Today’s WTF: Shadow of the Colossus Movie

sotcNo. Please, no. It appears that a Shadow of the Colossus movie is in the works. While many might find the idea of such a great and epic video game being put into a big screen format enticing, I find it simply repulsive, for a number of reasons.

Beyond the fact that the game is one of the most powerful studies of death I’ve ever seen, the people involved with this project don’t exactly scream cinema quality to me. Ready for this? The producer is also behind such great flicks as The Scorpion King. Heck, they even went top dollar and hired the writer for the new Chun-Li Street Fighter movie.

While part of me is sick to my stomach to even think about a bad film version of this, I can’t help but get angry at the people in the video game industry that keep cheapening their unique intellectual properties for a quick buck. I mean, really? This is the depth you’ll sink to for more money on your brand?

What do you guys think? Is this an epic fail or am I just being dumb? Go.

Source- Kotaku

So Many Games It’s Like Being Strangled With My Own Hand

evil-dead-handHaving more money and less time on my hands than when I was younger has led to me a terrible dilemma: too many games, not enough time! I have games from two Christmases ago that I have yet to even play, let alone beat.

Thanks to my newly purchased Wii from Eddy, the unplayed games total just got bigger. It spans 4 different systems, 2 different generations and that doesn’t even include classics from the Virtual Console and PSN! Plus, I have a one game subscription to GameFly that usually gets played more than the games I own! I seriously am putting an end to any and all game purchases (except for PSN and Virtual Console…a guy’s gotta have something new to look forward to) until Christmas of this year. By then, I hope to have made a few dents in the Wall of Games I have sitting in my room, laughing at me. Quit laughing at me!

I know that I will not come close to getting all these done by Christmas, but I want to have some of them out of the way. Problem is, Killzone 2 and Call of Duty 4’s online multiplayer keep distracting me! Plus, I have movies and books that I want to enjoy…I am seriously stressed. So what I do when I get overwhelmed is I make a list and as I complete the items on the list, I get to cross them off. I am very OCD this way, but it feels really good.

So here is my list, broken down by system:

Playstation 3
Resident Evil 5
Killzone 2
Fallout 3
Call of Duty 4
Elder Scrolls III: Oblivion and Shivering Isles
Civilization Revolution
Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds

Wii
Mario Kart Wii
Super Smash Bros Brawl

DS
Dragon Quest IV
Dragon Quest V
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Contra 4
Final Fantasy III
Final Fantasy V
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy Tactics A2
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates

PS2
Final Fantasy X-2
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

PSN Games/PS1 Classics
Suikoden
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Syphon Filter
Calling All Cars
The Last Guy
Super Stardust HD
High Velocity Bowling
Pixeljunk Monsters
Age of Booty
Lumines Supernova

Virtual Console
Super Mario 64
Super Mario RPG
Secret of Mana
Super Punch Out
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life As A King
Contra III
Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels
Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse
Breath Of Fire II
Super Metroid
Super Castlevania IV

Current GameFly Game:
Super Mario Galaxy

If time is the fire in which we burn, as was once famously said, then my fire is fading fast! I have hours and hours of gaming ahead of me and it’s time to get organized and kick some ass! So I will be periodically updating you guys on my progress or lack of progress, hopefully the former. Soon as I finish Super Mario Galaxy (25 or so stars to go), I will try to play some Killzone 2…but the online is so addicting that it’s really hard to play the single-player mode!

Eddy also has a backlog as does every gamer these days. Here’s a look at his:

360
Fallout 3
Penny Arcade Episode 2
Dead Rising

PS3
Killzone 2
Valkyria Chronicles
LittleBigPlanet

PSN/PS1 Classics
Suikoden

DS
Final Fantasy IV
Final Fantasy VI
Chrono Trigger

PSP
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core
Final Fantasy Tactics

Now, that is a very reasonable list. I envy him. Looks like Final Fantasy is on everyone’s list of games to get through. I think you really have to be in the mood for that. The problem we all have is that with games like Oblivion or Fallout 3, you can beat it, sure, but never really complete it. And so you keep coming back to it and let other games sit on the shelf. That’s why I stopped playing Madden. Never got around to my other games.

So that’s our sob stories, what does your gaming backlog look like and how do you go about thinning the herd?

Star Wars: The Old Republic Timeline Trailer

Wow. Everytime I start to forget about the KOTOR MMO (or as it’s supposed to be known, The Old Republic), Bioware dishes out some kind of tease that keeps me coming back for more. Try as I might to avoid this game, I think it will inevitably grip me with a sarlacc pit fierceness.

