Huge congratulations are in order for Psy. His video for “Gangnam Style” has topped one-billion views on YouTube! That’s an amazing accomplishment. To celebrate Psy’s record-breaking feat, kindly give the video another watch. Perhaps with your help, it can top two-billion views. Sing it with me, “Oppa Gangnam Style!”
Coffee Talk #552: Worst Game of 2012
Thankfully, I didn’t play many bad games in 2012. That’s one of the few benefits of being forgotten by PR people. That said, there was one game that I found tremendously disappointing. You see, I love George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books and I love the HBO show, Game of Thrones, that’s based on them. The former is one of the most entertaining series of fantasy novels I’ve read and the latter is one of the best television shows ever made. With all of that in mind, the Game of Thrones videogame was…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, X-Factor USA being won by a WGWG (white guy with guitar), if Steve Nash is truly a difference-maker for the Los Angeles Lakers, or Flipboard for Android tablets finally not sucking, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Thankfully, I didn’t play many bad games in 2012. That’s one of the few benefits of being forgotten by PR people. That said, there was one game that I found tremendously disappointing. You see, I love George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books and I love the HBO show, Game of Thrones, that’s based on them. The former is one of the most entertaining series of fantasy novels I’ve read and the latter is one of the best television shows ever made. With all of that in mind, the Game of Thrones videogame was a terrible letdown.
The game wasn’t on the level of Superman 64 or anything. It was less-than-mediocre rather than wretched. Aside from an interesting story, practically every aspect of the game was bad. The combat was boring and repetitive, the graphics were woefully outdated, the sound design was basic, and it just felt like a sluggish experience. Take away the story, familiar settings, familiar happenings, and familiar characters and you’d have a budget fantasy RPG that isn’t very good. From a pure gaming standpoint, it simply doesn’t stand on its own. Rumor has it that the game caused several fans of the books and TV show to “take the black.”
Now it’s your turn! What was your biggest gaming disappointment of the year?
Los Angeles Clippers: 30 Minutes or Less
There’s something strange and fascinating going on in Los Angeles Clippers Land. If you’ve looked at the box scores of the team’s games over the last couple of weeks then you’ve seen that several of the team’s best players have been playing less than 30 minutes per game. If you’ve actually watched the games then you know it has been common for several of the starters to sit for all of the fourth quarter or the majority of it. Taking a quick glance at the Clippers’ stats shows that Chris Paul is averaging 32.8 minutes per game, Blake Griffin is averaging 32.4, and DeAndre Jordan is averaging 25.7. According to Basketball Reference, their respective averages were 36.4, 36.2, and 27.2 minutes per game for the 2011-2012 season. If the Clippers continue to win and coach Vinny Del Negro continues to sit his starters during the fourth quarter, the gap between last year’s numbers and this year’s will get even bigger.
For teams with older superstars (hello San Antonio Spurs), this practice is common. Older legs need more rest. While Paul’s surgically reconstructed knees need to be managed carefully, it’s highly unusual for two young, blossoming stars like Griffin and Jordan to be restricted. This is a testament to how well the Clippers have been playing and the uncommon roster depth the team enjoys. Limiting the starters’ minutes could help avoid injuries and limit the usual wear-and-tear of the NBA season. Come playoff time, the Clippers could very well be the freshest team in the playoffs.
In the decades that I’ve watched NBA basketball, I’ve never seen anything like this. I’ve never seen a team give so much rest to three young — two very young — starters this often and this early in the season. It’s a fascinating tactic and I’m looking forward to seeing if it pays dividends in the playoffs.
Do any of you recall any teams that were so liberal about resting young players this early? Do you recall a team resting its starters for most of the fourth quarter for long stretches of games?
Poll: What’s On Your Christmas Wish List?
Whether you celebrate it religiously or just enjoy the commercial aspects of the holiday, I was wondering what’s on your Christmas wish list. Are there many games on your list? Perhaps there’s a certain piece of consumer electronics you’re looking for. Maybe there are some Blu-rays you want for your Christmas stocking. For you vapers out there, do you want any new gear or e-liquids? Kindly take today’s poll and expand on your wish list in the comments section!
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What Are You Playing Over Christmas Break?
