Coffee Talk Archives - Page 58 of 67

Coffee Talk #94: Playing Heavy Rain “Only” Once is Stupid

Yesterday GamePro’s Tae Kim posted an editorial on why you shouldn’t play Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain more than once. It’s an interesting argument that’s supported well. Check out what Tae had to say:

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, Alex (not Adam) Lambert’s awesome dancing on American Idol, where Zydrunas Ilgauskas will end up, or the return of Fraggle Rock, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Yesterday GamePro’s Tae Kim posted an editorial on why you shouldn’t play Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain more than once. It’s an interesting argument that’s supported well. Check out what Tae had to say:

By choosing to let your actions stand, and by refusing to go back in an attempt to change things, you can better appreciate the turmoil felt by the characters in the game. You are also able to buy into the spirit of the overall game design more fully. It’s the fact that no matter how hard they try, they cannot change their pasts that makes the characters’ plight so much more meaningful; by applying the same sense of inevitability and immutability to your own decisions, you can impart more meaning to your time with Heavy Rain.

Before I get into things, I need you to understand that I like and respect Tae. If he wants it, he could have a long and successful career writing about games. He’s really good. Having said that, I think his entire premise is stupid and slightly pretentious. It’s easy to say that you should only play the game once when you got to do it for free several weeks ago. I spent $65.84 on my copy and I sure as hell want to get more than nine hours of entertainment out of the deal.

Fiscal responsibility aside, Heavy Rain is a great game and it should be enjoyed more than once. Would you listen to The Beatles’ Rubber Soul just once? Would you watch American Ninja just once (and deprive your life of the brilliance of Michael Dudikoff on a regular basis)? Of course not. Sure, those two examples are forms of linear entertainment and Tae is saying that the interactivity of Heavy Rain is more meaningful if you experience it just once (James Ingram?), so let’s try another example.

For some reason, Tae’s editorial made me think of my friend Karen, who is the queen of Las Vegas buffets. Playing Heavy Rain once would be like her paying $50 at The Bellagio buffet and only getting one plate of food. (That analogy was awesome if you know Karen or me.)

Yeah, I understand what Tae is saying and it’s an interesting point, but I vehemently disagree. What about you guys and gals? Do you subscribe to Tae’s dreamer stance on Heavy Rain? Or do you have a more pragmatic view?

Coffee Talk #93: Heavy Rain’s Surprising Language Problem

Yes, that was me playing Heavy Rain until 5:00AM. It’s pretty much everything I was expecting and I’m having a wonderful time with it. There is one facet of the game that threw me for a loop: the voice acting. At times it’s so bad that it pulled me out of the experience. Let me explain as I rub the sleep out of my eyes (Monkees reference).

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 top 12 girls on American Idol, Bryan Danielson’s wicked suicide dive on NXT, or Bernard Hopkins vs. Roy Jones, Jr, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Yes, that was me playing Heavy Rain until 5:00AM. It’s pretty much everything I was expecting and I’m having a wonderful time with it. There is one facet of the game that threw me for a loop: the voice acting. At times it’s so bad that it pulled me out of the experience. Let me explain as I rub the sleep out of my eyes (Monkees reference).

Some of the voice actors are good, but a lot of them are inconsistent or poor. I’m not sure what happened in the VO sessions, but it sounds like the person directing a few of the actors doesn’t use English as his/her primary language. Some of the phrasing and pronunciation is off. Strange accents pop at times. It’s…not the best and I’m thinking of playing the second time around using French audio with English subtitles.

Having said that, this is still a phenomenal game. The storytelling, graphics, music, and characterization are amazing. I’m just surprised that a game with such polish and high production values dropped the ball in the voice-acting department.

Any thoughts on Heavy Rain so far? For old times sake I will say that Brian Leahy (now with Shacknews!) is the Origami Killer!!!

Coffee Talk #92: Three Reasons Why You Should Watch WWE NXT

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.

Coffee Talk #91: Why Am I Here (Part II)?!?

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, U.S.A. trouncing the Royal Kingdom of Canadia in Olympic hockey, Bryan Danielson finally making it to a WWE broadcast show, or the WWE making Bryan Danielson change his name to Daniel Bryan, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Way back when I started this site, I posted an entry called “What Am I Here?!?”. It’s been what? About four months since I started? RPad.tv has definitely had its ups and downs, and lately I’ve been questioning why I’m doing what I do since I’m not making any money and bills are piling up. DICE 2010 was a brilliant reminder of why I love all of this. I’m definitely recharged from DICE and I wanted to use today’s Coffee Talk to tell you why.

