Raymond Padilla

A-Rod Goes Ballistic Over Cameron Diaz Popcorn Footage

In his never-ending quest to be the biggest dick in Yankee history, Alex Rodriguez allegedly went ballistic over footage of Cameron Diaz feeding him popcorn during Super Bowl XLV. Some people thought that the footage was cute and made A-Rod seem likable. Others thought it was the latest in a long line of tool moves by Rodriguez. Most of the universe agreed that Derek Jeter — a real, honorable Yankee — would never have put himself in that position. Instead, A-Rod made it worse by (allegedly) having a fit over the free press. According to a Chicago Sun-Times source:

He really went ballistic — thinking the cameraman was out to get them in a paparazzi-like shot. That’s so crazy. Anyone who knows anything about producing a live sports event — especially something as huge as the Super Bowl — would know that those celebrity shots are purely random.

Once again, A-Rod has embarrassed himself and the entire Yankee organization. On the plus side, this article was a fun way to take cheap shots at Rodriguez and an excellent excuse to post photos of Cameron Diaz.

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Nokia CEO Blasts Company, Hints at Windows Mobile 7?

I highly recommend reading this leaked memo from Nokia CEO Stephen Elop. It’s a brutally honest critique of the company’s recent performance. Once the dominant leader in all mobile phone segments, Elop admits that Apple has captured the high end with the iPhone, Google has captured the mid range with Android, and Chinese manufacturers are cleaning up in the budget market. Here’s my favorite excerpt:

The battle of devices has now become a war of ecosystems, where ecosystems include not only the hardware and software of the device, but developers, applications, ecommerce, advertising, search, social applications, location-based services, unified communications and many other things. Our competitors aren’t taking our market share with devices; they are taking our market share with an entire ecosystem. This means we’re going to have to decide how we either build, catalyse or join an ecosystem.

The last sentence is the most fascinating. Elop is a former Microsoft executive and Nokia is set to make a major announcement this week. People have taken this “2+2” and have come to the conclusion that Nokia will license Windows Phone 7. This would be a tremendous development for Microsoft and Nokia.

Microsoft has a compelling product on its hands with WP7, but it’s way behind iOS and Android. Despite having crap software for the last three years, Nokia still makes some of the best hardware on the market. More importantly, its global reach is second to none. The partnership would give Microsoft’s WP7 efforts an enormous boost and Nokia would finally have quality software that complements its excellent hardware. Here’s another take on the matter from VentureBeat’s “Dancing” Dean Takahashi:

A Microsoft and Nokia partnership would be beneficial to both companies. Windows Phone 7 is a surprisingly strong mobile entry for Microsoft, and if paired with Nokia’s strong hardware, it would give the company some killer phones that could compete against the iPhone and Android platforms. Microsoft, meanwhile, would be able to take advantage of Nokia’s popularity in Europe and other countries to help spread the popularity of Windows Phone 7.

Although Windows Phone 7 has some really interesting features, the hardware hasn’t grabbed my eye; almost every WP7 phone has an Android equivalent. The thought of WP7 running on something similar to a Nokia N8 has the wheels in my head spinning. That would be a truly compelling combo.

A tag team of Microsoft and Nokia would shake up the mobile phone market — big time. I hope it happens simply because it would be fascinating to watch (and write about). What do you ladies and gents think of this potential pair? Is it a match made in heaven? Or is it too little too late for both?

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Dissidia 012 [duodecim] Screens: Prishe From FFXI

The latest batch of Dissidia 012 [duodecim] screens features Prishe from Final Fantasy XI. I thought the first game was above average, but I completely marked out when heroes and villains from different Final Fantasy games shared the screen. While I don’t expect a dramatic improvement in terms of gameplay (I could be wrong), I know that I’ll mark out when FF worlds collide in Dissidia 012. Additions like Lightning, Tifa, Prishe, and others up the ante.

Check out the screens and let me know what you think (please)!

