Today's Specials Archives - Page 20 of 89

Google+ Gets Games, Devs Get Better Deal Than Facebook

Google is rolling out games for its Google+ social network. Launch titles include Angry Birds, Bejeweled Blitz, Bubble Island, City of Wonder, Collapse! Blast, Crime City, Diamond Dash, Dragon Age: Legends, Dragons of Atlantis, Edge World, Flood-It!, Monster World, Sudoku, Wild Ones, Zombie Lane, and Zynga Poker. The gaming functionality of Google+ is being deployed on a rolling basis, so not everyone can access it right away.

For consumers, Google wants to keep games simple and out-of-the-way compared to Facebook. Users will have more control over what gaming information they share and see on their stream. On a recent post on the Official Google Blog, senior vice president Vic Gundotra wrote:

Sharing is about more than just conversations. The experiences we have together are just as important to our relationships. We want to make playing games online just as fun, and just as meaningful, as playing in real life.

That means giving you control over when you see games, how you play them and with whom you share your experiences. Games in Google+ are there when you want them and gone when you don’t.

For developers that make money through in-game purchases, Google+ is especially attractive. According to VentureBeat’s “Dancing” Dean Takahashi, Google’s cut of in-game purchases is 5 percent, as opposed to the 30 percent Facebook takes in. Obviously Facebook has a much higher installed base, so developers stand to make more money on that social network based on the sheer amount of players. As Google+ continues to grow — remember, it hasn’t even been out for two months — it will be interesting to see if developers start to favor it over Facebook.

Sadly, games haven’t shown up on my Google+ account yet. How about for you? Anything there yet? What do you think of Google+ games? Will you give them a whirl?

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Coffee Talk #383: Has Videogame Pr0n Arrived?!?

Before I get started, please know that the videos in the post are totally safe for work. Now let’s get to the matter of nerd pr0n! With movie titles like On Golden Blonde, Forrest Humps, and Romancing the Bone, it’s clear…

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, to VPS or not to VPS, the demise of George Lopez, or AJ Burnett’s August record for the last three seasons (it sucks), Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Before I get started, please know that the videos in this post are totally safe for work. Now let’s get to the matter of nerd pr0n! With movie titles like On Golden Blonde, Forrest Humps, and Romancing the Bone, it’s clear that nothing is safe from the adult entertainment industry. Recently, a lot of my friends have been sending around the trailer for Star Wars XXX (embedded below). I know there have been adult movies that spoof popular fantasy and sci-fi movies, but why not videogames?!? It turns out that naughty videogame movies are here!

During an email discussion of Star Wars XXX, a friend informed me of Sex Fighter II, an adult movie parody of Street Fighter II. This movie has an actor dressed as Ryu doing…imaginative things to an actress dressed as Chun-Li. On one hand, I’m sure there are people at Capcom, as well as Capcom fans, that find this disturbing. On the other hand, it’s about frickin’ time! In a way, pr0n spoofs legitimizes the videogame business, similar to how a “Weird” Al Yankovic parody legitimizes a pop artist. At least, that’s the way I feel.

Oh yeah, disclaimer: I am not endorsing Sex Fighter II. Now please share your thoughts on the important matter of videogame pr0n. Do you have any cool titles in your head? Have you started writing any scenes that started with, “Then Samus took off her helmet…”?

Coffee Talk #382: Achievements, Trophies, and Gaming Habits

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, Amazon’s HTML5 iPad Kindle site, traveling to Utah to break office windows, or the Wisconsin recall, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Achievements and trophies have added a new twist to gaming. These kinds of rewards are arguably the biggest change this console generation has introduced. For the most part, gamers seem to love them. It’s fun getting a virtual pat on the back during the game. It’s fun getting meaningless points for the sake of having them. Achievements and trophies add a layer of permanent fulfillment that complements the satisfaction of clearing a level or beating a game.

That said, they’ve also changed the way many of us play games. I’m not much of an achievement whore, but I have a lot of friends that are. Some of my friends will keep playing a game after they’ve beaten it just to get all the achievements or trophies. On one hand, they’re getting more value out of a game. On the other hand, they’re not particularly enjoying it; they’re just obsessed with the virtual rewards. A lot of my friend endure mediocre or crap games just to get some extra trophies.

Compared to previous console generations, I play more games well after I’ve beaten them thanks to achievements. I’ve also kept with mediocre games for longer than I should have because of trophies. Have these rewards changed your gaming habits? Do you play longer than you used to because of them? Have you beaten crappy games just to boost your gamerscore? Have any of you pulled a Ted Regulski (beat all those crappy Burger King Xbox 360 games just for achievements)?!?

Thanks to bsukenyan for inspiring today’s column with this comment!

Amazon Going Cheap and Readable with Android Tablet?

