What’s On: May 2016

Super Smash Bros. Tournament

Want to do a little good for the community? Well as luck would have it, with Starlight Week kicking off on May 1, EB Games and World Square are hoping to raise at least $1,000 for sick kids. To aid that noble goal, The Nerd Cave[above] will be hosting a Super Smash Bros. Wii U Tournament on Friday May 6 from 6-9pm. All combatants must register for the event, which includes a $5 donation to the Starlight foundation. It’s an all-ages event, so invite your friends, bring your 3DS for some StreetPassing goodness and get ready to fight for a good cause. For more details, visit thenerdcave.com.au.

On The Floor At Vivid

Taking place as a part of this year’s Vivid celebrations is an intellectual look at the video games industry with On The Floor Presents: Cultivating Creativity In Australia, The Future Of Video Games. Led by IGN Australia’s Lucy O’Brien, the event rounds up some of the local scene’s finest to explore why our interactive entertainment sector is lagging, despite gaming reaching a wider audience than it ever has before. Taking part in the discussion are Senator Scott Ludlam, game developer Nic Watt, and one of the people behind PAX Australia and Oz Comic-Con, Guy ‘Yug’ Blomberg. It all takes place on Tuesday June 7, so make sure you jump onto vividsydney.com to buy tickets before they sell out.

News:

Special Delivery

If you’re anything like us, waiting for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End can be a painful ordeal. Yet while the game isn’t scheduled to land on our shores until Tuesday May 10, there are some fans who are claiming to be lucky enough to already have it in their hot little hands. You’ll need to head to the UK if you want to try your luck, however, as reports have circulated that at least one person there picked up a copy from their local retailer weeks early, while others have taken to Twitter claiming that Amazon has also dispatched the PS4 exclusive before its allowed street date. Moral of the story: if you’re a massive Uncharted fan, tread lightly on the internet for a little while to avoid any nasty spoilers.

Back In Black

Two of the founders behind id Software (the studio responsible for Wolfenstien, Doom and Quake), John Romero and Adrian Carmack, have suspended the Kickstarter attempt to fund their brand new FPS, Blackroom. Expected to launch around summer 2018 on PC and Mac, the developers describe it as a “visceral, varied and violent shooter that harkens back to classic FPS play with a mixture of exploration, speed, and intense, weaponised combat”. They also claim that the finished game will have a single player campaign and dedicated multiplayer nodes. The campaign had achieved US$131,052 of its $700,000 goal. Romero informed backers the Kickstarter would return when a full gameplay demo was ready.

Review: Dark Souls III(PS4, XBO, PC)

★★★★½

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When most people play video games, they do so to escape the hustle and bustle of life. To enter a foreign world and do things they’d only ever dreamt of. Most of all, they play to have fun and put a smile on their face. Dark Souls fans do not share the same sentiments. They enjoy constant failure, incredibly challenging mechanics and a constant feeling of dread that permeates through every level and hides around every corner. The good news is that Dark Souls III encompasses all these elements and then some. It refuses to rest on its laurels and crushes the hopes and dreams of whoever dares to play it, but that’s a great thing.

It should come as no surprise that Dark Souls III feels incredibly familiar – filled with ruined castles, dragons and creatures designed to murder you senseless. Similarly, the story won’t break new ground either. You take control over one of several Unkindled, an undead hero who is cursed to wander the land of Lothric. Considering the world is ready to fall into full apocalypse mode, your only solution to end the darkness is to “link the fire” by hunting down and taking out all the heroes who have linked said fire in the past.

Yet while the sequel does borrow much from its predecessors, it’s also learnt a thing or two from its action-focused spin-off, Bloodborne. As a result, enemies and characters possess a greater amount of speed, so mastering dodges and parries is vital. That said, hiding behind a sturdy shield remains a viable combat option, should you be that way inclined.

But just because things are faster doesn’t mean they’re easier. Dark Souls has always been known for its challenge, and round three doesn’t shy away from that. In fact, persist for long enough and you’ll encounter some of the hardest opponents so far, and they will likely bring you to tears. Recognising their patterns is simple, but memorising them well enough to perfect the opportune time to strike is another matter entirely – and one that, when successful, will create a sense of elation no other game can replicate.

And that’s what will keep you coming back to Dark Souls III – satisfaction. It’s a game that is not at all designed for everybody to enjoy, or even play, but it’s also a game that knows its purpose and nails it with great skill.

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