Category: PC Gaming

Coffee Talk #198: What’s Your Favorite “Hard” Game?

There’s a fine line between a satisfyingly difficult game and a game that’s so annoying that you want to hurl your controller through your television. Some titles have tough sections that adequately reward your Herculean efforts. Others are just difficult for the sake of being difficult. In my mind it’s the difference between something like Ninja Gaiden and Mega Man 9. It’s so tough to do it right.

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 Lada Gaga is a fashion genius or a fashion nut job, James Toney’s MMA career, or (the asthmatic and old) Dave Batista’s possible MMA career, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

There’s a fine line between a satisfyingly difficult game and a game that’s so annoying that you want to hurl your controller through your television. Some titles have tough sections that adequately reward your Herculean efforts. Others are just difficult for the sake of being difficult. In my mind it’s the difference between something like Ninja Gaiden and Mega Man 9. It’s so tough to do it right.

Today I’d love to learn about your favorite “hard” games. What are some titles that really challenged you and pushed you to the limits in a satisfying way? While you’re at it, what are some games that were so hard that you had no choice but to quit? Sound off (please)!!!

Spencer Halpin’s Moral Kombat Documentary Available on Hulu

Spencer Halpin’s critically acclaimed Moral Kombat is now available on Hulu (or you can just watch it in the embed above). The documentary covers the “controversy” of videogame violence and first amendment rights. It features some of the biggest developers in the business, including Lorne Lanning and American McGee. My good friend Andy McNamara, editor-in-chief of Game Informer, is in there too.

It’s an interesting documentary with lots of interesting points on both sides of the argument. Check it out if you have a chance and let me know what you think of it (please). Kudos to Hulu for offering content like this!

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Michael Pachter Says Activision is Teh Doomed!!!

Your favorite gaming industry analyst, Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter, believes that tough times are ahead for Activision. After posting extremely impressive financial results during a (long) stretch of time where most publishers were struggling, Activision’s Q2 financials weren’t the best. According to Industry Gamers, Pachter said:

The Q2 results reinforce Activision’s dependence on a handful of franchises, and calls into question whether its future franchises will contribute meaningfully to the bottom line as performance of additional IP seems uncertain at best.

We fear that after so many years of near-flawless execution, Activision has begun to slip a bit, perhaps in the process becoming overly reliant on the parts of the business that are phenomenally successful.

Do you agree with Pachter’s assessment? Is Activision on the decline? Or is his analysis along the lines of his awesome estimate where he allowed himself a two-million unit margin of error?

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What Are You Playing This Weekend?

After watching Batman: Under the Red Hood, my PlayStation 3 has been busy playing other DC Universe Blu-ray movies. I’m going to keep going with the PS3 this weekend. Hopefully I can make some progress in Final Fantasy XIII. I haven’t played the game in so long that I have no idea what chapter I’m in. Oops. I’m probably going to pick up some games from Sony’s PSN summer sale; echoshift and Lunar: Silver Star Harmony are calling to me. I’ll play some echoshift now, but I’ll probably save Lunar for the end of the month — there might be another super secret project in Asia for me.

How about you people (what do you mean you people?) What’s on you weekend playlist?

Deus Ex: Human Revolution Screens

Square Enix sent over a batch of new screens for Deus Ex: Human Revolution…and they’re hot! Check ’em out and let me know what you think (please)! As some of you know, I was bummed that I missed out on a demo for this game at E3 2010. Even though I didn’t get to see the hotness that many of my friends saw, this game is still on my radar.

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Coffee Talk #193: Have Games Desensitized You to Violence?

After E3 2010, I vaguely remember an article by some guy I can’t remember saying that videogames have desensitized people. The premise was that gamers have spent too much time shooting enemy soldiers, decapitating villains, and blowing buildings up that it no longer seems shocking. I started thinking about the issue again after the excellent people at Gamasutra started discussing it.

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 cast of Friends getting old, the Yankees struggling like hacks, or how crappy Sprint is, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

After E3 2010, I vaguely remember an article by some guy I can’t remember saying that videogames have desensitized people. The premise was that gamers have spent too much time shooting enemy soldiers, decapitating villains, and blowing buildings up that it no longer seems shocking. I started thinking about the issue again after the excellent people at Gamasutra started discussing it.

