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DISNEY
THE
INFINITY!
GAMER ISSUE!
Better than Skylanders?
GAMING IN THE FUTURE! July 2013 Issue 153
9 771445 068009
AUS $5.95/NZ $6.70 INC. GST
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THE
LONE
RANGER!
RAD Gamer LOLs!
GAMERTRON-OBLIVION! TIME TO SAVE YOUR GAME AND FEAST YOUR L33T EYES ON THESE GLORIOUS GAMER GOODIES! :]
MINIONS TAKEOVER!
Monopoly Despicable Me 2 Edition Game Operation Despicable Me 2 Edition Game Stockists: www.hasbro.com.au or 1300 138 697
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99
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$ 99
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KNOCK OUT STORMTROOPER SWINE! Angry Birds Star Wars Millennium Falcon Bounce Game
Stockists: www.hasbro.com.au or 1300 138 697
$
18
99
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SPLASH OF FLAVOUR! Water Buddies
Stockists: Woolworths or www.drinkwaterbuddies.com
COOL
BUILD AND PLAY!
LEGO Games Batman Stockists: www.lego.com or 1800 663 100
$
5
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ACTIVATE THE FISH! Zuru Robo Fish Play Set Zuru Robo Fish
Stockists: Major toy retailers
$
PILLOW PIT STOP!
99ach
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PILLOW PETS Disney Pixar Lightning McQueen Stockists: Target and www.mypillowpet.com.au
$
95
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MONSTER MATE! PILLOW PETS Monsters University Sulley
Stockists: Big W, Target, Toys ‘R’ Us and www.mypillowpet.com.au
$
SCOOT ON! YFliker
Stockists: Toys ‘R’ Us
From
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139
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STASH UR SKYLANDERS! Skylanders Over the Door Storage (figurines not included) Stockists: Big W, JB Hi-Fi, Target and Toys ‘R’ Us
$
95
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! y t i n i f n I y e Disn What is it?
We recently had the chance to go hands-on with Disney Infinity, a game that mixes and matches all the Disney universes together in really cool ways! Like Skylanders before it, Disney Infinity comes with a portal and three Disney figurines – Mr Incredible, Sulley, and Captain Jack Sparrow – all of whom get their own completely unique ‘Play Set’ levels! We loved the Pirates of the Caribbean levels, because you get to take to the seas in a pirate ship!
Extra Characters! We were told that there would be HEAPS of extra figurines available at launch, but right now we know that we’ll be able to buy characters from The Incredibles, Monsters Inc, Pirates of the Caribbean and Cars when the game launches in August, as well as a Cars ‘Play Set’ that will give you whole new levels to play through!
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Toy Box Mode! This is really exciting, YAKs – in Toy Box mode you can bring in any characters you want, and use special ‘Power Discs’ (sold separately) to bring in items, or change the game world. You can play with up to four players online, and you and your mates can design your own games in the Toy Box – we made racing tracks, invented sports, set up sweet stunt arenas and built castles in the sky in our playtime!
about the AMAZING We chatted with producer John Day Infinity! things you’ll be able to do in Disney MANIA: Which characters are you most excited about putting in the game? JOHN: “You know I’m a little bit biased, because when I’m in the office, I work on the Monsters Play Set. And Monsters Inc. was one of my favourite Pixar films, so I’ve really enjoyed working on Monsters!” MANIA: Are there any moments you’d had in the game that have made you LOL? JOHN: “Absolutely! The toilet paper launcher in Monsters is just an absolute riot. It’s just so much fun. In that Play Set you can actually use it on trees and statues and you can wrap them
in toilet paper. It’s really very funny! But probably the most hilarious moments come in the Toy Box. Being able to shrink your friend with a shrink-gel gun and pick them up and fly off with them while wearing Buzz Lightyear’s jetpack is really funny!” MANIA: Which characters do you like to see working together? JOHN: “The mix and match you can do in the Toy Box can add up to some real hilarity. The Cars characters can tow the other characters, which is a lot of fun. Sulley can ride on top of Lightning McQueen and have his own weapons out!”
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The Past, Present And Future Of Gaming! When MANIA first started in 2001, some of the team who work on the mag now were young enough to be reading it, dreaming about one day writing for it! A LOT has changed since MANIA started, though – we’ve seen gaming machines come and go, we’ve seen the people playing them change, and we’ve had a heap of fun along the way!
