Who would have thought back in 2007 the Uncharted franchise would turn into the monster it is today. At the time many thought it was a Tomb Raider clone, featuring a male lead character. Fast forward four years and we can now say Uncharted is without a doubt going in a direction the Tomb Raider franchise only dreamed of. Fast paced action, riveting story, Uncharted 3: Drakes’s Deception has a lot going for it. But can it possibly lead to the hype built-up by Sony and Naughty Dog?

Nathan Drake is still following in the footsteps of his ancestor Sir Francis Drake. This time he is traveling the globe in search of a legendary lost city, the Iram of the Pillars, the so-called Atlantis of the sands. Drake had apparently discovered the city 400 years earlier but for some unknown reason abandoned his quest and hid his trail. Nathan Drake is determined to find the city and uncover the lost treasure.

Gameplay will feel quite familiar with fans of the series. Expect plenty of running and jumping through the environment, puzzle…

Almost one year ago Microsoft released a title which was expected to usher in a new era of gameplay; one without controllers. Kinect Sports proved you could play a game without relying on the classic controller but some gamers were critical, claiming Kinect Sports was nothing more than a collection of mini games. Despite the mixed reviews Microsoft teamed up with Rare once again to bring another round of sporting goodness to the Xbox 360 and Kinect. Does Kinect Sports Season 2 fair any better than the first. Once again it depends on who you ask.

This time around six new sports have been introduced. American football (sorry, not CFL rules), baseball, golf, tennis, downhill skiing and darts. Some of the sports feel right at home with Kinect controls, while others feel like a bit of a stretch. Get it? Stretch! Sports reference! Ah never mind.

Skiing is probably the easiest of all the sports to play. Leaning left or right moves your skier on the hill….

Make no mistake about it, we are in the midst of the holiday rush. Review copies of games continue to pile up in the office screaming out to be played. Yet I find myself playing one title over and over again. I know, I should be playing other titles but every time I open a new game up I find myself putting batman Arkham City back into my console telling myself “just another hour”. The next thing I know it’s time to call it a night. Yes, Batman Arkham City is that good. It’s not perfect, but damn it’s good!

Two years ago Rocksteady created a solid fan base with its release of Batman Arkham Asylum. Solid gameplay and fantastic voice acing brought characters from the Batman universe to life. Batman Arkham City builds on that solid foundation.

While Arkham Asylum focused mainly on the Asylum itself, Batman Arkham City allows you to explore a bit more of Gotham. Let’s be clear, this is no Grand Theft Auto. While the city is a decent size, it’s by no means gigantic….

To call Gears of War 3 one of the most anticipated games of the year for the Xbox 360 is a bit of an understatement. Microsoft has been throwing Gears parties for months to create a frenzy and it appears their work is paying off. More than one million copies of the game have already been pre-ordered which is understandable. This is after all the final installment in the franchise, at least for this story arc.

What began as a new startup franchise five years ago in 2006 is about to come to a dramatic end. Gears of War 3 marks the end of the trilogy, the end of a surprisingly emotional story that has captivated fans around the globe. So how do you wrap up such a beloved series? With a bang.

Gears of War 3 provides answers to those pressing questions that have plagued fans from the beginning of the series; a better understanding of the overall Gears universe. What lead to Emergence Day, what became of Carmine and protagonist Marcus Fenix’s father. That alone will be enough…

In the crowded videogame market it’s important to distinguish yourself against the competition. Some games come out with unique features, some with bonus content, and others rely on a concept that is so bizarre their game stands out from others in the genre. Driver San Francisco falls into the latter category.

Here’s how it plays out. A cop gets into a near-fatal car accident. As paramedics try and revive him he has an out of body experience and discovers he can shift into other people’s bodies, taking control of them. This sets the scene for one of the most unique driving games I have ever experienced on a console. On paper it sounds bizarre, yet I was pleasantly surprised to find it’s just crazy enough to work.

