculated what movies based on their favourite video games would look like, and vice versa.
Games and Movies
a match made in heaven… … or hell?
While there were video game sequences that were inspired by movies (Star Hawk has a trench run very similar to that in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope), one of the earliest video games based on a movie was the Tron video game. Released in 1982, it would cement the fact that you could adapt movies into video games, even if they were extremely basic at the time. In 1993, Buena Vista released Super Mario Bros, a science fiction fantasy adventure action comedy film (yes, that is its apparent genre) starring Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper and Samantha Mathis. While the film did not perform well (more on that later), it did establish the fact that video games could be made into movies. Nowadays, video game movies are much more faithful to the source material, and games based on movies (that don’t have pre-existing source material) are hardly existent. There is a great deal of risk involved with the sensitive relationship between movies and video games - simply recreating movie scenes into a video game can often stifle a player’s freedom, and recreating a movie scene into a video game without a unique spin on it can prove to be quite boring. That doesn’t stop video game movies and movie-based video games from happening, though. Here are some of the best and worst of each.
Silent Hill (2006) Based on the Silent Hill series 1999 A psychological horror film written by Roger Avery (Pulp Ficton) and starring Australian actress Radha Mitchell (Pitch Black) and Sean Bean (Game of Thrones). Silent Hill the movie kept true to the themes and concepts of the game and told the story of a mother, Rose looking for a cure for her adopted daughter Sharon’s illness and finds herself in the town of Silent Hill looking for answers. Following their arrival, Rose (played by Mitchell) is involved in a car accident and awakes to find
her daughter missing. Whilst on the search for her daughter, Rose uncovers the local occult and uncovers Sharon’s ghastly connection to the town. Despite receiving mixed reviews, the adaption directed by Christopher Gans created a spectacular eerie feeling to Konami’s premier horror game title. Whilst visually impressive, Silent Hill (the movie) left some feeling that the film didn’t do the game justice and missed the
mark to deliver as a video game to movie adaptation. The film was considered to be too long with many unneeded scenes, confused many film goers with its story and that the writer and director had been given far too much of a budget to try and adapt a game to film without being able to deliver. With an estimated $50m budget, Silent Hill was only able to recoup $100m in sales.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) Based on the tomb raider series The action adventure film directed by Simon West finds the treasure hunting heroine Lara on a fearless quest to save the world from the power hungry Illuminati who want to control time. On the search for the pieces of the ‘Triangle of the Light’, Lara must find them before the members of the Illuminati get their hands on them and use the power for their personal evil gain. Tomb Raider received predominately negative reviews for the films game-like action sequences and polt, however fans of the gaming franchise praised not only the
films adaptation, but also the performance of Angelina Jolie as Eidos Interactive’s leading lady. Her appointment as Lara was somewhat controversial before the film’s release with many fans voicing their concerns that Jolie was not physically adept to play the large breasted heroine due to her slender physique. Others were also not impressed by an American actress being hired to play a British speaking character. Regardless of the negative reception, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was
considered a definite financial success after it reaped in a massive $274m in box office sales and ranked in first place on its opening weekend. The film is also the highest grossing action film with a woman in the lead role and Jolie knocked Aliens Sigourney Weaver from the top spot. The sequel, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life was released in 2003 and whilst receiving better reviews that the first instalment, it failed to be as successful financially and grossed $156m.
Mortal Kombat (1995) Based on Mortal Kombat 1992 Mortal Kombat (the 1995 version) isn’t the worst movie based on a game, but it isn’t exactly a cinematic classic either. While it did a serviceable job of introducing audiences to Ed Boon and Midway’s death tournament it was plagued by several weak elements. It couldn’t decide who should be the focus of the acting and who should be the focus of the fighting, so we were left with wooden acting from Robin Shou (who could actually handle fight choreography) and horridly sloppy fighting from Bridgette WilsonSampras and Linden Ashby. Multi-
ple making-of featurettes claim that Linden Ashby and Bridgette WilsonSampras insisted on performing a great deal of their own stunts and fight scenes, which should have not been allowed. To their credit, the creators of the Mortal Kombat went to great lengths to deliver a film that was true to its source material, and given that the MK games were nowhere near as complex as they are now, they did an admirable job, especially when recreating the land of Outworld.
Interestingly, Mortal Kombat might have gone down as an action classic if an earlier draft of its script had come to fruition. At one point, Brandon Lee was set to star as Johnny Cage, and Michael Jai White was to star as Jax. Lee was unfortunately killed during the filming of The Crow and White was offered the starring role in Spawn, another film from New Line Cinema. When watching Mortal Kombat it becomes evident rather quickly that the original idea for the film was not the one we got to see: a flawed failure.
street fighter (1994) Based on Street Fighter II 1991 Street Fighter (1994) was one of the funniest action-comedies of the 90s, though admittedly it should have been a lot more action-focused. Starring a Belgian as an all-American hero with a penchant for smartass remarks and flip kicks, Street Fighter was a movie with next-to-no actual street fighting. Heck, there wasn’t even a tournament. Instead of being lifelong friends and noble fighters, Street Fighter icons Ken and Ryu were reduced to bickering conmen peddling toy guns to thugs. In terms of story, Street Fighter did share some elements with the game it’s based on. M. Bison was the head of a powerful criminal
called Shadaloo (originally called Shadowlaw in the games and early anime), though as Street Fighter (the movie) was aiming for a family-friendly picture, Shadaloo were hardly menacing. It was more of a social club that somehow seized its own territory somewhere in Asia. While Street Fighter’s story was dreadful and most of its performances were bland at worst (and hammy at best) one actor’s portrayal of M. Bison was captivating: Raúl Juliá. Juliá’s children helped him prepare for his role as M. Bison, which would unfortunately be his last role ever as he passed away shortly after. He
was intense, charismatic and truly dedicated to his role. Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat shared a common problem: trying to make regular actors into martial arts stars. While this is in fact possible (you need only to look at The Matrix), pretty much everyone in this movie who isn’t Jean-Claude Van Damme couldn’t throw a punch to save themselves. Even worse, most of them couldn’t act, either. You know things are bad when Kylie Minogue is one of the best actors in the film!
The Crow: City of Angels (1997) (PlayStation, PC, Sega Saturn) (Gray Matter Interactive, Acclaim) The Crow is one of my favourite alltime films, and one of the best cult action movies of all-time. While The Crow: City of Angels is a bad film, the video game based on it is absolutely deplorable. An action/beatem-up where you play as The Crow, the developers behind this game got absolutely nothing right. Awful pre-rendered backgrounds made the foreground, middleground and background all blur together to form a horrid mess. The
same character models were repeated so often that I thought I was fighting an army of cloned leather gimps. In fact, when combined with the leather-clad Crow himself, as well as the various candlelit steel cage-decorated environments, your parents might have suspected you were playing some sort of pervert simulator. Not only were the game’s various characters designed poorly, they were also horribly animated. The
Crow himself is transformed from an invulnerable revenge machine into an incompetent wimp, and his attacks are more like the flailing limbs of a child throwing a tantrum. Combine that with scripted camera angles that miss the mark each and every time as well as an almost complete lack of mission objectives and you have not only one of the worst movie-based games ever, but one of the worst video games ever, period.
Batman Forever (1996) (Probe, Midway)
There was a time when people thought that digitized actors in video games could work for absolutely every game. Those people were wrong. While Mortal Kombat managed to deliver hard-hitting visceral combat – sorry, Kombat – with digitized actors (the practise of putting actual humans into video games as sprites) almost every other video game that attempted it had ludicrously bad results. There were so many of them you could create a mountain of failure out of them, and one of the foundations of Mt. Failure is Batman Forever. Now admittedly, developing a Batman video game in the 90s was
something that nobody got right (with the possible exception of Konami’s Batman Returns on the SNES). There was a Batman game where he navigated through dungeons avoiding bubbles and traps, there was one where he literally shot everyone that moved with a gun, and there were others that were notoriously difficult or lacked direction – but how did Batman Forever fail, exactly? The short answer is that is was awful, but it was awful in a staggering amount of ways. For one thing, the game was mind-numbingly repetitive. You had Mortal Kombat high and low punches, as well as leg
sweeps, roundhouse kicks and jump kicks, though a lot of those did the exact same thing. There was no point to a high punch instead of a low punch, and the hit detection was so sloppy that you would often be left punching the air itself, while your enemies pulled out a gun or electric shock…thing. There was also an annoying progress-breaking glitch that could occur in the game, where a bomb that Batman has to disarm falls off a ledge and is nowhere to be found, meaning that many players never disarmed Two-Face’s bombs and beat the level.
TRON: Evolution (2010) (Propaganda Games, Disney) Disney’s TRON franchise is rich with potential, and could easily succeed with more games and movies if given the chance. While TRON: Legacy didn’t succeed as its creators hoped it would, TRON: Evolution could have succeeded with a little more development time. Like so many video game tie-ins, TRON: Evolution was a case of developers just simply not being familiar enough with the franchise to make an exciting game of it. Taking place before the events of TRON: Legacy, Evolution saw players assume the role of Anon, a program designed by Kevin Flynn to investigate a conspiracy in the
world of TRON. Evolution explains what happens between the original TRON movie and TRON: Legacy, including how Kevin Flynn became inprisoned. Gameplay took inspiration from Ubisoft titles like Assassin’s Creed and Prince of Persia, with Anon being capable of wall-running and other acrobatic feats. There were also RPG elements in that you could level up your character, as well as other staples of TRON such as light disc combat and light cycles. Overall, the gameplay just wasn’t polished. The wall-running was quite possibly the weakest link
in the gameplay, and while Anon should have been able to sprint along walls, it was often too difficult to connect jumps or wall-runs, and he would often slip and fall to his death as though someone has smeared Vaseline all over the walls of TRON. To make things worse, uninspired action sequences would couple with the buggy gameplay, making for an unbearable experience. With Disney pulling the plug on the third TRON movie, it’s doubtful we will ever see another TRON video game again, which is a shame.
GoldenEye 007 (1997) (Rare, Nintendo)
Considered by many to be the greatest shooter of all-time, Rare’s GoldenEye 007 reshaped the firstperson-shooter genre. Before GoldenEye 007, the first-person-shooter genre mainly consisted of intense action-heavy games like DOOM and Quake. Rare made the conscious decision to shift GoldenEye 007’s design from an on-rails arcade style shooter like Sega’s Virtua Cop, to a free-roaming shooter.
Illustrating a clear understanding of the complexity of the James Bond films – and what makes them so appealing – Rare provided players with mission objectives to give the gameplay some variety, as well as the opportunity to take a stealth approach in many levels, should the player wish to. Upon its release, GoldenEye 007 received rave reviews. IGN gave it
a 9.7, stating “Rare outdoes itself with a truly masterful first-person gem, blending spy adventure with shoot-‘em-up action”, and it’s hard to argue. Despite missing the movie release period by 2 years, Rare had truly crafted the great movie-based video game ever.
Ghostbusters: The Video Game (2009) (Terminal Reality, Atari)
While not technically based on an existing movie, Ghostbusters: The Video Game was based off an existing script that would have been used for a third movie, with Harold Ramis and Dan Akroyd editing parts of the script to fit in a video game better. Ghostbusters: The Video Game sees players assuming the role of a new Ghostbusters recruit, who is mentored by the original Ghostbusters as they investigate paranormal activity in New York. Of course, more sinister things are afoot, and the player might just be the thing the ‘busters need to thwart the plans of a Gozer-worshipping cult.
