Well, that was certainly an experience.
In the last year, I have played all the numbered Metal Gear Solid games (MGS, MGS2, MGS3), ostensibly to see what the big deal was. After finishing Metal Gear Solid 4, my feelings on the game itself are largely ambivalent, but my feelings on the entire franchise are generally positive. (spoilers follow) Continue reading My Metal Gear Solid 4 Experience: The Saga Ends
In a series consisting primarily of odd choices, perhaps the oddest choice by Hideo Kojima was to take the Metal Gear Solid storyline back to the past, to the beginning of Big Boss’s journey. It’s always odd when a prequel has a number assigned to it that indicates it is actually a sequel, but Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater actually is worthy of the moniker. The story of Metal Gear Solid is invigorated and broadened in exciting new ways thanks to this bold decision. I had heard so much about MGS 3 being the best in the series and I was seriously surprised when it turned out to be one of the best games I have ever played. Continue reading My Metal Gear Solid 3 Experience: The Best One Yet
In the midst of announcing the stellar achievement that the Grand Theft Auto franchise has now shipped 125 million units, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick had a few words to say about annual franchises and why it’s not something that his company believes in:
It’s our view that if you want intellectual properties to be permanent, then you run the risk in that circumstance of having consumers fall out of love with that franchise.
He goes on to say that annualized IPs eventually hit a wall and return diminished sales and they don’t want the same fate for their own IPs.
Personally, this is refreshing to hear. It’s no secret that I have railed against annual releases practically every year (the irony is not lost on me, just ignored), but it is gratifying to hear it from someone who runs a respected company such as Take-Two, who are also responsible for Bioshock, Red Dead Redemption and Civilization. Even the vaunted Call of Duty franchise is starting to see chinks in the armor, despite numerous reviews praising some of the more radical changes in Black Ops 2.
Annual releases tire out the developers, weaken the fanbase and tend to (but not always) lack in any meaningful innovation. Even a two-year cycle would be more beneficial to all parties, in my view.
What say you? Does Mr. Zelnick have the right of this or should GTA go the way of Assassin’s Creed and become a yearly pasttime?
Source: GameSpot
There are so many video games on so many systems that certain things are bound to fall into the cracks, ignored by many while exulted by a passionate minority. In this new feature, I hope to shine a spotlight on certain overlooked games, characters and anything else that should warrant mention.
The first is a character from the Mario & Luigi RPG series, which originated on the Game Boy Advance and has since moved on to the DS. There have been no entries thus far on the 3DS, but one can certainly hope, although the fact that Paper Mario is on the 3DS leaves me feeling forlorn. The games have always been a delight to play, due to their unique control system, which allows you to control and move both Mario and Luigi simultaneously. But the real reason to play the games is due to the humor, of which a large part can be attributed to the new villain that debuted in the first game, Superstar Saga: Fawful. Continue reading Fawful: The Best Nintendo Character Since Ever
With Game Informer’s cover story finally unveiling some concrete details about Grand Theft Auto V, the Internet finally has a reason to talk incessantly about Rockstar’s popular open-world series and we here at GamerSushi are no different. I have stoically ignored all GTA V rumors and discussion until new information was released. However, since that has now happened and we find ourselves in the golden age of GTA V info, I have some thoughts and concerns, as I so often do.
First, as we have mentioned in the past, Grand Theft Auto IV was a disappointment. I know some people swear up and down by it, but as a huge fan of the PS2 trilogy, I didn’t find much to like. The world has bigger and denser, but there just wasn’t much of a reason to explore it anymore. The numerous side activities of previous games were scaled back, leaving you with only a few things to do other than the story missions. Instead, they were replaced by what amounted to taking your friends out on dates, which was fun and unique exactly once. We all got a laugh when we took our perverted cousin Roman to the strip club, but that wasn’t something I was anxious to repeat.
