The holiday rush has slowed down, but there are still some big games left in 2010. I usually don’t include PC games in the mix, but World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is too huge to ignore. Tying into the movie, TRON: Evolution hits every platform known to man…and robot. Technically, this game comes out next week, but Super Mario All-Stars hits Sunday with all sorts of excellent bonus goodies.
Any of you guys and dolls picking up new games this week?
When I first started playing Splatterhouse, I was amused by the game’s load times. “Really? How quaint,” I thought. As I started playing more of the game and the fights got harder, I went from amused to…
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, Jayson Werth going to the Washington Nationals, your favorite deli meat, or skipping videogame Christmas parties because you’re feeling antisocial (sorry guys!), Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
When I first started playing Splatterhouse, I was amused by the game’s load times. “Really? How quaint,” I thought. As I started playing more of the game and the fights got harder, I went from amused to pissed off. In addition to the expected level load times, you have to wait 15 to 20 seconds each time you die. This seems like a small amount of time, but when you keep dying in a particularly challenging fight…well, it completely sucks.
I’m amazed that things like this still happen in 2010. This was understandable 15 years ago when disc-based console-gaming first became the norm. These days? It’s more than a little ridiculous. You shouldn’t have to install a game on your hard drive so that playing conditions are acceptable. You should be able to play off of a disc and have a reasonably smooth experience. It’s…confounding.
Even though technology has grown by leaps and bounds, there are still some glitches and annoyances that plague the gaming world. What are some things that bug you about gaming that shouldn’t be happening in 2010?
I’m holding off on Golden Sun: Dark Dawn for now (thanks Paul!). It will be my travel game next week. This weekend will be brought to me by Namco-Bandai! I’ve played a bit of Splatterhouse and I’m not sure I’ll keep with it due to annoying technical glitches. I definitely want to play some Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom and hope to get some Enslaved in too.
How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?
Actress, hottie, and World of Warcraft addict Mila Kunis would love to be in the upcoming WoW movie. Although she has quit the game cold turkey (for now), she seemed excited at the prospect of casting spells on the big screen. She told MTV:
Hell yeah! I would do it, of all things. I don’t know if I would want to be a big character in it, but I would totally want to run around as a little mage. Like a kick-ass mage. With pigtails? Mmmmm… Awesome!
Hot chicks that play World of Warcraft…awesome. This is a good excuse to look at more photos of this stunning woman. Let’s go!
Back in Coffee Talk #250, RPadholic SlickyFats asked me, “Do you get invited to events or do you have to actively seek them out and invite yourself?” I wanted to answer that question in a Coffee Talk column to pull back the curtain on the videogame business and for self therapy.
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 thoughts on the Grammy nominations, what Carl Froch’s wife was looking for, or Jayson Werth possibly signing with the Red Sox, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Back in Coffee Talk #250, RPadholic SlickyFats asked me, “Do you get invited to events or do you have to actively seek them out and invite yourself?” I wanted to answer that question in a Coffee Talk column to pull back the curtain on the videogame business and for self therapy. When I worked at Happy Puppy, GameSpy, Yahoo!, and G4tv, event invites were pretty much automatic. When I freelanced for high-profile outlets like FHM, GigaOm, Amazon, GamePro, etc., invites were pretty frequent. These days…not so much.
No matter what you’ve done in your career, PR people will forget about you once you stop serving a large audience. Their job is to promote their games to as many people as possible. Once you’re no longer useful to them, they stop calling, they stop returning your phone calls, they stop sending you games, and they stop sending you press releases. That’s just how it works.
Obviously this is a source of frustration for me. I’m trying to build and grow a web site. I need support from PR people. They control the information and coverage opportunities. On one hand, I completely understand where they’re coming from — I’m not as useful to them as I once was. On the other hand, I naively hope that people I’ve known for more than 10 years will help me grow my site. At the very least, I’d like to be invited to events that are miles away from my apartment. To be fair, I suck at self promotion and I hate groveling for stuff; I need to get over this in 2011 for the good of the site.
The good news is that I have several relationships with developers that many of you like. I will try to pull in favors for video interviews and stuff. Recently I was chatting with a pretty famous developer and he asked me what I thought about a recent press release. I told him, “I don’t know. Your flacks took me off the mailing lists. I don’t get your games or press releases anymore.” He was surprised and a little pissed off. He asked me if I wanted him to “fix” that situation. I declined. I’ll try to “fix” that myself next year.
So yeah, I get a fraction of the coverage opportunities I used to get and it kind of sucks. I’m going to try to change that in 2011. Also, I’m making a list and checking it thrice — I will never forget the PR people that still send me games, email me press releases, and invite me to events…nor will I forget the PR people that completely dropped me.
