Gamecca Magazine April 2013

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Free Online Mag

• Bioshock: Infinite• Tomb Raider

• SimCity• God or War:

Ascension• Sniper:

Ghost Warrior 2• Gears of War:

Judgement• Star Craft II:

Heart of the Swarmand more...

Explosive DC action in Injustice: Gods Among Us

Zergasm!

Deicide!

Hometown

SkywardKerrigan returns in

StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm

Kratos begins his journey in God of War: Ascension

Building with SimCity

Bioshock: Infinite rises to new heights

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From the Editor

Got MailOur readers talk to us...

10 on 10Misconceptions everywhere!

IDoubleDQDWhy, Apple, why?

New World OrderSuper conflict in Injustice: Gods Among Us

A Sporting ChanceSouth Africa’s eSports challenges

PreviewsA dozen games coming up!

The SoapboxWho will show theirs first?

Console GeneralGearing up for some facts

Join the Hive MindInternational competition at the Heart of the Swarm launch!

Reviews15 of the hottest games reviewed!

Ramjet’s RantalityServer? Where?

A Year in Games1994 in all its glory

HardwareEssential gear for awesome gaming

From SpaceBreaking promises...

CompetitionsRazer Chimaera 5.1 Wireless Gaming HeadsetDead Island: Riptide

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THIS MONTH’S COVER

Injustice: Gods Among Us brings new ideas to the fighting genre. See our

feature on page 14.

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Inside

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Lost Planet 3

Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen

Air Conflicts: Vietnam

Mario Golf: World Tour

Project X Zone

Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D

Turbo: Super Stunt Squad

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity

Obscure

Deadfall Adventures

Mario and Luigi: Dream Team

Thunder Wolves

Tomb Raider

Bioshock: Infinite

God of War: Ascension

Sniper Ghost Warrior 2

SimCity

Gears of War: Judgment

StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm

Castlevania Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate

LEGO City: Undercover

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time

The Sims 3: University Life

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3

Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage 2

Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires

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g amec c a46 5Copyright © 1337 Media CC 2009 - 2013

GAMECCA is published by 1337 MEDIA

Taking fun seriously!

All rights reserved. No content may be reproduced, copied or transmitted without the express permission of the publishers. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the editors and publishers. All Trademarks and Registered Trademarks are the sole property of the respective owners.

Editor:Walt [email protected]

Writers:Alex ScanlonCharlie FrippChristo van GemertIwan PienaarJames Francis Lein BaartNthato MorakabiPippa TshabalalaRob EdwardsSarah SnymanSuvesh ArumugamWalt Pretorius

Letters:[email protected]

Competition Entries:[email protected]

Newsletter Subscriptions:www.gameccamag.com

Design & Photography:1337 Media cc

Marketing Contact:Katia [email protected]

GAMECCA Vol. 3 Issue 46April 2013

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Easy Does It...by Walt Pretorius

Producing a monthly publication is a very different process

to publishing articles on a website. That’s a pretty obvious statement but, once again, I have been reminded of the differences that crop up… all thanks to a game.

See, when you’re publishing articles on a website – particularly game reviews – time is of the essence. There is a definite level of competition to be the first to get a review published. It’s all about getting the most eyeballs on your web page. With monthlies – even if they are distributed, like Gamecca, via the internet – that competition does exist, but it is tempered by a deadline schedule. It’s a different kind of challenge. At times, one will crash through a game to make it in time for a deadline, aiming to scoop readers with a well-timed review. At others, one has the luxury of being able to take time with a game. I am particularly grateful for those times, because I personally believe that a well-rounded review is best not rushed. And this

month I saw the evidence of that yet again, as I tackled SimCity.

A great number of reviews of this title have been very negative, thanks to an undeniable mess in the initial server performance. The servers were down as often as they were up, people lost saved games, couldn’t connect… it was really rather horrid trying to play SimCity within the first few days of its release. But, as is often the case with this kind of situation, most (if not all) of those problems were sorted out, enabling players to stop battling with getting the game working and to start enjoying what is an interesting and very enjoyable simulation.

The majority of negative reviews for SimCity came out within a day or two of its release, with some even surfacing before. In other words, the game was reviewed during the messed-up-server phase. I have two problems with this. First off, this isn’t the kind of game that you can review quickly. It’s a long game. The second is that the reviews

are almost all tainted by what was happening with the service. I agree that the service delivery was appalling within those first few days, but now that the majority of the server issues have been sorted out, are those reviews still relevant and fair? I don’t think so. Will their authors go and write updates for the reviews, to explain that the situation has changed? Once again, I think not. Has everyone who will ever play the game already bought a copy? Definitely not. Can they trust those knee-jerk early reviews to help make a purchasing decision, based on the current state of affairs? You know the answer.

So when you see a higher than average score on our SimCity review, you know why. We took our time with it, delivering what we believe is a more rounded, better researched review. We didn’t allow the service to overly-influence our opinion of the product, which is what the review is meant to focus on.

Sometimes being a little later with these things has benefits for everyone. g

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What Gives?

Dear Editor,

I checked out Gladget Magazine after seeing an advert in Gamecca. I enjoyed it, but I saw that some of the articles from Gamecca are repeated in Gladget Magazine. Are you the same people putting both together or are they stealing articles from you?

Cheers,Vinay

Hi Vinay

Gamecca and Gladget are both published by 1337 Media. Gamecca is all about gaming (as you know) and Gladget is focused on lifestlye and consumer tech. When articles are approriate to both mags we reprint them accordingly.

So no worries, they aren’t stealing anything from us... Gamecca supports Gladget, and vice versa. We are happy to hear that you enjoy both!

Ed

Time Management

Hi Walt,

I recently discovered Gamecca on the NAG cover disk and have been going through all your issues online ever since. Awesome job!

I just have one question for you. I have been reading NAG for many years and have seen your name in there quite a lot. Now I see your name in Gamecca as well. Where on earth do you get the time to do all that gaming and writing?

LaterEttienne du Toit

Hi Ettienne,

It’s a secret, but it involves a flux capacitor and a sports car...

It can get pretty challenging, sure, but most of my friends still say that I have the best job ever. I guess that with time, things get easier and faster. Also, putting in schedules (which my partner is really good at planning) helps to even the load just a little bit.

Ed

Got MailLe

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Send us a letter and let us know what’s happening in your head, your games or your community.

The Guild...

Dear Editor,

I am a keen writer and a gamer. I have thought about getting in to games journalism as a career. To help this along, I have read lots of different reviews and articles, from online and magazine sources.

What I have learned in doing this is that many game journalists seem to take cheap shots to get attention. It was something that Ramjet even mentioned in a column a few months back.

Is there some kind of organisation or guild to regulate games journalists?

SincerelyMarc Tilden

Hi Marc

This is something that has come up in discussion with friends and colleagues quite often. The thing is that there is no “guild” of gaming journalists, and no form of governance for gaming journalism. In fact, the more cynical people out there will even say that the majority of game journalists are not journalists at all, but are a bunch of fanboys who figured out how to feed their gaming obsession by getting free games.

That particular opinion may be a bit harsh, but there may well be a bit of truth to it. The result is that ethics and moderation are a rare commodity in the video game journalism game. Sensationalism and rumour-mongering often earn the most readers, particularly in the case of websites. This is partly because gamers are so passionate about the subject. Often they tend to be idealists, too, which plays right into the hands of the unscrupulous journalist.

The funny thing is that the attention this kind of activity grabs - which is, let’s keep in mind, often very critical of the video game industry - is the exact reason why the industry supports these journalists. It seems that industry folks don’t care as much about what is being said as it does how many people visit a website or read a magazine. It makes the situation very difficult for those that don’t want to stoop to those kind of tactics.

Ed

Our Letter of the Month writer will be recieiving

a Farming Simulator Steam Download Code (for PC), courtesy of

Apex Interactive.

Playing Favourites

Dear Editor

I have been reading Gamecca for around two years now. Awesome mag, and free! Thanks for the good work.

I noticed that you have a lot more Xbox 360 games in Gamecca than PS3. Does the Gamecca Crew prefer Xbox 360?

Kind regards,Megan Foster

Hey there Megan,

No, not at all. Each of our writers has personal preferences, of course, but like our logo says, we cover every kind of game platform. It comes down to what formats we get the games supplied on, and that really is up to our game distributors.

Personally... well, I have all the consoles, and I do have some preferences, but I am not going to put them down here. It really comes down to which games I am enjoying, more than which platform I am playing them on.

For example, my two current favourites are Tomb Raider and Bioshock: Infinite. One is on Xbox 360, and the other on PS3.

Taking that even further, I don’t really have favourite games - not for the long term, at least. When you get to play as many games as the

Gamecca Crew and I do, favourites are difficult to maintain.

It’s a tough job, really...

Ed

Letter of the Month

Got Mail

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Send your mail to [email protected].

* Prizes for South African residents only.

Letter of the Month writer will win a prize Sponsored by Apex Interactive.

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There are many misconceptions out there that plague gaming and gamers. We would like to set the record straight about these, because we find them really annoying, not to mention uneducated and just plain old stupid. So, without too much preamble, here are the things we wish people would stop saying about gaming.

The image of the pasty faced gamer living in his mom’s basement is pervasive, but, quite realistically, gamers like socialising with other people as much as anyone else. They just like talking to people that share their interest, and because gaming is nothing short of an obsession, they want to hang out with other gamers. Nothing wrongs with that, except that everyone else thinks they’re antisocial.

Gamers are antisocial1

Gaming makes you violent2I swear, I will punch the next person who says this right in the face. Really hard. There is no proof that games make people violent – although, admittedly, they can raise aggression levels for short periods (like twenty minutes) after a gaming session. However, if you do the plain, simple maths, if violent video games made people who played them into savage axe-murderers, there would be a lot more dead people around… because there are a lot of gamers out there.

All gamers are geeks3That’s simply not true. I have met lots of gamers who are not geeks. Then again, what’s wrong with being a geek? Sure, you may have an unhealthy attraction to Star Trek characters and believe that you really could become a Jedi knight, but these eccentricities are a small price to pay for intelligence, aren’t they. I am a geek, and proud of it. But there are lots of geeks out there who don’t play games. They watch anime instead. Now those guys are weird…

There are very few girl gamers4There are tons of girl gamers out there. Literally tons. But the fact is that often gamers are quite anonymous, hiding behind nicks on overcrowded servers. For all you know, that guy who completely owned you with headshot after headshot wasn’t a guy at all, but a hot chick sitting around playing in her tiny nightie. That got you thinking, right?

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Gamers are all unhealthy5OK, yes, gaming is generally an activity in which you sit on your butt… but there are many gamers out there who are perfectly aware of the importance of physical exercise. Some are even aware of their diets. Some –the really crazy ones – even play Kinect games. But the sane ones follow things like Sleek Geek.

The higher your gamer score, the more you prove that misconceptions one, three, five and ten are true. Sure, they’re something to aim for, but trumpeting about your gamer score makes you look more sad than impressive. That’s because in-game achievements are about as important to the greater scheme of things as… as… well, as something totally inconsequential. They’re so unimportant I cannot even think of a suitable simile.

Achievements matter6

Winning is everything7Gamers spend a lot of their time on online servers, trying to be better than their mates. Maybe it’s because they’re super-competitive. Maybe they just take their gaming too seriously. But let’s be honest… not everyone can be the best. Hell, only a few people can be the best, that’s what being the best means. So instead of getting all worked up and bent out of shape, take it on the chin and get back to playing games for the right reason: fun. If you win, that’s cool. If you lose, same difference.

Games are a waste of time8Parents tell their kids this. And while it is perfectly possible to waste time playing games, games are not a waste of time. It has been proven – rather scientifically, in fact – that games have numerous benefits, ranging from eye-hand co-ordination improvement through to increases in brain development. That doesn’t make every gamer a super-skilful genius… there are still some prize fumbling morons out there who play games. But at least there is hope.

9 Gaming is bad for youCarrying point number eight a little further, people say that games are bad for you. That’s not quite accurate. Too much gaming is bad for you, sure. But so is too much water – you drown. Yet you cannot live without it. If gaming is taken too far, sure, it can have a bad effect on a person, in terms of health. But those are very extreme cases. Playing games won’t turn you into a fat slob, or a psycho killer… at least, it shouldn’t.

Gaming is elitist10Actually, this is both true and false. Like any group, gaming has its fair share of elitist douche-bags who think the sun stops shining when they sit down, and who will constantly blather on about how great they are at gaming. But for the most part, gamers are happy to see new people joining the activity, because they have the sense to know that a strong community can only benefit the industry, which in turn benefits the community. Now if they could only finally figure out why piracy is a bad thing, we might actually get somewhere.

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I am not a smart woman. Well, sometimes I am. When

I do things like digital strategy and research papers then I don’t come across as completely idiotic. But then I make bad decisions, stupid decisions which I regret instantaneously. My stupid decisions include choosing to study drama instead of law, missing highway off ramps, peroxiding my own hair, buying clothes a size too small in the hope of diet success and… buying an iPhone 5.

I have never been a Mac fan but they make great devices and I’ve had iPhones for years with almost no issues. I have become so adept at the UI on Mac devices that Android annoys me, especially when tackling work email on the road. Basically I made a logical, good decision when

selecting the device I would replace my phone with when my upgrade came around. But then it arrived. I was the proud owner of one of the first 5s in the country! Imagine my smile when the hipsters I call friends salivated in envy when they realised how thin it was compared to theirs.

As an iPhone, iPad and iPod owner for years, I have generated a vast supply of Apple cables to keep up with the geriatric battery life and my workaholic approach to email. I have, as does every Apple owner, a charger next to my computer at work, a car charger, a charger in the kitchen and a charger in my bedroom. Although I’m pretty sure I subconsciously noticed the port when I unpacked the device, I only understood the gravity of this change

when I was at work and needed a battery boost. Out of an entire office of iPhone users, not one of them possessed the new cable, my phone died and I felt like a headless chicken for the rest of the day. Why Apple?! Why on earth did you have to change the damn port?! After being satisfied with their tech for years, the fruity big brother took the power out of my hands and left me cursing them and my decision making skills.

Apple charges an arm and a leg for an additional cable and they can now rank themselves as the only cell phone manufacturer that has not grasped the concept of the universal charger. Even my Kindle uses that port, Apple!

I have gone from a happy iPhone user with chargers in every nook and cranny to a weary

user constantly panicking about how much battery life this activity (read game) is destroying. But i guess my bad decisions come down to the same reason that I love Sony. They look good, they know they do, they make you pay for it and they don’t listen to a word of whining from their users because, at the end of the day, I’m still the idiot that bought it. So even though the cable choice is a mystery (don’t give me technical explanations, just make it universal) and even though my PlayStation outright refuses to comply with any hard drive not formatted to FAT32 and containing the purest of video files, I’ll still fall at the knees of these powerful sadistic entities. I hate you Apple, I hate you so hard it hurts… and then tingles. And then feels quite nice. g

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Double Adaptor

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When supers take over…

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New World Order

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When supers take over…New World Order

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We all love superheroes, but what would happen if they took over the reins of power in the fictional world in which they

live? They certainly would be able to, and it is partly this premise that has led to the creation of a brand new IP that will see superheroes and villains facing off against each other in a massive fighting game.

Injustice: Gods Among us is set in a world in which superheroes have not only taken over, but wage a civil war in. After the Joker destroys Metropolis and tricks Superman into killing Lois Lane and their unborn child, the Man of Steel establishes a new world order. But not all are happy with that idea, and a sort of civil war ensues between the supers when Batman begins a resistance movement.

That is the basic premise behind Injustice: Gods Among Us, and it gives you a few clues to the nature of the game. First of all, the title will sports an impressive roster of DC Comics characters as playable fighters. Secondly, the action will likely be rather intense.

We’ll get to the action in a while… let’s first take a look at the impressive roster of DC characters on offer as playable combatants. All the characters were selected by developers NetherRealm Studios, in conjunction with the crew over at DC Comics. The playable characters were selected based on criteria including their superpower set, abilities and how well they would fit into this alternate storyline. They include, in alphabetical order, Aquaman,

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modernise the feel of the game, as well as injecting some of NetherRealm’s influence into the title.

How exactly the characters will be split up – in terms of factions – is unclear as yet, although we do know that Batman and Superman will be on opposite sides of the fence.

In case the name NetherRealm rings a bell… well, it should. Fighting game fans will recognise the name from the 2011 reboot of the Mortal Kombat franchise, which was released not long after Warner Bros Interactive acquired the license for the title from Midway. That particular version of Mortal Kombat was very well received, and established a pedigree for NetherRealm Studios as a fighting-game developer early on.

Bane, Batman, Black Adam, Catwoman, Cyborg, Deathstroke, Flash, Green Lantern, Harley Quinn, Hawkgirl, Joker, Lex Luthor, Raven, Shazam, Sinestro, Solomon Grundy, Superman and Wonder Woman. There are a few more playable characters, and other DC stars will make cameo appearances during cut scenes and in certain game modes.

NetherRealm were given a lot of license with the characters by DC Comics; while some of these characters have appeared in video games before, others had to be defined in terms of fighting style and voice. These were based on personalities as depicted in the respective comics that the characters appear in.

Additionally, the characters look a little different to their comic counterparts from time to time. This helps

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Therefore, the player can expect top notch fighting action in Injustice. Numerous environments will be available for matches, including the Batcave, Fortress of Solitude and the Watchtower. These environments will be interactive and will feature multiple tiers. That means that a powerful attack can send an opponent reeling into another section of the arena. Interactive elements will also allow the characters to use the environments as weapons, based on their abilities.. Superman, for example, may be able to pick up a parked car to smash opponents with, while Batman could use his gadgets to turn that same parked car into an explosive trap. In fact, the characters themselves are loosely grouped into power characters, who use brute strength and innate

abilities, and gadget characters, who use tools and wits.

There will be certain marked differences between Injustice and other fighting games. For example, each fight will only last one round, although characters will have two health bars. In addition to light, medium and heavy attacks, each character will also have a character trait based attack. These trait attacks will tie in to the characters abilities.

