Eddy has written a total of 422,116 words on this site.

I write about samurai girls and space marines. Writer for Smooth Few Films. Rooster Teeth Freelancer. Author of Red vs. Blue, The Ultimate Fan Guide, out NOW!

Defending Your Favorite System

Playstation 2

This is me putting on my flame suit and stepping out into the sweltering heat of the system wars, folks. While I have many systems that I’ve played the heck out of and cherished, I’ve maintained that the Playstation 2 is one of the greatest systems we’ve had to date, if not the greatest, simply due to its long resume of excellent games during its tenure on the gaming throne.

Apparently GamesRadar agrees with me in a recent article where they detail Six Reasons the PS2 Is the Best System of All Time. They actually give some compelling thoughts, including the fact that the PS2 was both casual and hardcore simultaneously, and that it had real backwards compatibility. Oddly enough, they actually fail to leave one of the most important things off the list: first party games.

Now, I know we’ve talked about what our favorite systems are plenty of times, but this gave me an idea to start the same discussion with a new twist: tell us your favorite systems and give your top six reasons why. Continue reading Defending Your Favorite System

Dragon Age II: Rise to Power Trailer Shows the Game’s New Art Style in Motion

As we know, Dragon Age II is being “upgraded” with a new art style, one that takes the game in a slightly different direction. If I’m being honest, and I am the most truthful person that ever lived on this planet anywhere (not the truth), then I would admit that I have not been too keen some of the screenshots I’ve seen up to date.

While some of the initial concept art Bioware showed off was certainly gorgeous, some of the first screenshots just looked bland and lifeless to me. I haven’t necessarily been worried about the game, but that did temper my enthusiasm to some degree.

However, a new all in-engine Dragon Age II trailer is out, and boy does it assuage some of my concerns. The game actually looks much better to me in motion than the first game, which was great but just a bit dated. I know some will disagree with me, though. Give it a watch and share your thoughts and excitement level for the sequel. Come on, you know you want to.

GamerSushi Top Six: Gaming’s Greatest Inventions

As we move along from one generation to the next, it is becoming more rare to see brand new gameplay inventions in the wild. Some of this is simply logical: as games progress, new gameplay is more likely adapted from an old system or refined over time with small tweaks rather than birthed anew.

However, on the flip side, one could make the argument that developers have just gotten lazier over time. Part of this is because of deadlines and sticking with what’s easy, and part of this is put on them by their bosses, who steal their princesses (Bowser style), and force them to put out whatever clone happens to be selling.

Issues like this are never completely cut and dry, but one thing that we can say for certain is that when you experience great gameplay inventions, it crushes your face like a Mike Tyson uppercut, announcing that it has arrived in a way that you can’t miss. Either because it truly defines a title or is simply copied by everyone else, good gameplay is a bit infectious, and tends to have some staying power. Because it’s, well, good.

So, in thinking about great gameplay, I thought I’d come up with a list of gaming’s greatest inventions. Continue reading GamerSushi Top Six: Gaming’s Greatest Inventions

No HD Remakes in Microsoft’s Future?

KOTOR

For the last few years, I’ve been a major proponent of gaming in high definition, which is truly the best and shiniest of all definitions. I’m sure the rest of the definitions line up to pay tribute to it or something. You know, for being so high and awesome.

Because of that love of all things HD, I’m happy to see the new HD re-releases that Sony has been pulling out of its bag of tricks for the PS3. To me, last generation was perhaps the best generation of gaming we’ve had yet, so anything that helps bring those greats over to my HDTV will be welcomed by my brown burly arms. But what does Microsoft think of this new HD re-release trend?

Here’s what Microsoft Games Studio VP Phil Spencer has to say:

We obviously have a lot of new things going on, so the thought of re-doing a bunch of things is probably difficult to just weave into the overall portfolio. If you can provide real value to the customer, there could be possibilities for that, but I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it.

I guess that means I should stop holding my breath for HD re-makes of Halo, KOTOR 1 and 2, Jade Empire and Panzer Dragoon Orta then, yes? Do you guys think he’s talking crazy talk? Any other Xbox games you’d like to see in HD?

