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

EA Announces New Medal of Honor

The game announcements for Spike’s Video Game Awards keep piling up this year as Halo: REACH, TRON, and Star Wars have all dropped teaser trailers on us. This new one comes from the Medal of Honor series which is getting a complete reboot, taking the franchise out of World War II and setting it in modern conflict in Afghanistan. Little is known about the game so far except that the multiplayer is being crafted by Battlefield creators DICE and the character designs may or may not feature giant beards. Check out the teaser below.

How do you guys feel about this? Is it too little too late for Medal of Honor? Are any of you actually going to tune in to the VGAs this year, or just wait until all the trailers are put up on YouTube?

Today’s WTF: Macbeth by Marc Ecko?

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Do you remember Mark Ecko’s Getting Up? Well, here’s a quick refresher if this game happened to have slipped your mind: you fight against a tyrannical government by spray-painting buildings. Once The Man runs out of turpentine, then he’ll feel the sting of the oppressed! Marc Ecko also collaborated with Microsoft to make some spectacularly hideous Halo clothing a while back.

Well, it turns out that public property and a decent sense of fashion weren’t all that Marc Ecko was interested in vandalizing. Somewhere along the line the clothing designer drew up a concept that adapted Shakespeare’s Macbeth into a video game. Apparently he would have converted the classic play into a hack and slash brawler where the main chunk of the game would be devoted to lopping people’s heads off.

You’ve got to admire the man’s guts, at least. He’s not afraid to do what he wants, even if it does turn him into a pariah of sorts. His response to the question of what people would think of a Macbeth game was “I don’t live my life afraid of what other people think,” adding “Our adaptation, I think, would have made it relevant to people who wouldn’t have otherwise known about this great story. It’s unfortunate, because a lot of people just don’t know Macbeth.”

Thankfully, his project had trouble getting up and never made it past the concept phase. I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief that this game was passed over, but who knows what the future holds? What do you guys think of this wacky premise? If you’re wondering, Marc is currently working on I Heart Geeks, a DS puzzle title.

Source: Destructoid

Blizzard Dispenses Advice for Failing MMOs

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If you’re setting out to make a successful MMO, I imagine that there’s one undercurrent of thought running throughout the entire design phase: be like World of Warcraft. It seems like a sound plan, seeing as how that game pumps out more golden Ferraris than a Twilight movie release, but it may backfire on you sooner than you think.

According to Blizzard Lead Producer Shane Dabiri, more WoW clones are not what MMORPG fans want right now. While he says that Blizzard finds it flattering that so many companies want to emulate their success with World of Warcraft (imitation is the most sincere form of adulation, after all), trying to pull the same maneuvers may not lead to the big hit that most developers hope for.

He goes on to say that people who have invested a lot of time in Warcraft don’t want to do the same things in a different game. As a Warcraft player myself, I couldn’t agree more. Before I moved over to Blizzard’s digital demolisher I used to play Star Wars Galaxies, which, while it had its problems, was a fairly unique and engaging game. All that changed when the development team took a look at Warcraft and said “we need to do that!”

Soon after that all the hybrid classes were gone, the economy got thrown out the window and Jedi ran all over the place like a herd of ill-disciplined children. Star Wars Galaxies tried so hard to be World of Warcraft but fell so far short it was almost embarrassing. Game after game has bowed to the mighty MMO, but there are few titles on the horizon that may challenge the market by being different. The upcoming Star Wars MMO by BioWare is my current favorite to at least show some decent competition, but I can’t pretend that DC Online isn’t making a strong bid either.

What do you guys think? Has World of Warcraft ruined the MMO scene, or will future MMOs learn a lesson and try something new?

Source: CVG

Square Enix Looks to the Future

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Well, here’s a new one for you. When people talk about the death of gaming platforms the PC usually comes up, but Square Enix is turning that notion on its ear. In a recent interview with MCV, Square Enix grand poobah Yoichi Wada said that the company believes there’s going to be dramatic change in the industry that will shift attention away from physical media and onto download and sever based content.

Mr. Wada went on to elaborate that ā€œIn ten yearsā€™ time a lot of what we call ā€˜console gamesā€™ wonā€™t exist,ā€ and that Microsoft and Sony are already ramping up for the big change and third-parties should follow suit if they want to stay in the game.

The reasoning behind his statement is that the games market is changing from a hardware-based model to a network one, where “any kind of terminal becomes a potential platform on which games can be played”. Mr. Wada said that Square Enix is ready for the change, and they’re already stepping up production on their social and browser based games.

