Live Magazine - Video Games, Cosplay and Pop Culture

LIVE
APRIL/MAY 2016 ISSUE
video game
wars peace

Welcome
Peace and Love …
as Ringo would say.
The Beatles drummer often tells
fans “peace and love” and while
that’s a lovely sentiment, this world
is anything but. After all it was John
Lennon who wrote War Is Over” and
was assassinated by a fan in 1980.
Published by
This month’s Live Magazine talks
about those silly wars. Mine is
better then yours. Xbox is better
then Playstation! Nintendo is better
then everything … these arguments
just waste time. It’s about gaming.
It’s about us all who just love the
enjoyment and fun that playing a
video game brings. Whether it’s on
your own or with friends, gaming
should be about fun. Life’s too short
to argue and fight. Who cares what
you play on. If it’s a 3 year old PC, a
SNES or Xbox One or PS4, it really
doesn’t matter. The thing that matters
is you’re part of the brotherhood and
sisterhood of gaming. That special

INSIDE
8
Feature:
Video Game
Wars
26
Game Reviews
68
Geek Out
144
Cosplay
THE LIVE TEAM
group of people that love nothing
more then sitting down with your
controller of choice and firing up a
game to lose yourself in.
We’ve also got our cosplay section
dedicated to those special artists
who love making and dressing up
in cosplay. Plus retro, comics, board
games and all that cool stuff we’re
into. Please enjoy.
One more thing. Live will be going
bi-monthly from this month. Why?
Because we want it to be even better.
We want to have more time to create
a brilliant magazine that you love. We
want it to be one of the best game
and pop culture digital magazines
you can read. Our catalogue will
still be monthly, but look out for our
next Live in June - it’s going to be
amazing!
Peace and Love…
The Live Crew
Publisher: Rob Jenkins
(GTHQ)
Art Director: Giselle Capozza
(GTHQ)
Game Review & Preview Editors:
Nick Getley & Kylie Tuttle
(Sticky Trigger)
Retro Editor: Paul Monopoli
Comics: Scott Sowter
Cosplay Editor: Anny Sims
Sticky Trigger Writers:
Kylie Tuttle
Nick Getley
Alex Holmes
Aaron Milligan
Ben Rachow
Bridget Sweeney
Sean Fox
Sasha Karen
Jason English
Johnny Scene

APRIL
GAME
RELEASES!
DATE
01/04/2016
05/04/2016
05/04/2016
08/04/2016
09/04/2016
12/04/2016
12/04/2016
20/04/2016
23/04/2016
TITLE
Terraria
Assassins Creed Chronicles
Quantum Break
Dirt Rally
Mario and Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Dark Souls 3
Dark Souls 3 with Red Knight Pop Vinyl
Ratchet and Clank
Star Fox Zero
FORMATS
Wii U
PSV
XB1
PS4, XB1
3DS
PC, PS4, XB1
PC, PS4, XB1
PS4
Wii U
Dates are correct at time of publishing. Ask staff for details.

MAY
GAME
RELEASES!
DATE
03/05/2016
03/05/2016
10/05/2016
13/05/2016
13/05/2016
17/05/2016
20/05/2016
21/05/2016
21/05/2016
21/05/2016
24/05/2016
24/05/2016
26/05/2016
TITLE
Battleborn
Battleborn Gametraders Badges Bundle
Uncharted 4 A Thiefs End
Doom with Preorder Offer
Doom Stress Ball Bundle with Preorder Offer
Valkyria Chronicles Remastered
Homefront The Revolution
Fire Emblem Fates Birthright
Fire Emblem Fates Conquest
Fire Emblem Fates Special Edition
Overwatch Origins Edition
Total War Warhammer
Mirrors Edge Catalyst
FORMATS
PC, PS4, XB1
PC, PS4, XB1
PS4
PC, PS4, XB1
PC, PS4, XB1
PS4
PC, PS4, XB1
3DS
3DS
3DS
PC, PS4, XB1
PC
PS4, XB1

PRE-ORDER
GET IT AT GAM
CTC
Available on 3DS.
TBC 2016.

NOW!
COMING
IN 2016!
ETRADERS!

FEATURE
VIDEO GAME
wars?
“who wins an
argument about
which video game
system is the
best?
...nobody.”
BY RETRO EDITOR PAUL MONOPOLI

People have been arguing over
which piece of hardware is the
best since the dawn of technology.
From the 80s, where the
schoolyard battleground featured
8-bit computers and consoles, to
the modern iOS vs Android wars.
This month I thought it would be
interesting to focus on some of
those heated discussions, what
they were about and whether is
was worth having them.
Video games have changed a lot
in the past 30+ years, but the reasons
for arguing over which is the
better machine have pretty much
remained the same. It doesn’t
matter if you’re pitting your Commodore
64 against your friends
Amstrad CPC, or arguing about
how superior your Super Nintendo
is to your friend’s Sega Megadrive.
Though the systems have
changed, the arguments can always
be broken down into several
key components.
Graphics are extremely important
to a video game system. Like television
and movies, video games
are a visual form of entertainment.
Unlike television and movies, video
games vary in the way they
deliver these pictures. The colour
palette on a Commodore 64 features
dull, pastel colours that look
rather washed out. On the other
hand, the Amstrad CPC features
a bright colour palette, with many
variations on primary colours. On
the flip side, the Amstrad CPC
does not feature hardware scrolling,
and as such many games will
jerk or flicker if the game code is
not optimised. On the other hand,
the Commodore 64 does feature
hardware scrolling, so it requires
less effort for a coder to create a
game that moves nicely.
The processor in the Sega Megadrive
is more than double the
speed of that found in the Super
Nintendo Entertainment System.
As a result of this, many early
Super Nintendo titles were prone
to slowdown when too much was
happening on the screen. Super
R-Type is one prime example of
this. While the Super Nintendo
faced criticism over its processor,
it featured double the RAM
used in the Megadrive, 64k of audio
RAM compared to 8k on the
Megadrive, and a graphical chip
that could handle larger sprites,
higher resolutions and a greater
colour palette.
The games released for a system
are what end up making or
breaking it. Why bother having
the greatest system in the world if
there are no decent games for it?
Each system had its ‘killer app’,
with Nintendo sticking to the tried
and true formula of the Mario series
and Sega entering the race
with Sonic the Hedgehog. During
the 16-bit era these exclusives
further helped to divide fans. Did
you want the speed of the all new
Sonic the Hedgehog or the familiar
platforming fun that Super
Mario World provided?
Different systems featured different
ports of the same game.
These ports would vary depending
on the strength of the system,
the skill of the developer and the
timeframe given. Many video
games suffered due to the small
amount of time coders were allowed
to work on it, with many
programmers often looking back
on some of their titles with disappointment.
Double Dragon on the
Commodore 64 is a barely playable
mess, but the Amstrad CPC
version coded by Richard Aplin
is a joy to play, and it feels like a
decent port of the arcade classic.
On the flip side, The Last Ninja 2
on the Amstrad CPC plays like a
slug and is in black and white. On
the Commodore 64 the game is
in full colour, and is a worthy sequel
to the original.
A controller can make or break
your gaming experience. I will admit
that I cannot stand the Nintendo
64 controller. That analogue
thumbstick is horrible to use,
and it wears down very quickly.
The Gamecube analogue stick
improved on this and is a joy to
use. I have never been a fan of
any Playstation controller due to
the problem I have with the directional
pad. I don’t like having
a D-pad that looks like 4 buttons.
I have a similar problem with the
Bandai Wonderswan, which features
only buttons and no true D-
pad. With this said, I know plenty
of people who love the Nintendo
64 and Playstation controllers.
In the end who wins an argument
about which video game system
is the best? In most cases the
answer is nobody. Everybody
have their favourite games, their
preferred brand and their idea of
what makes a successful video
game system. Changing another
person’s opinion is not an easy
thing do, and why should someone
even try to? Variety is the
spice of life, and there’s nothing
wrong with a Nintendo fan enjoying
titles released on rival system,
just as it’s OK for a Sega fan to
enjoy Mario games.
I think the band War said it best
when they asked “Why can’t we
be friends?”

FEATURE
7
things we argue
about when it
comes to video
game systems...
but shouldn’t
2. Good controllers adds to
the gaming experience.
1. 3rd party support means lots of game choice.

3. Multimedia - maybe you
want an all in one system,
maybe you don’t.
Console discussions
about which
is better are generally
pointless.
They seem to
fit into the same
camp as other “religious” discussions
such as PC or Mac, Nikon
and Canon and iOs vs Android. At
the end of it all, it really is a personal
choice. And, as part of the
gaming brotherhood and sisterhood
we really should just make
our own decisions and not feel
the need to argue and defend our
choices. After all, we’re all gamers
aren’t we and we share something
that the rest of the human
race doesn’t - a love of imagined
worlds, of challenges that test our
reflexes and dexterity and our enjoyment
of a good story we can
be part of.
But for your choice we’ve listed 7
things to consider when buying a
game system that suits you. Yes
there are probably many others,
such as a larger user base is an
attraction for developers, after all
more owners means a larger market
to sell to. But that’s not always
the case. Look at the Wii, it was a
great system and sold over 100
million consoles but didn’t get a
massive amount of 3rd party support.
So what are our 7 categories?
Let’s take a look:
Good 3rd party support. Look
at the PS2 and PS3. The system
was readily accepted by gamers,
got a ton of great 3rd party games
and sold millions. The PS2 sold
over 157 million and is, according
to our friends at VG Chartz the
best selling console of all time.
The PS3 comes in at 6th and the
original Playstation sits at 4th.
Why? Sony made a strong system
that had great hardware and
great software.
Great Titles like Ico, Silent Hill,
Gran Truism and Finally Fantasy
were brilliant on the PS2 and ensured
happy fans and big sales
for 3rd party developers. Big
sales means more budget for new
games and success on a platform
usually resulted in follow up titles.
Controller. The Xbox 360 had
a brilliant controller, as did the
Playstation, which is why the
360 sits in VG Chartz top ten at
number 7. It sold over 85 million
units and even with the red ring
of death negative, gamers loved
it and made it a classic must have
system. The original Xbox’s controller
wasn’t so popular so Microsoft
ensured the 360 had a brilliant
design and we loved it. Many
consider it to be one of the most
ergonomic controllers ever with
its’ improved button layout and
usability.
Multimedia - The PS2 played
DVDs too. So when dads bought
it (and mums) they could justify
the cost by explaining to their
other half that “It’s a DVD player
too!” Brilliant. Today we take
it for granted that our consoles
will play Blu-rays but that wasn’t
always the case… remember
the Xbox 360 and the HD DVD
player? Sold for around $200
U.S, Bill Gates announced during
the 2006 CES talk that the
external HD DVD player would
be released but alas Blu-ray one

4. User OS - clunky systems are frustrating.
5. Playing with friends = great
competitive fun.
6. Exclusives! Finding out that game
is on another system.
6. Personal Choice - at the end of the
day choose what you really want.

the format war of the 2000s and
HD died… Today a good system
must come with a Blu-ray player
built in, internet support and online
gaming. Plus a host of other
options that ensure it can be
your all-in-one game and entertainment
system. I know there’s
some people that will argue that
all we need is a pure gaming
system and while I agree, there
are times you really want it all in
one simple box so that you don’t
need multiple systems hooked
up to the main TV. What I’d suggest
is having a seperate game
room and TV with all your retro
and current systems separate so
your other half doesn’t yell at you
about the bloody mess!
User OS - when we interact with
our console is it more painful
then haemorrhoids or is the experience
smooth and seamless?
Clunky interfaces can put people
off big time. A poll on Gamespot
has readers voting on the current
gen systems and so far the
Xbox One has the numbers but
other sites have people loving
the PS4… again it’s a personal
choice. A good OS let’s you navigate
through settings and loading
up games easily. Unfortunately
some past systems were a bit
clunky and ugly. The old days of
the Amiga 500 were simple. Slot
in your floppy and the game booted.
Simple… Same with Nintendo
cartridges. You pushed it into the
slot and away you went chasing
monsters or jumping platforms.
What are your friends using? In
the past this has been a big reason
people may choose one over
the other. After all, playing co-op
with friends or battling them online
is a blast. But with recent
announcements by Microsoft on
cross play and Sony saying they
will support this, it means no matter
what system you get from at
least these two giants, you can
play your friends online … in the
future.
Exclusives. Yes this is a biggie
if you are a fan of certain games.
Like Rise of the Tomb Raider set
to be exclusive on the Xbox One.
Unchartered 4 on PS4 and Little
Big Planet 3. Halo on Xbox is a
big draw… the simple answer is
buy both systems if you can afford
it. Easy fixed! Same with retro titles
that are classics. Talk to our
retro editor Paul, and you’ll find a
host of gold in those old systems.
Some of the gaming on platforms
like the Amstrad computer, the
SNES, N64 and Sega were absolute
classics. There’s a certain
nostalgic joy to be had when
it’s just you and an old favourite
game on a cold, wet Saturday afternoon.
No pressure, nowhere to
be, just you, the game and some
snacks… heaven!
Personal choice. What’s that
you say? Personal choice???
Yep, sometimes you just go with
what you really want. Like we said
at the outset of this article - it’s not
a religious debate, you’re allowed
to make a choice based on what
you really want. Gaming is fun,
should be enjoyed and should
never be the cause of disagreements
that end up in anger. Just
go have fun and play games.

OPINION
RETRO EDITOR, PAUL MONOPOLI,
TELLS US WHY HE THINKS THE PS4
IS OUTSELLING XB1.
38.8
MILLION
SOURCE VGCHARTZ
The original Playstation was unleashed
on the world at a time
when Nintendo were dominating
the market. Regardless of who
you supported at the time, history
shows that Sega lost the 16-bit
war, though they were still clamouring
for marketshare. After the
failure of the Sega CD and 32X I
don’t think many people held high
hopes for the Saturn, especially
with its troubled development history.
From what I can see there were
a few reasons why Nintendo fell
from grace around this time. The
Virtual Boy had slightly tarnished
their reputation and there was
also an element of supporting
the underdog. The media were
closely following the story of the
Nintendo Playstation and their
alleged poor treatment of Sony.
I believe that many gamers felt
sympathy for Sony and that Nintendo
were getting too big for
their boots. There was also the
prospect of this exciting new
hardware that was developed.
Both Sony and Nintendo were
promising big things with their
new consoles, but there were 2
things that caused problems for

Nintendo. First was the decision
to stick to cartridges while Sony
were using CDs, which contained
more storage space and were
cheaper than using ROMs, which
caused many fans and reporters
to dismiss the Ultra 64 before it
was even released on the market.
The second was the simple
fact that in 1995 the Ultra 64 was
a year or two away, when the
Playstation was here and now.
If we fast forward to the Playstation
2, I can remember a big
selling point was DVD playback.
DVDs were really starting to
take off when the console was
released, but DVD players were
still quite expensive. Though
technically the XBOX and Gamecube
were superior consoles, the
strength of the original Playstation,
the DVD playback, and the
strong advertising all played a
part in the success of this “mark
2” console. Many commentators
have claimed that though the
Dreamcast was the first console
released in that generation, many
people were happy to wait for the
PS2.
The Playstation 2 was a more
important console that the first.
Gamers are a fickle bunch, and
while the first wave of success
gave Sony a lot of new fans, the
success of the second console
cemented them. The Playstation
3 and 4 were natural successors
to both the success of the original
consoles and the fanbase that
followed it. With that said, if the
PS3 and PS4 were genuinely bad
consoles then the gaming public
would have definitely let them
know!
20.3
MILLION
SOURCE VGCHARTZ
Microsoft have always been unable
to gain the same marketshare
as Sony, though this may have
to do with the fact that today’s
videogame market is dominated
by Japanese developers. Sony
are a Japanese company, plus
they have been developing video
games since the era of the Super
Nintendo. It is natural to assume
that they have a relationship with
other Japanese developers. Microsoft,
being an American company
that specialised in operating
systems don’t have the same
background, and this may be a
detriment to their success. That,
however, is pure speculation on
my part.
WRITTEN BY
PAUL MONOPOLI
RETRO EDITOR

console
ov
saleS
Just how well did consoles sell?
Take a look at the chart from VG
Chartz - you can see the PS2 is
the all time biggest selling console
at 157plus million followed
by Nintendo DS and Game Boy.
If you’re a PC gamer you be interested
to know that Intel estimates
there are 711 million PC gamers
world wide at the time of their
press release in 2014.
lion. You can check out the whole
list in our attached graphics on
the next page and head over to
the good folks at VG Chartz here:
www.vgchartz.com/gamedb
The biggest selling games also tell
an interesting story. For example
Minecraft is listed as the biggest
selling game on PC at 23 million
followed by World of Warcraft at
14 million. On the console side
Wii Sports comes in at over 82
million followed by Super Mario
Bros on NES at 40 million and
Mario Kart Wii at around 35 mil-

er the years

console sales
stats from www.vgchartz.com

opinion
The Rise and Change of
Console Gaming
For years I have been surrounded
by video games, long before my
Cosplay days. I love PC gaming,
but I have always been a console
girl at heart.
My first experience at playing
video games was a family friend’s
Sega Mega Drive and I got to
play Sonic the Hedgehog. I was
then introduced to the awesome
split screen co-op. My sister and
I could play Sonic and Tails – AT
THE SAME TIME! We were both
crazy young then so this was
some type of amazing magic to
us.
It wasn’t long after that that the
Playstation 1 was released. Another
family friend had been lucky
enough to own one, and he introduced
my sister and I to Tomb
Raider. The graphics looked
amazing to us, and being able to
rotate a camera around a character
was a new novelty. It was
clear that technology was moving
forwards in leaps and bounds
and all I can say is that I’m glad to
have jumped on this ride.
I had many friends that were gamers
and we all loved all consoles.
My heart will always lay with Sega
and Playstation, but I’ve played
(and love – and even own some!)
Nintendos (who doesn’t love Donkey
Kong??), Xbox and the later
created Nintendo Wii. Like every
friend does, we would banter with
who owned the superior console,
but in reality we all loved playing
all of the consoles at each others
homes.
Looking back now and at how far
console gaming has come still
fascinates me. The split screen is
still something I love, but looking
back at the graphics of years ago
compared to now, it was not only
a skill of game playing, it was a
skill of sight and reaction. On a
relatively small TV, those 2 – 4
split screens suddenly become
miniscule in size. Co-op on one
screen was another test of skill
especially when your characters
could in fact injure each other! It
taught awareness and teamwork
like nothing else!
The old side scrolling format
of those older games also, for
me, holds its difficulty even now
against much more modern
games. Anyone who has played
Battletoads and done the level
with the little hovering vehicles
where you have to dart past all
sorts of obstacles on a rapidly
increasing scroll speed will know
exactly what I mean here. Try that
co-op where you BOTH have to
stay in the screen and line yourselves
up to perfect precision.
Re-starts were a common occurrence.
Gaming these days is so vastly
different. The ability to rotate the
camera and have different viewing
options in some ways makes
the playability a little more forgiving,
and caters to those whose
reaction times or sight may have
declined over the years.
Games now tend to not have
a ‘three strikes and you’re out’
policy that was so apparent in
the older console gaming. The
old consoles forced us to play
carefully and tactfully for fear of
losing that last precious life and
having to start the entire game
over again. The amount of times
my sister and I or us and some
friends would play the likes of
Streets of Rage, get to the last
boss battle on the last level, only
to lose that last life and be right
back to square one. It was frustrating
but it was a challenge
and it inspired us to keep trying.
There are games on our newer
consoles that have difficulty levels
to rival the console pioneers,
and some games are just outright
difficult (looking at you here Dark

