System Wars The Magazine Winter 2011

8/3/2019 System Wars The Magazine Winter 2011

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Layout and Design

Jusn Misner (Jynx)

Chief

Wily 105

Editor

Cherokee Jack

Writers and Contributors

Fabz 95

HarlockJC

Darkspineslayer

Jethrovegas

Darklink 77

1 - Xmas Gift Guide

4 - Ninten Fail

6 - Sony Recap 2011

12- Terraria 1.1 Preview

13- Uncharted 3 Review

15- Super Mario 3DS Review

16- Tom McShea Interview

18- Skyrim Lol

Hello GameSpot and hello SW!

I am Fabz_95 and the fact that Im wri

this must mean that something has ha

pened to Willy105. Has he quit SWM? H

he le GameSpot? Is he dead? Actually

just forgot to write this so Im stepping

Here I present to you SWMs Winter 20issue, one of our four rendered issues

the year and I hope you nd plenty goo

reading within it.

We have a Christmas gi guide (sure Chri

mas is over but what ever happened

buying people gis for no good reasonan arcle on Nintendo from Willy, t

worlds no.1 Terraria fan Jynxzor compari

touching on the games latest update (a

having a dig at Minecra), a mammoth a

cle from HarlockJC on the rollercoaster

a year Sony have had, a Skyrim arcle fro

Darklink and more.

Anyway, thats enough of a summary of t

magazine youre seconds away from rea

ing so sit back, relax and enjoy the issue f

this is SYSTEM WARS THE MAGAZINE.


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Maybe you missed the trailer for the 1.1 update for Terraria, the game

oen accused of being a 2D rip-o of Minecra If you didnt watch this

trailer you may have totally missed out on the awesome Steam sale sell-

ing the game at the amazing price of 4.99.

Well Im here to make you feel bad that you didnt buy it then, because

thats exactly what you will wish you have done aer I nish blowing your

mind.

Its hard to go over the addion that 1.1 will bring to Terraria, many of

them are total game changers giving users far more creave ways to

build amazing 2D constructs and a slew of new items and yes unlike the

3D cousin Minecra this game has a heavy focus on ghng monsters

and gathering loot. 1.1 is a game changer, beleive me on this one thing.

If you begin the game from scratch next to nothing will appear to be

changed aside from a few menu opons and adjustments to the overall

game (The new lighng engine is killer) Once you reach what used to be

the End of the game where you had the most powerfull tools and ar-

mor available to Terraria kind...things get a lile dierent.

Via throwing your Guide Vodoo doll into the pits of hell you will spawn

a extremly strong boss known as the Wall of Flesh manage to destroy

this monstrous enty and you game will now enter...Hard mode.

You thought you were strong? Think again next to everything in the game

can now downright murder you in short me, new ores are waing to be

mined, new biomes are waing to be explored...and yes new enemies

and bosses means more loot!

1.1 brings a massive host of changes to the core game giving the game

almost two to three mes the longevity of the original game. With moreupdates promised in the future if you are a fan of minecra but feel it

needs more tradional game elements Terraria may just be the game you

have been looking for.

If you were on the fence about the game trust me its worth the full price

of admission, but as luck would have it the game is a frequent item in

Steam sales ranging from 25-75% o! This is a game you shouldnt miss.

SYSTEM WARS MAGAZINE 1


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Going above and beyond its predecessor, which was one of 2009s best games, Unchart-

d 3 is a game that PS3 owners have no excuse to miss out on. In UC3 we nd Nathan

Drake in a familiar situaon: hes out to nd a secret that will make him and his

riends incredibly wealthy. Unfortunately for him, there exists an organizaon

hat would be more than happy to kill him to get their hands on the same

rize. The plot is what youd expect from an Uncharted game, but thanks to

antasc set pieces, interesng characters, and Naughty Dogs disncve sto-

ytelling styIe youll sll be eager to nd out what happens next.

