TRIBIC Issue 2: The Rebirth

june 2015

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APOTHEOSIS

THE GOD MODE REVEALED

Game R e v iew !

Al ien Isol a t ion by Francis Ronald Aguilar Gaming Tribe Interviews

project tokala by

Stephanie Young

pc configurations the Low budget the Best buy and the High end

Welcome to TRIBIC Magazine! It has been so long since the first issue I was worried I would never get the chance to address you like this again! I am really happy that I am able to do so! The reason behind this very late release is due to the previous TRIBIC Designer, Mark Albiar, having to take a break for his health; it was rather unfortunate to see him go, but Mark is far more important than any kind of magazine. From time to time, I would ask around, trying to find someone who could work on the design of TRIBIC, but with no avail. As I was losing hope, Gerasimos Koronaios just popped out of nowhere and BOOM! Saved this magazine from extinction!

This issue was supposed to be launched around February, so some of the articles might feel a bit old; we have taken care to edit some of them, to make them a bit more current in some aspects. However, we do have some new columns to celebrate the return of TRIBIC and I am really looking forward to see feedback from you guys!

As always, I want to thank the TRIBIC Team that worked so hard on the articles and I want to apologize to you and especially them for this very late release. Also, I want to thank personally Gerasimos for saving this Volunteer Project for Gaming Tribe with his awesome techniques! Lastly, I want to thank all of you for taking the time to read TRIBIC! But enough chit-chat! Let’s look at TRIBIC Magazine, the magazine made by GTribers for Gtribers!

Dying Light Review The Fall Review

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Game Healthy!

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Icy Dock Tech Review

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Old but Gold

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apotheosis

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Alien Isolation Review !!!

Anime Corner

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Interview with Stephanie Young (Project Tokala) Life is Strange Review PC Configs Tribic Gaming Magazine is Assembled and Maintained

by Volunteer Staff.

All Rights Reserved!

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QUESTIONS, COMMENTS OR IDEAS ?

Contact us on gamingtribe.com or tribicgamingmagazine@gmail.com

Logitech has renewed its contract with Gaming Tribe and Mass Luminosity and will be a sponsor throughout 2017!

APOTHEOSHIS has launched and met with various critics! Check this issue for our article regarding GOD Mode!

Exclusive to GOD Mode Users, there are currently THREE giveaways! The first is by Logitech, giving out Logitech HD 1080P Pro Webcam C920, second is by AMD Gaming, giving out DiRT Rally and lastly, by our own Mass Luminosity we have a Dragon Age: Inquisition giveaway!

James Folder, Savage Decimation’s winner has received his prize on May 30th.

His smile is genuine, as it should, and our tears are simply because of the pride and happiness we feel for James!

Game on James!

game Review Dying Light

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ying Light gives a formal start to 2015, a year full of exciting releases that really need an introduction. To Techland, this is a chance to redeem and deliver the game of zombies we crave and deserve. Let’s see if Techland learned the lessons of the past and offer a unique experience and a true spiritual successor to Dead Island .

Dying Light takes place in a fictional town called Harran located somewhere in the Middle East.

You’re a special agent sent to retrieve some documents of great importance from the infested city in ruins.

After your spectacular parachute descent, you are captured by a hostile and rude faction, with military clothing and riot gear. After a while, the good guys come to your rescue. So you learn of the Runners, the opposite group from the first one. Your adventure by assuming your role as a double agent in order to collect information and send your reports to your superiors.

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Dying Light offers an open world that you can explore at your leisure thanks to the great freedom of movement in it. The first section consists of the slums, so the scenery is no grand houses, industrial complexes and residences of no more than 2 floors. Playing here is equivalent to a training phase and has a limited variety of obstacles, but also find activities like save the occasional survivor struggling awarded a small reward or buy some exclusive offer from a merchant. Other times you’ll see characters who just want to tell a story that enriches the world with interesting details.

Dying Light offers a variety of side missions triggered by some characters that need your help. The interesting thing about this system is that they are miniature stories with different phases. They may start as a simple task such as removing zombies within such an area, but then folks will ask you to bring herbs with them, or collect a couple of alcohol bottles for a big surprise in the end of it!

june 2015 I enjoyed this game mode because it challenges your reflexes: the survivor has only a moment to use the UV light and prevent its destruction by the monster. Initially this may be difficult for the zombie by the lack of skills and a very skilled survivor could master the game.

The background music is composed melodies seasoned dark and tense atmosphere; the use of wind instruments gives a tone like a classic horror film of the decade of the 70s and 80s are also vocal pieces with shouts During nighttime ,the zombies are more aggressive from beyond the grave. The sound on the whole immerand even wilder characters appear: the Volatile, which sion enriches the fearsome Harran. are sinister monsters who love the dark with fearsome skills. Normally, you find one hanging around the map One of my major complaints for Dying Light is that it and you have to avoid getting too close because if you has a disappointing end, that in terms of gameplay, fell are seen, immediately begins a chase of legendary pro- far too short to the rest of the experience. In short, afportions! (That you may, or may not survive) Nightlife ter crossing seas of zombies and intense challenges of and provoke Volatile is undoubtedly my favorite activity in Dying Light . Doing tests your skills as a practitioner of parkour and is extremely plaintiff. You need precision control to steer your character to the place you want and avoid getting trapped between walls or roofs. It is also a great source of experience points, because the longer you evade a Volatile, the greater the rewards during the day.

Combat is directly related to arms and is much better when compared with that of Dead Island . At the beginning of your adventure you will have access to weapons and basic skills, but later unlock melee attacks, aerial maneuvers and more powerful weapons. In Dying Light is possible to feel the increase in power in each bout; for example, you can demolish the white zombies - the weakest - with one attack after a few skill increases while at the beginning you need 4.

Something that does not seem quite right is that weapons are broken with constant use and may get repaired a specific number of times. You can also increase its duration with additions and upgrades that are in the game, which motivates you to find more equipment and use it at its best.

On the other hand, in the competitive multiplayer we have to applaud the decision Techland made to not launch ‘Be the Zombie’ mode as a bonus presale. This mode allows you to play as a flesh-eating zombie! ‘Be the Zombie’ features up to four online players at once.

parkour, It’s wrong to steal the final glory from player in such a poor way.

Dying Light is no doubt the best installment of Techland and a great step-up from the company’s previous works. Let’s see the Good & the Bad now!

The Good... + Quality free-running in an open world and pretty well populated. + Nighttime changes the rules of the game. + The character progression is suitable: you will not feel too weak or too strong. + The combat system simple and focused on close combat.

The Bad...

- The AI has a few problems.

- Some concerns for the framerate.

- The weapons are easily destroyed.

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game Review The Fall

Limbo and The Swapper’s love child, EXPOSED Sorry for the dramatic headline. It’s important though. But let me elaborate on that as we go.

The game mainly progresses through exploration.

The player is provided with a flashlight (which you’ll be using for the most part) and a gun to interact with the surroundings and push through the variety of puzzles the game offers which are the story’s main pivot.

