Matthias Kortleven
Netherlands
Enschede
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Reading the reviews and comments for this game, I noticed that most of them are written from the viewpoint of people who already knew Pickomino and already have an attachement to it. This was not the case with me. My girlfriend got Sushizock im Gockelwok as a present before we ever played Pickomino and we played it a lot initially. I liked how quick and easy it was to play, but I eventually got bored with it. I'm just not that big a fan of pure dice games in the first place, so this was to be expected.
However, my girlfriend loved the game and wanted to play it constantly. It was then that I decided to buy her Pickomino for variaty's sake. History has a way of repeating itself, so eventually I also got bored with Pickomino, but at the same time I started to appreciate the design of Sushizock im Gockelwok more and more. In my opinion Sushizock im Gockelwok improves on Pickomino in almost every way.
At the start of a game of Pickomino, you can take big risks and still you're almost always gauranteed a reasonable outcome. However, at the end of the game the options are quite limited and it becomes more and more about getting lucky or not. You could be doing really well and still lose it all before the game ends (which always seems to take longer than it should). In Sushizock im Gockelwok there is less opportunity to take risks, but there is also less risk of losing big without being able to do anything about it. Some people may miss the extra extra excitement of Pickomino's 'push your luck' mechanic, but I will never miss the feeling of pointlessness you get when you lose all of your hard earned points in the last few turns through no fault of your own.
Then we come to the interaction aspect. In Pickomino you can steal worms from the other players, but most of the time you do this only because you simply can with your current dice-roll or because it's the only way to catch up. In the latter case you, once again, either win big or lose big. Sushizock im Gockelwok offers not only more opportunity for stealing, but it is also much more your own choice to do it and to whom. Some people may dislike this 'take that' feel, but I think the extra interaction and choices are very welcome.
In the end, it always boils down to personal preference if you prefer the huge (or exciting) swings in a game of Pickomino or if you prefer the smoother (or less exciting) experience of Sushizock im Gockelwok. Me, personally? I much prefer other food over raw fish, but even Sushi is still much more appealing to me than a plate full of worms. 
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Chef D
United States
Newtonville
Massachusetts
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I couldn't agree with you more. Pickomino seem much more an exercise and Sushizock is just plain fun. I have played both with my family, and my son has never asked to play Pickomino. On the other hand, Sushizock makes it to the top of his play list quite often. The great thing about it is that it can be played just about anywhere. The bakelite-like pieces are sturdy, spill-proof, and can easily withstand years of use.
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Posted Fri Aug 21, 2009 11:35 am
