Culture Combine
@culturecombine.bsky.social
Tech, news, games, entertainment, culture. Combined.
Follow us for the latest pop culture tidbits.
www.culturecombine.com
Follow us for the latest pop culture tidbits.
www.culturecombine.com
Line up a scary point and click for some Halloween fun with Concierge. Here's our full review:
Surreal Point and Click Concierge is Challenging, Boring
Despite my admonitions, Concierge might be worth checking out if it ticks your boxes. It’s definitely a unique game, and for the gamer that’s seen everything, Concierge might just have something new f...
www.culturecombine.com
October 30, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Line up a scary point and click for some Halloween fun with Concierge. Here's our full review:
We'd send you candy but ... have you seen the prices? So how about for a Halloween treat we give YOU a Halloween playlist you might not be tired of already.
It's rowdy, it's surprising, it's coming from all of us here in Chicago with love.
Rock out.
It's rowdy, it's surprising, it's coming from all of us here in Chicago with love.
Rock out.
Mission:Playlist - Halloween
All that aside, you probably have a little bit of party monster in you still, and here from the banks of Lake Michigan in beautiful and not actually a warzone Chicago comes a Halloween playlist put to...
www.culturecombine.com
October 30, 2025 at 8:27 PM
We'd send you candy but ... have you seen the prices? So how about for a Halloween treat we give YOU a Halloween playlist you might not be tired of already.
It's rowdy, it's surprising, it's coming from all of us here in Chicago with love.
Rock out.
It's rowdy, it's surprising, it's coming from all of us here in Chicago with love.
Rock out.
Hot off the You...tubes...it's a video review of the highly anticipated sequel to Escape Simulator - Escape Simulator 2!
See what we thought, or read the full review at CultureCombine.com
See what we thought, or read the full review at CultureCombine.com
Escape Simulator 2 Video Review
YouTube video by Culture Combine
www.youtube.com
October 27, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Hot off the You...tubes...it's a video review of the highly anticipated sequel to Escape Simulator - Escape Simulator 2!
See what we thought, or read the full review at CultureCombine.com
See what we thought, or read the full review at CultureCombine.com
New video just dropped on our Youtube - this time we're taking a look at @dotemu.bsky.social 's latest game, Absolum.
Don't miss it!
Don't miss it!
Absolum Proves Dotemu Offers More Than Nostalgia Bait
YouTube video by Culture Combine
youtu.be
October 20, 2025 at 8:51 PM
New video just dropped on our Youtube - this time we're taking a look at @dotemu.bsky.social 's latest game, Absolum.
Don't miss it!
Don't miss it!
It's that time of year when young journalists' thoughts turn to favorite things of the year. Thing is, we might have stumbled on our favorite trivia game of the decade in the process with @leagueofthelexicon.bsky.social . Sometimes the hype is for a reason.
The League of the Lexicon is a Superb Choice for Word Lovers and Trivia Fiends Alike
So here’s me thinking that League of the Lexicon will be a breeze, and I’ll crush my foes, see them driven before me and all that. But League of the Lexicon is fun not only because it has a fun mixtur...
www.culturecombine.com
October 18, 2025 at 6:14 PM
It's that time of year when young journalists' thoughts turn to favorite things of the year. Thing is, we might have stumbled on our favorite trivia game of the decade in the process with @leagueofthelexicon.bsky.social . Sometimes the hype is for a reason.
Reposted by Culture Combine
This is the crowd that’s still streaming into Grant Park for Chicago #NoKings. Photo: @aaroncynic.bsky.social
October 18, 2025 at 5:36 PM
This is the crowd that’s still streaming into Grant Park for Chicago #NoKings. Photo: @aaroncynic.bsky.social
Reposted by Culture Combine
#NoKings Chicago. 📸: @aaroncynic.bsky.social
October 18, 2025 at 5:25 PM
#NoKings Chicago. 📸: @aaroncynic.bsky.social
Reposted by Culture Combine
Also please follow @plussone.bsky.social who's sending out some of my photos and video since it's becoming increasingly difficult do to service issues
October 18, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Also please follow @plussone.bsky.social who's sending out some of my photos and video since it's becoming increasingly difficult do to service issues
Reposted by Culture Combine
Reposted by Culture Combine
Alright yall I've been trying to post from #NoKings on Chicago where there are thousands rallying right now but service is spotty at best. This will be the thread for the day depending on what I can get out
October 18, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Alright yall I've been trying to post from #NoKings on Chicago where there are thousands rallying right now but service is spotty at best. This will be the thread for the day depending on what I can get out
You ever mean to get around to listening to more from a band and just didn't have time?
One of our staff members did. And that band was Cake.
Read on for his results:
One of our staff members did. And that band was Cake.
Read on for his results:
Blind Spot: Cake Retrospective
Welcome to Blind Spot, where we take time to dig into something big in the cultural zeitgeist we might have missed. A retrospective that’s also a first time perspective. What’s old to you, is new to s...
www.culturecombine.com
October 15, 2025 at 7:14 PM
You ever mean to get around to listening to more from a band and just didn't have time?
One of our staff members did. And that band was Cake.
