Canada’s BEST Video games Content

FOR RECENT RELEASES THAT MAY HAVE JUST SLIPPED THROUGH THE CRACKS, THERE’S GAMES 411. YOU’RE WELCOME.

“Midnight Club has always been about giving you freedom, whether racing, cruising or tuning your car. The game allows you to do what you want, when you want” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “This is the first Midnight Club to be appearing on the current generation of hardware and San Diego’s hard work really shines in every aspect of the game”

Developed by Rockstar San Diego, Midnight Club: Los Angeles provides a seamless, breathtaking environment for everyone who loves to compete. With no load times, no tracks, and no rules, the game allows players to race at breakneck speeds through an unbelievable recreation of Los Angeles.

“We have been working hard to make this game the fastest and most fun racer out there” said Jay Panek, Midnight Club Producer at Rockstar San Diego. “From the look and feel of the city and cars, to the exciting races, we are proud of this game and can’t wait for racing fans to get their hands on it”

A racing game is nothing without the great cars and Midnight Club: Los Angeles allows extensive customization of vehicles for both performance and appearance. Players can now fully personalize their officially licensed imports, tuners, classic muscle cars and motorcycles both inside and out with a dizzying array of licensed rims, body kits, interior upgrades, vinyls and more.

Midnight Club: LA Remix for the PSP system provides another incredible portable racing experience. Developed by Rockstar London, the game will take full advantage of the hardware to deliver the unrivaled sense of speed and style that the bestselling Midnight Club series is known for.

The racing experience in Midnight Club: Los Angeles is extended online at the Rockstar Social Club (www.rockstargames.com/socialclub) where players will be able to enter tournaments, share customized car photos, rate rides and track stats with other gamers.

Midnight Club: Los Angeles for Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 and Midnight Club LA: Remix for the PSP system are rated T for Teen.

Rogers Wireless and Nokia have just announced that the highly anticipated Nokia E71 smartphone will be coming soon to Canada. Featuring a sleek stainless steel design with a full QWERTY keyboard, the Nokia E71 will be the thinnest smartphone in Rogers’ extensive lineup of innovative mobile devices.
Designed for consumers who lead busy and complex lives, the Nokia E71 has two separate customizable home screens for both professional and personal use.  With the ability to easily switch between user profiles at the touch of a single button, Canadians can maintain a work/life balance within one device.

The Nokia E71 runs on the Symbian global leading operating software platform using Rogers’ high-speed HSPA network, Canada’s fastest mobile data network. With support for both corporate and personal e-mail, built in GPS, WiFi, a 3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus and flash, and up to 8GB of memory it is no wonder that WIRED Magazine named the Nokia E71 “Test Best Cell Phone” in their November 2008 test issue.

Stay tuned for additional information, pricing and availability.

Shaun White Snowboarding

There are just as many people who know Shaun as don’t.  But to the novices you could say he is to modern day snowboarding what tony hawk is to skateboarding.

With Ubisoft’s first attempt at a snowboarding title, they have done a pretty good job.  The landscapes are wide and open, the graphics are sharp and the game also has an extensive and eclectic music library.

One of the cool things about this game is the immediate pick up and play connectivity with controls having that right balance of difficulty to do certain tricks but even if you’re not an expert player you can still pull a lot of tricks off.  There are features such as video editor, multiplayer (you can hit the slopes with your friends), Xbox live play and if you really want you and your friends can hook up both your Xbox’s and play system link play. The Graphics are dope. This comes out in the wide shots mountains, landscapes & snow are breathtaking. Even the ways of getting up to the top of the mountain are fun. You can tale the long scenic route up the mountain via the chair lift. Where one is able to take a look around and listen to a few tunes. All while having the ability to jump off at any point. Or you can grab a chopper ride to the top.

One of the major shortcomings is that the camera controls tend to be off at times but you can look past this shortcoming and experience pretty solid game play all around.  I give this 7 out of 10.

Treyarch and Activision bring us a new Spiderman game just in time for the holiday season. However, with no new movie in sight, the story is original and not restricted to a preconceived movie script plot. Players will be treated to an original Spiderman adventure that takes place in the heart of New York City. Along the way you’ll run into allies and various other characters from the Marvel Universe as you try to stop an all out symbiote invasion from taking over the inhabitants of NYC.

