GamerSushi Asks: Old School Downloads?

mgsOne thing I love about the newest consoles is the ability to download and play old school favorites straight onto the system. Whether it’s XBox Live, PSN or Virtual Console, each one is allowing gamers to download and experience old favorites at their leisure.

However, I’ve noticed that there are a lack of some of my favorite previous gen games on some of these networks. I think that the Virtual Console is probably doing the best job of giving some of the classics like Super Mario RPG, Zelda and the like. While there are some options on the PSN and XBox Live, there are some notable entries still missing.

So, if your console (or PC) could download any five previous gen titles for any system onto it, what would your choice be? I think I could easily go for KOTOR, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Super Mario RPG, Final Fantasy VI and Metal Gear Solid. What about you guys?

Dragon: Age Origins Trailer Makes Me Happy

I can’t remember the last time I’ve played an honest-to-goodness fantasy game. Most RPG’s that I pick up these days are more sci-fi in nature, or steampunk, or anything else that decidedly does not have uber-awesome dragons and dudes in chainmail slugging it out in epic battles. This new Dragon Age: Origins trailer definitely has all of that and more, and really kicks up my excitement for the game to a new level. Anyone else geeking out with me?

Lost Planet 2 Announcement Trailer

Hot on the heels of Resident Evil 5, it looks like Capcom has another big release in store sometime in the near future- Lost Planet 2. While I didn’t get to play much of the first one, it definitely had some promise for a new franchise, and the graphics were pretty incredible to boot. It looks like the environments are going to be different, the visuals are updated, and there even seems to be co-op gameplay. Check out the new trailer for lots of cool footage. Who played the first one? How was it?

Rumor: Resident Evil 5 is Less Than 8 Hours Long?

re51There’s a rumor flying around that Resident Evil 5 clocks in at about 7 1/2 hours total running time. While there are different claims about how long the game actually is, this is what XBox World 360 is claiming about their experience with the upcoming Capcom blockbuster.

We don’t know what is actually true here, but if the game is indeed that short, I find it to be a bit disturbing. I mean, the last Resident Evil title dropped all the way back in 2005, which is a whopping 4 years ago. So basically, it took Capcom that long to produce an experience that amounts to under 8 hours of gameplay? Sure there’s co-operative play, but in my mind, you have to have some more material there to justify asking $60 for a game.

But hey, maybe I’m wrong. If this is actually true (and there is reason to believe it’s not), would you guys find this fair, or foul? Go!

Source- CVG

GTA IV DLC Goes Full Frontal?

gta4dlcSo, it’s a day of opinions from you guys. In case you weren’t aware, the new GTA IV DLC pack, “The Lost and Damned” has male full frontal nudity in it. Yes, you read that correctly. An old man dong, to be more specific.

While the mainstream media hasn’t yet seemed to have found the dong in question, Common Sense Media, a website for parental advice when it comes to things like games and movies, has. And you know what? They still liked the game, giving it 4 out of 5 stars. However, they did caution parents to keep it away from their children, which is the correct thing to do, seeing as how the game is rated M.

However, gaming sites have already jumped down their throats for this, much to my disappointment. Here you have a site giving a responsible review of this game, and we’re still crucifying them, just because they rightly say that young children shouldn’t be playing a game with full frontal nudity?

What do you guys think about this issue? Is nudity out of place in video games? Personally, while I’m not offended if I see some pixel knockers or whatever, as we approach the uncanny valley, I get a little weirded out by sexual anatomy of almost any kind in video games. This goes for animated features as well. Tell us your thoughts!

First Mass Effect 2 Teaser Trailer

And the hype begins. Bioware has released the first official Mass Effect 2 teaser trailer, and it is just that. A tease. Also, it’s incredibly short, but packed with some potentially interesting stuff. All I’ve got to say are these two things: do, and want.

Watch it and discuss!

Machinima: Mirror’s Edge

Our good bud Mystfit makes some pretty cool machinima, and this time he’s back with a new short in Mirror’s Edge. Loving some of the camera work here, it’s for the win. Spread this around to as many people as possible, because he’s doing this for a contest- most views wins. Good luck, dude!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f66usjHqvw0[/youtube]

Today’s Foot-In-Mouth: Sorry, Treyarch

wawYes. I’m going on the record. I’m apologizing to Treyarch. You see for the last year or so I’ve been on the bandwagon that Call of Duty: World at War wasn’t going to be very good, because it was made by Treyarch, and it was going to be set in World War II. I loved Call of Duty 4, so any departure from that game seemed to me to be a bad idea.

