GamerSushi Asks: How Important Are HD Graphics?

crysisOne of the biggest hill that consoles war upon is the hill of graphics. Fanboys of ages past can easily recall arguments over which system or game had better graphics, and this has long been a standard for gamers to declare their position. In this newest generation, HD graphics have been given prime importance in the eyes of many, but is it the most important thing?

Apparently not, according to the masses. Loot Ninja posted an article about this very issue recently, looking at the successes of the current day, most notably that of the Nintendo Wii, which does not support HD resolutions of any kind. Studies seem to show that nearly 60 percent of minutes played on video games are played on the PS2, Wii, XBox or GameCube. I guess people haven’t gotten the next gen memo yet.

With many households not even being HD ready, this definitely makes sense. Personally, I’m not much of a graphics whore, but I definitely think that current consoles should maximize on the capabilities that HDTV offers. So what do you guys think? How important are HD graphics to you?

Source- Loot Ninja

Is The Drive For Realism Making Games Less Fun?

virtual-reality-8When I was a kid, realism is all anyone wanted out of video games. Virtual Reality was the buzzword of the times. If an enemy acted realistically, that was amazing. If a character’s portrait in a cut scene looked anything like the real thing, we were in awe. As graphics got better, the dream became closer to reality. Games like Flashback and Heart of Darkness wowed gamers with photorealistic graphics, crude by today’s standards, but jaw dropping back in the days when Kurt Cobain was still smashing guitars.

Even though graphics were getting more real, the gameplay was still crazy. Cloud and Sephiroth may look like real people in the cut scenes, but obviously no human could really wield that giant sword. This was a happy medium, but it never really set right with me. I preferred the awesome summons animations and the scenes with WEAPON and other unreal events. You know: stuff I have never seen.
Continue reading Is The Drive For Realism Making Games Less Fun?

GamerSushi Asks: The Cut Scene?

mgs41A few days ago, I beat Metal Gear Solid 4, excited about having finished the game. I figured, hey, I’ll go to bed after this is over. Having heard it was long, I estimated that this would be about 20 or 30 minutes later, and I would be tucked away and dreaming after seeing Snake & Co’s fate. Boy, was I wrong. The ending was nearly an hour and a half long. Leaving me tired and disheveled at work the next day.

This got me thinking. I do that sometimes. I remember an age in gaming when cutscenes were welcome with anticipation. Hell, part of the draw of the original PSX hits like Final Fantasy VII and Metal Gear Solid were the spectacular cut scenes, because it brought gaming to a new level in that generation. But then you have a game like Portal or Left 4 Dead which uses little to no cut scenes in order to fully immerse you in the gameplay, and it works just as well.

So- what’s the perfect kind of cut scene in gaming? While we can all probably agree that an hour and a half is much too long, what’s too short? What should a cut scene accomplish? What are your thoughts about cut scenes in video games? And what are your favorite examples? Answer away!

Where Should GTA V Be Located?

gta4pcApparently, there are rumors that GTA V might drop as soon as this freaking year. While I’m not putting too much stock in these things just yet, it does bring up an interesting discussion. Will we return to Liberty City? GTA III moved to both Vice City and San Andreas, so what are the likely candidates for the next free-roaming installment?

The XBoxist has put together a list of their top 5 candidates for GTA V. They’ve got a pretty interesting breakdown as to why some of these settings would be ideal, namely Moscow, Paris, Tokyo, Hawaii and the future.

As some of you know, I’m a big fan of that last one. Also, I could see Tokyo make for a great GTA world. What do you guys think? What should the next Grand Theft Auto city be?

Source- Xboxist

The 2008 Sushis: A Year in Review

Like most gaming sites, we here at GamerSushi are all about year-in-review awards, in which we give prestigious designations to some of the best (and easiest to make fun of) video games from the year before. The Sushis are no laughing matter though, and represent the highest standard in gaming opinion.

