Category: Gaming Theory

Great Moments In Video Game Music: Chrono Cross – Dream of the Shore Near Another World

I thought I would do a random post about a song I listen to at least once a week and I will do other posts with other great songs at intermittent intervals.

This is from Chrono Cross, the “sequel” to Chrono Trigger that appeared on the PS 1 back in 2000. A great RPG that got pooped on (even by me) for derailing Chrono Trigger’s story, but one aspect that held up over time was the music, this track in particular. The mournful, melancholy drone can make even the most jaded weep and the most superficial suddenly finding themselves contemplating the complexities of the universe.

Enjoy!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROKcr2OTgws[/youtube]

A New GamerSushi Feature Approaches, Send Us Your Questions and Topics!

As you guys know, we here at GamerSushi are all about community, and we feel like we’ve got a pretty good back and forth going. How it’s been working so far, though, is that we pose questions to you guys in the form of posts and features, and then you tell us what you think. We have thought about mixing this up a little, and for an upcoming feature, we’d like you guys to ask us the questions or give us topics you’d like to hear us discuss.

It’s simple enough, just drop your suggestions in the comments, and we’ll pick a few and have the GS staff riff on them for a bit. Any ones we don’t get to this time around, we’ll go over in the next installment. Try to keep it video game related, and fire away!

Supreme Court to Rule on Violent Games

Supreme CourtCalifornia’s law banning the sale of violent video games to minors was thrown out by a court of appeals and now it appears to be heading via warp zone to the final stage: The Supreme Court.

With this comes the usual debate about games and free speech, the responsibilities of parents and so forth. Personally, I think it’s up to parents and game stores to self-regulate, but what do I know?

I also don’t think the Supreme Court, which last week asked, “What’s the difference between an e-mail and a page?” is going to see the gamer side of this issue, but that won’t stop me from asking: where do you stand on this hot-button issue?

Source: Yahoo News

Games That Withstand Time

Legend of ZeldaYou’re feeling restless. You want to play some video games, but you’re not really in the mood for anything that you’ve been playing recently. Try as you might to entertain yourself, nothing seems to get the job done. Suddenly, you get the idea to put in an old favorite, something you haven’t been back to in quite some time and haven’t had the heart to sell. You put it in, get excited as the old familiar screens pop up. Within a few minutes, though, you notice something. The magic is gone. This game doesn’t feel nearly as great as it did all those years ago. Wtf?

I don’t know if that’s happened to you, but it’s happened to me on more than one occasion. As sad as it is to admit, there are plenty of games that don’t withstand the most inscrutable of all tests: time. Whether it’s because they were overhyped pieces of junk to begin with, or our tastes have matured, or other games have done it better, there are any number of reasons that certain old school titles don’t tickle our fancies they way they used to.
Continue reading Games That Withstand Time

Earth Day: Gaming’s Greenest Characters

As you may or may not know, today is Earth Day, the day which we honor the great sacrifices of the Na’vi, who protected us from the metal mechwarriors that came after our hard-to-come-by-rillium. Wait, I think I got confused somewhere in the first sentence.

Joking aside, Earth Day is a day that exists to instill awareness about conservation and appreciation of the Earth’s environment. So I figured, what better way to celebrate this as gamers than to put together a list of the most eco-friendly videogame dudes. These characters range from martyrs to environmental protectors, and cover a broad spectrum of genres to boot.

So, who are gaming’s greenest characters? Find out below.
Continue reading Earth Day: Gaming’s Greenest Characters

Everybody’s Played Halo: Reach But Us

Halo ReachI seriously can’t tell you guys how much I’m anxiously awaiting the beta for Halo: Reach, hitting on May 3rd. When that glorious day rolls around, I’ll be a zombie, doing nothing but thinking, eating, and sleeping in a way that is pleasing to the Master Chief. I would consider it no great secret that something about Halo multiplayer hits a special sweet spot for my competitive gaming tastes, and I can’t wait to jump back into it. Honestly, it’s almost like Christmas for me.

Complete fanboy antics aside, an embargo finally lifted on the preview that lots of major gaming sites got to experience with the game. As a result, everybody and their mom that got to play Halo: Reach is finally able to write about it, shedding some light on the details about the game’s multiplayer and how it is going to feel in our nerdy clammy hands.

