If you’ve been holding out on getting a Zune, now seems to be a great time to buy one. Future Shop has cut the price of the 8GB Zune to $99.99, but the sale ends November 20. This is the exact same model that I own and I consider it to be the best MP3 player I’ve used. Read my reviews of the 8GB and 120GB models for more details.
Nintendo news channels have been reporting that Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, one of the GameCube’s most underrated and fun games, is making its way to the Wii in the near future.
If you’re not familiar with the game, it’s a side-scrolling platformer with three-dimensional graphics. Oh, and it’s controlled by bongos. JUST bongos. You hit the right bongo and Donkey Kong moves right. You hit the left one and he moves left. Hit both at the same time and he’ll jump with the momentum of whatever direction you’ve had him running in. Clapping makes Kong clap, which is a useful move for stunning enemies and grabbing bananas.
It should come as no surprise to our readers that Toronto Thumbs is home to, among many things, a bunch of crazed and obsessed Naruto fans. Jorge has recently completed Naruto Clash of Ninja Revolution 2 for Wii and will soon be getting his hands on Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 for Nintendo DS while I will tackle Naruto: The Broken Bond for Xbox 360, which is in stores tomorrow.
Although the first Naruto outing on the Xbox received some critical bashing from cool dude video game bloggers, I quite enjoyed it because it followed the story of the anime so well and made it feel like I was playing a cartoon (but in a different way from Dragon’s Lair, which I actually do not enjoy). Bonus points to the developers for later including the Japanese language track as FREE DLC. I understand The Broken Bond includes the Japanese audio option right out of the box, which means I’ll be reading a lot of subtitles this week.
Dattebayo!
In the early 90s, Canada’s East Coast was ground zero for an indie rock explosion of monster proportions. Many of the notable bands that came out of that time and place were on Murderecords, a label run by Haligonian rock gods Sloan. Bands of that era have moved on, either in creative direction of physical location. Some even moved to Toronto.
Joel Plaskett, who now fronts Joel Plaskett Emergency and writes roughly as many love songs for Halifax as he does for girls, was (along with bassist Ian McGettigan, guitarist/vocalist Rob Benvie, and drummer Cliff Gibb) a creative force in a great band that went by the name of Thrush Hermit.
Capcom’s been sending out Street Fighter emails like you wouldn’t believe. Today they let us know that the home versions of Street Fighter IV will be released here on February 17, 2009.
Related article: HANDS-ON IMPRESSIONS: Street Fighter IV
One would be hard pressed to find a video game publisher that has released more titles for the Wii than Ubisoft. From the console’s release nearly two years ago, Ubisoft was there with several launch titles and they have no signs of slowing down.
The wildly popular Rayman Raving Rabbids series has another installment coming our way on Tuesday via Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party, only this time players will get to use their feet (and bottoms) if they have the Wii Balance Board. I had the chance to play a few of the mini games at a recent Nintendo event and although I’m a terrible skateboarder in real life, I was able to navigate a Rabbid through a series of cosmic hoops with some sort of ease.
Check here next week for a full review of the game. We haven’t cracked it open yet but are very excited to see that Ubisoft has once again jumped on board to support the Wii, especially the Balance Board.
This weekend I picked up Dead Space from my friendly neighbourhood indie game shop, We Got Games. Though I’ve spent a good amount of time towards Fallout 3, I pried myself away from it to get a little closer with the science fiction/horror story set (where else?) in space.
I had been following the development press for Dead Space and when I found out that the team behind it culled their influences from hundreds of horror movies, it only made me more interested in the game. When firing up the game for the first time, you can really tell it wears its influences proudly. Most notable of the influences is the movie Alien, but secondary to this, there’s a definite Sunshine vibe going on – though that movie was more about psychological changes brought on by dead space than monsters (though yes, there is that out-of-place monster).
Dead Space is truly terrifying at times. Its visuals are impressive. But what really stands out for me is the high production value of the game’s sound, particularly the effects of the aliens and the muted sounds while walking through vacuum-shut corridors.
I don’t forsee myself finishing this game anytime soon, as it’s one I only want to play late at night for maximum effect. But I will probably end up writing a lot more about it some time in the future as it reminds me a lot of one of my favourite games ever, Resident Evil 4. For now, suffice to say if you like RE4, you will very likely love Dead Space.
You were born in the vault. You will die in the vault. No one ever leaves the vault.
Vault 101 is an underground bunker inhabited by survivors of the nuclear holocaust and commanded by The Overseer, a man who ensures the vault’s security. No one ever enters the vault.
Your earliest memory is that of being born. Your father, who is also a doctor, talks to you. He says your mother and he believe you have a bright future. Something goes wrong and your mother needs help. You are carted away. A year later, you find a way out of your pen while your father steps out of the family quarters. It’s obvious your mother did not survive.
At the age of ten, you are given your very own Pip-Boy 3000. It’s a wrist-mounted computer vault residents use to monitor their health, inventory, and skills. It can also be used to tune into radio frequencies and perform other important tasks.
It was no secret that at launch, the PS3 had a serious lack of quality games. One of the exceptions however was MotorStorm, a game that took both racing and console visuals to the extreme. This time around, I’m happy to say that even though the PS3 library has far more quality and depth, the sequel to MotorStorm, Pacific Rift, still stands out due to it’s tight and frantic races that take place in exotic volcanic locations all presented in beautiful HD perfection.
The original MotorStorm really pushed the envelope when it came to what was graphically possible on the “difficult to program for” PlayStation 3 platform, and MotorStorm: Pacific Rift is no different in that respect. The fire and water effects look especially good, while the exotic locales immerse the player. The environment looks so good, it almost makes the vehicles the secondary attraction.
That feeling changes however thanks to the great sounding engines and effects. The engine roar is extremely satisfying and differs between the different vehicle types. One complaint I have is the very limited soundtrack that’s included. I was listening to the same song often enough throughout my play time for it to be a notable point, though this can be seen as a minor complaint as custom soundtracks are supported.
Play. Create. Share. A simple mantra the developer Media Molecule has preached to the gaming community during the many months leading up to the release of the blockbuster PS3 release. As with all games that get the hype and attention that games like LittleBigPlanet did, nobody could be sure that the game would meet the expectations set. I’m here to let you know that without a doubt Sackboy and company have not only managed to shatter all expectations, but managed to raise the bar by which future games in the platforming genre will be judged by.
