Today I’d like you to jot down all the games in your gaming backlog. This little exercise is as much for me as it is for you. There are always games that I mean to play, but put off due to life, love, work…
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 rumors of Brett Favre un-retiring (again), your thoughts on the U.S. debt ceiling, or Rey Mysterio being WWE Champion for 12 seconds, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
It’s audience participation time (not really sure how this is different from any other day on the site)!!! Today I’d like you to jot down all the games in your gaming backlog. This little exercise is as much for me as it is for you. There are always games that I mean to play but put off due to life, love, work, etc. Hopefully writing them down will motivate me to finish them. I’m hoping that writing your backlog in the comments section will do the same for you too. Here’s my list.
Blue Dragon — It’s laughable that I haven’t played more of this game. I frickin’ love job systems!
Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom — This game wowed me at E3 2010 and I still haven’t finished it yet.
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West — Some of my friends love this game and some hate it. I need to see what the deal is. The little I’ve played seems really cool.
Pokemon Black — After playing almost 700 hours of Pokemon Pearl, my game clock in Black is still in double digits. I can no longer call myself a Pokemon Master. *sniff*
Final Fantasy XIII — I have a wee bit more to play. I’ve watched friends beat it, but I kind of want to do it on my own. It’s been so long that I’ll probably load a save file from a few chapters back just to get in the groove.
Of course new titles like Bastion and the Dragon Age II Legacy DLC will get in the way, but I’m determined to make it through this list before the year ends.
Now it’s your turn! What’s in your gaming backlog?
I had a great time at Comic Con 2011. It was lots of fun freelancing for secret company. It’s always enjoyable watching fellow geeks celebrate geek culture. There was lots of celebrity watching to do. And…
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 rolling camera bag of your dreams, Amir Khan’s drubbing of Zab Judah, or the passing of Amy Winehouse, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
I had a great time at Comic Con 2011. It was lots of fun freelancing for secret company. It’s always enjoyable watching fellow geeks celebrate geek culture. There was lots of celebrity watching to do. And it was awesome hanging out with new and old friends from the videogame business. Unfortunately, my hotel was far away from the convention and it would have been difficult lugging my laptop around, so I didn’t get a chance to “hang out” with y’all. I missed you! Now onto some random thoughts on Comic Con 2011.
– The videogame panels I attended were fantastic. I loved watching hundreds — sometimes thousands — of fans cheer for games and game creators. Unlike DICE, GDC, and E3, Comic Con is open to the public. Watching “real people” mark out over seeing Altair in the Assassin’s Creed: Revelations trailer or geeking out over seeing Cliff Bleszinski was a treat for me. I’m hardly one of those “jaded videogame journalists”, but it was still refreshing, invigorating, and charming watching fans be fans.
– All that said, some of the Q&A sessions were painful. Some people asked moronic questions. Some people didn’t listen to the moderator’s instructions for the Q&A portion of the panel. Some people asked questions as if they were stoned, saying…one…word…every…five…seconds. Yeah, I realize that some people get nervous speaking in public and others are so excited to meet game creators, but there were times when I wanted to bash my head in with my monopod during Q&A.
– The kids loved the new footage from the upcoming Beavis & Butthead. I am so completely down for this. It will crack me up and transport me to a simpler time. Remind me to tell you about the “Summer of Beavis” some time.
– The buzz on comic-book movies was similar to the thoughts here. Most of the people I chatted with were amped for The Dark Knight Rises. Opinions were split on The Avengers trailer. The Spider-Man reboot received a ton of flak. Most of it was because a lot of people feel that it’s too soon for a reboot, but part of it was because some fans hate the new costume.
– During the Star Wars: Kinect panel, most of my friends in the videogame business had the same reaction: “Crap! Now I have to buy another Xbox 360.” It’s completely awesome and the noises it makes are giggle inducing. The Gears of War 3 limited edition looks cool, but isn’t nearly as charming as the R2D2 Xbox 360.
– A lot of my friends were dogging on the DC Universe reboot. I’m mostly looking forward to it. The biggest bummer for me is that Red Robin will not have his own book. I suppose the manly answer would have been being upset that Wonder Woman will no longer be showing off her legs in every panel.
– My party highlight was actually between parties. After Ignition’s fine shindig for El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron, I bumped into a bunch of pals from Future. Among them was the super sexy, super fun, and super cool Annette Cardwell. I drunkenly latched onto her for 11 minutes. Sorry Annette! (bsukenyan, I saw Carolyn too! It’s always great to see her…especially when there’s drinking involved.)
– My only party faux pas (that I remember) was spitting up a bunch of my Jack & Coke when a PR lady asked me, “Are you still dating Zoe Flower?” A text message to Canada was sent immediately after the incident.
