BT Calgary Blogs

How do you describe a game like Journey? Beautiful certainly comes to mind. So does relaxing and experimental. But if you were to ask Executive Producer Robin Hunicke it would be none of the above. She says it’s easier to tell gamers what Journey isn’t rather than what it is.

“It’s not collaborative, but it isn’t competitive. It’s not co-op but it’s not solo. We often say journey is not a lot of things” Hunicke told me as I sat down to play the game at a recent Sony event in New York.

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“It’s time for tea Alice!” With that classic line the Mad Hatter lifts up a tea cup in one hand pushes it towards the lips of one of his guests. Both the Dormouse and the March Hare lay awkwardly at the Mad hatter’s side, neither one moving a hair as the Mad Hatter insists they drink. The guests remain quiet, after all you can’t speak when you’re dead. Yet the Hatter continues to pour tea down the March Hare’s throat, ignoring the fact that his guests are only corpses, victims of Alice’s rage.

This is the twisted vision of Wonderland American McGee brings to console gamers for the first time in Alice: Madness Returns, the follow-up to the cult classic Alice released for the PC back in 2000. The game sold more than one million copies and became a collector’s item. It’s easy to see why. The dark take on the classic children’s tale showed us a side of Alice Disney would never allow.

McGee’s follow-up is just as dark and demented as the original game, yet it’s not the perfect experience fans of the franchise may be looking for.

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I’m a firm believer in Karma. What comes around goes around. Maybe that’s why I find it so hard to do the devious deeds I’m tempted to do in inFamous 2. I hate street performers, yet I can’t muster up the courage to electrocute one. And I can’t stand by as the Militia escorts civilians in New Marais to their death. I always step in and play the hero. Unfortunately I know this means I’m missing out on half the fun that is to be found inFAMOUS 2.

The story picks up a few months after inFAMOUS with Cole MacGrath nearly dying at the hands of The Beast. Cole doesn’t have the power he needs to destroy the molten-lava giant. To do that he must make the trip to New Marais, which sets the scene for this new adventure.

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Disney continues to milk the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. A fourth movie is about to hit theaters and along with it a brand new video game. But unlike game movie tie-ins this one is based on a tried and true formula.

The LEGO series of video games have been wildly successful. They are light-hearted, fun and filled with incredibly addictive gameplay. But another reason they seem to fly off the shelves is they piggyback on some of the most beloved movie franchises. Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter; they all lend themselves to the whimsical stylings of a LEGO game. Pirates of the Caribbean is no different.

Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Captain Hector Barbossa and the rest of the cast are hitting your favourite console. Will it follow in the footsteps of other great LEGO games, or is this the first in the franchise history to be forced to walk the plank?

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There’s no denying Sony’s Motorstorm: Apocalypse has had a rough start. When we first laid hands on the game back in February everything was looking great. The game was looking slick, fans of the series were excited, and the launch details were being finalized. Who could have predicted what was to happen.

A devastating earthquake hit Japan, followed by a tsunami which inevitably delayed the North American launch (good call on Sony’s part). Then when it finally hits store shelves Sony’s PSN was forced offline by hackers, preventing gamers from playing online with friends.

The launch certainly hasn’t been ideal, but should that deter you from buying into this high octane franchise? Read my review to find out.

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I will never forget the thunderous roar from the Playstation community when Sony announced a new Twisted Metal game was headed for the Playstation 3 at last year’s E3. It was incredible. In fact, the reaction even took Sony reps by surprise as many I have spoken to admit no one expected it.

For those who are not aware, Twisted Metal is the longest running franchise on the Playstation. More than 16 million copies of the seven different games have been sold in North America alone. So why is the creator David Jaffe so concerned about fan reaction to the upcoming release?

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The world as we know it has been lost. It has been four years since the events of Resistance 2 and the situation now looks dire. Instead of fighting the invading Chimera, the last of the human race have hunkered down and are just trying to stay alive. That’s how we stumble upon our new hero Joseph Capelli.

Capelli is in hiding with his wife and child when he is approached by Dr Fyodor Malikov. The doctor says there still may be a chance to save earth, that is if they can get to New York City.

“Resistance 3 is all about heroic survival in a brutal world.” says Insomniac’s Ryan Schneider. “There is really no military left in the United States or really the world to speak of so it’s up to him and Dr Malikov to thwart the Chimeran effort once and for all. Really at the end of the day Joseph Capelli is just trying to save his family.”

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The Ratchet and Clank series has quickly become a flagship franchise for the Playstation platform. And rightfully so. The likeable characters, colourful graphics and humourous dialogue has helped it chisel out a loyal following. But as with any aging franchise a shakeup is always inevitable.

Insomniac is taking a new direction with the upcoming Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One. As the title suggests Ratchet and Clank won’t be the sole protagonists in this game. They will be joined by two other well known characters Captain Qwark and believe it or not…robot mad scientist Doctor Nefarious in a multiplayer free for all.

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While Nintendo focused on the younger audience with its 3DS launch titles, Capcom took a different strategy by targeting the more seasoned gamer by releasing a 3D version of its hit Super Street Fighter IV.

Street Fighter is without a doubt a fan favourite franchise. You know exactly what you’re going to get with this fighter. Classic characters, familiar moves, and a surprisingly deep experience. And as cheesy as it may sound, that experience becomes even deeper when you take it into the 3rd dimension.

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It seems fitting Nintendo has chosen Pilotwings Resort as one of the launch games for the Nintendo 3DS. Pilotwings was one of the original launch titles for the SNES back in 1991 and helped launch the Nintendo 64 in 1996 with its updated pseudo-3D Mode 7 graphics. So why not use the franchise to launch yet another console, this time the Nintendo 3DS.

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