Each character will also have a super meter, which will fill during combat. When filled, they will be able to unleash their most powerful attacks. Once a round, each player can also use a clash, which can interrupt an opponent’s combo and starts up a bidding war. During this time, players bid amounts of their super

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Injustice: Gods Among Us was first announced on the 31st of May, 2012, and has been developed using a highly modified version of the Unreal Engine. A specialised inverse kinetics system, to regulate and manage the different character sized in the game, also had to be built from the ground up during the development process.

Putting all the elements together looks pretty promising: well-loved characters doing battle in interactive environments, combined with a combat system designed by the team behind one of the best fighting titles in recent history. Everything adds up to Injustice: Gods Among Us being an action-packed, thrilling fighter. We’ll know for sure in mid-April, when it hits retail shelves on PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii U. g

meter charge, with the highest bidder winning.As the single player story unfolds, the player will

swap between various characters, who influence the plot at the time. This is instead of the traditional ladder-based fighting game system used in the past. Rather, the plot will be delivered in a fashion similar to the Mortal Kombat reboot, resulting in a more cinematic, sensible plot progression. It will also explain why the characters are fighting one another, as well as how Batman can go toe to toe with Superman.

Naturally, there will be other modes available, including multiplayer battles and character specific S.T.A.R Lab missions. Playing in the various modes will earn the player experience points, which can be used to purchase alternate costumes and other rewards.

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Developing eSports in South AfricaA Sporting Chance

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Developing eSports in South AfricaA Sporting Chance

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GM: Just for definition – what is eSport?

CW: eSports is basically the playing of games on computers, consoles and cell phones as a sport. It’s that simple.

GM: And what about the naysayers, the people who say that this isn’t really a sport?

CW: You’re going to have that as an argument but, what you have is the fact that government accepts it as a sport, the Olympic committee accepts it as a sport, and those are your two biggest antagonists, quite frankly, because their policy is to get people off of couches, away from TVs and to be more active. So with them actually recognising it as a sport, you’ve converted the two biggest opponents that you could possibly have.

You’ll always have people that say something isn’t a sport. My definition is that you have to look at the concept of what a sport is in the dictionary. And that’s far more loose… you could argue that rugby isn’t a sport, based on that definition.

GM: You might get lynched for that…

CW: Oh, yes. But the whole point is that anybody who doesn’t see this as a sport doesn’t want to see it as a sport.

GM: And it has full acceptance and accreditation as a sport in South Africa, in which people can even earn national colours?

CW: That’s right. Our regional, provincial and national colours are all accepted, as well as Protea colours. There is a difference between national

colours and Protea colours. National colours are given by the national federation, but Protea colours have to be given by the Protea colours board in accordance to their very strict criteria, and can only be given to a team that is playing in an international match.

GM: Now that we have the definitions out of the way, what is the ‘state of the nation’ for eSports in South Africa?

CW: Confusing… you’ve got people who consider themselves to be very professional and competitive who don’t play in the official structures, who only play in unofficial structures. So you have a great deal of dysfunction, essentially. And I think you have a lot of the gamers who aren’t aware that the MSSA is a non-profit organisation. It’s not a case of anyone making any money or that anyone owns it. So you have a situation of people who consider themselves competitive staying out, which actually weakens the whole. They weaken what the MSSA can do for them.

This is my last year as president of the MSSA, according to SASCOC regulations. But anybody who is a member can be the next president. I think that’s an important feature to realise, that this is run for the gamers by the gamers. But if they don’t get involved, then they don’t have a say. Being a legal entity in its own right, the MSSA doesn’t have to listen to people who are not members.

GM: What benefits are there for members? Other than being able to be

president?CW: Oh, that’s a benefit,

is it? (Laughs) There are a lot of benefits.

One, you get accreditation for what you are doing in the form of school colours, national colours, regional colours. Through that you can get sports bursaries at universities. There are currently 14 people with sports bursaries at university. These are things that you have forever. Once this is on your CV, somebody will see you as the right kind of stuff. Every company loves to have somebody that has Protea colours; this country is colours-mad. This is something that you keep, that you have. It makes up who you are for the rest of your life.

GM: In terms of sponsorship, what’s the situation? Is it healthy or do we need a lot of growth?

CW: I think we need a lot of growth. It’s a complicated issue. What a lot of people don’t realise is that with sponsorship, you have to give your pound of flesh. You can’t just sit back and put your hand out. That’s when you get your second rate prizes.

These are the problems that we’re facing. People don’t understand the concept of sponsorship. It’s a contractual obligation between the sponsor and the gamer to provide, in a way, an advertising service. To be honest – and this is going to make me very popular – a lot of clans don’t deserve to be sponsored, because they’re not actually doing anything for the game themselves. If you belong to a football club, you pay fees. The club is, to a

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degree, self-reliant. It has a war chest. It then can raise money through sponsorship and the National Lottery. And that’s exactly the way that a gaming club should operate. It should be self-reliant, with membership fees, and applying for National Lottery… to get up to R200 000 a year and not take it is criminal. This would benefit the clubs and the industry and the industry would realise that this is a worthwhile thing to get involved in. But where clubs just want stuff and offer very little in return, why should a company get involved.

What we have seen is that many of the clans have burned the fingers of sponsors, have not delivered. And that means that somebody in a company has had to answer some very tough questions, if not get asked to leave.

GM: So for South Africans to become more competitive in the eSports field, there needs to be a more serious attitude?

CW: There needs to be a very serious attitude. If you want to get involved in top-of-the-line competition gaming, you have to be as professional as if you were in tennis, or swimming, or any other sports. It’s not as if you can say “well, I am a gamer, therefore somebody should sponsor me.” A gamer needs to prove their value and their worth. If you mean to get ahead in competition gaming, as a professional, you have to be able to get overseas. We’ve seen that with PandaTank. The first year he played for the national team was 2011. We were all very pleased, he did very well. 2012

we tried our best for him, taking him to IeSF and the SWC. He’s very dedicated, but he’s following a very professional attitude. And that’s what we want for everybody who wants to go that far. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea – some people only want to be amateurs. But then the gamers themselves must distinguish in their own minds as to whether they are professional or amateur. You have to take a long hard look at yourself and say “where do I want to be?”

GM: What are your hopes for the future of South African eSports.

CW: First I am hoping that all the existing clans see the need for the MSSA and why they should be there. Because that’s really what it’s all about. Once you have done that you unlock a huge potential in terms of numbers. That’s what government looks at when they give out grants: results and numbers. The ore money we get, the more we can fund. It’s that simple. To send players to the IeSF literally costs R35 000 per player. This cannot be done on membership fees – those take care of provincial tournaments.

The other thing I am hoping is to get it into the All Africa games. That will demonstrate to everyone in the country that eSports has made it. Everybody will realise that it is a main contender, as a sport, and then you will find huge amounts of money being unlocked. There are federations that are smaller than ours that are mainstream that get a lot of funding, not including sponsorships. There is a

lot of money to be had by being recognised. It’s very important.

And, of course, I would like to see some South Africans getting on to the professional circuit. But that means they need to play at least eight tournaments a year. There’s a big difference between playing online and playing tournaments. Online has its place and is very valuable, but nothing replaces a tournament. And to be a professional, you have to play eight a year.

GM: What kind of action is MSSA taking to develop eSports in South Africa?

CW: At the moment a lot of our action is taken at school level. We are developing a school league. It can be challenging, thanks to school governing bodies. But we have schools like St Johns and Rhodies and Northcliff… some very good schools in the league already. And that, of course, creates a basis for long-term development. But development isn’t just at grass-roots level. We’re looking at developments in previously disadvantaged communities as well. We’re talking to the city council about getting gaming rooms in every single library.

And we have done big things – a lot of gamers aren’t aware of how much we have done, quietly in the background. Development is across every single level. It’s developing new gamers, taking gamers and developing them into better gamers, developing coaches and referees. The federation is busy pushing to get a South African onto the international referees committee. It would be

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nice to see somebody going forward that way, because not everybody is a great gamer. It would be nice to see people being rewarded that way for their involvement in gaming.

There is a lot of gaming development going on, because we need teams that can win. When we take a team overseas, we don’t want to see it go into a group, win one game, lose four games and then come home. That doesn’t do us any good – not as a nation, not as a federation, not as gamers. Last year was the first year ever that the entire South African team got through the group stages.

GM: So there is progress?CW: Yes, there’s a lot of

progress. What people don’t realise is that it is hard won progress, because there is a lot of criticism. There are a lot of gamers who aren’t happy about some of the things we do, and they let us know. But they can always join the federation if they want to help make changes.

GM: What advice would you give to an aspirant eSports athlete in South Africa?

CW: He has to be focussed, he has to have a vision of where he wants to go. Once he has that, he can work backwards to see how to get there. Basically, if you want to get across to the world championships, the only way you’re going to get there is by representing South Africa officially. Which means you have to be a member of a club affiliated with the MSSA. Do it properly. Don’t get involved with the naysayers who sit

there and complain about it. Because I think many of them are sad that they have missed opportunities, or that they haven’t taken every opportunity that they could have. A gamer that wants to get there needs to join a club, play in as many tournaments as possible, and be a member of the MSSA. It’s a case of pursuing a dream and being absolutely focussed. And you can’t do it alone – you need everybody who can possibly help you to help you. You need a coach, and people to help you get overseas, to help you get as far as you can go. What a lot of gamers don’t realise is that, when you are successful, there are a lot of people who will bask in the glory of that success. And while the gamer is the one who has achieved things, without those people, they aren’t going to get there.

Otherwise, if you’re not prepared to do that, you need to be happy just playing a game once in a while. But it can be very difficult. Just to give you an idea; last year we had 26 people who qualified for our national trials for StarCraft. Four people showed up. That is a very clear indication of how people see themselves. And we need to see how determined people are, because it’s hard work. Going overseas is very difficult for gamers, for any sportsmen, because you’re putting your name on the line. You are going to try and achieve something, while everyone else is sitting back, commentating. And not all of it is good. It’s very hard. It requires a mental toughness which only top performers in any

sport have.GM: In a word, what

would change the current state of South African eSports?

CW: In a word? Well, in many words… That would be a more structured approach by the clans, where they realise that what they are doing is a sport. This isn’t something that falls under anybody’s ownership. It’s just like rugby, or cricket; if anybody owns it, it’s the nation that owns it. A more structures approach will unlock more money, which is essential for growth or development. Without money, there’s very little you can do.

And there needs to be compromise as well, in order to see people like PandaTank achieve their full potential.

GM: What message do you have for the naysayers?

CW: The door is always open. Any one of them is welcome to come into the MMSA. In fact, over the years we have seen some of our biggest critics come in. There are big benefits; some of them might not be apparent to everybody, but the only way to make this grow is for everybody to work together through an official structure. And it isn’t dominated by anybody; there’s room for people who hold different opinions, who want to do things differently. It would be far more worthwhile if they came in and tried to change what they didn’t like, rather than standing on the side-lines, shouting. It would be nice to have them in, rather than out… because that’s the best way to grow eSports in South Africa. g

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Lost Planet 3Against all odds...

Air Conflicts: VietnamChoppers now included

Project X ZomeThe ultimate fighter?

Mario & Luigi: Dream TeamCelebrating the other brother...

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We are two months away from E3 2013, so there is very little word about new games coming out at the moment. It is the nature of the industry we so dearly

love.Still, there are a few games coming up that we do know about

- we look at 12 of them in this issue, including the unexpected third instalment od Lost Planet, and a super-fighter in the form of Project X Zone. g

Highlights

Distributed Exclusively by Apex Interactive - Tel: (011) 796 5040 www.apexinteractive.co.za Email: [email protected]

All rights and trademarks and logos are copyright of the respective owners.

AVAILABLE AT ALL LEADING RETAIL STORES

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The Lost Planet games managed to corner a small following of gamers, with their paradise-turned-upside-down levels and

mechanised warriors. Both games released to mixed reviews, and it actually took the industry by surprise when Capcom announced that they will be publishing the third title.

Lost Planet 3 will serve as a prequel to the first two games, and while they were developed by Capcom themselves, the developer took a decision to only publish the third title – handing development over to fairly unknown developer Spark Unlimited.

It’s always a bit of a gamble when a new studio jumps into a franchise, and Spark Unlimited doesn’t exactly have a stellar track record. Formed in 2002, the studio has only managed to squeeze out three games prior to Lost Planet 3, with a fifth title planned for later this year.

Taking place on E.D.N III, the plot revolves around Jim Peyton, a colonist who is working for the Neo-Venus Construction company. Since the serves as a prequel, NEVEC isn’t the military force that games have come to know them as. However, as the game progresses Peyton starts to uncover various secrets about NEVEC which puts the game’s plot in motion.

Going back to the roots of the first title, Spark Unlimited will develop the game more in line with the first title, where a story-driven adventure took precedence over a co-op and grinding campaign. Players will also have a choice of main missions, or complete side-quests to further their character on the icy planet.

While Spark Unlimited might be new to the industry, it will be interesting to see what kinds of changes they make in Lost Planet 3, but initial reports suggest that any changes made could be for the better of the franchise. g

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A third game that serves as a prequel

Lost Againby Charlie Fripp

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Genre: First Person Shooter

Serving as a prequel, the third game might save the franchise.

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Dragon’s Dogma was something of a mixed bag, offering pulse-pounding action sequences coupled with a quirky

(to say the least) plot that saddled you with three half-wits who loved to point out how tall the trees were. It was an eclectic blend of western and Japanese RPG influences that, for all its flaws, was still a decent and enjoyable title.

Unsurprisingly then, Capcom are now releasing Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen. This is not, however, a sequel, perhaps not even a true expansion. In fact, it’s remarkably unclear as to what exactly the release is. Featuring a new area, called Bitterback Isle, Dark Arisen seems to hark back to ye goode olde days of RPG gaming, starkly resembling the classic dungeon crawler. The gameplay looks to remain much the same, with epic, Shadow of the Colosuss style combat; beautifully decorated environments and brainless cannon-fodder companions. There is of course the predictable slew of fresh content, including new types of enemies (25 to be exact), augments, skills and equipment. There will even supposedly be the option for Japanese voice-overs, which should have anime fans giddy with delight, as well as a new item appraisal system, all of which sounds very exciting, if rather vague.

The trouble, though, is that beyond this, there’s very little information to be found. Combined with the fact that Dark Arisen will still feature the original campaign, albeit updated with the new content, this release is looking more and more like hyped-up DLC. No official price has been announced, but if the game is released at anything close to the cost of a new title, there needs to be a lot more content than what Capcom is revealing to justify it. g

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DLC, expansion or sequel?

Return of the Arisen

by Lein Baart

Genre: RPG

Those that loved (or even merely enjoyed) the original will doubtlessly be looking forward to Dark Arisen. Just make sure the content justifies the price.


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Newly-announced Air Conflicts: Vietnam aims to do things slightly different that other aerial combat titles, as they aim

to blend flight simulation with arcade gameplay. Through the course of the title, players will be afforded the opportunity to get behind the flight stick of over 20 accurately simulated fighter jets and helicopters from the Vietnam War era.

The Vietnam War has been labelled as one of the bloodiest battles ever fought, and it’s also the first war in which helicopters were effectively used as attack vehicles. So gamers will get to experience the thrill of flying a UH-1 Huey through the jungles to assist ground troops, and just to lend support to attacking forces.

In terms of plot, the story will revolve around the experiences of Joe Thompson, a young, talented, and dutiful pilot in the U.S. Air Force, who starts to realise that war isn’t just about being the winner, but lives are lost and it ultimately has losers as well.

But what makes this title unique when compared to other aerial conflict titles, is that players will have to occasionally leave the pilot seat of the jet to man the guns and defend against incoming attacks. Jets can also be upgraded individually, as well as control an entire squadron of flying killing machines.

Slovakian developer Games Farm will be at the helm of Air Conflicts: Vietnam, but they have previously developed other Air Conflicts titles as well, such as Air Conflicts: Pacific Carriers and Air Conflicts: Secret Wars.

Air Conflicts: Vietnam should be a great challenge to any gamer who loves flight simulation or aerial combat. While Games Farm might not be very popular, it could be worth checking out. g


Get flashbacks from your days in Nam

Taking to the Skiesby Charlie Fripp

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Genre: Flight sim

Taking on the bloody war in Vietnam, it should be action-packed.


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Mario Golf: World Tour makes its way to the Nintendo 3DS for some fun filled three dimensional golfing. Announced

at the same time as various other upcoming Nintendo 3DS titles, this game was showcased as part of the Year of Luigi presentation.

Players can look forward to a deep level of golf gameplay that fans of the sport will appreciate and at the same time, a simple, straight forward control system that will appeal to those new to the game. With developer Camelot continuing to head the development of this series, players can expect familiar game mechanics and gameplay such as the use of Super Shots.

One of the main features of the game is the diverse amount of golf courses that players can swing their way through. Not only will players make their way across traditionally designed golf courses but they will also be playing through Mario themed landscapes, dotted with famous props from the main series.

At present, a select number of characters have been revealed to feature in the game: Mario himself and his evil counterpart Wario, Luigi as part of the “Year of Luigi” theme and his evil counterpart Waluigi, the famous gorilla Donkey Kong and of course the main antagonist and general bad guy of the series, Bowser.

This succeeding instalment in the Mario Golf series continues along the path of its predecessors and thanks developer Camelot, we can expect improved game mechanics and well-designed courses. With polished graphics and a visual depth courtesy of the Nintendo 3DS’ stereoscopic screen, fans of the series and those new to it can look forward to an engaging golf game. This title is set to be released this year. g

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What can’t the Mario brothers do?

Driving to the Green

by Nthato Morakabi

Genre: Sports

Get your caddies in shape and polish your 9-irons; Mario is ready to drive his way through another Mario Golf tour


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Publisher crossovers have been around for quite some time, much longer than you would think actually think, with the first

title, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, being released as far back as 1996. The appeal is obvious, with beloved characters from all universes beating each other to senseless masses of pulp as we squeal with childish joy. Of them all though, the greatest has to be Project X Zone, if only for the sheer number of characters, and now it’s making its esteemed way to the West.