One quality that makes the Uncharted games so great is their pacing. There

snt a dull moment in Uncharted 3, and just as you start to feel that one

econ is geng a lile tedious, youre thrown into a new one. One mo -

ment youre escaping a sinking ship, the next youre hanging from the back

f a crashing plane. The kind of blockbuster set pieces that made Uncharted

so great are even beer here, and are really a joy to experience. Not only is

Uncharted like playing an acon movie, its also like watching one, thanks to the games fantasc

resentaon. The characters are made believable by superb animaon, genuine-sounding dialog, and

ery well done voice acng, and the conversaons between them tell the story well and are genuinely

nteresng. Uncharted 3 is parcularly successful in making you care about the characters and whatappens to them; this me the focus is more on Drake and his relaonships with Sully and Elena, and

s they strain throughout the game you will legimately want things to end well for all of them.

Of course, the graphics themselves play a major part in bringing the game to life; UC3 is easily the

est-looking game on consoles right now. The desert secon in parcular, with its shiing sand and

weather changes, is stunning, and the level of detail in cies and the realisc moon of water in

he boat secons is also very impressive. The character animaon too is outstanding. Drake will

lace his hand on walls as he walks past them, his hair will become sandy when he rolls in it,

ell wipe sweat from his brow and so on. Its the lile things that make the game so great to

ook at. It sounds great too, thanks to an excellent score and realisc sound eects. Drakes

runng as he progresses through the game is a sound youll become very familiar with.

Uncharted 3, however, is ulmately a game and not a movie, so the mechanics herere also very important. Thankfully, the game is great on that front too. It is largely

third-person shooter, but plenty of puzzle solving and plaorming segments

make it feel like something more. Climbing around levels is great fun, especially

when youre doing it under pressure from enemies, and although the puzzles

rent parcularly taxing, theyre sll fun to complete.

he cover-based shoong of previous Uncharted games returns yet again,

nd the selecon of weapons and various ways of killing your enemies keep

engaging.


By: Fabz_95


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Melee combat has been overhauled, and its n

lot more sasfying to take out an enemy with

sts than it was in previous games. Simply sho

enemies is fun too, but it could do with some w

It takes too many bullets to kill an enemy, an

though there are plenty of weapons available,

ers will likely opt for the AK-47 in most scenarios

shoong mechanics themselves are ne, but ce

problems that were present in UC2 have not beedressed here. Theyre minor problems, but in a g

that does everything else so well, they do sck o

The campaign is where youll nd the most e

ment in UC3, but the mulplayer is very good

Its successful in translang the single-player ex

ence to the online space; vercal maps allow yo

make the most of the plaorming elements se

the campaign, but in a compeve game there

course more of a focus on killing your enemies

on scaling the scenery. There are a lot of map

cluded, with plenty more to come through DLC

the game has a good leveling system with plen

perks and weapons to unlock, both of which sh

give the mulplayer component a long life. Thing

the cinema mode and Uncharted TV are nice tou

too. Split-screen online is something Ive always

a fan of, and Im very happy that feature has

included in this game. The new compeve g

modes like Three Team Deathmatch are great,

on the cooperave side, the adventure mission

good fun as well.

Uncharted 3 is what you would expect from Nau

Dog: a game that is polished, well-paced and mosportantly, fun. It is a beer game than its predece

and leaves you wondering how theyll top this on



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he Nintendo 3DS launched in early 2011 to a post-iPhone world. With very few games worth buying and commanding a $250 price of

dmission, it wasnt moving very fast. Advance to today, when the 3DS is a much-easier-to-swallow $170, with several key features now in

lace. Does Mario bring the stu to make you put down your angry birds and feel good about your $40?

Marios entourage will immediately noce this one is done a bit dierently. The open-ish environments of the Galaxy tles are traded fo

near courses, and the health system youre accustomed to in the 3D tles is gone, exchanged for a power-up styIe echoing the 2D Mario

ames of the past. The game doesnt simply allude to it screams throwback to Super Mario Brothers 3, while advancing in ways the Marioeries desperately needed to.

he returning Fire Flower and the new Boomerang Flower grant Mario a projecle aack to take out distant enemies, while the long-absen

anooki Suit makes a return for those gentle glides to the ground, and masquerading as a statue later in the game. Secret areas pop up al

ver the place and oen contain Star Coins, which are necessary to unlock certain levels and advance through the game, but secret exits

hat lead to alternate levels are out. The level youre on is the level you get, and there isnt much for it besides persevere or turn the game

. Thankfully the diculty curve is gentle through the main game, and helpful handholds will pop up if you die several mes on a level.

he sound design here is well done, unsurprisingly. Cheerful, catchy tunes accompany each level, while familiar coin clinks and grunts from

Mario punctuate your acons, and in some levels give ps, such as when that plaorm will disappear. The visuals are about on par with

uper Mario Galaxy: not eye-bleeding, nor cung edge. The game makes great use of the nave 3D on the system with stunning vistas, and

his also gives you a sharper eye to land on that lone block. Its not strictly necessary aside from a few rooms that will let it p you o to a

isual trick, but it s so natural to use that you wont want to turn it o.

