RUKUS March / April 2018

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Tawny Jordan March/April Cover Model 20 questions with Tawny

Photography by OG foto Hair & Makeup by Andrew Ybarra

On The Cover

On The Back Cover

Hair & Makeup by Andrew Ybarra

Hair & Makeup by Andrew Ybarra

Photo by OG foto

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All Access

The Latest Albums Reviewed Albums Reviewed: Post Malone beerbongs & bentleys By Silas Valentino

Judas Priest Firepower

By Silas Valentino

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All Access Spotlight

Artists/Bands Featured: Three Days Grace Outsider Ghastly The Mystifying Oracle Nathaniel Rateliff Tearing at the Seams (Deluxe) By Samuel Wendel

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Pit Pass

Get In The Driver’s Seat Featured Event: Formula Drift, Round 1 Long Beach, CA

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Contents R U K U S

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On Grid

10 questions in 10 minutes Featured Driver: Michael Essa 2013’s Formula Drift Champion

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Game On

The Latest Games Reviewed Games Reviewed: Far Cry 5 God of War By Joshua David Anderson

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Game On Spotlight Games Featured:

Street Fighter: 30th Anniversary Shadow of the Tomb Raider Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition By Jesse Seilhan

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Andrew Gates All Access Editor

Silas Valentino Games Editor

Jesse Seilhan Art Director

Andrew Gates All Access Contributors

Silas Valentino & Samuel Wendel Pit Pass Contributors

Andrew Gates & Greg Emmerson Game On Contributors

Jesse Seilhan & Joshua David Anderson Contributing Photographers

OG foto, Andrew Gates & Rupa Begum Social Media Guru

Rupa Begum Contributing Make-up Artist

Andrew Ybarra Contributing Hair Stylist

Andrew Ybarra Advertising

Andrew Gates

info@RUKUSmag.com Mailing Address

RUKUS MAGAZINE 3115 e. Olive st. #42153 Las Vegas, NV 89116

Copyright Š 2008-2018 RUKUS, LLC. All Rights Reserved! Mar/Apr 2018 issue, Volume 10, Number 2. ISSN 2161-4369 (print) ISSN 2161-4377 (online) Visit http://www.RUKUSmag.com for more images and content.


Passing Thru Words by Silas Valentino

Of all the meteoritic rises in hip hop recently, none have been as much of a musical downer than Post Malone. His 2015 single “White Iverson” was an overnight success that established the L.A.-via-Texas rapper as a crooner who specialize in codeine-laced beats. He continues to process this downbeat style in his second studio album beerbongs & bentleys in which he double downs on his laid-back approach and welcomes fans into the uncertainty he feels as a successful white rapper in America today. It might be his image - countless tattoos including his staple barbed wire link stretched across his forehead - or it may be that he seems to always flash a welcoming stoney smile but fans are stanning for Post Malone. beerbongs & bentleys, according to a Spotify tweet in May, broke several streaming records with over 411 million streams globally and 236 million in the U.S. in the first week. Critics, however, are unimpressed and the album holds a 53/100 score on the rating amalgamation website Album of the Year. He often refers to video games in interviews (explaining once that Guitar Hero is what turned him onto learning the instrument) and in Rolling Stone last year he admitted he’s just “trying to get my money and get out.” Post Malone’s potential in hip hop may be limited but in 2018 he managed to grab ahold of a considerable amount of fame. The album begins with the languid “Paranoid” where he immediately confesses to sleeping with a gun in his bed: “Never know when someone comes and tries to take my life/I’ve been sleepin’ with the .45 like every night.” The song is steeped in seemingly honest reveal but an air of deceit undermines the attempt to masquerade his uppermiddle class suburban existence. This awkward effort reflects popular criticism that he’s a culture vulture which has followed Post Malone since his first single. He even admitted that “White Iverson”’s title originated after he braided his hair and felt he looked like infamous athlete Allen “Iverson” but, you know, he’s still a chubby white guy. Post Malone has pushed back on such pigeon holding, claiming he incorporates several styles into his music and that his credibility is legitimate. However, the paranoia he mumbles in falsetto about in his opening song reeks of artistic chicanery. His only public beef is with the disgraced YouTuber Jake Paul (who doxxed Post Malone’s residence and vehicle in a video last summer) leading listeners to question the legitimacy of his paranoia - and overall lyrical intent. Perhaps portraying himself as the paranoid artist is just part of a narrative Post Malone is attempting to assemble. Beyond the confusing confessional in the lyrics, “Paranoid” offers a rich beat featuring a fading melody that is probably the finest musical moment on the entire record. The main single, “rockstar” opens with a chorus hook of: “I’ve been fuckin’ hoes and poppin’ pillies/Man, I feel just like a rockstar.” It’s an apt introduction into what Post Malone believes are the qualities that justify a “rock star.” No substance to the craft, just substances to digest. In the first verse he unexpectedly name checks a true rock star: AC/DC’s late singer Bon Scott. The most compelling characteristic of Post Malone is he’ll occasionally vibrate his vocal delivery. “It’s like a little Stevie Nicks, kind of goatish thing that I do with my throat,” he explained to GQ Magazine. It appears several times in beerbongs & bentleys, notably in the chorus of the acoustic guitar-driven “Stay,” but an intriguingly subtle vocal delivery is not enough to legitimize Post Malone. He may have found success in the age of fidget spinners but the act may not last into the next decade.

