So the "new" Tomb Raider has been out for a while now but I only finished playing it a few days ago. First I couldn't play it because I gave up playing video game for Lent then, I only had a couple of days before flying off to vacation across the world. When I came back (and sufficiently recovered from a bout of illness), I promptly plunked myself down in front of the TV and started playing. 

I had pre-ordered the game, which cost me only $39.99 because of a $20 off G-List perk (if you want an invite, shoot me an email!), and included was a hard cover Tomb Raider comic book - "The Beginning" about how the team ended up going to searching for the Island of Yamatai, and some download codes for Shanty Town multiplayer map and an Aviatrix skin. There was also a 14 day XBox Live Gold trial code, a Square Enix registration card. The Aviatrix skin dressed up Lara as a classic 1930s adventurer with bomber jacket. Once I downloaded, I promptly made her put it on, because she looks so cold just wearing a tank top. It made me cold while I was playing XD.


I really enjoyed the game. It was fun to explore the island and try to find all the maps, relics, documents and raiding the tombs. I only got 96% of the items before finishing the story but I can still go back to find the rest. There was a moment near the end where you go Aha! There is the Lara Croft we know. Lara goes through a lot of punishment in the game. Try extremely hard to avoid dying because the death scenes are grisly but I guess they were going for realism, sort of. Fortunately she keeps getting back up! I also liked using the bow and arrow!

They've added a multiplayer to this game but I don't particularly enjoy it. Mostly because I have trouble finding the people trying to kill me on screen and when I do spot them, it's usually when they have killed me. I bet the people I played with online were exasperated with me. lol I'm use to a viewfinder like in Halo where I can see where my near my enemies are. Unfortunately, the company seems to be pushing for people to play multiplayer as they are only releasing DLCs for multiplayer maps instead of for single player gameplay. 

If you haven't played the game yet, I highly recommend it. There are a couple of great deals out this weekend for the PC download version. Green Man Gaming has Tomb Raider for Steam for only $20 US after using the code GMG20-GGN5D-FC3NA at the checkout. Origin also has it on sale for $24.99USD or the Survival Edition for $28.99. Or if you are console gamer, you can also download it onto your Playstation for $29.99 from PSN.
 

Samsung Canada held three simultaneous launch parties in Canada for their newest flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S4 on Thursday, April 25th! The party in Vancouver was at Rocky Mountaineer Station.

They started letting people in at 5pm starting with VIPs and media. Being neither, we had to wait a while at the side entrance.

There was a HUGE lineup already by the time we arrived. Fortunately, K, being a former Samsung Mob!ler, is a preferred guest so we got to skip that lineup.

 People helped us put our wristbands on as we walked into the venue.

 So many people showed up to take a look at one of the hottest phones in the market. 

 A cash bar was open at one end of the building.

Organizers even created their own drink for the GS4 launch - the BLUE GALAXY!
 




There were two demo stations at each end of the venue with two phones at each location for people to look at. One had the blue and the other white version of the GS4.

This time it wasn't a station where all the phones were tied down. The Samsung reps were the ones giving us a spiel on the new features of the phone.

Holding the phone, I noticed how thin and light it was compared to my old and obsolete GSIIX as well as its predecessor the GSIII. It looks pretty much the same as the GSIII except the sides were smaller so the screen is ever so slightly larger. It is also missing a bum on the back.

 Group Play - share music, video, documents, and games between up to 10 connected phones.

S Health - a new built in app for calorie tracking, pedometer and stuff like that. There's also a built in Google translate or S Translate.  

13-megapixel camera which all sorts of nifty settings for phone taking, such as duo camera mode, erase people in the background, animated photos, sound and shot, drama mode just to name a few.

I wouldn't say these new features are essential but they are cool to play with. I do like the camera though. There are a lot more new features but people were vying to get their hands on the phone so I had to reluctantly give it up. It's a very nice phone and I think worth getting if you are in the market and don't have a GS3.


After playing with the phone, STARS took to the stage and the party really got going!
















After STARS played a few sets, the winner of the Vancouver GALAXY S4 Casting Calls, Gio Levy came out on stage to perform. He looks so hipster.




He sung the same song at his audition:

Feist was suppose to perform in three cities - Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto AT THE SAME TIME that night but Samsung gave us nothing on how she would accomplish this feat. After a short break, it was finally revealed! Feist appeared as a hologram! She gave a performance of  “A Commotion” simultaneously in all three cities!





Unfortunately holograms make for blurry photos. It was pretty cool to see though. Technology of the future, everyone!


