LIVE JUNE/JULY 2017 ISSUE
SPIDER-MAN TM : HOMECOMING INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR MOVIE PASSES + MORE! Page 34
OVER
170
PAGES
of Video Games, Cosplay, Retro, Superheros, Trading Cards & MORE!
WONDER WOMAN Gal Gadot is amazing! Page 8
There’s a lot of positives with super heroes. They fight evil, they have strong values, and even though some are flawed and struggle with regular human issues they still do their best to be on the side of good. We want to celebrate the good in the world and what better way for a bunch of pop culture fans then to celebrate with our appreciation of super heroes. With that in mind, June and July are dedicated to super heroes here at Gametraders Live Magazine. We’ve got coverage of both Spider-Man and Wonder Woman as the two movies we’re excited about. Plus we asked readers about their favourite super heroes too. Cosplayers chipped in by sharing their cosplays of Wonder Woman - a movie that’s really blitzed the box office. We also borrowed the System of the Century results from Retro Live so you can take a look at what readers voted as the best game system of the previous century (sounds a long time ago) and the team from VG Chartz have taken a look at the Prey demo and the top ten games they feel would rock the Switch. This month we’d like to encourage you to be the hero. How can we, as gamers, fans of pop culture and some of us proud nerds, how can we make a difference? Here’s what Commissioner James Gordon said... The Live Team
INSIDE
8 30 34 134 156 “You’re going to make a difference. A lot of times it won’t be huge, it won’t be visible even. But it will matter just the same.”
Wonder Woman: Special Report
Geek Out Spider-Man: Homecoming
Video Games
Cosplay
THE LIVE TEAM Publisher: Rob Jenkins (GTHQ) Art Director: Giselle Capozza (GTHQ) Game Contributors: VGChartz Retro Editor: Paul Monopoli Entertainment Editor: Scott Sowter Cosplay Editors: Anny Simms Wargaming Contributor: Ben Makepeace
NEW PRODUCTS! tHE WORLD OF BOARD GAMES! STAR WARS MONOPOLY: 40TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION It’s the Fast-Dealing Property Trading Game taken to a galaxy far, far away! Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the original Star Wars movie with this special edition of the Monopoly game. Players can relive the story of Star Wars: A New Hope as they travel around the board. Collect memorable scenes and iconic ships inspired by the 1977 movie. Strengthen power and influence over opponents by building Fleets and Bases. Force and Smuggler’s Cargo cards shape players’ destinies in this exciting game. The only player left after everyone else has gone bankrupt wins! The Hasbro Gaming, Parker Brothers, and Monopoly names and logos, the distinctive design of the gameboard, the four corner squares, the Mr. Monopoly name and character, as well as each of the distinctive elements of the board and playing pieces are trademarks of Hasbro for its property trading game and game equipment. Star Wars products are produced by Hasbro under license from Lucasfilm Ltd. Includes Gameboard, 6 tokens, 28 Title Deed cards, 16 Force cards, 16 Smuggler’s Cargo cards, 32 Fleets, 12 Bases, 2 dice, money pack, and game guide.
MASS EFFECT MONOPOLY Travel through the galaxy as you buy, sell and trade organizations, factions and locations as depicted in the Mass Effect video game trilogy. Includes: 6 Collectible Tokens: N7 Helmet, Space Hamster, Normandy, Omni Tool, Shifty Looking Cow, and Mako Custom Game Board featuring Elites, Special Interests, Mercs, and Crews.
terminator board game The Terminator: The Official Board Game is an asymmetrical strategy game played across two boards: one in 1984 and one in 2029. One player takes control of all the forces of the machines — Hunter Killer flying machines, Terminator endoskeletons, and new robots based on the classic 1980s aesthetic — while the rest of the players take the role of the human resistance, struggling against the impossible odds of the machine uprising.
X-WING EXPANSION AUZITUCK GUNSHIP Designed by Appazanna Engineering Works of Kashyyyk and equipped with three wide-range Sureggi twin laser cannons, the Auzituck gunship was known for its impressive firepower and incredible durability. The Auzituck Gunship Expansion Pack brings this ship to X-Wing™ as a resilient, pre-painted, small-base Rebel starship with three attack, one agility, and six hull protected by three shields and the reinforce action. You’ll find even more ammunition and defensive options among the expansion’s four ship cards and six upgrades.
ELDER SCROLL RISK The classic strategy game of Risk meets the world of magic, dragons and swords as you fight for supremacy of Tamriel!
X-WING EXPANSION H-6 BOMBER The Scurrg H-6 Bomber was crafted with combat versatility in mind. It was armed with powerful shields and a bristling array of destructive weaponry, and one of its prototypes was infamously stolen by Captain Nym. You’ll find not one, but two different ship cards for this notorious pirate in the Scurrg H-6 Bomber Expansion Pack for X-Wing™, allowing you to fly him with the Rebellion or the galaxy’s Scum and Villainy. Additionally, the expansion’s pre-painted, smallbase miniature starship is accompanied by three other ship cards, plus a hefty complement of ten upgrades laden with ordnance.
X-WING EXPANSION TIE AGGRESSOR
ASK STAFF FOR PRODUCT DETAILS / RELEASE DATES! Get it all at Gametraders!
The TIE aggressor was designed for long missions, supply chain raids, and tactical flexibility, and in X-Wing™, it can lend a great deal of tactical flexibility to your Imperial fleet. Much of this versatility comes through the ship’s ability to equip a turret weapon and a pair of missiles. Altogether, the TIE Aggressor Expansion Pack pairs its pre-painted miniature starfighter with four ship cards and five upgrades, plus everything else you need to fly the ship to battle.
NEW PRODUCTS! WONDER WOMAN MOVIE DIANA PRICE POP! VINYL Available now! Ask staff for details.
WONDER WOMAN PLAY ARTS ACTION FIGURE In the same ranks as BATMAN and SUPERMAN, WONDER WOMAN is one of the Big Three of DC Comics, and she’s the world’s first and strongest female super hero. Combining both beauty and strength, this action figure is a powerful representation of WONDER WOMAN. Many dynamic action poses are possible thanks to the utilization of a flexible material for her hair and skirt. The careful paintwork on her face accentuates
her dignified yet delicate facial features. Accessories include: her signature magic lasso; a sword that can be stowed on a loop in her belt; and her circular shield. This action figure condenses WONDER WOMAN’s appeal into one compact package. Figure also includes display stand and interchangeable hand parts.
SPIDER-MAN - ONE:12 COLLECTIVE ACTION FIGURE Your friendly neighbourhood SpiderMan swings into the One:12 Collective! When young Peter Parker is inadvertently bitten by a radioactive spider he is infused with spider-like abilities; super strength, the ability to cling to surfaces and climb walls, and a “Spidey Sense� that allows him to react to impending danger. Utilizing his famous, self designed Web Shooters as well as his amazing powers Spider-Man vows to protect his fellow man after the untimely death of his uncle at the hands of a common thief, quickly rising to the responsibility of using his great powers to be the hero we all know and love. Assembled on an all new One:12 Collective body developed specifically for this figure, Spider-Man features over 30 points of articulation. This figure also features a meticulously tailored outfit with intricate silk screened details and includes multiple interchangeable parts and accessories. Spider-Man Black Suit Glow pop! vinyl
FIDGET SPINNERS
Coming soon! Ask staff for details.
Gametraders have a massive range of Fidget Spinners in store now!! Head in to your local store to see the full range today!
ASK STAFF FOR PRODUCT DETAILS / RELEASE DATES! Get it all at Gametraders!
FEATURE
WONDER WOMAN
SHE’S A HIT! Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot and Patty Jenkins ... the reviews are in and the film has resonated well with movie critics and fans.
Browsing Rotten Tomatoes, the official Tomatometer has given Wonder Woman a very good 93% with 243 “Fresh” reviews as against 18 “Rotten” reviews. Reviewers generally agree that it’s Gal Gadot that makes the movie. As Time Magazine’s Stephanie Zacharek says: “Gadot is simply marvelous. Physically, she’s bold and commanding. But there’s a sweetness about her too, as if she and Jenkins understand intuitively that Wonder Woman can’t just be blandly awesome. She’s got to be able to feel wonder too. Gadot carries the movie through even its sloggiest parts, most notably the big action sequences that pile up at the end.”
Fans too loved it with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 - with over 71,000 ratings, and with a box office taking of over $300 million in its first first days, the film set a record for the biggest opeing weekend for a female-directed movie. This is good news for the super hero genre, after some poor reviews for both Batman vs Superman and Suicide Squad not doing so well with fans and critics. There’s even been some talk of Oscar nomination... for a super hero genre film! Over the next few pages we take a look at the history of Wonder Woman, the movie characters and we even had the cosplay community send us their Wonder Woman cosplays!
93%
ROTTEN TOMATOES
WONDER WOMAN
She has a golden lasso - The Lasso of Truth, indestructible bracelets she can deflect bullets with and has superhuman powers which were gifts from the Greek Gods. In 1940, William Mouton Marston, a psychologist who had invented the polygraph, was talking to a family magazine about the potential of comic books and that article got the eye of publisher Max Gains, a comic publisher who then hired Marston to be a consultant who went on to create Wonder Woman when his wife suggested the new super hero he create be a woman. Working with artist Harry G. Peter. Marston and his wife Elizabeth’s cohabitant, Olive Byrne, is credited as being Marston’s inspiration for the character’s appearance. Wonder Woman was also Marston’s interpretation of the ideal love leader... the type of woman who’d be ideal running society. Many comic fans will know there are “ages” of comics. Staring with the Golden Age which was around the 1930s to 1950... a time when many comics where first published and made popular. Wonder Woman was around from the beginning of the Golden Age and was fighting Nazis and joined the Justice Society of America. In the Silver Age, the Wonder Woman character was given a make over with new Hellenic roots and begins using the alias Diana Prince who opens a boutique of mod fashion and has a Chinese mentor who teaches her martial arts and weapons fighting. Think Emma Peel from the Avengers but with kick-ass skills.
In the Bronze Age Wonder Woman returns to her super hero roots in the Justice League and the 40s but this was around the time a TV Show began featuring Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman. The Modern Age sees a rewrite of the character’s origin featuring a lot of Greek Mythology and Diana being “birthed out of clay” (wikipedia). In 2011 when DC Comics relaunched their titles/heroes Wonder Woman had a revamp with a new costume that harkens back to her original look plus she has a sword and shield and a new origin - no more clay instead she is a demi-goddess and the natural born daughter of gods - Zeus and Hippolyta. Wow... what a history. The movie is set in WW1 with Diana Prince choosing to leave her home to help stop the war when the American pilot Steve Trevor crashes on the island and informs her of what is happening abroad.
“Not even girls want to be girls so long as our feminine archetype lacks force, strength, and power. Not wanting to be girls, they don’t want to be tender, submissive, peace-loving as good women are. Women’s strong qualities have become despised because of their weakness. The obvious remedy is to create a feminine character with
all the strength of Superman plus all the allure of a good and beautiful woman.”
- William Moulton Marston
THE AGE OF COMICS The Silver Age of comics was around 1956 to 197 and was a time when comics found commercial success - particularly the super hero comic. The Silver Age was post WW2 and life was good again. The Bronze Age was from 1970 to the mid 1980s and saw comics return to darker story lines and elements that related to the issues in the media at the time. Elements like drugs, racism and poverty - Wikipedia has a great article you can follow here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_Age_of_Comic_Books Finally the Modern Age which started in the mid 80s and is still today era. Comics changed, heroes too. Think the Dark Knight and Watchmen.
WONDER WOMAN
Gal Gadot stars in the title role of “Wonder Woman,” an epic action adventure from director Patty Jenkins (“Monster,” AMC’s “The Killing”) marking the DC Super Hero’s firstever stand alone feature film. Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, raised on a sheltered island paradise and trained to be an unconquerable warrior. But when an American pilot crashes off their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside men in the war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers... and her true destiny. Joining Gadot in the international cast are Chris Pine (the “Star Trek” films), Robin Wright (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” Netflix’s “House of Cards”), Danny Huston (“Clash of the Titans,” “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”), David Thewlis (the “Harry Potter” films, “The Theory of Everything”), Connie Nielsen (TV’s “The Following,” “Gladiator”), Elena Anaya (“The Skin I Live In”), Ewen Bremner (“T2 Trainspotting,” “Snowpiercer”), Lucy Davis (“Shaun of the Dead,” TV’s “Better Things”), Lisa Loven Kongsli (upcoming “Ashes in the Snow”), Saïd Taghmaoui (“American Hustle”) and Eugene Brave Rock (TV’s “Hell on Wheels”). Patty Jenkins directed the film from a screenplay by Allan Heinberg, story by Zack Snyder & Allan Heinberg and Jason Fuchs, based on characters from DC. Wonder Woman was created by William Moulton Marston.
The film was produced by Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder and Richard Suckle, with Stephen Jones, Geoff Johns, Jon Berg, Wesley Coller and Rebecca Steel Roven serving as executive producers. Joining Jenkins behind the camera were director of photography Matthew Jensen (“Chronicle,” “Fantastic Four,” HBO’s “Game of Thrones”), Oscar-nominated production designer Aline Bonetto (“Amélie,” “A Very Long Engagement”), Oscar-winning editor Martin Walsh (“Chicago,” “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit”), Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming (“The Dark Knight” trilogy, “TopsyTurvy”) and two-time Oscar-winning visual effects supervisor Bill Westenhofer (“Life of Pi,” “The Golden Compass”). The music is by composer Rupert Gregson-Williams (“Hacksaw Ridge,” “The Legend of Tarzan”). Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Tencent Pictures and Wanda Pictures, an Atlas Entertainment/Cruel and Unusual production, “Wonder Woman.” The film will be distributed in 3D and 2D in select theaters and IMAX worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
WONDER WOMAN
CHARACTER
BIOS
All photographs courtesy Warner Bros
WONDER WOMAN / DIANA OF THEMYSCIRA (Gal Gadot)
One of the world’s greatest and most powerful Super Heroes, Wonder Woman is a fierce Amazon warrior with incredible strength, grace and wisdom, who is unparalleled in hand-to-hand combat. Her arsenal includes her lasso, shield and sword. Before she is Wonder Woman, Diana is an Amazonian princess, living on the mystical island paradise of Themyscira, training for battle and mastering skills like archery and sword fighting.
HIPPOLYTA
(Connie Nielsen)
Hippolyta is Queen of the Amazons and mother of the young princess, Diana. A noble leader, she hopes to teach Diana that her mind is her most powerful weapon.
