STACK #155 Sep 2017

YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO CINEMA, DVDs, GAMES & MUSIC

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ISSUE 155 Sept ’17

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DISHONORED: DEATH OF THE OUTSIDER • PROJECT CARS 2 • FIFA 18

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CONTENTS

Contributors

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

Music Editor Zoë Radas StaffWriter Alesha Kolbe

Issue 155 SEPTEMBER 2017

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, Jonathan Alley

WELCOME You’re sat on one of the most iconic video game franchises in history. It’s a proven best-seller, helped shift sales of a brand new console format, is coveted by fans all over the globe, and has inspired spin-off games, comics, books, and real-time TV shows. Most studios would be quite content to evolve that property knowing it was keeping a roof over head and food on the table. Not Bungie. After ten years of living with the Halo universe, the franchise progenitor opted to bestow custody of its creation to another developer and turn its attention to a new challenge. In 2012, Bungie signed a ten-year deal with Activision to bring a new expansive shooter to the table. Eventually unveiled as Destiny , the game released two years later. It was a bold move: Destiny charted new waters, not only for Bungie, but for console gaming as a whole. The first-person shooter broke genre conventions by being an online- only experience that offered players true versatility. Consistent delivery of quality DLC has kept users engaged in the game, and established a successful – and indeed highly profitable – business model for Activision. In a world where we are all infinitely time poor, gamers are now aligning with specific titles that are being actively supported long after the initial release date; just look at GTA V. This month, Bungie and Activision will roll out part two of their ten-year plan with Destiny 2, and the journey for both old and new will begin in earnest. This is one of the most anticipated games releases on the 2017 calendar, so bosses all around the country should brace for a slew of employee sick days on September 6, and beyond. Paul Jones, Editor-in-Chief

Contributors Savannah Douglas, Graham Reid, Amy Flower, John Ferguson, Michael Dwyer, Jeff Jenkins, Simon Lukic, Chris Murray, Billy Pinnell, Denise Hylands, Simon Winkler, Adam Colby, Tim Lambert, Jake Cleland, Holly Pereira Social Media Manager Sally Carlier-Hull Production Manager Craig Patterson Accounts Coordinator Tracy Kingman

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Correspondence STACK P.O. Box 2051, Richmond, VIC 3121

RATINGS GUIDE

Disclaimer STACK is published by Scribal Custom Pty Ltd (ACN 092 362 135). © Copyright Scribal Custom Pty Ltd, 2017 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 can save today.You can save theworld.”

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Issue 155 SEPTEMBER 2017

Games Pages 1–24

Music Pages 25–49

6-7 INTRO September at a glance. 8-9 destiny 2

16 fifa 18 It’s that time of year again, ladies and gents. 18 nba 2k18 NBA is back and even bigger in 2018. 20 alienware The computer hardware company has dived into the realm of gaming peripherals. 22 out this month Destiny 2, FIFA 18, Project Cars 2, Knack 2, Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, NBA 2K18, Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite, Metroid: Samus Returns, Pokken Tournament DX

26-35 NEWS + INTERVIEWS We’ve interviews with Gordi, Harrison Mills from

into the swing by having a crack at our board game, designed on the IRL festival site layout. 40 BIGSOUND The annual BIGSOUND festival and conference is happening September 5-8; we detail the emerging acts we’re pumped to see. 41-48 REVIEWS LCD Soundsystem’s American Dream is our Album of the Month, but we also have feelings about Foo Fighters, Moses Sumney, The National, Tired Lion, Sløtface, Van Morrison, Son Little, Alex Cameron and more.

YOUR ESSENTIALGUIDE TO CINEMA,DVDs,GAMES&MUSIC

Odesza, Angus Stone, Tired Lion, Citizen Kay and Kim Churchill; we

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Destiny 2 is finally here. We asked Deej what to expect. 10 project cars 2 One of the most immersive racing sims you’re likely to play. 12-13 dishonored Arkane have delivered a spin-off from the Dishonored universe. 14 The chiefs We spoke with one of Australia’s most esteemed esports organisations.

ISSUE 155 Sept ’17

also look at an absolutely brilliant release from ABC/ Universal which features the deadpan comedic stylings of John Clarke (RIP), whose presenter stints on ABC Classic FM have been collated into a new album. 38-39 FOO FIGHTERS The Foos’ curated festival Cal Jam ‘17 kicks off October 7, and we have two tickets (and flights, and accom) to the bash! Get

FOOFIGHTERS BOARDGAME INSIDE

DISHONORED:DEATHOF THEOUTSIDER • PROJECTCARS2 • FIFA18

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see inside formoredetails COMPETITIONS • •

QUIZ, COMPETITIONS & STACK SOCIAL Pages 50 & 51

Extras Pages 4 -10

DVD & BD Pages 12 -36

Cinema Pages 40–49

4 NEWS The first film by a female director with a $100 mill+ budget, and more formidable numbers on Wonder Woman . 6-10 EXTRAS Whatever happened to Lori Singer since her Footloose days? The JB Hi-Fi exclusives you can expect in store, plus other collectors sets to look out for. Katherine Waterson is suddenly everywhere, with roles in Fantastic Beasts , Logan Lucky and Alien: Covenant ; and we programme a Tom Cruise movie marathon with a difference. 26-27 BOB J Part one of the remarkable history of 8221 Sunset Boulevard – site of the celebrity hotel of choice, The Chateau Marmont, which bore silent witness to innumerable wild parties and more than a few tragedies.

