Sponge Magazine 3

ISSUE THREESEPTEMBER 2009

MADNESS

THE CONDUIT

DEVIL MAY CRY

INTERNET DATING

HYO EUN CHO

BILLY TALENT

+ MORE

we design the experience.

www.fourml.com.auhttp://

Welcome Readers!

Yes we are back! The pop culture magazine that comes around every 3 months is here once again and this issue is our biggest yet. We have some amazing game design artwork by Korean based Hyo Eun Cho as well as plenty of hot discussion on topics like Fashion, Internet Dating and Gay Marriage plus the normal dose of what’s going round in the realms of Music, Video Games and DVD’s. All this and more awaits you in this issue of ‘Sponge’.

Over the coming issues of the magazine we are aiming to vastly increase the scale and range of our content, but to do so we will need a larger contribution from writers and artists as well as some assistance from our readers. So, if you’re a writer, photographer or artist and feel you can contribute or even just a reader with an opinion on what’s working, what isn’t or what you would like to see more of, then please contact us via email at: [email protected] and list your skills and fields of interest or any feedback you wish to mention.

Thank you and we hope you enjoy our third edition!

Contributors

Writers:Christopher Nesci Michael Mason Peter Giannoukas Maddison Kennedy Rhys McRae Jessika Keegan Julia Mihai Hsin-Yi Lo Hannah Kim

Designers:Chris Nesci Michael Mason

Editor: Peter Giannoukas

Creative Direction:

Fourml Creative Studio

Manga Credits

Story Creation:Fourml Creative Studio

Scriptwriters:Peter Giannoukas Phurieda

Artwork:Phurieda

Web Master

Administrator:Phurieda

Contents

Poster Poster on the Wall 03

What’s hot? What’s not? 04

Billy Talent - Review 05

Sick Puppies - Review 06

Madness 07

Computer Love 09

Battle Fantasia - Review 11

Artist Feature - Hyo Eun Cho 12

Lunch Box - Manga 15

Sacred 2 - Review 18

The Conduit - Review 19

Falun Dafa, Which is it? 21

Gay Marriage 22

Devil May Cry Anime - Review 23

DVD Watch - Review 24

Melb Uni / Jobs Cuts? 25

Book Clubs / All the Rage 26Featured Manga

I’m sure most of you have been in this scenario before:

You’re walking the streets during the day enjoying shopping with your friends then suddenly, a half woman, half whale rears itself in your direction and she’s wearing black leggings as pants just so you can get a total eyeful. What is even worse is when she walks towards you. In this not so rare instance you will get a glance of the worst camel toe known to man and thanks to the help of the once fashionable leggings, nothing is left to the imagination. Every disgusting detail is burned into the back of your eyes as if you were looking directly into the sun.

So who is to blame?

The girl who is disillusioned about how she has her own gravitational pull? Or, the skinny girls wearing these leggings properly showing all the boys what they can’t have, directly inspiring the beluga whale to try the same.

Yes.... It’s the skinny people to blame; they are the tools of advertisement. How hot are these models to make us buy the clothes that weren’t even designed for our bodies. Posted on the walls of clothing stores, indulging us with the sense that we too could be the new sex on a stick and perhaps if we wear the very clothes laying all around us in convenient sorted piles, then yes, perhaps, if you wear these magical garments you too could look just as good.

I’m sorry people... but that is false.

You should never look at these posters of lies; they are not mirrors. They are not the glimpse of the future after spending your money. These models you so sort to look like can wear anything... and I mean anything and still look good. They could wear a garbage bag and still be hotter than you wearing your best clothes in your own collection.

However, fear not dear individual, all is not lost. All you need to do is look at yourself objectionably and ask, “What are the good qualities of myself and what are the ones I want to hide”. Take the answers and research topics like “dress for your body type” on the Internet to find out what outfits you should be selecting for yourself. Don’t let advertisements just offload their bullshit into your hands. Instead of being the girl showing how much she can fit in the back trunk, arm yourself with the knowledge of the types of clothes you need. - Michael Mason

Poster poster on the wall.

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What’s Hot? And What’s Not?YOU CAN’T TOUCH THIS!Spring/ Summer 2009 “Harem Pants”

MC Hammer’s Pants are back! Well not really.“Harem Pants” or familiarly called “Genie pants” or “MC Hammer pants” are HUGE this season.

So What Is Wrong With This?Well despite the incredibly ugly looking baggy style of pants there are other reasons for you to not consider putting these on your essential spring/ summer fashion list.

Does My Bum Look Big In This?Let’s not talk about comfort here. I know that they look comfortable (look at the crutch area, it’s definitely much more comfortable then wearing skinnies), but they don’t flatter the girl’s body.

They make their bums look saggy and we all agree that models have great legs don’t we? (They’re a tad tall and slim so sure, they have great legs).

Well not on this case. You can’t even see their waists properly.

Yes, yes, I know, you can put on high heels and ta-da all set but darl you might want to think twice. These are models trying to sell products. They even wear different platforms.

Jasmine from Alladin Can Pull It Off, Why Can’t I?Cartoons cannot, will not and should not EVER be made into live action, (unless they’re non-fictions).

NEVER.

When you see animations on TV and you find it funny, you can’t possibly portray that in real life, (can you picture ‘The Simpsons’ or ‘South Park’ in real life?)

Fashion Show = Freak Show?Not always, they’re allowed to express their ideas, it’s what we call art, right? Sometimes we just don’t understand art.

As far as I can see from the streets of Melbourne, on celebrities, models, even lookbook and chictopia, I am yet to see ANY that make me go “wow! She looks hot!” or even an “awe, she looks cute.”

To the comfort side I could not argue but for me personally, even if you paid me $100 to wear one on the street I’d just stick with my good old tracksuit pants.

—Hannah Kim

Can The Celebs Pull It Off?

You’ll see them everywhere (it’s even starting now, here in Australia)- from cheap knock-offs and tacky places like Supré (Australia) to middle-end shops such as ASOS (UK), American Apparel and shopbob (U.S).

