What I Think Of...Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5

There is no denying the significance of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series, both in the video game industry and for my personal gaming life. I can't even begin to tell you how many hours I have put into this series, primarily Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1, 2 and 3. Not only was I exposed to a damn fun franchise, I was exposed to a lot of kick ass music that found its way onto CD's thanks to Napster.

The series would spawn several sequels and spin-offs with BMX bikes, snowboards, and even surf boards. The overall problem, however, was Activision treated this series like it did with Guitar Hero, Spider-Man, and Call of Duty, and release game after game, eventually beating a dead horse, releasing mediocre products and tapping the money well for all it was worth. Obviously, Call of Duty is getting its act together, Guitar Hero is getting a new entry after a hiatus, and now we have Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5. After all the attempts at the Tony Hawk series with games like Project 8 (good), Proving Ground (not so good), Ride  and Shred (terrible), and so on, we are finally getting what is touted as a return to the Pro Skater greatness.

Just HOW great is this supposed return of the skateboard king? Well....uh...just read on...here is what I think of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5.

(For the purposes of this review, let it be known I played the Xbox One version of the game)

From the very beginning I knew to keep my expectations low, as the Activision splash screen's audio would cut out every couple seconds."Nevermind" I thought, "just a simple bug that a quick patch can fix later on, no big deal.". Little did I know, this would set the tone for the experience I was about to have.

After finally getting to the main menu, I am greeted with a couple options here, "Create-a-Park", "Customize Skater", the obligatory "Options" and "Credits", and only one "Play" option. So...there is only one real game mode and it's "Play"....ok.

After hitting "Play", you have the option of THPS5 levels, your created levels, or community made levels. After choosing a map to play on, you enter into basically an online freeskate lobby. By "enter", I mean you wake up in a fuzzy haze while the power of the Unreal Engine loads those textures in. I'm used to Unreal games having texture pop-in but, whew, this has SERIOUS pop-in.

Now I am in the lobby, free to skate wherever I want to with a bunch of other people who are warping around the level. No time limit, no restrictions outside of the level geometry...alright...so when does the game begin? Turns out there are missions inside every level that I need to complete to earn stars and progress to the next level, which I found out by accident. I did get stars for spelling S-K-A-T-E, collecting the VHS tape and so on, but those stars didn't seem to count...ok. (Also, just be warned that I will be using a lot of ellipses in this review).

These missions run from getting a high score in a certain amount of time, to racking up a long distance grind, to knocking objects around, and *gulp* running through rings (Superman 64 flashbacks). You are given 1-3 stars depending on how well you complete these tasks, and you need 15 stars to unlock the next level. These missions are boring as hell though. In one level I was tasked to do flip tricks into targets to set off fireworks...cause, you know, skateboarding. These missions are also repeated in every level, so not only are they boring, they are also repetitive. Yay!

So why do these missions, aside from opening other levels? I asked myself that question too. Apparently, doing these missions also gives you XP so you can level up and unlock stat points for your skater. You also unlock cards. I also had to find out what these cards did by accident as I was scrolling through menus. They unlock different parts you can use to customize your skater. Notice I said "customize", not "create", more on that later. The cards also unlock emblems which...I still don't know what they are for. Also, worth noting, the stat points you acquire do not carry over to other skaters, so you have to do all this with whichever skater you want to level up. This recipe calls for repetitiveness with a dash of redundancy.

So, leveling up your skater and gaining XP sounds kind of cool, and it is...kinda. My biggest problem with the system is that I can't actually upgrade or change my character in the level, I have to back out of the lobby, and go into a second and third menu to change anything. This is super annoying and time consuming. Also, there is no "Create-A-Skater", all you are doing is changing the appearance of the current skaters. Sure, you can change the heads and bodies to look nothing like the actual skater, but it's still that skater in name and moveset...which is weird.

While fumbling with hitting random buttons again, I found the multiplayer option. There are a number of modes in the multiplayer, including King of the Hill, Score Attack, a combo contest, and so on. When you select a mode, the game loads into a separate instance and waits for others to join your room. I tried a couple matches and ended up being in a game by myself each time, as in the match just starts with one person...wonderful.

So what's the point of the online freeskate lobby? Another great question that I asked myself. I still don't have the answer. You can initiate challenges to riders in the lobby but that's really the extent as far as I know. Again, I am trying to figure it out on my own since the game doesn't tell you what's going on at ANY point. I actually do not know why the game is structured this way. You can forget about the online lobby and just start a private match instead, but you still have to open menus and do challenges and it just a pain in the ass.

On the technical front, the game looks...ok. It's going for a Borderlands-style cel shading that looks weird. Some of the lighting is ok, but even after the texture pops in, it looks so-so. Performance-wise: yikes. There are flashes of brilliance when it runs at 60 frames per second, but more often than not it dips hard. Whenever you crash and break something, it dips, when first loading in, it dips, when I'm in the middle of grinding a rail, it dips, you see a pattern? Very inconsistent.

I dabbled in the "Create-A-Park" feature, just to give it a look. The tools are there to create a basic skate-park and the system seems easy enough to use. There weren't too many created parks for me to try out when I played but I assume the right person will come along and make something cool.

One very important aspect of the Tony Hawk games is the soundtrack. I have found this soundtrack to be pretty good. Fans of the series will find tracks to really get into here...

...but that's assuming the fan still wants to play this game at all.

This is a bad game, and it makes me sad, given how much I have adored certain parts of this series. The structure is bad and mind-boggling, it doesn't look great, it plays sloppy, and overall, (I hate using the "B" word, but it fits this game) this game feels broken. I try to play bad games to find redeeming qualities, and I really don't want to play any more of this game.