Originally released in Japan last year October, the figures in Project X Zone are truly astounding. Featuring a roster of over 200 characters across 29 different franchises from the stables of Namco Bandai, Capcom and Sega, this is the “dream crossover”, according to producer Kensuke Tsukanaka. For us unenlightened Westerners a couple of the characters will seem very obscure, however most of the major series are represented, such as Resident Evil, Street Fighter and Tekken.

Those that played Namco x Capcom should feel instantly at home with Project X Zone, with its blend of tactical RPG/action gameplay. Controlling a pair of characters as one unit, the majority of the game will played in an overhead view, replete with grid movement and turn-based sequences. Encountering an enemy though will instantly switch the game to a 2D fighter, and here things look absolutely frantic. While the combat is reportedly simple, the trailers are showing a game that is likely to burn out your retinas with all its effects, as a total of 6 characters can be involved per fight. The localisation looks to have done nothing to tamper this down, and this should be the fanboy’s dream incarnate. g


Because Namco x Capcom x Sega doesn’t roll off the tongue

The Ultimate Mash-up

by Lein Baart

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Genre: Tactical RPG/Arcade Fighter

Pure, unadulterated mind-blowing arcade action should have this as a must-buy for fans of previous crossover titles


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When the volcano on Donkey Kong Island suddenly begins to quake and then erupt, spewing flaming rocks

out into the air, the unsuspecting residents of the island are not prepared for what has escaped the volcano. The flaming rocks burst apart and from within them, large eyed, masked creatures float down towards the island. As these masked creatures, the Tikis, hypnotise the island animals with their tunes and make off with Donkey Kong’s valuable bananas, he goes on a mission to get them back.

Players make their way through the island as the famous Donkey Kong. Immune to the hypnotic tunes of the Tikis and with his banana hoard taken from him, he is the perfect candidate for the job. Diddy Kong joins him on this escapade, hanging on to Donkey Kong’s back and strapped with a jetpack that will help the Kong jump further.

The two travel through various areas, each unique to a region of the island. This is one of the key elements that the 3D version of the game will focus on; rebuilding each level to showcase the depth of each environment. As seen on the Wii version, there are various background and foreground elements present in the game that the Nintendo 3DS will be able to give proper depth to.

Overall, the entire premise of this remake is to create that illusion of 3D that the 3DS offers, however most gameplay mechanics will be similar to the Wii, replacing nunchuck movements with 3DS controls. The storyline and levels seems to be made the same though there is potential in giving players something more on the 3DS that the Wii didn’t have. We can only wait to see what will come out of this monkey barrel. g

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A stereoscopic Kong in the jungle.

Some uh...Gorilla Business.

by Nthato Morakabi

Genre: Platform

Revisit Donkey Kong Island and fend of the hypnotic Tikis in this 3DS remake of Donkey Kong Country Returns.


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Games that tie-in with films have had better luck than game adaptations for films, and it seems to be far better with

animated films than live-action movies. So with the upcoming DreamWorks animated film Turbo, D3Publisher and Monkey Bar Games will release the film tie-in Turbo: Super Stunt Squad.

In what is described as an action game, players will be able to control the many characters from the film, while each has its own signature style and skills for pulling off moves across the levels as well as some crazy stunts in order to win challenges. It’s almost like Tony Hawk’s for snails.

Some of the moves that each character will be able to pull off include jumps, drifts, grinds and flips, and characters will also gain power-ups for special expert moves. As the game progresses, gamers will be able to customise their favourite snail and also discover shortcuts in the dynamic environments of Turbo’s world.

As for the film, the plot revolves around a snail named Turbo, who has big dreams of one day becoming the greatest racer in the world. He draws his inspiration from five-time Indianapolis 500 champ, Guy Gagne, but being a snail, he has become a bit of a strange sight in his community of slow-moving snails.

The film is from the makers of Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda, and stars Ryan Reynolds as Turbo, Paul Giamatti as Chet, Turbo’s brother, Snoop Dogg as Smooth Move, and Samuel L. Jackson as Whiplash.

The game is bound to be great fun for the younger players, and tying in with film, many familiar characters will make themselves at home on the plethora of consoles it releases on. g


Finding inspiration in the slow things

Pedal to the Metalby Charlie Fripp

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Tying in with the film Turbo, it should keep the kids busy


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In the world of Pokémon, one of the achievements that people seek to accomplish is to become Pokémon trainers. Catching,

training and growing together in wisdom and strength with their Pokémon, overcoming each fierce battle against wild Pokémon, various trainers and the ever challenging Gym Leaders. However falling into a particular dream changes the course of that accomplishment as a voice emanates from within the ethereal dream world; a hero is needed to save the Pokémon world. Not waiting for an answer a transformation occurs that changes trainer to Pokémon and opens up a new world hidden from human eyes...a world of Mystery Dungeons.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates of Infinity brings to life on the stereoscopic 3DS the world of mystery dungeons. Players explore this new world not as a human trainer but rather as a Pokémon in a world devoid of humans. Players thrust into this new world, choose whom to play as from a roster of five familiar Pokémon as seen in the latest Pokémon Black/White video game and anime; Pikachu, Snivy, Tepig, Oshawott or Axew.

While searching for answers, players meet and help various Pokémon they come across, in a variety of missions that thrust them deep into multi-level dungeons. Each dungeon promises something unique including the Pokémon, the number of levels and the type of terrain that they will need to navigate through.

Part of the adventure is to help improve this new world, and players have an integral part to play in the building and construction of shops and facilities that will transform the desolate patch of ground into Pokémon Paradise.

Gates of Infinity will be available both at retailers and the Nintendo e-shop. g


No trainers here, just us Pokémon.

Gotta Explore ‘em All!

by Nthato Morakabi

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Players are transformed into Pokémon and thrust into the Pokémon world, where a new adventure sees them explore various mystery dungeons for a way home.


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Obscure is a reimagining of the survival horror game of the same name by Hydravision. Hydravision closed down

not so long ago and reopened under the name Mighty Rocket Studio, revealing that they were developing a reboot of the Obscure franchise, the third game in the series.

This 2.5D side-scroller lets you play alone as well as co-operatively with up to four players as one of four rather odd heroes. Each character, they are all students, has different skills and abilities, and co-op mode is available both locally and online. Combos, score-multipliers and follow up attacks are the emphasis here, and your goal is to survive against packs of monsters, complete objective and level up. You can discover new weapons and earn experience points to level up and unlock new skills.

Despite the fact that the gameplay is completely different to the original survival horror games, there are many familiar elements present for those who remember the originals, including, say Mighty Rocket, “an oppressive feeling of danger where gruesome creatures may suddenly appear out of nowhere”.

A teaser trailer has thus far been released, giving us a sense not only of the gameplay style, which is a fast paced platformer, but also of the visual design, which combines the dark and ominous with bright flashes of colour and a cartoony look and feel.

It certainly seems to be less survival horror and more combat based than the original games however, and this reboot seems to be a clear departure in style.

The game will be available on PC, Xbox Live and the PSN sometime in 2013 but no final release date is confirmed as yet. g

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Rebooting the Obscure franchise.

What’s in a Name?by Pippa Tshabalala

Genre: Side-scroller

This reboot of a survival horror franchise into a creepy yet combat based game might make or break it.


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Deadfall Adventures is the latest game by Polish game studio The Farm 51, who teamed up with Nordic Games on Painkiller:

Hell and Damnation. It combines the first person shooter with

exploration and puzzle solving, and on its first reveal to the public under the name “Project Adventure” (thank goodness they changed that one!) was accused of looking very much like a first person Uncharted.

The Farm 51 has revamped it and renamed it Deadfall Adventures, and it’s set in 1938. It follows the story of James Lee Quartermain, who I’m assuming is somehow related to the fabled Allan Quartermain from Haggard’s King Solomon’s Mines. Anyway, he is tasked with escorting US agent called Jennifer Goodwin as they travel to an Egyptian temple and retrieve an ancient treasure, The Heart of Atlantis before the Nazis and the Russians.

Quartermain explores Aztec tombs, the Arctic and ancient Egyptian pyramids. Not only will he be avoiding traps and solving puzzles, he will also need to battle supernatural enemies and Nazi soldiers.

From the teaser trailer and artwork we’ve seen so far, it looks pretty solid, and although the developers aren’t shy about their Indiana Jones references, Deadfall Adventures looks like it might have enough action and innovation to keep us interested, provided the story works in its favour.

The Farm 51 have promised to marry, “the ethos of the Saturday morning matinee with the Summer blockbuster” in this upcoming game and in a press release stated that, “We’re putting everything into the games’ stunning graphics to create a unique experience that will be both challenging and engaging”.

Deadfall Adventures is scheduled for release on the 30th July 2013. g


Where have we seen that before?

Action! Adventure! Exploration!

by Pippa Tshabalala

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Genre: FPS Action Adventure

Hopefully this isn’t just a lame FPS Uncharted/Tombraider. I’m holding thumbs.


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© 2012 GIANTS Software GmbH. Published and distributed by Focus Home Interactive under license of Giants Software. Farming Simulator 2013®, Giants Software and its logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Giants Software. Focus, Focus Home Interactive and its logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Focus Home Interactive. All manufacturers, agricultural machinery, agricultural equipment, names, brands and

associated imagery featured in this game in some cases include trademarks and/or copyrighted materials of their respective owners. All rights reserved. The agricultural machines and equipment in this game may be different from the actual machines in shapes, colours and performance.

Distributed Exclusively by Apex Interactive - Tel: (011) 796 5040 www.apexinteractive.co.za Email: [email protected] All rights and trademarks and logos are copyright of the respective owners.

3

WELCOME TO THE LARGEST AND MOST EXCITING FARMING SIMULATOR EVER MADE!

http://www.apexinteractive.co.za/Search-Results.aspx?Search=farming%20simulator

Nintendo have announced that 2013 is the Year of Luigi, and we see that happening with a series of Luigi based

games coming soon to the Nintendo 3DS. One of these games is Mario and Luigi: Dream Team.

The game takes place within the dreams of the older and more timid brother Luigi and players take on the role of Mario, who must navigate his brother’s dreams. The game will play out as an RPG, featuring a series of puzzles to be solved using Luigi’s sleeping form. The game makes use of the Nintendo 3DS’ lower touch screen for this, which will feature the face of the sleeping Luigi. Pulling on the rather large Luigi mustache causes Luigi to flinch and tickling his nose causes him to sneeze, each action affecting the dream in various ways to help Mario solve the puzzles.

Due to the fact that everything happens within Luigi’s dreams, Luigi will appear in game alongside Mario in an impressive force. A Nintendo Direct video showcases a mass of Luigi’s rushing through an area, carrying Mario atop the group and ramming through enemies and another showcasing Mario battling foes and using multiple forms of Luigi to crush enemies in classic Mario-style stomping.

Since the game takes place within Luigi’s dreams, we can anticipate interesting power-ups and see Luigi as more than just as sub-character and Nintendo’s Satoru Iwata makes a statement that “since it’s just a dream, Luigi can be a great hero in this game”.

Not much else has been revealed about the game. At this point the game looks interesting and we can only wait to see if this Dream Team will live up to its hype. g


Dreaming into another Mario adventure.

The Year of Luigiby Nthato Morakabi

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Players navigate Mario through Luigi’s dreams, solving puzzles as they go in this Mario and Luigi RPG.


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There are titles out there that take themselves far too seriously, wrapping themselves with airs of pretention and

arrogance, deigning to let us lowly ingrates bask in the majesty of whatever momentous revelations that have to convey. Then there are games that just don’t give a damn. They’re about utter mind-numbing escapism, and you even the most paranoid conspiracy theorist couldn’t find a plot with a twist or morality-laden line of dialogue if his blog depended on it.

Thunder Wolves is looking to sit squarely in the latter category. A helicopter arcade game, the trailers show a title that seems to be pure cheese, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The taglines “absolute power” and “zero accountability” say it all: this is a title that’s about blowing crap up, and looks to have enough political incorrectness to make the most redneck republican cringe.

Promising a “huge variety of objectives”, “tons of enemies” and “old-school helicopter action” (whatever that means), Thunder Wolves will feature fully destructible environments, a co-op mode and a selection of nine different choppers. To be honest the trailer didn’t exactly dazzle with graphical glitz, however one can hope that time has been kind to this aspect, given the modern obsession with good looking games.

Thunder Wolves has had some recent troubles though. Initially announced by Ubisoft last year, the publishing giant has since dropped the title from their stable. Things look to be back on track however, as bitComposer, a small German publisher, appears to have picked up the game, and are rather enthusiastically punting it for release on PSN, XBLA and PC in the second quarter of the year. g

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Choppers and cheese…

No Damn Givenby Walt Pretorius

Genre: Helicopter Arcade

Don’t expect anything deep and profound here, as Thunder Wolves looks to be a pure adrenaline-fueled explosion fest


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Colu

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Suve

sh

T he last two years or so have been rife with rumours and

suspicions around next gen consoles and gaming, and Nintendo’s release of the Wii U threw the game wide open. In retrospect, many will feel that this may have ultimately been a mistake, as they may have showed their hand too early, which is reflected in the less than anticipated sales figures so far. This was further complicated by press announcements between Microsoft and Sony, saying neither would reveal their product before the other, though he next big reveal was Sony’s, when they revealed the PS4 at a much-hyped event in New York in February. In general, fans seemed to be pretty happy with the PS4’s announced

specs, even though Sony’s President kept apologising for things (like the unoriginal name choice). With a kick-ass processor and greatly enhanced graphics and display capabilities, the PS4 looks to be ready to take on the market.

All eyes are on Microsoft now, wondering what form their offering will take, and who will ultimately release to market first. Sony had originally announced that the PS4 would not be released before a new Xbox, but their Feb announcements seems to indicate a new intent. It’s entirely possible that they may decide to pre-empt the Xbox “720”, since Microsoft have not officially unveiled their next-gen product. Several leaks have surfaced,

hinting at mandatory Kinect as well as Skype integration. And judging by what has been announced and released from competitors, there’s no doubt that Microsoft will be aiming to score highly on Tablet integration and cloud based gaming.

Another factor, though perhaps not a high priority for the big players in the market, is the release of the Android driven Ouya consoles, made possible through Kickstarter crowd funding. The console costs only US$99, and games developed are set to be distributed freely. With Google’s Android fast becoming a popular OS for smartphones and Tablets, there is understandably mass appeal to an open platform for developing games and apps. The

slick looking console is expected in June this year, but is already available for pre-order.

There’ll be plenty to see and compare this year, and consumers will have some hard choices to make about which consoles to buy. The great irony of this entire debacle is that where the norm has always been to be the first to hit the market, console makes are fighting to be the last to do so (and make sure they have everything the competition has and more). At this point it’s hard to know who’s leading the race, whether it will be won on price, backward compatibility, features or just the right combination of all three. We’ll just have to wait and see! g

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Who Will Show First?

The S

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So we know all about Nintendo’s Next Gen console,

because a bunch of us already own Wii U units. We know a lot about what Sony will be doing with the PlayStation 4 (including the imaginative name) because, well, they told us. But we know next to nothing about the new Xbox console, because Microsoft are likely to only announce anything later this month. Everything out there at present is rumour and speculation. We do know that the unit is codenamed “Durango” (a city in Mexico, apparently), which I will use to refer to it here… simply because the braniac that started the “Xbox 720” idea really shows a lack of intellect, and only rudimentary math skills. Seriously, to assume that Microsoft’s marketing

department cannot come up with something other than “what’s the next iteration of a circle in degrees” is a freakin’ insult to them.

Anyway, the rumours are running thick and fast at the moment, about integrated, mandatory Kinect use, tablet based controllers similar to the Wii U game pad and what’s going on in the guts of the machine. That will all be clarified later, and likely influenced by what Sony is promising for the PS4.

There is one rumour, though, that is causing some worry, and if it is in any way true, it could see Durango on a massive back foot – not just here in South Africa, but the world over. That rumour alleges that Microsoft wants to take on piracy and the second hand game

market by tighter control over game software. And that control can only come with a perpetual online requirement. In other words, your Durango will always have to be connected to the internet for you to play it.

It is, quite simply, a massively bad idea to follow that route. If, indeed, Microsoft do make this choice, not only will they demonstrate a massive disconnect with their public (because internet connectivity is not pervasive the world over, as we South Africans like to believe) but they will alienate a massive number of people, both in established and emerging markets.

We get that piracy is bad. We agree. We get that the second hand game market damages earnings

for video game publishers, who have no income from second hand games. We think they should work out an effective system. So we acknowledge that these things are problems for a company like Microsoft. But forcing a perpetual connection for the Durango would be nothing short of suicidal, particularly in Sony and Microsoft bring their new offerings to the table at the same time. Effectively, the anticipated war between the two wouldn’t even start; Microsoft would hand Sony the victory before a single shot is fired.

Let’s hope – hope and pray – that this is nothing more than a rumour. Because if it isn’t, Durango may be the last Xbox console Microsoft ever make. And that would suck. g

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Tread Carefully...

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by Montgommery Paton

Courtesy of Razer

TO ENTER:Send an email to [email protected] us one system that the Chimaera is compatible withInsert Chimaera in the mail’s subject lineSubscribe to www.gamecca.comBecome a fan on Gamecca’s Facebook Page

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Lime Envelope and Razer. The judges’ decision is final.

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VIRTUAL ACADEMY VIRTUAL ACADEMY VIRTUAL ACADEMY VIRTUAL ACADEMY VIRTUAL ACADEMY VIRTUAL

Think you have what it takes to be

a competitive Starcraft 2 player?

Better start brushing up on your

skills, you’re going to have to be

very good to stand a chance against

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VIRTUAL ACADEMY VIRTUAL ACADEMY VIRTUAL ACADEMY VIRTUAL ACADEMY VIRTUAL ACADEMY VIRTUAL

Think you have what it takes to be

a competitive Starcraft 2 player?

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skills, you’re going to have to be

very good to stand a chance against

these guys.

Join the Hive Mind

by Pippa Tshabalala

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Everything you would expect

from a sport like rugby, you can

expect for a competitive gamer.

