Author: Doug Groves

dougplanet.com is his personal blog, which is withering on the vine. If you poke around it, you’ll find out that he’s an animator and broadcast designer by trade, usually pushing pixels in either After Effects or Lightwave 3D. If he absolutely had to pick a favourite all time writer, it would be Harlan Ellison more days than any other. If you don’t know who Ellison is, then Doug weeps for you. Doug also likes long walks on the beach, mainly to collect improperly discarded medical waste for an undisclosed project of epic proportions.

Dead Space 2 review

January 31, 2011September 26, 2012 Doug Groves action, creepy, Dead Space 2, EA, horror survival, PC gaming, PS3, review, Visceral Games, Xbox 3602 Comments

The original Dead Space made a bit of a splash when it first launched: a science fiction horror survival game that provided a unique environment, lots of scares, and a solid story. The universe that the creators crafted was well fleshed out and expanded upon with an animated film, comic books more. While none of ancillary media was required to enjoy the game, it was clear from the start that EA and Visceral Games wanted to build this into a long lasting franchise. Enter Dead Space 2, which continues the…

Mobilicity and Wind offering $45 unlimited plans

January 25, 2011March 28, 2011 Doug Groves competition, data, Mobilicity, smartphone, unlimited plans, Wind Mobile0 comment

Wind Mobile and Mobilicity have been fighting tooth and nail for customers dissatisfied with the Big Three. Given Canadian love-hate relationships with Bell/Rogers/Telus, there’s a large pool to draw from. The latest volley was started by Mobilicity, which introduced a $45 unlimited plan that includes North America wide calling, data, and global text messaging. Not to be outdone, Wind Mobile has also introduced their Winter Wonder Plan, which has the same $45 price tag, and a similar set of features, though unlimited calling is limited to Canada, while Picture Messaging…

Toronto Comic Con annouces line-up

January 20, 2011September 26, 2012 Doug Groves Buffy, event, Star Wars, Toronto, Toronto Comic Con, Wizards World1 Comment

Fan Expo may be the biggest comic convention in Canada, but it’s not the only one. The line up for Wizard’s 2011 Toronto Comic Con was announced earlier this week, and it’s chalk full of fandom favourites including Star Wars alumni Billy Dee Williams and David Prowse. Of course, beyond the pop culture draws, there will be plenty of comic creators on hand.

Little Big Planet 2 launch

January 18, 2011April 4, 2011 Doug Groves LBP2, Little Big Planet 2, Playstation, PS3, PSN, Sony2 Comments

On Monday Sony held a launch party for the highly anticipated Little Big Planet 2, which continues the adventures of Sackboy and friends. With me tied up with clients and a major network rewiring at the studio, Deb had a chance to attend her first video game media launch party and this is what she had to say about it:

Minecraft notches over 1,000,000 sales

January 14, 2011April 4, 2011 Doug Groves indie gaming, Markus Persson, Minecraft, Minecraft sales, Notch, PC gaming1 Comment

When a major console or PC game racks up a million copies sold, it rarely registers as a blink in the market. A million sometimes doesn’t recoup the costs of a ‘Triple A” title. In comparison, not many indie games manage to get close to that number. Markus “Notch” Persson’s Minecraft is another story though. Sold online via the Minecraft website, not only did the game hit one million in sales, but it shows little evidence of slowing down.

Zombies!!! for Windows Phone 7

January 13, 2011January 25, 2011 Doug Groves review, Twilight Creations, Windows Phone 7, WP7, Xbox Live, Zombies14 Comments

Zombies!!! started its (un)life as a unique board game 10 years ago from game publisher Twilight Creations. In that time a number of expansion packs and alternate rules have kept the game fresh. I’ve been a fan of it since almost the beginning, and followed the Yahoo newsgroup for the game for a number of years, including trying out some of the fan suggested alternate rules options. Now Zombies!!! made the transition to a video game on the Windows Phone 7 platform. The adaptation not only captures the feel of the tabletop game for newcomers, but enhances the experience for those who’ve played the tabletop version.

