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Coffee Talk #405: Most Recognizable Videogame Sound Ever?

Today’s Coffee Talk is brought to you by RPadholic N8R. During a Google+ messenger chat he asked, “What is the most recognizable videogame sound ever?” What a fantastic question! Gameplay, graphics, music, and story are…

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 Yankees’ fate resting in the mentally deficient brain of AJ Burnett, Hank Williams, Jr. comparing President Obama to Adolf Hitler, or the awesome nerd buzz before Apple press conference, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Today’s Coffee Talk is brought to you by RPadholic N8R. During a Google+ messenger chat he asked, “What is the most recognizable videogame sound ever?” What a fantastic question! Gameplay, graphics, music, and story are definitely a huge part of games, but its often short sound effects that stay with us forever. Decades after I first heard them, sound effects from Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda are still stuck in my head.

If I mention the sound of Mario getting a coin or getting a power-up or getting an extra life, I’m positive that the vast majority of you know what I’m talking about. The same goes for Zelda sounds. I’m certain that most of you know the sound of Link getting a new item or unlocking a secret. At Nintendo’s E3 2011 presser, the audience totally marked out when the orchestra played Zelda sounds. Hell, the liberal use of Zelda sounds is part of why Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is so charming.

So what say you? Answer N8R’s question and name the most recognizable videogame sounds ever (please)!

Coffee Talk #404: Have You Ever Quit on a Console?

Last week I was intrigued by this comment left by RPadholic smartguy. He’s fed up with the quirks and annoyances of his PlayStation 3 and is on the verge of quitting it after Uncharted 3. It had me thinking about all the…

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, A-Rod getting the boo-bird treatment at Yankee Stadium, Stumptown’s Guatemala Antigua Buenavista, or how old you were when you started liking the taste of alcoholic beverages, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Last week I was intrigued by this comment left by RPadholic smartguy. He’s fed up with the quirks and annoyances of his PlayStation 3 and is on the verge of quitting it after Uncharted 3. It had me thinking about all the consoles I’ve owned in the past. I don’t recall any of them pissing me off to the point where I gave up on the system. How about you? Have you ever quit on a console? Or did you have issues, only to lovingly whisper, “I can’t quit you,” to your beloved gaming system?

Keep in mind that I’m in an unusual situation since the last few generations of consoles have either been free or work expenses for me. I love all of my gaming systems, but they’re all work machines — there’s no such thing as buyer’s remorse in my case. Even before that, I managed to put up with the completely ridiculous Sega Genesis Mega Stack of Doom. If a Voltron-like console couldn’t make me quit then I’m not sure what would.

So how about it? Has a console ever driven you to the point of disowning it? Have you ever quit on a console?

Forbes Calls Call of Duty “Rank Up XP” Promotion Unholy

Activision and Pepsi are teaming up for a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 promotion that gives gamers time to earn double experience points when they buy participating products. The “Rank Up Your Game” web site shows Mountain Dew and Doritos as foods that will earn double XP. In a recent article, Forbes called the promotion “nothing short of unholy.” Here’s an excerpt:

The promotion is called “Rank Up XP,” and the long and short of it is that by buying certain Pepsi products, namely Mountain Dew and Doritos, players can redeem codes in the packaging for Double XP time in Modern Warfare 3. A 20 oz gets you 15 minutes, a 12 pack gets you 45, and so on.

Why is this a problem? Because XP is currency in these games, and whoever has more of it first is at a distinct advantage. More XP, especially when the game is new, means more weapons, more perks, more attachments, more killstreaks, and subsequently, usually more wins. Offering Double XP to someone who purchases Pepsi products is selling out about as much as you can, and for a franchise that’s already been accused of pushing the limits with “Elite” monthly membership and overpriced map packs, it goes to show that Activision will exploit its fans in any way they can.

Perhaps I’ve been desensitized by years of marketing, but I don’t see what’s so bad about the promo. I’ve certainly seen worse and it’s not like I expect Activision to offer a deal that rewards gamers for buying organic direct-trade fruit. It’s a marketing deal that combines a popular game with popular junk food. It’s not benefiting mankind, but I wouldn’t go as far as to call it “unholy”.

Actually, let’s take it to another level. Calling it unholy is f*cking stupid. There are people without homes and food. There are people that are being denied their civil rights. There are people without jobs and health insurance. I don’t know Paul Tassi, the author of the Forbes article, but I’m inclined to think that he’s a moron if he truly believes a “Call of Duty + Mountain Dew = double XP” promotion is unholy compared to all the other things going on in the world. If earning double XP in a questionable way is unholy, then how do you describe what’s going on in Myanmar and North Korea?!?

