Live Magazine : June/July issue

LIVE
JUNE/JULY 2016 ISSUE
GHOSTBUSTERS:
WIN Prize Packs!
We interview
Dean Haglund:
The X-Files
& The Lone Gunmen:
and Comedian!
Cosplay Star:
Raychul Moore
Page 158
TM
44
pages of
Game Reviews!
Page 20
Games . Movies . Consoles

Who you
gonna call
Welcome to this month’s issue of
Live... I should say double issue
cause we’re now bi-monthly. So
Ghostbusters..? The movie’s out
next month and we can’t wait. In fact
we got inspired by the new movie
to look at sequels and reboots in
both gaming and hardware and we
asked about your favourite reboot
or sequel, check it out on page 18.
There’s some great comments by
readers.
We also look at the new Ghostbusters
movie with an interview with
Jefferson Sage, the production
designer of Ghostbusters, and a
bunch of behind the scenes photos
our friends at Sony Pictures gave us
access to.
Still on the theme of sequels, we
caught up with the amazing Dean
Haglund, the one and only Ringo
Langley from the X-Files and the spin
off series The Lone Gunmen Dean is
Published by

INSIDE
?
now living in Sydney Australia where
he’s a regular on TV and in comedy
clubs. Check him out at his website
and catch a show.
Games this month include:
DARK SOULS III
QUANTUM BREAK
FAR CRY PRIMAL
HYRULE WARRIORS LEGENDS
POKKEN TOURNAMENT
TRACKMANIA TURBO
Plus we’ve got board games, comics,
retro, trading cards, anime and a ton
of cosplay. So don’t waste anymore
time here on the intro, get into it and
see you in a couple of months.
Rob Jenkins: Publisher and Editor
P.S... Massive thanks to the team
who made this month the best issue
yet.
8
Feature:
Sequels &
Reboots
20
Game Reviews
70
Geek Out
154
Cosplay
THE LIVE TEAM
Publisher: Rob Jenkins
(GTHQ)
Art Director: Giselle Capozza
(GTHQ)
Game Review & Preview Editors:
Nick Getley & Kylie Tuttle
(Sticky Trigger)
Retro Editor: Paul Monopoli
Comics: Scott Sowter
Cosplay Editor: Anny Sims
& Tiffany Dean
Sticky Trigger Writers:
Kylie Tuttle
Nick Getley
Alex Holmes
Aaron Milligan
Ben Rachow
Bridget Sweeney
Sean Fox
Sasha Karen
Jason English
Johnny Scene

JUNE GAME
RELEASES!
DATE
01/06/2016
03/06/2016
09/06/2016
11/06/2016
11/06/2016
17/06/2016
23/06/2016
23/06/2016
24/06/2016
25/06/2016
25/06/2016
28/06/2016
29/06/2016
TITLE
Odin Sphere Leifthrasir
One Piece Burning Blood
Mirrors Edge Catalyst
Kirby Planet Robobot amiibo Bundle
Kirby Planet Robobot
Grand Kingdom
Rocket League Collectors Edition
Terraria
Mighty No 9
Mario and Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE
7 Days to Die
LEGO Star Wars The Force Awakens
FORMATS
PSV, PS3, PS4
PS4, XB1, PSV
PS4, XB1
3DS
3DS
PS4, PSV
PS4, XB1
Wii U
PS4, XB1
Wii U
Wii U
PS4, XB1
PS4, PS3, XB1, 360,
3DS, PC, PSV, Wii U
Dates are correct at time of publishing. Ask staff for details.

DATE
TITLE
JULY GAME
RELEASES!
FORMATS
01/07//2016
05/07/2016
08/07/2016
12/07/2016
15/07/2016
16/07/2016
16/07/2016
28/07/2016
Star Ocean Integrity and Faithfulness
Prison Architect
Carmageddon Max Damage
Ghostbusters
MX Vs ATV Supercross Encore Edition
Disney Art Academy
Monster Hunter Generations
Fairy Fencer F Advent Dark Force
PS4
PS4, XB1
PS4, XB1
PS4, XB1
XB1
3DS
3DS
PS4
CTC
CTC
CTC

PRE-ORDE
OUT 18 NOV
PRE-ORDER POKÉMON SUN & POKÉM
Ask staff for details.

R NOW!
EMBER 2016!
ON MOON AT GAMETRADERS TODAY!

FEATURE

Since our theme this month is
sequels and reboots, we thought
we’d take a look at console sales,
particularly looking at 2nd and
3rd versions.
Let’s start with the good old
PlayStation. The original Sony
system was released in 1994 in
Japan and then in 1995 in North
America. Its’ competition was the
Nintendo 64 and the Sega Saturn
and these systems are considered
part of the fifth generation of
video game systems.
The original PlayStation sold over
104 million globally and stands
at number 4 on VG Chartz list of
consoles. Some of the best selling
games on the first PlayStation
include, Gran Turismo with
around 10 million sold, Final Fantasy
VII with 9.7 million sold and
Crash Bandicoot with around 7
million sold.
The little grey console was succeeded
by the all time best selling
console - the PlayStation 2.
PS2
The large black chunky system
was released in 2000 and came
with a dual shock controller and
sold over 157 million globally - a
phenomenal amount of hardware
and one that is likely to not
be overtaken in the near future.
The system saw over 3,800 titles
released for it had some brilliant
games released including Grand
Theft Auto : San Andreas with
over 27 million sold, Gran Turismo
3 A-Spec with just over 14
million sold and Metal Gear Solid
2 : Sons of Liberty. Other stand
out titles include Tekken 5, Final
Fantasy X and Kingdom Hearts.
It was a powerhouse of a system
and even had HDTV resolutions
with Gran Turismo 4 and Tourist
Trophy supporting upscaled resolution
of 1080i.
PS3
The PS3 was also well loved by
gamers and sold over 87 million
units from release date in 2006.
The first console to have a Bluray
player built in and connected
to Sony’s PlayStation Network.
It was so in-demand that it sold
600,000 units in the first few days
of sales. Games like Grand Theft
Auto V sold bucket loads - over
20 million in fact. Call of Duty :
Black Ops II sold well with over
13 million while Modern Warfare
3 sold around the same amount.
Being a Blu-ray player ensured
it’s success with the family as at
the time, Blu-ray players were
fairly expensive, so getting a
game system and Blu-ray in one
was a great deal for the lounge
room.
PS4
In 2013 Sony released the PS4
to critical acclaim. Sony embraced
indie development and
many developers state that it is
a more powerful system then the
Xbox One from Microsoft. Using
an AMD processor, the PS4 has
similar hardware as a PC making
development easier and less
expensive (according to Wikipedia).
Some of the top titles so far
include Call of Duty : Black Ops 3
and GTA V. FIFA 16 is also selling
well with just under 8 million
sold. The system is still young
compared to it’s older predecessors
and based on previous
consoles it will still be selling for
many years to come. At this stage
the PS4 is outselling its’ rival, the
Xbox One by 2 to 1. With only the
recently announced Nintendo NX
on the horizon, Sony could have
console dominance for this current
generation.
Each iteration of the console sees
better graphics performance, audio
improvements and developers
taking advantage of the processors
pushing graphics across
your screen, but with the PS4
we may see something unique
and exciting in the announced
PlayStation VR. A console virtual
reality system that takes
players deeper into their games
then ever before. It’s due out later
this year - expect to see it on
shelves in Australia around October
2016. The headset slips over
your head to cover your eyes.
Using the PlayStation controllers
- like the PlayStation Move, you
get to control your interaction all
the while looking around in a virtual
environment. It’s exciting and
has massive potential. Only poor
software implementation will let it
down.
Next month - Xbox...

independent
Sometimes when a gaming sequel
or reboot (remake of the
original title) is announced gamers
wait with baited breath to see
if it will be a hit or a flop! Of all the
hundreds of titles release each
year, you can bet that around a
quarter of them will be a sequel
or reboot to a game released the
year prior or years before. Do
they stand up to the first title?
Are they better than the first title?
What went wrong? What went
right? What were the developers
thinking when they made this?!
The Sticky Trigger Crew take a
look at a handful of mentionable
sequels and look at the good and
the bad of some popular gaming
titles.

Despite being pretty unanimously
critically acclaimed when it was
first released, there has since
been a steadily growing backlash
against the second entry in the
Dark Souls series, with many regarding
it as the redheaded stepchild
(Not sure if this term is suitable
in today’s overly PC world,
feel free to switch it out with “ Zelda
II”) of the franchise, an outlier
that managed to eschew everything
fans enjoyed about the first
game in favour of upping the difficulty
level in a misguided belief
that this was the main draw of the
games.
Maybe my perspective is a little
skewed, as Dark Souls II was
my first experience with what has
since become one of my favourite
franchises, but, even though
the game was solid enough to
draw me in, upon playing the
other instalments (And the sublime
Bloodborne), even I have
to concede that From Software’s
B-Team dropped the ball in quite
a few areas integral to the Souls
experience.
First and foremost, the cohesiveness
of the level design is all but
gone, with the sensation of an
interconnected world being replaced
by treks through overtly
video-gamey levels that usually
culminate in a dead end and a
bonfire rather than unlocking a
shortcut to a previous area. Heck,
in order to progress to Iron Keep
one has to take an elevator from
the top of a windmill to reach a
volcanic crater, which makes absolutely
no sense in terms of level
geometry.
Another complaint is the overreliance
upon hulking humanoid
bosses in armour rather than
unique creature designs and the
difficulty of the combat being artificially
raised by constantly throwing
mobs at you. Tracking is also
kind of broken, with enemies rotating
on the spot to follow your
character’s dodges and a vacuum
effect that will pull you into
their area of attack even if you’ve
seemingly managed to evade it…
And don’t get me started on the
pointlessness of the adaptability
stat.
Despite these flaws, however,
Dark Souls 2 did improve upon
the first in some respects, most
prominently the PvP mechanics
and the DLC and enhanced
Scholar of the First Sin version
went some way towards addressing
the aforementioned complaints.
Still, Dark Souls 2 will
have to be content with being regarded
as merely a “good” entry
in a universally revered series.
Written by
Sean Warhurst

fresh coat of paint. Even your antagonist,
the eccentric yet charming
Pagan Min, was designed to
recapture the enjoyment people
had for FC3’s pirate Vaas.
Ubisoft has never been a company
afraid to iterate. Assassin’s
Creed, Just Dance, Tom Clancy’s
Man-with-Gun: all operate on a
simple equation. Make a great
game, tweak a few things on
the next instalment, and port the
rest over wholesale. The Far Cry
games – all under the umbrella of
shooters in exotic, lawless places
– have seen this become particularly
egregious ever since the third
instalment. In Far Cry 3, you were
Jason Brody, an entitled rich kid
Written by Aaron Milligan
slowly turned savage through enduring
the horrors of the lawless
Rook Island. In Far Cry 4, you play
as Ajay Ghale, a man who manages
to make overthrowing a dictator
in mountainous Kyrat seem
as exciting as buying toilet paper.
There are new things, and they’re
great – most notably the Shangri-
La sections and the inclusion of
a grappling hook – but the rest is
near identical. Animations, skills,
outposts, crafting and weapons,
all ported wholesale and given a
It isn’t the worst thing, of course.
Unloading a machine gun from
atop an elephant or destroying a
convoy of trucks from a gyrocopter
remain fantastic, fun moments
in a gorgeous game. Outposts
especially create wonderful storytelling
moments, totally naturally.
But when you’re climbing a tower
to unlock a portion of the map for
the twentieth time, you can’t help
but notice how exactly the same it
all feels to before.
But you can ride an elephant. So,
really, it all evens out.

Pokémon Gold Version and Pokémon
Silver Version set the bar
unrealistically high for sequels.
In the original Red, Green, Blue,
and Yellow Versions, you started
out, caught Pokémon, defeated
Team Rocket, defeated the Elite
Four and the champion, your rival,
and everything ends with
you on top of the world. Nearly
four real years and three in-game
years later, Gold and Silver begin
and introduced a slew of mechanics
that would change the face of
Pokémon forever.
Written by SASHA KAREN
While the plot still focused on
catching Pokémon, defeating
Team Rocket, and beating the
Elite Four and Champion, there
were quite a few mix-ups. Team
Rocket disbanded at the end of
Red, Green, Blue and Yellow, but
now they were looking to reform
and trying to find the ex-Team
Rocket Leader Giovanni, who
went into hiding when he was defeated.
After the Elite Four and
Champion were defeated, that
wasn’t it for players. After returning
back home, they were told that
they could go to the Kanto region.
That is to say, the region from
Red, Green, Blue and Yellow. For
fans at the time, this was amazing.
Now players could return to
where the franchise started and
fight all (Except for Giovanni. The
whole in hiding thing) the gym
leaders they had fought before.
There was basically a whole other
game to explore, seeing how
things have changed in the last
three years. To top it all off, after
all 16 gym leaders are defeated,
players could access one final
area, Mt Silver, climb to the very
top, and fight Red. The protagonist
of the first games. He was the
toughest trainer, and was a real
challenge to defeat.
Even though Gold and Silver
were new at the time, they hadn’t
forgotten where they started.
With 100 new Pokémon added
to the roster, the number of available
Pokémon rose from 151 to
251. Both new and old Pokémon
were scattered throughout routes,
which meant you had a chance of
running into a familiar face, or a
new discovery.
Pokémon battles saw a switchup
with the introduction of Dark
and Steel type Pokémon and
moves. Dark types hold the upper
hand against Psychic types,
which were the strongest type of
Pokémon back in Red, Green,
Blue and Yellow. Steel provided
a powerhouse of defence to outlast
opponents. While Dark types
have faded in popularity in recent
years, Steel types can definitely
be tough to get past.
There was a new way to acquire
Pokémon too; through breeding.
With newly introduced genders, if
two compatible Pokémon are left
at the Day Care, they’d produce an
egg. Nowadays, breeding is the
bread and butter of constructing
competitive Pokémon teams. The
ability to hold items and moves
that influenced the weather, like
Sunny Day and Rain Dance were
also introduced, and are huge
staples in competitive battling today.
There was a lot more of little
things peppered into the game
that made it all the more lively. A
day/night cycle, daily events, the
radio station, trainers giving you
their phone number, minigames
puzzles, there was just so much
content that Game Freak hasn’t
been able to encapsulate in a
game since. While the games are
getting on a bit now, Gold and Silver
are still solid, and are worthy
of being sequels to Red, Green,
Blue, and Yellow.

The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim is the
fifth main entry in the immensely
popular Elder Scrolls series from
Bethesda Softworks. It remains
one of the most successful RPGs
of all-time, selling over 23 million
copies since its launch, having
a constantly active fanbase, and
sporting an impressive score of
94/100 on Metacritic.
What was it then, that makes
Skyrim so brilliant?
Skyrim is an open-world RPG set
in the Elder Scrolls universe. The
Elder Scrolls games are famous
for their huge open-world environments,
though with Skyrim,
Bethesda shifted their focus to
creating a game world that was
not only huge, but also highly detailed.
Craggy cliffs and mountain
ranges, hauntingly dark caves,
massive open plains and thick
forests are the order of the day,
though there are also imposing
fortresses, ruins, castles and other
man-made structures. Bethesda
truly outdid themselves with
Skyrim’s environments.
It’s not enough to have an immense
open-world in an Elder
Scrolls game, you have to allow
Written by nick getley
players to play the game their
way too. In this regard, Skyrim
is extremely versatile. Feel like
dual-wielding daggers or hand
axes? You can. Are you more of
a classic sword-and-shield adventurer?
You can do that too.
Perhaps you’d like to try your luck
with a bow and arrow, or magic
wielding? There are a ton of options
available, and there’s bound
to be quite a few that suit your
playstyle.
It seems as though every single
thing that could have been
improved upon since The Elder
Scrolls IV: Oblivion has been with
Skyrim. The story is more engaging
(though still rather short), the
combat is tighter, the graphics
are drastically improved and the
amount of side missions and activities
is fantastic.
So where does Skyrim fall short?
What could have been done better?
As with most Elder Scrolls games,
Skyrim’s story fell very short of
what it should have been, both
in terms of quality and its length.
Hopefully the next Elder Scrolls
game (which should hopefully
be announced soon) will feature
a story with multiple endings,
branching narratives and player
input – if Fallout 4 can feature a
fully-voiced protagonist there’s
no reason why Bethesda’s other
baby can’t as well.
When Bethesda developed Oblivion,
a lot of what made The Elder
Scrolls III: Morrowind was cut
from the game. A lot of this was
understandable due to Oblivion
being set in a different location,
but as The Elder Scrolls series
progresses, it feels a lot less like
The Elder Scrolls. Morrowind had
towns beset by disease and dust
storms, huge insects used as
transportation, as well as more
weapons and armour (who else
misses throwing stars and bo
staffs?).
As far as sequels go, The Elder
Scrolls V: Skyrim was a drastic
improvement over Oblivion. It’s
extremely polished, but it’s missing
that unique something that truly
defines an Elder Scrolls game.
Here’s hoping the next game is
overrun by Khajiit and Argonians,
as well as unique weaponry and
spells.

your say
BEST RE-BOOT OR SEQUEL
“The best reboot I’ve seen in a
while is probably the 2013 Tomb
Raider. It was a really great way
to restart a series that was growing
stagnant and finally get a look
at it from a new angle. While still
raiding tombs and uncovering
all kinds of mysteries, of course.
Not to mention it’s absolutely gorgeous
to look at and really gives
the player the feeling of growing
and getting stronger along with
Lara, showing her as the vulnerable
person she was before she
became the kickass Tomb Raider
we all know and love”
- Grace Hester
“Do I have to say Super Mario
Bros 3 again? Ugh! Super Mario
Bros 3 is still the best game ever
made & It’s SNES remake made
it look great & has a much needed
save function. As a sequel it
improves on the original in every
way.
As for a reboot, that goes to the
new Ratchet & Clank which is a
celebration of the series and a
new beginning for newcomers to
come into the series. I love it so
much as a Ratchet & Clank fan &
it is the perfect example of a reboot
done right.”
- Jean-Paul Bartolomei
“As a life long Doom fan.... What
can I say.... The new Doom is
rather average.”
- TeeJay Reed
“My favourite reboot so far has
been the Super Paper Mario on
Nintendo Wii smile emoticon it
was a great ode to the old classic
with really new 3d-2d aspects.
Maybe Doom will give that nostalgia
a run for its money?”
- David White
“Mortal Kombat keeps getting
better”
- Randall Hall
“Best sequel ever would have to
be resident evil 2! Took everything
about the first one and made it
even better. Very rare for a game
to be better than the original in it’s
series but this definitely was.”
- James Derrick
“The devil may cry games have
always been a favourite of mine.”
- Joel Best
“Red Dead Redemption. Not alot
of people had played the first
when the second was released
and the game was that captivating,
enjoyable and well done that
it sucked so many people in. Not
many other games have done the
same.”
- Brendyne Conway
“You had me at Marvel Marathon!”
- Rory O’Donovan
“For me it’s Tomb Raider, but everyone’s
answering that so....”
- Justine Hartley

