The GamerSushi Show, Ep 95: Super Sushian Odyssey

Oh, hey. Didn’t see you there. Been a while, huh?

Yes, after our much publicized return, the GamerSushi crew managed to churn out exactly one podcast before going on yet another unintended two year long hiatus. What can we say, turns out that writing and casting about games on a weekly basis as a hobby gets really difficult when you’re five grown men, two of whom have children.

In the past year, however, we’ve had some incredible (and not so incredible) games drop on us, including a stunning return to form for Nintendo who released not only an awesome system but perhaps the most defining games in two of their flagship series. Naturally the Nintendo Switch dominates the front half of the podcast along with discussions about Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey.

We also talk about this year’s breakout hit PLAYERUNKNOWN’s Battlegrounds as well as guess which games in 2018 will be getting their own battle royale mode. There’s some discussion on the most disappointing games of the last year as well as our personal Game of the Year for 2017. Despite what some people might say, Sonic Mania is totally a good game.

When will we be back? Who knows, we do want to get to episode 100 eventually so we might be tickling your ear holes again soon when there’s something to talk about. Since it’s been a while remember to rate and review and we’ll see you all again soon.

Destiny’s April Update and Why Sterling Treasure Boxes Are No Big Deal

After months of waiting, Bungie is dropping a sizable content update for Destiny next week in the form of the April Update which features a new Strike and updated Taken versions of the Winter’s Run Strike and the Prison of Elders. It also brings in new armor, gear, some customization for said armor and gear in the form of “Chroma” and a Light level increase to 335 (from 320).

To earn some of that gear, you’ll need to get one of the new Sterling Treasure boxes. You can acquire three of these by playing the new Level 41 Prison of Elders, one round of the weekly Crucible playlist and logging in on the weekly reset. Aside from the three boxes you can earn just by playing, you can also buy Sterling Treasures from Eververse, the microstransaction store at the Tower. This last source of the new hotness is giving the Destiny community a bit of pause. Continue reading Destiny’s April Update and Why Sterling Treasure Boxes Are No Big Deal

Helldivers is Hardcore Co-op Action

For you PlayStation Plus owners out there, Helldivers is available for free this month. The GamerSushi crew, plus a friend of Eddy’s, checked it out last night and an awesome time was had by all.

If you are not familiar with Helldivers, it’s a top down twin stick shooter where you play as the eponymous soldiers who are dropped onto various planets to wipe out the alien races for the glory of Super Earth. The game has a very tongue in cheek sense of humor; when you kill aliens, your person shouts things like “HAVE SOME DEMOCRACY!”. If you’ve seen Starship Troopers, then you’re familiar with the kind of milieu this game is going for. Continue reading Helldivers is Hardcore Co-op Action

GamerSushi Asks: Why Do You Like The Witcher 3?

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is not a good game.

I know many people loved it. I know many publications honored it. I can’t for the life of me figure out why.

I know the story and writing is allegedly superb. But when the actual gameplay, the act of moving and fighting with Geralt, is a joyless slog (some would say “digital gulag”), that content feels like a tantalizing treasure surrounded by a moat of shit with nary a boat or bridge in sight.

Now, my language is harsh, but that’s for two reasons; the first, is that I am being purposefully hyperbolic for the sake of comedy. I want you to read this and laugh, enjoying the act of my taking a popular darling out back and giving it the Old Yeller treatment. The second reason is that The Witcher 3 really, really, really, really, really, really sucks. Continue reading GamerSushi Asks: Why Do You Like The Witcher 3?

Destiny: The Taken King Took Us By Surprise

The Darkness was winning.

Mitch, weary of the grind, traded in his copy of Destiny. After the lackluster experience of The Dark Below, Eddy traded his in, as well. It was a fun experiment that gripped us tighter than any game in recent memory, but it seemed like its time had passed.

I alone persisted, putting it aside for a time, but waiting for The House of Wolves expansion. It was good, much better than The Dark Below, but without my Fireteam, it was harder and harder to get a group to experience any worthwhile content, the eternal cross that Destiny bears to this day. I had a bit of luck with r/Fireteams on Reddit, but too many bad experiences with trolls and jerks soured me on the whole thing. I put Destiny aside again, not trading it in, but with the intent to do so if The Taken King didn’t blow me away. Continue reading Destiny: The Taken King Took Us By Surprise

What Games Are You Looking Forward to in 2016?

All things considered, 2015 was a banner year for games. Granted I say this because last year let me play not one but two new Assassin’s Creed games (Rogue was released on the PC in March) so I consider that a mark of success by any metric.

Now that we’re speeding into 2016, I was wondering what is on your radar for the coming months. I’m also looking at producing some video content, so I’d be interested to know what games you’d like to see more of in that regard.

January already offers some tasty morsels with Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam for the 3DS and the PC release of Tomb Raider coming in pretty quick succession on January 22 and 29, respectively. Things don’t slow down after that as XCOM 2 comes out on February 5 and The Division (maybe) hitting in March.

