Coffee Shop! The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct pre-order deal (PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360)

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Do you enjoy The Walking Dead TV series? Are you interested in the new The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct game that is scheduled to release next week, on March 19th?

If you have been thinking about purchasing the game when it releases next week, but haven't pre-ordered it yet, now is a good time to do so. The game is releasing on the PC, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and Xbox 360, and has a MSRP of $49.99. Amazon and GameStop are offering different pre-order bonuses, but Amazon has now discounted the game's pre-order price by 25%.

You can currently pre-order The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct from Amazon.com for just $37.49. The pre-order price is for the PlayStation 3, Wii U, and Xbox 360 versions, but not the PC version right now.

You can take advantage of the pre-order price right now for The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct from Amazon.com, with all the versions linked below (again, the PC version is currently not discounted):

October Brewed - Coffees Consumed, Games Played, & Site Notes

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October has vanished like Halloween candy from a kid's basket! If you skimmed here occasionally during October, here are some posts you might have missed:
     1) Is Okami for the PS3 worth $20? How many hours can you expect from Okami? Data Report
     2) Can the Wii U GamePad be charged with a USB port on the console? Nintendo answers, sort of...
     3) Nintendo says no, then yes, now no AGAIN on LEGO City: Undercover's multiplayer feature.
     4) New Super Mario Bros. U to have online multiplayer? "Online Interactions Not Rated..."
     5) What is the most played Just Dance Wii game?
     6) STAY CALM! Wii U's Miiverse details before launch, & all Wii U features and functionality ready at launch? Nintendo's Bill Trinen and Scott Moffitt
     7) "Black Ops II will just be on Wii U", Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 not releasing for the 3DS, DS, or Wii.

November is now brewing, and what coffees did I consume and games did I play during October? Brew yourself some coffee and let's take a look!

Coffees Consumed
Maxwell House coffees were the main coffee blends for us in October, with us finishing off a Maxwell House Gourmet Roast blend container, as well a Maxwell House 100% Colombian blend.

Another coffee that we brewed quite often in October, one Mrs. Coffee gave me as one of my birthday gifts, was the Gevalia Espresso Roast. The name says it all really, "Espresso Roast" and it is a nice, super dark, roast. I enjoyed it a great deal, but it was a tad too strong for Mrs. Coffee's liking.

Games Played
The skimmer list for games I played in October is: Super Mario 64, Super Mario World, Rage of the Gladiator, New Super Mario Bros. DS, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Mutant Mudds, LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean, Double Dragon Neon, Punch-Out!!, Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, BIT.TRIP COMPLETE, Mario Kart Wii, and LittleBigPlanet.

All Super Mario Games - I'm still playing these with Bean 1, randomly. The Mario game(s) he selects to play can vary each day, but in October Super Mario 64 was a favorite of his, as well as New Super Mario Bros. Wii. We have made decent progress in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and when he requests me to play through a level with him, I am instructed to carry him through the entire level. He doesn't want to bubble necessarily (he did enjoy doing that for a while), he just wants me to carry Toad, Luigi, or Mario (depending who I'm playing as) through the level and survive. He recognized and called out New Super Mario Bros. U in the first Wii U system commercial Nintendo released yesterday, then went back to his snacks.

Rage of the Gladiator - I'm just going to leave the following link for a site that covers a lot of digitally downloaded titles: http://www.facebook.com/RageOfTheGladiator.
Batman: Arkham Asylum - Our neighbors are gamers, and we have loaned/traded games over the last few years. The last loan-trade was me giving him Metroid: Other M, and me getting Batman: Arkham Asylum in return. I completed Arkham Asylum in October, and I enjoyed my time with the game. Being that the game can be found for under $20 new, if you have been interested in this title but not played it, I can easily recommend the game.
Mutant Mudds - I'm still playing through Mutant Mudds, and enjoying it. I have said it before, and I'll say it again, if you enjoy challenging platformers, I recommend you give the game a try. Bean 1 had discovered the start menu on my PC and I have randomly found him attempting to play the game a few times, and he will tell me sometimes to play "Mutant Mudds" so he can watch me. I'm waiting to learn more about Mutant Mudds Deluxe for the Wii U, before I worry with buying the Xbox 360 controller to make it easier for Bean 1 to play it on my PC.
LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean - Mrs. Coffee gave me this as a gift a few months back, but it wasn't until October that I actually opened it up. I have completed the first movie's levels so far, and have enjoyed my time back in a LEGO video game world. I think the developers did a great job making LEGO Captain Jack run/walk like he does in the movies, and I like how in certain levels there aren't hidden/invisible walls to keep you from venturing further than they want, but an actual LEGO shark in the water to help keep you where they want you.
Double Dragon Neon - I won this in a contest/giveaway over on Chalgyr's Game Room, and played through the first level, and almost finished the second level (maybe third?). The game plays well so far, and the boss I'm currently on though was giving me quite the challenge my first night, and after a few attempts I had to get that thing some call sleep. I haven't been back to it since, but I do plan on trying to finish it up this month.
Punch-Out!! - I'm slowly making my way through the game's Title Defense Mode, and I believe Bear Hugger was the last boxer I was able to get my belt back from. Yes, he pummeled so many times while I was trying to figure out the new timing of his attacks.

Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 - Did you miss the Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 data report post? If so, you can see how many hours the game has been played, as well as gameplay video I uploaded from one of the FPS minigames in it. Bean 1 enjoys one of the plunger FPS levels a lot (the one in the video), and can make his way through it. Every time the Rabbid shows up with a camera, he says, "Cheese!" Bean 1 also found the Rabbids LAND trailer on the Wii's Nintendo Channel earlier this week, and played it 3-4 times in a row laughing at the Rabbids in the trailer. I'm interested in Rabbids LAND on the Wii U, as I mentioned in the data post, because of Ubisoft's history/support on the Wii.
BIT.TRIP COMPLETE - If you missed my birthday post, Mrs. Coffee gave me this game(s) as a gift. I have just played BIT.TRIP RUNNER on it, but I have enjoyed the game so far. I'm up to world 1-11, I think? Considering I burned through almost the first world my first night with it, I may finish this one sooner than I was expecting. I am looking forward to hearing more about Runner2 on the Wii U, so hopefully I finish this one up soon, and perhaps be ready for more endless running when the Wii U launches.

Screen grab from Bean 1 playing.

Mario Kart Wii - Bean 1 randomly, out of nowhere, asked to play the, "Mario Wii Racing" game one day. I was surprised he remember the game from his time with it from over a month ago, and broke it out for him to try. We have both played the game, sometimes together, but often times with me watching him, or him watching me. He surprised me earlier in the week when he finished 2nd in a race, which means he's made some great improvements since he first started off by driving in circles and often in reverse.
LittleBigPlanet - This is Bean 1's final game delay tactic at night. The PlayStation 3 is the console closest to his room, and to play LittleBigPlanet is his last request/delay tactic. He enjoys finding a lot of the user created levels, and just running around in them. He completes many of them though, and I'm impressed with how he has learned to grab and hold onto items since he first started playing the game not that long ago.

Site Notes
Changes are brewing! If you haven't noticed, there's a tab that has now been removed from the top section. The "Reader Points" tab has been removed, but the "Reader Points" that were there are stored (across three emails!), and if I can get over my reluctance to go to the Post Office again, I can mail the rest...yes, they are sitting on the table, and Bean 1 has been looking at them this last week.

Also, gameplay videos (of myself playing and even Bean 1, and Mrs. Coffee occasionally) and impressions of games will become more standard on the site, and the "Critics vs. Consumers" posts will continue. Data posts will continue, but probably slow down once the Wii U releases, unless the Wii U provides the same type of data for Wii U games...PLEASE NINTENDO! I have even been experimenting, a little, with a podcast idea...

There's a few other features/ideas/changes I have been roasting for a while now, and one should be popping up at the end of next week.

Questions
What video games did you play in October, and are there any you would recommend to others? Also, were there any new coffee blends or drinks of choice in October, perhaps even while gaming?

As always, if you have any questions about the games I played, or the coffees I consumed in October, please me in the comment section below, or by sending me an email.

PlayStation Plus' new "free" game download killed PS3 Slim? "Came home to find it dead."

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A friend called me Friday afternoon and said he was having PS3 issues. His system would cut on, but the television was not displaying any video footage from the system. I asked him a series of questions (did he do a hard-reset, did he check/unplug the cables, did he unplug the television, etc.), seeing what all he had tried. After realizing he had done pretty much everything suggested on the PlayStation 3 forums, he mentioned he had even already taken it to Game Stop, where they tested it and told him they thought it was fried and/or a chip in it had stopped working.

I replied something like, "But your television still works right? And no other electronics are messed up?", trying to make sure it wasn't a lightning strike that hadn't been mentioned yet. I asked if he had the box still, and he said he was actually looking for the PS3 box as we were talking. I told him I would check back with him later that night, to see if he had made any progress.

After I sent a general text of, "Did you fix it?", later that night, he replied with two text messages that shed a little more light on the situation. How did he go about "fixing" his PlayStation 3, and what was the last thing he was doing before his PlayStation 3 stopped working? Brew yourself some coffee, and read the rest below!

August Brewed - Coffees Consumed, Games Played!

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September 2012 is already upon us, and August has vanished like the Statue of Liberty when David Copperfield is around. If you just visited the site occasionally when you saw CoffeeWithGames posts pop up on other sites, here are a few posts you might have missed in August:

• Critics vs. Customers! New Review Feature
• Played more than Mario? Skylanders Spyro's Adventure Hours Report
• Critics vs. Customers! Best & Worst 3DS Launch Titles
• President Obama, Space Camp, & Six Flags Fun Park? How they are oddly connected.
• Did You Board the Nintendo 3DS XL Hype Train?
• Free Games Giveaway! Connect With Coffee
• CoffeeWithGames Turns 3!

September has just started brewing, but what coffees did I consume and games did I play in August? Brew yourself a fresh pot of coffee, and let's take a look!

