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Australia’s best gaming -zine 

FULLY INTERACTIVE magazine ISSUE 14 MARCH 2011 

true jrpg 

reincarnation 

an extensive look at 

shin megami tensei 

game developers conference 2011 

game developers conference 2011 

amongst bad 

company 

get better at battlefield: 

bad company 2: vietnam 

the best 

home setups 

finding the ultimate 

gaming luxuries

Letter from the editor 

Bulletstorm In A Teacup 

The reactions to Bulletstorm, both in the leadup to its release and now that 

it’s on shelves, have been pretty interesting to observe. What’s strange is that 

the gameplay itself has barely rated a mention – the focus has mostly been 

fastened on Bulletstorm’s ‘juvenile’ humour. Perhaps I’ve misjudged popular 

opinion completely, but I feel as though we’ve been apologetic about 

Bulletstorm, held it arm’s length, discounted it as a backwards step in the 

quest of video games to be ‘mature’. It seems as though some gamers are 

stricken with a kind of inferiority complex, caught up in a pointless battle with 

mainstream perceptions. Some of us are desperate for video games to be 

taken seriously and Bulletstorm represents evidence to the contrary. We’re 

scared that it will be used as ammunition by ‘the other side’ who believe 

that games are childish and pointless. It’s the same reason that people rush 

to the frontlines of the games as art debate. Some of us need that validation, 

to know that video games are as legitimate as books and film. The 

hypocrisy and silliness of it is that so many games are juvenile in one form 

or another. The difference with Bulletstorm is that it’s self-aware, purposefully 

juvenile, as opposed to the majority of ‘serious games’ which strive 

for emotive drama and chin-stroking thoughtfulness and yet have all the 

maturity and depth of an episode of Captain Planet. I guess it frustrates me 

somewhat that we decry Bulletstorm’s purposeful stupidity while the genuine 

stupidity of other games goes ignored. Killzone 3, for example, strives to be 

taken seriously with its war-driven narrative, desperate soldiers in desperate 

situations, darkly overwhelming odds. Yet when I compare the ideas and the 

narrative and the dialogue of the two games, it’s obvious to me which one 

is ‘juvenile’. Hint: it’s not Bulletstorm. 

In other happenings, if you’re reading this issue of Pixel Hunt, it means that 

the Nintendo 3DS has just been released in Australia. Nintendo’s love of 

Australia couldn’t be more apparent; we get the 3DS last, we pay the most 

for it and we get the smallest range of launch titles. Not that Nintendo seem 

overly concerned about the launch titles. Hope you guys like Street Fighter 

and/or Nintendogs! I equate my relationship with Nintendo to getting a hug 

that seems warm and loving at first, but then the hugger touches you inappropriately 

and you feel dirty and a bit ashamed. 

Michael Pincott | E-zine Editor 

looking forward 

to 

LA Noire 

LA Noire’s blend of GTAstyle 

driving and shooting 

combined with adventure 

game forensics is 

compelling. It certainly 

has the look and the 

feel, thanks in part to the 

incredible facial animation; 

if the gameplay 

delivers it will be a GOTY 

contender. 

Developer Team Bondi/ 

Rockstar Games 

Publisher Rockstar 

Games 

Platform PS3 / 360 

Genre Action 

Release 20 May 2011 

OFFICIAL WEBSITE 

2 www.pixelhunt.com.au 

march 2011

contents 

ISSUE 14 MARCH 2011 

Publishing Editor Dylan Burns 

E-Zine Editor Michael Pincott 

Website Manager Matthew Williams 

E-Zine Production Aaron Sammut 

Advertising Contact the Editor if you 

would like to advertise with Pixel Hunt 

dylanb@pixelhunt.com.au 

Contributors Dylan Burns, Anthony 

Capone, Tim Henderson, Annika Howells, 

Brendan Keogh, Jahanzeb Khan, Patrick 

Lang, Ken Lee, James O’Connor, Michael 

Pincott, James Pinnell, Alex Walker 

Subscribe: at www.pixelhunt.com.au 

Follow: www.twitter.com/PixelHunt 

DONATE: If you’d like to show your 

appreciation for each issue, please 

donate via PayPal at www.pixelhunt.com. 

au. All proceeds will go back into making 

Pixel Hunt the most up-to-date, honest 

and (we hope) fun gaming zine available. 

NAVIGATING THIS -zine 

WHAT IS A PIXEL HUNT? 

Pixel Hunt is actually a term 

that refers to video games that 

use a point and click interface like 

in so many adventure games. As 

such, Pixel Hunt the magazine is also 

interactive. Try clicking on items, 

such as the icons to the bottom 

of the page to turn to the next or 

previous page, the arrow to the top 

of each page will take you back 

to the contents page where each 

individual story is linked. Give it a go. 

IN CASE YOU 

MISSED IT 

Castlevania: 

Lords of 

Shadow 

6 

FEATURE 

HOME SETUPS 

THE ultimate gaming den 

12 

FEATURE 

shin megami 

tensei 

18 

COVER 

FEATURE 

GDC: Game 

Developer’s 

Conference 

8 

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS 

WITH PROFESSOR PIXEL 

15 

KILL DEATH RATIO 

Battlefield: Bad 

Company 2: Vietnam 

22 

WHAT WE’RE 

PLAYING 

WITH THE PIXEL 

HUNT STAFF 

26 

creative 

Uncharted 

28 

THE GAME 

DOCTOR 

GETTING TO 

KNOW GTA 

16 

OPINION 

Enslaved 

30 

OPINION 

IN COD 

WE TRUST 

32 

FEATURE 

KEN’s 

HOLIDAY 

SPECIAL 

34 

Australia’s best gaming 

-zine 

www.PIXELHUNT.com.AU 

3

PRESS START TO PLAY 

NOT THE 

NEWS 

Roaming reporter DYLAN BURNS brings us 

the unreliable word on the street. 

Gameinformer MATHS: 

(gp + V) = (X x GX / MS) + (R / GP) + (D or P x R) = % 

gp = gameplay 

v = visuals 

x = Ad Sales 

gx = game sales 

ms = market share 

r = readers 

gp = genre preference 

d = developer 

p = publisher 

Game Informer 

Apply the Fraction 

Big news that is sure to rock the gaming world: Game Informer 

recently trialled a new scoring system with a subscriber-exclusive 

issue that was only available if you called the subscriber hotline 

and spoke your credit card number. The system, which adds onto 

the already existent 0.25 increment scale, will see fractions 

brought into each writer’s score. For example, it will now be 

possible for Gears of War 3 to score 9.25 and 1/3 out of 10. Game 

Informer says that adding in an extra fraction will allow writers 

to really hone in on the totally scientific task of assigning a final 

score. Rumour has it that IGN are planning to hit back by rating 

games out of the mathematical figure Pi. 

Valve Admits that 

Half-Life 3 Won’t Happen 

In a shocking statement to the world media, Valve has announced that Half-Life 3 

will never be made. Speaking to Pixel Hunt exclusively, Valve employee Rico ‘Steam 

Boy’ McTavish stated: “Honestly, with Half-Life 2 and the episodes being so perfect, 

we realised that it just wasn’t needed. Besides, those gamers who even remember 

the story are pretty old by now, and new gamers don’t even know what Half-Life is. 

Besides, we haven’t really been able to find the time for Half-Life between making 

f**kloads of money through Steam and coming up with new Team Fortress 2 hats. We 

could string the media along for a few more years but we figured that we’d finally put 

you out of your misery. Okay, I have to go, my Ligers need feeding.” 


march 2011

Guitar Hero 

Staff Forced 

to Beg for 

Food 

Deep in the recesses of Los Angeles 

exists a seedy strip of real estate called 

Publisher Alley. Down this dark, dank 

corridor of smeared concrete you’ll find 

a small community of homeless game 

developers; poor souls who have been 

thrown to the wind after cancelled 

projects and canned IPs. Recently joining 

their ranks were several staff from the 

now defunct studio in charge of the 

Guitar Hero franchise, following the 

dumping of GH by Activision. 

Pixel Hunt has never braved Publisher 

Alley, but a reliable source was employed 

(for the price of a hotdog) to investigate. 

Unfortunately, it seems the GH staff 

aren’t doing too well. Described by 

others within Publisher Alley as ‘fresh 

meat’, they occupy the lowest rungs of 

this miniature society, forced to perform 

debasing acts such as writing code for 

more senior ‘alley cats’ (developers 

attempting to claw their way back into 

entry level jobs) and filling out bugsheets 

for QA testers. Food is apparently 

in such short supply that just throwing a 

packet of chips at the GH team results in 

a piranha-like frenzy. More on their plight 

as things develop. 

3DS Art Exhibit 

Goes Too Far 

Most gamers have come to the realisation that 

the ‘games are art’ debate is about as interesting as 

counting the hairs on your arm. Nonetheless there are 

some who take it very seriously, and some who just 

take it way too far. Such is the case with an exhibition 

opening in London next week. Entitled “Skull-F**k the 

World: Feminism and 3D Gaming Through the Eyes of 

Children”, the exhibit includes thirteen orphans who 

have had their eyes surgically removed. Some financial 

backtracking courtesy of Lester Freamon shows that 

an evil subsidiary of Nintendo America is behind the 

initiative. When questioned, a PR rep had this to say: 

“The 3DS represents a reawakening of our senses. As 

such, this exhibit is all about art and stuff, and those 

children were each paid handsomely with a free 3DS!” 

When asked to shed some light on the meaning and 

purpose of the exhibit, the PR rep remained cryptic. “We 

want viewers to make their own minds up.” 



5

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT 

Castlevania: 

Lords of 

Shadow 

ANNIKA HOWELLS is the queen of her castle. 

The back end of 2010 was a 

difficult time. With so many 

quality titles coming out each week, 

gamers could simply not afford 

to buy every single one. Or if they 

could, they probably didn’t have 

time to play them all. Chances are, 

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow was 

one of the games you chose to 

save your cash on, or perhaps it’s 

gathering dust on your shelf. Either 

way it’s a shame, because Lords Of 

Shadow is a real gem. 

