Category: Shooter

Splinter Cell: Conviction’s Co-Op Trailer is Sneaky

The way I see it, one of the finest co-op campaigns in gaming is the one from Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory where you play as two Third Echelon ninjas assisting franchise protagonist Sam Fisher in an alternate look at the story line. Conviction, the newest game in Ubisoft’s stealth action series, is going to feature a different take on the co-op mode that was presented in Chaos Theory. Whereas the campaign in CT ran parallel to the main story, this time around it serves as a prequel to the plot, probably giving us an explanation as to what has been going on in the Splinter Cell universe before the beginning of Conviction. Take a look:

How do you guys feel about it? Are you down for some co-op stealth shenanigans when the game drops in February?

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days Trailer Blows My Mind

I never played the original Kane & Lynch, so I can’t really comment on its quality (or lack thereof). One thing I do know, though, is that the trailer for the second game is amazing. I realize that it has no game play and it’s more than 99% likely that this is not in-engine, but you know what? I don’t really care.

I’m not sure why, but I love this trailer. My advice to IO is that they should just make this a movie. What do you guys think? Interested, or were you burned by the first game? Perhaps you’re getting sick of the number two in your titles? Oh, the video also contains some bad language, so exercise discretion if you’re into that sort of thing.

Dead Space 2 Confirmed!

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When your magazine is owned by one of the largest video game retailers on the continent it naturally means that you’re going to have a bunch of exclusive info crop up in your publication. Game Informer has, over the last year, dropped a lot tantalizing data on the games we want and the January issue is going to be no different.

Though it may come as a bit of a surprise, given that the original didn’t sell nearly as well as EA hoped, Dead Space is getting a sequel and there’s going to be quite a few changes in store for everyone’s favorite space-zombie killing mute. First off all, Isaac is able to talk in the sequel, so perhaps he’ll start telling off all the people who insist he repair a toilet on the other side of a necromorph-infested space station. Other changes include the ability to float while in zero-g and fire your weapons as well. The game is going to take place on a space station called “Sprawl”, which is apparently going to be much larger than the Ishimura was in the first game.

Perhaps the biggest shake-up is the inclusion of multiplayer this time around. No one knows what it consists of at this point, but a lone man surviving against waves of player-controlled necromorphs would be pretty banging. Team Death Match and CTF game types are probably a safe bet, but we’ll have to wait for the January issue of Game Informer to get all the details.

What do you guys think of Dead Space getting a sequel? Are you excited that EA is giving the franchise another try? How do you feel about multiplayer and what do you expect from this second go-around?

Source: Kotaku

Mass Effect 2 Features the Dreaded Disc Swap

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We all know Mass Effect 2 is going to be, ahem, massive, but just how gargantuan is the upcoming sci-fi epic? Chris Priestly, community coordinator at BioWare, mentioned on the game’s official forums that Mass Effect 2 is going to be a two-disc game, three if you’re picking up the collector’s edition.

PC owners get the benefit of only using two discs for install, but 360 players will have to experience the awful exchange mid-game. It’s not going to be so bad though, as Priestly went on to break down just how the two-disc system is going to play out:

“Even though there is a disc swap, it occurs at a carefully planned place in the game (that does not interfere with gameplay) and is done once,” Priestly wrote on the Mass Effect 2 forums. “You do not swap back and forth. 1 swap and then done.”

Well, that’s a relief. I honestly don’t mind swapping discs, but it has been a while since I’ve needed to do that. The way I figure it, the more discs you use, the less time you spend in elevators. How do you guys feel? Is this a big deal for you, or not so much? Are you excited by the prospect of the sequel being so immense that it requires more than one disc?

Source: Kotaku

EA Announces New Medal of Honor

The game announcements for Spike’s Video Game Awards keep piling up this year as Halo: REACH, TRON, and Star Wars have all dropped teaser trailers on us. This new one comes from the Medal of Honor series which is getting a complete reboot, taking the franchise out of World War II and setting it in modern conflict in Afghanistan. Little is known about the game so far except that the multiplayer is being crafted by Battlefield creators DICE and the character designs may or may not feature giant beards. Check out the teaser below.

How do you guys feel about this? Is it too little too late for Medal of Honor? Are any of you actually going to tune in to the VGAs this year, or just wait until all the trailers are put up on YouTube?

Mass Effect 2 Roster Expands With An Old Friend

Today is Thanksgiving down in the USA, a holiday where we all take the time to reflect on things we’re grateful for by shoving our faces full of flightless fowl and pumpkin pie. Of course, me being Canadian, today is just a regular day (besides the fact that I’m home sick), but that doesn’t mean I can’t be appreciative. One thing I’m thankful for is that it’s only two short months until Mass Effect 2 comes out and officially kills my social life. Seriously, this game is still looking quite good, and the “Empire Strikes Back” feel BioWare is striving for has really gotten my motor running. In this new video for the upcoming sci-fi RPG, we’re re-introduced to Tali, the soft-spoken quarian crew member from the first game. It looks like there’s some political unrest among the nomadic race, and Commander Shepard’s right in the middle of it.

