Gaming News - PS4 Shortages!

Hi there gamers!

Just a brief news report to update you on the status of Playstation 4 availability in Australia. So far ALL RETAILERS have sold out of Day 1 stock! However there is a second shipment late December which some retailers still claim they have allocations for.

JB Hi-fi have announced that any PS4 order made after Nov 20th will not be allocated for this year and will hopefully arrive in January.

Big W are claiming they still have some PS4 consoles allocated for the second shipment before Xmas so if your keen I suggest you head to your local Big W to see if they have any stock.

And lastly, in what has to be the biggest douche move ever by a company, Dick Smith are offering 300 people a chance to win a chance to buy (yes that's correct) a PS4. How it works is customers have to llike and share their Facebook page, then write in 50 words or less what they are looking forward to the most for the PS4, then show up to the midnight launch where MAYBE they may be able to buy a console. That's right, to win your chance to purchase, for the full price, a PS4 console, you have to attend a midnight launch not knowing if you can get a console or not.

In unrelated news the Tech giant is changing their slogan from "Talk to a techspert" to "Talk to a dick head."

Have a great night gamers!

Call of Duty: Ghosts Review

To accommodate our readers, this review will be split in two, half for campaign, and the other for multiplayer, with individual scores for each, plus a combined overall score.

*The Generation Gap*
The game doesn't differ much between formats, all current Gen titles are nearly identical although there have been reports of frame rate issues on the PS3 for some unexplained reasons. The Wii U version is comparable to the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions graphically which is a little disappointing considering the Wii U sits somewhere in between current Gen and Next Gen. One thing the Wii U does have over it's counterparts is the use of the touchscreen gamepad which makes selecting load outs and kill streaks streamlined and more precise while the addition of offscreen play will delight many partners who want to watch the cricket or latest episode of vampire diaries.

Campaign

The campaign follows two brothers after the USA has been reduced to ruins following an orbital attack. You can see that Infinity Ward tried to flesh out the characters but since you play one who never says anything, it's hard to see a bond there. Your father is a commander in what's left of The States military and unfortunately his character development begins and ends with "'Murica!" The whole point of the story is about a squad known only as the "Ghosts" who are supposedly the best of the best, but a few levels in they just give you membership.

The campaign is rather standard length compared to most Call of Duties but the tedium and overuse of recycled "shooting galleries" make it seem like it goes on forever. Speaking of recycled material, there is a part of the first game that literally copies the ending of Modern Warfare 2 exactly, save for the reskinning of the characters, It's clear that the series is starting to falter.

The main problem is it's blatant American patriotism and it's "Cinematic scenes" which are simply moments when control is taken away from the player. At first, the series campaign was amazing, all the way up to Black ops, but I feel that Activision got too comfortable and figured they would sell the game on the name alone. It's a shame because Call of Duty has so much potential, but it's wasted in Ghosts.

Finally, the game has been touted as a next generation Call of Duty, but really it's the same graphics engine as Black Ops 2 with enhanced lighting and fish that swim away when you go near them. That's... about... it...

There is a saving grace however...

Multiplayer

As mentioned earlier in the campaign section of this review, there is a bit of recycled material when it comes to Ghosts multiplayer. Many maps are rehashes such as a train yard from CoD 2 and the highway map off Modern Warfare 1. While it doesn't affect the review score as those maps are fun to play I cant help but feel gamers will be stung by DLC prices when they release fresh maps. The new maps however are a welcome treat, giving you open grasslands surrounding a derelict castle, or a jungle surrounding a prison. There are no longer many claustrophobic hallways that encourage "gremlins" as Infinity ward have favoured a lot of open maps encouraging medium to long range engagement. Multiplayer, is tight and fast as in previous titles but the new small touches are what makes this game feel a bit better. 

Examples of this are things like the overhauled customization of your character, making you look more unique and giving players something more to work towards. Weapons are no longer locked by your character level either, instead they are all unlockable from the start using currency you earn as you tear through the ranks. Smg's are no longer instant kill death machines as all weapons have been balanced more which also makes your sidearm a viable primary weapon. The perk system has been expanded to make your character suit you better. Want to sprint while reloading? Done! Want to start with maximum ammo? Done! The amount of options for your character is at least double, if not triple than what previous Call of Duty titles have offered. 

