Crackdown 2 Has 4 Player Co-Op And Awesomeness

crackdown2Crackdown is still one of my favorite games of this generation so far. The game played like an open world platformer, with sandbox elements and super powers to boot. I loved orb hunting, whooping up on gang members, and making my car do ridiculous jumps. The city really is your playground.

Luckily for dudes like me, Crackdown 2 is coming to the 360 next year. And not only that, but apparently it’s getting 4 player co-op! The co-op experience was a blast with just 2 players in the first game, so I really can’t imagine how fun it is going to be with that many super powered agents destroying the city together. I seriously can not wait for this game.

Who else is excited about this news? What other games would you like to see get this kind of upgrade?

Source- VG247

A Bloody History of Duke Nukem Forever

dnfIn case you hadn’t heard, the longest running gag in the video game industry, Duke Nukem Forever, finally had the nail put in its coffin in the last month or so. After a long, ridiculous history, the game that had been teased for nigh on 12 years by 3D Realms is now officially dead.

So, how exactly did we get to this point? And just why does it take 12 years to make a game that ultimately never gets released? Well, CVG has compiled the entire history of Duke Nukem Forever in one easy to read post, complete with some video documentation to make the ride more enjoyable.

I have to say, it’s fascinating to read about, and it makes me wonder just what the hell 3D Realms was even doing all that time. One other cool thing is that they do have a leaked video of Duke Nukem Forever gameplay on there as well. What do you guys think? Does it look like it could have been worth the wait?

Source- CVG

Bioshock 2 Multiplayer Interview

The dudes behind the upcoming sequel to Bioshock have been hard at work. Recently, they gave an interview about some of the features in BioShock 2 multiplayer, including gametypes and the variety of plasmids available to combatants. While I’m still not super stoked about multiplayer in a game that I feel doesn’t need it, some of the clips they’ve got here are pretty sweet. What do you guys think?

GamerSushi Asks: Guilty Pleasure Gaming

50centOk, that post title sounded much more dirty than I intended it to. Oh well. Anywho, every now and then there’s that game that comes along and surprises us with how fun it is. This isn’t exactly extraordinary, however, sometimes it’s a game that you might not be too particularly fond of admitting that you like.

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand has been that game for me this weekend. I know, I know, but hear me out. After a few weeks of hearing that this ridiculous game was actually kind of fun, I had to satisfy my curiosity and check it out, and lo and behold, it really is an enjoyable game. Ridiculous plot aside (50 Cent is hunting down Iraqi gangsters to find a diamond studded skull- yes, in Iraq- and yes, seriously), the game has some refreshing mechanics and plays like an arcade version of Gears of War. I was surprised by just how much I’ve been getting into it. I ended up playing it for about four hours yesterday.

So what about you guys? Have you ever had that guilty pleasure game that you weren’t too excited to come clean about to others? Go!

Team Fortress 2: Every Class is Different

While I hear that this hilarious video is based off of a Strong Bad e-mail, it doesn’t change the fact that this TF2 inspired Every Class is Different skit is awesome. Narrated by the spy, it’s a quick run down of all the Team Fortress 2 classes, and whether or not you’ve played the game, I think you’ll find something humorous. Good stuff, give it a watch.

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

Top 3 Hottest New Releases For June

proto1All my complaining about a sparse summer season for games has fallen by the wayside, as now I simply am struggling to keep up with it all. We just had Infamous drop and now here comes a few more potential blockbusters to soak up the summer hours:
Continue reading Top 3 Hottest New Releases For June

GamerSushi Asks: Favorite Game of E3?

e3As I’ve said before in other places, E3 really is the pinnacle of the gaming year. It’s a magical time where gamers get to find out what they can expect for the next year and a half or so, gaming-wise. We’re able to speculate, drool and generally get excited about all the things we love.

The week saw a lot of crazy things. There’s Project Natal from Microsoft which actually looks to show some promise despite my earlier misgivings about it. There’s also the Team Ninja Metroid and Final Fantasy XIV for the PS3. Halo: Reach was a pretty big announcement, as well. On top of that, we got to see some gameplay for things coming out soon, like Assassin’s Creed 2, Mass Effect 2 and Modern Warfare 2.

My favorite game of the show though was probably Uncharted 2 or Splinter Cell: Conviction. I wasn’t expecting much from the next Splinter Cell at all, but they’ve really overhauled the gameplay since the last time we saw the game, and for the better.

So what about you guys? What was the most impressive E3 thing you saw this week?

Modern Warfare 2 Interview

So far, Modern Warfare 2 is one of the more impressive titles I’ve seen at E3. The cliffhanger demo from the Microsoft presser was a joy to watch, particularly the snowmobile ride as well as the sneaking gameplay. Here’s a video interview with the community director at Infinity Ward, with some neat details about the gameplay as well as the story. Who else is even more pumped for this game after E3?

