From San Francisco to Hollywood to Redwood Shores, this episode of Reset has some interesting variety. It starts out at a new developer studio started by former Blizzard employees, goes to the hippest videogame store in America, and ends up EA’s campus.
Part 1 — Kat caught up with Flagship’s Bill Roper (ex-Blizzard) to talk about the company’s debut game Hellgate: London. While we all know how the game and company ended up, it’s interesting to take a look back at it through the old retroscope…and this segment.
Part 2 — Kat and I paid a visit to Acme Games, the coolest videogame store either of us have ever been to. Acme offers a unique experience that’s way different from going to GameStop. Naturally, this stylin’ game store is in Los Angeles.
Part 3 — Three games. Three journalists. Three times the fun! I went to EA’s campus to check out Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, The Sims 2: Nightlife, and The Godfather. Game Revolution’s Ben Silverman, Game Informer’s Billy Berghammer, and GameSpy’s Willy Tuttle weighed in with their opinions on the games.
As many of you know, Apple announced details on iPhone OS 4, which will be available in Summer 2010. There are several new features included in this release. The bigger ones have been dubbed “tent poles” (which makes me laugh…even though it shouldn’t). Here are the major features and my take on them.
Multitasking — This is way overdue. As wonderful as the iPhone UI is, the lack of multitasking is a deal breaker for some users. Apple promises that its implementation of multitasking will be intuitive and natural. Considering how easy-to-use the iPhone OS already is, I’m sure that will be the case.
Folders — This isn’t a big deal for me, since I usually only keep three pages of apps on my phone. However, I know a lot of people with ridiculously cluttered iPhones. For users like them, this is a godsend.
Enhanced Mail — This feature is also overdue and most welcomed. I’m currently juggling three email accounts that I use frequently. There are two other ones that I use every week or so. For business users, being able to sync to multiple exchange accounts is extremely powerful. Come to think of it, I use the Exchange method for syncing my Gmail contacts. Should I get a job at a company that uses Exchange (i.e. most places), it would be excellent to have both.
iBooks — Some people are thrilled with this feature, but not me. I will not read books on my iPhone. If I had an iPad, I probably wouldn’t read them on it either. I love the E-Ink display on my Amazon Kindle. It’s so easy on the eyes and comfortable to view for hours. I don’t understand people that prefer a backlit LCD/LED screen over E-Ink for reading.
Game Center — Achievements for iPhone games? Sure, why not?!? I know a few of you are Xbox 360 Achievement whores. Having those type of rewards implemented in the iPhone games ecosystem would make things more addictive and keep people playing. At the very least, I’m sure it will be a much smoother and more interesting implementation than what Nokia tried to do with the N-Gage platform.
Enterprise Features — RIM is the undisputed king of business smartphones with its BlackBerry line. Along with multiple Exchange account support, these features should have RIM more than a little scared. In the short term, BlackBerry will still dominate enterprise use, but its OS is falling way behind iPhone, Android, and others.
Some of you already started talking about iPhone OS 4 in Coffee Talk, but I’d love to continue the conversation here. What do you think of iPhone OS 4’s features? What tent poles excite you the most (*snicker*)? Are any of the minor features (spell check, enhanced wallpapers, etc.) interesting to you? Do you think not being able to multitask on devices before the iPhone 3GS is the real deal or a cheap way to get people to buy new iPhones/iPods? Chat it up at your earliest convenience (please)!
Technically, it’s coffee time where I am so the column name still applies. Ha! As expected, jet lag is totally kicking my ass. I didn’t believe in jet lag for the first 25 years of my life. I thought it was a sissy excuse for tired people. Then I did a quick work trip to Tokyo and was disoriented for several days after I returned. For all of you younglings reading this, it only gets worse as you get older.
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, Jim Carrey’s next girlfriend, Fusion Garage’s JooJoo tablet, or the Yankees and Red Sox taking 12 hours to complete three games, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Technically, it’s coffee time where I am so the column name still applies. Ha! As expected, jet lag is totally kicking my ass. I didn’t believe in jet lag for the first 25 years of my life. I thought it was a sissy excuse for tired people. Then I did a quick work trip to Tokyo and was disoriented for several days after I returned. For all of you younglings reading this, it only gets worse as you get older.