Kill streak rewards are no longer ridiculously overpowered and you can even call in your own guard dog who will bark if an enemy is nearby and attempt to avenge your death if necessary. All these small changes are what makes me want to invest more time online in this title.

Another thing worth mentioning is player count has dropped to 12 players (6 a side) which I know has upset some reviewers. This can make the maps seem a little empty at times but all in all I feel this is a good thing. The result is a more tactical game where players tend to stick together and work as a team instead of the usual lone wolf affair. All in all Ghosts offers the best multiplayer experience in the series, delivering the best bits of all the cod games, at the expense of originality.

A new entry into Multiplayer is the Left for Dead inspired "Extinction" mode, which sees players battling aliens COD Zombies style, while progressing through a sort of mini campaign. The matches I played were a blast and I really enjoyed leveling up a separate character in different ways to play different roles such as a tank, DPS, or support class.

Final Thoughts

Writing this review has been tough. I bet reading it you would think two separate people wrote it. Bottom line is I like Call of Duty Ghosts, but the campaign really brought it down. I hope Activision take on board the player feedback (which has largely been negative) and turn Call of Duty back into the AAA franchise it deserves to be. It will be interesting to see how next years installment turns out as it will be solely focused on next gen. Until then we are stuck somewhere in between, a fantastic multiplayer title, marred by the worst campaign in the series.

So Whats it like?

Campaign is like watching a Michael Bay movie
Multiplayer is like Vanilla Cod mixed with Modern Warfare 1.

I give it 6.5/10 as a game overall,
but 8/10 for Multiplayer alone.

******A lot of gamers have asked me if reviewers get paid to give games like this a good score... While Activision did fly a lot of game journalists to a reviewers event to review the game, most of these journalists are very professional and since my score reflects what they gave (with a few exceptions), it's safe to say they aren't paid to give good scores.*******

I will say this though... This reviewer paid for Ghosts with his own money, and had to review this game on his own time.

The Philosophy of Awesome

Fire and Ice brofist... Awesome!

The Philosophy of Awesome, is quite simply, my personal view on things. It's not that I think I'm awesome, it's that I encourage myself to be awesome. There's a difference, let me explain.

People who think they are awesome tend to ignore those around them, people who try to be awesome are considerate of others and generally have a positive view on things, while trying to improve themselves.

My Philosophy of Awesome started with a chance meeting with a gentleman whom I can't entirely remember in the Neurological Ward of Gold Coast Hospital...

Lying in my bed feeling sorry for myself, I wondered "Why me?" My thoughts were interrupted by the man lying in the bed next to me. We made small talk and as you do, ask the age old hospital question "How did you wind up in here?" He told me that he was working in his garage when his heart gave out, causing him to collapse in agony on the floor, He then spend the next 20 or so minutes, crawling to his bedroom to get his wife to call the ambulance, dropping in and out of consciousness. I asked him if he was scared, thinking he was going to die. He answered, "No... No I wasn't scared because I had no regrets. When I die, I'll die with a smile on my face."

I had regrets.

I wasn't ready to die and when I initially collapsed, the feeling was so surreal. I don't remember much about it, just that I had no control over what was happening. It was the most frightening moment of my life, not because I thought I was going to die, death is inevitable, but because I had regrets.

Did my wife know how much she meant to me?
Did I make my parents proud?
Was I a good person?

So many questions that would have been unanswered, questions I don't want to ask myself when I finally go.

The man next to me went for his big operation the next day, but he never came back. I like to think he made it, and just got moved to a different ward, and now he's somewhere fishing with his wife, being the awesome guy that he was. But if he didn't make it, I hope that he knows his words inspired my Philosophy of Awesome, and changed my life more than the stroke ever could.

So I encourage all of you to be awesome, and I will post an Awesome message most days to help encourage people. If you have an Awesome saying or thought for the day, please share it with us. Most importantly, be Awesome to each other. Let your partner know how much they mean to you, even if your fighting. Be good to other gamers online, there's no need for exchanging hateful words. Tell someone you appreciate them.

It's not about being a saint, it's about trying to be Awesome and encouraging others to be awesome too.

Let's be Awesome together!

