So I imagine you guys are all aware of this little title called Killzone 2? Yeah, thought so. The 360 fanboys hate it already and the PS3 fanboys are ready to canonize it, so I thought I would take a look at it myself. Having read dozens of reviews of the game already, I had a good idea of what to expect and my main complaint was that the demo was really too short to make a firm judgment about anything. This preview will also answer some things I have seen pop up online regarding the demo and the game itself.
Continue reading GamerSushi Impressions: Killzone 2 Demo
Category: Features
Review: Call of Duty: World at War
Some time ago, I asked GamerSushi user Sean to write a review for us. I’ve known Sean for a few years outside of GS, so I thought it’d be cool to have him contribute a guest feature. He was very prompt and did this right away. I, however, having been a bum, did not post it until just now. So, here’s a guest review of Call of Duty: World at War!
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Review: Metal Gear Solid 4
Ok, so Metal Gear Solid 4 came out last summer for the PS3, but some of us didn’t get a chance to finish the darn thing until recently, so sue me. I wanted to take some time away to reflect on finishing this epic saga that spanned multiple console generations, and review it without the hype of the story itself weighing me down.
For me, Metal Gear Solid ranks as one of my favorite series in gaming history. The PSX game grabbed me in some kind of vicious chokehold, and still hasn’t let go to this day.
The combination of stealth gameplay and big-budget Hollywood action, not to mention an entangled plot really struck me back in those days, awakening me to the potential that video games had as a medium. Over the years, there have been stumbles and triumphs for this series, moments that leave you shaking your head in embarrassment (naked Raiden, anyone), or raise your fist in victory (defeating The End). So, how does Metal Gear Solid 4 stand up to its predecessors?
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How Does Hype Affect You?
In our chosen hobby of playing video games, it is fair to say that the Internet is a major component. And the internet is good at several things, but the thing it excels at more than any other is buzz. Nothing gets word moving faster than the InterGoogle and game companies and fanboys alike take advantage of this. But hype comes in more forms than that.
Let’s take a look at Halo 3. It had the kind of buzz reserved for a major box office movie. When I saw all the cross-promotional tie-ins, I started to wonder if Bungie was being run by George Lucas. I mean, seriously: Halo energy drinks?
I saw so many commercials and trailers and ads with Master Chief pleading with me to finish the fight that I honestly was ready to join the Covenant.
Continue reading How Does Hype Affect You?
GameCop Vs LameCop #4
GameCop vs. LameCop is a feature where Anthony and I argue about video game issues, playing the role of either the GameCop or the LameCop as we do so. We switch roles each time. The GameCop has your best interests as gamers at heart, while the LameCop is just what he sounds like: a total loser.
This week, we tackle several issues including Nintendo’s Wii Motion Plus, Ubisoft’s shady DLC and Sony’s penchant for starting the hype train too early.
GamerSushi Asks: Would You Rather?
I figured after all this time, and the new year already rolling along (how is it almost February), it was time for another “Would You Rather”? We seriously love the way you guys participate in these topics.
In “Would You Rather’, I simply ask a series of questions, and you follow up with your responses. Give as much or as little explanation as you want with your answers.
However, if your answers suck, there will be robots, with metal hands. You don’t want to know what they do with the metal hands. Trust me.
GamerSushi Asks: Favorite Multiplayer Modes?
After playing Left 4 Dead versus like an addict for the last couple of months, I’ve started thinking about what makes it so fun. I mean, it’s not all that different from a game like Halo or Gears of War, right? At its core, it’s still just one team versus another team, so why am I enjoying it like crazy?
To be honest, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it is, in fact, different. While most games rely on the “kill-or-be-killed” mentality, Left 4 Dead, even in versus mode, is a co-operative beast.
Continue reading GamerSushi Asks: Favorite Multiplayer Modes?
7 Most Ridiculous Video Game Economies
With new President Barack Obama sworn in as King Dude in the U.S., it’s no secret that there’s a lot of work to do out there, particularly when it comes to the festering maw that is our nation’s current economy. Since the fiscal temperature has moved from a state of “cool with low humidity” to “frigid with a high chance of sucking”, we’ve seen our share of absurd ordeals.
