For my second Comic Con 2011 giveaway, I have two windbreakers courtesy of Activision. One is for Spider-Man: Edge of Time and the other is for X-Men: Destiny. Both windbreakers are size-L and feature removable earbuds…because you need music when you’re breaking wind.
All you have to do is leave a comment saying why you want one of these windbreakers for a chance to win. Please note that this contest is only open to people with a U.S. mailing address. Good luck!
Now that the Nintendo 3DS price cut has been announced, I wanted to see if any of you were planning to pick one up. It’s a neat little system with a bright gaming future, but its launch has been somewhat…unimpressive. Perhaps a price cut will make it seem exciting and new (think Love Boat). What do you think? Kindly take today’s poll and expand on your purchasing decision in the comments section!
[poll id=”126″]
Nintendo of America has announced that its 3DS portable gaming console will list for $169.99 starting August 12, 2011. The 3DS launched in America this past March with a price of $249.99. Gamers that already own the system will be able to download 20 games for free — including 10 games Nintendo has no plans to make available to the general public — to make up for the rapid price drop.
While it’s surprising for any system to slash its price less than five months after its debut, it makes sense for the Nintendo 3DS. The system isn’t selling nearly as well as its predecessor. In fact, the Nintendo DS has been outselling the Nintendo 3DS in 2011. Many longtime Nintendo customers simply found the price too high.
Then there’s the PlayStation Vita factor. When Sony revealed that its upcoming Vita handheld will launch for $249, my initial thought was, “Well that makes the 3DS look silly.” The Vita is considerably more powerful than the 3DS and features more expensive parts. If both systems had hit holiday 2011 at the same price then the Vita would have slaughtered the 3DS in the gaming enthusiast market.
What do you guys and dolls make of the 3DS price cut? Is Nintendo in panic mode? Do you think the price cut was a reaction to sales figures or was it a preemptive strike against the Vita?
I finally caught Captain America last night. It’s funny that Comic Con 2011 was the reason I wasn’t able to attend a screening or catch it on opening night. My initial feeling was that it’s a fantastic movie — up there with the recent Iron Man and Batman films. Certainly it’s better than Thor, which I enjoyed earlier this year. However, I can’t help but wonder if I’m being overly enthusiastic about Captain America because I was traumatized by the last superhero movie I saw (the amazingly crappy Green Lantern). Perhaps writing down random thoughts will help me figure it out. Prepare for musings and spoilers!!!
– Chris Evans was a fantastic Steve Rogers. I enjoyed him goofing it up in The Fantastic Four and being a Hollywood parody in Scott Pilgrim, but I wasn’t sure if he could pull off Captain America. He totally did. I was impressed by how he flipped between sincere and commanding throughout the movie. He showed range and depth, unlike Ryan Reynolds in Green Lantern.
– The way the movie was written, Cap didn’t have any training. He went from receiving the Super Soldier Serum to hocking war bonds to becoming an amazingly skilled combatant with a tactical mind and the ability to fly airplanes. Yes, the Super Soldier Serum granted Cap increased strength, durability, and stamina, but where did the new skills come from?!? Perhaps I missed the part where Dr. Erskine injected him with Tactical Genius Serum and How to Fly a Plane Serum.
– I really enjoyed the tone of the movie. It was innocent, positive, and uplifting. Most of the scenes took place during a time when America was rapidly on its way to becoming the most amazing country in the world. It’s such a stark contrast to the tone of America today. The country has problems and ridiculous politicians — on both sides — are making maters worse. America is in a lull at best or in an irreversible decline at worst. Captain America gave me a feel-good vibe that made me miss my idea of America as a teenager.
– Hugo Weaving was great as Red Skull. On paper, this character should be completely ridiculous. Weaving made him fearsome and believable. More importantly, I stopped thinking of him as Agent Smith from The Matrix. One of my fears going into the movie was that I’d constantly expect Red Skull to say (in Agent Smith’s voice), “Mr. Rogers…we’ve been expecting you.” That only happened once (maybe twice).