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Power Priest Words by Silas Valentino

Close your eyes after clicking “play” on Judas Priest’s Firepower and feel yourself falling back into 1981. The metal gods make it easy with their latest effort to feel like time has stood still in their presence; the riffs are fresh, song titles such as “Necromancer” prove there’s still worthy material to play around with and Rob Halford sounds as good in 2018 as he did when British Steel was released nearly 40 years ago. Firepower is their 18th album and first record in decades alongside the producer of their heyday: Tom Allom. Together, they’ve released a rock record that could satisfy a hungry fan or entice a new pair of ears into embracing the legends. Several of the original band members from their early Eighties heyday are present on Firepower with Halford on vocals, Ian Hill keeping the sound grounded on bass and Glenn Tipton continuing his exploration into new squeals from the guitar. Unfortunately, after decades of touring, Tipton announced a month before the album’s release that he was staying off the road (he’s been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease) and his replacement on tour is Andy Sneap of bands Sabbat and Hell. Firepower begins with the titular track and according to guitarist Richie Faulkner, speaking to Blabbermouth ahead of its release, the song “might be the fastest Priest song.” It isn’t hard to here why; the guitars fire off chords at the rhythm and speed of a hell-bound train edging off the rails and drummer Scott Davis conducts a pattering assault on his snare and kick drum to keep heartbeats breaking 100-beats per minute. Halford snarls: “Empty the chamber/Lock and reload/This world thrives on danger/It’s bound to explode” and at one point in the next verse he rolls the r in “laser” with commendable capability. Sounding neither exhausted or fabricated, Rob Halford continues to be one of the most-resilient vocalists in metal today, yesterday and without doubt tomorrow. “Never the Heroes” has Judas Priest venturing into some tasteful sonic exploration and begins with a looped recording of a fuzzed bass that evokes a dip into industrial metal. But the detour is short and quickly the song erupts into classic Priest as charged-up power chords lay a framework for Halford’s dazzling vocals. The verses

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are marked by some “Enter Sandman”-esque guitar work and the chorus hook of “Never the heroes/we were made to fight” lifts the song as a standout moment amongst a bevy of heavy hitters. Adding depth to this 14-track, hour-long record is the mid-alum instrumental “Guardians” that’s fashioned as a piano ballad before triumphant guitar licks appear to make this fleeting moment a spiritual cousin to the Top Gun theme song. Short but not to be missed, “Guardians” bleeds evenly into “Rising from Ruins” which manages to crisscross between distortion and tranquil guitars with effortless gusto. The song also stands as a Judas Priest anthem that champions one of the band’s trademark traits of perseverance. “Send in the valiant, fight for what you believe/Then we shall overcome, lay victory at our feet” Halford howls and the sentiment is a fitting mission statement for these metal veterans from West Bromwich. Acoustic guitars may not be a hallmark of Judas Priest but the band deploys them well in the final track “Sea of Red.” Guitarists Tipton and Faulkner trade Spanish-style arrangements as Halford explores his mid-range vocals. If this were a classic hair metal record, this ballad would have been listed as the second song but Judas Priest choose to end their album with a more relaxed moment. Aside from the phrase “British steel,” Judas Priest may forever remain tethered to their endurance. Their consistent display of heavy metal music that never strays too far from what established their glory is a sure-shot fix for the modern metal hungry. Firepower has already proven itself to be their highest-charted album ever landing at #5 on the Billboard 200. After a few seconds into the record, it’s easy to hear why.

