The Mass Effect 3 Wish List

Mass Effect 2

I’ve made no secret of my favorite titles of this great gaming year of 2010 so far. Red Dead Redemption, Limbo and Mass Effect 2 are all currently gunning for “game of the year” status in my eyes, with an especially close race between those first two. We’ve said it a million times around here – Mass Effect 2 is spectacular and simply must be experienced for its storytelling, choices and Bioware’s original universe.

Naturally, there are several gamers out there gunning hard for Mass Effect 3, and already giving thought to certain qualities the title should possess. In fact, GamesRadar has put together a list of what they want to see in Mass Effect 3. Without spoiling too much, I think it’s a really great list of things that would be awesome for the next edition, particularly the idea of the “Dark Shepard” clone, gunning around the galaxy and ruining your good (or bad) name. This could easily work, seeing as how we know that Cerberus has Shepard’s DNA. I also like the idea of making Shepard’s backstory a more central part of at least one major sidequest.

For me, I would love to see bigger parties but also a few momentous and game altering choices in more moments than just the big ending mission. Something that Dragon Age: Origins nailed was a few “holy crap” moments sprinkled throughout the game, rather than bunching them up at the end the way Mass Effect 2 did.

Anyway, what do you guys think? What are some things you’d really like to see in the next Mass Effect game?

Source – GamesRadar

Gaming Pop Quiz, Almost Fall Edition

The Gaming Pop Quiz is back! Last time, we did a pre-summer edition to start the lazy sunny days off right, and now we return in anticipation of the gaming to come. Seriously, I can barely contain myself for Halo: Reach. It’s weird, because while I don’t really consider myself a Halo fanatic, few games make me more excited than the Halo games do. There’s some kind of mystique around the whole event that really gets me going.

Anyway, because I have nothing better to do than to clear out my backlog and play the incredible Tomb Raider: Guardian of Light (seriously, go play this), I come bearing a few questions for you dudes to answer. As always with our getting-to-know-you type games, feel free to answer with as much or as little as you like. Obviously, some of these things you might not remember, but answer to the best of your ability. Go!

1. What game always seems to elude you on your backlog?

2. What game mechanic do you think is underutilized (cover systems, destructible environments)?

3. If you could turn a portable game into a full-fledged console game, which one and why? And vice versa.

4. Would anything make you consider boycotting a game?

5. What game would immediately inspire you to upgrade to spend money on a new PC/console?

6. What do you feel like you’re still waiting to do in a game that you’ve never done before?

7. What game changed the way you view video games?

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

What Games Have You Bought This Gen?

Video GamesAs we get ready for the fall gaming season, we’ve had a few discussions lately about clearing out gaming backlogs. For some, this means renting or borrowing from friends to get through as much as possible. For others like me, it means playing through purchased games and trading them back in to get ready for what’s coming next (Halo: Reach and Civilization V, anyone).

The comment thread from our recent podcast delves into the idea of trading in old games a bit, and it got me thinking about all the games I’ve purchased this generation. Some of the ones off the top of my head include: Gears of War 1 and 2, Halo 3 and ODST, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2, Valkyria Chronicles, Uncharted 2, Forza 2, Mass Effect 1 and 2, Left 4 Dead, Fallout 3, Little Big Planet, Viva Pinata, FFXIII, Red Dead Redemption and then some.

Really, there aren’t a heaping ton of them or anything, but it still got me wondering: what games has the rest of GS purchased over the last few years? Leave your lists here, people. Go!

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!

Current Top 10 Selling Games of 2010

PokemonMaybe you haven’t noticed yet, but 2010 is almost over. Yes, for serious. While in most gaming years this might not be anything to take special note of, Modern Warfare 2’s release in 2009 ensured that we’ve had the kind of gaming we’ve always dreamed of, spread out over this current trip around the sun. I honestly can’t remember the last time we’ve had this many great titles to play before September, and maybe there’s never been another year like it.

Because there’s lots to play, there’s clearly a lot of people purchasing games. Yahoo has just released a list of the top 10 selling games of 2010 so far, and you might actually be surprised by a few of the results. Or maybe you are awesome, and you totally will predict everything on the list.

Anyway, feel free to hit the jump to see the full list of best sellers. Because I’m nice like that.

Continue reading Current Top 10 Selling Games of 2010

Would You Rather: FPS Edition?

Since it’s yet again been a slow news week, it seems that it’s already time for a new edition of Would You Rather. A few weeks back, we did an RPG version of the game, which got lots of awesome responses from people. It was great to see all the positive feedback, and to learn a little bit more about what makes the fellow Sushi-ers tick. So, we thought we’d bring it back, this time with a different genre: FPS games.