What do you think? Is Activision teaming up with Doritos for double XP unholy? Or is it just another marketing deal?

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Coffee Talk #403: Google+ vs. Facebook is About Search

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 Yankees jobbing to Tampa Bay to stick it to the Red Sox, Facebook and Spotify sitting in a tree, or remembering your favorite indie-pop bands from 2001, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

It’s frustrating talking about Google+ with my friends in the videogame business. Most of them are missing the big picture. Most of them can’t think of it in terms other than Google+ vs. Facebook. Certainly Google+ competes with social networks like Facebook and Twitter. It even competes with messaging services like BlackBerry Messenger and the upcoming iMessenger. While it’s fun for writers, analysts, and consumers to talk about these “wars”, that’s really not what Google+ is about. Ultimately, it all comes down to search.

Remember way back in 2007 when Microsoft invested $240-million in Facebook? At the time, Google was concerned about two of its biggest rivals teaming up. Remember earlier this year when Microsoft’s Bing search engine got a huge social boost powered by Facebook “likes”? That’s when Google’s biggest fears about the partnership were realized.

Although it has its fingers in many pies, at the end of the day, Google is a search company that makes the vast majority of its money serving ads. Google was not pleased that the most popular social network in the world was helping Bing serve up more relevant results and serve more relevant ads. This is what Google+ is really about — the socialization of Google search.

As someone with nerd friends in Silicon Valley and the videogame industry, I have a lot of friends and acquaintances that actively use Google+. More importantly, they actively use the “+1” buttons found on numerous articles. When I search for something on Google that’s tech or game related, I usually see articles that my friends have recommended. This is enormously powerful! I’m more likely to click on a link that my friends recommend than one without that seal of approval.

While some people at Google would love to see the Google+ installed base surpass that of Facebook’s, I’m sure that most don’t see it as a realistic possibility. I’m also sure that a lot of them don’t care. This is not a head-to-head race. Google+ is growing at a rapid rate, as is the use of “+1” buttons. Google executives are just fine with collecting more user data, making search results more socially relevant, serving up more relevant advertising, and swimming in ad dollars. That’s way more important than getting into a numbers contest with Facebook. I’m just surprised that my gaming friends don’t get that.

I’d love to hear what you think of the Google+ vs. Facebook “war”. How do you feel about the socialization of search? Do you want the search algorithm to do all the work? Or do you like having your friends influence your search results?

[Also, don’t forget to ~~drink your Ovaltine~~ click on the +1 button for any RPad.tv articles you enjoy. It really helps!]

Playing Around with the New Facebook Timeline

I’ve been playing around with Facebook’s new “Timeline” feature for the last few days. It’s definitely bold and different, but I’m not yet sold on it. Although it’s arguably Facebook’s biggest initiative since the social network launched, I have a feeling that it’s going to pan out similarly to other new feature introductions — some people are going to love it and some people are going to hate it, but few people will leave Facebook because of it. Here are some random thoughts from my three days with Timeline.

– I hated Timeline for the first few hours. This was hardly surprising. Hundreds of X-Men comics have taught me that people fear and hate what they don’t understand. I definitely didn’t understand Timeline at first. Using it was jarring and overwhelming. Hell, just looking at it was confusing. I didn’t know where anything was and in many cases I wasn’t sure where to look for it.

– As I got more familiar with Timeline, I became fascinated by it. It’s definitely a new and different way to look at and organize personal information. I found myself thinking, “You know, if I used Facebook for purely personal reasons, this would be totally neat!” Unfortunately, I don’t. I decided long ago ~~never to walk in anyone’s shadow~~ that I was only going to have one Facebook account. Several of my friends have personal and work Facebook accounts. That’s definitely the more practical thing to do, but I also think it’s slightly pretentious. Because I mostly use Facebook for interacting with readers, promoting articles, and keeping tabs on videogame industry peeps, I limit the personal info I put on the service. As an atypical Facebook user, I won’t get as much out of Timeline as someone that uses Facebook primarily for personal enjoyment.

