Category: PC Gaming

Coffee Talk #216: What Was Your Favorite TGS News?

Tokyo Game Show 2010 is over and there were so many interesting happenings at the show. What was your favorite bit of TGS 2010 news? As for me, I was thrilled with Team Ico’s announcements. The new trailer for The Last Guardian is fantastic — I think I’ve watched it around 43 times already. I’m also super psyched that Ico and Shadow of the Colossus are being re-released in HD (not so interested in 3D though).

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 Miz and Bryan Danielson putting on a refreshingly old-school wrestling match last night, “Sugar” Shane Mosley’s horrific fight against Sergio Mora, or The Beatles vs. The Rolling Stones, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Tokyo Game Show 2010 is over and there were so many interesting happenings at the show. What was your favorite bit of TGS 2010 news? As for me, I was thrilled with Team Ico’s announcements. The new trailer for The Last Guardian is fantastic — I think I’ve watched it around 43 times already. I’m also super psyched that Ico and Shadow of the Colossus are being re-released in HD (not so interested in 3D though).

Now it’s your turn! Was there anything at TGS 2010 that made you especially happy, excited, or giddy (special bonus if it made you all three!)?

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Originally, I thought this was going to be another weekend of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, but a funny thing happened on the way to Friday — another Square Enix RPG! I’m not going to say what it is now, but you’ll be able to figure it out from this article’s images. For the most part, I’m really enjoying it, but there are portions that piss me off. Some of it so 1993: you’ll encounter a boss, but won’t be powerful enough to defeat it, so you have to run around like a dick for an hour to level up or search for a weapon that makes things easier. While JRPG veterans are used to this kind of thing, I don’t think it will fly with younger gamers.

Anyway, let me know what’s on your weekend playlist when you have a moment.

Coffee Talk #215: Who Are Your Favorite Internet Writers?

Let’s be real — this can’t possibly be the only web site you visit on a daily basis. Don’t worry, I don’t get (too) jealous when you spend time reading other sites. Having said that, I’d love to hear about some of your favorite Internet writers. Whether it’s games, sports, tech, or whatever, let me know who some of your favorite scribes are. Here are some of mine:

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, J.Lo as an American Idol judge, WWE banning Soma (even with a prescription), or Britney Spears’ engagement rumors, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Let’s be real — this can’t possibly be the only web site you visit on a daily basis. Don’t worry, I don’t get (too) jealous when you spend time reading other sites. Having said that, I’d love to hear about some of your favorite Internet writers. Whether it’s games, sports, tech, or whatever, let me know who some of your favorite ‘net scribblers are. Here are some of mine:

  • Games: Christian Nutt (Gamasutra), Chris Kohler (Wired), Brian Leahy (Shacknews), and Dean Takahashi (VentureBeat) [Full disclosure: Kohler and I do a stunning karaoke duet of “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”, Christian and I used to be roommates, and Leahy…well, most of you know.]
  • Tech: Om Malik (GigaOm), James Kendrick (JKonTheRun), MG Siegler (TechCrunch), and Fake Steve Jobs (FakeSteveJobs)
  • Sports: Bill Simmons (ESPN) and Doug Fischer (The Ring)

Now it’s your turn! Who are some of your favorite Internet writers?

Coffee Talk #213: My Biggest Gaming Disappointment of 2010

I’ve been meaning to write my (not a) review for the “Witch Hunt” DLC for Dragon Age: Origins since last Thursday. I’ve played it a bunch of times and I’m certainly familiar with it, but for various reasons I haven’t pulled the trigger on my (not a) review. Part of it is that I don’t have much to say about the game. Here’s the short version: it’s incredibly disappointing. Here’s the long version: the gameplay, graphics, and voice acting are what you’d expect from Dragon Age, but the story — which was purported to be a grand finale that dramatically reveals the fate of Morrigan — is a total letdown. There’s nothing grand about “Witch Hunt”; it’s just another piece of good Dragon Age DLC.

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, Chad Ochocinco’s hosting job on WWE Raw, George Michael getting two months in the slammer for driving while high, or Oprah giving away the new Motorola Android phone, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I’ve been meaning to write my (not a) review for the “Witch Hunt” DLC for Dragon Age: Origins since last Thursday. I’ve played it a bunch of times and I’m certainly familiar with it, but for various reasons I haven’t pulled the trigger on my (not a) review. Part of it is that I don’t have much to say about the game. Here’s the short version: it’s incredibly disappointing. Here’s the long version: the gameplay, graphics, and voice acting are what you’d expect from Dragon Age, but the story — which was purported to be a grand finale that dramatically reveals the fate of Morrigan — is a total letdown. There’s nothing grand about “Witch Hunt”; it’s just another piece of good Dragon Age DLC.

The other part is that I’m…uncomfortable being disappointed in BioWare. I adore the company’s games. Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk are fantastic people that I’ve been lucky enough to spend time with. Thankfully, I’m not working for a proper editorial site at the moment, so I don’t have to lie to you and pretend that these factors aren’t creeping around my brain. I just hold BioWare to incredibly high standards (perhaps unfairly so), so when the company releases a decent product that should have been more, it’s disappointing.