-Sarge

*Want to see our Awesome messages of the day? Follow us on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/SOGwhatsitlike

Gaming Fit - The tools of the trade

SO to get fit while gaming I knew I needed some hardware. Thankfully, Nintendo are offering a free copy of Wii Fit U under the condition you have a balance board already and purchase a Wii Fit U meter which is essentially a pedometer that uploads your daily steps to the Wii U console. I then "borrowed my wife's Xbox with Kinect for her Zumba and fitness games. But I knew hardware wasn't just going to cut it, so I contacted "Being this Girl*" for some app advice.

Zumba, Not for the feint at heart!

Despite not actually being a girl, the team at "Being this Girl" were more than happy to help. "Being this Girl is a Facebok page dedicated to helping people lose weight by helping people out with fitness and food ideas, as well as sharing their own weight loss journey.

The team suggested I should use a program called "My Fitness Pal" which is available on all phone platforms, and offers intricately detailed calorie counting. While taking a bite out of my Big Mac, I downloaded the software and was surprised to know just how much calories go into certain foods. My Fitness Pal is essential to track your daily nutrition and exercise needs and even if you don't have a fitness game for your console, this app alone will do fine.

The most important app in weight loss...

Another team member added in a suggestion for motivation. "Why not download an app called Zombies! Run!?" So I did. Apart from constantly needing to change my underwear every run now, I have the added motivation of an imaginary horde of zombies chasing me. You see, Zombies! Run! plays audio through your phone while tracking the distance you run. The more you run, the more you can upgrade your home base, unlocking more running missions.

So all loaded up with apps and motivation, I said goodbye to the team at Being This Girl and said hello to the first day of the new me...


*You don't actually have to be a girl to follow the team at Being this Girl! Simply click the link below to like and follow their great stories of helping people become happier and healthier versions of themselves. I find the site great for motivation and seeing the transformations of the people doing the body challenges is great! Keep up the good work girls!

Check out Being this Girl here!

Gaming Fit - An Introduction

Here's a story you may not know about the Sarge...

I used to be fit, super fit. I could run long distances, bench press some big weights, and went to the gym more than I played games. I enlisted in the Defense Force and wanted to be the soldier that terrorists feared. Unfortunately life sometimes gives you hurdles, and things sometimes don't work out exactly as planned.

I was discharged from the RAAF for medical reasons and I think a part of me died when that happened. Instead of returning to my super soldier training regime, I gave up. I refused to press continue...

Health problems caught up to me and fast forwarding 4 years, I had a stroke in the base of my brain.

I'm ok! didn't use my brain anyways!

Things aren't as depressing as this probably sounds because I have an amazing wife who supported me and helped nurse me back to health, she became my pillar to lean on, my strength, and she brought me back from the dead so to speak. Almost 2 years have passed since then and things have been good. Yes, health has been a struggle, but we have made many leaps in progress and I am very lucky to have good friends who gave me a job when I refused to sit at home on a disability pension, and who are still very supportive of my constant doctor visits which probably interrupt their business more than they let on.

Reason #1 for health kick... Hospital food is shit!

You see, all my friends and family who have helped me out never asked for anything in return. They would drop everything to help me, put up with hearing about my problems, all while never asking for a thing.

But now it's time to pay them back...

It's not about time or money.
It's not about working more hours.
It's about giving people the best of me...

I owe it to my parents, my friends, my boss, my readers, my wife, but most importantly I owe it to myself.

Now as much as I want to go back to super soldier training, my body can't handle that at the moment. But I have been cleared medically for light cardio exercise and I intend to lose weight and shape up, and in the future, return to my old fitness level, and I want you all to join me.

So please enjoy our new weekly article about gaming fit, using video games as physical rehabilitation, along with health and fitness advice by trained professionals, and I hope that it may encourage people to find a good balance in life and a healthier, happier you.

Thank you all for your amazing support.

Sports! Graphics are awesome, gameplay is hard!

Joshua Hawthorn (Sarge)

Sarge's Gaming Intel

Bureaucracy and Bargains a plenty!

Welcome back to What's it Like Gamers, I sincerely apologize for my long hiatus. Tonight's exciting for me as I begin a gaming fueled health kick! Nerd VS Wild also returns this week! Now I know What's it Like is probably the most important news around, but here's some other Gaming news that might interest you!

The government wastes money reclassifying already released games!

That's the Taxpayers getting shot...

Yep... Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell and Gears of War Judgement are 2 of the 12 games the government decided to spend $300,000 bumping them up to an R-18 rating, thankfully our hospital and education systems can not be improved at all... right guys?

