Blog Archives
A Short Chat With 343 Industries’ Kevin Franklin On HALO 4
Since its release late last year, HALO 4 sold millions of copies worldwide and was critically acclaimed by all of gaming and mainstream media. The stellar singleplayer campaign focused on a deeper Master Chief and his relationship with Cortana along with the introduction of a new threat, while multiplayer brought back many familiar modes that HALO fans loved in War Games and introduced new modes like the episodic Spartan Ops.
I recently had a short chat with 343 industries’ Kevin Franklin, the lead designer for HALO 4 about its impact in the industry, Master Chief’s background, and the HALO Community. Check out the full interview after the break. Read the rest of this entry
Stereotypes in Gaming: Where is the Line?
“I’m like my mother. I stereotype. It’s faster.” – Ryan Bingham, Up in the Air
A few weeks ago I was at a party, and I made a joke to non-white friend based on a certain, less than pleasant racial stereotype. They were not impressed. I did not, of course, mean it in earnest, but that’s by the way. Much as I want to believe, we don’t live in a post-racial world.
I picked up Guacamelee this week and was immediately captivated. Who wouldn’t be? It’s a beautiful looking Castlevania-ish platformer with nimble gameplay. Most importantly, it’s overflowing with charm: charming characters, bad and good, charming environments, charming music, even charming boss fights. If I were writing a review, it would probably be titled: “The Charmingly Charming World of Guacamelee.”
But what’s so charming about it? Read the rest of this entry
Sleeping Dogs Coming to PlayStation Plus This Month
Great news fight fans, Sleeping Dogs, one of our favourite games of 2012 is finally coming as a free download to PlayStation Plus subscribers this month. Usually Sleeping Dogs costs about $59.99 at retail and on digital download on PSN but if you’re one of the increasing number of PS Plus subscribers, you’ll be able to download the game (along with 11+ titles) free of charge.
Developed at Vancouver’s United Front Games, Sleeping Dogs casts you as as Wei Shen, a badass undercover cop straddling the line between loyalty to his criminal family and to the badge. You’ll be traversing a fully-realized and open city of Hong Kong, playing through a mature, well-written storyline, and fight using brutal hand-to-hand techniques.
More on Sleeping Dogs after the break. Read the rest of this entry
Mass Effect Lead Writer Talks DLC, Commander Shepard, And Potential For New Stories
Mass Effect 3 was perhaps one of the biggest games developed in Canada in 2012. Despite all the fan backlash stemming from the game’s original ending, the game sold quite well and even won hundreds of awards including Best Console Game, Best Original Music and Best Writing at the Canadian Videogame Awards. All those things aside, the one thing that Mass Effect fans all agree with is that the trilogy has some of the best writing and the most memorable characters ever written.
I recently had a short chat with Mac Walters, the Lead Writer of the Mass Effect Trilogy at BioWare and the man responsible for creating Male and Female Shepard, one of the most influential game characters in the medium today. During our chat, Mac discussed fans reactions to pre-and-post Extended Cut and Citadel DLC’s, why people love and identify with Commander Shepard, and where the franchise could potentially go in the future.
Check out my full interview with Mac Walters after the break. Read the rest of this entry
Lessons in Prehistoric Love & Game Jams
I’ll start off this article by pre-empting your question with an answer – “Game Jam”. Usually comprised of several teams of 2 or 3 people, the Game Jam typically occurs over an intense weekend where programmers, artists, designers and coffee collaborate to build a game from scratch.
The purpose of Game Jams varies. Some are organized by big-name studios to foster the design process of their creative teams, allowing members a chance to develop their own ideas while still having access to top-of-the-line equipment. Others function on a local level, fostering the game development community, providing indie developers, students and artists alike a chance to network (provided they can bring their own computer). Read the rest of this entry
MOGA Pro Controller Review – A Hardcore Gamer’s Dream
Last year I was quite impressed the Power A’s MOGA Pocket controller. However, while it allowed me to play my favourite mobile games with a game controller, it had a number of issues like deadzones, battery-life, and an unreliable pivot app that annoyed me the more I used the gamepad. Thankfully, the brand-new MOGA Pro controller fixes all of the MOGA Pocket’s issues while bringing with it a few news additions that make it feel like a hardcore gamer’s dream.