Ok, well maybe that last part isn’t true. But they sure are fun.

The Sushis are basically just our take on the last year, for better or for worse. Some of the awards are goofy and some of them are legit. We hope you get as big of a kick out of it as we did of playing these games. So, without further ado, here are the 2008 Sushis, picked out by both Anthony and yours truly.

Enjoy!
Continue reading The 2008 Sushis: A Year in Review

PC Games That Deserve Sequels

jediknightpcAh, PC gaming yesteryear. How I miss thee. No matter how much I love console gaming, there’s a part of me that will never leave PC gaming behind completely. Unfortunately, there aren’t a whole lot of games that really make me want to jump back into it these days.

In honor of PC games gone by, Big Download has put together a list of 10 PC Games That Need to Make a Comeback. While I haven’t heard of all of the games on the list, I strongly agree with a couple that they have on there. Particularly Baldur’s Gate, Wing Commander, and the Jedi Knight games.

What about you guys? What PC games would you like to see sequels for? For me, Counter-Strike! It’s about time for a new one, darnit.

Source- Big Download

Lame Alert: Fable II’s Knothole Island

fable2Apart from sounding like some kind of vulgar nickname for a body part, Fable II’s Knothole Island is going to be a downloadable addition that will hit XBox Live tomorrow. It offers extra areas to explore, along with some new sidequests to garner some more fame. Who knows, maybe there will be property there, as well.

One thing that it’s going to have is lots of lame. Why? It seems that one of the developers is hinting that Knothole Island is going to have a resurrection shrine, and that perhaps you will be able to reverse a couple of erm, choices from late in the game.

This brings me to one of my main quibbles about Fable II. But alas, there are spoilers. So only continue if you don’t care.
Continue reading Lame Alert: Fable II’s Knothole Island

Today’s WTF: Nintendo’s “Kind Code”

nintendo-kind-codeLots of people crack on Nintendo for not making hardcore games anymore. Today, a patent went public that may confirm this suspicion for many people: Nintendo’s Kind Code. What is it, exactly, you ask?

Though there is a lot of techno mumbo-jumbo to the patent and not many specifics are known yet, basically, the Kind Code allows you, if you get stuck at a point in a game, to become “unstuck”. This works by choosing a hint in a menu, or selecting an option that lets the game take control. If you’d like, you can also just load up a developer’s saved game with full stats/health/etc, and jump into any point of the game you want.

The idea is that this will turn more casual people on to hardcore games, so they don’t have to worry about getting stumped, or they can start the game from where ever they want, or they can just watch the game play itself.
Continue reading Today’s WTF: Nintendo’s “Kind Code”

GamerSushi Asks: Next Gen Features?

ps41Kind of funny how time flies. Now that about 2-3 years has gone by for each console, we’re now over the hump in terms of this generation, and descending on the back end towards the demise of each machine’s lifespan. Crazy, no?

Naturally, speculation has already begun about when the next generation is going to begin, and who will make the first move. However, what a lot of people aren’t talking about is what exactly is the next generation going to look like. Digital Battle has put together a Features of the Next Gen list, running through what they think belongs on all the new systems.

While I’m not sure that all of the features they list (free web browsers, motion controls, free online play) are things that I consider to be “must-have” qualities from the new machines, it does raise an interesting question- what exactly do the next gen systems need? Tell us your thoughts! What would you like to see happen?

Source- Digital Battle

GamerSushi Asks: Halo Killer?

halo-killerEver since Halo claimed the console FPS throne, several games have come and gone to try to take the title “Halo Killer”. As if all of FPS-dom were some huge hill that could be overtaken, and fans would automatically shift their allegiances to this new god-like app with the ability to fell Master Chief and his minions.

Personally, I find that to be a load of garbage, as does The Goozex Report, which has an interesting article up discussing how Sony May Never Have a Halo Killer. While many Sony games have tried, none have come close, and honestly, I don’t see it happening any time soon. Not because of any deficiency of the system, it’s just the fan base is so large I can’t see it being slain and won over.