However, if you think that our economy is wacky, then perhaps you haven’t spent too much time inhabiting many fictional video game worlds. For those of you who are looking to relocate somewhere better, we’ve put together a small travel guide for virtual visitors. If these places were real, they would be bizarre and unbelievable.
Here are the 7 most ridiculous video game economies, good and bad.
Continue reading 7 Most Ridiculous Video Game Economies
Is The Drive For Realism Making Games Less Fun?
When I was a kid, realism is all anyone wanted out of video games. Virtual Reality was the buzzword of the times. If an enemy acted realistically, that was amazing. If a character’s portrait in a cut scene looked anything like the real thing, we were in awe. As graphics got better, the dream became closer to reality. Games like Flashback and Heart of Darkness wowed gamers with photorealistic graphics, crude by today’s standards, but jaw dropping back in the days when Kurt Cobain was still smashing guitars.
Even though graphics were getting more real, the gameplay was still crazy. Cloud and Sephiroth may look like real people in the cut scenes, but obviously no human could really wield that giant sword. This was a happy medium, but it never really set right with me. I preferred the awesome summons animations and the scenes with WEAPON and other unreal events. You know: stuff I have never seen.
Continue reading Is The Drive For Realism Making Games Less Fun?
The 2008 Sushis: A Year in Review
Like most gaming sites, we here at GamerSushi are all about year-in-review awards, in which we give prestigious designations to some of the best (and easiest to make fun of) video games from the year before. The Sushis are no laughing matter though, and represent the highest standard in gaming opinion.
Ok, well maybe that last part isn’t true. But they sure are fun.
The Sushis are basically just our take on the last year, for better or for worse. Some of the awards are goofy and some of them are legit. We hope you get as big of a kick out of it as we did of playing these games. So, without further ado, here are the 2008 Sushis, picked out by both Anthony and yours truly.
Review: Mirror’s Edge
Last year, EA surprised much of the gaming world with several brand new titles that showed innovation and style, opening gamers up to the possibility that the company had turned over a new leaf. One of those titles was Mirror’s Edge, the first person platformer that puts you behind the eyes and in the shoes of Faith, a runner in a future dystopia. She climbs rooftops and leaps across alleys, and you control it all from her point of view.
One of the first things you’ll notice when you turn the game on is the design, the feel of Mirror’s Edge as you play. The city’s rooftops are pristine, clean and vibrant. The camera sways slightly with Faith’s run, and you can hear her breathe from the the strain of diving from platform to platform. Working together, it really does simulate first person in a way that I haven’t experienced before, and it is incredibly immersive.
Continue reading Review: Mirror’s Edge
7 Things a Hardcore Gamer Should Never Admit, Vol. 1
As those experienced in the realm of nerdery, we gamers know what it is like to be social outcasts more often than not. We understand that there are certain codes, unwritten rules to being a part of circles, and what must be done to infiltrate them.
The same is true of the gaming community, perhaps more so than other clubs. To keep our hardcore gaming membership card secure in our wallets, there are certain appearances we must uphold in order to earn the respect of the gaming community at large.
Continue reading 7 Things a Hardcore Gamer Should Never Admit, Vol. 1
Review: Fallout 3
Having been a great fan of Bethesda’s earlier RPG series, The Elder Scrolls, I was eagerly waiting for Fallout 3 and their decision to make it into a FPS/RPG hybrid. Not having played any of the previous Fallout games, I was not concerned with any drastic changes they might have made, so this review will come from the perspective of a Fallout noob.
Review: Left 4 Dead
If anybody knows anything about anything, they know that zombies are the glue that hold this world together. Or at least, that’s my view. Throw zombies at any crappy old movie/videogame/book and it instantly becomes a winner. Really, I’d be happy if everything had the undead rolling like waves in the sea, overtaking the helpless innocents.
