Twitter doesn't pay me enough to post about real stuff on here. Worked at a newspaper once. Contributor to #midlifebook. he/him
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Articles by Daniel Kaszor
Startup Edmonton workspace member company refunds, free virtual programming effective March 1 — Startup Edmonton
Hello Startup members, We hope you are keeping safe during this time of precaution. The heart of Startup Edmonton is community and as we all continue to exercise best practices and social distancing, it is important to us that we continue to support our member startup and scaleup companies during this time. As a way to support you, Startup Edmonton will be waiving workspace membership fees going forward* and retroactively as of March 1, 2020.
For Honor Review: Close combat unlike any other multiplayer game
A mighty samurai warrior thunders toward me. I raise my Viking axe in the air taunting him. Just before reaching me, he stops. He knows the terrain is to my advantage and with a few quick knocks of my weapon I can trip him off the wooden bridge I’m standing on and into the abyss below. We eye each other for a moment. And then another. He raises his stance so his katana is above his head. Then to one side. Then the other. I match him with my axe. I inch closer, attempting to taunt him onto the bridge.
Ninth time’s a charm: Toronto’s Independent Game Jam closes in on a decade this weekend
This upcoming weekend is the ninth annual Toronto Independent Game Jam (TOjam), a non-competitive “game jam” where professional, hobbyist and student game designers come together, form teams and try to build a game over the course of a weekend. It’s an event that plays at the very heart of Toronto’s thriving, homegrown game-development scene.
Ampersand Arcade: Expanded interview with the team behind Sword & Sworcery
Last week Daniel Kaszor sat down with some of the creators of Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery: EP, a new Toronto-created indie game for the iPad, which has shot up the sales charts and has garnered praise from across the video-game industry. There was far too much good stuff to fit in the story for print (which is a good primer on the game). Far, far too much good stuff. So here is the first half of the conversation, lightly edited. National PostWhat made you decide to put this game on iOS first?
Post Arcade year in review: Daniel Kaszor’s top 10 video games of 2017
2017 was one of the great years for video games, so much so that my best 2018 game experiences will probably be all the 2017 games that I didn’t have time to get to (including Xenoblade 2, Yakuza 0, Assassin’s Creed Origins, Persona 5, and dozens of indie games I never had time to try out).
Gold Star: Super Mario Bros. celebrates 30 years by putting game design in the hands of the player
Ask your grandfather to name a video-game character. Chances are he’ll say Mario. Ask a co-worker. Probably Mario as well. Ask a kid the same question and you’ll likely get a variety of answers, but Mario will almost certainly come up more than anything else. What is it about Mario that makes him ubiquitous in a way no other game characters have been able to equal? It wasn’t immediate. The character’s first appearance in Donkey Kong didn’t provoke much interest at all (eyes were mostly on the gorilla).
From the Post Arcade editor’s desk: It’s been a long road, getting from there to here…
After, six years (minus two weeks) of working on Post Arcade, and a year-or-so before that working on Post Arcade’s progenitor Ampersand Arcade, I am moving on to pursue opportunities outside of journalism. It’s been a long journey from that point to now, plugging away at a games industry and journalism industry changing as we went.
Destiny 2 social lead M.E. Chung on how Bungie used a ‘Super Bowl ring’ philosophy to balance community
In May, Bungie flew Post Arcade out to L.A. for the announcement of Destiny 2 with a sweaty mix of fans and press in an overheated airplane hanger. Destiny 1 was a mix of impeccable gameplay design mixed with some frustrating issues, including how it handled some of the social aspects of grouping up with your friends.
Destiny 2 beta week: Game lead Luke Smith on why sometimes the designers at Bungie are too good at shooters
Today, developer Bungie kicks off its beta for Destiny 2. While you wait for the servers to start actually working, here is an interview with the game lead Luke Smith. In May, Bungie flew me out to L.A. to for the announcement of Destiny 2 with a sweaty mix of fans and press in an overheated airplane hanger. Destiny 1 was a mix of impeccable gameplay design mixed with some frustrating issues. Despite that, its garnered a huge player base and an army of dedicated fans.
SNES Classic mini console announced by Nintendo, coming September 29
Nintendo has officially announced the Super Nintendo Entertainment System: Classic Edition, the follow-up to its hugely popular (and inexplicably discontinued) NES Classic. While the NES Classic was a miniature version of Nintendo’s 1985 Nintendo Entertainment System with 30 pre-installed classic games, the SNES Classic will be a mini version of the 1991 Super Nintendo Entertainment System with 21 pre-installed classic games, including the previously unreleased Star Fox 2.
