Category: Coffee Talk

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, your favorite shot of alcohol, Klatch’s Panama Carmen Estate 1750 Reserve, or Derek Jeter rocking it the second half of the season, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Today’s Coffee Talk is a quickie as I’ll be flying back to California by the time you’re reading this. With Halo Fest taking place this weekend and Call of Duty XP in a few weeks followed by Blizzcon a bit later, I was wondering what the videogame convention of your dreams would be like. Would you want a convention centered around a certain developer or publisher? Or would you want a convention all about your favorite gaming franchise?

This is never going to happen, but I’m going to dream about Matsuno Mania 3000. It’s a three-day convention that celebrates the games created by Yasumi Matsuno and his team. It’s full of Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics panels. Matsuno is a known Queen mark, so the surviving members of the band would be the musical guests (Brian May rules!). This sounds like the best event ever (in my head)!!!

What’s the videogame convention of your dreams like? Name it, describe it, and share it (please)!

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, the rebellion in Libya, Klatch’s El Salvador Yellow Bourbon, or the brawl between Georgetown and the Bayi Military Rockets baseketball teams leading to World War III, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Are there any game genres that look all the same to you? For example, I have several casual-gamer friends that can’t tell the difference between Battlefield, Call of Duty, and Medal of Honor. They see all World War II first-personshooters as the same. The issue isn’t restricted to casual gamers either. I have friends in the videogame business that think all Japanese RPGs are the same. They see some effeminate male protagonist with impossible hair saving the world against some generic evil guy.

As for me, all the tower defense games in the world have blended together into one unidentifiable mess. I’m sure that there are plenty of differences between tower defense games, but aside from South Park Let’s Go Tower Defense Play! I can’t tell these games apart. Part of it is due to a lack of interest and part of it stems from the overwhelming tower defense choices on Android and iOS. There are just too many of them!

Now it’s your turn! Are there any game genres that all look the same to you?

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, naughty thoughts about Courtney Stodden, Claudio Castagnoli and Chris Hero making it in WWE, or dreaming of VPS, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

First off, this isn’t one of those “Are videogames art?” columns. You’ve read too many of those already, I’m sure. What today’s column is about is whether there’s a high demand for videogames that are “artistic”. I’m talking about games like Ico, Okami, Elite Beat Agents, Child of Eden, etc. Secondly, I want to discuss gamer apathy and journalist snobbery regarding these games. Let’s get to it!

You see, it all started innocently enough. I was hanging out with my friend EGM Paul, getting ready to devour some outstanding pastrami. We started talking about games like the ones I mentioned above. We discussed if games like these are similar to their theatrical counterparts. While there are certainly some gamers that are thrilled by games like Ico, there are simply more that are dazzled by Call of Duty or Madden. It’s kind of like how The Wedding Banquet is one of my favorite movies of all time, but I understand why Transformers is more popular. A lot of people are passionate about “art house” games and want them to take over the world, but the reality is that they’ll never be blockbusters.

One of the problems with these games is how journalists write about them. A lot of writers get way too uppity about these titles and the pretentiousness is amazing. Too many people write things like, “You’re not a real gamer if you don’t support this game!” or, “You don’t care about the gaming business if you don’t buy this title!” There’s a fine line between wanting to support games that are different and coming off like a prick. A lot of writers cross this line. What’s more alarming is that many of them feel that their stance is justified. (For any new readers, I am not a journalist, FYI.)

I understand why journos get worked up. A lot of gamers are apathetic. A lot of people say that they’re tired of sequels and want more original games. A lot of the same people don’t put their money where their mouths are. There’s nothing wrong with buying and enjoying games in the same series year after year. Games are entertainment and gamers should spend their money on whatever entertains them the most. However, people that bitch about Activision and EA pumping out sequel after sequel while doing nothing to support new IPs and original games should just shut the hell up keep it to themselves.

For my part, I try to support my favorite developers and original games that I enjoy. Even though I get games for free, I’ll go out and buy a BioWare title or an Okami game because I want to see more. My extra copy will go to a friend that I think will enjoy the game, but wouldn’t necessarily by it. In some cases, I’ve made news fans for my favorite developers and unique games. Bonus.

How about you? Do you enjoy so-called “artistic” games? Do you care about supporting original titles or small developers? Or do you just buy whatever makes you happy? How do you feel about journalist snobbery and gamer apathy concerning these games? Leave a comment and let me know (please)!

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, Jorge Posada’s fluke six RBI game, whether CM Punk can keep his heat, or incompetent web hosts (AnHosting!), Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Inspired by the latest batch of Final Fantasy XIII-2 screens, I started thinking about what it would be like to have an FF animal as a pet. (Yes, I actually thought about this as if it were an actual possibility.) There are so many great ones to choose from! Whether you’re looking for a cuddly companion, a stalwart defender, or a pragmatic pet, the creatures of Final Fantasy have all the bases covered. Let’s take a look at a few before making our selections.