So you can imagine my excitement about Left 4 Dead. Not only because it is chock full of zed heads, but also because it is the spawn of legendary developer Valve, those messiah figures turned game makers (if you can’t tell, I kind of like them). When you break it down, it’s been hard to argue with their track record over the last few years.
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Happy New Year!
Well, a new year is coming upon us, and let’s hope that 2009 is just as good for gaming as 2008 was. To be honest, while there were a lot of great games that have dropped on us in the past few months, I don’t know if there were any standout titles that left me proclaiming “greatest game evar!!”, though there were quite a few that I did love.
Anthony and I wanted to say thanks for hanging out around here and reading our goofy thoughts on video games, as well as sharing your own back with us. I have to be honest, I check this site more than SFF, which I know is how many of you found this cool gaming nook. I think we’ve got a sweet community here, and I’m a huge fan of the discussions we get going.
Review: Fable II
A few years ago, a new RPG from Lionhead Studios promised great adventures for XBox players. The premise was simple: create a character in the world of Albion, and tackle your quest however you wished. Want to kill villagers? Sure! Want to be a goody-too shoes? Go for it! While the game ultimately promised more than it actually delivered, many consider it to be a staple of the old XBox.
Fable II has now returned players to the realm of Albion, with promises renewed of an open world and a sprawling, epic tale. I eagerly picked the game up a few weeks ago, and started in right away. As some of you know, I’m a complete tool for open world games, so the prospect of diving into a new fantasy world that wasn’t Ivalice or something from Star Wars was very enticing.
So how did it hold up?
Continue reading Review: Fable II
Christmas Loot!
Merry Christmas to everyone, from GamerSushi. I hope you guys are all having a safe, fun holiday with lots of presents and time with family. Christmas is maybe my favorite holiday, there’s just a lot of nostalgia and awesome stuff wrapped up all in one day.
That being said, it’s also a time for sweet presents and cool gear. So, tell us about that loot. What did you get? It doesn’t have to be gaming related, just post what you got for Christmas!
So far, I’ve gotten some gift cards, Iron Man on Blu Ray ( I think) and Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling. I haven’t made all the rounds yet, but I’ll post more later.
Post your loot!
Review: Prince of Persia
The Sands of Time, the Warrior Within and the Two Thrones were some of favorite games on my PS2, especially the Sands of Time. The fantastic controls, the platforming, the sweaty palms as I guided the Prince past buzzsaw traps and rolling logs with spikes…all of it made for a fantastic gaming experience.
So with great excitement, I started on this latest adventure. First thing to note is that this is not a sequel or a prequel or anything like that. It is a reboot, no characters return except the Prince (who isn’t even a prince now) and Farah (who is now a donkey). This kind of thing never really bothers me, so I can’t blame the developers for wanting to start fresh on a new console.
Shattered Save Slots: Final Fantasy VII
We’ve all got those gaming memories that mean a lot to us. Things that, as a kid or heck, even as an adolescent or adult, have affected us deeply. It’s these moments that we look back upon with wonder, that make us into who we are as gamers, and captured our hearts forever for this “hobby”.
But what happens when someone comes along to shatter that pixel-perfect image you have in your head? In Shattered Save Slots, we take a look at some of gaming’s most memorable moments, and come at them with sarcasm, perspective and brutality.
This week, Eddy looks back at one of his favorite all-time games, Final Fantasy VII. And Anthony comes to… well, poop on it.
Continue reading Shattered Save Slots: Final Fantasy VII
GamerSushi Asks: Would You Rather?
The holidays are approaching, which means that you guys will be playing games until your eyes bleed and your thumbs have blisters. It’s as good a time as any to have a brand new “Would You Rather?” feature at GamerSushi!
In “Would You Rather’, I simply ask a series of questions, and you follow up with your responses. Give as much or as little explanation as you want with your answers.
Unless your answers are lame. And if they are, be sure that your name will forever go down in the Lame Book of Laming Lameness. It is real, it is a best seller, and all of your friends read it.