Tech Blog

 

I like rhythm games even before the term was ever coined. I remember dropping countless loonies into the Bemani series of Japanese music games at the UBC Arcade, rocking out on Guitar Freaks and Drum Mania, even though I wasn't any good at either one. And then the experience got "Westernized" with the arrival of Guitar Hero and, later on, Rock Band.

 

These games are a lot of fun, but it seems that they're starting to run out of ideas as to how to innovate the genre. This fall, we'll be treated to new iterations from both major series. There's Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock and then there is Rock Band 3. And I'd argue that the latter has far more promise than the former.

 

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I was already working on this review when Matthew posted his up... and I kept writing. Matt, I love you, but I don’t think you and I are going to see eye to eye on this one.

 

Transformers: War for Cybertron absolutely must be bought if - and that’s a big if - you were born between 1975 and 1980. For everyone else, it’s still pretty awesome, but for we happy few this is just like Ghostbusters: The Video Game was last year - the sweetest trip down memory lane you can imagine.

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Hearing the trophy ding for the first level of Transformers: War for Cybertron made me look up at the clock; it was 1am on June 29th.

Two thoughts ran through my head. First: **bleep**, it’s time for bed. Second, well, I’ll just pop into multiplayer briefly to check it out. When I tried to access it I was booted out, and asked to sign into PSN… odd, I thought I was. The screen cleared up my late night confusion: a firmware update was required and PlayStation Plus was upon us. Read more...

Fans of the venerated Need for Speed series are about to get another adrenalin boost, this time with sirens attached. With Hot Pursuit it’s all about the thrill of the chase and the desperate drive to escape. Read more...

Today EA Sports made public the star athlete that will be gracing the cover of the next entry of their best selling hockey franchise, naming Canadian-born Jonathan Toews as the face of NHL 11. Read more...

 

Sony has unveiled a new premium subscription option for the PlayStation Network (PSN) offering users more options for how they consume content, during their E3 press conference at the Los Angeles Convention Centre. Read more...

With the tail end of UFC 115 on the way out of Vancouver, it’s a great time to dig into the action with UFC 2010 Undisputed. This was an incredibly easy game to review: if you like UFC you can stop reading now and go buy it. For the rest of you: if you buy UFC 2010 Undisputed, be prepared for a steep learning curve, an insane amount of customization, and more depth than you ever thought could possibly be applied to a game where to men kick the crap out of each other. Read more...

In a surprise move that shocked those who watched Sony's E3 2010 press conference today, Valve's President Gabe Newell came on stage and announced that the company is changing its position on developing for the PlayStation 3. The first Valve-developed game to land on the PS3 will be Portal 2, a follow-up title to 2007's unexpected smash hit action/puzzler included in the Orange Box compilation. Portal 2 for the PS3 will drop day-and-date with the Xbox 360 and PC versions, sometime in 2011. Read more...

3D is here, whether you’re ready or not. If you’ve got it, gaming is about to get a whole lot cooler for you. With their press event this morning at E32010, Sony wowed gamers with clips from the upcoming Killzone 3 in 3D, promising single-disc versions that will carry 3D components, meaning that whenever you choose to add 3D to your home, you’ll be ready with PlayStation. Read more...

There were rumours circulating last month that the Canadian Hockey League and EA were preparing to make an announcement of the inclusion of Q-league teams and players in their next hockey game, NHL 11. The rumour came to light when a CBC reporter published an article stating that all Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) teams were asked to submit photos of their ice rinks and jerseys to EA. Not long thereafter EA confirmed the rumours. Read more...

2010 is the year that Rock Band goes into overdrive with the release of Rock Band 3. On top of the 1500 tracks available in the Rock Band family, Rock Band 3 is going to sport an incredible 83-song setlist with songs from some of the best bands of all time. This time we’ve got bands from across the planet AND bands that have never before been seen in a music game. Harmonix and EA have promised that weekly DLC releases are going to continue into the future as well. Read more...

LucasArts has revealed the contents of the Collector’s Edition to the sequel of last year’s hit: Star Wars: The Force unleashed. Read more...

I hate racing games. I love blur. From Bizarre Creations (the same people that birthed Project Gotham Racing and Geometry Wars) this multi-platform racing combat game stands alone on the market as an insane mashup between modern shooters and kart racing. At least one online forum has dubbed it “Call of Burnout 2: Modern Mario Kart” - and they’re right. This isn’t Modnation Racers and it certainly isn’t Split/Second. blur is a game all its own and it’s really, really good. Read more...

Have you been pining for the Sony Blu-ray remote for better playback of your streaming media, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs? If you have a 120GB or 240GB PlayStation (aka a PlayStation Slim) and you’re connecting it to a newer TV via HDMI, you may be able to take more control of your system than you thought possible. Read more...

3D Dot Game Heroes is a game that, given the cruel nature of the universe, shouldn’t have been made. Thankfully, though, the folks at FROM software and Atlus Games shake their fist at the status quo, and have brought us yet another gem. Read more...