For the uninitiated, in Would You Rather, I simply ask a series of questions, and you follow up with your answers. 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.

But beware, lest your answers suck mightily. In which case, Anthony and Mitch will kidnap you to trap you inside of Nick’s beard. You don’t want to know what other kinds of creatures lurk in there. I know this firsthand.

For an FPS, would you rather… Continue reading Would You Rather: FPS Edition?

GamerSushi Asks: What Are You Playing?

Alan WakeWell, you’ve listened to us yap about what we’re playing on the podcast, so it’s time for you all to jump in with it, too.

Fortunately for me, we seem to be in a very brief gaming drought, while we wait for the fall releases to start dropping on us. I suppose this begins in September with Halo: Reach, so that gives me a good couple of months to catch up with some of the games on my backlog. These include Alpha Protocol, 3D Dot Game Heroes, Starcraft II (when it comes out), Dragon Age: Awakening, and even more Red Dead Redemption.

However, in the immediate future I will be playing both Alien Swarm and Alan Wake, two games that are polar opposites in terms of budget, scale and style, but both equally as engaging, I’m sure. While I haven’t officially started Alan Wake just yet, I watched my brother play about a quarter of the game a couple of weekends ago and I was mesmerized. In addition, Alien Swarm has commanded the last couple of nights, and I still can’t get over just how fun this free game is.

So what about you guys? What are you playing? Go!

What Issues Should Gamers Drop?

Halo: ReachWe gamers can tend to be a finicky bunch. We are armed with intelligence, a bit of free time, and a huge passion over a hobby/lifestyle that we feel terribly protective of. Naturally this is going to lead to a few scraps here and there, things that gamers don’t always see eye to eye on, whether that is with other gamers or the industry at large.

But how many of the battles we fight are really worth arguing about because they are legitimate issues, and which ones do we actually need to drop? Last week, Koku Gamer posted a slightly tongue-in-cheek yet interesting article bemoaning 5 things gamers need to get over. In my mind, it’s actually spot on, and I’m saying that as somebody who has griped about one or two of the things present.

Hit the jump to see the list! Continue reading What Issues Should Gamers Drop?

The Video Game Level Hall of Shame

At present, we’ve already had two sets of inductions into our very own GamerSushi Hall of Fame: one for solo campaign levels as well as multiplayer maps. When I wrote those, I was sure to note that they were by no means a final list, and that we would be adding plenty of new groups in with them. That’s why I’m here today to bring a new set of candidates, but with a bit of a twist: The Video Game Level Hall of Shame.

This wing of the Hall of Fame is devoted to those game levels which are masochistic in their design, ever demanding more skill from us, more hours and frustration and yes, even blood sacrifices in order to add their notches to our belts. The Video Game Level Hall of Shame is reserved for those notorious offenders that made us collectively throw our controllers in frustration and disdain, scorning the forges that could create such misery in video game form.

Allow me to display the first inductees: Continue reading The Video Game Level Hall of Shame

Gaming Pop Quiz, Summer Edition!

Well, we are entering into those hot summer months of video gaming, where there is usually a drought and we are forced to play or catch up on old titles. However, this year, we just got a new slew of games to get through, and that’s assuming we even got through the first couple of batches. I can’t wait to get caught up on Alan Wake, and I’m enjoying Red Dead Redemption for what little I’ve played of it. I figured with all of this going on, it was time for another Gaming Pop Quiz.

So, for our gaming pop quiz, we’ve come up with 7 different questions about your gaming history. As always with our getting-to-know-you type games, feel free to answer with as much or as little as you like. Obviously, some of these things you might not remember, but answer to the best of your ability. Go!

1. If you could switch the genre of any game to another, which game would it be and to what genre?

2. What games would you like to see bundled together and re-released in HD?

3. What is your favorite video game weapon/power-up of all time?

4. How many hours a week do you play video games?

5. What is the best boss battle you’ve played in a game?

6. Which video game do you most want to see as a movie, and who do you want attached to it?

7. What is the most money you’d pay for your favorite game, if video games ever started wildly fluctuating in price?

Quiz away, fools!

