Qore, the show brought to you by Sony on the PSN, had a pretty neat little demonstration of some of Move’s potential and capabilities. Now, being that I am easily impressed, I wanted to see what you guys thought about this because maybe I am just being a fanboy without realizing it. In addition to the adorable Veronica Belmont, you’ll catch a glimpse of some neat item modeling and a few other snazzy features. So check it out and let us know if this…moves you in any substantial way. (Sorry, please forgive that pun.)
Month: September 2010
Metroid: Other M Impressions
It is with a heavy heart that I write this post, loyal readers. As a huge fan of the Metroid series, beginning with the very first game back during the NES days and continuing through all the sequels, even the Game Boy version, I was looking forward to Other M with no wariness whatsoever. After all, even though I didn’t care for Metroid Prime 2 and 3 all that much, I thought the return to a non-FPS point of view would give Samus the jolt she needed in order to revitalize the franchise. And with Team Ninja adding their power to Nintendo’s, what could go wrong? Continue reading Metroid: Other M Impressions
Bungie Tempts Us With Halo: Reach Campaign Walkthrough
I think I’ve mentioned this little factoid on here before, but I am kind of a spoiler hound. There are very few occasions where I manage to keep myself totally in the dark about a story for any book, movie or game. Case in point, I was playing through the new Mass Effect 2 DLC last night, Lair of the Shadow Broker, and I looked up the end of the level while I was playing it. If that isn’t crazy behavior, I don’t know what is. Just to make the wait for Halo: Reach even more unbareable, Bungie has seen fit to release a walkthrough of one of the campaign’s levels called Tip of the Spear, complete with commentary straight from the developers. I’m going to try and avoid watching this, but if you’re so inclined, I’ve embedded the video below:
If you did watch the video, what did you think? Pretty interesting, or are you trying to keep yourself squeaky clean for the next six days?
Today’s WTF: Microsoft Bans a Man for Living in Fort Gay
Microsoft, Microsoft, Microsoft. What, are we playing catch-up to our former WTF King Blizzard now? If you’re not putting down your fanbase or trying to disguise your fairy leanings, then you’re banning people from your online service based on the name of their home town.
While this might not be an issue for most people (unless you have the misfortune to live near Lake Titicaca), an X-Box LIVE gamer recently ran afoul of Microsoft’s stringent “no bad words” policy. Typically these types of epithets are wielded on the internet with the expressed purpose of hurting someone’s feelings, but what if you’re just trying to tell people where you live. Fort Gay resident Josh Moore was kicked off of X-Box LIVE for adding the name of his town, a small 1,000 person hamlet in West Virginia, to his bio. Playing the devil’s advocate for Microsoft, they probably have a program that scours their user base looking for offensive language and auto-bans them without delving into specifics. Surely a phone call to X-Box LIVE’s customer service center could fix the issue? Unfortunately, that was not the case.
Mr. Moore was informed by Microsoft that the word gay was unacceptable in any context, and if he persisted in keeping the name of his town on his account, then his subscription would be canceled without a refund. Fort Gay’s mayor David Thompson got involved at this point, and through a series of interviews with local TV stations and the Associated Press, X-Box LIVE’s Director of Policy and Enforcement Stephen Toulouse stepped in and solved the issue. He reasons that, without context, the words Fort Gay, WV could be misconstrued as an insult. Mr. Toulouse promised to get in touch with Mr. Moore and remedy the situation. He said that keeping a lid on improper conduct on LIVE is a challenge, but he will work to set this particular incident right.
What do you guys think of this latest slip up? Microsoft is no stranger to backlash from heavy-handed maneuvers on LIVE, so this is just one more unfortunate incident. Obviously they were wrong in this instance, but is it better to be safe than sorry?
Source:CSB News
Today’s WTF: Rare’s Kameo Had Fairies?
Back when the X-Box 360 launched in 2005, one of the the titles it came with was called Kameo: Elements of Power. At this point, the game has mostly slipped the collective memory of the 360’s user base, but the game’s developer, Rare, remembers. Rare just recently celebrated its 25 anniversary, and it spent a little time reminiscing about a game that is apparently a “painful” memory for the developer.
