So, PAX 2010 has come and gone, and I’m glad that I finally took this year to go down and experience it. I saw a lot of games before their release and some cosplay that I could have gone without. Of course, such a big event deserves a bigger write up, so steel yourselves and jump into my PAX 2010 Round-Up Spectacular! In this post I’m going to be covering the games that I saw with the pictures going up in a separate post once I sort out and re-size the photos.
Continue reading PAX 2010 Round Up
Category: Features
GamerSushi Asks: Finishing Games?
Over the last few weeks, we’ve gotten to do a lot of great getting-to-know-you type posts here at the Sushi. We’ve covered topics like FPS preferences, games that changed the way you thought about games and that’s just barely scratching the surface. One of the things that’s been on my mind lately as I’ve been clearing out the backlog is the idea of finishing video games.
This actually comes from a couple of places. The first would be my great addiction to achievements, which I’ve come clean about here on multiple occasions. It’s a healing process. Anyway, one of my favorite things about achievements (in addition to being a revival of the top scores of the 80s) is that you can see at a glance how far your friends are in games. For instance, I can check out Anthony or my buddy Miles’s profile to find out where they currently are in Mass Effect. It certainly makes for easier conversations about the game. However, one of the things I notice as I browse my friends’ achievements is how few of them actually finish games. And this isn’t unique to my friends, either. Apparently, there are a lot of people out there that don’t finish games. Continue reading GamerSushi Asks: Finishing Games?
Review: Limbo
Limbo is an XBox Live arcade game, part of the Summer of Arcade that saw a slew of quality releases for the platform over the last couple of months. I remember leading up to the game’s release, I actually knew nothing about it, but kept hearing some buzz as people grew more and more excited. And even then, once I decided to look at a few screenshots, it was hard to get a sense of what people were so juiced up about. I remember people saying the same thing about Braid when it was released, and while I thought it was a good game, it seemed a bit overhyped and not as incredible as others made it out to be. In fact, I didn’t even finish that one.
However, after several of my friends raved about the short experience of Limbo, comparing it almost to Portal in its profundity and fun factor, I decided to give it a try. I downloaded the trial game, ready to play it and then toss it aside, never intending to click on that “purchase full game” option on the dashboard menu. But then I played the demo, and something happened. I was entranced by an atmosphere, thick and heavy and foreboding. I was lured by the puzzles and the platforming. And as soon as the trial ended, I didn’t hesitate to upgrade.
So what’s the big deal? Continue reading Review: Limbo
Chrono Cross Game Blog Part V: A Magician, A Dancer and A Frenchman Walk Into A Bar…
Welcome back! To refresh you, we are in Termina, searching for a way to break into nearby Viper Manor. We already met Guile, a Magus-reject in a bar and are now looking for other possible allies in our effort to penetrate (Insert Beavis and Butthead laugh here) the fortress-like mansion.
Heading left, we come to the Termina docks. We meet a human overseer…overseeing the work of demi-humans. Ah, slave labor exists in Another World. How quaint. Seems this is a prerequisite for most fantasy/sci-fi. There are signs everywhere for a festival coming up and I climb aboard a wooden ship docked nearby. Apparently, Miki and Nikki, two popular musicians, are going to give a concert on the ship. But Nikki is, you guessed it, missing! Miki has been searching for him, but to no avail as he disappeared into the Shadow Forest. How foreboding! Continue reading Chrono Cross Game Blog Part V: A Magician, A Dancer and A Frenchman Walk Into A Bar…
Gaming Pop Quiz, Almost Fall Edition
The Gaming Pop Quiz is back! Last time, we did a pre-summer edition to start the lazy sunny days off right, and now we return in anticipation of the gaming to come. Seriously, I can barely contain myself for Halo: Reach. It’s weird, because while I don’t really consider myself a Halo fanatic, few games make me more excited than the Halo games do. There’s some kind of mystique around the whole event that really gets me going.
