I won’t be playing Alan Wake for the XBox 360 any time soon. When my 360 died at the beginning of this month, I was given the choice of either paying to repair it or buying a new console. I chose the new console option, figuring it was time for an upgrade, but I couldn’t decide if I wanted to get a PlayStation 3 or stick with the XBox 360. I debated both choices for a few days because I like Microsoft and I like Sony equally; I support whatever gets me the most titles and the best experience. And while I believe both consoles do these things equally, I’d heard very good things about Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series and had yet to experience either, so I purchased a PS3.

I don’t regret my purchase, although I do regret being unable to play Alan Wake.

But more on that later.

Read the rest of this entry »

Add half a cup of surrealism, two dashes of Cirque du Soleil, and several hundred white ponchos together and the end result is the latest recipe for gaming disaster–the XBox 360′s Kinect.

After Sunday’s pre-E3 engagement party, Microsoft proved itself to be teetering out of touch rather than ensconced firmly on the edge of innovation. Unfortunately, instead of redeeming itself the following day by expanding on the Kinect’s capabilities, the company only dug itself in a deeper hole with a presentation that continuously fell short.

Read the rest of this entry »