Category: lists

The Video Game Level Bucket List

Psychonauts

Is it just me, or do they just not make video game levels the way they used to? A big part of this comes from the fact that most modern video games work in very compact missions. While it makes for a mostly great experience, at times it’s hard to separate key levels that really stand out.

Everyone’s got their own list of favorite video game levels, and GamesRadar has pitched in with one of their old re-posts, 59 Levels to Play Before You Die. It represents a video game level bucket list, of sorts, and I have to say it’s a pretty good one. They cover everything from Assassin’s Creed’s Acre Cathedral to Chrono Cross, Symphony of the Night, Crackdown, Psychonauts and Twisted Metal 2. They’ve even got videos if you’re too lazy or unable to go play them.

We’ve talked before about some excellent video game levels on this site, but if you had a bucket list of levels to play before someone died, what would the top 5 or 10 be? Make your lists! Go!

Source – GamesRadar

Image Source – Ayem

Would You Rather: Developer Edition

It’s time for another edition of your favorite game, Would You Rather. We know how much you like talking about yourselves and all, and that’s cool, because we like it, too.

Our last Would You Rather covered the beginning of 2011, looking forward to the year’s major releases. This edition is going to be the “developer dream job” version, tackling questions about the video game makers we know and love. Since many of you are aspiring video game developers, we thought it would be appropriate to see where your tendencies lie as potential future leaders in the industry.

For the Would You Rather newbies out there, the game is easy: we ask and you dish out your response. 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. There’s a special blacklist going around on our site for sucky comments. Let’s just say those people get fed to the Sarlacc Nick keeps in his closet. And that thing is hungry. So yeah. Answer well. Go!

Continue reading Would You Rather: Developer Edition

Consoles: Killing PC Gaming Softly?

ConsolesOnce again, get your flame suits on, and make sure to seal them up extra tight. I’m predicting a lot of heat in these comments.

In the ongoing super-friendly and always well-mannered debate of PC enthusiasts versus console lovers, both sides constantly engage one another in only the finest of rebuttals and, yes, even buttals. However, Maximum PC has just launched a new salvo against the console in a new article titled 12 Ways Consoles Are Hurting PC Gaming. Not to editorialize too much, but I’m surprised the author didn’t pull a muscle from all the stretching he did in the piece.

While he raises quite a few issues that gaming in general is facing, I think it’s kind of hard to peg all of these on the rise of consoles. Dumbed down sequels? In some cases, perhaps, but that’s going to happen as developers try to make their games have a wider appeal, on PCs and consoles alike. See: Counter-Strike: Source. He also makes some noise about auto saving and bad control schemes, as well.

Anyway, check it out and see if you agree. My question is this: have consoles made gaming better on the whole, or deteriorated it? I don’t mean just from your perspective, but as a whole? I think there are interesting arguments to make on both sides. Go!

Source – Maximum PC

10 Great Gaming Years

Video Game Characters

We’ve said it a million times (and have even said that we’ve said it a million times), but 2011 is easily shaping up to be one of the best years in recent memory for gamers, if not ever. At least, that’s what we say, because gamers are a fickle bunch and have such a short attention span. It’s true. We’re quick to forget about how good previous decades were to us, because all of it blends together into this big retro blur.

To help jog your memory a bit, GamesRadar has a list of the ten greatest years in gaming history, and I kind of love it. They basically start back in the 80’s and pick out ten excellent years where gamers got spoiled. It’s actually insane to look back and realize that Mario 64, Panzer Dragoon II, NiGHTS Into Dreams, Twisted Metal 2, Resident Evil, Quake and Civ II all came out in 1996. Likewise, 1998 saw Metal Gear Solid, Banjo-Kazooie, Ocarina of Time, Grim Fandango, Baldur’s Gate, Half-Life, Starcraft and Final Fantasy Tactics. Crazy, huh?