12-13 DESPICABLE ME 3 Miranda Cosgrove returns as the voice of Margo in DM3 . 14 THE WALKING DEAD: S7 Strength in numbers is the key to survival this season for Rick and co. 16-18 THE MUMMY Producer and director Alex Kurtzman talks about resurrecting Universal’s iconic monster for new generation. 20 TABOO Jonathan Pryce on his pernicious character in this gritty period drama. 22 PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 5 Dead Men Tell No Tales, but new Pirates star Kaya Scodelario does... 24 DRAGON BALL SUPER We spoke to Christopher Sabat, the English voice of Vegeta. 28-36 REVIEWS Wonder Woman, All Eyez on Me, Despicable Me 3, The Mummy, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, The Walking Dead: S7, Rough Night, Raw, The Void, This Is Us: S1, Wakefield, and more.

40-41 IT Twenty seven years after the TV mini- series, we sat down with Bill Skarsg å rd to discover why this handsome Swede is playing a creepy clown in the movie version of Stephen King’s best-seller. 42 THE LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE This standalone LEGO adventure is an irresistible combination of martial arts and giant robots, as producer Dan Lin explained to STACK . 44-46 KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE From an eye-catching role in Narcos to a literally eye-popping one in Game of Thrones , Pedro Pascal is one cool hombre. But even he was caught off guard by the highly physical demands on sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle . 48-49 REVIEWS American Made, Logan Lucky, The Lost City of Z, The Hitman’s Bodyguard, The Dark Tower

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ISSUE 155 Sept ’17

DVD & BD

THEMUMMY • IT • WONDERWOMAN • FOO FIGHTERS

Copyright -© 2017UniversalSony PicturesHomeEntertainmentAustraliaPty Limited.AllRightsReserved.

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GAMES INTRO

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best sellers at

Date ending: 29/08/17

1 f1 2017 (ps4/xbo) 2

Mario + rabbids: kingdom battle (switch) 3 yakuza kiwami (ps4) 4 uncharted: the lost legacy (ps4) 5 crash bandicoot n-sane trilogy (PS4) 6 grand theft auto v (ps4/xbo/ps3/360/pc) 7 madden nfl 18 (PS4/XBO) 8 agents of mayhem (ps4/xbo/pc) 9 overwatch goty edt (ps4/xbo/pc) 10 mario kart 8 deluxe (switch)

Agents of Mayhem Uncharted: The Lost Legacy WHAT WE'RE PLAYING

NEWS GAMER ROUND-UP

Blizzard's FPS Overwatch is finally getting a Deathmatch mode, over a year after release. It'll be both team and free-for-all.

Houston Rockets' guard James Harden will grace the cover of this year's NBA Live title, NBA Live 18 .

Horizon Zero Dawn 's highly anticipated first drop of DLC, The Frozen Wilds , will be available from November 7.

15 Sensible Soccer games released since 1992

310 million dollars that GTA V took on its first day of release in 2008

80 million copies sold of games that feature SEGA's mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog

2 The number of developers that worked on ZX Spectrum title, Manic Miner

30 million units of the legendary Atari 2600 sold to date

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INTRO GAMES

In Super Mario 3 , if you let a chain chomp pull against its chain enough times, it will break free on the 50th attempt. Did you know?

SEPTEMBER

5 years ago - The Mists of Pandaria update for World of Warcraft is released. 10 years ago - Halo 3 launches for the Xbox 360, developed by Bungie. 20 years ago - Croc: Legend of the Gobbos makes it to the PlayStation 1. 30 years ago - The SEGA Master System hits shelves in Europe.

GT SPORT JB are offering an exclusive Steelbook edition, as well as a Europe Theme pack featuring three cars!

Every month STACK takes a brief look at what’s happening in esports, both locally and overseas. esports Round-Up Junglist with

I t’s been an incredibly busy time for Australian esports, with the talk of the town being our performance at the Overwatch World Cup qualifiers in Sydney. After demolishing Portugal and Italy, a loss to Sweden meant Australia had to book its ticket to the World Cup finals by fighting a Japanese side that had a points advantage almost the whole time. The Australians kept managing to come back, even after being within one per cent of losing a final point, and snatched victory with some tricky, yet still frantic, defensive play. A new league has spawned in Australia. “The Elite Series” is a lovechild of several digital marketing companies undoubtedly volleying words like “youth” and “millennials” across meeting rooms. It aims

to tie its franchises to cities with names like the Melbourne Rebolte, and Perth Subnets. What’s unclear is “why?” – because while mainstream sports athletes playing for their actual hometowns are already rare, the only way to make geography less relevant is to choose a medium based on broadband. We'll find out more

Dire Wolves' roster in its entirety has quit the game...

soon.

group stages of the Call of Duty World League Championship, the former unable to recreate previous successes. Elsewhere, Aussie player Damien “kpii” Chok earned an individual $800,000 for team Newbee’s second place finish in DOTA 2’s The International 2017, losing out to Team Liquid. Perhaps most impressively, our very own Daniel "dandaking" De Sousa managed to qualify for the Quake World Championships by showing up Americans in the qualifiers – despite a ping of 272.