First and foremost, I love interacting with you guys and gals (I think RPad.tv has three female readers now). I love talking about games, gadgets, and geek culture with you. I love that I was able to share some of DICE with you. It was like bringing you all to Vegas with me (though you didn’t see me drunk). Talking about OnLive and Bobby Kotick with you was definitely fun. I’m sorry I didn’t get to do more of that during DICE, but you’ll understand why when you read reason #2.

So yeah! The second reason DICE was reinvigorating was that it reminded me of how ridiculously lucky I am. I get to write about one of my favorite hobbies and talk with the people that create the games I play. It was fun catching up with people like BioWare’s Dr. Greg Zeschuk, Gas Powered Games’ Chris Taylor, Insomniac’s Ted Price, and so many others. I feel incredibly honored that these amazing people remember my name — I’m a nobody! To me, it’s the same as writing about movies or sports and getting to hang out with actors or athletes. The one difference is that gaming is still small enough and fun enough that I still get to interact with a lot of these guys on a somewhat social level.

So today’s Coffee Talk is late because I wasn’t sure about sharing all of this because it makes me feel kind of exposed…but then I remembered that you guys are awesome. As always, thanks for visiting!!!

Coffee Talk #90: Mark Cerny is Awesome and You Should Know This

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 chicken or egg debate, sexual thoughts of Bobby Kotick, or Jay Mohr being awesome, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Last night Mark Cerny was inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences’ hall of fame. The man is greatly respected by his peers and a few gaming writers know how incredibly important he is to the industry, but not enough gamers appreciate his contributions. My friend Sam from 1Up and I were talking about this at 3:30AM today (what happens when nerds are in Vegas). Mark Cerny is completely awesome and you, as a gamer, should know how awesome he is.

If you’ve owned a Sony console, chances are you’ve played and enjoyed a Mark Cerny game. He has contributed to great titles in the Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, Resistance, and Uncharted series. If you’re old school, then you’ve probably enjoyed his work on Marble Madness, Sonic 2, and Kid Chameleon. He has helped numerous creators harness the power of the PlayStation 3 with various tools created by Sony’s Ice Team. He’s a big reason why two of the best PlayStation developers — Insomniac and Naughty Dog — are where they are today.

If you have some time, do a little bit of research on Mark Cerny. There’s an extremely high chance you’ve enjoyed several of the games he’s worked on, but you probably didn’t know he was involved in making them. It’s fantastic the he has been recognized by organizations like the AIAS and IGDA, but for writers like Sam and me, it’s important that gamers recognize his awesomess too.

With that in mind, let me know what Mark Cerny games you’ve enjoyed over the years.

Coffee Talk #89: What Makes You Go Fanboy?

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 StarCraft 2 beta, T-Mac possibly ending up on the New York Knicks, or the warm weather at the Winter Olympics, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Hello guys and gals. I’m still at the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences’ DICE Summit…and it’s awesome. It’s hard not to get super-excited when you’re bumping into amazing game creators and mega-intelligent people every few minutes. In the last 18 hours I’ve seen Insomniac’s Ted Price, Epic’s Dr. Mike Capps (a computer doctor) and Mark Rein, BioWare’s Dr. Greg Zeschuk (a real doctor), Media Molecule’s Alex Evans, Gas Powered Games’ Chris Taylor, and Universal’s Pete Wanat.

Last night I fell into a conversation with a Hollywood super-agent, a big movie executive, and a top game creator. Clearly I was the dumbest, least successful, and poorest participant in the chat…and it was completely awesome!

It was cool watching what made these excellent people go fanboy. Nearly everyone swooned when they met legendary game creator David Crane. It was fun watching today’s top guys approach him for a quick chat and a photograph.

I was wondering what makes you ladies and gents go fanboy in terms of games, technology, and nerd entertainment? Do you have any fanboy situations to share? I’d love to hear your stories!

Coffee Talk #88: What Do You Bring on Road Trips?

Before I get too D.I.C.E. happy, I should pack. Since I’m only gone Wednesday through Friday, I’m not bringing my Nintendo DS or Sony PSP. That said, I’m still packing a bunch of consumer electronics devices. In addition to my laptop and a three-pound microphone, I have my trusty BlackBerry, iPhone 3GS, and Kindle. It’s probably overkill, but you never know when a flight is going to be cancelled or delays.

