Sample Magic bring a wave of lo-fi oomph with their ‘Abstract Beats’ sample pack.
The beloved Sample Magic make a comeback with their ‘Abstract Beats’ pack. The pack contains hard-hitting dusty drums, raw underground-type melodies and a range of effects samples that will take your sample library to another range.
Additionally, the pack also includes MIDI files for the music loops which makes everything that much quicker when one is in the studio. Also, for every lo-fi and experimental producer that is looking for vinyl crackling sounds, you won’t need to download low-quality MP3 samples anymore as this pack has six oscillating vinyl samples that run around twenty-four seconds each.
Overall, ‘Abstract Beats’ is a superb sample pack. It has a solid range of samples and will give you inspiration for your next project if you need some. Undoubtedly, Sample Magic deserve a medal for their prolificacy in the work they produce. For an abstract sample pack, it’s not abstract in the slightest in its presentational arrangement, which is accommodating for any music producer that likes to create on the go.
Patrycja Podkościelny, an illustrator based in Poland, creates effective editorial illustrations both beautiful and attention-grabbing.
While one may enjoy looking at her work for its beauty the fact that there is an underlying message and meaning is very clear which makes these pieces more engaging and a great company to the text. Furthermore, Podkościelny is not afraid to use all the elements at her disposal, colour, composition, shape, line and texture so decisively within each illustration it is clear as day that each piece has been thought about and well planned out.
The Rocky series is carrying on as the fans are treated to two new posters.
‘Creed 2’, the sequel to ‘Creed’ and the eight film in the Rocky franchise, has just received two eye-pleasing posters which illustrate Rocky played by Sylvester Stallone and Adonis Creed played by Michael B Jordan.
The posters come just before the new trailer for Creed 2, which has been announced to be released today, the 26th of September.
The film has been directed by Steven Caple Jr. who has previously directed the 2016 film ‘The Land’ and the 2013 film ‘A Different Tree.’
If you haven’t been keeping up with gaming news recently then you might not have heard about the significant controversy surrounding so-called loot boxes. The general idea of these boxes is that they act as gift packs, with the items contained within being randomized and hidden until opened. Normally this would be of little concern, but the crux of this controversial matter revolves around two key points which turn this from who cares into a major concern.
First and foremost – these can be purchased with real money. Given that this is absolutely an area where the law is only now playing catchup, the unmistakable reality (at least from those not peddling them) is that this constitutes unregulated gambling.
The second, and not an always applicable issue, is that the less than scrupulous publishers (such as EA with Battlefront 2) can lock actual gameplay advantages within these loot boxes.
The end result is that this system not only takes advantage of youngsters and those who suffer from gambling addiction, it can also do so in an incredibly sinister way which effectively forces people to take part in systems of unregulated gambling in order to stand a competitive chance.
Of course, every single step of the way, those who use these systems claim they do not believe this is gambling.
Unfortunately for them, Belgium has recently set a precedent where loot boxes are considered gambling under the law, and the response by these multibillion-dollar publishers has run the range from cloying to unashamedly pitiful.
“FOREST // BATTLEFRONT 2” (CC BY-ND 2.0) by Skall_Edit
We can’t forget EA, who wear their avarice on their sleeves and have learned nothing from what was one of the biggest PR disasters in modern AAA gaming. So eager is Electronic Arts in protecting this practice that they are actively ignoring Belgian law, keeping their loot boxes in even though it means a direct facedown with the Belgian Gaming Commission. Naturally, their defense of this is just as steady and vacuous as it has always been, parading platitudes regarding ‘player choice’ instead of making any serious attempt to engage. The real reason EA puts up such a stalwart defense is a complete mystery if you’ll forgive the obvious sarcasm, but it definitely has nothing to do with the fact that the games which include these systems, like the now maligned EA Sports Ultimate Team modes, brought in around $650 million in 2017 alone.
It’s about the bottom line, we know that, they know that, and they’ll claw tooth and nail to maintain and build these profits, despite the obvious moral repugnancy. After all, it’s just our interpretation which marks these as exploitative gambling. Well, that and Belgian law, with 15 other gambling regulators from the European Forum taking part, including the UK, France, Ireland and Spain. Oh, and also a study by the Australian Environmental and Communication Reference Committee which links loot box gambling and gambling addiction.