In the tablet market, there’s the Apple iPad…and everyone else. Nobody can touch the iPad at the moment. Tablets running Google Android Honeycomb aren’t as good as the iPad. The BlackBerry PlayBook isn’t as good as the iPad. With its recent webOS, the HP TouchPad is the second-best tablet on the market, but it’s still not as good as the iPad. The sales of all the aforementioned tablets reflect this; the iPad is a waterfall that keeps getting bigger, while its competitors are drops in a bucket.

Amazon has huge plans for the tablet market, but with so many competitors floundering, how can it hope to succeed? How can it hope to compete with Apple? Perhaps the answer is by being cheaper and offering a better reading experience than other tablets. PC Magazine’s Tim Bajarin recently wrote:

Multiple sources tell me that it will have the best reading experience of any tablet on the market. But, I am also hearing that Amazon is using pretty low-cost parts and not using any of the major manufacturers that are producing most of the tablets for mainstream competitors. Apparently, the company’s key goal is to make the tablet very inexpensive and then use a new business model to own the Android tablet market.

This might be the best strategy for Amazon. HP, Google’s partners, and RIM are trying to compete with Apple on a feature-by-feature basis. Those companies are trying to outdo the iPad in every way. If Bajarin’s sources are correct, Amazon hopes to take its slice of the pie by emphasizing price and its Kindle connectivity.

Amazon already has several pieces in place for its Android tablets. While some developers find it controversial, the company has had good success with the Amazon Android Appstore. Its Cloud Player offers a convenient way to listen to music on multiple devices and encourages Amazon MP3 purchases. Using screen tech that offers a superior reading experience and encourages Kindle book purchases is a potentially excellent differentiator. Not only would it round out the Amazon tablet’s cloud offerings, but it would make customers more likely to buy apps, music, books, and anything else they can find through Amazon.

I’d be totally down with a cheap Android tablet with great readability from Amazon. I’m a Kindle user, but I find that my eyes get tired way more easily on the iPad than on a Kindle Reader. I already use the Amazon Android Appstore and Cloud Player frequently. One of my few issues with the iPad 2 is that there isn’t a good way to handle multiple Gmail accounts while retaining all the native Gmail features. While the iPad 2 has had a huge impact on my digital life, I’d be willing to make room for the Amazon tablet that Bajarin describes.

How about you? Any of you curious about a cheap Amazon Android tablet with great readability?

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Three Reasons Why You Should Watch WWE SmackDown

CM Punk has been killing it on WWE Monday Night Raw and has been lauded for making the show the most interesting it’s been in a long, long time. All of the praise is deserved. Punk has been amazing on Raw and deserves credit for carrying the most compelling WWE angle of 2011. While most wrestling fans have their eyes on Raw, SmackDown has been quietly improving. WWE’s Friday show usually has the better wrestling, but lately it has been evolving into a unique and complete show. Here are three reasons why I’ve been marking out for SmackDown.

1) Bryan Danielson: A lot of you know that I’m a big Daniel Bryan fan and have been following his career since his Ring of Honor days. I believe that he’s currently the best mat wrestler in WWE and a phenomenal talent. While he has yet to find his groove on the mic in WWE, he has wrestled some fantastic matches that remind me of classic NWA bouts I loved in the ’80s and ’90s. He has a brilliant style that blends modern moves with old-school technique. I’m looking forward to seeing the build-up to his WrestleMania title shot.

2) WWE Divas That Can Wrestle: The Divas division has been a joke for far too long. That’s changing on SmackDown. They’re actually letting the ladies wrestle — a novel idea, hey?!? Two of my current favorites, AJ Lee and Nattie Neidhart, have taken advantage of their wrestling time, showing that WWE Divas can put on great matches. I love that SmackDown is showcasing women that can actually work a match. I especially love that AJ is getting airtime. She wrestles, plays videogames, and reads comics. All nerds should love and support her.

3) Sheamus vs. Mark Henry: I’m absolutely shocked that this angle is working. I’m amazed that Henry’s “monster” angle has made him the most interesting he has ever been in his career. I’m surprised that the fans took to Sheamus’ face turn so quickly. He was such a great heel and a fantastic villainous champion. The writers didn’t have much for him to do so they turned him face and the fans are loving it. If you had told me two months ago that monster Henry vs. face Sheamus would be a popular SmackDown angle then I would have called you nuts. Eventually, Henry will run out of steam and he’ll revert to the world’s strongest jobber. What’s really fun is watching Sheamus evolve. He has already proven that he can be a great heel and I’m curious to see if he can be a great face.

Raw is the flagship show and that’s never going to change, but don’t ignore SmackDown. There are great things happening on WWE’s “other” show.

