Category: Sandbox

GamerSushi Top 10 Games of 2010

Another year of gaming has gone by, which means it’s time for us to reflect on the games that really made 2010 stand out all its own as one to be remembered. This trip around the sun has produced some clunkers, disappointments, triumphs, wins, fails, works of art and everything in between. We saw quality releases from January through December, and a few surprises that threw us for a major loop in the best way possible.

To create this list, the GamerSushi staff (myself, Nick, Anthony, Mitch and Jeff) all made our own individual top 10 lists. From there, Nick used the powerful science of magicmatics to conjure up a final list, based on some mumbo jumbo he did with a point system. What you see is something like an average of all of our lists together, and one that we’re all happy with, minus a few honorable mentions of course.

So, without further ramblings from myself, I present the Top 10 games of 2010!

Best of 2010

Continue reading GamerSushi Top 10 Games of 2010

GamerSushi Asks: What Are Your Gaming Resolutions?

RDR Undead Nightmare

Happy new year, folks. Yesterday marked the first day of the brand new year. Surprisingly, this blue and green ball keeps spinning along through space, un-attacked by alien oppressors. One day, though, this will happen. I have foreseen it in the moving cinema pictures.

Anyway, now that the holiday season is largely over, how did your gaming go? What games have you been playing? For me, I’ve been knocking out quite a few games. I started with Forgotten Sands, then moved onto Enslaved, and now I’m playing Undead Nightmare and lots of NBA 2K11. One of my resolutions this year is to just enjoy more books and games, getting a healthy dose of each one of those every week. Something called Web Zeroes and writing a couple of books got in the way last year, but I won’t let that happen this year.

So what about you guys? Do you have any resolutions or gaming related goals you’ve set for this year? Any non-gaming ones? Go!

The 2010 Sushis: A Year Honored and Belittled

If everyone else gets to make “Best of the Year” lists, then by golly, so do we. Only, instead of the trite awards that every other site dishes out, we try to be a bit more creative with our end of year awards, bestowing unique honors that bring both shame and glory. That’s right: it’s time again for the annual Sushi Awards.

For those with a keen memory (or that know how to use our search bar), you’ll recall that we did this for 2009 and 2008 as well, so feel free to go over those to remember how awesome those years were, prior to this one.

As with those previous entries, keep in mind that the Sushi awards represent our goofy and snarky take on the year in gaming, for better or worse, chosen by the GS dudes. A proper “best of” top 10 list is coming next week. But for now, enjoy these custom awards and tell us what you think!

Enjoy!

Continue reading The 2010 Sushis: A Year Honored and Belittled

Merry Christmas, Fools!

Christmas

Or whatever other thing you celebrate. But today’s Christmas. So as such, I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, you animals. I hope this post finds all of you doing some gaming, enjoying families, being Christmas-y in general.

I’ve had family in town for the last week, but was finally able to get back to the gaming yesterday, when I beat Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. I also ran over to Gamestop and picked up Lost Odyssey and Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands, both of which were only around $20 bucks apiece. Apparently they started a deal the day after, where if you buy two used games, you get one free – so make good on that and get yourself some extra Christmas bonuses.

Anyway, how have your holidays been? What are you playing? What was your loot? Post it!

Ruling the Open Gaming World

Fable 3

Howdy, gents. I hope that this post finds all of you starting the holiday gaming extravaganza that this time of year is typically known for. As I said, we’re mostly taking it easy for the next couple of weeks, but because I like you all, I thought I’d share a post with you that I found.

Over at the Moving Pixels blog at Pop Matters (one of my favorite gaming blogs), a recent article goes over the idea of owning the open world in single player sandbox games. Taking a look at new games Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, Fallout: New Vegas and Fable III, they study the recent trend in game design that pushes players to control major portions of real estate and owning/converting as much of the game world as possible. It’s interesting to think about the idea that in many of these games, the players tend to want to set the main storyline aside in favor of getting invested in the world itself, which I guess is the case with many RPG’s as well, even apart from owning land.

I think this gets to another interesting issue as well: does this mean that the stories in those games aren’t actually all that compelling? If we are willing to set them aside to do everything else but the stories, is there a problem with the design there? In addition, most of these games almost seem to require a fair amount of exploration and sidequest upgrading in order to stand a fair chance in the proper endgames.

So what do you guys think? Do you tend to set aside single player campaigns in favor of sidequests? Do you like the idea of controlling game worlds, or do you just focus on the stories when you play? Go!

Source – Pop Matters

GamerSushi Asks: Biggest Let Downs of 2010?