Rare initially started making Kameo for the GameCube back in 2002, but it was bought up by Microsoft shortly thereafter and transferred the game over to the then-upcoming 360. By that point, Kameo was mostly finished, so they just made a few tweaks to bring it up to next-gen standards. According to Creative Director George Andreas, the studio wished that they had scrapped it and started all over again. The game was originally aimed at the Nintendo audience, and Rare thought that the main character’s race wouldn’t fly with the 360’s shooter-centric crowd, so they fibbed. Here’s the word from Rare’s George Andreas on Kameo’s dirty secret:
“We changed direction slightly because of the new audience we were trying to aim at. We called Kameo an elf, but really she was a fairy. We tried to disguise that a few times, but it didn’t really work out. It was a game with a fairy for an audience that likes shooting and killing things. In hindsight, it probably would have been best to scrap everything and start again. And then we jumped on 360 as a launch title. We weren’t far off finishing [when that happened].”
Well there you have it, folks. We’ve been lied to all these years. This is kind of a funny thing to finally reveal after all this time, but carrying a burden such as this can be hard on people. While this is more of a amusing WTF than a puzzling one, I thought you guys would get a kick out of this. Do you have anything to say on this? Maybe it’s an over-all comment on the difficulty of breaching the X-Box audience with a new, more kid friendly IP?
Source: CVG
Microsoft Belittling Gamers at Kinect Launch Event?
As both Sony and Microsoft follow the lead of Nintendo in the motion control front, there has been a question over which is more suitable to either hardcore or casual audiences. In my mind, there are bigger concerns about Kinect’s target audience. After the showing at E3, I’ve maintained that Kinect isn’t for gamers – it’s for their spouses, girlfriends, moms, etc. Microsoft is going after a new audience altogether, it seems.
Well, as of last week there’s perhaps more fuel to add to the fire. At a Kinect launch event, Microsoft made some rather objectionable comments about gamers, in what appears to be an attempt to connect (get it?) with a casual and non-gaming consumer. Here is what Microsoft’s regional entertainment guru, David McLean, had to say:
Gaming’s not just for sweaty thirty year olds in Metallica t-shirts…
Um, alright? I’m all for going after a new target audience. I can at least wrap my head around that. But this is an entirely different level, here. Continue reading Microsoft Belittling Gamers at Kinect Launch Event?
Chrono Cross Game Blog Part VI: The Stupidest Man Ever
Welcome back! When we last left off, I had just made the pivotal decision to go with Miki as my guide into Viper Manor, in order to figure out just what in the hell is going on around here. So, I thought it would be best if I actually tell Miki about my decision. She thanks me and tells me to head to the very originally named Shadow Forest to look for Nikki, the wayward rock star. I thought she was going to guide me! I feel betrayed and hurt. Is this what pain feels like? Continue reading Chrono Cross Game Blog Part VI: The Stupidest Man Ever
Why You Should Go to PAX: Big Daddy Dances to Poker Face
There are very few occasions in which cosplay and win could be used in tandem with one another, but I think we’ve found it. Why is that, you ask? Because there is a video from PAX of a Big Daddy playing Dance Central, the dance game for XBox Kinect.
Also, he’s dancing to Poker Face, which ups the scale of humor to dangerously toxic. And the reasons for me to be jealous for attendees continues to grow…
Bioware Dishes Enormous Helping of Mass Effect 2 Player Stats
One thing that developers have been able to do within the last decade of gaming is to monitor player behavior in ways that were unprecedented before the online era. As someone a bit into user statistics myself (both for my job and as a hobby), I understand the desire to see how users are behaving, and I’m sure with something as robust as a sci-fi opera RPG like Mass Effect 2, the results are sometimes different to what was originally anticipated.
Enter Bioware, who has just recently released a whole smattering of interesting stats from Mass Effect 2. For instance, did you know that somewhere out there, a couple of PC gamers played ME2 a total of 28 times? You probably didn’t. That’s because it’s insane.
Check a few other statistics you might not have known, after the jump! Continue reading Bioware Dishes Enormous Helping of Mass Effect 2 Player Stats
Welcome to GamerSushi 2.0
Hello, you beautiful gamers. As you can see, GamerSushi is different. We were hoping to get this done for our 2nd birthday, but hey, we’re close enough, right? It’s kind of like that Monkey Ball game. The one that’s like ski ball, but with monkeys. The point is, we still get points.
For the most part, things are the same, but with a few notable differences: first and foremost, the sliding feature bar, which highlights the most recent features. I dig it. In addition, there’s the new “browse by system” bar, plus we’ve made the podcasts and older features more accessible in the top navigation. You’ll also notice the rotating podcast reviews banner in the top right hand corner, with user reviews on each one. So, review the podcast on iTunes, and you just might get your quote up there, too.
