Top 20 Most Played Wii Games List Has a New Challenger

Super Smash Bros Brawl

Being a nerd and a dude that both writes and studies numbers for my job, I suppose you could say I like statistics. While any marketing company can spin you a tale about how their games are being played online every day, it’s numbers that tell the true story, and without any of the other word garbage.

If you have the Nintendo Channel downloaded on your Wii, Nintendo has made a great deal of data available including charts and graphs and other fancy things to show fans which of their games average the most play time per user. This data is pulled from users who share their data with Nintendo via the Wii, and it figures out what users play and for how long. Each month, Kotaku pulls these 20 most loved Wii games for nerds like you and I to take a gander at.

This month’s edition of the statistics reveal a few interesting things, including the fact that Super Smash Bros (which averages 78 hours of play time per user) has been de-throned from the number one spot. You might be wondering which game would take down such a lofty title, one that formed some of the most fun I had on the Wii in my short time of owning one. Hit the jump to see the full list! Continue reading Top 20 Most Played Wii Games List Has a New Challenger

Little Big Planet 2 was Delayed to Accommodate Offline PS3s

little big planet 2 delayWhile Little Big Planet 2’s delay late last month was heartbreaking news, it wasn’t without reason. As a large part of LBP2’s uniqueness comes from the building and sharing of custom levels online, this requires your PlayStation 3 to be connected to the Internet. Alas, even in 2010, there are still some out there who don’t hook into the Internet, and by extension, the PlayStation Network. If you’re looking to place the blame on anyone for the game’s delay, look at these troglodytes rather than Media Molecule, the game’s developer.

Alex Evans, the head honcho over at MM, spoke to the news barons at VG247 regarding the delay of Little Big Planet 2 and why the studio thought it was necessary:

“Like LittleBigPlanet, we will be supporting the game with patches, updates and whatever, but you have to realize right from the beginning that there are those people who don’t have online and that is why we decided it was the right decision to delay the game. We respect people don’t have online and don’t want to patch their game to get the full experience. We could have shipped it and it would have been fine, however we realized that with just a couple of extra week’s we could make the game super amazing, adding the super onto the already amazing which exists today. This is something that will live forever and the delay, people will forget about. I’m really sorry the delay frustrated people, even us, I mean I really wanted to get this game out for Christmas so hard. We pushed ourselves but realized with just a few more weeks we could make it perfect.”

So there you have it people, Little Big Planet 2 was delayed so even your average person can get the full experience. It seems to me that those most interested in LBP2 would have their PS3s connected anyways because they’re aware of the game’s full suite of features, but I guess it’s better to be safe than sorry.

It’s nice the Media Molecule are being so candid about the delay, which reminds me just how upstanding the studio really is. Part of his quote makes him sound like he resents offline folk, but again that might be me. What do you guys think of the delay? Legitimate, or should those guilty PS3 owners join us in the year 2006? The game is due to come out early 2011.

Source: VG247

Catching Up with the Castlevania Retrospective

When it comes to original video content, I think that GameTrailers has some of the best retrospective features around. They’re usually informative, entertaining and ridiculously well researched. And to top it off, they’re about some of the biggest franchises in all of gaming.

This week, in honor of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow’s release, they return with part 1 of their Castlevania Retrospective, which is all about the origin of Dracula and his sordid history with the Belmont clan. Having never played a Castlevania game (don’t tar and feather me, Anthony), this whole thing is pretty fascinating to me, and I’d be a crazy person to hear that music and see that gameplay and not start itching to pick those titles up. Going to have to add Symphony of the Night to the list, and soon. I seriously can’t get enough of these things.

Can we get a roll call from the Castlevania fans out there?

GamerSushi Asks: Favorite Video Game Urban Legends?

Sheng Long Street FighterThe Tomb Raider Nude Code. Sheng Long in Street Fighter II. Savvy gamers instantly smile or roll their eyes upon hearing these phrases because we know what they are: lies. Dirty, shameless lies. Whether we were once fooled by them in our more naive days or we pulled the figurative wool over our friends eyes for a laugh, these myths have persisted throughout the years, like a digital Sasquatch.

