Uncharted 2 was widely considered one of the best single-player games of all time. But the multiplayer, while not quite reaching that level of greatness, was nothing to sneer at either. From the enjoyable standalone co-op levels to the cover/platform based versus modes, it was a surprise to many that Naughty Dog had done such a great job on their first time out.

So it should be no surprise to anyone that they aren’t content to simply throw in a few new skins and ship it out again, as is. Gamasutra conducted an interview with Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells specifically to ask about the refinements being made and the ambitions of the developer.

One new feature is something called, “Power Plays” which allow a trailing team to get back into the game, if things aren’t going according to plan.

One of those power plays is called “marked man,” during which one or two members on the leading team get marked, and if the trailing team can kill them, they’ll get three points for that kill so it can help them catch up. It’s a very interesting dynamic because as soon as someone gets marked, the opposing team can all see exactly where he is and the leading team gets to defend him, so it changes the experience for this short little burst.

Personally, that sounds kind of awesome to me. I like that the dynamic of a game changes quickly, forcing you to react and adapt, instead of playing mindless deathmatch all day long. Wells goes on to say that they are working hard to ensure this feature doesn’t cause Mario Kart-esque “rubber banding” and irritate gamers.

So what do you think about a feature like this to liven things up a bit? Nathan Drake demands your answer!

Source – Gamasutra

Yikes. PSN is still down, you say? Well it looks like Sony’s Kaz Hirai is apologizing for that as I write this post.

You’ll hear more on my thoughts about the whole PSN hack-n-crash on this week’s podcast, but for now, I will go as far as to say that this is a nightmare for Sony in terms of PR. The sad thing about it, from their point of view, is that this seems to come right on the heels of some recent efforts to get back in gamer’s good graces over the last year or so.

Anywho, with all of this bad PR and marketing business, I thought this list of the Top 10 Embarrassingly Bad Moments in Video Game Marketing was certainly relevant these days. It was posted about a month ago, but I think it’s found a bit of new life in wake of the PSN fiasco. It’s got some goodies on there, especially the time when Peter Moore tattooed release dates on his arm, as well as some of the old Atari Jaguar ads. Good memories, there.

So what do you guys think? What are some other terrible bits of video game marketing and PR? I’d say that “Riiiiidge Racer!” and the 360 RRoD probably round out the top of the list, but that’s just me. Go!

Source – Calm Down Tom

Every now and then, we like to pay a little visit to our good friend, Gamestradamus, the Gaming Fortune Teller. Last year, we asked him his predictions about the Nintendo 3DS, which turned out to be largely true, minus a few small quibbles. Gamestradamus is different than the rest of us lowly gamers in that he is gifted with the ability to see into the great beyond, the ever-future, the swirling blender of time – and he can tell us bits of what he knows.

As the E3 fervor is getting ready to build into complete mania over the next few weeks, we thought we’d pay Gamestradamus a visit to glean his secrets before the rumors broke. What we found was shocking, titillating (tee hee) and worth reporting about here at GamerSushi. Beware, gents. Spoilers.

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By now, we’ve all heard about the massive data breach of the Playstation Network by a hacker of unknown origin. If this is somehow breaking news to you, IGN has a nice summation of the entire saga here. As someone who has a credit card linked to my PSN account, not to mention my undying desire to play Portal 2 co-op, I am pretty steamed. (Get it?)

Sony and the hacker both share a lot of blame and I don’t think Sony kept it secret for a week that our information was stolen, but the fact remains: Sony has lost the trust of its consumer base. Granted, there will be fanboys who defend them to the last breath, but those people don’t count. Also, one benefit from this fiasco: it makes it real easy to spot the fanboys.

So what will it take for Sony to win back your trust? Free loot? Cross-game chat? Paying for credit protection for 2 years, as some have suggested? Personally, I want all of the above and maybe a little more. I am disgusted by this whole thing and I want more than a silly email and some vague mutterings about checking my statement.

What say you? Has Sony lost you forever? Speak now or forever hold your PSN anger!

Source: IGN

It seems that when Sony gets a little boost in the console industry, they get a bit full of themselves as PlayStation CEO Jack Tretton demonstrated over the weekend. In an interview with Fortune, he went after Microsoft and Nintendo pretty hard, calling out the Xbox 360′s reliance on the DVD format as a weakness, and decrying Nintendo’s DS as a “babysitting tool”.

