Category: GamerSushi News

So What Kind of Rig Does Valve Use to Make Games?

valveAs we know, Valve makes PC games. Some rather sweet PC games. So, you know how when you sign on to Steam, and you always get bugged by that survey asking what kind of rig you have? Well, Valve’s got their own that they use to develop with, and they are quite beastly. Do any of you have comparable PC’s?

* EVGA 780i SLI FTW Intel Motherboard
* Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83GHz Quad-Core Processor
* 4GB PC2-6400 DDR2 1066MHz ram
(Crucial Ballistix, Kingston ValueRam)
* 1 x NVidia GTX280 1GB – OR – ATI 4870 1GB graphics card
* 1 x 250GB 7200RPM SATA HD
(Seagate, Western Digital)
* 1 x 500GB 7200RPM SATA HD
(Seagate, Western Digital)
* Antec Sonata III desktop case
* Zalman CPU Cooler
* 850W Antec power supply
* 1 x Dell 3008FPW-HC 30″ LCD – OR – 2 x Dell 2001FP 20.1″ LCD monitors
* Windows XP 32bit

And if you think that’s good, wait until you see what they’re upgrading to…
Continue reading So What Kind of Rig Does Valve Use to Make Games?

Lost Planet 2 Announcement Trailer

Hot on the heels of Resident Evil 5, it looks like Capcom has another big release in store sometime in the near future- Lost Planet 2. While I didn’t get to play much of the first one, it definitely had some promise for a new franchise, and the graphics were pretty incredible to boot. It looks like the environments are going to be different, the visuals are updated, and there even seems to be co-op gameplay. Check out the new trailer for lots of cool footage. Who played the first one? How was it?

Rumor: Resident Evil 5 is Less Than 8 Hours Long?

re51There’s a rumor flying around that Resident Evil 5 clocks in at about 7 1/2 hours total running time. While there are different claims about how long the game actually is, this is what XBox World 360 is claiming about their experience with the upcoming Capcom blockbuster.

We don’t know what is actually true here, but if the game is indeed that short, I find it to be a bit disturbing. I mean, the last Resident Evil title dropped all the way back in 2005, which is a whopping 4 years ago. So basically, it took Capcom that long to produce an experience that amounts to under 8 hours of gameplay? Sure there’s co-operative play, but in my mind, you have to have some more material there to justify asking $60 for a game.

But hey, maybe I’m wrong. If this is actually true (and there is reason to believe it’s not), would you guys find this fair, or foul? Go!

Source- CVG

GTA IV DLC Goes Full Frontal?

gta4dlcSo, it’s a day of opinions from you guys. In case you weren’t aware, the new GTA IV DLC pack, “The Lost and Damned” has male full frontal nudity in it. Yes, you read that correctly. An old man dong, to be more specific.

While the mainstream media hasn’t yet seemed to have found the dong in question, Common Sense Media, a website for parental advice when it comes to things like games and movies, has. And you know what? They still liked the game, giving it 4 out of 5 stars. However, they did caution parents to keep it away from their children, which is the correct thing to do, seeing as how the game is rated M.

However, gaming sites have already jumped down their throats for this, much to my disappointment. Here you have a site giving a responsible review of this game, and we’re still crucifying them, just because they rightly say that young children shouldn’t be playing a game with full frontal nudity?

What do you guys think about this issue? Is nudity out of place in video games? Personally, while I’m not offended if I see some pixel knockers or whatever, as we approach the uncanny valley, I get a little weirded out by sexual anatomy of almost any kind in video games. This goes for animated features as well. Tell us your thoughts!

GamerSushi Asks: What Remakes Do You Want?

10259finalfantasyviiorige5Remakes and ports of older games is really starting to become a trend in gaming. Square Enix alone must have a whole team dedicated to retreads of their older games. With the PSN’s PS1 Classics, Xbox Live Arcade and the Virtual Console, retro gaming has never been stronger.

But there are ports and there are remakes and there is a difference between the two. A port is simply porting a game from an older system to an existing system with little or no changes to the actual game. A remake is updating the graphics, translation, adding new story or gameplay elements and things of that nature.
Continue reading GamerSushi Asks: What Remakes Do You Want?