Well, I was wrong. I just had two epic 3 hour gaming sessions last night and this morning, and beat World at War. I have to say, that I was thoroughly impressed, and agree with almost all of Sean’s review of the game. I’d easily give the game, based on the campaign, a B or B+, even. It was great, and in particular the Russian/German levels were a joy to play, if a tad difficult towards the end.

So, does anyone else want to join me in apologizing to Treyarch?

GTA IV: Lost and Damned DLC Trailer

I knew that the GTA IV DLC, “Lost and Damned”, was coming out soon, but I guess it kind of snuck in under the radar for me. Apparently, it’s out on Tuesday, February 17, on XBox Live for all you 360 owners. It comes in at $20, and supposedly supports quite a few hours of new story missions. While this trailer is pretty cool, I’m not sure I’m ready to spend any more money on GTA IV just yet.

What do you guys think? Does anyone plan on buying it?

Bioware: Dragon Age Will Have 6 Unique Prologues

dragonageI heart me some Bioware, it’s official. Their new game Dragon Age: Origins is slated for later on in 2009, and I couldn’t be more excited about the awesome fantasy potential in the game. These are guys are master storytellers, and it seems like they’re ramping up to give us quite a treat.

They even revealed today that the game is going to sport 6 unique intros, depending on what class of character you select. Each of these prologues is going to sport several hours of gameplay that define your character’s origin story, with choices that will effect the main narrative and how it plays out. Some classes are of noble lineage, and others are on the fringes of society. All of this takes place before the actual game starts. Basically, it’s like the origin choices you make at the beginning of Mass Effect, only this time, you get to play them out and see your character’s past.

See the classes and situations after the jump!
Continue reading Bioware: Dragon Age Will Have 6 Unique Prologues

The Halo RPG Video

Heck, they already made a Halo RTS. Why not a Halo RPG, Final Fantasy style?

While this video isn’t terribly original, it’s pretty well done and mildly entertaining. A bit too long though. The trick to a good short is knowing when to stop the joke, and these guys kind of went overboard. All in all, it’s worth a watch.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CtNE0qjSDU[/youtube]

Left 4 Dead Survival Pack Is Yours for Zero Dollars

left4deadWow. I am continually impressed with Valve. They bitch slap the competition when it comes to releasing great content digitally, and releasing quality content in general. And now, they have bitch slapped Microsoft’s “paid DLC no matter what” stance as well.

That’s right, the recently announced Left 4 Dead Survival Pack DLC will be free for both PC and XBox 360 users! In addition, there are a few new details about the pack, as well.

The two new versus modes will be for the original two campaigns, Death Toll and Dead Air. Also, survival mode places humans against several waves of zombies on up to 12 different levels from the campaigns. I’m guessing these will be the crescendo moments scattered throughout each campaign.

This is pretty exciting, and re-enforces my love for Valve yet again.

Source- Kotaku

Dead Rising 2 Confirmed!

dr2It seems that the mysterious viral Dead Rising 2 trailer from the other day was actually the real deal. As of yesterday, Capcom officially unleashed the news that the sequel to the popular zombie brawler will be dropping for the PC, PS3 and XBox 360.

The second game takes place in Fortune City, a spoof of modern day Las Vegas, and from some of the ludicrously gorgeous screenshots, it looks like you will take to killing zombies in all kinds of crazy ways, including roulette tables, slot machines, and whatever else the new protagonist can get his hands on. Apparently, it’s set around 7 years after the first game, and the zombie outbreak has recurred in several cities beyond the humble town of Willamette.

Personally, I can’t wait to get my hands on this game. I think if they fix some of the save/replay options (the first game only allowed one save file and skipped the story if you were late), then itll be a surefire winner.

Who’s excited about this? Did anyone play the first game?