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he Fall is a game like many and a game like few. he story brings us to an mysterious location is space. We play as the A.R.I.D. or Arid. An artificial intelligence operating a mark-7 combat suit. The suit’s human pilot is unresponsive and it is our job as it’s assistant to seek medical attention.

I can’t call it a survival horror platformer but The Fall surely knows how to elevate the creepy sci-fi factor with great sound design and a permanent feeling of uncertainty as you explore the wrongness of the mysterious planet. This inevitable brings you back to games such as The Swapper to and Limbo .

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The Fall doesn’t skip a single beat when it comes to immersion and it’s willing to sacrifice the fancy shananigans (or just plain simple text menus) in exchange for a user interface that is superbly solved putting you inside the mark-7 form “start to exit”.

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This setting is important because it tells a very familiar story about the inner conflicts of an A.I. setting it as the main character which adds depth and a sense of freshness to the plot.

Over the Moon Games (link to http://www.overthemoongames.com/) describes itself as a developement team driven by story. No wonder why the game won Best Story at Giant Bomb, 2014 and was nominated for Best Writing at the Canadian Video Game Awards since it’s release on May 2014.

Although exploration is the main focus of this game, some of the controls destined to do so are a it awkward, despite the fact that they’re the most logical solution when it comes to collecting information from your surroundings.

The soundtrack is not outstanding but it does a decent job at creating the atmosphere for the game.

Just what’s required but nothing more.

The Fall is available on steam for less than 10 dlls so you should definitely grab those extra dollars and buy it.

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game healthy spagetti with spinach sause

t’s a common belief -although it’s not exactly wrongthat most gamers tend to have unhealthy eating habits; especially for World of Warcraft players, one tends to think of them as extremely fat people with pizza always on their mouth, the soda on one hand and with the other are playing the addictive MMO. Now, being a proud WoW player myself, this does bother me!

But what really bugs me is that gamers are not considered “normal” unless they are playing a mainstream game, that all “normal” folks play; they ALWAYS seem to think that being a gamer means eating chips and cookies is a must and every once in a while we actually order some “home made” food.

tual kitchen and I loved it; soon I would be asked by the cooks to join them, as we all had a nice little team together. After I was done with the army, I went joined a culinary school; there I learned the art of cooking, its origins and many tricks and recipes. I then continued my journey in this fantastic world by working for 5-star hotels in order to get experience; after that, I would occasionally work on small taverns and sometimes on gourmet restaurants; I have a five year worth of professional experience as a cook. I am by no means an expert, but I think I can throw you some advice regarding cooking!

Before you get all enraged however, let me say that this CAN be true most of the times! How many times have I returned from work with no time to spare until my raid was on? I would just pick up the phone and order something (the Greek GTribers will know the word pitogira) Or at other times, while I game I would want to eat something and I would go to the store or the local coffee shop to get a sandwich or something. And I am sure that most can relate to this! How many times have you put off cooking because you wanted to play a game?

Game Healthy will feature every month a couple of recipes that are quick to make, easy to learn and are balanced; keep in mind that in cooking the result is not always the same and by all means, use your own imagination to make the recipes better! There is NEVER a set recipe. There is also never a secret recipe; at least on Game Healthy you won’t find that; everything will be available and explained to you. Also, the only reason I decided to do something like this is because of Gaming Tribe community; Now, let’s see our first recipe ever on Game Healthy!

Game Healthy, the new column of TRIBIC is here to put an end to ALL myths regarding eating habits and gaming; here you will find out what you can eat, without restraints on any kind of food, while maintaining a healthy diet. Before I go on with this, I think it’s only proper to introduce myself: My name is Alexandros Kaziakos, I am a GTriber and co-leader of the gaming magazine TRIBIC. I will not bore you with my countless internet achievements; instead I will focus on my culinary skills! Ever since I was a little kid, I would help my mom in the kitchen; soon I would start cooking my own small meals and experiment a bit on various things. While I ongoing through high school, I was only cooking for my own enjoyment (and sometimes for the special lady too!) During the time I was fulfilling my military obligations, I was sent to the kitchen once, where I was to help the cooks prepare the food; it was the first time working on an ac-

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june 2015 SPAGHETTI WITH SPINACH SAUCE Ah, spaghetti; my favorite kind of food! The first ever real food I tasted was spaghetti; and I was just a wee baby! Since then, I would pick up my baby apron, go to the kitchen, kick the chef right in face and cook spaghetti. After I had some problems with the National Security Team (aka I woke up) I took it more easy. Now then, let’s see the ingredients to make spaghetti with spinach sauce!

Pro’s Tips and Tricks Some folks just don’t like spinach as a leaves! If you are like that, throw the spinach leaves in the boiling past water for a couple of seconds and then throw them in the blender with half the garlic, half the tomato paste, half the wine or some water, the basil and just a touch of the cream. Shred it all, go on with the recipe above and bring into boil the sauce alongside the mixture you created!

For 4 servings you will need: • 500gr of pasta (any kind will do, for this recipe I use mainly spaghetti) • 150gr leaves of spinach (you can use frozen spinach as well) • 70ml tomato paste (or sauce if you prefer that) • 40ml water (if you are using paste, dissolve it in the water, otherwise just pour it) • 20 ml cream • Olive Oil • Garlic (or onions if you don’t like garlic) • Salt&Pepper • Nutmeg • Some basil • A small cup of white wine (optional) • Some cheese of your choice for sprinkling!

INSTRUCTIONS • Finely chop the garlic or onions. After that, take all the leaves of the spinach, roll them all together and chop them as well. Don’t wash the knife after you cut the garlic! This is done to maximize the taste of the spinach. Finally chop the basil.

• Cook the pasta as instructed on the box.

• Pour olive oil on a large frying pan, or a small casserole; 2-3 tablespoons will do the trick. Turn on the heat and throw the garlic in; stir for 15-20 seconds (be careful not to burn the garlic!) and either use the wine or poor some water in order to stop the heat.

• Pour the tomato paste, dissolved in the water or the sauce . Let it heat for a while, salt and pepper. After it starts coming to a boil, pour the cream in alongside with the nutmeg and basil then turn the heat into a medium fire. Constantly stir.

• When it comes to a boil, throw in the chopped spinach leaves and stir for 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat and then throw in the pasta. Toss them around in order for the spinach sauce to mix itself with the pasta.

• Serve while hot with some cheese of your own choosing! Enjoy your masterpiece!

Thank you for reading TRIBIC’S Game Healthy Column! Next time we will have an equally tasty recipe, while it’s healthy for you. And the key word is.. BACON! That’s right, you read bacon. Tune in for the next recipe in the next issue of TRIBIC!

