Telus doesn't phone it in

I love this story! An advertising manager for Telus who happens to be a passionate gamer, and a Second Life member by the name Sparkle Dale, convinced her brand to set up shop in Shinda, a downtown area of Second Life's mainland.

Writes Springwise: "The store was designed along the lines of flagship stores in Toronto and Montreal and features phones that are modelled and named after actual Samsung and Motorola models."

The phones are actually being sold for a few hundred Linden Dollars, which equals $1 to $2 American. However, they don't actually allow any voice communication, but rather allow users to tell other avatars that they are busy on a real-lfe call. So while the idea and the intentions are great - it's really too bad the execution and user-benefits are kind of weak.

What's really great is to see a brand take real, relevant steps into the gaming world. They could have easily placed a static billboard in any big name video game, instead they have integrated thier brand into the experience that only an MMORPG could contain.

Art for Interactivity's Sake

As someone who hasn't had the opportunity to experience an actual video game concert or symphony, I have to say I'm a little sad and more than just a little curious about what I have been missing. This year's "Video Games Live" concert Friday at Massey Hall and the upcoming "Play! A Video Game Symphony" September 30th at the Hummingbird Centre in Toronto will attempt to bring together hardcore gamers and the general public at large to share a unique experience that can be appreciated in a neutral and familiar setting.

For a concept that could easily be dismissed as ridiculous or irrelevant (seriously we're talking about orchestras performing video game soundtracks) I think this serves as a testament to the depth and diversity of video games as a culture. It's commonplace to criticize the validity of video games as an artistic medium let alone a worthwhile recreational activity, so I was surprised this morning when I found a full page article in the Toronto Star championing this very issue.

While taking video games out of the home and into concert halls may seem unusual, it's proof of how relevant gamer culture is, particularly from an artistic standpoint.

It's encouraging to know that video games are evolving as a culture. It's even more cool that gamers and video game enthusiasts are taking ownership and pride in their pastime rather than keeping it to themselves in their basement. Word up.

Wii <3 Box Art

OK OK I know that these are for display purposes only and will in all probability look entirely different from the final box art for Wii games, but until then it's worth discussing the initial retail artwork that's been released online.

Just like initial images of the actual console and Wii-mote itself, this box art helps make the Wii feel that much closer to being here and in all of our hands. I have to say that I'm a big fan of box art. This probably has more to do with the fact that I was born in the 80s and consumerism was subconsciously bred into any form of artistic taste I may have possessed rather than objective appreciation of art, but nonetheless there is something about tangible videogame packaging/artwork that makes me salivate (in a pavlovian way - not sexual, or perverted or cosplay-ish) especially when it's presented in the context of the actual product being intangible. I guess it's sort of like when you're 7 years old and had to rely on the picture in the catalogue (remember those things from before the internet?) to get you by until Christmas or Kwanzaa or your birthday for the possibility of getting what you want. It will be interesting to see what the marketing folks at Nintendo crank out in terms of packaging considering they dreamt up "Wii" as a brand identity. Essentially they made their Wii and now they have to ... uh.. sleep in it...

Anyway, it's interesting to note that EB Games USA is tentatively listing Pre-Release of Super Mario Galaxy shipping on November 15th while Best Buy/Future Shop Canada are banking on November 30th. The price point of the game also seems a little high at $59US/$69CDN considering President Iwata has said all along that he vows to keep first-party games below $50US. Does EB Games know something we don't? Based on the level of staff intelligence displayed at most EB Games outlets I've been to.. probably not...

Less B.O than Comic Con

While enjoying your last remaining days of wearing white slacks and shoes, why not swing on by the Toronto Independent Game Conference, which starts tomorrow and runs until Saturday. It may not exactly be a "robust" conference and the $75 price tag is pretty outrageous, but it does offer gamers/developers a place to connect and talk about the games industry in Toronto. And, unlike ComicCon, there will be no cosplay here.

Lectures I recommend are Toward a Canadian Serious Game Movement" by Tim Carter and "Productive Play: Making Fun Work and Work Fun" by Tony Walsh.

