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, the effects of tryptophan, the awesome repackaged WWE Festus’ debut tonight on Smackdown, or your latest comic books, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

First off, I actually just brewed a fresh pot of coffee, so I think the Coffee Talk name still applies. Ha! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday yesterday. Now it’s time for the down and dirty part — Black Friday.

Some of you are out shopping today. If that’s the case, I think you’re pretty nuts. I absolutely can’t stand Black Friday — too many people, too many inexperienced sales reps, too few parking spots, ridiculously long lines, etc. The only time I enjoyed it was when I was a poor college kid; I’d just go to the mall, grab an Icee, and watch all the miserable shoppers.

Having said that, there are a ton of great deals to be had, whether you’re at stores or wisely shopping online. Today I want to hear about your Black Friday success stories. What did you pick up? Anything surprise you? If you found any great online deals, please share them with your fellow RPadholics.

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, Big Ben’s concussion saga, trying out for the New Jersey Nets, or walking four blocks when you really shouldn’t, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Thanksgiving is a special time for many of us. Getting together with friends and family, eating lots of turkey and trimmings, and watching football is what the holiday is all about for millions of Americans. For me, Thanksgiving was always a special gaming holiday. You see, I used to rent games at the local video store when I was a kid. The store didn’t charge for the holiday, so it was like getting an extra day for free (actually, it was totally like that)!

One of my favorite Thanksgivings of all time was spent (a little bit) with my wonderful family and (a lot) with The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. I played the hell out of that game from Wedensday through Friday. I’m pretty sure that’s when I developed the habit of playing games until I pass out with the controller. I had several Thanksgiving marathon sessions like that when I was in grade school and I remember them fondly.

Did any of you do the same thing? Was Thanksgiving designated as a national videogame holiday for you? I’d love to hear about your epic Turkey Day gaming 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, the incredibly handsome Chris Taylor, Andre Ward bringing big-time boxing back to The Bay, or the unstoppable WWE Sheamus, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I love my mabari war hound, Cisco, in Dragon Age: Origins. He’s a faithful dog and a fearsome warrior. While he can’t equip all the nifty weapons and armor my other party members can, Cisco is an underrated combatant that’s incredibly useful for taking out opposing mages.

As Cisco was dispatching baddie after baddie in DA, I started thinking about other dogs in gaming. Cisco would beat the crap out of that lame-ass dog in Dead to Rights. I don’t care if that dog had its own button to activate his attacks. He sucks compared to Cisco. Having said that (Curb reference!), there are plenty of dogs that would give my Cisco a run for his money.

The dog from Duck Hunt is one of the oldest and best in the business. Dogmeat from Fallout 3 is a menacing force. The dog in Fable II was a bigger part of the game than I thought he’d be. Yamato from Shadow Dancer: The Legend of Shinobi had special ninja-dog training. It’s kind of crazy how many courageous canines have graced videogames.

Who are some of your favorite videogame dogs? (And no, Amaterasu from Okami doesn’t count. She’s a Shinto sun goddess!)

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, California laying the smack down on electricity-guzzling televisions, sports venues fighting it out for Pacquiao/Mayweather (which hasn’t even been negotiated yet), or Mick Foley’s appearance on The Daily Show, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

In the mid to late ’90s, I played games on every platform I could. It didn’t matter if it was on a console or on a PC — I played. Somewhere along the line, I totally dropped PC gaming. I’m not even sure when it happened, but I definitely know why it happened. I used to play PC games because they offered a wide variety of experiences that was better than most things on a console. That’s just not the case anymore.

Console have gotten better and better. The original PlayStation started a tremendous wave of mainstream popularity for home systems. As more and more people started gaming in their living rooms, more and more developers followed them. Meanwhile, PC gaming has stagnated and high-end PCs still carry a premium price tag. Sure, there are a handful of games that offer an experience you can’t get on a console, but to me it’s not worth the cost of admission.

I still remember playing all sorts of cool games on a Commodore 64 with my brother. Much later, I graduated to Civilization II, Baldur’s Gate, Doom, Total Annihilation, Age of Empires, and more. Those were fun times and they’ll be remembered fondly, but I just don’t see myself being a hardcore PC gamer ever again.

How about you? If you’re a lapsed PC gamer, can you see yourself getting back into the scene? If you’ve always been a console player, do you see yourself ever getting serious about PC games?