Category: Videogames

Coffee Talk #97: What’s Your Favorite Final Fantasy?

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, Bobby Kotick talking about creativity, March coming in like a lion for the gaming business, or the hotness of Mika Brzezinski (again), Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

With Final Fantasy XIII coming out next week and Wired’s Chris Kohler spilling the goods on the Japanese version of the game in the latest RPad.tv PadCast, I thought it would be a good time to discuss your favorite game in this legendary series. There are so many brilliant Final Fantasy games that it’s tough to choose. For the sake of this conversation, let’s stick with the mainline games (Tactics, Crystal Chronicles, etc. do not apply).

As for me, it comes down to IV, V, VI, and X. I’ve probably played IV the most, V has the outstanding job system, VI took interactive storytelling to a new level, and X was just wonderfully polished. My favorite usually changes, but it’s always one of these four games. Today I’m going to go with FFV because I absolutely love job systems (remember, FF Tactics is my all-time favorite).

So let me know what your favorite FF game is and why (please)! In addition to your pick, I want to hear the reasoning behind it. Warning: if you pick FFVII then I expect a pretty lengthy explanation or I’ll probably think you’re a VII fanboy.

More Dragon Age: Origins Awakening Characters: Mhairi and Sigrun

BioWare has revealed two more characters from the upcoming Dragon Age: Origins Awakening expansion pack: Mhairi and Sigrun. Here are some screens, official bios, and my comments on these new playable characters.

Mhairi

Official description: When Mhairi was a child, she was enraptured by tales of kings and nobles. All she wanted was to be like them, to fight for what she believed. Betrothed to a trader when she turned 16, she saw the life that lay ahead of her and enlisted in the army instead. Her fierce loyalty and devotion to Ferelden earned her the love and respect of her commanders and brothers-in-arms. King Cailan’s betrayal and death hit Mhairi hard, and when she learned of the two Grey Wardens who quelled the Blight almost single-handedly, she vowed to serve the Wardens. When the call came for volunteers to help rebuild the order at Vigil’s Keep, Mhairi jumped at the chance to join.

Raymond’s rant: Dragon Age has a stalker. Awesome! Maybe I’ve seen too many episodes of WWE programming, but Mhairi reminds of Mickie James when she was stalking Trish Stratus. I can totally see her going all fangirl on Alistair. Their interaction should be excellent.

Sigrun

Official description: There is only one way to leave the Legion of the Dead: by fulfilling a vow to die in battle against the enemies of Orzammar, a sacrifice that absolves any guilt. Sigrun craves a chance to prove she is more than a worthless gutter-rat, but it’s hard to rush headlong into a battle you won’t survive. After all, when you grow up casteless, you learn to fight for everything. You learn that you have to watch out for yourself, because no one else will, and the Stone knows no one’s going to miss you when you’re dead. Sigrun’s a survivor, and old habits die hard.

Raymond’s rant: Hmmmm, another casteless dwarf. The Legion of the Dead connection is cool and all, but how many chip-on-their-shoulder little-people does the game need? Then again, the dwarves had the best origin stories by a mile. Perhaps Sigrun’s tale will feature similar writing?

Anyway, let me know what you think of these two Dragon Age characters. I’m definitely going to spend time with Mhairi, but I’ll need more convincing to give Sigrun a good run.

Princeton Review Ranks Top 8 Undergrad Game Design Programs

The Princeton Review has ranked the top eight undergraduate programs in game design, so if you’re looking to be the next Cliffy B (but with better taste in cars) then you’ll want to pay attention to these rankings. Ladies and gentlemen…here are your top eight finalists…I’m Raymond Padilla…and this is American Idol. Sorry, I’ve always wanted to do that. Anyway, here they are:

  1. University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
  2. DigiPen Institute of Technology (Redmond, WA)
  3. Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA)
  4. Becker College (Worcester, MA)
  5. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY)
  6. The Art Institute of Vancouver (Vancouver, British Columbia)
  7. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, MA)
  8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)

A word of advice — RPI is a great school, but you really don’t want to go to college in upstate New York. The winters are nasty.

Any of you considering these fine institutions?

Source via Game Politics

This Week’s Video Game Releases

There are a few big game releases this week, with Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Limited Edition (PS3, Xbox 360) leading the way. MLB 2K10 is being released for everyone platform known to man, while MLB 10 The Show is a Sony first-party exclusive. I’m super looking forward to The Show (the game, not Paul Wight), but I ain’t touching my PS3 until error 8001050F is resolved.

Other notable releases include Lips: Party Classics for Xbox 360 and Lunar: Silver Star Harmony Limited Edition for PSP.

Any of you guys and gals picking up new games this week? Let me know what you’re buying!

