Coffee Talk #536: Games and Pro-Wrestling on Sports Television

Yes, you’re getting two Coffee Talk columns today, which makes this…Double Bonus Monday!!!

On a recent episode of ESPN’s Around the Horn, host Tony Reali talked about how the Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers’ “Big Bella” t-shirt canon resembled the spread gun from Contra. This prompted the show’s Michael Smith to recite the famous extra-lives code from the game. It was awesome seeing videogames being treated reverently by adults on mainstream television.

During ESPN’s pre-game show for the Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Los Angeles Clippers, host Michael Wilbon was 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, T-Mobile’s amazing $30 plan, dreaming of Lanikai Beach, or coconut sugar, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Yes, you’re getting two Coffee Talk columns today, which makes this…Double Bonus Monday!!!

On a recent episode of ESPN’s Around the Horn, host Tony Reali talked about how the Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers’ “Big Bella” t-shirt canon resembled the spread gun from Contra. This prompted the show’s Michael Smith to recite the famous extra-lives code from the game. It was awesome seeing videogames being treated reverently by adults on mainstream television.

During ESPN’s pre-game show for the Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Los Angeles Clippers, host Michael Wilbon was talking about the storied history of Madison Square Garden. He mentioned events like Ali vs. Frazier I and John F. Kennedy’s birthday taking place at the “world’s most famous arena.” The show’s Bill Simmons — my favorite sports columnist of all time — mentioned that Hulk Hogan vs. The Iron Sheik should be mentioned along with those events, saying that it was one of the biggest matches in pro-wrestling history. Loved it.

When I first started writing about videogames in the ’90s, they were still considered geeky and nerdy. Back then, some people viewed pro-wrestling a “hick” thing. The WWE Attitude Era and the Monday night wars with WCW helped pro-wrestling achieve mainstream status, while the Sony PlayStation made videogames cool. Of course it helps that people like Reali, Smith, and Simmons — people that grew up with videogames and pro-wrestling — now have “adult” jobs. Watching those mentions on ESPN made me appreciate how far these forms of entertainment have come.

That said, the battle isn’t over yet. While many young adults and middle-age people have grown-up jobs in the private sector, there are older people in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives that are out of touch. They still view pro-wrestling and games in a negative light. The good news is that I’m sure that won’t be the case ten years from now.

Anyway, it was nice to see the progress of two of my favorite hobbies realized on ESPN programming.

What are some instances you’ve seen of pro-wrestling and games being taken seriously by mainstream television? Kindly leave some examples in the comments section.

This Week’s Videogame Releases

It’s a huge week for the gaming business with Microsoft’s launch of Halo 4 leading the way. It will surely be one of the biggest releases of 2012. Are you buying it? Racing fans get a pair of goodies with LittleBigPlanet Karting and NASCAR The Game: Inside Line. Do you miss fighting alongside Goku and the gang? Then pick up Dragon Ball Z Budokai HD Collection and raise your power level to over 9,000. Not into shooting, racing, or fighting? How about some farming with Harvest Moon: A New Beginning? As a tactical-RPG mark, I have high hopes for Ragnarok Tactics (hopefully I can find my PSP). Lastly, if you’re looking for the most bang for your buck then you should consider Mass Effect Trilogy and Saints Row The Third: The Full Package.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

Kevin Dent vs. The Hip Hop Gamer: More Shots Fired

Kevin Dent’s assault on Gerard “The Hip Hop Gamer” Williams continues. Everyone have their popcorn? This time around, Dent says that Williams’ work as a rapper and performer for videogame publishers conflicts with his role as a journalist. He implies that Williams is paid for promoting videogames, while running a web site that critiques them. Here’s an excerpt from his latest blog:

The guy could be the Mozart of rap and I am not discounting his lyrics! I am not saying that he is a bad rapper, I am saying that he is in receipt of income from these publishers.

Well he has a …. Well apparently a track- and YET as a journalist, he promotes the title…. Hello, conflict of interest? Well no, not unless he got the Money :D

The big question is whether Williams is paid by publishers or not. I have no idea if that’s the case. If it is, then I understand Dent’s point. If not, things are more nebulous.

For my part, when I was writing award-winning scripts for games, I didn’t review them. It would have been a conflict of interest and nobody would have trusted me to be objective since I was responsible for a small part of those games. Having a song featured in a game or performing at a promotional event for a game isn’t quite the same thing, but there’s involvement there that would cause people to question objectivity.

