On the Etiquette of Gaming

The thing that unites us here at GamerSushi is our unhealthy love and adoration of all things related to gaming. I’d like to think it creates a unique bond between us. Something that forms a common knowledge through shared experiences, a collective set of ethics and codes that we follow. Sure we deviate on issues here and there (Splinter Cell Conviction and night vision, for instance), but for the most part, we seem to understand one another.

With that in mind, I’ve put together a list of a few things that I’ve been curious about in terms of gaming etiquette. Things that tend to cause awkwardness in gaming circles or in the online atmosphere. I want to hear what you guys think about these things. Feel free to give as much or as little response as you like. Let’s roll.
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The Death of Single Player Gaming

brutal-legendWe’ve talked around these parts before about how single player gaming seems to be going the way of the buffalo, slowly shuffling towards some great doom in future generations of gaming yet to come. It seems that you can’t make a decent single player experience without trying to tack on a co-op mode or some kind of competitive multiplayer. Why, Brutal Legend and Uncharted 2 are recent examples of this idea in action.

Kotaku has put up a fairly thoughtful piece on the idea of single player gaming’s slow extinction, and what it means for the industry. The big factor in most of these multiplayer mode add-ons is that companies don’t want people to resell and buy their games used. To me, you can’t escape the inevitable- used games are here to stay, and there’s nothing you can do about it. What you can do as a game company is lower your budget and (gasp) maybe even the prices of games so that there’s more incentive to both buy and keep the games you want. Another great model is Fallout 3’s DLC packs.

So what do you guys think? Is single player gaming dying?

Kotaku

Become Filthy Fuel Vultures in Left 4 Dead 2


We’ve got some good news coming out of the Left 4 Dead 2 front this week as it creeps inexorably closer to its November release date. With the demo coming up for pre-order customers (of which I am one), Valve has dropped information for another competitive mode called “Scavenge”.

In this new mode, the four survivors band together in an effort to gather fuel cans from around the level while the Special Infected try to choke, burn, and other-wise decimate the poor would-be escapees. Adding to the complication of having a whole passel of crazy zombies on your tail is the fact that the gas cans in Left 4 Dead are extremely fragile, and can easily be set off by either the Spitter’s acid or an errant bullet. “Scavenge” matches consists of three round at 120 seconds each, with each fuel can be collected by the Survivors adding twenty precious seconds to the clock. The Survivors need to find 16 cans spread across the level in order to win. The levels themselves are arena-like updates of sections from the existing campaign maps.

Now, this strikes me as an excellent idea. I used to play a Source mod called Zombie Master which had a similar mechanic to it, where the humans would collect various item from the level in order to rebuild an escape vehicle while the Zombie Master commanded his hordes in a bid to stop them. Granted, the role of Zombie Master was more of an RTS-type control scheme, but I think Left 4 Dead 2 can pull it off admirably.

So, what do you fellas think of this new mode? Does it strike your fancy, or are you going to stick to campaign and versus? Also, who else has pre-ordered this and for what system?

Source: Destructoid

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Drops the F-Bomb

We’re getting closer to 2010, which mean that we’re starting to see some new media from a lot of next year’s big titles. Mass Effect 2 and Splinter Cell have been conducting the information blitz, but one game I’ve kept my eyes peeled for especially is Battlefield: Bad Company 2, seemingly the millionth game this quarter to bear the number “2” in it’s title.

The original Bad Company’s multi-player was surprisingly robust, owing in part to the amazing environmental destruction mechanics. With a year and a bit of refinement behind it, Bad Company 2 is well positioned to deliver the same crazy shoot-outs, even if it looks like it’s been bitten by the Call of Duty bug. Check out the trailer, which contains a surprisingly large number of epithets, so exercise discretion if you’re around those with sensitive ears.

The game also looks really polished graphically, so consider me psyched for this! Is anyone else looking forward to some more Bad Company, and what systems are you getting it for?

GamerSushi Asks: Would You Rather?

Wow, it’s been quite a while since we’ve been graced with the presence of a Would You Rather. In fact, nearly half a year! So, before the salvo of new Fall titles drop, let’s give it another shot.

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. You will be excommunicated and labeled with some kind of vulgar name. Believe it.

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GamerSushi Reviews: Quick Hits

quick-hitsWe play lots of games here around GamerSushi. So many, in fact, that there’s not possibly time to write reviews for all of them. While we would love to give some in-depth analysis of every title that graces our screens, we just don’t always get a chance to.

