Killzone 3 was announced recently, so you know what that means: a teaser! Admittedly, this video is really cool, if a bit ultra-violent (it is also scientific proof that the Helghast are made out of wafers), but it also brings up a problem I’ve been having with trailers as of late. I recognize that companies like to build hype, and we as consumers like being strung along with as little info as possible (see LOST and any Halo game ever), but it’s getting kind of ridiculous. For games, I’d like to see something concrete as the money and time I’m going to be investing into a game is significant compared to a movie or a TV series. If I don’t like a TV show, I can stop watching, and movies are two hours at most and I can always walk out. If I return a game, I’m going to end up with a lot less money in my pocket, so I think the more gameplay in a trailer, the better. Take a look at the Killzone 3 teaser, and let me know if you agree:
Category: GamerSushi News
Infamous 2 Announced
In keeping with this new theme of announcing blockbuster titles before E3, we are now able to confirm, thanks to Game Informer, that Infamous 2 is in the works for the Playstation 3.
Sucker Punch, the original developers of Infamous, will be in charge just as before and will feature
a new city, new powers and a powerful new foe.
Having been honestly shocked (get it?) at the high quality of the first game, I have to admit, I am pretty excited about this. Infamous competed with Prototype, another open-world game where you gained super powers and made moral choices, but I think anyone who has a reasonable amount of judgement would agree that Infamous was superior in almost every way.
Are you excited by this announcement? What would you like to see improved or changed in the sequel?
Source: 1UP
Great Moments in Video Game Music: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night – Dracula’s Castle
Not every song has to be an epic piece of music in order to qualify as great music. Sometimes just kick-ass background music that plays while you explore the depths of an evil vampire lord’s lair is enough. If you have ever played Symphony of the Night (and any so-called hardcore gamer had better), then this tune is ingrained in your mind forever.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qh_uhV0ta0[/youtube]
Deus Ex Human Revolution Trailer Might Blow Your Mind
I know that we have quite a few Deus Ex fans on this site, so this post is especially you for you. If you were unaware, a trailer for the newest entry into the franchise (and prequel to the series), Deus Ex Human Revolution, just hit the good ol’ webz today, and holy cow if it isn’t pretty awesome.
I don’t mean to hype this trailer up too much, but I’m seriously damn impressed by it. I don’t know a thing about Deus Ex, its world, the main character, or how any of the game plays, but I immediately want to go find out everything I can about it right now.
On the real. You need to watch it.
Does anyone else wish this was a movie after watching it? Because I certainly did.
GamerSushi Asks: Give Us Your Feedback!
Every now and then, we like to see what you guys think about how things are going on the site, because ultimately, this place is about the community here and how we all interact. I think enough time has passed since the last time we did this, so I wanted to ask the question again: care to give us some feedback?
Here are some questions to consider:
1. What kinds of features would you like to see more of?
2. How often do you check this site?
3. What would you like to see more coverage of (within reason, of course)?
4. Do you want more/less updates?
5. What would make this place even more awesome?
Seriously, we’d love to hear what you guys think. Don’t be afraid to leave some criticism, as long as it is constructive. We’re all about making this place even better. We have some cool ideas for the future, and Nick is already working on a new layout that will really put the cool discussions you guys create front and center, with almost equal value to the posts themselves.
So, let’s hear it. Go!
PS3 Owners: Soldner X-2 Brings the Good Stuff
One of the things that we seem to miss out on with this site is coverage of some of those random indie games. It’s not that we dislike them, it’s just that none of us are the kinds of people who really seem to seek them out and report on them. That’s why I love Bytejacker, a video game show on Revision3 that covers this topic terribly well, and gives regular folks like me the chance to see something I might have otherwise missed.
While watching this week’s episode, I caught sight of a game that I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t heard of before. It’s a straight up classic style shoot-em-up in the vein of the old R-Type games, and it’s only $12.99 on the PSN right now. It’s called Soldner X-2, and the only word I have to describe the way this game looks is “epic”.
Really, I’ll stop talking about it. Just watch the trailer.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ06n20AFbE[/youtube]
Has anyone heard of this game, and doesn’t it look awesome?
GamerSushi Asks: What Are YOUR E3 2010 Predictions?
E3 2010 is a mere two weeks away, and the excitement for gaming’s annual gala is building to a fevered pitch. If you listened to our first podcast from a few weeks ago, then you’ll know that we’re all pretty excited about this year’s E3. We offered up a few predictions about what the Big Three are going to be bringing to the table, but we’d love to hear what you guys are thinking about.
