Category: Horror

Starcraft II Project Vector Mod Goes from RTS to Dead Space

Wow. This is one of those videos that’s so impressive there’s not really a whole lot to say about it. Project Vector is a Starcraft II Mod that was created with the goal of achieving a playable third person survival-horror game out of the popular RTS. And it looks like they’re actually making some progress, if the new Project Vector demo is of any indication. It’s pretty much Dead Space in Starcraft II’s engine, which is something I never saw happening.

According to its creators over on the SC2Mapster forums, the game is currently playable, but they are still working on some additional revisions. Since they know the entire project will take some time to finish, they’re considering releasing it in small chunks so the community can get their hands on it.

This is all kinds of awesome. And I’ll go out on a limb here: until consoles can start to do this kind of thing with this level of quality, no one can call PC gaming definitively dead. Boom.

Source – SC2Mapster

Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare DLC Trailer Confirms Zombie Bears

As tired as I am of the zombie saturation fad that’s going on, I’m a little ashamed to admit that the Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare DLC trailer made me want to go find a copy of the game and play it immediately. As the title clearly indicates, this DLC pack adds a new mission, namely that there are zombies in them there hills, and it’s up to John Marston to find the cure and stop them.

Admittedly, this all sounds so ridiculous, but the new trailer nails the execution. The description also hints at zombie animals and confirms zombie bears that will mutilate you, because, why not? For anyone that’s played the game, the idea of an undead cougar sniping me off the top of my Hungarian Horntail horse is both frightening and titillating. While there’s no official release date, we can only assume that the “very soon” text indicates Halloween.

Anyone going to dead eye some zombie hordes when this finally drops?

Everything You Wanted to Know In This Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Gameplay Trailer

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow drops next week on October 5th, and if the earliest reviews are any indication, the game could be a darn good one. To prep fans for all the changes and things to expect in this newest iteration of the long beloved series, Konami has released a brand new gameplay trailer that demonstrates how this is no ordinary Castlevania, and how they intend to take the series down a new path.

With Hideo Kojima in charge, I’ve been impressed with some of the cinematic trailers I’ve seen, and this 11 minute dose of gameplay and introductions is something I wish more game studios did with new releases. If you’ve been on the fence about Lords of Shadow, I’d recommend checking it out, as this might tip you one way or the other.

So, who plans on checking this out? What did you think of the trailer?

Zombies Return for Call of Duty: Black Ops

nazi zombies black ops
One of the surprise features in Treyarch’s 2008 Call of Duty entry World at War was the inclusion of the four-player co-op mode Nazi Zombies. Fans of CoD were originally dismissive of this offering, but those of us who played it quickly fell in love with the shambling hordes of Third Reich undead. Nazi Zombies featured a scaling difficulty that meant later rounds necessitated a good team working together, otherwise your soft flesh would quickly provide sustenance for the ravening swarm.

Nazi Zombies quickly gained in popularity throughout World at War’s life-span, with Treyarch adding new maps and even a mythology behind the game. Now that the Call of Duty off-team is up to bat again, they’re putting Nazi Zombies into Black Ops, but tuning it up for the upcoming release. Studio head Mark Lamia gave this little snippet in regards to the return of the walking dead:

“Zombies have been such a hit with our community that we were committed to bringing brand new zombie experiences to Call of Duty: Black Ops. We’ve taken extra special care to retain the essential ingredients of our Zombie game, and have also crafted a nice surprise for the fans.”

There’s nothing else beyond that, but one can only imagine what Nazi Zombies (or Communist Zombies?) is going to look like after two years in development. There have been a lot of changes to Call of Duty since then, so one can only suppose that the mode will change to compensate. I know that my purchase of Black Ops hinged on a Zombie mode, but what about you guys? Ready to kill some whiskey deltas? When more details unfold, we will be sure to include them. If you’re the kind of person who likes a good teasing, Call of Duty: Black Ops site GKNOVA6 has what you’re looking for.

