Category: Brawler

GamerSushi Asks: Ignoring Reviews

Vanquish
It’s human nature that sometimes we become so stubborn about certain things that nothing can change our opinions. Video games seem to be one of the most divisive topics when it comes to people’s stances on them, second only to movies. Some people are so sure of their perception of a title that, even when the reviews come out one way or another, they turn a blind eye to them.

The most recent example I can think of is The Force Unleashed 2, which comes out today. The game is universally being panned for having repetitive gameplay, a meandering, pointless story and a short length. Should I have shifted my pre-order money onto something else? Possibly, but I’m so sure that I’ll enjoy TFU 2 that I marched resolutely into GameStop and picked that game up with pride. Sure, the clerk may have looked at me like I was crazy, his arched eyebrow saying “have you read the Internet this morning?” but I am willing to look past the reviews and try it for myself, consensus be damned.

That little rant brings us to you guys, and whether this little phenomenon has ever happened to you. Have you ever been so enraptured by a game that, for whatever reason, you choose to clamp down on the part of your brain that regulates common sense and proper spending and just buy that sucker?
Continue reading GamerSushi Asks: Ignoring Reviews

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?

View Results

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Everything You Wanted to Know About Batman: Arkham City

Batman Arkham City

As many of you know, Game Informer recently published a huge cover story that detailed previously unknown information about Batman: Arkham City, Rocksteady Studio’s follow-up to the smash hit Batman: Arkham Asylum. What you may not know is that this enormous cover story is now posted online in its entirety, ready for your eager eyes and cautious optimism.

I seriously recommend checking this out if you enjoyed the first game at all. I read this back when it hit shelves and I have to say my excitement level for the game increased ten-fold. For one, it sounds like they’re going for broke here, trying to hit a grand slam after Arkham Asylum’s home run. Their attempt to create a living breathing Gotham is something I’ve always wanted to see in a Batman title, and it sounds like the sidequests are going to be just a joy to play. Also, there are lots of pretty screenshots, and I know how you all like pretty things.

Anyway, check it out and read up. Who else is pumped for this game?

Source – Game Informer

Review: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Castlevania: GabrielIn 2009, I remember feeling a little left out of the geek fervor when I went to go attend a showing of the new Star Trek movie. For some reason or another, I just had never been a fan of the beloved series, and had only ever seen one movie (which I thought was boring). Still, the new movie seemed like it would be worth a watch, so I thought I would check it out with the rest of the red-shirt masses. Long story short: I left the movie feeling high on adventure, and itching to check out all the Star Trek that I had missed up until that point.

If you want to bring this over to gaming terms, I guess you could say that Castlevania has always been my Star Trek, so to speak. It’s one of those titles that I’ve just missed out on over the years. And now, after having spent a whole weekend plumbing the depths of Konami’s newest entry in the long-running classic action franchise, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, the results are the same: I think Castlevania’s got a new fanboy. Continue reading Review: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

GamerSushi Asks: Boss Battles?

Lords of Shadow

It’s sad that more and more these days, the phrase “boss battle” seem to be getting removed from our vocabulary as avid gamers. Really, with so many shooters getting the green light over traditional games, there just doesn’t seem to be room left for great boss fights in most of the titles that we play. There’s something to be said for tackling a well designed boss, which is why I think Batman: Arkham Asylum resonated so strongly with me as an old school gamer.

Well, consider me stoked up on boss battles again, since I just spent most of the weekend marathon-ing Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. The game is not shy about throwing boss after boss at you, and I was in geek heaven because of it. I’ll save some more details for the incoming review, but let’s just say I liked them.

So, since it’s fresh in my mind after completing the game, I thought I’d bring the question here: what are some of your favorite boss battles you’ve faced in games? Any that were particularly memorable because they were frustratingly hard? Sound off!

X-Men Arcade Comes to Home Consoles, Makes Me Feel Old

Comic-Con NYC 2010 is going down right now and, true to form, there are plenty of video game related goodies for us to peruse. While I might be a bit biased here, I can say with the utmost certainty that this bit of news is the greatest to grace GamerSushi this week. Remember that old side-scrolling beat-em-up starring the X-Men? Well, Konami and Marvel are pleased to announce that this old favorite is coming to the PSN and the XBox LIVE Arcade at some point in the future. Although no date was given, the downloadable title looks to be a straight-up port, but garnished with a new feature, six player drop-in co-op! Consider me psyched! Take a look at the trailer (shot off-screen, unfortunately):

I didn’t realize that this game came out eighteen years ago, which is why I feel old. However, a brand new generation of gamers can now experience the Earth-rending difficulty that this game featured, so that’s good news. Anyone excited about this? What other old arcade classics would you like to see re-released?

The Force Unleashed 2 Launch Trailer Features The Force Being Unleashed More Than Twice

I’ll admit that I’m anticipating The Force Unleashed 2 despite my current misgivings with Star Wars, but let’s face it: George Lucas’ eminent sci-fi franchise will continue to hold a special place in my heart despite all the attempts he makes at destroying my childhood.

The Force Unleashed is one of the few things in the last couple of years that I’ve enjoyed about Star Wars (except for the Republic Commando books), so a sequel is just what the doctor ordered. Despite the fact that I played it at PAX 2010 and liked it a lot, some people (Anthony) were worried about the lack of gameplay being shown in the trailers. Well, take a look at the launch trailer for The Force Unleashed 2 and let your fears be put to rest:

No too shabby if I do say so myself. October is kind of a ruinous month, considering that every Tuesday from here on out delivers a must-play game. Medal of Honor is next week, followed by Fallout: New Vegas then The Force Unleashed. It will be tricky to manage all these games, but how are you guys going about it? Is TFU2 a day-one purchase or are you saving it for the upcoming slump?

Force Unleashed 3 Not Actually Canned, Still in Planning Stages

Force Unleashed 3 Not CanceledIt seems that the earlier reports of LucasArt’s new heavy-handed boss Paul Meegan outright canceling the Force Unleashed 3 prematurely might have been unsubstantiated.  In a recent interview, The Force Unleashed 2’s project lead Julio Torres said that the third game hasn’t been trashed, but instead has been put into a holding pattern so the developers can figure out how to work it into the existing Star Wars canon.

Julio Torres mentioned that, with the way that The Force Unleashed 2 ends, a third act is inevitable. In the internal Star Wars timeline, there’s about a few years between the end of TFU2 and the beginning of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, so they need to take some time to figure out how to smooth things over with the existing continuity.

Now, I haven’t pegged George Lucas for a stickler for canon these last few years, what with the Clone Wars TV show completely obliterating all the preceding history set by the novels and the animated series that came out after Star Wars: Episode 2. While I’d like to think that The Force Unleashed 3 is inevitable, its life probably hangs on sales figures. If 2 does a bang-up job, I expect that we’ll see 3 being announced at next year’s Video Game Awards.

What do you guys think? Is The Force Unleashed 3 still in development, or has it already kicked the bucket? Would you like to see a third chapter?

Source: NowGamer