It’s a pretty dry week at retail. Thankfully, there are a pair of digital downloads that are worthy of your attention. First up is Dyad for PlayStation 3. This puzzle-racer is full of slick visuals and soothing sounds. I played some over the weekend and love it so far. Next up is Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD. It’s the awesome Tony Hawk gameplay and classic levels, but with Unreal Engine 3 graphics.
Any of you picking up new games this week?
There was so much to go gaga over at Comic-Con 2012. The movie trailers and announcements were brilliant. The videogame showings were boss. What were your favorite Comic-Con 2012 happenings? Let’s start with the games. Epic had a great show with Gears of War: Judgement and Fortnite…
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Danny Garcia’s stunning upset victory over Amir Khan, the rapidly declining prices of SSDs, or the Jeremy Lin saga, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
There was so much to go gaga over at Comic-Con 2012. The movie trailers and announcements were brilliant. The videogame showings were boss. What were your favorite Comic-Con 2012 happenings? Let’s start with the games. Epic had a great show with Gears of War: Judgement and Fortnite. While I’m thrilled for the company’s success on a personal level, the videogame announcement that won me over was Deadpool. Marvel’s merc with a mouth is one of my favorite characters of all time. I’m thrilled that he’s getting very own adventure and I can’t wait to enjoy the game’s writing. Duct tape!!!
The movie trailers, panels, and announcement were killer too. I’m sure all of you were pleased to learn that Arnold Schwarzenegger confirmed a sequel to Twins. Most people seemed excited by the latest Iron Man and Superman footage. Fans of minor characters were happy to see The Guardians of the Galaxy getting a movie (Gamora is hot, btw). Obviously Captain America was always going to have a sequel, but I marked out when Captain America: The Winter Soldier was revealed. I love the Winter Soldier character. The revamped Bucky Barnes is cool and modern. He also fits into that tweener category of superheroes that I enjoy. I’m totally amped to see Winter Soldier on the big screen.
Now it’s your turn! What were your favorite movie and videogame happenings of Comic-Con 2012?
At Comic-Con 2012, Activision revealed that it’s set to publish a Deadpool game developed by High Moon Studios. Now the trailer is here! I love the look and tone of the trailer. It absolutely captures the feel of Marvel’s lovable merc with a mouth. The wise cracks, the dueling inner monologue, the love of boobies, etc. are brilliant.
My one wish is that the game has several duct tape jokes…because Deadpool loves duct tape. He loves the way it tapes. He loves the sound it makes. He loves saying it. Duct tape. Duct tape. Duct tape. Duct tape. Duct tape. Duct tape.
My Google Nexus 7 has arrived! Naturally, I’m going to use the hell out of this Android tablet over the weekend. If you have any questions about it, please leave them in the comments section. I’ll post my initial impressions on Monday.
Here’s the launch trailer for Oz: The Great and Powerful, a prequel to The Wizard of Oz. The movie stars James Franco as the titular character, supported by Mila Kunis as Theodora the Wicked Witch of the West, Rachel Weisz as Evanora the Wicked Witch of the East, and Michelle Williams as Glinda the Good Witch. Oz: The Great and Powerful is being directed by Sam Raimi.
I’m pretty excited for the movie. Raimi is a lot of fun, Franco is a talented and versatile actor, and the witches are hot. How about you guys and dolls? What did you think of the trailer? Any of you interested or excited for Oz: The Great and Powerful?
Internet impressionist Steve Love posted this video of impressions from Game of Thrones. He does a good job with most of the characters, using their lines from the show. A few of them he completely nails. Love caps off the video with some fun at the expense of Ser Jorah Mormont. The clip makes me want to end every sentence with the honorific “Khaleesi”. Great stuff!
Last night I started playing Dyad for PlayStation 3. It’s a cool puzzle-racer that features soothing sounds and trippy visuals. I’m really digging it so far and looking forward to playing more this weekend. The audio-visual aspects of the game are so intense that Dyad seems like an excellent game to play while drinking. You shouldn’t drink and drive, but drinking and driving your way through a puzzle-racer is completely fine.
How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?
At Comic Con 2012, Electronic Arts announced that the Ultima franchise will be returning to PC and debuting on iPad thanks to BioWare. Ultima Forever is a free-to-play game set to arrive in late 2012. The warrior and mage have been revealed as playable classes, while the bard was teased on the Ultima Forever Twitter page. Here’s more from the official site:
The first great Western RPG has been lovingly restored in Ultima Forever — return to the Ultima series in BioWare’s new cross-platform action RPG. Accept the challenge from Lady British and save the land of Britannia. Play as the Fighter or the Mage and travel alone or with friends, restore virtue and become the Avatar!
As an RPG nerd and a BioWare fanboy, I must play this game. Ultima was one of the best and earliest RPG franchises in PC gaming; any RPG fan with a sense of history should revere the series. BioWare is simply awesome (scientific classification), as you know. The difficult part will be deciding whether to play this on PC or iPad. What a wonderful problem to have!
Any of you psyched for Ultima Forever?
Rovio’s Angry Birds is one of the most successful franchises in the history of mobile gaming. Will its recently released Amazing Alex reach similar heights? Like Angry Birds, Amazing Alex is a physics-based puzzle game, but instead of the epic birds vs. pigs war, you deal with everyday objects found in a kid’s room. I’ve played a bit of the game and found both the graphics and puzzles charming. However, I don’t think it has the “cute” factor that Angry Birds enjoyed. I’ve seen all kinds of Angry Birds merchandise used by people around the world. I sincerely doubt that Amazing Alex gear will be as popular. I’m sure Amazing Alex will do well, but I doubt it will resonate with people the way that Angry Birds did.
Of course I could be totally wrong. That’s where you come in! I’m sure that most of you have played Angry Birds. Do you think Rovio can catch lightning in a bottle twice with Amazing Alex?
As San Diego Comic-Con 2012, Epic Games revealed new screens and details for its upcoming PC game Fortnite. The company stated that this will be the first game to utilize Unreal Engine 4. Similar to the hugely popular Minecraft, Fortnite’s activities change depending on the time of day. In the daytime, players gather resources, explore, and work together to build elaborate forts. At nighttime, players have to defend their prized domiciles against baddies.
Obviously, the game will differ on a visual level. Where Minecraft charmed with its pixel art, Fortnite will aim to dazzle with cutting-edge tech. The art style is also playful and I think Epic is onto something here. There’s just something nostalgic about building a fort. I fondly remember building all sorts of (crappy looking) constructs with my friends when I was a kid. There’s something magical about transforming a refrigerator box into an impregnable fortress. If experiences like that were part of your childhood then there’s a great chance that Fortnite will resonate with you.
Check out the screens below and share your thoughts on Epic’s Fortnite.
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