Castlevania games have a poor 

track record when it comes to the 

third dimension. Mercury Steam and 

Kojima Productions have navigated 

this pitfall by not actually creating 

a new Castlevania game at all. 

Instead, they have taken the best 

aspects of every other game of the 

past few years and smooshed it all 

together like some kind of spectacular 

Katamari (incidentally, Katamari 

is pretty much the only game they 

haven’t borrowed from). There are 

boss battles straight from Shadow 

of The Colossus, Uncharted-esque 

climbing sections, God Of War’s flashy, 

button-mashing combat, and Devil 

May Cry’s elaborate enemy design. 

Films have been influential as well, 

with obvious homage paid to the 

likes of Pan’s Labyrinth and Lord Of 

The Rings in the environments and 

characters. 

What Lords Of Shadow lacks 

in originality, it makes up for with 

delivery. The game looks absolutely 

gorgeous, taking you through lush 

forests, murky swamps, snowy 

vistas and crumbling gothic castles. 

The attention to detail in design is 

astounding – evident by the copious 

amounts of unlockable concept art. 

The enemies are diverse and creative, 

and I must say it is a pleasure to see 

vampires and werewolves looking 

ugly and evil again. You won’t find any 

thirteen year old girls swooning over 

these bad boys. 

Lords Of Shadow is ENORMOUS. 

However, each chapter is a nice, 

bite-sized length, so it’s easy to say 

“I’ll just play one more” and then 

find yourself still going at 2am, 

telling yourself you don’t need to 

eat or sleep because you can collect 

coloured orbs to do that for you now. 

Each chapter has a specific challenge 

and multiple items to be found, many 

of which can only be accessed after 

getting certain upgrades, adding 

further replay value to the already 

gigantic main game. 

Combat is mostly button mashing, 

and while you spend the whole game 

unlocking and buying upgraded 

moves, it’s more effective to just 

spam the basic ones. The combat is 

spiced up by a dual magic system. Use 

your blue power and your health will 

regenerate with each blow you land. 

Use your red power and each blow 

will deliver more damage. Another 

fun aspect of combat is jumping onto 

the backs of various enemies and 

riding around on them, whether for 


march 2011

“I AM GOING TO 

NEED SOMETHING 

A LITTLE BIGGER” 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT 

Castlevania: 

Lords of 

Shadow 

Developer Konami 

Publisher Konami 

Platform 360 / PS3 

Genre Action 


The story plays out 

as your basic good vs. 

evil fare, with a stoic 

hero searching for his 

lost love, all the while 

with a facial expression 

like he’s got a lemon up 

his arse. 

platforming, puzzle solving or crushing 

your enemies like tiny grapes. 

Some of the puzzle sections are 

quite inventive, such as the level 

where you’re shrunk down into 

an intricate music box, or having 

to track down chupacabras that 

have stolen your powers. But there 

are still far too many tedious light 

refraction puzzles that just slow 

the game down. Fortunately they’re 

brief, letting you get back to beating 

up mythical nasties and clambering 

up castle towers. 

The story plays out as your basic 

good vs. evil fare, with a stoic hero 

searching for his lost love, all the 

while with a facial expression like 

he’s got a lemon up his arse. It’s 

completely unremarkable until the 

very end when the whole thing goes 

very Hideo Kojima, with twist after 

twist and a ridiculously lengthy 

exposition by a villain who then 

says “So, you’ve finally figured it 

all out… MUAHAHAHA!” In fact, I 

hadn’t figured anything out and I 

wasn’t even sure who this villain 

guy was. I wouldn’t have even 

bothered mentioning the story if it 

weren’t for the epilogue, which is 

so gob-smackingly awesome that it 

overshadows all the slush that came 

before it and leaves you salivating 

for the next instalment. 

Fans of the Castlevania franchise 

will probably be disappointed by 

how un-Castlevania the whole thing 

is, but fans of big dumb action 

adventure fun will have a ball. 

Lords Of Shadow may be unoriginal, 

but it’s one very good looking and 

enjoyable knock-off. Like a fake 

designer handbag, it looks great and 

you’ll get quite a lot of enjoyment 

out of it. Just don’t show anyone the 

inner lining up close. 

ANNIKA HOWELLS 


-zine 


7

God Damned 

Crazy: A GDC 

Adventure 

Pixel Hunt’s man in San Fran, BRENDAN 

KEOGH, recounts his memorable week at 

the 2011 Game Developer’s Conference. 

All around me, people are 

jamming their oversized 

carry-on luggage into the plane’s 

overhead lockers. The Australian 

accents in the row behind me are 

jarringly unfamiliar but comfortably 

nostalgic. Over the next fourteen 

hours, flying from LAX to Sydney 

International, I have plenty of time 

to get re-accustomed. That is, of 

course, if I don’t pass out first, 

which is quite likely considering the 

week I just had. 

I am returning home after a week 

spent in San Francisco at the 25th 

Game Developer’s Conference. You 

might know it as GDC. 

Once a year, a significant 

percentage of the game industry’s 

developers, designers, artists, writers, 

publishers, programmers, and 

theorists converge on the Moscone 

Exhibition Centre to mingle, teach, 

learn, and, most significantly, play. In 

their wake, an equally intimidating 

mob of middleware merchants 

and press gather. This year, I was 

fortunate enough to be one of the 

latter, while I mostly managed to 

avoid the former—though they have 

managed to spam up my email for 

the past month with opportunities to 

monetize my gameification schemes. 

Where do I even begin an account 

of GDC? I learnt so many things, met 

so many people, and played so many 

games that no one article could hope 

to convey the entire experience. Do 

I detail the sessions? The expo? The 

award show? The parties? Do I focus 

on the sheer quantity of people, 

supposedly topping 19,000 attendees 

this year? Do I try to explain how 

despite this, you still might bump into 

John Romero at a party, Jason Rohrer 

on a train, or Mega64 in a bar? 

Oh, by the way, I did all of these. 

GDC is too many things to be 

categorized as any one thing. It’s too 

big, too unruly, too utterly insane. Yet, 

paradoxically, it is the tightest, most 

... a significant 

percentage of the 

game industry’s 

developers, 

designers, artists, 

writers, publishers, 

programmers, and 

theorists converge 

on the Moscone 

Exhibition Centre 

to mingle, teach, 

learn, and, most 

significantly, play. 


march 2011

The unofficial theme for this 

year’s conference almost seemed to 

be “are social games real games?” 

Everyone had an opinion on this 

new, young sector of the gaming 

community. 

angry birds 

agreeable group of people you could 

ever hope to meet. Some faces may 

be more recognizable than others, 

but everyone is there for the same 

reasons: because they love games, 

and they love playing. 

Well, okay, everyone except Zynga. 

The presence of social network 

and mobile game developers at 

GDC is a topic of much contention. 

The unofficial theme for this year’s 

conference almost seemed to be “are 

social games real games?” Everyone 

had an opinion on this new, young 

sector of the gaming community. In 

many ways, they’re like the teenage 

punks of the games industry - albeit 

well groomed ones who are focused 

on making lots of money. Every second 

talk seemed to be either a veteran 

game developer warning against the 

evils of social games, or a young upand-coming 

developer from Zynga, 

Rovio or ngmoco:) lauding metrics, 

Facebook, and the iPhone. 

The underlying anxiety towards social 

and mobile games hovered just below 

the surface for most of the conference, 

but came to the forefront in Wednesday 

morning’s keynote, delivered by the 

president of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata. 

Iwata’s keynote was a babushka doll 

of a talk. On the surface, it was a 

retrospective on the last twenty-five 

years of video games (more specifically, 

Nintendo video games). But underneath 

this was a poorly hidden marketing stint 

for the 3DS, and underneath that, was 

a not-so-subtle attack on mobile games. 

Iwata directly attacked what he sees 

as ‘disposable games’ from companies 

focused on churning out games in huge 

quantity and low quality. 

See, Nintendo long ago gave up 

competing with Sony and Microsoft 

for the ‘hardcore’ audience, choosing 

instead to focus on the untapped 

wallets of the casual scene. But now 

that Facebook and iPhone games 

are on the scene, offering quality 

casual games for a fraction of the 

price of a DS game, Nintendo have 

found themselves in a whole new 

console war. Don’t think for a second 

that the unveiling of the new iPad 

across the road at the same time as 

Iwata’s keynote was a coincidence. 

Iwata, along with all traditional game 

developers and publishers, is afraid of 

these new fields of play. 

Far more interesting than Iwata’s 

defensive “those aren’t real games” 

ramble was the annual game 

developers’ rant, where some of the 

bigger voices in the industry can let off 

steam. The topic of this year’s rant was 

“No Freaking Respect: Social Game 

Developers Rant Back.” Fingers were 


-zine 


9

...a pixellated 

orange man and an 

pixellated yellow man 

were projected onto the 

wall as they ran at each 

other, threw swords, 

slid, punched, and were 

eaten by giant serpents. 

The crowd cheered, 

the players bowed, the 

controllers were sticky 

with spilt beer. 

pointed, names were called, cows 

were clicked, plastic coins were stolen 

(it’s a long story). I won’t instigate any 

individual people in the mud-flinging, 

suffice to say it was a memorable 

experience with a dialogue that 

wouldn’t be out of place in Bulletstorm. 

For my part, are social games 

really games? Who cares. Certainly, 

there is a discussion to have in regard 

to the addictive nature of some 

social games, and their tendency to 

exploit their player base. But for the 

most part, if more people are able to 

discover the joys of games and playing 

through social games, then I think 

that is great. 

And that is possibly the single most 

significant thing I got out of GDC: an 

appreciation for the power and the 

perversity of play. Play is everywhere 

and is a definitive aspect of what 

it means to be human. It is pretty 

easy to forget this in the drudgery 

of everyday life, but a week-long 

conference of game designers is the 

perfect place to remember it. 

Be they MMOs, cutscene-heavy 

adventure games, niche indie 

titles, card games, social games, 

or performative turn-based combat 

simulators (more on that in a moment), 

games were everywhere at GDC, and 

they all served some kind of social 

function. If people weren’t playing 

games, they were talking about games; 

or teaching people new games; or 

creating new games, or sharing 

experiences, anecdotes, and stories. 

