Tag: battlefield 4

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!

Celebrate the Fourth of July With a Battlefield 4 CTE Easter Egg

I don’t need to remind you what today is because I think we all know. It’s three days after Canada Day!

Naw, just kidding: it’s Independence Day, the day where the USA celebrates their victory over the British and their freedom from the monarchy which is a feat they accomplished all by themselves and not with the help of the French, no sir.

To commemorate this occasion, the team at DICE LA who are behind the Battlefield 4 Community Test Environment (CTE), which has fixed more bugs in BF4 in a few months than DICE proper fixed in almost eight, added a very special easter egg in their most recent patch. Professional Battlefield 4 sleuth JackFrags (who found the Megalodon in Naval Strike as well) shows off the Fourth of July celebrations added to the map Dawnbreaker:

Pretty cool little Easter Egg from DICE LA in the Battlefield 4 CTE there, I must say. I think the CTE has done great things for Battlefield 4, the “netcode” update being chief among them. I signed up for CTE but haven’t had a chance to try it yet. I hope all of our American Sushians have an excellent Fourth of July!

Battlefield 4 Getting “Netcode” Patch on All Platforms

After weeks of testing in the CTE (Community Test Environment) the Battlefield 4 “netcode” improvements are being rolled out to every version of the game today in a patch according to a new post on Battlelog. The “netcode” patch improves (among other things) the server tick-rate, or how often you computer receives new information from the server. Battlefield 4 previously had a tick-rate of 10hz, or ten updates a second (industry standard for FPS games is 30-60).

Here’s a Megalodon in Battlefield 4 for Your Friday Afternoon

A couple months ago the Battlefield 4 community went crazy over the netcode the possibility of a megalodon existing on the Paracel Storm map. Well, four days after the release of the newest expansion Naval Strike on the PC, YouTuber and professional Battlefield 4 Easter Egg hunter JackFrags has found the giant shark and it is beautiful. Check out his video below:

What’s your favorite Easter Egg? This ranks pretty high up for me.

Can DICE/EA Make Up For Months of Problems With Battlefield 4’s “Player Appreciation Month”?

battlefield 4 player appreciation month

Look guys, I’m sorry I keep writing about Battlefield 4, I really am. This game had a ton of promise leading up to launch and then it promptly fell flat on its face and has been struggling to right itself even since.

A week or so ago I wrote about DICE and EA’s handling of the whole situation (which you can read here if you’re so inclined) and in summation I felt that all that was necessary was admitting that they did wrong by the consumers and apologize. Instead, we’re getting the “Player Appreciation Month” for Battlefield 4, where EA and DICE neatly side-step responsibility for the game’s problems by offering up free Battlepacks, double XP events and shortcut kits.

Take a read through and see what they’re offering. Even if you haven’t played Battlefield 4, I’m sure you’re at least somewhat aware of the game’s issues. Tell me, is the Player Appreciation Month enough to make up for the bungled launch?

Is Battlefield 4's "Player Appreciation Month" an Appropriate Amount of Compensation?

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Review: Battlefield 4

battlefield 4 review

While the notion of destructible environments and the real-time evolution of a map has been around since 2008’s Bad Company, Battlefield 4 takes this concept and makes it grandiose in its execution, giving us the type of destruction that was taken out of Battlefield 3 and adding in “Levolution”, events that change the way a given map plays and feels.

Running on a new version of the Frostbite engine and having an increased number of moving parts, does Battlefield 4 stride proudly across the gaming landscape or does it collapse under its own weight? Continue reading Review: Battlefield 4

The Troubling Future of Battlefield

battlefield 4

As much as I think gamers and the gaming press in general are prone to histrionics, the ongoing saga of Battlefield 4 is cause for legitimate concern. While I have faith that DICE will eventually get the game working in almost tip-top shape, the whole process of Battlefield 4, from the demo Beta in early October to the mangled launch and the current state of the game has been quite the snafu.

The rumor out there is that EA rushed DICE to have Battlefield 4 drop on PC and previous generation consoles (the Xbox 360 and the PS3) on October 29, two weeks before the release of Call of Duty: Ghosts, sacrificing time needed to finish the actual game for a few extra sales. While the actual validity of this fact is up for debate, EA/DICE have a long history of taking potshots at Call of Duty and doing whatever they can to one-up Activision’s FPS juggernaut.

With lawsuits pending, future projects and DLC being delayed and more bugs than you can shake a stick at, has the rocky launch of Battlefield 4 shaken our faith in EA/DICE and cast aspersions on the future of the series? Continue reading The Troubling Future of Battlefield

The Grind of Progression in Battlefield 4

Battlefield 4 multiplayer

As much as I loved this past generation, I think one of the worst things it’s left behind is the idea of progressive unlocks in multiplayer. I hate to lay the blame at just any one game’s feet, but let’s face it, everybody pretty much took this from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Now every franchise from Halo to Assassin’s Creed is borrowing the idea, and multiplayer suffers for it.

