I played Dragon Age: Origins Awakening until 5:30AM this morning. Part of it was because I intend to write two stories about the game this weekend. Part of it was because this bug pissed me off and I lost 90 minutes of game time (I wasn’t saving religiously *smacks head*). Most of it was because I was enjoying the hell out of this expansion pack.
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 favorite news from SXSW, Matt Sydal (Evan Bourne) turning 27 today, or your baseball team’s spring training results, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
I played Dragon Age: Origins Awakening until 5:30AM this morning. Part of it was because I intend to write two stories about the game this weekend. Part of it was because this bug pissed me off and I lost 90 minutes of game time (I wasn’t saving religiously *smacks head*). Most of it was because I was enjoying the hell out of this expansion pack.
Due to my ridiculous play session, I was a little late for secret project and today’s Coffee Talk is more about your lunchtime beverage than your morning one. Still, I don’t regret it. Secret project is on my own schedule, so it’ll just be tighter to meet my goals for today. I am sorry that today’s column is late, but that’s really BioWare’s fault. Ha!
Has a game ever made you late for work or school? Share your stories in the comments section (please)!
Are there any videogame companies that you miss? There are several ways to answer that question. When I asked myself this question yesterday (yes, I sometimes talk to myself), I thought of two companies — one that’s still around and one that’s been gone for years.
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, why the hell Tim Urban is still on American Idol, March Madness, or the Google Nexus One on all four major American mobile carriers, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Are there any videogame companies that you miss? When I asked myself this question yesterday (yes, I sometimes talk to myself), I thought of two companies — one that’s still around and one that’s been gone for years: Sega and Working Designs.
I miss what Sega used to be. The company rocked me with early Sonic games, Toejam & Earl, and so many others. I loved the end of the Saturn era with Burning Rangers, Panzer Dragoon Saga, and Shining Force III. The company was cutting-edge cool during the Dreamcast years with Jet Set Radio, Samba De Amigo, Seaman, Space Channel 5, and more. Sega was a creative powerhouse and these days it’s…a serviceable publisher.
As for defunct companies, I miss Working Designs. The company brought so many cool Japanese role-playing games to America. I loved that I got to play titles like Arc the Lad, Alundra, Dragon Force, and Lunar thanks to Working Designs. The company also served up the best “collector’s editions” in the world back in the day. The packaging and goodies were top-notch. They really made you feel like you were buying something special.
I better stop before I get all misty…. How about you guys and dolls? What are some of the game companies you miss?
Left-handed gamers looking for a competitive edge will want to check out Razer’s DeathAdder Left Hand Edition. It offers the high-tech precision Razer is known for and couples it with an ergonomic design that lefties will enjoy. Here’s what Razer USA president Robert “Razerguy” Krakoff had to say about the new product:
Leftie gamers have long been requesting that we develop a gaming grade mouse that is designed exclusively for the left-handed gaming community and we really value the feedback we receive from our fans. Not many gamers know this, but I am a southpaw myself and feel truly excited to have a mouse that fits perfectly in my left hand. There is really no substitute for gaming with your naturally dominant hand.
It’s nice to see that Krakoff is a leftie, like President Obama, President Clinton, and me! Although I do most things leftie (get your mind out of the gutter!), I actually use a mouse with my right hand. This is a bit disappointing since I’ve always wanted to pull an Inigo Montoya, break even at the start of a competitive match, and say, “I know something you do not know. I am not right handed!”
Are any of you guys and gals leftie? If so, are you interested in the DeathAdder Left Hand Edition?
Today’s Coffee Talk is a suggestion from RPadholic N8R. What’s your favorite videogame cliche? To stick with N8R’s examples, are you a fan of doors that lead to nowhere? Do you love how waterfalls are used to hide important objects?
As for me, I’m a huge fan of barrels, boxes, and crates in role-playing games. Who puts treasure in barrels? Why do adventurers think it’s okay to break and plunder every crate they come across? It’s not like I’ve ever read townspeople in an R.A. Salvatore book say, “Oh crap. It’s that Drizz’t guy again. Better hide the crates before he and Bruenor wreck everything!” Yet for some reason, it’s totally acceptable in 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, Siobhan Magnus slaying it on American Idol, Bryan Danielson’s losing streak on NXT, or Jeff Hardy’s latest day in court, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Today’s Coffee Talk is a suggestion from RPadholic N8R. What’s your favorite videogame cliche? To stick with N8R’s examples, are you a fan of doors that lead to nowhere? Do you love how waterfalls are used to hide important objects?
