Category: PC Gaming

Coffee Talk #566: What Will Make You Go Digital?

While digital downloads are definitely the future for the majority of videogames, it looks like the upcoming generation will start off with physical media dominating while publishers try to push gamers towards downloads. I know that many of you still prefer physical discs for various reasons, but I wondering — specifically in the context of the upcoming consoles — what would get you to switch to digital…more

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 possibility of LeBron James losing the NBA MVP to Kevin Durant due to voter fatigue, your favorite 2013 Grammy performance, or getting excited about a visit from your baby girl, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

While digital downloads are definitely the future for the majority of videogames, it looks like the upcoming generation will start off with physical media dominating while publishers try to push gamers towards downloads. I know that many of you still prefer physical discs for various reasons, but I was wondering — specifically in the context of the upcoming consoles — what would get you to switch to digital? My friend Paul and I were chatting about this during our weekly high-fat lunch and thought of a few things, some less likely than others.

Cheaper Prices: This probably won’t happen for years (though probably should happen sooner), but what if new digital releases were $10 cheaper than discs? I don’t expect this to happen straight away, but perhaps at the midpoint or tail end of the next console generation. Retailer relationships are still too important.

Earlier Release Date: What if you could play a digital copy of a game a few days before its physical counterpart? Is that enough incentive? Again, I don’t think this is likely initially, but could happen later. Retailer power is still too strong, for now.

Bonus Content: Would extra costumes, exclusive weapons, or free map packs be enough? Even though I’ve made fun of costume downloads a bit, I totally admit to buying them. I consider my bonus Street Fighter costumes and bikini Serah to be among my finest digital purchases. Getting these things as a digital bonus would totally work for me.

Would any of the above get you to go digital? Perhaps a different kind of incentive? Or are you sticking with physical discs until publishers stop making them? Please share your thoughts on the matter in the comments section!

Journey Wins DICE 2013 Game of the Year

I’m mildly annoyed at The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, but that won’t stop me from writing about the 2013 DICE awards! The big winners this year were Journey and The Walking Dead. I was thrilled that both of those games did well, though it wasn’t surprising considering that these awards are peer based and both of these games are popular within the business. I was also happy to see XCOM: Enemy Unknown snag an award. Naturally, I’d love to hear your take on this year’s winners. Here’s the full list:

Action Game of the Year
Borderlands 2
Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: Gearbox Software

Mobile Game of the Year
Hero Academy
Publisher: Robot Entertainment
Developer: Robot Entertainment

Handheld Game of the Year
Paper Mario Sticker Star
Publisher: Nintendo of America, Inc.
Developer: Intelligent Systems

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
Journey
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: thatgamecompany

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design
Journey
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: thatgamecompany

Outstanding Achievement in Story
The Walking Dead
Publisher: Telltale Games
Developer: Telltale Games

Outstanding Character Performance
The Walking Dead: Lee Everett
Publisher: Telltale Games
Developer: Telltale Games

Downloadable Game of the Year
The Walking Dead
Publisher: Telltale Games
Developer: Telltale Games

Casual Game of the Year
Journey
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: thatgamecompany

Web Based Game of the Year
SimCity Social
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Maxis, Playfish

Family Game of the Year
Skylanders Giants
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Toys for Bob

Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year
Mass Effect 3
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Bioware

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: Firaxis Games

Outstanding Innovation in Gaming
Journey
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: thatgamecompany

Sports Game of the Year
FIFA Soccer 13
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: EA Canada

Racing Game of the Year
Need for Speed Most Wanted
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Criterion Games

Fighting Game of the Year
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: SuperBot Entertainment, Inc.

Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay
Journey
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: thatgamecompany

Outstanding Achievement in Connectivity
Halo 4
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Developer: 343 Industries

Outstanding Achievement in Animation
Assassin’s Creed III
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
Journey
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: thatgamecompany

Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering
Halo 4
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Developer: 343 Industries

Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay Engineering
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: Firaxis Games

Adventure Game of the Year
The Walking Dead
Publisher: Telltale Games
Developer: Telltale Games

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
Journey
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: thatgamecompany

Game of the Year
Journey
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: thatgamecompany

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

After a fun week at NAMM 2013, it’s good to be home and settled. Unfortunately, I’m way behind on my vaping e-liquid reviews. The juices have been vaped, but I need to film and edit a bunch of reviews. More hardware and juices are on the way, so I need clear out my backlog. So I’ll be spending a large chunk of the weekend doing that. Of course I’ll be gaming, but it’ll mostly be tablet stuff like Civilization Revolution on my iPad and Tai Pan on my Nexus 7.

How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?

Red Riding Hood Fights Japanese Demons in Akaneiro

From American McGee’s Spicy Horse Studios comes Akaneiro: Demon Hunters, an action-RPG that pits a dark version of Little Red Riding Hood against demons in a Japanese-inspired setting. While the game is free-to-play, the developers are looking for funding through Kickstarter. The target platforms for the game are Windows, Mac OS X, Android/iOS Tablet, and Linux. Check out the pitch video below for more information on the game and its campaign.

