Category: iPhone gaming

Angry Birds Dev Flames Nintendo

Angry Birds

The video games industry is starting to remind me of the East Coast/West Coast hip hop wars of the 90s. First, Nintendo said that smartphone gaming was destroying the value of video games. Then they crapped all over “garage developers”. Now, the Angry Birds are firing back at the Big N for their arrogance.

Peter Vesterbacka of Rovio (love that name) responded to Nintendo’s claims by saying:

“Of course, if I was trying to sell a $49 pieces of plastic to people then yes, I’d be worried too. But I think it’s a good sign that people are concerned – because from my point of view we’re doing something right.”

He goes on to say that the consoles aren’t the fastest growing market anymore and that “real” games can be made on smartphones, as well as consoles.

Now, I have no interest in smartphone gaming one iota and I personally think Angry Birds is an overrated game, back when I played something similar to it years ago, but I agree (to a point) with Vesterbacka. There is enough room for everyone in this industry, but it appears he is doing the same thing Nintendo is.

Nintendo is writing off smartphone gaming because they view it as a threat. Vesterbacka is doing the same thing with consoles because they aren’t the hot new thing out there anymore. Both can coexist in the same market, though. And Vesterbacka shouldn’t worry: Nintendo is pretty good at selling pieces of plastic.

What say you, GamerSushi nation? Is Nintendo right or are the Birds’ anger justified?

Source: MCV

GamerSushi Asks: What Are You Playing?

Demon's Souls

Howdy, gamers. How was your weekend?

Now that I’m finished with Dragon Age 2, there seems to be a bit of a brief lull between Bioware’s not-quite-as-epic fantasy RPG and the sequel to Valve’s runaway hit, Portal 2, which releases on April 18th. As such, I now have some time to chip away at the always growing pile-o-games that awaits me at each and every turn.

The games I’m currently playing: Final Fantasy VI, Beyond Good and Evil HD, Infinity Blade and Demon’s Souls. I also plan on starting Torchlight on XBLA as well as Back to the Future on PC. I might even throw a bit of Lost Odyssey in there for good measure. The game I’m most curious about is Demon’s Souls, the uber challenging PS3 exclusive that I keep hearing horror stories about from Anthony. So far, it seems pretty interested, but I’m admittedly not very far into it.

So what about you guys? What are you playing at the moment? Has anyone else out there completed Dragon Age 2? Thoughts? Any Demon’s Souls advice for me? Go!

The GamerSushi Show, Ep 22: The Hangover

The funny thing about the banner image on the front page is that we thought about Photoshopping our faces on the characters of The Hangover, but then realized we could leave Nick’s the same. Think about it.

So how do we all hold up after a couple of weeks to reflect and regret our actions in the last podcast? Pretty good, actually. Episode 22 of the podcast is all about Dragon Age 2, Infinity Blade, Radiant Historia and other gaming goodness. Apparently we were focused on RPG’s when we did this. “Nice.”

After those initial topics, Nick drops a game of fill in the blank on us. As always, my exceptional vocabulary and clever word play propelled me ahead of my opponents and secured my victory. So be ready for that.

Alright, victory celebrations aside, here’s the podcast. Listen. Rate. Enjoy.
Continue reading The GamerSushi Show, Ep 22: The Hangover

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GamerSushi Asks: When Does a Game Grab You?

Infinity Blade

The original title for this article was “When Are You Addicted to a Game”, but then I would have admitted publicly that I’m a sucker jonesing for a gaming fix. At any rate, I was thinking about this subject today as Eddy passed around an email thread where he detailed his current problem with Infinity Blade: namely, does he buy the titular sword or purchase less powerful weapons to get some experience points for the immediate future. He’s also completed about twenty bloodlines in the game, meaning that he’s well and truly in the throws of an Infinity Blade obsession.

That’s not to say that I’m immune though. While I did have a lengthy infatuation with Infinity Blade, I’m currently eyeballs-deep in another Dragon Age 2 playthrough, this time as a female Rogue. I’m determined to see everything I didn’t find last time, so I’m searching ever nook and cranny and even taking advantage of the leveling glitch to make my progress a bit smoother. BioWare games do this a lot to me, where I’ll play for a little while then get hooked into the experience. Knights of the Old Republic and both Mass Effects have done this to me, and now Dragon Age 2 has as well. Something about their games are just irrestiable.

