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!

GamerSushi Asks: What Are You Playing?

sniper elite 3

With the Steam Sale in full swing and the hot summer weather outside, there’s no better reason to stay inside and play some video games!

In this somewhat regular post series, we ask you guys a pretty simple question: what have you been playing?

Personally I’ve been moseying my way through Watch Dogs. Originally I started off doing all of the side quests but as the game has dragged on (I’m at the last mission of Act 3) I’ve kind of given up on that and am devoted to getting through the story as quickly as possible. Other than that I’ve been playing Pikmin 3, the free game I got from Mario Kart 8. It’s very fun with the gamepad, but also kind of hard, which I didn’t expect.

Other than that I hope to tackle Sniper Elite 3’s co-op, Company of Heroes 2’s Western Front Armies expansion and the Payday 2 Big Bank Heist. What’s on your plate?

GamerSushi Asks: What Are You Playing Heart of the Cards Edition

hearthstone

It’s been a while since we’ve checked in with you, Sushians, to ask the age old question: what are you playing? We’re in-between bouts of big releases right now, so it’s a good time to take stock and see how your 2014 is shaping up.

Personally I’ve been playing plenty of Hearthstone: Heroes of WarCraft, Blizzard’s new online collectible card game (or CCG for the purpose of brevity). This is the first CCG I’ve gotten into in earnest and I’m starting to realize just how freaking bad I am at them. I’ve won one Ranked match in Hearthstone and other players regularly take me apart. I’m still learning the ropes though, so I’m confident I’ll at least get one other win soon.

Other than that I tried out a couple conversion mods for Sins of a Solar Empire. There’s the always classic Star Wars mod Sins of a Galactic Empire but I also tried out Dawn of the Reapers, a Mass Effect-themed one. Dawn of the Reapers is in very early alpha but the Reaper models are in there as well as most of the Council/Cerberus ships. I’m definitely looking forward to the end product on that one.

So what are you guys playing?

GamerSushi Asks: What Are You Playing?

bravely default

It’s been quiet on the Western Front for the past few days, but we can blame that on the intense two-day snowstorm I experience up here in Canada-land. Seriously, I got at least six inches of snow. That’s pretty crazy for where I live.

To bring the subject back around to video games, it’s been awhile since we’ve asked you, the GamerSushi reader, what you’re playing as there’s been a ton of new games in the last few months. Personally, I’m playing the new 3DS JRPG Bravely Default and I’m enjoying the heck out of it. I haven’t reached the dreaded second half where the game apparently becomes a grindy slog-fest, but for now I’m enjoying a classic genre with some modern conveniences thrown in (seriously, a random encounter slider is a huge boon). It’s also gorgeous and has an awesome soundtrack to boot.

Other than that I’ve been playing Splinter Cell: Blacklist, having picked it up for super cheap last month. So far I’ve only tried the co-op, but Blacklist allows you to play in one of three styles: Panther (in the vein of Conviction), Ghost (for us Chaos Theory fans) or Assault if you just want to play a third-person shooter. While I prefer my Splinter Cells stealthy, having the option to play loud and lethal and balancing it for some very different play-styles makes for a tricky act but Ubisoft pulled it off this time around.

So, what are you guys playing? Something old, something new? Are you waiting on bated breath for Titanfall, Dark Souls 2, or one of the other million games hitting in March?

GamerSushi Asks: What Are You Playing?

super mario 3d worlds

Now that the Xbox One is finally out in the wild, I thought I would ask what all of you GamerSushi peeps will be up to this weekend.

Are you playing a shiny new Xbox One, or are you perhaps gaming with a PlayStation 4? Personally I’ll be checking out Super Mario 3D Worlds and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds this weekend, both of which have been getting sterling reviews.

I also tucked into some Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag last night and I’m already enjoying it much more than AC3. While I can kind of tell that Edward will end up being a character that is ultimately fairly forgettable, the world and the sheer amount of piratey things to do really speaks to me.

So, what are you playing? Go!

GamerSushi Asks: What Are You Playing?

pokemon white version 2

Man, there has been a binder full of games coming out the past week, and it just isn’t going to stop until December. I’m still finding things to do in Borderlands 2 (like the recently release DLC) and I’m neck-deep in XCOM: Enemy Unknown. I’ve also been playing Pokemon White: Version 2 and Sonic Adventure 2, and Sleeping Dogs sits on my shelf, waiting to be unwrapped.

Truth be told, I don’t know if I’m going to have time for anything other than XCOM. It’s just so good, and really, really difficult. You’re constantly spinning plates when it comes to managing the metagame, and I’ve got at least four countries sitting on Level 4 Panic while I hurry up and wait for my satellites to build. If I play that game through again, I’m going to start building power generators and satellite facilities from the get-go just so I can have a stable of the damn things ready to launch if things start to go off the rails.