ANTIOPE (Robin Wright) General Antiope is the greatest of the Amazon warriors, responsible for training their entire army. The sister of the Amazonian queen, Hippolyta, and aunt to their princess Diana, Antiope secretly trains her eager and gifted young niece to prepare for battle as well.
STEVE TREVOR (Chris Pine)
Captain Steve Trevor is a courageous American fighter pilot performing dangerous undercover missions in World War I. Captivated by the Amazon princess Diana, he helps her navigate the human world and fights alongside her in battle.
MENALIPPE
(Lisa Loven Kongsli)
Menalippe is the sister of Queen Hippolyta and General Antiope. A skilled Amazon warrior, Menalippe uses the Lasso of Hestia to learn the truth about Steve Trevor’s appearance on the island paradise of Themyscira and the war that rages on in the outside world.
CHIEF (Eugene Brave Rock) A smuggler with a well-earned reputation for moving anything behind enemy lines, Chief joins Diana and Steve Trevor in their mission against the enemy.
SAMEER (Saïd Taghmaoui)
ETTA CANDY (Lucy Davis) Captain Steve Trevor’s loyal and indispensible secretary, Etta Candy, is a woman ahead of her time. Working from the War Office, she proves an invaluable asset to Steve and Diana’s mission.
GENERAL LUDENDORFF (Danny Huston)
A rogue leader in the German Army who will do anything to continue this war, the ruthless General Ludendorff oversees the covert military installation that houses the factory where Dr. Isabel Maru is developing a secret—and deadly— chemical weapon.
DR. ISABEL MARU (Elena Anaya)
Having earned the nickname “Dr. Poison,” Dr. Isabel Maru is a controversial chemist developing a mysterious new chemical weapon under the guidance of General Ludendorff. She takes great joy in her work—and in the deaths it causes.
Sameer, or Sammy, is a skilled linguist, charmer and actor, though many would call him a conman. Together with Chief and Charlie, he joins Diana and Steve Trevor in their mission against the enemy.
CHARLIE (Ewen Bremner) Despite suffering from shellshock, Charlie is an expert marksmanfor-hire, and joins Diana and Steve Trevor in their mission against the enemy.
IN CINEMAS now...
YOUR SAY
TO SHARE A PHOTO OF THEIR & WHY THEY CHOSE TO COSPL “It was an easy choice to make. I love Wonder Woman because she’s courageous, strong and compassionate and she sees the best in people. She inspires me.”
“I’ve cosplayed Wonder Woman because I love the character in all her various costumes and eras. She’s the embodiment of compassion and justice.”
- Starfirephoenix
- JusZ Cosplay
“I chose to cosplay wonder woman to challenge myself to do something for myself. She is such a strong powerful woman and I wanted to feel strong and capable. She gives me strength when I feel stressed out and worn down, I write I am wonder woman I can do it on my wrist and it helps me get through the day. My page is @jawjarrose. Jawjarrose and Finch Cosplay Photography.” - Georgia Rose
R WONDER WOMAN COSPLAY PLAY THIS HERO... “I chose to cosplay Wonder Woman because she’s a comic icon! She takes no sh*t, and is a great role model for girls and guys alike. My hero.” - Tess Healy
“Wonder Woman is a compassionate caring, stubborn, opinionated, highly competitive, outgoing, immortal Amazon. She is the best. It does not matter that you have a disability because all women are superheroes.” - Pilar Rodriguez Baz
“I always wanted to cosplay Diana. Wonder Woman was my first costume as a little girl, the first reference I got as a heroine. Wonder Woman represents the ideals of thruth, hope, equality for everyone. Diana makes you believe everything’s posible and you’re capabable of great things if you’re fierce enough to fight and stand for your beliefs. She’s the ideal of honor and courage. I wish I was half as good as she is :) This one is Wonder Woman Bombshell, a design from Ant Lucia that I just love so much.” My Cosplay page is Ireth Minllatur Cosplay :).” - Karla M. Carlotti Blazquez
“I chose this cosplay because Wonder Woman is my favorite superhero, she is an inspiration for all women, makes us see that we are brave, independent, powerful. I adore her.” - Veronica Merino Palomares
YOUR SAY
TO SHARE A PHOTO OF THEIR & WHY THEY CHOSE TO COSPL “I’ve cosplayed as Wonder Woman multiple times at Supanova, Oz Comic Con and 2013 San Diego Comic Con. Ive gone from a badly made 2009 home made version to commissioning a tiara, belt and breast plate based on my favourite design by Terry Dodson (as seen in the photos). I loved cosplaying her, watching her and collecting DC figures of her. Wonder Woman is a symbol of strength and compassion and kids love her! Great inspiration.” - Adele K. Thomas “I cosplay as wonder woman because I am in love with her character! Strong female role with no fear to go against what her life before her is meant to be. She’s an Amazonian warrior. What more could you want!” - Ellie Manning
“ I love Diana and everything she stands for. Strong but Compassionate. Capable of Fighting but mostly of Love. She would extend a hand before a sword in any confrontation she faces. She defeated the God of War by showing him the truth of his actions and brought friendship to Cheetah. And she always always believe that humanity can do good and doesn’t waiver from that belief. She is the hero the world needs. My page is Heroine For Hire Photos by Cosplay Australia.” - Lani Deves
R WONDER WOMAN COSPLAY PLAY THIS HERO... “I chose to cosplay Wonder Woman as she is the ultimate super heroine! I think she is a great role model for children and to show that girls can be tough too! :)” - Amy Donaghey
“She’s brave. She has courage. She looks amazing in her curves. She’s quite a symbol to all women. I also want to develope even more my WW cosplay and take her to more cons.” - Sara Vilda
“I nominate my Princess Kuno Yuro. She is truly amazing and all heart when it comes to making children smile n inspiring young girls around her to better themselves. She selfishly puts others ahead of her n does more than just charities n hospital visits. But strives to make anyone life better. And is first to offer herself to donate her time to helping her community better. As a child her inspiration was Lynda Carter n believes in the principles of what Wonder Woman stood for. I am forever honored when I get to work with her. :)” - Matches Malone
“Why Wonder Woman? Because she’s not just as a superhero, but a hero with a heart.” - Victoria Hofferson
YOUR SAY
TO SHARE A PHOTO OF THEIR & WHY THEY CHOSE TO COSPL “I was attending a few conventions and thought Wonder Woman needed some love. This was at Oz Comic Con 2014.”
“This is Wonder Mama at Wonder Con!!!! Wonder Woman is my lifelong idol and Wonder Mama stands for love and equality!”
- Tim Vega
- Renny Roccon
“What isn’t to love about a woman who is strong, caring and loyal to helping those around her? I was overweight and she encouraged me to weight lift. I was scared and dressing as her made me feel like I was strong. I want everyone to be able to feel like wonderwoman x My instagram is www.instagram. com/aimeeswiftfitness Fb is Geek-Ta-Scale!” - Aimee Swift
“This is my current version of Wonder Woman. I’ve been a fan of hers since the Lynda Carter series when I was little. Cosplay allows me to share my fandom and I love it when little ones come over photo a photo and they leave with the biggest smiles :D I’m a Wondie fan of over 30 years why would I cosplay anyone else” - Lisa Diana
R WONDER WOMAN COSPLAY PLAY THIS HERO... “Despite my considerably short height, I always wanted to cosplay Wondy because she’s the epitome of a female superhero that so many kids look up to.”
“She is one of my favorite characters to cosplay. :D Her strength motivates me!”
“Because She is Wonderful,perfect warrior, an inspiration for me.” - Cynthia Cabrera Hernandez
- Brittney Joy
- Rach Baker
“I’m not sure if this is still ongoing? But I still want to share my love for Wonder Woman in celebration of the movie!! It was honestly a no brainer for me to cosplay Wonder Woman cause she’s a badass person who could hold down a fort by herself. Also, she is the embodiment of courage, justice and compassion. A perfect role model for everyone. <3 Cheers!” - Xan Lee
“I cosplayed Wonder Woman because she’s strong and empowering.” - Rebekah Ward
YOUR SAY
TO SHARE A PHOTO OF THEIR WONDER WOMAN COSPLAY & WHY THEY CHOSE TO COSPLAY THIS HERO... “I’ve been a lifelong fan and had great fun, completely out of my comfort zone but love it.” - Lisa Todd
“More photos on my page : Nad Cosplay & Cousu Main.” - Nadia Zeghloul
“I cosplay as wonder woman because I am in love with her character! Strong female role with no fear to go against what her life before her is meant to be. She’s an Amazonian warrior. What more could you want!” - Ellie Manning
“At AMCExpo 2015 :) I love Wonder Woman because she doesn’t let anything or anyone stand in the way of what she wants to do or needs to do....she just gets shit done!” - Monica Nixon
“Manuelsa Cosplay.” - Manuelsa Kaskous
WONDER WOMAN MOVIE
WONDER WOMAN TRAINING ARMOR 12” 1:6 SCALE ACTION FIGURE
ER D R O E PR
! W O N
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geek o GAMES & POP CULTURE TRIVIA DID YOU KNOW
SPIDER-MAN SPECIAL FEATURE MOVIES
SYSTEM OF THE CENTURY RETRO
THE GAMER DIARIES: 1998-1999 RETRO
out SUPANOVA INTERVIEWS
BEST SUPERHERO MOVIES
THE CIRCUS IS COMING WARGAMING
TCG NEWS
THE TRUTH
DID YO
GAME & POP CULTURE FU
With this month being Super Hero Month at Gametraders we thought weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d take a look at some fun facts and trivia about super heroes! The Hulk was originally supposed to be grey but turned green cause itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easier to print that colour.
Superman and Clark Kent have different birthdays - Superman on June 10th, the day his pod landed on Earth and Kent on June 18, the day the Kents adopted him.
In 2006 the U.S post office released a stamp to recognise that Comice are a true art form - this is of particular interest when in 50 years earlier they were considered a cultural threat...
OU KNOW...
UN FACTS & TRIVIA
Iron Man use to have roller skates...
Every issue I search the globe for game and pop culture trivia, I get sent out across the globe, (first class) to scout the world of video games to bring you some fun facts. (Um... no. We gave you a crappy old laptop and told you to search the web... Ed.)
Clark Kent compresses his spine so he looks smaller then Superman. There was a hero called the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Green Lamaâ&#x20AC;? that was a Buddhist... one of his powers was reincarnation! Images from Wikipedia.
YOUR SAY MOVIES
SPIDER-MAN Spider-Man... aka Peter Parker is a super hero created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in comics in 1962. He’s a unique character in that he’s a teenager who’s dealing wiht rejection, loneliness and inadequacy, some of the feelings teens relate to. Also he had to learn how do deal with his powers himself, as Uncle Ben said, “With great power there must also come great responsibility.” Spider-Man movies have been numerous starting out wiht a TV series in 1977 and a movie in 1981 - Spider-Man: The Dragon’s Challenge. After many legal battles and wrangling the Sam Raimi films featuring Tobey Maguire kicked off with Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson. In the movie, Peter Parker is bitten by a genetically engineered spider resulting in gaining super powers and the webbing abilities. In this film, Spider-Man learns to use his powers as at first he’s uncoordinated and a touch clumsy. He ends up fighting the Green Goblin and falling in love with Mary Jane. In 2004 Spider-Man 2 is released again with Maguire, who ends up fighting Dr. Octopus. In film number 3 SpiderMan ends up battling a villain known
as Sandman and also we see the creation of Venom. Further films by Raima featuring Maguire and Dunst were canceled and it wasn’t until The Amazing Spider-Man in 2012 featuring Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker that we had a new Spider-Man movie with a second film released in 2014. The newest Spider-Man film from Sony - Spider-Man Homecoming is due out in July and features Tom Holland as our hero with strong support by Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr and the role of villain going to the brilliant Michael Keaton (who actually also played Batman). In this film, we see Peter Parker being mentored by Tony Stark as he balances life between being a powerful hero and a teen dealing with the usual teenage challenges. The trailers shows humour and a ton of action as you’d expect with Spider-Man, let’s take a look on the next page...
Image from Wikipedia.
YOUR SAY SONY PICTURES
SPIDER-MAN™: HOMECOMING A young Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who made his sensational debut in Captain America: Civil War, begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging superhero in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine - distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man - but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened.
WIN A DOUBLE PASS! Watch this trailer (https://youtu.be/cXcai_9ZqL4) & tell us what Spider-Man says after “someone is collecting stuff from Avengers battles, and building these crazy weapons”... Inbox us your answer (facebook.com/GametradersAustralia) Hurry - limited numbers! MARVEL and all related character names: © & ™ 2017 MARVEL. Spider-Man: Homecoming, the Movie ©2017 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
YOUR SAY SONY PICTURES
SPIDER-MAN™: HOMECOMING Q: Just to get started, talk about how concurrently this was developed with Civil War and what sort of foundation that provided for you when you started developing Spider-Man: Homecoming. Watts: Tom was hired right around when I was hired. And I went to Atlanta when they were shooting Captain America: Civil War. Q: Did you feel like the success of Civil War – and the reception to Spider-Man – emboldened you or gave you an advantage when you were sort of constructing what this was going to be? Watts: Yes, it’s great. I was there when they shot the scene between Tony and Peter in his bedroom and you see that and you’re like oh, this works. This is great. And you also see that there was this amazing chemistry between Tony and Peter that you just want to see more of that. So that became a really good jumping off point for us to decide what sort of story we wanted to tell.
Q: How easy or difficult was it to use the superhero element to amplify that journey? Watts: Well, when you’re 15 you feel like everything is the end of the world, whether or not that crush is going to talk to you or whether or not the world is going to be destroyed by Chitauri aliens. Everything is the end of the world. So it lets you take all of this stuff and amplify it to a fun and funny level. Q: You talk about fun. What sort of tone were you aiming for? Watts: Like Fish Tank. I mean, my favorite movies are a little bit of everything because that’s what growing up feels like. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s annoying, sometimes it’s thrilling and sometimes it’s a little sad. So by having that as our framework, it allows you to do everything. Q: How did that enable you to avoid revisiting certain moments of Spider-Man mythology that audiences may have seen before?
Watts: Well, it frees you up to just have fun with the character in the world. Because we’re starting after the origin story, we don’t have to do any of that legwork and we don’t have to do any universe building in that way that they had to do in the previous Spider-Man films
jon watts [ Q & A ] [ director ]
“Well, when you’re 15 you feel like everything is the end of the world, whether or not that crush is going to talk to you or whether or not the world is going to be destroyed by Chitauri aliens. Everything is the end of the world. So it lets you take all of this stuff and
amplify it to a fun and funny level.