Coffees Consumed

The three Green Mountain coffee blends I had listed for August, were from our trip when we visited family and we were using my mom's Keurig coffee machine. The Green Mountain Coffee Gingerbread, Green Mountain Coffee Golden French Toast, and Green Mountain Coffee Spicy Eggnog were all brewed and consumed in early August, before we made our trip back home.

The Maxwell House Dark Roast coffee blend was waiting for us when we arrived home from our trip, sitting on the shelf right where I had left it, imagine that! It lasted us a few more days, and when it ran out Mrs. Coffee purchased us the Maxwell House Gourmet Roast. The Gourmet Roast blend lasted us almost until the end of August, and then Mrs. Coffee purchase us the Maxwell House House Blend coffee. We still have right around half the container of it as September has started up, so it should last us a little while longer.

Maxwell House is our "go to" coffee blend now, for two reasons really. It has a good price and decent variety of coffee roasts available. We usually buy the "240 6 FL OZ CUPS" ground coffee containers, and enjoy them while they lasts.

Games Played

What's the "Instant Coffee" list of games I played in August? They are: Super Mario Bros. 3, New Super Mario Bros. DS, Super Mario World, Super Mario 64, PAYDAY: The Heist, Blacklight: Retribution, Rage of the Gladiator, Madden NFL 13 Demo, Punch-Out!!, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Little Big Planet, and GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64.

Super Mario Bros. 3 - We have made it I think to World 6 now, maybe World 7. It has been about a week since we last played it, but we are making slow progress in it. Bean 1 has greatly improved though, and can now beat multiple levels in the game just by going through them with normal items found in the levels.

New Super Mario Bros. DS - Bean 1 was really enjoying this one, until the DS he was using stopped functioning properly. He still runs around the game, but for some reason the DS' touch screen does not register touches, so changing World maps and using stored items in the game can't be done anymore. The bottom screen displays everything properly as it should, but for some reason the touch function just doesn't work, even after trying to calibrate it again. We had completed the game, and were working on all the secret exits before the touch screen stopped functioning.

Super Mario World - Bean 1 and I have beaten this one a few times, using the "Star Road" shortcuts. Bean 1 often calls the game "Mario Super World", but like Super Mario Bros. 3 he has made some great progress in improving his game-play, and can complete entire levels on his own now.

Super Mario Bros. - Playing through and beating the original is still challenging, and if you haven't played it, I highly suggest going into the final level with a fire flower at the least.

Super Mario 64 - Bean 1 has "finished" one mission in a level all on his own. He is able to run around most of the levels pretty well now, knows how to use the cannons, and enjoys climbing trees in the game. The first Star he found on his own was in "Course 1 BOB-OMB BATTLEFIELD".

PAYDAY: The Heist - I played another level on my Steam version in August, and it reminded me quickly of how touch the A.I. can be in the levels! It's definitely a challenging game and there are a lot of police officers, SWAT team members, etc., thrown your way as you try to complete your mission objectives.

Blacklight: Retribution - A free FPS game? Good. A free FPS game on Steam? Awesome! I have enjoyed my brief time with Blacklight: Retribution, though I haven't yet purchased any of the in-game items. I should probably start a video game "schedule" and post it up, where it will have certain times and games I will be playing and maybe some of you could join in. Otherwise, my schedule right now is pretty spastic.

Rage of the Gladiator - I played and completed a few matches in the game, and will probably be playing a few more this month as well.

Madden NFL 13 Demo - I gave the demo a try for the PlayStation 3. I won a few games, and lost a few games. The demo didn't sell me though, because of small things in it that I don't think the Madden series should have considering how long they have been making them. Players running through apparent hologram people on the sidelines, cars that look like they're made from cardboard boxes, no replay function, terrible camera shots of recently completed plays. Perhaps the retail version fixed some of the issues before it shipped, but the demo didn't sell me on the game.

Punch-Out!! - I'm still slowly making my way through Title Defense mode, I completed on more match in Title Defense mode in August, but didn't play it but one night.

Batman: Arkham Asylum - I think I have made decent progress in the game, and I have been enjoying my time with it. I did get "lost" or confused on how to make progress at one point, but that was resolved after taking a break and picking it up again. I'm not sure how many hours of game-play I can expect from it, but I have probably played it around 10 hours so far.

Little Big Planet - I started this up for Bean 1 randomly one night in August and he is making a little progress with the game-play, but having to hold the R1 button to grab onto objects is a little challenging for him still. I had never really played it before, and I am finding it interesting as I play through some of the levels with him watching. I might need to start a new file though, and start from the beginning to understand the storyline and more of the game-play elements in it, but so far the game-play seems pretty solid and I like the graphical style in the game.

GoldenEye 007 - Which one? GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64. The game turned 15 years old on August 25th, and I put many hours into back when it originally released. I have been playing through some of the single player missions, and enjoying the game. If I can ever "pull the trigger", I will have two posts up on GoldenEye 007 sometime this week (said that last week also!).

Thoughts/Questions

I enjoyed all of the games I played in August, even my brief games with the Madden demo, though it failed to sell me on the game. If you are looking for a great way to play the old NES and SNES Mario games, I think buying a cheap Wii console and purchasing the Mario games off the Virtual Console is a great way to go about it.