While we are seeing movement in this direction with things like OnLive and the success of browser-based MMOs, I don’t think that consoles in the traditional sense are going anywhere. Besides, I think that Square should finish up with their current disc-based project before they move on to figuring out how to exploit the digital market. Wouldn’t want them to get tuckered out. What do you guys think? Is there any truth to Square’s claims, or is this just going to be a dead end for the company?

Source: MCV

Mass Effect 2 Roster Expands With An Old Friend

Today is Thanksgiving down in the USA, a holiday where we all take the time to reflect on things we’re grateful for by shoving our faces full of flightless fowl and pumpkin pie. Of course, me being Canadian, today is just a regular day (besides the fact that I’m home sick), but that doesn’t mean I can’t be appreciative. One thing Iā€™m thankful for is that itā€™s only two short months until Mass Effect 2 comes out and officially kills my social life. Seriously, this game is still looking quite good, and the ā€œEmpire Strikes Backā€ feel BioWare is striving for has really gotten my motor running. In this new video for the upcoming sci-fi RPG, weā€™re re-introduced to Tali, the soft-spoken quarian crew member from the first game. It looks like thereā€™s some political unrest among the nomadic race, and Commander Shepardā€™s right in the middle of it.

So, what’s your opinion on Mass Effect 2 so far? Is it going to be a sure-fire purchase for 2010, or are there other games that are vying for your attention? Just for fun, what game-related stuff were you most thankful for in 2009? Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it!

Posthumous Mercenaries Video Becomes Real Game

When Pandemic Studios closed a while back, some information accompanied the closure regarding the future of Pandemic’s intellectual properties, including the open-world destruct-a-thon Mercenaries. The official press release stated that these brands would live on under EA, and it looks like they’re making good on their promise. A video leaked this morning of some gameplay for Mercenaries. Inc, a “multi-player sandbox title” that had apparently been in development for some time. This video is a couple months old, mind you, but it shows classic Mercenaries action, just with a multi-player twist.

The game was announced officially in the wake of the video via Pandemic’s official forum. How does it look to you guys? Admittedly the last Mercenaries game wasn’t that great, but it did shine in co-op. If they could just remove that damn tether, I still have enough good will left for this series to give it a go.

Review: Left 4 Dead 2

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Many people joke about something called ā€œValve Timeā€, an imperceptible chronological measurement visible only to the revered developers themselves. Games of all sorts, even episodic content, seem to take forever to be released, but they are always of the highest quality. The original Left 4 Dead was also subject to the whims of Valveā€™s crazed machinations; it suffered delay after delay before finally being released to a heap of praise. Now, after only a year, the beloved zombie-killing co-op extravaganza has gotten a sequel. With such a short turn-around time between the original, is a year enough time for Valve to work their magic?
Continue reading Review: Left 4 Dead 2

DeLorean in Crysis = Awesome

Crysis was an underappreciated gem, in my opinion, and one of the most endearing facets of this game was that it was fairly easy to mod. During my time with Crytek’s military sci-fi shooter, I saw some pretty neat stuff, but nothing that could combine my love of video gaming with one of my favorite movies. Today, I finally get my wish. Check out the following video which features a DeLorean in Crysis. Does it travel through time? Maybe. You’ll have to find out.

1.21 Gigawatts?!

The Twitter Initiative

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Good news, everyone! Thanks to a temporal rift that caused a fluctuation in the space time continuum, I’m happy to announce that GamerSushi now has a Twitter account. You can follow GamerSushi on Twitter by clicking on the link contained within this sentence.

Also, because this is as good a time to remind you guys as any, those of you wishing to have a little Avatar pop up in your posts instead of that blank picture need to go to Gravatar and sign up for an account. Just remember to use the same email for that service as you did for this website, and everything should be hunky-dory.

What are you still doing here? Go follow us!

Nintendo Teases Zelda Reveal in 2010

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Not to be lewd, but I imagine the current relationship between enthusiast gamers and Nintendo to be comparable to a young man and some sort of harlot. She keeps giving you tantalizing glimpses of her ankle while all the while promising that more is coming.

To continue with this tortured analogy, the “ankle” here is the concept art that Miyamoto was parading around at E3 ’09 depicting Link and some sort of ethereal being that looked vaguely like the Master Sword. In a recent interview with UK’s Official Nintendo Magazine, Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma says he hopes to show something “surprising” at E3 ’10, thus completing the promise of “more”.