So coming across this list from 1UP detailing the most famous video game urban legends, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia and a sudden fit of laughter. My personal tale involves a foolish friend who did all manner of insane things in Final Fantasy VII in a vain effort to bring Aeris back. Things such as accumulate 100,000 GP in the Gold Saucer and steal from a Tonberry 100 times in one battle. Where did this poor sap get this idiotic notion? Why, from me, of course! Man, was he mad!

Which myths on the list did you fall for? Have you ever played a trick on a friend in such a devious manner? GO!

Source: 1UP

Poll: Which Unannounced Sequel Do You Want First?

While we generally know the lists of titles available in the coming months, including Spring of 2011, we’re still unsure about what all lies in store for next year. There’s plenty of room for surprise when it comes to gaming release dates, and anybody’s guess is as good as mine.

That being said, I started thinking about a list of sequels that we haven’t really heard any rumblings about in a while, with no idea as to when they’re going to come. This “unannounced sequels list” includes: Half-Life 2: Episode 3, The Elder Scrolls V, Counter-Strike 2, Grand Theft Auto V, Mass Effect 3 and Uncharted 3. Really, looking at them, that’s an incredible line-up, and I wouldn’t be sorry to see all of them drop in the same year, say 2012 or so.

It’s actually hard to decide which one I’d want to tackle first, so I thought I’d let you guys decide. Go.

Which do you want to play first?

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GamerSushi Asks: Real Life Video Game Power-Ups?

Mario Fire Flower

Power ups are some of my favorite things created by game developers. Sure, they often take the form of nonsensical things, but what better way to mix up the gameplay in a stale title than to let your hero do something completely out of the norm, whether it be a special spin attack after eating pizza a la the TMNT arcade games or getting the Tanooki suit in Super Mario Bros. 3. Personally, some of my favorite power-ups include quad damage from the Quake series, as well as the Donkey Kong hammer in Super Smash Bros.

But what if we could have power-ups apart from gaming? That’s the question Filefront is asking in one of their recent features, 10 Greatest Game Power-Ups to Have in Real Life, and I found it quite entertaining. They cover everything from Pay n’ Sprays in GTA to skill books from Elder Scrolls. The number one is a bit obvious, but no less desirable. A few notable misses would include the speed shoes from Sonic and the star from Super Mario Bros., because who wouldn’t want to be invincible?

Which video game power-ups are your favorite, and which would you prefer to have in real life? Go!

Source – Filefront

Mass Effect 2 on PS3 Will Use Introductory Module to Bring Players up to Speed

mass effect 2 ps3One of the biggest features touted for Mass Effect 2 was the ability to import saves from the original game and carry on your story as Shepard. While PC and X-Box 360 gamers world wide were able to enjoy this bonus, PlayStation 3 users are going to have a bit of a handicap going into the sequel due to the first game never making it to their system. BioWare, ever the crafty sorts, have a solution in the form of an introductory module. BioWare founders Dr Ray Muzyka and Dr Greg Zeschuk relieved a little bit about the module in a recent chat with CVG:

“What we’re providing is an introductory module. We haven’t revealed the details of what that is yet, but it’s going to provide a lot of information on both the context and setting of Mass Effect”

So nothing significant at this point, but its good to know that PS3 players won’t be totally in the dark when they step into Mass Effect 2. Hopefully this introductory module will enable gamers to make the big decisions from the first game in a truncated form, instead of having Mass Effect 2 assign them a pre-determined background like it did for the PC and the 360.

There you have it, PlayStation 3 folks, not only do you get all the DLC bundled with the disc when the game hits in January 2011, but you’ll also have an opportunity to catch up with the universe pre-ME2. This is definitely good news, and the more people that get to experience Mass Effect the better. Any PlayStation people excited about this news?

Source: CVG

Nintendo 3DS Screenshot Comparisons Might Surprise You

Metal Gear Solid 3 3DS

As much as I might express concern over the still unsure pricing of the Nintendo 3DS here in the U.S., I’m going to swallow my pride and just admit that I want one more than you can imagine. Although I suppose you could imagine it if you tried really hard and thought about something you really, really wanted, but that ruins the illustration, and makes you a jerk.

