Coffee Talk #54: Your Favorite Holiday Gifts

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 blood testing controversy delaying the Pacquiao/Mayweather fight, digesting your holiday feast(s), or your New Year’s Eve plans, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

And we’re back! Well, I’m back anyway. Hopefully a bunch of you around to keep me company this week. I’m still in New York for the holidays, but I’ll be updating the site all week. The bad news is that most of the videogame business is on holiday, so nothing too exciting should happen. The good news is that you ladies and gents that read this site and leave comments are always more interesting than the news the gaming business generates.

For now, I wanted to check on your holiday gifts. I hope everyone got some cool stuff! Whether it’s gaming related or not, I’d love to hear about some of your favorite gifts.

My brother made me two CDs of Journey MP3s without the vocals. The music is from a Journey tribute band he’s in and he’s pushing me to lay some vocals down. I’m definitely going to do it as some point, but I rather have my trusty Shure SM58 around when I do it. It’s a pretty cool gift that takes my karaoke habit to a new level. Ha! (And yes, the video above is from one of his other bands, not the Journey tribute band.)

While I practice “Stone in Love” and “Faithfully” all day, I’d love to read about some of your favorite presents this year. Leave ’em in the comments section (please)!

NY Food!

As some of you know, I’m in New York for the holidays. Although I love so many things about California, there are a few things I miss about NY. On my way from JFK to my parents’ house, my brother and I stopped by for some pizza. This was entirely necessary. The pizza in California is…kind of a joke. A slice of sausage and a spinach/ricotta slice totally hit the spot after a cross-country flight.

Whether you’re visiting family or staying home, let me know what holiday food you’re enjoying. Later on this week I plan on challenging Carnegie Deli’s mountain of a reuben. It’s so awesome. Until then, here’s a bonus shot of an awesome chicken parmigiana hero!

Continue reading “NY Food!”

Dragon Age Comic Book Coming in March 2010 From IDW

IDW has released details on its upcoming Dragon Age comic book coming in March 2010. The book features writing by renowned homophobe Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston, art by Mark Robinson, and covers by the outstanding Humberto Ramos. Here are more details from IDW:

In a time lost to history, a war ravaged the land. Mages, incredibly powerful wielders of magic, ruled the world through mastery of dark arts and forbidden spells. Their lust for power almost destroyed all existence, and unleashed an unholy pestilence, the Darkspawn, to plague mankind, trolls, faeries, and all the inhabitants of the realm. Now magic is carefully controlled, taught behind the sacred walls of the Circle of Magi, and monitored by the ever-vigilant Templars. It is in this arena that a new generation of Mages in training will arise, warriors of sorcery who will defy the rules of the Templars and change the course of the world forever.

I’m not expecting much from this book, but I might give it a shot because I’m such a Dragon Age: Origins junkie. In fact, I’m bringing the first DA novel with me for holiday break. If I can’t play Dragon Age while I’m on vacation then I might as well read about its world, right?

Any of you planning to pick up the Dragon Age comic book in March?

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Coffee Talk #53: All I Want for Christmas is…

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, Javier Vazquez returning to the NY Yankees, the taxation of indoor tanning salons, or your holiday plans, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Unless you’re excessively rich, chances are that you didn’t buy every game you wanted in 2009. (If you are excessively rich see the donation button in the right sidebar.) Games are expensive. The economy blows. There were a lot of fantastic games released in 2009. Something must have slipped through the cracks. What’s the one 2009 release you wish you had?

For me, that’s easy — The Beatles: Rock Band. I love The Beatles and I enjoy music games. As a (mediocre) guitar player, I think it’s awesome that the game has controllers shaped like classic Gretsch and Rickenbacker guitars. The visuals are way better than those found in any other music game. Unfortunately, it came out while I was flying all over Asia and when I got back, I couldn’t really afford it. That said, if I could have one game for Christmas, this would be it.

That’s just wishful and needless thinking though. I have plenty of excellent games to play and I have a bunch of video equipment that I’d like to get for the site. I’ll get The Beatles: Rock Band when it’s marked down — no rush.

Now for the important part. If you could have one game for a holiday gift, what would it be?

Gizmodo Goes Hands-On with the Google Nexus One

Gizmodo’s Jason Chen has written a superb hands-on of the Google Nexus One. If you’re interested in the phone or are merely curious about what’s next for Android, I highly suggest giving it a look. If you don’t have the patience, here’s Chen’s conclusion:

If you want Android phones, this is the one to get, provided Google goes ahead with the rumored plans of either selling it themselves or partnering with T-Mobile in a more traditional role. Droid, shmoid; Nexus is the one you’re looking for.

*sigh* It doesn’t have a keyboard, but I’m totally loving the screen, processor, and noise-cancelling features. It does support T-Mobile’s 3G frequency and RIM’s BlackBerry Internet Service has been spotty this month so perhaps it’s time for an upgrade in January (provided the phone goes on sale as rumored)!

