Toronto Thumbs

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 | 1 Comment »

True Gaming Friends: Unbeatable Edition

Today Bugsy and I attended Sony’s Holiday Preview Event in Toronto. We played many games together but one in particular stands out for me. That game is Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm. We played six battles and he beat me savagely in every one. Each time I thought I had one-upped him by pulling off a special technique, he somehow evaded it.

Bugsy is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to competitive video gaming. Even his somewhat debilitating cold could not stop him from not only beating me at Naruto, but beating THQ’s rep at WWE Raw VS Smackdown 09 and beating my time at the first stage of Sonic Unleashed.

Way to go, Bugsy, you’re unbeatable at video games… for now.

Posted in Events, PlayStation 3, True Gaming Friends | 5 Comments »

Review: WipEout HD

So although I’d like to, and really its why I’m here at Toronto Thumbs, I can’t really describe how much WipEout HD blew me away when I first loaded it up.  Thanks to Sony’s no size limit approach to downloadable titles, the hefty download that is SCE Studio Liverpool’s latest addition to the WipEout family is simply one of the most beautiful looking titles I’ve seen on a console to date.  Bundle that sexiness with some fantastic gameplay, pumping soundtrack, and a locked in 60fps (frames per second for those non-techies out there) all for the low low price of $19.99, and you have one of the best deals available in the world of gaming period.

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Posted in PlayStation 3, Reviews | 4 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 | 2 Comments »

Review: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Star Wars is one of the most successful, and bittersweet entertainment franchises in existence. It’s hard to think of a medium that Star Wars has NOT penetrated. Gamewise, there are so many Star Wars titles that I can’t even remember them all. One of my favourites was Jedi Academy (PC), specifically with the Force Mod III module loaded, allowing you to play Jedi and Sith of various classes, utilize different types of lightsabers and subscribe to a number of different saber-wielding styles.

While the game was fun, the control scheme was flawed. You’d utilize the ASDW keys to move, of course and Force powers were assigned to F keys. Of course, to direct your Force powers, you were required to target them using the mouse, which shifter your whole point of view when you moved it. Not too shabby, until you work the saber into the equation. To swing your saber, you were required to move the mouse back and forth. See the problem here?

Enter the Wii.

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Posted in Awesome, Reviews, Wii | 3 Comments »