Month: March 2009

R.U.S.E. Trailer: The Sneaky RTS

Ubisoft debuted a new RTS today called R.U.S.E., coming to the PS3, PC and XBox 360. The idea behind the game is certainly an interesting one. Basically, it’s a typical war-based RTS, but with a twist. At the beginning of each round, each player is dealt a hand of cards, which give special abilities.

These cards do a range of things, such as allowing your units to be invisible until they get behind enemy lines, or revealing what the other player is doing, or disguising your heavy tanks as light infantry. It’s a unique tweak to the genre, and I’m curious to see how it plays out. Here’s the R.U.S.E. trailer– thoughts?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ohNzHWL7FI[/youtube]

Source- GameSpot

Whoops, The Pitt is Kind of Borked

pittLots of people are excited about the new Fallout 3 DLC, the Pitt, which released today for the XBox 360 and PC. Or at least they were, until it all turned out to be a big crazy mess.

Apparently, many who have downloaded the new pack on the 360 have experienced everything from freezing machines to graphical glitches galore. It’s so bad that some places in the game even feature floating red exclamation points where missing textures should be. Yikes. Bethesda is now investigating and setting out to fix the problem.

I understand that this kind of stuff is complicated, but how does something go so fundamentally wrong with a release like that? I mean, back to the point I made earlier about micro transactions- if you’re going to charge me money, at least make it somewhat workable. So, was anyone excited about The Pitt DLC? Has anyone had these problems?

Source- Kotaku

Game Industry Pros Want More Micro-Transactions

horse-armorLet me put on my shocked face. The subtitle to this story should be “And Nobody is Surprised”. Or better yet, “And Gamers Cried Out in Agony”. Just in case you were wondering, I mean.

According to a recent survey, when asked about the most impactful areas of the industry, it seems that video game professionals are the most excited about the future of micro transactions, with 66 percent of those questioned choosing that as their first option. So basically, they chose to take more of our money, but just in smaller bite sized chunks? I’m overjoyed.

While I understand that this is where everything’s heading, I just wish that game makers would stop planning and finishing all of their damn DLC before the game’s even out, and just release great games that are worth every single penny. Don’t go nuts over my additional $10 bucks until you’ve earned the first $60, please.

What do you guys think? Are you bothered by the ever-growing trend of micro-transactions, or are you ok with them?

Source- Game Industry Biz

Layoff: The Game

Ah, gotta love the news media. They can take a story about a video game and twist it however they want. Take this story about a new game called Layoff, for example. It’s a bejeweled clone which lets the player lay off workers, and instead of a high score, your points come across as the amount of money you’ve saved the company.

Clearly, this game is made to demonstrate a greater point through satire. But even still, the news show can miss that point, go on the streets, get soundbites from uninformed interviewees and then claim that the game has upset quite a few people. This is why I don’t watch the news anymore.

What do you guys think? Is the game too far?

By the way, if you want to play the game yourself, check it out here.

Keeping It In The Family

sopranos_lMore and more it seems that gaming is becoming a pasttime for the entire family. Thanks to the Wii, we can even get the grandparents involved, although my grandma did play Top Gun, Contra and Chip and Dale’s Rescue Rangers with me when I was sick one day. It was cute to see her play Top Gun. She even shot me down once or twice!

In my family, gaming has been around since I was born. My mom and dad both played on the Atari and Intellivision. My mom used to reset the game if she died anywhere on the first 3 levels of Pac-Man! She also loved Burger Time, a game where a chef runs over lettuce, tomatoes and other parts of a sandwich in order to drop them to a platform below the level and complete the sandwich, all the while being chased by a couple of hot dogs and a pissed off egg. That egg always was the hardest to avoid.

My dad also had a Commodore 64, which was very big in gaming. He was one of the first people I ever heard of who invited his friends over just to play games. My uncle and him would play this horrible football game, with lousy graphics and control, and sit there and talk trash and argue and have a great time. It was fun just to watch them. He has a PS2 and still plays PC games, to this very day.