One thing to keep in mind is that this list was written several years back, and recently re-published. Still, it’s interesting to look at, and definitely tickled the nostalgic parts of my brain. So what do you guys think? What were some of your favorite years in gaming? Go!

Source – GamesRadar

What Were Japanese Devs Favorite Games of 2010?

Heavy Rain

Have you ever wondered what your favorite game developers considered to be their favorite games? Well it seems that Dengeki Games is looking out for you, as they’ve recently posted a comprehensive survey that they conducted with some of Japan’s top gaming talent. Basically, they asked them what games from 2010 they loved most, and the results are interesting to look at, to say the least.

While there are plenty of developers who loved games with that famed Japanese flavor (such as Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, Pokemon Black and White, Vanquish and Mario Galaxy 2), it seems that there were just as many or more who preferred some largely Western titles. However, the top two games that most Japanese developers gravitated towards were both Heavy Rain and Red Dead Redemption.

Hit the jump to see the full list. Continue reading What Were Japanese Devs Favorite Games of 2010?

GamerSushi Asks: Best First Levels?

HL2 Combine

There’s nothing better than a video game that hooks you into its style and premise in its opening level. Well, I guess it’s better when the entire game can deliver on that promise, but you know what I mean. The first levels of video games in a lot of ways are a pitch for the entire experience. They teach you the rules, what to expect and tease some more of what’s to come. In fact, they can often give us the biggest “wow” out of any level in a game, if done right.

That’s why UGO has come along with its list of the best first levels in gaming history. They’ve got quite a few games on there, a few of which are a bit surprising, to say the least. If I’m being honest, I think it’s a decent list save for the fact that it skews a bit towards the last couple of years too much in terms of where it ranks the newer experiences.

As for my favorite first levels in video games, I’d have to go with a few of these: Goldeneye 64, Half Life (1 and 2), Uncharted 2, Sonic the Hedgehog and Medal of Honor: Frontline. Part of me is tempted to say Metal Gear Solid 2, because I just love the tanker section so much. However, if you consider the first level to be a promise on what the game wants to deliver, I feel like it’s more of a tease than something that the gamer actually gets. Just my opinion, though.

So what do you guys think? What are your favorite opening levels in video games? What do you think of the list? Go!

Source – UGO

Gaming Pop Quiz: Spring 2011 Edition

Where is 2011 going? It’s already a week into March, and I feel like time for playing games is just slipping through my fingers. I was going to see if I could make a joke about pixels and grains of sand in there, but it kind of fell through last second. Don’t judge me.

As we have no doubt beaten the issue beyond death by now, you probably already know that 2011 is the year of the gaming assault. Already we’ve had some stellar titles, and we’ve barely even scratched the surface. Nearly every single month for the rest of the year is going to have some kind of landmark release (or several), and for March that title is Dragon Age 2. Naturally, we thought it was time to check in with another edition of the Gaming Pop Quiz. You know, because of the dragons and all.

As always with our getting-to-know-you type games, feel free to answer with as much or as little as you like. Answer to the best of your ability. Go! Continue reading Gaming Pop Quiz: Spring 2011 Edition

GamerSushi Asks: Best Looking Games Ever?

TF2 Pyro

I’ve never been one to call myself a graphics whore. In fact, over the years, I’ve taken quite a few shots at those friends of mine that I knew only cared about graphics. Oddly enough, the two types of people that seem to really love graphics fall on opposite ends of the spectrum, ranging from hardcore PC gamers that love their real time benchmark demos to frat boys who can not get over how good a game looks, bra.

However, even my elitist mind can get knocked down a few pegs when I see something truly stunning, something that makes my jaw drop until drool leaks out, and I’m left mumbling incoherently while watching awe-inspiring visuals. Over the years, games that have really stood out to me in terms of graphics have been Mass Effect 2, Uncharted 2, Red Dead Redemption, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Crysis. In terms of design, I’d have to say Shadow of the Colossus and any number of the Zelda games.

