Category: Today’s Specials

Nintendo Confirms Pokewalker for Heart Gold and Soul Silver

Nintendo of America has confirmed that the Pokewalker accessory will be bundled with copies of the upcoming Pokemon HeartGold and Pokemon SoulSilver for Nintendo DS. The game is slated for a March 14, 2010 release. And no, the Pokewalker isn’t a walking device for your 70-year old charmander. Here’s some official info on the accessory:

In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions, players can wirelessly transfer any one of their Pokémon from one of the two games to the Pokéwalker and walk them through virtual routes as the player walks around in real life. By walking, players earn Watts, which are used within the Pokéwalker to encounter and catch wild Pokémon or search for hidden items, and can be transferred into Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions to unlock new routes. There are even special versions of certain Pokémon that can only be found within routes on the Pokéwalker, giving players added incentive to keep their Pokémon with them wherever they go. The Pokémon in the Pokéwalker will gain experience points as the player walks, and can even go up one level when they are transferred back into the game. Players also can wirelessly connect two Pokéwalkers to trade items.

My March is so screwed. Between this, Final Fantasy XIII, and Dragon Age: Awakenings…I might have to skip this year’s Game Developer’s Conference. Perhaps one of you can take over the site for me when the ides of March hits. Ha!

This Week’s Videogame Releases

It’s still a light week in the videogame-release department, but there are a few titles of interest that you might want to keep an eye on. EA brings back its brothers of destruction in Army of Two: The 40th Day. That is, by far, the biggest release of the week. Outside of that, there’s an interesting DS RPG and a game for fans of winter sports…and that’s about it. As always, let me know if you’re picking up any of this week’s video releases.

PlayStation 3
Army of 2: The 40th Day — I’m pretty sure Kane and The Undertaker would wreck these guys.
Vancouver 2010: Offivial Video Game of the Olympic Winter Games — I totally forgot that the Olympics are happening this year. I guess I pay more attention to the summer games than the winter games.

Xbox 360
Army of 2: The 40th Day
Vancouver 2010: Offivial Video Game of the Olympic Winter Games

Nintendo Wii
Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces
Walk it Out — Base on the hit song by The Beatles…oh wait, it’s not.

PlayStation Portable
Army of 2: The 40th Day

Nintendo DS
Daniel X — A interactive retelling of one of the most powerful civil rights leaders in America. Okay, I totally made that up.
Sands of Destruction

Coffee Talk #62: The Videogame Movie of Your Dreams

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, those amazing Cardinals, Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey at Cowboys Stadium, or your favorite CES 2010 gadget, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Videogame movies…so many of them are embarrassing. Whether you’re talking about Uwe Boll’s numerous offenses, Raul Julia going out with a psycho crusher in Street Fighter, or Dead or Alive sucking despite having some truly beautiful women running around half-naked for 90 minutes, movies based on videogames haven’t been the best.

Some gamers don’t see the point. Games are a form of interactive storytelling, so why do they need a linear and traditional way to tell a story? Doesn’t that take away the uniqueness of the medium? I’m all for videogame movies, just like I support videogame books, comics, lunch boxes, etc. If it helps expand the world of a game I enjoy and expand the business in general, that’s a good thing. Unfortunately, the execution if often…off.

Today I wanted to ask you about the videogame movie that’s playing in your head. What gaming franchise to you want to see on the big screen? Do you have any actors or actresses you want to attach to your dream project? Kindly channel your inner director and tell me all about the videogame movie you want (please)!

Ron Jeremy Says Videogames are Worse Than Porn for Kids

Speaking at “The Great Porn Debate” panel at CES 2010, sponsored by InternetSafety.com, adult actor Ron Jeremy said that videogames are worse for children than porn. The man known as The Hedgehog declared:

We don’t want kids to watch porn. [Studies have] found that violent video games are much bigger a negative influence on kids.

Connoisseurs of adult movies might remember that Jeremy starred in a Super Mario Bros. parody called Super Hornio Brothers. (Would that make this a case of biting the schlong that feeds you?) While it’s annoying that another public figure is denouncing videogames, Jeremy’s comments will be unfairly dismissed simply because of his profession.

Source

Coffee Talk #61: Most Wanted Games of 2010 #1 Heavy Rain

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 the Palm Pre can make it big in 2010, all these people from Alabama finally leaving LA, or Gilbert Arenas vs. Plaxico Burress in a shooting contest, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

A lot of people would have figured that Final Fantasy XIII would have been my most-wanted game of 2010. That would have been a perfectly reasonable guess and I was definitely tempted to give it the top spot. To be totally honest, I actually want Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain more than FFXIII.

I’m a big fan of Quantic Dream’s previous games. The company excels at interactive storytelling. Its last game, Indigo Prophecy, was brilliant. The game combined deep storytelling, outstanding acting, and fantastic music to create a unique mood. The downer was it was ugly as crap, looking like a game from the previous generation. Judging from the released videos and screens, Heavy Rain will not have this problem. I’m hoping that it will combine all the aspects of Quantic Dream’s previous games with bleeding-edge visuals.

Before I ask for your top pick for 2010, I have to note that there were a bunch of games that were so close to making the cut. God of War III, Pokemon Soul Silver (and Heart Gold), Super Street Fighter IV, Mass Effect 2, BioShock 2, 3D Dot Game Heroes, and The Last Guardian were all considered. This year is going to be so awesome for games!!!

Now, what’s your most wanted game of 2010?