Driver San Francisco is the fourth game in the Driver franchise. The story brings undercover cop John Tanner back against his nemesis Jericho, the same villain he sparred with in the last game. Jericho has escaped from jail and it’s up to you and your partner to track him down. A…

Nearly six million people around the globe have seen the trailer for Dead Island. There is no denying it is easily one of the most compelling, dramatic trailers for a video game ever produced.  A family vacationing on a island paradise fighting for their lives against a horde of zombies, played in reverse in slow motion set to dramatic music. It’s a marketing masterpiece which got not only gamers talking, but the general public.

There’s always a danger when you produce something so buzz worthy. It’s the same trap movies fall into. Can a title live up to the hype created by the trailer? In the case of Dead Island it certainly comes close, but falls a bit short.

Chaos and carnage has taken over the Royal Palms Resort on the tropical island of Banoi. A contagious zombie outbreak has sent the island into a frenzy. There are a few survivors, and those who are left are looking to you for help. For some reason you and three other tourists seem to be immune to zombification. It’s up to…

Nathan Hale is dead. The man who lead the war against the Chimera has now fallen victim to the virus he fought so valiantly against. Now a new man must pick up the fight.

It’s an interesting way to kick off the third installment to a widely popular video game franchise; kill off the main character which people have grown to know and start fresh with someone new. Yet Insomniac has chosen to do just that in Resistance 3.

Earth has been over run by the Chimera. 90% of the planet’s population has been killed and those who remain live in hidden colonies scattered across the globe. Humans are getting used to their new way of life, but nothing has prepared them for the biggest change yet to come. The Chimera are slowly changing the Earth’s environment. Terraformers have been brought in to cool down the planet’s temperature to make it more hospitable for the invading species to live. The temperature is becoming unbearable for humans. Now Joseph Capelli must begrudgingly pick up the fight, leave his family,…

With summer comes the annual gaming drought. Developers typically hold off until the holiday season before releasing their big titles to ensure they don’t miss the Christmas sales blitz. But as summer draws to an end, we’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The games are slowly starting to arrive.

Eidos Montreal, a fledgling studio, has just released its first project to the gaming world. Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a prequel in the fan favourite Deus Ex series. The franchise has a devote following; after all the series brought about many firsts. Deus Ex was one of the first titles to mix the first person shooter genre with RPG elements, allow players to explore multiple paths and introduce the idea of choice equals consequence.

Fans are ravenous for a look at what has happened to their beloved franchise since the last installment hit stores some eight years ago. Eidos Montreal certainly has some high expectations to meet. So does it deliver with Deus Ex: Human Revolution? Oh boy does…

My heart is racing. I can hear the cries as they approach my position. My finger rests on the trigger, anticipating what is about to come over the ridge. Just how many there are is anyone’s guess. That’s when I see it, the first red flag appears in the distance. That’s when I open fire. One by one they begin to fall. I love the smell of plastic in the morning.

Toy Soldiers: Cold War is the follow-up to Signal Studios 2010 Xbox Live hit. The game asks the question what would have happened if the tension between the US and Russia escalated far beyond what it did in the 1980′s. A full out war? Perhaps, but this war is taking place in the safety of your home…with plastic toys.

The game is a real-time strategy title at it’s core, crossed with a first person shooter. You have a toy box in which you have to guard from the enemy, which will launch a wave of attacks. You must place everything…

Whenever a game arrives in the office that is based on a movie a hush falls across the room. Video game reviewers know all to well the consequences of reviewing such a game. They’re typically rushed to market in an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of a known franchise. Developers often complain they didn’t have a lot of time to polish the game mechanics and as a result the entire experience falls flat. The person stuck reviewing the title must spend five or six hours slogging through a game that is more tedious than enjoyable.

It just so happens a new Phineas and Ferb movie has just landed on Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel, and right along with it a new game. Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension plays out just like the movie, but does it fall into the same trap other movie tie-in games do? That depends.