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instagram.com/threedaysgraceofficial

Words by Samuel Wendel

Three Days Grace, Outsider

After spending the past 15 years as one of mainstream rock radio’s most durable acts, Three Days Grace are back with a new album exploring what it means to be an “outsider.” To their credit, the Canadian rockers now exist in a world where the popular musical milieu is far removed from that of their heyday, an earlier time when they wowed listeners with breakthrough singles such as “I Hate Everything About You.” Today, sounding like Three Days Grace of old may indeed make you an outsider—and with their newest release they stick to what they know best. On Outsider the band employs tried-and-true tricks, blending earnest acoustic guitars with big rock-radio riffs. Yet, even as the band rolls out many of their signature thrills, they’re still forging ahead without original lead singer Adam Gontier. This is the second album with new vocalist Matt Walst, who puts his best foot forward, but at times still sounds like he’s trying to get in-sync with his new band—but hey, we’ll give them a grace period to find their footing. There are filler tracks here and there, but the album has bright spots that should please long-time fans. An example is ‘Nothing to Lose But You,’ featuring Walst’s finest vocal performance.

Ghastly, The Mystifying Oracle

instagram.com/ghastly

If you’re a fan of EDM, don’t be mystified if DJ and producer Ghastly finds an enthusiastic audience for his debut album. On The Mystifying Oracle, Ghastly orchestrates a continuous groove that should please mainstream EDM audiences, while throwing in plenty of twists to keep things interesting. The album is a mix of 13 original tracks and collaborations with peers, cobbled together from several years of work as a DJ. At its core, Ghastly’s debut is an energetic, bass-heavy album aimed squarely at the EDM crowd. Cutting through the speaker-busting bass are hypnotic synths and big, surprising hooks. He borrows from a variety of genres, from trap to dubstep. The album is a sometimes a blur, with Ghastly rarely taking his foot off the gas. Still, Ghastly offers his listeners plenty of opportunities to get lost in his swirling EDM soundscape. If that sounds up your alley, The Mystifying Oracle shouldn’t disappoint. Standout tracks include “Everybody,” “Don’t Give Up” and “Black Mamba.”

instagram.com/nathanielrateliff

Nathaniel Rateliff, Tearing at the Seams (Deluxe)

Retro-soul crooner Nathaniel Rateliff put himself on the map a couple years back in emphatic fashion, his voice booming out against a backdrop of prisonyard blues stomp on the hit single “S.O.B.” Now, he’s back with more of the same on his newest album Tearing at the Seams. It’s an energetic collection of soul and blues rock that ignite on the back of Rateliff’s rumbling vocals. That’s when Rateliff and his backing band are at their best - loud and free-wheeling. He tries to dial it back here and there with an acoustic ballad, but those interludes don’t consistently sink their claws into the listener like his uptempo anthems do. On first listen, Tearing at the Seams doesn’t have a track of the same caliber as “S.O.B,” but overall there’s more to dig into on this album compared to his last. The band sounds more polished and tighter, but doesn’t lose any of their boisterous attitude. Standout tracks include “You Worry Me,” “Shoe Boot” and “Be There.”

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Tawny Jordan T Photography by by Leon Photography OGOrtiz foto Make-up hair by by Andrew St.Ybarra Pierre Hair &&Makeup Andrew

awny Jordan, 26, who currently resides in Las Vegas, NV is an internationally published model who has been featured in several magazines and websites like FHM, MAXIM and Sports Illustrated just to name a few. Tawny came up from a smaller city in Illinois called Peoria, then made her way out to Chicago at twenty one to start a new chapter in her life. While traveling to Las Vegas several times a year it dawned on her that she should make the big move to Las Vegas. Tawny moved away from the Midwest and said hello to the West Coast. Tawny’s move to Vegas has been a success so far and she recently won both of the biggest bikini competitions in Vegas at MGM Grand’s Wet Republic’s Hot 100 and Hard Rock Hotel’s Bikini Invitational at Rehab’s Pool Party. She has also modeled for several hotels on the Las Vegas Strip. If you watch TV you can also catch Tawny on big networks, such as ESPN, Fox Sports, HBO and Showtime featured as an official Ring Card Girl for Corona Boxing. She carded one of the biggest fights in history, Mayweather vs McGregor, with over 50 million viewers. One of the best things about her is that she loves to communicate with her followers. With that being said she has grown a huge following on her Instagram and other social media networks with over 900,000 followers.

Tawny’s main focus is to expand her brand, travel more, try new things, continuing to stay passionate, grow as a person and work towards her goals of having her own family. Tawny says, “I’m so thankful for everything that has happened in my life, because if it wasn’t for every mistake or good decision I’ve ever made I wouldn’t be here. I’ve been modeling for over 6 years and I’ve learned a lot. I have to thank my amazing team which consists of all my loved ones and friends who continuously support me, agencies, clients, photographers, MUA’s, fans and my old manager.”