Souls!), but on the whole, gaming
is much more forgiving and open
to a larger audience.
Console gaming has changed
with the times to cater to audiences
both new and old. The world
is so much faster paced now, and
our lives are filled with many other
things. Patience is something that
is either learned or lost. The need
for games to be a little more user
friendly, consume a little less time
whilst being engaging, be a little
less frustrating, and to be saveable
became necessity. Some may
disagree with me, but I believe
this is one of the reasons gaming
has changed the way it has.
There is no denying that the
graphical improvement of modern
console games is well worth
any negative things people might
think about the playability. From
a Cosplayer perspective, it is
a huge help to me – I can take
photos of different angles and
all sorts of crazy details that my
beloved pixelated side scroller
games would not allow.
That being said – and I’m sure
many will agree with me – I still
have a huge soft spot for the earlier
console games. I miss the difficulty
and the enjoyment of playing
on one screen with friends.
There was no need for internet
connections and servers. Whilst
those are great and allow people
to play with people anywhere
and everywhere, there are still
many of us that don’t have the
luxury of reliable internet, and we
don’t even live in the middle of
nowhere. I for one, can’t join the
online gaming world. All the cities
around me (which are big cities)
have access to great internet,
but for some insane reason, the
towns in between have been left
behind. We are not in dingo woop
woop but our internet is archaic.
I hope for this reason game developers
realise that there is still
a big audience for offline games.
That some of us still love the nostalgia
of split screen. It is true that
there are still current gen games
with this feature, but they are
becoming fewer and farther between.
There are times I have (and will
continue to do so) pull out my
old consoles and play those old
games. The thing that fascinates
me the most is that when I was little,
I thought to myself that I could
beat any level when I was older.
I’d be smarter, have better reflexes,
and have more savvy. How
wrong I was. These same levels
beat me to this day. They are my
Achilles Heel and it’s amazing.
These games have retained their
level of difficulty and that is no
easy feat.
Another thing that is becoming
a common occurrence is HD
remasters or remakes of older
games. Now I will be the first to
admit that I love it when these get
released. I know they often get
a bad rap because of the desire
for new IP, but it is great that we
can re-live some of our favourites
with new and improved graphics.
I personally would love to see a
HD Remaster of all of the Crash

“...i hope that some
developers and
publishers take a step
back and return to the
original
console
routes.
to release a complete
and polished game
that does not need any
patches or dlc.”
Bandicoot games. Plus about a
million other games!
I also believe that with the way
console gaming has changed, HD
remasters have become a fast
way to make money. Consoles
have removed the backwards
compatibility over time (much to
the annoyance of consumers),
forcing people to constantly upgrade
consoles so we can play
both new and old games.
The desire for games to be produced
quickly, the desire for new
IP, it all puts pressure on publishers
and developers. Short cuts
get taken, patches released, DLC,
Expansion Packs and Season
Passes added. Special Editions
get released and HD remakes
can be released in between new
IPs to keep consumers happy
and money rolling in. I have nothing
against any of this and I love
owning multiple consoles, however
it would be great for publishers,
developers and even consumers,
to remember why they began
gaming in the first place. Whilst
the need for money and demand
must always be met, I hope that
some developers and publishers
take a step back and return to the
original console roots. To release
a complete and polished game
that does not need any patches or
DLC. One that the care, time and
most importantly – passion – has
been meticulously profound in its
making. As a society, we sometimes
need to take a step back,
not rush to finish that level before
we need to go somewhere,
or rush to finish the game before
others or to avoid spoilers. Gaming
has changed over the years to
allow us to rush through things, to
avoid the road less travelled, and
to be little more than a temporary,
convenient respite. This is a good
thing, but it does us no harm to really
sit back and get fully invested
into a game – even better when
shared with your mates.
The days of buying a game on
release day are becoming rarer.
As consumers we know that over
time, another edition will likely be
released of a game that includes
all the DLC and expansion packs
and often for a discounted price.
It’s an interesting dynamic, but I
personally miss the days when
you bought a game, had the excitement
of reading that amazing
game manual (these are a rare
occurrence in games now for reasons
that are understandable)
and not have to worry about the
Internet or glitches or adding extra
content.
One thing that has remained is
the dreaded lack of memory for
our games to be saved. The shuffling
of games and thinking hard
about what you can delete have
stayed. It’s true that we have
much more hard drive space on
our consoles and external hard
drives, but games are bigger.
Most games now need to download
massive amounts of data on
to your console so your 500GB
or 1TB suddenly feels no larger
than the likes of those little 8MB
PSOne memory cards.
Hopefully the ability to just put
a game in a console and play it
will not die off entirely. I have faith
that there are still plenty of us out
there who would agree. All gaming
has its place, but is returning
to the basic morals of the console
pioneers something that we
should really strive to stray so far
from? ☺
And to the gamers who are children
starting out now – perhaps
find an opportunity to play these
old consoles. See, watch, feel
and learn what the console pioneers
asked of us gamers. Learn
the patience that was forced and
have moments where competition
or multiplayer don’t matter.
Don’t ever feel that you have to
get used to all the patches and
extra content that you may have
to pay for or download. There was
a time when you could just put a
game in a console and play…let’s
not let those times cease to exist…
WRITTEN BY
tiffany dean

VR
the future of gaming?

FEATURE
“your mind
makes it real...”
Morpheus (from the movie - the matrix)
VR is coming and it’s affordable
and it will change entertainment
forever… we think.
Live got a press release from our
friends at Sony and it talks about
the launch of the Playstation VR
(PS VR) that will be launched in
October this year. Oculus Rift is
also shipping this year, with initial
orders gone out but if you’re
wanting one you may need to
wait until July this year. Pricing
isn’t cheap but good tech never
is. The Oculus is priced at $920
Aus and for our U.S friends look
at finding $649.
The PS VR will be cheaper at
$549.95 and in both cases you’ll
need appropriate hardware. Sony
Playstation 4 for their system and
a powerful PC for Oculus… sorry
not for Mac at this stage. Sony
looks to have some quality titles
in development with 3rd party
software in the wings. The release
states:
Michael Ephraim, Managing Director
Sony Computer Entertainment
Australia and New Zealand
says: “Innovation is in our DNA at
PlayStation and PS VR is the single
biggest step change in technology
I’ve seen in over 20 years
at PlayStation. There’s a huge
amount of excitement around
VR in Australia and I am really
pleased that we are in a position
to share this news with our fans.”
Currently more than 230 developers
and publishers*2 are
working on PS VR software titles,
from smaller independent
teams to larger studios at the industry’s
top publishers such as
2K Games and Ubisoft®. Software
titles in development for
PS VR from these developers
and publishers as well as from
SCE Worldwide Studios (SCE
WWS) are now totalling to more
than 160 titles*3, and over 50 of
those titles including Eagle Flight
(Ubisoft), EVE: Valkyrie (CCP
Games), Headmaster (Frame Interactive),
Rez Infinite (Enhance
Games), Wayward Sky (Uber Entertainment),
RIGS: Mechanized
Combat League, Tumble VR,
Until Dawn: Rush of Blood and
PlayStation®VR WORLDS (SCE
WWS) are expected to launch by
the end of this year. Additionally,
DICE and Lucasfilm are working
on an all-new Star Wars Battlefront
(Electronic Arts Inc.) gaming
experience only for PS VR.
Furthermore, THE PLAYROOM
VR*4 by SCE WWS will be available
as a free download from
PlayStation®Store to all PS VR
owners, simultaneously with the
launch of the system.
So… what’s it like? We sat down
and had an experience of the first
version of the Oculus and it was
quite amazing. Sitting down, the
operator put the headset on me
and said I’d be on a virtual roller
coaster. Hmmm, no big deal I
thought. Then the coaster started
moving on the tracks and it felt
weirdly real. I kept telling myself,
it’s just pixels moving around a
screen close to my eyes yet as I
turn, I see what I expect to see
- the ground getting further away
as we slowly move up along the
tracks. The scenery below scales
smaller and as I turn I see landscapes
in the distance that seem
kind of real. A touch pixelated,
but somehow the movement of
my head and the graphics moving
smoothly suspends my disbelief.
Then the coaster reaches the
top and we start to really pick up
speed. Boy, it really seems real,
somehow I’m imagining G-forces

as we scream down the track. I
close my eyes for a second to get
my bearings. This is really immersive.
I feel I’m there!
A minute or two later and the ride
ends and I think I almost fell off
the chair trying to move with the
coaster. In fact there is some funny
clips on Youtube where people
are really into their VR experience
and yes, some even fall off
their chair!
The games look amazing from an
immersion point of view. Suspension
of disbelief will be cranked
up a bunch of levels when you
put on the headset. You really will
feel you are there.
OCULUS RIFT
While games will be huge, think
of the other uses for VR, I should
be clearer - VR done right. Education
comes to mind.
“Hey kids put on your headsets,
we’re off to ancient Greece!” says
the teacher.
What about learning in new ways.
Being able to experience flying in
a more immersive way, or learning
surgery? Or maybe you just
want to really experience that
movie. 3D movies are still being
released but everyone I talk to
with a 3D TV seems to buy it, try
it, and hardly use it again. I hope
the VR won’t follow the same fate,
and if the initial software and user
feedback is anything to go by, it
won’t. This time it could just be a
huge leap in how we experience
our digital entertainment and in
fact, our digital lives…
TOUCH BY OCULUS

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE:
https://www.playstation.com/en-au/explore/playstation-vr/tech-specs/
https://www.oculus.com/en-us/

ameS
REVIEWS & PREVIEWS
previewS:
HITMAN
reviewS:
the division
ETRIAN ODYSSEY 2 UNTOLD:
THE Fafnir KNIGHT
plants vs zombies:
garden warfare 2

HITM

HANDS ON Preview
AN
CTC

HANDS ON PREVIEW
HITMAN
It’s a bit of an obscure choice
when a publisher takes the dive
in making drastic changes to the
format of a game franchise that’s
done particularly well among its
fan-base. Even more so when
the franchise gets a reboot with
a new title, and then cut into
smaller pieces for prolonged
consumption by its fans.
The new Hitman title is exactly
that: a new game in the series
that aims to reboot the franchise
into an episodic format, with new
content to be released as it is developed.
In this review, we take
a look at the first episode (titled
Paris) and what it has to offer.
Hitman begins with the protagonist
arriving at a secret facility
deep within the snowy mountains
of a classified location. It is
here that we’re introduced to Diana
Burnwood, who reprises her
role as the iconic “handler” of the
series. The role of a handler is
to provide their assigned agents
with contracts, and critical intelligence
on their designated targets.
The game is set 20 years prior
to the events of Hitman: Absolution.
At this point in the story, our
nameless bald-headed protagonist
is merely an initiate of the International
Contract Agency (or
simply, The Agency) and is set
to undergo a series of rigorous
tests to determine if he is assassin
material.
After you’ve defied the expectations
of the Agency higher-ups,
you’re sent out into the wide
world to do some killing, and
the first contract is a glamorous
power couple who’ve stolen a
top-secret NOC list from MI6 to
sell on the black market to the
biggest names in global terrorism.
In Hitman: Paris (at least, that’s
what we’re calling it), the gameplay
is spread out over a grand
total of four missions related to
the story. The first three of which
are training scenarios held within
the aforementioned secret training
facility, and the final mission
is a real contract with two targets
that Agent 47 must eliminate.
This is excluding the player created
contracts.
In each mission, you have a
multitude of different methods
in which you can employ in order
to kill your designated target.
These will pop up as you progress
through the various stages
of the mission, and as you trigger
the various audible hints from
the conversations taking place
around you.
You will find a plethora of items
scattered around the level, including
hand tools such as
screwdrivers, combustible items
like propane canisters, and consumables
like rat poisons. Let’s
not forget that you can disguise
yourself as various characters
too, after you knock out the
NPC, strip them down to their
underwear and toss the body
in the nearest box or dumpster.
Graceful.
Combine these two mechanics
that make up the core gameplay,
and you’re set to complete
the various contract challenge
presets. These challenges can
range from mixing the aforementioned
rat poison in alcoholic
beverages, to releasing chandelier
frames over unsuspecting
bystanders, or even killing a target
wearing a vampire costume
(yes, there’s a vampire costume).
Each action you take during your

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAILER!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h24dF8_LcFM
missions is worth a certain number
of points, and is evaluated
at the end of each mission with
a total score. This score is then
compared with other players in
the world with a global leaderboard.
From what I was able to
work out, it appears that 250,000
is the maximum score achievable
in the main mission as nearly
everyone in the top ten currently
has achieved it.
On a slightly related note, Hitman
maintains an “always online”
presence which is slightly annoying,
as it causes a bit of a delay
in loading up the game. Additionally,
it appears that save games
are maintained individually between
online and offline modes
which is another annoyance, as
you’re forced to play online or offline
– there is not carrying them
between to the two.
Back to the gameplay side of
things, while this episode only
includes four story-based missions,
the game does feature
the contract creator mode that
made its mark in Hitman: Absolution.
Players can go online to
check out the hottest rated player-made
contracts and test their
skills against the online community
in a race for the quickest
completion time.
I did check out one or two of
these contracts, but after a while
they just felt a bit repetitious – go
to this location, kill this guy or
gal in a particularly methodical
manner wearing a very specific
outfit – and once completed, do
it all over again with a different
target, method and outfit.
The visual aesthetic of Hitman is
nothing short of pretty. Character
models are bursting with detail,
the lighting is on point and brings
out the colour in every area incredibly
well, and there are plenty
of pretty shader effects including
god rays that just make you
stand back and take it in. Environments
such as cellars and
basements are as dark as you’d
expect, adding to that overall immersion
when you’re crawling
around like a stealthy assassin.
Visual immersion is nothing without
the atmosphere created by
the accompanying sound design,
which again is on point.
As this game was reviewed,
it was played through a set of
Edifier R2000DB’s via an optical
output, and it sounded absolutely
incredible. In one of the story
missions in Paris, there is an
area of the level where you walk
in and you can hear the clusters
of conversation taking place,
only to be drowned out as you
walk into the next room where
catwalk techno music is blasting
through professional speakers,
not hearing a word of what’s being
said around you. Basically,
the sound design in this game
seems to have received a serious
amount of love to create that
meticulous level of authentic ambiance.
Hitman in its current form feels
more like a slightly beefed up
technical demo than the first
part of an episodic game series.
Sure, it has content, it’s pretty,
and sounds absolutely incredible
– but how many times can the
same limited content be played
before you’re reliving your childhood,
full of demo discs on Play-
Station?
In all seriousness however, this
first episode of Hitman is the
foundation of what is to come,
and I’m looking forward to checking
out the rest of what is on offer
in this series as it’s released. But
right now, it might be an idea to
give this a miss until more episodes
are released.

PROS:
IMMERSIVE SOUND
ATMOSPHERE
7.9/10
CONS:
EXPECTED MORE STORY
MISSIONS
ALWAYS ONLINE DRM
WRITTEN BY
matt raspe
WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM

THE DIV

ISION
review

REVIEW
THE DIVISION
Ubisoft’s ‘The Division’ might be
one of the year’s most anticipated
games. An online-only RPG/
shooter hybrid, The Division
looks to merge a cover-based
shooter with open-world RPGs.
The game has only just released,
though it’s already breaking records
for Ubisoft. Not only that,
but Ubisoft are swinging for the
fences with a strong post-launch
content plan recently announced
– so is The Division for you?
The Division takes place in New
York city, after a devastating
smallpox attack has all but wiped
out the population. After the attack,
people turn against each
other, gangs and looters rise,
and the military completely fails
to maintain control. Luckily, in
times like this, there exists a special
unit trained to restore order
when a direct line of command
ceases to exist. The Strategic
Homeland Division (also known
as The Division) is made up of
all sorts of people from all sorts
of backgrounds. They could be
your neighbour, your teacher,
your doctor – anyone, and they
have been going about their
everyday lives until now. They’ve
been activated.
Division Agents will need to band
together in order to uncover the
secrets behind the smallpox attack
and discover a vaccine.
They’ll also have to contend with
the various gangs and looters,
rescue hostages, and recover
items from highly contaminated
areas. They’ll also need to establish
a foothold in the city, a
safe haven where New Yorkers
can seek medical treatment and
the military can begin to turn the
tide against the gangs. There is
so much at stake, and so little
time to save New York.
Upon beginning The Division,
players create their character
and complete the basic tutorial.
Unfortunately, there is a distinct
lack of character customisation
in The Division, and it does have
a negative impact on the game’s
immersion. There are only a
handful of faces, hairstyles and
other features to choose from,
and considering that this is a
third person shooter (as in, you’ll
be seeing your character’s face
a lot), it feels like a missed opportunity
from Ubisoft Massive
and Ubisoft to not have a more
in-depth character creator.
The tutorial is relatively short,
and opts to cover the basics of
shooting, movement and cover
gameplay. There is a staggering
amount of missions in The
Division, though, and each time
a new type of mission occurs,
players will be presented with
a brief introduction on the mission’s
mechanics. Had this been
done any other way, The Division
might feel daunting for new
players, but Ubisoft Massive
have done well to ensure that
the game feels accessible and
easy to learn.
Your first mission is to meet up
with another Division Agent,
Faye Lau, who will serve as
your mission handler. Faye arranges
to meet you and fly you
out of Jersey via a helicopter to
Manhattan, though unfortunately,
things do not go according
to plan. An IED obliterates the
helicopter, and severely injures
Faye in the process. The player
blacks out, but awakens when a
second helicopter crew arrives
and transports them to Camp
Hudson, Manhattan. With Faye
out of the fight, it’s up to you to
establish a base of operations,
and take New York back.
After the game’s opening, how
players proceed throughout the
game is largely up to them. They
can experience the game’s story
through story missions, or they
can take on a number of side
missions and activities, including
bounty missions, encounters,

