Square Enix has revealed that Final Fantasy VII will be rereleased for PC “soon” with achievements, character boosters, and cloud saves. Two of the three new features are self-explanatory. Character boosters let you “increase your HP, MP and Gil levels to their maximum, all with the simple click of a button, leaving you to enjoy your adventure”. They will presumably be in-app purchases.
The system requirements for FFVII are relatively modest: Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/7 (32/64-bit), 2GHz Processor or faster, 1GB RAM, and a DirectX 9-compatible graphic card. The game will be sold exclusively through the Square Enix store.
While people constantly argue about how “good” Final Fantasy VII is, it’s undoubtedly the most popular and influential game in the series. A PC rerelease is a huge deal. Naturally, I want to know if any of you are excited to play Final Fantasy VII on PC with achievements, character boosters, and cloud saves.
Yesterday I was doing some midsummer cleaning (I was late for spring cleaning, sue me) and tried to organize my current-gen videogames. My collection surprised me. Of course I found lots of Japanese RPGs, BioWare titles, and assorted Square Enix games. What astonished me was the amount of Nintendo products I’ve…
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, Dwight Howard being an insecure attention whore, Anderson Cooper coming out, or whether RIM will exist in 2013, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Yesterday I was doing some midsummer cleaning (I was late for spring cleaning, sue me) and tried to organize my current-gen videogames. My collection surprised me. Of course I found lots of Japanese RPGs, BioWare titles, and assorted Square Enix games. What astonished me was the amount of Nintendo products I’ve purchased this generation. I’m not talking about freebies; I’m talking about games that I actually bought. I don’t think of myself as a hardcore 3DS or Wii gamer, yet I have more games from Nintendo than any other publisher. It’s not even close.
What are your current-gen videogame collections like? Any surprises there (like RPadholic Big Blak secretly having a large assortment of Barbie games)? What genres dominate your stack of games? Any publishers or developers you lean towards more than others? Share the contents of your current-gen game collection in the comments section (please)!
Sony Computer Entertainment has announced that it has entered into a “definitive agreement” to purchase videogame-streaming service Gaikai for approximately $380-million. This acquisition should erase any doubts that streaming will be a big part of the future of gaming. The deal gives Sony all sorts of flexibility and potential to change the way it delivers games to customers. Mobile devices like the Apple iPhone and iPad have changed gaming forever; streaming technology like Gaikai gives Sony the potential to compete with devices like the iPad and future home consoles from its current competitors.
In today’s press release, SCE president and group CEO Andrew House said, “SCE will deliver a world-class cloud-streaming service that allows users to instantly enjoy a broad array of content ranging from immersive core games with rich graphics to casual content anytime, anywhere on a variety of internet-connected devices.” The last bit is the most fascinating detail. When I wrote about Gaikai in April, I mentioned that the service was running on Facebook. At last week’s Google I/O 2012 conference, the company showed the service running on Google Chrome. Imagine being able to play “PlayStation” games through a Sony phone, tablet, or television? In theory, the flexibility of streaming gives Sony some crazy reach. Its customers would no longer be limited to people that buy a box that goes under the television. That’s a tremendous game-changer.
Naturally, there’s some debate on how quickly SCE will implement Gaikai. Large companies generally implement new tech at a glacial pace. A respected colleague of mine believes that Gaikai will be used for nothing more than demos over the next few years. He could be right, but it’s not just due to utilizing new tech. The broadband market in many countries (hello America!) is too restrictive for enthusiast gamers to rely on streaming for the majority of their gaming. Broadband services will hopefully evolve to make streaming (and digital downloads) more feasible. Personally, I view this acquisition as prep for the next generation of PlayStation software and beyond.
Then there’s competitor OnLive. The company has been getting attention longer than Gaikai, but it lacked a dynamic and popular leader like Gaikai CEO David Perry. The obvious speculation is that a competitor (i.e. Microsoft) will buy OnLive in order to compete with Sony’s acquisition and/or engage in a patent war. It will be interesting to see how quickly the Gaikai acquisition changes OnLive’s fortunes. Obviously OnLive can’t compete with a consumer electronics giant like Sony, but the move could also cause a big fish to overpay for the company.
For the last year and a half, a good friend of mine at Sony has been screaming and shouting about how the days of standalone boxes for gaming are coming to a close. While I’m positive Sony’s acquisition of Gaikai had nothing to do with his rantings, it reflects his opinion. Now I’d like to hear yours! What do you think of Sony’s acquisition of Gaikai? How do you think it will change gaming as we know it today?
It’s time for the annual RPad.TV halftime report (which is actually written by you guys)! The first half of the year is over and I want to hear all about your favorite games from 2012. Has much changed since you picked your favorite games of Q1 2012? To paraphrase Warner Wolf, let’s go to the comments section!
