Final Fantasy XIII and the Long Hello

ff-13We all know that Square-Enix has taken its sweet time on the last couple of Final Fantasy games, most notably Final Fantasy XIII. While many gamers were under the impression that it was coming to the US and Europe in 2009 (it hits in Japan later this year), that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Yes, ladies and gents, Final Fantasy XIII will not be coming to the western hemisphere this year. In fact, Square-Enix has recently said that FF XIII won’t release before April 2010 on these shores.

While I understand that these things take time, this to me is almost laughable. I mean, why were we seeing trailers for this 2-3 years ago if it’s so far from release?

So, is anyone still interested in this game? I want it to be good, but man, I’ve been seeing the same trailer over and over for years now so much that it’s hard to be excited.

Source- Final Fantasy XIII

Where Should GTA V Be Located?

gta4pcApparently, there are rumors that GTA V might drop as soon as this freaking year. While I’m not putting too much stock in these things just yet, it does bring up an interesting discussion. Will we return to Liberty City? GTA III moved to both Vice City and San Andreas, so what are the likely candidates for the next free-roaming installment?

The XBoxist has put together a list of their top 5 candidates for GTA V. They’ve got a pretty interesting breakdown as to why some of these settings would be ideal, namely Moscow, Paris, Tokyo, Hawaii and the future.

As some of you know, I’m a big fan of that last one. Also, I could see Tokyo make for a great GTA world. What do you guys think? What should the next Grand Theft Auto city be?

Source- Xboxist

The 2008 Sushis: A Year in Review

Like most gaming sites, we here at GamerSushi are all about year-in-review awards, in which we give prestigious designations to some of the best (and easiest to make fun of) video games from the year before. The Sushis are no laughing matter though, and represent the highest standard in gaming opinion.

Ok, well maybe that last part isn’t true. But they sure are fun.

The Sushis are basically just our take on the last year, for better or for worse. Some of the awards are goofy and some of them are legit. We hope you get as big of a kick out of it as we did of playing these games. So, without further ado, here are the 2008 Sushis, picked out by both Anthony and yours truly.

Enjoy!
Continue reading The 2008 Sushis: A Year in Review

Wind Waker Dude Has Talent, Free Time

Ok, so the other day we showed you the one man Zelda theme band. This is possibly even better. One dude with a stupid amount of talent plays a variety of instruments to create the Wind Waker theme by himself. And when I say a variety, I mean a variety. Watch out for the chorus. It rules.

Thanks for the link, Smarty.

Valve Makes Steam More Awesome

steamI’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Valve is genius. They really know what they’re doing, especially when it comes to Steam. That’s why even EA comes to them for web distribution of their games. It kind of rules.

In a move that makes Steam rule your face even harder, Valve has delivered in-game web browsing to Steam in a new update. So now, you can get your game on, your snack on, your noodz on, and whatever else you want to get on while you play their awesome games.

Heck, you can even read GamerSushi while you play. Right? Right? Who else thinks this is awesome? Spread the Valve love.

Source- Kotaku

The Fanboy Letter Mad Lib

fanboy1Fanboys. Got to love them. Actually, you don’t have to, I take that back. Personally, I think fanboy-ism is completely ridiculous in the sense that you’d defend a console or company no matter what, out of loyalty. But whatever, what do I know.

What I am sure of, though, is that making fun of said fanboys is hilarious. Which is where Hardcasual enters the scene with their new angry fanboy letter activity. Basically, it works just like a mad lib, where you insert different words to create the absurd fanboy rant to a company that has changed a beloved franchise.

Read the full contents after the jump!
Continue reading The Fanboy Letter Mad Lib

Video Games’ Worst Voice Acting

We’ve all been there. That painful cringe as a voice actor in a video game lets loose another putrid sound byte. While gaming has come along way in this regard, there are so many bad spots in the past that its fun to reminisce upon them, much like this video does.

I have to say, I’m glad that both FFX and the original Resident Evil ended up here. That “master of unlocking” line is brutal.

