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Armstrong's Musings: Game Zone

Armstrong's Musings

Welcome to Armstrong's Musings: Game Zone! This podcast is the place for people who love games and geek content. We do a weekly commentary of what is happening in the news for the gaming industry and things that interest the team which ranges from movies, anime, and comics. We aim to inform and entertain! On top of the weekly commentary, we interview gaming developers and influencers. Our interest is to know more about them, their journey, and the project they are currently working on. We want to know about their position, where they are aspiring to take their career, and how others can emulate the success they have achieved. We hope you listen in and enjoy the show. Stay Strong!

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AM:GZ News #17: Is Stadia Dead on Arrival?

Armstrong's Musings: Game Zone

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12/03/19 • 129 min

Google Stadia is has been going through multiple PR missteps. Now it appears to have had its worst backlash yet. At launch, there will be numerous features missing from the service. What are those services not available at release? Let's tune in to find out.

Geek News The Mandalorian is Epic

Star Wars has been sub-par in recent years. However, this may be turning with properties such as the Mandalorian. It comes out the gate swing with intriguing characters, a great storyline, and a series that feels like Star Wars. We couldn't ask better people to be in charge of this series then Dave Giloni and Jon Favreau. We can only hope that they continue with the franchise.

Disney Plus

Disney Plus is out, and it appears to be a sold service. There are many good movies and series on the platform with more to come. Disney Plus had some stumbles and hickups right out the gate, and there could be some improvements made; however, it is at least worth the time to try the free trial.

Sonic Trailer

The monstrosity of the first Sonic trailer left the internet in an uproar. The studio went back to the drawing board and recently released a new trailer with a more faithful depiction of Sonic. It has been well received, and people on the internet have celebrated the studio listening and taking the request of the fans. However, the studio did increase the production cost of the movie due to the time taken to redo Sonic. It is up to people now to put their money where the mouth is. The studio should be rewarded for listening to the fans.

Video Game News Pokemon Reuses Assets

Pokemon has been going through a lot of controversies. Specifically, their most controversial decision was to change how they handle the National Pokedex. The most recent controversy was that they reused assets for Pokemon Sword and Shield. This discovery would go against Games Freak's statement that it would be a new Pokemon game from the ground up. Will this alienate fans, or is this a minor bump for the video game studio? We'll have to see how it develops.

Anthem Getting an Overhaul

Anthem appears as if the game has been left and forgotten. It has been a commercial and critical failure for EA and Bioware. However, the publisher and studio aren't finished with the franchise yet. The game is going to be put through another round of development to fix key game loop issues and create a more cohesive story. We love flying like Ironman; however, the game needs to be more then a couple of interesting mechanics.

Mass Effect 5 in Development

As reported by Kotaku, Bioware is in the early development of Mass Effect 5. This announcement is exciting and never racking. Mass Effect Andromeda had a compelling premise for the game but failed to execute on launch; moreover, it had ample technical issues, the graphics were seemed at times worse than Mass Effect 3, and the story never was able to grab my attention. Let us hope the Bioware can salvage their reputation with the new titles coming out.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Scores

In short, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is a good video game. It won't redefine the genre, but it does put the Star Wars games under EA on the right path. Here were some of the Jedi: Fallen Order scores:

IGN: 90

GameSpot: 80

Easy Allies: 90

Game Rant: 90

We enjoyed playing as Cal Kestis and would enjoy seeing Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order become a running franchise.

Showstopper Google Stadia Dead on Arrival?

Stadia has been attempting to roll out a revolutionary service; despite Stadia's lofty goal, they haven't done themselves any PR favors. Moreover, their PR blunders could leave them dead on arrival. The service won't have key features that were promised on release. A few of these features are Stream Connect, State Share, Crowd Play, Buddy Pass, and Family Sharing. Also, the services will only have Google Pixel phones and ChromeOS tablet support, and the Stadia controller can only connect to the Chromecast wirelessly. You'll have to wire in the controller to your phone, tablet, or computer to utilize the Stadia service. On top of it all, the service's highest date usage, which is their 4k visuals with 5.1 surround sound, comes in at a terrible 15.78 GB/hr. This usage will be unacceptable to most people. Let us know what will happen to Google Stadia in the comm...

