All Otaku Magazine Issue 5 by All Otaku Magazine

MARCH MADNESS issue 1st March 2013

ALL OTAKU Magazine Because We Love Otaku

NFC:

5 reasons you want it

SA’s Biggest Online Otaku Magazine

Star War’s New Director:

White Day:

J.J Abrahams

Japans Second Valentines day

OUYA:

What Does Android have for us this time?

ARISE

HOTD, K And SAO and more All Otaku’s

Girl

Gamers:

A new Generation of gamers say they are the same as any other.

HOTD: Social dynamics

#5 1

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

5 RULES of Cosplay

Dream Machine What would you do if you had the cash?

BIOSHOCK 3: ‘Nuff Said

Price is| March subject to exchange rate changes, All Otaku does not take responability for any All Otaku Magazine 2013

y changes in Pricing.

GAEMS G155-Gaming and Entertainment

Mobile System R 1760.00

Intergrated 15.5â&#x20AC;? LED display with HDMI connection Integrated stereo speakers and dual 3.5 mm headphone jacks. Rugged case protects all your gaming gear from minor impacts Storage bags hold your controllers, power supplies, and other accessories. Straps and fitted foam base hold your console firmly in place while also allowing for proper ventilation. Console and accessories not included.

Watch Product Review Online All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

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All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

Master Ed’s Letter

What Our fans Have Say: Since our inception in 2011 we have been recieving little bits of affermation from our readers and we thought we would feature them in the magazine. Thanx to all of you who support us, it means a lot that you like our hard work. Hopefully more of you will write in with something to say. Be it questions, advice, or just to say hi. We look forward to hearing from you.

Hi I’m very excited about your magazine , I think it’s really going awesome. I told all my cosplay and Anime friends about your magazine and said they must check it out, cause we had no source of anime for 2 years now. Thank you for starting another magazine. Jan-Hendrik Hofmeyr Hi Compliment: Seen a view Otaku magazines, but actually enjoy reading this one as it is focused on what we need to know. Good job! :) Arigato Jan-Hendrik Hofmeyr

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

Question of the Month

Leendert Viljoen

So after two months of planning and plotting it is finally here, our fifth issue of All Otaku is finally out and we have you guys to thank for all the motivation. With every issue we release we get one step closer to becoming a common house hold name, which for you guys means better articles, better layouts and in general, a better experience. Speaking of taking steps, this past month we started our first competition in which people were asked to help us gain likes on Facebook and Twitter, once we reach that goal we will announce it and the first two people to email WE LOVE OTAKU to our email address wins a prize. Needless to say there was a huge response and we cannot wait to see who wins the first two prizes. I am looking at pictures of that Hatsune Miku model and only wishing I could enter my own competitions. Lol. For more details you can check out the e-poster at the back of this magazine. This month’s issue is actually a rather exciting one. We may not have covered as much anime as usual but never fear we will cover more in the months to come, at the moment that gaming industry is taking off and we wanted to cover it. From the latest games like Bioshock 3 and Ni No Kuni to the latest gaming devices from Android and Nvidia. We even tell you why you need NFC and if you ever wondered what our dream machine would look like then here it is. Girl Gamers tell us what they think of the industry and Sin Bin’s Cynthia Brown tells us if she likes Jelly Beans or Marshmallows in her interview as Otaku Person of the Month. Zombies and babes are back! Read more in our HOTD spread. Then SA cosplayers give us some tips on how to be a cosplayer and we find out what Japan’s second Valentine’s Day is all about. As you can see we are packed this month and that is not even the half of it. ~Love Ed

Why do computers run off Direct Current? Really one word: Transistors. Transistors are really just a more complicated diode. A diode is a check-valve, it only allows flow in one direction. A simple Transistor is a diode with an on-off control as well. Direct current is the opposite of alternating current. In alternating current, the flow direction changes back and forth at the frequency of the power supplied. This means that the transistor would only work when the flow was going in one direction, and not when it was going in the other direction. What’s more, there is a very short period in each cycle of a single-phase of alternating current when there is no flow, and no voltage (to speak of). It may be short in human terms, but in CPU terms nowadays it is thousands of CPU clock cycles. So you see, alternating current is just not compatible with computers innards.

Thanx to the guys at EVGA for helping us answer our question of the month.

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

Featured Anime

Art

Sword

Online

PLAY

A m

In be in vi ge un th m in ne so fir H in bu w pe ca Re m ga on Ta

A game of psychology and affection, when a young boy meets his true love online.

n the near future, gaming has gone eyond normal pc’s and developed nto a startlingly realistic simulation ia a new headset dubbed “Nerve ear”. This head mounted display nit reads electronic impulses from he brain and translates it into commands used in game, thereby linkng the headset straight into your ervous system. Sounds good? Not o much for the players of its very rst RPG Sword Art Online... Hundreds of players eagerly logged nto the game upon initial release, ut got the worst news of their lives when the game master of SAO apears telling all the players that they an no longer log out of the game. emoval of the head set in real life means instant death. Death in the ame means death in real life. The nly way to get out... clear the game. alk about playing as if your life de-

pended on it. This is the setting for the anime where Kirito, our hero, finds himself trapped inside the game. He is a solo player. He is also one of the handful of beta testers for SAO, who by the way, the other people are blaming for their current predicament. The people of SAO try to come to grips with the situation, bringing up many psychological issues and proving that humans will survive in any environment, even a virtual one. And when time smoothes the edges even love begins to bloom when Kirito falls for Asuna, his in-game wife. I’ve been talking about this anime since the first episode, but have had conflicting responses from various people. Most say they are eager for more eps, whilst others say the setting is a little too emo for their

liking. To be honest, I feel that the anime has a very well told story line, with the character build up being done immensely well. This anime had me hook, line, and sinker. The anime truly has something for everybody. There are some spectacular fight scenes, some really hot romance ones, and a good dose of melancholy as well as laughter. I’m hoping that they don’t stop and continue with a second season. ~Beleran Name: Sword Art Online Director: Tomohiko Itou Genre: Action & Sci Fi Studio: A-1 Pictures Release Date: December 10, 2012 Website: Offical Wiki

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

Arise: Ghost In The Shell

or years now the Ghost in the Shell franchise has been a source of entertainment for many otaku across the world and if recent reports are correct we now have a new addition to the series. Arise! Up until now we haven’t heard any news regarding this series since 2005, close on 10 years ago, but recently that changed when Production I.G announced their latest project earlier this year. Little is known about the project other than that it was started at the beginning of this year and that the story line involves a

new shell. This short series is composed in four parts, each episode running for 50 minutes. According to the site the series will be a prequel focusing on Kusanagi’s history before Section 9 and how she became a part of the cybercrime fighting world. For those of you who don’t know Ghost in the Shell was primarily set in the fictional Japanese city of New Port, the series follows the members of Public Security Section 9, a special-operations task-force made up of former military officers and police detectives. Political intrigue and counter terrorism operations are standard fare for Section 9, but the various actions of cor-

rupt officials, companies, and cyber-criminals in each scenario are unique and require the diverse skills of Section 9’s staff to prevent a series of incidents from escalating, such as stopping a military tank with a mind of its own and preventing nuclear terrorism. With world-wide popularity it would seem that the chances of this anime being released in places like America and Australia are good. We may even see a few copies here in short time, the first of the series is titled “border:1 Ghost Pain” and will be released on the 22nd of June this year. ~Ed

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one cool cat

ashiro Isana has lived a relatively ordinary, simple life. He lives in the technology-advanced Shizume City and attends Ashinaka High School, a notable high school that is located on an island just outside the areas. Yashiro is friendly with everyone. Nothing ever seems wrong about him, except perhaps his habit of forgetting where his school-issued PDA is. However, nothing normal has been happening since the recent murder of Tatara Totsuka, prominent member of the infamous HOMRA. No one knows who exactly killed him but the man responsible bears an uncanny, identical appearance to Yashiro. Seeking vengeance, the Red Clansmen of HOM-

RA set out to get Yashiro and kill him. Everyone suspects that Yashiro is the murderer. But whether or not he is guilty is not clear.â&#x20AC;? - Wikipedia This anime definitely has a solid plot, great visuals (special effects, hot guys and that hint of ecchi for the perverts *tongue in cheek*) and decent character development for the short duration of the season. The only con I can think of in this show is the fact that it is only 13 episodes long. A second season is in the works to be released sometime soon, no definite dates have been set yet but we will keep you up dated. The one thing I loved about this series was the cat. I love cats, and this anime has a super cute cat girl! Besides the cuteness

Quality fighting scenes have always been something that keeps me hooked to anime, and K has no shortage of awesomeness in this department. Expect bad ass sword fighting mixed with some crazy abilities.

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

e t s e

, s

Name: K (K Project) Director: Shingo Suzuki Genre: Action & Supernatural. Studio: GoHands Release Date: 4 October 2012 Website: Official Wiki

Play she also happens to be very strong! She is one of my favorite characters in this show and I would love to cosplay her too one day! Quality fighting scenes have always been something that keeps me hooked to anime, and K has no shortage of awesomeness in this department. Expect bad ass sword fighting mixed with some crazy abilities. This doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always happen, but I developed multiple crushes watching this series! (lol) The plot may be a bit hard to decipher at first, but with the second season I am sure much more will become clearer. Despite some minor ambiguous detail, K never ceases to entertain. If you like a short and sweet anime season, I recommend

you try this show. Yes, there is death - so be careful who you become attached to! There are some beautiful developments between characters in K which gives it that feel good edge to finish off with! Viewers will likely want more! ~ KomboKitten

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

Anime and Manga Reviews Maoyū Maō Yūsha:

Featured Review

Name: Noblesse Director: Son Jae Ho & Lee Gwang Su Genre: Action & Supernatural. Studio: Not Found Release Date: 2007 Website: Wiki Noblesse: Cadis Etrama di Raizel , or Rai for short, is a noble by birth. A near immortal alien species that watch over mankind. Rai wakes up after 800 years of slumber, a necessity for him to maintain his life force. Waking up however, in modern day Japan comes as quite a shock to him. The humans have developed far beyond what he recalls, and he finds himself engrossed in a world that is as alien to him as he is alien to it. He meets up with a couple of students, who promptly misinterpret his clothing as a school uniform and drags him with them to a local school. Rai plays along, deciding that it was an excellent place to learn what changed. Much to his surprise, he finds that the school’s headmaster is run by his servant, Frankenstein (and no, it’s not the one you know), a human who transcended the limitations of time. Having altered his body by experimentation, he is stronger, faster, more powerful than any human on the planet, par the nobles. Frankenstein is astounded to find his master awake but takes him in immediately and fills in the gaps for him. A few days later, Rai’s new friends are attacked by a vampire and he is forced to step in to save his friends, totally crushing the opposition with a single word. A ripple effect is caused by this forcing Union, the organization behind this to take action. Union’s elders have made startling strides in the same research Frankenstein has. World domination is their aim. All resistance must be removed. Rai is the Noblesse. The strongest of his race. Will he be able to protect what is most dear to him? This manga is superbly written and always done in color, much to my delight. It has a compelling storyline, and is a definite on my list of weekly updates. It is quite a pity that like most Korean manga’s, it will probably never be made into an anime series. I would sincerely have loved to see it in anime. A double thumbs up on this one! ~Beleran

AllOtaku OtakuMagazine Magazine || March 2013 All January 2013

In a time where man and demon is common place. And with any w a Hero, in this case he is called Th Demon King. After a perilous jou Demon Kings domain, his only de and save humanity but when he re to find that he is in fact a she. In a the Demon Queen refuses to fight plains that if either one of them ha demons would begin to war with be destroyed. Convinced by her w the Demon King and together th perity and a lasting peace to both coming famous in the Human Wo by her beauty, the Crimson Schol distrust by the church and the Ce as a heretic in spite of her growing ceasefire between the Humans an nates rumors that her battle with ing in his disappearance and her b thus leading her servants to the f able to command them until her r of the Queen’s plan, the Hero con the name of White Swordsman. W Realm as a peacekeeper, he dons a ing to a former Demon Lord, add Queen called the Black Knight. This series was created by Mamar was posted in a play format on the the light novel caught the eye of En in 2010. Since then they released copies in total.

