No15 Mar 2012

LOCAL BAND FEATURES - REVIEWS - GIGS - EVENTS - INTERVIEWS - GAMING - MOVIES + MORE

MUSIC save

GAMING

T U O B A & OUT

MOVIES

Cover Photo by cogdogblog

.Introducing.in.Scotland. GAMES.CHARTS LittleBigPlanet.Karting .COhOLiC. Battlefield.3: .AS.AUTUMN.FALLS. Back.to.Karkand Video.Feature. .The.Darkness.2. .BUZZBOMB. .SSX.2012. .sim.city.5. .GIG.FLYERS.

Carting,.Bowling,.Paintball.,Indoor.. golf.,Skateboarding,.BMX..Play.areas,. museums,.fun..parks....yada.yada.yada

.electric.man. .MOVIE.QUIZ. .Wanderlust. .PROJECT.X. .21.Jump.Street.

www.goguidemagazine.co.uk

CONTENT Contents

GAME CHARTS (pg32)

FEB 2012 - issue (14)

Top 10 games across PS3, Xbox and PC.

- - - - - - - MUSIC - - - - - - -

LITTLEBIGPLANET KARTING - News (pg33) News leaks of Sony’s LBP future release news.

SAVE INTRODUCING IN SCOTLAND (pg3)

BBC cutbacks may mean Scotland loosing its only real locally based radio show aimed at unsigned bands.

The first mission pack for Battlefield hits the streets.

COhOLiC (pg5)

THE DARKNESS 2 - Review (pg36)

Alternative/Indie UK Rock at its very best .

After 5 years does the Darkess still have what it takes?

AS AUTUMN FALLS - Video Feature (pg6)

AAF release their first video - ‘Tonight I’m the Snake’

BUZZBOMB (pg7) All the best shows from local venues and bands playing around the area.

- - - - - - - MOVIES - - - - - - -

Who are GOGUIDE...???

MOVIE QUIZ (pg15)

(Answers on inside back page)

GOGUIDE is a local online magazine for the West Lothian area. We are trying to be less focused on local ‘news’ and more a, ‘what’s on’ or ‘happening’ guide to the local area. At the moment we are heavily focused on the whats going on in the local music scene, whats on and good @ the movies and what is happening in the world of PC/Console gaming.

ELECTRIC MAN - Feature (pg16)

Local movie makers have showcase at The Regal.

WANDERLUST - Review (pg19)

Does the magic happen for Aniston and Rudd?

PROJECT X - Review (pg20)

Another found footage movie... is it really just a big party?

The movie version of the 80’s series hits the big screen.

- - - - - - - GAMES - - - - - - SIM CITY 5 - News (pg32)

Some great indoor and outdoor stuff to get up to.

We take a look back at some classic movie posters.

All the new releases in cinemas this month.

Posters for some of the latest cinema releases.

OUT & ABOUT (pg46)

CLASSIC MOVIE POSTERS (back page)

MOVIE NEW RELEASES (pg14)

MOVIE FLYERS (pg25)

EA’s snowboarding sim gets 2012 reboot.

Posters for some great games released this month.

GIG FLYERS (pg8)

21 JUMP STREET - Review (pg22)

SSX 2012 - Review (pg38) GAME FLYERS (pg40)

A local punk with a very tranatlantic sound.

The daddy is back in town.

BATTLEFIELD 3: BACK TO KARKAND - Review (pg34)

We do have a pretty modern approach to GoGuide content and eventually hope to produce articles on subjects outside our usual stuff such as Clubbing, Internet, Lifestyle, Sport and Fitness etc. www.goguidemagazine.co.uk www.myspace.com/goguide Facebook Search For: GoGuide With the vast majority of our content sourced from local contributors we are always on the lookout for new people to bring onboard to help us provide input to this content hungry mag so if your keen on writing stuff and getting it published in the mag feel free to drop us a message at content@goguidemagazine. co.uk

Click on the orange page number link to go to that page.

Although we hope to ensure our information is correct before uploading some details on these pages are subject to change.

Please check online or with each location directly for fully up to date information.

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MAR 2012 - issue (15)

MUSIC

Contents

FEATURE

H

aving seen the disappearance of the Scottish XFM radio station a few years back it now seems that as part of the BBC’s operational restructuring plans - titled ‘Delivering Quality First’ - the BBC has announced a good number of changes to its lineup of shows. These changes, well let’s call them cuts ok?, includes the one I’m a bit annoyed about which is the closing down of the ‘Introducing in Scotland’ radio show, hosted by Ally McCrae and broadcasted every Sunday night from midnight to 2am.

From the BBC themselves, the aim of this show is to provide “the best new unsigned, undiscovered and under the radar music in Scotland every week and it never fails to deliver on that promise thanks to the talent and expertise of its producers, technical staff and presenter” Now it appears they are intent on centralising their overall ‘Introducing’ platform and broadcasting from down south with no doubt more ‘English’ focused content and give less opportunity to artists further afield in Scotland, Ireland, Wales etc.

For its initial 11 years the show was presented by Vic Galloway and for the past year it has been Ally McCrae at the helm and with XFM

SAVE out of the picture this show has been the only major mainstream station to showcase brand new bands and solo artists from across Scotland. Arguably pretty much all of the successful Scottish artists from the past decade or so have passed through the hands of the guys at BBC Introducing Scotland and new talent rely heavily on them for a large percentage of their early exposure through both airplay and live sessions recorded and aired on this show. The show has previously helped kick start the careers of Biffy Clyro, Calvin Harris and Paolo Nutini among many others.

I think it’s pretty simple for most intelligent people to see that this is all about saving cash rather than anything else which the BBC say is being put in place to supposedly make things better, it is an illthought-out plan that simply flies in the face of everything that the BBC’s is supposed to be about.

A large movement is beginning to pick up steam in an effort to convince the BBC to rethink their plans to get rid of the show and instead, safeguard and endorse this irreplaceable programme. The BBC Trust are required to consult us, the licence fee payers, on the plans and a 6000+ signature petition has been sent to the BBC Trust to try to emphasise the message that the Scottish general public has a massive desire to save Introducing in Scotland. This petition has collected MAR 2012 - issue (15)

more signatures per head of population in Scotland than those which were collected to save the show ‘BBC Radio 6 Music across Britain’ so hopefully the BBC will take note and listen to what we want for a change.

Top band Frightened Rabbit have also threw their weight behind the campaign as campaigners recently met with BBC. Scottish music promoters, music representatives and top blogger The Pop Cop among others, met with BBC Trustee Bill Matthews at their HQ on Pacific Quay in Glasgow and made it clear that the proposal to kill off the show would almost certainly damage the Scottish music industry as a whole.

The petition can be accessed here

www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/introducingscotland

The facebook page can be accessed here http://www.facebook.com/#!/ savebbcintroducing

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MUSIC

Contents

FEATURE

SAVE

HELPING

Scottish parliament’s Education and Culture committee MSP Joan McAlpine: Who also was a judge on the STV Show Scotland’s Greatest Album this year and attended the BBC meeting.

“The Campaign to save Radio Six Music was successful but The Pop Cop and Pelmet Nites has gathered more signatures per head of population in Scotland with a lot less publicity, which shows the strength of feeling. The BBC really needs to listen to that message and save the sound of young Scotland. It will be a lot less expensive than saving Six Music as they only employ two members of staff. This is the only Scottish opt out on Radio One, so dropping it is just unfair.

