What Are You Playing This Weekend?

I’m going to give Pilotwings Resort more time this weekend. I’ve liked what I’ve played, but I was expecting more. Perhaps a dedicated weekend of flying around in 3D will help me warm up to the Nintendo 3DS. Of course I’ll be playing games on my iPad 2 too. I’m still loving Civilization Revolution and Final Fantasy III on iPad. They’re both awesome, but in very different ways. Naturally all gaming activity will be dropped during the Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley fight on Saturday.

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

Coffee Talk #347: Your Least Favorite Console Launch

I’m late to the party on the Nintendo 3DS…and I’m trying to figure out where the party is. As a frequent flyer and huge portable gamer, the 3DS is off to a disappointing start. What was your…

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, whether Derek Jeter is washed up, the brilliance of Hall & Oates, or your favorite Thundercat, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I’m late to the party on the Nintendo 3DS…and I’m trying to figure out where the party is. I loved the potential of Nintendo’s latest portable gaming system at E3 2010 and the handful of times I got to play it between then and launch. After a few weeks with the system, I’m completely underwhelmed.

I have five 3DS launch titles and the only one I’m regularly enjoying is Nintendogs + Cats. That game hardly pushes the 3DS’ capabilities and the charm is largely the same as the original’s. I know that the 3DS will have great games in the future and I’m sure I’ll eventually love the system. As a frequent flyer and huge portable gamer, I’m really disappointed in the 3DS’ weak start. Next time I fly, I’ll probably leave my 3DS at home and play games on my iPad 2.

I don’t remember the last time I was this underwhelmed by a console launch. A new system usually brings something new and exciting to the table. The 3DS only does half of that. Where there any console launches that left you feeling flat? Kindly name the console launch (or launches) that disappointed you the most.

Random Thoughts (Not a Review) on Thor

I caught a screening of Thor (Imax 3D) last night and was pleasantly surprised. Here’s the spoiler-free  summary: it’s worth seeing. Kenneth Branagh did a fine job directing what’s arguably the toughest movie in The Avengers series. It’s hard to convey the awesome power of a Norse god (Branagh did this) and it’s easy to get caught up in ridiculous mythology (Branagh avoided this pitfall). The movie is well paced and entertaining with some beautiful set pieces and great action scenes. While I didn’t enjoy it as much as Iron Man 2, I liked Thor on its own and as part of the lead-up to The Avengers. Now here are some random observations, criticisms, and silly thoughts on the movie. Spoilers ahead!

Costumes: The Asgardian costumes worked way better than most people expected (I had faith they would work). A lot of my friends ranted about how ridiculous the Asgardians looked in the stills released to magazines. I had no problem with the costumes in the movie. They looked fine on the Asgardian sets and appropriately out of place on the Earth sets. They also looked much better in motion than in stills — even Anthony Hopkins’ Odin getup!

Action: I love how modern action movies convey power. That’s one problem I always had with the original Superman movies — his punches never seemed epic. When someone like Superman or Thor lands a punch, people in the next county should feel it. Whether it was Thor bashing frost giants in the face or him decimating the ground with Mjolnir, the blows had an impact worthy of a god.

Warriors Three: I loved that these guys were in the movie and were mostly true to Stan Lee’s designs. That said, I would have done things differently. Fandral would have been played by Cary Elwes. Volstagg would have been green screened so that he’d be ridiculously large compared to his two companions. Hogun wouldn’t have sounded Asian; the character was modeled after Charles Bronson after all. When the Warriors Three and Sif were walking into town, there’s a hilarious bit with the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent calling it in. That was my favorite joke in the movie.

Loki: I was really impressed with Tom Hiddleston’s Loki. He had more depth than any other character in the film. Hiddleston did a wonderful job of making Loki seem charming, manipulative, and damaged all at once. I hope he gets some time to shine in The Avengers.

Thor: While Loki arguably stole the show, I was satisfied with Chris Hemsworth’s performance. From the trailers I knew he’d have the action elements down. I was pleasantly surprised by his charm. He also did a good job at transforming from an arrogant godling at the beginning of the movie and a more understanding deity at the end.

