Video Games

It’s Call of Duty, not like I’m talking about some unknown quantity… but that started working against this juggernaut of a franchise by the time the heralds of a new hardware generation started sounding.  We were done with Modern Warfare, and we’d had our share of Black Ops, what’s next?  Well Activision and Sledgehammer Games had an answer, it was ‘advanced’ warfare, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.

The stalwart, quiet protagonist of videogames as we understood them in the new millenium, since 2001 Master Chief has been taking the fight to alien powers that threaten the lives of mankind.  Across 4 main titles, the lone Spartan and his AI companion Cortana entered the modern psyche, instantly recognizable all around the world.  That is a lot of campaigning, and a LOT of multiplayer in that amount of time, and now they’ve compacted it even further, fitting it all in one neat little package, with Halo:The Master Chief Collection.

I’ll never forget that time in Grade 4 when my friend asked his grandparents for a specific game for his Super Nintendo, and his grandma bought him the Nintendo version of the game instead. He was then told that he had to keep it so not to hurt his grandma’s feelings. The story sticks with me because I’ll often get asked questions from parents or grandparents about whether they can buy, say, NHL (current year) for PlayStation when the gamer has an Xbox. Or even whether that year’s NHL for the Xbox 360 would just play on the Xbox One since it’s cheaper to buy that one.  This is a pretty quick and easy guide to understanding backwards (and even cross-platform) compatibility between gaming consoles to hopefully help you decide which versions are the right ones, and which ones should be avoided when you’re out buying for your gamer.

For some Nintendo 3DS gamers, it’s been the most anticipated game ever since it was announced. Fantasy Life is a multi-tiered cross between an RPG and a Life Sim (sort of) where you choose one of 12 “lives” you become adept in while playing through a main story quest involving a butterfly and evil stones, and running favours for people around the world. It took a couple years to translate and get to us, but it’s finally here.  Find out if it was worth the wait by clicking to read the review.

The grand finale of the Arkham series, Batman: Arkham Knight will release in June of 2015. Featuring a cast of many of Batman’s greatest foes (along with the debuting mysterious Arkham Knight,) you’re going to need all the help you can get.  Find out how Waynetech will help you save Gotham City by clicking through to learn more about the Pre-Order Bonus.

One of E3’s most anticipated PlayStation 4 exclusives won’t be available until February, but it’s time to get an early jump!  Bloodborne is a gory open world action RPG which features you as a hunter investigating and trying to retrieve a panacea from the town of Yharnam. Long the target of other hunters, something keeps them from succeeding. Find out, and find out what the Pre-Order bonus is by clicking on to read.

If you’ve ever had a computer in your house, you probably had a copy of Sid Meier’s Civilization on it. The Turn-Based Strategy that brought the genre into our homes and lives, chances are you’ve experienced epic campaigns of Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, or some other dynasty of your choice. Spanning the globe on a campaign for a unified world, or getting smashed to pieces by some other power that takes exception. Hopelessly addictive, undeniably well crafted, and hugely successful, it seems Civilization has achieved all it can on this lonesome blue rock. Good thing there’s more out there somewhere, just waiting to be subjugated, I mean… civilized, with Civilization: Beyond Earth.

It’s been a little while now since Sunset Overdrive was initially announced, and it’s been on the minds of gamers (especially Xbox One owners) for well over a year now. The game, looking reminiscent of some famous titles of old like Jet Grind Radio, throws you into a modern open world full of mayhem, terror and a lot of laughs.  It should get some consideration for game of the year, and is a must for Xbox One owners.  Find out more by clicking to read.

It’s that time of year when things take a turn for the spooky. Whether you find yourself in the mood for some shivers, love the genre, or just well made games, this covers all the bases. Survival Horror the way it was intended (by the guy who started the whole thing in the first place) as a game it’s everything good about the genre. Tension, atmosphere and never enough health or bullets, I guess it’s a good thing there are closets and lockers in which to cower fearfully.  Inhabited by monsters straight out of a modern horror buffs handbook, prepare to run and hide from, The Evil Within.

When I was a child, the first two Disney movies my mom bought were The Rescuers Down Under and Fantasia.  Music aside, I hated Fantasia.  Absolutely hated it. As I grew older, I learned to appreciate that it wasn’t a prototypical Disney movie, and learned to appreciate what it was.  It gave me a better appreciation of Fantasia 2000, and now the fact that I’ve been looking forward to Fantasia: Music Evolved ever since it was announced. It’s here, and it’s quite the workout.  Come check it out!