Although Bill cannot express an opinion, he was well informed and had listened to the show. He had obviously been a bit of John Peel fan back in the day and Introducing in Scotland is just as influential in its way. It’s a creative catalyst helping nurture the industry and it brings the music to an audience who would not otherwise hear it on mainstream radio. It’s a very refreshing alternative to X-factor in that it features young talented people doing it for themselves, without any moulding by the big music moguls.”

Scott Hutchison (Frightened Rabbit) who is well aware of the benefits gained through association with Introducing in Scotland: “I think it would be a travesty if the show as cut from the BBC radio schedule in Scotland. For over 10 years, the show has been an invaluable and irreplaceable platform for new and established Scottish bands. It serves to breed an essential community within Scottish music and scrapping this show would reinforce the popular fallacy that the industry does not exist out with London”

Paul Downie (Scottish Music Promoter) “We are delighted to have had the opportunity to meet with Bill Matthews today and to present our case to the Trust. BBC Introducing in Scotland is a unique platform offering the chance not only to showcase some of the incredible talent our country has to offer but also in providing a new generation of musicians, across a broad spectrum of genres, a sense of hope and confidence by being played to a national audience. With so many people offering their support to the campaign we would hope that the BBC will acknowledge the importance of these shows and look to work with us to ensure they continue to grow and nourish the Scottish music scene.”

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MUSIC

Contents

FEATURE

W

hen I first heard COhOLiC they were a 5 piece outfit with guitar, bass, drums and a couple of keyboard/sample players. They had an amazing sound back then, a proper wall of music but not overly reliant on the overabundance of keyboard players.

The standouts members were Chris Ross on vocals and guitar and Jamie Forrester on bass guitar and vocals and I thought back then that they would stand up better as a tighter band if they were a just a 3 piece.

Fast forward a good few years and here they are working as a striped back trio with new drummer on board in Jamie Duffy. They still produce epic tunes and a sound that

does them proud as it still manages to fills a room with soaring music minus the wash of keyboard. They still make an appearance but are used in a much sparser manner thus making them more an integral part of the music and add colour rather than being a ‘magnolia’ wash.

They have recently self-released their debut album entitled ‘Blue Volt And The Noise’ which is available to download through their website along with a few early and free songs. Tracks such as ‘ill’ and ‘Screwloose’ have always been firm favourites of mine and the album versions truly do stand the test of time well. The free tracks do well to give you a taster of exactly what to expect from the band. Just listen to Draw Blood and you can’t help yourself you just think WAW..!!!! It builds from the start and climbs to an epic crescendo and leaves you with one of two thoughts – either ‘I want MORE’ or ‘where’s the REPLAY button?’.

Moving on to the rockier of the 2 tracks ‘A New Year’ and you really are getting a taste of things to come from Coholic. Chris really gives you a taster of his vocal presence on the piano intro (despite the vocoder being used for effect), The track then pounds out to a truly ‘manic’esque rollercoaster ride it picks up tempo, drops back again, and flits between styles in true Muse fashion helped massively by the 2 Chris’s providing a platform of super tight drums and driving bass lines. Stick Chris’s soarMAR 2012 - issue (15)

ing vocals over the top and for me the guys can’t fail to impress anyone who listens.

Not content with their audio exploits Coholic seem to fancy themselves as perhaps wee movie stars? (with tongue firmly in cheek). Not only do they produce a host of video snippets, newscasts but also star alongside none other than John Peel Award Winning DJ Jim Gellatly in their very own 3 part online TV series ‘COhOLiC ARE COMING’ where the guys appear a little stressed about their new CDs not having turned up yet and are wondering where they have got to?

The guys play Studio 24 in Edinburgh on April 5 so get those tracks Draw Blood + A New Year downloaded and play them to death then jump over and have a listen to both ‘ill’ and ‘Screwloose’ over on the bands MySpace site and then get yourself to the April show and pick up the Blue Volt And The Noise’ from the one of the guys, do it now, you know you wanna… !!! www.coholic.co.uk www.myspace.com/coholicmusic PAGE 5

MUSIC

Contents

FEATURE

B

ack in Nov 2011 we featured local hardcore/metalcore band As Autumn Falls in our music feature section. The band have just got in touch again to tell us about their recent debut video release.

It turns out the band have been working really hard gigging up and down the country and actually travelled down to Southport earlier in the year to record their latest track ‘Tonight I’m The Snake’. The guys kept the track under tight wraps until they finally managed to complete their first foray in the music video arena.

On Sat night, 3rd March, they released both the track and video simultaneously to rave reviews.

So much so that the video has had nearly 5000 views so far, its now Mon night so that’s maybe 48hrs or so.

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As Autumn Falls

The video was shot on location in Bathgate hills on a drab and dreary winters day and was filmed and directed by Dave McCourt Photo.

The track Tonight I’m The Snake was recorded by Mike Bennett Productions of Southport and Mike has done an amazing job of honing AAF’s sound and taking it to an even more intense and thunderous level, with the usual beatdowns, drops and crunching guitars rendering your ears into wanting submission.

By the end of the track as usual you find your finger wandering aimlesly to the replay button.

Video wise its an accomplished attempt with good camera work and overall feel of the song has been interprited well. It seems that this genre of music has only 3 settings for making a video, abandoned building, forest/field setting or surrounded by mates... or is that just me? Maybe a little more imagination is needed from the genra as a whole or its a prime target to get pretty boring.

The stand out feeling in this video

MAR 2012 - issue (15)

is how Dave M has seemingly managed to capture the bands heart and soul. Most AAF songs are pretty intense and in your face affairs but its actually really strange to see vocalist Ali so up close and personal.

You really can see that although, from the outside anyway, he might appear to be just randomly screaming his heart out, there are actually quite meaningful lyrics in there and Ali means every single word of them that he spits across the screen at you... there is defo a message to what he’s got to say you just have to listen.

Check out the track by going to the links below and pop over to the guys web sites for more tunes and info.

Tonight I’m The Snake www.youtube.com/ watch?v=9aNxdAq6ioE

As Autumn Falls

www.facebook.com/asautumnfalls

Dave McCourt Photo

www.dmccourt.com/Video.html

Mike Bennett Productions

www.facebook.com/ mikebennettproductions?sk=info

MUSIC

Contents

FEATURE

O

ver the past few months I have been listening to an awful lot of Social Distortion, their old stuff and their new stuff, US punk scene has never really been my strongpoint and I have only ever liked a handful of Anti-flag songs (like say ‘Anatomy of Your Enemy’ and ‘Culture Revolution’). But recently I have really got into the Social Distortion stuff and find that I’m listening to at least one of their albums each day and love tracks like ‘Dear Lover’ and ‘When Angels Sing’ from their ‘White Light White Heat White Trash album.

So to the point, it’s nice to hear a local band that is influenced by some of the same bands I really like. Buzzbomb from our very own Bathgate are a blend of our own UK punk bands aka The Exploited, Stiff Little Fingers, maybe just a sprinkle of UK Subs, some Sham 69 and a

BUZZBOMB

host of other smaller bands. Their biggest influence I’d guess though is coming from the US punk bands Like Social D, Anti-Flag, Bad Religion and Minor Threat to name but a few, maybe even a little of the Ramones is in there for good measure. You can hear little influences of all these UK and US bands shining through in not only Buzzbomb’s overall sound but also in their signwriting too.

