Before the game had even hit the UK shops, games forums showed some copies of L.A.Noire were freezing games consoles.

Rockstar have given some advice in case users experience L.A.Noire freezing, including checking the game disc for dirt and cleaning if necessary.

In a joint Sony and Rockstar statement, Patrick Seybold, senior director of corporate communications and social media at Sony Playstation, said, “We have received a very small number of customer support questions about PS3s overheating or shutting down while playing L.A. Noire. Rockstar Games and Sony can confirm that neither L.A. Noire or fireware update 3.61 are causing the PS3 hardware to overheat.”

“We have received a very small number of customer support questions about PS3s overheating or shutting down while playing L.A. Noire. Rockstar Games and Sony can confirm that neither L.A. Noire or fireware update 3.61 are causing the PS3 hardware to overheat.”

The statement said the companies are working to find solutions to any issues. It advised users to contact technical support.

It’s not been a great few weeks for Sony after its Playstation network was hacked – several times.

Rockstar’s advice:

1. Delete your L.A. Noire Game Data (not save data) from the PS3 Game Data Utility.  If on 360, clear the 360 cache.

2. Create a new temporary PS3 user to ensure that new save files are created.  If on 360, create an offline Silver Gamertag.

3. Launch the game and try again.  If you are on PS3, try playing while signed out of PSN.

4. Check your disc for scratches, dust, dirt, or other damage. Clean if necessary.

5. Check other game discs in your PS3/360 to see if issues are occurring in other games, suggesting a potential console problem.

6. Try your L.A. Noire disc in a different console or try a different L.A. Noire disc in your console to determine with certainty whether the issue could be with the disc or console, rather than the software.

7. If your console is overheating, try moving it to a more ventilated area or contact Sony/Microsoft for further console troubleshooting.

If the issue is still happening, please click “Submit a Request” at the top of this page and provide as much detail as possible about what PS3/360 model you are playing on and what steps you follow in the game when it crashes.  Let us know exactly what you see (e.g. freeze, black screen, return to system software, etc). and what you are doing in the game when the issue occurs.

Also, if you are on PS3 please move your L.A. Noire save files onto a USB drive and then transfer them to a PC. Compress the folder on the USB drive called “PS3″ and attach that file. We will take a look at your save file to see if we can learn more about the issue and its resolution.

Hot on the heels of Microsoft’s new Kinect for Xbox 360 and, of course, Sony’s Playstation Move, Nintendo – the first to bring motion controlled gaming to market – need to up their offering to keep up with competition.

The Wii’s increasing popularity with old people  is perhaps not the best marketing message for the next one…old people also like Werther’s Originals and Cliff Richard (which are not cool).

So far, it’s making me think about games in a whole new way.

Until I get a review up, take a look at Jane’s 20-minute TED talk:

Join the movement here.

As EA readies to launch Dead Space 2 at the end of the month, Witch Tech guest blogger Hannah Bradshaw retraces her highs and lows in the evolution of survival horror games

Dead Space 2 will be in stores on 28th January 2011. Source: EA

I played the Dead Space 2 demo recently and it got me thinking about the survival horror genre and how it’s developed over the years. So while I figure out a way of simultaneously hiding behind a sofa whilst playing a video game, I leave you with the highs and lows of the survival horror genre.

The highs

Resident Evil

The original Resident Evil game was a classic; the first zombie encounter had me trembling in fear. At the time, the idea of being trapped in a zombie-infested mansion was an original one (which really shows how old the game is), the characters were believable and the gameplay was smooth. The game cube re-make is even better that the original and the enhanced graphics help the atmosphere immensely.

Alone in the Dark

Before the awful re-make, and before the film, was the original, Alone in the Dark is thought to be the first survival horror game. The story is well-written and of novelistic while the scary bits are genuine and more than just ‘things jumping out from behind a corner’. The graphics are, of course, not up to 21st century standards but it’s a classic and still a must-play.

Silent Hill 2

The best of the Silent Hill games, the atmosphere is created perfectly with a great balance of fantastic gameplay and heart-stopping moments. The sound effects are creepy, the puzzles are actually difficult and certain levels are so brilliantly built that they are far too scary to enter.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent

There is one level in this game that I cannot play out of fear; the whole game is genuinely terrifying. The gameplay mainlyconsists of running away from an unseen enemy; a mechanic that works so well that at certain points you can’t tell if you’re running away from the monsters in

the game or the ones in your head. It’s hard to explain the plot without giving too much away but if you do plan on giving it a go I warn you; don’t play it at 2am, on your own and with the lights off. That’s what I did; I didn’t sleep for a week.

Dead Space

The atmosphere in Dead Space is so thick that you could cut it with a butter knife, the gruesome sound effects, graphics and monsters all add up to a truly horrifying game. This is not for the faint-hearted as it has the most ways to die than you’ve had hot dinners, it’s so bad that many people, including myself, cannot play it for more than a couple of hours at a time.