As for me, I’m a huge fan of barrels, boxes, and crates in role-playing games. Who puts treasure in barrels? Why do adventurers think it’s okay to break and plunder every crate they come across? It’s not like I’ve ever read townspeople in an R.A. Salvatore book say, “Oh crap. It’s that Drizz’t guy again. Better hide the crates before he and Bruenor wreck everything!” Yet for some reason, it’s totally acceptable in games.
[Tangent: Computers are a modern-day equivalent of crates. My friend and I love playing as Wolverine in X-Men Legends and Marvel Ultimate Alliance, just so we can shred every computer we come across. In our heads, Logan is frustrated that he never learned how to “work a computer” and goes into a berserker rage every time he sees a PC. This is a lot funnier is you’re actually playing the game with me.]
So tell your fellow readers and me about your favorite videogame cliches! This should be a fun one. I can’t wait to read your comments!
I stopped by BioWare’s suite at GDC 2010 to check out Dragon Age: Origins Awakening. Most of you know that Dragon Age was my favorite game of 2009 and I played through that sucker four times. As much as I love the Final Fantasy and Pokemon series, those games will have to take a backseat to this expansion pack. I already know that I’m going to love it, but in the spirit of my friend Augustine’s binary system, here’s a preview of the expansion using two categories: good and bad.
Good: Accompanying Awakening is a title update that will fix several issues with the original game. One of the biggest glitches it will patch is the dreaded dexterity bug in dagger-damage calculation. This bug made dexterity-based rogues far less effective than they should have been.
Bad: Players that went with cunning rogues will be steamed that their carefully crafted thieves will not be able to exploit the dexterity fix out of the box.
Good: Thankfully, the expansion has tomes that will allow you to redistribute character stats and specs. Keebler, my city elf rogue, will be deadlier than ever by the end of the week.
Bad: I don’t care if intelligent, talking darkspawn are supposed to be menacing. They (pictured in the header image) still look like evil raisins to me.
Good: Several characters will make cameo appearances in Awakening. Those of you keeping up with the expansion’s trailers already know that Alistair takes a break from ruling Ferelden to check up on your party.
Bad: Only Oghren returns as a playable character. I understand that new blood needs to be introduced and I’m looking forward to adventuring with the new characters, but I got super attached to Leliana, Shale, and Dog. I’m sure that those of you that worked hard to avoid the Leliana romance glitch will be disappointed that the sexy Orlesian bard will not playable.
Good: Fans of the original game will want to play the expansion at least twice. If you play as your original Dragon Age character, you’re viewed as the hero of Ferelden. People will treat your favorably and there should be some nice perks you can enjoy during Awakening. You can also start from scratch and play as a grey warden from Orlais. Some people will view you as an outsider, remembering the harsh treatment Ferelden received during the Orlesian occupation.
Good: There are loads of new talents and skills to enjoy. Characters will be able to craft their own enchantments (enchantment!). Bow slingers will get to abuse a new area-of-effect attack. As a rogue fan, I saw some outstanding defensive and offensive skills that left me drooling. Realizing that mages were ridiculously powerful in the original, BioWare wanted to beef up the other classes in the expansion.
Good: Enchantments (enchantment!) can be used in armor now!
Good: The dialogue seems well done. The characters had lots of great banter, with Oghren and Anders providing excellent comedy to Mhairi’s straight woman.
Good: Speaking of Mhairi, she was apparently requested by Dragon Age fans. All the tanks in the original were male. Mhairi will show that women can tank with the best of them.
Good: Each class has two new specializations to learn. It’s the same deal as the original; specializations can either be learned from other characters or through tomes.
Good: You have a new base of operations called Vigil’s Keep. No more crappy campsites for you and your party!
Bad: Vigil’s Keep requires some management. You can fortify its defenses or keep the local peasants happy. Sure, you can let your seneschal take care of things, but you really ought to do this yourself. It’s cool that it adds another activity to an already deep game, but it’s bad because it takes time away from killing evil raisins that are threatening the land.
Good: Since you’re the new commander of the grey wardens, you’ll be able to recruit new members to the cause. This includes busting out the right of conscription.
Bad: As you know, becoming a grey warden requires a ceremony that some of your recruits will not survive. I’m not even attached to the new characters in Awakening and I’m already sad that some of them will not make it to the end.
My binary preview is over, but I’ll be writing about the game a ton (not reviewing it!) as I play through it. I’m sure I’m going to have a blast and I hope some of you play it too so that we can chat it up. Is it Tuesday yet?!?
