Jeff of All Games News Break 1/22/15

We all deserve a break today, don't we? How bout a news break? Here are some of the latest video game news, and updates on what's happening with THIS GUY!

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What's up in the video game industry?

- The Elder Scrolls Online finally received a release date for Xbox One and PS4, June 9th is the day. What's more, there will not be a monthly subscription fee as the game will drop the fees for all versions on March 17th. It seems that maybe the game didn't do as well as Bethesda had hoped, and maybe with the fees dropped and new console versions coming out, more players may take a look at this. I played the beta and decided to skip the launch since I am already paying for multiple MMO's, but I will be getting the Xbox One version and check it out now that there will be no fees.

- The cover art for Forza Motorsport 6 was unveiled. Why is this a big deal? It coincided with Ford unveiling the all new GT super sports car.

I find this to be doubly dope! Forza is a hell of a series (5 notwithstanding) and the new Ford GT is a mean looking machine.

- Grand Theft Auto V for PC was pushed back to March 24th. This seems like the set-in-stone date now. You can pre-order off Steam now. If you pre-order before February 1st, you get the $1,000,000 extra cash (which is split in half between Single player and GTA Online).

- Microsoft held a keynote yesterday detailing Windows 10 (still kinda bugs me that we just forgot all about 9 and went straight to 10) and it does sound like a nice upgrade. Some features that stand out to me personally:

* They crammed Cortana into everything possible, including the redesigned Internet Explorer

* You can stream Xbox One games with any Windows 10 enabled device

* The promise of more Cross-Platform games where Xbox users and PC users can play with/against eachother (which they used Fable Legends to demonstrate).

* If you have Windows 7 or newer, the upgrade is FREE for you to upgrade within a year.

What's up with Jeff?

Oh not much, how YOU doin?

Seriously, what's up Jeff?

Actually a lot!

- I got back into live streaming via hitbox.tv/DrJohnnyLT . Last night I streamed an hour of Robot Roller Derby Disco Dodgeball and an hour of Massive Chalice, both of which can be found on my YouTube page. Expect more of that in the near future with updates blasted on my Twitter feed.

- I am currently looking for the best way to put together a weekly podcast. I already have the software I need, now I just need to hash out a show format and find some royalty-free music to slap on to make it sound like I know what I am doing. Updates will be forthcoming.

- Crossy Road finally came out for Android devices, so if you don't hear from me for a while, you now know why.

- I had three 12-packs of Surge arrive from Amazon yesterday, so I may not sleep for, like, a year, and it will all taste so glorious. (Side note: Surge and Kinky Blue is quite tasty, which I found out by pure happenstance).

Games I Am Currently Playing:

Puyo Puyo Tetris - Xbox One

I imported this game from Japan last week via Play-Asia.com. The game is all in Japanese (obviously) so I would suggest searching for a translation online, but, man, I've been playing A LOT of this and it is ridiculous and awesome. Highly recommend. Plus you get Japanese achievements which are always fun to have, since nobody on your friends list is going to have them (except me, of course).

Saint's Row IV: Re-Elected - Xbox One

Pokèmon Omega Ruby - 3DS

Crossy Road - Android (must...keep...tapping....)

Games I Want to Spend More Time With:

Shin Megami Tensei IV - 3DS

Citizens of Earth - PS4, Vita

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth - 3DS

The Game of Thrones game AND Tales from the Borderlands. Basically any Telltale game I have.

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There's just a brief summary on some of the big stories and what's going on in the life of me. Check back for future news as it unfolds, and don't forget to check out my hitbox.tv channel and my YouTube channel as I continue to add more content.

Awesome Video Game Music - Batman (NES) Stage 1

While perusing my NES library (yeah, that's right, perusing), I found some old Konami titles I played a lot in my youth. While one of them, unfortunately, was the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (ugh), another one I found was Batman. (yay).

While these two titles may not share the same qualities when it comes to...well, quality, they do share one thing: Konami Drums.

Here is the song I wanted to focus on, it comes from stage 1 of Batman (Streets of Desolation) on the NES, enjoy!

You can hear those kickass drums drive the beat forward. Also, it fits the character very nicely, with the dark tones yet heroic feel.

