Loading ...Archive for March, 2010
March 26th, 2010 | 
Author: 
Andy's City...she's sleeping.
The Toronto Public is seeking to get reluctant readers (ie. young boys) back into the realm of literature by offering video games across its shelves. The allowance of Manga and Graphics Novels in the classroom and library has significantly improved reading amongst young boys.
The program is already in full swing in other provinces in Canada and in New York - while it is more like a rental service than anything else, it is the first step to video games becoming more accepted as “fiction” works.
The Toronto Star writes:
“Make room, Holden Caulfield and Huck Finn, Sonic the Hedgehog is moving in…There’s method in what sounds like madness for a library: Players can learn literacy and problem-solving skills through the games themselves, while the gaming programs will convert the library into a hub for youths who would otherwise never consider entering one.”
If the program takes off the ground, the collection will start at a 150 titles. I hope they choose DS games as that will get younger kids into the library who have a chance of becoming life-long readers.
If the program was concerned about the “classic” video game experiences what would you choose? I got my list of five after the jump: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in 
I would have never thought it but the embiggened version of the DSi is actually pretty boss. It totally makes the graphics pop and the text is now a 1000x times more readable.
Any concerns about graphics being overstretched and ugly are unfounded. For the most part the games look closer to how they were intended to be played…now I know that sounds strange but it is true.
Travis Touchdown and the Rose Nasties. Sounds like a band.
Looking for a game where bloody assassin massacres and cutesy kitten playtime are equal priorities?
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is one of the biggest, and strangest, releases for the Nintendo Wii in the first quarter of 2010. Its predecessor No More Heroes won critical acclaim back in 2008 for its adult themes and stylish visuals, but the sequel hopes to match and exceed the former in both overall design and unit sales.
Let’s get one thing straight: Desperate Struggle is about as adult a game as you can find on the Wii System – a system generally designed with Family Game Night in mind. Before you can even save for the first time the game features blood fountains, self-mutilation, sexually suggestive weaponry, and about half-a-dozen or so ‘questionable’ pieces of language not fit for print in this website (Okay, that’s a lie, but hey, there are kids around). Not a bad list. Only potty humour could make the opening any more visceral, and for that, well, just wait for the first save point. It won’t disappoint.
Playing as Travis Touchdown, the mission is to climb the ranks of the resident assassin population of Santa Destroy. Travis is basically a Japanese version of Johnny Knoxville, that is, if Knoxville was a remorseless killer in addition to being an infamous jack-ass. As blunt in his demeanour as his beam katana blade is razor-sharp, Travis ends up back on the assassin circuit, seeking vengeance for the murder of his best friend, Bishop. Read the rest of this entry »