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tech review icy dock

Icy Dock EZ Adapter MB981U3N Key Features * Completely screw-less / tool-less design for any type of drive. * Connects 2.5”/3.5” ATA (IDE) & SATA Hard Drive & SSD. * Secured port connectors to prevent data loss or damage to hard drives. * Plug & Play USB 3.0 with backwards capabilities to USB 2.0 for quick connection for any computer system. * USB 3.0 connectivity with up to 5 GB/sec transfer rates. * Supports UASP function for even faster performance after revision (starting from 10/26/13 with serial # 13389551). * Easy access On/off button allows hard drive life expendability and energy conservation. * Exposed working HDD stands in the air vertically for fast heat radiation. * Included convenient 4-pin power jumper cabled provided for use with 3.5” IDE drive. * Low profile power adapter for 3.5” drives. * USB bus power for 2.5” drives. * Great for DIY users and IT Professionals. * Designed for PC & Mac systems.

Readily accessible, Minimal Footprint and USB 3.0 Superspeed!

Users who need a quick easy solution to access storage drives without the eating the cost of pricey external storage bays will find this solution affordable. I pur-

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chased this adapter at $50 online which I personally think is a little steep for what you get. With it being plug and play you can just keep it off your desk until you need it. This way you are not consuming unnecessary power on your PC or using up drive bay real estate. I tested out three different drives and was very surprised with the results (See Photo). Unfortunately my old 3.5 IDE WD Caviar 80GB refused to cooperate, as it is an old drive and I am not sure if it functions properly anymore. So I did manage to get two benchmarks on a SSD and HDD data drive.

I would recommend this product as quick part-time access to extra storage drives. The speed, footprint and easy-to-use are definitely a plus.

I give the Icy Dock EZ Adapter 4/5 G’s solely based on the price

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old but gold Sweet home Capcom 1989-famicom (japan only) The thing that makes this game still good is the fact that it is really hard to play. All of the five characters start out with a unique untransferable item, an item you need to finish the game. Because the game features that lovely feature of perma death it can become imposible to finish the game if you lose a character in the game, although there is a version that has been editNow this game came out way before Capcom regis- ed so that if the healing character dies you would find tered the term survival horror so in that sense Resident herbal medicine to heal yourself with, same goes for keys if you lost the character with the Skeleton Key. evil is technicaly the first survival horror game.

What most don’t know however is that Resident Evil Sweet home is pretty much an RPG with a unforgiving started out as a Sweet Home remake. inventory capacity feature, as each character can only In Sweet Home you play as a group of five people that carry two items besides their own unique item; luckily have gone to the Mamiya Mansion in order to film the you can drop items you dont need and they wont vanish, Painter Mamiya Ichirou’s final Fresco on film. After but you have to remember where did you drop them. they get into the mansion they are greeted by a ghost Another feature that makes Sweet Home different from most RPGs of the time is that you do not control the who threatens them and then dissapears. leader of the party with the four others following him, The story for the rest part is quite simplistic. The paint- instead you control all the of characters individually er Mamiya ichirou, made a final fresco years ago and and also team up in a team of maximum three people. then vanished without a trace in his secluded mansion, and now you are sent there to get the fresco on film The game came with for the time greusome images and and find out what happend. The door opening as a load- disturbing content, which was the reason that Sweet ing screen in Sweet Home will be known to the Resi- Home never saw an official release here in the west.

Like the early final fantasy rpg games Sweet Home has dent evil players out there. random encounters that are turn based, giving you time to plan out what to do next, This can be seen as a negative thing in Final Fantasy as they tend to suck you out of the story, but in Sweet Home they add to the sence of danger and dread, an atmosphere that Sweet Home nailed down perfectly.

If you would ask a gamer what the first Survival Horror game was, most would tell you “Resident Evil” and they would be somewhat right. Others would say “Alone in the dark” and they would be somewhat right too. A very small number however would say “Sweet Home” and those people would be right.

The game has the normal RPG commands like talk, look and such , but players will also see Pray .

Pray is kinda like the magic system of the game and at some points the characters need to pray in front of a certain item in order to move, like early in the game you need to pray in front of a suit or armor to receive his spear. Praying uses pray points and these are limited but will be restored when you are healed by the nurse.

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The game also has some puzzles that are rather simplistic and seem to be added more for padding then for the actual story.

With the new interest of people with voxel and pixel art games it is nice to see that the graphics of Sweet Home would fit perfect in that library. Even though the walking graphics are the most ugly ones as soon as you get to a puzzle fresco or battle the graphics look good for a game that is from 1989 and on the famicom .

With the rise of dificult RPG games, Sweet Home could be that horror rpg fix people need. If you do want to play the game try to find the english translation Rom sadly this one is made a little more easy, but will still pose a challenge Also to be able to pray at certain items one needs to be a high enough level, this can lead to exp grinding.

The game also has several moments of the earliest implimencation of QTE, only here you have a alloted time to choose an action to do and not just a button to press.

If you fail it you will suffer some Damage.

The thing that makes this game unique for the time it came out was the story telling. The story is one of a generic Japanese horror movie and yes, this game is actually a movie game, made based by an obscure little movie also called Sweet Home. To differentiate the game from he movie, the story is told through diaries and messages in fresco’s and these can totaly be missed. Where other games in that day and age would tend to scream “LOOK HERE FOR EXPOSITION�

Sweet Home had more of a whisper, that allowed you to explore the mansion for the full story or just try to solve the puzzles in there as quick as you could so you could finish the game faster.

The game has a well written plot that elevates it from the movie as it is more easy to have diary based exposition in a game than a movie .

The game still has some ingame scenes that push the story forward, but there is no emphasis on them, instead the game seems to dare you to take a risk and explore for the story.

Sweet Home also features five endings based on how many survived the game and how much story you unraveled. This gives the game a lot of replayability.

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june 2015 Pro’s Dificulty is high from the start The 5 endings give great replayability The unique personal items makes the game also rather tectical Story telling through diary’s gives you more emersion as you have to find and read them.

The game doesnt hold your hand and lets you figure out what you need to do with some of the personal items.

Con’s Dificulty might be to steep for some The personal items can be a source of lots of back tracking to get the needed character.

The game is officialy only released in Japan The Level requirement for some pray able items.

The walking graphics did not age well.

Scoring Story: 4G out of 5 The story might be simplistic they way it is presented through the diary entries is simply amazing and makes the game score higher here.

Difficulty: 4G out of 5 The high dificulty and the permadeath of characters is great for a game that is this old. The reworked and translated english version is some what more easy and elevates the game to a 4 Soundtrack: 3G out of 5 The music is good for the atmosphere but tend to get repetative and feels a little to sped up to be unsettling Replayability: 5G out of 5 With 5 diffrent endings the game has a lot of replayability Originality: 5G out of 5 This is the grand daddy of survival horror games, even if the term was not coined yet. A lot of the things done in this game have been carried over to the resident evil series and that makes this game very Original as a Survival Horror RPG. Final Score 4G out of 5 .