If you have a Steam account and like FPS games, I do recommend giving Blacklight: Retribution a try, especially considering its free. If any of you have PAYDAY: The Heist on Steam or for the PlayStation 3, and want to try some cooperative matches in the game, leave a comment below or feel free to email me at Scott(@)CoffeeWithGames.com to let me know when you play the most.

What video games did you play in August, and did you have a drink of choice while gaming? Are there any games you played in August that you would recommend others to check out? Also, if any of you are Nintendo DS owners, have you ever had an issue where the touch screen stopped registering any "touch" on it? If so, were you able to fix the problem?

Hours spent watching cartoons, or hours spent playing cartoons? Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion XL Data Report

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Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion XL was released for the Wii on November 8, 2011, I believe with a MSRP of $29.99. It was also released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 the same day, both with a MSRP of $39.99. The game was developed by Papaya Studio and published by Crave Entertainment for its U.S. release, and it received an ESRB rating of "Everyone 10+" with "Animated Blood, Cartoon Violence, Crude Humor, Tobacco Reference" listed as content for gamers and parents to be aware of.

How many hours have U.S. Wii owners averaged brawling with cartoon characters in Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion XL since the game released? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look!

How many hours have U.S. Wii owners reported playing GoldenEye? GoldenEye 007 Data Report

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If you are looking for information on the contest/giveaway you will find the link for it in the "Caffeinated Thoughts" section below.

GoldenEye 007 was released on November 2, 2010 for the Wii, and the game was originally announced as a Wii "exclusive" at its E3 2010 reveal. I wrote a post titled, "Can GoldenEye 007 (Wii) Legally be Ported to the Xbox 360 and PS3?" on November 9, 2010, in which I listed the reasons why I thought the game not only could be ported, but would be ported to the other consoles. It was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 with the subtitle "Reloaded" added to it, the following year on November 1, 2011.

GoldenEye 007 received an ESRB rating of "Teen" with "Blood, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence" listed as content for gamers and parents to be aware of. The game was developed by Eurocom, and published by Activision for the U.S. release.

How many hours have U.S. Wii owners reported playing GoldenEye 007 since the game released? If you're a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 owner interested in GoldenEye 007: Reloaded, how many hours can you expect from the game according to the Wii's reported data? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look!

July Brewed - Coffees Consumed, Games Played!

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     Good Monday evening! July was a busy month for us as a family with a few birthdays, our anniversary, traveling over 900+ miles one way to visit family, and our usual work weeks before our trip. While it may have been busy, it was still filled with lots of coffee drinking and game playing.
     While I didn't get as many posts up in July as I did in June, I did get up a decent number of posts considering I was working off of Mrs. Coffee's laptop for about a third of the month. If you perhaps just skim posts here occasionally, here are some posts you might have missed that I posted up in July:
     THIS is what the 3DS XL should have looked like.
     Super Mario Bros. 3 Hours Report & World 5-1 Beaten by Bean 1!
     Drinking Coffee from a Mario castle? Not exactly.
     Instant "Coffee" Video Game Award
     SOCK! POW! ZOK! LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes Debut Hours Report
     Pachter: "Sometimes, I add two and two and get seven..."

     With August now well underway, what games did I play and coffees did I consume in July? Brew yourself a cup of coffee, and take a look!

Coffees Consumed
     July started off with us brewing the Maxwell House French Roast coffee blend that I grabbed during the coffee run in June. After we finished the French Roast blend, we started brewing Maxwell House's Dark Roast coffee blend which has lasted us into August, since we were visiting family for a good bit of July. Speaking of visiting family, our first stop was on Mrs. Coffee's side. Her mom buys Community Coffee, and we enjoyed daily pots of the Community Coffee Medium Roast blend.

     What would the first word to describe our household be if I had kept the Keurig coffee machine Mrs. Coffee gave me as a gift 2 years ago for Christmas? BANKRUPT! I'm not sure if I ever told the story here on CoffeeWithGames, but as a Christmas gift one year Mrs. Coffee surprised me with a Keurig coffee machine. After debating and staring at it for about a week still in the box though, I made the decision that I simply drink too much coffee daily, and that if we kept the Keurig machine we would spend a fortune each month on the coffee pods.
     Well, my mom received a Keurig coffee machine sometime after Christmas and she has really enjoyed using it. When we arrived at her house, she was stocked up with a wide assortment of the Green Mountain Coffee K-Cups. My mom enjoys her coffee with a flavor, so we had a choice of the Green Mountain Coffee Spicy Eggnog, Green Mountain Coffee Gingerbread, Green Mountain Coffee Golden French Toast, or the Green Mountain Coffee Breakfast Blend K-Cups. The Green Mountain Coffee Breakfast Blend was apparently a favorite, as it was the first one we ran out of. After that one flavor ran out though, the other flavors never did, even with us (see me) using the machine quite often.

     For me though, I think sticking with the regular coffee machine is the way to go right now, even after using the Keurig machine for over a week. I definitely see the benefit and how easy it is to simply throw a K-Cup in the machine and not think twice, but with how much coffee we consume in the "Coffee House" monthly, I would probably have to change the name of the site to "CoffeeWithCoffee" because we couldn't afford games anymore.

