A lot of gaming’s best and brightest will be in Los Angeles this weekend for the Spike TV Videogame Awards (VGAs). If my leg can hack it, I’m going to be hopping around town, pestering some of my favorite developers. Even if I’m not, I’ve designated a bunch of time for Scribblenauts
Of course I’m going to have to get some more Dragon Age: Origins
As always, I want to know what you’re playing this weekend. Shout it out! Or maybe don’t shout…the neighbors might complain.
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, Tiger Woods’ 18 holes (i.e. his mistresses), the return of Paulie “Little Mac” Malignaggi on Saturday, or Jerishow dropping the tag straps on Sunday, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
The Grand Theft Auto series took sandbox games to new heights. It inspired dozens of copycat games and made “open world” a requirement for several years. While I appreciate the liberating feeling gamers get from sandbox games, they don’t really do much for me. It’s awesome that you get to experiment and play freely, but that’s not what I’m used to and that’s not what I want.
2D platform games and Japanese role-playing games dazzled me in my formative gaming years. I developed an attachment to that old carrot-and-stick formula. I enjoyed linearity. I enjoyed being led around by a level or narrative, getting a reward every so often. NES, SNES, and Genesis games conditioned me to love this simple formula. Even though I enjoy making choices in games like Dragon Age: Origins, ultimately I want to stick with the same carrot-and-stick formula.
I know a lot of you love open-world titles, but I also know that some of you enjoy RPGs. Do you have a preference? Do you like playing in your virtual sandbox? Or do you prefer being lead around by a carrot and stick?
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, Barry Bonds’ agent saying the slugger’s career is over (duh), the Yankees trying to sign Johnny Damon (why?!?), or how much longer “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels will continue to perform for the WWE, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
As I was watching this excellent Dante’s Inferno developer diary, I started thinking about the disconnect between game critics and gamers. Some writers are just out of touch with what gamers want and expect. Part of it comes from getting too many free games for too many years, which makes some writers forget that paying $60 for a game is a lot of money for many consumers.
In other cases, some critics are too busy being critical to remember what’s fun. Dante’s Inferno is a great example of this. A lot of writers are already down on this game, dismissing it as a God of War rip-off. They’re thinking, “This is crap. It’s just like God of War.” At this year’s San Diego Comic Con, one of my friends was telling me that a lot of the people that saw the game at EA’s booth said things like, “This is cool! It’s just like God of War!” Funny how it goes….
What’s your opinion on game reviewers? Do you think a lot of them are out of touch? Or do you think most of them are spot on? Do you think that some reviewers forget what it’s like to be a paying gamer? If so, does it have a negative impact on their reviews?
In keeping with the role-playing theme of Coffee Talk #43, I wanted to see which Dungeons & Dragons alignment describes you best. Make a choice and if you have time, elaborate in the comments section. I’m going to have to give my answer some thought….
[poll id=”14″]
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 NY Yankees closing in on Curtis Granderson, the potentially awesome Google Goggles, or WWE Chris Masters’ dancing pectoral muscles, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Halfway through my fifth play through of Dragon Age: Origins, I was vexed. You see, I originally intended to play this round as a rogue, with assassin and bard specializations. A stealthy, backstabbing rogue with the passive assassin benefits and bard song buffs seemed like a great idea. When my character hit level 14, I couldn’t press the button to activate the bard specialization. A rogue that hid in shadows, backstabbed, and burst into song just didn’t make sense.
Some of my friends play games solely to win and would have added the bard specialization in a flash. I prefer to get lost in adventures and make decisions I like or make sense to me. I guess that’s why I don’t enjoy playing games as evil characters. In this case, my preference for role playing prevented me from playing as a singing assassin. (What do assassins sing anyway? Show tunes?) The thought of a stealthy rogue emerging from the shadows to suddenly backstab an enemy and burst into song sounds…it sounds…it actually sounds frickin’ hilarious. Crap. I should have hit the bard button.
