PC Gaming Archives - Page 33 of 93

Coffee Talk #433: Gaming, Tech, and Jimmy Fallon

During a multifaceted geek chat with Nerd Friend X, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon came up. As a tech enthusiast and a gamer, I feel obligated to support the show. It helps that I actually dig Fallon’s humor and my buddy Gavin works on 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, if Tebowmania will die down now that the Broncos’ streak has snapped, your WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan (!!!), or Rooney Mara vs. Kate Mara, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

During a multifaceted geek chat with Nerd Friend X, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon came up. As a tech enthusiast and a gamer, I feel obligated to support the show. It helps that I actually dig Fallon’s humor and my buddy Gavin works on the show. I was surprised to learn that Nerd Friend X hates the show and Fallon. It’s one thing if he doesn’t like Fallon’s humor and the show’s writing; it’s not for everyone. As a gamer and tech enthusiast, I feel that he should support it. After all, nobody else in late night features game developers and tech editors.

I love that Epic Games’ Cliff Bleszinski showed Gears of War 3 on the show. It’s awesome that Naughty Dog’s Evan Wells and Christophe Balestra dropped by to demo Uncharted 3. Microsoft got a ton of press when Microsoft’s Kudo Tsunoda showed Kinect to mainstream America on Fallon. TheVerge.com’s Joshua Topolsky (ex-Endgadget) drops by regularly to tell Jimmy and his audience about the latest and greatest in consumer electronics. Is there a late-night show that’s more nerd-friendly than Late Night with Jimmy Fallon?

Jimmy Fallon, his writers, and his producers are the future of late night…at least the future of what I want late night to be. People that grew up with games and/or obsessed with nerd toys are getting older. I love that there’s a late-night TV-show that covers my interests with respect and enthusiasm. I dream of the day Fallon gets the 11:30 slot, bringing great games and tech content to “the big show”. With your support, he’ll get there.

What do you think of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon featuring videogames and consumer electronics? If Fallon gets an 11:30 show, do you think he’ll continue bringing on game developers and tech experts as guests? Or will games and geek stuff be relegated to after midnight instead of before it?

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

I’m not traveling and I have no work commitments this weekend…and I have no idea what to play. This is a good problem to have. Ha! I could use a laugh and a dose of my favorite genre. Thankfully I have an unopened copy of Disgaea4 to fill both needs. Yeah, that sounds like the perfect game this weekend. It’s going to be all about demons, wicked humor, and tactical battles!

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

Coffee Talk #431: If You Were an RPG Character…

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, wishing for the Yankees to land Yu Darvish, David Stern turning into Vince McMahon, or WWE Kane’s new mask, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Being the excellent gamers that you are, I’m sure most of you have imagined videogame versions of yourselves. Let’s say you were in an RPG. What would your character be like? Would you be a hero or a villain? Would you be the center of attention or one of many NPCs complaining about arrow-to-the-knee injuries? Tell me all about the wonderful RPG character that is you!

As for me, I definitely wouldn’t be the leading man, but I wouldn’t be his sidekick either. I see myself as half of a duo — think Blue Beetle & Booster Gold or Scooby-Doo & Shaggy. I would have rare moments of heroism interspersed between sarcastic banter, nights of drunkenness, bouts of gluttony, get-rich-quick schemes, and lots of complaining about the rigors of the road. The game I’d be in would be a classic, old-school RPG. I’d break the fourth wall at least twice per quest. I wouldn’t be the star of the game, but I’d have show-stealing moments.

Now it’s your turn! Kindly describe your RPG character in the comments section.

Coffee Talk #430: Are You a Seasonal Gamer?

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, Tebow vs. Taker at WrestleMania, Lindsay Lohan’s leaked Playboy pictures, or Amir Khan getting jobbed in DC, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Yesterday I was talking to one of my NY friends and he said something along the lines of, “Man, I’m psyched that it’s winter. Now I can just dive into my games!” The concept of being a seasonal gamer is foreign to me. I’ve been living in California for most of the last 11 years and I’ve forgotten what it’s like to have four seasons of different weather. (That one year I spent in Thailand didn’t help either.) I’ve been getting paid to write about games for 15 years and it’s not like I was ever in a position to say, “Yeah, no. I’m not playing games this summer because it’s gorgeous outside.”

Thankfully I have real people like you to let me know how real people game! Do your gaming habits change with the seasons? I know that some of you have kids. Do you play games less in the summer so that you can spend more time with your children? Is winter the time to snuggle up with a good game? Or is it all about football for you? Please leave a comment and let me know if you’re a seasonal gamer.

Are You Ready for the South Park RPG?

