Format: PS3
Release version: Retail version
Distributor: Monaco/THQ New Zealand
Developer: Vigil
Christmas brought some nice goodies to my house including Darksiders which I have been totally hyped to play. Although I’ve only played it for a few hours, it really is pretty cool and alot of fun. If you’re a God of War fan, you will certainly see similarities between the two games. There is a whole lot of content in Darksiders that doesn’t have any similarity to GoW at all though, so if action games are your thing, it’s definitely worth checking it out or at least hiring it out for a day.
Distributor: Sony Brand: Logitech Hardware: Gaming Headset Model: G35 Price RRP: $182.00 (price may vary depending on store).
[starreview tpl=16]
This is our first product review at Game Culture and hopefully the first in a long line of gaming products we’ll be reviewing for real gamers. The issue so many gamers have is that the market is permanently saturated with so many different products, it’s next to impossible to decide what is best to buy for your gaming needs. I’ve reviewed dozens of different gaming peripherals in the past, and most products if not all will come with their pros and their cons.
If you’re a hardcore gamer, you’ll be looking for a couple of things that pretty much become non-negotiable. You’ll want comfort for those marathon gaming sessions, you’ll want durability (throwing gaming peripherals around the room sometimes does happen, oh yes), you’ll want performace and you’ll want value for money. Some of these aspects are interchangeable. Some are not.
The Logitech G35 Headset has many pros, very few cons. After spending several hours using this headset on my PC, I’ve come to the conclusion that despite it’s heavy-looking appearance, it felt very comfortable to wear. Although, you might not consider wearing this headset for more than a few hours at a time (which is really the only major draw-back).
The sound quality is great but the USB sound controls could be something you’d want to consider well before purchasing. Although the headset boasts 7.1 surr0und sound ability, the USB panel may negate your epic piece of sound card hardware as a matter of design. The cool thing about the the Logitech G35 (at least for me) was the ability to morph your voice. The software you receive with the headset enables a voice morphing capability that can alter the sound of your voice through the mic – it’s gimmicky but hella fun and very handy for those female gamers who may feel like altering their voice online (try it out in vent, it’s very funny).
There are also three customisable buttons (the G1, G2 and G2 buttons respectively) that allow you to map software applications so you can launch the app from your headset. This is exceptionally handy for launching VoIP software such as Ventrilo (which comes automatically preset).
The G35 is pretty sturdy in design and extremely flexible with three adjustable head bands. Special care has been taken to mute out all excess background noise with noise cancellation as well as extra padding around the ears for both comfort and sound reduction.
Conclusion:
If you’re looking for a headset that is built for PC gaming, the G35 gets a tick on almost every level. Perhaps not the right headset for home theatre or audio/music specialists who love their music and movie watching but perfect for the gamer looking for a headset that (literally) does it all.
Platform: Xbox 360 Publisher: 2K Games Developer: Gearbox Software Rating: R18 Players: Single player and co-op Genre: FPS/RPG Released: 23rd October, 2009
Website: http://www.borderlandsthegame.com/
[starreview tpl=16]
The cover of Borderlands should just about sum it all up: the image of what looks to be a mutated human with his fingers pressed to his head as if to imitate blowing his own brains out. Oh and yeah, there’s also what looks like some type of brain matter splattering out in a yellow mass behind him. With a rating of R18, you just know that you’re going to be in for one hell of a freaky ride with Borderlands.
Borderlands is set on a planet called Pandora that has a very funky kind of western-type, steampunk vibe going on. You’ll see and discover elements of futuristic technology (such as weapons) but some of the environment and buildings give off a very western-like feel.
The gameplay is split between four different character types which introduces the RPG element (as each character has individual strengths and weaknesses) and in single player mode you get to choose who you want to play. Bearing in mind that the game can play out differently for each character simply due to their differences and skills. You’ve got the choice of either a grunty tank (Berserker) type, a Hunter who specialises in long-range weapons, the Siren who possesses magic ability and the Soldier.