Name: Maoyū Maō Yūsha Director: Takeo Takahashi Genre: comedy, fantasy, romance Studio: ARMS Release Date: January 5, 2013

Website: Wiki

n fight to the rule the world war war that is fought there is always The Hero who’s archenemy is the urney our Hero finally reaches the esire is to destroy the Demon King eaches the the King he is shocked an attempt to make the Hero listen and offers him an alliance. She exad to win the war, humanity or the themselves and everything would words, the Hero joins forces with hey execute a plan to bring prosh Humans and Demons alike. Beorld not only by her feats, but also lar (Demon King) is viewed with entral kingdoms, who brands her g influence. To ensure a temporary nd Demons, the Queen dissemithe Hero indeed occurred, resultbody becoming severely wounded, false belief that she would not be recuperation is completed. As part nceals his true identity and adopts While traveling through the Demon an imposing black armor belongdressing himself as a servant of the

re Touno, the Japanese light novel e textboard 2channel in 2009 when nterbrain, who began publishing it five volumes, selling over 450,000

Play

Name: Fractale Director: Yutaka Yamamoto Genre: Sci Fi Studio: A-1 Pictures, Ordet

Release Date: January 13, 2011

Website: Wiki

Fractale: On a futuristic Island, Clain never questioned the world he lived in. Until one day where he finds an injured girl named Phryne, do his eyes open up to the truth of the world around him. Phryne carries a pendant with mysterious old data on it which Clain activates, putting him up for more than he bargained for. He might just have the key to save or destroy all of Fractale. The Fractale System is collapsing, Stars of Fractale are disappearing and a restart of the system by the Temple is on its way. Clain needs to decide what is important to him and discover the secrets behind Phryne, the Temple and the Fractale System. Can humanity survive without being dependant on Fractale or is the Fractale System the only way? “In this world, there are all sorts of people. Those who want Fractale. Those who hate Fractale. Those trying to destroy Fractale. Those trying to Protect Fractale.”

All Otaku 20132013 All OtakuMagazine Magazine| March | January

Anime and Manga Reviews Haiore Nyaruko-san The Cthulu mythos of HP Lovecraft is usually characterised by horrifying elder gods entering the world and spreading insanity just by the sheer power of their presence. Haiore Nyaruko-san definitely takes the insanity aspect, but only in a “What the heck am I watching?” sense. Nyarlothotep or Nyaruko for short is an agent for a kind of alien police force. All of the Lovecraftian elder gods are actually aliens and Earth, while unaware of their existence, is a major provider of entertainment for the rest of the universe. Nyaruko, who appears to have an unhealthy addiction to anime and games has been assigned to protect Mahiro from a mysterious organisation that wishes to kidnap him for nefarious purposes. Over the course of the series Mahiro meets up with various Lovecraftian abominations reborn as humans ranging from the fire spirit Kuuko, who harbours an obsessive interest in having Nyaruko’s child, to the sweet and effeminate Hastur, who has a strange attachment to Mahiro. From an animation perspective Haiore Nyaruko-san is a pretty good looking series, the characters are distinct and, with the exception of Nyaruko, all actually seem to follow their Lovecraftian counterparts. For example Hastur’s blonde hair and yellow clothing matching his less holy counterpart. This is not a series that is very deep on the ground and fortunately that is what saves it from becoming annoying. Aside from the setting this thing has more in common with Azumanga-daioh than the Arkham horror with the characters bouncing around like hyperactive ping pong balls in a tumble dryer as they interact. Names and places from the Cthulu Mythos are intermingled with clever fast paced humour and a genuine sense of good natured geekery that barring a few slightly creepy moments feels like a sincere effort. It would also seem that there is a remake on the way schedualled to be released in April.

Name: Haiore Nyaru-

ko-san

Director: Hiroshi Nagahama Genre: Comedy Romance Satire Studio: Zexcs Release Date: October 23, 2009 – March 15, 2010

Website: Wki

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

Name: Aku no

Hana

Director: Hiroshi Nagahama Genre: Romance, Psychological Studio: Zexcs Release Date: 2013 Website: Manga Fox Official

Aku no Hana

The story opens as middle school stu a math test. But he doesn’t even seem in surreptitiously reading Beaudelair goes downhill from there. In a mom home the gym clothes belonging to s he has a major crush. Unfortunately theft: Nakamura, who has a huge c streak. As the saga unfolds, we see Ta confess or cover up his misdeeds at th the girl of his dreams, and avoid the b new ”BFF.” While this seems like the cording to reports it is actually pretty come out you can just watch it on

udent Takao Kasuga receives an F on m to notice because he’s too engrossed re’s The Flowers of Evil. And the day ment of weakness, he finds and takes sweet, pretty Nanako Saeki on whom y for Takao, there’s a witness to the chip on her shoulder and a sadistic akao struggling to decide whether to he same time that he tries to win over blackmail attempts of Nakamura, his strangest story I have ever heard, acy good. And now that the anime has

Thermaltake Level 10 GT Snow Edition Super Gaming Modular Tower Case

Product Features

Hinged side panel to enable easier opening of the side door and access to computer for maintenance or upgrade. User no longer “hides” the excessive cable on the back, the Level 10 GT features numerous holders designed into the chassis for cable management. Five hot-swappable hard drive bays, each with its dedicated backplane to support hot-swap. Hard drive mounting supports both 2.5” or 3.5” drives Two USB 3.0 ports and one eSATA port located on the top. Connectivity array. Four USB 2.0 ports are conveniently located on the front bezel including a pair of audio ports. Fan speed management control embedded. ColorShift fans can be easily controlled through controls on the top. Performance cooling made quiet:one top 200mm exhaust fan, one front 200mm intake fan, one side 200mm intake fan and one rear 140mm exhaust fan. Water cooling ready - 120mm or 240mm radiators can be easily attached to the top side of the chassis (top 200m fan needs to be removed)

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

“Boku

wa Tomodachi”

16 year old Kodaka Hasegawa has no friends. Being a transfer student to Saint Chronica High school with uniquely coloured hair, poor uncouth Kodaka has been mistaken for a delinquent and as a result everyone is too scared to talk to him. After a month of people scurrying away at his presence Kodaka happens upon class mate Yozura Mikazuki in mid conversation with someone who isn’t really there. Tomyish and prideful Yozura is not insane, merely practicing with her air friend “Tomo-chan” as she too has no real friends. After a brief discussion about finding friends Yozura runs off leaving a confused Kodaka behind, it is only a day later when Yozura summons him to follow her that he discovers her master plan “The Neighbours club”. According to Yozura, the Neighbours Club is a place where people meet in order to learn the skills needed to become good friends, the real reason behind the club, well that’s a secret I won’t spoil. At its heart this series is a love comedy, what people tend to fall for are the characters not any big elaborate set pieces and like it’s spiritual forebear Haruhi Suzumiya Boku wa Tomodachi is full of fun and memorable characters. In addition to poor misjudged Kodaka

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

The Art of making Friends

and the often unintentionally mean-spirited Yozura there is: Sena, a very good looking and seemingly popular girl, who due to her stunning looks and aloof personality has been unable to make any female friends, Maria, the a 10 year old nun who acts as the club’s moderator, Yukimura, a character whose gender is a mystery for much of the show, who wishes to learn the ways of manliness from Kodaka and Rika, the show’s resident mad scientist who has a perverted obsession with mecha and yaoi manga. Add in Kodaka’s own goth loli little sister who insists she is 1000 year old vampire and the fun never ceases. All of the characters are deeply lonely, often socially maladjusted people and their misunderstandings and unfamiliarity with the conventions of real friends make the series highly enjoyable. Sena and Yozura’s rivalry in particular leads to a lot of really funny scenes as their competitive nature prevents them from realising they’re actually becoming friends in their own dysfunctional way. The animation is very good quality for the genre and the occasional fantasy sequence breaks up the more dialogue heavy plotting quite nicely. Music and sound are fitting and the closing theme of the first series is insanely memorable if you like a bit of old school guitar rocking. -Gareth Duff

On the whole I would recommend Boku wa Tomodachi, it’s a highly enjoyable series with just the right amount of self awareness to work as both drama and comedy.

Let the Space Odyssy Begin

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

This might mean that the series may be retelling the story or just starting a new story altogether.

Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest zombie

Manga Is Back A

ccording to The Akiba one of our favourite manga series is back! The 29 chapter manga came to an abrupt hold in 2011 essentiality spending the last 2 years in cold storage before Kadokwa Shoten decided to bring the series back from the dead. Unfortunately, it would seem that this is a reboot instead of a continuation and fans will have to start from the beginning or even start a new story all together. Either way, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure all Highschool

Genre: Horror, Action, Ecchi Written by: Daisuke Sato Illustrated by: Shoji Sato Publisher: Kadokwa Shoten Distributor: Yen Press Release date: September 2006 Website: Official BUY

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

of The Dead fans will be pleased that the series is no longer on hiatus. You would be hard pressed to name any anime or manga about a zombie apocalypse so off the bat; High School of the dead deserves a little attention. With only 7 volumes it does well to keep you interested with its fast developing progress and plays on more than a few twists in character relations, general societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reaction to an

Accor

unknown that writes tory. The s your typica nese schoo whose first a teacher bie is to s dreams, Re couple cro er survivin make their the living d loved ones Things esc this series a on charact ety is imp disease and to point fin to control t If you are l to past the manga to g is far from

riginal Manga here.

rding to Akiba HOTD is back and ecchi as ever

worldwide epidemic s a new chapter for hisstory revolves around, ally spiky haired Japaol boy, Takashi Komuro, t reaction to witnessing getting bit by a zomsave the girl of his day ei Miyamoto. Soon the osses paths with othng couples, and try to r way around a city of dead, in search of their s. calate at a fast pace in and since it’s only focus ter growth is how socipacted by an unknown d how quick people are ngers and those trying this situation. looking for a good read e time, this is an ideal go through. The artwork m amateur but as far as

character design goes, there is nothing new under the sun so I wouldn’t shoot it down for its lack of originality. The manga is well adapted into anime and once again the Madhouse studio delivers some of the craziest fight sequences I have witnessed, killer blows against the living dead; spin kicks, head shots and panty shots all included. The characters and scenes stay true to what is found in the manga’s pages for the most part and does just as well in moving the pace of the story just as fast as it feels whilst reading the manga. As I’ve noted, Madhouse has some seriously great animation and great action, as expected from the same studio that brought us anime as tough as Chuck Norris; titles like Black Lagoon, Devil May

Cry, and Paranoia Agent amongst many others. The production value will not disappoint but the ending will be a bit of a surprise for most people. The anime delivers more than action, there’s a lot of life to the ecchi side of the series as well, without the fan service the show could very well be more aimed at a bit more serious audience but any chance of it winning over the uninitiated otaku is impossible. In the middle of an emotional, dramatic scene they opted not to keep the feeling but instead want us gushing blood from our noses at the wrong time. It definitely puts a damper on an otherwise great anime because it has it all, gravity defying action, great animation, and likable characters where female characters are more than damsels in distress. -Tobey

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

More Robots blasting their way onto the silver screen! It has been reported that our childhood anime Robotech might be turned into a Hollywood live action film. For our younger readers Robotech is an 85 episode science fiction anime adapted from three Japanese television series produced by Harmony Gold and was released in 1985 in the United States. These Japanese series are The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross and Genesis Climber MOSPEADA which Harmoney combined for American weekday syndication television forming Robotech. Robotech revolves around humans finding crashed alien starships discovering and developing new robotic technologies which they use to fight alien invasions. This anime, and maybe soon to be film,

will provide loads of action and robo technology for those Transformers fans. When I first heard about this I was real skeptical, since Hollywood has messed up some of our favorite anime productions. I mean there are hundreds of cosplayers who would fit the part way better than some actors calling Japanese animation “cartoons”. They might lack the acting skills but at least they would act out their characters with more of a passion then an actor would. Hollywood’s seen how popular an anime becomes just like that, “let’s make it a film and make loads of cash!”. I know some Otaku don’t mind watching these abominations but some glare at this incredible stupid ideas. One of my favorite anime series Avatar: The Last Airbender has been spoiled recently by Hollywood along with countless other anime series. I was so excited seeing Sokka and his boomerang accidents giving me loads of goofy fan girl giggles, but then they went and got one of the poker face

sparkle vampires to play his part. I am not saying Jackson Rathbone isn’t a good actor, but he just doesn’t fit the part of our comical character Sokka. Then again this time it might be different since the “I Am Legend” producer, Akiva Goldsman, could be producing Robotech. Well if you’re a movie lover and know about producers you would know Mr Goldsman is a busy man and is wanted for many other productions, that being said some other script might be a bigger priority to him than Robotech. If he does produce it and it gets to theaters I will most likely go watch it anyway. Akiva Goldsman was after all part of many Hollywood productions like I am legend,

I,Robot, The Da Vinci Code, Hancock, Angels & Demons

and countless others I love watching. All we can do is hope for the best and that he would give us a great live action film we all can enjoy watching without wanting to melt our faces off with a hot iron. -Melanie Robinson

3D – Cool or Cliché?

Play

I love going to the cinema – it’s one of my favourite pastimes. You’ve got to love sitting in a big, dark room, with a giant screen in front of you while frantically eat away at your popcorn like a mad person. Movies have a way of letting us experience things that we’ve only dreamed of doing. And with 3D, it allows us to get much closer to the action happening on the screen. What I (and possible many others) have noticed in this day and age is that most movies are being released in 3D. While this, in turn, is a great stepping stone in presenting cinema in a whole new dimension, it has started to become a sort of cliché for me. I feel that most movie producers are just making 3D movies for the sake of doing it, because almost everyone else is doing it. I remember in my childhood watching 3D movies like Spy Kids 3D: Game Over and Shark Boy & Lava Girl. What made those 3D movies great, in my opinion, is that they made proper use of the 3D technology presented to them. They took advantage of 3D and gave us special effects that were out of this world. I remember the part in Spy Kids 3D when Alexa Vega stretches her hand out towards the screen and it looks like she’s almost trying to grab someone from the cinema. That, to me, was a pinnacle point in terms of 3D movies. Nowadays, most 3D movies fail to capture the same magic that it had years ago. Although the technology is now available to more people than before, it’s still a shame that it’s not used properly. Hopefully those silly Hollywood producers will get the formula right and give us movie goers a 3D movie worth watching. ~Dale Hendricks

The 5 Rules of Cosplay

How to be a cosplayer in five steps Okay, okay, I am by no means an expert in the field of cosplay. I have never done it myself (as I do not really possess a “Brad Pitt” complex). However, what does make me more qualified than most is the fact that I have been sitting on the outskirts for quite some time. I am the guy who makes all the props and gives support to my wife, who does have a Brad Pitt complex, to take part in competitions. I have also had the privilege of chatting to and interview many in the cosplay scene. Some of the interviews were quite stunning and others were like giving an interview for a mental institution. All of the “who are you playing?” through to the “OMG I know that one” moments. I am trying to introduce the newbie to the wonderful world that is cosplay, and perhaps shed a bit of light to those who may have known, but could not quite express those rules.

There is nothing worse than a wt blanket...

Enjoy it!

This one should be obvious. However, it is at the top of the list for a very good reason: no- one likes a soppy, snivelling wet rag of a cosplayer. In fact if you are generally a “used handkerchief” of a person, most people will find you distasteful. If, however you have an open mind and are simply looking for some fun, then go ahead: cosplay is a great way to do it. Be the cosplay.

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

Live the cosplay. Or simply amaze people that you thought of such a cool character to do.

Look like the character.

It is no good trying to look like Fluttershy from My Little Pony (yes, my childhood was sad) and end up looking like Morticia from the Adams Family. While I think that the whole of South Africa acknowledges that the community is small, that is no excuse to look like my great-grand mother risen from the grave, when you are actually supposed to be a shy Pegasus. Most people in the community respect the fact that one has tried more than simply giving up.

Ask for help.

The cosplay community is an accommodating and fun-loving one. That means that there are many people out there who would be more than willing to help. Use their help and expertise. It can only improve the standard of cosplay. The community is also a great sounding board from which to get the best ideas. Many of the items that I have made would not be possible without the help of a couple of friends’ ideas and inspiration.

Crossplay is okay.

Can you think of anything that is cooler than doing a female version of a hulkingly huge male character. Well neither can my wife, which is why she tends to crossplay. Believe it or not males were only allowed to act during Shakespearean time so the idea of crossplay was invented then. (Yes, I made that up). The whole idea of cosplay is based on the concept of becoming someone

Once a year the WCS is held to determaine which country has the best Cosplayers.

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

Dragon con is one of the biggest and most professional cosplay cons on the planet.

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

The 5 Rules of Cosplay Can you think of anything that you are not. If you are a female chessplayer, then you are not the Juggernaut smashing through buildings and generally causing chaos. In Japanese society it is readily accepted for males to play as female characters, however our meat and rugby loving society has not yet cottoned on to this.

Do not go for something that is beyond you.

Like I mentioned before, there are many people out there to try and help you with whatever you are trying to do. However, make sure that it is within your budget and make sure that it can be done. It is not a good going for a Mario Brothers impersonation complete with an ability to jump ten times your height. That is not feasible. Looking and acting like Mario is, however. If, however, you do find a way to jump that high, please let me know as I am sure that there a couple of Dragon Ball Z cosplayers out there who would love to know how. ~ Terence Wood

Dragon Con All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

A New Generation of Geek

he word Girl Gamer seems to create much deliberation in the gaming community, some shudder at the title while others rejoice in the thought of being one. Some men love the idea of having a chick who can beat them at COD while programming their Linux based PC, while others are intimidated by this notion. Whatever your point of view on the subject, male or female, there is no denying that women have started saturating the industry. Not only is the gaming industry seeing a rise in female participants (47% of gamers are female now) but so too is the tech and anime industry. It is not uncommon these days for a woman to be into multiple geek platforms and the image that is being put forth by Geek Girls is less and less stereotypical, the days of hot chicks with consoles in their mouths are numbered. The idea that every woman behind a screen is either a dits or a dyke is now becoming an outdated concept to. Unfortunately we still have our setbacks, the term

Girl Gamer seems to be a broad description especially when applied by big gaming companies who want to boost the numbers of their audience. This term can cover anything from hard core gamers to players who jam 4 hour session every week on their Wii U’s, so for the sake of this article we are going to use the term Geek Girls instead. So what is it that makes the elusive Geek Girl tick? Well when it comes to geek girls you have to understand one thing!! Every stereotype you have ever come across is WRONG!!! Although we seem to be a breed on our own we are just like anyone else, no more freaky, no more flirty, no more dirty than anyone else. We take our gaming and our teching seriously. We are not here to talk games with you all the time; we are not here to have you “show us how it is done” and we are most certainly not going back to the kitchen! Sadly, the fact that those not sporting a Y chromosome enjoy gaming (let alone are able to) is still liable to make some people’s heads explode.

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Gamers:

Girl

One thing I can say is us girls are serious about our gaming. All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

SEXISM IN GAMING – THERE ARE NO WINNERS

Video Games: When Girl Gamers Go Pro

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

Gaming is no longer a niche hobby, its a part of our lives. Where the belief is most ardent can be debated, but the easy with which the uninitiated glance at box-art and internet trailers and deign that, “yup, that’s not for chicks” is just retarded. Being a gamer, whether you are female or not, is not about the way you look or about the way you act, it is about your love of games and all things geeky. It’s about that feeling of utter excitement you get in your gut when you sit down to unwrap that new pre-order, knowing that you are the first of your friends to own it. It’s about the survival instinct that takes over while you are bashing away at your controller or keyboard trying to slay the hordes of grotesque zombies. It’s about that complete sense of satisfaction you get when you unlock a new achievement, it is the drive that keeps you up until 3am just so that you can advance to the next level! It is a passion that burns in every gamer, not just the male variety. As female gamers we are not asking you to move aside or change anything for us. In fact the concept that the gaming industry should come up with more “girly” games

Thanx to Lizzie Cuevas from Game Radar for helping me with this article. You can view her profile here.

for us offends any sensible female gamer, the idea of more girly games is something that was created for young powder puffs who like the idea of playing with a joy stick. A real girl gamer is into blood, guts, and strategy. The nitty gritty of gaming is what makes us flourish, be it a first person shoot up or a zombie hack and slash we love it. I often find myself sitting down to a good racing game when I have little else to do. What it all really comes down to is stereotyping and lack of experience. Girls don’t sit and play a certain type of game because they are told that they will never enjoy it or because it is “too hard” for them. The fact is, that although the new influx of gamers the industry has seen in the recent past contains a good percentage of females, there have long been girl-gamers just as passionate and skilled as their male counterparts. There is no such thing as a boys game or a girls game, there is just GAME. The master that you bow to at the end of a long day who makes you feel better about the world. ~Ed And Nina Lewis

The exploration and examination of the medium can only lead to progress even if its just to address the newly diverse community

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

Probably one of the best gamer sites out there

“Just because we’re girls who enjoy spending hours in front of a TV pressing buttons, that does not mean we need to join your community, blog, Facebook group or Twitter-feed-sororityclustershart of gaming-girl goodness. We like playing games. We are girls. These things don’t necessarily need to be tied together, nor do we feel the need to have special treatment because we’re both. And if we happen to want to spend 31 hours perfecting our chopping techniques in Cooking Mama instead of having an equally enjoyable Modern Warfare 2 estrogen-fest against the boys, we shouldn’t be considered less of a gamer than you.” ~Gameradar

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

Anime Personality

tarted three years ago Sin Bin has become a common name amongst otaku and alternative groups alike. Not only does Sin bin cater to the cosplayer crowd but also to gothic and steam punk groups. The team mostly custom create outfits from scratch, with every design having a unique aspect to it. Here in the cyber office we have Cynthia who will be answering a few questions about how Sin Bin came to be.