All is not well in Oceanic Smite, as top team Dire Wolves’

roster in its entirety has quit the game. A lengthy grievance statement from guardian player Richard Castle cited frustrations in dealing with developer Hi-Rez Studios. Recently third-placed Smite organisation Dark Sided has also disbanded, citing lack of motivation. Both Mindfreak and Tainted Minds crashed out of the

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Bungie’s acclaimed first-person shooter Destiny is back for round two.We quizzed David Dague – better known to the Destiny community as Deej – on what we Guardians can expect from the blockbuster sequel, Destiny 2 . Words Alesha Kolbe D arkness falls across the land. Lord Ghaul and his Cabal Red Legion have attacked Earth and the Tower, leaving nothing but rubble in their wake and relieving the Guardians of their Light – the source of their power. This new Fate of All Fools The D a v i d D a g u e

enemy is here for The Traveller, and Bungie community manager David Dague, AKA Deej, explains the villain wants nothing but The Last Word. “Ghaul sees himself as the hero of his own story,” offers Deej. “The commander of the Cabal Red Legion has conquered countless worlds. Now, he has his sights set on Earth, and The

retreat. In the original reveal, game director Luke Smith jokingly referred to Ghaul as being like Alan Rickman’s character from Die Hard – ‘minus all the Britishness.’ That characterisation points to the confidence, intelligence, and deadly intent that he brings against our home as he arrives with his attack fleet.” With that in mind, we can expect a relentless onslaught from Ghaul’s legions. To have the best hope of victory, you’re going to need some new ways to take on your enemies. Of course, to veteran Destiny players, this means new subclasses for Titans, Warlocks, and Hunters. “Destiny has always been an experience that has challenged players to master new forms of combat," and Deej reminds us that when it comes to creating new subclasses, it’s more than just the team picking a new element like fire or lightning to play around with. “When we choose new ones, we focus on compelling hero fantasies that can complement and counter each other in battle. Each subclass should serve a unique

Traveller. With Destiny 2 , we wanted to send an enemy against the Guardians that would set them on the

Guided Games Deej : “Guided Games is a brand-new system that pairs solo players with helpful Clans to take on Destiny 2 's most challenging cooperative activities. Guided Games will make Destiny 2 ’s most challenging activities available to more players than ever before, including solo players and clans that might need just one more player on a given night. By pairing solo players or smaller groups with established clans, we avoid some of the challenges that come with traditional matchmaking. And of course, we’ll still allow matchmaking for our standard suite of cooperative and PvP activities.”

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FEATURE GAMES

Nolan North on voicing Ghost :

I told the producers I don’t want to know any more than what I need for my part. Not just because of the press, but because of a 13-year-old boy that lives down the hall from me. My son is a huge Destiny fan, and he would not leave me alone. I purposely don’t know too much, apart from what was on my scripts. I do know this – it’s fantastic. I’m personally invested in this game because my son is such a big fan. I drive him crazy. We’ll sit down on the couch and play and I’ll say things like ‘eyes up, Guardian! We should go down to the left,’ and he’ll be like ‘go away Dad’, and I’ll say ‘I’m not Dad. I’m your Ghost, and I love you.’ It’s basically my guilty pleasure to just sit there and torture him. It’s fantastic. I love what Bungie are doing; they’ve been very good to me. People always ask me ‘are you gonna keep doing the Ghost?’ and I always tell them that you’re gonna have to drag me kicking and screaming away from that franchise.

role in the fight, and each should embrace an exciting archetype that will appeal to different players for different reasons.” Deej offers us a deeper dive into the intricacies of the new classes. “In Destiny 2 , we’ve refined the way players customise their Guardians. In addition

Ghaul [is] like Alan Rickman's character from Die Hard – 'minus all the Britishness'

also brought back some classic subclasses, too, including the Titan Striker, Hunter Gunslinger and Warlock Voidwalker – with a fresh twist for each.” Of course, what would new subclasses be without an armoury of new weapons? The folks at Bungie have all your 'exotic' requirements covered, even including two new types of weapons in Destiny 2 – SMGs and grenade launchers. According to Deej, in the sequel, your weapon management will be a little different. “ Destiny 2 features new weapon categories that were designed to expand on your freedom to fight in the ways you prefer. Your kinetic weapons are focused on pure damage. Your energy weapons are optimised for taking down enemy shields. The same archetypes can occupy each slot. If you really love hand cannons, you can equip them in both! Your third slot is for power weapons. In the right hands, these are the one-shot, one-kill weapons, like shotguns, sniper rifles, or even fusion rifles.” Finally, those returning from the original Destiny may expect some sort of honour guard, and Deej offers some super good

to choosing movement modes and grenade types, each subclass has two clear paths that unlock a different playstyle for the player. Destiny 2 will debut three brand new subclasses – the Warlock Dawnblade, Titan Sentinel, and Hunter Arcstrider . " The Dawnblade summons a flaming sword (Daybreak) that you can hurl at foes while floating in the air above. Sentinels summon a devastating shield that can be thrown at range, used up close in melee combat, or deployed to block incoming damage. Arcstriders summon an arc staff and become an acrobatic combatant. We’ve

advice on the subject: “ Destiny 2 will recognise returning players and honour their heritage as veterans of our community. We can’t wait for you to see exactly how.”

• Destiny 2 is out Sept 6

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"After that you have to make different resolution versions of the car. If the car is way in the distance, you only need a low resolution version of it, right, so a little level of detail. But for the cockpit view, you need a very high res version. Following that, there’s an extensive period of time doing the physics programming, and then QA testing.” Chong adds that for older cars, the process is a little different. Often there’s no CAD file, and in that scenario, it's required to scan the cars themselves. “But that’s not always possible; there may be one version

We recently spent time with Slightly Mad Studios’ COO Rod Chong ahead of the release of Project Cars 2 . Words Alesha Kolbe It’s all details in the

We have a couple of specialist car modellers on our team...

