Tag: Playstation 3

Sony’s Long Live Play Ad “Michael” Will Give You Chills

A week and a bit ago, Anthony posted a mysterious teaser for a Sony trailer which featured a lot of nods to their famous franchises. The full version of the ad had gone up, and it’s rather awesome. I’m not going to spoil it for you guys, so go ahead and watch it.

That was actually really, really cool, the “Super Smash Bros” of commercials, if you will. I bet Microsoft is kicking themselves for not thinking of this first (although their ads have never really focused on the games their system offers, they just assume those will sell). Not only did Sony manage to get pretty good ringers for their characters, they brought in the voice actors, too. There’s some really good attention to detail in this video, and if I was still holding out on a PS3, this would have convinced me. So what did you guys think of the ad? Did it knock your socks off?

GamerSushi Asks: Repetitive Gaming?

Uncharted 2

In talking to people about why they dislike games, there are any number of reasons that gamers use to discredit certain titles. Whether people don’t like an inventory system, a story, or long cut scenes, everybody has their own individual beef. However, it seems like one of the complaints I hear about games more often than not is that a game is perhaps “too repetitive”.

The interesting thing to me about this criticism is that when you break it down, all games are repetitive. In essence, that’s what a game is. It has to have an established set of rules, as well as a playing style that gets repeated constantly. Really, the often quoted Bungie mantra of designing a game that has “30 seconds of fun” over and over is what all games strive to do. The difference is that the best games just figure out a way to hide it. To me, Uncharted 2 is an excellent example of this, and probably one of the best I’ve seen at disguising repetition. Naughty Dog found a great balance of platforming, shooting and insane setpiece moments that really make you forget that you’re repeating yourself.

So what do you guys think about the issue of repetitive gaming? What games feel too repetitive to enjoy, and what games mask it? Go!

About Time: Mass Effect 2 On PS3 In 2011

Mass Effect 2 PS3

File this one under “better late than never”, for sure. There has been speculation for some time that EA and Bioware would eventually bring their critically acclaimed Mass Effect series over to the PS3, and it seems that the time has finally come. At Gamescom today, Bioware announced that Mass Effect 2 will hit for Sony’s machine in January 2011.

While there doesn’t seem to be any word about the first Mass Effect and whether or not it will come included as part of an anthology or if it simply won’t be showing up at all, this is still exciting news. Even though the experience will be slightly diminished without your choices carrying over between two games in such an unprecedented way, Mass Effect 2 will still have a lot for newcomers to enjoy. In terms of storytelling, it’s one of the better games of this generation, and it has to be one of the best and most developed original universes we’ve seen in gaming to date.

I know a bunch of you have already played this game, but surely, there are some happy PS3 users among us who will jump on this on release day. My next question is: what about Mass Effect 3?

Source- Story and image from Joystiq

Killzone 3 Trailer and the Problem With Teasers

Killzone 3 was announced recently, so you know what that means: a teaser! Admittedly, this video is really cool, if a bit ultra-violent (it is also scientific proof that the Helghast are made out of wafers), but it also brings up a problem I’ve been having with trailers as of late. I recognize that companies like to build hype, and we as consumers like being strung along with as little info as possible (see LOST and any Halo game ever), but it’s getting kind of ridiculous. For games, I’d like to see something concrete as the money and time I’m going to be investing into a game is significant compared to a movie or a TV series. If I don’t like a TV show, I can stop watching, and movies are two hours at most and I can always walk out. If I return a game, I’m going to end up with a lot less money in my pocket, so I think the more gameplay in a trailer, the better. Take a look at the Killzone 3 teaser, and let me know if you agree:

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

GamerSushi Top 10 Games of 2009

Well, we’re a bit late on this, but that’s because we were waiting to make sure we had all sampled enough of these games to confidently vote on what we felt were the best 10 games of 2009. This kind of list needs next to no introduction, but suffice it to say that 2009 was one incredible year for our hobby. What once seemed barren and unimpressive became, honestly, one of the best years I can remember, and probably was the best year for the whole generation to date in a lot of ways. We saw new IPs, old ones re-vamped, and got some of the same awesomeness from franchises we already loved.

For the list, we put this together by having the GS staff (myself, Nick, Jeff, Anthony and Mitch) vote on our top 10 games, and then associated a point system with each to determine which games came out on top. So, without further ado, scroll down for the GamerSushi Top 10 Games of 2009!

