I started the weekend off playing lots of Liar’s Dice. That is to say that I played too many games for far too long because the competition sucked (the loser buys drinks where I play…and one guy lost at least five rounds). To help me recover from last night’s bourbon, I’ll play a bunch of Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. Besides, that’s the only game I brought with me this trip. Ha!
How about you? What’s on you weekend playlist?
You go on an airplane to San Francisco and Sony unveils a teaser video for Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. Hmph. This will surely be one of the biggest games for the PlayStation 3, but I think it might be a game changer. I’ll get to that later. First, here are some details from Naughty Dog community strategist Arne Meyer:
Drake’s Deception features the return of famed fortune hunter Nathan Drake and follows him through a gripping, action-packed storyline that will take you all over the world. In his search for the fabled “Atlantis of the Sands,” Nathan Drake and longtime friend and mentor Victor Sullivan set off on a daring trek into the heart of the Arabian Desert. But when terrible secrets of this lost city are uncovered, their journey becomes a desperate bid for survival that will force Drake to confront his deepest fears.
Throughout Uncharted 3, you’ll be taken to spectacular new locations around the globe that will showcase all of the work we’ve taken on to take acclaimed physics, particle and visual effects to a new level.
What’s interesting is the initial reaction from many videogame journalists I know. A few of them have said that this is the game that might make them buy a 3D television. What do you think? Will Uncharted 3 help Sony push its 3D TV agenda? Or will it “just” be another awesome game from Naughty Dog?
I’m off to the airport shortly so I thought I’d write a really loaded post to encourage discussion. Ha! Seriously though, I’ve always wondered why Internet atheists usually run circles around Internet Christians. I was reminded of this when reading a recent post on FakeSteveJobs that started with an explanation on why a Christian and homophobic app was removed from iTunes and evolved into a pro-atheism rant. Naturally, it got a ton of attention, generating the most comments FSJ has seen in a long time. Before I continue, let me state for the record that I’m neither atheist or Christian, so I have no horse in this race.
As I sifted through the comments, I saw what I usually see in these kinds of arguments. The atheists offer logical arguments that are sometimes infused with dickish snark. The Christians offer passionate arguments that are sometimes pretentiously dismissive. Keep in mind that I’m speaking in general terms. I’ve also seen atheists that are just senseless pricks and Christians that offer fair explanations, but in general I usually see atheists making Christians look silly.
A lot of it has to do with logic vs. faith. It’s easier to explain logic because it’s…well, logical. Trying to explain faith to someone that doesn’t share the same beliefs is extremely difficult. I often see Internet Christians lose patience with atheists; initially they try to explain and preach peacefully, but they quickly become rattled and very un-Christian. Hmmm, perhaps the various churches need to deploy Internet missionaries. That could be shockingly effective….
Anyway, I wanted to get your thoughts on the matter. Hopefully nobody is offended and we can have a civil discussion on the topic. In your experience, what have you observed when Internet Christians and Internet atheists go at it?
Here’s a cute use for the excellent Google Voice service: you can send loved ones a voice message from Santa Claus! I’m sure parents and kids will get a kick out of this. I’m also sure that some people are going to use it to create perverted voicemails from Santa. Will those of you that are kids give it a shot by creating a nice message? Will you deviants out there give it a shot by creating a naughty message? Ha!
In a recent interview with Develop EA Games president Frank Gibeau said, “Fire-and-forget, packaged goods only, single-player, 25-hours-and you’re out. I think that model is finished. Online is where the innovation, and the action, is at.”
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, Carl Crawford on the Red Sox, congressional democrats turning on President Obama, or where the hell Eliza Dushku is, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
In a recent interview with Develop, EA Games president Frank Gibeau said, “Fire-and-forget, packaged goods only, single-player, 25-hours-and you’re out. I think that model is finished. Online is where the innovation, and the action, is at.” It certainly seems like most games have multiplayer or cooperative features — even games that don’t necessarily need them — but are pure single-player games doomed as Gibeau suggests?
While I don’t see pure single-player games being “finished”, I can see them becoming the minority. That would be kind of weird for me; I grew up playing loads of single-player games and my favorite genre, RPGs, is (mostly) a solitary experience. That said, there are a lot of younger gamers that grew up playing mostly multiplayer games. Perhaps the notion of a pure single-player game is dated.