Final Fantasy 14

As the end of the year draws nigh, it’s only natural that every site in the world is going to come up with a series of “Best Of” lists regarding the nearly late but still great 2010. We try to vary things up around here when we can, but since there’s no news, you’ll probably be getting a few of these lists as we find them, because hey, we like to post. Sort of.

Anyway, Gamasutra has been doing a series of lists about 2010 in review, including this new one I enjoyed where they covered the year’s Top 5 Disappointments. The list covers everything from the giant cluster that was the Final Fantasy XIV launch through the removal of the Taliban in Medal of Honor. I suppose it could also be called the biggest fails of 2010, but hey, it’s their list. I think if I’m going over my list of disappointments, it would include Little Big Planet 2 getting moved to next year, and Microsoft’s focus on Kinect at E3.

So what about you guys? What were your top disappointments of 2010?

Source – Gamasutra

Cypress Hill Singer Sues Rockstar Because They Stole His Image for San Andreas

san andreas lawsuitI guess some lawsuits belong under the “better late than never” category, at least according to Cypress Hill backup singer Michael “Shagg” Washington who is just getting around to taking Rockstar Games to court for allegedly stealing his image for 2004’s Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Mr. Washington, who says he only recently found out about the game’s existence this past July thanks to his nephew, bases his lawsuit on the claim that Rockstar interviewed him on various topics relating to his youth such as gang life and riding bicycles with said gang (yes, really). Mr. Washington was told, after he was “allowed” to leave, that if Rockstar decided to use his likeness in the game, he would be notified and compensated.

Somehow the nearly six year old game managed to escape Mr. Washinton’s notice despite the fact that he recalls being questioned by Rockstar for thematic elements used in San Andreas. Furthermore, he believes that the character CJ is entierly based on him, and he’s looking to be reimbursed to the tune of twenty-five percent of the games total sales-approximately two hundred and fifty million dollars.

This isn’t exactly life-changing news, but I thought it was humorous enough to share with you guys. What is with the recent trend of celebrities suing video games years after they come out for frivolous reasons? Probably because they’re running out of money and video games look ripe for the picking. If you’ve got any thoughts, feel free to leave them in the comments below.

Source – IGN

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception Revealed for 2011

uncharted 3

In the grand Internet tradition of revealing things days in advance of when we’re supposed to find out, Sony and Naughty Dog have popped the cork on the official reveal of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception before the first legitimate trailer goes up Saturday on Spike’s Video Game Awards show.

In a post on the Official PlayStation blog, Arne Meyer, Naughty Dog’s Community Strategist, dropped some knowledge about the upcoming Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. Like the previous game, globe hopping will be a main attraction but most of the plot centers around the search for a so-called “Atlantis of the Sands”. The game will pull inspiration from many sources, but Lawrence of Arabia is once that’s getting touted a lot. Players will also get to explore the relationship between Drake and his long-time partner and mentor Victor Sullivan, which is good news if you’re into some potential stubble-on-mustache action.

Also returning are the co-op and multiplayer modes that made their debut in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, but this time around they’ll be a bit more robust. Single player also includes some new gameplay mechanics like being able to go toe-to-toe with multiple enemies. Naughty Dog also mentioned that Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception will be available in high-definition stereoscopic 3D so you can have a little motion sickness with your platforming.

Not much else has been revealed aside from the potential release date of late 2011, but I expect that Saturday will uncover more about Drake’s third adventure. So, are you guys excited about the return of Nathan Drake? What do you want from Uncharted 3? Go!

Source and image – Official PlayStation blog

Rooster Teeth Plays Horse With Halo: Reach

Rooster Teeth is back once again, this time showing us the amazing versatility of Halo: Reach. Forge mode, for those of you unfamiliar with the game, is a level editor of sorts, allowing you to tweak weapon layouts and add pieces of geometry to maps. While you can’t change the base layout of the level, you can add little additions to it, like ramps off of cliffs and floating platforms in the middle of nowhere. This functionality forms the basis of the video that RT put together, which combines Halo: Reach’s malleability with the old fashioned game Horse.

The hosts say it a couple of times in the video, but this just shows the amazing versatility of a game that ostensibly shipped as just a First-Person-Shooter. The fact that you can put away your guns and play home-made games of your own devising within minutes speaks volumes for Bungie’s design.

Little Big Planet Fan Gets his Dream Job

Little Big PlanetI’ve got to be honest. Every time I hear awesome stories about people that are fans of games getting to work at those studios, I go through a range of emotions. On the one hand I’m insanely jealous and maybe a tad annoyed (SFF fans should understand), but more often than not, I’m just happy that one person gets to live out a really awesome story. Because I’m a human, I love these tales.