If you’re familiar with RPGs you’ll understand how most of the game progression is structured in Borderlands. But leveling up isn’t simply a matter of just killing things. You’ll be required to complete missions (which can involve killing other NPCs, beasties etc) and strategise your way through some of the more difficult encounters.
And this is where the co-op game mode is really great. Although Borderlands starts off slow, things can get pretty difficult early on if you’re running in and just shooting everything. With group co-op gameplay, the entire dynamic of the game changes and working as a group definitely has its advantages, especially in the more difficult missions.
Borderlands isn’t all about shooting although you’ll be definitely working your way through the ammo. The gameplay is similar in style to Diablo, where you’re constantly having to search the environment for money and whatever you can get from the bodies. Killing and looting everything in sight will soon become a force of habit.
It’s difficult to determine how well a game will do when it pushes the boundaries of blending two distinctive genres like shooters and RPGs together. But Borderlands is developed with both types of gamer in mind and the missions, storyline, characters and game mechanics cater for this exceptionally well.
And If you think romping around through Pandora with your mates will be a blast in co-op mode, Borderlands has more than just oodles of weapons to acquire and fancy powers to use – you can even get mobile with vehicles.
Downloadable game content will be available for Borderlands on the Xbox 360 from the 24th of November in New Zealand so it’s well worth considering if they’re already pumping out the expansions. Fans of running and gunning might find Borderlands is something a little more challenging and RPG fans looking for a a break from the fantasy world will definitely get it with Borderlands.
Platform: Xbox 360 Publisher: Ubisoft Developer: Ubisoft Montreal Rating: MA Players: 1 Genre: Action/Adventure Released: 20th November, 2009
Website: http://assassinscreed.uk.ubi.com/
[starreview tpl=16]
Florence Italy, 1459 during the height of the Renaissance period is home to Ezio, the latest character in the story behind Assassin’s Creed 2. Fans of Assassin’s Creed will probably know that ACII differs a fair bit from the previous game. Altair, the dark and brooding Assassin from the first game is gone and is replaced by Ezio who has a whole new background, history and timeline to discover that includes conspiracy, betrayal and murder.
Platform: Xbox 360 Publisher: Activision Developer: FreeStyle Games Rating: PG Players: 2 – 4 Genre: Music Released: October 30, 2009
Website: http://www.djhero.com/
[starreview tpl=16]
Activision have had a healthy run with their ‘Hero’ brand releasing various guitar hero games to sate almost any musical appetite. But for the most part, Guitar Hero as a brand is really about rock/metal music and guitars (with the added expansion of Guitar World Tour). Enter ‘DJ Hero’ – a completely new venture into the world of hip-hop beats and dance music.
DJ Hero differs from Guitar Hero simply because it’s no longer about guitars. The focus has been taken away from the guitar riffs and rock music to the DJ’s turntable and the underground hip-hop dance scene. The music certainly reflects this as the tracklist consists of songs remixed from original tunes taken from bands old and new. It’s a brave move from Activision, taking onboard developer FreeStyle Games to offer a new type of music sim game to the loyal guitar hero masses. But will they like it?
Not to count myself out of that hardcore group(ies) of guitar hero lovers, I’ve certainly found that whilst GH definitely has its appeal and place in the genre of social gaming, there’s plenty of room for new products.
DJ Hero is fundamentally the same as GH apart from the obvious difference where you’re now using a turntable instead of a guitar. And that’s the biggest learning curve you’ll have playing the game. The buttons on the turntable work exactly the same way as the buttons on the guitar. The major exception is when you’re required to ‘crossfade’ the tracks with the crossfader and use the ‘Euphoria’ button (which replaces the Star Power control in GH). There’s also an ‘Effects’ button but that’s largely used when you advance in skill.