I hope that all of you have a wonderful holiday with your family and friends. Of course I expect you to be gaming during your time off. What are you planning to play? As for me, my brother has a PlayStation 3 and I’ve been instructed to pack a DualShock 3 to Hawaii. I’m also sorta kinda hoping that Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition for OSX gets approved by Apple next week (not likely). Really though, my Christmas break will be about family, swimming in warm ocean water, and soaking up some sun!
How about you? What’s on your holiday break playlist?
Coffee Talk #551: Worst Comic Book of 2012
I’ve always liked Deathstroke. He was always one of the most bad-ass villains in the DC Universe. He’s cold and calculating, but has a sense of honor (which you don’t find in mercenaries these days). From his numerous showdowns with the Teen Titans to his sheer awesomeness in Identity Crisis to the start of his latest book, I’ve been a fan. And then Rob Liefeld entered the picture…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, Tebowmania sputtering in New Jersey, hoping that Fifth Harmony wins X-Factor USA 2012, or getting excited for Anchorman 2’s December 2013 release, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
I’ve always liked Deathstroke. He was always one of the most bad-ass villains in the DC Universe. He’s cold and calculating, but has a sense of honor (which you don’t find in mercenaries these days). From his numerous showdowns with the Teen Titans to his sheer awesomeness in Identity Crisis to the start of his latest book, I’ve been a fan. And then Rob Liefeld entered the picture….
Even at the height of his popularity in the ’90s, I was never a Liefeld fan. His art — ridiculously large shoulders, squinty eyes, and pointy hair — just bugged me. When he took over Deathstroke in May 2012, his art still bugged me. He made Deathroke look like Cable with a different color palette. His renderings of Lobo and Zealot were even worse. That said, I was prepared for the art because he’s been drawing that way for decades. What I wasn’t prepared for was his mediocre writing. The early proving-myself-all-over-again issues of Deathstroke were replaced by wham-bam action. The thoughtful start was replaced with vapid mayhem. Liefeld’s issues of Deathstroke made me stop buying the book.
(To be fair, there are a lot of rumors about DC’s editors pissing off writers by not giving them creative freedom and often asking for last-minute rewrites. It’s entirely possible that Liefeld wrote some great stories that were mangled by the editors.)
The good news is that Liefeld has left DC. Hopefully Deathstroke will regain the mix of cerebral writing and visceral action that made the early issues so much fun. Looking back at my negative comic-book experiences of 2012, Rob Liefeld ruining Deathstroke for me tops the list.
Now it’s your turn! What were your least favorite comics of the year?
Vaping Diaries #24: Fuzion Vapor Review
Raina and I checked out three e-liquids from Fuzion Vapor: Magnum PI, Hadouken, and Milli Vanilli. Fuzion is a creative e-juice company that makes some really unique blends and uses creative names (as you can tell). Magnum PI is a tropical fruit medley with hints of cream and menthol. The Street Fighter-inspired Hadouken is a lemon-lime juice with a strong menthol kick (fireball?). Lastly, Milli Vanilli is a watermelon-based juice that tries to make sure that you won’t “blame it on the rain.”
These juices are relatively inexpensive at $13.75 for a 30ml bottle. The e-liquids come in fairly standard packing. The bottles are plastic (I greatly prefer glass) and have really fine tips that allow you to drip with precision. Fuzion uses a house blend of 35/65 PG/VG. Raina and I usually vape 50/50 or 60/40 juices. The vendor does offer custom PG/VG percentages, so I’d probably go that route if I ordered from Fuzion again.
While I really wanted to love this vendor, my first Fuzion experience was only a “like.” The fruit flavors are very “candy” and artificial. Both Raina and I prefer natural fruit flavors. That said, the juices are definitely quality and if you like candy flavors then you’ll love Fuzion Vapor.
Here are the flavor breakdowns:
Magnum PI: This was easily the best of the bunch. Raina and I really enjoyed the complexity of this e-liquid. There’s so much going on — a tropical fruit medley mixed with cream and a subtle menthol finish. It all blended together for a really enjoyable and fascinating vape.
Hadouken: Since Raina and I are both gamers, we really wanted to love this one, but only liked it. The mix of lemon-lime and menthol is definitely interesting, but it reminded us of vaping a cough drop. Raina said that this one was “medicinal,” while it reminded me of a Hall’s Mentho-Lyptus. We enjoyed it as an occasional vape, but definitely not an all-day one.