Nintendo 64 Cartridges looked like this.
HOW HAVE Atari XE Controller
Nintendo 64 Controller
Nintendo Game Boy Advance looked like this.
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CHANGED?
James (Mania Games Editor!)
Gran Tourismo 3
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3
GAMES
When MANIA first started, we were still playing games on our Nintendo 64s, Playstations, and Sega Dreamcasts – or, if we were REALLY lucky, we were playing Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and Gran Turismo 3 on our Playstation 2s, which cost $700 back then! The best handheld machine around was the Nintendo Game Boy Advance, a totally AWSM machine that we still think about fondly to this day! Microsoft and Nintendo had new consoles just around the corner, with the Xbox and the GameCube launching the following year, and we were super excited about the future! We couldn’t have even comprehended the RAD stuff that we’d be playing now – we didn’t have motion controls or hard drives back then, and the Wii U and Playstation Vita would have blown us away!
GAAAME-A-THON! -A-TRON-A-TON
WHEN I WAS A BOY SUPERMAN WORE HIS UNDERPANTS ON THE OUTSIDE!
Ange (Mania resident /vampire)
THOSE AREN’T YOUR UNDERPANTS RONNIE!
The average age of gamers has gone up steadily since MANIA started – that’s because the kids who were playing games back then are still playing them today! These days, YAKs have more options for playing games than ever before – in 2001 mobile phone games were very basic, and tablets didn’t exist! Online gaming is a lot bigger now too, and there are more free games to play on your computer than ever before. Basically gaming is better than it’s ever been – it’s cheaper, more exciting, and there are SO MANY games!
We can only guess what’s around the corner, YAKs, but we bet it’s going to be special! We think consoles are going to become more like computers in the next 13 years – instead of having to buy a new one every few years, you’ll just be able to upgrade the one you’ve already got! We also think motion controls are going to get better and better, until Kinect is so good that it can recognise every movement you make! We also think that, in the future, ‘indie’ games will play an even bigger part – we think anyone who wants to make and release a cool little game will be able to, and that’s AWSM!
CATS HAVE BEEN GAMING SINCE 2006
MAYBE THE COMPUTERS WILL PLAY US?!?!
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TURBO CHARGED PRIZES!
20 lucky MANIACs will rev up the action when they score a Turbospoke - transforming their everyday bike to sound like a real motorbike! Sahweet ride dude!
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LEAPREADER LOOT!
Team up with the Monsters University crew as you learn some rad stuff with the LeapReader! We’ve got five LeapReader’s and Monsters University 3D books up for grabs!
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LEGO LONE RANGER!
Bandits beware! The Lone Ranger’s in town and ready to stop the bad guys in their tracks! Ten LEGO lovers will bag a LEGO The Lone Ranger Stagecoach Escape!
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TURBO CHARGED PRIZES!
20 lucky MANIACs will rev up the action when they score a Turbospoke - transforming their everyday bike to sound like a real motorbike! Sahweet ride dude!
$
WIN
WIN
660
IZES
F PR
TH O
WOR
WIN WIN
IN HIS!
WIN
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LEAPREADER LOOT!
Team up with the Monsters University crew as you learn some rad stuff with the LeapReader! We’ve got five LeapReader’s and Monsters University 3D books up for grabs!
$
WIN
LEGO LONE RANGER!
Bandits beware! The Lone Ranger’s in town and ready to stop the bad guys in their tracks! Ten LEGO lovers will bag a LEGO The Lone Ranger Stagecoach Escape!
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HYPER
MANIA
GAMER GOSS
... DOWNLOADING GAMER GOSS INTO YOUR BRAIN
Occulus Rift Is Blowing Minds!
The Occulus Rift is a device that straps onto your head and projects 3D images through two screens into each eye – basically it makes you feel like you’re in the game! Rifts have been sent out to people who gave money for the device’s funding, and reports say that it’s AMAZING!
It’s AMAZING!
The Past Is Coming In The Future!
One of the most beloved Zelda games of all time is getting a sequel! The Super Nintendo adventure, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is getting a 3DS sequel, set in the same world but with a whole new graphics engine! It looks super cool!
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WHAT ARE WE PLAYING AT MANIA HQ?