Developer Robomodo tried to appeal to gamers like me who loved this series early in its lifespan. With Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5, it seems as if they didn't know what kind of game they were making. This game is not worthy of the Pro Skater name, and not worthy of being on my hard drive. Which hurts me to say.

What I Think Of...Super Mario Maker

30 years ago, 2 very special births happened: (A) Me (You're welcome, world) and (B) Mario. The original Super Mario Bros. was such an important and influential game not only in 1985, but to this day. Even people who aren't "gamers" know who Mario is. Since that first game, several sequels have kept the series fresh and left their marks on the gaming industry.

Now, Nintendo gives control to the fans. With Super Mario Maker, players can create the Mario level of their dreams/nightmares, share them online and play other creations. How does that experience measure up the Mario lineage? Here is what I think of Super Mario Maker for the Wii U.

Let's begin with the whole reason this game exists: to make Mario levels.

When you first boot up the game, it runs you through a quick tutorial of a "1-1"-like stage where you replace some pieces that are broken. It really helps to ease you into the tools that are about to be thrown upon you.

Once you get past the tutorial, the game gives you a sample of the creation tools, letting you design in the Super Mario Bros. and NEW Super Mario Bros. U tile sets, using a few assets, like Goombas, Koopas, Question Mark Blocks, etc. You unlock more tile sets and assets just by using the creator, eventually opening up the Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World tile sets, as well as underground, underwater, ghost house, airship, and castle backdrops for each game. The original idea was to unlock new stuff every real time day, meaning you had to play the game and use the creator for at least 5 minutes for about 9 real days to unlock everything. Thankfully, Nintendo patched this on launch day so now you could  unlock everything in about an hour or so. A quick Google search will bring up the fastest way to get it all.

Though you may not want to do the speed version right away. The idea behind gradually unlocking things is so the player doesn't feel overwhelmed, because it can be that way up front. Later on, the parts become more complex, introducing different enemies, traps, and tracks for moving platforms. You can also modify the assets as you see fit. For instance, you can place a Question Mark Block, and maybe you decide a Goomba should be in it, go for it. What if that Goomba happened to be a giant? Simple, add a mushroom to the Goomba. Want a Bullet Bill Launcher to spit out Hammer Brothers instead of Bills? Put a Hammer Brother in it then. You can also shake the item to turn it into something else, like taking a green Koopa, shake it, it becomes a red Koopa, not all items react to it, but it is fun to experiment.

That's only the beginning of what this tool is capable of. You can adjust how many seconds the stage has, you can add sound effects at certain instances in the level or create your own (though those won't go with the level if it's uploaded to the internet, for obvious reasons). You can place a pipe, put Mario in it, and open up a sub-level, you can add doors which take the player anywhere in that level, or (if you're a heathen) you can add autoscroll to your level, even the speed of the autoscroll. Don't use autoscroll, you asshats.

A huge part of the game and what will only add the fun and craziness: the costumes. Using the Mystery Mushroom, you can turn Mario into a number of different Nintendo characters. You unlock these costumes either using Amiibos or unlocking them from playing the other modes in Mario Maker. I won't spoil who is all in the game, but there are 100 different skins, most of which come with their own sound effects and music at the end of the level. Note that these characters can only be used in the Super Mario Bros. tile set.

The creation tool is super intuitive and works great on the Gamepad. This is the perfect example of what the Gamepad is capable of. It's also full of charm while creating, as the voice will announce what you added to the level and even does it in tune with the music in the background.

Before I move on, I will say this: if you are going to be a serious Mario level designer using this game (and it's very possible I will go down that route), buy graph paper. This way, when you are away from your Wii U, you can be plotting what you want to happen when you do get back to it. Also, that's how Miyamoto and Tezuka designed the original game 30 years ago. It's effective.

What's more, the game comes with an idea book that pretty amazing. Even if it doesn't give you ideas, it's a great piece of Nintendo love.

Once you create your levels, you can upload them to Nintendo's server, where others can play, comment, and favorite (star) them. The more stars you get for your levels, the more levels you can upload. You start with 10 slots and that increases depending on how many stars you receive for your levels.

These levels go into "Course World" where you can pick and choose one-off levels to play. The main mode of play, though is 100-Mario Mode. You are given 100 lives and choose whether to do Easy (8 Courses), Normal, or Expert (both 16-courses). These consist of random user-made levels for you to play. If a level becomes too difficult, just hold down  the minus button, lose a life, and move on to another level. Complete the entire course, and you are rewarded with a new costume for the Mystery Mushroom.

The goal with this mode is to ideally give you ideas for your own levels. I have played through the mode SEVERAL times and it has given me plenty of neat ideas for my own stuff.

There is already plenty of levels to choose from thanks to the community. Not all of them great. This is true for any community-based game. The really great thing is that before a stage can be uploaded, the creator must beat it themselves to prove it can be done.

One trend is definitely dominating the server right now: the Autoplaying levels. Levels where you literally press nothing and the levels guides Mario to the exit. On one hand, these complex machines are amazing to look at and basically works of art, on the other hand, they aren't particularly fun, as all you are doing is watching. I'd rather actually PLAY a Mario game instead of the game playing for me, but I do see the appeal of those levels and some of those levels are quite the sight to behold.

I have put SEVERAL hours into this game and have been thoroughly enjoying it. In fact, right now I am getting the itch to go make some more levels, or go buy graph paper.

Super Mario Maker is amazing to me, purely in that it exists. Nintendo has been super protective of all its properties, so seeing them handing all of it over to the players and saying "Here, go nuts" is pretty mindblowing. Luckily, all the tools are there to create some astounding levels.