Faster than a 6 pool Zergling rush!These are the words that greet me as I walk

through the doors of the Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm Invitational Tournament and not only does it elicit a chuckle from Starcraft fans, but it also refers to the internet connection provided for this invitational tournament at The Campus in Bryanston, Johannesburg.

The tournament was hosted by Megarom Games, distributors for Blizzard in South Africa, as well as Internet Solutions, who provided an insanely fast connection that fulfilled every competitive nerd’s need. I use the word ‘nerd’ in the most appreciative way of course – when I tried to explain to non-gaming

friends where I was going on Saturday I could see the incomprehension cross their faces. Competitive gaming… what?

These gamers take it very seriously however, and not just because there’s cash on the line. Cash yes, but sponsorships, national colours, international prestige, the works. Everything you would expect from a sport like rugby, you can expect for a competitive gamer.

And on Saturday the 16th March, some of South Africa’s best players came together to compete not just against each other, but also against top Romanian player ‘NightEnD’, brought out to South Africa by the local eSports body the MSSA, with a cash prize up for grabs for first, second and third place, totalling R40 000.

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Everything you would expect

from a sport like rugby, you can

expect for a competitive gamer.

After some insanely close matches throughout the day, NightEnD came out on top, the winner of R20 000, followed by local players PandaTank (R15k), Skiblet (R10k) and Shase.

The spectator turn out was pretty good as well, not just limited to gaming journos, which is so often the case at events such as these and the focus and enthusiasm from both competitors and spectators during matches was admirable.

This was in part due to the rather excellent shoutcasting, which was entertaining in terms of banter, and admirably accurate during high tension moments. No fumbling for unit names, no um-ing and ah-ing, which proves that commentating events such as these

under high pressure requires just as much as skill as any traditional sports match.

Bringing everything together and keeping the crowd informed and energetic throughout a very long day with his exuberance was Grant Hinds, who emceed the event admirably, and it was indeed a long day – beginning at 10:00am, the event went on well into the night. It even ran vaguely to schedule, which is also unusual in these kinds of things since you never really know how long a match will take.

Think you have what it takes to be a competitive Starcraft 2 player? Better start brushing up on your skills, you’re going to have to be very good to stand a chance against these guys.

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Tomb RaiderThe start...

Bioshock: InfiniteHead in the clouds

God of War: AscensionAnother start...

SimCityIf you build it...

Gears of War: JudgementAnother another start...

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There are only two words for the month that just passed: holy crap! March saw the release of a massive number of big name titles, meaning that we have almost half of our

fifteen reviews as larger, four page articles. With titles like Tomb Raider, Bioshock: Infinite, God of War:

Ascension, SimCity, Sniper Ghost Warrior 2 and Gears of War: Judgement all having been released in March, we can rest assured that we will be able to find something to play as the quiet time before E3 2013 kicks in! g

Highlights

Courtesy of Apex Interactive

TO ENTER:Send an email to [email protected] us who distributes the game in South AfricaTell us which platform you would prefer (PC, PS3 or Xbox 360)Insert Riptide in the mail’s subject lineSubscribe to www.gamecca.comBecome a fan on Gamecca’s Facebook Page

WIN a copy of Dead Island: Riptide!

Competition closes 30 April 2013. Gamecca subscribers only. South African residents only. Prizes may not be exchanged for cash. Competition closed to employees (& employee’s family) of 1337 Media CC

and Apex Interactive. The judges’ decision is final.

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Available

In Store

30 April 2013

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For many years, the Tomb Raider franchise was the staple adventure game. It featured everything a warm-blooded gamers could possibly want – a

female hero in short shorts and tank top, numerous brain-busting puzzles, good graphics and a plot that was worthy of a Michael Bay film.

Over the years, there seemed to be a bit of a slump in the quality of titles. Whether that was because gamers grew tired of the same Lara Croft in every game, or technology just evolved to the point where it left the development teams behind, nobody can say for sure.

But one thing is certain: Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider series of titles undoubtedly defined a genre and an exciting period in video gaming. The titles sold by the millions and even spawned a couple of films to boot – with the lovely Angelina Jolie in the main roles.

That was until gamers received word that the franchise will be getting a stern reboot, with a new face for Lara, a new plot and a whole bunch of backstory that was previous unexplained. While the previous titles had decent graphics for the time, one of the major draw cards for the reboot was the promise of excellent graphics coupled with intense details – and the game delivered.

The 2013 version of Lara is more emotional, determined and focussed – something that gamers unravel during their various missions. It’s a completely different side of the heroine that comes to the fore, and attaches the gamer to the title emotionally. Besides the great graphics, attention to detail and new play mechanic, it’s this emotionally-charged protagonist that drives players to return to the game – helping her survive is a reward on its own.

The title takes a departure from the usual format of

Rebooting a classic franchise

Raiding Tombsby Charlie Fripp

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weather, their ship crashes ashore and leaves them stranded on the strange island. And naturally all isn’t what it seems.

From this point, players get to see the anxious and scared Lara – afraid of what might happen and concerned for their well-being. As the game progresses through more violent and revealing levels, Lara’s attitude will visibly change, becoming more aggressive and confident in her fighting ability, yet vulnerable and somewhat emotionally unstable.

In terms of graphics, they’re one of the best things about the game. Developer Crystal Dynamics paid close attention to inserting incredibly detailed fauna and flora, and Lara will ever-so-often gently brush a branch or a shrub aside as she walks past them. But that isn’t all – clothing will also change as the levels continue, with Lara’s

allowing gamers to explore tombs in order to drive the plot forward, and opted to go with a dirty and gritty story of danger and survival of the fittest, and it’s also these dark undertones that will keep gamers glued to their screens.

In a story that is excellently scripted, there is a constant feeling of anxiety as players make their way through the stages and areas – and as music plays a huge role in any video game, it drives an urgency to complete whatever task is at hand. There will be many occasions in which players feel the need to quickly complete a task, only to realise that it’s not time-dependant.

And that is what makes Tomb Raider one of the most important reboots of the year. For a bit of backstory, the title places gamers in the shoes of a young Lara Croft as she and her crew are on a mission to find a lost island and its treasures. After encountering some rather dubious

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shirt becoming ripped if she falls down, or blood-stained when putting an enemy out of its misery. Going for a quick dip in water will wash off the dirt, but the blood stains will remain. With that said, unlike any other Tomb Raider games, this one features no swimming sections.

Controlling Lara has also been somewhat simplified, with an upgrading mechanic that is arguably more difficult to understand. It’s very easy to master and the basic buttons are explained at the beginning of the title, while new commands are demonstrated throughout the title as she acquires new weapons, actions and skills.

New skills are unlocked by gaining experience points, and these can be collected by performing various actions such as killing an enemy and completing a level section. Skills include new killing moves, better dodge tactics and better aiming. Salvage should also be collected

throughout the levels from crates and animals, and with enough salvage Lara will be able to upgrade her weapons as well as acquire new ones.

Speaking of weapons, Lara makes use of four different kinds – pistol, shotgun, assault rifle and bow. Each one of these items can be upgraded to a much better version by finding their individual parts in crates scattered across the game. While it doesn’t really make a huge difference in the game, having the best weapons will sure make things somewhat easier in terms of aiming, reload speeds and ammo capacity.

But even with the easy control scheme, gripping plot and absolutely stunning visuals, there are a number of niggles that will crop up during the course of heated, and numerous, battles.

It’s all fine and dandy that Lara will be able to craft

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her to tumble to her death.But with all that aside, the updated version of Lara is

seen as a bit more headstrong than previous titles. Her ability to make tough decisions is what drives the plot forward, and players will also see a small transformation in Lara, as she evolves through the game from a soft-natured person to one who would have no problems putting a bullet in an enemy’s head.

This version of Tomb Raider is every inch a true Tomb Raider game, and while there is less raiding of actual tombs (instead of being compulsory, they are now optional) it squarely belongs in the franchise. It is a great reboot for fans of the previous games, and it is a stunning introduction for players who are not familiar with Lara Croft. It might also be one of the best games we have seen so far this year. g

new weapons from gathering three pieces of string, a cog and whale bone, but it does portray her a bit as a female version of ‘McGuyver’. No context is given when upgrading weapon parts, and it would have been better if Lara had to pick up the individual parts from certain locations.

While not entirely new to the gaming world, a decent cover system has plagued almost every game that makes use of it – and Tomb Raider isn’t immune. In combat, Lara has the ability to take cover behind waist-high objects, but that is not always ideal. Sometimes an object will trigger a duck, but she will still be spotted by the enemy, rendering her incapable of delivering a stealthy blow.

And even though the controls are easy to understand, Lara won’t always respond in the desired fashion. This becomes especially annoying when players are trying to figure out a puzzle and Lara takes a wrong turn - leaving

AT A GLANCE:

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Score


The reboot is stunning, and it might just be one of the best games of the year

Similar to: Far Cry 3, Uncharted 3

MaxPlayers Local 1 Network 8 Online 8


Crystal DynamicsSquare EnixMegarom

Parental Advisory Accessibility

16+Casual

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PrejudiceDrug UseSexLanguageViolence

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There are times when video games reach a certain level of achievement that makes doing this job even better than it already is. One of those games was

Tomb Raider, which is also reviewed in this issue. Another is Bioshock: Infinite. Let’s be honest, though: expectations for this particular title were high. No one expected anything but the very best from this title, and so it was always potentially going to not live up to those expectations – as is unfortunately often the case with games that make big promises. But Irrational Games have managed, yet again, to deliver a game that some will call definitive, and pretty much everyone will enjoy.

The original Bioshock games took players to a mysterious city deep beneath the waves, but this particular outing visits another mysterious and quasi-magical place: Columbia, a city floating above the clouds. The year

is 1912, and Booker DeWitt, an ex-Pinkerton private investigator isn’t having the best of lives. He has fallen in with some nasty people, and the only way he can settle his debts is to travel to Columbia, and find a girl named Elizabeth. He undertakes the mission somewhat grudgingly, and is soon thrust into a world that is as surreal as it is dangerous.

The story starts out pretty simply, but Irrational managed to craft a tale that is well paced, full of twists and thoroughly mind-bending. We’re not going to throw any spoilers in here, because that would suck; rather, we’re going to say that the story is among the upper echelons of video game plots, and will be a big part of what keeps gamers thoroughly engaged in Infinite.

Another factor that keeps players glues to their screen is the excellent portrayal of the central characters. Whether it be Booker, Elizabeth or the seldom seen, yet always present

Twisting and turning through reality…

That Old Time Religion

by Walt Pretorius

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them offensive, even, but there is reason for all of this. Once again, a spoiler would be easy, but we won’t go there.

The city is beautifully presented. In fact, even though the characters do look a little more like caricatures than real people, the overall look of the game is nothing short of stunning. Environments are massive and complex, crammed with little details that add significantly to the overall effect. And the people that populate Columbia fit into it perfectly. They aren’t the (obviously) insane denizens of Rapture. Rather, most of them are ordinary folk, and they come across in that way.

Supporting this is a great set of lighting and special effects. The sum of everything is a game that is visually compelling, and often a treat for the player. And, as is to be expected, the voice acting and animation of the characters supports this perfectly. Elements like lip-synching and facial expression

Prophet, Father Zachary Hale Comstock (founder and leader of Columbia), each character is not only beautifully presented, but follows a strong progression as the plot unwinds. And there are many odd and interesting people that Booker encounters during his travels and battles in Columbia… but none so compelling as his companion, Elizabeth. But we’ll get to that a bit later.

What ties all of these elements together is the city of Columbia itself, and the rich history that the developers created for this unusual setting. The Prophet, disgruntled with the situation that the world was in, led his followers here, with the help of an eccentric scientist named Rosalind Lutece. Everyone who lives in Columbia is a devout follower of the Prophet, and buys into his beliefs (which include sexism, racism and an elitist attitude.) In fact, there are times when these elements shine through in the game. Some may find

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were carefully trimmed to suit the characters and the script, which further enhances the awesome suspension of disbelief that Bioshock: Infinite delivers.

Once again, Elizabeth stands out. She becomes Bookers companion a short while into the plot, and is an ever-present assistant and advisor, in addition to being a major influence on the plot. The AI driving Elizabeth is great, too. She will help Booker by finding currency, and tossing ammo or health packs to him when he needs them most. In addition, the player doesn’t ever need to babysit or worry about her – Elizabeth looks after Booker more than he looks after her during fire fights. She also adds some great special abilities, like picking locks and being able to warp in things from different realities that can aid during combat. But, once again, we’re coming close to saying too much and ruining the many surprises that Infinite holds.

Speaking of fire fights, the player will have a number of weapons at their disposal. None of these are revolutionary, although they do fit right in with the setting and feel of the game. They can be upgraded using specialised vending machines, but the player will need to choose upgrades carefully, as it is unlikely that all weapons will be fully upgraded during the course of the fairly lengthy campaign. Another important choice is which weapons to carry – the player can only ever have two weapons on hand, and choosing a load-out will often need to be a snap decision, as weapons can only be acquired by finding them on the battlefield.

In addition, the player will find Vigors. These ‘special powers’ are the replacement for the original game’s plasmids, and will enable the player to do various things, ranging from shooting bolts of lightning from Bookers fingertips to

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The whole is still more than the sum of its rather impressive parts. All these elements combine to form a game that is thrilling, compelling and intriguing. Infinite doesn’t feel like it was thrown together to take advantage of gamers eager to spend their cash on new distractions. Rather, it feels like a labour of passion, in which every aspect had to come together in just the right way. And that’s just what happens. Sure, the game has a few oddities and quibbles that arise, but none are even remotely close to having a negative effect on the overall final product. It is a game that shows how games should be made, a digital masterpiece surfacing in a market flooded with copycat products and repeated experiences. Irrational games gained an excellent reputation from the previous Bioshock games – Infinite goes a long way to improve on that reputation. g

possessing enemies and even unleashing flocks of murderous crows on enemies.

Enemies are suitably smart in Infinite, too. That player will face hordes of them during the game, ranging from the average, easy-to-deal-with foot soldiers right through to specialised combatants (like Handymen) which are very tough. In short, Columbia isn’t short on challenges for the player, and combat turns in sprawling, chaotic gun battles more often than not.

Another aspect of the massive setting is travelling. Columbia is not one large landmass – rather, it is joined by rails that the player can use to get around. This adds to combat as well; the hook that the player uses to travel is an excellent, and brutal melee weapon, and attacks can be launched from sky rails. Or they can be used to gain advantageous positioning.

AT A GLANCE:

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Score


Bioshock: Infinite is an intense experience, a true gaming tour-de-force

Similar to: Bioshock, Dishonored



Irrational Games2KMegarom


18+Casual

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So let’s get one thing straight. This is NOT God of War IV. At least not chronologically anyway. The events of God of War: Ascension are set before

those in Chains of Olympus, some ten years before the original God of War. If you haven’t played all the other games then this could be somewhat confusing, but we’re pretty sure you can catch up fairly quickly.

On the surface, God of War is in so many ways the same as its predecessors. It’s a third person action game that is really about vengeance and raw aggression. There are loads of quicktime events, gorgeous visuals (both gameplay and cinematics), and the distinctive fighting style is still present in all its glory.

Plot wise, as mentioned, Ascension is set before the events in Chains of Olympus. The immortals employ the services of the three Furies which, if you know your

Greek mythology some, are said to punish and torment oath breakers and blood crimes. Because Kratos has broken his oath to Ares, he is marked by the Furies for punishment.

The story is pretty weak actually. Well, the weakest of the series any way. The incredibly short, maybe six hour campaign, jumps backwards and forwards in time and is rather confusing overall. The characters don’t really develop much at all throughout the game, and overall the whole thing becomes rather clichéd.

This is not to say that the story is bad, but in comparison to the rest of the franchise you’re left feeling rather cheated. If you’re only playing for the combat and as a fan of the franchise however, then you’re still in good hands.

Combat still has that signature style, with a couple of interesting additions. Kratos can now use his blade to

Not actually. It’s really all about the character development.

Kratos Rises Again!

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will definitely be a deterrent for some gamers to bother finishing the game.

Visually God of War: Ascension is beautiful, as is to be expected of course, but it really takes advantage of the hardware in every possible way. Because of its prequel nature, it steers away from the muted palettes of the later games, which are far more concerned with revenge and the Underworld, to a brighter palette that is indicative of a minimally less angry Kratos.

It’s very apparent that SCE Santa Monica has spent years working on this franchise, as the level of detail is deliberate and nuanced, and absolutely gorgeous to look at if you’re willing to take time out from the hack and slash of the storyline to do so.

The sound design as always plays a huge part in the game, and adds an extra dimension to this that

slide down an incline, avoiding obstacles as he goes and of course the usual QTE’s are ever present.

You still have your standard light and heavy attacks, using your Blades of Chaos in the usual fashion until your enemies explode in a shower of glowing orbs. Some cool upgrades as well as the standard gore and QTE’s are ever present in combat, where you are prompted to grab your enemies at specific points in time to complete specific moves. While there are unusually difficult moments, the combat style is mostly the same as the previous games.

But there’s another thing. Unusually difficult moments. Most gamers don’t mind a challenge, but there’s challenging and then there’s next to impossible. What’s worse is that this seemed to happen without warning. One minute I was wreaking havoc, the next I was dying over and over again. This difficulty spike is maddening, and

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complements the flow and gameplay. Although not perfect all the time, and I wouldn’t add it to my award winning list, it works well within the game and provides the right atmosphere throughout.

The level design, frustrating as it can be at times, is also rather intricate although the puzzles often seem pointless. Overall though, the levels are incredibly well thought out and challenging enough that you don’t get bored within five minutes of play.

I speak of frustration, and this at times manifests in the form of levels that are poorly signposted. You reach a point where you don’t actually know where to go and so end up wandering aimlessly while trying to figure out how to proceed. It’s annoying, but it’s not a major gripe in the grander scheme of things.

Ascension does also have some additions, or rather

one in particular, that this time around that will either make you extremely happy or extremely annoyed, I haven’t come across much ambivalence from many people. Yes, God of War: Ascension has introduced multiplayer.

