Videogames Archives - Page 9 of 185

Dragon Age: Inquisition Trailer

Here’s the latest trailer for Dragon Age: Inquisition. As I mentioned at the beginning of the year, it’s game I’m looking forward to the most in 2014. Even though I’m not terribly big on graphics (I’m more of a story and characters guy, especially with RPGs), I was really impressed with the visuals in the trailer. The footage is all in-engine and it’s a safe bet that Dragon Age: Inquisition will be the most visually impressive BioWare game to date.

Visual splendor aside, I’m dying for more plot details. I’m sure lots more will by revealed by E3 2014, but I want details now! I want to know more about the main plot. I want to know more about characters from the first two Dragon Age games, the books, and the comics having a role in Dragon Age: Inquisition. I want to know whether or not BioWare used my suggestion to have the Hero of Ferelden and the Champion of Kirkwall joined by That Really Interesting Guy From Antiva. Yeah, those answers are still a few months away, so for now I’ll just watch this trailer a few dozen times and make up my own stories.

What do you think of the Dragon Age: Inquisition trailer? Are you excited for another romp in Thedas?

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg Team Up For Console Wars Movie

In addition to working on the nerdily anticipated Preacher TV show for AMC, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are teaming up for a movie based on Blake Harris’ Console Wars book. Rogen and Goldberg will be directing and writing the movie. The book’s subtitle is “Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation,” so as you can imagine, the Console Wars movie will cover that chapter in the never-ending saga known as ~~Robotech~~ The Console Wars.

Console Wars focuses on former Sega of America CEO Tom Kalinske. Known for his brash and aggressive moves, Kalinske helped Sega thrive from 1990 to 1994. At the time, it was unusual for a Westerner to have such a prominent role in a business that revolved around Japan. Of course he also contributed to Sega’s demise with the mishandling of the Saturn console (1995-1996). It will be interesting to see how the book is adapted and what portions of videogame history will be covered.

Here’s a clip from the press release:

Sony Pictures and Scott Rudin (Moneyball, The Social Network) are developing Console Wars as a feature film to be directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (Knocked Up, Superbad). Rogen and Goldberg are also writing the screenplay. Harris is serving as Executive Producer, and is also co-directing a documentary on the same subject, with Rudin, Rogen and Goldberg producing as well.

Of course I’m excited for the Console Wars movie. The subject matter is near and dear to my heart. I’m also a big fan of the Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg duo. I’m sure they’ll treat the topic and the people involved with reverence. Those guys seem like nerds at heart.

How about you? Are you interested and excited for the Console Wars movie? Have any of you read the book? Kindly use the comments section for casting ideas.

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Coffee Talk #614: Who’s the Best Mortal Kombat Sonya?

My friend Justin and I have had several arguments about the hottest Mortal Kombat Sonya. In the red corner, there’s Bridgette Wilson from the first Mortal Kombat movie. In the blue corner, there’s Sandra Hess from Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. To me, the answer is a no-brainer, but I accept that not everyone has the same opinion. So let’s break it down and examine which actress makes the sexier Mortal Kombat Sonya. After you’ve made up your mind, please vote in the poll below…continued

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, Chris Paul’s triumphant return to the Los Angeles Clippers, the start of the Sochi Olympics, or Marcus Smart’s war on fans, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

My friend Justin and I have had several arguments about the hotter Mortal Kombat Sonya. In the red corner, there’s Bridgette Wilson from the first Mortal Kombat movie. In the blue corner, there’s Sandra Hess from Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. To me, the answer is a no-brainer, but I accept that not everyone has the same opinion. So let’s break it down and examine which actress makes the sexier Mortal Kombat Sonya. After you’ve made up your mind, please vote in the poll below.

Bridgette Wilson: This lady gets mad bonus points for starring as Miss Veronica Vaughn in the legendary Billy Madison. She also gets additional points for her roles in Saved by the Bell and Last Action Hero. A former Miss Teen USA, Wilson did an adequate job in the Sonya Blade fighting scenes in Mortal Kombat. Objectively, Second Sonya kicked more ass. Subjectively, her body of work made her my pick. Going against her is the fact that she married tennis legend Pete Sampras. Sampras’ uncanny resemblance to Eugene Levy means Bridgette Wilson finds Eugene Levy sexy on some level. Yeah, that’s kind of weird.