YOU’VE PLAYED OR SEEN?
“Sonic 2 and 3 are my fav sequels
:). I know no one likes CoD anymore
but no denying Call of Duty
2 was best in franchise despite
being a sequel and call of duty
modern warfare (aka CoD 4) was
best reboot they did.”
- Rolando Zolo
“Gotta say the 2013 tomb raider
reboot was damn good.”
- Dylan Faith
“2013 Tomb Raider was and is
superb.”
- Eric Owen
“Best reboot is Pokémon alpha
sapphire. So entertaining. Best
sequel, dead island riptide!”
- Timmy Curran
“Tomb raider - they took a shallow
3d platformer that was all about
sexualized visuals into a stunning,
deep story driven narrative
about a girl struggling against incredible
odds. The reboot plays
smoothly, without the “did I jump
just right” of the original (that resulted
in lots of rage quits). If they
made the reboot into a movie, it
would be worth a watch.”
- David White
“The Legend of Zelda Twilight
Princess.
One of the best sequels ever
made.
That the white wolf soldier is in
fact link in the future, whom has
come to teach the desendant link
the ways of hero.
Not only that but the game itself
gives a real dark and disturbing
history in and out of the game in
different sections.
Going from the demon king ganondorf
to the depths of arbiter
grounds, the dark realm and the
darkness crowning over the land
of hyrule.
Not only is this my favorite game
by the zelda series thus far, it
shows a wide in depth range of
what total chaos is within a legend
of zelda game.
It does have a lot of the main
quest side of things swapped; instead
of medallions in oot, mirror
shards and the mask that midna
wears from time to time. And I
thought that was pretty badass
haha. Out of all the zelda games
I’ve played, twilight princess
would have to be my number 1,
10/10 overall..”
- Aaron J Slattery
“Best reboot I’ve played would
be the 3DS version of the legend
of Zelda ocarina of time. How
they kept true to the art style and
didn’t change to much about the
games mechanics allowed for all
the nostalgia to come back from
the good old days as a young lad
running around not knowing what
to do.”
- Tyler DeAngles
“Best reboot would have to be
Ratchet and Clank (2016) for me.
I love the franchise and playing
that game, I was hit so much with
nostalgia. Going into the museum
after finishing the game and
seeing the old model for Qwark,
I almost shed a tear. Also with
collecting those cards and seeing
all the weapons from previous
games was so great. I felt 10
again.”
- McDaniel Delfin

ameS
REVIEWS & PREVIEWS
reviewS:
DARK SOULS III
QUANTUM BREAK
FAR CRY PRIMAL
HYRULE WARRIORS LEGENDS
POKKEN TOURNAMENT
TRACKMANIA TURBO
BATTLEBORN

dark so

uls iii
review

REVIEW
DARK SOULS III
When it comes to punishing-yetrewarding
games, few do it better
than the Souls games. One of
the most challenging franchises
of its time, the Souls series tasks
players with surviving harrowing
encounter after harrowing encounter,
without ever letting up
on the fiendish difficulty. From-
Software have given us Demon’s
Souls, Dark Souls, Dark Souls II,
and Bloodborne, with each entry
in the series further refining its
game play, whilst never straying
too far from its original formula.
Now, we finally have ‘Dark Souls
III‘, a return to the most popular
of Souls games. It’s unforgiving,
foreboding, and undeniably dark
– but does it hold up to the Souls
pedigree?
Dark Souls III takes place following
the events of Dark Souls II,
though returning players will discover
the majority of choices for
the ending of Dark Souls II have
been ignored. The world is succumbing
to the darkness and falling
into ruin. The flame at Firelink
Shrine must be lit to purge
the darkness from the world, and
usher in a new age. To do this,
the player must defeat and return
4 lords to their thrones at the
shrine: Yhorm the Giant of the
Profaned Capital, the Watchers
of the Abyss, Holy King Lothric,
Last hope of his Line and Saint
Aldrich of the Deep. One lord,
Ludleth the Exiled, still sits atop
his throne, offering the player
some information on their task.
Much like in Dark Souls and Dark
Souls II, the story takes a backseat
to the gameplay. This isn’t
necessarily a bad thing, as there
is a wealth of lore available for
enthusiastic fans. If you’re hoping
for a guide arrow, compass,
mini-map, objectives or indeed
any form of guidance, you’re out
of luck. The Souls games reward
exploration and the brave,
so you’ll have to carve your own
way through the dark.
Despite being left in the dark
when it comes to progressing
through the game, there are numerous
NPCs to talk to that offer
advice, clues and even items
to the player that will aid them
in their adventure. You can also
bet your bottom dollar that the
answers you seek like beyond
the frenzied behemoth boss that
blocks your path in most cases.
If all else fails, check out the
Dark Souls wiki. Dark Souls has
an amazingly dedicated community
of players that will aid others
in their quests.
Gameplay-wise, Dark Souls 3
plays a lot like Dark Souls and
Dark Souls II, though there are
some new features, and the
game feels more balanced. If
you’re new to the Souls games,
you’ll learn quickly that you cannot
rush into any area swinging
your weapon like a maniac
– you’ll only get yourself killed.
Instead, you’ll need strategy, patience,
and to keep your eyes on
your health, stamina and FP.
Players have a wealth of options
available when it comes to equipping
and wielding weapons. You
can choose to use a one-handed
weapon and a shield, with the
ability to wear your shield on
your back and hold your weapon
with both hands. You can also
choose to wield a two-handed
weapon such as a clay-more or
halberd, though if you build up
your strength and dexterity, you
can wield a two-handed weapon
with one hand!
There are also spells to wield,
such as healing spells and miracles,
as well as offensive spells
like the fireball and soul dart
spells. Players can select a magic-wielding
class at the beginning
of the game, though levelling up
certain stats allows other classes
to utilise these abilities as well.
Returning Souls players should
be able to pick up Dark Souls

III rather quickly, as the game
can be played in virtually the
same way. There are however,
little tweaks in place that make
Dark Souls 3 a little different.
For one thing, spells no longer
have a number of uses players
have to keep an eye on. Instead,
we have the FP system. FP is
not only depleted when you use
magic, but also when you use
weapon abilities.
Weapon abilities are also new to
the Dark Souls experience, and
can be used by players to decimate
their enemies. While holding
your weapon with two-hands,
simply hold the left trigger to enter
a special stance, from there,
you press the right trigger to unleash
an attack unique to that
weapon type. Some weapons
have swift forward lunges, others
have spinning attacks that
prove handy when surrounded,
and others are useful in other
ways.
The combat also feels more balanced
and fair, though don’t expect
it to be a walk in the park,
either. Dark Souls III still manages
to put up plenty of a challenge.
Before I go any further
I’m going to be open and honest
with you, dear readers: I did not
enjoy my time with the original
Souls games. I wanted to like
them, but I found that overall,
the experience was not for me.
The difficulty, aloof story, camera
system and odd bug deterred
me from dedicating myself to
previous Souls games, though
all that has changed with Dark
Souls III. I’m addicted to it, and
couldn’t be enjoying my time
with the game any more. Yes, it’s
extremely difficult. Yes, the story
could be more present and yes,
everyone still mumbles weird
absurdities when you yearn for a
hint or an explanation of certain
story element, but damn it all if
Dark Souls III isn’t the most accessible
Souls game yet.
Dark Souls III also looks fantastic,
both in terms of its art
direction and its graphics. The
environments and the monsters
that dwell within them are intimidating,
unique and complement
each other quite well. I was also
extremely impressed with the
game’s lighting, which has seen
more attention than in previous
Souls games, and truly adds to
the immersion of the game.
Still, there are a few minor areas
where the game could be improved.
For one thing, the camera
can be downright infuriating
in small spaces. When you have
no room to retreat, the camera
can clip through you and your enemy,
with the screen becoming a
garbled mess of iron and steel.
The game is already stressful
enough without the camera deciding
to lose its mind too. There
are also little bugs that miff the
player, such as corpses that
don’t quite settle when they die,
and convulse awkwardly.
Dark Souls III will feel extremely
familiar to fans of the series,
though the skills learned from
previous Souls games will serve
them well. The game feels incredibly
balanced and fluid compared
to previous entries in the
franchise, and it’s a well-polished
and engaging experience
overall. If the rumours are true,
and this is the last Souls game,
then it’s the perfect sendoff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX0cvtjKt9E
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAILER!

9.4 /10
PROS:
VISUALLY IMPRESSIVE
CHALLENGING
COMBAT IS MORE FLUID
FP SYSTEM IS A WELCOME
ADDITION
CONS:
ANNOYING CAMERA
LACK OF A TRADITIONAL
STORY
WRITTEN BY
NICK GETLEY
WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM

quantum

eak
review

REVIEW
quantum break
Finnish developer Remedy Entertainment
are one of the best
story tellers in the biz. They have
created some of the best narratives
in video game history, with
franchises such as Max Payne
and Alan Wake. Unfortunately,
they also have a proclivity for delaying
their games, with Remedy
titles rarely meeting their numerous,
forgiving deadlines.
Originally an Xbox One launch
title, ‘Quantum Break‘, Remedy’s
latest action game, has only
been released just now. Featuring
Shawn ‘Iceman’ Ashmore
and Dominic ‘Merry Brandybuck’
Monaghan, Quantum Break
blends a live-action TV show with
a 3rd person action video game
in a truly memorable experience,
but does it hold up to Remedy’s
pedigree of fantastic titles?
Quantum Break begins with Jack
Joyce (Ashmore) arriving via taxi
cab to meet his best friend Paul
Serene at Paul’s university. Paul
works with Jack’s brother, William,
on a scientific project at the
university, which involves recreating
black holes and experimenting
with them in a controlled
environment. William and Jack
have had their differences, but
for various reasons, William is
no longer working on the project.
After meeting with Paul at the
university, Jack agrees to help
Paul with a demonstration of
Paul and William’s research.
While experimenting with black
holes, William and Paul have
discovered “Chronon particles”,
which make time travel possible.
Whilst Jack and Paul are conducting
the demonstration, William
attempts to intervene, citing
that “time will break” if Paul
and Jack continue ime machine.
Something goes awry with the
experiment, with Jack and Paul
being exposed to Chronon radiation,
distorting time around them
and granting them time-control
powers. Paul is sealed in the
machine, with Jack attempting to
free Paul as he regains his senses.
Monarch Industries soldiers
storm the campus, opening fire
on Jack, Paul and William, with
Paul’s only chance of surviving
being to travel into the future.
Jack and William attempt to escape
the university through a
series of vents and maintenance
areas, with the two soon encountering
the leader of Monarch Industries,
a version of Paul from
the future, who attacks Jack and
detonates the university, burying
William in rubble. Jack escapes
the university, but can he master
time-control and save the future
from Paul?
Straight out the gate, Quantum
Break engrosses players with its
well-crafted story. Remedy have
outdone themselves with the
game’s narrative, and each character
both in the live-action sequences
and the game itself do
an outstanding job of immersing
the player in the world of Quantum
Break. After the initial discovery
of time-control powers,
the narrative does focus less
on those powers and more onto
characters and their actions,
though the story is still enjoyable
for the most part.
Gameplay-wise, Quantum Break
plays like other third-person action
games, though with little
tweaks that makes the game
feel more fluid and immersive.
Jack can enter cover like in other
third-person games, though he
does so automatically as he approaches
cover. While in other
action games this might be a
frustrating experience, Quantum
Break manages to make each
action sequence feel directly involved
with the current state of
the game’s narrative. When Jack
needs to run, he runs. When he
needs to walk, he walks, and
when he needs to duck behind
cover, he does. Remedy have
blended gameplay and narrative
together even down to the most
minute details, and made it look
effortless. More developers need
to take this approach to action titles.
Max Payne was a grizzly shooter
starring an even grizzlier cop,

PROS:
BRILLIANT MOTION CAPTURE
AND ANIMATIONS
INTERESTING MIX OF LIVE
ACTION AND VIDEO GAME
SEQUENCES
FANTASTIC NARRATIVE
DELIVERY
TIME-CONTROL POWERS
ARE FUN AND STYLISH
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E087GDdXYl4
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAILER!
CONS:
STORY DIGRESSES FROM
ITS MOST INTERESTING
FEATURE
SHOOTING COULD HAVE
BEEN TIGHTER

7.8 /10
Alan Wake was an intensely
spooky and enthralling action
title that used a clever flashlight
and shooting mechanic, and
Quantum Break has also has its
own unique spin on third-person
action. Early in the game, Jack
states that he has fired a gun
before, but is no expert. He isn’t
the best at shooting a firearm,
though this allows Remedy to integrate
the use of firearms with
time-control powers. You might
not be able to spray an assault
rifle with such reckless abandon
as in Call of Duty or Gears of
War, but you can trap a soldier
in a time bubble, and then dash
forward through time to engage
that enemy in close proximity. It
might not appeal to fans of more
arcade shooting gameplay, but
Quantum Break wants players to
use the time-control mechanics,
so its forgivable.
Visually, Quantum Break is serviceable,
though is uses film
grain, which may or may not
rub players the wrong way, depending
on their preferences. I
personally can’t stand film grain
in video games, though I understand
Quantum Break is not your
typical video game, given that is
has live-action sequences. The
film grain feels like it covers the
game’s low detail character models,
which is jarring considering
there are so many filters and visual
processes that compliment
the game. Quantum Break runs
at an unimpressive 720p on the
Xbox One, which doesn’t break
the game experience overall,
but certainly harms it. There are
also complaints about the game
under performing on the PC too,
despite being locked into 30FPS
and at 1080p resolution.
There are times when playing
video games where a game feels
too short, and at other times, too
long. Quantum Break is a game
that knows not to wear out its welcome,
taking roughly 8-10 hours
to complete. There is much more
of a focus on story during those
8-10 hours than in other action
games, and the experience feels
extremely satisfying overall.
Ultimately, Quantum Break is
an entertaining experiment from
one of gaming’s best storytelling
developers. It’s not the tightest
action experience, and the narrative
would have been more entertaining
had it stayed focused
on time-control, but it’s still a terrific
game worth checking out.
Welcome back, Remedy.
WRITTEN BY
NICK GETLEY
WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM

far cry

primal
review

REVIEW
FAR CRY PRIMAL
Ubisoft’s Far Cry 3 was (and
is) a massively successful title.
Selling around 10 million copies,
it brought the long-running FPS
series to a mainstream audience,
and it was only logical that
Ubisoft would want to re-create
that same success again with
an inevitable sequel. Far Cry 4,
however, did not receive as high
praise as its predecessor, with
many critics and gamers citing
how close the overall experience
felt like Far Cry 3.
Gamers can be a frustrating and
fussy lot, and while one series
can find success releasing the
same core gameplay over and
over again for years, another
franchise can be chastised for it.
One thing was for certain though,
the same old Far Cry couldn’t
happen again, and this new Far
Cry is, well a far cry from what
we’re used to.
‘Far Cry Primal’ takes place in
10,000 CE during the beginning
of the Mesolithic period. It
is set in the fictional Oros valley,
though keen players will
recognise the layout of the map
from Far Cry 4, which Ubisoft
Montreal has largely recycled
for this game (not necessarily
a bad thing). Players assume
the role of Takkar, a hunter from
the Wenja tribe. While hunting a
woolly mammoth, Takkar’s hunting
party is wiped out, and Takkar
himself gravely injured. With no
safe haven and no allies, Takkar
makes his way to Oros.
Along the way, Takkar meets Sayla,
a Wenja woman who is also
on her own. She informs Takkar
that the Wenja are being hunted
by the cannibalistic Udam tribem
and are scattered throughout the
valley. The player must seek out
the remaining Wenja, rebuild the
tribe, and uncover the secret behind
the Udam’s actions.
Far Cry Primal’s story is delivered
quite well, told through
cutscenes that feature some
truly exceptional motion capture
and dialogue. Early cutscenes
featuring Takkar and Sayla do
a fantastic job of immersing the
player in the world of Far Cry
Primal, as Sayla’s emotions are
conveyed perfectly through her
body language. When you first
meet Sayla, she is unsure of if
she can trust you, and after the
two of you survive an attack by
a sabretooth tiger, she is understandably
shaken and frightened.
Her eyes constantly scan
for danger, her body ready to run
in order to survive.
After the player escorts Sayla
back to her shelter, her body language
differs. She motions that
she has food, but needs medical
attention. The dialogue certainly
helps, though you could easily
discern what is happening without
the speech – that’s how good
the body language and motion
capture is in this game.
Speaking of the dialogue,
Ubisoft Montreal enlisted the
help of historical linguists to create
the language spoken in Far
Cry Primal. It’s fairly impressive,
and certainly helps with immersion.
According to Ubisoft, some
of the earliest known language is
7000 years old, so they worked
with the linguists to devolve the
language even further. It’s fairly
impressive, though still feels a
little sophisticated for the era.
Ultimately, Far Cry Primal is
entertaining, but it won’t “wow”
players. It mainly serves to drive
the action of the game, and in
that regard it accomplishes its
goal. It’s a shame that the story
itself isn’t as enthralling as the
motion capture and dialogue
used to deliver it, but I believe
that largely comes down to the
game’s setting. Ubisoft Montreal
were caught between a rock
and a bronze age. I mean, how
compelling could a game about
cavemen be?
Gameplay-wise, players will feel
immediately familiar with Far Cry
Primal, which plays like any other
first-person title. Players can run,
jump, aim and shoot, though Far
Cry Primal also has a focus on

PROS:
AMAZING MOTION CAPTURE
AND DIALOGUE
MELEE COMBAT IS
ENGAGING
IMMERSIVE ENVIRONMENT
AND DESIGN ELEMENTS
CONS:
CRAFTING AND SURVIVAL
ELEMENTS ARE EXTREMELY
SIMPLISTIC AND FEEL
UNREWARDING
NARRATIVE ISN’T EXACTLY
COMPELLING
CAN FEEL REPETITIVE

melee combat. The melee combat
works quite well, and helps
bring a refreshing sense of danger
to the FPS scene. Normally,
players have assault rifles, grenades,
and other overpowered
weapons at their disposal. In Far
Cry Primal, players have to craft
their own spears, clubs, bows,
arrows and more. Combine that
with the various predators roaming
the valley, and players will
never feel truly safe, which is
great.
Far Cry Primal features crafting
and survival elements, such as
gathering materials and creating
weapons from them. While
open-world survival games such
as 7 Days to Die and Ark: Survival
Evolved feature crafting
recipes that begin as rather simple
and become more advanced
for more rewarding items, Far
Cry Primal keeps everything
simple throughout the duration
of the game. Recovering health
is equally simple, as players
only have to munch on some
raw meat to regain their health.
While the crafting and first aid
might seem overly simplistic for
a caveman experience, it’s important
to remember that Far
Cry Primal is an action game primarily,
and not a survival game.
Still, you never really struggle
for any crafting ingredients, or
the means to recreate weapons
when the situation demands it.
There are moments in Far Cry
Primal where the game truly
shines. For one thing, players
are able to take a number of
different approaches to freely
roaming the environment, as well
as the game’s missions. They
can choose a stealth-based approach,
lurking out of sight until
the opportune moment, they can
7.4/10
launch an all-out attack if that’s
more their style, or they can use
a more strategic approach, such
as setting fires that draw the
enemy out. They can even lure
predators to rival cavemen and
simply let nature take its course.
Far Cry Primal is an interesting
experiment from Ubisoft Montreal.
On one hand, it’s a highly
playable and enjoyable first-person
action game. On the other,
it still feels strikingly familiar to
Far Cry 3 and 4. Despite this,
the game is a lot of fun, due to
how immersive Far Cry Primal’s
world is. If you’re hankering for
a decent action game that’s a little
bit different, don’t hesitate to
check Primal out.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAILER!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HjY1k1vXkY
WRITTEN BY
nick getley
WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM

hyrule warr

iors legends
review

REVIEW
Back in 2014, Koei Tecmo and
Nintendo brought us the hack
and slasher Hyrule Warriors,
which gave a Legend of Zelda
coat of paint to Dynasty Warriors
gameplay. They’re back at it
again with Hyrule Warriors Legends.
We were rather receptive
of Hyrule Warriors when it came
out, and this time, we’re just as
receptive, for slightly different
reasons.
As in the previous title, the plot
of Hyrule Warriors is retained;
the evil sorceress Cia storms the
land of Hyrule, and it’s up to Link
and the crew, as well as new
character Lana, to save the day
across time and space throughout
locales presented in previous
Zelda titles. This time extra
story missions with extra characters
are thrown into the mix. After
various story missions, new
missions will unlock that follow
Linkle, a young girl with dreams
of being a hero and having a
magical compass, tries to make
her way to Hyrule. In her various
missions, she interacts with the
old characters as well as new
ones, such as the Skull Kid from
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s
Mask, who steals her compass
and has to get it back, much like
his role in Majora’s Mask where
he steals Link’s ocarina. The
other new characters include
Toon Link, Tetra, and Daphnes
Nohansen Hyrule, which they all
made their debut in The Legend
of Zelda: The Wind Waker. The
implementation is nice characterwise;
they all feel different from
each other and provide different
ways to play the game like the
old characters, but it’s relatively
HYRULE
WARRIORS
LEGENDS
lacking storywise; the new missions
are scarce, and they play
out only when the relevant story
missions have been completed.
For players of Hyrule Warriors,
there’s a lot of old ground to retread
for little new reward.
Gameplay is largely the same,
but there’s a few evolutions.
The base game still consists of
running around, hacking and
slashing enemies, and clearing
out enemy keeps to make them
your own. There puzzle element
of the Zelda series is still prevalent,
having to use the right item
at the right time to make bosses
vulnerable, such as making King
Dodongo eating bombs when
his mouth is open, or hookshoting
Argorok when his tail flashes
to bring him down. What’s new
however is similar to fast travelling.
At certain times, the playable
character can be changed
to another character already
on the field, which essentially
lets players jump from one side
of the map to another. Some
maps also have Owl Statues,
which with the newly introduced
ocarina item, let specific characters
travel from one side of
the map to another. When characters
aren’t being controlled,
they can be commanded to go
to certain characters or certain
areas, which can put them in a
section that could be beneficial
later. These are fairly significant
changes that take the already
fluid gameplay and turn it up a
couple more notches.
The Adventure Mode also has
had a bit of a shakeup to incorporate
previously released content
from Hyrule Warriors and
the newly introduced characters.
Travelling through a grid influenced
on the NES The Legend
of Zelda of many, many challenges,
players can complete
specific tasks. To unlock certain
items for unlocking, a cell of the
grid must be searched to reveal
an aspect of the scenery that can