On the Wednesday night, I was in a 

bar for a demonstration of Messhof’s 

newest indie, psychedelic, and 

now award-winning jousting game, 

Nidhogg. While people drank, danced, 

and argued over that evening’s award 

show (Super Meat Boy was robbed, 

by the way), a pixellated orange man 

and an pixellated yellow man were 

projected onto the wall as they ran 

at each other, threw swords, slid, 

punched, and were eaten by giant 

serpents. The crowd cheered, the 

players bowed, the controllers were 

sticky with spilt beer. 

Thursday night was the inaugural (and 

God I hope annual) Kill Screen Magazine 

and Copenhagen Game Collective party. 

Walking into the warehouse hidden down 

a back alley of The Mission was to be 

hit with a dizzying wall of motion and 

playfulness. Half a dozen obscure 

Scandinavian games were projected 

onto the walls, and everywhere were 

people playing. 

B.U.T.T.O.N (or Brutally Unfair 

Tactics Totally Okay Now) usually sees 

four players forced to do all kinds of 

crazy moves (spin in a circle, touch 


march 2011

kill screen magazine 

www.killscreenmagazine.com 

something orange, sit on the ground) 

before making a mad dash for their 

button beneath the monitor where 

they need to fulfil more crazy demands 

to win (first player whose button is 

pressed fourteen times wins! Second 

player whose button is held for seven 

seconds loses!). To further complicate 

things at the party, the buttons were 

taped to four robot-guised volunteers 

dashing around the venue. 

Next to this was Monkey See, 

Monkey Mime. Players strapped 

Wiimotes to their arms and head 

and performed crazy interpretative 

dances while the other players 

frantically attempted to mimic them. 

If they fell too far behind, they would 

be kicked from the round. 

And then, after several kegs of 

beer had been emptied, Richard 

Lemarchand (lead game designer 

at Naughty Dog) appeared and 

taught us all Ninja. Standing in a 

circle, players took turns to lash out 

at each other with their best ninja 

moves in an attempt to hit another 

player’s hands to knock them out of 

the game. It was as ridiculous and 

absurd as it sounds, but it was utterly 

amazing and fun. 

Once the party was over and 

everyone stumbled out onto the 

late night/early morning streets of 

San Francisco, more games of Ninja 

spontaneously erupted. At one point, 

about twenty people were playing 

in the middle of a street. At the 

centre of them all was Lemarchand, 

slaughtering opponents in swathes 

with karate chops and high kicks. 

The point of these stories is not 

to boast about the amount of fun 

I had, or the fact that I got karate 

chopped by the lead game designer 

of Uncharted 2. Rather, the point is 

that everyone was playing. Not just 

drunkenly at parties, but also at 

the conference. All week, everyone, 

everywhere, was playing. 

Play is crucial to existence and 

it is not something we should be 

ashamed of. This is what I learnt at 

GDC. Humans forgot that for a while, 

but with video games, we are once 

again learning what it means to play. 

“Are social games real games?” is 

the wrong question. 

All games are social; that’s the 

point: they allow us to socialise 

through play. Video games aren’t 

some nerdy subculture we partake in; 

they are much more important than 

that. Video games tap into the very 

point of existence: to play. Does that 

sound a bit ideological? Well, GDC is 

infectious like that. 

BRENDAN KEOGH 


-zine 


11

FEATURE 

HOME IS 

WHERE THE 

GAME IS 

Many dream what the ultimate gaming 

den might be like, but actually putting 

one together can be both challenging 

and pricy. ALEX WALKER gives you 

all the information you need to begin 

building your own gaming nirvana. 

hard fact of life is that your gaming environment 

A you play in just as important as the games you play. 

You might be an ardent Call of Duty fan, but you’ll be 

a lot less enthusiastic after spending two hours sitting 

on a milk crate than if you were relaxing in a high-back 

office chair. 

Consoles are no different: a proper television with the 

right lighting, proper sound setup and a comfy sofa is 

light-years away from sitting awkwardly in a garden chair 

looking at half a picture, because you bought a TV that’s 

four feet long and now you can’t adjust it to the proper 

viewing angle. 

With so many products to consider – TVs, chairs, 

consoles, desks, mousepads, keyboards, gaming gloves, 

surround sound systems and every other piece of 

paraphernalia – simply improving your setup can be a 

frustrating experience. 

That’s where Pixel Hunt comes in. Let’s get 

comfortable. 

the chair 

...the 

ultimate 

gaming 

luxury.. 

boomchair stealth 

www.boomchair.com 

Ikea’s VERNER swivel chair is 

comfort on a budget, although 

for console gaming the Retro 

King Kahuna Beanbag is heaven 

for under $200. If you’ve got 

money to blow, the $400 

Boomchair Stealth, complete 

with an in-built 4-inch subwoofer, 

three 2-way speakers, RCA 

input/output ports and 

adjustable volume, treble and 

bass, is the ultimate gaming 

luxury. 

muteki htddw7500 

www.jbhifionline.com.au 

the sound 

Speakers for computers start out fairly cheap: Antec Lansing’s 

VS2621 three-piece setup will set you back $50 while Logitech’s 

Z506 offers a 5.1 Surround Sound upgrade for $98. 

Headphones are much better value for money these days too, 

and the Plantronics GameCom 367 for $38 from MSY is an absolute 

steal. The Audio Technica ATH-AD700’s are a fair step up at $150, 

but so is the sound, especially when listening to music and movies. 

For televisions, speakers are almost a necessity in this day 

and age of wafer thin panels. The trick is working out what kind 

of setup can function with your wallet and the available space. 

A sound bar speaker is essentially surround sound in a single 

unit – fewer cables, so less clutter - although the added convenience 

comes with a larger price tag. JVC’s TH-BA1 will set you back $649 

through JVC’s Australian portal, although a quick search on Amazon 

found the same speakers for $US251.42. The Zvox Mini will also do 

the job for a much more respectable $449, although unless you live 

in Canberra or Perth, you’ll be forced to buy before you try. 

Fans of a more traditional, multi-speaker setup, may be 

interested in the Yamaha YHT-294 5.1 channel home theatre 

system. If you’re willing to spend the cash, Sony’s Muteki 

HTDDW7500 nine-speaker setup is an absolute blast – although 

it’s also $1000. And did I mention it came with nine speakers? 


march 2011

the screen 

If you want the fastest possible 

response time on a TV, look no further 

than a plasma television. They’re bulky, 

come with a risk of burn-in and aren’t 

great in the sun, but the contrast levels 

and picture quality is fantastic. 

Panasonic’s VIERA 42” plasma 

supports 1080p for less than $800 from 

JB Hi-Fi. If 42” isn’t big enough, you can 

pick up the 50” LG plasma for $988. 

Spend an extra couple of thousand and 

you can add a 65” plasma to your wall, 

courtesy of Panasonic. 

If plasma isn’t your thing, or you 

don’t have the space or the support for 

something quite that heavy, LCD/LED TV 

is the next best option. Kogan’s 32” LCD 

will get you 1080p gaming on a shoestring, 

although it’s well worth scrimping together 

pennies to upgrade to Kogan’s 32” with 

an in-built PVR and Blu-Ray player. You can 

also pick up the Samsung 32” UA32C5000 

LED for a similar price ($899, in stores 

only) while Samsung’s 37” model fits just 

under the $1000 budget with a dollar left 

over for the flood levy. 

The next step up is size, as well as 3D 

gaming. A Sony Bravia 40” LED LCD won’t 

get you 3D, but it does come with a 100hz 

refresh rate and IPTV for just under $1400 

from JB. Big W’s online store is selling 

an older model of the 40” Bravia – the 

KDL40EX500 – for $1047 – while the 

same site has a Samsung Series 5 46” 

LCD for $1228. The newer Samsung 46” 

LCD model (which was rated very highly 

by consumer group Choice in a test of 46” 

TVs) is selling for $1499 at The Good Guys, 

so you may be able to save as much as 

$200 with a bit of haggling. 

If you live on a palatial estate or a villa 

on a few acres where you have the space 

for an even larger screen, the Sony Bravia 

55” for $3296 will surely accommodate 

even the biggest spaces. If you want 

to take things a step further, an Epson 

PowerLite Home Cinema 8350 Projector 

for $US1299 can beam perfect 1080P 

pictures onto any wall in the house. 

Thankfully, sorting through monitors 

is a much easier task. The more hours a 

day you spend gaming, the more value 

you’ll get out of the 120hz-capable, 3D 

ready screens. The BenQ XL2410T and 

the Alienware Optx AW2310 are both 

excellent tools for the job here, whether 

you choose to game in 3D or just play 

everything in 120hz. 

Unfortunately, they’re also both 

more than $400. Not every computer is 

capable of handling a solid 120 frames 

a second either. If you just want a solid 

all-rounder at a more reasonable price, 

then BenQ’s E2420HD and the ASUS 

VE248H are worthy candidates for less 

than $250. (Samsung BX2440 is also a 

good choice, but it doesn’t come with a 

HDMI port.) 

FEATURE 

panasonic’s viera 42” 


...the Sony Bravia 55” for $3296 will surely 

accommodate even the biggest spaces. 

sony bravia 55” 




13

FEATURE 

steelseries 6gv2 

www.steelseries.com 

the other stuff 

If you’ve got a console, you think 

you’re right to go: but there are a few 

other bits and pieces that can make 

all the difference. 

Sound, for example, can have a 

completely different effect depending 

on the position. Having a speaker 

stored on the ground can often be far 

less effective than spending a little 

extra on some wall mounts. Selby 

Acoustics sells speaker brackets and 

mounts for a modest price, although 

you’ll need to check for compatibility. 

Having a HDMI to DVI cable is also 

handy, in case you want to connect 

your console into your non-HDMI 

capable monitor. You can pick up a 

Belkin HDMI to DVI converter from 

the Apple online store for $30. 

But while console users are still 

...Razer Deathadder 

are proven performers among 

casual and professional 

gamers alike. 

coming out of the dark with many 

parts of their gaming setup, PC 

gamers are still getting some of 

the basics wrong. One of the most 

aggravating habits of PC gamers is 

seeing them spend up to $150 on a 

gaming-grade laser mouse, but then 

ruin the experience by using the desk 

or a plank of wood as a mousepad. 