– Sorting through my birthday wishes was outstanding for getting used to Timeline. At this point, I was accustomed to where everything was. Getting a steady stream of birthday wishes got me used to how information flowed. This made Timeline click for me. I can see myself having a sad February day in 2012 and clicking on September 2011 to cheer myself up with my birthday wishes. I can also see myself randomly clicking on a month and year just to remember what happened. It’s like the “pensieve” from the Harry Potter movies…but with tech instead of magic.

– Today I tried to upload old photos to see how they would behave in Timeline. After uploading a batch of pictures from the Spike TV 2003 VGAs, I was disappointed to see that they didn’t pop up in the 2003 section of my Timeline. This is absolutely stupid. The meta data is right there in the files. The pics should automatically be placed in 2003. I didn’t see a way to manually do this either. There’s a chance I’m missing the menu for this option. There’s also a chance that this feature will be implemented later. Either way, it’s moronic that this isn’t done automatically.

– Three days later, I’m not sure if I like Timeline. I’m having fun playing around with it because it’s new, but I’m still not sure it’s better for the way that I use Facebook. It’s certainly bold and interesting, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good. Obviously I’m stuck on Facebook and can’t leave. It’s too powerful for networking, marketing, and outreach purposes. That’s where you come in! If you’re already using Timeline, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. If not, let’s revisit this on September 29 when it starts rolling out to everyone.

Star Wars: The Old Republic Launching on December 20, 2011

BioWare and LucasArts have announced that the highly-anticipated MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic will arrive on December 20, 2011. The launch date is fascinating. Major game releases typically stop in early December. A lot of my industry friends are thinking, “Sorry family. I’m abandoning you this Christmas.” Others are surprised that the game is coming out for the holidays, simply because MMOs are typically “me” purchases and not gifts.

I think it’s a brilliant time to launch an MMO. A lot of people have time off at the end of December and the beginning of January. That’s the perfect time to create SWTOR addicts! I can see lots of people giving the game a shot while they’re off from work or school. They’ll return to the office or the classroom and dream about their SWTOR life all day.

Of course I could be wrong. The pull of family and friends might be too much for the Force. What do you think about the unusual launch date of Star Wars: The Old Republic? Is it a great time to create subscribers? Or will the game lose out to Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa joy?

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Coffee Talk #402: My Gilligan’s Island RTS Dream

Last week I had one of the silliest videogame dreams I’ve ever had in my life. In my dream, I was feverishly playing a Gilligan’s Island real-time strategy game made by Blizzard…

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, digesting outstanding birthday food, Michael Vick complaining about referees, or rooting for Manchester City, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Last week I had one of the silliest videogame dreams I’ve ever had in my life. In my dream, I was feverishly playing a Gilligan’s Island real-time strategy game made by Blizzard. I was harvesting bamboo to build war huts. I was gathering coconuts to make coconut-cream pies to hurl at my enemies. I was defending Queen Mary Ann Summers from the villainous Emperor Howell and the mad scientist Professor Roy Hinkley. From the bits I remember, it was an intense battle played out in wonderfully polished and addictive Blizzard RTS.

Yeah, pretty ridiculous, hey? It’s been awhile since I’ve had such a vivid and crazy videogame dream. I had to share it with you. I’m also trying to remember what I ate that night and wondering if anyone slipped me any absinthe….

Have you had any crazy videogame dreams lately? Please share them in the comments section! If you were playing a Gilligan’s Island RTS, which team would you pick? Are you a Ginger? Is Skipper your man? Or would you go with good old Gilligan? Also, is anyone else shocked that some hack TV executive hasn’t tried to remake Gilligan’s Island?

Diablo III Launching in Early 2012, Beta Extended

Blizzard president and co-founder Mike Morhaime has announced that the highly anticipated Diablo III will be launching in early 2012. The company hoped to have the game ready by the end of 2011, but wanted additional time to improve things. Given Blizzard’s legendary level of polish, I’m sure that it will be well worth the wait. Here’s more from Morhaime’s blog:

For Diablo III, we were aiming to launch by the end of 2011. As we’re announcing globally today, our new target for the game is early 2012.

While this news might not be a complete surprise, I know that many of you were hopeful that Diablo III would ship this year. We were too. However, this week we pulled together people from all of the teams involved with the game to decide whether we felt it would be ready before the end of December, and we grudgingly came to the conclusion that it would not. Ultimately, we feel that to deliver an awesome Diablo sequel that lives up to our expectations and yours as well, we should take a little more time and add further polish to a few different elements of the game.

The upside of today’s announcement is that we will be running the beta test longer than we initially planned, which will allow us to invite more of you who have opted in.

