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Day: 24 January 2016

NOTFORONLINE Mancunion choice: Most anticipated games of 2016

Written by Josh Goldie on . Posted in Games.

Welcome back to the new year. To kick off the first issue of 2016, we in the Games section have decided to inform you all of what games we are looking forward to in this new year. These games span multiple consoles and are of multiple genres but all of them are looking to be awesome games that we definitely think you should play.

The Legend of Zelda U

By Josh Goldie

For every main line, console, or Zelda title, Nintendo always tries to go out of their way to make sure everything is filled with the polish and content you should expect from any AAA title. So when Eiji Aonuma announced last year that the Wii U’s big upcoming Zelda title will be delayed until 2016 I was not surprised. What is surprising is the complete lack of information we have about this game. We do not even have a proper title yet! Being left in the dark like this has left some people uneasy but I see it as a good sign. Nintendo are aiming to make a huge ‘open-world’ Zelda game with this, much like the original game on the NES which was massive for its time. The theme of that game was exploration and discovering everything for yourself and I believe the same will come about from this hotly anticipated title. So going in blind is fully recommended and I am sure that is why Nintendo is so tight-lipped on the title. With the NX looming on the horizon there is no way Nintendo can delay this Wii U title for much longer so look forward to playing Link’s new adventure by the end of this year. That is what I am doing.

Honorable Mentions

Fire Emblem Fates

Genei Ibun Roku ♯FE

 

Mass Effect Andromeda

By Robert Parris

Bioware really raised the stakes with the Mass Effect trilogy, delivering arguably the most epic and unique experience of the previous console generation. Part of my anticipation comes from how they could possibly top the older games considering the shocking and haunting finale the series left on. Little is known about Andromeda so far, other than it will be set long after the events of the original trilogy, and it is powered by the godfather of game engines: Frostbite 3. The under-appreciated multiplayer from Mass Effect 3 will also make a return in some form, and perhaps the biggest revelation of them all; the infamous 6 wheeled Mako will be making a return. Seriously Bioware, please let us use it in multiplayer this time. That would be amazing!

Runners Up:

No Man’s Sky

Crackdown 3

 

XCOM 2

By Saboor Quereshi

XCOM 2 is the big one for me in the near future. The original stole vast amounts of time out of my life and I can’t wait for the sequel. I’m going on holiday this month and most of it will be spent playing this game. Also day 1 mods! The aliens won’t know what hit them.

Runners up:

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Ratchet and Clank

 

Unravel

By Connor McBride

If anyone was watching E3 last year, this was the game during the EA presentation with that adorably awkward developer brandishing the doll.
Unravel is a physics based puzzle platformer that oozes charm. You play as a yarn doll that has to use string to navigate his way through the world. When I played it at Gamescom 2015 it was a beautiful game with great controls that made me incredibly excited for the finished product. In that theatre of corporate fat cats pedaling Guitar Hero games, it was an incredibly refreshing reprieve. It also has the accolade of being the only EA game I have been legitimately interested in for a while.

Honourable mentions

Firewatch

Slime Rancher

 

Final Fantasy XV

by Stephen Lewis

It’s been seven years since we’ve had a brand new final fantasy game that is not a direct sequel and not an MMO. Final Fantasy XV looks to revitalise the series yet again as has already been seen through the demo of Episode Duscae, with a fresh combat system and incredible graphics. Square Enix has spent years on this game, originally titled Final Fantasy Verses-XIII when it was hinted at years ago, and the results should be nothing short of impressive.

Honourable mentions

Dark Souls 3

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

 

Nights of Azure

by Jasmin Tiyur

As one the biggest fans of RPG’s, I am most looking forward to this game (even more so than Final Fantasy Explorers, believe it or not!) because it is so similar to many of our most beloved, typical MMORPGs. That’s not to say that the game itself will be typical, but it’s always fun to take the stress of “online life” out of gaming and just hack your way through as a single-player with all the worlds, features and battles that we love so much about the online experience!

Honorable Mentions
Final Fantasy Explorers
Assassins Creed Chronicles India

 

Various

By Deven Kara

2016 looks to be a good year for video games so I had a really hard time just narrowing down one game I look forward to. In the end I gave up and I know this is cheating but instead I thought I would mention a handful of games from the upcoming year.