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Coffee Talk #300: Observations From the RPad.TV Experience

Thanks for joining me for the 300th edition of Coffee Talk! I’m going to selfishly use today’s column to talk about my experiences with the site — both the good and the bad. As always, I’m going to stick to…

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, getting drunk on an airplane, Christina Aguilera flubbing vs. Whitney Houston lip syncing, or dried pineapples, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Thanks for joining me for the 300th edition of Coffee Talk! I’m going to selfishly use today’s column to talk about my experiences with the site — both the good and the bad. As always, I’m going to stick to the trusty Steve Raghunath binary system.

Good: Your support has been phenomenal — definitely beyond my expectations. I figured a few of you would come over from G4tv, but your readership and loyalty have been tremendous. When the site first launched, it was all you guys. Some of the original crew has stopped reading (or commenting anyway), but the traffic is better and more diverse than ever. You guys got it all started and kept things active with your excellent comments.

Bad: Publisher support has been poor. I was hoping for more event invites, coverage opportunities, and all that good stuff. Instead, some PR people have stopped sending me press releases and screens. Part of it is that I need to be more aggressive with PR people. Part of it is that some flaks have just completely dropped me because I no longer work for a major outlet. It’s disappointing because I need those content opportunities to keep the site growing. Creating original content from BlizzCon, DICE, GDC, etc. is just really, really expensive. Unless I get a large, random PayPal donation, I’m going to need a lot more publisher support to keep the site growing. If the support doesn’t come then I’ll really have to scale things back.

Good: I’m amazed that the site hasn’t attracted any flamers. All the comments I’ve had to delete were of the spam variety. I don’t recall having to delete any comments due to excessive profanity. I definitely haven’t had to delete any comments from readers wanting to flame it up. I’ve been super pleased with quality discussion here. Things get heated every now and then, but it’s almost always good and fun stuff.

Bad: I’m kind of disappointed that the site hasn’t attracted a flamer. For some reason, it would make me feel more “legit”. I’d also love to see how guys would respond to one.

Good: The site has been one of the most rewarding projects I’ve ever worked on. It’s fun mixing it up with you guys, writing the stories that I want to write, and growing something from scratch. It feels awesome when a story or video gets picked up by other sites and leads to a significant traffic spike. I feel proud when the site’s Alexa ranking goes up. When things go right, I often get the feeling of, “Yeah, I did that!” Rpad.TV is just behind Yahoo!’s Reset for my favorite work experience ever (I made a lot of money and got to travel around the world with my “best best”).

Bad: The site has also been one of the most stressful projects I’ve ever worked on. I’m pretty sure I haven’t been this poor since college. I stress out when traffic is down from the previous week (and forget that it’s way up from the year before). When the site’s Alexa ranking slides, I get sad. I sometimes have micro panic attacks, mild bouts of depression, and question whether I should be putting so much time into the site instead of looking for more freelance work. The highs are fun, but the lows can be…challenging.

Good: Ultimately, I still believe that I have a chance to create a site that can be a little bit different and offer content the way I think it should be served. It’s not there yet and it will take a lot of work, but I still believe that the site can continue to grow into something special. I’m proud of how things have progressed, but think it could be so much more. With more work and some luck (and a random donation from Bill Gate and/or Mark Zuckerberg), I think it’ll get there. I hope that all of you are still reading and posting comments when it does!

Verizon Can Shape Bandwidth for All Customers

When is unlimited data not really unlimited? When it’s throttled and shaped. In addition to reserving the right to throttle bandwidth for the top five percent of data users, Verizon also reserves the right to shape and manipulate bandwidth for all its customers. According to Wired:

Verizon incidentally announced a plan for “data optimization” for all customers, which may degrade the appearance of videos streamed on smartphones, for example.

The “optimization” method involves caching less data and resizing video, which “may minimally impact the appearance of the file as displayed on your device” — and that affects every Verizon customer.

This makes choosing an iPhone carrier a bit more difficult, hey? AT&T has shoddier service, but faster speeds. Verizon is more reliable, but it’s slower and the company reserves the right to make its vaunted “unlimited” service sucky. In the immortal words of Dennis Hopper, “What do you do? What do you do?”

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Dungeon Siege III Screenshots

Here are some screens for the upcoming action-RPG Dungeon Siege III. I enjoyed the first two installments of the series by the excellent Gas Powered Games and I’m curious to see where Obsidian takes things. Obsidian has done a fine job creating follow-ups to strong originals (Neverwinter Nights 2, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2, etc.) but was recently dinged for Alpha Protocol. I like those guys and I hope they do well with this game.