e destroyed, such as a bush.
With items won from other grids,
such as a candle, these can be
used to unlock new items such
as new weapons and characters
to then be unlocked through
completing the mission. There’s
not as many grid spaces as last
time, but there’s still a lot of missions
to complete and master.
A new edition is the My Fairy system.
After being collected in Adventure
Mode, players can have
an elemental fairy with them at
all times. These fairies have abilities
that can be activated with
the in-game magic meter, which
are dependent on their ability,
such as damaging enemies or
healing the player. They can be
dressed up with clothes or fed
with food found in Adventure
Mode grids, which can both influence
the fairy’s stats.
As the game’s gone from the Wii
U to the Nintendo 3DS, there’s a
bit of graphical and power stepdown.
Graphics are reduced in
quality, with enemy frame rates
being reduced when they’re a
few steps away, and the draw
distance for enemies is less
than it was in the Wii U version,
so there’s quite a bit of pop in.
While the lessened graphics are
noticeable, the reduction in draw
distance isn’t as much of a problem.
As gameplay consists of
focusing on the enemies right in
front of you, there wasn’t much
of a focus on far-away enemies
to begin with. As long as the enemy
in front is focused on, the surrounding
enemies who haven’t
quite loaded in yet will get hit
anyway, so it’s not much of a
major concern. The game sees
a framerate bonus on new Nintendo
3DS consoles, but it isn’t
unplayable on regular Nintendo
3DS consoles. 3D is enabled
on new Nintendo 3DS consoles
only, and suffers some framerate
issues with it on, but again, it’s
nothing to not worry about; it’s
still playable.
Just like Hyrule Warriors, there’s
planned downloadable content
in the works in the form of four
packs. The four packs will focus
on The Legend of Zelda:
The Wind Waker, The Legend
of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, The
Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
and Spirit Tracks, and The
Legend of Zelda: A Link Between
Worlds. Each of the packs come
with new My Fairy clothes, new
adventure maps and battle scenarios,
and characters. So far,
Medli from The Wind Waker and
Marin from Link’s Awakening
have been confirmed, the former
being free for all players. Purchasing
the content now through
the season pass also gives players
instantly a costume for Ganondorf
based on his appearance
in The Wind Waker. If the
add-on content is just as substantial
as it was in Hyrule Warriors,
there’s a lot to look forward
to in this game’s future.
Hyrule Warriors Legends isn’t a
step forward or backward from
Hyrule Warriors, but more of a
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGDEUPZNlh8
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAILER!
7.5/10
step to the left. It brings changes
to the gameplay, albeit a little
haphazardly, but skimps out
a little with an overall lack of
power behind it. When it comes
right down to it, there’s another
platform this fantastic hack and
slasher can survive on, and this
time it can be taken anywhere
you want.
PROS:
NEW CHARACTERS FEEL
GOOD
THE FAST TRAVEL
GAMEPLAY MECHANICS
SPEED UP THE GAMEPLAY
BASE GAMEPLAY IS
LARGELY UNCOMPROMISED
BY BEING ON THE 3DS
CONS:
NEW CHARACTERS
IMPLEMENTATION INTO THE
STORY IS POOR
GRAPHICS TAKE A HIT
WRITTEN BY
sasha karen
WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM

POKKEN TOU

RNAMENT
review

REVIEW
POKKEN TOURNAMENT
It took twenty years, but we finally
have a game from the ground
up where the aim of the game is
not to give commands to Pokémon
via a menu, but to play as
that Pokémon and beat down
another Pokémon.
Pokken Tournament is set in the
Ferrum Region, a secluded island
from the rest of the Pokémon
world. Here, traditional
Pokémon battles with trainers
taking turns to deliver commands
for their Pokémon are thrown out
the window, and instead Battle
Trainers commence in Ferrum
Battles.
There’s sixteen different Pokémon
to play as, each with a different
playstyle. There’s Pikachu, a
Pokémon staple, then the fighting
types like the many armed
Machamp and the aura-using
Lucario, then things start to get a
little Nintendo ridiculous with Pikachu
Libre and Chandelure, the
ghost and fire type… chandelier.
Even legendary Pokémon make
an appearance, with Suicune
and Mewtwo, as well as Shadow
Mewtwo, but more on that later.
There’s enough variety to either
have fun with a wide range
of characters, or to find the one
character that applies the most
to a player’s style.
For the most part, the models of
the Pokémon look pretty good.
There’s a bit of realism thrown
into the Pokémon, with being
able to see the fur on Pokémon
like Lucario, or cracks in the ice
of Suicune’s head piece, and
the attacks are a treat to look at.
Everything else is a bit of a letdown
though. Some background
characters and Pokémon in the
various playable arenas are just
a 2D image moving back and
forth, and if you’re not watching
the game on the GamePad,
even the shadows look a little off.
Despite being developed in part
by Bandai Namco, the creators
behind Tekken, Pokken Tournament
is by no means a complicated
fighter. There’s no need to
memorise half circle kick punch
punch to execute your favourite
combo; moves are relegated to
hitting a button or a direction and
a button. It feels nice to pick up
and be able to play a Pokémon
after a few minutes as opposed to
hours and hours of training. The
downside to this is that you’ll be
seeing the same string of moves
played over and over, so it may
feel a little repetitive at times.
With that being said, the moves
aren’t universal. One Pokémon’s
button movement may be an attack,
but on another Pokémon
it may be a temporary buff, so
each new Pokémon needs an
extra bit of time to figure out to
acclimatise you to it after getting
used to one Pokémon.
In traditional Pokémon games,
Pokémon have types which play
out like scissors-paper-rock.
The commonly used example
as shown by each game’s three
starter types is that a grass type
beats a water type, a water type
beats a fire type, and a fire type
beats a grass type. This is slightly
reborn through the attack triangle;
attacks come in normal,
grab, and counter varieties. Normal
attacks beats a grab attack,
a grab attack beats a counter attack,
and a counter attack beats
a grab attack. While matches
may consist of button mashing,
it’s a nice little homage to the
battles of the main games.
Combat shifts through Field and
Duel Phases. Field Phase allows
you and your opponent to move
around the area at will, while a
duel phase is more akin to traditional
2D fighters were both fighters
play on the one plain. These
changes occur after a strong hit
connects, and really produces a
nice sense of flow in battles.
Besides the Battle Pokémon,
support Pokémon can be picked
too. Each support Pokémon are
found in a set of two, with one
of three different sets being able
to be selected per battle, and
out of the two support Pokémon
being able to be selected
per round. These supports can
attack or disrupt the opponent,
or enhance your own Pokémon
with attack, defence or speed
buffs, healing, or other bonuses.

In battles, the support Pokémon
has a set amount of time before
it can be activated, from quick
charges that benefit the player a
little, to long charges that benefit
player a great deal. It is a bit of
a shame that support Pokémon
can’t be mixed and matched instead
of being forced to use them
in a set, even though the sets of
Pokémon generally complement
each other.
Each Pokémon has a special
form they can enter called a Synergy
Burst. During battle, causing
hits, using specific support
Pokémon or collecting Synergy
Power in Field Phase raises the
Synergy Gauge. Maxing it out
sends you into Synergy Burst,
which increases your Pokémon’s
stats and upgrades your moves,
and if the Pokémon has a Mega
Evolution, Mega Evolves it. Once
per Synergy Burst, a Burst Attack
can be used, which if it hits,
causes massive damage. The
Synergy Burst is comparable to
that of Mega Evolution from the
newer Pokémon games, which
changes a Pokémon’s appearance,
stats, and ability. As a
Pokémon fan things like this do
right by the main games.
The last aspect of battles is Nia’s
Cheer. Nia acts as a menu descriptor,
tutorial, and story device,
but more on her later. A
number of cheers are unlockable
that give various benefits based
on how the battle is going which
can influence a number of things,
such as maxing out your support
Pokémon or Synergy Gauges.
Pokken Tournament has five
main game modes – Practice,
Single Battle, Local Battle, Online
Battle, and the Ferrum
League story mode. The game
suggests trying the Practice area
first, which contains tutorials, a
free training, and practicing the
specific moves and combos of
each Pokémon.
Single Battles allow straight
up player versus computer action,
with various options to fiddle
with. There’s basic battles,
which are the former, or extra
battles, which throw in a Mario
Kart-esque element with random
boxes. Gaining one can boost
the synergy gauge, recover HP,
and can give a positive or negative
status.
Local Battles play out exactly the
same, except with two players,
with player one being forced to
play as the GamePad. Its arcade
roots really shine here, as instead
of playing as both characters
on the TV, player one’s point
of view shown on the GamePad
is from their Pokémon, while
player two uses the TV and has
the view of their Pokémon. As a
side effect of showing this much
action from two points of view at
once, the framerate is cut in half.
It’s unfortunate, but it plays really
well.
Online battles are split between
Rank and Friendly Matches. Battles
here are in their basic variety,
so no extra battles. Rank consists
of a point system where players
of the same rank are matched
against each other. Win battles,
earn points. Earn enough points,
upgrade your rank. Friendly battles
can be played with anyone
with no impact on grade, or specifically
friends. To play with a
specific person, instead of a lobby
system, players have to en-

7.3/10
ter a VS code. This feels archaic
compared to other Wii U online
multiplayer games; Nintendo
tried to ditch friend codes for users
to add each other in online
games and replaced them with
the Nintendo Network ID to add
and find friends to play with.
As the original Pokken Tournament
started its life as an arcade
game in Japan, there wasn’t a
story to be had. In this version,
there is, but it’s barely there. You,
a rising Ferrum Trainer, and your
advisor Nia are going for glory
in the Ferrum League. However,
a mysterious girl appears at the
end of one of your matches with
her Shadow Mewtwo that crushes
your Pokémon in battle. As
a story mode, it sucks. You talk
to a few generic trainers about
how great they are or about the
Shadow Mewtwo that destroys
everyone, the League Masters
who talk about how great they
are, your advisor that talks about
how great you are, and the mysterious
girl who talks about the
Shadow Mewtwo. The voice
overs that random trainers, the
League Masters, your advisor
and the mysterious girl are either
grating or difficult to understand.
It just feels shoehorned.
However, in terms of content,
there’s many NPC battles to
be had. The story mode is
split into different leagues, and
within these leagues are three
parts; League Matches, Tournaments,
and the Promotion Tests.
Each league starts with League
Matches, where you start at the
highest rank and have to battle
five battle trainers in a row. Your
wins and losses are tallied up to
give you a new, lower rank. Entering
the top eight opens up the
Tournament, where the top eight
fight each other in a tournament
bracket. Coming first here then
opens up the Promotion Test,
where you can fight against the
League Master to open up the
next league.
Customisation comes through
in My Town, which is essentially
a glorified menu. Here you can
buy and customise clothing options
to change what your appearance
as a battle trainer
looks like, change your title, edit
your Support Pokémon, change
Nia’s Cheer, and fiddle with
various other options. There’s a
large amount of items to unlock,
which can be done at random or
at various milestones.
Pokken Tournament delivers an
experience no Pokémon game
has ever before; the thrill of beating
your opponent down as a
Pokémon, not a Pokémon trainer.
There are some rough edges
here to be had, but at its core,
Pokken Tournament is a strong
fighting game with a number of
playable Pokémon that isn’t too
many or too little that contains
gameplay that doesn’t take an
expert to master.
PROS:
JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT
OF CHARACTERS
NO COMPLEX CONTROLS
LOTS OF STORY-BASED
BATTLES TO BE HAD
CONS:
THE STORY IS TERRIBLE
VOICE ACTING IS BAD
ONLINE WITH FRIENDS
RELIES ON VS CODES
WRITTEN BY
sasha karen
WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM

TrackMan

ia Turbo
review

REVIEW
trackmania
turbo
Nadeo’s Trackmania is a racing
game that millions of people
have seen, though nowhere
as near as many people know
its name. Videos of Trackmania
have gone viral on the internet,
and chances are you if you have
seen a video game involving crazy
stunts, breakneck speed and
over-the-top tracks with loop-deloops,
chicanes, and jumps that
span hundreds of feet, you’ve
been watching someone play
Trackmania.
Trackmania‘s publisher, Ubisoft,
have just released ‘Trackmania
Turbo’, the first console version
of Trackmania since 2009’s
Trackmania Wii. It still features
all the insane features from previous
PC entries, so how does
the game hold up on console?
Trackmania Turbo was designed
with a simplistic-but-accessible
approach to gameplay. Everything
is accessed from a menu,
there’s no convoluted story
mode, you’re simply offered a
series of activities to partake in.
Speaking of activities, there
are a number of single-player
and multiplayer modes available
to choose from, including
Campaign Mode, Double Driver
Mode, Split Screen, Hot Seat,
Arcade Mode, and the game’s
Trackbuilder.
TrackMania Turbo’s Campaign
Mode is where players will spend
the majority of their time, as it’s
where you unlock track parts for
the game’s Trackbuilder mode.
Campaign Mode offers players
the chance to play over 200 levels
across 4 different locations:
Rollercoaster Lagoon, International
Stadium, Canyon Grand
Drift, and Valley Down & Dirty.
Campaign Mode begins with
nary a challenge on offer for the
player. These also introduce the
player to the game’s various mechanics,
so it’s understandable
that players won’t even flinch at
their basic difficulty. It isn’t long,
though, before players face their
first, jumps, chicanes, loop-deloops,
ramps, pits and other wild
features.
Campaign Mode offers players
tons of levels to experience,
and the majority of them are an
absolute blast. There is the occasional
track that catches you
off guard, as many of them introduce
you to new techniques or
features which will be used in a
truly challenging level later on. I
wouldn’t necessarily call these
unfair difficulty spikes, more like
gauntlets that aim to challenge
the player.
Completing Campaign levels
rewards the player with various
medals. Do a serviceable job,
and you’ll earn a bronze medal.
Do even better and you’ll unlock
a silver or gold medal. There
is even a medal above gold
called Trackmaster, which offers
players unique rewards when
achieved, such as unique paint
jobs for your car.
While the single-player levels
are fun, TrackMania Turbo’s reward
system feels extremely
out of date. It’s frustrating that
players are relegated to playing
the game’s Campaign levels
to unlock track features, even if
the levels themselves are entertaining.
Early during my time
with TrackMania Turbo, I wanted
to experience the Trackbuilder,

PROS:
ACCESSIBLE
UNIQUE
FANTASTIC SENSE OF
SPEED
MUSIC REACTING TO THE
GAMEPLAY IS GREAT
8/10
CONS:
ANNOYING REWARDS
SYSTEM
FORCED CAMPAIGN
COMPLETION
but found that I couldn’t build
much, despite having completed
a number of Campaign levels –
I had to go back and earn gold
medals.
In addition to the single-player
campaign, there’s also a twoplayer
campaign, though it is
quite odd. Double Driver sees
two players both controlling a
single car. Both their actions
have to be in sync for the car to
be operated. Don’t worry, it isn’t
as frustrating as it sounds, and
somehow works quite well.
You can also challenge local
friends to a game mode where
everyone shares the same
screen. The result is a chaotic
game of tug of war, which feels
reminiscent of Codemasters’
Micro Machines games. Online
multiplayer sees up to 100 other
players racing against each other.
For the sake of the player’s
sanity, the cars don’t collide with
each other, but appear as ghosts
on the players screen. When
something goes wrong (and it
does), the player is treated to
seeing dozens of cars flying off
the track in all directions – something
unique and thoroughly enjoyable
about Trackmania Turbo.
The Trackbuilder is extremely
simple, and if I can manage to
build a fun and engaging track,
anyone can. When starting your
track, you can change the height
of where you’re going to place a
part, and pick from a number of
parts. From there, the game will
only allow you to place compatible
parts down, making designing
a track pretty much fail-proof.
You can also choose to have a
randomly generated track from
your unlocked parts, as well as
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7M30JnM-1w
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAILER!
upload your track and download
others. There’s a ton of replay
value on offer for dedicated players.
Trackmania Turbo fills a gap in
the current racing games available.
It offers fast-paced thrills,
hours and hours of gameplay,
and is extremely accessible –
anyone can jump into the game
and have a blast. For its asking
price, the game offers a ton
of value for both hard-core and
casual racing fans, it’s just a
shame that unlocking additional
track parts has been made unnecessarily
difficult.
WRITTEN BY
nick getley
WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM

BATTLE

BORN
review

REVIEW
BATTLEBORN
Battleborn is Gearbox Software’s
fusion of First Person Shooters
and Multiplayer Online Battle
Arenas, and is dubbed a Hero
Shooter. Mixed in is a huge dose
of the humour we all know and
love from the Borderlands franchise.
This is a game that is a
departure from the norm, but it’s
a wild ride that you’ll never want
to get off.
As Battleborn has been defined
as a Hero Shooter by Gearbox
Software, there’s a level of significance
placed upon the playable
characters. There are twenty
five different characters to
choose from, from five factions;
the military-based United Peacekeeping
Republics, the hi-tech
and high class Last Light Consortium,
the nature-loving Eldrid,
the rogue Jennerit, and the rebellious
Rogues. Each character
has their own unique weapon
and three abilities. There’s a lot
of variety to be had here, each
with their own unique playstyle;
there are characters who focus
on melee, guns, healing, tanking;
there’s a role for everyone.
Each character looks different
and plays different too; moving
from one character to another
can be a trial in of itself, but it’s a
rewarding experience.
Controls feel right. Each Battleborn
plays a little differently, and
as such each playable character
controls a little differently. Instead
of guns instantly firing and
hitting their target, or hitscan,
each projectile fired seems to
have a different property in size
and speed instead of all being
the same thing with a different
flash; there’s an extra level of
uniqueness added to each Battleborn.
The voice acting for each character
really shows Gearbox Software’s
attention to detail for each
character, adding life to them. A
little cheesy at times, but in the
endearing way. If two people
choose the same character on
opposing teams, yours might
make a quip about an evil twin
approaching.
At the start of each match, every
player starts out at level one, and
earns experience, ending at level
ten. At each level, a helix point
is earned to unlock a mutation.
These mutations can exponentially
affect a character’s playstyle,
turning them into either a
more defensive or offensively
built character, or somewhere in
between.
Besides character levels, there
is commander rank and character
rank. Commander rank governs
a players overall progress
and appears as their level during
matchmaking, while a character
rank is purely for individual
player’s progression, and can
give players taunts and skins.
While not specifically relating to
character rank but character progession,
each character has five
specific challenges, like damage
enemies with a certain skill,
or play so many matches with
a specific character, which give
lore entries relating to that character.
Both of these ranks earn
experience after completing
matches, and with a max commander
rank of 100, and character
rank of 15 for twenty five Battleborn,
there’s a lot to unlock.
A game can have all the characters
in the world, but it would
mean nothing without game
modes to play them in. The major
focus of the game comes
through its online modes Capture,
Incursion and Meltdown.
Capture is the closest Battleborn
has to a traditional FPS game
mode; there are three points to
capture, and each point is worth
one point per second, with 1000
points needed to win. In comparison
to the other two modes,
Capture matches are the quickest.
Incursion brings out the MOBA
in Battleborn. Each team of five
has two sentries and minions
flowing from each side. The aim

is to take down both of the opponents
sentries, but they have
strong shields and can obliterate
players. Minions, however, can
take down shields easily. Therefore,
minions have to be escorted
to the sentries, then players
take down the sentries. Of
course, there are players to kill,
but if you focus on just players,
minions will wreck you. A good
chunk of time’s needed for Incursion
matches, running upwards
of up to half an hour.
Meltdown takes on a more interesting
approach to the FPS
cross MOBA hybrid. Each team
must guide their minions into
furnaces located on the opponent’s
side of the field to score
500 points to win. When a team
reaches 250 points, the furnaces
they need move back, making
their job harder. These matches
run alongside Incursion for having
the longest playtime at half
an hour.
Throughout all these game
modes are orange shard crystals.
When collected, these can
be used to build and upgrade
turrets, accelerators to speed
you and your team while slowing
down opponents, and supply
stations to give off health, and
buy Super Minions to make life
easier for you by having a bigger,
stronger, bulkier minion roam the
field. Along the lines of Super
Minions, Outcast Thrall Mercenaries
can also be taken down
to win them on your side to give
you even bigger, badder, and
burlier NPCs to help you out. Focusing
on straight up attacking
and neglecting Shard usage can
put your team at a disadvantage,
so it provides a nice little break in
combat against players.
The story mode comes straight
out of a Saturday morning cartoon
– all the stars in the galaxy
are being wiped about due to the
other-dimensionally Varelsi and
Lother Rendain, usurper of the
Jennerit Empire. This star destruction
is seeing all life in the
galaxy being wiped out. Now,
there’s only one star left, Solus.
It’s down to those who were born
for battle, or the Battleborn if you
will, to team up and protect Solus
from falling to the Varelsi and
Rendain. It’s definitely cheesy
for sure, but Battleborn seriously
doesn’t take itself seriously, and
hams everything up. The plot
is separated across a prologue
and eight missions, which focus
around a number of game modes
that help players get set for the
multiplayer. Each mission ends
with a score and gets a medal
rating, which begs for replayability.
The prologue and epilogue
feature a hand-drawn, giving
more credence to the Saturday
morning cartoon vibe. Each story
mission kicks off with some rocking
guitars and presents each
player as an actor, starring as
the character being played. It’s a
little thing, but it fits and it’s awesome.
The plot isn’t perfect however;
the ending does have a bit
of an unfortunately open ending,
and some missions can be on
the repetitive side, and then others
are way too hard for their difficulty
level, but there are plans
for future paid story missions,
and Gearbox Software have
stated they are looking in scaling