A little trash-talking in the industry is nothing new (and seems to be making up most of the news lately), but I think that Mr. Tretton is a little off on his comments on the Nintendo DS. He’s quoted as saying that “no self-respecting twenty-something is going to be sitting on an airplane with one of those” as they’re “too old for that”. Being a twenty-something that uses a DS frequently (especially on airplanes, and to play Pokemon, no less), I think he’s kind of misinformed on the DS’s demographic. If people are that self-conscious, they’re not going to be playing the PSP in public either, because the average consumer doesn’t really know the difference between the two.

While a lot of Nintendo’s sales definitely go to kids, I’ve seen just as many grown up people using the DS on planes, public transit, or in a movie theater. Jack Tretton is obviously trying to reinforce the notion that the Nintendo DS is just for kids, but like I said above, people don’t necessarily identify the PSP as an “adult gaming machine” either.

Being a person who uses his DS a lot, I think that Mr. Tretton’s being a little bit of a mudslinger, but I was wondering what you guys think. There’s definitely a social stigma that comes with using a handheld gaming device in public, but I think that as time has gone on a lot of that has gone away. It’s still there, though, so what say you? Do you use your DS in public? If you use a PSP, do you feel a bit more manly than those girly DS gamers? Go!

Source – Fortune

In a stunning reversal, Sony Computer Entertainment of America has decided to drop their lawsuit against George “Geohot” Hotz and hire the hacker to head up a new division of cyber security focusing exclusively on the Playstation 3 and Sony’s upcoming handheld platform, codenamed NGP.

A Sony spokesman was quoted as saying:

He just had so many good ideas, we felt that he would be a better asset to us and the gaming community as an employee rather than a defendant.

Hotz, the infamous hacker who was the first to jailbreak the iPhone, expressed a desire to return the Linux operating system to the PS3 via firmware update by the end of April and upload a PS2 emulator before the end of the year. Sony also promised to compensate Hotz for his legal expenses, which seems decent of them.

Well, frankly, I am pretty shocked and more than a little upset. It seems that the online hacker community, which has been clamoring for Sony to just shut up and hire Hotz, has finally gotten their wish. I think this sets a dangerous precedent, where bad and perhaps illegal behavior is rewarded. Although PS2 emulation rocks my socks.

Am I being too harsh? Did Sony do the right thing here? GO!

Source: Wired

Here at GamerSushi, we try to stay above the fray and out of the trenches of the massive fanboy flame wars currently raging all across the vast plains of cyberspace. That’s not to say that we don’t have our own preferences about systems and games and such, but I think we all truly wish success for all of the platforms. Except for the Kinect. And no amount of fervor can help the PSP. But I digress…

Sadly, we are the vast minority, our cries for equality and fairness bludgeoned by the maces of Microsoft fanboys, severed by the Sony swordsmen and bullied by the noogies of Nintendo nuts. Oh, and punctured by the PC polearms. Whew. Had to stretch that one out a bit. Anyhoo, I know we all have that one segment of the gamer population that just grates our nerves, so I thought I would take a poll and find out who is the biggest offender.

Please elaborate in the comments, but try to be respectful. We’re all friends here and just because someone likes something more than you do doesn’t make them evil. Just misguided!

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Our favorite men in blue are back, eager to bring gaming justice to a spattering of industry-related topics from the last few weeks: Nintendo’s stance against indie developers, Sony’s subpoenas and Microsoft’s On Demand pricing.

I’m sure you know the rules by now, but just in case you don’t: GameCop is a sensible gamer, looking out for your best interests. LameCop is your average forum troll, causing havoc for the lulz, while PsychoCop should be locked up for everyone’s safety.

Keep reading to find out what they have to say on these issues:

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As if the excitement for Infamous 2 isn’t palpable enough, Sucker Punch decided to…well…sucker punch us with the news that the sequel to the popular super hero/open world game will have user-made missions, as reported by 1UP. That’s right, you can devise all kinds of crazy ways to put Cole through his paces and piss your friends right off.

The missions can be uploaded online and will actually appear in the game world on the map, though user-created content will be marked by a different color and also display the creator’s username. The levels range from races to puzzles to regular missions where you kill lots and lots of enemies. There appears to be quite a bit of options, including action triggers and enemy placement.

I was already pretty pumped about this, but now I think Infamous 2 might be in my top 5 most anticipated games of 2011. Does something like this interest you? Do you think more open world games should incorporate features like this? Sound off!

Source: 1UP

Something that we’ve discussed on GamerSushi quite a bit for the last year or so is the collective desire to keep the “next generation” talk as far away from this generation as possible. As much as I love the thought of upgraded games, I like the idea of enjoying the current generation even more, especially because I feel like this generation is only recently hitting its stride. Every year around E3, I dread that one of the big three is going to be the first to drop a new console on us, and I watch the press conferences with fear and trembling.