Older songs like ‘Hells Kitchen’ are straight from the anti-flag school of 3 minute ditties with a shout along ending that any of those bands would have killed for. ‘Somethings…’ harps back to a more UK sound but is still coloured by the likes of dirty Stooges stuff. You might need to convince the guys to let you hear these tracks as they are not on any of their online players anymore.

We have added ‘Hells Kitchen’ to our MySpace page in the meantime so check it out… (before the guys demand we remove it) Newer tracks starting with ‘Sustainable Damage’ see a more US sound emerging heavily and those US bands seem to be winning the battle over our UK underdogs here.

Despite that the guys have a really top notch gritty wall of sound going on here and some neat riff work to boot. ‘Streets of Fire’ kicks off with a running bass line as the leading part and drives along nicely, it’s MAR 2012 - issue (15)

more of a full on driving song with only the drum break as the only real musical chance but again some excellent cross harmony shout out vocals and guitar riff’ing to end the track. Another stonking riff brings in ‘Bleeding Out’ before you get into those super cool cross vocals again and another 90 mile an hour thrash trip is on the way before ending way too early on just 02:18 ? Come on guys, nothing like leaving us wanting more – I simply clicked the replay button though.

The band has quite a fresh sound and is something that we are seeing a real resurgence of at the moment with Social D regularly selling out shows across America. They have been around for, gees, about 20 years although you would never think it by looking at them. They are made up of Billy on Vocals and Bass, Stu on Vocals and Guitar and last but not least Brett on Vocals and Drums and together write cool catchy modern Punk Rock music with a capital P and a capital R. Buzzbomb are just good, wellpolished and have a really nice collection of up tempo punkie tunes to keep even me happy for a while so get along to see them if you can and check their websites for more tunes/ info/gigs. www.buzzbomb.co.uk PAGE 7

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To have your flyers displayed in our online magazine or web page drop us a line at the email address below with the subject : FLYER We need either a large copy of the flyer or details of the show - including venue, time, door price, age limit and ALL bands playing. content @ goguidemagazine.co.uk

MAR 2012 - issue (15)

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MOVIES

Contents

NEW RELEASES

Bel Ami (15) - STUDIOCANAL Carancho (15) - Axiom Films/Key cities The Devil Inside (15) - Paramount Hunky Dory (15) - Entertainment One UK If I Were You (15) - Renaissance/Miracle Khodorkovsky (12A) - Trinity Filmed Entertainment Michael (18) - Artificial Eye/Key cities Project X (18)- Warner Bros.

A Thousand Kisses Deep (15) - Tomori Films A Man’s Story (15) - Trinity Filmed Entertainment Bill Cunningham New York (12A) - Dogwoof Cleanskin (15) - Warner Bros.

The Decoy Bride (12A) - CinemaNX John Carter (3D) (12A) - Walt Disney Wanderlust (15) - Universal Pictures Payback Season (15) Revolver Entertainment/Key cities The Raven (15) - Universal Pictures

Salmon Fishing In The Yemen (TBC) Lionsgate UK

Trishna (15) - Artificial Eye 21 Jump Street (15) - Sony Pictures Buck (TBC) - Revolver Entertainment/Key cities Contraband (15) - Universal Pictures In Darkness (15) - Metrodome/Key cities Mirror Mirror (TBC) - STUDIOCANAL Once Upon A Time In Anatolia (15) New Wave Films

We Bought A Zoo (PG) - 20th Century Fox Act Of Valor (TBC) - Momentum Pictures Agent Vinod (TBC) - Eros International The Hunger Games (TBC) - Lionsgate UK Into The Abyss: A Tale Of Death, A Tale Of Life (12A) - Revolver Entertainment The Kid With A Bike (12A) - Artificial Eye The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists (3D) (U) - Sony Pictures Babycall (TBC) - Soda Pictures Key cities Streetdance 2 (3D) (TBC) - Vertigo Films Tiny Furniture (TBC) Independent Distribution/Key Cities Wild Bill (15) - The Works

Wrath Of The Titans (3D) (TBC) - Warner Bros.

Please check online or with cinema directly for latest information.

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MAR 2012 - issue (15)

MOVIES GG Quiz

SUPERSTAR ROLLCALL

Slightly different quiz this month. We have collected some pics of young starts before they were famous, all we need you to do is tell us who they are?

Easy right...

No 1

No 2

No 3

Pintsized rocker

Firearms and things

Poet or just a punk

No 6

No 7

Holiday girl

Beautiful person

maybe Just one more time?

No 9

No 10

No 11

From white coat to black suit

Always wanted big family

No 5

Always going on about rules?

MAR 2012 - issue (15)

No 4

Smells, Just a like a teen.

No 8

spends time at museums

No 12

Helping out with Hope PAGE 15

MOVIES

Contents

L

PREVIEW

ocal film makers are few and far between so it is pretty sweet to find not only 2 that have succeeded in getting a proper title out there but to have one that was BAFTS nominated for their superb writing is a bit of a head freeze.

Electric Man, a comic book caper centred around a mysterious 1st issue of a comic book, is set for a local showcase at Bathgate Regal Community Theatre on March 9th 2012 and we already have our tickets booked and can’t wait.

The movie is the idea of writing partners Scott Mackay and David Barras and this local showing follows a fantastic sold out screening at the Glasgow Film Festival last week.

Rare comic book, Electric Man Issue.1 from 1937, has a certain attraction which in turn causes it to demand a particular monetary value, this value is so excessive that someone has been murder over it before it ends up firmly in the possession of our pair of comic book fans/owners in Edinburgh.

From the movies web site…

‘Jazz and Wolf run Deadhead Comics. They owe their landlord £5,000 but they don’t have it and it seems the shop is doomed. But, when Issue Page 16

No 1 of Electric Man mysteriously appears in the shop it seems their problems are solved.

Far from it. Worth £100,000, the comic is being sought by a number of people who’ll stop at nothing to get it for themselves - the strange and alluring Lauren McCall, Electric Man obsessive Edison Bolt and Lauren’s Uncle Jimmy, a violent thug.

Add to the mix, the return of Wolf’s girlfriend Victoria and you have all the elements for what’s been described as ‘The Maltese Falcon’ meets ‘Clerks.’

The Armadale pair, who received a BAFTA nomination last year for their writing prowess in Electric Man, are looking forward to their semihometown showcase as Bathgate holds for them, like a lot of people hailing from the surrounding areas, holds a lot of good memories for them.

The only movie I ever saw at the ‘Regal’ back in the day was The Great Rock and Roll Swindle, it was cold, damp and not a very nice place to watch a move, Scott I’m sure maybe felt the same having seen Star Wars there. The move was a “real eye opener” for him when he was younger “We were just used to seeing Disney movies and there weren’t many channels on the television. We just didn’t know you were even allowed to do something like that.”

MAR 2012 - issue (15)

David Barras works as a film-maker and owns his own production company Strange Boat and works with clients including Sky and Channel 4. “We grew up in that era when comics like Watchmen and the Dark Knight Returns were coming out.

Being a geek at that point wasn’t main stream, neither were comic books. But now tens of thousands of people go along to things like Comic-Con dressed up as David Tennant and other characters.”

