Tag: Videogames

This Week’s Videogame Releases

It’s a big week for Xbox 360 racing fans with the release of Forza Horizon, the latest installment in Microsoft’s venerable driving-game series. If shooting is more your bag then Medal of Honor: Warfighter should keep you happy. PlayStation Vita owners have a pair of new titles for great gaming on the go: Street Fighter X Tekken and Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz. Lastly, The Unfinished Swan is available for all PlayStation Network members this week. I really, really hope some of you guys and gals give this game a shot. It’s wonderfully different.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

Ecko Unlimited Batman Arkham City Threads Available Now!

Ecko Unlimited has unveiled its limited edition Batman Arkham City threads. The crown jewel of the collection is the full-zip Batman hoodie pictured above. In addition to Batman clothes, the line includes t-shirts that feature Joker, Penguin, Catwoman, and Harley Quinn. The t-shirts list for $19.50, while the hoodie runs for $149.50. The shirts are available on Amazon if you’d like to support this site. The thing to do, of course, is to wear the Batman hoodie and randomly spout, “I’m Batman!” in the style of How It Should Have Ended.

Any of you going to pick any Ecko Unlimited Batman threads?

Coffee Talk #527: Your Various Internet Communities

As I mentioned to RPadholic smartguy the other day, I’ve been thinking a lot about the various Internet communities I belong to and how they compare to Internet videogame communities. Obviously I can’t be objective about videogame communities, but for the most part I find them pretty excellent. There are a lot of nice people that love talking about games and I’ve read loads of informative posts by them (you guys and gals are the best of the bunch!). Of course there are trolls and nuisances and racial slurs thrown about, but in my experience that’s mostly the work of young and stupid gamers. I’m not excusing it, but I understand and will naively assume that they’ll grow out of it.

Using videogame communities as a measuring stick, here’s how the other communities I play in compare…

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, getting hyped for the start of the NBA season, Lance Armstrong getting stripped of his Tour de France titles, or Apple continuing to cut off Samsung as a parts supplier, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

As I mentioned to RPadholic smartguy the other day, I’ve been thinking a lot about the various Internet communities I belong to and how they compare to Internet videogame communities. Obviously I can’t be objective about videogame communities, but for the most part I find them pretty excellent. There are a lot of nice people that love talking about games and I’ve read loads of informative posts by them (you guys and gals are the best of the bunch!). Of course there are trolls and nuisances and racial slurs thrown about, but in my experience that’s mostly the work of young and stupid gamers. I’m not excusing it, but I understand and will naively assume that they’ll grow out of it.

Using videogame communities as a measuring stick, here’s how the other communities I play in compare. Naturally, I’d love to hear about the different communities you participate in and how they’re different from gaming nerds.

Tech: In general, the tech communities I play in are civil and informative. Commenters are mostly mature and I’ve learned a lot from them. AVS Forums is a particularly wonderful place that’s mostly free of stupidity. Tech conversations get exasperating when it comes to mobile phones. The Android vs. iOS discussions often devolve into Fandroids vs. iSheep arguments. It’s almost as bad as PS3 vs. Xbox 360 flame wars. Aside from that, the blogs and forums I read are mostly fun, interesting, and civil places.

Boxing: As much as I love boxing, I’ve come to the conclusion that many boxing fans are morons. Promoters, sanctioning bodies, and cable networks make it difficult to be a boxing fan. People that post in boxing forums, like Doghouse Boxing, almost make me want to stop watching the sport. The thing is, boxing isn’t that popular and there aren’t many places to discuss the sport in detail. Doghouse Boxing has some great posters, but it also has an alarming number of idiots that spout all kinds of slurs, can’t string together intelligent sentences, and don’t know how to carry a civil conversation. Too many of the threads there devolve into flame wars between Floyd Mayweather, Jr. fans (FloMos) and Manny Pacquiao supporters (Pactards). These discussions are worse than any PS3 vs. Xbox 360 flame war I’ve seen.

