Category: GamerSushi News

Poll: What Kind of Gamer Are You?

In a recent and totally sweet podcast, Nick made the comment that most of our users were probably PC gamers. I’ve always thought this as well, mainly considering that our news posts that get the most comments are often about PC games, and the fact that many of you came over due to an affinity for The Leet World, created in Source. But we’ve never really asked, we’ve only assumed. And you know what they say about assumptions.

Anyway, I wanted to do a poll to figure out if you guys actually are PC gamers, console gamers, or if you consider yourselves a mixture of both. This isn’t a question about what’s better, so no flame wars, folks, but feel free to state your preferences in the comments as well. I used to consider myself a mixture of the two, but have recently been leaning more towards consoles. However, the release of Starcraft II and a future upgrade to my PC are probably going to push me back to being a mixture.

So how about you guys? Vote away!

What kind of gamer are you?

View Results

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The Curse of Fat Sonic 2 XL

OK, I’ve seen a few bizarre mods and hacks to videogames in my day. Some of these range from funny to weird and ridiculous to just plain awesome. This one for Sonic 2, dubbed “Sonic 2 XL“, actually might cover all of those categories, while smashing a few new ones all its own.

The hack basically puts a new spin on the Sonic franchise: namely, that rings transform our favorite speedy hedgehog into a morbidly obese blob that can’t move, and thus, dies. Like I said, it’s weird but also manages to be hilarious to look at. I laughed out loud at fat Sonic trying to outrun the explosions towards the end of the game.

What do you guys think of this? And what are some of the cooler mods you’ve seen to games? Also, this makes me want to go and play the real Sonic 2 quite badly.

Would You Rather: RPG Edition!

It’s been some time since we’ve done the Would You Rather game here at GamerSushi, so I thought it would be best to unveil one, this time with a theme: Role Playing Games! We’ll probably do one of these for different genres in the next few weeks, and I’m particularly excited about some of the answers you guys will no doubt unleash upon us.

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. Your punishment will be to sit and watch Anthony play through each Final Fantasy game. He’ll do it, too, just to be a stickler.

Continue reading Would You Rather: RPG Edition!

GameStop Laments the Second-Hand Sales Business

gamestopIt’s no secret that GameStop does some serious business with its used-game sales racket; even in an industry that is seeing a steady decline in this rough economy, the sales giant is actually seeing a profit spike. Normally people don’t like to choke the golden goose, but recently a GameStop “spokesperson” named Niall Lawlor spoke very candidly about the company’s stance on its lucrative practice.

“We discovered the used business was a way of preserving our margins,” Lawlor said. “We don’t like being in the used business, it’s very difficult to manage. If we hadn’t got the used business, we wouldn’t be there.”

That’s sort of an odd position for a GameStop spokesperson to take, isn’t it? For a company that single-handedly started the trade-in scheme, bemoaning the method by which you pull in ridiculous amounts of cash is a little strange. GameStop quickly tried to stem the comments by maintaining that Lawlor was an impostor, but that would be kind of hard to pull off at an industry event. What do you guys think? Any opinion on this strange bit of news?

Source: 1up via GamesIndustry.biz and Kotaku

The Question of Online Friends

Steam FriendsWe’re all used to the buddy list, that mysterious thing full of avatars and names that populates the user interface of our gaming machine of choice. From the Wii to Steam to XBL and PSN, we’ve gone through the process of adding names to that list, connecting with other users in the vastness of cyberspace in order to play our silly video games. Many of these systems refer to these connections as friends, but is that always the case?

A recent Kotaku post titled Are Your Online Friends Really Your Friends got my brain fired up on this subject, and I think it’s a cool question for discussion. I’m not sure how many of you have developed friendships with online buddies before, but I have done this quite a few times over the years. In fact, I have friends from a forum I used to go to 10 years ago that I still actively communicate with through Facebook and IM, and I have even met a handful of them.

There are many people that I know who would not view these as actual friendships, but I don’t think being face-to-face with somebody is a requirement for getting to know them in a way that you can call them a legit friend. It goes both ways, too. I think you can just as easily really know somebody you’ve never seen just as easily as you can not know somebody you see everyday.

