It’s that time of year again, the start of the new hockey season and the launch of the newest version of the EA NHL Franchise. NHL 11 is the best one yet, and we can say this honestly as we had a chance to play it. To celebrate the debut, the good people at EA had a NHL 11 Tournament with top rookie prospects, including Taylor Hall, Tyler Sequin and Nazem Kadri.

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Like blood? No… I mean, do you REALLY like blood?

If you answered yes, and also have a fancy for dragons, fantasy, compelling story, in depth character evolution, complete voice acting, and a really really long story that I believe Bioware’s Edmonton office has created the perfect game for you.

Dragon Age: Origins developed by Bioware (the same fine folks who brought us Mass Effect) have taken the next evolutionary step in interactive story telling in both intensity, depth, and fantasy. Moving back to their Baulder’s Gate style roots and away from the sci-fi they recently gained fame for, Dragon Age: Origins has you starting out in one of six origin stories (as a noble human, peasant human, wood elf, city elf, noble dwarf, or casteless dwarf) but have you essentially fighting to save all races and creeds against the Archdemon and the Blight. However the story begins, it provides insight and a background to where you came from, how you became a Grey Warden (a group of soldiers whom can sense evil and are tasked with defeating the Blight) and sends you off on your merry adventure where you meet dozens of characters who with a little finesse can become invaluable allies in your battle (letting you control up to four characters at one time) or… with a little fast clicking can have you killing them on the spot (trust me, I’ve killed at least two potential allies so far).

He's right behind me... Isn't he?

The game is all about choices, much like other Bioware favourites, but for this one, they go deep in morality it goes beyond just deciding if you want to be greedy, evil, good, or psychotic. For example, a simple choice in the game is whether you want to call down a massively strong dragon to fight against you or just sneak by… easy enough. How about choosing a side between two equally capable and equally evil dwarfs to take the throne as dwarf king? How do you know you’re making the right choice, how will the story evolve if you make one decision over another? So far the hardest choice I made in Origins beyond deciding how to level up my characters was to kill a young innocent boy harbouring a demon inside him, or find a way to exorcise the demon and save the boy… unfortunately for the boy, I have been on a tight deadline to write this review… so he died. Speaking of tight deadlines, since getting my grubby little paws on this title I’ve pretty much done nothing but play, and with well over 24 hours under my belt, I still feel like I’m barely scratching the surface of this massive game, which touts over 80 hours of gameplay.

Aside from decision making, gameplay within Origins can be utilized in two different ways. Players have the option of setting a basic set of guidelines their AI companions can follow much like the Gambit system in Final Fantasy 12. As your characters get stronger, more rules can be set for them (such as if an ally has 50% less health, use health potion on them), while the player controls the main character from an over the shoulder view in a more action type manner. Alternatively, players can change the view to a top down approach (like Baulder’s Gate), pause the game at any time and assign actions to all characters, unpause and watch the mayhem. Combinations of spells as well as elements also provide a deeper sense of customization (throw grease on a bad guy, then cast a fire spell and see what happens).

Graphically, Dragon Age: Origins uses a new engine called Eclipse, and while I’m not sure exactly what it does better than other engines, I do know this… it makes Origins pretty. With plenty of characters on the screen at once, all doing god knows what in the form of attacks, spells, and other abilities, I was amazed that the detail and effects that would be shown on screen without a lick of slowdown. As well, I was intrigued by the blood system. There is A LOT of blood in this game, and often after a battle, that blood will be left on you and your party until either your wardog cleans it up, or after a good rest. The character and location designs are all extremely unique from the DarkSpawn, to demons, to the dragons themselves; they’re all just as varied and detailed as the forests, cities, and caverns you visit along the way. The only instance where I felt a little cheated was in the Dwarven city that looked a heck of a lot like the Dwarven city in World of Warcraft.

I think my favourite thing about Dragon Age: Origins has to be the voice acting. With tons of dialogue between characters, and multiple decisions about what to respond with I was amazed with the amount of voice acting to be found in this game. Aside from your main character (most of the time) every peice of dialogue in the game is voice acted. Consider for a moment how long this game is, over 80 hours long, and with very busy cities and many people to talk to, the amount of voice acting is at such a high number that I cannot even wager a guess to how much hours of speech are included in the game. Music, slicing, and grunts are all included and play well within the game, however I find that the musical change right before battle takes away from the surprise element of it.

Equal rights.

In terms of lasting appeal, while Origins has no multiplayer, the game itself is ridiculously long, and addictive! In a time where I have Borderlands, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, Assassin’s Creed 2, and Left 4 Dead 2 sitting on my shelf; I find myself playing this title more than all four of those combined. That being said even if you do complete the story and all side quests, Bioware has guaranteed over 2 years of post launch content. They even tout that they will be providing more post-launch content than all other Bioware titles combined.

So overall, do I think Dragon Age: Origins is worth it? You bet I do! Especially now with gaming sales coming every which way, chances are you may be able to find this title for $40 in the very near future.

