Sony Computer Entertainment has announced that it has entered into a “definitive agreement” to purchase videogame-streaming service Gaikai for approximately $380-million. This acquisition should erase any doubts that streaming will be a big part of the future of gaming. The deal gives Sony all sorts of flexibility and potential to change the way it delivers games to customers. Mobile devices like the Apple iPhone and iPad have changed gaming forever; streaming technology like Gaikai gives Sony the potential to compete with devices like the iPad and future home consoles from its current competitors.
In today’s press release, SCE president and group CEO Andrew House said, “SCE will deliver a world-class cloud-streaming service that allows users to instantly enjoy a broad array of content ranging from immersive core games with rich graphics to casual content anytime, anywhere on a variety of internet-connected devices.” The last bit is the most fascinating detail. When I wrote about Gaikai in April, I mentioned that the service was running on Facebook. At last week’s Google I/O 2012 conference, the company showed the service running on Google Chrome. Imagine being able to play “PlayStation” games through a Sony phone, tablet, or television? In theory, the flexibility of streaming gives Sony some crazy reach. Its customers would no longer be limited to people that buy a box that goes under the television. That’s a tremendous game-changer.
Naturally, there’s some debate on how quickly SCE will implement Gaikai. Large companies generally implement new tech at a glacial pace. A respected colleague of mine believes that Gaikai will be used for nothing more than demos over the next few years. He could be right, but it’s not just due to utilizing new tech. The broadband market in many countries (hello America!) is too restrictive for enthusiast gamers to rely on streaming for the majority of their gaming. Broadband services will hopefully evolve to make streaming (and digital downloads) more feasible. Personally, I view this acquisition as prep for the next generation of PlayStation software and beyond.
Then there’s competitor OnLive. The company has been getting attention longer than Gaikai, but it lacked a dynamic and popular leader like Gaikai CEO David Perry. The obvious speculation is that a competitor (i.e. Microsoft) will buy OnLive in order to compete with Sony’s acquisition and/or engage in a patent war. It will be interesting to see how quickly the Gaikai acquisition changes OnLive’s fortunes. Obviously OnLive can’t compete with a consumer electronics giant like Sony, but the move could also cause a big fish to overpay for the company.
For the last year and a half, a good friend of mine at Sony has been screaming and shouting about how the days of standalone boxes for gaming are coming to a close. While I’m positive Sony’s acquisition of Gaikai had nothing to do with his rantings, it reflects his opinion. Now I’d like to hear yours! What do you think of Sony’s acquisition of Gaikai? How do you think it will change gaming as we know it today?
I’d love to get your opinion on The Super Dimensional Quantum Learning’s Problems and Solutions Gametime Spectacular!! featuring Kevin Pereira. There’s no way I can be objective about the show. I really want the Quantum Conundrum to succeed. One of the guys at iam8bit (the cats that produced the video) is an old friend of mine. I adore Kevin. And, as most of you know, I’m kind of a mark for Square Enix products. That’s where you and your superior objectivity come in! Please check out the show and let me know what you think.
It’s time for the annual RPad.TV halftime report (which is actually written by you guys)! The first half of the year is over and I want to hear all about your favorite games from 2012. Has much changed since you picked your favorite games of Q1 2012? To paraphrase Warner Wolf, let’s go to the comments section!
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, German sausage with dear friends, the deliciousness of Woodford Reserve, or Drow wisdom, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
It’s time for the annual RPad.TV halftime report (which is actually written by you guys)! The first half of the year is over and I want to hear all about your favorite games from 2012. Has much changed since you picked your favorite games of Q1 2012? To paraphrase Warner Wolf, let’s go to the comments section! Before I get to that, I’ll throw in my two cents.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 is still my favorite game of the year. It’s a Japanese RPG with a Pokemon-like monster-element (and Serah in a bikini!). Of course I enjoyed it. The other game that stood out to me was Quarrel Deluxe for Xbox Live Arcade. The iPad version gave me dozens of hours of entertainment in 2011. I love being able to play the game online through XBLA in 2012.
So how about you? What are some of your favorite games from the first half of 2012?
Jet lag has dominated my week, so I’m going to use this weekend to try and fix things. This means staying in bed with my iPad and lots of iPad games (I believe John Lennon and Yoko Ono did this for months). Civilization Revolution still gets a ton of play from me; it’s like chicken soup for the soul of the gamer. Chillingo’s The Act caught my eye at GDC 2012 and I’m looking forward to giving this interactive comedy a spin. Quarrel Deluxe is always good for an hour or two. Hopefully these three games and careful caffeine dosages will help me triumph over jet lag!