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

1. We couldn’t find that much on your history and how the business came about. What is the story behind Sin Bin? It all started with a pair of Persocom ear covers which I had made out of craft foam and wore to ICON. A few weeks later wore them to work where my boss thought I was trying to look like a plane (a project I was currently working on). Once I explained what cosplay was, and what a Persocom was, I was told I should dress up once a month as it brought something special to the office environment. Thus people became interested in my various ears and started ordering and requesting custom ears. Then, one late night while trying to finish a deadline and stress-

ing about how to make armour for a LARP, a thought came to mind. “What if I quit and do this instead?” Three and half years later SIN BIN is going from strength to strength. 2. You guys specialise in the weird and wonderful, I especially love your steam punk collection, what new developments do you guys have planned for the near future? So much planned. I think I have too many ideas in my head and not enough time to make it all, but what I will say is: This year the clothing range will finally be up and “Watch this space”. 3. Starting a business is hard enough but taking on a

Which do you prefer? Jelly babies or marshmallows?

niche market like yours cannot be an easy road, what is the most difficult thing you have had to overcome on your journey to this point? Making it through the first year without giving up. Then there is finding the right suppliers and getting people to take you seriously. My first phone call to a supplier didn’t go to well. When they asked why I wanted 2,000 alice bands and I replied to make ears, they hung up on me. 4. What is the craziest request you have had from clients? There are 2 requests that spring to mind. The first was a request for a pair of pants that have LED lights running up and down the

legs. The second was goggles and leather helmets for a biker’s dogs. 5. Which do you prefer? Jelly Beans or Marshmellows? Marshmallows! Roasted marshmallows, chocolate dipped marshmallows, marshmallow mousse, coconut marshmallows, tiny marshmallows… I want marshmallows now. 6. Sin Bin has been in this industry for 3 years now; you have designed for gamers, cosplayers, anime fans, goths, steam –punks and a variety of other outlandish folk. What do you predict for the future of the Otaku community? Either a robot revolution or

zombie outbreak. Zombie robots are also a possibility. 7. We saw the stunning red bridesmaid dresses you designed with the white rabbit chokers, what was the inspiration behind those? They were inspired by Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and the client’s creative input. 8. And lastly if you got the opportunity to feature as a designer in a Cosplay style fashion show what kind of costumes would you showcase? Oh wow that is a hard question to answer. I guess it all depends on where my mind is at the time as there is so much to choose from. ~Ed

Sin Bin Website

J.J Abrams

Live Long And May The Force Be With You? Lens flares all-round as J.J Abrams takes the reins on Disney’s Star Wars Project

n case you hadn’t turned on a TV, computer or radio in the past few months, waves were made in October when Disney purchased Lucasfilm for a cool $4 billion. What this would mean for the Star Wars franchise soon became clear- Episodes VII, VII and IX. George Lucas might have beat them all to it but the wake of phenomena such as Harry Potter, The Twilight Saga, The Lord of the Rings and now the shared-universe of The Avengers, its clear that long-running, episodic film-series are the new norm. After much speculation and shopping around Disney managed to wrangle director JJ Abrams on board for the sequel trilogy which kicks off in 2015 and should conclude close to the end of the decade.

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All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

Aside from the inclusion of Abrams to the project, Michael Arndt has come on to lend the script-writing talents of Little Miss Sunshine’s oscar-winning fame. In addition rumors have been gaining momentum that Harrison Ford, or Han Solo, will be returning in the new installment along with Luke (Mark Hamill) and Leia (Carrie Fisher) - although whether it’ll only be cameos is still anyone’s guess. The cast, having aged since the original films were released, have led many to surmise that the Episode VII’s story will take place sometime after Return of the Jedi and will likely feature the Solo family. In addition to this, Disney is also apparently interested in producing spin-off films that focus more on the story of such characters as

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Boba Fett or Yoda. Despite optimism at Disney’s handling of the new films thus far, the addition of JJ Abrams as director of upcoming sequel trilogy has definitely rocked the boat in some respects. Abrams is well-known for co-directing TV series Lost which was initially well-received but concluded with mixed feelings. Recently, however, he’s been at the helm of the Star Trek reboot with the second installment, Star Trek Into Darkness, to be released later this year. Although critically praised, fans had varying opinions on Abrams initial jaunt aboard the Enterprise though many eagerly await Into Darkness. However, whether or not you enjoyed Abram’s Star Trek, some take it as worrying that he’s now been handed the reigns to two of the biggest sci-fi franchises of all time. William Shatner recently called Abrams a “pig” for taking on both Sci-Fi behemoths. Given his success with Star Trek and in the face of the disappointing prequel trilogy the decision to tap Abrams may be Disney trying to play it safe. Having just acquired the franchise all eyes are on themand Abrams at least has experience in the genre. Whether his directorial style is suited to Star Wars is a different argument altogether, but him having given over his skills and vision to Star Trek already might arguably lead to a large chunk of known science-fiction ending up a homogenized mess.

PlayStation Vita Pull ‘N’ Go Folio

R265.00 Safely tote your PlayStation® Vita system and accessories with this officially licensed pull ‘n’ go folio from Performance Designed Products.

Compounding this problem is the recent development that gaming studio Valve, and Abram’s production company Bad Robot, are in a cahoots to not only collaborate on future games but also bring Half-Life and Portal to the big-screen. Its still early and no word has been given on whether Abrams will direct either project, but at this point why not just hand Mr Abrams all of science-fiction while we’re at it? ~Nina Lewis All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

All Otaku Magazine Comes to the party

s the sun rose on this fateful day, most of us were still asleep. But as time passed a handful of the All Otaku team awoke from their slumber to begin their morning routines before the long awaited first meeting. As none of us have actually met outside of the virtual office, save Beleran and me, it was an exciting step in our little teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development and as we made our way through the city of Tswane to find --- park we imagined what might happen in the next few hours. Needless to say it was not what either of us had expected. No in fact it was better. When we first arrived we and found a small group of cosplayers setting up blankets we decided to grab some breakfast down the road and wait for everyone to arrive, after a few wrong turns and an epic encounter with a Lamborghini Gallardo we finally had adequate food to sustain us for the event. Upon our second arrival we were a little in awe at how many people had suddenly arrived, all together we were about 22 by the time we started taking pictures and while not all of us were cosplaying we all got alone smashingly. The atmosphere was light and we all had much to say to one another, subjects changed from anime, to gaming, to sci-fi, to zombies, and anything in between came up throughout the day. Our common interests seemed to animate us and we swopped and shared sto-

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ries like old friends. One particular story about a female boxing champion made me laugh so loud I think passers-by thought me mad. Thanx for that one Garth. As the day went on we got to meet Gareth Duff, the coordinator of the

After spending months behind comp team to finally get out a bit and min we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what to expect, but th finally get to meet some of the crew,

puter screens it was nice for the ngle. As the is was our first event he people were welcoming and we face-to-face.

All Otaku Japan Day, Cape Town

MWEST

meeting who’s also one of our writers and proof reader extraordinaire, as well as Hannes Wiese, articler and figure collector, Tarryn-Leigh Wood, Plushie Heavens own founder, and Dina Steyn, Co-founder of the GGC and event organiser of Upcon. These are just a few of the great people we met on Saturday last week, which was an experience on its own. Although the group was small we were exposed to something that I hadn’t come across in a long time, polite people. Everyone was so open and willing to share and they all seemed to have a good time, something that I have noticed is lacking in the gaming community lately. And as far as an unplanned random meet up goes the turnout was good and the cosplayers put a lot of effort into it. Well done Gareth and everyone who joined us and thanx again for inviting us. -Ed and Leena Swarts

n the Saturday the 23rd of February Otakus in Cape Town were treated to ‘Japan day’ at Greenpoint Park. Hosted by the Japanese consulate the event featured bonsai and koi exhibitions as well as a information booth about Japanese tourism. There were also various displays of martial arts, kendo and local cosplay talents were invited to strut their

stuff. Regular parkgoers got more than they bargained for with an array of performers decked out in traditional Japanese attire or creative and colourful cosplay outfits. Attendance to the event was free, the weather was great and the venue picturesque- all in all a great way to spend a Saturday. Here’s to next year’s Japan Day being bigger and better. -Nina Lewis

All Otaku Staff Meet for the First time at two seperate events on the same day. Coincidence? I think Not. All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

Tech Talk Featured Tech

Another genuine player in the console market ...it may just be the ideal time for another competitor in the market. 43

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

The Ouya (pronounced Ohyea) gaming system is going to be coming online in March. This little console aims to fill the perceived gap in the market between the tablet and console.

Being based on the Android operating system, all of the games released on it will have free-to-play element to them. If the customer likes what he sees, he can then make purchases to extend the game. It will also be an open development platform that will open up the game creation field for anyone who is feeling creative enough1. The system will only cost $99 (R981) and the makers are hoping that this price point makes up for it being so under-powered compared to the $300 - $400 (R3600) machines that are currently out there. Do not forget that the Wii was underpowered compared to its competitors however it carved out a unique niche for itself by being a “more than two player” console. I think that the Ouya is currently taking a similar route with the freeware idea, and

hoping to make it a commercial success. Being so cheap, the developers of the system are also taking a cue from the mobile phone market and hope to have a new version released every year. This is to keep up with the improvements in technology as well as the dropping price of hardware. This means that although you may not get the current generation high end graphics you do get a decent system for a cheap price. In the highly competitive South African market I don’t really believe it stands much of a chance. Firstly it is because of our woefully slow internet connections, (shame on you Telkom), and secondly because the market the game console is aimed at already has either a PS or Xbox. I do hope that I am wrong, as any competition is a good thing, as we know all too well in South Africa. With the current financial woes of Sony and the rabid hatred of Microsoft that I so often experience it may just be the ideal time for another competitor in the market. -Terrance Wood

“Being

so cheap, the developers of

the system are also taking a cue from the mobile phone market and hope to have a new version released every year.”

