Pokémon fans, today is the first day that the highly anticipated Pokémon Black and White became available!  You probably already ran out to the nearest store to pick up your copy, but just in case you’re still wondering where the best deals are, here’s some information I dug up for you:

Future Shop is running a deal where if you buy both Pokémon Black and White together, you save $10.

Like Future Shop, Best Buy is also offering $10 off if you buy the two together.  When I picked up my copies of the game today I was also told of another very special offer: If you buy a Nintendo DSi XL, you get a copy of Pokemon Black or White for free!

If you were searching for something extra special for yourself or to impress the collector in your life, I was told by the sales person at Best Buy that Toys ‘R’ Us is carrying the amazing Pokemon Black and White DSi bundle.  With the exception of the first offer, none of these deals were actually advertised online or in a flyer.  To ensure that your store is offering these special deals, it would be wise to call ahead to check if your store is participating.

Dragon Quest IX players in the city of Toronto have organized a meeting to exchange their randomly generated and collected treasure maps, including the Kawasaki Locker Map, at the Eaton Centre this weekend. If you’d like to get your hands on the renowned Japanese map, or just tag other players to expand the size and functionality of your Quester’s Rest Inn, here are the details.

When: Sunday, January 30, 12:30pm

Where: Eaton Centre – Food Court at southern end (Queen Street)

So come, eat some food, collect some maps, and perhaps even explore a dungeon or two with your fellow Celestrians.

Check the Dragon Quest IX Tag (Toronto) Facebook group for further details.

To enter the contest, you must do the following:

• Follow the GameNorth Twitter feed.

• Follow the Toshiba Canada Twitter feed.

• Retweet the GameNorth contest announcement tweet, found here, to your followers.

Performing these three steps will officially register you as an entrant in the contest and earn you for your first contest ballot. However, we’d like to give you a chance to earn three more! You’ll earn an additional ballot for doing each of the following:

• Comment on this article and make sure to include your Twitter name in the comment!

• Tweet the name of your favourite Canadian-made game on Twitter with the #GameNorthQosmioX500 hashtag. You can find a list of some great ones from our top ten as of 2009.

• ‘Like’ Toshiba Dojo on Facebook, and mention this contest on their wall, along with your Twitter account name!

Performing all of the aforementioned steps will earn you a total of four ballots, which will be randomly drawn on Friday, February 4 to determine who wins the Qosmio X500, as well as the envy of Canadian gamers across the nation.

Good luck!

Eligibility

You must be Canadian or a permanent resident of Canada, and 18 years of age or older to be eligible to enter this contest. Due to provincial sweepstakes laws, this contest is void in the province of Québec. For additional rules and regulations, please consult the GameNorth contest rules.

Not only do the winners get $4000 to support their development, but they also get to keep their IP. Ryerson Digital Media Zone will support the development team and the game for up to one year and Game Tree TV will distribute the winning entry. The top six finalists will also get Yummy Interactive’s game licensing software, GameShield.

If you’ve got a game idea, this is the perfect time to dive into the scene. The Toronto scene is quite friendly, and a chance at being mentored is extremely valuable. Even if you’re not looking to enter the competition, you can still participate in the networking sessions and listen to the speakers. Some big names in the industry will be there, including Nathan Vella, CEO of Capybara Games (Critter Crunch, Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes) and Howard Donaldson, VP of Studio Operations at Disney Interactive Studios (Epic Mickey, Tron: Evolution). The tickets are cheaper if you’re not competing in the event, so it could be well worth the investment to make some contacts and pick the brains of some of the brightest in the industry. For more pricing information, visit the official website.

Vortex takes place over four days (Jan. 19, Feb. 2, Feb 24, Mar. 30) at 99 Sudbury and the fancy TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto. The deadline to register your game into the competition is January 3rd, so act quickly!

Arnie Roth had the opportunity to conduct another Final Fantasy concert back in 2005 under the name Dear Friends: Music from Final Fantasy, which marked the first time the series had a concert outside of Japan.  Arnie Roth is said to be looking forward to conducting Distant Worlds.  The entire program is already up online for those of you who are curious to see if your favourite Final Fantasy music will be featured:

FINAL FANTASY series: Main Theme, Swing de Chocobo, Prelude, Victory Theme

FINAL FANTASY I-III: Medley

FINAL FANTASY IV: Theme of Love

FINAL FANTASY V: Dear Friends

FINAL FANTASY VI: Dancing Mad, Opera “Maria and Draco”, Terra’s Theme

FINAL FANTASY VII: One-Winged Angel, Opening – Bombing Mission, Aerith’s Theme, Main Theme of Final Fantasy, JENOVA

