GamerSushi Asks: Most Beloved Genre?

Lost Odyssey

I recently found a nice deal on GameFly for Lost Odyssey, the JRPG for the Xbox 360 from Mistwalker, some of the makers of Final Fantasy, so I jumped on it, bolstered by some of the good to great reviews I’ve read. And I am glad I did, too. See, while I loved Final Fantasy XIII, it was different enough that it didn’t really scratch that JRPG itch that has been irking me lately, but boy does Lost Odyssey do the trick!

That got me to thinking about why I love the genre so much. I’ve easily played JRPGs more than any other type of game in my life. I don’t even mind random battles, so you know I must be pretty far gone. Sure, some of the character designs are pretty outlandish and at times, feminine, but it’s like comfort food for me. I know what to expect and I’m not usually disappointed. Chicken soup for the gamer’s soul, one might say.

Which leads me to the asking: what genre do you swoon for? We all have that one genre that we try anything and everything that might be remotely connected to it. Mine is JRPGs. What’s yours? Go!

Rooster Teeth’s Immersion Episode 2 Shows the Effects of Online Gaming Distractions

Way, way back in the Before-Times (April, to be precise), we posted a video depicting the folks over at Rooster Teeth making a car with a camera rig to simulate the driving in Grant Theft Auto. As it happens, this video was the pilot episode for Immersion, a series where the RT crew explores various video game tropes in real life. The second episode of Immersion just came out, and it features some guest stars doing what online gamers do best: life-destroying trash talk. But when the target is a real solider, what’s the effect? Have a watch and be advised: this is NSFW due to the massive amounts of potty-mouth.

Pretty funny, no? I think this is a really cool idea for an ongoing series, and I’m looking forward to what they’ll have in the future. What do you guys want to see them cover?

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

Gaming Pop Quiz: Winter Edition

Well fellow gamers, it’s now officially December, so that means that all around the land, people are jumping into holiday mode. It’s kind of funny actually, that once November passes everyone runs around like crazy all the way until Christmas-ish time, and then everything gets calm again. At least that’s the way it is around here.

As we’ve been discussing, winter and holiday season naturally means one thing for all of us and our interests: games, and lots of them. Over the years, I know that all of us have received a bountiful harvest of great gaming goodness, and we’ve played games until we couldn’t stand them any longer. Traditionally for me, December is the time that I play more games than any other.

I’m setting all of this up to give you some sweet gaming questions, naturally. 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: Winter Edition

Desert Bus For Hope Rides For Charity

Every now and again we get wind of a gaming marathon for charity. You know the kind I’m talking about: a bunch of friends get together and play Halo for 24 hours straight or something like that. It’s always for a good cause, but come on: it’s Halo. How much are these people really suffering by playing a Triple-A title? Enter: Desert Bus.

What is Desert Bus you might be asking yourself right about now?It’s part of an unreleased Sega CD game from 1995 called Penn & Teller’s Smoke and Mirrors, starring the comedic magicians we all know and love. The game is a series of mini-games designed to fool your friends, such as entering in a code to suddenly make an impossible game really easy when it is your turn to play.

Back to Desert Bus, probably the most infamous aspect of this game. The objective is to drive from Tucson, Arizona to Las Vegas, Neveda, in one straight shot, which takes 8 hours. And you can’t save. Or Pause the game. It’s one, long drive with nothing to do. Truly, a test of stamina.

This one group has been doing this for a few years and last year they managed to raise over $140,000 for Child’s Play, in order to help sick children. The latest edition just ended last week and they topped their record by raising over $200,000 this time, which is pretty impressive. I’ve embedded a video of Desert Bus after the jump to give you a sense of how much dedication playing this game for even 10 minutes would take, let alone for a full day. Continue reading Desert Bus For Hope Rides For Charity

Xbox LIVE November Activity Shows Call of Duty Domination

xbl activity list cod4

We all know that most Xbox LIVE users are all about Call of Duty, but I don’t think any of us could have fathomed how deep their collective addiction goes. Since 2007, we have had four, count them four, Call of Duty titles, and they all are being played enough over LIVE to take up a spot each on the Xbox LIVE activity list for the week of November 22.

The Call of Duty game with the lowest placing is the original Modern Warfare at number thirteen. Holding the top two spots are Modern Warfare 2 and the recently released Black Ops. Halo: Reach stays steady at number three, while its predecessor, Halo 3, amazingly comes in above Call of Duty 4 in seventh place. Hit the jump for the full list: Continue reading Xbox LIVE November Activity Shows Call of Duty Domination

GamerSushi Asks: Favorite DS Game?

Dawn of Sorrow

Up until about 2008, one of the many outrageous things that could be heard flying out of my ever-flapping lips was the statement that I thought the Nintendo DS was the best system out, bar none. Yes, that included the consoles. Now, since then, I have revised my opinion, but I can say, without blushing, that I think the DS is the best handheld system of all-time. Why? The games, man!