The other minigames were poorly controlled and very tedious. Bowling was kind of interesting, but a single game took forever and the overly long animations had me scrambling to quit as fast as I could. And the only real purpose for this was so you could get bonuses, like Jacob the weapons dealer giving you a discount. Honestly, what kind of black market merchant of death cuts into his bottom line just because someone takes him to a comedy show? It just makes no sense and wasn’t fun. Continue reading How Rockstar Can Bring The Magic Back To GTA
The news that Dead Space 3 would have optional co-op has been met with a giant “Meh” from both the Internet and the two resident Dead Space fans (myself and Mitch) here at GamerSushi HQ. We like Dead Space for the isolation, the fevered combat and creepy atmosphere. It’s difficult to understand how Dead Space 3 can replicate the best parts of the previous two games with a buddy next to you.
Well, we might have shrugged indifferently too soon because Visceral has been cooking up something pretty unique for us and it is quite intriguing, even for a skeptic like myself. As revealed in EGM’s preview of the game, Isaac Clarke and his new partner, John Carver, will both have terrifying hallucinations. Separately. In the demo described in the article, one player saw creepy toy soldiers, while the other saw nothing unusual. Then Carver has terrible visions of shadowy children trying to kill him, but it is all in his head. While this is going on, Isaac has to protect Carver from the necromorphs who are taking advantage of Carver’s vulnerability to attempt to slice him to pieces. If either player fails, it’s game over. Intense, no?
I have to be honest, I still don’t know if I like the idea of co-op, but good on Visceral for trying something unique. The visions remind me a bit of Eternal Darkness, an overlooked gem on the GameCube that had your character going slowly insane, resulting in scares such as your memory card being wiped or the volume on your TV being turned way up or way down. Dead Space 3’s terrors seem to be less meta than that, but it does give me hope that Dead Space 3 might still be scary to play, even with a friend. The preview doesn’t state if these are scripted events or will happen randomly, but the idea that your partner could also be your undoing is a novel one.
What say you? Does this assuage your doubts about Dead Space 3 or are you still on the fence? Comment below!
Source: EGM
We primarily review games here on GamerSushi, but every now and then, a movie comes out that appeals to the gamer zeitgeist enough that it deserves a review of its own. While Wreck-It Ralph, the new animated feature from Disney isn’t based on a video game, it has more than enough video game references that it practically screams for attention from the gamer community. Which we are granting with this review.
Wreck-It Ralph is the story of Ralph, voiced by John C. Reilly who is the villain in a Donkey Kong-like arcade game called Fix-It Felix. Ralph’s job in his game is to smash the windows of a tall building and then climb to the top, throwing bricks at Felix as he tries to fix the windows and reach the top, saving the residents of the building from Ralph’s destructive rage. Once Felix has done so, Ralph is summarily tossed off the building into the muddy ground below while Felix is awarded a medal. After 30 years of this, Ralph is fed up with his lot in life. He is ostracized by Felix and the residents, resigned to living in a nearby dump (literally) with nothing but bricks as his bed. He longs to be a hero, but as his support group of video game villains tells him, that’s just not possible. Continue reading Review: Wreck-It Ralph
This is it. The month we have all been waiting for. The final month of fall 2012. Sure, there are a few games out in December, (Far Cry 3 is the only one that springs to mind, but whatever) but we all know November is where the big boys come to play. Usually the home of Call of Duty, a new challenger steps forward, but wait…it’s actually an old challenger!
That’s right, Halo 4 vs. Call of Duty. It’s not exactly a fair fight because CoD is multiplatform, but let’s face it: the two biggest FPS franchises in the world both releasing in the same month is the industry equivalent of a heavyweight title fight. For myself, it’s all about Halo 4. With glowing reviews that came out today, the gauntlet has been thrown down by the 343 Studios team. Can Call of Duty rise to the challenge?
Oh and something called the Wii U is also releasing this month. Not sure what it is. Probably an add-on for the Wii. And some new Mario game. I would do more research, but between Star Wars: Episode VII and Halo 4, I am in somewhat of a catatonic state.
So let us know what November release you are most looking forward to by voting in the poll and commenting in the…uh…comments. COMMENCE!
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I prefer being Small Mario.
I didn’t use to be this way. I used to love having Mario all powered-up, Mushrooms, Fire Flowers, Cape, what have you. But Mario’s time as a powerful plumber never lasted long. I always got careless and lost it.