FINAL FANTASY VIII: Liberi Fatali, Fisherman’s Horizon, Love Grows, Don’t be Afraid, The Man With The Machine Gun

FINAL FANTASY IX: Vamo’ alla Flamenco, Prima Vista, A Place to Call Home, Melodies of Life

FINAL FANTASY X: To Zanarkand

FINAL FANTASY XI: Memoro de la Stono – Distant Worlds, Ronfaure

FINAL FANTASY XII: Kiss Me Goodbye

FINAL FANTASY XIII: The Promise, Fang’s Theme

FINAL FANTASY XIV: Twilight Over Thanalan, Beneath Bloody Borders

Did your favourite Final Fantasy song make the cut?  I’ve seen videos of Opera “Maria and Draco” online from Tour de Japon: Music from Final Fantasy and it was breathtakingly beautiful, so I urge those who will be in the city that weekend to get tickets while you still can!  Tickets are already selling out quickly and the concert itself will start at 20:00 EST.

At a Gamercamp demonstration, Craig Adams of Superbrothers explains that they wanted it to be sort of like “an album you can hang out in.” To illustrate the importance of music to the game and game development process, he demonstrated a tiny piece of the game where the protagonist had to attune one of the spirits. The sequence that unfolded – the atmosphere of the song combined with the pixel art – was actually quite touching, similar to the way I would imagine it in a film. Even though they jokingly referred to the score as “The Ballad of the Space Babies”, the song was beautiful and matched the sequence perfectly. And that is a feat not easily accomplished, as Mr. Guthrie tells us that the hardest part about scoring a game is that you don’t know what the player will do ahead of time, and yet the music has to match.

Aside from the great music and the carefully made pixel art, the game promises some combat in addition to old school gameplay. Mr. Adams tells a packed theatre that he wanted to bring back the days when there wasn’t a tutorial about every little thing that goes on. Sword and Sworcery gives the player a chance to feel the wonder of discovery by working out what the game is about. The whole thing reminds me of Prince of Persia mixed with Zelda, and I’m now lamenting the fact that I don’t have an iPhone or an iPad.

Why did they choose to produce for the small screens? It all comes down to money, of course! With a smaller screen there’s less art to produce, but the group did feel that the microscopic world worked well. Interestingly, Kris Piotrowski, Creative Director at Capybara, reveals that they are resisting getting external feedback about the game until very late in the development process. He explains that all creators have some gut instinct or intuition about where a project is heading, and it’s important to let the creators work on it within their vision as much as possible. And I’m glad they did let the team do their work, because it is the first iPhone game that I’ve seen that I would actually call evocative.

Sword & Sworcery EP is being released for the iPhone and iPad, and Craig Adams claims it’s about 96.7% done. [Update from the man himself!]

Other interesting tidbits found in a recently released report include:

• 38% of Canadian gamers are female
• 57% of adult (18+) women like to play puzzle, arcade, or word games
• 59% of adult women play games online using a computer as opposed to 50% of men
• 7% of gamers say they use a mobile device most often to play games [Does this mean when they use their mobile device, they use it to play games, or that mobile devices are the most frequently used platform?]
• 75% of Canadians play games a few days a week or every day
• Average age of Canadian gamers is 33, which I’m guessing is severely influenced by Richard’s antiquity

From July 2009 – June 2010, the top 5 selling console games were New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (X360), Sports Resort (Wii), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3), and Wii Fit Plus (Wii). I think it’s very intriguing that two of the top five games (Sports Resort, Wii Fit Plus) included peripherals. Could this be a great sign for Kinect and Move in Canada? Perhaps we’ll see Rock Band 3 in the top five next year? From looking at the top twenty, it seems our demand for original IP is a bit exaggerated. Not a single one made it onto the list, unless you count Sports Resort and Wii Play.

In the same period, the top five sellers for PC were The Sims 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, The Sims 2 Double Deluxe, and World of Warcraft: Battle Chest. Placing sixth is my beloved Dragon’s Age: Origins and I am ashamed of every one of you who didn’t buy it to put it into the top five! Shaaaaame. In terms of original IP, Spore and Aion both made it into the top 20. Blizzard owns 7 spots in the top 20, and The Sims franchise 5 spots. I’m pretty sure this means that if they could figure out how to let your Sims play World of Warcraft, EA would win the world.