Anyway, because I have nothing better to do than to clear out my backlog and play the incredible Tomb Raider: Guardian of Light (seriously, go play this), I come bearing a few questions for you dudes to answer. As always with our getting-to-know-you type games, feel free to answer with as much or as little as you like. Obviously, some of these things you might not remember, but answer to the best of your ability. Go!
1. What game always seems to elude you on your backlog?
2. What game mechanic do you think is underutilized (cover systems, destructible environments)?
3. If you could turn a portable game into a full-fledged console game, which one and why? And vice versa.
4. Would anything make you consider boycotting a game?
5. What game would immediately inspire you to upgrade to spend money on a new PC/console?
6. What do you feel like you’re still waiting to do in a game that you’ve never done before?
7. What game changed the way you view video games?
Review: StarCraft 2
I’m not going to mince words on this one, because if you’ve been even remotely interested in PC gaming since the late 1990s then you’ve probably played StarCraft. Blizzard may have fed their other RTS series to the MMO meat-grinder, but, at least for now, StarCraft remains as the gold standard of old-school strategy games. On the other hand, it is 2010, and the strategy genre has seen some impressive leaps in the area of both gameplay and story-telling mostly thanks to Relic and their excellent Dawn of War and Company of Heroes series. Can the StarCraft formula still hold up, even all these years later?
Continue reading Review: StarCraft 2
Chrono Cross Game Blog Part IV: The First Disappointment Is The Worst Disappointment
Welcome back! When we last left our heroes, they were heading to Termina, the largest city on the El Nido archipelago. But to get there will require a brief journey through Fossil Valley, a place that sounds like a track from Mario Kart.
Turns out there are some soldiers who are excavating the area and apparently are in need of an exorcist? A few lies later and I am past the guards, who clearly have no idea what an exorcist looks like. PROTIP: They’re usually wearing a white collar and carry a crucifix. It seems there is a spooky howling noise and the soldiers want me, the alleged exorcist, to make it stop. Personally, it sounds like the wind to me, but maybe that is due to the limitations of the PS1’s sound card.
Walking up to a very large fossil of a dragon, when a skull bounces up to greet me. Suddenly, I wish I had done more drugs in my youth.The skull claims that he can tell Serge is dead, which is partially true, at least in this world. He wants me to help him find the rest of his body. Sounds like Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest but with slightly better graphics. How do I know this guy is on the up and up? Answer: I don’t, but what the hell else am I going to do right? It’s not like I’m stuck in a parallel dimension or anything, far away from home and my loved ones. So now I have a HEAVY SKULL. Jealous, much?
Continue reading Chrono Cross Game Blog Part IV: The First Disappointment Is The Worst Disappointment
The GamerSushi Show, Ep 7: Rage Quitting the Cast
And we’re back!
We’ve been on break with the GamerSushi podcast for several weeks now because I was on vacation in the land of Florida, drinking orange juice and sunshine and visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. As soon as we got a chance this week, we all sat down and recorded a new edition of the show.
In this episode, we talk about a number of things including Limbo, pirating video games and the idea of rage quitting. It clocks in at right around an hour and forty minutes, and I think it’s a good time. Unfortunately, something went wrong with our connection, so the last twenty minutes or so has some audio glitches, but it’s nothing that breaks the podcast. We actually recorded this a few days ago, but since I’ve been lazy it’s not going up until now.
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 7: Rage Quitting the Cast
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Review: Super Mario Galaxy 2
Many of you may remember our Call of Duty: World at War review, which was written by a friend (and GS user) named Sean. Sean has stepped up to the plate again and offered to write us a guest review for Super Mario Galaxy 2! Enjoy!
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After Super Mario 64 came out, to me the Super Mario series has never had the same fun-factor as it did with that groundbreaking and stunning game. From Paper Mario to Sunshine, nothing really could compare in the level complexity and 3D world fun. Well, out came a new line of Mario games titled “Galaxy” with motion control and a new spin on the Mario 64 levels. After Super Mario Galaxy, we are given a whole new experience with Super Mario Galaxy 2, but what exactly does this game have to offer?
