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Paul Chapman 3 days ago
Videogames have grown up. Gaming is a mainstream form of entertainment now. We know the average age of a gamer in Canada is in their late 30s. So, it's time for grown-up gaming. Enter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. In the first week of release alone, Modern Warfare 2 racked up more than $550 million in sales. More than The Dark Knight, Shrek 3, Spiderman 3 movies all made in their first weeks. Videogames and violence are intertwined when it comes to mainstream media. But in all the years of playing games that involved guns and blood nothing has made me as uncomfortable as MW2. This is an incredibly thought-provoking game and as a piece of "art" will foster debate in the realms of pop culture. There's a realism to this game that mimics some of the tragic circumstances we find in the world today. This isn't a cartoonish and cinematic depiction of a historical war with feeble weapons, or a fantastical battle against an alien race ...
Paul Chapman 10 days ago
Sometimes great games are elevated even more with some special, extra ingredients. Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games for the Wii slides into that mindset brilliantly. First and foremost, as a game, it's a blast. Secondly, with the games being in our own backyard, there's extra significance and certainly interest in playing this game. What Mario and Sonic is to gamers is a collection of great mini-games and events with the twist of the Mario and Sonic worlds. While you don't get the rush of recognizing Vancouver landmarks (like you did racing past the Stanley Park totems and over the Lions Gate Bridge on the locally made Need for Speed games), you do get the fun of winter sports and the inclusion of the great 2010 mascots into the fantasy world. At the heart of it, the games of the Winter Olympics are way better than the summer ones for video-game fun. Hockey, bobsleigh, skiing, even curling and figure skating translate into great gaming ...
Paul Chapman 10 days ago
The PS3 exclusive Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time has set the table for a wonderful holiday gaming season. If the games coming are all going to be of this quality in the next two months, you're going to be a happy little gamer. This game takes the fuzzy Ratchet and robot Clank into their usual battles against evil trying to take over their animated worlds. There are so many things that make the Ratchet and Clank games a killer experience but, for me, it comes down to two things -- the graphics and the weapons. The graphics are pure, polished video-game candy. The colours are so vibrant and the worlds so detailed, the flavour of the Ratchet and Clank games is really a visual treat. When it comes to the weapons, well, this is what video games are all about. And what this franchise has always been about. The weapons in Ratchet and Clank were what the excellent ad campaign was built on, the ones with the "real" people using the weapons in ...
Paul Chapman 10 days ago
Trying Times Some bad news this week from Electronic Arts where news hit that 1,500 people would be laid off over the next few months, including several in the local studio. Times are tough economically and there are challenges in the gaming industry. It’s one of the first things people will cut back on, and it’s a shame that the job losses will mean less creativity and fewer games. There’s a lot of talk that simpler, cheaper online games are a reason that a huge company like EA are feeling the pinch, and I get that. But man, there are so many stunning games out there, I hope those large-scale projects aren’t going to disappear. From EA’s point, it’s hard not to get engaged in games like FIFA, Madden and NHL. Along with some of their action titles, like the superb Left for Dead (with L4D2 about to drop), Army of Two, and innovative titles, like EA Active and Boom Blox, there’s hours, weeks and months worth of use from game purchases. It extends beyond EA though. I’m ...
Paul Chapman 30 days ago
Probably not too shocking, but after the price drop, the PlayStation 3 has soared to the top of the sales charts for home consoles. In September the Nintendo DS lead sales in North America with 524,200, but the PS3 hit 491,800 sales, compared to 462,800 for the Wii and 352,600 for the Xbox 360. The exclusives for PS3 paired with the price drop make it a tasty option for gamers. The new Uncharted 2 is simply the best game released this year. I'm suffering angst trying to fit Uncharted 2 into my busy life having already reviewed it. Uncharted 2 comes on the heels of InFamous, KillZone 2, Resistance 2 and Little BigPlanet. If you're a gamer, you look at those games, the price drop and the built-in BluRay player and it starts to make sense to look at adding a PS3 to your gaming habits. Not so soft On the software sales side though, things were still coming up 360, with Halo ODST leading the way with sales of 1,520,000 in September. Second spot was Wii Sports Resort, 442,900 then Madden ...
