Tag: PC Gaming

Darkspawn Chronicles Lets You Play Dragon Age as a Baddie

Just in case you’ve been wondering what goes through the mind of a lonely genlock, the Darkspawn Chronicles DLC pack for Dragon Age: Origins lets you experience a brief portion of the game from the darkspawn’s perspective. The DLC will be available on May 18, 2010 for $4.99 on PS3, 400 BioWare Points on PC, and 400 Microsoft Points on Xbox 360. Here are some highlights from the press release:

  • Imagine a world without heroes, where the greatest among you never became a Grey Warden
  • Play through the Fall of Denerim from the perspective of the darkspawn
  • Complete the module and unlock an epic darkspawn item for use in Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age: Origins — Awakening
  • Use the “Enthrall” ability – recruit any darkspawn you encounter into your party

As a huge Dragon Age nerd, I’m certainly going to play this batch of DLC, but I’m not super excited for it. As I mentioned in Coffee Talk #36, I just don’t enjoy playing as the villain.

Any of you planning to pick up this Dragon Age: Darkspawn Chronicles?

Coffee Talk #139: Do You Break Videogame Controllers?

I love watching my friend James play videogames. He gets angry. He curses out the television. And inevitably, he flings his controller. Sometimes it’s more fun watching his reactions than watching the game itself.

I’m usually pretty calm when I play games. There are a few things that can drive me into a controller-throwing rage. Cheap deaths and cheap boss fights immediately come to mind. Last year I was playing Street Fighter IV while dealing with a malfunctioning Xbox 360 that often made the screen impossible to see. This made beating Seth — one of the cheapest bosses ever — even more irritating. This also made my hand hurt from punching my arcade stick.

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 latest American Idol elimination, Milton Bradley being stressed out by earning millions of dollars playing baseball, or 61* being in the HBO rotation again, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I love watching my friend James play videogames. He gets angry. He curses out the television. And inevitably, he flings his controller. Sometimes it’s more fun watching his reactions than watching the game itself.

I’m usually pretty calm when I play games, but there are a few things that can drive me into a controller-throwing rage. Cheap deaths and cheap boss fights immediately come to mind. Last year I was playing Street Fighter IV while dealing with a malfunctioning Xbox 360 that often made the screen impossible to see. This made beating Seth — one of the cheapest bosses ever — even more irritating. This also made my hand hurt from punching my arcade stick.

Do any of you throw or break your controllers? What drives you into that zone? Consider today’s Coffee Talk therapy and release your videogame rage!

Coffee Talk #138: Should Sony Have Made a Play for Bungie/Respawn?

Last weekend I hung out with two industry friends that argued (separately) that Sony should have made a big-time play for Bungie or Respawn. (This is what game geeks do over coffee or lunch. It’s like when jocks get together and discuss what GM moves they’d make for their favorite NBA team. In both cases, none of the participants are qualified to steer the ship.) Their arguments were basically the same — although Killzone and Resistance are respectable franchises, it would have been killer for Sony to have its own Call of Duty or Halo, exclusively. Nabbing the creators of those franchises would have been huge.

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, graciously recapping last night’s Lost for me, round two of the NBA playoffs, or Rasheed Wallace remembering how to play basketball for one night, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Last weekend I hung out with two industry friends that argued (separately) that Sony should have made a big-time play for Bungie or Respawn. (This is what game geeks do over coffee or lunch. It’s like when jocks get together and discuss what GM moves they’d make for their favorite NBA team. In both cases, none of the participants are qualified to steer the ship.) Their arguments were basically the same — although Killzone and Resistance are respectable franchises, it would have been killer for Sony to have its own Call of Duty or Halo, exclusively. Nabbing the creators of those franchises would have been huge.

Today I want to invite you into the conversation. Pretend you’re a hotshot Sony executive. Looking through the retroscope, do you think it would have been wise to lay out a ton of money for exclusive deals with Bungie or Respawn? Are Resistance and Killzone big enough bullets for the company? How crazy would it have been if Bungie or Respawn became first-party studios for Sony? If you could only sign one of those companies, which one would it be (poll below)? How would you upstage Kaz Hirai at Sony’s E3 2010 press conference?

I can’t wait for all your answers today! Let’s make it fun!!!

[poll id=”41″]

EA Claims Respawn Deal Fell Into Its Lap (You Buying This?!?)

