Toronto Thumbs

REVIEW
Pure

If you like racing games that are fast and full of stunts, chances are you’ll dig Pure, the off road ATV racing and freestyle game from Blackrock Studios. You don’t even have to be a fan of ATVs but it obviously does help.

The game essentially has two styles of play, both of which require different styles of bikes. The Freestyle mode of play puts heavy emphasis on stunt performance while the Sprint mode features shorter tracks where the object is to get from start to finish as quickly as possible (it’s a race, after all). Pure also features a 16-player online racing mode if that’s the kind of thing that you’re into. Split screen multiplayer is unfortunately not a part of the game, but considering the graphic quality of its scenery it’s understandable the developers wouldn’t want all that detail crammed into a small portion of screen real estate.

There are a few tutorials to get through before being able to get into the game properly, but they outline all the basics you’ll need to start mastering jumps and tricks. In the Freestyle races, the courses feature forking and alternate paths, some of which have higher jumps than others. The more stunts you perform per race, the more stunts you unlock. Each consecutive set of stunts is more complicated then the previous and requires additional time to pull off. Landing tricks is another talent altogether, as one minor flub-up will result in a decrease of the Thrill Bar (which is the boost and trick metre, but with a fancy name). Ideally, you’ll eventually get to the point where the Thrill Bar is full for most of the race.

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Posted in PC, PlayStation 3, Reviews, Xbox 360 | 2 Comments »

BIGGER IS BETTER
Xbox Introduces 60GB Starter Pack

Today Xbox Canada announce the launch of the Xbox 60GB hard drive and Xbox LIVE starter pack, which is a handy way for Xbox Arcade owners to upgrade their consoles for a more engaging media experience. The bundle’s in stores today and retails for an approximate $109.99 CDN. It includes the new 60GB hard drive, a wired headset, a three-month subscription to LIVE and an ethernet cable (you can never have too many of these!).

And now, I am sad, for I only have 4 GB os space left on my now-outdated 20 GB Xbox hard drive. Technology is such a cruel mistress sometimes.

Posted in LIVE, News, Xbox 360 | No Comments »

Celebrate Fable II launch
with Fable Collection Soundtrack for FREE!

If you’re a fan of action/adventure RPGs, you probably already picked up Fable II. I started playing the game late last night and decided I would only play for a half hour before going to bed. Unfortunately for my sleep needs, the game is too compelling to be so easily put aside! I’m sorry, Mega Man 9. You and I had a good run. But it’s all Fable II for the next few weeks.

To celebrate the game’s long-awaited release, Microsoft Game Studios has released the Fable Collection album for a limited time as a free download. It includes music from the original game as well as a few tracks from Fable II. Visit sumthingdigital.com, and click on the Fable Collection album art on the right side of the site to get your tunes.

Posted in Music, News, Xbox 360 | No Comments »

LOL ZANGIEF

Capcom released a statement today regarding the still-upcoming Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix which started off with “Do you remember Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix?” and then went on to promise that the game is in fact on its way “very soon.”

They also provided a bunch of screenshots and character art of Blanka, Cammy, and Zangief. I’ve decided to not show them all here because I’m sure another game site has posted them with giant ugly watermarks already (cough*IGN*cough) but I did find this one particularly funny because Zangief is, well, funny!

Posted in Awesome, News, Pics, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | 4 Comments »

REVIEW
Viva Piñata: Trouble In Paradise

If my understanding is correct, Viva Piñata: Trouble In Paradise is aimed towards children and people who wouldn’t normally play video games. It entices you in with a simple yet morbid premise: you tend a garden to attract wild piñatas and then, when they’re ready, you ship them off to a party.

