Toronto Thumbs

Review
PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond

Since my prior experience with the Pokémon phenomenon was limited, my first impression playing this game was that Pikachu reminded me of the chipmunk that my neighbours feed during the summer; said chipmunk occasionally wanders over to my place to see if there are any snacks to be had. It has the same puffy little cheeks; the same glassy, dead-eye gaze, too.

Once I got past that, PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond is a seemingly pleasant game that sends our hero, Pikachu, on a series of adventures with his “pals” to rescue his friends from an enchanted theme park. Oh, and to repair the very fabric of his universe which is being torn asunder by the evil being behind the kidnapping of the Pokémon. No biggie.

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Posted in Reviews, Wii | 2 Comments »

Review
Kid Icarus: Uprising

Having a ball playing Uprising! All images are 2D representations of 3D.

Believe it or not, my first exposure to Kid Icarus was when I watched an episode of Captain N: The Game Master, a Saturday morning cartoon. Since I didn’t have a Nintendo gaming system, my interest waned after the television show left the air. Time passed; it was only when I started playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Nintendo Wii that I saw everyone’s favourite angelic buddy with his trusty bow and arrow.

Now that I have been playing Kid Icarus: Uprising for the Nintendo 3DS handheld gaming system, I find myself wondering why it took me so long to really get into this character given how amazingly fun this recent release is.

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Posted in 3DS, Reviews | No Comments »

Reviews
Worth iTrying – iOS Titles You Might Like

Spring is here! Truthfully, though, winter never really seemed to manifest itself – so it is a hollow victory. Even though the weather is nice outside, there are still opportunities to kick back with an iOS game or two. Here are some family-friendly iOS games that you can check out!

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Posted in Byte-Size Reviews, iOS | No Comments »

Of Interest
The LG Optimus Line Became More Awesome

The LG Optimus smart phone received an update recently shifting the OS to Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and giving users access to 4G data speeds (where available) and greater battery life. Most importantly, the new update boasts an improved, glasses-free 3D experience and a real-time 2D-to-3D conversion engine; I took a gander at the 3D experience on the LG Optimus 3D (LGP925D) and from what I have seen it is pretty awesome.

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Posted in Android, Byte-Size Reviews, Gadgets | No Comments »

Krytical Eye
Tales of Graces F

Coming to terms with the realization that I will be turning a year older in less than two months of writing this review has me feeling somewhat disheartened. Gone are those endless hours of playtime that never used to end; instead, they have been replaced by stories and explosions that resolve themselves over the course of a weekend. While this makes other game genres a breeze to review, JRPGs are another story in and of themselves.

As I braved the world of anime for the first time, I couldn’t help but wonder what the deal was with this role-playing genre. I learned quickly from the likes of Lunar, Skies of Arcadia, and Xenogears; eventually, I became smitten by the likes of the Tales series.

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Posted in Krytical Eye, PlayStation 3, Reviews | No Comments »

Review
Lumines: Electronic Symphony

Tetris has always been one of my all-time favourite games. It is fun, addictive, and most of all, convenient. It is in my stable of go-to games for a handheld. Well, move over, Tetris; Q Entertainment’s Lumines: Electronic Symphony now has a spot in the barn. When I told fellow Toronto Thumb Mike Jackson that I had Lumines, he ran over to where I was and asked me if he could try it out for a few minutes. Well, apparently a few minutes is a relative thing when you’re playing this awesome game for the Playstation Vita.

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Posted in Reviews, Vita | No Comments »

Review
MLB 12: The Show

When I received MLB 12: The Show I was expecting a cute little romp through well-manicured grass. I was expecting something along the lines of the last baseball game that I played and loved: Ken Griffey Jr.’s Slugfest. However, upon opening the case, I became soaked in the games’ juices. MLB 12: The Show is a juicy game, folks; there is so much to do and so much content jammed into the game that I really didn’t know where to start first. There is Exhibition, Road to the Show, Dynasty Diamond, Character Creation, Franchise mode, Homerun Derby and many more wonders to behold; with an insane amount of options inside even within those modes, is this incredible content Goliath-of-a-game any good or does it fall under its own weight?

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Posted in Move, PlayStation 3, Reviews, Vita | No Comments »