Button Mash This

In honour of Valentine’s Day… it’s all about playing TOGETHER. Sharing means caring with my list of multiplayer favs for love day. So grab your significant other and snuggle up whilst competing in these video games built for two.

RACING GAMES
Guys love cars. And the Burnout series has been satisfying the male desire to virtually destroy expensive shiny things for years now. I love the Burnout games because the focus is not necessarily on better performance, but rather on total and utter destruction… the worse driver you are, the better! So it seemed like an appropriate choice for couples who are always ragging on each other’s driving skills. Take the fighting during rush hour gridlock off the highway and re-direct that road rage into happy co-player explosions instead. There’s loads of different versions to pick up — Burnout 3: Takedown and Burnout: Revenge for the consoles or Burnout Legends and Burnout Dominator for the PSP handheld — each with their own levels of greatness. But if you really wanna blow their minds away and get that heart racing, you may wanna try out the newest game to the franchise, Burnout Paradise.

FIGHTING GAMES
When your girl doesn’t know how to play video games but she makes an effort to play with you (because she loves you!), she’ll just mash her thumbs all over the controller until something happens on screen. For this reason, fighting games are perfect for mutual entertainment. While you’re trying to impress her by remembering some complex intricate button combination for the ultimate finishing move, she’ll just be wailing away relentlessly with little regard to strategy until she wins — and she will because those damn button mashers always win! And you’ll think it’s adorable because you’ll just be glad it wasn’t one of your buddies who totally tore your virtual torso into pieces! Who better to own your sorry ass anyways? When it comes to this genre of games, 3D is where its at. So try a Soul Calibur title. And if you managed to get her hooked onto it long after February comes and goes, then keep in mind Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. Brawl comes out on March 9 for the Wii.

RHYTHM GAMES
I have yet to meet anyone who will not try a rhythm game. This genre is a special breed amongst gaming culture because it’s easily the most accessible and it appeals to the masses by seducing you with classic licensed music that puts everyone in the mood. Why not serenade each other in a SingStar duet or bust out your sexiest moves on Dance Dance Revolution. But if you’re both up for the sweaty challenge, than nothing beats neverending rock sessions playing Guitar Hero or Rock Band.

Still haven’t found the right present for your special someone? Just get them a DS already, seriously. Even if they have never mentioned it before or showed any interest. Trust me. I’m convinced it’s THE best present in the world and no one can resist this handheld king. 5 year olds play them. 35 year olds play them. Boys and girls play them… together even… and online even if they live far away from each other, ideal for the long distance relationship troopers. It’s also perfect for commuters, so they’ll have something keeping them occupied while travelling on the bus or subway to your house. With a HUGE catalog of software currently available in every style and flavour you could possibly imagine, there is bound to be at least a handful of games your love will just adore as much as you. Be warned though, they may end up spending more time with it than with you! <3

In honour of all the ridiculous snow in Toronto lately, I thought it’d be fun to compile a list of “games for snowy days”… and they’re all pretty cheap as well. So put down your shovels and pick up your controllers… it’s time to play!

LOST PLANET: EXTREME CONDITION [xbox360, ps3]
I bought a 360 on new years eve. And although I have yet to play any other game on it except Rock Band, there’s a LONG list of titles I’m dying to pick up and try. Among them is this one… about blasting gigantic alien bugs on some far off distant planet in subzero temperature on nearly barren terrains. And that’s pretty much it, but what more do you need really? The graphics look absolutely sick and because it’s been out for a year now (to the day), it can be found in most gaming stores for around $30 on the 360. The PS3 version is due out two weeks from today on Feb 26.

PROJECT SNOWBLIND [xbox, ps2]
Not all of us can afford to hop onto the “next-gen” (I think it’s safe to call it current gen now) bandwagon. For those of you still rocking it “old school”, I highly suggest this 1st person shooter. Admittedly, there’s little to do with snow (I chose it entirely based on the name alone!). But this title was considered a great alternative for playstation owners wanting a Halo-like experience. Personally, I enjoyed it more than Halo… though I’m not much of a Master Chief fan myself. You can find it for under $20 - used or new, if you look around. So there’s no excuse not to try it!

SSX BLUR [wii]
I can’t forget about my beloved Wii now, can I? Snowboarding game - kind of a given, eh. No matter which way you slice it, the SSX franchise has been pumping out great installments of their alternative sports game since the days of the original SSX on the PS2. Man, we’ve been playing this one for a looong time. So if you’re tired of the same old traditional control scheme, why not give it a go on your wii-mote and nunchuck. It’s also a budget title now - priced at a mere $25. Working up a sweat flailing your arms about is sure to keep you warm and toasty all through the winter!

We’re All In This Together from ButtonMashThis on Vimeo.

We were invited to the media launch of High School Musical Sing It! this past Thursday, where we were loaded on to a big yellow school bus and we’re asked to sing our favorite songs from one of the popular High School Musical movies.

I was all prepared to sing “Bet on It”, which was orginally sung by Zac Efron’s character Troy Bolton in the second movie, but unfortunately it wasn’t unlocked yet. So I had to settle on “We’re All in This Together” from the first movie.

The game has limited appeal to kids and possibly their parents, but if you have a 10 year old who avidly watches Family Channel, they will gladly sing along for hours, unlocking more songs, characters, outfits and bonus songs from other popular Disney franchises like the Cheetah Girls. There are also other cool bonus features, such as cast interviews and dance lessons.

High School Musical Sing It! ships on November 6th for both the Wii and the Playstation 2 and retails for $64.99 and $54.99 with a microphone or $54.99 and $44.99 without.

So Rannie and I are on one of our usual late night bargain hunts. We decide to try our luck at the local Blockbuster where they are currently having a 25% off sale on used videogames and DVDs. As I’m casually browsing through the PS2 section, I can hardly believe what my eyes are seeing.

That’s right, I managed to find a copy of the critically acclaimed, extremely rare and relatively expensive, cult classic video game, Rez. Simply describing Rez as a “musical shooter” seems like a grave understatement. So to give you an idea of the gameplay, nay the “aesthetic experience” behind this unique title, check out this promotional video from 2002.

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This past Thursday, chelle and I got our pictures taken for this site, by our good friends istoica. In this shot I’m sporting a Wii-mote and nunchuck, while chelle sports a Nintendo tee and a Guitar Hero guitar.

Two of my favorite titles from the Xbox platform were Karaoke Revolution and Karaoke Revolution Party. Needless to say, I’m excited to hear that Disney Intercative studio will be releasing games based on the High School Musical franchise. The titles will be released on the Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii and Playstation 2 and are slatted for August 2007. The Wii title, “High School Musical: Sing It!” will be one of the first games on the platform to utilize a microphone (hopefully not the last). The game will include approximate 30 songs, which will include songs from the made for TV Movie as well as other Disney favorites. Here’s hoping we’ll get some classics from The Little Mermaid, Alladdin and Beauty and Beast. I feel a song coming on!

The Playstation 2 version should be very much like the Wii version and the DS platform, “High School Musical: Makin’ the Cut!” will feature rhythm type gameplay. Although, I think it would be hilarious if there was a karaoke game for the DS.

More Screenshots after the jump!

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