Take John Beech, who also goes by “johnee” on PSN. A construction worker by trade, John also happened to be an advent map and level creator for Media Molecule’s Little Big Planet, the sprawling sandbox game that allows players to do virtually whatever they can think of. CVG has posted a cool look at Beech’s story, which goes from his time designing maps with a blanket over his head and the TV (so he wouldn’t wake his sleeping girlfriend) to his near-death experience on a construction site, and how it lead to him asking MM for a job… and then getting it. Beech now works as a designer on Little Big Planet 2, and it sounds like he’s totally living the dream.

The whole story is really kind of touching. The craziest part of the whole thing to me is that Beech didn’t have any other work experience except construction, and didn’t even have a resume with him when he visited Media Molecule. A brief excerpt of the encounter:

I didn’t even have a CV, and I hadn’t done anything except be a builder my whole life, which they thought was hilarious. Then I loaded up my PlayStation and started showing them one of the things I had done.

Two minutes in Kareem, the art director, told me to stop and said, ‘Hold on a second.’ He went and he brought half the company back in and then said, ‘Okay John, you can carry on now.'”

Anyway, I highly suggest reading it for the “warm fuzzies” factor. Do you guys have a talent that you’d love to turn into a video game job? Personally, I’d love to write stories for someone like Bioware.

Source – CVG

Dead Rising 2: Case: West Trailer Knows Its Way Around a Zombie or Two

I love me some Dead Rising 2, so I’m looking forward to the game’s upcoming downloadable epilogue Case: West starring the man, the myth, the legend, Frank West of the original Dead Rising. While Dead Rising 2 focused on Chuck Greene’s prodigious skills with duct tape, Case: West will see the return of the photography element that was so important in the first game. The DLC will be co-op enabled, so you and a buddy can pile-drive zombies to your heart’s content. Capcom just released the gameplay trailer for this bad boy, so have a watch:

This Xbox 360 exclusive will hit sometime in December, so keep that wallet ready. Who here is going back into Dead Rising 2 for some zombie slaying action?

Review: Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

assassins creed brotherhood review

There’s a special spot in gamer hell reserved for sequels with a quick turnaround. Left 4 Dead 2, Halo 3: ODST and in some cases, Call of Duty, have all received stick for coming out “too soon”, according to the Internet. So it is with Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, which was announced before the dust on Assassin’s Creed 2 had even settled.

Coming out such a short time after its predecessor, and tacking on a seemingly unnecessary multiplayer mode, Brotherhood fit the bill for the quick “cash-in” built to capitalize on the good will of AC2. Slowly, though, perception of the title began turning around as media came out revealing that the multiplayer wasn’t a shoddy tack-on and the single player campaign was going to add interesting new mechanics. Critical reception is very, very positive, but what’s the GamerSushi stance?
Continue reading Review: Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood Sales Talk Leads to Confirmation of a 2011 Title

assassins creed 2011 sequel

Here we go again, being all psychic with our podcasts. During The GamerSushi Show Episode 11, we got into a discussion regarding the one-year gap between Assassin’s Creed 2 and Brotherhood (which I can confirm is awesome) and the possibility that Ubisoft is looking at the historical murder-simulator as a potential Call of Duty emulator. Turns out that this is exactly what the France-based developer has planned.

In a chat with European news site MCV, Ubisoft’s EMEA markerting and sales chief Geoffroy Sardin confirmed that 2011 will bestow upon us another “big game” in the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Book-ending this reveal is the little tidbit that Brotherhood was the fastest selling title in Europe for Ubisoft, and the series has cracked a total of 20 million titles moved, so very impressive for the franchise that most people weren’t too fond of at the outset.

While the sales figures are remarkable, what about that new game? Mr. Sardin dropped this little line near the end of the interview: Continue reading Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood Sales Talk Leads to Confirmation of a 2011 Title

GamerSushi Top Six: Things to Be Thankful for in 2010

Ah, Thanksgiving time. The time of the year where we show our thanks by way of a gluttonous feast, with food fit for a king. Also, there’s that whole Black Friday thing, where we shove our money in our ears and buy everything that’s marked down in price. But that’s almost a different holiday altogether then, isn’t it? Greed Day, or somesuch.

However! We, the kind and wise overlords of GamerSushi, wanted to stop and take a quick look at the gaming year so far. In the spirit of the holidays, we had a hand-to-hand combat battle to determine the things that we are most thankful for in 2010, so that we could benevolently share them with all of you, our loyal fellow gamers and all around awesome dudes.

So, without further ado, here’s our top six gaming things we’re thankful for in 2010. Continue reading GamerSushi Top Six: Things to Be Thankful for in 2010

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood Flying Glitch Shows the Sights

My, Ezio, what a big city you have. I knew the world of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood was huge, but dang, this is actually pretty impressive. It seems that some folks getting ready for an AC: Brotherhood review ran across a glitch that sent their player flying high into the night sky, where he could then look down upon the game’s enormous sprawling world.