Sandra Hess: This Swiss beauty dropped out of the University of Zurich’s law school, so she’s smart and beautiful. Her fight scenes in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation were more impressive than Wilson’s, showing a sexy flexibility and the willingness to fight in mud (for no apparent reason). While her body of work isn’t as impressive, she does get some nerd points for starring in Beastmaster III and playing Viper in Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. On the plus side, she did not marry Pete Sampras. While she’s objectively more beautiful and had a better run as Mortal Kombat Sonya, it’s tough to compete with Veronica Vaughn.

Your Turn: Kindly give this hugely important matter some thought, vote in the poll below, and explain your choice in the comments section when you have a chance.

[poll id=”191″]

Amazon Acquires Developer Double Helix, Amazon TV Box Next?

Amazon has acquired independent videogame development studio Double Helix Games. According to Wikipedia, the studio’s credits include Killer Instinct (Xbox One), Battleship (PlayStation 3/Xbox 360), and Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters (PlayStation 3/Xbox 360). While the move indicates that Amazon has aggressive gaming plans up its sleeve, there’s all sorts of speculation about the nature of those plans. Some pundits have postulated the Amazon will be making a videogame console, others believe that the company will have its own line of television sets with embedded videogame capabilities, and some believe that an Amazon set-stop box is on the way.

Personally, I believe a set-top box makes the most sense. I don’t see compelling reasons for Amazon to get into television hardware. A gaming-focused box doesn’t make much sense either. A streaming-Internet box (think Apple TV or Roku) that uses Amazon’s custom version of Android (see Kindle Fire) and revolves around Amazon Prime Instant Video content could be compelling. The company has tons of great movies and television shows available through streaming. Add some original gaming content to the mix and an Amazon Internet streaming box could be a big hit.

Then again, a box might not be necessary at all. Amazon Prime Instant Video is already available in hundreds of televisions from several top manufacturers. Perhaps a more robust embedded service that includes games is the next logical step. The issue here is inconsistency; I’ve seen Amazon Prime Instant Video apps run smoothly on TVs and I’ve seen them run like garbage. Controlling its own box with set hardware specs and a clear path to software updates would allow Amazon to offer a more consistent experience.

Now it’s your turn to speculate and get in touch with your inner Michael Pachter. Why do you think Amazon acquired Double Helix? Do you think the company is on the verge of offering an Internet TV box similar to Apple TV or Roku? Would you be interested in an Amazon box that offered Amazon Prime Instant Video and original videogame content? Share your sage thoughts in the comments section (please!).

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Nintendo Fusion Rumors Debunked?

Nintendo fans around the world were sent into full-fanboy mode when the Nintendo Fusion rumor hit yesterday. Nintendo News reported that the Nintendo Fusion initiative consists of a new home console (Fusion Terminal) and a new handheld system (Fusion DS). The web site posted a bunch of specs to back up its reporting. Many longtime Nintendo fans were hopeful (wishful?) that Nintendo Fusion would allow the company to compete with Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One.

More recently, the specs Nintendo News posted have been called into question. VentureBeat’s “Dancing” Dean Takahashi (one of the best reporters in the videogame business) posted a great article with opinions from a chip engineer that call the rumored specs into question. Here’s a clip:

Pallab Chatterjee, a seasoned chip engineering editor and founder of the Silicon Valley Trade Council, said, “A couple of things don’t make sense.” He noted that the Adreno cores are part of the Qualcomm Snapdragon chip set and are not offered or licensed to AMD. The ARM architecture currently cannot run PowerPC code that IBM uses in the existing Nintendo products. That would mean a 100 percent loss of legacy code compatibility, Chatterjee said.

He also said the 3GB of memory in the portable device also seems small for the applications that will reportedly run on the machine, especially if the screen is a high-resolution one. The camera specs seem a bit light as well, Chatterjee said.

The initial rumor is interesting. The Wii U is a relatively new system (November 2012) and it’s unusual for any console company to release a followup so soon. It seems like a complete panic move, which would be highly unusual for the conservative Nintendo. Then again, the company’s last financial numbers were dreadful and the Wii U has been getting trounced by the competition. It can be argued that Nintendo Fusion is a bold and necessary step for Nintendo.