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12/03/19 • 129 min

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11/15/19 • 118 min

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Blizzard had a vast PR mountain to overcome this year's Blizzcon. They would have to walk the fine line of wooing people over with new titles, but not aggravate their audience with bad corporate decisions. Did they succeed in doing this? Let's get into the stories!

Geek News Joker the Most Profitable Comic Book Movie

We believed that Joker would be successful and profitable, but I don't think we could have called how profitable the movie would become. As of the recording, the has grossed 957 million at the box office. This achievement is incredible because the film had a 62.5 million production cost. This success almost guarantees there will be a sequel to the Joker movie. Do you want a sequel? Let us know!

Disney Plus has the Star Wars Collection Available

I have been itching to rewatch and finish Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series. Disney Plus will have that series and many other movies and tv series on their streaming platform. The streaming services coming in at a reasonable price and very well be worth the look. Plus, the Mandalorian had a well-received reception.

Child Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and YouTube

COPPA appears to be a game-changer for YouTube in a very negative way. We believe that the mass majority of people don't want big companies collecting kids' information. However, there is a difference between collection information and displaying ads. The network channels have never had an issue with displaying advertisements. If you ever watch a channel like Nickelodeon, then you will see ads for Legos, Paw Patrol, and a mix of different toys for kids. In spite of that precedent, it seems that YouTube will be cutting ads to content for kids by a significant amount. These actions make the kid-specific channels unlucrative overnight. Plus, if your content is deemed "Kid Friendly," then you could be heavily fined. What defines the content as "Kid Friendly"? No one knows. We'll have to see how the platform and the content creators handle these changes.

YouTube Channel Stealers

There is a scam happening on YouTube that is happening right now. The scammers send a message about being an affiliate marketing opportunity; however, they need the YouTuber to download a specific piece of software first. Once the YouTuber does this, then it gives the scammer the ability to steal the channel. It even bypasses double-verification checks. It still has not been uncovered how they can accomplish this. Despite these atrocious acts, YouTube has been silent and unhelpful in this matter. Once again, YouTube is benefiting from content creators, but not assisting them in their struggles.

Video Game News I Tried Xbox Game Pass for a Dollar

I gave the Xbox Game Pass a try on the computer to see if the service was worth it. I have seen the service on the Xbox console, and it fantastic; however, the PC version needs to be worked out. The games did not seem optimized for the PC. There were multiple stutters and dropped frame rates. The service has promise, and we look forward to seeing it improved.

Jarvis Khattri Permanently Banned from Fortnite

Fortnite continues to be a pillar game in the gaming industry. The game has millions of players and thousands of content creators that are specialized in this game. Some players rise to the top, such as Ninja, LazerBeam, and Lachlan. However, Jarvis Khattri, a prominent Fortnite content creator, made the cardinal sin. He enabled aimbots and produced content for his viewers. His action became a massive mistake because Epic immediately acted and put a lifetime ban on him. This action cut Jarvis off from future tournaments and future Fortnite content creation.

Showstopper Did Blizzard Have a Successful BlizzCon?

Blizzard had a lot of hurdles to overcome. Did they do this? Yes and no. They did an excellent job of not escalating the PR troubles. Blizzard allowed people to ask the questions they wanted to ask and didn't censor people's dress attire. However, the game release information was mostly subpar. The Overwatch 2 information has us excited, and the trailers for Wow: Shadowlands and Diablo 4 had the excellent Blizzard quality. However, Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 are still ways away when Blizzard needs a win much sooner. Ultimately, this Blizzcon was in the middle of the road and unmemorable.

Thank You For Listening!

If you have an idea for an episode or a person of note in the video game industry, i.e., a developer, influencer, illustrator, etc. then let us know! Email us at:

[email protected]

If you love the content and want to support us, then join us on Patreon! We love to have you part...

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11/15/19 • 118 min

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11/09/19 • 112 min

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David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are controversial figures after the lackluster conclusion of Game of Thrones. They rushed the ending to get to their next project, Star Wars. However, it seems that them directing the future trilogy of Star Wars movies won't come to pass. They moved away from Disney to go to Netflix for 300 million dollars! Let's jump into the news.

Geek News Kotaku Falling Apart

Kotaku has been going through rough times as the digital landscape changes. However, it appears that the company is going to battle with the parent company, G/O Media. G/O Media decided to implement irritating autoplay ads on their websites, which neither the editors or readers wanted. Then the writers wanted autonomy to write what they wanted, but G/O Media told the writers to stick to their assigned topics. The directive didn't go over well. What will the future look like for the webpage? Only time will tell.