”
“
The reason to make this movie
is to show people things they’ve never seen before and to take them on a journey that they’ve never been on before. So that was actually a great creative limitation, to make everything new.”
because superheroes already exist in this world. The Avengers exist. So we don’t have to tell any of that story. We can just have fun with “what if a 15-year-old became a superhero?” What would that be like? But I mean he still has to shoot webs. That’s like that’s about it – he’s got to shoot webs. Q: When you started on Homecoming, did you make a list of things that you were not going to do? And then were there things that are just so inherent to SpiderMan that you knew you would have to include, and would just have to come up with a more clever way to incorporate them into your version? Watts: That’s what we tried to do with everything. Like if anything seemed familiar, we tried to come up with something else. The reason to make this movie is to show people things they’ve never seen before and to take them on a journey that they’ve never been on before. So that was actually a great creative limitation, to make everything new. Spider-Man still had to shoot webs and swing around every once in awhile, but then you would come up with, well, what haven’t we seen SpiderMan do? Let’s take away buildings. Let’s throw him in the suburbs and see what he has to do, if he has to go from rooftop to rooftop. Or send him to Washington DC, make him climb up the side of the Washington Monument. What are you going to do then when there’s only one building? What’s that going
to look like? So that was the fun challenge, to just keep trying to come up with something we haven’t seen before and keep pushing that. Q: What was your first experience with Spider-Man? Was there specific material that helped shape the landscape of the world your Spider-Man was going to inhabit? Watts: Well, I immediately just went back and started reading the comics from the very beginning when I got the job, [and] that was just a great cornerstone for what we were trying to build because it’s a reminder of why Spider-Man became so popular in the first place. And sure all these other people are dealing with these life threatening or world threatening stakes, but one of the first things that Peter Parker does in the comics is he goes to try and join the Fantastic Four because he needs to make some money. It’s just problems that a teen would have. So that was a great starting off point just in terms of the tone, because it was funny and irreverent and just its own unique perspective. And in terms of the visual language, I just was trying to apply my style to this universe and again keeping with this whole groundlevel perspective. I wanted this movie [to be] on the ground with Peter; it’s like you’re up in the clouds with Tony, and now here you are down in the dirt with Peter. Q: How tough was it to find your own way of depicting
Spider-Man in action that suits your personality but still has that kind of elasticity and nimbleness that’s maybe a little different than other superheroes? Watts: I wanted it to always again be grounded in a way where I only wanted to shoot shots that you could actually shoot, like there’s no video game camera flying around doing impossible things. For me, it has to always be within the realm of, you could shoot this with a drone, you could shoot this with a 100 foot technocrane – that was always an essential part of creating the visual language for this. We had to keep it as realistic as possible. What Spider-Man can do is more than what a human being can do. So you do some crazy things, but he can’t break the laws of physics. And a big part of what we’re doing is being really rigorous about making sure this stuff feels as real as possible. Q: What sort of discoveries did you and Tom make together in terms of Spider-Man as he’s playing the character and you’re directing him? Watts: We learned to have a lot of fun with it and with the blocking. Some of the moments have a very sort of Michael J. Fox feeling about it – Tom has that Marty McFly [from Back To The Future] spirit in a way that’s amazing, or like Tom Cruise in Risky Business, just that twin-
kle in his eye. But he’s still a kid and he’s ready for bigger and better things – but he still has to get to like his chemistry class on time. So we had a lot of fun with that and found a lot of humor in those moments and that’s something that we would work on together. Q: What, if anything, really surprised you about Tom’s performance? Watts: Do you know what caught me off guard? I mean, he’s so amazing and charming and talented, but he’s also such a precise technical actor and you don’t ever encounter a 20-year-old that has that kind of training and precision. I don’t know if it’s training, I don’t know if it’s just natural, but it was amazing. He could hit his marks perfectly. He could just do slight tweaks to his performance to dial it up and dial it down. And it was amazing. That’s like having a precision instrument – as a director that’s so satisfying. It’s like Tom, can you do that again five percent less excited and can you rotate your mark 20 degrees counterclockwise? And he’d be like, “alright,” and he could do it. I love complicated camera moves and long tracking shots and things like that, so to be able to do that with an actor who can hit all those marks is like a dream come true. It makes it so much easier for me. Q: How difficult was it to create a story that is self-con-
tained and satisfying by itself without telegraphing elements that might be relevant in future stories? Watts: What’s great about Spider-Man is that all that stuff is already happening, and then Spider-Man is just in that world. I thanked [director] Joe Russo recently for making all of the serious, complicated movies so that I could then come in and make the Spider-Man one that has fun in the sandbox that [those] guys have all created. Q: How did you develop the relationship with Tony Stark, as his mentor? Watts: It’s interesting because it’s part of Tony’s journey. He picked Peter, he introduced Peter to this world and now he’s dealing with the implications and responsibility of that. And then Happy Hogan is sort of the intermediary between the two of them. I think of Happy as being the annoying older brother who Peter thinks is an obstacle between him getting to talk to Tony. And Tony is sort of the reluctant mentor who picked him when he was in a jam, and now looks up to him like, what next? He’s like oh, right, I’ve got to do something about this. It’s a really funny place to put Tony into. Q: Tony is a bells and whistles guy when it comes to his inventions. But Peter is himself an inventor. Was there a balance that you had to strike
why. Spider-Man was such a revelation when he was introduced into the comics in the 60s because no one had ever thought to show the perspective on this crazy universe that they built. And they made him such a believable, realistic, funny character that I wanted to just sort of go back to his roots in that way. It’s a homecoming for Spider-Man because he’s back in the universe where he belongs and
between what sort of assistance Tony was going to be able to provide versus what Peter would be able to create himself? Watts: That’s a great question and we have some fun with that in the movie, because Tony’s really smart and built this amazing suit but Peter’s really smart too.
Q: Looking at what has become an expansive legacy of different stories, what are you looking to accomplish with this Spider-Man tale that will take them on a maybe slightly different journey than they’ve gone on in the past? Watts: I think everyone loves Spider-Man and I just want this movie to remind them
I just wanted to show that and to remind people why Spider-Man is the
best superhero of all time. He’s the best. I think you look at that mask and you can imagine yourself in there.
INTERVIEWED BY TODD GILCHRIST
IN CINEMA
AS 6 JULY!
RETRO
SYSTEM OF THE FROM OUR SISTER MAGAZINE RETRO LIVE ISSUE 2
CENTURY YOU VOTED!
V
[PRE 2000]
ideo games have been part of our lives since the 1970s. While there were massive computers able to play simple games in the50s and 60s, using vector displays, it wasn’t until Magnavox released the Odyssey in 1972, a system that could be connected to your TV set, that we had true home console gaming. Things really kicked off when Atari’s Pong was released on the Odyssey 100 and Atari’s own home console.
rushed out to buy systems just so they could play the highly addictive game at home.
On the computer side we had Spacewar! in 1961, but you needed a mainframe to run it.
Then Nintendo released their Famicom in Japan with better graphics but they were worried how it would be received in the U.S after the crash so they released it as the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was the start of things picking up again for the video game industry. Sega released their Master System and while no where near as popular as the NES, it did well in the U.S and European markets. It was now the
With the first consoles for homes released, things then moved pretty quickly with Fairchild releasing the VES in ’76 and Atari the 2600. The 2600 became the most popular second generation console. In 1980, Atari had a conversion of Space Invaders released on their 2600 system and families
The 80s came and initially the outlook for gaming was bright. A number of companies had systems for the home and the number of games to play was growing, Then the video game crash of 1983 happened. Too many low quality games like E.T flooded the market and gamers voted with their pockets and sales slowed with many companies going bankrupt.
mid 80s and computer systems from Commodore, Atari, Texas Instruments and the ZX Spectrum from Sinclair were starting to appeal to a different type of customer. One that didn’t mind a bit of fiddling with loading cassettes or typing in code. Tandy also were in the computing business with their TRS-80 Color. Commodore released the VIC-20 in 1980 and sold 1 million units by the end of 1982. Then came the Commodore 64, a brilliant and much loved system that cost almost $600 U.S on release but dominated the low end market in computer sales. In fact it sold around 2 million units per year in the time from 1983 to 198 and was considered by some major developers as the best choice to develop for due to its’ massive sales. The mid 80s saw the release of some major computer systems that were a favourite among gamers. The Commodore Ami
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ga 500, the Atari ST, the Amstrad PC 1512 and Microsoft released MS-DOS 3.2 for the IBM PC. Looking back at it all you can see the revolution in progress. Better graphics, sound, controllers and games with more detail and story lines. Many being released on multiple disks. The late 80s saw advances in consoles like the Gameboy in 1989, Sega’s Game Gear, the SNES from Nintendo and in the early 90s we see the CD become part of gaming with the CD-ROM format. Sega release their Sega CD as an add on to their Genesis but it’s expensive as an add on to a system you’ve already paid for. The 3DO makes it’s debut in 1993 with systems using this format manufactured by Sanyo, Goldstar and Panasonic. It went on to be Time Magazine’s Product of the Year in 1993 but didn’t sell in the same numbers as competitors like the SNES or, later in the mid 90s, the Sega Saturn and the giants of the mid 90s, the Nintendo 64 and Sony Playstation. Those two systems one from long term video game console manufacture, Nintendo and the other from new comer, Sony changed the console market. Sega struggled after many years of being the main competitor to Nintendo, it was now Sony vs Nintendo. The first Playstation went on to sell
a whopping 104 million units world wide (according to VG Charts) and the N64 32 million. The PC too, was a serious system for gamers, VGA and Super VGA graphics along with sound cards saw DOS claim around 65% of the computer game market by 1990 whilst the Amiga and Apple systems that showed so much promise shrunk to become minor players. For many gamer’s it was id Software’s Doom that changed everything. It seemed that everyone was running out to buy a 486 that would run the first level demo of Doom. That was 1993 and gaming changing. Sure adults had been kicking their kids off the Nintendo to play Mario but now adults had a choice of game systems that were pushing serious graphics around, providing a more realistic and adult gaming experience with sims such as race games and flight games that got niche markets forming clubs and online communities. There were still a few misses like the Apple Pippin which sold only 42,000 unites and was shut down by Steve Jobs when he returned to Apple in 1997. Late in the 90s Sega released its’ last ever console - the Dreamcast, a system that Sega fans hoped would see the once might console maker take it’s place with the now big names of Sony and Nintendo. Sadly, due to lower then expected
sales, Sega withdrew from the console market and focused only becoming a 3rd-party publisher. Only just over 9 million Dreamcast were sold. Those amazing years from the 70s to the end of 1990s have so much gaming history to explore. We’ve only just scratched the surface in this short piece, but that time frame has given us games and gaming systems that we can look back on and see the beginnings of what we have today as gamers. The amazing graphics of a top spec PC and even the current consoles would astound the developers from the 80s. Technology marches on like time. However when we look back to those early times, a few systems stand out as favourites. Systems that you and we here at Live Magazine, loved. They may give you a rush of nostalgia when thinking about those times you sat and played a favourite game. Unwrapped a brand new PC game in a big box and spent hours reading the manual and novellas that some came with. Those are times that we, as gamers, cherish. We at Gametraders and Live Magazine wanted to celebrate those gaming times by asking you to vote for your favourite system prior to 2000. Let’s count down the top 5 that you chose as your gaming System of the Century.
5.
NINTENDO GAME BOY First released in 1989, it became a massive success beating rivals Sega (Game Gear) and Atari’s Lynx and NEC’s TurboExpress. It sold over 1 million in the first few weeks of release in the U.S alone and overall sold over 118 million units (including Game Boy Color). Launch titles like Tetris and Super Mario Land saw it be the preferred hand held system of its’ time. The Game Boy also had the distinction of having a much higher female user base which Nintendo announced in
the mid 90s plus a better battery life and was loved by gamers of all ages. Originally it featured a monochrome screen that was replaced in 1998 by the Game Boy Color.
VARIANTS:
1989 - Game Boy
1994 - Super Game Boy
1996 - Game Boy Pocket 1998 - Game Boy colour 1998 Game Boy Light
First released in 1988 in Japan and the U.S market in 1989, the Sega Mega Drive was a cartridge and, later on, CD based game console. It was Sega’s third console and it dominated sales in in the U.S outselling the SNES by double during the 1991 season (source Wikipedia).
SEGA MEGA DRIVE (AKA SEGA GENESIS)
The success was due to some clever decisions by the new CEO of Sega of America, Tom Kalinske. The decision to release Sonic the Hedgehog as the bundled game with the console saw sales rocket and Sonic called one of the greatest video games you could buy at the time. Also Sega had released the console in Japan earlier then other markets and so had a good library of games available at launch in the U.S, Australia and Europe. Sega was considered “cooler” in the U.S by male gamers then the competing Nintendo system and this enhanced with release
4.
of games like Mortal Kombat with the ability to play the more gory version by entering the “Blood Code” - the SNES however released a censored version of the game and Sega’s “cool factor” increased in their target market and in the gaming media. Sega also released the Sega CD (Mega CD) and a 32bit add on called the Sega 32X which increased the power of the system to compete with the more powerful 32-bit console from Sony - the Playstation. The Mega Drive was eventually replace with the Saturn.
3. SNES (SUPER NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM)
First released in Japan in 1990 and then the North American market in 1991, the SNES a massive success globally for Nintendo and was a follow up to their wildly popular NES. The systemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mode 7 graphics allowed programmers to develop games with a 3D look - games like Pilotwings showed off these abilities as did F-Zero. Special chips were included in game cartridges to give more performance rendering polygons and advanced 2D graphical effects. Games at launch were Super Mario World and F-Zero and Super Mario went on to sell over 20 million. The SNES sold over 49 million consoles and is considered a classic by gamers world wide.
VARIANTS: 1990 - Super Famicom 1991 - Super NES 1998 - Super Famicom Jr.
2. PLAYSTATION
The first playstation from Sony almost didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen. Originally the system was a joint project between Sony and Nintendo where Sony was developing a CD-ROM for Nintendoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Super Famicom - something Sony revealed at the 1991 Consumer Electronics Show. The story goes that a day after the announcement, Nintendo decided to instead go with Phillips due to both Sony and Nintendo unable to agree on a revenue split. Sony was not happy and President Norio Ohga appointed Ken Kutaragi as the head of the PlayStation project. Still the project had another hurdle to overcome at a board meeting. The meeting held in June of 92 had Kutaragi remind the board
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and the CEO of the humiliation that Nintendo had inflated on them and the decision was made to go ahead with the project. 3D polygon graphics were chosen as the consoles focus (source Wikipedia) after Sony saw the success Sega had with Virtua Fighter... Tekken for example was a brilliant alternative. Sony worked hard on creating what some called, the “machine of the future” (Steven
Pool in his book Trigger Happy) and released it in 1994 in Japan and 1995 in the U.S, Australia and Europe. It was the first console to sell over 100 million saw classic games released including, Tekken, Ridge Racer, Grand Turismo, WipeOut, Tomb Raider and Colin McRae Rally among many others. For many gamers, it was their first console, it opened a world of 3D gaming with fast smooth graphics and excellent 3rd party support thanks to Sony’s approach of dealing with developers providing them with a range of
programming libraries and a well run tech support team to help developers get the head around the hardware. It may have even inspired Microsoft to create their first gaming console - the Xbox. The PlayStation in all its variants sold over 104 million units.
