STACK #162 April 2018

YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO CINEMA, DVDs, GAMES & MUSIC

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ISSUE 162 Apr ’18

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YOURMONTHLYDVD & BD GUIDE TOWHAT’S IN-STORE AT NINTENDO LABO • JUMANJI • STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI STARWARS: THE LAST JEDI • MAZERUNNER: THEDEATHCURE hot Sign up for your s t a c k . c o m . a u at

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Contributors

Founder Nic Short Editor-in-Chief Paul Jones Film & DVD Editor Scott Hocking

Issue 162 APRIL 2018

Music Editor Zoë Radas Staff Writer Alesha Kolbe

Creative Director Michelle Black DVD Consultant Kerrie Taylor Games Consultant Andre Eivik Music Consultant Mike Glynn Marketing Manager Fleur Parker Chief Contributors Bob Jones , Gill Pringle Contributors Amy Flower, Jeff Jenkins, Simon Lukic, Billy Pinnell, Jonathan Alley, Denise Hylands, Simon Winkler, Adam Colby, Tim Lambert, Jake Cleland, Holly Pereira, Samantha Baldry Social Media Manager Sally Carlier-Hull Production Manager Craig Patterson Production Assistant Alan Netherclift

WELCOME I can remember when I first witnessed the transition from VHS videotape to DVD. Trekking around the world as a young, ebullient backpacker, I stopped off at my sister’s, who had just bought a DVD player. The film was John Carpenter’s The Fog and I was astonished at the significant leap in picture and audio quality. Since then, we’ve had Blu-ray, still of course a current format delivering a far superior package than DVD, but there’s been a new kid on the block for a while now - 4K Ultra HD. At first, 4K-enabled TVs and players were, for most of us, simply unaffordable. However, that was then and this is now; 4K TVs, players and movies are now competitively priced, and the pathway to the 4K home cinema experience has never been easier. So why 4K? Without drilling into the deep, tedious technical specifications, there’s currently no better way to view films under your own roof. In short, Ultra HD is four times better than Blu-ray, delivers incomparable picture quality and colour, and new standards in audio definition. This month, the film team at STACK has selected ten 4K UHD titles that showcase the format in all its glory. Please beware though; when you do take the plunge, it’s very hard to go back, but my word, the jump is definitely worth it! Paul Jones, Editor-in-Chief

Correspondence STACK 33 Jessie Street, Richmond, VIC 3121

RATINGS GUIDE

Disclaimer STACK is published by Scribal Custom Pty Ltd (ACN 092 362 135). © Copyright Scribal Custom Pty Ltd, 2018 All rights reserved. All material appearing in this publication is copyright unless otherwise stated or it may rest with the provider of the supplied material or advertisement. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of Scribal Custom Pty Ltd. No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of advertisements or information. Whilst care has been taken in the research and preparation of this publication, the publishers, writers or anyone else associated cannot accept any responsibility for any loss, injury or hardship arising from the content contained herein or reliance therefrom, howsoever caused, and it remains your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any such content. Views expressed are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher or the editor. By the very nature of this publication, things change daily and we cannot take responsibility for any changes or inaccuracies that occur subsequent to going to press.

The large print giveth, the small print taketh away. “I need someone to showmemy place in all of this.”

GOD OF WAR LIMITED EDITION

• Steelbook ™ case including God of War PS4 ™ Game • Dark Horse Art book • Digital Content: – Exiles Guardian Shield – Deaths Vow Armour Set – Dynamic Theme

20 APRIL 2018

Very mild science fiction violence, online interactivity Strong viol nce

” 2 “,“PlayStation”,and“ - ”are registered trademarksof trademarksofSony InteractiveEntertainment Inc. “ ” isa registered trademarkofSonyCorporation.GodofWar™©2005-2017Sony InteractiveEntertainmentAmericaLLC.PublishedbySony InteractiveEntertainmentEurope.DevelopedbySIESantaMonicaStudio.“GodofWar” isa trademarkora registered trademarkofSony InteractiveEntertainmentEurope.All rights reserved.*4KandHDRsupportvariesbygameandvideocontent.4K/HDRTV required for4KandHDR.4Kentertainmentvia4Kstreamingservicesonly.Faster frame ratesnotsupportedbyallgamesandvideocontent.HDR issupportedbyallPS4models.

E N H A N C E D

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Extras Pages 6-7 / 32-34 / 38-40

Games Pages 1 – 30

Music Pages 1 – 27

DVD & BD Pages 31 – 62

Cinema Pages 66 – 71

10-11 god of war Kratos is back. Now, he’s a dad, and he’s got an axe to grind. 12-13 overwatch We found out how the speakers on Overwatch ’s Blizzard World actually work. 14 extinction Battle giant ogre-like monsters and protect humanity in Extinction . 16 shadowfax What’s it like being a girl in the pro gaming world? 18 NINTENDO labo DIY cardboard accessories for the Nintendo Switch. 20 commodore 64 The first in our series of vintage gaming ventures. 22 alienware We took an Alienware 17 for a spin. 24-26 tech Commodore 64 Mini, Razer Wolverine Tournament Edition, HyperX Alloy Elite RGB, HyperX Pulsefire Surge 30 out this month God of War , Nintendo Labo, Yakuza 6: The Song of Life , The Witch and the Hundred Knight 2 , Extinction , Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap , Darkest Dungeon: Ancestral , Atelier Lydie & Suelle , A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia

YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO CINEMA,DVDs, GAMES&MUSIC

YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO CINEMA,DVDs, GAMES&MUSIC

66-67 Pacific Rim Uprising Director Steven S. DeKnight talks giant monster movies and following in the footsteps of Guillermo del Toro. 68 A WRINKLE IN TIME We spoke with the director and cast of Disney’s ambitious new sci-fi adventure – including Oprah! 70-71 REVIEWS Ready Player One, Tomb Raider, The Death of Stalin, Love, Simon, Pacific Rim Uprising

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ISSUE 162 Apr ’18

ISSUE 162 Apr ’18

MUSIC

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42-43 JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE Director Jake Kasdan upgrades the world’s most dangerous board game for a new generation 44-45 STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI Director Rian Johnson chose to make the story and characters a priority. 46 PITCH PERFECT 3 We spoke with Brittany Snow, aka Chloe, about her experience over the a capella trilogy. 48 MOLLY’S GAME Jessica Chastain on playing real-life ‘Poker Princess’ Molly Bloom, and working with screenwriter/director Aaron Sorkin. 50 MAZE RUNNER: THE DEATH CURE The Maze Runner trilogy comes to a close this month, and director Wes Ball has been right there from the beginning.. 54-58 REVIEWS Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Coco, Darkest Hour, All the Money in the World, The Post, Call Me by Your Name, Downsizing, Pitch Perfect 3, The Florida Project, Knightfall: S1 and more.

6-7 NEWS Oz Comic-Con dates for 2018; Lara Croft returns; Alison Wonderland deals with extreme emotion; Fifty Shades Freed heads to DVD; and the new Aussie comedy that goes beyond the joke.

6-14 INTERVIEWS We shoot the breeze with Alison Wonderland, City Calm Down, Underoath, Stonefield and A Perfect Circle, and Jonathan Alley delves into the saga of Aussie punk icons Cosmic Psychos. 16-17 KYLIE Here’s how national treasure Kylie Minogue made her way to 14th studio album Golden , released this month. 20 - 26 ALBUM REVIEWS DMA’s, Jack White, Sunflower Bean, Aunty Donna, Courtney Marie Andrews, GUM, Hinds, Alison Wonderland, Alexis Taylor and many more.

32-34 EXTRAS Star Wars: The Last Jedi fun facts;

Whatever happened to Rick Moranis?; Shane Jacobson reflects on Kenny ; STACK selects the must-see film and TV for

this month. 38-40 BOB J

The Actor and the Mob: George Raft – From Hell’s Kitchen to Hollywood, Part 1.

QUIZ , COMPETITIONS & STACK SOCIAL on page 28 from back

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A my, Hannah, Sarah and Holly Findlay had plenty of people who wanted to peek over their shoulders during the writing of their second album as Stonefield. But as guitarist Hannah told us, Far From Earth is the result of trusting their own guts. "I think this time into the shed by ourselves without telling anybody, and wrote the whole album without worrying about anyone else, or what sort of album we were going to make…There’s so STONEFIELD around it was actually more of a freeing sort of experience, writing," she said. "We just went

many different influences that you can kind of absorb into your work, [but] I think in the end we made something that we’re just totally happy with, and you can see that it is something that is totally our own." Read about which Aussie drummer-singer encouraged the sisters to try weird approaches to writing, which sister has a secret talent for lyrics, and what the hell that UFO is they're sitting under, on page 12 in the Music section.

JACK WHITE E veryone thinks Jack White has finally lost the plot, and we couldn't be happier to agree. It's been four years since White's second album Lazaretto , and this month he returns with Boarding House Reach – a record that proves the musician certainly hasn't been sitting around making daisy chains in the interim. We advise you prepare to have your ears proverbially boxed black and blue, with the kinds of ideas that could only have come from old mate Jack; read our feature album review in Music on page 26.

DON'T MISS THE CLIMAX W hatever your thoughts on the whole Fifty Shades

chapter in the kinky trilogy based on the E.L. James best-sellers, finds newlyweds Ana (Dakota Johnson) and Christian (Jamie Dorman) still struggling with the issues

that come with a controlling relationship. And there's also the problem of Ana's jealous former boss, Jack Hyde (Eric Johnson), who is lurking on the sidelines. The final chapter in the steamy series hits JB shelves on May 9 and fans can look forward to both the original theatrical version and a new unrated cut on the Blu-ray and 4K UHD editions, as well as more extras than the central couple's ups and downs – and that's a lot! Bonus features include 'An Intimate Conversation with author E.L. James and Eric Johnson', three music videos, and a multi-part look behind- the-scenes. Additionally, stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dorman share their experiences across all three films and discuss how the

thing (oh behave!), there's no denying its status as a global – and box office – phenomenon. Fifty Shades Freed , the final

characters have changed throughout the journey.