Nintendo proved recently with Super Mario Bros. Wii that it still knows how to make titles for its old-school fans, and with Metroid: Other M on the horizon I think we can take this as a sign that Ninty is finally starting to show appreciation for the “hardcore”. Though the company is often criticized for its constant rehash of the same tired franchises, there’s no doubt that gamers everywhere still clamor for these titles. The question is, how much longer will we get strung along before we see some actual gameplay? What’s your opinion, though? Are you pumped for a new Zelda, and what do you expect from it?

Source: Kotaku

Getting in Shape, Gamer Style!

Itā€™s a well known fact that gamers are a slovenly folk; so much so that weā€™d rather watch fit, athletic people run around on a screen than do these things ourselves. Well, Iā€™ve got a brand new program that will whip you into shape post-haste simply by copying these classic gaming moves and turning them into exercises:
Continue reading Getting in Shape, Gamer Style!

Pandemic Studios Shutting Down

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Even though two (hopefully) awesome games are getting released today, not all things are smiles and sunshine in the game industry. Pandemic Studios, notable for the Mercenaries, Star Wars: Battlefront and Full Spectrum Warrior series, has shut their doors today, folding core staff into EA’s Los Angeles Studio and letting go over 200 people.

It’s a real shame that this developer is being disbanded even though its original IPs are going to live on under a full EA brand. Because Pandemic released several average, some would say disappointing, games over the past few years, this isn’t really that big of a surprise. Perhaps the biggest blow to the studio was the cancellation of the Dark Knight game, which was apparently such a mess that it wouldn’t even be released close to the DVD premier of the movie.

The last title to come from the developer will be The Saboteur, a 1940s underground resistance game. With the closure of the studio, I thought it would be appropriate to have a remembrance of sorts. Share your thoughts on your favorite Pandemic games, or postulate on what this means for other smaller studios that are under the umbrella of an EA or an Activision.

Personally, my favorite game from Pandemic is the original Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction. That game was really ahead of its time when it came out, and I played the hell out of it. What about you guys?

Source: Kotaku

New Super Marios Bros. Trick Video

This game just came out, and there’s already a pretty sweet video showing three players carting Luigi across the level while the lazy ingrate does nothing. Check out the video and prepare to be astounded, bedazzled and other-wise stupefied.

Apparently there’s all sorts of fun to be had with this title, so I’m going to have to dust my Wii off and give it a go. Anyone else pick this up, or is thinking of picking it up?

GameStop to Launch Redundant DLC Service Next Year

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Let it never be said that GameStop isn’t willing to try something new every now and then to stay fresh and “with it”. Because DLC is becoming hugely popular (Battlefield 1943 is an excellent example), GameStop is planning to launch an in-store DLC service where consumers will buy the content at their local shop and download it once they get home.

Getting DLC with your games from GameStop is not an altogether unfamiliar practice for those who have pre-ordered games and gotten bonuses, but this strikes me as a little strange. You can already buy Microsoft Space Dollars and PSN and Wii point cards in store, so those of us without credit cards can get our DLC at home anyways. So, unless GameStop discontinues the sale of those cards, I don’t see any real way that this will succeed.

Of course, this is all speculation right now, and it will probably end up as yet another selling point that the person behind the counter has to bombard you with before you purchase your game. What do you guys think? Is this destined for failure, or will it hook those gamers afraid of the natural progression of the industry?

Source: 1up

Cross-Contaminated Media: Star Wars

Star WarsWelcome back to Cross-Contaminated Media, a series in which I explore successful franchises that have made the transition to video games from other media, and vice versa. I know that in my previous article I promised that I would look at Blizzardā€™s franchises, but I felt that it would be appropriate, given the recent release of the Ultimate Sith Edition of The Force Unleashed, to take a look at George Lucasā€™ eminent sci-fi empire.

When the original Star Wars movie was released back in 1977, few predicted that it would become the massive entertainment juggernaut that it is today. For good or ill, George Lucas had the foresight to retain international merchandising rights, and once video games were beginning to enter prominence as an accepted form of entertainment media, LucasArts was founded to capitalize upon this new venture.

LucasArts didnā€™t find its early success with Star Wars titles, though; in its beginning days it was well known for its clever and inventive adventure games ranging from Maniac Mansion to Monkey Island. The first Star Wars title produced in house was X-Wing in 1993, a fairly deep space-combat simulator made for the DOS operating systems. Though the graphics and game-play appear dated now, the game is still highly regarded in fan circles with the TIE Fighter game being declared the favorite of the series.
Continue reading Cross-Contaminated Media: Star Wars

Valve Says Unkind Things About PS3, Internet Explodes

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Guess Valve didn’t get around to checking out the report that states the PS3 is experiencing a surge in popularity because Left 4 Dead 2 Lead Writer Chet Faliszek, in a recent interview with CVG has come out publicly to state that Valve views the 360’s online capabilities as “head-and-shoulders” over the PS3’s. In the same sentence, he also puts Microsoftā€™s console on equal footing with the PC, thus pissing off the Valve’ most fervent supporters at the same time.