But then something would happen. I would tense up, focus and suddenly become twice the gamer I was before. Being one hit away from death made me better. I enjoyed the tension, the finesse it required knowing I was skirting the precipice of doom. It got to the point that I would ignore power-ups and stay vulnerable because it made the game more exciting and made me a better player. Also, there is the fact that Small Mario is less of a target than Super Mario.
This happens with other games at times. For instance, there may be a section of the game that is built up to be very hard, so I go in very focused and end up beating it handily. This will occur on everything from RPG’s to FPS’s. I mentally psyche myself up and it translate to major pwnage of the game, sometimes leading myself to wonder what the big deal was about that section.
Am I alone in this phenomenon? Or does this happen anyone else out there? Let me know in the comments!
You have to give it to Sony. They’ve been working hard at making things right since the infamous (get it?) PSN Hack. From rolling out tons of perks on Playstation Plus to making Triple A titles available digitally on Day 1, the Big S has really made some strides. So it should come as no surprise that they have something special in store for us for October: The Caravan of the Dead.
It sounds slightly ominous, but it’s actually a good thing: great deals on horror-related video games, with even better deals if you are a PSN Plus subscriber. The deals include Dead Space 2 for $13.99 ($9.79 for PSN+ members), Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, Dead Nation and the must-buy game of the collection: inFAMOUS: Festival of Blood for only $4.99 ($2.50 for PSN+). I have heard really good things about the stand-alone expansion and for that price, I intend to find out. The sale runs from now until October 30th. Hit the link for the full list of games and DLC, which is an unlucky number 13.
See anything you fancy? Tell us in the comments!
A recent pattern has emerged over the years and it’s one that makes this crotchety gamer flabbergasted. Video game websites are on a desperate mission to spoil games in as many ways as possible. I’m not just talking about story spoilers, either. No, now we get gameplay videos of full missions of Dishonored, at least 3 of which have been released thus far. The game came out on Tuesday. And yet so far, just from one prominent website that I shall not name (but you can probably guess), we have had posts on: a possible sequel, Easter eggs, tips on how to play the game best, videos showing how many different ways there are to kill enemies, etc…
It’s mind blowing. The game came out this very week and if you had read all these articles, I would question why you even would play the game. Part of video games is about having a sense of discovery, of exploring the world, the environment and figuring out your own way to play it. These posts aren’t doing anyone a service. And other websites do these as well. The most famous game site on the Internet will regularly post videos of endings, while another well-read site will show you the location of every hidden collectible in a game on the day it comes out.
Seriously: Stop doing this. I know there is the argument that people can choose whether or not to read these posts, but can we agree that they shouldn’t be posting things like this on the week the game is released? It’s destroying half the fun of playing the damn thing. We’ve finally reached a point where most websites will not post spoilers about the story, or at least warn you if they are about to, but now we are have inverted the problem by spoiling gameplay.
Am I alone on this? Don’t you think it’s more fun to try things yourself first and not have your hand held through every nook and cranny? Tell us in the comments!
Dishonored reviews started skulking in last night at midnight, like a thief in the shadows, stalking his unaware prey. Sorry about that first sentence. Reading so many Dishonored reviews is clearly having an influence on me. Which isn’t exactly surprising given how glowing the reviews have been thus far. With the embargo lifted, we can finally find out what this exciting new IP has to offer.
The first one I read was IGN’s 9.2 review, which read:
Each mission is built as an elaborate network of choices for players to explore, and the same can be said for Corvo himself. Each player’s selection of powers, perks and other upgrades will inform how they see and interact with this world, and no two play-throughs will be exactly the same.
Receiving a score of 9 or higher at IGN isn’t exactly impossible to do these days, but from the text, the score sounds justified.
Patrick Klepek of Giant Bomb also enjoyed the game, likening it to Deus Ex, but with better combat and giving it 4 out of 5 stars. Regarding the skills you obtain in the game, he said:
Other powers allow you to take control of people and animals, another one stops time and can eventually be used to have someone kill themselves with their own bullet. How? Pause time when the shot is fired, possess them, and place them in front of where you just were. Combined with a proper combat system, Dishonored encourages rampant experimentation.