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apotheosis god mode REVEALED Gaming Tribe always has a way to surprise us; for months now, Angel Munoz and his battle-worthy and tested staff have been teasing to their words a breakthrough in social media experience. They would allow us to wield the power of the Gods. And boom! God Mode was born! The GT staff was working really hard for a very long time to produce these powers; if they had asked nicely, I would simply share them, but how mortals think is beyond me.

But what IS GOD Mode? Basically, to make them completely simple and easy to understand (and break down the myth and hard work of the staff too!) they are utilities, ui and life improvements to the entire Gaming Tribe experience. There are 12 Powers overall, divided into 2 categories: The Powers of Acquisition and the Powers of Might. Before we go on to look at the powers respectively -I have personally tested each once and I will give you full details and remarks on each of them- I have to mention the thing that has brought great uproar in the GT community the first couple of days; they are PAID services. The Acquisition Powers cost 0.99$ per month and the Might Powers 1.99$ per month. This is extremely controversial, but Angel is used to such things by now (see the Angel interview in the previous TRIBIC Issue) There have been many members that raged against this blasphemy, as they called it and attacked the staff and anyone who dared stand in their way, Spartan Style. We even had a Volunteer tearing his badge as a result of it! But in GT’s greatest hour of need, the champions that supported GOD Mode also rose to defend this new system. After countless hours of fighting (approx 48 by my count) the battle ceased and it remains to be seen if the awesome Tribers will take arms again!

Now, one would ask me and with good reason: where do I and TRIBIC stand in this? It’s quite simple my friend, we stand to the right side. We will analyze every bit of this new system and THEN decide if it’s worth paying money for this. Do we have to support it because it’s Gaming Tribe? Of course NOT. TRIBIC is made by GTribers FOR GTribers, to give back to the community we fell in love in. This is why we will look at both sides and calmly tell the pros and the cons and let the Triber decide what he/she wants to do with it. Here is a newsflash for some! You don’t HAVE to use it! GOD Mode, while it WILL offer some rewards to those who use them (for pretty good damn reason too) it will NOT differentiate the average GTriber from the Mode User GTriber, at least not to the extent that he/she will feel threatened by this. One of the biggest issues the CV had for stepping down is because he claimed GOD Mode will destroy the equality of Gaming Tribe. Now he is neither right nor wrong. What he says does make sense, as the GOD Mode users WILL have an overall more ‘premium’ experience than the non-paying one.

However, TRULY now, when any kind of community was exactly EQUAL in ALL aspects? In the history of this world such a thing has never been heard, at least not a successful one!

But Alex! How dare you bring down the Legend of Gaming Tribe? WE ARE THE MASTER RACE! We are everything that every gamer desires! We have RED AND BLUE Lightsabers! We are Groot! Etc, etc.

Yes my lovely and angry friend, we are all that. However, it’s also true that we are not exactly equal for it. We are CLOSE to it, because most of the members (if not all) respect each other and that is rare for an internet community. We are polite to each other and especially to new folks. We are awesome and bloody great as a community, but we can never and should never claim we are all equal to the deepest meaning of the word. For example, let’s take the Giveaway; we are all mostly equal to it (with some exceptions) because EVERYBODY can win it. However, the Level Up and other such giveaways require some working p.14

june 2015 up to do! A Verified Member has different rights than someone who isn’t. Simple as that, but I am not going to waste any of your time discussing this! Now it’s time to look at each of the Godly powers and decide whether it is worth it to buy even one part of them.

POWERS OF ACQUISITION •

Omnipresence: Instant and automatic entry into every massive giveaway.

Pretty simple and straight forward, we have viewed this Power some times in the past, as some could preregister for a couple of giveaways. It’s a really great life improvement service, as it registers you automatically without you having to make any more clicks than you absolutely have to! Something that is EXTREMELY important to understand, is that GOD Mode does NOT give you any additional chances of winning any big giveaway, the PC ones (such as Savage Decimation that ended a some time ago) •

Affinity: Instant and automatic liking of all giveaway sponsor pages.

Basically what Affinity does is work together with Omnipresence and is liking every page on Gaming Tribe so that you can enter the giveaways! It makes sense that they are together in a group and the naming behind this set of Powers is extremely well played; I would at least give out kudos to them for that!

POWERS OF MIGHT •

Clairvoyance: See how many views your status updates receive and who views them.

Now this is getting very close to the Facebook “seen” status on the messages; very dangerous if you are a somewhat like-seeking person. This is the only Power that might result in massive coups and many duels will start because of this. Something like “You foul knave! You saw my post and thou did not liketh it?

I SHALL SKEWER YOU LIKE A KEBAB YOU RAT!” You should always keep your sword close to you my friends. You will NEVER be safe again with this specific power..

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Presence Manipulation: Exclusive live list of friends.

Now, any kind of Power that has manipulation among the words, is a hidden message by the staff to let you know you are being herded. I don’t mind that, as long as there are Cheerios there! Now jokes aside, this is a great way to see who is online currently. This is a great thing, as you can instantly see and message your friends! Also a great way for making sure that little mortal is alive and kicking!

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•

Teleportation: Make voice/video calls to your friends!

A REALLY nice Power! I truly believe that this differentiates GT from the rest of the social media site who use similar features, because of its simplicity! Think of it as a really lightweight Skype. To be fair, it did have some problems at the beginning, like having really bad quality sound/video, the video not being presented or having major lag to it (at least it was when I first tried it out) but further tests showed that it now works as intended. I believe that this power is the easiest to abuse, so be careful GTribers; if you find yourselves targeted, ESPECIALLY the ladies, contact the CVs or staff right away so we can sort it out. However, I sincerely doubt any true member of this community would do this, but it never hurts to be careful, does it?

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Hydroportation: Stream TwitchTV directly to your status updates!

A pretty straightforward power; basically it works just like embed Youtube videos, you just post the link of your Twitch channel when it’s live (otherwise what would be the point of it eh?) and when Tribers click on it they can instantly watch it, without having to travel to Twitch to actually view it!

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Enhanced Agility: Exclusive access to GOD MODE Loot Drops.

Pretty self explanatory and a nice bonus to those who decide to chip in their hard earned money. It’s a bonus, that’s pretty much it. I however approve of this, even if the prizes are not exactly MASSIVE and expensive; not that we would say no of course. Let’s just wait and see for this one! I am personally looking forward to this and I am not ashamed to say I would buy the Powers of Might just for this ^^ This is a BONUS to the current Loot Drops.

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Telekinesis: Exclusive access to special offers from sponsors and partners.

Also a great Power, one I would gladly pay for. As before, it’s pretty simple to understand, basically we get discounts and offers from our sponsors and partners. I won’t bother calculating if we can actually win more money by using this power from the initial amount we gave, cause in my opinion it’s hardly worth it and it’s doubtful whether you will actually use this one every month. But the possibility is there for the skeptical ones!

•

Summoning: Instant verification abilities.

