Category: PC Gaming

Coffee Talk #136: What Classic Gaming Features Do You Miss?

Games get better all the time. Development techniques improve. Gameplay styles evolve. Consoles and PCs become more powerful, which allow them to be potentially more immersive. Despite all of these factors, there are things I miss about the good old days of gaming. Perhaps it’s the primitive charm of classic games or maybe I like how old games required me to imagine or maybe it’s simply nostalgia, but there are many things I miss about the classics.

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, Floyd Mayweather’s annihilation of Shane Mosley, what the hell happened to Rasheed Wallace, or your best wishes for Bret Michaels, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Games get better all the time. Development techniques improve. Gameplay styles evolve. Consoles and PCs become more powerful, which allow them to be potentially more immersive. Despite all of these factors, there are things I miss about the good old days of gaming. Perhaps it’s the primitive charm of classic games or maybe I like how old games required me to imagine or maybe it’s simply nostalgia, but there are many things I miss about the classics.

The dying (perhaps dead?) gameplay convention I miss the most is turn-based combat in RPGs. I totally understand why RPGs have moved towards real-time combat — it’s more appealing to a broader audience. I get it…but I don’t like it. I loved the combat in Japanese RPGs like Final Fantasy IV/V/VI. The epic turn-based battles in titles like Final Fantasy Tactics, Ogre Battle, and Disgaea are some of my fondest gaming memories of all time. Sadly, that gameplay style is on the endangered species list.

Today I wanted to ask you about aspects of classic gaming you miss the most. What conventions and gameplay styles get you teary eyed? Perhaps there’s a storytelling technique you miss. Leave a comment and let me know (please)!

Blast From the Past: Reset Episode 9

Live from New York…it’s Reset episode nine!!! Okay, it’s not live, but two of these clips are from the excellent Digital Life conference in New York where Ruby and I got into all sorts of trouble. Closing out the show, Kat pays a visit to Planet Moon to check on an exciting PSP game.

Part 1 — Reset’s team of R&R (Ruby and Raymond) were thrilled to go to New York for Digital Life. Great games, cool gadgets, and a wonderful crowd made the expo really exciting. Now, the Reset crew understands that not everyone can make it to every show out there, so we thought we’d bring the show to you. Plus, the gang bumped into an old friend from Episode 5 (hint: she won a bikini contest, is really hot, and is now a Queen of EverQuest).

Part 2 — While Ruby and Raymond thought that Digital Life was awesome, they wanted to check with the people to see what they thought. The duo pestered a bunch of attendees to see what games caught their eye, what’s tops on their holiday wish lists, what free stuff they picked up, and what they thought of Raymond’s ex-girlfriends. Never let it be said that Reset isn’t in touch with the man on the street.

Part 3 — Kat visits Planet Moon to get the scoop on its upcoming game, Infected. One of the few truly original games for the Sony PSP, this game has it all: flesh-eating zombies, awesome weapons, breakneck action, killer multiplayer, a rocking soundtrack, and that inimitable Planet Moon humor. If you’re looking for a game that will make your hair stand on end and make your sides hurt from laughter then look no further.

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

I have to play Nier this weekend for work purposes. It’s funny that a Square Enix game is taking me away from another Square Enix game (okay, it’s not that funny). I’m hoping that my copy of Super Street Fighter IV arrives today. It seems like the perfect game to break up the action. I’m also curious to see how tournament hosting works. Perhaps there will be a Super Street Fighter IV RPad.tv Invitational in the near future.

As always, I want to know what you’re playing this weekend. Kindly share the games on your weekend playlist!

Activision and Bungie Sign 10-Year Publishing Agreement

In a tremendous move with all sorts of implications, Activision and Bungie have closed on a 10-year publishing-agreement. Here’s a snippet from the press release:

They have entered into an exclusive 10-year partnership to bring Bungie’s next big action game universe to market. Under the terms of the agreement, Activision will have exclusive, worldwide rights to publish and distribute all future Bungie games based on the new intellectual property on multiple platforms and devices. Bungie remains an independent company and will continue to own their intellectual property. Additional terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The partnership is brilliant for Activision on several levels. It helps take attention away from nasty legal battle with its former Infinity Ward employees. It also replaces the talent lost from Infinity Ward creators jumping to Respawn. Since Infinity Ward clearly isn’t going to be the powerhouse studio it once was, Activision needed to replace it with another top-notch studio. Bungie is one of the few studios that can match the quality and success that Infinity Ward brought to the table. There are many gamers that would argue that Bungie makes better games.

As for Bungie…well, it has a partner with a boatload of money and global marketing muscle. Gamers will also see its titles on multiple platforms, which will be huge.

Naturally, I want to hear your thoughts on the partnership. Let ’em fly (please)!

Source

Coffee Talk #134: Have You Ever Quit Gaming?

I’ve quit many things over the years. At various points in my life, I’ve quit drinking, smoking, gambling, comic books, and several other things I can’t remember. (Sadly, I’ve never been treated for sex addiction like Tiger Woods, David Duchovny, and Chazz Michael Michaels.) Obviously, I have an addictive personality. One thing I’ve never given is playing games. Certainly I’ve had a lot of stretches (too many, really) where I’ve played games way more than I should have, but I’ve enjoyed the “work” excuse for my marathon sessions.

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 formidable Scrabble powers, The Neilsen Company rating the Cleveland Indians as the #1 most-hated team in baseball, or why you think Floyd Mayweather will beat Shane Mosley, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I’ve quit many things over the years. At various points in my life, I’ve quit drinking, smoking, gambling, comic books, and several other things I can’t remember. (Sadly, I’ve never been treated for sex addiction like Tiger Woods, David Duchovny, and Chazz Michael Michaels.) Obviously, I have an addictive personality. One thing I’ve never given up is playing games. Certainly I’ve had a lot of stretches (too many, really) where I’ve played games way more than I should have, but I’ve enjoyed the “work” excuse for my marathon sessions.

