Toronto Thumbs

Boom! Headshot.
Sniper Elite V2

Anyone that knows my gaming personality knows that I tend to lean towards reconnaissance in first-person-shooters; in fact, I quite enjoy stealth-based third-person games like Assassin’s Creed and Batman. I never did play the original Sniper Elite; I regret my decision from time to time – but with so many other games to play, I don’t think I ever really mourned that loss properly. Of course, when I saw clips of Rebellion’s Sniper Elite V2 and I think I just found my second chance.

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Posted in Previews, Videos | 1 Comment »

OMB Best Song Ever!
Mutant Blobs Attack

Where you’ll be when you find out this news.

What’s that you say? Toronto Thumbs alumnus Shaun Hatton has done music for Drinkbox Studios’ upcoming Playstation Vita game: Mutant Blobs Attack?

The answer, ladies and gentlemen, is yes.

Posted in Awesome, Music, Previews | No Comments »

Preview
Jagged Alliance: Back In Action

While it pains my X-COM-worshipping bones to admit it, the days of the turn-based strategy game may well be truly over. Sure, some standouts might still remain (cases in point: the intriguing Xenonauts and Dead State), but the sign of the times is glowing in massive neon letters: speed it up. That’s not to say some games haven’t taken the “speed it up” mantra and run with it to an exciting hybrid of turn-based and real-time game-play; Flotilla and Frozen Synapse are two solid examples which have done just that – with excellent results. Still, these are new
properties; can an established, classic turn-based franchise make the leap to a modern hybrid style?

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Posted in PC, Previews, Videos | 1 Comment »

On the Horizon
Marvel: Avengers Alliance

“It’s a big world out there, folks – and we can firebomb the hell out if it if we want.”

This past Monday, Disney Interactive announced the latest marquee name to get a Facebook game, in the form of Marvel: Avengers Alliance, set for release sometime in Q1 2012. The announcement trailer (game-play in absentia) sets the scene – the world is under siege, and a mysterious force is super-charging the villains; so it’s up to the player to ‘recruit and command’ the Avengers to put a stop to all this nasty business.

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Event
Nintendo Holiday Preview – Super Mario 3D Land

I have a confession to make: I didn’t really enjoy New Super Mario Brothers Wii. I felt the controls were not nearly as precise as they should be; everything was so floaty and slow. I was pretty disappointed, especially after playing Super Mario Galaxy 2 (the greatest game ever made). But you know, as adults we put bad experiences behind us and move on, right? No! it all came flooding back after I went hands-on with Super Mario 3D Land. It was like Vietnam flashbacks of slight annoyance.

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Event
Nintendo Holiday Preview – Mario Kart 7

Mario Kart games are a socialite’s dream. I can’t count how many Mario Kart parties I’ve had and with the release of Mario Kart 7 I may need to clean my basement because more parties are to come. I recently had a chance to sit down with Mario Kart 7 for the Nintendo 3DS and I’m here to tell you that it’s a game you’ll definitely want to pick up.

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Posted in 3DS, First Impressions | 1 Comment »

Event
PS Holiday Preview – Silent Hill: Downpour

Since the release of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Dead Space 2 and the audio-only Deep Sea, we haven’t really seen the release of a legitimately scary game. We have had our share of suspenseful thrillers, but the intense anxiety and helplessness you get from playing horror games is beyond anything else imaginable. Because of this, horror games are probably one of the most unique genres: instilling feelings that become more interactive than usual; feelings that linger for days – perhaps even years. Many gamers will tell you that the Silent Hill series has consistently proven itself to be a charter member of this genre, time and time again. While Silent Hill: Shattered Memories failed in its pursuit to inspire true helplessness, Konami has since realized that the only way to instill that same sense of fear is to go back to the roots. Welcome to Silent Hill: Downpour.

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Posted in Events, First Impressions, PlayStation 3 | No Comments »

Upcoming Event
X-Summit: Chatting with Yves

The title of this article may sound like a very boring dramatic film; really it’s about how I was hanging out in a bar with Yves Bordeleau, from Cyanide Studio. I’m not sure if you have heard of them, but if you are a fan of Game of Thrones, you soon will. While I am not at liberty to discuss exactly what we talked about, I would like to share a few snippets of what we talked about that have increased my excitement for the next two days at X-Summit.

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Event
PS Holiday Preview – Uncharted 3

If there’s one video game series that remains consistently exciting, charming and offers the same visual spectacle as a Hollywood blockbuster, it’s Uncharted. Since its inception in 2007, the action-adventure/third-person shooter has maintained its place in the vast gaming library as one of the best and brightest, challenging other blockbusters and always coming away with outstanding results. Naughty Dog, the developer of the series, clearly knows just how to astound its audience. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, the next chapter in the series, proves no to be different than its predecessors.

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Oooooh!
Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack

If you haven’t read our review for DrinkBox Studios’ Tales From Space: About a Blob, make with the clicking and then come back. Pretty cool eh? Well guess what? The folks over at DrinkBox are working on follow-up game called Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack for the Playstation Vita!

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