The Games of Thrones Prequels Series is Canceled

Game of Thrones as a franchise has been on shaky ground ever since the conclusion of Season 8. People are disgruntled and dissatisfied with how the series ended. Issues continue with the franchise as one of the prequels series is canceled. The series would have been named Bloodmoon, and it would have been set thousands of years before the mainline story. As of right now, the prequel series about the Targaryens is still going to happen. However, all future series seems to be in question.

Video Game News Several Lead Developers Have Left Blizzard

People leave jobs and move on to different projects. That is a natural part of people's work life. However, when massive waves of people leave the company, then it may indicate things are not great in the company. The lead designer of Starcraft 2 and director of Heroes of the Dustin Browder departed Blizzard. Hearthstone had its production director Jason Chayes and director Eric Dodds leave the company as well. These departures were quite and unannounced, which is unusual for such accomplished individuals.

EA Coming to Steam

It has been a long time since EA games have been on Steam. Specifically, EA hasn't released its new games since 2013. They have released those games on their launcher, Origin. Now they are returning to Steam and will release Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Surprisingly, EA Access services will eventually come to Steam.

PlayStation 4 Overtook Wii and Playstation Sales

The PlayStation 4 will again hit another mile marker. The console has surpassed the Wii and PlayStation lifetime sales. The Wii sold 101.63 million, and PlayStation sold 102.49 million. However, the PlayStation 4 surpassed both by hitting 102.8 million lifetime sales. A spectacular accomplishment by the company. Sony has dominated this console cycle with Xbox One selling only 46.9 million.

The Outer Worlds Speed Runner Beats the Game in Less Than 25 Minutes

Have you bee playing Outer Worlds? We have, and it has been a fun time. In general, people have been clocking in around 40 hours when they finish the main storyline. However, there is a niche for gamers to find out the way to beat the game in the quickest fashion possible. Outer Worlds now has its first speedrun time set by YouTuber Jabo at 25 minutes. It would be fantastic to see this game in future speedrun competitions.

Wild Speculation on Next Nintendo Direct

We found wild rumors and speculation about the next Nintendo Direct. Some of the rumors sounded plausible, while others sounded extremely far-fetched. What do you want from the next Nintendo Direct, and what do you think they'll announce.

Showstopper David Benioff and D.B. Weiss Have Left Their Star Wars Trilogy for Netflix

D&D rushed the final season of Game of Thrones so they could work on Disney's new Star Wars movies. Their actions angered the Game of Thrones fandom because the series being poorly concluded. Now, they have decided to move away from Star Wars, one of the largest franchises in entertainment, to go to Netflix. There are rumors that D&D will be working with a budget in the nine-figure range. Do you think that they made the right move, or have they burned too many bridges?

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11/09/19 • 112 min

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AM:GZ Interview #1: Marco Vale

Armstrong's Musings: Game Zone

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11/05/19 • 69 min

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We had the pleasure of conversing with Marco Vale! As a talented artist, he had a great deal of insight into the life and, for Marco Vale, an unconventional career track of a Video Game Artist.

"I have been working in the games industry as an amateur since 1998. In 2003 I started as a professional. My projects range from all forms of game art, from 3d low-poly to 2d pixel art, vector, or even animation. I've also taught illustration, 3d modeling, Flash animation, and Photoshop at a professional school. I am currently working in mobile gaming." - Marco Vale

If you want to learn from a talented artist, then I would highly recommend trying his course on Udemy: https://www.udemy.com/course/pixel-art-for-video-games/.

You can find him on his website and his social media platforms:

Website

Twitter

LinkedIn

YouTube

Thank You For Listening!

If you have an idea for an episode or a person of note in the video game industry, i.e., a developer, influencer, illustrator, etc. then let us know! Email us at:

[email protected]

If you love the content and want to support us, then join us on Patreon! We love to have you part of the Inner Circle!

Connect with us on social media:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Visit us on our website: https://armstrongsmusings.com

We appreciate you listening and hope to hear from you. Stay Strong!