Signs: Of course there was a Stan Lee cameo, but I loved the use of signs in the movie for nerd shout-outs. There was one billboard that said, “Home of the Vikings”. That’s an obvious gag. There was another one that ended with, “Journey into Mystery”. That’s a super-cool and nerdy gag. Longtime comics fans will know that Journey into Mystery became Thor’s book starting with issue #83.

Chick Flick?: A lot of fanboys I know were worried that the movie would have too many scenes with a shirtless Chris Hemsworth. That wasn’t the case at all. His shirtless scenes were brief. If anything, there’s a lot of eye candy for guys and lesbians. Natalie Portman (Jane Foster) was a beautiful braniac. Kat Dennings (Darcy Lewis) was snarky, super cute, and charming. Jaimie Alexander (Sif) had the sexy warrior goddess thing going. There were plenty of beautiful women in this movie.

Hawkeye: When Thor is trying to get Mjolnir back from S.H.I.E.L.D., one soldier  goes for a bow instead of a gun. As a Hawkeye fan, I totally marked out. Of course this soldier ended up being Clint Barton! I hope he gets some bad-ass scenes in The Avengers.

Asgard or Mondrian?!?: Most of the set pieces were good, but there was one set that looked more like an Ian Schraeger hotel than a room in an Asgardian palace. It was kind of disorienting.

Black Heimdall: He was cool.

The Destroyer: He was cooler.

I was very satisfied with Thor. The action was great and the bits of humor were fun. The movie flowed nicely and I love what these Marvel movies are building towards. As a standalone movie, I enjoyed Thor. As part of The Avengers I liked how this tale is different from the Iron Man movies and presumably different from the Captain America movie. The movie succeeded in entertaining me, making me want to rewatch the Iron Man movies, and increasing my anticipation for the Captain America and The Avengers movies.

Of course I can’t wait to discuss the movie with you! If you catch Thor, kindly share your thoughts on the movie.

Wii Hits $149.99: Are You Buying?

Nintendo of America has announced a new Wii bundle that will be available on May 15, 2010 for a price of $149.99. The bundle includes the Wii console (black or white), Mario Kart, and the Wii Wheel accessory. The company is also launching its Nintendo Selects line of games; these are older titles with a new price of $19.99. The first four Nintendo Selects games are The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Animal Crossing: City Folk, Mario Super Sluggers, and Wii Sports.

For those of you that don’t have a Wii, please let me know if the new price point tempts you. For Wii owners and prospective Wii owners, please let me know if any of the Nintendo Selects games catch your eye.

Coffee Talk #346: Gaming While You’re Sick

Yesterday it was 90 degrees in Los Angeles…and I spent most of the day under a blanket. It absolutely sucked to be sick and weak on such a beautiful day, but I think I made the best of it…

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, Lorenzo Lamas taking his wife’s name, “Sugar” Shane Mosley’s chances against Manny Pacquiao, or new iMacs, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Yesterday it was 90 degrees in Los Angeles…and I spent most of the day under a blanket. It absolutely sucked to be sick and weak on such a beautiful day, but I think I made the best of it. My gaming habits are a little different when I’m sick. I like to dumb it down a bit and stick to games that I can play blindfolded. I spent most of of my couch time playing Civilization Revolution and doing random battles in Final Fantasy III. I watched some motion comics and WWE documentaries. While I didn’t get to enjoy the beautiful day, it was as good a sick day as I could have imagined.

What kind of games do you play when you’re sick? Are your sick games different than your regular games? How about other nerd activities like movies, comics, and TV? What kind of media to you devour on your sick days?

Today’s Poll: Should Superman Be an American Citizen?

In a back-up story in Action Comics #900, David Goyer had Superman renounce his American citizenship. This short story has been getting a lot of mainstream press coverage. Some people are outraged by Superman “ditching” America. Some people think it’s a modern twist. Before we discuss further, please keep in mind that Goyer’s short story hasn’t been confirmed as canon. I’m sure that after DC is done giggling about all the press coverage, it will confirm that it’s not canon. Anyway, I wanted to look at this issue from a few angles and have y’all vote in today’s poll.