Here you are, it’s the 100 year festival in the mushroom kingdom, starbits are raining from the sky, Toads are everywhere, disaster has struck and King Bowser has stolen the princess from the castle and taken her deep into space! As the hero, Mario, it is up to you to take off after your beloved Peach and battle to the center of the universe to rescue your princess! Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? That’s because it’s pretty much the exact same opening as it was in the first installment, Super Mario Galaxy.
Chrono Cross Game Blog Part III: Revelations, Puns and Mojo
Okay, back for another blog post! OMG. The music is back. Must…resist…tranquil beauty…of song…
Whew. Made it back to Lizard Rock, which, if you recall correctly, is where we nabbed those Komodo Dragon Scales for Leena, AKA Spiteful Bitch. Sorry, still bitter. Allegedly, the enemies here are supposed to be tougher because we are in an alternate world, but not for me and my uber-party of Serge and…Poshul. *Shudder*
So we arrive back at Arni village, but no one seems to recognize Serge! What can this mean? Is he in Hell? Purgatory? Did he fly on Oceanic Airlines? Is Poshul really Hurley? How do I know so much about Lost and only have watched it once? Most of the people in Arni are the same, but there are some differences, like the tavern is now a flower shop. I wonder if Aeris works here? There is still a group of thieves calling themselves the Radical Dreamers causing some havoc in Termina, so some things are the same in both worlds.
A visit to Serge’s house shows that things are quite different here. The house is empty and Serge’s room is a junk room. Hmm. Mystery! As I exit, some guy who claims to live there tells me to get out. About time! I’ve always wondered how RPGs let people get away with walking into stranger’s homes and ransacking the pots and family treasure chests. Just seems kind of klepto-ish to me. Anyways, this dude says he has lived here for 5 years, which freaks even Poshul out. Trust me, a freaked out Poshul is not something you want to experience sober. Continue reading Chrono Cross Game Blog Part III: Revelations, Puns and Mojo
Would You Rather: FPS Edition?
Since it’s yet again been a slow news week, it seems that it’s already time for a new edition of Would You Rather. A few weeks back, we did an RPG version of the game, which got lots of awesome responses from people. It was great to see all the positive feedback, and to learn a little bit more about what makes the fellow Sushi-ers tick. So, we thought we’d bring it back, this time with a different genre: FPS games.
For the uninitiated, in Would You Rather, I simply ask a series of questions, and you follow up with your answers. Give as much or as little explanation as you want for your choices, but we all know that we like to see the reasoning behind the madness.
But beware, lest your answers suck mightily. In which case, Anthony and Mitch will kidnap you to trap you inside of Nick’s beard. You don’t want to know what other kinds of creatures lurk in there. I know this firsthand.
For an FPS, would you rather… Continue reading Would You Rather: FPS Edition?
Chrono Cross Game Blog Part II: Pink Puppies and Rejection
Welcome back! We last left Serge as he was about to start murdering poor, defenseless Komodo Dragons in order to secure a piece of ass. What a great start for our heroic…uh…hero.
Before I head off to commit genocide, I run back into the local tavern to gather some info. Nothing too exciting going on, but I did find a Heckran Bone. Remember that pink dog? *Sigh* I guess I will go ahead and have him join my party. You know, for posterity. What follows is a transcript of exactly what Poshul says when you offer him the Heckran Bone: “Sergiepoo? A p-p-pretenth!? F-F-or I!?” Already, I am regretting this decision and wondering if I can somehow boot him from the team. The music that plays when the game tells you that Poshul has joined you is directly from Chrono Trigger, so I guess all is forgiven. Maybe these Square guys know what they’re doing after all.