Anyway, gaming has been great with trying to deal with jet lag. Some people just stare at the ceiling until they fall asleep. I find EV training in Pokemon productive and repetitive, which usually helps me catch some Z’s. This trip I’ve been playing the hell out of Civilization Revolution for iPhone. Yes, I’ve played the game essentially the same way for over a thousand times, but I still love it. The repetition is soothing and it helps me relax.
When you guys and gals deal with jet lag or insomnia, what do you do? Is there a certain game you play? Maybe a graphic novel you bring with you on the road? How about web browsing on your phone? Let me know (please)! Maybe I’ll incorporate your techniques into my jet-lag fighting regimen.
The second episode of Reset is full of anime goodness…with a little bit of western thrown in. Kat Hunter and I checked out cosplayers and games at Anime Expo 2005. Back on the home front, I caught up with Neversoft to talk about Gun.
Part 1 — Ah, cosplaying. I still think most American cosplayers are hacks compared to their Japanese counterparts, but there were some pretty cool costumes at Anime Expo. You’ll recognize characters from Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Katamai Damacy, Metal Gear Solid, and more in this clip.
Part 2 — Neversoft made it big with its Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games, so I was surprised when the company went all western with Gun. I interviewed two peeps from Neversoft in front of two hanging people (they weren’t really people) to learn more about the game. They answered the question that was on everyone’s mind at the time: how is horseback riding in Gun different from Zelda and Shadow of the Colossus?
Part 3 — Kat and I checked out a bunch of anime-based games from Bandai. Learn more about Inuyasha, One Piece, Zatch Bell, and more!
The Reset reruns continue! Here’s the first “official” episode of Reset. Joining Zoe Flower and me is the excellent Kat Hunter. At the time, I knew Kat for a few years and found her to be totally charming. She went on to become a great friend that bailed me out of a few drunken situations. Ha! The only hitch was the one time she brought me home, but didn’t know that I had moved. My old roomies were not pleased to have a drunk Raymond thrown upon them. Uh…let’s get to the show!
Part 1 — I interviewed some of my favorite journalists at an EA Sports press event to talk about NBA Live 2006, Madden NFL 06, and SSX: On Tour. Check out what Game Informer’s Andy McNamara, Electronic Gaming Monthly’s Bryan Intihar, and freelance writer Chris Kohler had to say about these games.
Part 2 — I went to New Orleans to attend an excellent launch party for Conker: Live and Reloaded. I had a blast and was a little tipsy by the end of the shoot. Watch me lick a Conker ice sculpture and convince two girls to do the same. Ha! I also talked to several of the developers from Rare as they played their game and partied in N’awlins.
Part 3 — Zoe met up with fashion giant Marc Ecko to talk about his game Gettin’ Up: Contents Under Pressure. In addition to being her always-charming self, she learned some new slang from Ecko. It’s bombin’!
Yesterday’s Coffee Talk was pretty fun, so let’s stick with the Japanese theme. It’s applicable since I’m typing this from Japan. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been jealous of the awesome limited edition consoles Japanese gamers have access to. There’s some truly amazing stuff released in Japan and I wish the American console companies would try to match these fine goods (though I understand why they don’t).
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, Suntory time, last night’s American Idol (I was flying, so spoilar it for me please), or your iPhone 4 predictions, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Yesterday’s Coffee Talk was pretty fun, so let’s stick with the Japanese theme. It’s applicable since I’m typing this from Japan. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been jealous of the awesome limited edition consoles Japanese gamers have access to. There’s some truly amazing stuff released in Japan and I wish the American console companies would try to match these fine goods (though I understand why they don’t).
I’m currently drooling over the white FFXIII PS3 with a pink Lightning paint job. It’s completely awesome and I want it now! If I can afford it and it’s still available during TGS, I’ll try to pick one up in September — that’s one of my dreams for 2010. You see, I’ve never had a Japanese limited edition home console. However, I have picked up a few limited edition portable systems at Tokyo’s Pokemon Center. I fondly remember my Celebi Game Boy Advance and my Torchic Game Boy Advance SP.