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, what you’re giving up for Lent, MLB spring training kicking into full gear, or the ridiculously fruity costumes in men’s figure skating, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

As some of you know, I’m headed off to Las Vegas today for the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences’ annual D.I.C.E. conference. D.I.C.E. is always one of my favorite events of the year. The ridiculous amount of development talent walking through its halls is just…stunning. It’s just crazy that you can walk from the press room to the conference room and bump into dozens of gaming’s top creators.

I wanted to see what you guys and dolls bring with you on the road. Do you go heavy on portable gaming? Do you prefer music and video devices? Or is it all of the above?

Coffee Talk #87: Do You Care About Video Game Awards?

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, Fat Tuesday, Chris Taylor talking to farm animals, or Bode Miller blowing the gold, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

With BAFTA announcing its British Academy Video Game Awards Nominees and the AIAS’ Interactive Achievement Awards taking place on Thursday, I’ve been thinking a lot about game awards. I love them. I love that developers get recognized for the awesome games they make. I particularly love the aforementioned Interactive Achievement Awards and the Game Developers Choice Awards that take place during GDC. They’re important for the business.

I’m guessing that some of you (perhaps many of you?) don’t care or don’t know about the different organizations that give out game awards every year. If you fall into that group, I urge you to learn about the different groups. It’s important to acknowledge the brilliant talent behind the games. Prestigious awards also go a long way towards mainstream acceptance.

I was wondering what you ladies and gents think of video game awards. Do you care? Do you think they’re necessary? Do you see them as the gaming industry’s Grammys or Oscars? Is there one particular award that you think is more prestigious than the others? Kindly share your thoughts on the matter.

Coffee Talk #86: Windows Phone 7, Xbox Live, and Your Next Phone

Earlier today, Microsoft unveiled Windows Phone 7 Series at Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress. It’s an important step for the company’s mobile future and by most accounts, it’s a huge leap forward for the Windows Mobile Operating System. After losing ground to RIM’s BlackBerry OS in the business world, as well as Apple’s iPhone OS and Google’s Android OS in the consumer market, Microsoft is stepping up its game. One of the ways it’s attempting to reach out to consumers is through connectivity with Xbox Live. Here’s the official description of Windows Mobile 7’s “games hub”:

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, your lovely Valentine’s Day surprises, the NBA All-Star Game, or what you think of the Winter Olympics so far, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

This hub delivers the first and only official Xbox Live experience on a phone, including Xbox Live games, Spotlight feed and the ability to see a gamer’s avatar, Achievements and gamer profile. With more than 23 million active members around the world, Xbox Live unlocks a world of friends, games and entertainment on Xbox 360, and now also on Windows Phone 7 Series.

There are a several interesting implications here. First of all, Microsoft has a huge opportunity to compete with and possibly eclipse the games market in Apple’s iPhone App Store. The company already has deep relationships with several of the best game developers and publishers in the world. Secondly, Windows Phone 7 Series has the chance to extend the social aspects of Xbox Live in a major way. So many people use Facebook and Twitter on mobile devices. By unchaining Xbox Live from a console or PC, the company could make the service a major force in social networking.

I want to know what you think of Windows Phone 7 Series. Check out the official press release and look at its impressive features. Can you see yourself using a Windows Phone 7 Series device in the future? If so, is Xbox Live connectivity a major reason why?

Coffee Talk #85: Your Favorite Videogame Valentine’s Couples

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, what Tiger is buying Elin for Valentine’s Day, your favorite American Idol hopeful, or Kevin Smith’s performance at MacWorld, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

With a lovey dovey holiday coming on Sunday, I thought it would be a great time to talk about your favorite romantic couples in gaming. Whether you like traditional romances, bisexual elf assassins, or the timeless tale of a paddle and ball, I want to know who your favorite videogame couple is and why.

As for me, I’m going with Zack Fair and Aerith Gainsborough from Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. Their love was innocent and tragic. It also led to one of the most emotionally powerful game endings I’ve experienced in years. Here’s part of the ending (spoilers ahead, duh!):

*sniff* Excuse me…a gnat flew into my eye. I have to run off and take care of this gnat-eye problem. For now, tell me who your favorite videogame couple is. Name the couple, the game, and why you chose them (please)!