I’m a huge fan of the Mass Effect franchise. In fact, it was the first game I ever purchased for my Xbox 360 and I fell in love with its vibrant universe instantly. Bioware is one of very few developers that have an extreme attention to detail. They also place a heavy emphasis on creating an engaging story with gripping dialogue. Of course this is to be expected though, they are the creators of Baldur’s Gate and Knights of The Old Republic after all. With Mass Effect 3, Bioware has improved almost every aspect of the Mass Effect franchise and is looking to make the grand finale of the trilogy… (more…)

Final Fantasy XIII is the only video game I have ever returned to a store. Yes, it was that bad, and I absolutely hated it. Square Enix, why are you releasing a sequel to a game that was generally resented by even Final Fantasy’s most hardcore fans? It just doesn’t make sense. When I was younger, the release of a Final Fantasy game always seemed like a special occasion. New entries in the franchise came out every few years and gamers everywhere were certain each Final Fantasy title would offer quality, narrative driven gaming. Now it feels like a new Final Fantasy title comes out every few months and, most… (more…)

I’ve always had a strange attachment to the Halo franchise. For me, Halo: Combat Evolved was the game of high school. Everyone was playing it and cafeteria conversations always somehow ended up being Halo related. But lately, I can’t stand the franchise. I tried getting back into Halo: Reach’s multiplayer last night and got absolutely destroyed. But that wasn’t the only reason I wasn’t having fun. It doesn’t matter if it’s the multiplayer or the single player, I think I just have what I like to call Halo fatigue. I’ve played a lot of Halo: CE in my life and have spent countless hours with friends messing around in local… (more…)

Okay, maybe ‘suck’ is a strong word – because Club Nintendo does have some cool rewards – but the items are highly subjective. Unless you’re twelve or otherwise into stickers, posters, and other Nintendo related swag, there haven’t been many actual games to spend your hard earned Nintendo coins on, aside from a few expensive Game & Watch DS titles. But that all changed in December. Nintendo is now offering Majora’s Mask (Wii) 150 coins, Dr. Mario Rx (Wii) 100 coins, Kirby’s Dreamland (3DS) 100 coins and Dr. Mario Express (3DS) 150 coins. I’ve never been interested in Nintendo’s points club before, but as soon as it started offering free… (more…)

The Zelda series is a franchise that hasn’t changed much over the years. There’s an over world, dungeons, a princess in distress and an angry, magical, evil enemy. During every Zelda adventure you traverse various elementally themed dungeons and meet strange and colourful characters – this is Zelda as we know it. For the last ten years or so any changes have been incremental.  New features have been added, but the core game stays relatively the same. This is due to the fact that the series’ rabid fan base seems content with the franchise remaining relatively similar game after game. Many fans still even believe that Link and the series’… (more…)

2011 was another year of amazing gaming experiences and, for me and select other gamers, it passed virtually without issue. Unfortunately, many others seem to have gotten the short end of the pointy gaming stick. In other words, even though 2011 offered some of the greatest games released this gen, a few screw-ups, mishaps, let downs, and straight-up bad decisions made some gamers feel like the industry’s only real goal was to get them to grab their proverbial ankles.   Without further adieu – and in no particular order – we present the most defining video game letdowns of 2011. Kinect’s Lack of Appealing Games When Kinect first came out, I… (more…)

The PlayStation Vita looks awesome and I want one. In fact, I’m a Sony fan and I personally think the upcoming handheld is exactly the kind of device the average “hardcore” gamer could love like no other before. Two analog sticks? Yes please. After research and some rather unwanted personal financial honesty, however, I can no longer recommend picking up a launch Vita in good conscience to those on gaming on a budget. I say this for two reasons, number one being the tendency of handheld makers to release improved versions of a device throughout its lifecycle.  We’ll come to number two later. With reason number one, we look at… (more…)

Before I get flamed, let me first say this: I really like Skyrim. I feel that it’s one of the greatest technical achievements in video gaming in the last 5-10 years.  It just has a few issues that are really starting get to me. Skyrim is extremely engrossing and accomplishes something that many modern games fail to these days – it actually lets you craft your own story. It also offers a different experience to every single person that plays it. Perhaps one gamer decides they’re down with Bethesda’s epic main story quest, or maybe another gamer decides to join the companion’s guild and focus on that story thread. Then there are the… (more…)

I really don’t understand people who play multiplayer, team-based games without a headset. You’re playing a title where teamwork is the main focus, so you should probably use a headset, no? A little thing called communication is sort of important to team work focused games. The applications and inherent value are plain and very simple. When you get killed you can help your teammates out by letting everyone know which way the shit is flying. If you’re getting pinned and you need a hand, you can let the rest of your team know. Saw a guy run in with some buddies? Need an extra hand? Just speak up and help is… (more…)

I’ve been eagerly anticipating Skyrim for years. I’d probably even say that it’s the only release I’ve been excited about in a very long time. There’s a reason for this sense of excitment and anticipation though. Usually, when I’m interested in a game, I’m all up on the interwebs trying to gather every news snipet ever released about that particular title. In some cases, I go the extra mile and sift through gaming related forums, mercilessly hunting down the latest rumours and information. When Skyrim was first announced, I didn’t search for any information about the game at all. In fact, I’ve  actively avoided reading anything about Bethesda’s latest epic. When I finally… (more…)