Game Couch » Commentary

Gamer Banter: What’s an Equinox?

Terry — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 21:02:07 +0000

Can I say Deus Ex: Human Revolution for this? Probably not. That’s coming out on August 23rd and August seems Summery. So I’m going with Warhammer 40000: Space Marine. That’s coming out on September 9th which seems more like Fall.

Crap. Wikipedia is telling me that the Fall equinox is September 23rd. I don’t even know what an equinox is. Something to do with horses?

Fine the Fall release I’m most looking forward to is Batman: Arkham City. Actually this is pretty true. I loved the first game and I’ve been picking up the Paul Dini/Carlos D’anda miniseries (which is good). So that feels like a safe choice.

Now, I don’t have this preordered—unlike Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Skyrim—and I don’t think I’m going for the collector’s edition—unlike the Augmented Edition and the Collector’s Edition of the above titles. I already have Gotham Knight on DVD and I’m pretty sure I don’t need a Batman statue.

Actually I’m only 30% sure I don’t need a Batman statue.

You know what I do need? Batman: Year One (DVD).

Hmmm . . . maybe I’ll make my own Collector’s Edition.
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This post was part of Gamer Banter, a monthly video game discussion coordinated by Terry at Game Couch. If you’re interested in being part of this, please email him for details.

Other takes:
Silvercublogger
Gunthera1-Gamer
Zath

Out of This World: Extraordinary Costumes from Film and Television

Terry — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 02:15:47 +0000

Note: You aren’t supposed to take pictures inside an art museum, so the accompanying photos are merely simulations of what it would look like if I surreptitiously took pics with my phone.

“Hi Annie! Hi Annie! Hi Annie! Do you get it? That’s Anakin Skywalker!” says the guy pointing at Darth Vader’s costume. This isn’t a conversation I want to have, so I duck into another gallery and stare at N. C. Wyeth’s Robin Hood for ten minutes.

I’m at the Norton Museum of Art for Out of this World: Extraordinary Costumes from Film and Television which runs until September 4, 2011 before moving on. It’s a mixture of costumes and props famous science fiction television shows and movies like Blade Runner, Star Trek and Batman. Kind of like a traveling Planet Hollywood, except you’re not hovering over someone’s dinner while looking at the Terminator 2 leather jacket.

As a geek, it’s an odd combination of feelings — being in the presence of sci-fi artifacts while also seeing how well they actually stack up. Dr. Eldon Tyrell’s white bathrobe is intricately detailed, but Vader’s chest panel looks roughshod – though it does have Aurebesh lettering (which you can’t spot in the movies). The Batsuit from Batman & Robin is all about the nipples, but The Riddler suit from Batman Forever is an amazing piece of work. And Jeri Ryan is either very petite or her Seven of Nine costume is stretchier than it looks.

With thirty-something costumes, plus props like Luke’s hand and a Klingon D7 battle cruiser, Out of this World is definitely an exhibit worth catching. Just expect random people to come up to you and tell you about Harrison Ford’s dysentery and why Ghostbusters 3 will never happen.

The End?

Terry — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:05:51 +0000

March’s Gamer Banter topic is: What do you mean when you say you beat a game?

When I say I beat a game, I mean that I completed its story mode. However, being completely done with a game is another story.

I’m playing Donkey Kong Country Returns right now and – I can already tell – when I pummel the final boss, I’ll be done with the game. This has nothing to do with how much I like the game (a lot) and everything to do with my self-acknowledged inability to find every hidden puzzle piece or K-O-N-G letter.

But I don’t play a lot of platformers. I spend more time with shooters (currently playing Aliens vs Predator) and, after I beat the game, I go back to mop up some achievements – mostly the low hanging fruit. Sometimes, I’ll even replay the game at a higher difficulty level for frustration’s sake.

RPGs are another story. In that case, after I beat the story mode, I go back and explore other paths, try out different character builds and then hit the DLC. I think Mass Effect 3 will launch before I’m completely done with ME2 and I haven’t touched Dragon Age 2 yet, because there’s a witch that must be hunted.