Source – IGN

Poll: Fable III, Force Unleashed II and Rock Band 3

Funny how quickly the big releases sneak up on us, huh? Here I am enjoying Halo: Reach and Minecraft and suddenly several games are out that I want to sink some time into. Not sure how it happened really, but there you go.

If you’re unaware, today marks the release of three of fall’s most anticipated titles. Together, Fable III, Force Unleashed II and Rock Band 3 form a triumvirate of gaming, a three headed Cerberus to close out the month of October with a bang. Personally, I’m itching to play Force Unleashed II the most out of these, with Rock Band 3 as a close second because of that sweet keyboard.

I thought I’d let you guys vote on these three games yourselves. What say you?

Which of these three games do you want to play most?

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What We Learn From First Person Shooters

Counter-Strike

I have a love/hate relationship with first person shooters. As much as I complain about “shooter fatigue” and how I’m tired of playing the latest Halo: Code of Duty clone, it’s undeniable that the FPS genre accounts for some of my favorite games as well as my most adrenaline-packed and enjoyable gaming moments.

One of my favorite multiplayer experiences ever happens to be Counter-Strike (1.6 and Source both get lumped together in my brain, I played them both equally), so naturally, any article about it is going to grab my attention. It’s good, then, that the folks at Joystick Division came up with a funny collection of Five Things We Learned from Counter-Strike. I found that some of these were definitely true for me, such as discovering that there are hundreds and thousands of people out there that are infinitely more skilled than you are, and that people will blame the best person in the server of cheating as soon as it’s acceptable to do so. On more than one occasion, I saw my brother get banned from servers for being too good, as it were.

Anyway, I thought I’d post this and open up the discussion a bit. What other nutty things have we learned from FPS games, including Counter-Strike, that you think ought to be added to this kind of list? Go!

Source – Joystick Division

GamerSushi Asks: Exceeding Expectations?

Left 4 Dead 2

Now that we’re right in the middle of the fall of gaming, it’s probably good for us to take a moment to talk about expectations for the games we’re wanting to play. I know a few people who get so worked up over what they want out of something, there’s absolutely no way it could hit the target they’ve set. Every new movie or game becomes a unicorn hunt, and we all know how hard it is to bring one of those things down unless we’ve got some kind of homing missile.

However, it’s always nice when a game you pick up goes beyond what you hoped and expected for it. A recent example for me would have to be Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, which far out shined anything I could have anticipated for the title. In past years, other titles that did the same thing would include Beyond Good and Evil, Grand Theft Auto 3, Metal Gear Solid 3, Final Fantasy IX (and XII), and Left 4 Dead 2. These were all games where I didn’t know what to expect when I played them, and then happened to pleasantly surprise me or blow me away.

What games in recent years have done the same for you? What games have disappointed you? What games left in the fall are you still looking forward to, and what do you think of the ones you’ve gotten to play? Go!

Sonic Fan Remix is Just What the Fanboys Ordered

While I have not played the newly released Sonic the Hedgehog 4, I have heard that some sniping exists between two differing viewpoints on the game. Some complain that the game is too similar to the old school Sonic games from the Genesis days, while others complain that it doesn’t feel similar enough. In my mind, that probably means that Sega probably nailed it on the head, but that’s a topic for another time.

On the discussion board for today is an impressive demo of Sonic Fan Remix, a lovingly crafted HD remake of a few Sonic the Hedgehog levels. It might be hard to tell from the gameplay video, but this bad boy was conjured up by a development team of just two people. If you want, you can download that sweet thing and play it on your PC. Apparently it’s a bit CPU intensive, but you’ll have to judge that for yourselves. Or just watch.

Although some are a bit premature in claiming that it might be better than Sonic the Hedgehog 4, I’m going to say that it is certainly stunning for a fan made project, and begs the question, yet again – why didn’t these guys just make their own game? Have we not learned from Notch that there’s a killing to be made for small indie teams with great games?

So what do you guys think? How many of you have played Sonic the Hedgehog 4?