It might seem unusual in this genre, but it works relatively well. It’s multiplayer for up to eight players, with a minimal kind of story to go along with it. Players are in two teams of either two or four, or they can play alone, and must take control of a map to earn rewards from the gods.

No need to worry about a punch up over who gets to play Kratos however, as you play as a nameless warrior, who like Kratos, is an oath breaker and imprisoned in the Prison of the Damned. After being introduced to Kratos, you are transported to the Rotunda of Olympus where you must align with Ares, Hades, Zeus or Poseidon. Your

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The multiplayer doesn’t really bring anything new to this kind of genre, and it’s not strictly necessary, but it’s a good attempt by the studio to reinvigorate the campaign and possibly an indication of where they hope to expand in future.

God of War: Ascension is perhaps not the best game in this franchise, but it benefits in many ways from the lessons learned throughout the development of the series. The multiplayer is a worthy addition, and although Kratos’ back-story is interesting and reveals hidden aspects of his character, sadly the story is lacking in as much depth. It feels more like an attempt to prolong the franchise and introduce the multiplayer than any valuable addition to the overarching narrative. Play it to get the full story, but it’s a short and ultimately not quite as epic ride as its predecessors. g

choice in alignment isn’t just incidental either, each god offers combat bonuses and abilities and players can unlock other special magical abilities as well as weapons and armour along the way. The attack style of the god you align with is absolutely essential to the path your warrior will take. Drawing on another staple of Greek mythology, labours will be assigned by the gods that must be completed to unlock items such as weapons and armour.

There are four multiplayer modes, Match of Champions, Trial of the Gods, Capture the Flag, and the signature mode, Team Favor of the Gods, in which Spartans vs Trojans must accumulate the largest number of points, or “Favor” in order to win the round.

Each multiplayer map is based on a specific God of War location, so you’ll find yourself traversing the Desert of Lost Souls and the Forum of Hercules for example.

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A reasonable addition to the franchise, especially the introduction of multiplayer, but sadly a weaker story than the other games.

Similar to: God of War 3 , Castlevania.



SCE Santa Monica SCEESter Kinekor


18+Casual

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78

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City Interactive isn’t exactly known for the AAA-titles, but the Polish developer can’t be faulted for trying to provide the best game that they

possibly can. When the original Sniper Ghost Warrior was released in 2010, it was met with mixed reviews.

Three years later and slightly wiser from their experience, the developer released a follow-up, Sniper Ghost Warrior 2, which is a great improvement from 2010 but still a bit off from being a brilliant title.

True sniper titles are hard to come by, and at best gamers can expect a sniping level in their favourite FPS, so City Interactive’s efforts should actually be lauded – but there is definitely room for improvement.

In terms of plot, players take on the role of Captain Cole Anderson, and must guide him through a number of missions. While some missions will have overarching

plot lines to the grand story, the main tale of the game is that of international terrorists and the threat of a bio-chemical attack.

As with most military-themed shooters, there are always a Middle Eastern antagonist who is close to destroying the modern world if he isn’t stopped by the intrepid hero – and Sniper 2 is no different. Following the trail of a notorious buyer of WMDs, players will have to wage a sniper war in Sarajevo during the civil war of Bosnia, evade detection in the jungles in Burma and ultimately confront and arch enemy over the mountains of Tibet.

The title isn’t short on exotic locations, and just to make it is bit more believable, City Interactive did a pretty good job at adding small details such as murals and ancient statues in the various scenarios. The setting for the title

Putting some ground between an enemy and a bullet

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doesn’t happen often, but it does become a bit annoying, especially when players need to tag an enemy in order for them to be tracked.

And something that most games suffer from, is that characters often get stuck behind low objects such as a small ridge or mattress laying on the floor. The game’s character won’t be able to move fluidly over it, so they will need some encouraging to do so.

So in terms of controls, the basics are pretty well explained and there is even a shooting range where players can experiment with different weapons and refine their skills. During the shooting range, gamers need to clear different areas from a static positions, but it’s good training to become accustomed with the wind factor and real-time bullet drops.

Speaking of arms, players will go through the entire

also jumps between a few years back and the present day, which helps the player understand the backstory without the need to have played the first title.

Which brings us to the graphics… Sniper 2 “was achieved with CryEngine 3” and it’s a far cry from how terrible initial reports were. The graphics employed are almost identical to Crysis 3, and that in itself isn’t a bad thing.

CryEngine 3 allows for fluid motion and fairly detailed scenery, which is very important in a fast-paced shooter. If gamers can imagine a sniper title with the same graphics as Crysis, they will have a pretty good idea of what to expect.

But the engine isn’t without its own faults, and on the odd occasion the graphics won’t come into focus when looking at a target through a scope or binoculars. It

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game with only two weapons - a main rifle and a side arm. Rifles can’t be picked up from fallen enemies and type of main rifle used will be pre-determined by the level.

While the rifle is of the highest quality and can make accurate shots up to about 1.5km in distance, the side arm is a bit useless. Playing on Medium difficulty, taking out an enemy which spotted you is nearly impossible, as the side arm just doesn’t have enough power to put them out before they mow down the player.

But if players get injured (which happens a lot) there are a good number of health packs strewn across the levels. Health is divided into three block, and once a block has been depleted, it will take one medipack to refill the block – and players can only carry two medipacks at a time.

And gamer should prepare themselves for the occasional cheap death, as Sniper 2 isn’t immune to that either. Some of the sections might seem impossible to get through – which could be ascribed to mad level design – but perseverance is key here. If one route doesn’t work in the fairly linear level designs, try something different or backtrack to get a better view. One of the most important things to remember is that it shouldn’t be rushed – rash decisions are often what will get the player killed.

But one of the major drawbacks of Sniper 2, is its multiplayer. To say that it actually has multiplayer, is a bit of a gross overstatement, as it only has one mode, Team Deathmatch, and only two maps to play through.

It’s incredibly bland and boring, and if users can imagine 16 players camping at various positions for 10 minutes at a time, then they will have pretty accurate

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bullets start flying, it really doesn’t matter. Sniper Ghost Warrior 2 is a definite step up from the

first title in almost all regards. So if players enjoyed the debut title, they will definitely find pleasure in this one. It is a bit of a pity though that City Interactive didn’t employ the same X-ray kill cam that made for an exciting feature in Sniper Elite V2, but at least they had the decency to include a slo-mo kill cam for the long range shots and last enemy in a particular section.

It most definitely won’t win any awards this year, but it is good fun for the six-hour game time that it provides. That might also seem on the short side for many players, but the truth is that it’s pretty much the standard these days for first-person shooters. Play it on anything harder than Medium, and gamers will be able to squeeze out an extra couple of hours. g

idea of what it’s like. The two maps are divided with a central road and two large buildings on either side. Player pick a position in one of the skyscrapers and take pot-shots at each other.

There is still a degree of skill (or luck) involved, but it’s absolutely no challenge. There is no XP system, no weapons to upgrade and no additional tasks to complete. It’s literally a cat-and-mouse game of snipers where the sharpest eye wins.

But with that said, the game isn’t nearly as terrible as some publications made it out to be. Other than the multiplayer that’s a complete non-event, the graphics are good, the control scheme is easy to understand and is fully explained, and the story has a number of twists and turns. Granted, players won’t always know exactly what their role is in the grand scheme of things, but when

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Score


Not without its problems, it’s definitely better than the first title.

Similar to: Sniper Ghost Warrior, Sniper V2 Elite



City InteractiveCity InteractiveApex Interactive


16+Casual

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78

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It has been more than a few years since we saw the last SimCity game, and so it is quite understandable that fans of the complex, deep and pedantic city

simulation were excited for the new release. It also explains the high degree of dissatisfaction that raged through the ranks of SimCity adherents when the servers for the game – which requires a perpetual internet connection – simply didn’t make the grade in the first few days. Frequently interrupted service and loss of save game data were just a few of the problems which plagued the new servers. Thanks to diligent efforts on the part of EA and Maxis, the problems were sorted out before too long – but possibly not before a lot of damage was done to the reputation of the latest SimCity title.

For the moment, the SimCity servers seem to be doing their job, at least much better than in the early days of

the game’s release, and so we are able to set aside gripes and take a look at what is truly important: the game itself.

Fans of the SimCity franchise are likely used to sprawling urban areas in which they had total control. The price of that control was digging into every detail of the city, from sewage and power lines through to zoning and tax structures. While this kind of thing is still around in the new game, the real nitty-gritty of previous SimCity titles – like actually laying those sewage lines – is a thing of the past. What the player is presented with, on the surface, is a much simpler management system that allows for successful cities to be built up relatively quickly. But this is where the challenge of the new SimCity lies: keeping those cities going. The player may well reach a point where their tax income simply does not allow the ciy to survive.

Not quite a metropolis…

The Suburban Sprawl

by Walt Pretorius

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population. Additionally, many of the buildings available have modules that can be attached to them, improving their performance. While these modules can take up more space, they do also mean that the player won’t necessarily have to plop a series of larger buildings instead. For example, power plant modules are much smaller than initial power plant buildings, allowing the player to increase power production without taking up much more space.

Still, space is an issue in the game… but it is not a mistake. Rather, it prompts use of the biggest change the franchise has seen since Will Wright first thought it would be a cool idea to make a game about building cities: multiplayer. For the first time ever, SimCity allows the player to work with other players towards creating successful cities.

To that end, the new SimCity allows for specialised industries, ranging from manufacturing and trade through to tourism. Effective use of these specialisations means that even a negative tax income doesn’t mean that the city isn’t profitable, purely because the player retains control over the major industries in their given city.

“City” may be a bit of a misnomer, though. The area that a player gets to make use of in the game is substantially smaller than that of previous SimCity titles. Herein lies a further challenge, because the player needs to balance the needs and demands of the city populace with activities that will generate income for the city. Overdoing industry, for example, will result in the player not having enough room for commerce and residential areas. Plopping (the official term) a University could also lead to similar issues, but having such a facility in your town does improve the

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It works quite simply: players’ cities are in regions, each of which have from four to sixteen cities in them. Every player, in theory, controls one city, along with its specialisation. If the players are working together properly, these specialisations can complement each other. A manufacturing city would, for example, benefit greatly from a nearby trade-specialised city. In the same manner, heavily industrialised cities would benefit from workers commuting from nearby cities that have high populations. In this way, the game becomes a co-operative multiplayer exercise.

Groups of cities – generally four – also contribute to Great Works, massive regional projects that bring a benefit to entire regions. Whether an arcology, solar energy farm, international airport or space program, these Great Works help all involved, and are built as a

co-operative project.For those that aren’t too keen on the multiplayer idea,

a region can be kept private. This means the player can control all cities in a region, and possibly trim things up for even better co-operation between cities.

As it stands, though, SimCity is a very different game from what veterans might be used to. While a lot of the day-to-day complexity has been removed, players will find new challenges in the game. These don’t just come from working with other humans to create a successful region; they also come in the form of goals and challenges set by the game itself. Should a player want to advance in a particular kind of specialisation, they need to meet certain criteria. As those are met, new buildings and modules become available. The end result is a smoothly running city (hopefully) that takes many, many hours of gaming to

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With great graphics that show every detail of the player’s city, a decent management model and controls that are intuitive and very friendly, SimCity is quite the pleasure to play. The addition of multiplayer ideas is very new to the franchise, and may be a little too foreign to veterans for comfort. In fact, the game overall will certainly not appeal to everyone, even if you do get to trash stuff with disasters. But those after an evolved management simulation will likely find a lot to like about SimCity, despite the fact that it requires a perpetual internet connection (which can, potentially, still lead to a few problems). Patience, vision and a long-term game plan are what are required by this game, which is as remarkable as its famous predecessors. Yes, it has its quirks and quibbles but, given a little more time, the title will most certainly live up to its hype. g

achieve.For those that just want to build for the joy of it,

SimCity also includes a Sandbox mode. Entire regions need to be established as Sandbox areas and, playing in one, the player starts with a lot more money. In addition, all buildings are available, regardless of what city and regional unlocks have been achieved. Lastly, the player is provided with a number of cheats that can be used to turn off fires, crime, health issues and so forth. One cheat even allows the player to add money to their city whenever they like. Sandbox is all about the joy of building.

But it offers little challenge. With copious applications of the money cheat, the player can have a whole city up and running in a matter of minutes… what’s the point? To really appreciate SimCity, one has to play the game as intended: multiplayer, in normal mode.

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Score

Genre: Simulation

Despite initial problems, SimCity is shaping up nicely. Pity about the small city size, though

Similar to: SimCity 4, SimCity Societies



MaxisElectronic ArtsEA South Africa


3+Casual

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80

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When the first Gear of War game made its appearance a good number of years ago, it was seen as a somewhat revolutionary title.

Three games later, and the franchise is good and strong as it ever was – even with a number of changes.

For the latest title, Gear of War: Judgment, developer People Can Fly and Epic Games took the familiar face of Gears veteran Marcus Fenix – and threw it right out the window. Some gamers might bemoan the fact that Fenix, akin to Master Chief from the Halo franchise, isn’t included in the tactical roster, but as they’ll witness throughout the title, it actually works.

People Can Fly and Epic Games have actually packaged Judgment rather nicely, in the sense that they have taken a slight departure from the normal means of telling a story, and changed just enough so that the

game feels fresh. To deliver the plot, they decided to go with a narration-

style technique, where gamers are informed of the happenings in the game by means of retrospective dialogue. But this can only be fully explained by giving the premise for the game.

The title Judgment refers to the court case, or hearing, of Damon Baird and this three squad mates. While at the beginning of the title it isn’t made clear why they are being court marshalled, it soon emerges that they set off a missile destined for another purpose.

It is in essences their judgment, and as they deliver their testimony, players get to relive (or play) their version of what happened. So instead of gamers taking on the role of just one characters, which was the case with the previous Gears of War games, here players will be assuming control

Turning the tides or conflict

Prepare to be Judged

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the ability to add a bit more information to their statements by activating the Declassified modes.

The mode tweaks the level conditions which essentially make it harder for the player to complete, but as a reward, they will be earning stars at a much faster rate than normal. Stars in Gears are used to unlock the Aftermath levels, as well as unlocking other goodies that can be used in the game.

It also added a number of new weapons, such as the tripmine crossbow and a new grenade launcher to mix, and since ammunition is plentiful throughout the level, gamers shouldn’t worry too much about ammo. At the beginning of each level players will find either a large cache of ammo, or a weapons rack with different weapons for the taking.

By having Baird, former Thrashball player Augustus Cole, Onyx Guard cadet Sofia Hendirk and former UIR

of all three characters as they try to explain to Gen. Loomis what happened – and hopefully prove their innocence.

First to provide information is Lt. Baird, as he sets the scene and tone for the rest of the title. Players will be given quick explanations of how things work if they haven’t played a Gears game yet, and will be notified of new actions and additions as the game progress if they are familiar with the franchise.

There are a number of changes in the game play and dynamic, but it’s just subtle enough to breathe new life into the title, while still retaining its familiar look and feel – as well as control scheme, which still includes executions and timed reloads.

The biggest change, besides a bunch of new weapons, is the addition of Declassified Information at the start of every level. While giving their testimony, player will have

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a chance to break away from Marcus Fenix, who has dominated the previous Gears games. Players won’t be stuck with one character, and it’s interesting to see how the different characters remember what happened on their way to the missile – which forms the basis of the plot.

In terms of graphics, gamers will be greeted with the familiar design aspects from the previous titles, but there is a distinct increase in the quality. While it may not be immediately noticeable, players will definitely realise that the graphics tend to be a bit sharper, with more detail than usual – which is never a bad thing.

The franchise has never been known as stellar when it came to multiplayer games, but just like its predecessors, Judgment does have a rather prominent

multiplayer section – which has also been given a slight facelift.

While it doesn’t compare to the action and plot-driven story of the single player, it’s entertaining none the less as newcomers and regulars will equally enjoy the team-based combat. As part of the changes to the franchise, Down but Not Out will no longer be available, and executions have also been omitted.

But in what is probably the biggest shock for veteran Gears fans, is that Judgment only has four maps and four game modes, with OverRun and Free-for-All being the two new modes that has been added to Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch.

But before gamers start to fret, they will still be able to join their online friends in the lobby and co-op modes to complete the single-player story as part of a four-player

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the Normal difficulty isn’t much of a challenge, and the entire game isn’t exactly long to get though.

While Judgment can be labelled as more of the same and not really incorporating anything new into the franchise, it does afford the series a fresh start. If there is going to be more Gears games in the future, Judgment has certainly set the tone for future development.

The fact that player get to control four different players is really refreshing, as Fenix was getting a bit long in the tooth anyway, but that is all part of the natural evolution of any gaming franchise. The number of small tweaks here and there that People Can Fly implemented is just what Gears of War needed. While the title is certainly not perfect, it’s a definite step in the right direction and could arguably be seen as the best Gears of War game in the franchise. g

squad. That has been one of the winning features of the Gears franchise, and will probably never disappear.

But while Judgement made changes for the better, there are still issues that plague it, ever since the original Gears. The cover system employed is adequate but still not perfect, as characters will sometime either fail to hug the wall, or take cover on the wrong side.

An overarching complaint can also be levelled at the fact that it follows the exact same formula as the previous titles, where gamers enter an area, need to clear the entire area of all enemies, and only once all the Locust are dead, will they be allowed to progress. It’s pretty much the same formula throughout the title, with only the Declassified mode that brings a slight variation to the various scenarios and maps. But luckily the abundance of ammunition and the new enemies keep things fresher than before, although

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Judgment might just be the best Gears of War game developed by Epic Games.

Similar to: Gears of War 3, Army of Two



People Can Fly. Epic GamesMicrosoft StudiosMicrosoft


16+Casual

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81

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ear Writing a review of StarCraft II in multiplayer is,

at this point in time, pretty pointless. Everyone knows that this game is a fast paced real time

strategy title that truly separates the elite from the not-so-great, thanks to a well-balanced matching and ladder system. So I am not even going to go there… I can tell you nothing new.