I think the most interesting write-up I read about the beta would be from Kotaku, who gave a great run down of some of the multiplayer features. The things I’ve read both excite and concern me. Right now, the pros are: class-based weapon and equipment load-outs, fall damage, no dual wielding. Cons: jetpacks for everyone that chooses the loadout and the new armor lock ability, which seems to combine trip mines, EMPs, and bubble shields into one.

Anyway, if you’re even mildly interested in the Reach beta, I’d highly recommend checking out some of the previews of the multiplayer that are dropping all over the net. So, how do you guys feel about Halo: Reach? Excited or meh? Go!

Source- Kotaku

Missing: Good Bad Guys

GladosA hero is only as good as his villain, or at least that’s what they say. But when you think about the old saying, there really is a lot of truth to it. I think when it comes to movies, novels, games, the stories that stick out to me most are the ones with a really great antagonist. It seems like these days, we don’t quite get as many of those in our gaming stories. But why is that?

Greg Kasavin, a producer for 2K Games, offers up a great article looking into the idea of Proper Villainy in gaming. He theorizes that one of the main reasons that we don’t see very many great bad guys (he cites Bioshock, Super Mario Bros, Portal, and Legacy of Kain as prime examples) these days is in large part due to game design. It is hard to develop great antagonists simply because players will have to kill them on their first encounter, and it would be cheap and/or cheesy to have them always escaping in the nick of time. I think the man has a great point to be sure, especially when he points out that the most memorable bad guys this generation tend to be ever-present but unreachable dudes, like Glados, Andrew Ryan or Joker in Batman: Arkham Asylum.

It’s definitely a fascinating read, and an issue I’ve been thinking about more and more. So many games these days don’t have well defined antagonists, and it really is a shame. What do you guys think? Who are some of your favorite bad guys in gaming?

Source- Kasavin

What’s Your Favorite Release This Year?

Today, Nick and I were chatting during Web Zeroes filming (or rather, after, while I was level grinding in Final Fantasy XIII), and we got to talking about how great of an opening 4 month stretch we’ve had so far in 2010. With some excellent releases, this could be maybe best first quarter I can remember in gaming.

There are any number of titles so far that can be game of the year candidates, and that’s not even mentioning some of the great games that will be coming out later in the year. Since our last poll was so successful, we thought we’d try our hands at another. So far, my favorite game of the year is Mass Effect 2, though Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Final Fantasy XIII are the next two in line. I’ve never quite played another game like ME2, and I think it might stand as my game of the year when the year is said and done.

What is your favorite game of 2010 so far?

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Vote away, and chat about your answer in the comments.

GamerSushi Review: God of War III

The God of War franchise has become the premier beat-em-up in the eyes of many gamers, with its super-tight controls, stunning visuals and excessive brutality. God of War and God of War II on the PS2 were massive successes, both critically and commercially and Sony’s Santa Monica studios has pulled out all the stops to finish the series off in style.

The story of the game is simple and complex, oddly enough. Basically, Kratos has declared war on the pantheon of Greek gods, with his eye on Zeus, in particular. The bulk of the game is Kratos traveling from place to place, wiping out a god here, a demi-god there and acquiring whatever magical item is needed to help him succeed in his quest. The part where things get complex is that much of the game hearkens back to the first two games and even the PSP entry. It’s not a big problem because the game describes what you need to know through gorgeously animated scenes, but I was struggling to figure out opening Pandora’s Box in the first game was affecting events in this one. A minor quibble, however.

The controls, as ever are responsive and you always feel like Kratos is doing exactly what you want him to. The platforming sections are rare, which is good because Kratos’s boots were not made for jumping. The combat, though, is second to none. Each weapon Kratos has (you get four by the end of the game) has its own combo system and feel and upgrading these and then performing the new combos you unlock is extremely satisfying.  Each weapon also comes with a magical ability and in addition to that, you have items that you use, such as the Head of Helios, which lights up dark areas and uncovers secret chambers. In short, Kratos has a ton of options at his disposal.

Which is very handy when dealing with the tons of enemies the game throws at you. It’s difficult to count when you are fighting for your life, but there were over 30 enemies onscreen at one point and the game didn’t even seem to notice, as there was no slowdown at all. There was one battle where I was fighting 6 giant cyclops and literally all hell was breaking loose and the game chugged along perfectly. This is a highly polished and beautiful game.

One thing I want to mention is that there is enough variety in enemies that I never felt like I was getting bored or slogging through it. The game will introduce a new enemy and once you get the hang of it, either throw a ton of them at you or combine them others. Gorgons too easy? Try fighting them with a chimera backing them up. These types of things make the game challenging and fresh.