PC Games That Deserve Sequels

jediknightpcAh, PC gaming yesteryear. How I miss thee. No matter how much I love console gaming, there’s a part of me that will never leave PC gaming behind completely. Unfortunately, there aren’t a whole lot of games that really make me want to jump back into it these days.

In honor of PC games gone by, Big Download has put together a list of 10 PC Games That Need to Make a Comeback. While I haven’t heard of all of the games on the list, I strongly agree with a couple that they have on there. Particularly Baldur’s Gate, Wing Commander, and the Jedi Knight games.

What about you guys? What PC games would you like to see sequels for? For me, Counter-Strike! It’s about time for a new one, darnit.

Source- Big Download

Killzone 2 Preview Video

Well, with all the hype surrounding the game (at least in the gaming world if not on the tube), I figured I’d finally post a video of Killzone 2. Gametrailers recently did a nice preview of what the game has to offer, and it’s fairly comprehensive.

I have to say, while the Sony E3 video will live in infamy because of its pre-rendered footage, none of the footage in the actual game is CG. And man, the graphics are nice. Admittedly, the gameplay looks somewhat generic and the design is meh, but still, it can be a looker.

Today’s WTF: Dog Killed by Wii-Mote, Rez’d

wii-moteYikes. Be careful with those Wii-motes, kiddies. Not only do they cause all kinds of personal injury as well as property damage, but they are a damage to our cute and cuddly pets. Especially if you are bowling like a maniac and smack your new puppy in the noggin.

A family in Marquette, Michigan learned this the hard way because it is exactly what happened to Ozzie, their brand new miniature Sheltie. Apparently, the dog’s owner was playing Wii Sports when she swung her Wii-mote at the precise moment the dog jumped up towards her. She hit it in the head and killed it.

Fortunately for them, their neighbors came over and did doggy CPR (wtf) to bring the little guy back. They took him to the vet where he was treated for brain swelling, etc and now the dude is ok.

So, lesson learned. Be careful with your Wii-motes, people. For the love of all things furry.

Source- 9 News

Lame Alert: Fable II’s Knothole Island

fable2Apart from sounding like some kind of vulgar nickname for a body part, Fable II’s Knothole Island is going to be a downloadable addition that will hit XBox Live tomorrow. It offers extra areas to explore, along with some new sidequests to garner some more fame. Who knows, maybe there will be property there, as well.

One thing that it’s going to have is lots of lame. Why? It seems that one of the developers is hinting that Knothole Island is going to have a resurrection shrine, and that perhaps you will be able to reverse a couple of erm, choices from late in the game.

This brings me to one of my main quibbles about Fable II. But alas, there are spoilers. So only continue if you don’t care.
Continue reading Lame Alert: Fable II’s Knothole Island

Hilarious Super Mario Bros Show

If you are at all familiar with the Matrix ping-pong video that circulated a million years ago in Internet time, then you should recognize the same style that’s going on in this awesome Super Mario Bros video. I love that this is all done on a stage, it’s terribly creative and executed so well, to boot. Watch!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJMepmfOgU0[/youtube]

Review: Mirror’s Edge

me-1Last year, EA surprised much of the gaming world with several brand new titles that showed innovation and style, opening gamers up to the possibility that the company had turned over a new leaf. One of those titles was Mirror’s Edge, the first person platformer that puts you behind the eyes and in the shoes of Faith, a runner in a future dystopia. She climbs rooftops and leaps across alleys, and you control it all from her point of view.

One of the first things you’ll notice when you turn the game on is the design, the feel of Mirror’s Edge as you play. The city’s rooftops are pristine, clean and vibrant. The camera sways slightly with Faith’s run, and you can hear her breathe from the the strain of diving from platform to platform. Working together, it really does simulate first person in a way that I haven’t experienced before, and it is incredibly immersive.
Continue reading Review: Mirror’s Edge

GTA IV Machinima: Driving the Airtug

Zachariah Scott from LitFuseFilms posted this on their blog the other day, and I think it’s a cool little preview of what we might start seeing from the machinima community out of GTA IV. The music is fun, and I just love the style of it.