Read on for his results:
One of our staff members did. And that band was Cake.
Read on for his results:
Dotemu's great at nostalgia, but with Absolum, they show they're also great at original concepts, with a roguelike/beat 'em up mashup that's quickly become one of our favorite new games of the year.
Absolum Proves Dotemu Offers More Than Nostalgia Bait
Absolum is one of my games of the year. I have a feeling it's slipping under the radar a bit, but I hope it’s successful enough that Dotemu keeps working on these new IPs, because their first truly no...
www.culturecombine.com
October 13, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Dotemu's great at nostalgia, but with Absolum, they show they're also great at original concepts, with a roguelike/beat 'em up mashup that's quickly become one of our favorite new games of the year.
Federal judges issued restraining orders that prohibit National Guard from deploying in IL and protect the First Amendment rights of peaceful protests still ongoing in Chicago.
READ MORE:
READ MORE:
Federal Judges Issue Restraining Orders Prohibiting National Guard From Deploying in Illinois and Protecting First Amendment Rights as Protests Continue in Chicago
Judge Perry said that deploying the National Guard on the streets of Chicago would only make an already volatile situation worse. She said that troops are “not trained in de-escalation or other extrem...
www.culturecombine.com
October 10, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Federal judges issued restraining orders that prohibit National Guard from deploying in IL and protect the First Amendment rights of peaceful protests still ongoing in Chicago.
READ MORE:
READ MORE:
Reposted by Culture Combine
I'm at the scene where ICE abducted multiple people from Lincoln and Foster this morning.
A WGN producer was among the people taken, allegedly because she was among a group of bystanders who tried to intervene. ICE agents hit this car while making their getaway.
A WGN producer was among the people taken, allegedly because she was among a group of bystanders who tried to intervene. ICE agents hit this car while making their getaway.
October 10, 2025 at 2:55 PM
I'm at the scene where ICE abducted multiple people from Lincoln and Foster this morning.
A WGN producer was among the people taken, allegedly because she was among a group of bystanders who tried to intervene. ICE agents hit this car while making their getaway.
A WGN producer was among the people taken, allegedly because she was among a group of bystanders who tried to intervene. ICE agents hit this car while making their getaway.
Reposted by Culture Combine
BREAKING: Federal judge issues a TRO in the Northern District of Illinois (including Chicago and the Broadview ICE facility), providing protections for protesters and journalists covering the protests.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Some of the key elements:
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Some of the key elements:
October 9, 2025 at 5:21 PM
BREAKING: Federal judge issues a TRO in the Northern District of Illinois (including Chicago and the Broadview ICE facility), providing protections for protesters and journalists covering the protests.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Some of the key elements:
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Some of the key elements:
Reposted by Culture Combine
There’s a viral video reposted by a lot of news people nationally about an abduction at West Loop Elementary School, but there is no school with that name. The video seems to be of ICE detaining people near UIC yesterday. Details matter. We need to try to get them right before sharing.
October 9, 2025 at 7:28 PM
There’s a viral video reposted by a lot of news people nationally about an abduction at West Loop Elementary School, but there is no school with that name. The video seems to be of ICE detaining people near UIC yesterday. Details matter. We need to try to get them right before sharing.
Trump took to Truth Social today to call for the arrest of IL governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
UPDATED to include breaking statement from the Chicago Teacher's Union regarding the call for Johnson's arrest
UPDATED to include breaking statement from the Chicago Teacher's Union regarding the call for Johnson's arrest
Trump Calls for Arrest of Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson in Truth Social Post
The ongoing feud between the sitting president, the Chicagoland area and State of Illinois continues to escalate. Operation Midway Blitz has been underway for a month and has involved US Immigration ...
www.culturecombine.com
October 8, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Trump took to Truth Social today to call for the arrest of IL governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
UPDATED to include breaking statement from the Chicago Teacher's Union regarding the call for Johnson's arrest
UPDATED to include breaking statement from the Chicago Teacher's Union regarding the call for Johnson's arrest
Please read about what's happening here in Chicago from journalists who are here:
Illinois Sues to Block Hundreds of Guard Troops that Could Deploy in Chicagoland as Feds Continue to Wage War on Residents
“What kind of a country are we living in? And this raid at this building is emblematic of what ICE and CBP and the president of the United States, Kristi Noem and Greg Bovino, are trying to do,” said ...
www.culturecombine.com
October 6, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Please read about what's happening here in Chicago from journalists who are here:
The answer to "Seen anything good lately?" should be yes, if you go see Paul Thomas Anderson's latest, One Battle After Another.
So say we in this review of a flick to put on your Must See list:
www.culturecombine.com/post/one-bat...
So say we in this review of a flick to put on your Must See list:
www.culturecombine.com/post/one-bat...
One Battle After Another Expertly Blends Absurdity and Stunning Action
There are no bad Paul Thomas Anderson movies. And while lately there has been a bit of ebb and flow after There Will Be Blood and between unparalleled masterpieces like 2012’s The Master and 2017's P...
www.culturecombine.com
September 30, 2025 at 10:01 PM
The answer to "Seen anything good lately?" should be yes, if you go see Paul Thomas Anderson's latest, One Battle After Another.