A Razer Goliathus (Speed or 

Control edition) can extend the life 

of your mouse by years, particularly 

those precious Teflon mouse feet, 

for as little as $20. If you’re used 

to a traditional standard mousing 

surface, be sure to pick up the 

Speed edition, as the Control 

features a particular weave that can 

feel annoying against your wrist. 

Mice can be hit and miss, but 

razer deathadder 

www.au.razerzone.com 

Microsoft’s Intellimouse V3 and 

the Razer Deathadder are proven 

performers among casual and 

professional gamers alike. The 

former sells for less than $50 in 

most stores in Australia, while $60 

is the standard going rate for a 

Deathadder/Deathadder V2 (the V2 

has a 3500DPI sensor instead of 

1800DPI, although since 3500DPI is 

far too sensitive for gaming, this has 

no real practical value). 

Keyboards are a cheap exercise 

too. A $45 Microsoft Sidewinder 

X4 keyboard will be sufficient for 

99% of gamers. For the other 1% 

harbouring delusions about their 

need for a mechanical keyboard, the 

SteelSeries 6GV2 for around $150 

will satisfy your need. 

pixel perfect 

Gamers like shopping. Let’s not 

beat around the bush here; we’re like 

a legion of magpies, hunting for the 

newest, shiniest toy we can stick in our 

kleptomaniac-like beaks. The key is to 

be smart when you do go shopping, not 

getting too wowed by a flashy picture 

in the store or a good deal on another 

model that isn’t suitable for your 

needs. Keep those things in mind when 

improving your setup, and you’ll be 

relaxing in gaming bliss in no time. 

ALEX WALKER 

belkin hdmi/dvi 

www.belkin.com/au 


march 2011

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS 

PROFESSOR PIXEL 

When he’s not meditating, playing The Legend of Zelda backwards with one hand or finding conspiratorial messages in 

issues of Woman’s Day, PROFESSOR PIXEL answers your most fiendish gaming questions. 

Got a question for Professor Pixel? Fire it off to professorpixel@pixelhunt.com.au 

QDear Professor 

What the hell is going 

on over at Activision? In the 

last month we’ve had Bizarre 

Studios close their doors for 

good and the Guitar Hero 

franchise totally shut down. 

Regards 

Concerned Frederick 

AProfessor Pixel 

Thanks for your question 

Frederick. Things do seem 

rather unstable over at 

Activision. My Activision 

insider tells me that a recent 

incident in Activision HQ may 

have something to do with 

the sudden cutbacks and 

layoffs – it was Bobby Kotick’s 

birthday a couple of months 

ago. There were big plans for 

a cake with strippers, helium 

balloons and a big banner 

that said ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY 

BOBBY!!’ on one side and 

‘EA SUX!!’ on the other. 

Unfortunately, everybody 

forgot Bobby’s birthday. Bobby 

turned up expecting cake and 

strippers and balloons and 

having a good old chortle at 

THQ’s new logo, but all he got 

was a report with the latest 

sales numbers for Guitar 

Hero: Warriors Of Rock and a 

prank call from Tim Schafer. 

He went into a rage and 

cancelled the whole franchise. 

Then he hid under his desk 

and wailed for several hours. 

Eventually he was able to be 

lured out with Skittles. 

QDear Professor 

I’m a man. Not only a 

man, but a manly man. Or at 

least, I was. The other day I 

went and purchased Kirby’s 

Epic Yarn. Upon seeing the 

giant, spherical, very pink 

and utterly joyous Kirby on 

the front cover, complete with 

magical yellow star attached 

to its long pink appendage, 

the store clerk looked at me, 

looked back at the cover, 

looked at me again. He raised 

an eyebrow, regarding me 

with suspicion. I shrugged and 

giggled nervously. As he bags 

the game he lets out a deep 

sigh, gives a subtle shake 

of his head, then hands me 

the bag without making eye 

contact. It was almost as if he 

was suggesting that a grown 

man shouldn’t be playing a 

game about guiding a pink 

blob through a magical world 

of yarn. Is he right? Should 

I just cut off my testicles 

and mail them directly to 

Nintendo? 

I keenly await your advice. 

MP 

AProfessor Pixel 

Don’t go cutting anything 

off yet, MP. From the sounds of 

things, perhaps the store clerk 

WAS passing judgement upon 

you for your purchase. But so 

what? If a man wants to guide 

a pink blob through a magical 

world of yarn, what right does 

anybody else have to judge 

him for that desire? A real man 

should not only play Kirby’s Epic 

Yarn in all its G-rated glory, they 

should broadcast with pride that 

they completed it 100% and 

found every last furniture item 

to decorate their house in Quilty 

Court, especially the archway 

from the Rainbow Falls level, 

it looks really great between 

the windows. Not that I would 

know, Kirby’s Epic Yarn is 

totally for girls. 

KIRBY’s EPIC YARN 

A game with balls? 


-zine 


15

THE GAME DOCTOR 

GTA IV 

One Man’s Quest to Earn A PhD By 

Wanking On About Games He Likes... 

BIIIiiG AMERICAN 

TEEEEEETTIIIES 

More thesis tales from our very own cross between House 

and Dr. Mario, JAMES O’CONNOR. 

“One gets rid of narrative as 

a framework for thinking about 

games only at one’s own risk.” 

“…the discussion operates with 

too narrow a model of narrative, 

one preoccupied with the rules 

and conventions of classical 

linear storytelling.” 

- Henry Jenkins 

‘Game Design As Narrative Architecture’ 

The direction of my thesis has 

changed a bit since the last 

time I feverishly slapped together 

this column between deadlines (this 

one has missed its deadline: I’ve 

been battling teaching work, thesis 

proposal resubmissions, other work 

and one horrific hangover). That is to 

say, three quarters of it has been lost 

in favour of a significant expansion 

of the other quarter. The provisional 

title is now something along the 

lines of ‘Player Responses to and 

Experiences with Narrative in Grand 

Theft Auto IV and other Open World 

Action Games’. 

So, essentially, my thesis is going 

to be about talking to players about 

how they play through GTA IV. How 

they reconcile their killing sprees 

with the ‘main’ narrative. What kind 

of wacky adventures they’ve had in 

Liberty City. What they consider part 

of the game’s ‘canon’, and whether 

actions that aren’t saved ‘count’. 

Whether they try to narrate their 

pigeon hunts or not. That sort of 

thing. I’ll also be tackling machinima, 

walkthroughs, and various other 

surrounding texts. 

The voice of the ‘gamer’ is largely 

missing from games academia. 

Certainly there are examples of 

ethnographic research with players 

out there, but most of them seem 

to have been conducted by people 

who don’t actually play the games 

themselves. In fact, videogame 

academia is full of people who had 

only just picked up a controller 

two years before their books were 

published. Peter Brookey opens his 

book about the relationship between 

games and Hollywood (which I won’t 

name because I refuse to give such 

an enormous piece of shit any 

publicity) by thanking the man who 

“first put a control pod (sic) in his 

hands”. That, to me, is disgusting. 

As a gamer myself, I am 


march 2011

THE GAME DOCTOR 

liberty city 

I know Liberty 

City like the back of…. 

well, not my own hand, 

but certainly the hand 

of someone I see at 

least once a week. 

This should allow me 

to conduct research 

through casual 

discussion... 

potentially, and uniquely, positioned 

as a participant observer (I think is 

the right terminology anyway – I’d 

check, but not needing to reference 

these things is so damn liberating!). I 

know GTA IV inside out. I’ll be playing 

it – and a few other open world 

action games – again, all the way 

through, soon. I know Liberty City like 

the back of….well, not my own hand, 

but certainly the hand of someone 

I see at least once a week. This 

should allow me to conduct research 

through casual discussion, and I 

won’t need everything explained to 

me, as is so often the case with this 

sort of research. 

What I really want out of my 

research is to put the player back 

into the writing. I want players to 

discuss with me the ways in which 

they engage with open world action 

titles, in terms of their exploration 

of space, their justification of 

actions, and whether they view 

their activities as simple play, as 

narrative exploration, or as a sort of 

escapism from the limitations of the 

‘real’ world. I want to discuss how 

players approach the random acts of 

violence these games allow them to 

commit, and whether they feel any 

remorse for these actions. I’d like 

to determine whether any remorse 

is the result of the actual crimes 

committed, or rather a feeling of guilt 

at potential narrative dissonance. 

I think this will be interesting. 

I sincerely hope it will be. I may 

even be able to use Pixel Hunt to 

source some research subjects! 

More on that next time. Or 

possibly the time after, it’s hard to 

predict these things. 

JAMES O’CONNOR 


-zine 


17

FEATURE 

TRUE JRPG 

REINCARNATION 

Sometimes a video game phenomenon in Japan 

translates well in the West, and sometimes it doesn’t. 

JAHANZEB KHAN takes us on a journey through the 

Shin Megami Tensei series and explains what we’ve 

been missing out on. 

The name ‘Shin Megami Tensei’ 

(which translates literally as 

‘True Goddess Reincarnation’) has 

earned quite a reputation over the 

years as an elusive and legendary 

Japanese RPG franchise that simply 

screams ‘niche’ and ‘hardcore’. 

Originally starting out as Megami 

Tensei, the series is as old as Final 

Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Phantasy 

Star, although it doesn’t enjoy the 

same amount of popularity and 

recognition that those titles grew to 

receive. Shin Megami Tensei was 

late in reaching Western audiences, 

eventually hitting the United States 

in 1996 with Revelations: Persona 

(later renamed to Shin Megami 

Tensei Persona). 

Unsurprisingly, Australian gamers 

never got a chance to experience 

Persona. The first official Shin 

Megami Tensei title to arrive on our 

shores was none other than Shin 

Megami Tensei: Lucifer’s Call (also 

known as Shin Megami Tensei: 

Nocturne) in 2005. By contrast, the 

first Final Fantasy to reach Australia 

was VII, in 1997, eight years earlier. 

While Final Fantasy and Dragon 

Quest were exploring medieval 

settings and Phantasy Star took 

to the cosmos, Megami Tensei did 

things differently. It created a world 

based closer to reality. Even the more 

overtly fictional aspects of it were 

relatable to the real world. 

