Coffee Talk #140: What Are You Looking Forward to at E3 2010?

E3 2010 is a little over a month away and I wanted to get your thoughts on the show. I’ll probably ask you this question a couple of more times in the next few weeks so I can see how your answers change as information leaks. For now let me know what you’re jazzed about.

Are you looking forward to PlayStation Move vs. Project Natal? Perhaps you’re more interested in the future of streaming gaming and want to see how Gaikai vs. OnLive plays out. Mobile gaming is growing crazy fast and there will tons of great iPad/iPhone games on display. Perhaps you’re not interested in these new battles and trends. Maybe you just want more info on an exciting console or PC game.

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, your plans for catching Iron Man 2 this weekend, Nutrisystem dumping Lawrence Taylor as a spokesman, or your UFC 113 predictions, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

E3 2010 is a little over a month away and I wanted to get your thoughts on the show. I’ll probably ask you this question a couple of more times in the next few weeks so I can see how your answers change as information leaks. For now let me know what you’re jazzed about.

Are you looking forward to PlayStation Move vs. Project Natal? Perhaps you’re more interested in the future of streaming gaming and want to see how Gaikai vs. OnLive plays out. Mobile gaming is growing crazy fast and there will tons of great iPad/iPhone games on display. Perhaps you’re not interested in these new battles and trends. Maybe you just want more info on an exciting console or PC game.

Let me know what you’re looking forward to at this year’s show. It will certainly alter my approach going into it. While I’m not going to write every story you’re interested in — I’m just one guy and have my own angles to play too — you’ll certainly be on my mind as I process story ideas. While I’d love for all of you to attend E3 with me, this is sorta kinda the next best thing, yeah? Use your influence and shape my E3 2010 coverage (please)!

AT&T iPhone Exclusivity Extended Thanks to iPad Deal?

To borrow The Rock’s schtick, the millions — and millions — of people wishing for an Apple iPhone on Verizon will have to wait a little longer. At least that’s the word according to BroadPoint AmTech analyst Brian Marshall. According to him, AT&T’s flexibility on iPad data plans has extended the company’s time as the exclusive iPhone carrier in America. He told ComputerWorld:

For that pricing [on the iPad], AT&T was able to negotiate a six-month extension on the iPhone exclusive.

If Marshall is correct, that’s brilliant news for AT&T and crappy news for the rest of the country (I’m exaggerating). The speculation was that Verizon was gunning hard for an LTE iPhone to help kick off the launch of its 4G LTE network in Q4 2010. The buzz on that scenario has been dying. Now kindly excuse me as I go weep on my pillow.

Source

Virgin Mobile (Sprint) Announces Aggressive Prepaid Plans

Sprint has announced several prepaid plans for its Virgin Mobile brand. Dubbed “Beyond Talk”, these plans look like a great option for consumers that want the reliability of Sprint’s network, but also want to save money and/or don’t want to commit to a contract. Here are some highlights from the press release:

  • The revolutionary $25 plan is the industry’s lowest price point for unlimited messaging, email, data and web with 300 minutes of voice per month, ideal for high-end device users seeking an unbeatable price to enable the text and data services they need.
  • The $40 plan includes unlimited messaging, email, data and web with 1,200 minutes of voice per month — the perfect value for those seeking an affordable plan with everything they need.
  • The $60 plan includes unlimited messaging, email, data and web with unlimited voice to offer great value for high-end smartphone users expecting an unlimited plan to cost much more.
  • For the first time, Virgin Mobile customers can add Blackberry data service to any of these plans for just $10 more, enabling an unprecedented $35 plan consisting of both voice calling and Blackberry data service.

The press release mentions that the Virgin Mobile will offer RIM’s BlackBerry 8530 phone at the end of May. While it’s not the most advanced handset in RIM’s catalog, it’s capable enough. Combined with Beyond Talk’s aggressive pricing, it’s a compelling choice for people looking for a smartphone on the cheap.

Any of you interested in Virgin Mobile’s Beyond Talk plans?