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EXTRAS

NEWS

BEYOND THE JOKE

A ustralians love a good joke, and viewers will get plenty of them in That’s Not My Dog! , coming to DVD in May. There’s 86 of them, in fact, delivered by some of Australia’s funniest comedians – including Jimeoin, Paul Hogan, Fiona O’Laughlin, Marty Fields and Paul Fenech – in this new comedy from Shane Jacobson and director Dean Murphy. "The film is a salute to the dying act of joke telling," Jacobson tells STACK , adding it's also a gift to his father Ron, who appears in the film. "I was raised in a house of comedy, so I was blessed with jokes growing up and became tragically aware that people just aren't telling them anymore." Jacobson explains that for today's generation, comedy has become an internet meme on a phone. Consequently, That's Not My Dog! was conceived to celebrate the dying art of telling a good joke, which he says is all in the delivery, punchline and timing. "A really good joke teller is a good storyteller – people like Ronnie Corbett, who had the talent of making a joke funny all the way through."

yakuza kiwami 2

T hings are busy in the gaming Yakuza world, with news that Yakuza Kiwami 2 is coming for PS4 later in the year. A year after Kazuma Kiryu took his leave from the Yakuza, he finds himself drawn back into its fray.

This new outing – a remake of the original Yakuza 2 – promises new action, minigames (Golf Bingo!) and more heat actions. It’s been built on the most up-to-date Yakuza engine – the Dragon Engine – which means that we can

look forward to incredible graphics and seamless in- game transitions. Yakuza Kiwami 2 will launch on August 28, joining the highly anticipated – and also PS4-exclusive – Yakuza 6: The Song of Life , which hits on April 17.

W ith the rebooted Tomb Raider movie recently invading cinemas, it seemed a good time to announce a new Lara Croft game. And Square Enix have! It wil be called Shadow of the Tomb Raider and… uh, that’s all we know about it for now. Oh, it will hit on PS4, Xbox One and PC. It’s set to release on September 14 this year, with a full reveal promised for April 27. lara croft returns

OZ COMIC CON O z Comic Con is returning for 2018, and tickets are on sale now! The event is a yearly celebration of all things pop culture, and fun for the whole family. You'll be able to enjoy the action in Melbourne June 9-10, Brisbane 22-23 September, and Sydney 29-30 September. The guest line-up is yet to be announced, but expect some big names, as always. In the meantime, start getting your cosplays ready!

ALISON WONDERLAND I f you're feeling an emotion really acutely, Alison Wonderland says, there are useful ways to deal with it and there are unhealthy ways to deal with it. For herself, she's found a useful way. " When you feel such an extreme emotion, you’re always in need of an outlet for that," she explains. "You know, if some people are super sad, they’ll get super wasted. Or they’ll go for a long drive. But it inspires you to go and do something extreme, to let out the energy that you’re expelling emotionally. For me, it’s writing." We're pretty stoked it's worked out like that, because the Sydney-born L.A.- residing DJ megastar has knocked it out of the park on new album Awake . Read our full chat with the artist on page 8 of the Music section.

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STACK ROVING REPORTER

service. I've got guys who come in here who have bought multiple consoles and tons of games over the years. I love the people who will come in and buy whatever I recommend for them. Over time, people will take your advice and usually buy whatever you've played and think is good. It's great to be able to have the personal connection with the customers." While Far Cry 5 pre-ordered really well in the lead-up to its release last month, there's also been a considerable amount

best sellers at

I've always been about giving a good level of customer service

Date ending: 27/03/18

SHOP TALK

1 FAR CRY 5 (ps4/xbo/PC) 2 MX VS ATV all out (PS4/XBO) 3 ni no kuni ii (ps4) 4 Sea of thieves (xbo) 5 a way out (ps4/xbo) 6 burnout paradise (ps4/XBO) 7 mario kart 8 deluxe (switch) 8 call of duty: wwii (PS4/XBO/pc) 9 monster hunter world (ps4/XBO) 10 super mario odyssey (switch)

I f you're looking forward to God of War and Red Dead Redemption 2 , you'd get on well with Andy Crowhurst of JB Hi-Fi Springvale. The games co-ordinator has just finished Assassin's Creed Origins – which was "super rad", in case you were wondering – and says most of the locals down in Springy are dedicated PlayStation gamers. "We sell a lot of manga games, a lot of Japanese games – Dragon Ball especially is super popular." Andy loves the variety of customers that come through his doors, but he also appreciates the regulars that make a habit of coming back. "I've always been about giving a good level of customer

of interest in this month's God of War and, perhaps surprisingly,

Nintendo Labo. "I put a bunch of signage up in the section and the pre- orders just started flowing in. It's mostly for the Variety Pack – probably because there's more in it – but there's been some interest in the Robot Kit, too." What's Andy looking forward to playing most later this year? "I can't wait for next Red Dead Redemption. It's gonna be sick. I'm also really keen on the next Last of Us – but who knows when we're gonna see that. The first one was like playing through a movie."

Andy Crowhurst from JB HI-FI Springvale

GOD OF WAR pre-order your copy of God of War to guarantee your exclusive Steelbook case and Dark Norse artbook. Pre-order to get the Death's Vow Armour Set, Exile's Guardian Shield, and a Dynamic Theme.