For more information on the research or to read the report for yourself, visit the ESAC. They also made a cool video about the Canadian gaming industry, which I’ve embedded below:

But what’s cool about Gamercamp is that it’s like a mullet. It’s all business in the front, but party in the back. Yes, I just associated mullets with being cool. Okay, well, maybe Gamercamp is a lot cooler than a mullet, because it wants its community to have fun and hang out. Here are just some of the pretty clever and unique events going on:

1) 8-bit cereal breakfast: Sunday morning (November 14), they’re serving up a cereal breakfast alongside some classic gaming. Just imagine, 50 boxes of cereal, more milk than one should ever see at once, and a flood of gamers hopefully in their PJs! (We will definitely not be in their pajamas, unless someone pays us a lot of money.) There will be retro consoles to check out while fast is being broken.

2) Pwnage lunch: Watch as video game experts, such as their Mortal Kombat II champion, demolish any and all challengers. Then catch a never-ending round of Tetris, followed by a hitless round of Mega Man! It’ll be like back in the day at the arcades where one person just dominated a machine and you have to queue up with your quarter along the edge of the screen.

3) Retro Rec Rooms: Old-school CRT TVs (I still have 3 of these, what do they mean old-school!), the system of your choice, snacks — like chips, popcorn, and gummy worms—and even a few gaming magazines at your disposal. People can book the room for some dedicated fun with a few friends old or new—Gamercamp hopes people will get to know each other through the weekend, and this seems like an awesome way to do it.

Oh, and did I mention the festivities are headlined by none other than Anamanaguchi, the band behind the Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World: The Game? The tickets for this are sold separately and limited, so make sure you grab these fast!

Gamercamp Lv2 is happening on November13th and 14th in Toronto. Tickets to the daytime activities are $30 CAD for both days, and tickets to the 1Up Bash featuring Anamaguchi are $12 CAD.

No Flip! The coins aren't worth it!

This mechanic is used to solve all kinds of interesting puzzles. Is the chest on a high parapet up on the castle? A quick flip of the world will let you walk up the castle’s walls, and another flip will land you onto a convenient ledge where your treasure awaits. Frozen North didn’t want to punish players too much for getting used to this new mechanic though, and for that reason there are helpful arrows that are colour coded, terrorist alert-style, to let you know if it’s safe to turn the world in that direction. Even if you do fall to your death with a misguided flip, as I did quite a few times, you are brought back to a nearby checkpoint with no penalty. However, if you die in a more traditional way such as by falling too far onto a hard surface, you will be penalized by being thrown back to the beginning of the room.

The scope of the levels was fairly overwhelming at first, as you see many different platforms that you’ll want to turn onto and it eventually gives way to the desire to explore all of it. To aid in the exploration, the game implements manual camera controls, which is a huge relief for anyone who has played a 3D platformer with auto “smart” cameras. Julian Spillane, CEO of Frozen North, emphasized that they wanted to let people explore as much as possible. “When I was a kid playing Mario, I loved finding all the secrets,” he explains, “so I want to give that power to the players.”

Flip’s isn’t just about jumping and exploring either. There are various cartoony monster hybrids for the player to overcome and puzzles to solve. Since Flip is simply a magician’s apprentice who doesn’t know any spells, he uses his massive, possibly borrowed, spellbook to hit monsters with. The classic stomp type attack has been implemented and some enemies will require this super book smash to defeat. There are other weapons to unlock as Flip moves through six different worlds, solving the mystery of the magician world that he has been transported to in order to become a fully fledged wizard.

A book might not work against this one.

One more great thing for Whedonites (Joss Whedon fans): the voice acting of Flip’s guardian is voiced by Anthony Stewart Head of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame. Come to think of it, he was a warlock in that also. Julian explains that it is his personal goal to have every actor in the Whedonverse voice act in their games – I can’t wait for Felicia Day’s role! Further adding to the list of talent is Tommy Tallarico of Video Games Live fame, who does the musical score of the game. From what I heard at the preview, it all fit very well into the levels.

Unfortunately, the game is in Nintendo’s review process so no release date is set, but we were told Fall of this year. However, it is going to be set at a lower price point as compared to other Wii titles, so this seems to be a low-risk (ad)venture!

Gathering the best prospects from around the league, including the likes of first overall pick, Taylor Hall, second overall pick, Tyler Seguin, and the Toronto Maples Leafs top prospect, Nazem Kadri, Electronic Arts held a single-elimination NHL 11 tournament to see who had what it took to lead their draft team to Lord Stanley’s Cup. The rules were simple: Each player had to use the team that drafted them, the game was to be played on the default settings, and to determine who held the home ice advantage, the players would engage in a cut throat round of rock, paper, scissors. Exhilarating!