Akaneiro looks like it’s totally in my wheelhouse. I love action-RPGs like this and have a special place in my heart reserved for ones made by indie developers (the outstanding Bastion currently occupies that particular space). The art style is slick and the tone is typical American McGee — a twisted version of a popular fairytale. Hopefully the “freemium” features won’t be obnoxious; there are several free-to-play games that are great on paper, but are absolutely killed by money-grab content.

Any of you interested in playing or backing Akaneiro?

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What Are You Playing This Weekend?

I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to play this weekend. I’ve been caught up in oldies like Taipan and The Bard’s Tale, but I was itching for something newer. Then I watched The Dark Knight Returns Part 2. Inspired by the animated adaptation of Frank Miller’s outstanding graphic novel, I’ve decided to look for a copy of LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes. I’m sure I’m going to play some of the game straight up, but I’m also sure that I’m going to play as Batman and have a dummy second player as Superman. Then I’ll reenact the climactic battle betweens Bats and Supes from TDKR. Then I’ll add my own dialogue. After that, I’ll have Batman making lewd jokes about Superman’s mothers — both Mrs. Kent and Mrs. El — in the vein of Celebrity Jeopardy Sean Connery. This is going to be fun.

How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?

Path of Exile Preview and Video Interview

Yesterday, I caught a demo of Path of Exile by Grinding Gear Games. The game is a free-to-play action-RPG that reminded me of an ultra-hardcore version of Diablo. The game also has features the reminded me of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy X. The developer cites Magic: The Gathering and Call of Cthulhu as influences. Check out the video interview by Paul Semel above, as well as the screenshot gallery below.

One of the most striking things about the game is how customizable everything is. As you’d expect, armor and weapons can be upgraded. What’s really unique is that items like potion bottles and maps can be upgraded as well. In the case of potion bottles, the effectiveness and potency can be manipulated. As for maps, they lead to portals to secret areas; they can be upgraded to increase monster level and difficulty, as well as to give your character a gameplay advantage.

Armor, accessories, and weapons can be adorned with different gems that grant various spells and boosts. The developer noted that the materia system in Final Fantasy VII was an influence. Gems can be stacked for more powerful attacks at the expense of more mana (generally speaking). For example, a fireball gem can be armed for a basic projectile attack. It can be accompanied with a “fork” gem, which causes the fireball to split in two after it hits an enemy, allowing a single fireball to potentially hit three foes. The spell can be further enhanced by a “multishot” gem, resulting in three forking fireballs (say that five times fast).

The skill tree is a massive map of powers, passive abilities, and boosts, with each section of the tree specializing in certain types of powers. It reminded me of a much more flexible and diverse version of the sphere grid used in Final Fantasy X. While I wasn’t able to explore the intricacies of the skill tree during my short demo, I was impressed by its size and the amount of choices it gives players.

Another curious facet of the game is that there’s no gold. The developers eschewed currency in favor of a barter system. As armor, accessories, items, and weapons are modified, they become more valuable. Players can choose to stash items for future use, trade them to a generic in-game trader, or trade them with other players. I was told that in the closed beta, some players got so into the crafting and trading elements of the game that they spent more hours on selling goods than slaying monsters.

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Path of Exile hits open beta on January 23, 2013. The full release should be some time in Summer 2013. Be sure to watch the video interview for more details, including the Kickstarter-like system the developers used to fund the game. Find out why 176 gamers spent $1,000 to get cool and unique in-game items. Lastly, let me know what you think of the game. Do you think the hardcore gamers that were disappointed in Diablo III will find what they’re looking for in Path of Exile? Are you interested in trying the game?

Wildman By Gas Powered Games on Kickstarter

The excellent people at Gas Powered Games are looking for $1.1-million in funding on Kickstarter for the upcoming game Wildman. Set in prehistoric times, Wildman blends action-RPG and real-time strategy, a combination that Gas Powered Games has shown a penchant for time and time again. Here’s some of what you can expect from the game:

Going to War: Build your army and fight against opposing champions armies for great rewards in hand-crafted War Zones.

Exploring the World: Go on RPG Adventures in amazing and epic environments; discover secret dungeons; fight battles against rampaging hordes of monsters; find and equip new weapons and armor.

Evolving or Dying: Steal technology from your defeated opponents and use it against them in future battles.

Smashing and Destroying: Advanced physics and destructible environments deliver highly visceral (and bloody) combat.

Soule Music: Wildman will feature a score from the legendary Jeremy Soule, composer for Total Annihilation, Dungeon Siege, Supreme Commander, Skyrim, Morrowind, Oblivion, Icewind Dale, Neverwinter Nights, Dawn of War, and pretty much every other game with an epic score.

I’m super-psyched for this game. The setting is unique and I dig Gas Powered’s gameplay style. I’m especially interested to see more wild women in Wildman. There’s just something sexy about women covered with small strips of exotic animal skin (see Shanna the She Devil and Jungle Girl).