JB Hifi sells Splinter Cell for $30 on Wii U!

I think someone goofed...

Speaking of Splinter Cell, JB Hifi have Splinter Cell: Blacklist on sale for $30! The game is great and we are currently in the process of reviewing it. If you have a Wii U and like action games, I suggest grabbing this before they bump the price back up!

Wii Fit U is Free!!! (Sort of)

Health and games? Awesome!

I think nearly everyone has a Wii Fit Balance Board gathering dust in their wardrobe. Well if you got a Wii U it's time to dig it out because you can sort of, kinda, maybe get it FREE! All you have to do is purchase a Wii Fit U Meter which is a pedometer and sync it to the free copy of Wii Fit U you download off the eShop! Bargain!

New World Of Warcraft Expansion Announced!

Goodbye social life...

Warlords of Draenor has been announced! Level cap is raised to 100 and players can upgrade and build their own stronghold. We will hopefully be doing a feature on it in the next few days!

That's it for today in the news gamers! Don't forget to check out our new Gaming Fit article tonight!

-Sarge

Pokemon EV and Stat guide

The world is your Cloyster!

Actual in game footage!

So we have already covered the fact you wanna be the very best, but do you know about Effort Value (EV) training? In previous games, EV's were boosted by battling certain Pokemon which would add points to certain skills. It was tedious, boring and strictly for unemployed people who had waaaaaaaay too much time on their hands.

Pokemon X and Y now feature super training! Even though battling certain Pokemon raises different values, you can now specifically train your Pokemon by playing the mini games under the Super Training touch screen.

This one...

But hey, slow down there cowboys and girls, before you get started you should know what the stats effect and what's best for your Pokemon by referring to this little guide...

HP - This stat refers to how much health your Pokemon has, raising it increases how many hits your Pokemon can take.

ATTACK - This stat controls how much "Physical Damage" your Pokemon does. Raising it will increase the damage normal, melee hits do such as Headbutt, Tackle, and Scratch.

DEFENSE - This stat is the opposite to Attack, it reduces the amount of damage your Pokemon receives from physical attacks.

SPEED - Raising this stat can give you the advantage in battle by making your attacks go first!

SP. DEF - Special defense reduces damage taken from special attacks such as watergun, ember and thunderbolt.

SP. ATK - This stat raises the damage your Pokemon does when using special attacks as mentioned above.

Now we got that covered there are 2 very important things you should know. 1st, remember you can only use a certain amount of EV training sessions before your Pokemons Stats are maxed. This is represented by a vertical bar on the left hand side of the touch screen. 2nd, certain stats will increase more than others depending on your Pokemon. A good example of this is Blastoise is slow, but has high HP, so training Defense, Special Defense and HP will make a great Blastoise Tank while on the other hand, Pikachu will benefit more from Speed and Special attack training. You can determine what will work best by picking the higher base stats on your Pokemon, then keep training them up. You will waste precious EV points if you say, try to make Blastoise fast. This will only average him out instead of making an exceptional Pokemon.

Finally, use a Pokemon that your are not planning on using to unlock the mini games. If you use your main Pokemon, remember to switch them for their specific stat training sessions as not to waste EV's.

The more training sessions you play, the more punching bags you unlock, which in turn trains your Pokemon faster.

Well I hope you Pokemaniacs are still enjoying the game and maybe this article can give you the advantage you need to be the very best. If you find it helpful, feel free to share it on Facebook. Any questions? You can always message us on our Facebook Page and we will get back to you as fast as a Pikachus Quick Attack!

Until next time,

-PKMN TRAINER Sarge!

3 great Pokemon you may have missed...

Hi Gamers! Hope you are all enjoying the new Pokemon game as much as I am so far. I just wanted to let you know that there are 3 great Pokemon you may have missed before the 2nd gym leader.

#1. Torchic.

Torchic can be obtained by selecting "Mystery Gift" from the main menu before you start your game. Choose to recieve the gift via the internet and Torchic will be given to you by a girl standing next to the counter at the Pokecentre. Torchic is also holding its mega evolution stone for when it evolves into Colonel Sanders worst nightmare!

#2. Pikachu.