EA Games president Frank Gibeau claims that the company’s deal with Respawn — you know, the hot new company started by former Infinity Ward creators — is a happy little coincidence that’s a result of fortuitous timing. As many of you know, one of the alleged reasons behind Activision’s termination of Jason West and Vince Zampella was that the pair met with EA behind ATVI’s back. That makes the EA/Respawn deal seem awfully…convenient. Gibeau told Gamasutra that it’s all on the up and up:

[The Respawn deal] was something that fell into our laps, after they were terminated and announced they were free and independent, and we went for it. The fact that those guys are doing what they’re doing, we’re very excited.

The fact that we were able to take advantage of an opportunity that came our way and partner with Respawn and create a relationship with them has been spectacular, something that we’re very excited about. It’s a key part of how we’re growing our EA Partners business going forward.

Although I have no proof, I’m not buying Gibeau’s explanation. Perhaps I’m being too cynical and maybe I’m buying into the rumor mill, but I’ve heard too many things from too many smart people to believe that this deal was something that just fell into EA’s lap. Again, that’s just my opinion.

What do you think? Was this deal in the works for months? Or was it all happenstance?

Source

Coffee Talk #137: What Do You Hate About Modern Games?

Yesterday I asked you about classic gaming features you miss. Today I want to know what modern gaming features you loathe. Games aren’t automatically more fun just because technology is more advanced and development techinques have improved. Sometimes there are trends that decrease the fun level. So get into your bitter barn and think about the things you hate in today’s games.

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, Bryan Danielson winning a match before E3, the lost Lost script, or your favorite Poison song, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Yesterday I asked you about classic gaming features you miss. Today I want to know what modern gaming features you loathe. Games aren’t automatically more fun just because technology is more advanced and development techinques have improved. Sometimes there are trends that decrease the fun level. So get into your bitter barn and think about the things you hate in today’s games.

As for me, I hate that consoles have to be online for some content to be accessed. It absolutely sucks that certain bits of DLC need to be verified through the Internet. If you’re Internet service is out or your playing your console on the road without a connection, there’s a good chance that you can’t play everything you’ve purchased. I understand why the online check happens, but there has to be a better way, no?

Now it’s your turn! What are the trends in gaming that irk you? Tacked on cooperative play? Day one DLC? I want to know!

Coffee Talk #136: What Classic Gaming Features Do You Miss?

Games get better all the time. Development techniques improve. Gameplay styles evolve. Consoles and PCs become more powerful, which allow them to be potentially more immersive. Despite all of these factors, there are things I miss about the good old days of gaming. Perhaps it’s the primitive charm of classic games or maybe I like how old games required me to imagine or maybe it’s simply nostalgia, but there are many things I miss about the classics.

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’s annihilation of Shane Mosley, what the hell happened to Rasheed Wallace, or your best wishes for Bret Michaels, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Games get better all the time. Development techniques improve. Gameplay styles evolve. Consoles and PCs become more powerful, which allow them to be potentially more immersive. Despite all of these factors, there are things I miss about the good old days of gaming. Perhaps it’s the primitive charm of classic games or maybe I like how old games required me to imagine or maybe it’s simply nostalgia, but there are many things I miss about the classics.

The dying (perhaps dead?) gameplay convention I miss the most is turn-based combat in RPGs. I totally understand why RPGs have moved towards real-time combat — it’s more appealing to a broader audience. I get it…but I don’t like it. I loved the combat in Japanese RPGs like Final Fantasy IV/V/VI. The epic turn-based battles in titles like Final Fantasy Tactics, Ogre Battle, and Disgaea are some of my fondest gaming memories of all time. Sadly, that gameplay style is on the endangered species list.

Today I wanted to ask you about aspects of classic gaming you miss the most. What conventions and gameplay styles get you teary eyed? Perhaps there’s a storytelling technique you miss. Leave a comment and let me know (please)!

Blast From the Past: Reset Episode 9

Live from New York…it’s Reset episode nine!!! Okay, it’s not live, but two of these clips are from the excellent Digital Life conference in New York where Ruby and I got into all sorts of trouble. Closing out the show, Kat pays a visit to Planet Moon to check on an exciting PSP game.