Ubisoft has a lot of great games coming up from a new Far Cry game set in the stone age (Far Cry Primal) to the next Tom Clancy game: The Division. Assassin’s Creed Chronicles is also getting its next two part set in India and Russia. There is still no sign of a mainstream Assassin’s Creed game for next year so these will do well to tide me over. Finally, we got a new South Park game announced last year called South Park – The Fractured But Whole. If it is anywhere near as good as the last one then wee are in for a treat.

Moving away from Ubisoft there are various other sequels like Naughty Dogs Uncharted 4 – A Thief’s End and Mirrors Edge Catalyst that have shown a lot of promise and have kept fans waiting for a very long time. Gears 4 is another hotly anticipated sequel that we have not seen a lot of so far. The release is set for next year so hopefully it does not get a delay cause I want it as soon as possible! The final two games is the indie title No Man’s Sky and Sony’s new IP from Guerrila Games: Horizon Zero Dawn. Both of these games look fantastic from the never-ending universe in the former to an exciting action-RPG that looks to pit man against machines. Whatever your opinion is on these games, 2016 is still looking to be a very exciting year and I just cannot wait.

–

We only just scratched the surface of the great games that will be releasing this year. As a gamer there is plenty to be excited about in 2016 and I hope you all look forward to what this year is going to hold.

Charlie Hebdo’s cartoon is not what you think

Written by Lioui Benhamou on . Posted in Opinion.

Take it from a Frenchman, the Charlie Hebdo cartoon is not what you think.

It is quite rare to hear about something happening in your home country in the news of your host country. It is even rarer for it to happen when the same story is not in the news back home. Yet on Monday I experienced just that in relation to Charlie Hebdo‘s cartoon.

“Have they not learnt their lesson since last year?” and, “would you still condone this kind of freedom of speech?” began the voices of hostility towards the publication.

No, they have not learnt to change their ethos. But yes, I would still condone their right to expression. The new cartoon by Charlie Hebdo is shocking, and thank God it is.

As a French citizen who lives in the UK, I can understand why everyone is shocked by this cartoon. In France we are used to shocking (and funny) art such as this. Satire and caricature is something deeply rooted within our culture. That said, it can be quite disturbing if you are not used to this particular way of thinking about and interpreting what you see.

I am happy to see Charlie Hebdo still being the “bad kids” of journalism because, after what happened a year ago, I was afraid the publication would stop being so impertinent. And yet this cartoon is the proof that Charlie Hebdo is still Charlie Hebdo.

Now, with regards to the cartoon in itself, if you interpret its content as being racist and cruel, appearing to suggest that a child like Aylan Kurdi would have become a sexual harasser because all migrants are like this, then I have bad news for you.

I would argue that the cartoon depicts the famous picture of Aylan to symbolise the brief moment of European unity and solidarity that we shared in grieving over this scene and the crisis it represented, yet also the way this feeling has quickly faded away. It is a nod to the speed with which this unity has been replaced by what made the news lately, the Cologne’s attacks.

Secondly, the connection between this child and those attackers is only made because they are both symbols. Aylan is the symbol of those people who try to escape the war and end up dying at the gates of Europe. Those attackers are becoming a symbol justifying the fear and Islamophobia in Germany and in Europe. The connection made between the two is designed to shock, but mainly to force a reader to think.

The intention is to show how the media are able to shift the perception of the refugees for some people and how some people tend to mix those two visions without too much trouble.

This is not a funny (nor racist) cartoon. It is a cartoon that denounces the situation. Why is it that the cartoon is more shocking and causes more debate than the events themselves? That is the main intent behind the best satirical cartoons.

A good cartoon should hit you like a punch in the face. That is what this cartoon is. When you look at this you are supposed to laugh (if you laugh at all) with a nervous caution.  It should be a nervous laugh because your perceptions are being challenged, and you are being forced to think about how the migrant crisis is reported in the media.

The cartoon does not mock the migrants, but it does mock our society for its racism and hypocritically fickle sensibility. It asks why we are able to generate sadness following a photograph, yet a few months later be able to accuse “the migrants” for the Cologne attacks.