What about you guys? Have you had a similar experience with a game? Do you know when you’re enthralled with a game, when every waking moment is consumed with thoughts about it?

Infinity Blade and Breaking Gaming Preconceptions

infinity blade

I’m kind of late to the party on this one but I recently (along with a few other GamerSushi editors) picked up Infinity Blade, Epic Games and Chair Entertainment’s fantasy hack-and-slash title for the iOS. For the uninformed, Infinity Blade is a game that revolves around one family’s quest to kill the God King and avenge the death of the blood lines’ progenitor. The game is played through a series of one-on-one fights between the player’s character and various enemies and has a deep RPG undertone to round out the gameplay.

This is the second hand-held game that I picked up the last couple of days, the first one being Pokemon Black. I had some doubts going into Infinity Blade, and, despite the fact that I’ve played some great iPhone games over the past while, I didn’t think I would find something that would drag me away from the “real” gaming devices. How wrong I was. I put down Pokemon Black to try out Infinity Blade, and I haven’t picked up my DS since. First off, the game is absolutely gorgeous, and I love the design of the enemies, the stages, and the weapons and armor. It has a very “dark fantasy” feel, and it appeals directly to the gamer in me that has been crying out for a bad-ass sword fighting game.

I’m totally floored by how quickly Infinity Blade drew me in, and on a phone of all platforms. I thought that the iPhone wasn’t made for this type of game, but Infinity Blade blew my preconceived notions out of the water. I could ramble on about Infinity Blade forever, but what about you guys? Has any game changed the way you thought about a gaming device, or maybe a different type of input method (like motion controls)? Have you tried Infinity Blade, and what do you think? Want to make fun of me for only realizing just now how great this game is? Go!

The GamerSushi Show, Ep 17: “Sup, Bitches?”

It’s a new edition of the GamerSushi Show, ladies and gents. While 17 is not a very special number to celebrate (except for dog lovers in Canada, apparently), we’re still happy to be releasing these podcasts every week, despite our general apathy towards doing things. And really, that’s an achievement in and of itself.

In the not-so-remarkable-but-still-excellent 17th episode, we chat about a number of gaming topics, including: Sony’s NGP, Dead Space 2, Bulletstorm, Crysis 2 and Game Dev Story. We also play a whopping two games this week instead of the usual one from our friendly beard. This week, Anthony drops in with a game where we guess about a classic review. Likewise, Nick gives us a game of Grades, where we rate industry happenings. We also talk about the Social Network at some point in there, I think, unless it got cut by Nick’s merciless editing.

Anyway, give it a listen and please rate the podcast on iTunes as well. Continue reading The GamerSushi Show, Ep 17: “Sup, Bitches?”

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Game Dev Story and Addictive Gaming

Game Dev Story

One of the things about portable gaming that always kept me at arms length was its long term accessibility. It’s cool to be able to play something on the DS or iPhone for a few minutes here and there, but I never imagined that I would sit down for a few hours straight in order to play something. Recently, that notion has been challenged by 999, which I’ve posted about a couple of times. However, another addictive game ruined my life this week in the form of Game Dev Story for the iPhone.

If you’re unaware, Game Dev Story is like playing Roller Coaster Tycoon, but with a video game development studio. You create games, hire staff, manage advertising and try pump up your sales and profits. You learn new genres, get bigger offices and can even make your own console eventually. The goal is to run the company for 20 years, and make great games in the process. It’s quirky, fun, easy to play and as I said before, crazy addictive. So far, my biggest hits have been a card game called Cardville as well as my RPG titled Loot World.

I downloaded the game on Monday and have been playing it several hours each day since. I never thought I would be that into an iPhone game, but it seriously has me itching to play more all the time, made worse by the fact that I physically can grab my phone and play whenever I want.

Have any of you heard of this game or played it? What’s the most addictive game you’ve played recently?