Anyway, I wanted to see how you handle role-playing situations like the one I described. Do you opt for whatever makes your character the most effective? Or do you put yourself in your character’s Dragonscale boots and do what makes sense for the role?
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, yesterday’s NFL awesomeness, Sergio Martinez vs. Paul Williams, or Tiger Woods’ recent “indiscretions”, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
I’m completely jealous that Japanese gamers have the opportunity to enjoy Final Fantasy XIII Elixir by Suntory. In America, the best videogame soft drink I can enjoy is World of Warcraft Mountain Dew. It’s not nearly the same. Slapping videogame branding on an existing beverage is one thing. Having a beverage maker concoct a new brew just for a game is another. The whole thing got me thinking about videogame beverages I want. Here are a few.
Dragon Age: Origins Darkspawn Blood — This tomato-based beverage might not make you a grey warden, but its numerous vitamins and minerals would give you the morning boost you need to save Ferelden on a weekly basis. Think of it as V8, with a touch of darkness.
Leisure Suit Larry Cialis Cocktail — This drink is part energy enhancer and part male potency provider. Your body will be up for a night on the town thanks to the taurine and the Cialis will make sure your joystick is up for a night in the sack.
Uncharted Filtered Water — When you’re searching for treasure and dodging danger in remote lands, it’s tough to find a pure glass of H2O. This bottled water ensures that you don’t have to worry about parasites and microbes getting in the way of a grand adventure.
Anyway, those are some of the videogame drinks I’ve imagined. I’d love to hear yours. Leave me your excellent elixirs in the comments section (please) — bonus points will be awarded to clever use of alcohol, particularly premium tequila.
Here’s a nifty video of the upcoming Just Cause 2
BioWare and Electronic Arts have announced Gift of the Yeti, a free Facebook game that allows gamers to earn money to go towards the purchase of Dragon Age: Origins and for the Child’s Play Charity. Here’s a blurb from the press release:
In the Gift of the Yeti game, players have a chance to help a sick Santa by delivering gifts on his behalf. Facebook friends can compete to beat each others’ high scores. The backstory of the Yeti will unfold through a clever Advent day calendar, with each day revealing a new piece of the storyline. Gift of the Yeti also allows players to choose from a variety of different gifts that they can send to their friends to invite them to save the day for Santa, and support the Child’s Play organization.
A bunch of my friends have been sucked into various Facebook games, but I’ve yet to lose myself to one. Gift of the Yeti will get its chance to own me, simply because it’s a BioWare product. Plus, Like Matt Damon and LeBron James said in Entourage, “It’s for the kids!”
Any of you going to give this game a shot?
My knee has been acting up again, so I’m going to try to stay in bed and keep my leg elevated most of the weekend. Thankfully, I have a bunch of Green Lantern trade paperbacks to devour — most of them are repeats (Rage of the Red Lanterns, Agent Orange, etc.), but I borrowed Emerald Eclipse from a friend, which will add some new GL goodness to my life.
Man cannot live on comic books alone though, so I’m happy that I picked up Scribblenauts
How about you? What’s on tap for your gaming weekend?
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 U.S. vs. England in the World Cup, the return of Paul “The Punisher” William, or whether Pacquiao/Mayweather is a go for March 13, 2010, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
I was chatting with some industry friends about videogame villains when I realized that I don’t have a favorite one. That just seems odd to me. I can spout off dozens of comic-book baddies I love. The same goes for movies and television shows. But for some reason, I don’t have a favorite videogame villain.
There are certainly no shortage of bad guys to choose from in games. Whether you like cerebral assassins, evil dictators, comedically ineffectual turtle overlords, or guys that just want to blow crap up, gaming has it all. Maybe it has something to do with how I don’t like playing games as an evil character; perhaps the interactive experience makes me actively dislike videogame villains? *shrug*
Perhaps you can help me out. I want to know who your favorite videogame villains are. Maybe your great selections will help jog my memory so that I can pick one baddie to rule them all.
