Tag: Videogames

Bobby Kotick Wants to Sell You Cutscenes

In a move that’s certainly smart but will also add to his reputation as an evil bastard, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick plans on selling discs containing cutscenes from Activision games. He recently told GameSpot:

If we were to go to our audience and say we have this great hour-and-a-half of linear video that we would like to make available to you at a $30 price point or $20 price point, you’d have the biggest opening weekend of any film ever. Within the next five years, you are likely to see us do that. Now that may be in partnership with somebody; it may be alone. But there will be a time when we capitalize on the relationship that we have with our audience.

Would you buy a disc filled with cutscenes? There are a number of gamers I know that would love to watch Final Fantasy XIII’s cutscenes without playing the game. A lot of those gamers would also publicly denounce this practice simply because Kotick brought it up. Is it an ingenious move on his part? Or is it eeeeeeeevil?

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What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Originally, I thought this was going to be another weekend of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, but a funny thing happened on the way to Friday — another Square Enix RPG! I’m not going to say what it is now, but you’ll be able to figure it out from this article’s images. For the most part, I’m really enjoying it, but there are portions that piss me off. Some of it so 1993: you’ll encounter a boss, but won’t be powerful enough to defeat it, so you have to run around like a dick for an hour to level up or search for a weapon that makes things easier. While JRPG veterans are used to this kind of thing, I don’t think it will fly with younger gamers.

Anyway, let me know what’s on your weekend playlist when you have a moment.

Coffee Talk #215: Who Are Your Favorite Internet Writers?

Let’s be real — this can’t possibly be the only web site you visit on a daily basis. Don’t worry, I don’t get (too) jealous when you spend time reading other sites. Having said that, I’d love to hear about some of your favorite Internet writers. Whether it’s games, sports, tech, or whatever, let me know who some of your favorite scribes are. Here are some of mine:

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, J.Lo as an American Idol judge, WWE banning Soma (even with a prescription), or Britney Spears’ engagement rumors, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Let’s be real — this can’t possibly be the only web site you visit on a daily basis. Don’t worry, I don’t get (too) jealous when you spend time reading other sites. Having said that, I’d love to hear about some of your favorite Internet writers. Whether it’s games, sports, tech, or whatever, let me know who some of your favorite ‘net scribblers are. Here are some of mine:

  • Games: Christian Nutt (Gamasutra), Chris Kohler (Wired), Brian Leahy (Shacknews), and Dean Takahashi (VentureBeat) [Full disclosure: Kohler and I do a stunning karaoke duet of “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”, Christian and I used to be roommates, and Leahy…well, most of you know.]
  • Tech: Om Malik (GigaOm), James Kendrick (JKonTheRun), MG Siegler (TechCrunch), and Fake Steve Jobs (FakeSteveJobs)
  • Sports: Bill Simmons (ESPN) and Doug Fischer (The Ring)

Now it’s your turn! Who are some of your favorite Internet writers?

Ico and Shadow of the Colossus in HD…and 3D!

At Tokyo Game Show 2010, Sony announced that Ico and Shadow of the Colossus will be hitting the PlayStation 3 on one Blu-ray disc that’s full of HD and 3D goodness.(Check out the trailer above!) I loved Ico and really liked Shadow of the Colossos on the PlayStation 2; I’m thrilled that they’ll be available in high definition, but I don’t care to play them in 3D (yet).

What do you guys and gals think of this collection? Are you interested in playing it in 3D?

Ninja Gaiden 3 Revealed…With a Piece of Concept Art

At a private Tecmo-Koei dinner in Japan, Team Ninja’s Yosuke Hayashi unveiled Ninja Gaiden 3 with a piece of concept art. I love it! It reminds me of E3 meetings in the late ’90s when European developers would show me sketches of their game on a flip-book and bore me to tears about heady concepts that would never see the light of day. For some reason, when Team Ninja shows off concept art, I take it a bit more seriously.

Here’s what GamePro’s AJ Glasser had to say about the brief introduction to Ninja Gaiden 3:

The game is so early in development, the developer only showed journalists a piece of concept art. The image, however, defines both the new game’s direction and the new identity of Team Ninja.

Glasser also spills details on the upcoming Dead or Alive game for Nintendo 3DS. Kindly check out her article if you have a chance. Also, let me know if you’re interested in Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden games that aren’t created by Tomonobu Itagaki.

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Asura’s Wrath = Japanese God of War?

Journalists are already calling Capcom’s Asura’s Wrath the Japanese God of War. Certainly there are similarities. Okay, there are a ton of similarities, but will the developers at CyberConnect2 be able to successfully create a game that blends Western blood-and-guts with Japanese gameplay sensibilities? Check out the trailer above and cast your vote (please)!

Ninja Theory Developing New Devil May Cry Game

At a pre-Tokyo Game Show press event, Capcom announced that Ninja Theory (Heavenly Sword, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West) is developing the new Devil May Cry game. Check out the trailer above, let me know what you think about it, and — perhaps more importantly — let me know if you even still care about Devil May Cry.

Coffee Talk #214: Five Things I Can’t Wait to See at TGS 2010

I’m so bummed that I’m missing Tokyo Game Show. Part of it is that it’s always incredibly fun hanging out with writer, developer, and PR friends in Tokyo. Part of it is that the karaoke is simply the best (I’ve never seen so many Pixies songs available anywhere else in the world). Lastly, part of it is that my tastes lean towards Japanese games and the announcements are usually super exciting for gamers like me. Here are five things I’m looking forward to hearing more about during TGS 2010.

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, if Nokia’s new Symbian^3 phones will matter, Ricky Hatton’s cocaine use, or the impending demise of WWE NXT, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I’m so bummed that I’m missing Tokyo Game Show. Part of it is that it’s always incredibly fun hanging out with writer, developer, and PR friends in Tokyo. Part of it is that the karaoke is simply the best (I’ve never seen so many Pixies songs available anywhere else in the world). Lastly, part of it is that my tastes lean towards Japanese games and the announcements are usually super exciting for gamers like me. Here are five things I’m looking forward to hearing more about during TGS 2010.

  1. The Last Guardian — I’ve been high on this game since E3 2009 and was totally bummed that it wasn’t at E3 2010. TGS does seem more appropriate for Team Ico’s next unique adventure.
  2. The 3rd Birthday — I’ve been trying to get you guys and dolls to pay attention to this Parasite Eve (not a) sequel, but it doesn’t appear to be working. It’s going to be cool! I really believe that.
  3. Nintendo 3DS — Obviously I have a professional interest in the 3DS, but after playing with it at E3 2010, I want it now! Honestly, it’s more “magical” than the Apple iPad. On a side note, Satoru Iwata and Steve Jobs need to fight over the “magic” in a steel cage.
  4. Shadows of the Damned — It’s Grasshopper’s Suda 51 and Platinum Games’ Shinji Mikami working together. That’s just sheer awesomeness.
  5. More Square Enix — Yeah, in addition to The 3rd Birthday, I’m starving for more on Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Ogre Battle, FF Tactics for iPhone, next-gen engine — anything really. I love Square Enix games (especially the ones with Reona Rewis).

I’m sure there will be plenty of awesome news coming out of TGS 2010. What do you think of my list? What are you looking forward to hearing more about? Man, I’d love to hang out with some of you in Tokyo. If you haven’t been, I’m sure you’d totally dig it. Now get to shouting (not literally, Big Blak) in the comments section (please)!