Category: Today’s Specials

Coffee Talk #221: So Psyched for Portable Gaming in 2011!!!

I’m so excited for portable gaming in 2011. The Nintendo 3DS is coming in March. Several developers are working on games for the PSP2. Apple iOS, Google Android, and Microsoft Windows Phone 7 games are going to get huge. At the very least, it’s going to be chaotic trying to cover and understand everything. At best, we will be overwhelmed by the flood of excellent portable games.

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, Intelligentsia’s Organic Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Adado, remembering to vote for WWE AJ Lee in the NXT poll, or if you’re going to see Wall Street 2, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I’m so excited for portable gaming in 2011. The Nintendo 3DS is coming in March. Several developers are working on games for the PSP2. Apple iOS, Google Android, and Microsoft Windows Phone 7 games are going to be better than ever. At the very least, it’s going to be chaotic trying to cover and understand everything. At best, we will be overwhelmed by the flood of excellent portable games.

I realize that most of you RPadholics are home console guys, but I’d bet that most of you will do more portable gaming in 2011 than you did in 2010. There are too many capable platforms and too many potentially cool games. It’s going to be tough to ignore!

Are any of you guys and dolls as excited about the prospects of portable gaming in 2011 as I am? What platforms are you looking forward to? If you’re still not convinced handheld gaming is worth your time then I must ask you…why the hell not?!?

Nintendo 3DS Release Date: Japan February 26, America March 2011

Nintendo recently held a press conference in Japan, revealing the launch date of its Nintendo 3DS handheld console — February 26, 2011 in Japan and March 2011 in America/Europe.

Longtime handheld gamers will be pleased to learn that Game Boy and Game Boy Advance titles will be available for download, similar to the Wii Virtual Console. Super Mario Land and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX were shown as examples.

The Nintendo 3DS will be available in two colors: Aqua Blue and Cosmos Black. The system will come with a 2GB SD card. It will cost 25,000 yen in Japan (around $300), while pricing in other regions will be revealed at a later date.

I know that a lot of you aren’t high on the Nintendo DS or Wii, but I promise you that this handheld will be amazing. I was extremely impressed with it at E3 2010. Once people see what the 3DS can do, they’ll fall in love with it. Nintendo is going to sell millions of these things…which shouldn’t surprise anyone.

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3D Star Wars Movies Coming in 2012? Is Nothing Sacred?!?

Just when you thought George Lucas hasn’t done enough to tarnish the Star Wars franchise, it looks like the movies will hit theaters in 3D next year. Yes, Jar Jar Binks and those frickin’ ewoks will torture you in three dimensions. According to The Hollywood Reporter:

Sources indicate that George Lucas is set to re-release the entire Star Wars franchise in new 3D conversions beginning in 2012. Though the 3D versions have been rumored for some time, Lucas was purportedly waiting until there were enough 3D screens available to make the release a sizable enough event.

Each conversion takes at least a year to complete, with Lucas personally overseeing the process to make sure each one is as perfected as possible. Lucas has said that the Avatar experience convinced him that Star Wars was ready for the state-of-the-art 3D treatment.

Sadly, the 3D extravaganza will begin chronologically with The Phantom Menace. *sigh* I love the original trilogy. I’m actually scared to see it in 3D. I’m going to try to keep an open mind, but it’s going to be difficult. Until I actually watch the movies, I’m going to keep wondering, “Why does George Lucas insist on ruining some of my most precious childhood memories? Why?!?”

What do you think? Will Star Wars work in 3D?

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Coffee Talk #220: Classic Gaming Conventions That Don’t Fly in 2010

As some of you know, I’ve been playing Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light to review for another site. I’m mostly enjoying the game. It’s an old-school RPG with a job system — I love both of those things. Having said that, there are several aspects of the game that are acceptable to me as a longtime RPG player, but would probably irk the hell out of newer gamers.

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 wonderful meats at M-Grill, the excellent Lodi Vineyards Rapture Cabernet P Andy shared with me, or if you’re going to see The Social Network, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

As some of you know, I’ve been playing Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light to review for another site. I’m mostly enjoying the game. It’s an old-school RPG with a job system — I love both of those things. Having said that, there are several aspects of the game that are acceptable to me as a longtime RPG player, but would probably irk the hell out of newer gamers.