9/10
back the absurd level of difficulty,
so the room for improvement is
definitely there.
It wouldn’t be a Gearbox Software
developed game if there
wasn’t some emphasis on loot.
Scattered throughout story missions,
given out as level up
awards, or purchasable in packs
with in-game credits earned from
completing matches, players can
acquire gear that helps out in a
number of ways, with bonuses to
attack speed, critical hits, movement
speed, health and shield
regen – the list of bonuses go
on and on. Ranging from common
gear to epic, each piece of
gear has a necessary Shard requirement
per match. This adds
another level of complexity to
shards; whether to use them on
yourself or for the good of the
team.
As of publishing, the plan for
future content will see new Battleborn,
maps and game modes
being added for free, and extra
story missions, and new character
skins and taunts being added
to be purchased with actual
money. When characters are
released, they will be unlocked
with various requirements, much
like most of the other Battleborn.
Currently a season pass is available,
which will give players an
instant unlock key each time a
new character is made available,
which will remove any in-game
locks and make that character
selectable, as well as provide a
discount on the upcoming story
missions.
Battleborn contains a wealth of
joy. With twenty five characters,
multiple different ways to play
them, and multiplayer modes
that provide a platform for extensive
battles, there’s enough
content to drown in. Between
fighting against the Varelsei, the
Jennerit Empire, and each other,
there’s enough to leave players
sucked in for hours and hours
and hours. Everyone should play
Battleborn.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEtV0eGYmAU
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAILER!
PROS:
CHARACTER VARIETY FEELS
RIGHT
FUSION OF FPS AND MOBA
WORKS HERE
VOICE ACTING ON POINT
CONS:
SOME STORY MODES
CURRENTLY HAVE
IMBALANCED DIFFICULTY
STORY ENDS
UNSATISFYINGLY OPEN
WRITTEN BY
sasha karen
WWW.STICKYTRIGGER.COM

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geek o
BEST REBOOT OR
SEQUEL?
your say
DEAN HAGLUND:
FROM THE X-FILES
interview
pokemon tcg
BOARD/CARD GAMES
the gamer diaries:
1993-1994
retro
retro sequels
retro
anime sequels
anime
collecting
tech stuff
collectables
rarest console
or pc item?
your say
return of the redux
comics

ut
a passion
for daleks
interview
ghostbusters:
win tix!
ADVERTISING FEATURE
leonie tagan
fine arts
interview

dean haglund
FROM THE X-FILES TO EXPAT
Live Magazine got to talk to comedian,
artist, and star of both
The X-Files & The Lone Gunmen
TV series, Dean Haglund.
Dean is best known for his role
as Langley on both The X-Files,
and The Lone Gunmen. Dean is
now living in Sydney, Australia
and is a regular at comedy festivals.
Here’s what we talked
about...
Hey Dean welcome to Live
Magazine, you’ve been busy in
Australia lately - tell us what’s
happening.
Thanks for the interview. Sydney
is fantastic and keeping me very
busy. Performing, painting, etc.
It’s is really great.
Pay per laughs? What’s that all
about?
I realized that when I moved here
there is a big comedy scene and
all these names that I am not familiar
with, and it was the same
way with me. So I couldn’t expect
for anyone to shell out the big
bucks to come see me perform,
therefore, I placed the onus on
myself in the exchange of cash
for laughs.
Instead of paying upfront for the
PROMISE of laughter, you pay
afterward for the AMOUNT OF
LAUGHS you already had. And
you determine what that is worth
to you, so for some it is a lot and
others it is as much as they can
spare. Everybody wins.
You probably get asked this a
lot - but what was your favourite
episode of the X-Files and
the spin off, Lone Gunmen?
So many favorites, but I still like
Humbug to see Jim Rose’s Freak
Circus whom I use to see in bars
in Vancouver when I went to University
there. Of the Lone Gunmen,
I liked them all, but the one
with the super intelligent chimps
was really fun to shoot. Monkeys
are fun.
We’re looking at sequels and
reboots this month, the latest
X-Files was a bit of a continuation
more then a sequel but
ended at a point where we’re
left asking, “What’s going to
happen now?” Any thoughts
on that? Will there be more episodes?
I’m no FOX executive, but if I saw
the rating numbers and know
how hard and expensive marketing
an unknown brand is to do, I
would that think it would be both
cost efficient and a no brainer to
continue. And with both David
and Gillian saying they are into it,
I think that it would be just a matter
of scheduling.
I’ve always thought the Lone
Gunmen were one of the best
parts of the series, but in the
www.deanhaglund.com
most recent 6 episodes, you
guys were hardly used, do you
think there’s a future for the
Gunmen?
I am not sure, but the IDW comic
book series called Season 10 that
Chris Carter was working on before
the series re-boot, the Lone
Gunmen are alive and working
under a cemetery. And he said
that this was official canon but
then went on to say in another
interview that we are really dead.
But if I know Chris, he will figure
out some really clever way to
make the Gunmen a part of the
show again!
Now you’re a great artist too,
what sort of art are you into?
Thanks. I am painting in oils and
watercolors these days, getting
commissions based on my instagram
account - you can check it
here: instagram.com/deanhaglund
which is keeping me busy. I am
loving the cityscapes here in Sydney
and working a new series of
canvases based on my neighborhood
of Newtown. I hope to gallery
show sometime in the future
so I can present those.
You and Phil Leirness produced
a Documentary “The
Truth is Out There” can you tell
us about that and will there be
a second edition?
Phil came to convention one time

Visit Dean’s website
for all his news
and was amazed at the conversations
that I would have and the
fascinating people I would regularly
run into at these things, and
thought that would be a natural
subject for a documentary. It is
about conspiracies, consciousness,
and comedy - since we discovered
while uncovering some
of these things, that a search for
the truth can actually be fun. So
it’s not making fun of anything but
instead approaching all subjects
with a sense of joy and wonder,
which gets the subject to relax
and not be defensive. We are
shooting a second one now, following
some of the threads that
we had to cut out of the first one.
To win - tell us your favourite conspiracy theory.
Enter here: https://app.e2ma.net/app2/audience/signup/1815188/1750786/
the lone gunmen:
tom braidwood (frohike)
dean haglund (langley)
bruce harwood (byers)
What’s coming up for Dean Haglund?
Any movies or TV in the
future?
I am now a recurring guest host
on national Australian TV. I was a
guest on Studio 10 once and they
said I should come back and so
now I am on that every few weeks
for 3 hours with Ita, Joe and Jess.
It starts at 8:30 a.m. so I get that
no one ever sees it. And I got a
movie coming out this year called
the Lady Killers that will be doing
the festival circuit in a few months.
Finally, where can our readers
go to find out what you’re up
to?
TW @dhaglund FB deanhaglund
performing page and
www.deanhaglund.com
The Truth is Out There movie... truth-is-out-there.com

BOARD/CARD GAMES
POKÉMON
TRADING CARD GAME
Since Pokémon released in 1998
in Australia I have been a fan.
From the games to the anime,
books and merchandise released
over the years I have amassed
a lovely collection however one
aspect of Pokémon that I never
owned growing up is Pokémon
Cards. These cards were all the
rage in the playground at Primary
School with trades and battles
happening daily however I could
never share my love for Pokémon
with my fellow friends in this aspect
of the franchise. Lately that
has changed and the pull of the
cards has lured me into once
again catching them all, this time
in a completely new way for me.
The Pokémon trading cards were
first released in Japan in October
1996. The cards were published
by Media Factory and featured
the popular monsters of the video
games. Over the last 20 years an
extremely large amount of series,
games based packs, booster
packs, tins, promo cards and exclusives
have been released. The
Pokémon Trading Card Game
Online was released via web
browser in 2011 and gave fans a
new way to play. Allowing players
to battle and trade to players all
over the world opened the game
up again to old and new players.
Existing players could once again
get the thrill and challenge of
battling players this time around
the globe and pitting the skills
against unknown players allowed
for fierce competitive play they
may have been lacking in their
normal competitive play. For new
players it allowed easy access
to the game with great tutorials
stepping you through from the
basics of the games to the more
strategic plays. For me it was a
great way to get into the game.
I participated in the Beta for the
online game and was surprised
at how easy it was to get in to.
As I had never played the card
game I was a bit apprehensive
of how the attacks worked and
how you won a battle. I knew it
would not be like the games in
the sense of Power Points (PP)
for moves and switching Pokémon
in and out but I was keen to
learn. I selected the grass deck
as my base as it featured two of
my favourite Pokémon, Butterfree
and Meganium and had a great
time playing. Unfortunately, after
the Beta I didn’t continue playing
as my laptop would keep freezing
when I launched the game and it
was unplayable for me. Recently
I have re-loaded my file and starting
playing again. Re-doing the
tutorials was a great refresher
however I was sad to see my
grass deck was no more. My new
base decks do include one of my
other favourites in Chespin so
that made up for it!
Something that draws people into
collecting cards is the excitement
of seeing which cards you pulled.
Opening the packet and revelling
each card one at a time, hoping
that each is either a rare or holographic
card or featuring your
favourite character is both exhilarating
and suspenseful. The thrill
when you revel that special card
is addictive however the disappointment
when you pull doubles
or no rare or holographic cards is
just as strong in the opposite direction.
Another great draw card
to Pokémon cards is being able
to complete a set and feeling
like you have accomplished your
Pokedex but in a much different
way to the video games.
Not only are Pokémon cards great
to collect and trade they also
make for quite a fun card game.
Being able to build your own deck
to challenge opponents is awesome
as it allows for complete
customisation. While building you
deck there are quite a few options
to take in to consideration: do I focus
on mainly one element? If so,
do I also include a small amount
of Pokémon in my deck with an
element that is super effective
against the element my main element
is weak to? How many potions,
revives and healing options
do I include, do I take in multiples
of the same evolution chain so it
is easier to get a final evolution
and how many items and support
cards will I need? These decisions

plus knowing how to get the most
out of your Pokémon through the
item and support cards can make
or break your deck in competitive
play. The Pokémon Trading Card
Game World Championships
are held each year with players
competing in three separate age
groups to become the Pokémon
Master.
Trading, selling and collecting is
a great way to become part of a
new community and to meet new
people with the same passion for
the game as yourself. There are
many groups on Facebook who
regularly post their new additions
to their collections or who are willing
to help you finish your deck by
trading cards you do not require.
While it is great seeing all the
awesome and rare cards other
people are opening it can also get
a little sad when you aren’t lucky
enough to get those cards yourself.
It is currently a great time to be a
card player and collector. The Animal
Crossing Amiibo cards have
sold extremely well for Nintendo
and with the series into their
fourth series who knows when or
if these will come to an end. The
Legend of Zelda trading cards
have recently been announced
and with the Mewtwo Amiibo
card which came included in the
first print editions of Pokken we
may see more Pokémon cards
with Amiibo functionality. Playing
online or playing with family
and friends can be a great way to
share your love of the franchise.
Also many Gametraders stores
are holding tournaments for not
only Pokémon but Yu Gi Oh and
Magic the Gathering card games
there are many ways to enjoy your
favourite card games and meet
new people. Make sure to check
these out and don’t forget to pick
up some new cards while you’re
there! With other people being
there to trade with you may just
get that one card someone needs
for them to trade you the card you
have been searching for!
WRITTEN BY
JESS WILSON

etro
the continuing story of retro editor, paul monopoli’s journey as a young gamer...
The Gamer diaries:
Prior to the school holidays I figured
out how much money I had,
and how much more would be
needed to purchase the Super
Nintendo, Street Fighter 2 pack.
SF2 was the game I was never
able to get sick of. I had played
fighting games on various systems,
including my humble Amstrad,
though most of the warriors
you controlled were generic and
faceless. Capcom made a wise
move by including back stories
for the World Warriors. A good
story can take a game to a whole
new level, and while the story
of “Street Fighter 2” was hardly
pulitzer prize winning material, it
gave kids something to talk about.
For a long time after its release
various publications were still
talking about the stories of Ryu
and the rest of the cast, though
this may have had something to
do with the multiple re-releases of
the game.
During the school holidays I
worked in the office of my father’s
workplace to finish earning the
money for the console. The work
involved filing and administration,
though when they noticed my
ability to quickly pick things up
on a computer I was given less
menial tasks. During the second
week I had earned enough, and
my aunt, who worked at John
Martins, had purchased the bundle
for me with her staff discount
card. I got the system home,
connected it to my TV, tuned it
in, turned it on and sat back for
a minute. I paused to take in the
momentous event of owning the
best video game system on the
market, with the greatest fighting
game of all time. It was glorious!
When that was all over I got stuck
in to “Street Fighter 2”!
My parents had been discussing
buying a PC, as it was thought
that buying a computer that could
help me with my homework would
be in my best interests. I was in
the middle of my high school
years, and more of my friends
were using PCs for their school
work. The day after I acquired
my Super Nintendo my parents
purchased our first PC. I was not
consulted on which PC we should
buy, though if I had I would have
done some research and chosen
something with a little more power
than the Amstrad 5286 that
we ended up with. A friend of the
family suggested it, and he even
said that he was considering purchasing
it himself. I don’t know
how true that statement was, but
it was enough to convince my
parents.
So the Amstrad CPC6128 was
packed away, and it was replaced
with the shiny new Amstrad PC.
In late 1993 I had entered a whole
new realm of gaming. I had my
Gameboy, and now a SNES and
a PC. By this time the Amstrad
CPC was a dead system, though
I still wanted to keep it. At the time
the idea of having an interest in
retro video games was pretty
much unheard of. If a system got
old then you threw it out, it was
that simple. Still, this computer
had been a big part of my life for
the past 5 years. It was a friend
who was always there, that never
judged and would play awesome
games with me. How can you just
forget all about that?
At school I started to trade 3 1/2”
discs with my friends to start building
my collection of PC games.
The Amstrad CPC 3” discs were
close to $10 each, though with 3
1/2” discs you could buy a pack
of 10 for double that. Very little
thought was given to piracy, being
that we were all poor school
kids. If anything copy protection
was seen as a slight nuisance,
something you would have to
tinker with, or try a more up to
date duplication program on. If
the copy worked then it was all
worth it. I filled my blank discs
with the “Commander Keen” series,
“Duke Nukem” 1 and 2, and
many more. This was the dawn
of the era of serious PC gaming,
whereas previously the IBM/PC
clones had only been thought of
as serious machines. One game
that really grabbed my attention at
this time was a little remembered
classic called “Secret Agent”.

1993 - 1994

1993 - 1994

Where games like “Duke Nukem”
boasted reasonable sized sprites,
“Secret Agent” had a small character
with a larger playing area.
Coming from Apogee, the same
stable as “Commander Keen”
and “Duke Nukem”, “Secret
Agent” was a platform game that
was filled with action and secrets.
It became a favourite among my
group of friends. Looking back on
it, Apogee Software were one of
the companies that pushed PC
gaming into the mainstream. Advanced
platform games, shoot
em ups, the kinds of games you
would expect to see on consoles
could now be found on your humble
computer, thanks to Apogee.
Back on the Super Nintendo,
“Street Fighter 2” was the only
game that I owned for a number
of months, but it seemed like it
was the only game that I needed.
Wherever I went, everybody
wanted to play “Street Fighter
2”. If I went to Clinton’s house,
James’ house, Steven’s house, it
was the game that we never got
sick of. If the person I was visiting
didn’t own a Super Nintendo, I
would take mine with me. In 1993
Nintendo Magazine System was
launched. From memory there
was even a TV ad campaign for
it, and it heavily promoted the
“Street Fighter 2” content that
was included with the first issue.
It also featured “Super Mario
Land 2” on the cover, another
game that would suck up a whole
heap of my time when I finally got
my hands on it.
Just before Christmas I saw an
ad for “Super Mario World” in a
catalogue. I forget which store,
though I suspect it may have been
Harris Scarfe. The other game
that I had become obsessed with
had been reduced to $49.99, a
bargain! I went to the store to buy
it and as I walked out I ran into
Clinton. That is what is known as
’Adelaide small town syndrome’,
where it is rare to go out and not
run into someone you know. I
showed him my new prize and he
invited me over so we could play
the game together. I came over
with the Super Nintendo and we
ended up playing “Street Fighter
2” all night. I suppose when you’re
given a choice of either playing a
game simultaneously with someone,
or taking it in turns, most
people would take the first option.
Either way, I had no complaints.
That Christmas I opened up my
presents to find two Gameboy
games. The first was a copy
of “Bart’s Escape From Camp
Deadly”. A tough as nails platformer,
this Simpsons game did
exactly what it said on the box. As
Bart Simpson you had to escape
from the dreaded Camp Deadly.
This was one game that suffered
badly on the blurry Gameboy
screen, though I persevered until
I finished it. It took a long time
and a lot of Game Overs, but I
was determined to see that one
through to the end.
The other game was “Terminator
2” for the Gameboy. I played
this one through to the end as
well, though it was another difficult
game. I don’t normally enjoy
playing games that mix genres,
but this one did it well. T2 included
platforming levels, motorcycle
levels and puzzle levels. I can remember
taking this one out with
me on many car trips.
I believe that the experiences we
have in life shape us into the people
that we grow into. What happened
in early 1994 would start
my evolution into a video game
collector, though if I had my time
again I would never have done
it this way. After a few months
of owning a PC, Super Nintendo
and Gameboy, my Amstrad CPC
was being neglected. Mum came
to speak to me and told me that
my cousins were interested in
buying it, but that it was my decision
whether I wanted to get rid
of it or not. I thought about this
over a number of days, pondering
whether I wanted to sell my
old friend. I went out to the shed
where it was being stored, connected
it to the power and had a
game of “Jack The Nipper”. I enjoyed
it, but I wasn’t really feeling
it anymore. I tried a few other titles,
but they all seemed to pale
in comparison to my shiny new
Super Nintendo and PC. I gave
Mum the go ahead and she sold
it to my cousins for $100. They
were supposed to give my parents
$50 on pick up and $50 at a
later time. That ‘later time’ never
happened, and they never did
end up paying the other $50.
The price of Super Nintendo
games was prohibitively expensive
for a school boy without a
job, so I found myself playing my
PC a lot more. As I mentioned
previously, the Amstrad 5286 was
underpowered, featuring a 286
processor in an age where most
of the PCs on the market had 386
chipsets. As a result I struggled

1993 - 1994
to play one of the biggest games
that was released at that time,
“Wolfenstein 3D”. While not the
first game to be released in a 3D
perspective, it was certainly the
one that bought he genre into the
mainstream. Like most success
stories in video gaming history,
“Wolfenstein 3D” spawned clones
that were nowhere near as good
as the original.
The first time I wandered around
that Nazi castle I was in awe. The
enemies would come right at you,
and as items got closer you would
see them become larger and
clearer (though still pixelated).
Shooting the enemies and seeing
their reaction was just amazing.
Finding the various guns and
seeing them in action was a great
feeling. I wanted to keep playing
to find them all. Accidentally
pushing the Space button while
standing next to a wall and finding
a hidden passage was another
pleasant surprise. As my computer
was unable to handle the
game I had most of these experiences
while I was over Carmelo’s
house, as his PC was more
than capable of managing the 3D
graphics.
Having a below spec PC was becoming
an issue for me. I needed
a more powerful computer, but I
had no money. A few months after
my 15th birthday I managed
to get my first ever job at the Bi-
Lo supermarket in the Ingle Farm
Shopping Centre. It would take
me time to save for my new computer,
especially as I had a tendency
to spend money on blank
discs, videos and CDs. I didn’t
quite understand the concept of
saving, and my meagre earnings
were being eaten up by things I
could now afford to buy.
In the early 90s, Sega had discounted
their Master System 2
consoles to $99. Steven’s parents
had purchased him one, and
he also got a copy of “Sonic the
Hedgehog 2”. The prospect of
playing a Sonic game as Tails,
the flying fox, was exciting. Unfortunately
the Master System
version of the game has you rescuing
Tails, rather than playing
as him. Regardless, the game
featured some interesting ideas
that weren’t present in the Megadrive
version. I have never enjoyed
games that feature mine
carts, and that includes “Donkey
Kong Country”. I found the hang
glider to be an interesting addition,
though Steven and I struggled
with it. Through perseverance
I was able to master it to the
point where I could easily get the
Chaos Emerald in the windy level.
After several tries I successfully
completed the game with all
Chaos Emeralds while Steven
watched.
That was my big gaming achievement
for 1994!
Anyway, that’s all the space I
have for this issue. Join me next
time as I finally get that new PC,
and am introduced to the world of
LucasArts! If you’re interested in
checking out the other things I do
you can follow me on Twitter @
dizrythmia
I can also be found writing articles
and giving interviews on
www.retrospekt.com.au

