Remember when your teacher would give you progress reports and it always said something like, “Not living up to potential”?
Yeah, me either. But I am sure it happens to people out there, just as we know that some games are not living up to their next-gen potential. This post will examine these chronic underachievers.
Little Big Planet as a Shooter
At some point, the Internet will stop going crazy over LittleBigPlanet levels, but I admit, that day is not today. I’m still fascinated by what people can do in this game, and it always seems to grow the more people get their hands around the game and some of its tools. This next level is a re-creation of the first level of Gradius, the side-scrolling space shooter. I really can’t believe it.
I caved and bought this game over the weekend and so far I love it. How many of you guys have played it?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg0ZBHdz7wM[/youtube]
Gears of War 2 Reviews Rolling In
As many of you know, Gears of War 2 finally hits this Friday, November 7th. I am actually taking off work for the day, not just for the release, but let’s be honest, it played a big part of it. The exciting thing is that Microsoft has now lifted the embargo on reviews of the game, so they’re starting to pour in like crazy.
Videogaming247 has put together a list of some of the reviews, and I couldn’t help but glance at a couple of them. All told, Gears of War 2 sounds awesome, and is longer, deeper and more epic than the original. I can’t wait. GOWFans also has 50 new high-res screenshots.
Who else is getting Gears of War 2?
Source- Videogaming247
Left 4 Dead Opening Cinematic
Wow, do I want this game something awful. Here is the opening 4 minutes of Left 4 Dead, Valve’s upcoming co-op zombie shoot-em-up. I for real can’t wait for this. After Gears of War 2, it’s my most anticipated title of the Fall. Just watch it. There’s not much else to say about how awesome this game looks.
PS3 Fallout 3 is Kind of Really Bug-ish?
I don’t know why developers feel like they can release broken versions of games (when their budgets are up and the games cost more for us), but that’s just the way things are these days. Just patch it later, right? It’s the mantra of the industry.
Anywho, all that to say that apparently, Fallout 3 for the PS3 is a bit buggy, and Bethesda’s forums are filled with complaints about freezing games, textures that don’t load, and even more.
Hopefully they can release some kind of patch to fix this in the near future, because this game really doesn’t deserve to be spoiled. I’ve been playing it some this week and so far I’m completely enthralled. While I’m not sold on the combat, I love the style, the world and the story, and it’s been great to just dive into it. Anyone else played this yet?
Source- Kotaku
Prince of Persia Gameplay Trailer
Man, why must the new Prince of Persia look so enticing? I kept wanting to write this game off after the last couple, but everything I see just makes it look so good. Take this new gameplay trailer, for instance, which shows off long segments of platforming, spinning, jumping, diving, and glorious wall running. Can’t wait for this.
Who else is going to play this game?
The Gaming Fortune Teller
Welcome to a new GamerSushi feature wherein Anthony and I interview The Gaming Fortune Teller, the world’s most famous gaming prophet. He is blessed with the uncanny ability to predict gaming events before they happen. He even called the fall of the Virtual Boy, and we all know that came out of left field.
So without further ado, I present to you our recent sit-down with the Fortune Teller, who only appears once in a lunar cycle, coincidentally. Something about vaccinations. We asked him some of our more pressing questions concerning our favorite pasttime, video games.
The Big Nintendo Release List
So Nintendo has taken the time to put together a big mega list of every Nintendo game being released in 2009. This list includes both Wii and DS titles from first, second, third and every party in between. There are a surprising amount of games on there, so it’s definitely worth a look.
Now, how many of these games will be good and how many am I looking forward to? Umm… that part is a little harder to quantify. In a season where we’ve seen so many great releases and Nintendo has offered nothing, it’s hard to get excited about an Animal Crossing title in 2009 or a Dead Rising port.
But then again, I’m cynical. I do want Sin and Punishment and Super Punch Out, though.
What about you guys? Anything on the list you’d like to get your hands on for next year?
Source- Kotaku
Lord of the Rings: Conquest Trailer
Lord of the Rings: Conquest is a game much like Star Wars: Battlefront, only in the LOTR universe that we know and love from J.R.R. Tolkien. It’s coming out in early January 2009, and features a bunch of multiplayer options to place you and some other dudes in the shoes of hobbits, elves, orcs and apparently, much bigger foes.
I got to have some hands-on time with this game at PAX, and it was pretty enjoyable even at those earlier stages. It reminded me a lot of Battlefront, and that’s never a bad thing. Check out the trailer. Anyone interested?
Sony Patents Motion Control Device, Good for Waggles
Sigh. Given Nintendo’s hysterical success this generation, this shouldn’t come as too big of a surprise. We all knew it would come to this. With rumors of Microsoft working on a similar device, it seems that the end is nigh for those of us that like to play games like normal people: Sony has patented a motion control device.
The device relies on ultrasonic and video signals to track its position in relation to a camera and its distance away from it. It actually seems more like a break-apart controller that can be reassembled in different formations, including a massive beating stick.
So what do you guys think? Sony just covering its bases? Or the sign that next gen is going to be super motion-tastic from more than just Nintendo?
Source- Videogaming247
New Little Big Planet Levels And More
I just started digging into User Created levels last night and after about 5 minutes, I was frantically calling Eddy to tell him how awesome it all was. Well, the good news doesn’t end there as Gamepro.com is reporting that Sony has confirmed that Media Molecule will be adding new levels and more as DLC.
