Mitch has written a total of 335,654 words on this site.

mitch@gamersushi.com Twitter: @mi7ch Gamertag: Lubeius PSN ID: Lubeius SteamID: Mister_L Origin/EA:Lube182 Currently Playing: PUBG, Rainbow 6: Siege, Assassin's Creed: Origins, Total War: Warhammer 2

Top Six: Video Game Characters We Wish Would Talk

Since the advent of the full voiced protagonist, I’ve come to expect that my in-game avatar always has something witty to say in any given situation. Despite the fact that characters like Grayson Hunt and Duke Nukem want to make me tear my hair out, there are a few protagonists in gaming that have successfully made the transition to having a personality, like Dead Space’s Isaac Clarke.

This got me thinking about a few other notoriously silent gaming icons, and which ones could stand to have a voice. Read on to see which six characters deserve a line of dialog here and there. Continue reading Top Six: Video Game Characters We Wish Would Talk

Team Meat Bemoans Super Meat Boy’s Xbox LIVE Release

super meat boy

Another April Fool’s has come and gone, and it is now safe to use the Internet for “tru facts”, as it were. As such, I present to you the first official post-April Fool’s story, a little tale about two-man indie developer Team Meat and their battles with Microsoft in bringing Super Meat Boy to Xbox LIVE Arcade.

In a recent issue of Game Developer Magazine (transcribed by Kotaku), one half of Team Meat, Edmund McMillen, waxes about the trials and tribulations faced by himself and his partner Tommy Refenes.

Aside from a few complaints that have really nothing to do with Microsoft (such as financial hardship brought on by emergency surgery), the duo experienced some difficulties getting the game ready for the Game Feast promotion on XBLA. They describe being in a forced crunch necessitated by the short release window brought on by the promotion which was clashing with their desire to add more features to the game. Fixing bugs at the same time as adding new things to the game meant that hours of hard work were rendered invalid by having more errors crop up on top of the ones they already fixed.
Continue reading Team Meat Bemoans Super Meat Boy’s Xbox LIVE Release

April Fools: Blizzard Splitting StarCraft 2 Sequels Into Four Games

StarCraft 2 Four Sequels

Unfortunately it is true, PC faithful; no matter how hard you pinch yourselves right now this is not a dream, and you will not wake up. Welcome to real life. It sucks.

In a post on the StarCraft 2 Forums, Lead Designer Dustin Browder has dropped the word that the upcoming StarCraft 2 sequels, Heart of the Swarm (Zerg) and Legacy of the Void (Protoss) will be split into two additional games each to best “convey the epic sci-fi story at the heart of StarCraft”. The full quote reads thusly:

“It was a really hard decision by the team leads for StarCraft 2, but ultimately we felt that the current format for the games wouldn’t convey the epic sci-fi story at the heart of StarCraft. Additionally, the lengthening of the release schedule gives us more time to iterate and improve on multiplayer formula, as well as find a way to get all five games to function properly in Battle.Net.”

That’s a real shame, if you don’t mind the editorializing. Mr. Browder says that the first part of what was originally Heart of the Swarm is still on track for its original release, so at least we can take comfort in that. The comments for that post are unfortunately disabled, but if you look around the forums you should find a few threads to voice your displeasure.

What do you think, GamerSushians? Is this another knock against the game that’s already had its share of WTF moments? Are you done with StarCraft, or Blizzard in general?

Source – StarCraft 2 Forums

Things Get Hot With Battlefield 3 Fault Line Episode 3

Like clockwork, I bring you another episode of the Fault Line series of trailers for Battlefield 3. Last time, the squad was tasked with bringing down a sniper hiding in a building; this time, we see a little bomb disarming, some first-person fighting and a last stand against overwhelming forces.

These trailers are definitely starting to pick up, and I can’t wait to see what surprises are in store for us when the last video hits in April. What do you guys think? Is Battlefield 3 still looking hot? What’s your opinion on the addition of first-person melee combat?

