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, Big Ben’s concussion saga, trying out for the New Jersey Nets, or walking four blocks when you really shouldn’t, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Thanksgiving is a special time for many of us. Getting together with friends and family, eating lots of turkey and trimmings, and watching football is what the holiday is all about for millions of Americans. For me, Thanksgiving was always a special gaming holiday. You see, I used to rent games at the local video store when I was a kid. The store didn’t charge for the holiday, so it was like getting an extra day for free (actually, it was totally like that)!
One of my favorite Thanksgivings of all time was spent (a little bit) with my wonderful family and (a lot) with The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. I played the hell out of that game from Wedensday through Friday. I’m pretty sure that’s when I developed the habit of playing games until I pass out with the controller. I had several Thanksgiving marathon sessions like that when I was in grade school and I remember them fondly.
Did any of you do the same thing? Was Thanksgiving designated as a national videogame holiday for you? I’d love to hear about your epic Turkey Day gaming sessions.
. He’s a faithful dog and a fearsome warrior. While he can’t equip all the nifty weapons and armor my other party members can, Cisco is an underrated combatant that’s incredibly useful for taking out opposing mages.
is a menacing force. The dog in 
was a bigger part of the game than I thought he’d be. Yamato from Shadow Dancer: The Legend of Shinobi had special ninja-dog training. It’s kind of crazy how many courageous canines have graced videogames.
did a fine job of setting up the game’s sequels. While this chapter of the DA saga had you and your party marching around Ferelden, several other lands were mentioned in the game’s dialogue and the numerous codex.
. I still need to go through all the origins and get a few more Achievements. After that, I’m going to work on a character that I want to use for the sequel. I’m thinking a city-elf rogue that will specialize in assassin and duelist skills. Then again, it’s always tempting to go human noble because of the…uh…land owning possibilities.
with him. Surprisingly, I haven’t opened my copy yet. I love action-RPGs and comics, so you’d think I’d be all over this one. Normally, that would be the case, but the came out in September when I was flying all over Asia and at the end of the month…well, you know what happened. Anyway, I know I’m going to love this one, despite its flaws.
. Check out this video, narrated by Taylor, that details the game’s terrain, units, weapons, and more.
Fortunately, that’s not really a problem, since I live in a major city in a first-world country. That said, I started thinking about what I would do if such a catastrophe struck (yes, I’m exaggerating). Would I bust out a board game? Would I enjoy an extended round of bedroom activities? Or would I geek it up in another way?
and I’ve totally been digging the 
to Blackest Night. Candlelight geek reading FTW!!!