Coffee Talk Archives - Page 37 of 67

Coffee Talk #307: The RPad.tv Videogame Book Club

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, MacBook Pro refresh rumors, the NY Knicks finally landing Carmelo Anthony, or the myth that the Knicks are now a playoff threat, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I need to read more. That is to say, I need to read more books. I devour thousands of Internet words every day, with comic-book sessions thrown in a few times a week. Reading some books would be good for my writing and sanity. I have a bunch of biographies, political books, and sports books on my Kindle, but I feel like reading a videogame book. That’s where you come in! I’d love to hear your videogame book recommendations, as well as any videogame books that you’re interested in.

As a BioWare and R.A. Salvatore nerd, I really enjoyed the Dragon Age books. I’ve heard good things about the Halo books and Mass Effect books too, but I’m not in a sci-fi mood at the moment.

Have you enjoyed any videogame books? Are you even interested in videogame books? Do you find it odd that there are works of linear entertainment based off of interactive entertainment? I’m looking forward to any book recommendations you have!

Coffee Talk #306: Your 2011 Dream Phone

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, Justin Bieber’s new haircut, Nonito Donaire’s brutal knockout of Fernando Montiel, or overnight trips to Orlando, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

During my weekend work trip that took me from LAX to SFO to ORD to MCO to LAX, I brought several mobile devices with me for a video feature. This caused visions of my next phone to dance in my head. As much as I love my T-Mobile G2, I’ve been dreaming about a new phone since CES 2011. Taking bits and pieces from each device, I’ve imagined my 2011 dream phone. It would be something like this.

Dual Core Processor: The power of dual core is awesome, but the real kicker is efficiency. Dual core chips offer improved performance and battery life.

Four-Inch Screen or Larger: After using an Evo 4G, Droid X, Fascinate, and Epic 4G last year, the 3.7-inch on my G2 took some getting used to. I’m fine with it now, but I miss the extra real estate from those larger screens. I want my next phone to have a screen that’s at least four inches. It can be Super LCD or Super AMOLED — there are pros and cons to both technologies. What I’d really like is the killer pixel density of the iPhone 4. The real estate of a large screen coupled with the readability of Retina Display sounds brilliant.

LTE: You’ll see some numbers in my upcoming 4G shootout video feature, but for now I’ll tell you that I was floored by the performance of Verizon’s LTE network. Sure, I expect those numbers to go down as more LTE phones become available, but even slightly decreased numbers beat the crap out of the test results I got on Sprint’s WiMax and T-Mobile’s HSPA+ networks.

Heavy Metal: I want my next phone to have a body that’s primarily metal and glass. I hate plastic. The plastic Samsung Fascinate felt flimsy compared to the mostly metal Droid X and G2. Compared to the beautifully constructed iPhone 4, it felt like a toy. I wish more phone manufacturers did a better job at ripping off the industrial design of the iPhone or Nokia’s high-end phones.

Dockable: Motorola’s Atrix 4G is one of the most unique phones on the market due to its laptop docking option. It’s just smart and clever. I’d love to see more phones do this. I don’t see that happening, but it’s my stupid dream so I’ll throw out any feature I want.

Operating System…Undecided: I love Google Android from a productivity standpoint. The Gmail and Google Voice integration are close to perfect. Those apps are so important for my work that Android is the best mobile operating system for me, in terms of getting stuff done. The gaming and entertainment options are still a frickin’ joke compared to what iOS offers. I’m getting tired of waiting and Google has improved its iOS products a great deal…though not quite enough. If iOS 5 is more interesting than the next major release of Android then there’s a good chance that I’ll switch to an iPhone as my primary device.

WebOS and Windows Phone 7 have some great features, but I don’t see developers flocking to either platform. A Windows Phone 7 on Nokia hardware with Nokia’s (terribly underrated, terribly explained, and terribly named) Ovi Internet services is potentially awesome, but I’m not yet convinced that these two companies will bring out the best in each other. Right now I’d say there’s a 45 percent chance of me sticking with Android, a 40 percent chance of me going with iOS, and a 15 percent chance that a NokiSoft 7 device will win me over. Then again, I’m still pissed at Google for canceling my AdSense account and, more recently, a PR snub. Maybe I’ll switch to iOS out of spite (unfortunately, I’d still use all of Google’s apps).

Anyway, those are some of the ingredients to my 2011 dream phone. Now tell me about yours (please)! If you could buy a new phone in 2011, what features would it have?

