Month: June 2010

Hold On To Your Butts: Episodic Jurassic Park Games Are Coming

Jurassic ParkThere are few things that can elicit fanboy feelings of delight from me. For the most part, I try to keep a level head when it comes to gaming news, but I seriously can’t help myself with this one, as it concerns Jurassic Park. I might throw up a little from excitement. Jurassic Park is probably in my top 10 favorite films of all time. That’s why I freaked when I read the news over at Game Informer tonight that the franchise is seeing a re-emergence in video game form sometime in the near future.

And not only will we be seeing a new video game, we’ll actually be getting multiple titles released in an episodic format. The maestros behind this will be none other than Telltale Games, the same folks that have been creating Sam and Max for years, along with the recently revived Tales of Monkey Island. While there are few details known about this, it seems like this could be a match made in heaven, and I would love playing an old school adventure game (or several) in the world of Jurassic Park.

So what do you guys think of this? By the way, I could have used any number of quotes in the title, and ran through a dozen or so before I settled on “Hold on to your butts”. I suppose I will have to use other memorable quotes in future updates.

Update: Apparently Telltale also nabbed the rights to Back to the Future games. What magic did these guys do to land these awesome IPs?

Source- Game Informer

Today’s WTF: Dragon Age Anime Incoming?

DA animeAdmittedly, I’m probably not the best person to debate the merits of transferring video game franchises into an animated format, but I guess that Halo: Legends sold well enough to encourage other publishers to take a crack at it.

EA and BioWare recently announced that they’re teaming up with FUNimation to bring Dragon Age to home video with a feature length film. You may know FUNimation from their long career of importing Japanese cartoons to North America, most notably the Dragon Ball series. Of course, any video gamer worth their salt knows of Dragon Age, the epic medieval fantasy RPG that was lauded by critics and players alike as the premier RPG of 2009. The game has already seen a novel tie-in and a comic book deal, so an animation project really isn’t that far fetched.

While Halo: Legends may have soured me on this kind of endeavor, the fact that this is a full length film instead of several shorts may address some of the things I found lacking about Legends. What do you guys think? Anyone on board for a Dragon Age anime?

Source: EA

Who’s Playing Red Dead Redemption?

Red Dead RedemptionNormally, I would just ask this as a straight up “What Are You Playing” question, but I decided to do things a little differently this time. You see, lately, nearly 80 percent of my friends list on XBox Live is playing through the newest Rockstar outing, Red Dead Redemption.

If you listened to our awesome podcast, then you would know that a handful of us here at GamerSushi are deeply enthralled in this game’s clutches. I know that for me, personally, the game is head-and-shoulders above its spiritual brethren, the GTA series. It plays more like an Oblivion or Assassin’s Creed 2 in terms of its structure, and allows you to explore a rich open world with gorgeous western vistas and plenty of fun distractions. I’ve written additional thoughts over on my blog, but I wanted to raise this question here as well.

Who’s playing Red Dead Redemption, and what are your thoughts on the game? It’s looking like it could be a front runner for game of the year, and I’m nowhere near being finished. Where do you rank it? Go!

Multiplayer Map Hall of Fame

You may or may not remember a feature we did some time ago titled the Video Game Level Hall of Fame, where we showcased and discussed some of our favorite single player missions or levels from video games. That got such a huge response, and I have no idea why I never followed up with it. Maybe because I am often too busy snacking on Fail crackers, or something. Who knows?

Anyway, I thought I’d remedy the situation by bringing a Hall of Fame feature back in full force, this time branching over into solo’s sister, multiplayer. Today, we’re taking a look at some of gaming’s best multiplayer maps of all time. Now, as before, this isn’t an end-all list, and it is not in any particular order. There will be several iterations of this feature, all highlighting different entries. Continue reading Multiplayer Map Hall of Fame

Killzone 3 Trailer and the Problem With Teasers

Killzone 3 was announced recently, so you know what that means: a teaser! Admittedly, this video is really cool, if a bit ultra-violent (it is also scientific proof that the Helghast are made out of wafers), but it also brings up a problem I’ve been having with trailers as of late. I recognize that companies like to build hype, and we as consumers like being strung along with as little info as possible (see LOST and any Halo game ever), but it’s getting kind of ridiculous. For games, I’d like to see something concrete as the money and time I’m going to be investing into a game is significant compared to a movie or a TV series. If I don’t like a TV show, I can stop watching, and movies are two hours at most and I can always walk out. If I return a game, I’m going to end up with a lot less money in my pocket, so I think the more gameplay in a trailer, the better. Take a look at the Killzone 3 teaser, and let me know if you agree:

Infamous 2 Announced

In keeping with this new theme of announcing blockbuster titles before E3, we are now able to confirm, thanks to Game Informer, that Infamous 2 is in the works for the Playstation 3.

