My favorite PlayStation Portable game at E3 2009, Echoshift is being released this week on Sony’s PlayStation Network. It’s a cool and clever puzzle game that’s tough to explain, so check out the video above to see what it’s all about.
With major releases in February and March, Echoshift will be overlooked by many gamers. It’s my job to bring neat games like this to your attention. It’s on the expensive side for a downloadable PSP game ($14.99), but I think it’ll be worth it. I’m going to download it for sure and if I can pry myself away from Heavy Rain, I’ll share my experience with you.
For now, let me know if you’re interested in Echoshift.
I just picked up my retail copy of Heavy Rain during lunch. It took me about 15 minutes to download the latest update and install the game on my PS3. I know some of you have been having issues with PSN download times, so I wanted to see what your experiences were like with this particular title. If you pick up the game today and have a moment, please list how long it took you get the game up and running.
On the development side, WayForward has been tasked with creating this upcoming Batman adventure. The company’s history is mixed, with strong games like Shantae on its roster accompanied by a vast assortment of licensed games that most of you don’t care about. Hopefully this game gets a Shantae-like effort instead of a Justice League Heroes: The Flash effort.
Batman: The Brave & the Bold is slated for a September 2010 release. As a huge super-hero nerd, I’m excited for this game. How about you?
Sony’s MLB: The Show series has been trouncing the competition for the last few years. In MLB 10: The Show, the developers aim to bring back the excellent gameplay and add several layers of realism. The video above illustrates some of the game’s new features. Designer Greg Batalucco noted:
Beginning with last year’s version of The Show, we wanted to make the game even more accurate. In MLB 10: The Show, we have taken it further and added more to your gaming experience. New for this year’s edition are real-time players in the dugouts and bullpens, fireworks, rally towels, thundersticks, working digital and analog clocks, and much more. All these realistic enhancements to the game make MLB 10: The Show feel and sound like you are actually at the ballpark.
With MLB spring training kicking off, I’m itching for some baseball excitement. Are any of you guys and dolls looking for to MLB 10: The Show?
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, Jaime Kennedy missing Jennifer Love Hewitt’s birthday, how the WrestleMania card is shaping up, or the Taylor Swift backlash, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
As some of you know, WWE NXT debuts tonight. The show pairs eight WWE “rookies” with eight seasoned mentors. It’s a fun concept that should lead to some cool storylines, but I’m super excited for NXT for one reason: Bryan Danielson (now Daniel Bryan). Here are three reasons Danielson will make NXT worth watching.
1) You might be watching a legend in the making. Danielson has been one of my favorite indie wrestlers for years. Whether it was with Ring of Honor or Pro-Wrestling Guerilla, his matches almost always delivered. His technical skills are amazing — as good or better than 90 percent of the current WWE roster — and he can fly a bit too. When it comes to pure skills, he’s already one of the best in the business and hopefully he makes the most out of his WWE opportunity.
2) He might be the second coming of Chris Benoit. Remember Benoit in his prime? He had the perfect blend of mat wrestling and charismatic aggression. Fans didn’t care that his mic skills were below average and that he wasn’t the biggest guy on the roster. He connected with fans through outstanding skills that were utilized in an appealing fashion. Danielson has similar qualities, though he’s slightly better on the mic. I’d love for the WWE to push a guy with excellent mat skills, similar to how it pushed Benoit and Eddie Guerrero.
3) Danielson and The Miz are the perfect team. The pairing is genius. Anyone that knows wrestling understands that Danielson can wrestle circles around The Miz. They also know that The Miz’s mic work is extraordinary and Danielson can learn a lot from it. It will be fun watching The Miz try to teach Danielson how to be a “star”. It’s a nice clash of styles and personalities that should lead to some great television.
I’m not saying NXT is going to be the best WWE show starting today. I’m saying that it will be worth watching because it will be a chance to watch a star-in-the-making from his first day in WWE. It’s a loose analogy, but it kind of reminds me of watching Derek Jeter in the minor leagues and following his entire career to this day. With a bit of luck, Danielson will go from The Miz’s sidekick to WWE world heavyweight champion. He’s certainly talented enough.