Today I wanted to see if you have a limited edition dream console. It doesn’t matter if it’s a portable or home system. I just want to know what Japanese limited edition goods make you drool. Leave a comment and let me know (please)!
Here are some pictures from the airport lounge. I’m not trying to show off or anything. I just want it to be known that I’m probably the only guy here that’s not in a suit…and quite possibly the most buzzed person in the house. *sigh* I’m going to miss you guys while I’m in the air.
Here are some pictures of a device purported to be the Nintendo 3DS. Kotaku did some excellent snooping around and translating of a site called Munch Blog. Here is what Kotaku editor Mike Fahey came up with:
The pictures come from a Japanese website called, as Google’s translator indicates, Munch Blog, a site about anime, manga, games, and movies. The author says the pictures were posted without the manufacturer’s permission, and that anyone not wishing to spoil the big reveal at E3 this year should look away. The device is fist shown as a small unit with one large screen, which threw us off at first. One screen? How could this possible be the 3DS, which should be dual-screened by name and nature?
The one screen allows games to be played either on one large screen, or two simulated screens, ensuring backwards compatibility with the normal DS. In fact, the person taking the pictures inserts a DS cart, the Japanese version of Super Robot Wars OG Saga: Endless Frontier (a personal favorite of mine), and shows off the various orientations the dual screens can be displayed in, along with a smoothing filter built into the unit.
It looks pretty sweet, but does it clash with the rumor that the 3DS will use a 3.4-inch Sharp parallax screen? What do you think? Real? Or fake?!?
As I mentioned earlier, I’ll be posting episodes of Reset (my old show for Yahoo! Games) while I’m in Asia. Think of it as rerun season. Ha! Seriously though, this was one of the best times of my life. I got to work closely with one of my dearest friends, the amazing Zoe Flower. I adored working with the gang at Yahoo! Studios. Producing video was fresh and new and exciting for me. It was truly the best work experience I’ve ever had. Now here’s the pilot!
(If you only want to watch one of these segmemts, I highly suggest part two.)
Part 1 — Zoe and I hit the show floor at E3 2005. She totally carried me here. At this point, I only hosted a dozen or so videos for GameSpy, while Zoe had a ton of experience hosting The Electric Playground (on real television). I did way too many fae things with my hands. The Scarface gag still cracks me up. You can also see mock-ups of the PS3 and a forgotten handheld known as the Game Boy Micro (did any of you have one?).
Part 2 — This was one of the best times I’ve ever had at work — I got made up as a zombie by a professional makeup artist!!! I’ll never ever forget this experience. It was totally fun walking around E3 as a zombie and goofing off with Zoe. Really…just watch this one. It’s fun.
Part 3 — I love doing man-on-the-street pieces. Those were my best videos at GameSpy. Here I asked a bunch of people (some friends, some randoms) about their E3 2005 experience. One person in this video ended up being my roommate, while another ended up being a coworker. Ha! You can also watch Zoe and I fight with inflatable swords. For the record, I let her win.
Since I’m making a brief stop in Japan, I wanted to ask you ladies and gents a question about the Land of the Rising Sun: If you could visit any Japanese game developer, which one would it be and why?
There are so many great ones to choose from! Would you stay in Tokyo and visit Kojima Productions? Maybe you’d go to Kyoto and pay homage to Nintendo? Perhaps you’d want to visit Capcom in Osaka?
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, Mark Buehrle’s ridiculous play, Jack Swagger as your World Heavyweight Champion, or the iPad selling 300,000 at launch, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Since I’m making a brief stop in Japan, I wanted to ask you ladies and gents a question about the Land of the Rising Sun: If you could visit any Japanese game developer, which one would it be and why?
There are so many great ones to choose from! Would you stay in Tokyo and visit Kojima Productions? Maybe you’d go to Kyoto and pay homage to Nintendo? Perhaps you’d want to visit Capcom in Osaka?
So yeah! Let’s play this game. Which Japanese developer would you visit? What would you want to see? What kind of questions would you ask?
(Btw, the header image is of the Yokohama skyline from when I visited Yuke’s last September.)
