Tag: Videogames

Capcom Will Leave Sequels to the Round Eyes

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?

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Coffee Talk #55: Your Favorite Gambling Minigames

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, what the hell happened to the Minnesota Vikings, WWE hyping Bret Hart’s return to Raw, or the best things to do with leftover turkey, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

By the time you read this, I’ll be on my way to Atlantic City with my family. I’m Asian, ergo gambling is in my blood. I actually spent the better part of 2001 earning money in blackjack and video poker. Although I don’t gamble as much as I used to (in casinos, life is another matter), I’ve always loved gambling and card-based minis in videogames.

Out of all the minigame distractions I’ve enjoyed over the years, my favorite would have to be Triple Triad in Final Fantasy VIII. It’s a fun card game that was great for a distraction from the RPG grind and actually had an impact on gameplay. Its simple and addictive nature proved to be so popular that several fans created downloadable versions of the game. While it’s not as exhilarating as going on a hot card-counting run at Binion’s Horseshoe, it doesn’t require a bankroll and you won’t lose money on a bad run.

What are some of your favorite gambling or card-based minigames? Let me know and I’ll try to reply from the road on my BlackBerry!

Photo Blast From the Past: Babbage’s


I fondly remember shopping for Infocom games at Babbage’s and Software Etc. when I was a kid. These days, GameStop is the only major videogame specialty retailer that operates nationally. I wasn’t aware that GameStop still used the Babbage’s name, so I was a little shocked when I saw this old brand in a relatively new mall. Naturally, I had to snap a photo.

What Are You Playing Over Holiday Break?

Those of us that are lucky enough to have some vacation time during Christmas and New Year’s have an excellent opportunity to catch up on gaming. Whether you’re locking yourself in your “man cave” with your consoles or catching up on PSP or DS titles while visiting friends and family, it’s game time!

As for me, I’m away from my consoles, but that’s cool because I wanted to catch up on Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days for Nintendo DS and Ghosts Attack for iPhone. I’m totally geeked out that Ghosts Attack will generate one set of maps based on the GPS location of my parents’ house and another based on my apartment’s coordinates. As expected, I played a lot of Civilization Revolution on the airplane…and probably spent another eight hours playing since I’ve been here. Assuming I can stop myself from playing Civ, I wanted to give the iPhone version Song Summoner a shot.

How about you guys and dolls? What are you playing until it’s time to go back to the grind?

Dragon Age Comic Book Coming in March 2010 From IDW

IDW has released details on its upcoming Dragon Age comic book coming in March 2010. The book features writing by renowned homophobe Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston, art by Mark Robinson, and covers by the outstanding Humberto Ramos. Here are more details from IDW:

In a time lost to history, a war ravaged the land. Mages, incredibly powerful wielders of magic, ruled the world through mastery of dark arts and forbidden spells. Their lust for power almost destroyed all existence, and unleashed an unholy pestilence, the Darkspawn, to plague mankind, trolls, faeries, and all the inhabitants of the realm. Now magic is carefully controlled, taught behind the sacred walls of the Circle of Magi, and monitored by the ever-vigilant Templars. It is in this arena that a new generation of Mages in training will arise, warriors of sorcery who will defy the rules of the Templars and change the course of the world forever.

I’m not expecting much from this book, but I might give it a shot because I’m such a Dragon Age: Origins junkie. In fact, I’m bringing the first DA novel with me for holiday break. If I can’t play Dragon Age while I’m on vacation then I might as well read about its world, right?

Any of you planning to pick up the Dragon Age comic book in March?

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Coffee Talk #53: All I Want for Christmas is…

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, Javier Vazquez returning to the NY Yankees, the taxation of indoor tanning salons, or your holiday plans, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Unless you’re excessively rich, chances are that you didn’t buy every game you wanted in 2009. (If you are excessively rich see the donation button in the right sidebar.) Games are expensive. The economy blows. There were a lot of fantastic games released in 2009. Something must have slipped through the cracks. What’s the one 2009 release you wish you had?

For me, that’s easy — The Beatles: Rock Band. I love The Beatles and I enjoy music games. As a (mediocre) guitar player, I think it’s awesome that the game has controllers shaped like classic Gretsch and Rickenbacker guitars. The visuals are way better than those found in any other music game. Unfortunately, it came out while I was flying all over Asia and when I got back, I couldn’t really afford it. That said, if I could have one game for Christmas, this would be it.

