Category: XBox 360

Dragon Age 2 and Sequel Changes

Dragon Age 2

Hark and rejoice (and other fun things) friends, for Dragon Age 2 has been bestowed upon our collective brows, adorning us with epic RPG action and signature Bioware storytelling know-how. That last bit was an unintentional rhyme, but I don’t feel like editing the sentence. It seems you’re stuck with my accidental poetry.

Anyway, Dragon Age 2 is out, and I happily plunged into it last night for a couple of hours. After more than half an hour of fiddling with some ridiculous online EA garbage to redeem my preorder bonuses (which didn’t work), I was finally able to play the game proper. I was admittedly nervous about this game after the review embargo lifted yesterday, because so far everyone seems to have it pegged at about the same scores the first game received. Not that that’s a bad thing, exactly. I loved the first game, it’s just that I was hoping for a Mass Effect 2 style improvement.

It seems that the biggest complaints being leveled (get it?) against Dragon Age 2 would be that in terms of its story, it replaced the grand, sweeping 60 hour tale of the first game with a more local, small scale story that only spans about 20-30 hours. Instead of Ferelden-hopping and dealing with a massive conflict, the game focuses on one city and the political events inside of it. Other complaints about the game deal with its inventory system, which, while benefiting from a good old-fashioned streamline, makes almost all loot generic. And we all know we love us some RPG loot, yes? Continue reading Dragon Age 2 and Sequel Changes

Gaming Pop Quiz: Spring 2011 Edition

Where is 2011 going? It’s already a week into March, and I feel like time for playing games is just slipping through my fingers. I was going to see if I could make a joke about pixels and grains of sand in there, but it kind of fell through last second. Don’t judge me.

As we have no doubt beaten the issue beyond death by now, you probably already know that 2011 is the year of the gaming assault. Already we’ve had some stellar titles, and we’ve barely even scratched the surface. Nearly every single month for the rest of the year is going to have some kind of landmark release (or several), and for March that title is Dragon Age 2. Naturally, we thought it was time to check in with another edition of the Gaming Pop Quiz. You know, because of the dragons and all.

As always with our getting-to-know-you type games, feel free to answer with as much or as little as you like. Answer to the best of your ability. Go! Continue reading Gaming Pop Quiz: Spring 2011 Edition

Poll: Which HD Remake Excites You Most?

In case you’ve been holding your fingers in your ears every time we hit the topic on the podcast, you should know that I love Beyond Good and Evil. This past Wednesday the classic (although not commercially successful) title hit XBox Live Arcade, gracing player’s screens with re-done assets and a slick HD resolution.

As someone who’s had a soft spot for this game for years, I can say that it’s an excellent recreation of a game not many got to play the first time around, and so far I’m getting into it just as much as I did back then. The thing is, that’s not the only HD remake we’ve got on the horizon. We’ve discussed this before, but there’s also the Splinter Cell games coming, the Team Ico collection and Halo CE HD.

I thought I’d create a poll to find out which of these HD games you want to play most. Because I’m generous like that. Go!

Which HD remake excites you most?

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GamerSushi Asks: Best Looking Games Ever?

TF2 Pyro

I’ve never been one to call myself a graphics whore. In fact, over the years, I’ve taken quite a few shots at those friends of mine that I knew only cared about graphics. Oddly enough, the two types of people that seem to really love graphics fall on opposite ends of the spectrum, ranging from hardcore PC gamers that love their real time benchmark demos to frat boys who can not get over how good a game looks, bra.

However, even my elitist mind can get knocked down a few pegs when I see something truly stunning, something that makes my jaw drop until drool leaks out, and I’m left mumbling incoherently while watching awe-inspiring visuals. Over the years, games that have really stood out to me in terms of graphics have been Mass Effect 2, Uncharted 2, Red Dead Redemption, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Crysis. In terms of design, I’d have to say Shadow of the Colossus and any number of the Zelda games.

