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DON’T BELIEVE THE HATE
Too Human is surprisingly good

By Shaun Hatton - August 19th, 2008

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The Internet really seems to have a hate on for Too Human and Denis Dyack, director of Silicon Knights (the studio that developed the game). I’ve been following the development of this game somewhat closely over the last few years – in fact since the launch of the Xbox 360. Why was I so interested? Mostly because it was actually being made right here, in Canada, and on top of that not too far from where I live. In fact, in a town I spent much time in visiting family and friends.

The game’s development had been a slow process, and admittedly one that probably had its fair share of setbacks which other games have not faced. The earliest screenshots I’ve seen from Too Human were from a GameCube version and I gotta tell you, I’m glad it wasn’t released on that console. But Silicon Knights’ game that was released for it, Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, was heralded as a breath of fresh air and many to this day still feel it’s one of the best games available for that system.

Me, I couldn’t see it at the time. At the time I was still dizzy from the flash-bang that was the jaw-dropping Resident Evil remake for the ‘Cube. While I had a review copy of Eternal Darkness, I ended up shelving it and eventually trading it in for god-knows-what. It’s a decision I sometimes regret, though I could always go out and buy a used copy.

Now, we’re on the eve of the release of Too Human (as of this writing), and it’s looking a whole lot better that the GameCube screenshots did. In fact, it’s looking a lot better than early 360 screenshots showed.

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DJ FINISH HIM
DANCE DANCE REBELLION

By Frank Fennelli - August 8th, 2008

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This week, DJ Finish Him released the album Dance Dance Rebellion. It’s available for free from his website and samples of it can be heard on his Myspace page. The album was made “leisurely” over the course of two weeks this summer using NitroTracker for the Nintendo DS.

DJ Finish Him wears his influences on his ninja sleeves, citing samples from Butthole Surfers and lifting riffs from the likes of 54-40, various video games, and the Star Wars soundtrack. Though often mistaken as a chiptunes artist, DJ Finish Him actually uses tracker software, which uses sampled instruments (including sampled chiptunes). Dance Dance Rebellion is his first album, and he’s stated that two future albums are already in the works, including one called Ice Cream For Breakfast.

Strange dude.


A Beam of Light for Compilation Discs

By Shaun Hatton - July 29th, 2008

SNK ARCADE CLASSICS VOLUME 1

Although download services for the three major platforms have given publishers a lucrative venue with which to sell their old games to us again, SNK has not given up on the good ol’ compilation disc.

Today, the arcade giant released SNK Arcade Classics Volume 1 for Wii. This disc contains 16 classic NEOGEO arcade hits, some of which are also available on the Virtual Console. Economically speaking, it makes much better sense to get the games on this disc.

Here’s hoping more publishers will continue to put their old games out on hardcopy formats. Digital distribution is nice, but it shouldn’t cost more than something that actually has a physical incarnation.


REVIEW
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords

By June Thong - July 16th, 2008

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One of my former addictions is Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, a game developed by the Aussie geniuses at Infinite Interactive. Mere words are empty in describing how much this game can devour your soul. After picking up the Nintendo DS version, I’m still greatly tempted to repurchase it on the Xbox LIVE Arcade for its exclusive expansion pack. Now, with the game achieving an Arcade Hit status and a discounted 800 Microsoft Points price, it’s time to turn to rehab.

Puzzle Quest combines two very different video game genres: puzzle and role-playing games. It doesn’t advertise to everyone since casual puzzlers might be unfamiliar with the RPG genre, and the “hardcore” crowd might be skeptical of its epic title. A name like that hints at massive battles, magic and treasure hunts, and that’s what you get in a nutshell.

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Xbox 360 Price Cut
20GB Console to be $299.99 in Canada

By Frank Fennelli - July 13th, 2008

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Microsoft has once again dropped the price of the Xbox 360, bringing the Pro 20GB unit down to a wallet-friendly $299.99 CDN. The move comes with another official announcement: by August, the 20GB edition will be phased out and replaced with a 60GB version of the console which will sell for $349.99.

Interestingly enough, the Elite 120GB version of the console will not have a drop in price, meaning it will still be priced at $449.99 - or in other words, $100 more than the 60GB SKU.

At this point, many gamers have already hopped aboard the high-definition console bandwagon, but for those who haven’t, it seems like Microsoft is trying to say “now’s the time.”