Where do we go from here?
That depends on the level of power which these companies can exert over national and international regulatory commissions. Thankfully moneyed corruption here is minor, so the chances of bribery and corruption laying the framework for the way forward is minimal at best. What we do expect to see, and what we hope to see, is the law finally catching up with those who have so far taken advantage of a system still its infancy.
The big publishers will cry, they will play the victim, and they will lay threats as to the future of what is ostensibly necessarily over-expensive game development with some of their most popular properties. Really though, if your only way to succeed in video gaming is by manipulating and taking advantage of the young and those suffering from gambling addiction, then you’ll understand our sincere belief that the market is better off without you.
The first song to this edition of Sound Selection is ‘Are You All Good? by the wonderful breathe. who give us a drift of stunning vocals and dynamic-production that will keep you hooked for weeks to come. With this song released, we are eager to see what is next for this truly exciting duo known as breathe.
Magnus Foss ‘With Me’ feat. Hawen
Another terrific song to enter this edition of Sound Selection is ‘With Me’ by Magnus Foss featuring Hawen. In this song, Foss presents us a well-produced commercial chart-promiser that drives on its ear-pleasing melody and lovely production.
Out Loud! ‘Keep on Moving’
Bringing us more brilliant energy is the fantastic Out Loud! with their latest song ‘Keep on Moving,’ which with its vibe brings us back to the energetic summer parties and long days of fun. This one is for the playlists.
Road Kahan ‘Close’
The final song to enter this Sound Selection is by Road Kahan named ‘Close.’ This song features fabulous vocals and silk-smooth production that makes it a perfect song for the weekend.
After months of building anticipation, we finally have in our hands the latest in a line of PlayStation exclusives, this time from the developers over at Insomniac Games. Having built a considerable reputation ever since stating in the PS1 era with the well-received Spyro series, then moving onto the similarly fantastic Ratchet and Clank games, expectations for Spider-Man were incredibly high. Have Insomniac and Sony brought us a superhero game which can measure up to the brilliance of the Arkham series, or is this one going to be remembered as the Superman 64 of the eighth generation?
Put on your best crime-fighting outfit, and let’s find out.
Story
Spider-man takes place in the modern day, with a 23-year-old Peter Parker entering his eighth year on the job as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Starting with the arrest of super-villain Wilson Fisk, also known as Kingpin (and commonly a Daredevil villain), Spidey teams up with his unofficial NYPD liaison Yuri Watanabe to combat the power-struggle left in his wake. Combining this with the balance of working with Otto Octavius as a scientist and volunteering at the shelter called F.E.A.S.T, we have a look into many different elements of Peter’s life, both as a hero and as a person.
Rather than jump in and tell an origin story, Spider-Man opts to give us a more experienced and confident Peter Parker. While this does leave some questions when it comes to the backstory of this incarnation, multiple character bios and histories collected through the game help shed light on which of his rogues’ gallery he has faced so far, and who has yet to receive a sweet dose of sticky justice.
There are some developments here which might be a little confusing to those unfamiliar with the Spider-Man canon, though ultimately they serve an important purpose. Just as setting the story with a developed Spider-Man, the prior loss of Uncle Ben and split from Mary Jane serve to cut down on the unnecessary, to streamline the experience without getting bogged down in pathos. That is not to say that the game doesn’t have its darker moments, but even then it maintains the levity for which Spider-Man is known, effectively settling in a place which, for most players at least, should give the best of both worlds.
While we can’t go into much more without giving away the story, suffice to say that we were pleasantly surprised by the story and characterization within Spider-Man. Having never been an especially big fan of Peter Parker or Spider-Man in past, this game has effectively changed this reviewers opinions of the character entirely and leaves me eager to see where Insomniac and Sony intend to take the Spider-Man character and video game franchise in the future.