Anyway, I’ll let you see everything else for yourself. Be sure to give muchos props to Jeff and Nick for all the hard work they did over the last two weeks on this. Personally, I think they crushed it, in the best possible way. Feel free to leave your own feedback below!
Update: Apparently the site is having some issues in Internet Explorer 7, and it obscures the log-in box for users, so you haven’t been able to tell us if you’re on that version and having that problem. First of all, why are you using that browser, you crazy person? Second, we’re working on a fix for later tonight. The site seems fine in other browsers, including IE8. So if you are one of the random few affected, just fix your life and upgrade.
Update 2: This is now fixed. You should still upgrade, though.
PAX 2010 Photo Roll
So, if you’ve read my PAX 2010 round up, then you’d know that I visited a fair few booths over the past few days. Just like E3 before it, PAX was an opportunity for the developers of the various titles on display to overwhelm our senses with giant facades dedicated to the grandeur of the event. Since not everyone can go to PAX for various reasons, I thought I would bring my camera along and snap a few photos. Perhaps you might spot my photobomb. Hit the jump for shots of the exhibit! Click on the photos to enhugenate. Continue reading PAX 2010 Photo Roll
Duke Nukem Gameplay From PAX 2010
Since everybody else and their mom is posting about the shocking news that Duke Nukem Forever lives, I suppose we were obliged to get a post up as well. So here it is: the obligatory Duke Nukem Forever post.
In case you don’t know what I’m talking about, here’s the skinny: the fabled and long ridiculed vaporware has been kept alive like some sort of Frankenstein’s monster by Gearbox, creators of Borderlands. Over the weekend at PAX Prime 2010 in Seattle, Washington, the greatest of all gaming conventions had the killer reveal on the show floor, and people actually got to play the game that time forgot and mocked.
And naturally, people took lots of video. It was like spotting a unicorn in the wild, with double rainbows blazing from its pure and silky mane. Personally, I liked Duke Nukem, but I don’t identify with all of the mania. I think more of the craze is about the fact that the game exists more than the franchise itself, but I could be wrong.
So, is anyone here excited about this news? Were any of you Duke Nukem fans? Crappy offscreen handheld videos after the jump! Continue reading Duke Nukem Gameplay From PAX 2010
PAX 2010 Round Up
So, PAX 2010 has come and gone, and I’m glad that I finally took this year to go down and experience it. I saw a lot of games before their release and some cosplay that I could have gone without. Of course, such a big event deserves a bigger write up, so steel yourselves and jump into my PAX 2010 Round-Up Spectacular! In this post I’m going to be covering the games that I saw with the pictures going up in a separate post once I sort out and re-size the photos.
Continue reading PAX 2010 Round Up
GamerSushi Poll: Favorite Halo Game
Well, we’ve finally reached (get it?) September, the month where Bungie will bid adieu to the Halo franchise with the highly anticipated, even by me, Halo: Reach. In honor of this momentous and bittersweet occasion, I thought I would ask you guys which game in the Halo series stands out to you as the best.
I never played Halo: Combat Evolved until 2007, when I finally bought a used Xbox for fifty bucks from a friend. Even years after its release, it was still a blast to play and all the whining about the Library level was way overblown. The backtracking did suck, though. Honestly, I think that one is still my favorite to this day, although I haven’t played ODST yet, but a certain Canadian speaks very highly of it. And the less said about Halo 2’s ending, or lack thereof, the better.
So what do you guys think? What game is your favorite and why? Is there a particular one that you don’t think stands up the high quality of the others? Let your opinions Flood (ha ha) over this post…now!
Loading ...Great Moments In Video Game Music: Final Fantasy IV – Within The Giant
For this week, I wanted to go back to the single song format, simply because I am tinkering with how I want to do this going forward. Plus, some songs are good enough to warrant their own post and I think this is one of them.
Within The Giant plays pretty late in Final Fantasy IV and the song is good enough that I always stop so as to prevent any random encounters and let the music play. It fits the mood so well and it is this odd mixture of somber and epic that I can’t help but get immersed in the fact that my characters are driving forward in a desperate fight to save the world. Truly one of my all time favorites.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq3Xo84PxsA[/youtube]
GamerSushi Asks: What Are Your “S” Games?
One of the things that the GamerSushi staff likes to debate in lengthy e-mail threads and occasionally on podcasts is the difference between an “A” rated game and an “S” rated game, based on the qualifications laid out in our grade chart. As some of you know, our review system underwent a major overhaul last year, where we tried to spread out our grades a little more. So often, review sites fail to distinguish between great games and classic games.