So, rather than neglect this bunch of titles, and make way for the deluge of blockbuster games that are about to appear on the queue, Mitch, Anthony and I decided to give you guys a new feature called Quick Hits.

What are Quick Hits? Quick Hits are fast and to-the-point reviews of several titles we’ve played recently, machine gunner style. Feel free to discuss the games at article’s end, and let us know what you think of them.
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Meet the Team: Borderlands

If there’s one game coming out this holiday that has style leaking out of its cel-shaded ears, it’s Borderlands. In this new trailer for the upcoming FPS-RPG, we’re introduced to the various characters that we’ll be controlling as we explore the wasteland looking for sweet guns. There’s plenty of gory game-play (censored to tantalize you) and awesome music packed into this video, so check it out.

Gearbox’s CEO Randy Pitchford, notable for being slightly outspoken about his games, has said that he thinks Borderlands has the moxie to stand up to the big dogs this Christmas, and based on this trailer, he might be right. We’ve looked at this game before at GamerSushi, but I just couldn’t pass up sharing this trailer with you guys. I’m picking this up on PC for sure.

Awesome Mod Brings Call of Duty to Star Wars

If there’s two things I love, it’s Star Wars and shooting people in the face. Thankfully, a nice group of modders calling themselves blackMonkeys shares my love of sci-fi warfare and are hard at work on a total conversion kit for Call of Duty 4 called “Galactic Warfare”, which takes the silky smooth game-play of CoD and fits it in with classic Star Wars imagery.

The trailer for the mod showcases Stormtroopers and Rebel fighters battling it out in Mos Eisely, and it looks like everything that I hoped Battlefront II would be. With the future of the Battlefront series in limbo, I’m looking forward to trying this out when the mod is complete. Check out the video:

Griefing Table Manners

campingGriefing. It is perhaps the biggest bane of an online gamer’s existence. No matter what system or game that you choose to leap into the online mega-verse with, you can not escape its pull. Whether the griefing takes place in the form of an obnoxious brat screaming obscenities or even team-killing, you know that you are going to run into it in some way, shape or form on any given night. But what happens when you are the one accused of griefing? And are all griefing sins really so equal? Let’s discuss.
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Review: 1 vs 100, Season 1

1 vs. 100 FailHi folks. Just a quick introduction here… I’m Jeff, sometimes known as JJ, sometimes known as Unsquare. I’m the webmaster of the Smooth Few Films and Gamersushi sites. I’ve been getting back into gaming over the past year ever since I purchased myself an XBox 360, and I’ve been feeling the desire to contribute to this site a bit more now that I actually have opinions on games and such. Hopefully you’ll start seeing posts from me every once in a while. Can’t promise they’ll be as hilarious as Anthony’s Phantasy Star adventures, however.

Anyways, enough about me. Recently, Eddy, Nick and I have been playing a lot of 1 vs. 100 on Xbox Live. It’s a surprisingly addictive game, and if you haven’t already checked it out, it’s a great way to spend a few hours with some friends and seems ideally designed for the party system.

None of us have played it enough to make it into the Mob, let alone the hallowed position of The One, but considering the people who do make it to that top position, I have to wonder what exactly we’re doing wrong. In some ways, The One has been the only really disappointing part of the 1 vs. 100 experience.

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TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled Launch Trailer

Oh man, how I miss sidescrolling co-op beat-em-up games. Seriously, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Turtles in Time and Hyperstone Heist games were some of my favorite classic titles from the good old SNES and Genesis days. Playing those games with my brother and our neighbors pretty much defined my summers during childhood.

So that’s why I’m stupid excited for the re-shelling of TMNT: Turtles in Time. It hits PSN and XBLA this week for only 10 bucks, and I seriously can’t wait for it. Anybody else going to get in on this action?

Fat Princess Looks Like Tons of Fun

See what I did there?

I’m not sure how many of you have heard about Fat Princess, which hit the PSN just a couple of days ago, but I’m seriously thinking about picking it up. The premise? A 16 versus 16 game of Capture the Flag, only you’re trying to bring a princess back to your base instead of a flag. The catch? Feeding the princess makes her fatter, which means more team members have to carry her. Combine that great premise with resource gathering, cartoony graphics and awesomely animated violence, and I’m in. What do you guys think?

Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer Debut

Now here is one FPS that I am looking forward to in a real bad way. I still maintain that Call of Duty 4 has some of the best (if not the best) multiplayer gaming of this generation so far, so I really can’t wait to see what Modern Warfare 2 does to improve upon that. So that’s why it’s exciting to see this new Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer debut trailer, which dishes out some of the dirt about a new perk, customizable kill streak load-outs. Awesome.

Has Slayer Marred Shooters?

ctfI have been an FPS guy for years. Years upon years, even. I remember playing Wolfenstein 3D, Quake and Doom on my slow-as-balls PC, gunning away to my heart’s content. Eventually, as the Internet actually became a living, breathing entity that took hold of our collective psyche, I started jumping into multiplayer matches like they could sustain my very being.

I loved playing CTF gametypes in shooters, or planting bombs in Counter-Strike: Source. These were fun and interesting ways to play games that were essentially the same, and they added lots of depth to keep you playing for endless hours. But sometimes, things change.
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Battlefield 1943 is Good Old Fashioned Fun

bf1943As many of you know, Battlefield 1943 released yesterday over PSN and XBox Live. While the game launched with some issues (namely, server capacities), those issues are being dealt with and the game is slowly but surely becoming playable again.

After some difficulty joining a server, I finally was able to land inside, and I have to say, I had a blast. It really is good to be playing Battlefield again, especially in the WWII setting, with bombers, aircraft carriers, boats and jeeps all at your disposal. The game works with squads and squad spawns, which was such brilliant addition to the series with BF 2. So, if you’ve got either a PS3 or XBox 360, this game is a ton of fun and a definite steal at only $15 for the whole deal.

So, who’s gotten to play this game yet? What did you think?

The Worst Online Gamers

online-gamersNothing is worse when playing a game online than getting stuck with some jerk on your own team. I mean, getting matched up against them is bad enough, but when you’re on the same team with them, you just have to put up with their garbage for the entire time you play, rather than just the occasional match-up. And the worst part about it is these jerks come up in all shapes and sizes.

So what are these different types of losers? GamesRadar has cataloged them in a recent article titled the 9 Worst Types of Gamer to Have on Your Team, and I have to say it’s pretty accurate. They run down the gobshite (trashtalker), the mute, the drill sergeant, the lone wolf and even the damsel, who always needs saving. There are plenty more, and all of them are hilarious, so I’d recommend reading up on the whole thing.

Which type of online gamer do you hate the most? Which category do you fall into? I’m part drill sergeant and part griefer. Woot!

Source- GamesRadar

Crackdown 2 Has 4 Player Co-Op And Awesomeness

crackdown2Crackdown is still one of my favorite games of this generation so far. The game played like an open world platformer, with sandbox elements and super powers to boot. I loved orb hunting, whooping up on gang members, and making my car do ridiculous jumps. The city really is your playground.

Luckily for dudes like me, Crackdown 2 is coming to the 360 next year. And not only that, but apparently it’s getting 4 player co-op! The co-op experience was a blast with just 2 players in the first game, so I really can’t imagine how fun it is going to be with that many super powered agents destroying the city together. I seriously can not wait for this game.

Who else is excited about this news? What other games would you like to see get this kind of upgrade?

Source- VG247

Bioshock 2 Multiplayer Interview

The dudes behind the upcoming sequel to Bioshock have been hard at work. Recently, they gave an interview about some of the features in BioShock 2 multiplayer, including gametypes and the variety of plasmids available to combatants. While I’m still not super stoked about multiplayer in a game that I feel doesn’t need it, some of the clips they’ve got here are pretty sweet. What do you guys think?

GamerSushi Asks: Would You Rather?

On the eve of E3, it’s time for gamers young and old to dream up a world of possibilities for our next year of gaming. With that in mind, I figured it was a great chance for a new Would You Rather.

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. You’ll be tarred, feathered and quite possibly beaten like you stole something.

Continue reading GamerSushi Asks: Would You Rather?

Developer Talk

valveWe’ve all got our favorite developers when it comes to video game makers. Dudes that we really look up to, respect, or perhaps want to be in the world of our favorite pastime. Whether we’ve been following them for years, or gained newfound love of them due to a recent title, we hinge on nearly everything they do and say.

For me, two of those developers would be Bungie and Valve. Valve has yet again re-solidified that position after their recent bought of TF2 blog posts in the light of the leaked “Meet The Spy” video. Seriously, they’re hilarious. Anywho, it got me thinking: if you could ask your favorite developer one question, what would it be and why?

I would probably talk to either Valve or Bungie and get their thoughts on multiplayer balance, because both of them seem so darn good at it. What about you guys?