As far as movie-based video games go, Ghostbusters: The Video Game is near perfect. Developer Terminal Reality crafted a game that had a mix of humour, action, and scary moments – just like the original Ghostbusters movies. The presence of most of the movie’s cast also helps immerse the player into the world of the game. Unfortunately, Bill Murray’s performance was definitely lacking, but Harold Ramis, Dan Akroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, William Atherton and Brian Doyle Murray absolutely nail their performances. Dan Akroyd has stated that Ghostbusters: The Video Game is “es-
sentially the third movie”, but that it also achieves many things that a 90s movie could not have. In some sequences, the supernatural energy of the ghosts begins to transform the environments around them. You’ll revisit the iconic Sedgewick Hotel from the movie, but it will begin to take on a more sinister form the more you explore it. Ghostbusters: The Video Game is not only a brilliant tribute to the classic Ghostbusters movies, but it also brilliantly expands on the Ghostbusters mythos.
the godfather (2006) (Terminal Reality, Atari)
Adapting The Godfather into a video game would have no easy task, but EA Redwood Shores came up with a clever idea: creating a new character who was behind some of the major plot points of the original movie. This new character, Aldo Trapani, avenges Bonasera’s daughter, drive Vito Corleone to the hospital after his shooting, plants the gun for Michael in the restaurant bathroom, places the horse’s head in Jack Woltz’s bed, and more. This
not only explained such an important character blending into the background of the movies, but also gave players an expanded view of the first film’s events. Being an open-world game similar to Mafia and Grand Theft Auto, The Godfather sees the player undertaking various missions for the Corleone family. Eventually, they will expand the Corleone family’s interests and control most of the city, at
which point they begin to eliminate the other crime families. Many of The Godfather film’s original cast reprised their roles for the game, including James Caan and Robert Duvall. Francis Ford Coppola condemned the game, stating that Paramount didn’t inform him that they had planned on developing a video game. A shame really, because The Godfather video game is quite faithful to the movie.
resident evil (2006) Based on the Resident Evil series 1996 Written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, the Resident Evil movie is a science fiction horror movie loosely based on Capcoms original survival horror series. Whilst adapting core plot elements from the original series, Resident Evil is solely focused on our heroine Alice - who wakes up with amnesia following an incident within Umbrellas secret underground facility, known as ‘the Hive’. After investigating the main facility, Alice and several Umbrella commando’s soon discover that a bio-
weapon – known as the T-Virus - has been unleashed upon the supposed staff, resulting in the A.I. defence system to kill all the Umbrella employees. Upon release, the film received mainly mixed reviews – with many critics noting the films lazy dialogue, bland characters and predictable story elements – with fans in particular very much disappointed on the films emphasis on ‘action’ in favour of ‘survival horror’. But despite all the criticism the first and later films have received over the years,
James Cameron himself regards the first movie as one of his ‘guilty pleasure’ films. To this day the Resident Evil series has so managed to show itself as a financial success - with the box office tally of all five movies racking up over $915 million, out of its 250 million budget. With heavy criticism from both fans and moviegoers, the Resident Evil series is still set on producing more sequels, with Resident Evil: The final Chapter expected to launch later in 2017.
postal (2007) Based on the Postal series 1997 Drawing more inspirations from Postal 2, the action comedy Postal was co-written and directed by German film director, Uwe Boll. Taking place in Paradise Arizona, the plot focuses on the Postal Dude, who is currently seeking employment and angry at his current position. With no job, no money, and stuck with morbidly obese wife who is constantly cheating on him - the Postal Dude decides to team up with his Uncle Dave once more, in planning the ultimate heist in procuring the shipment of rare Krotchy Dolls. Regarded for its politically incorrect humour, 9/11 references and
dark comedy, Postal – much like all of Uwe Bolls films – was critically panned upon release, with the film being nominated for the Golden Raspberry Awards of Worst Supporting Actor (twice) and Worst Director. Financially Postal did extremely poor as well, with earnings of only $146 thousand (worldwide) from its initial $15 million budget. Despite working on 20 more films within the next several years - Uwe Boll has since taken to YouTube and telling everyone to ‘Go f--- yourselves’, after his Kickstarter campaign for Rampage 3 was unsuccessful.
advertising FEATURE
In Pixels, when intergalactic aliens misinterpret video-feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war against them, they attack the Earth, using the games as models for their various assaults. President Will Cooper (James) has to call on his childhood best friend, ’80s video game champion Sam Brenner (Sandler), now a home theater installer, to lead a team of old-school arcaders (Dinklage and Gad) to defeat the aliens and save the planet. Joining them is Lt. Col. Violet Van Patten (Monaghan) a specialist supplying the arcaders with unique weapons to fight the aliens.
Only at the Movies! September 10.
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feature
back to 1991: pc format
The cover heading says it all: “DISCOVER THE NEW WORLD OF PC CD” It stood out like the proverbial sore thumb. Particularly in an age where systems are not always featuring a CD or DVD drive. iMacs for example don’t have a drive - they do have a USB slot but it seems content is going all online. But back to PC Format. It was a classic magazine that focused on the PC … well format… so it’s back into our time machine here at GTHQ (no dog this time, too much mess) and away we go… 1991. it was the year of Operation Desert Storm, where a UN Coalition Force let by the U.S bombed Iraqi forces in Kuwait and forced them back to Iraq. The Dead Sea Scrolls were unveiled and the Balkan War started. On the tech side the internet is made available without restrictions and around 1 million computers are logged on.. yes kids the net was not always around. Microsoft released
DOS 5 and big Arnie was back as the Terminator in T2. Also in 1991, EA released Road Rash for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive and Delphine Software releases Another World - a brilliant game on the Amiga 500. Nintendo released Super Mario World and F-Zero as well as their SNES system. And of course one of the best magazines for PC users, is PC Format. It was published by Future plc, and focused on games, entertainment and getting the best from your PC. The magazine dealt predominantly with DOS and Windows based systems and was aimed at a slightly older reader. The cool thing about PC Format in those early days was the cover disks it gave away. These progressed from the 5 1/4 to the 3 1/2 to CD-Rom and then DVD-Rom. In the issue on the newsagent shelf we’re browsing back in 1991, which is the second issue, the contents page tells us… “PC Format was created to fill the
huge game in the PC leisure scene for a magazine that tells you how to do more then just work with your PC.” Yes it was a total PC magazine that had a ton of great reviews on games, and reviews on leisure programs. Reading through the letters to the editor we notice a classic line … “I don’t think the market will support another PC games magazine” Submitted by someone not giving their name. Oh dear. Were they ever wrong… perhaps it was the editor of another magazine? We’ll never know. Back then an Amstrad PC system including a few games, speakers and joystick set you back around $2200! That’s a ton of money in today’s value - around $3,000 to $5600! PC Format is one of the few tech magazines still going today and you can catch the latest issue at your newsagent.
INTERVIEW
OLD GAME MAGs never die
they live on in the cloud! Speaking of old magazines, we found an online haven where magazines from the past live on today. Here’s our interview with Peter from oldgamemags.com First up tell us about yourself and the site My name is Peter and I live in Auckland, New Zealand. Now in my 50’s I have been privileged to live through the birth of the computer age and over the years have owned a huge array of computers and consoles. I have a large collection of magazines collected from my childhood through to today. OGM is my own personal crusade to prevent gaming and computing magazines from being lost forever due to the demise of publishers or their indifference towards older titles. Over the years several other scanners from around the globe with similar ideals have come onboard as well. I truly believe we are now the number 1 website for obtaining early period computing/ gaming magazines and god willing we’ll be continue to be here for a long time to come. Here at Gametraders Live Magazine, we’re huge fans of old retro magazines, some favourites were PC Format, Next Generation and ACE. What’s some of your favourites?
PC Gamer - the early Imagine produced USA editions were just great.
what happened when you pressed a mouse button. Hahaha .....
Atomic: MPC - Australia’s greatest PC title IMHO
Not disk oriented but Arcade issue 6 featured a paperback called “Game Over” detailing the rise of Nintendo by David Sheff. Awesome read
CVG - The Brits best multi-format publication of the 80’s. Arcade - A relatively unknown but beautifully produced title from Future PLC Do you feel there’s a future for multiform magazines in print or are people going to head online to blogs and sites that cater for their particular format? Difficult question and one all the publishers are wrestling with when you look at the number of magazines that have fallen by the wayside in recent years. In saying that I believe that multi-format publications stand a better chance of survival as consoles and gaming systems come and go compared to system centric titles. Remember the days of magazines with floppy disks on the cover, what are some of the stand out cover add ons you’ve seen? I remember getting an Amiga cover floppy disk from a UK magazine that included a nice surprise in the form of a virus that turned your mouse cursor into a penis. No surprises
And issues 50 & 51 of Atomic: MPC provided readers with a CD-Rom with the first fifty issues of the magazine in digital format. Talk about the deal of the century. Shame noone else has ever done this. With digital magazines growing in numbers what do you think the future of magazines are? I believe there is still a requirement for print editions as not everyone wants to read magazines on a tablet/smartphone but I do think further rationalisation and therefore shrinkage of print magazine titles can be expected. Digital editions of magazines with video clips and so forth are the way of the future but I personally hate them as I prefer my digital magazines to mirror print editions. I know I am in the majority. Sigh!! Ok back to the site - how many people are using your site and how many magazines are hosted? Absolutely no idea how many peo-
ple frequent the site and truthfully I don’t care. The site is all about preservation, not how many people visit it. We currently have in excess of 2000 magazines and/or supplemental materials archived. How can publishers get involved to help you? By creating digital versions of older titles themselves. Alternately, endorsing sites like ours so removing
the threat of legal action or at the very least providing guidelines on what we can/cannot scan would be extremely helpful. Copies of un-scanned magazines to scan would also be great :-) Finally where can readers go to find out more? www.oldgamemags.com
gameS REVIEWS & PREVIEWS
HALO 5:
GODZILLA
preview
RARE REPLAY review
GUARDIANS
review
elder scrolls online:
tamriel unlimited review
S
HAL GUA
LO 5: ARDIANS Preview
PREVIEW You there! Guess what? You’re my favourite person right now. Wanna know why? Because I get to tell you all the latest news about Halo 5: Guardians and what developers 343 Industries are currently showing off in anticipation for their October 27th release. Following on from the events of Halo 4; Guardians see’s the Master Chief engaging in a mysterious pursuit for, well, to use The Arbiter’s words from this year’s E3 trailer “the Guardian he seeks”. However, his desperate quest does not go wholly appreciated by his superiors, who declare him AWOL (Absent Without Leave) and sic a team of fourth generation Spartans (for frame of reference, Master Chief is a second generation Spartan) after him. There have been a few interesting developments in recent months regarding Halo 5’s singleplayer campaign, such as the fact that Master Chief will be reunited with members of Blue Team (John’s team of Spartans from Halo’s expanded universe) and thereafter will command his comrades in-game. This is also in tandem with Spartan Locke, the other playable protagonist of Halo 5, and his subordinates of Fireteam Osiris. As either character, the player will not only be able to give commands but receive them when playing in co-op mode as additional players will assume the roles of the other Spartans from Blue Team or Osiris. Furthermore, reviving is now a game mechanic as Spartan characters will be incapacitated for a short period of time before dying, unless the player personally revives their downed comrade or commands one of their teammates to do so.
HALO 5:
GUARDIANS
Long-time fans of the Halo series and every other nerd under the sun are also rejoicing at the inclusion of Nathan Fillion’s character, Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck, who has also moved up from his position as an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper to being another fourth generation Spartan under Locke’s command. 343 have also confirmed Halo 5 will run at 60fps but are yet to confirm as to whether the highest resolution will be set to 1080p or lower. Halo’s franchise development director, Frank O’Connor, explained the selection for the frame-rate at San Diego Comic-Con this year while talking about the sandbox nature of Halo 5’s level design and the greater length of its story. “If you’re like me, you’re going to grab a Warthog and take it places it’s not supposed to go… Your mileage may vary, but for me, it’s much longer because there’s more places to explore…” This was placed in reference to moving through these environments with four players in mind as the decision for 60fps has “everything to do with experiential fidelity. 60fps is the speed you’ll move through the
universe, not the speed we’re updating the frame buff”. Essentially, the increased frame rate is an attempt to grant the player a greater sense of space in the game’s environments while maintaining awareness of their teammates.
Executive Producer Josh Holmes also unveiled a new multiplayer mode at E3 called “Warzone”, featuring 24 players, AI-controlled enemies and six maps with “massive environments that are four times the size of any previous Halo map”. So that’s two teams of 12 Spartans duking it out against each other while fighting their way through AI hordes in an extraordinarily large space. I know what you’re thinking… Just when you think you’re done with pre-ordering games… They pull you back in! Halo 5: Guardians will be exclusive to Xbox One. The Limited Collector’s Edition will be released on October 20th, with a worldwide release on October 27th, 2015.
Click to view the trailer here!