Games Played
     Being that some of you might be reading this on Monday morning Tuesday morning instead of doing your scheduled work, here is the short list for the games I played in July: Rage of the Gladiator, Super Mario Bros. 3, Punch-Out!!, Bit.Trip Runner, New Super Mario Bros. DS, Super Mario World, Blacklight: Retribution, Cogs, Far Cry 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario 64, VVVVVV, and New Super Mario Bros. Wii. I believe it was 15 games in all, with a few others being "played" very briefly, but not long enough that I consider it really "playing" them.

     Rage of the Gladiator - After a Rage of the Gladiator request by a YouTube comment asking for a video against Lord Vensor the 3rd from the game, I played a few matches against him until I had enough decent matches recorded. I was able to use one of the recorded battles for a video to show how to defeat him in Challenge Mode, and I also wrote a post with a few details and even an image that might be helpful if you ever reach Lord Vensor the 3rd in Challenge Mode, and get stuck. You can read the post, and watch the full battle I recorded HERE.
     Super Mario Bros. 3 - Our oldest son beat his first Mario level in Super Mario Bros. 3, and that resulted in me doing an "Hours Report" and video remake of his play-through of the level. It was World 5-1 in the game, and though we made it to World 5-1, and even halfway through World 5, we never tried it again once we left to visit family. We had a blast playing through the levels we did in July though, and we have already started the game again this month. If you missed the post about Bean 1 beating his first Mario world, you can read the post and watch a "remake" video of sorts of his play-through of World 5-1, HERE.
     Punch-Out!! - This was a Father's Day gift to me, and I have really enjoyed my time with the game. I haven't finished Title Defense mode yet, but I did make my way through some of it earlier in July. I believe King Hippo was the last opponent I defeated in Title Defense, but each and every boxer in Title Defense has been a challenge. I wasn't the only one to play Punch-Out!! in July though, as Mrs. Coffee decided to give the game a try one day and she ended up going all the way through to King Hippo, and defeating him. It was hilarious watching and listening to her play the game. She would be insulting the boxers back in the middle of the matches saying things like "Vive la France your face!" to Glass Joe, or just things like laughing hysterically at Disco Kid in the middle of the matches. It was very entertaining.
     BIT.TRIP RUNNER - I completed the WiiWare demo of Bit.Trip Runner a good number of times in July, and really enjoyed my time with the demo. Bean 1 attempted to play the demo as well, but he hasn't quite got the hang of it just yet. After the feedback provided on my "Jump! Run! Kick! Slide! BIT.TRIP RUNNER Hours Report", I added Bit.Trip Complete to my "Wish List" of games.
     New Super Mario Bros. DS - I didn't really think about New Super Mario Bros. DS until July because of our planned "vacation" to visit our family out of town. I figured if anything, Bean 1 could MAYBE fiddle around on the screen and just see Mario and be happy with it. Little did I know he would learn the menu system quickly, finding the matching games with "Luigi", and then go to World 1-1 and get the Mega Mushroom which results in "Big Mario!" according to him. Yes, Bean 1 has completed World 1-1 all on his own with no outside help from me, just using the items in the level. If you have played the game, you probably know why, but the fact he can get the jumping down with the walking still impresses me. Perhaps we will be having some all-night Mario Marathons before the year is over...
     Super Mario World - "We beat it!" is what Bean 1 exclaims now when we finish the game. Sure, it was because we accidentally found the Rainbow Road paths, but he was the one that actually showed it to me by accident one day without me realizing I had unlocked it. Bean 1 can also identify Bowser's Castle appropriately, since it is labeled that in the game and he even knows which doors he can get through easiest in the castle. Now, he hasn't beat the castle all on his own yet, but the fact he made it all the way to the second set of doors to pick, impressed me enough.
     Blacklight: Retribution - What happens when you open a Steam account? NOTHING GOOD! (Okay, that's sarcasm). Money starts leaving your bank account and your wife says, "I was wondering what 'Valve' was in the statement", or something along those lines. Fortunately for me though Blacklight: Retribution did not cost me a dime, and if you have a Steam account you can play the game for free as well. I was actually surprised and impressed with the matches that I played in the game, and enjoyed the match setups of the teams having to capture and hold different points around the maps. I did get confused with how the "purchase" system worked, so I haven't upgraded my character very much; but I'm hoping to put some more time into the game this month and see if I can figure out the upgrade system a bit more. You may not remember, but back in 2010 I did a "Double Interview" feature with the developer of the original BlackLight: Tango Down. While the original game released and you had to pay for it, the developer decided to try the "Free to Play" route with the sequel and I hope it works well for them. If you missed my Double Interview feature from 2010 with Zombie Studios, you can read it HERE.