My older brother was once a loyal console gamer. We discovered Final Fantasy together and had a great time playing Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance on the PS2. Now that he has kids, his console days are over, as they play the Wii and he sits all alone in the corner, playing World of Warcraft non-stop. It’s kind of sick. My little brother just got a PS3, so we play online against each other all the time. I hooked him on Final Fantasy and he introduced me to Suikoden, a PS1 rpg that is amazing. Go download it on the PSN, it’s like 5 bucks. Before all that, he mainly played Pokemon, which I gave an honest try and just could not get into it. Not after having played epics like Final Fantasy and the Legend of Zelda. My older sister just plays the Wii, although she had a GameCube and Nintendo 64 and always played any Mario games that came out, like Tennis or Golf. She ignores most other games, which is kind of typical of a girl gamer.

So you see, gaming has been a part of my life since I could ever remember. I have played every system from the Atari to the Wii and my family has been there to for me to leech off and try new things. I am the only one now who is really into gaming, but I prefer to think of myself as the last man standing, rather than the last one who refuses to grow up.

What about your families gaming history? Do you still play together?

GamerSushi Asks: Extend the Story?

ff7-acOver the weekend, I got sick as a dog. For real. Burritos and stomach viruses do not mix, and apparently I don’t go well with with those two, either. Anywho, my brother was in town visiting, and since our options were limited to anything I could do while plastered to a couch, we chose to partake in the glorious fight scenes of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

All complaints about the movie aside, the fight scenes are some of the coolest I’ve ever seen in any medium, but beyond that, the movie itself is total fanboy service in terms of the content it delivers. I mean, really, they revisit nearly every single major or minor character and even give you a glimpse at life after the events of the story. Hell, they have the main bad guy show up again.

This got me wondering- what other franchises or video games would you love to see get the Advent Children treatment that Final Fantasy VII got? If you could have a ridiculous fanboy-loving movie sequel to any game that allowed you to see what happened to your favorite characters, and even threw in pants-wettingly awesome action sequences, what would it be? Go!

Wii Fit Passes Halo 3 Sales in US

wii-fitYikes. If there’s one game that you just assume that everyone and their mom owns, it’s probably Halo 3. Well, at least that’s what I assume anyway. Not so, though, if the latest sales numbers are to be believed.

After less than a year since its release, Wii Fit has surpassed Halo 3 in sales in the U.S. Last month, the official number for Wii Fit rose above the 6 million mark, while Halo 3 has sold about 5.9 million since its release in September of 2007.

So, is this yet another sign of the apocalypse? Personally, I didn’t realize that they had been able to keep Wii Fit in stock enough in order to sell this many of them.

Source- VG247

Alpha Protocol Trailer

Alpha Protocol is a game from Obsidian that is not scheduled for release soon enough. I say that because the trailer is incredible, and screams Mass Effect meets Splinter Cell. The blend of stealth action, great graphics, and RPG elements seems like definite win to me. Thoughts?

Are You Ever Too Old For Gaming?

old-gamingA few years ago, my youngest brother asked me a question in front of my dad about a new video game coming out. Before I could respond by saying that yes, I was excited about its release, my dad interrupted by saying “Eddy’s too old to do things like that anymore”.

You see, as long as I can remember, people have been telling me that gaming is for kids, or that I’m too old to still be doing it. I don’t quite understand the way this works in people’s brains, but for some reason, spending my time reading a book or watching TV would be far more acceptable socially than playing an RPG or tea-bagging a dude in Halo 3. Ok, kidding about that last part (mostly), but you know what I mean: people view gaming as a kid’s hobby that you “grow out of”, given time.
Continue reading Are You Ever Too Old For Gaming?

Bioshock 2, Starring the Big Daddy

bioshock2Got my Game Informer in the mail yesterday, which featured not only awesome cover art of the new “Big Sister” from BioShock2, but also a story with some of the first details of the game.

From the article, it seems that this game takes place 10 years after the first game, and the “bad ending” as canon for moving forward. Rapture has fallen into chaos and disarray, and the Little Sisters, now grown up and sporting a mean Adam addiction (including a needle directly into their arms) have returned as Big Sisters, sporting Big Daddy-esque gear.

The big twist, though? You play as a Big Daddy. The first Big Daddy, to be exact- the prototype that is smaller, quicker and able to use plasmids. And while fighting Big Daddies is no longer as challenging as it once was, fighting Big Sisters sounds terrifying. They hunt you, can leap across a room in one bound, and hurl objects at you via telekinesis.

So, what do you guys think? I’m optimistic, but the prospect of playing as a Big Daddy could be hit or miss. Thoughts?