Right now, it’s just a test from them to see what kind of stuff the game is capable of. Hopefully we’ll be seeing more out of those dudes out of this game in the near future. Actually, I know we will.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxysHc1Cxno[/youtube]

Today’s WTF: Nintendo’s “Kind Code”

nintendo-kind-codeLots of people crack on Nintendo for not making hardcore games anymore. Today, a patent went public that may confirm this suspicion for many people: Nintendo’s Kind Code. What is it, exactly, you ask?

Though there is a lot of techno mumbo-jumbo to the patent and not many specifics are known yet, basically, the Kind Code allows you, if you get stuck at a point in a game, to become “unstuck”. This works by choosing a hint in a menu, or selecting an option that lets the game take control. If you’d like, you can also just load up a developer’s saved game with full stats/health/etc, and jump into any point of the game you want.

The idea is that this will turn more casual people on to hardcore games, so they don’t have to worry about getting stumped, or they can start the game from where ever they want, or they can just watch the game play itself.
Continue reading Today’s WTF: Nintendo’s “Kind Code”

GamerSushi Asks: Next Gen Features?

ps41Kind of funny how time flies. Now that about 2-3 years has gone by for each console, we’re now over the hump in terms of this generation, and descending on the back end towards the demise of each machine’s lifespan. Crazy, no?

Naturally, speculation has already begun about when the next generation is going to begin, and who will make the first move. However, what a lot of people aren’t talking about is what exactly is the next generation going to look like. Digital Battle has put together a Features of the Next Gen list, running through what they think belongs on all the new systems.

While I’m not sure that all of the features they list (free web browsers, motion controls, free online play) are things that I consider to be “must-have” qualities from the new machines, it does raise an interesting question- what exactly do the next gen systems need? Tell us your thoughts! What would you like to see happen?

Source- Digital Battle

Hottest Wii Games of 2009

nintendo_wii_1With what seems to be just a so-so year for the XBox 360 and a stellar year for the PS3 coming up, one wonders what Nintendo is up to for the future. So far, there are many that feel that Nintendo has left the hardcore gamers behind, but the overwhelmingly huge sales that they’ve been raking in deserve lots of praise.

Well it was only a matter of time before someone put together a list of the most anticipated Wii games of 2009, and Gamasutra delivered. I actually have to say that I’m pleasantly surprised by the list, as there are a couple of more interesting and normal games (rather than Wii Ware) that will be hitting. Apparently, the new Tenchu is actually showing lots of promise, Sin and Punishment 2 looks great and some of the other exclusives look rather unique.

Another interesting thing about the list? Most of the games on it are coming before the summer. So what’s Nintendo got up its sleeve? Thoughts?

Source- Gamasutra

Mass Effect 2 Struts Its Stuff at GDC 09

masseffectEvery generation has its underrated games. The ones that get overlooked, missed and perhaps swallowed in the wake of the hype of other gaming behemoths. I feel like one of those games for this generation has to be Mass Effect, which presented a level of story and cinematic presentation that I feel was unprecedented and largely unnoticed when it dropped.

Well, the sequel should hopefully be an even better endeavor, and it sounds like we’re getting our first look in just a couple of months at GDC in March. Apparently, some Bioware dudes are going to be there showing off some of the level creation techniques they’re using for the second game, having addressed some issues that they had the first time around.

There’s a lot of other technical mumbo jumbo in there that I couldn’t discern, but who cares? I’m pumped about finally getting some Mass Effect 2 news! Who’s with me?

Source- VG247

Prototype Trailer Is Kind of Freaking Sweet

Consider me a little pumped about Prototype, Activision Blizzard’s new open world action game that’s coming in 2009. Basically, you are in a city full of infected people, you have super powers, and the military is hunting you. I mean, if chunking a civilian into a helicopter is wrong, well then… you know the rest. The new Prototype trailer just came out last night, and it ruled me just a little.