8 God of War games across all formats including this month's reboot.

24 years since the Commodore 64 was officially discontinued.

17 million Commodore 64 computers sold over its lifetime.

620 million games sold for the PS4 as of Christmas 2017.

90 million copies of GTA V have been sold as of February 2018.

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Grace's Top 3 YouTubers: NorthernLion Sequisha h3h3Productions

so incredibly competitive and it's very difficult to get noticed if you're not already a well-established channel. If you're

We’re profiling some of Australia’s biggest content creators to see what really makes them tick. This month we spoke to Grace – FallFromGrace – who is best known for her PUBG and Fortnite videos! I'm checking YouTube comments, tweets, Instagram comments, emails, etc, and that's before I even get out of bed. If I compare it to my old job before I started creating content, I'd walk out of the office at 5.00pm and my work day was over. The workday never ends when you create content, it becomes somewhat of an obsession, but I wouldn't trade it for any other job. I love what I do. Do you think Australia is behind in comparison with the rest of the world when it comes to recognising streaming/content creation as a viable career? It is definitely still a very niche

industry in Australia. I've noticed this the

starting from zero, I'd probably recommend starting on Twitch with livestreaming. There is less barrier to entry on Twitch with the new affiliate program as opposed to YouTube, with their new partnership rules. Having said that, if you're starting YouTube or Twitch with the intention to become rich and famous and make large sums of money, I think you should rethink your strategy. It's very difficult to make a good living from either of the platforms. I started in 2012 and have only been full-time for just over one year. For five years I was still working and studying on the side of content creation, just to make ends meet. If you have a passion for creating videos or streaming, then, by all means, go your hardest! Aside from being realistic about the income side of things with content creation, just have fun with it. Make content you want to make and on your terms, if you do that, you'll love what you do and people will love watching it. If you weren’t doing this as a career, what do you think you would be doing? Definitely something in fitness. I've been a gamer my entire life and it's my passion, but if I wasn't involved in the gaming industry, I'd definitely be pursuing something in the fitness world.

most when I'm vlogging in public, people in Australia give you really strange looks, whereas in LA or even the UK, people seem more understanding of what you're doing. In terms of companies, however, I think people within the gaming industry are starting to see the value of content creators or 'influencers' and that's really helpful when you're trying to work with these brands. I'm one of the lucky ones in Australia with NBN, so I'm able to stream and upload with no internet woes. What is some advice you’d give to anyone who would want to take up a career as a streamer or a content creator? Becoming a streamer or content creator now is really tough. It's

FallFromGrace

When did you first start out makingYouTube videos? I started YouTube in September 2012! What got you into content creating in the first place? I always watched other YouTubers playing games and doing commentaries and I was inspired by that. It seemed like the perfect way to share my passion for games, with other like-minded people around the world. How many hours a day do you devote to producing videos/ streaming content? It's a full-time job, at least eight hours a day. As a content creator, you assume many different roles. I'm a small business owner, video editor, graphic designer, tech support, social media expert,

the list goes on! From the moment I wake up,

Read the full interview online at stack.com.au

1 First game you ever played? That would be the original Pong arcade machine, as found in local pubs in the late 1970s. 2 First game you ever finished? Games back when I started playing were more prone to “clocking” rather than “finishing,” but the first game I finished completely was the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy , a text-based adventure on the C64 – it was huge, and took me hundreds of hours! 3 Favourite game of all time? Bubble Bobble . It’s a masterclass in elegant, simple game design. It only has left and right movement, and uses two buttons. 4 Most underrated game of all time? Dark Reign by Auran. This Australian-made game was superior to other strategy games that were popular at the time, like Command and Conquer and Warcraft Games. I still love playing it today! 5 Game you wish you had worked on? Definitely GTA – the freedom and license to innovate that the developers have with that game is unparalleled. Projects like that are a developer’s dream.

Ross Symons CEO at Big Ant Studios

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Kratos is back. A new mythology, a new family member, new weapons, and a new world. It’s God of War like you’ve never seen it before. Words Alesha Kolbe

T he very first God of War game released for the PlayStation 2 in 2005. 13 years later, we’re two (and a half) console generations down the track, and it’s safe to say things are a little different. Nothing stays the same and that, of course, applies to video games, too. Sony has had a long hard think about where its popular franchise needs to be in 2018. Consequently, there are some new additions here; for starters, this instalment has a new camera system, and swaps the Greek mythos of old for a new Norse regime. At Sony’s Sydney HQ, we recently engaged in a significant hands-on session with Kratos’s new adventure on a PlayStation 4 Pro (which you can check out at stack.com.au), and also had the opportunity to sit down with Aaron Kaufman, community manager at Santa Monica Studios, to chat about the franchise’s

