Last week, Nintendo held a very posh preview event in the great city of Toronto, where it showed off some upcoming and recently-released 3DS titles. I had the distinct pleasure of attending, with the opportunity to sit down and test out the company’s most talked-about upcoming 3DS game: Kid Icarus: Uprising. Looking back at the device and its inaugural announcement, it’s not hard to forget talk of Pit’s return after a twenty-five year hiatus was a definite highlight. Since that day, classic gaming geeks, shoot ‘em up lovers and video game lovers alike, have been eagerly anticipating their chance to fly through its depth-filled skies. Thankfully, that day just over a month away.

When I was asked about a week ago to cover an upcoming indie PC game called Dustforce, I was skeptical. I’m usually not very up to date on the indie scene when it comes to video games. That isn’t because the games are bad by any means, because they aren’t. I usually pass over indie games because, as our regular readers will know, I’m a sucker for story-driven gameplay, and any game that has little to no story usually doesn’t hold my admittedly hard-to-earn interest. There have been very few indie games in history that have had such addictive gameplay that I can completely look past the simple nature of the game. Dustforce is one of them.

With 2011 rapidly coming to an end, many film fans are hastily spending their remaining days in local theaters, trying to catch a few more of the year’s films before they return to their everyday lives. And why not? The last days of the year always prove to have a great mixture of crazy fun, big-budget films – like Sherlock Holmes and Mission Impossible – and quiet, awards-y films – like The Iron Lady or My Week With Marilyn.

There’s no shortage of online multiplayer shooters this season, but there is a glaring lack of inspiration in many of the online behemoths. There’s an overwhelming amount of “realistic” war shooters out there, and to many who can’t keep up, they’re just starting to all look the same. Sony hopes to break the monotony with the uniqueness of Starhawk.

After seeing an exclusive preview of the upcoming fourth film in the series, it was immediately marked as my must-see movie to watch this holiday season. In a crowded lineup of potential blockbusters, standing out isn’t an easy thing to do. But Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol sets itself apart from other contenders by raising the bar for what’s been seen in any action picture to date. If the trailers didn’t get you hooked, than here are three major reasons that demand the need for pre-ordering tickets instantly.

Developed by Ubisoft, The Adventures of TinTin: The Game is hoping to change gamers’ preconceptions the old fashioned way – by impressing them with a quality experience. Does it fully succeed? We North Americans will have to wait a bit to find out. However, I had the chance to briefly go hands on with the PS3 version of the game at Sony’s Holiday 2011 Preview Event in Toronto, just last month. Read on for my thoughts on what is set to be one of the holiday season’s final releases – on this side of the pond, at least.

The world’s most famous plumber is making a return to our pixellated hearts later this month, with Super Mario 3D Land. Developed by the folks behind the Super Mario Galaxy franchise and available exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS, this much-anticipated platformer is sure to endear itself to the gaming community. Fans have been waiting a while for Mario’s first appearance on his parent company’s new, high-tech portable system. Expectations are high and the anticipation is evident, with many hoping it’ll be one of the iconic series’ best entries yet. Having played parts of the game at Nintendo’s Holiday 2011 Preview Event, I’m expecting this title to release to an approving audience.

This August, I had the distinct pleasure of being asked to attend Microsoft’s X’11 Holiday Preview Event. It was where I went hands-on with RAGE. However, that wasn’t the only game Bethesda Softworks had available for preview. The company’s other offering was another one of the floor’s hottest titles: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Calling all gamer parents, toy collectors and those looking for a new gaming experience. I think I’ve found what you’re looking for with Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure; a game which looks to reinvent the beloved series, which has fallen on hard times as of late. Behind its colourful, high-definition visuals and engaging gameplay is some very exciting technology. In fact, the game’s most prominent mechanic takes place outside of the game world, with technological wizardry that the gaming world hasn’t seen before. It involves physical, real-world toys, which kids are sure to enjoy in real-life and on their television screen.

I need to come clean about something. Not only am I a huge Uncharted fan, but it’s one of my favourite video game series of all-time. It’s yet to disappoint in any way, shape or form, with a noticeably shiny coat of polish covering each of its previous two entries. Due to that aforementioned reason, you can surely understand that getting a chance to demo Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception at Sony’s Holiday 2011 Event in Toronto was right up my digital alley. Especially since they were showing off two stages from the single player campaign, which is admittedly my favourite part of almost every game on the market. I took my time and played through both for quite a while, aiming to write up a detailed preview article to explain my early thoughts. Put on your adventure hat and we’ll get into brass tax.