So say we in this review of a flick to put on your Must See list:
www.culturecombine.com/post/one-bat...
So say we in this review of a flick to put on your Must See list:
www.culturecombine.com/post/one-bat...
If you're a gamer in Chicago you're lucky to be here, cuz the games scene is fire. We attended @indiecitygames.org 's CIGS a few weeks back and saw a bunch of great things. Good news, you can follow along with #Chicaghoul no matter where you live!
www.culturecombine.com/post/indie-c...
www.culturecombine.com/post/indie-c...
Indie City's Chicago Indie Game Showcase Shines with Great Games and an Immaculate Vibe
We’ve been surfing the scene since the very first BitBash. We were there for the Logan Playtest parties, VGA Gallery openings, collabs at MSI and the Art Institute, and the opening of Chi Gamespace.
...
www.culturecombine.com
September 29, 2025 at 12:04 AM
If you're a gamer in Chicago you're lucky to be here, cuz the games scene is fire. We attended @indiecitygames.org 's CIGS a few weeks back and saw a bunch of great things. Good news, you can follow along with #Chicaghoul no matter where you live!
www.culturecombine.com/post/indie-c...
www.culturecombine.com/post/indie-c...
Trump's presser, among other things, solidified his plan to occupy Chicago.
IL Governor Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Johnson joined the thousands of local voices opposing the move.
IL Governor Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Johnson joined the thousands of local voices opposing the move.
Trump Threatens Chicago Occupation in Tuesday's Press Conference, Illinois Governor Pritzker Responds
In a press conference that was delayed over an hour yesterday, spurring even more rumors about his health, President Donald Trump appeared alongside loyalist Republicans for a “special announcement.” ...
www.culturecombine.com
September 3, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Trump's presser, among other things, solidified his plan to occupy Chicago.
IL Governor Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Johnson joined the thousands of local voices opposing the move.
IL Governor Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Johnson joined the thousands of local voices opposing the move.
Did you catch Gamescom Opening Night Live? This 3 hour Geoff Keighley led extravaganza packed a lot of announcements in its meaty runtime, and we're excited about it!
Find out what we're looking forward to and get in on the early hype for the fall gaming season!
Find out what we're looking forward to and get in on the early hype for the fall gaming season!
Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025
Gamescom Opening Night Live was just foisted upon us, and with it, Geoff Keighley has again made himself the figurehead for all things gaming events. He uses these events to have mini-E3 Summer Game F...
www.culturecombine.com
August 23, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Did you catch Gamescom Opening Night Live? This 3 hour Geoff Keighley led extravaganza packed a lot of announcements in its meaty runtime, and we're excited about it!
Find out what we're looking forward to and get in on the early hype for the fall gaming season!
Find out what we're looking forward to and get in on the early hype for the fall gaming season!
Fans of John Cena may have had a hard time getting in the panel at @fanexpochicago.bsky.social as it was packed to the brim, but we've got details from inside on the stage to share, so don't miss out!
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John Cena Packs a Punch at Fan Expo Chicago 2025
By the end of the panel, Cena had cemented himself as one of the most straightforward Hollywood/WWE superstars out there. From his modest start at the All State Arena with WWE to being in some of the ...
www.culturecombine.com
August 23, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Fans of John Cena may have had a hard time getting in the panel at @fanexpochicago.bsky.social as it was packed to the brim, but we've got details from inside on the stage to share, so don't miss out!
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We had the pleasure of talking with Mark Rolston at this year's @fanexpochicago.bsky.social and it was a blast.
Topics ranged from Aliens (of course) to Shawshank and Spider-Man 2 (and 3!) and our recommendation is - don't skip this one!
Topics ranged from Aliens (of course) to Shawshank and Spider-Man 2 (and 3!) and our recommendation is - don't skip this one!
INTERVIEW: Mark Rolston talks Aliens, Shawshank, and Spider-Man 3 at Fan Expo Chicago 2025
Fan Expo Chicago 2025 was one for the record books, with a fantastic guest list and a lot of exciting things to do.
One of the highlights of the con came when we had a chance to interview some of th...
www.culturecombine.com
August 22, 2025 at 5:39 AM
We had the pleasure of talking with Mark Rolston at this year's @fanexpochicago.bsky.social and it was a blast.
Topics ranged from Aliens (of course) to Shawshank and Spider-Man 2 (and 3!) and our recommendation is - don't skip this one!
Topics ranged from Aliens (of course) to Shawshank and Spider-Man 2 (and 3!) and our recommendation is - don't skip this one!
Calling all #cosplay fans - there's still an entire third gallery full of amazing stuff from #FanExpoChicago2025 that you can see RIGHT NOW.
GALLERY: Sunday Cosplay at Fan Expo Chicago 2025
No matter what day of the expo you attend there are some guarantees you should come to expect. Great atmosphere, fantastic entertainment guest, resplendent vendors, and of course out of this world cos...
www.culturecombine.com
August 21, 2025 at 12:29 AM
Calling all #cosplay fans - there's still an entire third gallery full of amazing stuff from #FanExpoChicago2025 that you can see RIGHT NOW.