VARIANTS: 1994 - PlayStation 1996 - PlayStation (5000 series) 1997 - PlayStation White 1998 - PlayStation (7000 series) 1999 - PlayStation (9000 series) (In 2000 Sony released the PSone but this system comes after our cutoff time).
SYSTEM OF THE CENTURY: NINTENDO
64!
Codenamed “Project Reality” it was launched in 1996, named by Time Magazine as “Machine of the Year) and launched with 3 absolutely brilliant games Super Mario 64, Pilotwings 64 and Saikyo Habu Shogi (Japan only). While competing with the PlayStation and Saturn it had, unlike its competition, a 64-bit processing unit based on the MIPS processor architecture owned by Silicon Graphics. This meant it was better at displaying polygon 3D graphics and it’s cartridge system meant fast loading times but higher manufacturing costs. The N64 was promoted as the first 64-bit gaming system even though the Atari Jaguar claimed this title however some questioned this as the Jaguar executed a 32-bit instruction set but sent control signals to the 64-bit processor (source Wikipedia). At the launch of the system, many praised its face paced graphics thanks to the 64-bit
processors, the lightning fast cartridges compared to the slower CD-ROMs of Sony and Sega and it’s sharp detailed graphics. It outsold Sony and Sega during it’s first few months but in Japan it didn’t sell as well as the PlayStation or the Saturn.
Some of the best video games you can play came out on the N64 including:
Gametraders stores regularly report high demand for the system and particularly the Pikachu Edition that featured a striking blue and yellow version with a Pikachu on the system.
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron Mario Tennis
Pilotwings 64 (a favourite at the Live offices) Conker’s Bad Fur Day Mario Party
Pokemon Snap
F-Zero X
Golden Eye 007 (brilliant multiplayer) Perfect Dark
YOUR SAY RETRO
The Gamer
THE CONTINUING STORY
While I had stuck with my Super Nintendo throughout the 32-bit era so far, a special person was about to change my perspective on things. My second girlfriend, also called Amy, was well and truly a member of the Nintendo 64 club. Through her I gained membership and experienced my first time holding the iconic controller. Well... many people call it iconic, but I’ve never been a fan of the original N64 analog stick.
do, as I wasn’t playing it anymore. I hesitated, remembering what happened with the Amstrad CPC and the regret I felt over letting that go. I didn’t want to sell something that was a big part of my childhood, and I knew that there was a lot of life left in the system. I said I wanted to keep it, so my mother uttered the quote that would start the retro revolution that still lives on inside me today. Her near-exact words were:
While I currently own 5 or 6 Nintendo 64s, I have always disliked the feel of the control stick. The way that it grinds against the edges, and the powdery buildup from it just worries me. Having to replace the stick with it dies is also a pain! A couple of years ago I purchased a Hori controller, which is a lot smaller and has a Gamecube style analog controller. They’re not cheap, but it’s now my weapon of choice for all of my N64 gaming.
“If you’re going to keep it then you should go get some more games for it.”
Back in 1998 Amy and I played through Mario 64, and I was surprised at how easy it was to adapt to the 3D world. Being that it was the first third person 3D game I had ever played it was a bit of a culture shock, but it was just so much fun. The graphics are delightfully blocky and the music has a very Mario feel about it. I still had issues with the control stick, but that didn’t detract from the gaming experience. Around this time my mother suggested that I sell the Super Ninten-
I pondered this, as SNES games were becoming scarce. I thought that maybe Cash Converters would be the place to find some old games. I journeyed down to my local store and picked up a bunch of them for between $5 and $10 each. I went to a few stores that day, loaded up on games, and introduced Amy to the previous system. I’m not sure she was that impressed, but I was having fun with it. I visited Cash Converters stores all over the metro area, and discovered games and devices that I had never heard of before. I picked up different types of controllers, including the SNES programmable pad that James and I had seen in the pages of Super Play. All of my Cash Converter trips would be about hunting for Super Nintendo games, but it was at Cash Converters Gepps
1998 - 1999
r diaries:
Y OF RETRO EDITOR, PAUL MONOPOLI’S GAMING JOURNEY...
Cross that I would lay eyes on my first ever US Super Nintendo. The boxy console was accompanied by a collection of cartridges, some genuine, but many of them pirates multi carts. I took the console home and nothing I could do would get it working. I owned an NTSC compatible TV, so that wasn’t the problem. There was nothing I could do, so I took it back and got store credit to buy a Nintendo 64 of my own with Goldeneye 64. I did end up keeping one of the controllers that came with the US Super Nintendo, though this was an accident. I found it a few days after returning it, though I always forgot to take it back. There are a few regrets with that one, as I should have kept the games and negotiated a return price for the console.
While I now owned the most current Nintendo system, I found myself playing the previous generation far more. I was starting to become addicted to hunting down Super Nintendo games. If I wasn’t spending time with Amy on the weekend I would be visiting Cash Converters stores and buying up anything that looked interesting. A bit later in the year I signed up for an Ebay account which opened up a whole new world for me. On Ebay I was slow to get started, using the site as a way of seeing what was out there and then hunt-
ing at Cash Converters. I started to explore other video game systems, and I purchased a Sega Saturn for $39 with a few games, including Virtua Fighter Kids. Virtua Fighter Kids is a chibi take on the classic series, though being able to trap your opponent in the corner meant that it was a bit easy. I took the Saturn over to Clinton’s house and we spent most of the evening playing the game, though we did check out the other titles I bought as well. Realising my growing interest in retro, Clinton purchased a second hand Megadrive as a Christmas present. I’m not sure if he had spoken to Amy about it previously, but she did little to dissuade my interest in retro games. When we would visit Clinton, Amy would often take a back seat and watch us play games. We would talk with her as we played, but I do wonder if she got bored watching us play round after round of Street Fighter or King of Fighters. Life was kinda cruisy in the late 90s and early 2000s. I had no responsibilities yet, and when I wasn’t working or studying I was out and about hunting for games. This actually helped me to get out of my comfort zone and visit different parts of the city and suburbs. It also served to fill up my cupboards and drawers rather quickly. Amy found it amusing that I would keep my Star Wars figures and retro games in an old glory box that my mother used to have. In reality, I needed all the storage I could get for my growing collections. The final year of the millennium would see my collection grow even more. In early 1999 I used Ebay to order my first ever import console.
While everything VB was cheap I placed Ebay orders for all of the common games, including Mario Clash, Wario Land and more. Uncommon games like SD Gundam were expensive, even back then. While the games arrived relatively quickly, it would be 2 months of waiting before the console itself came knocking at the door. I can remember the day I got it. Thankfully I was home when I saw the delivery man walking towards the door. As soon as I saw the size of the box I knew what it was. I ripped it open, removed the Virtual Boy, then realised that I didn’t have the 6 AA batteries needed to power it! After a quick trip down the shop I was ready to play. I started with the pack in title, Mario Tennis. It’s a little known fact that Mario Tennis on the Virtual Boy is actually the first in the series, with Gameboy and Nintendo 64 versions following a short while after. I remember plugging the cartridge in, then settling my head into the visor and turning the console on. Mario bounces the ball on the ground, then hits it with his racket. The ball came towards me and I quickly backed my head away from the visor, before laughing and realising that it was the 3D effect. Though many will criticise
the console for its lack of colour, the games that play well on it are a lot of fun. Wario Land is a game that I have completed several times now, and I always go back to it every couple of years. The game involves everyone’s favourite antagonist chasing down some treasure seekers in an attempt to claim it all for himself. The treasure hunters lay a trap for him, and after being sent to the depths of the underground, Wario must escape while stealing as much of their loot as possible along the way. The rewards are plentiful and like the GameBoy games before it, there are plenty of power ups to keep you busy. You can become Bull Wario, Eagle Wario, Sea Dragon Wario and King Dragon Wario. This was one of the earliest games that allowed the played to jump into the background, a feature that has since been reused in the Kirby series. Mario Clash is a remake of the original Mario Bros, but in 3D. Mario can use the pipes to travel between the foreground and background, hurling koopa shells at the enemies. Some enemies can only have shells thrown at them when you are in the same plane as them, while others need to have shells hurled across the two planes. The controls are easy to master and the difficulty increases gradually as you learn the game mechanics. Unfortunately there wasn’t enough to keep me playing, as after the first 10 levels or so I just felt like moving on to the next game. Around this time I was asked to babysit my cousins on a semi-regular basis. They owned a Nintendo 64 and were big fans of Goldeneye. Amy would occasionally come along
1998 - 1999
During my Ebay browsing I came across the Virtual Boy, and remembered how James and I had longed to play one. They had now been on the market for 4 years, and people couldn’t get rid of them fast enough! I picked mine up for $90AU, and that’s including international postage. I think the console itself was roughly $40, and was boxed. The box was slightly beaten up, but that was a small price to pay for this piece of history.
Around early to mid 1999 I was still working for Bi Lo Supermarkets, but there was about to be a shakeup. An old boss of mine from the Ingle Farm store had been moved to the Modbury store, and he wanted me to move along with him. I was a good worker, and a few of the managers had expressed interest in having me move to their stores. My old boss was persuasive and he managed to get me to make the decision, so for the final 18 months of my retail life I worked out of the Modbury Triangle store. This put me in close proximity to Cash Converters Modbury and The Game Guru, at Tea Tree Plaza, the shopping centre across the road from the Modbury Triangle. I don’t actually ever recall buying anything from The Game Guru, but I certainly spent my fair share at Cash Converters. For $15 I picked up an official Master System adapt-
er for the Megadrive. I didn’t own a Master System at this stage, so it seemed like a worthy purchase. When I got it home I realised that the device is actually designed for the Sega Megadrive 1. The unit Clinton gave me for Christmas was the Megadrive 2, and the moulding caused the adapter to be incompatible. Eventually I purchased an original Megadrive and was able to use the adapter. It was at this store that I found my first ever pirate cartridge, Mickey’s Magical Quest 3 for the Super Famicom. This is the final game in the Mickey Mouse series, and arguably the best. For some reason it was only released in Japan, but while the second game featured Minnie as the the second player, this game has your partner controlling Donald Duck. Like the previous games you could wear different costumes to help you get through different situations, and also like the previous games in the series it was a lot of fun. I found the concept of pirate cartridges interesting, but unfortunately in recent years the cartridge has stopped working, though I still keep it around as a keepsake. That’s all from me this month. Join me next month as I get a bit cheeky with a video game store, discover import stores and venture into obscure handheld territory. If you want to see more of what I do then give me a follow on Twitter @Dizrythmia.
1998 - 1999
to help me babysit, and we would often end up sitting around the TV, battling each other James Bond style. What is there to say about Goldeneye 64 that others haven’t already mentioned? The level design is well done, with plenty of elements from the movie, the controls don’t lag and the music helps to give the game that James Bond feeling. Earlier I mentioned that I owned my own copy, and I had a lot of fun with the single player part of the game. However, I think most people will agree that the game really comes alive in 4 player mode.
WRITTEN BY PAUL MONOPOLI
YOUR SAY INTERVIEW
A SUPA INTER Paul: I am sitting here, at Supanova Melbourne with with the one and only Vic Mignogna. Vic: Hey. Paul: I hope that’s how it’s pronounced. (Min-ya-na) Vic: Oh yes! You nailed it! You nailed it Paul. Paul: Haha, I practiced! So, Broly from Dragonball! Vic: Haha. Paul: You’ve been in over 200 different series. Vic: Oh, 300. Paul: 300 now. Vic: Oh yeah. Paul: I’ve been trying to interview you for quite some time, but every time I nearly do you do more work, so there’s just such a long list of things to talk about. Vic: Haha, well, thank god. That’s a very fortunate problem to have, so I’m very grateful.
Paul: It is. Now the first thing I noticed, when I was lining up today for autographs was your fanbase. You have a massive fanbase who love you, and you get out there, you interact with them, you give them hugs and you talk to them all individually...
conventions that do it as well, or certainly any better than Supanova.
Vic: I love them.
Paul: So let’s just talk about a couple of them...
Paul: Certainly not. Now, I wanted to address a couple of different series. You’ve been in 300 roughly... Vic: Mmm, hmm...
Paul: And they love you! Vic: Sure... Vic: I am so profoundly grateful for the fact that people have enjoyed the work that I’ve done. The anime fans are, in my estimate, probably the most enthusiastic, supportive, kind fans, and so I want to make sure that they all know how much they mean to me and how grateful I am for the privilege to do what I do. So I would be remiss not to share that with them. Paul: And Australian fans, because you’ve been here quite a few times. Vic: Oh my gosh! I love Australia so much! I think the first time I came here was 10 plus years ago, to Supanova, and ever since I have just really, really cherished every chance to come back, and I am continually amazed and humbled by the turnout. The fans are so supportive and enthusiastic. I look for any excuse to come back here. I love it. And the people that run Supanova are the best. I mean, they’re among the best in the world. I do a lot of conventions and there aren’t many
Paul: So you are probably best known to Dragonball fans as Broly, the legendary super saiyan. What are your feelings on the character? It’s a little bit of a mixed bag with fans. Some people think the was just a muscle bound beefcake who pretty much just said “KAKKAROT!!” Vic: Hahaha. You know what? I’ve been very fortunate that fans, at least the DBZ fans that I’ve met really like Broly. I mean, he doesn’t have a very intricate personality. He doesn’t have many facets to his character. He’s a bad dude and wants to cause trouble, but the DBZ fans have really embraced him. In fact I wish I had a nickel for every time somebody said “why don’t they bring Broly into the prime universe?” You know, “why don’t they make him part of the prime universe?” I would love that. My feeling about the character is that it’s really hard to do, it’s very hard on my voice, physically, because it’s very
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rough. It’s very strenuous. I mean, you hear that I sound like. I don’t sound like him.
Paul: With Macross you worked with the original Minmay who played the role in Japanese.
Paul: No, definitely not.
Vic: How cool was that! Mari Iijima! She is so lovely and talented. She’s a musician like I am. Singer, songwriter like I am, and we just hit it off. We met each other at a convention years before we did Macross and they bought her in to reprise her role as Minmay, so it was really a thrill to do that with her.