I f you’ve seen any gameplay from Project Cars 2 , you could be forgiven for thinking you were watching a real life race. Everything in this new racing sim has been designed to look and sound as authentic as possible, to the point you may blur the line between the game and the outside world. This immersion is thanks mostly to the realism of the cars themselves. According to developer Slightly Mad Studios’ COO Rod Chong, getting the cars picture perfect can be quite the task. Once the companies have agreed for their products’ likenesses to be used in the game, it comes down to the process of actually capturing the cars. Chong suggests there are a few different ways to do this. “First, it depends if the car’s new, or if it’s old. The newer cars usually have a CAD [design] file of some kind. Often the CAD has been prepared for video game companies, or companies that make model cars, and they’ll provide you with this file; they may have simplified it, or sometimes they give you a really complex file that you

of a car in a storage unit in Japan, and there’s no way to get access to it – the rich car collector that owns it isn’t going to let you get access to it. In those instances, sometimes we have to construct a car from just photographs. We have a couple of specialist car modellers on our team who can do that, but typically it’s not what you want to do, you want to

• Project Cars 2 is out Sept 22

scan the car.” Finally, once the car has been modelled in- game, some manufacturers even get drivers to take them for a spin to make sure they handle correctly. But according to Chong, companies only occasionally offer drivers, so sometimes Slightly Mad must provide their own. “McLaren gave us a test driver, and Porsche as well, as an example. Otherwise, we sometimes try and find drivers who race the car in real life; we try and get older drivers who have raced a variety of cars in their careers, and get them to drive the cars and give feedback.”

could send to China and make your

own counterfeit version if you like. After that, you need to photograph the car, and usually you need 800 to 1000 pictures or so. It’s all the little details; the lights on and off, the instrument panels, everything must be documented, all the nooks and crannies – even under the dashboard, facing up behind the seats, all that kind of stuff. It’s a lot of pictures. "Hopefully then you have a 3D reference, and a lot of visual media, and then from there the car is constructed," he continues.

Mapping out Long Beach “We had to send a team of photographers out to Long Beach for a week during the race.We had to get permission from the event organisers for them to walk around the outside of the track, and we did that for a week – not only during the day but at night too, because the tracks all have 24 hours of lighting. In this case every single building had to be captured at both times; what does it look like at night, how does it light up at night? All these things had to be perfectly replicated.”

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GAMES FEATURE

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Death of the Outsider If you’re hunting for your next Dishonored fix after finishing Dishonored 2 , you’re in luck.This month Arkane are launching standalone title Dishonored: Death of the Outsider . Words Alesha Kolbe

D ishonored's dystopian, clockwork future set a new benchmark for sandbox adventure games, with players given the chance to embody Corvo Attano (or Emily Kaldwin in the sequel) and use supernatural abilities to take down those hoping to overthrow the government. In Dishonored: Death of the Outsider , you’ll play as Billie Lurk, whom you’ll recognise from Dishonored 1 ’s DLC and – spoiler alert – as Megan Foster in Dishonored 2 . According to Dinga Bakaba, lead designer (game design) on Dishonored: Death of the Outsider , Billie was the most popular character for a new story. “I think that we liked this character the most because she’s a recurring character to the series,” Bakaba told us in a recent Skype interview. “We introduced her in the DLC for Dishonored as Billie, and she

...in DOTO we just wanted to explore another badass character from the franchise

the idea that in this game, DOTO, who she is is really coming to the surface. She can’t put her personality aside for much longer, and now she’s on what we see as more of a personal quest. We like the character, we like her themes, and in DOTO we just wanted to explore another badass character from the franchise.” Bakaba outlined three of Billie’s powers;

came back in Dishonored 2 as Megan, with a different persona, and I think she’s well equipped with the themes of the Dishonored games. She’s a character who did something wrong, and now has a heavy conscience as a result. That was her character arc in Dishonored 2 , but we like

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FEATURE GAMES

Foresight, Displace, and Semblance. Foresight allows you to leave your body in a kind of astral projection and explore the area around you. Displace is similar to Far Reach and Blink of the older games, in that Billie drops a marker and can teleport there later. And Semblance allows you to take on the appearance of someone else and walk around like them. If these three aren’t enough for you, and you find yourself missing Emily and Corvos’ abilities, finishing DOTO will open up what the devs are calling “Old Game Plus”. Essentially, you restart Death of the Outsider with older powers.

Who would you want the next spin-off to be about? “Because I worked on Dishonored, the character I would be most interested in making a game about would be Granny Rags. I would absolutely love to play a game as her, it’s my secret dream. We’ve been talking a lot about it. Obviously it’s not happening this time, because, well, she’s dead – that’s one of the reasons. I would have loved to play that character.”

way, because you might think ‘oh, it makes things more complicated because you have to look at things like, what happens if they have this power here?' and make sure the levels are fun with both sets of powers. Then there is the Arkane way to look at it, which is that it’s always way easier than what we did on Dishonored 2 , where we had tones of powers for both characters. "So, in a way, I would say it was totally manageable because we were used to something way more difficult. We just go about it very pragmatically, and make sure that the metrics for all the new powers are the same, and that there isn’t a situation that you can break a story scene or something if you use a certain ability. It’s a mix of being careful from the get go, plan for anything that might happen, and also be reactive when something arrives, because we’re not perfect, and we can’t imagine everything. I have to say in general, it’s a fun process; to work with a set of tools like that that have the ability to surprise us every now and then.”