Square Enix has confirmed that Camilla Luddington will be playing Lara Croft in the upcoming Tomb Raider game. The British actress is known for (naked) roles in Californication and True Blood. Naturally, this is the perfect time to enjoy some pictures of Ms. Luddington. For the record, it was somewhat difficult to find photos of her with her clothes on. This “research” was done all for you!
Journey — one of the best and most unique games of 2012 — is about to get even cooler. Right about now you’re asking, “How is that even possible?” I’ll tell you how! Journey Collector’s Edition. This $29.99 bundle will be available starting August 28, 2012. Think of it as thatgamecompany’s greatest hits. In addition to Journey, it incudes flOw and Flower. Awesome extras include:
Thirty-minute behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of Journey
Creator Commentary playthroughs of all three games
Three exclusive mini-games from thatgamecompany
Concept art and screenshot galleries for all three games
Original soundtracks for all three games
PS3 dynamic themes and wallpapers
PSN avatars including eight exclusive new Journey avatars never released before
Official game trailers and developer diary videos
Reversible cover art
I want Journey Collector’s Edition now! Any of you interested in this awesome set from thatgamecompany and Sony Computer Entertainment?
There are a bunch of fun games coming out this week, but I wanted to kick things off with one of my E3 2012 surprises that was released last week. I’m talking about Brave, the game based on the Pixar movie. I had no expectations for this game and was delighted to find an action-RPG that reminded me a lot of the old Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance games. I kind of want to see the movie, but I really want to play the game. Speaking of movie-games, The Amazing Spider-Man is out this week for your web-slinging pleasure. If military shooters are more your thing then you’ll want to check out Spec Ops: The Line. Do you want a game with the ugliest Olympic logo in history? If so then you must buy London 2012. Last, but not least, is a quirky-cute Japanese RPG called Record of the Agarest War 2.
The French Open recently finished and Wimbledon kicks off today. In the span of a month, the two most prestigious tournaments in the sport take place. This is the best time of the year to be a tennis fan. Naturally, as a videogame nerd I’ve been thinking about my favorite tennis videogames. As a huge fan of the sport and…
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, Victor Ortiz being a quitter, dramatic encounters with an ex, or Thai Airways’ amazing service, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
The French Open recently finished and Wimbledon kicks off today. In the span of a month, the two most prestigious tournaments in the sport take place. This is the best time of the year to be a tennis fan. Naturally, as a videogame nerd I’ve been thinking about my favorite tennis videogames. As a huge fan of the sport and someone that played the game fervently in high school, I pretty much love all tennis videogames.
That said, there are two that hold a special place in my heart. Virtua Tennis for Dreamcast was critically acclaimed and I loved it. It was especially fun since so many of my friends were into the game and wanted to play multiplayer. However, Mario Tennis 64 was the better — and surprisingly more accurate — game. As a videogame, it was just more fun. As a pseudo-simulation, it allowed you to do more things with the ball in terms of spin and angles. To this day, Mario Tennis 64 is my all-time favorite tennis videogame.
How about you? What are some of your favorite tennis videogames?
I totally forgot to post this link before E3 2012. Oops. If you have time, please check out my Minecraft (XBLA) review for Machinima.com. The game can be a blast if you’re into Minecraft’s particular type of wash-rinse-repeat gameplay. It’s truly one of those “you get what you put into it” games. Now here’s the part where I quote myself (several years later, it’s still funny to me):
Although it lacks some of the features and complexity of the PC version, the Xbox 360 edition of Minecraft stands up on its own. The addictive core gameplay of hunting, gathering, and building is intact, with streamlined crafting and multiplayer that make the console version unique. It’s definitely not a game for people with short attention spans or addictions to hyper-violence. If you have the patience and enjoying creating more than destroying then Minecraft is one of the most gratifying downloadable games you can buy for Xbox 360.
So yeah! Please check out the review and leave a comment if you have the time.
A few weeks ago on Google+ Messenger, I asked a few of you if you had any interest in building an RPad.TV Minecraft world. You still down?
Now that we’ve all had some time to rest, recover, and reflect, let’s talk about what impressed you at E3 2012! I’m going to use today’s column to discuss a few of my favorite things from E3 2012, which makes this edition the nerd equivalent or raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Exploring the show alone is…
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, Tim Bradley getting a highly questionable decision over Manny Pacquiao, the dastardly Rafael Nadal winning his seventh French Open, or the dangers of your favorite ramen place opening a shop that’s close to you, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Now that we’ve all had some time to rest, recover, and reflect, let’s talk about what impressed you at E3 2012! I’m going to use today’s column to discuss a few of my favorite things from E3 2012, which makes this edition the nerd equivalent of raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Exploring the show alone is way different than doing it as part of a large editorial team, so there are a lot of things that I missed (and several that I ignored). There are also things that played better to you guys at home/work than it did to me at the show. I want to hear all about that stuff too. Please leave a comment below on what E3 2012 games and happenings impressed you. I’ll kick things off with….