Tutorials are pretty much the same as GH so you can learn about the new skills and all about the turntable as you go. You can also try out some songs when you play. But the music is definitely DJ Hero’s defining asset, with tunes that have been remixed and created exclusively for DJ Hero by some very prominent artists including Eminem, Daft Punk, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Grandmaster Flash.
One of the main challenges GH fans may be used to which is now absent in DJ Hero is failing songs as you play them. You’ll never fail a song in DJ Hero so you won’t be penalised exactly the same way. Which is good and bad. Without this challenge to face, it makes it alot easier to advance in skill but on the other hand, there’s quite a lot more to do in DJ Hero than just match coloured buttons to its corresponding button on screen. With the ‘crossfader’ you’ll be using the buttons to scratch as well as crossfading specific sounds in the song. There are also more advanced techniques such as adding ‘effects’ and rewinding the song back to certain parts of the song that give you extra bonuses.
So DJ Hero is still very much like GH in the sense that you’re competing for the highest score you can achieve on any particular song and that competitiveness is a fundamental element that keeps the game interesting. But on the other hand DJ Hero has very different elements not to mention the track list and music style that really does place it in its own unique arena.
The tracklist consists of the following songs remixed (taken from Wikipedia):
You’ll notice that some of the tracks have additional areas where you can jam out with someone else on guitar. This is a very cool addition to the game and is a whole lot of fun, especially if you’re at a party or having friends over.
DJ Hero may not be everyone’s idea of musical fun and there’s a very good chance that Guitar Hero fans won’t take to the product the same way they have with GH expansions. It is however cool to see Activision trying something new and giving gamers the choice to try something unique and refreshingly different rather than expanding the already exhaustive GH stable of games. There will also be DLC for Xbox 360 available as there has been in the past for GH.
Nice one Activision, thumbs up! 
Platform: PSP Publisher: Rockstar Games Developer: Rockstar Leeds Rating: G Players: 1 Genre: Music Released: October 2, 2009
Website: http://www.rockstargames.com/beaterator/
[starreview tpl=16]
If you’ve ever wanted a taste of what it’s like to record and create your own music in a studio, Beaterator is one of the closest things you’ll get to it. And don’t at all be fooled by the fact that the game is for PSP. They say “good things come in small packages”. Beaterator is jam packed with so much to do and experiment with, you’ll be jamming out and creating music for hours on end… really.
With the tutorial presented by Timbaland, the master of mixing and producing hit music, you’ll be well on your way to creating your own in no time at all. And it’s well worth doing the tutorial because you could easily become a little ‘dazed and confused’ with all the possibilities and options in the game.
For instance, starting off with just a drum track can offer so many different opportunities to add or edit. It’s not just a matter of laying down a track in one place and repeating it (although, if that’s how you wish to create your music, there’s nothing stopping you). The music loops are set up specifically for this purpose and many popular songs today are created by doing the exact same thing.
It’s nice to also be able to choose a different genre to work with, especially if pop music isn’t your thing. You can access the different options from the main menu and choose your genre. Although I found a few of the options there a little limited, there’s still more than enough to get you started.
The one thing that really blew me away when creating the sounds using Beaterator is just how one particular aspect of a loop can change the sound dramatically when you alter it’s frequency, pitch or omit it altogether.
Beaterator has two main areas for creating sounds and loops which are ‘Live Play’ or ‘Studio’. With Live Play it’s easier to ‘dive straight in’ and start mixing tunes right away. But the learning curve for creating everything yourself may be a tad high for people who really aren’t good with alot of information and menus. Beaterator has an incredible amount of depth and options to create the music but the interface can be a little challenging if you’re intending to by-pass the tutorial.
Live Play allows you to use pre-recorded templates to create music. You can change each ‘loop’ using the R and L buttons to create even more diverse sounds. There is a variety of genre’s to choose from including Rock, Pop and House. Studio is where the true creation process begins. You can create and edit every sound in the database (of which there are dozens). You can edit tempo, length of a beat or loop, and even add your own sounds. Everything you create can be recorded and altered accordingly. The Song Crafter allows you to add in your own sounds to create your own loops – the possibilities are endless.
