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Reviews


Fashionably Late Review
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

By Erika Szabo - January 13th, 2012

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It’s hard to forget your first moments playing a video game. There were plenty of games that I truly enjoyed as I was growing up; the one that struck a chord with me very early on was The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past. At the time, the Super Nintendo was my console of choice, taking me on journeys I never would have imagined otherwise. Link to the Past was one of the first journeys I had the privilege of exploring, quickly sparking a deep passion within me that is still as strong today as it was when I was a kid. Sometimes, those first moments are pivotal.

By now it should be clear that this popular game series is something that is very important to me. For every title in the series that I found less-than-stellar, there would be one that wowed me. Initially, Skyward Sword was somewhere in between these two poles, mostly because I figured that a strictly motion-controlled experience would negatively affect the performance. Even so, I was fascinated by the fact that there were new environments (presented in a classic mood). My doubts were slightly eroded after getting a hands-on preview; but, even after my somewhat positive session, I still clung to my doubts about the finished product. I was so worried that the experience would end up being boring, repetitive and formulaic – a huge problem for many games nowadays. I was torn, so much so that it took ages to even finish this review!

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Review
Hero Academy

By Ricky Lima - January 12th, 2012

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I have always wanted to play a game of chess through the mail or with a very distant friend; where each person has a board set up in their home and then when you receive a letter with coordinates and you would move the pieces accordingly. That’s the ultimate in class, I think: a game of wits with a complete stranger over an extended period of time. That is why when I was told about Hero Academy, developed by Robot Entertainment* for iOS, I jumped at the opportunity to try it out.

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Review
Fortune Street

By Jorge Figueiredo - January 10th, 2012

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There have been a number if board games for the Wii. Inevitably, most usually involve moving around a board and then participating in a number of mini-games which, while fun, may not necessarily be ideal for those who want to sit back and relax. Absurd as it might seem, there are instances where playing a board game on the Wii is more fun than playing a physical version of the same game. Fortune Street (from Square Enix) doesn’t have a real physical form (that I am aware of), but it is an engaging and fun experience if you have the patience and the time.

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Review
Glee: The Concert Movie

By Dave McLean - January 10th, 2012

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I don’t think you can review the Glee: The Concert Movie without admitting whether or not you’re a fan of the show. You’ve got to lay your bias on the table. Glee polarizes people. Like Twilight, Kanye West, or Jorge’s Movember Moustache* — you either love it or hate it. Well, I’ll admit to being a lapsed fan. The musical theatre nerd in me never stopped liking the numbers, but the plots got a little thin in season two and I got tired of it. But while I came in jaded as I sat down to watch this, the movie won me back; I thought it was great. Don’t get me wrong: if you hate Glee, this movie is not going to grow your Grinchy heart three sizes. But if you are a fan (or you were a fan once upon a time), you’ll dig this.

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Reviews
Worth iTrying – iOS Titles You Might Like

By Jorge Figueiredo - January 7th, 2012

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2012 is upon us! The Holiday season has been good to everyone – I’m sure that quite a number of gift cards exchanged hands, leaving our intrepid readers with some cash to spare. Here are some humble suggestions on what that i-money might be used for. We have three brief summaries: an RTS (of sorts), an educational interactive piece about soccer, and an art application.

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Review
Night of the Living Dead Defense

By Tim Krynicki - January 5th, 2012

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Distracting games that borrow a movie’s likeness are a tricky lot. They are designed to provide players with a quick gaming session that still keeps the original source material’s charm while not turning into a rehash or retelling of the film’s story. This brings me to discuss a certain Night of the Living Dead themed tower defense game called Night of the Living Dead Defense – now available for iOS and Android devices from SGN.

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Review
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

By Jorge Figueiredo - January 4th, 2012

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Jason Statham’s stunt double has apparently found work.

When I purchased a PS3, I only cared about playing Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm; in fact, I bought the game a month before I bought the console. When I finally got my new gaming device, I set aside Uncharted – to play later. When I finally got to it, it has already been a few years since release – yet I was still blown away. When Uncharted 2 came out, I got it right away and played it as soon as I got home – and again, my mind was blown. I was in love with the series, to the point where one of my all-time favourite movie trilogy (Indiana Jones) had been replaced in my mind by Uncharted and Uncharted 2 as the best adventure experience in terms of “screen entertainment”.

It has been said that Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, Naughty Dog’s swan song to Nathan Drake’s adventures, is not as much of a technological leap from Uncharted 2 as was made to Uncharted 2 from the original Uncharted. Perhaps this is true, but I wouldn’t say that it is weaker – in fact, you might say it is better than the previous title in many ways, and is a triumphant conclusion to a fantastic trilogy.

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Review
Grease Dance

By Mike Jackson - January 2nd, 2012

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Following hot on the heels of the recent dance craze, 505 Games has released Grease Dance for all major platforms (in various forms). As the name implies, it’s a spin-off on the popular 1978 movie by the same name. I was sent over the Kinect version to review which is arguably the best platform for this type of interactive gaming. That being said, this might not be the best example of Kinect game development.

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Review
Disney Universe

By Jorge Figueiredo - December 27th, 2011

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Boxing Week is upon us, which means that there are a few prime shopping days left in the year. This fashionably late review is well-timed, since it deals with a great game that the whole family can enjoy (aka: possibly a great purchase): Eurocom’s Disney Universe. Back during E3, we got the breakdown from Michelle Liem about this game; then we got to play it a few times since (once at X’11 Canada and then at Playstation Holiday). Now that we have spent some personal time with it, do we think that it will be to everyone’s taste? Perhaps not. Do we still think it is a great game? Yes. Yes we do. Read on.

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Fashionably Late Review
Smash Cars

By Jorge Figueiredo - December 21st, 2011

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In university, a few of us would gather around the computer and play Micro Machines (when we had finished our studies, of course). While driving simulators and arcade racers (based on actual racing – like Daytona) are each fun in their own right, the simplicity and fun of novelty racers (including kart racing games) cannot be overlooked. The tracks are typically shorter and there are usually entertaining power-ups to keep things interesting. Matches are easy to set up, and you can have more than the maximum number of players because everyone swaps out really quickly because matches don’t last very long.

Even now, in the age of more powerful machines and advanced physics engines, it is nice to just settle in and enjoy the mayhem of a novelty racer. Looking for a quick hit of unique fun? Then Creat Studios’ Smash Cars might be the fix you’re after.

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