For those who don’t know me, my name is Keadin and I’m an Xbox MVP. I also happen to be a big fan of the Canadian Xbox Community.
Every week for the next few months I’m going to be posting some fresh content just for our Canadian Xbox Community. Whether it’s a look at an upcoming game, a recap of a title that’s already out, or something completely different, you’ll be able to find fresh articles that will help you get the most out of your Xbox every week.
I’m not going to be doing this alone though. Every week I’ll need help from you guys with your thoughts and opinions on whatever we’re talking about. So, pay attention to the conversation on Facebook and Twitter in the next few weeks and you might get featured.
Finally, if you’ve got a great tip or a cool story idea that needs to be shared feel free to send me an email at xboxca@microsoft.com. The best content will get featured with full credit to the author.
Spartans In Real Life – Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn
As fans of the series eagerly await the November 6th launch of Halo 4, a recent announcement has unveiled something just as exciting as the game itself. Produced by the loremasters at 343 Industries, Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn is a live-action web series that will feed into Master Chief’s latest adventure leading up to its release.
Xbox.ca on the Floor of PAX East 2012
Check out part two of the PAX East Coverage here. If you missed part one you can catch up here.
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Beta Gamer Night
Xbox Canada is hosting a special Gamer Night to help celebrate the release of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
Taking the Xbox LIVE Arcade to the NEXT level
Starting April 18th it's going to be getting even better with XBLA games now able to offer up to 400 gamerscore across 30 achievements per title. That means you'll be able to get more out of every new game you download, and to help kick off the new changes a slew of new titles will be released over the course of a month in a brand new promotion called Arcade NEXT.
Let The Egg Hunt Begin
Game developers know this and sometimes spend a little extra time programming secret areas, messages, and features into their games, just waiting to be unlocked by obsessed fans who just have to see every last bit of content a game has to offer. Follow the steps if you want to see them for yourself.
Spring Sunders The Forces Of Nature
Just when you thought you'd finally gotten the hang of the Fenix Rising DLC made available earlier this year for Gears of War 3, Epic Games has brought forth another all-new map pack to shake the multiplayer scene up. Included with every Gears of War 3 season pass, the Forces of Nature DLC brings 5 brand new maps, some new characters and weapon skins, and an additional 250 gamerscore to collect.
Canuck Pride - 2012 Canadian Videogame Awards
Despite having some of the biggest development houses worldwide, Canada doesn't always get the acclaim it deserves for creating some of the industry's most engaging blockbuster games every year. Between Ubisoft in Montreal and Toronto, EA in Vancouver, and BioWare in Edmonton, there are more than a handful of very important studios churning out great games in our home and native land.
Highlights From The Xbox 360 Spring Showcase
Mid last week Microsoft held a 2012 Spring Showcase event to highlight the best of what's coming to the Xbox 360, Windows Phone, Kinect, and PC over the next year. There were some title announcements, new details on anticipated titles, and plenty more uncovered as part the event.
Who’s Story Is This Anyway?
For me, narration in games has always been an interesting topic because games are unlike any other medium out there. Because they are interactive and the player has the ability to directly affect how the story plays out, there's a lot of different ways of tackling how to tell a story.
Prepare the Captain's Chair - Mass Effect 3 is Coming
The much-anticipated demo for Mass Effect 3 has recently hit Xbox Live and the Canadian Xbox Community has been getting their first taste of what will undoubtedly be a fantastic closing to the epic space opera.
The Most Romantic Games On Xbox LIVE
This week saw Valentine's Day and love is still in the air. Though the heart shaped candies and flowers may be over, there's no reason to put an end to romance just yet. If you've got a gaming sweetheart, there's plenty of Xbox 360 games to keep the love alive.
Beat The Post-Holiday Blues With Great DLC
January has brought a wealth of DLC for last year’s hottest games to give you plenty more to enjoy from 2011’s best titles. Check out the following DLC on the Xbox Live Marketplace for great ways to make the most of your favourite titles.
Rev the Chainsaws for the Fenix Rising DLC
This week the newest add-on for Gears of War 3 hit the Xbox LIVE Marketplace and the Xbox.ca Community has been tearing through it online. Featuring five new Marcus Fenix themed multiplayer maps, this is the competitive extension you’ve been waiting for.
Follow Your New Year's Resolutions With These Xbox 360 Games
New Year's resolutions can be a sticking point for a lot of gamers. Year in and year out we make them, break them, and vow to do better next year. We're half-way through January now, and this is the time when most folks start breaking their personal promises for self-improvement.
12 Kinect Games to Fight the Winter Bulge
We’ve already heard the success story of Thryon who not only managed to maintain his weight, but improved his overall fitness level through a year of Kinect gaming and had fun in the process. Here are some of the best active Kinect titles to try this Winter to help you stay in shape.