WRITTEN BY SEAN PETER FOX
WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM
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.10.15
elder scr
tamriel u
rolls online:
unlimited
review
REVIEW
elder scrolls online:
tamriel unlimited To say The Elder Scrolls Online has a bumpy launch on PC would be an understatement. The fledgling MMO earned the ire of many PC gamers due to dodgy framerates, botched handling of in-game currency, NPCs not showing up or not having voices, and occasions where the game would be stuck forever loading. As an Elder Scrolls fan since the DOS era, I was gutted to hear of the first multiplayer Elder Scrolls title’s numerous problems. Thankfully, a lot can change in the shape of a year. ZeniMax and Bethesda have worked extremely hard turning ESO around, and while there have been some instances of players having difficulty connecting to servers, for the most part the game functions perfectly. Condensing an immense MMO into a review is never an easy task, but I feel I’ve played enough of the game to know whether I can recommend it for purchase. I might not be at end-game but I’ve dug my claws (I’m a Khajiit) into a fair chunk of it. Elves and Nords, Orcs and Imperials, here is my review of ‘The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited’ The Elder Scrolls games are known for their deep lore and rick storytelling, though they aren’t as dauntingly convoluted as other RPGs. The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited features a main story arc
that long-time Elder Scrolls fans will find accessible, though due to the fact that the game is an MMO, it won’t be as intensive as other Elder Scrolls games. It is enjoyable, you’ll just find innumerable other distractions along the way, and at the start of the game, you are left alone to do pretty much just that.
ESO takes place in the second era, before the events of Arena, Daggerfall, Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim. For many Elder Scrolls fans, this will be both a familiar yet radically different Elder Scrolls game indeed. War and rivalries have always been part of the Elder Scrolls franchise. In Morrowind, there were political house rivalries and guild rivalries, in Skyrim, the Imperial Legion was warring with the Nordic Stormcloaks. In The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited, Molag Bol, the Daedric Prince of domination and enslavement of mortals, threatens to invade Tamriel. Not only that, but the races of Tamriel are divided into three warring factions, the Aldmeri Dominion, The Ebonheart Pact, and the Daggerfall Covenant. The Daggerfall Covenant unites the northwestern races of Tamriel: The Breton, Redguard, and Orcs. The Aldmeri Dominion sees the reformation of a powerful union among the High Elves, Wood Elves, and Khajiit, who see the Daggerfall Covenant as deluded and dangerous and the
Ebonheart Pact as bickering rivals. The Ebonheart Pact is comprised of the Nords, Dark Elves and Argonians. If the Nords and Dark Elves can put their warring past behind them, they may be able to thwart Molag Bol and sieze control of Tamriel for themselves. As Imperial City has been taken over Molag Bol’s forces, players cannot select to play as an Imperial by default, though they can play as an Imperial with any faction if they purchase the Imperial Edition of the game. The game begins with players arriving/awakening in the Wailing Prison in Coldharbour, Molag Bol’s plane of Oblivion. With the help of Lyris Titanborn and the soul shriven knight Cadwell, players will hatch a plan to escape Oblivion and rejoin the realm of the living. During this beginning phase of the game, players will be introduced to various game mechanics including, movement, dialogue, combat, magic, missions and more. They’ll also be introduced to the main story of the game, though once they do escape Oblivion, how they spend their time with ESO is entirely up to them. What is surprising about Elder Scrolls Online is how similar the combat is to other Elder Scrolls titles. Where EA Games’ Star Wars: The Old Republic lent itself to MMO combat rather easily (as you manage a team and not just a single
player), classic Elder Scrolls titles are a strictly single-player affair, with combat that reflects this. While Bethesda have stuck to what players know with ESO’s combat, they might have been better tweaking the basic combat to reflect other MMOs a tad more. For one thing, stealth works just as it always has in Elder Scrolls games, though you will hardly ever get the chance to sneak up on an enemy because there are always other players running around like maniacs. They’ll spot your target and run in swinging their great axe like Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, ruining your sneaky efforts. Still, there are other less populated areas (as well as locked-in areas) where other players are less of a factor, leaving you free to hunt your prey without interruption, it just sucks that other players can impact your experience negatively. Once you begin to level up and unlock new skills you’ll experience just how different ESO is from other ES games, as you have abilities you can hotbar and access rather quickly, and some of these are built around benefitting a group of adventurers and not just one. I am a Khajiit Night Blade, capable of setting the ground ablaze with a volley of arrows while my Mage ally throws magic attacks at them, slowing them down and causing them to take more damage from my attacks. Multiplayer combat works pretty well in ESO, though enemies are hardly a challenge for a team that is able to strategize and support each other. You’ll find some early combat tedious, though it does leave you plenty of opportunity to try different
weapons and roles in your group and discover what your preferences are. Being an Elder Scrolls title, comparisons to Skyrim and other past games are inevitable, though in some instances, there are some things we need to understand about how MMORPGs are designed. For one thing, Elder Scrolls Online is an adequate game from a visual perspective, but it can’t hold a candle to 2011’s Skyrim. This is due to the vast open environments, as well as the massive amount of other players, buildings, items and NPCs populated throughout the world. As I said, the game looks pretty for an MMO, but don’t go into ESO expecting to be blown away by its visuals. There are times where ESO plays very differently for an Elder Scrolls game, and times where it plays differently compared to other MMORPGs. While I appreciate and understand some of the design choices, one that I cannot get behind is the main story being entirely single player. That’s right, if you want to defeat Molag Bol with a party of friends you’re s’wit outta luck. Considering the main story is single-player only, I was hoping for the side quests and general adventuring to be more multiplayer-friendly. They are, though when you party up with friends, you still have to each complete the various objectives in a mission. For example, when I undertook one task with a friend, we had to talk to a character to learn how to progress next. My friend was closer to them and told me that they would simply talk to them for
the both of us. I still had to travel to this character and talk to them as well. It was even more bizarre when we both had to fight an end of quest boss separately, despite both taking the quest at the same time and both being in a party together. I don’t care if my friend gets the last hit on a boss or beats me to talking to someone, I would have preferred a true multiplayer experience. Still, despite a few shortcomings the world of Tamriel Unlimited keeps calling me back to it. There are more quests and activities than in any Elder Scrolls title before it, and the fact that you can journey across Tamriel with friends makes it a game very much worth experiencing with other RPG fans. The story is roughly on par with other Elder Scrolls games, and the lore and world of Elder Scrolls titles is so rich that even by wandering around and completing quests at your leisure, you’re bound to have a fun and rewarding experience. Elder Scrolls Online is not the tightest MMO I’ve ever played, but it is still an enjoyable game – even more so with friends. The combat is different enough from traditional ES games to make it engrossing, and the world itself is teeming with quests, characters and other players. While it might not “wow” people in regards to its visuals, it’s the best console MMO available in terms of its value and accessibility, and it’s only going to get better as DLC rolls out. Here’s hoping it gets Australian servers to really tighten up the slight ping some players are experiencing.
8.4 /10
Click to view the trailer here!
CONS:
PROS: TONS OF CONTENT MULTIPLAYER IS LOADS OF FUN VAST OPEN-WORLD GIVES A REAL SENSE OF SCALE AND EXPLORATION
BLAND VISUALS COMBAT DOESN’T FEEL AS RESPONSIVE AS IT SHOULD SINGLE-PLAYER ONLY CAMPAIGN, MULTIPLAYER REQUIRES EVERYONE TO COMPLETE EVERYTHING AT THE SAME TIME
WRITTEN BY NICK GETLEY
WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM
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OUT 19.11.15
RARE R
REPLAY review
REVIEW
RARE REPLAY Rare are a game developer that need no introduction. While they seem to be a developer with as many hits as they haven misses, they have been behind some of gaming’s most successful and enjoyable titles, including Donkey Kong Country, Goldeneye 64 and Conker’s Bad Fur Day.
To celebrate 30 years of Rare games, Rare and Microsoft Studios have created ‘Rare Replay’, a compilation of 30 games that contain some of Rare’s biggest hits (and a few of the aforementioned misses). We’ve played them all (even Perfect Dark Zero) and we can honestly say that despite missing a few of Rare’s biggest gems, the Rare Replay is a decent trip down memory lane for many Rare fans. Now, we did mention earlier that Rare Replay is missing a few classic rare games, and while some of these are rather obvious (Donkey Kong Country does star one of Nintendo’s most popular characters, after all), many people will be left wondering where GoldenEye 007 is. To cut a long story short, GoldenEye 007 was going to receive an HD facelift and a re-release on the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, though for one reason or another Nintendo pulled the plug on the project. It’s safe to assume that Nintendo will never allow GoldenEye 007 to be rebooted, remade or ported to a Microsoft console for the foreseeable future. Now, with that unpleasantness out of the way, let’s look at what we do
have: 30 Rare-developed games spanning over 30 years in the industry.
There’s a high probability that you’ve never heard of Atic Atac, Jetpack, Sabre Wulf, and quite a few other games included. There’s a good reason for that: they were developed for the ZX Spectrum by Rare founders Tim and Chris Stamper before Rare was even formed. Many of the earlier games in the collection suffer from a lack of direction or context for the gameplay – expect to run around without a clue as how to play the game. Once you get to games like Slalom and RC Pro Am, however, things become a lot more accessible. Video games have certainly grown more forgiving over the years, and while I recall being able to finish most games I played as a child, upon revisiting Battletoads I was certainly taken aback by how challenging some of the gameplay sections were. The infamous hoverbike sequence in the ‘Turbo Tunnels’ was particularly unforgiving. Thankfully, Rare have included a handy rewind feature, so players can rewind the game back to whenever they wish. This means that if you get stuck on a certain point in a level, you can retry it countless times until you get it right. Now while simply including games such as Battletoads, Killer Instinct Gold, Perfect Dark, and Banjo-Kazooie might be enough to warrant a purchase from many gamers, Rare haven’t stopped at simply porting
the games to the Xbox One. Included in the Rare Replay are a number of videos, with behind-the-scenes features, making of features, concept showcases, previously unseen projects, unused music and even interviews and features about Rare themselves. It’s a real treat for Rare fans, as well as anyone with an interest in game design. I found myself watching feature after feature!
There are also mini-challenges called Snapshots to attempt. Similar to Nintendo’s NES Remix games, Snapshots see players playing an iconic Rare game, though the rules and objectives of each game have been shaken up a bit. These can be score challenges and time trials, to something more unique. Most of these are a fun but hectic affair, though the ZX Spectrum games still leave the player clueless as to what exactly they have to do. A lot of love has gone into the Rare Replay, and while the game may be the main draw card for a lot of people picking it up, the Rare Replay also sets a new standard for game compilations everywhere. The video, concept art and unused music content Rare have included really is a treat for Rare fans. Here’s hoping developers like Capcom, Sega, Nintendo, and Konami follow suit. Rare have a tendency to make games that are good, but not great. While they have developed some immensely successful games like Banjo-Kazooie and Perfect Dark, the odds are you’re going to dis-
8.2 /10
Click to view the trailer here!
CONS:
like a lot of the games that Rare made early in their career, as well as some that they made more recently. It’s well known that Rare’s glory period was when they were developing for the Nintendo 64, and thankfully Jet Force Gemini, BanjoKazooie, Banjo-Tooie, Blast Corps, and Conker’s Bad Fur Day have made their way into Rare Replay. Whether or not their NES, SNES and N64 era games (that don’t feature prominent Nintendo characters) make the Rare Replay worth purchasing though, is up to you.
PROS: 30 GAMES AND 10,000 GAMERSCORE! TONS OF EXTRA CONTENT SNAPSHOT CHALLENGES PROVIDE A FUN AND REFRESHING CHALLENGE
EARLY RARE GAMES PRETTY MUCH SUCK GOOFY MUSICAL INTRO AND THEATER PRESENTATION INSTALL PROCESS CAN BE A CONFUSING PAIN
WRITTEN BY NICK GETLEY
WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM
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OUT 23.
ER NOW
.10.15
GOD
DZILLA review
REVIEW With over 50 years of films, and a wide range of westernized reboots and sequels – the Godzilla series is one of the most universally acclaimed monsters franchises to date. As a long time fan of the series myself, I have since longed for the release of a one decent Godzilla fighting game – complete with all the cheesy and awesome aspects that made these classics films, so fun to watch. So when I heard the news that Namco Bandai was working on a PlayStation 4 title – as you can guess, I was actually looking forward to this game. But as it turns out through its clunky combat, uninspired game modes and ugly presentation – that not even the most ample fanservice is able to save Godzilla from the realms of mediocrit. Whilst paying homage to the original movie with one fairly decent tutorial screen – it’s from here on out, that things go downhill. With only two offline modes, God of Destruction and King of Kaiju are the only single player experiences within the entirety of Godzilla. With King of Kaiju focused on monster on monster action, God of Destruction is essentially the main story mode for Godzilla. As explained in the tutorial screen – Japan has been making a nuisance out of Godzilla’s energy source, by harvesting these precious materials for power. With no other alternatives but to wreck havoc amongst these machines, players embark on a quest to destroy these pesky generators, in order to harvest the energy for our big green monster. And with that said, that’s pretty much the bulk of the experience within God of Destruction.
