I’d love to be playing Sleeping Dogs this weekend, but I’m in New York for the next seven days. Sleeping Dogs will be a nice treat to return home to, but for now my numerous iPad games and Outernauts will have to satisfy my videogame cravings. Outernauts is so good! I’m completely addicted to Insomniac’s social game. The Pokemon-like gameplay makes it different from and gives it more depth than other energy-based games on Facebook. I’m always in the need of more Outernauts friends, so I hope that some of you will play with me.
You’ve seen the video of the Dead or Alive 5 gals fighting it out in bikinis. Now here are big screens of Ayane, Christie, Hitomi, Kasumi, Kokoro, Lei Fang, and Tina in their swimsuits! You’ll be able to battle with these bikini-clad ladies pictured below if you buy the GameStop exclusive collector’s edition of the game. Of course this is the perfect time for a poll. Kindly check out the DoA5 swimsuit gallery below and vote for the warrior princess you think looks best in swimwear.
There’s not a whole lot happening on the retail front. Persona 4 Arena hits this week…and that’s about it. The downloadable space is way more interesting. Sound Shapes will be released this week for the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 3 through PSN. I’ve been high on this game since E3 2011 and I can’t wait to play it. I’m a big fan of 5th Cell’s games (Scribblenauts, Run Roo Run) and the company has the Xbox Live Summer of Arcade game this week with Hybrid. August is traditionally dry month for retail videogame release. Thankfully there are two sweet downloadable games coming out this week to keep you and your consoles happy.
Here’s the video for “Knocc ‘Em Down” by Snoop Dogg (Lion), a song featured in Tekken Tag Tournament 2. The video features a reincarnated Bob Marley, Adrianne Curry, FilthieRich, Mark Man, Justin Wong, and more. There are supposed to be hints that point to Snoop Dogg’s transformation into Snoop Lion throughout the clip (and he does proclaim him self Snoop Lion at the end of the video), but I didn’t see them since I’m still coming to terms with the concept of a reincarnated Bob Marley. Will he go on tour with Hologram Tupac?!?
Anyway, check out the Tekken-tastic video when you have a chance and let me know what you think (please).
Bethesda has announced the voice cast for Dishonored. Talent includes Lena Headey, Carrie Fischer, Michael Madsen, and more. The game impressed at E3 2012 and the star-studded voice cast makes it all the more impressive. Check out the awesome lineup:
Lena Headey
Carrie Fisher
Susan Sarandon
Michael Madsen
Chloë Grace Moretz
Brad Dourif
John Slattery
Here’s an excerpt from the press release:
Susan Sarandon, an Academy Award winner and five-time nominee, will make her videogame debut as the former aristocrat, Granny Rags – an intriguing old blind woman now deranged after years of street life. Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe-winner Brad Dourif takes on the role of the inventor Piero, creator of the iconic mask worn by Corvo as well as a wealth of gadgets Corvo can use. Emmy winner and Hollywood-icon Carrie Fisher can be heard broadcasting government propaganda over loudspeakers throughout the city of Dunwall, where the game is set.
The all-star cast continues with John Slattery (“Mad Men,” “The Adjustment Bureau”) who takes on the role of Admiral Havelock, a Loyalist who helps Corvo on his quest, as well as Michael Madsen who brings his videogame voiceover experience to the role of Daud, a mysterious assassin. Chloë Grace Moretz (“Kick-Ass,” “Hugo”) portrays Young Lady Emily, the Empress’ daughter who is kidnapped after her mother’s death while Lena Headey joins the cast as Calista, Emily’s caretaker. In addition to the star-studded voice cast, Composer Daniel Licht (“Dexter”) lends his musical talents to create the game’s original score.
It’s awesome that Cersei Lannister, Princess Leia, and Hit Girl are all in the same game.
Chousoku Henkei Gyrozetter is a recently released Square Enix arcade game. Developed by Rocket Studio, it’s a blend of racing and turn-based RPG combat featuring transforming cars and Unreal Engine 3 graphics. Square Enix has plans to take the game out of arcades and possibly to Western markets. Andriasangtranslated some GameBusiness.jp information and reported that a 3DS installment is coming in Spring 2013, with possible home-console versions on the way.
In Japan, Chousoku Henkei Gyrozetter is a pretty big deal. The Gyrozetter franchise has a tradable-card game, an anime series, and manga.
This is the Transformers game I’ve always dreamed about, but never thought would happen. I love transforming vehicles! I love turn-based RPGs! Ergo, I would love an English version of Chousoku Henkei Gyrozetter. Hopefully the Western name ends up being Mega Transforming Auto Giant Battle or something.
Would any of you play a turn-based RPG/racing game featuring transforming cars?
I would kill for Google Fiber. Maybe not kill…but I’d punch someone really hard to get it. Part of it is the 1Gb/second Internet speeds, not having to worry about data caps, the 1TB of Google Drive storage, and the included Nexus 7 that serves as a remote control. The thought of downloading a 1080p movie in five minutes or less sounds…amazing. Google Fiber is the stuff nerd dreams are made of.