After GDC 2009, I got in trouble for complaining about the type of coverage provided by the site I worked for at the time. Almost everything was about product — previews written off of demos shown outside the show. I thought there should have been more of an emphasis on the GDC panels, game developers, and what it’s like to attend 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, exotic dancers at videogame parties, one developer you’d love to have dinner with, or TiVo Premiere, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
After GDC 2009, I got in trouble for complaining about the type of coverage provided by the site I worked for at the time. Almost everything was about product — previews written off of demos shown outside the show. I thought there should have been more of an emphasis on the GDC panels, game developers, and what it’s like to attend the show.
The argument against me is that readers are most interested in games. I completely understand that point of view and it’s definitely the way to get the most traffic. Still, as someone that was supposed to be writing about GDC 2009, I wanted to emphasize the “big D” — developers. Publishers can give a game demo whenever, but the opportunity to attend amazing talks given by the top talent in game development is rare, as is the opportunity to give that kind of information to you.
As always, I want to know what you think. Do you like to read GDC stories about developers, trends in game creation, and the wonderful creators in the business? Or are you happy reading game previews that put the focus on products rather than people?
*sigh* Game Developers Conference 2010 is coming to a close. I’ve really missed San Francisco (except for the cold-ish weather). It has been amazing catching up with friends, developers, PR people, agents, and game writers. The trip has been super fun and very productive (potentially huge story coming soon!). As much as I want to stay for more catchup and partying, part of me really wants to open my copies of Final Fantasy XIII that are waiting for me in my apartment.
I’m going to be all about FFXIII this weekend. How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?!?
OnLive has announced that its streaming gaming service for Mac and PC will launch on June 17, 2010 for $14.95 a month. Publishing partners include Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, 2K Games, THQ, and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. There will be up to 25 launch titles including Mass Effect 2, Borderlands, Metro 2033, Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, and Assassin’s Creed II.
In addition to the all-you-can-eat games, OnLive customers will be able to create custom clips of their gaming exploits and watch other gamers play games. The OnLive micro-console is still being worked on, but it will come after the Mac and PC versions of the service.
I know that several of you are Netflix and/or GameFly customers. Is there room in your life for another monthly subscription? Anyone leaning towards giving OnLive a shot? Why or why not?!?
Last week I went out to lunch with a friend that’s in the gaming business. He mentioned that he only plays scary games during the day and saves the lighthearted stuff for night. For example, his recent gameplay sessions included Dead Space in the afternoon and Band Hero at night (I play my Band Hero at night, so I can so I can?).
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, Pinoy power prevailing on Saturday, your favorite bit of GDC news, or pole dancing, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Last week I went out to lunch with a friend that’s in the gaming business. He mentioned that he only plays scary games during the day and saves the lighthearted stuff for night. For example, his recent gameplay sessions included Dead Space in the afternoon and Band Hero at night (I play my Band Hero at night, so I can so I can?).
I was totally prepared to lean into him and call him a wussy gamer…but then I remembered that I only watch scary movies during the day or with every light in the house on at night. Ha!
Do you have any quirky gaming habits similar to my friend’s? Do you play survival-horror games at night? Or are they something you have to experience during the day? Leave your gaming quirks in the comments section (please)!
Electronic Arts has announced that it has partnered with Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios to publish Project Mercury for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Here’s a clip from the press release:
Electronic Arts Inc. today announced an agreement with 38 Studios, LLC to publish the company’s first video game, an epic single-player role-playing game codenamed Project Mercury. 38 Studios is the creative enterprise of World Series MVP and avid gamer Curt Schilling. Project Mercury is being developed at Big Huge Games, a wholly-owned subsidiary of 38 Studios, under the leadership of Ken Rolston, former lead designer of the critically acclaimed hits, Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. The game marks the first entry into the company’s vast universe created by New York Times best-selling fantasy author R. A. Salvatore, with artistic direction by Todd McFarlane, renowned artist and creator of Spawn.
The game has a chance to be huge for the business. Rolston will bring the quality that he’s known for, but it’s the other creators that will get mainstream press for Project Mercury. Obviously Schilling is known for being one of the best pitchers in MLB history, R.A. Salvatore has millions of fans from his fantasy novels (Drizz’t rules!), and McFarlane buys really expensive baseballs (okay, he makes cool comics and toys too). I’m definitely interested in the game, but I’m more interested to see how mainstream outlets cover it.
What do you think of Project Mercury’s dream team?