It started on the Kickstarter2 website, and is only one of a handful of projects to receive over a million dollars. From that sort of response, there must be a market out there for such a system, but will it work in South Africa?

Currently there are only two big names when it comes to consoles in South Africa, the Playstation and Xbox. A few years ago these two were beating each other with sticks to try and find a customer because the market was so small. Today the market has grown and, I believe, become more discerning. Not only because of the age of the gamers but also because of increased access to the internet. We now know that we get what we pay for.

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

Find more info here

ERGONOMICALLY DESIGNED FOR EXTREME COMFORT When blasting zombies for hours on end, headset comfort is a must. The Trigger delivers with a padded, adjustable headrail which extends an extra 1.25 inches on either side to accommodate a wide range of head sizes and soft, pliable earcups which swivel. The unique design allows the mic to fold up and out of the way when not in use.

www.trittonaudio.com All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

NFC. Convenient and Good for the Environment?

ince the invention of NFC or Near Field Communications we have realized that we are one step closer to the tech of the future, this simple technology that has been in circulation for quite a long time; however, it was very slow to catch on. But companies are realizing that it makes things faster, easier and far more convenient. While the concept of NFC scares most of us with security implications, companies have taken extra precautions to make sure that you and your information are safe. So what is NFC? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s actually a pretty simple piece of technology that allows users to share data wirelessly by holding two devices together in

close proximity. But why would you want that? It sounds pretty useless on its own but when you think about the implications of this tech in everyday life you will soon realize we should have been using this tech way sooner. Not only is it convenient but safe for the environment something that is becoming more and more important to all of us. ~Ed Thanx to Geek Republic for the info.

Four reasons you need NFC 1. No More Wallets This is probably one of the best reasons to have NFC. It is so convenient to be able to go to a store and just swipe your phone, no bulky wallets, no worry of having your wallet stolen either. Guys you will never have to sit down and take your wallet out of your pocket for comfort again and ladies you will finally have the space in your bag for the makeup kit. My point is that it is convenient. Not only is it safer than carrying a card around, should your phone be stolen you would just have to phone in and deny access to your account from that phone, buy a new phone and program it to access your account. You could have cash in a matter of days without the fuss of having to get a new card. Many smartphones that have NFC built in are able to remember your credit/debit card details. Soon all one would need to do when shopping at a store for items is to simply tap their mobile phone at a NFC point of sale terminal, and make the payment.

2. Sharing Content and Streaming Sharing content with other NFC-enabled devices is probably the top use for NFC right now. By simply tapping both devices together, users can simply transfer photos and videos without much effort. Sure, this is already possible with Bluetooth, but it is not safe enough since hackers are able to intercept your shared files over the air. Incredibly convenient even in business these days, forgot your business cards at the office, don’t worry you can send your digital card with a swipe. Then there is the streaming capability, companies like Nokia and Google make a big deal about streaming content to NFC-enabled accessories. Users can go out and purchase speakers and other devices to stream music or videos from their smartphone.

3. Traveling Made Easy If you are the kind of person who travels a lot you know the hassal it is to carry everything with you, not only do you have personal items but you also have a ticket or card that you have to carry around with you and hope they don’t get lost or stolen. Now with NFC you can simply swipe your phone at any train station or bus terminal. The details of your ticket are stored on your phone and transmitted when needed. No fuss. This would also make booking tickets easier as you wouldn’t have to pick the ticket up when booking a flight. The code would be sent to your phone after you booked it online.

4. Paperless and good for the environment. Now that you can see the everyday implications and how this can make our lives simpler you will also be able to see how this has an effect on the environment. Every year millions of plastic cards are created for bank cards and billions of paper cards are printed for business use. Even if 10% of the world’s population began using NFC the carbon footprint we create every year would drop drastically. How often do you take a flier and discard it almost straight away? Imagine thousands of people doing that, now imagine taking a digital flier and storing it to be deleted later.

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

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monitor. Two reasons, first of they are way overpriced, and second you can get a LED TV that puts out the same quality for R100 more. Only downside is the TV license. I’m running one at home, and I still think it was well worth it. That both the headset and speaker set is on the list is based on your preference really, I just put both on to give you something to look at. Yes, I know there are better headsets out there, Razor’s megaRazer lodon, Logitech’s G35, and a whole host of Sennheiser headphones that are incredibly expensive and super high quality. I put that one on, because I tested it and own one, and they are by far the best headset I’ve tested comparative to price. I would see the| SSD All love OtakutoMagazine March 2013Price R2,649.00

Grand Total: R59 000 Ridiculous, isn’t it? I lol’d so loud when I made this list. True, it is the best of the best out there today, the creme de la creme of the PC industry. But who in their right mind would fork out 60k on a personal computer? It is utterly insane what the PC industry is charging their clientele nowadays. On a lighter note, there are a couple of these components that are well worth the spend. Headset, CPU, Mouse, possibly motherboard as well. Corsair memory goes from reasonably priced to incredibly stupid, so there are plenty of choices to make your pocket hurt. The keyboard is a shiny that caught my eye, having the capability to run both apps and widgets, updating firmware and patches by itself, it is without a doubt an interesting addition to the keyboard family. That is, until it makes toast.... that’s where I’m drawing the line... Keyboards should never make toast. *frowny face* You might have noticed that I didn’t bother to include a 27”

Deathstalker Ultimate keyboard

Razer

Ouroboros Wireless gaming mouse Price R1,435.95

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GA-990FXAUD7 AM3 + Motherboard Price R 1900.00

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Price R 916.00

drive prices come down a bit, the tech isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t that new anymore, but alas... The gods of hard drives are only interested in profits, not the needs of the masses. B.t.w. these items and prices were taken off ww.titan-ice.co.za. The website is reliable, and very reasonably priced, often much cheaper than you would be able to find in stores. I did my pc upgrade last year entirely through them, and saved myself almost 5k total. (a little free ad for them :D) So in conclusion, unless your father is Bill friggin Gates, there is no way on earth you will own a dream machine, but with the wide variety in product available today you should be able to build a very decent machine for a not so scary price. ~Beleran :P

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| March 2013

Due to exchange rate changes the prices in this article may be subject to change. we do not take any responsability for any losses incured.

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All Otakudate Magazine | March5,2013 Release of March 2013

BioShock Infinite Here at All Otaku we’ve been impatiently counting down to March 26th- the reason for this is of course Bioshock Infinite. The third game in the franchise, Infinite comes with an astonishing pedigree.

he original game saw you play as Jack, also known as the unluckiest guy ever. After surviving a plane crash, he’s stranded in the ocean and attempts to take refuge in a lighthouse- the only thing around besides water, and burning aircraft wreckage. Instead he finds himself transported to an underwater city that has gone to hell. You soon are contacted by Atlas, a survivor of the city’s ruin, who enlists your help in his family’s escape plan. Through exploration many of Rapture’s secrets reveal themselves as well as its turbulent history. Integral to its past is the discovery of ADAM - a substance which allows the user to gain abilities like telekinesis through manipulating their genetics. Creatures called Little Sisters now roam Rapture with their companions and

protectors Big Daddies. Although once young girls, Little Sisters have been genetically altered and psychologically conditioned to harvest ADAM from the bodies of the dead as well as implanted with the means to produce it themselves. However the Little Sisters and Big Daddies are only one of your problems as what’s left of the city is over-run by splicers - mutated humans who have abused ADAM, turning them insane, murderous and dependent on the substance. Bioshock’s setting is itself a kind of character and the center around which all other aspects of the game orbit. The evidence of the ocean leaking in are everywhere, as well as the ruinous decay and desolation these things all add to the oppressive feeling of being underwater and trapped. However Rapture wasn’t always that way and as you make your way through the ruined city you gather the audio diaries left behind by citizens. Through this you piece together the history of Rapture and it’s soon clear that the place was once a city of science beauty and art. Infinite alternatively sees the player to control of the character Booker Dewitt, a former Pinkerton agent who has fallen on hard times and gotten in deep with the wrong

people. He’s offered a clean slate in exchange for him finding and retrieving a women called Elizabeth in the floating city of Columbia. Things get complicated as Columbia seems to be on the brink of disaster with factions within the city at odds. Moreover, the girl, Elizabeth, is not what she seems and both she and Booker get entangled in the city’s conflict. As with its predecessors Infinite places a huge emphasis on setting. Whilst the oppressive dark of Rapture has been left behind, Columbia adds a new sense of vulnerability with you being cloudhigh and out in the open. Infinite seems full of bright light and sky which may negate a lot of the tense atmosphere and horror found in its predecessors although the enemies look to be a creepy-treat. The next game will clearly be a lot different to the old ones given the change in setting and characters but from the numerous trailers and gameplay footage released, it seems to still contain the spirit of the franchise. Not to mention it looks just ambitious, immersive and incredibly thought-provoking as its siblings.

The first installment is still, in the opinions of many, considered one the best games in recent years. Although primarily first-person-shooters, the series thus far has also included RPG elements, horror and a strong focus on atmosphere and narrative- all in-line with the developers claims of Bioshock being a spiritual successor to the now classic, System Shock. For those who haven’t had contact with the franchise yet and are wondering how the new game will fit in, All Otaku is here to help you out.

~Nina Lewis

Publishers: 2K Games Creators: Irrational Games Platforms: PC

PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 Genre: FPS Release Date: 26 March 2013 Site: Offical

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Devil May Cry by Ninja

DmC: Devil May Cry is bound to put many people in an awkward position. When an established and muchloved franchise is taken in a different direction one can only expect a large host of people to cry foul. I’ll freely admit I was one of them. I walked away from the trailer introducing the new Dante feeling very, very angry and that Ninja Theory, in all likelihood, were going to drop the ball with this one.

A few months later, I’ve finished my first play-though and honestly, I can’t wait to go through it all again. While some die-hard fans may believe that its not a “true” Devil May Cry game, for me it feels like one. Its by no means perfect, but although DmC has its fair share of issues none of them were glaring enough to ruin the experience for me.