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11/05/19 • 69 min

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11/01/19 • 127 min

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It is spectacular how Bethesda's Fallout 76 gives AM: Game Zone new topics all the time. The latest scandal Bethesda has created is Fallout 76's subscription model they have implemented. The subscription won't cost $5 or $10 but a whole $100 to get the subscription benefits. The worst part of all, all the subscription mechanics are broken! Let's find out what happened this week!

Geek News Joker is the Top Box Office R Rated Movie

Our team at AM: Game Zone loved the Joker, and it appears that people are coming in droves to see the Joker. The supervillain film is projected to surpass the $800 million mark. Joker is now amongst the best box office R rated movies such as Deadpool, Matrix Reloaded, and The Passion of the Christ. It appears that great work is strongly desired and appreciated, regardless of the rating.

Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker Ticket Sales reach 2nd Best All-Time Sales ... but Only on Atom

Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker hits record on Atom by being the second-best first-day sales. The first-best first-day sales being Avengers: Endgame.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will be the Longest Star Wars Movie

It has been revealed through AMC Theaters that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will have a runtime of 155 minutes. This runtime puts the film as the longest at Star Wars movie in the franchise. The shortest of the movies in the franchise is Star Wars: A New Hope, which clocked in at 121 minutes, and the second-longest is Star Wars: The Last Jedi at 152 minutes. Will the long runtime help tie up loose ends and help salvage the mess left by Episode 8? Let us know what you think!

Video Game News Expansion for World of Warcraft Leaked Ahead of BlizzCon

There is a rumor that Shadowlands will be the next expansion for World of Warcraft. The speculation started when an ad for a t-shirt and a fine art print had WOW Shadowlands on it. Blizzard desperately needs to show gamers new expansions and new games to regain the reputation that has been damaged over time. Our team is watching intently on what will be announced.

Call of Duty Mobile Spins are Rigged!

The mechanics for microtransactions and loot boxes utilized by developers and publishers have proven to be nefarious and egregious. Activision has proven to be one of the leaders in the awful practices. Their newest monetization scheme is on their mobile app of Call of Duty. They had seasonal offerings of skins and items that you had to spin for to acquire. The company tried to make it seem that you could randomly get the premier skins, which are the Outrider-Skeleton and the AK-47. However, the system is rigged for your failure! An excellent and thorough look into this can be found at PickRickle.

Switch players will have to wait for Outer Worlds

Though understandable, it is still disappointing that the Switch version will not be released till next year. Though Outer Worlds is a massive RPG, Bethesda has shown they have been able to put their games on the Switch. Bethesda's ability to put their games on the Switch gives me full faith that Obsidian will be able to accomplish the same thing. Obsidian has been outclassing Bethesda as of late, and we hope they will do so on the Switch as well.

Showstopper Bethesda's Implements a $100 Subscription in their Broken Game

The game started broken and continues to be a buggy and awful mess. What is the logical thing to do then? If you said to fix the game, then you are wrong! If your Bethesda, then the answer is to charge $100 a year for more broken mechanics! The glitches include with the subscription include the scrap box glitch that deleted items when players switched from private servers to public servers. The private servers aren't private. People on the subscriber's friends list can come on the private server even if those friends aren't subscribers. Then on the private servers also don't seem to "newly created." There are a few anecdotal stories of dead NPCs in the private server and already looted areas.

Fans are outraged at this attempt to monetize Fallout 76 so aggressively — one fan took the initiative to display their displeasure. They were able to get the URL named falloutfirst.com. It is a parody of Bethesda's Fallout 1st website. The parody is vulgar and does not hold back any punches saying this like, "WHAT'S INCLUDED BEHIND THE FALLOUT FUCK YOU 1ST PAYWALL?" and "THIS STUPID ASS MEMBERSHIP." The community is upset about how Bethesda continually tries to manage...

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11/01/19 • 127 min

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10/26/19 • 47 min

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After the turbulent news cycle, we ease into a week with more consistent ups and downs. This week consisted of highs with Pokemon, Capcom, Star Wars, and Minecraft and lows with Stadia and Blizzard. Let us jump into the news!

Video Games News Pokemon Center in London has Strong Opening

Pokemon continues to be a powerhouse franchise throughout the world. The appeal for Pokemon is popular from young audiences to adults. The love for Pokemon was present in London this week. On 18 OCT 19, a Pokemon Center opened in London. The Pokemon fandom came out in droves to see the Pokemon Center. Though the store opened at 10 AM, there were those that arrived as early as 4 AM. There are not too many brands, especially in this digital age, that can attract people to wait hours in line to enter the store. The store closing hour was 10 PM, and they had to end the line at 1 PM when they determined it had a 9-hour queue.