  • One argument for Superman being American is that his values were shaped by being raised by two excellent parents in a small town in Kansas.
  • The argument against him being American is that he’s from Krypton and in America illegally. Why hasn’t Lex Luthor made a big deal about Supes’ birth certificate?
  • Does it matter if Superman is American as long as Clark Kent is paying taxes? Is Batman’s citizenship different than Bruce Wayne’s?!? Oh wait, Batman is an S-Corp now….
  • More than any other character in comics, Superman is the world’s hero. Wouldn’t he serve better in that capacity by not being a citizen of any country?

[poll id=”114″]

Sony Offers Free Games, Qriocity, and PlayStation Plus

Sony Computer Entertainment will restore PlayStation Network service this week. Features will be redeployed on a rolling basis. Last week we discussed what Sony would do to make things up to its customers. The company has gotten all official with its make good offer. As part of its “Welcome Back” appreciation program, Sony will give its customers free games, 30 days of PlayStation Plus, 30 days of Qriocity, and complimentary identity protection service. Here’s a clip from the press release:

  • Each territory will be offering selected PlayStation entertainment content for free download. Specific details of this content will be announced in each region soon.
  • All existing PlayStation Network customers will be provided with 30 days free membership in the PlayStation Plus premium service. Current members of PlayStation Plus will receive 30 days free service.
  • Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity subscribers (in countries where the service is available) will receive 30 days free service.
  • While there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken, the company is committed to helping its customers protect their personal data and will provide a complimentary offering to assist users in enrolling in identity theft protection services and/or similar programs. The implementation will be at a local level and further details will be made available shortly in each region.

What do you think of “Welcome Back”? To me it seems like a pretty generous program. Do you think it’s enough? Or do you think Sony should have offered more?

Amazon Videogame Clearance Sale

There are loads of great deals to be had in Amazon’s videogame clearance sale. Highlights include…

There are loads of great deals to be had in Amazon’s videogame clearance sale. Highlights include:

  • Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II Special Edition for $37.98
  • 3D Dot Game Heroes for $15.03
  • Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom for $12.99
  • Scribblenauts for $11.91

There’s no telling how long these prices will stick, so act quickly (please) and let me know if you pick anything up.

Coffee Talk #345: PSN Outage Further Killing Sony’s Brand?

Gamasutra’s Colin Campbell wrote this excellent article on how the PlayStation Network outage has further devalued the PlayStation brand. I don’t think he went far enough. The PSN outage has damaged the (already declining) Sony brand.

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, those pesky Memphis Grizzlies, the Bin Laden attack being described on Twitter hours before the U.S. government acknowledged it, or wanting to hug awesome apps, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Gamasutra’s Colin Campbell wrote this excellent article on how the PlayStation Network outage has further devalued the PlayStation brand. Colin is awesome and his article is great, but I don’t think he went far enough. There’s no question that the PSN attack has damaged the PlayStation brand. It’s more than that though. The PSN outage has damaged the (already declining) Sony brand.

Remember when Sony was the premiere name in consumer electronics? There was a long stretch when the consumer electronics market was Sony, followed by everyone else. From televisions to audio components to laptops, Sony products were almost always best in class. A lot has changed since then. The company absolutely bombed in the modern portable audio space (which is funny because it basically created the market with the Walkman). PC manufacturers were able to offer computers that were almost as nice, but much cheaper. The television market got a lot more competitive, with Korean companies like LG and Samsung outdoing Sony in both price and performance.

For two console generations, Sony dominated the field. Its third go-round didn’t go nearly as well, for numerous reasons. Although the PlayStation 3 was starting to pick up steam globally, the PSN outage will definitely impact performance and perception. Rightly or wrongly, people will use the PSN outage to illustrate that Sony has lost its grip on yet another market.

What do you think? Will the damage be confined to to the PlayStation brand or is the Sony brand in jeopardy too? Or is all of this being overblown? Perhaps the PlayStation and Sony brands will be just fine by the end of the year. Kindly share your thoughts on the nebulous value of branding!