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20 QUESTIONS 1.What’s your Ethnicity? I’m what you call Eurasian, which is a European and Asian mix. My background consists of Filipino, Chinese, Spanish, and British descent. 2.What’s your zodiac sign? I’m definitely a Capricorn because I’m a hard worker, I’m extremely outgoing, and I love to stay organized. 3.Where are you from originally? I was born in Peoria, IL, and then I moved to Chicago when I was 21. I fell in love with the city, but only stayed there for a few years until I moved to Las Vegas. 4.What did you like most about growing up in Peoria? One of the biggest things I appreciate about growing up in Peoria was that I come from the Midwest. They say Midwest people are very down to earth and the majority of people are very genuine. I’d like to think so too. 5.What kind of mischief did you get into while growing up? Oh boy... I would always get caught sneaking out of my mom’s house while I was growing up. I actually thought I was pretty sneaky, but as it turns out a mother always knows best. She would always catch me, and shortly I learned my lesson. 6.If you could have a super power, what would it be and why? If I could have one super power it would be like in the movie Jumper. The main actor could ‘Jump’ to different areas around the world at any given moment... it was pretty cool. 7.What’s your favorite hobby and why? My favorite hobby is to travel. I love seeing different areas of the world. Not only do you learn so much about those places, but you also learn a lot about yourself. Traveling was a big reason why I chose this career. 8.What’s your guilty pleasure? My guilty pleasure is chocolate. I probably eat chocolate at least twice a day. 9.Who do you admire and why? The women of my life, my mother and grandmother. They both raised myself and my siblings. They’re extremely strong, and independent women and I truly value that.

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10.If you could change one thing in the world what would it be and why? If I could change one thing in the world I would say taking all the problems away in the world. If we had no problems, wouldn’t the world be a better place?. 11.What’s one of your personal goals? One of my personal goals is to have a family. I dream of having my own family, and owning my own business. 12.What do guys compliment you on the most? To be honest, I get the most compliments about my personality. I actually cherish those words because it shows what kind of a person I am and how I affect others. I love to inspire and to make people happy especially when they are around me. 13.What’s your favorite body part on yourself? My favorite body part on myself would have to be between my eyes or lips. 14.What do you look for in a guy? Physically I tend to go for guys with nice dark hair, pretty eyes, great style, and a mysterious look. By that I mean, someone I want to get to know. I like depth in a person, someone who is on the same wavelength as me in terms of Spirituality, someone who loves music, is funny, a gentleman, driven, and a romantic. Sounds like a long list, but I don’t settle for just anyone. It has to be that special someone... I’m a hopeless romantic. [smile] 15.What’s the first thing you notice about a guy? The first thing I notice in a guy is their eyes. 16.What’s your ideal first date? Ideally for a first date I’d say somewhere with amazing food, and then doing a fun activity or adventure. 17.What turns you on? I love when a man is passionate, especially when kissing. 18.What turns you off? The biggest turn off is keeping secrets from each other. In my eyes if you want to make it work, the best way is to be open and communicate with one another. 19.What’s your biggest pet peeve? Biggest pet peeve is when someone says they are going to do something, but then they don’t. 20.Who’s your celebrity crush? I’ll have to plead the fifth... [laugh] Mar/Apr 2018 •

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Continued on page 40 >>>

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2018 FORMULA DRIFT SEASON OPENS WITH EXCITEMENT AND DRAMA ON THE STREETS OF LONG BEACH Photography by Andrew Gates Words by Greg Emmerson

With new cars, drivers and teams attacking the corners for the long-awaited opening round of Formula DRIFT, the Streets of Long Beach promised a great deal of excitement and did not disappoint. Highlights among the 2018 field included 2016 FD champion, Fredric Aasbo, driving his Rockstar Energy Drink / Nexen Tire 2019 Toyota Corolla, unveiled days earlier at the New York International Auto Show. Matt Field also debuted his Wish / Borla / Falken Tire Chevrolet Corvette, while Federico Sceriffo would bring his unique Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano Drift Spec (aka Fiorella) to the Californian street circuit. With a number of brand new cars and almost every team carrying out modifications and upgrades during the off-season, the first round always brings a degree of trepidation as the drivers get to grips with a “green” track. However, the front runners started to emerge during practice, and qualifying highlighted the drivers to watch. Qualifying was dominated by the Worthouse Drift Team, with its pair of Worthouse / Falken Tire / Nissan Silvia S15s placed in first and second position. Top of the table was Polish driver Piotr Wiecek, who was awarded 2017 Formula DRIFT Rookie of the year and ended the previous season with a victory at the final round at Irwindale Speedway. He appeared to be maintaining his momentum into 2018, as did teammate and 2017 Formula DRIFT Pro champion, James Deane. The Irishman qualified in a strong second place and put all FD competitors on notice that he meant business. Best of the rest was Forrest Wang’s Vapetasia / Achilles Radial / NRG Innovations Nissan S15 in third, Justin “JTP” Pawlak’s Roush Performance / Falken Tires / 2018 Ford Mustang in fourth, and Fredric Aasbo in fifth driving his brand new Corolla. “I was delighted to take first place in qualifying,” said Wiecek, “because we started the qualification session without all the parts we needed. One of our containers was delayed for a month while being shipped from Europe and only arrived on Friday during qualification. This made the team’s finish in first and second all the more special.”