In an age where more of our interactions with people are happening online, I think it’s going to become more and more common for people’s online friends to increase. I just view it as people that you would be friends with it if you lived close to each other, you just do it over a distance. I know that XBL is how I kept up with many of my friends from college, so how is it any different if you’ve never officially met the person?

Anyway, what are your thoughts on this topic? Can online friends be real friends? Go!

Source- Kotaku

GamerSushi Asks: Treasure Hunting?

Red Dead RedemptionI tend to be a bit of an obsessive gamer. I’ve written about this a few times in the past, so you probably already know that about me, but I seriously get fixated on the most inane parts of games and will sink hours into accomplishing a certain task. Whether it’s hunting for a certain weapon, achievement, trophy or whatever, I’m not above admitting that I turn into kind of a freak about trying to get things done in games.

In the past, this manifested itself as orb hunting in Crackdown. Right now, it’s revealing its ugly head in the form of mining Red Dead Redemption for achievements. I’m actually considering trying to 100 percent the game, which is something I don’t typically do. The last week or so, I’ve been finding myself just hunting, enjoying the world, seeing the sights, and it’s really quite exciting. Currently, I’m trying to find all the locations in the game, and will probably move to co-op or some of the public free roam items next.

What about you guys? Do you often like to mine games for those extra little rewards? What’s the most you’ve done for an achievement/trophy/unlockable? Go!

Obvious News of the Day: Black Ops Pre-orders Going Like Crazy

black opsAs reviled as Activision is among the hardcore gamer population, the constant success of their franchises really makes me wish I bought some stock in the company. Whether they’re printing money with World of Warcraft or breaking sales records all over the globe with Call of Duty, Activision seems to be doing quite well for themselves.

While Call of Duty may be experiencing a little fatigue brand-wise, there’s no question that the next installment, Black Ops, will still pull in massive numbers over the holiday season. An analyst for Pacific Crest Securities has predicted that, even with the current kerfuffle between Activision and CoD-creating studio Infinity Ward, Black Ops is outpacing Modern Warfare 2 for pre-orders at this current time. His information comes from some of his “retail contacts”, so take from that what you will. The same analyst also says that even though Black Ops will have a greater number of pre-orders, he expects it to only move about 12 million copies during the holiday season, about four million less than Modern Warfare 2 did.

Black Ops is coming into a tough market this season with a lot of big-name titles from competing publishers hoping to vie for consumer’s holiday dollars. Could this be the first step on the road to mediocrity for Call of Duty, or do you think that the veteran franchise will have another stellar year? Has anyone pre-ordered this yet?

Source: 1up

Great Moments In Video Game Music: Dragon Quest VIII – Strange World

Yeah, yeah, two Square Enix RPGs in a row, something I have tried not to do. But you have to cut me some slack because Dragon Quest IX comes out on July 11th for the Nintendo DS and I am pumped. By the time most of you hear this one, I will be knee deep in slimes and drakys. So to honor this momentous occasion, here is the main theme of the previous entry in the most popular RPG franchise in Japan (Yes, much more so than even Final Fantasy), Dragon Quest VIII, which was one of the best RPGs for the Playstation 2. Enjoy!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5coKpnqqAbI&feature=related[/youtube]

Dragon Age 2 Coming March 2011

Dragon Age 2

Developer Bioware made quite the splash with Dragon Age: Origins last year by introducing a new RPG in the midst of dozens of sequels and shooters. The not so black-and-white tale that involved darkspawn, big choices and an epic story was one of my favorite games of 2009 by far, and while I haven’t been able to play its expansion Awakening yet, I’ve been anxious to hear about any news of a sequel.

Well today, Bioware and EA delivered with the announcement that Dragon Age 2 would be dropping in March 2011, with a debut trailer coming for the game as soon as August of this year. So does this mean we can expect more Morrigan loving, Orzammar questing and tricky gameplay? Well, perhaps not.