You probably never noticed it before this article came out with pictures all over it and before you finish reading you’ll either ask yourself:

a. “What are you talking about? That’s fab! It’s so 80’s and 80’s is hot, hot, hot right now” (then put on some wayfare sunnies).

b. “My God she’s right, that reminds me of people trying to pull off High-Waisted jeans

and failing. This is even worse!”

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Billy Talent – III

Billy Talents latest release ‘III’ sees the band moving away from the hard and passionate punk/rock sound to a more mature, alternative rock environment in an attempt to broaden their fan base, (mainly in America). This can often cause the crowds to shout “sell outs” and shunt the band while rioting in the streets. Depending on the individual’s attachment to previous Billy Talent sounds and/or their musical tastes in general, ‘III’ will forever be a talking point among fans who are trying to work out whether they are in fact sell outs or just maturing.

Apparently, the group aimed ‘III’ at an American audience. So what does Billy Talent think America wants? Slow tempos, check, keyboard, check, rockin’ guitar, check and dispassionate vocals, kinda check. The best way to describe the album is to take the opening track ‘Devil On My Shoulder’ as an example. I think it’s a decent track full of great instrumental work and reasonable lyrics but it misses a vital part of what makes Billy Talent so successful… and that’s excitement. The track, like most on ‘III’, are all passable rock/alternative songs but few reach that crescendo that we have come to expect from Billy Talent.

‘Tears Into Wine’ and ‘Turn Your Back’ are the closest we get to old Billy Talent and ‘Turn Your Back’ is somewhat underwhelming, although it does break up the album and add a faster paced, punkier song to the mix. Stand out songs ‘Saint Veronika’, ‘White Sparrows’ and ‘The Dead Can’t Testify’ have certain things in common. Passionate vocals, excellent musicianship and excitement! If you feared for the future of Billy Talent then go no further then

01) Devil On My Shoulder

02) Rusted From The Rain

03) Saint Veronika

04) Tears Into Wine

05) White Sparrows

06) Pocketful Of Dreams

07) The Dead Can’t Testify

08) Diamond On A Landmine

09) Turn Your Back

10) Sudden Movements

11) Definition Of Destiny

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(Recomended Tracks)

listening to the previously mentioned songs as they are very good rock songs where the band mixes their new sound with their old and come off winners.

To be honest, Billy Talent might never make it big in America, what with Ben Kowalewicz’s unique voice with which you either love or hate, but they gave it a decent shot and who can really blame them for trying? In a nutshell ‘III’ is a commercial, melodic, rock album that isn’t remarkable or disappointing, but it is still an enjoyable listen. – Chris Nesci


Sick Puppies – Tri Polar

Australian rockers ‘Sick Puppies’ are back with their new album “Tri Polar” and it seems that America has gotten its claws into them. The new album is the heaviest, most mainstream rock release by them to date.

They have always had the potential for heavy songs like “Deliverance” and “Cancer” (featured on “Dressed Up As Life”), but “Tri Polar” has a different ‘hardness’ about it. Gone is the edginess and angst from the previous album, which is instead replaced by a hormonal teenager, wanting to fight anyone, anything, at anytime and if you think I’m joking, sadly I’m not. This statement roughly sums up what you will get with “Tri Polar”; an angry sounding Shimon Moore screaming his lungs out for most of the album singing about sex, fighting, crying, being sick and more fighting.

All is not as bad as it seems though. The songs on “Tri Polar” are decent and catchy, that is of course if you like bands like Nickelback, Papa Roach and Three Days Grace. The Sick Puppies blend within these bands and lose some of their individuality and uniqueness but luckily for this review, I don’t mind the above-mentioned bands.

The first two songs ‘War’ and ‘I Hate You’ are songs that sound like something Papa Roach have released before but they still hit the spot with their hard hitting, balls to the wall style of loud aggressive rock. ‘Maybe’, ‘Don’t Walk Away’ and ‘White Balloons’ are the closest tracks to “Dressed up as life” that you will find on this album and you will wonder what the hell happened, especially after listening to ‘White Balloons’, which is possibly their best song to date.

01) War (Street Fighter)

02) I Hate You

03) Riptide

04) You’re Going Down

05) Odd One

06) So What I Lied

07) Survive

08) Should’ve Known Better

09) Maybe

10) Don’t Walk Away

11) Master Of The Universe

12) In It For Life

13) White BalloonsTRA

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(Recomended Tracks)

Emma Anzai sings in the intro over a sweet sounding acoustic guitar and you feel like a part of the song. The lyrics are the best by far on the album. They show a maturity not seen from the band before and potential for what is to hopefully come in the future.

Overall ‘Sick Puppies’ have done a reasonable job. Maybe I’m under selling them a bit but its only because I expect so much and as an Aussie there is a sense of pride when an Australian act makes it in America. Hopefully the next album will be more individual to them and not sound like the rest of the mainstream rock acts from around there. For now though, “Tri Polar” will certainly fill in the time before then. – Chris Nesci


Remember Madness? Well, those crazy rudies from the 80’s ska revival who topped the charts with hits such as “Baggy Trousers” and “Our House” are back with their ninth studio album. Music critics are toting ‘The Liberty of Norton Folgate’ as Madness’ best and most sophisticated album and it’s hard to argue with them. The new album continues with the poppy sound Madness became known for but also includes songs leaning more towards swing then ska.

The core of Madness came out of the band ‘The North London Invaders’ around 1976 with Mike Barson on keyboards, Chris Foreman on guitar and Lee Thompson on saxophone. Over the next few years members came and went and then came back again. Graham McPherson (or Suggs as you probably know him) took up lead vocals in 1978 after seeing the band play at a friend’s party but was kicked out a short time later for choosing to watch soccer team Chelsea play instead of rehearsing. He was back again in ‘79 after making up with the band.

After a brief stint as ‘Morris and the Minors’, the boys decided to name themselves Madness after the legendary ska musician Prince Buster’s song. In 1979 when Chas Smash returned to become the seventh member, the Madness we now know was fully formed.

Madness had their first surprise hit with a cover of Prince Buster’s ‘The Prince’ released on Jerry Dammers’ record label ‘2 Tone’. The song peaked at number 16 in the UK charts in 1979 and in the same year Madness recorded their debut album ‘One Step Beyond…’ spending over a year in the charts and peaking at number two.