Rather, we’re going to look at the single player campaign that the second part of StarCraft II, subtitled Heart of the Swarm, has to offer. This is partly because of the reasons mentioned above, and partly because Blizzard really have added some great new ideas to the way they present a campaign.

The story starts off where Wings of Liberty left off; Jim Raynor has delivered Sarah Kerrigan to Prince Valerian, so that they can cure her of her Zerg ‘malady’, which

turned her into the Queen of Blades. But her desire to exact revenge on Arcturus Mengsk, the Terran Emperor, and numerous other events that take place in the early stages of Heart of the Swarm (which we won’t spoil) lead her back to her role as the overall leader of the Zerg swarm.

The story is solid, and Tricia Helfer providing Kerrigan’s voice so beautifully helps the player foster an emotional tie to a character that is quickly becoming something other than human. It also, predictably, leads to a bit of a cliff-hanger, which will allow the third title in the StarCraft II trilogy (which will have Protoss as a focus) to set out smoothly.

During this campaign, the player will get to make choices that will alter the way the action plays out to a degree. These are principally in the mutation of Zerg units; interstitial missions will allow the player to select their favourite mutations to apply, which can drastically alter not

Blades and all…

All Hail the Queen!by Walt Pretorius

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available, of course, and a general graphical tweak means that the game is even more engaging and exciting than before.

That puts a lot of pressure on the next title. Thus far, Blizzard are pretty much two-for-two with StarCraft II, meaning that the third instalment has a lot to live up to. We have no real doubt that it will do anything but deliver, to be honest, but Protoss fans (like myself) are now raring to get going with a Protoss campaign.

Heart of the Swarm delivers a slick (if slightly short) single player campaign, as well as managing to enhance the all-important multiplayer aspect of the StarCraft II franchise. It’s a valuable addition that no player will want to be without – or can, realistically, be without if they want to remain competitive. And being an add-on pack, the original game is required. g

only the unit’s appearance and capabilities, but will also change the player’s strategy options. These choices make the campaign extremely replayable, particularly if the player wants to gain experience with various units and make their selections for multiplayer action.

One thing the campaign does not do for the aspirant multiplayer is prepare them for the challenges that lie ahead. Aside from a few tight, timed situations, the overall campaign really is far too easy. Even players that battle to control a Zerg army (myself included) won’t have too much of a problem with getting through the plot relatively unscathed.

Naturally, though, for a game like this, the single player campaign really comes in as a supportive element. Multiplayer is king in StarCraft II, and that doesn’t change with Heart of the Swarm. Some additional units are

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Genre: Real-time strategy

The second release for StarCraft II adds multiplayer potential, and delivers a decent single player campaign.

Similar to: StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty



BlizzardActivision BlizzardMegarom


16+Casual

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85

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Coop

er In the dark and troubled age of history past, a sect

of the church formed a faction; the Brotherhood of Light. These men trained their minds and bodies

in various arts, growing in strength in order to fight against a darkness that threatened the world. Prophecy spoke of a warrior of pure heart who would eradicate the world of the darkness known as the Lords of Shadow. While members of the Brotherhood attended this task, scouring the earth in search of the creatures of darkness to rid the world of this evil, one man rose to fulfil this prophecy; Gabriel Belmont. As he arduously sought, fought and defeated each of the Lords of Shadow, he too ultimately fell into the darkness he’d sought to destroy. Gabriel was now the ultimate Lord of Shadows; Dracul. Thus begins the dark, twisted and tragic fate of the Belmont family.

Mirror of Fate is the story of the Belmont family and the events leading to the next instalment in the Castlevania series, Lords of Shadow 2. The game begins with a prologue of the events prior to Gabriel’s fight against the Lords of Shadow (LOS) in the first game. Players run through the control schemes in this first scene, with premeditated enemy attacks and button prompts that players must pull off successfully in order to continue. Those acquainted with the Castlevania LOS game on console will adjust quickly to the familiar controls, while those new to the game might take a while to be able to use combos efficiently. Gameplay however is not too complicated as it works the same way as all side scrolling platform games do; players will have to run, jump and swing their way through the various levels. The puzzles that need to be solved in game are both challenging

The tragic tale of the Belmont clan.

Family Tiesby Nthato Morakabi

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expected from a handheld console and the 3D visuals of the game are somewhat lacking during certain parts of the game. However this does not lessen the value or enjoyment of the game as at times the 3D visuals are outstanding.

The cinematic scenes bear a certain art style that moves away from realism and more towards storybook art. The emotional turmoil that each character faces is captured well within these scenes as secrets are uncovered and the truth behind each father-son relationship is revealed.

Mirror of Fate is in overall a fun game to play even though it is short and missing a multiplayer mode.. Nonetheless, fans of the series will enjoy playing through this game while they wait for the next instalment of the Castlevania saga. g

and frustrating and those who wish, can opt to have the puzzles solved for them at a price

As players progress through the game, characters will learn new abilities which will then have to be utilized in order to progress through the game. These abilities will also come in handy when trying to gain entry to secret areas hiding various upgrades. These upgrades will assist greatly, especially when playing on a higher difficulty which is highly recommended for a greater challenge.

Each descendant of the Belmont family will use a variation of the combat cross similar to Gabriel’s as well as a variety of secondary weapons varying from the classic throwing axe to the explosive boomerang. As much as these weapons are useful, especially in tight situations, one can complete the game with minimal use of them.

The graphics of the game are not stunning as can be

AT A GLANCE:

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Score


Players experience the different facets in the story of the Belmont’s and their quest to destroy the Lord of Shadow, Dracula.

Similar to: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow



Mercury SteamKonamiCore Group


16+Casual

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75

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Uni When we hear the LEGO name attached to a

game title, we expect a semi-spoof based on a well-known movie property. That’s kind

of Traveller’s Tales’ formula, which they have sold to numerous publishers (depending on the rights of the film property involved).

So when you get a product like LEGO City: Undercover, it is a little strange, purely because it doesn’t follow that formula at all. Here we have a game that is independent of any other major IPs… and it manages to shine. It is by far the biggest offering we have ever seen in the LEGO franchise, and manages to prove addictive and entertaining, even if it never gets very deep.

Part of the entertainment stems from the unbridled spoofing that goes on in the game. With no one central

movie to work with, the developers went nuts… Titanic, Shawshank Redemption, The Matrix, Starsky and Hutch, Colombo, Dirty Harry and Goodfellas are just a few of the spoofs that a player will find within the first few hours of game play, and the list extends as the game continues.

The story tells of a cop, Chase McCain, who returns to Lego City after a three year absence. He immediately gets on the trail of his arch nemesis, the thoroughly bad Rex Fury. Both characters are beyond stereotypical, but this assists in the plot rather than cheapening it. That’s because the plot, like the spoofs and characters, is pretty ludicrous, and often very funny. Good voice acting (introduced to the LEGO franchise a few games ago) helps this along, as does the cast of quirky characters the player will meet.

The net result here, basically, is like a love child of the

The LEGO franchise goes huge…

Grand Theft LEGOby Alex Scanlon

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of the game pad, turning it into a tool for various in-game activities (mainly finding clues in a variety of ways). In addition, it brings a very solid title to the platform, which has seen few games added to its release title line-up.

But the game pad has also resulted in LEGO City: Undercover’s biggest problem… no co-op. This is a single player game, which is rather sad, because the LEGO games have often found strength in multiplayer.

That said, the puzzles are slightly more logical than before, the story line is thoroughly entertaining, and the vast game world will keep the player busy for hours. Some of that time will be spent watching the loading screen, though, which comes up far too often and lasts far too long. Still, patience will be rewarded by this enjoyable title, which is arguably the best game in the LEGO franchise thus far. g

LEGO franchise and Grand Theft Auto. The violence is obviously down toned and you’re not going to be beating up hookers, but you get the idea. The player has a vast, free-roaming environment to explore, with several missions that drive the story along. As new abilities are unlocked (via Chase’s numerous disguises) missions and areas can be revisited… many of which will have areas that could not be explored previously.

There are so many things to do and collect that this massive game will keep you going for ages. The simplicity of the game dynamics will appeal to younger players, while the humour will have older gamers chuckling. Gamers will gleefully go back to find new areas, characters, vehicles, activities and more. This is the truly compelling side of the game, making it rather addictive.

Being a Wii U exclusive, Undercover makes decent use

AT A GLANCE:

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Genre: Adventure

This massive game is free of associated IPs, and might just be the best LEGO game yet.

Similar to: LEGO Batman 2, LEGO Lord of the Rings



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The Metal Gear franchise has been around for a long time, and fans of the series pretty much know exactly what to expect. That would be a

solid mix of stealth and an over-the-top story line that winds back and forth, with a soupcon of action thrown in to keep things interesting. So when they start up Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, they might be in for a little bit of a shock. In this spin off, stealth is the afterthought; instead of sneaking around taking out enemies from the shadows (a la Solid Snake) Revengeance’s protagonist, Raiden, gets right in their faces. And then he generally chops their faces into tiny little bloody bits.

The story is not the strongest point of Revengeance. The plot revolves around Raiden, a cyborg in the employ of a private military corporation, seeking revenge for the death of an African premier who he failed to protect

from a gang of warmongering nasty dudes. Pretty much. The plot is hardly even important, even though the game will often break its otherwise frantic pace with often overly-long cut-scenes characterised by ham acting and sometimes ridiculous plot devices.

But this game is not about the plot as much as it is about fast paced action. The player, in control of Raiden, gets to use a sword as a primary weapon, and can use it to great effect in a special sword mode, activated at certain times during combat. When activated, this mode allows the user to direct sword strokes with the right analogue stick on the controller. What that means is that the player gets an incredible amount of control over the sword strokes, and that the enemy who falls victim to it literally gets chopped into tiny pieces. What this demonstrates is an awesome amount of graphics and physics power within

Fast paced and action packed… is this a Metal Gear game?

The Quickest Cutby Walt Pretorius

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other little quibbles.The biggest let down, though, is the camera, which can

hinder the player as much as help them. This is particularly true when some of the larger bosses are encountered, and the camera just doesn’t know where to put itself to afford the player the best view.

Still, it’s worth playing, despite these little niggles. The intensity of the game, as well as the sensory overload it delivers, makes for an enjoyable distraction at the very least. In addition to all of that, the player also gets to upgrade Raiden’s equipment and abilities, which once again keeps a healthy injection of freshness going in the game.

If you’re not after a story that will change your life, and don’t mind a little hiccup or two on the way to fast-paced third person slasher action, Revengeance is a good bet. g

the game, as the bits lopped off of enemies react exactly to the movement of the player’s sword.

Outside of that mode, combat tends towards intense, fast paced sword battles against groups of enemies. The game keeps itself fresh by introducing lots of new enemy types, and the player will work through these towards the inevitable boss battles and thrilling QTE sequences.

Movement is equally fast paced. Ninja Running allows Raiden to quickly traverse obstacles and such. While he cannot fly or run up the side of buildings, the movement mode – activated by simply holding down a shoulder button – is not unlike that of the Prototype franchise.

Despite the great graphics and intense game dynamic, Revengeance is not without its faults. The action can, at times, get a bit bogged down, with that exhilarating pace brought low by slow secondary weapon dynamics and

AT A GLANCE:

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Score

Genre: Third-person action

It’s fast and furious in the action department, although the story is quite comedic in it’s overstatement.

Similar to: Prototype



PlatinumKonamiSter Kinekor


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Sly Cooper hails from the time when the 3D platformer was rapidly losing interest to other genres. It is one of those cult classics, beloved

by those that played it but somehow never made into the mainstream gaming consciousness. Developed by Sucker Punch Productions, who later went on to create the brilliant Infamous franchise, it’s fantastic blend of light-hearted film noir and comic book themes ultimately never got the credit it deserved. After an eight year gap Sly Cooper is finally back in his fourth instalment, now with Sanzaru Games at the helm, and maybe this time our recalcitrant hero will get the acclaim he warrants.

Set after the ending to the third game, Thieves in Time sees Sly reunited with long-time friends and partners in crime, Bentley the genius turtle and Murray the burly hippo. The plot sees Sly’s family history

begging to fade, as his long lineage of thieving forefathers are being wiped from the books. Using Bentley’s recently invented time machine the gang must travel back to locations as varied as feudal Japan, and western frontier towns as Sly desperately races to saves his ancestors. It’s a plot that’s ludicrous as it sounds, but in a world of gunslinging armadillos and pink hippo enforcers, it matches the game superbly.

The first thing that will be immediately apparent to fans of the series is the Thieves in Time is as much a homage to the originals as it is a sequel. Sly is still the same roughish, witty raccoon as always, and likewise the rest of the Cooper Gang makes a faithful return. There’s an almost palpable air of childish exuberance and innocent charm, matched perfectly with Thieves in Time cartoonish, comic book inspired graphics. The levels

Return of the rapacious raccoon

Hide your Goldby Lein Baart

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The title does suffer from some rather glaring drawbacks however. The game is too easy by far, and consequently you’ll be hard pressed to be challenged by anything other than the boss battles. There are a lot of minigames that pop up throughout the game, but beyond this Thieves in Time is extremely repetitive, as each level invariably features almost exactly the same types of enemies. Despite being open world, little encouragement is given to explore beyond the seemingly obligatory collectibles, and after a while you’ll find yourself just moving from one scripted mission to the next. All this is compounded by almost obscenely long load times, which can make even a quick playthrough unnecessarily tedious. All in all, Thieves in Time is great successor to the franchise, but it is definitely a case of style over substance. g

have received equal attention, each managing to be unique and engaging in its own way, all cobbled together with splendid touches such Bond-esque poses, and an engaging sense of humour

The gamplay remains much the same as always. While a platformer by nature, Thieves in Time blends stealth and light RPG elements into what is essentially an open world game with a linear storyline. While you can use any of the gang, and later Sly’s ancestors, to roam the map, Sly will still be the go-to choice, as he is the most nimble of all the characters, able to scale vines and ropes, balance on pinpoint objects and cross tightropes with graceful ease. Combat is still a part of the game, indeed it’s required at some points, but is by no means encouraged, as besides for Murray, taking on harder enemies will likely result in you respawning at your hideout.

AT A GLANCE:

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Score

Genre: Platform

Entertaining for a couple of hours, this is definitely a game aimed at the younger generation and fans of the series

Similar to: Ratchet & Clank, Jak & Dexter, Sly Cooper Series



Sanzaru GamesSCEESter Kinekor


6+Casual

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73

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Sims 3 players have got to do a lot of stuff over the years that the game has been available, ranging from focussing on jobs that require

actual interaction right through to exploring the world. And, at the same time, they have been able to establish generations of virtual families, guiding them towards goals that the players themselves have set for the little computer people.

But there has been a fundamental part of life missing for the longest while. We now have everything from supernatural entities to seasons, but sims have always gone straight out of high school in to the work force . Yes, it has been possible to get a head start on that by performing well at school, but tertiary education has always been missing from The Sims 3. It has been something of a large omission, considering how

successful Sims 2: University was.Well, EA have rectified the problem. The latest full

expansion for The Sims 3 is University Life, and it marks a two expansion winning streak for the franchise (the previous expansion, Seasons, was an excellent addition to the game, overall.)

When you add University Life to your possibly massive Sims 3 install, the ability to spend a few years away from home, working on earning a degree is now possible for Sims who have completed high school. Any sim, from young adult to elder, can apply to join a university, by completing an aptitude test.

Once there (they will leave their home and move to a university town for the duration of their studies) the sim can specialise in one of six fields - Business, Physical Education, Science & Medicine, Technology,

Getting a head start in life…

Varsity Rules!by Walt Pretorius

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stereotypes these groups represent.Earning a degree can be quite a challenge, as it becomes

a frantic struggle to keep the sim’s plum-bob in the green. That’s part of the fun, of course, and the rewards that come up later in the sims life are well worth the effort.

This is one of the expansions that Sims 3 fans should not think twice about getting. It adds valuable content to the game, much like Seasons did. It’s almost as though the developers are trying hard to make up for Supernatural (and they should be) with two great expansions in a row.

With a bunch of new actions, activities and objects, The Sims 3: University life really does add to the game, which is becoming fantastically complex. Players will likely enjoy the challenge of eraning their sim a head start in life, making this one of the more worthwhile expansions for the very popular Sims 3 range. g

Communications, or Fine Arts. Degrees in these fields will help springboard them to a better career once they have completed their time at uni.

But it is not necessarily all that easy. Anyone who has been to varsity knows full well that all that studying just gets in the way of why they are really there – hectic social life activities. They also know, though, that for the social life to continue, they need to pass. It’s the same here… the player needs to balance social activities with studying in order to draw the best experience out of their university years.

The social aspect of University Life is very important, and the player’s sim will invariably become part of one of three social groups: rebels, jocks or nerds. Each group has advantage that carry through into the sim’s later life, and they have specific activities associated with the

AT A GLANCE:

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Score

Genre: Simulation

The second worthwhile expansion for The Sims 3 in a row, University Life is all about degrees and parties.

Similar to: The Sims 2: University



Sims StudioElectronic ArtsEA South Africa


7+Casual

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e Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm is a continuation of the story of Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, following the story arc of the

anime series Naruto Shippuden. Those unfamiliar with the anime and have yet to play previous installments of the game will be lost in terms of story and characters. The storyline begins with a prologue depicting the fight between the village Ninjas and the Nine-tailed fox but also the other side of the story involving the village elder, Naruto’s father, and his battle against a masked man in control of the Nine-tailed fox. The story then jumps forward to the present day where Sasuke Uchiha has gone rouge, having attacked one of the other villages, while the current Hidden Leaf elder is in a coma and has been replaced by a new elder and ultimately the Fourth Great Ninja War is at hand.

Playing the game really made me feel like I was part of the anime. The cut scenes and in game graphics all worked together well to create a somewhat seamless flowing game. Sure there were loading screens and pre-battle intervals but that did not detract from the game. One of the things that I did find tedious after a while was the fact that there was more story than gameplay and I was skipping dialogue just to get the game moving. Also there were times when you could “free roam” through the village or various places but those times felt forced, added in to give players a break from watching cut scenes or fighting. Not much happens during these “free roam” intervals and the items you find don’t make it worth the while.