The lows

Silent Hill 4: The Room

The idea of being only able to move around in a small claustrophobic space for an entire game is a good one in theory, after the first hour it just gets dull. There have been some real lows in the Silent Hill franchise but this is the lowest.

Alone in the Dark

Yes, this time I do mean the terrible re-make. Honestly, there was nothing about this game I liked. The plot seemed to keel over and die in the first few minutes, the characters where one-dimensional and annoying and the soundtrack set my teeth on edge.

The original Alone in the Dark was a thing of beauty; I wish I could un-play this.

Resident Evil: Outbreak

Also known as ‘How not to do a zombie game’, the story was unispiring, the graphics were worse and the controls had more bugs than an anthill. I’m sure no one will mind me saying that this is the worst Resident Evil game ever.

Fancy trying out a survival horror game without actually buying one? Ben ‘Yatzee’ Crowshaw has made a brilliant series of games called the Chzo Mythos series. Not only the best free games I have ever played but it’s up there in the best series of games ever.  Start with ‘5 Days a Stranger’. Trust me, it’s worth it.

Download the demo of Dead Space 2 here.

If you’ve played Minecraft, then you’ll be able to understand this gamer’s turmoil.

As we say a fond farewell to 2010 and all the games it brought us, it seems like the perfect time to look forward to 2011.  So I bring you my five most anticipated games for the next year.

1. Portal 2

PS3, X-Box 360, Mac and PC

If you have never played Portal then stop reading. Go to the Steam website, buy it, play it, take a moment to bask in its glory then return here to carry on reading. Done? Good, I’ll continue. I’m going to put Portal 2 at the top of my ‘Games I cannot wait for list’ as, in my opinion, Portal is the best game ever made. From the trailers released so far Portal 2 may actually beat Portal in terms of originality and levels of fun. The sequel will have a longer playtime, a more developed storyline and a multiplayer option as well as more physics puzzles and Valve’s own special brand of dark humour. Honestly, even if you have never played a video game in your life you still should be looking forward to the release of Portal 2.

2. Bioshock Infinite

PS3, X-Box 360 and PC

Unlike the ground breaking original and it’s mildly disappointing sequel, Bioshock: Infinite is no longer set under the sea; it’s taken to the air. Very little is known about 2K’s new venture but if the announcement trailer is anything to go by, it’s going to be awesome. As far as game play goes it doesn’t look like much has changed from the original, it’s a first-person shooter with a side dish of genetically enhanced super powers and that’s fine by me – don’t fix something if it’s not broken. The super-powers themselves (plasmids) have had a serious upgrade since Bioshocks 1 and 2; the player can now control a huge range of things from the elements to a whole murder of crows.

If you liked the original Bioshock, Deus Ex or System Shock 2 then this is certainly something you should be looking forward to.

3. Batman Arkham City

PS3, X-Box 360 and PC

Stealth Games are a dying breed so it’s always nice when a new one steps up to the plate. Batman: Arkham Asylum managed to perfectly combine the ‘hiding in dark spaces’ elements with the ‘punching a guy in the face’ elements to make some pretty perfect stealth game play. The story was pretty spot-on as well and had enough nerdy references to keep any hard-core batman fan pointing and nodding at the screen for hours on end. In short, if Arkham City is half as good as it predecessors then we’re in for a treat, and if Rocksteady Studios have managed to work out the game play kinks (especially the cape mechanics) and add some real boss fights then get ready for the best stealth game since Thief.

So, if you liked Batman Arkham Asylum and The Thief Series, or you’re a major batman nerd, then go grab your cape and cowl, you’ve pulled.

4. Asylum

PC

Survival horror is a genre that has been taken over by action and first-person shooter based game play, so much so that it’s no longer about the scares or the atmosphere but more about the weapons and the combat. Asylum appears to be a game that is taking survival horror back to its roots: dark corridors, things jumping out at you and a lack of any real weapons. The game is based, as the title suggests, in an insane asylum, you have the ability to roam around as you please as well as delving into the dark storyline.

If you liked Penumbra, Amnesia: the Dark Descent or Silent Hill 2 then you are probably much braver than me. Oh and you may like this game.

5. Sims Medieval

PC and Mac

I have spent many hours playing the Sims thinking: ‘If only there were more dragons in this game’, well my dreams have finally come true. The Sims Medieval allows the player to create a huge number of characters from knights to wizards and then go out on quests to save the princess, defeat the bad guys and find the Holy Grail (that may have been Monty Python). The Sims franchise may have been going on for about a decade now but in my opinion it has yet to go stale. EA always manage to bring something new to the games and it looks like Medieval is no different.

If you liked the Sims or Black and White, get ready for the pure schadenfreude that the Sims always brings.