Last week and over the weekend, I ran into a lot of this with Battlefield 4. While I enjoyed what I played of the game, I couldn’t help but get frustrated that all of the things I really wanted to do were behind a wall of arbitrary XP unlocks. These requirements dictated that I get a certain amount of XP before getting better weapons—which is extremely difficult to do without better weapons. Continue reading The Grind of Progression in Battlefield 4

GamerSushi Power Rankings: December 2013

Wolf Among Us

A new generation of challengers arrive!

It’s pretty weird to see PS4 box art in this update of the Power Rankings, but they’re here, plain as day and just as bright and shiny. This month, we’re diving into 3DS games, PlayStation 4 games, small PC titles and more. I think the number 1 spot will surprise you, considering how down we were on last year’s outing, but rest assured that this game deserves all the praise we’ll no doubt heap on it over the next few weeks. You’ve been warned. Continue reading GamerSushi Power Rankings: December 2013

EA/DICE Stops Work on Future Projects to Solve Rampant Battlefield 4 Issues

battlefield 4 issues

While I’m enjoying Battlefield 4 a lot, I’ll be the first to admit that the game is broken. While DICE has brought out 13 server-side updates and two-client side patches (with more to come) since the October 29 release date, their next-gen shooter is in a sorry state of disrepair.

Even though China Rising just launched this past Tuesday, work on Battlefield 4’s remaining expansions (and other DICE projects, presumably the Mirror’s Edge prequel and Battlefront) have been halted until the majority of the issues with the game have been sorted out. While the previous client-side patch solved the Commander EMP blur effect and the sound bugs on maps like Golmud Railway, there continues to be a large array of problems on every system.

China Rising was apparently too far along to postpone (no word on Second Assault which is an Xbox One timed-exclusive) which is why it stuck to its original release date. DICE recently held a double-EXP event and gave players a 3.4x scope for the 1911 pistol which was formerly a developer-exclusive attachment as a way to make up for the issues that have been plaguing the game.

To editorialize a bit here, I’m a massive Battlefield fan, but the sorry state of Battlefield 4 (and the fact that EA put it on sale for $30 on Black Friday/Cyber Monday) has made me really wary of pre-ordering Battlefield games in the future. I have a huge amount of respect for DICE, but every Battlefield game has been messed up on launch to varying degrees. While DICE has demonstrated that they are working hard on these issues, and postponing work on future projects and DLC is a good move, the fact that we’re over a month after launch and the game is potentially just as, or more, messed up now as it was on day one is a pretty big black mark on their record.

Has anyone else been playing Battlefield 4? What do you think of this move by DICE/EA?

Source – Polygon

The Rough Launch of Battlefield 4

battlefield 4 launch issues

Battlefield 4 launched last Tuesday on current generation consoles and the PC and it’s been kind of a bumpy ride. There are things I really love about the game that will still persist after all of the instability has been patched, so let’s cover the bad stuff first.

When Battlefield 4 came out last week, it was virtually unplayable, and that didn’t change until the evening of November 3. To start there were severe rubberbanding on every server and more often than not the servers or the game itself would crash. This is frustrating considering that Battlefield 4 has a very deep unlock/ranking system, even compared to the previous games in the series. When you lose essential unlocks like the defibrillator and have to unlock it five more times before the game actually lets you complete a round and save your stats, it gets pretty annoying.

Fortunately, that has pretty much been ironed out. The netcode is still wonky, what with enemy players killing you while you’re behind cover or even before they round a corner and the rubberbanding still persists when flying air vehicles. In short, DICE and EA are continuing their sterling legacy of making every Battlefield game virtually unplayable for about a week. Even though they’re working hard on it (there have been about six server-side patches in the last week with more to come) having to wait a week to play a game is always a demoralizing experience. Continue reading The Rough Launch of Battlefield 4

The Highs and Lows of the Battlefield 4 Beta

battlefield 4 beta

Last week the Battlefield 4 beta launched, featuring the map Siege of Shanghai with the modes Conquest and Domination. Being the outspoken Battlefield advocate that I am, I selflessly took it upon myself to dive headfirst into the beta and bring you a report from the dust-choked battleground of Shanghai.