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, German sausage with dear friends, the deliciousness of Woodford Reserve, or Drow wisdom, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
It’s time for the annual RPad.TV halftime report (which is actually written by you guys)! The first half of the year is over and I want to hear all about your favorite games from 2012. Has much changed since you picked your favorite games of Q1 2012? To paraphrase Warner Wolf, let’s go to the comments section! Before I get to that, I’ll throw in my two cents.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 is still my favorite game of the year. It’s a Japanese RPG with a Pokemon-like monster-element (and Serah in a bikini!). Of course I enjoyed it. The other game that stood out to me was Quarrel Deluxe for Xbox Live Arcade. The iPad version gave me dozens of hours of entertainment in 2011. I love being able to play the game online through XBLA in 2012.
So how about you? What are some of your favorite games from the first half of 2012?
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, Bill Simmons’ awesome NBA draft diary, the accuracy of Digitimes rumors, or your favorite steak sauce, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Communications has changed a ton in the last 15 years. At E3 2012, a PR veteran and I were talking about the days of sending/receiving press releases via fax and delivering screenshots on giant pieces of film. Staying with the dynamic between PR people and game writers provides a good roadmap for the evolution of modern communications. It’s pretty neat and I’d love to see if the same applies to “real” people like you.
I recall many flaks complaining about being unable to get journalists on the phone, but being able to get an email response in minutes. When email became more common, programs like AOL Instant Messenger became the easiest way to get in touch with game journalists. Even IM programs became too big; these days it’s pretty common for business to be done over Facebook messenger or Twitter direct messages.
Personally, I love Twitter DM exchanges; because of the nature of Twitter messages, the conversations are concise and stay on point. That said, I enjoy talking on the phone with people and strengthening connections that way. Email, AIM, Facebook, and Twitter are great, but the connections made actually speaking with people are irreplaceable.
How has communications evolved in your world? Do you do most of your business on the phone? Is email your primary method? Or are you more about IM, Facebook, and Twitter?
Like Hulkamania before it, tablet-mania is running wild. Apple is selling millions of iPads. Amazon is selling millions of Kindle Fires. Millions of Android fans were thrilled by yesterday’s announcement of the Google Nexus 7. Yet for some reason, many of you RPadholics aren’t down with tablet computing. Why is that?
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, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, the $1,500 price tag for Google Glass, or peach jelly vs. strawberry jelly, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Like Hulkamania before it, tablet-mania is running wild. Apple is selling millions of iPads. Amazon is selling millions of Kindle Fires. Millions of Android fans were thrilled by yesterday’s announcement of the Google Nexus 7. Yet for some reason, many of you RPadholics aren’t down with tablet computing. Why is that?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — the iPad is the most life-changing piece of consumer electronics I’ve purchased since TiVo. The versatility, power, and convenience is brilliant! There’s so much I can do on the iPad, for pleasure and business. I can play games, listen to music, bust out long emails, browse the Internetz, write long articles, read comic books, watch videos, watch Brazzers, edit images, update this very web site, and so much more. Tablet computing blends the power of desktop/laptop computers and the portability of smartphones in a delightfully amazing way.
Off the top of my head, only a few of you are down with tablet computing. RPadholics smartguy and tokz come to mind. A few of you, like Big Blak and Nightshade, are borderline anti-tablet. Whether you love tablets, hate them, or suffer from tablet-computing ennui, I’d leave to hear your thoughts on tablet computing. Fire away in the comments section (please)!
Long, long ago (about two years) in a galaxy far, far away (Los Angeles) several WWE Superstars and a WWE Diva (and my pal Jose) posed with the infamous RPad.TV refrigerator magnet. In the tradition of WWE’s From the Vault series, enjoy these classic photos of WWE Sheamus, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, Santino Marella, Kofi Kingston, Melina Perez, and more. After you’ve perused the photos, please let me know which WWE Superstar rocks the RPad.TV chick magnet the best.
At the Google I/O 2012 conference, Google unveiled the Nexus 7 tablet. A “pure” Android device built by Asus, the Nexus 7 will cost $199 or $249, depending on whether you opt for 8GB or 16GB of storage. Notable specs include a 1,280 x 800 seven-inch screen, quad-core Tegra 3 processor, and Android 4.1…
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, Lamar Odom to the Los Angeles Clippers, scar tissue, or Tony Parker’s eyeball being injured in the Drake vs. Chris Brown showdown, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
At the Google I/O 2012 conference, Google unveiled the Nexus 7 tablet. A “pure” Android device built by Asus, the Nexus 7 will cost $199 or $249, depending on whether you opt for 8GB or 16GB of storage. Notable specs include a 1,280 x 800 seven-inch screen, a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, 1GB of RAM, and Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). While the specs are nice, the remarkable thing about this product is its price point. It offers a lot of tablet-computing power for a very low price.
In some ways, the Nexus 7 will compete with the Amazon Kindle Fire. This $199 tablet runs a highly customized version of Android that’s built around Amazon’s digital services. While many pundits and Asus execs have said that the Nexus 7 is going after the Kindle Fire, there are huge differences in the types of customers each product appeals. Certainly there’s some overlap, but for the most part I don’t believe that the Nexus 7 will disrupt Kindle Fire sales (much). Let’s break it down.
The Kindle Fire is a general consumer device. Amazon is marvelous at marketing to and serving general consumers. These buyers won’t or don’t care about the superior specs of the Nexus 7. They’re comfortable with Amazon and content to live in the company’s somewhat limited (though very polished) digital ecosystem.