The newest trailer features the voice of Lance Henrisken (Bishop from Aliens, duh) as the keeper of the Jedi archives. He narrates The Old Republic timeline that leads up to the MMO, and I have to say that it is both epic and enticing. Man, I can’t wait for this game.

It’s also neat to hear that the game will be taking place after the first two KOTOR games. For some reason, I thought it was a prequel. Silly me. Anywho, just watch it.

The Great Sequel-gasm

ac2If there’s one thing we can always be certain of in the gaming industry, it’s sequels! Sequels until our ears bleed. All you have to do is look at the last couple of years to see that the biggest games are new installments in current franchises.

Well, it seems that the sequel talk is ramping up, as there are a few big games that will be unveiled or teased in the coming weeks. Three pieces of sequel news hit today, and it’s kind of awesome.

  • A brand new Assassin’s Creed 2 teaser hit Ubisoft’s site today, which ends with a date for a big unveiling, scheduled for next Thursday.
  • Fable II is going to be releasing some new DLC, titled See the Future, which features not only new quests, but also a glimpse down the road of time in Albion, and the possibilities that lie in wait for Fable III.

Wow. Lots of good stuff for us to feast on. Which of these three games are you most excited about: Fable III, Assassin’s Creed 2, or Bioshock 2?

Sources- Kotaku, Ubi, Lionhead

GamerSushi Asks: Games You Thought Would Suck?

re5So this weekend, I played me a ton of Resident Evil 5. The co-op mode in particular is such a blast to play, especially the farther you progress. The game really does get more action-oriented the longer you play, which is wild considering that when it starts, you’re conserving your ammo like a mad man and trying to find loot under every rock and barrel you come across. It’s not long before you’re hording ridiculously power up-ed weapons and slaughtering the masses of infected zombie-people.

The thing that shocks me the most about this game is that I’m actually loving it. For a game that I wasn’t excited about in the slightest to just come along and grab me so really is a testament I think to just how fun it is to play. I know I made several posts about the game’s controls (which I still believe you should be able to run in the damn thing), but all in all, it really has surprised me with its awesomeness.

What was the last game that you thought that was going to be lame, but turned out to be totally awesome? Go!

Review: Halo Wars

hw-1Halo Wars was first introduced back at X06 with all the hype and subtlety of a flash grenade blinding your senses. Since then, the FPS turned RTS game has seen numerous delays and revisions before finally hitting store shelves in March 2009. So, was it worth the wait? Did the game live up to the Halo brand? How well does this console RTS play? Let’s talk about that.
Continue reading Review: Halo Wars

Alpha Protocol: Obsidian Evolves Trailer

A few weeks ago, I posted a trailer for Alpha Protocol, the stealth/action RPG from Obsidian, creators of KOTOR 2. That trailer pretty much blew me away, and their new trailer for the game, in which Obsidian discusses its evolution, keeps me interested as well. I have to say that I’m really curious about how this game is going to come together in a way that mixes story, RPG elements, and spy tactics.

So far it looks promising. Keeping my eyes on this one for sure. What do you guys think of what you’ve seen?

A Tale of Two Liberty Cities

liberty-cityIf you’re unaware, GTA: Chinatown Wars was just released recently on the Nintendo DS, and from what I hear, the game is actually pretty good. It returns to the top down view of the old school GTA games, but brings the thieving and action to the small dual screens of the Nintendo handheld.

The game takes place in the same Liberty City that GTA IV takes place in, and I have to say, it seems that Rockstar has done a great job re-creating the living breathing world that we saw in the next gen version. Even though I’m not crazy about GTA IV, the city is probably my favorite piece of the game. GamesRadar has put some side-by-side comparisons of Chinatown Wars and GTA IV up for gamers to check out, and it’s pretty breathtaking.

So what about you guys? Anybody interested in Chinatown Wars? I might actually pick it up now.

Source- GamesRadar

GamerSushi Asks: Beyond Good and Evil?

bgeBeyond Good and Evil was secretly one of the best games of last gen. Playing a lot like one of the more recent Zelda entries, it had an engrossing story, great writing and characters that you really cared about. It was easily in my top 5 games that I played on the PS2, which is a pretty solid list, if you ask me.

The creator, Michael Ancel (the dude behind Rayman) just did an interview recently where he talked about some of the issues and inspirations behind the game and its upcoming sequel, which include 9/11 and Miyazaki, the man who created great anime features such as Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. I think one of the coolest things about Beyond Good and Evil was not only its imaginative world, but also the themes of a planet besieged by a foreign threat and a corrupt government. One comment in particular struck me, as he spoke about games like Zelda being out of touch, because they don’t focus on things that are current or relevant.