Sucker Punch, the original developers  of Infamous, will be in charge just as before and will feature

a new city, new powers and a powerful new foe.

Having been honestly shocked (get it?) at the high quality of the first game, I have to admit, I am pretty excited about this. Infamous competed with Prototype, another open-world game where you gained super powers and made moral choices, but I think anyone who has a reasonable amount of judgement would agree that Infamous was superior in almost every way.

Are you excited by this announcement? What would you like to see improved or changed in the sequel?

Source: 1UP

Great Moments in Video Game Music: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night – Dracula’s Castle

Not every song has to be an epic piece of music in order to qualify as great music. Sometimes just kick-ass background music that plays while you explore the depths of an evil vampire lord’s lair is enough. If you have ever played Symphony of the Night (and any so-called hardcore gamer had better), then this tune is ingrained in your mind forever.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qh_uhV0ta0[/youtube]

Deus Ex Human Revolution Trailer Might Blow Your Mind

I know that we have quite a few Deus Ex fans on this site, so this post is especially you for you. If you were unaware, a trailer for the newest entry into the franchise (and prequel to the series), Deus Ex Human Revolution, just hit the good ol’ webz today, and holy cow if it isn’t pretty awesome.

I don’t mean to hype this trailer up too much, but I’m seriously damn impressed by it. I don’t know a thing about Deus Ex, its world, the main character, or how any of the game plays, but I immediately want to go find out everything I can about it right now.

On the real. You need to watch it.

Does anyone else wish this was a movie after watching it? Because I certainly did.

GamerSushi Asks: Give Us Your Feedback!

Every now and then, we like to see what you guys think about how things are going on the site, because ultimately, this place is about the community here and how we all interact. I think enough time has passed since the last time we did this, so I wanted to ask the question again: care to give us some feedback?

Here are some questions to consider:

1. What kinds of features would you like to see more of?
2. How often do you check this site?
3. What would you like to see more coverage of (within reason, of course)?
4. Do you want more/less updates?
5. What would make this place even more awesome?

Seriously, we’d love to hear what you guys think. Don’t be afraid to leave some criticism, as long as it is constructive. We’re all about making this place even better. We have some cool ideas for the future, and Nick is already working on a new layout that will really put the cool discussions you guys create front and center, with almost equal value to the posts themselves.

So, let’s hear it. Go!

PS3 Owners: Soldner X-2 Brings the Good Stuff

One of the things that we seem to miss out on with this site is coverage of some of those random indie games. It’s not that we dislike them, it’s just that none of us are the kinds of people who really seem to seek them out and report on them. That’s why I love Bytejacker, a video game show on Revision3 that covers this topic terribly well, and gives regular folks like me the chance to see something I might have otherwise missed.

While watching this week’s episode, I caught sight of a game that I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t heard of before. It’s a straight up classic style shoot-em-up in the vein of the old R-Type games, and it’s only $12.99 on the PSN right now. It’s called Soldner X-2, and the only word I have to describe the way this game looks is “epic”.

Really, I’ll stop talking about it. Just watch the trailer.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ06n20AFbE[/youtube]

Has anyone heard of this game, and doesn’t it look awesome?

GamerSushi Asks: What Are YOUR E3 2010 Predictions?

E3 2010E3 2010 is a mere two weeks away, and the excitement for gaming’s annual gala is building to a fevered pitch. If you listened to our first podcast from a few weeks ago, then you’ll know that we’re all pretty excited about this year’s E3. We offered up a few predictions about what the Big Three are going to be bringing to the table, but we’d love to hear what you guys are thinking about.

Predicting reveals or big surprises is always fun, and once E3 rolls around we’ll collect them in one big post and see who was right on the money and who was way, way off (PS4?). Since you already know what we’ve put our money on, we thought that we’d make a post to let you guys sound off on what you think this year’s big news will be at E3. Gears of War, Move, Natal, a new Zelda? Let us know!

Before you get to speculating, we would just like to mention that the weeks leading up to E3 are usually plagued by rumors, half-truths and damn lies, so don’t expect us to post on every single piece of news that comes out. Most of them are unsubstantiated rumors, but if something huge comes up, we’ll probably let you know about it. Alright, with that out of the way, get to your predicting!