PSA: Xbox Live One Year Gold Subscription for $34.99

Amazon has the Xbox 360 Live One-Year Subscription Gold Card on sale for $34.99 until January 16. That’s a great price and it’ll help out the site if you use one my Amazon links, so have at it (please)!

Update: PS3 gamers might want to check out God of War: Collection, which is on sale for $29.99

Coffee Talk #58: Annoying Console Quirks

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 return of wrestling’s Monday Night Wars, the new hit single “Gilbert’s Got a Gun”, or Google’s Android/Nexus One press conference, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

A friend of mine was downloading the MAG beta yesterday when the download crapped out on him. This prompted him to write a lengthy Facebook rant on how the download experience on the Xbox 360 is way better than that of the PlayStation 3. While I agree that, in general, the Xbox 360 offers a much smoother online experience, I never had any problems downloading games, demos, movies, etc. on my PS3. I was surprised that a lot of my friend’s friends agreed with him and wrote about their annoyances with downloading on the PS3.

The whole thing had me wondering about annoying console quirks. What “features” of your beloved consoles irk you guys and gals? Personally, I hate the shutdown process of the PlayStation 3. After telling the machine that I want it turn off…it asks me if I want to turn it off. It’s a small thing, but it annoys the hell out of me! I don’t need Windows Vista-style confirmation prompts to shut down my PS3.

So yeah! I wanted to get that out of the way before starting off three totally positive Coffee Talk columns to close out the week. Ha! What about you? What are some console quirks that bother the hell out of you? And no, the Wii doesn’t count as an annoying console quirk. :P

Demon’s Souls Video Walkthrough #3: The Tendency System

Atlus just sent over this fine video of Demon’s Souls, one of the sleeper hits of 2009. RPG fans looking for a challenge on the PlayStation 3 should definitely give this game a look. As for the video, it discusses the “tendency system” feature. Here’s the official description:

The final entry in the Demon’s Souls walkthrough video series is here to explain the intricacies of the World Tendency system, the impact of White versus Black, and some basic strategies on making the most of each.

Check out the vid and share your thoughts if you have a moment.

TNA vs. WWE: The Monday Night Wars Return!!!

Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. There’s no chance (no chance in hell) that TNA is going to beat out WWE in Nielsen ratings tonights. The war is for one night only (for now), but pro-wrestling hasn’t had this kind of excitement since WCW went under. For better and for worse, it all stems from Hulk Hogan signing with TNA. Just look at some of things that will go down tonight:

– The Outsiders will reunite on TNA Impact. Scott Hall and Sean Waltman are reuniting with Kevin Nash to reform one of the most dominant factions the business has ever known. For years, fans ate up The Outsiders/Wolfpack/NWO. It’ll be huge for (at least) one night.

– Bret “The Hitman” Hart will return to WWE for what should be the start of a three-month angle. From what I understand, Hart signed a contract the runs until WrestleMania. Whether he’s used to feud against Vince McMahon or Sean Michaels (or both!), this is tremendous. As an HBK mark, I’m anti-Bret, but there’s no denying that this is a pretty big deal. Too bad Goldberg’s lack of wrestling skills ruined The Hitman.

– Along with Hulk Hogan taking up a bunch of time on TNA, there are rumors that he’ll be joined by Ric Flair, Jeff Hardy, Rob Van Dam, Ken Anderson (Mr. Kennedy), The Nasty Boys, Shannon Moore, and more. I’m surprised TNA didn’t do a better job hyping some of these “surprise guests”. Perhaps some of the deals went down to the wire, but the company needs all the juice it can get going into tonight.

– Rumored guests for Monday Night Raw include The Rock (he has that Tooth Fairy movie, after all) and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Imagine Hart, The Rock, and Austin being on the same show again? That would rule!!!

The bottom line is the competition is good for both companies. Everyone will be bringing their A-game tonight, which will be brilliant for wrestling fans. I’m definitely sticking with Raw, but I’ll surely flip back and forth a few times. Stuff like this is what DVRs were made for.

What show are you most excited for tonight? TNA Impact? Or WWE Monday Night Raw?

Coffee Talk #57: What Will Define Console Gaming in 2010?

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 J-E-T-S, if the Washington Wizards should change their name back to the Washington Bullets, or the most incredible reuben sandwich in the world, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Whether you consider it a fresh start, the beginning of another chapter, or a baby step on the road of life, a new year is always filled with exciting potential. For console gaming, 2010 should be a pivotal year. Developers are starting to master the powerful hardware at their disposal and the hardware companies are set to introduce new twists to their traditional products. Which one do you think will have a bigger impact this year?

It’s easy to say that it will be the games. Titles like Final Fantasy XIII, Heavy Rain, and God of War III should offer polished experiences that truly harness the processing power available this generation. The counter-argument is that Uncharted has already set the bar and nobody else will touch it. Even if that’s the case, there will surely be more quality games than ever in 2010.

Microsoft and Sony are set to emphasize motion controls this year. Hoping to duplicate some of the ridiculous success of the Nintendo Wii and sell consoles to mainstream gamers, both companies will go large with the motion of the ocean. The mainstream press seems particularly enamored with these kinds of controllers; I was (perhaps naively) surprised by how many mainstream outlets reported on Microsoft and Sony going all Wii at E3 2009. I won’t be surprised when the buzz is even bigger in 2010.

What do you think will definite the year in console gaming? Will it be the number of quality games? Motion controllers for all systems? Or something else entirely? I’d love to read your views on consoles in 2010, so leave a comment when you have a moment (please).