Cubek

Photo

cmckee — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:38:32 -0700

New Game Developer in the Works?

cmckee — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:05:00 -0700

So, I got an email today regarding some web design work (from a trusted source, mind you.) The sender goes on to explain that a colleague of his needs help designing a “new start-up video game company based out of Toronto and Halifax.” At this point, I wasn’t too interested, but then she also mentions that “all members are previous BioWare and EA [Canada] software developers…”

So? Has this already been announced and discussed and beaten to death by the press? I like to think that I stay pretty informed about the gaming industry and I hadn’t heard anything about this. Let me know!

Cale

Holiday Clusterfuck

cmckee — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 17:20:40 -0600

Who doesn’t love the holidays? For that matter, what gamer doesn’t love the holidays? A tsunami of releases is primed and ready, just waiting to crush us all with sweet gaming glory. Oddly enough, I can’t stand the thought of it. Looking at my mental list of holiday releases, I always end up thinking to myself, what games are going to die at retail this year?

Of course, you already knew that. But how’s this for an idea: let the big ones go. Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 are going to dominate, no question about that. And people will playing them for the next 5 years, at least. Why not pick up something less publicized and hyped for the holiday season? The big shooters’ sales will not suffer whatsoever if you wait. Grab something that’s doomed to die instead of more of the same. The war shooters will still be there, and they will keep coming for years to come. Nab something different!

Old Republic Gets A Date

cmckee — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 10:01:30 -0600

BioWare has finally pulled the cover back just a little bit more on their heavily-anticipated MMO. They’ve confirmed that Star Wars: The Old Republic will launch on December 20, 2011. Which is pretty insane, seeing as how it’s already September. Needless to say, the excitement is mounting.

C-Cubed Episode 5 (PAXcast)

cmckee — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 11:45:00 -0600

We recorded this about a week after PAX, edited it right after, but haven’t posted it yet. Here it is, in all its late glory. We just discuss PAX, plus test out a new microphone set-up which sounds infinitely better. So, enjoy!

Download C³ Episode 5!

PAX Begins!

cmckee — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 22:08:29 -0600

We made it to Seattle alive! It was a grueling drive, in which we were at each other’s throats by the end of it, but we’re here. The excitement is sinking in, and we’re primed and ready for some hardcore gaming, seeing, writing and such things. Here we go!

Another personally-anticipated release, Final Fantasy XIII-2,...

cmckee — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 09:39:31 -0600

Another personally-anticipated release, Final Fantasy XIII-2, has only seen two trailers thus far. This video showcases both trailers along with commentary from the game’s producers, Kitase Yoshinori and Toriyama Motomu, teasing and revealing new details.

Gears of War 3’s release date is inching closer and...

cmckee — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 09:27:47 -0600

Gears of War 3’s release date is inching closer and closer, and excitement is mounting. Epic and Microsoft are adding fuel to the hype machine with the badass opening cinema. The video offers a little peek at what’s going to go down in Gears 3, and has me pumped.

C-Cubed Episode 4

cmckee — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 18:41:48 -0600

So, it’s been quite awhile since we’ve recorded a podcast. As a result, our “radio” voices are a bit rusty, as is our flow and timing. We discuss Rise of the Planet of the Apes, PAX, and a variety of other topics, including games, of course! Apologies for the lack of production value, as we just wanted to post it as soon as possible. Look forward to improved audio quality in the future as well.

Listen here:

http://bit.ly/nP8HDm

Or download:

http://bit.ly/nPA1xV

Thanks for listening!

HOLY SHIT WE'RE SO SORRY

cmckee — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 01:05:00 -0600

So, the last few months have been pretty hectic. Connor, Cam and I graduated high school about a month ago, so between studying for exams, working, finding a house to move into and a myriad of other trials and tribulations, we’ve been pretty busy. Too busy to post anything whatsoever. So, we offer you our deepest apologies, and trust us, we’ll make it up to you.

We’re pretty much settled into the new geek den, are getting back into a little routine, so we’ll be back in a posting mood in no time. In order to compensate for our complete content blackout, we’ve already got some new stuff coming down the pipe. We’re recording another podcast on Tuesday, and we’ll keep posting as much as possible until we head down to PAX at the end of August.

We’ll hopefully get tons of things to post about during our trip to PAX, so that’ll be something to look out for. In summation, we feel like dicks about neglecting the site/blog/whatever, but we’ll make up for it. Thanks for reading, folks.

C-Cubed E3 Extravaganza!

contagh — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 20:56:00 -0600

Yeah, we’re late, we know, sorry. Get off our backs. But listen. If you didn’t get all your E3 news from someone else already, here it is. If you didn’t, here it is, jarnalizism! Hard-hitting, straight from the source! Your favorite source: Cubek!

In this episode of Cubek, we discuss everything that happened at E3 that either mattered to us, or that we could remember. So here it is, PLEASE, enjoy!

Download C³ E3 Extravaganza!

...And Nintendo Kills It Harder

cmckee — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 22:25:00 -0600

Cale Mckee

Nintendo had the day to themselves today, and they had no trouble filling the day with discussion and speculation on the announcements they made. While Nintendo may have made satisfied the stockholders over these past few years with the Wii, they’ve soured their standing with “core gamers”. Despite the odd title worth celebrating, the Wii was home to crap shovelware that sold better than the “real games”. Today was the first step in reclaiming gamers’ trust.

