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Insomniac has one of the best games of the year with Spider-Man 2, Microsoft closes acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Steam publishes top 50 demos from Next Fest.

Sublime Spider-Man 2 delivers on promise of action and emotion

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a delight. This is the third game in Insomniac Games’ run with the character, and it perfectly walks the line between delivering an experience that is similar enough to previous games to be comfortable, but enough difference for it to feel fresh.

More importantly, Insomniac has given us the chance to play as two different protagonists, Peter Parker and Miles Morales, in a seamless blend of multiple storylines. Sometimes the story is distinct to one or the other and sometimes the story is something they share.

This is mirrored in how you manage the skills and abilities of the two Spideys. Some abilities are common, and some are unique to one or the other. It seems a simple way to organize things, but belies the complexity of the problem.

The core narratives woven together in Spider-Man 2 revolve around Kraven and Venom, which provides plenty of opportunity to bring in other villains from previous games, some of whom are on redemption arcs, a theme that is core to the Spider-Man story.

There are in jokes for those who are Spider-Man experts, and Insomniac also pulls in storylines from the first two games which featured Peter and Miles as sole protagonists. Trying to figure out where the plot points fit into the broader Spider-Man canon is, I decided, a fools errand. instead, I was content to let the game’s stories be their own thing.

This all works, even the quieter asides, because the narrative skill at Insomniac is so expert. They evoke incredible emotional highs and lows through the course of the game, and even with player’s being able to set some of the pace themselves, there remains a sense of perfect pacing.

Combat is quite similar to the previous games although your special moves are different. What’s different here are the team ups that become possible as you play through the game.

One of the things I most enjoyed about Insomniac’s first two Spider-Man games was the joy of navigating the cityscape, swinging and careening through the air. That becomes even more thrilling here with the addition of wing-suit components to the costume and wind tunnels through the corridors of the skyscrapers.

The map is twice as big, too, and includes Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. If you do choose to use the fast travel system – I’d rather fly, thanks – the power of the PS5 means that the loading time is nearly instant.

Not only does Insomniac know how to assemble mechanics to make a game fun to play, they understand what makes a Spider-Man story work. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is an incredible achievement. I highly recommend it.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 releases for PS5 on Friday, October 20. Rated teen.

Microsoft closes acquisition of Activision Blizzard

Nearly two years after it was negotiated, Microsoft owns Activision Blizzard, some 13 game development studios, and franchises including Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Candy Crush.

The question that my kids want to know is whether Xbox will bring back franchises that Activision has lying fallow, like Skylanders and Guitar Hero.

50 most popular games from Steam’s Next Fest

Every year, the Steam gaming platform encourages players to dive into demo versions of upcoming games with Next Fest. These demonstrations are an effective way for developers and publishers to give people a chance to try a game without the friction of having to pay for it.

Valve just published the list of the 50 most popular demos from this year’s Next Fest and it includes a range of genres, developers, and brands. Many demos are still available to play.

Here are some you might want to try out:

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Canadians will get access to new PS5 consoles, but we don’t know when. Plus, Cypher 007 puts you in the shoes of James Bond, and you can step into the skates of Connor Bedard (and others) in NHL 24.

New, slimmer PS5 consoles coming next month, but maybe not in Canada

Yesterday, Sony revealed two new PS5 consoles which are being released in November, although a specific date has not been announced, and timing for the Canadian market is not clear.

The new systems are smaller, taking up 30% less space and weighing by as much as a kilogram less than the launch systems. The rest of the hardware seems to be the same, although the 1 TB hard drive is a bump over the ~825 GB drive that came with the first models.

The new PS5 comes with an ultra-HD Blu-ray drive and that drive also comes as a peripheral you can later add on to the new PS5 Digital Edition.

It seems as though stock of the new hardware might be in short supply, as the announcement specified that the new hardware will, “roll out globally in the following months.” This while stock of the original console designs has already begun to wane.

In the past, PlayStation hardware releases in Canada have been the same as in the U.S., but PlayStation Canada has not confirmed timing or pricing of the new consoles. There is a chance they will not be available here until the new year.

James Bond stars in new Apple Arcade game

A new game exclusive to Apple Arcade puts players in the shoes of James Bond himself, and into some of the most memorable missions and locations from the cinematic 007 universe.

Cypher 007 is a top-down action adventure, developed by Tilting Point, curates some of the most interesting adventures that we’ve watched the various Bonds endure. The conceit is clever: Captured and under the mental control of Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Bond’s nemesis, 007 re-experiences these events as he struggles to escape.

You’ve got some choice in how you complete the levels. You can opt for stealth or go for a more direct, lethal approach. This is slickly designed and the maps are varied and interesting. You’ll have more fun by playing using a game controller, especially if you’re playing on a television with Apple TV.

Hit the ice with NHL 24

The NHL season is officially underway, and while Colorado Avalanche phenom Cale Makar (originally from Calgary) is the cover athlete of NHL 24, we’re already wondering when North Vancouver’s Connor Bedard will grace the cover of the hockey sim.

In the meantime, we can play as either of the young talents in the game from EA Sports’ Burnaby development team.

One of the new aspects of the game the developers call, “Sustained Pressure”. If you’re able to keep your team in the offensive zone for long enough, you’ll get bonuses to passing accuracy and speed.

If you’re on the other side, though, and your opponent has you hemmed in, the stamina of your team will deplete faster. A similar mechanic is “Goalie Fatigue System,” which has your keeper’s save accuracy decline through the course of the game as they tire.

These are the kinds of enhancements that EA Sports comes up with year over year, and the result this year is solid.

EA Sports’ NHL 24 is available now for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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Jabra’s making the best earbuds better, LG’s making the best OLED televisions better.

Jabra updates category-leading earbuds

Jabra’s just released new models of its Elite earbuds, and as expected they are excellent.

The Elite 10 ($330) are premium, equipped with Dolby Head Tracking and support for Dolby Atmos. These are equipped with 6 microphones to best capture your voice, even when you’re in noisy environment, and the advanced ANC that Jabra says is twice as strong as in previous models keeps all that background noise out.

The Elite 8 Active ($250) are for exactly that. They are dust proof and waterproof and the liquid silicone rubber compound on the ear molds help them stay in your ear canal even when your head is bouncing around from all the fun you’re having.

My minor complaint about the Elite 10 and Elite 8 Active are that the earbud cases are rounded on the bottom, so you can’t set them on a table. You need to put the case upside down to keep them from rolling away. Other than that, there’s only nice things to say.

Order a pair of either set of Elite earbuds from Jabra’s website and you’ll get a wireless charging pad (worth $50) included with your purchase.

LG’s wireless television is now available in Canada

First revealed earlier this year, LG’s evo M3 OLED televisions have been released in Canada.

Available from Best Buy in 77-inch ($8000) and 83-inch ($10,000) screen sizes, the evo M3 screens are mostly wireless.

With the exception of a power cable, there are no cables or wires. Instead, you plug those cables into a box, called the “Zero Connect Box”, which can be up to ten metres away. That unit operates as a transmitter, pushing audio and video at 4K and 120 Hz to the television.

This is the kind of feature and tech that may begin with premium models, but I expect will find its way to the broader line of LG televisions at some point.

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