– During the Street Fighter X Tekken panel, the kid behind me said, “LOL,” “GG,” and “IDK.” I wanted to slap him. After thinking about it for a few minutes, I wanted to slap his mother for letting her son speak in such an idiotic manner. Kids these days….
Deepak Chopra is going to talk about Batman at Comic Con 2011. How awesome is that?!? I suddenly find myself scheduled to attend Comic Con…and I couldn’t be happier! This year’s show looks awesome…
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, Kona Mountain Coffee’s peaberry dark roast, Samsung finally confirming the Galaxy S II for an August release in America, or Shaq kicking off his NBA TV career by dissing Chris Bosh, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Deepak Chopra is going to talk about Batman at Comic Con 2011. How awesome is that?!? I suddenly find myself scheduled to attend Comic Con…and I couldn’t be happier! This year’s show looks awesome. Check out the amazing panel content slated for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Whether it’s the latest videogames, comic books, movies, or TV shows, Comic Con has it covered.
What Comic Con 2011 content or information are you looking forward to? Are you jazzed for the Halo Universe panel? Psyched for more information on The Avengers, Batman, and Spider-Man movies? Looking forward to George R.R. Martin talking about Game of Thrones season two and what’s next in A Song of Ice and Fire? Let me know what you’re into and I’ll try to dig up more 411 for you while I’m at the show. Please keep in mind that I’m attending a show for another publication (I’ll tell you later) and have to serve them first.
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 Women’s World Cup finals, NBA players signing with European teams, or Jennifer Lopez divorcing Marc Anthony, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Game ratings are a hot-button topic and I’m not really sure why. I think the ESRB does an outstanding job rating games — much better and more consistent than how the MPAA handles movies. However, that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about today. Do you think about game ratings before you’ve purchased a game or after you’ve played it?
There are several times when I’ve watched a PG-13 movie and thought, “This would have been way better as an R-rated movie.” Have you ever felt that way about a game? Are there any games you played where you wished the publisher and/or developer pushed the envelope more? Are there any T-rated games that you wish were M-rated? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter!
I’ve been using Google+ for about two weeks and I’m totally enamored with the service. I love that it combines facets of Facebook, Twitter, and BlackBerry Messenger. I love the control offered by its…
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, Spotify’s American launch, waiting for HSPA+ 42 phones, or naughty dreams about Ann Coulter, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
I’ve been using Google+ for about two weeks and I’m totally enamored with the service. I love that it combines facets of Facebook, Twitter, and BlackBerry Messenger. I love the control offered by its Circles feature. I love the excellent Android app for Google+. Certainly there’s a whole “shiny and new” aspect to my fascination with Google+, but there’s no denying that Google launched a strong product and has several excellent features in the works.
The reason I’m most excited about Google+ is that it allows me to easily write personal blog posts again. After seven years of consistent blogging, I haven’t really touched my personal blog in three years. I love that I can easily share some intimate thoughts through Google+ Circles, whether it’s with five super-close friends or 50 people I really like. I’m definitely going to start using Circles for personal writing. Of course the big fear is a security issue exposing all my thoughts to the world…and also writing drunk blog posts.
I know that several of you are using Google+ too. Please let me know what you like and don’t like about the service. If you’re not using the service yet and would like to, just leave a comment here. Several RPadholics and I can send you an invite.
Hey you guys! I’ve missed you a bunch while I was in Hawaii. It was a fantastic vacation — one of the best and most relaxing that I’ve had in years. I just had an incredible time attending…
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, Derek Jeter’s incredible day, CM Punk’s awesomeness, or KiMO Bean extra fancy Kona, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Hey you guys! I’ve missed you a bunch while I was in Hawaii. It was a fantastic vacation — one of the best and most relaxing that I’ve had in years. I just had an incredible time attending my brother’s wedding, catching up with family, and seeing all sorts of stuff on Oahu.
Obviously seeing my brother get married and spending time with my parents were the best parts of my trip, but my favorite “quiet” moment was hanging out at Lanikai Beach in Kailua. It was amazing — clear water, less than 20 people at the beach, smooth sand, and a brilliant view.
Before I get to today’s question, I wanted to give major thanks to RPadholic smartguy for sending me Twitter messages when the site was down and when it went back up. It was annoying to deal with during my vacation, but I super appreciated the heads up. I was able to clear things up relatively quickly thanks to smartguy’s alerts (though I still want to punch my web host in the face).
As I settle back into mainland USA, I want to hear about some of your favorite vacations. My head is going to be floating to Lanikai several times today, but perhaps hearing about some of your awesome vacations will bring me back to Los Angeles.