The argument certainly has some merit. I remember being stunned and impressed when I saw a fatality in Mortal Kombat for the first time. That doesn’t cut it today. The violence has to be bigger, badder, and crazier. Having said that, I’m not at all desensitized to real-world violence. I would panic (before acting heroically, of course) if I saw someone get shot in real life. I am shocked when a pedestrian gets hit by a car. I guess what I’m getting at is that I don’t see a correlation between the videogame world and the real world when it comes to this issue.

As always, I want your thoughts on the matter. Have you become desensitized to videogame violence? Does it matter in your IRL existence? Considering the leap from Mortal Kombat to God of War, where do you see videogame violence ten years from now?

EA Create Announcement Video

Here’s a video of Electronic Arts’ Create, a recently announced title that blends gameplay and game design. A lot of people are comparing it to Sony’s LittleBigPlanet. Certainly there are similarities, but Create appears to have enough features that differentiate it from Media Molecule’s award-winning game. Furthermore, it has the benefit of being a multiplatform title.

Check out the trailer and let me know what you think (please!). Will Create be able to reach a broader market than LittleBigPlanet thanks to being multiplatform and geared towards younger gamers? Will it be the media darling that LittleBigPlanet was? Are any of you interested in this game or games like it?

Do Your Political Beliefs Impact Your Videogame Shopping?

I recently watched this interesting video about a woman that’s boycotting Target due to a political contribution made by the company. According to Game Politics, Target donated $150,000 to MN Forward. Here’s the deal:

The contribution to MN Forward is also being used to run ads for Republican Gubernatorial Tom Emmer, who, according to CBS News, opposes same-sex marriage, angering another whole segment of consumers.

The site also noted that Best Buy contributed $100,000 to MN Forward as well. These are two massive retailers. I’m sure that most of you have purchased games, electronics, etc. at Best Buy and/or Target. Would you still buy games from these stores if they donated to a political cause you oppose? Do your political beliefs outweigh the convenience and prices offered by these companies? I’m curious to hear your thoughts on the matter. (And no, this article wasn’t written to guilt you into buying more from my Amazon links.)

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Coffee Talk #191: Will Mice Become Niche Gamer Products?

So I’m still thinking about Apple’s Magic Trackpad (way more than I ought to). It’s more than that though. I’m thinking about the evolution of input methods. Games started with Pong paddles, moved onto joysticks, which gave way to gamepads, which are currently being overshadowed by the dawn of motion controls. Phones had rotary dials, eventually started using digital keys, and now use touchscreens.

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, Lady Gaga being so forthcoming about her cocaine use, Lance Berkman (really?!?), or if electric cars will take off this time around, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

So I’m still thinking about Apple’s Magic Trackpad (way more than I ought to). It’s more than that though. I’m thinking about the evolution of input methods. Games started with Pong paddles, moved onto joysticks, which gave way to gamepads, which are currently being overshadowed by the dawn of motion controls. Phones had rotary dials, eventually started using digital keys, and now use touchscreens.

What’s fascinating about personal computers is that the input method hasn’t really changed in more than 25 years. The vast majority of users out there still use a keyboard and mouse to interact with their computer. This just seems ridiculous to me. Mice are mostly inefficient and certainly dated. Whether it’s the Magic Trackpad or some other device, I can’t wait until the mouse is displaced as the most common input device.

Having said that, I still think that mice are the best choice for PC gaming. Will mice eventually becoming niche products that are purchased mainly by gamers? Will mice become the minority by the end of this decade? Or are people to comfortable and familiar with them? To paraphrase Johnny 5, I want your thoughts on “input”!

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

I have no idea what I want to play this weekend. I’ve been so busy waking up early to write on the site, working on super secret project(s) during business hours, and taking two business dinners that I can’t believe it’s Friday. Where the hell did the week go?!?

Perhaps I’ll dive into some MLB 10 The Show to start things off. If my brain can hack it, I’ll move onto an RPG. I still have Dragon Quest IX and Glory of Heracles to conquer.

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