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Super Street Fighter IV and Lost Planet 2 Delayed

Capcom has delayed the release of Super Street Fighter IV, Lost Planet 2, and Monster Hunter 3 (Europe and North America) for financial considerations. The games were set to be released in the company’s fiscal fourth quarter, which ends on March 31, 2010. Instead, the games will be released during its next fiscal year to spread out earnings, which is great for shareholders but sucky for gamers.

Idealistically, I hope the additional time allows for more polish and features to creep in. From a financial standpoint, the move makes total sense. I’m actually surprised the industry didn’t see more release manipulation in 2009 considering that the entire world knew that the economy was dire and wasn’t getting better any time soon.

I’m a little bummed that Super Street Fighter IV won’t be available to me in March, but something tells me that I’ll have my hands full with a little game from Square Enix. Any of you disappointed by the delays?

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Unreal Engine for iPhone is Huge for the Future of Mobile Gaming

AnandTech’s Anand Lal Shimpi (who the hell names a site after himself…oh wait…never mind) was visited by Epic Games vice president Mark Rein and received a demo of Unreal Engine running for iPhone. Lal Shimpi wrote:

I got together with Mark Rein last week and he showed me an Unreal Engine 3 tech demo running on a 3rd generation iPod Touch. The same Unreal Engine 3 that powers Gears of War 2, running on an iPod Touch. The engine also works on the iPhone 3GS, and Mark tells me that we’ll see it on another mobile platform at CES (hmm…).

Obviously this is huge for the iPhone and iPod Touch platforms. Unreal Engine is the most popular in the business and Epic’s relationships — both with developers and publishers — are far reaching. Ultimately, I expect better looking games coming from numerous Unreal Engine licensees — companies that most enthusiast gamers are familiar with, as opposed to newcomers like ngmoco. Core gamers that are also iPhone and iPod Touch users (like many of you guys) are more likely to buy a game from a developer or publisher they know rather than a new company. Better looking games from the traditional players? I’m down! And I’m sure many of you will be too.

But wait, there’s more! Lal Shimpi also pointed out:

This isn’t a platform specific thing, it’s about bringing Unreal Engine 3 to the entire portable market.

Of course it is. Mobile processors like the Nvidia Tegra and Qualcomm Snapdragon are taking portable power to new heights. With great power comes great responsibility fantastic potential for mobile gaming. The next generation of mobile gaming devices will continue to push the envelope. Sony’s PlayStation Portable took portable graphics to a new level, but I don’t think it will be alone in the next generation. With Nintendo’s next handheld rumored to be Tegra powered, expect better looking mobile games on several platform.

Whether you’re talking about the next generation Nintendo handhelds and Sony PlayStation Portables or multifunction devices like the iPhone or Zune, mobile gaming is poised for a giant step. Naturally, to make great games you need great tools. This is where Unreal Engine comes in. For hundreds of developers, Unreal Engine is familiar and powerful. Having it work on mobile platforms like the iPhone is tremendous.

Then there’s Mark Rein’s involvement. The dude knows how to build relationships and sell his company’s engine. He’s so convincing that he once sold me time in a tanning salon. Okay, that’s not true, but I’m pretty sure he could do it.

Simon Cowell Leaving American Idol After Season 9

Simon Cowell announced that he intends to leave American Idol after season nine. This is terrible news for AI. Cowell is — by far — the most entertaining part of the show, especially now that Paula Abdul is gone. VoteForTheWorst has reported:

It’s clear that Simon wants out so he can bring X Factor over to America and not have to worry about Idol, since he’ll be making s*&^loads more money producing X Factor (if it’s successful). Simon always said he’d leave the show if Paula left, so it looks like the producers are helping American Idol implode on itself.

Although I’ll miss Paula’s wacky and nonsensical comments, I’m still looking forward to the new season starting in January. After that…I don’t know. I can’t imagine the show without Simon. The best thing about Randy Jackson is that he played with Journey. Kara DioGuardi is pretty useless. It remains to be seen what Ellen Degeneres will bring to the table. None of that matters though. I’m pretty sure I’m done with Idol if Simon walks.

Source via VFTW

BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) Down…Again

For the second time in the last week, Research in Motion’s (RIM) BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) is down. Millions of users in North America have had issues with various BlackBerry functions. Down times have been reported by users on various American and Canadian carriers. For a company that prides itself on rock-solid service, these recent interruptions are alarming.

Using my BB 8900 on T-Mobile in Los Angeles, service has been sporadic all day — both on GSM and UMA. While I love how my BB works as a phone and email device, these recent interruptions have my eyes wandering…maybe towards the Google Nexus One.

Anyone else bothered by BlackBerry issues today?

Microsoft Launches Music Games Store on Xbox Live

Major Nelson has announced that Microsoft has launched a “music store” section of Xbox Live. The marketing guy wrote:

Later today when you sign in to Xbox Live, watch for the brand new Games Music Marketplace. Look for specific Music stores for games like Rock Band, Guitar Hero and Lips.

I love this idea. There are a ton of songs for music games and anything that makes them easier to find is a fine addition. Of course this means that it will be easier for me to drop money on DLC songs too. Crap.

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