Coffee Talk #305: The Dead Island Trailer Controversy

Way too many journalists have spent hundreds of words “informing” their readers that the Dead Island trailer has nothing to do with the game’s quality. Do they really think that their readers are that stupid? I know you’re smart enough to…

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 nightmare of Albert Pujols signing with the Red Sox in 2012, $99 iPhone cases, or Britney’s new video, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

The Dead Island trailer has been getting a lot of attention this week. Some of it is deserved — it’s truly a unique and haunting piece. Some of it isn’t — way too many journalists have spent hundreds of words “informing” their readers that the trailer has nothing to do with the game’s quality. I’ve been arguing with a lot of writers about this. Do they really think that their readers are that stupid?!? To me, game trailers are like movie trailers — marketing tools that are not indicative of the overall quality of the final product. I know that you’re all smart enough to know that.

Yet for some reason, dozens of writers from dozens of enthusiast sites felt the need to write hundreds of words on the “issue”. As I debated the topic with real journalists (not verbal entertainers like me), one of the few reasonable responses was that game trailers aren’t like movie trailers. You don’t get a sense of a title’s gameplay from a trailer the same way you get a sense of a movie from a trailer. Sometimes that’s true and sometimes that’s not. The Dead Island trailer is pure movie and doesn’t offer any sense of what the game is like. Certainly it’s responsible to tell readers that the trailer isn’t gameplay (like I did here), but pounding on the matter for hundreds of words seems excessive and patronizing.

Lastly, I was disappointed that the enthusiast press was far more interested in covering the “controversy” of the Dead Island trailer than writing about the amazing people honored at the Interactive Achievement Awards last week. It saddens me that the majority of them were more interested in reactionary stories about a game few people will remember in five years than writing about Bill Budge, Bing Gordon, Dr. Ray Muzyka, and Dr. Greg Zeschuk — people that have changed the gaming business forever.

Of course I want to check myself through you guys and dolls. Do you need someone to explain to you — in hundreds of words — that a game trailer doesn’t reflect a game’s quality? Does it bother you that most popular enthusiast gaming sites prefer knee-jerk reaction pieces instead of meaningful features about people that made gaming what it is today? Aside from not wanting to insult excellent journalists like “Dancing” Dean Takahashi, do you think I call myself a verbal entertainer because I don’t want to be lumped in with hacks that call themselves journalists?

Coffee Talk #304: Your ’80s Cartoon Dream Game

With THQ set to release a Voltron videogame, it seems like every beloved cartoon from the ’80s has made its way to the realm of interactive entertainment. Are there any ’80s cartoons that you adored that haven’t made their way to a videogame console?

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, Joba Chamberlain becoming Joba the Hutt, if Nokia is destined to be just another handset maker, or if this is Albert Pujols last year as a Cardinal, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

With THQ set to release a Voltron videogame, it seems like every beloved cartoon from the ’80s has made its way to the realm of interactive entertainment. Are there any ’80s cartoons that you adored that haven’t made their way to a videogame console? Perhaps there’s an ’80s franchise that has mostly sucked in gaming and you’d love to see it get one more chance.

As for me, I’d love for Robotech to get another shot — specifically The New Generation. I was absolutely mesmerized by the third Robotech war as a kid and think it would make a brilliant game. I see the diverse action of the cartoon recreated in a diverse game; there would be third-person shooter action with guns, motorcyle levels with cyclones, and aerial missions with veritechs. A combination of awesome vehicles, diverse action, and Ulpio Minucci’s brilliant soundtrack would be a dream come true for me.

Now it’s your turn. What’s your ’80s cartoon dream game like?

Coffee Talk #303: Your Favorite Videogame Music

What’s some of your favorite videogame music? I’m not just talking about soundtracks. If “Pac Man Fever” floats your boat then let’s talk about it! As for me…

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 best potato chips, thoughts of CC Sabathia leaving the Yankees next year, or Lindsay Lohan getting sexier as she becomes more messed up, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

What’s some of your favorite videogame music? I’m not just talking about soundtracks. If “Pac Man Fever” floats your boat then let’s talk about it! As for me, the soundtrack to Final Fantasy Tactics is my favorite score. Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata did a phenomenal job composing music that was moving and memorable. I’ve been a huge fan of theirs ever since I heard FFT’s music.