How do you feel about the issue? Do you think it’s a problem that The Hip Hop Gamer performs for videogame publishers and reviews games sold by those publishers? Or do you trust him to be objective? Perhaps you don’t care at all. Leave a comment and let me know (please!).

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Coffee Talk #535: Make Your Own WWE 13 DLC!

Last week, RPadholic N8R was kind enough to list the upcoming DLC for WWE 13. The list got me thinking, and suddenly I thought up of my own dream DLC packs. It was a fun exercise, though I imagined too many drug-related packs (The Drug Traffickers, led by Jeff Hardy) and way too many packs based on dead pro-wrestlers. Today I’m going to list four of the DLC packs that I came up with and I’d love to see ones from you. In the immortal words of Michael Wilbon, “Let’s do it!”

WWE Diva Playboy Spectacular
Sable — The first high-profile Diva to go nude in Playboy.
Torrie Wilson — The muscular girl next door.
Ashley Masaro — Surprisingly good spread.
Maryse Ouellet — Technically she was in the magazine before her WWE days, but wow…you need to Google these…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, the magic of NOALOX, hugging a piece of consumer electronics goodbye, or crushing on Rashida Jones, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Last week, RPadholic N8R was kind enough to list the upcoming DLC for WWE 13. The list got me thinking, and suddenly I thought up of my own dream DLC packs. It was a fun exercise, though I imagined too many drug-related packs (The Drug Traffickers, led by Jeff Hardy) and way too many packs based on dead pro-wrestlers. Today I’m going to list four of the DLC packs that I came up with and I’d love to see ones from you. In the immortal words of Michael Wilbon, “Let’s do it!”

WWE Diva Playboy Spectacular
Sable — The first high-profile Diva to go nude in Playboy.
Torrie Wilson — The muscular girl next door.
Ashley Masaro — Surprisingly good spread.
Maryse Ouellet — Technically she was in the magazine before her WWE days, but wow…you need to Google these.

Sex-Tape Sultans
Chyna — She’s an adult-film star now, but she made tons of waves with “1 Night in Chyna.”
Sean “1-2-3 Kid” Waltman — Chyna’s costar.
Hulk Hogan — Caught on film sleeping with his best friend’s ex-wife.

The Dog Pound
Junkyard Dog — JYD was awesome.
“Mad Dog” Vachon — A total bad ass, even though his real name was Maurice and he was 5′ 7″.
“The Road Dog” Jesse James — Oh, you didn’t know?!?
“The Dog-Faced Gremlin” Rick Steiner — A total suplex machine in the NWA/WCW days.

Figure-Four Phenoms
“The Nature Boy” Ric Flair — The signature hold of the best pro-wrestler of all time.
“The Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers — Often cited as the inventor of the “figure-four grapevine.”
Greg “The Hammer” Valentine — For many WWF fans that didn’t watch NWA, he was the master of the figure-four.
Jeff Jarrett — Every group needs a bitch.

Those are just four of the DLC packs that I imagined. I’m sure that you could come up with better ones, so give it a go! Please use the comments section to list the WWE 13 DLC packs of your dreams.

Kevin Dent vs. The Hip Hop Gamer (Shots Fired!)

This is a total insider thing, but it’s thoroughly entertaining and I wanted to make sure you read it all. In a recent blog post, gaming-industry veteran Kevin Dent called out controversial journalist Gerard Williams, also known as The Hip Hop Gamer. Here’s an excerpt:

Allow me to explain a dirty little secret; no one in the industry actually believes that Hip Hop Gamer is in any way important. We tolerate him as though someone would laugh and roll their eyes at any child that pretends to carry a big stick.

The giveaway was when Penny Arcade Report wrote a piece about Fake Twitter Followers, I was genuinely shocked that Hip Hop Gamer had 75% fake followers.

Obviously these guys were wrong, this was a guy whose raps were in Twisted Metal, there is no way a journalist who had gotten money from a publisher to appear in video games deserved to be assaulted like this. He is obviously independent.

To be honest, I like both of these guys, but also understand why a lot of people have problems with them. I consider Kevin a friend (even though he’s a dick for not listing me as one of his “heroes in the video game journalism space”). He’s smart and charming — one of my favorite people in gaming to have a drink with while discussing nerd matters. I’m proud to defend him when some of my industry friends question what he’s done. That said, he can be an overzealous troll on Twitter. Some of his Twitter attacks have made me wince. I can only imagine how his detractors perceive his tirades. He’s also somewhat secretive and doesn’t boast about what he actually does, which causes some people to question why he rubs elbows with so many important people. He’s like a Marvel mutant — some people fear and hate him because they don’t understand him.