Vic: So, that part of it’s hard but I’m very very grateful to be part of such an amazing franchise. So, if it takes screaming and yelling Kakkarot to be a part of DBZ then that’s what I’ll do. Paul: And you were sitting 2 seats away from the original Kakkarot today, Masako Nozawa. Vic: Wasn’t that amazing! I got to meet her at the green room when she first arrived this morning, and we took photos, and what a pleasure. Yes, she’s an icon. Paul: She is. You hadn’t actually met her before, I know Sean Schemmel had. Vic: I wouldn’t be surprised, because he plays Goku. But that was the first time I got to meet her. Paul: Super Dimension Fortress Macross. You played Hikaru in that. Vic: I did. the Rick Hunter character. So many people remember Robotech, and they don’t always know where it came from, what was the original Japanese anime that Robotech was built on and it was Macross. So it was a real privilege to play Hikaru Ichijo. What a thrill, I mean such a great, great series, Macross. Infact that was the same year that I played Edward Elric in Full Metal Alchemist and did Macross and Full Metal at the same time. That was pretty fun.
Paul: I was speaking to Monica Rial, who was also in that same production and she said they got to hang out a little bit and she was talking about Uncle Carl. What are your memories of Uncle Carl (Macek)? Vic: Well, yeah... Carl was a really good guy. He was a really good guy... You never expect when you work with people... I can’t even really put it into words. You don’t expect that you’re never going to see someone again, you know what I mean? It’s like, as long as you know someone it’s always a bit of a shock when you hear that they’ve passed, and he was a really good guy. I did several shows for Carl, and so... He was a good guy, it was a pleasure to work with him. Paul: Now of the 200, 200 plus shows you’ve done, do you have a favourite? Vic: You know, for the longest time I always tried to be very diplomatic about that and tactful, because whoever asked the question, I want to answer in a way that will please them, I want to answer in a way they’re going to like. So, if an Ouran High School cosplayer comes up to me and says “who’s
your favourite character?” I’m looking em over and I’m thinking ‘I bet they’d really love it if I said Tamaki’, so I’ll say “Oh, Tamaki Suoh”, right? But someone comes up dressed as Yuki from Vampire Knight and says ‘Who’s your favourite character?’ I’m gonna wanna say Zero. So for the longest time I tried to be all things to all men so to speak. But then after we finished recording Full Metal Brotherhood. When we got to the last episode and I realised that it was probably going to be the last time I would ever play that character I kinda had to come to terms with the fact that Ed is probably the best role, and the one that I have loved the most of all the characters I play. Edward Elric has to be my favourite. Paul: Now you’ve done singing for Funimation. You’ve sung the theme to Dragonball Kai, Dragonball GT... Vic: One Piece, Ouran, Full Metal... Paul: Is it something that you do just as a side gig? Vic: Oh my gosh, not side gig? I’ve been writing and producing music twice as long as I’ve been voice acting. So as long as I’ve been doing this, I’ve been writing and singing, producing and arranging, and composing a long time. In fact, it took a while before the anime industry that I was in said “Oh hey, you sing don’t you?” (laughs) “Who don’t you sing this song?” I’m like, “yeah, I’d love it!” So it was a long time, I was in the industry 10 years before someone said: “I think Vic sings. Why don’t we have him sing one of the theme songs?” So I was always hopeful that maybe my music and singing background would overlap at some point.
Paul: And of all of the people who sang the Dragonball Kai theme, yours was the one that was chosen for broadcast. Vic: Well I was very grateful. I was very honoured. In fact I was asked by Funimation to record that, and then some other voice actors kinda decided to record it as well, but I really enjoyed doing that song. In fact, just a few hours ago, at my panel, I sang it live here, at Supanova. I plugged my phone in and... kick it up, you know! (Vic sings a few bars of Dragon Soul). Paul: All we need is the backing track now. Which I actually have on here! I have it!
Scotty. Grant Imahara from Myth Busters playing Sulu. We’ve had 7 million views and won a dozen awards. I’m very very proud of what we’ve accomplished. I started it out as merely, just my love letter to Star Trek. I wanted to say “thankyou” to that series, that meant so much to me when I was young, and it’s been so gratifying that so many people have enjoyed it. Paul: Now there are 8 episodes really at the moment. How many do you have planned? Vic: 11 total, and 9, 10 and 11 have already been shot. We’re editing them and preparing them right now and they will all be released this year.
Vic: Hahaha! Paul: No previews at Supanova? Paul: Star Trek Continues is a series you’re involved in. Live action, it’s has been acclaimed and endorsed by Rod Roddenberry as well. Vic: Many, many people, thankfully, have really enjoyed there series. Not only am I involved in it, I created it. I started it, I’m the executive producer, I play Captain Kirk. It’s a childhood dream project. It’s like my passion project. Paul: And you’ve got your fellow Funimation alum involved, you’ve got... Vic: Todd Haberkorn playing Spock, Chuck Huber playing McCoy, Chris Doohan playing his father’s role as
Vic: Nooooo, oh any gosh, but I’ve gotta tell ya: 9 is amazing, and wait till you see the guest star. 10 and 11 is a 2 parter, series finale. Paul: Will they be released together, or will fans have to wait? Vic: They’ll be released a couple of weeks apart. Not at the same time, because that kinda ruins the fun of the anticipation, but they’re not going to be released months apart. I think they’ll be released a few weeks apart. Paul: Brilliant. In closing, do you have a message for the fans?
Vic: My message is simple, I love you. God bless you for your kindness to me. I never cease to be amazed, never. You know, I told Daniel here, who runs Supanova the other day. We were back behind the partition in Gold Coast, and I was walking up and Daniel was behind the partition. He goes “Bro, you’ve got a massive queue!” And I said to him “you know, any show I do, anywhere on the planet, something in the back of my mind is afraid that this is going to be the show that I’m gonna step out and nobody’s going to be there. It’s always in the back of my mind that the day is coming, when you rode that wave, but it’s done now. People are used to you, they’ve seen you or they’ve met you or whatever, and they’re not going to be there. I say that to say that I do not in any way take for granted every time I do a show and fans come out to say hello, or get an autograph or get a picture, I am so tremendously honoured by their support and their kindness, and I hope they know that. And, any chance I get I any interview, when somebody says to me, as you just did, “do you have a message for the fans”, my message is “thankyou. I love you, for your kindness to me”. Paul: And thankyou. We love you Vic Mignogna. Vic: Thankyou.
“My message (to my fans) is simple,
I love you. God bless you for your kindness to me.
I never cease to be amazed, never.” - Vic Mignogna
INTERVIEWED BY PAUL MONOPOLI
YOUR SAY INTERVIEW
A SUPA INTER Paul: Similar to how you do Son Goku? Nozawa-san: Yes
Paul: Sitting with me now at Supanova 2017 is an absolute legend. 50 years in the business, voicing characters like Gegege No Kitarou, Son Goku, Son Gohan, Son Goten, is Masako Nozawa. Thankyou for joining me. Nozawa-san: Thankyou very much. Paul: I watched some episodes of Gegege No Kitarou at my hotel last night. I love the series. Nozawa-san: Ahh, thank you very much. Paul: What are your memories of the series? Nozawa-san: The first time I saw the storyline and the script I heard that he was from the realm of the past people, the Yokai. So in that realm I didn’t expect him to be like that, but I just acted as though I was just a normal boy, and that was very memorable for me.
Paul: How was the transition from Goku as a child to Goku as an adult for you? Nozawa-san: It just comes very natural to me, and I see the picture and I get into character. So if I see an adult Goku as a picture I would just become an adult Goku. If I see him as a child I just act as though I’m just a child Goku, so it just comes very natural. Paul: Now, you’ve met Sean Schemmel, the English Goku. Did you give him any advice for the character? Nozawa-san: No, I’ve never given him any advice. He has his own Goku, and I just believe in him in doing what he does. Paul: Beautiful. Thankyou very much for your time Nozawa-san. Arigatou. Nozawa-san: Thankyou.
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INTERVIEWED BY PAUL MONOPOLI
YOUR SAY INTERVIEW
A SUPA INTER Paul: Sounds like it.
Paul: With big thanks to Supanova Melbourne, I’m sitting here with a man who is described in the book as “the nearest thing the games industry has to a bonafide leading man.” How do you explain that, Nolan North? Nolan: Ugh... I didn’t write it. Haha, that’s the best way to explain it. Nah, I’ve been privileged to get some pretty cool roles... I mean, haha, that’s a bit embarrassing to be honest with you, but... I’ll take it. Why not? Paul: You’ve been Nathan Drake in Uncharted, the Prince in Prince of Persia. You’ve been Deadpool! Nolan: Yes, I am all 3. This one, this one and this one (Nolan impersonates each of the 3 characters). So yeah, all of those. Prince of Persia’s kinda odd though because, I don’t get the a lot when people bring it up, because it was funny. A friend for mine, Yuri Lowenthal was the first, then it went to another friend of mine, Robin Atkin Downes for the next one, then it went back to Yuri Lowenthal, then I did it, then it went back to Yuri, so I don’t know if they’re toying with Yuri Lowenthal.
Nolan: But it was nice to be able to do that, although I don’t think he should have sounded like he was from Iowa. I wanted to do some exotic voice but the carpet’s this thick and that accent’s a little silly. Paul: Now you started as a journalist. You changed careers and become an actor. Did you ever see yourself becoming predominately a voice actor? Nolan: No, you know, I never really... that wasn’t something that I necessarily aspired to. I think an actor is nothing more than any other independent contractor, and I take the work that is available and is interesting to me at this point. You’ll never meet a plumber who only works on toilets, you know. It’s like “I’ll fix do sink, I’ll fix the pipes”, so um. Yeah, you know, I think it’s funny. I don’t consider myself a voice actor. I’m just an actor, and I’ve done live theatre, so it’s the same if it’s a microphone or if it’s a camera. My job is to just to deliver performance and it’s been great, and the one thing I’d say about voice acting is when you’re on camera you’re limited to what you look like, and this is it. With voice acting in animation or games I can be anyone, any colour, anything. I’ve played a viking beaver. Not a lot of people can say that! Paul: True. It also gets you friends in high places. JJ Abrams had you in
a Star Trek movie because he was a fan of Uncharted. What was that like?
Nolan: That was a bit bizarre. I was doing another job and he realised... somebody had mentioned Uncharted and he just went off that he was a huge fan, and we called his son and left him a message, and he said “boy I really owe you. Thankyou so much”, and I said “Well yeah, just put me on the Enterprise on you’re next go ‘round” and he just flat out goes “hey, you wanna do it? You wanna be in the movie?” And I thought... you know, it’s one of those things where you think “Really?” I said “well, I’ll audition” and he goes “nah, nah. I know you can act. Yeah, you wanna do it?” and it was just like that, so it was brilliant. It was a wonderful time. One line made it through, but I actually had some fans here at Supanova bring up Star Trek stuff for me to sign, right next to Peter Weller’s name, which is pretty interesting cos he was my captain in that movie. Paul: Now, the last question we’ve got. Motion capture and voice acting vs stage, TV and movie acting. How do you approach each of those? Nolan: Again, I think an actor’s job is just to deliver performance, no matter the medium. You know, motion capture, performance capture, whatever you want to call it, it’s as close to theatre as possible. Some-
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thing called ‘black box theatre’ where there’s very minimal props, and I think it’s incredibly... freeing actually. I think a lot of people look and they go ‘yeah, but there’s nothing here to work with’, and so yeah, or there’s everything here to work with. And what’s great about it is if you really focus on the connection with the characters it doesn’t matter what’s around you. The technology has come to the point where they’ll have monitors up and you can actually now in real time see what it’s gonna look like, in rough sketch type form. But that connection with the actor is the same as it is when you’re doing stage, except of course you’re gonna take 2, 3 or 4. The only other thing is now with all the facial capture the makeup is very... you know, they have to do the facial dots and things like that, but the flip side, live action, like Pretty Little Liars I’ve done for 7 seasons and then Con Man with Alan Tudyk and Nathan Fillion that we’ve done. It’s pretty amazing because when you do live action it’s wardrobe, and then there’s massive makeup and hair, and we shoot one one side of the scene, then they have to relight and
turn it all around, and it’s so time consuming, and I think one of the things I love about voice over and motion capture is, well, it’s all done at once. So in many ways I prefer a lot of the motion capture and the animation and things like that because... I’m lazy. It’s so great. I don’t have to shave, I don’t cleaned up. I can just sit there and roll in some coffee. We do a couple of scenes and I’m home to pick up my kid from school. You don’t do on location. I had a small role in a show in Atlanta. It was supposed to be in and out, 3 days and be back in time for my son’s birthday, and it rained for 6 straight days. I was there for 11 days and it’s the only time I’ve ever missed one of my kid’s birthdays, and that’s a privilege, and voice over affords me that. But I’m happy to do everything. At this point in my career it’s just ‘what excites me?’ ‘what gets me going?’ and quite frankly, there’s a lot of good writing and a lot of good roles in gaming and animation. It’s just fun. Paul: Thankyou for your time Nolan, it’s been a pleasure. Nolan: Absolutely, thankyou.
INTERVIEWED BY PAUL MONOPOLI
YOUR SAY MOVIES
BEST SUPERH In a world where you can’t turn a corner without seeing a superhero movie it seems like a challenge to make a list of the best of them. But damn it, I’m going to try! Not only am I going to try but I’m also going to surprise. Remember, these are my opinions. It’s totally OK to disagree with me. I know how you Marvel/DC fans like to get all fired up and defensive if someone disagrees with you. Up, Up and away!
Darkman (1990) Darkman is the underrated masterpiece from director Sam Raimi. Liam Neeson plays Dr Peyton Westlake who is injured in a mob attack on his laboratory leaving him a scared, broken man. He now feels no pain and with the technology he was working on, growing skin grafts, he is able to make up faces to wear thus becoming able to hid in plain sight. He plots his revenge on the mobsters who attacked him and ruined his life. This film is simply wonderful. It has that frantic Sam Raimi energy and is led by Liam Neeson going totally bonkers in the lead roll of Darkman. While it is not a conventional superhero film, it is certainly one of the best and most entertaining films ever made.
Batman (1989) The 1989 Batman film is just a joy to watch. Michael Keaton is fantastic as Bruce Wayne, but everyone
remembers Jack Nicholson’s The Joker. The film is directed by Tim Burton, but thankfully lacks the signature weirdness his films would eventually become saturated with. The film stands as a fantastic gothic fantasy with some great performances from its exceptionally talented cast.