Here's a video that Samsung posted on Youtube of Hologrammed Feist:

Woo! I'm excited about this weekend. There are a lot of outdoor events happening like the annual VanDusen Botanical Garden plant sale! Also happening on Sunday is the The Game of Life Run/Walk - Vancouver, a run benefiting the  Commonwealth Games Canada (CGC)’s grassroots sport programs in Africa and the Caribbean. Join the run for a good cause! Have a great weekend everyone!

Friday, April 26, 2013

Kerrisdale Village’s Carnival Days - Parade, Sidewalk Sales, Ice Cream Trailer & Giant Slide! - April 26th & 27th  Send out good vibes for sunny weather and spring into the new, warmer season with one of Vancouver’s longest traditions – Carnival Days in Kerrisdale Village. Cheery and magnolia blossoms will scent the air and carpet the sidewalks as free entertainers amuse shoppers intent on some of the best sidewalk sale buys ever. All the festivities are set for the weekend of Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27. Most events on Saturday starting with a parade - Marching bands, antique cars, mascots, service and athletic clubs.

Critical Mass Ride and Roll
5:30pm. Meet at 5:30, ride at 6. 
Meet At: Vancouver Art Gallery 750 Hornby Street, Vancouver
Join fellow bicyclists, skaters, and bladers for this leisurely and spirited celebratory ride and roll through the streets of Vancouver. Meet at the Vancouver Art Gallery on the Georgia Street side between 5:00 and 5:30 p.m. -- and roll and ride at 6:00 p.m. The ride is on rain, shine, or snow! Decorated bicycles, trailers, signs, flags, noisemakers, gettoblasters, sound systems, drums, and wildly modified bicycles are all highly encouraged!

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Ocean Concrete Open House
Kerrisdale Village’s Carnival Days - Parade, Sidewalk Sales, Ice Cream Trailer & Giant Slide! - April 26th & 27th  Send out good vibes for sunny weather and spring into the new, warmer season with one of Vancouver’s longest traditions – Carnival Days in Kerrisdale Village. Cheery and magnolia blossoms will scent the air and carpet the sidewalks as free entertainers amuse shoppers intent on some of the best sidewalk sale buys ever. All the festivities are set for the weekend of Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27. Most events on Saturday starting with a parade - Marching bands, antique cars, mascots, service and athletic clubs.

Got Craft? - $3
10am-5pm Sat & Sun
Templeton Secondary School Gymnasium, 727 Templeton Drive between Adanac and Turner
Got Craft? aims to bring together a community that fosters handmade and D.I.Y. culture. Founded in 2007, Got Craft? is held twice a year in April / May and December featuring 80 handmade designers, craft workshops, tasty treats, music, FREE swag bags, and an average attendance of 5700+ a year.

Party for the Planet 
10am - 9pm
Central City Plaza, 13450 102nd Avenue, Surrey
Party for the Planet is a top-quality FREE, family-friendly event produced by the City of Surrey. Join us as we celebrate the environment and learn all the ways you can create a sustainable future. Live music, entertainment, tree sale, booths and exhibits.

Bike The Blossoms
11am - 3pm
Meet At: China Creek South 1255 East 10th Ave, Vancouver (Clark and 10th Ave)
Join Velopalooza and the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival for a fun, free guided bike ride. The ride will tour the blossom cherry trees in Vancouver and include a talk by Parks Board Arborist, Bill Stephen. We will have our mobile bicycle repair trucks along the ride with us courtesy of VanCycle!

Baker's Market
Saturdays 11am - 3pm Mar 30 - May 4, 2013 
Moberly Arts & Cultural Centre, 7646 Prince Albert Street, Vancouver BC
Get your fill of sweet & savoury baked goodies from local bakers and artisans. Inspired by traditional farmers markets in Vancouver, this market is even better since it is indoors with lots of free parking too. You'll find talented budding, professional or home bakers selling fresh artisanal breads, soft German pretzels, butter croissants, chocolate croissants, cupcakes, yummy cookies, hand made chocolates, brownies, Belgian Liege waffles,vegan cupcakes, mini bundt cakes, muffins, gluten-free baked goods and much more!

Royal Canadian Navy Vancouver Port Visit
Sat 11am - 4pm -  HMCS Algonquin public tour at West side of Canada Place
Sat & Sun 9:30am - 3:30pm - USS Lake Champlain, HMCS Nanaimo and Saskatoon public tour at Burrard Pier, North Vancouver
The Royal Canadian Navy and the United States Navy are pleased to invite members of the media and the public to attend the Vancouver Port Visit from April 25 – 28, 2013 at Canada Place in Vancouver and Burrard Pier in North Vancouver.  The Destroyer Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Algonquin and the West Coast based Submarine HMCS Victoria will be docked at Canada Place while two Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels, HMCS Saskatoon and HMCS Nanaimo, four ORCA Patrol Craft Training vessels, along with USS Lake Champlain will be berthed at Burrard Pier, North Vancouver. Approximately 1,000 Canadian and American sailors will be in Vancouver to meet with members of the public and media. The vessels will be open to the public Saturday, April 27, 2013. For more information please visit www.vancouverportvisit.com