It seems that CVG has put together a list of what they consider to be the 9 best looking games of all time. That’s a fairly lofty claim, although I don’t know if any of you will be surprised by their list, save for one or two entries. I really do like that they included Team Fortress 2 and Limbo on the list though, because those two games have such unique looks that make them both iconic.

So what do you guys think? What games left you stunned visually when they came out, and what games do you think still rank among the best looking games of all time? Go!

Source – CVG

The Top Game Design Programs in the Country

MiyamotoI’d like to think our Sound Off the other day was a rousing success. It let a few of you talk about some stuff that you’ve been thinking about, and also brought to light a few issues that you guys were interested in. Score one for Eddy, yes? And you guys, I guess. But me most of all.

Anyway, one of the things that you guys brought up was the topic of getting into the video game industry. While I’m not whiz when it comes to the gaming industry myself (every attempt of mine has gone down in burning flames), it seems that GamePro has posted a recent article to help you do just that. They basically do a run down of the best grad and undergrad game design programs in the country, by school. It’s certainly an interesting list, and one that I thought would be beneficial for you guys.

So what do you guys think? Would you be interested in going to any of those places? I have to say that I’m not too surprised that USC ranks at the top for both grad and undergrad, knowing the way they excel at other media as well. What kinds of positions are you guys interested in specifically when it comes to games? Go!

Source – GamePro

GamerSushi Asks: Top 100 PC Games of All Time?

Deus Ex

Alright, guys. Time to take the gloves off.

It seems that PC Gamer recently released a list of what their contributors feel are the 100 best PC games of all time. I know how riled up everyone here gets over these crazy lists, so I thought I’d bring it over to see everyone froth at the mouth.

All in all, I actually don’t think there’s much wrong with the list, although I’d probably move Counter-Strike into the top 10. Granted, I haven’t played a lot of these PC games, but there are only a handful of games that I feel define what made me a PC gamer back in the day: Myst, Counter-Strike, Quake 3, Doom, and more recently Team Fortress 2 and Portal. In fact, these games are the reason that I still maintain that bond with my PC gaming roots, and why I don’t know if I could ever turn my back to it completely. Even now, I’m infected with the bug of wanting to upgrade my rig in anticipation of some of the awesome titles coming out later this year.

So what do you guys think of this list? What titles define your PC gaming?

Source – PC Gamer

Top Six: Anthony’s All-Time Favorite Games

I am now 30 years old, the alleged average age of video game players. I’ve been playing video games for as long as I can remember, dating back to the Atari, arcade games at the mall, the NES all the way to the PS3. I’ve seen a lot in my time. I’ve played a lot. Some only once. Some more times than I would care to admit. My loyalties have shifted from Nintendo to Sony to my current state as a free agent gamer who tries to avoid fanboy wars. I play games because I love them. And the following is a list of the games I love the most.

This isn’t meant to be a greatest of all time list or most influential list or anything silly like that. These are my favorite games, the ones that I want to play over and over again, even at the expense of playing the newest games on the market. Simply put, these are the games that constantly call out to me, like Jacob Marley to Scrooge: “Play me again, Anthony! Play me again!”

Enjoy your glimpse into my gaming soul: Continue reading Top Six: Anthony’s All-Time Favorite Games

Video Games And Bicycles: The Target of Society’s Ire (Among Other Things)

video games are evil

As fans of video games, we’re certainly familiar with the bizarre claims thrown at our hobby by the ill informed. Whether it’s the fact that violent video games cause people to go on killing sprees, or the unavoidable truth that games like Bulletstorm and Mass Effect will lead to rape (something we touched on during the most recent episode of The GamerSushi Show), video games are the current scapegoat for our world’s problems.

It wasn’t always this way, though. Before Fox News accused Commander Shepard of violating aliens, people pointed their mass hysteria elsewhere. In a recent article by the good folks at GamePro, things like the bycicle, Dungeons & Dragons and even the bikini were pointed to as instrumental in the demonizing of the young folk and the cause of the world’s problems.