Superman Returns (2006) I know what you are thinking, and you’re wrong. Superman Returns is a great film and is an affectionate love letter to filmmaking of days gone by and an amazing tribute to Christopher Reeve’s Superman. What makes this movie so great is that it is fun, beautiful and totally family friendly. Brandon Routh makes a great turn as the man of steel and really captures the hope and love that Christopher Reeve had planted in that role years before. It breaks my heart that Superhero movies have become bland, drab, joyless affairs of late. Superman Returns shows that a superhero can be full of hope.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) Captain America: The Winter Soldier stands as one of the best political thrillers of our times. What Joe and Anthony Russo pull off with this film is just fantastic. They take the
HERO MOVIES EVER MADE! superhero film and inject depth and intelligence. It really does stand tall among the ever blurring together Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Split (2016) Ha! Bet you didn’t see that coming! Also spoiler alert, yes Split is a superhero film! Well to be more accurate it’s a super-villain film. Split is essentially Unbreakable 2, the sequel to M. Night Shyamalan’s groundbreaking masterpiece. Split is the ultimate super-villain origin story. Nothing Marvel and DC have done even comes close to this in setting up a compelling and interesting villain. The film received a lot of flack for not being an accurate depiction of mental illness... Well, here’s the thing... It’s a damn superhero movie! Not a documentary.
The Avengers (2012) Yes Marvel’s The Avengers. The film that showed us that having that big a cast can work, although only if they are fighting Loki. The Avengers was an absolute blast. It smashed box office records and became a worldwide sensation. What more can you say about it? “Kneel!”
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
other superhero movie ever made. You don’t need to end the world... But you can break a bat’s spirit.
Guardians of the Galaxy... The breath of fresh air in the super hero genre. What makes Guardians so special is its irreverent joy and humour. Not to mention the best soundtrack of any movie on this list. James Gunn brings us a film that is an utter joy to behold. Filled to the brim with loveable misfits and campy villains, Guardians of the Galaxy is the ultimate roller coaster ride.
Superman (1978)
The Dark Knight (2008) The smash sequel to Batman Begins, The Dark Knight really took superhero films to the next level. It stands as not only a great superhero film, but as a great film. It’s like heat with a mad clown running around. The film is elevated by this need to stick to an element of realism. I mean sure there are guys in bat suits running around, but what brings the movie up is that the Joker’s plot is simply fantastic. He isn’t here to destroy the world. He’s just here to make Batman struggle. That’s what makes it so damn good! Unlike EVERY OTHER superhero movie lately where the FATE OF EVERYTHING is at stake! The Dark Knight is simply the battle for Gotham’s soul. Which makes this movie far better than almost every
“You will believe a man can fly.” With that simple promise Richard Donner’s Superman soared to Number 2 on this list. While people today may scoff at it’s simpleness and its light heartedness, that’s what makes this film so damn special. It’s a joyful, cheerful, uplifting film that exists purely for you to have fun and be amazed and fill you with hope. That’s what Superman is all about! Hope. That’s what this film does! It is just amazing in it’s hopefulness.
Unbreakable (2000) Yes! M Night. Shaymalan strikes again. Unbreakable was just SO FAR ahead of its time. Had this film come out this year in the midst of Superhero saturation we face now it would be considered some kind of post-modern masterpiece. It’s skilful deconstruction of the superhero mythology is second to none. The film speaks volumes about what it means to be a hero and weeds out the essentials of what super heroes and indeed their villains are all about. The yin and yang of it all. It is one of the best films ever made and now given the world saturated by pop culture we live in Unbreakable stands even taller.
“
Unbreakable
was just SO FAR ahead of its time.”
BY SCOTT F. SOWTER
@SCOTTFSOWTER
YOUR SAY WARGAMING
THE CIRCUS Ben: One day in late 2015, seemingly out of nowhere, Sean had started to build some terrain. No that’s not true; he started building some gorgeous terrain. The kind of terrain that made me feel jealous, and question whether I’d ever been any good at building terrain! He’d been inspired by Games Workshop’s skirmish miniatures game, Mordheim. Not long afterwards, as he tells it, then I got inspired and suddenly produced a narrative campaign structure for 15-ish scenarios strung together by a loose story, and end-game impacts for wins and losses, and the campaign was born. But I don’t remember it quite like that! Sean: Like many weathered hobbyists my bookshelves are a holding of venerable rules manuals, White Dwarfs and magical artifacts which Games Workshop in their infinite wisdom chose to confine to the dark corners of neck-bearded nostalgia. One relic in particular, the Mordheim rulebook, has always had the power to transport me back to day I first picked through it. More specifically there’s a photo in there which evokes such a strange influx of inspiration I’d almost consider it my project muse. An Undead warband complete with a characterful “Hunchback of Notredame”-esque Dreg seemed to have a profound impact on 13-year-old me and define much of how I imagined the City of the Damned for the next 15 years. When, by chance, I stumbled
across that model (which I discovered was “Luther the Hunchback” from “Warhammer Quest: Catacombs of Terror”) on eBay in early 2015 it gave a place to release much of that post-teen Mordheim angst...
Ben: Sean and I worked together at GW during Mordheim’s ‘golden years’ when it was on the shelves. Indeed I still have the White Dwarf issues where the concept game was published. We ran many campaigns in-store, and played them at home. We both amassed huge collections of minis, terrain, rules, and source material over the years, and I think it’s fair to say that both of us still look back at those days with fond memories. I even have a german copy of Mordheim; Mortheim. This was delivered one day to the store in our weekly stock order. The manager was amused, but thought it wouldn’t sell. I bought it immediately. It gave me extra scenery (always good) and extra copies of the minis (always hoard bitz). I speak some conversational Deutsch, so that was good too. Anyway, what could be more atmospheric than having a German language copy of a game called Mordheim, set in a city in the state of Ostermark, where they speak Reikspiel, and are lead (later on of course) by Karl Franz? Nothing! Sean: When I look back at our time together in GW I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to truly appreciate the
S IS COMING A MORDHEIM CAMPAIGN
incredible environment we shared. The standard of painting, terrain making, ideas and pure talent of which we had contact would make any aspiring hobbyist envious. Not only did we have guys like BenSquig as a staff member (who would go on to win multiple Golden Demon Emperor’s Chosen competitions, as well as judging Golden Demon itself!), but Adam Brignall from “Adpaint Commissions” also spent a couple of years with us and we were lucky enough to have Victoria Lamb as a regular visitor (yep, Vic Lamb herself, famous for pioneering source-lighting and her GD-winning Mordheim diorama “The Rescue of Sister Joan”). Mordheim has always been an awesome platform to express that whole spectrum of hobby skills... Ben: In the years since we both moved on to other things, we had often talked about playing another Mordheim campaign, and spent intermittent evenings mulling over ideas, debating structure, and remember the days when it was on the shelves at GW. But it never really happened, always just a favoured memory and an exciting concept. I wasn’t heaps keen on committing to a regular gaming night at the time, but I was keen to take my existing warbands for a ‘points battle’ game every now and then. Sean
was dead-set on the campaign, and didn’t give my suggestions much play. These conversations went on over some time, without an end. At some point Sean just started building terrain. Sean: Perhaps strangely, I never totally shunned the idea of a few points match games. That section, hidden away in the back of the rules-manual, always struck me as a curiosity - however it just doesn’t “feel” like Mordheim. Mordheim, for me at least, was always a vessel for telling a story. A collection of narrative games, or a loose campaign, of which all added up to something greater than the sum of its parts. Needless to say, I was extremely impressed (and perhaps equally surprised) when Ben presented me with a narrative campaign he’d written as though he plucked it from The Pit. Ben: Not long afterward Sean began his terrain building and had assembled a whole bunch of buildings, I got inspired to put some campaign material together. Sean has an old Carnival of Chaos warband he’d done up for Armies on Parade, and won, so I think that was fresh in my mind and ultimately could be where the spark of inspiration came from. I thought about what happens when the carnival comes to town; how the people feel about it, what they’ve heard about from rumours, and how they react. I didn’t really tell him though, I just started quietly outlining a story. This was about the carnival coming to town, and the ‘good folk’ who’d heard the stories of horror rallying against it. On the other side would be those who were aligned with the
chaos powers, and those who either didn’t care or enjoyed the anarchy, they’d be all for the carnival’s arrival. I liked the concept, and over the next couple of weeks I went through all the different scenarios gathered from various sources, and fitted them into a loose story. I also thought about small benefits that could be earned down the line for each win.
A little while later I showed my working draft to Sean, and he was keen for it, so then I wrote it all up nicely in campaign document. We discussed and agreed on several key points: 1. 100% painted. No half-measures here. Paint all your models, and all the terrain. Make every game gorgeous. 2. All-new warbands. you’ve already painted.
Nothing
3. All-human warbands. We previously ran and enjoyed a HumanLeague for Bloodbowl and loved it. So we outlined a select list of Human warbands that we’d use for this campaign Sean: The main intention regarding the enforcement of human warbands was for the purpose of longevity. We’d invested so much time in building terrain and planning the campaign that we felt we needed to make it last more than a dozen games. I suggested that by limiting which warbands available for use we’d almost have ready-made
ideas for the future (and hopefully be itching to convert/paint/run the warbands we REALLY wanted to do also!). Pirates warbands in Sartosa, Witch-hunters sent to investigate Slyvannian border-towns and competing Cults of Possessed are all plot-points which have been thrown around to ensure we get the most of hobby investment without Mordheim going stale... But before all that, it was time to get hyped up. The circus is coming to town... Ben: With our criteria sorted, we made a list of both available resources for the scenarios and resources to be made/painted, and then started to recruit additional players for our campaign. We still know plenty of gamers, and so the call went out. We started the campaign with four of us committing to regular gaming, and another few who would play occasionally. We added everyone to a Google Drive, and a Facebook Group so we could share resources, updates, pics and such. We then set a date... and that date passed. We revised, and missed, a second date. Eventually, nearly six months later, we had finished our warbands, enough terrain, and were able to get together for our first games! The point here, is never give up because it’s hard to coordinate dates. Keep throwing them at each other until something sticks. So join us over the next few issues as we share with you some of the warbands involved, the battles we fought, the scenery we’ve built, and the players behind the madness. Come follow us on Instagram @rad_heim and Tumblr: radheim.tumblr.com.
Eventually
â&#x20AC;&#x153; nearly six months later, we had finished our warbands, enough terrain, and were able to get together for our first games!â&#x20AC;?
ONLINE:
www.instagram.com/rad_heim www.radheim.tumblr.com
YOUR SAY WARGAMING
PLAYER
BIOS WILL Will is a self-professed hobby butterfly, flitting from project to project; never truly finishing one before another catches his eye. (though does anyone ever finish projects in this hobby).
Introduced to Warhammer Fantasy Battles about 17 years ago, he was caught up in the stories and characters and the ability to represent them on a table. Since then he’s played pretty predominantly Games Workshop produced games and has collected many, many forces of varying sizes, most of which sit unpainted on a shelf. Happy to play anything his favourite is definitely Mordheim, so many amazing moments and memories. The highlight is when playing “The Lost Prince” a vampire made it to the top of the tower where the young princeling was hiding, surrounded by enemies and with no way out, the two leapt from the tallest balcony (approximately 15” high). With the princeling broken and dead at his feet the bewildered vampire fled the scene, cursing the frailties of men. Mordheim is the one game where winning and losing is irrelevant since
you still get to play strategic games, but ones with such a high element of storytelling. Will’s main inspiration in the hobby, and favourite area of it is in converting and building models. Finding a cool element of a story or character and creating a new army around that theme. He likes to restrict himself to certain elements of a faction and drill down into that visual aesthetic to create a warband or army with a lot of character to it. Some of his favourites include his Arabyan Ogre Kingdoms army, Slaaneshi Pit Fighter warband, Dark Elf Corsair fleet – which includes a converted Dreadfleet ship, and his very WIP Space Ork army that has pillaged a museum (pirates, cowboys, gangsters and egyptians). But his absolute favourite army is his next army. Will isn’t really a ‘gamer’ as such, he really enjoys playing the game, but more for the opportunity to create amazing/fun moments on the tabletop. Due to the nature of converting, his armies are always a little bit of a struggle to play with, but much fun is had regardless.
BEN Ben Makepeace, aka BenSquig has been around tabletop wargaming for almost 20 years. He worked at Games Workshop for 12 of those years. His first love was the creative aspects of the hobby; painting and assembling. He pursued those interests over the years winning a few Golden Demon trophies, ‘Best Painted’ army awards, and also was a judge at the Australian Golden Demon finals. In the last six years his hobby has understandably diversified, and he has miniatures from dozens of manufacturers, many game systems, and several genres. Generally speaking, gaming has taken a back seat for Ben in recent years, but painting has continued.
Three years ago Ben joined the Gametraders franchise, whose Franchisees are involved to varying degrees in local Table-Top and Console gaming communities throughout SA, NSW, ACT and QLD. As a result Ben is heavily involved in the Small Business community in SA, and keeps up-to-date with consoles, retro gaming, board games, wargames, TCGs, sci-fi and fantasy movies and TV, and a large number of other geeky, nerdy, pop-culture things. You can follow Ben’s creative exploits on Facebook: www.facebook.com/BenMakepeaceArt
Next issue:
Sean and Jamie’s Bios, as well as all the Warbands involved in the campaign!
TCG NEWS Yu-Gi-Oh! - Maximum Crisis Booster OUT NOW! The walls between dimensions are collapsing and the supreme king of destruction will rise in Maximum Crisis, May’s all-new 100-card booster set! Maximum Crisis is the climax of the 2016-2017 Duelling season, introducing three new themes as well as bold new cards for a wide variety of popular Decks.
Pendulum Summoning will undergo its final evolution in Maximum Crisis with a pair of Pendulum Monsters with Scales of 0 and 13, opening up the ability to Pendulum Summon monsters of any Level in any Deck! But that’s not the only type of Summoning that’s evolving. Following up on February’s Fusion Enforcers set, Maximum Crisis introduces a new Fusion Summoning Spell Card that lets you keep your Fusion Monster while giving back the monsters you just fused together!
YU-GI-OH! - PENDULUM EVOLUTION - OUT 22 JUNE! Magicians with the might of dragons! Sorcerers that defy the laws of nature! Witness the magnificent and mystifying results of Pendulum Summoning’s final evolution! Following on from Maximum Crisis, Pendulum Evolution features powerful new Pendulum Monsters that can either stand on their own or in the service of that dreaded dragon, the Dominator of Dimensions itself, Supreme King ZARC! All-foil set, each pack includes a mix of Ultra Rare and Super Rare cards. Compatible with the Pendulum Monsters you already own, but specially crafted to take advantage of Maximum Crisis. Includes a pair of superpowered Sorcerers that are easy to Summon and give a faster, easier way to bring out Supreme King ZARC (from Maximum Crisis). New “Magician” monsters that excel at disappearing acts, providing useful effects when destroyed before moving to your Extra Deck to be Pendulum Summoned back for the grand finale! Features several new cards plus dozens of the most popular cards from the Pendulum Monster era of the Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V animated TV series.