Another reason I dream about Google Fiber is the lovely thought of being able to give cable and telephone companies a big FU. I’m tired of…
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, NBC getting heat for its coverage of the 2012 Olympics, Amish people giving it a go in Manhattan, or overdosing at a churrascaria, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
I would kill for Google Fiber. Maybe not kill…but I’d punch someone really hard to get it. Part of it is the 1Gb/second Internet speeds, not having to worry about data caps, the 1TB of Google Drive storage, and the included Nexus 7 that serves as a remote control. The thought of downloading a 1080p movie in five minutes or less sounds…amazing. Google Fiber is the stuff nerd dreams are made of.
Another reason I dream about Google Fiber is the lovely thought of being able to give cable and telephone companies a big FU. I’m tired of the Internet duopoly held by AT&T and Time Warner Cable in my part of Los Angeles. I hate that my two choices for Internet service are “mediocre” and “worse”. I hate that my apartment building only has one (woefully overpriced) choice for television. There are times when I wish that Time Warner Cable were a person so that I could him in the face.
Right now, Google Fiber is only available in Kansas City, KS and Kansas City, MO (I have no idea which one has the baseball team). I can’t imagine living in either city and I sincerely doubt that Google Fiber is coming to Los Angeles (or any large city) in the immediate future. It’s great the Google is showing people what Internet service could be like, but I don’t see this happening in big cities any time soon. I’m sure I’ll spend several nights over the next year or two dreaming that I’m wrong.
What do you think of Google Fiber? Is it the kind of Internet and television service you dream of? What would you do with that godly amount of bandwidth? Would Google Fiber significantly change your gaming habits? Share your Google Fiber dreams in the comments section (please)!
A stupid vendor sent me the wrong part, so my broken television is still broken. Thankfully, Insomniac’s Outernauts is here to save my weekend! This Facebook game is like a sci-fi Pokemon. Insomniac + Pokemon gameplay = Bliss. My Google Nexus 7 is still getting lots of play. The excellent Jazz: Trump’s Journey is on sale for 99 cents (sale ends today!) and the Nexus 7’s Tegra 3 processor handles it with aplomb. If you’re not familiar with the game, it’s a platformer loosely based on the life of Louis Armstrong — you know, that part of his life spent running, jumping, collecting things, and stopping time with his trumpet. Between Outernauts and Jazz, I’ll be a happy gamer this weekend.
Set to take place from August 3-4, 2013 in San Francisco is GaymerCon. The show is open to gamers of all genders, races, and sexual identities, but will obviously focus on the LGBT videogame community. To help make the event the best it can be, the organizers have put together a Kickstarter pitch. Check out an excerpt from the pitch and the (funny) video below.
We are creating a convention where all types of geeks can come together, meet others like them, and have a blast without having to worry about what their peers think of them or being discriminated against.. We will have exhibitor space, cosplay, guest speakers, live music, panel discussions on topics that are directly relevant to our interests, gaming industry professionals who support including queer content in their products, social events, and of course…GAMING!
We want to be clear this isn’t just for gay white dudes either. We want all genders, races, and sexual identities including our straight friends and allies to come together and have a gay, geeky good time. We believe very strongly that creating a space like this is not only important for building a strong community, but also showing new generations of gaymers that there are others like them out there, they are not alone, and there is a welcoming place for them, not just at GaymerCon, but as part of the larger gaming community.
GaymerCon 2013 will take place whether the organizers make their Kickstarter goal or not. I love that this show is happening and will make a pledge in the near future. I hope some of you do too. If you’ve ever played games online then you know that there are many homophobic and bigoted gamers out there. It’s awesome that gay gamers will have an expo that aims to be a “more tolerant and safer space in gaming”.
NBA player Baron Davis has started a company called 5 Balloons Interactive. The company’s first game, Getting Buckets, is available for iOS. It’s a Temple Run-style game that has you literally collecting buckets. The twist is that it stars basketball players Baron Davis, Steve Nash, Rajon Rondo, Brandon Jennings, and Candace Parker.
As for 5 Balloons Interactive, the company site says that it, “was created in 2012 to offer celebrity talent meaningful opportunities to extend their brands into the digital space through engaging and entertaining gaming applications.” The initial focus will be on mobile games.
Athletes forming videogame companies isn’t a new thing. Baseball player Curt Schilling started 38 Studios, which was off to a promising start before it hit numerous financial problems. Perhaps jumping into the big-money and ultra-competitive world of console games wasn’t the best idea for 38 Studios. Perhaps Davis is taking the smarter approach by going with mobile games; it’s the hottest segment of gaming at the moment and the costs aren’t as high.
Do you think Baron Davis will be successful with 5 Balloons Interactive? Any of you interested in Getting Buckets?
