BT Calgary Blogs

Ten years ago Midway made waves with Hydro Thunder. The speedboat racer was not only a hit in arcades, but in living rooms everywhere after getting ported to the Dreamcast and ultimately to the N64 and Playstation. Now, more than a decade later, Vector Unit is breathing new life into the classic with a full-fledged sequel.

The original was well-known for its high tech boats and zany tracks (arctic circle, flooded New York City). Vector Unit is promising to bring back what fans loved “with top-notch visuals, brand new over-the-top themed environments and dynamic water-based racing”. Does it deliver?

(more…)

Starcraft II is about to hit store shelves and knock the PC gaming world to its knees. Not looking forward to waiting in line to get your copy at midnight tonight? I have you covered! Future Shop has given me a copy of the highly anticipated Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty, and I’m going to pass it on to one lucky Breakfast Television viewer!

How can you win? All you have to do is email me at mike.yawney@rci.rogers.com and tell me why you deserve to win Starcraft II! It’s that simple. You must be a Canadian resident to enter. One entry per person, per email address. Contest closes at noon MST on Monday, July 26th.

(more…)

It’s the Xbox Live Arcade title everyone is talking about. On July 21st Playdead will be releasing the eerie side-scrolling puzzler adventure Limbo exclusively on the Xbox 360. Want to win a copy? Just leave a comment below and let me know why you deserve to win! It’s that easy!

Warning to parents: there is some mild violence which could be disturbing for younger gamers.

Good Luck Everyone! Winner will be posted here after the contest closes at 5:00 MT today!

(more…)

It’s the eerie black and white puzzle-platforming adventure that has gamers buzzing. Right in the middle of the summer gaming drought, Playdead is getting ready to unleash Limbo to the Xbox Live Arcade community. It looks unlike any other title we’ve seen before. An eerie grey shaded puzzler with morbid humour thrown in for good measure. But is the gameplay itself as good as the game looks? Let’s just say you’re in for a treat.

(more…)

Win it before you can buy it! Crackdown 2 hits stores tomorrow (July 6th) but you can play it today! All you have to do is a leave a comment below and you could take home Crackdown 2!

Contest closes at noon today so enter now! (Please only enter if you haven’t won anything in the past 30 days on Citytv) Winner’s name will be published right here on my blog!

I’m not going to give you any spoilers but I had the chance to play the game and I have to say…you’re going to enjoy it! Good luck!

We Have a Winner!
Congratulations to Angie Kerslake! Thanks for entering everyone!

Hard to believe it’s been almost three years since Mario last took to the stars. Super Mario Galaxy was a huge success for Nintendo, so it really didn’t come as a surprise to hear at last year’s E3 that a sequel was in the works. Now one year later we finally get our hands on the latest Mario game. Does it live up to my expectations? For the most part, yes.

(more…)

There are two types of racing games hitting the market. You have the ultra-realistic racing simulators such as Forza Motorsport 3 and Gran Turismo 5 (if it ever comes out), and then you have your arcade style racers like Need For Speed. I, for one, have never been a big fan of either. While racing games are fun, I just find I get bored with them. I have no interest in pimping  my ride with high end shocks, spoilers or neon lights. And I really don’t care if I can outrun the cops over and over again. I admit it, I’m a racing snob. So when Split Second arrived on my desk I’ve have to say I wasn’t exactly over the moon thrilled to try it out. Could a Disney racing game really hold my attention long enough to enable me to write a full review? Thankfully… yes.

(more…)

Creating a good suspenseful video game isn’t easy. Just ask Konami, the publisher of Silent Hill. There’s a fine line between cheese and suspense. You need to set the right mood, you need to have believable characters and most important, you need to have a compelling story. That could be why so many suspense / thriller games have failed in the past. Suspense is a hard genre to pull off, especially when it comes to videogames. But it is possible. In fact Remedy Entertainment seems to have almost perfected the formula with its latest game Alan Wake.

(more…)

I’ve got to admit, I usually don’t hold out too much hope for a game when I hear it’s been delayed. As soon as I hear the release date has been pushed back, I tend to fear the worst. The game must be bad if the publisher is choosing to hold it back, right?

It’s no secret Splinter Cell: Conviction has faced its share of delays. Originally the game was slated to be released back in November of 2007, but was taken “back to the drawing board” on more than one occasion. In fact, the game was delayed a total of three times before finally seeing store shelves.

Can a game that has been re-imagined three times over still come through the other side unscathed? Can fans of the series put faith back into a game that has been resurrected from the dead? The answer to both questions is yes.

(more…)

The wait is finally over. At long last, the final chapter to the God of War series has arrived on the Playstation 3.

There is no denying this is easily one of the most anticipated titles of the year for Playstation owners. The franchise has been wildly successful, and for good reason. The combat is intense, the story engaging, and the violence is over the top.

Sony has teased us for months with demos and screenshots showing off the fifth (including one PSP and one mobile title) and final game in this story arc. Can it possibly live up to player expectations? Read on, dear gamers, read on.

(more…)