PadCast: Wired’s Chris Kohler Tells You All About Final Fantasy XIII

Wired’s Chris Kohler is the latest RPad.tv PadCast guest and you’ll want to pay attention as he talks about his experience with the Japanese version of Final Fantasy XIII. Kohler talks about the game’s music, battle system, graphics, linearity, funky “gestalt” system, and more. While he’s a big fan of the music and graphics, he’s not too keen on the “hands off” gameplay. He also compares heavy hand holding in FFXIII to Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain.

As many of you know, the U.S. version of the game comes out next week, but if you’re still not sure if FFXIII is for you then you’ll want to hear Kohler criticize the game. It definitely sounds like the most polarizing Final Fantasy game in years! Oh yeah, Kohler also reveals why you’re on crack if you think you’re expecting a Final Fantasy VII remake with Final Fantasy XIII graphics.

Reminder: Interactive Achievement Awards Highlights on IFC

Here’s a reminder that the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences’ Interactive Achievements Awards will be on IFC tonight at 10PM ET/9PM CT. Check it out if you have a chance or set your DVR to record it. Sadly, it’s not the entire program and a lot of Jay Mohr’s excellent roasting will be cut, but 30 minutes of this fine awards show is better than nothing, right?

Pokemon Jirachi Giveaway at GameStop Starts Tomorrow

GameStop is kicking off a great Pokemon giveaway that starts tomorrow, February 27, and runs until March 13. Gamers that bring their Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum cartridges to a participating GameStop can download the legendary Pokemon Jirachi!

In addition to getting a limited-edition Pokemon, players can also use this Jirachi to unlock a hidden path in the Pokewalker accessory that comes with the upcoming Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver. The route is called Night Sky’s Edge and it can only be accessed through this promotion. (Those Pokemon people are so clever with their promotions.)

If you’re serious about Pokemon, don’t forget to soft reset your game until you get a Jirachi with an optimal nature. Please excuse me as I have to email my Pokemon best friend Peter to see if wants to go to GameStop tomorrow.

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Coffee Talk #95: What Videogame Character Do You Want to Be?

Is there a videogame character you wish you were more like? It sounds like a silly question, but there are loads of videogame characters that have laudable traits. It’s not hard to find a character that’s heroic, clever, wise, witty, or caring. If you’re more devil than angel, it’s easy to find characters that are devious, diabolical, and cruel.

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, Americans getting into curling to be contrary, the latest snow storm on the east coast, or Palm taking a beating, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Is there a videogame character you wish you were more like? It sounds like a silly question,  but there are loads of videogame characters that have laudable traits. It’s not hard to find a character that’s heroic, clever, wise, witty, or caring. If you’re more devil than angel, it’s easy to find characters that are devious, diabolical, and cruel.

As for me, I’m going to go with Pokemon’s Ash Ketchum. I’m certain that I’m being influenced by GameStop’s upcoming Pokemon Jirachi promotion, but I think he’s a great pick. He’s kind, caring, and determined. I also miss viewing the world through innocent eyes. Ash accomplishes his goals as a Pokemon trainer while still being a good person and seeing things with child-like wonder. Maybe I’m just feeling tired and jaded this week, but I want to be more like Ash.

So play this game with me (please). I’d love to know what videogame character you’d like to be more like. I’m just hoping none of you pick Kratos.

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

I swear it was Monday yesterday. Ha! Funny how that goes…. Anyway, I’ve watched two sets of endings for Heavy Rain and I’m not sure that I care to see the others just yet. Instead, I’m going to spend the weekend trophy hunting, replaying different chapters of the game so that I can rack up rewards on my secondary PSN account (as a few of you know, it’s sorely lacking). Some of the trophies are a snap to get, so I should be able to snag a whole bunch in two days.

When I need a break from Heavy Rain, I’ll be going to my old standby: Civilization Revolution for iPhone. I can’t believe how many hours I’ve gotten out of the game. I’m pretty sure it’s the best gaming value of my life (and I bought it on sale for $2.99!).

As always, I want to know what you’re playing this weekend. Share your weekend playlist with your fellow RPadholics.

Super Street Fighter IV Pre-Order Bonuses Revealed

Capcom has revealed some of the pre-order goodies (pictured above) for the upcoming Super Street Fighter IV. They include a bonus pack of costumes, some wicked iPhone covers, t-shirts, and some dumb thumb-wrestling costumes. Amazon and Best Buy will be doling out the downloadable costumes, while GameStop has the stupid thumb-wrestling “gear”. Sadly, it looks like the iPhone covers and t-shirts will be for Europe only.

I hate that pre-order marketing is working on me, but I think I’m going to buy the game from Amazon. Dhalsim’s costume totally cracks me up, Fei Long’s is cool, and Blanka wearing a Dan costume is all kinds of awesome.

Which pre-order bonus interests you?

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