Shin Megami Tensei games 

usually took place in a present 

day Japan setting, with characters 

comprising of high school students, 

detectives, computer nerds and 

basically ordinary people. A real 

world inspired setting obviously 

still needs fictional and fantasy 

elements to make it a proper RPG, 

so Shin Megami Tensei has always 

drawn heavily from real world 

mythologies, religions and cultures. 

Famous figures and characters from 

Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism and 

Shinto, as well as Norse and Greek 

mythology, appeared in the game 

as ‘demons’, which players must 

battle and work with. The writing 

in Shin Megami Tensei titles was 

more sophisticated than your typical 

‘hero saves the world’ plot, with dark 

undertones and religion and morality 

taking centre stage. Perhaps it was 


march 2011

FEATURE 

...Megami 

Tensei did things 

differently. It 

created a world 

based closer to 

reality. Even the 

more overtly 

fictional aspects 

of it were 

relatable to the 

real world. 


-zine 


19

FEATURE 

2005 

2006 

PAL-SONA 

Shin Megami games that 

got a PAL/AUS release. 

Release Date: July 1, 2005 Release Date: July 21, 2006 Release Date: March 2, 2007 

Shin Megami Tensei: 

Lucifer’s Call 

Platform: PS2 


Digital Devil Saga 

Platform: PS2 


Digital Devil Saga 2 

Platform: PS2 

due to these strong, dark and (dare 

I say) ‘anti-religious’ themes that the 

series could not be released outside 

of Japan without heavy alteration. 

However, not all Shin Megami 

Tensei games were like this. The 

series has explored a variety of 

different settings and themes to keep 

things fresh. The Persona and Devil 

Survivor series retain the classic 

elements of the franchise but are 

more light-hearted and uplifting, 

sporting interesting characters, a 

catchy J-pop soundtrack, typical 

Japanese anime humour and plenty 

of style. Digital Devil Saga took place 

in a futuristic sci-fi setting, while the 

Devil Summoner games took place in 

the early 19th century. 

As mentioned earlier, Shin Megami 

Tensei: Lucifer’s Call was the very 

first Shin Megami title released in 

Australia, and while it wasn’t exactly a 

commercial success, it is still regarded 

by some as one of the better RPG 

experiences of the last generation. At 

the time, I had no knowledge of the 

franchise and bought the title only 

because I had read that Dante from 

Devil May Cry featured in the game. 

What I played was unlike anything I 

had played before. I’d entered a living, 

breathing post-apocalyptic world 

populated with demonic creatures, 

powered by a dark and surreal plot with 

mysterious characters. The experience 

felt more intense and mature than any 

other RPG I had played, and the dark 

religious undertones were a huge plus. 

Then along came Persona 3 

and Persona 4. Those two games 

brought the franchise into the 

...Shin Megami 

Tensei: Lucifer’s Call was 

the very first Shin Megami 

title released in Australia, 

and while it wasn’t exactly 

a commercial success, it 

is still regarded by some 

as one of the better RPG 

experiences... 


march 2011

FEATURE 

2007 

2008 

2009 

2010 

Release Date: May 3, 2007 Release Date: March 6, 2008 Release Date: March 12, 2009 Release Date: August 11, 2010 


Devil Summoner: 

Raidou Kuzunoha vs. 

The Soulless Army 

Platform: PS2 


Persona 3 

Platform: PS2 

Shin Megami 

Tensei Persona 4 

Platform: PS2 

Shin Megami 

Tensei 

Persona 

Platform: PSP 

mainstream and suddenly a much 

wider audience became aware of 

the series. Taking place in present 

day Japan but in a fictional location, 

Persona can be best described as a 

mix between a dungeon crawler RPG 

and a visual novel with a touch of 

dating simulator. Persona was like 

an anime series you could control, 

where progression was on a day by 

day basis (in-game time of course) 

and each day felt like a new episode. 

Persona offered a degree of freedom 

that cannot be found in a traditional 

Japanese RPG, and while the degree 

of freedom was nowhere near the 

staggering level of Western RPGs, it 

was still sufficient to create a unique 

experience tailored to the player. 

Another element that set the series 

apart was the ability to communicate 

with demons. In Pokemon you just 

beat the crap out of poor little 

creatures and then trap them into 

tiny balls. In Shin Megami Tensei 

things are a little bit more humane 

and professional; you have to talk 

to demons and persuade them to 

work for you. This basically involves 

conversing with them, winning them 

over with charm and saying the right 

things. It can also involve striking a 

deal with them which may require you 

to part with some money, items and 

vitality. It’s a real shame that this idea 

didn’t become popular. It is certainly 

a more intuitive and interesting way 

of collecting creatures than just 

beating them up, but then I suppose 

an Incubus doesn’t have the same 

appeal as a Pikachu. 

Even with several excellent 

Japanese RPG franchises like 

Suikoden, Tales, Final Fantasy, 

Disgaea, Dragon Quest and Phantasy 

Star, you’d be hard pressed to find 

anything like Shin Megami Tensei. If 

you’re the kind of gamer who hates 

Japanese RPGs because of all the 

stale conventions associated with the 

genre, then fire up a Shin Megami 

Tensei game; you may well find 

yourself falling in love with some of 

the most unique and innovative titles 

in the JRPG canon. 

JAHANZEB KHAN 


-zine 


21


Battlefield: 

Bad Company 

2: Vietnam 

When we realised there were not one but 

two colons in the title of this expansion, we 

figured we’d need not two but three brave 

and able-bodied soldiers to deliver a report. 

Instead, we got DYLAN BURNS, KEN LEE 

and JAMES O’CONNOR. 

Ken: I think you all know by now 

that I absolutely love Battlefield: 

Bad Company 2. I was really looking 

forward to the Vietnam DLC: A 

new setting, new maps and new 

weapons. It hasn’t disappointed 

so far, although there are things I 

haven’t come to terms with yet. Even 

so, there are plenty of changes that 

I feel have had a positive impact on 

the game. The first of which are the 

new weapons, and more importantly, 

how scopes have been removed from 

most of them. Without the scopes, I 

either need to be far more accurate, 

or get in closer. This leads to more 

intense skirmishes, which really ties 

into the Vietnam feel. What do you 

guys think? 

Dylan: The flamethrower is pretty 

cool, but it’s hard to get kills with. 

Even though the maps encourage 

more close quarters combat, an 

AK beats a flamethrower most of 

the time. In fact, an AK is pretty 

damn handy even for snipe shots. 

I like what they’ve done with this 

expansion, embracing the era and 

translating period-related limitations 

to the gameplay experience. In 

some ways it evens the playing field, 

especially for players who previously 

had upgraded sights on their 

automatic weapons. 

Ken: I definitely agree that the 

Vietnam theme is incorporated 

very strongly into the design of the 

game, in terms of visuals, audio, and 

gameplay. Even the title screen gives 

you a clear indication of that Vietnam 

vibe, with the shirtless soldier with a 

flak jacket, and Creedence Clearwater 

Revival’s Fortunate Son blaring in the 

background. The feel is just spot-on. 

The flamethrower breaks my 

heart too. I love flamethrowers in 

videogames, but there’s a real lack 

of punch in Vietnam. I’m sure it’s 

been balanced to prevent people 

from abusing it, but nonetheless, 

when I set someone on fire, I expect 

them to die! 

The other big addition to the game 

are the maps, which I feel are very 

well done. One of my criticisms 

of the maps in vanilla BC2 is how 

narrow and funnelled the maps feel. 

There’s a small corridor leading 

to the objective points, and the 

areas around those points are 

quite cramped as well. In Vietnam, 

the objective points are still quite 

cramped, but the areas leading up 

to them are wider, allowing for more 


march 2011


Battlefield: 

Bad Company 2: 

Vietnam 

Developer DICE 

Publisher EA 

Platform 360 / PS3 / PC 

Genre Shooter 


...the first time I 

used the flamethrower 

I lit four of my own 

teammates on fire and 

watched in horror as they 

all died. 

James 

flanking movements. I find that this 

opens up tactical options for players, 

instead of just chucking bodies into 

the meat grinder. 

James: Man, the first time I used 

the flamethrower I lit four of my own 

teammates on fire and watched 

in horror as they all died. I put 

it away and haven’t pulled it out 

again. Are you guys not playing on 

hardcore? Because on hardcore, 

the flamethrower is brutal. You’re 

also seriously not getting the full 

Battlefield experience – playing a 

medic in hardcore mode is excellent 

fun. 

The Vietnam expansion is excellent. 

I love that choppers are more 

vulnerable. I think the map designs 

are excellent. But most importantly 

of all, it nails the balance between 

personal heroics and the need for 

teamwork even better than the 

original modes did. The winning team 

is almost always the one that works 

together, but sometimes you need 

an individual player who the rest of 

the team can feel compelled to rally 

behind. Being the player who blows 

up an M-COM station or captures 

the third base, bringing together 

a team that previously reeked 

of disillusionment, is a powerful 

experience. The Vietnam expansion, 

with its lack of scopes and vast open 

killing fields, suits this sort of play 

to a tee. Conquest mode on Vantage 

Point is particularly incredible. 

Ken: I think you’re spot on about 

the team mechanics, James. Team 

cohesion is definitely a key to 

surviving in Vietnam. Being a lone 

wolf will not get you far in this game. 

The game does inspire leadership, 

and it’s a thrill for both the leader 

and follower when someone steps up 

to fill that role. 

I’ve never gotten into Hardcore mode 


-zine 


23


It doesn’t quite feel 

as unbalanced as Call of 

Duty and I find that the 

maps are always designed 

in ways that make each 

game feel different. 

Dylan 

in vanilla BC2, largely because I find 

it hard to navigate without the minimap. 

Even in BC2, I still sometimes 

find it hard to orientate myself in 

each level, and to call out positions to 

my team-mates. This is why I love the 

compass addition to the mini-map 

in Vietnam so much, and makes me 

wish this could be brought into BC2 

retroactively. I can yell out “enemy 

entering east of bravo”, instead of 

“enemy coming up from that bit of 

river that meets the big rock behind 

the village”. 