Super Mario 3D Land represents the perfect marriage of old school Mario with newfangled 3D gameplay and auto-

stereoscopic visuals. 16 worlds of fun await for your $40, and it s more than reasonable to take this wild ride through

the Mushroom Kingdom. Its Marios land...we just play in it.

By: darkspineslayer



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What would you like to see Zelda change in its formula?

More freedom. The strange thing is, The Legend of Zelda (the rst game in the series) had this freedom,

nd the series just went away from it through the years. Part of the problem is that youre conned in a

near path, shued from one dungeon to the next, with only cursory exploraon. Recent Zelda games

re adventures that have you on a leash the whole me. I wish they would remove the leash. Let me

nter dungeons out of order. Give me mulple ways to access o-the-path routes, so if I dont have the

ookshot yet, I can sll use my bombs to open up a road. Make me feel as if Im forging my own path

ather than just doing exactly what the developer wants, when they want it.

Skyward Sword is predictable and lacks a sense of adventure because everything is so structured and

onned. Your experience is going to be nearly idencal to mine. Everyone will take the same path, see

he same enemies, solve puzzles the same way, and so on and so forth. Id love to see Nintendo use The

egend of Zelda as a blueprint for their next game rather than Ocarina for the umpteenth me.

Have you ever peeked down on the forums to see the reacon of readers over a review score, even if

ou didnt write the review?

Oh yeah, I love seeing how the community reacts to our content. And Im always relived

when theyre angry at someone other than me.

Do you feel your part as a reviewer should be an immense inuence on people decidingwhich games to buy, or should they just simply be an informave opinion?

My role is to give an informed opinion. I try to paint an accurate picture of my experience,

nd you can judge for yourself if that sounds like something you would enjoy. Id like to think

hat people who read my review of Skyward Sword will know exactly what to expect when

hey play the game themselves. Their opinion may be dierent from mine, but I dont think

heyre going to be surprised with whats on the disc.

s there something you would like to say to those users who would have your head on a pike over

our review scores?

Play the game before you claim I was somehow unfair. And also understand that people have dif-

erent opinions from your own. My job is not tell you what you want to hear or make sure my scores the same as the Metacric average. Also, remember that we do have a 1-10 scale. I consider an 8

o be an excellent score (I gave my last three Game of the Years 8.5), so realize that amazing games

an get a sub-9 score.

Also, 7.5 means Very Good. It means that I liked the game and you most likely will, too.

Do your reviews give you the same amount of lulz that they give us?

I dont think my reviews are parcularly funny, no.

an you change the score?

Nope!

lease?

Sorry

Rate System Wars The Magazine and its contributors in a score out of 10. (Hint: The

ype is AA)

7.5



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By: Dark link 77Ah, there you are! I was hoping all of you would arrive soon. I bid you welcome to the

Palace of Wisdom. Please, come in.

Can I oer you a cigar? No? They were rolled on the thighs of virgins. Not tempted, eh?

Some ne liquor, perhaps? No?

Very well, then. Step into the sing room. Please, remove your shoes. These rugs cost

more than your educaon. Now, then, make yourself at home.

I suppose you are all wondering why I, DarkLink, King of Kings, Lord of Hate, and Ruler of

System Wars, have called all of you here.

Aer all, its not every day that I allow the rabble of System Wars into my home, and oer

them the pleasures that only the Palace of Wisdom can provide.

You see, ladies, fanboys, and Stevo, I have invited you here to talk about Skyrim.

Ah, you are familiar with it? Good.

Because it sucks. And for some inexplicable reason, all of you are jerking each other o to

it.

Its no secret that this industry rewards mediocrity. Look at Call of Duty, the most recent

BioWare games, prey much anything Valve has ever released, or a large majority of the

PS3s exclusive line-up (Uncharted, Killzone, Resistance, Modnaon Racers, etc) if you

need examples. RPGs, BioWares trash aside, used to be exempt from this crap, but not

anymore.