GODZILLA Players will stomp around, destroy generators, and will repeat this annoying process for 7-10 stages as they try to get Godzilla to grow. With not much variety – aside from a mode that allows to you defend these machines – as you can imagine, the appeal of this mode wears out its welcome quick. Sure Godzilla tries to hide this boring factor through destroying vehicles and leveling entire cities to the ground. But even with that, it still isn’t able to excuse the minimal effort placed into this poor and disappointing campaign. With little attention placed into the destructibility, buildings at most will flicker a few times before letting a lackluster explosion. Needless to say, not even Michael Bay himself will be able to salvage much fun from wreaking havoc amongst these pitiful landscapes. As for destroying vehicles – spotting these things on the map is either an annoying process in itself, or just flat-out nuisance in trying to target properly. When you’re not attacking generators, monsters will sometimes appear depending on either how much of the city you’ve destroyed or how long you’ve been playing of the level. Whilst admittedly the thought of battling one of Godzillas many kaijus may sound appealing on paper – it isn’t until you discover by playing it, just how boring and broken the combat mechanics are. Performing attacks are awkward and in some cases, fail to connect at all. The move list is complete gar-
bage, as a lot of the attacks fail to register. And fighting off particular Kaiju can be an extremely agonizing considering, just how unbalanced every monster is.
Enemy Kaiju – especially on the harder difficulty – will hound you endlessly with the same two moves over, and over again. And given that there’s no block button as well, players will find themselves at a dismay as they try to escape these annoying cheap combos. As for the presentation, visually this game looks incredibly dated. So much so, that if it wasn’t for the appearance of the 2014 Godzilla – this game could’ve easily been mistaken as a late PlayStation 2 title. Color ranges from the most disgusting looking variations of grey, green and brown – and a lot of the levels are designed so small and restrictive to the point, that it will almost make players claustrophobic. Truly though, the only thing that stands out is probably both the sound, and the design of the many Kaiju featured in Godzilla. But even with that, the monsters regardless are dated models – and the sound does eventually become repetitive through the limited tracks presented within these stages. Through its poor visuals, mediocre gameplay and broken combat mechanics – Godzilla manages to ruin all the potential that this title might’ve had. My advice – pick up the movies and instead, binge your way through the entirety of the Godzilla franchise.
2.8 /10
Click to view the trailer here!
PROS:
CONS:
THE TUTORIAL SCREEN SOUND EFFECTS SUIT EACH OF THE VARIOUS MONSTERS
DULL VISUALS AWKWARD AND CHEAP COMBAT UNINSPIRED GAME MODES
WRITTEN BY jason english WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM
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MUST-HAVE GAMES!
geek o Ocean Software:
Kings of the Movie License! retro
CLASSICaSYSTEMS: trip back in time COLLECTIBLES
tokaido
BOARD GAME REVIEW
out MAGIC:
THE GATHERING TRADING CARDS
Not even a
super hero could save these...
comics
ADVENTURE TIME FROST & FIRE anime REVIEW
retro
Ocean Software:
Kings of the Movie License! During the 80s and early 90s Ocean Software in Manchester was responsible for some of the greatest movie conversions of all time, as well as a few not so great ones. In the computing press they were heralded as the “kings of the movie license” and rightly so. While some of the big name licenses, notably Star Wars and James Bond, went to other software houses such as Domark, Ocean managed to score the rights to many other popular movies and TV shows. Let’s take a look at some of the classic releases from the Manchester lads! The 1986 classic film Short Circuit was released on the Amstrad, Commodore and Spectrum home computers. The game is split into 2 parts, with the player controlling Johnny 5 in both sections. Part one, arguably the better half of the game, involves Johnny 5’s escape from the lab. This part of the game is an arcade adventure in the mould of the Dizzy series. You have to find items and keys to use in specific locations, but you can also use the computers to modify your abilities. The controls are slightly clunky but are easy enough to get used to. The second part of the game is action based, with Johnny 5 having to escape the police by running (rolling) and jumping over various obstacles. The game feels slightly disjointed at this point as the difficulty increases significantly, to the point where the game feels unfair and you just want to turn it off.
It’s a shame when the first half of the game is so much fun, but movie licenses were often broken down into multi format sections. This was to mirror sequences from the films they were based on. After the successful release of 2 previous Batman games, Ocean Software released their third title, based on the 1989 Michael Keaton movie. Released on the Amstrad, Commodore, Spectrum, MSX, PC, Amiga and ST computers, the game, like Short Circuit before it, was a multi platform affair. Levels 1 and 5 are rather enjoyable platformers, where you guide Batman through Axis Chemicals and the Cathedral respectively. The only issue I found was that the Batman sprite felt a little stiff, and on occasion I would feel a twinge of frustration as I would get hit again and again due to his slightly awkward movements. Level 2 is a race through the streets of Gotham, throwing your bat rope at street lamps to swing the Batmobile around corners. It sounds fun, but it’s quite difficult and is one of those levels I will skip when playing. Level 3 takes place in the Bat lab where Batman has to figure out the Joker’s chemical formula. Level 4 is the Joker’s big street party, and it’s up to you to guide the Batwing and cut those balloons away. The Amstrad CPC version had a handy cheat where if you hold the keys ED209 while playing you can skip levels! You can thank me for that one later!
Speaking of the ED209, Ocean were also responsible for the Robocop video games. I can remember playing the game on my 128k Amstrad computer and hearing Robocop speak his main directives. Yes, Robocop actually spoke through my Amstrad! Well, it was exciting at the time, though sadly 64k users didn’t get to hear the speech. While considered to be a ‘run and gun’ platforming game, if Robocop has no more ammo, or is close to his enemies he will punch them. First person shooting challenges feature in between the platform stages. These levels have a ‘tacked on’ feel and really aren’t that enjoyable. The game takes you through the various scenes of the movie, and while it’s a difficult game it doesn’t feel cheap. If an enemy hits you, you know it’s your fault and you should have moved quicker or shot sooner. The controls are easy to get the hang of and depending on your computer of choice, the soundtrack is pretty decent. Robocop 2 deserves a special mention for being the most beautiful game released on the Amstrad GX4000 console, as well as being the most difficult! The enhanced colours and hardware scrolling are used to their full effect, and Robocop is easier to control than in the first game. However, requiring pixel perfect timing and trying to jump over difficult to see gaps in the floor will make you want to tear your hair out.
The Addams Family, released in 1992, was a straight forward platforming game. The plot of the game differs from the movie, where as Gomez you are required to rescue the other members of your family by navigating your way around the mansion. Though the gameplay was the same, the game would often differ from system to system. The Amstrad CPC was diabolically difficult, while the Super Nintendo version was much easier to manage. The game is enjoyable and Gomez is very easy to control, though the game does tend to feel a bit samey after a while. With so many other fantastic platforming games out there I would find myself wondering why I wasn’t paying one of them instead.
Hudson Hawk was a major film flop for Bruce Willis and lost Tristar many millions of dollars at the box office. Thankfully Ocean Software and their developing partners Special FX turned this ‘turkey’ of a film into a platforming extravaganza. Taking control of the titular “Hudson Hawk” himself, players must steal works of art by jumping, climbing ladders and solving puzzles. The graphics are well done on all versions, though the rather blue Amstrad version is the one I’m the most familiar with. The controls feel rather relaxed, which is the total opposite of those from the rather rigid Batman the Movie. Not many people I’ve spoken to know about the movie, but if you ever get a chance to watch it, DON’T!
Instead, take those 100 minutes you won’t be getting back and invest them in some solid game time with this underrated classic. And we’re at the end of this article, though in 1000 words we have barely scratched the surface. Other classic Ocean TV and film licenses include Total Recall, Rambo 3, Jurassic Park (NES version) and many more. If you feel like checking out a decent movie based game, you could do far worse then investigate the Ocean catalogue. It’s an embarrassment of riches!
WRITTEN BY paul monopoli
COLLECTIBLES
CLASSICaSYSTEMS: trip back in time
Last month we looked at some classic game systems from the past, this month we’re going to focus on personal computers that came out in the 80s and 90s that were the predecessors of multifunction systems. Some were called all in one systems. That is where they had the computer hardware, keyboard and storage device - often a cassette tape or disk storage system built into the base unit. Those early 80s were a time of immense excitement in the computing industry. Magazines were popping up to support the latest system release and developers were porting games from one new system to another. One of those early systems was the Amstrad CPC - which stood for Colour Personal Computer… yes you had to have colour as some earlier computers like the Tandy TRS80 were mono computers.
Amstrad CPC
Amstrad is a British company (they still exist and are a subsidiary of BSkyB Pic the company that designs set top boxes for pay TV), originally founded by Alan Sugar in the late 60s. He was just 21 when he founded the company and in the 70s it was focused on low priced hi fi, TV and car sound systems. The CPC 464 was the answer to the systems being made by Commodore and Sinclair. The systems were often used to play games and had a strong range of titles to choose from including 3D Monster Chase, 3D
Grand Prix and 1943: The Battle of Midway. The CPC464 came with 64KB of RAM plus cassette tape deck for software. In 1986, Amstrad announced it had bought out one of its competitors, Sinclair Research, makers of the ZX Spectrum and later launched two Spectrum machines. It also made PC systems using MSDOS and Windows based systems too. But it was those early days of computing that made Amstrad the household name it was became during the 80s and 90s.
ZX80 and ZX81 by Sinclair
In 1980 a company called Science of Cambridge released the ZX80, the first computer in the UK according to Wikipedia. Yes there was the MK14, a kit but the ZX80 came in a case. It could be plugged into your TV set using the RF connection and like the Amstrad it stored data on cassette. It sold well, around 50,000 units but it was the ZX81 that sold in vast numbers - around 1.5 million of them. It was small and easy to use, and cheap to buy. Coming with 1KB of memory and an awful (to me at least) membrane keyboard it was the first system enthusiasts could buy from the UK high street stores for under $100. Interestingly Timex manufactured the units and later released a re-packaged version under their name, the Timex Sinclair 1000. Some games that were popular on the system were Galaxians, 3D
Monster Maze, Flight Simulator, and 1K ZX Chess. The systems was well received by the computing media for being affordable but many writers pointed out its’ limitations. It was discontinued in 1984 and as previously stated, ended being bought out by Amstrad.
Commodore 64
In 1982, Commodore released their successor to the popular Vic 20. The C64, as it was known (also known as CBM 64) is an 8-bit home computer that according to the Guiness Book of Records, was the highest selling single computer model of all time. Globally the system sold between 10 and 17 million computers and it’s not hard to understand why. It was simple to sure, fun, and reasonably affordable. Plus there were thousands of programs written for it, including games and home office applications. It had 64K of memory and featured a number of inputs for joysticks, printers and the ability to plug in a cassette player for data or floppy drives. It also had 16 colours and a music synthesiser chip and cleverly, Commodore sold them in shops including department stores. That, along with the quality of the unit, accounted for massive sales. Some of the best games included Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders, Maniac Mansion, Pirates and Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar. incredibly the C64 was discontinued in 1994 some 21 years after its’ introduction.