And yes, the choppers being vulnerable 

this time is great. It’s changed the 

whole pace of the game. Teams 

concentrate their fire on the common 

threat; people aren’t merely running 

to take control of enemy choppers to 

dominate the map nfairly. 

Dylan: I would have far less hours 

than you guys, as I uniformly suck at 

multiplayer shooters. I enjoy them, 

but I rarely get many kills and I find 

that I lose patience quite quickly. 

That said, I do enjoy Bad Company 

2’s multiplayer. It doesn’t quite 

feel as unbalanced as Call of Duty 

and I find that the maps are always 

designed in ways that make each 

game feel different. With Battlefield 3 

just officially announced, Call Of Duty 

had better watch its back. 

DYLAN BURNS, KEN LEE 

& JAMES O’CONNOR 


march 2011

SIX Ways To Not Suck At 

BAD COMPANY 2: VIETNAM 

1Slow Down Sergeant 

Brown: It’s not essential 

to always be running. 

Sometimes taking a moment 

to pause can give you time 

to survey the area. It’s 

also surprising how easily 

spotted a moving target is, 

even at distance. 

2Be More Supportive, 

You Jerk: Every available 

character class has some 

type of support function, 

whether it’s dropping 

ammo or laying landmines. 

Communicate with your 

squad on what support you 

can provide. You don’t need 

to be an ace shooter to help 

your team win. 

3When In Doubt, Blob: 

If you’re struggling to 

mount a good defense in 

Rush, try Medic-blobbing a 

single M-COM station with 

your squad. If everyone is 

playing a medic, then as 

long as one person survives 

an assault they can bring 

everyone else back to life. Get 

an ammo pack in there as 

well and you can offer some 

real resistance. Of course, 

if you can hold the enemy 

team at bay without needing 

everyone to fall back to the 

M-Com station, more power 

to you. 

4Repair Enemy Tanks – 

And By Repair We Mean 

Destroy: If you can get close, 

use the engineer repair tool 

to attack enemy tanks. This 

is done so rarely that the 

tank’s occupants usually 

aren’t expecting it, and since 

you’re right up against them 

they’ll often be at a loss as to 

what to do about it. If you’re 

really lucky, they won’t even 

work out what is happening 

until their tank explodes. 

5Squads = Winning: 

Always choose to be put 

into a squad, even if you’re 

not playing with friends. It 

means you’ll usually be able 

to spawn much closer to the 

action. 

6Pretend You’re Playing 

Red Faction: Guerilla: 

Remember that there are 

ways of blowing up M-COM 

stations other than planting 

on them. Learn which 

buildings can be collapsed, 

and which stations can be 

damaged by, say, planting 

C4 outside of the structure 

they’re in…. 



-zine 


25

ON THE HUNT 

WHAT 

WE’RE 

PLAYING 

Believe it or 

not, the Pixel 

Hunt staff 

actually play 

some video 

games now and 

then. Here’s 

what has 

tickled their 

fancies of late. 

JAHANZEB KHAN 

Hard Corps: 

Uprising 

Contra meets Guilty 

Gear in this brilliant new 

XBLA title. I love run and 

gun shooters and have 

poured countless hours 

into games like Gunstar 

Heroes, Contra and 

Metal Slug. I’m also a 

huge fan of Guilty Gear. 

Hard Corps: Uprising 

combines the best of 

both worlds to create a 

gorgeous, addictive and 

tough as nails shooting 

experience. 

ALEX WALKER 

Game Dev 

Story 

This tycoon-style 

game has me hooked. 

Pretending to be Bobby 

Kotick, watching as 

millions of morons 

purchase my Reversi 

online RPG, is a great 

relaxant on the ride 

home from work. Bring 

on the sequel. 

PATRICK LANG 

Yakuza 3 

With Yakuza 4 due out 

next month, I thought it 

was about time I caught 

up with Sega’s crazy 

gangster/minigame/ 

soap opera hybrid. 

It’s amazing! Nothing 

beats stomping around 

downtown Tokyo, putting 

a beatdown on street 

punks before stopping 

off for a game of darts 

and heading back to the 

orphanage you run in 

Okinawa. 

ANNIKA HOWELLS 

Kirby’s Epic 

Yarn 

I’m going to have to start 

wearing a tin foil hat, 

because clearly Nintendo 

have been reading 

my mind and have 

subsequently created a 

game encompassing all 

of my favourite things. 

There’s an adorable 

round pink, a world 

made of crafty items 

in gorgeous soft pastel 

colours, and bright pretty 

sparkly things to collect. 

I’m in kawaii heaven! 

ANTHONY CAPONE 

Call Of Duty: 

Black Ops 

I am almost ashamed 

to say, but my current 

gaming hours are filled 

with playing Call of 

Duty: Black Ops online. 

Having finally become a 

somewhat decent player, 

and combined with the 

joys of exterminating 

campers and running 

around Nuketown with 

a shotgun, I’ll be playing 

online til the early hours 

for some time yet. 

I’m going to have to start wearing a tin 

foil hat, because clearly Nintendo have been 

reading my mind... 


march 2011

ON THE HUNT 

TIM HENDERSON 

Mirror’s 

Edge 

I’m revisiting Mirror’s 

Edge as a part of an 

attempt to clear my 

backlog and it really 

looks unbelievable on a 

machine that can push 

the high-end settings. 

Some flaws in the level 

designs ring louder now 

that the thrill of the new 

has worn off, but the 

evocative use of colour 

contrasts and the 

promise of the premise 

have me hooked all 

over again. 

DYLAN BURNS 

Total War: 

Shogun II 

This one came for review 

(for another publication) 

but I’m glad I forced 

myself out of my comfort 

zone. The game is 

massive and though 

I’ll never get as much 

out of it as Total War 

zealot, I’ve really enjoyed 

coming back to the 

PC with an immersive 

experience such as this. 

aaron sammut 

Killzone 3 

I have been playing 

Killzone 3 purely from a 

critical stand point. The 

visual eye candy just has 

to be bad for you (I’m yet 

to try out the 3D), the 

audio curls your toes and 

while the plot is only just 

serviceable, the premise 

and art direction is spot 

on. Guerilla Games 

aren’t exactly being 

revolutionary with the 

genre, but what they are 

doing is something to 

such a sublime level... 

So why?!! Why does 

the game just feel so 

flat and hollow? 

MICHAEL PINCOTT 

Marvel vs 

Capcom 3 

I tend to gravitate 

towards fighting 

games, partially 

because I love 

the science and 

technicality 

of them, and 

partially because 

I love going 

through a roster 

of characters and 

testing them out. MvC3 

has been especially 

great for the latter; I 

can’t settle on a team 

because I keep finding 

new characters that are 

fun to use. Except for 

Spiderman. He sucks. 


-zine 


27

creative 

Charlie Learns the Hard Way 

PATRICK LANG takes Charlie into, shall we say, Uncharted territory. 

“ 

here’s no such thing as a 

Tfucking free ride, Charlie!” she’d 

screamed at me, as I hustled out the 

door carrying a plastic shopping bag 

full of clothes and booze. In response 

I’d told Sasha (was that her name? I 

can’t remember) to take a hike and 

I’d forced the Volkswagen out to the 

airport to catch a plane to Nepal. 

In retrospect, I probably should 

have known better, and paid Sally 

more attention. When I’d got the 

letter from a ‘prominent’ Nepalese 

university offering me a semester of 

work as a ‘visiting fellow’, or some 

other semi-academic bullshit, I should 

have smiled and politely declined. But 

you know me, any chance to get out of 

the country and chase foreign tail and 

I’m already on the plane, demanding 

another complimentary whiskey. 

The first few weeks in Nepal had 

been promising, and I spent most of my 

evenings there in a local bar, tossing 

back glasses of raksi and thinking that 

Samantha should just shut the fuck up. 

Apparently I had a job of sorts at the 

nearby university, and I did turn up a 

couple of times to play grab-ass with the 

locals and pretend to know something 

about writing, but usually I just bunkered 

down in the office they’d given me to 

catch some sleep. 

A pretty good deal, by anyone’s 

estimations – until the Serbian came 

to town. Now, I knew that Nepal had 

a bit of a... complicated past when it 

came to civil unrest, but I thought that 

the reds in power had at least made 

the place more stable. Anyway, one day 

this guy Lazarevic walked into what 

was becoming my local and you could 

tell straight away that he was going to 

be a real pain in the ass. He started 

firing an AK into the ceiling and spitting 

some crap about a “phurba” and 

something called a “Cintimani Stone”. 

Then all hell broke loose, and I 

started to think that perhaps Stacey 

had known what she was talking about 

after all. 

Lazarevic had brought his own 

private army with him, and they 

proceeded to start ransacking the 

city looking for god knows what. It 

was about then that I decided that I 

needed an exit plan. The roads were 

clogged with locals trying to get out, so 

I headed for the railway station and, in 

my best broken Nepali, started yelling 

at the clerk. What he was saying was a 

little difficult to follow, but I knew what 

rejection sounded like in any language. 

So I used the gift of Westerners 

everywhere and started talking VERY 

LOUDLY AND SLOWLY in English, in the 

vain hope of bludgeoning my way to 

what I wanted. 

After about 15 minutes of this 

the clerk threw his hands in the air, 

dashed something off on a piece of 

paper and pointed to a train in the 

distance. I like to think it was my 

powers of persuasion that convinced 

him to help, but the distinctive rat-a-tat 

of automatic weapons in the distance 

can’t have hurt. 

I grabbed my plastic bag, now full 

of bottles of raksi and my passport, 

and headed for the train. It was a big 

motherfucker, not in great shape, but it 

was leaving town, and that fit my needs 

perfectly. I installed myself in one of 

the carriages at the front and started 

on a bottle. After about 10 minutes we 

started moving and I was getting a nice 

little buzz on. Hell, I thought, maybe 

Nepal would turn out alright after all. 

Take that, Sia. Unfortunately, it was 

about then that Lazarevic made his 

way into the carriage. 