Blizzard Cancels Event at Nintendo's New York Store

We dedicated our last Showstopper on Episode 12 about how Blizzard's ineptitude led to mass outrage. That outrage continues to haunt them as they cancel the Overwatch Launch event that was to take place at the Nintendo New York store. The event was scheduled to take place on 16 OCT 19, but Blizzard, on short notice, canceled the event on 14 OCT 19. This cancellation surprised us because of how long these events take to plan. Blizzard even had scheduled to have the voice actors in the Nintendo New York store. This action means, to us, at least, they feared the outrage from their current choices more than the wasted planning and effort. Did the Blizzard make the right choice, or should they have made a different choice?

Capcom Bring Back Past Franchises

Capcom has seen significant success in titles such as Monster Hunter World and Resident Evil 2. Monster Hunter World has sold 58 million copies, and Resident Evil 2 has sold 4 million copies. With these recent achievements, they are looking to revive a few of their titles. Which titles would you want to see be brought back?

Stadia has No Wireless Function Without Chromecast

We have been open about our skepticism and reluctance when it comes to Google Stadia. From the price of games, the data caps, and latency, there is a decent amount of questions that will need to be answered when the service is officially launched. The next that gives us pause is that as of right now, the Stadia controller will not have wireless capability to connect with other devices. A Chromecast device will need to be plugged into a television or computer to utilize the controller. To use the controller with a cellphone, the controller will need to be physically connected via a wire. This lack of a simple feature seems to be an oversight for the fledgling product. It is not the end of the world, but it seems to be one more hurdle for Google Stadia.

Blizzard States They Are Not Banning pro-Hong Kong Messages on Twitch

There has been a loud outcry about the suspension of "blitzchung." Many people have rallied around "blitzchung" and in solidarity, have repeated his liberate Hong Kong statement. People have even brought similar pro-Hong Kong messages on the official Blizzard Twitch channel. It has been reported that there have been multiple bans due to these posts. However, Blizzard states that it has nothing to do about the pro-Hong Kong posts. The posts are being banned due to them being spammed in the chat. Though it is understandable, it is another PR debacle that Blizzard seems to find themselves in again.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Reveals More Details

Electronic Art's Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order continues to intrigue us here at AM: Game Zone. We discussed the game on Episode 2 and how the trailer didn't win us over yet. However, the developers continue to release information about the game that increases our interest in the game. IGN released a 28 new gameplay features in Jedi: Fallen Order. Features such as accessing any of the planets in any order, diverting blaster fire from Stormtroopers is necessary for large crowds, and Obi-Wan Kenobi will appear in hologram form. These features and the new gameplay trailer brings a fresh appeal for the game. Also, the game will have three different difficulties in the game so you can create the experience you want.

Showstopper Minecraft Earth has Launched in Early Access

Minecraft is a substantial cultural phenomenon that has let gamers vast and expansive worlds. With 176 million sold copies, Minecraft is a corn...

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10/26/19 • 47 min

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10/14/19 • 84 min

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In general, we enjoy our games because it allows us to escape from daily issues. We do our best to keep those issues out of our video games, especially politics. However, that is not always ascertainable. There are times when politics and video games intersect in ways we don't expect and can not ignore. The most recent example of this is the Hong Kong Hearthstone player vs. Blizzard.

Geek News Batwoman - Lowest Debuted Rated CW Show

The marketing for Batwoman has been terrible from the get-go. It came off as manhating and came off as subpar to the other CW shows. Whether it is merely poor marketing or the show quality is lacking, Batwoman has officially made history as the CW's worst Debuted series. Flash, CW's highest debut viewership, launched with 6.83 million viewers and Supergirl, CW's lowest debut viewership before Batwoman, began with 3.06 million viewers. Batwoman claims the title at 1.8 million viewers. Will Batwoman numbers improve over time, or will the CW drow the show?

Video Game News Reportedly Google Stadia Will Be Fater Than Consoles

We have serious doubts here at AM: Game Zone about the technical challenges and date caps the Google Stadia will have to address. However, the marketing and engineering teams continue to confidentially boast that Stadia will be able to tackle these issues. The Stadia team recently talked about how they are going to handle the potential latency issues. Their solution, Negative Latency.