A lot is said about the Quick Time Events and I feel like I would be remiss if I did not address this: I love them. See, when you beat an enemy down, an option appears to start the QTE. You can ignore this and finish the enemy off with normal attacks or you can watch a brutal kill that will grant you extra experience. Personally, I never get tired of watching them and I often exclaimed out loud how how disgusting many of them were. From ripping out eyeballs to disemboweling Titans, Kratos shows no mercy to anyone during the course of his journey.

The game should last you anywhere from 8-10 hours and there are bonus modes to play once you finish it, in addition to hidden items that grant you bonuses on a second playthrough, such as unlimited health or magic power. These turn the game into God Mode and while I don’t care that sort of thing, it does give you the chance to play the game without fear of dying, so I guess it’s good for trying new things.

Gorgeous graphics, sick gameplay and an epic story that slices its way through Greek mythology? I couldn’t sign up for this fast enough. God of War III showcases what the PS3 is capable of and if you have one, you have to play it.

GamerSushi Score:

B

Crysis 2 Makers Call Out More Games

Uncharted 2 Vs Crysis 2Dang. I always knew that Crysis sported itself some pretty graphics. Gorgeous, even. But I didn’t realize the original Crysis was such a groundbreaking smash of a hit in terms of narrative. Or at least, that’s what its writers and creators seem to think.

Earlier this week, Crysis 2 writer Richard Morgan called out Modern Warfare 2 for its story and its narrative. Then, he proceeded to follow that up with a shot at Halo, calling its archetypal characters “bullshit”. While it’s one thing to nip at the heels of the big dogs, it seems that Crytek isn’t quite done taking shots at other games. A new interview with the company’s CEO, Cevat Yerli, has now added Uncharted 2 to the list of giants that Crysis 2 is trying to fell with its stones of wordy criticisms. Here’s what Yerli had to say about the game.

It’s really great, and that’s an alternative style, but I don’t think they do justice to the medium of game. I think Mass Effect 2 is doing a better job to the game market, although it’s a completely different style to us, rather than Uncharted 2 or Modern Warfare, for that matter.

Say what you will about whether or not Richard Morgan or Yerli is right about any of the stuff they’ve made bold claims about with Crysis 2… but these dudes are dropping some major gonads down on the table. I mean, seriously, this game’s story had better start blowing some mothers out of the water with its brilliance when this game comes out.

Personally, I think their comments about Modern Warfare 2 are totally justified, and the ones about Halo slightly less justified (but not wrong), but calling out Uncharted 2 as not doing videogames justice seems a little out in left field for me. And this is coming from a guy who loved Mass Effect 2 just as much.

What do you guys think? Are these guys biting off more than they can chew? Have they been right about their comments?

Source- VG247

Are Single Player Games Going the Way of the Dodo?

Splinter Cell Conviction Co-OpYou all know that I love me some co-op. In fact, more often than not, I’d rather play co-op over some kind of versus multiplayer. To me, there’s nothing quite like jumping into a game with your friends, and playing alongside them while you chat about how things are going or how much better you are at everything. Not that I do that… often.

Anyway, I’m one of the biggest proponents of co-op appearing in most games, but it doesn’t mean I want there to be a death to single player as we know it. In a recent interview, Patrick Redding, the multiplayer director of Splinter Cell: Conviction, had some interesting things to say about playing games solo.

I see this co-op as fitting within a trend or a tendency that I think is emerging – actually it emerged a long time ago, but I think it’s just moved into the mainstream – which is that before, co-op was a relatively hardcore gaming paradigm for people… They don’t want it to be a solitary experience, they want to be able either to sit on the couch with their girlfriend and play, or be on Xbox Live with their best friends and play, and feel that something is unfolding according to some design intention, and they’re getting a chance to experience that but it doesn’t have to be that alone.

While I’m not saying this spells doom for single player gaming, it’s a telling perspective from someone inside the industry. No doubt this is why we see single player games getting multiplayer add-ons, or why Splinter Cell: Conviction only has a 5 hour solo campaign. Don’t get me wrong, I am dying to play the co-op, but it did surprise me to hear that the solo was so light.

So what do you guys think? Do you agree that nobody wants a solitary experience any longer? Personally, I see a place for both, and I don’t see why they have to be mutually exclusive. Tell us your thoughts.