aids, and more. They can even
venture into the Dark Zone, an
area where the virus originated.
It’s highly contaminated, and
populated by some of the most
dangerous criminals and gangs
in New York. Martial Law is under
effect in the Dark Zone, and
Agents are able to work together,
or stab each other in the back.
Venturing through the Dark Zone
induces paranoia and tension –
you will never be at ease.
The Division’s story isn’t as present
as stories found in other
shooters. Instead of a linear and
more direct approach to delivering
a narrative, The Division
chooses to tell its story through
its characters and collectibles,
as well as the game world itself.
Some might criticise the lack of a
traditional narrative, but the details
are there for dedicated players
who seek out all the mobile
phones, crashed drones, case
files, surveillance footage and
other collectibles.
Early in the game I completed
a series of missions involving a
gang known as The Cleaners.
The Cleaners believe the government
failed to contain the initial
smallpox outbreak, and that
it’s up to them to purge the city of
the disease – by rounding up the
infected and incinerating them.
Their leader, Joe Ferro, believes
himself to be a hero when he’s
a madman, and has turned former
sanitation workers into a
legion of stormtroopers armed
with flamethrowers. If you just
complete the story missions involving
The Cleaners, you’ll be
able to gather that Ferro and
The Cleaners are dangerous
and need to be dealt with, but
not much more. Collect some
intel though, and you’ll discover
the Joe was very much once an
upstanding and concerned New
Yorker, having called local radio
stations to discuss the military’s
alleged mishandling of the outbreak.
Though The Division is a shooter-RPG,
you character does not
talk. While some people prefer
silent protagonists, I would have
enjoyed multiple choice dialogue.
Heck, I would have even
preferred my character to simply
speak without dialogue options
available. A lot of modern RPGs
understand the importance of
giving player’s decisions to
make, though The Division has
opted for a more linear approach,
which is odd. We’re not your typical
grunts, we’re Agents, and
we work outside of typical command.
We shouldn’t be simply
taking orders blindly from quest
vendors.
Ultimately, part of me would have
liked the story to be more present
in the actual missions. Collecting
intel is all well and good, though
if like me, you feel well and truly
burnt out by Ubisoft’s love of collectibles,
you’ll miss out on a lot
of details, or you’ll discover them
after completing a faction’s missions.
Gameplay-wise, The Division
feels like other third-person cov-

er-based shooters, like the Army
of Two and Gears of War games.
Players can run, climb and vault
the environment and shoot, and
melee strike, as well as dodge
roll, enter cover, and blind fire
(shooting from behind cover).
Oddly though, The Division does
not feature crouching, which is
widely regarded as a staple of
the genre. Crouching allows a
tactical advantage: it allows for
players to become a smaller target,
as well as lessen recoil, allowing
for an increase in accuracy.
It’s disappointing that it’s not
present in The Division.
Despite the lack of crouching,
The Division’s controls work. The
shooting is tight and responsive,
and the guns are balanced, but
varied from each other. Shotguns
are great for close range, as are
SMGs, and there are also assault
rifles, marksman rifles and
sniper rifles for players wanting
to attack from a distance. Light
machine guns are also available,
which are more capable of suppressing
enemies behind cover,
and turning the tide of battle. You
also have your trusty sidearm,
which can be a pistol or sawnoff
shotgun. Your sidearm never
runs out of ammo and can often
be the one thing that saves you
from bitter defeat.
In addition to the cover-based
gameplay and guns themselves,
there are also usable items, grenades
and skills players can take
advantage of. Items can heal the
player or award them a buff (a
temporary advantage) such as
increased damage against elite
enemies, skill cooldowns, as
well as the chance to cause area
of effect damage or the chance
to ignite enemies on fire. Grenades
specialise in dealing area
of effect damage, and come in
a number of varieties including
shock grenades, EMP grenades,
tear gas grenades, fragmentation
grenades and more.
The future is looking bright for
The Division, but as it stands
the game leaves me desiring
a more engaging story. It looks
gorgeous, and features some
excellent sound design. I won’t
say the game is for everyone, as
it is an online-only multiplayerdriven
experience – similar to
Destiny. As an RPG it feels light
on story and immersion, though
as a shooter is an absolute blast
to play (especially with friends).
We’ve been starved for a decent
cover-based shooter for some
time now, and Ubisoft Massive
has laid the foundation for what
might become a must-play experience.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAILER!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uElsBflqgYw
PROS:
LOOKS GORGEOUS
FUN CO-OPERATIVE
GAMEPLAY
SOME TRULY EXCITING
MOMENTS
DARK ZONE IS AN INTENSE
EXPERIENCE
CONS:
ALMOST NO STORY
NO PLAYER CHOICE
SILENT PROTAGONIST
SOME BUGS AND OTHER
ISSUES

7.6/10
WRITTEN BY
NICK GETLEY
WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM

ETRIAN ODY
THE Fa

SSEY 2 UNTOLD:
fnir KNIGHT
review

REVIEW
ETRIAN ODYSSEY 2 UNTOLD:
THE Fafnir KNIGHT
Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The
Fafnir Knight takes the acclaimed
dungeon crawler Nintendo DS title
Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of
Lagaard, and brings it up to date
on the Nintendo 3DS. There’s not
just dungeons to crawl through;
there’s recipes to make, new
graphics to observe, a new story
to experience, and team mates
to love. For Etrian Odyssey fans,
there’s nothing to worry about.
Newcomers, however, have to
hike up their adventuring pants
and tackle unfamiliar territory.
Gameplay comes first and foremost
in the Etrian Odyssey series,
and Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold
is no exception. Gameplay
is split between dungeon crawling
through various floors and
mapping them out; you have
to be part time adventurer, part
time cartographer and draw the
map yourself.
Navigating dungeons is easy
enough, with pressing forward or
back on the d-pad to move, and
to turn with left and right. Each
floor holds little secrets to discover,
like pools of water or fruits
to restore health and technique
points, used for special moves.
One-time events can crop up
too, which can spur on humorous
dialogue from your party. A
coloured circle in the top right
corner goes from blue to green to
yellow to red to indicate when a
random battle is coming up. Battling
takes place like a traditional
turn-based RPG, combined with
line. During battle, your party
and the enemy can be split between
the front and back lines.
Some weapons can only hit enemies
in the front, there’s elemental
attacks to consider, abilities
tick over turns; if you’ve played a
turn-based RPG before, this’ll be
nothing new.
The map on the left was considered
incorrect by the in-game
tutorial, but the map on the right
was considered to be correct.
Early on, you have to learn how
the game wants you to draw your
maps without much prompting,
not how you want to draw them
yourself. Various tools must be
used in the way the game permits,
sometimes withholding
content until you comply with the
specific way it wants. For something
like drawing a map, this is
a bit perplexing. Certain floors,
when completed, can be fasttravelled
to by tapping the stair
icon, but it’s not all that clear how
this unlocks. The game almost
presumes you played Etrian Odyssey
in the past, caring only to
explain the newer features, but
not going into much depth with
the recurring mechanics, such
as the map drawing.
Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold features
story mode, as opposed
to the original game. The story
mode features yourself as
a Fafnir Knight and survivalist
and friend Flavio as you escort
Arianna, the princess of Caledonia,
through Ginnungagap to
perform a ritual. Along the way
war magus Chloe and protector
Bertrand are bumped into, and
this merry band of five traverse
through Ginnungagap and the
Labyrinth. There’s nothing too
complex here, and the game can
be played in classic mode to circumnavigate
this, but one of the
strongest elements of Etrian Odyssey
2 Untold comes through
the story; the writing. Besides
the Fafnir Knight who’s nothing
more than a silent protagonist,
every line of dialogue adds a little
bit more to each character’s
personality.
Voiced character dialoue is a bit
of a mixed bag. During conversation,
characters will say something.
They may say a sentence
or three, but this happens rarely.

PROS:
DIALOGUE IS AMAZING
GRAPHICS LOOK
WONDERFUL
CONS:
CHARACTER’S VOICE CLIPS
ARE DISTRACTING
CUTSCENES ARE
UNDERUSED
DIFFICULT TO PICK UP FOR A
FIRST TIME PLAYER

More often than not, characters
will say something, and the dialogue
text will say something
else entirely. What’s said usually
contains the same connotation
as the text, but it’s distracting
to be reading one thing, and to
have the character voice something
else. It’s a shame too, as
voiced dialogue was a heavily
marketed feature of Etrian Odyssey
2 Untold. However, if the
game is left to idle, characters
randomly chime in depending
on where you are, such as in
the Labyrinth, in the main town,
or at a menu. Like the writing, it
just splashes a dash of character
into the mix.
Everything looks quite a treat,
especially with 3D turned on.
In fact, I was scrambling for the
charger because my battery was
drained due to extended use of
3D. Graphically, everything’s received
an overhaul compared to
Etrian Odyssey II, released all
the way back in 2008. 2D images,
used to represent character
portrait and screens outside of
the dungeon have an incredible
depth-of-field effect applied to
them that really make them pop,
and the 3D models used while exploring
and battling look nice too.
Cutscenes are also added to explore
the story, but they’re rarely
used. It would have been nice to
have seen more cutscenes, as
opposed to character portraits
changing expression. It would
have been nice though if a consistent
art style was chosen between
2D and 3D.
It’s not just the graphics and the
voices that have been upgraded
from the previous title, but some
gameplay mechanics have been
changed too. The most notable
is the introduction of the café. After
discovering recipes and utilising
various items from killing
monsters, food can be cooked
and prepared to give bonus effects
while exploring, such as
recovering HP or protection from
various ailments. While it boils
down to a dressed up shop that
you have to give up items as well
as money, it’s fun trying to dis-
7.5/10
cover what items are needed;
each recipe hints towards the
items, and the only way to find
out what the hints are referring
to is to read the description of
items. For example, if a recipe
calls for salting red meat, you’d
have to put Rock Salt and Venison
together. It’s something that
didn’t require a layer of depth,
but it works.
For an Etrian Odyssey fan, Etrian
Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir
Knight is a sight to behold, figuratively
and literally. For someone
new to the Etrian Odyssey
franchise, there’s a little faffing
around before things start to
click. In the end, what’s left is
a visually impressive dungeon
crawler with characters that you
learn to care about, filled with
gameplay that pulls you in.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAILER!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykpB8xGbd3A
WRITTEN BY
SASHA KAREN
WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM

the legend
twilight p

of zelda:
rincess
review

REVIEW
the legend of zelda:
twilight princess
It’s been thirty years since the
first Legend of Zelda game came
out, and nearly ten years since
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight
Princess was released on the
Wii and GameCube. What better
way to celebrate the Zelda
franchise with a remake then?
Brought to us by Nintendo and in
collaboration with Australian developers
Tantalus, The Legend
of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
is a remake, plain and simple.
There’s less changes compared
to The Legend of Zelda: The
Wind Waker HD, but it mostly
still holds up today.
In a franchise of cliché after cliché,
Twilight Princess dared to
be different, and after various
Zelda titles released after 2006,
it still holds its title as the black
sheep. Or wolf, in this case. Link
lives off in Ordon Village with a
cast of characters, when one day,
everything falls to pieces. Bulbins
come crashing in, stealing
away the village’s children, Link
gets clobbered over the head
with a club, gets dragged off,
and gets turned into a wolf. He
finds himself with Midna, a little
imp-like lady, and the two go on
a grand adventure. While some
original direction was taken with
trying to find the lost children, it
eventually falls back on clichés;
interactions with Princess Zelda
and the evil Ganondorf. The plot
plays out exactly as it did back in
the day.
Most of the gameplay has been
lifted straight from the Game-
Cube version, the only available
controllers are the GamePad, or
the Wii U Pro Controller. In the
Wii version, the entire world of
Hyrule and Link himself were
flipped, as the iconic swordsman
is portrayed to be left handed,
so for motion controls to conform
with the majority, Link had
to be right-handed, and waggling
the Wii Remote caused Link to
swing his sword. There’s none
of that here, with a simple button
used to swing the sword in Link’s
left hand.
The changes to be found are little
quality of life adjustments, much
like those found in The Wind
Waker HD. One of the more
obvious changes is that item
management can be accessed
from the GamePad screen, so
items can be swapped out from
the inventory without pausing.
While neat, I still found myself
looking down, or taking the time
to pause, and then change my
items, so it’s only a minor convenience
at best. There’s also
the introduction of Hero Mode
to Twilight Princess HD, which
was previously seen in The Legend
of Zelda: Skyward Sword, A
Link Between Worlds, and The
Wind Waker HD. When making
a file, players can opt in, which
results in enemies dealing double
damage, heart items don’t
appear, and the game is flipped,
much like the Wii version of Twilight
Princess, right handed Link
and all. There’s also little things,
like swimming and horse riding
having improved controls, more
Rupees can be held, less tears
of light per province to collect,
and the introduction of the Ghost
Lantern to make Poe hunting
quicker. There’s also 50 Miiverse
stamps to collect, which can be
added to posts to Miiverse. 26
of these are letters of the Hylian
alphabet, so it’s a cool little addition
for the big Zelda fans.
amiibo of characters from the
Legend of Zelda also have quite
a bit of usage. The most interesting
amiibo is the Wolf Link amiibo.
When tapped from the collection
screen, Link gets taken
to Cave of Shadows, which is a
40 level dungeon full of enemies
that must be done with Wolf Link.
It takes the level of Link’s hearts

PROS:
STORY RELATIVELY GOOD,
HOLDS UP TODAY
AMIIBO FUNCTIONALITY IS
NEAT
QUALITY OF LIFE CHANGES
ARE ALWAYS WELCOMED
CONS:
GRAPHICS DON’T ALWAYS
HOLD UP

from the save file used, so it’s
not recommended to try it out
straight away. A completely useless
but equally neat feature is
that a little while after gameplay,
the Wolf Link amiibo can be registered
to a save file.
On the title screen, tapping the
amiibo loads the save file. This
is something that can equally be
done with at least five presses
of A, but there’s just something
cool about it that I always tap in.
Besides the Wolf Link amiibo,
both Link and Toon Link can replenish
Link’s quiver of arrows,
Zelda and Sheik can restore
Link’s hearts, and the second
most interesting amiibo of the lot
is the Ganondorf amiibo. When
tapped, Link’s hearts turn blue
and takes double damage. With
hero mode, this turns to four
times, so there’s definitely some
challenge to be had.
The graphics should be the best
thing, as this is a HD remake.
Twilight Princess came out in a
world after the initial criticism The
Wind Waker originally faced, for
being a cartoony departure with
its cel-shaded graphics. After
that, Twilight Princess came out
in a stylised realism, with a combination
of vibrant and faded colours,
lots of browns, and more
bloom than you could shake
a Deku stick at. The art style
doesn’t hold up too well today;
Twilight Princess HD looks a bit
dated. That being said, Tantalus
did their best with what they had
8.4/10
to work with. In movement, everything
looks great, but it’s only
when you stand still things start
becoming noticeable.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight
Princess HD is a remake of a
2006, for better or for worse.
With a story that takes a new
look into the Zelda story but then
falling to becoming a Zelda story,
little quality of life updates that’re
nice, neat amiibo functionality,
and graphics that look great in
motion, there’s a solid game to
play, even though we knew it was
solid ten years ago. In all, there’s
many hours to be had exploring
Hyrule, even if it’s new ground,
or a path well-travelled.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAILER!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxRCQqVeoME
WRITTEN BY
SASHA KAREN
WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM

PLANTS VS
GARDEN W

ZOMBIES
ARFARE 2
review

REVIEW
PLANTS VS ZOMBIES
GARDEN WARFARE 2
The Plants vs Zombies games
remain some of the most popular
ever released on mobile
platforms, and while they were
fiendishly addictive on mobiles,
identical gameplay may not have
flourished on consoles. The franchise
certainly held potential to
make the leap into mainstream
gaming, and that’s exactly what
Popcap Games chose to do with
2014’s Plants vs Zombies: Garden
Warfare.
Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare
was a fantastic title, and
served as a brilliant introduction
to shooters for both kids and
adults alike. It sold over 3 million
units, though loyal FPS shooter
gamers didn’t give it the chance
it deserved. Fast forward to now,
and EA Games have released
‘Plants vs Zombies: ‘. It has more
characters, more levels, more
game modes, and more story elements
– can the franchise turn
a new leaf?
Garden Warfare 2 opens with
a fly-by camera shot that pans
across the city. Dr Zomboss and
his legion of the undead have
taken over a large area of the
city, with zombies roaming the
once beautiful city streets. A lone
sunflower blooms from cracks
in the pavement, with the player
then gaining control of the sunflower.
Crazy Dave contacts the
player, informing them that he’s
on his way to extract the flower.
This brief introduction also
serves as a tutorial for the player,
and tasks them with learning
the basics of gameplay found in
Garden Warfare 2. Once they
complete the tutorial, the player
is introduced to their home base,
where they can interact with the
game world, undertake various
missions or daily quests, customise
their character, spend
coins on sticker packs, and dive
into multiplayer.
Players can also wander outside
the confines of their base
and partake in the new Backyard
Battleground mode, which
is similar to king of the hill modes
from other games. Outside of the
base lies a park with a flag pole.
Raising your team’s flag begins
a battle for control of the park,
spawning multiple friendly and
enemy computer characters, and
tossing them into the fray. Reinforcement
crates will spawn, and
if the player manages to crack
them open, they get a hero character
as support.
I quite like Backyard Battleground,
as it allows players to
explore competitive gameplay at
their own pace. You can even invite
friends to play with you, and
they can even be on the opposing
team. I streamed Backyard
Battleground during the Garden
Warfare 2 beta, and had 3 friends
join the zombie army, while I defended
the flag for the plants. It
was an absolute blast!
It’s a far cry from the menu-driven
Plants vs Zombies: Garden
Warfare, and the game feels all
the better for it. Instead of being
thrown into the surprisingly frantic
traditional modes like Team
Vanquish, players are now able
to experience single player missions,
Backyard Battleground,
and more. My little sister is relatively
new to video games, and
absolutely loves how accessible
Garden Warfare 2 is. She
can explore the game world at
her own pace, laugh at the humour
and absurdity, and develop
her skills in a number of modes.
More games need to be this accessible.
In addition to Backyard Battleground,
players can also take on
missions for their chosen faction,
and can swap factions at any
given time. Completing a mission
will earn the player rewards,
such as coins for sticker packs.
There is a wonderfully odd hu-

8.3/10
mour in Plants vs Zombies: Garden
Warfare 2, and players get to
best experience it with these story
missions. Comedy in games is
a tricky feat to pull off, though I
found myself chuckling away at
Davebot-3000 and Dr. Patient’s
jokes quite often.
to build, and having to protect
it from waves of enemies. Players
can spawn zombies or grow
plants, who will aid them in the
fight. They can also plant or raise
Hero characters, who will fight
alongside the player in place or
real players.
Of course, traditional online
modes make a comeback in Garden
Warfare 2 as well. Welcome
Mat sees standard characters
with no upgrades compete in a
variety of game modes, Team
Vanquish sees two teams compete
against each other to see
who can reach a set KO count
first, Gnome Bomb sees teams
escorting a bomb to a designated
demolition site, Vanquish
Confirmed plays like Team Vanquish,
except that players have
to collect orbs from vanquished
enemies for the KOs to count,
Suburbination sees players
fighting for control over various
checkpoints (think Domination
from Call of Duty), and Mixed
Mode, which mixes all of the
game modes (except Welcome
Mat) in one place.
Somehow, there is still even
more for players to experience
in Plants vs Zombies: Garden
Warfare 2. Should the online
multiplayer, Backyard Battleground
and single player faction
missions not prove enough
for the player, they can check
out Garden Ops, and its Zombie
variant, Graveyard Ops. Both
modes involve choosing a base
Visually, PVZ:GW2 looks extremely
impressive, and the
soundtrack is fantastic. While
Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare
also looked great, there is
more detail in the characters and
environments, and much more
use of colour and dynamic lighting.
Compared to other modern
games, PVZ:GW2 is vibrant and
stimulating.
Garden Warfare 2’s only real
downfall is that it doesn’t really
cater to local multiplayer all
that much. Sure you can play
Garden Ops split screen with a
friend, but you can’t actually take
the fight online in split screen. A
missed opportunity considering
older games have found a way
to achieve this.
Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare
2 takes everything great
about the first game, and expands
upon it. It’s an excellent
introduction to shooters, and full
of colourful characters that players
are bound to enjoy. It’s accessible,
and offers tons of content
for its asking price. If you’re
on the fence about this one, don’t
be – hop in the garden and have
some fun!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAILER!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNOZ53xYcYc
PROS:
VISUALLY IMPRESSIVE
ACCESSIBLE - ANYONE CAN
PLAY
LOTS OF HUMOUR
TONS OF GAMEPLAY
FUN CUSTOMISATION
OPTIONS
CONS:
LIMITED LOCAL
MULTIPLAYER
WRITTEN BY
NICK GETLEY
WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM

+
DARK SO
GAMETRADERS
Get it at Gametraders!
Out 12 April 2016.