The tournament started off with a bang: Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin were slated to face each other in the opening round. Drafted first and second overall, debates raged all summer long about who was the better player. EA wasn’t messing around; things were about to get real.

Contrasts between the two prospects came early as Seguin changed his control scheme to the Classic layout, claiming that he was an old-fashioned player. Hall stuck to the new controls, feeling more comfortable using the franchise’s signature Skill Stick. The puck hit the ice and the tension in the room rose. Within seconds of the faceoff, Hall broke through the Boston defense to challenge young goaltender and former Leafs prospect, Tuuka Rask, mano-a-mano. He weaved left, then right, causing Rask to bite early, allowing Hall to return to his backhand and roof it over the young goaltender’s shoulder. Seguin looked stunned. Moments later, shortly after the subsequent faceoff, Hall was at it again, bursting across the blueline with a two-on-one. He made a last-minute pass, just out of the reach of a diving defenseman, and tapped the puck past Rask on the short side. If only Seguin had Jonas Gustavsson in net.

Hall had scored on each of his first two shifts, and would continue to dominate throughout the rest of the game, going on to win by a score of 5-1. After the game, when asked about his disappointing performance, Seguin said, “I’m going to have to hit the exercise room right after this and get my thumbs in shape, so I can be better prepared for the next one … It’ll be a little different in real life, obviously, but in this game it’s all about past experience, and I didn’t have it, I guess.” So much for Classic controls.

The rest of the first round went by in a flash, with Colorado Avalanche prospect, Kevin Shattenkirk, eliminating Predators prospect, John Blum. Detroit Red Wings prospect, Tomas Tatar, falling to Blackhawks prospect, Kyle Beach, in a classic Western Conference battle. Jacob Markstrom sinking Calvin Pickard, Calvin de Haan ousting Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson, and Zach Hamill beating Ryan Johansen. Then it was time for the hometown hopeful to take centre stage, as Nazem Kadri of the Toronto Maple Leafs squared off against Erik Gudbranson of the Florida Panthers. Could Kadri finally bring glory to the Buds? In short, no.

Throwing the tournament rules out the window, Kadri convinced his opponent to select random teams instead of their draft teams. After some deliberation, and a few rolls of the virtual dice (Gudbranson wasn’t keen on Kadri using his first result, the Western Conference All-Stars), Kadri ended up with the Boston Bruins and Gudbranson: the Detroit Red Wings. How many Maple Leafs prospects do the Boston Bruins have now? I’m losing count.

Within minutes of the opening puck-drop, it becomes clear that Kadri would be a lethal opponent regardless of which team he chose. He danced and weaved around Gudbranson’s players like they were pylons, dominating the game with four unanswered goals, winning 4-0. It’s obvious when watching him play that he possess offensive creativity, and when asked if he could pull off such goals in real life, he claimed, “Totally. Most of the moves that I pulled off in that game were the moves I use in real life. That’s me, that’s how I play.” When the topic of playing with the Maple Leafs this coming season came up, he was asked who his ideal line mates would be. “Kessel and Versteeg,” he said with a smile.  Did you hear that, Ron Wilson? Make it happen!

The next round saw Kadri once again eschew his draft team in favour of choosing randomly, urging his opponent, Zach Hamill to do the same. Kadri took to the ice using Anaheim, and Hamill lucked out by landing the offensively-stacked Washington Capitals. However, with little effort and plenty of flair, Kadri sent Hamill packing with a 5-2 win in regulation. Across the room, Taylor Hall entertained guests with another dominating win. Could this be leading to a Kadri vs. Hall for all the marbles?

With wins by Kyle Beach and Ryan McDonagh, the stage had been set for the semi-finals. Kadri vs. McDonagh; Hall vs. Beach.

Hall and Beach played a real nail-biter of a game, with neither team scoring, despite many great chances, until late in the third period when Taylor Hall scored a beauty of a one-timer while on the power play. Beach pulled his goalie in the final minute in an attempt to tie it up, only to surrender an empty netter moments later. Edmonton’s first overall pick, Taylor Hall, had earned himself a spot in the finals. When asked about the secret to his success throughout the afternoon, Hall responded, “I’m just taking it one game at a time, staying focused on the things that matter, and getting pucks deep.” Sounds like someone has been practising his canned media responses.

Across the room, Kadri once again broached the idea of choosing random teams. Much to Kadri’s surprise, his opponent, Ryan McDonagh, opted to stay with his draft team, the New York Rangers. He had been successful with them thus far, so why not? Despite this, Kadri still opted to let the Fates decide which team he’d play. Their answer? The ‘09-’10 Stanley Cup Champions, the Chicago Blackhawks.