Predicting reveals or big surprises is always fun, and once E3 rolls around we’ll collect them in one big post and see who was right on the money and who was way, way off (PS4?). Since you already know what we’ve put our money on, we thought that we’d make a post to let you guys sound off on what you think this year’s big news will be at E3. Gears of War, Move, Natal, a new Zelda? Let us know!
Before you get to speculating, we would just like to mention that the weeks leading up to E3 are usually plagued by rumors, half-truths and damn lies, so don’t expect us to post on every single piece of news that comes out. Most of them are unsubstantiated rumors, but if something huge comes up, we’ll probably let you know about it. Alright, with that out of the way, get to your predicting!
Old Games Are Old: This Week on XBL
We’ve all seen the phenomenon of people not being able to part with old games. Just take a look at those fine folks that never wanted to give up Halo 2 for some quick and easy proof. But even though we know that people do weird things with their time and their gaming habits, it never ceases to amaze me when I see some new statistic that upends what I thought I knew.
This week’s statistics from XBox Live (taken from Major Nelson’s Blog) are pretty telling when it comes to what people like to play. To me, it’s crazy that Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is getting beaten by so many old games. And on top of that, three Call of Duty titles still manage to battle it out in the top 10, this far removed from their release dates. Move on, people!
Anyway, here’s the list. Craziness.
Xbox 360 Top Live Titles
1. Modern Warfare 2
2. Red Dead Redemption
3. Halo 3
4. Call of Duty: WaW
5. FIFA 10
6. Call of Duty 4
7. Battlefield Bad Co. 2
8. GTA IV
9. Gears of War 2
10. Left 4 Dead 2
11. Halo 3: ODST
12. Forza Motorsport 3
13. UFC Undisputed 2010 Demo
14. NBA 2K10
15. Backbreaker Demo
16. Splinter Cell Conviction
17. NHL 10
18. Borderlands
19. UFC Undisputed 2010
20. Madden NFL 10
Hit the jump for the XBox Live Arcade list. Continue reading Old Games Are Old: This Week on XBL
The GamerSushi Show, Ep 3: Videogame Movies and Gas
I hope that my fellow Americans out there have all enjoyed a grand holiday weekend, full of hot dogs and sunshine and whatever else makes you happy and patriotic. We took the opportunity of the three day weekend to not only play video games, but also talk about them via Skype. That’s right, it’s the third episode of our GamerSushi podcast. As always, we cover topics like what we’re playing, but also spend a lot of time on video game movies. In fact, the discussion gets pretty intense… like a circus.
In addition to the videogame movies debate, there is also a rather humorous issue that took place. You see, for reasons later revealed, Nick thought that he was on mute upon several occasions, when in fact, he was still being recorded. The funny thing is, we couldn’t hear him. So there are some choice noises that happen that couldn’t really be edited out, but they’re also hilarious, so it’s all good. Continue reading The GamerSushi Show, Ep 3: Videogame Movies and Gas
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Earthworm Jim HD Has Co-Op
Um… want?
On June 9, the Earthworm Jim HD remake is coming to XBox Live Arcade, and will follow on the PSN one month later. Gameloft released a brand new trailer for the game today, which included this little tidbit: the game will now include a 4 player co-op mode. For the old school retro lover in me, this is quite the bombshell. I can’t wait to play this.
Anybody else jumping in?
Rumor: Mass Effect Going Multiplayer?
Mass Effect 2 is one of the premier games of this year, and indeed, this generation. While the game could stand a bit of a slimming down in some areas (pre-patch mining being a good example), what could BioWare add to future iterations of the series? If you suggested multiplayer, it looks like you’re on the same page as the revered WRPG developers, as they’ve recently posted a few job openings for their Montreal, Quebec studio advertising Multiplayer Programmer positions.
Part of the job will be taking “existing single player experiences and making them multiplayer safe”, and ensuring that “the game engine and game systems work reliably and efficiently in a multiplayer environment.” While the job listing doesn’t state what kind of multiplayer the Mass Effect developers have in mind, it seems pretty clear that the studio is going to be making the jump very soon.
The posting doesn’t out and out say that Mass Effect 3 will be going online, but I wouldn’t rule anything out in that regard. Mass Effect 2’s engine was really, really solid so it could probably handle co-op play. Further speculation could point to a Mass Effect MMO, and, to use a term Eddy once coined, that very thought gives me a mind boner.