Naturally, I want your opinions on the matter. What do you think of the original Nintendo Fusion rumor? Is it legit or bunk (like those daily Apple rumors)? How about The Dancing One’s information from Pallab Chatterjee? Do you think that Nintendo needs to release new systems? Or should it bide its time for an all-new, all-different strategy in the rapidly changing field of videogames? Kindly fuse your thoughts into a comments box below!

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Coffee Talk #611: Five Things I Liked From CES 2014

The 2014 Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2014) is wrapping up and tech nerds are still recovering from being inundated by awesome announcements. Looking through the retroscope, I wish I had gone to this year’s show. It had the expected technology and gaming announcements I expected. What surprised me was the amount of vaping goods on display. Gah! Before I plan for CES 2015, let’s take a look back at five announcements I liked from CES 2014…continued

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 fraudulent NY Knicks giving fans false hope with their fluke win over the Miami Heat, the Broadway musical based on the lyrics of Tupac Shakur, or the unfortunate news of Emma Watson dating some fool rugby player, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

WWE Network: I wrote about the CES 2014 WWE Network announcement yesterday and I’m still jazzed about the news. This streaming-video service is a dream come true for marks, smarts, and smarks. For $10 a month you get all 12 live WWE pay-per-view events, some original programming, and on-demand access to classic pro-wrestling matches. Hell, I’d pay $10 a month just to watch Ric Flair’s vast library of five-star matches.
First-Gen Steam Machines: Valve-powered Steam Machines are potentially disruptive for the entire videogame universe. Steam Machines could dratically change things for gamers, game developers, and game publishers. I was thrilled to see that first-gen Steam Machines will be coming from top hardware vendors at a broad range of prices. Steam Machines are on the way from Alienware, CyberPowerPC, Digital Storm, Falcon NW ,GigaByte, iBuyPower, Origin PC, and others.
T-Mobile Pays For ETFs: T-Mobile USA’s John Legere is easily the most entertaining CEO in technology today. I love his bold moves and juvenile antics. Some of the things he does aren’t exactly professional, but damn they’re funny. It was hilarious that he crashed AT&T’s CES 2014 party…and promptly got kicked out. In a serious move, I dig the latest step in T-Mobile’s “Uncarrier” initiative: paying early-termination fees (ETFs) for customers moving from AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon to T-Mobile. It’s just the latest in a number of aggressive moves from carrier.
Razer Project Christine: Speaking of bold and aggressive, I’m absolutely smitten with Razer’s Project Christine concept design that was unveiled at CES 2014. This modular PC chassis looks amazingly cool and is extremely practical. It makes upgrading and expanding a PC’s capabilities a snap. Even though I’m mostly a Mac guy these days, I’d love to get a Project Christine PC for when I’m working on PC games.
PlayStation Now: The Gaikai streaming-videogame service will be reborn as PlayStation Now. In addition to streaming older PlayStation games to PlayStation consoles, the service will be built into select Bravia televisions. This is a fantastic value-added feature for casual gamers that want to play videogames every now and then, but aren’t into it enough to buy a dedicated machine. It could even serve as a gateway service and create born-again gamers. It’s a very cool and very smart move from Sony.

How about you guys and dolls? What CES 2014 product or service announcements did you enjoy?

Coffee Talk #609: Your Most Wanted Videogame of 2014

2014 should be an excellent year for videogames. There should be more mature (in terms of development) games for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Wii U. The Steam Box is a potentially industry-changing product that will be out this year. Mobile games keep getting better and better. Put it all together and we should have all kinds of gaming awesomeness. My question for you on this fine day is this: what’s your most wanted videogame of 2014…continued

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 Knicks/Nets giving fans false hope with their fluke 2014 stars, figuring out how to review luggage, or the glory of broccoli, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

As for me, the answer couldn’t be easier. I’m all about Dragon Age: Inquisition. I loved the first game and enjoyed the second game way more than most. Hell, I’m even enjoying the mobile game Heroes of Dragon Age, despite its numerous flaws. I’m just heavily invested in the world of Dragon Age (yes, I’ve read some of the books) and as a lifelong fan of BioWare, I can’t wait to see where the story goes from here. In my head, the game will be a near-perfect mix of great storytelling, deep gameplay, and unforgettable characters. Dragon Age: Inquisition is easily my most wanted videogame of 2014 and I suspect that it will end up being my 2014 game of the year.

