Category: Humor

GamerSushi Asks: What Does Your Game Handle Mean?

AnonymousLast night it came up in an unnamed co-operative game (although I’m sure you could guess its identity) that the people in the party weren’t all aware of the origin of each other’s gamertags. As goofy as it sounds, you can actually learn quite a bit about people and the way they think when you dissect their gamer handles. It tells a bit of a story that perhaps you didn’t know. As anonymous as the gamer handle is meant to be, it’s funny how it can connect you in that way once you know the meaning behind the selection.

For me, Pwnocchio is pretty much the handle I use for everything. It mostly comes from my love of obnoxious puns, plus I used to like shouting “I’m a real boy” in a high-pitched voice whenever I would connect to games. That was several years back, though. And of course, I’m more sophisticated-like these days.

So that being said, what about you guys? What are your normal gamer handles, and what do they mean? In addition, what about your GamerSushi account? Is it the same as those? Go!

Chrono Cross Game Blog Part VII: 20th Time Is The Charm

Chrono Cross Viper ManorHaving just obtained the key to Viper Manor from Dipshit, the Dragon Keeper and World’s Worst Rent-A-Cop, Serge, Kid and Nikki are ready to explore the grounds and maybe, just maybe advance the plot an iota or two. Now, an iota is a unit of measurement rarely used in reference to story advancement, but it’s late and I would rather be playing Halo: Reach, so things might get a little trippy in this post. Continue reading Chrono Cross Game Blog Part VII: 20th Time Is The Charm

Today’s WTF: Bungie, The Last Great Indie Developer?

Bungie LogoOh man, Activision’s Bobby Kotick is going to earn himself some new fans after this one.

For what seems like the hundredth time in just a few months, Kotick’s got a new quote circulating on the Web tubes, this one just as absurd or more so than the last few. At the recent America Merrill Lynch Media, Comms and Entertainment conference, the corporate chief had this to say about the world of indie game development. Brace yourselves.

Bungie are a very unusual company… They’re probably the last remaining high quality independent developer. It’s very hard to [pauses]… that has sort of has institutional skills and capabilities. And they’re a real company.

There’s more to it than that, but it seems to me calling Bungie “the last remaining high quality developer” packs with it a slight to quite a large list of excellent indie devs out there. You know, guys like Sucker Punch, Valve, Level-5, Insomniac, etc. I mean, it’s one thing to express the opinion that Bungie is the greatest independent developer left. But to say that there are no other high quality developers seems like a bit of a stretch.

Obviously, this is more horn tooting on the part of Bungie and Activision’s new distribution deal, but still, this is a bit heavy. So go ahead and share your feelings about this new WTF from Kotick. Also, who do you think is the best indie developer out there? Go!

Source – CVG

The GamerSushi Show, Ep 8: Nostalgia and the S

Mass Effect 2 LiaraIt’s been some time, gentlemen and ladies, but we’re back with another episode of the GamerSushi show. Chalk the delay for this one up to a few things. Namely, the update to GamerSushi 2.0, which sidelined Jeff and Nick on the weekends. Also, Halo: Reach which totally ruined my week, and I’m the dude that edits it. So sue me.

In this episode, we talk about a number of things, including PAX 2010, where Mitch gives us a rundown of all the things he saw and experienced. We also chat about a number of issues including cut scenes in games, Mass Effect 2 and Lair of the Shadow Broker, writing in video games and Alan Wake, and how small games companies are killing it with downloads. At the end, we break into one of my favorite podcast discussions we’ve had, piggybacked off of the conversation about S games.

As always, we had one or two issues during the recording, and this issue resulted in Mitch being dropped from the discussion part of the way through. You’ll hear the glitch associated with that a handful of times. Just blame him for using a free headset he won at PAX.

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 8: Nostalgia and the S

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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: Rare’s Kameo Had Fairies?

Kameo Remember MeBack when the X-Box 360 launched in 2005, one of the the titles it came with was called Kameo: Elements of Power. At this point, the game has mostly slipped the collective memory of the 360’s user base, but the game’s developer, Rare, remembers. Rare just recently celebrated its 25 anniversary, and it spent a little time reminiscing about a game that is apparently a “painful” memory for the developer.

Rare initially started making Kameo for the GameCube back in 2002, but it was bought up by Microsoft shortly thereafter and transferred the game over to the then-upcoming 360. By that point, Kameo was mostly finished, so they just made a few tweaks to bring it up to next-gen standards. According to Creative Director George Andreas, the studio wished that they had scrapped it and started all over again. The game was originally aimed at the Nintendo audience, and Rare thought that the main character’s race wouldn’t fly with the 360’s shooter-centric crowd, so they fibbed. Here’s the word from Rare’s George Andreas on Kameo’s dirty secret:

“We changed direction slightly because of the new audience we were trying to aim at. We called Kameo an elf, but really she was a fairy. We tried to disguise that a few times, but it didn’t really work out. It was a game with a fairy for an audience that likes shooting and killing things. In hindsight, it probably would have been best to scrap everything and start again. And then we jumped on 360 as a launch title. We weren’t far off finishing [when that happened].”

Well there you have it, folks. We’ve been lied to all these years. This is kind of a funny thing to finally reveal after all this time, but carrying a burden such as this can be hard on people. While this is more of a amusing WTF than a puzzling one, I thought you guys would get a kick out of this. Do you have anything to say on this? Maybe it’s an over-all comment on the difficulty of breaching the X-Box audience with a new, more kid friendly IP?