Using Kinect and WiiMote to play Max Payne

January 12, 2011January 18, 2011 Doug Groves Kinect, Kinect hack, Max Payne, Microsoft, PC gaming, Wii, WiiMote, Xbox 360, YouTube0 comment

Kinect hacks have taken on many forms since the release of Microsoft’s motion sensor. From controlling Windows 7 to using it as a collision detection system for the AR Drone helicopter, the system is proving to be pretty versatile. Sure the term ‘hack’ may not be 100% accurate, since the device and its official software aren’t being hacked in any way, but that’s just semantics. Demize2010, who’s no stranger to making Kinect hack enabled games, has just released his latest example. This time, he’s got Max Payne being controlled with…

Fan Expo adds fourth day and moves back south

January 11, 2011January 12, 2011 Doug Groves 2 Comments

Although widely known to be the last weekend in August, Hobbystar has announced the dates for Fan Expo 2011. This year the show will run from Thursday August 25 to Sunday August 28th. After the sardine crush of 2010, the convention is not only moving back to the more spacious South Building, they’re taking over the whole South Building, which gives them over 400,000 square feet of geeky goodness. They’ve also extended the convention to include Thursday which should alleviate some of 2010’s problems.

Why the Xperia Play isn’t the PlayStation Phone

January 5, 2011January 27, 2011 Doug Groves CLIE, editorial, mobile gaming, Playstation, Playstation Phone, PSP, PSP Phone, PSPPhone, SCE, SE, Sony, Sony Ericsson, Xperia, Xperia Play4 Comments

Like most high end mobile phones, it all started with a couple of decidedly blurry photos, and has graduated to clearer videos and higher quality stills. A Sony Ericsson phone sporting PSP like controls on it certainly would lead one to jump to the conclusion that Sony is coming out with the PlayStation Phone, or PSP Phone. That alone is enough to set many a heart aflutter in anticipation.

Acer Aspire Revo 3700 review

January 4, 2011January 13, 2011 Doug Groves Acer, Aspire, ASRock, Boxee Box, Microsoft, nettop, OTT TV, review, Revo, Revo 3700, Windows, Windows Media Center9 Comments

One of the recent computers to cross the desks here at RGB Filter Acer’s latest iteration of the Revo nettop line, the AR3700. Powered by the second generation dual core Atom processor and Nvidia’s ION 2 graphics chip, the low cost machine is a computer looking for a niche to fill. With Window 7 Home Premium, it’s certainly capable of handling light processing duties such as web surfing, email and document creation, and at about $350, including keyboard and mouse, it makes for a decent machine for someone looking for…

Microsoft Security Essentials 2 released – Your PC will thank you

December 23, 2010December 27, 2010 Doug Groves antivirus, download, malware, Microsoft, Microsoft Security Essentials, Windows 72 Comments

If you haven’t yet installed Microsoft Security Essentials on your PC yet, now is the time. Microsoft has released version 2 of their antivirus and malware protection software, and it’s probably the best solution out there for most people. Even better is that it’s free. I’ve always hated antivirus software, because of the bloat it adds to the system. Most commercial antivirus does a great job of delivering pop-ups for innocuous events, just to remind you that they’re still running, and to say “Hey, don’t you feel glad you bought me?”….

At the TIFF Lightbox with the Hand Eye Society

December 20, 2010January 4, 2011 Doug Groves Arcadian Renaissance, event, Hand Eye Society, Messhof, Nidhogg, TIFF Bell Lightbox, TORONTRON, video1 Comment

The Hand Eye Society held the Arcadian Renaissance a while back TIFF Bell Lightbox. On hand was a bank of arcade cabinets loaded with a number of great indie games, no quarters required . The main event of the evening was an exciting, big-screen NIDHOGG tournament. Every time I see or play NIDHOGG, I just wish I had it at home. It’s a 150 proof distillation of 1 on 1 competitive gaming. rgbFilter.com was on scene…