Tag: Videogames

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

In addition to my usual batch of iPad games, I plan on playing some Quarrel for Xbox Live this weekend. Do you know why I’m going to play Quarrel? Because it’s going to be the game for next week’s RPad.TV Invitational tournament! Quarrel Deluxe was one of my favorite iPad games in 2011. The one thing it was missing was a multiplayer mode. The Xbox Live version takes care of that and I’m hoping that several of you will play Quarrel with me next week.

How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist? Also, which day works best for some Quarrel skirmishes next week?

Sony Online Entertainment Rebrands Fan Faire as SOE Live

Sony Online Entertainment has rebranded its annual fan event; gone is the old SOE Fan Faire moniker, to make way for SOE Live! This year’s event will take place from October 18 to October 21 at Bally’s in Las Vegas. Why the name change? Here’s a clip from the press release that explains…

Sony Online Entertainment has rebranded its annual fan event; gone is the old SOE Fan Faire moniker, to make way for SOE Live! This year’s event will take place from October  18 to October 21 at Bally’s in Las Vegas. Why the name change? Here’s a clip from the press release that explains it all.

“The ‘SOE Live’ name change represents a deeper meaning behind our annual event,” said Laura Naviaux, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Sony Online Entertainment. “As our game portfolio continues to expand, we wanted to better represent our diverse player base and games, including the newest additions to the SOE family, with DC Universe Online, Free Realms, Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures, and the highly anticipated PlanetSide 2. Previous event attendees can rest assured that we are not removing any of our established activities in order to accommodate the new players; rather, they can expect even more to make this the ultimate SOE fan experience.”

SOE Live reflects the belief that all SOE players are part of one extended family and presents an opportunity for fans of all ages to meet the talented people behind some of the online world’s most successful games. In addition to a slew of social events, SOE will host developer panel discussions and game-themed live events, giving attendees a chance to voice their opinions of current and upcoming game content. SOE Live will also feature exclusive access to new announcements and beta programs, tournaments, premium swag and more.

That last paragraph kills me. I’m half-expecting SOE to adopt Black Eyed Peas “One Tribe” as the official song of SOE Live. One people!!!

Seriously though, I’m excited for SOE Live. It’s an event about games in Las Vegas. I’m totally down. Any of you interested in attending SOE Live?

Coffee Talk #464: Aziz Ansari, Kickstarter, Creativity, and You

Publishing content is getting awesomely cool. I’m sure that all of you have heard about the millions of dollars Double Fine and InXile Entertainment have raised to develop their games. Recently, Aziz Ansari has followed the steps of Louis CK and Jim Gaffigan by releasing a direct-to-Internet…

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 Situation’s prescription-drug problem, T-T-T-Tebow and the Jets, or wishing RPadholic Thundercracker a belated happy birthday, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Publishing content is getting awesomely cool. I’m sure that all of you have heard about the millions of dollars Double Fine and InXile Entertainment have raised to develop their games. Recently, Aziz Ansari has followed the steps of Louis CK and Jim Gaffigan by releasing a direct-to-Internet comedy special for $5. I love that creatives are using modern methods to find new ways to release content. This has been tried in the past (remember Public Enemy and Sellaband.com?), but new Internet services have made it more feasible.

Giving content creators more freedom is fantastic. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying that publishers are evil. In many cases, publishers can help creators succeed by reigning them in and marketing them well. However, in some cases, publishers can get in the way and stifle creativity. I love that services like Kickstarter and the ease of selling video content on the Internet  are giving creators more freedom and consumers new ways to enjoy their favorite artists. As someone that generally has problems with authority, I love that it takes power away from “The Man” (bonus!). This is, quite possibly, the start of a massive change in how content is created and consumed; it’s exciting and new (like Love Boat).

Are you as excited by modern methods of self-publishing as I am? Do you think that services like Kickstarter will lead to more self-published games and developer empowerment? Are you digging the crazy possibilities that can be had by giving creatives more freedom? Or do not care how your content as published, so long as you can get it? Kindly discuss in the comments section and let me know!

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

It looks like it’s going to be another Final Fantasy weekend. I’m at the very end of both FF games I’m playing. In Final Fantasy Tactics for iPad, I’m at the point just before the last round of battles. Naturally, I’m spending my time leveling up characters, poaching for rare items, and enjoying the awesome “secret” characters (Balthier, Cloud, and Luso). Similarly, I’m at the end of Final Fantasy XIII-2, but I have no desire to end my adventure just yet. Instead, I’m wandering the lands for items to upgrade my monsters. The Pokemon-like aspect of the game is so much fun for me! Gotta catch (and upgrade) ’em all!!!

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

Final Fantasy XIII-2 DLC Brings Mass Effect Armor, FFVI

An upcoming batch of DLC for Final Fantasy XIII-2 adds all sorts of crossover elements, ranging from Final Fantasy VI villains to Mass Effect armor. On the FFVI side, villains Typhon and Ultros will be available to tackle in the coliseum. On the BioWare side, protagonists Noel and Serah will be able to don Mass Effect Commander Shepard’s N7 armor.

Fans of the classic FFVI will love the inclusion of classic baddies, while fans of modern sci-fi RPGs will dig the Mass Effect crossover. I’m surprised and pleased that Square Enix is working with different publishers to broaden Final Fantasy XIII-2’s appeal. Last year I told you about Noel’s Assassin’s Creed outfit. Now both leads are getting cool space armor from another popular videogame franchise! In the immortal words of Dr. Peter Venkman, “Dogs and cats, living together! Mass hysteria!!!” While I love that BioWare is invading a Square Enix game, I don’t think I can part with Serah’s bikini costume.

This particular DLC will be released in Japan at the end of March. The release dates in other territories has not been announced. Check out some nifty screens and artwork below.