I like Gerard too. He’s fun to chat with and I admire how many people he reaches as The Hip Hop Gamer. With limited resources, Gerard has built a large audience for his character and I respect the hell out of that. He has a unique voice in an industry full of angry nerds that bore the crap out of me. (For the record, I’m a happy nerd that sometimes suffers from depression.) I’m proud to defend him when some of my industry friends question what he’s done. That said, I think he has an identity problem. To me, The Hip Hop Gamer is a great entertainer. Gerard sees himself as a “serious videogame journalist” (a concept I still struggle with). Writers that consider themselves serious videogame journalists (even ones that aren’t actually journalists, flippant or otherwise) are offended by this. I understand why these people have problems with Gerard comparing himself to them. To me, it’s like saying both Tom Brokaw and Jon Stewart are serious broadcast journalists. That’s just not the case. One is a great newsman, while the other is a fantastic entertainer.

While I like both of these guys, I hope they go at it. Hell, I’d love to film it! It would be like watching two of my favorite pro-wrestlers have a match. I’m not rooting for either of them. I just want a good show. How about it boys?

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Coffee Talk #534: 2012-2013 NBA Action, It’s Fascinating!

It’s only day four of the NBA season and the league is already immensely fascinating. In addition to watching the highest level of basketball played in the world, compelling storylines are playing out in the NBA. If that’s not enough for you basketball fans, the games and events are discussed on the outstanding Inside the NBA — in my opinion, the most entertaining sports show on television. Let’s take a look at why the NBA is so fascinating only four days into the season…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 results, getting sad while watching middle-age Britney Spears, or Taylor Swift being single again, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

It’s only day four of the NBA season and the league is already immensely fascinating. In addition to watching the highest level of basketball played in the world, compelling storylines are playing out in the NBA. If that’s not enough for you basketball fans, the games and events are discussed on the outstanding Inside the NBA — in my opinion, the most entertaining sports show on television. Let’s take a look at why the NBA is so fascinating only four days into the season.

Problems With the Princeton Offense (Los Angeles Lakers)
Being the self-centered bubble universe that it is, many Los Angeles residents are in panic mode and calling for coach Mike Brown to be fired. At the heart of the matter is the Lakers’ new Princeton offense. People were under the impression that Kobe + Dwight + Nash = Instant Awesome. An 0-2 record shows that isn’t the case. Losing against a Mavericks team without Dirk Nowitzki and a middling Trailblazers team has fans concerned. The defense (Mike Brown’s supposed specialty) is awful, while the new offense looks like it’s being executed by a bunch of guys uncomfortable with a new offense.

I’m sure the Lakers will figure it out, pick things up, and make a decent playoff run. It’s just fun watching the “Lakers are teh doomed!” hyperbole on TV and reading all the knee-jerk articles.

The Harden Effect (Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder)
To me, this is the most compelling storyline in the NBA right now. The Thunder trading reigning “sixth man of the year” (and will.i.am lookalike) James Harden to the Rockets is a huge deal! It obviously impacts two teams, but the fallout will determine the power rankings of the Western Conference and possibly the NBA finals. There are just so many facets to this story that it kind of reminds me of pro-wrestling in that it blends athleticism and drama. Here’s the breakdown.

Why Break Up a Winning Combination?!? — The Thunder made it all the way to the NBA finals last season, with a fantastic young core of Harden, Kevin Durant, and Russell Westbrook. The three were reportedly close friends off the court, as well as incredibly effective on it. While the trade was done for financial considerations, many are questioning why OKC general manager Sam Presti would break up the core of a team that was on the precipice of winning it all — especially in a sport where chemistry means so much.

When Will Kevin Durant Recover? — It’s only a matter of time before Durant is racking up a gaudy amount of points and contending for his fourth straight scoring title. Despite dropping 23 points on  9-for-18 shooting in his first game of the season, he looked a bit out of sorts. Out of OKC’s core players, Durant and Harden were allegedly the closest off the court. I see a 50/50 chance of Durant having some emotional funks during the first month of the season. Part of it is because a close friend and great teammate was traded, while part of it ties into the next topic.

