Call of Duty Elite: To Pay or Not to Pay?

Activision has officially announced details on its Call of Duty Elite online service. Offering advanced stat tracking and social features, Call of Duty Elite will have a free version and a premium version with a monthly fee. The primary goal of the service (in my opinion, anyway) is to keep Call of Duty gamers away from other shooters by offering “sticky” features. Here are some bullet points from the press release:

  • Connect: Call of Duty Elite gives players unprecedented control over their multiplayer experience, transforming it into a true social network. Players can compete against friends, players of similar skill levels and players with similar interests, join groups, join clans, and play in organized tournaments. They can also track the performance, progress and activity of their entire network, both in the game itself, as well as through mobile and web interfaces. Elite will be an “always on” way for players to connect with the Call of Duty community.
  • Compete: Call of Duty Elite establishes the most exciting, competitive environment in a multiplayer game. Players will have available a constant stream of events and competitions, tiered to group them with those with similar abilities. Both in-game and real-world prizes will be rewarded to all skill levels.
  • Improve: Call of Duty Elite is like having a personal online coach. It provides players with a dynamic strategy guide that tracks their statistics and performances down to the most minute details. It can show gamers how they stack up against their friends or others in the community. Tools and information are provided so players can learn and up their game.

This is a brilliant move from Activision and a glimpse at the future of game publishing. The $60 buy-and-bye model is dying. DLC updates — both free and paid — help extend the lifespan of some games, but not others. Selling the socialization of gaming was the obvious next step, but it’s mostly uncharted territory for console game publishers. A unified system that allows you to stay in the game whether you’re on your console, work PC, mobile phone, tablet, etc. is genius for large, established franchises.

What do you think of Call of Duty Elite? Are you interested in the service? Would you be willing to pay for the premium service?

Sony NGP = PlayStation Vita?

Is PlayStation Vita the final name for the portable console codenamed NGP (Next Generation Portable)? Games Pundit found a bunch of evidence that points to Vita being the retail name for the product. Gamers are already hating and loving the name. I’m kind of indifferent to it; it reminds me of Vitamin Water and Vita Coco coconut water.

Do you like the name PlayStation Vita? Do you like the album African Child?

Source

Read My L.A. Noire Review (Please)!

My review of L.A. Noire for Machinima went up last week. Kindly check it out if you have a moment. If you have two moments, please leave a comment over there. Here’s a clip from the review:

Team Bondi did a wonderful job of creating an enjoyable game that takes interactive storytelling to a new level. The production values and graphics are up there with Heavy Rain, but the gameplay is more appealing to longtime gamers. Rockstar fans that were expecting another Grand Theft Auto need to understand that L.A. Noire is a very different type of game. It’s subtle, deliberate, and atmospheric. It’s also just a well-crafted game that offers an atypical type of fun.

L.A. Noire was a big surprise for me. I haven’t enjoyed a Rockstar game this much in a long, long time. The company releases great stuff, but most of it doesn’t click with my personal preferences. I understand that its previous games are great and certainly understand why they’re great, but they’re usually not my kind of thing. L.A. Noire was totally my thing…and I wasn’t expecting it to be. Very cool.

Source

Coffee Talk #358: Your Most Wanted Games of E3 2011

The next few editions of Coffee Talk will be about E3 2011. Today, let’s talk about the games you’re looking forward to learning more about at E3 2011. A bunch of my industry friends are high 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, the U.S. Postal Service nearing collapse, Apple’s iOS 5 announcement on Monday, or day trips to Chicago, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

The next few editions of Coffee Talk will be about E3 2011. Today, let’s talk about the games you’re looking forward to learning more about at E3 2011. A bunch of my industry friends are high on BioShock Infinite. I’m looking forward to learning more about Final Fantasy XIII-2. Comic book fans are psyched to get more details on Batman: Arkham City. A lot of people are expecting Hideo Kojima to announce a big release that will hit in 2012 — 25 years after the first Metal Gear game was released.

What games are you looking to learning more about? I’ll spend part of E3 2011 digging up info on the games you’re psyched for. So start naming them (please)!

Sony Unveils Official PS3 Wireless Headset for $99

Sony Computer Entertainment America has unveiled the official wireless headset for PlayStation 3. It comes with an MSRP of $99 and connects to the PS3 through a USB transmitter. The headset appears to be stylish, but it’s interesting that it uses a USB transmitter instead of Bluetooth technology. Although Bluetooth would have allowed for more versatility, I’m guessing that Sony achieved better quality through a standalone transmitter…that or the company loves proprietary devices.