CoD: World at War Zombie DLC Gameplay

Well, if you’ve been wondering what the new DLC zombie stuff looks like for Call of Duty: World at War, Treyarch was kind enough to release a brand new gameplay video for all of us. It shows off the new map which definitely has a cool feel to it, and some great lighting to boot. Looks fun.

How Diablo is Diablo III?

diablo3Next to The Old Republic MMO, Diablo III is pretty much one of the only PC games that I’m really dying to get my hands on these days. I loved Diablo II, and playing co-op accounts for some of my favorite gaming moments.

As with many sequels, change has apparently come to the Diablo franchise, and many fans have voiced their unhappiness at the change in art style from the dark and gritty to the vibrant and colorful nature seen in WoW. Personally, I don’t really care that much, because the game will still be a blast to play.

But who cares what I think, since I’m not Bill Roper, one of the original bigwigs behind the Diablo series. And his opinion? He preferred the dark and gritty style better, but sees why Blizzard would go the way they did. Check out the quote after the jump.
Continue reading How Diablo is Diablo III?

Bioware: Mass Effect 2 is Bigger and Better

me2Even though we all knew it was going to happen, Mass Effect 2 has finally been officially announced for the Xbox 360 and the PC, so it’s time for us all to stand up and take notice.

Not only is it now official, but Bioware is also bringing out the big funs, saying that Mass Effect 2 is going to surpass the original through better combat, more customization and a rocking story. While I know that it’s every company’s job to hype their product like this, I can’t help but get giddy about the prospect of another game set in Mass Effect’s universe. This is easily my most wanted game for 2010.

So who is on board the hype train with me for Mass Effect 2? Does anyone believe that it will surpass the first?

Source- Kotaku

The New Behemoth Game Trailer

Well, it’s been a good long weekend at Austin for SXSW, but now I’m back! Much thanks to Anthony for holding down the fort.

One of the coolest things I’ve seen since I’ve been back was this trailer for the new game from Behemoth, the same dudes behind Alien Hominid and Castle Crashers. While we don’t have a name yet, we do have a date of 2010, and some great gameplay footage. It looks to be a co-op platformer of sorts, only with lots of explosions. Sign me up!

GamerSushi Asks: Favorite Video Game Stories

We all love to play games, but some of us enjoy the stories that come along final-fantasy-vi-advance-1with the game even more. Myself, if a game has a good story, its a bonus. Rarely do I get caught up in the plot and characters. I try not to skip the cut-scenes, but I find myself getting impatient sometimes. Other people live for the cinematics and can’t get enough of them. This is a generational thing, I believe and I plan to delve into more in a future post. Before I can do that, I want to know what game stories you guys like.

Personally, I have a few that I really love: Bioshock’s twists and atmosphere really drew me in to the world of Rapture. I enjoyed the first Halo for its simplicity, but the other games tried too hard to be clever, while also rehashing the original’s story. RPG’s are my passion and Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana and the Final Fantasy series have all rocked my world. Final Fantasy IV, VI and XII are my favorites with Tactics right up there. Tactics had a rough translation, so its hard to get all the little nuances, but the sheer epic feel of the world won me over.

What games had a story that you really enjoyed? Did any blow your mind? What about them did you like? Was it the plot, the characters, the setting and atmosphere? Don’t hold back! Be as specific as you like.

Wii Fangirl Rant

(The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of a Wii fangirl that wii_gift_17Anthony made up for the purposes of humor and irony. They do not reflect the views of GamerSushi.com. In short: it’s a joke!)

You know, being on top isn’t easy. Having a Nintendo Wii is so rewarding, yet exhausting at the same time. In between my playing the most popular video game system in years, I constantly have to defend myself against attacks from the “hardcore” gamers. These mouth-breathers, so busy bathing in their bloody games full of filth and cursing, seem to think that the Wii is a lesser system than their giant boxes of boredom. I mean, the PS3 is so large and bulky that if a leopard came at me, I could kill it! And I’m an 11-year-old girl!

There are so many great things about the Wii that these hardcore gamers can’t see. By the way, I may be young, but I know “hardcore” is a type of adult entertainment found on the Internet a lot and for most of these people, it’s as close as they are ever getting to a person of the opposite sex. And plus, look at my amazing grammar! You don’t see such good spelling anywhere on those hardcore message boards, do you? See what I did there?