Batman the game was pretty awesome, if not extremely difficult. While Superman has had to deal with some real shit in the video game world, his Gotham counterpart has had relative success, especially with Arkham Knight due out this year.

New Year's Resolutions (With Gaming!)

We see it all the time at the beginning of every year: resolutions. The typical "I vow to...", or "I want to..." which inevitably ends up being a lifelong goal on January 1st and all but forgotten on January 2nd.

With the help of video games, let's look at some of the typical resolutions that will be at the forefront of everyone's "To-Do" list for a maximum of 24 hours.

1. Lose Weight

As if I needed another reason to not go to the gym, stay away from gyms for the first week or so of the year, because every machine will be taken, every locker will be full, and there might not even be enough space to stretch. This is a temporary issue since the thought of getting all the right clothes on, loading up the car and driving across time, all while paying a substantial monthly membership fee, will deter many of these people and leave them thinking "This is who I am, dammit!"

Stay home, save money, and play the millions of fitness-centered games such as Wii Fit or Shape Up! or games that get you on your feet like Kinect Sports or Dance Central. No membership fees, no waiting for machines, and no trainers yelling at you while wearing a shirt 3 sizes too small.

2. Find Love

Many people will fall in love this year. Relationships will start and relationships will end. One thing remains constant though: dating sucks.

I mean the process of dating. Picking just the right place to go, wearing just the right thing, saying all the right things, hoping she's not a serial killer, you know, the basics. Then after the date is over (and the awkward 'will she kiss on a first date?', and 'What if I go for a hug and she reaches her hand out for a handshake and grabs my junk?' moments) you have to play it cool and not seem desperate by texting her within X amount of hours or you ruin whatever chance you may have had left after you admitted to your love of video games....

...yeah, dating sucks.

Instead, save your personal drama and heartache and watch fictional digital characters go through it. Your options are numerous, even going back to Super Mario Bros.

 3. Quit Drinking

Have a little too much to drink for New Year's? (personal note: yes). Well, you aren't alone. Much like every time you have a little too much, you say "I'm never drinking again". Then proceed to do it all again the next weekend. One of these days, you'll get that girl's number if you keep buying her drinks. At some point, you've got to be the best looking guy in the bar...right?

Tell you what, save money (and your liver) and just get drunk in games like Mass Effect 2, Grand Theft Auto V, and Watch_Dogs. You won't have to try to remember that girl's name that happens to be sleeping next to you before you do the eventual "Hey...you" thing.

4. Quit Smoking

Along the same lines of alcohol, many people try a healthier lifestyle by ceasing use of tobacco (or are just fed up with paying so much for a pack of cigs). Many of these people will try and fail, finding it difficult to escape the warm embrace of nicotine. Some people will quit with help of a patch, others will try a step "down" with e-cigs or "Vaping" (which may be one of the worst phrases mankind has ever coined, much like "Infotainment").

If you are traveling down the path to clean lungs, then get your fix in the video game world. I mean c'mon, if Solid Snake, Duke Nukem, and Tychus Findlay light up, it's gotta be cool, right?

5. Travel

So much to do, so much to see. This big, beautiful world of ours is begging to be explored and eventually have all pictures posted on Facebook to brag about how much money we spent to look at mountains. Or, better yet, use Snapchat to send 50 images of a beach to your midwestern friends who obviously have no clue what sand is, you will look like a hero (see: douche).

So, you can overpack, lose luggage, get your seat kicked by a kid, pay way too much for souvenirs, get lost while in your rental car, almost miss your flights, and get food poisoning at the fancy restaurant you just HAD to try, or you could see an entire world for the fraction of the cost with World of Warcraft while also doing some good deeds for your fellow man, or orc, or elf, or goblin, or whatever.

6. Start a Family

If you were able to find love and get married, the next step may be to start having kids. Maybe it just feels right, maybe your parents are pressuring you, maybe it's the millions of unnecessary pictures your friends post on Facebook of how far along they are, or their ultrasound, or what clothes they bought for their baby, or "OMG THE BABY MOVED :) #SOCUTE #AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW".

Whatever the reason, it's a big responsibility and a lot of work to make sure your child/children grow up to be positive contributors to society. Or, at the very least, look really damn good and get a lot of money for looking real damn good.