Review: Crysis 2

Ah, Crysis, the most mythical of beasts in the PC herd. Running Crysis on maximum setting was kind of like spotting a unicorn. We all knew a guy who said he had done it once, but deep down we knew he was lying.

Don’t get me wrong, I played Crysis (on low) and I loved it. Sneaking around a huge jungle island, fighting Koreans and aliens and taking to the Battlefield inspired multiplayer arenas held a lot of fun. Unfortunately, Crysis had a really high barrier for entry and it wasn’t widely played during its time; even when Crytek tried to optimize the engine for the Crysis Warhead and Crysis Wars, the game still chugged processing power like no tomorrow.

Now Crytek is back with a new engine and they have consoles in their sights. Does Crysis 2 succeed in being the best of both worlds, or has Crytek traded their PC cred for the console market?
Continue reading Review: Crysis 2

Shepard Kicks Butt With Mass Effect 2’s ‘Arrival’ Trailer

If you were maybe living under a rock for the past little while, you might not know that Mass Effect 2’s latest and final piece of DLC, ‘Arrival’ is hitting tomorrow with all the force of a biotic punch to the head. To get us prepped for Shepard’s solo adventure to the far reaches of the known galaxy, BioWare has released a trailer that features a little Reaper taunting and a lot of Batarians being blown away. Enjoy.

Unfortunately, I won’t be able to get ‘Arrival’ day and date, so I’ll have to endure a couple of weeks of listening to all the other GamerSushi editors talk about how awesome it is. I know there was some concern expressed about ‘Arrival’ when I posted a few details about it last week, but have any of you changed your mind? Still feel the same way?

Mass Effect 2 ‘Arrival’ DLC Details…Arrive

mass effect 2 arrival dlc

Sorry about that title folks, but I think you can forgive me in light of the Mass Effect 2 info bomb I’m about to drop on you. Various gaming sites around the Web are getting hands on time with BioWare’s good-bye DLC for Mass Effect 2 (our invite was probably lost in the mail) and there’s been some juicy tidbits leaking out here and there about what your Commander Shepard will be doing when ‘Arrival’ hits next week on March 29.

First and foremost this DLC is a solo outing, so those who were hoping for the possible return of Kaiden or Ashley a la Liara in ‘Shadow Broker’ will be disappointed. Shepard is on a one-man rescue mission to save a scientist named Dr. Amanda Kenson from Batarian extremists. Additionally, fans of actor Lance Henriksen’s gravelly delivery will be happy to know that his character Admiral Hackett makes an appearance after a strange absence in Mass Effect 2.

Since Shepard is on his own for this mission, BioWare will give players the option of sneaking by combat encounters instead of going in, guns blazing. While you certainly can give everyone you see a new hole to breath out of, infiltrating an enemy camp is something new to Mass Effect.

No word on exactly how long the DLC will run, but most previews mention that the first mission took about an hour and there’s five or so in the pack total, so take from that what you will. Are you guys excited to be jumping back into Mass Effect 2? Are you dismayed by the news that you can’t bring your favorite squad members along with you? What else would you like to see from ‘The Arrival’? Put your Paragon/Renegade answers in the comments.

Source – Joystiq

Today’s Hilarity: Total War: Shogun 2 Has Ninja Fails

I don’t know how many of our readers are currently playing the new Total War game Shogun 2, but I had a chance to see it in action over the last weekend and I thought it looked really cool. It is the epitome of hard-core PC strategy gaming with its giant, micro-manageable battles and the complicated over-world. Since the game is based in Japan, you have access to a few unique units such as the ninja, which can be sent into enemy camps to assassinate opposing Shoguns and give you a bit of breathing room. They’re not always successful, and they sometimes fail…hard. Total War: Shogun 2 actually treats you to a vignette of your ninja’s shameful display, and they’re really quite funny. Have a look!

Being a ninja is not for everybody, it seems. I think it’s pretty neat that the developer would include a little Easter egg like this. Is anyone playing Total War: Shogun 2, and what do you think? Does this video pique your interest?