Destiny 2 full strike video and hands-on impressions of the game
Today, Destiny 2 was revealed at an event in Los Angeles (Bungie and Activision flew Post Arcade to the event). Here are our impressions of the game from the show floor: There were three activities on available: the game’s first campaign mission (about 20 mins), a co-operative strike mission (about 35 mins) and PvP Competitive (a 10 minute match). In the video above, you can see Daniel Kaszor’s complete play through of the co-operative strike mission.
Destiny 2 reveal live stream and updates from Los Angeles
TrendingHome Capital | Oil | NAFTA | Bombardier | Canadian dollar | Family Finance Destiny 2 reveal live stream and updates from Los Angeles Daniel Kaszor | May 18, 2017 | Last Updated: May 18 9:15 AM ETMore from Daniel Kaszor | @dkaszor Destiny 2 is live: from an airplane hangar in Hawthorne, California (that’s like 20 mins from LAX), developer Bungie is running us through the first gameplay reveals of the followup to 2014’s controversial breakout hit Destiny.
Your trepidation might be merited, but there is reason to believe TV’s American Gods can be great
None of this can actually be happening. If it makes you more comfortable, you could simply think of it as metaphor.
‘The Galaxy is vast and full of wonders’: Why you should play Stellaris right now
The message came out of a black hole. It was sent to my lead scientist before he was born. Before any of us were born. It was a love poem. That was the event that set my vast space empire in a game of Stellaris off its predicted course of bringing love and understanding to the galaxy. Soon my fairly vanilla humans in the United Nations of Earth had been transformed via retrovirus by a non-linear time cult fuelled by whispers from the black hole.
Why we don’t have a review of Ghost Recon Wildlands (and why one probably won’t be coming)
As I spent about five hours with the Ghost Recon Wildlands open beta last week, it became abundantly clear that it would be difficult if not impossible for us to review the game and give it a fair shake. Wildlands — for those who don’t follow the video-game release calendar religiously — is the new open-world game from Ubisoft set in a near-future Bolivia overrun by drug lords. It comes out tomorrow.
Oscars 2017 winners and losers live as they happen
The question isn’t if the 89th Academy Awards be full of political speeches and a landslide for “La La Land,” but how those things will happen. Sunday night’s Oscars are shaping up to be one of the most turbulent and politically charged ceremonies in recent memory.
For Honor Review: Close combat unlike any other multiplayer game
A mighty samurai warrior thunders toward me. I raise my Viking axe in the air taunting him. Just before reaching me, he stops. He knows the terrain is to my advantage and with a few quick knocks of my weapon I can trip him off the wooden bridge I’m standing on and into the abyss below. We eye each other for a moment. And then another. He raises his stance so his katana is above his head. Then to one side. Then the other. I match him with my axe. I inch closer, attempting to taunt him onto the bridge.
Download Code: Why I wish For Honor was free to play (but get why it isn't)
Daniel Kaszor explains the relationship between game costs and player bases and why players who don’t pay a dime for a game can still be good for a developer My crew of friends are making short work of the opposing forces in For Honor‘s four-on-four Dominion mode. They are flitting back and forth crushing waves of AI soldiers while I hold on point-C snapping the necks of the opposing human team as they come at me one-by-one (pro-tip, don’t do that).
With Fire Emblem Heroes, Nintendo has embraced free-to-play. And the money it earns might be hard to ignore
Nintendo Co. Ltd. has a taste of free-to-play cash. The question is if that’s enough. Super Mario Run stars Nintendo’s most well known character, was announced with great fanfare during an Apple keynote, had the best prime real-estate in Apple’s app store for a month before its release, was launched along with a series of interviews with Mario creator and developer superstar Shigeru Miyamoto, and came out the night after a blitz of coverage on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
What does Donald Trump’s inauguration mean? Follow our live coverage with our panel of analysts and reporters
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What does Donald Trump’s inauguration mean? Follow our live coverage with our panel of analysts and reporters Join us starting at 9 a.m. ET for our live coverage of Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 45th President of the United States. We will update you through the proceedings and onto the next era of American government. The ceremony starts at 11:30 a.m. ET with Trump officially becoming president at noon. During the ceremony Trump will give his inaugural speech. This will be followed by a parade.