Who Will Contain Russell Westbrook? — Westbrook is known for spinning out of control during games. His 6-for-21 performance last night — in addition to a defensive brain fart that led to Tony Parker’s winning shot — was a stellar example of this. One of the few ways Westbrook was able to be contained during his bouts of insane shot selection was Harden. OKC Coach Scott Brooks would have Harden come in during one of Westbrook’s rampages, take over the ball-handling duties, and get everyone to calm the f*ck down. Yes, there were times when even Harden couldn’t contain Westbrook’s irrational exuberance, causing the latter to criminally take more shots while playing with the best pure scorer in the league (Durant). Unless Westbrook manages to add a much-needed layer of intelligence to his game, nobody will be able to stop his detrimental outbursts. (Admission: I’m totally biased against score-first point-guards and really can’t stand Westbrook’s game.)

Can Harden be “The Man?” — Harden was perfect coming off the bench in OKC. His ball-handling and scoring abilities allowed him to complement anyone he was on the court with. His impressive pick-and-roll play even allowed the lumbering Nick Collison to shine. He seemed to relish his role of the occasional game-changer, while Durant and Westbrook received the majority of attention. Some reporters questioned whether his game and mentality would allow him to be the focal point of the Rockets. His staggering Rocket debut — 37 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals — indicates that he’s up for the challenge. Granted, that was against my beloved (and sucky) Detroit Pistons and there’s no way he’ll keep those numbers up, but there are fewer writers questioning Harden’s mettle than there were before the season started.

The Battle For New York (New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets)
This is a storyline that will be huge regionally, but ultimately won’t matter because neither the Knicks nor the Nets are a threat to win the championship. It’s just a fun rivalry in the most important city in the world. On one side is a storied NBA franchise that hasn’t won it all in decades and has been a joke in recent years. On the other side is the “little brother” team that never received as much attention, even when it was playing better basketball. The respective stadiums — just a bridge away from each other — are also a great contrast. The Knicks play in Madison Square Garden, one of the most historic venues in America (Ali vs. Frazier I!!!), but also a bit old and crusty. The Nets have the beautiful, new Barclays Centers, a state-of-the-art arena that’s super-charging the economy of one of NYC’s outer boroughs. It’s a natural rivalry in an ultra-competitive city. Players from both teams are talking trash. The owners — one of whom allegedly has ties to organized crime in Russia — are talking trash. The whole thing sounds like an Aaron Sorkin show.

Celtic Pride vs. Miami Vice (Boston Celtics, Miami Heat)
The 2012-2013 NBA season kicked off with a doozy — the defending champion Miami Heat vs. the Boston Celtics. Former Celtic Ray Allen signed with the Heat during the offseason, which some of his former teammates consider a betrayal along the lines of sleeping with your best friend’s sister. Kevin Garnett gave Allen the cold shoulder when the latter tried to greet him. Celtic point guard Rajon Rondo clotheslined Dwyane Wade in the closing moments of the game, which the latter called a “punk play.” There’s a lot of bad blood between these two teams — though more of it from the Celtics’ side — and I can’t wait for them to play again. It’ll be the Heat’s new-wave small-ball vs. the Celtics’ old-school defense-first style. I dream that NBA commissioner David Stern will let these two teams play on a court based on WWE’s Hell in a Cell. That would rule.

The Battle Against Father Time (San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers)
It seems like every year the Spurs are written off as too old and every year they make a strong run through a combination of outstanding fundamentals, great teamwork, and excellent coaching. Surely age will catch up to them this season, no? Screw that! While I don’t think the Spurs will win it all, I do think that they’ll make a strong playoff push. I’m not going to bet against Tim Duncan or Greg Popovich. I will, however, bet against Tony Parker…because he’s French and sleeps with teammates’ wives (again, because he’s French).

Kobe Bryant is one of the most unlikable players in the NBA. Rape accusations and forcing out a lovable giant (Shaquille O’Neal) will color you that way. He’s also old and his knees are held together through a German centrifugal-blood procedure (which I’m pretty sure is a form of sorcery).

Steve Nash is one of the most likable players in the NBA. Being white, having a goofy haircut, and wearing outfits like the one above will color you that way. He’s also old and his back is held together by a Native American procedure (involving mystical cactus needles) that’s exclusive to the Phoenix Suns.

