Category: Videogames

Coffee Talk #82: What Game Would You Show Mom & Dad?

What game would you show your parents (or parent-like figures) to show off how far gaming has come? It’s easy for older people to dismiss games as “greasy kid stuff”, simply because they don’t know any better. A lot of parents haven’t seen incredible interactive adventures like Uncharted 2 or the thrilling action of Left 4 Dead 2. They don’t know how awesome games are, even compared to last generation.

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 Million-Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase finally being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, where Johnny Damon will end up, or the next great Android device, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

What game would you show your parents (or parent-like figures) to show off how far gaming has come? It’s easy for older people to dismiss games as “greasy kid stuff”, simply because they don’t know any better. A lot of parents haven’t seen incredible interactive adventures like Uncharted 2 or the thrilling action like Left 4 Dead 2. They simply don’t know how awesome games are, even compared to last generation.

I remember this one time (not at band camp) when my Dad visited me in San Francisco. We saw my uncle and his family in the East Bay and they had all sorts of questions about games. When they brought me home, I showed them a cutscene from Final Fantasy X and they were amazed by the graphics, music, and storytelling. I think they were expecting a modern-day Pac-Man and were blown away by the evolution of games.

Today (or later this month, really) I think I’d show them Heavy Rain. The graphics are incredible. The story, emotion, and music are easy to appreciate. Most importantly, the game is simple enough that they could actually play it. They wouldn’t have to worry about summoning, sphere grids, and potion management. They’d need a little help for sure, but they would easily get the idea.

What game would you show your parents to illustrate the awesomeness of gaming?

Square Enix Files Trademark for Deus Ex: Human Revolution

It looks like a proper Deux Ex sequel is on the way as Square Enix has filed trademarks for Deus Ex: Human Revolution in Europe and North America. Once one of the edgiest franchises in gaming, Eidos neglected the brand and let it fade into the background. Square Enix appears to have big plans for a Deus Ex revival. Hopefully it lives up to Warren Spector’s excellent vision.

While Deus Ex still means a lot to older gamers, there’s a new generation that has never heard of the series. Fallout 3 and Bioshock have shown that old brands can help sell to older players and great games will sell to everyone. Hopefully Deus Ex is treated similarly to those two games.

Are you guys and gals interested in a new Deus Ex game?

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PSA: Xbox Live Deals of the Week (Three Games!)

Microsoft has three games on special for its Xbox Live Deal of the Week: Marvel vs. Capcom 2, TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-shelled, and Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao. The games are 800, 400, and 800 Microsoft Points, respectively. I was interested in Re-shelled when it was released, but never got around to picking it up. At 50 percent off, I’ll probably pick it up this week.

Any of these games interest you guys and dolls?

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Coffee Talk #81: Do Publishers Still Get Too Much Credit?

What other industries promote publishers over creators? Do you walk into a movie thinking, “Oh sweet! This is a Fox Searchlight film. They’re awesome!” Do you buy music thinking, “Oh man, I love Jive Records! This is going to be great stuff!” What I really want to know is…are you going to go my way? No wait, that’s not right. I meant, are publishers still getting too much credit these days?

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 answer to the question, “Who dat?!?”, the hottie you want in a bath tub pitching the phone of your dreams, or how much bourbon Smartguy had last night, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

New Coffee: Stumptown Indonesia Gajah Aceh (Thanks for the great service Kate!)

One of my biggest pet peeves when I first got into this business (in the ’90s *gasp*) was that publishers got way more credit than developers. Things have certainly gotten better and more people are aware of the companies that actually make the games they play…but it’s still not where it should be. I don’t mean to piss on the hard work that publishers do, but it seems ridiculous to me that they get top billing and more credit than creators do.

For example, let’s say I search for Mass Effect 2 on Amazon and GameStop. The search results will show the game, what platforms it’s available for, and the publisher (Electronic Arts). The excellent developers at BioWare do not get credit that appears right away. A general customer that’s not familiar with developers will think, “I know these guys. They make Madden NFL Football and Tiger Woods PGA Tour.” It’s stupid and misleading and — most of all — disrespectful to BioWare.

Reading comments about Bethesda’s Rogue Warrior showed me that even enthusiast gamers don’t know the difference between publishers and developers. I’ve seen a lot of complaints on the game that were all, “I can’t believe Bethesda went from making Fallout 3 to this piece of crap!!!” The problem with statements like that is that Bethesda didn’t “make” the game. Rebellion did.

What other industries promote publishers over creators? Do you walk into a movie thinking, “Oh sweet! This is a Fox Searchlight film. They’re awesome!” Do you buy music thinking, “Oh man, I love Jive Records! This is going to be great stuff!” What I really want to know is…are you going to go my way? No wait, that’s not right. I meant, are publishers still getting too much credit these days?

