Category: Videogames

Coffee Talk #6: What’s Your Dream Game?

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 Anaheim Angels forgetting how to play baseball, fun with Google Wave, or how you’re going to utterly conquer this week, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Drizzt 2Is there a movie, comic book, or novel that you think would make a fantastic game? I’m sure there is. All of us have “dream games” that have yet to be made. Some of our visions are outlandish and unrealistic. Others seem so obvious that it’s dumbfounding as to why they haven’t been made.

One of my dream games has been teased, but never fully delivered. I want to play an action-adventure as Drizzt Do’Urden from R.A. Salvatore’s novels. Drizzt has made cameos in Baldur’s Gate, Baldur’s Gate II, and Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone. You could play as him in the Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance series, but he was merely a bonus character set in an adventure that had nothing to do with his storied exploits.

I want the full-on Drizzt treatment. I want an adventure that takes advantage of his history in Menzoberranzan and his adventures with the Companions of the Hall. I want cameos by Jarlaxle and Artemis Entreri. I want dynamic action that’s full of twirling scimitars and impossible acrobatics. Just for the hell of it, I want a “dog button” like the one in Dead to Rights, but instead of some lame-ass canine, Drizzt’s magical panther, Guenhwyvar, appears.

RPad.tv reader Ieyke recently wrote about one of the games he wishes for, saying, “Assassin’s Creed+MGS4-guns-white robes=awesome stealthy ninja.” Let’s use his formula to talk about our dream games. I guess mine would be:

Drizzt Do’Urden + Prince of Persia – Gimmicky Time Shifting = Awesome Drow Ranger Action-Adventure.

Using the Ieyke formula, tell me about your dream game. (Hit the break for some inspirational music that will help you write about your dreams.)

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Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver Soundtrack Details

Pokemon Heart Gold Soul Silver soundtrack

Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver for Nintendo DS are destined to be enormous hits, but just in case that isn’t enough for Pokefreaks around the world, the games are getting an excellent soundtrack treatment. According to Andrisang:

Announced earlier this week, the Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver Music Super Complete soundtrack contains 3 CDs with 270 tracks totaling around 3 hours of music. Outside of the game’s main music tracks, the soundtrack also includes the Pokemon Gold and Silver music as recreated via the in-game GB Player.

Yeah, I’m definitely going to have to pick this up on my next trip to Japan. It’s too good.

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Charles Martinet (Mario’s Voice) Teases Upcoming Mario Game

Charles MartinetThe fine folks at GamePro did some sleuthing and came across a lovely teaser from Charles Martinet, the voice of Mario; he’s working on a new Mario title that’s not part of the Super Mario Galaxy or Super Mario Bros. series. Martinet sent out a tweet that said:

Awesome new Mario Game! And it’s not NSMB Wii, and it’s not Galaxy 2, but it’s going to be crazy fun!

Any guesses as what it could be? Keep in mind that Martinet has voiced several Nintendo characters, including Wario, Luigi, Waluigi, Baby Mario, Wart, Clawgrip, Triclyde, Mouser, and several Punch-Out!! characters.

Also, remind me to tell you how I randomly bumped into Martinet while looking at gaming magazines at a Tower Records in San Francisco in 2002.

Source via GamePro

Modern Warfare 2 Limited Edition 250GB Xbox 360 Coming 11/10

Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 250GB

Last month, I wrote about Microsoft and Activision releasing a limited edition 250GB Xbox 360 for the release of Modern Warfare 2. According to Amazon, the console will be released on November 10.

Although the quantities are limited, this should help Microsoft compete with Sony’s upcoming 250GB PlayStation 3 Slim. While the Slim is coming in at $50 less, this Xbox 360 bundle comes with an extra controller and a slick, limited edition paint job.

Hit the break for a picture of the Amazon page.

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Uncharted 2 Sells 300,000 on Day One, Third-Fastest Selling PS3 Game in North America

Naughty Dog’s critically acclaimed Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is selling like hot cakes Beanie Babies whatever sells really fast these days. According to VGChartz, the game sold more than 300,000 copies on day one and is positioned to be the third-fastest selling PlayStation 3 game in North America and fourth-fastest selling worldwide.

We can now reveal that preliminary VGChartz data shows day one sales of over 300,000 units which should rise to 450,000 – 500,000 units by the end of the week, making Uncharted 2 the 3rd fastest-selling PS3 title to date in America behind Grand Theft Auto IV and Metal Gear Solid 4.