In 1980, Madness followed up with their second album ‘Absolutely’ which also peaked at number two in the UK charts but failed in the US and the band was dropped from their US record label, ‘Sire’. ‘Absolutely’ also contains my personal favourite ‘Baggy Trousers’ which peaked at number three and spent 20 weeks in the charts.

Greil Marcus of Rolling Stone gave a scathing review of the album and ska but praised The Beat as the best thing to come out of the ska revival. During this early time the band were often linked to racist skinheads but denied any involvement with the National Front.

Between 1981-83, Madness released three albums and gained their only number one hit to date with ‘House of Fun’ from album 7. These three albums saw Madness take a new direction developing a more poppy sound winning over Rolling Stone magazine who decided Madness were finally worthy of their admiration. Their compilation album Madness was released in the US and single ‘Our House’ reached number 7 on the US charts.

In 1983, keyboardist Mike Barson decided to leave the band after moving to Amsterdam

and Madness’ subsequent releases dropped in the charts. In 1986 they decided to break-up citing musical differences. They recorded their final single ‘The Ghost Train’, which peaked at number 18 in the charts and saw the return of Barson on keyboards.

In 1992 the release of the singles compilation Divine Madness went to number one in the UK charts and saw them announce their reunion. In the same year the first Madness organised ‘Madstock! Festival’ was held with the band playing alongside Morrisey. During the next seven years Madness toured the UK and US releasing live albums until 1999 when they recorded their seventh studio album ‘Wonderful’.

During 2004-2006 Madness performed classic ska covers such as ‘The Dangermen’ leading to the release of an album of their covers. Guitarist Chris Foreman announced his departure in 2005 but was back again in time for Madness’ 2006 Christmas tour.

Now Madness are back in the limelight with their new album ‘The Liberty of Norton Folgate’ continuing their tradition of infectious pop tunes but also experimenting with tracks like the ten minute epic ‘The Liberty of Norton Folgate’. After 33 years together (not including their brief break-up) Madness are still able to set your heart skanking and with the return of 80’s ska sensations‘The Specials’ perhaps we are in for another ska revival. Pick it up, pick it up, pick it up! - Rhys McRae



The conventional Friday night to Sunday morning pursuit of happiness for some seems to be drinking up, chatting up and hooking up. The alternative is staying single or dating online. Most busy singles won’t admit to online dating for fear of seeming desperate. Your mission if you choose to accept it is to get involved in internet dating and find out whether or not it works for you. I choose to accept. I am a twenty something single, standard issue y-generation female road testing computer love for one week only.

First you have to be honest and ask yourself, ‘Do you just want to hook up with someone or meet new people or search for love?’ After doing a Google search and wading through the corny and horny URLs on offer, I choose a popular dating website that markets itself on TV as, “The match maker for over 8000 marriages”. The computer love network has become a business and with the click of a button I’m its newest client.

Internet dating can be broken down into these stages; set up your profile, search, make online contact, accept or reject and then phone contact. The real life meet and greet is only if you’re brave.

Before setting up my profile I scanned the site to see my competition and what potential dates were on offer. There were some pretty dodgy profiles and the genuine ones had nice photos, used a spell check and were easy to read with a touch of personality. The basics cover everything; music tastes, physical

traits and most importantly your ideal match. I set up my profile in record time and discreetly showed it to a friend for feedback. First impressions last so your photo and tag line has to be the best impression of you. There is no point setting up a profile without photos and most sites give you options to password protect your gallery. Include at least one headshot of you looking natural and smiling.

If you want this to work, honesty is the best policy; don’t say you’re a hot buffed surfer with a million dollar mansion if you live in

a share house and consider raising your beer jug a form of exercise. If you ever have to meet someone face to face then you’re bound to be caught out.

Within hours of my profile being approved my mobile phone beeps with messages and I get a very forward email from a local. The search options are easy to use and you can do a two way search. Don’t be afraid to send someone a message- trust your gut instinct.

“Within hours of my profile being approved my mobile phone beeps with messages and I get a very forward email from a local”


On day three I found 30 emails and was completely overwhelmed. Upon checking your inbox and the golden moment arriving where that hottie clicks “Yes”, don’t take too long to reply. Remember you’re a part of an online community with other users potentially chasing after the same hottie you added to your favourites.

Be assured that there are many new users online every minute and the opportunity to connect with a variety of people is staggering. On some occasions I’d get admirers from other continents and the odd message from dirty old men. These are good for a laugh only! When responding to someone be honest and don’t be afraid to refuse the attention. If you wouldn’t respond in real life then don’t waste their time or yours.

You can respond with message options that range from; ‘I think I dropped my jaw, let’s chat’ to ‘Sorry but I don’t think it would work out between us’. They say love is a battlefield and I really love the ‘Block’ button for some persistent admirers. I really recommend messaging someone first because for some sites you have to purchase stamps using a credit card and you can get disappointed if you email someone straight away instead and then they don’t reply. Click first, wait for a reply then decide if you want to pay to contact or you can wait and let them do the hard yards.

The first email should be polite, to the point and be sure to ask some questions. Some users are very eager to give their phone numbers away but you should email each other first just to be on the safe side. Your best bet is to add them to your facebook because most sites only give you a small window of opportunity, about 30 days, to contact each other on the site and some user interfaces need improvement to make it easier to navigate.

My advice is only when you feel comfortable; arrange a time to chat on the phone, chat online to get to know the person first. Getting to know someone with emails and phone or online chat allows you to ask more direct questions and perhaps find out if they are genuine or only after some tea with their sugar lumps. If you’re a female in an online world looking for love, lust or friendship, there is no difference in the

love game for men looking to score. The same applies to some femme fatales. There are adult sites aimed at these fun loving singles and they are as discreet as you want them to be.

My computer love tally boosted my ego with numerous emails, online chat, some

indecent proposals, interesting phone conversations and two dates. The brave users that wanted to meet me were genuinely interested; I remained true to my mission and I made the effort only when I felt a connection. To my surprise things went well with one admirer over the course of the week so I arranged to meet in a public place for a limited time only and told my trust worthy housemate. I’m not going to kiss and tell but always tell someone where you are going. Use your common sense- you want to make a new friend, not a user from www.stalker.com.