I ducked under the seat and 

watched as a small PMC marched 

through the door. Big, evil bastards 

wearing body armour – the kind that 

could shrug off the entire clip of a 

.45 before breakfast. There were two 

others; a British guy who looked like 

he’d get annoying fast, and a tasty 

brunette with an ass like a peach who 

seemed to have escaped from a film 

noir, where she would undoubtedly be 

the femme fatale who tempts the hero 

with her sexual wiles. 

They all argued for a while, some 

bullshit that I’m happy to admit I 

wasn’t really paying attention to. I’d 

managed to stay neatly out of sight 

hidden in the back under the seat, 

and despite my constant fear of that 

Lazarevic bastard I managed (thanks 

to the raksi) to catch a little sleep. 

I was woken by the distinctive 

and unwelcome sound of gunfire 

somewhere at the back of the train. 

It was a long train, so I wasn’t overly 

worried, but it did seem to be getting 

closer. I looked up. Everyone had 

left the carriage, presumably in the 

direction of the gunfire. Morons. I 


march 2011

peered out the window and saw snow... and mountains. That bastard 

of a clerk had sent me in the wrong direction – I was heading for the 

Himalayas. 

It was right about then that the train exploded. 

I don’t know how long it was before I came to, but it was accompanied 

by an almighty crash. I peered out of the window of the wrecked train to see 

several carriages slip off the edge of an icy cliff. 

Good thing I splurged on first class, I thought. 

I heard a voice – groaning, complaining and generally pissed off. Looking 

up slowly I saw a well built man crawling over the edge of the cliff, grasping his 

side, which had a nasty looking bullet wound in it. I stayed down, not wanting to 

irritate someone with an abdominal wound, and waited as he slowly made his 

way amongst the carriages. I waited there a long time until I heard gunfire, some 

cries and a pissed off voice. 

“It’s locked,” Abdominal Wound exclaimed. “It’s always locked.” 

Realising that this guy was probably my best shot of getting out of there 

in one piece I grabbed my plastic bag, thought nice thoughts about Sophie 

and headed after him at a discreet distance. Eventually I reached an 

open snowfield full of now-decrepit train carriages. I perched myself 

on a ledge, lit a cigarette and watched quietly as Abdominal Wound 

dispatched a bunch of the PMC dudes. It was brutal. I wasn’t sure 

what this guy’s team was, but I wanted to be on it. 

He clambered up out of the snowfield and continued on. I 

stubbed out my cigarette and started after him. Some way 

up he collapsed in front of a lone figure, someone who 

looked like a native of the area. I quickly ran up. The 

native looked at me suspiciously until I handed him the 

raksi bottle. He took a swig and smiled. 

“Charlie,” I said, pointing to my chest. 

“Tenzin,” he said, in reply, and motioned me to 

follow him. 

He slung Abdominal Wound over his shoulder like 

he was a ragdoll and started off into the distance. I 

picked up my plastic bag and followed him. 

Hang on Sarah baby, I thought, Charlie’s coming 

home. 

PATRICK LANG 

creative 

I was woken by 

the distinctive and 

unwelcome sound of 

gunfire somewhere 

at the back of the 

train. 


-zine 


29

OPINION 

Reset 4.0 

In Praise Of Animation 

TIM HENDERSON returns serve 

on the rather divisive Enslaved. 

As with all good media outlets, 

Pixel Hunt exudes a sense of 

camaraderie and good times behind 

the scenes. We finish each friendly 

week of seeing eye-to-eye with a 

friendly trip to the nearest pool hall 

where we share rounds of drinks. Of 

this, we allow public privy. 

What we don’t display is the 

piece of glass sticking out the back 

of Dylan’s head, the one that Cody 

wedged there after our site founder 

sank a yellow ball. Likewise, all footage 

of Alex must be shot from his right 

side, lest the common people realise 

that HE ONLY HAS ONE EAR! 

In briefer terms, we are prone to 

disagree. 

So, then. Enslaved. 

What a flippant little life this game 

has led. At first happily fated to be 

the next Beyond Good and Evil – a 

game that everybody loves but nobody 

purchased – it has since gone under 

the hammer of harsher voices. Voices 

that are “baffled and saddened” (PH 

13) about the praises that the game 

has had lavished upon it. 

As if in need of a fragment of glass 

lodged in my own head, I find myself 

baffled and saddened about the way in 

which these criticisms are aimed at the 

game. Even from my more generous 

perspective, Enslaved is hardly Game 

of the Year material, but it seems that 

its triumphs are heavily influenced 

by the perspective from which you 

approach them. 

To wit: the storytelling. 

To wit while abusing italics: the 

storytelling. 

Outside of a refreshingly vivid and 

imaginative take on how to visually 

create a post-apocalyptic world, there’s 

nothing new here. The lead characters 

conform to archetypes, their interactions 

with each other take them exactly 

where you’d expect, and the abruptness 

of the ending betrays flaws in how 

foreshadowing was approached. None 

of this is of much concern to me. I’m 

far more interested in the manners in 

which information about the characters 

is conveyed, and of how the plot itself 

remains tied to gameplay objectives. 

This is obviously an issue of 

personal bugbears. It may be that I am 

far more interested in the means than 

the ends, and in this regard, Enslaved 

has a moment to shine. 

The player-character, Monkey, is 

an oaf. He’s a brute, lithe and strong 

and very likely raised in jungle-like 

environments. He puts his own sense of 

self-preservation first, but is susceptible 

to that ‘good heart’ syndrome that 

afflicts so many of his kind. There is 

nothing unique about this. 

But Enslaved is a videogame, an 

interactive medium and a visual one, 

and when it comes to taking advantage 

of these characteristics of the medium, 

the character of Monkey is bordering 

on a masterclass. Imagine composing 

a video of a mixture of gameplay and 

cinematic sequences from Enslaved, 

doing the same for a game such 

as Mass Effect, and then playing 

these two videos to an unconcerned 

audience with all audio and written 

dialogue/information stripped away. 

Imagine asking this audience for 

its interpretation of the respective 

characters and events in the two 

games. Imagine testing which game 

narrative they got a greater feel for. 

I would be hugely surprised if 

Enslaved were to fail in coming up 

trumps. There are two arguments 

for why this could be: the first is that 

Enslaved has a smaller cast and a 

simpler plot. The other is that Enslaved 

had a far more nuanced understanding 

of animation. 

It has to be acknowledged that 

intensity of Enslaved’s animation 


march 2011

obsession does result in character 

control that sacrifices playable fluidity 

for visual follow-through. There’s 

a sense that a lot of Enslaved’s 

animations are working within canned 

loops. It refuses to sacrifice its visual 

dynamic for reactive playability, and in 

this regard it’s a lesser game than the 

likes of Uncharted, which does a finer 

job of employing adaptive animations. 

Nonetheless, the animation in 

Enslaved is charged with meaning. 

Just playing around with Monkey in an 

open space, scampering up ledges, 

swinging between branches, or even 

just running through long grass will 

spare the player a need for words. 

Much of his archetypical personality 

will have been made clear. Because 

this information is evoked in the player, 

rather that told to them, it becomes 

more natural, and less like something 

learned from a textbook (or a codex for 

that matter). 

Similar qualities also apply to the 

other two cast members: Trip and 

Pigsy. We subconsciously absorb 

information about them in cinematic 

scenes, as well as during gameplay. 

Like Heavenly Sword before it, 

Enslaved excels in delivering actual 

performances that subtly define 

the characteristics of an otherwise 

orthodox cast. Only here, its palpability 

extends beyond cut-scenes. 

This isn’t the only victory, but it is 

the one I find to be most important. 

Character animation is the great 

unsung communicator. Perhaps this 

is because it’s harder to take precise 

note of – it is easier, after all, to 

consciously notice information that is 

actually told to you. But this shouldn’t 

undermine its value. Solid facial 

animation may not lead to developed 

characters, but nuanced expression 

can convey meaning that renders 

words second-rate. 

Other flourishes are less important, 

but still welcome. The audible yelling 

of Monkey when Trip is beyond 

easy earshot, or the way he sounds 

physically strained while scaling 

some mammoth construct lends 

texture and meaning to his words 

that goes far beyond those words 

themselves. There’s also a matter 

of integration, wherein the plot, for 

all its straightforwardness, works 

harmoniously with the gameplay 

situation at hand. 

Personally, I’ll take a competent 

story that communicates itself 

effectively through its medium over 

one of greater depth that can do 

nothing more inventive than lean 

heavily on extended, flat exposition and 

large chunks of written text. Gaming’s 

bigger problem isn’t in finding good 

stories to tell, it’s in finding interesting 

ways to tell them. 

TIM HENDERSON 

But Enslaved 

is a videogame, an 

interactive medium and 

a visual one, and when 

it comes to taking 

advantage of these 

characteristics of the 

medium, the character 

of Monkey is bordering 

on a masterclass. 

OPINION 



31

OPINION 

Generation COD 

Is the Call Of Duty franchise the devil of the video game 

industry, or is it just following standard industry practice? 

Let’s ask ANTHONY CAPONE. 

Three games in, and Call Of Duty 

was becoming just another 

shooter. Then Modern Warfare 

appeared. The critical and commercial 

success of Call of Duty 4: Modern 

Warfare propelled the brand to the 

heights of AAA rivals Grand Theft 

Auto and Halo. Several years on, the 

financial windfalls continue, but Call 

Of Duty has garnered somewhat of 

a poor reputation among gamers. 

Viewed by many as a money-grabbing 

venture and blamed for driving a lack 

of innovation, Call Of Duty may have 

turned from a top of the line FPS 

into the devil of the gaming industry. 

However, a closer analysis reveals 

that the issues generating the fury of 

gamers are nothing new in the context 

of the video game industry. 

Some might dismiss each 

forthcoming instalment of Call Of 

Duty as nothing more than the next 

Activision money spinner. While there 

may be a degree of truth in that, we 

need to remember that the goal of 

the video games industry is just the 

same as any other business; to make 

money, and lots of it. Call Of Duty is 

Activision’s perpetual cash cow, and 

Bobby Kotick will continue to squeeze 

every last penny from the franchise. 