It just goes to show that there are some creators out there trying to push the envelope in gaming, and I love them for it. I can’t wait for Beyond Good and Evil 2. So, did you guys ever play the first game? If you haven’t I highly recommend it. It’s fairly cheap on Steam. It really is a remarkable experience.

Source- Eurogamer

Today’s Do Want: EVE Fan Video, Day of Darkness II

EVE Online, the space MMO that is home to brigands, rogues and generally awesome dudes, always seems to come along and tantalize me. Particularly after a fan trailer like this latest machinima work from EVE player Dire Lauthris. The video is produced mostly with in-game footage (though he adds some sizzle here and there), and is also incredible. Apparently, he’s been working on it since back in 2007.

If you want to hear more about the dude’s methods, check out the EVE forums.

Source- RPS

Would You Pay For A Console MMO?

wow-360While you can’t fault a company for trying to make money (that is their purpose after all), I’m a tad miffed at hearing of the constant nickel-and-diming that is starting to pop up in the video games industry. I am all about paying for great content that is worth the money, but when I hear about EA having map packs and weapons for sale less than two weeks after Godfather II’s release, I’m annoyed.

The same goes with hearing the latest rumor that Microsoft is working really hard to nail down a pricing structure for an XBox 360 MMO at some point in the future. While this shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, it’s just a shame to hear about a service that already charges money for ongoing online costs expecting to get more money for an individual game. While lots of people pay for MMO’s on the PC, this just isn’t something we’ve seen yet on a console.

So what do you guys think? Would you pay money to play an MMO on your console? And for 360 owners, what’s the alternative? Personally, I might not mind an additional tier to the XBox Live subscription that allowed me to play all MMO’s, but the idea of paying two fees at once still bugs me. Thoughts?

Source- Destructoid

The Upward Trend In Video Game Reviews

video-gamesWhen I was younger, reading a video game review in a new magazine or on a Web site was one of the most exciting experiences I could have as a gamer. To finally find out if the game I had been waiting for was worth playing was a moment of fear, excitement and trepidation. However, most of the joy has left this ritual in the last generation. Why is that? Because I already know that the score is going to be about 7.5 or above. It’s set in stone.

You see, these days, our perception on good video game reviews has changed. While the scale is supposed to theoretically range anywhere from 0 to 10, most often, the scale seems to start at about 7.5-8. As a result, what used to be a good score for a video game has changed, and expectations are through the roof for every AAA title. The real question is this: when did an 8.5 become a “meh” score in gamers’ minds?
Continue reading The Upward Trend In Video Game Reviews

Today’s WTF: Games To Play Before You Die

wtfYikes. While we tend to dissect a lot of other people’s lists a lot, we have established well and good that it is something that inherently is appealing to gamers. We live to tear other people’s gaming favorites apart and interject our own.

Take this list from TheGameReviews, which put together “30 Games You Must Play Before You Die”. The idea of the list is that everybody should play these 30 games before they kick the bucket, obviously. Only, their choices weren’t so obvious. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that their choices are pretty awful in some cases.

There are a shocking amount of games from this gen on the list. And while there are a lot of good games this gen, should someone really play Mario Galaxy as opposed to Mario 64? Or Metal Gear Solid 4 over MGS 1 or MGS 3? And where the heck is Half Life?

So what do you guys think of the list? And what would you have put on it?

Source- TheGameReviews

Cube of War Trailer

Once again, got to love the April Fool’s posts from all over the Internet today. Actually, you don’t. I mean, while I think it’s funny that everyone does gags, it actually irritates me that for a whole day I can’t read anything real online. Kind of lame.

However, this fake trailer for a new God of War: Chains of Olympus play mode featuring the Companion Cube from Portal is the opposite of lame. In fact, it’s incredible. I’d totally play this game.

GamerSushi Asks: April Fools?

april-foolsApril Fool’s Day is here, so there will be almost no video game news out over the next 24 hours that we can even hope to trust for the most part, which will make for an undoubtedly slow posting day. Already, people are dropping rumors like Final Fantasy VII on PSN, Dragon Quest IX on sale in Japan, and then some.

So, it got me wondering if you guys have any funny gaming pranks or feats you have ever pulled off? They don’t necessarily have to be related to April Fool’s, but any kind of trick you’ve pulled on someone else related to gaming, or had pulled on you.

For me, it would have to be WCW Vs. NWO for the N64, where I would play as a character named Dr. Frank. My friends all swore that Dr. Frank was cheap and had boosted stats, and I always defended the good Dr. and said that he didn’t. Well, after some research, we found out that the character actually was cheap. So, they edited the character while I was gone and put him in a bikini and changed his name to “Eddys A Cake”. Sometimes, they still use that name just to make fun of me.

What about you guys? Go!