Category: Coffee Talk

Coffee Talk #278: What Do You Look For in a Gaming HDTV?

With CES 2011 kicking off, I’m psyched to learn about all the new HDTVs from Samsung, Sony, Sharp, Toshiba, Vizio, etc. The show also has me thinking about your gaming HDTVs.

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, Montel Williams being busted for drug paraphernalia, the latest MLB hall of fame inductees, or America’s 4G wars, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

With CES 2011 kicking off, I’m psyched to learn about all the new HDTVs from Samsung, Sony, Sharp, Toshiba, Vizio, etc. The show also has me thinking about your gaming HDTVs. Don’t worry, I’m not planning to rob you or anything. I was just wondering what factors go into your HDTV purchasing decisions. After all, powerful consoles like the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 can’t be fully exploited without great televisions to play them on, right?

Is price or picture quality more important to you? Do you prefer LCD with LED backlighting, plasma, or DLP? Do you care about integrated Internet features? Do you rely on a separate sound setup or do you need a television with good speakers? What about refresh rate? Do you care if your TV is capable of 120Hz, 240Hz, or 600Hz?

Let me know what you look for in a gaming HDTV and what model you currently have. If you have a rich uncle, I could use a Samsung PN58C8000. Ha!

Coffee Talk #277: Understanding Japan’s Monster Hunter Craze

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, David Arquette entering rehab because he’s sad (and rich), Windows Phone 7’s marketplace being hacked, or Reona Rewis vs. Christina Aguilera vs. Scarlett Johansson, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

For years I’ve struggled to understand Japan’s Monster Hunter craze. The series’ popularity and sales are one thing, but it always mystified me that dozens — even hundreds! — of Japanese gamers would get together in large rooms to play Monster Hunter together. It’s more than just the Japanese preference of seeing other gamers during multiplayer sessions. It’s a phenomenon. Thankfully, my friend Shane explained it to me last week.

The topic randomly came up over lunch and Shane told me that it has to do with Japan’s cultural concept of senpai and kohai. After a quick search on my T-Mobile G2, I confirmed that they weren’t Dragon Ball Z characters that I forgot about. In round-eye terms, the relationship between senpai and kohai is akin to the relationship between mentor and protege, older student and younger student, veteran athlete and rookie athlete, Bill Clinton and Tony Blair, or Nightwing and Red Robin. Here’s a quote from the WikiPedia:

More than simple seniority, senpai implies a relationship with reciprocal obligations, somewhat similar to a mentoring relationship. A kohai is expected to respect and obey their senpai, and the senpai in turn must guide, protect, and teach their kohai as best they can.

In Monster Hunter terms, the senpai guides the kohai around and helps them level up. Experienced players are expected to guide and protect. Newcomers have to do some menial grunt work. Both find their roles satisfying. The novices are also expected to field strip their mentor’s PSPs, restoring them to factory condition (okay, I made this part up). It’s similar to the closeness of guilds in World of Warcraft, but it goes beyond social enjoyment. From what I gathered from Shane, there’s a distinct cultural satisfaction in the senpai/kohai relationship.

In the (sometimes wonderfully) self-absorbed West, most players like to go at it alone or conquer all others. Individual accomplishments in games are more gratifying than shared accomplishments. American gamers love going for glory on their own, saving the day by themselves, or beating all of their friends online. (I blame the Rambo movies.) The complex subtleties of the senpai/kohai relationship aren’t as common. Instead it’s more like master and servant, boss and employee, or Kobe Bryant and Luke Walton.

So yeah! I’m jazzed that Shane dropped some knowledge on me and explained one of the most puzzling videogame phenomenons I’ve ever encountered. It makes much more sense to me now. How about you? Do you “get” Monster Hunter in Japan? Or is it still a mystery to you?

Coffee Talk #276: Your 2011 Gaming Resolutions

Earlier in the year a bunch of you made 2010 gaming resolutions. Did you follow through? How about for 2011? Will you join me in making a gaming resolution?

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 holiday travel nightmares, why 49F feels like a sub-zero temperature in Los Angeles, or your new year’s eve party plans, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Earlier in the year a bunch of you made 2010 gaming resolutions. Did you follow through? How about for 2011? Will you join me in making a gaming resolution? I plan on giving casual games more time in 2011. It’ll be tough because I love traditional console games, but mobile and social gaming are becoming huge parts of the gaming market. It’s an important space to follow and with any luck playing more mobile/social games will help me make actually money in 2011 (a novel idea).