Scott Mackay, now at work on a collection of stuff for French publishers Glenat, had a few difficulties when he was working on the script for the move back in 1993 when he was at college in Southampton. “I had no money for the electric meter and I wrote the script over three days during the day. I needed the daylight.”

Originally touted around the business unsuccessfully as a sitcom pilot Electric Man eventually came to light as a move after David visited an Edinburgh Film Festival session with Mark Herbert and Shane Meadows who had just

completed shooting Le Donk for a paltry £50,000. This was the kick in the ass that he needed and it was proof that a technology etc was now at a stage where a truly believable movie could be done for a 50k budget. Having both worked on a number of scripts they looked through their work and eventually settled on one that they were convinced could be done within their budget. Thus began the production of what we know as ‘Electric Man’, which was first drafted nearly 10 years previously and was actually called Deadheads, after the comic store in the script. The story was also initially based around the comic book being Superman Issue 1 but due to obvious copyright issues Scott was tasked with creating a new comic book superhero character to fit the bill.

The cast are made up of a mixture of brand new actors and some actors who have appeared in various Scottish based movies/shows and one from a pretty successful 80’s prog rock band. None other than Fish plays the character of ‘Uncle Jimmy’. Filming for the movie takes place in Edinburgh and centres on the area where the comic book shop ‘Deadhead’ is located in the old towns Candlemaker Row. Although, unlike Trainspotting, which was filmed in Glasgow but has the story based in Edinburgh, the guys decided to film in Edinburgh but based the story in Glasgow.

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Armadale Academy welcomed the ex-pupils back with open arms for a discussion with the current crop of pupils about their own experience in the industry. “We just want to give a wee bit back to our home town. Maybe some of the pupils we spoke to will get the chance to do good things as a result.” said Scott.

David further added that “Teachers laughed when we said what we wanted to do. Kids don’t realise it’s not just us two; there are loads of jobs in the film industry. The girl we had on the set doing hair and makeup was just out of college and has since gone on to work at the Sydney Opera House.”

The project was completed using a budget of around £55,000 and Scott and David used private investment and they were amazed to see some of the big-heartedness of their fans to help fund the movie.

“It is an independent movie and sometimes comic book fans would just come up to us and put £50 in our hands” Scott told the press.

“They just wanted to contribute.

In a cynical world, that is kind of heart-warming.”

Checkout more info and a trailer for the movie over at their website @ www.electricmanmovie.co.uk

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MOVIES

Contents

MEET THE

PREVIEW

CAST

Toby Manley is Jazz

Quick witted and smart but hopeless with women, Jazz is the heart of Deadhead Comics.

Mark McKirdy is Wolf Laid back lothario Wolf gave up a career in chemistry to join Jazz in the comic shop business.

Jennifer Ewing is Lauren McCall Beautiful and manipulative, Lauren is the daughter of the comic’s original owner.

Derek Dick aka Fish is Uncle Jimmy The violent and bitter Uncle of Lauren, Jimmy wants the comic so he can sell it pure and simple.

Mark McDonnell is Edison Bolt The obsessed American comic collector named after Electric Man’s alter ego.

Owns everything Electric Man except the elusive Issue No 1.

Emily Lockwood is Victoria Wolf’s estranged girlfriend is back in Edinburgh with the offer of a new job and the hope that she and Wolf can get back together.

Andre Vincent is The Landlord Often accompanied by his scary big dog, Zoltan, the landlord is keen to see Jazz

and Wolf out on their ear and comics replaced by kebabs.

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MOVIES

Contents

REVIEW

W

anderlust has had a fair share of promotion based around the amount of skin cast member Jennifer Aniston has on show throughout. So it might be kind of ironic that for the most part the movie is a load ars*.

From the start the movie comes across of as unfunny and we are forced to suffer through a script by Ken Marino that rambles pointlessly through the story in pursuit of a few laughs but which regularly falls flat on its face. Ok, It does have a likable cast list and the direction by David Wain does go a little way to help liven up events, but these things can’t really get you over the fact

WANDERLUST

that overall the relies heavily on a monotonous scripts in an attempt to be overly funny.

The movie also overly relies upon the type of ‘riches to rags’ ‘fish out of water’ type storylines to move the story along. George, (Paul Rudd) and Linda, (Aniston) are a Manhattan couple that fine they are forced to find a cheaper place to live and move out of the city after both their careers hit a brick wall. With no money they eventually find themselves settling in a ‘free love’ community overflowing with the usual hippie stereotypes.

Aniston and Rudd do rather well in bringing their characters across and there is a certain level of chemistry between the two of them, but are merely undone by the pretty dire script.

A collection of hippie caricatures MAR 2012 - issue (15)

makes up the movies supporting cast, with overly used characters like Malin Akerman’s free-loving, sexually promiscuous Ava, who on meeting George attempts to seduce him by blatantly declaring: “I like you - we should make love sometime.”

Justin Theroux is on the whole mildly entertaining as the devious Seth, adding a little life into some otherwise sagging scenes. For comic relief Ken Marino also delivers some light-hearted moments as George’s brother Rick, a brash womaniser who portrays rather intense and amusing anger management problems. These few moments do stand out but simply not prominent enough to outshine the over-all lack of any real engagement with the characters or story and enjoyment of the movie.

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MOVIES

Contents

REVIEW

I

n Project X, ‘The Hangover’ director Todd Phillips, bring us his trip into the found-footage mini genre. This time the subject matter is a little different to the normal horror theme, this time it’s time to PAAAAARTYYYY….

At its heart this movie is really just a puffed up party flick and someone has gone and invited the planets biggest pain in the asses. It’s a Ronseal movie and delivers ‘exactly what it says on the tin’, which is a frenzied mess of a film. It takes the foundfootage somewhere that for me (in this example anyway) doesn’t really work well. FF movies rely heavily on either suspense or engaging characters, without having any suspense in a comedy movie there has to be at least some good characters at play.

Project X unfortunately doesn’t fare too well in generating these characters and doesn’t really take the movie in any other new directions to Page 20

PROJE make up for the lack of these missing elements.

Project X gives up on its characters in the pursuit of a few cheap laughs and hasty fun. In going down this road it stops the movie from ever becoming anything bigger than something you would probably stick on when you’re half-drunk with a bunch of mates. I suppose it is funny, but you never ever really get to know the people, and as such you never really connect with any of them, it’s just funny, but not funny enough to carry the whole movie on its shoulders and . Teenagers will no doubt lap this movie up, but anyone who fancies a little more intelligent are going to be disappointed.

Thomas’s (Thomas Mann) mother and father trust their son but they couldn’t be said to hold him in high esteem, he has existed throughout his school year by living things simply by the books.

One early scene has his father talks to his mother about how it’s abundant clear that their son is a little MAR 2012 - issue (15)

bitch. Thomas’s obnoxious friend Costa (Oliver Cooper) Has a brainwave and convinces him to arrange a huge party while his parents are away on holiday. The pair rope in their mate JB (Jonathan Daniel Brown) and together they plan one of the best parties of all time.

It’s going to be a classic, no hesitation. Music is banged out by two DJ’s, they expect thousands of guests to turn up and they have a plentiful supply of drink and drugs.

