Tag: PC Gaming

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

My post-surgery energy levels are still all over the place, but my attention span has stabilized (probably due to less Vicodin consumption), so I’m going to get back to gaming this weekend. I’m meeting up with my friend from THQ later today and she’ll have a copy of WWE 13 waiting for me. I’m really excited to play the Attitude Era storylines. The video clips are straight from the WWE archives, which is pure awesome. Paul Heyman did a lot of the writing to help shape these classic stories into interactive plots. He’s one of the sharpest minds in pro-wrestling and I’m curious to see how his stuff compares to the excellent WWE videogame writing of years past.

How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?

Apple Investing $100-Million in U.S. Mac Production

BusinessWeek has a long and fantastic interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook. The interview covers a wide variety of topics, including Cook’s leadership style, his discussions with Steve Jobs, and how Apple will innovate going forward. One portion of the interview that’s getting a lot of play is Cook’s revelation that Apple is investing $100-million to move some Mac production to the U.S. Here’s a quote:

Next year we are going to bring some production to the U.S. on the Mac. We’ve been working on this for a long time, and we were getting closer to it. It will happen in 2013. We’re really proud of it. We could have quickly maybe done just assembly, but it’s broader because we wanted to do something more substantial. So we’ll literally invest over $100 million. This doesn’t mean that Apple will do it ourselves, but we’ll be working with people, and we’ll be investing our money.

It’s cool to see a tremendously valuable and successful company like Apple do more to create jobs in the U.S. While the majority of Apple products will be assembled in China due to labor costs, the U.S. economy is in dire need of stimulation and this isn’t something Apple has to do. As an industry leader in technology and consumer electronics, I — perhaps naively — hope that other U.S.-based companies will follow Apple’s lead and try to bring more jobs back to America.

That particular issue aside, I highly recommend reading the entire interview. It’s 11 pages, but a very fascinating read. Cook is his own man and has already changed the culture of Apple (see charitable contributions, for example), but is very much against changing the spirit of the company. While few executives have the charm of Steve Jobs, Cook is certainly charming in his own way. Give it a read and let me know what you think when you have a chance (please).

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New Tomb Raider Screens

Here are a bunch of new screenshots from the upcoming Tomb Raider. See Lara Croft get mangled by a wolf, repel down a zip line, get new weapons, pose in front of nifty fire effects, and more. As many of you know, I’ve been high on this game since E3 2011 and I can’t wait for its March 2013 release. When you get a chance, check out the new screens below and let me know what you think (please!). Continue reading “New Tomb Raider Screens”

Tiny Barbarian DX on Kickstarter

Tiny Barbarian DX is a charming old-school platform game that needs Kickstarter funding. It’s a classic platformer that has you running, jumping, beating the snot out of minions, beating the crap out of bosses, and collecting items. The initial plans are for a Windows PC release and four episodes that take about an hour each. With additional funding, more platforms and episodes could be added. (I’m hoping for a Mac OS release, personally.)

Unlike many Kickstarter projects, it doesn’t cost a lot to fund the game and get an early copy. $8 gets you the game and a bunch of wallpapers. Higher funding levels include more loot, including commemorative boxes, buttons, and t-shirts.

Check out the videos of Tiny Barbarian DX and let me know if you’re interested in funding this game (please!).

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What Are You Playing This Weekend?

This weekend I’ll be playing Incentive Spirometer. The graphics are dated, the sound design is barebones, and the gameplay is extremely repetitive. That said, it’s addictive…and also incredibly useful for increasing lung capacity after surgery. Aside from that, I’m still not able to play anything too intense. Even though I’m getting stronger, I’m also getting more paranoid about all the staples in me and my abs are really, really sore. Perhaps I’ll load up Flower and Journey for some relaxing gaming.

How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?

Coffee Talk #542: Your Cyber Monday/Black Friday Loot

For many Americans, the Thanksgiving holiday has become as much about discount shopping as it is giving thanks. Millions of people love Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday deals. (Amazon’s Cyber Monday deals are still going on this week, btw.) Today’s column is simple: I want to know what you scored on Black Friday and Cyber Monday…more

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, learning to enjoy fake eggs, standing workstations, or whether Jeremy Lin has figured out how to shoot, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

For many Americans, the Thanksgiving holiday has become as much about discount shopping as it is giving thanks. Millions of people love Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday deals. (Amazon’s Cyber Monday deals are still going on this week, btw.) Today’s column is simple: I want to know what you scored on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

What were you looking for? What did you end up buying? Is there anything you didn’t find? Did you concentrate on games, electronics, clothes, or something else? Please leave your Black Friday and Cyber Monday loot in the comments section!

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

RPadholic N8R, my pal Raina, and I shot a bunch of video this week, so I’ll be playing Fun With Final Cut X most of the weekend. I’m heading off to Hawaii next week to spend Thanksgiving with my parents and brother, so I want to finish as much editing as possible. I do not want to spend too much time editing while I’m in Hawaii. Of course I’ll be writing for your entertainment (and my need for incessant rambling), but I want to spend quality time with family and as much time at Lanikai Beach as possible. Man…I can’t wait to see Lanikai again!

How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?

Gangnam Style Invades Gaming

Psy’s “Gangnam Style” has taken the world by storm, so it was only a matter of time before the Korean sensation hit the gaming world. Here are two videos of two different games using “Gangnam Style.” First up is GameSamba’s Remnant Knights, followed by Fishing Cactus’ Creatures 4. Check out the videos, let me know what you think of them, and let me know which clip used “Gangnam Style” most effectively. Continue reading “Gangnam Style Invades Gaming”

Coffee Talk #538: What Is a Triple-A Game?

Gamers, writers, publishers, and developers frequently use the term “triple-A game,” but what does that really mean? It’s such a nebulous classification that means different things to different people, but it’s used so frequently that an outsider would think that is has a standardized definition. How do you define triple-A games? What factor or factors do you consider when labeling a game…more

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 D’Antoni effect, sexy triplets, or roast pork vs. BBQ pork, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Gamers, writers, publishers, and developers frequently use the term “triple-A game,” but what does that really mean? It’s such a nebulous classification that means different things to different people, but it’s used so frequently that an outsider would think that is has a standardized definition. How do you define triple-A games? What factor or factors do you consider when labeling a game “triple-A?”

Do triple-A games require a certain budget? If so, what is the minimum amount of money? Do triple-A games need to be of a certain quality? If that’s the case, at what point would you know if a game is triple-A or not and who judges the quality? With all of that in mind, a game like Medal of Honor: Warfighter is terribly interesting. It was relatively expensive to make. The publisher thought it was a high-quality game prior to release. Critics and fans thought it was crap. I’m guessing that most people wouldn’t consider Warfighter a triple-A game, but I also imagine people supporting that choice with flimsy logic.

You guys and gals are better than most people (duh!), so I want to hear how you define triple-A games and what factors go into your definition of the term. Fire away in the comments section (please!).