I’ll start with the biggie. Nintendo revealed their rumored new console, dubbed “Wii U”. The biggest improvement over its predecessor is the ability to display games in full HD. This brings Nintendo to a level playing field, able to run the same third-party multiplatform games boasted by the Xbox 360 and PS3 including Batman: Arkham City, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Darksiders II and Tekken, among others. No more derezzed, waggle-infused ports.

The biggest conversation point was the controller. First off, the thing looks massive. My first thought was, “Wow, that would be uncomfortable as hell.” However, hands-on reports state that the controller is actually pretty easy to play with. The controller is built around a 6.2”-inch touchscreen, with dual analog sticks! (Joy!) A bunch of other little dongles such as a camera, a microphone, speakers, accelerometer and gyroscope are crammed into this thing. Here, check it out:

Pretty nifty. The screen can be used to display different information than what is on the tv, (such as an inventory, HUD, etc.) or to display the same image. Which would be handy, if you wanted to play some Assassin’s Creed but your sibling/parent/significant other/roommate is hogging the tv. It would also be neat to play, say, poker, with everyone’s cards displayed only on their own screen.

They also showcased some 3DS titles, such as Starfox 64 3D, Mario 3DS, and the Ocarina of Time remake. Wii titles were also mentioned, such as a new Kirby game, and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. All in all, Nintendo has me extremely excited for what they have to offer. I think I’m ready to love again.

Sony Killed It!

cmckee — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 08:33:00 -0600

Cale Mckee

Sony held their E3 press conference last night, and damn, did they do good. I don’t even own a PlayStation product, but they got me as excited as hell for some their games. While there was some Move hokey baloney, they really kept it light in comparison to Microsoft’s Kinect-heavy presentation.

They showed off some exclusive games, including Uncharted 3, which continues to impress, and Resistance 3, about which I honestly couldn’t care less, but regardless, looked nice. They also officially announced the fourth Sly Cooper game, harkening back to the old platforming days that I miss so dearly.

They, of course, revealed their NGP, officially christened the “PlayStation Vita”. The handheld itself looks promising, as do the few games they showcased. Ken Levine teasing an Irrational Games project on the portable enticed me even further. That, and the incredibly reasonable price point! Both 3G and Wifi-enabled versions will be available, at $299 and $249 USD, respectively.

They also showcased a small, affordable 3D tv with one of the coolest little features. As an alternative to the traditional splitscreen format, the tv displays two separate images to two pairs of glasses. This allows to players to see their own screen, in full size, and not see their partner’s. And at $500 USD for the tv, a copy of Resistance 3, and a pair of 3D glasses, who could object?

Sony managed to play off the recent PSN disaster, and convince me that I should invest in the PlayStation brand. A successful presentation, indeed.

Brothers In Arms: Furious 4 Reveal

cmckee — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 17:45:51 -0600

Cale Mckee

Music Monday is barely a thing anymore, but here’s an E3-related news-bit in spirit of Music Monday. I dig the shit out of Sleigh Bells, and one of their songs was used in the reveal trailer of Brothers In Arms: Furious 4. The trailer gives off a vibrant “Inglorious Basterds: The Game” vibe, which sits just fine with me. So here it is, for your viewing pleasure:

E3 Apologist

cmckee — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:13:00 -0600

Cale Mckee

I wish I could be updating Cubek with fresh, hot-of-the-presses news from E3 right now. I really do. Unfortunately, I’m confined to the doctor’s office waiting room, with only Twitter to keep me up to date. But, I’ll do my best to post news at the end of the day, once the dust has settled, with my opinions and thoughts. For now, enjoy E3!

More Halo? I'm cool with that.

cmckee — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 11:41:00 -0600

Cale Mckee

So, someone at Xbox.com is gonna get firrrrrreeedd. Just recently, there was a listing of a bunch of games to look for, hours before they were announced. The page has been pulled by now, but it’s official: they’re remaking the original Halo. Not only that, but they managed to accidentally confirm Halo 4. Not that I should be surprised, but still, it would have been a neat little reveal at the Microsoft press event later today. Among the leaked titles were Dance Central 2 (Which I’m excited for), and a slough of Kinect games. An interesting start to E3.

My sister, Mary, recently started using Photoshop. This was one...

contagh — Tue, 17 May 2011 12:17:00 -0600

My sister, Mary, recently started using Photoshop. This was one of her first projects. Adorable and brilliant in it’s simplicity.

Also, eggcellent.

daanica: POKEMON LOVE

contagh — Mon, 16 May 2011 22:33:45 -0600

daanica:

POKEMON LOVE

We Played the Halo Theme Song!

cmckee — Thu, 12 May 2011 22:56:00 -0600

So, I’m in our high school band. At the beginning of the semester, I had realized that I desperately wanted us to play the Halo theme song. I pestered the hell out my teacher for weeks, and he finally ordered it, then I harassed him every day until it arrived. We finally played it in front of an audience, and I had my mom record it. Now, it was just with my handycam, so the sound quality is a little sub-par. That, and we suck. But, it was still a really cool geeking-out moment to finally hear us playing that wonderful tune. The cool part starts at about 1:45, when we sing that iconic choir part. Although, the kid on baritone is pretty loud during that part. And if you’re wondering, I’m the red-faced kid with the faux-hawk playing the trumpet that my mother kept zooming in on.

LISTEN WITH HEADPHONES. It makes it sound infinitely better.

Here it is: (be gentle)

Gears 3 Beta Code!

cmckee — Wed, 11 May 2011 23:03:38 -0600

Woo, yeah! Bring it on suckers, here it is: our last Gears 3 beta code! This your kinda shit?!

WG4JP-RF2XD-694C9-J9WKR-7PMDZ