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This post was part of Gamer Banter, a monthly video game discussion coordinated by Terry at Game Couch. If you’re interested in being part of this, please email him for details.

Other takes:

Yuki-Pedia: The Curious Case of the Never-Ending Backlog

Zath: When Do You Know That You’ve Completed A Game?

Gunthera1-gamer: I have never completed a current generation game

Silvercublogger: What Do You Mean By Gamer Banter

The Game Fanatics: Gamer Banter: To Beat a Game

SnipingMizzy: Is it over yet?

Game Couch: The End?

OXCGN: When Is A Game Truly ‘Finished’ For You?

Video Games Live

Terry — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 01:34:16 +0000

Video Games Live is Fantasia for gamers. This multimedia celebration of video game music pairs symphony and choir performances of video game music against backdrops showing clips of the games themselves. I saw the March 26th show at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts and was blown away by the powerful, funny and moving performance by local musicians and singers.

As seen from the balcony.

You have to love any show which starts with the conductor conducting the audience. After Wataru Hokoyama coordinated the opening applause, host and Video Games Live co-creator Tommy Tallarico took the stage and introduced the concept behind the show – that video game music is more than “bleeps and bloops” and is artistically and culturally relevant. And video games don’t cause violence (to which an audience member added that people who thought that should be shot).

Chrono Cross

After an opening montage featuring the symphony covering the history of games starting with Pong, there were tributes to Legend of Zelda and Metal Gear Solid (featuring onstage box stealth). Martin Leung, the Video Game Pianist, played a gorgeous Final Fantasy suite and conductor Wataru led an arrangement from his Afrika score, a lesser known game by Rhino Studios which puts the player in the role of a photojournalist who must capture Africa’s wildlife on film. Wataru joked that it was tough to sell a game to American audiences where the only shooting done was with a camera.

Another surprise was the appearance of Paul Romero who’s worked on the Heroes of Might and Magic series. A new addition to the Video Games Live lineup, this medley of Might and Magic themes even included the upcoming Might & Magic: Heroes VI due this summer. Later Romero soloed more Might and Magic on the piano.

Act II is loading.

In the second act, Tallarico picked up a guitar to lead a rock rendition of the Street Fighter II score, accompany Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion” during an audience member’s onstage Guitar Hero challenge, switched to a sniper modded guitar for a Halo sequence and even indulged the audience with a bit of “Free Bird”.

It’s tough to pull out my favorite moment from the night: Leung’s recreation of his famous blindfolded Mario medley, the symphony playing along to a live game of Frogger while two audience members played head-to-head (“There’s no singing in Frogger.”), the audience going crazy for World of Warcraft, or “One-Winged Angel”.

Tommy Tallarico, Wataru Hokoyama, Martin Leung, and Paul Romero

Also fun were random bits like Donkey Kong vs Mortal Kombat (spoiler: Scorpion wins), the Worst Voice Acting clips, a cosplay contest with an adorable Yoshi and the audience’s collective outrage when the clip accompanying Tetris revealed some weak Tetris skills.

Videogamery at the South Florida Fair

Terry — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:36:00 +0000

On Sunday my wife and I went to the South Florida Fair. Its modern incarnation started in 1960, but its origin dates back to 1912 and I swear there are some parts of the fair dating back that far: I bought a pulled pork sandwich from a vendor who used an old wooden cash register.

The fair’s theme this year was Really Cool Stuff, which had to be a placeholder that was never corrected. Anyway, I went in search of videogamery and this is what I came back with.

The (NOAA) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had a presentation of the solar system, Science on a Sphere, using a four projector setup to display planets and moons from the solar system inside a globe. As you can see, the presenter used a Wiimote to control the show. I asked her about it and she said that they used the Wiimote as a bluetooth device hooked up to a pc as the input device.