Anyway, I’m officially going to blame the whole not-writing-a-(not a)-review thing on jet lag. As for you, I want to hear about your gaming disappointments of 2010 (thus far). Shout it out (please)!

Coffee Talk #211: Gaming Binds Us Together

Warning: I’m going to get a little sappy on you today. You see, as I was in Asia playing Wordfeud for Android with Big Blak and Slickyfats, I was amazed at how gaming brought us all together. Whether it’s reading the stuff I write, talking it up in the comments section, or playing games together while thousands of miles apart, gaming binds us (like The Force in Star Wars). It’s just a powerful and awesome thing.

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, Felix Hernandez’s case for the AL Cy Young Award, Shelley Malil accidentally stabbing his girlfriend more than 20 times, or when the hell the MacBook Air will be refreshed, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Warning: I’m going to get a little sappy on you today. You see, as I was in Asia playing Wordfeud for Android with Big Blak and Slickyfats, I was amazed at how gaming brought us all together. Whether it’s reading the stuff I write, talking it up in the comments section, or playing games together while thousands of miles apart, gaming binds us (like The Force in Star Wars). It’s just a powerful and awesome thing.

I “met” most of you while I was at G4tv and for various reasons, we just clicked. I’m incredibly honored that you followed me here and spend part of your day with me. Sure, we talk about sports, pop culture, tech, GHM, and Adam Lambert icons, but at the end of the day we were brought together by our love of games. After all the crazy things that have happened to me in the last year, I’m just amazed by it all and super appreciative of your company/support.

Before I get misty, I’d love to hear some of your stories on how gaming introduced you to friends and loved ones. Hopefully it sets us all up for feel-good weekends!

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

After hopping around Asia for a few weeks, adjusting to life in America, and combating jet lag (it’s winning), I’m ready to resume my gaming life! I’ve played a bunch of “Witch Hunt” for Dragon Age: Origins and will likely give it another run or two this weekend. Aside from that, there are a bunch of PSP games I want to play. My copy of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep arrived yesterday and I’m excited to jump into that world again. My PSP Memory Stick has copies of Disgaea Infinite and Cladun waiting to be played too.

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

Dog and Finn Join Dragon Age: Origins “Witch Hunt”

Hot on the heels of Ariane’s introduction, BioWare has revealed that Dog and Finn will be in the mix in the “Witch Hunt” DLC for Dragon Age: Origins. If you’ve played the game then you know that Dog (or whatever you named him) is a charming and devastating companion. As for Finn, here’s the scoop:

Finn is a young mage from the Circle of Magi in Ferelden. He considers himself the Circle’s best linguist and foremost expert on ancient Tevinter history — even if others might consider him more of a bookworm, a recluse that spends all of his time in the tower’s dark library. Finn is the unlikeliest of adventurers… but it may come to pass that his academic expertise will force him to out of the library and into an adventure where his arcane might is the only thing that stands between him and certain death.

I like him already. He sounds much more interesting than Ariane — almost like that dork wizard Presto from the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon. Reluctant adventurers can be loads of fun and I’m looking forward to hearing other characters pick on him in “Witch Hunt”.

Any thoughts on the Dog and Finn?

Source

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Aside from Wordfeud for Android with RPadholics Big Blak and SlickyFats, I’m still not playing much of anything in Asia. I will be playing some games on United’s business class IFE on the trip back, but that’s about it. Surprisingly, I don’t miss my consoles too too much. I love traveling, seeing different countries, and experiencing different cultures. My mind has been so busy with Asia, the shoot, and my cold that I haven’t regretted not brining my PSP or DS. Yeah, that sounds blasphemous, but I’m being honest. Ha!

Soooooo, what are you guys and dolls playing this weekend?

Coffee Talk #207: While You Were Out

The title of this edition of Coffee Talk should really be “While I Was Out”, but then it wouldn’t fit in with one of my favorite Mr. Majestic trade paperbacks. Majestros is cool and underrated. You should read his books. Anyway, today’s question is really simple: what was the biggest gaming news while I was away from the site?

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, Kaval winning NXT season two, that giant woman from NXT season three, or if you’re buying a new iPod Touch, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

The title of this edition of Coffee Talk should really be “While I Was Out”, but then it wouldn’t fit in with one of my favorite Mr. Majestic trade paperbacks. Majestros is cool and underrated. You should read his books. Anyway, today’s question is really simple: what was the biggest gaming news while I was away from the site?

I’m still in Asia catching up on the industry from afar, but I heard a lot of buzz on the new Xbox 360 controller, Epic’s iPhone game, and Steve Jobs claiming that iOS was bigger than Jesus the PSP/Nintendo DS as a gaming platform. So what happened in the last week that was super huge in your opinion?!? I really want to know…because…well, I missed you all!