Best Videogame Graphics of 2011

Following up on your choices for the best game of the year, I’d love to hear about your picks for the best videogame graphics of 2011. A lot of people were high on Battlefield 3, while others raved about Rage. LA Noire won over fans with its realistic faces and incredible detailed version of 1947 Los Angeles. What videogame visuals stuck out to you?

As for me, I’m going with an unusual choice — Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP. Obviously the visuals aren’t the most technically impressive in the world, but I love the style and feel. More than any other game I played in 2011, the graphics in Sword and Sworcery stuck in my head. There’s a lot to be said about videogame art that truly resonates with you and stays in your mind long after you’ve played the game.

Now it’s your turn! What’s your choice for the best videogame graphics of 2011?

Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD Available on PSN

Just Add Water has announced that Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD is now available on PlayStation Network for $14.99. This remake of the Oddworld Inhabitants classic was developed in conjunction with OI founder Lorne Lanning. It runs at a native resolution of 720p at 60 frames per second.

Here’s an excerpt from the press release:

Stranger’s Wrath follows the story of Stranger, a fearsome bounty hunter that captures outlaws to raise “moolah” for a mysterious surgical procedure. After encountering the backwater town of the Grubbs, Stranger discovers that there are a few too many secrets about the past and his future as a bounty hunter.

Just Add Water worked with Lorne Lanning to preserve every nuance of the original while making sure that the new game took full advantage of current generation hardware.

As many of you know, I’m a huge fan of Oddworld Inhabitants and Lorne Lanning. I’m looking forward to seeing how this remake looks and if the gameplay holds up. Any of you interested in picking up Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD?

Coffee Talk #436: Your 2011 Game of the Year

Let’s do the game-of-the-year thing in reverse order. Usually, most outlets build up to it by going over different categories and capping things off with the game of the year. Today I want to hear about your favorite and second-favorite game of 2011. Later on…

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, being sad about the Dallas Mavericks’ crappy start, being happy about the Los Angeles Lakers’ crappy start, or if Chris Jericho is the mystery man that will appear on the first WWE Raw of 2012, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Let’s do the game-of-the-year thing in reverse order. Usually, most outlets build up to it by going over different categories and capping things off with the game of the year.  Today I want to hear about your favorite and second-favorite game of 2011. Later on we’ll discuss best graphics, best sound, etc. Kindly leave a comment with your choices and explanations.

As for me, there’s a ton I didn’t play yet so I can only talk about what I enjoyed, not necessarily the best game of 2011. I definitely need to put more time into Skyrim and pick up Arkham City (PR flaks never sent me a copy). Of the games I did spend significant time with, Dragon Age II was my second-favorite. I loved the storytelling and gameplay; unlike some players, the changes in game mechanics didn’t bother me at all. And as most of you know, I’m a total BioWare homer.

The top spot has to go to Portal 2. I was pretty much floored by the game on every level. The gameplay is inventive, the storytelling is humorous and witty, the graphics are great, and the sound design is the best I’ve experienced all year. Valve completely rocked this one and Eric Wolpaw is my videogame-writing hero.

Now it’s your turn! Please leave a comment with your 2011 game of the year and the runner-up.

Bobby Kotick: Master Thespian and Star of Moneyball

Here’s a photo gallery of Activision CEO Bobby Kotick portraying Oakland A’s co-owner Stephen Schott in Moneyball. Obviously I was dazzled by his performance. It’s not like I see EA CEO John Riccitiello or Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot starring in any movies. Only Kotick has enough charm and star-power to run a videogame mega-publisher and go toe-to-toe with Brad Pitt.

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As for the movie itself, I enjoyed it but was mildly disappointed. I loved the book Moneyball. I also went to a lot of A’s games between 2000 and 2002. While I understand that the movie is a dramatization, some of the liberties and omissions were annoying. For example, in the movie the A’s signed Jeremy Giambi prior to the 2002 season as a cheap replacement for his more talented brother Jason Giambi. In reality, Jeremy Giambi was on the team since 2000. The movie barely mentions Eric Chavez and Miguel Tejada. Both were at the height of their powers and big reason why the A’s were so successful. Hell, Tejada was the American League MVP the year the movie took place!

Anyway, that’s straying too far from the point. Moneyball shows that Bobby Kotick clearly has a future in Hollywood playing rich and powerful antagonists.