Old Games Are Old: This Week on XBL

Call of Duty 4We’ve all seen the phenomenon of people not being able to part with old games. Just take a look at those fine folks that never wanted to give up Halo 2 for some quick and easy proof. But even though we know that people do weird things with their time and their gaming habits, it never ceases to amaze me when I see some new statistic that upends what I thought I knew.

This week’s statistics from XBox Live (taken from Major Nelson’s Blog) are pretty telling when it comes to what people like to play. To me, it’s crazy that Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is getting beaten by so many old games. And on top of that, three Call of Duty titles still manage to battle it out in the top 10, this far removed from their release dates. Move on, people!

Anyway, here’s the list. Craziness.

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles

1. Modern Warfare 2
2. Red Dead Redemption
3. Halo 3
4. Call of Duty: WaW
5. FIFA 10
6. Call of Duty 4
7. Battlefield Bad Co. 2
8. GTA IV
9. Gears of War 2
10. Left 4 Dead 2
11. Halo 3: ODST
12. Forza Motorsport 3
13. UFC Undisputed 2010 Demo
14. NBA 2K10
15. Backbreaker Demo
16. Splinter Cell Conviction
17. NHL 10
18. Borderlands
19. UFC Undisputed 2010
20. Madden NFL 10

Hit the jump for the XBox Live Arcade list. Continue reading Old Games Are Old: This Week on XBL

The GamerSushi Show, Ep 3: Videogame Movies and Gas

Super Mario Bros MovieI hope that my fellow Americans out there have all enjoyed a grand holiday weekend, full of hot dogs and sunshine and whatever else makes you happy and patriotic. We took the opportunity of the three day weekend to not only play video games, but also talk about them via Skype. That’s right, it’s the third episode of our GamerSushi podcast. As always, we cover topics like what we’re playing, but also spend a lot of time on video game movies. In fact, the discussion gets pretty intense… like a circus.

In addition to the videogame movies debate, there is also a rather humorous issue that took place. You see, for reasons later revealed, Nick thought that he was on mute upon several occasions, when in fact, he was still being recorded. The funny thing is, we couldn’t hear him. So there are some choice noises that happen that couldn’t really be edited out, but they’re also hilarious, so it’s all good. Continue reading The GamerSushi Show, Ep 3: Videogame Movies and Gas

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Earthworm Jim HD Has Co-Op

Um… want?

On June 9, the Earthworm Jim HD remake is coming to XBox Live Arcade, and will follow on the PSN one month later. Gameloft released a brand new trailer for the game today, which included this little tidbit: the game will now include a 4 player co-op mode. For the old school retro lover in me, this is quite the bombshell. I can’t wait to play this.

Anybody else jumping in?

Rumor: Mass Effect Going Multiplayer?

mass effect mmo rumor

Mass Effect 2 is one of the premier games of this year, and indeed, this generation. While the game could stand a bit of a slimming down in some areas (pre-patch mining being a good example), what could BioWare add to future iterations of the series? If you suggested multiplayer, it looks like you’re on the same page as the revered WRPG developers, as they’ve recently posted a few job openings for their Montreal, Quebec studio advertising Multiplayer Programmer positions.

Part of the job will be taking “existing single player experiences and making them multiplayer safe”, and ensuring that “the game engine and game systems work reliably and efficiently in a multiplayer environment.” While the job listing doesn’t state what kind of multiplayer the Mass Effect developers have in mind, it seems pretty clear that the studio is going to be making the jump very soon.

The posting doesn’t out and out say that Mass Effect 3 will be going online, but I wouldn’t rule anything out in that regard. Mass Effect 2’s engine was really, really solid so it could probably handle co-op play. Further speculation could point to a Mass Effect MMO, and, to use a term Eddy once coined, that very thought gives me a mind boner.

So, what do you guys think? Are you on board, and what do you predict will come of this? Is Mass Effect 3 going to have Team Deathmatch, or is this more of a long term goal for the series?

Edit: The posting has since been updated to exclude the mention of Mass Effect, so here’s the original blurb, to clear up any confusion:

We are working on Mass Effect, one of the industry’s most beloved and acclaimed franchises, as we build our way toward becoming a fully self-sufficient BioWare studio. If you want to help us achieve our mission of delivering the best story-driven games in the world, and you dream of being part of a dynamic, talented and focused team, now is the time to get onboard.

Source: Kotaku