ULS III
POP! BUNDLE
DARK SOULS III + RED
KNIGHT POP! VINYL
PC BUNDLE: $89.95
XB1/PS4 BUNDLE: $109.95EA

BATTLEBORN BA
15 BATTLEBORN METAL BADGES+

DGE BUNDLE!
PRE-ORDER AT
GAMETRADERS TODAY!
Battleborn (PC) +
15 metal badges:
$89.95
While stocks last!
Battleborn (XB1 or PS4)
+ 15 metal badges:
$99.95EA

PRE-ORDER NOW

! Coming in 2016!

geek o
FAVOURITE GAME
OF ALL TIME?
your say
LUCY LAWLESS:
SPECIAL GUEST
oz comic con
TOP SELLING
BOARD GAMES
BOARD/CARD GAMES
gen42 games
BOARD game producer
the gamer diaries:
1992-1993
retro
PAUL, THE RETRO
GAMING PIRATE!
retro
hot dvds to
look out for at
gametraders
anime

ut
READY TO RUMBLE:
MARVEL VS. DC
comics
THE ANGRY BIRDS
MOVIE - WIN TIX!
ADVERTISING FEATURE

your say
favourite gam
“My favourite game of all time
would have to be Borderlands 2. It
serves as a really refreshing take
on the FPS genre and a great
way for people to break into it by
being light, colourful, full of humor
and diverse gunplay. The various
weapons and random drops all
make for exciting, fast-paced action
that requires thought, as well
as the use of skill-trees providing
several unique takes on each
character.
Not to mention the wide open
spaces and varied environments,
improving on the desert landscapes
of Borderlands 1. The
DLC is also a step-up, though
some of it is hit and miss, pieces
like Tiny Tina’s Attack on Dungeon
Keep or Torgue’s Campaign
of Carnage provide more of the
hilarious but also emotional at
times story that the main campaign
provided.”
- Grace Hester
Super Mario Bros 3 is the closest
you’ll ever get to a perfect game.
It’s a 2D platformer made during
the golden age of gaming. The
easy to learn, hard to master approach
used in the game allows
anyone to play the game. Add a
simple 2 button control scheme
plus a two player mode & you got
yourself a fun ol’ time.
One of the greatest things in the
game are the power ups. There
are some that exist only for specific
stages, some still used today
& all of them gave you unique
abilities.
Considering when the game was
made, it’s actually surprisingly
long with 6-8 hours of play... or 30
minutes if you know the secrets
well enough. There’s 8 bosses, a
fair few mini bosses & 8 worlds to
blast through.
The games has stood the test
of time with releases on NES,
SNES, Gameboy Advance, Wii &
Virtual console. The best version
is of course the SNES version in
the All-Stars cartridge because of
the save function the NES version
was sorely missing & it comes
with the other NES classic Mario
games as a bonus.
It’s a must play game, a strong
point in gaming history & Nintendo
has been trying to recapture
it’s glory in every game from
New Super Mario Bros all the way
to Super Mario 3D World. If you
haven’t played this game, you
can’t call yourself a gamer. 10/10”
- Jean-Paul Bartolomei

e of all time?
“The problem with gaming is it’s
always been generational. The
one game that had a huge impact
on me was the first Metal Gear
Solid. It was a completely Revolutionary
experience as it was
the first game that blurred the
lines between cinema and videogames.
The voice acting was top
notch, I never broke a persons
neck in a game before so it was
all very adult. The whole game
was a buffet of pop culture. From
Snake being a Snake Plissken/
James Bond Hybrid to Revolvers
Lee van Cleef to Vulcan Raven
doubling for Schwarzenegger. It
came all thick and fast. It was one
of the most amazing experiences
ever and still my favourite of the
whole series.”
- Simon Che Rodriguez
“My favorite game of all time?
Chohmakaimura. That’s Super
Ghouls & Ghosts. Why do I love
it? Its frustrating, its aggravating,
it drives to the point of curling up
in the fetal position and mumbling
crazily, its punishing, brutal. And
unlike even Dark Souls beating
it brings the ultimate in achievement.
I hope that Capcom rerelease
it so that todays gamers will
enjoy this classic.”
- Michael Pesak
“Well I’m 30 years old and I have
seen and played an overwhelming
amount of games across many
platforms for the last 25 years but
the one that I still think about is
Alex The Kid, it came built into my
Sega Mega Drive it was a fun and
entertaining game at the time but
soon Sonic and Mario and all the
other cool games surpassed it in
sales and graphics but I feel it will
make a return soon most likely
on mobile or similar devices and I
will pay whatever they ask.”
- Todd Mcarthur
“My favourite game of ALL TIME,
has to be Ori and the blind forest.
This game is so meaningful and
touching, it shows that there is
hope in every thing and that we
shouldn’t give up because something
we love moves along. The
game has almost perfect visuals,
it is like looking at a beautiful
mountain view, the sun is bright,
the forests are dark and the lighting
is just absolutely perfect. The
vibe and mood you receive from
it match the areas perfectly, it
shows how good a game could
get if you are determined to work
on this. The OSTs in the game is
just too perfect, too good to be
true, it has amazing music, when
listening to it, it really described
or shouts out, whatever you prefer,
that this is a forest, that this
place is magical. Throughout the
storyline, we see countless acts
of friendship, faith, humbleness
and wisdom. This can be perfect
for any age because of the messages
it provides with such good
and amazing morals. I would recommend
this game to anybody, in
fact, I already have. If you asked
me for any problem or complaint
about this game, there would be
none.”
- Micah Fede

your say
favourite gam
“This is tough. Theres so many
that have been spectacular for
me. But as for the oldest game
I can remember that is still a
gem, has to be Donkey Kong
country 2.
Donkey Kong country, the original,
was a masterpiece. The music,
the game play, the pixelated
artwork of the levels and character
animations. DKC2 took that
and made it better
You start the game with a view of
the overworld, Crocodile Isle. And
that overworld tune just said “welcome
to the island of bad guys”.
This is where all the evil in donkey
kongs world comes from. And
they got a taste for pirate fashion.
Who doesn’t like pirate fashion.
This was during the era where
games were tough but fun at the
same time. These days, a game
is either to hard to beat and it ticks
you off, or too easy and short and
leaves you disappointed. DKC
was a long game, tough to beat
but fun, something not so common
these days.
The music was awesome. This
was before the time where games
had full orchestras making beautiful
pieces. This was when music
was made with computers
and very few instruments. But it
worked. Having trouble getting
through those spiny thorn filled
tree tops? Its got some calming,
almost put you to sleep music.
And the gameplay was great for
its time. This was the one game
on the super nintendo that could
beat mario as a sidescrolling platformer.
Guess the ape won that
old feud after all. A huge variety
of enemies and bosses that only
get tougher would almost trample
you. You could just jump on most
enemies. Others you might need
to throw an explosive barrel at,
or just avoid altogether. (Those
damned bees). Or, you had your
animal friends. Ramba the Rhino
is still a prominent character
in the series. Who could forget
plowing through an entire level,
laying waste to every enemy that
dare walk aimlessly towards you
riding your big horned steed.
Finally there was some replaying
to do. You beat Kaptain K Rool
once. But go through the game
again and find all those big Kremlin
coins and you would unlock
the lost world, a tougher bunch
of levels where K. Rool is ready
for round 2. And those coins are
tough to find. This was one of
the best games of the Nintendo/
Rare era and is a reminder that
we’ll not be getting many games
on this level of amazing for a long
time.
DKC2 is available on the WiiU
store now for all those feeling
nostalgic.”
- Peter Stein

e of all time?
“My favorite game of all time is
Donkey Kong Country 2. First of
all the graphics for its time was
amazing and the level designs
and difficulty is much more challenging
compared to its prequel.
To top it all off the soundtrack is
in my opinion the best gaming
soundtrack of all time! I have replayed
this game so many times
thats how much fun it is!”
- Matty Bozzi
“My favorite game of all time is
Drakengard... which one of the
series is hard to choose, All the
games in the Drakengard universe
consist of beautifully designed
landscapes, intricate character
webs and the most beautiful
soundtracks. The games also
have such a wonderful dialog
throughout while you senselessly
murder thousands of people,
or release torrents of fire from
above. But I mainly love these
games for their beautiful environments,
characters and musical
scores. Good job square enix

your say
favourite gam
“My favourite game of all time
is Dishonored. It’s a first person
stealth / action game where you
take on the role of Corvor, the
Royal Protector of the Dunwall
Royal Family. He is accused of the
murder, imprisoned and forced to
escape in order to clear his name
and uncover the real culprits.
The main draw to this game is
that it’s a game about choice. Will
you be a force of vengeance who
kills all who cross your path or a
ghost, seen by none, heard by
none. It’s entirely up to you. This
as well as a unique artistic style,
fantastic world building (seriously,
read every little note. They really
make you want to see more of
the world they’ve created) and a
consequence system that shapes
how the world evolves throughout
the story, in my mind this is a gem
for any gaming enthusiast. With
an upcoming sequel on the way,
now is the right time to check it
out!”
- Tristan Oates
“My favourite game of all time:
The Last of Us:
As games go, this is what I always
imagined when I started
gaming as far back as Pong/Atari
and Commodore 64. The very essence
of this game is about epic
story telling, amazing graphics
and the almost complete entertainment
experience.
The story of a man, tortured by
his past, searching for a redemption
that may be impossible in
a world ravaged by a disease
that has consumed humanity.
The apocalypse representatives
are fungus infected humans that
are zombie like, yet the real threat
is the survivors. On your travels
you meet a young girl who brings
the story and action to a nail biting
conclusion at every turn almost
every minute.
As soon as there seems to be a
break from the relentless set pieces
or graphic extravaganza there
is a story that most Hollywood A-
Listers would win an Oscar for....
in short, this is an entertainment
experience that is not just one of
the best games ever made, but
one the most finely crafted and
phenomenally written pieces ever
presented on any medium. Don’t
miss it.”
- Andrew Threlfall

e of all time?
“Short review? Got it! lol
My favourite game of all time
would be the “Ace Attorney” series
on the Nintendo (3)DS. It is
a visual novel series set in an alternate
Japan where you play as
Phoenix Wright, a Defense Attorney.
The game takes on a POV of
Phoenix, and it follows his quirky
lawyer adventures to find truth in
all his cases which in turn reveals
a bigger story as a whole.
The game itself is amazing in
a sense that the story is written
quite well; captivating and
memorable. The characters are
mesmerising and uniquely lavish,
the soundtrack is beautifully composed
and gameplay itself uses
both touch screen, button pads
and the microphone.
The one thing a fan of the Ace
Attorney series will never forget;
once the game moved from the
GBA to the Nintendo DS system,
being able to shout “OBJEC-
TION!” during court gameplay using
the microphone brings out the
full thrill of being a make-belief
lawyer. Ace Attorney is hilariously
well done and entertaining, and
totally recommended for all old
and new players of the series,
and is a definitely a must play!
9/10 :)”
- Nurul Adilah
“Oh man, it’d have to be Crash
Bandicoot 3. It was much more
forgiving than the earlier games,
but still introduced heaps of mechanics
to keep it fresh and fun
(c’mon, you get to a ride freakin’
dinosaur and time travel!). I
always thought I completed it
“102%” as a kid, but turns out
there were two hidden levels;
ahh, playing those levels for the
first time took me back to when I
first started playing!”
- Leanne Dyer
“Super Mario Bros. 3! This game
pushed the NES to its very limits.
From the theatre style opening title
screen to the Dark World finale
this game was a polished product
jam packed with lots of gameplay,
innovative game features and
eye-popping (for the time) visuals.
With the original Mario Bros.
mini game added as an additional
feature and a plethora of ‘suits’
this game was not left wonting.”
- Brendan Upton
“My all time favourite game is
easily Goldeneye 64. It was challenging,
but extremely addictive.
I managed to finish every level
on every difficulty and because
of that, there are levels that are
branded to my brain. It’s the only
movie game that comes to mind
where the game makes you want
to watch the film. Also a game
where the multiplayer is just as
epic as the campaign. Absolutely
love the game, always the answer
when this question comes
up in convo”
- Matt Sutton

your say
favourite gam
“Hands down favorite game:
Secret of Mana.
This game was perfect.
The combat was amazing.
The soundtrack in my opinion is
still the best soundtrack for a video
game. There was so much to
like an epic story with so much to
offer. It stood out and was easily
the best RPG of that generation
One of the few games of that gen
to break out from the two player
system, it was one of a handful
of games ( back then you could
not fit to many games in hand ;P
) that used the SNES multitap for
some 3 player action.
If you have not played this game
I highly suggest you go buy it,
there is nothing like it and nothing
has held a candle to it since.”
- Michael Peterson
“My favourite game of all time is
Forza 6 it’s awesome can’t wait til
Forza 7 already.”
- John Allan
“Ronin Blade aka Soul of the
Samurai, a hidden gem for the
playstation 1 that not many know
of.
It is a hack and slash action
game, although the combat is
quite unique. You either play as
a samurai or ninja and when you
play both you unlock another
boss battle. The story is quite interesting
as well.”
- Alex Carlos Silva
“My favourite game is with out
question Final Fantasy 7, it was
the first full in-depth RPG and it really
gripped me with its character
development and immerse world
that still has not been matched
since, it revolutionised my world
and opened me up to a whole lot
of emotions which I haven’t met
since, in my opinion there is no
better game.”
- Brenn Cuff
“My Favourite Game of All Time is
Silent Hill 3.
The reason way I love this game
is for its survival Horror. Survival
Horror isn’t really seen into today
games with a third person camera
look. The character designs
are flawless and story is grabbing
and spooky in some point. Finally
it has show funny Easter eggs
that you encounter once you finish
the game.”
- Mitchell McGann
“Pokémon Red was the introductory
to my early childhood video
game years and the start of my
video game journey. Pokémon
introduced me to my favourite
video game character of all time,
Charizard. The games storyline
was one nobody could ever forget.
Once you began your journey
as a Pokémon Trainer, you
became a Pokémon master for
life.”
- Tahlia ‘Digs’ Burrows

e of all time?
“It’s hard to pick just one game as
a favorite right now with so many
fantastic titles out there right now,
but a game that stands out at the
moment is Shovel Knight by indie
developer Yatch Club Games.
In short Shovel Knight is an adventure
side-scrolling platformer
with creative characters reminiscent
of each level you visit.
The exploration upon these levels
as well as the progression are
ingenious in using the shovelling
mechanics to dig up dirt, bounce
ontop of enemies to even trying
to decifer where the luxurious
hidden items are in the main level
sections.
In finding these sections as well
is genius as it provides you with
a small section to get a feel and
understanding of your item before
progressing, providing great
level design. From character interactions
to world design for it’s
pixelated glory, Shovel Knight is
a great homage to the games of
old such as the original Megaman
game franchise for the NES and
SNES to name one.
An accessible game available
on a varied amount of platforms
as well as providing free updates
and DLC for extra characters
(one as of now for a Plague
Knight expansion), Shovel Knight
is a must pick if you ever want to
have an understanding of how
video games used to be.
So steel thy shovel, and game
on.”
- Fabian Castillo
“BioShock Infinite, there’s just so
much about the game that hits
the nail on the head. Sound is
amazing, music is beautiful, and
characters in a story that is unforgettable.
It’s a must play as far
my opinion is concerned.”
- Matt Taylor
“It has to be ICO a very addictive
game excellent graphics twists at
every point puzzles to work out
simple game but inventive.”
- John Lavill
“Favorite of all time.. mario party
2.. many hours of fun with my
siblings.. from fighting over who
got to play as yoshi to rubbing it
in everyones face when you won.
The maps where amazing, music
was nice to listen to, challenging
game that makes or breaks families
and creates memories either
way.”
- Mel Vandenboog

your say
favourite gam
“Pokemon Gold.
Growing up in the 90’s really
opened up a plethora of choices
when it came to games. In this
instance just coming in at my top
pick, is Pokemon Gold.
Pokemon Gold really (at the
time) had a lot going for it. Updated
graphics, a memorable
soundtrack, richer colours & textures
as well a handful of new
Pokemon to catch, raise and battle.
Unbeknownst to the seven
year old that was me when I received
this game as a gift, was
the journey that followed after
defeating the Elite 4. Discovering
that I could return to Kanto,
the place that gave me so many
fond memories (in Red, Blue and
Yellow) was nothing short of outstanding.
Having the ability to
travel between Kanto and Johto
was something that just stood out
to me, and still does to this day.
10/10. Would play again.”
- Alexander Crew
“My favourite is Dragon Age: Inquisition
and the reason for this
is a bald elf who broke my heart
and has ruined my life. 10/10
would romance again and again
and again.”
- Shannon O’Driscoll
“Timeshift, why you ask? Because
you can blow people up,
reverse time and do it all over
again. Need I say more?”
- Cameron Miller
“Donkey kong country 1+2 on
Super Nintendo. The gameplay
was perfect, the colours made
the game stand out and the music
was incredible. I love the music
and makes the games just
that much better. I’ve still got both
copies today.”
- Andrew Donnelly
“Favourite game of all time World
Of Warcraft, it’s a game that just
gets better and better, hanging
out for the new release due in
September.”
- Kim Campbell
want to have ‘
head over to gametraders f
eye out for the next ‘your s
“Although I haven’t played it in a
while (I may have to rectify that
soon) my favourite game of all
time would have to be Ultima 7
part B.
If you have never heard of the
Ultima games, they are a series
of games set on a fantasy world
known as Sosaria later known as
Britannia (except for the one set
on Earth). Ultima 7 B picks up
where Ultima 7 A ends, after you
stop a cult from summoning an
evil god you then are tasked with
hunting down the cult’s leadership
to a lost and mysterious continent.
During your time you learn
about an ancient culture and their
war between Order and Chaos,
and the need for Balance, how
the current civilization came to be
there and why they hate the King
you serve as well as a predictions
of the end of the world and many
other mysteries. One of the best
things about this game is that
there are no “store-keep” NPCs.
Each NPC except enemies (and
also some of them) are proper
characters. They all have jobs (or