By Daniel Kaszor, Ashley Csanady, Sean Craig Verified, Zane Schwartz, Sadaf Ahsan Verified, Michael Den Tandt Verified, David Akin Verified, Kelly McParland Verified, Gary Clement, Richard Warnica Verified
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National Post
Verified
Mega Man Legacy Collection Review: As close to a perfect port possible with modern hardware
Almost 30 years ago, Capcom released the first Mega Man game, starring a plucky little robot hero of the same name. From there the Mega Man series became known for some of the best action platforming in video games, and the blue bomber went on to star in many, many, many sequels including several on the Super Nintendo and PlayStation and a retro resurgence in the late 2000s.
Hate Plus - Christine Love on visual novels and the sequel to Analogue: A Hate Story
Visual Novel: A visual novel is an interactive fiction game, featuring mostly static graphics, most often using anime-style art or occasionally live-action stills (and sometimes video footage). — Wikipedia Christine Love is not the only North American producing Visual Novels — a mostly Japanese art form, which focus mostly on the telling of interactive stories — but she’s probably the most successful. In 2010, when she released Digital: A Love Story, people began to take notice.
Steam gets more steamy: Toronto-developed erotica pushes envelope on world’s largest PC game platform
Last year, Toronto game developer Christine Love released Ladykiller In A Bind for PC. The artful sex-game met with positive reviews (including one from Post Arcade) and sold enough copies to pay for its development. It didn’t, however, come out on Steam, the most important and largest digital game store on PC. That changed last night with Love announcing that she had reached an agreement with Steam owners Valve Corporation for the game to appear on their storefront.
Post Arcade’s top games of 2016: Daniel Kaszor’s picks
We asked the regular writers for Post Arcade this year to submit their games of the year. Today we hear from Post Arcade’s Editor Daniel Kaszor. His list isn’t anything special for being last, he just took a long time to write it. If you asked me at the start of 2016 if I would be including Titanfall 2 on my best of the year list on the strength of its single-player campaign, I wouldn’t have believed you, but here we are.
Top stories of 2016: Why March 22 was the never-ending breaking news day
March 22, 2016. The day that breaking news never ended. After a morning of frantically trying to get every scrap of information on the terror attack in Brussels that killed more than 30 people, the news team at nationalpost.com thought we had a few hours to catch our breath before the Canadian federal budget landed at 4 p.m. ET. When you live in a world of 15 minute news cycles, it can give you whiplash if there’s important, all encompassing news that keeps shifting your focus.
The Last Guardian creator Fumito Ueda on what he feels games can do better than any other medium
With your previous games, there was a spareness to the aesthetic. Both through the story itself, through the plot, and how the world presented itself, and how that translated into gameplay. Is this something that you feel is essential to the games that you produce? With regards to the spareness that you pointed out, it’s not that I go in with the guideline or rulebook of that, myself, what has happened for me, is that I view a video game as a media to express one’s idea. My idea.
Who is winning the U.S. election? We follow the vote live all night with analysis and commentary
The U.S. election race all comes down to tonight. The polls give Hillary Clinton a slight edge over Donald Trump, but with key states Florida and Pennsylvania showing the potential for a tight race, it’s still possible that the electoral math might turn against her.
Nintendo Switch is the official name for the NX. Watch the trailer here
The Switch, formerly known only as the “NX,” is Nintendo’s new system, the Japanese company revealed in a short trailer Thursday. The trailer revealed that many of the rumours about the system once known as the NX were true: it’s a device that blends the ideas of a home video-game console such as the Nintendo Wii and a portable console such as the 3DS. “Nintendo Switch allows gamers the freedom to play however they like,” Reggie Fils-Aime, President and COO, Nintendo of America, said in a release.
Rise of Iron Game Director Christopher Barrett on Destiny’s new expanision
Destiny’s second large expansion hits tomorrow, kicking off the game’s third year. Post Arcade spoke with Christopher Barrett, Rise of Iron’s Game Director, about the release. Barrett is a sixteen year employee at developer Bungie. He was art director on Destiny as a whole and the lead on 2016’s House of Wolves expansion.