Heck, I’m going to get started now! I’ve just installed Lord of Ultima for Chrome OS. I’ll play some in my Chrome browser and my Google Chrome Cr-48.

How about you? Any 2011 gaming resolutions you’d like to share?

Coffee Talk #275: CES Developments and You

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is right around the corner and all sorts of exciting (tech nerd) developments are about to be unveiled. What are you looking forward to at CES 2011?

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, Brett Favre’s slap on the wrist, the best cut of steak (it’s rib eye), or random closing thoughts on 2010, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is right around the corner and all sorts of exciting (tech nerd) developments are about to be unveiled. What are you looking forward to at CES 2011? Televisions are a huge part of the show, with 3DTV and advanced LED implementation leading the way. Android phones should be a major slice of the CES pie, with Verizon set to announce an LTE Android phone from HTC. Video chat through phones and televisions should cause a stir. There will be several Windows ultra-portable laptops on display from numerous manufacturers looking to duplicate the success of the MacBook Air. Tablet computers will be tremendous too, with several vendors serving up Apple iPad alternatives.

What are you looking forward to the most? Kindly take today’s poll and discuss in the comments section (please!).

[poll id=”92″]

Coffee Talk #274: Your 2010 Gaming Backlog

2010 was a great year for gaming, so I’m sure that most of you have 2010 games that you haven’t gotten around to playing. What’s in your 2010 backlog? As for me…

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, Rupert Everett vs. Jennifer Aniston, the impact on Andy Pettitte’s probably retirement, or your favorite jelly/jam (the right answer is peach), Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

2010 was a great year for gaming, so I’m sure that most of you have 2010 games that you haven’t gotten around to playing. What’s in your 2010 backlog? As for me, they’re mostly Wii games. I need to play more Kirby’s Epic Yarn and Epic Mickey. These games dazzled me at E3 2010, but I’ve been so busy with other things that they haven’t gottent the attention that they deserve.

How about you? What 2010 games are in your backlog?

Coffee Talk #273: Your Favorite Holiday Gifts

I hope everyone had an excellent holiday. I’m still fighting off a Christmas cold, but I was thrilled to spend time with my family. Now let’s share stories of our holiday loot!

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 pain of returning gifts, Kelly Osbourne fighting with her ex on Twitter, or airport delays, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I hope everyone had an excellent holiday. I’m still fighting off a Christmas cold, but I was thrilled to spend time with my family. Now let’s share stories of our holiday loot! What was the best gaming gift you received this year? How about non-gaming?

As for me, I didn’t get any gaming gifts. My brother picked me up some Rusty’s coffee (he lives in Hawaii), which is something I’ve wanted to try for years. It has been excellent so far, but it’s a darker roast than I’m used to. You know I geek out with my coffee, so you can imagine my excitement over brewing coffee from a fine Hawaiian roaster.

Now it’s your turn! I’m psyched to see what Santa and/or Hanukkah Harry got you this year!!!

Coffee Talk #272: Your Favorite Movies of 2010

2010 was full of fantastic movies. Let’s talk about our personal favorites! I’ll kick it off by giving you my top three movies of 2010. None of them should surprise you…though the order might.

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, some republicans accusing the NBA of being anti-Christmas, Scarlett Johansson getting divorce papers for Christmas, or your holiday shopping nightmares, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

2010 was full of fantastic movies. Let’s talk about our personal favorites! I’ll kick it off by giving you my top three movies of 2010. None of them should surprise you…though the order might.

3) Iron Man 2 — My future wife, Scarlett Johansson, was so hot in this movie, but I enjoyed IM2 for way more than her. The action was fantastic, it was great that Iron Man and Tony Stark had separate villains, and I really enjoyed the setup for future Marvel movies (Captain America, Thor, The Avengers). I had some problems with movie, as seen in my lengthy not-a-review here, but I mostly loved it — especially Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark. That’s just perfect casting.