the same character who was hellbent on rage. Enough is enough, right? Our core God of War fans still want a Kratos that’s full of rage, and we give you a taste of that in this game.” Here Kaufman pauses to mention the return of Cory Barlog to SIE Santa Monica Studio. Barlog began his journey with the very first God of War; having departed the studio in 2007, he returned in 2013 as creative director for the beginning of the new game. “During his time away, our head of studio called him, and he had some big grand visions of where he wanted to take the game.” He also explains how Barlog ended up becoming one of the writers on the new God of War: “A lot of it related to his personal life. He jokes about being a lazy

renaissance and why the studio opted to swap for Norse mythology. God of War: Ascension was the last game released before the reboot – back in 2013. Kaufman tells us that this was when work on

reimagining the series truly began. “We got a lot of feedback about that game. The fans really just told us: ‘okay, it’s time for Kratos to change.’ Kratos is such an iconic character to PlayStation that I think in many ways, he’s someone that you would hope never ever goes away from the PlayStation universe.” In saying that, Kaufman recognises that they can’t simply keep re-telling the same

The fans really just told us 'okay, it's time for Kratos to change'

story. “We did a lot of research, a lot of user testing on different ideas, and one of the things we kept discovering is that people wanted an evolved character. They didn’t want

FACTS OF WAR

God of War creator David Jaffe was a big fan of Clash of the Titans (the 1981 Ray Harryhausen version, not the 2010 interpretation starring ex-bricklayer, Sam Worthington). The film proved to be Jaffe’s creative springboard for the game. Kratos himself has been touted for a silver screen appearance for 13 years now. David Jaffe wrote a provisional script in 2005, attracting purported interest from Universal. In early character concept designs, Kratos was blindfolded and had a baby strapped to his back, and in another he had long hair. Daniel Craig (odd choice in our opinion) was approached for the role in 2010, but thankfully he declined. Interest in the project was reignited in 2012 but as of 2018, despite having a budget of $150 million attached to it, the screen adaptation of God of War is yet to find its director and star.

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who you’ll eventually encounter, is said to be a serpent that is as long as the world. His backstory is very interesting. We actually did an awareness campaign called The Lost Pages, where you can learn more about Jörmungandr – that’s the name of the World Serpent – and how he ends up being an ally to Kratos and Atreus. He’s a little bit of a different character in the real Norse present. Brokkr and Sindri, who are the smithing elves, they

writer and pulling from his own family where, you know, he has a son who’s five years old. His wife’s Swedish, his son speaks Swedish better than he does.” The admiration for Barlog is clear in Kaufman’s voice – having him back seems like a dream come true. “Cory was really the advocate championing bringing this game into a father-son journey, but our studio as a whole, we are maturing, too. We kind of joke that the old God of War was our college years, when anything goes and you could make these over-the-top brutal moments, with larger than life monsters. It was like, ‘let’s create the most f–n’ crazy moment we can. Now, we’re maturing. The studio’s maturing, games in general are maturing, and our game has to grow with it. All of those things bundling together was a signifier to us. Cory encouraged the studio to push the game in a different direction.” And that’s what happened. God of War has made the jump to Norse mythology, but Kaufman tells us they also considered Mayan and Egyptian before settling on Odin and his ravens. “The Norse universe is really the one that offered us the most rich backdrops in terms of characters. In Norse, there are three races that are constantly at war with each other.” Kaufman believes this is the perfect predicament do drop our mate Kratos into. “The really interesting thing is Kratos doesn’t really know what he’s in the middle of. He’s landed on the shores of Scandinavia and he’s really unfamiliar with the Gods and the conflict around him. It isn’t until he sets out on this journey with his son, Atreus, beyond the protective boundaries of his home, that he starts to slowly realise he’s in a whole new world. That’s a really fascinating world for us to be in.” With the game featuring a significant twist on Norse mythology, Norse enthusiasts will be pleased to know that Kaufman and his team consulted the Prose Edda – in Kaufman’s words the “Norse Bible” for their research. “We pulled out elements that we thought fit our game best. So, the World Serpent,

God of War in numbers 3 platforms that the original God of War released on in 2005 4.24 million units of God of War II sold by June 2012 4 primary writers on God of War III 2 novels based on the God of War universe 23 months to develop God of War: Ghost of Sparta 5 multiplayer modes on God of War: Ascension

are in Norse mythology as the creators of Mjolnir [Thor’s

hammer] and Odin’s ring; they are exactly the same in our game. There are a whole bunch of other tie-ins that as you’ll play, you’ll explore.” Finally, God of War’s camera is now over the shoulder, more akin to

Horizon Zero Dawn or The Last of Us . This, according to Kaufman, was just another part of the revamp. “We knew right at the beginning that along with evolving the character, we had to change up the gameplay in a dramatic fashion. But it came with a real strong ‘why?’ The ‘why’ was Cory and the team really wanted to bring the fan into the journey. Now, you are much closer to the action than ever before, and you’re seeing the journey through Kratos’s eyes. This God of War game is all about showing you what you want to see. I think we just wanted that more cerebral thinking experience when you’re experiencing the world that other action adventure games have done such a great job at. "The other reason for shifting the camera was the combat – giving the player the ability to control the camera, to bring them closer to the action. We thought that was going to add a lot more strategic depth and choice to the game.”

