Coffee Talk #100: I’m Raymond Padilla, Your Verbal Entertainer

In the immortal words of Barry Manilow and Shania Twain, “Looks like we made it.” Yes, it’s Coffee Talk #100!!! Thank you all so much for your support and readership. Today I’m going to be a little selfish and write about me. What I wanted to tell you all on this special day is that I am not a journalist. I am a verbal entertainer.

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, American Idol voters hating Asian people, Apple laying the smack down on HTC, or the iPad going on sale in less than a month, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

In the immortal words of Barry Manilow and Shania Twain, “Looks like we made it.” Yes, it’s Coffee Talk #100!!! Thank you all so much for your support and readership. Today I’m going to be a little selfish and write about me. What I wanted to tell you all on this special day is that I am not a journalist. I am a verbal entertainer.

Most people that write about games for enthusiast outlets are not journalists — not in the sense of reporting. Certainly there are exceptions. Leigh Alexander, Patrick Klepek, and Stepehen Totilo are fine reporters. Most “game journalists” are actually critics. Some are just hacks that vomit thousands of words on a single game just to get multiple page views. I’m not any of those things.

Nobody is going to use it, but I prefer the label “verbal entertainer”. Reporting news isn’t my priority. Most game reviews are crap and and most people/outlets don’t know who they’re reviewing for, so I don’t want to be called a game critic. I use the term “game writer” a lot, but that should probably be saved for people that write scripts for games (like the totally outstanding WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010!).

What I like to do is entertain you. Whether it’s through cool discussion, goofy video interviews, or asking developers your questions on PadCasts, my goal is to make your day a little bit more fun. Whether you read my words or listen to them, my motivation is similar to Robbie Williams’ — “Let Me Entertain You”!

My name is Raymond Padilla…and I approve this message this. That’s not right. I meant, this…is American Idol! That’s not right either… Oh yeah! I’m a verbal entertainer!!!

Today’s Poll: Which Version of Final Fantasy XIII?!?

With the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Final Fantasy XIII getting a nice technical comparison from Digital Foundry, I thought it would be a good time to ask you which version of the game you’re getting. As for me, of course I’m getting it on the PS3! Reona Rewis 4 life!!!

[poll id=”30″]

Final Fantasy XIII Graphics Comparison: PlayStation 3 vs. Xbox 360

The fine people at Digital Foundry have posted a technical comparison of the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Final Fantasy XIII. As expected, the PlayStation 3 version is superior. Here’s DF’s conclusion:

“Adequate but a touch disappointing” best sums up the Xbox 360 version. Fine edges lose precision, and while the effect is mitigated thanks to the MSAA along with the multitude of post processing effects the engine has at its disposal, the fact is that the lack of resolution can make the 360 build look sub-par. The clean CG look of the PS3 game in motion is unduly compromised, and while it’s still a handsome enough title on Xbox 360, it lacks the pristine presentation of its sibling.

If you’re interested in high-level graphics talk, the article is definitely worth checking out. The read reminded me of my PC Magazine Labs days when we’d scream at each other about competing graphics card technologies. Ha!

Hmmmm, I think I’ll start a poll while I’m at it.

Source

Rumor (Again): Sony Working on PlayStation Portable Phone

Rumors of a PSP phone have been floating around for a few years, but the latest word comes from the prestigious Wall Street Journal. Here’s what the Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper had to say about a mobile phone that happens to play PSP games:

Threatened by Apple Inc.’s growing stable of portable devices, Sony Corp. is developing a new lineup of handheld products, including a smart phone capable of downloading and playing videogames, according to people familiar with the matter.

It sounds like a great idea, but the mobile phone market is so crowded. Apple’s iPhone OS is popular with consumers around the world. Google’s Android OS is rapidly growing its installed base. Nokia’s Symbian is still hugely popular in Asia and Europe. Microsoft will be going large with Windows Phone 7 Series in late 2010. Heck, even Palm is struggling with its polished and innovative WebOS. Is there room for another player?

While playing PSP games on a phone would be cool, the rumored device would need more to compete with the aforementioned mobile operating systems. I doubt this will happen, but a Sony phone that featured a custom build of Android and PSP functionality would be terribly interesting.