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After Friday qualifying, Saturday would bring the intensity and excitement of full-blooded competition to the Streets of Long Beach. The threat of rain was averted, to the relief of competitors and spectators alike. The capacity crowd was treated to high-speed, highoctane action from 9am when practice began, to the final showdown at 530pm. Formula DRIFT: Streets of Long Beach was won by Fredric Aasbo in the Rockstar Energy Drink / Nexen Tire 2019 Toyota Corolla. Despite limited seat time in the brand new car, Fredric conceded that it had some similarities to last year’s car, which helped the team with set up. And while everybody at Papadakis Racing was optimistic about the car’s chances, even they couldn’t have expected to be on the top step of the podium. Aasbo’s path to the final saw matchups with Matt Vankirk in the Top 32, Kristaps Bluss in Sweet 16, Justin Pawlak in the quarter-final, top qualifier Piotr Wiecek in the semi-final, and Forrest Wang in the final. Both Wang and Aasbo drove perfect lines in the final, causing the judges to request they run “One More Time” before giving the decision to the Toyota driver. Aasbo was delighted with the result and gracious towards his competitor: “I used to watch Formula DRIFT from Europe and I saw Forrest rise through the ranks, retire and now he’s come back swinging. He’s a real artist and one of the OG drifters. He has conducted a masterclass here, taking out everybody except us. I’m really stoked to see him back but even more excited to see us on the top step of the podium. “Coming second in the 2017 season we knew we had our work cut out. We weren’t fastest and I wasn’t the most talented,” said a reflective Aasbo. “But we had an opportunity to build a new car and Papadakis Racing took it to the next level. In the meantime, I went back to Norway and practiced drifting on the frozen lakes during the winter so I would be ready for the ultimate test today.” Forrest Wang driving the Vapetasia / Achilles Radial / NRG Innovations Nissan S15 had a challenging path to the final. Starting with Kazuya Taguchi, he then had to overcome Vaughn Gittin Jr, Chris Forsberg in quarter-finals, and the 2017 champion James Deane in the semi-finals. What makes his achievement even more special is that Forrest took a hiatus from the series for a year, and this was his first event back in Formula DRIFT. After the final he had this to say: “Coming into the weekend I had a lot of anxiety after taking a year off, but the car was great through all the sessions. It was fast and had a ton of grip so I had a lot of confidence. The team was working great and the Achilles Radial tires were working well so we have a lot of confidence for the rest of the season. Having qualified third and finished second we couldn’t have hoped for a better result at Streets of Long Beach.” Formula DRIFT moves on to Orlando, FL for round two on April 27-28 and series president, Jim Liaw, was able to reflect on a successful opening round. “The Streets of Long Beach are always a challenging start to the season for the competitors, but the teams who perform well assume an advantageous position as we move into the next round. We’re also delighted that the sport continues to grow, and that Long Beach was sold-out. More people came to see the action than last year and it sets a good tone for the rest of the 2018 season as well as our return to Irwindale Speedway for the final round in October.” Visit formulad.com for event details, ticket purchases, driver profiles and Livestream information. Visit RUKUSmag.com for more images from the event.

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Exclusive interview with 2013’s Formula Drift Champion