So, what do you guys think? Are you on board, and what do you predict will come of this? Is Mass Effect 3 going to have Team Deathmatch, or is this more of a long term goal for the series?
Edit: The posting has since been updated to exclude the mention of Mass Effect, so here’s the original blurb, to clear up any confusion:
We are working on Mass Effect, one of the industry’s most beloved and acclaimed franchises, as we build our way toward becoming a fully self-sufficient BioWare studio. If you want to help us achieve our mission of delivering the best story-driven games in the world, and you dream of being part of a dynamic, talented and focused team, now is the time to get onboard.
Source: Kotaku
Square Enix Teases Final Fantasy VII Remake Again
Square Enix just released Final Fantasy XIII and the company is on the cusp of releasing XIV, the upcoming MMO, but people still want to see a Final Fantasy VII remake. Square knows this very well, so every couple of weeks they get one of their higher-ups to mention a remake during an interview, but continually maintain that re-doing FFVII would take a long time.
Just take this recent quote from SE Producer Yoshinori Kitase at a FFXII launch event in Korea:
“To make FFXIII at this level of quality, it took us 3 to 4 years. If we were to make FFVII in the same style of FFXIII, it would take 10 times as long, so it would be difficult to take it up immediately. However, we always keep in mind how often this is requested.”
I think that this might be the most requested remake in the history of videogames, based on how many times Square Enix has said that they are exploring the option. What do you guys think? Will this actually happen, and do you even want it? What would you like to see out of an FFVII remake anyways? Just a thought: if Final Fantasy XIII showed up on the 360, would an FFVII remake do the same?
Source: VG247.com
Great Moments In Video Game Music: Chrono Trigger – Tyran Castle
Okay, I couldn’t resist this one any longer. When you first hear it, you might think of Golbez from Final Fantasy IV, but stick around to about 45 seconds in and the crunchy guitars kick in and you are suddenly nodding your head to a bad ass riff. If you think JRPG music can’t kick a little ass, listen to this.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gVkEUmwstA[/youtube]
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!
Treyarch Hears The Call Of Duty
Well, bad news for fans of Treyarch’s Spider-Man games, all four of you: the developer recently revealed in an interview with CVG that they are all about the Duty now. Call of Duty, that is.
That’s right, everyone’s favorite B-team in the CoD bullpen has forsaken all others to focus exclusively on Activision’s Call of Duty franchise. They claim this has been the case for sometime and is not a result of the hoopla involving Infinity Ward that you might have heard of. I can’t really blame Activision for such a decision, as despite my pre-release hating, World At War was actually really good. Treyarch even has a whole team dedicated to just multiplayer, which can’t be a bad thing. Right?
How do you guys feel about this sudden change in focus for Treyarch?
Source: 1UP
Team Ico Collection Coming to Blu-Ray
OK, I figured I would contrast that sad gaming news from earlier with something super badass, so I now bring a pretty awesome piece of news that’s been floating around. We all know that Team Ico makes great games, including both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus from the PS2 days. They are also working on the highly anticipated Last Guardian for the PS3, which I simply can not wait for well.
Well, it looks like they’re going to have another PS3 release early 2011 in the form of the Team Ico Collection, which will consist of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, running on the PS3 in glorious HD. To me, this is one of the coolest things I’ve heard in a while, as I simply loved SotC, and never really got to actually play Ico (though I watched my best friend play through a bit of it).
I really love the trend that Sony’s been on lately of packaging last gen games together for people to play them on their next gen system, like the God of War Collection. Now I’m just holding onto hope for one that includes Metal Gear Solid 3. Fingers crossed.
In addition to that, someone on NeoGAF has posted mock-ups of Ico running in HD through a PC emulator, and they are simply gorgeous. Go check them out!
So what do you guys think of this news? Who played the first games? Go!
Source- TheSixAxis
Killzone 3 Details are Live and in 3D
I’ll admit that I didn’t play the original Killzone or Killzone 2 (mostly on account of not owning a PlayStation at the time), but the series has always intrigued me. While it may be describe derisively as “World War 2 in space”, that sort of thematic setting is right up my alley. Sony and Guerrilla Studios dropped a bit of a shocker on us last week, revealing the third entry in the series before E3 even started. What’s more, the game is going to be in 3D! A lot of people say that the third time is the charm, but will that ring true for Killzone? Quite a few websites got to go hands-on with the game this week (our invitation got lost in the mail), and Kotaku has a nice write-up detailing all the new changes.
