need-for-speed Archive

13 articles

PlayStation 4 Review

Having spent just over a week with it, I'm happy to report that I'm enjoying it immensely, and am quite pleased with my decision to side with Sony at launch for this new generation of video game consoles.

Need For Speed: Most Wanted

NFS: Most Wanted (2012) is a better game than the original in every regard, and one of the few racing games I've seen through to completion in recent years.

Need for Speed: Shift is the Bastard Child of Sim Racers

NFS: Shift is the best game the series has seen in recent years. But it's not quite as good as other games in the genre.

X’07 Hands-on

While the big, annual X’0 event that takes place in Europe about this time every year was canceled, the smaller, more intimate Toronto event still happened, and man was it ever great! I know it seems like every year is the biggest year for gaming, but this year it really is. Looking back on last […]

December 2006 Catch All

Things have been so hectic lately, and yet I feel like I'm hardly moving in any direction at all. I've definitely been feeling like I'm living to work, as apposed to the opposite which I much prefer. It truly is a hard cycle to break - one that I've not even begun to figure out. It's one of those "you know what needs to be done but can't seem to bring yourself to do it" situations. And all the while I've been telling myself that I'm almost there. Just about in the clear when I can have my evenings and weekends back.

Need for Speed Carbon: Review

Overall, NFS Carbon is probably what you're expecting from another NFS game. It does get pretty frustrating when you're completing event after event and no cars are being unlocked. But once you get into the fourth quadrant, they start flowing pretty quickly. It's just a shame that you don't get to use them all that much.

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?

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!

Widescreen Gaming Woes

Man, was I ever stoked when I brought home my 21" 16:10 LCD monitor. Unfortunately, that feeling didn't last as long as I had hoped. It seems there's several issues which hamper widescreen gaming that aren't exactly common knowledge. Even after doing hours of research into pros and cons of having a widescreen LCD, I was met with many challenges and frustrating roadblocks that prevented me from jumping into the games I had been playing on my old 19" CRT. With the growing popularity of widescreen monitors and LCDs quickly taking over the monitor market share, I thought it would be a good idea to share my experiences and hopefully cut down the hours you might spend troubleshooting should you pick up a widescreen LCD. First thing's first. There's some terminology you need to know and understand...

Xbox 360 Controller For Windows: Review

I may be able to wait to drop a few hundred on an Xbox 360, but I couldn't resist picking up a controller to use on my PC. They don't come cheap - I paid close to $60 (CDN) and I almost wish I hadn't. For whatever reason, there hasn't been a whole lot of chatter on this topic. Which is why I was so eager to pick one up. I have a couple Logitech gamepads, but they're nowhere near as good as the Xbox controller. Since the first time I squeezed those triggers, I've never looked back. Best game controller design ever! Especially for racing games. With most gamepads, it's all or nothing. With an Xbox controller, the triggers act as a third axis (z) allowing you to apply as much or little pressure as desired. Since I've been playing Need For Speed Most Wanted a lot these days, I was itching for those triggers and picked up a 360 controller on release day.

Redundant Confirmation Windows Make Gamers Sad

There’s a lot game developers could learn from standard user experience practices applied to the web. One in particular (which has been driving me absolutely nuts lately while playing Need For Speed Most Wanted) is having to confirm every action I do. But not only that, they take it a step further down the path […]

The Best Games (I Played) In 2004

People love year-end lists right? Yeah, me too! Now, first off. I am only one man. One busy man at that. But I do feel I’ve put in my fair share of hours into gaming over the past year. Some of these hours spent playing games that may not have come out in 2004, but […]