There's two ways to look at it – there's the normal way... then there's the Arkane way

“The deal is that, basically, those three new powers you get with Billie are replaced by three returning powers from Dishonored 2 ; I think two from Emily, and one from Corvo, if I’m not mistaken," said Bakaba, who also noted the struggles with the new system in DOTO, as Billie is not marked by the Outsider and her powers work a little differently. “There was a little bit of a thought that had to go into it first to make the powers compliant with the new energy system, and also the upgrades to powers are a little bit different. In general it was pretty straightforward, but also pretty fun for us. There would be times in DOTO when you find yourself missing being

if you had those powers in the game, so we made a mode for that.” Of course, having these new powers in your second run-through would make designing the levels particularly interesting.

“There are two ways to look at it," offered Bakaba. "There is the normal

able to use Blink or Domino, and you wonder what you would be able to do

• Dishonored Death of the Outsider is out Sept 15

Who’s been cast? “Rosario Dawson of course is back as Billie, and we have Michael Madsen returning as Daud, which is pretty cool too. And then, we have Robin LordTaylor back asThe Outsider.We think we have a pretty good voice cast for Dishonored: Death of the Outsider. It’s really cool to be able to give a little more space to Rosario – and to Billie – in this game.”

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TECH FEATURE Putting the

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G

Logitech G

in

The Chiefs are one of Australia’s oldest – and most well-known – esports clubs. It makes sense, then, that they’d partner with Logitech G for their peripherals. Words Alesha Kolbe F ounded in 2014, the Chiefs started as members of ex- League of Legends squad

for a lot of the guys in the team who might forget to charge their mice.” The Chiefs’ LoL team live together in a gaming house – something that is slowly becoming the norm for Australian esports teams and, as Holland suggests, something unique to this particular sport. “You don’t really get that in any other sport. You might have dorms or teammates rooming together, but nothing on this scale.” Naturally, there are pros and cons to living in such a confined space with those you work with. “You get to build this great synergy with your team, you

Team Immunity. Now, with both League and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams, the boys are taking Oceania – and the world – by storm. Brandon ‘Swip3rr’ Holland is their LoL team’s top laner. His entire kit is comprised of Logitech peripherals; he uses the G903 mouse, a G610 mechanical keyboard with blue switches – “I prefer the sound, but some of my teammates think it’s a bit loud,” he laughs – and the G933 Artemis White headset.

PowerplayWireless Charging Mousepad

wireless mice, together with the Powerplay Wireless Charging Mat. Essentially, it uses electromagnetic resonance to charge the mice while they’re on the surface of

The Powerplay mat is something we're genuinely really excited for

can practise together and review together and do a lot of team bonding," notes Holland. "At the same time, with everyone living under the same roof it can be hard to get privacy at times. We’ve recently moved

G933 Artemis

G610 Orion

the mat, virtually removing the need for charging ever again. For Holland

The Chiefs are an ambassador to wireless gaming peripherals (if you couldn’t tell from Brandon’s setup), and Holland has never noticed a difference or a lack of reliability in using wireless tech. “I think we all had that stigma way back in the day about wireless – in particular the battery being an issue,” offers the top laner. “I personally have never had an issue with battery in my mice, and I never forget to charge it. Even if I did, it charges really quick; you can plug it in for 15 minutes and then be able to play for the rest of the day with no dramas.” Of course, Logitech have now removed the need for charging

into a bigger house, though, so everyone has their own bedroom. It’s improved our wellbeing and made it a lot easier to deal with things when it gets rough.”

and the Chiefs, the group was super excited to get to try it out. ‘We got a sample sent out to us. Wireless, for us, is something that we got on board with about mid-last year. The Powerplay mat is something we’re genuinely really excited for, and it’s the next step in wireless tech. Having the Powerplay would be really helpful

Top lane meta “In terms of top meta right now, it’s been one of the better metas so far. People know me as the tank top – they call me a ‘potato tank’ player - but I do like playing a variety of things, like Kled, Jarvan IV, Galeo. I think tanks are strong at the moment, but moreso bruisers who can be a threat to the backline; that’s the playstyle I like to play.”

G900

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pitch perfect

FIFA is back for another year. Creative director Matt Prior talks about the new motion technology system used in the game. Words Paul Jones

I t’s always a guessing game for FIFA fans when trying to determine where the team at EA Sports will focus its improvements/ enhancements. Undoubtedly, feedback from the previous iteration forms a significant part of this process, but the devs have an overarching plan of where they want to be with the game. FIFA on PS4, Xbox One and PC is now in its second year on the Frostbite engine, and this, according to EA Sports creative director Matt Prior, is where the game is really starting to hit its straps; the predominant focus this year is on gameplay. “It’s a complete package and starting to really blur the lines between the virtual and the real world simply because the level of fidelity is that good. There’s always a challenge that first year transitioning over from the old engine to new engine. “So gameplay is king. We’ve introduced something called a real player motion system that basically allows us to bring a level of personality to the players like never before. What that means in layman’s terms is we went out and captured Cristiano Ronaldo, and that’s the actual movement you see in the game. Prior continues: “We take the base

“One of the things that is great about football is the atmosphere; it’s like no other sport,” Prior says. “And it varies wherever you are; a game in South America is different to a game in the EPL. We’ve been out and captured some of that, and the way we’ve done that is across a number of things. “For example, the lighting in South America is a lot different to the EPL. A lot of these stadiums have unique elements, so when you play in different arenas and different environments, you should have that extra level of authenticity.” And the crowd has undergone a revamp. Gone are the days where the supporters would rise in a series of scripted, unified moves when a goal is scored. “Now it’s much more fluid and it’s much more individual,” explains Prior. “You will even see they have their own AI in many respects, and they will jump over the seats to try and get to the pitch. “We’ve broken the fourth wall between the pitch and the crowd like never before. The whole package is big because the atmosphere is much better, the gameplay is much better, and the visual standpoint is fantastic.