Sony is allegedly working on another device that “blurs distinctions among a netbook, an e-reader and a PlayStation Portable”.

What do you think of all these Sony PSP phone rumors? Would you be interested in one?

Source

Jason West and Vince Zampella File Lawsuit Against Activision

Someone should file this under Modern Publisher Warfare 2. *snicker* As some of you know, former Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vince Zampella have filed a lawsuit against Activision through O’Melveny & Myers. While lawsuits in the gaming business are nothing new and seldom interesting, I found it amusing that the law firm issued a press release to publicize the case. Here’s a quote on the lawsuit from attorney Robert Schwartz:

Activision has refused to honor the terms of its agreements and is intentionally flouting the fundamental public policy of this State (California) that employers must pay their employees what they have rightfully earned. Instead of thanking, lauding, or just plain paying Jason and Vince for giving Activision the most successful entertainment product ever offered to the public, last month Activision hired lawyers to conduct a pretextual ‘investigation’ into unstated and unsubstantiated charges of ‘insubordination’ and ‘breach of fiduciary duty,’ which then became the grounds for their termination on Monday, March 1st.

Honestly, I lost interest in the whole affair on Tuesday. I don’t think it’s as big a deal or as interesting as some people in the gaming press are making it out to be. That said, some of you appear to be interested in it so I thought I’d post the quote and a link to the press release.

Just to check myself, are you still interested in the Activision vs. West/Zampella feud?

Source

Coffee Talk #99: Do You Understand Game Development?

With Game Developers Conference 2010 next week, I wanted to talk to you about…uh…game development. A lot of gamers don’t really understand what goes into making a game. Hell, a lot of journalists and critics don’t really understand the process either. I completely admit that there’s still a lot I don’t know about game development after more than 15 years of game writing, but I’ve tried to learn a fair bit and feel that I know more than most writers.

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, all these crazy earthquakes (end of the world?), whether Tiger Woods can dominate golf again, or the ex-Infinity Ward guys taking legal action against Activision, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

With Game Developers Conference 2010 next week, I wanted to talk to you about…uh…game development. A lot of gamers don’t really understand what goes into making a game. Hell, a lot of journalists and critics don’t really understand the process either. I completely admit that there’s still a lot I don’t know about game development after more than 15 years of game writing, but I’ve tried to learn a fair bit and feel that I know more than most writers.

Do you know the difference between a producer on the publisher side and on the development side? Do you understand how budget and time restrictions can limit creativity and quality? Is there anything about game development you’d like to learn more about? Or do you not care about knowing more about the process? After all, you don’t have to know anything about game development to enjoy great games.

In some ways, I think it’s important for you to try to understand game development. It leads to a deeper appreciation of the games you buy. In other ways, it’s trivial. Do you enjoy a movie more knowing what the key grip and gaffer do?

I’m curious to read your responses today. They’ll shape my mindset going into next week’s show. Perhaps I can get some of the information you want. Learning together is cool. So let’s get to it (please)!

American Idol Recap 3/3/10: Top 10 Girls

One-sentence summary: White girls try to be soulful with mixed results.

The false idolatry continues with a recap of tonight’s episode of American Idol, featuring the top 10 girls. While there were a few dull performances, the girls as a whole were way better than the top 10 guys. Here’s how it went down.

Crystal Bowersox “As Long as I Can See the Light”: The sick chick went first. I’m pretty sure the producers are pissed at her for screwing with this week’s schedule by going to the hospital. She rocks the hell out of this Creedence Clearwater Revival song, but I have to wonder if teens and tweens know who the hell CCR are. I sincerely doubt she’ll win, but I’m rooting for Crystal because she isn’t the typical “beautiful person” and my friend Christian is convinced that she’s really a lesbian. Randy Jackson’s brilliant judgement was, “I love that girl! That girl is hot!!!” Considering that she was hospitalized 24 hours ago and put on one hell of a performance, the other girls should be scared. The two things going against her are looks — because let’s be real, the beautiful people get more votes than they ought to — and (possibly) song selection that might not resonate with the youngins. If America votes her off this week, I’m leaving for Canada or Thailand.