Gameplay:      4.5/5

Graphics:        4.5/5

Sound:             5.0/5

Replay:            4.0/5

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The collectors set

The most anticipated scifi game will finally be released January 26 2010 in North America. As is the standard these days, a collectors edition has already been announced.
The Mass Effect 2 Collectors’ Edition comes in a tin case, a beautiful 48 page hardcover “Art of Mass Effect 2″ book, Mass Effect Redemption comic book, and a bonus DVD with the making of videos.
Adding to the mix are going to be exclusive armor and weapons that cannot be purchased anywhere else.
This remarkable set will retail for $69.99 on the Xbox 360 and $59.99 for the PC.
If you ask me this is one sweet deal.

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That’s right andPOP gaming fans. Courtesy of EA and Maxis, we want to give one of our loyal readers the chance to win a copy of Spore Hero for the Nintendo Wii Console.

Create a creature with over 250 parts, and become a hero! Fight to save a planet and use your Wii remote to unleash awesome attacks.

Just fill out the form below and we will contact the winning contestant. Contest ends Dec. 2nd 2009.

This contest has ended.

Check out www.sporehero.com for more information.

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Bioware’s Dragon Age: Origins will give Thirty Seconds To Mars fans a sneak preview of the title song to their upcoming album ‘This Is War’.

The new album (which drops December 8th, 2009) also entitled, ‘This Is War’ will be the flagship song on the Dragon Age: Origins sound track.

After the break fans of both Origins and Thirty Seconds to mars can check out the trailer showcasing ‘This is War’ co-produced by leading front-man Jared Leto.

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Yes, that’s right folk. The wait to know when you can re-join Commander Shepard and his crew has finally been announced, and that date? January 26th in North America and January 29th in Europe.

But wait, that’s not all, with this announcement comes bonus goodies to those that pre-order the title. If pre-ordered in North America at GameStop you get a special code to download the Terminus Armor which is designed for use in extreme planetary conditions, increasing run speed and personal shields as well as augmenting weapons with an additional magazine of ammo. As well, those people who act early get the M-90 Blackstorm Heavy Weapon which generates a high-powered localized gravity well, accelerating particles to near-infinite mass.

Those who pre-order at other retailers in North America will get the Inferno Armor, which is used by officers to monitor the battlefield conditions by recognizing elevated heart rates, and regulates sub-systems with extreme efficiency to allow for greater response times. These bonuses will translate into greater negotiation skills for Shepard and increase run speed and augmented damage from combat powers.

“Our fans are in for a genuine thrill in the New Year with Mass Effect 2 – the
second installment in the trilogy will be of amazingly high quality,” said Dr. Ray
Muzyka, co-founder, BioWare and Group General Manager of the RPG/MMO Group of EA.
“BioWare’s fans worldwide have been eagerly awaiting this epic sequel, and we
couldn’t be more excited to reward them for pre-ordering by delivering some awesome
bonus content!”

Drop with Commander Shepard this January!

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Yes, comics and video games are not strange bedfellows, but EA is taking the next step and releasing (through IDW Publishing) comics revolving around their popular Army of Two franchise, as well as the Bioware RPG inspired Dragon Age. These comics will be available for purchase as hard copy, as well as digital versions for the iPhone, iPod Touch and “other emerging digital platforms”.

Interesting, to be sure. But what is perhaps the coolest thing about this announcement is that Orson Scott Card, author of the eternally awesome Ender’s Game will be involved with the Dragon Age comic. Booyah!

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There are two things I have never done. 1) I have never gotten so into a sporting event that I yelled for (or at) a team or player. 2) I have never gotten so into a video game that I jumped up, yelled at the screen, and swore. NHL 10 for the Xbox 360 made me do both, and I have to admit, I liked it.

I’ve never been an emotional gamer, and I’ve never been that much into sports (then again, as a Canadian, I feel there’s a default certain level of national pride we all share with hockey), but when playing as the Toronto Maple leafs and winning 2-1 on game seven against Ottawa for the Stanley Cup and with less than 1 minute left in the third period you can’t help but get a little into it when Ottawa scores the tying goal with seconds left on the clock. Yes, I jumped up, yes my voice got loud and shrill, and yes I did say some things that would make a sailor blush. I think this was the most rewarding aspect of NHL 10, that after 17 past NHL titles, EA still has what it takes to make a casual hockey fan into a raving sports fanatic, and I didn’t see it coming.

Basically what’s new from last year to this beyond some new features such as playing the boards, first person fighting, and last ditch attempts at shots is the focus of the game, which now has a much stronger scope on the intensity and fierceness of playoffs and winning the Stanley cup.

