Daily updates on video games and popular culture, along with Australia’s grooviest gaming podcast.



Survival of the fittest

Posted by Erin Marcon On Friday 8 January 2010No Comments

A new promotional clip has emerged for Metro 2033, the grim first person shooter from THQ and Ukrainian developer 4A Games.

A nuclear catastrophe has rendered the surface world uninhabitable and as protagonist Artyom, you have spent your entire life in the nigh unbearable confines of the crumbling Moscow subway system. While the idea of a quick stroll outside may seem tantalising, the new trailer confirms the tunnels beneath Moscow are unlikely to qualify for the Neighbourhood Watch program.

It seems the underworld is haunted by a mysterious race known as the Nova Homus. According to your guide, these highly evolved creatures are set to replace humanity are surely as DVD replaced VHS. Given humanity’s track record, the idea of giving someone else a shot actually seems more than reasonable. Nevertheless, it will be up to you to ensure humanity’s ongoing survival.

Metro 2033 is due for release on PC and 360 in 2010.

“So, is it pat your head and rub your tummy, or…?”

“So, is it pat your head and rub your tummy, or…?”

Metro 2033 Screen 2



Dust off your Avatars

Posted by Erin Marcon On Thursday 7 January 2010No Comments

Microsoft today announced a new Xbox 360 content delivery system during its Consumer Electronics Show presentation in Las Vegas. The Game Room application will enable you to establish your own virtual 3D space and furnish it with classic arcade machines. You and your friends can then interact with the Game Room using your Xbox Avatars. Remember those?

Australia’s Krome Studios is involved in the development of the project.

The concept will undoubtedly draw comparisons to Sony’s much derided Home environment, which also features a virtual arcade. However, Game Room appears set to receive broader and more consistent support from its publisher. The service is due to launch in autumn 2010 with a selection of 30 titles, including Asteroids Deluxe, Centipede and Super Cobra. A cursory glance at the trailer suggests the line-up may also include titles such as Adventure, Combat, Outlaw and Star Raiders. A new title will be made available for purchase each week thereafter. Only one purchase is required to play a game on both Xbox 360 and Windows Live.


Darksiders Review

Posted by Erin Marcon On Wednesday 6 January 2010No Comments

A roaming third person fighter, Darksiders casts you in the role of War, one of the legendary four horsemen of the apocalypse. After receiving the order to deliver God’s judgement, you descend to the mortal realm, comically large sword at the ready. Before you can catch your breath, you’re summoned before a parliament of gargantuan stone heads and charged with instigating the apocalypse before the allotted time. You’ll face the forces of heaven and hell in a desperate, blood soaked, bid to clear your name. Read the rest of this entry »


8-bit goodness

Posted by Karen Jacobson On Tuesday 5 January 2010No Comments
 “I haven’t seen you in 20 years my 8 bit friend. Let’s fight”

“I haven’t seen you in 20 years my 8 bit friend. Let’s fight”

Many of you may have seen trailers or screenshots for Dark Void, an upcoming release developed by Airtight Games and published by Capcom. Jammed packed with the usual sci-fi fare, Dark Void is a slick looking game that has you zooming around on a jet pack fighting an alien race called the Watchers. What you may not know is Dark Void is a remake of a game that was never released!

Well, not really, but Capcom have impressively gone to the effort of creating a legend around the game for the release of their retro downloadable version. The story, revealed on Capcom Unity, is that work on Dark Void commenced in the 1980s. Then titled, Dark Rift the game was a platformer-come-shooter that aimed to push the limitations of gaming as we knew it. Unfortunately they pushed the boundaries a little too far, creating the need to develop a chipset for each cartridge so the NES could cope with the graphics. They took a little too long and the SNES console made Dark Void obsolete. A sad team at Capcom decided to take their bat, ball, cartridges and chipsets home, rather than release a version for the SNES.

Now with the remake on the verge of release, Capcom have renewed their enthusiasm for the original project. This lost gem will be available for download on DSiWare this month. You can play Rusty in all of his 8-bit glory as he fights his way through the Void to defeat those nasty Watchers.

Dark Void Zero Screen 2