Shigeru Miyamoto announces Super Mario Run for iOS at Apple’s fall event
Nintendo game design mastermind Shigeru Miyamoto got up on stage at Apple’s September 7 live event and announced a new Mario game for iOS. Super Mario Run will be an “endless runner” style game for mobile devices, coming first on iOS. The controls will be simplified from a traditional Mario games to work better with a mobile touchscreen. The game is coming December 2016 and will be a one-time pay as opposed to microtransaction fueled game, though a portion of it will be available for free.
Deus Ex Mankind Divided Review: A good experience if a politically tepid one
I’m standing in a sewer trying to explain myself to the editor of an off-the-grid conspiracy-theory publication. He’s caught a whiff that the shipping business down the street isn’t quite what it seems. He’s right, of course, it’s a front for the secret branch of Interpol that I work for. You go in past the front desk and into the back closet and pull a switch which lowers an elevator down into a secure basement housing a giant anti-terror squad that I may or may not be double-crossing.
Rio 2016 opening ceremony live: Follow along with the Olympic show as it happens
JOIN US LIVE FOR UPDATES DIRECTLY FROM MARACANÃ STADIUM IN RIO AS THE OPENING CEREMONY KICKS OFF AT 7 P.M. EASTERN TIME / 4 P.M. PACIFIC TIME RIO DE JANEIRO — There’s nothing like the unique Brazilian vibe — and the opening ceremony for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will see no shortage of samba, culture, diversity and history as the South American nation proudly showcases its traditions and environmental wonders.
Nintendo releasing new mini version of its classic NES system with 30 built-in games
Nintendo Co. is doubling down on nostalgia with the introduction of a mini version of its classic Nintendo Entertainment System. The new mini NES will include 30 built-in games and will connect to modern televisions via HDMI. Alongside the mini NES, Nintendo is releasing new gamepads that will look and feel exactly the same as the ones released with the original NES in 1985.
Artificial intelligence running on $35 off-the-shelf computer bests real humans in aerial combat test
An artificial intelligence (A.I.), developed by a University of Cincinnati doctoral graduate and dubbed ALPHA, beat real-life humans in a high-fidelity air combat simulator despite being powered by a tiny US$35 Raspberry Pi computer. The human in the scenario was retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Gene Lee — who has extensive air combat experience. “(This is) the most aggressive, responsive, dynamic and credible AI I’ve seen to date,” Lee said in a statement after the test.
Top WWE star Roman Reigns suspended for ‘wellness policy’ violation
The WWE’s top star, Joe Anoa`i, known better by his ring name Roman Reigns, was suspended for 30 days on Tuesday for violating the company’s “wellness policy.” The wellness policy is the program WWE uses to screen its performers for drugs — both recreational and performance enhancing. It’s not clear how Reigns violated the policy, but since he is a first-time offender, his suspension will last 30 days.
Nintendo E3 2016 live stream: When it is and how to watch
When: 9:00 a.m. PT / 12:00 p.m. ET Where: An embedded stream is right above or at e3.nintendo.com Nintendo has said it will show just the new Zelda game on its E3 stream, but has hinted it will also show its upcoming Pokemon games. Join us at 9:00 a.m. PT / 12:00 p.m. ET to find out
Microsoft E3 2016 Xbox press conference live stream: When it starts and how to watch
WHEN: 9;30 am PT / 12:20 am ET WHERE: Right here (we will make sure a working feed is embedded above Microsoft was busy on the eve of its E3 2016 presentation, with many leaks (some likely real, some not) coming out about the contents beforehand. Some of the things rumored to appear are Forza Horizon 3, Final Fantasy XV, Recore, and a large look at the first paid expansion of The Division.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is silly and cartoonish, and proud of it
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is a live action Saturday morning cartoon, having shaken off most (though not all) of the Michael Bay garishness that derailed its 2014 predecessor. The film picks up an indeterminate amount of time after the four ninja mutant brothers defeated their nemesis, The Shredder. But that peace doesn’t last long.
Why the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are the kings of reboots, no matter what version you love or hate
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles — four baby turtle brothers mutated to human-size by ooze and trained to be ninjas by a giant rat to fight his mortal enemy The Shredder — have been a part of pop culture for more than 30 years. They even have a brand new movie coming out next week. So, what keeps the turtles fresh? They are the kings of the reboot.
Dark Souls easy mode is in its co-op
A lot of ink has been spilled (and video recorded) over the past few weeks about if having an “easy mode” in Dark Souls would be something worthwhile. Many voicing in favour of an easy mode say that many of the charms of Dark Souls — specifically the mood and environmental storytelling — are lost to those who don’t have the skill or temperament for the game.