For those new to video games, NHL 10 is a hockey simulator (more so than a game as each year passes) in which you are presented with a myriad of gaming options beyond just playing a game of hockey (oh Blades of Steel, how I miss you). How many game modes you ask? well there’s: Battle for the Cup Now Mode in which you are sent straight to the finals of the playoffs, Playoff Mode where you can take part in any type of post-season play from any of the leagues available (NHL, OHL and more), Season Mode in which you choose a league type customize your season preferences and decide if you want to take part in a fantasy draft with all new full roster control mode. We are also given one of my favourite features, Be A Pro Mode in which you create your own character and control only that player as he is drafted, trained and even sent back to the minors based on your personal performance. I found this mode to be extremely interesting as it seemed to be the most realistic, heck, if you get a penalty you have to sit in the box and watch from the side as you feel shame (Slapshots reference anyone?). Performance Tracker Mode shows off your hockey cards (bonuses and achievements… kind of), stats, and milestones related to your profile career. Tournament mode allows for 8 or 16 teams in a world tournament to see what country is the best, and apparently the Montreal Canadiens Centennial team is the one to beat. Create a Play mode allows you too… well, create a play, Practice mode gives you a minimal tutorial (sure it shows you how to play, but no matter how much I practice, I still suck at the game). Online play mode allows for multiple online variations of the game including league play, My NHL 10 mode allows you to create your own custom player, manage rosters, deal with media via the media hub, and more. My Pro mode allows you to go into the hockey shop and buy new equipment, track your performance, and edit attributes. Finally my favourite mode in the game, Be a GM Mode.

Rock'em Sock'em Hockey!

Now, as you can see, there are ALOT of ways to play NHL 10, and as my favourite is the new Be a GM Mode I guess you can decipher that I’m just not that good at the actual hockey playing. I can hold my own (in rookie mode), but for the life of me I rarely ever score goals. In comparison to other sports GM modes however, I found NHL 10′s to be lacking, aside from making trades with your Blackberries (the higher your rank, the more Blackberries you get to use) and drafting there really isn’t much more else involved, you can increase your employee stats but from what I found in the 5 years of being a GM, it doesn’t really make a difference. The good news though, is that if I become the GM of the Maple Leafs, they will win the Stanley Cup in 2014!

We’re not here to read all about the different modes and what I thought of them though, we’re here for hockey! so lets talk about how it actually plays out. The default controls are intuitive, left stick controls your skates, right controls your stick for easy deking and aiming shots. If it gets a little complicated there are many other control schemes to choose from, my alternative favourite being NHL ’94 mode with the only buttons being B to shoot (or check) and A to pass (or switch players), simple. Now otherwise the only other control schemes I think worth talking about in this review would be the wall play and fighting. Wall play if you have the puck and are near the wall push Y and you brace yourself against the wall so that you may kick the puck to a teammate. Alternatively if you are near someone doing just that, you can force a player onto the walls and steal the puck from them. Now fighting is by far my favourite part of actually playing the hockey game, first person fighting, after the whistle action, instigation, it’s all improved in such a way that you can fight almost whenever you want. When fighting you’re brought into first person mode: left stick moves your body, right stick aims your fists of fury; as well you can tug on your opponent’s jersey, perform upper cuts and if you want to chicken out, you can pull both shoulder buttons and turtle.

Graphically NHL 10 is superior to NHL ’09, but then again, isn’t that always the case? Smooth animations, motion captured skaters, reflections and now especially crowd interactions (banging on the windows, swinging team colours around during playoffs and whatnot). This is EA Sports, the annual NHL title, it’s got to be the best of the best, the most polished out there and as such it has a lot to live up to. I’m here to tell you that it does live up to it’s expectations, amazing realistic graphics and not a single glitch to be found.

Dragon Force just screams hockey anthem, doesn't it?

Music is another story. While NHL 10 has a number of big songs from the likes of Green Day, CKY, and Dragon Force; and they’re all great songs, I found they didn’t really mesh with the game. Especially when playing in non-hockey modes like Be a GM the heavy strong songs just keep playing over and over and while I enjoy the tunes, songs that pump you up for a game, kind of confuse you when negotiating a trade. Grunts and whistles are standard fair but what I feel most players are interested in would be the voice commentary? Is it annoying? Does it repeat often? Luckily the answer to both is no. As Gary Thorne and Bill Clement come back from NHL ’09, NHL 10 has similar banter from great voices in hockey and there are enough specific commentary calls to keep players interested in what they have to say time and time again.

Overall if your a fan of hockey games, you probably already own NHL 10, however, if you’re like me and haven’t really gotten into a hockey title since NHL ’99, this year is as good as any to dive back in due to the many options in terms of difficulty and control. However, I have to warn you, there is quite a steep learning curve for those new to the title, trust me, I’ve been playing for a while now and I still suck (yes, I guess it could be that I just overall suck but… let’s not go there). With a plethora of options, game modes, and online play (I was just invited to an online team for online league play) this title will keep you busy for a long long time… or at least until NHL 11 comes out. Hopefully then the GM mode will expand to something more in depth, more in line with other GM modes like Madden and other GM specific titles.