Source- Videogamesdaily

Review: Just Cause 2

just cause 2You’re dropped onto a tropical island playground with a reusable parachute, a grappling claw, and the ability to take thirty bullets to the face and survive. What do you do? Well, if you’re Rico Rodriguez, the protagonist of Avalanche Studio’s open world adventure Just Cause 2, you blow stuff up. I mean, sure, you can collect resource crates, hijack a variety of vehicles and earn some cash on the side, but the main objective of Just Cause 2 is to make things explode.

More than any other open world game out there, Just Cause 2 is about freedom, and it isn’t about to let silly things like a coherent narrative and tasteful voice acting get in the way. No, from the minute you’re dropped onto the island until the moment you actually bother to take on an assigned mission, you can pretty much do whatever the heck you want. Unlike a lot of other sandbox games, which shoe-horn you into a ridged progression before you’re allowed to access the cool stuff, you can hop into a jet and lay waste to military bases within the first half-hour of Just Cause 2’s campaign. But is the game worth a purchase?
Continue reading Review: Just Cause 2

Pay For Play: A Look At The Big 3’s Digital Pay Systems

As the video game industry moves more and more towards complete digital distribution, I thought it would be a good idea to see where things stand right now in terms of how we buy our games and DLC. Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony all have platforms for digital distribution and each has strengths and weaknesses, but today I plan on talking about what I personally like and dislike with each of them, specifically, the manner in which we fork over our hard-earned cash monies.

First, the best: Sony’s PSN network is just the smoothest interface, in my opinion. No silly point systems, just straight up money. You can add a few different games to your cart and buy them all together or one at a time and they will download in the background. The only problem I have with this is that you always have to add at least $5.00 to your “wallet”, which sucks when you buy something that is only $1.99 because then you have money that you have spent in real life and is now just waiting to be spent digitally. A minor quibble, but one that can be annoying.

Microsoft comes in a close second. Xbox Live Marketplace has many of the same features that makes PSN so strong and in fact, there is only one thing that really holds it back: that mystical point system. See, whenever you go to purchase something, you need points. So you have to add points, but thankfully, your credit card is saved, so you don’t have to enter it in every time.
Continue reading Pay For Play: A Look At The Big 3’s Digital Pay Systems

Top Six: Games You Shouldn’t Play Around Non-Gamers

As a lifetime gamer, I’ve come to accept certain facts about our pastime. The most difficult one to swallow, though, is the undeniable truth that gaming is very, very strange. Sure, we may not see it that way, but have you ever been playing a game and had your parents or a sibling walk into your room, pull a disgusted face and walk out? It may be because you were covered in Cheetos dust and Mountain Dew stains, but the greater probability is that they saw something on the TV screen that they just couldn’t comprehend. Well, to help you along with your family, I’ve assembled a handy list of games you should never play around non-gamers:
Continue reading Top Six: Games You Shouldn’t Play Around Non-Gamers

Kojima Says Consoles Will Be Dead Soon

Hideo KojimaWhile I’m not normally one to chalk hardly anything that Hideo I’m-On-Crack Kojima says up to rationality, occasionally he says something just wild enough that it’s worth a second look. After all, this is the same guy who said he wouldn’t be doing Metal Gear Solid 3 or 4. And yet, here we are reading updates about Peace Walker, the new PSP entry into the popular sneaking franchise.

Anyway, at yesterday’s press conference for the portable game, Kojima had a few rather bold claims to make about the future of gaming. In short, he basically said that soon, we won’t have consoles any more. O rly? Check out the quote.

In the near future, we’ll have games that don’t depend on any platform. Gamers should be able to take the experience with them in their living rooms, on the go, when they travel — wherever they are and whenever they want to play. It should be the same software and the same experience.

I certainly hope this quote is mainly coming from his desire to promote the new portable game that he’s making, rather than having any kind of insider knowledge about new technology. But like I said, I don’t put much stock in anything the guy says. I think the more interesting point of discussion here is the idea that people would ever transition from home console gaming and PCs to handheld only. It seems like such a niche market to me, I can’t see it ever becoming the mainstream way to play games.

So what do you guys think? Just promoting his game? Being a loony (not the Canadian kind)? Or is he a Gamestradamus, predicting our console (or no console) future?

Source- VG247

Today’s WTF: From Zero to Nuke in 30 Seconds

I’m sure that, by this point, most of us have ventured into Modern Warfare 2’s online arena and have seen some crazy shenanigans go down. From the Javelin glitch and speed skating to ridiculously accurate knife tosses, Infinity Ward’s leviathan continues to provide quality entertainment at other people’s expense. Just take a look at the following video where some lucky dude grabs a early multi-kill and proceeds to dominate everyone:

Too wild, eh? What do you guys think? Is this legit, or is the user engaged in some shady activity?