Yu-Gi-Oh! - Battles of Legend Light’s Revenge - out 6 july! The greatest Duels in history don’t just happen on TV - they also happen everywhere you go to Duel. The Battles of Legend “Light’s Revenge” special booster set brings cards from climactic Duels seen in multiple Yu-Gi-Oh! animated TV series to print for the very first time and combines them with championship-winning cards from real life! Previously only available to those who finished at the top of the leaderboards in high-level competitions, Minerva, the Exalted Lightsworn makes her first public appearance since 2016, just in time for the return of Lightsworn in Code of the Duelist! The Lancers’ incursion into the Fusion Dimension was nearly stopped short by...Gladiator Beasts! The GXera tournament powerhouse became a powerhouse as well in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V animated TV series. New “Gladiator Beast” cards give this well-loved Deck a spark of modern day energy. Synchro and Xyz Monsters that have carried tons of Duelists to the top of the bracket rise again! Yusei’s Duel to save the future nearly went wrong due to Z-one’s imposing and indestructible Timelords! Master these monsters from an alternative future and you can rewind pieces of your opponent’s Deck while draining away their Life Points.
In addition, you’ll find new cards from Yu-Gi-Oh! GX that can enhance the Dinosmasher’s Fury Structure Deck, new “D/D/D” monsters to revamp the Pendulum Domination Structure Deck, and even new Destiny HEROes and Abyss Actors that are compatible with the cards from Destiny Soldiers. Each 5-card pack contains 4 Ultra Rares and 1 Secret Rare.
TCG NEWS Yu-Gi-Oh! - Starter Deck 2017 Link Strike - OUT 20 JULY! Catch the next wave of Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME monsters with Starter Deck - Link Strike -! Link Monsters let you bring a brand-new level of domination to your Duels by mastering not just how you play your cards, but where you play them too! Link Monsters start the Duel in your Extra Deck, and you Link Summon them to your field by sending face-up monsters you control to the Graveyard; each Link Monster will tell you exactly what kind of monsters you need and how many to use. Link Monsters don’t have a Level or Rank, or even a DEF stat. They can never be face-down or in Defense Position; they’re always face-up and in Attack Position, so you always know where their arrows point! Arrows on the Link Monster are the most important feature because they point out the Monster Zones on the field they are linked to. Depending on their effects, a Link Monster could gain ATK for every monster in a zone it points to, or protect any monster in a zone it points to from being destroyed. The possibilities for Link Monster effects are endless, but effects aren’t the only great thing about Link Monsters!
Link Monsters also make it possible to control many different monsters Summoned from your Extra Deck, at the same time! Any adjacent Monster Zones a Link Monster’s arrows point to become available to Summon new monsters from your Extra Deck. Getting as many arrows pointing at your own zones as you can, while avoiding arrows pointing to your opponent’s zones, is a new and important element of strategy you’ll want to master with Starter Deck - Link Strike.
MAGIC THE GATHERINGAMONKHET HOUR OF DEVASTATION Set Name: Hour of Devastation Block: Set 2 of 2 in the Amonkhet Block Number of Cards: 184 Prerelease Events: July 8-9, 2017 Release Date: July 14, 2017 Draft Weekend: July 15-16, 2017
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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 Yu-Gi-Oh - Tuesday 4pm & Sunday 11am Pokémon - Sunday 2pm Magic the Gathering (Draft) - Wednesday 4pm & 7pm Hearthstone Fireside Gathering + Tournament - Wednesday 6pm Board Games - Thursday 7pm Magic the Gathering (FNM) - 6pm (Standard, Modern, Draft) Super Smash Bros - Saturday 1pm Magic the Gathering (Commander) - Saturday 2pm For more special events and tournaments please visit: www.facebook.com/GametradersHornsby
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MT. BARKER X-Wing - Wednesday 6pm Final Fantasy - Wednesday 6pm Yu-Gi-Oh - Sunday 2pm Magic the Gathering Commander - Wednesday 6pm Friday Night Magic Draft - Friday 6pm Casual X-Wing, Magic & Board Games - Thursdays from 6pm
SALISBURY Final Fantasy - Tuesday 6pm (5:30pm registration) Magic the Gathering - Friday 6pm (5:30pm registration) Magic the Gathering (Casual) - Thursday 5:30pm Yu-Gi-Oh - Saturday 1pm (12:30pm registration) Pokémon - Sunday 12pm (11:30am registration)
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SUNDAY 11 JUNE: 9 - 11AM Level 2 Westfield Marion, 297 Diagonal Rd, Oaklands Park (Enter via Coles entrance on level 2 - see map for details) Cost: BYO Spinner and gold coin donation to Autism SA OR purchase a spinner for $10 at Gametraders Marion and we will donate $2 to Autism SA on your behalf!
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gameS DARKSIDERS III OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED, REVEAL TRAILER RELEASED
NEW PLAYSTATION RELEASES - DIRT 4, WIPEOUT OMEGA COLLECTION
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NEWS
TOP 10 GAMES SWITCH SHOULD (REALISTICALLY) GET
THE UPS AND DOWNS OF THE PREY DEMO
GAMING
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NEWS
DARKSIDERS III OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED, REVEAL TRAILER RELEASED THQ Nordic and Gunfire Games have officially announced that Darksiders III following the leak earlier today. The game launches for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC in 2018. View the reveal trailer here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-QgJ-EFq7A
VGCHARTZ.COM
FROM VGCHARTZ.COM Here is an overview: Return to an apocalyptic planet Earth in Darksiders III, a hack-nslash action adventure where players take on the role of FURY in her quest to hunt down and dispose of the Seven Deadly Sins. The Charred Council calls upon Fury to battle from the heights of heaven down through the depths of hell in a quest to restore humanity and prove that she is the most powerful of the Horsemen. As a mage, FURY relies on her whip and magic to restore the balance between good and evil. The expansive, Darksiders III game world is presented as an open-ended, living, free-form planet Earth that is dilapidated by war and decay, and overrun by nature. FURY will move back and forth between environments to uncover secrets while advancing the Darksiders III story.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-QgJ-EFq7A www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-QgJ-EFq7A www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-QgJ-EFq7A www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-QgJ-EFq7A www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-QgJ-EFq7A www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-QgJ-EFq7A
BY WILLIAM D'ANGELO FROM VGCHARTZ.COM
NEWS
NEW PLAYSTATION RELEASES - DIRT 4, WIPEOUT OMEGA COLLECTION
VGCHARTZ.COM
FROM VGCHARTZ.COM Here is the full list of games: Cladun Returns: This is Sengoku!, PS4, PS Vita — Digital, PS4 Version at Retail Dark Rose Valkyrie, PS4 — Digital, Retail Dirt 4, PS4 — Digital, Retail The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind, PS4 — Digital, Retail Farming Simulator 18, PS Vita — Digital Jump Stars, PS4 — Digital Neighborhorde, PS4 — Digital Perception, PS4 — Digital Plague Road, PS Vita — Digital Randall, PS4 — Digital Special Delivery, PS VR — Digital Superbeat: Xonic, PS4 — Digital, Retail The Town of Light, PS4 — Digital, Retail Victor Vran, PS4 — Digital Wipeout Omega Collection, PS4 — Digital, Retail
BY WILLIAM D'ANGELO FROM VGCHARTZ.COM
YOUR SAY gaming
TOP 10 GAMES S (REA With the Switch launch in the record books, and with many small and large-scale projects announced for the future, it seems as good a time as any to daydream about a Switch software wishlist. Before we start, let’s set a few ground rules. Everything on this list needs to be realistic. There won’t be any titles that require bleeding-edge technology, nor will there be titles from publishers reluctant to support Nintendo’s newest platform. Don’t
expect Titanfall 2 or Mass Effect Andromeda on this list. In addition, every property needs to be either controlled by Nintendo or independently owned. There will be no Bloodborne or Sunset Overdrive on Switch.
With that housekeeping out of the way, let’s dive in!
VGCHARTZ.COM
SWITCH SHOULD ALISTICALLY) GET FROM VGCHARTZ.COM
BY EVAN NORRIS FROM VGCHARTZ.COM
Owlboy
If any indie game belongs on Switch, it’s Owlboy. Inspired by Super Mario Bros. 3 and Kid Icarus, the pixel art platformer would feel right at home next to Nintendo’s own platforming offerings. According to composer Jonathan Greer, developer D-Pad Studio plans to bring the game to consoles, so perhaps it’s just a matter of time before Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo fans are all enjoying Owlboy’s retro goodness in the comfort of their living rooms and, in the case of Switch, on the go.
Undertale
Toby Fox, creator of Undertale, reached out to Nintendo about a port of his critically-acclaimed RPG last year, but nothing came of the conversation. Now, with Nintendo taking a more active role in recruiting third-party content, maybe itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time for Mr. Fox and the Japanese gaming giant to have another chat. With its minimalist graphics, Undertale could easily run on Switch. Plus, it shares a lot in common with a beloved Nintendo property, EarthBound.
Nintendo vs. Capcom
With a retro Street Fighter and a BlazBlue title confirmed for Switch, Nintendo’s newest system is looking to capitalize on those who enjoy 2D fighters. Now, Switch may not get heavy hitters like Tekken 7 or Injustice 2, but surely it could work out a deal with Capcom for Nintendo vs. Capcom, a 2D brawler that pits the best of Nintendo versus the best of Capcom. The two companies have a long history of supporting cross-over titles together, including Tatsunoko vs. Capcom on Wii and Project X Zone on 3DS. Imagine Dante facing off with Link, or Jill Valentine shooting it out with Samus Aran. Picture Amaterasu grappling with Wolf O’Donnell, or Arthur (of Ghosts ‘n Goblins fame) attempting to tame Ridley. You know you want this game. Thanks to Spencer Manigat for this suggestion.
DIDDY KONG RACING 2
Rumors about a sequel to the N64 classic Diddy Kong Racing have been circulating for several years now, although none of them are especially believable; one suggested the Switch, then codenamed “NX,” would launch at $150. Yet it’s an attractive proposition. Yes, Nintendo already has the industry-leading kart racer in Mario Kart but Diddy Kong Racing, with its robust single-player campaign, always felt like a different animal. Monster Games, which developed Excite Truck and worked closely with Retro on Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, has the skill set to make this fabled sequel a reality.
Tecmo Bowl: 30th Anniversary
Switch might miss out on some high-profile sports sims, but it could become a home for retro arcade-like sports games. Enter Tecmo Bowl, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Tecmo Bowl originated in arcades, but it was on NES that the game became a sensation. Since then itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been ported to the Virtual Console on Wii, WiiU, and 3DS. It was also one of 30 games included on the NES Classic last year. An updated version of the game with HD graphics and old-school arcade gameplay would fit right in with Switchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s retro sensibilities.
ROCKET LEAGUE
This just makes too much sense. Rocket League is a brilliant, accessible vehicular soccer game that speaks to fans of all skill levels. It would find a strong following on Switch, or on any platform for that matter. The game’s offline multiplayer offerings would make it especially attractive on a platform oriented around local play. According to Jeremy Dunham, vice president of Psyonix, “It’s definitely too early to say it wouldn’t happen, but it’s also definitely too early to say that it would.”
Bayonetta 3
As of E3 2016, PlatinumGames’ Hideki Kamiya hadn’t spoken to any publishers about Bayonetta 3, but Nintendo would be wise to fund a third installment of the high-octane hack ‘n slash series. With Bayonetta 2 a WiiU exclusive and with the titular character a newcomer in Super Smash Bros., it makes sense from a marketing perspective for Nintendo to retain the rights for the franchise moving forward. A potential Bayonetta 3 probably wouldn’t break any sales records or change the minds of fans inclined to ignore Switch, but it would fill a gap in Nintendo’s portfolio and keep the best-in-the-genre series alive.
HEARTHSTONE
Overwatch might be a lost cause on Switch, but another Blizzard property has a fighting chance: Hearthstone. A massive success on computers and smart devices, Hearthstone could easily make its console debut on Switch. Thanks to the system’s large capacitive screen, Hearthstone could be played without any modifications in portable mode. In docked mode, a Joy-Con could be used as a pointer to select cards. Senior designer Mike Donais is open to the idea: “...it’s a good discussion worth having.”
METROID DREAD
At this point, Dread is as much a symbol as it is an actual game. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what many fans have requested for years: a 2D side-scrolling sequel to Metroid Fusion. With games like Other M and Federation Force failing to capture the essence of Metroid, a new 2D installment in the vein of Super Metroid, Zero Mission, and Fusion would go a long way toward rebooting the franchise and satiating frustrated fans.
Super Smash Bros. 4 Deluxe
This seems like a slam dunk. With Nintendo open to the idea of GOTY editions â&#x20AC;&#x201D; see Mario Kart 8 Deluxe â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and with an online paywall arriving in the fall, the idea of a deluxe version of Super Smash Bros. 4 sounds like a nobrainer. It would include all of the content from both the WiiU and 3DS versions of the game, plus all released DLC. This would be a terrific value proposition for Switch owners and, along with Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon, could provide incentive for fans to bite the bullet, so to speak, on online fees later this year.
BY EVAN NORRIS FROM VGCHARTZ.COM
YOUR SAY gaming
THE UPS AND The Prey property has a long and bumpy history. The first game, released in 2006, had been in development limbo since 1995, recalculating over the years according to different designs, technologies, and narratives. A planned sequel suffered through a similarly rocky period, as the Prey IP left 3D Realms in 2009 and ended up with ZeniMax, the parent company of Bethesda. In 2011, for unknown reasons, Prey developer Human Head stopped production of Prey 2. Two years later, Bethesda as-
signed the game to Arkane Studios (Arx Fatalis, Dishonored). The new, reinvented Prey, courtesy of Arkane, arrives on May 5. Since April 27, Bethesda has offered to PS4 and XOne owners a demo that includes the opening hour of the game. It’s a robust, generous demo not unlike Resident Evil 7’s “Beginning Hour.” It shines a light on Prey’s gameplay systems, which more closely resemble System Shock, BioShock, and Deus Ex, and share little in common with the original 2006 title.