The concept is that cloud computing will be able to predict the player's potential moves and send the correct sequence to the player. What if you, the player, had a different move set in my mind? Well, to our knowledge, the servers will generate multiple different scenarios and send the one the player chooses. The technology sounds like an impressive feat; the Stadia team state that they are still a couple of years from having this perfected. Will Stadia be able to stand on its own till Negative Latency is perfected?

The Google Stadia Annonces Current Game List

The Google Stadia list of games is limited to mostly big AAA games. However, the list is an excellent collection of games. The following is a shortlist of games: Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Baldur's Gate 3, Borderlands 3, Cyberpunk 2077, Destroy All Humans, Doom Eternal, Orcs Must Die 3, Watch Dogs Legion, and Tom Clancy's: The Division 2. If you want to see a complete list, then go to Google Store.

Nintendo Switch Discounts on First-Party Games

If you've wanted to pick up a first-party Nintendo game, then this might be a perfect time. A few of the games have a fifteen dollar discount applied to them. We'll leave affiliate links for your convenience and a way for you to support the show at no cost to yourself.

Amazon:

The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening

Super Smash Bros.

Mario Kart 8

Super Mario Maker 2

Yoshi's Crafted World

Nintendo Switch Reaches 10 Million Sales in Europe

Nintendo has done an incredible job in moving Switch units throughout the world. The most recent mile marker Nintendo hit was in Europe. Nintendo has sold 10 million units. They were able to move 30% more units in 2019 compared to 2018 and 40% more compared to 2017.

Showstopper Hearthstone Grandmaster Suspended By Blizzard

Hearthstone Grandmaster player "blitzchung" made significant waves while streaming on the official Taiwanese Hearthstone stream. After winning the match, "blitzchung" made a bold statement during the stream, "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times." Blizzard's action that not only felt harsh, but politically motivated. Their responses were in line with their policies. Blizzard utilizes the 2019 Heathstone Grandmasters Offical Competition Rules v1.4 pg.12, Section 6.1 which states the following:

"Engaging in any act that, in Blizzard's sole discretion, brings you into public disrepute, offends a portion or group of the public, or otherwise damages Blizzard image will result in removal from Grandmasters and reduction of the player's prize total to $0 USD, in addition to other remedies which may be provided for under the Handbook and Blizzard's Website Terms."

Blizzard is within their ...

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10/14/19 • 84 min

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AM:GZ News #11: Joker is a Masterpiece

Armstrong's Musings: Game Zone

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10/09/19 • 141 min

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The Joker film performed by Joaquin Phoenix is brilliant. We enjoyed this character film, and how it is a movie that makes the viewer question what happened in the movie hours later. Joker is the high for us this week, and companies such as Electronic Arts never disappoints in providing the lows points to cover. Let us talk about what happened this week!

Geek News Spiderman is Back in Disney's MCU

There were questions about if Sony would permanently keep Spiderman away from Disney after initial negotiations fell through. As of the airing of this episode, Disney and Sony have come to agreements, and Spiderman will continue to be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Though we have slight skepticism on how Phase 4 will perform, we are excited that Tom Holand will continue to be a favorite web-slinging character in the MCU.

Star Wars Trailer Reminds Us of the Better Films

As Jon and I sat in the theater to watch Joker, we watched the trailer for Episode 9 of the Star Wars Saga. What amused us the most is that the trailer highlights all the other good Star Wars movies. It seems that they were attempting to get the viewer nostalgic to encourage them to watch Episode 9. We can't speak for everybody, but the trailer did not have the intended effect on us. The trailer made us excited about watching all the old films again, and not bothering with Episode 9.

Video Game News Switch Lite

Nintendo has released the Switch Lite, and Jon and I have been able to test run the console. It feels great in our hands, and the picture quality is sharp. Although the text is small on the screen. It is official; the Switch Lite has put the Nintendo 3DS to rest. At the price point of $200, it seems like a great console for the family.

EA Switch FIFA Legacy Under Delivers

Electronic Arts is notorious about not supporting or underdelivering their games to Nintendo Consoles. It seems that the Switch does not match their goals for monetizing their audience. This lack of support is apparent with every game they put in a sub-par effort in releasing to the Switch. The current example of this is FIFA Legacy 20.