Online dating has come a long way; it doesn’t work for everyone but it’s another way to connect with new people and perhaps find a special friend. I found you are taking a chance but downplay it as making a new friend so you don’t get too involved. It is convenient for busy singles that are occupied with their career, study or are just too shy speak up in a nightclub. In my opinion online dating only works if you want it to; the computer is your tool, the dating site your search engine and your heart is your guide. The inevitable will only happen if it’s meant to be and technology can’t fix a broken heart that is unless you get a pacemaker on order. If one date doesn’t work out then get some courage and hit the search key again. As for me, I’ve got another date to organize and some messages to reject. - Jess Keegan

“My computer love tally boosted my ego with numerous emails, online chat, some indecent proposals, interesting phone conversations and two dates”


They say that 2009 is the revival of the 2-D fighting genre as we have seen Street Fighter 4, BlazBlue, KOF12 and soon Tekken 6, not to mention the array of fighting classics that have been released on-line. Albeit from me to look at all these gems and yet not be able to pick one up. Instead, the editor throws a big chunk of coal in my direction and as I rub my head and pick up the latest game I have to review, I get ‘Battle Fantasia’, a fighter that’s based on role-playing games settings.

What I first heard about ‘Battle Fantasia’ is that the people who produced both Guilty Gear and BlazBlue were involved in its creation. I was feeling optimistic that this game would be at least half as good as those and as I popped the game in and watched as the menu and presentations animated like a jewel I felt a little assurance. Unfortunately, that was the last hurrah I would hear from this ye ol’ party as the boat had already sailed and before I knew it, I was arriving in mediocre town where the smiles are rare and the staleness is everywhere.

One of few smiles that I had was at the character designs. Some of the characters are charming even though there are only a few. There’s Urs who wields a chainsaw heat gun that he rides, Ashley who is a royal guard from the shadows whom dares not show his love

to the princess, Freed, whose lop off hand is replaced with the biggest hook seen in the seven seas, Face, a mask wearing, gun toting, mysterious loner and Coyori, a cat girl who.... well... maybe I just like cat girls.

It all ends there though. The graphics are not something a fighting game should aspire too, especially for a fighting game where you would expect a little bit more. The stale, old, medieval, RPG style probably even accents the poor graphics, (into a dull and boring brown world). There is a reason why other 2-D fighters are full of colour. It’s to excite the imagination, to show what a normal Japanese person would see in streets of Tokyo on a day-to-day basis and add dramatics to what would normally be a flat 2-D plane.

Any true fighter fan will tell you that pretty, superficial designs isn’t what makes a fighter good, but instead it’s fighting mechanics, depth and mind games. ‘Battle Fantasia’ offers you the basic fighting mechanics that have been borrowed from all different games but it falls short because even though they are the tried but true, ‘Battle Fantasia’ just borrows from the tried too much. The main spice comes from the Gachi Match. The Gachi Button if pushed while being attacked will negate the enemy’s attack and stun them long enough to be able to unleash your own

combo. This is the main focus and drive around the game and will surely prove whom the scrubs and the pros are.

After playing through a few story lines, which shows interactions between characters through hand sketch (probably sketchy concept drawings), I decided I would take the battle to a new field and try out the on-line capabilities. Sadly, it seems like everyone in mediocre town doesn’t want to play this game on-line. I think even if you disagree with my review, the people have already spoken. It’s a sad day in any community when you can’t even pick up one match and the top score for the week is someone who has won once. — Michael Mason

Game Review: Battle Fantasia


6 out of 10


Sponge Magazine gets a chance to catch up with Korean based Game Character Concept Artist ‘Hyo Eun Cho’ to talk to her about the game industry and the process and inspirations behind her work.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m a 22 year-old Korean working in the game industry now. I graduated from the Bachelor of Animation & Interactive Media at RMIT in Australia and was thinking about becoming an animator or a web designer. I chose the other way, to be a game concept artist, which was my dream since I was a kid.

How did you develop your style?

I usually studied Digital Art by myself and loved to do fan art for my favorite game characters. As I kept drawing them I started to get my own style. I tried to copy pictures into paintings to develop my style. Also, imitating other artist’s painting helped a lot.

What mediums do you prefer using and why?

I prefer digital mediums such as Photoshop and Painter. The reason why I like them is because these tools are very comfortable to work with as opposed to working on paper. Also, there are no expenses to buy art supplies (LOL).

How do you go about creating your characters?

First, I think about what I want to draw. Secondly, I research images for details. Then I sketch several rough drawings and choose the finest one for developing. After that I just need to keep working it until its finished.

What inspires your style?

Mainly novels, design books and other artist’s work.


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Where would you advise people into character development to go?

In my opinion, the concept of the character is the most important thing for designing characters. I think that before even starting to draw, the concept already decides the direction and whether or not the character will look good or boring. So I advise people, ‘don’t just sketch characters without the specific concepts, otherwise it will be just waste of time’.

How has technology affected the way you create?

It provided me an easy, comfortable working environment. For example, I can change certain colours easily and very simply. It also cuts working time quite short, much better than paperwork, I suppose.

What is your favourite character design from a game and why?

I have several favourite game characters and one of them is ‘Morrigan Aensland’.

‘Morrigan’ is a very sexy succubus in Capcom’s ‘Darkstalkers’ series. Why do I like her? Obviously because she’s super sexy, powerful and dark.

If any, what direction is your industry heading towards in a creative or technologic way?

The Korean game industry where I am now is targeting the globalisation of Korean online games and for that, many game companies are working hard and chasing after better graphics quality and better game contents to overcome the world standard.

What type of game would you love to make concepts for?

I would love to work with game concept designers who are planning a game where very cute and lovely characters appear, even though my fondness is sexy characters (LOL).





Within the first 5 minutes of the game I knew that it was going to be a struggle to get motivated… scratch that, within the first screen of creating a character I realised ‘Sacred 2’ was lacking something important, depth. I was pleased that there were 6 races to choose from, but I was not overly excited to find that out of those 6 races only 3 could be customised. What’s the customisation, I hear you asking? Is it their Sex? Skin colour? No, it’s their hair and there is only one other style option and 3 other colours to choose from. I know it seems I’m harping on about this, but this is an on-line RPG and as all RPG fans can attest to, individuality in your character is a must. You don’t want someone else in Arcania looking like you!