Gameplay
We saw it in the previews, and the comparisons are just as apt now that we have played the games for ourselves – a lot of what makes this game special comes from the influence of Rocksteady Studios and the Arkham series. Time in Spider-Man is split between two main elements, traversal and combat. Traversal owes more to prior Spider-Man games than anything else, with web-swinging mechanics not only reiterating the best but building upon them with a fluid animation system which makes just getting around a total joy.
Flinging around the city can be as simple as holding the R2 button, though there are a multitude of other options like the web zip and boost jump which help with the more precise elements of movement and targeting. As fans requested Spidey again connects his web to actual buildings, and while there is one specific combat move which breaks this illusion, the overall effect makes travel that much more organic and consistent. No more attaching straight up while going through Central Park, this time you need to swing through the trees. Sure, occasionally this looks a little funky, and it brings aspects of momentum into question, but the overall effect in making the gameplay fun far exceeds our concerns for pedantic accuracy.
When it comes to combat, quality and design have been given a similarly high level of love and attention. This is where the Arkham influence shines, with precise controls and incredible fluidity being modified to better reflect the style and abilities of the super-powered Spidey. Spidey prefers to dodge rather than counter, and with a web-grapple tied to the triangle button he can easily pull himself to an enemy, and vice versa. Combine this with an arsenal of web-themed quick-fire gadgets and you have a system which is fast, fluid, beautiful, and far more precise than the group-based combat might have you initially believe possible.
Putting these two systems to use is a mission system which combines an interesting rotation of individually tailored side-missions, and larger collect and findathon type busy work. This includes unlocking towers ala Ubisoft, and there will be the kind of go here and beat up everyone type missions for which we are so accustomed, but the variety here is still above what many games manage or bother to implement. It might not measure up to the likes of the Witcher or even Horizon Zero Dawn when it comes to open-world content, but it still manages to sit among the upper echelons of what open-world games commonly include.
Presentation
Whether on a base PS4 or a PS4 Pro, Spider-Man is one of the best looking games on the system. Largely locked at 30fps, this is one of the best implementations of open world performance we have ever seen, while also managing to output visuals which put many linear games to shame. We’ve seen a lot of digitized versions of New York in the past, and while perhaps not the most accurate, Spider-Man gives us one of the most beautiful.
The high-quality anti-aliasing and ambient occlusion do a lot here to keep the image presentable, but it is really the reflections and depth of the cities sky-scrapers which push this game into the territory of beautiful. If you stop and examine these elements closely you can easily see that Insomniac used a variety of tricks which don’t stand up to stationary scrutiny, but when sailing through the city these will go unnoticed by all but the most eagle-eyed player.
Also surprisingly impressive are some of the character models on display. We’ve already gushed enough about the animations, but some of the facial animation and design, especially for Peter Parker and Otto Octavius stand a head above their gaming contemporaries when it comes to overall believability, though some of the side characters and pedestrians are far from this level of quality, for obvious reasons.
Conclusion
Normally we try to avoid hype when it comes to new game releases, but this is one for we believe the hype is entirely justified. Not just content in continuing the legacy left by the Arkham games, Spider-Man puts its own spin on a genre which history has proven is difficult to get right. Fun, gorgeous, and compelling, this game stands as one of the best of this console generation, and will hopefully be the basis of a few sequels yet to come.
Marina Glebova, an artist based in Russia, creates unique dolls full of charm and personality.
Glebova brings her charming characters to life through the art of doll making. In contrast to a lot of our modern day imagery of bright colours and filters, Glebova gives the characters a sense of realism and nostalgia through her selection of fabrics, mediums and attention to detail.
Jamie Wei Huang has returned with a splendid 2019 Spring Summer show at the London Fashion Week.
Jamie Wei Huang, a luxury womenswear designer and founder of eponymous label Jamie Wei Huang, delivered a terrific show at the London Fashion Week. It was all about 2007 in this collection for Jamie Wei Huang. The designer incorporated various symbols, narrative objects, and collected materials to create a truly eye-pleasing collection.
The label itself launched in 2013 after winning the award for ‘Designer For Tomorrow.’ Now with more than numerous years of experience, Jamie flourishes with her beautiful designs and looks to develop into a household name in the world of luxury fashion.