First Mass Effect 2 Teaser Trailer

And the hype begins. Bioware has released the first official Mass Effect 2 teaser trailer, and it is just that. A tease. Also, it’s incredibly short, but packed with some potentially interesting stuff. All I’ve got to say are these two things: do, and want.

Watch it and discuss!

Valve Wonders if Games Are Too Expensive

gabenewellIn an echo to something I was saying just the other day, it seems that Valve is claiming that games are over-priced. Gabe Newell recently gave a talk at DICE on Wednesday, giving some impressive numbers about Steam, and showing where game companies are currently missing the mark with retail.

In particular, he notes the promotional offers that companies run for their games on Steam. His main example was Left 4 Dead, which was half price this last weekend. How did it affect sales, you ask? They rose. By how much? Three thousand percent. Yes, you read that right.
Continue reading Valve Wonders if Games Are Too Expensive

Whitest Kids You Know: Call of Duty

Ah, playing multiplayer games online. They all come with their own shares of both joy and sadness. The Whitest Kids You Know dudes have made a new skit portraying these struggles in Call of Duty. It’s definitely a funny although depressingly accurate portrayal of online gaming. Makes you wonder how long we’ll continue to put up with these grievances, no? Anywho, do give it a watch, and laugh heartily.

GamerSushi Asks: Spring Releases?

sf4The prolific times of the year for video games show up around February/March, August, and October/November. As we come up to the first big season of the gaming year, there are quite a few notable titles looming on the horizon. Halo Wars, Killzone 2, Resident Evil 5, and Street Fighter IV seem to round out the list.

Right now, I’m actually really looking forward to both Halo Wars and Killzone 2, which couldn’t represent more of a polar opposite in terms of fanboy and genre appeal. While I’m not sold on Resident Evil 5, I’m still anxious to actually play the game proper, and Street Fighter IV is just nowhere on my radar, even though it looks fun. I guess I’m just not that into fighters anymore.

Which of these titles are you guys looking forward to? Which could you care less about? Go!

God Exists and We Have Proof: Brett Ratner Drops Out of God of War Movie

brett-ratner-nickelodeons-20th-annual-kids-choice-awards-1yu21zSometimes, Christmas comes early. Sometimes, your prayers are answered. And sometimes, the good guys win. Stop rubbing that rabbit’s foot as your luck finally turned. No, Uwe Boll didn’t lose his Director’s Guild membership, but Worstpreviews is reporting via Production Weekly that Brett Ratner, acclaimed (ahem) director behind the Rush Hour series and X-Men hater (judging from X-Men:The Last Stand, he clearly doesn’t like them) has left the upcoming God of War movie:

“Over at Universal it looks like Brett Ratner has shelved ‘God Of War,’ and is moving forward on ‘Trump Heist’ with Eddie Murphy and Chris Tucker.“

I don’t think Kratos himself could have withstood that disaster. Now that Ratner has left to further drop Eddie Murphy and Chris Tucker into the Realm of Irrelevance, who would you like to step in an take over? It’s a long shot, but Zack Snyder of 300 fame and the upcoming Watchmen would rock this world. Who’s your dream director?

Source: Worstpreviews.com

5 Things Hurting the Video Game Industry

One look at my entertainment center or my favorites in Firefox reveals that I am in love with video games. It’s really not that hard to hide. On top of being in love with the games themselves, though, I am also madly in love with the culture of gaming and the history behind it.

Looking forward to the future, I continually fall in love with this lifestyle even more. However, there are a few trends that are starting to emerge that I am simply not a fan of. While these ultimately won’t break gaming, they are definitely detrimental to the overall community. Here are 5 things that are currently wrong with the video game industry.
Continue reading 5 Things Hurting the Video Game Industry

Dead Space Extraction Equals Rail Shooter

At least, if the new trailer can be believed, that’s how this game looks. I guess Nintendo Wii owners aren’t going to get a proper port of Dead Space after all. The new game is titled Dead Space Extraction, and while there is a mix of both cut scenes and what looks to be proper gameplay at the end, one thing seems to stand out- it looks more like House of the Dead in space rather than the game we all know and love.

Does anyone else find that disappointing?