Super Mario Maker is every Nintendo fan's dream, and definitely one of the ever-growing reasons to own a Wii U.

Update: Here are my level ID's if you want to play them:

1E9B-0000-001B-C251

F789-0000-001C-2EEB

FE0A-0000-001D-2D85

124E-0000-001D-B320

0CD1-0000-001E-AA1D

F0ED-0000-0028-6403

C8B1-0000-0033-7CE0

What's Coming Up In September, 2015?

As we get closer to Q4 and closer to the big blockbuster titles, Fall takes over, football starts back up, hockey gets closer to kicking off (HELL YEAH!), and this month has plenty of reasons to be excited as a gamer. Fortunately, it starts right away. Here is what to look forward to this September.

September 1st:

Mad Max - (PC, PS4, Xbox One, Linux)

Set in the Mad Max universe, but not based on the recent movie, and developed by the studio behind the Just Cause series, Mad Max looks like an exciting and explosive good time. I will be doing a live stream of this on release day with a forthcoming post with my thoughts on this. Also, Mad Max: Fury Road comes out on Blu-Ray as well, so you can really get your fix.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain - (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)

Talk about blockbusters. The final entry in the series promises amazing graphics, open-world gameplay, online multiplayer, and all the goofiness this series is known for. Also, if this is Kojima's swan song, you bet your ass it's gonna be crazy. I will be doing an unboxing of the special edition when it gets delivered, which I believe is next week. Metal Gear Solid is one of the most important franchises in gaming, and you definitely want to be a part of this.

September 11th:

Super Mario Maker - (Wii U)

The more I see of this game, the more I am falling in love with it. This looks to be the killer app for the Wii U and I can not wait to get my hands on this, even if it means that Nintendo will end up placing claims on my YouTube videos.


September 15th:

Forza Motorsport 6 - (Xbox One)

The next entry in the long-running racing series looks absolutely stunning. Day 1 purchase for sure.

NHL 16 - (PS4, Xbox One - Legacy Edition on Xbox 360, PS3)

EA's second year of bringing its hockey franchise to current-gen consoles, which means this should be pretty good. Also, a topic very close to my heart: mascots!

September 25th:

Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer - (3DS)

This game looks so adorable! If you are one of those players who loves designing your own home, now you can design other folks' homes. I was never good at that while playing Animal Crossing, but I will still buy this and give it a go.


September 29th:

LEGO Dimensions - (PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U)

You knew it was going to happen, LEGO now is in the "place figures on portal, they come to life in game" genre. Also, Dimensions looks insane with all the properties they have licensed in this game, including Doctor Who!!!!!!

Persona 4: Dancing All Night - (PSVita)

Hey, a Vita sighting! A rhythm game featuring the cast of Persona 4 as well as Hatsune Miku. I love the music in this series and look forward to picking this up.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 - (PS4, Xbox One)

I really want this to be good. It looks like THPS5 is tugging at the nostalgia strings, and it's saying all the right things. I LOVED this series when I was younger, but the more recent entries have left me with a "bleh" feeling about this. I speak for a generation of gamers when I say, "PLEASE be good!".

Other Notes:

- Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 - PC, PS3, PS4 - September 15th

- Skylanders: SuperChargers comes to basically every console ever on September 20th. I kinda checked out around Swap Force, but this is still a well regarded franchise.

- Blood Bowl 2 comes to PC, PS4 and Xbox One on September 22nd. I played the first one and really hope the sequel can tell me what actually is happening.

- FIFA 16 takes over the world on September 22nd, and will be on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

- Get your basketball fix on September 29th as both NBA Live 16 and NBA 2K16 come out.

- Fallout Anthology comes out for PC and will include Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout: Tactics, Fallout 3 GOTY, and New Vegas Ultimate Edition and come in a sweet mini-nuke case with sounds. Hell of a deal here. Take a look:

============================================================================================

Whew! That's just a taste of what's to come this month in video gaming and I hope you all have been saving up because there is a lot of greatness to get us ready for Q4. Enjoy and keep your eyes peeled here and on the Jeff of All Games family of outlets (Twitch, YouTube, Soundcloud) for many good times.

What I Think Of...Heroes of the Storm

The competitive eSports scene is alive with the sound of MOBA's. Whether it's League of Legends, Dota 2, SMITE, or a number of others, MOBA's are absolutely in fashion.

Blizzard decided to get in on the action and take back what was theirs to begin with, seeing as the original Dota was a Warcraft 3 mod. How does this Blizzard-fan-service game stack up to the juggernauts of the industry? Here is what I think of the new MOBA on the block: Heroes of the Storm.

For the uninitiated, a MOBA game (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) works as such:

- 2 Teams battle on a map broken up into 3 lanes (Top, Middle, Bottom)
- The lanes have auto-turrets ("Forts" as HotS calls them) placed along the path.
- Creeps/Minions spawn at regular intervals and will help you push the lane to your advantage.
- The point is to work down the lanes, destroying Forts, and eventually the base (Core) to win the match.

You with me? Hope so. This is the MOBA formula, and HotS follows the blueprint faithfully. However, that's where the similarities between this and a game like Dota 2 end. Heroes is meant to be a more accessible entry in the genre. While Dota relies on buying items from shops to grant abilities or buffs to hero skills, there are no items in Heroes, which is actually a relief. It takes away a complicated aspect and allows the action to be fast-paced and skill based.