I travel just a little bit south to Lizard Rock, a jungle/beach area that has not aged well in the last decade, thanks to decaying polygons. The enemies here are no match for my New Game +, so fret not, dear readers. The real challenge is sneaking up on the Komodo Dragon Pups. The little bastards see you coming a mile away and run off at the first sign of trouble. I’ve had a change of heart and decided they all need to die for this. I manage to trap one in a cave and it’s time to fight! A few quick hits later and that kick ass music from Chrono Trigger is playing again! That sure hits the sweet spot.
Okay, one scale down, two to go. The second one leads me on a merry chase, but fares no better than the first once I catch it. One more to go! This is a little too easy. I might be feeling guilty about this again…NOT! The third Pup goes down faster than Paris Hilton and my quest is complete.
Continue reading Chrono Cross Game Blog Part II: Pink Puppies and Rejection
Hulu: Plus… or Minus?
Remember me? I know I haven’t posted here in a while, but I thought I’d pop my head in and share my experiences with the newly launched Hulu Plus on the PS3. For those of you outside the US… I think Anthony wrote something humorous about a videogame!
Weaning myself off of an expensive dependence on cable TV has been a dream of mine for a while now, but the sticking point has always been that I absolutely rely on my DVR. As soon as the Hulu Plus service was announced, I knew that I had to check it out, and I decided that paying $20 for three months of PSN Plus was a worthwhile trade off – it’s still cheaper than what I was paying for cable.
My previous experiences with Hulu on my TV have been thanks to a handy adapter cable and my MacBook. It’s not pretty, but it works. It’s just kind of a pain in the ass to set it up each time. Still, I think it’s fair to compare that setup with the PS3 implementation. After the jump, I’ll run down each method’s convenience, show availability, video quality, and interface.
Top Six: Achievement Types I Never Want to See Again
Love them or hate them, Achievements (and Trophies) have become prevalent in our gaming lives, starting with the Xbox 360 and creeping over to the PS3 and the PC. While it has been a few years since the introduction of Gamerscore and e-peens, very few developers seem to grasp the point of Achievements, and there are a few out there in the wild that have caused an undue amount of frustration for many a gamer. We all know the ones, the few that makes us tear our hair out or have us stay up until three in the morning trying to earn something that isn’t real…but is. Here’s a list of six examples that I think should be removed from gaming forever: Continue reading Top Six: Achievement Types I Never Want to See Again
Chrono Cross Game Blog Part I: Clubbing Komodo Dragons
Okay, time to get serious about this. Chrono Cross, the sequel to Chrono Trigger, released on the PS1 ten years ago, which is exactly how long it has been since I played it. My impressions back then were that it was a great RPG, but a poor sequel to Chrono Trigger, one of the greatest games of all time. Let’s see how I feel about it a decade later.
First off, in the olden days, the X button was cancel and the O button was confirm. Just starting a new game is a trial of my patience, one I seem to be losing by the amount of spittle I am forced to wipe from the TV screen by the time I actually get things going. Oh, thank God, there is an option to change the configuration. I thought I was going to have to kill myself. Also, no using the analog stick here, which is another source of frustration. You know, they made the past seem so quaint in Back to the Future, but the reality is much more abrasive. Like a cheese grater to my testicles.
Continue reading Chrono Cross Game Blog Part I: Clubbing Komodo Dragons
The GamerSushi Show, Ep 6: Fresh Coat of Free
It’s really hard to believe that we’re now on podcast number 6, but we’re back this week with a brand new edition The GamerSushi Show, ready for your ears and scrutiny. You’ll notice a couple of things that are different in this episode, namely the awesome new theme song that Jace Ford wrote for us, which to me is absolutely perfect. Anyone that speaks against it will face the back of my hand. Also, Anthony was sick so he couldn’t make this week, and his absence was definitely felt, but he’ll be back for the next one.
In this episode, we cover a variety of topics as always, which may or may not include the death of 1 vs 100, remakes of old games and Alien Swarm. Apparently when we recorded this, the phrases “fresh coat of paint” and “free” became our favorite words ever, because we say them no less than a million times each during the course of it. Seriously, if you are of drinking age, you should play a drinking game that revolves around each time we say either of those things. You will get plastered.