Source – CVG

The First 15 Minutes of Dead Rising 2

One of my favorite games this generation is Dead Rising, the zombie-outbreak in a mall title by Capcom. Dead Rising is famous amongst gamers for its obtuse gameplay style and outdated save system, but I loved the freedom of running around in a dress drinking milkshakes and dying my hair. Oh, and killing zombies too, I guess. Despite the fact that we’re reaching the saturation point with the walking dead, I’m still looking forward to Dead Rising 2, and to celebrate its upcoming release, some kind soul has decided to post the first fifteen minutes of the zombie-slaying sequel up on YouTube for all of us to enjoy. Kick back, relax, and enjoy the opening of Dead Rising 2:

It looks a lot like the original, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. Dead Rising, for all its faults, has a lot of notions associated with it, and it looks like the new developers, Blue Castle Games, nailed the feeling of the first. One thing that might irk me is the amount of load screens, but what are you going to do? So, any thoughts on Dead Rising 2? Are you reserving your judgment, or is this fifteen minute glimpse enough for you to go off of? The game is out next Tuesday in North America and this Friday in Europe.

GamerSushi Asks: Tired of Zombies?

Dead Rising 2

Zombies. They’re everywhere. Swarming, gnawing, gnashing, brain chomping and being generally ugly while they do it. Not only do they ravage the earth like locusts in fiction, they are rending our gaming landscape littered with their undead bodies. Seriously. No matter where you look in video games these days, there will be a zombie horde doing something unseemly, constructed out of pixels and dismembering other pixelated bodies.

While I am generally eager to play Dead Rising 2, which releases next week, I kind of wonder if I’m zombied out on video games these days. If a game is not about zombies, it will inevitably have a mode that is about zombies of some kind. Sure, fighting the horde is fun, but when are we going to move past this? Next generation?

Anyway, I thought I’d throw the question to you guys: are you zombied out? Are you excited to play Dead Rising 2? What are your favorite zombies in video games? Go!

Play as a Creepy Zombie Baby in Dead Space 2

Dead Space gained instant cult status amongst gamers, becoming notable for its chilling atmosphere and unique combat mechanic of dismembering foes instead of going for headshots. The game rightly got a bit of stick for essentially boiling down to an extended “Mr. Fix-It” run inside of a derelict spaceship crawling with flesh-rending foes, but it had a lot going for it under the hood, so we’re getting a sequel in January of 2011. One of the things that Visceral Games is adding this time around is multiplayer, and GTTV had an episode up last night with the exclusive reveal. If you ever played through the original Dead Space wishing you could control a dead baby with tentacle-like appendages on a mission to devour your friends, you are in for a treat.

Looks pretty interesting in my opinion, if a little reminiscent of Left 4 Dead’s versus mode. I doubt that the trailer showed all of what is shipping on the final product, but it looks like a four on four blood and guts fest is in the cards. Visceral Games is sure on track to live up to their moniker. Any thoughts on Dead Space 2’s multiplayer? Is the game on your “must have” list, or does the addition of multiplayer make you wary? Tell us in the comments!

GameCop Vs LameCop Vs PsychoCop

Well, GamerSushi-ans, the last time we had a GC vs LC vs PC was back in June, before E3. Ah, things were so innocent then. We had no knowledge of the terrible Kinect software, Portal 2 on the PS3 and Kid Icarus on the Nintendo 3DS. It was a simpler time. And now we’re back, ready to kick off the Fall with a new edition.

If you’re unfamiliar with this feature, we discuss gaming issues and we switch roles each time. The GameCop is looking out for you, the gamer, while the LameCop is just what he sounds like: kind of a lamewad. Meanwhile, PsychoCop is a troll in every sense of the word, and completely bat poop insane.

The topics of this week’s feature include the Final Fantasy XIV experience cap, Dead Rising Case Zero and the raised subscription fees of XBox Live.