Today’s WTF: Duke Nukem Forever Has a Sexist Take on CTF

The unicorn that is Duke Nukem Forever is coming out freakishly soon, and with it more and more information about the game is being trickled out. One of the newest bits of info concerns the multiplayer offering of Duke Nukem Forever and its take on the traditional mechanic for Capture the Flag. Instead of having an inanimate, emotionless flag (because you know, that’s for squares), DNF will repleace the traditional piece of fabric with a slappable woman. Wait, what?

In the recent issue of the Official Xbox Magazine (via a snippet from PC Gamer) Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford revealed that his team didn’t want to “shock” people, but rather wanted the CTF mode to fit with the game’s plot element of aliens capturing Earth’s women to breed an army. Apparently the terrified woman can get a little unruly during the match, and players will need to calm her down with a five-finger reassurance.

OK, wait, what? I get that Duke is not the kind of guy who will be leading a women’s rights rally, but I think I draw the line at abusing women, even if it is in a video game. I was really uncomfortable in Grand Theft Auto 4 when the game forced Niko Bellic to abduct and beat up a girl, so I can’t imagine finding this sort of thing “fun”. Besides the obvious ploy of using this for controversy, what’s wrong with a normal flag?

This news moves Duke Nukem Forever firmly down to my “do not want” list. Call me a sissy if you’d like, but I think gaming has enough problems without adding “condoning abuse” to the rap sheet. What do you guys think? Are you as disgusted as I am? Do you care?

Update: According to Randy Pitchford’s Twitter, we should all calm down because the slap takes place on the butt instead of the face. I’m still of the opinion that this is a stupid idea, though.

Source – PC Gamer

Deus Ex: Human Revolution Trailer Shows Multi-Path Gameplay

While actual gameplay of Deus Ex: Human Revolution has been a little scarce, we’ve seen a few glimpses of the combat here and there. One of the big selling points of Deus Ex is the option to use several ways of advancing through a mission like going in guns blazing, or sneaking around all stealthy like. In a recently unveiled trailer, the game’s narrative designer Mary DeMarle walks us through the neck-snapping or light-tapping varieties of mission progression in Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

The game definitely looks very good, and the option of solving missions in either a lethal or non-lethal manner is something that we really haven’t been able to do since the Splinter Cell games of last gen. Apparently this demo is running the Xbox 360 version of the game, but I’m pretty sure I saw prompts for PS3 controls in there. Anyways, what do you guys think of the multi-path gameplay for Deus Ex: Human Revolution? Are you excited for this? Worried about the game being “console-fied”?

First Person Mario Takes No Prisoners

This sort of thing has been done to death, but Freddie Wong’s take on a First Person Super Mario incorporates some Call of Duty tropes that make it worth while. Once I saw the first experience bonus pop up, I totally dug the rest of the video.

Pretty great, no? Freddie Wong has made some neat stuff in the past, but I think this is my current favorite. What about you guys?

GamerSushi Asks: When Does a Game Grab You?

Infinity Blade

The original title for this article was “When Are You Addicted to a Game”, but then I would have admitted publicly that I’m a sucker jonesing for a gaming fix. At any rate, I was thinking about this subject today as Eddy passed around an email thread where he detailed his current problem with Infinity Blade: namely, does he buy the titular sword or purchase less powerful weapons to get some experience points for the immediate future. He’s also completed about twenty bloodlines in the game, meaning that he’s well and truly in the throws of an Infinity Blade obsession.

That’s not to say that I’m immune though. While I did have a lengthy infatuation with Infinity Blade, I’m currently eyeballs-deep in another Dragon Age 2 playthrough, this time as a female Rogue. I’m determined to see everything I didn’t find last time, so I’m searching ever nook and cranny and even taking advantage of the leveling glitch to make my progress a bit smoother. BioWare games do this a lot to me, where I’ll play for a little while then get hooked into the experience. Knights of the Old Republic and both Mass Effects have done this to me, and now Dragon Age 2 has as well. Something about their games are just irrestiable.

