Phil Spencer released some new information about the Xbox Series X and it sounds like it’s going to have some serious horsepower (can you convert teraflops to horsepower?)

Other Video Game News

• The New PlayStation Controller Might Drink Your Sweat 
• Visit Every Airport in the World In MS Flight Sim 
• Ghost Recon Breakpoint Misses Update Deadline and Folks Are Mad 
• Red Dead Hackers Are Getting Random Players Banned
• Rainbow Six Siege Devs Want the Game to Go F2P 
• Riot Could Be On the Hook for a LOT of Money 

What We’re Playing

Colby: Dead Cells, Eternal Sonata
Cliff: GTA 5, Children of Morta
Dylan: Sea of Thieves

Questions

Vinny: What was the first game you ever completed?

Megan: If you had to recommend someone play 5 games to really get a feel for you and your video game tastes, what five would you pick?

Mister Polite: Watching the animal crossing direct I was like “Tom Nook is the worst.” That made me think, Tom Nook isn’t supposed to be a villain but I don’t think there is anyone in the world that likes him. So the question I have for you all, “Who is your favorite villain that is supposed to be a lovable character”. Or is Tom Nook the only example

Turndwn4wut (Travis): If aliens invade the earth and you alone could save the planet by defeating them in a 1v1 game, which game would you choose?

Cheap/Free Games

Epic Game Store

• InnerSpace

Games with Gold

• Batman: The Enemy Within – The Complete Season ($14.99 ERP): Available March 1 to 31 on Xbox One
• Shantae: Half-Genie Hero ($19.99 ERP): Available March 16 to April 15 on Xbox One
• Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 ($39.99 ERP): Available March 1 to 15 on Xbox One & Xbox 360
• Sonic Generations ($19.99 ERP): Available March 16 to 31 on Xbox One & Xbox 360

PlayStation Plus

• Shadow of the Colossus
• Sonic Forces

Game Pass

• Ninja Gaiden 2 (Feb 20) Console
• Reigns: Game of Thrones (Feb 20) PC
• World of Horror (Feb 20) PC
• Kingdom Hearts (Feb 25) Xbox
• Wasteland (Feb 25) Xbox & PC
• Two Points Hospital (Feb 25) Xbox & PC
• Yakuza 0 (Feb 26) PC

Twitch Prime

• Furi
• Bomber Crew
• Epistory Typing Chronicles
• Whispers of a Machine
• Mugster

Troll Corner

Pro Gamer Trolls So Bad He Gets Banned from ALL EA Games

Every week the Byte Me Podcast dips into the games you should be playing! Featuring news and reviews for PC, console and mobile games, along with fun discussions about games from the classics to new releases. Perfect for casual gamers or for casual gamers that want to be a little more hardcore, join Byte Me and find your next favorite game!

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Sony is ditching PAX East a week before the convention starts citing safety concerns for their employees related to the Coronavirus. 

Other video game news:

• Animal Crossing Nintendo Direct Thursday, Feb 20th at 6 am PST
• Overwatch and Diablo Cartoons in the Works
• The Sonic Movie is doing… well!?
• Amazon’s New MMORPG: New World
• GTA 4 Heading Back to Steam, without Multiplayer

Questions

Vinny: What reimagining of a game do you want next generation?

JoeColeslaw: How have you been? What have you been up to? How’s the work from home life?

Turndwn4wut: What is the most evil thing you’ve done in a video game?

Princess Megan: If video games/tv/movies/music no longer existed, how would you spend your free time?

Mister Polite: What is your favorite Dad Joke or your newest favorite dad joke?

Cheap/Free Games

Epic Game Store Feb 20-27

• Faeria
• Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

Every week the Byte Me Podcast dips into the games you should be playing! Featuring news and reviews for PC, console and mobile games, along with fun discussions about games from the classics to new releases. Perfect for casual gamers or for casual gamers that want to be a little more hardcore, join Byte Me and find your next favorite game!

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Anthem and The Division 2 have a roadmap that both games hope will help them get back on track with their respective player bases, but it remains to be seen if either of them can actually pull it off.

Other game news:

• Stardew Valley Dev Has Two New Games in the Works
• Sony May Have Actually Convinced Me to Buy a PS5 
• Destiny 2 Might Have Lost All of Your Stuff 

What We’re Playing

Colby: American Fugitive, Journey to the Savage Planet

Cliff: My Time at Portia, Link’s Awakening, Life is Strange 2

Dylan: Divinity: Original Sin 2

Questions

Vinny: What’re your thoughts on review scales? IGN recently changed their 100 point scale to a 10 point scale. Is this a good/bad/indifferent thing for you, and what would you personally wish would be the standard for reviews? 

PS Question: What’re your tips for attending Cons of any sort? I’m going to Pax East in a couple of weeks and am trying to plan for it ahead of time. Thanks!

Josh: Often entertainment attempts to deliver a message to its consumers, games are no exception. What games stand out as delivering a powerful message (good or bad) to the consumer? What was the message and how did it resonate with you?