Moving on to the game itself, you will spend a lot of your life trying to finish ‘Sacred 2’. It has a huge amount of playing time in it. Around the 15 hour mark my stats read: 2245 enemies defeated, 35 quests completed, 9.3 percent of the main quest completed and 5.1 percent of the map revealed and that’s me trying to complete the story mode as fast as possible.

The best way I can describe ‘Sacred 2: Fallen Angel’ to the unknowing is that its like that dumb blonde we all know, great to look at but lacking in depth and intelligence.

The main positive for me was the x-box live option. You can join a server or create your own and play with up to 4 people online which helps as you generally all team up and work together to pass the game quicker. You may also come across a gamer that is more then happy to discuss with you the many great aspects of the game and/or simply take you under their wing and help you to level your character up.

Customisation of your character beyond appearance is generally rewarding, you can choose what weapon your character carries and upgrade their skill in using the weapon. Spells can also be upgraded to be more powerful or spread damage differently. Would you prefer a single powerful fireball blast or a triple fireball that spreads the damage evenly? These are the few choices in ‘Sacred 2’ that can make your character somewhat individual and even though these upgrades are nothing new to the genre they were desperately needed and welcomed.

Each race also has its own specific mount, which you can eventually get once you reach a certain area of the game. The mounts are a huge help, obviously faster than your

walking/running speed but also because they attack enemies with you. This is a great help when dealing with extremely strong monsters or with a huge horde of smaller monsters. The enemies in the game are as you would expect, they see you and they attack, unless of course your are of a much higher rank then they are in which case they will just leave you alone. The different race enemies will also fight amongst each other, which is always fun to watch until it’s over, then you can kill off the survivors.

‘Sacred 2’ is not a great or original game, but it does grow on you after a few hours. Once you are able to upgrade your character and kill enemies easily you will find you will enjoy the game a lot more but not enough to get longevity out of it. For those still debating whether or not to purchase ‘Sacred 2: Fallen Angel’, look at what else is on the market. I hear ‘Star Ocean: The Last Hope’ is pretty good.

— Chris Nesci

Game Review: Sacred 2


5 out of 10

Sci-Fi - First Person Shooter ‘The Conduit’ is a game that many who own the Nintendo Wii have been looking out for. Given the Wii’s horrible inability to string together any kind of strong consecutive titles (outside of the Mario franchise or motion mini games) this was a game being heralded as a step forward, not only for the system but also for the genre. So with the hype of its release beginning to dissipate the question remains, does this game take the system as well as the genre a step forward? The answer will follow.

The player is put in the shoes of Michael Ford, a secret service agent with an uncanny ability to dispatch even the most hostile of enemy forces. It’s no surprise that when an alien invasion threatens to destroy humanity (beginning with Washington D.C) that you’re the first guy getting called in for the job. From here your role will begin to change as apparent allies show their true nature. Unfortunately like many other games of this genre most of the characters are confined to clichéd motives and personalities leaving some twists a little less cared for and paving the way for some bland areas of story exposition. Having said all of that, I found I was still able to engage with the story (once I put the cliché’s behind me) and beyond the

halfway point I was well and truly dedicated to hunting down the man behind the invasion.

Outside of the relatively standard story and a few other lacking areas, the game has a lot going for it. Technically speaking, it stands up in many areas especially for the Wii and one of these (that all Wii gamers will really appreciate) is the treatment of the controls and response of the Wii pointer. In nearly all instances rapidly turning to hit enemies from outside peripheral vision was possible and the aiming system is very finely tuned. Achieving fatal shots and head kills is made possible on a consistent basis and this is not just across short distances or with a Sniper Rifle. The aiming is so well developed that you can pick off an enemy at the other end of a street. On top of that there is somewhere close to a dozen ways you can set up controls to suit your comfort.

The sound and music in this game is amongst some of the best I’ve heard. Whether it’s during moments of extreme onscreen action or just when you are walking down a deserted, battle scarred corridor, the atmosphere is always teeming keeping you wrenched into the environment and the moment. A heap of time is spent building you up to the next room or keeping you on edge with sound effects of aliens screeching from adjacent areas, distant gunfire and even details like the flickering of lights or distorted sounds of an old radio nearby. The space that the sound is in is treated very particularly, when an enemy shot goes by your head, you feel it go by your head and if something is happening a couple of rooms away you will notice the sound bouncing and echoing its way to your position.

Selling the whole feel of the game is some beautiful lighting and visual effects that add to the environment already set up by the sound. These also add to definitively impact your reactions to various instances in the game. Things like flash grenades going off near you will burst a blurring, blinding light across your screen hampering you as much as it would an enemy and during these moments again sound is right there to complete the


experience, distorting and washing out into a numb vacuum leaving you totally disorientated and a sitting duck.

What makes all of these effects so much better is the lack of lagging no matter how much onscreen and off screen action is taking place. This also goes for online multiplayer matches, which is very impressive especially considering the Wii’s somewhat limited capabilities and history of not so great online connectivity.

So outside some nice controls, plus sound and visual-effects what else does the single player mode have to offer? Well, for one it has a very challenging story mode filled with a group of alien and enemy AI’s, which are pretty well programmed. You’ll often find that when walking into a room you are the most out of position one there. The computers seem always ready and waiting for you to come blasting through and make a good habit of spreading out and trying to catch you from behind while you are still under pressure from other units. You’ll also find that as the game wears on the AI become extremely accurate at shooting you from various distances and positions and that running into a room all gung-ho is pretty much just going to get you killed. There are also your giant aliens, which

can really take a beating and are amongst the most bloodthirsty bunch I’ve seen. These guys will rampage from wherever they are straight at your position, no holds barred and if you’re not ready then you are in real trouble. A hit or two from them will normally put you out of commission and they don’t mind coming in groups either. The only other guys harder to get rid of then them are some of the bosses. You really have to empty every round you have from both your weapons and then try find some more and empty those out too; it can be quite the ordeal.

