Videogames Archives - Page 85 of 178

Coffee Talk #281: When Games Make You Look Insane

Do you do anything as a gamer that seems wacky to non-gamers? There are lots of ways that gaming makes us seem insane to those not familiar with our glorious hobby. I just had a weekend of “insane” gaming…and it seemed perfectly normal to me.

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, Edin Dzeko joining Manchester City, Porsche’s hybrid sports car, or politicizing the Arizona shootings, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Do you do anything as a gamer that seems wacky to non-gamers? Maybe there’s a certain sub-genre of gaming that you enjoy in a way that seems bizarre to your fellow gamers. There are lots of ways that gaming makes us seem insane to those not familiar with our glorious hobby. I just had a weekend of “insane” gaming…and it seemed perfectly normal to me.

I finally got around to picking up my shiny Raikou from GameStop. I forgot that I had a downloadable Jirachi on my Pokemon Pearl cartridge too. Like any self-respecting Pokemon trainer, I spent about 90 minutes getting an acceptable nature and IVs on my Jirachi. For those not familiar with the process, I received my Jirachi, checked its stats, and kept resetting the game until I got one that I was happy with. After that was done, I spent another 60 minutes soft resetting the game until I got a Raikou with strong IVs.

Hardcore Pokemon players understand why I spent two and a half hours getting the right stats. Some non-Pokemon gamers will “get” it too, but I imagine there are many that would find the effort excessive and unusual. Explaining the concept of “soft resetting” to non-gamers? Forget about it. Most people would think that it’s nuts.

Do you do anything as a gamer that the “normals” would find unusual, inexplicable, or insane? Is there an aspect of gaming that you enjoy but couldn’t explain to non-gamers? (And yes, one of the reasons I wrote this story was to justify my zealous Pokemon gaming.)

Killzone 3 Story Trailer (Malcolm McDowell, Ray Winstone)

Here’s an excellent Killzone 3 trailer that focuses on the game’s story. Hearing Malcom McDowell’s voice should remind me of his excellent performance in A Clockwork Orange…but I keep hearing him as Terrance McQuewick in Entourage. Anyway, check out the clip and let me know what you think (please)!

Coffee Talk #280: Your Most Wanted Games of 2011

2010 was a fantastic year for gaming and 2011 looks even better! What are some of the games you’re looking forward to in 2011? Here’s my personal top five…

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, why America cares about the Kardashians, Floyd Mayweather getting hassled by his HOA, or the miracle of Ted Williams, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

2010 was a fantastic year for gaming and 2011 looks even better! What are some of the games you’re looking forward to in 2011? Here’s my personal top-five list:

Dragon Age II — I love BioWare. I love fantasty RPGs. Of course this is on the top of my list.
Diablo III — I love Blizzard. I love action-RPGs. Oh, you know….
The Last Guardian — As a huge Ico fan, I’m really looking forward to the game’s visuals and emotional storytelling.
Portal 2 — I have no doubt that this one will rock. I’m fairly sure that this will be even better than the original.
Journey — Some day, love will find you. Oops. Wrong Journey. I loved Flower and I can’t wait to see what thatgamecompany has in store with Journey.

Games that just missed the list include The 3rd Birthday, The Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword, Batman: Arkham City, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

Now it’s your turn! What are your most wanted games of 2011?

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

My friend Kenny is stopping by on his way from Vegas to Northern California. Last weekend we played some Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Perhaps we can finish the game this weekend. After he goes, I’m going to play some Pokemon SoulSilver or Pokemon Pearl. I’ll pick up my shiny Raikou later today and start EV training him to become a fierce special sweeper.

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

Torchlight Coming to Xbox Live House Party

Runic Games’ Torchlight is coming to Xbox Live House Party in February. You haven’t heard of Torchlight?!? Shame on you! This nifty action-RPG was designed by several ex-Blizzard North employees and has a Diablo-esque feel. It was quite popular on PC in 2009 and 2010. Here’s the official word:

A highly regarded PC game with more than 800,000 units sold to date, Torchlight is now coming to Xbox Live. Combat is more exciting with revamped controls and mechanics, new armor and quests. There’s even an exclusive new pet for your character. Send a select goodie or two to your friends on Xbox Live to share the fun for the first time.

I’m excited that the game is headed to Xbox 360 and thrilled that Runic will get more exposure, but I wonder how Torchlight will control with a gamepad. The mouse-and-keyboard gameplay of the original was fantastic and I worry that something will get lost in translation. I’ll be cautiously optimistic about this one.

How about you? Any Torchlight fans out there? Any newcomers interested in the game?

Coffee Talk #279: Sold to Retail = Blowing Smoke

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, whether Steve Ballmer is ruining Microsoft, John Morrison upping his game’s physicality, or your favorite Entourage character, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer impressed the crowd during his CES 2011 keynote when he revealed that the company has sold eight-million units of Kinect for Xbox 360. The only problem is that’s not how many units were actually sold. Ballmer cited the “sold to retail” number — a term that’s being used more frequently by PR flaks and marketers.

It’s quite clever, though certainly disingenuous. More people know the difference between shipped and sold than ever before. More PR people are using “sold to retail” instead of “shipped” in their press releases. Internet reporters and bloggers are doing less fact checking (and less thinking, for that matter) in their race to get stories up as soon as possible. PR people know this and cleverly mask actual sales figures with sold-to-retail numbers.