Source

Darkspawn Chronicles Lets You Play Dragon Age as a Baddie

Just in case you’ve been wondering what goes through the mind of a lonely genlock, the Darkspawn Chronicles DLC pack for Dragon Age: Origins lets you experience a brief portion of the game from the darkspawn’s perspective. The DLC will be available on May 18, 2010 for $4.99 on PS3, 400 BioWare Points on PC, and 400 Microsoft Points on Xbox 360. Here are some highlights from the press release:

  • Imagine a world without heroes, where the greatest among you never became a Grey Warden
  • Play through the Fall of Denerim from the perspective of the darkspawn
  • Complete the module and unlock an epic darkspawn item for use in Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age: Origins — Awakening
  • Use the “Enthrall” ability – recruit any darkspawn you encounter into your party

As a huge Dragon Age nerd, I’m certainly going to play this batch of DLC, but I’m not super excited for it. As I mentioned in Coffee Talk #36, I just don’t enjoy playing as the villain.

Any of you planning to pick up this Dragon Age: Darkspawn Chronicles?

Coffee Talk #139: Do You Break Videogame Controllers?

I love watching my friend James play videogames. He gets angry. He curses out the television. And inevitably, he flings his controller. Sometimes it’s more fun watching his reactions than watching the game itself.

I’m usually pretty calm when I play games. There are a few things that can drive me into a controller-throwing rage. Cheap deaths and cheap boss fights immediately come to mind. Last year I was playing Street Fighter IV while dealing with a malfunctioning Xbox 360 that often made the screen impossible to see. This made beating Seth — one of the cheapest bosses ever — even more irritating. This also made my hand hurt from punching my arcade stick.

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 latest American Idol elimination, Milton Bradley being stressed out by earning millions of dollars playing baseball, or 61* being in the HBO rotation again, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I love watching my friend James play videogames. He gets angry. He curses out the television. And inevitably, he flings his controller. Sometimes it’s more fun watching his reactions than watching the game itself.

I’m usually pretty calm when I play games, but there are a few things that can drive me into a controller-throwing rage. Cheap deaths and cheap boss fights immediately come to mind. Last year I was playing Street Fighter IV while dealing with a malfunctioning Xbox 360 that often made the screen impossible to see. This made beating Seth — one of the cheapest bosses ever — even more irritating. This also made my hand hurt from punching my arcade stick.

Do any of you throw or break your controllers? What drives you into that zone? Consider today’s Coffee Talk therapy and release your videogame rage!

Random Thoughts (Not a Review) on Iron Man 2

I just came back from a screening of Iron Man 2 (the movie, not the game) and absolutely loved it. I enjoyed 75 percent of the first movie (I thought the last fight was lame) and had high expectations going in. For me, the sequel was better than the original simply because I enjoyed the whole thing. Here are some random thoughts (not a review!) on Iron Man 2. Spoilers ahead!

– Robert Downey, Jr. owns in this movie. He truly is the perfect Tony Stark. He’s charming, smart, sarcastic, suave, and flawed enough for moviegoers to identify with. As charming as he was in the first movie, he’s even more so in the sequel. His interplay with Gwyneth Paltrow, Jon Favreau, Sam Rockwell, and Scarlett Johannson was so entertaining. The interaction and humor felt organic.

– I missed Terrence Howard as James “Rhodey” Rhodes. Don’t get me wrong, Don Cheadle is a fantastic actor, but I loved the chemistry that Downey and Howard had. Cheadle did a good job in the movie, but there were times that made me feel like he wasn’t really trying. He also didn’t have the same rapport with Downey.

– Mickey Rourke was mildly disappointing as Whiplash/Ivan Vanko. He was kind of threatening, kind of brilliant, and kind of maniacal, but he was mostly just a dirty Russian guy. Dude needed to take a shower but never got around to it. After his awesome performance in The Wrestler, I was hoping for more. I suppose the flat feeling I had was due to the writing and not Rourke’s performance.

– Sam Rockwell was very cool as Justin Hammer, save for a completely unnecessary dance scene. He was a great foil for Tony Stark and played his role well. The buzz that the Tony Stark/Justin Hammer relationship is eerily similar to the Steve Jobs/Bill Gates relationship is completely overblown. Don’t believe the hype!

– I loved that Iron Man and Tony Stark had separate villains. That was one of my problems with the original movie. Jeff Bridges (or as I call him, Starman) was a great business rival as Obadiah Stane. I thought he absolutely sucked as Iron Monger. I didn’t find him threatening at all. I liked having two villains with different angles in Iron Man 2.

– Scarlett Johansson was surprisingly good as the Black Widow. She’s one of the sexiest women on the planet, so I was expecting her to be around for decorative purposes, but she totally kicked ass in her fight scene. She had enough screen time to shine, but not enough so that it felt like her face and body were being exploited.