What is Slack? How one social network has quickly taken over offices around the world
While social media has done a good job over the last decade of encompassing almost every aspect of communication in our personal life, it’s (mostly) left our work lives alone. Despite email having been standardized in 1982, it’s still the de-facto communication platform for the workplace.
What happens when a game forces half its users to play as women? The developers of Rust are finding out
What happens when a game forces half its users to play as women? No character select screen, no avatar creation. Just — boom — now your character is a woman and will always be going forward. The answer is that some players are incensed by it. But even more of them have embraced the developer’s gleeful trollishness.
Wrestlemania 32 explained: A guide to WWE’s biggest event even if you know nothing about the squared circle
So, you’ve been dragged over to your friend’s house to watch the show of shows, the big one, the granddaddy of them all: Wrestlemania. The only problem: you have no idea what this whole wrestling thing is all about. Maybe you haven’t watched since Stone Cold and The Rock tore it up in the Attitude Era. Or maybe the last thing you remember is Hogan slamming Andre in 1987. Or maybe you’ve never watched wrestling at all. So how can you go in without looking like a total idiot?
Ampersand Arcade: Expanded interview with the team behind Sword & Sworcery
Last week Daniel Kaszor sat down with some of the creators of Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery: EP, a new Toronto-created indie game for the iPad, which has shot up the sales charts and has garnered praise from across the video-game industry. There was far too much good stuff to fit in the story for print (which is a good primer on the game). Far, far too much good stuff. So here is the first half of the conversation, lightly edited. National Post What made you decide to put this game on iOS first?
Batman vs. Superman: Why Superman’s problems are more real than emo Bruce Wayne’s
Batman is for children. Superman is the costumed hero for adults. What’s that you say? I’ve got that backward? That Superman is a candy-coloured confection offering black and white ethics while Batman exposes the grey morals of society? That’s actually part of what makes Superman the more adult hero. When you’re 13, Superman seems pretty lame. He doesn’t look cool, his powers make solving problems too easy, and he’s too squeaky clean. Batman is the s—t. He’s got a badass costume and cracks thugs’ skulls.
iPhone SE launch live: Apple Inc unveils new 4-inch smartphone, 9.7-inch iPad Pro at Cupertino event
CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple Inc on Monday unveiled a smaller, cheaper iPhone aimed at new buyers, especially in emerging markets and China, as the technology company looks to reverse a decline in worldwide sales of its most important product. The new device, called the iPhone SE, has a 4-inch screen and starts at $549 in Canada. It represents Apple’s second bid for the crowded mid-tier market after an unsuccessful foray three years ago.
iPhone SE launch live: Apple Inc expected to unveil smaller smartphone, iPad Pro at Cupertino event
Apple Inc. is expected to unveil a number of new products today, including a smaller iPhone and iPad Pro, as it hosts journalists and analysts at its Silicon Valley headquarters for a spring product launch event. The technology giant said “Let us loop you in” in its invitation to media, but in true Apple fashion, has been quiet about what it will actually reveal. Several analysts expect the company will unveil a four-inch iPhone, an upgrade to the iPhone 5S that was released in 2013.
iPhone SE launch live: Apple Inc unveils smaller smartphone, 9.7-inch iPad Pro at Cupertino event
CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple Inc on Monday unveiled a smaller, cheaper iPhone aimed at emerging markets and possibly China, the world’s biggest buyer of smartphones, as the technology company looks to reverse a decline in worldwide sales of its most important product. The new device, called the iPhone SE, has a 4-inch (10-cm) screen and represents Apple’s second bid for the crowded mid-tier market after an unsuccessful foray three years ago.
Miitomo marks the start of a new era for Nintendo
If Bill Trinen, Nintendo Co. Ltd.’s senior product marketing manager, was surprised by my question, he didn’t show it, rolling right into his answer. “Baseball just goes on for ever and ever and ever,” he started. “With a soccer, I know for a fact that a game is going to end in 90 minutes, whereas a baseball game can go on and on.” The fact that I asked this question to a major executive for the most famous Japanese video-game company in a phone interview right off the bat might seem surprising.
PlayStation VR will cost US$399 and is coming in October
PlayStation VR will cost US$399 and is coming in October of this year, Sony announced at the Game Developer’s Conference on Tuesday. -more to come.
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