In Dota 2, you would need to purchase "Wards" from the shop to place around the map and grant your team vision, and a tactical advantage, over a certain area. In Heroes, since there are no shops, some maps (mapS, I'll get to that later) have built in capture points that, when captured, grant your team vision over that area of the map, which is an interesting idea that creates tense moments of fighting over the capture point.

Also, the idea that there are multiple maps. Not only that, but the different maps have different objectives that can really swing the match in your favor. On one map, you try to control 2 shrines, 1 placed on the top lane and 1 placed on the bottom lane, once you capture those shrines, someone on your team can go into the center lane, claim a 3rd capture point and become the Dragon Knight and wreck shop, doing a ton of extra damage which is great for taking down Forts. Another map actually has a 2nd part to it, which allows players to descend into the mines, killing special enemies and retrieving skulls, which builds a golem that will march down a lane and also wreck shop. There are a handful of these maps, which does add a layer of strategy which does break up the monotony of hero battles.

Heroes of the Storm also puts a spin on character builds. In other games, when you level up in a match, you spend a point to upgrade your characters abilities. In Heroes, when you hit specific levels, you actually get to choose which ability or talent you want to learn. Some of these are passive abilities like getting health from doing damage, and others are active abilities that, by default, map to the number keys. This is a pretty cool take on it and adds that "on-the-fly" element where you can adapt based on how the match is going, or find the build that best suits you.

The leveling systems in the game can be a little complicated, so I will do my best. You have an overall account level, within that account level, your heroes level up individually (outside of the game) by using them in battles. Your character levels outside of the game do not factor in the actual game, though, since all characters start at level 1. Leveling up your account rewards you with coins you can use in the marketplace (more on that later) or cosmetic profile pictures, etc. Leveling up your individual character can also reward you with coins, and also unlocks the ability to use all of that character's talents. The game does lock some abilities during the early levels of a character, letting the player get their feet wet before opening up all talents and saying "have at it".

Now, let's talk pay structure. Heroes of the Storm is a free-to-play game. You could absolutely play the game, enjoy it, get a lot out of it, and not spend a penny. Unlike Dota 2, not all the characters are available right away. Blizzard does do a free weekly rotation, which is what SMITE and League of Legends does. The rotation consists of 5 or more free heroes based on your account level, and you can use them in any mode. For the other heroes, you can buy them either with in-game coins that you get for completing matches, completing daily quests (I'll get to that, there's a lot to go through here, if you couldn't tell) and other in-game milestones, or with real money. Characters can range in price from $5 and up and there are bundles which include multiple characters and skins and whatnot. This is not unheard of and reasonably priced. I spent $5 on the discounted "Starter Bundle" Which included 3 characters, a mount to use in-game, and a 7-day XP/Coin boost. Also, since it was my first purchase with real money, I got a special cute mount.

So, Daily Quests. Each day when you log in, you are tasked with quests that can earn you extra gold. These can range from "Play 3 matches as characters from Warcraft", to "Play 3 matches as an Assassin", to "Win X amount of matches" and so on. This really helps keep the game fresh and promotes using different kinds of characters.

Once you get into an actual match, the game continues to shine. You can tell Blizzard took their time and put their love into these characters, the way they look, the way they talk, the way they animate, it's a Blizzard-fan's dream. My favorite touch is how they put a little bass on the sound when you kill an enemy, really makes you feel like a bad ass. The collection of characters here is a great mash-up from Warcraft, Diablo, Starcraft, and even classic games like The Lost Vikings, with more characters added all the time.

The modes in the game range from going against the A.I., to PvP, to Ranked PvP. The big difference between HotS and Dota 2 is that even if you play a pure bot match, you still get XP, Coins, and credit towards your quests. Meaning you don't have to interact with anybody and still have a good time. Also worth noting: you don't need a huge time commitment. Games in Dota 2 or League can last anywhere from 35 - 60+ minutes per match, whereas in HotS, it could last 15 - 25 minutes. The maps are smaller and the game runs raster, so it's nice when you don't have hours to spend.

With the way Blizzard has handled its other games, it should come as no surprise how often they are updating and adding content into HotS. New maps, new characters, balance changes, nothing is off limits and it will be exciting to see where they go from here.

I can not tell you how much I have enjoyed playing Heroes of the Storm. It feels like the Everyman's-MOBA. If you have been too intimidated to get deep into other games in the genre, or just want a fun time with great characters in great settings with that Blizzard touch. I love watching Dota 2 and I would love to get better at it, but I LOVE playing Heroes of the Storm and this may end up being my personal favorite MOBA.

Character Spotlight: Sub-Zero

 This feature will show off some of my favorite characters in video gaming. I will dive into their highlights, lowlights, origins, games they were featured in, and what makes them stand out as my favorite characters.

Today, for the first (titled) edition of Character Spotlight, I wanted to highlight one of my favorite characters from my favorite fighting game franchise. When I say the name Mortal Kombat, who is the first person you think of? If you thought of the words "Get Over Here", you're right, but I am thinking of the OTHER guy, the colder guy, the first character I ever learned to play as in MK: Sub-Zero.

Info:

First Appearance: Mortal Kombat (1992)

Real Name: Bi-Han (Mortal Kombat, 1992), Kuai Liang (Mortal Kombat II - present, 1993 - present)

(Most Recent) Voice Actor: Steven Blum (Mortal Kombat X, 2015) aka "The Wolverine Guy"

Personal Favorite Game He Appears In: Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (1995)

There are many things I still remember about my childhood, whether it's TV shows that stuck with me, events in school I'll never forget, or my first experiences with certain video game franchises, you'll remember them like it was yesterday. This was the case the first time I looked into an arcade at age 7 and saw Mortal Kombat. Needless to say I was blown away, and a little grossed out. I'll highlight the game itself at a later date, because this is all about the man with the icy stare.