GamePro basically put together this article to demonstrate that we’ve always been willing to shift our blame onto the current hot trend and make that the reason our civilization is going down the crapper. As time has gone on, though, our previous trouble-makers have become social norms, or at least acceptable. Dungeons & Dragons doesn’t lead to satanic cults, and who doesn’t like a good bicycle ride? Even though comic books and music are still sometimes blamed for crazy people doing crazy things (just ask Marilyn Manson), we’ve come to understand that sometimes people are just weird, no matter what their taste in entertainment is.

What do you guys think of GamePro’s expose? Will video games come through their time in the fire? What new trend will take over as the lead cause of the impending armageddon? I’m guessing either The Jersey Shore or Justin Bieber. Hit me!

Source- GamePro

Guinness Names Gaming’s Top 50 Video Game Characters

Super Mario 3

The Guinness Book of World Records recently released their 2011 Gamer’s Edition, and with it came a list that I thought you guys might find interesting. You see, the kind folks at the Guinness Book of World Records asked for video game fans to participate in a bit of a survey. Over 13,000 gamers voted for what they consider to be the greatest video game characters of all time, and now the results are in for the top 50.

Here’s a tip: Mario was number one, if you couldn’t tell from the image posted above. As much as I wanted to be surprised by the characters that rounded out the top 10, lists like this typically turn out the same. People really love their Nintendo staples, I suppose. And silent protagonists.

Hit the jump to catch the full list of names and games!

Continue reading Guinness Names Gaming’s Top 50 Video Game Characters

2010’s Top Selling Games By Platform

Just Dance 2

The NPD’s new stance on not releasing sales data has caused all manner of consternation across the world, especially in message board threads where fanboys endlessly snipe at each other. But, even non-partisan minds have a curiosity about such things and thankfully, Gamasutra has managed to obtain some of the juicy details.

Breaking down the top ten games across each non-PC platform, we see that Just Dance 2 was the best-selling Wii game of the year and despite lukewarm reviews and a late entry, Epic Mickey managed to nab the 4th spot. Not as many Nintendo games as usual and some of the titles in the top 10 are likely unknown to most of us.

Hit the jump for the full lists!
Continue reading 2010’s Top Selling Games By Platform

Handing out the 2011 Game Awards Early

Batman Arkham City

If there is such a thing as gaming nirvana, then I think 2011 is approaching that status. Basically, 2011 is the nexus around which all other years revolve and aspire to. That’s putting it in dramatic terms to be sure, but more games keeping getting added to the list of greats that we’ll be playing by year’s end. Now we’ve got the NGP to look forward to, and even a few surprises like Saint’s Row 3. As we’ve said before, it’s exciting to watch it all unfold.

However, some people don’t want to wait, and have already started crowning their champions. GamesRadar recently released a Preemptive 2011 Game Awards list, and while I think it’s kind of ridiculous, it’s still fun to speculate. They’ve pegged Guild Wars 2 as the most addictive game of 2011, Skyrim as the best RPG, and Batman: Arkham City as game of the year. The possibility of Arkham City actually being better than Portal 2 seems like a long shot to me, but one that I’ll be happy about if it ends up being true.

So what do you guys think of their preemptive game awards? What do you think the winners are going to be in all of these categories by the time 2012 hits? Go!

Source – GamesRadar

GamerSushi Asks: Favorite New IP of Last Decade?

WoW

The game industry is expanding, growing at a massive rate with more quality games coming out now than ever before. In the old days, we used to pine for something to play during the slow summer months. Now we would kill just for a month off to catch up on our ever-growing backlog.