Michael Essa Photography by Andrew Gates

RUKUS MAGAZINE: Who is Michael Essa? MICHAEL ESSA: Who am I, well I am just obsessed with cars, uh, basically anything mechanical I...I love to figure out how things work, and see if I can make ‘em better and solve problems…Anytime I can put a wrench in my hands it makes me happy. RM: What do you do for work? ME: I own Essa Autosport, it’s a race shop in southern California, we build Porsche race cars, BMW race cars, and we take care of ‘em for clients, we take it out to the track, do track support, driver coaching, and all sorts of other crazy projects that we find, engine swaps all kinds of stuff. RM: What got you into motorsports? ME: When I was a kid Chuck Yeager was my idol, he was a pilot…he was the first one to break the sound barrier, and that’s what I wanted to do, I wanted to be an experimental aircraft pilot, until I found out about cars. So, all of a sudden…as soon as I was able to get my driver’s license, I bought a Volkswagon Bug that wasn’t running for a couple hundred bucks, completely disassembled the thing, and basically from that day on all of my focus was on cars and that was it…every second I got I was reading a Chilton manual and in class, you know, inside my math book, I had the Chilton manual inside there just going through every single part of the car, and yeah, from there I was hooked, taking my car out to the track even though it was a beater just having a blast. RM: How did you discover drifting? ME: I kind of discovered drifting on accident. So, when I would take my car, I had an old 240z, back then they weren’t that expensive in the late 90’s, I think I bought it for $500 bucks, the suspension was terrible, old tires that were almost bald, and I was just trying to drive the car fast, you know, in the mountains and it just...it would either understeer like crazy or I could get it to oversteer and I could have a lot more control so I just started driving like that. Years later one of my friends introduced me to drifting, it was actually at a car show when the D1 guys came from Japan, they came out to Irwindale. I had my Datsun 510 on display there, and I saw drifting in front of me for the first time and knew…I have to do that, this is amazing! So, I took my car and started going out and just trying to drive, but would spin out constantly and I was terrible at it, but it just made me want it even more, so, I just wanted to…it’s that challenge, drifting is so much fun, but it is a huge challenge. RM: What was your first impression? ME: When I first saw drifting, it was actually in person, so, I had never seen…you know, I had never watched these Option videos and seen it magazines, so, I’m out here at this event, and see these guys blasting through this parking lot and throwing the car sideways against walls and it just blew my mind, I mean, I

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thought I was having a blast driving my car on a road track on a road race course, and I was, but once I saw that I knew, I’m like…there’s so much more you can do with a car and I knew I had to figure out a way to do it. RM: Tell us about your car. ME: My car right now is a BMW E46, M3, it’s still got the original M3 engine, it’s an S54, basically the head’s stock, the cams are stock, we still run VANOS, some mods inside the engine, basically ARP studs, and we’ve got Boostline Rods, JE Pistons, very simple build and it makes about 850HP at the wheels, the car now on Achille’s Tires, it’s a rocket ship, so, I think it’s one of the fastest cars at Formula Drift and I absolutely love driving it. RM: When did you know you wanted to be a professional drifter? ME: So, when I first started drifting, I had my shop and I was always out at the track with my customers and we would have 6-8 customers that we would take care of and kind of do everything for ‘em and it was a lot of work so pretty much every day I was out at the track it was work. And when I went out and started drifting it was me, you know, by myself just having fun in a car and I honestly never thought about going in to Formula Drift and becoming a professional driver until I started doing some fun competition events and started winning and people were telling me, “hey, you should try to get your FD license.”

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RM: Tell us about the moment you won your FD license; Feeling? Where? When? ME: I went out to a PRO/AM event out in Arizona, just for fun and did really well, came in second or third place or something, and got invited to the Red Bull International…just this crazy event in 2008 out in Long Beach, but not on the Long Beach course. They set up this 115 MPH entry with concrete barriers everywhere, it was insane, but I qualified 3rd and finished 2nd, and got my Formula Drift license. RM: Did you ever imagine yourself being in the sport for this long? ME: My first year in Formula Drift was in 2009 and I had no idea how it would go, what would happen and now this is my 10th year running in Formula D. I never…it’s just…the seasons come so fast and you really don’t have time to think about it, but when you sit back and look at it and you go man 10 years of being in the highest level of drifting in the world is pretty amazing, it’s really hard to get away from it, it’s very addictive, all the people you know out here, and just getting behind the wheel of one of these pro cars, you know, 800-1000HP plus, all the grip in the world and throwing ‘em sideways against walls it’s…it’s really tough to leave. RM: What does life look like after drifting? ME: You know, I’m not 100% sure, what my life is going to be like after I stop running in Formula Drift, but

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I mean…the shop will probably do better, I’ll be there more often, and, you know, keep running with the Porsche Owner’s Club, and see what other opportunities open up, maybe more road racing stuff. I’ll still be out there, you know, doing fun events with the drift car for sure because it is so much fun. But I definitely see myself in the automotive industry for the rest of my life, I can’t see myself doing anything else. RM: If you hadn’t discovered drifting what might you be doing? ME: If I didn’t discover drifting; I would still be racing, I would be with the Porsche Owner’s Club, with SCCA, with NASA, on the track as often as I could be…it probably wouldn’t be as often as it is for me now with all the sponsors and all the connections that I’ve gained through running in Formula Drift for this long. RM: Anyone out there you’d like to thank? ME: I have to say thanks to everyone who has supported me, all the sponsors that I’ve had over the years, made a lot of really good friends, built a lot of good relationships with amazing companies who’ve been on board for years and I’m sure years to come, and the biggest thing I think is the fans, so, thank you to all the fans who come out and support because without the fans we wouldn’t be out here, the sponsors wouldn’t be out here and, you know, I’d be back at the shop just turning wrenches. RM

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"

The first thing I notice in a guy is their eyes.

