Toronto Thumbs

Toy Story
Hot Wheels Video Racer

Click the pic to watch some test footage of this car!

While the Holidays are still a ways off, we thought that we would start tossing out some ideas to our readers before the real rush sets in. You will see some articles over the next while about some neat toys that we have been playing with lately.

I’m not sure if miniature cars held the same position of prestige in memories of your childhood like they do in mine. Back then, die-cast dinky cars were the best thing going; along with LEGO, you could pretty much create almost anywhere in the world. Once you had fun with those, there we’re the track sets that let you play with the concept of the inclined plane in loop-the-loopy ways.

Fast forward to the now, where cars are no longer made out of metal. How do you recapture the glory of the old days? Well, Hot Wheels may have hit upon the solution: recapture by capturing!

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Posted in Gadgets, Holiday Hints, Toys | No Comments »

Friendly Fire
Bridging the Gaming Gap

The Heavy does not approve of children or girly-men playing his game.

The pleading voice came through loud and tinny through Steam’s voice chat: “But Rituro, I’m mature!”

I sighed. Once again, my little brother was making a desperate pitch to convince me that he should be allowed to play Team Fortress 2 so we could play together. His latest argument -much like his previous ones- focuses on the definition of the “M” rating that accompanied Valve’s seminal online shooter: if one felt mature, surely they were mature enough to play an “M”-rated game, right? Wrong.

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Posted in Awesome, Byte-Size Reviews, Commentary, Holiday Hints | No Comments »

Holidaze
Our Thoughts On 2010

The end of the year is nigh and we have all played many games; both good and bad. We at Toronto Thumbs decided to share some of our thoughts about what we have enjoyed (and not enjoyed) over the course of 2010. For the most part, there are a number of categories. Even though some of us could not find games that fit each section, we still gave our all in those that we could.

Since I am lazy, I am going to update this post and keep it current. Be sure to stay tuned!

• Introduction
• Dana Russo’s Thoughts
• Jayson Young’s Thoughts
• Kat Armstrong’s Thoughts
• Mike Croft’s Thoughts
• Rituro’s Thoughts
• Jorge Figueiredo’s Thoughts

Posted in Awesome, Commentary, From The Thumbs, Holiday Hints | No Comments »

HOLIDAY HINTS
Ultimate Game Card

Attention shoppers: You are running out of precious time to get your gamer friends their holiday presents. Recent surveys are suggesting that one in five consumers wait until the last minute to do their Christmas shopping. Are you included in that statistic?

Nevertheless, there’s no denying that with each passing minute, you are running out of options. Therefore, at this late hour a good option would be the Ultimate Game Card. Think of it as a gift card that is accepted by more than 300 multi-player online games. So if you’re not sure whether your buddy is a World of Warcraft fanatic or if he spends his time with EVE Online, the Ultimate Game Card has you covered.

But what is arguably the best thing about this Holiday Hint is that you don’t have to fight mall traffic and zombie shoppers to get it. The Ultimate Game Card can be found at 7-Eleven stores as well as select Mac’s convenience stores.

Posted in Holiday Hints | 4 Comments »

REVIEW
SingStar ABBA

“Can you hear the drums Fernando?”

This is the beginning line to ABBA’s  super hit “Fernando”, the first song I attempted to belt out when I popped in SingStar ABBA.  To give you an indication of how things went, I didn’t even know this line, let alone the rest of the song.  This is fundamentally the problem with a a game like SingStar that thrives in a party environment, being focused on a single group.  That being said, the game mechanics themselves haven’t changed (for better or for worse) and SingStar ABBA still makes for an entertaining experience overall.

Everything we have come to love about the series is present in this latest iteration, although there have been no changes to the tried and true formula at all.  Much like SingStar vol. 2 for the PS3, no additional functionality is made available by purchasing the disc.  What you do get is 25 of the Swedish pop group’s biggest songs (only 20 on the PS2 version), a number that falls slightly shy of the 30 tracks per disc that we’re used to up to this point.  This really is a testament to ABBA’s success over the years though, as there are few bands that could fill a disc with that many well known hits.

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Posted in Holiday Hints, Music, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Reviews | 2 Comments »

HOLIDAY HINTS
Nintendogs

Ah, the Christmas rush! There’s nothing quite like it, is there? With few days remaining till the big day, chances are you’re already done your shopping. Of course, seeing how packed the malls are today it would seem a considerable amount of you either have too many people to shop for or haven’t started yet.

In any case, Nintendogs is a neat DS game which simulates the joys of dog ownership minus slobbery kisses and eventual stinky breath. Oh, and it won’t wake you up at 3 a.m. when it has a potty emergency. Nintendogs was a game that made me interested in owning a DS because videos I had seen of it showed quite an impressive dog intelligence. The virtual dog can be taught tricks. It responds to the owner’s voice commands and touches.

I felt like a jerk paying attention to a fake pup since I have a real one, but for people who are interested in owning a dog or for dog lovers who just have to have some sort of dog interaction while away for their own pets, Nintendogs is possibly the next best thing. The pups are lively and they don’t have dead eyes like so many electric toy dogs. Plus, if you’re seen as a good doggie owner in the game, you can take care of more of them.

Nintendogs is a game that seems to be for children, and would make a good alternative for parents looking for non-violent kid- and girl-friendly titles.

Posted in DS, Holiday Hints | 2 Comments »

Holiday Hints
Sony Bluetooth Wireless Keypad

With such a large focus on their up-and-coming Home online social service, its no surprise that Sony would release a tool to ease the communication between gamers.  Enter the Bluetooth Wireless Keypad, an excellent alternative for gamers without a headset this holiday season.

The keypad features a full QWERTY keyboard (essentially mimicking your computer keyboard layout), making the transition an easy one for anyone with a BlackBerry or smart phone.  The keys are spaced out nicely, and allow for easy text entry for even someone like me who has a tendency to “fat-finger” the keys on their phone.

The real advantage to using the wireless keypad over a traditional USB keyboard setup is how easily accessible it is sitting right there on the controller.  It allows you to eliminate that mid-game disconnect of putting the controller down and reaching for a keyboard, something much more advantageous in practice than it sounds on paper.

The build is solid, and initial setup is as simple as plugging it into a USB port on your PS3.  If you have a gamer on your list that enjoys playing online, sending messages across the PlayStation Network, or even surfing the web on the big screen, this is the perfect gift to make their game time a little more enjoyable.

Posted in Holiday Hints | 3 Comments »