board games Tokaido is a beautifully simplistic game about nothing more than taking a long walk across Japan in the period of old. Players travel the magnificent road of Tokaido, a route which was the most important of the Five Routes of the Edo Period, connecting Tokyo to Kyoto. Along the journey players pass through magnificent countryside’s, purchase souvenirs, discover the benefits of hot springs, taste delicious culinary specialties and have unique encounters. The player who has the richest and most rewarding journey is awarded as the winner. In Tokaido players start the game by taking two traveller cards at random and choosing one to be their character in the game. Each different character posses an unique trait that will help define your memorable journey. These special abilities will help earn more points, cards or money. Once players have chosen their characters the playing pieces are placed in random in deseeding order below the inn, being the starting position. The movement in Tokaido is what makes it a refreshing Board game and different to many of the games on the market. The spaces are set out linear on the board depicting the East Sea Road you are travelling along. There are no dice or cards to determine how many spaces you move as the player is free to move as many or as few places per turn without going past the next inn. Turn order is determined by whoever is currently the last traveller on the road rather than by going around the table in turn order. If you pass someone on your turn and this results in them being in last place, they take the next turn. However if you do not pass someone on your turn and you are still in last place, you get to move again immediately. When it’s your turn you must move your traveller forward along the road to an open space of your choice or until you reach an inn
tokaido which is a mandatory rest spot for all players. When you stop on a space you immediately reap the benefits of the space. There are 7 different spaces along the board and they are: The Village – stopping at a village allows travellers to purchase souvenirs along their journey, if they can afford them. One coin needs to be in the player’s possession to draw the three cards to choose from. Each souvenir awards players points individually, but a set of the four different items is worth a lot more if it is managed to be collected. Farm – a stop at the farm will give the player three coins to add to their current total Panorama - Stopping to view the amazing scenery along the route will allow the player to draw a card for one of the panorama sets. These are made of 3, 4, or 5 sections. The cards are listed in numerical order, beginning with a value of one point the first time you land on the space and increasing each time you land on the same panorama space. Players are awarded points based on the number of the card in the set. The first player to complete the view is awarded extra points. Hot springs – take a dip at a hot spring and the relaxing break from your journey will award you two or three points
review
Temple – take time out to visit a temple along the route and for each coin donated at the temple the player will be granted one point. Encounters – meeting people along your journey allows the player to draw the top card from the pile and apply its effect immediately. Inns - Having a rest and meal stop at an inn is a must for all players. The first player to arrive takes the first space at the inn and must wait to all players have arrived before moving past this space. The first player takes the number of meal cards equal to the players plus one and decides if they wish to sample the local specialties. Meal cards which are purchased are worth points. Once purchased the card is placed face up in front of the player and the remaining cards are placed face down allowing for the following players to choose from. These spaces are the bases for experiencing the richest journey. The points obtained from these spaces are tallied throughout the game and once all players reach the final inn the person with the highest amount of points is the winner. Gameplay consists of both a mixture of strategy and luck. Without rolling dice to determine your movement, the freedom presented in Tokaido gets you really thinking. How coins are spent and what you choose to experience on your journey is where strategy comes into the game. As only one
“easy to learn and a joy to play”
player can occupy a space at any given time, excluding the inns, you next movement can benefit or disadvantage the other players based on what they are aiming to do on their turn. As there is no interaction with the other players during your or their turn the game is very uncompetitive. This can be a downside for players who enjoy a challenge while taking out their opponents along the way. Stopping a player from landing on a spot they are needing to visit is the only way to put your opponents at a disadvantage, however it the space they are needing is of no advantage to you it defeats the point. The board is delightful, charming and beautiful as it captures the essence of Japan with traditional art. It is simplistic with a white background but the linear spots plotted as your journey really bring the board to life. Each spot is an individual colour with a small scene depicting its purpose.
The encounter card features a traditionally dressed person of the era, the village card shows a house of old and the hot spring cards shows the relation that can be found at one. The cards feature beautifully drawn art of your traveller or of the items/ spaces you are currently completing. The panorama cards are the highlight of the contents as the three different rows to collect each features a spectacular picture of a vantage view spot along the journey. Mt Fuji is breathtaking with cherry blossoms, the gate and Lake of Hiroshima is strikingly beautiful and a rice field with traditional houses is quaint and tranquil. All contents included in the box are extremely well made with a high level of polish featured throughout. Tokaido is easy to learn and a joy to play. The rule book covers all rules in a simple but detailed way. An average game with four players takes
30 minutes to play. It is suggested that the game is best played with 3 – 5 players however two players can play the game with different rules. A third token will still be used and rewards are divided up differently at the end of the journey. With its ease of play and quick learning curve, beautiful art and a lovely idea at the heart of the game play Tokaido is a game which is easy to recommend to anyone who loves playing board games. It is a unique game as the feeling it gives you while playing and leaves you with once you have finished is one of completion, knowing that your journey was your own and how you would want to experience the Route of Tokaido. Whether you win or lose the journey is one worth experiencing!
WRITTEN BY jess wilson
TRADING CARDS
MAGIC:
THE GATHERING Back in 1993 a publisher of fantasy and sci-fi games published the trading card game - Magic: The Gathering. Created by game designer, Richard Garfield, it is considered the first collectable card game and Garfield went on to design other games such as Battle Tech and the Star Wars Trading Card Game. His love of games started when he played Dungeons and Dragons and that led to Magic having customisable decks. As a wizard in Magic, you use spells and other items such as artefacts and creatures to battle your opponents. Each player starts with 20 life points and damage is dealt by other players using spells and other methods of attack. You can also lose if you have to draw from an empty deck or what players call the “library”. Some cards can also result in different ways of winning or losing.
in 2014 a man found a rare card during a live deck opening with the value of $30,000! The funny thing was just before he turned over the “alpha rates” he turned over a Tropical Island and then the Black Lotus - the video can be viewed here and the magic moment is around the eight minute mark. ( https:// youtu.be/WRxCeO2KIS8 ). Checking on Ebay, there’s an Alpha Lotus signed by Christopher Rush listed at $27,499.99 with over 120 people watching the auction. There’s also an Alpha Black Lotus BGS 9 Strong Subs listed for $25,000… so as the video shows you can get lucky. Many Gametraders stores run Magic: The Gathering tournaments regularly and if you’d like to know more check our listing of all our trading card tournament times on Page 90.
Rare cards. Like many card collecting and trading games, there are rare cards and some can be worth thousands. Late
WRITTEN BY rob jenkins
COMICS
Not even a
super hero
It seems that a reasonably safe bet when making a mega blockbuster movie with a monster budget is to license a comic and start counting your chickens … before they hatch. But the reality is not all comics that have made the jump into a movie worked out so well. Here’s a few movies that had comics as their inspiration that just bombed…
The Green Lantern Oh dear. This just didn’t do too well at all. It started out reasonably strong most likely due to Ryan Reynolds being in the key role but then got poor reviews and ended up with a fairly small profit compared to the budget. What went wrong? Critics complained it was overproduced, full of effects and had a poor story. The movie only managed a below par score of 39 on Meteoritic.
Catwoman Halle Berry stared as Catwoman but fans still didn’t like the movie. It wasn’t set in Gotham City, had little
could save these...
to do with the comic character and if there is one thing you don’t do is mess with the character. After all, Catwoman is Selina Kyle but for some reason the movie studio threw that away and called her Patience Phillips? Plus she acts like a cat, devouring cat food, and doesn’t like rain drops. The costume wasn’t well received by fans either and the box office saw it bomb losing millions.
Batman and Robin George Clooney got the gig as the Batman and it really didn’t work too well. Like Catwoman, this movie didn’t really connect with the comic too well and fans really hate that. After the classic Keaton Batman films, this was just poorly made. Bad scripting, poor effects and bad humour. Thankfully the new Batman movies with Christian Bale by director Christopher Nolan revitalised the franchise with a darker tone, quality scripts and acting. Thankfully there’s a ton of great movies from comics that were both a success at the box office and well received by critics and fans. We’ll take a look at a few next month
anime
ADVENTURE TIME Adventure time is... well okay I guess. It has an interesting amount of action to story that just seems to work no matter how much you try to criticize its stupidly outrageous comedy. I’m pretty sure that most people have watched or at least heard of Adventure Time and would agree that it is quite an enjoyable show to watch in your downtime. The story is not exactly complete as it only shards of stories that makes up the entirety of the show, but, even so, can be quite an interesting show if you can relate to some of the characters or find the comedy amusing.
Story: The series follows the adventures of Finn, a human boy, and his best friend and adoptive brother Jake, a dog with magical powers to change shape and grow and shrink at will. Ward describes Finn as a “fiery little kid with strong morals”, while Jake is based on Bill’s character Tripper Harrison from Meatballs. Finn and Jake live in the post-apocalyptic Land of Ooo. Along the way, they interact with the other main characters of the show: Princess Bubblegum (voiced by Hynden Walch), the sovereign of the Candy Kingdom; the Ice King (voiced by Tom Kenny), a menacing but largely misunderstood ice wizard; and Marceline the Vampire Queen (voiced by Olivia Olson), a thousand-year-old half-demon rock music enthusiast. Ward really had a great sense of humour when writing this story that spans across six seasons of hilarity and actions with an extremely kind
FROST & FIRE review
and understanding voice to speak out to the children about what’s right and wrong. But don’t worry all you older fellows, because there is always some enjoyment in the jokes for the older and the younger, as well as the fact that the child in us never really dies. This was an extremely enjoyable show to dig into and I think a lot of other people would say the same.
Art: [8/10] While there are no standing issues, I just don’t like the style of art that they used for this show. While it adds amazing comedic values to all of the characters facials, I just didn’t like it. This is my extremely bias opinion and some of you out there will completely disagree with me, but I just didn’t like the artwork as a hole.
Character: [10/10] The characters in this show have an immense amount of enthusiasm for all problems that arise to them. They have cheery personalities that just sink deep into your heart. Between the childish teenage boy Finn to the flexible and playful Jake, they just
seem to make friends with all types of characters.
Audio: [10/10] The audio was fantastic. With clear speech and direct sound effects, it just seems realer than any other cartoon that I have ever seen. The fluent comical speech and comedic sound effects just added onto this adorable show.
Overall: [9/10] This show was easy to relate too and had comedy to keep me laughing for the time that I spent watching it. While this show does seem extremely childish at times, it still does boast comedy that even older people will enjoy.
WRITTEN BY Jesse Richardson
PRE-RELEASES! MILDURA LIVE (VIC) Saturday 26 September - 12:30pm & 6:30pm Sunday 27 September - 12:30pm BACCHUS MARSH (VIC) Saturday 26 September - 4pm Sunday 27 September - 3pm MACKAY (QLD) Saturday 26 September - 10am Sunday 27 September - 10am HORNSBY LIVE (NSW) Saturday 26 September - Midnight, 10am & 2pm Sunday 27 September - 10am & 2pm PENRITH LIVE (NSW) Saturday 26 September - 12pm & 5pm Sunday 27 September - 12pm SALISBURY (SA) Saturday 26 September - 11am Sunday 27 September - 12pm SEAFORD (SA) Saturday 26 September - 1pm (12pm reg)
SEPTEMBER S
& TOU
VICTORIA BACCHUS MARSH MTG Battle for Zendikar Pre-Release - see page 88. Magic the Gathering Draft - Friday 5:30pm Magic the Gathering Standard Constructed - Sunday 12pm Board Games and Magic Modern Constructed - Wednesday 5:30pm
HIGHPOINT Yu-Gi-Oh - Sunday 3pm
GAMETRADERS LIVE MILDURA MTG Battle for Zendikar Pre-Release - see page 88. Yu-Gi-Oh Local Legend Duelist Series - Sunday 13 September 12:30pm PokĂŠmon League - Wednesday 4.30 - 6.30pm We also run: Pokemon both TCG & VG, MTG FNM, MTG Constructed Tournaments, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Star Wars X-Wing, Warhammer 40k, Cardfight!! Vanguard, Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros & Ultra Street Fighter IV Tournaments, plus heaps more. For event details and times, please check: www.facebook.com/GametradersMildura/events
STORE EVENTS
URNAMENTS! QUEENSLAND CHERMSIDE MTG Battle for Zendikar Pre-Release - see page 88. Yu-Gi-Oh - Sunday 3pm Cardfight!! Vanguard - Wednesday 6:30pm Pokémon - Saturday 3pm Magic the Gathering - Tuesday & Friday 6:30pm
MACKAY MTG Battle for Zendikar Pre-Release - see page 88. Pokémon - Sunday 11am Yu-Gi-Oh - Sunday 1:30pm Magic the Gathering - Friday 6pm
MORAYFIELD Magic the Gathering - Friday 7pm Yu-Gi-Oh - Sunday 2pm Pokémon - Wednesday 12pm
LOGAN HYPERDOME No current tournaments.
