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After our interesting discussion on Miles Morales, the multiracial Spider-Man in the Ultimate Marvel Universe, it was great watching Stephen Colbert attack the issue with faux indignation. Colbert was his typically hilarious self, but especially funny to comic-book nerds. I was thinking about one of our other discussion when he brought up the fact that Superman is an illegal alien. It’s fantastic stuff, but what else do you expect from Colbert?
Thanks to my bud Parisi for posting this!
You must check out this outstanding Game of Thrones RPG video by College Humor. It pokes fun at the popular HBO fantasy series by portraying some of its sillier situations in an 8-bit RPG. Give it a go and let me know what you think (please)!
– After struggling with my web host on a wide variety of issues, RPad.tv has supposedly been moved to a new data server. Allegedly, performance should be much better. Things appear that way at the moment, but I’ve had so many problems with this web host in 2011 that I fully expect an outage next week.
– Having said that, I need your help beating up the new server. The site will take a few seconds to load the first few times you use it, but after caching is back in order it should be zippy. If you are experiencing any sort of slowness, please leave a comment with the issue, your operating system, and your browser.
– This might be tempting fate, but I’m going to attempt to use a new beta service that should make the site load faster, improve my page ranking, and improve my search result placement. I hope to have everything set up and rolled out this weekend. Let’s see how it goes.
– I’ll be mailing out the Ghost Recon beta keys this weekend.
– I’ll also be randomly picking the winners of the Activision superhero windbreakers.
– Thanks for your patience with the numerous site issues and, as always, thanks for hanging out!
My gaming weekend will be disc free. There are three downloadable games that I intend play the hell out of. First up is Groove Coaster on my iPad. This stylish and cool music game is currently on sale and it’s completely awesome. Rez fans should definitely check it out, as well as gamers that are curious to see what tripping out is like without having to take drugs.
Bastion should get a big chunk of my time this weekend too. If you dig action-RPGs and originality then I recommend giving it a whirl.
Last, but not least, is Final Fantasy Tactics for iOS. This version is optimized for the iPhone and iPod Touch, but that probably won’t stop me from playing it on my iPad. And yes, I’ll definitely be picking up the iPad version when that comes out. This is my favorite game of all time, after all.
How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?
Are you currently enjoying unlimited data on your AT&T mobile device? Do you also jailbreak or use a third-party program to tether? If so then expect to have your “unlimited” data plan revoked. In addition to throttling customers that use unlimited data the “right way”, AT&T will take away unlimited plans from users not abiding by its terms. According to Boy Genius Report:
AT&T on Thursday confirmed that it will remove grandfathered unlimited data plans from accounts belonging to users who tether or use unsanctioned mobile hotspot apps without a tethering plan, which is expressly prohibited by AT&T according to its terms and conditions.
If you jailbreak your iPhone and tether through unofficial means then your plan will be revoked. If you use a program like EasyTether on your Android phone then your plan will be revoked. On one hand, it’s clearly stated that this is against AT&T’s terms and conditions. On the other hand, AT&T’s definition of unlimited data is getting murkier and murkier.
How do you guys and dolls feel about this issue? Is AT&T just protecting its network (that it doesn’t spend enough money on, despite record-break profits)? Or is this data discrimination?
Nokia Sweden has launched a countdown site for the upcoming Nokia N9. The phone was rumored for a September release date in several European countries and the countdown clock supports this rumor. There’s no word on a North American launch at this time, but I expect the phone to be available in the U.S. some time this fall.
I’m really excited for this phone. It’s gorgeous. The operating system seems shockingly elegant for Nokia. Admittedly, part of the N9’s charm is that it will be Nokia’s first and last MeeGo-powered phone. Part of me is hoping that the N9 sells so well that it makes Nokia’s decision to go with Windows Phone look stupid. That would be fun to write about. Ha!
Were you looking forward to buying a PlayStation Vita this holiday season? Unless you want an imported Japanese version, you’ll have to wait a bit longer. Sony’s next portable gaming system will not be available in North America and Europe until early 2012. Here’s more from Bloomberg:
The product will initially launch in Japan before the end of December, followed by introductions in the U.S. and Europe early next year, Kazuo Hirai, Chairman Howard Stringer’s top lieutenant, told reporters in Tokyo today. The company had previously said it planned a phased global rollout of the Vita from the end of this year, without providing specifics.
Sony was in a great position to compete with Nintendo’s 3DS handheld, which recently slashed its price due to weaker-than-expected sales. A lot of gamers were looking forward to the Vita and many are surely disappointed that it won’t be out in 2011 as originally expected. That said, the extra time should allow Sony to bolster the Vita’s launch lineup. Having strong games at launch would help Sony avoid one of the 3DS’ problems.
How do you feel about the PlayStation Vita being delayed until 2012? Are you bummed? Or are you hopeful that the extra time will lead to a better launch lineup? Perhaps the whole thing is leaving you with a profound sense of “meh”? Leave a comment and let me know (please)!
Most of you have been playing games for at least a decade. In the time that you’ve been playing games, several publishers and developers have come and gone. Are there any game companies that you miss?