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Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Coming to America This Summer

Square Enix has announced that Theatrhythm Final Fantasy  for Nintendo 3DS will be available in America this summer. This adorable music/rhythm game features characters and settings from numerous Final Fantasy games. I’ve been high on this game since seeing videos of it last year. According to the press release, the game contains “more than 70 musical scores” from 25 years worth of Final Fantasy titles. I’m so psyched for this 3DS game and would love to hear what you think of it. Check out the screens and artwork below.

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This Week’s Videogame Releases

This week marks the return of Kid Icarus! Originally released in 1986, the franchise hasn’t seen a sequel since 1991. All that changes with Kid Icarus Uprising. Speaking of sequels, Ninja Gaiden 3 hits shelves this week; this is the first modern Ninja Gaiden game made without the controversial Tomonobu Itagaki. In less interesting sequel news, Armored Core V will (maybe) satisfy gamers looking for giant-robot action. Capping things off is a pair of survival-horror games. Silent Hill HD Collection remasters some of the games that made the genre so popular. Finally, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City adds some team-based flavor to this longrunning series.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

Coffee Talk #463: Do You Miss Arcades?

News of the Chinatown Fair arcade on 8 Mott Street reopening made my heart soar. I love that place — so many awesome memories there. While I definitely love console and mobile gaming, I miss the days of arcades. Growing up, they seemed like wondrous — almost mystical — places where…

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, St. Patrick’s Day boxing at MSG being sponsored by Corona, Andy Pettitte coming back to the Yankees, or wishing RPadholic Big Blak a belated happy birthday, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

News of the Chinatown Fair arcade on 8 Mott Street reopening made my heart soar. I love that place — so many awesome memories there. While I definitely love console and mobile gaming, I miss the days of arcades. Growing up, they seemed like wondrous — almost mystical — places where friends and I could go hang out while being dazzled by digital creations. I loved when my Mom would go to the market near the arcade. She could take her sweet time shopping while I played arcade games, watched people play arcade games, and talked to other kids about arcade games. My favorite games of all time are mostly console games, but I miss the social element of arcades, as well as the difficult-to-define sense of magic they had for me.

Modern arcades like GameWorks or Dave & Buster’s are neat, but they’re not the same. Part of it is that they have no personality. If you’ve seen one Dave & Buster’s then you’ve pretty much seen them all. The arcade chains don’t have the character or charm of their old-school counterparts. Part of it is that the market changed. Back in the day, arcades trumped anything I could experience on my Atari 2600. These days, consoles trump pretty much everything you’ll see at GameWorks.

While I indulge in this lovely bit of nostalgia, I wanted to see if any of you miss arcades. Did you play a lot of arcade games growing up? What were some of your favorites? Describe the best arcade you’ve ever been to. For those of you that have kids, have you explained that people used to have to travel to play videogames? How did that go over? Dang. Now I feel like filming at California Extreme….

Coffee Talk #462: What’s the Frequency, Pachter?

The other day an old colleague posted a very angry tweet about Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter. I was actually surprised by his anger. My friend has worked in videogames for quite some time, with staff positions at G4 and IGN. It’s one thing for people that read videogame-enthusiast…

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, Verve’s Costa Rica Don Mayo, which NBA team made the best deadline trade, or throwing rocks at people waiting in line for the new iPad, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

The other day an old colleague posted a very angry tweet about Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter. I was actually surprised by his anger. My friend has worked in videogames for quite some time, with staff positions at G4 and IGN. It’s one thing for people that read videogame-enthusiast publications to get upset about Pachter, but it surprises me when people inside the business give him heat about some of the things he says.

Before I explain all that, keep in mind that I like Michael a lot. He’s cool and fun and smart. He might be the highest-paid person I know that can talk to (a scrub like) me about videogames, WWE, and gaming United Airlines frequent flyer program. I completely admit my bias and will gladly defend Pachter’s honor.

Having said that, I totally understand why readers and viewers get mad at him. Some of his predictions are flat-out wrong. Some of the things he says are outlandish. He likes to talk to the press…a lot. Sometimes I get the impression that he enjoys stirring the pot just to see the reactions he’ll get. He’s the most quoted financial analyst that covers games. If you’re judging him based off of his quotes, then yeah, I can see why you’d have heat with him.

However, if you thought about his actual job was and what he actually gets paid to do then you wouldn’t take the Michael Pachter “persona” so seriously.  Just take a peak at the Wedbush corporate site. I don’t see a section that says, “We specialize in riling up fanboys by making bold and sometimes completely wrong predictions to the press.” He’s an analyst! He crunches numbers, sifts through data, writes investor advice, and makes decisions that affect a lot of money. (Yes, I totally simplified his job for the sake of brevity.)

Personally, I find it amusing that so many readers and viewers “hate” Pachter. I’m sure he finds it funny too. When someone with my colleague’s experience has an issue with him, it’s surprising. Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised. Maybe a lot of people inside and outside of the business think that quoted Pachter and working Pachter are the same guy. *shrug*

I’m sure you’ve read a lot of Michael Pachter quotes over the years. I know that a few of you follow him on Twitter. Out of curiosity, what do you think of him and the things he says?

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Gah! There’s so much that I want to play this weekend! I’ve been enjoying the hell out of Final Fantasy Tactics for iPad. It’s like falling in love all over again. However, I’m going to have to put it aside for a bit when my new iPad arrives today. I can’t wait to see the updated Infinity Blade II with its “Retina Display” (total marketing BS term, fyi) graphics. I also need to find time to play Asura’s Wrath (not that it’s very long); my friends are so split on this game that I need to see what’s up. Of course I’m hoping that those of you with a PlayStation 3 give Journey a shot. It’s such a beautiful experience.

What’s on your weekend playlist?