Team Ico Collection Coming to Blu-Ray

Team Ico CollectionOK, I figured I would contrast that sad gaming news from earlier with something super badass, so I now bring a pretty awesome piece of news that’s been floating around. We all know that Team Ico makes great games, including both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus from the PS2 days. They are also working on the highly anticipated Last Guardian for the PS3, which I simply can not wait for well.

Well, it looks like they’re going to have another PS3 release early 2011 in the form of the Team Ico Collection, which will consist of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, running on the PS3 in glorious HD. To me, this is one of the coolest things I’ve heard in a while, as I simply loved SotC, and never really got to actually play Ico (though I watched my best friend play through a bit of it).

I really love the trend that Sony’s been on lately of packaging last gen games together for people to play them on their next gen system, like the God of War Collection. Now I’m just holding onto hope for one that includes Metal Gear Solid 3. Fingers crossed.

In addition to that, someone on NeoGAF has posted mock-ups of Ico running in HD through a PC emulator, and they are simply gorgeous. Go check them out!

So what do you guys think of this news? Who played the first games? Go!

Source- TheSixAxis

Killzone 3 Details are Live and in 3D

killzoneI’ll admit that I didn’t play the original Killzone or Killzone 2 (mostly on account of not owning a PlayStation at the time), but the series has always intrigued me. While it may be describe derisively as “World War 2 in space”, that sort of thematic setting is right up my alley. Sony and Guerrilla Studios dropped a bit of a shocker on us last week, revealing the third entry in the series before E3 even started. What’s more, the game is going to be in 3D! A lot of people say that the third time is the charm, but will that ring true for Killzone? Quite a few websites got to go hands-on with the game this week (our invitation got lost in the mail), and Kotaku has a nice write-up detailing all the new changes.

What stood out to me most, besides the 3D, is how crisp this game looks. Perhaps you don’t remember the infamous E3 2005 trailer for Killzone which painted an image in everyone’s mind that the sequel couldn’t quite match. While it seems quaint now, the lasting impressions of the video have given Killzone a lot to live up to, and the third game seems to come the closest to reaching those lofty heights.

Besides looking like the most tasty of eye candies, Killzone 3 is getting some neat gameplay improvements like a revamped melee system and jet packs. Before you go off claiming that Killzone is ripping off Halo: Reach, let me remind you that someone will bring up Tribes, and we’d all like to avoid that scene. The close-combat promises to be more brutal than your average first-person-shooter, which mostly deals with that via a gun stock to head, or maybe a quick stab. While the build being presented was a little early, it did promise face-kicks, back-stabs, and knives through the Helghast’s iconic eye-piece.

For those of you wondering about the 3D, it appears to be well integrated with the head’s up display smoothing nicely, and aiming down the sight offering a nice differentiation of depth. Unfortunately, the preview does mention that the 3D got nauseating at one point. This will differ for everyone, but I got a little sick during Avatar, so I think I might skip on this option.

What do you guys think? How is Killzone 3 looking to you so far? Sure-fire purchase, rental, or are you passing altogether?

Source: Kotaku

Sad Gaming News is Sad

Sad ClockWell, in the last 24 hours, there are two kind of sad pieces of gaming information that have come across the Intertubes. Not like, cry-your-eyes-out sad, but not happy nonetheless.

The first comes from Mark Hamill, Luke Skywalker himself, concerning his voicing of the Joker. He has reportedly said that Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 will be the last time he ever voices the character, which is pretty crazy. I think the guy probably has the best Joker voice out of any of the movies or animated series out there, so it’s a bit melancholy to hear that he’s hanging up the spurs. Or the clown shoes. I suppose that means no Joker in B:AA 3?

The second pieces of news makes my heart hurt a little. You all know of my great love for Beyond Good and Evil, last gen’s Zelda-esque sci fi/fantasy adventure by Ubisoft. For years now, the sequel has been in development, but besides a brief teaser trailer, we’ve had no news of the game. Well, there seems to be a bit of a reason for that, as creator Michael Ancel has parted ways with Ubisoft. The future of the game is now in doubt.

So what do you guys think about these items? Who else needs a hanky?

Source- IGN and NeoGAF

Submit Your Podcast Questions!

PodcastOK, a week has gone by since our last super awesome podcast. Granted, it was mostly awesome because Mitch wasn’t present, but that’s beside the point. We’re working on phasing him out for you guys, but it’s a slow and painful process. I kid! Maybe.

