STACK NZ Mar #71

REVIEWS BEST OF

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DVD of the MONTH

MR. ROBOT: SEASON 1 With the rise of the Internet came a need for increased security vigilance, so naturally a whole industry sprang forth to provide safe passage online. It’s also inspired many fictional tales, with varying degrees of authenticity. In Mr. Robot we enter the orbit of young programmer Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek), a cybersecurity whiz working for Allsafe.

depression, he’s prone to being delusional. He connects with others – be they potential friend or foe – by hacking them, turning vigilante on those he feels are perpetrating wrongs. When mysterious anarchist Mr. Robot (Christian Slater) courts Elliot for his hacktivist group fsociety, the stakes notch up, as they want to bring down the company that he’s paid to protect – yes, E Corp... Essential viewing for even the least paranoid, Mr. Robot grabs hold from the outset, keeping you questioning most everything encountered over its rollercoaster 10-episode journey. Amy Flower

A client of theirs is E Corp, one of the largest, most all-pervading corporations in the world. Through the eyes of Elliot, however, they become ‘Evil Corp’, and this is a hint at the bigger picture surrounding our protagonist – suffering from social anxiety disorder and clinical

Out on March 3

ALBUM of the MONTH

IGGY POP POST POP DEPRESSION The much-lauded collaboration of

kaleidoscope of metaphor and restrained epicness with trademark Homme stamped all over it; yet Iggy fits into the groove with such ease and grandeur, you can’t help but swim alongside the outlandish floats. This won’t set the world alight, that’s for sure, but neither did Pop’s Avenue B or Apres – both of which you should own immediately. Unsure? Ask the kind assistant in the store to play you Sunday – no, demand it! This militant, off-beat ‘70s/’80s NY disco club underscore to Iggy waxing lyrical is a f–ing joy. Sold!? Of course you are. Chris Murray

Sir Iggy and Master Homme is here. It’s not what you expect, however. A Queens album with Iggy on vocal duties? Well, kinda – but far more. Gardenia sums up the underlying mood perfectly as any Igster aficionado will attest; he’s just as cheesy and cool as he is brutal and punky. A jazzy freestyle groove through fancy-pants beats and cheeky quips, you can picture them as the house band for an unsuspecting high school prom. This isn’t a bad thing, mind. German Days is straight off a B-side, and Like Clockwork a swirling

BEST OF

Out on March 18

GAME of the MONTH

FAR CRY PRIMAL It’s time to go Prehistoric – or is that Mesolithic? Far Cry Primal takes us on a brutal – and most likely truthful, though we’ll never really know – journey into the Mesolithic past, having us fight with spears and clubs and completely reinventing everything we thought we knew about the Far Cry franchise. Of course cavemen didn’t wield AK-47s, so as Takkar you are forced to get more creative with how you bring justice to the frontier. Embrace all the childhood dreams you gathered watching Ice Age as you take to the backs of woolly mammoths and sabretooth tigers to completely decimate enemy tribes and reclaim the land as your own. Tame other animals you encounter whilst on your

journey and use them to assist you in your fight, too. If it sounds amazing, that’s probably because it is. You can even send in your personal owl to drop bombs (beehives) on unsuspecting enemies. Make yourself at home in the open-world wilderness as you explore the dangers and mysteries of the land of Oros, truly immersing yourself in the primal world of our distant ancestors, and enjoying the scenery as you slaughter your foes in the name of evolution. Inherently a Far Cry game, even if without guns or explosives, Far Cry Primal gives you the outlet to unleash your inner beast without having to check in to a CaveBnB. After all, it’s not war – it’s survival. Paul Jones

Out Now

MARCH 2016

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