It seems that CVG has put together a list of what they consider to be the 9 best looking games of all time. That’s a fairly lofty claim, although I don’t know if any of you will be surprised by their list, save for one or two entries. I really do like that they included Team Fortress 2 and Limbo on the list though, because those two games have such unique looks that make them both iconic.

So what do you guys think? What games left you stunned visually when they came out, and what games do you think still rank among the best looking games of all time? Go!

Source – CVG

Hydro Thunder Hurricane Review

HTH RaceHYDROOO THUNDERR!! That hyper-loud voice should be familiar with anyone who was a fan of the original Hydro Thunder game, part of Midway’s series of “Thunder” racing games. Well after 10 years from its first release, the sequel is out from a company called Vector Unit who brings back the insane boat racing action in the form of Hydro Thunder Hurricane. The game is available on Xbox Live Arcade for 1200 Microsoft Points and the thrills of the adrenaline packed racing series with crazy transforming boats comes back with a new look. But can it hold up to its predecessor? Hit the jump to read the rest of the review. Continue reading Hydro Thunder Hurricane Review

Battlefield 3 Shakes It Up With The Fault Line Series

When I posted the Battlefield 3 Gameplay teaser last week, I had a pretty decent understanding that a much longer, more involved trailer was going to follow shortly thereafter. The fact of the matter is I’m really digging Battlefield 3, so I apologize for “double dipping”, as it were. That said, I think you’re going to enjoy this trailer (Part 1 of the Fault Line Series) which goes a bit more in-depth with the short snippets we saw last week.

I’d file that under “do want” for sure. Since this is Part 1 of an ongoing series, you can bet that I’ll be posting the remainder as they come. I’m certain that we won’t be disappointed.

The GamerSushi Show, Ep 21: Drunk Cast

Urgh. This is the episode of the podcast where we decided to play a drinking game in honor of our 21st birthday together, so to speak. The results are either brilliant or completely inaudible. For real. You may excuse yourself from this if you don’t want to hear us all embarrass ourselves. Especially me.

Along with the drinking game we play (shots every fifteen minutes plus drinks for podcast memes), we also chat about Skyrim, marrying video games, Battlefield 3, Bulletstorm, goats and donkeys, the Dragon Age 2 demo and difficulty in games. Nick also takes time away from slamming beer and whiskey to deliver a brand new game of grades. The results are not very pretty, but probably hilarious to listen to.

So yeah. Hopefully you don’t hate us after this.

Alright, warnings aside, here’s the podcast. Listen. Rate. Enjoy.

Continue reading The GamerSushi Show, Ep 21: Drunk Cast

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Review: Bulletstorm

bulletstorm review

While some may say that the age of the “silent protagonist” in video games is over, there are a few times where I wish that we could return to the days of yore, where our controlled hero just got on with the job and didn’t have a smart-ass remark for everything. Bulletstorm is one of those times. Everyone in this game suffers from a severe form of tourettes crossed with verbal diarrhea. The story in your game doesn’t have to be amazing to please me, but at least make it so I don’t want to jam a power drill through my skull every time I have to listen to one of the characters wax philosophic about dicks.

For a little history, Bulletstorm is a First-Person-Shooter collaboration between Epic Games and People Can Fly where the object of the game is to kill enemies in creative ways to rack up Skillshots. Taking advantage of the Unreal 3 engine, and going out of its way to distance itself from every other FPS on the market, Bulletstorm hopes to carve out a niche with its unique take on FPS mechanics. How well does it fare in that regard?
Continue reading Review: Bulletstorm

GamerSushi Asks: Sound Off!

Skyrim

At GamerSushi we do our best to scour the Webz for the things that we think you guys would like to talk about. Over the years, we feel like we’ve gathered a decent taste for everyone’s interests (Valve). When we can’t locate anything worthwhile, we try to pull from the issues we ourselves face in the games we play. Typically, this means we select all of the topics and put them up for your perusal.