The Pros
As soon as you enter the game you are thrown into a bevy of conflicts from fighting off a symbiote invasion, to getting caught in the middle of gang war, as well as a conflict within Spidey himself. One of the main aspects of the game is the ability to switch between his traditional Spidey suit and the dark Symbiote suit, each with their own specific moves list and advantages. How often you use each suit and how they sway decisions you make in the game will slightly change who will be your ally when you call for help and how the story progresses and ends.

The action is plentiful enough to keep a player interested if the story doesn’t. You have the ability to meet a number of allies throughout that can come and aide you when help is needed. As you progress through the game your move list for each suit will evolve as you unlock more attacks. Combat is also open which can happen almost anywhere in the environment. From mid-air, to the side of buildings, there is no real constraint as to where you can take the fight. As the story goes forward you’ll encounter a diverse set of enemies who utilize specific environment settings (like air and the side of buildings) to their advantage and which you must adapt to using your own skill set. The boss battles are also generally fun as you encounter familiar faces. In the battle with Wolverine, he actually tests your knowledge of the Spiderman character since he is in doubt if you are genuinely Spiderman himself.

Spiderman and Wolverine get it on...

As with all recent Spidey games’ swinging through the city is quite enjoyable in itself. Especially with a more open world to roam around, it is definitely the most pleasurable form of transportation in the game from going to point A to B.

The Cons
As you begin the game after the initial action sequence; you start the “training” with Luke Cage that, in ways, sets your expectation for the game ahead. The training with Cage is boring and repetitive. As he shows you new moves, he first makes you try it on him a multitude of times, and then he takes you to a set of gangsters to try to move on multiple times as well, he will then send you on missions to beat up a specific number of the same bad guys. This sets the course for the types of missions you must go on through out the game and as you meet new characters. It’s usually the same type of missions but just at a different point in the story and maybe with a different enemy set. You’ll meet an ally; they ask you to beat up a certain number of bad guys, then you fight a boss where you just end up doing the same moves over and over until they finally die. The missions can be broken down to handful of generic different types that differentiate from one another by the people giving you the missions and the enemy targets.

Spidey's job never ends.

The moves lists for each suit almost seemed insignificant as there was no real reason to apply specific moves in a brawl. Button mashing was the usual plan of attack and every so often you will fall upon one of those special moves that are still pretty spectacular to see (but not necessary). When facing enemies where a specific move is needed to get through them, the game almost overkills it making you do it over and over again until the initial “neat” impression is worn off.

Though it is an original story, it doesn’t seem to delve deep into any specific story line but instead tries to add as much characters and shallow storylines they can fit into the plot. This leads to an archaic plot structure that doesn’t seem to get you attached at all. It doesn’t help that the voice character for Spidey plays the role almost obnoxiously too well.

Here’s the Deal

If you are a fan of Spiderman, the game serves as a good enough fan service for those people with an original story, and plenty of Marvel cameos. If you strip away all the Spidey moves, and characters, the game just becomes a generic brawler. The game is still entertaining in its own way but I suggest you pick this game up (if you really want) after you get through the litany of better games released this season. 6/10
Sean C.

Definitely worth gettin' up early on a Saturday for the sneak peek Beta!

Folks,  Wednesday November 19, 2008 is nearly upon us! The New Xbox Experience will transform existing Xbox 360 video game consoles through a free automatic software download. The new software will completely change what consumers see on the TV when they turn on their Xbox, how they interact with all their gaming and entertainment content, as well as adding new features and new ways to socialize online. The New Xbox Experience will connect Canadians to their friends and to more games and entertainment online than any other device connected to their TV.

CUE the Excitement!

Universal’s classic monster returns with a new big budget film staring Acadamy Award winners Anthony Hopkins and Benicio Del Toro. The film tells the tale of Lawrence Talbot, a haunted nobleman, lured back to his family estate after his brother vanishes. Reunited with his estranged father, Talbot sets out to find his brother… and discovers a horrifying destiny for himself.

Expertly crafted and cast of metal by Mezco’s design team, this life size, double sided, prop replica of the infamous medallion worn by Lawrence Talbot captures every detail of the original as seen in the film. A metal chain is included. Get yours before you venture onto the moors at night!

 www.mezcotoyz.com

Midway's MK vs DC care package arrives at Console Creatures HQ.