GamerSushi Asks: Would You Rather, 2011 Edition

It’s a brand new year, so it’s time for a brand new edition of Would You Rather, that game where you answer questions and give us awesome rants and diatribes about life, gaming and what you had for dinner.

It’s been some time since our last WYR (November), so I think everyone should be recharged and ready to give us some good responses. Since we’re in a bright shiny new year, I thought it would be pertinent to come at you, bros, with a salvo of 2011 gaming-related queries. I know, I know, the 2011 thing is already getting old, but you’ll probably stop being told that it’s a new year on every site in the world sometime within the next week. That’s just how bloggers roll, I guess.

For the Would You Rather virgins out there, the game is simple: I ask questions, and you follow up with your answers. Give as much or as little explanation as you want for your choices, but we all know that we like to see the reasoning behind the madness.

But don’t let your answers suck. In previous years, we’ve threatened violence and humiliation for having bad bouts of WYR responses. This year, we are going to be more civilized, and instead threaten verbal assaults on your immediate family. After all, you can’t come back to the site if we’ve broken your hands. Anyway, answer away, gents.

Continue reading GamerSushi Asks: Would You Rather, 2011 Edition

Angry Birds to be Released on PSN Tomorrow

angry birds

Stuck with a dumb phone instead of a smart phone? I’m in the same boat and frankly, I am tired of hearing about Angry Birds, as I am sure the rest of you are. It’s probably just one of those stupid games that tweens like and…wazzat? It’s coming out on the PSN tomorrow as a Playstation Mini, which means you can play it on your PS3 or PSP? I’ve suddenly had a change of heart!

All kidding aside, I’ve heard so much about this game that I am quite excited to finally get a taste of what iPhone games are like, albeit translated through a console. I’ve played several other Playstation Minis and they are very enjoyable, good for small doses of gaming. I’m sure Angry Birds will fit right into that niche. Now I can go back and watch that skit from the VGA’s and understand it!

Is anyone else excited to get a chance to play this phenomenon? Any Angry Birds fans have tips for us newly angry birds?

Source: Playstation Blog

Time’s Top 10 Games of 2010 Hails Alan Wake

time top ten games 2010Hot off of Eddy’s post about a list (we told you they were coming), I bring to you Time Magazine’s Top 10 games of 2010. Personally, I feel that the list is kind of strange, but I thought I would put it up here to see what kind of reaction you guys have to it. The first thing that I noticed about the list is that Alan Wake, Microsoft’s Lovecraftian exclusive, comes in at number one, beating out other luminaries like Red Dead Redemption and Halo: Reach.

The number two game on the list, something that I’m sure will make Jeff happy, is Rovio’s mobile sensation Angry Birds. On a traditional “game of the year” list, throwing something like Angry Birds on there still looks strange to me, even though I personally love the game. Instead of running through the list one by one, though, I’ll post it for you fellas after the jump. Continue reading Time’s Top 10 Games of 2010 Hails Alan Wake

Star Wars Arcade Turns Your iPhone Into the Millennium Falcon

I recently picked up an iPhone 4 and I’ve been loving the junk out of it. Most of my time is divided between Angry Birds and Plants vs Zombies and I’m kind of surprised at how versatile a gaming platform the device is (I guess it’s also a phone too, or something). I’ve been keeping my eye out for unique or bad-ass iPhone games, and Star Wars Arcade fits the bill perfectly. It uses your iPhone’s camera to produce the background and it throws waves of TIE Fighters at you, superimposed over whatever your phone is looking at.

That looks pretty awesome, and I for one can’t wait to shoot down the minions of the Empire while I’m on the can. IPhone gaming is starting to really take off, so how many of you are taking the plunge? Anyone going to pick this up when it hits the app store later this month?

Rovio Announces Angry Birds Halloween

As we mentioned on our last podcast, Angry Birds is selling like hotcakes for the iPhone and now Android. I guess that wasn’t enough for Rovio Mobile though, because on their blog today they announced a special Halloween edition of Angry Birds. It will be a standalone game with 45 spooky new levels. Unfortunately for Android users it will only be available on the iTunes App Store. Rovio says it should show up at midnight on October 21st, and will run you $0.99 for the standard version and $1.99 for the HD iPad version.

Trailer below:

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

Link