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, Klatch’s Hawaiian Ka’u Typica, Time Warner Cable sucking for not allowing HBO Go, or the slow death of WiMax, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Most of you have been playing games for at least a decade. Some of you have been gamers for multiple decades. In the time that you’ve been playing games, several game developers and publishers have come and gone. Are there any game companies that you miss? If you jog your memory, I’m sure you can think of one you used to love and is no longer around today.
As for me, I’m going with Interplay. (Yes, I know there’s a new version of the company kicking around Beverly Hills, but it’s Interplay by name only.) My history with this developer/publisher goes back to the mid-’80s when I was dazzled by The Bard’s Tale on my Commodore 64. The company owned me from 1999 to 2002 with games like Earthworm Jim 3D, Baldur’s Gate, Baldur’s Gate II, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, Icewind Dale, Icewind Dale II, Giant’s: Citizen Kabuto, Planescape: Torment, and more. The company entertained me for hundreds of hours and I miss it a ton.
Before I get all weepy, please let me know any developers or publishers that you miss. Any MicroProse fans in the house? How about any Acclaim marks? How awesome was Looking Glass Studios back in the day? Okay, I’m going to stop before I get lost in nostalgia and use Wikipedia to read about game companies that longer exist today.
I strongly suggest watching the Balrog: Behind the Glory faux documentary. It’s an incredibly well done look at Street Fighter’s Balrog (Mike Bison in Japan) that aired during this year’s Evo Championship Series. It’s a little over 12 minutes, but definitely worth watching. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it! Kindly check it out and let me know what you think.
Last night I caught a screening of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. As a fan of the original films and a James Franco mark, I was interested in seeing the movie, though not overly excited. I left the Fox lot satisfied and surprised. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a great summer blockbuster that’s smarter and subtler than most big-budget movies. Here are some random thoughts (not a review!) on the movie. Spoilers ahead!!!
– Clothing note: I almost always dress up for videogame-industry events and rarely dress up for movie screenings. Aside from my friend Paul, I rarely see anyone I know at screenings. Last night I wore my usual movie screening combo of Lulu Lemon yoga pants, a t-shirt, and a Yankee hat. I was a little embarrassed when X-Play Morgan Webb took the seat behind me. Oops.
– The movie’s writing was smart and respectful to the source material. It’s easy to make the Planet of the Apes premise ridiculous, but things mostly made sense in this movie. There were a lot of homage moments to the original movies. Some of them were bits of dialogue, some were twists on old action sequences, and others used simple props. All of them made me smile.
– Up until the end, there was a surprising amount of subtlety in the film. One of my problems with the Watchmen movie was that scenes were changed to hit the audience over the head with plot points, as opposed to the comics where things are implied. This movie implies a lot of things that most moviegoers should figure out. For most of the movie, it’s implied that a virus leads to the rise of the apes and the fall of humans. There are also several hints on the movie’s sequel and how humans return to Earth. I absolutely loved that the writers and director were not clumsily heavy handed with plot points.
– James Franco is awesome. I thought he had a bright future when I first saw him in Freaks and Geeks, then I wasn’t so sure when I saw him in Spider-Man and Pineapple Express. He erased any doubts I had about his talent in 127 Hours and he’s excellent in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Similar to how the movie is written, Franco delivers his lines so that you take him and the movie’s story seriously. He’s believable in a role and situation that could easily have been asinine. On a side note, I’m convinced, at the very least, that he will become the next John Turturro — a guy that’s good in every role he plays, even if the material he’s working with isn’t the best.
– Freida Pinto is gorgeous. I’ve always had a thing for sexy Indian girls. And yes, I’m using this point as an excuse to post a sexy Freida Pinto photo. I’m not sure about her talent because I’ve only watched two of her movies, but I sure love staring at her.
– The ape actors in this movie are amazing — by far the best ape actors I’ve ever seen. The simian thespians in Every Which Way but Loose, Project X, Ed, etc. are nothing compared the ones in this film. Hold up, my phone is ringing. Wait, what?!? Gollum (Andy Serkis) plays the lead ape Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes and a lot of the simian action was computer generated?!? Damn, I was hoping for a golden age of ape actors….
– It was cool seeing San Francisco used for a lot of the movie. I miss my old town and it was nice to see a lot of streets I used to walk. It was weird that I recognized certain rooftops and ledges. Why the hell would I remember those?!? Perhaps I secretly moonlighted as San Francisco’s equivalent of Daredevil while I thought I was sleeping. That would explain why I’m not a morning person.
– It was nice seeing Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) in a movie that didn’t involve Harry Potter. It was also neat watching him act with an American accent. There was one scene where he’s facing off against Caesar and wielding a shock stick. It was close enough to a wand that it took a ton of self control not to scream, “Avada kedavra!!!” or “Expelliarmus!!!” or “Stupefy!!!”.
– Overall I really enjoyed Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I haven’t seen a ton of movies this year, but this was clearly the best of the bunch. It’s certainly better than all the superhero movies I’ve (not) reviewed on RPad.tv. I highly recommend giving this film a go, especially if you’re a fan of the originals.
