Happy 10th Birthday, GameCube

GamecubeAs a devout player of video games and a fan of Nintendo’s flagship franchises I feel it is my duty to remind our dear readers of something they may have forgotten ever existed: the GameCube. Now the reason I say that you may have forgotten it is because it never really left. It’s still there, collecting dust like it did before, only now in the form of a Wii. The GameCube is a SHAPESHIFTER!

Seriously though, this month marks the 10th anniversary of the GameCube in North America (my favorite of all the Americas) and I thought we should pause and reflect on the system that confirmed Nintendo had lost its freaking mind. We weren’t sure if the Nintendo 64 was an anomaly or the way of the future for the Big N, but when we caught our first glimpse of the GameCube and its WTF controller, well I think we all called our local mental hospital and asked if it was possible to check in an entire corporation. (Same thing happened this year with Netflix. And the answer is no, you can’t. And I thought corporations were people, too!)

But the GameCube did have its moments of greatness. Pikmin, for instance. Resident Evil 4, Metroid Prime and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker rank amongst my favorite games of all time to this very day. Even if Super Mario Sunshine wasn’t up to the usual standard of amazing associated with the plucky plumber, it was still a damn good game. And who can forget about Eternal Darkness and the mind games that it played with you?

So what are your fondest memories of the GameCube? What games stood out for you?

Drastic Changes: Sequels That Changed The Game

A frequent discussion around GamerSushi’s worldwide headquarters is what makes a sequel worthwhile. Is it more of the same, just fine-tuned and streamlined to perfection? Or it throwing out the baby with the bathwater and starting anew? It’s a question that has a different answer depending on what series you are talking about.

Well, the fine folks at GamesRadar put together a list of Sequels That Changed Everything  and as we all know, the Internet loves lists. Personally, I don’t mind if a franchise changes things up now and again, but being a Final Fantasy fanboy, that goes with the territory. But look at the greatness that has come from such changes: Resident Evil 4 (and 5!), Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and even Mass Effect 2.

What games did you like most when they switched the style up? Are there any that you didn’t care for? What franchises need a serious make-over? GO!

Source: GamesRadar

GamerSushi Asks: Best Games You’ve Never Played?

ff6We all know what some of the greatest games of all time are. We’ve seen the list, we’ve heard the arguments. Heck, we may have even seen friends playing them, so we’ve at least experienced the greatness. But there’s no way we’ve played all of them.

For one reason or another, I’ve missed out on a few of the “greatest games ever” throughout my life. I say that I always want to go back and play them some day, but as I get older and have less free time, this seems highly unlikely. I think for me, the greatest games I’ve never played are Resident Evil 4, Final Fantasy VI, Super Mario World, and the original Half-Life (I know, I know).

I hope that someday I’ll finish all of these great games, but we’ll see what happens. What about you guys? What are the best games you’ve never played?