Phineas and Ferb have found themselves stuck in another dimension. You must find enough power to fire up the Other-dimensionator…

As I type away on my laptop a dull throb is radiating down my upper right arm. The pain has been there for two days now and is only starting to subside now that I have abandoned my Xbox. My training to become a ninja has been thwarted, defeated by mere pieces of fruit.

Last year Halfbrick Studios took the mobile gaming world by storm with the release of Fruit Ninja for the iPhone. Gamers across the globe sliced and diced fruit by swiping their fingers across their screens. Now the blockbuster game has come to the Xbox 360, to recruit a new batch of ninjas. But just how well does it translate from mobile phone to console? Surprisingly well.

Playing Fruit Ninja on the iPhone was easy. All you had to do was swipe your finger to slice fruit thrown up in the air, dodge the occasional bomb and make sure you don’t miss more than 3 pieces of produce. If you succeeded you became a legendary finger ninja. The Kinect version of Fruit Ninja isn’t much…

The iPhone 4 has a pretty amazing built-in camera. But if there was an Achilles heel it would have to be the digital zoom. Like many smartphones on the market it’s hard to get a nice closeup shot of something unless you are standing relatively close. Sure the digital zoom can help you get a closer shot but you certainly sacrifice picture quality as your image can become quite pixelated. So when I saw Photojojo’s Telephoto iPhone lens I was intrigued!

The lens promises to get you up close and personal to your subject “like having a Sigma 500 for your iPhone”. In layman’s terms you can get 8 times the zoom without having to resort to using digital zoom. Sounds impressive, but how well does it actually work?

When the lens arrived I was immediately impressed by the packaging. Despite the budget price it wasn’t in a clam shell package, rather a sturdy box with plenty of protective material inside. I quickly took out all the contents to see what it came with and noticed something was missing…instructions. I know, I’m a guy I shouldn’t read instructions,…

It’s been a long time since I played an old-school side scrolling shooter. And while it would be easy to lump Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet (ITSP) into this category, gamers will soon find out there is much more to this game than meets the eye.

FuelCell Games has created a game which blends multiple genres. Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet can best be described as the lovechild of Gradius and Metroid. While you’ll have to keep your finger on the trigger at all times you’ll also spend much of the journey searching for hidden passages and power-ups to help you progress through the planet’s maze-like environment.

A dark spore has infected what was once a bright vibrant planet. Darkness has spread across the land, bringing with it mysterious organic creatures which are anything but friendly. Y0u get the task of hoping into your spaceship and exploring the planet to figure out how to stop the infestation.

The story is told with absolutely no narrative. Instead of hearing a narrator’s voice or reading…

On the market for a tablet? Having a hard time deciding on which one to buy? Trust us, you’re not alone. It wasn’t too long ago when Apple was the only name to look for when purchasing a tablet. Now it seems as though a new tablet is hitting the market every two weeks or so. The latest comes from HP.

HP’s TouchPad strays from the pack by showcasing its very own operating system. Refusing to be lumped in with all the Google tablets, HP has decided to take its WebOS used in the Palm Pre phones and show us what it can do on a tablet. Which begs the question, is it any good?

The Design

The HP TouchPad looks very similar to many of the tablets on the market these days. The design is stylish yet basic. On the front you have a 9.7-inch diagonal, LED-backlit, glossy multi-touch display surrounded by a black bezel. At the top you’ll find a 1.3MP camera. At the bottom you’ll find a home button similar to what is found on the iPad.

The rear of the TouchPad is made from thick plastic which…

When it comes to home audio, especially home theater speakers, it’s easy to have the mindset that bigger is better. After all, the bigger the speakers the more sound they can produce. While the latter may be true we have to admit we were intrigued by Orb Audio’s offerings.

Orb Audio uses the slogan “Small speakers for smart people”. You can’t deny the speakers are small, but are they a smart purchase? We put them to the test to find out.

Orb Audio isn’t the first company to come out with so-called “high end” compact speakers. Heck, Bose has been doing it for years. But what Orb does have that Bose and other companies don’t is a unique eye-catching design. Each speaker is a sphere, crafted out of metal. A variety of colours can be purchased depending on the decor of your room.