Here we go; a Power I am personally not happy with, but one that I completely understand the logic and concept behind it. As every other site, GT grows day by day and soon the number of users reaches a really big number every day for new members that join our glorious community. This means that there is an x amount of users that might require being verified after certain criteria have been met. Basically, Summoning will automatically make you a verified member of GT if you have uploaded a front-face picture of yourself, have at least 10 friends and have a certain amount of activity, which is further divided by your number of posts, comments and shares. There might be a few more criteria that you will have to meet, like a certain time must pass before you get verified, but all in all, it’s an automatic upgrade of your status in Gaming Tribe. Now, I do understand the logic behind it, as we said there are dozens new members that come almost every day and said members will require verification, making it really hard to verify people one-by-one. However, I truly believe that waiting and agonizing about becoming verified takes

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june 2015 it all the more worth it. True, the times for members were vastly different before they could get verified -personally it took me about 2 months of constant activity and almost reaching the top of the Leaderboard multiple times to get verified, while I noticed others only needed around 1-2 days of activity to get that shiny tick- but it was absolutely amazing to wake up one day, enter Gaming Tribe and see that tick.

I am not ashamed to say I was really proud of myself when I saw that, because I KNEW someone had looked at my profile and judged that I was worthy of the title. Now it’s just like it says; you are summoned straight away to the goal, thus losing some of the journey to get there.

•

Echolocation: Upload a custom notification sound.

Now THIS is one of the most talked Powers so far in GT! And definitely the most popular currently! People seemed to hate that bloody beeping sound, so now they are being creative and actually upload their OWN sounds! Some have used simple, yet catchy sounds, similar to the bloody beeping sound, others have used gaming soundtrack such as Skyrim, others use funny (and somewhat inappropriate) sounds, others use voice cast from various movies, anime and games and others use iconic sounds such as the Super Mario Coin Click and Metal Gear Solid Alert. I still use the bloody beeping sound, mostly because I am used to it, but I will probably upload something soon. Something somewhat vulgar too cause I am a guy. And guys just love that smexy robotic voice saying: “new mail jackass. Check it.”

•

Cloaking: Your entire profile and profile photos can be made invisible to others.

Again, a really nice choice of words naming this Power. I imagine they used the “techy’ version of this word, which basically means being invisible to radars and stuff; pretty common to games like Call of Duty, but this term is also used in real life. If Angel were to come out and say they took this word from Harry Potter, I will be extremely disappointed.. Anyway, pretty simple and cool power, Gaming Tribe takes privacy to a new level again, as no one will be able to see your profile (at least the normal members and CVs won’t have access to it, staff will probably be able to see it) This works really good with Presence Manipulation too, as you can just shrug off anyone who just spams you the moment you are online and no one will ever know you were there and see you.. Unless we are talking about Zone-Tan. You know deep down what I am talking about. That’s right, you do..

•

Enhanced Visibility: Automatic display of the pulsing GOD MODE badge by your name.

Simple yet artistic; basically you get a shiny new badge. Also, as a personal request, I would like my Sheriff badge! Plus a TRIBIC badge for those who have worked in TRIBIC would be cool ^^ Also, a badge that differentiates the TRIBIC staff from the TRIBIC guests would be great! We could also make a badge for that badge! Plus a new badge! MOAR BADGES!!

We have viewed all the Powers now, before we talk about anything else, let’s talk about the current prices and how you can actually purchase this and be able to experience the Apotheosis..

There are currently 3 different sets, as seen by the table below. You can purchase them either by credit card, debit card and/or prepaid card and PayPayl came right after those. When you buy your Powers, you are also given the option to donate a small amount for all the charity works GT and ML is affiliated with, which is a pretty nice thing to do! I doubt there is a reward for it and there shouldn’t be one really; it’s called a donation for a good reason. Plus if you are making such a thing, you will get a reward that no one else can give you other than yourself: self-satisfaction that you did a great deed. And you are bloody awesome for that!

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PRICE LIST

Powers of Acquisition (Monthly) Powers of Might (Monthly) Full GOD Mode (Monthly)

0.99$ 1.99$ 2.98$

As you can see, there is no discount if you buy the whole lot, but the price is not that high to be influenced by that. The donation you will be allowed to offer is either 0.50$ or 1.00$. You can make that donation every month with no necessity to keep fishing out that donation every month though!

So that’s all for the Apotheosis God Mode and its powers. Now let’s decide if it’s worth it paying for it.

Unfortunately, if I were to give you a flat answer, it would be my own personal opinion about it.

I will use it, but for my own reasons (mainly for the LOOT and discounts, I will be honest about it) As stated before, there are great life and site improvements, but they are not needed to have a good time in Gaming Tribe; think of it more like mods. You don’t have to have them, but they will make your game more fun and interesting. The price is not too expensive, even if we are talking about Full GOD Mode; I really think 3 dollars are not that far out of reach, however I do realize that different people have different opinions regarding their hard-earned money. Something that I saw and it disturbed me, is a comment of someone in GT saying that the site now has DLCs that you will have to pay every month. This statement is really untrue; sure, GOD Mode is a premium purchase for experiencing the site and so on, but it’s definitely not a Pay2Win method. This has been addressed before, but GOD Mode does not really aim to differentiate from the paying to the non-paying ones, it’s simply a more convenient way to experience Gaming Tribe. Think of it as a parking lot close to your home and work; you don’t have to go there and pay for the fee to leave your car, but it makes things so much faster and smoother.

On the other hand, GOD Mode will make a different to the site experience to those members that can’t afford it for whatever reason (maybe they are underage or unemployed) or those that simply don’t believe in paying websites and social media sites, or they simply think it’s absurd to pay for this, as it should be free. Now I completely understand and will support case 1 and 2, but if you come up with the third one, you better back down, cause my horse can run really fast! Jokes aside, there have been people OUTSIDE Gaming Tribe who took their time to work on GOD Mode. Nobody works for free. They are offering you an alternative way, it’s up to you if you want to capitalize on that.

Again it’s rather unfortunate that I can’t give you a straight answer whether it’s worth buying GOD Mode and continuing to doing so, or just leave it alone. Both sides have their pros and cons, it’s really up to the user what to do. YOU have the Power in your hands. Basically, YOU are the GOD Mode. What Gaming Tribe offers is the Apotheosis, the reaching of the highest pinnacle rather than anything else.

I do hope I have provided some detailed information regarding GOD Mode that will help you decide whether or not it’s worth of your own time and money!

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june 2015

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game Review ALIEN ISOLATION

There’s so much to like in Alien isolation.

The Corridors, rooms, the detailed set pieces in every part of Sevastopool station feels alive and a reminiscence of the classic Alien movie. Fans of the film will essentially get their Alien vibe and feeling very welcoming the moment they start playing this. I myself, easily thrilled by its atmospheric environment, already makes for a good impression just moments after I started playing.

The story is very much linear. It was never this game’s strong suit. As Amanda, daughter of Ellen Ripley, which of course is the main protagonist of the Alien films, takes spotlight on this one as she tries to find answers on her missing mother. The game wasted no time in taking you to its world, while slowly taking things into motion, like introducing some characters, you still get to explore the station, and areas as you progress.