Or just play The Sims, where you are just a point and click away from beauty perfection, or setting something on fire. Ah, the joys of being a parent.

7. Go Back to School

Further your education, start a new degree, finish a degree you've been putting off, give all your money to a university bookstore for one book that will be obsolete when second semester rolls around, or just prove why you were the "King of the Keg Stand" back in college, either way,  it is never too late for learning.

Or you could just play Bully and take out all that pent up anger you had ever since Mike knocked your Shaquille O'Neal Trapper Keeper out of your hand and sent all your homework flying in the hall. Bastard.

8. Buy a Really Expensive Car (aka the "Midlife Crisis")

It never fails, and it's something I see all the time since I work in the auto business: that brand new Mustang, Corvette, Charger, whatever, looks really nice to the 40 - 60 year old demographic. Hey, I'm not judging since I have owned 2 Mustangs in my life. They could have saved money all their lives preparing for this moment or it could have been a "spur of the moment thing", but the end goal is simple: "I wanna bag that 24 year old skinny girl who may not know who Abraham Lincoln was but has a damn orgasm whenever that Nick Jonas song comes on".

More power to you, my friend. Though I'm betting the closest I am ever going to get to owning a Ferrari will be in the Forza or Gran Turismo series. While that may sound a little pessimistic, I come back with this: no monthly payments. WIN!

9. Renew Your Faith

Perhaps you want Sundays to be days of worship, perhaps you've had a really rough previous year and are turning to a higher power to see you through these dark times, or perhaps your chosen football team decided to suck this year and now you have Sundays free (we will get 'em next year, Bears). It can feel very rewarding to go to service, sing songs, meet new people, and feel renewed.

Me? I think I'd rather play Smite and watch the various historical gods throw lightning and fire and each other. Singing is optional and you don't have to worry about shaking strangers' hands.

10. Be More Fiscally Responsible

Did you realize you spend way too much money on things you may not need? (personal note: hahahahaha yeah right). Well, maybe you are taking steps to increasing your bank account number. Maybe you're buying non-named brand groceries, maybe you go out to eat less frequently, or maybe you shop at CostCo or Sam's Club and only buy in bulk, everyone needs that 5 gallon jar of mayonnaise after all.

Then you might be the type of person to hang out with the father (or, I guess uncle) of all penny-pinchers: Scrooge McDuck. Just be prepared for nephews trying to schmooze you for that money.

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People will make AND break these resolutions in the time it took me to write this post, so I keep my resolution simple and easy to maintain:

11. Play More Video Games

Ok, fine, twist my arm.

What's Coming Up In January?

Happy New Year to all! Hopefully everyone had a safe and fun holiday (I think I did, I will let you know when the hangover stops).

As per usual, the year starts off with a...pffeh. People are still recovering from the holiday months and the early parts of the year are usually filled with a couple, but not many, releases. Let's get to it!

January 20th:

Resident Evil HD Remaster - (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)

Saint's Row: Gat Out of Hell - (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)

A stand-alone expansion where you play as Johnny Gat in a quest to save the Saint's Row IV protagonist.

Saint's Row IV: Re-Elected - (PS4, Xbox One)

The collection will feature updated graphics, all previously released DLC, and Gat Out of Hell.

January 27th:

Dying Light - (PC, PS4, Xbox One)

This is looking better and better the more I look at it. Zombie survival with an emphasis on parkour/free running.

Grim Fandango: Remastered  - (PC, Mac, Linux, PS4, Vita)

The HD remake of the cult adventure game being developed by Double Fine Productions.

Other Notes:

- Duke Nukem 3D: Megaton Edition will be on PSN and Vita on January 13th, so you can have Duke on your TV or kick-ass on the go.

- Citizens of Earth seems like a pretty cool, simple RPG and will be released January 20th for PC, PS4, Vita, Wii U and 3DS

- Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires (for those who still play those games) will be on PC, PS4, Xbox One and PS3 on January 27th.

- FINALLY, Grand Theft Auto V will be on PC January 27th.
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That's pretty much January. Other games will sneak their way onto platforms, and some will sneak their way into your heart, but these are the ones I'm looking forward to. February has a few big names coming out (especially #IDARB, OMG I want an #IDARB code), but this is a pretty nice way to kick off the year.