How about you? Have you ever played games to the point you neglected eating, sleeping, and your social life? Have you ever had to take a step back and said, “Yeah, I really need to quit gaming for a while.”? Perhaps games have made you pull and HBK and you had to leave them in order to “find your smile”. Perhaps games have made you tap out and you had to take a break in the real world to recover. I’d love to hear about your experiences. Kindly share!

Super Mario Crossover Bring Link, Mega Man, and Samus to SMB

Ever dream about playing through Super Mario Bros. levels as Simon Belmont, the dude from Contra, Mega Man, Link, or Samus Aran? Well now you can in Super Mario Crossover! This adorable Flash game takes levels from SMB and lets you play through them as heroes and heroines from other classic titles. Each character has his or her signatures moves and music. It’s cute. It’s fun. It’s familiar and new at the same time. Give it a shot and let me know what you think!

Blast From the Past: Reset Episode 8

Tony Hawk games, Nintendo “Revolution” talk, Star Wars: Battlefront 2, and an epic lightsaber fight — there’s plenty for you to enjoy in this episode of Reset. It’s fun looking back at the Wii; I don’t know anyone that thought it would be the success it turned out to be, including my two distinguished panelists. The lightsaber fight with Ruby still cracks me up. Check it out!

Part 1 — Activision’s Tony Hawk titles have been thrilling gamers for years. The action-sports excitement continues with the upcoming Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland for consoles and Tony Hawk’s American Sk8land for Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance. Ruby checks out both games and finds out what new features the pair brings to the skate park. And yes, this was filmed at the event where Raymond got in trouble for stealing beer.

Part 2 — Nintendo is trying something truly unique and different with the controller for its upcoming system, the Revolution. Eschewing the conventional gamepad, the Revolution will feature a wireless controller with motion sensors. It sounds wacky, but it might be the defining factor that will make Nintendo stand out from its competitors. Two industry experts — freelancers Christian Nutt and Chris Kohler — drop by Yahoo! Studios to reveal details on the controller and discuss the impact it will have on gaming.

Part 3 — Rebels and Gungans and Ewoks! Wow! Ruby engages in some Jedi training and checks out LucasArts’ exhilarating action game Star Wars: Battlefront 2. Our little Padawan gets the skinny on the game’s new features while interviewing in a Princess Leia steel bikini (just kidding…or so you think). In addition to the interview, Ruby and Raymond get up to some mischief at the event and take on Boba Fett.

Coffee Talk #130: Games You’ve Enjoyed Thanks to Friends

For the most part, we all know what kind of games we’ll like and won’t like. Every now and then, a surprise comes our way. One of the best ways to receive a gaming surprise is through friends. A great friend of mine recently dropped by for lunch on his way back up to San Francisco. We’ve gone through a lot together, but there’s one game that always reminds me of him: Culdcept. I admit that I would have totally ignored this game if he didn’t put it on my radar. Thanks to him, I’ve gotten dozens of hours of entertainment from a game I wouldn’t have tried on my own.

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, Tim Tebow going so early in the draft, the Yankees’ first triple play in more than 40 years, or whether the world is passing Nokia/RIM by, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

For the most part, we all know what kind of games we’ll like and won’t like. Every now and then, a surprise comes our way. One of the best ways to receive a gaming surprise is through friends. A great friend of mine recently dropped by for lunch on his way back up to San Francisco. We’ve gone through a lot together, but there’s one game that always reminds me of him: Culdcept. I admit that I would have totally ignored this game if he didn’t put it on my radar. Thanks to him, I’ve gotten dozens of hours of entertainment from a game I wouldn’t have tried on my own.

Do you have any gaming surprises like that? Are there any games you like or love thanks to recommendations by friends? Surely there must be a game you would have dismissed but didn’t, thanks to a pal telling you about it. I want to hear your friends-turn-you-onto-game stories today!

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Jet lag is still kicking my ass (to be fair, I’m not putting up much of a fight), but I’m finally ready to get back to some real gaming! I’m totally jumping back into Final Fantasy XIII. Hopefully my timing with paradigm shifts won’t be too bad after two weeks away from the game. If I remember correctly, I’m in chapter 10. FFXIII has been a really enjoyable experience so far and from what I understand, the best is yet to come. I really don’t understand what some people have been complaining about. Stuff it haters!

As always, let me know what you’re playing this weekend!

Coffee Talk #129: Should Digital Downloads Be Taxed?

RPadholic tokz_21 sent me this interesting article on digital downloads being taxed. The article focused primarily on movies and music, but it could easily apply to games as well. I don’t know what the deals are in the states you live in, but in California downloadable goods aren’t taxed. On one hand, I save some money. On the other hand, I do feel like I’m cheating (just a little bit).

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, Madden’s new cover boy, Tim Urban finally getting the boot from American Idol, or flip phones in 2010, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

RPadholic tokz_21 sent me this interesting article on digital downloads being taxed. The article focused primarily on movies and music, but it could easily apply to games as well. I don’t know what the deals are in the states you live in, but in California downloadable goods aren’t taxed. On one hand, I save some money. On the other hand, I do feel like I’m cheating (just a little bit).

Obviously nobody wants to pay more money, but I wanted to see if you think digital downloads should be taxed. Be honest! Should downloads be treated like other goods you buy? Or should the state be hands-off? Do you feel like you’re depriving your state of funds by purchasing digitally or through online retailers that don’t charge tax? Leave a comment and let me know (please)!