This is one of those rare occasions where a bug/glitch shows off something far more astounding, especially when you look down at all the buildings and city streets and realize that you can actually run and climb throughout all of those. Honestly, it seems like flying around in some kind of sandbox mode after the game was over would not be a bad feature at all, after seeing this.

Has anyone had a chance to play this yet? Got any thoughts on it?

GamerSushi Asks: Desired DLC Schedule?

New Vegas

Downloadable content, or DLC, as we in the industry refer to it as, is still a pretty new element to video games. As such, publishers and gamers both seem to be feeling each other as to how best go about implementing it. The issues range from price to file size to when it should be released. Nothing gets the Internet cranking like dreaded Day 1 DLC.

But it is a decent question, brought up by today’s news that Fallout: New Vegas, a massive game like few others, will have its first expansion pack drop on December 21st on Xbox Live. The game came out in October, so most people who bought it right away should have beaten it by then.

But back to question at hand: how soon after a game’s release should DLC be rolled out? And how often after that? It depends on both the size of the game and the DLC, but personally, I think 3 months is enough time and then maybe a month or 2 before the next one. What say you?

Source: Joystiq

Gaming in the Age of Information Overload

Grand Theft Auto 3The year is 2001. On a rainy October day, I run from the parking lot into the dorm, covering my head with a Best Buy shopping bag as I try to avoid getting swallowed up by the weather. After a not-so-quick elevator trip, I’m in my dorm room, tearing into the packaging of a Playstation 2 game. I curse once or twice as I pull at those little security labels, the ones that cling to your fingers like plastic mosquitoes and refuse to let go.

As the game spins to life, I am in a city. Just like the world beyond my windows, the world in the looking glass of my TV is consumed by rain. Soon enough, I am pulling motorists out of their vehicles with ease. I’m causing mayhem. I can go anywhere I want. I learn fairly quickly that this world has a name: Liberty City. The game I’m playing is Grand Theft Auto 3, and this is the first time I have ever seen it in motion. The experience waiting for me catches me completely off guard. Continue reading Gaming in the Age of Information Overload

The Kanto Region of Pokemon Red & Blue Done in Minecraft

Happy Saturday to you, Gamersushi visitors. As we unwind from the week, I thought I would dip back into the endless font of insane Minecraft videos and bring you something completely different. While we’ve seen some intense stuff, never before have I witnessed dedication on this level. Some poor, lonely soul has taken it upon himself to recreate the Kanto region of Pokemon Red & Blue in Minecraft and he did a really excellent job. For those of us whose younger years were formed by a Pokemon addiction, this video may bring back misty-eyed memories of that once simple pastime. Take a look:

It’s amazing what this little indie runaway has inspired people to do. This is a perfect facsimile of the levels from Pokemon, complete with a Power Plant hiding a certain Legendary bird inside. Pretty nuts, if you ask me. Anyone else impressed by this recreation?

L.A. Noire Trailer Brings the In-Game Drama

Rockstar’s 2nd most secretive project after Agent is L.A. Noire, which is due in Spring 2011 for the 360 and PS3. And just in time, we finally get some in-game footage in this new trailer of the detective thriller. In case you forgot (and who could blame you) players will work to solve a series of murders. Judging from the dramatic trailer which reminds me of a movie trailer with all the one-liners designed to make you wonder what the hell is happening, the game will be heavy on the dramatic flair. The facial animations are pretty impressive, I must say, although a few are in the valley dubbed Uncanny.

Well, there you have it. What do you think? Is this on your radar? Rockstar has let this game go largely unnoticed, but I have a feeling the hype machine is about to ramp up. Are you interested?

GameStop’s November Trade-In Deals: Assassins Creed: Brotherhood and Call of Duty: Black Ops

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Multiplayer

Whenever we’re feeling magnanimous or simply not lazy, we like to try and keep you guys posted about gaming deals that can help you save a buck or two. Especially during the fall downpour, it’s nice to be able to get as many games for as little money as possible.

Right now, GameStop has a few special trade-in offers towards upcoming titles Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (November 16) and Call of Duty: Black Ops (November 9). They also have some ongoing deals that extend to Kinect as well as Donkey Kong Country Returns. Check them out, unless your name is Scrooge McDuck and have money spraying from your ears and have no need of these kinds of things. In which case, I hate you. Not really.

Here are the GameStop trade-in offers for November 2010. Continue reading GameStop’s November Trade-In Deals: Assassins Creed: Brotherhood and Call of Duty: Black Ops