The game got off to a quick start, with Kadri scoring two goals in the first period, including one by former Toronto Maple Leafs winger, Viktor Stalberg. However, the Fates would soon betray him. Kadri’s defense began falling apart in the second period, and McDonagh adapted quickly to Kadri’s style of play. With renewed focus, McDonagh scored three unanswered goals in the second, dominating Kadri at both ends of the ice, and later added a fourth goal late in the third. As the seconds dwindled, so did the hopes of the Leafs fans in attendance. At least he never lost in the blue and white!

The finals were upon us. Would Taylor Hall prove himself worthy of being the first overall pick, or would McDonagh pull off the upset? Both players laced up in the skates of their respective draft teams, and the room fell quiet as the game began. McDonagh drew first blood, scoring on a breakaway with none other than Sean Avery. He added a second off a beautiful one-timer before the end of the first, taking a commanding 2-0 lead. Hall had responded early in the second, bringing the game within one, when he tripped McDonagh while he was on a breakaway. Unfortunately, this led to a penalty shot with Rangers sniper, Marion Gaborik, who McDonagh had a great deal of success with throughout the day. McDonagh worked his Skill Stick magic, earning a cheer from the gathered crowd, then roofed a backhand past the goalie. If this game was real, that would have been the TSN Turning Point.

Both Hall and McDonagh would add a few more goals each, making the score 5-3 in the final minutes of the game. Due to a hooking penalty, Hall went on the power play with just over two minutes of regulation remaining, and manage to convert it for a goal. Within one goal, Hall poured on the offensive pressure, frantically slapping at rebounds and putting pucks on net. The arena announcer declared the last minute of play, and Hall didn’t hesitate to pull his goalie. However, even with the extra attacker, his efforts were not enough. With a final score of 5-4, Ryan McDonagh wins the NHL 11 Rookie Challenge!

Whether or not this is indicative of things to come, I couldn’t say, but we had an awesome time at the tournament, and it seems that the players did too. During each game, the players would banter back and forth with hockey lingo, and talk about great plays as though they happened on a real sheet of ice. Not only has EA succeeded at earning the approval of real NHL players with NHL 11, but as a group mostly eighteen year old guys, these prospects are also hardcore gamers. What more could you want?

NHL 11 hits the ice on September 7 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Other Canadian finishes include SLusH (11th), Drewbie (12th), Silver (14th), Suggy (T-17th), and Catz (T-17th).

Good luck to all our virtual warriors in the next two MLG 2010 stops in Washington, D.C. on October 15th and Dallas on November 5th!

Source: GotFrag

Shattered Dimensions is four different games rolled into one. When you’re playing at the film noir stealth-action suit Spiderman, the game feels like Batman: Arkham Asylum. When you play as the Venom suit Spiderman, the game feels more like Devil May Cry. Although there is nothing else innovative in the game, everything from those different genres of games seem to be implemented. The Spidey Sense works like thermal vision from Splinter Cell. There are different emblems to collect, abilities to upgrade, storylines to follow, and it felt fun without being too shallow, even if you get the impression that you’ve seen it all before. This game looks like it is a must try for Spiderman fans.

Spiderman: Shattered Dimensions releases for the PS3, Wii, X360, and DS on September 7th, 2010, with a PC release date still to be announced.

With a new real-time physics engine for unique and exciting hits, broken and dropped sticks, revamped face-off mechanics, an improved passing system, and the inclusion of the three regional leagues that make up the Canadian Hockey League, NHL 11 may very well be the most accurate hockey simulation to date.

Kane lunges for the puck like it's a taxi driver

The new physics engine is fantastic. Every hit looks unique and in context, and adds a great deal of realism to the game. Slam someone into the boards and you’ll see them crumple to the ice in a satisfying manner, or line them up for a hip check in open ice and watch as they tumble head over heels through the air. In one of the games that we played, we demolished a player with a devastating Luke Schenn hip check. As Schenn’s hip collided with the other player’s right leg, they tumbled over in an awkward and painful manner, resulting in a leg injury. It was a beautiful thing to watch.

This addition doesn’t just benefit the large, thunderous hits, either, as the more subtle physical game is also well represented. Bumping or shoving a player will result in a momentary loss of balance or stumbling, sometimes just enough to displace them from the puck. Furthermore, the physics allow the puck to interact realistically with lost or broken sticks laying on the ice. These errant sticks can accidentally intercept passes, knock the puck off the stick of a rushing forward, and even redirect the puck toward an unsuspecting goalie. I don’t know why it took so long for a physics system to be implemented in a hockey game, but there’s no going back now.