Continue reading GameCop Vs LameCop Vs PsychoCop

Today’s WTF: Before Left 4 Dead, Valve Worked on a Fairy RPG

Tinkerbell BraaaaainsYes, you read the title of the article correctly. You know, some daily WTFs are so absurd sounding that they practically speak for themselves.

Earlier this week in an interview with PC Gamer, Valve honchos Doug Lombardi and Gabe Newell let slip some rather interesting information about what the famed developer was doing just before they embarked down the path that helped them create the zombie sensation Left 4 Dead. This little exchange occurred when PC Gamer asks them what they think they’ve failed at:

Doug Lombardi: There were a few failed starts to build Left 4 Dead.
Gabe Newell: Well, there was the flying fairy game. Is that the one you were referring to?
Erik Johnson: That was just a different game that, when we stabbed it… (everyone laughs)
Doug Lombardi: … It turned into Left 4 Dead!

Huh? Apparently, this fairy RPG required mouse gestures to cast spells and such. Newell later went on to say “it was so clearly dumb that it made us say, ‘OK, what are we actually good at that we can do instead?'” However, sometimes you have to fail to learn truly valuable lessons. They went on from there to figure out that the focus should be on AI and the co-operative experience. Well, thank goodness for that little revelation.

Honestly, as ridiculous as this is, I wish more developers would take about the genesis of some of their greatest ideas. I’m sure that Valve isn’t the first studio to start down a really bizarre path only to fail and then find those gems worth polishing. It’s interesting because with movies we’ve gotten so used to special features that walk us through every step of the process. I wish we had more material like that when it comes to games, because the whole thing seems so mysterious to us outsiders.

What do you guys think about this? What games would you like to hear more development stories about? Go!

Source – PC Gamer

Today’s WTF: Meet You at the Corner of North and North

We often joke around here that Nolan North is in too many video games, but we’ve never actually experienced the phenomenon of “Mr. Uncharted” talking to himself…until now. Mafia 2, which is due to be released on August 24 in North America, plays host to this slight against humanity. Watch the following video to witness Nolan North talking to Nolan North.

Obviously, this is randomly generated dialogue and the chances of this happening in your game are slim to none (hopefully), but someone should really be fired for this. And Nolan, we get that you’re a great voice actor, but you might have wanted to change your delivery a little if you’re acting as a fat gangster. Just saying.

GamerSushi Asks: Engrossing Gaming?

ArnoldMy goal this weekend was to play lots of Alan Wake. And until today, I had not achieved it. As I am wont to do, I was distracted by any number of things over the weekend. You know how it goes: wives, martial arts, fantasy books, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, bike rides, saving the world… That kind of stuff tends to get in the way of the most well intentioned gaming.

However, today I finally sat down with Alan Wake and managed to knock out 3 and a half chapters (out of six) in one 4 hour sitting. While I’m not going to rave about the game and say it was the greatest thing anyone has ever played ever, there’s certainly something to be said about how engrossed and entertained I was. The fact that I sat there for 4 hours straight is a pretty big deal.

The more I thought about it, I’ve actually done that a handful of times in the last year, thanks to other great single player stories like Mass Effect 2, Uncharted 2, Heavy Rain and of course Red Dead Redemption. It made me curious to ask you guys what some of the most engrossing single player games you’ve played in recent memory? What really captured your attention and kept you glued to your seat? Go!

Review: Alan Wake

alan wake2010 may become known as the “Year of the Delayed Game” as we’ve already been graced with the release of several titles which may not have seen the light of day. Heavy Rain, Splinter Cell: Conviction and Final Fantasy XIII have all been pressed to discs and have been devoured by the hunger gaming masses, but what about that other game? You know, the next title from Max Payne developer Remedy Studios, the one that was voted the most anticipated game of E3 2005?

