Tag: PC Gaming

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, Rihanna’s hotness, your favorite chicken wings, or your favorite Little Rascal, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

A couple of weeks ago, RPadholic bsukenyan sent me a link to a Pokemon Black/White review. It contained a small comment that made me dismiss the review, even though it had nothing to do with the review’s quality. Check it out:

Somebody at Game Freak must love bridges because there are numerous huge bridges to cross.

Hardcore Pokemon fans know that Game Freak director Junichi Masuda is a bridge otaku. He completely lit up when I asked him about his fascination with bridges during an interview I did for G4tv.com. I don’t expect most gamers to know about Masuda’s love of bridges, but between a writer and an editor, this stupid line should never have made it to the review.

More recently, I read this review of Tactics Ogre. It also had a line that made me wince:

On the surface Tactics Ogre looks like any other tactical RPG (with an uncanny resemblance to Final Fantasy Tactics), with grid-based, turn-by-turn combat featuring a multitude of classes and weapons.

An uncanny resemblance to Final Fantasy Tactics?!? I don’t see what’s so uncanny about it. Before Yasumi Matsuno’s team made Final Fantasy Tactics, they made the Tactics Ogre and Ogre Battle. He directed, designed, and wrote all of those games. The art and music teams were largely the same. It’s uncanny for a small development team to make games that resemble each other? Really?!?

In both cases, the lines had nothing to do with the reviewer’s opinion on the game. As a huge fan of both series and developers, the lines made me think less of the reviewer and editor. What do you guys and gals think of missing small details in reviews? Do they ruin the review for you? Is it irrelevant since it has nothing to do with the reviewer’s opinion? Kindly share your thoughts in today’s Coffee Talk!

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, crying with the Miami Heat, Lady Gaga dropping her Target deal because of LGBT issues, or Yemen, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Imagine a verbal entertainer, some game designers, and some marketing guys drunkenly talking about games during GDC 2011. The topic of the most difficult game of all time comes up. Some guys bring up Ninja Gaiden, others mention Battletoads, and a few swear that nothing tops Mega Man 9.

Pretend you were hanging out in the group. What was the most difficult game you’ve every played? Did you enjoy the brutal difficulty? Or was it just pissing you off to the point that you had to win? Any of you ever hurt your hand because of a difficult videogame?

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, bi-winning, Charlie Sheen conquering new media, or discovering your Nexus S is actually a limited edition model, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

What a wonderful week for being a gamer. It’s so wonderful that I don’t know what to do. Two of my most wanted games of 2011 are out and I’m not sure which one I want to play first. In the red corner there’s Dragon Age II — the sequel to one of my favorite games this console generation and the spiritual successor to Baldur’s Gate (which I beat 18 times). In the blue corner there’s Pokemon White — the latest in a series of incredibly addictive RPGs with a ridiculously deep layer that most people don’t know about (so deep that I played Pokemon Pearl for more than 650 hours). I’m going to start one and give it my full attention…but which one?!? It’s time to make a LeBron James “The Decision” decision.

Big videogame releases overlap all the time, but I don’t remember the last time two games that I wanted this much were released in the same week. Has anything like that happened to you? Have you ever had to make a “The Decision” (I love using this term) about two of your most anticipated games? What were they? Which game won out? I can’t wait to hear your “The Decision” stories!

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, Intelligentsia’s Kenya Gichathaini, a special visit from BB, or the NY Knicks’ overrated win over the Miami Heat, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I’m off to San Francisco in a few hours for Game Developers Conference 2011. In addition to mingling with some amazing talent and old friends, I’ll be hitting up some preview events and meeting with a really cool company I can’t wait to tell you more about. Before I left for GDC 2010, I asked if you understood game development. This year I’d like to hear if you care about understanding game development.

A lot of game journalists (and verbal entertainers) would love for gamers to have a rudimentary understanding of what goes into creating a game. For my part, I want to highlight the incredible people that work so hard at making incredible games. I also think that understanding a bit about the development process helps you appreciate this excellent form of entertainment on a different level. It also helps you understand why some games don’t live up to their potential.

Having said that, I totally understand if you don’t care to learn more about the process. Most people that enjoy music have no idea how many people it takes to record an album. Most moviegoers have no idea what the director of photography does or why the technical lighting director is so important. You don’t need a behind-the-scenes understanding of something to have fun with it. These are, after all, forms of entertainment. Sometimes you just want to sit back and enjoy the ride.

So fire away (please)! Let me know if you’re interested in learning more about how games are made or not.