Miyamoto Announces New Zelda for Wii

evolution-of-linkNintendo had a pretty good showing at E3, but one thing was missing that irked some people: a new Zelda for the Wii. Well, irk no more, because 1UP has revealed that during a roundtable discussion, Shigeru Miyamoto unveiled plans for a new Legend of Zelda game for the Wii, due out in 2010. The reason it was not shown at E3 is the team wanted to focus on defining the concept of the new Zelda game rather than waste time on a demo.

1UP also reports that

During the discussion, Miyamoto briefly showed an image from the game featuring a mature Link barely visible through a broken wall. Although the picture only showed Link from behind, a short girl in a long robe stood in full view at Link’s back. Wearing a crystal necklace and emanating a blue aura, she gave off an otherworldly look

Joystiq adds, in their own report, that it could possibly be a Motion Plus exclusive, but that the details are not finalized.

Excited? Dismayed? It sounds like they are trying to make Zelda fresh again, which would be welcome news, especially after seeing the footage of the new Metroid game.

Source: 1UP

Source: Joystiq

Left 4 Dead 2 Boycott On Steam Forums

l4d2boycottAfter the surprising announcement of Left 4 Dead 2 for the 360 and PC a mere 7 months after the original game’s release, fans are up in arms. New Game Network is reporting that a boycott with a list of what is pissing people off has appeared on the forums over at Steam and there are already 2000 people onboard. What do you guys think about this? Joining the boycott or getting the game? Are these complaints valid?

List of complaints

Boycott

Source: New Game Network

Heavy Rain E3 Gameplay

Not a whole lot of people played Indigo Prophecy, the cinematic mystery thriller from Quantic Dream that turned out to be one of my favorite games of last generation. It played like a movie and a point and click adventure, with quick time events for the action-heavy segments. It was Myst, a noir film, and Dragon’s Lair all rolled into one.

Well, the next Quantic Dream game, Heavy Rain, looks even more impressive than that one. Coming for the PS3, the game has some incredible graphics, and really seems to have unique gameplay that we don’t always find. This E3 demonstration has some of the first glimpses we’ve seen, and I’m really intrigued now. I know not everyone will love the QTE action sequences, but personally, I’m ok playing those since it’s such a unique game. What do you guys think?

Left 4 Dead 2 E3 Gameplay

In a surprising move, Valve announced the sequel to last year’s much-loved zombie shoot-em-up Left 4 Dead. Even though not much time has passed, Left 4 Dead 2 will come out this November. To be honest, while I love the first game, I’m not really sure how I feel about this. Valve is usually the kind of company that supports their games with years of free content (see Team Fortress 2), so this seems like a weird move coming from them. Regardless, the gameplay looks fun as ever, even if it is the same kind of stuff.

Anywho, enjoy this clip of off-camera gameplay from E3. What do you guys think? Fair/foul of Valve?

Sony E3 Presentation Highlights

playstationAfter Microsoft’s Shock and Awe campaign yesterday, I think we were all anxious to see if Sony would even show up for their 2-hour presentation today. Here are the highlights:

  • Sony dude Jack Tretton opened with a joke about how nobody in the industry can keep secrets, a total reference to the leak of the PSP Go from the other day. I think it’s pretty classy that they can make fun of themselves like that.
  • 364 new games coming to Sony systems this year, 35 of which are exclusive. Considering the dearth of PS3 games for a while, this is welcome news.
  • Uncharted 2 Multiplayer beta goes live tonight. Single-player looks very impressive. Really seem to have meshed the shooting and platforming elements. Also, the graphics are incredible.
  • Gameplay footage of MAG. 256 players in one battle. For so many players, it looked kind of lonely. Would have liked to have seen more action.
  • Hannah Montana lilac colored PSP announcement for this Fall is met with cheers. I don’t know if that’s funny or scary.
  • PSP Go! announced officially. Will not replace UMD or other PSPs. 16MB of memory. Can download from PSN with built in Wi-Fi. 50% smaller and 40% lighter than original PSP. The price will be $249.99, available on 10/01/09. Too rich for my blood.
  • Gran Turismo for the PSP. Over 800 cars and 35 tracks. You can trade cars with your friends. Cool, but where is the PS3 version???
  • Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker for the PSP. Kojima announced it himself. Set in the Seventies, 10 years after MGS 3. Might show the origin of Outer Heaven. Looks like a full on MGS game, with the possibility of 4 player co-op in the form of Snake clones.
  • New Resident Evil for the PSP. Also, LittleBigPlanet, Monster Hunter, Motorstorm, Soul Caliber, Fat Princess, Guitar Hero and Star Wars: Battlefront.
  • Final Fantasy VII on PSN TODAY! Also, over 50 PS1 classics by the end of the year.
  • More content coming to Home. Meh.
  • Video of various games, including DC Universe Online, an MMO and also a PS3 exclusive.
  • Rockstar PS3 exclusive: Agent. Spies and assassins in the late 1970s. They claim this will have the same must-have value that GTA did. No footage shown.
  • Assassin’s Creed 2 footage. Looks pretty cool, might have solved the problems of the first game. Out before Christmas along with the PSP version. PS3 version will have 6 exclusive weapons.
  • More Final Fantasy XIII footage. Gorgeous, just like you would expect.
  • Final Fantasy 14 in 2010 for PS3 ONLY! It’s an online game! Awesome footage! This is the megaton announcement!
  • Motion control time: True 1:1 tracking. All of it was a tech demo, looks cool. Coming in 2010.
  • LittleBigPlanet is getting Disney themes. That is kinda awesome.
  • Mod Nation Racers announced. Part of the Play Create Share theme that Nintendo ripped off earlier. Drivers can be customized like in LittleBigPlanet. Think Mario Kart meets Sackboy. Custom tracks! That is pretty neat. Better than making Wario Ware games! The track builder seems easy to use as well, they built one on stage in just a few minutes.
  • The new Team Ico game is called The Last Guardian. The trailer from last week was indeed leaked, but it doesn’t change that this game looks incredible. Interestingly enough, the leaked footage is about a year old apparently, and this stuff looks way better.
  • God of War 3 will be the last game in the series, and it’s going to have some crazy brutal quick time kills. The ones on the centaur and the chimera are stinking insane. Creatures are going to get owned, for sure. The game drops March 2010.

