I will try to do this justice, but I am not sure that simply saying I had one heck of an adventure last Friday afternoon will really explains things. You see Xbox Canada is trying to promote the launch of Kinect Star Wars on April 3rd, so they decided to bring a few characters around the radio station to turn heads.

They didn’t tell us who they were bringing, but as you can imagine their plan certainly worked. It wasn’t long before random people were showing up, and shortly after that it turned into a small picture taking mob. I honestly have no idea who this guy is or if he is even a Rogers employee.

What I do know now is that Xbox Canada doesn’t mess around when it comes to doppelgangers. These guys could have been the real thing for all I know. They certainly looked and acted like they were from the Empire. They were even truly evil, talk about attention to detail.

As you might imagine it wasn’t long before these evil tendencies bubbled to the top, and the adventure really started. You see these 3 musketeers decided to build a new Empire on the spot, and their plans began by slipping away unnoticed in the commotion caused by the photo mob. We quickly searched for them and finally discovered that they had taken over the Kiss 92.5 studios in order to record their own Imperial Radio Show.

Don’t tell them that I said so, but they were actually kind of good behind a microphone. However, one day I would really like to discover the fate of the Kiss 92.5 DJ who was on duty at that time these guys broke in and took over.

Anyhow, we decided to focus our efforts on distracting Vader and his troopers with the promise of more pictures with the Sportsnet 590 the FAN staff. To be honest, we were simply trying to buy enough time to come up with a real plan.

So we started to take pictures… and then they started to take hostages.

Our back and forth eventually ended with Vader and the twins walking down the hall and setting up a blockade in the middle of the 680 News newsroom.

Christine Chubb tried to solve the problem by reenacting a scene from the Star Wars franchise. She attempted to run their blockade, but her plan failed and she was captured by the Empire.

Luckily for her, long time 680 News Business Editor James Munroe snuck up behind these guys and screamed, “IT’S A TRAP!” They must have been terrified by the idea of another trap, so they fled down a different hallway. The good news was that 680 News was safe once again.

The bad news was that this hallway lead right to our other music station: 98.1 CHFI. Darren Osborne was on duty at the time, and to his credit he did what he could to retake the CHFI studios.

He didn’t succeed.

I’ll be honest, I don’t know what happened after that because I was really busy running for my life by running for the door.

Back in late January, the Got Game crew reported on the news that Jose Bautista would be on the cover of MLB 12 The Show here in Canada.

Since then, Jose and the rest of the Jays line up have been down at their spring training home (the Florida Auto Exchange Stadium in Dunedin, Florida) getting ready for the 2012 home opener when they face off against Boston on Monday, April 9th.

It’s been a while since Jose was in a position to do anything but train for this season, so with the help of PlayStation Canada we’re now able to check in with Jose and see what in his life got him to the show, and on the cover of MLB The Show, in the first place.

It’s almost scary to take a step back and think about how much the Canadian game development industry has grown in the last decade. In the last few years alone we’ve seen Canadian development explode to the point were we now have a full spectrum of game developers representing the maple leaf. On one side of that spectrum, big hitters like Ubisoft and Electronic Arts have set up multiple studios across the nation. The other end of the spectrum has seen an awesome indie scene bloom and give us critically acclaimed games like Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack by Drinkbox and pretty much anything that CapyBara puts out these days.

The Canadian development scene has grown so much that it can now transfer resources from simply staying alive, to recognizing the successes of the Canadians inside the industry. That brings us to the Canadian Videogame Awards, an annual awards ceremony that is the brainchild of Canadian gaming media superstar Victor Lucas.  He and his team at Greedy Productions have put on this show twice before, and like the industry it celebrates it is also growing.