What about you guys? Have you had a similar experience with a game? Do you know when you’re enthralled with a game, when every waking moment is consumed with thoughts about it?

Battlefield 3 Returns With Fault Line Part 2

Continuing in the grand tradition of posting videos only I care about, I bring you the next installment of the “Fault Line” series of trailers for Battlefield 3. Previously on Fault Line, we saw our squad of Marines take the fight to some insurgents in a parking lot, but this time around they’re up against a sniper with a fifty caliber rifle. How do you deal with such a threat? Heavy ordnance, of course. Have a look at Fault Line Part 2: Good Effect on Target:

It’s still amazing to me that this is apparently an Alpha build, because the whole thing is really impressive. I know that I’ve said that quite a few times about this game, but for real, take a look at those animations. Part three will debut on the 30 of March, so come back then for the newest episode! What do you guys think of this trailer?

Review: Dragon Age 2

dragon age 2 review

Dragon Age: Origins was a strange sort of game when it released back in the Fall of 2009. Not to say it was bad by any means (Eddy gave it a good review), but the game seemed to draw on more of the old RPG conventions than newer ones. It still retained that BioWare dedication to character and story, but for those of us who got most of their RPG experience from games like Fallout 3 and Mass Effect, it was a little difficult to get into.

Regardless of what you may have thought about the original’s mechanics, the success it obtained meant that BioWare launched head-first into a sequel, dropping Dragon Age 2 a year and a bit after the original and all of its expansion. A lot of things have been changed, re-vamped or just plain dropped this time around. Does BioWare work their magic again, or should we call the Templars?
Continue reading Review: Dragon Age 2

Black Mesa Source Devs Make Light of Japanese Earthquake

black mesa source devs are idiots

I long ago lost my faith in most of humanity so people mocking horrible natural disasters no longer surprises me, but I thought this particular faux pas should be brought to our attention as it concerns Black Mesa Source, the long-time coming Source Engine update for the original Half-Life.

On the game’s official forums, the lead developer posted a comment concerning his thoughts on the Japanese Earthquake, and boy, is it a doozy. The quote is not safe for work, and is plenty offensive aside, so I’m not going to post it here. You have to be a member of the BMS forums to view posts, but Neogaf has all the appropriate links.

Black Mesa Source has been on the radar for quite a while, but the game has reportedly been making real strides towards an actual release and the developers have received a lot of support from Valve themselves. It’s unfortunate that the developers of BMS feel this way, and it will no doubt hurt the game in the long run. If you weren’t disgusted enough, though, members of the forums are backing up the devs, supporting them and their moronic statements.

What do you guys think about this? Sure, it’s one guys opinion, but he’s the public face for a mod that has been the focal point of many articles in official publications for years, not to mention fervent fan support. Should he have kept his mouth shut, and will this affect reception of the game in the long run?

Source – Neogaf

Get Existential With The Fantastic Mr. StarFox

I’m sure we’re a couple days behind everyone else on this, but forgive us, as real life was calling (OK, Dragon Age 2). I’ve never been a fan of Wes Andersen’s work, but I do think that the subject matter of his films are ripe for parody. If you’ve seen The Fantastic Mr. Fox, or just have an appreciation for random StarFox quotes, you’ll love this.

Review: Pokemon Black and White

pokemon black and white review

If you’re in your early twenties now, chances are you were swept away by Pokemania when the first games arrived in North America in 1998. The ubiquity of the games was hard to escape from, especially in the playgrounds of elementary schools where the card trading and GameBoys reigned supreme.