Haeley Vaughn “The Climb”: This 16-year old girl is super interesting. Unlike other Idol teens, she doesn’t seem like she was manufactured by a stage mom. She comes off as a genuinely goofy teen and it’s pretty cute. She’s also an African American teenager that loves country music; I can honestly say that I’ve never met an African American (of either gender) that enjoyed country. Haeley went with a Miley Cyrus song, which should help her get votes. She’s not shouting half the song like last week, but her vocals weren’t the best — lots of pitch problems and several moments of weakness. The judges dig into her, but tell her to keep smiling. Kara DioGuardi said that Haeley needs another year to “strengthen her instrument” because “it’s a muscle that needs to be worked”. How many men have heard the same thing from Kara…in private. Anyway, Haeley could be in trouble, but I think her cuteness will keep her around for another week.

Lacey Brown “Kiss Me”: This chick is beautiful, but she mangled “Landslide” last week and I’m a little surprised that she’s still here…then again, she’s really, really pretty and has great hair. I’m pretty sure a lot of teenagers want to be her. She put on a fun performance of this Sixpence None the Richer song from She’s All That. It was definitely better than last week and a much smarter choice (she does not have the pipes to pull off Stevie Nicks), but she’s just not that good. She sounded like a shopping mall performer. Only Ellen liked her, calling her performance “adorable”…which made me think, “You know Ellen, not all women with short hair are lesbians.”

Katie Stevens “Put Your Records On”: Here’s Wired.com Kohler’s favorite. Since she has a square-ish face and Kohler digs her, I’m going to call her Box Head. She can say “give me a kiss” in six languages. Can the tramp stamp be far behind? Box Head does a decent job and she makes out with camera nicely, but I keep hearing Megan Joy’s performance in my head. Megan Joy knocked it out of the park last season and Box Head’s version is a bloop single in comparison. That said, it was good enough to keep her on the show…well, that and her looks.

Didi Benami “Lean on Me”: Music aside, this is my favorite female contestant. She’s beautiful and her name reminds me of Konami’s Bemani games. Plus, she cries during greeting card commercials, when old ladies struggle to get off the bus, and when leaves fall — she can’t help it! It’s funny that I mentioned Megan Joy in the last paragraph, because Didi is like a less talented and less interesting version of Megan Joy. On the plus side, she doesn’t have all that nasty ink covering her right arm. Her version of this Bill Withers classic sounded like a white girl trying to sing like a black girl. It was decent in the beginning but was all over the place towards the end. It left me with a whole “wannabe” vibe. Naturally, Didi was tearing up and couldn’t talk after getting railed by the judges. Don’t worry Didi fans, she’s too sexy to get voted off at this stage.

Michelle Delamor “With Arms Wide Open”: Michelle works with kids, teaching them how to yell, “Whooooooo!!!” like Ric Flair. I didn’t know that was a job. I could do that. Before she started singing, I was worried about a woman of color singing a Creed song. I’m pretty sure it’s a law in 37 states that Creed can only be sung by white people. Michelle showed why this law makes sense. It was just…weird. She’s a good singer with great looks, but the song choice was all wrong. The judges were split on this one. Randy and Ellen weren’t into it, but Kara and Simon liked it. Kara’s a moron, but I was surprised that Simon approved.

Lilly Scott “A Change is Gonna Come”: Some of my friends like this chick, but I don’t trust anyone that dyes their hair white. Why the hell would you want to look older?!? Lily is rocking a twelve-string guitar for this brilliant Sam Cooke song. I was scared that she’d absolutely blow it, but she did really well — my second-favorite performance of the night behind Crystal. Unlike Didi Benami, Lilly managed to impose her own style on a soulful song. It was like a Lilith Fair performance (in a great way). The judges loved her, rightfully so. If she keeps this up, she’s in the overall top 10 for sure.

Katelyn Epperly “The Scientist”: To steal a joke from 40-Year Old Virgin, do you know how I know you’re gay Katelyn Epperly? You like Coldplay. *joke* On a side note, I love telling hardcore U2 fans that Coldplay is a much better band (I don’t really believe that). They get so flustered. Anyway, Katelyn has great stems, but her hair looks like a beehive. Still, she’s showing so much skin that it’s hard to look at her face…except when you focus on the beauty mark between her eyebrows. I really want to jab it with my finger for half an hour. As for her performance, she did a good job with a somber piano performance of “The Scientist”. The only issue I had was that her camera faces were kind of creepy. Ellen wasn’t into it, saying that it made her sleepy. Then again, Ellen thought she was playing a guitar, not a piano. Anyone else get a Brooke White vibe from Katelyn?