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY HYPERDOME Yu-Gi-Oh Local Legend Duelist Series - Sunday 29 September Yu-Gi-Oh - Saturday 10am Pokémon - Saturday 2pm
NEW SOUTH WALES BLACKTOWN Yu-Gi-Oh Local Legend Duelist Series - Sunday 13 September 10:30pm Advanced Yu-Gi-Oh - Sunday 10:30am Magic the Gathering - Thursday 6:30pm & Sunday 10:30am
MACARTHUR SQUARE (CAMPBELLTOWN) Yu-Gi-Oh Local Legend Duelist Series - Friday 11 September 6pm Yu-Gi-Oh - Wednesday 5:30pm
PARRAMATTA Yu-Gi-Oh - Thursday 6pm, Saturday 2pm Magic the Gathering - Sunday 11am Cardfight!! Vanguard - Sunday 2pm Weiss Schwarz - Saturday 10am School Holiday Additional Tournaments: Yu-Gi-Oh - Monday, Wednesday & Friday 2pm Cardfight!! Vanguard - Tuesday & Thursday 2pm
GAMETRADERS LIVE PENRITH MTG Battle for Zendikar Pre-Release - see page 88. Cardfight!! Vanguard - Saturday 5pm Yu-Gi-Oh - Sunday 11:30am Yu-Gi-Oh (Traditional Format) - Thursday 6pm Magic the Gathering - Friday 7pm Pokémon - Saturday 12pm Weiss Schwarz - Saturday 6pm My Little Pony - Saturday 6m Board Game Night - Wednesday 6pm Nintendo Fight Night - Thursday 7pm
GAMETRADERS LIVE HORNSBY MTG Battle for Zendikar Pre-Release - see page 88. Yu-Gi-Oh - Sunday 12:30pm Pokémon - Sunday 2pm Magic the Gathering - Friday 6pm Magic EDH/Commander - Sunday 2pm Board Games/Role Playing & Tabletop - Wednesday & Thursday 6pm Retro - Saturday (check FB for times) All other systems - Casual Play Saturdays
SEPTE
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SOUTH AUSTRALIA INGLE FARM No current tournaments.
MARION GT Marion will be at the Royal Adelaide Show from 4 - 13 September! Force of Will - Monday 6pm Pokémon - Please call the store for details. (08 8296 1144) Cardfight!! Vanguard - Tuesday 6pm Yu-Gi-Oh - Wednesday 6pm Magic the Gathering - Friday 6pm
SEAFORD Yu-Gi-Oh - Thursday 6pm (5:30pm registration) Cardfight!! Vanguard - Friday 4:30pm Magic the Gathering - Monday 6pm (5:30pm reg) Pokémon - Sunday 1pm (12:30 registration) My Little Pony - Tuesday 5pm (4:30pm registration) Future Card Buddyfight - Thursday 5:30pm Board Game Nights - Wednesdays from 5-8pm
MT. BARKER Board Game Night - Thursday 6pm Yu-Gi-Oh - Saturday 4pm
SALISBURY Magic the Gathering - Thursday 5:30pm & Saturday 11am Yu-Gi-Oh (Advanced Format) - Saturday 12.30pm
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Steins;Gate is the award-winning time travel science-fiction interactive visual novel developed by 5pb. and Nitroplus. A group of teenage scientists discover the ability to alter the past by sending text messages through a modified microwave. Their experiments inevitably spiral out of control as they become entangled in a conspiracy surrounding SERN, the organisation behind supposed failed time travel events, and John Titor, a mysterious internet forum poster claiming to come from a dystopian future. With memorable characters, outstanding art design and a gripping narrative, Steins;Gate is a criticallyacclaimed visual that can be experienced time and time again.
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CTABLES!
COSPLA MANGO SIRENE interview
dadpool cosplay interview
VERON interview
reika interview
AY
Choosing the right camera for Cosplay‌
how to pose in cosplay cosplay tutorial
helloferret / goodbye cosplay interview inspiring AUSSIE COSPLAY PHOTOGRAPHERS cosplay photography
photography tips
COSPLAY Welcome to Live Magazine! Firstly... your video “Draw My Life” is amazing tell us about making that - it really gives fans and viewers a great background of who you are and where you’re at as a person. Doing a “Draw My Life” prompt was one of my most requested videos 2014, and I put it off until the end of December, as it just felt fitting to end the year that way. It was both very physically and emotionally taxing; I wrote out the script first, then illustrated it. All in all, the drawing process took 6 solid hours without a break, and the editing took even longer. It was exhausting, but the finished product is something of which I’m very proud. I try to be a role model in everything I do, and I knew this video was a good opportunity to help others. I wanted to tell my story, yes, but I also wanted to end on an uplifting note in hopes of inspiring other people who are struggling with something personal, whether it’s bullying, isolation, their future, or cancer, all of which I’ve faced during my life. Ok you’ve done a great job as a Vlogger, tell us what got you started on Youtube? It sounds silly looking back at it, but I pretty much just sat in my college dorm room and talked into my webcam about totally mundane things. I think I did a whole video about why I loved Harry Potter, and another one about what I ate for breakfast. I was doing it solely as something to keep me occupied while I was at school, since I didn’t really feel like making new friends other than my roommates. YouTube was just another hobby to add to the list -- but once I started doing cartoon reviews, it really kicked off, and it became a much bigger part of my life than I ever would’ve expected!
MANGO SIRENE www.FACEBOOK.COM/mangosirene
What about your cosplays, what’s been your favourite so far? My favorite costume... That’s probably the most difficult question you could ask a cosplayer! In terms of construction, Chell from Portal 2 was really fun to make, especially the Long Fall Boots. I’m also really proud of how my Batgirl of Burnside costume turned out, as it was my first time constructing a leather jacket entirely from scratch, including drafting the pattern myself. But when it comes to what I’ve had most fun wearing, that would have to be Nanase Haruka, from the anime Free!. It’s a series that means the world to me, and through cosplaying Haru, I’ve met my best friends and together we’ve created some unforgettable memories. You also visit a lot of cons, what’s been some stand outs? Katsucon and ColossalCon are two of the most fun conventions I’ve at-
tended when it comes to photoshoot opportunities. Katsucon is located in a gorgeous resort hotel with stunning interiors and architecture, it’s a very regal, elegant setting. Whereas ColossalCon takes place at a waterpark that also has interactive animal experiences, and the park itself is surrounded by really dense woods and a beautiful field, so it provides some super unique backdrops. On the flip side, DragonCon is just absolutely wild. It’s one of the biggest comic cons here in the United States, and it’s pretty much a 4-day, 24/7 nerd party. The entire city of Atlanta basically shuts down to celebrate all things geeky; there’s even a huge costume parade! Also you’ve done quite a few photo shoots. Can you tell us how a typical shoot goes from planning to the final photos being finished? As soon as my friends and I decide on a cosplay, we spend months assembling photo references, whether
Photographer: CK December | www.facebook.com/ckdecember
Photographer: Kevin Chan Photography | www.facebook.com/solartempestphotography
“ a source of positivity I approach cosplay from the mentality of, “I’m doing this to show my love of these characters, to help other cosplayers, and to be
in the community.”
”
- Mango Sirene
it’s from screenshots, official promotional materials, and even fan art. We use those resources as inspiration during the photoshoot; we’ll have phones and tablets with us so we can collaborate effectively with our photographers. We’re not telling them what to do, but having a visual example of an idea makes sure that everyone is on the same page. When it comes to working with photographers, I really prefer working with those who are also close friends of mine; it’s less awkward, and there’s a level of comfort between both the cosplayer and the photographer that typically produces much better results. Not to mention, spending time with friends is one of the main reasons I cosplay, and that includes my photographer pals! As someone who’s really across social media, do you think there are career opportunities for cosplayers? What I mean is can they turn their love of cosplay into a way of generating an income? I will say this: it is possible to make a career out of cosplay, but it is the exception, not the rule. Cases like Yaya Han, Jessica Nigri, Kamui -- those are rare, and I don’t think people understand quite how hard those ladies worked to get where they are today. Making a hobby into a career (no matter what that hobby is) requires an intense amount of dedication, determination, and more
than a bit of luck -- particularly the kind of luck that’s “being in the right place at the right time.” If someone has the opportunity to monetize their hobby, whether it’s cosplay or jewelry-making or scrapbooking, there’s no reason not to take it if you think it’ll be a viable source of income. But I don’t believe it’s wise to start cosplaying with the sole intention that it’s going to become your job. I see so many people in this hobby who’ve basically thrown away their careers because they’re obsessed with the idea of becoming a “cosplay celebrity,” when the reality is that for most of them, it just isn’t going to happen. I’m very adamant that people should stay in school, get their degrees, and focus on establishing a Real Life Job -- and if, somewhere down the line, they have the chance to ditch that Real Life Job because cosplay becomes a viable source of income, then go for it! But make it your Plan B, not your Plan A. Your Facebook page has a huge following too, but what you share is quite different to some other cosplayers. It’s seems to be a mix of behind the scenes shots, photo shoots and general shots of real life as a cosplayer. Tell us a bit about your thinking there and do you have tips for new cosplayers just starting out on social media? Haha, well, here’s where being a social media coordinator pays off. The
way one approaches social media depends primarily on their “brand image,” i.e. the image one wants to present towards their audience. I approach cosplay from the mentality of, “I’m doing this to show my love of these characters, to help other cosplayers, and to be a source of positivity in the community.” I try to reflect at least one of those aspects in everything I post, if not all three. Part of those aspects involves being relatable, so I like to share the personal side of my life, too: because I’m not a celebrity, and I don’t want people thinking of me that way. I’m just a nerd who likes to make costumes and talk to her camera. As for social media advice I can offer new cosplayers: figure out your purpose for using social media. Use it to organize your work and act as a portfolio; to connect with other artists; and to share your artwork and creativity. Don’t use it just as a means to “get famous,” because your audience will see right through that in an instant. Most importantly, don’t ever base your worth as a cosplayer on things such as Facebook Likes, Instagram followers, and so on. An arbitrary number doesn’t determine your quality as an artist. Unfortunately social media also brings out the worst in some people - have you had to deal with negatives and how do you suggest people handle that?
Haru: Mango Sirene, Rin: Jillian Lynn, Rei: Night Eyes Cosplay, Makoto: OfBaskerville & Sousuke: Ali Mahou Photographer: TONICNebula | www.facebook.com/TONICNEBULA
Oh, goodness, yes. I’ve been bullied and harassed more times than I can count, nearly on a daily basis. When I was younger, it used to really, really get to me, enough that I wanted to quite the hobby several times because there’s so many toxic people that try to ruin this community. But when you step back, those people are the minority; the majority of cosplayers are truly amazing people and it’s a hobby that attracts so many talented artists! And there’s a lot to be said for creating a “safe space” for yourself by cutting out everything negative and focusing only on the aspects of cosplay that make you happy. That being said, not everyone is cut out to handle the negativity that social media allows to happen, and that’s okay. Some people are more sensitive than others. If you’re one
of those people, there’s no shame in avoiding that aspect of the hobby so you can still enjoy it! If you do decide to get involved with the social community, it’s important to remember not to connect your self-worth with what others say about you on the internet. Your self-worth should be separate from this hobby. It has to come from within, not be something that’s based on comments and photo likes. Also, realize that you can’t please everyone. Some people may just not like you -- and that’s okay. Accept it. Move along. Focus on the people who do like you, because they’re the ones who matter. Can you tell us a bit about the cosplay scene where you live. The cosplay scene in the Midwestern United States is quite relaxed, for the most part! That’s not to say
we don’t have some bad eggs, but typically everyone is very supportive and polite, as is the Midwest culture overall. (It’s a very different attitude than what you’ll find in New York or Los Angeles, that’s for sure.) I’m part of an amazing community of talented, creative cosplayers and photographers, and it’s really a privilege to be able to call them my friends! I can’t imagine what my life would be like if I hadn’t met them. And finally where should readers go to see more of your cosplay? You can find me as “MangoSirene” on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram! I also cohost a weekly podcast, Anime Cafe Podcast (available for free on iTunes and Stitcher). We talk about everything from anime to conventions to cosplay!
