My new schedule has been pretty tiring — waking up early to write for the site, going off to super secret project for 10 hours, heading home, and trying to write for the site again. With that in mind, I’m going to be horizontal most of Friday night and all day Saturday, which means lots of Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip and Dragon Quest IX. When Sunday rolls around, I’m going to try to play some MLB 10 The Show
How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?
RPadholic Big Blak posted some interesting and uncommon thoughts on Final Fantasy VII. He loves the game, but admits that he overrated it because of nostalgia. My problem with most “FFVII apologists” is that they can’t admit that. Some games are remembered fondly simply because they were played at the right time and at the right place.
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, Amazon selling more digital books than paper books, where Shaq will play next season, or the best soy latte that you ever had, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
RPadholic Big Blak posted some interesting and uncommon thoughts on Final Fantasy VII. He loves the game, but admits that he overrated it because of nostalgia. My problem with most “FFVII apologists” is that they can’t admit that. Some games are remembered fondly simply because they were played at the right time and at the right place.
I remember opening up Joe Montana II on Christmas Eve 1991. I called up my friend Alex and he drove to my house. For one night, it was the perfect game to Alex and me. Looking through the retroscope, that game kind of sucked.
Are there any games that aren’t as good as you thought they were? Maybe there’s a game you thought was incredible, but now realize was merely good. Maybe there’s a title that you really enjoyed five years ago, but today you can’t fathom why you played so much of it. Let’s ruin some of our childhood memories and admit that some of the games we played aren’t nearly as good as we thought they were at the time.
EA recently announced a slew of interesting games, including Maxis’ Darkspore. While this action-RPG looks pretty cool, a lot of my journalist friends were ripping on its name. You can imagine some of the jokes, right? They came up with stuff like Dark Tiger Woods PGA Tour, Dark Hasbro Family Game Night, Dark Sims, etc.
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, Apple’s crazy strong Q3 results, Magic and Jordan calling out LeBron’s decision, or your favorite hamburger, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
EA recently announced a slew of interesting games, including Maxis’ Darkspore. While this action-RPG looks pretty cool, a lot of my journalist friends were ripping on its name. You can imagine some of the jokes, right? They came up with stuff like Dark Tiger Woods PGA Tour, Dark Hasbro Family Game Night, Dark Sims, etc.
My challenge for you today is to come up with your own “Dark” EA game. Shoot off some names and concepts in the comments section (please). I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
We’ve already discussed our favorite games from the first half of 2010. Today I want you to join me in the bitter barn so that we can talk about games that have disappointed us this year. Yeah, I usually try to keep things positive, but disappointing games are a reality. It’s like a television show once told me: “You take the good. You take the bad. You take them both and there you have the facts of life.” Though in this case it would be the facts of 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, SNL’s Jason Sudeikis hooking up with women out of his league, the bizarre Pacquiao/Mayweather negotiations, or the hotness of Joss Stone, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
We’ve already discussed our favorite games from the first half of 2010. Today I want you to join me in the bitter barn so that we can talk about games that have disappointed us this year. Yeah, I usually try to keep things positive, but disappointing games are a reality. It’s like a television show once told me: “You take the good. You take the bad. You take them both and there you have the facts of life.” Though in this case it would be the facts of gaming.
Most of the games I played this year were pretty much what I expected them to be. The one game that I found disappointing was Crackdown 2. My expectations were pretty high. I enjoyed the first one and was excited for the sequel after I saw it in April. Then I started helping my friend with his review. I enjoyed the multiplayer but was very disappointed in the single-player experience. It bummed me out to the point where I haven’t been able to start playing on my Xbox 360. I’m sure I’ll get to it again one day, but for now there are better games to play.
Now it’s your turn! What 2010 games were you disappointed in?
Last Friday, a few of you got into the old Final Fantasy VII vs. Final Fantasy VIII argument. You’ve already shared your thoughts on your favorite Final Fantasy games, so today’s Coffee Talk is all about blasting the FF games you think are overrated while defending the honor of your champion.
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, Floyd Mayweather not signing a deal to fight Manny Pacquiao in November, the proper response to Oosthuizen, or the ridiculous phenomenon of icing (Smirnoff), Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Last Friday, a few of you got into the old Final Fantasy VII vs. Final Fantasy VIII argument. You’ve already shared your thoughts on your favorite Final Fantasy games, so today’s Coffee Talk is all about blasting the FF games you think are overrated while defending the honor of your champion.
As for me, I don’t see any other choice than FFVII. While I agree that it’s the most important game in the series and quite possibly the most important RPG in videogame history, I also think it’s immensely overrated from a gameplay standpoint. Looking at it solely as game, it’s good but not great. A baby dolphin dies every time someone claims that it’s the best game in the series — that’s the punishment doled out on Earth for people being wrong.
