Between description leaks and datamining the 1.05 patch, we have some idea of what to expect when BioWare eventually launches their upcoming Reckoning DLC for Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer. Unfortunately, BioWare has gotten better at not tipping their hand in their patches. Continue reading
Video Games
BioWare Bosses Tease ME3 DLC on Twitter
As much crap as BioWare has taken over Mass Effect 3 (and Dragon Age 2 and Star Wars: The Old Republic), we sure as hell pay attention to every little thing they do. Yesterday, producer Mike Gamble and director/producer Casey Hudson tweeted a couple of promotional images from the upcoming Mass Effect 3 DLCs. Continue reading
The Evolution of Video Game Consoles (Infographic)
Earlier this week, I mentioned that rumours suggest that we’ll see the PlayStation Four and likely the Xbox 720 reach store shelves before the end of the year. That means that the major console manufacturers will all have a console in the eighth generation of home video games consoles. We’ve come a long way since the first generation of consoles which included the likes of the Magnavox Odyssey, Coleco Telstar and Nintendo Color TV Game.
For a look back at the history of video game consoles, we have this handy infographic. Continue reading
Rumours say Sony is Dropping the DualShock Controller for the PS4
It appears the folks in charge of designing Sony’s PlayStation 4 live by Red Green’s philosophy of if it ain’t broke, you’re not trying. A recent report on CVG says that Sony will radically change their traditional DualShock analog controller for one that will include a touchscreen on the front and biometric sensors built into the grips. Continue reading
Spec Ops: The Line Review (or Do You Know the Enemy?)
Despite having yet to play it, I named Spec Ops: The Line as one of my 12 favourite games of 2012. The game created a fair bit of discussion about its story which delved into the psychological effects of war on soldiers. I was amazed that a military shooter, a genre that usually omits any effort when it comes to storytelling in lieu of spending money on graphics and multiplayer content, was making waves over its plot and a complex sounding plot at that.
I figured that I couldn’t name the game one of my 12 favourites of last year without giving it a try. So when it went on sale during the recent Steam sale, I put my money where my mouth was to see if it was actually worth a spot on the blog’s de facto year-end award list. Continue reading
Death Rally Review (or Why You Should Read the Whole Review, Not Just Scores)
This won’t shock regular readers but I’m a bit of a racing fan. Find me a driving game and I’m likely to take some positive from it. I say “likely” because that was “going to take a positive” from a driving game until I picked up the remake of Death Rally. Remedy Entertainment might be best known for its work on Max Payne and Alan Wake but the first game out of the studio was 1996’s Death Rally. Fifteen years later, it was remade for iOS and this year, it was ported to PC.
So is Remedy’s update of one of its classics up to par with recent updates like XCOM and Baldur’s Gate? Can an iOS port to PC be worth the price of admission? I examine in my review. Continue reading
The Economics of Video Game Development
A few weeks back, one of the hot stories in the video game world was that Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 reached gross sales of $1 billion in only 15 days. What sounded like good news for publisher Activision was quickly reigned in by writers pointing out that CoD: Blops 2 sold fewer copies to reach $1 billion of gross sales than 2011’s CoD: Modern Warfare 3.
This raised an interesting question in my mind: How profitable are video games to make? Even if Blops2 sold fewer copies, shouldn’t Activision still have covered the sunk costs of development and marketing after paying for the variable costs of each unit sold? Continue reading
My Most Anticipated Games of 2013
Since it’s the start of 2013 and I’m done with my own 2012 lists, I thought it would be fun to look ahead to 2013. While I know that I’ve started a geek culture blog, I thought that this would make a fun extension to my favourite games of 2012 list. As good as 2012 was for gamers, I’m liking how 2013 is stacking up already. There are some good-looking games already confirmed for 2013 release that will be Day One purchases.
So, in no particular order, here are my ten most anticipated games of 2013. Continue reading
My Twelve Favourite Video Games of 2012
Since we’re doing lists of our favourite things of 2012, I thought I would cover video games. This was an odd year in gaming. New triple-A IPs were few and far between. Sequels were the name of the game this year as developers and publishers bided their time until the launch of the next generation of XBox and Playstation. However, thanks to Kickstarter, indie game bundles and digital distribution on multiple platforms, I think 2012 started to usher in more emphasis on high-quality independently developed games.
So in no particular order, here are my favourite games of 2012. Continue reading
Hotline Miami Review (or One Way Ticket to Chaos)
November’s Steam sale was every bit as great for me as a gamer as it was bad for my wallet. I bought far too many games but I went out of my way to buy what reviewers said were the best games. That’s why I bought Hotline Miami. It’s a well-reviewed game with some nostalgia for those of use who played classic Grand Theft Auto games. I’ve never been one for excessively violent games so I thought I’d give it a try to see what the hype was about. Continue reading
The Lowdown 