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STATS: Birthday:

January 2

Height:

5’7”

Weight:

115lb

Measurements:

32DD-24-34

See more of Tawny at instagram.com/tawnyjordan

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NOT FAR ENOUGH Words by Joshua David Anderson

The Far Cry series has always trafficked in the exotic, using remote locales to offer up open world hijinks. From the mountains of Nepal to tropical islands, from Africa to prehistory, past Far Cry games would give Western audiences a look into a location that was unfamiliar to them. With the announcement and release of Far Cry 5, Ubisoft decided to take the series to America’s heartland, allowing players to explore and rampage through a fictional town in Montana. Does this change of scenery alter the Far Cry formula significantly, or is it more of the same? Far Cry 5 takes place in Hope County, a fictional area found in Montana. With this being the first in the series set in the United States, Ubisoft wanted to go bigger with the story and also tap into some of the real fears that Americans have today. So, Far Cry 5 is about a doomsday prepper cult of religious militants who believe the end of the world is nigh, and have commandeered the small county. The cult, called Project Eden’s Gate, are led by a ruthless pastor named Joseph Seed who considers himself a prophet. As the player, you control a nameless Sheriff’s Deputy who goes up against Seed and his family of religious stereotypes, who are all characterized about as much as their descriptions. There is the self help guru, the magical girl who uses hallucinogenic drugs to control people, and the military-obsessed trope who has the biggest guns. All of this plays out in a story that honestly doesn’t spend any time making you know or care about anyone involved. The game itself follows Ubisoft’s tried and true open world formula fairly closely, while making some smart and welcome changes. Hope County is a large map, with lots of distinct area to explore. Series mainstays like outposts to take over and objects to destroy return with little changes, and collectables to be found are plenty. Something new Far Cry 5 introduces is “Prepper Stashes:” bunkers or locked rooms that are filled with upgrade points, weapons, ammo, and money. Each stash is a little puzzle, requiring different conditions to open them, which are all unique and are consistently a joy to find and complete. Far Cry 5 also smartly changes the way you explore and the way you unlock new side quests and activities. Gone are the old towers you would climb that would then dump a bunch of icons on your map. Now, anything that is put on your map is discovered dynamically and naturally by speaking to people you save, or reading it from a note, or by simply walking across it. This makes going into a new area much more exciting and feels like an organic way to discover content. Having an NPC you rescued from a roadside execution tell you about a prepper stash just down the road feels much better than just having it filled out on your map. While Far Cry 5 makes some good changes to the open world design, the combat and upgrading systems don’t feel nearly as fresh. In fact, they feel directly taken from prior games and yet somehow still feel more restricted. Weapons are largely exactly what you have played before and the upgrade process is arguably much worse. There is no crafting of perks or weapons, so you simply get upgrade points and spend them on things like a wingsuit or an extra holster. It’s all technically fine, but certainly hohum. There is also a new Companion system, which is neat but not terribly useful. You will always be better at shooting all the bad guys than your AI teammate. There is also the game’s annoying habit of forcing your character into cutscenes with the story villains through arbitrary, unavoidable kidnapping sections. This isn’t a bad idea once, but the game does it to you two or three times PER VILLAIN. It becomes so canned and jarring that any good immersion the game has garnered goes out the window. Far Cry 5 is absolutely more of the same Far Cry blueprint. If you loved the prior games or haven’t played them since they came out, then Far Cry 5 might be just what you are waiting for. But if you are even a little bit tired of the formula or if you are looking for something new and fresh with a compelling story with strong, fleshed out antagonists, you are probably better off looking elsewhere.