Ben Kuchera of Penny Arcade was taken with the game’s choices, stating:
It’s fun to share your solutions to the game’s puzzles with your friends and other players. “You can do that?” I found myself saying to people sharing their stories about a clever use of weapons or abilities, before scrambling back to the game to try it myself.
When we watched the Dishonored trailer, we made a point to joke about all the obvious influences the game clearly has. Mitch and I even Shunned the game in a recent feature. But it appears that Dishonored managed to live up to the high expectations set by both the developers and the marketing team. I was wary of the game for many reasons, but it seems my worries were unfounded. I know there has been some concern about game length, but I don’t think that is an issue as it sounds like someone did a speed-run. I plan on purchasing (Or receiving on Christmas) Dishonored in the future. Do the Dishonored reviews change your mind or confirm what you already suspected? Hit the comments!
Crow has been the on the menu at GamerSushi HQ this past week, as the demo and subsequent reviews of Resident Evil 6 shattered the hearts and broke the minds of your beloved GS staff. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth, finger-pointing, accusations, allegations, recriminations and even a fight club. As the dust cleared and the fires finally faded, we were left with the acrid taste of disappointment that appears when an anticipated game turns out to be a letdown.
Which got me thinking about the future and the next time that this travesty will occur. So I ask you, dear readers, what Triple-A title will be the next to smash the hopes of millions of gamers? Generally, I am thinking of games from established franchises when I ask this, such as Assassin’s Creed 3? Doubtful. Ubisoft has shown a remarkable consistency, which is an achievement considering it has become an annual release. Bioshock Infinite? The delays may be disturbing, but it does point to a concerted effort to get things right. Personally, I don’t know. Some think it might be Halo 4. I certainly hope not, but there is a lot riding on that one, so it could be the one.
What say you? What future game from an existing franchise will be the next Resident Evil 6? GO!
Well, we are officially in the depths of fall 2012. September was just a taste, with Borderlands 2 clearly dominating everyone’s mind for the better part of the month. But the first challenger arrives tomorrow with the release of Resident Evil 6. Though the reviews are mixed so far, I’m sure it will still be a big seller for Capcom.
But the zombie game is only the first of what might be the best month of the year. Dishonored and AC III will battle it out for the assassin crown, while EA tries to take out Call of Duty once again with Medal of Honor. There were so many games coming out this month that I decided to list all the major ones here instead of limiting the choices to 5 or 6. Be sure to let us know in the comments where you hard-earned gaming dollars are going. For me, it’s all about Assassin’s Creed III. And I’m sure I am not the only one. GO!
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With the Wii U getting a lot of buzz lately and all this talk of what Microsoft and Sony could have in store for us in the future, it occurred to me ask you, our beloved and wise readers: what would you want in a next-gen console? I don’t mean specs or anything like that, although do let me know if you want something slightly more powerful and less expensive or if you want a graphics powerhouse and have to pay more money.
I am more curious about what features you would be interested in, such as Nintendo TVii (UGH), multimedia applications, controller support, DRM for used games, online support and so forth. Consoles have come a long way since I was a kid. Now they are the (allegedly) the centerpiece of the living room and people expect more out of them than they used to. So hit the comments because this is your chance to let your voice be heard. Maybe the gods will hear our cries and actually deliver. GO!
“Wow.”
That was my reaction immediately after defeating The End, the wizened sniper of legend in Metal Gear Solid 3. It took two hours to end The End. Two breathless hours, filled with tension, frustration and exhilaration. As I continued on Snake’s trek through the jungle, I kept thinking back to The End and how I would like to play that section of the game again. Unfortunately, I didn’t keep a save, so I would have to play about seven hours to get there again. And that is just not appealing to me.
But what if there were a service on PSN, XBLA and even Steam, that sold you snippets of game? What if you could buy the most memorable moments of classic games (classic being anything other than current gen) for a small price? Wouldn’t you pay $.99 or even $2.99 just to skip right to The End? Or perhaps play the entire level of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare’s infamous Ghillies in the Mist mission? What if Square Enix sold just the Midgar section of Final Fantasy VII? Or even the Gold Saucer section, if you have a hankering for mini-games? How has this idea not been exploited yet? If there are two things we know, it’s publishers enjoy our money and we enjoy giving it to them. This is a win-win and it might even spur sales of those classic games. Maybe someone enjoys The End battle so much that they run out and purchase the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection.