The problem with this plan is that it is something that most of the less cool teenagers have tried at one point in their school, college or university lives. They just want to be accepted by their peers, or the cool kids. Rather than be accepted though, these guys want to be top dog, they want to be the most popular.

Instead of directing their efforts into more meaningful pursuits such as earning respect and bonding with people, their plan is simply to invite

ECT X every teenager in town to a party where the bouncers are a couple of pubescent pre-teens.

Thomas specifically targets the love of his life that he has been slobbering over for years; she is the nicest looking and popular girl in school. But this isn’t a longing to become friends or even be boyfriend/girlfriend, no, he just hungers to bed her.

Costa and JB are just as stupid as Thomas. They just want to get drunk, get off with girls and become famous. It’s this characteristic that seems to be focused on and carried throughout the movie.

When you compare this movie against others such as Superbad you see characters with real goals in those movies. Yeh, Superbad has a bucket load of swearing and juvenile lines throughout, but that’s what marks it teenager friendly R-rated entertainment.

But look a little deeper and the movie is all about friendship, it’s about the character relationships and the theme of enjoying life rather than letting it slip by. On the other hand Project X never makes any attempt to instil any kind of proper story or underlying meaning. It truly is just a purely surface, immediately disposable movie.

The comic moments are amusing at first but similar moments are relied on too many times and it does get unfunny after a while.

Things pick up slightly near the end of the party. The housing scheme turns into a battlefield where Thomas and his friends and all the other people are left fighting to escape while all hell breaks out around them; a crazy

druggie sets fire to houses with a flamethrower. No sooner had this interesting concept kicked off do the cops arrive and just as things look to be getting really interesting the film makers seem to kill this off and decide to wind things up quickly with an unexpectedly sentimental ending.

There are a few really pleasant moments in the movie though; the security guards are totally hysterical and I suppose the film does cunningly poke fun at the whole found-footage genre when we get to the ridiculous final act.

Project X is enjoyable if you watch it in the right frame of mind aka beers and mates. Its story is feeble, its characters are all cringe worthy and overall there isn’t really any point to the whole thing, however it does recreate the sense of being semi-drunk at a house party. But don’t let that fool you as anyone can get in loads of beer, invite loads of people round, stick on some ‘NOW That’s what I call music’ CD’s, wait a few hours and then run round with a video camera filming people doing stupid stuff – but it doesn’t make them film makers Overall that is why Project X doesn’t really work for me as a proper movie. Some people will no doubt enjoy its infantile humour and lack of any real connection (like watching the adverts between shows). Most other people will have made their minds up about the film simply by watching the first minute of the trailer.

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MOVIES

Contents

S

REVIEW

tephen J. Cannell and Patrick Hasburgh created an American television drama series back in the 80′s called 21 Jump Street. It focused on a squad of police officers who specialize in investigations relating to young people. Each of the Jump St. personnel was selected for their ability to pass for high school or college students, allowing them to operate undercover in areas where it is difficult for regular police officers to blend in unnoticed.

21S

J

Now in 2012 we have a big budget comedy remake of the show starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. Like the TV show 21 Jump Street is the story of two undercover cops who specialise in passing themselves off as high school/college students in order to investigate criminal activity. So is this Hollywood adaption really worth sitting through?

The story goes that way back in 2005, Morton Schmidt (Hill) and Greg Jenko (Tatum) were seniors in high school.

Schmidt, who looks like a Slim Shady caricature, is the awkward and geeky one, where Jenko is the typical jock, prom king and coolness personified. They were in every way completely opposites to each other. Jumping forward Five years and we see the pair re-unite as they both are enrolling for the police academy.

Schmidt, as his earlier persona would have hinted at, is typically book smarts.

Jenko as you can guess is pretty stupid but is still a prime athletic specimen. Poor Schmidt is of course the opposite and is an overweight wreck that can barely run. It doesn’t take long for the pair to bond over the particular weaknesses and recognise that by using each other’s strengths to help the other they could maybe work together to graduate the Page 22

MAR 2012 - issue (15)

JUMP

STREET academy.

Their plans work and both succeed in getting through the academy and become police officers and are a little over enthusiastic about new life as bad assed cops up until their first duty: at the local park on bicycle patrol.

Disheartened by this and impatient to be “proper cops” and to finally arrest somebody for real they end up messing up an easy drug bust by not reading a biker gang member his Miranda Rights.

Their captain decides that as part of their disciplinary action they MAR 2012 - issue (15)

are to be re-assigned to a new undercover unit which is based in an abandoned building on 21 Front St. The unit specialises in recruiting and using cops who look particularly young as high school informers. Jenko and Schmidt’s first mission is to investigate and try to stop the spread of a new drug called HFS to other schools by getting in with the dealers and hopefully locating and arresting the big supplier.

What helps with the comedy side of things is the situation where, 6 years after leaving high school, the pecking order has flipped over.

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MOVIES

Contents

REVIEW

Those who were formerly classed as the ‘losers’ are found now to be the cool kids.

So weirdly Schmidt now fits in with the cool dudes.

21 Jump Street is at heart a very funny movie. It is the type of comedy that has the ability to keep you laughing from start to finish. It’s not just the cheap physical jokes or the clichéd stereotypes throughout the movie that make it funny. It is more in the way that the movie ceases in any way to take itself too serious and even pokes fun of itself all the way through.

When Schmidt and Jenko are being dressed down by their Captain (Nick Offerman – Parks and Recreation), the 21 Jump Street unit is trashed by him as just a another reused idea from the 80′s because his more senior police people from downtown simply couldn’t find anything better.

Stephen J Cannell, who is also responsible for 80’s shows A-Team, Rockford Files and Hawaii Five-O, actually produced this new film, so as the creator of the original television series it’s a nice touch that he has had a say in how the movie turns out. The script has been written by Jonah Hill who has previously worked with Seth Rogan and Judd Appatow.

21 Jump Streets funniest Page 24

element is the union of Hill (Moneyball and Super Bad) and Tatum (GI Joe/The Vow) in their polar opposite characters, the role reversal theme and a relooking at the buddy cop movie genre. Tatum and Hill do come across as a really amusing odd couple pairing and are each credited with executive producers roles for the movie.

Ice Cube (Friday/Boyz in the Hood) plays the Captain in charge of Schmidt and Jenko, Brie Larson (Scott Pilgrim vs the World) is Molly and Rob Riggle (Big Miracle/The Hangover) is Mr. Walters the physical education teacher.

They all bring something to the movie and are really good in their roles.

I was surprised to see a few mammoth cameos that pop up at various times in the movie, I won’t ruin the surprise for you, but let’s just say that I was dumbstruck at one point.

If you like nothing better than a really good comedy movie in the style of say recent movies like Step Brothers or Super Bad then you will absolutely love 21 Jump Street.

Get out there and catch it!

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GAMING

Well we do have to wait until 2013 for the games actual release date but it has been nearly a decade since Sim City 4 was released back in 2003. At that stage the game was showing signs of wear and tear in the general idea of the society building genre and it suffered some pretty annoying buggy performance.

It did however spawn a whole subculture of urban sculptors and designers who latched on to the games Building Architect Tool set and kept the title ticking over for years longer than it should have.

SIM CITY 5

Sim City 5 will be released next year and on the face of it has two really big changes; the new title will be a full on multi-player online gaming experience where you build your city side by side with other online gamers. This allows for the second big addition. SC this time round has an environmental theme, so a fixation for say coal burning power plants will potentially spread pollution and sickness to neighbouring cities which are being created by other online players.

