Category: PC Gaming

Coffee Talk #527: Your Various Internet Communities

As I mentioned to RPadholic smartguy the other day, I’ve been thinking a lot about the various Internet communities I belong to and how they compare to Internet videogame communities. Obviously I can’t be objective about videogame communities, but for the most part I find them pretty excellent. There are a lot of nice people that love talking about games and I’ve read loads of informative posts by them (you guys and gals are the best of the bunch!). Of course there are trolls and nuisances and racial slurs thrown about, but in my experience that’s mostly the work of young and stupid gamers. I’m not excusing it, but I understand and will naively assume that they’ll grow out of it.

Using videogame communities as a measuring stick, here’s how the other communities I play in compare…

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, getting hyped for the start of the NBA season, Lance Armstrong getting stripped of his Tour de France titles, or Apple continuing to cut off Samsung as a parts supplier, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

As I mentioned to RPadholic smartguy the other day, I’ve been thinking a lot about the various Internet communities I belong to and how they compare to Internet videogame communities. Obviously I can’t be objective about videogame communities, but for the most part I find them pretty excellent. There are a lot of nice people that love talking about games and I’ve read loads of informative posts by them (you guys and gals are the best of the bunch!). Of course there are trolls and nuisances and racial slurs thrown about, but in my experience that’s mostly the work of young and stupid gamers. I’m not excusing it, but I understand and will naively assume that they’ll grow out of it.

Using videogame communities as a measuring stick, here’s how the other communities I play in compare. Naturally, I’d love to hear about the different communities you participate in and how they’re different from gaming nerds.

Tech: In general, the tech communities I play in are civil and informative. Commenters are mostly mature and I’ve learned a lot from them. AVS Forums is a particularly wonderful place that’s mostly free of stupidity. Tech conversations get exasperating when it comes to mobile phones. The Android vs. iOS discussions often devolve into Fandroids vs. iSheep arguments. It’s almost as bad as PS3 vs. Xbox 360 flame wars. Aside from that, the blogs and forums I read are mostly fun, interesting, and civil places.

Boxing: As much as I love boxing, I’ve come to the conclusion that many boxing fans are morons. Promoters, sanctioning bodies, and cable networks make it difficult to be a boxing fan. People that post in boxing forums, like Doghouse Boxing, almost make me want to stop watching the sport. The thing is, boxing isn’t that popular and there aren’t many places to discuss the sport in detail. Doghouse Boxing has some great posters, but it also has an alarming number of idiots that spout all kinds of slurs, can’t string together intelligent sentences, and don’t know how to carry a civil conversation. Too many of the threads there devolve into flame wars between Floyd Mayweather, Jr. fans (FloMos) and Manny Pacquiao supporters (Pactards). These discussions are worse than any PS3 vs. Xbox 360 flame war I’ve seen.

Vaping: I’m really enamored with the vaping community at the moment. The crowd at E-Cigaratte Forum is really knowledgeable and supportive. With vaping tech moving at a rapid pace, it’s great to have lots of people that are familiar the various parts and mods. Since everyone that posts is a former cigarette addict, the environment is really encouraging, especially to newcomers. It’s all about helping people find the right gear and juices that will help them quit tobacco smoking forever. I’m going to write more about this in a future Vaping Diary.

Now it’s your turn! When you have a chance, please tell me about the different Internet communities you participate in and how they compare to videogame communities.

Game of Thrones Ascent For Facebook Anyone?

The social manipulation and political intrigue of HBO’s outstanding Game of Thrones meets the social manipulation and political intrigue of Facebook in Game of Thrones Ascent by Disruptor Beam. The developers are aiming to bring the rich world of George RR Martin’s books and HBO’s television shows to a social-game environment. Gamasutra has loads of details on the game and quotes from the team. Here’s one of my favorite clips:

In our game, we’re offering a chance to step into a role and play out those alliances and social conflicts in a story and character-driven environment that is ready-made for it.

We’ve claimed that we’re actually an ‘anti-social game’, and players will be able to backstab each other to their heart’s content. A goal for his team is to deliver on letting audiences experience the primary themes of power and obligation.

As a huge fan of the books and show, I’m way psyched for this one. Insomniac Games has shown me that I can love a Facebook game every bit as much as a traditional console game. I’m hoping Disruptor Beam will captivate me in a similar way…but with dragons and wicked machinations.