WRITTEN BY
paul monopoli

etro
RETRO
SEQUELS
Sequels can be a hit and miss affair,
even where video games are
concerned. If a game is popular
enough, then the chances are
you will see a follow up of some
description, just like a Hollywood
movie. This month I decided to
take a look at some of my favourite
retro sequels.
Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles: Turtles in Time
I have some great memories of
playing the original TMNT arcade
machine, though the lack
of decent ports annoyed me
somewhat. Lots of people love
“TMNT2: The Arcade Game” on
NES, but I can’t get into it. The
same cannot be said of “Turtles
in Time”, which is a joy to play.
If you are unable to find the arcade
version of the game, the Super
Nintendo will do. Yes, it has
modified levels and enemies, but
the core gameplay is the same.
Hacking and slashing your way
through the levels may sound
boring, but the music is amazing,
there’s so much colour, and you
know what? It’s just a damn fun
game! It’s easily the finest TMNT
game to grace a home console,
and one you will find yourself revisiting
every once in a while.
SNK vs Capcom: SvC
Chaos
Not only a sequel, but the final
SNK vs Capcom crossover game
released to date. Capcom had
released their “Capcom vs SNK”
series using their own game engine,
though SNK had only given
us the brilliant “Match of the Millennium”
and some decent card
games. Sadly “SvC Chaos” was
initially only released on the Neo
Geo, which was very close to the
end of its life. Though full of very
questionable Engrish, the game
boasts more of a “King of Fighters”
style of gameplay, which
works, even with the Capcom
roster of characters. The moment
I performed Ryu’s ‘hadouken’ on
my Neo Geo I knew I was playing
something special. The game
even features some unique characters,
such as Violent Ken (a

counter to Evil Ryu), Red Arremer
from “Ghosts and Goblins” and
the original Princess Athena from
“Athena”. The game was ported
to the PS2 version, which features
more playable characters
than the Neo Geo original, and
it’s more affordable.
Fantasy World Dizzy
The third game in the Dizzy series
offers improvements over the
previous 2. The original “Dizzy”
wasn’t the most difficult game
in the world, though its sequel,
“Treasure Island Dizzy”, was impossible
for the average gamer,
due to you only being given a
single life to complete the game.
“Fantasy World Dizzy” set to balance
this, by offering more lives,
more game play, and improved
animation. Like any of the games
in the main range, this Dizzy adventure
is a platformer that requires
you to pick up items and
use them in specific places, all
the while avoiding enemies.
There are hidden coins to collect,
and this is the first game to feature
Dizzy’s friends, the Yolk Folk.
All of these nice little additions
give the game a more immersive
feel, and it’s a game that can really
eat up your time once you get
started.
this task. In “Sorcery +” you have
to continue your quest to defeat
the evil necromancer. Featuring
very fluid animation for its time,
the only downside to “Sorcery +”
is the constant disc access. Other
than that, the controls are spot
on and the graphics are nice and
colourful.
Super Mario World
Rarely an article is written where
I don’t gush over my favourite
game ever. The follow up to “Super
Mario Bros 3”, and a launch
title for the Super Nintendo, “Super
Mario World” is the greatest
game of all time… in my opinion.
The graphics are very colourful,
and the sprites are beautifully
animated. The music is jolly and
the controls just feel so good. If
you die you know that it was your
fault, and not the result of cheap
gameplay. A massive game spanning
multiple worlds, “Super
Mario World” also introduced the
world to Yoshi, the dinosaur with
a big tongue. With traditional “Super
Mario Bros” game play backing
up a range of new enhancements,
it’s little wonder that so
many people still love “Super
Mario World”
Sorcery +
Initially an Amstrad CPC exclusive
title, “Sorcery +” is the sequel to
the original “Sorcery”. This game
follows the premise of the original,
where you have to rescue all
of the wizards by collecting items
and using them in the correct areas.
The original “Sorcery” would
end once you have completed
WRITTEN BY
paul monopoli

collectables
THE AMAZING WORLD OF
COLLECTING TECH STUFF!
If you read game and tech magazines
you’re probably a bit of a
tech geek like me. I love technology,
but more so for the gear I
actually love using. Smartphone,
cameras, consoles and sound
equipment all are things I use
daily or at least weekly. What I
didn’t really know is just how collectable
some of these products
are. In the past we’ve looked at
rare consoles and rare games
but you’ll be amazed at the prices
collectors are asking and paying
for other tech items… let’s take a
look.
Firstly we came across a story
about the good old iPod. Yep
those original little music machines
are now fetching big dollars
on eBay. Browsing the top
listings sees one particular listing
showing a “Collectors Set” of 3
iPods. There’s first generation 20
GB, a 10 GB and a 5 GB. They
are the original units that Steve
Jobs unveiled in 2001 and you
can check out that video here:
https://youtu.be/kN0SVBCJqLs
The listing is priced at U.S
$50,000 and there’s currently 7
people watching the auction.
First generation iPod: There’s
also a 2nd generation White 20
GB unit still boxed listed at just
$20,000 - this one is still boxed
and never been opened. It’s generating
a bit of interest with 17
people watching at the moment.
For the Beatles collector there is
a very rare limited edition Apple
iPod Classic Beatles Box set -
apparently 1 of only 2500 made.
It comes in a collectors box and
retailed for $795 with selections
from The Beatles back catalogue
on CD included. It also has a guitar
plectrum but did not come pre
loaded with the groups songs,
you’d have to rip them yourself.
This rare unit priced at just under
$10,000.
What about games and consoles…
what are some of the rarest
around?
Stadium Events: NES … probably
the most valuable video game
for collectors.
One copy recently sold on eBay for
$17,500. Apparently only around
200 copies made it to customers
hands and today around 20 still
exist. It was released by Bandai
in 1987 as Stadium Events, but
Nintendo bought the rights to the
game and re-released it as World
Class Track Meet. To avoid customer
confusion, Nintendo had
all the copies of Stadium Events
pulled from shelves and had them
destroyed but around 200 made it
into the hands of gamers. A story
about one lucky customer goes
that he was about do donate a
copy to Goodwill not knowing the
value of the game, but he came
across a story of a sale of a copy
on eBay for around $10,000. He
had a factory sealed copy without
the Fitness mat that went with
the game. The story goes he was
going to return it originally but I
guess he forgot about it until he
came across the story of the other
unit being sold, so he listed it
and it sold in 2010 for $41,300!
There’s one on eBay now listed
at U.S $11,999.99 with 62 people
watching. It’s the cartridge only so
imagine what boxed copy would
sell for. Wikipedia states that only
the NTSC copy is rare as the PAL
version was not recalled. So if
you’re searching online - don’t be
duped.
Looking at rare hardware I tapped
into the well of knowledge our retro
editor, Paul Monopoli, has and
he suggests that the FM Towns is
uber rare. Released in 1993 by
Fujitsu and exclusive for the Japanese
market, it was the first 32-
bit home system and came with a
CD-Rom and a disk drive. It had
an AMD 386SX processor that
ran at 16MHz and could produce

“stadium events: nes... probably
the most valuable video game
for collectors.”
1024 sprites in 16x16. Looking
online, there are not many consoles
around to buy. In fact browsing
eBay I found a copy of Raiden
Densest for $999. Paul also suggest
the PC Engine LT is rare and
pricey as he just purchased one
for himself. Online they are priced
around $1300 with many fans
watching. They can go for more
depending on the condition, with
prices of $4000 not unheard of.
Looking at the pricing of some
of these items, who would have
thought that an original iPod
would be worth a mint? Or that a
console they played on is probably
worth triple what they paid for
it … or more?
You just never know.

your say
WHAT IS YOUR RAREST
“Well I have a Pokémon N64, a Black Zelda
3DS & a MGSV PS4, but they aren’t really
that rare... but this is! Ladies & Gentlemen...
the 10th Anniversary Final Fantasy
VII PSP!”
- Jean-Paul Bartolomei
“Bought this console from Ebay a little while ago. I also have this. Apparently it’s extremely
rare. Got it fairly cheap too.”
- Michael Pesak
“Ive got a sega master system
II in original box. It still
has a sticker on it saying you
can get $50 cash back from
Kmart.”
- Joel Best
“Not sure. Maybe my Super
Famicom Box (originally
used in Japanese hotels).”
- Adrian Osty Ilsley
“Here is rare console! This
my friends is an IS-NITRO
CAPTURE. Used when
making Nintendo DS games
to test them and can also be
used to play the games on a
TV screen.”
- Gina Ashley Watson

CONSOLE OR PC ITEM?
“I have a few uncommon ones. A Dick Smith Wizzard. A Sega SC 3000, which I couldn’t be arsed to get out
of the box. And this guy. Had it for years.”
- Aaron Yanner
“Possibly my rarest console is
my IS-CGB-Emulator (Gameboy
Colour Development Kit).
Back in the late 90’s it was sent
back to Intelligent Systems and
was upgraded to include the
ability of developing and debugging
Gameboy Advance games
essentially making it an IS-CGB
and IS-AGB Emulator.”
- Brett Hewitt
“I have quite a few kinda rare
consoles ranging from Sega
Master system, to NES Top
Loader but my favourite is the
Atari 1040 STe it was my first
computer system growing up
and me and my brother played
many many hours fighting away
on gauntlet especially haha. I
also can’t pass up the opportunity
to post the back of the Immortal
box with the “graphics to
die for.”
- Cameron Gilbert

your say
WHAT IS YOUR RAREST
“ I actually don’t know if this was a rare thing
or not, though I got to say for me it is a pretty
cool idea. The game ‘Halloween harry’ by
S.O.D.A on floppy disk in a specially made
‘CD’ case. Did any other games of that era
do this?”
- Das Dos
“Philips CD-i. One of the worst
consoles ever? Definitely up
there.”
- Nick Schumi
“This is my rare beauty, Japanese
exclusive final fantasy
13-2 PS3 console”
- Jacob Lee-Moore
“I have a Gameboy colour
Pokémon edition and a
com64. both in storage.”
- Timothy Colin Small
“SEGA Dreamcast. It’s my
baby.”
- Brett Hewitt
want to have ‘your say’
featured in live magazine?
head over to gametraders facebook page:
www.facebook.com./gametradersaustralia and keep an eye out
for the next ‘your say’ topic/status update.

CONSOLE OR PC ITEM?
“Few handheld/tabletop consoles that
I have sitting atop of my Sunnyvale 6
switch Atari 2600 Woody.”
- Aaron Hunter

comics
RETURN OF THE REDUX
come before and are seeming
only to continue to twist the established
mythologies and make
the story lines more dense and
really hard for new comers to
jump into. Personally I love seeing
new, original stories that challenge
the characters and forces
them to grow… Then again with
some of these character’s histories
nearly spanning fifty years it
would be hard to find new ground
for them to cover.
We have seen in recent years
a very strange trend in comic
books. Well not really so strange
and there is a painfully obvious
reason for it. That is the return of
classic story lines. The most guilty
of this is Marvel. We are seeing
storylines from comic books being
re-printed and changed with
alarming regularity. Civil War 2
has just his shelves. Last year
we saw a return of the Secret
Wars. DC comics just brought
back Frank Miller’s Dark Knight.
So why are comic book companies
suddenly mining the past?
The answer is painfully simple…
Money.
Comic book sales haven’t been
the best in recent years. Well…
Print hasn’t been great, they still
live a happy life on digital platforms.
That said they aren’t what
they were. But! Movies, oh boy
have there been some movies!
Nearly every blockbuster out
now days is a comic book movie.
Which is great for us fans. But the
problem comes when the book
sales aren’t living up to the movie
ticket sales. Thus we get a period
of time where comic books are
trying to be like the movies coming
out. It’s really interesting. For
years fans have complained that
their comic book movies haven’t
been enough like the books,
and now the books are virtually
imitating their on screen counterparts.
Captain America: Civil
War hit cinemas last month and
was AMAZING! So this year we
get Civil War 2. Hoping to capitalize
on the movie’s release. Which
makes sense from a business
perspective. This year also saw
the release of the (awful) Batman
Vs Superman film. Suddenly Dark
Knight 3 is released by Frank Miller…
Ben Affleck’s Batman is inspired
by Frank Miller’s Batman.
Now, while this might be great
for comic book sales, I feel that
the work might be suffering. We
are getting a spout of unoriginal
stories that do feel like what has
Which leads to the next issue,
the reboot. Marvel comics last
year rebooted their universe with
the Secret Wars. Which essentially
re-set the Marvel Universe.
Which isn’t a bad idea, it lets new
people jump into a new continuity.
But at the same time it feels
like the cheap way out. It’s like
we have run out of ideas. The old
guard seem to be unable to carry
on with newer stories for a new
age. For an older fan like myself
it makes it feel like there is nothing
new under the sun. I’ve read
these stories before… Why would
I read them again? It’s almost like
remakes…
All those negative thoughts out
of my brain, that said as a comic
book fan I’m still super excited
about stuff like Dark Knight 3 and
Civil War 2! Of course I am. While
it sucks we aren’t getting new stories,
of course the familiar is nice.
It’s a safe, wonderful feeling of
nostalgia. So call me cautiously
optimistic about the future of the
comic book industry. I want new
stuff, yet at the same time, I’ll still
buy these remakes and re-boots.
BY scott f. sowter

PRE-ORDER NOW!
CTC
Available on PS4 & XB1.
Released 30 September 2016.

anime
ANIME SEQUELS
GHOST IN THE
SHELL ARISE
Set in the year after the fourth
World War, cyborg and hacker
Motoko Kusanagi finds herself
wrapped up in the investigation of
a devastating bombing. But she’s
not the only one looking for answers
— as she delves deeper
into the mystery of who is behind
the attack, a specialized team
unlike any before begins to take
shape.
PARASYTE PART 2
It has become all-out war between
humanity and the ‘Parasites’
– the tiny creatures who are
rapidly taking over the brains of
the human populace.
But nothing is black and white in
this struggle. Why have the Parasites
come to Earth? Are they here
to cull our numbers? The planet
may be better off preserved from
the destructive nature of humanity,
but we also want to fight to
protect our loved ones. Amidst
this conflict of values, Shinichi
and Migi must continue to work
together in the escalating fight
against the Parasites.
& CONTINUING SERIES...
Love anime and movies like Parasyte
Part 2 from Director Takashi Yamasaki?
We do and can’t wait for some of these
to hit shelves. Check out what’s coming
soon and yes, you can pre order at
Gametraders!
SAILOR MOON R
(SEASON 2)
After unexpected guest Chibi-Usa
falls from the sky and tries to claim
the Silver Crystal as her own, Usagi
quickly learns this cheeky little
pink haired girl is the least of her
problems. The Black Moon Clan,
in their unending quest to destroy
Crystal Tokyo and change the future,
have come back in time to
corrupt present day Tokyo! Together
the Guardians fight the
Black Moon’s dark forces, but
struggle to understand the truth
behind their sinister plan. Is there
anyone the Sailor Guardians can
turn to for answers? That pink
haired girl may hold the key to
Sailor Moon’s victory after all!
BLACK BUTLER :
BOOK OF CIRCUS
(SEASON 3)
Ciel and the demon butler Sebastian
are summoned by the Queen
to investigate multiple reports of
missing children. When their underworld
contacts reveal the disappearances
increase when the
mysterious Noah’s Ark Circus
comes to town the demonic duo
must impress an enigmatic ringmaster
in order to go undercover
as performers-to Sebastian’s
delight and Ciel’s disgust. At the
core of the circus is a troupe of
unique performers from Dagger
the knife thrower to Beast, the
beautiful tiger tamer. All are connected
by someone who changed
their lives, someone who raised
them from the gutters of London
to the heights of the big top—but
at a price.

DALEKS FEATURE
a passion for daleks!
We caught up with some folks
who just love tinkering with
Daleks and building their
own… Welcome Helen, Raph &
Dawn! Tell us a bit about your
group and what you do.
Helen: Generally we build daleks
to be pretty accurate to the screen
versions (although we also have
fun and might make a silly one
later) and we take them out to
community events and conventions
where we show people how
they are made, how they work
and generally run around being
daleks. We have also added fund
raising to our repertoire for the
Australian childhood foundation –
raffles, selling fudge and gingerbread
and other little bits.
Raph: We create props from Doctor
Who and we use them to entertain
the public at events such
as Oz Comic Con.
Dawn: Our group is made up of
a diverse bunch of people with a
love of the TV series Doctor Who,
however it is his arch nemesis
race known as the “Daleks”, that
has brought us together. They
scared me as a child watching
in the 70s/80s period and they
were the one element of the show
that I never forgot... We discovered
that there where quite a lot
of people that loved the daleks
and so with a handful of people
with the same passion, we found
www.facebook.com/groups/ausdalek
ourselves pulled together with a
common love.
Roy: The group is about entertaining
the masses of people at
the cons we attended in Adelaide,
we are the dalek builders union
Adelaide, and have a few varying
dalek props. I guess I got involved
with this group some four
or five years ago when I met Raphel
Segal, and he came up with
the conception of the Aus dalek
builders which from that idea the
group began to grow.
We have about, 7 core members
in the group who basically run it,
get every thing prepared for the
cons, then we have the followers
on our face book page, which I believe
is over a hundred members,
give or take. There are basically
a few varying types of daleks,
from the classic 60, 70, series to
what is now called the new series
daleks, we have about 8 or 9
props at the moment. We started
as a small group of people, maybe
two or three, which grew over
a period of time to what it as become
today, most materials used
are fibreglass ,wood and plastics..
They generally take four to
six months to make, some times
can take longer. One incident
that happened to myself at one
of the cons was, while I was in
one of the props a couple of wires
crossed which caused a short, so
viewing it from the outside there
was a lot of smoke coming out of
the neck section............
When did you all get started in
building Daleks and how did it
become the Australian Dalek
Builders Union?
Helen: I have always been a huge
Dr Who fan and had seen the Union
at a few cons and they were
always friendly and such and then
a friend of mine was clearing his
collection and GAVE me his dalek
which was in need of a bit of repair
(it has sat outside in sea air).
That’s when I let the union know
what I had and asked for help repairing
and repainting. Next thing
I know I’m learning how to sand,
bog, paint and ended up on the
committee! It was already called
the ADBU when I joined.
Raph: I started building my dalek
in 2006. I posted a joke page
up on facebook called The Australian
Dalek Builders Union as
sort of a funny take on the british
guys who were calling themselves
the Dalek Builders Guild.
I thought Australia wouldn’t have
a guild it would be a union. I
shortly stopped using the page
and I left it alone for probably almost
2 years. One day I pulled it
up and had a look at it and there
were a bunch of people posting
pics and discussing stuff. Most of
them were in Adelaide and we all
decided to have a meeting at my