Charlie Hebdo always was a shocking journal and is read by people who are tired of the mainstream media. You do not have to read it. Freedom of expression means that you are free to read and listen to what you want, and accept that people have different sensibilities to those you have.

So if you are a new reader of Charlie Hebdo, I understand why you are shocked. Without the context of the French language article alongside it it does become more complex. I hope that I have been able to shed some light on what Charlie Hebdo‘s type of satirical work tries to achieve, and what the people who work for it aim to incite.

To finish with a quote from Charlie Hebdo cartoonist Hank, “never forget that your eyes are connected to your brain.”

Review: The Revenant

Written by Leah Slater-Radway on . Posted in Film.

At a time when films appear to increasingly rely on CGI and meaningless dialogue to mask otherwise shallow plots, Alejandro González Iñárritu’s
 The Revenant is an experimental masterpiece proving that you don’t need either to captivate an audience. It is a very real and brutal depiction of a classic revenge plot, executed in a way where many directors would have lacked the creative ability to commit to—even when it caused rows, schedule push backs and massively over-anticipated costs.

Based on the true story of mountain man Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), we follow him on his quest to seek vengeance after being left for dead in the cold, unforgiving—yet seemingly serene and beautiful North American landscape. It must be emphasised as to just how important Iñárritu’s distinctive style of cinematography is to the telling of Glass’s story. The chronologically-shot, one-take, panning effect resurrected from Iñárritu’s previous success in Birdman almost takes you from your position as audience member to a participant in the unfolding events onscreen. The best example of this, is in the film’s opening sequence, where during a high-intensity battle, the camera travels from character to character, adding a layer of empathy—whilst still having the overall gripping action happening at the same time.

As well as this, the stark contrast between the brutal savagery in the various tense fight scenes, amidst the backdrop of such a tranquil, snowy horizon makes for a simply stunning juxtaposition. Such scenes were filmed during just a short two-hour window each day, in natural light so that the audience could have a truly sensory experience of cinematic involvement. Iñárritu’s diligence (despite the frustration this caused the shivering crew and cast) paid off—the arduous nature of the filming is clear and spectacular.

It is testament to both the meticulous direction and high-calibre acting for a film with such strikingly minimal dialogue to succeed at generating such a profound cinematic effect. DiCaprio, though the protagonist, has the least of dialogue in the whole film. Yet through a focus on heavy breathing, desperate grunts and controlled body language, we feel every sense of his frustration, sadness, anger and  determination. Describing the role as his “most challenging yet,” the Oscar nominee went to extreme lengths of method acting to convey the true depth of Glass’s test of endurance—he learnt how to speak various Native American languages; how to shoot a gun; build a fire; and succumbed to eating real raw bison liver in the name of acting—despite having an artificial one made by the crew.

Arguably more central to the story of revenge is complex character, John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy)—the man who leaves Glass for dead. His role seems to almost give the film’s plot a biblical element, and it would not be fair to discuss the triumph of this film without noting Hardy’s persistent faculty to often portray tormented characters with real depth. Combined, the twosome create truly tense fight scenes and a genuine ability for the audience to want Glass to survive, find him and get his revenge.

It would be impossible to discuss The Revenant without referencing to its critical acclaim—it won three Golden Globes last week, and is impressively nominated for 12 Oscars. Iñárritu’s unique style has been a hit with the critics and box office alike, and rightly so. But perhaps more importantly, this film stands the best chance of giving Leonardo DiCaprio the Best Actor accolade that many—including myself—feel the five-time nominee has long deserved. Having been pipped to the post in 2014 for his career-defining role in The Wolf of Wall Street by Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club, there is buzz around tinseltown suggesting that this will finally be his year. And as previous winners have shown where high acting standard is a given, success may lie in the personal challenges that the actor is willing to overcome. McConaughey lost an impressive 38 pounds to fulfil his triumphant role, so if DiCaprio cannot sway the Academy Awards of his worthiness by eating raw fish and bison liver, who knows what will.

Overall, The Revenant is an arthouse and meticulously crafted sensory experience that highlights the complexity of human spirit and determination, whilst also proving there is still scope for filmmaking that is both real and non-pandering to the generic prosaic structures prevalent today.

4/5