Tree Talks and Walks in the West End and Downtown
1pm - 4pm
Meet at the A-maze-ing Laughter sculpture at Davie and Denman
Presented by Wendy Cutler, VCBF Cherry Scout Co-ordinator. Wendy has been scouting and documenting the tree locations in these neighbourhoods since the festival began, and she has led several sakura tours of the area  After briefly checking out a few trees in the West End, this walk will head into Stanley Park at the heronry, then thru the Rhododendron Garden to see two unusual cherry cultivars (and lots of camellias and rhododendrons), then back to the West End for a few more cherries. If there is time, we may carry on to a grove of lovely cherries at the Japanese Memorial near the Aquarium. This is the longest of the walks, but it's never more than ten minutes from transportation.

Vancouver Gallery Hop
all day
11:00 AM–12:30 PM - Panel Conversation @ VIFF’s Vancity Theatre
1:15 PM–5:30 PM - Tours & Talks @ Various locations throughout the city (check website)
5:30 PM–7:30 PM - Magazine Launch @ Vancouver Art Gallery
Join us for a day of art, tours and talks at the Canadian Art Foundation Gallery Hop Vancouver, presented in partnership with the Contemporary Art Society of Vancouver.

Sunday, April 28 2013

The Game of Life Run/Walk - Vancouver
10K Run/Walk – 9:00 am     
5K Run/Walk – 9:10 am
start at Lumberman's Arch, Stanley Park
Proceeds from this event go towards Commonwealth Games Canada (CGC)’s grassroots sport programs in Africa and the Caribbean. CGC supports the social development of individuals, communities and organizations within commonwealth countries using the transformative power of sport. For more information on specific program details please visit www.commonwealthgames.ca/ Best-selling Canadian author of eight books on running and walking, John Stanton will be attending the Game of Life Run and Walk! Online registration closes at midnight on April 25th. After April 18th, you can register in person on April 26th-27th at Race Kit Pickup and on April 28th at the race site on Race Day.

VanDusen Botanical Garden Plant Sale
10:00am - 4:00pm
VanDusen Botanical Garden - 5251 Oak Street, Vancouver
THE sale of the year. More than 40,000 plants for sale. Bring your wheelbarrow and a friend. Master gardeners will be on site to give advice. Other features include Plant Check and Plant Pick Up areas. Visa, MasterCard, personal cheques and cash accepted. Admission to the Garden is free this day. 

Got Craft? - $3
10am-5pm Sat & Sun
Templeton Secondary School Gymnasium, 727 Templeton Drive between Adanac and Turner
Got Craft? aims to bring together a community that fosters handmade and D.I.Y. culture. Founded in 2007, Got Craft? is held twice a year in April / May and December featuring 80 handmade designers, craft workshops, tasty treats, music, FREE swag bags, and an average attendance of 5700+ a year. 

Menchies Grand Opening at Highgate Village 
11am - 5pm Sat & Sun
7155 Kingsway, Burnaby BC
Celebrate the grand opening of Menchies at Highgate Village on Saturday with free frozen yogurt from 11-5pm, free gift bags for the first 30 families, fill your cup for $1 from 5pm - 7pm, balloon artist and face painting 11am - 3pm. The fun continues on Sunday with buy one get one  free from 11am - 5pm, balloon artist and face painting from 11am - 1pm and have your picture taken with Menchie! 

Hakka Cookbook Show and Tell 
2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, 578 Carrall Street, Vancouver
The highly acclaimed food author Linda Lau will be at the Garden to share recipes and stories from her experience as a food connoisseur. She will also present a mini live cooking show for the audience to try her special Hakka sauce. Her Hakka Cookbook was awarded the Best Chinese Cuisine Cookbook in the world for 2012 by the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.