1 Year Of Kinect Exercise – Interview With Thryon
It’s not just developers who are experiencing a mindset shift about gaming though; Xbox Canada community member Thryon took it upon himself to use Kinect every day for a year to manage weight loss. It was a daunting task that took a lot of dedication, but one year later he is happy to report some significant improvements to his health.
Xbox Games To Play In The Dark – Happy Halloween
There's a bevy of games on the system that will make your hair stand on end and make your skin crawl. You can try and mask your terror, even shut the games off, but they'll be waiting for you. You have to come back sometime…
6 Slickest Cars in Forza Motorsport 4
Forza Motorsport 4 is the most realistic and robust racing simulator to hit the Xbox 360 this season. It's got a great new Autovista mode that lets players explore their cars in full detail with commentary from the hosts of Top Gear. If you're a gear head it doesn't get much better than this.
Bizarre Batman Stories From Before Arkham City
Naturally with any series running since 1939, Batman’s had his fair share of bizarre storylines. With the new game featuring over a dozen of the best Batman villains, I thought it might be fun to dig up some of the strangest stories featuring the foes world’s greatest detective.
Bite-Sized Fun With New Kinect Arcade Titles
Kinect is a great way to experience all sorts of new games, and there’s a whole breed of new Xbox Live Arcade titles that have come out in the last little while that use Kinect in new and interesting ways.
10 Games For Dorm Room Fun
Whether you're going in for your 3rd PHD, or dipping your toes in the education pool for the first time, there's one time-honored tradition gamers everywhere can't ignore; the dorm room gaming competition.
Gears of War 3 – Community Review
There are few game series that can claim to have the prolific lifespan that Gears of War has shared.
Now, with the final chapter in Epic and Microsoft's trilogy, Gears of War 3 brings everything full circle and delivers one of the most commanding and powerful experiences possible.
Gears of War 3 Event Wrap Up
As part of the Gears of War 3 release celebration, Toronto and Vancouver were recently hosts to amazing launch events.
Xbox.ca Brings the Fans What They Want – FanExpo 2011
This year Xbox Canada was on-site to give fans their first taste of Gears of War 3 and Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition with playable hands-on demos showing off all the games have to offer.
X’11 Canada Community Roundup - New Video Added!
Whether it’s slaying dragons in Skyrim, swinging a lightsaber in Star Wars Kinect, or taking down henchmen in Batman: Arkham City there was something for everyone at this year’s event.
Toy Soldiers: Cold War
Toy Soldiers: Cold War blends intense first person combat with addictive action strategy, whether you’re scrapping solo or jumping into the fray with friends. Battle in campaign, competitive, co-op modes or fight for the highest score in mini-games!
Fruit Ninja Kinect
Fruit Ninja Kinect is an amazing evolution of the slice-em-up genre created by Halfbrick, utilizing next-gen power for the juiciest combat ever!
Summer of Arcade Review – Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
We've rounded up some impressions from fellow Xbox.ca Community members for thier opinion.
Your Votes Needed! – Indie Games Summer Uprising
The Xbox Indie Games channel is heating up with a community-run contest to find the best independent games for the summer.
Summer of Arcade
The Summer of Arcade is upon us, ready to fill those lazy summer days with awesome downloadable Arcade titles from the best developers in the scene. We've rounded up some impressions from fellow Xbox.ca Community members to help you find your favourites.
The Halfway – Best Games of 2011 So Far
Oh, how the time flies. It seems like only yesterday we were celebrating the New Year and now look, it's half over. While reminiscing about months past, I thought it might be fun to reflect on some of my favourite games released so far this year.
Robot Warfare – Xbox.ca Heads Into the Trenches
Since the release of Brutal Legend, DoubleFine Productions has been on a roll creating a handful of really entertaining, and really unique, Xbox Live Arcade titles. Earlier this year we were treated to Stacking while late last year we enjoyed the cutesy RPG, Costume Quest. Recently the studio put out their latest bite-sized title, Trenched.
The Completionist – Finding Every Original Xbox Game
There's a lot of really neat people out in the Xbox.ca community, but probably none as tenacious as Syd Bolton, the founder and curator of the Personal Computer Museum. In addition to being a huge technophile, Syd has recently completed a collection of every original Xbox game for his massive archive.
This Summer, Orcs Must Die!
Ever since PAX East this year I’ve had my eye on a little game called Orcs Must Die! Being developed by Robot Entertainment the game is a fun blend of third-person action adventure and classic tower-defense with a whole bunch of whimsy thrown in.