According to the official Dragon Age 2 site, some things are going to be changing:

  • Embark upon an all-new adventure that takes place across an entire decade and shapes itself around every decision you make.
  • Determine your rise to power from a destitute refugee to the revered champion of the land.
  • Think like a general and fight like a Spartan with dynamic new combat mechanics that put you right in the heart of battle whether you are a mage, rogue, or warrior.
  • Go deeper into the world of Dragon Age with an entirely new cinematic experience that grabs hold of you from the beginning and never lets go.
  • Discover a whole realm rendered in stunning detail with updated graphics and a new visual style.

Updated graphics? Count me in. I’m really excited about the direction of some of these changes, especially considering I didn’t have many complaints about the first game to begin with. The team also gave a brief plot overview:

You are one of the few who escaped the destruction of your home. Now, forced to fight for survival in an ever-changing world, you must gather the deadliest of allies, amass fame and fortune, and seal your place in history. This is the story of how the world changed forever. The legend of your Rise to Power begins now.

Anybody else excited about this? Just looking at the concept art gets me all a flutter. Consider me geeking out.

Source- Dragon Age 2

The GamerSushi Show, Ep 5: Gamebots In Disguise

TransformersWe’ve taken a few weeks off since our epic E3 2010 podcast so that Nick and I could finish slaying the titan known as Web Zeroes. But now we’re back, despite the current drought of gaming related news, and we still manage to talk for a ludicrously long time.

That’s partly because in this episode, we go off on a wild series of awesome nerdy tangents, which includes a great discussion on old school Saturday morning cartoons and how they are full of both nostalgia and win. Also, why mono is God’s gift to gamers.

Anyway, give it a listen, rate it on iTunes if you want, and feel free to continue the conversation we had here down in the comments. Enjoy! Continue reading The GamerSushi Show, Ep 5: Gamebots In Disguise

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Great Moments In Video Game Music: Final Fantasy X – Zanarkand

We return to the usual epic JRPG music that I have been avoiding for the last few weeks with a gorgeous composition from Final Fantasy X. This song plays on the title screen when you just let the game do its intro scene and it is one I never really tire of. For anyone who says games aren’t art, listen to this and tell me how something associated with it is not art.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08RYp-uDpPo[/youtube]

Today’s WTF: Blizzard Divulges Your Secret Identity

forum rageAnonymity on the internet is an important tool, even if it allows every single user on YouTube to type out the stupidest crap known to man without fear of repercussion. While we all get upset from time to time at the vitriol spouted from the internet, it’s mostly harmless and said by those who don’t really know better. However, most of us are rational people who can shrug off a random troll’s abuse. As with all segments of the population, there are those who can’t be responsible with information and use the internet as a vessel to play out their sadistic tendencies.

This is why protecting your identity is vital, because we live in an age of information where everything from your favorite band to your bank account can be accessed by someone with the inclination and the right know-how. Since we’re all pretty guarded against identity theft and stalking, Blizzard’s latest move has caused quite a furor on their forums. Just to bring you up to speed, the renown MMO/RTS developer has stated that, come StarCraft 2, forum posts will require users to submit their real name via the “RealID” system. Naturally, Blizzard’s users crawled out of the woodwork to protest this change, and some of the points they make are valid. Several female users expressed their concern for cyber stalking, and a lot of people voiced their opinion on the stigma associated with playing World of Warcraft and what would happen if their employers found out.

To placate the masses, Blizzard employee Bashiok decided to tell people his real name and within minutes all his personal information spilled onto the internet like tauntaun guts. While this act is mostly out of ire, it shows just what people are capable of with such little information. What do you guys think of this move by Blizzard? I’m sure it was put forward with the best of intentions but it seems to have backfired. Should you force users to give up their real names if they’re already paying you for your services?

Update: Looks like this idea got scrapped. Chalk up a win for for the forum goers. I guess Blizz should get some kudos for actually listening to fan feedback. Now, if we could only get LAN support.

Source: Kotaku

Dastardly to the 19th Degree

I’m sure by now we’ve all heard of the Dastardly achievement in Red Dead Redemption, which awards you 5 shiny new gamerscore points for the act of tying a woman to railroad tracks and then watching her get run over by a train. While I’m quite the bastard in terms of video game morality, this scratches even the extents that I’m willing to go, so I have yet to pull this off, but I’ve always got my eye out for the opportunity.