It always comes down to games and if you aren’t aware of the robust (cliche alert!) library the DS has to offer, fear not. Our friends over at GamePro put together a list (!) compiling the 31 Best DS Games. Although I think they missed the mark by putting Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars at the top spot, the rest of the list is pretty spot on. Personally, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow is my all-time favorite, so it’s nice to see that near the top.

What DS games are your favorites? Who here has a DS? Are you happy with the games that have come out for it? Go!

Source: GamePro

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?

Crytek: Consoles Hold Back PC Gaming

Crytek Crysis

Fire in the hole!

For a company that hasn’t exactly made the best-shooter-ever-in-history, it seems that Crytek sure has a lot to say about the game industry these days. Earlier this year, they were waxing philosophical about Uncharted 2 and a few others. Now, the CEO, Cervat Yerli, is taking a few shots at consoles in general, essentially saying that the console market is keeping PC gaming from being all that it can be.

Here’s Yerli’s stance on the matter:

As long as the current console generation exists and as long as we keep pushing the PC as well, the more difficult it will be to really get the benefit of both… PC is easily a generation ahead right now. With 360 and PS3, we believe the quality of the games beyond Crysis 2 and other CryEngine developments will be pretty much limited to what their creative expressions is, what the content is. You won’t be able to squeeze more juice from these rocks…

Until the PC market creates comparable revenues, companies are not going to spend enough on the PC SKU of a game.

Honestly, it seems strange to me to blame consoles for being wildly successful compared to PC endeavors. To me, that puts the onus back on PC developers to up the game in a major way. So what do you guys think? Agree/disagree? Is the console generation holding back PC gaming? And if it is, does it even matter until the PC market can show competitive sales?

Source – PCGamer

Rumor: Halo: Combat Evolved Remake in 2011?

halo combat evolved remakeDespite the fact that Microsoft has said that they’re not looking at HD remakes, it’s hard to deny the fact that a Halo: Combat Evolved re-release with updated graphics would move a crazy amount of copies.

According to CVG, who pulled the information from UK magazine Games Master, 343 Industries is hard at work on a revival of Halo: Combat Evolved using the Halo: Reach engine. According to “industry chatter” cited by the magazine, the game would hit on Halo: CE’s tenth anniversary in November of 2011 with a true sequel to Halo 3 following up in 2012.

While this is all speculation, CVG points out that this release schedule would fit with 343’s plan to release a new Halo game every year a la Call of Duty or Assassin’s Creed.

Tag this as the most vaguest of rumors for now, faithful readers, because the only actual Microsoft big-wig quoted is UK Xbox manager Stephen McGill who thinks a current-generation Combat Evolved would be a “good idea”.

What do you guys think of this possibility? Will it happen, or is a Halo: CE remake just a pipe dream?

Source – CVG

Mythbusting Call of Duty: Black Ops

In the past, we’ve seen a series of Mythbusters videos for popular online shooters Modern Warfare 2 and even Halo 3. Thus, it was only natural that Defend The House continued their popular series of multiplayer Mythbusters with a brand-spanking-new entry for Call of Duty: Black Ops.

This edition of the informative yet hilarious videos tackles a few key questions, such as whether or not care package helicopters can be shot down, or how to shoot down Valkyrie missiles. The most important issue it tackles, though, is this: can a man dive over a rocket? Really, it’s a question that needs answering, not just in Black Ops, but every day life. Lord knows it’s kept me up at night.

Have you run into any of these issues in your own online escapades? In general, how do you guys feel about Black Ops multiplayer so far?

Is a Grief-Free Online Environment Really Possible?

Counter StrikeGrowing up surrounded by my brother and a mess of loud and sometimes obnoxious friends, I was no stranger when it came to gaming and trash talking. Whether we were swapping one-shot kills in Goldeneye, making fun of each others’ created characters in Wrestlemania 2000 or swapping insults during bouts of Bushido Blade, the smack we talked ran freely like milk and honey in the Promised Land. In my mind, this was just the way gaming was: friendly, fun and all in good sport. We dished out only what we could take, and only occasionally did the bad blood spill over into the real world, and usually it was the other way around.

My first extended stint into online gaming came with my late discovery of Counter-Strike my freshman year of college. What started as something just for pure fun soon grew into a relatively serious hobby. It was only when I dived in more deeply that I saw the gritty underbelly of the online world: griefing, racism, verbal threats and rage. Continue reading Is a Grief-Free Online Environment Really Possible?

Kinect Sales Total 2.5 Million

Kinect

Man, do I hate being right all the time. It seems Microsoft’s relentless media blitz paid off in huge dividends with an excitement from the mainstream not seen since the days of the Wii’s release. The Big M’s (Yeah, I said it) entry into motion-gaming, Kinect, has now surpassed over 2.5 million units sold since its release on November 4th.