Marketers and flaks are playing the press. Sure, some writers will verify whether touted numbers are shipped or sold, but it’s almost always too late. Hundreds of articles with inaccurate claims will have been posted by the time a verification email is received. Millions of readers will have been misinformed by the time a diligent journalist receives confirmation via phone.

I’ve covered games for a long time and have seen PR people manipulate journalists time and time again. The sold-to-retail gimmick is one of the smartest tactics I’ve seen in a long time. As a reader, do you trust the numbers issued by console manufacturers and game publishers? Do you suspect that most bloggers don’t bother to verify figures? Do you think PR people punk the press more often than not? Leave a comment and let me know (please)!

Mattel and THQ Teaming Up for He-Man Games!

Nerds around the world should be psyched by the latest licensing agreement between Mattel and THQ — it includes Masters of the Universe (He-Man)! Here’s a clip from the official press release:

The companies will also collaborate to expand the video game and interactive potential of newer properties such as Monster High and longtime Mattel favorites such as Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, Masters of the Universe, Polly Pocket and others.

While enjoying the exploits of a man dressed in a prehistoric bathing suit and sporting a Prince Valiant haircut seems off these days, I absolutely loved the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoons as a kid. I’m hoping for an old-school beat-’em-up that makes me feel like I’m playing with He-Man action figures on my television.

Out of curiosity, who was your favorite Masters of the Universe character? Ram Man was my favorite — both in the cartoon and as an action figure. Also, did anyone else feeling like beating the crap out of Orko every time he was on screen?

Coffee Talk #278: What Do You Look For in a Gaming HDTV?

With CES 2011 kicking off, I’m psyched to learn about all the new HDTVs from Samsung, Sony, Sharp, Toshiba, Vizio, etc. The show also has me thinking about your gaming HDTVs.

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, Montel Williams being busted for drug paraphernalia, the latest MLB hall of fame inductees, or America’s 4G wars, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

With CES 2011 kicking off, I’m psyched to learn about all the new HDTVs from Samsung, Sony, Sharp, Toshiba, Vizio, etc. The show also has me thinking about your gaming HDTVs. Don’t worry, I’m not planning to rob you or anything. I was just wondering what factors go into your HDTV purchasing decisions. After all, powerful consoles like the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 can’t be fully exploited without great televisions to play them on, right?

Is price or picture quality more important to you? Do you prefer LCD with LED backlighting, plasma, or DLP? Do you care about integrated Internet features? Do you rely on a separate sound setup or do you need a television with good speakers? What about refresh rate? Do you care if your TV is capable of 120Hz, 240Hz, or 600Hz?

Let me know what you look for in a gaming HDTV and what model you currently have. If you have a rich uncle, I could use a Samsung PN58C8000. Ha!

Fight Night Champion Full Spectrum Punch Controls Explained

In the video above, Gameplay producer Brian Hayes explains the new “Full Spectrum Punch Controls” in Fight Night Champion…and it makes me kind of sad. On the plus side, I’m happy that haymaker punches will be less ridiculous, but for the most part I’m bummed that the controls are being simplified.

I loved the complex analog-stick motions featured in the old Fight Night games. I thought it was completely appropriate that hooks were harder to throw than jabs. From what I’ve seen in the video, it looks like everything will be a simple flick. I get that this will make the game easier for and more appealing to a broad audience, but it takes away from the realism. Throwing an uppercut should require more effort than throwing a jab. Sadly, it appears that nuance of the series is gone.

The new control system is giving me nightmares about Fight Night Champion’s online play. In my head I see a bunch of button mashers and button flickers spamming the game. *sigh* Although the game appears to have a lot of new and interesting features, I’m afraid that Full Spectrum Punch Control will kill it for me.

Any thoughts on Fight Night Champion’s Full Spectrum Punch Controls?

Vizio to Integrate OnLive in Future TVs, Tablets, and Phones

Following up yesterday’s announcement that it will offer Google Android phones and tablets, Vizio announced that it will embed the OnLive gaming service in its upcoming televisions, tablets, mobile phones, and Blu-ray players. Here’s a snippet from the press release and some quick analysis:

The partnership will incorporate the OnLive cloud gaming experience across the next generation of Vizio Internet Apps consumer electronics devices that share a unified, sophisticated and intuitive user interface for seamless access to high-end, interactive content.

With the integration of OnLive across the VIA Plus ecosystem of compatible Vizio devices, consumers can access the OnLive cloud gaming service directly through any VIA Plus HDTV, Tablet, Smart Phone or Blu-ray Player for instant gaming on any VIA Plus device — even seamlessly continuing gameplay from one device to the next — without the need for a game console.

Integrating OnLive in HDTVs and Blu-ray players is a sharp, sharp move that will appeal to casual gamers. Consumers that buy those products will have access to a sizable library of games without having to buy a console. Well played Vizio.

OnLive’s success on Vizio VIA phones and tablets will depend on the controls. OnLive claims that a large portion of the games will be retrofitted for touch controls. In my head, I see that being a rough and awkward experience, but that’s pure conjecture on my part. Of course this opens up the market for third-party controllers that will make OnLive on Android a more traditional videogame experience.

What do you think of OnLive and Vizio getting jiggy? Does an HDTV with integrated OnLive appeal to you? Do you think adding touch controls to old games that weren’t meant for them will work? Out of curiosity, do any of you own standalone Blu-ray players?