That’s just wishful and needless thinking though. I have plenty of excellent games to play and I have a bunch of video equipment that I’d like to get for the site. I’ll get The Beatles: Rock Band when it’s marked down — no rush.

Now for the important part. If you could have one game for a holiday gift, what would it be?

Super Street Fighter IV and Lost Planet 2 Delayed

Capcom has delayed the release of Super Street Fighter IV, Lost Planet 2, and Monster Hunter 3 (Europe and North America) for financial considerations. The games were set to be released in the company’s fiscal fourth quarter, which ends on March 31, 2010. Instead, the games will be released during its next fiscal year to spread out earnings, which is great for shareholders but sucky for gamers.

Idealistically, I hope the additional time allows for more polish and features to creep in. From a financial standpoint, the move makes total sense. I’m actually surprised the industry didn’t see more release manipulation in 2009 considering that the entire world knew that the economy was dire and wasn’t getting better any time soon.

I’m a little bummed that Super Street Fighter IV won’t be available to me in March, but something tells me that I’ll have my hands full with a little game from Square Enix. Any of you disappointed by the delays?

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Unreal Engine for iPhone is Huge for the Future of Mobile Gaming

AnandTech’s Anand Lal Shimpi (who the hell names a site after himself…oh wait…never mind) was visited by Epic Games vice president Mark Rein and received a demo of Unreal Engine running for iPhone. Lal Shimpi wrote:

I got together with Mark Rein last week and he showed me an Unreal Engine 3 tech demo running on a 3rd generation iPod Touch. The same Unreal Engine 3 that powers Gears of War 2, running on an iPod Touch. The engine also works on the iPhone 3GS, and Mark tells me that we’ll see it on another mobile platform at CES (hmm…).

Obviously this is huge for the iPhone and iPod Touch platforms. Unreal Engine is the most popular in the business and Epic’s relationships — both with developers and publishers — are far reaching. Ultimately, I expect better looking games coming from numerous Unreal Engine licensees — companies that most enthusiast gamers are familiar with, as opposed to newcomers like ngmoco. Core gamers that are also iPhone and iPod Touch users (like many of you guys) are more likely to buy a game from a developer or publisher they know rather than a new company. Better looking games from the traditional players? I’m down! And I’m sure many of you will be too.

But wait, there’s more! Lal Shimpi also pointed out:

This isn’t a platform specific thing, it’s about bringing Unreal Engine 3 to the entire portable market.

Of course it is. Mobile processors like the Nvidia Tegra and Qualcomm Snapdragon are taking portable power to new heights. With great power comes great responsibility fantastic potential for mobile gaming. The next generation of mobile gaming devices will continue to push the envelope. Sony’s PlayStation Portable took portable graphics to a new level, but I don’t think it will be alone in the next generation. With Nintendo’s next handheld rumored to be Tegra powered, expect better looking mobile games on several platform.

Whether you’re talking about the next generation Nintendo handhelds and Sony PlayStation Portables or multifunction devices like the iPhone or Zune, mobile gaming is poised for a giant step. Naturally, to make great games you need great tools. This is where Unreal Engine comes in. For hundreds of developers, Unreal Engine is familiar and powerful. Having it work on mobile platforms like the iPhone is tremendous.

Then there’s Mark Rein’s involvement. The dude knows how to build relationships and sell his company’s engine. He’s so convincing that he once sold me time in a tanning salon. Okay, that’s not true, but I’m pretty sure he could do it.

Microsoft Launches Music Games Store on Xbox Live

Major Nelson has announced that Microsoft has launched a “music store” section of Xbox Live. The marketing guy wrote:

Later today when you sign in to Xbox Live, watch for the brand new Games Music Marketplace. Look for specific Music stores for games like Rock Band, Guitar Hero and Lips.

I love this idea. There are a ton of songs for music games and anything that makes them easier to find is a fine addition. Of course this means that it will be easier for me to drop money on DLC songs too. Crap.

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Behind the Scenes Videos of Atlus’ Trauma Team for Wii

Here are two excellent videos that will give you a behind-the-scenes look at the voice-over sessions for Atlus’ Trauma Team. The first video introduces you to the voice actors in the game, while the second clip takes you inside the VO sessions at PCB Productions. If you were ever curious about the inner workings of videogame voice acting then you definitely want to check these videos out!