Beaterator is a fantastic piece of software that crosses the line between ‘game’ and utility bringing the world of digital music production to the PSP. For its size, the Beaterator software packs in a truckload of content and deserves serious consideration from all music fans. For the wee price of $49.99, you’re getting alot more than your money’s worth.
I think gamers in general overlook Nintendo. I am definitely part of the problem having too much to focus on when it comes to the Xbox 360, PS3 or PC 
Although that may be the case with alot of gamers out there, Nintendo lovers do indeed exist (even in New Zealand) and some of them are even celebrities! Yes, even celebs get their game on for Nintendo it seems… I mean who would have figured Mary Lambie to be right into Nintendo?!
Don't think the screen is big enough tbh
We decided to trot along to the Nintendo Passport to Summer event held at the glamorous The Wharf venue in Northcote Point, Auckland. Five of Nintendo’s latest games were on offer to play and the presentation was delivered by journalist/celebrity/tv host Mary Lambie (who by the way, was very funny and very hip).
Those chandeliers could potentially be a problem
Even though we got told off for trying the games too early (lol) and the venue seemed a little too posh for gamers to be hanging out in for long (chandeliers everywhere and marble floors and walls in the bathroom…), we managed to get a good look at the new titles for the Nintendo season which looks relatively varied. Everything from fashion and business acumen (ahem) to Zelda and Mario, there’s something for every Nintendo fan. The latest Wii fit game called ‘Wii Fit Plus’ was also on display.
Do NOT sit on the toadstool!
Here’s a list of games that were shown at the event (some of which have already released in NZ):
- Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box
- The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks
- Style Boutique
- Wii Fit Plus
- Super Mario Wii
We thought Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box looked pretty interesting if you like games that mix action/puzzles and a bit of adventure. Style Boutique looked very much targetted towards Japanese gamers in my opinion with overly ‘anime’ influenced visuals and voice acting.
Wii Fit Plus has been expanded to include a whole lot more customisation so you can customise your own workouts. But probably the biggest title of the night was Super Mario for the Wii which is the first time Mario has been ported over to the Wii so that was pretty exciting.
All in all we enjoyed ourselves and the venue was pretty swish. It was a totally different crowd to the usual gaming media types but I guess different strokes for different folks. Regardless, we made sure we were there reppin’ for gamers nationwide (gulp) and not there just to get drunk… no! Never in a million years…
There was no alcohol anywhere just loads of glasses...
Thanks to the lovely ladies from Nintendo Australia for the invitation. You ladies put on a pretty swish event (even if we did get told off for being too keen!).
Platform: Xbox 360/Xbox Live Publisher: Valve/EA Developer: Valve Rating: R18 Players: Singleplayer/Co-op campaign Genre: Action/FPS/Survival Horror Release Date: November, 2010
Website: www.l4d.com/home.html
The release for the latest instalment in the Left 4 Dead series is merely weeks away and we’ve been given a sneak peak at the demo for Xbox Live thanks to the cool crew over at EA. The result: it’s gorylicious zombie killing at it’s most brutal and you’re going to LOVE Left 4 Dead 2.
If you’ve played the first L4D you’ll be right at home with the game mechanics. Movement in the game seems a whole lot more fluid but as always, right on the money and changing out weapons is all pretty standard. The demo version of the game gives you the opportunity to play through single-player campaign or co-op.