For me, an “S” game isn’t just a great “A” game that you love. It’s something a little more than that. One of my favorite games of this generation is Resident Evil 5, and I wouldn’t distinguish it with that remarkable rating because I feel like it lacks that intangible quality that stamps it as one of the greats.
Ideally, there are only a handful of games that reach that mark every generation. For this gen I would say Portal, Call of Duty 4 and Uncharted 2 easily fall into that category. I would also say Red Dead Redemption, but that’s another issue altogether. For last gen I would say Shadow of the Colossus and Metal Gear Solid 3 are the top two that come to mind, though there are definitely many others (side argument: did last gen have the most “S” games?).
Anyway, as we are taking another look at our review system as some new changes (hint: get excited) are in the works here at GamerSushi, I wanted to ask what you think gives a game that special something, that quality that makes it stand out from the pack. In addition, what games this generation would you give an “S” to, and can you remember any from last gen? Go!
Kevin Butler’s Epic Move-Tage
I just love the Kevin Butler persona. Our favorite VP of anything and everything has shown up yet again, this time in what he has deemed an epic move-tage that has a lot of the Playstation Move games on display. So far, looking pretty good. Whatever that mech game is, I actually kind of want to play it.
Out of all the motion control pundits out there, Sony seems to understand that the hardcore gamer wants real games. While I’m still not sold on Move completely, it’s the most appealing to me in terms of software, even though the hardware of Microsoft’s Kinect is much more impressive from a technical standpoint. Awesome promos like this certainly help.
What do you guys think? Go!
Call of Duty: Black Ops Brings Wager Matches
After eating my words about Call of Duty: World at War — a game I doubted for months on end — I have had an up and down relationship with Call of Duty: Black Ops. You see, occasionally I find myself excited, really enjoying some of the glimpses I get to see. And other times, I wonder if the series is getting close to jumping the shark, so to speak.
However, I might be back on the optimistic side after the brand new footage Treyarch revealed this week, showing off the new wager multiplayer mode that they’ve included in Black Ops. Basically, it’s a game mode where you take the currency you’ve earned in multiplayer matches and gamble it against other players. There are a variety of ways to do this, including single shot rounds, knife gametypes and even one where each kill upgrades your weapon up to a new tier. Really, you need to see it yourself.
Did this excite anyone else? Or just me?
GameStop Offers Extra Trade-In Value Towards Halo: Reach and Metroid: Other M
I don’t know how it happened, but the Fall is already here. Basically, all of us have entered a collective form of group time travel, and we’ve managed to skip the summer and get straight to September. Metroid: Other M released on Tuesday, and a whole other round of games is marching inexorably forward. Soon, they will pile atop us, a colossus of entertainment waiting to be felled by our magical swords of light. You know what I mean.
While I know there is a debate that goes around amongst us about trading in video games and buying used games, I do know there is a portion of us that maintain our gaming addiction through this very practice (I count myself as one of those junkies). I’m not a big fan of the practice, but with big titles like Halo: Reach looming around the bend, some of us are trying to scrap together money however we can. For other manic trade-in users like myself, I thought I would post a handy link to GameStop’s trade in offers for September 2010.
The used games retail giant actually has a few good trade-in deals going on at the moment, including offering $40 towards Metroid or Halo: Reach for bringing in any 2 games in a slew of titles. That offer lasts until Sunday, September 5th, so get a move on if you’re interested. On top of that GameStop is offering an additional 25% for all trade-ins that go towards Dead Rising 2, Metroid or Halo: Reach.
There are some other deals, too, but those are some of the highlights. Who plans on buying any of these games? Has anyone played Metroid yet? Report!
Source – GameStop Trade-Ins and image by Ripten
Resident Evil 6 Coming ASAP, Says Capcom
BOOM. That sound you just heard was the minds of your 5 favorite gaming nerds here at GamerSushi exploding. 1UP is reporting that Keiji Inafune, the head of global production at Capcom, has stated that they intend to get Resident Evil 6 released “as soon as possible”.
This is no surprise given the commercial and critical success of the previous entry, Resident Evil 5, AKA GamerSushi Game of the Century. The report also states that they will have some news regarding this soon…perhaps at Tokyo Game Show later this month?
Are you excited for a new Resident Evil? What direction do you think they should go? Keep the co-op? Add more players? Get rid of it altogether? Speak now!
Source: 1UP