I recently downloaded every polka by “Weird” Al Yankovic to serve as my soundtrack for my trip to Hawaii. And really, nothing says tropical island fun or celebrating your brother’s wedding like…
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, Novak Djokovic’s Wimbledon victory, your favorite BBQ food, or looking forward to airplane movies, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
I recently downloaded every polka medley by “Weird” Al Yankovic to serve as my soundtrack for my trip to Hawaii. And really, nothing says tropical island fun or celebrating your brother’s wedding like a “Weird” Al polka. I’ve always loved “Weird” Al. When I was a kid, I thought he was hilarious. As I grew older, I learned to appreciate his witty parodies and his clever polka arrangements. He’s just awesome.
“Weird” Al is so awesome that he inspired me to learn how to play the accordion in grade school. I defy you to think of three instruments lamer than the accordion. (You can’t.) That didn’t matter to me. The accordion was one of Al’s most potent weapons and I wanted to be more like him. Who doesn’t?!?
Today I have two questions for you. 1) Have you ever been inspired to do something silly or lame because of music, movies, or games? 2) Which “Weird” Al polka medley is best? Click on the links below for samples!
These polkas are fantastic. The arrangements are funny and expertly done. The song choices do a great job of reminding you of popular songs of a certain era. “Weird” Al 4 life!!!
After more than a decade of releasing excellent products that were almost always on the ugly side, Google is on a mission to improve its design and UI. The tenets of Google’s design philosophy are focus, elasticity…
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, Canada Day, RIM’s employees writing letters to rise above, or whether Roger Federer will win another grand slam tournament, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
After more than a decade of releasing excellent products that were almost always on the ugly side, Google is on a mission to improve its design and UI. The tenets of Google’s design philosophy are focus, elasticity, and effortlessness. You can see the new design elements in Google.com, Google+, and Google Calendar. The new design is coming to Gmail in the near future. What do you ladies and gents think of Google’s new design philosophy?
As for me, I absolutely love it. Using Google+ is almost shocking. I don’t think a Google product has ever been more elegant and intuitive. I was 50/50 on Google Calendar at first, but after changing the background image I was able to appreciate its leaner design. The new Gmail design looks fantastic and I can’t wait to use it. Overall I’m super impressed with Google’s new design efforts and totally not surprised that one of the original Apple Macintosh designers (Andy Hertzfeld) is behind it.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on Google’s new design. Love it? Hate it? Gotta have it (think Aziz Ansari)?!?
What’s the oldest game you still play? I’m not talking about remakes or downloads of old games. I’m talking about a game that you still have the original cartridge or disc for. Do you even play old games like that?
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, Scarlett Johansson breaking up with Sean Penn, fights with CSS stylesheets, or hoping the Google Nexus Prime will be endorsed by Optimus Prime, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
What’s the oldest game you still play? I’m not talking about remakes or downloads of old games. I’m talking about a game that you still have the original cartridge or disc for. Do you even play old games like that? Or are you all current gen?
As for me, I still play Final Fantasy: Tactics Advance (2003) every few weeks or so. As many of you know, I love the FFT series and portable gaming. FFTA was pretty much made for me and I’ll be keeping my DS Lite around for years so that I can keep playing it (…or until a downloadable version is released for the 3DS).
So how about you? What’s the oldest game you still play?
One of my reviewer friends believes that Apple selling unlocked iPhones in America spells doom for the iPod. He’s certain that the iPod will be discontinued and that Apple will position last year’s iPhone as the…
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 Sumatra Aceh Gold, Joe Torre wearing Yankee pinstripes again, or the surprising success of Cameron Diaz’s Hot Teacher, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Remember my reviewer friends that were arguing with me about viewing angles on mobile phones? One of them had an interesting theory that extended our brunch meeting for an hour (at least). He’s sure that Apple selling unlocked iPhones in America spells doom for the iPod. His argument is that the iPod is becoming less and less important to Apple as sales of the iPhone and iPad flourish. He’s certain that the iPod Classic and Touch will be discontinued this year and Apple will instead sell the previous year’s iPhone to snag budget sales.
Although his theory is intriguing, the rest of us doubt it will pan out that way…at least in the near future. It’s true that the iPod is no longer as important to Apple as it once was, but the company still sells million of them. Perhaps the iPod Classic will go away, but it seems too soon to kill off the iPod Touch. Furthermore, slashing the price of an unlocked iPhone 4 will surely piss off carriers. Apple has a lot of stroke, but it’s probably not a good idea for the company to alienate its carrier partners.
Still, I can see it happening eventually. Just not this year or next. What do you think? Will Apple kill off the iPod and just sell old iPhones for cheap? How do you think carriers would react to such a play? Do people still buy iPod Classics?