However, it seems that Sony won’t be doing that to us any time soon. In a recent interview, Sony Computer Entertainment big wig Kaz Hirai again stated Sony’s intentions to see that the PS3 has a long and healthy life. Here are some quotes for your enjoyment:

“As regards home consoles, the PS3 was put into business in 2006, and it has a 10 year life cycle… This means that we aren’t even at the halfway point. There are certainly many more desirable first and third party titles coming out. As we announce and implement new initiatives on an annual basis, I still believe in the importance of improving the software and feature set of the PS3. I think the value of the PS3 will continue to rise. Because of this, a near-future PS4 or next-generation home console is not something that we are even debating now. That is to say, we are still concentrating fully upon the PS3.”

Even though the dude could be lying through his Ridge-Racer-loving-teeth, this brings me some comfort. The idea of just enjoying our consoles until 2015 or so is a pleasant one, at least for me.

So what do you guys think? Are you happy that we’re far away from a PS4, XBox (Insert Number) and Nintendo (Virtual Reality Machine)?

Source – Eurogamer

If you read anything that I say at all, you’ll know that I’m one of the constant voices clamoring for digital releases of old games. While I prefer these to be restored in pristine HD, I don’t even care if that’s the case, as I would love the chance to play them at any resolution at all. You can count me as one of the people that is obnoxious about this, as I never have understood what the hold up is on these old school classics. In my head, just take the code and slap it online, yes?

Actually, that’s ridiculously wrong. Fortunately for the ignorant masses, Sony has come along with a great piece of transparency and released some thoughts about the process of converting PS1 classics to the PSN store. I found it a really cool article, and it shed some light on a few issues that I didn’t know existed. For instance, what happens when a particular product is featured in a game, but the license on its use has run out? What happens when the developer that made the game no longer exists, or if the game is bugged when they convert it, and nobody is left that can drop what they’re doing to fix it?

Anyway, I thought I’d share the article because of how informative it was. I honestly had no idea that the process had so many tricks to it, so it’s nice to know they are actively working on it. What do you guys think? Any other classic games you’d love to have in digital formats?

Source – Playstation Blog

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.

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In a huge move last night, Sony announced the Next Generation Portable (nee NGP or PSP2) and hot damn, does it look impressive. It has two analog sticks, a touch-sensitive OLED screen, two touch pads on the back of the device, and it can render PlayStation 3 games in real time (like Metal Gear Solid 4′s cutscenes running at a steady 20 frames per second). It also ditches the clunky old UMD format and adopts a sexy new flash-based card which allows developers to pack more punch in their games.

Additionally, Sony confirmed that a long list of studios have already queued up to produce games for the NGP. They also revealed that some big name franchises will make an apperance on the portable such as Uncharted, Killzone and Metal Gear Solid, to name a few.

Sony came out in a big way last night, and it looks like they’re attempting to break the portable gaming market by shoving everything they can into their device. While price hasn’t been confirmed, speculation points to it being more than the 3DS. Since Sony is going all out with this device, how is Nintendo’s 3DS going to fare? As we’re so considerate, we made a poll for you guys to vote on. So, go ahead: which platform are you rooting for: Sony’s NGP or Nintendo’s 3DS?

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As always, if you have any thoughts please write them in the comments section below. Fight!

With all the hype about Nintendo’s new 3DS – due out on the market March 27th  (Feb 26 for those in the land of the rising sun) – it would be hard to look at any other handheld consoles, especially with Nintendo’s success.  But recently an article appeared in MCV Magazine quoting Sony as saying that their new handheld, the PSP2, is “as powerful as the PlayStation 3”.

With the world of 3D gaming barely breaking upon us and the thoughts of the next generation consoles far in the future, a portable gaming system with the power of a console may be a big deal. While many eagerly await the 3DS and its glasses-less 3D style of gaming, Sony is apparently taking a different approach: power.  While the PSP hasn’t been a very strong competitor in the handheld market and with other devices such as the iPhone bursting into the scene, the PSP2 may be a serious competitor.

As a PlayStation 3 owner, I know what the system is capable of and this could be a huge move for Sony. If I can get the same quality as my PS3 on a handheld, it could change how and where I play games. So what do you guys think? Are you going to pick up a PSP2 if it runs with the power of a PS3? Or will you stick to your ways and maybe go the route of the iPhone or Nintendo’s 3DS? What are your thoughts on this news?

Source – MCV

Gran Turismo 5 is out, and from all reports it’s amazing. I am dying to get my hands on it once it comes down just a bit in price, but until then, I’m forced to read about people being addicted to it (like Anthony and Nick) or watch awesome videos about it.