1) The Unfinished Swan: I love this game so much. It’s clever and inventive. It’s difficult to explain, so please check out the video below and let me know if you have any questions about it. If I could make out with a game, I’d make out with The Unfinished Swan (I’m not really sure what the means). It was easily my favorite game of the show.
2) Dishonored: This game is getting a ton of buzz and all of it is deserved. The dev team is being headed up by the excellent Harvey Smith, so it’s no surprise that it looks and feels like a steampunk Deus Ex. With its cerebral stealth-action and RPG elements, I expect this game to be critically acclaimed. Check out the video interview here.
3) Beyond: Two Souls: Most of you know that I’m a big fan of Quantic Dream. I loved Indigo Prophecy and Heavy Rain. I’m totally sold on Beyond. If Quantic Dream makes it, I’ll buy it.
4) Razer BlackShark: When I first saw this headset’s press shots, I was totally into it. When I saw it in person and tried it on at the show, I knew I must have it. It just looks cool. When the PR rep mentioned that the mic was detachable, I said, “Screw that! I’m going to leave it on all the time.” I’m going to wear it in public and sing “Space Oddity” dozens of times. It will be amusing (t0 me) for at least the first 100. “This is ground control to Major Tom.” Check out the Razer BlackShark in the video below.
5) The Last of Us: I was surprised by how much this game grabbed me. I think Uncharted is a great series; I know why it’s good and I know why millions of gamers love it. That said, it didn’t resonate with me. The Last of Us has several Uncharted elements, but I’m more intrigued by the former’s character dynamics and story. Naughty Dog is a fantastic developer and I expect another top-notch game, only this time I think I’ll dig it on a personal level.
6) Prom Week: One of my friends from Sony told me to check out this game at the IndieCade booth. I’m so happy I did. It looks like a cute and simple Facebook game, but there’s a lot going on under the hood. It’s fun to play the game’s different scenarios, but I could spend hours making the high-school kids in Prom Week interact in my fishbowl of behavioral psychology. Check it out here when you have a moment.
7) AIAS Music Performances: One of my favorite things to do between E3 appointments is pester my friend Debby from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. That’s usually more than enough to enjoyably kill a few minutes between meetings, but the AIAS had fine musicians in the house! Taylor Davis, Kyle Landry, and Lara Dewit played some excellent videogame music with keyboards and violins. The Final Fantasy and The Legend of Zelda selections were my favorites. Naturally, everyone loved the Super Mario Bros. selections. Check out the clip below.
8) Pachter-Palooza: Of course there were plenty of great parties at E3 2012. My favorite was the Wedbush Securities bash, which I refer to as Pachter-Palooza. It’s just a fun event with some really important people and a handful of idiots (like me). My favorite story of the show had to do with someone I met at this party. It was just a cool and touching thing…that I’ll tell you all about in the next Coffee Talk.
9) Square Enix: Let’s get the bad part out of the way — my Square Enix appointment was a total bomb that resulted in zero video interviews. That was annoying as hell. That said, I was really impressed with the company’s lineup and surprised that it didn’t get more attention. Tomb Raider, Sleeping Dogs, Quantum Conundrum, Final Fantasy Dimensions (job system!!!), and Hitman were just some of the sweet games on display. Out of all the third-party publishers, Ubi Soft was getting the most attention (a lot of it deserved and some of it not). Square Enix should have gotten more love from the press.
10) The Peeps: The best part of E3 2012 — and really any E3 — is seeing old colleagues, strengthening bonds, and meeting new people. It was fun working on E3 videos with my excellent friend Justin. I super-enjoyed spending time with my pal Emily. I see Paul all the time, but it was cool to experience E3 with him. Perrin is still my Turkish princess. It was cool meeting Kevin after exchanging dozens of emails with him. I miss living with Ted in San Francisco. My friend Brad flies in from Japan for several videogame events and it’s always awesome to see him. I dressed as my friend Nathan for the Sony press conference (he has a uniform of sorts). Also, Tina-nana!!! I could go on for a few thousand words, but I’ll stop there.
Now it’s your turn! What were your favorite E3 2012 games and happenings?