Valve doesn’t really strike me as the muck-raking kind, but this statement has set off all kinds negative backlash from not only the Sony Defence Force, but also from Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford. Mr. Pitchford has in the past stated that he views the Steam platform as a less-than-ideal way for small developers to get their games onto the market, and now he’s got something to say about Valve’s posturing towards the PS3.

In a recent interview with Official Playstation Magazine, Randy equated Valve’s attitude to be comparable with that of fanboys, implying that they’ve become “X-bots”. Randy also thinks that the PS3 version of the Orange Box being handled by another company, and Valve viewing it as the “step-child” just speaks of “underlying sleaziness.”

The catapults have been loaded and fired by Gearbox, so it just remains to be seen if someone from inside Valve has anything to say about this. Frankly, I think that Valve’s comments are a bit out of line, but the venerable company clearly has some issues with Sony’s black monolith. This little game of back-and-forth could go on for a while, and itā€™s pretty ironic considering that Borderlands topped the Steam sales charts for a while.

What do you guys think, though? Is Valve just trolling, and is Gearbox just trying to catch them riding dirty? Canā€™t the developers just play along nicely?

Source: Kotaku

Abandoning Ship: Choosing a Different Console for Sequels?

assassinscreed2If I were in charge of the PlayStation division of Sony, I’d be feeling pretty good about myself right now. According to Gamasutra, more and more consumers seem to be buying up the hotly anticipated sequels to Assassin’s Creed and Modern Warfare on the PS3 as opposed to the X-Box 360.

Gamasutraā€™s article focuses on something called “franchise lineage”, which for us laymen is ā€œgamer intent to purchase sequels to successful gamesā€. The direction of the lineage seems to be changing for Assassinā€™s Creed 2, which shows the biggest shift. According to GamePlan Insights, the company that ran the research, fifteen percent of those who own the X-Box version plan to buy it on PS3 while only seven percent of PS3 Assassinā€™s Creed owners are purchasing Assassinā€™s Creed II on the X-Box.

While Assassinā€™s Creed II seems to be in the forefront of this movement, the report also indicated that Modern Warfare 2 shows a varying trend as well. The big question is this, though: why is the X-Box 360 losing sequel sales to its competitor?
Continue reading Abandoning Ship: Choosing a Different Console for Sequels?

Signs of the Apocalypse : Sega Making More Marvel Games

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I never played the Iron Man game that corresponded with the movie from a year ago, but apparently it was so awful that every game journalist that had to review it quit the industry to become a hermit because their faith in mankind had been sundered.

Just to prove that the video game gods have a twisted sense of humor, Sega has again purchased the rights to two more Marvel properties: Captain America and Thor, the Norse god of Thunder. These games are set to tie in with the two movies starring these characters which will hit in 2011.

I really hate to speak ill of games right after they’ve been announced, but these two do seem destined for failure. Obviously, adopting a wait-and-see attitude is the best course of action, but the only thing Sega proved with Iron Man is that they really know how to bungle a movie tie-in.

Of course, not all Marvel movie games have been terrible (Spider-Man 2 and Wolverine come to mind) but I don’t know what kind of game you could do with the star-spangled Avenger or Thor. My guess would be a pair of pallet-swapped brawlers, but maybe I’m just being pessimistic.

My vote is that Rocksteady, developers of Batman: Arkham Asylum, should handle all super hero games forever. Alas, it’s no fun just reading my own thoughts on games that haven’t even come out yet; I want to know what you guys think! Should we condemn these games immediately to the nine hells of gaming, or do we give them a chance?

Source: 1up

Review: Borderlands

borderlandsShooter fans have been used to a very ridged structure in their games so far: you progress through levels, you shoot stuff, you move on. Sometimes you pick up different guns, but mostly itā€™s an aesthetic change than an actual improvement on your previous weapon, barring the rifle-bazooka trade-up.

What first person shooters havenā€™t had is the in-depth levelling and obsessive-compulsive stat manipulation of traditional RPGs. Enter Borderlands, a first person role-playing shooter from Gearbox, best known for the PC port of Halo and the Brothers in Arms series. Set upon the dismal dust-ball of Pandora, Borderlands has the player choose one of four classes (Solider, Hunter, Tank or Siren) and starts them off on an adventure to find and open a mythical Vault full of alien weaponry.
Continue reading Review: Borderlands