Category: Videogames

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!

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?

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?