• God of War is out April 20

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Overwatch ‘s newest map, BlizzardWorld, is a celebration of all things Blizzard. If you’ve played the new map in the colourful first person shooter, you may have noticed that throughout the theme park are dotted speakers that play music relative to each of the different areas you’re in.

W e were lucky enough to get some questions answered by those in the sound team at Blizzard on how they went about recording theme park sounds, some of the Blizzard universe Easter Eggs you might’ve missed, where Blizzard World is actually set, and the nitty-gritty technicalities of getting the perfect sound effects in the games; just the coding itself sounds intense. Onanswering duties: Scott Lawlor: Project Audio Director, Overwatch Paul Lackey: Supervisor, Sound Design, Overwatch Justin DeCloedt: Sound Designer, Overwatch Chris De La Pena: Senior Sound Designer, Overwatch Tomas Neumann: Senior Software Engineer, Overwatch

Going to a theme park is sensory overload, and a very audio-heavy experience. We needed to lean on music, sound FX and voiceover to keep that authentic feel. One of the first things we did is look into the back catalogue of Blizzard music and place it throughout the levels from park speakers. We then decided to cast some of the most recognisable characters fromWoW, Diablo and StarCraft to be the park announcers. As the level was finalised, we were able to drill into all of the details of the ambient sound in the level and the little sound Easter eggs we hid across the soundscape of the map.

Where did you start out with the sound design for BlizzardWorld? Scott Lawlor: The Overwatch team had been kicking around the concept of a Blizzard World map for years. It is something the entire development team was excited about, especially since so many of us have spent time working on the other Blizzard franchises. The process of map creation generally starts with a rough block-out where the level design is hammered out. The art team then starts to plan the layout of the level based on that design. Once the art team gets far enough along, and they have established a theme for each area in a level, we can start to get to work.

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What was involved in the implementation of the speakers within the game itself? Are they able to independently broadcast sound? Justin DeCloedt: Getting those little speakers working in the map has been a feature I’ve been asking for since the project first started and I was pretty excited once our audio programmer, Tomas, was able to get the code implemented for them to work. Normally, all of the sound emitters we place in the world are unique instances of a sound object. If we have a row of torches for instance, they all might play the same sound but they will be playing it at different points within its loop. With the syncing feature that Tomas came up with, if we place multiple instances of the same emitter in a map and then activate this setting, they will all start to play the same looping file and try to match the same point within it. Tomas Neumann: Normally, when we place sound emitters in a map we intentionally want to avoid them playing identical audio data, because that can lead to unwanted phasing and loss of

• Overwatch is out now

In your opinion, what do you think is the most realistic/immersive part about the BlizzardWorld map, or one of the more interesting sounds you managed to include? Chris de la Pena: I had a great time working on the Diablo area of Blizzard World. I never thought I’d get the opportunity to implement Diablo style sounds in Overwatch ! My past experience working on Diablo III helped inform me on what appropriate sounds to use for reflecting the size of the opening chamber of the Diablo area (Reign of the Black King). The basic background ambience was taken from one of the Diablo III Cathedral areas which you battle through on your way to fight the Skeleton King (The Black King). So not only is the ambience appropriate for the size, it also stays true to the Diablo III lore. If you walk past the entrance of the Diablo area there is a deep steaming pit. I placed an audio emitter of some ambient sounds I created for the Abattoir pits in the area of Westmarch found in the Diablo III expansion, Reaper of Souls . The sounds reflect an ominous hot breeze coming from the unknown deeps of the pit. I also used audio emitters for randomised creature sounds you might recognise from different areas of Diablo III . A few more sounds I had a blast implementing in the Blizzard World Diablo area are the torches and urns, which you can hear crackling as you pass by. One last thing – if you by chance pass by one of the lore books in the area, go up to it and listen. You just might hear the ghost of Deckard Cain scribbling notes and turning the pages!

solution is, that we randomly pick a master instance and essentially feed its audio stream into the other instances. To make sure my code was correct I was using a sound that was a voice counting up numbers from one to ten. It was a little spooky walking through Blizzard World hearing this voice counting, but at least I knew the sync code was working. How did you decide on the placement of these speakers? Paul Lackey: Hearing music as you stroll through a theme park is so essential to the experience that we knew these speakers would be the

primary ambience for the map. Even though we did not yet have the tech to synchronise the music being distributed across multiple speakers, we had to get started. I

Going to a theme park is a sensory overload, and a very audio-heavy experience

immersion. To prevent this, our Sound Designers can define a random start point in loops, and even author loop segments, which cross fade at different times, to guarantee that similar objects in the game world do not play identical sounds. To create the best virtual amusement

began making top down views of the various parts of the park and drawing in speaker locations that would project the correct way, provide the needed coverage, and not bleed

park speakers in Blizzard World, we needed exactly the opposite: perfectly synced emitters. We tried an approach to mix a single sound into different playback positions, but we ran into problems with our obstruction and occlusion feature, because one speaker left of you could be blocked, but the one on the right is not. We had to come up with a special solution, because just starting them at the same time was not reliable enough for them to stay in sync. Our

into unwanted areas. Since the music was not yet synchronised, the zones sounded pretty chaotic, but as a proof of concept it was a solid start. Once Tomas got us the tech we needed, the final speaker locations were tuned and then our environment art team went in and made the speakers look like they are camouflaged into the park’s walls and buildings, just like in real theme parks.