Naturally, I love Mortal Kombat The Album by The Immortals. The songs are just awesomely ridiculous. I have fond memories of listening to the soundtrack in college with my friend Wil. It’s just fun screaming, “Johnny Cage is not afraid to die!!!” If you haven’t heard these songs then I highly recommend clicking the link above and listening to the samples. These tracks will change your life…especially Sub-Zero’s song.

Now it’s your turn! What’s some of your favorite videogame music?

Coffee Talk #302: They Don’t Make ‘Em Like They Used To

As I was mesmerized by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s promo on last night’s Raw, I was thinking, “They don’t make ’em like they used to.” Whether you’re talking about WWE, games, movies, or music, this is true.

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, iPhone 5 rumors, President Obama’s plans for mini nuclear reactors, or the start of MLB spring training, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

As I was mesmerized by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s promo on last night’s Raw, I was thinking, “They don’t make ’em like they used to.” Whether you’re talking about WWE, games, movies, or music, this is true. In this context, I was reminded that there hasn’t been a face with extraordinary mic skills in years. On the heel side, guys like Chris Jericho and The Miz have been outstanding. On the face side there have been good talkers, but I can’t think of a truly great one.

Naturally, I started thinking about games — specifically what I miss about gaming from 10, 15, and 20 years ago. As a fan of Japanese RPGs, I’ve spent thousands of hours of my life in turn-based combat. I absolutely loved those battles. Part of it was depth that wasn’t found in other genres, but part of it was that I enjoyed spending time to think about my next several moves. Sadly, turn-based combat is considered archaic in 2011. Sure, there are some niche titles and portable games that offer this style of gameplay, but it’s never used in mainline games with big budgets. I wish that wasn’t the case.

What do you miss about gaming, music, and movies from “the good old days”? Is there anything that creators don’t make like they used to but wish they did?

Coffee Talk #301: Charged and Inspired From DICE 2011

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 Cleveland Cavalier’s awesome winning streak, your favorite condiment for steak, or Manny Pacquiao’s Bieber hair, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

For the last two years, actor Jay Mohr has told the attendees of DICE, “I will never be as good at what I do as you are at making games.” You can’t help but get that feeling at DICE. It’s crazy how many talented developers attend the show. It’s impossible not to bump into someone that has helped create a beloved game or a franchise that has sold tens of millions. Being around some of the gaming industry’s top creators at DICE 2011 was inspiring and an excellent way to kick off the year.

DICE was a great reminder how incredible the gaming business is and how lucky I am to be writing verbally entertaining about it (especially after that downer of a column I wrote last week — ha!). Being surrounded by people that have entertained millions and millions of gamers was amazing. What’s even more amazing is that so many of them — Ted Price, Dr. Ray Muzyka, Dr. Greg Zeschuk, Mark Cerny, etc. — are wonderful people too. I know that what I do pales in comparison to what these guys do, but seeing these brilliant creators has me motivated to do better and be nicer.

So yeah! DICE 2011 was amazing and I hope you like the interviews N8R and I worked on. I’m feelin’ groovy and hope you are too. Thanks DICE!!!

Coffee Talk #300: Observations From the RPad.TV Experience

Thanks for joining me for the 300th edition of Coffee Talk! I’m going to selfishly use today’s column to talk about my experiences with the site — both the good and the bad. As always, I’m going to stick to…

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, getting drunk on an airplane, Christina Aguilera flubbing vs. Whitney Houston lip syncing, or dried pineapples, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Thanks for joining me for the 300th edition of Coffee Talk! I’m going to selfishly use today’s column to talk about my experiences with the site — both the good and the bad. As always, I’m going to stick to the trusty Steve Raghunath binary system.

Good: Your support has been phenomenal — definitely beyond my expectations. I figured a few of you would come over from G4tv, but your readership and loyalty have been tremendous. When the site first launched, it was all you guys. Some of the original crew has stopped reading (or commenting anyway), but the traffic is better and more diverse than ever. You guys got it all started and kept things active with your excellent comments.

Bad: Publisher support has been poor. I was hoping for more event invites, coverage opportunities, and all that good stuff. Instead, some PR people have stopped sending me press releases and screens. Part of it is that I need to be more aggressive with PR people. Part of it is that some flaks have just completely dropped me because I no longer work for a major outlet. It’s disappointing because I need those content opportunities to keep the site growing. Creating original content from BlizzCon, DICE, GDC, etc. is just really, really expensive. Unless I get a large, random PayPal donation, I’m going to need a lot more publisher support to keep the site growing. If the support doesn’t come then I’ll really have to scale things back.

