Category: Xbox 360

Same-Sex Marriage Confirmed For The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Bethesda vice president Pete Hines confirmed that there will be an option for same-sex marriage in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Replying to a fan on Twitter, Hines wrote, “Not making a huge deal out of it. You can marry anyone.” Some of you will recall that some BioWare fans were not pleased with the homosexual romance options in Dragon Age II. I’m curious to see if Skyrim will elicit a similar reaction.

I love that this is an option in the game. It is, after all, role-playing. I think it’s great that homosexual gamers have an option to play as a character that reflects their lifestyle. Same-sex marriages happen all over the world and it’s fantastic that a videogame reflects modern society. I’m sure Bethesda will get some unnecessary heat for having same-sex marriage in a videogame…and I’m sure a lot of it will be based on stupidity.

What do you think about same-sex marriages in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim?

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The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Character Creation Screens

Here are a bunch of screens of the character creation process in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The screenshots show the facial presets for the game’s various races. Head shots of argonians, dark elves, nords, orcs, and more are included. Some of you will recall that Skyrim was in my E3 2011 personal top five. My head is currently swimming with character creation ideas. I want to play now!!!

How about you? What kind of character do you plan on playing as in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim?

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Serah Kicks Ass in the Latest Final Fantasy XIII-2 Screens

The latest batch of Final Fantasy XIII-2 screens shows Serah Farron in action. As you can tell from the images, she’s no longer Lightning’s little sister that needs protection. She kicks all sorts of ass with a bow and sword. With the way that many Asian people switch R’s and L’s, I’m calling her Serah Fallon…which makes her related to Jimmy Fallon.

Anyway, check out the screens and let me know what you think (please)!

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This Week’s Videogame Releases

After several dry weeks in August, there are finally some great games coming out! Deus Ex: Human Revolution has been getting a ton of hype. I loved the original and can’t wait to dive into this one. Gamers looking to show off their martial prowess online will want to pick up Street Fighter 3: Third Strike Online Edition. A lot of hardcore gamers feel that this game is the pinnacle of 2D fighting. On Sunday, Nintendo will have four great old games rebranded as $19.99 Nintendo Selects for Wii.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

Final Fantasy XIII-2 Screens are Moogletastic!

I’m loving the latest batch of Final Fantasy XIII-2 screens. They’re full of moogle goodness! Several of the shots show the game’s moogle in cutscenes and in action. In addition to being awesomely cute, the moogle fits into the combat and puzzle aspects of FFXIII-2. There’s also this cool shot of Serah wielding a comically large bow. It’s amazing that her skinny arms can even lift it!

Anyway, please check out the screens and share your thoughts on ’em. Kupo!!!

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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!

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Coffee Talk #381: I Dream of Next-Gen Consoles with SSD

Back in November 2009 we discussed our next-gen console dreams. At the time, my dream was for a TiVo-enabled console. While that dream is still alive, I have another wish for next-gen consoles…

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 awesomeness of Curb Your Enthusiasm, finding solutions for your crap web host, or the future of HSPA+, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Back in November 2009 we discussed our next-gen console dreams. At the time, my dream was for a TiVo-enabled console. While that dream is still alive, I have another wish for next-gen consoles: solid state hard drives. With the introduction of hard drives in consoles, load times are much shorter than when games ran entirely off of discs. That said, load times still happen and they still piss me off. While the power of the PlayStation 3 is impressive, it’s annoying when it’s held up by a 5,400 rpm platter drive.

Solid state drives (SSDs) are much more suitable for keeping up with powerful CPUs and GPUs than platter-based drives. The throughput levels aren’t even close. It truly is a tortoise vs. hare comparison. In practical terms, look at the boot times of a MacBook Air (SSD) vs. a MacBook equipped with a 5,400 rpm drive. Next-get consoles with SSDs would start up faster and have considerably less load times than today’s consoles. As an added bonus, SSDs are much more durable and far less prone to failure than platter drives — a nifty benefit of not having moving (fragile) parts.

Best of all, the next-generation PlayStation and Xbox machines should hit sometime between 2013 and 2014. By then, the cost of a 256GB SSD should be cheap enough for a home console. Hell, if they don’t arrive until 2014 then maybe a 512GB SSD would be an option! Ah, the dream….

Anyway, that’s my latest next-gen console dream. What do you think of using SSDs in future consoles? How have your console dreams evolved since November 2009?

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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