Hey it’s Lara Croft! Not sure what she’s doing on a ride called Fighter, but it looks like she’s jumping away from it. I should note that nowhere on the ride is she called “Lara Croft” and there’s no Tomb Raider branding — so this is probably a coincidence and not trademark infringement or anything messy like that.
This, on the other hand, is pretty sketch. It’s a Mario-themed funhouse called Mario Land, complete with paintings of the famous plumbers.

Remember that episode of Star Trek where Kirk and crew spun in a shuttlecraft for three minutes while Lynyrd Skynyrd blasted? I focused on the Enterprise, but you can see Spock peaking out on the righthand side.

If you’ve ever played Fallout and wondered what a single-headed Brahmin would look like, here you go. Also, these guys love eating carrot slces, but aren’t keen on getting petted on their super soft heads.

I love freak shows, so I was more than happy to drop $2 to visit the Museum of Oddities. It probably should have been called the tent of things in glass bottles, but I still enjoyed myself. Highlights included a cloudy jar of formaldehyde labelled “two-headed raccoon” and a display of one-foot tall people inhabiting Australia.

You know what makes a quilt more badass? Robots and Albert Einstein. See the full-sized quilt and more pics here.

Gamer Banter: The Five Games I Want in 2011

Terry — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:05:21 +0000

This month’s gamer banter topic is: What are the five games you’re looking forward to the most this year?

Ghostwire
Developer: A Different Game
Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
Platform: DSi
Release date: Unknown
Ghostwire
Ghostwire is an augmented reality game for the DSi using the DSi’s built-in camera to capture ghosts in everyday locations. Ghostwire was also one of the five games I was looking forward to last year and was one of the driving factors behind me getting a DSi, but shortly before its October release date, publisher Majesco dropped the product. I’m really hoping that Ghostwire isn’t vaporware and that it manages to manifest itself on retail shelves this year.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Developer: Eidos Montreal
Publisher: Square Enix
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Release date: March 8, 2011Deus Ex: Human Revolution
It took me two playthroughs to realize how brilliant the original Deus Ex was and I’ve only suffered through one playthrough of its sequel. My hopes, largely confirmed by previews and interviews, is that this entry goes back to the basics. Aside from my expectations, I’m also glad to have a new cyberpunk game coming out especially since Shadowrun dropped the ball so severely.

Zombies!!!
Developer: Babaroga
Publisher: Microsoft Games Studios
Platform: XBLA
Release date: UnknownZombies!!!
Zombies is a survival horror board game, where players have to find refuge in a city crawling with zombies While the physical game is well-loved and well-supported (hello expansion number nine!), the idea of its mechanics taking place electronically appeals to me. Zombies has already made it to Windows 7 phones and the XBLA version is rumored to hit sometime this year.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
Developer: Relic Entertainment
Publisher: THQ
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Release date: Q3 2011Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
Aside from the first Dawn of War game and a smattering of comics and novels, I haven’t spent a lot of time in the Warhammer universe – but I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen of it. I’m really excited about this third-person action game where we’ll see the might of a space marine in action. Although they could have dug deeper and thrown something more than Orks at us, Warhammer’s cannon fodder race is inordinately amusing – something which should lighten the grim and gritty tone.

Captain Blood
Developer: 1C Company
Publisher: SeaWolf
Platform: Xbox 360, PC
Release date: October 25, 2011Captain Blood
You can tell there aren’t enough pirate games when I get excited about this long delayed budget-priced title. Based on the Rafael Sabatin novels, Captain Blood combines swashbuckling with sea battles to present (what I think of) as the complete pirate package. I’ve been jonesing for ship to ship combat on the 360 so I have high hopes for this game.

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This post was part of Gamer Banter, a monthly video game discussion coordinated by Terry at Game Couch. If you’re interested in being part of this, please email him for details.

Other takes:
The Game Fanatics
The Clockwork Manual
Silvercublogger
Zath
Buttonmashing
Game Couch
Gunthera1-gamer
Yuki-Pedia

2010 Recap

Terry — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 17:22:45 +0000

Even though there’s technically one day left, I’m calling 2010 closed. Overall it’s been a great year for Game Couch and the trend continues that most of my Game Couchiness is happening at Twitter. Unfortunately I’m ending the year with fewer posts, but I have some reviews in the queue for 2011.