The reboot implements some pretty important changes for example in DmC Dante is a angel and demon hybrid called Nephilim. With a sketchy past, and teams up with a terrorist group to emancipate humanity from the demon, Mundus’ control. Dante’s character has definitely been taken in a new direction, but he still maintains a certain kind of swagger. His cheesy puns and one-liners have been replaced by foul-mouthed sarcasm to varying degrees of success. Often I felt only a pre-pubescent kid who just discovered such four-letter words would find Dante’s incessant swearing “cool”All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

which is perplexing considering the game’s rating. It’s a pity because when the script drags Dante away from his precious curse-words he actually delivers some chortleworthy wise-cracks. Don’t let his appearance fool you, though- the new Dante is not emo- although I would describe him as agressive, arrogant and immature. Flashbacks inform you about his past and back-story which does actually justify all those traits so it works in the end. Moreover he character does develop and change throughout the game in a way that’s seems organic and believable. That aside, with the Devil May Cry franchise, combat is what really counts and pulling off a complex and varied series of combos not only feels as satisfying ever, but also looks ridiculously awesome. Switching weapons move-to-move appears and feels seamless and the array of different weapons unlocked throughout the game keeps combat fresh. You’ll find your battle strategies continue to change and evolve throughout the whole game as new weapons with new capabilities are put at your disposal. Enemies can sometimes be slow and predictable but they are still varied enough to keep things challenging. There are three guns you can get a hold of for ranged combat but the melee weapons, in addition to ranging from heavy block-breakers to agile crowd-clearers, also

Publishers: Capcom Creators: Ninja Theory

Platforms: PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 Genre: Hack and slash Release Date: January 15, 2013 Site: Offical BUY come in two flavors- angel and demon. The gimmick is that certain enemies can only be affected specific types. This means you’ll never resort to random button-mashing and clearing a mixed group of enemies takes a certain finesse that disallows the player to stick to one weapon or a staple combo. Despite its complexity, an effort was made to make the game approachable to new players as demonstrated to me when I wrangled a friend and forced her to give DmC a go. Completely new to the series and using a controller for the first time, she still managed getting through the first few levels with only a little tutoring. New players are eased into the combat but there is a steep learning curve once the afore mentioned mixed enemy groups descend upon you. Unfortunately I would argue that there is no real “hard” setting from the outset and the real punishing difficulties can only be unlocked later on. Where Dmc really shines, though is art-direction and level design. The story takes place on two planes- the real world and limbo, with the latter being where you spend most of your time fighting. In limbo, chunks of buildings and roads break away, reform or change - the enviroment is a tangible enemy most of the time. The moment DmC was elevated from a “pretty good game” to a “pretty damn awesome” one was when I found myself platforming through a virtual CNN-esqe interface. Even to the last mission the aesthetics stay fresh and exciting- honestly, I would recommend this game on the merit of the level design and art-direction alone. Fans are entitled to their feelings and opinions on the reboot but I hope most of them have at least given the game a chance before making up their minds. In the meantime, DmC is going keep me busy with its secret challenges, array of achievements and masochistic difficulties . ~Nina Lewis

The old games are still beloved by me but I’m getting aboard this roller-coaster with Ninja Theory and eagerly await the next installment.

Demonkind have enslaved humans through the banking system, propaganda and brainwashing, and a rather insidious soft drink that chemically lobotomizes its drinkers. Mundus, the demon-king heading up this operation, can only be killed by Nephilim which means Dante is coerced into giving up his boozing and womanising to save the world.

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

Dead Space 3 Dead Space 3, the latest game in the survival-horror franchise created by Visceral Games takes players to the heart of the mystery behind the story built up by the previous two games in the series. DS3, available on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, does a stellar job of building on the success of the previous two games and does not disappoint. For those of you that are new to the series, Dead Space revolves around Isaac Clarke. A spaceship and systems engineer that gets dragged into something a whole lot deeper and far more terrifying than anyone could have imagined. Isaac becomes a part of a conspiracy that spans 200 years that deals with an alien artifact known as a “Marker”. In the events of Dead Space 1 and 2, the Markers are revealed to be a source of limitless energy. However, this does not come without a price. Markers emit a special signal. One that leads to mental suggestions being put in place and the eventual creation of a “Necromorph” monster from dead biological tissue exposed to the signal. Dead Space 3 takes our protagonist to Tau Volentis, the supposed Marker home world and the source of the signals they emit.

Publishers: EA Creators: Visceral Games

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3 and PC

Genre: Third-person shooter Release Date: February 5,

2013

Site: Offical BUY PC, PUY PS, BUY Xbox

Playing through DS3, I felt that the storyline was incredibly well fleshed out and well-paced. Isaac along with new and returning characters drive the story forward in a gripping fashion and cut scenes reveal some of the bigger plot moments in a truly epic bravura, fitting for a game of this nature. There are a couple of points in particular in the game’s story when your heart will start racing and you’ll feel a sense of immersion that’s hard to find in some of today’s games. This of course goes hand in hand with the gameplay. The Gameplay of DS3 subsequently is top notch material and supplements the story well. Combat and movement is fluid. The control layout is pretty much the same as it was in Dead Space 2 with minor tweaks to fit the new systems implemented in DS3. One of these new systems is the resource and crafting scheme. Players are now able to collect various resources and use them

“Good men mean well but that doesn’t mean they end up doing well”. to craft weapons or items at work benches scattered throughout the game. Another new feature added is the implementation of drop in/drop out Co-op. A second player can join your game at any time and assume the role of Carver, an Earth Government Marine that’s assisting Isaac in his search for the truth behind the Markers. The addition of co-op mechanics however does NOT ruin the game as I thought it might. The game does become a bit less scary knowing that you have someone else to watch your back but the additional enemies and the increased difficulty more than makes up for that in my opinion. The entire game except for a couple of side missions can be played solo though should you not want to make use of the co-op. Graphically Dead Space 3 is visually stunning. Environments are extremely well detailed. Tau Volentis itself is particularly believable as a hostile snow environment and adds to the terror with reduced visibility in snow storms and eerily lit ice caves with moving shadows lurking at the edges of your vision. Dead Space 3’s graphics thus deliver a great deal to the

overall game by building up an atmosphere and aura that suits a survival-horror game perfectly. The sound effects and music implemented in the game also contribute to the scare factor and terror a player may feel. The lack of music and the use of silence and subtle sound effects throughout the game except when in combat or when at specific points makes things scarier than they should be. For example, at one point in the game I literally spent 5 minutes slowly edging forward in an underground facility expecting a necromorph to jump me at some point. And it never happened. That sort of unpredictability and the use of atmospheric sounds in the game is really well done. Sound effects are believable and the voice acting and music/silence all fit together phenomenally. Dead Space 3 should last a player around 12-15 hours on normal difficulty. The game also has a lot of replayability since once you finish it, you unlock a new game+ mode and some challenge modes that will truly test your skill. Co-op also adds to its lasting appeal. -L1ghtn1ng

GAME CORNER

Game Reviews

League of Legends Arguably the most popular game spawned from the legendary Dota add-on for Warcraft 3, League of Legends or LoL for short, is a fast paced, action packed, insanely intense game. Boasting a player base of millions of gamers over Europe and the US, it is probably one of the most played free MMO’s out there. I don’t think I need to elaborate on what the game is about, any gamer worth your salt knows exactly what Dota was about, so I will rather focus on what makes this game unique. First off, you are a summoner. An extremely powerful mage that “summons” heroes onto the field of justice. These heroes have vibrant backgrounds and unique abilities making every hero an unique play experience. As a summoner, you can gain experience and influence in the ranks of your other magi, making you a more challenging opponent. You have access to talent trees and runes making your summoned heroes more powerful along with you. As you gain enough influence you have access to more heroes. Also, as you progress you will have access to some very unique “summoner spells”. Exclusive to the summoners, no heroes have these making them battle turning spells that can quickly change a bad situation for you into a favorable one. The game is frequently updated releasing new heroes, not that there is a shortage, but it keeps the game interesting, and keeps the opponents challenging. Also, the developers are always testing new game modes to vary game play and keep their players interested. The newest addition (now old already) is a game mode called Dominion, which takes a look at a “capture the flag” based idea and integrates it into the “pick a hero and beat s*&$ up” genre. The bot games (computer AI opponents) are challenging, and oft times you find yourself on the losing

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end with their intermediate bot opponents. Of course, once you reach max level as a summoner(lvl 30), you have the option of playing in a more professional setting in ranked games and tournaments. There are some major prizes for the winners of ranked seasons, so the level for these are quite high. The game boasts two currencies for purchasing content. IP or influence points are gained by playing games. RP or riot points are bought using real currency. Some items in game can only be bought via RP, such as new skins for you heroes. Some can only be bought with IP, such as the runes that fill your rune pages and make for some highly customizable hero arrangements. New heroes can be purchased by either IP or RP, so whichever you prefer, you will be able to get them one way or the other. They rotate a set of heroes every week making them free to play, so even at the start you can play around with some heroes you don’t own yet. You don’t have to spend a single cent on the game and still enjoy it, but personally I find that just a little at the start to get you a couple of heroes should be enough. Later you can argue with yourself on whether you want to buy skins for your favorite heroes. With the diversity found for both casual and professional players, LoL has something for all players. It is strangely addictive, and with the developers constantly adding to it, I never find my interest wailing. Of course, there are frustrating games which make me feeling like hurting something, but that just drives me back to do better. If you were even remotely interested in Dota, I highly recommend giving LoL a shot. May your swords always be sharp and your wands always charged! -Beleran

Publishers: NCsoft Creators: Arenanet

Platforms: PC Genre: Fantasy MMO Release Date: 28 August

2012

Site: Offical BUY

Guild Wars 2 Plot: “The player is tasked with reuniting the members of the disbanded Destiny’s Edge, a multi-racial adventuring guild whose members’ struggles and eventual reunion serve as a microcosmic metaphor for the larger-scale unification of the playable races, whose combined strength is needed to effectively combat Zhaitan, the undead Elder Dragon.” - Wikipedia I had been waiting for this game to be released every since I heard about it! Guild Wars 1 is beautiful, but lacked in ways GW2 does not (by far). For instance, in GW1 you could not even jump (absurd I know)! Now in GW2, you can not only jump (lol) but there are so many other cool developments! This game is BEAUTIFUL. check out this very detailed and informative video review by Angry Joe. My personal opinion is that this is the best MMO out there right now. It is so very vast, that I would need much more than my limit in words for this wite-up to explain what I find so amazing about it. I have written about GW2 on my blog before, in September 2012. You can see those posts here. One is a PVE beginner tips piece, and the others are about some of my mini pets (my favorite collectible in the game). When I got the game upon release, I was so extremely addicted that I didn’t play my favorite game (DOTA 2) in

more than a week! This caused my DOTA 2 hotkey usage to become severely crippled, but it was so worth it! Now that I have gotten the initial craze out of my system, I prefer not to play solo anymore. This game is extremely social, and running around with party members is what I enjoy the most! GW2 offers us diverse modes, such as PVE (Player vs Environment), PVP (Player vs Player), WVW (World vs World) and a wide range of temporary mini games as new content becomes released. When I experienced WVW for the first time with my guild, I instantly commented that it is my favorite mode ever! It’s huge and amazing. The only con I find noteworthy, is that I think this game needs mounts! Yeah, it’s not necessary according to developers. Players can use speed boons (buffs) to boost their speed and there are portals all over the place apparently making mounts unnecessary. However, I do find that I would prefer to get around even faster than is possible! I wanna go fast! Not only that, the main reason I would love mounts in GW2 is because they are BEAUTIFUL. Who in their right minds would not want to ride the back of a majestic beast or creature?! Come on Arenanet! Pretty please! -Kombo kitten