Anyway, as we requested last time, you should definitely go rate the podcast on iTunes if you haven’t done so already. Enjoy!
Continue reading The GamerSushi Show, Ep 6: Fresh Coat of Free
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Chrono Cross Game Blog Part 0: Chrono Trigger Recap
Before I get fully invested in Chrono Cross and start this gameblog off properly, I thought it would be helpful if I gave a little background in what Chrono Cross and it’s predecessor, Chrono Trigger. You see, Chrono Cross was made pretty much to tie up the ONLY loose end from Chrono Trigger. CT managed to weave a fairly tight story, leaving only thing incomplete. What is that thing? Read on to find out.
Chrono Trigger was the story of a boy named Crono, who lived in the kingdom of Guardia in the year 1000 A.D. His friend Lucca, an inventor (of course) and a spunky princess (is there any other kind these days) also hail from that time period. Through a malfunction of Lucca’s latest invention, the trio find themselves moving back and forth through time.
They venture to the Middle Ages, which is in 600 A.D. and meet Frog, a swordsman transformed into a human-sized frog by a dark wizard named Magus. Then, they go forward in the future to 2300 A.D., where the world is a bleak wasteland. There, they discover that in 1999, Lavos, a parasitic monster, emerged from beneath the ground and rendered the planet a lifeless husk. Depressing, right?
Continue reading Chrono Cross Game Blog Part 0: Chrono Trigger Recap
Would You Rather: RPG Edition!
It’s been some time since we’ve done the Would You Rather game here at GamerSushi, so I thought it would be best to unveil one, this time with a theme: Role Playing Games! We’ll probably do one of these for different genres in the next few weeks, and I’m particularly excited about some of the answers you guys will no doubt unleash upon us.
In Would You Rather, I simply ask a series of questions, and you follow up with your answers. Give as much or as little explanation as you want for your choices, but we all know that we like to see the reasoning behind the madness.
Don’t let your answers suck, though. Your punishment will be to sit and watch Anthony play through each Final Fantasy game. He’ll do it, too, just to be a stickler.
Review: Crackdown 2
Crackdown is one of those games that somehow obtained mythical status among its fervent fanbase, a lofty position almost inexplicable in nature. Originally only noteworthy for the Halo 3 Beta invitation, the open-world super-hero cop game became a cult hit overnight, capturing players with its addictive skill progression and crazy gameplay. Three years have passed, and gamers have been waiting patiently for a sequel. The developer may have changed from Real Time Worlds to Ruffian but there was hopes that Crackdown 2 would retain the same charm that its predecessor possessed. Does Crackdown 2 recapture the magic of the original, or does it play it too safe?
I’m coming at Crackdown 2 with a unique perspective, specifically the one of someone who barely even touched the original. I played a demo of it at EB Games a long time ago for about five minutes, and I remember bounding around buildings until various gang members filled my vaulting body with lead. At the time, I didn’t even have an XBox 360, so I promptly forgot about the game. When I did pick one up a few months later, my chance to get in the Halo 3 Beta had long passed, so Crackdown slipped from my memory.
Continue reading Review: Crackdown 2
The GamerSushi Show, Ep 5: Gamebots In Disguise
We’ve taken a few weeks off since our epic E3 2010 podcast so that Nick and I could finish slaying the titan known as Web Zeroes. But now we’re back, despite the current drought of gaming related news, and we still manage to talk for a ludicrously long time.
That’s partly because in this episode, we go off on a wild series of awesome nerdy tangents, which includes a great discussion on old school Saturday morning cartoons and how they are full of both nostalgia and win. Also, why mono is God’s gift to gamers.
Anyway, give it a listen, rate it on iTunes if you want, and feel free to continue the conversation we had here down in the comments. Enjoy! Continue reading The GamerSushi Show, Ep 5: Gamebots In Disguise
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