Should you pick up the MOGA Pro Controller? Find out after the break. Read the rest of this entry
JTM Games Is a Finalist For The Best Business Blog Award!
Hi there JTM Nation,
I am proud to announce that JTM Games was recently chosen as a finalist for the “Best Business Blog” category at the 3rd annual Social Media Awards!
Taking place on May 7, 2013 the Social Media Awards’ goal is to identify, define, and celebrate excellence and best practices in social media today. And oh boy are we absolutely honoured and thrilled to be included in it.
But really, we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you guys, the JTM Nation who’ve been with us throughout this journey. What started out as an outlet for one nerdy guy to talk about video games turned into a full-blown game industry blog with extremely passionate, knowledgeable, and hard-working writers, a lot of great friends in the awesome WordPress/Drupal/Blogging communities, and a community who love the Canadian game industry and indie scene as much as we do.
If there’s anything I learned from this experience is that social media gives even the smallest guy a voice in an overpopulated world. Through hard work, determination, a lot of sleepless nights, and a positive attitude, we can speak out and create special things that can hopefully be of service to the people around us.
A big thank you to everyone at the Social Media Awards for giving us this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And most importantly, to our fellow bloggers, community, and friends, thank you very much for all of your support and guidance.
Jan Hutchings
Founder/Senior Editor – JTM Games
To check out the other award categories for the Social Media Awards, check out the event’s finalist page.
The 2013 Canadian Videogame Awards Red Carpet Gallery
Michael Mando (Vaas in Far Cry 3) at the CVA Red Carpet.
As you might have read in one of our earlier posts, April 20th was the night of the fourth annual Canadian Videogame Awards. And like many award shows, there’s a customary red carpet gala for the presenters, nominees, and special guests. Fellow JTM editor Lee Guille and I were there to cover not only the event itself but the red carpet as well.
The event saw the CVA’s host and Deus Ex: Human Revolution voice actor Elias Toufexis, Mass Effect 3′s Jennifer Hale and Mark Meer, Far Cry 3′s Michael Mando (voice of the crazy Vaas), Electric Playground’s Victor Lucas, and many more. One thing was for sure, the Canada’s game community, developers, publishers and fans all came to support the Canadian video game industry’s night of celebration.
Check out the CVA 2013 red carpet gallery after the break.
Electric Playground’s Victor Lucas Talks CVA, Elias Toufexis, and Indie Games
The fourth annual Canadian Videogame Awards (CVA) took place on Saturday April 20th and showcased the great Canadian talent behind some of the biggest games of 2012. From Ubisoft’s Far Cry 3 to Klei Entertainment’s Mark of the Ninja, Canadians were able to meet and celebrate the people that collaborate to make these great games.
We recently had a chance to talk to Canadian Videogame Awards Co-founder and Electric Playground host Victor Lucas just before the awards ceremony where he discussed the CVA, choosing Elias Toufexis as the host, and the rise of Indie Games. Check out the full interview with Victor after the break. Read the rest of this entry
And The 2013 Canadian Videogame Award Winners Are…
Well, we just came back to the hotel after a crazy night at the fourth annual Canadian Videogame Awards and oh boy was it ever a blast. Not only did it put a spotlight on amazing Canadian-developed games, it also showcased the talented studios and people behind them.
Let me tell you, the competition this year was the fiercest it’s ever been. Indie breakout hits like Mark of the Ninja, Papo & Yo, and Sound Shapes faced off with Triple-A heavy hitters like Far Cry 3, Assassin’s Creed 3, and Sleeping Dogs in awards categories that blurred the line between Indie and big budget productions.
Our own pick for 2012′s Best Overall Shooter – Far Cry 3 took home six awards including the coveted Game of the Year, Mass Effect 3 won Best Console Game and two others, while Mark of the Ninja stood out of the indie scene with their two award wins including Best Indie Game.
Hit the jump for the full list of winners and nominees at the Canadian Videogame Awards. Read the rest of this entry