For example, on Saturday, April 21st 2012 the ceremonies will be broadcasted for the first time from some location inside FAN EXPO VANCOUVER. You’ll be able to watch David Hayter, the voice of Solid Snake from the Metal Gear Solid franchise, host the awards ceremony on your local Rogers TV Network station. For Rogers Cable subscribers in Toronto that means you can watch it on G4 TV (channel 90). I am not sure about the details outside of Toronto, but the ceremonies are scheduled to be broadcasted on G4TV and CityTV stations across the country, so check your local listings for details.

Also, and regardless of your location inside Canada, members of the public can become part of the festivities by casting their vote for Canadian Game of the Year at www.canadianvideogameawards.com if they wish to do so.  Here are the nominees for Game of the year are:

• Deus Ex: Human Revolution
• Assassin’s Creed Revelations
• FIFA 2012
• Fight Night Champion
• Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP

|

The rest of the categories that will be celebrated that night will include:

Best Console Game

• Deus Ex: Human Revolution
• Assassin’s Creed Revelations
• FIFA 2012
• Fight Night Champion
• Dragon Age II

Best Game on the Go

• Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP
• A Space Shooter for Free
• Super Stickman Golf
• Assassin’s Creed Recollection
• Squibble

Best Downloadable Game

• Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes
• Capsized
• Tales from Space: About a Blob
• Swarm
• Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP

Best Social / Casual Game

• Cranky Cat
• Margaritaville Online
• Sissy’s Magical Ponycorn Adventure
• GreenSpace

Best Indie Game

• Super Stickman Golf
• Capsized
• Tales from Space: About a Blob
• DLC Quest
• Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP

Best Audio

• Deus Ex: Human Revolution
• Assassin’s Creed Revelations
• Fight Night Champion
• Need for Speed: The Run
• Warhammer 40K: Space Marine

Best Original Music

• Deus Ex: Human Revolution
• Assassin’s Creed Revelations
• Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP
• Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes
• Warhammer 40K: Space Marine

Best Game Design

• Deus Ex: Human Revolution
• Assassin’s Creed Revelations
• Warhammer 40K: Space Marine
• Dead Rising 2 – Off the Record
• Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP

Best Technology

• Assassin’s Creed Revelations
• FIFA 2012
• Just Dance 3
• Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012
• Warhammer 40K: Space Marine

Best Visual Arts

• Deus Ex: Human Revolution
• Assassin’s Creed Revelations
• Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP
• Need for Speed: The Run
• Warhammer 40K: Space Marine

Best Writing

• Deus Ex: Human Revolution
• Assassin’s Creed Revelations
• Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP
• To the Moon
• Warhammer 40K: Space Marine

Best New Character

• Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Adam Jensen
• Warhammer 40K: Space Marine – Captain Titus
• Tales from Space – About a Blob – Blob
• Sissy’s Magical Ponycorn Adventure – Sissy
• Yeti – Yeti

Innovation Award

• Battlefield 3
• Cows vs. Aliens
• Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP
• To the Moon
• Warhammer 40K: Space Marine

Hey Got Gamers,

A few months back we discussed a rumour surrounding the possible release of a Neo-Geo handheld filled with old Neo Geo games. It will be called the NEO GEO X and according to the creator’s website it will look like this.

To answer your next question, yes I brought this up because we have more than an image to discuss now. There was some news about the Neo Geo X that came to light last week, and we’ll discuss the latest in this week’s Got Game. As always you can find the post-broadcast podcast version our weekly radio show in the audio file below this paragraph.

Download

On the March 25th edition of Got Game our crew discusses:

• The MADDEN cover athlete vote for 2012
• All the rage that is still directed towards the ending of Mass Effect 3 and a response from Bioware
• A downloadable game called I AM ALIVE coming to the PlayStation 3
• Kid Icarus: Uprising
• The fact that the once rumoured Neo-Geo handheld is now a reality

|
|
PLUS WE TALK TO SENIOR PRODUCER MARK DEVAULT ABOUT NEXT WEEK’S RELEASE OF TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 13.

|
AND IN OUR REVIEW SECTION WE LOOK AT FIFA STREET.