Overall, a pretty solid showing with really no wtf moments to speak of. Not a whole lot of new stuff coming, but when you have this many exclusives coming over the next year, why do you need to drop a lot of new information?

What do you guys think? What’s the most exciting piece of Sony news?

Nintendo E3 Presser Highlights

nintendoHere are the big points of the big N’s press event today:

  • Looks like those reports of a new Mario Wii game were right. However, they shocked everyone with a new Super Mario Bros. game – with 4 player co-op! Plays a lot like LittleBigPlanet from the looks of it. It will also be out by X-Mas!
  • Wii Fit Plus is out in late 2009. Oh joy.
  • Wii Sports Resort uses the new Wii Motion Plus for enhanced movement – isn’t this what the Wii was supposed to do to begin with? However, the sky diving looks cool, also there will be basketball and archery.
  • Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 packaged with Wii Motion Plus. Neat.
  • Red Steel 2 also comes packaged with Motion Plus and can only be played with the peripheral. Gameplay looks pretty sweet, and love the new art style.
  • Square Enix announced Final Fantasy Crystal Bearers, a new open world RPG headed exclusively to the Wii. That’s what I’m talking about. The system sorely needs more RPG’s.
  • A new DS Mario and Luigi RPG called Bowser’s Inside Story is coming at the end of the year. Those games are fun, but they really need to change the formula.
  • Next, they teased everyone with a “legendary RPG announcement”. No, it’s not Zelda. Turns out it’s Golden Sun DS. Meh.
  • Cop, a new DS game from Ubisoft, looks like a rip-off of Chinatown Wars, only it might be even better.
  • Wario Ware DIY for the DS lets you design your own games. Could be cool, but due to Nintendo’s fear of the Internet, I can’t see this going anywhere.
  • Facebook is coming to the DSi. That’s two systems now. You can upload your pictures of yourself with a squished head!
  • Every presser is bound to have a wtf, and Nintendo unleashed one with the Wii Vitality Sensor. It’s a pulse reader that helps you relax? Seriously, they just showed a pic of Iwata in a recliner with his eyes closed and the thing on his finger. Wtf Nintendo. Games, please.
  • Super Mario Galaxy 2! This one’s got Yoshi in it apparently. I have to say, that’s a pretty cool announcement. Any new 3D mario game is a total bonus. No date given, though.
  • You know it’s bad when Reggie has to come out and say “I read the blogs, too”, and has to defend Nintendo’s hardcore-ism. After that, he showed off Sega’s Conduit, Dead Space: Extraction and Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles. Nothing too exciting here.
  • Oh snap. A new Metroid game dubbed Other M is being made by Team Ninja, the Ninja Gaiden dudes. It’s a mature game with awesome third person action and platforming elements. Coming in 2010, and holy crap it actually looks cool. Maybe one of the best announcements at E3 to date.
  • Kind of weird that Miyamoto didn’t make an appearance. I’m guessing that means we won’t be seeing Zelda until next year.

I have to admit, while most of that was a snoozer, the Project M reveal at the end was incredible. Check back throughout the day and these bullets will be updated with links to videos and screenshots.

What’s the coolest news from the Nintendo event? Discuss!