A lot of these people talk about how dumbed-down Wii games are. What a joke! “Super Smash Bros Brawl is so easy! Just hit ‘A’ to win!” Well, Smarty-Pants, try it. Hit “A” over and over and see what happens. Super Smash Bros Brawl is a game of intricate strategy. You have to do more than hit “A”. Often, I have to jump to get items, dodge attacks and mash ALL the buttons in order to win! And even that doesn’t always work. So if you are having problems winning at this game, maybe you aren’t as hardcore as you think you are, tee hee.

The other game they like to cry about is Mario Kart Wii. They use some term called, “Rubber-band AI”, which means the game actually tries to help the people losing. What’s so wrong about that? When I first played, I beat my big brother 3 times in a row! I made an amazing comeback by getting Blue Shells, Bullet Bill and a TON of Mushroom Turbo Boosts! I went from 12th place to 1st in half a lap! He was so mad and he said a lot of very bad words about Nintendo. So you see, that’s why I think rubber-band AI is so good because my big brother needs all the help he can get!

Another thing they don’t like are Friend Codes. But Friend Codes are made for pretty little girls like me! They protect me from all the evil guys I see on “To Catch A Predator” and that hang out at my bus stop offering me candy. So now, those guys can’t get to me online when I want to make Miis of myself and all my friends! Plus, even the non-creepy guys always want to talk to me and they like to curse when my brother plays Halo, so I am glad I don’t have to deal with them.  Nintendo seems to think that everyone online is a pervert, so who needs them?I have real friends in the real world, I don’t want friends online. That’s what WebKinz and Myspace are for!

So for all those hardcore gamers out there that seem to hate on the Wii and us younger gamers who have fallen in love with it, I would like to say one thing: get a life! Just because you have great graphics, diverse gameplay, accessible online gaming and lots of games who’s favorite color is brown, doesn’t mean that you have it all. I have the Wii and when Nintendo releases the Wii 2 in a year or so, with graphics that are slightly better and a touch screen you can stick over your TV screen and play DS games on, you will be even more jealous than you are now!

GamerSushi Asks: Public Humiliation?

frag-dollsIf you didn’t know, I’m at South By Southwest in Austin for the weekend. It’s a big media event with Music, Film and Internet stuff, and I’m currently at the Internet portion on business for my job. While I’ve been going to cool panels about new media and social networking, I also got to go to the “ScreenBurn Arcade”, which is devoted to video games.

Though ScreenBurn itself was kind of lame, I did get to play Halo 3 against one of the Frag Dolls, the professional girl gamers that play games and are also hot… and I got my ass kicked. I mean, it wasn’t too awful, she had 25 kills and I had 17 or so, but still, I was a little embarrassed. Luckily I didn’t talk trash beforehand.

It got me wondering about other public humiliations I’ve faced as a gamer. Probably the biggest one was playing DOA2 with my friends, talking trash like crazy… only to have my brother wander in, kick my ass and then walk away. All my friends gave me crap for weeks.

So, have you ever had a time where you got your tail whipped at a game in public? What was it? Go!

Top 10 Downloadable Games

When I finally hooked my PS3 up to the InterGoogle, the first thing I did was jump on the PSN Store. I had heard about some great games and I was really looking forward to seeing what they had to offer. Downloadable games are a cheap way to get quality games, not to mention old classics and new, experimental games that would never see a retail release. So here are the Top 10 games you can get on the PSN Store, XBox Live Arcade and the Virtual Console. I have included classics, exclusives and multi-console releases.
Continue reading Top 10 Downloadable Games

Call of Duty World at War DLC Details

cod-3I’m a big fan of what Treyarch did with Call of Duty: World at War. While many of us doubted that the game would be any good at all, they put out a respectable sequel to one of the greatest shooters of all time, which was no easy task.

Right now, the game’s online multiplayer is still crushing the competition, some would say, but it’s about time for some new stuff to freshen everything up. That’s why a new DLC pack is coming March 19th, complete with not only a few new multiplayer maps, but also a new map for the oh-so-loved Nazi Zombie Mode. Sounds awesome.

Details after the jump!
Continue reading Call of Duty World at War DLC Details

Batman: Arkham Asylum Gameplay Trailer

While I haven’t ever known what quite to think of the new Batman Arkham Asylum game that’s coming out later this year, this new gameplay trailer looks pretty promising. Combining the mechanics of a Splinter Cell or Metal Gear works perfect for Batman. Let’s just hope that it’s got some great sneaking, and even cooler boss fights. What do you guys think?