Gas Powered Games is a fantastic studio and its founder, Chris Taylor, is one of the coolest (in that nerd-chic way) people I’ve met in gaming. Dude once gave me a present that came from the future (I’ll make a video about it. Promise.)! I’m rooting for the company to obliterate its Kickstarter goal and hope that some of you will consider backing this project. For more information on the game, head on over to the official Wildman site.

Naturally, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the game and Gas Powered’s Kickstarter gambit. Does this look something you’d enjoy playing? Any of you considering backing the game? Do you think the company will be able to reach its goal?

Today’s Poll: Project Shield vs. Razer Edge vs. Steam Box

Although CES 2013 lacked many of technology’s heavy hitters (Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, etc.), the show’s gaming content was getting lots of buzz. Nvidia’s Project Shield took many gadget geeks by surprise. More details were revealed about Valve’s Steam Box, which many pundits feel has the potential to radically change the gaming landscape. Lastly, Razer’s Edge tablet (which started out as Project Fiona) got a lot of attention from gamers looking for a powerful and versatile Windows 8 solution. (Personally, I can’t think of the product without thinking of Scott Hall’s finishing maneuver.)

Now that you’ve had a week to think about it, which CES 2013 gaming device impressed you the most? Which one has rocketed to the top of your wish list? Kindly vote in today’s poll and discuss in the comments section.

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What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Following last weekend’s retro jaunt with Taipan, I’ve decided to continue revisiting my early PC gaming days with Tales of the Unknown Volume 1: The Bard’s Tale. While I don’t remember the friend that gave me the game, I do remember playing it for dozens of hours on my Commodore 64. One of the most unique features of The Bard’s Tale was that it allowed you to import characters from Ultima and Wizardry. That was a huge deal at the time. It’s a common feature in 2013, but being able to import characters you’ve already built up felt groundbreaking back then.

The three original Bard’s Tale games were added as a bonus to the digital version of the console port. If you happen to have a copy for Android, iOS, OS X, etc. then you’ll be able to play the three classic games. While several aspects of the game feel rough, there’s lots of monster fighting, treasure hoarding, dungeon crawling, and leveling up to enjoy. If you’ve never played the originals, I recommend giving them a whirl. These games are a nice history lesson in the roots of RPGs.

Now it’s your turn. What’s on your weekend playlist?

Valve Confirms Steam Box: Linux-Based, Biometric

At CES 2013, Valve CEO Gabe Newell unveiled details on the company’s “Steam Box” console. In an exclusive interview with The Verge (great read), Newell said that the Steam Box will run a Linux-based OS, come in various configurations (good, better, best), and have biometric features. Unlike traditional gaming consoles, the Steam Box will act as a server that allows a household to play games on a number of screens. Steam Box owners will be able to play games on whatever television screens and PC monitors are in wireless range.

The Linux rumors have been circulating since last year, so that wasn’t a surprise. The server-based gaming is potentially cool, especially for households with multiple gamers or settings like a dorm room. The configuration options are interesting and could help the company reach a wide variety of gamers. Here’s a clip from the interview that expands on the topic:

Good are like these very low-cost streaming solutions that you’re going to see that are using Miracast or Grid. I think we’re talking about in-home solutions where you’ve got low latency. “Better” is to have a dedicated CPU and GPU and that’s the one that’s going to be controlled. Not because our goal is to control it; it’s been surprisingly difficult when we say to people “don’t put an optical media drive in there” and they put an optical media drive in there and you’re like “that makes it hotter, that makes it more expensive, and it makes the box bigger.” Go ahead. You can always sell the Best box, and those are just whatever those guys want to manufacture. [Valve’s position is]: let’s build a thing that’s quiet and focuses on high performance and quiet and appropriate form factors.

The biometric functionality comes from a result of Valve not seeing a way to expand on motion-based gaming. Instead of trying to one-up the Wii, PlayStation Move, and Xbox Kinect, the company will go with biometrics. While I have no idea if gamers will be interested in these features, it’s nice to see a company taking an original approach instead of using a “me too” tactic.

Biometrics on the other hand is essentially adding more communication bandwidth between the game and the person playing it, especially in ways the player isn’t necessarily conscious of. Biometrics gives us more visibility. Also, gaze tracking. we think gaze tracking is gonna turn out to be super important.

While new gaming initiatives like Nvidia’s Project Shield and Valve’s Steam Box are fun topics for me to play with as a verbal entertainer, I’m exponentially more interested in the latter as a consumer. Part of it is that a large part of what gaming — and all of consumer electronics, for that matter — has become boils down to software and services. While Nvidia’s hardware prowess is undeniable, I have more faith in Valve to deliver software and services. While there’s so much that will change before these products are released (and some are questioning if they’ll even be released), as of this writing I’m far more interested in a Steam Box than Project Shield.

How about you? Do you see a Steam Box in your household in the future? What do you think of Valve’s interest in biometrics? Are you more interest in this or Project Shield? Leave a comment and let me know (please!).

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