Coffee Talk #142: Do You Dream About Game Companies?

I’ve told a few of you about this already, but I’ve been having this dream about BioWare for the last decade or so. I’m at this super fancy awards show (think Oscars or Emmys). I’m wearing a tuxedo and I’m at a podium presenting an award. Finally, with complete seriousness I say:

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, why Chase’s customer services sucks, highlights of last night’s Monday Night Raw (missed it), or your feelings on the Thor movie, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I’ve told a few of you about this already, but I’ve been having this dream about BioWare for the last decade or so. I’m at this super fancy awards show (think Oscars or Emmys). I’m wearing a tuxedo and I’m at a podium presenting an award. Finally, with complete seriousness I say:

And the award for best white developer goes to — oh my God! — Ray and Greg! BioWare!!!

I’ve actually told BioWare’s Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk about this dream. The reason I’m bringing it up again? Well, I’ve been having another BioWare dream…but I’ll share that with you tomorrow.

For now I’d love to hear about your videogame-company dreams. I’m not talking about dream games. I’m talking about dreams that involve developers, publishers, etc. Perhaps you’ve had a dream where you match wits with Will Wright. Maybe you’ve explored caves and tended gardens with Shigeru Miyamoto. I know at least one of you has had a dream about Cliff Bleszinski in lingerie (bonus points for ornate tales about Cliffy in a thong). Share your dreams in the comments section (please)!

Three Minutes of Street Fighter Legacy Coolness

Last week I posted some cool teaser clips of the upcoming Street Fighter Legacy short film. Now here’s a longer — and cooler — trailer! In addition to several familiar basic moves, Ryu busts out some ha-do-ken fireballs and Ken unleashes a sho-ryu-ken dragon punch. Check it out and kindly share your thoughts.

RPad.tv Chick Magnet vs. Crawfish Courtesy of Smartguy

RPadholic smartguy sent in this excellent series of pictures that pits an RPad.tv chick magnet against an army of Louisiana crawfish! It’s an excellent adventure and you’ll have to look at all four pictures to see how the tale unfolds. I’m certain there’s an Xbox Live downloadable game somewhere in here. I love how creative the photos have been getting! Thanks smartguy!!!


Warner Bros. Lets You Trade Your DVDs for Blu-Ray Discs

Rpadholic tokz_21 sent in this nifty link on Warner Bros. DVD2Blu program, which allows you to trade in your old DVDs for Blu-ray discs for as low as $4.95 per movie. Here’s the skinny from CNet:

Customers can go to the site and select the movies they want to upgrade. From there, they need only to send the DVD version of the movie they currently own to the service. Within “four to five weeks,” Warner Bros. ships the Blu-ray copy of the film back to the customer. Pricing for individual movies starts at $4.95 per movie — a relative bargain compared to buying the Blu-ray version in stores.

There are some pretty excellent movies available in the promotion, but there are also “winners” like Beerfest, Constantine, and Under Siege 2. I actually have a bunch of the movies on the list and will try out the program soon. In the immortal words of Jerry Maguire, “Who’s coming with me?!?”

Source via CNet

President Barack Obama Warns Against iPods, iPads, PS3, and Xbox

Addressing graduating students at Hampton University, President Barack Obama warned the crowd about the perils of devices like the Apple iPod and iPad, Sony PlayStation 3, and Microsoft Xbox 360 while admitting that he didn’t know how to use any of them. In stead of empowering people with information, modern entertainment devices distract them. The American President said:

With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations, — none of which I know how to work — information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation.

I actually think he has a valid point. Obviously gaming consoles are entertainment devices that are meant to distract you from the real world, but I am completely guilty of using my PC, iPhone, etc. to absorb loads of useless information. Sites like IMDB and Wikipedia have made the quest for trivial pursuits even more engrossing. While a lot of people are hating on Obama for being anti-fun, I actually stand by the President on this one.

What do you think? Do today’s electronics make information more of a distraction than an empowering asset? Or does the President just hate videogame consoles and iPads? Does anyone else find it alarming that the most powerful man in the free world doesn’t know how to use an iPod (*kidding*)?

Source

Developers Speak on PlayStation Move

Here’s an interesting promotional video on Sony’s PlayStation Move featuring developers that are working on games for the upcoming motion-controller hardware. Espousing the virtues of PlayStation Move are Sony’s Dr. Richard Marks, The Workshop Entertainment’s Peter Ackerman and Christian Busic, Zindagi’s Romain Soson and Andrew Jepson, Farsight’s Jay Obernolte, and more.

Check it out and let me know what you think. Does the video make you more interested in PS Move? Or are you expecting a batch of improved Wii games?