This is something Alien Isolation excels at. Even before few hours without the Alien itself, I still get to enjoy walking around, the tension is right there, as if the Alien can pop out at a moment’s notice.

A true survival horror game should always have a good sound design, and Alien isolation takes this to even greater heights. Those who have watch the Alien films can easily get acquainted on how terrifying the sounds are. It’s thrilling as it gets your attention, always making you work out on hiding even more. I played this one with headsets on, can make for a real treat as it makes even the slightest sound of a footstep or a pumping smoke come to life.

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The highlight of the game is the Alien. When I first saw it, I immediately turn (you can’t run as the Alien will instantly notice and squash you to death) to the nearest corner where I can hide, as I can hear those creepy hissing sound of the monster. It’s a great and rewarding experience as this are the kind of survival horror game that really strikes me the most. The creature design is outstanding, staying true to the original design by H.R. Giger, renowned sculptor and set designer. The Alien’s AI is good at first, but can be frustrating as the game progress. They did a great job on the creature’s movement and phasing but as I was on my halfway through the game, it becomes predictable. Your true companion here is the motion tracker, which you get to use almost every time. It’s a nice treat for all those Alien fans, as it really makes the game unique and makes you feel helpless. While guns, bombs and flamethrower eventually gets available as you progress, they are not the best of choice to survive against the Alien. Using them can attract attention and makes you run for your life even more. The best way is to always hide and scan the area which what makes the game great. It might not appeal to every gamers because the game requires you to be patient at all times. Don’t expect coming here and blasting your way out with those huge plasma beam rifles as seen on other Alien games.

Sadly, for such an immersive survival horror experience that stays true to the Alien film, the game loses its momentum as you progress. The lack of an interesting supporting casts, and repetitive missions breaks the formula that makes Alien Isolation great on its first few hours of gameplay. While it’s true that characters

come and go on a survival horror game, this one seems forgettable, as I don’t feel any sympathy on any of them.

Characters you get to meet are all dull looking, much like the androids that populated the Sevastopool station. While those androids are creepy with their glowing eyes, they tend to irritate me as I progress, they babble with those repetitive words, and all of these androids look the same.

Playing survival horror games multiple times depends on every gamer, whether a true challenger wants to test his skills in yet another gruesome horror experience, or someone who just can’t get another round of terror. In Alien Isolation, playing it again after your first playthrough requires patience, as the game truly builds a feeling of isolation and sometimes it can be boring especially if most of the time you’re dealing with only one enemy, which is the Alien itself. Of course with the game’s awesome atmosphere and great all around detail, playing it again can make for a rewarding experience as it feels like your also watching a movie.

Pros • • • •

Great atmospheric environment that stays true with the original film Alien looks menacing Weapons are unique that serves a purpose for each level design Sound design are topnotch, a true Alien feeling comes to life

Cons • • •

Characters that makes no impression at all Repetitive missions midway through the game Alien and enemy A.I. can be predictable as the game progress

Alien isolation is a definitive Alien game. It delivers a truly satisfying horror experience by making you work your way out in a cat and mouse chase fashion. Slowly building you to its world, all the while making you sweat with its unnerving sound design, Isolation shows how an Alien game is done. The detailed environment sets this game apart from any other Alien games before it, and its retro sci-fi feeling makes you want to return to the 90s even more.

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june 2015

anime corner PARASYTE

Most anime veterans will know this title, as it is quite old; the manga was serialized in Kodansha’s Afternoon magazine from 1988 to 1995. So why did it take so long to actually get an anime adaption? The reason is quite simple; they believed Parasyte was too grotesque and realistic, due to the fact that back in the early 90s, it was widely spread that parasite microorganisms were in fact among us, thus making the anime studios reluctant to say the least when it came to adapting the series, despite the fact that even then, Parasyte was quite popular.

However, the time was ripe in our time to have an adaption of the series and personally, it was exactly what doctor had ordered for the “modern” anime releases.

Most will agree with me when I say that every season, almost every anime is repetitive and only mildly interesting; it’s rare to see a good show that is NOT one of the mainstream titles. Parasyte came on and crushed the competition, making quite an impact on both the official rankings and the various communities in the Internet.

When Shinichi wakes up the following morning he realizes what has happened and is terrified at first but soon he comes to accept the fact that he lost his right arm forever and instead he has received a strange parasitic creature, which has a mouth, eyes, ears, can change its shape to sharp blades, can talk and later on, he even gives it the name “Migi”. Shinichi soon realizes that other parasites exist, which have completely taken over their host and they devour humans in order to feed; Migi is an exception to this rule, since he failed to take over Shinichi’s brain. He can sustain itself by nourishing the food Shinichi eats. Confused and scared at first, Shinichi soon develops a strong feeling of fighting off the Parasites, in order to protect the human race.

Migi however has no human emotion and does not care happen to anyone but himself and Shinichi, since they both share the same lifeline. He does help Shinichi when they come across various other Parasites, which they want to kill him because of Shinichi still having his brain intact, but he only does so, as Migi said himself, in order to survive.

But what IS Parasyte? It’s a horror/sci fi show, written and illustrated by Hitoshi Iwaaki-sensei. The story involves around a 17 year old teenager, Izumi Shinichi who lives with his parents in Tokyo. One day, worm like creatures appear on Earth and attempt to take over a human’s body and conscience by entering through their ears or noses and then take control over their brains. One of the said worms, parasites, tries to do the same with Shinichi, but since the later is wearing headphones, it fails to enter and instead crawls through Shinichi’s right hand.

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The story is interesting and keeps you to the edge of your seat from the first minute in the show; however, each episode will always leave with you a cliffhanger, something that many have strongly criticized in the Internet. Personally however, I find myself eagerly waiting for the next episode, something I have not felt for an anime in many years; I don’t care for the wait, as long as the episode is good and so far Parasyte has delivered.

The characters in the show are really well made, as they properly develop while the story progresses and you can easily relate to them, often making you think what would you do if something similar were to happen to you. The art and details of this show have really been polished to the extreme, while keeping the gore a bit undertoned compared to the manga. While you do see some sloppy animation here and there, overall their work with Parasyte is more than satisfactory. The show has some very talented seiyuus working at it as well, with names like Hirano Aya (Fairy Tail, Death Note) as Migi and Shimazaki Nobunaga as Shinichi (Ano Natsu de Matteru) having the main spots. Sawashiro Miyuki (Hunter x Hunter, Sword Art Online II) and Hanazawa Kana (Ore no Imouto, Pokemon) also star in Parasyte, bringing even more talent to the series.

When it comes to story based shows, the sound effects and music usually come in second place, thus making me fear of the show before it got released, that the audio department would be lacking especially in the battle scenes; thankfully, I couldn’t be more wrong. Not only they had the very talented singer and songwriter Daichi Miura work on the ending credits and some of the in-anime soundtrack, the studio has very carefully selected each piece on where to play it, how long it will be and why it would be to play them at that point! The battle soundtrack and special effects clearly show how much work has been done into them and I for one am extremely happy and satisfied with the result.