Since the speakers are round they do not sit very well on their own. You need a small metal stand (which is included with your purchase) in order for the speakers to sit properly on…

It’s quite clear Suda 51 doesn’t think like the rest of us. Not many game designers would have the balls to design a holy cross which resembles male genitalia, show demons eating a woman’s vagina or have a hero crawl into a women’s behind to enter the next level of the game. No this is not Duke Nukem Forever, this is the latest twisted creation from Suda 51.

Notorious for his phallic symbols in his games, Suda 51 has just released what is truly one of the most bizarre and twisted games I have played in months. Shadows of the Damned will not only scare the Bejezus out of you, but make you second guess what you just saw and heard. “Taste my big boner!” Um, I’ll explain that in a bit.

Shadows of the Damned follows Mexican demon hunter Garcia Hotspur who travels to the depths of Hell to bring back his true love.  Paula hangs herself in your bedroom and her soul is whisked away to Hell by one of the main demons of the underworld. With no…

I love eBook readers. They are hands down one of my favourite summertime gadgets. The fact that I don’t have to lug around paperbacks (or hardcover books) with me when I travel means that I don’t have to pay fees for overweight luggage.

I’ve tried the original Kobo eReader and I’ll be honest it was not my favourite eBook reader on the market. It was a bit sluggish and felt cheap. The light hollow plastic feel and the slow refresh rate simply didn’t stand up to other eReaders on the market in my opinion. So how does Kobo’s latest model fare? Read our review to find out.

The first thing you’ll notice is just how small and light this reader is. It’s easily one of the smallest and lightest eReaders on the market today. Dimensions run at 6.5 inches by 4.5 inches by 0.39 inch while the reader weighs a mere 200 grams. Its compact size means you can slip the eReader into the breast pocket of a suit jacket or place it in a purse without adding much bulk or weight.

The back of the Kobo…

“It’s time for tea Alice!” With that classic line the Mad Hatter lifts up a tea cup in one hand pushes it towards the lips of one of his guests. Both the Dormouse and the March Hare lay awkwardly at the Mad hatter’s side, neither one moving a hair as the Mad Hatter insists they drink. The guests remain quiet, after all you can’t speak when you’re dead. Yet the Hatter continues to pour tea down the March Hare’s throat, ignoring the fact that his guests are only corpses, victims of Alice’s rage.

This is the twisted vision of Wonderland American McGee brings to console gamers for the first time in Alice: Madness Returns, the follow-up to the cult classic Alice released for the PC back in 2000. The game sold more than one million copies and became a collector’s item. It’s easy to see why. The dark take on the classic children’s tale showed us a side of Alice Disney would never allow.

McGee’s follow-up is just as dark and demented as the original game, yet it’s not the perfect…

Geometry Wars on Acid. That’s the only way to accurately describe Child of Eden, Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s follow-up to the highly acclaimed Rez for the Dreamcast and PS2. It’s a psychedelic shooter which will have your jaw dropping and your eyes bugging out of your head.

The story is a hard one to follow. Scientists are attempting to create artificial life within a futuristic version of the Internet. Within the system are memories from Lumi, the very first human born in space. Unfortunately those memories are under attack by a virus. You must enter the system and ‘purify’ the parasites. Clear as mud?

The story really doesn’t matter here. What really matters is the experience which you embark upon. Child of Eden is arguably more of an experience than an actual game. You shoot enemy parasites as you float through a neon wonderland filled with electronica beats. As you destroy each parasite a musical tone is released adding to the musical soundtrack.

You have two different weapons…

I’m a firm believer in Karma. What comes around goes around. Maybe that’s why I find it so hard to do the devious deeds I’m tempted to do in inFamous 2. I hate street performers, yet I can’t muster up the courage to electrocute one. And I can’t stand by as the Militia escorts civilians in New Marais to their death. I always step in and play the hero. Unfortunately I know this means I’m missing out on half the fun that is to be found inFAMOUS 2.

