Game Culture » Microsoft

Alan Wake is creepy, surreal and very cool

Editor — Fri, 14 May 2010 02:32:38 +0000

First impressions of Alan Wake are all in the positive – it definitely gets the thumbs up. Here’s an excerpt from my original article:

So Alan Wake is a game about a writer (which I really digged, btw) and you play as Alan. The cool thing about the world of Alan Wake is that the game is played out in sequences (called ‘Chapters’, just like in one of his books). You find yourself (as Alan) caught up in some strangely weird alternate reality inside one of Alan’s dreams. He calls it a ‘dream’ but the creepy characters and supernatural occurances that feature throughout the dream make it more like a nightmare really, which is when things start to get very intense.

You can read the original article here.

Halo: Reach Beta – first impressions are good

Editor — Tue, 04 May 2010 02:45:09 +0000

Today’s the day fellow Spartans – the beta for Halo:Reach is in full swing. Here’s what I had to say about first impressions of the beta:

A simple game of CTF in Halo: Reach is serious business with each player able to take on different roles within the team (Guard and Stalker being the two that I played). Stalkers able to morph in and out of ‘stealth’ mode for a period of time and sneak up on opponents. This particular game mode is exciting, fast-paced and serious amounts of fun.

You can read the original post in its entirety over at Game Culture dot com.

Thanks for reading!

Microsoft looking to acquire EA?

Editor — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:34:58 +0000

According to reports from EdgeOnline, there are unsubstantiated rumours doing the rounds at the moment that Microsoft may be looking to acquire Electronic Arts. Apparently, the rumours have been doing the rounds for a while in Europe but with the sudden rise in EA’s shares (by eight per cent), one has to wonder if there is some truth behind this rumour.

Amidst this rumour there is also talk that THQ could be next to be acquired by another corporate media company but again it’s only speculation at this point.

We’ll certainly keep our ears to the ground.

PS3 failures: “Yellow Light of Death”

Editor — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 03:21:48 +0000

If you thought you were safe from the Xbox 360 “Red Ring of Death” because you’re a PS3 fanboy, think again. It has been reported by several sources that the PS3 is now succumbing to similar problems (apparently caused by poor soldering) that have found 360 owners returning and repairing their 360′s worldwide. The infamous “Red Ring of Death” now has a PS3 equivalent called the “Yellow Light of Death”.

Slash dot games recently reported in this article that Sony however do not seem to be following suit on warranty extensions for owners of faulty PS3′s. If you get the dreaded “Yellow Light of Death” and you’re out of warranty time – too bad for you!

Goodbye sleek and black, hello Colourware Sony?

Editor — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 01:24:02 +0000

The sleek original black look of the Sony PS3 may now be a thing of the past. According to this article from Engadget, you can now colourise your Sony PS3 for a cool $449 USD (around $640 NZD). Of course, controllers are extra…

I’m thinking cool purple would be the way to go but that’s just me. Check out the colorware website for more details on pimping out your console (but read the fine print because apparently, this offer will only apply to REGION 1 consoles for now).

The official Colorware website.

The highlights of PAX – Part 1

Editor — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 02:34:41 +0000

The Penny Arcade Expo 2009 (PAX) was held last week in Seattle, USA. It’s a three-day event that features gaming and presentations by some of the world’s biggest game developers. It’s not E3 but it is kinda like E3 in the sense that it’s for gamers and about video games. E3 caters more to the media than the public whereas PAX is open to anyone that gets in to register.

So we thought we’d take the best PAX 2009 had to offer and highlight some of those presentations here at Game Culture.

On with the show!

Star Wars: The Old Republic

Here’s a demo video clip for Star Wars: The Old Republic as featured at PAX 2009, courtesy of GameSpot.

Twisted Pixel’s Comic Jumper

I hadn’t heard of this game before looking at the content from PAX this year. Here’s the video clip of gameplay taken from JoyStiq’s coverage of PAX 2009. Captain Smiley is the hero of this game along with his side-kick named Star who is stuck to the captain’s chest! Sounds rad? Check it out:

The Secret World from the makers of Age of Conan

I played Age of Conan and whilst I didn’t play it for long, it was still alot of fun. Here’s the latest and greatest title from the developers of AoC called ‘The Secret World’. The Illuminati class looks insane!

Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time

Ratchet and Clank fans will be happy to see images of the latest instalment coming our way entitled Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time:

Highlights of PAX – Part 2 follows tomorrow!