Tonight, I wanted to try something different. I thought I’d ask what you guys want to talk about. Since we don’t have a forum proper (and plan on keeping things that way), you guys don’t always get to sound off on what you’ve been thinking about from a gaming perspective. Heaven knows that between all of the trailers (such as Skyrim or Dead Island) and new releases over the last few weeks, there’s certainly a lot to discuss.

So, have at it. What have you guys been thinking about in terms of games? Thoughts on the industry or things you’re playing? We’ll see how deep this rabbit hole goes. Go!

The GamerSushi Show, Ep 20: Hype Machines

Welcome to Episode 20 of the podcast, this time with bigger explosions, more sadness and lots of terrible burns. Mitch is absent for part of this cast, although Jeff is back. But worry not, for the fellowship will be re-united tonight when we record Episode 21 of the podcast, complete with drinking games.

In this podcast, we tackle a number of gaming issues, including the ridiculously good Dead Island trailer (and all they have to live up to), replaying classic video games and ten year console cycles. Nick also hits us with a mathematically stimulating game of percentages which has us battle about Marvel Vs Capcom 3, Video Games at the Smithsonian, and Bungie’s Space MMO. We also chat about Mega Ran’s Black Materia, the FFVII hip hop tribute which is seriously incredible stuff. I may post about it separately later, but for real, check it out if you love either hip hop or the FFVII soundtrack.

So, without further ado, here’s the podcast. Listen. Rate. Enjoy.

Continue reading The GamerSushi Show, Ep 20: Hype Machines

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Epic Games Talks Gears of War 3 Beta and Release Date

gears of war 3 beta details and release date

At an Xbox 360 press event today, Epic Games revealed a bit more about Gears of War 3, including the upcoming Beta and some additional details on the game’s September 20 release. VG247 has a really good interview with Gears’ art director Chris Perna about the new look for Marcus and friends, the environments, and the recently unveiled cover art for Gears of War 3.

As Gears of War 3 is the end chapter for the current trilogy, the characters are being redesigned to display the wear and tear of the fifteen year war against the Locust, the main enemy of the game. The armor is a worn down, the weapons are ragged and filthy, and the characters faces are tired and grubby. Gears of War 3 will retain the same predominantly brown look endemic to the series, but the levels are going to be a bit more varied this time around as opposed to the city and cavern based backdrops of the first two games.

It’s not just the protagonists that are getting a make-over for Gears 3, but the Locust as well. As Gears of War 2 saw the destruction of the Locust capital city (spoilers), the former alien conquerors are eking out an existence much like the human population of Sera, the planet Gears of War is set on. The Locust are beaten and broken, living in the wasteland and bearing a superficial resemblance to the Sand People of Star Wars (a comparison drawn by Chris Perna). The Lambent, the new enemy that are the bane of humans and Locust alike, are a bit more extraterrestrial in their origin; they’re very different from the Locust, who are more or less humanoid in their appearance. Chris Perna once again makes a reference to sci-fi pop culture by saying the Lambent are more inspired by H.R. Giger’s Alien designs than Conan the Barbarian, which served as the original inspiration for the Locust.

There’s not much more detail about Gears 3 gameplay or story wise that we didn’t already know about, but a bit more information was dropped about the Beta. Hit the jump to see how to get in, and what rewards you get for playing it. Continue reading Epic Games Talks Gears of War 3 Beta and Release Date

Skyrim Official Gameplay Trailer Released

I don’t know about you guys but Skyrim has me excited. As some people around here anticipate some of the upcoming titles like Battlefield 3 you may notice some of us even talking about PC upgrades already, 8 months before the titles are set for release. Skyrim now has its official trailer released with in game footage. You can find the video embedded below or check it out at The Elder Scrolls website.

Wow. All I can think about is everything I see in there that has been talked about by the developers. From the stunning new graphics and world to the death moves and dynamic new gameplay. The trailer shows off enough for me to already be impressed with the look and feel of the game.

So after seeing the official trailer for the game, are any of you more stoked about Skyrim? With a taste of the gameplay are you planning on console or PC?

