"We don't call you our customers, we call you our guests."  Those words spoken by 38 Studios founder Curt Schilling preceded the very first live demo of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning at PAX East, welcoming those in attendance into its epic world.  With just two days to go before the release of the game for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, the world of Amalur is about to visited by an influx of guests from across North America.

Last year marked the 25th Anniversary for The Legend of Zelda, a huge milestone for one of the most iconic franchises in the history of video games.  Yet despite year-long celebrations by Nintendo, it seems that even our green tunic-wearing hero couldn't match the selling power of a pudgy Italian plumber named Mario.

The PSVita is certainly shaping up to be the console for music fans. Launching on February 14th (a perfect Valentines gift, perhaps?) Lumines Electronic Symphony features 33 licensed tracks, including some amazing tracks like Aphex Twin's Windowlicker and Mark Ronson & The Business Intl.'s Bang Bang Bang.

Football’s biggest prize is up for grabs tomorrow in Super Bowl XLVI between the New York Giants and New England Patriots. The NFL’s championship tilt is always a reason to host or attend a party to watch the game and socialize. But tech-savvy fans might like sprucing up their home theatre and taking in more of the game through smartphone and tablet apps.

VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) services have steadily improved in quality and functionality. Home and business users have a number of options for cheap alternatives to their landlines. 

netTALK Duo is a full featured phone line that enables Free Local & Long Distance to US. and Canada. One year free service is included with the Duo. Which sells for $59.95 and is available at Future Shop in stores and online.

If you’re a regular visitor of Futureshop.ca as I am, you may have noticed a massive assortment of brand-name luggage pieces offered for sale online. No need to blink twice, the assortment and sale offers you’re seeing are true.

If you could only live with one social network, which would you choose? Facebook? Twitter? Google+? LinkedIn? Pinterest?

Despite filing public offerings and having an estimated value of $100B, Facebook showed it is not the powerhouse it thinks it is this week.

There have been a lot of titles released for the iOS platforms that, you know, should make us feel like it's a "serious" games platform. Something that's absolutely on the level with the DS, the PSP... maybe even the 3DS and the upcoming Vita. Titles like Infinity Blade, let's say. But for some reason I can't ever quite buy the narrative, and you know, I play tons of games on my iPod touch! Maybe it's that lack of buttons thing. I just can't see it. But... you know... Capcom releasing Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, really not that long after it was released on Nintendo DS, well, there's something to be said for that.

Yep, you read that right. Kinect! For Windows! Except... well, not quite yet for consumers, but there's a lot of promise in today's announcement that "any business" can now develop applications for Kinect in Windows. I mean... it could revolutionize human-computer interaction, right?

It's now official. Facebook is going public. 

While the initial $5B offering will just be for the well-to-do on Wall Street, when the FB stock goes on the market this May, we'll all get a chance to buy in.

The question is: will you?

After the release of the incredibly fun co-op platformer Rayman Origins, Ubisoft has now announced yet another Rayman game: Rayman 3 Hoodlum Havoc HD.  While technically not a "new release" the re-release of this 2003 fan favourite (doesn't time just fly?) will come as a pleasant surprise with totally revamped hi-def graphics.  Look for it on Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStation Network on March 21, 2012!

If you're going to work out, there's an app for that.  The issue becomes trying to have your big bulky iPhone with you on the gym floor or a run.

Belkin has a variety of armbands for you to strap your iPhone or iPod to your bicep while you work out, I took one for a test drive through a fitness routine and a run.

Let’s face it, accounting software doesn’t have the kind of panache that more consumer-friendly programs have, but if you’re running a business, the days of using only a pen and paper should be long gone. QuickBooks from Intuit is a series of software programs aimed at a range of small business owners, from those running a one-person operation to those with employees, and here’s a closer look at which one might be best for you.

The darkness.  I used to be afraid of it until I grew older and realized the evil that lucks in the darkness was just a figment of my imagination.  However, after watching these horrific trailers of The Darkness II  I'm really not so sure anymore.

One of those very long headlines there that seems to tell the whole story, eh? Well! Capcom has just announced that Dragon's Dogma, it's open world action combat game, will be released for Xbox 360 and PS3 on May 22nd, and both systems will get Resident Evil 6 demo download tokens included: but much, much earlier on Xbox 360.

Twitter is about to get noisy.  With the Super Bowl this weekend and The Oscars arriving in the next month, the conversation that normally weaves through a number of threads is about to get VERY onesided.

If youre not a red carpet afficionado or a football freak, there is a way to drown out the noise without blocking or unfollowing the noisy twitterers.

Here's how:

Earlier this week we posted about Prototype 2's April 24 release date; however it seems PC users will have to wait a bit longer to get their hands on this much-anticipated game. According to the official Prototype Facebook page, the PC version won't arrive until July 24.

Just before the most romantic day of the year, Nintendo is launching an eye-catching 'Pearl Pink' coloured 3DS on Friday, February 10, 2012. 

Sonos is a company that’s been pretty visible to me lately. First, I had one of their Play:3 speakers in my place for about a month, and then I got to speak with them at CES to discuss their plans for Canada in 2012. They’re looking to be more visible with you, the consumer, as well, and the Play:3 is one of the key products to make that happen. How does it stand up as a standard-bearer?

O Canada.  Such wonderful video games you make. To honour our great industry leaders across the land, the Canadian Videogame Awards are held annually in Vancouver, produced by Reboot Communications and Greedy Productions.  The 3rd Annual Canadian Videogame Awards will be taking place on April 21st in conjunction with the very first Fan Expo Vancouver, the city's first major comicon.

Video game... news! Here is some more of it! Including such stuff as dates for Ghost Recon and versus modes for Raccoon City, that sort of thing.

The times, they are a-changin'.  Nintendo started out this console generation posting record profits thanks to its runaway success with the Wii, coupled with the immensely popular Nintendo DS family of handhelds.  Now as we enter 2012 it seems the house that Mario built is forecasting its first annual financial loss in over 30 years, and the first loss since Nintendo became a video game powerhouse.

There’s relief this weekend for the piles of gaming enthusiasts anxiously waiting to get their hands on the PlayStation Vita handheld console. On Saturday, February 4, select Future Shop stores will be providing live demos between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. (local time).

Last week, Jennifer Lawrence woke up bright and early to help announce the nominations for the 2012 Academy Awards, which will be hosted by Billy Crystal and air live from Hollywood on February 26. 

I was just a wee lad when I first got my hands on the tile-matching sensation Tetris.  Created in 1984 by the now-famous Russian programmer, Alexey Pajitnov, the game is one of the most successful in history having sold over 70 million copies and a further 100 million-plus mobile downloads (as of Jan 2010).  Adding to Tetris' already impressive list of accolades is a new one, as of the end of last year: it was the most downloaded game on Sony's PlayStation Network.

Hello hello chaps,

Now Erika did a wee write-up of some prevously-announced Street Fighter X Tekken characters recently, and I promise we're not going to block your feed up with the likely constant and piecemeal reveals of each new character that comes, but gotta say that the characters they've just announced as Sony-exclusives are pretty... weird? Maybe even offensive, really? Yeah...