Obsidian Entertainment is developing South Park: The Game, an RPG featuring those lovable (and foul-mouthed) kids on Comedy Central. From what I understand, the game is kind of like an M-Rated version of Paper Mario. On paper, this sounds frickin’ brilliant! I like Obsidian a lot. I love South Park and Paper Mario. Put them all together and, in theory, you should end up with an awesome game.

For more info on South Park: The Game, I highly recommend watching Game Informer’s interview with Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart.

Right now I’d love to hear your thoughts on the game. Are you excited for it? Do you dig the idea of the South Park gang in an RPG crafted by a company known for making very good RPGs? What other television characters would like to see in an RPG?

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

I finally have a weekend where I’m not flying anywhere! Unfortunately (for my gaming needs), I have a pair of videogame-award shows and related parties to attend. *sigh* I really want to have a whole weekend to start Skyrim…perhaps next weekend. For now, I think I’m going to spend Sunday playing Bastion for Chrome OS. It’s a great game and I want to see how it translated to a browser-based world.

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

Coffee Talk #429: Giving Your Kids Videogame Names

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, where Chris Paul will be playing, why the hell its below 50 in Los Angeles, or your toothpaste of choice, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Would you name your child after a videogame character? Maybe a game designer? How about someone from a comic book? Or just straight up naming him Casper Van Dien? I’m totally down with this. Should I be blessed with a daughter, I plan to name her Tifa, after the strong-but-gentle woman from Final Fantasy VII. If I have a son, I’d like to name him Shigeru, after legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Twin boys? That’s easy! They’d be Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent.

Now it’s your turn! Would you name your kids after videogame characters, comic-book heroes, or game designers? If so, what would you name your son, daughter, or twins?

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

After getting back from a harrowing trip that had me flying from Boston to Washington D.C. to Denver to Los Angeles, I’m back on the road this weekend. This time it’s Chicago and Boston. I want to be playing Infinity Blade II on my iPad 2. I’m sure I’ll start. I’m also sure that I won’t play it nearly as much as I’d like because I’m frickin’ tired. So this weekend’s gameplay will be a mix of Infinity Blade II and sleeping on (5) airplanes.

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

Coffee Talk #426: Games You’ve Lost Interest In

Are there any game genres, videogame series, or gaming platforms you used to love, but have lost interest in? Perhaps you used to be a Final Fantasy mark, but haven’t enjoyed the last few releases. Maybe you used to be into sports sims…

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, Cafecito Organico’s Guatemala El Carmen Estate, if the Rajon Rondo trade rumors will motivate him or crush his psyche, or Bryan Danielson getting a big push in 2012, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Are there any game genres, videogame series, or gaming platforms you used to love, but have lost interest in? Perhaps you used to be a Final Fantasy mark, but haven’t enjoyed the last few releases. Maybe you used to be into sports simulations, but have found that the never-ending march towards supreme realism has killed some of the fun. Whatever the case may be, I want to hear your story!

As for me, my interest in portable game consoles is definitely waning. Part of it is that the PSP is nearing the end of its lifespan. Part of it is that the Nintendo 3DS has one of the most underwhelming launches I can remember. The really big part of it is that my iPad 2 is just a brilliant entertainment device that gives me great gaming and so much more. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still play my portables for Japanese RPGs and first-party games from Nintendo, but I won’t carry them with me everywhere I go. That used to be the case. The iPad 2 has changed that.

Now it’s your turn! Please let me know what games, series, and consoles you’ve lost interest in.

Coffee Talk #425: Google Got (More) Game?

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, eating at a diner for Thanksgiving and wanting real turkey, the Miley Cyrus stoner controversy, or John Morrison possibly ending his WWE run tonight, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Google has been aggressively targeting social gamers with its increasing selection of distractions on Google+. It seems that the company is looking beyond social gaming and, perhaps, going after (more) traditional console gamers. Google developer advocate Paul Kinlan recently revealed that Chrome will be able to support gamepads natively through WebRTC. Kinland noted that WebRTC could allow streaming services like Onlive and Gaikai to work on Chrome without any plug-ins.

A few outlets have reported that Google is developing its own streaming videogame service, but Kinlan has denied this. Others have speculated that Google is considering buying OnLive or Gaikai. On one hand, it seems outside of the company’s wheelhouse; I’m not sure that Google wants to deal with game publishers and developers in that fashion. On the other hand, it could give Google yet another way to serve relevant ads and give Google+ a differentiator over Facebook. Certainly Google has the server capacity to support a streaming videogame service, but I’m not convinced the company wants to deal with the messy content.

What do you think of the recent Google gaming speculation? Do you see Google getting into streaming videogames? Would you use a gaming service on Chrome that’s socialized by Google+?