Source – Sonic Fan Remix

Valve Rewards Team Fortress 2 Community Contributors with Lots of Zeroes

Golden WrenchWow. This is one of those stories that just oozes awesome. It’s like our “Today’s WTF” topics, but in a totally different way.

If you are a lover of Team Fortress 2, then you’ll recall that Valve launched an in-game store for virtual items, Mann Co. Store. The coolest thing about this marketplace is that it allowed users to buy items for the game that they didn’t feel like earning over the course of time. So basically, the items could either be earned for free, or bought to skip all that grinding.

As part of the launch of this new business model, Valve participated in the Polycount item contest, where users competed to see whose items could make it into the game. Well, it turns out that the five winners not only got their items added to the game, but also to the Mann Co. Store, where other users could purchase them… and Valve gave the content creators a 25% revenue share.

It added up pretty quickly. Continue reading Valve Rewards Team Fortress 2 Community Contributors with Lots of Zeroes

Apparently 80% of Gamers Don’t Mind 3D Glasses

3D glasses

To me, one of the most exciting prospects of the Nintendo 3DS is that it can provide the promised benefits of 3D gaming without having to sport some new 3D glasses while enjoying its retro titled goodness. I have never been one to criticize the idea of 3D gaming simply for what it is, but rather because the glasses are just something that I’m not interested in wearing every time I fire up a disc. But maybe I’m alone in that.

It seems that a new study from the U-Decide Initiative has found that as much as 80% of gamers don’t view 3D glasses as a barrier to enter into the next dimension of gaming, and wouldn’t mind donning 3D glasses in order to do so. The study also found that interest in 3D was indeed greater when glasses weren’t part of the equation, but even still, the numbers are different than what I would have suspected. Granted, all studies like this need to be handled with a grain of salt, but I still found the idea to be interesting, nonetheless.

So what do you guys think of this? Are 3D glasses a breaking point for you when it comes to 3D gaming? Or is it more about the price involved in purchasing a TV that can support it? Challenge my assumptions! Do it!

Source – Industry Gamers

Today’s WTF: Gran Turismo 5 Honcho Asks Players for Frame Rate Forgiveness

Gran Turismo 5

Oh, Kaz Yamauchi. I know it seems tough for you right now, with Polyphony Digital under the gun for the many Gran Turismo 5 delays. But soon, soon the game will be out (holiday season 2010, maybe?), it will be incredible as always, and all of this silliness will be behind you. Right? Maybe not.

Apparently, Gran Turismo 5 is having some frame rate issues these days. While the team at Polyphony Digital worked hard to ensure that the powerhouse racing simulator ran at a smooth 60 fps at 1080p, it doesn’t seem that this is always the case. And because of that, Yamauchi wants your forgiveness.

Check out the quote from Yamauchi himself, after the jump. Continue reading Today’s WTF: Gran Turismo 5 Honcho Asks Players for Frame Rate Forgiveness

GamerSushi Asks: What Are You Playing?

Fallout New Vegas

It’s that time again, folks. The time where all of us check in and talk about the games we are playing. Or in my case, the games we wish we were playing. At the moment, I happen to be in the middle of a self-imposed ban of all things gaming until I finish a certain stupid novel I’m writing. But believe me, there are games I wish I could get my hands on.

For one, Fallout: New Vegas unfurls its Sin City makeover this week, and I’m kind of itching to see if Obsidian picks up the mantle from Bethesda in a meaningful way. While at first I was skeptical of the game, all of the material I’ve seen from it lately give me hope, so I’m anxious to get some playing time with it. In addition to that, I would like to play Dead Rising 2 and of course, Halo: Reach. Surprisingly, though, the game I’ve been dying to play most of all over the last few days? Final Fantasy VII. The music has been stuck in my head, and now I just want to relive the magic for some reason. Soon.

Anyway, go ahead and tease me with all of the great games you guys are playing that I’m not. Rub it in my face. Tell me how much fun it is. I won’t cry… much. What are you guys playing? Go!