I’ve also been quite tempted to pick up Dishonored, but I’ve heard mixed things about it despite the overwhelmingly positive reviews. While the game is being praised for a lot of things, I hear that it really can be quite short, and the stealth mechanics are a little fuzzy when it comes to determining whether or a not a guard can actually see you. After Mark of the Ninja (apples and oranges I know) managed to pull off communicating this so well, and games like Chronicles of Riddick have done it too, I feel like Dishonored could have been more tuned up in this area. That said, I haven’t actually played it, so feel free to tell me if I’m talking out of my butt.

So what have y’all been playing? Oh, Mark of the Ninja is out on Steam, so go pick that up quick-like.

GamerSushi Asks: What Are You Playing?

ftl game

Games, guys. Games. Well, more accurately Borderlands 2 and some other stuff, but still. The big season is picking back up and there’s already too many damn things to play. I can’t keep track of it all, so I thought I would make a handy dandy post so you guys can write down the titles current spinning in your console or taking up your hard drive.

The top of the list for me is Borderlands 2, and I’m already in the new game + mode, or “True Vault Hunter”. Yes, Axton and I are going through that game again and the loot you get on the second run through is just insane. There’s an old World of Warcraft joke “green is the new purple” and that’s very apropos here. Just as an aside, the Commando is so much better than the Soldier from the first Borderlands. Having a turret that is able to rotate 360 degrees is a godsend.

Other than that I’ve been playing some FTL (including the ill-fated Flight of The Sushian), Black Mesa and Battlefield 3. I picked up Spec Ops: The Line for super cheap and I’m excited to start that. I also need to finish Mark of the Ninja and I have Sleeping Dogs waiting in the wings, so yeah. A lot of stuff.

What have you guys been playing? Any of the above games or something different?

GamerSushi Asks: What are You Playing?

transformers fall of cybertron

Holy crap guys, has this been a strange month or what? Things are usually pretty dead in August (there have been some exceptions) but this year takes the cake. We’ve seen Darksiders 2 and Sleeping Dogs drop last week, and today we’re getting Transformers: Fall of Cybertron and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

You can probably guess which release the GamerSushi crew is excited for, but what about you guys? I’ve heard that both Darksiders 2 and Sleeping Dogs are quite good, and surprisingly so in Sleeping Dogs’ case, seeing as how it’s a resurrected version of True Crime: Hong Kong. The melee mechanics are supposed to be brutal and a pretty good imitation of the fist-fighting in the Batman games. You can even beat a guy to death with a fish, so that’s nice.

I was originally looking forward to Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, but I recently found out that the campaign co-op was removed, so I think I’ll be passing on it. I don’t know why that would be taken out, other than that the level design wasn’t made with two players in mind. That said, the first game didn’t seem to be made that way either, so I don’t know what happened there.

Enough about me though, what are you guys getting up to? Are you playing any of these new games, or digging in to your backlog?

What Are You Playing: Land of the Free Edition

what are you playing

I’m sure I’m breaching some international accord by posting an Independence Day themed “What Are You Playing”, but Canada is no longer directly under the dominion of the British monarchy, so I feel safe (don’t worry, the Commonwealth isn’t contagious).

In the spirit of the holiday, I pose this question to you, kind reader: what are you doing today on the most patriotic of days, aside from shooting off fireworks from eagle-back? Me, I’m at work right now, but I think my evening will consist of The Amazing Spider-Man, Beenox’s latest stab at making a half-decent title about the webslinger. For the most part they succeed, but at the end of the day it’s still a pale imitation of the Arkham style Batman games. That said, it’s loads better than last year’s Edge of Time, so expect an in-depth review for that one when time permits.

I can’t speak for the rest of the GamerSushi editors, but Eddy, Nick and I have been getting in to PC gaming in a big way, and Eddy even picked up the Combined Operation package for Arma 2, so expect some Day Z stuff from us soon.

What about you guys? What is your current gaming fare?

GamerSushi Asks: What Are You Playing?

what are you playing max payne 3

It’s already June, Sushians, and you know what that means: another installment of What Are You Playing, the recurring post where you get to tell us what currently occupies your PC or console and what you think of it.

May saw a couple big releases, namely Max Payne 3 and Diablo 3, but given that we’re also in somewhat of a draught from now unti September, this is also a good time to catch up on your backlog.

Personally, I’ve been getting back into Battlefield 3 a whole bunch, especially since it’s just had another huge patch which has fixed some of the glitches that the last patch brought on and has tweaked some things that needed it, like suppression and a number of weapons. It’s nice that DICE is committed to upkeep on their game, but this just shows how unprepared Battlefield 3 was when it launched in October of last year. The game has changed in a lot of fundamental ways and I expect it will continue to do so with all the DLC coming out over the next year.

Enough about me though, what are you guys playing? Something new, or maybe catching up on the backlog?

