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DEATHMATCH
Ultimate Band VS Bagpipes

Around lunchtime today I headed up to Dundas Square to check out Disney Interactive Studios’ Ultimate Band for Wii. Think Guitar Hero or Rock Band without the need for a storage locker. Ultimate Band is a music rhythm game that utilizes the Wii controllers you already own to bring a full band experience to your living room. Since there’s no need for custom controllers, it’s really handy for apartment-dwellers. The downside, however, is that instead of looking goofy rocking out to a small plastic guitar, you look goofy shaking the Wii Remote and nunchuck attachments.

When I arrived at Dundas Square, I realized the demonstrations for the game were actually happening outside the Sears entrance of the Eaton Centre. It’s an area with higher traffic, so it makes sense that the game’s PR people would want to take advantage of the additional eyeballs. After all, it isn’t every day you get to walk by people with televisions strapped to their backs!

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Posted in Deathmatches, Events, Reviews, Wii | No Comments »

All Thumbs Up
A Simple Guide to Hosting a Game Event

Shaun hosts a regular small gathering of gamers at his place most Fridays. It’s a show-up-if-you-want event. These are great because if you’re looking for some competition from like-minded gamers, you can just head on over and hang out with him and whoever to do some quality gaming (although this shouldn’t be taken as an open invitation for everyone to show up - Ed.). Since the crowd is never too big, everyone gets a turn, and two-player matches are the order of the day.

I tend to host larger gatherings far less frequently. I invite people that don’t normally come out to Shaun’s gatherings, resulting in a much larger turnout. While changing the dynamics in terms of games enjoyed, the increased diversity really allows for some interesting gaming experiences.

Since moving into my new place, and what with having a new baby last year, I didn’t have time to host anything until fairly recently. Also, I was concerned about waking the baby, as the baby’s room is right above the TV.

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Posted in Deathmatches, Events, How To | 4 Comments »

True Gaming Friends: The Hidden Roost Edition

Game:

Team Fortress 2

How to Tell You’ve got a TGF:

After a good round of TF2, your TGF and you have a telephone conversation about it.  He remarks that your skills as a Sniper have improved a lot since you last played together.  He tells you that he’s interested in your strategies and would like to know some of your tricks so that he can learn to play the position better.  So you tell him.

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Posted in Deathmatches, PC, True Gaming Friends | 6 Comments »