To bring things to an end, Parasyte is a must see to those who want to see something different than usual; it’s a seinen series, meaning the story is more mature than a shounen anime, but it has just the right touch of fighting in order to appeal to the brawl maniacs as well. Personally it’s one of my favorite titles because of its originality and the hindsight of the creator.

Now, let’s do the scoring!

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Story: 4.5 out of 5 Gs It only misses the full score because it does not explain clearly some things, unlike the manga.

june 2015

Gt Interviews !

Stephanie Young (Project Tokala)

H

ello and welcome to another of TRIBIC’s wonderful new projects for this issue! Here we decided to host member interviews with members, community volunteers or even staff, where we discuss many things and topics! For our first ever interview, we had the chance of working with Stephanie Young, a lovely young lady that is also a community volunteer and a really good friend of mine. This is Alex and this is the GT Time! Let’s begin!

Alex: Hello Stephanie! Thank you for taking the time to take this interview for TRIBIC! Hope you are well!

Stephanie: Hello Alex. I am doing very well, thank you!

Q: I see that you have a lot of shoes to fill! As a representative of women as gamer, GTriber AND as a community volunteer, how do you find those roles working out for you in Gaming Tribe?

A: As a female gamer, it is difficult to feel accepted into many gaming communities, but here on Gaming Tribe, I truly feel accepted. Not only have I been able to make so many amazing new friends, but I have also been able to connect with many female gamers. This is one of the most accepting, and the most generous communities that I have ever been a part of, and I try to give back when I can.

Being chosen as a Community Volunteer has been quite an honor and a privilege. Being able to offer help to those that need it, as well as having the backing of this community when I need help with something is truly a gift that you just can’t find anywhere else.

Q: I see. That’s quite interesting! Let’s see now.. What does a community volunteer really do around on Gaming Tribe? Do you have to deal with a number of things you wouldn’t normaly have to?

A: As a volunteer, I am here to set an example to the community. I wish for my posts to reflect the views and positivity that this community has to offer as best as I can. I do not judge others, and I try my best not to post anything that would offend anyone. That being said, I am also tasked with keeping this place clean and free of unwanted spam and anything that would turn away any potential members. As Community Volunteers, it is our job to report anything suspicious, and to alert and remind others when they post something with questionable content. Volunteers plan out events and are in charge of making the community a better place. It is really a group effort. Every person counts. With great power comes great responsibility, after all. I think that as a whole, Community Volunteers put more effort and try much harder to make this community a better place to be.

Alex: Did the community change behavior (for better or for worse) when you became one? And most importanly, are you treated different because of your gender in both the volunteer group and the GT community?

Stephanie: I can’t say that my behavior was in any way impacted from becoming a CV, but I do find myself wanting to help people a lot more. Like, when someone new joins the site and needs help finding and figuring out anything, or if someone just needs to make a new friend, I’ll be there for those members. It’s my duty, after all!

Absolutely not.

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I find that this is a very tolerant community. In the past, I have certainly struggled with preconceived notions on female gamers as a whole, but I find that attitude to not be very present here on Gaming Tribe. And a plus is that many of our members are also female, so I don’t feel left out, or isolated in any form or fashion. This place has proven to be a fantastic place for meeting new people and making many new friends, regardless of gender, or anything else for that matter.

Alex: I see, that’s all very interesting. and it breaks down what CVs really are; just normal GTribers with a drive to help more this website! Now Steph, I hear that you are currently in development of a game; could you tell us anything about it?

Stephanie: I am! It is currently known as “Project Tokala,” at least until I can find a better name for it. You can check it out on our website: www.projecttokala.com It’ll be an open-world adventure/fantasy game, with a very strong storyline, and role-playing elements. For the most part, it will be single player, but with added multiplayer functionality. Also a key feature will be character and class customization, as well as six unique races to choose from.

Since it is based on another planet, there is opportunity to make something that is truly unique. Already, I’m thinking of making the world to be very vast, and with six countries to explore; each having its own environment, climate, races and cultures. We plan on making it on the Unity engine for now. It’s more flexible, and more people seem to know their way around it. So far, the development seems to be going along well, but we are always looking for more members to join our team!

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june 2015

Alex: Sounds extremely interesting. What exactly are you looking out for when it comes to development?

Stephanie: Right now, we are working on the story, image concepts and a few other things. Most importantly, we’re looking for 3D modelers, animation riggers, animators, designers as well as programmers and developers with a knowledge of the Unity engine. If there are enough people on board, we can really get this project moving! :) Alex: I would like to thank you Stephanie for honoring TRIBIC by accepting this interview. The team of this magazine supports anything by and from Gaming Tribe and its members, so I can guarantee you that we will also support Tokala in any way we can! I also want to personally thank you for allowing me to be part of this great game development; I can’t wait to roll my first Tokala character!

Stephanie: BTW, loved the last line!

Alex: Just a last question before we finish up this interview, what is the game’s current status and who is currently on the development team? Also, TRIBIC would like to take part in helping Tokala, so would you be willing to be in a corner in some issues, where you discuss the game’s latest news among other things?

Stephanie: The game is currently still in the concept phase, for the most part, with a fair amount of development going on as well. Currently, we have three active members. I am the one who tries to work on whatever I can, but there is also programmer/developer who throws in our ideas and concepts and brings them to life with the Unity engine. Then we have GT’s own Alexandros Kaziakos here, who is writing much of the story’s lore and game system mechanics.

There are a few others who are also working on things. Most folks just come and go, as many are busy with work and with school. But it would be pretty awesome to have some more folks join us and stay on board for a while.

The more, the merrier!!!

I would love to have a little corner to discuss Tokala’s latest developments and updates. Already, I appreciate the support and warm wishs from this community. You guys keep this project going...even just from moral support.

So I thank you, whole-heartedly.

Alex: Then it is settled! TRIBIC will host a Tokala Corner whenever possible, in order to support this great game in development! Thanks for being here and answering our questions Steph! Good luck in everything you do!

Stephanie: Thank you, Alex!

And there you have it! The GT Time, Interviews with the Members of Gaming Tribe is now complete! If you think you have what it takes to be interviewed, if you think you have something that GTribers deserve to know, contact us about at our e-mail, tribicgamingmagazine@gmail.com. Until next time folks!

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game Review Life Is Strange (Episode

1: Chrysalis)

Life Is Strange is a five part series developed by DONTNOD Entertainment and set in the seemingly idyllic fictional town of Arcadia Bay in Oregon, USA. Episode one (Chrysalis) is where it all starts with you playing as Max; an awkward 18 year old girl who has returned to her home town after five years in Seattle to follow her dream of becoming a professional photographer by attending the highly prestigious Blackwell Academy.