house to introduce ourselves and
see if this is actually going to be
ok to turn into a club. We met that
week and the Union was off and
running.
Dawn: So what do we do? We
build them with care and love and
attention to detail... with the help
of a wonderful group in England
called Project Dalek, who have
had access to the TV used prop
Daleks, so they were able to take
measurements and put them
into workbooks and guides for
anyone who would like to build
one... I meet a few people of the
“Project Dalek” forums and found
that a couple lived here in Adelaide...
eventually after a number
of discussion we all decided
that we should meet and see if
we can start a group, there were
only about 6 of us originally, we
talked about just helping each
other building theirs but as we
talked someone asked the question
“then what?”, hmmmm an interesting
question... so then talk
started about conventions and
maybe we should see if people
would love to see a dalek at a
convention and it turns out..yes
indeed they did.
The name of the group sort of
worked itself out pretty quickly,
we wanted to make sure people
knew who we are and where we
are from so Australian had to be
in the title and of course the word
DALEK had to be in there, we are
a union of people coming together
with a common goal and love
so that is how the name basically
came about... It’s grown since
then with more wonderful people
and that is how our humble beginnings
started.
How many people are involved
in your group?
Helen: There are groups all over
Australia but for the Adelaide
group there are about 8 core
members, we then have our cosplay
friends and our ‘retail’ helpers
who come along to help us
fund raise. I really need to say
it’s open to all ages and skill levels
and as much time as you are
able/willing to commit.
Raph: Initially the group was
around 10-15 members but it has
grown and now there are affiliates
in other states.
Dawn: How many active builders
in the Adelaide group? 12- active
builders at the moment, but we
also have builders in other states
which is fantastic, we all interact
with our interstate people through
our ADBU facebook page. We
have a lot of people that also do
other things with the group, we
have a group of Doctor who cosplayers
that join us at the conventions
and people absolutely love
seeing the daleks and the various
doctor who characters interact
with each other and the general
public. So in all in the Adelaide
Chapter we have about 20-30
people actively involved.
There are different types of
Daleks you build, can you tell
us about the different types -
are some motorised and others
made for a person to control
from inside?
Helen: I’m still learning a great
deal about the types. I tend to be
able to tell a classic from a movie
to a new series but it’s a bit like
cars – some of the members can
tell just by looking at a picture
of a neck cage what episode it’s
from… me not so much! Some are
remote controlled, some are what
I call ‘flintstone’ powered (you sit
on a bench seat inside and push
with your feet) while others have
had wheel chair motors installed.
It’s up the individual and cost/time
etc.
Raph: Mine is a Radio controlled
Dalek, some have wheelchairs
in them and others are flintstone
powered.
Dawn: Some of the members can
make a dalek within a couple of
weeks, some members can take
a little longer. I have been working
on my dalek for 6 years in-between
raising a family and doing
other costuming commitments...
How do you get started on a
typical project and what materials
do you use?
Helen: I was lucky and had a
damaged one to start repairing.
Generally people use fibreglass,
mdf in this group. There is a group
online called project dalek (from
the UK I believe) where you can
join and get the plans to download
– from there it would depend
on your skill level as to whether
you started building on your own
or worked with a group to help
you out. I worked with the group
(Mostly Roy as we both live north)
as I had not much idea what on
earth I was doing. I became the
queen of sanding pretty quickly!
Raph: First of all you join Project
Dalek Forums and read read....
Then you decide on the model

you want to build and ask questions.
Plenty of people are willing
to help. I used predominately
MDF on my Dalek but most are
fiberglass.
Dawn: Generally the first thing
you look at is what are you going
to make it in... generally fibreglass
because it is a lot lighter
to move in than an MDF made
dalek which is a lot heavier to
move around. The next decision
would be what era dalek are you
looking at doing, whether it be
a 60/70, 80s or the new series
dalek or perhaps an altered dalek
eg. Special Weapons Dalek or
Supreme Dalek, they all have
their difference challenges. Most
of the time we use either Fibreglass,
MDF or a mixture of both in
some form. We also use silicone
moulds for making various fibreglass
parts eg... shoulder slats
and neck blocks etc.
And how long does it take to
finish?
Helen: It is possible in about 4
months but it really comes down
to how much time you have. You
can take as long as it needs really
– if you don’t have much
spare time it could take years but
there’s no rush. I guess it’s like
hobby cars and depends how impatient
you are, how much time
you have etc.
Raph: Mine is 10 years old and
I don’t consider him finished but
some can build them in as little as
12 weeks.
Tell us about some of the funny
things that have happened at
cons…
Helen: I haven’t been ‘in’ my
Dalek for long but the others do
think it’s funny to leave you inside
it (you need a helper to hold
the top heavy part while you get
out). During repairs of mine we
took him for a spin (yes we name
them… I let my daughter name
him so he’s Jeffrey.. instills fear?)
and the mdf seat unbeknownst
to us had rotted through and we
hit a bump and I fell right through
the seat like a ducking stool… I
think it would have been funnier
outside to hear the dalek voice
squeal OW!!
Raph: I almost got myself ejected
from a con by defending one
of our Daleks. It had apparently
scared a child and the management
came to see me. They
thought I was being glib when
they said “We believe one of your
Daleks has scared a child here at
the convention...” I said “Yes it is
our core business!” they were not
impressed and wanted me out
but thankfully they saw reason in
the end. I mean there were dudes
covered in fake blood, and others
dressed as characters from
Friday the 13th and Nightmare on
Elm St. Go figure...
Where can our readers go to
find our more about the ADBU?
Raph: Facebook is the best place
to come and introduce yourself:
www.facebook.com/groups/ausdalek/
Facebook is a great place to join,
ask questions, start your own
build, find out the next convention
we’ll be at etc or come to a con
and find us there for a chat.

ARTIST FEATURE
LEONIE TAGAN FINE ARTS
Live Magazine had a chat with
talanted artist, Leonie. First up
tell us a bit about how you got
into art and what you like to
paint.
I have always been very artistically
minded, mostly sketches. I was
that hopeless person at school
that drew on every page, even
during exams. I went through a
dark period about 8 years ago
after I suffered my injury and
started suffering with the neurological
problems and burnt all of
my artwork from before, thinking
my art days were over. Was a lot
happening and an adjustment to
a different life and losing the ability
to do all the things that were
me. But with the help of family,
animals and psychologist, I started
to teach myself to paint with
my left hand. I was right handed.
I didn’t do a lot of painting before,
preferring to draw. My drawing
ability isn’t as strong now,
but the imperfections in painting
helps make them really unique,
so over the last few years I have
developed my paintings. Started
off on model animals painted to
look like mini version’s of my own
pets. Then I decided to paint a
spitfire on canvas as aircraft are
a passion. Now I am exploring my
love of sci fi and fantasy. I grew
up with star wars and love it so
the enterprise was the inspiration
for the first 2 sci fi paintings I have
ever done. I recently changed to
oil paints from acrylics and wow!
The possibilities are as big as the
universe! I am developing a fantasy
character for a great author
friend of mine. Well bringing his
vision to life. I love all thing’s sci fi,
dragon’s are my favourite fantasy
subject and coupling that with my
love of adventures, I have some
really cool projects currently in
planning. I’m just not as good at
accurate people portraits. I paint
because I love the journey each
one takes me on. I get lost in the
world I am creating.
You do a lot of sci fi themed
paintings, do movies and TV
shows inspire you?
They sure do. Those also helped
to shape my own visions and
drive my own creativity in making
up my own sci fi world! Star trek
and star wars have been probably
the most influential, I am an
avid gamer and sci fi games of
all types are other avenues from
which I find influence. Drawing
random squiggles on a blank
piece of paper and seeing what
comes from that is great too.
What about your character
paintings, how do you choose
who to do?
I normally do character portraits
on request of family or friend’s,
others are those I admire or am
really fond of. Or to give myself a
www.facebook.com/ltfinearts
big challenge as characters I find
really hard to paint, so I’ll do ones
to improve my skill and never stop
learning when an artist.
Tell us about the process of
creating your art. We have a
lot of anime and manga fans
as well as cosplayers who read
Live, so maybe explain how
you get the idea for your next
project and what steps you go
through.
Often my projects start as a daydream.
Something pops into my
head, or I see a movie or image
or from a book. I then start rough
sketches to develop and fine tune
what I’m feeling or seeing in my
head. It can take months sometimes
to clearly get the ideas
down. Sometimes they come
clear as day. Once it starts to take
shape, ill fit the pieces of the puzzle
together to form the image on
canvas. Then from there it takes
off, and soon it comes to life. I
am known to just wing it too and
go in blind and just see what happens
and let the painting choose
its own destiny.
What sort of equipment do you
use? Where do you get it?
I use a range of things depending
on what effect I am trying go
achieve, what I am painting, or
what malfunctions I am facing
with my disability. I have to think

so far out of the box in life, applying
that to my art is pretty cool. I
often have to use one of my cats
as a hand rest because I don’t
even have the strength to hold it
up I paint on my own. Basic kit is
a fat max tool box. It is the mothership
and holds everything I need
and more. I have tools for sculpting,
my paint brushes, various
containers for all the fluids painting
requires, an easel on wheels,
primers for canvas prep,chalk
to use to draw on painted backgrounds.
I get most of my supplies
from art shops. Making the
change to oils was only possible
thanks to a wonderful person, a
fellow artist that generously gifted
me a big box full of oils and some
paint brushes better suited for oil
paints.
Is this a passion you see being
a life time commitment?
Definitely. I cannot work a normal
job now which sucks, my art
makes me feel like I have a job
to do. So it is far more important
now than it ever was before. Its
a passion that grows more and
more every single day.
And you sell your art? How do
readers go to find out more?
I sure do. Just starting to at least.
Hoping to have a stand at a con
in the near future, but I can be
found on my Facebook page,
Leonie Tagan Fine Arts. I take
commissions or have random art
to sell and often a small amount
of prints available. Check out my
page to see everything I can do
and to learn a little bit more about
my world:)

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GHOSTBUSTERS : interview
Interview with production designer
jefferson sage
by j. i. cuenca
Our friends at Sony Pictures
shared a commissioned interview
with Jefferson Sage, the
production designer of Ghostbusters
- have a read of what
he had to say about the film...
What does Ghostbusters mean
to you?
I come from the generation that
experienced full-throttle the first
movie coming out, and I remember
that the excitement was off
the charts!
What are your memories of the
original movie from 1984?
I was living in New York at the
time, and I remember that there
was this odd movie coming out
that no one knew about but that I
thought was interesting. So I went
to see it and loved it! It was a fantastic
blend of humor with goofy
science, and I liked the idea that
they had these weapons they
didn’t really understand to fight
the ghosts. And it was also this
action story with these unlikely
heroes that was just fantastic. So,
it sort of had everything! Before
the movie came out, I was never
a great fan of those guys, but after
seeing the movie they all lit up
for me.
Could you ever have imagined
back then that one day you
would work on a Ghostbusters
film?
Never! I still had a long ways to go
before even imagining something
like this… I wasn’t even sure what
sort of work I would be in --. And,
to be honest, who thought it was
even going to get remade?
So, what were your first
thoughts when you found out
they were going to make a new
version of that beloved comedy
and that you were going to
be involved as production designer?
I felt a combination of panic, coupled
with intense excitement, as
my mind immediately went to
solving the practical problems
that such a huge project would
have ---.
What did you think of the script
when you read it?
I loved it. For me it is a no-brainer
to have these four amazing actresses
be the Ghostbusters because
they are such excellent comedians.
It’s a whole new take on
the “mad scientist” aspect of the
story that immediately sold me.
I also felt that it honored the first
movie, which is fantastic because
it allowed for added layers to the
comedy that you wouldn’t get otherwise.
And, there is a fan base
you don’t want to let go of, and
this movie also rewards their faith
in the story ---.
And at the same time it is a new
story with a new vision.
Yes, and that was the main challenge:
to tip our hat to the original
film and at the same time deliver
something new, and feel like we
were breaking new ground ---.
How did you achieve that?
Well, in my case many questions
came up pretty quickly regarding
iconic locations and spaces from
the original movie or, for instance,
what the Ecto vehicle would look
like. Was it going to be similar to
the original or would it have a completely
different rendition? So, we
had to explore our way through
these questions and many more
to decide what the right level of
pushing familiar buttons would be
while also moving our story into a
new era.
What were your main concerns
in approaching your job as production
designer?
The first challenge and my immediate
cause for some panic when
I was hired had to do with time,
because even though filming was
at that point close to five and a

TM
visit www.paranormalstudieslab.com
& watch this video about the science behind the
ghostbusting equipment...

half months away we needed a
large arc of design time to make
many decisions. All those issues
we just discussed required a thorough
exploration from me and my
team, and we also needed time to
get Paul Feig into the discussions
so he could him think about them
and help him make choices. And
the months came and went unbelievably
fast as we were working
our way through all these different
things.
One of those key decisions
surely had to do with the look
of the ghosts, right?
Oh yes, because they were important
characters too. We had
to decide what they would look
like and also how they would behave.
There was a whole series
of questions regarding them, because
as the story evolves they
get more lavish and bigger and
more threatening ---. So finding
the right tone for the ghosts and
matching them through the movie
to the developing story was important
and took a ton of design
time; this included a discussion
regarding the inclusion (or not)
of Slimer – which for a long time
kind of hung out there…
And we had to hit that balance between
having the ghosts be scary
and funny at the same time. As I
said, they are characters in their
right ---.
And that must have required
taking into consideration modern
sensibilities.
Yes because kids these days are
not scared by the same things as
before, so we felt we could go a
little bit further in the scary aspect
of the film while still having a lot
of fun.
The city of New York is again almost
a character in the movie.
Absolutely!
The first time Paul and I sat down
to see where we would start with
this project we decided that New
York would be almost the other
unspoken character in the movie.
It motivates so much about
who the Ghostbusters and even
the ghosts are! At that time we
thought we were going to shoot
the film in Manhattan; although
later we ended up filming in Boston
(for a number of different reasons),
New York City is still where
the story takes place ---.
How was the shoot in Boston?
Boston is great, and I have actually
done a couple of movies there
before this one. So it was familiar,
as I already new a lot of the local
crew, and that was important because
you want to go into a project
like this with as much support
as you can muster; but knowing
Boston and its potential for finding
the locations we needed was
good and made me feel much
better than if we had ended up in
a place I had never been to before.
Can you mention some of
the differences between this
Ghostbusters and the original
from 1984?
We departed from a lot of story
points if they in any way hindered
our intention to be original. For
instance, instead of having their
headquarters in a firehouse, here
the Ghostbusters initially end up
in a room above an old Chinese
restaurant. So we wanted to honor
some of the traditions from the
previous movies, while also building
new ones.
Speaking of that, what can you
say of the new proton packs
you have designed to battle the
ghosts?
Being aware of the technology today,
we wanted to feel there was
real science behind the design
and actually talked to a physicist
who was very helpful. This
way when the Ghostbusters build
these packs, all of that science
would be tied up with other inventions
they make so that they all
made sense in the story. An important
thing about the technology
was the fact that the Ghostbusters
are basically “street” scientists;
they didn’t have much money or
formal degrees, but they are nevertheless
brilliant people that are
able to put this together. Much of
their work is improvised and decidedly
“low-tech”, in that they are
scroungers and often make do
with found objects they collect on
the streets of New York.
And how is the new Ecto vehicle?
In the line of what I was saying,
we felt the car should be something
ordinary with the technology
sort of bolted on to it. Our
version, which is a modified Cadillac
hearse, evolves throughout
the course of the story. And then
there is another vehicle that a
character – who also wants to be

a Ghostbuster – sort of tricks out
which we called the Ecto 2, but
that is really a bike.
Then you also had to figure out
the ghost trap.
Yes, and we knew how we wanted
it to function in the action –
which was somewhat similar to
how it was used before, although
we updated it and gave the trap
a more complex shape and odd
hinges to make it crack open in
a more unique and sophisticated
way. Building the trap and getting
it to work while also collaborating
with the visual effects people was
important too, as they would have
to add layers of lighting and energy
that would emanate from the
trap later in post-production.
Did the wands evolve too?
Yes because they started out being
these kind of big and heavy
clunky things that just did not look
right, but we learned as we were
moving along and ended up getting
them closer to a contemporary
look that could be handled by
our female Ghostbusters.
How was your collaboration
with the visual effects people?
Great! Luckily a lot of our work had
already been discussed during
preparation, so they constructed
pre-visualized shots of many of
the sequences we needed to do
and that would require their input,
which was really useful, especially
with the ghosts. They were also
tasked with creating very complicated
digital backgrounds that
would extend and complete the
physical sets that we were building
- the goal being an absolutely
seamless visual. So, there was a
lot of back-and-forth between the
two departments to be as efficient
as possible.
And how was it for you to work
so closely again with a filmmaker
like Paul Feig? What do
you believe he has brought to
this new Ghostbusters as a director?
It is a pleasure on many levels to
work with Paul, besides that he is
such a nice guy and a true gentleman!
What’s unique about Paul is
that, having been an actor, a musician,
a comedian, and a writer
- the fact that he has played on
all those stages - informs who he
is as a comedy director. Accordingly,
he brings enormous and
varied talent and experience to
the set. But perhaps most importantly,
everything is personal to
Paul, and he builds the humor organically
from the characters. Of
course, we design a film based on
those characters, and as Pauls
vision for a story becomes specific
and particular, so the design
can follow ---.
So, how do you look back at
the whole experience of working
on this film?
This is clearly the biggest job I
have had the opportunity to work
on, and also the most imaginative!
It has been a dream come
true for me.

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ghostbusters - 14 july 2016!

ghostbusters - 14 july 2016!

GHOSTBUSTERS: OPINION
girls can be gho
Some of you might remember
when Ghostbusters came out in
1984. Critics and movie goers
loved it. In fact, it holds a massive
97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
It was number one at the box office
in the U.S for five consecutive
weeks and was the second highest
grossing film of the year.
Hollywood knows that when you
make a great flick, you immediately
schedule a sequel. They
did and it too went on to make
a ton of money. Although not as
well received, fans loved seeing
the team back for a second movie.
The sequel came out in 1989
and of course a third movie was
planned with Dan Ackroyd writing
a script for “Ghostbusters III:
Hellbent”
The main actors were not so excited
about a third film, particularly
Bill Murray who’s wasn’t keen
on sequels. Ackroyd and Harold
Ramis wanted a new generation
of Ghostbusters to be in the film,
but alas the project never really
came to be until in 2014 when it
was announced that director Paul
Feig would be making the new
movie with an all female crew of
Ghostbusters. Chris Hemsworth
took the role as male receptionist
and the film got made. It’s due
out on July 14 and as sometimes
happens, the internet went nuts.
Why?
Here’s where it gets complicated.
The trailer they released has the
dubious honour of being the most
disliked video on YouTube…
hmmm.
The new film features Melissa
McCarthy, Kirsten Wiig, Kate
McKinnon and Leslie Jones and
isn’t a sequel but a reboot. This
might be one reason some fans
have reacted so negatively. Plus
there’s been reports of people not
happy because the Ghostbusters
are female this time...
Also, some folks decided that the
role of Leslie Jones is demeaning
to black people cause she’s not a
scientist like the white actors, but
a street wise transit worker. Others
got upset because there isn’t
Asians, Latinas and just about
any other race or colour skin in
the movie. What next - should
we pick one of every nation for
every movie we make..? Just to
keep everyone happy. Yes according
to some writers like The
Guardian’s, Vanessa E Robinson
who had gripes about the movie,
as did Nico Lang of Salon and
Akilah Hughes of Fusion - who
expressed issues with casting
choices. Here’s a thought, go
make a movie yourself and that
way you create what you want
rather then putting down other
peoples creations...
Seriously PC (political correctness)
is out of control. It seems
you need to take so much care
in creating art - and art is subjective
and personal, yet whatever
anyone does create something,
there will be a minority bunch or
angry trolls and keyboard warriors
that want to shout down the
effort of creative people. Art then
becomes a controlled expression
driven by the need to appease
rather then the freedom to create.
Someone stop the
internet, I want to
get off!
Back to the movie... Yeah it’s
got females - so of course that
means we should all hate it
(please recognise my scarcasm)
but the trailer shows great visuals,
snappy wit and a chemistry
between the team. However, if
we were to browse through some
Tweets and comments from men
who’ve complained about something
they’ve not yet seen, you’d
think we were back in some stone
age society. I’m sickened by the
idiotic comments that are nothing
but misogynistic - a word I never
thought I’d use cause it seems
over used today and often incorrectly,
but this time it fits.
Interestingly it’s the Fusion site
that has an article that slams the

stbusters too!
hate about this movie. It also features
some of the comments below
the article that to be honest
are breathtaking in their hate for
something they’ve not seen.
What’s wrong with parts of the
male population? Why the hate?
Last point. Don’t judge a movie by
a short trailer that is probably not
well cut. The second cut trailer is
much better.
How on earth can we judge a
movie by a 3 minute short trailer -
not just judge, but destroy it? You
can’t. Simple.
Here’s a point… women make
great movies like men make great
movies. We’re all human, we just
have different gender… thank goodness
or there’d be no more population.
I’m looking forward to it, I want to see
this new visualisation of the story.
I want to see a new take on an old
favourite that brings back warm nostalgic
memories that, in this day and
age, we desperately need.