Possibly the most popular Pokemon. Pikachu can be caught very early in the game once you enter the ******** Forest. Pikachu is rarer than most so you may have to battle a few Caterpies and Weedles before if becomes yours. Interestingly, Pikachu has the anime voice acting instead of the old sounds from Red and Blue that sounded like Wall-E making love to a Speak N Spell.

#3. Aerodactyl (Big thanks to DanDan for showing me this!)

Aerodactyl is a Fossil/Flying Pokemon that's hidden in the same are you recieve your Jaw or Sail fossil. (The area you ride a Ryhorn.) Simply take a Pokemon who knows the TM "Rock Smash" which was obtained earlier in the game and smash all rocks in the cave where you fight "Team Flare." Sometimes, you will battle a Pokemon or receive an item, but if you are lucky, you will receive and "Old Amber." Take the Amber back to the fossil lab and they will restore it to an Aerodactyl! Aerodactyl also has a mega evolution but doesn't come with its Mega Stone.

BONUS TIP. When you select your Kanto starter, speak to the lady professor on the same floor. She will give you the TM "False Swipe" which is instrumental in capturing Pokemon. False Swipe will never make another Pokemon faint, it will reduce them to 1 HP however making it easier to catch em all!

So there you have it! Hope you enjoy catching them all. Let us know of any Pokemon we may have missed and if yu found this guide handy. tell your friends! For other tips mainly on Breeding and Trading, Check out our guide here (http://sogwhatsitlike.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/want-to-trade-with-very-best.html)

Until then Pokemaniacs!

PKMN TRAINER Sarge.

Want to trade with the very best?

Hi there! My name is Proffesor Sarge and I'm a Pokemon breeder and trader. In this mini guide I will cover the birds and the beedrills of Pokemon breeding, and how you can use these skills to master the Pokemon Global Trade System (GTS.) But first, are you a boy or a girl?

Like the Mexican girl on those taco ads... Why not have both? (Or in this case all 3!)

Ok so here's how I busted into the Global Trade scene. My starter was a Froakie, since I always go for water types. About an hour into the game I got to choose my so called "second starter." Instead of mixing it up, I chose Squirtle as Blastoise is my favorite Pokemon ever!

THIS GUY!

Then shortly after I chose my second starter, I came across a sleeping Snorlax. I retrieved the Pokeflute, woke and captured our lazy friend which unlocked access to the Pokemon Daycare centre. This is when things get interesting. So the first thing you need to know about breeding is Pokemon only breed with certain egg groups. You can't breed a Charmander with a Pikachu for example but I could breed an amphibious Froakie with a Squirtle. Eggs always come out as the same Pokemon as the mother. My Squirtle, being a lady, layed another Squirtle egg which I hatched (This takes time!) Since Starter Pokemon are very rare, I traded my Squirtle for a Charmander, bred another Squirtle and kept trading away. If you follow my steps below, you will be able to trade for most Pokemon on the Global Trade Network, possibly even some legendaries!

1. Unlock Pokemon Daycare. 

2. If one of your starters is a female, breed it with another Pokemon.*

*To do this, drop the intended breeders off to the daycare center. Pokemon eggs and breeding cycles are counted in steps so walk as far left as you can to the cave, then as far right as you can, head left and as you pass the day care center, talk to the guy out front. He may say how good your Pokemons get along, If he does this keep on walking, but sometimes he will say "Oh it's you!" then tells you about how they found and egg. Carry the egg on you and after about 15 laps of walking left and right it may hatch, if it doesn't, walk a little longer!

3. You can then trade this starter for other starters (Aim for Female species or get a Ditto first!)

4. Also trade for a Ditto! Dittos can breed with any species (except legendaries) and the egg will always be the other Pokemon.

If you have any questions about it, let us know on our Facebook page and we will help you as best as we can. Happy Trading!

-PKMN TRAINER Sarge

Scam Alert! - The Over-payment Scam

Do you use Ebay or Gumtree? Well this month The AVG antivirus group have announced the Online Shopping Over-pay scam is their number one reported problem.

So what is the over-payment

scam? I'm glad you asked...

Hackers are sending emails out to users of Ebay, Gumtree and Paypal saying that they were over-payed and wish to return the excess money to you. (Bless their souls) As usual, the  hackers ask for your personal details, mainly your Paypal account which they then fleece.

Remember, the legitimate Ebay, Gumtree and Paypal already have your details and will never contact you asking for personal information! Simply delete the email and enjoy your time online!