Both players are ultra-competitive. I haven’t seen a player as obsessed with winning as Bryant since Michael Jordan; it’s pathological and a little bit scary. Nash wants his first ring so badly that you can feel it on the other side of the television. For some reason (probably the haircut and outfits), it’s endearing. A lot of people are rooting for this odd couple to win it all because this could be their last chance. I’d love to see Nash get a ring because it would be a fantastic feel-good story. Part of me wants to see Kobe get another ring, because I begrudgingly admire his determination and work ethic. I’d never admit that though. (Oh wait….)

Your Shot
Those are just some of the storylines that have me so into the NBA only a handful of days into the season. Any of you catch NBA fever yet? What’s your take on the Harden trade? Is there any chance Andre Drummond will transform into a player that can return my Pistons to glory? What’s your take on the NBA plots I discussed above. Leave a comment and let me know (please!).

GI Joe: Retaliation International Trailer

Here’s the latest trailer for GI Joe: Retaliation. I’m probably going to get a lot heat for this, but I really want to see this movie. Keep in mind that I think Channing Tatum completely sucks (and not in that charming, learning-disabled way like Paul Walker) and I’ve never been big on Bruce Willis. Despite those two factors, I’m convinced that this is going to be glorious in a big-stupid-fun fashion.

As many of you know, I decided long ago never to talk in anyone’s shadow that it was my pro-wrestling-mark duty to support every movie that Dwayne “The Johnson” appears in. The trailers indicate that Roadblock is a great role for him. While I’ve always been hot and cold on Bruce Willis, I prefer his more humorous roles. It looks like he’ll have a lot of zingers as GI Joe Colton. As a comic-book nerd, I’ve loved all the ninja-tastic stories about Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, and the Arashikage Clan. Ray Park (Snake Eyes) is always good for acrobatic action and I’m really rooting for Byung-Hun Lee (Storm Shadow) to attain some glory after giving up all those homeruns in the 2001 World Series (that was him, right?).

So yeah, despite loathing Channing Tatum and not liking Bruce Willis, I have a feeling that GI Joe: Retaliation is going to rock. Who’s with me?!?

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

If all goes as planned, I’ll be picking up my copy of WWE 13 from my friend at THQ tomorrow. I’m really excited to play this game. For a while, I was really worried about the series. I mean, how do you top the award-winning writing in Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 and 2011?!? One of the few ways to top those epic tales is to take actual storylines — with actual WWE television footage! — from the “Attude Era” and use them in an interactive way. They also got some guy named Paul Heyman to help out with the storylines. In addition to being one of the sharpest and most innovative thinkers in the pro-wrestling business, he’s almost as good a writer as those guys from SmackDown vs Raw 2010 and 2011! Almost.

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

Coffee Talk #533: Who Will Be the Star Wars Chosen One?

Millions of people love the original Star Wars trilogy and consider it a vital part of their nerd identity. Millions of people hate the latest Star Wars trilogy and consider it an affront to something dear to their hearts. With that in mind, there’s a tremendous opportunity for a director and/or writer to “save” Star Wars. At worst, he or she will be celebrated — fairly or unfairly — for not being George Lucas. At best, he or she will be the savior or all nerdkind. Who are some of the people you’d like to see considered for Star Wars Episode 7?…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, Steve Nash’s injured leg, Bristol Pailin selling her car on Craigslist, or Jony Ive’s new influence on iOS, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Millions of people love the original Star Wars trilogy and consider it a vital part of their nerd identity. Millions of people hate the latest Star Wars trilogy and consider it an affront to something dear to their hearts. With that in mind, there’s a tremendous opportunity for a director and/or writer to “save” Star Wars. At worst, he or she will be celebrated — fairly or unfairly — for not being George Lucas. At best, he or she will be the savior of all nerdkind. Who are some of the people you’d like to see considered for Star Wars Episode 7?

Many sci-fi and comic-book geeks have been throwing Joss Whedon’s name around. The man has a ton of nerd cred between Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, and The Avengers. Many Star Wars fans were hoping that Timothy Zahn’s novels would be given the big-screen treatment, but RPadholic N8R informed us that won’t be the case. The usual suspects of Christopher Nolan, Darren Aronofsky, and Ridley Scott have been discussed by the sci-fi elite.

Who would you like to see as the director and writer of Star Wars Episode 7? Who will be the chosen one that saves the Star Wars movies? What are the chances of seeing Natalie Portman (in extended scenes) wearing Princess Leia’s metal bikini?