What Are You Playing This Weekend?

I want to play more Costume Quest, but I’m heading to Anaheim for BlizzCon 2010. Between the show, watching the Yankees in the ALCS, and doing video stuff, I’m not going to have time to play anything. I’m leaving my DS and PSP at home, so as not to be tempted by Pokemon or Final Fantasy. It’s for the best.

Instead, I will live vicariously through you! What’s on your weekend playlist?

Red Mario 25th Anniversary Wii and DSi XL Coming November 7

Nintendo of America has announced that red versions of the Wii and DSi XL will be released in America to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. The bundles will be available on November 7, 2010. Here’s a snippet from the press release:

Red Wii Bundle: This limited-edition Wii hardware comes in beautiful red to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original Super Mario Bros. game. The bundle includes New Super Mario Bros. Wii and a new red Wii Remote Plus controller, in addition to all the other included items, like Wii Sports and a red Nunchuk controller. It will be available while supplies last at a suggested retail price of just $199.99.

Red Nintendo DSi XL Bundle: This special-edition Nintendo DSi XL bundle is also red in honor of the 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. and features three iconic Super Mario Bros.-themed graphics. The bundle comes with Mario Kart DS, which looks gorgeous on the extra-large screen. That’s in addition to the pre-loaded software of Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters, Brain Age Express: Math and Photo Clock. It will be available while supplies last at a suggested retail price of just $179.99.

Damn…I want both of these…but I’m not sure which one I want more. How about you? Do you want either of these consoles? If you dig both, which one would you buy first?

The First Xbox 360 Kinect Commercial Leaked?

Here are two Xbox 360 Kinect advertisements found on YouTube. The first is allegedly Microsoft’s first commercial for the motion-control product. The second is a longer marketing video that looks like the one shown at E3 2010. Check ’em out and let me know what you think (please)! Big thanks to Timmy for emailing this in!

Coffee Talk #232: Will Kinect for Xbox 360 Be a Mass Success?

Kinect for Xbox 360 is shipping in two weeks and my industry friends can’t stop talking about it. A lot of them are dismissing it, saying that it’s too expensive, the launch titles are crappy, few enthusiast gamers give a damn about motion controls, and it’s simply…

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 Yankee bats finally waking up, the theory that Mark Teixeira was dragging the entire team down, or Intelligentsia’s Itzamna Guatemal Finca La Soledad, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Kinect for Xbox 360 is shipping in two weeks and my industry friends can’t stop talking about it. A lot of them are dismissing it, saying that it’s too expensive, the launch titles are crappy, few enthusiast gamers give a damn about motion controls, and it’s simply impossible for some people to make Kinect work in their living rooms. I don’t completely disagree with any of those things, but I have a feeling that Kinect is going to sell like crazy. Here are three reasons why:

  1. Kinect has generated more mainstream interest than many enthusiast gamers think. Whether it’s Kudo Tsunoda on Jimmy Fallon or Oprah giving away Kinect units to her audience, the system has gotten ample mainstream attention. Hell, RPadholic N8R’s son wants one and it’s not like he’s on the Internet reading gaming web sites all day (he’s not, right Nate?).
  2. The pre-orders have been strong. Microsoft has been suggesting that Kinect supply could be a problem for the holidays. Some people believe that this is artificial, but the pre-order numbers are there. I was shocked to see that Kinect is #13 on Amazon’s videogame sales charts. This is a $150 product that’s not out for two weeks!
  3. The biggest reason I think Kinect will sell is that Microsoft is throwing a large wad of money at it. Product director Aaron Greenburg mentioned that it will be backed by hundreds of millions of marketing dollars. The word on the street is that between Kinect and Windows Phone 7, Microsoft’s entertainment and devices division will spend $1-billion this holiday season. The sheer amount of marketing should result in hefty sales.

Keep in mind that I’m saying all of this as someone that’s mostly uninterested in Kinect games (of which there are currently two I’m interested in). Most of my industry friends don’t care about Kinect and most of the people I “see” on the Internet don’t care either, but I have a feeling that it’s going to put up some nice numbers this year.

What do you think? Will Kinect be a mass success? Or will the hundreds of millions of marketing dollars be a waste of money?

Coffee Talk #231: Rearranging Your Living Room for Kinect

I’d have to get rid of my coffee table in order to use Kinect for Xbox 360. I kind of like my coffee table. It’s useful and handsome. It’s also heavy. I’d worry about my right knee giving out if I had to move the coffee table every time I…

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 Yankee bats completely choking (except for Cano), winning the lottery today, or BlizzCon 2010, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I’d have to get rid of my coffee table in order to use Kinect for Xbox 360. I kind of like my coffee table. It’s useful and handsome. It’s also heavy. I’d worry about my right knee giving out if I had to move the coffee table every time I wanted to play Kinect…but that’s probably what I’m going to have to do.

RPadholics Iceman and N8R chatted with me about this topic yesterday: Do you have to rearrange your living room to use Xbox Kinect? Do you plan to? Do you find it ridiculous that this new form of gaming requires you to move furniture? Or is it worth it for the new and exciting experience?

Xbox 360 Kinect Launch Titles Announced

Microsoft has announced the launch games for its upcoming Kinect motion controller for Xbox 360. Here’s the list:

Microsoft has announced the launch games for its upcoming Kinect motion controller for Xbox 360. Here’s the list:

Kinect Adventures
Kinectimals
Game Party: In Motion
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1
Your Shape: Fintess Evolved
Dance Central
The Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout
DanceMasters
EA Sports Active 2
Zumba Fitness
Kinect Sports
MotionSports
Deca Sports Freedom
Kinect Joy Ride
Adrenalin Misfits
Fighters Uncaged
Sonic Free Riders

I know that most of you are longing to add four fitness games to your library, but what about the other titles? Do any of these Kinect launch titles interest you?

This Week’s Videogame Releases

Kirby’s Epic Yarn — my favorite game of E3 2010 — is out! What? You need to hear about other games too? Oh fine. There’s actually a bunch of interesting titles coming out this week. Fallout New Vegas will be popular with enthusiast gamers (it’s actually #1 on the Amazon charts as of this writing). Fight fans will want to give EA Sports MMA a look. Want some fun with peripherals? Power Gig: Rise of the SixString features a real guitar as its controller. Time Crisis: Razing Storm gives PlayStation Move owners some visceral shooting fun. DJ Hero 2 is out for gamers that want to spin and fade.

Really though, you should all be buying Kirby’s Epic Yarn…but do let me know what games you’re planning to buy this week.

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011: Road to WrestleMania Screens

THQ sent over a batch of screens from SmackDown vs. Raw 2011’s “Road to WrestleMania” mode. Featured WWE Superstars include John Cena, Randy Orton, The Miz, and Christian. These screens illustrate some of the best writing ever made for a videogame. Check ’em out and let me know what you think (please)!

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