I think that most gamers will still argue that despite it’s $50 a year price tag, Xbox Live is still the standard for measuring a console’s online service. While they are getting set to launch the New Xbox Experience late this fall there is still plenty of room to improve the service’s capabilities and that’s in areas that Sony and Nintendo (hell, even Apple) are excelling: mobile devices. Continue Reading »

Remember last month when Jimmy and Utopaline crashed the X08 event in Toronto in an effort to answer your most pressing questions? Well we’re back, and this time we’re bringing the bug guns.

Myself (that’d be the aforementioned Jimmy) and PlayStation-guru extraordinaire Ryan “Newsome” Hewson will be hitting PlayStation Canada’s annual Holiday Preview Event tomorrow, and we’re going to be putting on the thumbscrews to get you some answers. What would you like to know?

Not too sure how many of you have heard of this one.  It’s flown under my radar all year, but now that it’s surfaced?  I’m moist with anticipation (and wet snowpants).

Stoked is the first snowboarding game produced in conjunction with Absinthe Films, the company behind a multitude of kick ass snowboarding videos (check out a sample of their work here).  Absinthe is a company that knows how to make the sport look downright epic, and that’s exactly the sort of thing you’d want to experience when you lose yourself in a game.

Stoked is set to feature five real world mountains,complete with dynamic weather and environments.  Going down a mountain during a heavy snowfall?  Expect that snow to stay on the ground and change the terrain, providing you with a completely fresh experience on a familiar track.

The environments aren’t the only thing that’ll be dynamic in this title.  Your characters animations will evolve and adapt to your play style.  It’s a small touch, but a neat idea that I don’t think anyone has tried before.

Multiplayer is said to be seemless as well, with online friends popping in and out with you exactly where you are on the mountain.  Think Burnout Paradise, only colder and without a glove compartment.  Combine all of this with real riders and a real drought in the snowboarding genre (we’ve had one since the launch of the 360) and Stoked might just have what it takes to be a staple in the diet of any couch-riding cool boarders out there.

Expect this one to ship exclusively for the Xbox 360 this November, courtesy of Destineer and Bongfish Studios.

One of my biggest gripes when reviewing the sublime Buzz! Quiz TV for the PS3 was it’s utter refusal to cater to the single player crowd.  Sure you could always hop online and make a friend, but if really wanted to fly solo you were stuck with a quick round of questions without any of the bells and whistles the series has become known for.  Clearly, Quiz TV was intended to be a party game experience.

But what about Master Quiz?  Surely taking the Buzz experience on the road would force the series to take a step in the single player direction, wouldn’t it?

Continue Reading »

I’m a bit of a trivia nerd at heart. Anyone who’s listened to our recent Jeopardy bitcast and giveaway should know that. After all, a man doesn’t write 60 gaming question and fake a Trebek voice for an hour because he’s a fan of the Wheel, you know. That’s why it should come as no surprise that one of my most eagerly anticipated releases this fall was Sony’s first PS3 foray for the Buzz! franchise.

We should probably preface this review by making it clear that this is my first experience with Buzz. I have yet to dabble with any of the PS2 releases that appeared stateside last year (though our own Kevin has had some experience with them) , so my own excitement was based purely on what I’d seen of it, the promise of MyBuzz, and the good words spoken by others in the past. So did Buzz Quiz TV tickle my trivia bone? Continue Reading »

Kidding! There’s actually none whatsoever, which in this day is somewhat surprising though a wonderful breath of fresh air.

Some quick backstory for those that might not be aware, this week Q Games made the PixelJunk Eden soundtrack available on the PSN for the crazy-low price of $2.99. 12 tracks in total. Yea, it’s a good deal.

So last night I figured it was a no-brainer to pick it up. As it’s unpacking the data onto your HDD (which you can then easily copy off) they give you a heads up that it’s got no copy protection but to kindly keep it to yourself.

It’s a sad state of affairs when I’m taken aback when a consumer is not treated like a criminal. Big high-five for Sony and Q Games on this one, they could’ve gone all iTunes on us and tried to lock down when and where we can play the files we just bought…. but they took the higher (cooler) road. Between things like this and the stance on the upcoming Fallout 3, maybe we’re getting ready to make a turn on this whole DRM bullshit.

So this week’s been a little light on games for me, though I did complete the “Prologue” portion of The Witcher: Enhanced Edition. Hopefully I’ll get through some more of that and give you all my impressions of that PC RPG. Mostly though I’ve been splitting my time getting caught up on season 6 of The Shield (which I finished yesterday) and reading Preacher for the first time. Between the two of them it’s almost too much awesome for one guy to handle, lucky for me I have that capacity.

Once I watch the five episodes of The Shield that have already aired this year I’ll be all caught up in the intriguing tail of Detective Mackie, one of the most interesting characters I’ve ever spent time with. The show constantly surprises me with what it puts these characters through.

As for Preacher, Christ Almighty that book is good. The first trade volume was pretty cool but this second one that I’m in the middle of now is really making clear why this series has such a great reputation. It’s dark, funny and daring, three qualities that I can always get behind in graphic novels.

So, What’cha Been Playing?