It needs to be said that I still have problems with the political games that are common place at the top of F1, and it’s hard to get into a sport when former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya says things like, “they used to give awards because of uh the overtaker of the year and you’ve past 3 people in the whole freaking year” (quote from 6:05 minute mark of this video). It’s also only fair to mention that F1 has attempted to improve things in their sport with changes like the Kinetic Energy Recovery System and the adjustable rear wing, but these solutions don’t fix enough problems in my eyes.

Anyways, all that needed to be said to give you a reference line on my opinions. You’ll need that reference to truly understand how great I think it is that the Codemasters have announced that they’re working on F1 2012. I first saw the news on twitter when my attempts to send another friendly gibe in the direction of former Got Game host Zack Cooper ended when my eyes crossed a tweet from our friends at the Electric PlayGround.

I did a little research and quickly found this banner on a Codemasters’ website.

From the banner we learn that the game will be out this September for the Xbox360, Playstation 3 and the PC. There was no announcement of a portable version, but since you can already get F1 2011 on the Vita and 3DS it is possible.

On that same banner this is also a button called “Game Information”, so I clicked it and found the following text that I copied word for word from the Codemasters’ website.

“F1 2012 is set to deliver the most accessible and immersive FORMULA ONE game for fans of all abilities.

In F1 2012 players will feel the unparalleled thrill of becoming a FORMULA ONE driver with a host of new features, wide-ranging technical and gameplay advancements and extensive competitive and co-operative multiplayer components. F1 2012 will feature all of the official teams, drivers and circuits from the 2012 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, including the debut of the 2012 FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX atAustin,Texasand the return ofGermany’s famous Hockenheim circuit to the calendar.“

If you’re interested, I also found this video that they posted on their home page. Originally, I wasn’t going to include it because it’s just a bunch of drivers talking about how realistic they think the game is, but it’s there if you want to see it.

Hey Got Gamers,

As you’ve probably heard by now Zack is leaving us. This isn’t a time to be sad though because Zack isn’t leaving the industry. He’s going to move from reporting on games to actually making them, so we’ll celebrate his success this week by reliving some of Zack’s more interesting moments behind a microphone.

However, this blog gives our radio show a visual component, so I decided to search our Got Game photo album for images of Zack covering the gaming industry. Here’s some of the memories that we’ve collected over the years.

|
Zack’s departure is a big change, but that doesn’t mean everything will change. For example, our weekly post-broadcast podcast will be in the same location as always. We call it the March 18th 2012 edition of Got Game, and you can find it in the audio file below this paragraph.

Download

This week the current crew comes together one final time to discuss:

• A new patch to help the security issues around FIFA 12
• The new FIFA street game (with the game’s creative director)
• The anger that is being sent in Bioware’s direction over the ending to Mass Effect 3

|
PLUS OUR REVIEW SECTION CONSISTS OF THE ART GAME JOURNEY.

AND UBISOFT’S SHOOT MANY ROBOTS!

Hey Got Gamers,

At one point during this week’s show we talked about something that the internet is calling a “Tecmo Bowl MMO.” It’s actually called Gridiron Heroes and it has no affiliation with the Japanese publisher Tecmo Koei. That means that it will be Tecmo Bowl in feeling only, but it looks like the team behind this “Tecmo Bowl MMO” are doing all that they can to recapture the magic of the “coach mode” from the original NES classic.

