Toronto Thumbs

Review
Battlefield 3

My exposure to the Battlefield franchise before this year was limited to brief encounters with Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield 2; I’m not sure why neither of them really spoke to me. Until my discovery of Team Fortress 2, I didn’t really enjoy playing online multi-player FPS’s; shortly after TF2, Modern Warfare made its way into the rotation.

Eventually, both of these were replaced by a suggestion from our own Mike Jackson: Battlefield: Bad Company 2. BFBC2 became my go-to FPS, eclipsing anything else in the stable. Multi-player was great: quick games; smart games; fun games. Months after I started, the Battlefield 3 footage started finding its way around the internet, causing keyboards to short circuit thanks to the drool-inducing Frostbite 2 engine from DICE. I even got to spend some time participating in the multi-player alpha; I was blown away – the holidays promised to be awesome – all because of this one game.

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Posted in PC, PlayStation 3, Reviews, Xbox 360 | 1 Comment »

Review
Skyrim

I apologize to our readers (and to the author) for posting this late. Between internet shenanigans (ie: cable modem malfunction) and other factors that shall not be named, this seemed to have escaped the grasp of punctuality. It is still a great read, though; make sure you check it out! – ed.

Where were you on Friday, November 11, 2011? I spent that night in line at my local game retailer anxiously waiting for the clock to strike midnight – just to get my hands on Bethesda’s fifth entry in the Elder Scrolls saga – a little-known fantasy epic called Skyrim.

While there’s no denying the radicalness that was the Modern Warfare 3 launch (that also took place earlier that week), I will say that Skyrim’s release was one of the best midnight launches I have ever had the pleasure of attending. It felt like everyone was getting into the spirit of things. There were game stories of old and even new strategies being planned that night. Gamers both young and old were discussing everything from what kind of character to play, what faction to ally with, and what skills are best to specialize in. The only thing was missing was a group of Dragonborn cosplayers armed with foam swords and a 1:1 scale dragon piñata.

Candy-less, I began my odyssey through the lands of Skyrim less than an hour later that night.

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Posted in PC, PlayStation 3, Reviews, Xbox 360 | 1 Comment »

News
New Xbox Dashboard

Xbox owners today are screaming at their machines and waving their hands furiously in front of their TV’s the world over. Microsoft has unleashed the newest iteration of their Xbox dashboard this morning and it promises to bring grand things and potentially change home entertainment for the better.

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Posted in Kinect, News, Xbox 360 | 2 Comments »

Review
Rayman Origins

Rayman is back you guys! Before the Raving Rabbids took over the series for some reason, Rayman games were solid 3D platformers that provided a great alternative to Mario. Rayman’s strange design and overall art direction was always a draw for people in the past; and it turns out that in Rayman’s return, things have not changed at all. Rayman Origins is developed and published by Ubisoft for the three major consoles and tells the tale of Rayman’s first adventures. You know, I’ve never done LSD before, but I’m pretty sure that after playing this game I know what it feels like.

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Posted in PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360 | No Comments »

Review
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

A few years ago, Assassin’s Creed appeared on store shelves. The game told the story of Desmond Miles, who used a machine called the Animus (not entirely of his own volition) to relive part of the life of an ancestor: Altair Ibn-La’Ahad, an assassin. Born into a sacred order of killers bound by the Assassin’s Creed*, Altair aided his “family” in the upholding of choice among people; a right that was being threatened by an opposing order called the Templars, who were interested only in control of the human populace.

Eventually, Desmond managed to escape (Assassin’s Creed 2). He was taken in by another group who had their own version of the Animus. Using their technology, Desmond accessed the life of another ancestor: Ezio Auditore da Firenze. An Italian nobleman, Ezio witnessed the death of his family and became an Assassin first out of revenge; later, he realized that he actually had a higher purpose. His adventure continued in Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, where he fought in the war against the Templars as a master Assassin, training others to take up the cause. Brotherhood also included a fantastic multi-player mode.

Now we reach the final chapter in the lives of both Altair and Ezio in Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. How does this game fare in a series that has done nothing but gain momentum so far?