The story picks up a few months after inFAMOUS with Cole MacGrath nearly dying at the hands of The Beast. Cole doesn’t have the power he needs to destroy the molten-lava giant. To do that he must make the trip to New Marais, which sets the scene for this new adventure.

If you’ve played inFAMOUS then you’ll have a slight advantage over everyone else. You can import your save data from the first game. How you did and whether you were “good” or “bad” will determine what bonuses you start with. I…

The idea behind Rockstar’s LA Noire is certainly an ambitious one; create a bold open-world detective style thriller set in the 1940′s which looks at the dark and seedy underside of Hollywood. The development team spent countless hours going over real life crimes of the period to ensure the stories seemed believable. Not only did the they want to create an adventure game, they also wanted to put the player in the shoes of a detective, having them solve crimes based on the clues they uncovered.

So does Rockstar deliver with LA Noire, or does it tread down a road best left untraveled in a videogame? Read our review to to find what we loved…and what we felt needed more polish.

Your name is Cole Phelps, an LAPD officer who served during the Second World War. Essentially you are a war hero. You will work your way through the ranks of the LAPD from the desk to traffic, homicide and up to arson investigator. The only way to advance is to…

They call it The Ark; a self-sustaining utopia floating in the middle of the ocean. It was an engineer’s dream; a city of the future built out of material stronger than concrete yet light enough to float. But that dream was shattered when the oceans began to rise.

Turns out Scientists were right about global warming. The oceans swallowed up the Earth forcing everyone to flee to The Ark. Temporary islands were created to accommodate the tens of thousands of people who showed up to the last remaining city on earth. Now, decades later The Ark is wearing out. Things are breaking down, disease is spreading and residents are becoming unruly. A resistance has formed which wants to seize power and see if life exists off The Ark.

The choice is yours. Will you try and maintain order on The Ark or join the resistance to see if life exists off the island.

The story is just as unique as the style of game Bethesda and Splash Damage are trying to create. A multiplayer game that incorporates class-based…

Disney continues to milk the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. A fourth movie is about to hit theaters and along with it a brand new video game. But unlike game movie tie-ins this one is based on a tried and true formula.

The LEGO series of video games have been wildly successful. They are light-hearted, fun and filled with incredibly addictive gameplay. But another reason they seem to fly off the shelves is they piggyback on some of the most beloved movie franchises. Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter; they all lend themselves to the whimsical stylings of a LEGO game. Pirates of the Caribbean is no different.

Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Captain Hector Barbossa and the rest of the cast are hitting your favourite console. Will it follow in the footsteps of other great LEGO games, or is this the first in the franchise history to be forced to walk the plank?

When you think about it Pirates of the Caribbean is a perfect fit for the LEGO franchise. The movies are filled with humour and wit which is…

There’s no denying Sony’s Motorstorm: Apocalypse has had a rough start. When we first laid hands on the game back in February everything was looking great. The game was looking slick, fans of the series were excited, and the launch details were being finalized. Who could have predicted what was to happen.

A devastating earthquake hit Japan, followed by a tsunami which inevitably delayed the North American launch (good call on Sony’s part). Then when it finally hits store shelves Sony’s PSN was forced offline by hackers, preventing gamers from playing online with friends.

The launch certainly hasn’t been ideal, but should that deter you from buying into this high octane franchise? Read our review to find out.

The end of the world is upon us. A massive earthquake has hit a fictional city. Buildings have collapsed, bridges have crumbled and aftershocks still rock what’s left. As citizens flee the area, the Motorstormers are racing in, turning the city into their playground for an extreme racing festival. Yes, the story is a bit far-fetched but it certainly sets the stage from…

At long last the Playstation phone has arrived! Yes, the phone that has been fueling rumours for months has finally seen the light of day and is now available in stores on multiple carriers.

The Xperia Play (the official name) is being called the first smartphone for gamers. It features the familiar Playstation control scheme many of us are familiar with and is the first Playstation certified smartphone on the market.

