Review: Splatoon (Wii U)

Splatoon is the new property from Nintendo with a cute premise: anthropomorphic squid kids participating in an ink fight. The colored ink you shoot, spray, and splatter actually paints the terrain of the combat area. Your character is able to "swim" in your ink color to not only fast-traverse across the map but refill your ink ammunition. This basic game control makes for a very different experience compared to other games where proper ground control will dominate lone-wolf or sniping tactics.

Review: Dying Light (PS4)

Normally we only have one reviewer assigned to each title, but Dying Light presented an interesting opportunity.  With two review codes and two reviewers – one who likes zombie themed TV shows and games and another indifferent to them – you get two unique viewpoints on Dying Light.

Story/Gameplay Mechanics
Dying Light is Techland’s latest foray into the Zombie genre, after the release of Dead Island (2011) and Dead Island Riptide (2013). This is their first entry making use of next gen hardware, but has the transition been kind to them?

Review: Destiny (PS3)

Because of lofty aspirations, Bungie’s first title following the phenomenal success of the Halo games was destined to leave many gamers disappointed in some way or another. It’s a difficult task in any entertainment arena to attempt a follow-up to such an overwhelming success as the Halo franchise was for Bungie. Destiny is that game.

And it has its share of disappointments, primarily in failing to be the massively multiplayer offering it had aspired to be, and having a primary focus on repetitive missions. But it clearly sustains many of the stellar qualities that made Halo a universally well-regarded and lucrative gaming hit, and has even showed improvement in first-shooting game-making, showing lessons learned from the past were implemented by Bungie in its present.

Review: Halo: Master Chief Collection (Xbox One)

Halo defined the original Xbox. It single-handedly brought people to the machine, secured Bungie the respect of a world-class developer, and changed the lives of gamers everywhere.

While the original lacked online play, Halo 2 followed it up with the anticipated online play and a wonderful single-player campaign. Then Halo 3 and Halo 4 extended the universe and drew more players to the franchise. Bringing these titles back to life on the Xbox One is something I have been looking forward to since the announcement, and I'm happy to report that this does not disappoint.

This package contains all four main Halo games and this is the first time that Halo 2 has been available in high definition.

Hands-On Preview: Evolve (PC)

Evolve is one of the highly anticipated titles for 2015, and the game is now entering it's first widespread alpha. After some hands-on time there is a lot I love about the game and a lot that still needs to "evolve." so to speak.

For the uninitiated, Evolve is a four versus one game where the group pursues the alpha predator. It plays like a highly charged game of Cat and Mouse, with the monster getting a twenty second head-start to comfortably situate themselves in the wild, consuming various wildlife to grow stronger.

Review: Wolfenstein - The New Order (PS4)

My first contact with Wolfenstein was two decades ago.

I still remember playing the original Wolfenstein on my piece of junk computer that had 4 megabytes of RAM and 33 MHZ of power. What a time to be a kid!

Throughout the years, Wolfenstein has made appearances on the original Xbox, Xbox 360 and finally makes it way to the PlayStation 4!  There haven't been many big name titles released in the new year for the PS4, so it was a great feeling to wipe off the thick layer of dust from my console that has accumulated over the past several months.

Review: Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare (Xbox One)

In 2009, a tower defense game came out that had plants defending their gardens from zombies, a ridiculous premise that worked surprisingly well. The overhead or side view works well in this kind of tower defence game, so there were those who were skeptical when PopCap Games announced that they would be releasing a third-person shooter game based on the franchise. Skeptics, relax.

While this isn't anywhere in the league of a Call of Duty or something similar in size, if you just want to have some sit-down fun this game is exactly what the botanist ordered. There are various modes and while the graphics won't blow the lid off of your Xbox One, they are quite decent and clearly charming at the same time.

Review: Battlefield 4 (PC)

Diagram 1

Battlefield 4 is really difficult to peg with a numerical score because it's a constantly moving target. The game leaps up and down radically over time, which is something the series has suffered from since the start.

Upon its release, Battlefield 4's multiplayer -- the main draw for the series -- featured server instability, inexplicable crashes and lock-ups, bizarre sound issues, and very short stretches of fun. The early going sparked a rant from this writer about how anyone could possibly review Battlefield 4 (at launch) with any honesty because, although it wasn't unplayable, it was close enough that any writer should have had second thoughts about slapping a score on the game and calling it a day.

In my experience, even the single-player campaign featured a plethora of random lock-ups until a few weeks had passed since the launch. Since the single-player campaign is so inconsequential and acts as a training ground for multiplayer -- glimpses of the gadgets, the scope of the conflict, etc. -- the last time it crashed out was the last time I spent any time with it. As much as the campaign is a cool graphical showcase the story is limp with almost no charm and characters I couldn't care less about.

Review: Call of Duty: Ghosts (PS4)

When the Xbox 360 and PlayStation released back in 2005 and 2006 there was one series that was present at both launches. That series was Call of Duty: Call of Duty 2 for 360 and Call of Duty 3 for PlayStation 3.

With this generation of consoles launching seven or eight years later, the situation is no different. Call of Duty: Ghosts is available as a launch title for both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It's become an industry norm that launch titles available to a respective platform are usually mediocre at best. Ghosts is one of the better games available at launch, but at the same time, the series is starting to feel a bit stale.

Review: Killzone - Mercenary (PS Vita)

The PS Vita was really aching for a good first person shooter, and while Killzone: Mercenary certainly has its faults, it’s easily the closest to filling this role and one of the best Vita games to date.