If you have a moment, kindly check out the screens and share your feelings like a Care Bear.

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HTC Invests $40-Million in OnLive, Boost for Android Gaming?

Here’s an interesting development that’s all Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (you know, two great tastes that taste great together): mobile-phone manufacturer HTC has invested $40-million in streaming-game provider OnLive. Here’s the scoop from The Wall Street Journal:

HTC, which has gained popularity world-wide for its early adoption of Google Inc.’s Android software in its mobile phones, said it will acquire London-based mobile platform company Saffron Digital for £30.15 million ($48.6 million) and will buy a $40 million stake in U.S.-based on-demand games company Onlive Inc.

As many of you know, I’m a big fan of HTC phones like the G2 and the Evo 4G. I’m also intrigued by the potential of streaming videogames and have been impressed with OnLive’s partnerships. OnLive is just getting more interesting all the time. Between this and Sony’s PlayStation Suite, the future of Android gaming is looking better and better. Color me psyched (which in my head is cobalt blue)!

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THQ Attacks Facebook with UFC and WWE Games

THQ has launched a pair of interesting Facebook games that should interest fans of WWE, UFC, and men crawling around in bikini briefs. For those that prefer sports entertainment there’s WWE All Stars Fantasy Warfare. Here’s the official description:

The WWE All Stars Fantasy Warfare Application is a deep interactive video experience that showcases five Fantasy Warfare matchups between one WWE Superstar and one WWE Legend. Matchups feature a gameplay video in which users can choose from their favorite signature maneuvers to determine how they would finish off their opponent. It’s up to you to determine the greatest WWE Superstars of all time!

If you’re looking for more realistic Facebook violence then you should check out UFC Undisputed Fight Nation:

THQ Inc and Zuffa, LLC today announced the latest edition to the prominent UFC Undisputed sports videogame franchise with the launch of UFC Undisputed Fight Nation, the first official Facebook game based on the world’s leading mixed martial arts (MMA) organization, the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The interactive experience, developed by Embassy Interactive and available on Facebook allows players to take control of their virtual UFC careers in a fun and engaging environment by training moves, competing against others and sharing their results on Facebook, as well as enabling them to successfully manage their progress for the opportunity to compete against many of the UFC’s most renowned fighters.

It’s very cool that THQ is using social media to extend two of its most prominent franchises. It’s a great way to sustain interest between releases and generate hype prior to a launch. Whether it’s men in tights or swords & sorcery, you better get used to Facebook games based on your favorite console and PC titles. You’re going to see tons more in the immediate future.

If you get a chance to check out either Facebook game, please leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Coffee Talk #299: Memorable Deaths in Videogames

Forrest Gump’s mama told him that dying is a part of life. It’s a part of videogames too. A friend and I were talking about the classic Infocom text adventure Planetfall and how Floyd’s death was one of the most…

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, Coava’s Costa Rica Helsar, A-Rod being fed popcorn by Cameron Diaz, or your favorite fruit juice, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Forrest Gump’s mama told him that dying is a part of life. It’s a part of videogames too. Yesterday, a friend and I were talking about the classic Infocom text adventure Planetfall and how Floyd’s death was one of the most uniquely powerful moments of gaming. Naturally, we started talking about other videogame deaths. While I believe the game is overrated, I can’t deny that Aerith’s death in Final Fantasy VII was a powerful moment that touched millions of gamers.

What videogame deaths moved you? Did a character’s death ever make you cry? Anyone’s videogame death surprise you? Not to get all (digitally) morbid on you, but I think we could have a fun discussion about dying in videogames. Let’s get to it (the discussion, not the dying)!

Dragon Age II Achievements Listed!

BioWare has posted images of the achievements list for the upcoming Dragon Age II. This was probably the worst thing that could happen to me. Not only is it my most wanted game of 2011, but a bunch of my journalist friends got to see it last week and I didn’t. It’s awesome when the people handling your favorite developer ignore you. *sigh* I want to play now!!!

Anyway, check out the achievement images below and let me know if there’s anything that interests or surprises you (please).

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