Video Games Archive

275 articles

My Love/Hate Relationship with NFS Carbon

If you're on my Xbox Live friends list or have been following my Flickr activity, you know I've been logging some decent hours in Need for Speed Carbon. I actually had no intentions of picking this game up until post Emergence Day. But when I saw them stocking the shelves at EB with it, I just had to have it. For the first couple evenings, I was having an absolute blast! I've been uploading lots of screenshots using the in-game Photo Mode and even started a NFS Carbon Flickr Group specifically for them. By the time I reached about 50% completion in the single player career, the awesomeness was starting to wear thin and tediousness was creeping in. WTF happened?

I’m Actually Having Fun Playing a Splinter Cell Game

I've played every Splinter Cell game in the series so far, but Double Agent is the first one that's grabbed me like this. Previously, the farthest I got was the third or fourth mission in. I simply lost interest. There was no real story and it seemed to jump around so much that it ended up confusing me instead of enticing me. I need more than just stopping bad guys to keep me interested. And Double Agent has done just that.

X’06 Hands-on: Gears of War, Forza 2, Call of Duty 3, Tony Hawk’s Project 8 and more!

Yes, I am a lucky man. I may have caught a nasty cold, but I also had a chance to play some of this year's biggest titles, weeks before they come out. For those that aren't familiar with the X'0 events - they're Microsoft's annual hands-on press gatherings where they showcase the upcoming holiday line-up. Contrary to popular belief, this was not the first time an X'0 event was held in Toronto. They actually go way back to X'03, which was the first that I attended. I wrote about X'04, but missed X'05. This year, I took my buddy Andrew along who chainsaw'd me in GOW more than a few times. Anyway, on to the good stuff!

Has Xbox Live Marketplace Been Tainted by EA?

This is a tough one, it really is. On one side, I feel immediately disgusted by the very idea. But on the other, I can almost understand the reasoning behind the gouging. At least, with this latest release of "premium content". The first round was just plain despicable. Yes, I've got my EA hate on again. Actually, I'm not sure if it ever left. If you're an Xbox 360 owner you're probably aware of the latest round of downloadable content released by EA for the new Tiger Woods game. For those that aren't and those that are upset by this, let's discuss...

Microsoft Launches Another Useless Xbox 360 Site

Providing a "resource" that is really nothing more than a sales pitch/press release is nothing new for Microsoft. And it seems they've done it again with the launch of XBOX LIVE PIPELINE - sorry, didn't mean to yell at you. That's apparently the name of the site. Anyway, I almost shat myself when a friend pointed this out to me earlier today as it could have hindered a project I'm working on. I let out a sigh of relief, followed by a laugh, followed by 5 minutes of screaming at my monitor once I made a few clicks through the various efforts. So what is Xbox Live Pipeline and why am I bitching? Why, it's "Your one-stop guide to Xbox Live Marketplace". Actually, it's not even close. Here's why...

LEGO Star Wars II

Take the beloved original Star Wars trilogy, add a handful of cuteness, a ton of fun, some hilarious cutscenes and a shit load of replay value and you’ve got yourself Lego Star Wars II. The Good: Fun! Ho-ly is this game fun! You get to play through the original Star Wars trilogy using any character […]

Massive Announcements at X’06

I was busy working away today while X'06 was getting underway in Barcelona so I didn't tune in to any of the live video feeds and I haven't had my feed reader open all day. Just as I was wrapping up before dinner a press release dropped in my inbox titled "Xbox 360 Ushers in Exclusive New Worlds of Entertainment for Most-Anticipated Franchises Ever at X06". Press releases are always over-hyped, so I opened it up with a snarky grin on my face as I rolled my eyes. That grin was slapped off my face repeatedly as I was hit with headline after headline of absolutely massive news!

My Family is Hooked on Lego Star Wars II

I seriously did not see this coming. I rented Lego Star Wars II thinking it would be good for a few hours of entertainment and some easy achievement points, nearly 10 days and 30+ combined hours later, my whole family has been in on the action and we're all loving it! This is the first time a single title has had myself (26), my wife (27) and our 8 year-old daughter vying for the console. And the fact that this is the first 360 game my daughter has been really into has me pretty excited. It's good to see some kid-friendly titles hitting the 360 lately.

Saints Row: Review

While I didn't spend a whole lot of time playing online, the time spent was quite enjoyable. There's a decent variety of online modes including gang vs gang battles and co-op objective based missions. I definitely plan on getting back to this some time soon and really explore the online aspect of Saints Row.

Test Drive Unlimited: Review

This afternoon I went to my local EB Games to trade it in. They offered me $17, so obviously I still have it. I might pop it back in while I'm waiting for my auction to end, but I doubt it. The best advice I can give is to rent the game and play it for the full 5 days (or however long you have it for) before passing judgement. I was totally stoked on this game for the first 3 days or so, then it suddenly got boring and tedious.

Tony Hawk’s Project 8 Looks Incredible

I used to be a huge fan of the Tony Hawk series. Before all the jackasses, gimmicks and BMX bikes, when it was more focused on skating than pulling pranks. From the first trailer I saw of Tony Hawk's Project 8 it seemed apparent that the focus was going to shift back where it should have been all along. And with the fact that it's built from the ground up, I found myself getting a little excited. Today a new gameplay video surfaced and it blew my fucking mind to pieces... all over my desk - brains everywhere!

Dead Rising: Review

All-and-all, I had a lot of fun playing Dead Rising. My first play was quite the chore. But once I understood how things worked and realized I'd be playing it through again, it was a ton of fun. Even though there's no multiplayer what-so-ever, I would still recommend Dead Rising as a buy. It will take quite a few hours just to beat the story the first time through, and you'll definitely want to jump back in and do it all over again.