e of all time?
your say’ featured in live magazine?
acebook page: www.facebook.com./gametradersaustralia and keep an
ay’ topic/status update.
things they do though the day)
they all go to eat and sleep and
they all have unique things to
say to you. They all have a place
in the story making side quests
seem less like a side quest. The
graphics, I think, still look good,
with it’s 16 bit sprite based isometric
style and the music in this
game is solid.
The game-play itself is hack n
slash RPG that seems like Diablo
on the surface, but you actually
need to “train” to level up and
spells need reagents to work, and
with its game-play focus more on
exploration, solving puzzles and
mysteries and story telling it is a
quite different at its core.
I was very disappointed when my
computer stopped playing it, but
now days with programs like exult
it can be played on any newer
computer and with enhanced features.
I think I’ll be doing just that
now.”
- Aaron Yanner

oz comic con
lucy lawless:
A new year brings a fresh new
round of Cons to visit. First off
the bat in Adelaide at least is
Oz Comic Con featuring special
guest Lucy Lawless. All the Oz
Comic Con events have a huge
range of special guests - check
them out here:
www.ozcomiccon.com/2016
From playing the schizophrenic
Countess Marburg on WGN’s
Salem, Lucy moved to rejoin her
husband, Rob Tapert and longtime
friends, Bruce Campbell
and Sam Raimi on the 2015 reboot
of the EvilDead franchise,
ASH VS. EVILDEAD for STARZ.
Cast as Ruby, Ms Lawless leapt
at the chance play the nemesis of
Campbell’s iconic Ash Williams
character. “Our relationship is
one of mutual respect and merciless
razzing”, says Lawless.
Interspersed with stage performances,
Lucy has appeared in
internationally acclaimed series
such as THE CODE (Australia),
Jane Campion’s miniseries Top of
the Lake and as the girlfriend of
Nick Offerman’s “Ron Swanson,”
on the critically acclaimed comedy
Parks and Recreation. Before
joining the hit NBC comedy, Lucy
spent three years working in her
homeland New Zealand on the
STARZ series Spartacus. Lawless’
portrayal of the complex and
often wicked “Lucretia” delighted
critics and fans alike. The show
broke all records for STARZ and
turned the network into a top destination
for original programming.
Lawless, a New Zealander, rose
to international fame through her
ground breaking performance as
the title character in Xena: Warrior
Princess, the cult hit series also
executive produced by Spartacus
producers Rob Tapert and Sam
Raimi. She solidified her “fan-boy
cred” when she joined the critically
acclaimed SyFy Channel series
Battlestar Galactica as “D’Anna/
Number Three.” In addition to
these roles, Lucy has continued
to demonstrate her versatility with
a wide range of television work....
both comedy and drama...in such
notable projects as Flight of the
Conchords, Curb Your Enthusiasm,
The L Word, CSI: Miami,
Burn Notice, and The X-Files.
In film, she played “Aspen” in
Adam Sandler’s Bedtime Stories,
“Mother Superior” in the cult
favorite Bitch Slap, a dominatrix
in EuroTrip, and had cameos in
Raimi’s Spider Man, and Tapert’s
Boogeyman.
Lawless is a member of the board
of the Starship Foundation, the
fund raising body for the Starship
Children’s Hospital in her hometown
Auckland. She was made a
member of the New Zealand Order
of Merit in 2004.

special guest at perth & adelaide
oz comic con (saturday only)
oz comic con
perth: april 2 - 3
adelaide: april 9 - 10
melbourne: june 11 - 12
sydney: september 10 - 11
brisbane: september 17 - 18

BOARD/CARD GAMES
TOP SELLING
BOARD GAMES!
This month we asked one of our
largest Gametraders stores, who
are board game experts, what
they feel are the top selling board
games.
Not surprisingly there’s some
classics in his list and of course
some time relevant games like
Star Wars X-Wing Wave 8 in
there. Let’s take a look at what’s
hot for board gamers!
Star Wars X-Wing Wave 8
Catan The Settlers
Zombicide Black Plague
D&D Players Handbook
Blood Rage
Epic Spell Wars
D&D Starter Set
Dixit
Mysterium
Pandemic Legacy
For Star Wars Fans - there’s an
excellent review on:
Xwingminiaturesgame.com
xwingminiaturesgame.com/preview/breaking-wave-8-in-more-detail/
Classics like Catan The Settlers
and of course D&D are always
popular and great for an evening
of drinks and pretzels with friends.
Popular Mechanics website did a
good round up of the “best new
board games” and it’s worth a
look to see what their top games
are. On the list are games like…
Codenames - great for those who
love spy related gaming and enjoy
team board gaming. Highly
recommended by us.
Pandemic Legacy is on our list
too and is one of the best all time
co-op games. It’s not a quick
game but a project. Sure, each
game you sit and play takes an
hour or so but there is 12 to 24
games in the saga to complete. In
the game players take the role of
disease control specialists trying
to stop outbreaks and it really is
challenging and fresh each time
you play.
Go check out their list and summaries
of each game here:
popularmechanics.com/culture/gaming/g18/15-best-new-board-games-of-the-year/
Remember, Gametraders stores
either have most of these games
or can order them asap for a
night of gaming for you and your
friends. Don’t forget the pizza,
pretzels and if you’re over 18 the
beer and wine. Kids - go for the
soft drinks! Have fun!
get ‘em at gametraders

Photographer: SFX Images | www.facebook.com/SFXImages
! check with your local store for availability.

BOARD games : interview
gen42 games
BOARD GAME PRODUCER
We got to talk to John from
Gen42 Games about their collection
of super playable board
games!
Firstly John, tell us about
Gen42 Games and how and
why you got started.
Gen42 Games is my own publishing
company launched back in
2002 with the idea to self publish
‘Hive’ my first table top game.
I say table top game because it’s
not really a board game, as it has
no board. The idea was to launch
Hive under the Gen42 banner
and test the market. The initial
idea for Hive came to me whilst
watching a film that featured two
old men who met daily in a park
to play Chess. The inspiration
was to design a game that would
play quickly, be ultra portable
but keeping the essence of what
makes Chess so appealing. Hive
has been a massive success for
us and has become the flagship
game for our company.
Race and my new game for 2016
a Backgammon style dragon
themed game, called: Tatsu.
Hive has also had three expansions
added to the game: Mosquito,
Ladybug and Pillbug, along
with a travel version, Hive Pocket
and a classic black and white version,
Hive Carbon.
Do you publish your own games
as against going through a major
publisher and why?
The main reason I publish my
own games, instead of through
major publishers (though I have
had offers from them) is because
I like to keep control of the creative
direction and marketing of
my own games. Also if I was to
try and make a living out of designing
games and selling to publishers.
I would need to be have
many more games published that
I currently do. Royalty payments
for board games is not that much
and very hard to make a living
that way.
the amount of board game designers
who I know that have
made a living out of publishing
their own games. With every
business there are many challenges
and the major challenge,
is over coming the false delusion
that the road ahed is going to be
easy. It’s hard work, it takes a lot
of commitment and energy, and
most of your time is spent on the
business side of the fence. The
green lush game design side of
the fence is rarely visited. You
will spend 95% of your time doing
and promoting your business
if you stand any chance of making
it a success. I am fortunate
that I come from a business
background and so I knew what
to expect going in, but I would
advice anyone without any business
acumen to avoid or at least
think twice about going the self
publishing route.
Do you have any advice on
readers who might be looking
to produce their own board
games?
If I would give one piece of advice
to budding games designers,
I would say “design games
that you really love”. It may
never make you a living and you
may never even get published,
but if you find enjoyment in the
process then it’s all worth it.
How many games have you
produced?
Other than Hive I have design
and published 4 other games under
the Gen42 banner, Army Of
Frogs, Logan Stones, Junkyard
What are the challenges you’ve
faced and how did you work
round them?
Going the self publishing route is
not without its challenges however.
I can count on one hand
Finally where can our readers
go to find out more about
you?
You can find more info about the
games themselves on our website:
Gen42.com

grab a copy
of hive at
gametraders
today!
WWW.GEN42.COM

etro
The Gamer diaries:
Carmelo was a friend who I had
known since I was very young.
We attended playgroup together,
then kindergarten, then junior
and primary schools. He lived
around the block from me and our
birthdays were 5 days apart in
the same year! According to our
parents, we hated each other in
playgroup and used to fight a lot.
By the time we were in school we
were the best of friends. As I have
an Italian background Carmelo’s
mother treated me like her other
son, as he was an only child.
We grew up playing with Masters
of the Universe figures together,
which evolved to gaming on his
Atari 2600, but around this time
he got his hands on a PC. I was
intrigued as PC computers had
been around for years, but it was
around this time they started to
gain momentum as gaming machines.
Eventually this would see
the death of the home micro market,
and the big computer companies
could see this coming.
Amstrad had its own PC line, with
Commodore releasing the Colt
range of PC compatibles. At this
time PC gaming felt like a whole
new world, one I would eventually
become immersed in, but I’m getting
way ahead of myself here…
I was introduced to “Commander
Keen”, a very recently released
platforming game. Genius child
Billy Blaze, under the guise of
Commander Keen, travels to an
alien planet to liberate it from his
rival Mortimer McMire. That’s last
part is a bit of a spoiler, as you
don’t find out who the protagonist
is until the third game of the series.
At this time we didn’t have
the third game, as part one was
available to be distributed for free
as ‘shareware’, with parts two
and three requiring payment. It
was a fun platfomer and the use
of a pogo stick predated “Ducktales”
on the NES and Gameboy.
Having limited blaster shots was
challenging and the levels were
big, with plenty of secrets to discover.
Carmelo was also in possession
of the first adult game I would
ever see, “Leisure Suit Larry”.
At the age of around 13 a child
becomes interested in that sort
of thing, let’s be honest. “Leisure
Suit Larry” (LSL) was a humorous
take on losing one’s virginity.
Even though we had difficulty
completing it, it was fun watching
Larry die in the many various
ways. Even flushing the toilet in
Lefty’s Bar had consequences! I
had played adventure games on
the Amstrad before, but this was
the first game I had seen in this
style. Carmelo also had “King’s
Quest”, though we enjoyed the
humour of LSL a lot more.
Back at school people were beginning
to trade Gameboy games.
It was similar to the way in which
people traded Ninja Turtles cards
only a couple of years earlier. I
never traded any games, though
I did buy one from a school mate.
I had played “Choplifter” in the
arcade and really enjoyed it, so
when he offered me “Choplifter
2” I was interested. I think I may
have paid $20, a reasonable sum
for a 13 year old in 1992. I tested
the game first and loved it. Similar
to the first game, you have to rescue
people and take them back to
base, all while avoiding or shooting
enemy artillery. It was a challenging
game with great controls.
James had recently heard that
a mutual friend had managed to
score a copy of “Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles” on the Amstrad
CPC. By this stage the Simpsons
were dominating popular culture
and TMNT was dying out. I always
stood by the things I enjoyed and
never bowed to peer pressure
when it came to passing fads. If
I liked something I stuck with it.
James and I acquired our pirate
copies of “Teenage Mutant Hero
Turtles” (anything TMNT related
in the UK used to have “Hero” in
the title as “Ninja” was somewhat
of a taboo word) and it was different
to what we had seen before.
I had previously played the game
on the NES, Amiga and C64.
It was OK on the NES as there
were 2 buttons, one to jump and

1992 - 1993

1992 - 1993

one to fire. When you used the
fire button in conjunction with up
or down on the D-pad you would
swing your weapon in that direction.
On the home computers if
you pushed up and fire to swing
your weapon upwards you ended
up jumping most of the time, as
up was also the jump command
on a single button joystick. On the
Amstrad CPC the ability to swing
your weapons up and down was
removed, which was a smart
move on the part of the programmer.
The game was frustrating
enough without having to endure
an incorrect jump at the wrong
time. The levels & enemies were
slightly modified so you could hit
them without the need to swing
your weapon up or down. This did
make the game easier, but that
was a blessing as it wasn’t very
forgiving on other systems. In the
end I found a cheat code which
made the game even easier!
In the South Australian suburb of
Para Vista, on the corner of Milne
Rd and Nelson Rd are a collection
of shops. On the very corner
you can see a Red Rock Noodle
Bar up on a small hill. Shops
used to rotate in this space a lot,
and previously there had been a
fish and chip shop where the doctor
surgery is now. I used to go in
there to play arcade games with
a couple of school friends. The 2
games I remember were “Hippodrome”
and “Cabal”. In 1992 one
of the bigger spaces in this group
of shops was vacant. This empty
space ended up being an arcade
called ‘Megazone’ and it was on
the way home from school after I
got off the bus. Whenever I had a
few spare coins I would tell Mum
to expect me late home as I would
stop and play arcade games.
A friend of mine, Mark, decided
to start getting off at my bus stop
after I mentioned this at school. It
was a much farther walk for him to
get home, but he didn’t care. We
would play “Golden Axe” (which
I loved), “Altered Beast” (which
I was always indifferent about)
and many more. I discovered
“Legend of Hero Tonma”, which
is a difficult little platformer. You
shoot magic spells which can be
upgraded. You have to find keys
to progress through the level and
you can get treasure chests with
coins a-plenty. C+VG magazine
reported that this game was only
ever ported to the PC Engine. I
already wanted one as the quality
of the games being ported on
it were just amazing. “Legend of
Hero Tonma” cemented my desire
to eventually own NEC’s little
gaming wonder.
Mark and I befriended the owner’s
son, so our trips to ‘Megazone’
saw us spending less money
than you would have thought a
pair of young teens would spend
in an arcade. The owner’s son
once gave us over 100 credits on
TMNT, which we promptly completed
with 4 Turtles. I first played
“Double Dragon 2” here, and I
was struck by the slightly unusual
controls. You would push the left
button to attack left and the right
button to attack right. It sounds
simple, right? After the first “Double
Dragon” which had kick and
punch buttons it was hard to get
used to. I remember being one of
many who struggled with that.
Earlier that year my grandparents
had gone to Singapore for a
holiday, where Gameboy games
were much cheaper than in Australia.
They bought some back
for me, and in the Christmas of
1992 I was given “Terminator 2”,
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
2”, “The Simpsons - Escape from
Camp Deadly” and my first ever
multi cart. “The Simpsons” and
“Terminator 2” were US releases
in standard Gameboy boxes.
“TMNT 2” was in a smaller Japanese
box, while the multi cart
was in a non standard box. At this
stage there was no Internet, so no
way of finding out what this thing
actually was or how it came to be.
The cartridge contained some interesting
games, including “Ninja
Gaiden” and an interesting puzzler
called “Flipull”.
On the Amstrad GX400 a puzzle
game called “Plotting” was released,
and I remember reading
about it in Amstrad Action. “Flipull”
is the same game with a different
name. You play a blob who
has a block that he has to throw
at other blocks to remove them,
change them, then it gives you a
new block. That was a confusing
description, but it’s a confusing
game. It’s quite addictive, but is
far from being a standard ‘pick
up and play’ puzzles. “Flipull” requires
the player to invest some
time into discovering the mechanics
of the gameplay. If you’re prepared
to put in the time you will
find a pleasant little time waster.
As 1992 rolled into 1993 I also
managed to get a copy of “Super
Mario Land”. While it appears to
be a re-imagining of the original

1992 - 1993
“Super Mario Bros”, this was a
different game in a very different
setting. Gone are Princess
Peach, the Mushroom Kingdom
and Bowser Koopa. In their place
are Princess Daisy, Sarasaland
and the evil Tatanga. It was a
surprising side step from the traditional
Mario story, and though
its canon is questionable Princess
Daisy has since established
herself in the main Nintendo universe.
The world of consoles were starting
to dominate my gaming interests.
I purchased my last copy of
Amstrad Action in January 1993,
which ended up being the October
1992 issue. It was apparent
that the Amstrad was dying as
less and less games were being
reviewed each month. The covertape
on that issue featured an average
game called “On The Run”
which I was quite non-plussed
about. I still loved my Amstrad,
but in an era of emerging new
technologies it was starting to
look a bit old. With that said, the
Amstrad remained in my room
and I continued to play the classics,
“Head Over Heels”, “Jack
The Nipper”, etc… It was almost
like going through the motions
though, as I was becoming more
and more focused on getting my
hands on a Super Nintendo.
Around the same time I purchased
my last issue of Amstrad
Action, I was also given a copy of
a new Amstrad magazine. I kid
you not, in 1992 as the Amstrad
was dying a new magazine was
launched. It was called CPC Attack
and I immediately recognised
the mascot ‘Amy’ from Computer
and Video Games magazine,
where she was called ‘Sadie’. I’m
not sure why the two magazines
shared the same mascot or why
her name was changed… Maybe
they thought nobody would
notice. Surprisingly, inside this
magazine was a feature on consoles.
I was rather taken aback,
as in my mind this had no place in
an Amstrad magazine, but there
it was. If anything it only further
whetted my appetite for a Super
Nintendo.
I had started discussions with
my parents on ways I could earn
money to obtain a SNES. “Street
Fighter 2” had been released
on the system and there was a
“Street Fighter 2” bundle pack.
This was the one I had to have!
Yes, I was a big fan of “Super
Mario World”, having played it on
the Super Play Choice that was
a Timezone Modbury, but “Street
Fighter 2” was THE game to own.
I figured I could always buy “Super
Mario World” at a later time.
At this stage James had already
purchased a Super Nintendo, so
we had moved on from Amstrad
gaming. By now it seemed archaic
and we wanted to immerse
ourselves in the new technology.
James owned “Super Mario
World” but didn’t have a lot of interest
in playing it. “Street Fighter
2” had consumed our lives with its
characters, storylines and various
endings, as it did for many other
kids in the early 90s.
Anyway, that’s all the space I have
this month. If you’re interested in
my occasional gaming posts feel
free to give me a follow on Twitter
@dizrythmia
I can also be found writing articles
and giving interviews on:
www.retrospekt.com.au

WRITTEN BY
paul monopoli

etro
As the prices of vintage games
and systems escalate beyond all
reason, many third party manufacturers
have been hard at work
creating solutions for today’s retro
gamer. Plug in solutions that use
ROM files on USB drives and SD
cards are allowing gamers to play
their old favourites on the original
hardware. As well as allowing us
to avoid the evil that is ‘The Ebay
rip off merchant’, these devices
also allow gamers to experience
home-brew titles, translations of
Japan only releases or modified
versions of existing games. However,
what many Everdrive loving
Super Nintendo owners may not
be aware of is that these devices
have been around for years!
If you read The Gamer Diaries you
will be familiar with my childhood
friend, James. James owned a
Super Wildcard, the first one that
I ever saw. The Super Wildcard
contains a floppy drive and a Super
Nintendo cartridge port. The
device sits on top of your Super
Nintendo and allows you to copy
games from cartridge on to a
floppy disc. You could then just
load the game off that floppy disc
to play it any time you wanted.
James would hire games, back
them up on to discs, then return
them knowing that he had a copy
of the game to play any time he
wanted. When I bought my first
Internet account we discovered
Super Nintendo ROMs. I would
download games (on dialup) and
copy them to floppy disc, then
James would test them out on his
Super Nintendo. We played many
games that never saw the light of
day in Australia, including some
amazing anime titles.
PAUL, THE
RETRO GAMING
PIRATE!
While there a few different Super
Nintendo back up devices on
the market in the 90s, the king of
them all was the Super Wildcard
DX2. This allowed you to play Super
Nintendo games up to 64Mbit,
and it allowed you to connect a
Zip drive via a parallel port that
was on the back. This drive could
be used instead of the on board
floppy disc drive. Zip drives, created
by iOmega in 1994, use special
discs that can hold 100MB of
data. They are more robust and
a lot less prone to errors than
floppy discs. I purchased my Super
Wildcard DX2 about 10 years
ago, but luckily I had a Zip drive
lying around. The problem was
that I didn’t have a computer with
a parallel port. Who uses parallel
ports these days?
Luckily iOmega released a model
of the Zip drive that could be connected
via USB. I found one on
Ebay, made my purchase and my
Mac laptop recognised it immediately.
I downloaded some Super
Nintendo ROMs onto a disc, put
that disc in to the Zip drive that
was connected to my Super Wildcard
DX2 and ran it. The game
worked perfectly! I tried running a
few fan translations of unreleased
J-RPGs, as well as the recent
home-brew version of Donkey
Kong. The Super Wildcard DX2
does not contain special chips
such as the DSP, Super FX or
SA-1, so you will still need to buy
a copy of Super Mario Kart!
The Super Wild Card DX2 also
includes a direct PC link, though
modern computers don’t have
COM ports, so I haven’t tested
this function. The setup is a lot
clunkier than using a simple Everdrive,
but the device has a very
retro feel to it.
In my travels I happened upon
another backup unit. Found at a
Gametraders store, this device
is called the Multi Game Hunter.
What separates this unit from the
rest is that it allows you to back
up and play games on both the
Super Nintendo and the Megadrive.
The included images show
the device with a disc drive and 2
cartridge ports, one for each system.
There is no special Zip drive
or PC interface, so you’re stuck
with standard floppy discs. Still, it
remains an interesting curio, and
it is convenient having one device
that works on both systems.