Those are just the big titles on the horizon though and I’m sure there are dozens of smaller games that I’ve neglected to mention. What are you folks looking out for? Any games you’d like to recommend to your fellow Sushians to put on their wishlists?

I Bought An Xbox One And I Like It

That’s right, an Xbox One! I’m as surprised as you are. At the end of the last console generation, I was pretty sure I’d be a PC-only gamer for a good long while. I definitely have enough games in my Steam library to keep me busy until the heat death of the universe.

When I sold it for about $50, I hadn’t powered on my Xbox 360 for at least a year. My PS3 had transitioned to being a box for Netflix and blu-rays. I’d resolved to hold out for as long as possible before maybe picking up a PS4. After all, I’m obsessed with the Souls games and I knew Bloodborne would be irresistible. Sure enough, when Anthony had an extra PS4 thanks to a prize giveaway, I decided to buy it, thinking that would be it for me and the current generation.

So, what changed? What made me decide to drop several hundred dollars on an Xbox One less than a year later? The short answer is that I’m a sucker for a deal and I’m ready to cut the cable cord (again).

Continue reading I Bought An Xbox One And I Like It

GamerSushi Asks: What Are You Playing?

It’s a question as old as time: what have you been playing recently?

As it has been quite a while since we’ve asked you this question, I imagine most of you have quite the backlog, but for the sake of our fingers I’m going to just stick to the last few months.

The number one game taking up my time is Destiny: The Taken King. On a weekly basis you can find me looking for pick-up-groups to do the King’s Fall raid on Hard Mode with the associated challenges. Bungie massively improved Destiny with their large year two expansion and it got the entire GS crew (sans Jeff) back into the game hard for a few months.

Bungie sadly hasn’t followed up the momentum Taken King gave them and the messaging is that Destiny is in a bit of a holding pattern with maybe one or two interesting content additions coming in 2016 (scuttlebutt says Destiny 2 is a Fall title). Even though Destiny is spinning its wheels a bit, it’s still got its hooks in me.

Other than that I picked up a large number of games over the Steam Winter Sale with Total War: Rome 2 proving to be very engaging. I’ve also been playing a few rounds of Battlefield 4 here and there, but I bet you guessed that already.

So what have you been playing recently? Any under-the-radar games you want to recommend or big AAA titles you want to leave your thoughts on? Sound off below!

The Destiny Post-Level 20 Guide to Earning Legendary and Exotic Gear

destiny legendary gear

Hey Sushians!

Like many of you, I’ve been playing Destiny since it dropped on September 9. I hit the level cap of 20 about a week after release and I floundered for a bit wondering how to progress. Bungie doesn’t do a good job of explaining Destiny’s post-20 game outside of vague terms, so I put together a guide for how you can increase your Light and earn Legendary and Exotic gear. I’ve tried to be thorough and explain or remove as much of the jargon as I could. If you have any tips, please add them in the comments! Continue reading The Destiny Post-Level 20 Guide to Earning Legendary and Exotic Gear

Destiny Roll Call!

destiny roll call

Today is the day, Sushians! This is the day we step into Bungie’s brave new world and plumb the depths of Destiny for sweet loot.

Since Destiny is coming out on a fair number of consoles, I thought it would be a good idea to do a classic GamerSushi Roll Call! What system are you playing Destiny on? What class are you going to go with?

Personally I was leaning Titan for a while, but I made an eleventh-hour decision to roll a Warlock based on that classes’ level 15 healing and buffing ability which sounds like it will come in handy. Also, space magic and trench coats.

But what about you? How are you planning on playing Destiny?

Destiny Beta Action with Anthony

I streamed some of the Destiny Beta on PS4 this morning and thought you guys might fancy a glance at it. Did some Explore mode in Old Russia with my Warlock.

Has anyone else been partaking in the Destiny beta? What do you think so far?


Watch live video from starkiller81 on Twitch

Review: Watch Dogs

watch dogs review

Nothing screamed “the next gen is here” more than Ubisoft’s E3 2012 stage reveal of Watch Dogs. The PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One weren’t even revealed yet, but everyone knew what Watch Dogs was heralding when Ubisoft showed it off for the first time.

Two years and one delay later, we finally get to hack the mean streets of Chicago. Is Watch Dogs a next gen standard bearer or does it barely straddle the line between the last generation and this one? Continue reading Review: Watch Dogs

What is Your Game of The Half-Year for 2014?

mario kart 8

2014 is half-over, which means that the time is nigh to reflect on the last six months of new games. We saw some current-gen only titles drop along with a 3DS title that sought to reclaim the JRPG crown, a couple of big MMORPG releases and a game that actually made people want to buy a Wii U.