VGCHARTZ.COM
D DOWNS OF THE
PREY DEMO FROM VGCHARTZ.COM
BY EVAN NORRIS FROM VGCHARTZ.COM
Prey follows Morgan Yu, a scientist aboard a space station infested with hostile alien life forms called “Mimics.” Able to mimic everyday items like coffee mugs and chairs, Mimics are frightening enemies. During the demo, players will encounter mimics in several forms, some of which are small and spidery, some bipedal and ferocious. While Mimics are a new and interesting adversary, the combat situations with them are far less impressive. Combat in general is the weakest element of Prey. It’s clumsy and awkward. This might be intentional on the part of Arkane — the game reminds players at one point that it’s possible to sneak around or outsmart powerful enemies —but if direct combat is an option it should be enjoyable. The worst part of combat is the blaring music that plays during enemy interaction. Once a Mimic is discovered, the game blasts jarringly loud music until all Mimics in the area are dispatched. On the one hand, this allows players to understand when a combat scenario has begun and ended. On the other hand, it saps all of the tension from the game. It defeats its own purpose, to quote Robert DeNiro in Raging Bull. Mimics can hide in any interactive item in the game, after all. Better to put the player in a constant state of anxiety than to make loud, obnoxious signals when a Mimic is in the room. Combat aside, Prey has several intriguing gameplay systems that make it attractive for fans of slowburn first-person action-adventure games. Early on, the game encourages players to “play your way.”
It suggests to its audience that it can experiment with different approaches to overcome challenges and enemies. This isn’t mere lip service. Throughout the demo, players can embrace different play styles to achieve their goals. In one section, players can bypass a security door by either finding a hidden badge or sneaking through an air duct. In the following area, players can access a higher floor by fixing a broken elevator — with the help of a neuromod, which grants Morgan new skills and abilities — or by using a GLOO cannon to create platforms. Open-ended exploration is another strength of Prey. There are no discrete levels in the game. Rather, the Talos I space station is one large venue that Morgan explores and re-explores throughout the game. Toward the very end of the demo, Prey introduces the Recycler and Fabricator, two enticing modules. The recycler reprocesses the useless items Morgan finds around Talos I into synthetic, mineral, and organic material, which can then be used in Fabricators to construct dozens of useful items. For fans of games that encourage leisurely exploration and freedom of choice, Prey may be a winner. Fans looking for satisfying firstperson shooting or anything approximating the portal-based puzzles of the original Prey will most likely walk away disappointed.
BY EVAN NORRIS FROM VGCHARTZ.COM
COSPLA ROSE COSPLAY interview
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Andy Wana Photography: www.facebook.com/AndyWanaPhotography
INTERVIEWED BY ANNY SIMMS
Welcome to LIVE Magazine Cassie! Could you tell our readers a bit about yourself? Thanks! My name is Cassie and I’m a 21 year old cosplayer from Canberra! Online I go by Rose Cosplay, and I love to cosplay a mix between anime and video game characters. I’ve been cosplaying for about 8 years now, primarily at Sydney conventions and occasionally in Canberra and Melbourne. My main hobbies include video games, anime, board games and tabletop RPG’s! How did you discover cosplay? In high school I studied Japanese, and there was a poster in my Japanese classroom for a convention in Sydney called Animania! My friends and I talked about going, and in September 2009 we all made the trip together and we attended our very first convention! Looking it up gave us a very vague idea of cosplay, and I made a backpack that looked like a character from my favourite anime at the time (Kagura from Fruits Basket), thinking that I didn’t want to stand out too much. When I got there, and saw all the brightly coloured wigs and elaborate costumes my mind changed immediately, and after that I decided cosplay was for me. It all seemed so fantastical, and I desperately wanted to be one of those people in the big, beautiful cosplays. Ever since, I’ve been striving for that. What’s your favourite con to attend? My favourite definitely is PAX Aus-
tralia. Of all the Australian conventions I have attended, PAX has the most to see and do. While some conventions can feel a little repetitive after a few years, PAX always brings in new and exciting things for me to watch and play and take part in. I’ll always make sure to plan at least one day out of cosplay so I can go around the convention floor and play all the indie games, line up for the VR demos and spend all my money on board games. What’s the most challenging part about choosing and making cosplay? The most challenging part for me is starting a new costume! I’m the kind of person that can’t leave a job half done, often sacrificing sleep to finish something I’ve started. If I haven’t started yet, I feel a little less obligation to get going with it however. Once I get the ball rolling and just pick one part of the cosplay to start, even if it is as small as jewellery, the momentum from that keeps me going and it becomes much easier to finish. What has cosplay added to your life? A whole lot of amazing connections and friends I never would have otherwise met. It’s like having a huge friendship circle that are all into the same nerdy stuff as you, and I don’t ever have to worry about talking about my nerdy interests online and having friends not understand. Before cosplay my circle of friends that shared my interests in anime and games was very, very small, but
once I started I met so many new and wonderful people at conventions, and they have become some of the best and most supportive friends I have. For a long time it also gave me something to look forward to in the year, and something to work towards when work and life got too repetitive and mundane. Any tips for someone just starting to get into cosplay? Don’t worry about whether a cosplay will suit you or whether people will ‘get it’ or recognize you, just pick a character you love! There is no way to do cosplay ‘wrong’. The most fun I have in cosplay is when I am dressed as a character that I really like and enjoy. The best part of my day is always when other fans of the series come up and talk to me about it, or yell the character’s catchphrase at me, or even something as simple as taking a photo with me and saying how much they like the character. It gives me just a brief connection with someone else that shares my love of the character, and it feels so nice when people get excited about it with you. Cosplay is for fun! So if you’re not going to have fun doing it, there is no point in doing it. Wear something that will make you feel good, and at the end of the day it will be worth it. Are there any games you’re looking forward to, or are currently enjoying playing? I’m really looking forward to getting to play Persona 5! I’m also very ex-
Carlos Mayenco Photography: www.facebook.com/carlosmayencophotography
cited to get my hands on The Legend Of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I really think that is going to be a huge leap forward in gaming and from all the videos I’ve seen it really looks amazing. Any ideas what you’ll be working on next? I’ll actually be cosplaying Futaba from Persona 5 very soon, but after this I will begin my bigger project this year and start working on my Diablo III Monk. I’m really looking forward to working on that one as the armour will be a fun challenge for me! What’s the most expensive and least expensive cosplay you’ve ever done? Ooh my most expensive would be Samara from Mass Effect due to the latex headpiece alone. Unfortunately there was some complications which made the costume unwearable the week before the convention but I sunk $800-$1000 into that one, and I actually bought an airbrush machine to do the makeup as well! Least expensive would probably be Futaba – I was lucky to have all of her outfit pieces on hand already so I just had to buy a $6 set of headphones and an $8 T-Shirt which I will be altering. Where can our readers find out more about you? I post all of my cosplay related content on my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/RoseCosplay/ :)
ONLINE:
www.facebook.com/RoseCosplay
Carlos Mayenco Photography: www.facebook.com/carlosmayencophotography
EllusionStudio: www.facebook.com/EllusionStudio
Magic Missile Studios: www.facebook.com/magicmissilestudios with Tears of Valhalla: www.facebook.com/witnessValhalla/
Trung Do Photography: www.facebook.com/TrungDoPhotography/
Regan X Lau Photography: www.facebook.com/rxlphotography
Cosplay Australia: www.facebook.com/CosplayAU
Wh
Charmaine Morgan Photography: www.facebook.com/charmaine.morgan88
hat A Big Camera: www.facebook.com/WhatABigCamera
Magic Missile Studios: www.facebook.com/magicmissilestudios
reader CONTRIBUTION
when cosplay is
too sexual? by Bec from Costume Collection [costumecollection.com.au]
This month we received an article from Bec from Costume Collection - (you can see more here: www.costumecollection.com.au) It asks the question of what to do when Cosplay is too sexual. Here’s what she had to say... “Cosplay is an abbreviation of ‘costume play’. It is a hobby whereby people dress up as fictional characters, especially those from manga, animation or computer games,” says Melinda Tankard Reist, writer and advocate for women and girls. Dressing up, whether it’s for a party or just to look nice when you go out, is a fundamentally human thing to do and I daresay countless anthropologists have devoted their PhDs to uncovering the deep spiritual need that binds all the earth’s people. While Melinda does explain what cosplay is, it is only the tip of the iceberg. At its core, cosplay is a combination of social fun and self-expression, literally wearing your fandoms for all the community to see. For some it is a form of escape and liberation, wearing something you would dare not wear in your daily life. But at a convention you can be the character you have always wanted to be. Another thing that is as old as Gandalf is sexism, and the cosplay community is not immune. The community’s reliance on social media and that lifegiving nectar that is the internet only
amplifies the issues to a global scale giving cosplayers no safe haven from unwanted attention. Melinda Tankard Reist says “there is nothing inherently wrong with dressing up as one’s favourite character. But because of the sexualised way that women are depicted in many of the manga, anime and games that cosplayers emulate, it can have negative impacts on women.” Just because you’re wearing an attention-grabbing outfit doesn’t mean you want it (and, inherently, yourself) sexualised. At best it is uncomfortable, and at worst it can make for a very dangerous situation. Cosplayers, no matter their gender, should be able to enjoy a convention without worrying about lecherous congoers. Australian Cosplayer and judge of Jakarta’s 2016 Toys & Comics Fair, Kiara Kirameki, is no stranger to receiving sexual harassment. Most harassment is from people calling out of their cars or passing by on the street, people who don’t know or understand what cosplay is. Let’s not forget that the internet, as amazing as it is, allows people to harass cosplayers from the safety of their computer chairs at home. However, while at the convention, the security staff are there to protect all attendees and ensure that no one, no matter how they are dressed, are harassed in any way.
“It doesn’t fly in conventions, the Con’s will actually protect you which is good. So, if you have a problem with someone you can go up to security and they will help you.” Popular conventions in Australia such as SupaNova, OzComicCon have very strict anti-harassment policies where stepping even a toe out of line can lead to people being kicked out of the event. Dracula’s Operations Manager, Luke Newman, says that they have a zero tolerance policy towards sexual harassment, “sometimes, customers can get a little too ‘into the atmosphere’, and say or act inappropriately towards staff members. It’s rare, but when it does happen, our staff are trained to drop character and address the issue. We want to foster an environment where our customers and staff feel safe to enjoy themselves.” - Jessica Nigri, Kida, Atlantis Sexiness as costuming isn’t an unspoken aspect of the community and it certainly has been tapped into, for better or for worse. Popular cosplayer, Jessica Nigri, is well known for her sexy adaptations of popular characters, most notably her sexy pikachu and has received mixed comments. While some people see her creative approach to characters and making them sexy as the opening of new doors, some people see it as attention-seeking and demeaning.
Satsuki Kiryuin, Kill La Kill – Rage Kitten
Bayonetta – Feline Paige Cosplay
Prince Endymion (Darien), Sailor Moon – A.K. Wirru
Melbourne Sexy Cosplay Winner 2016 – Sharné Mcmurray
Witchblade – Danica Rockwood
Powergirl – Variable Cosplay
While PAX, a popular convention celebrating all things gamer-related, has firmly put their foot down against “booth babes,” and have even asked cosplayers to cover up when dressed in a revealing costume. This is fair enough as PAX is a family-friendly convention, but where can the sexilydressed cosplayers go? Fortunately, Sexpo has given them a home. Their notorious Sexy Cosplay competition is certainly popular and, kudos to Sexpo, the event is run in a safe, sex-positive environment where, by definition, cosplayers are definitely welcoming sexualised attention. Sexpo’s event manager Bentleigh Gibson says that Sexpo’s Sexy Cosplay competition was created “to give the Cosplayers who did want to express a different angle on their Cosplays a safe home in which to do so and express their own passion and creativity.” And hat’s off to Sexpo, a lot of cosplayers have said they felt very comfortable and welcomed at the event. Melbourne Sexy Cosplay winner and creator of the self-love project ‘I Am F*cking Extraordinary,’ Sharne Mcmurray, said “it was well organised, had a positive and uplifting atmosphere, everyone was supportive and it was an overall great experience.” The Sexy Cosplay Competition has opened up new doors for cosplayers and allows for more variety when performing a skit on stage, such as pole or burlesque dancing, both of which would not be welcomed at other conventions in Australia. For many cosplayers, the costumes they decide to wear are not influenced by the “sexiness.” Sharne says “how much skin I show doesn’t come into the equation. I am completely happy with myself and If I want to do something I’ll do it. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks as I am doing it for me and not them.” A lot of cosplays are sexy (hey, who doesn’t love Batman’s abs?) however,
many cosplayers feel unpleasantly sexualised against their wishes. And, thanks to the incredible edible internet, there are precious few places where a cosplayer who is targeted by this unwanted attention can get away from it. This problem is disproportionately directed towards women because women’s bodies are still being commodified like it’s the 1950s. Melinda Tankard Reist is of the opinion that “the sexualisation of women and girls is one of the bedrocks of gaming culture and also of some manga and anime. Until this changes, I don’t think we can expect to see an easy solution for problems like this in the cosplay community.” Because of this, Australian native (but well known overseas) cosplayer Variable has experienced so much harassment online she has enough material to maintain an energetically busy Tumblr dedicated solely to screenshots of her social media’s inbox. Check out niceguystm.tumblr.com if you want to scroll through the terrible and random things strangers say to her online. Sure, Variable as Powergirl is sexy. Powergirl is sexy. Hell, the comic character has a purpose-built boob-window. That’s not an invitation to talk to Variable about her own boobs. To suggest that costumes in any way creates harassment from perpetrators demonstrates ignorance of the real-world issues at play. The cosplay community is a wonderland of creativity but there is an undeniable negative impact on the way both costumes and some cosplayers are perceived. It’s unfair – so many cosplayers are just trying to have a good time and express themselves and their craftsmanship, only to have to check themselves for fear of being thrown under a label they didn’t ask for. In cases that are more extreme but not uncommon, just existing publicly in a costume leads to cosplayers being made to feel unsafe. It would be cool if we geeks could be sexy geeks on our own terms.
“It’s unfair – so many cosplayers are just trying to have a good time and
express themselves
and their craftsmanship, only to have to check themselves for fear of being thrown under a label they didn’t ask for.” Sources: Melinda Tankard Reist – Writer and advocate for women and girls Kiara Kirameki – Cosplayer Sharne Mcmurray (Sirensbelle) – Cosplayer Sexpo Dracula’s Cabaret Show and Dinner Images: David Love Photography Rage Kitten – Cosplayer Feline Paige Cosplay A.K. Wirru – Cosplayer Jessica Nigri Sharne Mcmurray (Sirensbelle) – Cosplayer SKYline Photography Danica Rockwood – Cosplayer Variable Cosplay Isidro Urena – Photographer
BY BEC FROM COSTUMECOLLECTION.COM.AU ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE: costumecollection.com.au/blog/when-cosplay-is-too-sexual
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