So, is it worth buying one of these
retro backup devices today? To
be honest, no. Many modern
USB and SD solutions allow you
to play games that use enhanced
chipsets, something these devices
are lacking. For the impatient
gamer there is also the issue of
then using slow disc drives to
load games. If you want to explore
games on the original hardware
then go for an Everdrive, or
similar device.
For more of my retro rants feel
free to give me a follow on Twitter
@Dizrythmia or visit:
www.retrospekt.com.au
to see all the other wonderful retro
gaming related stuff I do!
WRITTEN BY
paul monopoli

comics
ready to rumble!
One of histories greatest debates,
Marvel Vs DC. It’s up there and as
divisive as the Kennedy assassination,
the moon landing and
the existence of Sasquatch. Fans
have raged debated on this idea
since comic culture really took
off. However it really is a dumb
argument really… They are both
fantastic! The idea that somehow
you need to pick a side is simply
absurd. It’s perfectly fine to prefer
the titles one company puts out
over the other, that’s totally normal.
But to somehow develop a
strange hatred of the other company
is simply bizarre. I personally
much prefer Marvel comics,
but I love Batman, Superman
and Green Arrow. I love that DC
produce those comics I love and
revel in the fact that there are just
more comics for me to read. It’s
like the PlayStation Vs Xbox debate,
it all stems from the fact that
you can’t have both so for some
illogical reason hate the one you
don’t have. Here’s the big secret
to life though, you can have both!
As individual companies both began
their lives as very different
companies. DC was National Allied
Publications started in 1934.
Marvel was Timely Comics which
sprang to life in 1939. DC started
out with gritty crime stories and
adventure comics. Marvel had
its western and science fiction titles.
Spectacular adventures on
offer to the public! 1938 saw the
birth of Superman and 1939 saw
the birth of Batman. Marvel had
their first heroes with The Human
Torch and The Sub-Mariner with
their first massive hero Captain
America hitting the pages in 1941.
These early heroes would go on
to set the tones for both companies.
DC with it’s dark brooding
Batman and god-like Superman.
Marvel with it’s fantastical, bright,
over the top science fiction driven
stories.
Today they stand as the two great
juggernauts of the comic book industries,
with the only other really
massive title in the world at the
moment being The Walking Dead
from Image Comics. But there is
no denying that Marvel and DC
are the undisputed heavy weight
champions. Things have certainly
changed since comics were just
in print. Now they are ruling our
popular culture, mainly in the cinema.
Pretty much every single
blockbuster film released at the
moment is a comic book film. This
year alone we get Deadpool, Batman
V Superman, Captain America
Civil War, X-Men Apocalypse,
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
2, Suicide Squad, Gambit and
Doctor Strange… (deep breath).
That’s just insane! So many awesome
geekfest films in one year
and people are already fighting
over them. Enjoy them all you
crazy kids!
Marvel have been in domination
of the comic book movie scene
for the last few years with the
only real rival to the Marvel Cinematic
Universe being the Nolan
Batman Trilogy. But now DC
is throwing their hat into the ring
and getting ready to launch their
massive universe of films, which
they started with Man of Steel in
2013. This Year Batman V Superman
is set to really shake things
up with advance ticket sales already
pointing to projections of
over a billion dollars in complete
grossing. It will be a big leap forward
for the DC movie universe
given that the Marvel series has a
total gross so far of over nine billion
dollars making it the highest
grossing film franchise of all time.
It’s a good time to be a geek!
One major detractor for the whole
Marvel V DC affair is probably the
fact that the two companies don’t
really have an rivalry with each
other. The companies themselves
have no hatred, it’s all from the
fans. To prove this, in 1996 both
companies joined forces and created
a company together. Amalgam
Comics was born. A strange
world where heroes from the
Marvel world and DC world could
collide in issue together, it even

marvel
vs. dc
led to some odd mash up heroes.
We saw Logan Wayne AKA Dark
Claw. A cross between Wolverine
and Batman. We also saw Super-
Soldier the cross between Superman
and Captain America. Amalgam
Comics was a big deal in
the mid 90’s! And you would think
that should have really been the
nail in the coffin of geek on geek
fighting… But no… If you get the
chance I really recommend trying
to find some of the Amalgam comics,
they are well worth the read,
really fun comic cross-overs!
While I have no doubt that the odd
comic book rivalry will continue
for years to come as raged up fan
boys fight it out. It’s like the old
Star Wars V Star Trek fight, they
are both so very different it makes
no sense to even compare them,
they are both awesome for very
different reasons, and that is fundamentally
the same with Marvel
Vs DC. DC is a dark, brooding
world set in fictional cities. Marvel
is a bright, fun world set in our real
world. Both are great for their different
reasons and both should be
loved and embraced for all they
have done for us geeks!
WRITTEN BY
scott f. sowter

anime
hot DVDS
TO LOOK OUT FOR at gametraders!
FREE! - ETERNAL
SUMMER (SEASON 2
+ OVA)
This month we take a look at some of the most
popular releases hitting stores this month! If
you’re an anime fan these DVD’s are a must!
The cherry blossoms are blooming,
the sun is shining, and it’s
the perfect time to hit the pool!
Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei
are anxious to get into the water
and warm up their winter muscles
ASAP, but things aren’t all
flip-turns and finish lines. Haru’s
passion for swimming is drying
up, which dashes Rin’s hope for
a true rivalry. With their futures
after high school looming over
them, Makoto and Haru are having
a hard time focusing. And a
gruff new Samezuka student, Sosuke,
appears just in time to jeopardize
Iwatobi’s chance at nationals.
The boys of summer are
back! Haru, Makoto, Nagisa, Rei,
and Rin are reunited for a second
season in Free! Eternal Summer.
After the last swimming meet,
the bonds of friendship have only
gotten stronger, and with each
passing day these boys continue
to grow. This season brings new
rivals and new challenges. So get
ready, the competition is about to
get fierce!
TOKYO ESP
COMPLETE SERIES
Rinka Urushiba lives with her
father while being in near poverty
stricken conditions that she
needs to work part-time. Her life
changes when she has the ability
to use strange powers that are
labelled to be as extrasensory
perception or ESP.Rinka is a high
school student in Tokyo trying to
make ends meet while supporting
herself and her father. Her ordinary
life takes a turn for the extraordinary
when she witnesses a
penguin and a school of fish flying
through the air. After catching
up to one of the fish, she passes
out and wakes up to find herself
suddenly granted supernatural
powers. With her newfound ability
to walk through solid objects,
Rinka is about to learn just how
transparent the world can be.
LORD MARKSMAN
AND VANADIS
COMPLETE SERIES
After being taken captive by a
female general from an enemy
country, Count Tigrevurmud Vorn
leaves his own lands completely
open to attack. Unable to sit by
and watch the destruction, Tigre
must do what he can to convince
his beautiful captor to join him in
a fight to save his homeland.
Using his skills as an archer and
her otherworldly prowess as a
War Maiden, the pair must work
together if they hope to stand a
chance against two warring nations
and a rogue faction led
by power hungry nobleman.
Outgunned, outnumbered and
branded as a traitor, the valiant
Tigre will need to win the favor of
the remaining War Maidens if he
plans to come out on top.

DRAMATICAL
MURDER COMPLETE
SERIES
Nothing on Midorijima has been
the same since the powerful Toue
Konzern forced the original population
into the Old Residential
District and converted the rest of
the island into the exclusive resort
Platinum Jail. Despite that,
Aoba Seragaki has tried to build
a normal life for himself, working
part-time in a junk shop and
hanging out with his friends and
his A.I. “pet” AllMate, Ren.
But when Aoba is drawn into the
shady underworld that surrounds
the popular virtual game Rhyme,
the universe that he thought he
knew falls apart. If deja vu describes
the sensation of experiencing
something that you think
you may have done before, what is
it called when other people seem
to recognise you for doing things
that you don’t remember doing?
All Aoba knows is that there are
gaps in his memory, people are
disappearing, and a secret buried
in his own mind may be the only
keys to revelation!
LOVE LIVE! SCHOOL
IDOL PROJECT
SEASON 2
Having avoided the closure of
Otonokizaka High, the members
of μ’s return to their everyday
lives. But when news of a second
Love Live! reaches the girls, they
are more determined than ever to
make it into the finals and win it
all! Can they reach their goal of
winning Love Live!?

advertising FEATURE

the ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE - MAY 12
In the 3D animated comedy, The Angry Birds Movie, we’ll finally find out why the birds are so angry.
The movie takes us to an island populated entirely by happy, flightless birds – or almost entirely. In this paradise,
Red (voiced by Jason Sudeikis), a bird with a temper problem, speedy Chuck (voiced by Josh Gad), and
the volatile Bomb (voiced by Danny McBride) have always been outsiders.
But when the island is visited by mysterious green piggies, it’s up to these unlikely outcasts to figure out what
the pigs are up to. Only in Cinemas. May 12
Angry Birds & © 2016 Rovio Entertainment Ltd and Rovio Animation Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Watch the trailer here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPr9BKaul3I
win
TO WIn A FAMILY PASS (ADMIT 4), WATCH THE TRAILER,
AND TELL US WHAT chuck asks red WHEN leonard SAYS
“GREETINGS, I’M A PIG”
FACEBOOK INBOX US YOUR ANSWER AT:
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/GAMETRADERS.AUSTRALIA
FIRST IN BEST DRESSED! ENTER NOW!
a FAMILY pass (ADMIT
4) to see the ANGRY
BIRDS MOVIE!

advertising FEATURE

the ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE - MAY 12

IN THE HOUSE
SEASON 2!
Some of cinemas most celebrated films are set to return to
our screens in the 2016 season of ‘In The House’!
one for our
adelaide friends!
Only at Event Cinemas Marion!
Click here for more information & session times:
www.eventcinemas.com.au/EventsFestivals/InTheHouseSeason2#cinemas=22

JAY “BANGERS” BURNELL FROM FRESH 92.7FM

Ask staff for details.

PRE-RELEASE
EVENTS AT
GAMETRADERS
GAMETRADERS LIVE MILDURA
Saturday 2nd April - 12.30pm (Flight 1) & 6.30pm (Flight 2)
Sunday 3rd April - 12.30pm (Flight 3)
GAMETRADERS BACCHUS MARSH
Saturday 2nd April - 4pm
GAMETRADERS LIVE HORNSBY
Saturday 2nd April - Midnight, 10am & 2:30pm
Sunday 3rd April - 10am & 1:30pm
GAMETRADERS SEAFORD
Saturday 2nd April - 8.30am (Flight 1) & 12.30pm (Flight 2)
GAMETRADERS MARION
Saturday 2nd April - 5:30pm
Sunday 3rd April - 5:30pm
GAMETRADERS SALISBURY
Saturday 2nd April - 11am
GAMETRADERS MORAYFIELD
Saturday 2nd April - Midnight & 12pm
Sunday 3rd April - 12pm

GAMETRADERS
& TCG TOU
VICTORIA
BACCHUS MARSH
Magic the Gathering and Table Top - Wednesday 5:30pm
HIGHPOINT
No current tournaments.
GAMETRADERS LIVE MILDURA
MTG Prerelease Flights for Shadows over Innistrad
Saturday 2nd April - Flight 1, Sealed starting @ 12.30pm
Saturday 2nd April - Flight 2, Sealed 2HG starting @ 6.30pm
Sunday 3rd April - Flight 3, Sealed starting @ 12.30pm
X-Wing: Sunday 10th April Store Championship starting @ 11.30pm
Pokémon: Fates Collide Prerelease starting @ 12.30pm
We also run:
Pokémon both TCG & VG, MTG FNM, MTG Constructed Tournaments, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Star Wars
X-Wing, Warhammer 40k, Cardfight!! Vanguard, Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros & Ultra Street
Fighter IV Tournaments, plus heaps more.
For event details and times, please check:
www.facebook.com/GametradersMildura/events
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
HYPERDOME
Yu-Gi-Oh - Saturday 10am
Pokémon - Saturday 2pm

STORE EVENTS
RNAMENTS!
QUEENSLAND
CHERMSIDE
Yu-Gi-Oh - Sunday 3pm
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Wednesday 6:30pm
Pokémon - Saturday 3pm
Magic the Gathering - Tuesday & Friday 6:30pm
MACKAY
Yu-Gi-Oh - Sunday 4pm
Magic the Gathering - Friday 6pm
MTG Monday Night Modern - Monday 6pm
Pokémon - Monday 4pm
Board Game Night - Monday 6pm
MORAYFIELD
Magic the Gathering Modern - Wednesday 7pm
Magic the Gathering Commander - Thursday 7pm
Magic the Gathering Standard - Friday 7pm
Yu-Gi-Oh - Thursday 7pm & Sunday 2pm
Pokémon - Saturday 12pm
Magic the Gathering Learn to Play - Saturday 2pm
LARP Tournaments - Saturday 6pm

NEW SOUTH WALES
BLACKTOWN
Advanced Yu-Gi-Oh - Sunday 10:30am
Magic the Gathering - Thursday 6:30pm & Sunday 10:30am
MACARTHUR SQUARE (CAMPBELLTOWN)
Yu-Gi-Oh - Wednesday 5:30pm
PARRAMATTA
Yu-Gi-Oh - Wednesday 6pm
Magic the Gathering - Friday 6pm
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Wednesday 6pm
GAMETRADERS LIVE PENRITH
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Saturday 5pm
Magic the Gathering - Friday 7pm
Pokémon - Saturday 12pm
X-Wing - Wednesday 7pm
Dragon Ball Z - Thursday 6pm
Force of Will - Friday 7:30pm
Buddyfight - Saturday 12pm
My Little Pony - Saturday 5pm
Demo board games from Wednesday through to Saturday.
GAMETRADERS LIVE HORNSBY
Magic the Gathering (Standard) - Monday 4pm
Yu-Gi-Oh - Tuesday 4pm & Sunday 12pm
Pokémon - Tuesday 4pm & Sunday 2pm
Magic the Gathering (Draft) - Wednesday 4pm & 7pm
Hearthstone Fireside Gathering + Tournament - Wednesday 6pm
Board Games - Thursday 7pm
Magic the Gathering (FNM) - Standard Fridays 4pm & 6pm (Standard, Modern, Draft)
Super Smash Bros - Saturday 1pm
Magic the Gathering (Commander) - Sunday 2pm
For more special events and tournaments please visit:
www.facebook.com/GametradersHornsby

SOUTH AUSTRALIA
INGLE FARM
No current tournaments.
MARION
Pokémon - Saturday 2pm
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Tuesday 6pm
Yu-Gi-Oh - Wednesday 6pm
Magic the Gathering - Friday 6pm
SEAFORD
FREE Monday Night Magic - (Standard/Constructed) 6pm (5:30pm registration)
My Little Pony - Tuesday 5pm (4:30pm registration)
Video Game Tournaments - Tuesday 6pm (5:30pm registration)
Dungeons and Dragons - Wednesday 6pm (5:30pm registration)
Board Game Nights - Wednesday from 5-8pm
Dragon Ball Z TCG Tournament - Thursday 5:30pm
Yu-Gi-Oh - Thursday 6pm (5:30pm registration)
Cardfight!! Vanguard - Friday 4:30pm
Friday Night Magic - Draft 6pm (5:30pm registration)
Pokémon - Sunday 1pm (12:30 registration)
MT. BARKER
X-Wing Night - Thursday 6pm
Yu-Gi-Oh - Saturday 4pm
Magic the Gathering - Sunday 1pm
SALISBURY
Magic the Gathering - Thursday 5:30pm & Saturday 11am
Yu-Gi-Oh (Advanced Format) - Saturday 12.30pm
GAMETRADERS STORE EVENTS
& TCG TOURNAMENTS!
Tournaments are subject to change. Please check with your local store on tournament times before attending.
Visit www.gametraders.com.au/facebook to find your local stores Facebook page.

...Trading cards, tournaments, accessories &
more. Get it all at Gametraders.

TCG RELEASES!
OUT
8 APRIL
2016!
OUT 16
MARCH
2016!
OUT
5 MAY
2016!
OUT 14
APRIL
2016!
OUT 17
MARCH
2016!

POCKET POP! KE
Ask staff for details and pricing.
Please check with your local store on availability.

YCHAINS!

PRE-ORD
Huge range of figurines & collectables

ER NOW!
available to order at

HYRULE WARRIORS: LEGENDS 3DS
HYRULE WARRIORS: LEGENDS LIMITED EDITION

OUT NOW!
GET IT ALL AT
GAMETRADERS
NEW NINTENDO 3DS XL HYRULE EDITION

PRE-ORDER NOW!
All pops/traincars are the same size.
Ask staff for details.