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

Game Reviews System Shock 2 “TriOptimum wishes you a safe journey aboard the Von Braun, the first craft in the history of mankind capable of faster-thanlight travel. TriOptimum Corporation: we give you the stars!” The starship Von Braun took a giant leap for mankind as it made its first interstellar journey. The mission was set for success until an away team sent on a rescue mission brought something back, something not human. You play as a member of the ship’s security team awakened from cryostasis just as everything falls apart. Guided by a member of the science team, you move across the state-of-the-art spaceship turned deathtrap, hoping to find and stop the hideous cause behind the Von Braun’s doomed voyage. System shock 2 is one of the most polarising games of the 1990s and it is easy to see why. The game is hard but so immersive that you’ll often overlook its murderous difficulty just to get to the next area. The game is a combination FPS and RPG with elements of survival horror scattered about. Players of Bioshock should recognise that this game is the Rosetta stone for a lot of that game’s mechanics, with psychic powers creating interesting and varied effects on the game’s challenging enemies. Like its spiritual cousin Deus Ex, building

up your RPG skills is essential to navigating the game’s hazardous environments, as often tools require a minimum amount of training in order to use. The game’s lengthy character creation sequence often leads you to form an attachment to your character before the first shambling mutant even appears on the scene. Throughout the game audio logs and ghost sequences help alleviate exposition and the tense atmosphere of the levels will keep the player on a razor’s edge. Now regarding the Elephant in the room, this is a retro game so do not expect HD graphics the game’s blocky design is indicative of it’s age, but the atmospheric music sound and level designs more than make up for it. Until recently this game was incompatible with modern PCs, but the boys at GoG, the company that finances and makes “The Witcher” and its sequels, have recently released it on their website for $10 DRM free. In short if you’re a gamer who enjoys a challenge and can overlook a few flaws get this game. It’s well worth the price and really a joy to play. Survival horror fans will enjoy the atmosphere, FPS fans the action and RPG enthusiasts the high level of customisation. -Gareth Duff

Publishers: Night Dive Studio

Creators: Irrational Games and Looking Glass

Platforms: PC Genre: Single-player, co-op Release Date: August 11,

1999

Site: Offical

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Retro Review

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

Geek Gear

t i n

y a pl

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Yes it does! â&#x20AC;&#x153;When you look at the state of the mobile gaming market one thing is clear: Nvidia has all the cards needed to score a big win with the Shield.â&#x20AC;? 63

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

“There’s a lot of tech in there,” When NVIDIA announced its new gadget, the world gave these dreamers a side-ways glance and moved right along. But today we are here to tell you that this hardware component manufacturer has achieved their goal in the form of Project Shield. This nifty little portable sports a 5-inch “retinal” HD,

multitouch, screen, comfortable xbox style curves, the latest Tegra 4 quad-core cortex A15 processor (which I am rather excited about) as well as Android’s Jelly Bean 4.2.1OS. The “Console” not only plays the latest Android games but also sports streaming capabilities employing NVIDIA’s GeForce

Experience application with built-in Steam Big Picture Mode integration. According to reports the Shield’s visual effects, sound and playability are incredible and if the price is right it may even become a big contender in platform markets.

Nvidia Joins the Consol Wars. What Do We Expect?

However Project Shield does have its pitfalls, the first being the DualShock 3 style placement of the analogue sticks which sink into the body making for a less comfortable play and a rather awkward experience. However it is nothing a good gamer can’t get used to. The second concern most people have is the streaming capabilities; Shield works with wi-fi only and as we all know wi-fi is the least reliable thing in the tech industry. This may lead to sudden cut outs during game time if your wi-fi is being over used. This is easily avoided by finding a strong wi-fi connection and sticking to it. Weak Wi-fi signal may lead to lagging but on average Project Shield has little or no lag, only perceptible if you are a frame counter or someone who plays games professionally. But we will leave that up to people more stuck up than us. When it comes to a project like this there is a lot of potential for it to fly or flop. People will

either love it or hate it because it is entirely new. And while Shield has its pro’s and con’s like any normal innovation we believe it will be a hit. For one simple reason. Shield incorporates everything we love. Unlike all the other platforms out there releasing a new console every year to keep up with Tech and having to release newer and better games for

their consoles NVIDIA decided to support ALL the games out there. So not only can you play your favourite android games but also your favourite xbox, ps and Wii games. Is that cheating? Sure. Is it ge-

nius? Hells ya!!! They have found a way to release a “Console” wannabe without having to program a single game by leveraging multiple existing ecosystems rather that starting from scratch. Good on you guys. That may be why the project was a complete secret until they announced it at CES 2013. Project Shield runs full stock Android with Play Store access. There are loads of awesome platformers, adventure games, and 3D shoot-em-ups. Many of these titles include controller support (either Bluetooth or wired), and that means the Shield will be ideal for playing the likes of GTA, Sonic, and Need for Speed. There are hundreds of games like this just waiting to grace the Shield’s screen, and Nvidia doesn’t have to lift a finger to make that happen. And with the huge success of both Andriod and google Nvidia don’t have to worry about building a market for mobile gaming. ~Ed

Gadget News

Kingston Makes Largest And Fastest 3.0 USB

Google Wants to Kill Your Password

Kingston is preparing the largest USB drive. This will be the largest flash drive to be built ever that will have a storage capacity of 1 tera byte and it will be no bigger than your fingers. When I got my first Kingston Flash drive Iwas impressed with its speed and storage space. Three years later and I am still using the device. Now the USB manufacturer has announced that they will be creating the largest flash drive in history. The aptly named the HyperX Predator 1T flash drive will host 3.0 usb technology and is no bigger than your finger. With a reading speed of 240 MB/s and a writing speed of 160 MB/s it is also the fastest flash drive on the planet, faster in fact than the speed of thought. Kingston Digital already has the title of ‘biggest flash drive’ under their belt with a storage capacity of 512 GB but after the release of HyperX Predator they will be miles ahead of any others in the industry. “Our new DataTraveler HyperX Predator 3.0 allows users to store their entire digital world on a portable USB 3.0 Flash drive,” said Andrew Ewing, Flash memory business manager, Kingston. “The large capacity and fast USB 3.0 transfer speeds allow users to save time as they can access, edit and transfer applications or files such as HD movies directly from the drive without any performance lag.” This smart device is set for release later on this year.

With our lives moving more toward the digital every day it has become increasingly difficulty to stop our private accounts from being hacked, passwords need to be more complex and personal questions need to be more tricky, that is why the search engine conglomerate Google has started investigating alternatives to the password. Things like the USBbased code cards from Yubico or NFC verification that would sign you into your Google account when inserted into a device could be promising possibilities. IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine recently published an article stating how Google vice president of security Eric Grosse and engineer Mayank Upadhyay would explore the various ways that people might use passwords in the years to come. With something like cryptographic cards you could log into services like Gmail, Drive and Chrome, and with a few small changes to Chrome to gain your card you would never have to worry about your pass codes again, registration can be completed in one click. “We’re focused on making authentication more secure, and yet easier to manage,” a Google spokesman said in a statement today. “We believe experiments like these can help make login systems better.”

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

Dead Trigger 2 will blast onto Android and iOS during 2013 According to the Czech Republic-based game studio,MadFinger, Dead Trigger 2 will blast onto the iPhone, the iPad, and Android-powered devices sometime during Q2 2013. The game will be available for download at the App Store and from Google Play, as well as inside Nvidia’s free TegraZone app, which showcases titles that are optimized for the company’s Tegra processor. Details are limited but it has been promised that the sequel has a range of impressive improvements over its predecessor. “Compared to Dead Trigger, the sequel Dead Trigger 2 is going to be even bigger, better, and much more addictive,” Marek Rabas, Madfinger’s co-founder.

Hackers play Asteroids on US government websites As some of you may know, internet hacktivist Aaron Swartz recently committed suicide while facing trial on charges that he used MIT’s network to grab millions of articles from the non-profit academic journal archive JSTOR, with the aim of republishing them without restriction. Outraged, the hacker group known as Anonymous, cracked various US government websites in a continuing protest over the treatment of Aaron Swartz; the hackers then embedded a secret Asteriods game. Anonymous activists have threatened to leak sensitive government information in protest over Swartz’s death, but while the world is waiting to see if they do publish confidential stolen US government data their Asteroids antics are getting more attention. The first site to report the Asteroids bug was the US Sentencing Commission, it is reported that the Eastern District of Michigan’s United States Probation Office has this problem to. A game of Nyan-cat flavoured Asteroids will begin if you enter the following “Konami code”: ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → (up up, down down, left right, left right on the cursor keys) then press “B”, “A” and “Enter”.

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

Gadget News Sony bills PS4 console as gaming’s future. But is it? At a press event in New York last month Sony loured press with the promise of a preview of the new PS4. While it was the official PS4 launch the actual device was never displayed, a strange advertising strategy as people love to see shiny new tech. In fact the only thing that was shown was a controller that look suspiciously like the only ones. Sony did however state that they are working on a streaming network that would allow people to play their PlayStation games on multiple devices, the network will be engineered by Gaikai cloud gaming company, which Sony purchased last year. “We are exploring opportunity enabled by cloud technology with a long-term vision of making PlayStation technology available on any device,” Perry said. Sony also announced that they will be integrating with Facebook, which is nothing special when it you realise that many other console companies have already done that before. While some of us are impressed, others are not, stating that while the PS4 has some impressive future tech in it the concept of the PS4 itself is still stuck in the past. However we have no opinion on it yet, at least not until we test it out.

Could iPhone Sales Slump Help Apple Get Samsung Products Banned? “Last August, Apple secured a major victory in its patent battle with Samsung when a U.S. jury found that Samsung infringed on a number of Apple design and utility patents with a variety of its devices, from the Fascinate to the Galaxy S II. Samsung prevailed on some of the devices in question, but it lost on many more as the jury found that the South Korean company had infringed on six key Apple patents and significantly copied the iPhone’s trade dress. Apple was awarded $1.05 billion in total damages. But last December, Judge Lucy Koh denied an Apple request to ban all U.S. sales of the Samsung products found to have violated Apple’s patents. This came after some back-and-forth on banning certain Samsung products—in the preliminary phase of the trial, Judge Koh denied an Apple request to block smartphones like the Infuse G but an appeals court reversed that ruling last May and granted Apple a temporary injunction against sales of those Samsung devices. Now patent litigator Manotti Jenkins of Valorem Law Group thinks Apple’s “recent iPhone 5 sales slump,” combined with real-world blows to Koh’s reasoning for denying a permanent injunction against Samsung, could pave the way for a reversal of the December ruling and an outright ban on the infringing products.” -PC Mag

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

Get your care package now!!