What makes the levels even more challenging is the fact that they tend to go for ages. You can gruel through a large room filled with foes forever, barely survive, only to find another, and another, and then a hell of a lot more before getting anywhere near completing a level. You can become so stuck, getting beaten by a particular scenario but being forced to continue trying because you refuse to start from the beginning of the level again when you return to playing. The only redemption here is that the weight of the long levels is somewhat evened out by the fact that there actually isn’t that many levels in the game. A large and interesting variety of alien and human weapons also helps keep things a little fresher during some of those long journeys.

The new initiative in ‘The Conduit’ that helps keep it from being just another shooter is the incorporation of an artefact called the ‘ASE’. The ASE is a circular device you wield to enable you to open, decode or disrupt certain doors or passages as well as disarm enemy weaponry or technology. Various puzzles within the game require the use of the ASE to complete. The ASE also enables you to detect secret messages or data tapes that have been left behind alluding to what is happening around the world. Collecting all the data tapes and secret messages in a level also enables you to unlock special achievements and unlockable features like various helpful cheats or development artwork. As well as this by killing a certain amount of enemies in a certain way or with a certain weapon you will also unlock achievements, a very new initiative for the Nintendo Wii but similar to what you have seen from most Xbox 360 or PS3 Shooters.

One of the most impressive things about this game (I feel) is the online multiplayer. It’s mostly set-up like something you would see in a Quake or Unreal Tournament style of game including modes such as death match, team games, capture the flag and king, all playable with up to 12 players. What really impressed me about this mode is how quickly games can be filled and begun as opposed to

what I’ve seen previously on the Wii. Within a maximum of five minutes you will be involved and playing in a full 12 player online match and as I mentioned earlier, barely a lag in sight and no connection drop outs. Some of the maps are pretty expansive and enjoyable to play on especially in team games allowing for more strategic positioning and the choice of weapons as also mentioned, is good. Again, another new initiative for a Wii shooter is a ranking system for the online play allowing you to gain experience based on your performances in the online duels (the more kills and better your positioning, the more experience you gain).

So where are the major downfalls? Unfortunately it’s the graphics. Although there are some nice environments and the sound and lighting effects are well up, the graphics themselves particularly from a texturing point of view often lead me into feeling like I’m still sitting on a PS2. What probably added to this was the very cliché’ art design which just was not pushed as hard as other aspects or as it should have been. The game is also prone to some glitches, for instance, there could be an enemy on the other side of a wall but for some reason part of them is poking through to the room you’re in and you will be able to hit him from where you are and even kill him.

Another point I would like to raise is the lack of off-line multiplayer. Despite the impressiveness of the online play I would argue most would still like to have there friends around and get into some multiplayer as a group. Had this been incorporated along with a co-operative mode I think more gamers would be inclined to pick up the title as well as play back through the challenging story mode and complete achievements.

So in the end does this game take it up a notch? For the Wii, it most certainly does but for the genre I would have to say most of what is on offer with ‘The Conduit’ is

on offer in many other titles across other systems. That aside, this is definitely one of the stronger titles out to date on the system, which you will get a lot out of and has a lot for you to explore. Anyone owning a Wii and a fan of the genre this is most surely a game to get your hands on.

— Peter Giannoukas


7.5 of 10

The description could be of two separate organisations – the Chinese Consulate’s official website claims it is a cult that places its leader above Jesus, disrupting the natural order of religion and deceiving the public, threatening the very fabric of the societies where it is performed. While practitioners claim it to be a healing source of spiritual belief with no political motivations, discriminated against by the Chinese Government because of its growing popularity and influence within China.

This year marks a decade since the Chinese Government began its concentrated effort on the followers of Falun Dafa. A decade which has seen no drawing back in the Chinese Governments’ crack down on the practice of Falun Gong within China and across international boundaries.

Within China the restrictions are much harsher, Falun Dafa practitioner Harry Sun, spoke of the pressure of the Government restrictions, which outlaw the owning of Falun Gong books and the searching for information about Falun Dafa on the internet.

“They named me as a criminal. In 2001 my family members, myself, my wife, my dad and mum, my aunts and even my sister in law were all arrested and our fellow Falun Gong practitioners nearby.”

The Chinese Consulate claims 1,000 practitioners of Falun Dafa have died through following the teachings of Falun Dafa founder, Li Hongzh, and hundreds have committed suicide. Practitioners paint a different picture of the Consulate’s views.

“In Falun Gong, we believe in truth, compassion and tolerance, being good people,” said Falun Dafa practitioner Mr Sun. “The communist regime, they just ignore the benefits brought to the citizens and the Chinese people. Because many, many more people (believe) in the Falun Gongs truth, compassion and tolerance. Because the government want people to not believe these things, but believe in what the Chinese government believes in.”

Mr Pearson-Smith, a practicing member of Falun Dafa for ten years also spoke of health benefits gained through his personal


experience with the exercises associated with Falun Dafa. “A couple of years before beginning Falun Dafa, I’d broken my hip. I had 12 cm screws in my hip, and was going to physio once a week and using other things for pain management. Standing to wash the dishes would hurt after a while. After my second week doing the Falun Gong exercises we came to sitting meditation, and people were doing the full lotus position. I said I can’t sit down cross-legged for that…just started off doing a few minutes in half lotus. Eight months later I could do the full lotus for the first time, and now I can do an hour (in the full lotus position)”

There were approximately 70 million practitioners of Falun Dafa when the movement became outlawed as a cult in 1999. Practitioners now face imprisonment in institutes such as the ‘Re-education through Labour Camps’ throughout China if they openly admit involvement with the group.

— Maddison Kennedy

Falun Dafa Manipulative Movement or Spiritual Belief?

I’ve never marched in a protest, apart from accidentally getting caught up in an anti-Iraq war march back in the days of Dubai (although for the most part I felt in some way the issue didn’t really concern me). To be honest, it usually doesn’t seem like it does. Governments may change, crises and wars come and go but our lives are usually unchanged. Then along comes an issue that seems small but actually represents something much larger.

The issue of same-sex marriage seems simple enough. People of the same sex want to get married, just like people of opposite sexes. Well fair enough say I. Marriage as an institution has never really appealed to me but if there are gay people out there who want to get married, why not?