Source: CVG

Chrono Cross Game Blog Part VI: The Stupidest Man Ever

Welcome back! When we last left off, I had just made the pivotal decision to go with Miki as my guide into Viper Manor, in order to figure out just what in the hell is going on around here. So, I thought it would be best if I actually tell Miki about my decision. She thanks me and tells me to head to the very originally named Shadow Forest to look for Nikki, the wayward rock star. I thought she was going to guide me! I feel betrayed and hurt. Is this what pain feels like? Continue reading Chrono Cross Game Blog Part VI: The Stupidest Man Ever

Why You Should Go to PAX: Big Daddy Dances to Poker Face

There are very few occasions in which cosplay and win could be used in tandem with one another, but I think we’ve found it. Why is that, you ask? Because there is a video from PAX of a Big Daddy playing Dance Central, the dance game for XBox Kinect.

Also, he’s dancing to Poker Face, which ups the scale of humor to dangerously toxic. And the reasons for me to be jealous for attendees continues to grow…

Duke Nukem Gameplay From PAX 2010

Duke Nukem Forever

Since everybody else and their mom is posting about the shocking news that Duke Nukem Forever lives, I suppose we were obliged to get a post up as well. So here it is: the obligatory Duke Nukem Forever post.

In case you don’t know what I’m talking about, here’s the skinny: the fabled and long ridiculed vaporware has been kept alive like some sort of Frankenstein’s monster by Gearbox, creators of Borderlands. Over the weekend at PAX Prime 2010 in Seattle, Washington, the greatest of all gaming conventions had the killer reveal on the show floor, and people actually got to play the game that time forgot and mocked.

And naturally, people took lots of video. It was like spotting a unicorn in the wild, with double rainbows blazing from its pure and silky mane. Personally, I liked Duke Nukem, but I don’t identify with all of the mania. I think more of the craze is about the fact that the game exists more than the franchise itself, but I could be wrong.

So, is anyone here excited about this news? Were any of you Duke Nukem fans? Crappy offscreen handheld videos after the jump! Continue reading Duke Nukem Gameplay From PAX 2010

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

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…

The Rock Band 3 Team Reveals the Set List

While we’re on the topic of leaks, it seems that a couple of days ago some unscrupulous visitor to GameCom 2010 decided to grab a cell phone video of Rock Band 3’s set list and share it with the world. Well, Harmonix has decided to strike back with a rebuttal video, and…wait, in the background, is that what I think it is?

Rock Band 3 Setlist OFFICIAL Comment from Harmonix on Vimeo.

Well played, Harmonix, well played. Full set list is after the jump: Continue reading The Rock Band 3 Team Reveals the Set List

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

Rage QuitAnd 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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Scott Pilgrim Brings The Retro Gaming Easter Eggs

As some of you may be aware, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is set to come out in theaters tomorrow. For those of you who have not seen the preview, I urge you to google it right the hell now. If you like video games, you will, at the very least, be amused by the trailer.

The movie is based on a graphic novel, which contains tons of references to old school games, some so old that I had forgotten about them completely until now. Our good friends at GamesRadar put together a nifty little list of them and I thought it might be fun to share it with you guys.

Personally, the River City Ransom “BARF” and the coins dropping are my favorites. I’ve always had a soft spot for that game, ever since I first read about it in Nintendo Power back in the 80s. What references did you think were cool? Are you planning on seeing the movie?

BARF! I mean, GO!

Source: GamesRadar

Gaming Is…

Kevin ButlerOne of my favorite things out of Sony in the last decade is Kevin Butler, their fake marketing persona that they’ve been using to promote their gaming division. His commercials are awesome, and they’ve won over a place in my heart with them. If you were one of the many blessed individuals that watched Kevin Butler’s E3 rant about what gaming is, then you know what I’m talking about.

Well, yesterday on Kevin Butler’s Twitter, he (or whatever intern Sony pays to manage the account) held a callback to that wonderful monologue, asking users to tweet about what gaming is to them. The results were pretty spectacular, to say the least, and it was great fun to read. Here are a few excerpts:

#gamingis knowing more friends by names like “AwesomeSauce” and “PallyofDeath” than by “Karen” and “Bob”.

#gamingis another ten minutes that takes three hours.

#gamingis displaying your rage-smashed controller in a Ziploc bag as a reminder to not break the new one.

We added one of our own with the following tweet: #gamingis sitting in front of your TV for eight hours and still claiming to be productive.

All of the responses were great, so I thought I’d bring what happened on Twitter yesterday here to GamerSushi. What is gaming to you? Feel free to be serious or as ludicrous as you want. Go!

Time Crisis Starring Spartacus

Freddie Wong is kind of my personal hero right now. Over the past few weeks, he’s made some awesome shorts dedicated to all-out gunfights; most of them poking fun at video games, such as his “Aimbot” piece. His new weekly offering takes us back to the arcade days of our youth, where Time Crisis gobbled up quarters faster than a broken vending machine. It also doesn’t hurt that Andy Whitfield, Spartacus himself, has taken up the second gun. Take a look:

Kind of awesome in my opinion. Also, Spartacus is kind of a recent obsession for my friends and I, so seeing Mr. Whitfield was pretty cool. What did you guys think of the video?

A Theory I Must Test To Keep My Sanity

Huh.

Sometimes you crazy lot of gamers surprise me. This happens in all kinds of ways. But nothing could prepare me for the Pokemon fest that happened in the top 10 bestsellers of 2010 thread the other day. I honestly had no idea that we had any Pokemon lovers in our ranks besides Mitch. Now I have to know if it’s more widespread or not.

Let’s find out.

I would like to make it known that I have nothing against Pokemon or its many (apparently) millions of adoring and crazed fans. I’m sure I would have loved it if I played it when I was 8, too. Did you see what I just did there? How I just burned all the Pokemon lovers? Get back at me by winning this thing.

Pokemon sucks

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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.

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