As with the previous game, you’re given a choice of scenarios to play (obviously in the demo, a few of these were not accessible) with the starting area being ‘The Parish’ and the ‘Waterfront’. You can choose to play as any character or random. Barely three minutes into the action and I’m quickly reminded of just how intense the gameplay in L4D can be and it’s been seriously pumped up a notch or twenty in L4D2. You’ll have way more zombies to pwn which also means more bloodshed (blood splatter is everywhere) and you’ll get some pretty sweet weapons to mow down the zombie hordes. My personal favourite is the submachine gun which usually works well with my ’spray and pray’ method of killing 
The demo for L4D2 is a really good opportunity to look at the gameplay and to get a taste of both the single player and co-op gameplay modes. The other game modes listed (but inaccessible in the demo) are ‘Survival’, ‘Realism’, ‘Versus’ and ‘Scavenge’ with single player and co-op being the other two modes.
If you’ve been waiting for L4D2 to arrive, you’re in for a treat because it looks absolutely freaking insane!
Left 4 Dead 2 arrives in New Zealand in November with a tentative date of the 17th. Mark it down in your calendars boys and girls!
Platform: PC Publisher: NCSoft Developer: NCSoft Rating: G Players: Thousands Genre: MMORPG/Fantasy Released: September 18, 2009
Website: http://na.aiononline.com/
Our first look at Aion revealed some of the basics of the game including races, tradeskills, classes and general gameplay up to level 25. After level 25, the game has the potential to really change especially if you’re a pvp player who enjoys hunting other players down in battle.
We’re almost at the level now where PvP gameplay is an integral part of the game and is actually one of the main motivators for playing Aion. So if you’re keen to find out exactly what game play for Aion is like after you get your ‘wings’, read on…
Once you’ve got your wings, there’s no turning back…
So you’ve reached the pinnacle level 25 and you’ve done the quest to enter the Abyss (you’re given three quests to choose from). You’ve heard all about how level 25 changes everything and you can finally PvP and kick some serious Elyos (or Asmo) butt! Afterall, what good are wings if you can’t kill people using them?
Having your wings is great but if you were anything like me and you didn’t read any of the previews of the game prior to release, you’re probably going to be just a little disappointed. You’ll get wings and you’ll be able to fly but none of it comes free. Your first initial set of wings will be free upon access to the abyss but everything else (including staying airborne) is going to cost you – big time.
Look ma, I can fly!
Flying comes with consequences, the biggest of which is running out of flight time in the Abyss. And unless you were one of the special people that forked out for the Collectors Edition of the game, you will have to pay something close to 1 million kinah to gain your upgraded wings after level 30. This in itself is a huge downer… especially when you’re in a group situation and you’re hunting Elyos or Asmo enemies. You’ll really feel it when you can’t keep up with your party because you either a) don’t have as much flight time as they do due to not having upgraded wings or b) you lack the money to buy pots (potions) that can boost your flight time.
As we previously mentioned, Aion is very much a traders game. If you’re not into selling and buying items you collect in-game on the broker, you’re going to find life extremely challenging in Aion without the monetary support to keep pushing to the next level.
PvP in the Abyss – all it’s cracked up to be?
In short, the answer is yes… and also no. In other MMOs such as Warhammer, worrying about having to fly to keep up with your pvp guildmates was not an issue so Aion is very much a unique game as far as PvP experience is concerned. You’ll be challenged with raiding parties of Elyos or Asmo hunting you down anywhere you decide to go in the Abyss (as it’s a freely accessible area for all players over level 25) which can be both exciting and extremely frustrating.
If you’re a lower level ‘noob’ trying your wings for the first time and grinding xp, you’ll be constantly reminded of the fact that it’s not only the wandering or respawning mobs you need to be careful of. If you forget to keep your eyes on the map (like a ‘radar’ that shows incoming threats as red dots) as you grind away, it’s likely that you’ll be jumped by a raiding party of Elyos or Asmo’s looking for easy Abyss kills to rank up their AP (Abyss Points). This in itself is not so great and could potentially be a flaw in the game much like the consistent class imbalances were in Warhammer.
I eat green berets for breakfast!
