Coffee Talk #339: Frame Rate and You

One of my coworkers at GameSpy was huge on frame rate. His eyes were not happy with games running at anything less than 60 frames per second. Some people at the office were amazed by…

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, T-Mobile releasing three interesting products this week, royal weddings, or Pia Toscana on Dancing With the Stars, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

One of my coworkers at GameSpy was huge on frame rate. His eyes were not happy with games running at anything less than 60 frames per second. Some people at the office were amazed by his ability to quickly detect frame rate, others thought he was obsessed over a technical feature that doesn’t contribute to the fun factor in games.

What are your feelings on frame rate? Is running at 60 frames per second important to you? Do you not care about the actual rate so long as it’s consistent? Does a smooth frame rate contribute to a game’s fun factor? Or is it something you don’t really notice or care about? Share your feelings in this filmic edition of Cofee Talk (running at 24p).

Jesse Jackson Jr. Blames Unemployment on the iPad

Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. delivered an inspired and amazingly uninformed rant on how the iPad is killing American jobs. This has skyrocketed to the top of the list of the dumbest things I’ve heard in 2011. Apparently the iPad is the scourge of book makers, librarians, Borders employees, etc.

Sure it’s made in China, but the millions of iPads sold in 2011 equals millions of dollars of tax revenue. American workers at thousands of retail outlets have to sell the devices. “Geniuses” employed by Apple have to support iPads after they’re sold. Thousands of people are employed by American companies to create and market iPad software. I could go on, but I think you get the point.

I’m going to watch the video again so that I can have a lovely migraine….

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This Week’s Videogame Releases

After a few lackluster weeks, Q2 2011 finally gets some hot videogame releases! Portal 2 and Mortal Kombat top the list. Flying under the radar is SOCOM 4. The PSP gets a spruced up version of one of the best Final Fantasy games of all time along with sequel content in Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

Did You Watch Game of Thrones?

My nerd friends were jazzed about the premiere of Game of Thrones, the HBO series based on George R.R. Martin’s books. I haven’t read the books yet (I really want to), so the TV series doesn’t mean as much to me as it does to several of my friends. As a newb, I found the show interesting, though the amount of characters was a little intimidating. Still, Sean Bean is cool (partially because he looks like Triple H) and that Daenerys chick has perky boobs. I’d like to see more Bean and boobs.

Any of you catch the show? What did you think?

Coffee Talk #338: Gaming Franchises That Should Be Cancelled

Personally I’m against killing any established brand, even if it has been run into the ground. One of the things I’ve learned from comic books is that the right creators can revive any franchise. Hell, Kevin Smith made…

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, Victor Ortiz’ excellent win over Andre Berto, when CC Sabathia will get his first win, or Chris Klein confirmed for the next American Pie sequel, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

While I was listening to David Jaffe talk about Twisted Metal last week, a journalist mumbled, “Sony should just cancel this franchise.” I thought the comment was rude and inappropriate. I’m also positive that the journalist didn’t say that to Jaffe during his on-camera interview. That said, his words stuck in my head. Are there gaming franchises that should be given the Old Yeller treatment?

Personally I’m against killing any established brand — even if it has been run into the ground. One of the things I’ve learned from comic books is that the right creators can revive any franchise. Hell, Kevin Smith made Green Arrow cool — a comic book about a rich guy with an Errol Flynn fascination, bad facial hair, and no superhuman powers.

What do you think? Are there any videogame franchises that should just be killed? Any sequels that make you go, “Please! For the love of God just stop!!!”

Please Check Out My Twisted Metal Preview

Here’s my Shacknews preview of Twisted Metal. I had some hands-on time with the game and really enjoyed the hell out of it. Like Paul Walker, the game is fast and furious. Here’s a clip from the preview:

I was really impressed with Twisted Metal’s diversity in vehicles, multiplayer modes, and gameplay styles. The game offered visceral chaos and controlled frenzy. Most importantly, every mode I played was flat-out fun. While I’m definitely interested to see how the single-player mode is coming along, from the multiplayer sessions I recently enjoyed, Twisted Metal seems like it will be worth the wait.

Any of you interested in this game? The multiplayer looks like it’ll be killer.

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Coffee Talk #337: Buying the Same Game Again and Again

2K has pulled a Nintendo on me. By that I mean that it has me on the hook for three versions of the same game. Hell, I don’t even remember how many times I’ve bought Super Mario Bros. for various…

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, Paul McDonald’s unfortunate exit from American Idol, Scarlett Johansson moving in with Sean Penn, or Manny Pacquiao possibly fighting Kermin Cintron, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I’ve played more than a thousand hours of Civilization Revoltion for iPhone. I’ll play more than a thousand hours of Civilization Revolution for iPad. If 2K releases an Android version, I’ll buy that and play the hell out of it too. 2K has pulled a Nintendo on me. By that I mean that it has me on the hook for three versions of the same game. Hell, I don’t even remember how many times I’ve bought Super Mario Bros. for various Nintendo platforms.

Several of my friends have bought multiple versions of Super Mario Bros., Final Fantasy IV, Chrono Trigger, etc. From the originals to portable versions to digital downloads, it’s kind of astounding that we’ve bought the same game over and over again. How about you? Have you bought the same game multiple times? Or are you free of this madness? If you’re among the afflicted, please list the titles (and platforms if you can remember them) that you’ve bought over and over again.

Today’s Poll: Gaming or Phoning While on the Toilet

Today’s poll was inspired by RPadholic Sandrock323. He mentioned that he never uses his Nintendo DS while…uh…making a deposit in the bathroom. He believes that his DS is too sacred. Do you agree? Is it okay to play some DS or PSP while doing the #2? How about web browsing on your Android phone or iOS device? Kindly take today’s poll and elaborate (hopefully not in a gross way) in the comments section.

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Netflix Picks: Chocolate (Jeeja Yanin)

Since most of us stream movies from Netflix, I thought it would be cool to give each other weekly movie recommendations. Social discovery is all the rage and I think it would be awesome if we all shared one pick a week since we “know” each other. This week I’m suggesting Chocolate. It’s a Thai martial arts movie starring the outstanding Jeeja Yanin. She’s just a phenomenal talent with a potentially huge future. Although aspects of the movie are raw (it was made in a third-world country, after all), the fight scenes are some of the best I’ve seen in years. Check out the clip above for a taste of Chocolate (*snicker*).

If you happen to stream my pick, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. Now its your turn to suggest one movie we should all watch. Please make sure it’s available on Netflix streaming.

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

I can’t stop playing Civilization Revolution for iPad…but I must. I’ve only scratched the surface of Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP and I really want to play more of it. The game is so clever and stylish. It brings me back to glory days of point-and-click adventures. I’d also like to play more Final Fantasy III on my iPad. Unfortunately, it’s only optimized for iPhone, so I have to double the resolution. It still looks pretty good…and job systems frickin’ rule.

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