Coffee Talk #381: I Dream of Next-Gen Consoles with SSD

Back in November 2009 we discussed our next-gen console dreams. At the time, my dream was for a TiVo-enabled console. While that dream is still alive, I have another wish for next-gen consoles…

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 awesomeness of Curb Your Enthusiasm, finding solutions for your crap web host, or the future of HSPA+, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Back in November 2009 we discussed our next-gen console dreams. At the time, my dream was for a TiVo-enabled console. While that dream is still alive, I have another wish for next-gen consoles: solid state hard drives. With the introduction of hard drives in consoles, load times are much shorter than when games ran entirely off of discs. That said, load times still happen and they still piss me off. While the power of the PlayStation 3 is impressive, it’s annoying when it’s held up by a 5,400 rpm platter drive.

Solid state drives (SSDs) are much more suitable for keeping up with powerful CPUs and GPUs than platter-based drives. The throughput levels aren’t even close. It truly is a tortoise vs. hare comparison. In practical terms, look at the boot times of a MacBook Air (SSD) vs. a MacBook equipped with a 5,400 rpm drive. Next-get consoles with SSDs would start up faster and have considerably less load times than today’s consoles. As an added bonus, SSDs are much more durable and far less prone to failure than platter drives — a nifty benefit of not having moving (fragile) parts.

Best of all, the next-generation PlayStation and Xbox machines should hit sometime between 2013 and 2014. By then, the cost of a 256GB SSD should be cheap enough for a home console. Hell, if they don’t arrive until 2014 then maybe a 512GB SSD would be an option! Ah, the dream….

Anyway, that’s my latest next-gen console dream. What do you think of using SSDs in future consoles? How have your console dreams evolved since November 2009?

PlayStation Vita Coming to America in 2012

Were you looking forward to buying a PlayStation Vita this holiday season? Unless you want an imported Japanese version, you’ll have to wait a bit longer. Sony’s next portable gaming system will not be available in North America and Europe until early 2012. Here’s more from Bloomberg:

The product will initially launch in Japan before the end of December, followed by introductions in the U.S. and Europe early next year, Kazuo Hirai, Chairman Howard Stringer’s top lieutenant, told reporters in Tokyo today. The company had previously said it planned a phased global rollout of the Vita from the end of this year, without providing specifics.

Sony was in a great position to compete with Nintendo’s 3DS handheld, which recently slashed its price due to weaker-than-expected sales. A lot of gamers were looking forward to the Vita and many are surely disappointed that it won’t be out in 2011 as originally expected. That said, the extra time should allow Sony to bolster the Vita’s launch lineup. Having strong games at launch would help Sony avoid one of the 3DS’ problems.

How do you feel about the PlayStation Vita being delayed until 2012? Are you bummed? Or are you hopeful that the extra time will lead to a better launch lineup? Perhaps the whole thing is leaving you with a profound sense of “meh”? Leave a comment and let me know (please)!

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Coffee Talk #380: Game Companies That You Miss

Most of you have been playing games for at least a decade. In the time that you’ve been playing games, several publishers and developers have come and gone. Are there any game companies that you miss?

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, Klatch’s Hawaiian Ka’u Typica, Time Warner Cable sucking for not allowing HBO Go, or the slow death of WiMax, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Most of you have been playing games for at least a decade. Some of you have been gamers for multiple decades. In the time that you’ve been playing games, several game developers and publishers have come and gone. Are there any game companies that you miss? If you jog your memory, I’m sure you can think of one you used to love and is no longer around today.

As for me, I’m going with Interplay. (Yes, I know there’s a new version of the company kicking around Beverly Hills, but it’s Interplay by name only.) My history with this developer/publisher goes back to the mid-’80s when I was dazzled by The Bard’s Tale on my Commodore 64. The company owned me from 1999 to 2002 with games like Earthworm Jim 3D, Baldur’s Gate, Baldur’s Gate II, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, Icewind Dale, Icewind Dale II, Giant’s: Citizen Kabuto, Planescape: Torment, and more. The company entertained me for hundreds of hours and I miss it a ton.

Before I get all weepy, please let me know any developers or publishers that you miss. Any MicroProse fans in the house? How about any Acclaim marks? How awesome was Looking Glass Studios back in the day? Okay, I’m going to stop before I get lost in nostalgia and use Wikipedia to read about game companies that longer exist today.

Random Thoughts on Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Last night I caught a screening of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. As a fan of the original films and a James Franco mark, I was interested in seeing the movie, though not overly excited. I left the Fox lot satisfied and surprised. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a great summer blockbuster that’s smarter and subtler than most big-budget movies. Here are some random thoughts (not a review!) on the movie. Spoilers ahead!!!

– Clothing note: I almost always dress up for videogame-industry events and rarely dress up for movie screenings. Aside from my friend Paul, I rarely see anyone I know at screenings. Last night I wore my usual movie screening combo of Lulu Lemon yoga pants, a t-shirt, and a Yankee hat. I was a little embarrassed when X-Play Morgan Webb took the seat behind me. Oops.

