Toronto Thumbs

Tiny Cartridge Interview
Capybara Games talks about Clash of Heroes

The crew over at Tiny Cartridge recently had the opportunity to chat about Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes with the game’s developers, Toronto-based Capybara Games. Co-founder/President Nathan Vella and co-lead designer Greg Georgiadis had a lot to say about not only the game, but a variety of other interesting subjects. Their discussion covers topics such as the industry’s movement away from pixel art, developing for the DS versus the PSP, and being an independent studio working for a bigger publisher. It’s a great read, so go check it out!

Posted in Canada, Indie, Interviews, News Bytes, TORONTO | No Comments »

Flash Focus
Nintendo of Canada’s Holiday Snowball Toss

Now here’s neat take on the holiday greeting card: Nintendo of Canada’s Holiday Snowball Toss game has players throwin’ snow at the Koopa gang and other baddies. The somewhat minimalist game only takes about 30 seconds to play, but it’s a fun and cute 30 seconds since it’s full of sights and sounds from New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

See how many members of Mario’s rogue gallery you can take out. My record is 620 points!

Play Holiday Snowball Toss »

Posted in Awesome, Canada, Flash Focus, Nintendo | 3 Comments »

Game with Fame
Play Tony Hawk Ride with Tony Hawk

If you’ve ever wanted to skate with skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, you’ll have your chance December 2, 2009, when he logs on to Xbox LIVE to play Tony Hawk Ride with Canadian gamers

Xbox Canada is asking interested gamers to add the Gamertag TonyHawkGWF to their friends lists and to be online at 7:30 p.m. ET on December 2, just before the Game with Fame session begins.

Additional details can be found at the Facebook page for this event. If I had the game, I’d be all over this. As it is, I almost break something every time I’ve stepped on a skateboard, so it’s probably a good thing I don’t own it.

Posted in Awesome, Canada, Events, News Bytes, Xbox 360 | No Comments »

Event Re-cap
Gamercamp Wows, Leaves Me Wanting More

Organizers Jaime Woo and Mark Rabo welcome the crowd. Photo by Gavin Hay from the Gamercamp Flickr Pool.

Saturday’s Gamercamp was unlike any other gaming-related gathering I have attended. Since many of them are sponsored by software and console manufacturers and used to promote upcoming big-budget titles from studios with hundreds of employees, the contrast provided by Gamercamp was both refreshing and much needed.

Instead, the event celebrated local talent and featured demonstrations of upcoming indie games as well as insights from successful indie developers about the creative process, business decisions, and team dynamics. Gamercamp was a casual gathering with snack and chat breaks punctuating demonstrations and lectures.

During these breaks I was fortunate to meet with several local gamers and writers, many for the first time, to talk about gaming and other geeky subjects. Among these personalities were the amicable Imaginary Thomas (who was making his annual public appearance), Lori Dance and Dave Waisglass from the new and awesome game blog A Couple of Gamers, Don Tam from GameNorth.ca, Will Perkins and Lucas Rizoli from Dork Shelf, Ry-Tron and Nadine from Aboot Play, Zack Kotzer from Steel Bananas, and Jaime Woo and Mark Rabo, the minds behind Gamercamp.

What was surprising and most humbling was hearing from people who’ve read Toronto Thumbs and enjoyed the site – so to those of you who expressed kind words, thanks again.

Read the rest »

Posted in Arcade, Art, Awesome, Canada, Events, Indie, TORONTO | 7 Comments »

PILOT PROJECT
Nerdland Has Irresistable Charm

By the time you read this, Nerdland may no longer be the first video you see on thedetour.ca. But this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t see it. Nerdland is just one of 10 pilot episodes being debuted online by TELETOON Detour on their official site and on tvguide.ca. With a new show debuting each week, chances are if you’re into absurd comedy, you’ll find something you’ll like.

Nerdland, which was filmed in Toronto, is the fourth show released via the Pilot Project and is so far my favourite of the bunch. The episode chronicles the misadventures of a group of lovable nerds who, despite being brought to life in stop-motion, are surprisingly real. Odds are you can identify with at least one of the characters, or know someone who is eerily similar to one of the nerds. It even pokes fun at elitist video game bloggers.

Watch it now »

Posted in Awesome, Canada, Cartoons | 4 Comments »

WEEKEND EVENT
Xbox Canada Community Birthday Party

The team over at GeneralGames.ca has been plotting and scheming a kick-ass party to celebrate the thriving Xbox Canada community on Saturday, November 14 at Strathcona Hotel Bar in downtown Toronto.

If you’ve ever played these guys online, you know they’re all about talking trash – so consider this your opportunity to talk trash and have some good laughs with them the olde-fashioned way: in-person. Besides food, friends, and drink, the party will have a raffle and auction for some awesome prizes, with all proceeds going to the Child’s Play charity.

If you’re interested in attending, just say so in the comments of this post on GeneralGames.ca. You can also find additional details about the party there.

Posted in Awesome, Canada, Events, Xbox 360 | 1 Comment »

EVENT
Gamercamp: November 21, 2009

If you live in the Greater Toronto Area and love gaming, mark November 21, 2009 on your calendars and get ready to attend the first-ever Gamercamp. It’s a one-day event that celebrates the creativity, art, and history of video games with guest speakers, demos, and a free-play arcade filled with rare and classic games.

Raigan Burns and Mare Sheppard of Metanet Software Inc. will be delivering the event’s keynote, and will be discussing the rock band approach to game development. Michael Todd will also be delivering an address and speaking about his game-a-week experiment and Broken Brothers Deluxe (be sure to check out our recent interview with Todd, too).

Between sessions, work from the Toronto indie community will be showcased. These include demos, early builds, and various pixel art. The event organizers have teamed up with the Replay Arcade Museum (which will open to the public soon) for the closing party, 1UP, which will feature unlimited free play of 25 classic arcade cabinets.

Tickets for Gamercamp are $15 and can be purchased at Gamercamp.ca. Admission includes dinner and the unlimited arcade free play. Gamercamp is a pretty long event, so you’ll definitely get your money’s worth by attending. It will run from 1 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Lower Ossington Theatre at 100A Ossington Ave., Toronto.

See you there!

Posted in Awesome, Canada, Events, News Bytes | 3 Comments »