Part 1 — Reset’s team of R&R (Ruby and Raymond) were thrilled to go to New York for Digital Life. Great games, cool gadgets, and a wonderful crowd made the expo really exciting. Now, the Reset crew understands that not everyone can make it to every show out there, so we thought we’d bring the show to you. Plus, the gang bumped into an old friend from Episode 5 (hint: she won a bikini contest, is really hot, and is now a Queen of EverQuest).

Part 2 — While Ruby and Raymond thought that Digital Life was awesome, they wanted to check with the people to see what they thought. The duo pestered a bunch of attendees to see what games caught their eye, what’s tops on their holiday wish lists, what free stuff they picked up, and what they thought of Raymond’s ex-girlfriends. Never let it be said that Reset isn’t in touch with the man on the street.

Part 3 — Kat visits Planet Moon to get the scoop on its upcoming game, Infected. One of the few truly original games for the Sony PSP, this game has it all: flesh-eating zombies, awesome weapons, breakneck action, killer multiplayer, a rocking soundtrack, and that inimitable Planet Moon humor. If you’re looking for a game that will make your hair stand on end and make your sides hurt from laughter then look no further.

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

I have to play Nier this weekend for work purposes. It’s funny that a Square Enix game is taking me away from another Square Enix game (okay, it’s not that funny). I’m hoping that my copy of Super Street Fighter IV arrives today. It seems like the perfect game to break up the action. I’m also curious to see how tournament hosting works. Perhaps there will be a Super Street Fighter IV RPad.tv Invitational in the near future.

As always, I want to know what you’re playing this weekend. Kindly share the games on your weekend playlist!

Activision and Bungie Sign 10-Year Publishing Agreement

In a tremendous move with all sorts of implications, Activision and Bungie have closed on a 10-year publishing-agreement. Here’s a snippet from the press release:

They have entered into an exclusive 10-year partnership to bring Bungie’s next big action game universe to market. Under the terms of the agreement, Activision will have exclusive, worldwide rights to publish and distribute all future Bungie games based on the new intellectual property on multiple platforms and devices. Bungie remains an independent company and will continue to own their intellectual property. Additional terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The partnership is brilliant for Activision on several levels. It helps take attention away from nasty legal battle with its former Infinity Ward employees. It also replaces the talent lost from Infinity Ward creators jumping to Respawn. Since Infinity Ward clearly isn’t going to be the powerhouse studio it once was, Activision needed to replace it with another top-notch studio. Bungie is one of the few studios that can match the quality and success that Infinity Ward brought to the table. There are many gamers that would argue that Bungie makes better games.

As for Bungie…well, it has a partner with a boatload of money and global marketing muscle. Gamers will also see its titles on multiple platforms, which will be huge.

Naturally, I want to hear your thoughts on the partnership. Let ’em fly (please)!

Source

Coffee Talk #134: Have You Ever Quit Gaming?

I’ve quit many things over the years. At various points in my life, I’ve quit drinking, smoking, gambling, comic books, and several other things I can’t remember. (Sadly, I’ve never been treated for sex addiction like Tiger Woods, David Duchovny, and Chazz Michael Michaels.) Obviously, I have an addictive personality. One thing I’ve never given is playing games. Certainly I’ve had a lot of stretches (too many, really) where I’ve played games way more than I should have, but I’ve enjoyed the “work” excuse for my marathon sessions.

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 formidable Scrabble powers, The Neilsen Company rating the Cleveland Indians as the #1 most-hated team in baseball, or why you think Floyd Mayweather will beat Shane Mosley, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I’ve quit many things over the years. At various points in my life, I’ve quit drinking, smoking, gambling, comic books, and several other things I can’t remember. (Sadly, I’ve never been treated for sex addiction like Tiger Woods, David Duchovny, and Chazz Michael Michaels.) Obviously, I have an addictive personality. One thing I’ve never given up is playing games. Certainly I’ve had a lot of stretches (too many, really) where I’ve played games way more than I should have, but I’ve enjoyed the “work” excuse for my marathon sessions.

How about you? Have you ever played games to the point you neglected eating, sleeping, and your social life? Have you ever had to take a step back and said, “Yeah, I really need to quit gaming for a while.”? Perhaps games have made you pull and HBK and you had to leave them in order to “find your smile”. Perhaps games have made you tap out and you had to take a break in the real world to recover. I’d love to hear about your experiences. Kindly share!