In case you’ve somehow forgotten, this product is called Alan Wake, a game where the player takes control of the titular character in an attempt to parse out the mystery of the dark presence in the town of Bright Falls. Playing upon the natural fear of the dark and blending that into the mechanics, Alan Wake promised to be a premier psychological thriller with a great story and gripping atmosphere. Now that the game is out, how well do the boasts of the developers hold up?
Continue reading Review: Alan Wake

Upcoming Alan Wake DLC to Spruce Up Facial Animation

alanwakeI was originally going to slap this thing with a “Today’s WTF” prefix, but with E3 around the corner, those things are going to be coming fast and furious. Still, this little bit of news is a head-scratcher for sure. Alan Wake, the upcoming X-Box 360 exclusive by Remedy Studios is catching a bit of flack for the game’s facial animations which apparently don’t match up with the tone of voice the character is using. For such a story driven tale, you can bet this has caused some consternation amongst the game’s reviewers.

One would expect such a fix, if it were to come at all, to be included in a patch, not through DLC. Remedy is doing the exact opposite, however, bundling in the change with the supernatural thriller’s upcoming downloadable content. No word on whether or not the additional gameplay will be free of charge or not, but if it includes alterations to the game’s code, it’s a safe bet that there will be some Microsoft Points involved.

What do you guys think about this? Fair or foul on Remedy’s part? For a game that’s been in development for so long, should we have to pay for something that should be there in the first place?

Source: VG247

New Alan Wake Trailer Finally Excites Me

While I’ve posted about Alan Wake before, I’ve never quite caught on to the fever that the gaming media at large seems to throw behind the XBox 360 exclusive. It always looked interesting, I guess, but it’s hard to judge a game by the same cutscene clips and trailers that we’ve seen for several years in a row. Granted, that’s how I felt about Final Fantasy XIII, but now I’m in love with that game, so…

Anyway, this new Alan Wake: Building the Thriller trailer shows off some cool gameplay for the title that I hadn’t seen before, and finally has me itching to play it. It looks like a crazy mix between Heavy Rain, Silent Hill and Resident Evil 5, and I love the idea of darkness and light in combat. To me, one of the coolest shots is the character at the end wrapped in Christmas lights to ward off enemies. It just seems like a cool idea from a writing standpoint. Anyway, if you can bear the cheesy narration, I’d suggest giving this one a watch.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjNZT9QobIY&feature=related[/youtube]

Review: Resident Evil 5 DLC: Lost In Nightmares

It is no great secret that we here at GamerSushi are a bit in love with last year’s Resident Evil 5, even to the chagrin of some in our community. We voted the game as one of our tops of 2009 and have sung its praises on many occasions. And while no, we don’t love Resident Evil 5 enough to go out and marry it, we do feel a great desire to take it behind a middle school and get it pregnant. You heard me right.

So it should come as no great surprise or shock that a few of us were hungrily clamoring for the first bit of DLC that Capcom sent hurling our way. Lost in Nightmares hit the Webs just last week, ready for gamers all around to savor its tasty flavors. This is the first of a few downloadable co-op chapters that will all eventually be packaged in the RE5 Gold Edition hitting sometime in the near future.

The burning question, though: how is Lost in Nightmares? Let’s find out.
Continue reading Review: Resident Evil 5 DLC: Lost In Nightmares

Review: BioShock 2

As the cover for BioShock 2 tells you, it is the “sequel to [the] Game of the Year”. Cheeky, that, but in many ways that bit of advertising copy defines this sequel, for better or for worse. BioShock 2 has big shoes to fill, and a lot of people were either full of anticipation that the second go-round would be as inventive and atmospheric as the first, or instantly dismissive of something that could never live up to the original.

The original game has a reputation of excellence from most quarters. It’s actually the first game I played this generation, when I picked up my 360 back in 2008. I had heard so much about BioShock that I just had to check it out. Also, I’ve always been a fan of “horror” games, which BioShock is to a certain degree. It isn’t a full-bore jump-and-scream gorefest, but it does have an evocative setting and deliberate pacing that fills you with tension and certainly creeped me out.