Anyway, we’ll be recording a brand new edition of the GamerSushi Show this weekend, and like last time, we want some user submitted topics. These were great fun for us to riff on, and if you listened to most of the bit, you’ll notice that most of the show was dedicated to the awesome questions we got, to the point that we had to skip out on a few of them.

So, if your question was skipped over last time, or if you have a new one, feel free to re-submit that here and hopefully we’ll have a chance to discuss it this weekend. Thanks dudes!

GamerSushi Asks: Last Gaming Obsession?

Red Dead RedemptionOh video games, how I miss thee. I’m going on about a week now with no video gaming of any kind to speak of. This is partly from just being busy with regular old life things, but also because my wife and I went to Florida over the weekend for a nice break with some old friends. While the trip was awesome, I didn’t get to play any video games, so that was just a bit bogus.

So, now that I’m going through my withdrawals and the hallucinations are starting to settle in, I’ve been reminding myself how awesome it is to “go into the light” so to speak, and play video games until it’s completely unhealthy to do so. That’s right, I’m craving a mega gaming binge. Really, while I’ve had a few binges in recent months, it’s been a long time since I’ve been truly obsessed with a game. I think the last one for me was sadly, Halo Wars. I played the game every single night for months without stopping. The funny thing is, it wasn’t even that good of a game.

So what about you guys? With Red Dead Redemption, 3D Dot Game Heroes, Alan Wake and Super Mario Galaxy 2 dropping on us this week, it seems like the time is ripe for more gaming obsessions to begin anew. What was your last or most recent one? Go!

Also, I leave you all with a gchat conversation Mitch and I had about Red Dead Redemption today. After the jump. Continue reading GamerSushi Asks: Last Gaming Obsession?

Sega Announces Sonic Colors

So, full disclosure here: I originally had a very snarky post written out, lambasting SEGA for their strange choices regarding Sonic. Honestly, for every step forward they take, it seems that they are determined to take two steps back. For example, take a gander at the trailer for Sonic Colors, the newly announced Wii and DS title. It’s bright, it’s colorful, and it’s definitely targeted towards casual gamers. On the other hand, it does look like everything we want from a Sonic game: daytime levels and blistering speed. Apparently, Sonic can use the help of his alien buddies from the trailer to take new paths through the levels, like using the yellow guy to drill through the ground, and darn if that doesn’t sound cool.

Sounds neat, but I might pass depending on how Sonic 4 turns out. What do you guys think? Good or bad on SEGA’s part? Is this of any interest to you?

Halo: Reach – The Good, The Badass, The Ugly

Much to my chagrin, the Halo: Reach beta officially terminated as of last week, taking with it something that I found to be a great joy and a huge tease for the full release of the game, which is now confirmed to be September 14. As a bit of a Halo fanboy, I simply can not wait for this game, and I found the multiplayer to be everything I’ve loved about previous Halo games and then more when it came to gameplay.

Well, lucky for those of us feeling nostalgic about something that is just a week past, Bungie put together a little video tribute of Halo: Reach moments: The Good, The Badass, The Ugly. I should go ahead and spoil some of it for you and say that the elite bailing from the banshee and then using the jetpack to fly to safety is one of the coolest clips I’ve seen.

What are you waiting for? See for yourselves. Also, who participated in the beta, and who’s for sure getting the game when it drops this September?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdGl4KaoBm4[/youtube]

Insomniac Games Joins the EA Partners Program

insomniacAnother crazy partnership has just been announced, this time with EA Games snagging a new studio. While the last deal of this kind saw Bungie (an X-Box centric developer) joining Activison, this event sees a PS3 exclusive studio hooking up with EA, which gives the whole thing a nice symmetry.

Insomniac games, well known for their PlayStation titles Ratchet and Clank and Resistance, announced today that their upcoming game will be a multiplatform title that will have the benefit of a longer development cycle (Insomniac is known to produce games on a yearly schedule).

The partnership doesn’t preclude exclusive games for the PS3, as Insomniac president Ted Price confirmed that there are future projects solely focused on the PS3. While this infers that Resistance 3 will be a PlayStation exclusive, I wouldn’t rule anything out at this point.

So, what do you guys think of these turn of events? 360 guys, are you excited to start playing some Insomniac games?

Source: Joystiq

Review: Alan Wake

alan wake2010 may become known as the “Year of the Delayed Game” as we’ve already been graced with the release of several titles which may not have seen the light of day. Heavy Rain, Splinter Cell: Conviction and Final Fantasy XIII have all been pressed to discs and have been devoured by the hunger gaming masses, but what about that other game? You know, the next title from Max Payne developer Remedy Studios, the one that was voted the most anticipated game of E3 2005?