E3 2011 Review
With hundreds of newly announced titles to check out, this year's show had some incredible games to be experienced first-hand. I've rounded up a few of my personal highlights from the show to share with the Xbox.ca community in this two page article
What to Look For at E3 2011
Every year the E3 descends on the Xbox Community with a bevy of new game previews and exciting announcements. Whether it's brand new technology like Kinect or really cool new games it's always fun getting a sneak peak at what we'll all be enjoying in the coming months.
Uncover the Mysteries Behind L.A. Noire
Rockstar's recently released L.A. Noire is a dramatic police narrative that lets players take on the role of detective Cole Phelps in a 1940's Los Angeles. After doing my own investigative work I've come to appreciate the realism in these cases even more.
'Splosive Interview with the Gunstringers at Twisted Pixel
They've broken the mould with every single release, carving quirky little nooks out of the Xbox LIVE Arcade with each progressively weirder game. Sometimes it's hard to tell whether they're geniuses or absolutely mad!
BRRAAIINNSS!! – Xbox.Ca Answers the Call of the Dead
The new Escalation DLC for Call of Duty: Black Ops has exclusively hit Xbox Live this week and the Xbox.ca community loves it. The Xbox.ca community has been playing it all week and now we bring you their impressions of the DLC.
Hail To The King!
Duke Nukem Forever Is Finally Coming Out! You've been waiting, some of you for 14 years and tis finally coming out (or so it seems).
Music To My Thumbs - Video Games Live Returns to Canada
Video Games Live is back in Canada and it's looking bigger and better than ever. I was lucky enough to catch show host and Canadian gaming legend, Tommy Tallarico in a rare moment between performances to talk a little bit about life on the road and what Halo fans can expect from the concert.
Get Over Here! – Mortal Kombat Hits Xbox Live Hard
This week sees the launch of a brand new start for the Mortal Kombat series on Xbox 360. The team at Netherrealm Studios has given the franchise a complete reboot and is bringing Sub Zero.
Gears of War 3 Beta Preview and Prep
Microsoft and Epic Games decided to invite a few select journalists and community members to get an early hands-on with it and see what they thought. Structured like a tournament, the players were pitted in chainsaw-combat across new maps like Trenches and Thrashball for ultimate Gears supremacy.
Ska Studios Shows Us Their Vampire Smile
James Silva is the creative genius behind Ska Studios and this week’s Xbox Live Arcade release, The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile. The game is a crazy-fast side-scrolling action-platformer with enough violence and gloomy scenery to satisfy your bloodiest fantasies
Words With Toronto’s Own Capybara Games
Canada is home to some awesome game independent game studios, including Toronto's own Capybara Games.
PAX East 2011
For the second year, Boston plays host to the Penny Arcade Expo with PAX East 2011. With almost 70,000 attendees, 125 exhibitors and multiple panels running every hour, it’s quickly becoming one of the world’s biggest gaming events.
New content added!
Xbox LIVE House Party
With so many great Xbox Live Arcade games releasing, it can be hard to choose, but thankfully yours truly has taken to them all. Let’s have a look at what this party’s got to offer!
Build Your Own Green’s Machine in Halo: Reach
If you've been around the Xbox.ca community for a while you've probably heard of Greenskull and his website ReadyUpLive.com. Recently he's put together a few Halo: Reach machinima videos that have been featured on Halo Waypoint.
Super Secret Super Meat Boy Secrets
Let’s face it; Super Meat Boy is a very hard game. Some might say impossible, but I like to look on the bright side. With the right skills and a little determination (okay, a lot of determination) it can be bested.
Xbox.ca Decides the Fate of Two Worlds
I’ve been fortunate enough to get a sneak preview of the game and have already picked out a few favourite teams. But, I’m not the only one with an opinion on the ultimate squad; the Xbox.ca Community has a few things to say about their ultimate fighters too.
Fallout: Nuka Break Delivers FanFilm Refreshment
Sometimes all you want is a nice refreshing Nuka Cola!!!
Canadians Get First Strike on Call of Duty: Black Ops
With Call of Duty: Black Ops receiving First Strike, a brand new map pack with 4 multiplayer levels and a brand new Zombies campaign we thought it might be fun to get some early-access impressions from the Xbox.ca Community
Dead Space 2 Brings the Fear to LIVE
With Dead Space 2 finally out and terrifying everyone's mom we went straight to the Steve Papoutsis, executive producer at Visceral Games, to answer your questions about creating the ultimate horror experience.
Gamerscore On The Go:
Windows Phone 7
Xbox Live Enabled games offer up some extra achievements for Gamerscore on the go.
Maple Leafs Face Off in Call of Duty: Black Ops
Tim Brent and John Mitchell take on our Canadian Xbox Community in a Call of Duty: Black Ops Game with Fame event.