So when a sequel was announced, I was instantly excited. I loved the setting of the original game, and no amount of multiplayer or skeptical friends were going to keep me from picking up the sequel on release day. Here I am a week later to tell you how it all stands up.

Continue reading Review: BioShock 2

GamerSushi Asks: What Are You Playing?

Left 4 Dead 2This Spring is going to be an usual one for us gamers. Heck, even this January is going to be odd. With some well-reviewed games like Bayonetta and Darksiders already hitting the shelves, as well as Mass Effect 2 dropping this week, it seems that we’re going to have our hands full with more than our Christmas gaming purchases. And that’s not even considering that Heavy Rain, Bioshock 2, Splinter Cell, Final Fantasy XIII and Crackdown are all on the way before the summer.

So, before (yet another) flood of good gaming options, what are you guys sinking your time into? Are you still working on the games you just got, have you purchased new ones, or have you returned to the old favorites?

Right now, I’ve been playing Left 4 Dead 2 on the XBox 360 and really enjoying the enhancements to the game. As much as people griped about its release, I’m impressed with just now how much content there is, and how well some of the new mechanics have been implemented. Really, kudos to Valve on proving some people wrong. In addition, I plan on starting some Brutal Legend tonight or tomorrow while I wait for Mass Effect 2 to be in my sweaty and anxious hands.

So, what are you guys playing? Go!

Dead Space 2 Confirmed!

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When your magazine is owned by one of the largest video game retailers on the continent it naturally means that you’re going to have a bunch of exclusive info crop up in your publication. Game Informer has, over the last year, dropped a lot tantalizing data on the games we want and the January issue is going to be no different.

Though it may come as a bit of a surprise, given that the original didn’t sell nearly as well as EA hoped, Dead Space is getting a sequel and there’s going to be quite a few changes in store for everyone’s favorite space-zombie killing mute. First off all, Isaac is able to talk in the sequel, so perhaps he’ll start telling off all the people who insist he repair a toilet on the other side of a necromorph-infested space station. Other changes include the ability to float while in zero-g and fire your weapons as well. The game is going to take place on a space station called “Sprawl”, which is apparently going to be much larger than the Ishimura was in the first game.

Perhaps the biggest shake-up is the inclusion of multiplayer this time around. No one knows what it consists of at this point, but a lone man surviving against waves of player-controlled necromorphs would be pretty banging. Team Death Match and CTF game types are probably a safe bet, but we’ll have to wait for the January issue of Game Informer to get all the details.

What do you guys think of Dead Space getting a sequel? Are you excited that EA is giving the franchise another try? How do you feel about multiplayer and what do you expect from this second go-around?

Source: Kotaku

Review: Left 4 Dead 2

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Many people joke about something called “Valve Time”, an imperceptible chronological measurement visible only to the revered developers themselves. Games of all sorts, even episodic content, seem to take forever to be released, but they are always of the highest quality. The original Left 4 Dead was also subject to the whims of Valve’s crazed machinations; it suffered delay after delay before finally being released to a heap of praise. Now, after only a year, the beloved zombie-killing co-op extravaganza has gotten a sequel. With such a short turn-around time between the original, is a year enough time for Valve to work their magic?
Continue reading Review: Left 4 Dead 2

Who’s Getting Left 4 Dead 2 or Assassin’s Creed 2?

l4d2Though they might have been slightly overshadowed by the walking titan we know as Modern Warfare 2, two rather large games are making their presence known this week. One of them is a title that has had some silly controversy around it, and another is a sequel to a less than stellar but promising original IP that might turn into something more. I’m speaking of Left 4 Dead 2 and Assassin’s Creed 2, of course.

While I’m not one of the boycotters for L4D2, I still don’t have much desire to pick it up at all. I kind of burned myself out on the zombie slaying with the first game, so I’m having trouble mustering up enough gumption to go out and buy the thing. And while I was one of the few who enjoyed Assassin’s Creed, the sequel doesn’t intrigue me all that much, though I’ll probably give it a rental.

So what about you guys? Who out there is getting either of these games?