Vaping: I’m really enamored with the vaping community at the moment. The crowd at E-Cigaratte Forum is really knowledgeable and supportive. With vaping tech moving at a rapid pace, it’s great to have lots of people that are familiar the various parts and mods. Since everyone that posts is a former cigarette addict, the environment is really encouraging, especially to newcomers. It’s all about helping people find the right gear and juices that will help them quit tobacco smoking forever. I’m going to write more about this in a future Vaping Diary.

Now it’s your turn! When you have a chance, please tell me about the different Internet communities you participate in and how they compare to videogame communities.

Halo 4, CraigsList, and Piracy-For-Profit

The full version of Halo 4 has leaked and opportunistic people are selling Xbox 360s — with the game preloaded — on CraigsList. Kotaku’s Evan Narcisse did some honest-to-goodness (and high-quality) journalism on the matter. He interviewed some of the sellers and found a wide variety of justifications. None of them were very good. Disappointingly, though not surprisingly, these sellers will surely find customers.

Let’s be honest. I’m sure that most of us have pirated a song or a movie at some point. While it’s a bad practice, one of the common justifications cited is that pirating a movie/song doesn’t necessarily mean a sales loss for the publisher. In this case, Microsoft is definitely losing sales. People that spend a lot of money to buy pirated copies of Halo 4 almost definitely would have purchased the game legitimately.

Piracy-for-profit is just bad news. If it becomes more rampant (and I think it will) then companies — big and small — will tighten their belts. While some pirates justify taking advantage of large corporations like Activision and Microsoft, the people making “normal” wages at these companies will be the first to suffer. If people sell pirated versions of games developed and published by medium- and small-sized companies, the ramifications are even scarier.

That’s my take on it anyway. What do you think of the Halo 4 piracy-for-profit deal? Will this develop into a bigger issue for several companies? Or do you think it’s no biggies? Definitely check out Evan’s article when you have a chance. It’s one of the best pieces of videogame reporting I’ve read all year.

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What Are You Playing This Weekend?

It’s all about The Unfinished Swan for PlayStation 3 for me. The game launched for PlayStation Plus members earlier this week and is available for everyone next week. I’m thrilled that critics and fans alike are digging this one so far. Right now I’d say it’s my second-favorite game of the year next to Final Fantasy: Dimensions. The good/bad news is that I started the game on an old work account without realizing it. Starting over again on my personal account is like getting the gift of The Unfinished Swan all over again. Ha!

Aside from that, I’m working on a few personal vaporizer reviews. Since I was never a fan of smoking inside my apartment, PVs allow me to game and vape all I want. Bonus! On a side note, there’s a vendor that crafts a hand-made e-juice called Hadouken. I’m going to have to buy some on principle.

This Week’s Videogame Releases

It’s a pretty solid week for new games. Leading the way is Doom III BFG, edition. If you don’t know much about this rerelease then be sure to watch Justin’s interview above. James Bond fans will want to get ready for the upcoming Skyfall with 007 Legends. Any Vita owners out there looking for Halloween frights? If so then Silent Hill: Book of Memories will scare you good. Looking for a quirky Japanese RPG with a distinct art style? Mugen Souls is just what the doctor ordered. Lastly, if you’re a PlayStation Plus member then be sure to take advantage of early access to The Unfinished Swan. It’s such a beautiful and unique game.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

This weekend I’ll be focusing on The Unfinished Swan for PlayStation 3. I’ve been super-high on this game since E3 2012. It’s so wonderfully creative and different…at least in the brief portions I’ve played. Hopefully the game is everything I imagine it to be. I can’t wait to find out! Aside from that, I’ll be playing more Outernauts. I’m done with all the available missions, so it’s all about finding rare monsters, training my new critters, and questing for special armor. There’s this set of pirate armor that I’m hoping to complete this weekend. Yargh.

How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?

Coffee Talk #524: Old School Cool vs. Outdated

I’ve been anxious to see how XCOM: Enemy Unkown would be received. Although it features modern graphics and sound, it very much plays like an old-school PC game. I fell for the game earlier in the year and was sure that it would score high with critics (it did), but I wasn’t and am still not sure if “real” people would dig it. Would the old-school gameplay feel refreshing in 2012? Or will gamers think that it’s outdated?

