What’s On
Sydney Zombie Walk
Are you a fan of walking, zombies and helping out a good cause? Then maybe check out the Sydney Zombie Walk[above]. Running since 2010, the Sydney Zombie Walk is an annual event that allows thousands of people to get together for a bit of undead fun while raising awareness for Australia’s Brain Foundation, last year raising over $10,000 in donations.
Joining in is easy: just round up a couple of friends, put on your greatest zombie face and get stepping! The next walk will be on Saturday October 29 at 3pm. Zombies must arrive at Belmore Park at this time in order to participate in the activities, with the actual walk kicking off at 4pm. The best part about it all – tickets are free!
Insert Coin(s)
After taking a bit of a break for the last few months, Insert Coin(s) is back and ready to party. Insert Coin(s) – Halloween Spooktacular will take place from 6pm on Thursday October 20, once again at Oxford Art Factory.
As you may have guessed, this time the organisers are changing things up by turning the entire event into a Halloween-themed evening. Aside from the usual wall-to-wall wonder of the classic arcade machines, you’ll also be able to get your first proper look at Resident Evil VII: Biohazard, which will be showcased on ten screens exclusively on PS4 consoles.
There will be prizes for the coolest, goriest, scariest and silliest Halloween costumes as well as the event’s trademark free candy, NY-style hotdogs sold off the cart, horror-themed cocktails to sip on and spooky horror films on a projector all night. For tickets, visit moshtix.com.au.
Review:
NBA 2K 17 (XBO, PS4, 360, PS3)
♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎
Despite the amount of fanfare the FIFA franchise generates, 2K Games’ NBA series is actually one of the most consistently impressive sports titles on the market, astounding both fans and critics alike. NBA 2K17 is no different, serving up another coat of polish that continues to amaze.
Core aspects like dribbling feel fluid with a few extra layers of control, while shooting and layups place just as much focus on practice and skill as they do fun and luck. Meanwhile MyCareer has a new narrative written by the screenwriter of Creed and starring that film’s charismatic lead, Michael B. Jordan. It’s a big improvement over last year’s slightly messy approach even though the grind-heavy nature to levelling remains slightly frustrating. Even still, presentation, along with the rest of the game, can be downright jaw-dropping, as graphics and stats appear seamlessly to the real-life game better than ever before.
If you look at NBA 2K17 from afar, it doesn’t have any truly mind-blowing new additions or features, but what it does do is continue to tweak, adjust and perfect an already winning combination into something even stronger. Make no doubt about it – this one’s a slam dunk.
Review:
BioShock: The Collection (XBO, PS4)
♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎
In a crowded sea of shooters, the original BioShock stood out from the competition in a truly impressive manner. It ditched the bombastic Hollywood-style approach and offered gamers a surprisingly smart shooter set under the sea within the dystopian city of Rapture. In many ways it helped define the generation of games that followed it, becoming an instant classic that was beloved by the masses. Its two sequels, BioShock 2 and BioShock Infinite only helped cement the series’ status as legendary, and just shy of its ten-year anniversary, goes some way towards explaining the presence of BioShock: The Collection.
The triple pack not only collates all three games into a single package, but also slaps on a coat of 1080p paint for good measure. As a result, it should be no shock that the original BioShock contains the most improvement, now appearing just as you remember it, and complete with atmospheric environments and homicidal foes.
Conversely, being the most recent of the trio, BioShock Infinite perhaps possesses the least impressive visual overhaul. Released at the tail-end of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360’s lifecycle, your adventure through Columbia feels more like the PC iteration of the title rather than a substantial refurbishment. Of course that’s no insult against Infinite’s world: it remains as creative and awe-inspiring as ever. Combat may continue to irk some, but Infinite was, and always shall be remembered, for its mind-bending narrative that will perplex, enthral and amaze you, even on a second playthrough.
Also squeezed in is the game’s ambitious DLC, Burial At Sea Part I And II. This extends across the first two BioShock titles as well: all single-player add-on content has been jammed in for extra value, as has the incredibly interesting director’s commentary, Imagining BioShock, featuring Ken Levine and Shawn Robertson.
If you’ve played the BioShock games once before, though the visual upgrades may not be as extreme as one would hope, it’s still mighty difficult not to be won over by the series’ unique worlds and wonderfully adult narratives. On the other hand, if you’re a total newbie, this is the perfect opportunity to jump straight in and gain an appreciation for one of the greatest modern-day franchises the industry has to offer. Buy it.
