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Motion is Out of Control

Playstation Move

There was coffee everywhere. I guess I should rewind a bit. I was listening to a podcast recently which was discussing Valve’s Steam Box and what we want to see in the next generation of consoles. It was when they said “more motion-control support and games!” that I proceeded to damage a lot of very expensive electronics by spitting my coffee…well…yeah we covered that part. With nothing to do with all my pent up rage towards motion control, I thought “what would an angry house-wife in the 1950s do?” and [...]

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Player’s Choice – A Laundry List for Next Gen Features

You wish this was real.

One of my favourite strategies for avoiding people I don’t want to talk to is to immerse myself in my phone. Most often it leads to me cursing my way through a round of Temple Run. Sometimes though, it leads to constructive thoughts – like this one. During one of my diversion tactics, I came across a tweet by Cheat Central asking gamers what we really want to see from the next generation of consoles. It was after I had typed and erased four separate answers that I realized I [...]

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The Next Level – The Last Level

mass-effect-3-profile

Although 2011 was the year of the sequel as far as many franchises were concerned, there are some highly anticipated follow-ups due out this year. Headlined by Mass Effect 3 and Bioshock Infinite, expectations couldn’t be higher for two franchises so highly decorated in awards and praise. The question at hand is: will they be great because of what preceding games pioneered or will these titles find a new way to earn what the previous installments claimed? Mass Effect is adding multiplayer. Bioshock Infinite takes place in the sky. The [...]

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Metro 2033 – Last Light Delayed and Will Depart on Platform 2013

metro-2033-last-light-delayed

As the title states, the upcoming sequel on THQ’s shooter Metro 2033 is delayed until early next year. The reason for this delay is not yet clear although it seems like THQ is trying to polish up the game a lot more than they did with the first Metro 2033 which still had a lot of bugs in it. Core games boss at THQ, Danny Bilson said he believed the shooter had what it takes to “compete with Call of Duty’s”. The question is however will they be able to [...]

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The Invisible Wall – An Author’s Response

zelda-link-skyward-sword

Every three or four years, I’ll mark a special day in my calendar. It’s not the leap year or the Summer Olympics. Actually I should put those in there. But the day to which I was originally referring is the release date of a new Zelda. The Legend of Zelda is my “desert island” franchise (“if you were stranded on a deserted island and could only bring one game…”). Most of us have at least one. That series of games that plays so familiar yet innovative and manages to engross [...]

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Ghost Recon Future Soldier Trailer Shows Fighting Fair is Not an Option!

ghost-recon-future-soldier-fighting-fair-is-not-an-option

Ubisoft just released a nice sneak-peak of the single-player campaign in their latest trailer. Showing off a lot of the cool gadgets and features that you will have to utilize in order to complete the various missions and objectives you have to complete successfully of course. “When you’re outnumbered, and the most advanced arsenal is at your disposal, fighting fair just isn’t an option.” – pretty much sums it all up. You will have the most advanced and proto-type technology to your availability while most of your enemies will have [...]

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The New FPS Genre – First Person Snooters

first-person-shooters

At some point in the past 5 years, the FPS genre became home to some of the snootiest players around fueled by exponential growth in the cry-baby demographic. Some professionals point to an abundance of titles, but the question remains: how do you get back on track when you never lost your way? In defending a genre with so many great games, we reluctantly name names for fear of leaving out a worthy franchise. Battlefield, Call of Duty, Half Life, Doom, Quake, Arma, Gears of War, Halo etc. Separately they [...]

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Licensed Games: Reinforcing the Stereotype

captain-america-super-soldier-stereotype

Sipping my morning coffee around 2 p.m. and watching t.v. shows on an actual television for the first time in months, I had an epiphany. Actually, Victor Lucas and the team at Reviews on the Run should be credited for the findings, but since they’re not here you’ll just have to give me the kudos. What for you ask? The realization that licensed games are among the worst that were produced this year and are a step backwards for the industry we love so much. It’s very rare that reviewers [...]

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Wii U Coming to CES in January

wii-u-price

This past week, we named the Wii U as the biggest story in gaming for 2012. Nintendo is getting an early start on our prediction by making their first appearance in 17 years at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

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Ask A-Rod: 2011 Year-End Review

skyrim santa

This week we wrap up some loose ends along with presents as we prepare for the holiday season and then a brand-spanking-new year of gaming.

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Graphics vs. Gameplay – A Look Across Genres

fps batman

This week we take a look at some questions centered around the different genres of video games What is more important to a game’s success: good graphics or gameplay mechanics? They work together, not against each other. I doubt you even have the same development teams working on these two components to say which is prioritized during game creation. In my experience however, there have been great games that have had bad graphics but rarely have I found a gorgeous game you would call “great” with shitty controls – doesn’t [...]

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Ask A-Rod: What are the most ridiculous questions gamers have asked?

play-fail

Getting a little off-beat this week, I was recently asked in a weekly chat what kind of ridiculous questions I get asked through “Ask A-Rod” and in general about gaming. Here are five of the most ridiculous; how are some of these people still alive?

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November 15: The Most Crowded Day in Gaming

creed revelations mp

If you go by calendars, the biggest day for receiving presents is December 25th. For gamers however, you’d be hard-pressed to find a day more celebrated than November 15th. Here’s why. Every autumn is peppered with the biggest releases from franchises like Call of Duty and the various EA sports titles. But 2011 has redefined the term “blockbuster” and no better example exists than the middle of November. Today, over 26 games come out. Twenty-six. While some of them belong in the bargain bin by year’s end, a good amount [...]

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Ask A-Rod: Are they getting rid of physical game discs?

I call this "Empty - A Gamer's Attempt at Symbolism"

This week’s question is being asked more with each passing day. Recently it came up along with ten thousand other rumours about the release of GTA V being sold exclusively in digital formats. In this week’s column, we take a closer look at the ever-changing landscape of the video game industry and the way we buy.

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Ask A-Rod: When do you consider a game to be complete?

Great job, you found and slaughtered 100 pigeons in GTA IV. Hope you can sleep at night.

They say it ain’t over `til the fat lady sings, but if you’re playing Rock Band that could be fairly early in the game. Here are some other ways to decide when to call it quits.

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