So, what’s your opinion on Mass Effect 2 so far? Is it going to be a sure-fire purchase for 2010, or are there other games that are vying for your attention? Just for fun, what game-related stuff were you most thankful for in 2009? Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it!

Posthumous Mercenaries Video Becomes Real Game

When Pandemic Studios closed a while back, some information accompanied the closure regarding the future of Pandemic’s intellectual properties, including the open-world destruct-a-thon Mercenaries. The official press release stated that these brands would live on under EA, and it looks like they’re making good on their promise. A video leaked this morning of some gameplay for Mercenaries. Inc, a “multi-player sandbox title” that had apparently been in development for some time. This video is a couple months old, mind you, but it shows classic Mercenaries action, just with a multi-player twist.

The game was announced officially in the wake of the video via Pandemic’s official forum. How does it look to you guys? Admittedly the last Mercenaries game wasn’t that great, but it did shine in co-op. If they could just remove that damn tether, I still have enough good will left for this series to give it a go.

Review: Left 4 Dead 2

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Many people joke about something called “Valve Time”, an imperceptible chronological measurement visible only to the revered developers themselves. Games of all sorts, even episodic content, seem to take forever to be released, but they are always of the highest quality. The original Left 4 Dead was also subject to the whims of Valve’s crazed machinations; it suffered delay after delay before finally being released to a heap of praise. Now, after only a year, the beloved zombie-killing co-op extravaganza has gotten a sequel. With such a short turn-around time between the original, is a year enough time for Valve to work their magic?
Continue reading Review: Left 4 Dead 2

Review: Borderlands

borderlandsShooter fans have been used to a very ridged structure in their games so far: you progress through levels, you shoot stuff, you move on. Sometimes you pick up different guns, but mostly it’s an aesthetic change than an actual improvement on your previous weapon, barring the rifle-bazooka trade-up.

What first person shooters haven’t had is the in-depth levelling and obsessive-compulsive stat manipulation of traditional RPGs. Enter Borderlands, a first person role-playing shooter from Gearbox, best known for the PC port of Halo and the Brothers in Arms series. Set upon the dismal dust-ball of Pandora, Borderlands has the player choose one of four classes (Solider, Hunter, Tank or Siren) and starts them off on an adventure to find and open a mythical Vault full of alien weaponry.
Continue reading Review: Borderlands

Review: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

uncharted2-among-thievesUnless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last few months, you know that Uncharted 2 is the Playstation 3’s big great piece of hype, lying in wait to strike at just the right moment this holiday season. You also might know that the game is the object of a ridiculous amount of affection as gamers and reviewers alike swoon over its pixelated action. So, how does the game actually stack up? Let’s find out.
Continue reading Review: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Rumor: Modern Warfare 2 With a Third-Person Perspective?

Okay, I am thoroughly confused by this one. I’m a big supporter of the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” game design method, so I’m a little puzzled as to why Infinity Ward thought that their upcoming blockbuster needed a third-person multi-player mode. The following video was taken off a live stream of someone in France (the big source for all leaks, apparently) showing off the supposed alternate view point for Modern Warfare 2. It certainly looks legit, but I’d wait until an official comment comes from Infinity Ward before going too crazy. I mean, those poor guys have enough problems as it is.

The video is of questionable quality, which is a natural consequence of recording off a live stream. It shows the action well enough, and it does look like MW2. The third-person modes in question appear to be Team Death Match and Cage Match, so I wouldn’t expect to see this camera option appear in the campaign or SpecOps. What do you guys think? True or fake, and is this a weird move for the series?

Edit: So, it looks like this is true. Infinity Ward’s Robert Bowling confirmed the existence of a couple third-person playlists, citing it as “another way to play”.

Source: Destructoid

Putting the Controller Down

uncharted2-ps3Woah. So Uncharted 2 is one incredible game. If you have been on the fence about getting a Playstation 3 (or a PS triple, as some would say), you no longer have any excuses. Go out and get this game right now. I’m being serious. There will be punches if you ignore me on this.

Now that that’s out of the way, on to what I was really trying to say. This morning I finally finished this fantastic game, and I found myself sad to see it over. Most of the time when I beat a game, I usually find myself excited about my accomplishment, being able to move on to something else. It’s only with movies and books that I get sad during an ending. Which really says a lot to me about the quality of Uncharted 2’s storytelling. In fact, I was so engrossed throughout the whole game that it was often hard to put the controller down. On nights that I needed to go to bed earlier, I would purposely avoid the game because I knew once it was one, it was go time.

Honestly, I can’t really remember the last time that a game struck me with that same sense of “holy crap I can’t put this down”. For a single player game, it’s certainly been awhile. What about you guys? When was the last time you suffered from “can’t put the controller down” syndrome?

Leaked Left 4 Dead 2 Trailer Hits the Internet

Valve has bad luck with leaked videos, don’t they? First Meet the Spy got leaked, and now the opening cinematic for Left 4 Dead 2 has been snuck onto the internet via some digital skulduggery. Like the original opening movie for Left 4 Dead, it introduces the player to a whole bunch of game mechanics (what the new infected do, melee weapons, that type of stuff), while wrapping it all in an entertainingly gruesome package. Take a gander:

Not looking so much like a simple expansion now, am I right? I’m greatly anticipating ripping into some zombies with a chainsaw myself, but what about you guys?