Sometimes I feel as though I am the only person who feels this way. This simple issue has somehow morphed into a giant issue with many tentacles extending into areas of conflict, from religion to child rearing and even to taxes.

People get into protracted arguments about the very meaning of the word marriage. About its history and its tradition and what it means to society. So I ask, does marriage really mean the same thing now that it meant 50 years ago? 100 years ago? I’m sure it doesn’t mean the same thing it meant in say, Shakespearean England, where the wealthy wed for fortune, property and social class (obviously in modern times there are similar cases, I’m looking at you Donald Trump) and the poor wed for heirs, a partner to help out about the place and sometimes for love.

It probably doesn’t mean the same thing it meant in the 1950’s, where unwed mothers were shunned and divorce was only a llowed through adultery. Or in the revolution of the 1960’s, with the introduction of birth control that changed the way we all decided to have children, which led us on to the 70’s change of law to allow mutually agreed divorce.

So has our society crumbled, quaking and broken under the weight of all this change? Well, there are probably some who would argue it has. That somehow these evolving changes have lowered our moral and ethical fibre as a people… but I think for the majority, we’re pretty much going along as we always have. We no longer question divorce or the use of birth control. Our society has changed and we don’t know any other way for it to be.

Another reason that marriage is not what it was is because our culture is not what it was. We are no longer only marrying within our own social class. We marry who we want, believe in what we want, work how we want and that should be extended to this final bastion of discrimination in our society.

So, would I march in a protest to allow same sex marriage? Would I say that this issue concerns me? I suppose I would, because one day we will look back on same sex marriage the same way we view divorce and birth control. They will be things that have changed us and then one day, be normal. It will be something we accept and we will wonder what all the protests and arguments were about.

— Maddison Kennedy

Should they have the right?


Anime Review: Devil May CryEveryone’s favourite devil hunter is back in studio Madhouse’s anime series ‘Devil May Cry’ (based on Capcom’s video games of the same name). The series follows Dante on his Devil hunting adventures amidst his attempts to overcome the constant pressures of his financial debt. It also sees the return of some of the familiar characters from the franchise such as Trish and Lady who both play integral roles throughout the series coupled by the inclusion of a few new characters.

At first glance, based on the action genre and intense fighting style of the games as well as the fact that the series is only 12 episodes long, I must say, that before even putting ‘Devil May Cry’ in my DVD player I was channelled into thinking I was in for a short, hard and fast blood fest with Dante at the centre of it all. As I reached the first theme song/ title introduction my previous ideas were reinforced by an epic and energised heavy rock track laid down to some very nice action/character sequences. Being a fan of

the original game I was not disappointed by this thought in the least, but instead looking forward to seeing how the action styles of the game could be pushed further. Who could forget the opening cut scene to the first game with Trish confronting Dante in his office and seeing him shoot the motorbike away in mid-air with his twin pistols Ebony and Ivory.

With all this in mind I was totally prepared to ignore what I was expecting to be a somewhat shallow plot in lieu of the visual extravaganza I was hoping for, but for all you fans of the games, I was sadly disappointed. While the music and art style all point to action and despite some nice looking and atmospheric drawings/ still frames, the animation in the series often falls down, particularly during moments of walking, running or fighting. As a result many of the action sequences or demon showdowns between Dante and various opponents are horribly short lived leaving most foes vanquished in a single blow looking large, clumsy and often just too slow and weak to even compete with the hunter.

Although the expectation of action is not met, the expectation of a shallow plot stands tall.

Aside from some interesting side plots the series struggles to string together any form of a consecutive story until the last couple of episodes where a plot (long forgotten amidst the side plots) that was set up in the first episode finally comes to the fore. While this really does peak your interest, again the overwhelming strength of Dante and horrible inabilities of his foes seems to tarnish what could have been a very exciting conclusion to the series. Instead we are left feeling somewhat unfulfilled having travelled the journey through the series and to have not really actually been taken anywhere other than where we started.

Where ‘Devil May Cry’ wins its points as an anime is in the characterisation of and dialogue between its characters. To much surprise, both the leading and supporting characters manage to consistently steer clear from the stereotypes often associated with this type of anime. They even manage to avoid gender stereotypes often placing the supporting women in commanding positions over Dante and rival demons and rarely (if ever) relying on him to come and save the day. Even 12-year old Patty Lowell,

a young orphan who shares a father-daughter relationship with Dante is up to the challenge on her own and willing to come storming to the rescue and battle through hell to help a stranded Dante. The only thing more surprising than this would have to be the total lack of flirting from any of these women/girls towards him and its not like he’s off limits.

In the end what ‘Devil May Cry’ has to offer is something like what you would get if Revy from Black Lagoon was a demon slayer and thrown into the middle of a Blood+ kind of scenario. Unfortunately though, the holes in the animation and plot throws this series in the deep end from the word go and despite some solid dialogue, fresh characterisation and fantastic music/ sound effects, ‘Devil May Cry’ fails to achieve what many others of the genre have, let alone what it should have achieved for its own franchise. Sadly, fans of the gaming series have been mostly let down by this effort.

—Peter Giannoukas


http://sponge-magazine.com 24

Waltz with BashirIsrael

One night an old friend tells director ‘Ari Folman’ about a recurring nightmare where 26 vicious dogs chase him. The two men conclude that there’s a connection to their Israeli Army mission in the first Lebanon War of the early eighties but Ari finds he is unable to recall anything from that period of his life.

In the need to discover the truth about that time and himself, he sets out to meet and interview old friends and comrades from around the world. As he delves deeper into the mystery, his memories begin returning through traumatic and surreal imagery.

‘Waltz with Bashir’ is a profound animated documentary depicting the tragedies and torment of war and what it means to pick up the pieces from the aftermath.

[REC]Spain

A team of local TV reporters is assigned to follow and film a squad of firemen on night duty in order to make a show about the life of those working while we sleep. The first job of the night is to rescue an old lady who is trapped inside her apartment, but the routine emergency call soon turns to hell as the team become trapped inside with something evil spreading throughout the building. The TV crew must now confront an unknown and lethal horror as they desperately try to survive, escape and capture everything on tape no matter what happens.