Chocobo — The highest-profile creature in the FF universe, Chocobo’s blend characteristics of birds, horses, and dogs. They’re loyal companions that are strong protectors and great for transportation. If you’re lucky enough to have a black chocobo, you can be transported over sea, air, and land. This is particularly useful for people with visa issues. Having a black chocobo means you can ignore borders and visit any country you want.

On the down side, the feathers are messy. They get everywhere. Chocobos are usually cute, but molting chocobos can be a nightmare. Then there’s the mating thing. Forget rabbits. They have nothing on chocobos. You can count on your chocobo being insatiably horny at least three times a year. When that happens, watch out!

Moogle — One of the cutest creatures in the world of Final Fantasy, moogles are more than just adorable faces. In various FF games, moogles have shown useful healing abilities and a penchant for delivering mail. These animals are a great choice for people that like to exercise; the aches and pains of a strenuous workout instantly disappear after a dose of moogle magic. (The rumor is that they can also remove any traces of steroids and HGH.) Moogle owners never have to use USPS, FedEx, UPS, or DHL everagain. Moogle Net is faster and more reliable than any of those service.

Unfortunately, moogles are a bit vain and prone to tantrums. Like the best looking girl in high school, moogles know that they’re awesome. They know that they’re cute and useful. If you don’t show a moogle enough attention then it will stop healing you and delivering your parcels until it feels like it’s being appreciated. They have incredibly useful abilities, but like they say in Thailand, “No money, no honey!”

Cactuar — These desert creatures are great for people looking for protection, as well as those that don’t have the time for a high-maintenance animal. Cactuars are incredibly sweet to their owners, but if they detect the slightest threat to the ones they love then thousands of needles will be launched unto assailants, both real and imagined. Young women that live in big cities will always feel safe with a cactuar by their side. As an added bonus, cactuars don’t eat and only require a bit of water every few weeks. Leaving on a business trip for a few weeks? Don’t worry, your cactuar will be fine on its own (though your sofa will probably be torn to shreds when you get back).

While cactuars are fierce defenders, they’re also poor choices for physically affectionate people. Trust me, you do not want to hug a cactuar. Hell, people have been sent to the hospital from simply trying to pet a cactuar. This is one of the rare cases when saying you love something is much better than showing it.

Tonberry — Another fine choice for people looking for protection, tonberry’s are great for older people that want to feel more secure. Equipped with deceptively powerful knives and lanterns, tonberries will slice your enemies to shreds and make the darkest alleyways bright as day. Unlike cactuars, tonberries are slow creatures and don’t require a lot of energy to tend.

Out of all the animals mentioned in today’s column, tonberries have the highest chance of killing their owners, by far. It’s not even close. Despite generations of breeding, there’s just something ingrained in tonberry DNA that makes it want to kill. It doesn’t even need a reason. Also, it’s weird that they all have knives and lanterns. After centuries of research, nobody knows why tonberries come equipped and where they get their gear. Some researchers believe that tonberry accessories have demonic origins. The world may never know the truth.

I Choose…. — Now it’s time for you too decide! Pick the Final Fantasy pet that you like best. And for the record, bahamuts were not included because…well, they just make crappy pets.

[poll id=”129″]

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, Klatch’s Hawaiian Ka’u Typica, Time Warner Cable sucking for not allowing HBO Go, or the slow death of WiMax, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Most of you have been playing games for at least a decade. Some of you have been gamers for multiple decades. In the time that you’ve been playing games, several game developers and publishers have come and gone. Are there any game companies that you miss? If you jog your memory, I’m sure you can think of  one you used to love and is no longer around today.

As for me, I’m going with Interplay. (Yes, I know there’s a new version of the company kicking around Beverly Hills, but it’s Interplay by name only.) My history with this developer/publisher goes back to the mid-’80s when I was dazzled by The Bard’s Tale on my Commodore 64. The company owned me from 1999 to 2002 with games like Earthworm Jim 3D, Baldur’s Gate, Baldur’s Gate II, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, Icewind Dale, Icewind Dale II, Giant’s: Citizen Kabuto, Planescape: Torment, and more. The company entertained me for hundreds of hours and I miss it a ton.

Before I get all weepy, please let me know any developers or publishers that you miss. Any MicroProse fans in the house? How about any Acclaim marks? How awesome was Looking Glass Studios back in the day? Okay, I’m going to stop before I get lost in nostalgia and use Wikipedia to read about game companies that longer exist today.