Category: Videogames

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

This weekend I’ll be playing Incentive Spirometer. The graphics are dated, the sound design is barebones, and the gameplay is extremely repetitive. That said, it’s addictive…and also incredibly useful for increasing lung capacity after surgery. Aside from that, I’m still not able to play anything too intense. Even though I’m getting stronger, I’m also getting more paranoid about all the staples in me and my abs are really, really sore. Perhaps I’ll load up Flower and Journey for some relaxing gaming.

How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?

Coffee Talk #542: Your Cyber Monday/Black Friday Loot

For many Americans, the Thanksgiving holiday has become as much about discount shopping as it is giving thanks. Millions of people love Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday deals. (Amazon’s Cyber Monday deals are still going on this week, btw.) Today’s column is simple: I want to know what you scored on Black Friday and Cyber Monday…more

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, learning to enjoy fake eggs, standing workstations, or whether Jeremy Lin has figured out how to shoot, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

For many Americans, the Thanksgiving holiday has become as much about discount shopping as it is giving thanks. Millions of people love Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday deals. (Amazon’s Cyber Monday deals are still going on this week, btw.) Today’s column is simple: I want to know what you scored on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

What were you looking for? What did you end up buying? Is there anything you didn’t find? Did you concentrate on games, electronics, clothes, or something else? Please leave your Black Friday and Cyber Monday loot in the comments section!

Kickstarter: Tony La Russa’s Baseball with Fans

Legendary baseball manager Tony La Russa is teaming up with legendary game designer Don Daglow for Tony La Russa’s Baseball with Fans. The two have collaborated several times in the past on the popular Tony La Russa Baseball games for PC. This time around, the dynamic duo is working on a mobile game with a strategic slant. Here are some details from the game’s Kickstarter page:

  • A new kind of Baseball game that lets you challenge your friends to see who really knows how to handle those tough calls in the dugout.
  • An interface and design created “from the ground up” just for touchscreens, not re-purposed from existing mouse or console systems.
  • On-field play that’s based on a physics-driven 3D engine, but displayed in a way that makes the action easy to follow on a smartphone screen.
  • A single-player option that lets you prove your managerial prowess by challenging Tony La Russa, with AI that Tony himself designed.
  • A game that kids and casual baseball fans can play and enjoy, but that offers depth and subtlety for sophisticated Baseball experts.
  • Stat and roster displays designed for fans, not CPA’s, with more detailed data a tap away.

Concept art and graphics aren’t available yet, but expect more visual details in future updates.

As a total mark for Don Daglow, I’m really psyched for this game. I’m also intrigued by a managerial baseball game for mobile devices. Considering the limitations of touch controls, a full-on baseball sim doesn’t work for me, but a managerial game has a ton of potential.

What do you think of a strategic baseball game for mobile devices? Any of you interested in Tony La Russa’s Baseball with Fans?

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This Week’s Videogame Releases

Any of you buy a Wii U? What games are you picking up for your new console? In addition to Nintendo’s major release, there are several games set to entertain you over Thanksgiving weekend. PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale is a super-fun brawler that brings numerous iconic videogame characters together. Agent 47 makes his return in Hitman: Absolution. Fans of cartoon adventures will want to check out Rise of the Guardians, while those with a predilection for military games will want to check out History Legends of War: Patton. Disney’s Epic Mickey 2 is now available for PlayStation 3 and Wii; the game is even more fun with this Mickey paintbrush or this Oswald clicker. Lastly, Seth MacFarlane fans will want to pick up Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

Coffee Talk #540: Your Favorite Aspect of Xbox Live

Xbox Live is now ten-years old. Happy birthday Xbox Live! Microsoft’s online gaming service was and is a big deal for console gaming. It truly transformed what console games could be and greatly extended the capabilities of the actual hardware. It drastically improved the online capabilities of consoles. Hell, there’s a whole generation of gamers that…more

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, STILL not being fooled by the NY Knicks’ hot start, butterscotch vs. caramel, or last night’s X-Factor USA results, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Xbox Live is now ten-years old. Happy birthday Xbox Live! Microsoft’s online gaming service was and is a big deal for console gaming. It truly transformed what console games could be and greatly extended the capabilities of the actual hardware. It drastically improved the online capabilities of consoles. Hell, there’s a whole generation of gamers that has no idea that online console gaming used to be a joke compared to online PC gaming. Features like Achievements, GamerScore, in-game chat, apps, and more were done first on Xbox Live. Many maintain that XBLA still does it better than anyone else.

With all those warm and fuzzy feelings about Xbox Live floating around your brain, I’d love to hear what your favorite aspect of the service is. Is it the online play? Is it the social stuff? Is it the fact that Xbox Live has allowed your Xbox 360 to become a Netflix machine? Kindly leave a comment with your favorite Xbox Live features!

Pokemon Pokedex Hits Japanese iTunes App Store

Well look at that — an official Nintendo gaming product on a competing platform. I’ll be damned. That’s right boys and girls, The Pokemon Company has launched Pokedex For iOS. The app is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch users through the Japanese iTunes App Store. While it’s not exactly a game, it’s certainly a gaming product. And a Nintendo gaming product released for a non-Nintendo platform is a pretty huge deal, don’t you agree?

Do you think this is the beginning of Nintendo releasing more products on different platforms? Or do you think it’s a sign that the world is ending?

Will You Play Google Ingress?

Google has launched Ingress, a location-based game that melds aspects of puzzle, strategy, and MMO games. It’s really hard to describe, but hopefully the launch videos below will give you a better idea of what the game has to offer. On paper, it sounds ambitious and intriguing…but many location-based and alternate-reality games sounded ambitious and intriguing, and most of those games weren’t any fun. Before I go on, here’s an excerpt from the game’s description: Continue reading “Will You Play Google Ingress?”

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

RPadholic N8R, my pal Raina, and I shot a bunch of video this week, so I’ll be playing Fun With Final Cut X most of the weekend. I’m heading off to Hawaii next week to spend Thanksgiving with my parents and brother, so I want to finish as much editing as possible. I do not want to spend too much time editing while I’m in Hawaii. Of course I’ll be writing for your entertainment (and my need for incessant rambling), but I want to spend quality time with family and as much time at Lanikai Beach as possible. Man…I can’t wait to see Lanikai again!

How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?

Gangnam Style Invades Gaming

Psy’s “Gangnam Style” has taken the world by storm, so it was only a matter of time before the Korean sensation hit the gaming world. Here are two videos of two different games using “Gangnam Style.” First up is GameSamba’s Remnant Knights, followed by Fishing Cactus’ Creatures 4. Check out the videos, let me know what you think of them, and let me know which clip used “Gangnam Style” most effectively. Continue reading “Gangnam Style Invades Gaming”