The changes to the face-off mechanics are also a huge step forward, and for the first time, they give players a variety of strategic options as the puck drops. First, players must determine whether or not to use a forehand or backhand grip by moving the right analog stick to the left or right. Depending on the handedness of your player, either option could be more appropriate. It doesn’t end there, though. As the puck hits the ice, you have the option of pulling it back toward your defensemen, or attempting to pass it through the opposing center’s legs. Additionally, if you’re not interested in securing the puck yourself, you can attempt to tie up with the opposing center, allowing one of your wingers to swoop in and snatch the puck. In one game against the Detroit Red Wings, we used this strategy, allowing Nikolai Kulemin to snatch the puck out of the circle, rush into the slot, and fire a well-placed wrist shot over Jimmy Howard’s shoulder.

Laying down on the job

The differences in the passing game between NHL 10 and NHL 11 are subtle, but will definitely be noticeable to veterans of the franchise. In previous installments, the pass was executed upon pressing the pass button, and now it’s executed when the pass button is released. This change allowed EA Canada to implement a new feature that allows players to control the speed of the pass itself. The longer you hold the pass button down, the harder the pass will be once it’s released. The slow, more accurate passes, are ideal for cycling the puck on the power play, and the faster passes are great for setting up a one-timer during an odd man rush. It’s a simple mechanic, but it works.

NHL 11 was one of the first games we decided to play upon arriving at the X’10 event, and throughout the rest of our stay, the game just kept calling to us. We played four full games in total, and watched others play a few more. Even as spectators, we found ourselves cheering and jeering the players on the virtual ice. It’s an exciting game, to both watch and play, and we can’t wait to drop the gloves and get our hands on it.

NHL 11 will be released in North America on September 7 for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

In all seriousness though, SteelSeries products are used by many professional gamers, including Team EG, Fnatic MSI, and SK Gaming. They are really high quality products and if you’re in the market for some gaming peripherals, please check them out. The Xai mouse has been my favourite mouse since the legendary Razer Boomslang, and that’s saying a lot. SteelSeries has also been a pretty visible force in the eSports scene, sponsoring various tournaments in competitive games such as Heroes of Newerth.

Even if you aren’t looking to drop money on some peripherals right now, apparently their Facebook page and Twitter can keep you posted of giveaways so that you can score some of their loot for free.

So, without further ado, we’d like to announce the winners of our Gears of War 2: All Fronts Collection Giveaway, which will give five lucky readers the chance to enjoy this event while playing on all 19 of the Gears of War 2 DLC maps. Our winners are:

InsaneBreakout

Wick

Ian790

maidenfan666

AddyRuffs

Congratulations! We will be contacting you via the email address supplied with your contest entry comment, so be sure to keep an eye on your inbox. I’ll be doing my best to reach level 100 and earn my wings this weekend, so feel free to send me a friend request if you’d like to play. My Xbox LIVE gamertag is Ithilis. See you on the battlefield(s), Gears!

For those that haven’t caught wind of his zany plans, Rod will be awarding Gears of War 2 players with an experience points multiplier equal to the sum of his Twitter followers divided by 500. When he originally proposed the idea on Wednesday, July 14, he had 3000 followers. As of time of writing this article, he has 10,793, but chose to cap his campaign at 10,000 followers and a 20X experience points modifier. That’s a lot of XPs!

The Contest

To honour Rod’s crazy idea and his ongoing dedication to the Gears of War community, we’ve decided to award five lucky readers with Gears of War 2: All Fronts Collection codes, giving them the chance to enjoy all 19 DLC maps while earning truckloads of XP!

To enter, simply tell us what excites you most about Epic’s upcoming Gears of War 3 by commenting on the article below. On the morning of Thursday, July 22, to coincide with the opening of the San Diego Comic Con, we’ll draw five names out of a hat and announce the winners. Remember: only Canadians need apply! You can still leave a comment if you’re not Canadian – as we’re always happy to hear and talk about Gears – you just won’t be eligible to win a prize.

For further rules and eligibility, please consult our official contest rules. Failure to comply with these rules will result in a merciless chainsawing. Canadian-style, of course.

Good luck!

Where: YK Internet Café 5582 Yonge St. It is located just south of Yonge & Finch. Look for the Xerox building (it’s right on Yonge & Finch) which is just north of YK, and Shopper’s Drug Mart which is right next to YK. It is 1 min South from the Finch GO Station if you’re planning on taking public transit.