Coffee Talk #435: Your Tech & Videogame Christmas 2011 Haul

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas, Hanukkah, or commercial holiday. I’ve heard about some of your Xmas loot, but I’d love to hear about it all! Any of you get new games? How about a new phone or tablet? Maybe you had a really vivid dream…

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, your thoughts on the first day of the NBA season, the Samsung Galaxy S not getting Android 4.0, or Jorge Posada possibly going to the Tampa Bay Rays, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas, Hanukkah, or commercial holiday. I’ve heard about some of your Xmas loot, but I’d love to hear about it all! Any of you get new games? How about a new phone or tablet? Maybe you had a really vivid dream about a new MacBook Pro or iMac and one magically appeared under your Christmas tree?!? (That technique didn’t work for me, btw.) Kindly share your tech and videogame Christmas look in today’s comments section!

Google+ Hangouts + Muppets + Queen = Awesome

I love this promo video for Google+ Hangouts. It combines a few of my favorite things (hopefully Julie Andrews is stuck in your head now). Hangouts is a super-cool feature and I’m curious to see if more people will start using it. The Muppets are obviously awesome. Lastly, it’s set to the fantastic “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie.

What do you guys and dolls think of the spot? Are any of your using Google+ Hangouts? Who’s your favorite Muppet?

A Very RPad.tv Chick Magnet Christmas

Big thanks to RPadholic N8R for sending in all these fantastic Christmas photos for his RPad.tv magnet. Some of them are pics of the magnet nestled in his Christmas decorations. I love his Simpsons set! Other pics include the magnet in the ring with several WWE Superstars, including my boy Bryan Danielson Daniel Bryan! Check ’em out.

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PlayStation Vita Accessory Prices Revealed

Sony Computer Entertainment America has revealed the prices for PlayStation Vita accessories. The list includes memory cards, cases, cradles, headsets, chargers, and more. As expected, the memory cards come at a premium price since they use a proprietary format. Check out the list below and share your thoughts on the pricing (please!).

Judge the PlayStation Vita Launch Lineup (Please)!

Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced the North American launch lineup for the PlayStation Vita. The list includes first-party and third-party games. It’s also broken down by titles that will be available on day one and those that will be available during a nebulous “launch window”. Check out the list of games below and let me know what you think. Are you excited (or not)?!? Are you impressed (or not)?!? How would you rate it compared to the Nintendo 3DS launch lineup?

SCEA Launch Day Titles
Escape Plan™ (PSN Only)
Hot Shots Golf®: World Invitational
Hustle Kings™ (PSN Only)
Little Deviants™
ModNation™ Racers: Road Trip
Super StarDust™ Delta (PSN only)
UNCHARTED: Golden Abyss™
wipEout® 2048

Launch Window Titles
Gravity Rush™
MLB® 12 The Show
Reality Fighters™
Unit 13™

Third Party Publisher Launch Day Titles
Army Corps of Hell © (Square Enix, Inc.)
Asphalt® Injection (Ubisoft, Inc.)
BEN10™ GALACTIC RACING (D3 Publisher of America)
Blazblue: Continuum Shift EXTEND* (Aksys Games Localization, Inc.)
Dungeon Hunter Alliance (Ubisoft, Inc.)
Dynasty Warriors Next (Tecmo Koei America Corporation)
F1 2011™ (Codemasters®)
EA SPORTS FIFA Soccer (Electronic Arts, Inc.)
Lumines ™ Electronic Symphony* (Ubisoft, Inc.)
Michael Jackson The Experience (Ubisoft, Inc.)
Plants vs. Zombies™ (PSN Only) (Sony Online Entertainment LLC)
Rayman® Origins* (Ubisoft, Inc.)
Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen (Namco Bandai Games America Inc.)
Tales of Space: Mutant Blobs (PSN Only) (Drinkbox Studios)
Touch My Katamari™ (Namco Bandai Games America Inc.)
Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3®* (Capcom Entertainment, Inc.)
Virtua Tennis™4: World Tour Edition (Sega® of America)

Launch Window Titles
LEGO® Harry Potter™: Years 5-7 (Warner Bros. Interactive Ent. Inc.}
Disgaea ®3:Absence of Detention (NIS America, Inc.)
NINJA GAIDEN® Sigma PLUS (Tecmo Koei America Corporation)
Ridge Racer® (Namco Bandai Games America Inc.)
Silent Hill Book of Memories (Konami Digital Ent. America, Inc.)
Supremacy MMA: Unrestricted™ (505 Games)

Game of Thrones RPG Trailers

Here are a pair of videos for the upcoming Game of Thrones RPG being developed by Cyanide and published by Atlus. As a mark for the books and the show, I’m definitely going to give the game a shot. I’m even a little excited for it, despite the mediocre graphics and seemingly derivative gameplay. At a glance, it looks average (at best) from a gameplay perspective, but I’m super curious about the writing. The game’s plot was written in conjunction with George RR Martin. I’m hoping it’ll be interesting, especially since I’ll be in my 60s when he finally finishes the damn series.

Check out the trailers when you have a chance and let me know what you think. Any of you interested in the Game of Thrones RPG?