Paige Miles “Walk Away”: Picking a Kelly Clarkson song written by Kara DioGuardi — the ultimate kiss-ass move. This was absolutely the wrong song for Paige. It did nothing to highlight her huge voice. She didn’t do poorly, but it was totally forgettable. She’s good enough to stick around for a few more weeks, but she needs to start picking songs that highlight her awesome voice. Three of the judges conveyed similar sentiments, with Ellen the only one that was into it.

Siobhan Magnus “Think”: I’m always scared when American Idol contestants take on Aretha Franklin. It rarely works. For Siobhan it was half awesome and half horrible. It was a very strange performance — some of it was soulful and some of it was shrilly. On the plus side, she pulled off the season’s first Adam Lambert scream. The downers were pitch problems, poor phrasing, and spots of weakness (yes, everyone is weak in comparison to Aretha). Siobhan is super cute, but she makes ugly faces when she sings. Randy, Ellen, and Kara loved her. Simon thought it was part incredible and part terrible. She should stick around and I hope she sticks around because she has great potential.

Valve Getting Ready to Announce Steam for Mac OS

Valve has been circulating various images that hint that the company will be releasing its Steam gaming service for Apple’s Mac OS. The best of the bunch is Half-Life’s Gordon Freeman with an obscured Apple logo on his chest (pictured above). With Game Developers Conference 2010 next week, an official announcement should come soon.

This is big news for Valve’s Steam service and tremendous news for the Mac platform. Apple has tried the emphasize gaming on the Mac several times, but the efforts were always half-assed. Steam would plug a gaping hole in Mac OS’s catalog.

I know a lot of people that prefer working and browsing on a Mac, but keep a PC around just for games. Are you one of those people? Would you be willing to ditch Windows if Steam arrives for Mac OS?

18-Year Old, 5’1″ Japanese Girl Mastered Knuckleball By Watching Tim Wakefield

Eri Yoshida is a remarkably unusual professional baseball player — she’s female, 18-years old, 5’1″, and a sidearm knuckleballer! She was drafted by Kobe 9 Cruise of the Kansai Independent Baseball League and is currently in America pitching for the Yuma Scorpions in the Arizona Independent League. The wacky part of it all is that she learned the knuckleball by watching video footage of Major League Baseball player Tim Wakefield.

Yoshida recently participated in a workout session with Wakefield, who said:

I’m impressed. She spun a couple, but for the most part it was very good. She was able to take the spin out of a lot of them and they had quite a lot of movement on them.

Yoshida is totally cool. She’s crossed so many barriers in a sport I love and I hope she becomes tremendously successful. Young girls need role models like Yoshida. She’s definitely the frontrunner for my crush of 2010.

Source

Coffee Talk #98: Your Non-Gaming, Non-Nerd Hobbies

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, Lost, the kick-off of the the Mayweather-Mosley press tour, or teenage girls in Japan throwing knuckleballs, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Today’s Coffee Talk is a special request from RPadholic bsukenyan. He recently revealed to other RPad.tv readers that he’s an avid collector of pennies. This hobby definitely falls outside of the realm of the gaming, gadgets, and geek culture that’s discussed on this site. Do you have any hobbies or interests that are “different”?

As for me, I don’t think I have any hobbies that you don’t already know about. You guys pretty much know what I do: games, tech, pro-wrestling, American Idol, MSNBC, and travel.

I guess I’m a little insane when it comes to taking advantage of frequent flyer programs. Yes, I’m one of those guys that frequents the FlyerTalk forums, tries to take advantage of every United promotion, and goes on mileage runs. I actually spent a day flying to New York and back because there was a double qualifying miles promotion that would get me over 150,000, earning another pair of system-wide upgrades that can be used on international flights. In a way, I treat it like a videogame; I want to get the best score I can and take advantage of bonus multipliers.

So in the spirit of bsukenyan’s penny hobby, let everyone know if you have any similar interests or hobbies. Do your non-gaming, non-nerd activities somehow relate to games? Discuss!