What stood out to me most, besides the 3D, is how crisp this game looks. Perhaps you don’t remember the infamous E3 2005 trailer for Killzone which painted an image in everyone’s mind that the sequel couldn’t quite match. While it seems quaint now, the lasting impressions of the video have given Killzone a lot to live up to, and the third game seems to come the closest to reaching those lofty heights.
Besides looking like the most tasty of eye candies, Killzone 3 is getting some neat gameplay improvements like a revamped melee system and jet packs. Before you go off claiming that Killzone is ripping off Halo: Reach, let me remind you that someone will bring up Tribes, and we’d all like to avoid that scene. The close-combat promises to be more brutal than your average first-person-shooter, which mostly deals with that via a gun stock to head, or maybe a quick stab. While the build being presented was a little early, it did promise face-kicks, back-stabs, and knives through the Helghast’s iconic eye-piece.
For those of you wondering about the 3D, it appears to be well integrated with the head’s up display smoothing nicely, and aiming down the sight offering a nice differentiation of depth. Unfortunately, the preview does mention that the 3D got nauseating at one point. This will differ for everyone, but I got a little sick during Avatar, so I think I might skip on this option.
What do you guys think? How is Killzone 3 looking to you so far? Sure-fire purchase, rental, or are you passing altogether?
Source: Kotaku
Sad Gaming News is Sad
Well, in the last 24 hours, there are two kind of sad pieces of gaming information that have come across the Intertubes. Not like, cry-your-eyes-out sad, but not happy nonetheless.
The first comes from Mark Hamill, Luke Skywalker himself, concerning his voicing of the Joker. He has reportedly said that Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 will be the last time he ever voices the character, which is pretty crazy. I think the guy probably has the best Joker voice out of any of the movies or animated series out there, so it’s a bit melancholy to hear that he’s hanging up the spurs. Or the clown shoes. I suppose that means no Joker in B:AA 3?
The second pieces of news makes my heart hurt a little. You all know of my great love for Beyond Good and Evil, last gen’s Zelda-esque sci fi/fantasy adventure by Ubisoft. For years now, the sequel has been in development, but besides a brief teaser trailer, we’ve had no news of the game. Well, there seems to be a bit of a reason for that, as creator Michael Ancel has parted ways with Ubisoft. The future of the game is now in doubt.
So what do you guys think about these items? Who else needs a hanky?
Submit Your Podcast Questions!
OK, a week has gone by since our last super awesome podcast. Granted, it was mostly awesome because Mitch wasn’t present, but that’s beside the point. We’re working on phasing him out for you guys, but it’s a slow and painful process. I kid! Maybe.
Anyway, we’ll be recording a brand new edition of the GamerSushi Show this weekend, and like last time, we want some user submitted topics. These were great fun for us to riff on, and if you listened to most of the bit, you’ll notice that most of the show was dedicated to the awesome questions we got, to the point that we had to skip out on a few of them.
So, if your question was skipped over last time, or if you have a new one, feel free to re-submit that here and hopefully we’ll have a chance to discuss it this weekend. Thanks dudes!
GamerSushi Asks: Last Gaming Obsession?
Oh video games, how I miss thee. I’m going on about a week now with no video gaming of any kind to speak of. This is partly from just being busy with regular old life things, but also because my wife and I went to Florida over the weekend for a nice break with some old friends. While the trip was awesome, I didn’t get to play any video games, so that was just a bit bogus.
So, now that I’m going through my withdrawals and the hallucinations are starting to settle in, I’ve been reminding myself how awesome it is to “go into the light” so to speak, and play video games until it’s completely unhealthy to do so. That’s right, I’m craving a mega gaming binge. Really, while I’ve had a few binges in recent months, it’s been a long time since I’ve been truly obsessed with a game. I think the last one for me was sadly, Halo Wars. I played the game every single night for months without stopping. The funny thing is, it wasn’t even that good of a game.
So what about you guys? With Red Dead Redemption, 3D Dot Game Heroes, Alan Wake and Super Mario Galaxy 2 dropping on us this week, it seems like the time is ripe for more gaming obsessions to begin anew. What was your last or most recent one? Go!
Also, I leave you all with a gchat conversation Mitch and I had about Red Dead Redemption today. After the jump. Continue reading GamerSushi Asks: Last Gaming Obsession?