Top Six: Our Favorite Developers

If you’ve ever watched the credits after the end of a game, you know that it takes a heck of a lot of talented people working very long hours to craft the piece of art you just enjoyed. Before that can even take place, though, you need someone with drive and vision that can get a project off the ground and keep it going when it falters. That’s where the lead developer comes in, and a lot of your favorite games have been made or broken on the whims of these visionaries. Who are some of the most prolific designers in the industry? Read on the see who, in no particular order, we’re pledging eternal obeisance to.
Continue reading Top Six: Our Favorite Developers

How to be a Gaming Jerk

Nothing quite brings out the inner jerk in me like a good rousing game of Halo matchmaking. For the last week, I’ve been enjoying Bungie’s new multiplayer offering in the form of the Halo: Reach Beta. Kicking it up with jetpacks, armor lock, Slayer and the like awakens old habits in me at times, it seems, even though much of the gameplay is new or different. Tonight, while playing, I found myself getting irritated at trash talkers. Soon enough, I was engaging in the famed tea bag maneuver at my opponents’ expense and it was glorious.

The funny thing is, sometimes this translates into other areas of gaming as well. GamesRadar has an awesome article up about 18 Ways to be a Bastard in Games, where they recount how you can be a total jerk in a number of different titles. They cover everything from killing hospital patients in GTA IV to choosing a character to die in Mass Effect simply because you get to have sex with the other. The most shocking thing about the list? I have done 11 out of the 18 things they mentioned, and most of the ones I haven’t done are because I haven’t played the game listed.

So what about you guys? What are your favorite ways to be a jerk in games? How many things on the list have you done? Go!

GamesRadar

The Games of E3, In List Form

E3 2010As we talked about in our stupendously awesome podcast the other day, next month marks one of my favorite gaming times of the year: E3. It has seriously always been my goal to attend this one day, even if it suddenly turns lame and un-fun. PAX is as close as I’ve gotten to an event of this magnitude regarding video games, so hopefully one day I’ll be able to see the sacred halls of E3 as well.

E3 2010 promises to be a big year for the expo, what with all the Natal and Move stuff that Sony and Microsoft will no doubt be showing. It also makes you wonder if Nintendo’s packing something up its sleeve to prove that it is the dominant and forward thinker that it seems to be in terms of what the masses want this generation.

Honestly, I can’t wait to see what unfolds, which is why I’m superbly giddy about this awesome list of E3 games that IGN posted. There will be an unbelievable amount of games on display, though it seems that folks like Nintendo are being coy about what they’ll be showing off. Meanwhile, Sony’s bringing more games than I realized they would be. And no doubt Microsoft is hiding a few up its sleeve as well. I’m also noticing Valve’s absence…

Anyway, hit the jump to see the full list.
Continue reading The Games of E3, In List Form

GamerSushi Asks: Would You Rather?

The summer drought of gaming is upon us. Naturally, this means it’s time for another “Would You Rather” feature, since gaming news has pretty much slowed to a crawl unless it’s related to the Halo: Reach Beta. So, it’s time for some more getting-to-know-you type features.

In Would You Rather, I simply ask a series of questions, and you follow up with your answers. 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. We will judge you harshly. Like, we might call you bad names and stuff.

Continue reading GamerSushi Asks: Would You Rather?

GamerSushi Asks: Most Anticipated Titles?

I know we’ve asked this question a few times before, but that was before the bevy of games that we were blasted with over the last few months. Plus, I like polls, so shutup. They rule.

As we all know, the last few months for our hobby have kind of ruled pretty hard. I’m still in the throes of chugging through Final Fantasy XIII at the moment (50 hours in!), and I think I’m finally getting towards the end. And honestly, I can’t wait either, because then I’m going to hop into Splinter Cell: Conviction and the Halo: Reach beta next week like they stole something from me.

Anyway, I thought I’d take the time to ask what you guys are excited about that’s on the docket for 2010 or early 2011. What games are you still really looking forward to, now that a lot of the big ones are freshly out of the way? Vote and tell us what you think in the comments.

What is your most anticipated unreleased game?

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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

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 Asks: What Are You Playing?

FF13You know the drill, fools. Every now and then we just want to check in, find out what everybody is playing, and maybe even compare notes on some new games. Let’s do it.

Right now, I’ve been totally swamped with writing stuff, but when I’ve had a chance to play some video games, I’m most playing Final Fantasy XIII. I’m about 35 hours into it now, which means I’m only about 5 hours past the point when the real game starts. Sadly, the game has about a 30 hour entrance fee before you are trained up good and proper. That being said, I love it and I’m having a blast with it. Just… dang, 30 hours Square? Oh well. I probably won’t even care now that I’m to the really fun stuff.

Whenever I’m not doing that, I dip my toes into the multiplayer for Battlefield: Bad Company 2, which is still just as much fun as when it came out. Hopefully, I can finish up FF13 in the near future and pick up either Splinter Cell: Conviction (hearing great things) and/or 3D Dot Game Heroes for the PS3.

Has anyone played any of these games mentioned? Thoughts so far? What are you guys playing? Go!

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