The Writing’s on the Wall: Splinter Cell in Action

Looks like Sam Fisher’s been taking a few lessons at the Batman School of Stealth, if this new video show-casing the upcoming Splinter Cell: Conviction is any indication. This new Splinter Cell seems a lot more focused on “blitzkrieg” style attacks, relying on brute force exercised with precision and speed rather than a considered approach.

It’s different from the Splinter Cell we know and love, certainly, but that’s not always a bad thing. I’m still looking forward to executing some punks Punisher-style when the game drops in February of next year, but I’m concerned that games like this may be sliding more towards an extended Quick Time Event than any semblance of actual freedom. Maybe I’m just paranoid.

But, as always, we want to know what you think! Does this new Splinter Cell seem like something that you’d want to pick up, or do the differences from past versions make you turn up your nose?

GamerSushi Asks: What Are You Playing?

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Happy Turkey Day to my fellow Canucks, and um, happy Columbus Day to my friends in the States. Seeing as how this is a nice long weekend, perfect for unwinding from the stresses of our daily lives, I thought it would be pertinent to do our monthly checkup on your gaming habits.

Personally, I had a nice zombie-themed day yesterday with a few of my friends, and just zoned out on Nazi Zombies and Left 4 Dead. To cap it all off, we checked out Zombieland, which gets two hearty thumbs up from me. Check it out if you like laughter…or gore.

Besides zombies, I picked up Operation: Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, and so far it’s really engaging. It’s a lot more “realistic” than, say, Call of Duty, which makes it perfect for my mood right now. I’ve only played an hour or so, and it’s got my hungry for more.

What about you guys, though? I know Uncharted 2 and BrĂĽtal Legend don’t come out until Tuesday (who was the genius that came up with releasing these games after a long weekend?), but I’m planning on picking them up anyways, following up with some Borderlands. Are you planning on getting any of these titles, and what’s in your box, station, or PC right now? Answer, or we shall make you play Wii shovel-ware from now until the release of the 2012 movie, which we will force you to watch. It will be torture unending.

All Points Bulletin Trailer Hits the Streets

Have you been wondering what Crackdown developer Realtime Worlds has been doing since 2007 when their game launched? Well, wonder no more as you absorb the awesome trailer for All Points Bulletin (APB), a free-to-play MMO. It looks a lot like GTA IV multi-player, and as long as they can get it to be a lot more stable than that I think we’ve got a hit on our hands.

In APB, you can join one of two sides, the Enforcers or the Criminals. Once you’ve chosen your side, you can fully customize your own gang and roam around the city with friends hitting fools with you car. The shooting looks pretty tight as well, and I’m very intrigued by the option to recreate the look of the Beastie Boys out of their “Sabotage” video and rip around the streets.

APB is set to debut on both the PC and the 360 in March 2010. Given that Crackdown was a huge sleeper hit, I think that there’s going to be a large player base when this game comes out. Who’s going to be giving APB a try, and on what platform?

PAX 2009 Report

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My brother, Evan, lives in the Seattle area, so of course he attended PAX. Nick, Eddy and I might have gone, except we were busily working on a Smooth Few Films mystery project. Maybe next year? Anyways, enjoy his extremely detailed report on the con! He only had to fight off a bit of the flu to bring it our way.

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I think I understand what a journalist must feel like at times: There was so much going on that I just want the chance to tell people about it all, because you could go through the entire show for all three days and still not run out of things to see.
Continue reading PAX 2009 Report

Microsoft Charging for New Left 4 Dead Content

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Poor Valve, they just can’t seem to catch a break. Hot on the heels of the Left 4 Dead 2 boycott debacle and the newly brewing Team Fortress 2 item-deletion snafu comes the news that the new Left 4 Dead campaign, Crash Course, is going to be free for PC users, but will cost 560 Microsoft Banana Bucks for 360 users.

Is Valve heading for another ill-deserved boycott? Maybe not, says Left 4 Dead writer Chet Faliszek. According to Chet, the decision to charge for the X-Box 360 mission lies solely with Microsoft. As Mr. Faliszek tells it, Steam is Valve’s distribution platform, so they can charge whatever they want, even give stuff away for free. Microsoft of course owns LIVE, so pricing for downloadable content there is a whole different ball game.
Continue reading Microsoft Charging for New Left 4 Dead Content

Dead Space: Extraction Developer Diary Brings the Fear

One game that seems to be slipping under everyone’s radar this holiday season is Dead Space: Extraction, an on-rails prequel to last year’s surprise hit. Visceral Games is making every effort to ensure that their Wii based outing is set to match up with the chills and thrills that players felt when they explored the USG Ishimura as Isaac Clarke.

On-rail shooters definitely play to the Wii’s strengths, and the transfer from the 360 and PS3 doesn’t seem to have affected the awesome atmosphere of the derelict ship we all know and fear. Check it out:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abpTSLh8YqA[/youtube]