Source – The Elder Scrolls Official Site

Battlefield 3 Gameplay Trailer Looks Oh So Good

Without a doubt, 2011 is going to be a crazy year. If you’ve been hanging around this site long enough, you’ll know that we hit on certain beats over and over again, so the over-the-top gaming goodness of this year is something you’ll hear us bring up a few more times. Speaking of over-the-top, a new trailer for Battlefield 3 dropped today featuring some in game footage, and needless to say, it did a Strike at Karkand…in my pants. This is not pre-rendered, folks, this is all running on the Frostbite 2 engine (on a crazy rig, probably) and it’s amazing.

It really sucks that I’m going to have to upgrade my PC to Windows 7 to play this (I’ve been running XP since it came out), but it just might be worth it. I’ve already put down my hard-earned monies on the pre-order to get the Back to Karkand expansion for free. What about you guys? Down for some Battlefield 3? What system are you getting it on?

GamerSushi Asks: What Are You Playing?

Dragon Age 2

You thought you had a break, didn’t you? In your naivete, you thought that maybe, just maybe, there was going to be a brief lull for you to catch up on all of your games, before all of the big releases of 2011 rained down on us like manna from heaven. Sadly, you’re mistaken. You see, time has this way of sneaking past you – yes, it’s already almost March.

Between Dead Space 2, the Dragon Age 2 demo, the release of Bulletstorm, Killzone 3 and Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, we gamers have our plates more than full. Sadly (or joyfully, depending on how you look at it), it’s only going to get crazier from here on out.

In terms of what I’m playing, I’ve been splitting my time between a small bit of Dead Space 2 (yes, I screamed like a girl), Little Big Planet 2 and my first ever playthrough of Final Fantasy VI Advance. I also tried my hand at the Dragon Age 2 demo today, and I have to say that I’m already in love with how they’ve revamped the combat. It feels slightly more hack-n-slash without losing that DA:O flavor that I loved. The art style is very nice in motion as well, so hopefully that will alleviate some concerns in that department. I’m not sure just yet how I feel about the conversation system, which has a little less moral gray than I would like, but I suppose I’ll have to wait and see how it pans out.

Needless to say, I’ve been infected with the Dragon Age flavor all over again and can’t wait for March 8th to get here. So what about you guys? What are you playing? Did any of you try out the demo? Go!

Rumor: Bungie’s Next Game is “Destiny”, a Sci-Fi MMO

Bungie Destiny

The rumor mill gets cranking once again about Bungie’s next game, which is certainly shaping up as very “MMO-like”. After Bungie writer Joseph Staten made a few cryptic comments about the nature of Bungie’s upcoming title at GDC Online, Kotaku comes along with an anonymous source who alleges that the Halo-creating studio is cooking up a sci-fi MMO for Activision codenamed “Destiny” or “Tiger”.

The unnamed ex-employee, who claims to have been laid off from Bungie at the behest of Activision along with 30 other workers (an allegation which Bungie quickly debunked), said that “Destiny” will be “WoW in space”, and will have “unique online connectivity and matchmaking technology”. This game is apparently a whole different type of enchilada as it runs on a new engine and doesn’t appear to be linked to previous Bungie intellectual properties in any way.

Seeing how all the rumors are stacking up, and given that Bungie protested just the layoff claim and not the MMO, it seems to me that the signs are pointing very specifically in one direction. What do you guys think about this whole to-do? Is Bungie actually working on a sci-fi MMO, or is this just some random troll out blowing smoke? What do you think Bungie’s next game is? Go!

Source – Kotaku, Bungie.net

The GamerSushi Show, Ep 19: Axed

We have to be setting some kind of record for ourselves now with multiple weeks of podcasting in a row. Why someone hasn’t given us an achievement or a multiplier score for these consecutive releases is still a puzzle to me, but that’s another strike against life in the ongoing debate of life vs. video games. You hear that, life? Get your act together.