-Sarge

Nerd VS Wild - The EPIC adventure!

          

 Time for an EPIC Adventure

After conquering Mt Doom, I mean The Kings Highway, we drove into the sleepy national capital of Canberra. The first thing we noticed was the ACT was rather small. When we first pulled up to the Exhibition Park In Canberra, the local showgrounds, we thought it must have been a hike to the main city, but it wasn’t. EPIC (as it’s known) was an awesome place to camp. There were huge fields for Dogzilla to go mental and the amenities were spotless. The camp spots were large and with the exception of one of those damn hippie campers blaring music till 3 in the morning, the people were good.

We unpacked and because it was late in the afternoon, decided our EPIC Adventure would start tomorrow. After a night of Minecraft, we ditched the dog and headed into the capital. For such a small city there is plenty to do and keep you occupied. We visited Parliament house and toured around where this great country was run (or destroyed depending on your political alignment.) Parliament house was amazing and in it I saw the most Australian thing ever! You see, they have a cinema in Parliament House showing a documentary on how it was built. In this documentary I saw a moustached man, wearing stubbies, drinking a fosters beer, while eating a meat pie… It made me proud to be an Australian!

All jokes aside, our next stop was the Australian War Memorial. This building housed all the artefacts of how Australia forged its identity during the great conflicts of our time. My Father once told me that it was an emotional place and I always thought it couldn’t affect me; I lasted until the main lobby. First thing I saw was one of the landing boats used in Gallipoli riddled with bullet holes. I can’t even begin to imagine the horrors the Anzacs went through there. I wont go into detail describing the countless things you can see at the Memorial, but I will say one thing, when you get to the wall where all the servicemen and women are listed with poppies hanging out of the plaques, it’s hard not to get emotional. You almost need 2 days to see the war memorial. It is amazing and draining at the same time.

After exploring the city we picked up Dogzilla from the kennel and headed back to Chernobyl van. Cooking some snags on the gas stove I reflected on how awesome Australia is when suddenly my thoughts were interrupted by an unknown number calling on my phone…

To be continued!

Random Access Memories Album Review

Random Access Memories. Other than being incredibly smart, catchy as hell, toe-tappingly funky and ambitious to boot, this album is just smooth. Looking at the track list, featuring the spontaneous dance-inducing ‘Get Lucky’, I envision it as a multi-coloured line of perfectly crafted cocktails. A rainbow of fluorescent colours and retro decorations stand out as they remain perfectly still, preserved under a spotlight illuminating them on the neon lit bar. I pick the first one up; a drink the bartender nicknamed ‘Give Life Back to Music’. Odd name for a cocktail I thought, with an appearance akin to a Singapore Sling. I put the glass to my lips and take a sip, and all at once the taste overpowers my senses like a rush of adrenaline and instantly I am eagerly anticipating the next drink. Boom! What a perfect start to the night! Excuse me while I demonstrate my dreadful dance moves (no fault of the music).

Now at this point I should probably progress this review, but why spoil that great metaphor I had going? So for your consideration; the cocktails I see each track being (or that you should drink as an accompaniment):

Give Life Back to Music – Singapore Sling
The Game of Love – Hot Buttered Rum
Giorgio by Moroder – Mojito

Within – French (pun intended) Martini

Instant Crush – Mango Daquiri

Lose Yourself to Dance – Tequila Sunrise

Touch – Orange-Lime Relaxer

Get Lucky – Margherita

Beyond – Mulata Daisy

Motherboard – Absinthe Sazerac

Fragments of Time – Piña Colada

Doin’ It Right – White Negroni

Contact – White Russian

Horizon – Toblerone

Well now that we’re all thirsty, wasted or both, let’s continue shall we? So ‘RAM’ gently nudges us back to the 70’s disco era; when flowing hair, bell-bottoms and glorious tassels adorned both artist and audience alike, and the trip is a memorable one. This album received mixed reviews, some of which say that DP overshot in their ambition, producing something redundant in the face of their previous works and ability to remain culturally relevant. I disagree. The anticipation for a new album has been building exponentially since ‘Human After All’ and ‘Discovery’. DP knew that, and capitalized on it to guarantee a world-wide audience. Folks gotta stop living in the past! Listen, wanting another album that sounds that same as the last just because the last was awesome is the same as wanting a sequel for a movie that doesn’t need it just because you love the movie. It would sour the taste and become forced and boring, like The Matrix, Jaws or Shrek *shudder*.