As you can probably suss out from the preceding sentence, my favorite game so far this year is Mario Kart 8. I wrote a bit about the sheer joy that playing the newest Mario Kart can bring you and I’ve yet to even dip my toes into the online mode. It even has a rather forward thinking feature for a Nintendo product in Mario Kart TV, which allows players to slice up clips of their races and upload it to YouTube, which brought us the famous Luigi Death Stare. Some might not like the serious downgrade that the Battle Mode received, but the N64 implementation of that was always the best for me and I haven’t played that mode sense.

We still have six game-packed months to go and my front-runner for Game of the Year will most likely change when 2014 is done and dusted. Even so, I’d like to know what your game of the half-year is. What games do you think will knock it off in the latter half of 2014?

I Don’t Understand No Man’s Sky, But I Am Hopeful for It

no mans sky

Hello Games’ No Man’s Sky was the surprise hit of Sony’s E3 2014 press conference with its dinosaurs and its X-Wings and its interplanetary travel. Despite its appealing aesthetics and the way it effortlessly taps into some section of my brain that has formulated the perfect game but could never define it before now, I can’t shake this feeling that I don’t really understand No Man’s Sky.

On a basic level, I get that you’re exploring the universe, charting the unknown and discovering new species and ships. Hello Games has been purposefully tight-lipped about their game, however, only dolling out small nuggets of information. Just enough to string you along, but not enough so that you know everything going in. Continue reading I Don’t Understand No Man’s Sky, But I Am Hopeful for It

Watch a Speedrunner Beat Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes in Less Than Four Minutes

Ever since I watched the 30 minute Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain E3 gameplay demo, I’ve been on kind of a Metal Gear Solid kick. I’m interested in Ground Zeroes, the prequel of sorts to TPP, and even though I understand the game has a lot more content than it appears to have at first glance, this speedrunner beating Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes in less than four minutes with an S rank kind of belies that.

He has an almost perfect run and relies pretty heavily on the Reflex mode, but it’s still damn entertaining to watch.

Check Out 30 Minutes of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Gameplay

I know, we were all pretty down about Hideo Kojima’s latest foray into the ever-retconned mess of the Metal Gear Solid universe when we discussed the E3 2014 trailer in our most recent podcast, but this 30 minute gameplay demo of The Phantom Pain has me intrigued. There’s no uncomfortable sexual torture or ash-smearing, just Big Boss being a fricking bad-ass and infiltrating a Russian outpost to search for intel. As a bonus, we also get a glimpse of Mother Base, which, if memory serves, wasn’t an actual location in Peace Walker. The gameplay demo starts at around 41 minutes into the show, but I suppose you can watch the rest of it if you happen to understand Japanese. Don’t worry, the demo is narrated in English.

It looks like Kojima Productions have made a lot of really smart updates to the formula of Metal Gear Solid. While the “iDroid” is a little out of place for the mid-80s (which is when TPP takes place) it allows you to tackle the open world in a variety of ways thanks to waypoints and soldier-tagging. Also, Fulton-ing sheep looks hilarious. So, did this pique anyone’s interest?

A Whole New World: Destiny Alpha Impressions

destiny

I’ve had this weird sort of fascination with Destiny ever since Bungie first released news about it. There’s one part of me that feels a tinge of regret whenever I see it in motion, knowing that I could have been involved with it in some way (a job opportunity that ultimately didn’t pan out for me). Another part of me has moved on from multiplayer games almost entirely—other priorities have taken precedence in my life, including family, writing and friends. And even though videos of the game in motion never quite thrilled me, there was something about the game that I found intriguing.

And the Alpha won me over completely. Continue reading A Whole New World: Destiny Alpha Impressions

The GamerSushi Show, Ep 93: Not Afraid of Butt Stuff

gamersushi show e3 2014

Well here we are friends, at the end of our journey together for this season of the podcast. Over the last twenty episodes (and two Extra Bytes), we’ve laughed, we’ve cried and learned way too much about Eddy’s personal life.

In case you’ve missed out repeated warnings, this is the last episode of Season Three of the GamerSushi Show and we’ll be taking a break for the next few months to enjoy the summer and also not have to talk to each other on a weekly basis.

This is our E3 2014 wrap-up where we grade the conferences and talk about the third-party games, and we’d love to hear your thoughts on the whole shebang so chime in below!

Listen, rate and we’ll see you in September for season 4!

0:00 – 6:00 Intro
6:01 – 37:07 Microsoft presser and third party games
37:07 – 58:59 Sony presser
59:00 – 1:10:45 Nintendo presser
1:10:46 – 1:13:07 Outro

Bungie’s Jason Jones Explains Just What the Heck Destiny Is

Are you confused by the lack of information about what the available game modes of Destiny? So am I, which is why I’m grateful that Bungie put out a video where Jason Jones explains what you’ll be doing when the Destiny Beta drops on July 17, or when the full game hits on September 9. Check it out:

So it seems like we have the Tower (third-person social space), story-missions, a free-roam/do side-quests type of thing, Strikes, and a multiplayer arena. Destiny seems to have a lot of stuff to do but I still can’t shake the feeling that it might be kind of bland. That might just be me though. How is Destiny shaping up for you?