All the usual school stereotypes are present from the jocks, spoiled rich kids, skaters or just the kids too cool to be pigeon-holed and as the player you must guide Max through the inevitable minefield of teen relationships whilst trying to live her life the way she wants.

One of the things that made the game stand out for me was the depth of the writing with regards to the characters. They all have their own quirky personalities but you only get snippets of what’s underneath the skin and like any good story there are hints to some dark goings on that we may or may not get to discover over the coming episodes. If you pay attention to conversations (both said to you or whilst eavesdropping) you get to know more about the dynamics of the academy and learn some surprising things as you go.

What makes things different is that Max can rewind time in short bursts (I won’t spoil anything by saying why) allowing her to retrace dialogue options or interact with objects in a different way which all impacts the story further down the line. In essence you have to make mistakes in order to learn and progress and not all choices are ones you want to make.

This adds a great feeling of helplessness and makes you want to replay the game to see what options your different choices open up later on.

Musically, Life Is Strange hits all of the right notes with a stunning acoustic heavy dose of Jose Gonzalez - like mellow guitars mixed with great lyrics. From the title screen to the closing credits the music sets the tone for every scene whilst the ambient sound effects fluctuate in volume to perfectly fit with the (mostly) well delivered conversations and inner monologues so that you never miss a thing.

Arcadia Bay has a beautiful artistic quaintness that fits hand in glove with the music and is as colourful as the people who populate the game world. The visuals may not have that cutting edge look of a AAA title but they don’t really need to and the nice use of lighting and post Even seemingly superfluous conversations are just loud effects lends a cinematic quality to the whole affair, as enough for you to want to strain to hear another tasty do the personal touches that abound. morsel of gossip.

Part Butterfly Effect, part Twilight (that small town Interacting with people and objects is handled by look- feel) and part Gone Home, Life Is Strange is an evocing at them until a circle appears with words around it ative work of art. If the first episode is anything to go indicating the actions you can take. All you need do is by DONTNOD Entertainment has a winning franchise hold down the left mouse button and move the mouse on their hands. If you want a great story based advenin the direction of the word you want. ture you’d be mad to miss this one.

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june 2015

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pc pc configurations configurations The low budget The part The choice CPU

AMD Athlon II x4 860K

Cooler

Stock/box that comes with the CPU

MBO

Asrock FM2A78M-DG3

RAM

Kingston HyperX Fury DDR3 1866MHz 1x 4GB

HDD

Toshiba 500 GB DT01ACA050 SATA

1. the low budget

GPU

MSI AMD Radeon R7 250X 2GB 2GD5

ODD

LG GH24NS

2. the best buy

Case

Cooler Master K280

PSU

Fortron 400W Hexa Plus

Starting from this second TRIBIC Gaming issue we will have a set of gaming configurations for the :

3. the reasonable high end category each month so that you could know what’s OK to buy to have an awesome gaming experience.

For each config the main parts will be written, including : • • • • • • • • •

the processor (CPU) CPU cooler (cooler) motherboard (MBO) memory (RAM) storage (SSD, HDD) graphics card (GPU) optical disk drive (ODD) PC case (case) power supply (PSU).

There will be no peripherals or operating system (OS) mentioned in this part. Also, prices will not be mentioned since they depend on the markets and are subjects to change.

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This PC has a quad core CPU that should be more than the minimum required for modern games.

The motherboard has USB 3.0 support and enough ports.

4GB of RAM will suffice for most games, but there are a few that require patching in order to work on machines with less than 6 GB. The hard drive is a Toshiba 500GB one, should suffice for the beginning and it has good quality. The chosen GPU can run each released game, but some details have to be sacrificed in order for some games to run smooth on 1080p, and it supports AMD Mantle. The DVD drive is a “standard one” since those parts are rarely used. The case has good build quality, the PSU is positioned on the bottom and it has cable management support holes. The Fortron PSU is strong enough even for future upgrades, should power the PC just fine and cool.

The recommended OS to use would be Windows 8.1 Update 1 or Windows 10.

june 2015

The part

The best-buy The choice

the reasonable high-end The part The choice

CPU

AMD FX 8320

CPU

Intel I7 4770K

Cooler

Cooler Master Hyper 212Evo

Cooler

Cooler Master Hyper 212Evo

MBO

Asus M5A97 R2.0 Evo

MBO

AsRock Z97 Anniversary

RAM

Kingston HyperX Fury DDR3 1866MHz 2x 4GB

RAM

Kingston HyperX Fury DDR3 1866MHz 4x 4GB

HDD

Samsung 850 Evo 128GB SSD Toshiba 1000 GB DT01ACA1000 SATA

HDD

Samsung 850 Evo 256GB SSD Seagate SSHD 1TB 8GB SATA

GPU

MSI AMD Radeon R9 280 3GB TF4

GPU

Sapphire R9 290 4GB Tri-X

ODD

LG GH24NS

ODD

LG GH24NS

Case

Cooler Master K380

Case

Fractal Design Core 3300

PSU

Fortron 600W Hyper

PSU

Seasonic SS-620GM2 Evo 620W

This PC has an eight-core CPU that should be more than the recommended one for modern games. The cooler is a decent air-cooler, should keep the CPU cool under high load even when overclocked and it’s quiet enough not to be loud. The motherboard has USB 3.0 support and enough ports, good voltage regulation, high quality components and so on. 8GB of RAM will suffice for all games. The SSD drive is there for the OS, programs and some games, and a Toshiba 1000GB hard drive is there for the games, the storage and it has good quality. The chosen GPU can run each released game on high settings on 1080p, and it supports AMD Mantle. The DVD drive is a “standard one” since those parts are rarely used. The case has good build quality, the PSU is positioned on the bottom and it has cable management support holes. The Fortron Hyper PSU is strong enough even for future upgrades, should power the PC just fine and cool. The recommended OS to use would be Windows 8.1 Update 1 or Windows 10.

This PC is a real beast for the money. The CPU is a high end Intel part, a bit stronger than the FX 8320 in the previous configuration and offers much more performance per CPU core and higher game performance overall. The cooler is the same as in the previous PC. The board is one of the cheapest Z97 boards but it still offers everything most gamers would desire from a board. This time we went with 16 GB of RAM. That should be enough for games and even for game video rendering for Youtube uploads or game streaming. Also, the SSD is a bit bigger in this config and the hard drive is a hybrid drive (a combination of an SSD and HDD) which is ideal for games since it offers really low loading times. The chosen R9 290 GPU is a high end card capable of smooth gameplay even on resolutions higher than 1440p, and thanks to the cooler from Sapphire the card runs cool and quiet enough. The PSU is strong in this one (Star Wars anyone?), top Seasonic quality and this time it’s modular which means no hustle with the cables. Once again, the latest Windows OS is recommended.

How does your PC compare to this three configurations? Let us know on GamingTribe, use the hashtags #myconfiguration, #MonthConfig #gamingpc #specs. p.31