Take this official Sony video, for instance, which compares a run of the Nurburgring track in Gran Turismo 5 versus a real life run of the same track. Conclusion: real life needs better anti-aliasing.

Has anyone else played this that wants to taunt me with how awesome it is and how miserable my life is for not doing so yet?

2011 is going to be an exciting year for gaming, no matter what console or platform you play on. Well, except maybe the Wii. Kidding, of course, Zelda will be a hot ticket come the Fall, I’m sure. But I think it’s safe to say that the PS3 has a large selection of announced exclusives that few other platforms can match.

The Playstation Blog was nice enough to give a little peek at 20 of these titles and as I scrolled down the last, my jaw dropped a little bit. It’s pretty staggering. From the blockbusters we know about, such as The Last Guardian, Infamous 2, Killzone 3, Resistance 3 and Uncharted 3 to the ones that flying under the radar, like Hyperdimension Neptunia, Journey and Yakuza 4, the sheer variety of games is enough to make my wallet cry.

Take a look at the list at the Playstation Blog and report back here for comments. Personally, Hyperdimension Neptunia sounds kind of interesting and you know I am down with Ratchet and Uncharted 3.

What games on the list are you most excited about? Is there anything that you can think of that was left out? Start your comments!

Source: Playstation Blog

It’s kind of hard not to be amazed by what people are capable of. LittleBigPlanet 2 is still only in beta and yet more and more amazing videos keep coming out. Take this newest video for instance, which recreates Marvel vs. Capcom 3, managing to edge Capcom’s release date by a few months.

The dynamic camera movements are a nice new feature, as is the obviously over-dramatic voice recorded to announce the fight’s beginning. What really impressed me were the special moves that were on display, such as a missile and bomb projectiles. Also, a demo for LBP 2 will hit the PSN Store tomorrow and while it likely will just be a Story mode-based demo without any of the building tools, I am still anxious to get my grubby hands on it.

What do you think? What games are you looking to make using this handy new dev kit? I would love to see some RPGs, myself. Is anyone going to download the demo tomorrow? Speak!

Growing up surrounded by my brother and a mess of loud and sometimes obnoxious friends, I was no stranger when it came to gaming and trash talking. Whether we were swapping one-shot kills in Goldeneye, making fun of each others’ created characters in Wrestlemania 2000 or swapping insults during bouts of Bushido Blade, the smack we talked ran freely like milk and honey in the Promised Land. In my mind, this was just the way gaming was: friendly, fun and all in good sport. We dished out only what we could take, and only occasionally did the bad blood spill over into the real world, and usually it was the other way around.

My first extended stint into online gaming came with my late discovery of Counter-Strike my freshman year of college. What started as something just for pure fun soon grew into a relatively serious hobby. It was only when I dived in more deeply that I saw the gritty underbelly of the online world: griefing, racism, verbal threats and rage.

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As much as we dog pile on motion control gaming, I think all of us here at GamerSushi recognize that when utilized correctly, it has tremendous upside. Who didn’t get excited at the prospect of awesome sword play in a Legend of Zelda game way back when, before we realized that these hopes were totally misplaced? I think I like the idea of what motion control gaming could be, but I recognize that many developers are too lazy or have deadlines much too tight to really give it a thoughtful implementation that makes sense and enhances gameplay.

That being said, whenever people talk about the potential of big name titles getting some motion controls, I can’t help but let my mind wander to a magical place without all of that reality that normally bogs down tacked-on control schemes. I suppose RipTen feels the same way, as they put together a couple of lists of ten games that would be awesome with motion controls, including one for Kinect and one for Move. I would totally agree with their assessment on games like Fight Night Round 4, Starcraft 2, From Dust and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow for the different machines. But really, what I’d like is to be able to do Dragonball Z motions with my arms. Someone needs to get on that.

Joking aside, as much as those would be nice, I still think they would miss the mark somewhat.

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Sackboy is gearing up for his (alleged) release in 2011 and he’s showing off new features every chance he gets, such as this video, which showcases the debut of the Controlinator. Simply put, back in LBP, creating a vehicle, like a car or rocket ship, required some makeshift fiddling with various switches and the results were fairly limited.

As you will soon witness, that is no longer the case. Honestly, the more I see about this game, the more tempting it is to pre-order it. The appealing visual and sheer creativity are astounding. Check it out:

Impressed? LBP has managed to overcome the terror being a penis-monster simulator and has become an outlet for genuine user creativity. I really want to see what the teeming masses are able to come up with using these enhanced tools. I certainly expect to see better than new and clever ways to create swastikas. What do you think? Is the Controlinator enough for you to fork over 60 bucks?