Are any of you planning to watch WWE NXT?
Edit: Here’s a bonus clip of Bryan Danielson vs. Jack Evans. Danielson puts Jack over and does some cool comedic spots at a PWG show.
Catching up with EEDAR director of analyst services Jesse Divnich was completely cool. Naturally, I asked him about how the console wars will shake out in 2010, as well as Project Natal vs. PlayStation Arc/Gem and traditional handheld gaming vs. iPhone/iPod/iPad.
Things got really fun when I asked Divnich about his background and how he became a gaming analyst. It’s a tale of a “hick from French-Canada” moving to America by himself, living in a trailer park, studying hard, and working his ass off to become one of the top analysts in the business. Divnich also revealed why he’s better than his competitors and spoke about his relationship with Michael Pachter. (If I had it my way it would be The Divnich Debrief vs. Pach Attack.)
Oh yeah, you’ll also learn why Canadians would make the best terrorists. How can you pass that up?!?
Last week, Tiger Woods issued a highly…polished statement regarding his adultery. At DICE 2010, Activision’s Bobby Kotick delivered a somewhat apologetic and explanatory speech that some people say was similarly manufactured. Who do you think makes a better sympathetic figure?
WWE Superstar Shad Gaspard (the big guy in Cryme Tyme) is one of the finalists for the role of Ukafa in the upcoming Conan movie. According to WorstPreviews:
Gaspard has now updated his blog again, this time stating that he has passed the first part of casting and that the role is now down to him and only a few other actors. If he ends up getting hired he will star in the movie opposite Jason Momoa (“Stargate: Atlantis”), who has already been cast as Conan.
Gaspard is a huge man, but he’s also a huge nerd. When I met him at WWE SummerSlam 2009, he told me that he enjoyed comics as a kid, but the comic-book club wouldn’t let him join because he was a jock. He totally nerded out at San Diego Comic-Con 2009 too! On behalf of WWE fans and nerds around the world, I hope Shad gets the role.
Yesterday I was still recovering from DICE and having visitors over the weekend, which made me completely forget about the WWE Elimination Chamer pay-per-view. Thankfully, N8R reminded me about it. Let’s take a look at the booking and talk about it.
WWE Championship — John Cena Wins: I hate saying this because John Cena is a really nice guy and he works extremely hard, but I hate watching him wrestle. He is my second-least favorite “top guy” in WWE. I was extremely annoyed that he was booked to win the WWE strap at this PPV. I couldn’t think of anything worse until….
Batista Beats Cena for the WWE Championship: Mr. McMahon made Cena defend the belt right after the first elimination chamber match ended. Batista beat him for it. Ugh. Batista is awful. I want to like him because he’s half Filipino and his book was a 9.5 on the unintentional comedy scale, but he just sucks. He can’t wrestle. He gasses on the way to the ring because he suffers from asthma and his second wind lasts about 90 seconds. Unlike Cena, “Big Dave” doesn’t work hard and is, by most accounts, a dick. I was hoping it would be Batista/McMahon vs. Cena/Hart at WrestleMania, with no championships on the line, but it doesn’t look that way.
Chris Jericho Wins the World Championship: This was great booking. The world championship match came down to Jericho and The Undertaker. ‘Taker was about to win when Shawn Michaels appeared and gave him “sweet chin music”. This sets up Jericho vs. Edge and HBK vs. ‘Taker at WrestleMania. The mic work leading up to Jericho/Edge will be fantastic, while HBK and Taker will probably steal the show again.
And the Rest: That was a Gilligan’s Island reference. It worked (really). The rest of the PPV looked crappy on paper. The one highlight was The Miz talking about mentoring Bryan Danielson (now Daniel Bryan in WWE) on NXT. The Miz said something like, “Bryan may be an Internet legend, but when I look at him I see the first guy in line at a Star Wars convention.” Danielson is a damn genius in the ring, but he definitely needs help on the mic. The Miz should help him get over in a big way.
, the developers aim to bring back the excellent gameplay and add several layers of realism. The video above illustrates some of the game’s new features. Designer Greg Batalucco noted:
, EA has made a deal with WWE to 