Gameplay: 5/5

Graphics: 5/5

Sound: 4/5

Replay Value: 5/5

P.S. I’ve never given a game Editor’s Choice before, congrats EA Sports!

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Well it came out of nowhere but alas there is a new iteration to EA’s Skate franchise and it’s coming sometime in May of next year.

Now I know what your thinking, will Skate 3 utilize a similar peripheral like Tony Hawks Ride?? I honestly doubt it. However what does intrigue me is this focus on TEAM BASED Skateboarding. Basically in this new title youre focus has shifted to team based gameplay and a co-op skating experience unlike any. other
Exciting bits include creating a team comprised of your online buddies and big group competitions.
And with early pre-orders you get your chance to secure a special skatepark – the Black Box distribution Skatepark.

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Where do Toronto Film Fest buffs, WWE RAW fanatics, free concert goers, and Maple Leaf hopefuls converge at 11:59PM on a Monday? Why Future Shop at Yonge and Dundas in down town Toronto for the midnight release of EA Sports’ NHL 10, hosted by Xbox Canada of course!

AndPOP was in tow to witness the launch of what may very well be this year’s best hockey title. In a town that loves their hockey hundreds lined up early, a pick-up street hockey game was going on across the street, and anticipation was high for the clock to strike midnight.

Fans lining up outside Future Shop. Sorry about the poor picture quality.

At the event which took place both in Toronto as well as Vancouver  Hockey stars were present to offer photo ops and autographs to fans waiting (Trevor Linden in Vancouver and Wendel Clark & Ian White in Toronto). As well, the Xbox Canada crew gave out t-shirts, lanyards, and one lucky hockey fan even walked away with an Xbox 360 Elite unit! Game stations were available for all to try out the newest NHL title and in my little time spent watching this station, I saw hockey fans, TIFF fans, concert goers, and Wrestling fans go at it complete with smack talk on the side of Yonge street.

NHL 10 producer, Sean Ramjagsingh was available for questions, and to ensure everyone would love the thrill of hockey of course.

While there, I got a chance to speak with the producer of NHL 10 Sean Ramjagsingh who filled me in on a couple of the new features in this year’s title. “This year we really tried to capture the emotion and intensity of NHL hockey, the importance of solid tough guys and really make them important, just like in real life. ” (Yes, I took that as the fighting and hitting are getting major boosts this year around) Sean also discussed the new features such as first person fighting (what I am most excited for), post whistle play, interactive and intense crowds, and the new board play feature, “you can pin guys against the board defensively or offensively, dump the puck in and be really strong against the boards, team mates will come in and support you. really changing the gameplay” says Sean, as well, with over 150 goalie animations, the revamping of the goalie specifically will really give gamers new intensity levels to deal with, especially playing online in leagues and tournaments.

Adam, the first purchaser of NHL 10 in Toronto. While you read this and wait for stores to open on the 15th, he will already be dekeing, fighting, and scoring hat tricks.

As the line proceeded into Future Shop at midnight, eager fans (as well as some passer byers) faces lit up as they stood on the escalator to be met at the top with employees welcoming and handing fans copies of the title. I was able to speak and get a photo with Adam, the first purchaser of NHL 10 to walk out of Future Shop with the game in hand and while I didn’t want to keep him from playing the game he eagerly waited for, I couldn’t help but feel the same sense of urgency to rush home and pop this bad boy into my Xbox 360. After seeing people play the game, and speaking with Mr. Ramjagsingh, I rushed home, but like any responsible reporter, work first play second. Once this writeup is over, I’m heading straight to the Xbox for some NHL 10 goodness. Well, would you look at that? writeup is over! HOCKEY TIME! (stay tuned for a full review in the near future).

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Are you excited for EA Sports NHL 10? If you’re Canadian, probably.  The #1 selling console game in Canada has it’s launch parties in Toronto and Vancouver Monday, September 14.  The Toronto party will be at the Yonge and Dundas Future Shop with Wendel Clark and Ian White (of Maple Leafs fame) from 9pm to 11:45pm, and in Vancouver’s Granville and Robson Future Shop with Trevor Linden of the Canucks.  The Future Shop locations will be open until 1am, so check it out if you’re not too busy… and on a Monday night, what’s your excuse?

Cheers!

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Just hang on till Jan 2010 boys...

EA Montreal’s Army of Two: 40th Day has been confirmed to ship come January 12 2010 in North America and January 8 in Europe. As part of a special Bonus those who pre-order the game, you will receive a special multiplayer mode known as Extraction. This mode pits up to four players against wave after wave of enemies. A very popular choice to include such a mode if you ask me. With 40th day join your favourite mercs Rios and Salem as they do what they do best in Shanghai, dealing with tons of chaos.

If you haven’t pre-ordered the game then unfortunately this mode will remain locked until 1 month after the games release where it will be open for everyone. Time sensitive exclusive content is not certainly new these days but pre-order time sensitive content certainly is.