     Cogs - Why did I get a Steam account? Because a certain video game blog, Chalgyr's Game Room, had a Steam giveaway/contest last year and Cogs was the prize. To win the prize though, I needed a Steam account. I didn't know if I would like it, but I like winning free stuff and ended up winning the game. I finally gave it a try in July, and have really, really enjoyed my time with the game. Mrs. Coffee even watched me play it a bit, and thought the game looked interesting from what she saw. It is definitely a challenging puzzle game from what I have played so far, and I don't think I'm half-way through it yet. If you like puzzle type games, I suggest you look up Cogs on Steam and give the free demo a try.
     Far Cry 2 - I received Far Cry 2 from a good friend when were down visiting family/friends over the Christmas holiday this last year. I haven't made it very far into the game, but I can see why the developers chose the setting they did for the "open" aspect from the first game, but this allowed them to change it up a bit, at least from what I can tell so far. I haven't encountered any of the dreaded "escort" missions I have heard about yet, but I am expecting one to any moment now.
     Batman: Arkham Asylum - What happens when our neighbors and us both own Wii and PS3 systems? Well, we end up trading/loaning games every now and then. I actually traded him Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, and he traded me Batman: Arkham Asylum early in July. I haven't made it super far in the game, but far enough that I have done one "boss" battle. I have enjoyed my short time with the game, and I'm looking forward to getting more in it now that we are back from our trip. As for Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, he finished the game the very weekend we traded! If you want to see my brief thoughts on Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, you can read them HERE.
     Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - I hadn't played Modern Warfare 3 in quite a while, so I fired up the online multiplayer to see if I could get in some quick matches in July. I didn't have any trouble getting in the standard team matches, and enjoyed my time in them. It was kind of interesting though, as I had seen a few matches from the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex on YouTube showing hacked matches, and I experienced my very first hacked match in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on the Wii in July. I was actually recording the matches that night, and I think I have footage of the entire match as I just ran around hopping way up into the sky and flying around oddly. I'm not sure if the footage would help Treyarch patch it up, or if they are even worried with patching the Wii version of Modern Warfare 3 now, considering they are probably busy getting Black Ops 2 running on the Wii and Wii U. I also did an "Hours Report" on Modern Warfare 3 in July, and you can read that HERE.
     Super Mario Bros. - Bean 1 and I both played Super Mario Bros. a good bit in July. He is making very good progress on jumping and walking at the same time, and the next step I'm going to try and teach him is running at the same time. I don't know if it tweeted it or not, but Bean 1 has completed World 1-1 in Super Mario Bros. now, and I have video evidence floating around my computer. The evidence will surface in the next few days probably, so you might want to keep a lookout for it.
     Super Mario 64 - Another Mario game in July? Why not! Bean 1 enjoys running around in the game, and though he doesn't know exactly what is going on that doesn't stop him from having fun. He gets Mario to swim outside in the moat, and he even knows how to access levels by jumping into the pictures. What does he request I do in the game occasionally? "Daddy, find the key!" What key is that? Well, it's the key to Bowser's door of course; at least we both think it is. He asks me to find it when he tries to open the door, and gets the laugh in return. I'm enjoying playing the game a lot, because while I owned/own a Nintendo 64, Super Mario 64 wasn't a game in my collection and I never completed it when a friend rented it and I played it. So, I'm looking forward to trying and beating the game now.
     VVVVVV - How did I become interested in trying out the demo for VVVVVV? It was an interview on NintendoNation.net that I read that got me interested in the game. Make sure to check out the interview HERE, and if you are interested in VVVVVV but don't own it, definitely give the demo a try. I enjoyed my time with the demo, and it makes me wonder if perhaps the PC or 3DS version is better. Perhaps some of you that own both versions of VVVVVV can provide feedback on the game below and tell me why I need to buy a Nintendo 3DS later this month, when the XL model releases.
     New Super Mario Bros. Wii - What happens when we visit family, and my best friend from childhood pays us a visit? Well, that ends up with my best friend from marriage (see Mrs. Coffee) and I breaking out NSMBW late that night with him. How did we all do? Bowser had no idea the yelling and screaming that would be paying his castle a visit that night, but I should have a post on that later this month, with video. Did Bean 1 play it with us though? No, Bean 1 did not play NSMBW in July. You read that right, Bean 1 did not play New Super Mario Bros. Wii in July. As a matter of fact, it's the only Mario game in our collection I believe that he hasn't played yet.