“For the first time in SimCity, play-

GG GAMES CHARTS GG GAMES CHARTS

The Top 10 games for Playstation, Xbox and PC as voted by GoGuide

X-BOX

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Battlefield 3 FIFA 12 Forza Motorsport 4 Batman: Arkham City Kinect Sports: Season Two Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure Gears of War 3 Rage

PC

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Call of Duty:Manager Modern Warfare 3 Football 2012 Football Manager 2012 Star Wars: Battlefield 3 The Old The Sims 3: Republic Pets The Sims 3 The Sims 3: Pets The Sims 3: Generations Rage The Sims 3 The Sims 3: Late Night The Elder Scrolls V: LA Noire

Skyrim Battlefield 3 The Sims 3: Generations The Sims 3: Late Night Fifa Manager 12 Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition

X-BOX

SSX Fifa 12 UFC Undisputed 3 Forza Motorsport 4 Syndicate Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Assassin’s Creed: Revelations Saints Row: The Third Battlefield 3 Batman: Arkham City

PS3

no. 13 1 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim SSX 3 Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception Uncharted 4 Battlefield 3 3: Drake’s 5 FIFA 12 Deception 6 Batman: Arkham City Fifa 12 7 Pro Evolution 2012 8 F1 2011 UFC Undisputed 3 9 Sonic Generations 10 Reloaded CallGoldenEye: Of Duty: Modern

no. 10 Page 32

It’s shaping to be a really interesting concept and something that the SC franchise maybe had to wait for technology to catch up with its own ideas before this title could happen.

I can’t wait…

The Top 10 games for Playstation, Xbox and PC as voted by GoGuide2

PS3

Warfare 3 Final Fantasy Xiii-2 Assassin’s Creed: Revelations Batman: Arkham City Battlefield 3 The Jak And Daxter Trilogy

ers’ decisions will have consequences that will extend beyond their city limits,” said Lucy Bradshaw, the senior vice president of Maxis. “It’s up to the players to decide whether to compete or collaborate to shape the world of tomorrow -- for better or for worse.”

MAR 2012 - issue (15)

PC

M

FEATURE

ove over all you pretenders to the SIM throne, the daddy is back, watch out, he’s coming… Sim City is back in town.

GAMING

S

NEWS

ony has just revealed a Kart racing version of Media Molecule’s popular LittleBigPlanet series.

LittleBigPlanet Karting is sure to be the game that every LBP fan will find easily slips into their collection and will bring new life to sack boy and his friends. I’m sure it will also bring along a whole new audience to the LBP titles and is sure to make the already easy to pick up and play game even more accessible and open to an even greater fan base.

There have been rumours about the game circulating on the internet for a while now so it is surprising that Sony managed to keep it under wraps for so long. Confirmation has come in the form of a number of screen shots appearing of the game online and the new info released from Sony.

One source of the leaked images and information was Future Shop Gamer, a US retailer that shared the images via its Twitter account.

Details of the title are few and far between but there are a few tit-bits out there doing the rounds. It is thought that the new game will utilise a special peripheral to enhance the experience: a PlayStation Move wheel peripheral. The game will also be 3D compatible, a trend that is consistent with all major firstparty releases from Sony. Perhaps the most obvious piece of news is that the game will be a PlayStation exclusive, though there is no word as to whether the game will be released for the PlayStation Vita or not.

This of course means that Sack Boy is following in the iconic footsteps of another platforming icon…. Nintendo’s ‘Mario’, who also branched into the Karting genre to great success. Of course we must not forget PlayStation very own icon, Crash Bandicoot, who also went down the same path with similar result.

If history is to repeat itself the move seems a fairly sound one, yet will the game retain the charm of the LittleBigPlanet series that has captured the hearts of gamers or is it just a way to generate a little more money from the franchise? We can only hope so.

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GAMING Review

FEATURES Four of the most popular maps from Battlefield 2 recreated using Frostbite 2.

Three Vehicles from Battlefield 2, along with one new.

BACK TO KARK

Ten Weapons from Battlefield 2 Unique Rewards, Achievements/trophies, and More.

Enhanced Destruction Conquest Assault (Up to Seven Control Points in Conquest with one team holding all the objectives at the start) Assignments: Challenges to unlock new weapons.

B

ack to Karkand is DICE’s first expansion pack for its superb Battlefield 3 FPS was launched in mid-December.

What you actually get for your money here is 4 of the most popular maps from the Battlefield series re-mastered using their phenomenal Frostbite 2 games engine. You also get 10 of Battlefield 2’s most famous weapons to play with, 5 new achievements/ trophies, ten new custom dog tags and 3 new vehicles On the PS3 the Server Brower menu houses EA specific servers which cater for matches with Back to Kirkand maps and game modes. It is pretty sweet that it can specifically target maps and game modes for only the new Back to Kirkand content. In game playing the servers performed well most of the time with only a few disconnections over the test Page 34

period but it was pretty early in the release so perhaps there were a few teething problems in the first few days.

Assignments – Assignments are exactly what you think they are, tasks that you are expected to perform during the game. When you have completed all the tasks for a particular assignment, you are rewarded with a new weapon and unlock the next tier. In this pack there are five groups of assignments with two tiers each.

Wake Island will be well known to anyone having played Battlefield 1943. It is a U-shaped island and the action starts with the U.S. embarking from a remote carrier in the middle of the bay, from which they must undertake an amphibious assault.

Sharqi Peninsula is one of the largest maps in this new collection; it seems to also have the least amount of vehicles. PC players will really enjoy this map as it allows them to have the full 64 players engaged at one time while our console gamers unfortunately are limited to only having 24 bodies.

On a 24 map of this size I do feel you can sometimes get a little jaded with running round trying to locate enemies, playing Conquest Assault here is also quite disappointing, but Team Deathmatch is extremely enjoyable.

The Gulf of Oman map is a good deal more jam-packed than the other three maps on offer in this MAR 2012 - issue (15)

expansion pack, especially when you look at say Sharqi Peninsula or Wake Island. Oman allows players to get truly up close and personal but let’s good teams ‘gang up’ on less experienced ones and, well, rip them to shreds. The buggies are here to drive around in and they handle pretty closely to the real thing (someone told me anyway as I’ve never actually driven a real one).

Handling is sharp, but do beware as they are pretty susceptible to flipping. Bear in mind that they are also quite vulnerable as they have very light armour and are really only meant for zipping round the map.

The highlight of the new pack is definitely the wonderful Strike at Karkand. The map is the essence of a real “concrete jungle”. The many tanks situated around the main streets force soldiers to negotiate through the countless buildings found on the map. That of course adds to the intensity as players never quite know who or what is lying in wait for you in the section of building that you have just entered, or down an alley, or over a wall, behind a door. Snipers are really going to fall in love with this map due to the variety and large quantities of roosts to nest in letting them pick off unwary foes.

There is a seamless fusion between the original game and the new expansion so it allows players to enjoy the game in its entirety minus the annoyances of losing their new toys.

DICE and EA have done really well

KAND

with this package and its outstanding goodies within. Sure there have been teething problems but it is hard to find an online game that doesn’t have some issues these days. So despite a few issues here and there I think DICE has managed to pull together a great expansion which Battlefield 3 fans will defo not go without.