You’ve heard the hype, you’ve seen the specs, but does the legendary Playstation phone live up to the expectations? Read our review to find out.

The Design

The Xperia Play has a design which will be familiar to those who have owned some of the more recent Sony Ericsson handsets. In fact it borrows, many features from both the X10 and the Arc.

The front face is comprised of a 4″ touchscreen which is surrounded by a black (or white) bezel. Instead of the typical three button configuration at the bottom of the screen, the Xperia Play features four buttons. Sony Ericsson has added a universal search button for easier navigation, something I’m a big fan of.

When you turn the…

Research in Motion used to sit at the top of the heap when it came to the smartphone market. But over the years both Apple, and Google have nibbled away at their lead, eventually knocking them into third place. The Canadian company has tried to reinvent the BlackBerry making touchscreen models and eventually updating its outdated operating system but has only had mixed success. Now it’s setting its sites on another venture, the tablet market.

The BlackBerry PlayBook is being marketed as the first professional-grade tablet. It has a few features which we haven’t seen on any other tablet to date. But it is also missing a few things. So was the PlayBook a smart play for RIM? Read our review to find out.

The Design

There is no doubt about it, the BlackBerry PlayBook is a real head-turner. It’s has an executive design which most will find appealing.

The PlayBook has a very clean look. The front face has no buttons, only the glass screen with the BlackBerry logo emblazoned prominently on the bottom. The outer edges are squared off but slightly rounded which gives it a nice solid…

Anyone who tried the full portion of Half-Life 2 and its two episodes along with Team Fortress in Valve’s massive Orange Box release back in 2007 had to get their piece of cake with Portal, the smaller puzzle game included in the package. What people didn’t realize until playing it, was that Portal was crammed with more personality than most stand-alone titles running at full price.

Portal 2 is more than just the sum of its parts. It’s an exhilarating, cohesive experience that is fun from the start until the bitter end, and that includes both the single player campaign and the co-op portions, which are both separate and slightly woven together in the same package. And it’s the best game I’ve ever played.

The Story

Players new to the franchise might find themselves a little wobbly off the bat when it comes to the story elements of Portal 2. Experienced gamers who played the first title all the way through will get a few more of the in-jokes that run throughout the course of the game. But that’s not to…

Hard to believe it’s only been a year since the infamous Google Phone first hit the North American market. The Nexus One had many nice features but Google’s decision to sell it online instead of purchasing the handset through carriers was an obvious mistake. The phone didn’t sell nearly as well as it probably could have. Fast forward one year and we now have a true successor to the Nexus One, this time offered through multiple carriers in the US and Canada.

Is it a worthy follow-up? Read our review to find out.

The Samsung Nexus S has a very sleek profile. It’s surprisingly thin at only 10.88mm and weighs a mere 129 grams. The front glass is slightly curved at the top and bottom making it feel quite nice when held up to the face to talk. However since the phone is so light and the backing is made of plastic it tends to feel like it’s cheaply made.

Google claims the front glass has an Anti-fingerprint coating and is much easier to read in the sun than many other smartphones…

While Nintendo focused on the younger audience with its 3DS launch titles, Capcom took a different strategy by targeting the more seasoned gamer by releasing a 3D version of its hit Super Street Fighter IV.

Street Fighter is without a doubt a fan favourite franchise. You know exactly what you’re going to get with this fighter. Classic characters, familiar moves, and a surprisingly deep experience. And as cheesy as it may sound, that experience becomes even deeper when you take it into the 3rd dimension.

Those who have played Street Fighter in the past (and lets be honest, who hasn’t) is going to feel right at home when you pick up the 3DS version. All 35 characters from previous console titles are here, ready to be played. You don’t have to worry about unlocking any of them. All of the characters are ready to play from the moment you press start.

Each character has their own story line. They’re by no means good or entertaining story lines, but what…

Launch titles for new hardware should showcase the shiny, especially if it’s new, technology. As we’ve seen with Kinect, that’s rarely the case. I fear that is the same for the Nintendo 3DS.