There are many kinds of piñatas that inhabit Piñata Island, the mythical setting for this game. And each type of piñata is attracted to different garden details. For instance, certain ones will only appear if you have enough sand for them to poke around in. Once a piñata is attracted, your work is still not over. By accomplishing little tasks to keep the piñata happy, you charge up its “Candiosity” metre. A piñata with full Candiosity can then be shipped off to a party. Since we never see what happens at these parties, you might think that they’re being shipped off to their doom. But they do come back eventually, so the game isn’t as sadistic as you might think.

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Posted in Reviews, Xbox 360 | No Comments »

In Space, You Will Scream
Dead Space in Stores Today

Fans of Survival Horror games will be pleased to know that Dead Space is now available for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The title was quite popular at PAX this year and is so far getting somewhat stellar reviews, if you’ll pardon the pun. I’m no stranger to scary games so I’m somewhat desensitized from video game gross-outs. But from what I’ve seen so far, Dead Space is pretty damn freaky. I guess taking the genre into space changes, as space is already scary and bleak - why not throw in some monsters for good measure?

The launch trailer is after the jump.

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Posted in News, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | 2 Comments »

AND IN STREET FIGHTER 4 NEWS
Sakura-chan Revealed, More Coming!

Capcom sent out a press update earlier today confirming that Japanese schoolgirl Sakura-chan will be in the home console versions of Street Fighter 4! In previous Street Fighter games, Sakura is a pain in the ass to play against and probably a little too powerful for her own good at times. Check out the screenshot above, where she’s holding her own versus Ken.

Posted in PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | 4 Comments »

Overview: Enemy Territory: Quake Wars

While FPS games are best played with the mouse and keyboard control configuration, there’s certainly no shortage of them for the Xbox 360. Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is yet another FPS title for gamers to choose from (note: it’s also on the PS3). One thing to note, however, is that a heavy emphasis is placed on online play. Skirmishes can be played offline with bots, but for the most fun I recommend grabbing a friend or more and hitting up the game’s online servers.

There are two teams in each battle: The Global Defense Force and the invading Strogg alien race. During gameplay, each team will have its own objectives though typically one side is the obvious aggressor. Each team has five player classes to choose from, and for maximum efficiency it’s good to have players from a variety of classes present though for obvious reasons it’s good to heavy up on a certain class. Taking a complex by storm using only a team of medics is likely going to end in a bloodbath for your team.

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Posted in Overviews, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | 3 Comments »

REVIEW
Mega Man 9

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Mega Man 9 is now available for the three mighty consoles via digital distribution. If you haven’t played a Mega Man game but consider yourself a gamer – well, I’m sorry, but you’re missing out on an entire set of feelings and sensations. It’s like thinking you’re a candy lover while you’ve never had dark chocolate. It may not be for you, but it’s something you just have to try.

My first memory of Mega Man was running over to my friend Steve’s house (he lived down the street) to play his NES and Mega Man 2. It was immediately different from other games I’d played because of the stage select feature. Rather than having a stage 1, stage 2, and so forth, players could actually choose which stages they wanted to go to and in which order.

When the series made the jump to the Game Boy, I made sure it was on my Christmas wish list. Since the first time I took my turn at Crash Man’s stage, I knew I was playing something special. After the X series of games on the Super Nintendo, however, I fell out of touch with the series and was content to play the newest games of the time – but I’d still pick up Mega Man 2 on my Game Boy every now and then for old time’s sake.

Mega Man showed up on my radar again when the Anniversary Collection was released for the GameCube. A whole disc of 2D Mega Man games for $20? Can’t go wrong with that.

Now, Mega Man 9 has hit and I’ll admit, at first I was skeptical. Was this just a cheap attempt to pull at retro gamers’ wallet strings by stirring up their desire for new nostalgia? The unveiling of the downloadable extra content didn’t help this feeling. To get the full game, with all the extras, would cost gamers around $18. Not bad for a new game – but Mega Man 9 is kind of an old game, isn’t it?

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Posted in Blast From the Past, Nintendo, PlayStation 3, Reviews, Wii, Xbox 360 | 5 Comments »