This Week’s Videogame Releases

Last week was pretty dry in terms of videogame releases, but this week more than makes up for it with Bioshock 2 and Dante’s Inferno. Hitting the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, both games deliver heavy action, but in very different ways. The Wii actually has a couple of interesting titles up its sleeve with Shiren The Wanderer and Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll. Neither are a high profile as the two games mentioned earlier, but the Shiren series has an ardent following and everyone loves balled monkeys.

As always, let your fellow RPadholics and me know if you’re picking up any of this week’s new releases.

Kingdom Hearts’ Sora Originally Had a Tail and Used a Chainsaw

How different would Kingdom Hearts have been if Tetsuya Nomura’s original design for Sora was used — you know, the one with beast ears and a chainsaw. Translating an interview from Famitsu, Andriasang learned:

The character’s original design was more beast-like — somewhat like a mix of a lion and human. He had a tail and beast-like ears. Instead of his keyblade weapon, he used a chainsaw. These beast-like features were implemented in order to make the character match the Disney characters.

A mix of a lion and a human? You mean like Aslo the Li-man from Epic Movie?!? Seriously though, one of the reasons the original design was nixed was because of similarities to Zidane from Final Fantasy IX. This is just a guess, but I’m pretty sure Disney wasn’t too high on the idea of a child protagonist with a chainsaw.

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PC and Mac Most Popular Game Development Platforms

Game Developer Research’s annual “State of Game Development Survey” revealed that the PC and Mac are the most popular game development platforms. Surprising, no? Actually, it’s not when you consider that social games (i.e. Facebook games) and browser games were lumped into the mix. As for consoles, the Xbox 360 still leads the way. Here’s a snippet from the press release:

Just over 70 percent of developers said they were developing at least one game for PC or Mac (including browser and social games), rising slightly from last year, with 41 percent working in consoles. Within that latter group, Xbox 360 was the most popular system with 69 percent of console developers targeting it, followed by 61 percent for PlayStation 3.

On the handheld front, developers are flocking to the iPhone and iPod Touch platform, leaving the Nintendo DS and Sony PlayStation Portable in the dust. It’s not surprising really. Facebook, browser, and iPhone games are cheaper to make than traditional console games. The market is relatively new and the players are still being established. There are more opportunities in these markets for new(er) developers and publishers.

Microsoft Pulling the Plug on Original Xbox Games on April 15

Microsoft is pulling the plug on Xbox Live support for original Xbox games (or really, Halo 2). Xbox Live general manager Marc Whitten (didn’t he play for the Yankees once?) issued an official statement that included the following:

On April 15 we will discontinue the Xbox Live service for original Xbox consoles and games, including Xbox v1 games playable on Xbox 360 and Xbox Originals. I want to start by saying this isn’t a decision we made lightly, but after careful consideration, it is clear this will provide the greatest benefit to the Xbox Live community.

I was actually surprised and impressed that Microsoft supported online play for the original Xbox this long. Do any of you still play Xbox 1 games online?

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NY State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo Goes After GameStop

New York State attorney general Andrew Cuomo is going after GameStop and other retailers over fraudulent fees. Here’s the skinny from GamePolitics:

The AG’s office believes that GameStop and the others have been “tricking customers into accepting offers from third party vendors, which then siphon money from consumers’ accounts.” Because of the relatively low dollar amount of the charges, the fees may go unnoticed for some time.

The names of the companies involved read like a laundry list of e-commerce: Barnes and Nobles, Expedia, Pizza Hut, Staples.com, Travelocity, Classmates.com, etc. According to Cuomo, the three discount clubs under investigation bring in a combined $1+ billion per year, much of which Cuomo believes is fraudulent.

That’s right Pizza Hut and GameStop! You don’t mess with New York!!! You don’t want an Italian guy from Queen coming after you. Trust me on this one.

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What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Where the hell did this week go? Between this web site, physical therapy, and trying to figure out ways to make money, it was a complete blur to me. The good news is that it’s weekend game time! I’m still playing Vandal Hearts, but it’s probably going to take a back seat to my new copy of Army of Two: The 40th Day. Like the legendary Austin Aries, I enjoy cooperative gaming a ton. My friend was telling me that the latest Army of 2 offers some interesting moral choices. I’m curious about those. I’m not even sure about the moral mindset of mercenaries (aside from Deadpool).

I’ve also downloaded Rhyme Player for iPhone. It’s a simple rhythm game with a limited song list, but I can’t stop playing! I think I’ll write a (not) review next week.

As always, I want to know what’s on your weekend playlist!