Royal Canadian Navy Vancouver Port Visit
Sat 11am - 4pm -  HMCS Algonquin public tour at West side of Canada Place
Sat & Sun 9:30am - 3:30pm - USS Lake Champlain, HMCS Nanaimo and Saskatoon public tour at Burrard Pier, North Vancouver
The Royal Canadian Navy and the United States Navy are pleased to invite members of the media and the public to attend the Vancouver Port Visit from April 25 – 28, 2013 at Canada Place in Vancouver and Burrard Pier in North Vancouver.  The Destroyer Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Algonquin and the West Coast based Submarine HMCS Victoria will be docked at Canada Place while two Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels, HMCS Saskatoon and HMCS Nanaimo, four ORCA Patrol Craft Training vessels, along with USS Lake Champlain will be berthed at Burrard Pier, North Vancouver. Approximately 1,000 Canadian and American sailors will be in Vancouver to meet with members of the public and media. The vessels will be open to the public Saturday, April 27, 2013. For more information please visit www.vancouverportvisit.com

The 4th annual Canadian Video Game Awards was held last Saturday, April 20, 2013 in conjunction with the second Fan Expo Vancouver at the Vancouver Convention Centre. These awards are to celebrate the games developed  in Canada and released in 2012. Winners were chosen by industry experts and insiders from across the country. This year I had a chance to attend as part of the audience (who's job was to clap real loud but we really didn't need any encouragement)!

 The CVA rolled out the red carpet for VIPs!

 VIPs sat at fancy tables in the front while the general public had seats in the back.

To the back of the room, XBox stations were set up so people could try out some games that were recently released including Gears of War: Judgement.


The award ceremony started off with an intro from Victor Lucas, creator and co-host of The Electric Playground.

Then quickly went on to a super hilarious video intro about this year's CVA host: Elias Toufexis. Who IS Elias Toufexis? He is an actor in both television and in videogames (and will do any kind of work - especially dog food). Elias is best known for playing the voice of llead character of Adam Jensen in Deus Ex: Human Revolution! The first time I saw him, I thought he looks a lot like Elijah Wood for some reason. lol He did an amazing job hosting the award ceremony. Super funny!

The first award of the night was for Best Visual Arts and that went to Far Cry 3 by Ubisoft Montreal.

The evening was littered with appearances from well known actors and celebrities from games and television series including Mark Meer and Jennifer Hale (Commander Shepard and FemShep from Mass Effect 1/2/3),

Michael Hogan (Colonel Saul Tigh, Battlestar Galactica), Aaron Douglas (Galen Tyrol, Battlestar Galactica), David Hayter (Solid Snake, Metal Gear),

 and Michael Mando (Vaas, Far Cry 3).

There were a few skits inbetween awards, the funniest was the "Videogame Hero Support Group" where Elias Toufexis, David Hayter, Mark Meer and Jennifer Hale sat down to discuss their woes from playing heroes in video games. They also poked fun at Michael Mando, who arrived in a super hero costume.

Mark Meer and Jennifer Hale's game Mass Effect 3 bagged three awards - Best Writing, Best Original Music and Best Console Game. (Doh! I got the PC version)

Another skit was with Elias Toufexis singing about his love of Nintendo...a little odd since there were no games nominated from Nintendo...but fun and nostalgic for sure.
 
Whenever Mark of the Ninja was mentioned, loud cheers erupted. Throughout the night they won a total of two awards - Best Downloadable Game and Best Indie Game.

I was kind of hoping the G-List was going to interrupt the ceremony this year as I've heard about them doing that in the past. No such luck but Christopher Bennett, aka MisterA, founder of the GList, was a presenter.

It was a big night for Far Cry 3 as it won 6 of the awards including Future Shop Fans' Choice Award, which was voted on by the public on Future Shop's site, and Game of the Year. Ubisoft's table was overflowing with awards as half of the all awards went to them! Assassin's Creed III won them the two other awards.


Hmm, maybe it's time to pick up a copy of Far Cry 3 for myself!

Here is a list of all the winners this year:

Best Visual Arts - Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft Montreal)
Best Technology - Assassin's Creed III (Ubisoft Montreal)
Best Audio - Assassin's Creed III (Ubisoft Montreal)
Best New Character - Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft) - Vaas
Best Downloadable Game - Mark of the Ninja (Klei Entertainment/Microsoft)
Best Writing - Mass Effect 3 (Bioware/Electronic Arts)
Best Game on the Go - Sound Shapes (Queasy Games/Sony Computer Entertainment)
Best Social/Casual Game - The Secret World (Funcom Games/Electronic Arts)
Best Game Innovation - Sound Shapes (Queasy Games/Sony Computer Entertainment)
Best Original Music - Mass Effect 3 (Bioware/Electronic Arts)
Best Game Design - Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft)
Best Animation - Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft)
Best Console Game - Mass Effect 3 (Bioware/Electronic Arts)
Best Indie Game - Mark of the Ninja (Klei Entertainment/Microsoft)
Future Shop Fan's Choice Award - Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft)
Game of the Year - Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft)

If you missed out on attending live, the Canadian Video Game Awards will be airing on television this week on Citytv Saturday April 27th 9-11pm and on G4 Sunday April 28th, 4-6pm, 8-10pm & 10-12am. Worth catching it! It was very entertaining! Congrats to all the winners and nominees!