Category: Videogames

Coffee Talk #383: Has Videogame Pr0n Arrived?!?

Before I get started, please know that the videos in the post are totally safe for work. Now let’s get to the matter of nerd pr0n! With movie titles like On Golden Blonde, Forrest Humps, and Romancing the Bone, it’s clear…

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, to VPS or not to VPS, the demise of George Lopez, or AJ Burnett’s August record for the last three seasons (it sucks), Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Before I get started, please know that the videos in this post are totally safe for work. Now let’s get to the matter of nerd pr0n! With movie titles like On Golden Blonde, Forrest Humps, and Romancing the Bone, it’s clear that nothing is safe from the adult entertainment industry. Recently, a lot of my friends have been sending around the trailer for Star Wars XXX (embedded below). I know there have been adult movies that spoof popular fantasy and sci-fi movies, but why not videogames?!? It turns out that naughty videogame movies are here!

During an email discussion of Star Wars XXX, a friend informed me of Sex Fighter II, an adult movie parody of Street Fighter II. This movie has an actor dressed as Ryu doing…imaginative things to an actress dressed as Chun-Li. On one hand, I’m sure there are people at Capcom, as well as Capcom fans, that find this disturbing. On the other hand, it’s about frickin’ time! In a way, pr0n spoofs legitimizes the videogame business, similar to how a “Weird” Al Yankovic parody legitimizes a pop artist. At least, that’s the way I feel.

Oh yeah, disclaimer: I am not endorsing Sex Fighter II. Now please share your thoughts on the important matter of videogame pr0n. Do you have any cool titles in your head? Have you started writing any scenes that started with, “Then Samus took off her helmet…”?

Coffee Talk #382: Achievements, Trophies, and Gaming Habits

Achievements and trophies have added a new twist to gaming. These kinds of rewards are arguably the biggest change this console generation has introduced. For the most part, gamers seem to love them. It’s fun getting a…

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, Amazon’s HTML5 iPad Kindle site, traveling to Utah to break office windows, or the Wisconsin recall, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Achievements and trophies have added a new twist to gaming. These kinds of rewards are arguably the biggest change this console generation has introduced. For the most part, gamers seem to love them. It’s fun getting a virtual pat on the back during the game. It’s fun getting meaningless points for the sake of having them. Achievements and trophies add a layer of permanent fulfillment that complements the satisfaction of clearing a level or beating a game.

That said, they’ve also changed the way many of us play games. I’m not much of an achievement whore, but I have a lot of friends that are. Some of my friends will keep playing a game after they’ve beaten it just to get all the achievements or trophies. On one hand, they’re getting more value out of a game. On the other hand, they’re not particularly enjoying it; they’re just obsessed with the virtual rewards. A lot of my friend endure mediocre or crap games just to get some extra trophies.

Compared to previous console generations, I play more games well after I’ve beaten them thanks to achievements. I’ve also kept with mediocre games for longer than I should have because of trophies. Have these rewards changed your gaming habits? Do you play longer than you used to because of them? Have you beaten crappy games just to boost your gamerscore? Have any of you pulled a Ted Regulski (beat all those crappy Burger King Xbox 360 games just for achievements)?!?

Thanks to bsukenyan for inspiring today’s column with this comment!

Watch Ken Levine Talk About BioShock Infinite

Check out this interview of Irrational Games’ Ken Levine talking about BioShock Infinite. The game was one of the best things I saw at E3 2011. Ken is awesome, BioShock Infinite will likely be awesome, and your day will be better for this double dose of awesomeness.

Check out this interview of Irrational Games’ Ken Levine talking about BioShock Infinite. The game was one of the best things I saw at E3 2011. Ken is awesome, BioShock Infinite will likely be awesome, and your day will be better for this double dose of awesomeness.

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Today’s Poll: Is a 22GB Xbox 360 Install Too Much?

During John Carmack’s QuakeCon 2011 keynote, he mentioned that there will not be a partial-install option for id’s upcoming Rage. Gamers can either run the game off of the disc or opt for a 22GB hard drive installation. Here are his exact words according to ShopTo News:

On the 360 we don’t have a partial install option; it’s all or nothing, which is kind of unfortunate. This means you have to install 21/22GB of stuff which takes a long time but if you’ve got it and you play it on the 360 that’s the way to go.

On one hand, 22GB is a lot of space and a full install would take a long time. On the other hand, it’s id and John Carmack; this is, perhaps, a case where gamers will bite the bullet simply because of the developer. Are you willing to give up 22GB of hard drive space for one game? Or is that too excessive? Will you make an exception because it’s id and John Carmack? Kindly take today’s poll and discuss!

[poll id=”128″]

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What Are You Playing This Weekend?

My gaming weekend will be disc free. There are three downloadable games that I intend play the hell out of. First up is Groove Coaster on my iPad. This stylish and cool music game is currently on sale and it’s completely awesome. Rez fans should definitely check it out, as well as gamers that are curious to see what tripping out is like without having to take drugs.