 

GamerSushi Top 10
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Putting the Controller Down

uncharted2-ps3Woah. So Uncharted 2 is one incredible game. If you have been on the fence about getting a Playstation 3 (or a PS triple, as some would say), you no longer have any excuses. Go out and get this game right now. I’m being serious. There will be punches if you ignore me on this.

Now that that’s out of the way, on to what I was really trying to say. This morning I finally finished this fantastic game, and I found myself sad to see it over. Most of the time when I beat a game, I usually find myself excited about my accomplishment, being able to move on to something else. It’s only with movies and books that I get sad during an ending. Which really says a lot to me about the quality of Uncharted 2’s storytelling. In fact, I was so engrossed throughout the whole game that it was often hard to put the controller down. On nights that I needed to go to bed earlier, I would purposely avoid the game because I knew once it was one, it was go time.

Honestly, I can’t really remember the last time that a game struck me with that same sense of “holy crap I can’t put this down”. For a single player game, it’s certainly been awhile. What about you guys? When was the last time you suffered from “can’t put the controller down” syndrome?

Fat Princess Looks Like Tons of Fun

See what I did there?

I’m not sure how many of you have heard about Fat Princess, which hit the PSN just a couple of days ago, but I’m seriously thinking about picking it up. The premise? A 16 versus 16 game of Capture the Flag, only you’re trying to bring a princess back to your base instead of a flag. The catch? Feeding the princess makes her fatter, which means more team members have to carry her. Combine that great premise with resource gathering, cartoony graphics and awesomely animated violence, and I’m in. What do you guys think?

Anthony Goes Home

Monday night was a weird night. After watching my beloved Tampa Bay Bucs get pounded by the Carolina Panthers, I noticed it was about midnight. I drove up the road to Blockbuster and purchased The Dark Knight and went home to watch it. I decided to check my email first, though, to see if there were any emails from Eddy telling me how great my posts are.

Alas, none from Eddy (probably busy playing Little Orphan Eddy by replaying Fallout 3’s opening tutorial) but I did receive an email from Sony, which brought a brief moment of panic. Had they finally noticed how awesome I am at all their games and sent me a Cease and Desist Pwning email? But no, wrongo. It was an invite to the Playstation Home Beta! I knew my awesomeness would be recognized eventually.

Continue reading Anthony Goes Home

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

Square Enix Goes Mad With Power

In a shockingly ironic turn of events, Square Enix has become a corporation bent on raping the planet of its natural resources, draining valuable mako directly from the Earth’s surface. Oh wait, that last bit isn’t true, but somebody at Square Enix is smoking something, and I want in.

This might be an unprecedented move, but it seems Squenix is thinking about charging for the upcoming Final Fantasy XIII demo, which was set to appear packaged with the Blu Ray version of Advent Children Complete for free. The 90 minute long demo might end up being sold separately from the film after it comes out.

Continue reading Square Enix Goes Mad With Power

Work With Sackboy

Think you’ve got what it takes to work with Media Molecule, the minds behind Sony’s new and way-too-cute game Little Big Planet? It seems that the team that created Sackboy will be watching the community for up-and-coming map and level designers, as a big piece of the game’s appeal is going to be all of the user-created content that will grace PSN once it hits.

Why would they be watching, specifically? To give you a job. That’s just how they roll.

Continue reading Work With Sackboy

PAX: Hands-on with SOCOM

SOCOM: U.S. Navy Seals Confrontation is the next entry in the popular Playstation franchise SOCOM. It’s set to hit in October, so I figured I’d wait in line to test it out with a few other dudes who looked to be formidable opponents. The booth was set up with four LCD monitors and PS3s for each of us. Having never played SOCOM before, I was genuinely excited to try the game out and see what all the fuss was about.

Considering that the people playing in front of us had their game freeze completely while playing, my hopes were not too high.

Continue reading PAX: Hands-on with SOCOM

Waiting on Team Ico

It looks like we might not have to wait much longer to hear something about Team Ico’s next project. The creators of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus are apparently hard at work on whatever their next game is, set to appear on the PS3. Sony worldwide head Shuhei Yoshida has confirmed that the game will be shown “soon”.

Continue reading Waiting on Team Ico