In terms of game play, you won’t directly control any of your players, but instead you’ll pick the plays that your A.I. squad will run . Each game will let you pick from a playbook of 10 plays, but when on offense you’ll also get the chance to pick from a number of formations like: Singleback, Shotgun, Option, Wildcat, I-Formation. While on the defensive side, you can go for 3-4, 3-3-5, 4-3, 4-6, or Dime formations. Although, those will not be the only formations that the final version will have, just the formations that we’ve found out about.
|

|
A number of different coverage options will be available as well:

• All man to man
• Man – one deep & man to man
• Zone – one deep & zone
• Man – two deep & man to man
• Zone – two deep & zone
• Man – three deep & man to man
• Zone – three deep & zone
• Zone – four deep & soft underneath coverage

|

|

To keep things interesting, each player and position will also have their own set of attributes. As you can see from the player card example above this paragraph, those attributes will include things like agility (AGL), Speed (SPD), Toughness (TGH), and Footwork (sadly FTW does not mean For The Win). Also, you’ll be able to level up each of these attribute by using the virtual athletes in games, training them, or through other upgrade options.

The development team is also already looking at some other improvements that they plan to roll out at a later date. On the list of improvements to come is live one on one multiplayer (which apparently will be hosted over webplayer so it won’t require Facebook) and 7 vs 7 mini-tournaments.

Regardless of the future of Gridiron Heroes, one thing will certainly never change. That thing would be the location of our post-broadcast podcast. We just call it the podcasted version of our March 11th 2012 show, and as always you can find it in the audio file below this sentence.

Download

This week the full crew has a review heavy show, but we still managed to discuss:

• More details regarding Assassin’s Creed 3
• The new details we heard about Bioshock Infinite
• Peter Molyneux‘s future in game development
• And obviously, a development team’s attempt to make an unofficial Tecmo Bowl MMO

|
|
OUR HEAVY REVIEW SECTION INCLUDES SONY’S MLB 12 THE SHOW

MLB 2K12 FROM 2K SPORTS

I AM ALIVE FORM UBISOFT

AND BIOWARE’S MASS EFFECT 3

Hey Got Gamers,

During this show we promised to post the images that we found for Assassin’s Creed 3, so as promised here are a selection of images that should give you a pretty good idea of what the game will look like.

There are more details about Assassin’s Creed that we will tell you, but you’ll have to listen to the post-broadcast podcast to hear those. Luckily for you, that podcast is in the audio file below this paragraph, but we just call it the March 4th, 2012 edition of Got Game.

Download

This week on Got Game the shortened bench discusses:

• A promise from PlayStation Canada to bundle the PlayStation 3 and Vita copies of MLB The Show for $80
• Sony’s announcement that 1.2 million Vita units have been sold world wide
• The gamer vote that will decide what the next EA NCAA Football cover will look like
• The first game to be published for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System since 1998
• The first details regarding Assassin’s Creed 3
• A release date for Bioshock Infinite
• Another movie about gamers and if Hollywood really understands us

|
|
Plus, we’ll talk to Willie Stevenson about a game he and his team put together with Pink Dog Productions called Preston. It’s a game that focuses on escaping slavery in 19th century America.

|
|
AND IN OUR REVIEW SECTION WE LOOK AT 2 EA SPORTS GAMES THIS WEEK WITH SSX

AS WELL AS GRAND SLAM TENNIS 2

Hey Got Gamers,

I know that Mass Effect 3, Street Fighter X Tekken, and MLB the Show are all coming out this week. Whatever your preference is, there is something major on the horizon for everyone.

Regardless, I was hoping to convince you to take 8 minutes away from the spectacle to consider Preston. Preston is a small game that doesn’t have a huge production budget, and it was made by people who were learning their trades on the job. It tells the story of a man from the 1800′s and his attempt to escape the slavery that once existed in the United States by working his way up to Nova Scotia. However, when we discussed Preston with Willie Stevenson of Silverback Productions, one of the game’s creators, we were surprised to hear that Preston had the power to change the way that some people could look at things.

To be honest, we talked to Willie fully expecting our discussion to go in the direction of game play, or art assets. We were surprised that the discussion ended up being about how Preston got a lot of difficult conversations going. 8 minutes is not a lot of time in the grand scheme of things, but if you take that time to listen to the audio file below this sentence it could change how you think of a few things.

Download