I’m not surprised as Microsoft had previously stated they were treating Kinect like a console launch and they certainly put their money where their mouth was. Regardless, the reaction from people who I didn’t know were aware of video games was staggering and it seems that we’ve entered a new paradigm in gaming. Whether or not it will sustain itself remains to be seen. Did any of you buy a Kinect? What do you think of Microsoft’s rousing success?

Source: 1UP

A Wish List for Motion Controlled Gaming

DBZ Kame Hame Ha

As much as we dog pile on motion control gaming, I think all of us here at GamerSushi recognize that when utilized correctly, it has tremendous upside. Who didn’t get excited at the prospect of awesome sword play in a Legend of Zelda game way back when, before we realized that these hopes were totally misplaced? I think I like the idea of what motion control gaming could be, but I recognize that many developers are too lazy or have deadlines much too tight to really give it a thoughtful implementation that makes sense and enhances gameplay.

That being said, whenever people talk about the potential of big name titles getting some motion controls, I can’t help but let my mind wander to a magical place without all of that reality that normally bogs down tacked-on control schemes. I suppose RipTen feels the same way, as they put together a couple of lists of ten games that would be awesome with motion controls, including one for Kinect and one for Move. I would totally agree with their assessment on games like Fight Night Round 4, Starcraft 2, From Dust and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow for the different machines. But really, what I’d like is to be able to do Dragonball Z motions with my arms. Someone needs to get on that.

Joking aside, as much as those would be nice, I still think they would miss the mark somewhat. Continue reading A Wish List for Motion Controlled Gaming

StarCraft 2 UMS: Star Battle

As most of us know around here know, one of the biggest advantages of PC games is customization and modding, and StarCraft 2 is no exception. Right now the number one UMS (Use Map Settings) custom game on the EU Battle.net Server is an awesome space battle map called Star Battle. It’s almost like DotA meets Star Trek. Basically, you farm small fighters to gain income to upgrade the weapons/armor/shields/engines on your giant war ship so you can destroy the other players’ giant war ships. A note for our North American users: while the custom map is now live on the US Server, not many people know about it, so nobody is playing yet.

Here is a more in depth explanation by TotalBiscuit. The video is a little long, but you get the basic idea pretty quick.

[youtube width=”500″ height=”331″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBbVqR3Euf4[/youtube]

New Unreal Engine 3 Demo Is Just a Bit Gorgeous

Occasionally, I feel like I get so caught up in how today’s games look that I’m only really impressed by unique art styles, rather than raw graphical horsepower. We’re getting to a point where games just look a little better each year, but nothing truly jaw-dropping seems to hit. Sure, there are games that look great, but rarely do we have one that just floors us. So when they do, we notice.

Take the new Unreal Engine 3 trailer, for instance, which highlights some changes Epic have made to the already gorgeous graphics package. Considering how many games are utilizing the Unreal Engine nowadays (Mass Effect, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Bioshock, Gears of War 3), it makes me hungry to see some of this in the near future. The question is: can consoles support something that looks remotely like this? Or will this be PC exclusive until the next batch of consoles drop?

Crazy that this is real time graphics these days. Your thoughts?

GamerSushi Asks: What Are You Playing?

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood

Since many of us in the good ol’ States have just had a weekend of revelry, merriment and turkey eating, that means we’ve all had several days for an abnormal amount of video game playing. Or at least, for me it’s been an abnormal amount.

If you listened to the most recent podcast, you heard us chatting about winter gaming and how for some reason, when it gets cold outside, some of just die to start playing more games. Because of that, I finally decided to grab Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood earlier this week so I would have something to play over the holidays. So far, I’m loving the game, and I’m really surprised by the amount of content in it. What’s more surprising to me, though, is just how much I love the multiplayer. What I viewed as some tacked on mode is actually quite a bit of fun, and a great change of pace from typical deathmatch fair.

In addition to that, I’ve been playing Prince of Persia: Sands of Time on PSN, and I’m also looking forward to grabbing Gran Turismo 5 in the next couple of weeks. What about you guys? What are you playing this weekend? Go!

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

LittleBigPlanet 2 Puts You in Control

Sackboy is gearing up for his (alleged) release in 2011 and he’s showing off new features every chance he gets, such as this video, which showcases the debut of the Controlinator. Simply put, back in LBP, creating a vehicle, like a car or rocket ship, required some makeshift fiddling with various switches and the results were fairly limited.

As you will soon witness, that is no longer the case. Honestly, the more I see about this game, the more tempting it is to pre-order it. The appealing visual and sheer creativity are astounding. Check it out:

[youtube width=”500″ height=”310″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONA5_pzFG8U[/youtube]

Impressed? LBP has managed to overcome the terror being a penis-monster simulator and has become an outlet for genuine user creativity. I really want to see what the teeming masses are able to come up with using these enhanced tools. I certainly expect to see better than new and clever ways to create swastikas. What do you think? Is the Controlinator enough for you to fork over 60 bucks?

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