In my best Monster Truck announcer voice… “THIS SUNDAY Sunday  SUNDAY!!!”

Just a friendly reminder of this weekend’s long awaited release of Midway’s MORTAL KOMBAT VS. D.C. UNIVERSE. YES folks, it’s one of those rare Sunday release dates, so plan your full slate of pigskin action accordingly. Here’s hoping for a long night of online MK vs DC after a sweet Cowboys victory.

FIGHT!

EA SPORTS announced today that all 14 international commentary packs in FIFA Soccer 09 will be available to download free on both the PlayStation Network for PLAYSTATION 3 and on Xbox Live for Xbox 360. For the first time, fans worldwide can now download and experience all language commentary packs featuring different commentators from all over the world while playing FIFA Soccer 09.

 FIFA Soccer 09 currently features specific languages by region but beginning today gamers can download and experience play-by-play commentary from other regions of the world.  This will deliver a new international experience to FIFA Soccer 09 fans.

Additionally, FIFA Soccer 09 offers a whole new commentary pack for download on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Marketplace. An additional English commentary pack featuring Andy Townsend and Clive Tyldesley previously unavailable on any version of FIFA Soccer 09 is available for download for only $4.99 US.

Building on the Call of Duty 4®: Modern Warfare engine, Call of Duty: World at War thrusts players into the ruthless and gritty chaos of combat like never before, and challenges them to band together to survive the most harrowing and climactic battles of WWII that led to the demise of the Axis powers on the European and South Pacific fronts.  The title re-defines WWII games by offering an uncensored experience with unique enemies and combat variety, including Kamikaze fighters, ambush attacks, Banzai charges and cunning cover tactics, as well as explosive on-screen action through all new cooperative gameplay.

KEY FEATURES:

• Call of Duty 4 Technology - Built using the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare engine, Call of Duty: World at War utilizes a bedrock of technology that delivers jaw-dropping visuals, while empowering players to employ elements like fire to affect the dynamics of the battlefield. Players that attempt to harness the power of new weapons, like the flamethrower, will find themselves capable of burning away environmental elements that give cover to a camouflaged enemy, leaving a charred battlefield - and their foes - in their wake.
• Coordinated Assault and Support - For the first time in the franchise, Call of Duty: World at War introduces co-op, bringing fresh meaning to the “No One Fights Alone” mantra. Call of Duty: World at War co-op features up to four-players online, or two-player local split-screen, allowing gamers to experience harrowing single-player missions together for greater camaraderie and tactical execution. The title also incorporates traditional multiplayer components such as challenges, rankings and online stats into the co-op campaign for deeper re-playability and advanced gameplay.
• New Theaters of Operation - Players fight as U.S. Marines and Russian soldiers facing enemies - some new to the Call of Duty franchise - that employ lethal new tactics and know no fear, no mercy, nor the rules of war. Epic conflicts are fought on multiple fronts, playing through the climactic battles of WWII in the grittiest, most chaotic and cinematically intense experience to date.
• Innovative Multiplayer - Multiplayer builds from the success of Call of Duty delivering a persistent online experience for more squad based interaction. New development with party systems allows an intimacy with squad based combat never before seen in Call of Duty. Combined infantry and vehicle missions add a new dimension to the online warfare and offers more PERK abilities.
• Cinematic Quality Graphics and Sound - Treyarch’s award-winning sound department returns with effects that add to the already immersive cinematic intensity of the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare game engine.

  Suggested Retail Price:

• § $79.99 (Xbox 360 - Limited Collector’s Edition)
• § $59.99 (Xbox 360, PS3)
• § $69.99 (PC Limited Collector’s Edition)
• § $49.99 (PC)
• § $49.99 (Wii), $29.99 (NDS)

Nintendo and Futureshop have been announcing their winners for the Nation wide NHL2K9 Wii hockey tournaments and we thought we’d show some love to our Toronto winner, DAN from Ontario. He’s one step closer to skating off with the Grand Prize of a trip to the 2009 All-Star Game in Montreal. The winner will be announced on December 1, 2008.

Hey Canada, to celebrate today’s HellBOY II  and the upcoming Slap Shot 3 DVD release, we’ve got a few copies to giveway. One lucky person will get the special SLAP SHOT 3 Hat Trick Collection DVD boxset.

HOW? You ask?