– Hayley Atwell was brilliant as Cap’s love interest, Peggy Carter. She was strong, capable, and sexy-as-hell. I wish more Hollywood love interests were like her. I’m so tired of damsels in distress (in movies anyway). The writers made her look silly for a few minutes by including a completely unnecessary jealousy scene that added nothing to the movie. Aside from that, she rocked it.
– I was pleasantly surprised by Tommy Lee Jones. He’s mostly bugged the crap out of me for the last decade. He also made a pathetic Two-Face in Batman Forever. Jones deftly portrayed an intimidating colonel that delivered fantastic comedic lines. It would have been easy to make this character completely silly, but Jones did a great job at portraying a believable military leader with surprising humor.
– The shield usage was powerful, but never ridiculous. The fight choreographer did a great job at making the shield a natural part of Cap’s fighting style. The shield also made a satisfying “thunk” when it hit Nazis. I was worried that the director would go nuts with crazy shield ricochets, but that never happened.
– At the end of the day, I enjoyed Captain America for being a great superhero movie with an unusually positive tone. Most superhero movies strive for a gritty realism that attracts hardcore fans and adults or excessive comedy that attracts kids and general viewers. Captain America, being the (Western) paragon of the Marvel Universe, is way different from the X-Men, Batman, Iron Man, etc. He’s supposed to stand for something bigger than himself. He’s supposed to inspire. This movie reflects all that. The cast and crew did a wonderful job at crafting an uplifting superhero film.
Today I’d like you to jot down all the games in your gaming backlog. This little exercise is as much for me as it is for you. There are always games that I mean to play, but put off due to life, love, work…
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 rumors of Brett Favre un-retiring (again), your thoughts on the U.S. debt ceiling, or Rey Mysterio being WWE Champion for 12 seconds, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
It’s audience participation time (not really sure how this is different from any other day on the site)!!! Today I’d like you to jot down all the games in your gaming backlog. This little exercise is as much for me as it is for you. There are always games that I mean to play but put off due to life, love, work, etc. Hopefully writing them down will motivate me to finish them. I’m hoping that writing your backlog in the comments section will do the same for you too. Here’s my list.
Of course new titles like Bastion and the Dragon Age II Legacy DLC will get in the way, but I’m determined to make it through this list before the year ends.
Now it’s your turn! What’s in your gaming backlog?
Here are two random photos from Comic Con 2011 that crack me up. Above is Microsoft’s Major Nelson conducting an interview. I love how the Kinect sensor was tracking him the whole time. A bunch of us were goofing on him while he was interviewing because we’re mature that way.
If you’ve ever been to downtown San Diego then you know that pedi-cabs are abundant. Depending on what’s going on around town, you’ll see a variety of sponsored pedi-cabs with themes. My favorite was this Iron Throne pedi-cab sponsored by HBO’s Game of Thrones. I want one!
…let me know if you understand what the game is all about. I’m totally into Sound Shapes. It’s the PlayStation Vita game I’m looking forward to the most and it was in my top five games of E3 2011. That said, it’s really tough to “get” through screens and videos. One of my friends is working on the game and told me lots about it months ago, but it wasn’t until I got to play it myself that I understood Sound Shapes’ awesomeness.
Are you “getting” Sound Shapes? Or is it all a bunch of weird bells, whistles, and colors to you?
Looking for a funky puzzle-platformer with lots of half-naked men and women? Of course you are! That’s why you’re excited for the release of Catherine. If you’re longing for classic gaming on your Nintendo 3DS then Pac-Man and Galaga Dimensions will do you right. Normally I don’t include DLC in this weekly, but Dragon Age II Legacy is too awesome not to mention. I’m going to play the hell out of it this week. BioWare rules!
Any of you picking up new games this week?