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C O S P LA
raychul moore
cosplay interview
HIRYUU
PHOTOGRAPHER interview
axe massacre
cosplay interview
HANNAH O’NEILL
PHOTOGRAPHER interview
JENNIFER KAIRIS
cosplay interview
vestiige
photography
PHOTOGRAPHER interview
SURVIVING A
CONVENTION
by tiffany dean
tips for SURVIVING
A CONVENTION
from cosplayers &
photographers

Y
COSPLAY,
COLOUR &
CONTEXT
photography tips
chasing likes!
the loneliness
of fame
cosplay editorial

COSPLAY
raychul moore
Thanks Raychul for letting us
talk to you again, you’re one
of the worlds most successful
cosplayers, and online personalities
with your Youtube channel.
What’s been happening in
2016 for you and what’s coming
up?
Whoa, thanks for the super compliments!!
“One of the world’s
most successful cosplayers”,
that’s now going on my business
card! ;D Well, I took a small break
at the beginning of the year; last
year I had about a con a month,
and a few months I had more than
one. So I needed a small break to
catch up on some games I was
falling behind on, do some major
cosplay repairs and start planning
new cosplays for this year.
But con season has really geared
up and now I’m right back into it!
My subscribers and fans are like
family to me and going to cons is
where I get to meet so many of
them and see some of them that I
have missed since last time!!!
That sounds a pretty full year,
so tell us a bit more about the
cons you’ve been to. What was
your first and what was it like?
My first con ever way SDCC back
in like 2005, or 2006. It was also
my first time cosplaying. A friend
of mine wanted to do a group
www.FACEBOOK.COM/RaychulMoore
cosplay, I thought she was crazy!
We were gonna walk around in
public, in costumes, and it’s not
even Halloween!! But she talked
me into and from the first moment
we stepped foot in that con, I was
hooked!!! Being around so many
people who were into the same
things as I was and shared the
same passions was amazing! I
was hooked, and have been cosplaying
ever since!!
Have you had any negative con
experiences?
Luckily, no, I have never really
had any bad experiences meeting
people at cons and stuff! Everyone
is usually always really nice
and super awesome to me! I’ve
only had the “Cammy-butt grab”
maybe once or twice, and it’s
usually by younger kids who don’t
know any better. Until they try that
with me, of course, and then they
know better after that. :D
And on the other side of the
coin, what about positive experiences?
Oh yeah, I’ve had sooooo many
awesome experiences!! Cons are
one of my most favorite things I
get to do through my cosplay!!
We’ve had dance parties at my
booth, I’ve gotten to meet some
of my closest online friends and
so many people I’m in gaming
groups with and just traveling to
new places is always fun as well!
I also always love it when I get to
judge cosplay contests because
I learn new ways to craft things
and new ways to work with different
materials just by talking to the
contestants about how they made
their cosplays.
Let’s get down to details - how
do you prepare for a con?
First, gotta decide what cosplays
to bring! Usually, a different one
for each day and then a backup
one as well, just in case. :) Also,
lots of safety pins, velcro and gel
insoles for your shoes. :)
And on the day, what’s your
timeline like - any pre-con final
minute things you go through?
The first day is usually the toughest,
well only the first morning because
I’m usually still setting up
by the time the con opens. So it’s
like a mad rush to wake up, shower,
get in cosplay, get into the con
center and then get everything
set up! :) After that, it’s usually
just all fun from there!!
At cons, many cosplayers are
swamped by fans and also photographers,
how do you handle
fans and the photographers?

It’s super important to me that
anyone who comes up to say hi
to me or get a pic, that they get
my full attention and their experience
meeting me and chatting
with me doesn’t feel rushed. So I
really try my best to make sure I
give each person my full attention
while also giving new people who
walk up a small gesture or smile
so they know that I know they are
there and I’ll be with them in just a
sec. :D Same thing with the photographers,
but if they are some
one I know or wanna schedule a
shoot with, then I always do my
best to schedule it for after the
con so I can spend as very little
time away from my booth as absolutely
possible.
Do you tend to schedule a
photo session with a particular
photographer/s at a con?
Oh, got a little ahead of myself on
the last question! Yep! I do usually
schedule shoots with photographers
while I am at a con!!
Some of the guys I like to shoot
with whenever possible don’t live
near me, so when our schedules
match up, I try to steal them away
for a bit to go take pics!!! :D
Who initiates it?
It depends, usually the photographer...but
the guys who I’ve shot
with several times before and really
like working with, I’ll reach out
to them anytime I’ve been signed
on to guest at a con to see if they
have plans on attending too!! :D
Do you ever get paid for shoots
or the other way round or is it
more a collaboration of artists
sharing ideas and results?
I’ve been paid to do shoots before,
but usually prefer to collab
with people who just wanna have
fun and take some cool pics! It’s
really fun to see different photographers
styles and takes on
a cosplay come through with the
photos. You can shoot the same
cosplay with 4 different photographers
and get 4 totally different
results. To me, this whole industry
is all about passion and creativity,
so I have the most fun when
collab-ing!!
Back to cons - what’s a typical
day like for you at a con?
Usually I try to spend as much
time at my booth as possible, just
hanging out there, doing meet n’
greats and signing print. And then
depending on the con, I usually
also speak on panel or two and
then judge cosplay contest on
one of the evenings. And then, I
go back to my hotel room, eat as
much food as I can put in front of
myself and then pass out in bed
so that I can wake up and do it
again the next day!!
Can you share with us some
tips on surviving a con?
It always helps to have someone
there with you who isn’t cosplaying.
That person can help watch
your booth while you step away
for a sec, be there to get you water
or a snack when you need
it and to help you by just being
there when you might need
something. If you don’t have
someone that can help you, then
it also really makes a con more
enjoyable when you know some
of the other cosplayers there or
take a few moments to get to
know your booth neighbors! I’ve
made some of my closest confriends
that way, and it also helps
for when you need someone to
help you reattach something that
has come undone on your costume
and you just can’t reach it
yourself. :)
Last question - thinking back to
your early days attending cons
and cosplaying - what tips can
you share for those just starting
out..?
My main tips would be, to bring
bandaids for your feet, even comfy
shoes start to hurt after walking
in them for several hours.
Remember to drink a lot of water,
cons can be super busy and hectic
to where you might forget to
eat or drink...so yes, water! And,
if you’re planning on attending a
con and walking around and wanna
cosplay as well, be ready to be
stopped for a lot of pics... so don’t
cosplay on a day that you have a
panel you really wanna go to or
are on any type of schedule. Getting
around a con while in cosplay
can be a bit crazy, so only cosplay
on a day that you don’t have
anything you really just have to
go see or do that day.
Ok, really final question - what
are you working on for the rest
of this year or next year you
can share?
I’m working on some new cosplays
this year and rebuilding one
of my all-time favorites as well!
One of my new cosplays I’m working
on right now is She-Ra. I can’t
wait! Been wanting to make her
costume for several years now,
so I’m really excited!!! I’m also
re-vamping my Cammy cosplay
with completely new everything;

odysuit, gloves and arm guards!
Then my big project this year is
I’m working on a new Kratos cosplay
with full armor, both blades
and the Golden Fleece. It’s a
huge goal and has been a bit difficult
right from the start because
I’m learning how to build armor
and work with materials I’ve never
worked with, but that’s also the
fun part of it all!! I’ve been doing
cosplay crafting streams a lot recently
and my Patreon.com members
get all the sneak peeks and
progress pics for my big cosplay
builds too. They’ve seen the tears
of frustrations and the smiles of
success...which is what makes
cosplay so rewarding to me!!!
Thanks Raychul! To see more of
Raychul’s Cosplay visit:
www.raychul.com
www.facebook.com/RaychulMoore
www.youtube.com/user/RaychulMoore
www.instagram.com/theraychul

“It’s super important to me
that anyone who comes up
to say hi to me or get a
pic, that they get my full
attention and their experience
meeting me and chatting with
me doesn’t feel rushed.”

COSPLAY
axe massacre
Welcome to Live Magazine Axe
Massacre Cosplay! Firstly how
did you get into cosplay and
what was your first cosplay
project?
It all started when a group of my
friends took me to Avcon back
in 2011. They told me about this
thing called cosplay very briefly
and being really into dressing up
I ran to Shin Tokyo and bought a
Yuki cross cosplay from Vampire
Knight (it was my current obsession
at the time). It was until I got
to the convention and saw all the
amazing handmade costumes
that I really got a taste of what
cosplay was, and from that moment
on I knew I wanted to be a
part of that crazy world. As for my
first real cosplay project, I would
have to say that was Leeloo Dallas
from The Fifth Element; It was
the first cosplay I actually made
anything for, I spent hours styling
the wig, hand-stitching elastic
onto the leggings and making the
giant orange suspenders out of
flagging tape.
How about your name - Axe
Massacre - where did that come
from?
It actually came from a song that
my high school friend wrote about
me. It was about my behaviour towards
boys, playing on the cliché
www.FACEBOOK.COM/AxeMassacreCosplay
of being a heartbreaker but instead
saying I massacred hearts
- with my axe - hahah. She wrote
the song right before I decided
to create a cosplay page and
when the time came to think of a
name the song was still bouncing
around in my head and bam! Axe
Massacre! I stuck with it because
it gives people a bit of an idea
what I’m about when it comes to
my choices of characters for cosplay
and because it has the same
initials as my real name hahah.
Now you also do a bit of modelling,
do you find that cosplay
and modelling cross over?
For sure! If it wasn’t for all the
modelling I’ve done I would still
be a frozen pea in front of the
camera! I was always told to do
modelling all my life to improve
my posture and my self-confidence
and I’m glad I took that advice
and encourage others to do
the same, especially if they’re a
cosplayer who wants to be able
to take wicked photos.
It’s also about learning your angles,
learning about the way different
lights and shadows work
with those angles and learning
about the different techniques
every photographer has and how
to work with them. Modelling is
also great for strengthening muscles,
especially ones you didn’t
know you had. God knows I still
have a long journey ahead with
my posing but when I look back
on my first convention photos I’m
amazed at how far I’ve come and
highly recommend that everyone
does a little bit of modelling.
What’s been you most difficult
project and why?
Cruella De Vil’s Power in Pinstripes
suit, hands down. I don’t
even know how I made it through
building that devil costume, it
looked so innocent when I started
but by the end my hair was falling
out. There were so many aspects
of the costume I was just not even
remotely prepared for, I half blame
that on dodgy reference material
haha. The suit, though it looks
simple, was a piece of engineering;
it had separate pointy shoulders
built into the suit, both sides
of the suit were completely different
due to the giant wrap around
collar which was then covered in
beading (never again), then the
entire suit was covered in lines
of sequins. To top it off there was
then the giant fur cape and muff,
the ridiculous couture hat and the
physics-defying shoes. I worked
on the entire costume for around
4 straight months, and I had to
try not to bite every person who
pulled me away from it.

Photographer: Nathan Tan | www.facebook.com/gotsuperpowers

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

Photographer: Nathan Tan | www.facebook.com/gotsuperpowers
Who inspires you?
I’ve always been madly in love
with Miss Sinister since day one,
she’s so fierce and gorgeous and
obviously badass. Major Sam
as she’s the biggest thing that
inspires me to do sewing based
costumes, and of course all of the
incredible Adelaide cosplayers I
honestly don’t know where’d I’d
be without them, especially my
main beauties Villain Visage and
Jennifer Reilly Cosplay.
Some fun questions:
You’re stuck on an island, what
book, movie and food would
you take?
As much as I love reading I’d
probably take the marital advice
book, you know the one where it
looks like a book but its got a giant
flask and two shot glasses inside
instead? I’d fill it with rum and do
shots with myself while watching
Wayne’s World and eating Tuna
Mornay (I may have sneaked
chocolate into the book too).
Who would you love to meet in
history?
There’s a million people I could
answer with but I’ll go with Wendy
O. Williams, that goes without explanation.
What 3 tips can you give to a
new cosplayer who’s about to
go to their first con?
1. Make sure you’ve got all your
‘luggage’ and transport sorted a
couple of weeks before the con.
Nothings worse than realising
on the day of the con you have
no idea how you’re going to get
there or how you’re going to carry
a backpack when you’re wearing
giant pauldrons.
2. Make sure you fuel up before
you go to the con or at least take
enough money to get you something
when you’re there (though
I recommend going for a small
walk to a fast food chain because
its cheaper and you get tastier
food). If you can’t eat due to lack
of funds or an incredibly tight catsuit
then at least make sure you
stay hydrated that is my one absolute
definite thing you must do.
3. Make a list. Make a list of all
the stuff you need to do, and all
the stuff you need to have ready
on the day of the con. It pays to
be organised.
What is the best way to chill
out after a con?
Beer and junk food! Maybe a little
dancing.
What superhero would you be
and why?
...is cheese a superhero?
Finally where can our readers
go to find out more about you?
My main page is Axe Massacre
Cosplay on Facebook
You can also check out my Twitter
and DeviantART under Axe
Massacre
And my Instagram girlwiththealientattoo

Photographer: Nathan Tan | www.facebook.com/gotsuperpowers

COSPLAY
JENNIFER KAIRIS
Hi Jennifer, welcome to Live
Magazine. You really have an
impressive resume, can you
share with our readers some of
your highlights…
Hi, and thank you! I was the lead
actress in a recent feature film
called ‘Excess Baggage’ available
now. I was also an actor in the
shows ‘Walking and Circles’ and
‘Warrior Showdown’ where I performed
my own stunts in several
fight scenes. I have been a backup
dancer for the J-Pop band ‘Girl
Next Door’. I have been a backup
dancer for Smashing Pumpkins.
Acted in a couple of local and
national commercials, as well as
performed in many live shows for
Disney and Universal Studios
You’ve done stage combat
fighting, dance, and sword play
- they are an interesting mix for
an actress, can you tell us a bit
about that and if you’ve used
them in any of your work..
Yes, I started as a dancer doing
shows, and then a casting call
went out for girls who looked like
Cathrine Zeta-Jones from the
movie Zorro to do a live stunt
show involving sword fighting. I
ended up getting casted for the
show and a stunt team taught me
how to sword fight. Having a background
in dance really helped me
www.FACEBOOK.COM/JenniferKairisCosplay
with stunts, since I was learning
a lot of choreography, but with
swords. It was really awesome!
From there, I met other people
from the world of stunts and they
would ask me to be in their projects.
I still continue to do stunt
work from time to time.
On to cosplay, how often are
you doing cosplay and what
has been your favourite cosplay
so far?
I use to do cosplay all the time,
but since school started up again
I haven’t had much time for creating
new costumes. I still do it
in my spare time, I like to try and
get at least 3 or 4 new costumes
out a year. A very small number in
the cosplay community, but I love
cosplaying even though I don’t
get to do it as often as I like.
My favorite cosplay so far is my
Psylocke cosplay. I love the character,
and the costume is probably
the most comfortable to wear
out of all of my cosplays.
Being in front of the camera,
both still and motion, can you
tell us how you prepare for a
photo shoot?
Well, getting plenty of rest is a big
thing for me. If I’m well rested, I
can perform better and you look
better. Cameras with their HD
settings pick up every little detail
so looking your best is important.
I also like to drink plenty of water,
and be as absolutely prepared as
I can be, whether it’s making sure
I know my lines or my routine. I
have to make sure I have it committed
to memory.
What’s been your favourite
cosplay shoot?
My favorite cosplay shoot was
probably my Assassin Jane
shoot. I loved the location of it. It
was in the middle of nowhere in
this abondoned building with rubble
and debris everywhere. We
got a lot of cool shots and video
that day. Here’s a link:
https://youtu.be/cyanDlFjIYI
What has been the most important
skill you’ve learnt for your
career?
Patience. LOL! Being in the entertainment
industry, in any part
of it, takes a lot of patience and a
very thick skin. You hear so much
rejection everyday, but when you
hear that yes, it’s all the more
exciting. That’s in dance, acting,
stunts, and even cosplay. It’s
takes a lot of time and patience
to put together a costume from
scratch. But once it’s created, you
feel awesome that YOU made it.

Photographer: Brad Hills

Photographer: Brad Hills

What do you hope to do next,
any plans for the rest of 2016?
For cosplay I hope create a
Kitana,from Mortal Kombat, costume
and I’m thinking about doing
Misty costume from Pokémon
Acting - I’m in talks to act/dance
in an upcoming feature film, but
I’m not allowed to say much more
than that.
I am currently a correspondent
for Twitch.tv/NetherRealm’s MKX
Pro League show airing every
Wednesday live from 5pm - 7pm
(pst).
I am also on a Heroes of the Storm
team called the Mystiks and we
stream on Twitch.tv/TGLive every
Monday and Tuesday from 7pm -
9pm (pst).
Finally, where can readers go
to find out more about you.
Twitter: @ElvenHuntress
Facebook: www.facebook.com/
JenniferKairisCosplay
Instagram: @jedi_mindtrick
Snapchat: Jedi_Mindtrick
YouTube: DragonbornJustJK
Website: www.jenniferkairis.com

Photographer: Brad Hills

Photographer: Brad Hills

Photographer: Brad Hills
JENNIFER
KAIRIS
cosplay

COSPLAY photography
vestiige photography
www.FACEBOOK.COM/vestiigephotography
Welcome to Live Magazine, can
you tell us a bit about yourself
and where you’re based?
Hey there! My name is Michael
Steel, commonly known by my
alias as Vestiige Photography.
I am a professional photographer
from Portsmouth, England. I
moved to Perth, Western Australia
in August 2012 to start my life
anew with my family, and to base
my career in photography here.
My preferred photographic style
is action portraits and surrealism,
a medium that is able to bring audiences
to awe with its diverse
processes and techniques. My
dream job is to travel the world
taking tons of incredible photographs
that involve and inspire
thousands of people, bringing
them closer to one another and
to become more creative within
themselves.
You’re into both photography
and videography, what sort of
work do you do most?
Photography has always been my
top priority and skill specialty, but
videography has also become a
very vital part of photography in
the professional industry. If you
can work a DSLR with photos, you
should definitely learn to know
how to use it with video also. It
really helps me to become better
with my direction and angle work,
treating my shots like stills from a
blockbuster movie. I thoroughly
enjoy doing video with my good
friend Al Hanafi (aka SirGlaxer),
creating cosplay music videos at
conventions and local events.
Tell us about your cosplay photography,
how did you get into
that genre?
Cosplay photography is pretty
much a genre belonging to portraiture;
you’re shooting a person,
but that person is dressed up as a
character that they love and have
wanted to become. Shooting their
portrait helps them bring that
character to life, and I love doing
that, especially when it comes to
shooting a character that I also
personally love. It’s a great way to
make new friends, give you great
practice on post processing, and
being introduced to a much more
expanded interest of characters
and series you may have never
heard of.
You’re quite passionate about
your art, and you’ve done quite
a bit of study.. has that helped
with cosplay photography?
Studying photography is always
a great help in further developing
your skills, but it is not vital. A
lot of famous photographers tend
to be self-taught, but a lot have
also done studies. The reason I
enjoy doing studies in photography
is because I get to meet so
many different people with different
styles of photography, and it
has also helped me better understand
the photographic industry
and how to develop a successful
business. It also gives me drive
to create with a large variety of
assignments that I have creative
control over, regardless if it set to
a certain medium or theme.
Do you visit cons and any plans
for the rest of this year?
I love attending the conventions
in Perth since they’re filled with so
much talent and friendly people.
The conventions have gradually
become more popular and larger,
and it’s great to see the cosplay
scene become more recognised
and known to the general public
now. I used to attend the MCM
London Expo back home, and
that was always good fun too,
but generally became too repetitive
and overcrowded, so it was
great to see that Australia had
better conventions here that were
more people-friendly. I would love
to visit conventions all over the
world and do a lot of cosplay music
videos, meeting lots of different
people and become friends
with them.
What about gear, what do you
use on a typical shoot?
I’ve always been a Nikon kid, and
I always take my camera with me

“Shooting their portrait
helps them bring that
character to life, and
I love doing that...”
when I can. I shoot with a Nikon
D750, a fantastic piece of gear that
will carry me through my creative
highs and lows for years to come.
When it comes to doing a shoot
(cosplay or not), I like to use LED
lights, portable flash kits, a variety
of lenses to get different results,
and a bunch of friends to come
help me and hang out. Assistants
are very vital, and I wouldn’t be
able to do half the stuff I do now if
it wasn’t for their help.
Do you charge for cosplay
shoots?
At the beginning of my journey
through cosplay photography I
shot for free, and shot everything
whatever people threw at me.
However, over time it started to
become draining and costly on
myself and my funds, and having
a Facebook Like and Instagram
repost didn’t get me anywhere.
After being much more confident
in my work and being more well
known throughout the community
I decided to start charging for my
shoots, but in doing so, I offered
people the very best of my abilities
for their shoot, making sure
they were filled with excitement
and joy in the end results of the
shoots we do. This led to me becoming
more creatively open with
those I worked with, and develop
a relationship where we trusted
each other with our decisions
and executions, plus being able
to finally earn money from what
I love doing is a massive bonus,
because I can now afford better
gear and fund my business further
with things like my own website,
business cards, etc.
Exposure can only ever get you
so far until you get fed up or completely
drained.
Finally where can our readers
go to find out more about you?
Firstly I’d love to thank those who
took the time to read this, I really
appreciate it! If you guys would
love to check out more of my work
you can do so via Facebook, Instagram,
and YouTube...
INSTAGRAM:
@vestiigephotography
FACEBOOK:
facebook.com/VestiigePhotography
YOUTUBE:
youtube.com/channel/UCaR4AMlWhw3smRn6geXeQ1w

COSPLAY photography
Welcome to Live Magazine
Hiryuu, You’re based in Melbourne,
what’s the cosplay
photography scene like there?
From my personal experience,
it’s good and supportive. I always
have cosplay photographer
friends who are willing to help
out with shoots and lending me
equipment if I ever want to test
out a new lens and whatnot.
How did you get started in
photography and then cosplay
photography?
Few years ago I was at a convention
in Melbourne and I borrowed
my friend’s camera to take photos
of cosplayers.
Turns out, I really enjoyed taking
photos a lot. I especially like editing
the photos as it plays hand
in hand with me being a digital
designer outside of cosplay photography.
From there, I’ve kept
taking photos and even ventured
into other types of photography
such as landscape photography.
It’s been awesome!
What’s you’re favourite type of
shoot - studio or location?
It would definitely have to be a
location setting. I find it more enjoyable
to go out and shoot at a
location that fits the character I’m
shooting. Plus, I like the whole
side of being adventurous, exploring
new locations and just going
on road trips to do shoots. It’s
always good to get that fresh air
when I’m not indoors editing photos
:’D
HIRYUU
www.FACEBOOK.COM/HIRYUUCOS
Photographed any of the big
name cosplayers? What was
that like?
I’ve photographed a few local
Melbourne cosplayers who have
a large fanbase. They’re great to
work with and it’s nice when both
photographer and cosplayer can
collaborate together in shoots.
Also, I haven’t photographed
overseas cosplayers like Reika
or Kaname before, but I have
met them at cons though! I even
got them to sign my camera lens
hood :’D Kaname had a shocked
facial expression when he saw
what I wanted him to sign.
Who inspires your photography?
Anyone in particular?
How long is a piece of string?
Hehe. I get a lot of inspiration
from all types of photography.
But, to name one, I do love Masahi
Wakui’s photography style –
It’s very cinematic and has a distinct
style of capturing the streets
of Tokyo at night and making it
look like a photo that’s come out
from a Studio Ghibli movie. It’s
truly amazing!
Tell us about cons - do you attend
them and shoot there.
What experiences have you
had?
I certainly do go to cons and shoot
there. Cons are great for meeting
new cosplayers, photographers
and socialising with friends that
you hardly see outside of cons.
Come to think of it, some of my
closest friends are from meeting
through cosplay!
What’s your gear of choice for
a shoot?
I use my Canon 5D Mark III camera
and I do love my prime lenses.
So, I usually stick to my trusty
50mm lens, but lately I’ve been
using and exploring more wide
lenses like a 16mm and 24mm
lens for my shoots to get a variety
of angles and styles in my shots.
Any plans for the rest of this
year?
Will most likely do more shoots
and also will try to get back into
shooting more landscape photography
(must stop procrastinating
haha) and just keep improving
my craft where I can. It’s fun and
good for my creative outlet :)

Finally where can we see more
of your work?
My facebook page is where I post
my photos:
facebook.com/hiryuucos
I also have Instagram:
instagram.com/hiryuux
And World Cosplay:
worldcosplay.net/member/hiryuucos
“Cons are great for meeting
new cosplayers, photographers
and socialising with friends
that you hardly see outside of
cons. Come to think of it, some
of my closest friends are from
meeting through cosplay!”