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Review
Kinect Disneyland Adventures

If you were to ask any parent in North America to list their top five vacation destinations, it is a sure bet that Disneyland (or Disneyworld) would be mentioned – if not at the top of the heap. Known as “the happiest place on Earth”, Disneyland has been making kids smile for as long as it has been open for business; and considering that adults will tell you that they feel like children again when they walk through the gates, that is an awfully large number of smiling kids.

Frontier Developments manages to capture some of the theme park’s magic in their latest game: Kinect Disneyland Adventures; which is saying a lot. Even just a fraction of Disney’s magic would be sufficient to kick Dumbledore’s butt and still have enough left over to make the Balrog double over in defeat. Smallest Thumb and I decided to take a stroll through the main gates and we managed to get lost in the game for a very long time – but not in a bad way.

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Posted in Kinect, Reviews, Xbox 360 | No Comments »

Review
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3: An Afterthought; Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the CoD

I don’t get first-person shooters. To me, it’s the equivalent of trying to understand the intricacies of a UFC fight night when you don’t know the first thing about mixed martial arts. On nights like those I usually find myself dodging Vin Diesel clones, making a beeline to the server, and participating in a quick-time event to pay for my drink and make a run for the nearest patio. Only then can I sit back and shake my head in absolute amusement. You might think I have gone bonkers comparing UFC fans to the Call of Duty gamers but it’s true! One thing I have noticed (in either camp) is: those that “get it” are rabid fans to the bitter end; these people are willing to put relationships and sleep cycles on the line just to watch Fighter A duke it out with Fighter B and/or level up while improving their kill-to-death ratio. It’s a Jersey thing, I think.

Then something happened. I called a friend out, we met for drinks, and on impulse (and partially drunk) we decided to wait out the last half-hour to Modern Warfare 3’s midnight launch. We both grabbed a copy but unlike the rest of the kids in line, the first thing we did when we got home was pass out – with Infinity Ward’s take on World War 3 in tow.

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Posted in PC, PlayStation 3, Reviews, Xbox 360 | 5 Comments »

Review
Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012

When motion-based gaming really started roping people in with the Wii, it was only a matter of time before a gold mine of opportunity was unearthed: exercise games. One would argue that a number of Wii and Kinect titles can be classified as such, given that they have you off the couch and moving; but I am referring to the structured exercise application.

While the Wii -with it’s Wii-Mote and Balance Board- promised to help you slim down and strengthen your core, it lacked the useful feedback that the Kinect could provide*. One year ago, Your Shape: Fitness Evolved entered our living rooms and gave us a useful utility with which to live healthier lives. Innovative, but not without its flaws, it is still one of the best workout programs available for the Kinect (and any platform, really). Now, a year later, the 2012 edition promises a lot more – and it certainly delivers.

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Review
Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster

I’m not sure about other parents out there, but I love playing video games with my kid. A good portion of the time, she likes to sit on the sofa next to me and tell me what to do; games like Toy Story 3 or Playstation Heroes are more fun for her to watch than to play. Other games like Flower, Eye Pet or -believe it or not- Gran Turismo 5* inspire her to take the controller and participate more actively.

Games that require no controller at all (read: Kinect), like Just Dance 3 or Fruit Ninja, are even more fun for her due to the fact that she doesn’t have to deal with the awkwardness of a bulky controller built for grown-up hands. So when a game like Double Fine Productions’ Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster comes along, she is all over it like Cookie Monster on a plate of cookies.

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Review
Raving Rabbids: Alive & Kicking

The popular multi-player Rayman spin-off, Raving Rabbids, has gained quite a bit of notoriety for its addictive game-play and bizarre concept. That sort of content is nothing new to the mini-game genre; just look at the equally-bizarre WarioWare series and the sense of popularity it achieved in such a short period of time. Raving Rabbids continues to capture hardcore and casual gamers alike with its increasingly ridiculous plot and plethora of mini-games. Raving Rabbids: Alive & Kicking is the latest in the series and, surprisingly enough, the first Kinect installment. In terms of using Microsoft’s body-detecting peripheral: there’s no better time than now.

Clearly, plot is the least important part in this series and while ridiculously funny to watch for the first time, it’s overdone and pretty mediocre under most standards. Of course, this should be the least of anyone’s worries seeing as how entertaining the game-play can be. This series has always excelled at being the life of the party, even if certain aspects were lacking; But can the same be said about this latest installment?

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