He isn’t doing it to annoy gamers or 

to kill originality, but simply because 

he has a duty to shareholders to 

generate returns. It may seem an illadvised 

practice that will ultimately 

spell the series’ doom as it did to 

Guitar Hero, but in the end, it’s the 

model that keeps the wheels of 

business spinning, and not just those 

of the video game industry. 

One way Activision has sought to 

make money from the Call Of Duty 

behemoth is with the higher price 

of downloadable content. Under the 

new model, map packs for Modern 

Warfare and Black Ops cost around 

$20 a pop. Compared to other 

downloadable expansions and other 

complete games that cost far less, 

it could be seen as a blatant rip-off. 

However, as with anything, the inherit 

value is entirely subjective. 


march 2011

For example, take a user who 

purchases Black Ops exclusively for 

multiplayer. Looking at the scenario 

from a purely economic angle, the 

game retails at about $120. The 

disc comes with 14 multiplayer 

maps, translating to over $8 per 

map. Taking the First Strike map 

pack, which contains four maps, 

each map converts to about $4 

each. Hence, on a cost for content 

ratio between the two, First Strike 

represents a good investment for 

the multiplayer junkie spending 

hour upon hour playing the game. 

I would argue that paying a one-off 

fee for more content is far more 

preferable to paying a monthly 

subscription, which has been toyed 

around with for some time. 

The idea of subscribing to Call Of 

Duty as on online service has raised 

the ire of many gamers, but so far, 

the negative outcry has staved off 

the idea. Instead, Activision have 

used the downloadable content 

market as a de facto form of 

subscription. Nevertheless, the 

possibility of subscribing to a game 

as popular as Call Of Duty should 

not be so unfathomable, especially 

when PC users have been enduring 

the practice in MMOs for years. 

Looking at Call Of Duty and 

World Of Warcraft side by side, 

commonalities emerge. Each 

has hundreds upon thousands 

of online players communicating 

and working in teams, levelling 

endlessly and traversing the same 

areas day after day. Industry 

analysts like Michael Pachter may 

not be so unreasonable in stating 

that Activision could legitimately 

implement a subscription model 

for Call Of Duty. Nevertheless, the 

company has conceded the point, 

saying that a payment system will 

never be a part of the mainstream 

series. However, with word of 

Bungie developing a MMO-style FPS 

for Activision, the notion of paying 

for a COD-type online experience 

may be very close. Given the 

affliction of the console community 

to in-game subscription, it will be 

intriguing in the least to see how 

Activision proceeds. 

Another sticking point for Call 

Of Duty is the ‘rinse and repeat’ 

syndrome of each new iteration. 

Since Modern Warfare took a gigantic 

leap with its contemporary narrative, 

sequels have been criticised for 

failing to innovate. Critics do not 

deny that that the series continues 

to deliver cinematic gameplay 

experiences, so the issue may simply 

have to do with game design and 

setting. Call Of Duty asks players 

to do nothing more than assume 

the role of a one-man army and 

pull the trigger. This type of role 

is so frequently employed that 

standing out becomes a significant 

challenge. Originality is undeniably 

hard to achieve, especially in the 

current generation, and it’s not 

just developers like Treyarch and 

Infinity Ward who are guilty of 

repetitive design. 

Uncharted 2 is one of the best 

games of this generation, but in 

comparison to its predecessor and 

numerous other titles, Naughty Dog 

didn’t really produce anything new. 

Arguably, all they did was create the 

best possible experience with triedand-true 

gameplay and an outstanding 

narrative. Hence, when critics fire at 

Call Of Duty for its lack of originality, it 

should be remembered that the entire 

industry has grown comfortable in 

rehashing the same games time and 

time again, regardless of how polished 

they may be. 

Lack of originality is a challenge 

that faces the entire industry, 

especially when raising a new 

intellectual property is so fraught 

with difficulty. Ultimately, Call Of 

Duty is the machine that keeps 

the world’s biggest publisher in 

business and ensures that jawdropping 

experiences such as 

Modern Warfare can be seen again. 

Is that such a bad thing? 

ANTHONY CAPONE 

OPINION 

Originality is 

undeniably hard to 

achieve, especially in the 

current generation, and 

it’s not just developers 

like Treyarch and Infinity 

Ward who are guilty of 

repetitive design. 


-zine 


33

KEN’s HOLIDAY SPECIAL 

LAND OF THE 

RISING KEN 

International man of mystery KEN LEE 

visited Tokyo last November. Allow him 

to stir jealousy within you with his tales 

from abroad. 

The very first thing that set me on 

the back foot upon entering Tokyo 

is how massive and urban the entire 

city is. I’ve always been a city boy, but 

even I was taken aback by the scale of 

the sprawl. Wide streets, endless cars, 

neon signs, tall buildings shoved up 

against each other, and scores of people 

walking briskly. Imagine this same scene 

replicated across multiple districts, 

each about the size of the Melbourne 

CBD. Against this backdrop is endless, 

unceasing activity. The streets are 

packed with people at all hours of the 

day. In the mornings, you see commuters 

and cleaners sweeping the streets. The 

afternoons are filled with office workers 

looking for lunch, walking from shop to 

shop surveying the wealth of yummy 

goodness. As night settles, unlicensed 

Pachinko Parlours 

food carts set themselves up along 

walkways serving beer and hot noodles. 

Even at 2am, the convenience store 

across the road was still bustling. 

It was only when I started getting 

past the initial sensory assault that 

I noticed the many things that set 

my geeky heart aflutter. There were 

anime and video game images posted 

everywhere: in magazines, store 

fronts, posters and towering billboards. 

Countless advertisements for the 

latest video games appeared during 

prime time television programming; 

God Eater Burst was the flavour of that 

particular month. 

The first geeky thing I noticed was 

the abundance of Pachinko parlours. 

In itself, these pachinko machines 

are no more interesting than regular 

jackpot machines. But throw in a heap 

of anime and video game references, 

such as Gundam and Neon Genesis 

Evangelion, and even I found myself 

getting drawn into these parlours. 

Perhaps my limited skills in Peggle 

tempted me into thinking that I’d do 

alright if I tried my hand at them. 

These pachinko machines are so 

pervasive that I even saw them in 

video game arcades as well. And the 

arcades are a sight to behold. Seeing 

arcades thrive in Japan adds a bittersweet 

taste to the whole experience, 

especially when compared to our own 

dwindling arcade scene. Entering the 

arcade, I am welcomed by endless 

rows of claw crane games, begging for 

a 100 Yen for the chance at winning 

a stuffed Pikachu toy. While I didn’t 

Cho Chabudai Gaeshi 

succumb to their siren song, I did play 

a game of Cho Chabudai Gaeshi, which 

roughly translates to “Upending the 

Tea Table”. Players stand in front of the 

machine, which has a fake table built 

into it. Players then slam on the table 

multiple times, as the screen depicts 

increasingly annoying situations (such 

as children talking on their mobiles at 

the dinner table). And at the apex of 

their frustrations, they physically flip 

the little fake table, see the on-screen 

representation wreck havoc, then earn 

points for the devastation caused. 

Going deeper into the arcades, I 

started seeing games aimed squarely 

at dedicated gamers. World Club 

Championship Football combines 

collectible card games (such as Magic: 

The Gathering) with team management 


march 2011

KEN’s HOLIDAY SPECIAL 

Nishi Shinjuku Train Station Bento 

...I was tempted 

to buy a portable 

console that played 

SNES games; the 

nameless machine 

was obviously 

manufactured 

without an official 

license. 

games (like Championship Manager) 

to create a wholly unique experience. 

Players form decks of cards which 

they can purchase or trade with other 

people, then lay the cards down on an 

arcade machine to form their team. 

Moving the cards around affects the 

team formation mid-game; players 

can also train up their team for future 

competitions. 

The other game that intrigued me 

was Border Break, which gives players a 

control scheme similar to a mouse and 

keyboard set-up, bringing the PC gaming 

into an arcade environment. The left 

hand controls a joystick for movement 

and the right manipulates a mouse-like 

peripheral to aim as players pilot their 

hulking robots in 10v10 battles. 

Arcades aren’t the only place for a 

person to geek-out in Tokyo; the name 

Akihabara is one that would be familiar 

to many gamers. In many ways, it is 

exactly what I expected: video games, 

anime, gadgets and other assorted 

tech toys. Walking around the area, 

I saw large stores selling all manner 

of electronics, and dodgy little places 

selling miniature pin-hole cameras. 

The best stores in the area are 

without a doubt the retro game 

shops. Walking into the store is akin 

to walking into a museum; it is a 

celebration of video game culture. 

Shelves are packed with games for 

every conceivable console, and every 

conceivable console is actually working 

and for sale. There are systems hooked 

into televisions for you to mess around 

with; I spent about 20 minutes playing 

Wario Land on the Virtual Boy. For a 

while, I was tempted to buy a portable 

console that played SNES games; 

the nameless machine was obviously 

manufactured without an official 

license. 

Despite the attractions of 

Akihabara, I did have some discomfort 

hanging about the area. Sexualised 

imagery was prominently displayed. 

Mega-stores had a floor each 

dedicated to games, anime and porn. 

This discomfort was most keenly 

felt when I noticed a DVD proudly 

proclaiming pictures and videos of a 

12 year old girl in a bikini. It seemed 

like despite the celebration of geek 

culture, there was also an expectation 

that most geeks were social deviants. 

Or perhaps it only applies to otaku. 

In spite of this one negative, there 

is still so much to love about Tokyo 

and Japan, and so much yet left to 

say. I haven’t even touched on the 

maid cafes, the crazy fashions and 

cosplayers or relaxing at the hot 

springs. I didn’t talk about Disney 

Land, the Studio Ghibli Museum, or 

the areas that preserve Japanese 

tradition and culture. There is just so 

much to take in. It is this intangible, 

unquantifiable aspect that gives 

Japan its density, beyond the 

packed buildings and throngs of 

people. And it is this density that will 

either scare you away, or completely 

enchant you. Either way you’ll need to 

keep up the pace, or the whole city will 

leave you behind in its dust. 

KEN LEE 


-zine 


35

Issue 15 – Coming 

MAY 2011 

IN THE NEXT ISSUE 

DEATH IN 

VIDEOGAMES 

SO UNTIL THEN 

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