Bad news Dragon Age: Origins
We’re sorry but the planned Return to Ostagar downloadable content scheduled to launch on January 5th has been delayed for all platforms.
All of the sudden, I’m not in a rush to fly back to California. Anyone else bummed by the delay?
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 return of wrestling’s Monday Night Wars, the new hit single “Gilbert’s Got a Gun”, or Google’s Android/Nexus One press conference, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
A friend of mine was downloading the MAG beta yesterday when the download crapped out on him. This prompted him to write a lengthy Facebook rant on how the download experience on the Xbox 360 is way better than that of the PlayStation 3. While I agree that, in general, the Xbox 360 offers a much smoother online experience, I never had any problems downloading games, demos, movies, etc. on my PS3. I was surprised that a lot of my friend’s friends agreed with him and wrote about their annoyances with downloading on the PS3.
The whole thing had me wondering about annoying console quirks. What “features” of your beloved consoles irk you guys and gals? Personally, I hate the shutdown process of the PlayStation 3. After telling the machine that I want it turn off…it asks me if I want to turn it off. It’s a small thing, but it annoys the hell out of me! I don’t need Windows Vista-style confirmation prompts to shut down my PS3.
So yeah! I wanted to get that out of the way before starting off three totally positive Coffee Talk columns to close out the week. Ha! What about you? What are some console quirks that bother the hell out of you? And no, the Wii doesn’t count as an annoying console quirk. :P
Atlus just sent over this fine video of Demon’s Souls
The final entry in the Demon’s Souls walkthrough video series is here to explain the intricacies of the World Tendency system, the impact of White versus Black, and some basic strategies on making the most of each.
Check out the vid and share your thoughts if you have a moment.
In a curious move, Electronic Arts has announced that it will be cutting the online gaming functionality of several titles starting February 2, 2010. Some of the games are less than two years old. According to Kotaku, the euthanasia victims include:
The action brings up an interesting debate: when is the right time to kill online support for games? Certainly the amount of current online activity matters, but should a publisher err on the side of gamers that buy its goods or cutting costs to appease shareholders?
I haven’t given it enough thought, but my initial reaction is that EA is pulling the plug way too soon for some of these games. Cutting online support for titles that have been out for a little over a year?!? That’s totally sticking it to the customer.
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 J-E-T-S, if the Washington Wizards should change their name back to the Washington Bullets, or the most incredible reuben sandwich in the world, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Whether you consider it a fresh start, the beginning of another chapter, or a baby step on the road of life, a new year is always filled with exciting potential. For console gaming, 2010 should be a pivotal year. Developers are starting to master the powerful hardware at their disposal and the hardware companies are set to introduce new twists to their traditional products. Which one do you think will have a bigger impact this year?
It’s easy to say that it will be the games. Titles like Final Fantasy XIII
Microsoft and Sony are set to emphasize motion controls this year. Hoping to duplicate some of the ridiculous success of the Nintendo Wii and sell consoles to mainstream gamers, both companies will go large with the motion of the ocean. The mainstream press seems particularly enamored with these kinds of controllers; I was (perhaps naively) surprised by how many mainstream outlets reported on Microsoft and Sony going all Wii at E3 2009. I won’t be surprised when the buzz is even bigger in 2010.
What do you think will definite the year in console gaming? Will it be the number of quality games? Motion controllers for all systems? Or something else entirely? I’d love to read your views on consoles in 2010, so leave a comment when you have a moment (please).
Any guesses as to which gaming system you’ll use the most in 2010? Will new PS3 owners going to put major miles on their new consoles? Are Xbox 360 loyalists sticking with their systems? Maybe mobile is the way forward with the PSP, DS, and iPhone. Please vote when you get a chance!
[poll id=”16″]
Mistwalker’s Hironobu Sakaguchi — you know, the guy who helped create Final Fantasy — revealed that he’s working on an iPhone game that will be out shortly. Wishing all of his fans a happy 2010, Sakaguchi wrote:
“Oh, by the way, We are also working on a project for iPhone. This should be released soon as well.”
An iPhone game by Sakaguchi?!? I’m totally down!
Electronic Arts has announced that the Return to Ostagar downloadable content for Dragon Age: Origins
Return to Ostagar allows players to exact their revenge and embark on a quest for the mighty arms and armor of the once great King Cailan when they revisit Ostagar, the site of the Grey Wardens’ darkest hour, to reclaim the honor and learn the secrets of Ferelden’s fallen king.
Return to Ostagar summons players to a new quest in which they will return to the fateful battleground in Ostagar where the Grey Wardens were nearly wiped out. Players will discover King Cailan’s top-secret political agenda and go behind enemy lines to revisit a place that many feared had been lost to history.
There was interesting rumor from Big Download, which translated a Eurogamer article. The site claimed that EA and BioWare will be announcing additional DLC that will come out in March 2010. This isn’t a quickie like Return to Ostagar (which should be about an hour of gameplay for $5). The March DLC is rumored to be 15 hours long and come with a raised level cap.
I’m kind of irked that I won’t be home until January 6. I want to be home for the launch of this DLC and the Google Nexus One! I do find it amusing that I’ll be a day late and a dollar short. Ha!
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 enormous sucktitude of the TSA, snow, or your first morning hangover (*snicker*) of 2010, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Sorry for the lack of updates yesterday. This cold is totally kicking my ass. Between that and all the stairs at my parents’ house, I’m quite uncomfortable at the moment. Having said that, I’m so happy to be with my family and thrilled that it’s 2010! Last year sucked for a lot of people I know and it was pretty wretched for me. I’m glad it’s over and I’m looking forward to shaking things up in a new decade.
So let’s talk new year’s resolutions! A lot of people make them and most people don’t stick to them. I figure a gaming-specific resolution should be a breeze to keep. Ultimately, it’s about entertaining yourself and we all want to do that, right?
For 2010, my new year’s gaming resolution is to buy more games made by small, independent developers. Whether it’s for PS3, Wii, Xbox 360, PC, iPhone, or Android, I want to do more to support the indie scene. With any luck it will lead to some karmic goodwill with someone wanting to donate money to small, independent blogs. Ha!
Do you have any gaming resolutions for 2010? Leave a comment and let me know (please)! And happy new year to you!!!
Citing disappointment with Bionic Commando, Capcom president Haruhiro Tsujimoto said that he has reevaluated the role Western developers will play in the company’s games. At a recent Q&A session he said:
Our experience with Bionic Commando has demonstrated the difficulty of outsourcing the development of new title to overseas companies. We are considering ways to separate the roles of activities in Japan and overseas. We plan to develop new titles primarily in Japan. Overseas companies may be used mostly to develop titles for existing game series with well-established characters and universal themes. Overseas companies will also handle certain parts and/or lineups of such games.
Japan is a pretty xenophobic culture (though that’s changing somewhat with the younger generation) so I’m not at all surprised by these comments. Having said that, there are a number of Eastern-Western partnerships that have worked well. In Capcom’s case, Bionic Commando has become too important if it’s going to affect the company’s future development strategies. While I generally prefer games developed in Japan, I think it would be foolish not to explore true collaborative efforts that combine the best of both regions.
What do you think of Tsujimoto-san’s stance on Western developers?