• FIFA 18 is out Sept 29

We went out and captured Cristiano Ronaldo

movements from Ronaldo and from other players and then our animators can modify it with this new motion technology system and tune it. That’s massive for our fans of the game and now we can take that to the next level, targeting at first all the players that have a unique style, like Ronaldo and Raheem Stirling.” By utilising the new motion technology, the dribbling system has also been overhauled, leading to what Prior calls a more balanced, fluid and responsive game. Capturing the atmosphere at a game has also been given some attention.

FIFA 18 FACTS

2 nd FIFA title to use the Frostbite engine

There will be a custom built version of FIFA 18 for the Nintendo Switch

Usually the preserve of top league teams, EA face-captured Forest Green Rovers as a reward for being promoted to League Two for the first time in 128 years

FIFA 18 is the 25 th installment of the series

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GAMES FEATURE

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NBA 2K is back for 2018, and of course there are a few improvements on the original.Wouter VanVugt, 2K games head of international communications, has everything he thinks we need to know. Words Alesha Kolbe

Can you talk about what improvements have been made on the MyPlayer and MyCareer systems? We’d need a few more pages to explain all the new features for MyPlayer and MyCareer, and we have some surprises up our sleeve. One of the bigger changes is what we call “The Road to 99”, which entails that you can now upgrade your player and earn VC in every game mode you play with your MyPlayer, including online modes such as Pro Am and MyPark. How do ensure that the series remains accessible for newcomers? Last year we’ve introduced 2KU, where newcomers can learn about the basics of

How much work has been put into improving the player visuals for 2K18? WouterVanVugt: As with every iteration of NBA 2K, we take realism very seriously. Not only do we have the possibility to do full body scans for the first time this year, meaning that players look like their real life counterpart even more, we’ve also worked with Nike to fully scan the new outfits, making NBA 2K18 the most realistic version of the series yet. What kind of involvement does that mean for the players as far as scanning/etc is concerned? Nowadays we have a mobile scanning and motion capture set-up, meaning we can go around the different NBA teams and scan their players relatively quickly. Our main mo-cap studio is in North California and throughout the year we’re scanning players who are in the area there.

basketball. This mode makes a welcome return in NBA 2K18. You’ll also find that in the menus, there are a lot more explanations around more in-depth basketball tactics and plays. Why was it important to revamp the body type system? It’s all about realism. Having realistic body types doesn’t just allow us to make players look more realistic, but react more realistically as well.

What changes can we expect from multiplayer?

Amongst other things, the “Road to 99” will change things up drastically, as players can now build their character up in every mode, including online modes.

NBA The series has released a new game every year since 1999, making 19 games all up. The 2K series was published by Sega until 2004, but has since been released by 2K Sports. ESPN NBA Basketball, the fourth game in the series, was the first to feature a career mode. All games in the series were developed by Visual Concepts. The MyTeam mode was introduced in NBA 2K13 and allows players to construct their own teams and compete against others online. Kyrie Irving appears on the cover of NBA 2K18 in a Cleveland Cavaliers uniform, however has since been traded to the Boston Celtics.

Did you know?

The Legend Edition features Shaquille O’Neal as cover athlete

Did you know?

LeBron James is the highest rated player in NBA 2K18, with a player rating of 97

• NBA 2K18 is out Sept 15

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TECH FEATURE

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Alienware are finally getting into the peripheral market with a new range of keyboards and mice. Oh, and they’ve released a new monitor too. Words Alesha Kolbe

Alienware Elite Gaming Mouse AW958 This is one of the company’s first gaming peripherals. It comes with additional weights and two side grips to customise it to how you want it, and you can even choose between three palm heights. It tracks up to 12,000 DPI

Alienware 25 Gaming Monitor One thing worth noting about Alienware products is that they’re all packaged superbly, and this monitor is no exception. That aside, the new 25-inch gaming monitor is pointy. The feet of the stand look as though they could be used as weapons, and that’s not an exaggeration. The spire of the monitor itself houses all the cords that connect to the back (power, HDMI, etc), which are covered by a neat panel at the bottom to keep everything tucked away snugly. It’s got a 1920x1080px display, that looks remarkable, and the model we played with featured an AMD Freesync graphics kit. One of the first things you notice about the monitor, too, is how wide it is. It’s borderline borderless, with roughly 5mm

(overkill is underrated) and is adjustable to suit how fast/ slow you like to move your mouse. And it wouldn’t be an Alienware peripheral without the AlienFX lighting emitting its ominous glow. The mouse could do with an extra foot on the bottom

just to make it a bit more stable and controlled, but it’s pretty good otherwise. One definite pro is that it comes with up to 13 programmable buttons (depending on which grips you’ve got on), so you can throw a bunch of macros to suit your setup. Alienware Pro Gaming Keyboard AW768 Of Alienware’s new offerings, the keyboard is possibly the most appealing. The left hand side is host to a few macro keys that come in handy, and of course the hardware is backlit with Alienware’s AlienFX lighting, with 13 available lighting zones to mess around with. You’ve even got three different heights to choose from thanks to the adjustable legs on the bottom. One handy addition is a media control centre in the top right of the tech; there’s a useful volume scroll bar and mute button that allows you to play with your audio at a moment’s

around the outside of the screen. It looks like the crisp picture might jump out of the screen at you at any point. The best feature of the Alienware 25 is its

notice, without having to worry about function keys. All of the keys are individually programmable, and are rated for 50 million clicks each. There’s a Windows Key Lock button, too, so there's no worrying about activating the home button while you’re playing.

manoeuvrability; this monitor will move virtually anywhere you want it to. You can

move it up and down vertically, push it forward or backward, or

swivel it around. You don’t need to worry about it sitting too high or too low on your desk – you can set it to exactly where you want it to be. Just be sure to watch out for the sharp edges. If you’re in the market for a reliable, sturdy, and flexible monitor, the Alienware 25 is a great screen to start with.