I know Nintendogs + Cats (3DS) is meant for kids, but do the puppies and the kittens hold any interest for us older folks?

The Gameplay
If you’ve played any flavour of Nintendogs (or even an old school tamagotchi), you’ll know the routine. Pick your doggie from the kennel and proceed to interact with it. Teach Fido to come when you call his (or her) name, roll over on command, shake hands, and other tricks. And then make money in the two competitions to keep your pet in shampoo and biscuits.

A highlight of this game was naming my husky a rude word and having him come over to me every time I swore. Yes, I’m 12.

The other activities, such as teaching him to shake or roll over,…

Steel Diver is one of Nintendo’s 3 launch titles for their brand new handheld, the 3DS. The game itself isn’t a simulation of hardcore submarine tactics as most titles in the genre are, but rather takes a slimmed down approach as you navigate treacherous trenches and deal with homing-torpedo wielding enemies. Out of the glut of 3DS launch titles, does Steel Diver deserve your launch money?

“In the year 19XX”, is how this story unfolds, but all you’ll really need to know is that it’s up to you to pilot your sub through 10 missions of escalating difficulty, choosing from 3 different subs from the start of each level. The smallest sub is maneuverable but doesn’t sport some of the steering options or firepower of the other 2 larger vessels, so it’s up to you to decide how to tackle each of the timed missions.

The gameplay is entirely driven by your new collapsible 3DS stylus. While the top screen shows your progress through…

The cellphone and MP3-player accessories area of CES 2011 was a massive expanse of rubber, plastic, and metal where one is forgiven for thinking they just saw the same thing 40 steps prior. You learn to not stop at every booth because there simply isn’t enough time–just scan and stop if something catches your eye. And if someone shoves something into your hand, just take it, grab the media kit, and keep on walking. And when you return home, you have a bag of accessories… some that might even fit your own gadgets.

Once you sort through them and start popping a few accessories onto your gadgets, some don’t even last a day. They’re either not really that notable, don’t work as advertised, or simply not an accessory you don’t want to be caught using in public.

But there’s one accessory I have from CES 2011 that I put on my iPhone after returning home and it’s never come off. This accessory has become more than just something I review, it’s become my iPhone case, and I won’t change it out for anything else.

So let me tell you about the eco-friendly,…

It seems fitting Nintendo has chosen Pilotwings Resort as one of the launch games for the Nintendo 3DS. Pilotwings was one of the original launch titles for the SNES back in 1991 and helped launch the Nintendo 64 in 1996 with its updated pseudo-3D Mode 7 graphics. So why not use the franchise to launch yet another console, this time the Nintendo 3DS.

Pilotwings Resort is a simple yet addictive flight simulator set on Wuhu Island, the star of Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit Plus. You choose between a plane, rocket belt or hang glider and then select the challenge you want to take on.

The missions start out fairly easy. At first you’ll fly through rings and shoot targets while soaring across the island. Later the difficulty will increase as must maneuver through small tunnels and douse fires burning on the beach.

This is one of the first titles on the Nintendo 3DS where you can use your Mii as your main character. You can create…

Apple calls it the “amazing” tablet that’s hard to put down. The iPad 2 has finally come to Canada with new features and a new design. I was lucky enough to get my hands on the new tablet a few days before launch courtesy of Apple. I’ve played with the new features, tried out the cameras and even played a few levels of Angry Birds Rio on the device. So how does it compare to the first version? Read my review to find out.

The Design

Apple likes to say the iPad 2 is completely re-designed. While it’s true some changes have been made but I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a complete overhaul.

To begin with now have a choice of colours. Instead of just black, Apple is releasing the highly talked about white version. Yes, a white version at launch. I have the white iPad 2 and yes it is nice. But I will point out, it creates a definite border around your screen. A black version makes the screen feel slightly larger especially when watching movies or playing games with dark backgrounds. It’s an optical…

The era of portable 3D entertainment is upon us. After nearly a year of teasing, Nintendo’s 3DS handheld is about to hit stores.