Milli Vanilli: As fans of “Blame it on the Rain,” and “Girl You Know it’s True,” Raina and I wanted to love this juice too. It really didn’t do much for us. It’s not bad, but it’s kind of forgettable. The watermelon flavor reminded me of a lighter version of watermelon bubblegum. This e-liquid was just kind of…there.
Steeping Notes
Magnum PI
35/65 PG/VG ratio, 6mg nicotine
Uncapped: November 3, 2012 5:31PM
Recapped: November 6, 2012 9:45AM
Tested: December 18, 2012
Hadouken
35/65 PG/VG ratio, 6mg nicotine
Uncapped: November 3, 2012 5:31PM
Recapped: November 6, 2012 9:45AM
Tested: December 18, 2012
Milli Vanilli
35/65 PG/VG ratio, 6mg nicotine
Uncapped: November 3, 2012 5:31PM
Recapped: November 6, 2012 9:45AM
Tested: December 18, 2012
Four Free iOS Games For the Holidays
Are you looking to buy yourself a Christmas (the commercial holiday, not the religious one) present, but are short on cash? If so, then you’ll be happy to learn that there are four iOS games that are free for a limited time. The first chapter of Walking Dead: The Game is sure to scare you, as well as vex you with some tough decisions. Avengers Initiative is a fun brawler that stars Captain American and The Incredible Hulk. ARC Squadron is a space shooter that boasts some really impressive graphics. Last, but probably the most appropriate for this time of the year, is Santa Rockstar, which is a Rock Band-style game featuring Kris Kringle.
Check out the iTunes descriptions to see how long these games will be free for (or just download them now). If you happen to pick up any of these freebies, please let me know what you think of them in the comments section.
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing Screens
I’m not really into vampires (blame Twilight…and Twilight fans), so I was surprised by how jazzed I was after seeing screens for The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing. This upcoming action-RPG for Windows PC and Xbox Live Arcade has Dracula’s nemesis hunting baddies with a sword, a pistol, and magic. Fans of games like Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, and Bastion will definitely want to give this one a look. As a mark for action-RPGs of this style, I’m excited to get my hands sink my teeth into this one. It looks like a fun romp of slaughtering minions, collecting treasure, powering up, and fighting bosses — the classic action-RPG formula.
Check out the screens and video below. When you have a moment, please let me know if you’re interested in The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing.
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Coffee Talk #550: Worst Movie of 2012
Surprisingly, I didn’t see any bad movies in 2012 — certainly not anything like 2011’s soul-sucking Green Lantern. I also made the wise choice not to see Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. That probably saved my head from exploding. All that said, there was one movie that really frustrated me. It had the potential to be something unique and great, but ended up a sloppy mess with moments of brilliance sandwiched by several moments of ambition-fueled haphazardness. I’m talking about…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, laughing as the Lakers struggle against the Bobcats, being more excited about Game of Thrones season than the new year, or Taylor Swift looking sexy in a Santa hat, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Surprisingly, I didn’t see any bad movies in 2012 — certainly not anything like 2011’s soul-sucking Green Lantern. I also made the wise choice not to see Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. That probably saved my head from exploding. All that said, there was one movie that really frustrated me. It had the potential to be something unique and great, but ended up a sloppy mess with moments of brilliance sandwiched by several moments of ambition-fueled haphazardness. I’m talking about Cloud Atlas, of course.
While I enjoyed the individual storylines and performances in the movie, I didn’t like the overall structure. The book moves forward chronologically until the halfway point. From there it moves chronologically backwards. The movie skips all over the place, hopping back and forth at a dizzying rate, particularly in the beginning. The quick and abundant cuts sometimes made the movie difficult to follow and the characters difficult to connect with.
The book interweaves Cloud Atlas’ six tales neatly. The movie places the six tales in the hands of two separate directing teams. When you throw in the distinct directing styles with different time periods, the actors playing different characters in different storylines, and the aforementioned quick cuts, it was no surprise that the movie left many viewers bewildered. It also wasn’t a surprise that critics and fans that love boldness praised the movie.
I felt that the ingredients were all there and could have made for a tremendous movie, but it just didn’t come together. My disappointment with Cloud Atlas is similar to my fascination with Russell Brand — I think he has the potential to be amazingly great, but he hasn’t put it all together yet.
Okay. Time to change the record before I start getting sad. I want to hear about your crap movie experiences in 2012. Was was the worst movie you saw this year?