Fans of the anime will really appreciate the fights. The battles are interactive and fun, allowing players the use of ground and air combos, kunai’s and exploding tags

The tale continues for the Hidden Leaf ninja.

The Fourth Great Ninja War

by Nthato Morakabi

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horrible lip-syncing. Playing the game with the original Japanese voices and English sub-titles might just be the best option.

The game also features two other game modes: free battle and multiplayer. The free battle mode offers a VS Battle, a Tournament and a Practice mode. Tournament mode pits players through a 4 to 8 player tournament either in a Free Tournament, a Perpetual Change Tournament or Challenge Tournament. Each one offers something different in terms of gameplay conditions and challenges. The multiplayer follows the same format as many other fighting games offer either with a normal online battle or a ranked battle.

With an anime feel throughout the game, players will truly experience the world and life of Naruto Uzumaki; a must have for fans. g

as well as a variety of other ninja tools as seen on the anime. There are also amazing boss battles against large opponents and occasional “free roaming” fights in which you battle against a series of enemies rather than a one on one. Players will also have to choose the difficulty of their opponents as they play based on a Legend or Hero selection. A drawback however in the combat system is the lack of variation in terms of combos. One button combos do become repetitive and tedious and a little variation there could have improved the combat system to make it more challenging.

The music of Naruto Shippuden follows the music of the anime matching the different areas players will be visiting as well as the battles they will partake in. As the anime is originally Japanese, players might find themselves annoyed by the dubbed English voices with

AT A GLANCE:

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Score


Experience the on-going story of Naruto Uzumaki and his burden of rescuing his friend and rival from the clutches of the Akatsuki organization.

Similar to: Naruto:Ultimate Ninja Storm series



Cyber Connect 2Namco BandaiMegarom


12+Casual

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75

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It says something for an IP when, thirty years later, it still shows signs of a following. Fist of the North Star is such a property. It started out as a manga,

and then became an anime. And, somewhere along the line, it became a video game.

That’s not all that surprising, really. We have seen many anime projects turned into video games, thanks to the popularity of anime (not just in Japan, but the world over). And with the action-packed nature of Fist of the North Star, combined with its post-apocalyptic setting, it is hardly a surprise that this concept has struck a cord with gamers.

The series tells the tale of Kenshiro, a loner-type who wanders around the post-apocalyptic world doing random acts of kindness by beating the crap out of bad guys using his mastery of Hokuto Shinken martial arts.

Unfortunately, the source material is unchanged. It has been for a while, and so Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage felt like a rehashing of the story. The same can be said for this sequel, although they have tried to cram more of the story in, making it feel like something of an abridged version.

Although the game has managed to address many of its predecessors problems, it is still flawed in a number of ways. First of all, the way the story is told seems abrupt and rushed. The speech is in Japanese, with English sub-titles, which will be a treat for some, but a major frustration for others.

And then there’s the combat. The game offers more than twenty playable characters, each of which have their own unique fighting styles. These fighters also gain upgrades as they progress, and players can assign buffs

The story hasn’t changed… in thirty years…

Rehashedby Walt Pretorius

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enemies are disposed (both in terms of control and AI) manages to strip away most of the challenge that the game might have offered. That leaves the story, which only Fist of the North Star adherents can relate to, thanks to its “let’s fast forward through the facts” style of narrative.

Then again, a game is made particularly for those people: the fans of the manga or anime. Picking it up on a whim may leave you a bit lost as the plot barrels along, while those that know the story will get far more out of it.

The real question is, how many times do the developers plan to retell this tale. Without a major overhaul of the fighting system, and maybe a bit of new story content, there really isn’t a reason to make another game in this franchise. But they probably will, anyway. g

between chapters to help their abilities along.But the upgrades themselves are automated, taking

a lot of responsibility (and joy) away from the player. And the combat – well, let’s just say that we hope your thumbs are up to the task. Initially, it’s a lot of fun; the levels are short, and the player gets to take on hordes of enemies at a time, inevitably leading to a larger boss-type dude who needs the tar knocked out of him.

After a while, though, it becomes apparent that the enemies are little more than crash test dummies, placed there specifically to get kicked around. They hardly ever attack, and when they do they are so easily evaded that it doesn’t really matter. As the game progresses, the levels get longer, and it turns from a massive punch-fest into a slog. The repetitive nature of the combat will leave some players wanting, and the extreme ease with which

AT A GLANCE:

g amec c a46 93

Score

Genre: Third person action

If you’re a fan of the manga or anime, it will possibly prove entertaining.

Similar to: Fist of the North Star, Dynasty Warriors



TecmoTecmo KoeiSilver Screen


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Dynasty Warriors is one of those series that must seem completely inexplicable to those new to gaming. With all its expansions, spin-

offs and sequels, it’s a daunting roster of titles that ultimately boils down to one main action series with two expansions per game, namely Xtreme Legends and Empires.

Of the two, Empires has always aimed to do things differently, mixing up the hack and slash that the franchise is known for with the complexity of a grand strategy game, one in which you aim to rewrite history as you unite all of China under one banner.

Set during the turbulent period known as the Three Kingdoms, Empires will have you play as either a ruler or vassal in one of five campaigns from the period. The game wastes little time in throwing you in to the thick

of things however, as immediately after choosing your character (either from the vast selection or through a character creation menu), the game immediately dumps you into a war council, in which the policy of your nation is set for the next six months. A large portion of the game is played out through a turn-based strategy mode, in which only one action is allowed per month. The learning curve can be steep here, especially for the uninitiated, as there is a huge array of options available, and not all of them have an obvious benefit. Relationships with other officers can be cultivated, troops trained and armed, and contracts with supporters formed whereby you trade gold for one either food or information, the three resources of the game.

The action though is where the real heart of the game lies. Those that played Dynasty Warriors 7 will feel

A hack and slash with a touch of thought

Total War This is Not

by Lein Baart

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can quite literally turn the tide.The biggest trouble with Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires

is its lack of focus. While billed as a strategy/beat ‘em up action title, there’s just too little strategy here to really justify the appellation. For those looking for the depth provided by the likes of Total War and Civilisation, Empires will likely disappoint. Likewise, once you reach the halfway mark in a campaign, combat quickly becomes tedious, as you are so overpowered at this point that battles are little more than a chore. It’s a niche product that will cater to the needs of a select group of fans, those who want a thinly sliced layer of complexity on their hack and slash toast. For the rest (especially considering its Japanese voice-acting only) Empires will be a love/hate affair that’s great in short bursts, but ultimately fails to provide a lasting appeal. g

instantly at home, as the frenetic, button-mashing combat makes its way into Empires, though with a touch more tactical focus. The goal here, regardless of whether you are engaging in a skirmish, invasion, or defensive battle, is usually to link a string of encampments via supply-lines to the enemy’s headquarters, after which you must either defeat the foe’s general or capture the base for yourself. A new addition to the series has been made in the form of Fame, a light RPG element that is accumulated through literally every action you perform. Split into six types, the impact in combat is immense, as each level in a particular type of fame unlocks stratagems to be used in battle. These can range from temporarily locking down your bases, to building catapults, to sabotaging your camps to gain better stats. On the harder difficulties stratagems cannot be underestimated, and used appropriately, they

AT A GLANCE:

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Score

Genre: Strategy Action

An entertaining title in the short term, Empires needs more depth to be truly worth the buy.

Similar to: Dynast Warriors 7, Romance of the Three Kingdoms



Omega ForceTecmo KoeiSilver Screen


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So, game servers. I am not talking about those ones that

you choose to go on to. If they’re screwed up, you can just go elsewhere. Or play offline, which has the added bonus of avoiding all the nitwits that feel the overwhelming need to insult you at every given moment.

Rather, I am talking about those game servers that you have to log on to, whether you want to play a single player game or not. The term for it is “perpetual internet connection required” I believe, although they should call it “massive pain in the ass”. Right there under system requirements, in bold type. Massive pain in the ass. Anyone who has ever played a game like StarCraft 2 or Diablo 3 or SimCity would immediately know what that means.

I get it. I understand why game publishers do this and, for all the bitching and moaning that we do as gamers who are

inconvenienced by this type of DRM, we did manage to bring it on ourselves, thanks to rampant, self-involved pirate behaviour. I am not going to talk about that, about the fact that pirates have, yet again, messed stuff up for the rest of us because they are a bunch of selfish morons. Rather, I am going to take on the guise of a slightly sane, normal gamer who has just installed a game that I have been eagerly waiting for, only to have it tell me that I cannot play because the servers are screwed up.

I apportion the blame in these cases in two directions. One, at the pirates, who don’t seem to realise that the world owes them absolutely nothing and that they need to toe the line just like everyone else… because despite what their over-protective, simpering mothers told them, they are not special. Two, at the game publishers, who seem to be unable to realise that they

are alienating their public.How is it conceivably

possible that a game publisher, after pouring millions into over-hyping a game and spending months telling us that it will be the best thing since the discovery of fire, cannot have a service ready to run smoothly at release? It’s like they’re telling us it will be awesome, but they don’t really believe it themselves. Surely, when this has happened time and time again, someone somewhere thinks “hey, maybe we should beef up the server capacity BEFORE we launch the game.” What’s the worst that could happen? They might have too much capacity… use that for the next game. It’s not hard.

And I could get all irrational (who am I kidding, I already am irrational) and say that the server dudes do fix things quite quickly these days. Problems normally don’t go on for too many days after release. But I am going to be an

idealist instead, and say that, after so many games requiring “massive pain in the ass”, these problems shouldn’t exist at all. Perhaps the publishers simply cannot learn from their mistakes. That could be further supported by the fact that they so often seem to make the same mistakes in games over and over again, with a sort of self-destructive relentlessness that simply boggles the mind.

So, instead of having a service ready to go right from the start, they need to scramble and fix stuff while their public (including some very vocal game journo types) tear a variety of strips from their hides. It is quite amazing.

One can only hope that, the next time I get a pain in the ass game, the people on the other side of the internet have been sensible enough to get it right the first time. But that hope might just be the same as hoping to find water in a desert. g

g amec c a4696

Make the Connection!

Ra

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t’s R

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by Ramjet

The views expressed in this column are not necessarily those of 1337 Media or Gamecca Magazine... or of a sane, rational human.

1994g amec c a46

Forget Doom and all its gory hell-inspired violence. What you need are spinning blades that tear enemies apart. What you need are more weapons

than a North African dictator. What you need is chaos. What you need is Rise Of The Triad.

A Y

ear i

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98

A YEARIN GAMING

Available today for free (through ScummVM), Beneath A Steel Sky was a stunning game that took you a futuristic dystopia heavily influenced

by Film Noir. Broody, dark and puzzling, it remains one of the best adventure titles ever made.

WWill Wright discovered that we like to handle civic duties in Simcity, but it was Bullfrog that showed we prefer building a

Theme Park. This was perhaps the first management game to also be released on console platforms.

Before Blizzard got stuck rehashing the same three franchises, it made awesome action games like Blackthorne. As the titular hero, you

sport big biceps and an even bigger gun. All that’s left is to shoot the alien slavers!

1994g amec c a46 99

French developer made only two games: Little Big Adventure and its sequel. But both still stand as rather unique with their combination of 3rd person

adventure and puzzles. The combat sucked a bit, but that was not enough to stop you from playing.

Before Bioshock there was System Shock, the tale of a computer gone mad and you being the only one who can stop it. Body augmentations,

freaky possessed crew-members and arguably the best space-horror made until Dead Space came along.

Atari’s last attempt at the console world was the Jaguar and its flagship game was Alien Vs Predator. Made by Rebellion, it would serve as

the template for all the other AVP games that were to follow over the years.

There has never been a game before or since like this. Traveling the landscape with your Magic Carpet, you could reform it, build castles and

blast monsters with fireballs. This Bullfrog classic has been demanding a proper comeback...

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The state of the South African eSport arena

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Capturing the essence of Ferrari

www.gladgetmag.com

The Protea

TTo many people, a keyboard is just a keyboard. But there are those out there who need to take a different approach. Whether they are

gamers who need the perfect input device, or writers who spend a lot of time hacking away at the keys, or anyone else who needs more from a keyboard than just the occasional input, these folks look for specific things in this type of peripheral.

In the case of gamers, one of the things they crave is responsiveness. Being the best in a game – or even just playing it without too much frustration – requires a keyboard that responds quickly. And this extends beyond the obvious; the response needs to be tactile as well, so that players are aware of the fact that they are hitting their various buttons effectively.

This is one of the aspects of Cooler Master’s CM Storm Quick Fire TK Keyboards that makes it a great

option for PC based gamers. When you hit a button on this particular keyboard, you know it’s been hit. And, as a bonus, the Cherry MX switches that support each key come in a variety of flavours.

There are the brown switches, which provide medium resistance and bump force feedback, and the red switches, which provide low resistance and linear feedback. In the middle of these two are the blue switches, which provide low resistance and click force feedback. The latter is what we got to play with, and the loud, reassuring sound of the keys being struck really does let the user know that the key has been pressed. It is rather loud, though, and any typing that might need to be done with this keyboard is rather reminiscent of the clatter of an old typewriter.

If you can deal with that, this particular keyboard has a number of really good points. First of all, it’s corded,

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All the feedback options you need

The CM Storm Clique

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meaning that the desired response is there. Secondly, it is backlit, with several modes and brightness levels allowing the user to customise their experience. It has a steel base plate and rubberised feet and supports, meaning that it is extremely stable (if somewhat heavy) even under the highest of strains. The Windows keys can be disabled, which is always a massive plus for gaming.

All these and other features make it a great keyboard. But the thing that perhaps impressed us the most is that it is a compact keyboard, meaning less desk real-estate being taken up. Despite that, it still offers a full keypad and all the expected keys.

With added portability, thanks to its size, excellent response in both directions and a host of sensible features, the Quick Fire TK is a very worthwhile keyboard indeed. g

by Alex Scanlon

•••••

The CM Storm Clique

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Score

88

Summary

This compact keyboard is a great option for gaming, thanks to a host of excellent features.

ManufacturerDistr ibuter :

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Cooler MasterSonic Informedwww.sonicinformed.co.zaR1 249

Tech Specs:

Various cherry switch optionsFully backlitSteel base plateRubberised feetRemovable cordAdjustable backlight modesCompact

•••••••

Pros

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SolidGreat responseCompact size

Cons

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Quite loud

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It seems odd to some that one can get excited about something like a NAS. But, in all honesty, a good NAS does not only form an important IT

backbone for corporations and SMEs, but can also prove to be an invaluable addition to a home network. Shared information and secure storage is important in both instances, after all. And a device like the Thecus N5550 would fit perfectly into either environment, thanks to ideas that not only make it a secure and useful repository for all kinds of digitised information, but also add functionality beyond just file storage.

Let’s look at the most obvious applications first, though. The N5550 is a five bay NAS. That means up to five HDDs can be housed in easy to remove, lockable trays that directly interface with SATA plugs. No wires, no fuss. That also means that, with the right drives, this NAS can provide a large amount of storage space.

It is powered by an Intel Atom processor, and sports 2GB of DDR3 RAM, which means that information transfer is blazingly fast. In addition, it has integrated security software (in addition to physical security measures) and comes with McAfee antivirus preloaded. All in all, this adds up to speed and security at a level that would soothe even the most paranoid NAS owner.

The front of the unit is protected by a door that opens to reveal not only the drive bays, but also the power and reset switches, and a USB 3.0 port. A bottom mounted LCD screen and controls can be accessed whether the door is open or closed, and status indicators run up the front side of the unit.

The back is dominated by a cooling fan (two if you count the one for the power supply) and four more USB ports. There is also an eSata drive available, and a VGA output. Connectivity is provided by two LAN ports.

And then there’s the audio outputs, as well as an HDMI output. Wait, what? HDMI out on a NAS? Well, yes, and that’s where it’s functionality extends beyond an office environment. See, this baby can play multimedia files directly to a TV, making it something of a quasi-media player too. It’s obviously not the N5550’s primary function, but it certainly is a welcome addition, and one that makes a generally unversatile product rather handy in a few situations.

What really impressed us, though, was the reliability of the unit, both in speed and storage performance, as well as it’s really rugged construction. The front door could feel a little tougher, but that’s the only element of the N5550 that doesn’t feel like it would survive a bomb blast. This is a good option for anyone wanting a reliable and potentially large NAS. g

Who would have thought the word versatile would work for a NAS?A NAS for All Seasons

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Who would have thought the word versatile would work for a NAS?A NAS for All Seasons

Score

90

Summary

Equally at home at home or at work, the N5550 is a fast, reliable and secure NAS option.


Onl ine:RRP:

ThecusSyntechwww.syntech.co.zaApprox R7 500

Tech Specs:

5 Removable drive bays2 LAN portsHDMI output5 USB portseSATA portMcAfee Antivirus

••••••

Pros

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Lots of drive baysVery fastHDMI output

Cons

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Fairly bulky

by Rob Edwards

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Picking the right headphones has become both easier and more difficult in the last few years. Easier because there are a host of options that

take every need into account. More difficult because, well, there are a host of options that take every need into account.

If you know what you want, though, then you’re already half way there. Are you looking for stereo sound only, or do you want a gaming headset. Does that gaming headset need to be PC only, are do you want the versatility of using it with consoles as well? Do you want a cordless alternative?

In the world of versatile gaming headsets – in other words, headsets that can be used with multiple gaming platforms – the Razer Chimaera 5.1 Wireless Gaming Headset is an impressive option. This headset uses a 5.8 GHz radio frequency to deliver crisp gaming audio, without the hassle of cables. On the box it claims PC and Xbox 360 compatibility, but it works well with PS3 as well (although sans the chat functionality.) Audio inputs are by way of RCA, 3.5mm jack or (preferably) optical cable, and striking the right balance between these can mean that the headphones can be hooked up to several devices at once.

Recharging and storage are done by way of a pillar mounted on the transmitter unit. It takes the internal batteries around three hours to charge up, after which they deliver audio for around eight hours. This, though, leads to the device’s only true weakness… there is no cable-recharging option. Once the juice runs out, you’re done gaming until they’re charged up again.