Countdown to the Countdown

Wii reporters and Fanboys everywhere and all over the introweb have been straight-up buzzing and slam dancing off the walls this past week with the breaking news of a discrete invite-only Nintendo press/media event at the centre of the universe in NYC featuring none other than keynote speaker The Reggienator Fils-Aime himself on September 14th. Excitement over the convincing possibility of a release date and price point being revealed at this event has reached a fever pitch as new reports surface of a similar press conference taking place in London on September 15th. The only missing piece to this mass media triumvirate is the mothership in Japan.

As always with Nintendo, only time will tell, and even then it will only tell us what Nintendo wants us know until further notice because they are marketing ninjas who kick ass and take names. In the meantime 15 days will feel like an eternity to the Wii-crazed/rumour-filled/information-starved gaming community at large.

It really doesn't get any better than this, I mean seriously, who doesn't love a good next generation console launch war? It's like a Solar Eclipse or the Olympics for gaming except a lot more intense and actually entertaining. I for one am looking forward to sitting back over the next couple weeks and watching the fireworks. Stay tuned..

The Elebit in the Living Room

Give me jaw-dropping graphics, give me killer 5.1 surround sound design, give me online multiplayer, give me 3 dimensions, give me downloadable and customizable mods, give me music playlists, give me HD and Blu-Ray DVD, give me next-gen. But if you can only give me one thing, give me good old fashioned gameplay. GIVE ME ELEBITS!! RIGHT NOW!!!

Let me preface this by saying I haven't had a chance to play any demos of this game, but I can't help but scratch my head when I hear credible game journalists dismiss this "launch window" title for Wii as a boring hardware demo, or a first generation game with an obvious concept and no depth. I always hear from the gaming community that so many games are watered down by clunky game mechanics or lazy level structure or lack of replay value or lowest common denominator storylines or disappointing same-old-same-old sequels. Along comes a game that relies more on gamer intuition and fun gameplay rather than zombies and frames per second and they knock it as a shallow and boring attempt.

On paper (or typed on LCD monitors) this game stands out head and shoulders above the crowd. One analogue joystick and one button is all you need (well, a 3D space/time triangulating wireless remote control but you get the idea) to manipulate your world. You literally get to play with everything in sight and use your own judgement to solve challenges as simple or as complex as you want to make them and you're rewarded as the world evolves based on the choices you make. How bout that? A simple concept, with simple controls, and addictively fun gameplay. Brilliant. Sound familiar? Everyone is comparing the game to Pikmin (which was also a pretty great game for the Gamecube - and also a launch title for that console) but that's a lazy comparison if you ask me. It's pretty clear that this much more closely resembles elements of Katamari Damacy with a unique twist that's relevant to the Wii's controls and I dare anyone to criticize the brilliance and sheer addictive fun of that series.

So this is my plea to all those who may be disenchanted with this game based on initial previews out there that are ignoring the glaringly obvious: simple is better. Sometimes videogames are best when they're played just for the 'elebit!

Ninty Ads Noticed

If you've been taking public transit in Toronto or Vancouver, you might have noticed ads for Nintendo's Touch Generation series. Marie, a gamer girl from Vancouver, sure has and posted photos of most of the ads on her 1up.com blog.

What I think is particularly interesting is not the ads themselves, but the general reaction to them. That is she, and many others who commented on her post, are actually excited to see this advertising - they are happy to see Nintendo advertising their products. One person even posted:

"I saw my first Nintedo bus add on Monday. I was so friggin happy about it. I saw another one this morning too. So far only two but I'm happy to see them driving around Toronto. I've yet to see any on the subway though."