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Looks like CAPTAIN Shepard is searching for new recruits, and if this video is any indication, he’s going to have quite the gang of space ass-kickers!

It seems from the video below that Mass Effect 2 brings into effect personalities of those involved in the battle beyond just the skills and techniques of those in Mass Effect 1. Case in point is the introduction of Grunt, a blood-hungry Krogan. He is violent, he is unpredictable and he has never been truely defeated in battle. He’s dangerous, and he’s on your side.

Enjoy the video after the break as more are expected in the future before Mass Effect 2‘s release.

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Get the version that includes the motion plus!

A Glorious Swing!

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

You know a little more than a decade ago I remember golf breaking into the gaming scene.  Back then Tiger Woods was fast on his way to becoming a worldwide recognizable sports icon, which meant we were going to get a new game  franchise thrown our way. Besides the Hotshotz series of games, we had nothing really serious and cool on the consoles… well Mario Golf was definitely one of the better titles out there on the N64.

My first Tiger Woods PGA Tour experience was with the 2004 edition. I was amazed at how gorgeous this game looked running on a ps2, it played like a deeper, realistic version of the famed Hotshotz golf games. Suddenly we had an alternative to the arcade-like golf games on our consoles.

Over the years I found that with each new offering things seemed to improve just barely  so  it wasn’t worth picking up essentially the same game year after year. I stopped playing the Tiger Woods PGA Tour games simply because of two reasons; a golf game could only offer so much back then (being a rather slower paced sport than most) and secondly, the series was becoming tiresome and most of the newer itirations pretty much offered the exact same experience.  The 2004 edition was good enough for me to hold on to.

I  kept tabs on the series thanks to some die hard golf friends of mine, but in terms of actually returning to the world of Tiger Woods PGA Tour. I wasn’t even sure if that would be a possibility. I’m going to tell you right up front, I never dreamed of actually loving a golf game. My friends, I love this golf game. This is one of the most rewarding sports title out there and the finest golf game thus far. The reason? Motion Plus.

Imagine everything  great about the series and then add a control scheme that creates such an immersive experience that you end up dragging 6 of your buddies who hate golf and golf games to try it out. That’s exactly what I did and we collectively as a group could not believe how much fun could be had with this new iteration on the Wii.

Game play

Firstly you’ll notice that the game boasts half a dozen new locations and two new golfers for the fans, a decent selection of golfers can be unlocked through the single player season mode and challenge mode. Courses are earned in similar fashion, however a lot of them are available from the get go. Noteworthy editions on the disc such as  the Banff Springs course ( A ps3 and 36- DLC)  is already included on the Wii version of the game.

Single player offerings have tons of modes from which you can play, of which the primary one being PGA Season mode, which has you creating a custom character of your choice to take to the greens.  Sadly the options in create-a-character felt like a step backward from previous iterations. Gone are the days where you could create goofy misshaped abominations.  This time around the parameters have been tweaked as to give you a more humanesque character; its deep enough but no where near as complex as it had once been. Now once you’ve created your character you have some personalized style swings to choose from and plenty of golf related attributes to keep track of. You can then level up these attributes and increase areas such as luck, drive distance, spin and more.  I must say over the course of the entire PGA tour (some 50 events) you will grow a lot and end up spending most of your hard earned points tailoring your character.

Now the other main single player option is the FedEx cup, a four event finals session designed for those who don’t want to play the entire PGA Tour. I am very pleased that they included this option since some players won’t have the patience to go for the entire season. Most sports games should include such an alternative.

Great moments in Tiger history.

Lastly you can take on the Challenge mode. This mode is extremely cool and has you play through certain famous moments in the sports history to either recreate that moment or rewrite PGA history; with three difficulties to choose from, you will be playing this one over and over.  I loved challenge mode since it takes a simple game of golf and adds creative objectives. It made things more interesting and further opened up the real stars of the PGA and some of its most memorable moments. You are treated to a short video of Tiger himself explaining any back story for his own challenges; a beautiful touch that I wish incorporated all of the other famous golfers into the mix.

If you want to play right away either by yourself or with friends the Play now option lets you dive into any standard game of golf with any number of players, chose the front or back 9 or the full 18 holes.

Now from the main menu the Game Modes options lets you pick up different options and categories of golf games for 1 to 4 players.  It divides these categories into Traditional, Arcade, and mini-games.
Traditional houses a total of 9 serious golf modes, everything from skins(player with the lowest score takes the money for that hole), to bloodsome, greensome, match play(each hole is its own contest), stableford (entire structure is based on points earned during each hole) and more.

Arcade mode houses its own brand of fun with 6 available games modes that include elimination, battle golf (surprising twist with each holes winner taking any one of the losers clubs!), one ball (where in you all play with one ball and the one to sink it wins the round!), team one ball, disc golf and rings (precision shots through various rings to earn points). Fun for the hardcore and casuals alike.