Questions/Thoughts
     What video games did you play in July? Did any game really stand out to you from the others that you played, and did you perhaps purchase any new releases or just new-to-you games in July? Also, if you have any questions about the games I played in July played feel free to leave a comment/question below.
     As for the coffees, did any of you try anything new in July as I did with the Green Mountain Coffees or did you play it safe with your usual coffee, tea, soda, water, or other drinks of choice?

God of War: Ascension Pre-Order Bonus Announced for Amazon.com

Coffee Beans
God of War: Ascension is currently scheduled for release on March 12, 2013. The game is being developed by Sony's Santa Monica Studio and will provide more backstory on Kratos (think the Star Wars pre-quels giving more information on Anakin/Darth Vader, but hopefully better received!).

The game has yet to receive an ESRB rating, but based on the game-play they showed for the game at E3 this year, I say we can safely assume God of War: Ascension will retain the "Mature" rating past God of War games have received.

Now with only 8 months and 17 days until the game releases, Amazon.com just announced a pre-order bonus for God of War: Ascension. Is it a life sized Kratos? A bag of Greek coffee? Or, something game related? Let's take a look!

FPS-ish Friday - The House of the Dead: Overkill Hours Played

Coffee Beans
Do you like zombies? Do you like zombie games? Well, if you answered yes to either of those questions, this report may be for you.

The House of the Dead: Overkill was released on February 10, 2009 for the Wii in North America, and it had a MSRP of $49.99. A port of the game was just released this past Tuesday, October 25, for the PlayStation 3 with a MSRP of $39.99, but it is already discounted 25% at one online site, HERE.

It was developed by Headstrong Games, and published by Sega. The House of the Dead: Overkill received a "Mature" rating from the ESRB with "Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language" listed as content for parents/gamers to be aware of.

How many hours of game-play can PlayStation 3 owners expect, and also Wii owners, from The House of the Dead: Overkill if they are just picking it up?  Let's take a look!

Great Game Advertising - Sony's Example with Resistance 3

Coffee Beans
     If you are a PlayStation 3 owner and you are a FPS fan, today is the release of Resistance 3 for the system.  Sony appears to be going all out with support for Resistance 3, as I was just hopping over to my YouTube account to upload a video, when I noticed a massive Resistance 3 ad at the top of YouTube.
     I have no idea how much it costs to buy ad space on YouTube, but I can imagine Sony paid a pretty penny(or two) for the spot.
     What's the Resistance 3 ad space look like, and what video is Sony using to advertise the game?  Take a look after the break!

Paintballs Fly! Greg Hastings Paintball 2 Debut Hours

Coffee Beans
     Greg Hastings Paintball 2 was released on the Wii on September 28, 2010 with a MSRP of $39.99.  The game also released on the Xbox 360 on September 28, 2010 with a MSRP of $39.99, and released just in June on the PS3 through the PlayStation Network, and is available for just $20 on the service.
     The game was developed by Super X Studios, and published by Majesco.  Greg Hastings Paintball 2 received an "Everyone 10+" rating from the ESRB with "Language, Violence" listed as content for gamers/parents to be aware of.

     How many hours have Wii owners played digital paintball with 307 days reported since Greg Hastings Paintball 2 released?  Let's take a look!

FPS Friday - Greg Hastings Paintball 2 PS3 Footage

Coffee Beans:
     Many of you may have seen some of my coverage for Greg Hastings Paintball 2 (GHP2) on the Wii over the last several months.  Well last week on June 14, Greg Hastings Paintball 2 released on the PlayStation Network and is available for $19.99.
     The game was developed by Super X Studios, and published by Majesco Entertainment.  GHP2 received an "Everyone 10+" rating from the ESRB, with "Language, Violence" listed as content for gamers/parents to be aware of.

     For those of you that haven't seen any footage of Greg Hastings Paintball 2, the video below contains one round of a "RaceTo" match that a friend and I played together cooperatively through the PlayStation Network.  While we played some matches against each other, the video below is of us being on the same team battling against a team of AI opponents.

PS3 versus Xbox 360: L.A. Noire's May Sales Ranks Breakdown

Coffee Beans:
     L.A. Noire was released on May 17, 2011 for the PS3 and Xbox 360.  The game released with a "Standard" edition with a MSRP of $59.99.
     L.A. Noire was developed by Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games.  The game received a "Mature" rating from the ESRB with, "Blood and Gore, Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs, Violence" listed as content for gamers/parents to be aware of.

     The May 2011 NPD data was just released for video game hardware/software sales, and L.A. Noire was in the #1 software spot for the month, but the NPD data did not show the sales breakdown between the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game.

     The chart below is not designed to be a replacement of NPD data, but to be a supplement with the NPD data for developers and investors alike, that may be interested in sales data.

     Were more crimes apparently solved on the PS3 or the Xbox 360 in the first 14 days after L.A. Noire released, based on the game's sales ranks in May?  Let's take a look!

FPS Friday Interview - Part II Q&A with Greg Hastings

Coffee Beans:
     You can read Part I of the interview I posted last week with Greg Hastings HERE.

     *Editor's note:  The very first question below was in regards to Greg Hastings Paintball 2's release date on the PS3, I have contacted Greg and Super X Studios on the issue of the release date, since the PSN crash has caused its release to be delayed.

Interview Questions & Answers with Greg Hastings - Part II
*CoffeeWithGames:  The PS3 version of the game saw some delays, but is expected to be releasing on the PS3 through the PlayStation Network.  Does the PS3 version have a solid release date, or release week window; and what price will PS3 owners be looking at to purchase the game?

*Greg Hastings:  May 10th is the date that I'm told!  Sony makes ya jump through hoops, but in the end it assures quality, which I appreciate.  I'm not sure on the price, but this version has some extras that are not found in the 360 or Wii versions.

PS3 vs. Xbox 360: Portal 2's April Sales Ranks - Analysis with Chart

Is this guy coffee proof?