For example, there are several dungeons that are a cakewalk until the boss fight. If you don’t have the right armor and/or weapons equipped then the boss fights are super challenging at best and irritatingly impossible at worst. You can teleport back to the nearest village to get the right gear, but then you have to slog through the entire dungeon again. With all the hand holding and linearity in today’s games, I think a lot of players will find this unacceptable. Stuff like this was fine in 1993, but I don’t think it works in 2010.

Have you had any similar experiences recently? Are there any games you’ve played in the last year that use mechanics that should have been left in the ’90s? Have you played anything that’s crossed the line between classic and antiquated? Now’s the time to whine about old-school videogame conventions!

Coffee Talk #219: Will Games Get Cheaper (with Expensive DLC)?

THQ CEO Brian Farrell told CVG that games will likely be cheaper in the future, but with more downloadable content. He believes that the initial version of the game will cost between $29 to $39, but more and more features will be downloadable add-ons. He told CVG:

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, Lindsay Lohan heading to the slammer (again), United Nations delegates walking out on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, or Katy Perry’s boobs being too saucy for Sesame Street, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

THQ CEO Brian Farrell told CVG that games will likely be cheaper in the future, but with more downloadable content. He believes that the initial version of the game will cost between $29 to $39, but more and more features will be downloadable add-ons. He told CVG:

I’m a big believer in monetising under the curve, so we capture that $29 to $39 user no matter what, and a person that wants to spend $100 on the product can do so as well. I think that’s the future of gaming — whether it’s this model or a take on the free-to-play model. It’s where our industry is going.

I’m not sure if this is where the industry is going, but I can see publishers experimenting with it in certain genres. I also see enthusiast gamers getting extremely angry about this practice…and doing nothing about it.

What do you think of this business model? Would you mind getting a stripped down version of a game for less money? Do you care that more features would have to be purchased online? Is this smart business? Or is it Kotickian?

Coffee Talk #218: The Case of the Missing Samsung Epic 4G

As some of you know, I’ve been having a devil of a time tracking down the Samsung Epic 4G that was sent to me for review. Hopefully one of you can use your Batman-like detective skills and help me figure it out. Now let’s rewind a bit. The phone arrived on August 23rd while I was in Asia. I have a FedEx door tag that says that the package was left with my building’s security desk. From there, it gets all kinds of fuzzy.

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, Powerfox & Ponymane, using a Canon Eos 60D to film developer interviews, or if there’s any video editing software for Windows that’s worth a damn, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

As some of you know, I’ve been having a devil of a time tracking down the Samsung Epic 4G that was sent to me for review. Hopefully one of you can use your Batman-like detective skills and help me figure it out. Now let’s rewind a bit. The phone arrived on August 23rd while I was in Asia. I have a FedEx door tag that says that the package was left with my building’s security desk. From there, it gets all kinds of fuzzy.

The security desk, staffed by California Protection Security Services, has the package logged in as received. The security guards keep a woefully unorganized binder that sometimes contains package information. Unfortunately, the box wasn’t in the storage room where packages are left. I checked on five different occasions and none of the security guards were able to find it.

I called and emailed FedEx for assistance. A CSR contacted the driver that delivered the package. The driver wasn’t certain, but he thought that he left the box in front of my door. Yet the FedEx door tag clearly states that the box was left with security (remember, it’s also logged as received by security). If that was the case then someone had to sign for it. For some strange reason, the tracking number says that the box was left at my front door. I asked the FedEx CSR to explain why the door tag says that the box was left with security while the tracking information says it was left at my door. She said that she would investigate further, but I haven’t heard from the company since Friday.

The management at Wilshire Vermont Station Apartments wasn’t helpful either. The first time I brought up the matter, an older lady totally brushed me off and said that they had nothing to do with packages. The second time I went, a younger lady made an effort to look for the package. After she couldn’t find it, she said that there was nothing she could do and that I should call FedEx.