Sony Officially Announces LittleBigPlanet 2 with PS Move Support

Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced that LittleBigPlanet 2 will be hitting the PlayStation 3 later in 2010. The follow up to one of the most original, inventive, and refreshing games I’ve ever seen, LBP2 increases the ways gamers can create levels and adds support for PlayStation Move. Be sure to check out the video above and enjoy this snippet from the press release:

In LittleBigPlanet 2, the tools have evolved to allow users to not only make better levels, but completely new games. With the implementation of a new CREATE mode, players will have the ability to broaden their developer horizons across multiple genres. Now allowing for a higher level of gameplay control, players can reset the control buttons for any object and change the rules to any level — imagine racing games, flying games, and shooters — you can now take control of anything! Also included are new multiplayer abilities so games can have life meters, scoring, and other elements to advance the types of games available for a social/competitive multiplayer experience, including puzzle games, sports, action/adventure, and more. Added to these fundamentals are a movie-like cut-scene maker to improve the storyline components of each creation and a newly enhanced SHARE component making it easier to search for, play through, and showcase the millions of levels around the world.

LittleBigPlanet 2 will be backwards compatible with LittleBigPlanet allowing players to access all online levels created with the original game. It will also include bonus levels that will support the PlayStation Move navigation controller.

As a fan of the game and the people at Media Molecule, I’m super psyched for this one. How about you? Are you ready to jump back into the world of LBP?

Coffee Talk #141: Who is Nintendo’s Rival?

Batman vs. The Joker, Goku vs. Vegeta, Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates, Ash Ketchum vs. Gary Oak — these are all examples of classic rivalries that will be waged until the end of time. Should Apple vs. Nintendo be added to that list? According to The Times Nintendo no longer views Microsoft and Sony as its primary competition. Instead, it sees Apple as the biggest threat:

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 Daley’s awesome sucker punch at UFC 113, Paul Williams and Kermit Cintron reenacting the WWE Royal Rumble, or the brilliance of Intelligentsia’s Los Inmortales El Salvador Finca Matalapa Guayabo, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Batman vs. The Joker, Goku vs. Vegeta, Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates, Ash Ketchum vs. Gary Oak — these are all examples of classic rivalries that will be waged until the end of time. Should Apple vs. Nintendo be added to that list? According to The Times Nintendo no longer views Microsoft and Sony as its primary competition. Instead, it sees Apple as the biggest threat:

Satoru Iwata, the Nintendo president, is understood to have told his senior executives recently to regard the battle with Sony as a victory already won and to treat Apple, and its iPhone and iPad devices, as the “enemy of the future”.

Those comments are a stark contrast from Iwata’s previous statements. In the past he dismissed Apple as competition and brushed off the iPad as just a big iPod. (I wonder why nobody asked, “Then what the hell is the DSi XL?”)

While I think Apple and Nintendo do compete, the overlap isn’t 100 percent. Obviously the Nintendo DS reaches a younger audience than the iPhone, while Apple’s products reach an older audience. (If you’re a parent that has armed your child with a 32GB iPhone then kindly smash your head on a brick wall seven times.) Still, I can’t see Nintendo dismissing Sony like that. Sony has ruled the console world before and all it takes is one great product backed by great marketing to take it back.

What do you think of these provocative comments? Has Nintendo passed Microsoft and Sony by? If so, is Apple really its primary rival? If not, is it foolish to dismiss competitors that could swiftly strike back? I miss having a rival! I’m going to go find bleahy and hit him.

This Week’s Videogame Releases

There’s a trio of interesting games coming out this week. Leading the way is Capcom’s Lost Planet 2, which is perfect for those of you that like shooting giant alien things. If revisiting insane criminals is more to your liking then check out Batman Arkham Asylum: Game of the Year Edition. In addition to repackaging one of the best superhero games of all time, this version of Arkham Asylum has special 3D features. Last, but not least is Skate 3, which seems like the perfect way to prepare for shredding up concrete this summer.

As always, let me know if you’re picking up any new games this week!

Dragon Age Origins Feastday Gift/Prank Guide

In the spirit of my Dragon Age: Origins character and gift guide for the Awakening expansion pack, here’s a listing of the items for the “Feastday” DLC. I totally missed this one while I was in Asia. It’s an amusing batch of DLC that also adds some in-game items. The gifts and pranks can be purchased separately for $1.99 on PSN or 160 BioWare/Microsoft Points. They can be purchased together for $2.99 on PSN or 240 BioWare Microsoft Points.

In addition to gifts and pranks that will swing character approval by 50 points, there are generic items that let you manipulate approval ratings. The character-specific items can be used in game too. For example, Dog’s plastic cone can be equipped for a hilarious look and Morrigan can use her Alistair doll to inflict voodoo pain on him. Here’s the full list:

Alistair
Grey Warden Hand Puppet (+50)
Compleat Geneaology of the Kyngs of Ferelden (-50)

Dog
Stick (+50)
Plastic Cone (-50)

Leiliana
Fat Lute (+50)
Ugly Boots (-50)

Loghain
King Maric’s Shield (+50)
Orlesian Mask (-50)

Morrigan
Alistair Doll (+50)
The Chant of Light Unabridged (-50)

Oghren
Beard Flask (+50)
Scented Soap (-50)

Shale
Pet Rock (+50)
Uncrushable Pigeon (-50)

Sten
Quanari Prayers of the Dead (+50)
Butterfly Sword (-50)

Wynne
Amulet of Memories (+50)
Cat Lady’s Hobble Stick (-50)

Zevran
Rare Antivan Brandy (+50)
Chastity Belt (-50)