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

VISUAL KEI and JPOP

Antic Cafe The sounds of Japanese Pop-rock grace our ears as we come across one of japans most well known bands.

n Cafe was formed in May 2003 by vocalist Miku, guitarist Bou and bassist Kanon. Miku’s former band, Revirii, had disbanded two months earlier in April, and even though the band did not have a drummer at this point, they started to perform at several events. They were later joined by Teruki after he left his former band, Feathers-Blue. In 2004, An Cafe released their first demos and signed a record deal with Loop Ash. Their first release, “Candyholic”, was released in March and reached the second spot on the Oricon indies single chart. The band continued touring and releasing, including their first album, Shikisai Moment, in 2005. The band released even more singles in 2006 until their second studio album, Magnya Carta

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

(a play on “Magna Carta”). In 2007, the band announced their first overseas appearance at Project A-Kon. The announcement of this was followed shortly by the departure of guitarist Bou. The last performance with Bou was on April 30, 2007, and was featured in a DVD titled Hibiya On The 0 New Sekai. After Bou left the band, two new members were announced: Takuya was to replace Bou as the guitarist and Yu-ki was to join An Cafe as a keyboardist. The first single with their new lineup was announced as “Kakusei Heroism” followed by “Ryūsei Rocket”. At the end of 2007, An Cafe announced their first overseas tour, taking place in Europe in 2008. In the opening weeks of 2008, An Cafe announced their upcoming single, “Cherry Saku Yuki!!”, in February, as well as their next studio album, Gokutama Rock Cafe, which was released on April 9, 2008. An Cafe’s EP, Harajuku Dance Rock, was released by the Los Angeles based Maru Music on March 13, 2009. This special release was made exclusively for overseas fans in North America and Europe. BB Parallel World, An Cafe’s fourth studio album, was released in Japan on September 9, 2009; and in Europe on October 2, 2009. It contains title track singles “Aroma”, “Summer Dive” and “Natsu Koi Natsu Game”, and eight other songs. In 2010, the band announced their break from activities, a message, issued on their official homepage, claims that “after the Budokan show, each member would concentrate on their own activity to be prepared for the band to restart in the future.” The aforemen-

BAND PROFILE

tioned Nippon Budokan show took place on January 4, 2010. In wake of the hiatus, several members became involved in other projects. Kanon headed a mobile phone game called Pinky Distortion, and was a guest DJ at Otakon 2010 as a panelist. Miku served as the vocalist for the new visual-kei band, Lc5, which started in June 2010. Teruki is playing as a support drummer for the band DOG in the parallel world orchestra. On April 1, 2012, An Cafe announced that they will be resuming activities and planned for a world tour in November in Europe and the UK, the tour was named “ANCAFESTA ‘12 SUMMER DIVE”. They also promised a mini-album titled Amazing Blue which came out August 8.

Origin: Tokyo, Japan Genres: Pop rock, dance rock, power pop Years active: 2003–present Labels: Loop Ash, MusicRay’n, Red Cafe Sony Music Records / VVV Records Associated acts: None Website: www.ancafeweb.com Members: Miku, Kanon, Teruki, Takuya, Yu-ki

-Wiki

Antic have worked with some of the best.

Including recording studios like Gan-Shin, Loop Ash Records, Sony http://www. BMG Music youtube.com/ Entertainment, watch?v=3xOt1As-JeI Sony Music Entertainment Japan

GENRE: Pop Rock

BAND: Antic Cafe

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

Celebrate

Culture Japan

Valentines Day J

Boys and men alike look forward to the day when they are given chocolate gifts to show a girls affections.

However, this is a custom that smart chocolate companies spread to boost their sales, and it has been very successful. Now the chocolate companies in Japan sell more than half of their annual sales during the week before Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day.

There are slightly different White Day tradition in other Asian countries. For example, in South Korea, boys or men give candies to girls or women, however,

this is mostly between couples and lovers. In China, the tradition is opposite from its Japanese one. On Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day, boys or men give chocolate to

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

girls or women and the opposite on the White Day. In Taiwan, the White Day tradition is not as big as in Japan.

Japan Style Sweet treats for the men of Japan With Valentine’s Day cently

past

just re-

thought

would take a quick look into how the

Japanese

celebrate a

long standing western tradition. pans

Unlike the western JaV-day consists of women

handing

out

chocolates

their loved ones and even not

so loved ones, women and girls all across Japan partake in this activity out of love or respect.

With Valentine’s Day just recently past we thought we would take a quick look into how the Japanese celebrate a long standing western tradition. Unlike the western Japans V-day consists of women handing out chocolates to their loved ones and even not so loved ones, women and girls all across Japan partake in this activity out of love or respect. In Japan things like flowers and cards are rarely handed out and men will almost never give out gifts. Started by the major chocolate companies to sell more of their goods, this act of giving chocolate quickly became tradition in the Japanese culture. Not only do the girls buy chocolates but they also make them by hand, and each type of chocolate given will mean something different. For example “Honmeichoko” are chocolates given to a boyfriend or true love, it symbolises your love for that

person. These are often very expensive or home made to show how much thought was put into the gift. There is also “Giri-Choko” which means obligation chocolate, this type of chocolate is handed out to bosses, coworkers and male friends with whom the woman has no romantic attachments to. These are usually cheap but still enjoyable. Then there are “Tomo-Choko” which are given to other women, these are symbols of friendship or sisterhood and can also be bought or made, depending on how much you care for that woman. And finally there is ‘Cho-Giri-Choko” or ultra-obligation chocolate

where women will buy cheap chocolates for unpopular co-workers or acquaintances as the lack of buying them a chocolate would be seen as rude. Fear not though ladies! A month later, on the 14th of March, Japan celebrates White Day or Marshmallow day! On this day men go out and buy gifts for the women who bought them chocolates on Valentine’s Day. Traditionally, popular White Day gifts are cookies, jewellery, white chocolate, white lingerie, and marshmallows. The general rule of thumb on this day is that any gift given by a man should be two to three times the price of the Valentine’s Day gift. White Day was first celebrated in 1978 in Japan.[3] It was started by the National Confectionery Industry Association as an “answer day” to Valentine’s Day on the grounds that men should pay back the women who gave them chocolate and other gifts on Valentine’s Day. In 1977, a Fukuoka-based confectionery company, Ishimuramanseido, marketed marshmallows to men on March 14, calling it Marshmallow Day. ~Ed

Cosplay Of The Month Once again we have a South African Cosplayer featuring in the Magazine this month. The year seems to have started off with a bang in the Cosplay Community and we hope to see more from you guys .

Yamaki Chiyais a young Cape Townian enth gaming and cosplay. She recently attended Ja own KomboKiten as the Panda Hero version You can find her on Facebook and Devienta

Cosplay Profile Costume Name: Yamaki Chiya Character name: KAITO (Vocaloid - Panda Hero) Height: 172cm Date of birth: 26 December Blood type: A Favorite food: Sushi/Malva pudding Favorite drink: Cream Soda Favorite anime: Sekai-Ichi Hatsukoi, Kuroshitsuji, Gintama Favorite game: Perfect World International Hobbies: Horse riding, surfing, adventure courses, sewing, acting, Website: yamaki-chiya.deviantart.com/ www.facebook.com/yamaki.cosplay

1 75

All Otaku Magazine | January 2013 All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

husiastic about anime, apan Day with our very n of the vocaloid Kaito. art.

Call Of Duty Championship to be held in Hollywood in April The first Call Of Duty Champsionship will offer a £1 million prize and take place in Hollywood between April 5th and 7th. The tournament is the result of a partnership between Activision, Xbox, Major League Gaming and the Electronic Sports League. They will bring together the best 32 multiplayer teams to compete head-to-head in a live-streamed event. “Watching the performances of the very best Call of Duty players is already a mass spectator sport on YouTube and Call of Duty Elite,” CEO of Activision Publishing Eric Hirshberg. “We are going to bring the best players in the world to Hollywood to compete on the ultimate stage, for the ultimate prize. And we are going to invite our entire worldwide fan base to join in the fun.” Black Ops II players can register at the official site and then attempt to qualify by competing in the February season of League Play in Call of Duty: Black Ops II on Xbox Live, which opennned on the 1st of Feb.

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

A Warehouse you would kill to work for. When I watched the first episode over two years ago my first thought was that this was going to be a really cheesy attempt at sci fi created by a team of Hollywood producers who had heard that there is a demand for Science Fiction in the industry. Luckily I stuck with it though as the series built speed and became more and more twisted with every episode; however it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t until they introduced Claudia and H.G. Wells that I started championing this Eureka spin off. That was when the emotional dynamics really came into play and you begin to feel connected to the characters as well as the artefact filled reality they exist in. While it is not the best series in the world (that title belongs to Stargate) it is very entertaining. From its unique story line, bad ass gadgets and awesome characters to the plot twists and funny geek references, this truly is the brain child of a sci fi lover. Well worth the watch, like I said it starts slow and the two main characters are pretty boring without the other, but if you stick with it you will find that the series is well worth it. ~Ed

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

Warehouse 13

From its inception, Warehouse 13 has been a fangirl-friendly series with a gender-balanced, diverse cast and character arcs focused on friendships, teamwork, and even some romance. From the Left - Claudia Donovan , Helena Wells , Myka Bering and Leena To find more ont his series visit their site.

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

Model Of The Month Character Vocal Series 01 Miku Hatsune 1/8 Complete Figure Our model of the month is an older version but still a classic in any fans collection. She is also one of our first prizes in the All Otaku “Help Reach Our Goals” Competition. But if you are too impatiant to wait for us to give her away you can always buy her at AWX. Specifications ABS & PVC Pre-painted Posable Figure Size: Appx. 200mm Tall (1/8 Scale) w/Base Details This 1/8 scale figure of Miku Hatsune was first released in September, but due to it’s overwhelming popularity, a re-release has already been announced for October! From VOCALOID2’s popular “Character Vocal Series 01” comes a realistic PVC figure of the mascot character Miku Hatsune. This particular pose was based off an original illustration by the character’s original designer, KEI. Special care has been taken in preserving every enchanting detail, from her trademark twintails fluttering around her, to the hand on her headset, everything comes together and makes her seem ready to burst into song at any moment. She’s jumped out of the virtual world and into this cute figure, so be sure to take one home with you.

Product Details Product Name: Miku Hatsune (Character Vocal Series 01: Miku Hatsune Manufacturer: Good Smile Company Category: PVC Price: Release Date: 2011/07 Specifications: Complete painted PVC figure - 1/8 scale - approximately 180mm in height Sculptor YOSHI (Torepangu)

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

Rise about the rest with the CMStorm collection

All Otaku Magazine | March 2013

This years

March Madness Issue 2013 We bring you all of this years Favourite anime and more.

1st Issue October 2011

November Issue 2011

January Issue 2013

March Issue 2013

December Issue 2011

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