It would be nice to see NCSoft introduce something similar to the ‘Chicken’ affect in Warhammer which prevented high level enemy players dropping in on you at any time and pwning you without even a second thought. As this has happened to me many times, I can tell you that after dying consistently for an hour or so this way, you soon lose the taste to level up in the Abyss alone. It may sound like a whole lot of whinging but at the end of the day, keeping the game balanced will only enhance the player experience, not hinder it.
Revenge however, can be oh so sweet, especially when your raiding party has used a ‘rift’ to access the enemy territory. If a rift between the two areas opens up and you can locate the rift, you are free to access enemy territory. This of course offers plenty of opportunities for you and your hunting party to ‘gank’ (destroy) as many of the enemy as possible without them even putting up much of a fight. The element of surprise is particularly handy in such situations.
So although being consistently hunted in the Abyss has it’s downfalls, there are always ways in which you can get revenge if you truly feel the need. However, introducing level restrictions may help to make the game a little more balanced as far as PvP is concerned.
Advancing tradeskills
At higher levels, tradeskills can become ridiculously expensive. Players have reported to have spent more than 1 million kinah on one tradeskill alone just to level up. I find this extreme to say the least and overall, I’m not too impressed with the expensive cost of everything. Travel alone can be expensive and forget buying items – everything in the way of items is horrendously over-priced. Unless you’re into buying your kinah online illegally through a gold selling website, you’re going to find it difficult to even get close to rare items in the game (other than scoring one yourself from a raid or a group PvE situation).
LFL (Looking for Legion)
As a New Zealander playing primarily on a US based server, finding the right type of legion (guild/clan) has been tedious. At level 31 I am still without a legion to call home despite being offered to join a legion several times a day everytime I play. I’ve avoided it for the most part because joining a legion based in the US is going to be a major bummer in terms of playtime. Not to mention raids when you are 16 – 18 hours ahead of everyone else. It’s just too difficult to manage the time around other people located so far abroad. There are however some Aussie guilds on the server I play on so there is hope for me, yet.
Being part of a legion definitely has its rewards. You will more than likely find gear is easier to obtain through a legion, and grouping up with guildmates is far more enjoyable than having to go ‘LFG’ everytime you need help with a quest or want to level up in difficult areas. If you’re into raiding and PvP gameplay then you should definitely consider joining a legion. Solidarity in numbers will always have its advantages over solo gameplay, especially in the Abyss.
Imagine how much these wings cost...
Do all roads lead to Aion?
Aion is definitely a game developed with the true MMO gamer in mind. While casual MMO gamers may enjoy the experience of Aion, it’s doubtful whether the true essence of what Aion is all about could be enjoyed without dedicating a serious amount of time to the game. That means that unless you’re really sure of being able to be ‘hardcore’ enough to play on a consistent basis, you’re probably not going to get the full enjoyment out of what Aion has to offer.
So it’s safe to say that after my experiences in the game, Aion is a very good MMO but not without it’s potential ‘flaws’ or perhaps areas for improvement. On that note though, it’s good to see that the Aion community has a direct link to the developers of the game via the official website and even better to see that NCSoft listen when the gamers speak. The gold spamming issue we spoke of in the first part of this review has more or less been resolved and the queuing system that was set up on some servers to help with the overloading has too. As far as the future of the game is concerned, it’s really anyone’s guess but I’d like to harzard one and say that Aion has a fairly bright future if the NCSoft staff continue to listen and work with the Aion community on future improvements.
Game Culture Rating:
[starreview tpl=16]
As mentioned in our previous post, Game Culture was invited to cruise along to the Armageddon 09 Expo on the weekend held at the ASB Showgrounds in Greenlane, Auckland. If you’ve never attended an Armageddon in Auckland before, you’re definitely in for a treat. For fans of pop culture in general, there’s plenty to see and do at the expo. But if you’re a gamer, there’s usually a whole bunch of cool new games you can check out.