RoosterTeeth Builds a Grand Theft Auto Car

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if we could drive cars the way we do in video games? You know, from a third person point of view so that you could see everything around you. Well, so did the dudes over at RoosterTeeth.

As a result, they decided to build a rig that mounted a camera in a way that mimics the kind of driving we do all the time in games like Grand Theft Auto. They then blocked out the windshield and hooked up a monitor so that a few test subjects could try it out. The end product equals hilarity.

Source- RoosterTeeth

SEGA Admits Mistake in Putting MadWorld on the Wii

madworldAh, the Wii. No other console in the history of gaming has done more to both bring together and tear apart the masses. While it is introducing a whole new generation of people to the joys of our hobby, the reception to Nintendo’s little white juggernaut by the enthusiast gamers has been nothing short of underwhelming.

Last year’s MadWorld, a black-and-white blood bath death match by Bayonetta creators Platinum Games, is a great example of the divide between the game’s target audience and the people who actually own a Wii. No one knows this better than Mike Hayes, President and COO of SEGA Europe, who recently commented that putting MadWorld on the Wii was a bit of a “mismatch”. He went on to elaborate why he thought that, in hindsight, MadWorld should have been a 360, PC or PS3 title.

“Clearly that was a mismatch with the Wii audience — particularly in terms of the amount of cross-ownership between Wii and the other home platforms. If you’re going to play a mature-rated game, you’re going to get your 360, PC or PS3 out to do so. But you can’t knock us for having a go.”

Continue reading SEGA Admits Mistake in Putting MadWorld on the Wii

The Addictive Nature of Gaming

Video Game AddictionIt’s 3 o’clock in the morning. My eyes are heavy like somebody has tied weights to them. I can feel them starting to droop, but I don’t care. Who cares if I have work in the morning? What does it matter if I’m running on empty with only the blinding light of my TV casting dark shadows about the living room? I’m just trying to get to the next boss. Trying to reach the next level. Trying to grab that upgrade. Wanting to get another headshot.

Whatever the reason for doing this to ourselves, we’ve all done it at one point or another. And while it may not always be the lure of a soft pillow to sleep on, we’ve all blown off plenty of things to do just a little bit more in a game we love or loathe. Sometimes it’s a girlfriend, a spouse, a job, a duty, or a social activity. They’re all just different suits that represent the same thing: distractions.

And the thing that is really odd to me, is that I don’t really do this with my other hobbies. There are plenty of other things that I love to do, besides playing videogames. I write, play guitar, watch movies, read books, hang out with friends. But none of those things make me think about them when I’m gone to the level that a Final Fantasy does. Or a Call of Duty. Or anything in Bioware’s library. So what makes videogaming so different than everything else?
Continue reading The Addictive Nature of Gaming

Weeping for Games Lost

Goldeneye Xbox Live ArcadeAs avid videogamers, we’ve all grown used to the hype machine. Every year it bares itself before us, offering up plenty of food for us to feast on, all the while luring us into its clutches. Kind of like that scene in Pan’s Labrynth. Only instead of the weird hand-eye dude it’s Master Chief. You know what I mean. Anyway, because of all this pumping of videogames that we’ve seen, we’ve grown equally used to the disappointment when some of these games somehow fall into the nether regions of gaming vaporware.

Taking a look at some recent entries into the ever-expanding catalog of games that won’t see the light of day, GamesRadar has posted a list of 19 Incredible Games You’ll Never Play. It really is astonishing to take a gander at the list, because I remember reading about a couple of the games in particular (Tiberium and Cipher Complex) as featured stories on magazines like Game Informer. In addition, there were a few of these titles that I didn’t know had been canned, such as Division 9.

I think the title on the list that makes me the most upset would have to be the Goldeneye HD remake that was going to release on XBox Live Arcade, which eventually got shelved. I also would have loved to play the FFXII spinoff mentioned, which is described as Helm’s Deep meets Chocobos. Um, yes please. And last, but certainly not least, Star Wars Battlefront III, a sequel to one of my favorite games of last generation.

Anyway, were you guys looking forward to any of the games on this list? Which of those titles do you think you would have wanted to play, and what games have been canceled in the past that really stung?

Source- GamesRadar