EA Data Breach of 1600 FIFA 20 Players

In this age, data breaches seem to be inevitable in these digital times. However, their destructive effects should not be understated. EA's data breach connected with FIFA 20 is a significant misstep for the corporation. Instead of players successfully signing up for the FIFA 20 competitive circuit, they instead were given other player's information. The corporation is under constant scrutiny due to their unscrupulous microtransaction practices in the games they publish. EA can not afford to be known as the company that also has data breaches.

Fallout Legacy Collection - Only for Germany and the United Kingdom

The German Amazon website leaked the future Fallout collection. The collection includes Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics, Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition, Fallout New Vegas: Ultimate Edition, and Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition. This excellent collection worth hours of play will be sold at €40, which is roughly $43. Disappointingly, this Fallout Legacy Collection will only be sold in Germany and the United Kingdom. We are not sure if this a test run that will eventually come to the States, or it will only stay in Europe. Only time will tell.

PlayStation Now is Reduced in Price

Streaming services are being positioned to be the primary way gamers engage with their games. Services such as Google Stadia are hoping to capitalize on this developing trend. However, Sony appears to be positioned their services to compete with Stadia. They have reduced the price of the service by $10, making it $10 per month. Sony has an excellent chance of undercutting Google Stadia due to the extensive catalog of games Sony has.

Showstopper

Joker is an exceptional film that people should go and see. However, if you haven't seen the movie and want to stay spoiler-free, then go from 1:45:10 to 2:19:48. It is a film that is begging to be rewatched. There were incredible insights into mental illness and how extreme social isolation effects people.

One of the things we couldn't believe is how people were trying to insinuate this movie would incite violence. People rage that the film shouldn't have been created because of being "insensitive." This film, to us, is the definition of art. If this type of art is not allowed to be created, then how can we explore these topics. What are your thoughts on the Joker film?

Thank You For Listening!

If you have an idea for an episode or a person of note in the video game industry, i.e., a developer, influencer, illustrator, etc. then let us know! Email us at:

[email protected]

Connect with us on social media:

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10/09/19 • 141 min

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10/02/19 • 99 min

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Who knew that the fantasy dangers in Fallout 76 would be brought to the real world! GameStop has recalled the Power Armor Collectible Helmet - Nuka Cola edition due to health hazards. This story and more are part of our news lineup. Let us get into what is happening in the geek and video game world.

Geek News Kevin Feige and Star Wars

Marvel's Kevin Feige is rumored to produce his own Star Wars project. It seems that he will be part of the new wave of projects to be set in the Disney Star Wars Universe. Feige has met with Kathleen Kennedy and studio co-chairman Alan Horn and Alan Bergman. Feige has also declared that he wants Bree Larson to star in the next Star Wars project where he is the producer.

Wakeen Phoenix's Joker Controversy

Wakeen Phoenix's Joker is just around the corner, and the internet never disappoints in drumming up controversies. Different groups are declaring that the movie will be a rallying cry for different groups to enact violence. Jon and I find the claims ridiculous. This movie is a piece of art and should be allowed to explore important topics. The topics of mental health and how we treat other people are topics that have profound relevance in our society. What pushes a man to the breaking point? What could we do for our neighbors to prevent what happens to Wakeen Phoenix's Joker? These and other questions we should be able to explore in films.

Ninja on Masked Singer

On Masked Singer, the ice cream mask is revealed as Ninja! He performed Old Town Road as he rode out on a lawn mover. An impressive performance from the career video game streamer! It amused us that he was introduced as a prominent Twitch streamer. Either this show's recording was before his transition to Mixer, or they improperly said where he currently hosts his channel. It is nothing major but enough to make us chuckle.

Video Game News Mario Kart Tour Microtransactions

Mario Kart Tour has released on mobile devices. It is a time for celebration! Or is it? The game is fun and entertaining, but the microtransactions are steep. The 200cc, the game's fastest mode, will cost the player five dollars a month subscription. The subscription also includes gold gifts by racing in tours and badges from challenges. Mario's name is in the game, so he is one of the main playable characters, right? Wrong! He is behind a paywall. There are two ways the player can acquire Mario. The mobile game has a 20 dollar Mario pack. The pack includes Mario, Mario's kart, and other specialty items. The other method to acquire Mario and other characters is through their premium currency. Their top rupees option at 135 rupees will cost the player 70 dollars. The player then pays with the rupees to utilize the "Warp Pipe" to fire off characters, karts, and other items. One fire cost five rupees, and ten fires cost forty-five rupees. Will this monetization model be able to compete with the other options on the market? Only time will tell.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