Read the full interview at stack.com.au

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Labo of Love

Weird and Wild Nintendo Accessories Words Amy Flower Resident Evil 4 chainsaw controller Capcom’s exceedingly gory GameCube game could only be better with this alarmingly grotesque, blood-spattered controller thing, right? Well, if they had actually put all the buttons where they could easily and intuitively be reached, it might have. Still, it is an ace conversation piece.

Bowling Ball

If those Balance Board steps had TVs cowering in fear, this wondrously ridiculous thing to jam your Wiimote into for Wii Sports ‘ bowling had them contacting authorities to take out restraining orders. Seriously, what could possibly go wrong here?

Nintendo are giving the creativity back to the people with their latest weird and wonderful invention – Nintendo Labo. Words Alesha Kolbe

E ssentially build-your-own cardboard accessories for the Switch, Nintendo Labo will (at launch) be available in two different kits – the Variety Kit and the Robot Kit. Each kit will enable you to make Toy-Cons – yep, you read that right – out of your Joy-Cons and Switch console, building everything from fishing rods to motorcycles in the comfort of your own home. There’s no chance of being card-bored here. Labo is aimed at the whole family, meaning these cardboard kits need to be super simple to put together. Thankfully, they are. We spent a considerable amount of time last month going hands-on with Nintendo’s paper-plain concept, and came away with the impression that anyone can do it. The only Toy-Con we actually got to build ourselves was the very simple RC Car; one piece of cardboard, intricately folded,

pace on the screen of the Switch, ensuring you never miss a step. They allow you to fast- forward, rewind, and even adjust the angle at which you’re watching. Even your dad could do it – which is kind of the point. At our hands-on session at the Pumping Station at Scienceworks, it’s hard to tell who was having more fun – us or the many children that had been brought along to enjoy the day. Having had time with the motorcycle, fishing rod, piano, house, and RC car – all can’t vouch for how complicated things are to put together, feeling feedback from a mackerel on the end of a rod made of nothing but cardboard, a rubber band and a piece of string is nothing short of magical. We can only imagine how much more rewarding of which are included in the Variety Pack – we have to say our favourite was the fishing rod. Although we

DK Bongos When you need to get your inner

Matthew McConaughey on, what better way than a spot of GameCube Donkey Konga with the DK Bongos? Chumbawamba’s

Tubthumping took on a whole new synergy, while the title of Depeche Mode’s Enjoy the Silence became even more redundant. We still love ours, and all three games released (outside of Japan) for them.

Inflatable Mario Kart Advertised as “essential for Mario Kart for Wii”, we wouldn’t be taking the Mickey out of this if we could actually fit in one – come on, how awesome is this thing?! Kids are spoiled nowadays.

Babysitting Mama Possibly the coolest AND craziest Nintendo game accessory ever, all thanks to the lovely Cooking Mama. See that doll? You jam a Wiimote up its jacksie, and play the accompanying game of looking after bub – nappy changes and all. Thankfully it didn’t actually wee – well, unless you had leaky Wiimote batteries. We named ours Baby Jake, and he’s apparently currently residing in the roof of a friend whom we entrusted him to. If we don’t get him back from them soon, we have incriminating photos of Wii accessory abuse that we’re totally prepared to leak online.

that then has the Joy-Cons attached to either side. The Joy-Cons’ vibrations are what are responsible for moving

everything is going to be if you’ve built it yourself. Remember when you were a kid, and the most fun you could have was building a cardboard fort of your own design to play in? That’s essentially what Nintendo are going for with the Labo. With endless possibilities for creativity, you – and your kids – can make, play, and discover to your heart’s content.

the ‘car’ – pretty cool, right? Building your first Toy-Con is one of the most satisfying things you will experience. Arguably the best part about Labo is its ease of use. We’ve been told that the more complex Robot Kit can take up to four hours to put together, but the instructions are almost impossible to mess up. While you’re crafting your cardboard creations, there are step-by- step directions that you can play/pause/stop at your own

If you build it…. Available for Labo: Toy-Con Variety Kit, including: Toy-Con RC Car Toy-Con Fishing Rod Toy-Con House Toy-Con Motorbike Toy-Con Piano Toy-Con Robot Kit Nintendo Labo Customisation Kit

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HOW FAR WILL YOU GO TO BE FREE?

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GAMES FEATURE

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Women are becoming more and more prevalent in competitive gaming as the scene gains increasing recognition – especially in Australia.We spoke to ShadowFax about her time in pro gaming and how, if at all, her gender has affected her experiences. Words Alesha Kolbe E sports and competitive gaming is becoming more and more of a viable career path in recent years. Tournaments around the world are offering prize money on par with annual salaries – all you have to do is be the very best. While Australia is definitely still catching up, leagues like the Gfinity Challenger Series, IEM and Couchwarriors Tournaments are proving that there’s definitely an interest Down Under. While it may seem to some that esports is a male-dominated industry, the girls are there, biding their time, waiting in the wings

gaming, and is an advocate for its success. With Geguri joining the Overwatch League, more female gamers will be able to see notable role models in amongst the pros, and this can only be a good thing. “I’ve definitely seen more women paying attention to esports now that it’s getting more coverage and now that there are more initiatives in getting women into esports.” According to Mads, the most important thing now is to promote female role models in the industry. “Also asking female players currently in the industry what support they need to become the best, and actually listening to them," she adds. "Encouraging females to become more involved in all areas of esports, from playing and helping with live production, to managing teams, game publishing and esports business will have a huge impact in how the industry is steered in the future.”