Eric Fong says,
Yes, Media Molecule is continuing to add to the player experience with new levels, costumes, materials, and a host of other content.
I love what I have played so far and I look forward to more goodness from the MM crew. Have you guys played this yet?
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Source- Gamepro
Mirror’s Edge Demo
Well, for any of you that are interested in Mirror’s Edge, you should know that a demo will be available today on PSN, and tomorrow on XBox Live Marketplace. In total, the demo is going to include a portion of the single player campaign, the entire prologue, and some basic tutorials.
I’m really excited to check this out tomorrow. I know I’ve said it before, but seeing this game in person is just a sight to behold, and I never actually got hands-on time with it at PAX, which I was totally dying for. If any of you guys play this on PSN today, be sure to drop us a line and let us know what your thoughts are.
Who’s planning on buying/renting this game?
Source- Mirror’s Edge
Warcraft Retrospective Part II
The second Warcraft Retrospective, titled “Call to Arms” is now up on GameTrailers. This one chronicles Warcraft III and how Blizzard made a gigantic splash with the lore of its universe in Warcraft. Warcraft III is one of my favorite RTS games, so it was cool going back and watching all of this stuff.
I remember me and my friends used to get together to have big LAN parties, organizing raids and doing all kinds of nerdy things. Such great times from a great PC game. Does anyone else have any fond Warcraft or other similarly related LAN memories?
Zombie Infection in WoW
Starting last weekend, zombies began appearing in World of Warcraft, infecting all in their path with their hatred of the living and their love of tasty non-NPC flesh. Basically, anybody that came into contact with a zombie had to get a cure, or become a zombie themselves.
Hundreds of thousands were infected. It was meant to be a fun Halloween game plus a promotion for the upcoming expansion, Wrath of the Lich King. However, Blizzard had to put an end to the blight yesterday. Why, you ask? Because grumpy WoW players couldn’t have any fun, and were upset that the zombies were ruining their gameplay experience.
I guess not everyone shares my feelings that Zombies make everything better.
MK vs DC: The Story
Call me a fool, but I actually want to play Mortal Kombat Vs DC Universe when it drops on November 10th. When I first heard the idea, I thought it was maybe one of the stupidest things ever conceived by man (save for the genius behind FFVIII’s draw magic system), but once the gameplay videos started rolling in, it looked shockingly fun.
However, I still wasn’t sold on the fanboy canon, and how these things could possibly mash. Well, a new video is out that does just that. And surprisingly, it kind of works. Anyone else going to play this one?
The Review Blitz
Ah, this is a subject I could rant on for hours on end. Kotaku’s magician-writer Brian Crecente has written an editorial piece about “The Rush To Review”, asking why people get reviews for games out so fast. His main case concerns Little Big Planet, whose reviews came out two weeks ago, even though the game wasn’t fully playable (the servers STILL aren’t running).
I felt this way about GTA IV and I totally agree that this question needs to be asked more often. To me, a game that relies on user content needs to be reviewed a few weeks after the game ships, to see how the game holds up. Sure, you can review the solo stuff, and it sounds like LBP’s is still great, but don’t tell us the whole game is perfect if you don’t know.
End War: Parrot Vs Parrot
I know, it’s pretty silly, but it made me laugh to watch this video of two parrots showing down against each other in Tom Clancy’s End War, the voice-activated RTS. When you think about it, it’s pretty remarkable that the game can recognize the commands coming out of the mouths of the parrots.
I haven’t played an RTS in a while, but the more I see, the more I’m interested in End War. Who’s grabbing it when it comes out on November 4th?
GamerSushi Asks: Would You Rather?
Ah, since the new season of games is upon us, I thought it was time to bring back another “Would You Rather” feature for the GamerSushi audience. The last one had such solid feedback, it seemed that this would start some good conversation as well.
In “Would You Rather’, I simply ask a series of questions, and you follow up with your responses. Give as much or as little explanation as you want with your answers.
Unless they suck. In that case, a dog will come after you with mouth-bacteria.
For Sale: 1 Madden Curse, Good Condition: $1 Or Best Offer
In a story that could only have originated from EA, Bloomberg is reporting that Peter Moore, the president of EA Sports (it’s in the game) may auction off the rights to appear on Madden to the highest bidder.
“I bet you can find 50 players that would say, `I’d pay good money,”’ Moore said. “The league does a lot of work with them to make them realize how lucky they are and a lot of them have come out of poor circumstances and they give back.”
Moore also acknowledges that there is something to aforementioned “Curse”, noting it is odd how bad things happen to the cover athletes. Did Pacman Jones ever appear on it?
What do you think, would athletes, notoriously greedy as they are, ever pay big money to be on the cover of a game that might end up placing a curse on them and possibly ending their career?
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Source- Bloomberg
Gears of War 2: Blockbuster Entertainment
Here’s a new Gears of War 2 Dev Diary, this time going over Epic’s process of making the Gears of War series as huge blockbusters, with a wacky cast, huge score, epic action, etc. Personally, when I played the first Gears of War, I felt like I was playing Predator or Aliens, the action was so huge and the score was so cinematic. Hopefully they keep that same pace up in Gears of War 2 and then some.