The last mode is the Minigames, which includes mini-golf, T I G E R (a variation of horse with a shot for shot competition), targets (hit the targets), capture the flag (zone style capture play) and target to target. Strickly designed for the casual although its not limited to.

If thats not enough then the Online mode will let you take your skills around the world via EA LIVE and from there you have ranked/un-ranked games, daily, weekly, and monthly tournaments to play through, casual and advanced lobbies, to create the most advanced online infrastructure ever imagined on the Nintendo Wii.

See the genius is the EA Live account which logs you into their servers, from there you are free to look for games and actually send chat messages to people you just played or people on your  Wii address book.  With the click of the 2 button you can navigate this organizer service and then decide to go forth and enjoy all the online game play you can handle. There is a drawback however, while playing online you can’t see your opponent and are only treated with shot tracking and other statistical information such as strokes and running score.  This is what they call “simultaneous play” and it sort of  makes sense,  yet  I just really wanted to see my opponent online and his avatar interacting.  It’s strange when playing some random person online and only being able to see their shot trails but that is the nature of the game online.

By no means is the online play boring, in fact its interesting and fairly competitive. For your consideration a shot timer is always ticking ensuring that you aren’t left waiting on someone to finish a hole.  The online component is designed to make the most of the Wii and it definitely does not disappoint.  A minor problem I found was that the lobbies have connection problems, online games however ran smoothly (with good reason) and disconnection during game was very rare.  Rounding the list  Leader board features further ensures this will be a well visited component.

you'll love disc golf.

But if you want to play offline and want to just play the minigames only then a party minigames option is there to satisfy you cravings. It was a bit redundant at first to see minigames in the other game select options and have it as a standalone in the main menu but on closer inspection youll realise these minigames are for multiple wii motes and are structured as a party mode. This mode includes gems like golf cart collector and a game that has you juggling a golf ball with your club. Truly some of the most fun games exist on this mode that will have you battling your buddies for hours.

Control

The Wii Motion plus assisted controls are the real star of this game and the reason to own Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10. Honestly if you don’t have the motion plus GO OUT AND GET ONE! There is little to no doubt in calling the Wii version the better golf game of its console brethren simply because of the accuracy of the motion plus unit. All you need to play this game is the Wiimote and Wii motion plus attachment.

The real core game play deals with you picking one of three types of control styles. All Play, Standard and Advanced. All Play disables any hook or slice you can do (whilst twisting your wrist), shows you the balls flight path and eliminates any of the advanced functionality of the Wii motion plus. If you have never ever ever ever swung a golf club or have no control over your own hands then this mode is for you. It trades the games challenge and innovation for accesibility. Standard is the mode most people will be playing under. With no flight trajectory visual aid your left with an estimate marker of where the ball might land. You have control on fade and draw (slice and hook) just by twisting your wrists. When you’ve struck the ball you can add spin whilst in the air via the D-pad and shaking the Wiimote to achieve the desired curve on landing. Advanced mode removes the later two options and takes out any manual preset spin control and draw/fade tweaking. Absolute control is given to your swing and how you position your wrists when hitting the ball and how you follow through with your swing. It’s note worthy that each of these styles showcases 1:1 motion for the backswing and front follow through making this a very rewarding game to control.

Once on the tee you can use the A button to check your projected landing spot and move it left and right to adjust your aim. When using any club you can view how much percentage of a swing (judged by power and follow through) you require in order to make it to the selected area. Most of the time when you peak at 100% and try to push it farther the game will automatically pick the best club that will give you even more distance, keep going lower and the game will pick a suitable club that will be optimized for the shorter distance.  In the end you’re seeing how much power you need to exert to reach your desired marking. To take a swing simply hold the Wiimote facing down and press and hold the B trigger and swing, however if you want a practice shot then hold both A and B and you can see the hypothetical trajectory of your actual swing.

If you do not have the motion plus the game takes into account just the Wiimote accelerometer and how fast you swing, you can still try and curve the ball but these options are handled via games hud and result in what I think is a very scripted game – similar to the first Wii Sports golf offering.  I can tell you the game works well without it, but lacks the total control one gets with the accessory. New to this  series is an over haul of last years putting, aptly titled  precision putting. This option takes your back swing into account and applies your forward swings speed and power.  It’s harder and in my opinion more accurate. Lastly putt preview is available with the press of the minus button.

At this point you must be overwhelmed with the sheer depth and variety of the controls, fret not and know that once you begin the game simple tutorial messages will help you pick the best style of controls and then in detail explain them to you via Hank Haney, who is  someone Tiger trusts to get his swing just right. It’s a great touch that you can listen to him or read up on the tutorial.

The high point of the visuals.