The large ear-cups house 50mm drivers, as well as all the controls you will need on the fly. A detachable cable plugs into the Xbox 360 controller, too, for mic support.

Set up correctly, the headset delivers crisp, clear and well-rounded 5.1 surround sound. The audio quality is good, overall, and independent volume controls for audio and microphone are a big plus.

Another thing that may trouble some is that the headset is large, heavy and can become uncomfortable towards the end of that eight hour battery life. Also, the user will have to make sure that they have positioned the headphones just right when recharging, to ensure that the contacts in the headband meet up with those in the pillar.

Still, these are relatively minor quibbles. The sound quality and versatility more than make up for them, and added bonuses like a three-preset equaliser built into the transmitter adds even more appeal.

The Chimaera 5.1 headset may not suit everyone, but those that are drawn to it will have no complaints about audio quality and overall performance. g

Strong audio performance meets versatility. of Sound

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Strong audio performance meets versatility. of Sound

Score

89

Summary

Aside from not having a cable-charging option, there really isn’t much to complain about here...


Onl ine:RRP:

RazerCorexwww.corex.co.zaApprox R2 500

Tech Specs:

50mm driversPC & Xbox compatible5.8GHz radio frequency8 hour battery life5.1 surround sound

••••••

Pros

•••••

Good soundWirelessWorks with anything

Cons

•••••

No cable charging option

by W

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TThere’s audio, and then there’s audio. Most people who consider themselves audiophiles will have a fantastic amplifier and speaker setup, of

course, but very few are running that from a computer. Rather, their devices tend to be dedicated audio systems, complete and separate from other devices.

But with computers becoming more and more prominent in home entertainment, in the form of specialised multimedia rigs, having a dedicated amplifier option is a good idea. And while the user can rig something up, running cables from their media PC to their existing amplifier, those that want their entertainment almost purely PC based may well want to look for a PC solution. That’s where the Asus Xonar Essence One USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier comes in to the picture.

The name sounds rather pompous, but a device like this really needs a big name to drive home the

extremely good level of audio that it delivers. This is further evidenced by the fact that it offers balanced XLR outputs (like you would find used with professional microphones) as well as unbalanced RCA outputs. In addition, the front offers a 6.3mm headphone port, which will perfectly power even the most exclusive audiophile headphones.

And you’re going to want top class speakers when using this device. There is little point in using it with cheap speakers or headphones, purely because of what it does to the audio that passes through it. See, rather than just making things louder, the Xonar One is capable of audio upscaling. That means it can upsample the bitrate of audio that passes through it, improving on sound quality and clarity in a rather massive way. The 8x symmetrical upsampling that it offers is a world first, and the proof really is in the pudding. Hence, good speakers are an absolute must.

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Excellent amplification for a PC based sound systemFor the Audiophile…

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Inputs are by way of USB or coaxial cable, making it a perfect complement to a PC system. It has associated software, too, to even better trim and control audio performance.

Be warned, though – it’s a rather large unit. It might not be as large as some of the more traditional amplifiers out there, but it does take up a lot more space that you might have available on a desk top. Still, it’s probably not going to live there – not if you’re using it for home entertainment.

Additionally, it’s not the cheapest audio enhancement device around, but once you hear this baby in action, you’ll likely forget all about cost. And besides, the market that this kind of device is aimed at is the kind of consumer that will purchase a great quality audio device without a second thought. And if you’re one of those, you may well want to give this effective, excellent device a good, long look. g

by Walt Pretorius

•••••

For the Audiophile…

g amec c a46

Score

90

Summary

It’s big in size and price, but it’s absolutely huge in excellent audio performance.


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AsusAsuswww.asus.comApprox R3 200

Tech Specs:

USB inputCoaxial inputRCA outputXLR output6.3mm headphone outputAudio upsampling

••••••

Pros

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Excellent audioPC basedUpsampling

Cons

•••••

Expensive

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110

WWe have seen, over the last few months, numerous headphone products. You might not think it, but

this really is a very hotly contested peripheral market, with a number of companies aiming their products at capturing that all important consumer spend. With companies like Logic 3, Turtle Beach and Razer putting more than a little emphasis on the importance of personal sound these days, buying a set of headphones can get extremely tricky.

But there are ways of making easier decisions, See, choosing the right headset is not just a matter of picking one – there are many sub-categories in the headset arena these days, making the purchase of personal audio devices a little easier – provided the end user is well aware of their wants and needs in this matter.

Cooler Master address the video gaming market with their CM Storm Sirus S headset, and specifically the PC gamer market. There’s an immediate distinction, because the focus of these headphones means that they won’t be for everyone. And comparing them to other products means that we need to compare apples with apples, rather than letting oranges creep into the mix.

So we need to keep in mind that this particular headset is a wired, 5.1 surround sound device with an integrated microphone. That sets it apart from all the other personal audio devices we have on offer in this issue to a degree, because this headset has a very specific target market.

As such, it is a more than decent option. The surround sound it provides doesn’t require any additional amplifiers or the like, and is delivered by way of your standard 3.5mm sound outputs, whether on-board or (preferably) from a sound card. This means that setting these up may be more of a ‘permanent’ thing, because they work best when used with audio ports at the rear of your machine, rather than front side ports (which only deliver stereo).

An in-line remote allows the player to adjust the volumes of individual sound channels, in addition to providing a mic mute option. This means the user can carefully trim the sound delivery, although it may take some tweaking to get perfect.

The headset is fairly comfortable, too, even though it is a little heavy. Comfort can be enhanced thanks to interchangeable ear-cup cushions, providing either a breathable mesh cushion, or a sound-excluding option.

As far as easy-to-use, no-mess-no-fuss solutions go, the Sirus S is right up there. It is very easy to set up, and doesn’t require extra drivers or additional desk-top controls or amplifiers. It is a thoroughly uncomplicated headset, considering its high quality sound delivery, which makes for a breath of fresh air in the 5.1 surround sound personal audio market. g

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Score

82

Summary

This is an easy-to-use, easy to set up headset which delivers very good audio.


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Cooler MasterSonic Informedwww.sonicinformed.co.zaApprox R850

Tech Specs:

3.5mm jacksPositionable mic5.1 surround soundIn-line volume controlsIndependent channel volume controls

••••••

Pros

•••••

ComfortableGood soundVery easy to use

Cons

•••••

A little heavy

by Walt Pretorius

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Kitchen sink not included…Bells!

TThe lowly keyboard – that most useful and often disregarded device – certainly has come a long way. But it is still fairly rare to see cutting

edge ideas worked into a range of devices that, while excellent in function, often seem to be a bit of an afterthought. True, there are those out there – generally gamers – that realise the importance of a keyboard, but these devices will often play second fiddle to audio and mouse solutions. It seems, at times, that while people may aim for the best mouse and headphones they can find, that they will accept a keyboard that is ‘good enough’.

Razer don’t think that way, and they seem intent on changing the way consumers think, too. They produce generally excellent keyboards, but this particular one takes the cake. The Deathstalker Ultimate Elite Gaming Keyboard lives up to the ‘elite’ part of its name in more ways than one.

It should be noted that this is certainly not the cheapest keyboard around. Those that don’t mind spending a comparatively large amount on a keyboard would do well to consider the Deathstalker, because it offers quite a lot in terms of great features.

The principle feature that sets this one apart from all the others is the fact that the number pad has been replaced by a multifunction touch sensitive screen. Various tools (including the numpad) can be activated for this screen, which will allow direct access to macros and profiles, as well as Twitter, Facebook, Gmail and more. It’s almost like having a second, independent monitor built right in to the keyboard, which also functions as a laptop style touch pad and more.

This could be seen, however, as added flash… what’s important is how the keyboard itself functions. And it does so beautifully, with excellent response time combined with on-the-fly key programming, five

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Bells!

additional macro keys and an anti-ghosting system that allows for ten simultaneous key-presses. In addition, the keyboard supports various modes, including a dedicated gaming mode that disables things like Windows keys.

Customisation comes by way of the tri-colour, backlit keys, which are chiclet style.

With Synapse 2.0 supports and a number of features that make it extremely versatile (thanks in most part to that funky touch pad and the adaptive keys that support it) the Deathstalker is a great option.

It’s rather large, and comes with a built in wrist rest. But, if you have the desk space and the wallet capacity, there really is little reason why this keyboard shouldn’t form part of your PC arsenal, particularly if you are a serious gamer. At just over a kilogram in weight, it’s not the easiest keyboard to carry around, but it looks impressive in virtually any setting… and performs just as well. g

Score

95

Summary

Big, expensive and impressive, this keyboard really delivers where it counts.


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RazerCorexwww.corex.co.zaApprox R2 800

Tech Specs:

Backlit KeysMulti-touch LCD track panelAnti-ghosting5 Macro keysOn-the-fly programmabilityDedicated gaming mode

••••••

Pros

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Funky touch screenVersatileGood response

Cons

•••••

Cost

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I love irony, it’s filled with hidden thought provoking gems, especially when used with humour. Like comedian Steven Wright who once said “I’d kill for

a Nobel Peace Prize”. Or that a chicken named “Lucky” that lives in a slaughterhouse and what about a mouse called “Snake”?

Razer typically and ironically names all of their gaming mice after deadly snakes, the idea being, snakes eat “mice” and hence the Razer Naga Hex (Nāgá: Sanskrit, meaning cobra, or specifically King Cobra) The Razer Naga Hex comes with eleven programmable buttons with a 10 million click life-cycle, up to three times that of standard mice.

The six mechanical thumb buttons on the side are called the Hex Buttons, which have a firm feel when pressed and the require lightest amount of pressure to depress.

Registering at 250 clicks per minute due to mechanical key technology, the Hex buttons provide a distinctive tactile feedback and are fully programmable for optimized MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) and action-RPG gaming.

The Hex buttons can also be configured in two modes: Basic [123] configuration and Advanced [Num] configuration and are interchangeable by using the switch at the bottom of the mouse.

It also comes equipped with three different rubber thumb rest heights to suit individual preferences.

The two standard left and right mouse buttons feel great with their ergonomic design and click away effortlessly. The centre scroll button is precision perfect while scrolling but it does feel slightly too hard to depress. Lastly the two buttons above the scroll button are wonderfully sensitive and reasonably positioned when assigning infrequent gaming actions to them as they can be awkward to access quickly.

With all the various settings and features available, the Naga Hex uses Razer’s Synapse 2.0 unified driver which can be downloaded from Razer’s support page. Synapse 2.0 is easy to use and allows you to program the mouse’s keys, DPI settings, acceleration, polling rate and turn on and off the mouse’s lighting system. Login to the software, plug in the mouse and this cloud based application automatically saves your configurations, updates your software and makes your settings available to you anytime and anywhere.

The Razer Naga Hex is also fitted with ‘Ultraslick Mouse feet’ which allows the mouse to slide beautifully over the surface of a mouse pad with minimal friction.

This mouse is meticulously designed and beautiful to behold; it fitted perfectly in the palm of my hand and all the buttons were easy to access.

Finally, the snake primarily represents rebirth, due to its casting of its skin and being symbolically “reborn” and Razer have managed to do just that, the new mouse is a snake and this snake eats other mice for breakfast. g

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Mouse Killer

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Score

86

Summary

Fully programmable, ergonomically designed gaming mouse


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RazerCorexwww.corex.co.zaApprox R870

Tech Specs:

6 MOBA/action-RPG optimized mechanical thumb buttons 10 million click life cycle 5600dpi3.5G laser sensor 11 buttons

•••••••

Pros

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Lots of buttonsFastResponsive

Cons

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Not ambidextrousNo weight control

Mouse Killer by Andy Taliadoros

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Style: it’s something we all consider, to some degree or another. And when that style can celebrate a brand with which we share

some kind of affinity (either through ownership or admiration) it’s even better. This is why cross branding works really well. That’s when one manufacturer uses another manufacturer’s brand to create an associate between two possibly disparate product lines.

One such association has been created between Ferrari and Logic3, makers of various peripherals. In this case, the peripherals are a range of headphones and audio docks that bear the Ferrari logo, and celebrate the famous sports car brand.

One of the range flagships is the P200, which form part of the Scuderia Ferrari collection. This collection is inspired by Ferrari’s competitive efforts as one of the most popular F1 manufacturers in the world. And the P200, based on the headphones used by Ferrari’s F1 pit crews, certainly looks the part. Striking red and silver sections, emblazoned with the famous prancing horse logo, are combined with carbon-fibre look elements. The hard shells of the over-ear cups look every bit the serious racing headset, complemented by exposed metal arms. In short, they certainly look the part.

But looks aren’t everything, even when you are very style oriented. Performance is also important, particularly in the very competitive personal audio arena. To that end, Logic3 have created a stereo headset that is versatile and, above all, delivers truly excellent sound. The headset ships with three detachable cables; one is just a plain cable, another has a three button remote for use with Apple devices, and the third has a one button remote for use with other devices, including Android and Blackberry mobile phones. But no matter which cable you’re using, and what your audio source is, the performance delivered by the P200s is extremely good. Crisp high notes and clear mid tones are beautifully carried by strong, rich bass, making for a very complete audio delivery. There is virtually no distortion even at high volumes, but getting there is difficult – these are very powerful, loud headphones.

As far as comfort goes – something else one would expect from something associated with Ferrari – the P200s have it down. They’re very comfortable indeed. The generously padded and vented ear cups, which house 50mm drivers, rotate for the best comfort. The head band and ear cup materials are light weight and breathable, meaning even more comfort after extended periods of use.

And, as a bonus, everything fits into a stylish carry case, making them as portable as they are powerful.

In creating these headphones, Logic3 had a very clear aim in mind… and one that they achieved, without a doubt. Striking looks, performance and versatility are all there in the P200. g

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Score

92

Summary

Good looks complement great performance in the flagship P200 headset


Onl ine:RRP:

Logic3Apex Interact ivewww.apexint .co.zaTBC

Tech Specs:

50mm driversVented enclosureLight weight3 x removable cablesStereo headphones

••••••

Pros

•••••

Good brand associationComfortableExcellent sound

Cons

•••••

Less appeal for non-Ferrari fans?

by Walt Pretorius

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117

I’m terrible at keeping promises. I started the year with the

best intentions to only start a new game once I’d finished one I was already busy with.

It went well, for a few weeks. I finished some games I’d been meaning to. Progress, I thought.

Then four review games arrived at once. Usually I don’t get

inundated with gaming work, but these were titles others weren’t as excited to play. First up, Metal Gear Rising. I gave it a good two hours before I calmly shut off my console and vowed never to play it again. Really, then, I didn’t cheat on my promise with MGR.

I moved onto Gears of War: Judgment. It didn’t

quite strike me as a regular Gears game (the absence of CliffyB’s direction is obvious) but I stuck with it for a while. But then Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 arrived. The oft-delayed sniping title was high on my list of “OMG must play!!!” so I quickly set Gears aside to see if it is as fun as last year’s Sniper Elite V2. (It isn’t.)

And then God of War: Ascension arrived. Kratos and company are a firm favourite, so I couldn’t say no to hacking and slashing some enormous baddies.

So here I am, three games uncompleted, one game abandoned, and a broken promise. I really wish there were an achievement for that. g

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All Broken...

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by Christo van Gemert

http://issuu.com/Gamecca/docs/gamecca_july_2009_volume_1_issue_1/1

http://issuu.com/Gamecca/docs/gamecca0809/1

http://issuu.com/Gamecca/docs/gamecca_september_2009/1

http://issuu.com/Gamecca/docs/gamecca102009v1i4/1

http://issuu.com/Gamecca/docs/gamecca_november_2009_volume_1_issue_5/1

http://issuu.com/Gamecca/docs/gamecca_december_2009_volume_1_issue_6/1


http://issuu.com/Gamecca/docs/gamecca_august_2010_volume_2_issue_14/1

http://issuu.com/Gamecca/docs/gamecca_september_2010_volume_2_issue_15/1

http://issuu.com/Gamecca/docs/gamecca_october_2010_volume_2_issue_16/1





http://issuu.com/Gamecca/docs/gamecca_volume_3_issue_27_september_2011/1

http://issuu.com/gamecca/docs/gamecca-october-2011-volume-3-issue-28/1





http://issuu.com/Gamecca/docs/gamecca_october_2012_volume_4_issue_40/1

http://issuu.com/Gamecca/docs/gamecca_september_2012_volume_4_issue_39/1


http://issuu.com/gamecca/docs/gamecca_december_2012_volume_4_issue_42/1

http://issuu.com/Gamecca/docs/gamecca_jaunuary_2010_volume_1_issue_7/1

http://issuu.com/Gamecca/docs/gamecca_february_2010_volume_1_issue_8/1

http://issuu.com/Gamecca/docs/gamecca_magazine_march_2010/1

http://issuu.com/Gamecca/docs/gamecca_april_2010_volume_1_issue_10/1

http://issuu.com/Gamecca/docs/gamecca_may_2010_volume_1_issue_11_d/1

http://issuu.com/Gamecca/docs/gamecca_june_2010_volume_1_issue_12/1

http://issuu.com/Gamecca/docs/gamecca_january_2011_volume_2_issue_19/1


http://issuu.com/Gamecca/docs/gamecca_march_2011_volume_2_issue_21/1


http://issuu.com/Gamecca/docs/gamecca_may_2011_volume_2_issue_23/1


http://issuu.com/Gamecca/docs/gamecca_january_2012_volume_3_issue_31/1


http://issuu.com/Gamecca/docs/gamecca_march_2012_volume_3_issue_33/1


http://issuu.com/Gamecca/docs/gamecca_may_2012_volume_3_issue_35/1


http://issuu.com/gamecca/docs/gamecca_january_2013_volume_4_issue_43/1

http://issuu.com/gamecca/docs/gamecca_february_2013_volume_4_issue_44/1

http://issuu.com/gamecca/docs/gamecca_march_2013_volume_4_issue_45/1

Gamecca Magazine April 2013

Documents

Transcript of Gamecca Magazine April 2013