– Sam Jackson went a little overboard as Nick Fury. He was too Snakes on a Plane for me. Yeah, Fury can be fiery, but he’s also cool and always in total control. Jackson had the cool part down but did a little too much screaming for me.

– The action is excellent. The last third of the movie has some awesome fighting sequences. You really get the “heavy metal” feeling from the combat.

– I loved that most of the movie took place in Los Angeles and Queens. Considering where I live and where I grew up, it felt comfortable. A movie hasn’t made me feel that way since Coming to America. Ha!

– I heard that the preview prints didn’t have the post-credit teaser…but I saw it and loved it! I already warned you about spoilers in the opening paragraph, so I have no problem telling you that it’s hammer time!

– Update: Totally forgot to write about the cameos. Stan Lee as Larry King was cute. Larry Ellison as Larry Ellison was cool! Tony Stark would totally rub elbows with people like Ellison, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Eric Schmidt, etc.

Poll: What’s Your Favorite Iron Man Videogame Appearance?

I’m totally psyched to see Iron Man 2 tonight. While I count down the hours to the screening, I want to go over some of Shellhead’s appearances in videogames. Obviously he’s an integral part of the Marvel vs. Capcom series. Arcade fans will remember him in Captain America and The Avengers. More recently he was one of the best characters in the Marvel Ultimate Alliance games. I’m sure none of you willl pick this one (because it mostly sucked), but Iron Man had a prominent role in Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects. And who could forget the unlockable version of Iron Man in Tony Hawk’s Underground?

As for me, I’m going to go with X-Men Legends II. If you found the scattered pieces of Iron Man’s armor (or used a cheat code) then you could play the game as him. He was ridiculously powerful and I had a blast vaporizing hordes of minions as Shellhead. I’m pretty sure I played the game an extra three or four times just to blast the hell out of things as Iron Man. Good times.

Now it’s your turn! Kindly make your selection in the poll and expand on your answer in the comments section. The best explanation wins a one-hour repulsor-ray massage!

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“The Iceman” Chuck Lidell Hypes UFC Undisputed 2010

MMA legend Chuck Lidell promotes UFC Undisputed 2010 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) in this excellent video clip that features footage of him training, some of his most exciting fights, and astonishing recreations of his fights created in the game. It’s a pretty slick video that “Iceman” fans will totally love. He is, after all, the second-most famous man from San Luis Obispo. (“Weird” Al Yankovic is the first. Duh!)

The Star Wars Trilogy in Two Minutes Using LEGO

Mad props to Kotaku for pointing out this outstanding video that summarizes the entire Star Wars trilogy in two minutes through the clever use of LEGO. It is supremely awesome and you must watch it. Whether you love Star Wars or hate it, this clip is worth watching. It shows how absurd and charming the tale is. Check it out and let me know what you think (please)!

Coffee Talk #138: Should Sony Have Made a Play for Bungie/Respawn?

Last weekend I hung out with two industry friends that argued (separately) that Sony should have made a big-time play for Bungie or Respawn. (This is what game geeks do over coffee or lunch. It’s like when jocks get together and discuss what GM moves they’d make for their favorite NBA team. In both cases, none of the participants are qualified to steer the ship.) Their arguments were basically the same — although Killzone and Resistance are respectable franchises, it would have been killer for Sony to have its own Call of Duty or Halo, exclusively. Nabbing the creators of those franchises would have been huge.

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, graciously recapping last night’s Lost for me, round two of the NBA playoffs, or Rasheed Wallace remembering how to play basketball for one night, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Last weekend I hung out with two industry friends that argued (separately) that Sony should have made a big-time play for Bungie or Respawn. (This is what game geeks do over coffee or lunch. It’s like when jocks get together and discuss what GM moves they’d make for their favorite NBA team. In both cases, none of the participants are qualified to steer the ship.) Their arguments were basically the same — although Killzone and Resistance are respectable franchises, it would have been killer for Sony to have its own Call of Duty or Halo, exclusively. Nabbing the creators of those franchises would have been huge.

Today I want to invite you into the conversation. Pretend you’re a hotshot Sony executive. Looking through the retroscope, do you think it would have been wise to lay out a ton of money for exclusive deals with Bungie or Respawn? Are Resistance and Killzone big enough bullets for the company? How crazy would it have been if Bungie or Respawn became first-party studios for Sony? If you could only sign one of those companies, which one would it be (poll below)? How would you upstage Kaz Hirai at Sony’s E3 2010 press conference?

I can’t wait for all your answers today! Let’s make it fun!!!

[poll id=”41″]