Coffee Beans:
     Portal 2 was released on April 19, 2011 for both the PS3 and Xbox 360.  The game released with a "Standard" edition with a MSRP of $59.99.
     Portal 2 was developed and published by Valve, and distributed by Electronic Arts.  Portal 2 received an "Everyone 10+" rating from the ESRB, with "Fantasy Violence, Mild Language" listed as content for gamers/parents to be aware of.

     Did more PS3 or Xbox 360 owners apparently purchase Portal 2 during its 11 days on the market in April?  Let's take a look!

PS3 vs. Xbox 360: Mortal Kombat's April Sales Ranks - Analysis with Chart

Coffee Beans:
     Mortal Kombat was released on April 19, 2011 for both the PS3 and Xbox 360.  The game released with a "Standard" edition for $59.99, a "Collector's Edition" for $99.99, and a "Tournament Edition" for $149.99.
     Mortal Kombat was developed by NetherRealm Studios, and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.  The game received a "Mature" rating from the ESRB, with "Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Strong Language" listed as content for parents to be aware of.

     Did more PS3 owners or more Xbox 360 owners apparently purchase Mortal Kombat during its 11 days on the market in April?  Did the PlayStation Network crash/downtime affect Mortal Kombat's sales ranks on the PS3 compared to the Xbox 360 version, and was this apparent?  Let's take a look!

FPS Friday! Greg Hastings Paintball 2 Interview with Greg Hastings!

Coffee Beans:
     If you missed Part I or Part II of the interview about Greg Hastings Paintball 2, you can read them HERE and HERE.
     In Part I and Part II, I interviewed James Thrush the President of Super X Studios which was behind the development of Greg Hastings Paintball 2.

     As the title for this post says, the questions below were answered by Greg Hastings himself.  I'll keep it short with four questions this week, and some more next week.

Interview Questions and Answers with Greg Hastings - Part I
CoffeeWithGames:  First, thanks for taking the time for the interview.  Can you tell the readers a little about how you got started in paintball, and how that lead to pitching the idea for creating a paintball video game?

Greg Hastings:  The same way many have started.  A friend took me to play back in 1987 and the adrenaline rush was immediately captivating!  I was playing Kelly Slater Pro Surfer with my buddy Stephen 10 years ago.  I knew the participation of paintball and was mad that no one [had] taken our sport serious enough to make a console game supporting it.  Shooters were hot from the word go, and hello, paintball IS a shooter!  I got on the phone with a friend who knew about finance, since every idea cost money to get going.  I landed in Seattle a few weeks later and started the franchise.  It ramped up over a year and before we knew it, we had enough money to finish the game and publishers contacting us.

A PS3 FPS Release Date Confirmed - Move Support, 60+ Maps...

Coffee Beans:
     I'm now pleased to say that PS3 owners will only have to wait a little while longer to play a new FPS that has Sony Move(and Navigation) support, 60+ maps, a map editor, online multi-player, as well as a solid single-player offering.
     What game am I talking about, and when will it release?

FPS Friday: Greg Hastings Paintball 2 - Super X Studios Interview Part II

Coffee Beans:
     If you missed Part I of the interview with Super X Studios' President, James Thrush, you can read that HERE.
     Part II of the interview is below, and it is the remaining portion of the interview with James Thrush.

Interview Q&A Part II:
CoffeeWithGames:  The players/teams in Greg Hastings Paintball 2 are all real-world paintball players, correct?  What was the process of deciding which real-world players/teams made it into the game?

James Thrush:  Absolutely, every one of them (except for one cat!).  We set up a photo booth at several large paintball events for a year or so during development, and opened it up to any teams and players who wanted to be in the game.  They just had to sign a release and stats form, and get their picture taken.  We wound up with 1,262 people in the game!  We did it partially to add authenticity, but also as a giant thank-you to the paintball community.  I mean, who doesn't want to be in a video game?!?

FPS Friday - FEATURE Interview! Greg Hastings Paintball 2 - Part I

Coffee Beans:
     After I finished playing Greg Hastings Paintball 2's Career mode a few weeks back, I contacted the developer of the game, Super X Studios.  I was really impressed by the amount of content in the game, and you can watch my "Video Preview and Impressions" of the game HERE!

     Not only did the developer respond to my email, but Greg Hastings himself, responded!  I ended up sending over some questions to Super X Studios about the game, and to Greg Hastings as well.  Being that there were multiple questions/answers, I'm splitting the interviews up over a few weeks, that way they don't get lost after just one post.
     So, if have a question about Greg Hastings Paintball 2, and it's not answered in this portion, definitely leave a comment and I can let you know if it'll perhaps be posted in the next few weeks.

     Part I of the interview is below, and this portion is with Super X Studios' James Thrush (JT).  So, without further delay, let's get started!

Interview Q&A:

CoffeeWithGames:  First, thanks for taking the time for the interview.  Can you tell the readers a little about what you do at Super X Studios, and how you were involved in developing Greg Hastings Paintball 2?

James Thrush:  I'm James Thrush, founder and President of Super X Studios.  I've known Greg for six years now - I got the chance to help out on the original Greg Hastings Tournament Paintball games for the Xbox and PS2, and fell in love with the franchise.  When it was time to make the sequel, and the previous developers bowed out, Greg came to me and it was an easy sell to get us on board!