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Dec 18, 2009

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Find anyone who may have held a Nintendo game controller during the 80s and early 90s, and you can probably bet that they’ve played Super Mario Bros. at least once. The mustachioed plumber and his sidekick, Luigi, are some of the most iconic characters in gaming history, and that’s unlikely to change.

Nov 20, 2009

FIFA Soccer 10
EA’s FIFA titles are the type of sports games that keep on improving but don’t necessarily do it by leaping forward in great lengths. FIFA Soccer 10 really does fall along those lines, but the incremental improvements put together by EA Canada combine to create a solid experience on the virtual pitch.

Nov 16, 2009

NBA Live 10
Of all EA’s sports titles, NBA Live might be the weakest link going back the last few years. Though it could sport superior visuals over the 2K franchise, it hasn’t quite been able to get the gameplay side of things right. NBA Live 10 isn’t a revamp by any stretch, but at least it’s a good step in the right direction.

Sept 30, 2009

NHL 2K10
Hockey finally made its way onto the Wii last year with NHL 2K9, marking the first time gamers could use their hands to make plays, score goals and win fights in a virtual rink. It was a noble effort, overall, but the gameplay was a little clunky and tough to really get used to. This, among other issues, was what NHL 2K10 was meant to solve.

Sept 25, 2009

NHL 10
It’s not hard to say that EA really made an impact with NHL 09 last year, arguably the best overall video game hockey experience they’ve produced. This largely explains why NHL 10 isn’t a great leap forward for the franchise, but rather a series of tweaks, refinements and additions that are meant to provide a more well-rounded package.

Sept 8, 2009

Grand Slam Tennis
When the Wii was first introduced at E3 in 2006, Nintendo did a whole show and tell using its own Wii Sports tennis game. They had us (the press) swing our arms with the Wii mote, as if it was a tennis racket.

Oct 6, 2008

NHL 09
If every Canadian boy’s dream is to play in the NHL someday, then it’s hard to see how a video game can empty the void of never realizing that dream. It’s easy to say that because so few end up making it, while so many end up forking over the $60 to buy an NHL video game each year.

May 16, 2008

MLB 2K8
Sports games can be a real mixed bag. I know that going into any game based on any sport, but MLB 2K8 was an experience in frustration that I wasn’t quite ready for.

April 29, 2008

Mario Kart Wii Review
If the mark of a good game is a gamer’s inability to put the controller down and take a break, then Mario Kart Wii does plenty to fall into that category. What’s astounding about that is just how the game stays familiar, while almost reinventing itself at the same time. No easy feat for any game.

April 03, 2008

Ninja Reflex Review
The title of this game almost sounds like one of those kids movies where some 10-year-old secretly dons a ninja outfit and fights crime once that final school bell rings. Not quite, but it would be close if real-life kids wear those ninja outfits at home.

March 07, 2008

FIFA Street 3 Review
FIFA Street 3 marks the debut of the series onto next-gen platforms (no Wii version, unfortunately), and looks to expand and improve on what has been a so-so series thus far. The first two games had interesting ideas but the execution was either off or just didn’t look right.

February 29, 2008

Thermablade
Until the Thermablade, skates never had a truly revolutionary added component over the last 20 years. Sure, there were tweaks that may have helped form a skate to a player’s foot faster. Except that’s hardly surprising considering NHL players can get just about anything they want custom made.

February 5, 2008

Xbox Live Arcade
Is it just me or is there a real lack of sports games available through Xbox Live Arcade? The issue came up for me when I sorted through the list of over 100 games that are currently available, and noticed that very few bore any name that resembled something from the sports genre.

December 7, 2007

Year-end Sports Gaming Column
Sports games have to be among the best cash cows for game publishers and developers. It’s the one genre that is guaranteed to show up with something new each and every year. Of course, newer doesn’t always mean better, but in the case of the games on this list, that’s exactly what it means.

About G4 in Canada
G4 Canada (formerly TechTV Canada) launched in September 2001. G4 is the one and only television station that is plugged into every dimension of games, gear, gadgets and gigabytes. Owned Rogers Media Inc., the channel airs more than 24 original series. G4 is available on digital cable and satellite. For more information, see www.g4tv.ca.

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