Now, I know what youre going to say: But my King, Skyrim is a great game!

Now, a less monarch might be enraged that a peasant would dare to queson his King in

his own house, but instead, Ill answer your statement with a queson: Can you nameone aspect of Skyrim that is good thats not the amount of conetent or the ability to

explore?

Go ahead, Ill wait.

Nothing?

Yeah, thats what I thought.



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kyrim is one of the few games that manages to do almost nothing well in any sense of the word, and yet

he industry is piracally holding a giant circle-jerk in the games honor. The Academy of Interacve Arts and

ciences even nominated it for Outstanding Innovaon in Game Design.

nnovaon in fucking WHAT?! Its a sequel. It does nothing new, and lile well.

kyrim is the only game Ive ever played that manages to make ghng dragons a chore. Avoid re, raise big

ss axe, bring axe down, rinse and repeat. In fact, that sums up prey much all of the combat in the game.

ure, it might change a lile bit if you use a dierent weapon, but the fact of the maer is that it s theame f*cking combat system thats been in the Elder Scrolls Games since Morrowind, and its sll about

s sasfying as it was then. Which basically means its the video game equivalent of shoving a corncob

p your ass.

And on top of that, its ridiculously easy to break. Bethesda may have removed Oblivions level-scal-

ng system because every gamer with a brain on the face of the Earth understood that it was a bad

dea, but they sure a sh!t dont understand why it was a bad idea. In Skyrim, they over corrected,

nd now everything is stupid easy at the end of the game if youve bothered to actually do

ome of the sidequests.

And you know what? None of that would maer if the rest of the game was great, but it

snt.

oure sure a shit not playing this game for the story, and if you are, I recommend that

ou stop playing and go read some decent fantasy. The main quest is so boring that

lmost no one can be bothered to nish it, and those that manage to struggle through

are like, Eh, its all right. I mean, the wring in this game is atrocious. And when

s not atrocious, its lazy. Are you sworn to carry my burdens, Lydia? Really? I didnt

now. Say that again. Say that one more goddamn me and I will chop you up and feed

ou to the next dragon we run into.

And youre not playing it because its prey, thats for damn sure. There are games on the original Xbox with beer animaons than this.

And sure, the graphics may be alright for an open world game, but if youre here for the eye-candy, youre doing it wrong.

And the bugs. Oh, Lord, dont even get me started on the bugs. I dont know about you, but I love falling through the world when I comeut of shops, and having quests break on me for no good goddamn reason, and when I dont receive credit for killing a dragon. And if

oure playing it on the PS3, I hope you like slideshows, because thats what your game is going to turn into aer a few hours.



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And the thing that kills me about all of this shit is that any ot

game would be crucied for it, but Bethesda tles are someh

immune. Shit story? No problem. Shit gameplay? Well roll w

it. Shit animaons/graphics? Who gives a crap? Lots of conte

Game of the Fucking Year.

And its the same things everywhere. GameSpots awards

year were essenally a hot and heavy love leer to Portal 2,

Skyrim walked away with the prize, and it wasnt even a nom

in most of the Best Of categories, so even the crics know t

the game is nothing special on blow-by-blow basis, but they

dont care. More than the sum of its parts is something I h

Skyrim fans throw around a lot, but thats a load of sh!t w

the game does one thing well and everything else poorly. I m

f*ck, all Skyrim is is a really big version of Fable, but someho

gets a free pass for all the stu Fable does wrong? Bethesda m

write some big ass checks.

We should expect beer. We should stop seling for medioc

because something is ambious and big, especially in a year t

delivered games like Arkham City, Bason, The Witcher 2, Ge3, Deus Ex: Human Revoluon, and a crapton of other ama

games. Because when you stack Skyrim up against all of th

games, its only saving grace is that its not some cinemac p

of garbage like Uncharted 3 or straight up sh!i like Dragon Age

But hey, when youre [paying $50-60 dollars to beta test, I gu

expectaons are low.

Now get the f*ck out. I have Kingly shit to do.




Playstation VITATe handheld with the only legal bear mauling

simulation on the market


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System Wars The Magazine Winter 2011