The GamerSushi Show, Ep 10: Percentify

PercentWhat’s that? Two podcasts in one month? Welcome to generosity. Or just bored dudes with too much time on their hands. Either way, you get more podcast goodness. In this edition of the GamerSushi podcast, we chat about iPhone gaming, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Dead Rising 2, the 25th anniversary of the NES and play a hilarious game of percentages, hosted by the bearded one himself.

The exciting thing about this podcast and the last one for us is that we finally feel like we’re getting closer to figuring out the best format for what we do, and could maybe turn this into a weekly venture with some more practice and a few tweaks. I’m digging the “over/under” and “percentage” type games, and hope you find them just as enjoyable.

As always, please go rate this cast on iTunes and subscribe with the handy links to the right. Enjoy!

Continue reading The GamerSushi Show, Ep 10: Percentify

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GamerSushi Asks: Repetitive Gaming?

Uncharted 2

In talking to people about why they dislike games, there are any number of reasons that gamers use to discredit certain titles. Whether people don’t like an inventory system, a story, or long cut scenes, everybody has their own individual beef. However, it seems like one of the complaints I hear about games more often than not is that a game is perhaps “too repetitive”.

The interesting thing to me about this criticism is that when you break it down, all games are repetitive. In essence, that’s what a game is. It has to have an established set of rules, as well as a playing style that gets repeated constantly. Really, the often quoted Bungie mantra of designing a game that has “30 seconds of fun” over and over is what all games strive to do. The difference is that the best games just figure out a way to hide it. To me, Uncharted 2 is an excellent example of this, and probably one of the best I’ve seen at disguising repetition. Naughty Dog found a great balance of platforming, shooting and insane setpiece moments that really make you forget that you’re repeating yourself.

So what do you guys think about the issue of repetitive gaming? What games feel too repetitive to enjoy, and what games mask it? Go!

GamerSushi Asks: Insane Gaming Stories?

Minecraft

Epic multiplayer matches. Horrid save fails. Ridiculous things that you pulled off, wishing someone had been there to witness what could have been a storied feat. We all have those ridiculous gaming stories, things that defy explanation, logic or just happen to be worth their weight in lulz.

I find that these most often take the best shape in either sandbox games or in multiplayer. Exhibit A: my Halo: Reach Killtrocity from a few weeks ago is something I’m quite proud of, in the nerdiest way possible (you’ll notice several GamerSushi editors being dominated). In terms of other stories, I’m finding that Minecraft seems to produce them from everybody that I talk to. It’s just one of those games where the unthinkable happens. For instance, my friend was playing and mined underground so long that he got lost from his spawn point. When he dug his way back to the surface and found that the sun was setting, he hurriedly pulled his compass and accidentally threw it into the ocean. He never found his way back home, died, and lost all of his stuff. It happens.

Hearing all of these hilarious things lately made me wonder what the deal was with you guys. So, what are some of your favorite gaming stories? Feel free to share!

Image by Janitor.Master

Dota 2 and Other PC Modder Victories

Defense of the Ancients 2

One of the advantages that PC gaming still maintains over consoles is its modding community. I’ve stated on numerous occasions that until 360 and PS3 games allow the same kind of tools and access as you’ll find in the PC world, the question of “have consoles surpassed PCs” is a discussion that can’t yet happen. If you’re not too keen on the exciting world of PC modding, you might have missed out on a few pieces of big news that happened this week.

  • Dota 2 (an adaptation of the name Defense of the Ancients 2, probably to avoid legal issues) was announced by Valve for PC and Mac in 2011. For the uninitiated in PC gaming lore, Defense of the Ancients was a Warcraft III mod that pitted teams of heroes against one another as they rushed enemy turrets, with AI controlled units battling it out between them. Valve hired project lead IceFrog to come aboard and develop a Source version.

  • A Duke Nukem 3D fan remake of the game in the Unreal engine titled Duke Nukem: Next-Gen received legal approval by Gearbox and Take Two to continue in production.

  • Derek “Krael” Paxton, creator of the Fall From Heaven Civilization IV mod, was hired by Stardock to fix their maligned and catastrophic release build of their new RTS Elemental.