Episode 19 of the podcast is yet another one without our kindly old Web master Jeff James, and I think the podcast shines because of it. OK, not really, that was kind of mean. Anyway, this podcast had a number of technical issues which I doubt you’ll notice thanks to Nick’s editing, but it’s just another symptom of trying to do a podcast with people that live all over the continental U.S. and beyond.

While there wasn’t much actual news for us to dive into, we still covered a healthy array of topics, including video game soundtracks, Dead Space 2’s hardcore mode, Mass Effect 3’s new composer, Magicka and more. Nick also drops in with a game of Either/Or that produces some humorous conversation. Go Beard!

Anyway, check out the podcast. Listen. Rate. Enjoy. We all know how this goes. Continue reading The GamerSushi Show, Ep 19: Axed

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Dead Island Resurfaces With the Best Trailer Ever

As a group, we gamers are prone to hyperbole. Games are either the best thing ever, or they totally suck. We either have our minds blown or relegate the offender to the bargain bin of history. I’m adding this little forward because, as much as the title of this post might seem like exaggeration, the new announcement trailer for Dead Island has left me breathless. Yes, it’s another zombie game, but screw that. Take a look at the trailer, and try to see if you can keep your head from exploding.

This game has been off the radar for a number of years, but the basic premise is that you’re a guy trapped on a tropical island surrounded by zombies. The game makes big use of localized damage, which means that zombies won’t get hacked apart a la Dead Rising; rather, you’ll have to specifically aim your blows to get decapitations and head-shots. Now that the game is back amongst the living, I can say I’m officially hyped. What say you?

Get Defiant With Halo: Reach’s New Map Pack

It looks like we’re not done with Halo: Reach yet, as 343 Industries just dropped a trailer for the new multiplayer map pack, dubbed the “Defiant Map Pack”. Just like the Noble Map Pack, Defiant features three brand new multiplayer arenas, one specifically built for the Firefight gameplay mode, making this the first ever Firefight DLC. If you thought the Noble pack had some good looking maps, prepare to be amazed as one of the arenas features a Covenant carrier actually glassing the background as you play.

There’s no firm release date for Defiant yet, but the trailer does specify March 2011 as the intended target. What do you guys think of the new maps? Any thoughts on this announcement coming from 343 Industries and not Bungie?

Why Your Multiplayer Needs Soul

There are those certain types of games out there, the ones that have you discussing for days or weeks on end how you totally stomped your opponents, or some random happenstance that blew your mind. These are the games that get you back together with your friends on a nightly basis to trade blows and throw grenades, striving to be the best, to get the next unlock, or just compete for bragging rights.

Just by imagining these scenarios, you probably conjured up a list of your favorite experiences and the games they were connected to. Whether its the exact right combination of tight mechanics and engaging gameplay, or just the fact that you can destroy your environments in real time with your friends, there are multiplayer experiences out there that stick with us through different consoles and generations. Conversely, there are certain ones that, no matter how much they try to emulate the successful models, just can’t achieve that level of notoriety. This is a sort of nebulous aspect about multiplayer games, a “soul” for lack of a better term. Which games have it, and which games don’t?
Continue reading Why Your Multiplayer Needs Soul

GamerSushi Asks: Early Reviews?

Dragon Age 2

Waiting on reviews for an anticipated video game release is like nothing else. I find myself anxiously checking news sites, ready to hear if the hype has been worth it. This typically comes to fruition about a week before release, and then suddenly the floodgates (or media embargoes, if you will) lift and I can learn what the consensus is.

As you well know, one of the big releases of the Spring comes next month in the form of Dragon Age 2, and it seems that someone has already reviewed a copy of it. That’s right, PC Gamer’s got a Dragon Age 2 review in its next issue. While we don’t know what it scored yet, we do know that it has received the “Editor’s Choice” label, which I suppose is kind of like our S. For what it’s worth, PC Gamer’s Shogun 2 review receives the same thing, and that’s a game I’ve never heard mention of. The good news, however, is that PC Gamer calls Dragon Age 2 “darkier, sexier, better.” Continue reading GamerSushi Asks: Early Reviews?