Anyway, while I knew from trailers and screenshots that the 3DS had rather impressive visuals, the only real way to tell just how much better Nintendo’s new handheld looks over its predecessor is to see side-by-side screenshots. On top of that, how much better do the remakes of the old N64 games like Ocarina of Time and Starfox 64 appear? The answer could be shocking (hint: it’s “a lot”).

Check out the comparisons after the jump. Continue reading Nintendo 3DS Screenshot Comparisons Might Surprise You

Duke Nukem Forever Live Video Takes the Piss Out of Gaming

Duke Nukem Forever, shown in its resurgent form at PAX 2010 thanks to Gearbox Software, is finally gaining some momentum and is actually coming to home systems next year. The game has only been shown behind closed doors so far, but plenty of off-screen footage has been taken. This most recent video, taken at the Firstlook gaming convention in Amsterdam, shows that the humor that was prevalent in the series back in the day is still permeating the title. Whether or not people still find this stuff funny is up for debate, but I thought I’d post the video anyways since I know a bunch of you are jonesing hard for this one. The game actually starts going at two minutes in if you want to skip Randy Pitchford’s pontificating.

I’ll admit that the game itself actually looks pretty good, and the fight against the giant alien is pretty intense (who doesn’t use God Mode at demos?), but the attempts at toilet humor just didn’t do it for me. Also, when someone is urinating, can’t you typically see their equipment? Methinks Duke might be compensating. As always, we’d love to know what you guys think about this new video. Do you bet on Duke, or was this video not doing it for you? Are you maybe dreading the inevitable destruction of the world that will prevent this game from ever coming out? Go!

The GamerSushi Show, Ep 9: Reach-Cast and Fall Gaming

Halo: ReachThe GamerSushi podcast is back with your regularly scheduled programming, and this time the main portion is a helping of Halo: Reach with a side of fall gaming. In this episode, we take a look at the big Bungie title and then do a rundown of all of the other titles we’re anxious to play in the coming months, plus we predict scores for some of the bigger names in a new, awesome segment. Throw in some community topics and the Nintendo 3DS, and you’ve got yourself a mighty podcast.

If I’m being honest, I think this is probably our best episode yet. We didn’t run into any technical difficulties, and I think we’ve finally nailed down a format for discussion that keeps things moving from topic to topic easily. But then again, I should just let you be the judge, since I’m biased.

As always, please go rate this cast on iTunes and subscribe with the handy links to the right. Enjoy!

Continue reading The GamerSushi Show, Ep 9: Reach-Cast and Fall Gaming

GameStop: Bonus Trade-In Value for Fallout: New Vegas, Call of Duty: Black Ops and Kinect in October

Fallout: New Vegas

Well, today is just the Saturday of deals, isn’t it? In addition to the XBox Live thank you gift Anthony posted about earlier, here’s another one for all of you dudes wondering how many couch cushions you’re going to have to turn over to get the rest of the games on your Fall list: GameStop’s trade in values for October 2010.

The house-that-used-game-sales-built is currently offering an extra 25% trade-in value towards the purchase of Fallout: New Vegas, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Dead Rising 2 and Kirby’s Epic Yarn. I know those are at the top of several people’s “do want” sheets, so you might want to act on the special before October 17th, when it expires. In addition, GameStop is giving an extra 20% for every 3 games handed in. And to top it all of, they’re also rewarding an extra 25% trade-in value for the pre-order of Microsoft’s new motion gaming hardware, XBox Kinect.

So, with all of that potential trade-in credit abounding, do any of you think you’ll be taking advantage of this? Go!

Source: GameStop Trade-Ins

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood Walkthrough Talks War Machines

To me, one of the biggest question marks of the fall season hovers relentlessly around one title in particular: Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. The follow-up to last year’s critically and commercially successful Assassin’s Creed 2, Brotherhood worries me in part because it is coming so soon, but also because it seems more like an expansion than a proper new sequel, with all of the increased polish that helped benefit the second game from the first.

However, the occasional bits I see of the game actually keep my hopes up. Take for instance this new mission walkthrough trailer released by Ubisoft, where we get to see Ezio follow and interrogate an engineer of one of Leonardo’s war machines. It seems that a portion of the plot is going to center around Leonardo’s inventions, and we get to see a few of these war machines at the end of the video, including sea vessels and even battle tanks. Assassin’s Creed: Metal Gear?