WINThis
THIS CANVAS & DOORMAT!
huge Justice
League Canvas
& Batman Door
Mat!
To win: tell us
which superhero
you would be for
a day & why?
Inbox us your
answer at:
facebook.com/GametradersAustralia

ADOPT A
POP!
GIVE AN OLD POP! A NEW HOME!
GAMETRADERS ARE NOW
TRADING YOUR PRE-LOVED POPS!
Conditions apply. Selected stores.
Ask staff for details.

BATMAN VS
SUPERMAN POPS!
AVAILABLE NOW!
Ask staff for details.

BOARD GAMES
GREAT
GIFT
IDEAS!

SUPER
DOOR MATS!
Now available at

STAR WARS
REBELLION
$
170
Get it at

TRADE AT
GAMETRADERS
& GET IN-STORE
CREDIT &
BIG SAVINGS!
SAVE
BIG BUCKS WHEN
YOU TRADE with
Got unwanted games or consoles
sitting around at home? Bring them
into Gametraders and we’ll give
you store credit that you can use
when you buy anything in-store!
Ask staff on how you can
trade & save now!
PLUS at Gametraders you can
choose from our massive range of
discounted pre-owned and
retro gaming!
TRADE
Buying, selling & trading retro now!
&
SAV E

MUST-HAVE
PARTY GAMES!
GET ‘EM AT
GAMETRADERS!
HURRY - WHILE
STOCKS
LAST!

BE YOUR OWN
GAMETRADERS
BOSS!
Go ahead - make your day, week… your life.
Be your own boss - Click here for details about
a Gametraders Live franchise opportunity.
Franchises now available!

NEW RELEASE GOOD
SMILE FIGURINES
AVAILABLE APRIL!

AVAILABLE MAY!
GET ‘EM AT GAMETRADERS!
Figurines Featured: April: Dress-up Chibi Menma, Nendoroid Kasane Teto, figma Rin
Hoshizora, Hestia, Sinon. May: Nendoroid Shizue (Isabelle), Nendoroid Saitama, Racing
Miku: Thailand Ver. & Nendoroid Venom Snake: Sneaking Suit Ver.

Yo-Kai watch available
in selected Gametraders
stores now!
Don’t miss out!

COOL STUFF AT
FRAMED PRINTS FROM $9.95
CANVAS’ FR
NOTEBOOKS FROM $7.95
microfibre clothS FROM $7.95
pencil caseS FROM $7

OM $30
LARGE JUSTICE LEAGUE CANVAS $120
POSTERS FROM $12
Huge range of posters & canvas’ available
at Gametraders! Head in store today!

STAR WAR
AT GAMETRADERS!
Check with your local Gametraders stores for
product availability and release dates.

S X-WING

$34 .95 $59 .95
$59 .95
$99 .95
$99 .95 $69 .95
$59 .95 $69 .95
$59 .95 $69 .95 $29 .95 $34 .95
$49 .95
$ 59 .95
$69 .95
$59 .95
$34 .95 $ 14 .95
$49 .95
$59 .95

$59 .95
APRIL
DVD
RELEASES!
CHECK WITH YOUR LOCAL
STORE ON AVAILABILITY &
RELEASE DATES.
$199 .95 $ 199 .95

MAY DVD
$24 .95 $29 .95 $59 .95 $59 .95
$79 .95 $89 .95
$24 .95 $29 .95 $34 .95 $39 .95
$79 .95 $89 .95
$29 .95 $ 59 .95
$ 59 .95
$59 .95

RELEASES!
CHECK WITH YOUR LOCAL STORE ON AVAILABILITY.
$59 .95 $69 .95 $ 59 .95
$59 .95
$24 .95 $34 .95
$59 .95 $69 .95
$59 .95 $69 .95
Gametraders has a HUGE range of anime & DVD’s
available - can’t see what you’re after in-store?
We can order it in for you!

C O S P LA
smzeldarules
cosplay interview
JUSZ
cosplay interview
song ja
park
cosplay interview
star wars
cosplay
cosplay editorial:
chatty anny
tips to get a
more pleasing
look to your
images
photography tips

Y

COSPLAY
smzeldarules
This month we caught up with
“smzeldarules,” a cosplayer
from Buffalo NY in the U.S.
Welcome to Live Magazine!
Let’s start with how you got
into cosplay and why.
Hello! :) I was really into Japanese
animation and games when
I was young. When I started using
the computer at ten years old,
I stumbled upon some Japanese
drawing boards called oekakies.
There I met the two girls who got
me into cosplay – Shiya Wind
and x3rikku! They were always
my number one idols in everything;
Not just cosplay but also
art (since we all drew together!),
fashion and lifestyle! I looked up
to them so much and since we’ve
known each other for so long it
was amazing when I finally met
both of them in person. They
were the ones who got me into
a lot of things that were huge inspirations
when I was young like
Pokemon, Powerpuff Girls, Final
Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts!
Now you’ve been cosplaying
since 2006, you’re a gamer,
a graphic designer … how do
you fit it all in?
Yep! 2006 was when I was so
inspired by Des (x3rikku) and
Shiya that I decided to finally
start cosplaying. As for gaming, I
www.FACEBOOK.COM/smzeldarulesartandcosplay
started watching my brother play
Earthbound and Zelda Ocarina
of Time when I was really young,
and then decided to start playing
them myself soon after. The
name “S.M. Zelda Rules” actually
was thought of by my dad when
I started using the Internet, and
it was my handle on the oekaki
boards, DeviantArt, and eventually
led to my cosplay as well. I
wanted to keep it all consistent.
S and M are my initials (I have no
middle name), and my dad knew
I liked Zelda so much so he put
Zelda Rules in! SMZR for short :)
I got inspired by my brother to
pursue graphic design; He got
me into a lot of nerdy things and
helped me grow into the graphic
designer I am today.
How I fit it all in, well… I actually
didn’t cosplay much or go to
many cons while I was in college
from late 2009 until spring 2013,
since I had to work a lot to pay
out of my own pocket for my tuition/
car payments. I didn’t really
get back into it until spring 2014
when I was more financially stable
to start the hobby again. You
always want to put those kinds of
life things FIRST!
Simply put, cosplay is the only
artistic outlet besides graphic design
that I 100% enjoy. And since
graphic design is my profession,
cosplay became my number one
hobby because of how creative
and fun it is. Gaming always fits in
somewhere; especially Sundays
when I’m relaxing at home!
You’ve got some great cosplay
planned, what’s the most challenging
costume you’re working
on.
So far this year (2016) I’ve made
Tabby from .hack//Roots (one
of my dream cosplays!), Esther
from Ni no Kuni, and Small Lady
Chibi Usa (pink dress) from Sailor
Moon. With some help from other
friends, so far this year I put together
Tsubaki from Your Lie in
April, Knives Chau from Scott
Pilgrim, and Human Luna from
Sailor Moon.
My plans for the rest of the year
include: Swaine from Ni No Kuni
for my boyfriend, Rikku from Final
Fantasy X-2, Nanami from
Suikoden 2, Rosaline from To
the Moon, Ruby from RWBY,
Emil (transformed version) from
NieR, Akane & Kougami (my boyfriend)
from Psycho-Pass, and
fem!Atreyu from The Neverending
Story with my boyfriend as
Artax (hehehe). There could be
more or less, depending on what
happens this year! I think what
scares me the most is Ruby from

Photographer: Tommyish Cosplay & Photography | www.facebook.com/Tommyishh

Photographer: Some Kid | www.facebook.com/ohheyitssk

RWBY’s scythe…I really want to
make it collapsible, so am going
to need help from prop friends!
What about cons? What’s your
favourite and do you have
plans for 2016?
My BIG cons for 2016 are PAX
East (Saturday – definite), ColossalCon
(all weekend – definite),
and Anime USA (all weekend
– in planning!). There’s a bunch
of small and medium-sized cons
in the Western NY and Ontario
Canada areas that I plan to go to
as well. My boyfriend’s and my favorite
con last year was definitely
ColossalCon; we really look forward
to that this year too. We love
PAX East as well because video
games!! Anime USA in October
is a new one for us. A lot of our
friends live in the DC area so it
should be really fun!
You’re a gamer too - what are
you currently playing?
Yes! I am a HUGE fan of old
school JRPGs. Chrono Trigger
will forever be my favorite game
and there’s no topping it. I love
newer JRPGs as well, and also
enjoy some platformers with
great storylines! Point-and-click
adventure games, and interactive
drama story based games will
always hold a dear place in my
heart too. Right now I’m playing
Xenogears for the first time! My
boyfriend and I also like to stream
our Steam and other PC games
on my Twitch channel at smzeldarules!
As a designer do you do other
art apart from cosplay like
painting or photography?
I used to be into traditional painting
a lot when I was in school,
and I do want to experiment with
photography one day.
Right now graphic design and
cosplay are the biggest parts of
my life! Once I pay off my new
car, I would love to buy a new
Macbook (since mine is a bit old)
and also get a DSLR to start delving
into photography :)
Who inspires you?
My family and friends who are all
amazing and talented in their own
ways!
Some fun questions -
Who would you love to sit and
have coffee with - past or present?
I would love to sit and have coffee
with my favorite singer Ayumi Hamasaki!
I’ve loved her music since
I was about 14 or so. Her style has
changed a lot since then but I will
always love her nostalgic tracks.
I even based one of my two high
school AP Studio Art portfolios on
her 2000 album, “Duty.”
If you were stuck on an island,
what food, music and DVD
would you take with you?
I would eat Japanese or Indian
curry rice all day, listen to my favorite
trance DJs (like Andrew
Bayer, Above & Beyond, and
Kyau & Albert), and my favorite
movie Tommy Boy. Life of solitude
complete!
What food do you love after a
long day at a con?
Anything that’s not American really!
I feel like usually my friends
and I choose Japanese or Korean
restaurants after cons.
Finally can you share 5 tips for
those just starting out in cosplay?
1 – Have fun! Seriously this is
what cosplay is about. Don’t let
anyone’s judgment or words keep
you from cosplaying a character
you love.
2 – Make friends! This hobby
made me find such amazing people
I would have never met otherwise.
Even if you make close
friends that live far away, it makes
hanging out with them at a con or
elsewhere so much more awesome!
3 – Prepare early! I know a lot of
people just aren’t wired for getting
costumes and con preparations
done on time. I think the thing
I’m praised the most for is getting
things done early so I don’t have
to worry about them later. But try
your best to be prepared as much
as you can. This just doesn’t include
costumes – think about
food, hotel room needs, money,
etc! Make checklists when crunch
time comes around – they really
help!
4 – Put real life priorities first!
Cosplay shouldn’t take over your
entire life. It easily can grab ahold
of everything when you first get
super into it, but try your best not
to let that happen. Stay fiscally

Photographer: Amaleigh Photography | www.facebook.com/AmaleighPhotography

Photographer: Mo-ria | www.facebook.com/moriacosplay
responsible, be good in school/
work/health and put things on
hold if you need to. That’s what
I did during college and although
I missed a lot in the community
during that time, I don’t regret a
thing.
5 – Stay positive! There’s nothing
I dislike more than when people
get discouraged over costumes
not getting finished on time for
groups, upset about internet
drama, and just act petty and/or
immature. Listen, all you need to
do is put on a costume and have
fun. If people are mean, ignore
them. If they’re your “friends,”
don’t be their friend. If someone
thinks you’re not talented/popular
enough to be their friend, they’re
too immature to be yours. Keep
on keeping on, and if you EVER
need any advice, especially with
things like that, don’t hesitate to
send me a message on my facebook
page. I’d love to listen and
give advice as best as I can!
And where can our readers go
to find out more about you?
facebook:
facebook.com/smzeldarulesartandcosplay
twitter:
twitter.com/smzeldarules
Instagram:
instagram.com/smzeldarules
cospix:
cospix.net/smzeldarules
worldcosplay:
worldcosplay.net/member/smzeldarules
tumblr:
smzeldarules.tumblr.com
twitch:
twitch.tv/smzeldarules
youtube:
youtube.com/user/smzeldarulescosplay
acparadise:
www.acparadise.com/loves/smzeldarules
cosplay(dot)com:
www.cosplay.com/member/51052
You can also just search “smzeldarules”
on all of these and I’m
sure I’ll show up :) I’m also on
the Cosplay Amino app!
Thanks Sarah!
Thank YOU guys! I’m so honored
to be a part of your lovely
magazine. I absolutely adore the
branding, layout and graphics.
Keep being awesome!
~ smzeldarules ~

Photographer: Herbiecide | www.facebook.com/herbiecidez

Photographer: Pial Visions Photography | www.facebook.com/PialVisions

Photographer: Vick Krishna Films | www.facebook.com/Vickkrishnafilms
Photographer: Herbiecide | www.facebook.com/herbiecidez

Photographer: Pial Visions Photography | www.facebook.com/PialVisions

COSPLAY
jusz cosplay
Hey Justine, you’ve been on
the other side of our mic with
interviews but today we wanted
to catch up with you. You’re
a guest at Oz Comic Con this
year, tell us about that.
I’m so thrilled and excited to have
been invited to Oz Comic-Con as
a guest. It was a really wonderful
surprise to be contacted by a
convention that I love attending
and be asked to take that step up
and be an actual guest. It’s also
pretty nerve-wracking, but I’m
more excited than anything else.
I’ll be presenting one workshop
and hosting the new ‘Cosplay Active’
cosplay competition, and I’m
sure more cool things will be added
as we get closer to the event.
So how did you get started in
cosplay?
Like everyone else, as a fan. I
love costumes and dressing up
and when I found out that the
Armageddon comic convention
was coming to Adelaide in 2011 I
knew I would have to dress up to
attend. I bought or rented everything
for that costume and had an
absolutely unforgettable time.
My parents gave me a sewing
machine for Christmas later that
year, I think my mom was hoping
I’d make curtains or something,
www.FACEBOOK.COM/juszcosplay
and that opened up a whole new
world for me.
Now apart from cosplay, you’ve
been a touch famous in Canada,
tell us about that.
Oh goodness. I’m not sure famous
is exactly the right word for it, but I
was in an all girl pop group called
G-Force for a few years back in
Vancouver. By the time we parted
ways we’d started to build a bit of
a following and had not only performed
at clubs in Vancouver, Toronto
and Las Vegas, but also for
Jay Leno at the Tonight Show in
LA. It was really interesting, because
we were totally self-funded
and self-managed so we had a
lot of control over our music and
image. It was a lot like cosplay –
tons of un-glamorous hard work,
lots of shiny fabrics and my never-ending
battle with false eyelashes.
Back to cosplay, why do you
think it’s grown so much in the
past few years?
I think the internet has a lot to
do with it - that’s how I found
out about cosplay. The internet
opens up so many windows into
different worlds and the internet,
especially social media, allows us
to show off our work as well as
find and connect with others who
have similar interests. I’ve learned
techniques I wouldn’t have ever
considered via YouTube and other
people’s tutorials, and there’s
also the expansion of materials
and references that have helped
people get started so much easier.
Thermoplastics, specialised
patterns and fabrics and access
to quality wigs all make cosplay
easier to get into and bring it further
into the ‘mainstream’.
Who inspires your cosplay?
There are so many! Major Sam
Cosplay and Floksy Locksy Cosplay
both inspire me with their incredible
and beautiful work. Eve
Beauregard is the sweetest person
and I love both her gorgeous
work and her awesome online
presence. And, of course, Yaya
Han is the epitome of what I’d like
to be as a cosplayer. She’s gracious
and lovely, her work is eyemeltingly
beautiful and she’s a
very savvy business woman.
On to costumes and props - do
you make your own and if so,
what’s been your most challenging
cosplay?
I do make most of my own costumes
and props, with a few exceptions.
I like to think I know
when something would be best
made by someone else and I try

Photographer: Steamkittens | www.facebook.com/steamkittens

Photographer: Steamkittens | www.facebook.com/steamkittens
Photographer: Charlie Nicholson | www.facebook.com/gotsuperpowers

to always credit accordingly. I
really enjoy making costumes,
especially sewing. It’s so satisfying
to put two pieces of fabric
through the machine and have it
come out as a garment. My most
challenging would have to be a
tie between Armoured Belle and
Diana from League of Legends
– I don’t make armour easily and
both costumes had considerable
challenges when it came to their
construction.
What about props, what has
been a difficult prop to make?
My Divas Championship belt was
pretty challenging. It was early on
in my cosplay days and I ended
up remaking the belt part at least
once because it was a yoga mat
at its core and was far too thick.
Each ‘metal’ plate was made out
of a mousepad with the details
hand drawn in fabric paint and
covered in more fabric paint and
crystal stickers. Actually getting
the plates to stick to the belt was
the hardest part and so frustrating.
It’s a bit hard to describe at
Bunnings when you’re trying to
find the right adhesive!
Cosplay and photographers go
together like bread and butter,
tell us about some of your experiences.
What is involved in
a typical shoot…
Usually, a photographer will contact
me because they have a specific
cosplay they would like to
shoot and we’ll arrange the time
and place. I really like when we’re
able to talk a bit about their concept
for the shoot and I love when
we swap reference photos – it really
helps me get a feel for their
vision and contribute my ideas.
Once we get to the location we’ll
sort out what we’re shooting
where and get right into it. So
much of photo shoots is holding
crazy poses forever and it’s
really a heck of a workout. If
you’re lucky to have assistants
on a shoot there can be more hair
flipping, cape tossing and droid
wrangling than you would have
thought. Plus, you’re sometimes
contending with other light sources,
passers-by and occasionally
even drunk people. Every shoot
is a new experience and I’m still
learning new things every single
time.
Do you have any tips for new
cosplayers doing their first
shoot?
Be prepared. Always come to
a shoot ready to go and have
poses that you’ve practised. You
don’t want to run out of ideas too
early and the more you can contribute
the better! It can be helpful
to bring along a handler so they
can give moral support, help you
feel comfortable and even flick
capes and adjust hair. And AL-
WAYS speak up if you’re asked
to do something that makes you
uncomfortable. A good photographer
will find a different way to
achieve the shot if you’re scared
of heights or direct you verbally if
you prefer not to be touched (and
a photographer should always
ask to touch you if they want to
move an arm or stray hair).
Sometimes cosplayers get
negative comments via social
media, what’s been your experience?
I’ve been very lucky, I don’t get
a lot of negativity on any of my
social media - I’ve got a great
bunch of people who follow my
page and other profiles. I do get
some unnecessarily over-sexual
comments, but I tend to hide or
delete those and I’ll occasionally
call people out if I feel like they
can be educated about their behaviour.
“So-and-so did it better”
comments are silly and pointless,
but it comes with the territory and
sometimes I even discover some
great cosplayers through those!
You’ve done really well with
your cosplay, what are the key
things you’ve done that has
got you to be a special guest at
Oz Comic Con?
Thank you very much. I’m still
feeling like I don’t know what the
magical key is to being an invited
guest, but I’ve always tried to
let the me behind the costumes
also shine through. I’m still a giant
nerd, I get overexcited about
con guests and movie trailers
and I dress up as wrestlers, and I
guess that’s resonated with people.
I cosplay for me and I really
love what I do, which makes me
happy and hopefully helps make
those around me happy too.
Ok, some fun questions now…
You’re asked to be in a movie -
what character would you love
to be?
Well, since Black Widow appears
to already be taken, it would have

to be Zatanna. Zatanna is still
one of my all-time favourite characters
and if Mark Millar (writer
of Kingsman, Kick-Ass) says I’m
his pick… well, come on Warner
Bros, call me!
You’re stuck on an island -
what one book and one food is
a must have?
One book would have to be anything
from JD Robb’s In Death
series. I’m crazy about those and
reread them over and over. Food
would most definitely be pepperoni
pizza.
What’s your favourite movie?
Singin’ in the Rain. I’ve lost count
of how many times I’ve watched it
since I was a kid.
If you could sit and have coffee
with anyone in history who
would that be?
Audrey Hepburn. I could go on
about how amazing she was for
ages. Not enough people know
she was so much more than a
wonderful actress - when she
was a teenager during WWII, she
ran messages for the Dutch Resistance.
Very inspiring and so
talented.
And finally where can our readers
go to find out more about
you?
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/juszcosplay
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/juszcosplay
Twitter: www.twitter.com/justinegf
Photographer: Nathan Tan | www.facebook.com/gotsuperpowers