Photographer: Kings Cosplay | www.facebook.com/kingscosplay
Photographer: Kevin Chan Photography | www.facebook.com/solartempestphotography
COSPLAY Welcome to Live Magazine! Firstly, tell us about yourself and how you got into cosplay. I had never intended to cosplay but cosplay had other plans... Superheroes I just can’t get enough. I am the typical comic reading geek who watched the movies, read the comics even bought the toys, being some what older than the average cosplayer (I started Cosplaying in my 30’s) I loved superheroes when they weren’t as cool as they are today. I loved Comic Cons and attended each one hidden in the crowd for many years. I always admired cosplayers for their skill and talent as much as for their courage but it was something I never thought I’d do. I’ve always enjoyed crafting and tinkering and it was only a matter of time that I’d build something Superhero related. It took watching a YouTube video of a guy (The Heroes Workshop) wearing an amazing Iron Man suit that he had made in his home that it clicked in my head that you didn’t have to be an expert movie prop builder to bring your dreams to life. Iron Man was the beginning, I wanted that suit so much nothing was going to stop me, and with research, trial and error and a LOT of patience from both my wife and I, Iron Man was finally completed. I guess he turned out better than I expected as I had the crazy idea to actually take him to a con! That first Con was one of the greatest experiences of my life, I never expected the overwhelming reception that I got and that people would appreciate something that I made so much... I guess now i’m like the Rick James of Cosplay “Cosplay is a hell of a drug”. What’s been your most challenging cosplay costumes?
dadpool cosplay
www.FACEBOOK.COM/dadpoolcosplay There are two types of challenging costumes for me... The first is the Technically difficult or pushing the boundaries of my ability costumes and that would be my first Iron Man, because it was all new territory for me but the most challenging parts are the times that motivation has left and is nowhere to be seen... I have a couple of cosplay’s I started and they aren’t technically harder than other cosplay’s but when the motivation isn’t there every second trying to build it hurts lol. What are your favourite types of cosplay? For me it’s armour builds... I can look like i’ve spent 10 years in the gym and it was only 2 months in the shed with a glue gun and some foam ;) Who inspires you? I am inspired by the Characters I cosplay first, as well as their creators and writers. To me the character comes first and what I am trying to do is pay homage and to show respect to a character I love or even hate, but that has brought up enough emotion in me to want to portray it... I would like to think that the creator
of the character would look at my cosplay and could feel how much I cared for their character and that my intent is respectful. Do you feel there is a career in cosplay? I definitely feel there are careers in cosplay and I am all for that. I hope anyone who works hard enough and is that good at anything could make a career from that. The fact that cosplay can be professional show’s that cosplay is legitimate. Who wouldn’t love to cosplay for a profession, sounds like heaven to me. What cons do you attend and what are some of the best experiences you’ve had there? Here In Perth WA there are the 2 major cons of Supanova and Oz Comic Con but we also have smaller cons like Evolve and Chibi-con building momentum. I do love attending cons outside of WA and even though it feels like it would be easier to move heaven and earth to get to other cons with all the accessories an Iron Man etc might bring but its absolutely worth it. Last year I attended Sydnova as Iron Stan where I met Stan
Photographer: Collin Kerr Photography | www.facebook.com/CollinKerrRetouching
Photographer: The Introverted Geek | www.facebook.com/introvertedgeek
Lee, that is the single greatest Con moment for me... oh and the fact that Robert Downey Jnr Facebooked a photo of me from the con is pretty cool also. Con Goal #1: SDCC What sort of photo shoots have you been involved with? How cool are photoshoots! It’s where someone as passionate as you are about your cosplay is just as passionate about making you look great. Photographers here in WA are getting better and better and with some beautiful locations we are blessed by whats possible. I love all my shoots from sipping wine as Iron man with Pepper Potts to sword fighting as Deathstroke with the harbour behind us not to mention posing awkwardly in front of a green screen to only later see what was happening inside that crazy photographers mind. Finally where can we see more of your amazing cosplay? You can find me on: www.facebook.com/dadpoolcosplay www.twitter.com/DadpoolCosplay
www.instagram.com/dadpoolcosplay www.youtube.com/user/RightBrainSane
Photographer: NBV Projects | www.facebook.com/nvbprojects
Photographer: Mrs Dadpool
Photographer: Film Craft | www.facebook.com/filmCraft.13
Photographer: Mrs Dadpool
Photographer: Jonathan Swinwood www.facebook.com/jonsprops
Photographer: Magic Missle Studios www.facebook.com/magicmissilestudios
Photographer: Unknown
dadpool cosplay
Photographer: Jonathan Swinwood www.facebook.com/jonsprops
COSPLAY Hi & welcome to Live! Firstly can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and where you’re from... Hi! I’m a cosplayer based in South Florida. I love the batman universe, and I do a lot of comic book related cosplay. I also enjoy a little bit of modeling, for steampunk and alternative fashions. I’m a bit of a jack of all trades - I love painting and drawing, sewing and cosplay construction, as well as photography and modeling. You can often find me in my bat cave reading a book or working on one of those creative outlets. How long have you been into cosplay and what got you started? I’ve been cosplaying for the past couple of years. I had always had an interest in dressing up and putting together fun, costume-like looks with my wardrobe. A few friends of mine had been involved in cosplay, and it sparked my interest. When I was invited to take part in a cosplay photoshoot with some friends, I made my first, official, from scratch cosplay (a classic Star Trek Romulan commander), utilizing my basic sewing knowledge I had picked up from a few courses in school. Before that, I would put together “closet cosplays” for events at comic book shops or nightclubs, just for fun. The first closet cosplay I put together was Black Canary, since her and I have similar all-black wardrobes. You’re also into comics and other pop culture - tell us what your favourites are… There are so many good things! I always have a very hard time picking favorites. I really love a lot of titles from Vertigo comics. Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors, and the Sandman series is by far my favorite comic book. I also really enjoy Bat-
VERON www.FACEBOOK.COM/veronmodel
woman (DC) and Hellblazer (Vertigo). As for books and adaptations, I really love the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling, and the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. TV wise I love Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, The X Files, Hannibal, Arrow, and a few others I’m sure I’m forgetting. I also really enjoy horror, and Cabin in the Woods is one of my favorite movies. You visit many of the cons - what’s your favourite and why? Being in Florida, most of my con experience is limited to this state. However, Florida offers a ton of great cons! I think my favorites are Megacon (Orlando) and Florida Supercon (Miami). Both of them are large conventions with plenty of guests. My favorite part of any convention is seeing my friends, and collecting good art. Your two face make up was amazing - do you do all your own make up and how did you learn to be so good at it? Thank you so much! For the Two Face photoshoot that I did, Haute Cosplay (www.facebook.com/hautecosplay) did my makeup and the photography. She’s an incredibly talented makeup artist and she did an amazing job with the prosthet-
ics. I have done my own Two Face makeup a couple times for events, but it is primarily facepaint rather than prosthetics. For majority of my photoshoots, unless I’ve noted otherwise, I do my own makeup. I learned a lot from trial and error, and there is still a lot of areas where I can improve. Most of what I learned from cosplay, makeup, or just about any other creative field has come from online forums and youtube tutorials. There are so many great resources out there. Tell us a bit about photo shoots who organises them and what do you do to prepare? Most of the photoshoots I have done, have been organized as a collaborative effort between myself, the photographer, and any other models. Typically one of us will pitch our idea, and if it seems do-able we will work out a day where we can all meet and make it happen. I have also done some photoshoots with Florida Supercon, and those are organized by the head of the cosplay department. To prepare for a photoshoot (assuming I have the costume already complete) I will put anything I will need for the shoot in a suitcase to bring with me along with a spare change of clothes. I’ll typically do my makeup before the shoot, but I always bring makeup with me in case of
Photographer: David Love Photography | www.facebook.com/davidlovephotography
Photographer: David Love Photography | www.facebook.com/davidlovephotography
touch ups. The most important thing about creating a good photo is having a good time, and having energy. As long as I have my morning coffee, I am usually good to go :) Do you have any tips for new cosplayers? Perhaps on attending cons and also with regard to photo shoots. Have fun with it! Cosplay is all about fun. Whether you are creating your first cosplay from scratch, borrowing a costume from a friend, or bringing out a closet cosplay, the important part is that you have fun. When attending cons in cosplay for the first time, it’s important to know that people will want to approach you a lot
more than if you were dressed in your regular clothes. Be open to taking photos with people and making new friends. Also, try and wear your costume for a few hours at home before you bring it to an event just to check if there is anything that needs to be fixed or changed for a full day of wear. Always bring a spare change of clothes and if you are wearing body paint, please make sure you seal it.
to see more of your cosplay? I’m all over social media!
As for photoshoots - always bring a friend. Do your research and work with a professional photographer that you can trust. Stay safe, and create good art.
A lot of my photos are at my Facebook: www.facebook.com/veronmodel I post a lot of behind-the-scenes and work in progress on instagram: www.instagram.com/veronmodel/ My YouTube has some of my advice about cosplay and photoshoots: www.youtube.com/c/veroncosplays My twitter is a good place if you want to chat: www.twitter.com/veroncosplay I also have a shop with my photo prints: www.veronscloset.storenvy.com
Finally where can our readers go
Thanks for having me!
Photographer: David Love Photography | www.facebook.com/davidlovephotography
Photographer: David Love Photography | www.facebook.com/davidlovephotography
Photographer: David Love Photography | www.facebook.com/davidlovephotography
Photographer: Haute Cosplay | www.facebook.com/hautecosplay
COSPLAY Reika is an international cosplay star from Japan who has been cosplaying for over twenty years! On the 8th-9th of August she visited Australia for SMASH; her second Australian appearance after also attending as a guest at last year’s SMASH. Hayley Elise caught up with her for a chat, to see what wisdom she has to share from her twenty years in the community. Hi Reika, could you start by telling us a little about yourself, and how you got into cosplay? I’m Reika, and as you may or may not know, I am a cosplayer from Japan. I first got into cosplay - because there are a lot of cosplay conventions and anime and manga festivals in Japan – and when I was quite a young child I went to one of those events and I saw a lot of the cosplayers. I thought ‘oh, that looks quite interesting,’ and then I thought that maybe next time I will be the one to cosplay. From there, I became a much more frequent cosplayer. What draws you to the characters you decide to cosplay? Because I am a woman, I particularly like the ‘cool’ and ‘gentle’ aspects that the characters I cosplay display in their behaviour. And are there any costume features that you particularly like for a character? I have quite a few costumes, but if you were to compare – for example in a game – the warrior character to maybe the mage character, who has more flowy, exaggerated costumes, I like it better when there’s a bit more going on in the costume. What’s your favourite part of the costume making process itself?
reika
www.facebook.com/pages/Reika/315573555144954 For me, I find it particularly satisfying not only when I get the patterns correct on my costume, but also when the cut falls exactly the way that I want it to: I get the feeling of ‘yes, I did it!’
terwards. When that happens I draw out a rough storyline and present it to my fellow cosplayers and say ‘well this is how I want it to happen, is that alright?’ and typically they go along with that.
So do you have any formal training in sewing?
Do you have any notable stories from photoshoots you’ve done?
I’ve been cosplaying for twenty years, and for maybe the first ten years I was doing it by myself and making it up myself, but then I ended up going to a school that did teach us a little bit more about the clothing making process. Then I was able to utilise those skills, and incorporate them into what I was already doing to make my cosplays.
I once had a very hard but memorable experience when I was cosplaying the main character from the game and anime Hakuouki, and there was a scene where the character I was cosplaying just disappears into the air. It was very difficult but I spent a lot of time taking different shots and videos in a way that felt like I was disappearing into the air. I thought it was quite funny how I was trying to essentially disappear from in front of the camera.
What can you tell us about the process of making a successful photoshoot happen? There’s nothing particularly special, but when I look at a game or the source for my cosplay, I typically have a very strong feeling for how I think that that would translate into real life, so I try my best to try and recreate what I have in mind when I am creating a photoshoot. What I also like to do is: occasionally when games have already ended, I try to make the theme the ‘afterstory,’ so I create a bit of an original story that I think would have happened af-
What do you think about cosplay becoming a career, and what’s your own experience with it? For me personally, I don’t think it could become entirely a career, making costumes, but I do write articles for magazines about how to do things in terms of cosplaying. For me, it’s more of a hobby and a lifestyle thing as opposed to a career, so I don’t think that making it a career is an important part of cosplay. But if I wasn’t doing cosplay, I would never have left Japan, so I do enjoy
the fact that I’ve been able to learn so much from traveling because of cosplay. Do you have any tips for new cosplayers? When I first started cosplaying, it was a time when there was almost nothing that you could get your hands on in relation to cosplay – no wigs, no contact lenses, and in fact the people who specialise in putting makeup on were very few; it was a time when you really had to try the best you could with what you had. I very much would recommend – especially because the internet was not as accessible back then as it is now – I would recommend that you take the time to sit and think about how you want your cosplay to go,
and what sort of process you want to do. I would very much encourage everyone to try things on their own, and experiment before they decide how they want to do something. What’s next for you in 2015? Are you visiting any more conventions? Well I’ve been invited to a convention in Israel, and I’ve never been there before. I find it amazing that there are people there who are into in cosplay enough to have had me invited! I would very much like to go there and confirm the cosplay community with my own eyes. Around the time of my birthday I’ve also been invited to an event in Hawaii, and the event organiser said
to me ‘since it’s your birthday and the convention is around the same time, you might as well come and celebrate it here!’ It’s quite interesting because I’m going to be celebrating my birthday in Hawaii and not at home. Usually on my birthday I don’t really leave my house – I just sleep all day and I enjoy it that way, so this will be a bit of a change for me! You can find more of Reika on her Facebook or Twitter as she travels around the world with her cosplays! www.facebook.com/pages/Reika/315573555144954 www.twitter.com/reika2011
COSPLAY TUTORIAL
how to pose Use Reference Photos
As with all things cosplay, the first step is research! Fire up Google Images, chuck your character name in and look for screenshots, concept art or even fan art that has your character in interesting poses. Once you’ve found a few, try them out in front of the mirror, get a feel for how to position your body and check out which ones look the best in real life.