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OLD GODS, NEW TRICKS

Words by Joshua David Anderson

Sony has become known for taking risks on their exclusive games. From giving studios a chance to make games out of their wheelhouse like Guerrilla Games’ Horizon: Zero Dawn, to greenlighting more niche titles like Bloodborne and Dreams, the Playstation brand is not afraid to try new and different things. However, with the announcement that Sony Santa Monica Studio would be making a new God of War title, even the most diehard Sony fan was a little sceptical. God of War is absolutely a legacy franchise, but it is also the type of game that isn’t really in vogue anymore, with the hack-and-slash brawler feeling a bit old these days. Would this new God of War game be able to feel both relevant and true to its roots? This new God of War does not reboot the story, nor does it undo any of the past games. However, it does take place in a new setting, with a new pantheon of gods to go up against. Set years after the first games, an older Kratos has left Greece and has taken up residence in snowy Northern lands. Mourning a recently dead wife, Kratos goes on a journey to spread her ashes on the top of a great mountain. Along for the ride is Kratos’ young son, Atreus, to whom Kratos does not have a close relationship with. The story is as much about these two characters developing together as it is exploring this new land. Against Kratos stands the powerful gods of Norse Mythology. With this change, Santa Monica Studio allows us to see a whole new story while still staying true to Kratos’ Greek past. Along with a new land and new threats, Kratos gains a new weapon: The Leviathan Axe, which carries the powers of frost and has a cool ability to be recalled back to his hand a la a famous hammer held by a Son of Odin. The combat in God of War has been stripped down a bit, no longer built around huge strings of multibutton combos against hordes of enemies. The fighting is a bit slower here, with more weight behind the hits, and more specific moves to pull off. It feels a bit like Dark Souls, with large enemies needing to be dodged and weaved around before finding an opening to attack. The axe feels great, with the power to recall it back to your hand being immensely satisfying. However, you can also put away the hammer and wail on enemies with your fists, and Atreus has lots of combat usefulness, as his arrows can knock down flying foes and stun the larger ones. Additionally, there are many magical super moves you can use called Runic Attacks, which fill out the arsenal very well. Beyond just having a well told story and combat that feels really good, God of War really nails all the stuff on the edge of a great game. The visuals are incredible, some of the best you can see on any console. The voice acting is top notch. There are plenty of collectables and side goals to accomplish, with some of the best parts of the game being the side quests. There is tiered loot to collect and equip, and plenty of world lore to learn about if that is your thing. God of War goes one step further though, in adding some truly awesome end game challenges to chase after. There are a few radically different areas of the game that are designed for after the story, if you still want more. There is a set of cool combat trials to throw your head against, a cool procedurally generated maze like area to explore and conquer, and a set of boss enemies to track down. This is where God of War really shines. If you enjoyed playing this game, the developers went out of their way to give you a bunch of stuff to do. It’s almost like things you would have found in DLC later on, but they just included it in the base game. God of War is a fantastic entry in the series, a perfect starting point for new players but also being filled with everything a long time fan would want. Sony took a huge risk with this game, as it could have just been another “God of War” game, as the formula had been fairly defined. But by changing it up completely, Sony really has something special here. Not only do they have another killer exclusive, they have also shown a path for reviving an old game series that may be past its prime. God of War is hopefully the start of not only a new series for Kratos, but a new doorway for series from gaming’s past to be in the spotlight again.

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Words by Jesse Seilhan

Street Fighter:

30th Anniversary Collection

Calling all World Warriors! Street Fighter is now old enough to nearly pay off its college debt, but isn’t thinking about the future when it has 30 years and 9,000 games to fall back on! Only 12 are making it into this collection, from the O.G. 1987 Street Fighter up to the third iteration of Street Fighter 3, entitled 3rd Strike. All of these three’s aside, having the Alpha series back in our hands is a joy we didn’t know we wanted anymore. There are even save states that let you pick up the action at a later time, something most fighting games do not. Sadly, only four of the games (Turbo: Hyper Fighting, Super Turbo, Alpha 3, and 3rd Strike) have online multiplayer, but Switch does have a little bonus feature that allows eight people to battle via ad-hoc with four systems, bringing real life Arcade multiplayer back in a fun way.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

The Tomb Raider reboot has been trucking along thus far, putting out two fantastic games without a break in sight. Rise of the Tomb Raider gave Lara more to do, shoot, and, of course, raid, but little is known about Shadow’s depth. Stealth does seem to be more important this time around, as both the name and the trailer showing our heroine lurking around both emply. This is also non-exclusive, so if you haven’t been paying attention because you thought you had to have an XBox to enjoy, go play Rise, and then get this one when it launches in September. Expect more information at E3, as Square Enix is hosting their own press conference this year and will be sure to showcase one of their prized jewels.

Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition

Few thought that the most protected Nintendo franchises would ever succeed when remixed by a divisive developer, but both Mario and Link have brought their respective kingdoms to significantly different universes and left unscathed. While Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle gave Mario a gun, Hyrule Warriors is keeping the Hyrule Kingdom intact. The Wii U and 3DS cut-em-up is headed to the Switch with all the extra content packed right in, including new characters, missions, items, & more. And given Zelda’s resurgence since the Wii U version hit shelves, also thrown into the mix are some brand new Breath of the Wild cosmetics. Those who have never enjoyed a Dynasty Warriors game might find this clone appealing, as the addictive but oh so repetitive gameplay is something wholly different when given that Zelda charm. Pick it up in May if you need something else to play on the console before the holiday madness approaches.

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