To make up for my time away from the site, I’m giving away a bunch of stuff I acquired during the show. The first Comic Con 2011 giveaway is for Ghost Recon Future Soldier VIP beta keys. My sexy friend from Red Storm gave me a bunch of them and now you can have one! All you have to do is leave a comment saying why you want one. Comments will (probably) not be judged. Whether you’re a Ghost Recon superfan or you simply want your pet monkey to have a cool dog tag, I will send you a beta key (while supplies last).
Please note that this giveaway is only open to people with a United States mailing address.
I had a great time at Comic Con 2011. It was lots of fun freelancing for secret company. It’s always enjoyable watching fellow geeks celebrate geek culture. There was lots of celebrity watching to do. And…
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 rolling camera bag of your dreams, Amir Khan’s drubbing of Zab Judah, or the passing of Amy Winehouse, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
I had a great time at Comic Con 2011. It was lots of fun freelancing for secret company. It’s always enjoyable watching fellow geeks celebrate geek culture. There was lots of celebrity watching to do. And it was awesome hanging out with new and old friends from the videogame business. Unfortunately, my hotel was far away from the convention and it would have been difficult lugging my laptop around, so I didn’t get a chance to “hang out” with y’all. I missed you! Now onto some random thoughts on Comic Con 2011.
– The videogame panels I attended were fantastic. I loved watching hundreds — sometimes thousands — of fans cheer for games and game creators. Unlike DICE, GDC, and E3, Comic Con is open to the public. Watching “real people” mark out over seeing Altair in the Assassin’s Creed: Revelations trailer or geeking out over seeing Cliff Bleszinski was a treat for me. I’m hardly one of those “jaded videogame journalists”, but it was still refreshing, invigorating, and charming watching fans be fans.
– All that said, some of the Q&A sessions were painful. Some people asked moronic questions. Some people didn’t listen to the moderator’s instructions for the Q&A portion of the panel. Some people asked questions as if they were stoned, saying…one…word…every…five…seconds. Yeah, I realize that some people get nervous speaking in public and others are so excited to meet game creators, but there were times when I wanted to bash my head in with my monopod during Q&A.
– The kids loved the new footage from the upcoming Beavis & Butthead. I am so completely down for this. It will crack me up and transport me to a simpler time. Remind me to tell you about the “Summer of Beavis” some time.
– The buzz on comic-book movies was similar to the thoughts here. Most of the people I chatted with were amped for The Dark Knight Rises. Opinions were split on The Avengers trailer. The Spider-Man reboot received a ton of flak. Most of it was because a lot of people feel that it’s too soon for a reboot, but part of it was because some fans hate the new costume.
– During the Star Wars: Kinect panel, most of my friends in the videogame business had the same reaction: “Crap! Now I have to buy another Xbox 360.” It’s completely awesome and the noises it makes are giggle inducing. The Gears of War 3 limited edition looks cool, but isn’t nearly as charming as the R2D2 Xbox 360.
– A lot of my friends were dogging on the DC Universe reboot. I’m mostly looking forward to it. The biggest bummer for me is that Red Robin will not have his own book. I suppose the manly answer would have been being upset that Wonder Woman will no longer be showing off her legs in every panel.
– My party highlight was actually between parties. After Ignition’s fine shindig for El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron, I bumped into a bunch of pals from Future. Among them was the super sexy, super fun, and super cool Annette Cardwell. I drunkenly latched onto her for 11 minutes. Sorry Annette! (bsukenyan, I saw Carolyn too! It’s always great to see her…especially when there’s drinking involved.)
– My only party faux pas (that I remember) was spitting up a bunch of my Jack & Coke when a PR lady asked me, “Are you still dating Zoe Flower?” A text message to Canada was sent immediately after the incident.
– During the Street Fighter X Tekken panel, the kid behind me said, “LOL,” “GG,” and “IDK.” I wanted to slap him. After thinking about it for a few minutes, I wanted to slap his mother for letting her son speak in such an idiotic manner. Kids these days….