Having a true 3D experience has always required glasses but Nintendo has somehow created a device which will display 3D images with no glasses whatsoever. 3D gaming, 3D photos, 3D movies… it’s all on the Nintendo 3DS. Add to that a suite of new features and functionality and you can see Nintendo is aiming to hit this one out of the ballpark.

In theory the system sounds great but the real question is how well the 3D games look. Does the 3D experience really come across, or is this simply another gimmick to sell consoles? Are there enough new features to warrant upgrading from a DS or DSi? Nintendo sent us out a 3DS so we can formulate our own opinion on it. Read and our review to find out if the 3DS is the handheld system for you.

The Design

While the Nintendo 3DS is a brand new handheld, it’s clear the company behind it isn’t turning it’s back on what got them to where they are today….

When you hear the name ViewSonic you probably think of computer monitors. The three parrots huddled together is as a logo many of us have stared at as we type away on our computers. But did you know they also make tablets? Well they do now.

ViewSonic has jumped head first into the tablet market with a new 7 inch tablet called the Viewpad 7. Stealing its looks from the iPhone and functionality of the Samsung Galaxy Tab, the Viewpad is certainly a budget friendly entry into the market. But how well does it stand up to the competition? Read our review to find out.

The Design

As mentioned above, the Viewpad 7 takes on a very familiar look. Glass on the front and back with black bezel nestled in a silver frame makes it look very much like an iPhone 4.

Along the right hand side of the front (the tablet is meant to be held horizontal) you’ll find 4 touch sensitive buttons (back, search, home and settings). You’ll also notice a small camera in the top right corner; one of two cameras on this unit. The other camera…

The Hipbox is a compact speaker solution by Pure Acoustics and promises to be at your side at all times. We first got our hands on it in Vegas during CES earlier this year, but now we’ve had the chance to put it through rigorous and utterly scientific testing in our Review Lab.  Some interesting options promise that the Hipbox is looking to compete in the cluttered world of portable audio. Does the Hipbox bring anything new to the table?

The Look And Feel

The Hipbox is sleek and light, making it very easy to carry around with you, whether packed away or in-hand. The sleek shape fits your hand well with control buttons (play, mute, skip, volume, etc) thumb-spaced on the front of the unit for easy manipulation. One side houses the inputs for audio and cords for charging.

The lithium battery gives you a good 4 hours of playback, depending on how much you’re using the controls. If you leave it on without playing anything, you’ll get more life out the batteries, which is great. That is to…

Two years ago PC and Mac users scoured the dungeons and caves below the town of Torchlight gathering gold, and loot while battling hordes of monsters. The endless supply of weapons and treasure made this title dungeon crawling at its best. And now we have the opportunity to return to Torchlight yet again, this time on the Xbox 360.

If you’ve played the original you will no doubt be wondering how a PC game like Torchlight translates to the console. The inventory system was complex, and there is a myriad of magical spells to manage. It seems like a recipe for disaster. But thanks to a bit of tweaking, we’re happy to report Torchlight on Xbox Live Arcade works. Yet it certainly isn’t for everyone.

The focus of Torchlight isn’t the story, it’s all about the loot. The town acts as a center hub where you can gear up before heading out to gather treasure and slay monsters. The town is sparsely populated. The few people who are…

And now we know why it was called Dragon Age: Origins.

The purpose of the first game, while covering the familiar trope of hero saving the world, was an exercise in world-building to introduce gamers to the environs of Dragon Age. We finally see that hard work pay off in this sequel.

This game benefits from your knowledge of the first game, both in terms of your previous game save from DA:O as well as your familiarity with the major conflicts in the world. Events or rivalries that were touched on in the first game are revisited here in more depth. And you get to make tough choices about what happens next.

I don’t want to spoil the review, but the score of 8.5 is based on the fact that I don’t enjoy the combat system (whether it’s in this game or other RPGs of this type). But given that I don’t enjoy a major aspect of the game and still gave it an 8.5 should indicate how strong the other features are. So if you did enjoyed the combat…