Other older genres such as Psychedelia have been polished a bit and brought into the modern ear by artists like The Flaming Lips or Tame Impala, maturing it like a fine wine and allowing newer audiences to embrace the old and the new, but the overflowing ambition of Daft Punk is as intense as the existential crisis of a swinging hippy on New Year’s Day 1970. They redefined what dance music means to us once before, and of course, they’ve undeniably done it again. Daft Punk is an enigmatic entity, and this album is an utterly triumphant robotic paradise. The question is: Can you game to this album? My answer: Most definitely, as long as you’re willing to skip ‘Within’ (not exactly a song to slay dragons in Skyrim to). Now just as food for thought, what if the original members of the band passed the torch years ago, in their stead leaving an ever changing shift of talented musicians that are simply known as 'Daft Punk'? Interesting theory… now excuse me while I go make myself fourteen cocktails.

-Declan Nicholls

*When he's not staying up all night to get lucky, Declan enjoys playing N64 games and kicking ass playing his guitar, kind of like Scott Pilgrim except cooler. He enjoys long walks along the beach and candle lit dinners. Do you have something you want to review? Send it in to 308.PS3@gmail.com!

GTA V - First thoughts *No Spoilers*

Last night I finally got the time to take GTA V for a spin and had a few people ask me today "What's it like?" So here is my quick rundown on a review in progress.

A few things to note right off the bat. The game is beautiful... It uses the RAGE engine to render the game world in bright and vibrant colors while running at a silky smooth framerate.

The characters are interesting, they have flaws and seem "real."

The world is huge... like 10 time the amount of GTA 4. I have logged about 4 hours and haven't left the city yet.

The missions are varied and exciting. Stealth missions are a blast as they aren't punishing if you mess up, other missions are action packed.

Controls and gunplay are tight. Gunfights are more intense and the reworked cover system is fantastic.

The city is well designed too. It's not as easy to outrun cops and many times I found myself having to fight my way out of a dead end alley.

Car handling is reworked so they don't feel like wheels are butter. A few gamers have complained about it but once you get used to it, it makes for more exciting chase scenes.

The game is very impressive. I wasn't' a huge fan of the GTA PS2 games but am finding GTA V to be shaping up to be one of my favorites. A few downsides are racial stereotyping and excessive language but nothing on the level of Saints Row.

GTA V is almost certainly a must buy game even for people who haven't enjoyed the previous titles. The rich narrative, engaging missions and numerous non criminal activities keep me wanting to jump into the world of Los Santos time and time again.

-Sarge out!

Controversy - The Fake Cocaine GTA Launch

What's a Grand Theft Auto game release without a little controversy? This week saw EB Games host midnight launches country wide. At one store on the Gold Coast, this happened...

photo Reddit user MattWestacott

Now people who know me know I'm a big supporter of EB Games. I love their enthusiasm and staff, I love they brought gaming expos to Australia. But this... this is something a little different.

A Gold Coast EB Store used "Wizz Fizz" to simulate cocaine on the sales counter during a midnight launch of Grand Theft Auto. Initially, it was swept under the rug but then a photo posted by Reddit user MattWestacott went viral, and everybody lost their minds. EB have since issued a statement saying...

"Regrettably, one of our EB Games store locations in Queensland set-up an unauthorised display within the store in support of the launch of the Grand Theft Auto V video game,The display included a white powdery substance that appeared to be some form of an illegal drug. We can confirm that the powdery substance was 'sherbet', a type of fizzy candy, and at no point did the store attempt to give any of the fizzy candy away. This was an isolated incident, and we apologise for any offence this may cause."

Before I go on I wish to note that I know the staff and store members involved in the incident and they are not bad people, they simply tried to promote a game and went the wrong way about it. This was an R18+ event for an R18+ game, but the damage done by this promotion is far spread throughout the gaming community.

So why is this so offensive?

Let's start with gamers. I'm not going to rant about wanting gamers to be taken seriously because gaming shouldn't be serious. It's a fun, great way to spend some time after work to chill out. Unfortunately, people who don't play games think we are a bunch of violent, anti social nerds who do nothing but stay inside and waste their lives away. The use of fake drugs in this promotion gives people more ammunition about how games corrupt our society and are "evil." Here's an extract from a New York Times Article on GTA V...