With all the new properties being introduced and becoming either new favorites or new targets to bash, 1UP did me a favor and compiled, you guessed it, a list of the 50 Biggest Video Game Properties of the Last 10 Years. Most of the games you would expect are on there, such as Uncharted, World of Warcraft and Mass Effect, but there are a few surprises, like Psychonauts and Beyond Good & Evil. Deserving games, to be sure, but not what you think of when you think “big”.

What games on the list do you think shouldn’t be? What was missed? And what’s your favorite new franchise of the last decade? Inquiring minds, like mine, want to know!

Source: 1UP

GamerSushi Asks: What Are You Playing, 2011 Edition

Back to the Future PSN

Time to check in, folks. We are officially done with our break.

January is already underway, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to slow down on playing games. In fact, as I’ve mentioned, I’ve been playing more games lately than I’ve played in awhile. It’s been a total blast getting to spend time on the games I got for Christmas, and I’m really excited about some things that are coming up.

For me, I’ve been playing Red Dead Undead Nightmare, and am about to finish that tonight, actually. I’ve also been playing some Halo: Reach mutliplayer, Lost Odyssey, and I finally jumped into “My Player” mode on NBA 2K11, which is some of the most addicting sports play I’ve ever experienced. Seriously, even if you don’t like sports games, you might want to check it out. In the immediate future, I have plans to knock out Final Fantasy VI on the GBA, and I’m probably going to grab Call of Duty: Black Ops this weekend as well as the Back to the Future PSN game.

What are you playing these days? Have you finished those Christmas games? Are you trying to clear out the backlog to get ready for 2011’s steady stream of great releases? Go!

GamerSushi Top 10 Games of 2010

Another year of gaming has gone by, which means it’s time for us to reflect on the games that really made 2010 stand out all its own as one to be remembered. This trip around the sun has produced some clunkers, disappointments, triumphs, wins, fails, works of art and everything in between. We saw quality releases from January through December, and a few surprises that threw us for a major loop in the best way possible.

To create this list, the GamerSushi staff (myself, Nick, Anthony, Mitch and Jeff) all made our own individual top 10 lists. From there, Nick used the powerful science of magicmatics to conjure up a final list, based on some mumbo jumbo he did with a point system. What you see is something like an average of all of our lists together, and one that we’re all happy with, minus a few honorable mentions of course.

So, without further ramblings from myself, I present the Top 10 games of 2010!

Best of 2010

Continue reading GamerSushi Top 10 Games of 2010

The 2010 Sushis: A Year Honored and Belittled

If everyone else gets to make “Best of the Year” lists, then by golly, so do we. Only, instead of the trite awards that every other site dishes out, we try to be a bit more creative with our end of year awards, bestowing unique honors that bring both shame and glory. That’s right: it’s time again for the annual Sushi Awards.

For those with a keen memory (or that know how to use our search bar), you’ll recall that we did this for 2009 and 2008 as well, so feel free to go over those to remember how awesome those years were, prior to this one.

As with those previous entries, keep in mind that the Sushi awards represent our goofy and snarky take on the year in gaming, for better or worse, chosen by the GS dudes. A proper “best of” top 10 list is coming next week. But for now, enjoy these custom awards and tell us what you think!

Enjoy!

Continue reading The 2010 Sushis: A Year Honored and Belittled

CNN Ranks Their Top Games of 2010

cnn top games of 2010

Like everyone and their dog, “Best of” lists are coming fast and furious as publications set about to rank and rate the various entertainment properties that 2010 has bestowed upon us. While we’re certainly no exception (keep your peepers peeled folks), we’re a little below the notoriety level of say, CNN. Like Time Magazine, they’ve put out a list of their favorite games of 2010, headed off by Heavy Rain.

Unlike Time Magazine, however, Alan Wake is nowhere to be found and Mass Effect 2 ranks sufficiently higher. This list makes a bit more sense to my ingrained gamer traditionalism, but I’m just one man with an opinion. Take a look at the list after the jump: Continue reading CNN Ranks Their Top Games of 2010