It’s a graphical behemoth that really showcases how beautiful Vita games can be, and while some silly mechanics like touch screen melee kills may turn off some people, they’re not forced. You can easily avoid melee combat with some tight gameplay that has that familiar weightiness that Killzone is known for.

Battlefield 4 (PC): Pre-Review Thoughts

At this moment, if I were to write an official review of Battlefield 4 it would be decidedly unfavourable. 1 star on Amazon, maybe a 2 for a Metacritic User Review because right now Battlefield 4 is like driving the ultra high-end sports car of your choice, with a twist. It looks gorgeous, the lines are great, the sense of power is incredible. But imagine that the hidden "feature" of this vehicle is that the front wheels will fly off without any indication that something is about to go horribly and dramatically wrong.

Review: Call of Duty - Ghosts (PS3)

Since the series went yearly in 2005, the gaming community has come to expect a new iteration of Call of Duty each holiday season.

Each year it seems like the latest instalment in the series breaks the previous years sales records.  Regardless of sales figures, many gamers feel the series has grown tiresome and stale. In addition to that, Electronic Arts Battlefield series holds a special place in the hearts of many gamers. So, Call of Duty: Ghosts has it's work cut out for itself.

Review: Shadow Warrior (PC)

While playing Shadow Warrior, the notorious reputation of the original game weighed heavily in my mind, mostly around the portrayal of Asian culture and the fact that unless the game smacked me in the face with racism I probably wouldn't notice. Being a Canadian white guy in his mid-30's, I'm admittedly at a disadvantage when it comes to detecting subtle racism, especially in video games where hot-button issues are often washed away with my general feeling of, "It's a game. Whatever." That is, unless it stomps on my foot then stabs me in the eye with it. Metaphorically.

Hands-on Preview: Killzone Mercenary (PS Vita)

While Killzone: Mercenary has been in closed beta for a bit of time now, the game will soon allow anyone with a Vita and a PSN account to take the beta for a spin.

The Vita is no stranger to shooters; however, their quality had left something to be desired. Both Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Declasified and Resistance, two commercially successful franchises on the PlayStation 3 were both slammed by critics for being poorly made by nStigate Games.

Guerilla seeks to change that with Killzone: Mercenary.

Preview: Call of Duty Ghosts Hands-On

On August 14, 2013, Activision held a press event in Los Angeles to unveil Call of Duty: Ghosts multiplayer to the world. Activision flew me out to LA along with dozens of other journalists to see the reveal in person and get some hands on time with the Xbox One version of the game.

We were able to play a couple of the game's new multiplayer modes including Cranked and Search and Rescue.

Cranked is loosely based on the Jason Statham movie of the same name. Cranked is a new take on team deathmatch whereby your players movement and reloading speed increase as you build up a kill streak. The only catch is that once you start a streak, you have thirty seconds to kill your next opponent otherwise you explode. Cranked is very fast-paced fun and as the timer ticks down the last few seconds it successfully pumps up the adrenaline.

Quick Notes: Call of Duty Ghosts Multiplayer Details

On August 14, 2013 Activision unveiled Call of Duty Ghosts (CODM) multiplayer to the world. A summary of the press conference is below:

Call of Duty Ghosts Multiplayer Reveal Trailer
The multiplayer premiere trailer was shown with an unreleased Eminem song called "Survival" playing in the background. A short clip of Eminem came on afterwards where he talked about his new song and his collaboration with the Franchise.

Review: Planetside 2 (PC)

I'm not going to deny that I'm an unrepentant snob when it comes to FPS games.

I like them on my PC, I like them pretty, and I like them 'splodey in all the right ways.  A well made shooter is almost a thing of beauty.

In terms of pure design, I hold Unreal Tournament as the apex of what a shooter should attempt to attain.  MMOFPS games have to do double duty, since they not only have to work as an FPS but they also have to properly convey the persistent world of an MMO.  I didn't have an opportunity to try Sony's original Planetside, but to correct that oversight, I did get the chance to go through Planetside 2.  I can't really speak to its value as a sequel, but on its value as an MMOFPS, the first half seems to be fairly well executed at the expense of the second.

Review: BioShock Infinite (PC)

I'm sure there are older, more technical examples of the Multiverse Theory in literature, film and academia, but I'm more familiar with Red Dwarf and the finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation. BioShock Infinite, so steeped in the theory, comfortably slots into the Top 5 interesting takes on Multiverse but the game lacks the ability to sky surf on the back of a crocodile so it's definitely not in top spot no matter how slickly the game presents the theory.

Review: Crysis 3 (360)

The Crysis franchise has always been a sign for PC gamers that it is time for an upgrade, because if you want to play at maximum settings your current gear isn't going to be up to snuff.

Taking a game franchise notorious for pushing the limits of equipment and playing it on a console eight years old just seems like a bad marriage of ideas but Crysis 3 still looks amazing. The programmers and designers deserve credit for getting the most out of the consoles, as this easily sets the new high water mark for visual showmanship for this generation.

Review: Painkiller: Hell & Damnation (PC)

Video game nostalgia is cruel.

As we become accustomed to higher speeds, higher fidelity, and more complicated story telling, playing games that we loved in our youth can leave you with that feeling… "I can't believe that I used to play this for hours". The grand-daddy first-person shooter games definitely fall into this category.

Painkiller was a throwback game when it originally launched in 2004, nothing more than a quick explanation, a pile of guns, hordes of near-endless baddies, and enough gore and guts to set a church group on the warpath to try to get this game banned.