What are you thoughts on the matter? Are single-player games finished? Will everything have a multiplayer or cooperative facet? Or will there be a robust single-player space in the future? Anyone else remember 2009 as being the year of games with unnecessary cooperative modes?
Here’s an impressive LittleBigPlanet 2 mod that replicates the gameplay of Wolfenstein 3D. It’s slick and shows off the creative flexibility of LBP2…but it gives me motion sickness. Ha! Check it out and let me know what you think (please)!
I remembering hearing about John Lennon’s death the day after it happened. I was still a small boy, so I was fast asleep when he was murdered on December 8, 1980. It was all over the news the next day. I remember watching NBC news as I was eating dinner with my family. We had a small black-and-white television in the kitchen. Of course I didn’t really have a concept of mortality at that age, but I loved The Beatles from the numerous times my dad would play Rubber Soul and Magical Mystery Tour on the record player. I just wondered why anyone would shoot this wonderful man.
Although I’ve come to love Lennon’s song writing and music, I was more inspired by what he did socially. He took his fame and used it to make powerful anti-war statements. Similar to how Muhammad Ali — one of my other favorite people that ever existed — leveraged his fame in the sports world, Lennon made people think whether you agreed with him or not. He was an amazing man on so many levels.
Let’s talk about what John Lennon meant to you. Did you he influence your taste in music or your social stances?
According to Eurogamer, X-Men Arcade will hit Xbox Live Arcade on December 15, 2010 and PlayStation Network in February 2011. X-Men Arcade is a port of the classic Konami coin-op arcade game. I pumped tons of quarters into it during college and am excited to play it online. Anyone interested in playing with me? It would be cool to get some four-player cooperative games going…but one of you has to agree to be Dazzler. *snicker*
At a recent press conference, Google showed off its upcoming Chrome OS and the Cr-48 Chrome laptop. Based on Chrome browser technology, Chrome OS is a Linux-based operating system that’s lightweight and leverages the cloud. Although it can do a number of things offline, Chrome OS is meant to be used with an Internet connection. Chrome OS notebooks will hit in the middle of 2011, with initial offerings by Acer and Samsung.
One very smart and very cool aspect of Chrome OS notebooks is that they’ll come with free Internet access through Verizon. Users get 100MB a month on Verizon 3G for two years. Sure, that’s not a ton of data, but it should tide users over until they can access a WiFi or wired network. Additional access packages are available for purchase. It’s nice to see Google and Verizon using the crack cocaine model — first one’s free! *joke*
As an avid Google user, I’m pretty high on Chrome OS. On paper, Chrome OS notebooks will be cheap yet highly functional. Users will not be required to pay for expensive Windows and Microsoft Office software. Instead, they’ll rely on products like Google Docs and the relatively inexpensive (or free) software on the Chrome Web Store.
While some are questioning why Google is supporting two mobile operating systems (Android and Chrome), I believe there’s room for both. Android is meant for phones and will be optimized for tablets in version 3.0 (Honeycomb). Chrome is meant for the netbook market and has an opportunity to reinvigorate that lagging space. Chrome OS products seem ideal as a second computer and/or for casual users (soccer moms).
To work the kinks out of Chrome OS, Google has launched a pilot program featuring the Cr-48 Chrome notebook. Sadly, this laptop will not be be available for purchase, but you can apply to be a beta tester. Internet geeks are already in love with the Cr-48’s so-understated-it’s-cool looks. Hell, I’m drooling over the Cr-48 and hope I get accepted into the pilot program.
Anyway, this was just a cursory glance at Chrome OS and the Cr-48. Let’s talk it up! Let me know what you think of these products and if you have any questions about them.
Google has launched its Chrome Web Store, a repository for web apps designed to run on its Chrome browser and OS. Although the store has just launched, there are already some nifty apps available. I’ve already downloaded several productivity and entertainment apps that do a nice job at showing off the power and flexibility of HTML5.
On the gaming front, there are a bunch of casual games, including several from Electronic Arts. After the Google I/O conference, I imagined the Chrome Web Store challenging Facebook in the casual games space. This successful launch reaffirms my thoughts. It certainly has the potential to be a major player in the casual games space, but it will certainly take a lot of work.
Let me know what you think of the Chrome Web Store when you have a moment. Are there any apps that interest you? Any of you interested in playing Wordico with me? I’ll play if you play!