What are your thoughts on the walkthrough? What is your level of excitement for Brotherhood?

Take A Leap With This XBLA Marketplace Deal: Spend 2400 Points in October, Get 800 Free

Fresh off a successful Summer of Arcade, which included the critically and commercially acclaimed Lara Croft: Guardian of Light and Limbo, Microsoft is offering an October thank you gift for those of us who might have missed out on these or any other games on XBLA. It’s quite simple:

During the month of October, spend 2400 Microsoft Points on Arcade games and/or game add-ons and you’ll get 800 Microsoft Points added to your membership as a thank-you gift.

Now for those of you without an abacus, 2400 Microsoft Points is $30 and 800 Points is $10. So spend $30, get $10 back. Not too shabby a deal and I am already off to the races by buying Breath of Death VII. Okay, it’s not exactly a rousing start since it only cost $1, but I have the whole month to do it. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

However, if you, like me, are baffled as to what to purchase, check out this handy list of The 23 Best XBLA Games from the nice folks at GamePro. There were quite a few gems on there that I wasn’t aware of, so it might come in handy in helping you decide what to buy.

Is anyone else going to partake in this offer? Any games you love that you recommend I pick up?

Source: Xbox.com

Source: GamePro

Coming Soon: Myst the Movie?

Myst

One of my earliest memories of playing video games on my very own PC (as opposed to the old Macintosh machines at school), was sitting down late at night and wandering through several hours of Myst, one of the top selling adventure games of all time. It was a game unlike anything I had played before. I remember being simultaneously creeped out, enthralled and filled with a sense of awe as I explored the stunning visuals, solved the puzzles and pieced together a world by my own choices. Some of the puzzles still rank among my favorite in gaming history (the piano in the rocketship, for instance).

Given the game’s huge commercial success over time, it should be no surprise then that people in Hollywood have been interested in turning this point-and-click adventure game into even more cash. That’s right, everyone: Myst has been optioned for a movie by Mysteria Film Group along with producers Hunt Lowry (Last of the Mohicans) and Mark Johnson (Chronicles of Narnia).

The primary thing about the first game of Myst is that it is almost completely non-linear, contains virtually no dialogue, no action, no violence and no other direct contact with characters. So how is this going to work as a movie, exactly? Continue reading Coming Soon: Myst the Movie?

EA Removes Taliban Reference From Medal Of Honor

Bowing to pressure from those wary of disrespecting U.S. soldiers killed by the Taliban, EA has announced that they are removing references to that group from the multiplayer portion of Medal of Honor, due to be released in November. The Taliban will now be referred to as “Opposing Forces”, which is just generic enough to not offend anyone opposed to the change.

Executive Producer Greg Goodrich made no mention of any changes in behavior or gameplay, so it sounds as if it just a cosmetic change and no mention was made of removing references to the Taliban in the campaign, which would likely be a significant undertaking. Still, I can’t help but be disappointed that EA has caved. If video games are going to move forward as a significant art form and a medium, publishers shouldn’t back down if they truly believe in their artistic decision.

One thing I must mention is that it is just a name change. At the end of the day, people are still going to be able to kill U.S. troops in the game, so I am curious to see what the reaction from the “opposing forces” of Medal of Honor will have to say about this.

What do you think about the change? Is EA doing the right thing or should they have stood their ground? Do you think playing as the Taliban in a multiplayer game is disrespectful to fallen soldiers?

Source: Medal of Honor Blog

Welcome to Fall: The Upcoming Games of 2010

Ladies and dudes, the time is here: the fall season of gaming is officially upon us, and all we can do now is paddle as hard we can to keep up with the avalanche of titles falling to our TVs and monitors. Sure, I’m mixing metaphors here a little bit, but the point here is the same: lots of games are coming out, and you no doubt want to play a large share of them. Yes, even though Little Big Planet 2 has been delayed.