Here’s a clip from PlayStation Blog:

Featuring 7.1 virtual surround sound, the Wireless Stereo Headset lets you hear all the minor in-game audio clues clearly, whether you are in a firefight in a first-person shooter game or racing for the checkered flag.

Designed with comfort in mind for hours of gameplay, it’s the perfect addition to your PlayStation experience. Connecting the Wireless Stereo Headset with PS3 is made easy with the included USB Wireless Adapter. Precise volume controls and accessible microphone mute make it so you never have to interrupt gameplay to fumble for buttons. You can easily stay informed about battery status, sound controls, etc. with on-screen headset status updates. On top of that, the Wireless Stereo Headset also offers the highest quality voice chat for crystal clear online conversations. The mic is retractable so you can put it away if you just want to listen to music or play a single player game.

Hopefully Sony will be showing these off at E3 2011. I’m curious to see (hear) what the sound quality is like.

What do you think of Sony’s PS3 wireless headset? Are you interested in picking up a set? Or are you going to stick with a standard Bluetooth or wired USB connection?

Source

Coffee Talk #357: Your NBA 2011 Finals Prediction

The 2011 NBA finals are set! It’ll be the Dallas Mavericks vs. the Miami Heat. Who do you think will win? Who are you rooting for?!? As for me…

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 Costa Rica Helsar de Zarcero, Amazon’s Mac download store, or anticipation for Italian beef sandiches, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

The 2011 NBA finals are set! It’ll be the Dallas Mavericks vs. the Miami Heat. Who do you think will win? Who are you rooting for?!? As for me, I think Miami will take it in six…but I’m hoping that they lose. Yeah, I feel bad for not backing Pinoy coach Erik Spoelstra, but I’d love to see Dirk Nowitzki get a ring. I’m also dying to see David Stern hand Mark Cuban the Larry O’Brien Trophy. In my head Cuban accepts, waits for Stern to turn around, and smashes the trophy over his head. Cuban, Nowitzki, and Kidd put the boots on him for a few minutes and spray paint “NWO” on his back. That would be awesome.

Now it’s your turn! Please let me know what you think will happen and what you want to happen in this year’s NBA finals.

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

I finished my review run of L.A. Noire a few days ago and promptly started a new run just to enjoy the game. It fits into my wheelhouse way more than the Grand Theft Auto games or Read Dead Redemption. It’s more along the lines of Heavy Rain, but with more traditional gameplay. It mixes in elements of Phoenix Wright and Trauma Center with some light action. I really dig the game’s atmosphere — awesome music and a very cool black-and-white mode. Aside from that, I’ll be playing my usual assortment of iPad 2 games to break things up.

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

Google Wallet Let’s You Pay With Your Phone: Do You Care?

Google unveiled its first steps for Google Wallet, a service that lets you pay for goods and services through your mobile phone. Instead of swiping a credit card, Google Wallet will use near field communication (NFC) to transfer money from your account to a vendor. Advantages include less things to carry and a potentially more secure way to pay. Disadvantages include new types of security threats to worry about. Here’s more info from Google’s blog:

You’ll be able to tap, pay and save using your phone and near field communication (NFC). We’re field testing Google Wallet now and plan to release it soon.

Because Google Wallet is a mobile app, it will do more than a regular wallet ever could. You’ll be able to store your credit cards, offers, loyalty cards and gift cards, but without the bulk. When you tap to pay, your phone will also automatically redeem offers and earn loyalty points for you. Someday, even things like boarding passes, tickets, ID and keys could be stored in Google Wallet.

Remember, these are baby steps from an initiative that will take years to roll out. Try to think of Google Wallet’s potential, not the limited scope of its launch. It’s certainly interesting — especially with the Groupon-like offers Google will implement — but do you guys and gals care? Are you craving for the convenience of paying by phone? Do you dream about carrying less plastic cards? Or is this completely uninteresting to you? Are you down with NFC (yeah, you know me)?!?

Source

Did You Sign Up for Sony’s Free Identity-Theft Protection?

Sony has rolled out its free year of identity-theft protection through AllClear ID Plus as part of its compensation for the recent PlayStation Network hack job. The sign-up process is simple and the protection seems comprehensive. If you’re a PSN customer then please let me know if you’ve signed up or if you plan to. How has your experience been so far?

Source

Today’s Poll: HBK vs. Macho Man — Flying Elbow Drop Battle!

I got a new guest mattress the other day. Naturally, I’ve been giving it flying elbow drops to…you know, test it out. My markdom for Shawn Michaels and the recent death of Randy Savage has me thinking of flying elbow drops. Which wrestler did it better? Kindly vote in today’s poll and discuss!

[poll id=”118″]