Not even with Killzone 2, which Sony expects to outsell MGS4 (seriously). Personally, while I’m excited about a lot of games for the PS3 this year, Killzone 2 just isn’t even on my radar. It’s like everyone forgets that the first one was just mediocre.

So what do you guys think? Do you see a Halo Killer coming along any time in this generation? And is Killzone 2 actually going to be any good? Tell us your thoughts!

Source- The Goozex Report

7 Things a Hardcore Gamer Should Never Admit, Vol. 1

As those experienced in the realm of nerdery, we gamers know what it is like to be social outcasts more often than not. We understand that there are certain codes, unwritten rules to being a part of circles, and what must be done to infiltrate them.

The same is true of the gaming community, perhaps more so than other clubs. To keep our hardcore gaming membership card secure in our wallets, there are certain appearances we must uphold in order to earn the respect of the gaming community at large.
Continue reading 7 Things a Hardcore Gamer Should Never Admit, Vol. 1

Who’s Got The Best Exclusives?

console-warsIn the epic fanboy debates of ages past and present, the ultimate factor always turns out to be console exclusives. Being able to tout a game that the other console doesn’t have wins major points, even if the other side pretends that they wouldn’t touch Halo or Metal Gear Solid if it was on their console of choice. Yeah. Right.

However, these days, console exclusives are light. Since games cost more to make, it’s just not financially reasonable to make an exclusive for one console when you can make more money by spreading the love and your game around.

Unigamesity has put together a list of the pure console exclusives from 2008, and compares their Metacritic ratings. Who wins? You might be surprised. For the record, I think Left 4 Dead should have been included on the 360 list. Sure, you can play it on the PC. But console-wise, you can only play it on the 360, which is what matters for the purposes of this argument.

Source- Unigamesity

Gaming Flops for 2008

too-humanThere’s nothing worse than being super excited about a video game only to have it suck. We all know that all-too-familiar pang of disappointment as we pop a game in the disc drive and then play it, only to wonder aloud “WTF” as the game really gets moving. Or not moving, if that’s the case. So what were the disappointments of last year?

Second Story Gamer has put together a list of what they deem to be the 10 Biggest Flops of 2008. Basically, they take some of the more hyped games, and post their MetaCritic rating as well as their sales numbers, to determine which of them underperformed.

Some of the titles aren’t altogether too surprising (Mercenaries 2, Haze, Wii Music), though putting LittleBigPlanet for honorable mention seemed a bit off. Also, where’s The Force Unleashed? Did you guys play any of the games on the list?

Source- Second Story Gamer

The Nintendo Wii: Abandon Ship?

wii-abandon-shipYou all know that I’m not a huge fan of Nintendo these days. I won’t hide it, and very often (too often, I know) I like to prod Nintendo where I can, dishing out death by papercut through my snide remarks and witty criticisms. Most of that is due to the Wii, which I feel is a colossal stab in the back to the Nintendo hardcore, but unfortunately, the machine is a ludicrous success, so I guess it doesn’t matter.

Slapstic just recently posted an article titled Why NOW Is The Time To Abandon Ship On The Wii, discussing how 2009’s Wii prospects don’t look too promising. Mad World? Sin and Punishment 2? Wii Sports Resort? Apparently, that’s all we’re getting unless Nintendo has some tricks up their sleeves.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about joining this fellow writer and selling my Nintendo Wii as well. Still not sure if that is foolish or not. What do you guys think? Agree or disagree with the article?

Source- Slapstic

Games to Get Cheaper?

moneyWith the more expensive tech and the big budgets behind gaming in this day and age, it becomes natural for the prices to rise. However, I’ve always wished that companies would scale the costs of their titles in order for the prices to stay down. It’s not worth buying a short game like Mirror’s Edge for $60 in today’s economy.