What do you guys think of all of these pieces of news? Have you played either DotA or Fall from Heaven? What other PC mods would you like to see full releases for?

Source – GameInformer, Shacknews, and for the sake of repetition, Shacknews

Official Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare Trailer Rides Zombie Horses

A few weeks back, Rockstair unveiled the first glimpses of the Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare DLC, which puts John Marston in the precarious and frightening position of battling zombies in the old west. Well they’re back to the teasing again, this time with the official trailer, which also shows Marston riding an undead stallion. Sign me up.

I think the most interesting thing about all this is how much fun they’re having with it, story wise. When I first heard the news that we were going to see zombies in Red Dead Redemption, I just assumed it would be a thing where you were mindlessly fighting the mindless, but it seems like they’re going all out with it. The big question I have now, after seeing some of the major characters from the game: is this canon?

Still no official release date, but we can probably all take one wild guess. Who’s picking this up? Go!

What if Retro Games had Achievements?

While there are naysayers in the gaming world about the advent of achievements and trophies, I’ve fervently maintained that they send us back to a simpler and more community-oriented time in gaming. The era of high scores is something that was lost as games migrated from the coin-op to the couch or computer chair, left behind as some kind of relic in the arcade graveyards. What I’ve loved about achievements and trophies is that they feel like a return to that mindset of gaming gone by.

On top of that, I just like seeing where my friends are in the games they’re playing, and vice versa. It’s like displaying your marvelous feats of gaming for your friends to see – not so much for the e-peen factor (as many of its detractors claim), but for conversation and joining in on the shared experience and joy that only gaming can bring.

How awesome would it have been for your friends to see that you completed Super Mario Bros. 3 without the fabled whistle? Or that you located Cloud and Aeris in Final Fantasy Tactics? Or that you can beat Metal Gear Solid in under 2 and a half hours if you skip cut scenes (I swear, it can be done)? The idea that someone could look at one unified profile and see everything I’ve done in games would be incredible. This is sadly not possible, but it got us thinking: what if classic games had achievements?

It might look a bit like this: Continue reading What if Retro Games had Achievements?

Today’s WTF: Gran Turismo 5 Delayed Again to “Holiday Season”

Well, after all of the to-do about Gran Turismo 5’s supposedly final rigid launch date of November 2, 2010, it looks like that might not be the case. Yup, adding to a string of WTF-inducing delays, SCEA has announced that Polyphony Digital want to keep working on the game some more, thus pushing the new launch date back to some other time in the nebulous holiday season. Here’s the full word from Sony:

We can confirm that Gran Turismo 5 will not be available this November 2nd, but the game’s release will be coming this holiday season.

We sincerely apologize to GT fans for the delay, however, creator Kazunori Yamauchi and the team at Polyphony Digital want to make certain they are creating the perfect racing experience, and we are confident that this ambitious game will exceed expectations when it launches.

Kind of crazy that this game was first unveiled all the way back in 2006, and it still has yet to see release. This begs the question if a change is needed in the games industry: should developers hold their tongues and stop showing these things off years before release?

And the follow-up question, you get to vote on.

What's more likely to happen first?

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Source – PlayStation Blog

Minecraft Interstate Time Lapse Video Goes to Ludicrous Speed

Trying to describe what makes Minecraft so addicting is actually a fairly difficult task. It’s like trying to describe a color, or a raptor in a time machine. Actually no, that second one is pretty easy and would lead to total doom. Anyway, Minecraft is a game that looks crappy that you dig and build stuff in. It doesn’t sound so great, but that’s why people have to see it for themselves. Either by playing it, or watching awesome videos like this one.

YouTube user brt5470 has created a gorgeous Minecraft time lapse video, showcasing an interstate railway of sorts he built that spans his entire world. In addition to that, he’s running some high resolution textures, creating a stunning and trippy picture when it’s all said and done. Seriously, seeing the moon in the sky and the sun set while speeding along the landscape is worth the price of admission here, which is actually free. Lucky you. Watch!