Source- Kotaku

Even More Nazi Undead Coming to CoD: World at War

codzombieI hear that Call of Duty: World at War is a good time. I am anxiously awaiting its arrival via GameFly for me to sink my sharpened fangs into. In addition to having some great solo and co-op campaign action, it also sports a fairly wicked Nazi Zombie mode. I mean, I’ve said before that I can think of no better thing than zombies to add to any game to spice it up, and the idea of mowing down Nazi undead is terribly appealing.

I actually hear that Nazi Zombie Mode is one of the best parts of World at War, so it’s no surprise, then, that Treyarch’s first map pack for the game will have a new zombie mode map in it. Right now, the current map places you and other survivors in a house together, purchasing new rooms and boarding up windows. But apparently, a new map is coming soon that opens the gameplay up even more, and brings a “new wave of undead”, according to the developers.

Who else thinks that this rules?

Source- Call of Duty HQ

Riddick: Dark Athena Gameplay Trailer

Ah, more lovely gameplay footage from the new Riddick: Dark Athena game, which actually comes out next month, if you can believe it. The more I see of this game, the more interested I get. I love the idea of stealth and action gameplay, FPS style, that really seems to blend well together. It looks like it’s shaping up to be a good time. And supposedly, we’re getting a demo of it try for ourselves rather soon.

Left Bumper, Attack: Halo Wars Impressions

halo-wars1Let it be known that I am a Halo fanboy. I know that may draw ire from some of you hardcore PC gamers, and even I am ashamed of it on some level, being also a Counter-Strike fanboy as well. Something about the atmosphere of Halo has always grabbed me, and its rich mythology did the job of sucking me in. You’re reading the words of a guy who has read the graphic novel, assorted comics, and several of the novels, here.

As many of you know, a demo for the game hit XBox Live just last week. So, how did this console RTS that has spent way too long in development hold up as of right now?
Continue reading Left Bumper, Attack: Halo Wars Impressions

Review: Call of Duty: World at War

Some time ago, I asked GamerSushi user Sean to write a review for us. I’ve known Sean for a few years outside of GS, so I thought it’d be cool to have him contribute a guest feature. He was very prompt and did this right away. I, however, having been a bum, did not post it until just now. So, here’s a guest review of Call of Duty: World at War!
Continue reading Review: Call of Duty: World at War

Battlefield 1943 Has Fewer Classes But Comes Cheap

bf1943Some more details are dropping from the New York Comic-Con today concerning Battlefield 1943: Pacific, which comes out this summer from EA. I’m terribly excited about this, as the original game was one of my favorite PC shooters ever, and had some truly epic and memorable battles. Here are some of the new bits of info released for the game today…

Apparently, the game is going to be a $15 to $20 purchase, and will only be about a 350 MB download. In addition, the game will feature fewer classes than the original Battlefield titles, having removed medics and heavy weapons soldiers. To make up for this, all classes will be better suited to deal with tanks and vehicles, and will have regenerating health and unlimited ammo. Also, environments are destructible, which rules.

Personally, while I don’t like having fewer classes or unlimited ammo, I’m curious how the experiment works out in terms of having a smaller, cheaper game that releases paid DLC in small bits. To me, this could be better than dropping $60 bucks on a game that you dont utilize all of the features for. Should be interesting to see how this turns out.

I know that there already people disappointed about this (looking at you, Mitch). So what do you guys think?

Source- Kotaku (thanks to Mitch for pointing this article out to us)

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 Trailer: Taking Sides

Marvel Ultimate Alliance, while not perfect, was a rather fun superhero beat-em-up, especially if you had a friend playing through the game with you. I really enjoyed the story, and playing with an overpowered Wolverine was pure bliss. So imagine my shock when I saw a Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 trailer today, complete with a storyline ripped right out of the Civil War series that took place just a couple of years ago. Iron Man versus Captain America anyone?

Introducing: Battlefield 1943!

So, apparently EA just announced Battlefield 1943 this morning, which is coming out this freaking summer. This is a welcome surprise, and seeing as how Battlefield 1942 is one of my favorite PC shooters ever, I can’t wait to create me some more sticky bombs out of moving jeeps.

They even did us a solid and released an awesome trailer, full of vehicle combat, turrets and straight up mayhem. Who else thinks this news totally rules?

Source- Kotaku