However, it seems like the recession is going to be giving pause to video game companies. Forbes points out that already, prices of games are starting to come down, most notable Call of Duty: World at War, which was reduced to $49 just before Christmas, and was one of the holidays’ top sellers at that. So now, analysts are predicting more might drop as well.

I find this to be great news. To me, instead of just maxing out your dollars so you can make a $60 price point, game developers should set good budgets for what a game needs, and then price accordingly. As I mentioned earlier, a 5-6 hour game should not cost me $60. Hopefully this continues. What do you guys think?

Source- Forbes

Metacritic’s Top 10 Games

metacriticOnce again, we revisit that timeless truth. We love the junk out of top 10 lists. Well, it seems that MTV Multiplayer has done some homework and put together this nifty list of the 10 best rated games of the year on Metacritic.

While we can’t shout “wtf what a sucky list” at this, we can get an idea of games that were for some reason universally overrated/underrated. It begs the question of whether or not the gaming media gives free passes to some of the bigger franchises like GTA IV and MGS 4. In my opinion, both of these were lackluster entries into their respective series.

List is after the jump!
Continue reading Metacritic’s Top 10 Games

EA Folds to Valve’s Steam Machine

eaWow. This is one of those things that I never thought I’d say out loud in my lifetime. EA learned their lesson. They have seen the grievous error of their ways, and have thus repented. How does one know this, you ask? Well, there is a simple answer.

EA has moved its games to Steam.

You can now purchase games like Spore and Mass Effect, with notable titles like Dead Space on their way soon. The best part of all? It seems that they may be DRM-free. To me, this just speaks volumes to the power of Steam, and that Valve yet again shows that it understands gamers and digital distribution better than anybody.

What do you guys think? Good news? I certainly think so. I hope Steam is eventually the platform for all PC releases, personally.

Source- Shacknews

Shattered Save Slots: Final Fantasy VII

ff7-1We’ve all got those gaming memories that mean a lot to us. Things that, as a kid or heck, even as an adolescent or adult, have affected us deeply. It’s these moments that we look back upon with wonder, that make us into who we are as gamers, and captured our hearts forever for this “hobby”.

But what happens when someone comes along to shatter that pixel-perfect image you have in your head? In Shattered Save Slots, we take a look at some of gaming’s most memorable moments, and come at them with sarcasm, perspective and brutality.

This week, Eddy looks back at one of his favorite all-time games, Final Fantasy VII. And Anthony comes to… well, poop on it.
Continue reading Shattered Save Slots: Final Fantasy VII

Video Game Heartbreakers, 2008 Edition

heartbreakEvery year has its ups and downs in the video game world. From console releases, to huge gaming flops, to bad decisions made by silly companies, there are always some great gaming memories to throw down at the end of each year. And as we all know, 2008 was no exception.

Ugo has just released a list of The Worst Heartbreaks in Videogames 2008, which chronicles the 20 biggest disappointments from the gaming realm for this good year. Some of the notables include DRMs and piracy, the gory fatalities that were cut from MK vs DCU and Nintendo’s lack of releases this holiday season. The number 1 though, might be a shocker. Fanboy sticks ready!

What about you guys? Agree with the list? What were some of your video game heartbreakers this year? I’d have to agree with the article that the combo of the fall deluge of games and the undersell of new IP combined to form my biggest disappointment this year. Seriously, if any other industry released all of its content at once, it would be suicide. Not to mention that in the gaming biz, the products are $60 each.

Source- Ugo

GamerSushi Asks: Would You Rather?

The holidays are approaching, which means that you guys will be playing games until your eyes bleed and your thumbs have blisters. It’s as good a time as any to have a brand new “Would You Rather?” feature at GamerSushi!

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 your answers are lame. And if they are, be sure that your name will forever go down in the Lame Book of Laming Lameness. It is real, it is a best seller, and all of your friends read it.

Continue reading GamerSushi Asks: Would You Rather?