It took several public demonstrations to convey what LittleBigPlanet was all about. After it was all said and done, I was convinced that this was the Lego set for the gaming generation. The opportunity to easily build a 2D platformer with relative ease sounded like an excellent opportunity to flex creative muscles. Then to find out that there would be a method of sharing these creations with others; the potential to be amazed and floored by the talent of the world was there. Media Molecule undoubtedly created a unique product for the home console market, but can it resonate with the masses? Can someone merely be a player of LittleBigPlanet and completely ignore the construction aspect of the game? I took the time to contemplate all of that and more.

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I found Resistance: Fall of Man, to be a competent shooter. I didn’t think it was terrible, but it wasn’t a mind blowing experience either. Insomniac Games’ Resistance 2 was poised to improve over its predecessor in every way, and for the most part, it did. An improved single player campaign, a more robust cooperative element and an impressive 60 player online multiplayer component was crammed into a single Blu-ray disc. Despite all of that, is simply being better than Resistance: Fall of Man enough to warrant your hard earned dollars? It depends.

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I couldn’t play Slant Six’s SOCOM: Confrontation for more than 40 minutes. Not because it was a bad game. I just couldn’t put my PS3 through the torture of system freezes and consequently, I didn’t want to waste my time with this buggy mess. If you’re a SOCOM fan, you’re not going to find many kind words here. I didn’t purchase the SOCOM: Confrontation headset bundle for SOCOM; I bought it for the official PlayStation headset. This review isn’t for the fans, it’s for those of you who can’t decide whether or not to spend the extra $10 CAD or just save it and pick up the Bluetooth headset by its lonesome. Let’s get started with this “review”. Slant Six and Sony rushed this game out of the door and I’m doing the same for this review.

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With all the fuss over high development costs associated with high definition gaming, it’s quite difficult to find a game which focuses solely on providing a super refined and well executed high definition experience. It’s even more difficult to find a game like this and have it debut at $19.99 CAD. Well, the search is over since Sony Computer Entertainment’s WipEout HD is finally here! It falls in line with everything I mentioned and could be my personal downloadable title of 2008.

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The Nintendo Entertainment System is the cradle for many fantastic games and since I did not have the privilege of owning one, I missed out on a lot. Capcom’s Bionic Commando was one of those missed opportunities. To be perfectly honest, I never even heard about Bionic Commando prior to the announcement of the remake, Bionic Commando: Rearmed. A platformer which didn’t have jump function, but employed an effective and fun swinging mechanic? Alright. That sounds a bit crazy, but I’m willing to put down $9.99 CAD for it and now that I’ve played it, I believe all of you should too.

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Here’s something you don’t see every day: a $14.99 CAD downloadable game with the production values of a $59.99 CAD game. The catch with Insomniac’s Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty is that this pint sized version of Ratchet & Clank is a mere three to four hours in length. It’s a title that is treading new ground for console downloadable titles, but is this worth your time and hard earned fifteen bucks? Well that depends on how much you adore the Lombax.

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Back in 1999, the original SoulCalibur was the reason numerous gamers purchased the Sega Dreamcast. I spent a lot of time with SoulCalibur. I even spent a month playing the classic weapon oriented fighter just before Namco Bandai’s SoulCalibur IV arrived. The sequels debuted during the waning years of the fighting genre and thus I merely dabbled into them. Fortunately, those dark days are coming to an end and fighting games are making a triumphant return this year. SoulCalibur IV is amongst the first out of the gate, but would the fourth installment of this revered 3D fighter make a lasting impression? Or will it be more of the same? We know online support is included, but does it work? Simple answer: Yes, it’s all that and a bit more.

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LTTP or ‘late to the party’ pieces are opportunities for us to catch up and write about games we missed out on the first time around. They may contain spoilers.

It’s rare for me to pick up a console at its launch. To me, the games available at that time aren’t worth picking up and thus I ignored Resistance: Fall of Man when I finally picked up my 60 GB PS3 in mid-2007. The consensus for Insomniac’s first person shooter was “generally favorable“, but despite the praise, I didn’t deem it worthy of a $59.99 CAD price tag. With Resistance 2 on its way and my new appreciation for Insomniac’s work after the fantastic Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction, I thought it would be a prime opportunity to play through Resistance: Fall of Man. So, I got my hands on the game via other means. Through a trade via CheapAssGamer no less! Let’s see if I made a good trade.

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Behind the shadows of summer blockbusters such as Ninja Gaiden 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4, is a game which needs no introduction, but instead needs some clarification. Dragon Ball Z games have become an annual affair for Namco Bandai and Atari, and I don’t blame folks for not knowing which installment is worth their time. This year’s installment is brought to us by DBZ: Budokai 3’s developer, Dimps. It’s been awhile since Dimps made a Dragon Ball game, so let’s see if they’ve managed to make Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit worth your while.

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The fourth installment of the original stealth action franchise brings the legendary hero’s saga to an end. As a fan who loves this series, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is my most anticipated game of the year and quite possibly, ever. I purchased a PlayStation 3 for this game. In fact, you could say I assembled my entire home entertainment system in preparation for Snake’s final mission. The expectations are high with the folks at Sony, Konami, loyal followers and critics alike anticipating nothing, but the best from Kojima Productions. I don’t know if it rocked the sales charts or silenced the critics, but I do know it spoke to me and delivered an extremely satisfying gaming experience.

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