Good: I’m amazed that the site hasn’t attracted any flamers. All the comments I’ve had to delete were of the spam variety. I don’t recall having to delete any comments due to excessive profanity. I definitely haven’t had to delete any comments from readers wanting to flame it up. I’ve been super pleased with quality discussion here. Things get heated every now and then, but it’s almost always good and fun stuff.

Bad: I’m kind of disappointed that the site hasn’t attracted a flamer. For some reason, it would make me feel more “legit”. I’d also love to see how guys would respond to one.

Good: The site has been one of the most rewarding projects I’ve ever worked on. It’s fun mixing it up with you guys, writing the stories that I want to write, and growing something from scratch. It feels awesome when a story or video gets picked up by other sites and leads to a significant traffic spike. I feel proud when the site’s Alexa ranking goes up. When things go right, I often get the feeling of, “Yeah, I did that!” Rpad.TV is just behind Yahoo!’s Reset for my favorite work experience ever (I made a lot of money and got to travel around the world with my “best best”).

Bad: The site has also been one of the most stressful projects I’ve ever worked on. I’m pretty sure I haven’t been this poor since college. I stress out when traffic is down from the previous week (and forget that it’s way up from the year before). When the site’s Alexa ranking slides, I get sad. I sometimes have micro panic attacks, mild bouts of depression, and question whether I should be putting so much time into the site instead of looking for more freelance work. The highs are fun, but the lows can be…challenging.

Good: Ultimately, I still believe that I have a chance to create a site that can be a little bit different and offer content the way I think it should be served. It’s not there yet and it will take a lot of work, but I still believe that the site can continue to grow into something special. I’m proud of how things have progressed, but think it could be so much more. With more work and some luck (and a random donation from Bill Gate and/or Mark Zuckerberg), I think it’ll get there. I hope that all of you are still reading and posting comments when it does!

Coffee Talk #299: Memorable Deaths in Videogames

Forrest Gump’s mama told him that dying is a part of life. It’s a part of videogames too. A friend and I were talking about the classic Infocom text adventure Planetfall and how Floyd’s death was one of the most…

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, Coava’s Costa Rica Helsar, A-Rod being fed popcorn by Cameron Diaz, or your favorite fruit juice, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Forrest Gump’s mama told him that dying is a part of life. It’s a part of videogames too. Yesterday, a friend and I were talking about the classic Infocom text adventure Planetfall and how Floyd’s death was one of the most uniquely powerful moments of gaming. Naturally, we started talking about other videogame deaths. While I believe the game is overrated, I can’t deny that Aerith’s death in Final Fantasy VII was a powerful moment that touched millions of gamers.

What videogame deaths moved you? Did a character’s death ever make you cry? Anyone’s videogame death surprise you? Not to get all (digitally) morbid on you, but I think we could have a fun discussion about dying in videogames. Let’s get to it (the discussion, not the dying)!

Coffee Talk #298: Super Bowl XLV Halftime Show & Commercials

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 food at Hooter’s, the hot waitress at Hooter’s that looked like Amy Smart, or your favorite Hooter’s sauce, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Now that Super Bowl XLV has come and gone, I wanted to discuss the most important aspects of the event: the halftime show and commercials! Most of my friends panned The Black Eyes Peas’ performance, making lots of Tron jokes, but I enjoyed it. Of course I’m biased because I want my fellow Filipino-American apl.de.ap to do well, but I genuinely liked the set. It was a nice mix of old and new hits. It was awesome that Slash emerged from hell to play “Sweet Child ‘O Mine” and that Usher descended from heaven to perform “Oh My Gosh”. I was disappointed that Justin Timberlake didn’t come out (from purgatory?) to sing the chorus to “Where is the Love?”, but overall I thought it was a fun halftime show that was visually unique.

As for the commercials, they were okay. For me, there were more misses than hits in 2011. Here are my three favorite spots. Coming in at #3 is this adorable VW Passat ad featuring an adorable baby Darth Vader.

At #2 is the Captain America commercial. I thought it was a great spot and was annoyed that my pal Cliffy B disagreed.

My favorite commercial was this House ad that parodied the classic Coca-Cola commercial starring Mean Joe Greene. I’ve included the original for reference.

Now it’s your turn! Please let me know what you thought of Super Bowl (not Superb Owl) XLV’s halftime show and share your favorite commercials.