Any of you interested in Game of Thrones Ascent for Facebook?

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What Are You Playing This Weekend?

It’s all about The Unfinished Swan for PlayStation 3 for me. The game launched for PlayStation Plus members earlier this week and is available for everyone next week. I’m thrilled that critics and fans alike are digging this one so far. Right now I’d say it’s my second-favorite game of the year next to Final Fantasy: Dimensions. The good/bad news is that I started the game on an old work account without realizing it. Starting over again on my personal account is like getting the gift of The Unfinished Swan all over again. Ha!

Aside from that, I’m working on a few personal vaporizer reviews. Since I was never a fan of smoking inside my apartment, PVs allow me to game and vape all I want. Bonus! On a side note, there’s a vendor that crafts a hand-made e-juice called Hadouken. I’m going to have to buy some on principle.

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

This weekend I’ll be focusing on The Unfinished Swan for PlayStation 3. I’ve been super-high on this game since E3 2012. It’s so wonderfully creative and different…at least in the brief portions I’ve played. Hopefully the game is everything I imagine it to be. I can’t wait to find out! Aside from that, I’ll be playing more Outernauts. I’m done with all the available missions, so it’s all about finding rare monsters, training my new critters, and questing for special armor. There’s this set of pirate armor that I’m hoping to complete this weekend. Yargh.

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

Coffee Talk #524: Old School Cool vs. Outdated

I’ve been anxious to see how XCOM: Enemy Unkown would be received. Although it features modern graphics and sound, it very much plays like an old-school PC game. I fell for the game earlier in the year and was sure that it would score high with critics (it did), but I wasn’t and am still not sure if “real” people would dig it. Would the old-school gameplay feel refreshing in 2012? Or will gamers think that it’s outdated?

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 joys of benching A-Rod, naked Lady Gaga, or Verve’s El Salvador La Montana, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I’ve been anxious to see how XCOM: Enemy Unkown would be received. Although it features modern graphics and sound, it very much plays like an old-school PC game. I fell for the game earlier in the year and was sure that it would score high with critics (it did), but I wasn’t sure if “real” people would dig it. Would the old-school gameplay feel refreshing in 2012? Or will gamers think that it’s outdated?

From scouring various message boards, players have been loving the game so far. Yes, people that post on web sites and forums are only a percentage of the number of people that buy games, but it’s as good a barometer as any. And yes, just because a vocal minority have been raving about the game doesn’t mean that it will be a mass success. Still, I’m super-happy to see that the game has been well-received so far. In a world of sequels and balls-and-guns games, it’s great to see a title with old-school sensibilities doing well.

If you’ve checked out the game or videos of the game, please let me know what you think of XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Are there any old-school series or genres that you’d like to see with a modern twist? Have you recently played a game that was old-school cool or one that was outdated? Please leave a comment and let me know!

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

The last two weeks have been a little rough, so I’m looking to play simple games that make me feel good. First up is Civilization: Revolution for iPad, because conquering the world over and over again cheers me up. Next up is Outernauts. I’m done with all the quests that have been released, so it’s all about finding and training rare monsters. Right now my Golden Scyke and Bizaur need some leveling up. It’s gratifying watching them learn new attacks and become more powerful. Hours and hours of these two games will help me reset my mindset so that I can rock next week. Let’s do it!

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

Coffee Talk #522: On Lorne Lanning and Alan Moore

The other day, I was reading this excellent GI Biz interview with Oddworld Inhabitants’ Lorne Lanning. As many of you know, I’m a big fan of Lanning and his company’s games. It was great hearing him talk about games after a hiatus from the business. It was awesome to hear that he appears to be stubborn as ever and that he’s still thinking about ways to empower videogame creators. Here’s a clip from the interview:

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 exciting last day of the MLB regular season, T-Mobile USA merging with MetroPCS, or waiting for Thai NanoSIMs, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

The other day, I was reading this excellent GI Biz interview with Oddworld Inhabitants’ Lorne Lanning. As many of you know, I’m a big fan of Lanning and his company’s games. It was great hearing him talk about games after a hiatus from the business. It was awesome to hear that he appears to be stubborn as ever and that he’s still thinking about ways to empower videogame creators. Here’s a clip from the interview:

Rather than having to have 1.5 million units in the opening week or suffer death, now if we have 50,000 sales and we’re still in business. People are still employed and we’re able to keep making content. When we released box product we would get 20 percent of the revenue. After that 20 percent paid back the entire development budget, if it was still selling at $60 we would start seeing $7 a unit. Because of the bricks and mortar, the plastic, the manufacturing, the gas involved in taking games to the store, the store itself and all those extra costs — not one of those costs makes a better game for the player.