Uncharted 2

If the numbers are accurate — VGChartz has an…uneven reputation in the business — this is fantastic news for Sony and Naughty Dog. By all accounts, this is one of the year’s best games, but as we’ve seen so many times in the past, the best games aren’t always the best selling. That aside, it looks like it’s full steam ahead for Uncharted 2. Congrats to Naughty Dog!

Any of you surprised by Uncharted 2 success? Or is this what you expected from a superior developer and a great game.

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Microsoft Warns Against Using Unauthorized Storage in Xbox Live Preview Program

Xbox 360 Twitter

Gamers that got into Microsoft’s Xbox Live preview program (for Facebook, Twitter, and Zune) are being warned not to use unauthorized storage devices (memory cards). Doing so could be bad (it’s a technical term). Microsoft’s Major Nelson warned:

When Preview Program members start receiving the Xbox 360 system update next week, one of the changes is that unauthorized Memory Units will no longer work with the Xbox 360. If you’ve moved your profile or saved games onto one to “back it up,” you’d better move it back onto an authorized Xbox 360 storage device prior to taking the update. If you continue to use an unauthorized Memory Unit after the update, you will not be able to access your stored profile or saved games.

So check yourself before you wreck yourself preview program peeps!

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NIS America is Calling All Badman Fans

Holy Invasion of Privacy Badman

NIS America is calling on all gamers that want Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! on UMD. The company is holding a pre-order drive to make this digital download a UMD reality. A NISA representative said:

We have received lots of emails from our fans about the UMD version of Badman, and we did a poll for it. Turned out, lots of people are still interested in Badman UMD. So we decided to support their needs. (And, we really REALLY wanted to make the UMD version of Badman, too!) We’ve decided to start the preorder, and if we get 1,000 orders we will go ahead and manufacture the UMD version of Badman.

NIS America is one of my favorite game publishers. The company puts out unique games with a quirky sense of humor (I love the Disgaea series!). I hope it gets the support it needs to make Badman happen on UMD. Click here if you’re interesting in helping the Badman movement.

God of War Collection Trailer

You know you want it!

Sony Santa Monica director of product development Jon Hight noted:

Available this November — just in time for the holidays — fans and newcomers to the franchise will be able to experience the epic journey that is God of War and God of War II on the PlayStation 3 for the first time remastered in full HD resolution on a single Blu-ray Disc. Both critically acclaimed games (originally developed for the PS2) will include 2X anti-aliased graphics running at 60 frames per second for an ultra smooth gameplay experience on the PS3. PlayStation Network trophy support will also be included — a first for the series.

And don’t forget, the God of War Collection will also include a PSN voucher code for the God of War III E3 2009 Demo. So don’t miss your chance to check out God of War III before it hits store shelves in March 2010.

Check out the trailer and let me know what you think (please)!

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Shigeru Miyamoto Talks Xbox 360 Achievements

Shigeru Miyamoto

At a recent roundtable discussion, legendary Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto discussed a wide variety of topics. One interesting tidbit was his view on Xbox 360 game achievements. Miyamoto said:

I’m not particularly well versed in the Xbox 360 achievement system. I spend most of my time working on my own games, and don’t have a lot of time to look at what other people are doing.

The idea of playing the game in a particular way and having it unlock a special prize that rewards you… it feels like something we’ve been doing for the last 15-20 years.

Miyamoto has a point, but he’s also missing one. It’s true that many of his Nintendo games were designed to reward gamers for playing in a particular way, but people like points, trophies, etc. It reminds me of when my friends at 1Up started the site; I had no idea what my “score” was for, but I wanted more points, which made me keep visiting.

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Hideo Kojima Promises Zoe of the Enders Sequel, Explains ZoE2 Flop

Zone of the Enders 1

Hideo Kojima has promised a Zone of the Enders sequel, but due to everyone at Kojima Productions being busy on various Metal Gear Solid titles, it might be a while until the next Anubis: Zoe of the Enders (the game’s Japanese name) is created. Andriasang translated Kojima’s blog entry on the matter:

We’d like to make an Anubis sequel at some point. Also, we feel that if we do it, we’d like to make Anubis succeed this time. I already have a game plan and method for sales in my head. However, we don’t know if it will be green lighted. The production lines within Kojima Productions are currently full.

I cannot make a promise about time. However, I can promise a sequel.

Kojima also explained why Zoe of the Enders 2 wasn’t the success it should have been. He chalks it all up to timing and blames himself.

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