"The game's genuinely problematic aspect is not its enthusiasm for violence or sex but its lack of interest in women as something other than lustful airheads"

The Grand Theft Auto brand is damaged as people see this game as the worst of the worst video games when it comes to stylized violence and drug use. The media have a very biased view to GTA and so far all I have read in newspapers is how EB were promoting a game that encourages players to use drugs and kill people. A lack of education in the general public and this biased view further damages the GTA brand.

EB Games have always promoted themselves as a family friendly brand, they try their best to promote a positive experience for young and old by changing the way they advertise, communicate and interact with gamers. This sets them back a few steps as parents are horrified that drug use was "glorified" by members of EB Games.

But you know what the worst part is? Simply put, drugs are terrible.

On our streets, people are dying from drug overdoses, being robbed for drug money, gangs are terrorizing society, and drug related crime is on the rise. GTA has drug related themes, but it doesn't shove them in the face of the public. They are viewed by players who purchase the game. The real damage is done to the people who have been victims of drug related crime or lost loved ones to drugs, who pick up the newspaper today and Misinterpret that gamers, GTA and EB Games think drugs are fun and cool, and used that to make a few bucks.*

-Sarge out

 *Clearly this was not the intention of those involved and simply the general consensus of the public.

History Professor Sarge - The Evolution of Grand Theft Auto

Sit up straight class. I want to tell a story. A story of rags to riches and how a glitch became one of the most anticipated games franchises in history!

I remember the day I picked up a copy of the very first Grand Theft Auto. My Windows 95, Pentium 120 with 32 meg of RAM was a computing beast and I needed something to play on it. While waiting for it to install I read a copy of PC Powerplay. In the magazine there were two reviews side by side. One of a game called Postal, and one of GTA. In between the reviews, there was a black highlighted section titled "Innocence lost" or something like that. The editor at the time gave GTA a 6/10 and used this small section to blast the developers of both games. The editor asked who would play such "violent and messed up games" and I knew then, this game was going to ruffle some feathers.

Ruffle some feathers it did, constantly being blamed for influencing childrens violent behavior, GTA appears in news headlines almost weekly. But the controversy is not what made GTA become a successful franchise. As a matter of fact, if they stayed on the same path, Grand Theft Auto probably would have failed. Rockstar saw this and developed a shock value game into a living, breathing world with fleshed out characters and a great narrative that made gamers want to see what happened in their game.

Grand theft auto hit the scene in 1997. The game originated from a glith in another game called "Race and Chase" which saw street racers try to outrun police cruisers. The glitch made the cops attempt to run the cars off the road and play testers thought it was awesome. Rockstar, (originally called "DMA Design") created Grand theft auto around this glitch and released the classic top down game we know today.

GTA 2 released hot off the heels of the first games success in 1999. It introduced a new gang alignment system that allowed players to choose their own missions. While the game was well received by critics with less controversy than the first, the new gang system wasn't very popular and was scrapped for GTA 3.

GTA 3 was the first major evolution for the series. A deeper narrative was delivered by supporting characters interacting with a largely silent protagonist. For the first time ever, GTA was fleshed out in full 3D with very impressive graphics, physics and a day and night cycle with dynamic weather. GTA 3 was very well received and for most, this is where Grand Theft Auto began. GTA 3 also spawned several spin-offs like San Andreas (the most popular GTA title to date) and Vice City.

GTA IV had a much longer development cycle compared to the other games in the series due to it debuting on the current generation systems. The engine was rebuilt from the ground up which gave NPC's jobs and tasks to do on their every day business. The size of the game was scaled down to fit in a more detailed and interactive experience. The main character, Nico Belic, had a personality and an interesting story to uncover. Multiplayer was introduced with MMO style deathmatches and countless activities to participate in. GTA IV had 2 expansion packs, The lost and Damned which followed a bikie gane and The ballad of Gay tony, which saw players take the role of a nightclub enforcer.

The latest evolution of GTA has so many features, almost too many to list here. Since it gets released at midnight, we won't give much away except it is going to be the biggest and best GTA game to date!

Have fun tomorrow gamers as you explore Los Santos!

-History Professor Sarge (Nes.SNES.N64.PS3.GC.360.WU)