AWSM SNES RPG Arrives 18 Years Late!
The game ‘Earthbound’, originally released for American Super Nintendo players in 1995, has just been classified for release on the Wii U in Australia! This is the first time the beloved RPG will be available over here, and we’re looking forward to it – we’ve heard GREAT things!
Fire Emblem Awakening (3DS)
Luigi's Mansion 2 (3DS)
HYPER SNEAK A PEEK AT THESE RAD FUTURE GAMES YAKs!
Mario Party 3DS
SNEAK PEEK
MANIA
Platform: 3DS Style: Party Release: Late 2013
Mario and his pals only rolled their dice twice on the Wii, so we’re about ready for a new Mario Party game! This one will feature seven new boards and at least 81 new mini-games, including some that use the 3DS’ camera in interesting ways! We’ve seen a few examples of what to expect – paintball battles, competitive puzzle games, racing games, and even games that involve drawing things with the stylus! We hope it’s out before Christmas – it’ll be a big hit with the rellies!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
Platform: XBLA, PSN Style: Action Release: Q3 2013
Wow, this game looks RAD! You can play as the four turtles, each with their own special moves and weapons, just like in the Nickelodeon show the game is based on. You’re taking on ninja armies, which is pretty standard for these cool dudes! We’ve seen some really cool attacks being unleashed in the trailers that have come out so far – it looks like Michelangelo will have a move where he spins around on his shell like an AWSM breakdancer!
FIFA 13 (360)
Sorcery! (iPad)
Need for Speed: Most Wanted U (Wii U)
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HYPER
MANIA
GAMES REVIEWS
NOT SURE WHAT GAME TO BUY NEXT? CHECK OUT WHAT WE'VE BEEN PLAYING AT MANIA HQ!
Platform: 3DS Style: Turn Based Strategy Price: $69.95 Available: Now
Fire Emblem: Awakening Gameplay: We were almost late getting this issue out, YAKs, because we absolutely couldn’t stop playing Fire Emblem! This is a huge turnbased tactical game, where you move units around squares to battle against enemy forces – it’s a lot like last year’s Pokémon Conquest, but way harder! We turned the difficulty way up in our game and turned off ‘Casual’ mode, which meant that if a unit died, we didn’t get them back at the end of the match – you might want to turn that feature off if you want an easier time, YAKs! This is a really big game, full of units to collect, weapons to find, side stories to complete, and all sorts of behind-the-scenes systems to work out – we’ve become kind of addicted to this one, and we don’t want to put it down any time soon!
Wake me up when it’s over...
Graphics: Fire Emblem Awakening isn’t a bad looking game, but once you turn the 3D on it REALLY shines! The way the 3D effect adds depth to a battlefield is amazing – it’s like there’s a whole living world inside the screen! We also really love the anime cutscenes, and wish we could watch them over and over again!
HOT!
AWSM fun and super addictive!
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GAMING FACTOID
NOT!
It loses some appeal on ‘Casual’ mode!
MANIA SCORE
9
/10
If you added up all the time people on Earth spent playing Angry Birds games it would be more than 200,000 years!
Platform: Vita (online only) Style: Shooter Price: $11 Available: Now
Velocity Ultra Gameplay: We’ve been looking forward to this one for AGES, YAKs – one of the very best games from the original PSP has gotten a full Vita makeover! This is one of the coolest space shooters to come along in years – your spaceship doesn’t just shoot, it can also boost, teleport all over the place, and flick bombs off in every direction! It’s mainly the graphics that have been overhauled, but the game controls better on the Vita than it ever did before, too – that second stick is used to fire off your spaceship’s gun in any direction, which was harder to do in the first version of the game! The levels play more like puzzles than you might expect from a space shooter, but solving these puzzles is heaps of fun because the ship can do so many cool things! Graphics: The new graphics for this version of Velocity are way better than the old ones! The art is top notch, and the levels look a lot smoother and cooler! It makes the whole thing feel a bit more modern and exciting, even if the art style is still fairly simple. For such a low price, this is a bargain!
HOT!
A really cool, very unique game!
GAMING FACTOID
NOT!
Later levels more fun than early ones!
MANIA SCORE
8
/10
The damsel in distress that Mario saved in the first Mario game was called Pauline!
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