Since we’re so nice, we’ve put together an epic list of our 30 most anticipated upcoming games of 2010. You’ll be surprised at just how much is waiting for you. We’ve got everything from RPGs to zombies, DS exclusives and sprawling PC MMOs. Check it out! Continue reading Welcome to Fall: The Upcoming Games of 2010

Experience the Wealth of Customization Options in Call of Duty: Black Ops

If you’re into online First Person Shooters, you’ve probably come to accept that all of them incorporate some sort of XP progression/unlock system at this point. This fad started gaining steam with Call of Duty 4, and it has been carried over to almost every other shooter since then. Fittingly, Black Ops takes this into the ridiculous territory with the customizations that will be allowed in game. Call of Duty usually avoided having the player customize their in-game avatar, but Black Ops will allow you to give your persona everything from face paint to armor and customized sights for your guns. Seriously, this video borders on ludicrous once the developers start detailing the different kinds of emblems you can emblazon your firearm with. Take a look:

While this is really cool, I think they lost me around the custom red-dot sight part. At some point you’re just adding too much to the investment system, and constantly dangling carrots in front of people gets annoying more often than not. As much as I love Halo: Reach, the poor design of the rank/armor system has really been rankling me (it takes forever to make it past Warrant Officer). Hopefully Black Ops will not suffer the same fate by making more options available faster. So, see anything that catches your fancy? Are you getting sick of shooter with a huge focus on ranks and unlocks?

Gears of War 3 Takes a Chainsaw to April, Eyes Fall Release

gears of war 3
Those of you who were looking to continue the adventures of Marcus Fenix and pals in April of 2011 are going to be a little disappointed this morning as Microsoft curbstomps our hope with this bit of news. Perhaps realizing that their exclusive fall lineup was a little slim, the software giant has chosen to move the “threequel” to an unspecified date closer to the holidays. Of course, there could be speculation that the game is just plain not ready, but the Microsoft statement pretty much says that this is a marketing decision:

Gears of War 3 promises to be the biggest entertainment launch of 2011,” the Microsoft statement reads. “The teams at Microsoft Game Studios and Epic Games have done great work thus far readying the title for release in the Spring of 2011. However, we’ve elected to move the launch of Gears of War 3 until Fall 2011 to make it the marquee title for the holiday season.

Just when we thought that Microsoft learned to spread its titles out, this notion gets dashed. While I can’t blame them for wanting a big game to shill around the holidays, this just means that we’ll be waiting even longer to cut up some aliens. Gears heads can get their fix with novel series if they are really parched, but for the rest of us, some patience is in order. So, any opinion on the news? Do you wish Microsoft would have just bit the bullet and stuck with April?

Source – Kotaku

Outland Trailer Shows the Battle Between Two Worlds, Also Pretty Colors

It’s sort of a running thread around here lately that downloadable titles are owning big full-price titles, something we mentioned on our last podcast. Just to add another bullet point to that argument, I would like to introduce you to Outland, the new side-scrolling platformer from Housemarque, the development studio behind Super Stardust HD. I saw this game running at PAX 2010, and the first thing that immediately caught my attention was the awesome art style. Take a look at the trailer and see for yourself.

Even if it was the sort of generic “PERIL OF TWO WORLDS OH NOES” type of story, the graphics are enough to get me anticipating this. Apparently the gameplay is sort of like Ikaruga where you need to switch colors to damage foes or interact with the environment. Blue bullets won’t hurt a blue suit, and vice versa. Consider me psyched for this, at least. Anyone else interested in this game? Are you finding yourself anticipating download titles more and more often?

Zombies in Video Games: A Look Back

Zombies have taken over GamerSushi! As Eddy mentioned, a lot of people are getting zombie fatigue, but GamePro was nice enough to take a look back at a history of zombies in video games throughout the years and it’s quite a nice way to get back into the undead spirit.

Personally, Dry Bones from Super Mario Bros 3 didn’t strike me as a zombie, but since they included him, I can’t help but agree. Which leads me to wonder why some Koopa Troopas rise from their graves to torment Mario again and some don’t. Maybe Magikoopa brings them back? Also, Zombies Ate My Neighbors was the bomb back in the SNES days.

Anyway, head here to check out the feature. And don’t act snooty because you know you love zombies, too.

Source: GamePro