I’m so psyched for this game! It’s going to completely own. I know that RPadholic smartguy is definitely down to play. Anyone else? Are you going to be among the millions — and millions (think The Rock) — of people that will buy Diablo III?

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Still More Quick Hits (Not a Review!) on DC Comics New 52

After two weeks of “The New 52”, I’m thoroughly addicted to the rebooted DC Universe. In fact, I picked up more comics this week than the previous two weeks. This time around I’ll be sharing my opinions on the first issues of Batman, Catwoman, Green Lantern Corps, Legion of Super-Heroes, Nightwing, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Supergirls, and Wonder Woman. Let’s get to it! (Minor spoilers ahead.)

Batman #1: This was easily the most complete book of the week. Greg Capullo’s art was fantastic. Scott Snyder’s writing was sharp. It worked as a standalone issue and the first chapter of a story arc. Snyder did a great job at portraying how Batman and Bruce Wayne try to serve Gotham in very different ways. Great stuff all around!

As a Nightwing mark, it was cool to see him make an appearance in this issue. Hell, it was cool to see some of Batman’s other “sons” (Tim Drake, Damian Wayne). My one minor criticism is that the Bat-tech is way out of hand. Yes, Batman has cool and technologically advanced gadgets, but he’s best as a ruthless hero with unmatched detective skills and a strategic mind that’s second to none. Using E.M.P. masks and contact lenses that can remotely access supercomputers takes away from that. Having said that, this is a great comic book.

Catwoman #1: I wasn’t planning to pick up this book, but then I saw that Judd Winick was writing it. I really dig his stuff from Green Lantern, The Outsiders, Titans, Batman, etc. He’s great at getting people to care about his characters and his books always have a fun vibe. Catwoman definitely shows off his strengths. Winick made the character cool and fun, but also vulnerable enough that you feel for her. Guillem March’s did a fantastic job at complementing Winick’s vibe by using a style with slick action and slight exaggeration.

The first issue of the book wasn’t as strong a standalone as Batman, but it was good for setting up the vibe of Winick’s version of Selina Kyle both in and out of the costume. The cliffhanger isn’t a traditional one, but it completely works. Instead of wondering what happens to Catwoman as she’s left in a life-threatening position, readers can look forward to issue #2 revealing what pillow talk between Batman and Catwoman is like the morning after.

Green Lantern Corps #1: Wow. The first few pages of the book were shocking. It wasn’t what I was expecting at all. Green Lantern action usually consists of big space explosions, elaborate energy constructs, and giant green boxing gloves. I was stunned by the brutality that kicked off this book. I definitely wasn’t expecting one character to get decapitated and another sliced in half. I suppose that’s the peril of being a nameless member of the GLC. It’s like being a nameless ensign that gets beamed down for a mission with Captain Kirk.

Meanwhile back on Earth, it was fun watching Guy Gardner and John Stewart try to work civilian jobs. Not having secret identities can be bad for leading a normal life. After both their ventures failed, it was time for them to resume being space cops…and they found one helluva case to solve. I’m intrigued by the mystery assailant. He hasn’t shown his face yet, but he’s proven to be brutal, cruel, twisted, and powerful. I’m anxious to see how the showdown develops!

Legion of Super-Heroes #1: This book is definitely not for everyone. Legion gets a bit wacky for most mainstream readers and there are too many characters to keep track of. That said, I’ve always enjoyed Legion, particularly Mark Waid’s version. I love the wide variety of characters. I think Durlans and Daxamites are cool. 31st-century slang amuses me (sprock it all to hell!!!). With that in mind, I enjoyed this book and am on the hook for at least a few more issues.

That said, this book will definitely be confusing to newcomers and those only vaguely familiar with Legion. Unless you can name 10 Legionnaires off the top of your head, the basic plot will get drowned out by the large cast. Additionally, there are also several new recruits and I found myself flipping back so I could get their powers straight. I can’t imagine going into this book blindly. It’s way too overwhelming and weird. If you’re not a Legion fan then I can’t recommend this book.

Nightwing #1: Most of you know that I’m a Nightwing homer. Of course I loved this book! It had Dick’s excellent acrobatic skills, a brush with his Circus-life past, a new villain, and new lady to further establish him as the biggest man-whore in the DC Universe. It was a strong start to what will definitely be one of my favorite series.