The Nexus 7 is an enthusiast device. As amazing a company as Google is, it has a poor track record as a consumer electronics company. Nerds love Google Nexus products, but “real” people buy Samsung Galaxy devices. Recently, Google started selling the Galaxy Nexus phone directly to consumers through its Google Play store. It will be interesting to see how a new device, like the Nexus 7, fares on Google Play. At best, it still won’t get the kind of exposure and marketing push that the Kindle Fire enjoys.
The Kindle Fire has a limited reach. The Fire started off as a U.S.-only device. I don’t expect it to be available in more than a handful of countries by the end of the year. This is by design, of course. Amazon will only sell the Kindle Fire in regions where it has the rights to digital content and can adequately support consumers. By contrast, the Nexus 7 will be available in many more territories than the Kindle Fire by the end of the year.
The Dad Test. I bought a Kindle Fire for my Dad last Christmas. He’s an Amazon customer. He’s familiar with the company’s buying experience. The customized UI was easy for him to learn and understand. For people like my Dad, the Kindle Fire is an excellent device.
The Nerd Test. For people like you and me, the Nexus 7 is a much better choice. I’m familiar with the quirks of Android and Google Play. I will play games that take advantage of the power of Nexus 7’s Tegra 3 processor (can’t wait for Eden to GREEEEN!). I appreciate that fact that Nexus devices get Android updates sooner than other phones and tablets. The Nexus 7 is totally in my wheelhouse.
Anyway, I’d love to hear what you guys think about the Nexus 7 and how it will fare against the Amazon Kindle Fire. Sound off in the comments section (please)!
The French Open recently finished and Wimbledon kicks off today. In the span of a month, the two most prestigious tournaments in the sport take place. This is the best time of the year to be a tennis fan. Naturally, as a videogame nerd I’ve been thinking about my favorite tennis videogames. As a huge fan of the sport and…
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, Victor Ortiz being a quitter, dramatic encounters with an ex, or Thai Airways’ amazing service, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
The French Open recently finished and Wimbledon kicks off today. In the span of a month, the two most prestigious tournaments in the sport take place. This is the best time of the year to be a tennis fan. Naturally, as a videogame nerd I’ve been thinking about my favorite tennis videogames. As a huge fan of the sport and someone that played the game fervently in high school, I pretty much love all tennis videogames.
That said, there are two that hold a special place in my heart. Virtua Tennis for Dreamcast was critically acclaimed and I loved it. It was especially fun since so many of my friends were into the game and wanted to play multiplayer. However, Mario Tennis 64 was the better — and surprisingly more accurate — game. As a videogame, it was just more fun. As a pseudo-simulation, it allowed you to do more things with the ball in terms of spin and angles. To this day, Mario Tennis 64 is my all-time favorite tennis videogame.
How about you? What are some of your favorite tennis videogames?
So yeah, there I was at the Wedbush Securities E3 2012 party (aka Pachter-Palooza) when this guy introduces himself to me. At first, I was disarmed by his shockingly low and booming voice. Two seconds later, I noticed his name tag said “JetBlue”, so I asked, “So, JetBlue…. What brings you to a videogame party?”…
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, seeing friends in Asia for (possibly) the last time, whether meeting your ex at a club you frequented together is a good idea, or the brilliance of Singaporean food stalls, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Please humor me as I share my favorite story from E3 2012. It’s not directly related to videogames, but it involves a prominent person in the business that many of you are familiar with. Now where’s that flashback transition??? (Imagine your own.)
So yeah, there I was at the Wedbush Securities E3 2012 party (aka Pachter-Palooza) when this guy introduces himself to me. At first, I was disarmed by his shockingly low and booming voice. Two seconds later, I noticed his name tag said “JetBlue”, so I asked, “So JetBlue…. What brings you to a videogame party?” To which he replied:
I’m a JetBlue flight attendant and I do the safety announcements on the flights. Michael Pachter was on one of my flights and he pulled me over and said, “You’re wasting your life on this airplane.” He invited me to this party and said he’d introduce me to some people to help me get into voice acting for games.
Now picture the above said by a god. I’m not talking about God god, but I’m not talking about crap gods either (Jeff god of biscuits, Simon god of hairdos, etc.). This man, Clint, spoke like a top-tier god. I’m talking Zeus, Odin, and cats like that. His voice was amazing.
What was more amazing (to me, anyway), was that Pachter took the time to chat with this fellow, invite him to a party attended by some gaming industry VIPs, and personally take him around to make connections (I saw him do this). Pachter is a pretty big deal in videogames and flight attendants…are not exactly adored. I thought it was cool, awesome, and touching that Pachter did so much for this random flight attendant.
In New York and (especially) Los Angeles, I’ve heard so many people say that they’re going to hook people up or help people out. Most of the time it’s just hot air. Seeing what Michael did for Clint was refreshing. It made me feel better about people. The big guy was actually helping out the little guy! And I believe the intentions were pure and simple too. The tale of Michael Pachter and the JetBlue guy is a beautiful story and my favorite from E3 2012.