GGGG

KARKLAND WEAPONS ASSAULT RIFLES

FAMAS - The FAMAS has a very high

rate of fire and high power.

L85A2 -

The L85 is a bullpup assault rifle designed in the 1970s and 80s to become the service rifle of the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom.

CARBINES

QBZ-95B - Light Rifle, Automatic, Type

95, is a Chinese assault rifle

designed in 1995.

HK53A3 - A variant of the HK33 assault

rifle.

MACHINE GUNS

QBB-95 - Excels in being a mobile LMG

as it is remarkably accurate

compared to other available

machine guns.

MG36 - Light Machine Gun variant of

the H&K G36 Assault Rifle.

SNIPER RIFLES

QBU-88 - Chinese-made bullpup semi automatic marksman rifle

designed in the late 1980s.

L96A1

Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle based upon the Arctic Warfare, and is chambered in 7.62 x 51 mm NATO.

PERSONAL DEFENCE

PP-19 - 9mm submachine gun devel

oped in the early 1990s at

Izhmash.

SHOTGUN

MK3A1 - 12-gauge, gas-operated, fully

automatic shotgun.

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GAMING Review

Y

ou know what they say about ‘big is better’ and that ‘many hands make light work’? Well how do you fancy having both those in your FPS? Yeh too right you do. Well when The Darkness 2 lets you transform into a multi-tentacle killing machine you can rain massive amounts of destruction on your opponents and gees it’s so much fun as well, why more games don’t use it is beyond me.

It’s been five years since the last Darkness game which is a pretty Page 36

long delay for a business pretty used to an annual release or update from so many other developers.

Your character TD2 is mobster Jackie Estacado, who not only has two normal human arms to utilise your typical assortment of weapons, but he also has two super cool piranhafaced tentacles which are a result of the ancient Darkness which is present in Jackie’s human body.

You can pick up and throw objects (that glow) using your left tentacle such as using scaffold poles as lethal weapons to impale your enemies.

Shields can be made from car doors as you rip them from their hinges, when done toss them at your opponent Frisbee style. You can also use this additional arm to rip out the hearts of fallen enemies in order to top up your falling energy levels.

Another rather gruesome use of this extra limb is to pick up your enemies MAR 2012 - issue (15)

and when in your grasp you can execute a variety of grisly executions. You can chose from the likes of Decapitation, Dismemberment, Bisection Disembowelment with the completion of each rewarding you with some secondary advantage like additional health, extra ammo, shields or quicker recharge on one of your other Darkness associated powers.

As if that isn’t enough you have one of these on your right shoulder to and this one lets you slash across the screen side to side or up and down. You can use it to smashing through things or slicing up your rivals.

5 years ago we did see these special features but they were a lot clunkier that they are in TD2 and the control system to utilise them has been far more intuitive and useful with multiple possibilities for bringing these

killer weapons into play.

A lot of praise has to go to new developer Digital Extremes and how it has taken the reigns from original developers Starbreeze and improved, upgraded and just plainly taken it to a new level of embellishment.

not every day that you can actually find a good reason to get up to some gory stuff but in TD2 you are rewarded for being inventive in this area, and the more inventive the better and the more Dark Essence you can gain. Essence = Money and with which you develop your powers.

Gameplay is super fluid and offers a far smoother experience than a lot of the higher end, more realistic shooters out there. Combat is fast and ferocious but you will find that even your hardest opponent can be taken down using good techniques and a few well-placed shots. It’s

Enemies are not the hardest in the world to beat and there doesn’t seem to be much of a level kick up between the varied enemies that you meet.

You could be facing regular mob enforcers

ally walk around and talk to other people. There are even regular section’s that are based in an asylum, which may be a subtle hint that this could actually be where you character is in reality.

black man, boozy foul-mouthed Scot, sword-wielding Japanese man and merciless sexy Jew lady and carry out various missions and hits at Jackie’s request.

The Darkling is a scurrying ‘Cockney’ chap that acts as a guide and comic side kick but you can also take control of him and scamper about in the darkness, bumping off unsuspecting guards. This only occurs during scripted sections and is a nice change of pace I suppose.

All the character in the game has their very own Darkness-powered weapon offering them a unique killer move and ability route. It doesn’t take long for you to push these to the max and overall the characters are basically the same at heart, in saying that there’s definitely no denying the fact that it’s huge fun to have these storming around the games arena, disembowelling and impaling to your heart’s content.

The online experience does not have the usual competitive multiplayer mode but in its place we are treated to an entirely separate co-op campaign in which four players can take on the characters of a scary voodoo

The multiplayer mode is pretty rudimentary and you definitely won’t MAR 2012 - issue (15)

or demon-infused members of The Brotherhood attempting to gain The Darkness for its own evil deeds but for me anyway you always seem to be more than capable of defeating them. Sure some require more strategy, but even these seem to be pretty obvious to work out.

I like TD2 as it is one of the most narrative based shooters to come out and despite being a game that pushes you to keep moving, hacking and firing your way throughout its good to be involved in a pretty sweet storyline to. There are large portions of this game where you slow the pace down and actu-

be impressed by the rudimentary movements of your corresponding players. It does appear pretty obvious to me that Digital Extremes have not really targeted this game to a full online onslaught. With the gratifying story mode to play through coupled with the ability to unlock bonus levels designed especially for two players or more, it does supply a good range of gaming for player’s enjoyment.

In the end it is its stand out style that marks The Darkness 2 as one title to consider if you’re interested in something different to the usual ‘capture the flag’ type outings.

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GAMING

F

Review

inally, it’s arrived; the brand new SSX has at long last come back to our screens.

Te latest reboot of SSX has multiple intense and dangerous descents, a great and competitive multiplayer mode and a greater sense of speed when playing. Long awaiting fans will no doubt love the addition of a new SSX and the buzz you get from conquering these peaks are sure to turn countless new arrivals, like myself, into fans as well.

Playing either the single-player mode or busting new descent times against fellow players, for the most part SSX is consumed by racing and tricking your way down snow covered mountain tracks. The real-world locations have had one hell of an extreme makeover and take place in the Alps, Alaska, Siberia and seven additional locations. Exclusive to the PS3 is Mount Fuji of Japan which appears as a playable location but is the only location that doesn’t have a deadly descent associated with it.

Even I know that pulling off tricks in SSX is essential even during race events, not only does make you look badass but because landing tricks is the way you fill your boost meter.

You can trick off helicopters or perhaps grind rails that bend and twist through the heart of Kilimanjaro and leave you feeling like a gravity defying maniac.

The controls for tricking are sensitive, loose and feel perfect and you can use either the right thumbstick or the face buttons. The basic controls make everything look easier and possible. Making the most of either the right stick or the face buttons, you won’t feel overloaded by the control format. This setup allows players like beginners, such as myself, of lower skill levels to be able to compete with one another and land some awesome moves.

The World Tour mode is a good way to recognise you with the environments and Page 38

MAR 2012 - issue (15)

mechanics of SSX, but once you have got a hang of the controls, all the competition heats up in the multiplayer modes. The Explore mode lets you explore around the globe aiming for medal targets and looking for records to top set by friends or other players on any of the dozens of runs around the game’s tracks. Your friend’s performance will show up as a ghost for you to compete against helpfully the ghosts leaves a glowing trail behind them, which not only look cool and are useful for exploiting mistakes they might have made or revealing quicker routes. Deadly descent events test your and your mates to determine who travels the farthest; there’s no stopping when you reach the bottom as you are sent back up the start to begin again.