If you’re the gamer, where do you want the money of the game you’re buying to go? I want it going to help make more games. But the majority of that money is not going to games in the boxed product market.

The tone of Lanning’s comments reminded me of someone, but I couldn’t place my finger on it right away. The feeling I got from this interview was that this is a man that loves videogames and loves the creative process, but is fed up with the videogame business. Then it hit me. Lorne Lanning is just like comic-book scribe Alan Moore! Like Lanning, Moore loves the comic-book medium and the creative process, but has often been frustrated with the business of comics. Here’s a Moore quote from Bill Baker’s Alan Moore Spells it Out:

I love the comics medium. I pretty much detest the comics industry. Give it another 15 months, I’ll probably be pulling out of mainstream, commercial comics.

Although Moore is best known for his works published by DC Comics, he had numerous conflicts with the publishing giant and found more freedom with smaller, independent publishers. Similarly, Lanning has had numerous clashes with big videogame publishers. He believes that digital distribution will give him the creative freedom he wasn’t able to enjoy with Microsoft and EA.

Lanning and Moore are both supremely creative individuals that aren’t cut out to deal with the establishments in their respective businesses. They both recognize that the suits take advantage of the creatives and that there must be a better way. Through smaller publishers, Moore found a way that allowed him to make money and create freely. Hopefully digital distribution will enable Lanning and Oddworld Inhabitants to thrive once more. The videogame business would be better and more fun with a flourishing Oddworld Inhabitants.

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Thanks to Google Play’s 25-cent app sale, my Nexus 7 is loaded with all sorts of new games. Angry Birds Space, Asphalt 7, Granny Smith, NFL Kicker 13, Dungeon Village, Cut the Rope Experiments, World of Goo, and Shark Dash are just some of the games I picked up. Chances are, I’ll pick up a few more when Google updates the sale list. I’m going to spend this weekend playing the whole lot. Some of the games I already have on my iPad and I just want to see what the performance/UI differences are — you know, work purposes. So it’ll be a weekend of working and playing with my precious Nexus 7.

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

Sennheiser U 320 Multiplatform Gaming Headset

Sennheiser has announced details on the U 320, a gaming headset that’s allegedly compatible with all videogame consoles. The U 320 headset will be available later this fall for a retail price of $169.95. Many people swear by Sennheiser cans for their combination of high-quality sound and great comfort. Hopefully the U 320 model will be comparable to the company’s other outstanding products. Here’s an excerpt from the press release:

The U 320 is born out of Sennheiser’s 65-year experience pursuing premium sound, and is designed to emphasize the different types of distinctive gaming sounds. The sound spectrum of the U 320 is superbly amplified and the bass boost is easily adjusted to suit your preference of clear explosions, crashes or background music.

Thanks to great comfort, the U 320 is wearable for as long as a gamer wants to enjoy the getaway from everyday life. The open-acoustic design helps keep a cool head, and the soft-padded unique CircleFlex™ design ensures that the ear pads adjust automatically, making the game experience a comfortable thrill.

The pro noise-canceling microphone reduces ambient noise for crystal-clear conversations with fellow players and friends, and allows the player to mute the microphone by simply raising the boom arm. Adjusting the dual volume control on the cable is just as easy, and the side tone switch monitors the voice while playing.

I’ve reached out to Sennheiser to get more details on this headset’s connectivity. The press release claims it will work with PC, Mac, PS3, and Xbox 360, but doesn’t specify if there are multiple dongles or a breakout box. I’ll also bug the company about Wii U support.

Any of you guys and dolls Sennheiser fans? Are you interested in picking up the U 320 gaming headset?

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Justin and I will be spending some time with the Wii U this afternoon. I’m mildy excited to play more Wii U, though I’m also disappointed that I’m not more excited for the opportunity to play Nintendo’s upcoming console. On paper, getting to play new console hardware before it comes out should result in a mark-out moment. The Wii U is not getting me psyched (yet). Let’s see if that changes after I play with it for a bit. Aside from that, I’m going to spend some time with digital downloads: Double Dragon Neon on PlayStation Network and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD on Xbox Live.

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