I think a lot of what drove me to be a Sub-Zero fan had something to do with my time playing Street Fighter, as odd as that may sound. Back then, I thought the Hadoken was the coolest move ever, dude just sticks his hands out, yells, and a fireball blasts out of his palms, that's fuckin' rad! It's STILL rad! So here, with Sub-Zero, he kind of has a Hadoken-esque move, but it's an ice ball that freezes the opponent, allowing for a free hit, that's fucking RAD...DER!

In Mortal Kombat (1992), Sub-Zero (Bi-Han) was tasked by his clan, the Lin Kuei, to kill the tournament's host, Shang Tsung. He fails to do so, and ends up getting killed by Scorpion. Bi-Han then ends up becoming the undead ninja known as Noob Saibot. I always found that super cool that while I am playing as Noob Saibot, I am actually playing as original Sub-Zero. Bi-Han's brother Kuai Liang takes up the Sub-Zero codename in Mortal Kombat II to honor his fallen family member, and remains THE Sub-Zero to this day.

Mortal Kombat 3 is when things start picking up for young Sub-Zero, as he escapes the Lin Kuei Clan who is looking to turn all its members into cyborgs, which gave us Sektor, Cyrax, and Smoke. The game also gave us one of the iconic looks for SZ, as the decision came down to remove the mask.

Then came a very divisive game: Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub Zero. I'm betting those of you who played that game just went "ugh". Hear me out, there were some cool things about that game, it wasn't a great game, but it was the first real attempt to take the Mortal Kombat universe and expand it to something other than a straight fighting game. This also marked the first appearances of Quan Chi and Shinnok to the franchise. Set as a prequel to the original game (meaning it was Bi-Han SZ), Mythologies was an action-RPG with superbly cheesy FMV cutscenes. Well worth a playthrough nowadays.

Mortal Kombat 4 was the first game in the series to go to a 3D engine and helped push the Sub-Zero/Scorpion rivalry but having Quan Chi tell Scorpion that SZ and his clan wiped out Scorpion's family, which ends up being untrue (weird) and Quan Chi was the real killer. Deadly Alliance sees our Sub-Zero fighting Sektor for leadership of the Lin Kuei clan, and also the introduction of SZ's apprentice, Frost. Deception has Sub-Zero confronting his older brother Noob Saibot, and throughout that game and Armageddon, he tries what he can to save his undead brother.

Sub-Zero would make an appearance in Shaolin Monks, an adventure game retelling the events of Mortal Kombat II starring Kung Lao and Liu Kang. He appears as the first boss in the game before joining up with the Monks to search for his older brother. He leaves the duo while chasing Noob through the Netherrealm.

Due to the success of Shaolin Monks, (yeah, it's a pretty good game) work got underway for a co-op adventure game called Fire & Ice, starring Scorpion and Sub-Zero. The game was scrapped due to budget and time constraints.

Sub-Zero also appeared in the well-regarded  MK vs DC Universe as a counter to Batman. At the end of his story in the game, he is inspired by The Dark Knight to become a super hero, donning a new costume and cape. Sub-Zero MAN!

Then came Mortal Kombat (2011), which retells the stories of games 1 - 4, with a bit of a twist. Bi-Han is still killed by Scorpion and Kuai Liang takes the mantle, but instead of Smoke being captured and turned into a cyborg, Liang gets kidnapped and assimilated, bringing us Cyber Sub-Zero. CSZ helps Raiden in taking down Shao Khan, but Sindel, Khan's wife, overloads CSZ's circuits, so now both Sub-Zeros are "dead". Until Quan Chi resurrects and enslaves SZ. Which is how he starts off in Mortal Kombat X. Also, he is back in human form because....video games.

Crazy shit happens in Mortal Kombat X with Sub-Zero, (SPOILER...I guess), Sub-Zero and Scorpion are FRIENDS?!?! It's 25 years after the Netherrealm War and Scorpion begrudgingly agrees to meet with (now Lin Kuei Grandmaster) Sub-Zero. It is revealed to Scorpion that it wasn't SZ, but Sektor and Quan Chi, who were behind the murders of the Shirai-Ryu clan and Scorpion's family. That's insane to me, it's like Batman and Joker shake hands, dogs and cats living together!

Sub-Zero was originally simply called Ninja while in development. That character was split in two for palette swaps and became Scorpion and Tundra. That name was changed after a member of the development team watched the Schwarzenegger film The Running Man, where the first assassin was named Sub Zero. Side note: that movie is bad ass!

The character is one of the most popular in the series, he also has the distinction of being the only character in the MK universe to appear in every game.

Evolution of the Character:

Mortal Kombat (1992)

Mortal Kombat II (1993)

Mortal Kombat 3/Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (1995)

MK Mythologies: Sub-Zero (1997)

Mortal Kombat 4 (1997)

Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (2002)

Mortal Kombat: Deception (2004)

Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (2006)

Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe (2008)

Mortal Kombat (2011)

as Cyber Sub-Zero

Mortal Kombat X (2015)

with SICK beard...

===========================================================

Sub-Zero's popularity has helped him become one of the most iconic characters in the franchise. Besides the video games, Sub-Zero has appeared in both live action movies (the good original one and the oh-God-no-what-the-hell Annihilation) and all 3 seasons of the web series Mortal Kombat Legacy.

Since day one I always gravitated towards Sub-Zero, just an absolute badass who has been a staple of the franchise. While Scorpion is busy screaming "Get Over Here". throwing fire everywhere and generally being Ghost Rider, Sub-Zero takes a cool, calm, and collective approach. A stone cold killer. Death's cold embrace. Other puns!