SSX is a great snowboarding and has an incredible amount of great things wrapped into it that I could only have fun while playing the game. Ignoring a few hit-and-miss voice acting and not very captivating storyline plays out and the occasional character glitched between two rocks. SSX brings back an endless joy and reason for playing all night trying to improve on your previous score or outdo you friends. And also SSX wouldn’t really be SSX without landing the perfect trick and having RunDMC’s signature track “It’s Tricky” play as a sort of “Awwww Yeahhhh!” moment. So whether you just want to relax, have fun and land some sweet tricks in the Rockies or favor a hard battle against the terrain and its harsh elements, SSX will have you nothing but covered.

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OUTABOUT &

IN WEST LOTHIAN

The Bennie Museum

The Bennie Museum opened in 1989 as a museum of Bathgate’s history and life. It is run entirely by volunteers under the management of a Charitable Trust. It has been commended by the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions. www.benniemuseum.org.uk 11am - 4pm (Apr to Sep) & 11am -3.30pm (Oct to Mar) - FREE 9-11 Mansefield Street, Bathgate, EH48 4HU 01506 634944

Almond Valley Heritage Trust, Almond Valley is operated as a popular leisure destination that appeals to a diverse audience and promotes learning through discovery, family interaction and play. We also operate a formal education programme. www.almondvalley.co.uk Millfield, Livingston, EH54 7AR 01506 414957

The Garage Skatepark

Stu Graham and co have decided to open a new skateshop at The Garage Skatepark in Livingston! The shop is still in it’s early stages but should be open for business right now.

FACEBOOK: The Garage Indoor Skate Park Mon - Sat: 10am - 10pm - Sun: 10am - 8pm 5D Grange Road, Houston Industrial Estate, EH54 5DE

Bankhead Mountainball Like many ‘extreme’ sports, Zorbing, Orbing or Sphereing was created in New Zealand back in 1994. The concept is quite simple, you build a human sphere which can accommodate up to two fully grown adults, secure them inside then let them roll down a hill in it (hamsters have been exercised for many years in a very similar way!) www.bankheadmountainball.co.uk Contact for opening hours Bankhead Farm, Dechmont, Broxburn, EH52 6NB 01506 811209 Page 46

MAR 2012 - issue (15)

OUTABOUT &

IN WEST LOTHIAN

Funtastic Fantasy Golf Limited

Miniature golf arena but it’s one with a difference it’s BLACK-LIGHT UV which means that not only do the 3D prop’s glow in the dark but also the golf balls and art work on the wall do too. This facility is a fantastic family day out for all ages & abilities with a cafe that sell homemade food made onsite at their cafe ‘Dino Bites’

Mon - Sun: 10:00 am - 10:00 pm 3 St Andrews Way, Livingston, EH54 8HQ 07935 576943

Racing Karts Racing Karts quickly established itself as a force in Indoor Kart Racing due to its attention to safety, cleanliness and customer satisfaction.

They like to call themselves ‘The Friendly Circuit’ www.racingkarts.co.uk Times: Booking required - call to arrange Arrol Square, Deans Industrial Estate, Livingston, EH54 8QZ 01506 410123

Livingston Skate Park

The Livingston Skatepark opened in 1981, at a time when most commercial skateparks were closing and was one of the most important facilities in Britain during a critical period in the development of skateboarding. It is an example of a free, unsupervised facility which achieved international status.

Daylight access all year round FREE 16 Northwood Park, Opposite Almondvale Shopping Centre, Livingston, EH54 6HR

Deer Park Ten Pin Bowling Deer Park Bowling Centre is a 16 Lane Bowling Centre with the capacity to hold 128 bowlers. There is a bar and food served throughout. At ‘Late night Glow Bowling’ the lights are dimmed and the lanes come alive with GLOW IN THE DARK, ULTRA VIOLET lighting effects and music. www.deer-park.co.uk Mon-Thur: 4pm-10pm / Fri: 12pm-midnight / Sat: 10am-midnight / Sun: 10am-10pm Golf Course Road, Livingston, EH54 8AB - 01506 446699 MAR 2012 - issue (15)

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OUTABOUT &

IN WEST LOTHIAN

Delta Force Paintball

Delta Force Paintball provides world class paintballing in Scotland. In addition to the scenery, incredible game zones provide players with an adrenalin-fuelled day of paintball action all year round. www.paintballgames.co.uk Weekends + 1 Weekday - check online for details Off Burnhouse Road, Dechmont, Livingston, EH49 6PL 0844 477 5050

Go Ape - Beecraigs It’s not in the dictionary, but if it was, Go Ape would be described as a ‘tree top adventure’. A dollop of breathtaking scenery; a smattering of tree-top wires, crossings and wind-in-your-face zip wires; finished off with a liberal dose of people in search of their inner Tarzan. www.goape.co.uk Check Web Site for opening times and bookings The Park Centre, Beecraigs Country Park, Linlithgow EH49 6PL 0845 643 9215

Five Sisters Zoo

The Five Sisters Zoo was established in 2005 and is the only wildlife attraction centre in West Lothian. With over 100 different species of animals, birds and reptiles from all around the world your visit will be a fun, enjoyable and educational one - all ages. www.fivesisterszoo.co.uk Open 7 Days a week - 10am - 6pm (5pm Winter half of year) Gavieside, West Calder, EH55 8PT 01506 871 111

Overboard Soft Play Overboard Soft Play is an exciting indoor Soft Play and entertainment venue for kids aged 0-11 yrs. They have it all, from chutes to ball pits to go-karts to ball cannons. With an underwater theme and seperate play zones for different age groups and abilities, your children are sure to have a great time from the minute they arrive until it’s time to go home. www.overboardsoftplay.com Wed - Sun: 10:15 am - 6:00 pm 3 St Andrews Way, Livingston, EH54 8HQ - 01506 873888 Page 48

MAR 2012 - issue (15)

MOVIES QUIZ ANSWERS...

No 1: Avril Lavigne

No 2: Axel Rose

No 3: Eminem

No 4: Kurt Cobain

No 5: Madonna

No 6: Marilyn Manson

No 7: Britney Spears

No 8: Ben Stiller

No 9: Neil Patrick Harris

No 10: Angelina Jolie

No 11: Brad Pitt

No 12: Martha Plimpton

MAR 2012 - issue (15)

PAGE 49

CLASSIC MOVIE POSTERS 101

Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American epic war film set during the Vietnam War, directed and produced by Francis

Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard (Martin Sheen), of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces Colonel Walter E. Kurtz (Marlon Brando).

Coppola’s and John Milius’s script is based on Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness, and also draws from Michael Herr’s Dispatches, the film version of Conrad’s Lord Jim (which shares the same character of Marlow with Heart of Darkness), and Werner Herzog’s Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972).[3] The film drew attention for its lengthy and troubled production. Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse documented Brando’s showing up on the set overweight, Sheen’s heart attack, and extreme weather destroying several expensive sets. The film’s release was postponed several times while Coppola edited millions of feet of footage.

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MAR 2012 - issue (15)