However, it’s never occurred to me to tie 19 folks to the train tracks all at once. This fellow deserves a medal.

I just finished Red Dead Redemption the other night, and now I’m in the process of achievement plundering, myself. Has anyone else nabbed this one?

May Video Games Sales Tell a Sad Tale

alan wakeTo be honest with you guys, I totally dug Alan Wake. Like I mentioned in my review, that game was a breath of fresh air, something different in an industry inundated with first person shooters and movie tie-ins. Unfortunately, games don’t move copies on the adoration of one man alone, and Alan Wake has had a disappointing showing in its debut month, shifting only 145,000 copies to date. While there are many reasons that games don’t sell, I’m kind of puzzled by the fact that Wake got left behind. The game reviewed fairly well and was backed up by a decent marketing push, but it still barely managed to crack 100,000 copies.

Of course, one good reason could be Red Dead Redemption, which sold an outstanding 1,513,000 in May alone, more than ten fold what Alan Wake did. That sort of number boggles my mind, especially considering that it’s in the typical video game sales “dry season”. Big name games don’t usually sell that well until the end of the year, so kudos to Rockstar on once again proving that they know how to make damn fine games and sell them well. We can expect that number to go up again once the holiday season hits, so don’t be surprised if Red Dead ends up being one of the best selling titles of the year.

Despite Red Dead’s success over Alan Wake, Microsoft has still maintained that it is interested in ongoing downloadable content for the game, something that could help boost sales and even get us a sequel. One game that isn’t going to be coming back, however, is Alpha Protocol. While the game was by no means terrible (Anthony had a good review for it), it didn’t sell enough for SEGA to justify a second showing. I guess the story that May tells is that new IPs are still a very tough sell in the industry, despite the fact that core gamers clamor for new, original properties. Red Dead is more of a reboot than anything, but it’s still a successor to a previous game with a similar name.

What do you guys think of May’s somber news? Are you thrilled for Red Dead or sad for Alan Wake and Alpha Protocol?

Source(s): 1up and VG247.com

Head to Head: Co-Op or Versus

I think one of the most interesting discussions in gaming right now is the idea of what’s more essential in terms of a multiplayer experience.

For years, co-op was the name of the game, with game studios offering chances for us to play through things with two players on our old school consoles. However, that eventually gave way to the rise of the versus mode through PC gaming, which then bled almost a decade later to the consoles. Now, we’re seeing a renaissance of sorts, with co-operative play coming back to the forefront of many AAA games. In fact, if there’s a multiplayer component, co-operative play is almost expected these days, where it wasn’t before.

For me, I think co-op is the more essential experience, but I know that others feel differently. Over this weekend, in fact, I’ve played several bouts of co-op in both Uncharted 2 and Bad Company 2, and had much more fun than I have in deathmatch modes for most games.

So I’ve put together a poll for you guys. Let the answers do battle!

What is the better multiplayer experience?

View Results

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GamerSushi Review: Alpha Protocol

Choices. Choices never change. Wait, wrong game.

Alpha Protocol is a game that was delayed and bashed, even by someone who worked on the game, who stated that it should have been canceled. All this led some to believe that the game was an unfinished, buggy mess, but I find this not to be the case at all. Well, mostly.

Alpha Protocol touts itself as an “espionage-RPG” set in the modern world and dealing with modern conflicts, such as terrorism. You play as Michael Thornton and can choose one of several backgrounds to begin with, ranging from former desk jockey at the Justice department to an assassin that doesn’t really exist. The decision results mainly in what areas your character is already leveled up in, such as Stealth or Assault Rifles, although a few NPCs may make a reference to your past, depending on which choice you made. A nice touch, I thought. I personally chose a blank slate so as to have better control over my character’s development.
Continue reading GamerSushi Review: Alpha Protocol

Games as Art: Looking Back at MGS 2

Metal Gear Solid 2Metal Gear Solid 2 is a game that gets quite a bit of flack from some of the gaming community. The MGS fan kingdom seems to be split down two camps of people that have opposing feelings for the sequel to the hit PS1 game. Personally, I fall into the group of people that generally dislikes MGS2. I remember being so excited for its release, especially after playing the demo that came packaged with Zone of the Enders. I loved the first game’s comic book Die Hard feel, but the sequel just got much too campy, and Raiden was nowhere near as good of a hero as the beloved Solid Snake, in my opinion.