Simple. Just email us at contest@consolecreatures.com with DVD giveaway in the subject bar, along with your name and mailing address.

CONTEST DETAILS:

- Contest is open to all Canadian residents(unless otherwise specified ) age 14 years old or older.

- The winner will be randomly selected from all entrants.

- Console Creatures respects the privacy of its subscribers and will not provide your information to any non-referring 3rd parties or other entities.

- The winner will be notified via email and has 24 hours to respond.

- If the winner doesn’t respond within 24 hours, we will select another one.

- Entrants are automatically added (if not already) as a subscriber to the Console Creatures Newsletter.

- Contest winners names MAY be use in promotional purposes, including an announcement on the blog and newsletter.

We're getting to Play our Banjo-Kazooie....and eat it too!

Break out your magic wrench and start sketching those blueprints. More than 10 years after the launch of “Banjo-Kazooie,” Microsoft Game Studios and Rare Ltd. are proud to renew the beloved franchise with “Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts.” Landing at Canadian retailers today, this Xbox 360 exclusive is rated “E 10+” (for Everyone 10 and older) and retails for $39.99. Starring a honey bear, Banjo, and his wise-cracking breegull companion, Kazooie, “Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts” encourages players to use their imaginations as they embark on an adventure to claim ownership of Spiral Mountain.

In their third adventure, Banjo and Kazooie face off against their evil witch rival Gruntilda, with nothing less than the deed to Spiral Mountain on the line. The mysterious Lord of Games (or L.O.G.), creator of all video games, has decided to step in to settle the feud between them once and for all. The winner of L.O.G’s challenges will be deemed the sole possessor of Spiral Mountain and it’s up to players to ensure Banjo and Kazooie’s success.

Players navigate six different worlds created by L.O.G., each with their own unique set of challenges. Players create their own abilities by building vehicles for Banjo to pilot over land, sea and air. Although L.O.G’s challenges have one end goal, each player can develop their own unique solution by either building a vehicle from a myriad of parts they’ve collected, or by expanding on a pre-made vehicle.

For those who enjoy a little competition, “Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts” comes equipped with a gripping multiplayer mode for the first time in the franchises’ history. Using Xbox LIVE, up to eight players can engage in various multiplayer competitions including Sumo, Soccer and Queen of the Knoll, where they can test out and show off their creations and driving skills. Players can also share their designs with the world by uploading their blueprints to the Banjo-Kazooie community Web site.  

As a special treat, on November 23, players will get the opportunity to go head-to-head against the developers of “Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts” at Rare. A dozen artists and designers will join in the multiplayer competitions from 3-5 p.m. EST on Xbox LIVE, including Gregg Mayles, Rare’s head of design, and Salvatore Fileccia, Rare’s lead software engineer. All members of the “Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts” development team will be distinguishable by their unique Banjo characters, which will be sporting a stylish pair of sunglasses, and those who get the chance to battle against Rare team members will unlock a special Achievement.  Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts -OUT TODAY.

LOS ANGELES - Nov. 11, 2008

Nyko Technologies, the premier game console peripherals manufacturer, today announced its new Wing wireless controller for the popular Nintendo Wii game console has shipped to stores. Debuting as the market’s premier wireless classic controller designed exclusively for the Wii, the Wing is the controller of choice for fans of Virtual Console games.

Engineered for comfort, utility, and style, the Wing improves on previous controllers for the Wii with smooth contours that are ergonomically designed for a comfortable fit and a better grip. The Wing’s buttons are durable, responsive, and sport a unique aesthetic color scheme. Play freely through your Virtual Console games with up to 10 feet of wireless connectivity via a small dongle fitted to the bottom of the Wii Remote. The two included AAA batteries provide up 30 hours of battery life, or gamers can opt to use their own rechargeable batteries which can be conveniently charged through the Wing’s Mini USB port using any standard Mini USB cable (not included).

“The Wing is a great example of what we at Nyko aim to do: improve the gamer’s experience with a quality made product”, said Chris Arbogast, Director of Marketing at Nyko Technologies. “There have been very few options for classic gaming control designed specifically for the Wii until now, and the Wing provides a comfortable and affordable wireless alternative that fans of Virtual Console games will enjoy using.”

Nyko’s wireless Wing classic controller is available now for the suggested retail price of $29.99. Please visit www.nyko.com for more information.