2) The Social Network — On paper, this movie had to be awesome; it’s hard to argue with the team-up of David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin. That said, I had a hard time envisioning how a Facebook movie could be entertaining and intriguing. The Social Network was all that and more. The movie absolutely obliterated my expectations. The snappy writing, deft delivery, and wonderful score added up to one of my favorite dramas ever. Sure, it doesn’t convey the sheer amount of work hours that went into making Facebook and a great deal of it was Sorkin fiction, but the creative liberties are a huge reason why The Social Network succeeds as a film.

1) Get Him to the Greek — Most of you know about my man-crush on Russell Brand. I’m convinced that he’s on the verge of immortal greatness. Get Him to the Greek wasn’t it, but it shows glimpses of why he might get there. The movie is a well-paced romp with some hilarious moments courtesy of Jonah Hill, Sean “P.Diddy” Combs, and Colm Meaney. The “Furry Walls” scene is one of the most hilariously ridiculous things I’ve ever seen in my life. All that aside, the way Brand delivered some of his lines totally killed me. He’ll take something that’s mildly amusing on paper and turn it into a laugh-out-loud moment in real life (LOL IRL?). I’ve watched this movie a ton and subjected several friends to viewings. All of them loved it. If you haven’t seen it, I truly hope you give it a chance.

Honorable Mentions — There were a bunch of comic-book movies I loved in 2010 too. Batman: Under the Red Hood impressed me so much that I wrote a Coffee Talk about it. While some of changes and omissions made it way different from the comic book, I enjoyed Scott Pilgrim vs. the World on its own. Kick-Ass was a more faithful adaptation, though Hit Girl was the real star of the movie. There was something sickly entertaining about watching a 10-year old girl viciously slaughter dozens of people.

Now it’s your turn! What were some of your favorite movies of 2010? Make a list, check it twice, and explain your choices (please)!

Coffee Talk #271: Sleeper Hits of 2010

There were so many fantastic games in 2010 that some of them were bound to get less attention than they deserved. Are there any games that you loved this year that fit that description?

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, whether you got powers from the recent lunar eclipse, why the hell Manny Pacquiao is fighting Shane Mosley, or Cafecito Organico’s Guatemala El Carmen Estate, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

There were so many fantastic games in 2010 that some of them were bound to get less attention than they deserved. Are there any games that you loved this year that fit that description? 1Up.com’s Sam Kennedy, Gamasutra’s Christian Nutt, and GameFly Media’s (Shacknews) Garnett Lee share their sleeper hits of 2010. Watch the video above to see if any of your favorites made the list.

Naturally, I want your picks for 2010’s sleeper hits. Let me know what games you think should have gotten more love.

Coffee Talk #270: The Biggest Gaming News of 2010

What was the biggest gaming news of the year? Find out what 1Up.com’s Sam Kennedy, Gamasutra’s Christian Nutt, and GameFly Media’s (Shacknews) Garnett Lee had to say on the matter.

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, CAA’s involvement with the formation of Respawn, Harmonix suing Viacom, or Larry Brown’s next coaching job, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

2010 was a truly fascinating year for the gaming world. There’s so much change in the air! 3D gaming, social gaming, motion controls, mobile gaming, developer consolidation, publisher power shifts, and more have changed and will continue to change the gaming landscape. What was the biggest gaming news of the year? Find out what 1Up.com’s Sam Kennedy, Gamasutra’s Christian Nutt, and GameFly Media’s (Shacknews) Garnett Lee had to say on the matter by watching the video above.

Naturally, I want to know what you thought was the biggest gaming news of 2010. Shout it out in the comments section (please)!

Coffee Talk #269: Your 2010 Videogame Disappointments

My excellent friends GameFly Garnett Lee, Gamasutra Christian Nutt, and 1Up.com Sam Kennedy are back! This time around they talk about the games that disappointment them the most in 2010. What games let you down in 2010?

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 dangers of acting in the Spider-Man musical, Bryan Danielson wrestling his real-life trainer last night, or Yao Ming out for the season (again), Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

My excellent friends GameFly Garnett Lee, Gamasutra Christian Nutt, and 1Up.com Sam Kennedy are back! This time around they talk about the games that disappointment them the most in 2010. Naturally, I want to know about your videogame disappointments (But only after you’ve watched the video. Ha!). What games let you down in 2010?