COSPLAY photography
HANNAH O’NEILL
Hi Hannah - welcome to Live
Magazine. Can you tell us
where you’re based and how
you got into photography.
I’m based in Canberra and I got
into photography when I was
eighteen. I wanted to take photos
of my pets, so I saved up the
money to buy my first DSLR. I
had absolutely no idea what I
was doing, but luckily I had a patient
model in my dog! I’ve basically
learnt through trial and error,
which is one of the luxuries of
digital photography.
What about cosplay photography,
how did you get started in
that?
I started cosplaying myself
around the same time I picked up
photography. I used to bring my
camera along and shoot while in
cosplay. For a long time I couldn’t
decide which side of the camera I
preferred to be on, but nowadays
I definitely want to be behind it.
Do you do many con shoots or
are you more into planning a
shoot on specific locations?
www.FACEBOOK.COM/hannahoneillphotography
The latter. I find shooting at cons
to be pretty stressful as I’m a
bit of a wimp and don’t like approaching
cosplayers I don’t
know or rushing shoots. I do enjoy
creatively using what I’m given
in terms of location, trying to
do something different to the tens
of photographers shooting in the
same place. Cons for me are a
chance to catch up with my interstate
cosplay friends.
What gear do you use on a typical
shoot?
Until recently I only ever carried
a 50mm prime lens and maybe
a piece of white poster board to
use as a cheap reflector, mostly
because that’s all I had. Recently
I got myself a Speedlite to play
with, but I only bother bringing
lighting gear along if I have a fair
bit of time to work with. The more
gear you have the more time you
spending fussing around rather
than shooting. This is particularly
important at cons, as you don’t
always have the luxury of time.
Something I’ve started bringing
along recently is a stepladder! I’m
pretty short so it can help to get
some good angles without climbing
whatever’s handy and risking
my expensive gear.
Who inspires your photography?
Steamkittens and Artificial Photography
& Videography. They
both have a vibrant, unique style
and they consistently put out
quality images. They’re also both
great at post-processing, which is
a skill I envy and aspire to have
someday.
Do you have any tips for new
photographers interested in
cosplay?
Too many to mention, but here
are a few of the top ones:
Buy a cheap prime lens. Both
Canon and Nikon’s 50mm 1.8
give you a great bang for your
buck and are huge jump from the
kit lenses most new photographers
have.
Don’t be afraid to look silly! Lie on
the ground or get up high and get
some interesting angles.
Be respectful of cosplayers. Be
polite when asking for photos.
Don’t touch people without asking.
Your work should be collaborative
- some of my best photos
have been suggested by the cosplayer.
Try and fix loose threads, stray
wig hairs and other minor costume
malfunctions before shooting.
It’ll save you a lot of time
when editing!
Finally, where can our readers
go to see more of your work?
facebook.com/hannahoneillphotography
and www.hannahoneill.com

Cosplayer: Soylent Cosplay | www.facebook.com/soylentcosplay
Cosplayer: Ebil Cosplay | www.facebook.com/ebilcosplay

Cosplayer: Helen Wells

Cosplayer: Soylent Cosplay | www.facebook.com/soylentcosplay
Cosplayer: Nutmeg Cosplay | www.facebook.com/meginatreecosplay

Cosplayer: Silver Lights Cosplay | www.facebook.com/Silver-Lights-Cosplay-1549887295302003
Cosplayer: Beau Cameron

Cosplayer: Scarlet Moth Cosplay | www.facebook.comscarletmothcosplay

cosplay EDITORIAL
For many of us in the vast world
of Geekery, Conventions are a
big thing we keep a note of for our
yearly calendars.
Whether it be a Convention for all
things pop culture, or a Convention
with a more targeted focus
like Anime or Gaming, they are a
place where we can gather with
our fellow Geeks and unite in all
the glory of all that our beloved
Conventions provide.
SURVIVING A
CONVENTION
BY TIFFANY DEAN COSPLAY
As a Cosplayer, Conventions
are often a focus point. We often
make our costumes to wear to
Conventions, whether it be solo
or as part of a group. Conventions
are a great place to meet
new friends and fellow people
who are Cosplaying from the
same universe we are – and it
can be super cool to see people
in the same costume – GROUP
PHOTOS FOR THE WIN!!
All the fun aside, Conventions
can be exhausting for every attendee.
Throw into that a costume
that may be uncomfortable
to wear, pain can be thrown into
that mix too.
There are a few things that we –
especially Cosplayers – can do to
try and ease some of the exhaustion
and pain so we can get the
most out of our time at a Convention
and enjoy it thoroughly ☺
Bring a helper, food
and water
This may or may not seem obvious
to some. As a cosplayer, I
This is another one that may or
may not seem obvious. In the
excitement of being at a Convention,
it’s easy to forget how tired
we are or that we just need to sit
down for 5 minutes. Tying this
in with when you eat will make
it easier. Also planning what you
want to do and see at a Convention
ahead of time is beneficial as
you can factor in some rest times,
even if they are only 10 minutes
long. Taking a rest will enable you
to last longer throughout the day,
enjoy the Convention more and
can give you brief respite from
any costumes that may be painhave
learnt this the hard way on
some occasions. It’s easy to forget
to take food and water when
we are up til 3am finishing our
costume (admit it...we’ve all done
or do it...). Convention food and
drink is hideously expensive, so
trying to plan early can save a lot
of money. Water is an absolute
must because even if you forget
to eat (try to not do that too!)
staying hydrated is imperative. It
can prevent you from overheating
(Conventions are crowded and
can be like a sauna on even the
coldest winter day) and can stop
you from feeling tired and sickly.
Food is important as most of us
are on our feet all day – sugar
levels can drop and you can get
shaky and dizzy. Taking healthy
snacks can help you from splurging
out on all those expensive
sugary convention foods!
A helper is also a huge help,
whether it be a friend or a family
member. I always, ALWAYS
take someone (usually my Mum
because she’s THAT awesome).
They can help you in and out of
your costume, and if you’ve got
limited sight or movement from
your costume, they can help you
navigate through the Convention.
In some cases they may
need to feed and water you too...
costumes can be tough to work
around. Anyone who captured a
glimpse of me being fed and watered
in my Deathwing costume
at this years Adelaide Oz Comic
Con will know EXACTLY what I
mean ☺
Take a Break

Photo by Maetogrophy (www.facebook.com/maetogrophy)
Photo by SFX Images (www.facebook.com/SFXImages)
“In some cases they may
need to feed and water
you too...costumes can be
tough to work around.
Anyone who captured
a glimpse of me being
fed and watered in my
Deathwing costume at this
years Adelaide Oz Comic
Con will know EXACTLY
what I meaN...”

Photo by Tracy Dean (Cosmo). Edit by me, Tiffany Dean Cosplay (www.facebook.com/TiffanyDeanCosplay)

ful, exhausting or even just stuffy
(many have little or no breathability).
Comfort has got to come before
anything because if you are not
comfortable, you won’t be happy.
Put yourself first and take a break
if and when you need it – so take
a break, relax and have FUN! ☺
Be mindful of
Costumes
This is one for both Cosplayers
and attendees not in costume.
When I say be mindful, I don’t
mean you can’t wear what you
want. I mean that Conventions
are busy – VERY busy – and
there’s a good chance you may
get bumped into, prodded and
squished.
Whilst we shouldn’t have to
make our costumes hard wearing
enough to wear into a real
battle, trying to make them sturdy
enough that they won’t break can
save a lot of heartache.
It’s a horrible feeling when all that
hard work breaks because you’ve
been bumped into (or have
bumped into someone / something)
or someone has prodded
your costume.
People should never, EVER touch
anyone without consent, and this
is something Conventions are
working to try and make less and
less of a problem, however in the
excitement of the atmosphere, it’s
still a common occurrence. Wearing
my Deathwing cosplay to Adelaide
OZCC was an eye opener
for how common a practice this
still is. Even I was surprised at
how often people came up to me
and touched and prodded my
costume, to the point I started to
get very weary of people coming
up to me. Touching people is
a big no, no – especially without
permission - and it’s something
for a discussion another time...
I was lucky that my costume
didn’t break or have anything fall
off, however many of us are not
this lucky. Don’t be afraid to politely
ask people to not touch your
costume.
To those not in costume – it’s totally
okay to be excited (we get excited
in costume too!), but please
be mindful of someone’s costume
as it’s often a lot of blood, sweat
and tears that has gone into it’s
construction. Someone may have
bought their costume, and they
may have saved up for quite
some time. Do not under any
circumstances touch a costume
to find out what it’s made of – always
ask first. Under the costume
is a real person, prodding might
cause them pain, discomfort, or
the breakage of something that
may be fragile.
Another thing for us cosplayers to
try and be mindful of is the weather
for a Convention. We are all
guilty of at some point making a
costume that’s better suited to hot
weather and wearing it to a Convention
in Winter and vice versa.
Whilst it’s not always possible or
practical to be mindful of this (as
some of our cosplays are time
or Convention sensitive, which
means weather isn’t a factor), if
you can do this for some of your
costumes, the time at a Convention
will be much more comfortable!
☺
All in all, it’s important for a Convention
to be enjoyable for everyone.
Once the fun and excitement
of the day (or days!) is over,
go home, kick back, relax and recuperate
for your next adventure
as a super hero / heroine / villain
or something else completely different!
☺
TIFFANY DEAN
COSPLAY
www.facebook.com/tiffanydeancosplay

cosplay & photography tips
tips for...
surviving a
convention
“Don’t leave prep work at the
very last minute to make sure you
don’t miss anything on the day,
and rest well the night before -
you work better when you’re well
rested :)
Respect people’s time and availability.
This applies to both cosplayers
and your fellow photographers.
Know your equipment
well so cosplayers won’t have
to waste their time unnecessarily
waiting for you to be ready,
and respect other photographers’
scheduled shoot times.
“My tips is that cosplayers should
not be scared of approaching
togs. Togs should not be afraid of
approaching cosplayers. If you do
that, everyone just remains afraid
of one another.”
- Chris Such
“As a cosplayer I love showing
off the parts of my costume I am
most proud of.
Ask them what they feel is the
coolest/best part of their costume
and forces on that.”
- Nathan Vandenberg
Cons are a great place to have
fun with cosplayers and other
photographers - so just chill, and
have fun!”
- Nathan from I Got Superpowers

“Cons are a great
place to have fun
with cosplayers
and other
photographers -
so just chill, and
have fun!”
- nathan from i got superpowers
“Have a game plan before going
into con. And make sure to prepare
ahead of time before the
main event. One of the worse
things that can happen is not
having a spare battery or memory
card when you run out. Know
your gear and get comfortable at
it like it was second nature.
You want to reserve your creative
energy coming up with the best
shots and composition rather on
figuring out how to adjust your
settings when you shoot outdoors
or indoors. Wear comfortable
clothes and shoes. Bring
water and snacks to keep you
going and downtime short. And
have fun. Because if you are your
shots will look amazing.”
- Angelo from I Got Superpowers
“Tip 1: Getting to know the convention
location So that you have
go to spots to shoot in to make
your shots more appealing.
Tip 2: Prepare your kit so that its
easy to move around with. Run
and gun gear that’s easy to set up
and shoot quickly and efficiently.
Tip 3: Do your homework. What
cosplays are on trend. Can be
dependant on recent game releases,
current films and Anime
series which are popular. Understanding
the nature of characters
will help you pose and direct your
model.
Tip 4: Communicate well with
cosplayers, ask permission for
shoots and even plan shoot times
and meet up spots to ensure you
capture the costumes that inspire
you.
Tip 5: Cosplay is not consent.
Always respect your cosplayer,
never touch or adjust their costumes
without asking first and
make sure you pick up on the
cues. If they are eating lunch or
on a toilet break it may not be
time to ask them for a shot.”
- Charlie from I Got Superpowers

cosplay & photography tips
I GOT SUPERPOWERS
more con photos from the talented guys at i got superpowers...
visit facebook.com/gotsuperpowers for more cosplay shots!

PHOTOGRAPHY tips
COSPLAY,
COLOUR &
CONTEXT
of types. There are con photos -
often they are more of a portrait
of a great cosplay. Then there
is really good cosplay where the
scenario, the background, the
lighting … everything is taken into
consideration. Then the photo is
created. Now there may be some
times you can’t create everything
in camera without a big budget,
and most of us shooting cosplay
don’t have unlimited budgets. So
that might mean going into post
production and doing some compositing.
Allow for that. Shoot on
a clean background so you can
cut the character out if needed
and then add them to the right
type of background.
So you’re already to do your first
cosplay shoot. Maybe you’re a
photographer or a cosplayer - it’s
exciting.
Camera? Check!
Reflector? Check!
Lighting? Check!
Bag packed, ready to go. But did
you plan the event? Did you scout
a location or two? What about the
time of day? Where will the sun
be? Will it be harsh leaving your
subject with hard shadows? What
about the context… where were
you planning to shoot the scene?
Is that important?
Well yes it is. After all, you’re
shooting cosplay - imagine if
they filmed the next Batman in
some small town where there is
no crime, no drama, no mood?
Be pretty weird film to watch with
no real context. Same with colour
grading and lighting. Colour grading
is when a photo or video is altered
to enhance the colour of the
image. The Matrix for example
had that green colour added to it
to give you that sense that you’re
in the matrix, that there is a digital
world involved.
Then when Neo is on the Nebuchadnezzar
the colour tones
change to more a blue. So the
real world has a blue subdued
tone of blues and greys while the
digital world of the matrix is green
tinted.
Lighting.
If you’re shooting a dark moody
character, it will look more acceptable
to match the colours of
the character, unless of course
you’re wanting to “break” the
rules… then you can do whatever
you like. So maybe a Deadpool
shoot has a different feel to a
Princess Peach shoot.
Context.
Take a look at some great cosplay
photos… yes I said cosplay
photos. You see there’s a couple
For example, this photo (right) is
meant to be creepy. So I shot it
as a silhouette and put the cosplayer/model
into a creepy hallway
with poor lighting. Spreading
her fingers gives it a weird disjointed
look like she’s not right, a
ghoul or something. The context
of the hallway, the lighting makes
it work.
Taking this in an office or outside
of a con might not have the same
effect.
No if all you want to do is create
some great portraits of a cosplayer
- fine. Get a clean background
and shoot. But if you want to create
the feel, think about the end
result and shoot for that..
Have fun!
WRITTEN BY
rob jenkins

Model: Rebecca Egan | www.facebook.com/gandgcosplay

cosplay EDITORIAL
Sitting quietly the other day in
from of the TV, I picked up my
iPhone, checked Facebook,
SnapChat and Instagram and
then thought “What am I doing?”
I was suppose to be relaxing after
a long day’s work. Chilling out
some would say after a late dinner,
yet here I was checking to
see if there was any new likes or
shares and so on.
Now don’t get me wrong - there’s
nothing bad about doing that.
Lots of people relax by checking
their social media while watching
TV or listening to music. But this
was the third time I’d done it in
one episode of Seinfeld that was
on the cable TV.
It got me thinking about our lives
and how very different they are
today compared to 20 years ago
when there was no social media
to think about. Back then you’d
watch TV, read a book or play a
game and be focused on it totally.
Now it seems that even during
a great movie or game, we
still have our lifeline to the rest of
the world (smartphone) handy in
case something else happens…
I wrote down the heading Chasing
Likes and kept it in mind to
write about it. But just before
starting this column I typed into
Google “Chasing Likes” and non
other then Pope Francis used the
term to decry chasing “likes” on
social media!
Here’s what the Pope said:
chasing likes!
the loneliness
“I would dare say that at
the root of so many con-
of fame
temporary situations is a
kind of radical loneliness
that so many people live
in today. Running after the
latest fad, a like, accumulating
followers on any of
the social networks.”
As a photographer I understand
what he’s talking about. We take
photos of cosplayers (or anyone
or anything else) and we post on
social and wait for the ego to be
soothed by a barrage of “likes” and
comments. I know it’s the same
for some cosplayers. Checking
the numbers on your social media
and then worrying if someone
else that you perceive to be in
competition, suddenly overtakes
you. What do you do then? Think
about it. Do you shrug it off or do
you get tempted to boost and buy
more likes?
Now before I get a bunch of angry
hate mail, if you’re making
cosplay or photography a career
then you do need to boost and
get more fans. But if you’re doing
it to beat someone else in numbers,
or to quench your thirst for
more fans then anyone else in

JusZ cosplay with a photo by Charlie Nicholson from I Got Super Powers, the Adelaide based
team, well known in the cosplay community for quality photography work and a passion for
working with cosplayers of all styles.
Cosplayer Tiffany Dean
showing a well thought out
costume, location and brilliant
photo by SFX Images
your neighbourhood then maybe
you need to check why you’re doing
it. The problem is this, someone
else will always come along
and have more then you. Or be
perceived to be better, more popular,
more creative… or whatever
measurement you use. You can’t
win. Sure, you might be number
one for a short while but inevitably
you will be overtaken.
Guess what? It’s not important.
It’s better for you to produce quality
work (costumes or photos) that
you loved making then creating
crap or worse still selling out to
the “fans” who are simply there to
see how much skin you show. I’ve
seen some excellent cosplayers
chasing likes by showing more
and more. They’ve gone from artists
to almost soft porn pinups.
Now again, don’t get me wrong
- if you love being a model and
showing your shape that’s part
of the territory, we’ve been given
eyes to appreciate beauty and
creativity.
But what’s behind
your motivation?
Likes or creating art. Chasing
more and more likes is gluttony,
but creating art whether it be
cosplay, pinup modelling, photography
has a much more pure
motive. The desire to put your
gifts and talents to use positively.
To create beauty so that others
can enjoy and be wowed by what
you’ve done is so much more
satisfying then sacrificing your
art for numbers...
So what’s your motivation? Is it
creating cosplay, cosplay photography
or perhaps being an amazing
model? Or is it just the sad
need to be “liked”?
WRITTEN BY rob jenkins

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

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

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