Some years ago, the Delta Head Translation Group published a formal analysis of Metal Gear Solid 2, which is one of the most fascinating pieces of writing I’ve ever read on a video game. It breaks down some of the meta-narrative of MGS2, and what the game might have actually been designed for: to leave the player feeling frustrated. Agree with it or not, it actually gives a really enlightening look at the game, and might even give you pause about your assumptions.

I was reminded of this article because I got into a discussion with JJ about Roger Ebert recently backtracking on his “games can never be art” infamy; he now says that some day they might be. JJ and I got on a tangent about it being hard for something to be fun, artistic, emotional and medium-transcending all at once. I was arguing that fun might not necessarily be a requirement for video games to be art- after all, is watching Schlinder’s List “fun”? In the MGS2 article, the author argues that perhaps the game was designed to make you feel the way it did, and not designed with a fun-factor in mind. If this is truly the case, then perhaps MGS2, as flawed as it is, might be a video game that approaches that territory, where games are turned on their head and go beyond the medium? Portal is probably one of the best examples of a game that deconstructs gaming yet manages to be entertaining and well made.

Anyway, all that mumbo-jumbo aside, you should definitely check out the article, it’s long, but worth the thoughts it gives on what games are supposed to make you feel. And while you’re at it, feel free to weight in on the “games as art” discussion.

Source- Delta Head Translation Group and Roger Ebert

InFamous 2 Gameplay Trailer is a Whirlwind of Excitement

It’s no secret that I really enjoyed the first inFamous, it just had a nice feel to it that you don’t get with a lot of open-world games these days. Sure, it was a little rough around the edges, but it won me over enough to play it through two times to experience the game from both sides of the morality coin. Since Sucker Punch is hard at work on a sequel, I’ve been keeping my eyes open for anything that pertains to the game, so this new gameplay trailer fits the bill just right. There’s plenty of neat stuff in here, including some very cinematic close-quarters combat, so take a look and tell me what you think.

The game itself is looking pretty hot, but I’m still not sold on Cole’s redesign. I think the voice is the most jarring change, and I don’t know if replacing the old gravelly-voiced Cole with the new one will be favorably received. What do you guys think? Ready to ride the lightning once more?

Four More Portal 2 Gameplay Videos

Well, who knew that when we posted those Portal 2 gameplay videos the other day, that even more of the big E3 demo was going to be hitting the Web shortly? Parts 2 through 5 (of 7 total) are now online for Portal fans to gobble up, with the next 2 parts coming out tomorrow.

Honestly, the glimpses I’ve seen of the game so far are an absolute blast, and it really looks like they’re taking things to crazy heights in terms of the puzzling and platforming. I love the leap of faith mechanic, and they’ve got some cool new stuff to show off in these videos as well.

Parts 4 and 5 are after the jump! Continue reading Four More Portal 2 Gameplay Videos

GamerSushi Asks: Favorite Summer Gaming Memories?

Starfox 64It’s the middle of the summer, just after E3, which of course means that video game news has largely slowed to a halt again. Things will pick up after a few weeks, I’m sure, but until then, expect lots of editorials and questions about your lives as awesome gamers.

As many of you are no doubt on summer break, I wanted to talk a little about summer gaming. When I was younger, I remember several days in the summer months where I would just get up and play the NES or Sega Genesis all day long, walking to Blockbuster to rent games and then promptly dispatching them as soon as I got home. It was a glorious schedule, and one I long for again. I think my favorite summer gaming memory, though, comes from the summer of 1997, when Star Fox 64 came out. I remember walking to the GamePower, a local video game shop, trading in several video games and then running back home with a copy of the game in my hand. I then beat the game in one sitting, and my brother and I played multiplayer matches with our friends nearly all night.

Man, that just made me crazy nostalgic. What about you guys? What are some of your favorite summer gaming memories?