– The movie’s writing was smart and respectful to the source material. It’s easy to make the Planet of the Apes premise ridiculous, but things mostly made sense in this movie. There were a lot of homage moments to the original movies. Some of them were bits of dialogue, some were twists on old action sequences, and others used simple props. All of them made me smile.

– Up until the end, there was a surprising amount of subtlety in the film. One of my problems with the Watchmen movie was that scenes were changed to hit the audience over the head with plot points, as opposed to the comics where things are implied. This movie implies a lot of things that most moviegoers should figure out. For most of the movie, it’s implied that a virus leads to the rise of the apes and the fall of humans. There are also several hints on the movie’s sequel and how humans return to Earth. I absolutely loved that the writers and director were not clumsily heavy handed with plot points.

– James Franco is awesome. I thought he had a bright future when I first saw him in Freaks and Geeks, then I wasn’t so sure when I saw him in Spider-Man and Pineapple Express. He erased any doubts I had about his talent in 127 Hours and he’s excellent in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Similar to how the movie is written, Franco delivers his lines so that you take him and the movie’s story seriously. He’s believable in a role and situation that could easily have been asinine. On a side note, I’m convinced, at the very least, that he will become the next John Turturro — a guy that’s good in every role he plays, even if the material he’s working with isn’t the best.

– Freida Pinto is gorgeous. I’ve always had a thing for sexy Indian girls. And yes, I’m using this point as an excuse to post a sexy Freida Pinto photo. I’m not sure about her talent because I’ve only watched two of her movies, but I sure love staring at her.

– The ape actors in this movie are amazing — by far the best ape actors I’ve ever seen. The simian thespians in Every Which Way but Loose, Project X, Ed, etc. are nothing compared the ones in this film. Hold up, my phone is ringing. Wait, what?!? Gollum (Andy Serkis) plays the lead ape Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes and a lot of the simian action was computer generated?!? Damn, I was hoping for a golden age of ape actors….

– It was cool seeing San Francisco used for a lot of the movie. I miss my old town and it was nice to see a lot of streets I used to walk. It was weird that I recognized certain rooftops and ledges. Why the hell would I remember those?!? Perhaps I secretly moonlighted as San Francisco’s equivalent of Daredevil while I thought I was sleeping. That would explain why I’m not a morning person.

– It was nice seeing Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) in a movie that didn’t involve Harry Potter. It was also neat watching him act with an American accent. There was one scene where he’s facing off against Caesar and wielding a shock stick. It was close enough to a wand that it took a ton of self control not to scream, “Avada kedavra!!!” or “Expelliarmus!!!” or “Stupefy!!!”.

– Overall I really enjoyed Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I haven’t seen a ton of movies this year, but this was clearly the best of the bunch. It’s certainly better than all the superhero movies I’ve (not) reviewed on RPad.tv. I highly recommend giving this film a go, especially if you’re a fan of the originals.

Coffee Talk #379: Mixed Race Spider-Man and You

In case you didn’t know, the Ultimate Marvel Universe version of Peter Park is dead (for now) and a young hero has stepped up to take his place. His name is Miles Morales and he’s multiracial. People 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, whether Randy Moss is really retiring, CM Punk using his old and awesome Ring of Honor music, or naughty dreams about Margaret Hoover, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Man, this is even better than Superman renouncing his American citizenship! I’m talking about the new Ultimate Spider-Man of course. In case you didn’t know, the Ultimate Marvel Universe version of Peter Park is dead (for now) and a young hero has stepped up to take his place. His name is Miles Morales and he’s multiracial. People are freaking out over a Spider-Man that’s half African-American and half Latino-American (check out this comments section). They’re angry and disturbed. Never mind that most of them haven’t read the comic book yet.

The “anger” over Miles Morales is seriously some of the stupidest sh*t I’ve read in the last decade. People are accusing Marvel and writer Brian Michael Bendis of being liberal tools. Some are saying that this is a pathetic example of being politically correct in 2011. Some even think that Miles Morales is a result of Barack Obama’s presidency. Again, keep in mind that I was reading all of these garbage reactions yesterday and the comic book revealing Morales’ race wasn’t available yet.

I really have no problem with this whatsoever. First of all, it’s fiction. Secondly, this isn’t Peter Parker. It’s an entirely new character in a series that’s known for modernizing the Spider-Man universe. I seriously don’t understand why Miles Morales’ race is even an issue.

Of course I want to hear your thoughts on all of this. Do you have an issue with Miles Morales Spider-Man? Or do you think he’s fine? Will people freak out over Laurence Fishburne playing Perry White in the Superman reboot? Please share your feelings (like a Care Bear) and don’t judge others with different opinions (also like a Care Bear)!