As Pokemon was such a gaming fixture in my youth, I’ve followed the series all my life. I did drop out around the Ruby/Sapphire era, but having dipped my toes into the series with Diamond and Pearl and the HeartGold/SoulSilver remakes, I’m once again back in the world of Pocket Monsters. The fifth generation of the franchise, Black and White, makes a few fundamental changes to both the gameplay and the presentation, but is it enough to bring new life back to this very tried and true series?
Continue reading Review: Pokemon Black and White

Infinity Blade and Breaking Gaming Preconceptions

infinity blade

I’m kind of late to the party on this one but I recently (along with a few other GamerSushi editors) picked up Infinity Blade, Epic Games and Chair Entertainment’s fantasy hack-and-slash title for the iOS. For the uninformed, Infinity Blade is a game that revolves around one family’s quest to kill the God King and avenge the death of the blood lines’ progenitor. The game is played through a series of one-on-one fights between the player’s character and various enemies and has a deep RPG undertone to round out the gameplay.

This is the second hand-held game that I picked up the last couple of days, the first one being Pokemon Black. I had some doubts going into Infinity Blade, and, despite the fact that I’ve played some great iPhone games over the past while, I didn’t think I would find something that would drag me away from the “real” gaming devices. How wrong I was. I put down Pokemon Black to try out Infinity Blade, and I haven’t picked up my DS since. First off, the game is absolutely gorgeous, and I love the design of the enemies, the stages, and the weapons and armor. It has a very “dark fantasy” feel, and it appeals directly to the gamer in me that has been crying out for a bad-ass sword fighting game.

I’m totally floored by how quickly Infinity Blade drew me in, and on a phone of all platforms. I thought that the iPhone wasn’t made for this type of game, but Infinity Blade blew my preconceived notions out of the water. I could ramble on about Infinity Blade forever, but what about you guys? Has any game changed the way you thought about a gaming device, or maybe a different type of input method (like motion controls)? Have you tried Infinity Blade, and what do you think? Want to make fun of me for only realizing just now how great this game is? Go!

How We’ve Ruined Mainstream Gaming

bulletstorm mainstream gaming

Ever watch a cut-scene and wish you could skip it, or spell out rude words with bullets during a Half-Life 2 vignette, or resented Call of Duty for the forced interaction in some parts of the game? Typically we’ve focused our ire on developers through forcing us through the rigmarole of excessive padding in games, but PC Gamer recently published an article that suggest that we may be the ones who have caused mainstream gaming to become the frustration fest that it is.

The articles author explores the notion that the reason a game has unskippable cut-scenes and forced player participation is because developers are tired of gamers who try to break their games and are resorting to heavy-handed methods to try and engage us. This is backfiring, as gamers are finding more ways to break games, and developers are trying even harder to force us out of the equation (as exemplified by the excellent Call of Duty video embedded in the article).

As terrific as some scripted moments are, there are points where I think a game can become a little too divorced from its main purpose (providing fun through interaction) and turning the player into a “camera dolly”. The article suggests that developers should give us more freedom in games instead of locking us into what they think we should be doing. I actively hated Bulletstorm’s opening scenes because it was just unnecessary BS before I got turned loose into the fun area of the game. I don’t care about the main character’s troubled past, I picked up Bulletstorm to kill dudes. That’s where the game excels, not in the narrative aspect.

What do you guys think? Has the gamer tendency to push the envelope forced developers into using brute force methods to have us play through their perceived perspective? How could games address this going forward? Do you even agree with the article? Go!

Source – PC Gamer (Thanks, Sean, for pointing this out to us!)

Battlefield 3 Shakes It Up With The Fault Line Series

When I posted the Battlefield 3 Gameplay teaser last week, I had a pretty decent understanding that a much longer, more involved trailer was going to follow shortly thereafter. The fact of the matter is I’m really digging Battlefield 3, so I apologize for “double dipping”, as it were. That said, I think you’re going to enjoy this trailer (Part 1 of the Fault Line Series) which goes a bit more in-depth with the short snippets we saw last week.

I’d file that under “do want” for sure. Since this is Part 1 of an ongoing series, you can bet that I’ll be posting the remainder as they come. I’m certain that we won’t be disappointed.