In case you’ve somehow forgotten, this product is called Alan Wake, a game where the player takes control of the titular character in an attempt to parse out the mystery of the dark presence in the town of Bright Falls. Playing upon the natural fear of the dark and blending that into the mechanics, Alan Wake promised to be a premier psychological thriller with a great story and gripping atmosphere. Now that the game is out, how well do the boasts of the developers hold up?
Continue reading Review: Alan Wake

The Life and Times of Yoshi

This past Sunday brought us a fairly major landmark for the year in gaming in a brand new iteration of the Super Mario series. Super Mario Galaxy 2 hit store shelves, and from several accounts, it is pretty stinking good.

In honor of the game’s release, which now includes Yoshi, it seems that Nintendo has put together a little bit of nostalgia mining in the form of this Yoshi tribute video. It recounts his appearance in every game he’s been in, from Super Mario World through the Sonic Olympics. If you are into these games, it is certainly worth the watch.

So, who’s getting or has already played Super Mario Galaxy 2?

GamerSushi Asks: What Developer Should Make A Lost Game?

Well, this is it, people. The final episode of Lost is airing as I type this. Having only seen the first episode, I am kind of regretting now watching the damn thing, but I’m sure someone will be kind enough to let me borrow the DVDs one day.

With that said, I know there has already been one crappy Lost game, which should have stayed lost from what I hear (nyuck, nyuck), but I wanted to know what developer out there that you guys think would make a good game that would stay true to the series and still be fun?

Bethesda? Imagine an Oblivion-style game, wandering the island, talking to people and doing quests, learning about the mysteries of the errant hunk of land in the middle of the ocean.

What about Bioware? They are great at writing dialogue and might be able to salvage something worthwhile from the wreckage of that doomed flight.

Or what about Remedy, which just released Alan Wake? They do atmosphere up like few others and might have an interesting take on things.

So…you get to pick: who makes a new Lost game? GO!

Great Moments in Video Game Music: Mass Effect 2 – Suicide Mission

Mitch recommended this one to me and with a careful listen, it only took about halfway through before I decided I loved it. I’m going to go ahead and assume that this song plays during some sort of mission that might be a tad bit dangerous. The quiet opening leads to a bombastic theme that kind of reminds me of the Saw theme, but in a good, sci-fi sort of way. Thanks for the advice, Mitch and enjoy this one, everybody.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r2txD68qnw&feature=related[/youtube]

Bioware vs. Square Enix: An Unbiased Analysis

JRPGs vs. WRPGs seems to be a hot topic as of late, thanks to comments from a Bioware employee that Final Fantasy XIII is not an RPG. This is the stuff fanboys crave, which, in political terms, is called “red meat”. It stirs up a nice frenzy and everyone pontificates on what an RPG is exactly, but nothing ever gets accomplished. Just like Congress.

Well, I’m here to take a small look at the differences between the way Bioware and Square Enix approach their respective video game franchises. These two, I think it is safe to say, are the biggest RPG powerhouses on either side of the Pacific, so it turns out the little controversial comments mentioned above were a perfect jumping off point for me.
Continue reading Bioware vs. Square Enix: An Unbiased Analysis

The Empire Strikes Back is 30 Years Old, and That Means a Lot of Hoth Levels

If you ask anyone with a brain cell what their favorite Star Wars movie is, chances are it will be The Empire Strikes Back. This movie has all the right ingredients to make a great film, and it’s surprisingly dark to boot. This is the first Star Wars film to show us just what the series is capable of out of the grubby hands of George Lucas, and I’m forever thankful to director Irvin Kershner for giving us this cinematic masterpiece.

My personal fawning aside, The Empire Strikes Back is also known for it’s cinematic Battle of Hoth which pits the Rebels against the titular Empire on the snowy wasteland planet. Naturally, such a big exciting fight is perfect fodder for video game recreations, and since 1982, we’ve had almost a dozen interpretations of the Battle of Hoth. Kotaku put up a nice post collecting all of them, but I’m going to share my favorites after the jump.
Continue reading The Empire Strikes Back is 30 Years Old, and That Means a Lot of Hoth Levels

The GamerSushi Show, Ep 2: 99 Problems and a Mitch Ain’t One

99 problemsAnd… we’re back! It’s episode 2 of The GamerSushi Show, our still new podcast that we are extremely excited about. From the response you guys gave, and seems like you were too, so we did another one. We cover a pretty wide range of topics here, making for a whopping hour and twenty minutes, a fair bit longer than the original, but I think we’re less nervous so the discussion is even better.