The next Call of Duty is just around the corner, and it appears that some familiar faces will be greeting us again. This Modern Warfare will be a soft reboot of the 2007 release. The 2019 CoD: Modern Warfare will bring back well-known characters and voices back in the game, but the story will be updated to reflect the times. Every CoD has a core focus on multiplayer, and it looks like the game is here to impress. The developers have put in a new "Realism" mode that removes the HUD. In the match, the player can breach doors for ambushes and utilize night vision goggles on nighttime maps. Two new modes will be coming to this title. A 2v2 mode called Gunfight and Groud Wars, which sets large teams against each other. The developers went out of their way to emphasize that Ground Wars isn't a battle royale and that they had no plans to implement such a mode into the game. As of right now, PlayStation has a year-long exclusive on the Special Ops: Survival Mode.

Google Play Pass

Apple Arcade made a splash in the mobile market by providing premium quality games for five dollars a month. To our surprise, Google is joining in this mobile model. Google is releasing Google Play Pass. The service will be 5 dollars a month, and it will include a wide selection of games. Part of the game collection includes Stardew Valley, Limbo, Old Man's journey, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. If you are interested in trying this service, then their free trial might be a great deal. They offer a 10 Day Free Trial. Then after the trial, the first year is charged at 2 dollars a month.

Hearthstone Pro Caught Playing Two Games At Once

Lihn "Seiko" Nguyen competed in the Grandmasters League match, but he decided to play this game a bit differently. Instead of giving the game his all and demonstrating is real prowess at the game, he tried to play Hearthstone a...

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10/02/19 • 99 min

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12/03/19 • 139 min

The game awards are here, and the year is almost most over! What are the categories this year, and is your game listed? Let's dive in and discuss.

Geek News Mandalorian is Still Awesome

We are a few episodes in the series, and we are excited were Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau continue to take the series. The relationship between the Mandalorian the child is a compelling story full a mystery and intrigue. We can't wait for the coming episodes.

Kathleen Kennedy Contract Ends in 2021

Kathleen Kennedy, the president at Lucasfilm, will have her contract end in 2021. Now, before some become excited, this does not mean that she won't resume her role at Lucasfilm. However, Disney has not come out public state the Kathleen Kennedy will continue her position, and Kathleen has been vague about what the future holds for her. We hope that people like Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau with maybe a little Kevin Feige threw in there will hopefully be the next leaders for Lucasfilm.

Video Game News PS5 Announced for 2020 Holiday

The PS5 has been announced, and the console race between PlayStation and Xbox has begone. The big question is, what games and services will the PS5 be able to offer over the Xbox. It is shaping up to be a fantastic struggle for the consumer.

Stadia Disaster

Google Stadia is here, and, to the surprise of none, the service is laggy, limited, and underwhelming. We have voiced heavy skepticism and cation when it comes to this service. Especially when there are better services such as xCloud around the corner. Even Amazon is looking to enter the video game streaming space. It will be a competitive market that will allow little room for error. It is our feeling that Stadia has made to many mistakes to correct the course promptly.

Showstopper The Game Awards 2019

The Game Awards are here, and we are excited to list the categories here in the show notes! These are the following categories for the 2019 Game Awards: Game of the Year, Action Game, Action/Adventure Game, Art Direction, Audio Design, Community Support, Content Creator of the Year, Esports Coach, Esports Event, Esports Game of the Year, Esports Host, Esports Player, Esports Team, Family Game, Fighting Game, Fresh Indie Game, Game Direction, Game for Impact, Independent Game, Mobile Game, Multiplayer Game, Narrative, Ongoing Game, Performance, Role-Playing Game, Score & Music, Sports/Racing Game, Strategy Game, and VR/AR Game.

If you are interested in voting, then go to the Game Awards website! Let us know in the comments the games you think will win, and what you hope will win.

Thank You For Listening!

If you have an idea for an episode or a person of note in the video game industry, i.e., a developer, influencer, illustrator, etc. then let us know! Email us at:

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We appreciate you listening and hope to hear from you. Stay Strong!

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12/03/19 • 139 min

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