Fatality Time!

What's Coming Up in August, 2015?

Fresh off a wild night of partying (and a terrible morning after...) for my birthday, it's time to dive back into the world of video games. July was a slow month as far as new releases but the Summer Slump goes away a bit here in August, and before we start into the craziness that is Q4. So here are just some of the new releases and events coming up this month:

August 4th:

Rare Replay - (Xbox One)

30 Rare classics in one bundle for $30. Games include: Perfect Dark, and Zero, Battletoads, Killer Instinct Gold, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Viva Piñata as well as Trouble in Paradise, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts and many more! This is a hell of a deal.

August 3rd - 8th:

The International 2015

The biggest gaming tournament of the year enters the main event this week. Teams from all over the world descend upon Seattle, competing to show who is the best at Dota 2, and win LOTS of money. I will be glued to the Twitch channels, expecting to see top level plays, and hoping to get some item drops.

August 5th - 9th: 

Gamescom 2015

The biggest gaming convention in Europe is taking place from August 5th - 9th in Cologne, Germany. Expect many gaming stories and trailers shown. The thing that I am most excited about: Blizzard will be revealing the new expansion to World of Warcraft during its show Thursday morning the 6th. Can. Not. Wait.

August 13th:

Fallout Shelter - (Android)

The free-to-play Fallout management spin-off that has been on iOS finally comes to Android. Now everyone can be the Overseer and watch your shelter thrive or (in most cases) get overrun by Radroaches and Bandits. This game will eat up a lot of your time and is VERY addictive.

August 25th:

Dishonored: Definitive Edition - (PS4, Xbox One)

This edition improves the games graphics and includes all the DLC. You all know how tired I am of seeing re-releases, definitive editions, collections, etc. but this game is one I would gladly go back and play. I LOVED Dishonored and look forward to the sequel.

Gears of War: Ultimate Edition - (Xbox One)

This is a remaster of the original game, which will include 5 previously unreleased chapters of the campaign, an invite to the Gears of War 4 beta (Gears of 4? Gears of Fowar? Gears of 4ar?) as well as all 4 Xbox 360 Gears of War games for you to play on your Xbox One via the backwards compatibility. All for $60. Hey, look, another "ultimate edition"...that I will play because I love Gears.

Madden NFL 16 - (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)

It's Madden season, it is the reason my hand touch your face! Also, Bear Down!

August 30th: 

Disney Infinity 3.0 - (PC, PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, iOS, Android)

The adorable, fun, and super nerdy figure-collecting money machine that is Disney Infinity returns with 3.0, and gets some help from a galaxy far, far away. Shut up and take my money!

Other Notes:

- Game to keep an eye on this month: Galak-Z: The Dimensional. It's a space shooter/Gundam-style (opa Gundam style!) game that shows a LOT of potential. Coming to PS4 August 4th.

- Goat Simulator arrives on PS3 and PS4 on August 11th.

- Toy Soldiers: War Chest is the next game in the Toy Soldiers franchise, which I do enjoy. This is the first to not be a Microsoft exclusive. The game comes out August 11th for PC and Xbox One, with the PS4 version out a day later. Side note, if you buy the Hall of Fame edition, you can control licensed armies based on G.I. Joe, Assassin's Creed, and He-Man. You can also buy this DLC if you get the standard edition.

- Remember ZombiU? The Wii U launch game about zombies that was pretty bad ass? Well, it is now coming out as Zombi for PC, PS4, and Xbox One on August 18th.

- Shadowrun: Hong Kong, the next chapter in the Shadowrun series, comes out August 25th. Besides the single-player campaign, the game will also include a level editor so players can create and share via Steam Workshop.
======================================================================

That's pretty much the month of August. As always, things may (and will) change. Next month, the heavy hitters start hitting you right where it counts: your wallet. Enjoy!

This is My Life, Part 2

In celebration of the Jeff of All Games turning 30 (yikes) on August 1st, I will dedicate a post per day in lead up to the fateful day, to a few things that influenced me in my 30 years on this planet, from the nostalgic to the tragic. 

Part 2 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Oh man, where to even begin. This was everything to me as a child.

The Turtles began as a dark and gritty comic back in 1984, a whole year before the world was blessed with my presence. Since I wasn't a comic book reader until around my double digit years, my first exposure to The Green Machine wasn't until the late 80's/early 90's with the cartoon. Whenever it was on, I stopped whatever I was doing, because I fell in love with this show immediately.

Four teenage brothers, each with their own likeable personalities, mutated by special ooze, trained by a rat in the way of the martial arts, who kick ass and crack wise, this show was made for me!

When I talk about Ninja Turtles, anyone from my generation immediately thinks of the cartoon that ran from 1987 - 1996, which only kept the brand's train rolling. Pretty soon, my entire life was surrounded by Turtles. I needed it all, toys, games, costumes, plastic weapons, bedsheets, VHS tapes (remember those?) figures, everything that had a Ninja Turtles name to it, I had to have it.

The show was fantastic. There was something to like about every Turtle, whether it was Leonardo's loyalty, Mikey's "big kid" attitude, Raphael's one-liners, or Donatello's nerd tendencies, you just wanted to hang out with these guys all the time. I wanted to be an honorary Turtle more than anything. In fact, there was an episode where a kid got to become an honorary Turtle, and I was actually jealous of that kid..."It's a cartoon, moron" I'm telling younger me.