How about you, dear RPadholics? What games are you looking forward to the most this year? What’s your most wanted videogame of 2014? Please let me know in the comments section.

Coffee Talk #607: Your 2013 Game of the Year

The good news for 2013 is that I played seven games in hardcore mode. By hardcore mode, I’m talking at least 40 hours per game. That bad news (for the purposes of writing this column, anyway) is that five of them were for consulting jobs, so I can’t really state opinions on those games. In a year filled with peak games for the last generation of consoles and two new systems released at the tail end of the year, my favorite game was for…wait for it…continued

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 crazy injury bug plaguing the NBA, the hottest female MMA fighter, or what makes Greek yogurt Greek, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I’m talking about Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition, of course. As many of you know, I’m a huge mark for the old BioWare and this game in particular. When the original was first released, I spent hundreds of hours playing the game. With the Enhanced Edition, I spent dozens of hours reliving one of my favorite games ever, but with updated graphics, a pair of new characters, and updated gameplay features. And I loved every second of it. Yeah, it might seem totally dated to newer games, but for me Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition was sheer bliss. The writing, gameplay, and characters brought me so much joy in 2013 that it was easily my 2013 game of the year.

Naturally, I don’t expect any of you to have the same answer. That’s what makes us the unique snowflakes that we are. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear about your personal 2013 game of the year. I absolutely do! I’m excited to hear about the videogames that dazzled you in 2013. Kindly share your 2013 game of the year in the comments section.

Let’s Play Heroes of Dragon Age!

For the last few months, I’ve been playing a ton of Let’s Play Heroes of Dragon Age. For professional reasons, I can’t review the game, but I’d love for you RPadholics to give it a shot. It’s available on iTunes for iOS devices and Google Play for Android devices. So please, please, please give it a download and give the game some time. When you’re done with that, kindly share your (completely unfiltered) thoughts on the game in the comments section.

For those of you that need more information, Heroes of Dragon Age is a strategy game of sorts. You take a team of characters and (kind of) battle your way through different parts of the Dragon Age universe. Different periods of history are explored. There’s a huge collectible aspect to the game as well. You’ll be able to earn or buy some really cool characters — including heroes and villains from the videogames.

Here’s an excerpt from the official description:

Collect the heroes. Become a legend! Build a party of famous warriors and epic monsters from Dragon Age lore. Battle other players in strategic, CCG-inspired 3D combat. Fight bosses on engaging quests from the award-winning, dark fantasy RPG games.

Like I said, I’ve been playing a ton of Heroes of Dragon Age. Part of it is due to habits developed from work and part of it is that I’m addicted to collecting the characters (it’s the Pokemon nerd in me). I love the Dragon Age role-playing games and while I can’t say that I love Heroes of Dragon Age, I admit that I’m addicted to it — worts and all.

But I’ve probably said too much. Ha! That’s where you come in. Let’s do this as a fun group activity. I’d super appreciate it if you gave the game a whirl. Please note that the early going is slow and you’ll probably need to spend a couple of hours with it before things get interesting. At that point, I’m sure you guys and gals will have lots of interesting things to say about the game. Fire away (please)!

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

I got back from Hawaii this week and it’s off to Asia next week. Unfortunately, I won’t have any time for console games this weekend. There’s too much work and laundry to be done before takeoff. I will be playing lots of Heroes of Dragon Age on my iPhone 5. Yesterday, I posted a link to an interview my buddy Paul Semel conducted with Heroes of Dragon Age producer ~~Zoo~~ Joe Lander. I urge you to download the game so that we can have a little experiment on RPad.TV. It’ll be a neat little project for all of us! Just in case you’re rocking an Android phone or tablet, here’s the Google Play link for the game.

So in addition to Heroes of Dragon Age, what’s on your weekend playlist?