Martial Arts Technique Characters who are martial artists can be easier to come up with poses for, but getting the technique right can be a bit of a challenge. It comes easier to me thanks to five years of martial arts training, but I still have to modify technique to look good in front of the camera. Always be aware of where your hands are when striking martial arts poses. If you are kicking or in a ready stance, they should be up and guarding your face – whether you use closes fists or open hands is up to you. If you are punching, blocking or attacking with one hand, try bringing your other hand back into a fist at your hip. It keeps your off hand out of the way and looks neat and well-practised!
Create Dynamic Shapes If you can’t find any useful reference pictures, and your character isn’t a martial artist, then you may have to come up with interesting photos on your own. Never fear – this isn’t as difficult as it sounds, so long as you remember to create dynamic shapes
in cosplay
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ HayleyEliseCosplay within your poses. Straight up and down looks boring, which is why something as simple as hands on hips or offsetting your legs can break up the lines and look more interesting. With my Slave Leia costume, I used the chain to create dynamic shapes for my poses, but you can use any prop, or just your arms and legs to the same effect.
Turn Around Have you got lots of detail on the back of your costume? Don’t forget to turn around once in a while and show off all that hard work to the camera! A simple look back over the shoulder can be a useful go-to pose, but if you have a prop you can vary this even more.
Communicate! Posing isn’t just a cosplayer’s job – you’ll never get a perfect photo without collaboration from the photographer. The cosplayer can’t see what they look like in the camera’s lens, after all. Make sure you always talk to your photographer, communicate what kind of attitude you want to get across in your posing, and ask to look at the back-of-camera previews if you’re not sure how you look. Above all, don’t be afraid to have fun and experiment – sure, not all of your photos will turn out great, but you might get some that surprise you!
WRITTEN BY HAYLEY ELISE
COSPLAY
goodbye / hello www.facebook.com/ferretcosplay
This month our regular cosplay writer Hayley Elise is moving on in the world with a brand new writing gig and so will be only doing special articles when she can and so with that we welcome Hayley’s good friend Anny Sims, who is also known as Ferret Cosplay. Anny will be our regular cosplay correspondent and to introduce her, we decided to do an interview. Anny welcome to Live Magazine, tell us about yourself and how you got into cosplay. Hi there! I’m a cosplayer based in Canberra, our nation’s capitol, and I’ve been cosplaying for about three years now. I first stumbled across cosplay on YouTube, where I found a group of cosplayers called ‘Parlé Productions’ who made a webseries called ‘Demyx Time’ where they cosplayed and acted out skits they’d written. It was so different from anything I’d ever seen before that I was immediately stuck on the concept and I’ve been addicted ever since. And how did you get to know Hayley Elise? I met Hayley at a Sydney convention where we were introduced by a mutual friend. When we first met, Hayley offered me a beautiful print of her Cammy cosplay from Street Fighter and asked me if I “wanted a photo of her butt” – I immediately accepted and knew we’d be good friends! We actually bonded through both travelling overseas on the same route at the same time, only from opposite ends, so we ended up chatting about
what we’d seen so far and what was to come. Ok tell us about your writing and what you’re wanting to share with our readers. I’ve always enjoyed talking about new things I’ve discovered, so being able to do so to a wider audience about something I love like cosplay is fantastic! I’m currently studying a Bachelor of Communication and Journalism with the hope to better educate people on the creative communities of the world, as well as teach people more positive ways to approach differences and inequalities that exist within our society. Tell us about your cosplay process - how do you decide on a character or costume and then go about creating the look? I always keep a folder of characters I’d love to cosplay which I regularly add to, so whenever a convention approaches I’ll take a look in there and see if anything calls to me. Other factors can influence a choice; if there’s a group being organised, my budget, the timeframe, what would suit my body type and the difficulty of the costume, but liking the character and design is very important to me. I believe you don’t enjoy yourself as much in a cosplay if you don’t like the character, so I try and pick characters I enjoy! From then on, I’ll plan the entire thing out before I buy a single thread, drawing the costume pieces out and figuring out what materials I need and how I’m going to
make everything. Then I’ll work in sections on small pieces, until it all comes together. Putting a timeframe on things pushes me to get it all done as well. What 5 tips would you give a new person just starting out? First of all, cosplay is about having fun. You might go through periods of stress or upset in getting to the con with a completed costume, but as long as you’re having fun in the end it’ll all be worth it. Secondly, don’t judge yourself against others. Your costume is yours, and comparing your work to others is silly when you’ve put work and money into what you’re wearing yourself, and that person may have years of experience over you. The only way from here is up! Thirdly, plan everything ahead. You don’t want to be finishing up your costume only to realise you’ve missed a huge section and it’s now unwearable. Always plan out everything, from costume to travel to make-up for your convention experience. Fourthly, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Friends and family will usually give you a hand if you ask, and you’d be surprised who knows skills that will help with your costume. Other cosplayers are usually excited to talk about how they made their costumes so never be afraid to ask. Finally, try your costume on in full before you pack it. This trick has saved me many a time from leaving important parts behind and really gives you a sense of confidence that your work was worth it.
Photographer: Timothy Souter Photography | www.facebook.com/TimothySouterPhotography Wukong from RWBY: Destria Cosplay | www.facebook.com/Destria.Cosplay
Finally where can our readers go to find out more about you? and thanks for being part of Live Magazine! While I have several social media accounts, you’re most likely to contact me on my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. www.facebook.com/FerretCosplay www.twitter.com/Ferret_soup www.instagram.com/ferret_soup/
Photographer: Lorenzo So Photography | www.facebook.com/lorenzosophoto
ferret cosplay
Photographer: Charmaine Morgan Photography | www.facebook.com/charmaine.morgan88
ferretcosplay
Photographer: Decade Three Photography | www.facebook.com/decadethreeart
COSPLAY PHOTOGRAPHY
AUSSIE COSPLAY P There’s a ton of amazing Cosplay photographers in Australia. Recently we featured, I Got Superpowers and many others. Here’s some that inspire us, as suggested by cosplayers.
beethy Beethy is a Sydney based photographer who’s been shooting cosplay since around 2009. He’s photographed some of the biggest names in the world such as Jessica Nigri, Katyuska Moonfox and Evey Dantes. See more of his work at:
www.facebook.com/BeethyPhotography
inspirING PHOTOGRAPHERS LARK VISUALS Adrian from Lark Visuals is a Sydney-based photographer and graphic designer. He started cosplay photography at the Final Animania in 2014. Since then, his work has progressively evolved, focusing mainly in portraiture and story-telling of the character. He believes that a good cosplay photograph should embody the character through use of right expressions, relevant backdrops or locations, and necessary special effects to give the image context. His future projects will involve collaborating with many talents that are available in the Sydney cosplay community. He hopes to be able to work with leather-workers, armor-makers, SFX make-up artists, and other photographers to produce a Dungeon & Dragons inspired production. To follow his latest work visit www.facebook.com/larkvisuals or www.larkvisuals.com Photographers who inspire Lark Visuals: Benjamin von Wong (Canada), Kiwira (Singapore), Pireze (Australia) Cosplayers featured in photographs: Ace - Final Fantasy Type-0 by Mikado Amaterasu Diane, Serpent’s Sin of Envy - Seven Deadly Sins by Sare Lady Galadriel by The Artful Dodger
COSPLAY PHOTOGRAPHY
AUSSIE COSPLAY P charmaine morgan A Sydney based photographer and experienced wasteland barbarian and zombie wrangler that fell in love with cosplay early and couldn’t stop. Most of my work is shot on location. I love working with light and colour pallets in post-production. As a firm believer of “cosplay is for everyone”, I love being able to work together with people and bring out their character. See more of her work at:
www.facebook.com/charmaine.morgan88
inspirING PHOTOGRAPHERS what a big camera
Kris from What a Big Camera based in Sydney Australia and is a favourite with cosplayers who like his unique style. He collaborates often with Katyuska Moonfox and has some brilliant work including shoots with Eve Beauregard. See more of his work at:
www.facebook.com/WhatABigCamera
PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS
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Choosing the right camera for Cosplay…
Hint… there is no right camera!
Ok, now we’ve got that out the way let’s take a look at some choices you’ll find at your local camera store. First up let’s start with the smartphone. While not technically available at your camera store, many of us have one and use them regularly to take photos of anything and everything. The positives are you have it with you almost always. The images they capture are good and apps let you add filters and effects simply. The downsides are that they are not as good quality as a larger sensor camera. They don’t have optical zooms in general, yes many have digital zooms but it’s not the same. The sensor size is small so you can’t get great bokeh if that’s what you’re after. (Bokeh? What’s that? - well it is the soft blur of the background you can achieve with the right lens, zoom and distance between your subject and the background. Many camera’s with 4/3 sensors and bigger can give you nice boken but it can be tricky with a camera phone)
Point and shoot cameras This segment in the camera store has improved a lot over the past few years. They are simple to use and carry around often due to the compact size. They have a fixed lens and this usually has a zoom of some sort. They have built in features to help
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produce great images and some have reasonable sized sensors of around 1 inch like the Sony Cybershot RX100. Many come with quality lenses so you get sharp images but also can achieve bokeh. My recommendations are anything by Sony, Fuji and Panasonic but in reality most point and shoots are good. I like the Fuji X30 and the Sony RX100.
Super Zooms These are cameras with a fixed lens - so really a point and shoot but also have a long zoom lens that can get in extremely close to distant subjects. Depending on the brand, they can have excellent lenses and reasonably fast apertures. Super Zooms often look just like a DSLR but the lens is fixed so you can’t get creative with different lens choices. I like the Panasonic FZ 1000 that has 4k video and zoom range of 16x or what we would say is 25-400 mm. It has a high frame rate and a ton of features. Other brands such as Fuji, Nikon and Canon all have super zooms so it’s a matter of what you personally choose. Here’s a tip - go to the camera store, hold the camera and also get the sales person to turn it on and show you the menu. Some are easy to use, some are … not so intuitive.
Fixed Lens compacts This is a popular category with brands such as Leica, Nikon and Fuji popular not to mention Sony. These
cameras have larger sensors such as APS-C sized sensors… (what’s that? Check here - http://www. techradar.com/us/news/photography-video-capture/cameras/sensorsize-explained-1042035 Back to the Fixed Lens compacts, they are normally light to carry, feature impressive image quality and can be fun to use. Camera’s like the Fuji X100s are a street photographers dream as they are a range finder style camera and produce stunning images but fit’s in a small bag. Others include the Leica X2, the Nikon Coolpix A, Ricoh GR. These cameras are often “mirrorless” which means simply that the camera has no mirror moving inside when you take a photo. Many DSLR camera from Canon and Nikon have a mirror so that when you look through the viewfinder you might have better clarity and instantaneous view of what the camera sees, but with the improvements in electronic viewfinders in cameras from Sony, Samsung and others you really don’t notice much difference. The advantage of a mirrorless camera with an electronic view finder is what you see is what you get. The screen inside that little viewfinder shows you what your image will look like. So if you’re settings are for under exposure … you’ll see it in the viewfinder. This is incredibly helpful when trying longer exposures or shooting in dark situations with little light.
DSLR For quite a few years the DSLR has been the go to camera for pros and enthusiasts. They let you change lenses to suit your style of photography or if you’re wanting different zoom ranges. Plus they are fast to focus and usually have a better battery life then a mirrorless camera. But they are often bigger and heavier and also the lenses can be bigger too. While a DSLR was the first choice for a pro shooting weddings or sports, today many are using either both a DSLR and mirrorless or just mirrorless systems. The rise of the mirrorless is growing in popularity due to the weight, size and other advantages. If you’re looking for a good camera our advice is do your homework first online. That way when you get to the camera store you’ve got some idea of what you want, not what they might want to sell to you. But it pays to listen to the expert’s advice, not everyone is out to sell you something, many photography stores have great people who love photography working in them, and they love sharing their passion with customers. For cosplay - I’d suggest a good mirrorless system or DSLR. You can get either for around $1000 with a lens or two in a beginners range and go up from there. Have fun!
www.facebook.com/robjenkinsphotography
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.
CTC
Want to know more? Visit the Australian Classification website - www.classification. gov.au
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