The voice acting in the cartoon was superb from top to bottom. Besides the Turtles themselves, the stand-out to me was Shredder, voiced by the late James Avery (Uncle Phil from Fresh Prince of Bel Air). The acting was the right mix of smart and lighthearted and I loved every second of it.

Of course, the success of the Turtles on the small screen helped propel it to the big screen. Of the 5 movies that currently have been made, I personally enjoy 4 of them. We won't talk about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, because ugh....gah....bleh...barf...you get the idea.

Which always leads me to one of the coolest things the Turtles ever did, the Coming Out of Their Shells Tour. Oh man!

In 1990, the Turtles decided to take their talents to the stage and formed a band. Touring the country and putting out a cassette (remember THOSE?) and VHS tape, which is probably still in my parent's basement. If this sounds super cheesy, don't worry, it was, but oh man I ate this up and loved it!

This is the equivalent of taking your kids to see The Wiggles now, I suppose, but I have pure, nostalgic love for this, and I do recognize that, yes, this was terrible, but I still love it!

The world domination also bled into the realm of electronic entertainment with MULTIPLE video games, with mixed results. The original Turtles game for NES is a game I played a lot of, but it was a really bad game. The follow up: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game, still stands as one of my favorite games of all time!

The Ninja Turtles are still a big deal to this day. The cartoon has gone through a few changes and reboots over the years, with a new cartoon being made now that includes...dinosaurs...sure? Of course, there was the recent Megan Fox/Will Arnett movie with a sequal planned for next year bringing in Arrow's Stephen Amell to play Casey Jones, and WWE's Shaemus playing Rocksteady. Just talking about that is getting my stoked for that movie. Personally, I thought the recent movie was fine, inoffensive, and made me look forward to the sequel.

Alright, let's wrap this up because, honestly, I could talk about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles all day. This brand, and these characters, have been such a huge part of my life, even up to today, whenever I talk about them, or hear the theme song, or see anything with their name on it, I turn into a 5-year-old boy again. I watched the trailers for the recent movie over and over again and got goosebumps. Turtle Power, bitches!

Oh, and also...#TeamDonatello

This is My Life, Part 1

In celebration of the Jeff of All Games turning 30 (yikes) on August 1st, I will dedicate a post per day in lead up to the fateful day, to a few things that influenced me in my 30 years on this planet, from the nostalgic to the tragic.

Part 1 - Carmen Sandiego

In 1991, I would have been 6 years old, in 1st grade at Granger Elementary (now called South Union Elementary) with a young and eager mind excited to learn new things. By this time, I had already taken a liking to detectives, crime-solving, and was a fan of Dick Tracy. So when I saw this new game show that combined learning with crime-solving while presenting it in a fun and exciting way, I knew it was something special.

Just looking at that logo is causing the nostalgic vibes to rush back to me.

You know how nowadays, when we watch a show like Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy!, we yell the answers at the screen, showing everyone in the room how much better we are than them? That was me for Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?. Especially if they were dealing with North America, cause I knew I had that shit ON LOCK!

The show was hosted by Greg Lee, who I first saw on Double Dare and later heard via his voice work on Doug. He now works in Nashville, TN in a variety show called Tokens. I may have to go check them out and try to get a picture. Hmm.

"The Chief" was played by Lynne Thigpen, who was a well decorated stage and screen actress. This would be my first observation of her talents, later on, I watched the movie version of Godspell that she was in religiously (pun intended FOR SURE) in preparation for our high school's production of it, and she is also the voice of the Radio DJ in The Warriors which would become one of my favorite movies ever. Sadly, Ms. Thigpen is no longer with us after passing away in 2003, just months after the release of her final film, Anger Management, appearing alongside Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson.

 The big star for me, however, was Rockapella. The house band/comedy troupe who found there way in more and more parts of the show, always brought a smile to my face and began my interest in a cappella music. Also, no matter how old I get, even after I show signs of Alzheimer's, I will always remember every single word to the theme song.

You're welcome for getting that stuck in your head.

The voice acting was superb as well. Since every criminal had to make a phone call to Carmen, giving the Gumshoes a clue. I always loved Double Trouble since they talked like Jack Nicholson. Every character was unique and added a lot to the show.

I always wanted to be a Gumshoe. Usually the age of the contestants was around 10 - 14 years old. Unfortunately for me, when I became 10 in 1995, the show was in its final season and I missed my chance. Of course, I thought I could just send a letter and be on the show. We did have a contest in 4th grade to potentially win a spot on the show. We had to solve a few geography questions and hope we got them all right and selected to be on the show. I was so proud that I was the first in my class to get it done and was VERY confident I had all the right answers, but I was never selected. It's ok...I'm not repressing any anger or disappointment or anything...

Of course, Carmen Sandiego began as a video game. There are around 20 or so iterations that cover the PC and older consoles. Young Jeff never got into those games, though. They involved reading and patience, two things that Young Jeff didn't have yet. The Jeff of NOW enjoys those games a lot.

By the time Where in the World became Where in Time, I had moved on to other things and it did not hook me the way the original show did. There was also a cartoon called Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego that I watched occasionally, but again, that original show grabbed me and never let go and I will always cherish those years. I will also thank the good Lord for YouTube, which still has full episodes. Enjoy one!

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? was absolutely one of my favorite shows and really helped me and my growing mind. I will always be thankful to have experienced this in my youth and will always jam out to that theme song. You should also search YouTube for more of Rockapella's stuff. The lineup may have changed over the years, but they are still fantastic musicians.

What I Think Of...Rocket League

Ah, The Beautiful Game. Soccer is the world's sport, millions of fans are glued to their TV's and stadiums around the world are captivated by two teams of eleven men or women as they run around a field ("Pitch" if you will), in an attempt to kick a small ball into a big net (or not, with all those exciting 0 - 0 games), flopping, whining and crying all the way.