What say you? Would this be something you would like to see? What memorable moments would you be willing to pay for? GO!
Insomniac, makers of Ratchet & Clank, my favorite platformer since Mario, are currently working on Fuse, which you may remember being announced as Overstrike. Fuse is a 4-player co-op 3rd person shooter, set to be released on PS3 and Xbox 360 at some point before our sun burns out. That’s not the news part of this post.
Ted Price, CEO of Insomniac, said in an interview with GameSpot:
I can’t imagine that any game we’d do from here on out will be single-player-only. The [game industry] has changed. As gamers, we have always been social, but thanks to the way technology has evolved, it’s much easier for us to play together.
Price went on to say that this doesn’t mean games will be multiplayer only, just that there will be a multiplayer component to games that would normally just be single-player. While I can’t be upset at that part, this paradigm shift that seems to be permeating throughout the industry, notably with EA, is a little bit frustrating. Some of the most popular games have been single-player only experiences and the constant denial of this by the publishers is staggering.
Am I shouting into the wind here or do you guys feel the same? I love multiplayer games, but shoehorning them into every release seems counterproductive to me. What say you?
Source: GameSpot
I’ve thought a long time about how to write this. I knew I would need a Final Fantasy article honoring its 25th year in existence (if we go by the Japanese release dates), but I wasn’t sure what the angle should be. I’ve already written so very many posts about Final Fantasy that the readers probably think I am trolling them. I’m not. It’s just my favorite game (as you might have noticed) and it’s the one that always gets my blood pumping. But I’ve conveyed that already, many times before. I thought about letting the whole thing go by, but that didn’t feel right either.
So rather than talk about the past of Final Fantasy, which admittedly was when people still cared about the series, I’ve decided to talk about the future of Final Fantasy and what I think I can be done to salvage the once-proud franchise. There are tons of articles out there about this very subject, but I hope you will agree that I have shown enough credibility regarding Final Fantasy to make my voice stand out against the cacophony of chaos currently clouding the Internet like a sudden squall. (See what I did there?) Continue reading Final Fantasy: Forging The Future
Well, it’s here: The Fall of 2012. This is the time of year when things get a little cray cray. After the doldrums of summer finally subsided last month with Sleeping Dogs and Darksiders 2, this is season of the big dogs. It’s a little leaner than last year but there are still some blockbusters forthcoming, most notably, Borderlands 2. I know many of the GamerSushi staff are drooling at the chance to shoot thousands upon thousands of skags again. I am little more reserved on it, but I will probably pick it up at some point, after the dust from my backlog as cleared.
I know Torchlight II will be a popular choice for many, possibly as a change of pace from Diablo III. Sports fans will have to choose between hockey or the Beautiful Game as depicted in FIFA 13. I know Mists of Pandaria might draw some more WoW fans back into the fray for one last gasp, but I’ve heard that it has turned others off with its resemblance to Kung-Fu Panda. Hit the comments and let me know which side your bread is buttered.
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One of the most exciting things about the Halo series are the varied enemies. Each enemy is unique in appearance and behavior, from the cannon fodder of the Grunts to the charging ferocity of the Brutes. It’s a trademark of the franchise and something other games just can’t quite nail. When 343 Studios took over the reins, some fans were concerned that they wouldn’t be able to live up to the strong legacy set by Bungie.
Well, this gallery of Promethean enemy classes, brought you by All Games Beta, shows those concerns just might be unfounded. The different classes and behaviors, not to mention weapons that are showcased in the gallery, lead me to believe that 343 is on point with Halo 4. The Knight alone sounds scary enough, but the Knight Commander seems like an uber-powerful version that might make me wet my pants the first time we meet. Hopefully, Master Chief can snag some of those bad-ass weapons and do some damage himself.
What say you? Do the Prometheans look like they carry on the Halo tradition or do they look generic to you? Hit the comments!
Source: All Games Beta