Microsoft Wants to Buy Motion Control Company?

microsoftWith Nintendo currently dominating the console (and video game) market as a whole, it becomes no surprise that others, namely Microsoft and Sony, would want to follow suit. I mean, who’s not interested in making money hand over fist the way Nintendo is?

Apparently, Microsoft is interested in buying an Israeli VR firm 3DV. The technology specifically has to do with using your hands in front of a camera to manipulate objects in 3D space. So yes, it’s a form of motion control, and Microsoft has got their “do want” hats on as the two companies are now in talks.

So does this confirm it? Will the other consoles be moving towards motion controls? Is this a good thing or bad? Go!

Source- CNET

God of War III Trailer Contains Much Epic

You may or may not have seen the awesome God of War III trailer that hit this weekend. Well, if you haven’t hear it is, in all of its minion slaying, titan riding glory. The coolest part? Apparently, all of this stuff is using in-game assets. Now that’s hot.

Today’s Totally Awesome: Video Game Wallpapers

megaman1I’m a big fan of video game wallpapers. Really, I am. You should see the folder I’ve got, mostly full of some sweet MGS, Zelda, Halo, CSS and Mario backgrounds that I’ve got on my desktop. I rotate through these pretty regularly, and there’s nothing like painting your PC wallpaper with nostalgia-inducing pictures.

That’s why I was happy to see this awesome video game wallpapers gallery by DeviantArt user Otorio. They are superbly well done, and re-imagine some of our favorite retro games in new ways.

Particularly fascinating to me is the Braid-esque Super Mario shot, as well as the cyberpunk Mega Man depiction. Definitely worth checking out. Which one do you like most? And do you have a favorite video game wallpaper?

Source- Orioto’s Video Game Remakes

GamerSushi Asks: Video Game Binges

civrevI know we’ve had a feature on this before, but yesterday I went on a wild video game binge. I pretty much spent the whole day playing either Call of Duty: World at War or Civilization Revolution. It’s been some time since I’ve done this, and man, is it ever relaxing.

Basically, I spent almost a total of 10 hours rotating between solo and multiplayer on CoD, and playing a single player game of Civilization Revolution. Like I said, I don’t get to do that kind of thing anymore, so it really brought back some awesome memories. Some people don’t get that playing video games is a way that I majorly unwind when stressed, so the occasional binge is really just like therapy.

So, what was your last video game binge and what did it consist of? Go!

Machinima: Mirror’s Edge

Our good bud Mystfit makes some pretty cool machinima, and this time he’s back with a new short in Mirror’s Edge. Loving some of the camera work here, it’s for the win. Spread this around to as many people as possible, because he’s doing this for a contest- most views wins. Good luck, dude!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f66usjHqvw0[/youtube]

Today’s Foot-In-Mouth: Sorry, Treyarch

wawYes. I’m going on the record. I’m apologizing to Treyarch. You see for the last year or so I’ve been on the bandwagon that Call of Duty: World at War wasn’t going to be very good, because it was made by Treyarch, and it was going to be set in World War II. I loved Call of Duty 4, so any departure from that game seemed to me to be a bad idea.

Well, I was wrong. I just had two epic 3 hour gaming sessions last night and this morning, and beat World at War. I have to say, that I was thoroughly impressed, and agree with almost all of Sean’s review of the game. I’d easily give the game, based on the campaign, a B or B+, even. It was great, and in particular the Russian/German levels were a joy to play, if a tad difficult towards the end.

So, does anyone else want to join me in apologizing to Treyarch?

Why Are Gamers Such Crybabies?

crybabyI am a man of passions. I mostly love things more than life itself or hate them with a fury that borders on the wrong side of psychotic. But even I am taken aback by the wrath that seems to regularly appear from gamers on the Internet. Perhaps it just that the Internet has given these people a voice. Or perhaps gamers are the biggest bunch of babies this world has ever seen.
Continue reading Why Are Gamers Such Crybabies?

Alec Baldwin and His Wii

I think Alec Baldwin is one of the funniest people on the planet. If you haven’t seen 30 Rock, you really need to go check it out, as it’s maybe the best sitcom on TV at the moment. He appeared last night in a Wii-related skit on Saturday Night Live last night that is crude, possibly NSFW, and also awesome.

Try not to laugh during it. Go ahead. I dare you.