Gas Powered Games founder and lead designer Chris Taylor — the funniest man in game development — gives an excellent walkthrough of his upcoming game, Supreme Commander 2
I’ve been chatting with Chris lately and I will have a full interview with this handsome man soon. In the meantime, let me know what you think of this walkthrough video.
Atlus has released the launch trailer for 3D Dot Game Heroes
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 continuation of Showtime’s “Super Six” super-middleweight tournament, bisexual elf assassins, or the rise of Kofi Kingston, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
On Tuesday, I wrote about a recent CNet UK poll that showed some nasty numbers on the Xbox 360’s failure rate. I found your comments on the article interesting. My experience with console failures is limited to my Xbox 360 Elite. Every other console I’ve had has worked fine until it was retired for a next-gen system. Sure, I’ve had to blow on my fair share of cartridges (did that really do anything?), but I haven’t had a gaming system die on me until my Elite.
[poll id=”10″]
I was surprise by how many of you had multiple console failures. Nightshade386’s comment was particularly alarming — dude had seven consoles die on him! Either he’s one of the unluckiest gamers in America or he’s really Magneto. While my experience of one dead console might be unusual, his situation is on the other end of the spectrum…or so I think.
Today I’d like to know how many consoles have died on you. Leave the number in today’s poll and elaborate in the comments section. I’m curious to learn which systems failed you. While today’s consoles are more advanced than ever, they also seem to be far more fragile. Maybe it’s because the parts they’re using are so complex and delicate. Or maybe they don’t make ’em like they used to. Either way, I can’t wait to see your comments today!
Taking a page from Tiffany’s book, Nintendo is set to embark on a nationwide tour of shopping malls across America. Its Nintendo Holiday Mall Experience hopes to entice shoppers with the latest DS and Wii goods from November 23 to December 20. The official press release stated:
The Nintendo Holiday Mall Experience will touch down in 35 shopping malls from coast to coast, offering free hands-on demos of some of Nintendo’s hottest games. Whether they’re seeking gifts for friends and family members or simply taking a break from the season’s hustle and bustle, attendees can enjoy an interactive glimpse into the rich variety of entertainment offered by Nintendo.
Yeah…because Nintendo needs help selling more hardware. Ha! I’m going to try to check out the one in Culver City, but if the tour is hitting a mall near you, I’d love to see your pictures. You can see the entire list of malls and cities below the fold.
Continue reading “Nintendo to Go on a Holiday Shopping Mall Tour”
Final Fantasy XIII fever is set to run wild on Japan next month( Hulk Hogan says things run wild “on” and not “in”). Along with the game, its special edition soundtrack, and limited edition Suntory beverage, FFXIII will have a book based on its prologue. Andriasang has reported:
Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero Promise serves as a prologue to the events of the main FFXIII game. For the past month, Square Enix has been gradually releasing chapters from the novel at the FFXIII official site. The official site is currently up to the fourth chapter of the third volume. Just three more chapters remain.
The print version of the book is hardcover and sells for ¥1,470 at Amazon. Pre-orders are now being accepted at the retailer.
I’m often jealous of all the excellent goodies available to Japanese gamers. This is another instance of my jealousy.
Spike TV has revealed the nominees for its 2009 Video Game Awards (VGAs). The list is pretty solid, but there are some notable omissions. MLB 09: The Show and Dragon Age: Origins got the shaft. I don’t see how you can leave Final Fantasy XIII off of the “most anticipated” games list.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the list! Are there any games that you think were overlooked by Spike TV? Anything overrated? What do you think of the VGAs having 25 categories? Too much?
And the nominees are…
Game of the Year
Assassin’s Creed 2
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Left 4 Dead 2
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Studio of the Year
Infinity Ward
Naughty Dog
Rocksteady Studios
Valve
Continue reading “Spike TV 2009 Video Game Awards Nominees Revealed!”
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, Brock Lesnar’s strange and severe sickness, preparing for the impending (awful) Twilight madness, or the DC Universe’s Blackest Night, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Blackouts scare me. The thought of not being able to play on my consoles or use my PC for an extended and unknown period of time is just…chilling. Sure, it’s more than a bit ridiculous, but I totally admit it. Technology — powered by electricity, of course — is a huge part of how I keep myself entertained. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself during an extended power outage.
Fortunately, that’s not really a problem, since I live in a major city in a first-world country. That said, I started thinking about what I would do if such a catastrophe struck (yes, I’m exaggerating). Would I bust out a board game? Would I enjoy an extended round of bedroom activities? Or would I geek it up in another way?
If a blackout struck today, I think I’d read some nerd books. I haven’t really started R.A. Salvatore’s The Ghost King
How about you? What would you do if you couldn’t touch your consoles, play on the Internet, or “chat” with your fellow RPadholics for 24 hours? How would you spend your time if you didn’t have electricity for 24 hours? (And for the sake of the game, please don’t list playing on your fully charged PSP, Nintendo DS, or iPhone. Ha!)
Stacey Higginbotham (no relation to Michael Hickenbottom) wrote an interesting article for GigaOm about the end of all-you-can-eat broadband access. Most Internet providers are working towards tiered plans with set bandwidth caps. Cable companies are being the most aggressive with these practices, since Internet video cuts into their television offerings. Sadly, it looks like “unlimited” Internet will be going the way of the dodo.
The article got me thinking about cloud-based gaming-services like OnLive, Gaikai, and whatever Ken Kutaragi is cooking up. While some of you are fixated on the pricing structure these services will offer (stares at Smartguy), I think that’s a pretty minor problem. Sure, a small and vocal percentage of customers will argue that digital downloads should be much cheaper than retail games and be disappointed when they’re not. Some will complain about not being able to resell games. The majority of consumers will just pay the set price and live with it (see the Xbox 360 wireless adapter, for example).
Getting back to the death of unlimited Internet, I’ve said time and time again that Internet services providers are the biggest obstacles to cloud gaming in America. How can you stream Blu-ray quality graphics when you have a Comcastic bandwidth cap of 250GB? How can you play hours and hours of online games every day with a limited amount of Internet access? The answer is that you can do all these things…but you’ll have to pay a premium price for Internet service. You’ll have to pay for the top speeds and the largest caps, which will surely cost more than whatever you’re paying now and can eliminate some of the inherent “cheapness” cloud gaming has to offer.
I’m all for cloud gaming. I am of the opinion that optical discs and plastic boxes are stupid. I’d gladly trade the stacks and stacks of games that I have for files in a digital locker. The problem is that ISPs are going to make it difficult for me to get to my locker.
BioWare has always done a good job at integrating romantic storylines in its RPGs. I fondly remember playing through Baldur’s Gate II, once courting the cute and innocent Aerie and once bedding the evil and sexy drow Viconia. Both romances added a bunch of unique dialogue to the game, giving each play through a unique feel.
Dragon Age: Origins
I wanted to see which Dragon Age romance was your favorite and why. Answer in the poll and leave your reasons in the comments (please)!
[poll id=”9″]
The America’s Army
30 percent of all Americans age 16 to 24 had a more positive impression of the Army because of the game and, even more amazingly, the game had more impact on recruits than all other forms of Army advertising combined.
I’m just greatly amused that the Army stole The Last Starfighter’s gimmick and turned it into a highly effective recruiting tool.
Is anyone else surprised by the M.I.T. findings? Are young people so impressionable that a game can lead them to a major lifestyle choice?
Source via Game Politics