What was unusual about this book is that it wasn’t quite optimized for tablet reading. There were a few two-page spreads that featured a lot of small, diagonal panels. These spreads definitely work better for a physical comic book than a digital one. Everything I’ve read from the first two weeks of The New 52 looked perfect on my iPad 2. This was the first book with some awkward pages. Still…it’s Nightwing. He’s awesome.

Red Hood and the Outlaws: This was another book that I knew I was going to love. Tweener heroes — former sidekicks that aren’t yet the primary heroes — are my favorites.Ex-Robin Jason Todd is one of the most fascinating characters in the DCU. The same goes for former Green Arrow sidekick Arsenal. I’ve always had a crush on Starfire; aliens with golden skin and glowing green eyes are hot. This book had nice action, great humor, and sharp dialogue.

There were two things that bugged me about this issue. Similar to Nightwing, it had those diagonal panels that don’t work well on a tablet. I’m also not sure what to make of the new version of Starfire. Hopefully there’s something wrong with her or her sister is taking her place, because her characterization is weird. She’s being written as a sexually aggressive Tamaranian princess with no long-term memory. While it would be awesome to meet one of those in real life, she’s so different from the Koriand’r I’ve enjoyed over the years.

Supergirl #1: This was another book I was on the fence about. I’m not sure what pushed my over, but I’m glad I picked it up. It starts with Kara Zor-El crash landing on Earth. She has no idea where she is, doesn’t speak the language, holds no currency, and finds herself under attack. I enjoyed watching her deal with a crazy situation and discover that Earth’s yellow sun gives her powers.

Part of the reason I’m interested to see where this book goes is because the new Supergirl will help define the new Superman. Kal-El appears on the last page and it’s a killer hook for the next issue. I definitely want to find out what he knows about Kara and how she deals with him. What is their relationship going to be like? How the hell does Kal know how to speak Kryptonian? Why are they wearing traditional Kryptonian graduation outfits for superhero adventures?

Wonder Woman #1: I wasn’t looking forward to this issue, but felt obligated to pick it up. After all, Wonder Woman is one of the three pillars of the DCU along with Batman and Superman. When I found out that Brian Azzarello was writing it, I did a total 180. He’s a fantastically edgy writer and his first issue of Wonder Woman was boss.

Wonder Woman feels fresh again. It mixes Greek mythology with a modern, somewhat occult, twist. The art was really striking and surprisingly violent. Seeing a horse get decapitated, watching a god take an arrow in the gut, and seeing a Marilyn Manson-like take on centaurs really stuck in my head. Cliff Chiang’s art is very unique and stands out, but Azzarello’s edgy take on Wonder Woman is cool and I’m really looking forward to more.

Coffee Talk #401: Heavy Characterization vs. Transparency

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, mixers that go well with top-shelf tequila, your AL East Champion New York Yankees, or looking forward to a large birthday steak, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Do you prefer videogame protagonists with deep characterization or ones that are more transparent? The former allows for characters with richer backgrounds and back stories, while the latter allows you to slip into the hero’s armor, space battle suit, bell bottoms, etc. I’m sure you’ve enjoyed both styles in several games, but I’m also sure you have a preference. Which one is it?

Let’s use the Dragon Age games as an example. In Dragon Age: Origins, you could select from a variety of relatively transparent characters. Yes, they all had back stories, but for the most part you could transpose your personality on the lead character. In Dragon Age II, you played as an established character named Hawke. Yes, you could make him/her really good, really sarcastic, or somewhat evil, but the choice were much more limited. In terms of plot and characterization, it’s a huge difference (and one of the reasons the second game is so polarizing).

I enjoyed Origins tremendously. It was fun marching around Ferelden through different perspectives. Whether I was a human, dwarf, Dalish elf, or city elf, I enjoyed molding my hero to fit my personality. I also enjoyed Dragon Age II. It was fun learning about Hawke, his history, his family, etc. Instead of the enjoyment of transposing myself onto the hero, I enjoyed learning about a character’s background and taking his/her life in new directions.

For the most part, I enjoy characters that are heavily written. Don’t get me wrong; I definitely enjoy transparent characters too, but as a writer I prefer experiencing characters other people have written instead of ones I imagine myself to be. I suppose some of that stems from being a comic-book geek. I just love learning about and adventuring with other people’s characters (you down with O.P.C.?!?).

And you? Do you prefer characters with heavily scripted backgrounds and personalities? Or do you prefer transparent characters that let you imagine what it’s like to be the hero?