I make fun, of course, but Soccer is the biggest sport on the planet, and while it may not be the biggest sport in America, it's a downright way of life in other countries. I myself am a fan of Soccer and its many video game iterations. I buy FIFA every year and have a fondness for Mario Strikers Charged for the Wii, and so on. The question at hand, however, is how can you make the game of Soccer more exciting?

Horsepower!

Enter Rocket League. Where the rubber meets the grass. Where the athleticism and finesse of Soccer gets smashed together with the carnage of a destruction derby. Sounds fun, right? Well, here is what I think of Rocket League.

It's a simple, yet unique concept: instead of people playing Soccer, let's have cars do it. You can have a 1 vs 1, 2 vs 2, 3 vs 3, or 4 vs 4 style matches. Personally, I feel 3 vs 3 is the right fit for a competitive team match, but I do love the chaos of a 4 vs 4 match. You also have the option of a single player season, or taking your skills online for ranked and unranked matches against people from all over the world, and also cross-platform between PC and PS4.

The most important thing about this game, though, is how much fun it is when the action gets going. The ball is placed at the center of the pitch, a countdown commences, and both teams turbo boost to the center to begin play/crash into each other. The ball is scaled accordingly, which is to say it's much bigger, and it can take some crazy bounces depending on how it hits the cars, side walls, etc.

The cars themselves are very agile and fun to maneuver. It's very easy to pull a slick 180 or boost into a somersault or a bicycle kick. You can also drive on walls or, if you decide you want to play defense, throw some sick car checks or even boost into an opponent, blowing them up and taking them out of the match for a couple seconds. Also, it's not called ROCKET League for nothing, since you can blast up in the air and kick on the rockets to begin an aerial assault.

While the game of Soccer has a lot to do with skill, Rocket League is a little skill, but mostly luck. Whether it's a lucky bounce off the wall, or you being luckily in the right place at the right time to slam home a goal, the action stays fast and chaotic and tons of fun.

The length of the match helps this frantic feeling along, as it is one 5 minute period as opposed to two halves, so it's GO GO GO and then on to the next one, which works for a game like this and reminds me of the fast pace of Splatoon. This also helps make the highlight moments stand out, cause every goal, every save, every block, every shot on goal, matters.

It also factors into your personal points and XP. As you make big plays you are awarded XP to level up and unlock new car features, such as decals, antennae accessories, hats, and even new body styles. Obviously you get the most points for scoring a goal, but things like assists, bicycle kicks, saves, centering the ball, and so on, get you points, so you always get something for participating, which is always nice.

The rewards for that are nice too. Right now I have a beefy SUV body style with a wizard hat on, a dollar sign antennae, sick stripes, and lowrider wheels, cause that's how I roll when I be scoring Golazos! Also there is a fez, because fezzes are cool.

There are a few stadiums in the game, but just like the customization options, it's all just cosmetic. No insane obstacles or traps to worry about, and that's really for the best. Though I do hope (and look forward to) more options for stadiums and accessories now that the game is out and getting attention.

While the single player mode can be useful for practice, and a nice diversion, the real meat of the game, and the main draw, is the online multiplayer. When the game was first released, there were some major server issues, but thanks to some hard work, patches and fixes, I have had no problem finding a game fast! What's also nice is that the game will search for a match while you are playing the single player, so you can queue up an online match and go do something else, which is handy.

While voice chat is certainly an option, there is also a quick chat option, where hitting a direction on the d-pad or a hotkey will bring up some pre-made chats. Also, the PC version does have controller support and I highly recommend it.

Rocket League is turning out to be one of my most addicting games of 2015. It's a 5-minute fury of chaos and finesse that gets your blood pumping and gives you super satisfaction when you somersault and slam home a goal, or make that last second save that gives your team a win. While it may be short on content right now, there is a great shell here that updates will hopefully fill with new accessories, new stadiums, and more, and the player base on this game is in full force. Sure, you can describe this game as "Car Soccer", but when you actually play it, it is much more than that, and an exhilarating rush of a good time.

Rocket League is available on Steam ($19.99 as of this writing) and PS4 (Free for PS Plus members in the month of July).

What's Coming Up in July, 2015?

It's the beginning of Q3 in the video game world which means....not much. The month after E3 is usually a ghost town as far as big releases go, and this year is no exception. Let's look at July, 2015.

July 14th:

God of War III Remastered - (PS4)

The angriest man in video games is back! Celebrating the franchise's 10th anniversary, this remaster will be 1080p and be 60 frames per second. I've gone on record and said I am getting tired of this generation's fascination with "Remasters", "Remakes", "Definitive Editions", and so on, but, sure, I'll play through this game again.

Rory McIlroy PGA Tour - (PS4, Xbox One)

EA's golf franchise returns, this time sans Tiger. This also marks the first use of the Frostbite engine in the series, using the Frostbite 3 engine. There will be 8 real world courses in the game, as well as fantasy courses (one even inspired by Battlefield), and will include a presentation overhaul thanks to The Golf Channel.

Other Notes:

- Windows 10 will be released on July 29th, and is a free upgrade for Windows 7/8 users within the first year. Already have my copy reserved and will be ready to download the second it is available.

=============================================================

That's pretty much it. Kind of scarce, eh? This is good though, take some time to play games you maybe hadn't had the chance to get to, or save some money since August and September is going to start rolling out some hits. In the meantime, I will be updating my YouTube channel with more entries into my Let's Play series and will get back to live streaming via Twitch soon.