As a researcher, it really shows me that hardcore gamers, are a special group of people that wear a huge badge of ownership over the systems they buy and the games they play. Nintendo is a real underdog when it comes to ad spending compared to behemoths Sony and Microsoft - do gamers feel treated when Nintendo finally doles out the money to promote themselves? Marie F's 1UP Blog

2 Minutes for Hi-Deffing

Okay so that title could have been less sucky, it did beat out Analogue Mighty Pucks so it could have been worse. The reality is that I don't have the time or attention span to focus on a decent headline because there's only 20 more freaking sleeps until NHL 07, the most original and exciting offering from EAsports in the NHL franchise since NHLPA 93 hits store shelves. That's right, I busted out NHLPA 93. Blasphemy you say? Consider this: EA sports franchises take huge criticism (desrvedly so) because year after year they churn out the same engine with updated skins/rosters etc, and they have the nerve to charge $69.99. Franchise Mode becomes Career Mode (ooooh) or better yet Dynasty Mode (aaaah) the following year and no one is the wiser *wink*. They get away with this knowing that feeble sports-crazed-gamer-impulse-buyers like myself and relatives who don't know what videogame to buy their kid/neice/grandson for their birthday/holiday of preference but know that they like the Maple Leafs will consistently shell out. That is still the case, however this year it looks as though EA is showing some mercy at least by actually innovating the NHL franchise, thanks in part to next generation console XBOX 360. True High-Def 16:9 display (just like it's broadcast on HD-CBC), Realistic puck and stick control taking full advantage of dual analogue sticks (encouraging a "if you can think of the move, you can do the move" approach to gaming that rewards players' instincts versus button mashing) and a dynamic dynasty mode based on the CBA that actually looks authentic and worthwhile, that will give fans like me the option of bypassing a purchase next season when EA inevitably rests on their laurels for another 4 years until the next-generation of platforms are released....

I must admit that one strike this game has against it is the decision to put Ovechkin on the cover. With all due respect, and Rookie of the Year honours aside, everyone in their heart of hearts knows that Sidney Crosby should be front and centre here....okay I just got over it, drop the puck already!!

From Tokyo with <3

Well it's been confirmed by NOA today, DS Lite is going to look a whole lot sexier in America this September when it's released in the sought after Jet Black and Noble Pink colours that Japan has been hoarding over the world since the Lite release, proving once again that whatever Nicky wishes for with all of her little heart, Nicky gets**..

"The only thing more fun than new Nintendo DS Lite hardware colors is trying to keep up with the breakneck sales of the software to play on the popular little portable! On Sept. 13, two new colors - Onyx and Coral Pink - join Polar White, which is enjoying its own incredible sales peak and getting noticed everywhere."

Did they just say Onyx and Coral Pink? I wonder if Debbie Travis will have a say in how they name the pink and black versions for the inevitable (and hopefully imminent) release in Canada...

**so long as select software sales exceed 1 million units. Check out the rest of the story over at NINTENDO.

Code Pink!

Canada is inching closer to the possibility of pink DS lites at Christmas! At this morning's Nintendo press conference in Leipzig, a model wearing a pink dress and holding a pink DS Lite took the stage as they announced its European release on October 27th.

I am so excited and so jealous at the same time. I need to get my hands on one of these babies. Now that it's not just a Japanese exclusive there's a better chance of the pink DS seeing Canadian retail shelves! Source

The lazy gamer syndrome

Today at the Leipzig Games Conference, Fable creator Peter Molyneux spoke about something I've been spewing on about since demo-ing the Wii at E3. That is, one of the biggest challenges to the Wii is that gameplay is so active that it won't be suitable for active gamers who enjoy nestling in for a few hours to play combat-style games. Also, there's the whole image thing - that it's embarrassing to play active games in your living room, alone or with others. Games Industry reports:
"When Molyneux first realised that players might be able to swing a motion-sensing controller just like they would a sword, he thought the concept was "brilliant! But then I realised, when I looked at myself in the mirror, I actually looked really stupid."
I worry that image-conscious culture we live in will relegate the Wii to just another living room toy and hurt them in the long run. Games Industry

Introducing...

Welcome to Pop & Chips - a born and bred Canadian conversation about all things video games. We're not only gamers, but pop cultural observers pleasantly stuck in the changing landscape of the gaming world. We're here to sit in cross-legged circles and snack on the swirling culture of gamers ,developers, marketers, and everything in between. Won't you join us?