When: Saturday, July 17th, 12:00 PM (noon) – approx. 8:00 PM Tentative — may change the date around if the majority of people can’t make it

What: Bring your own mouse/keyboard if you wish. Bring headphones since they only have speakers. We’ll be meeting at noon to eat lunch somewhere (tbd) and go for 5 hours starting from 1, eat dinner, and go for a few more hours if there’s enough interest. The tourney will be for Brood War, but there will be an attempt for them to have SC2. They will be eating korean food for lunch and dinner is undecided, and are going to have a tourney and free dinner for the winner!

Cost: Lunch should be ~$10,l dinner, $10-20 depending on where we go. It should be $10 for 5 hours plus a free can of coke (or equivalent) at the Cafe. You must return your card before leaving otherwise there will be a $3 charge for each missing card and other people (i.e. the host) will have to pay.

So if you have a free Saturday and are in the GTA area (or beyond), stop by and have some fun! It’s always nice to see local tournaments like this, so post below (and here) if you’re planning to make it. The thread is also setting up carpools if you need a ride.

Similarly, there is a LAN event in Calgary on the 25th for Brood War, with actual (possible) prizes and alcohol. Get drunk and play StarCraft? It’s about time.

The entire interview is 23 minutes long. If you have any questions for HuK, leave it in the comments here and we’ll ask him in the next interview. Also, as this is the first audio interview we’re posting, give us any feedback you have.

Edit: Removed the audio for now, going to see if I can remove some of the breathing/static. Sorry folks! Check back in a bit and hopefully I’ll have it resolved.

Edit2: It’s back, and hopefully a lot better. I just spent a lot of time learning Audacity to fix up the file and again, apologize for any ear damage previously incurred. It’s still not perfect but I will endeavour to do better in the future when setting up my microphone.

Several key Deus Ex classics were present, including cloaking and the beautiful augmented iris glow. The colour palette was true to the Baroque inspired design, with many sepia and variant golden tones. The most vivid reference to the renaissance is the news reporter’s high frilled collar. The minigun attachment popping out reminded me of a similar weapon from Ghost In The Shell as well.

So now I have to ask: Does this look too Metal Gear Solid? Perhaps too clean for the dark, gritty art style of the Deus Ex universe? Maybe that is just the Japanese cinematic aesthetic shining through. Maybe those glasses can be equipped in game, leading to a detailed HUD or weapon interface, whereas without the glasses it’s just a clean vision mode – minimalist. From the conceptual art earlier released on Kotaku, this game seems to be heading to a very interesting place. Would the event where an enemy gets “hacked” and commits suicide be an available player skill? Imagine having to fight off viruses as you hacked into a computer, uploading and rerouting subroutines as you broke into a system, something like EDI in Mass Effect 2.

I would love to see some hand-to-hand combat in this game, which is something that the first ones lacked – possibly some Mirror’s Edge style spinning kicks or swings. The added mobility in this game would be very invigorating and enticing for me. I hope the blade is kept as a defense mechanism or freehand offensive weapon. It would be awesome if Adam’s jacket is kept for free-roam and removed only for missions, separating his design for combat and exploration.

This is just all me geeking out. I was raised on these games, and they’re what made me love this industry. I just wanna see them done right in this era of entertainment. What would you like to see in the new Deus Ex?

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UPDATE: While the game has been confirmed to be in 1st person predominantly, there is a nice flavour of 3rd person in the newly integrated cover system (A la Rainbow Six: Las Vegas) and in sweet hand-to-hand takedowns. I have offically lost it with excitement for this game.  The character looks awesome, and I love the idea of pulling back for cinematic moments or conversation.

More on this as I find it.

Click here to watch the video

I still recall loading up the original Army of Two with Brad and playing through the campaign in local split-screen. My reaction to the game was mixed at first, because I could tell that it was something I would not choose to play through on my own, but the co-op gameplay took it to an entirely different level. Utilizing the Aggro mechanics to draw attention away from Brad while he maneuvered around our enemies was a blast, and synchronizing our shots in the tandem sniping scenes was, as Brad would say, “pro-ice!” We would also had a great deal of fun critiquing each others weapon customization decisions: “I can totally understand that the grenade launcher and riot shield attachments may be necessary on the field of battle, but do you really need a gold-plated AK-47 adorned with a variety of precious gems? Wait, stupid question.” It was clear that the game was designed to flourish during co-op play, which it certainly did, but unfortunately, it faltered when played otherwise.