The title of this week’s episode will become apparent pretty obvious, as we did this recording without the aid of our good Canadian friend Mitch, who went out on a date to see Iron Man 2 instead of doing a podcast with us. Lame, right? Anyway, we fixed a couple of our sound hiccups this time around, but added a new one in that my voice is way louder than everyone else’s. So I just apologize for that up front. That’ll be fixed in the next one. Continue reading The GamerSushi Show, Ep 2: 99 Problems and a Mitch Ain’t One

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Call of Duty: Black Ops Trailer Dishes Gameplay

Well, that was fast. Only a few weeks after the teaser trailer, Activision and Treyarch have dropped another video for Black Ops on us, bestowing us with visions of the upcoming Vietnam-era (and beyond?) shooter. While the trailer is pretty light on story, it does show stoic men with firearms and plenty of explosions, and isn’t that what we want from Call of Duty? Take a look and tell us what you think:

Epic Games Moved to Consoles Because of PC Piracy

pc gamingMany of us know Epic Games for their successful stop-and-pop 360-exclusive shooter Gears of War, but before they made it big on Microsoft’s home console Epic was widely known as a PC-centric developer. Unreal Tournament has been a staple of arena-style multiplayer games on the PC, but Epic’s heyday as a big time PC developer is long gone.

While many of the company’s fans bemoan the studio’s shift in focus, Epic president Mike Capps says that the move from PC to console was one of necessity, citing PC piracy as the major reason for the change. Speaking recently to Edge (via 1up), Mr. Capps said that the studio still loves the PC, but they saw how piracy killed a bunch of great independent developers and lead to a conversion of business models.

Mike Capps isn’t all down on PC gaming, though, and he feels that the platform might eventually see a comeback, possibly through Facebook. While that isn’t the resurgence many of us were hoping for, we have to remember that the often looked-down upon casual games (like Ubisoft’s Petz series) subsidizes the production of larger, more “hardcore” games.

I know that we have a fair few PC gamers on this site, myself included, and I spent a lot of time in my youth playing Unreal Tournament against the AI because I wasn’t allowed on the internet. Although Epic’s console offerings have been mostly decent, one has to wonder how different the market would be today if Gears had launched as a PC title first. What do you guys think? Is piracy actually to blame, and will PC gaming make a Facebook comeback?

Source: 1up

Red Dead Redemption Launch Trailer

I don’t know a whole lot about Red Dead Redemption, but every passing trailer I see for it looks more and more awesome. I never played the first game in the series, and I continue to hear good things from people that were fortunate enough to do so. The newest entry from Rockstar releases tomorrow, and so far it has gotten some rave reviews.

However, Grand Theft Auto 4 received the same kind of lavish praise, and we all know how I feel about that game. Still though, Red Dead Redemption holds a lot of promise, especially judging from this brand new kickass launch trailer. So who’s going to play this, and who’s played the first? Tell us what made the first game so good!

GamerSushi Asks: What Are You Playing?

Starcraft 2 betaSummer. In the great state of Texas, Summer is more than just a season. It is a way of life. It’s more than just hot, it is like living in a dog’s mouth. Yes, in our neck of the woods we will soon start dealing with temperatures that are greater than 95 to 100 degrees constantly, with 1000 percent humidity to boot. Texas climate is a great and harsh mistress, and we will weep.

But that doesn’t mean we stop playing games. In fact, we play games more than ever, as we seek shelter from the sun’s plague-ish rays that beat our brows, and try to find solace in moving pixels and multiplayer matches. For many of you guys, you’ll soon be off of school and ready to tackle a whole new slew of games. For working folk like myself, I will soon be free of a humongous burden known only as the second season of Web Zeroes. That means lots of gaming goodness will be had by all. Lo!

So, I guess that’s my way of asking what you guys are playing? Me: Starcraft 2 Beta and Reach Beta. You guys? Go!

Great Moments in Video Game Music: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 – Casino Nights

Nick reminded me of this little swinging ditty during our podcast and after listening to it for about 3 seconds, it all came flooding back to me, much like Celine Dion once sang. The Genesis was not known for its sound chip, but you wouldn’t know it from listening to this. The song holds up well even after all these years and I love the little breaks before the music picks back up again. Enjoy this trip down memory lane.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl6kjAkVw_s[/youtube]