What Are You Playing: Show Me Your Rage Edition

what are you playing

We might have to do a What Are You Playing every Tuesday from now until the end of the year because it’s about to go down, people. There’s maybe about a billion games coming every week for the next few months on this exact day, except for Skyrim, which hits on a Friday (also known as “Eff Your Weekend Plans, Here’s Skyrim” Day). Naturally, we’re curious about your gaming tastes as it helps us format the content for the site and it also lets us know that your care enough to respond. That said, let’s dig in.

Because I’m a crazy person, my purchase today will be Spider-Man: Edge of Time, Beenox’s sophomore attempt at this property. I enjoyed their last effort, Shattered Dimensions, so who knows, I might like this one too. Other than my guilty pleasure we have RAGE and Dark Souls, one of which I know Anthony is salivating ferociously over. I also picked up the Witcher 2 on Steam for 30 bucks and of course there’s the Battlefield 3 Beta and Gears of War 3 when I get a moment. Who ever said that gamers are lazy should really look at the 2011 release schedule. That’s a lot of gaming to get done with so little time!

So what’s on your docket? RAGE, Dark Souls, something else? Polishing off the backlog maybe?

What Are You Playing: It’s Too Damn Hot Outside Edition

la-noire-nicholson-electroplating-screen

Salutations, faithful readers, it is I, your humble Canadian, back for another round of What Are You Playing. If you’re new to this recurring post, the basic set-up is pretty simple: I ask you what video games you’re playing, and you answer. It doesn’t have to exactly be video games per se; if you want to launch into a (spoiler-free as I haven’t seen the show yet, and people may not have read the books) discussion about the season finale of Game of Thrones, feel free to do so. It’s an open forum, but we’d love to get your thoughts on some current games, and maybe some oldies too.

For me, I spent the morning playing Nicholson Electroplating, the new Arson case for L.A. Noire. I bought the Rockstar Pass when it was on sale a while back, so I got all the DLC for the game for a reasonable price. Nicholson Electroplating is a very action-intensive case and the investigative aspects are relatively slim, but it’s a solid addition overall. It also got me that much closer to rounding out the achievements for L.A. Noire, so that’s always good. Besides that I’ve been finishing off my Evil karma run-through of inFAMOUS 2 and getting back into Halo: Reach in preparation for this year’s Bungie Day. A friend of mine also picked up The Witcher 2 on Steam, so I’m going to log into his account and play it when I have a moment. I’m also trying to desperately bring myself up to a respectable level on StarCraft 2 so I don’t embarrass myself. It’s hard though, but I’m working on my three barracks build.

That’s probably enough out of me, so what about you guys? Has anyone tried Nicholson Electroplating, and what did you think? Opinions of the L.A. Noire DLC overall would be good too. Anything else that you’re playing? Let us know!

What Are You Playing: Almost Summer Edition

The Witcher 2

Hello, GamerSushi faithful, did you miss me? I know that you guys probably didn’t even notice I was gone for a couple of days, but I was off in Vancouver watching a hockey game (pause for Canada jokes). Unfortunately, this little getaway clashed with the release of L.A. Noire, and I only got to try that out last night. While I’m finding the controls a little too clunky for my liking, the interrogations are super awesome and the facial animations continue to astound me.

Besides L.A. Noire, we’ve also seen the release of the Witcher 2 on PC, and I’ve been hearing rave reviews about it both here and other places. It’s definitely on my list of “must haves”, so I’ll hopefully be able to pick that up soon. Based on the screenshot I used for this article, the game should be titillating in all the right ways.

So what are you guys playing? I know we already have a whole thing about L.A. Noire, but if you’ve got any Witcher 2 thoughts, this is the place to put them. Hit me up with those comments, son!

What Are You Playing: Easter Edition

mincraft 1.5 weather

Happy Easter, everyone, hope you got your fill of chocolate and/or religious significance this weekend. As a godless heathen (aka, non-denominational well-wisher), I’ve been using this time off to play a few games like Minecraft, Portal 2 and the Gears of War 3 Beta. I might sound like a broken record on a couple of those, but what they hey, it’s not like anything is coming out until L.A. Noire hits.

Every since the 1.5 update of Minecraft, I’ve been getting back into that game in a big way. I’ve been playing cooperatively with my buddy and it’s been going rather well, except for the two occasions where he lured a Creeper into my tower and demolished my ground floor. Oh, and there was that instance where he built a giant pyramid but forgot to stock the inside with torches, so all the monsters spawned inside the darkened interior and we had to flood it with lava to kill them all. Good times. The weather effects are also pretty neat, and I’ve witnessed a couple of decent thunderstorms. Even though you spend most of your time underground, coming up to a different atmosphere is a nice change of pace.

What have you guys been up to these past few days? Portal 2, Mortal Kombat, or polishing off the backlog? I’ve told you what I’ve been up to, what you got?