BT Calgary Blogs

For a man who has made a career out of crafting stories around terrorists, spilling blood and stealing, Warren Spector has a surprisingly soft side.

“There are pictures of me at nine months wearing mouse ears. My dad bought me a Pluto plush toy when I was born” Spector admits to me as we stand inside a museum in Austin, Texas, the home of Junction Point Studios.

It’s fitting that we’re in a museum. Not only are we surrounded by countless artifacts which tell the tale of Texas, but Spector has brought in dozens of his own Disney artifacts, many never seen by the public before. This is only a small part of his huge Disney collection which ranges from watches to figurines and portraits.

“Frankly we’re not going to talk about the Disney stuff I have in my collection because it would just humiliate me.” says Spector.

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You’re in an alley facing three armed men looking for blood. In your hands is a knife, a gun and one bullet. What do you do? Do you slash the first thug, quickly shoot the second and then hope the third gets scared and begs for mercy? Do you shoot the first, make your way to the second thug with your gun still raised, stab him and then slash the third in the throat? Or do you simply put your hands up and tell them you’re not looking for trouble and hope they don’t attack? Those are the decisions you are forced to make in I Am Alive, a game where every split decision can affect your chances at survival.

A worldwide cataclysmic event has changed the landscape of Earth as we know it. Buildings lie in ruin, tremors still shake the ground and a thick layer of toxic dust and ash lingers in the air. You were away from home when the event struck, now one year later you’ve finally made it back to the city to search for your wife and daughter. Okay, its not the most original storyline, but that’s not what gamers will remember this game for.

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Mass Effect 3 hits stores on Tuesday, but I’m giving you the chance to win it before you can buy it! If you want to win an early copy all you have to do is tell me which Canadian city makes an appearance in this Edmonton-developed title! I mentioned it on Breakfast Television this morning, but the picture above will also give you a hint. Look closely at the right hand side of the picture.

Post your answers below! Winner will be posted right here on my blog at 12:00 noon Monday March 5th. Please only only comment per person. Winners MUST check back here to see if they have won! Calgary area only please as YOU MUST pick up the game!

Good luck everyone!

UPDATE: Congratulations NAT! You won an early copy of Mass Effect 3! Amazing how quickly she picked up her copy from the station!

It’s always a risky venture resurrecting a classic franchise. Sometimes it works and sometimes the risk simply doesn’t pay off. Syndicate falls somewhere in between.

Based on the 1993 strategy game of the same name, Starbreeze Studios’ Syndicate is an attempt to breath new life and features into a game which has built a fanbase over the years. I’m not sure I would call Syndicate a reboot to the classic franchise, rather a re-imagining.

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While Sony has seen some success in the portable gaming market, it has always struggled to compete against Nintendo. With a solid fan base since the launch of the original Game Boy, Nintendo has always had a solid lead over Sony and their efforts in portable gaming. Could the introduction of the PS Vita be the turning point?

Sony is aiming to take portable gaming to the next level with its next-gen machine. With impressive specs and the addition of a second analog controller, Sony is clearly targeting hardcore gamers with the Vita. But are there enough features for gamers to buy another full-fledged gaming device?

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At its very core Resident Evil has always been known as a survival horror franchise. The series became famous for its eerie environments and cheap scares, which can be hard to pull off in a video game. But lately the very features that made the franchise popular have become watered down. Residents Evil 5 was more of a fast-paced action title and one could say Resident Evil Revelations focuses more on survival rather than horror.

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It’s been 10 years since we last laid hands on a Twisted Metal title. Now Playstation’s longest running franchise is finally back, this time on the PS3.

More than 16 million copies of Twisted Metal games have sold over the years. It has a huge fan following, one of the reason’s creator director David Jaffe admitted to me last summer that he was a little worried about how fans would react to an updated version of the classic vehicular combat title. After completing it we can say Jaffe’s fears were legitimate. Most fans will just be happy to be reunited with Sweet Tooth and the gang but some will expect more from this long-awaited title.

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The Xbox Live Marketplace and PSN are quickly becoming my ‘go to’ place to find the little gems of the gaming world. Independent game developers are proving you don’t need to spend millions of dollars to come up with an interesting, fun concept for games. Take Puddle for instance. Two years ago six French students entered their simple physics puzzle game into GDC’s Independent Game Festival. It took home top prize in the Student Showcase category. Now Konami is bringing this addictive physics platformer to home consoles.

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Who would have thought back in 2007 the Uncharted franchise would turn into the monster it is today. At the time many thought it was a Tomb Raider clone, featuring a male lead character. Fast forward four years and we can now say Uncharted is without a doubt going in a direction the Tomb Raider franchise only dreamed of. Fast paced action, riveting story, Uncharted 3: Drakes’s Deception has a lot going for it. But can it possibly lead to the hype built-up by Sony and Naughty Dog?

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Make no mistake about it, we are in the midst of the holiday rush. Review copies of games continue to pile up in the office screaming out to be played. Yet I find myself playing one title over and over again. I know, I should be playing other titles but every time I open a new game up I find myself putting batman Arkham City back into my console telling myself “just another hour”. The next thing I know it’s time to call it a night. Yes, Batman Arkham City is that good. It’s not perfect, but damn it’s good!

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