“I don’t think that it is more difficult for women to get noticed – [because] it’s probably the opposite. When women join the scene most people pay attention to them in the first place; I just think that it’s a matter of proving their skill from there on out.” This includes being approached by potential sponsors or brands with an interest in her, with many companies, it would seem, simply seeking diversity.

for their big shot. For Mads – aka ShadowFax – it’s been a dream to become a pro gamer since she was a young. “I’ve always been a I was a fanatical sports player, even making it to the international stage for sport. So competitiveness and the ability to train is something that’s built within me.” Mads was fascinated by how far the competitive person and all throughout my childhood

“For big corporations, a lot of the time one of their big directives is gender equality and inclusion,” says Mads, who doesn’t see this as a downside. ”I get a lot of companies reaching out to me since starting a mixed gendered team and my biggest

I don’t think that it is more difficult for women to get noticed – it’s probably the opposite

imperative is making sure that these companies genuinely want to help develop female skill and want

to listen to what women have to say, and not just fill a quota or tick off a corporate directive. Big companies love the idea of a gender equal industry and esports has the capability to be that – it’s really about constantly asking, 'what do women need to get to the top and how can a company support that?' It’s important that we talk to individual women themselves to understand their needs.” Mads sees a bright future for women in

gaming scene in Australia had come in such a short time. “The moment I saw the competitive scene in Australia, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I missed the feeling of training and achieving things as a team.” Being a successful female gamer with her own mixed competitive team, Mads hasn't observed a difference between her and her male counterparts when it comes to being noticed.

Check out our full interview with ShadowFax at stack.com.au

Follow ShadowFax on her socials: twitter.com/shadowfax instagram.com/msshadowfax

twitch.com/msshadowfax youtube.com/shadowfaxYT

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General

Violence

GAMES FEATURE Ogre It Extinction lets you take on ogre-sized monsters

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Extinction is brought to you in part by Iron Galaxy Studios. Their Chicago- based studio was founded in 2008, followed by another in Orlando in 2012. They’ve worked with many other studios on projects like 7 Days to Die , Deadpool , Elder Scrolls Online , Destiny , and Borderlands 2 .

and – literally – cut them limb from limb to prevent the end of mankind.We threw a few questions at Derek Neal, executive producer, to find out a little more about the new game.

How can players customise their characters?

Avil has a skill tree where players can choose which abilities to improve, and what new powers to unlock, as they progress through the campaign and other game modes. What was the inspiration for the Ravenii? David vs. Goliath. Where have the Ravenii come from? Most recently from another world, where they have enslaved the indigenous population and turned them into soldiers to support their invasions. As far as where they came from before that, you’ll have to play the campaign to find out! How will the deaths of civilians and the destruction of towns impact the progression of the story? Your performance on each mission is rated with a series of stars, and there is an alternate ending that unlocks if you get all of them. Is the campaign linear or more open-ended? The campaign is linear and

• Extinction is out April 10

Avil to unlock new abilities, like the ability to control his fall direction or expand his

radar capabilities. He can also upgrade his other considerable abilities, like his abilities to traverse the environment and his power to slow down time. Can we expect any enhancements on PlayStation 4 Pro or Xbox One X? We’ve put our effort into making sure the game experience is as good as possible for everyone, so there won’t be a big difference for people playing on higher end platforms.

things you can damage, and how you manage your energy – took months of exploration in order to get right. Tell us more about protagonist Avil and where he fits into the story. Avil is a former soldier who was captured and pressed into slavery. He managed to escape when the Ravenii attacked. The rest of the Sentinels are gone – what happened? The order slowly died out over the generations, as the threat they were founded to fight disappeared into myth. At the time Avil joins the order, there isn’t much left.

Where did the initial idea for the game come from? Derek Neal: In a lot of games, when you go to “fight” a giant monster, you don’t really get to fight it. They make you play a quick-time event, for example, or solve a platforming puzzle. Maybe you hack at the monster’s toe until its HP bar reaches 0, and then it falls over and dies. We wanted to make a game that better simulated what combat with giant monsters would actually be like. To us, that meant carving off pieces of them, destroying their equipment, evading their attacks, climbing all over them, and trying to protect the innocents while all this was happening.

mission-based, but each of the mission maps are fairly open-ended, with a lot of freedom in how you choose to complete them. What kind of skill tree and progression can players look forward to? The skill tree allows

How early on did you decide on the combat style? We knew right from the beginning that we wanted true, real-time, skill-based combat against giant monsters. But a lot of the details – like what attacks you have access to, what

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