Photographer: Rob Jenkins Photo | www.facebook.com/robjenkinsphotography

COSPLAY
SONG JA
PARK
www.FACEBOOK.COM/LoveSongJaPark
Hi & welcome to Live Magazine!
First Question - tell us about
how you got into Cosplay?
My best friend introduced me to
Manga in Jr. High School. We
read and watched anime after
school lol.
One of our local comic stores was
doing a ‘anime fest’ and we decided
it would be really neat if we
attempted to cosplay as our favorite
manga/anime characters.
Our cosplays were of poor quality
lol but we had fun. I enjoyed it so
much, I kept at it for another 12+
years.
You run a business called Cake
Shop Couture - tell us a bit
about that… and is there a demand
for what you sell.
My business is mostly custom
made dresses inspired by Japanese
street fashion and I also do
quite a few Star Wars, Marvel
Comics and Doctor Who inspired
dresses. I also make jewelry and
accessories. My business keeps
me busy but I love what I do!
Ok, on to cosplay- what was
your favourite cosplay so far?
I’d have to say Haruko from FLCL.
Not only did I have fun making
her costume, I also love her crazy/silly
personality that I can pose
according to.
What’s been your most challenging
cosplay and why?
Currently I am working on Motoko
from Ghost in the Shell: First Connection.
This has became such a
challenge!
From all the different shades and
patterns of grey in the body suit
to working with EVA foam for the
armor for the very first time. It’s
been a great learning process!
With the many cons around -
what’s your favourite and what
cons are you visiting in 2016?

Photographer: NBMA Photography | www.facebook.com/NBMAPhotography

My favorite local convention is
Saboten Con in Phoenix, Arizona.
My convention plans for this
year are Wondercon, Sabaku
Con, Phoenix Comic Con, and
Saboten Con.
Have you done many photo
shoots and can you share 3
tips for those about to do a first
shoot?
I’ve done quite a few photo
shoots, I enjoy them very much!
Try not to be nervous, have fun
with the shoot. Look up poses
that your character does so that
you can have a assortment of different
photos.
Lastly, exaggerate your body. It
may feel funny but it translates
very well in photos.
Ok now some fun questions:
What is the best food to eat before
and after a con?
Coffee is food right? lol I usually
eat a banana morning of con. After
con, I usually pig out on Korean
BBQ.

Who do you look to for inspiration?
I have so many talented friends
that also cosplay that inspire me
to try new things and techniques.
Ever had something go really
wrong at an event?
Of course. It’s bound to happen
to everyone that cosplays at
least once. You end up forgetting
something at home, something
on your cosplay decides to come
unstitched or unglued.
You sew a lot, what machine do
you use and why?
I use a Babylock machine and a
Brother Serger machine.
Finally we’d love to see more of
your work, where can we go?
Almost all of my work can be seen
on my Facebook page:
Facebook.com/LoveSongJaPark.
I also update my Instagram quite
a bit with cosplay progress photos!
Photographer: Adam Patrick Murray | www.facebook.com/adampatrickmurray

Photographer: JW Cosplay Photography
| www.facebook.com/ jwcosplayphotography

Photographer: JW Cosplay Photography
| www.facebook.com/ jwcosplayphotography

Photographer: Adam Patrick Murray | www.facebook.com/adampatrickmurray

Photographer: JW Cosplay Photography
| www.facebook.com/ jwcosplayphotography
Photographer: JW Cosplay Photography
| www.facebook.com/ jwcosplayphotography

cosplay EDITORIAL
STAR WARS
Before 2016, I had never seen a
single piece of Star Wars media,
I know, it’s shocking – one of the
most well-known franchises in the
world and I’d avoided every single
piece of content for over 20 years
right up until Star Wars: The Force
Awakens was released late last
year. On New Year’s Day, a few
friends dragged me to the cinema
to see it, and when I came out I
was sold.
Kylo Ren - Ebil cosplay www.facebook.com/ebilcosplay
Artificial Photography & Videography - www.facebook.com/ArtificialDogma
I spent the next few weeks consuming
every single piece of canon
and extended universe Star
Wars media I could find. Now
heading into April, I’ve watched
eight seasons and seven movies,
played two games, began
following three comic series and
consumed countless pieces of
online media from videos to comics
to memes, and it was obvious
this was all going to lead me here
– falling in love with some of our
Aussie Star Wars cosplayers.
First up I have to feature some of
my favourites from my own hometown;
Ebil cosplay’s Kylo Ren is a
stunning rendition of everyone’s
favourite villain at the moment,
carefully adapted where it could
be for Australia’s heated summer.
The helmet itself is just a mask,
artfully hidden by the fantastic
skills of Artificial Photography &
Videography and taking a look at
these photos makes me kind of
want to hide from this Dark side
user’s wrath.

y chatty anny: www.FACEBOOK.COM/FerretCosplay
:
AN AUSTRALIAN
COSPLAY FEATURETTE

cosplay EDITORIAL
STAR WARS
Scouring the interwebs, I couldn’t
go past our previous writer Hayley
Elise’s Princess Leia Organa.
From the feisty princess who
stood up to Darth Vader to the
slave who took back her freedom
by choking her captor to death,
Hayley’s Leia is everything we
love in our incensed princess.
Leia Organa (Slave, White dress) - Hayley Elise www.facebook.com/HayleyEliseCosplay
WhatABigCamera - www.facebook.com/WhatABigCamera

y chatty anny: www.FACEBOOK.COM/FerretCosplay
:
AN AUSTRALIAN
COSPLAY FEATURETTE

cosplay EDITORIAL
STAR WARS
There’s nothing better than a collaboration
by talented people,
and Steamkittens’ photos of JusZ
Cosplay proves that. Made in
only a few weeks for The Force
Awakens’ premiere, JusZ’s Rey
was the first cosplay I saw that
convinced me I needed to go see
this movie. Completed with a fantastic
Kylo and BB-8, this shoot
shows you just what you can do
with the power of the Force – and
even Carrie Fisher approved on
Twitter!

y chatty anny: www.FACEBOOK.COM/FerretCosplay
:
AN AUSTRALIAN
COSPLAY FEATURETTE
Rey – JusZ Cosplay www.facebook.com/JusZcosplay
Steamkittens - www.facebook.com/steamkittens

cosplay EDITORIAL
STAR WARS
Okay, I’ll admit it – I loved the prequels,
with their terrible dialogue
and weird editing; so seeing this
photo of Ian’s Anakin at Mustafar
made me tear up a little..
Anakin Skywalker – Ian Bartlett - Artificial Photography & Videography
www.facebook.com/ArtificialDogma

y chatty anny: www.FACEBOOK.COM/FerretCosplay
:
AN AUSTRALIAN
COSPLAY FEATURETTE
It wouldn’t be prequel appreciation
without mourning the loss of a
villain with such potential as Darth
Maul; and Brontology Cosplay’s
genderbent Maul makes me long
for what could have been.
Darth Maul – Brontology Cosplay
www.facebook.com/brontologycosplay
Photographer: Thomas Hadland

cosplay EDITORIAL
STAR WARS
I’ll always have a soft spot for heroes
who see the best in villains
(but still don’t hold back beating
them up!) and Rey and Luke
really epitomize that. Andrew
Scott’s Kylo and Christie Lee’s
Rey watching their skies at different
times makes me shiver with
anticipation for what the future of
their stories bring in movies, while
Izzys Cosplay’s Luke makes me
fear for what he’s about to do –
despite having seen it all myself!
Rey & Kylo Ren:
Andrew Scott & Christie Lee
Andy Wana Photography
www.facebook.com/AndyWanaPhotography

y chatty anny: www.FACEBOOK.COM/FerretCosplay
:
AN AUSTRALIAN
COSPLAY FEATURETTE
Luke Skywalker - Izzys Cosplay www.facebook.com/IzzysCosplay
James Niland - www.facebook.com/james.niland

cosplay EDITORIAL
STAR WARS
Darth Talon - Soylent Cosplay www.facebook.com/soylentcosplay
Charmaine Morgan Photography - www.facebook.com/charmaine.morgan88
When The Force Awakens was
released, it was heartbreaking to
some fans that their favourites in
the extended universe (used to
refer to anything that isn’t included
in the official Star Wars canon
anymore) were basically erased
from existence. Seeing photos
of Soylent Cosplay’s Darth Talon
and Sarah Ashley Cosplay’s
Mara Jade, I mourn alongside
them. Star Wars has long been
criticised for it’s lack of female
characters, so to have such fantastic
characters lost into the void
is always a disappointment – but
at least we have these cosplayers
to make up for it!

y chatty anny: www.FACEBOOK.COM/FerretCosplay
:
AN AUSTRALIAN
COSPLAY FEATURETTE
Mara Jade - Sarah Ashley Cosplay www.facebook.com/Sarah.Ashley.Cosplay
Cosplay Australia - www.facebook.com/CosplayAU (above)
Lorenzo So Photography - www.facebook.com/lorenzosophoto

PHOTOGRAPHY tips
Tips to get a more
pleasing look to
your images
Tip One - Good bokeh.
Bokeh? What the heck is bokeh?
Well if you’ve been into photography
for a while you’ll know that
bokeh is that soft blur you get
behind the main subject. Check
the image from Shutterstock by
Piyato - those soft bubbles behind
the cosplayer are an example
of bokeh. Bokeh is described
as “the visual quality of the outof-focus
areas of a photographic
image, especially as rendered by
a particular lens.” That’ from the
dictionary. It’s a Japanese word
that really came into use in the
past 20 years or so. Particularly
with digital, and so many more
people now into photography.
The way to get good bokeh is
to use what we call a “fast lens”
- that’s a lens with a large aperture-
like a 2.8 or larger. On some
systems you can get 1.2 or ever
larger apertures. Ideally you
might use a lens with an 85mm
or so focal length. On a crop sensor
that would be around 56mm
and on a mirrorless that would
be around the 40mm mark. Then
frame your subject like the example
and the focus on her eyes (or
his eyes or whatever your subject
might be - it could be a glass of
water) and then the background
will go soft and blurry. Now the
quality of the blur or bokeh will depend
on the quality of your lens.
Nikon USA has an excellent article
/ tutorial on bokeh here - jump
on over but then come back for
tip 2…
www.nikonusa.com/en/learn-and-explore/article/h0ndz86v/bokeh-for-beginners.html
Tip Two - The right framing.
Often the beginner or casual
snapper, makes this mistake.
They take a photo of someone
and put them in the middle and
far away. Now that might be fine
if you’re wanting to show the relationship
between the subject and
say a building or mountain. But if
you simply want a nice photo of a
friend, try getting in closer. As we
say here at Live Magazine - make
the main thing the main thing.
Frame your subject so they fill
the frame. Sure, you can experiment
and try different angles and
framing options. But if you want
a photo of a cosplayer’s costume
and the amazing detail, then get
close, focus and show it off! Again
I’ve found a nice explanation with
lots of examples from Nikon here:
www.nikonusa.com/en/Learn-And-Explore/Article/h7dfrceh/5-easy-composition-guidelines.html
In the photo here of Suzanne
from Armored Soul Cosplay, I’ve
framed her and her weapon so
that they both are the focus of attention.
She is positioned on the
left third of the frame that is pleasing
to the eye and I’ve cropped it
so that she and her weapon are
really the main thing you see.
When you start our you hear
about things like the rule of thirds
and yep it’s a good guideline. But
like all rules, once you know the
rules, you can try creative ways
to break the rules.

PHOTOGRAPHY tips
Tip Three - Light and
shadow.
While I didn’t use Nikon to help
me write this article - it all comes
from my experience. I have found
some excellent resources from
the Nikon website that helps
explain and teach better then I
could. I’ve got a link for light and
shadow below but remember this
from the previous point - make the
main thing the main thing. What
I mean here is sometimes when
you see a scene or a shot you
simply must photograph, what
you’ve seen is something that
connects with you. So don’t go
messing it up by adding too much
or too little light. If you see a person
in shadow and you just love
how dramatic it looks, don’t flip
up your flash straight away. Think
about what caught your eye and
work on capturing that first. Then
experiment with light or flash etc.
in the photo of Nat (right) in her
Dredd cosplay you’ll see light really
highlighting the gold part of
her uniform and the silver of the
gun. Nat is an amazing cosplayer
and also an amazing artist in how

she creates costumes and props
- head over to her Facebook page
for more inspiration -
www.facebook.com/natstonproductions
Other times it might be the shadows
that attract you like the photo
of Aislynn from Axe Massacre
Cosplay - here she is sitting in a
church and the light just fell beautifully-
I had to grab a shot and it’s
a favourite of mine. You can see
more of Aislynn at her page here:
www.facebook.com/AxeMassacreCosplay
The key to growing as a photographer
is to shoot regularly - like
weekly. Plan projects and try
things out. Experiment and realise
that you will need to make a lot
of mistakes in your journey - you
learn from mistakes. If you fluke
a shot - hey nice. But you don’t
learn from them so much as making
a dozen mistakes and then
getting it right. And when you get
it right and you can repeat it over
and over, you become proficient
at that technique.

HOW RATINGS WO
The Australian Classification
CTC - Check the classification.
CTC
The content has been assessed and approved for advertising unclassified films and
computer games.
Any advertising of unclassified films and games must display the CTC message on
posters, trailers, on the internet, and any other types of advertising.
G - General.
The content is very mild in impact.
The G classification is suitable for everyone. G products may contain classifiable elements
such as language and themes that are very mild in impact.
However, some G-classified films or computer games may contain content that is not
of interest to children.
PG - Parental Guidance.
The content is mild in impact.
The impact of PG (Parental Guidance) classified films and computer games should be
no higher than mild, but they may contain content that children find confusing or upsetting
and may require the guidance of parents and guardians. They may, for example,
contain classifiable elements such as language and themes that are mild in impact.
It is not recommended for viewing or playing by persons under 15 without guidance
from parents or guardians.
M - Mature.
The content is moderate in impact.
Films and computer games classified M (Mature) contain content of a moderate impact
and are recommended for teenagers aged 15 years and over.
Children under 15 may legally access this material because it is an advisory category.
However, M classified films and computer games may include classifiable elements
such as violence and nudity of moderate impact that are not recommended for children
under 15 years. Parents and guardians may need to find out more about the film or
computer game’s specific content, before deciding whether the material is suitable for
their child.

RK:
Board
There are two separate Boards that are independent from the government and from
each other. There is the full time Classification Board that decides the classifications of
films, video games and certain publications and the Classification Review Board that
meets only to review a decision of the Classification Board when there is a valid application
for review.
The Board bases its’ classifications on six elements:
Themes, Violence, Sex, Language, Drug Use & Nudity
Below are a list of classifications you’ll find on games and movies:
MA 15+ - Mature Accompanied 15+.
The content is strong in impact.
MA 15+ classified material contains strong content and is legally restricted to persons
15 years and over. It may contain classifiable elements such as sex scenes and drug
use that are strong in impact.
A person may be asked to show proof of their age before hiring or purchasing an MA
15+ film or computer game. Cinema staff may also request that the person show proof
of their age before allowing them to watch an MA 15+ film. Children under the age of
15 may not legally watch, buy or hire MA 15+ classified material unless they are in
the company of a parent or adult guardian. Children under 15 who go to the cinema
to see an MA 15+ film must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian for the
duration of the film. The parent or adult guardian must also purchase the movie
ticket for the child. The guardian must be an adult exercising parental control over
the person under 15 years of age. The guardian needs to be 18 years or older.
Parents and guardians may need to find out more about the film or computer game’s
specific content, before deciding whether the material is suitable for their child.
R 18+ - Restricted to 18+.
The content is high in impact.
R 18+ material is restricted to adults. Such material may contain classifiable elements
such as sex scenes and drug use that are high in impact. Some material classified
R18+ may be offensive to sections of the adult community. A person may be asked for
proof of their age before purchasing, hiring or viewing R18+ films and computer games
at a retail store or cinema.
There is also an X 18+ for adult films and these titles are only available for sale in the
ACT and the Northern Territory.
Sometimes games are refused classification. This can cause gamers to be frustrated,
citing that the R18+ classification should take care of adult content. But still some
games don’t get classified until the publishers/developers have addressed the concerns
of the Classification Board.
Want to know more? Visit the Australian Classification website -
www.classification.gov.au
CTC

READ LIVE
AGAZINE
ON YOUR PHONE, TABLET, DESKTOP...
SUBSCRIBE HERE!
www.gametraders.com.au/subscribe
FIND YOUR NEAREST STORE...
South Australia
Ingle Farm.................................. (08) 8265 7283
Marion....................................... (08) 8296 1144
Mt Barker................................... (08) 8391 6300
Salisbury.................................... (08) 8281 0966
Seaford...................................... (08) 8327 1966
ACT
Hyperdome................................ (02) 6293 3751
Terms & Conditions
April/May Magazine pricing valid til 31 May unless specified otherwise. Stock is subject to
availability. Pricing and advertised products valid only at participating stores. No Rain Checks.
All ratings and prices are correct at the time of printing.
New South Wales
Gametraders LIVE Penrith.........(02) 4731 3894
Blacktown................................. (02) 9676 1411
Macarthur Square (Campbelltown) (02) 4620 0750
Parramatta................................ (02) 9633 2833
Gametraders LIVE Hornsby....... (02) 9477 6477
Victoria
Bacchus Marsh......................... (03) 5367 0717
Highpoint................................... (03) 9317 0188
Gametraders LIVE Mildura........ (03) 5023 7702
For more info visit:
www.gametraders.com.au
Queensland
Chermside................................. (07) 3861 5000
Mackay...................................... (07) 4944 0998
Morayfield.................................. (07) 5495 7705