Toronto Thumbs

Event
PS Holiday Preview – Sound Shapes

Click the pic to watch the trailer for Sound Shapes.

Jonathan Mak is serious about making video games. Just talk to him for a few minutes and you’ll literally envision his passion and tenacity to learn and improve. Back in 2007, Mak created an award-winning game called Everyday Shooter (through his development company Queasy Games), a PlayStation 3/PC music shooting hybrid that won much acclaim for its innovative design and tight game mechanics. Since then he has worked on ten game prototypes with musician Shaw-Han Liem (who goes by the alias I am Robot and Proud) in Toronto, but unfortunately none of them have worked the way that Mak wanted them to. There are many developers out there who strive for excellence, but very few create what Mak creates: dreams, aspirations, and the heady sensation of floating on air.

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Posted in Events, First Impressions, Vita | No Comments »

Event
PS Holiday Preview – Street Fighter X Tekken

Ok. Follow me on this one: Street Fighter IV is wicked right? And Capcom’s VS. series is totally insane, correct? And Tekken is a classic in the fighting genre, almost as important as Street Fighter, agreed? So I ask you what happens when you combine all those separate ingredients into a blender and hit the button. Will it blend? Well, you don’t need an irrelevant YouTube channel to find out. I recently went hands on with Capcom’s Street Fighter X Tekken and I learned that all of these ingredients do indeed blend well together – with explosive results.

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Posted in Events, First Impressions, PlayStation 3 | 1 Comment »

Preview
They Bleed Pixels

Move over, Wolverine.

When I think H.P Lovecraft, I think “OMG I’m scared. Hold me tight!”; never once did I ever say to myself “This stuff would be awesome as a beat-em up starring a little girl” – oh how naïve I have been. Spooky Squid, a local indie developer, has shown me how wrong I was in previous assumptions. I recently had a chance to sit down with Miguel Sternberg and go hands on with They Bleed Pixels, Spooky Squid’s new game that is drumming up some huge buzz in the indie community. Before I picked up the control Miguel said to me “Don’t worry, you WILL suck at first”. Pfft! Please, I’m no scrub.

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Posted in First Impressions, LIVE, PC, Xbox 360 | No Comments »

Event
Forza Motorsport 4 Preview

I don’t drive (this is a fact), but I am legally allowed to drive virtual representations of cars. For this I thank the legal system; I also thank Turn 10 Studios, makers of Forza Motorsport 4 for the Xbox 360. I had a chance to go hands on with the game recently and I’m here to tell you that if you are a die-hard car fan you are going to freak out over this game.

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Under a Rock?
Version 1.8 of Minecraft Out!

Version 1.8 of Minecraft (also known as Adventure Update) has been hotly anticipated by the game’s millions of fans. Not only because Notch and the team at Mojang have included more terrain and enemies, but also because the team has finally promised to implement a little more purpose into the mix. That’s not to say players didn’t create their own purpose – in fact, they did so in the most awe-inspiring ways (just check out my Top 10 Most Amazing Minecraft Creations article on Unimagamesity). Personally, I found Minecraft’s absence of defined purpose interesting, allowing players to unleash their more creative sides. However, with the release of this new patch, I also believe players will have more fun and be given many more options in the Minecraft world.

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First Impressions
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations Multi-Player Beta

Ezio looks out over the horizon at his goal.

When I received my invitation to participate in the Assassin’s Creed: Revelations multi-player beta, I was nothing short of ecstatic; I wasted no time signing in to take part in the mayhem that we were all introduced to in Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. Ubisoft did not go so far as to reinvent the wheel; however, there are a few improvements that make the overall experience smoother and a little more fun.

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Posted in First Impressions, PlayStation 3 | No Comments »

Event
X-Men: Destiny

This guy seriously got the shaft when he discovered that his mutant ability was to break into old-skool disco.

There comes a time in every person’s life where something drastic happens and nothing will ever be the same after that point; something so spectacular and game-changing that one can not fight it – they must just accept it. In a flash of light on a yellow school bus I was shown my true power, a power I know I can no longer hide from. On September 7th, a small group of journalists were taken to a super-secret location to discover their inner mutant abilities and to learn of the struggles of mutants before us.

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Posted in Events, Previews | 1 Comment »

Preview
Gears of War 3 Beast Mode

Recently, Erika and I attended X’11. There was a lot to see and do, so we divided an conquered. Erika managed to enjoy a hands-on preview of Gears of War 3 Beast Mode.

If you thought mowing down the Locusts was fun, try mowing down the COGs. During Microsoft’s X’11 Canada I got the chance to try out the latest co-op mode in the soon-to-be-released Gears of War 3: Beast Mode. Beast Mode will offer you the opportunity to play as one of many creatures in the Locust Horde – some more obscure than others. These range from the small tickers, to regular Locust soldiers (who can use weapons), or much larger enemies like the hulking Berserkers (and believe me, you’ll want to play as a Berserker at least once).

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Posted in Previews, Xbox 360 | No Comments »

Event
Future Shop Smartphone Speed-Dating Challenge

With the sheer number of smartphone releases (practically each month), it can be a fun and exciting time for the tech-savvy; but if you are not-so-geekily inclined, these releases can be a very stressful and demanding prospect. Everyone has different lifestyle needs and technical know-how, and there are several smartphone choices available to each type of person! How to choose?

Several weeks ago I had the privilege of attending another one of Future Shop’s events; this one offered a speed-dating style intro to all of the latest and greatest smartphones and phone accessories. While I already have a steady, long-term relationship with my phone (I love my iPhone 3GS), listed below are my picks for the best smartphones in each lifestyle category. In addition, I have chosen the best accessories for any of these phones (these are worth checking out as well).

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First Impressions
Resistance 3

Recently, Erika and Ricky attended an event graciously put on by Sony for Resistance 3. Contained within this article are each of their impressions of the game; be warned, they both go off in interesting directions, so make sure you leave a trail of bread crumbs.

• Introduction
• Ricky’s Take
• Erika’s Take

Posted in Events, First Impressions, Move, PlayStation 3 | 1 Comment »