‘[REC]’ is short, fast paced ride, perfect for anyone who’s a fan of the horror genre. Critics and audiences alike have described it as one of the scariest films ever made.

Wendy and LucyUS

Accompanied only by her dog (Lucy), a young woman (Wendy) sets out on a long drive to Alaska with the hopes of beginning a new career and life, but when her car breaks down in Oregon and with no money left for survival or dog food she is forced to resort to shoplifting. Her spiraling luck continues after she is caught by an over-zealous store attendant and discovers that Lucy has disappeared, forcing her to confront a series of dire economic decisions harboring a range of repercussions.

Directed with simple precision, ‘Kelly Reichardt’s’ ‘Wendy and Lucy’ (a screen adaptation of “Train Choir”) is flawlessly acted by Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain, Synecdoche, New York). It is a film of minimalist perfection and heartbreaking honesty addressing the human issues at the heart of American life.

DVD WATCH

Looking for Hollywood’s finest?

Want the scoop on the best local and

foreign films going around?

Check out DVD Watch.

The University of Melbourne has recently announced an economic response program in light of the current economic climate. In 2008 the university had lost $191 million in investment and is currently suffering from the governments reduced endowments. While initiating a response to save some expenses is an understandable action, must the university slash down 220 full time staff members along with cutting down on education?

Keeping in mind about the economic climate, it would not be easy for staff members to secure other long-term employment. Take into consideration other universities, institutions and industries may be very strict in monitoring the amount of staff they possess.

Cutting down staff members would also dramatically increase the workload for remaining employees. In terms of practicality, could a reduced amount of people handle another two or three’s workload? Consequently this slows down efficiency and creates a long list of management issues within administration.

Students are also affected in this economic response. The result of less staff members would mean classes and lectures would be curtailed. Class size would increase and this indicates that there would be fewer lectures and tutorial times and options. Tutorials are designed for discussions and for students to interact with one another; to exchange ideas and to gain a broader view of the subject. Should the class be any larger than it is allowed, fewer students would be willing to participate.

Education facilities are not spared from this either, especially the faculty of Arts and school of Medicine. With lower qualities of education, how will students attain sufficient knowledge, academic and practical skills that are relevant to their career? Lacking the aforementioned skills would not secure long term employment for post graduates and how would undergraduates improve their studies and knowledge if the

university is not considering their futures? To where and whom would students confer if they have already lost confidence with their university?

The University of Melbourne has been established since 1853 and is the symbol of Australian high calibre education. It has been a leading university with many who aspire to be a part of it and has stamped its name on the international arena of education. It must be questioned that by slashing academics and faculties of certain areas of study that it would damage its priceless image.

Cuts on endowments are not new; last year the Rudd government had cancelled domestic undergraduate fee places and consequently, the university loses up to $30 million. Given such

circumstances, shouldn’t the university be initiating programs and strategies to protect staff members and students rather than creating more holes to tread upon?

— Hsin-Yi Lo

Melbourne University Job Cuts — a long term solution?

WITH LOWER QUALITIES

OF EDUCATION, HOW WILL

STUDENTS ATTAIN SUFFICIENT

KNOWLEDGE, ACADEMIC AND

PRACTICAL SKILLS THAT ARE

RELEVANT TO THEIR CAREER?


As the global economic meltdown continues there has been an obvious social surge towards spending less money and simplifying life. People are having DVD nights complete with home made popcorn instead of venturing out to the cinema. Dinner parties are preferred over going out to expensive restaurants and in turn, slowly but surely, night clubbers are becoming book clubbers.

Book clubs turn the solitary experience of reading into an occasion for socialising and learning. A group meets monthly perhaps in someone’s formal dining suite or a local bookshop to discuss a set book each month. Conversations often stray from formal discussion into the realms of future travel plans and dating misdemeanors but the intention is to provide people with an opportunity to read something fabulous or take something away from a book that they may have never personally considered, all in a comfortable environment amongst like minded people.

Why join a book club? Well, first of all, joining a book club is definitely cheaper and more satisfying than joining Fitness First in winter. At least while you are snoozing in bed on an unbearably cold day, you can feel inspired and live vicariously through someone that can be bothered hoofing it to the gym, (perhaps reading about life changing weight loss and transformation in any memoire penned by a Biggest Loser contestant).

Having a hilarious read such as Bridget Jones’ Diary and a similarly humorous and supportive bunch of people to meet with can ease heartbreak when romances leave you lonely and reaching for the cookie dough. Hell, book clubs can even be a place of romance.

BOOK CLUBS All types of people can join book clubs. They may be based on what kind of people the members are, such as retirees reading books about traveling around Australia in a RV or documentary watching types who like to read non-fiction about South African succulents. Book clubs are created for friends who want to see each other more often but do something more meaningful than catching the latest Scary Movie flick. They can be themed for people who want to read more of a certain author. You might attend to learn a bit more about the Shakespeare you never understood in high school or to attack the Oprah’s book club list that has been accumulating titles on the bedside table.

The joining of a book club can prove to be a bit tricky. I tried to sneakily infiltrate one but came up against some challenges. Firstly, established book clubs such as the ones held by some bookstores can tend to be quite full and the waiting list about as long as the one permitting membership to the Groucho Club. Secondly, if there is an opening one must almost endure sorority like hazing to be accepted. Of course, you could always create your own book club, but whom would you invite? Do you invite friends who are just there to socialise and don’t know who Dickens or Austen is? Or a mixed bag of intriguing literary types, people who may not necessarily be part of your inner social circle but who would provide thought provoking and fascinating discussion?

In the end, whether this current book club trend lasts or not, it has never been a better time to peruse a local bookstore, grab an interesting looking tome and get reading!

— Julia Mihai

BEING TRENDY AND OH SO COOL IS THE PURSUIT OF MANY. SO, HOW HAVE BOOK CLUBS, USUALLY RESERVED FOR MORE MATURE ACADEMIC TYPES AND HARDLY LIKELY TO BE FOUND ON WEEKLY ‘WHAT’S HOT’ LISTS, BECOME THE ACTIVITY DU JOUR OF THE GEN-YS?

Are All The Rage!


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