I’ve yet to contact Sprint PR about this because it looks bad on my part. If Sprint tracked the package, they would see that it was left at my door (who knows if that’s what really happened). The company might think that I’m trying to pull a fast one on them. Having said that, I’m probably going to call them today and explain the situation (I wonder if the PR rep will believe me). For now, I want to know what you think happened. Please vote in the poll and explain your case in the comments section.

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Coffee Talk #217: Who’s Your Favorite Videogame Voice Actor?

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, Intelligentsia’s El Salvador El Ausol Honeyed Pacamara, Golden Boy Promotions suing Top Rank Promotions, or how the lawsuit is horrible for (the already messed up) sport of boxing, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Today’s column was inspired by RPadholic bsukenyan’s wish for more Judi Dench in videogames. While I was terribly amused by his wish, I also wondered about your favorite videogame voice actors and actresses. At the very least, strong performances can cover up some weak scriptwriting. At best, great voice acting can truly bring a game’s story to life. As for my favorite, it’s definitely the legendary Cam Clarke.

I became a Cam Clarke fan from his work as Maximillian Sterling and (especially) Lance “Lancer” Belmont in the Robotech cartoons. As I started paying attention to acting in videogames, I noticed that his name popped up…a lot. The man has performed in more than 100 games! From Metal Gear Solid to Baldur’s Gate to God of War to World of Warcraft to Assassin’s Creed, chances are you’ve played dozens of games Clarke has acted in.

Now it’s your turn! Who are some of your favorite videogame voice actors and actresses?

Pokemon Apokelypse: A Dark, Grim, and Violent Pokemon Fan Film

You must watch this excellent live action Pokemon fan film called Pokemon Apokelypse. It’s a dramatic and dark version of the Pokemon cartoon that’s beloved around the world. Parts of it are campy and parts of it are cool. You’ll giggle as Ash Ketchum says the theme song lyrics, “I want to be the best…like no one ever was,” with grim determination. Team Rocket’s Jesse and James doing their “Prepare for trouble! And make it double!” bit while packing guns is pleasantly twisted. Electrode being used as a car bomb with his “explosion” attack? Awesome!

This might be the best thing I’ve seen all month (outside of my Asia travels) and I can’t wait to get your thoughts on the vid!

Coffee Talk #216: What Was Your Favorite TGS News?

Tokyo Game Show 2010 is over and there were so many interesting happenings at the show. What was your favorite bit of TGS 2010 news? As for me, I was thrilled with Team Ico’s announcements. The new trailer for The Last Guardian is fantastic — I think I’ve watched it around 43 times already. I’m also super psyched that Ico and Shadow of the Colossus are being re-released in HD (not so interested in 3D though).

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 Miz and Bryan Danielson putting on a refreshingly old-school wrestling match last night, “Sugar” Shane Mosley’s horrific fight against Sergio Mora, or The Beatles vs. The Rolling Stones, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Tokyo Game Show 2010 is over and there were so many interesting happenings at the show. What was your favorite bit of TGS 2010 news? As for me, I was thrilled with Team Ico’s announcements. The new trailer for The Last Guardian is fantastic — I think I’ve watched it around 43 times already. I’m also super psyched that Ico and Shadow of the Colossus are being re-released in HD (not so interested in 3D though).

Now it’s your turn! Was there anything at TGS 2010 that made you especially happy, excited, or giddy (special bonus if it made you all three!)?

Bobby Kotick Wants to Sell You Cutscenes

In a move that’s certainly smart but will also add to his reputation as an evil bastard, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick plans on selling discs containing cutscenes from Activision games. He recently told GameSpot:

If we were to go to our audience and say we have this great hour-and-a-half of linear video that we would like to make available to you at a $30 price point or $20 price point, you’d have the biggest opening weekend of any film ever. Within the next five years, you are likely to see us do that. Now that may be in partnership with somebody; it may be alone. But there will be a time when we capitalize on the relationship that we have with our audience.

Would you buy a disc filled with cutscenes? There are a number of gamers I know that would love to watch Final Fantasy XIII’s cutscenes without playing the game. A lot of those gamers would also publicly denounce this practice simply because Kotick brought it up. Is it an ingenious move on his part? Or is it eeeeeeeevil?

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