Based on our demo experience at Sony’s PlayStation Holiday Preview Event, The 40th Day looks to improve the franchise in this regard. Players lacking in a real-life partner were given much more control over their A.I. counterpart, and they carried out their instructions much more effectively than they did in the original. Playing with the A.I. is still sure to fall short of a true co-op experience, but EA Montreal has done their best to deliver a more complete experience overall, even for players going solo.

Note: I had no idea what ‘pro-ice’ meant at the time, nor do I today, but we liked it enough to make it our clan name in Rainbow Six Vegas (another awesome co-operative experience).

Also note: The original Army of Two is available on the Xbox LIVE Games on Demand service, as well as both Rainbow Six Vegas games. If shelling out $60 for a new co-operative experience isn’t an option right now (and I can relate), these games are great alternatives.

The expansion will also include new creatures for players to battle, including an evolved, more intelligent breed of Darkspawn, the menacing Inferno Golem, and in keeping with the game’s namesake, a Spectral Dragon. However, perhaps most exciting are the new ways for players to customize their characters, which include new spells, abilities, specializations, and items, as well as the ability to completely re-spec any existing characters. New spell combos for the win! Additionally, five all-new party members will join the player in their journey to Amaranthine.

“Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening shows BioWare’s commitment to our fans by delivering new story-driven experiences which enrich the dark heroic fantasy universe our fans have come to know and love,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, Group General Manager of the RPG/MMO Group, EA, and Co-Founder, BioWare. “The vibrant worldwide community of Dragon Age fans will relish uncovering the secret motivations of the darkspawn, revealing how the darkspawn continue to infest the world despite the defeat of the Archdemon.”

Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening will be available on March 16, 2010 for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 Platforms.

In addition to the returning cast of Seth Green and Keith David, BioWare has secured performances by Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor Martin Sheen, Shohreh Adhdashloo of the House of Saddam, Chuck special agents Yvonne Strahovski and Adam Baldwin, Michael ‘Lieutenant Worf’ Dorn, Canadian beauties Tricia ‘Number Six’ Helfer and Carrie-Anne ‘Trinity’ Moss, and perennial Canadian tough guy, Michael ‘Colonel Tigh’ Hogan. That’s more star-power than your typical CBC program!

“Emotionally engaging narrative is a key design pillar for BioWare, and the top-notch voice talent in Mass Effect 2 helps drive this goal,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, co-founder, BioWare and Group General Manager of the RPG/MMO Group of EA. “Credible, powerful personalities are vital to delivering a compelling story experience in BioWare’s games, and we have assembled an amazing ensemble cast that surpasses the very high bar set in the original Mass Effect!”

Martin Sheen plays a significant role in the game as the mysterious Illusive Man who commands Cerberus, a secretive paramilitary organization dedicated to protecting human interests throughout the galaxy. Yvonne Strahovski plays a deadly Cerberus operative, Miranda Lawson, who has been genetically engineered for superior mental and physical traits, and hopefully, her sexy, native Australian accent. Tricia Helfer plays EDI, the voice of the new Normandy; Carrie-Anne Moss plays the role of Aria T’Loak, the crime lord that rules planet Omega; Shohreh Aghdashloo plays Admiral Shala’Raan vas Tonbay; Michael Hogan plays the hard-assed Captain Bailey; Adam Baldwin laces up the combat boots of Kal ‘Reegar; and Michael Dorn lends his baritone voice to Gatatog Uvenk.

This game sounds better and better by the day – and yes, that pun was intended.

In addition to the social networking suite, the Dashboard update also brings plenty of new media to the Xbox 360, including some home-grown content. In addition to the Zune Video service, the Video Marketplace will allow users to instantly stream television shows and movies in 1080p high definition from studios such as, CBC Television, The Comedy Network, Nickelodeon, MTV and more.

Sadly, the Last.FM service that was previously announced as part of the update is exclusive to our American friends to the South. Here’s hoping that Canadians will gain access to the service in the future, because it was the one I was most excited about using.

Now all we need is a web browser so that we can make GameNorth posts without having to leave our couch! That would be so win.

However, if you’ve always dreamed of owning one of these babies, there’s still hope yet! The wonderful chaps at PlayStation.ca have just announced a contest in which five extremely lucky Canadian fans will be rewarded with Fortune Hunter Editions of the game. Furthermore, runners-up could win one of five copies of the Uncharted 2: Among Thieves strategy guide by Brady Games.

Head on over to PlayStation.ca to enter! And remember, kids: no guts, no glory!

Here’s hoping that Commander Shepard saw that episode of Star Trek: the Next Generation in which the crew of the Enterprise found the Borg drone named Hue, and that he’s able to make the decision that Captain Picard could not.