Toronto Thumbs

JAMMIN’
With the KORG DS-10 Plus

Former Editor-in-Chief Shaun Hatton shares his thoughts on a game that’s been occupying much of his time……[ed]

I received a review copy of XSEED’s Korg DS-10 Plus application near its release and have been tooling around with it since. Due to both the depth of the title and the fact that I was transitioning over to my new job at The Electric Playground, I haven’t been able to share my thoughts on it. Now that I’ve spent a lot of time with it, and am completely happy with how great a program it is, I feel I can at least give a testimonial regarding how I use it and why I like it.

For those not familiar with the Korg DS-10 Plus, it’s the successor to the Korg DS-10 title, which was essentially an emulation of Korg’s classic synth, the MS-10. As synthesizers go, it’s an impressive if not ambitious feat to take such a tactile instrument and digitize it. The touchscreen serves as the primary interface option, with the buttons duplicating functions such as starting and stopping the song loop or navigating through the synth’s various interface screens.

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Posted in DS, DSi, Overviews | 1 Comment »

Review
Alan Wake

Alan Wake is Remedy’s summer blockbuster thriller title that will keep your palms sweaty in the living room, no matter how high you have the AC cranked up. It’s a tale that sinks you into the dark heart of desperation as a man evades shadowy FBI agents, and dark shadow creatures in sleepy town USA.

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Posted in Reviews, Xbox 360 | No Comments »

Late to the Party
Patapon

A long time ago, a friend pointed me to a video trailer for a game called Patapon. The game is about a race of walking, talking, rhythmic eyeballs who can be commanded via a set of four drums; each drum makes a distinct sound, and is mapped to one of the four action buttons on the PSP.

The premise was cool, but, at that time, none of the other PSP titles appealed to me, and I couldn’t justify buying a new console for just one game (those of you who cite my purchase of a PS3 just to play Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm should leave the room, please). Fast forward to 2010 and I have finally joined the PSP crowd; the first purchase I made for my PSPgo made me a very happy gamer.

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Posted in PSP, Reviews | No Comments »

Fashionably Late Review
God of War III

God of War III, as the name suggests, is the third game in the GoW series; well not really; it is technically the fourth (the third being Chains of Olympus for the PSP; a minor technicality that we’ll let slide…this time). The game follows the Spartan-turned-God, Kratos, on his final chapter of revenge to Mount Olympus to dethrone Zeus. However, Kratos isn’t the only one who gets to have all the fun: the Titans are back, free from the shackles of Olympus, and they are seeking revenge for their fallen (if you don’t know your ancient Greek mythology it’s all right, as the game is kind enough to walk us through it).

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Posted in PlayStation 3, Reviews | No Comments »

Review
The Settlers 7: Paths To a Kingdom

A long time ago I used to play a game called Serf City by Blue Byte Software; it was a charming little RTS with great depth and charming gameplay that was (in my opinion) ahead of its time. The game had tiny, cleverly animated characters (up to 64,000 could function simultaneously and autonomously) that went about their business, helping you build and shape your empire. I played it endlessly in University.

When the workload got more demanding, I stopped playing it (and subsequently have no idea where my original copy went); I did not pick up anything in the series until The Settlers 7: Paths To a Kingdom for the PC was placed on my desk. A quick scan of the case had me wondering why I had not played any of the previous games since the first!

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Posted in PC, Reviews | 2 Comments »

Review
MLB 10: The Show

My nephew was staying over for several days and he was interested in taking me on in some console-based baseball; I figured we would just go rent this year’s edition of Electronic Arts MLB game. That should tell you just how long it has been since I have played a non-Madden sports game: EA hasn’t made a MLB game since 2005.

Currently, your 2010 MLB licensed game choices are either: MLB 2K10 from 2K Sports (available on all consoles), or MLB 10: The Show from Sony (available for PS3, PS2, and PSP). A very quick internet search seemed to show that 2K10 was a little stale and The Show was aptly named. So the choice was made to rent MLB 10: The Show for the PS3.

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Posted in PlayStation 3, Reviews | No Comments »

A Little Less Conversation
Angry Birds

barkingspace: So.
barkingspace: Angry Birds.
barkingspace: How long have you had it now?
Lanfranc: a couple weeks now… ton ‘o fun
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Posted in A Little Less Conversation, Reviews, iPhone, iPod Touch | 2 Comments »

Review
Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening

Dragon Age: Origins was likely my favourite game from 2009; it was certainly the game I spent the most time playing (count ‘em: 60+ hours). I have played through all of the DLC for the game as well (Stone Prisoner, Warden’s Keep and Return To Ostagar). So naturally, as soon as Awakening was available (which is officially described as an expansion, not DLC), I logged onto Xbox Live and purchased it.

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Posted in PC, PlayStation 3, Reviews, Xbox 360 | No Comments »

Fashionably Late Review
Assassin’s Creed 2

After my whirlwind tour in the shoes of Altaïr ibn La-Ahadh, I was left starving for more; my appetite had been whetted, and I was ready to draw my hidden blade once again. Luckily I was late to the party for the first Assassin’s Creed; late enough to be able to buy both the original and the sequel; no waiting between stories for me! This lack of delay between games allowed me to continue without having to re-play the first; more importantly, it offered an immediate contrast and a revelation: Assassin’s Creed 2 had all of the elements that made the first game awesome - and then some!

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Posted in PC, PlayStation 3, Reviews, Xbox 360 | No Comments »