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 joys of benching A-Rod, naked Lady Gaga, or Verve’s El Salvador La Montana, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I’ve been anxious to see how XCOM: Enemy Unkown would be received. Although it features modern graphics and sound, it very much plays like an old-school PC game. I fell for the game earlier in the year and was sure that it would score high with critics (it did), but I wasn’t sure if “real” people would dig it. Would the old-school gameplay feel refreshing in 2012? Or will gamers think that it’s outdated?

From scouring various message boards, players have been loving the game so far. Yes, people that post on web sites and forums are only a percentage of the number of people that buy games, but it’s as good a barometer as any. And yes, just because a vocal minority have been raving about the game doesn’t mean that it will be a mass success. Still, I’m super-happy to see that the game has been well-received so far. In a world of sequels and balls-and-guns games, it’s great to see a title with old-school sensibilities doing well.

If you’ve checked out the game or videos of the game, please let me know what you think of XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Are there any old-school series or genres that you’d like to see with a modern twist? Have you recently played a game that was old-school cool or one that was outdated? Please leave a comment and let me know!

Microsoft Tightens Rules For Gameplay Video Posting

[Update: 9:01AM PT] Have you amassed a large YouTube following and earned some sweet ad dollars by posting clips of your dazzling Halo runs? If so then prepare to have your revenue stream shut off because it seems that Microsoft isn’t down with having people profit from posting clips of its games. Digital Trends has found a clause in the company’s updated “game content usage rules” that restricts gamers from earning money from posting videos of Microsoft games. Check it out:

Microsoft grants you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use and display Game Content and to create derivative works based upon Game Content, strictly for your noncommercial and personal use.

While this doesn’t stop people from creating and posting well-edited and clever videos of Microsoft games, it does prevent them from making money on such clips. It’s a curious move. Certainly there will be some outspoken gamers — particularly in the large Halo community — that will scream at the large corporation “mistreating” its fans. Microsoft also gets free marketing from people that put together slick clips of its games. While I understand that the company wants to control and protect its properties, this seems like a bad move on several levels.

What do you think of Microsoft’s new restrictions on gameplay videos?

Update: Here’ s part of a post from the Halo forums that clarifies the new rules. According to a company rep, nothing has really changed:

The majority of everything the community makes currently is fine, as long as they are not basically running a big Halo-based business or using Halo as if the IP was its own property. That actually isn’t a change to our policy, simply a clarification and update of the dry legal language, and as we’ve mentioned, even that “new” language was actually updated months ago. We don’t have squads of lawyers waiting in the wings to go after folks making machinima, or showing off their skills in Halo. Basically it’s business as usual.

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PETA vs. Pokemon: The Idiocy Continues

Remember last year when PETA went after Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. franchise, pointing out the “animal cruelty” involved with Mario’s Tanooki suit? The idiocy continues with PETA going after Nintendo’s popular Pokemon franchise in a parody game called Pokemon Black and Blue. Here’s an excerpt from the game page:

The amount of time that Pokémon spend stuffed in pokéballs is akin to how elephants are chained up in train carts, waiting to be let out to “perform” in circuses. But the difference between real life and this fictional world full of organized animal fighting is that Pokémon games paint rosy pictures of things that are actually horrible.

What’s up with PETA’s hate for Nintendo? Out of all the game publishers in the world, Nintendo is one of the most family-friendly. Furthermore, PETA’s premise is stupid. The Pokemon games are about cooperation and they encourage players to take care of their animal companions. As far as videogames go, they’re pretty innocent. The series has sold hundreds of millions of copies and it hasn’t resulted in hundreds of millions of animal abusers. I’m all for treating animals with care, but PETA’s campaigns against Nintendo are amazingly misguided. It’s hard to respect an organization that does so many stupid things.

What do you think of PETA’s stance against Pokemon? Does the organization have a legitimate point? Do you think there’s a high-ranking PETA official that sucked at Nintendo games as a kid and is trying to get revenge through these moronic campaigns?

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