Graphics

If there is one area where this game is somewhat lacking it has to be with some visual touches that are not up to standards. The animated crowds are somewhat polygonal and enjoyable only at a great distance, up close you can see the blurry and jaggy models and in some cases sprites far off. Some blurry textures sometimes even find their way into some distant trees and building units that make for an ugly site. It’s a sham too since most of the game looks outstanding.

The actual character models are decent and animate as you would expect them to be, with the create a player model looking fairly decent compared to the games all-star cast. There is a good amount of facial animation in regards to shot reactions and small gestural animation to convey the feelings appropriate for each shot. Most of the background elements could use some work since we all know the  Wii can create some beautiful visuals.

The courses are different altogether, with lush environments and articulated contours of the land; these are the real stars of the show. The textures on the courses are sharp and most obstacles are modeled very well with tons of foliage around. It’s not the best looking game on Wii but it has its bright points, namely when you pick a course and the sun is out. I find that the bright sun soaked (and cloudy with sunny breaks) weather really showcases the games visuals and pushes these dynamic weather effects to a higher level.

On the opposite end when things are cloudy and rainy for some reason the visuals look very dated. It’s as if the light engine is turned off, any depth of field is disabled and suddenly the environment is dull,not because of the weather, but a whole set of other visual reasons. The rain looks downright awful and most particle effects are such as blowing grass or leaves are from last gen. Trust me I’ve seen more scenic rainy conditions replicated beautifully on other Wii titles. Besides the horrible portrayal of overcast weather things still look pretty decent.
A long over due edition is Dynamic weather, where the game will connect with the Weather Network to replicate accurate live conditions on the famous courses across the globe. That’s insanely cool!

There are no out of this world effects to speak of since the game is carried out in a very controlled environment, but you’ll be happy to see slight water splash backs when raining, sand trap dust bursts, and even where the ball hits the ground the grass getting slightly dented . The small subtle visual cues are nicely done and never break you away from the game’s world.

Vs the low

I’m also glad the visuals did not take the simplified style approach as in Grand Slam Tennis because the game can push realistic visuals fairly well. It’s what the Tiger Woods series is known for and they should keep raising the visual bar as far as I am concerned and not opt out to what we have seen Madden and Grand Slam.

Sound.

For the most part sound is handled very well, with commentary handled just as it would on a PGA broadcast. The commentators are standard affair, with their pointers and critiques sounding delivered with conviction and humour. It’s all normal until you start playing with other friends and then depending on how each of you are doing the commentators will start picking apart or supporting each character. I’m not sure if this was intentional or not but in our group session one of our friend was getting really lucky with her shots which prompted some vicious commentating when she made a mistake, where as the other friend was playing consistently well and received an appropriate tone via the commentators for the entire play session. It wont blow your mind but some of the things these guys had to say ranged from standard golf banter to out right dissing. This, in a group play session is hilarious to tune into. I never knew golf could be such a ‘playa’ haters sport.
The ambient sound effects are also handled rather well thanks to the Dolby Digital set up. Using Pro-logic II on the Wii things feel just as they would when utilizing surround sound. The ambient noise is perfect and the crowd knows when to cheer and when to shut up.

Now when we are talking about actual in game music, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 has not equal! I know it’s not normal to have a golf game with exceptional music unless it’s a Mario golf game, but the soundtrack ranges from the appropriate almost Celtic vibe tunes to some insane beats. The cool soundtrack covers a wide range of electronic music from ambient electro, to down tempo, to drum and bass. I found myself jamming to the music before each swing and somehow it felt right.

Replay

I’ll keep this short since most of the play mechanics and options were already elaborated on. It’s a sports game, the replayability is nearly endless (until next year’s game comes out). The games single player season mode boasts 50 full events and it will take you a full week of hardcore playing or a month of normal play sessions to get to the top. Add in challenge mode that will help you improve your skill while immersing you into the history of golf and you already have a sports title that’s longer than most other games. The sheer number of modes available in traditional and arcade play extend the life span of this title. Add in minigames for those crazy multiplayer sessions and you’ll be amazed at how much fun these silly additions can be (specially the golf cart one) There’s nothing revolutionary but definitely make this game more than just a golf simulator. This game was designed to be played with friends so almost all the modes (except season, challenge and FedEx cup) are multiplayer friendly.

Add to that an online leader board system and ranked matches with daily live tournaments and you’ll be glued to this title for months on end. I have never played a sports title that had so much to offer offline and online. The competitive nature of the sport is translated perfectly through the myriad modes and creates what I will call the best buy for sports games. This is especially evident on the Wii and its inclusion of these Wii specific minigames and multiplayer options that leaves the other platform versions trailing behind.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 is a simple game to get into yet hard to master (much like real golf), it’s innovative, intuitive and a blast to play either single player or multiplayer. The online network is outstanding for a Wii title and with the plethora of modes and game play options you’ll never put this title down- Unless you hate golf in which case why are you even reading this review? This is the most value packed version of the game and worthy of a ton of praise. I honestly believe there is so much to do in this game.  It would be just as good  of a game without the motion plus, in terms of sheer value for your money, yet thanks to that little gizmo the game play soars above anything on the market as of this review.