Anyway, I’m hoping a few of you continue the Final Fantasy fight you started on Friday. Have at it!
Earlier in the week we talked about some of our favorite videogame endings. Today let’s talk about our favorite intros! There are so many games that hook you in with brilliant opening sequences, leaving you with a feeling of, “Damn I want to play this game!” It’s an awesome thing. So many gamers point to the opening of Final Fantasy VII as one of the best ever. While I agree that it’s good (though overrated like most everything else in that game), this extremely underrated Final Fantasy III is better and needs some love. Check it out:
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, Verizon selling out of the Motorola Droid X, John Daly getting his act together, or Green Lantern’s movie costume resembling salmon, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Earlier in the week we talked about some of our favorite videogame endings. Today let’s talk about our favorite intros! There are so many games that hook you in with brilliant opening sequences, leaving you with a feeling of, “Damn I want to play this game!” It’s an awesome thing. So many gamers point to the opening of Final Fantasy VII as one of the best ever. While I agree that it’s good (though overrated like most everything else in that game), this extremely underrated Final Fantasy III is better and needs some love. Check it out:
Anyway, what are some of you favorite game intros? How did they make you feel? Shout it out in the comments section (please)!
My copy of Dragon Quest IX arrived earlier in the week and I can’t wait to dive into the game this weekend! I’m probably going to be tired from super-secret project so plopping down on the couch or by the pool with my Nintendo DS sounds perfect. I’m still enjoying the hell out of Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip, so that will be my mindless-diversion game.
How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?
One of the disadvantages of being Ted (as mentioned in Coffee Talk #173) is that he doesn’t get to see many game endings. While not all games have huge payoff endings, some are so good that they make all the annoyances of a game dissolve as you’re enveloped by a wave of climactic bliss. Look at the clip of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, for example. The end is emotionally charged and cleverly uses a gameplay mechanic as a storytelling device. It’s just brilliant, brilliant stuff.
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 chances of Snooki hooking up with John McCain, if Bud Selig should move the all-star game away from Arizona, or the ridiculous contracts going to above average NBA players, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
One of the disadvantages of being Ted (as mentioned in Coffee Talk #173) is that he doesn’t get to see many game endings. While not all games have huge payoff endings, some are so good that they make all the annoyances of a game dissolve as you’re enveloped by a wave of climactic bliss. Look at the clip of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, for example. The end is emotionally charged and cleverly uses a gameplay mechanic as a storytelling device. It’s just brilliant, brilliant stuff.
What are some of your favorite game endings? Why did they move you? The comments in today’s Coffee Talk could be a good way to encourage each other to beat games that we haven’t finished. Maybe we just need to see the light at the end of the tunnel, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, or the slinky girl wrapped in satin sheets on a water bed. Kindly share some of your favorite game endings today!
My friend sent me an article by PhilStar to poke fun at my people’s love of the Roman Catholic Church. A Filipino priest has developed a game that doubles at a catechism tool. So yeah, my people are using videogames to teach people about Catholicism. Here’s the deal:
The three-dimensional game called “Paolo’s Journey,” developed by Fr. Maximo Villanueva Jr. of the Diocese of Balanga, Bataan, is based on Pope Benedict XVI’s “Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.”
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, who chairs the CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education, said the Church needs to conduct a “new evangelization,” not for faith propagation, but to remind the faithful of the social teachings of the Church. The target gamers are Grade 3 pupils to college students.
I’m sure this will be followed up by a platformer starring St. Christopher or a first-person shooter where Pope Benedict annihilates demons with holy water. The possibilities are tremendous! If you’re not afraid of going to hell, kindly share your ideas for a Roman Catholic videogame.
With LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh creating the “big three” with the Miami Heat, people are coming up with all sorts of killer combos. Whether you’re talking about triumvirates in sports, television, or adult films, it’s fun to dream up “big three” combinations. Let’s do the same for videogame development! Who would be your videogame dream team?
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 Finca San Jose Nicaragua, Mel Gibson’s anger, or the RAW mystery GM, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
With LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh creating the “big three” with the Miami Heat, people are coming up with all sorts of killer combos. Whether you’re talking about triumvirates in sports, television, or adult films, it’s fun to dream up “big three” combinations. Let’s do the same for videogame development! Who would be your videogame dream team?
Perhaps a combination of Square Enix’s art direction, BioWare’s storytelling, and Epic’s gameplay would work for you. Maybe you’d love Cliff Bleszinski, Hideo Kojima, and Tomonobu Itagaki to collaborate on a videogame. The possibilities are endless! So let’s play this game. Come up with a combination of three developers — companies or individual designers — that would make your dream team.