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General, Online interactivity

© 2005-2017 Take-Two Interactive Software and its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. 2K, the 2K logo, and Take-Two Interactive Software are all trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. The NBA and individual NBA member team identifications used on or in this product are trademarks, copyrights designs and other forms of intellectual property of NBA Properties, Inc. and the respective NBA member teams and may not be used, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of NBA Properties, Inc. © 2017 NBA Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. “ 2 ”, “PlayStation” and “ Ø ” are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other marks are property of their respective owners.

GAMES PREVIEWS

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OUT THIS MONTH SEPTEMBER GAMES

DESTINY 2 GENRE: FPS PLATFORM: PS4 | XBO | PC RELEASE: 06/09/17 MULTIPLAYER: YES Eyes up, Guardians. Bungie are back with a brand new addition to the Destiny universe; forget DLC, this is a fully-fledged sequel. Destiny 2 sees the Cabal Red Legion and their commander, Lord Ghaul, attack the Tower, take The Traveller, and relieve Guardians of their Light. It's up to you to start from scratch and rebuild everything your enemies have torn down. Of course, there are a bunch of new weapons, and a new subclass each for Hunters, Titans, and Warlocks. And this time it's coming to PC, too.

Did you know? Destiny 2 will feature a new PvP mode - Countdown.

A new year brings with it a new iteration of popular football sim FIFA. The Journey makes a return, along with some updated gameplay changes. Game on! Out September 29. FIFA 18

The masters of realism in racing sims, Project Cars has returned for round two. Slightly Mad Studios are back at the wheel, and there are more cars and tracks than you can shake a shifter at. Out September 22. PROJECT CARS 2

Return of the Knack! Everyone's favourite, adorable PS4-exclusive monster returns this month, with more moves to master and more tricky puzzles to solve. Out September 6. KNACK 2

The collision of fighting universes returns. Expect your favourite faces from both worlds, and the opportunity to inflict plenty of bruises. Out September 19. MARVEL VS CAPCOM INFINITE

The world's biggest basketball sim is back again this year. NBA 2K18 features an improved story mode, rebuilt graphics, and a whole new character creation system. Out September 15. NBA 2K18

Need an Arkane fix now that you've finished Prey ? The Dishonored universe is brought back to life through Death of the Outsider . The story follows Billie Lurk, introduced in the original Dishonored. Out September 15. DISHONORED: DEATH OF THE OUTSIDER

Rebooted for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, this sidescrolling, labyrinthine maze of a game will challenge your reflexes and wits as you battle the Metroids. Out September 16. METROID II: RETURN OF SAMUS

Just as fun as its Wii U counterpart - with some new mechanics thrown in - Pokken Tournament DX is the Pokemon battle arena rebuilt for the Switch. Out September 22. POKKEN TOURNAMENT DX

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GAMES REVIEWS

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STACK RECOMMENDS

Out now at JB Hi-Fi

UNCHARTED: THE LOST LEGACY GENRE: ACT/ADV PLATFORM: PS4 RELEASE: 23/08/17 MULTIPLAYER: YES

With Naughty Dog retiring traditional protagonist Nathan Drake from the franchise, the question of whether the Uncharted universe could continue to exist was a pertinent one. The Lost Legacy goes a long way to answering that. While not quite as long as a full Uncharted game – and priced accordingly – it features two female characters: Chloe Frazer, first introduced in Uncharted 2 , and mercenary treasure hunter Nadine Ross, from last year’s Uncharted 4 . This time the artifact of interest is the Horn of Ganesh and the unlikely pair adventure through the jungles of India in pursuit of the prize. Of course, they’re not alone in this quest, so along with the

hazardous environments en route, they must also contend with a nefarious local warlord and his acolytes. All the elements from Uncharted are present: cinematic visuals, puzzle solving elements, and classic shootout sequences rolled out across a compelling plot line. The real point of difference here is Nadine and Chloe. At first, they’re very strange bedfellows, but as the story progresses, so does their burgeoning relationship – it keeps the formula fresh. However, while Naughty Dog have proven that there’s more gas in the tank for the Uncharted series, the studio’s challenge now will be to rejuvenate a franchise that is starting to show signs of age.

AGENTS OF MAYHEM GENRE: ACT/ADV PLATFORM: PS4 | XBO | PC RELEASE: 18/08/17 MULTIPLAYER: NO

If you like your humour full of toilet puns and bad dad jokes, Agents of Mayhem may very well be the game for you. Saints Row franchise developers have crafted the game as a spin-off from Saints Row IV DLC Gat Out of Hell . Set in a fictionalised, futuristic version of Seoul, South Korea, you play as one of a number of Agents of Mayhem. You can choose from 12 Agents (13 if you pre-ordered) that can be taken three at a time into battle, and freely switched between at any point. Each Agent has a unique set of abilities and methods with which to take out their enemies, so you'll need to work to find which three are most

complementary to each other in the bid to dethrone the pernicious Legion and restore the Agency to its former glory. Each Agent has individual upgrades available to them, both to their kit and their abilities, and cosmetically. If you get bored of taking out Legion's seemingly endless waves of enemies, you can instead take to Seoul's open world and wander around as you see fit. Agents of Mayhem is hours of senseless fun, and will doubtlessly provide you with the Saints Row fix you've been craving.