I’m playing the beta on PC, and thankfully I haven’t been impeded by the weird technical errors that seems to have stymied some users. Battlefield 4 looks absolutely gorgeous on a decent rig as DICE has done away with most of their weird aesthetic choices from Battlefield 3 (like the super-nova sun and the blue tint). The war torn streets of Shanghai have a lot of interactive features as well, like the ability to close store shutters to keep enemies out or raise bollards to stop a tank from rolling across a bridge (at one point I was able to use a blinking metal detector to locate an enemy that had rounded the corner and escaped my line of sight).

Continue reading The Highs and Lows of the Battlefield 4 Beta

Pixel Count: Most Anticipated October Release

Grand Theft Auto V landed last month and I imagine we are all still digging deeply into its controversial wickedness. However, time and video game releases wait for no one and with a new month comes more new releases.The odd thing about the month of October is that the really big releases come at the end of the month, such as Battlefield 4 and Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag. Before that, it’s much more wide open than usual for a fall month. Check the poll below and vote for the game you want the most this month, then meet me after the break for my thoughts:

Most Anticipated October Release?

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Continue reading Pixel Count: Most Anticipated October Release

Towers Crumble in Battlefield 4: Siege of Shanghai Multiplayer Trailer

You guys probably knew this was coming, but after Battlefield 4’s strong showing at the EA press conference yesterday, there’s no way I could pass up sharing this.

DICE showed off a 64-player Conquest mode match on a map based in Shanghai, displaying the revamped Commander mode (which you can do through a tablet as well as in-game), Levolution, and a few things besides. While the gameplay is live, the players are quite obviously following a script, but overall it’s a great trailer. Have a watch!

So yeah, consider me super impressed by Battlefield 4! EA had a great press conference, even if they did spend a little too long on sports (which I understand, even if it’s the genre of games I find the least interesting). What do you guys think of Battlefield 4’s multiplayer? Looking good?

Battlefield 4 Wish-List

battlefield 4 wish-list

Battlefield might have yielded to Call of Duty when it comes to being the overall king of mutlipayer first-person-shooters, but in my mind, you just can’t beat the crazy action that comes with a typical Battlefield match. Jumping over a tank in a dirt bike and throwing C4 on it, or nailing a helicopter with a well-placed RPG shot: these are things that only happen when a game allows for the type of randomized chaos that Battlefield revels in.

With the recent reveal of Battlefield 4, I thought I’d break down my hopes and fears for the game. While it has been two years since the game proper has come out (or will be by the time 4 drops), the most recent DLC, End Game, just came out. Is it too soon for another Battlefield? What can DICE realistically change in that time? What should they change? Continue reading Battlefield 4 Wish-List

The GamerSushi Show, Ep 66: A Terrible Mitchstake

gamersushi show ep 66 bioshock infinite

There was a shocking amount of things to talk about this week on The GamerSushi Show, with what might be the most high-profile game release of the year hitting this week. BioShock Infinite takes up a good chunk of the cast, along with the latest entry in Gears of War series (which is actually pretty fun).

For news, we break down the trailers that came out this week at GDC and the fact that Square Enix’s CEO stepped down. It’s a righteous cast, and we hope you enjoy! You know what to do: listen, rate and we’ll see you next time!

0:00 – 3:51 Intro
3:52 – 18:12 BioShock Infinite
18:13 – 24:59 Gears of War: Judgement
25:00 – 30:56 Counter-Strike: GO and Mass Effect on PC
30:57 – 40:44 Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada Steps Down
40:45 – 53:36 Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
53:37 – 1:01:41 Battlefield 4
1:01:42 – 1:04:47 Outro

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Trailer Thursday with Metal Gear Solid 5 and Battlefield 4

GDC is going on this week, and apparently Konami and EA were bursting at the seams to announce their games and couldn’t wait for E3 to roll around. Both Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain (a combination of the previously announced Ground Zeroes and, of course, The Phantom Pain) and Battlefield 4 were revealed with accompanying trailers. Metal Gear Solid 5 is just below, with Battlefield 4 after the jump.

Continue reading Trailer Thursday with Metal Gear Solid 5 and Battlefield 4

Battlefield 3: End Game is an Inauspicious Final DLC

As the announcement of Battlefield 4 draws every closer (seriously, they just teased the reveal trailer on Twitter), the last piece of DLC for Battlefield 3, End Game, has hit. With dirtbikes, Capture the Flag, and Air Superiority, End Game is throwing a lot at the wall. Does it all stick? Luckily for you, I’ve made a video summarizing my thoughts on End Game. Give it a watch, will you?

It’s not exactly the best way to close out Battlefield 3, but it’s not awful, either. As a final piece of DLC we could have gotten much worse. Unlike Armored Kill, I could see the maps from End Game easily slotting in alongside the Aftermath, Karkand, and vanilla maps. Has anyone else been playing End Game on PC? Any YouTube experts want to give me some constructive criticism? Go!