Game play 5 / 5
Graphics 3.5 / 5
Sound 4.5 / 5
Replay 5 / 5

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The best selling PC and Mac game of June ’09 is going to have an expansion pack!
But I bet you already knew something was coming!

It’s Sims 3  World Adventures!

Dated for the week of November 16, 2009; the expansion pack promises to open up the world to your Sims
Take trips across the globe to very appropriately Simish named locations across China, France and Egypt. Players can accept challenges at these locations,  search for secret treasures, learn new skills and chase down new personal opportunities.

That’s not all! You can take photos and create videos of your Sims adventure, and even bring home the culture and the people you meet in these locations!

Fans will be pleased to know that with this pack youll get 1000 Sims points to use at the Sims store!
And lastly the iPod version of the game will be making its debut in 2010 thanks to EA mobile!

And arent you glad I didnt write in Simlish?

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Dan Slutz, 17, of Canton, Ohio Wins National “INVENT A GAME CHALLENGE” and $10,000 U.S. Savings Bond.

Dan who is 17, beat out the other contestants and secured first place with his game Rythm. The game will soon be produced and submitted as a free online game by EA. Well done DAN!!

Oh that’s Dan, the second tallest lad 3rd from the right.

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A little plesent coversation in the midst of total destruction.

EA and Dark Horse have announced a new comic series called Mass Effect: Redemption.  The narrative will bridge the gap between the first and second video games. Commander Shepard must fight for survival away from his crew on the Normandy while his close companion, Dr. Liara T’Soni, tries to bring him back.

The Mass Effect: Redemption story is written by Mac Walters, the script writer behind Mass Effect 2.  He will no doubt bring some unique insight and depth to the Mass Effect universe.  The comic is scripted by John Jackson Miller (Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, The Invincible Iron Man) and drawn by Omar Francia (Star Wars Legacy).  The first four-part series explores the exotic and dangerous future Milky Way, and promises brand new locations and aliens.  Walters and Francia were on hand today at the San Diego Comic Con.  ”Fans of Mass Effect are going to be pleasantly shocked by the events in these comics,” said Walters. “We worked very closely with Dark Horse to make sure this story was built into the Mass Effect 2 arc, right from the ground up.”

Mass Effect: Redemption issue #1 hits comic shop shelves on January 6, 2010.  The eagerly anticipated Mass Effect 2 is scheduled for release on Xbox 360 and PC in early 2010.

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EA announced its development on Command and Conquer 4.

Quite interesting since amidst the plethora of EA titles this E3 we still keep getting new surprises even after!

As C&C 4′s lead producer puts it, when talking about this new ambitious project, “Command & Conquer is a powerful franchise with an amazing 15-year legacy. We are thrilled to bring the dramatic Tiberium saga to a conclusion in Command & Conquer 4. This game is designed to give fans all the answers they’ve been looking for,” said Mike Glosecki, “With its objective-based multiplayer mode, persistent player progression and all-in-one mobile base, players will experience Command & Conquer like never before.”

Obviously more to come in terms of game play, but it’s safe to say they are working on a new multiplayer mode and tons of single player cheesy cutscenes!
Check out  the trailer after the break.

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That’s right folks, everyone’s favourite foam imitation of war and death is turning 40 this year and to celebrate EA is unleashing a new Nerf video game entitled Nerf 2: “N-Strike” Elite.

Exclusively for the Nintendo Wii Nerf 2 will come this fall coupled with a freshly designed blue Nerf Switch Shot EX-3 blaster and attachable decoder lense. This new toy gun controller conglomerate will provide a mix of covert operation elements and shoot-em up fun.

The sequel to last year’s Nerf  “N-Strike” (little fact: This was EA’s second best-selling Wii title as well as a top 20 Wii title in 2008 by revenue) will provide what you loved about the first title with much much more, “cranking up every element of the experience starting with the new 3-in-1 blaster that will have kids’ jaws dropping as hidden gameplay elements come into focus through a Nerf decoder scope” says Chip Lange, GM of EA’s Hasbro division.

Millions of upgrade combinations, a new army of robots to defeat, and enhanced co-op play will make this Nerf title a level beyond last year’s toy-game mashup.

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Spore Galactic Adventure

For the PC

The expansion pack for the stellar Spore series.

Giving the player the opportunity to make their creations into a space captain and go the route of galactic conquest.. or exploration. Creating missions and sharing them online is a big plus as well as now having the opportunity to download custom missions created by the writers at ROBOT CHICKEN!

Fight Night ROUND 4

Available for PS3 and XBOX 360

Giving players control of a roster of 48 of the best boxing has to offer, from the greats like Mohammad Ali to the recent pound for pound most vicious Manny Pacquiao.

The title features revolutionary stick control and now features inside boxing for those up close knockout moments.

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