Thanks SlickyFats! This was therapeutic.
Although my dad played The Beatles’ Rubber Soul for me hundreds of times, it didn’t “click” with me until I got older. I’ve always loved music, but Rubber Soul changed my perception of what music could be. Is there a game you’ve played that did the same thing for 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, Verve Roaster’s Guatemala La Maravilla, Taylor Swift dating the Prince of Persia, or Anne Hathaway acting topless, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Although my dad played The Beatles’ Rubber Soul for me hundreds of times, it didn’t “click” with me until I got older. I’ve always loved music, but Rubber Soul changed my perception of what music could be. Is there a game you’ve played that did the same thing for you? Is there a game that changed your perception of what videogames could be?
As for me, there are two that come to mind…and they happen to be in the same series. Similar to music, I’ve always loved games. Final Fantasy VI (FFIII in America) changed my perception of what games could be. Until then, I didn’t realize that games could offer an interactive experience that combined an epic story, outstanding music, and deep gameplay — an experience that rivaled or surpassed what movies and television offered.
As much as I loved FFVI, I didn’t think RPGs could be as popular as action games or sports games. Final Fantasy VII changed all that. The videogame genre I loved the most hit the mainstream! Although I have my problems with FFVII, I appreciate and love what it did for the genre.
Now it’s your turn! What games transformed the way you perceived the medium?
Blizzard has announced a new World of Warcraft pet that benefits the excellent Make-a-Wish Foundation. The Moonkin Hatchling costs $10 and if you purchase one before the end of the year then $5 will go to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
Blizzard has announced a new World of Warcraft pet that benefits the excellent Make-a-Wish Foundation. The Moonkin Hatchling costs $10 and if you purchase one before the end of the year then $5 will go to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Here’s the official word:
The googly-eyed Moonkin Hatchling, which comes in unique Horde and Alliance versions, will occasionally plant flowers at your feet, and happily /dances with any willing partners. Like last year’s Pandaren Monk, the Moonkin Hatchling has a soft spot for helping children. For every Moonkin Hatchling adopted from November 29 through December 31, 2010, Blizzard Entertainment will donate 50% of the $10 purchase price to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
I love that Blizzard is doing this. If I still played WoW, I’d buy one. Hopefully some of you will pick one up. You get a cool pet and help a great cause! Here are more screens of the lovely hatchling in both forms:
Today’s Coffee Talk is a double bonus edition…which means you have to treat it like a double rainbow. I expect you to cry with glee and ask, “What does it mean?” Seriously though, today I want to hear about your Black Friday wishes.
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, SAP being fined $1.3-billion for stealing Oracle software, trying out Coava coffee, or the magic of cranberries, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Today’s Coffee Talk is a double bonus edition…which means you have to treat it like a double rainbow. I expect you to cry with glee and ask, “What does it mean?” Seriously though, today I want to hear about your Black Friday wishes. Are you looking for games, computer stuff, new televisions, an iPad, or other goodies?!? Will you brave the crazy crowds or surf the Internet for specials (like this lovely Amazon list!)?
After you’ve grabbed your Black Friday loot, kindly post your purchases here. As for me, my Black Friday plans have been killed by a lack of income. Ha! I’d love to grab an iPad when Apple slashes prices on Friday, but I’m way too poor. Instead, I’ll draw on a piece of cardboard and pretend it’s an iPad. Ha!
Now get with your Black Friday wish list (please)!
It’s Thanksgiving weekend — a great time to catch up on gaming and/or try out new games! What are you playing this weekend now that you have two extra days? As for me, I have an ambitious lineup of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw, Splatterhouse, Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom (if it arrives in time), Enslaved, and WordFeud for Android.
How about you? What’s on your Thanksgiving weekend playlist?
A lot of videogames have a famous name attached to them. Some have athletes (Frank Thomas: Big Hurt Baseball). Others have game designers (American McGee’s Alice). And some have…
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, Verve’s Panama Elida Estate Natural, Derek Jeter’s contract negotiations, or Sergio Martinez vicious knockout of Paul Williams, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
A lot of videogames have a famous name attached to them. Some have athletes (Frank Thomas: Big Hurt Baseball). Others have game designers (American McGee’s Alice). And some have musical groups (The Beatles: Rock Band). Today I want to hear about your favorite “name” games.
As for me…well, it’s a little embarrassing. I should say that it’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2, but I’ll admit that it’s Britney’s Dance Beat. It has the same gameplay as the excellent Bust-a-Groove and was released before Britney lost her mind.
Now it’s your turn! Lay your favorite “name” game on me and enjoy these Britney Spears photos.