Bastion should get a big chunk of my time this weekend too. If you dig action-RPGs and originality then I recommend giving it a whirl.

Last, but not least, is Final Fantasy Tactics for iOS. This version is optimized for the iPhone and iPod Touch, but that probably won’t stop me from playing it on my iPad. And yes, I’ll definitely be picking up the iPad version when that comes out. This is my favorite game of all time, after all.

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

Coffee Talk #380: Game Companies That You Miss

Most of you have been playing games for at least a decade. In the time that you’ve been playing games, several publishers and developers have come and gone. Are there any game companies that you miss?

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, Klatch’s Hawaiian Ka’u Typica, Time Warner Cable sucking for not allowing HBO Go, or the slow death of WiMax, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Most of you have been playing games for at least a decade. Some of you have been gamers for multiple decades. In the time that you’ve been playing games, several game developers and publishers have come and gone. Are there any game companies that you miss? If you jog your memory, I’m sure you can think of  one you used to love and is no longer around today.

As for me, I’m going with Interplay. (Yes, I know there’s a new version of the company kicking around Beverly Hills, but it’s Interplay by name only.) My history with this developer/publisher goes back to the mid-’80s when I was dazzled by The Bard’s Tale on my Commodore 64. The company owned me from 1999 to 2002 with games like Earthworm Jim 3D, Baldur’s Gate, Baldur’s Gate II, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, Icewind Dale, Icewind Dale II, Giant’s: Citizen Kabuto, Planescape: Torment, and more. The company entertained me for hundreds of hours and I miss it a ton.

Before I get all weepy, please let me know any developers or publishers that you miss. Any MicroProse fans in the house? How about any Acclaim marks? How awesome was Looking Glass Studios back in the day? Okay, I’m going to stop before I get lost in nostalgia and use Wikipedia to read about game companies that longer exist today.

What Do You Think of Balrog: Behind the Glory?

I strongly suggest watching the Balrog: Behind the Glory faux documentary. It’s an incredibly well done look at Street Fighter’s Balrog (Mike Bison in Japan) that aired during this year’s Evo Championship Series. It’s a little over 12 minutes, but definitely worth watching. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it! Kindly check it out and let me know what you think.

Today’s Poll: Will You Buy an EA Sports Season Ticket?

EA Sports has launched a new “Season Ticket” program for PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. This $25 annual subscription program gives sports fans early access to some goodies and exclusive access to others. Franchises covered in the program include Madden NFL Football, NHL Hockey, FIFA Soccer, Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf, and NCAA Football. Here’s what you’ll get with EA Sports Season Ticket.

  • Early Full-Game Digital Access: Three days before a game’s scheduled release, fans will be able to download and play the full version of all five participating titles on Xbox 360 and PS3. The digitally downloaded game will time out when the game is available at retail and consumers have the option to purchase the same full game on disc at retail. EA Sports Season Ticket subscribers can transfer all achievements earned during the three-day download period to the purchased disc, resulting in an early edge over the competition.
  • Discounted Downloadable Content: Subscribers will get a 20-percent discount on all available downloadable content for participating EA Sports titles. Downloadable content, which enhances and refreshes the core game experience, includes such items as Ultimate Team packs, accelerator packs and gear upgrades.
  • Free Premium Web Content: Premium web content extends the game experience beyond the console to a web browser. All participating titles will feature premium web content that will be free to EA Sports Season Ticket members beginning with the premium Creation Center packs for FIFA Soccer 12. These packs provide a deeper set of customization tools and abilities within Creation Center to build your own teams and tournaments, and will be available to the consumer until the membership to the program has expired.
  • Membership Recognition: Subscribers are easily identifiable with an exclusive membership recognition badge displayed both in-game and on their EASPORTS.com profile.

If you’re into most of the games covered by Season Ticket then this sounds like a great deal. If you’re only into one or two of the games listed then not so much. If you’re not into sports games then why are you even reading this article?!?

Are any of you down to buy an EA Sports Season Ticket? Please vote in today’s poll and let me know what you think of the program in the comments section!

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Final Fantasy Tactics Hits iOS on Thursday!!!

Square Enix Europe has announced that Final Fantasy Tactics will be available for iPhone and iPod Touch on August 4, 2011. This strategy-RPG is one of the most anticipated “hardcore” games for Apple iOS. The original PlayStation version is my favorite game of all time, so I’m more than a little excited for this release.

That said, I’m probably going to wait for the iPad optimized version, which will be out later this month. Ah hell, I’m probably going to buy them both because I’m such a big FFT mark. As some of you know, I’ve sunk hundreds of hours into the iPhone and iPad versions of Civilization Revolution, but I’m pretty sure Final Fantasy Tactics will become my primary airplane game. I can’t wait!!!

Any of you planning to pick up FFT for your iPhone or iPod Touch?

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