But before we get into the games, lets talk about the history of gaming’s involvement in Army and a little background on the venue. In previous years, the Armageddon expo has been successfully held at the Aotea Centre. If you’re a gamer that has attended Army before, you’ll certainly remember the event because it also used to be the venue for the BBS (Black Box Session) gaming LAN. The gaming LAN was held in conjunction with the Armageddon expo and was always a huge success with console gamers. There doesn’t seem to be too many decent console gaming LANs around these days, so the retirement of the BBS event was a very sad day for gamers. However, that said, this year there was another gaming LAN held for gamers which was sponsored by a relatively new outfit on the LAN circuit called ‘Gameplayer.’ Unfortunately, we didn’t seem to notice anything truly LAN gaming related happening in that corner of the expo when we checked it out:
Dude, where's my Xbox?
There didn’t seem to be any Xboxes, Playstation’s or even a Wii for that matter… one must ask, ‘Is this a gaming LAN at all?’ Needless to say, the gamers at the tables looked extremely caught up in something... and after further investigation, it turns out that Gameplayer are big sponsors/supporters of Yugi-Oh in New Zealand. OK then… moving on.
While we have nothing in particular against Yugi-Oh (admittedly, I’ve never played the game nor do I have any inclination to do so in the future), we’re pretty sure the dudes in the photo appreciate what Gameplayer do on that side of things, but clearly, it’s no BBS. There’s a good chance we missed some of the ‘real’ gaming action (as we could only attend on one day of the event), so if you’re reading this and you know we’re wrong, feel free to let us know.
The next best thing for gamers had to be the display areas sponsored by various gaming distributors such as Sony, EA, Madman and Total Interactive. And I have to say, all of the distributors put on some great displays, Total Interactive especially with two stages! In the TI area various games were showcased including the upcoming ‘DJ Hero’ which looks and sounds totally fantastic, and also Guitar Hero 5 (which has already released).
DJ Hero was setup on a stage where you could get up and try it out for yourself. Although I was asked very nicely by Teresa to get up and strut my mixing/DJ skills, I thankfully declined to wait until I could embarrass myself in the comfort of my own home 
DJ Teresa in the house, yo!
There was also a stage setup for the guitar hero fans where you could do the same thing if you really wanted to… and some of the people that got up and played were actually pretty good!
Buckethead started out the same way, I'm sure...
Sony had two separate areas setup for their games due to the R18 restriction on games such as ‘God of War III’. And there’s no way you could miss the Sony area with their big, bright Sony symbols pointing the way.
I'm really young looking for 18, honest!
Now that would look uber cool at my place...
We talked about the full list of games that were on offer at Armageddon here and if you attended on the second day, you could probably get close enough to even touch the consoles the games were being played on!
By all accounts Saturday was the busiest day for Armageddon where it was literally back-to-back with people. So if you ever plan to go for the gaming, it’s better to go on the second day when there’s less people fighting over console time.
In general, it seemed like there was alot of space at the event that could have been filled by other things. Although there was more on display this year than last (due to the increased floor capacity), the Aotea Centre venue seemed a whole lot better to me. You could wander around and not get lost in empty spaces with arrows telling you that ‘You Are Here’.
I think on a personal note the loss of the BBS event for gamers is a big blow to the Armageddon event because without it, it’s not really a true gamers event to attend. The game distributors are great for organising their games on display to give gamers (and the general public) a taste of what’s to come which is awesome, but Armageddon just doesn’t seem like the same place for a gamer to hang out. It’s lost some of the atmosphere that made it exciting.
There’s no doubt that Armageddon is a great event for people to get out and see what’s happening in the world of pop culture and credit must go where it’s due. Kudos to Bill for organising the event every year and to all the distributors and sponsors for putting in so much effort to setup stages and consoles for everyone to play on.
Thanks to the Armageddon PR people from Paul Blomfield and to Sony for the media passes.