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FOO FIGHTERS

ANGUS & JULIA STONE • ODESZA • TIRED LION • CITIZEN KAY

YOUR MONTHLY MUSIC GUIDE TO WHAT’S IN-STORE

MUSIC NEWS

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to STACK MUSIC

I f you have a look at the original Monopoly board game design, it’s remarkably similar to the modern Hasbro version. The reason that’s so amazing is that Monopoly is 82 years old, and has been locally licensed in more than 103 countries across the world. Turns out anti-monopolist and inventor of the game Elizabeth Magie was onto something. While we don’t anticipate that our Cal Jam ’17 board game might enjoy quite as long a life, creating it was definitely a lesson; it’s actually pretty easy to send your players into an endless “go back 3

spaces – go forward 3 spaces” loop if you don’t pay attention to the mechanics. Luckily Our Patto is a gun, and cooked up the delightful double-page board – based on the actual Cal Jam '17 site map – which you can find deeper into the section. We even had our cover artists and Cal Jam hosts the Foo Fighters play it themselves; check stack.com.au for the video, and be sure to read the review for the band’s new album Concrete And Gold on page 46, because I swear to Mr. Murphy it is a belter. Zo ë Radas (Music Editor)

CITIZEN KAY Isn't Love from Belly Of The Beast

EMMA RUSSACK Body Goals from Permanent Vacation

MOSES SUMNEY Quarrel from Aromanticism

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM Oh Baby from American Dream

Montaigne at The Triffid (QLD), sketched by Cookie. Flip to page 48 to see Cookie's other awesome live gig illustrations for the month.

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continued

INTERVIEW

GORDI Sophie Payten, AKA Gordi, has just released her debut album Reservoir .The former smalltown girl explained the story behind its devastatingly lovely, folktronica sound. M ost of us are subjected to our parents’ sometimes questionable music tastes during our formative years, and as we get older we either embrace those embarrassments or denounce them as godawful. For Sophie Payten, the gauche-for-some Aled Jones served as a link between her tranquil kidlet days and her adolescence. “My mum had the CD, and it had You Raise Me Up and other, y'know, classic hits,” she says of the famous Welsh choirboy’s record. “When I went away [from Canowindra, NSW] to boarding school [in Sydney], my first ever intro to performing was at an Eisteddfod. My mum was a piano teacher, so she accompanied me and I sang You Raise Me Up . I sang it before it was a big hit, I knew it before it really hit the charts,” she laughs. “It’s just beautiful, it’s very soothing. So when I was in boarding school, I was sleeping in a dormitory with 26 other girls and there were so many noises that I couldn’t sleep. I had a Discman, and I had this groovy little case that I could clip onto the end of my bed. I’d put one earphone in every night and it would kind of lull me to sleep. It takes me back to being that little 12-year-old, and going to the big smoke for the first time, and trying to settle down to sleep without my parents in the house. It holds a special place for me.” That boarding school experience ended up shaping the way Payten would write songs, as she transformed into her moniker Gordi. She believes that “writing about platonic relationships can be a great deal more powerful than writing about romantic ones”; it’s definitely true that friendships can be amazing in their complexity, when you think about the longevity of them. “You’re with these people 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for six years,” the musician says. “It’s such an intense experience. Those people become your family pretty quickly, and they watch you grow up so intimately, and

they’re going through the same things as well. It’s a really unique experience. Now I’m 24. I’m going through that period of figuring out who’s going to stay in my life for the long term. I find that really affects me – I’ve been struck by how tragic it can be when you just drift apart, with life taking you in different directions, and you’re

room. Unlike a lot of recording studios, it has a lot of natural light – they’re often dark and dank and they’re filled with smelly men most of the time,” she laughs. “There’s a bunch of pianos in there, and I would’ve done upwards of five takes that we included in the song from different pianos. But particularly the grand piano. I started building it layer by layer.” The murmuring effect she created using a “little machine called an OP1”, into which you can record and then sprinkle the pieces. “I said ‘heaven I know, heaven I know’ into the microphone and then I split it up breath by breath, and displayed little parts as the song went along, which made a kind of idiosyncratic tapestry,” she explains. Payten also played around with effects while recording the excellent Bitter End in Reykjavik (Iceland); the vocals sound like her voice is being fed like spaghetti through a leslie speaker. “I was singing through a really basic mic! We put it through a guitar amp, then we recorded it from the guitar amp with a really beautiful microphone,” she says. “I just stood in the back corner, as if I was beat boxing, with my hands over the microphone, singing. We did hours of that. I loved that sound so much, I borrowed it for a lot of other songs on the record. All the little vocal loops you hear in the background… it became a really nice texture that’s in a lot of places on the record, to try and link it all together. It gives a bit of a haunting vibe and it really takes me back to the Icelandic winter landscape.” ZKR

I’m going through that period of figuring out who’s going to stay in my life for the long term

watching it happen and there’s nothing you can really do about it because you’ve got to live your own life.” She mentions the track Heaven I Know as a song which particularly embodies this idea; it’s a gorgeous piano-led lament which contains

the line “I got older and we got tired, heaven I know that we tried”, with electronically-warped whispers and murmurs across its simple chords, gradually building into a glittering conclusion. Payten recorded it at Turning Studios in Sydney’s Surrey Hills, a place she found very inspiring. “It’s a beautiful spot; it has this lovely window that looks out of the control

Reservoir

by Gordi is out now via Liberation.

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