Assassin’s Creed 2 E3 2009 Trailer

Assassin’s Creed is one of those games that seemed to polarize gamers. Either you got into it or you didn’t. I for one loved the game, but I could see how others could find it repetitive and boring. However, while I played it, I knew that if Ubisoft could just tweak a few things, they’d have a great sequel and franchise on their hands.

Well, after a few months of teases, we’ve finally been given a proper (and long) Assassin’s Creed 2 trailer. It is mega sweet. And it also comes out in November. Something tells me this Fall is going to be a good time.

SWTOR Trailer is Badass, Has Lightsabers

Wow. See, they should have just let Bioware make the Star Wars prequels. If this new ridiculously awesome trailer for Star Wars: The Old Republic is any indication, this game is going to be epic beyond belief. I mean, hundreds of jedi and sith squaring off? Seriously, this is just cool. Maybe the best trailer out of E3 so far. Thoughts?

Microsoft E3 Presser Highlights

x360The Microsoft E3 press event has officially taken place. With it come a bevy of announcements, trailers, videos and more.

Here are the highlights:

  • Modern Warfare 2 gameplay looks awesome.
  • Splinter Cell Conviction coming Fall 2009. Sounds like they’ve added some new gameplay elements, mainly for the story.
  • Final Fantasy XIII coming in Spring 2010, much earlier than projected.
  • Left 4 Dead 2 Coming November 17th! Seems a little early, but I can dig it. New weapons, including chainsaws.
  • Forza 3 is coming in October.
  • Crackdown 2 trailer shown! This rules, it was one of my favorite games of this generation so far.
  • Halo 3 ODST video looks sweet. They also highlighted a story-telling element: most of the game will be a mystery pieced together through flashbacks. Coming September 22nd.
  • Bungie also shows a trailer for a new Halo game, Halo: Reach. Guess they lied when they said they were done with Halo, but I’m cool with it since Reach is such an awesome story. The book is incredible. Fall 2010.
  • Last.fm is coming to XBL gold users at no additional cost. Listening to music is neat, but I’d rather not do it on my TV. Still though, not bad for a service I’m already paying for.
  • Facebook and Twitter are coming to the XBox 360? Double no thanks. The world is over as we know it.
  • Kojima sneaks onto stage to announce that the Metal Gear Solid franchise is coming to the 360. Kind of cool, but it’s a Raiden game. Which is not so cool. If you’re bringing MGS to the 360, bring the actual game, not some dumb Raiden extension. Guess sloppy seconds is better than nothing, though.
  • Motion control coming to the 360. The final wtf? It’s not a controller. It’s a camera that translates your actual movements to the game. Sounds mega-lame. “Project Natal”. Lionhead even showed off a new game for it called Milo.

By the way, the links are to videos. So, which of these excites you most? Which is the stupidest? Go!

Byte Sized News From E3

fat_princessJust a couple of items to get things going here:

  • Fat Princess will be released on the PSN sometime in June.
  • Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 has been announced for 2010.
  • Hideo Kojima is still batshit crazy.

Analysis: So excited for Fat Princess, it is kind of like a 2-D Team Fortress 2, with a fun class system and really cute, colorful graphics. Lego anything can go fly a kite, but Harry Potter might be kind of fun to play. A rental if I ever saw one, but hopefully they change up the already stale gameplay. As for Kojima, don’t be surprised if he gives a solid 5 hour speech and then you wake up in a basement, tied to a chair with a clone of yourself pointing a gun at you.

Rumor: New Mario Game to Be Unveiled at E3

mario2Well, get your rumor counters going, because they’re going to be running wild for the next day or so. Since the first E3 press conference is tomorrow (Microsoft), things are going to be flying off the Inter-tubes left and right.

Some fresh news just broke from Japan as a news service printed that a new Mario game is scheduled to be shown by Nintendo this week at E3, and will release in Japan as soon as the end of this year. Let’s hope it’s a proper Mario game and not a new Mario Party or something like that. Considering Mario Galaxies was such a hit with the Mario alumni out there, this is definitely some exciting news. Now I’m just holding on to my hopes that a new Zelda game will be shown as well, since it’s been even longer since the last one of those.

So who’s excited about a new Mario Wii game?

Source- 1Up

GamerSushi Asks: Would You Rather?

On the eve of E3, it’s time for gamers young and old to dream up a world of possibilities for our next year of gaming. With that in mind, I figured it was a great chance for a new Would You Rather.

In Would You Rather, I simply ask a series of questions, and you follow up with your answers. Give as much or as little explanation as you want for your choices, but we all know that we like to see the reasoning behind the madness.

Don’t let your answers suck, though. You’ll be tarred, feathered and quite possibly beaten like you stole something.

Continue reading GamerSushi Asks: Would You Rather?