Anyway, here are the most popular posts on Game Couch for the last year.

1. The Rape Game CNN rekindled interest in this 2009 story about RapeLay and its connection to Amazon with their story ‘RapeLay’ video game goes viral amid outrage. It was weird that CNN readdressed this story so long after the initial outrage. Weirder still that I got a bump from it.

2. Video games score one for literacy This guest post from Aramis caught Liz Danforth’s attention who wrote about it for Library Journal which Kotaku then picked up. Everyone was happy to see something good come from EA’s take on Dante’s Inferno.

3. The Force Unleashed: Jedi Temple DLC This 2008 review of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed’s first expansion has done remarkably well — mainly because people who download it don’t know how to find it to play it.

4. Interview: Dr. Cheryl K. Olson co-author of Grand Theft Childhood More content from 2008. I don’t know why I even bother writing new stuff. Anyway, as long as GTA is in anyone’s crosshairs, this book will remain popular.

5. The Holodeck Problem and interview with Dr. Judith Barad This 2008 post (my freaking golden year) about the moral implications of actions in the holodeck received a boost from TVTropes’s The Internet Is For Porn linkage.

Cursed Treasure

Terry — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 14:45:41 +0000

Gamer Banter returns with this question: What was your favorite game you played this year?

Theoretically it should be Fallout: New Vegas. I’m a huge Fallout fan and appreciated much of what Obsidian set out to do, but in the end I was unable to separate the glitches from the gameplay.

Mass Effect 2 was amazing, but I found Red Dead Redemption more compelling – especially on an emotional level. I just finished Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s not quite Arkham Asylum, but it’s easily the best Spidey game since 2004’s Spider-Man 2. Likewise, this year’s Professor Layton entry was incredible.

But the one game I spent the most time with – playing through completely, then starting afresh – was IriySoft’s Cursed Treasure hosted at Kongregate.

Cursed Treasure is a tower defense game where you’re an evil Overlord protecting your gems from heroes ranging from simple peasants and rogues to cloaking ninjas to heroic-sized mages and assassins.

You place Orc Dens, Crypts and Temples on appropriate terrain and watch the heroes succumb to arrows, ghostly charges and jets of flame. As your towers do damage they gain experience letting you level them up and upgrade them. If the heroes are too pesky, you can also temporarily overpower your towers or unleash a meteor storm.

On top of the in-game leveling system, you also gain experience at the end of each mission letting you add passive abilities to your towers as well as increasing the damage and types of attacks they perform. You’ll need to grind to earn a precious “Brilliant” on each map.

Of course none of this explains why this was my favorite game. The answer is simply, this was the most fun.
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This post was part of Gamer Banter, a monthly video game discussion coordinated by Terry at Game Couch. If you’re interested in being part of this, please email him for details.

Other takes:
Aim for the Head

Merry Geekmas

Terry — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 02:40:42 +0000

Just sharing some geeky ornaments I have on my tree. Anyone else out there have geeky holiday decorations?

Birthday recap

Terry — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 16:50:54 +0000

A pic-post with appropriate video game tie-ins.

My birthday started out Saturday night with dinner at the Blue Anchor in Delray. The Blue Anchor is one of those pubs brought over intact from London.

The Blue Anchor is haunted and is also rumored to be where Ripper victims Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddows spent their last night.

On Sunday, we went to the Morikami Museum and Gardens.

We saw a strange fungus which Amanda might have recognized from Oblivion.

My goal was to take many pictures of Yoda nestled in the various bonsai trees.

We started playing Fatal Frame.

And we played Tetris.

In the museum, they were selling cool papercraft kits.

And Kaiju battle kits.

Their current display is kaiju toys and you aren't supposed to take pictures of them -- unless you see Matango.

Links:
Blue Anchor
Morikami Museum
Bonsai Yoda
Matango