Kevin: How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck would? (New York state wildlife expert Richard Thomas found that a woodchuck could (and does) chuck around 35 cubic feet of dirt in the course of digging a burrow. Thomas reasoned that if a woodchuck could chuck wood, he would chuck an amount equivalent to the weight of the dirt, or 700 pounds.)

Mister Polite: With Parasite winning best picture, it made me think is there a game or movie that has overwhelmed or underwhelmed you lately?

Turndwn4wut: If you could, what video game would you make into real life?

McWhopper: What 80s action film would you like to be turned into a game? What kinda game would it be?

Princess Megan: Which video game character would you pick for your valentine?

JoeColeslaw: With games coming around to seasonal battle passes. . . If a single player game and the campaign would adopt an episodic or seasonal release, would you buy in? Would you just stick to the “vanilla” release? Or would it turn you away completely?

BONUS QUESTION! With Dreams coming out “this week” [Friday 2-14 and Tuesday 2-11 to early access users] What would be your wild, crazy creation, game, sculpture, environment, song, sound or compilation that you would make? Would you want to try to recreate games or mechanics? Or do something completely original? What would be something exclusive for the Byte Me brand?

Cheap/Free Games

Nintendo Online (Feb 19)

• Pop’n TwinBee
• Smash Tennis (SNES neither of which were originally released in the US)
• Shadow of the Ninja
• Eliminator Boat Duel

Epic Game Store

• Kingdom Come Deliverance
• Aztez (Aztez is a unique hybrid of beat ’em up and turn-based strategy, set in the world of the Aztec Empire. Highly technical, real-time, beat-em-up combat events resolve ongoing conflicts in your expanding empire.)

Every week the Byte Me Podcast dips into the games you should be playing! Featuring news and reviews for PC, console and mobile games, along with fun discussions about games from the classics to new releases. Perfect for casual gamers or for casual gamers that want to be a little more hardcore, join Byte Me and find your next favorite game!

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In an interview with Phil Spencer says that he’s not interested in fighting a console war with Sony and Nintendo “…while Amazon and Google are focusing on how to get gaming to 7 billion people around the world.” He goes on to say that other “traditional gaming companies” simply don’t have the cloud infrastructure to compete in the coming decade.

In other news:

• Jedi Fallen Order is Selling Way Better Than EA Had Hoped
• Castlevania Season 3 is Coming Out Next Month
• Get 3 Months of Geforce Now Free, then Pay $5 a Month for the Next Year
• Dan Houser Leaves Rockstar Games
• Wonderful 101s is Getting an HD Remaster on Kickstarter!
• Thousands of Old Flash Games Have Been Saved

What We’re Playing

Colby: Stardew Valley, Hard West, Breath of the Wild

Cliff: My Time at Portia, Link’s Awakening

Dylan: Divinity 2 

Questions

DA VINSTER: Open-ended question, but what are your gaming goals for this year? Play more? Finish games more? Try out genres you don’t normally play?

McWhopper: With Wonderful 101 reaching all its Kickstarter goals, what other games do you guys see taking this route and pulling in the same crowd and funding?

Turndwn4wut: What’s your favorite video game Easter egg?

Mister Polite: What is your new favorite podcast? I’ve been digging Daily Dad.

JoeColeslaw: Have you ever played a game to take a break from another game, only to leave it to fade away? What is your play style now, compared when the first episode of this show started?

Princess_Megan: What is your favorite video game soundtrack and song from a video game? They don’t have to be from the same game.

• The End of Time: Melancholy Music from Chrono Trigger 
• World of Ruin: Melancholy Music from Final Fantasy VI 
• Austin Wintory’s Entire Discography 
• Ben Prunty’s Chill Playlist 
• Doom (2016) Soundtrack 
• Red Dead Redemption 2 Soundtrack 

Kim Cruz: What 8bit/16bit era games should get a modern era remake?

Hans Addleman: What is your favorite breakfast eatery?

Cheap/Free Games

Playstation Plus

• BioShock: The Collection (available 2/4-3/3)
• The Sims 4 (available 2/4-3/3)
• Firewall Zero Hour (available 2/4-3/3)

Game Pass

• Final Fantasy XV (February 6)
• Wolfenstein: Youngblood (February 6)
• Death Squared (February 13)

Epic Game Store

• Carcassonne
• Ticket to Ride

Every week the Byte Me Podcast dips into the games you should be playing! Featuring news and reviews for PC, console and mobile games, along with fun discussions about games from the classics to new releases. Perfect for casual gamers or for casual gamers that want to be a little more hardcore, join Byte Me and find your next favorite game!

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts Listen on Spotify RSS Feed Download Episode

February is a little bit busier than January, but we are still in a bit of a video game drought!

February 4 – Zombie Army 4: Dead War (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
February 6 – Knights & Bikes (Switch)
February 11 – Yakuza 5 Remastered (PS4)
February 14 – Darksiders Genesis (PS4, Xbox One, Switch)
February 14 – Street Fighter 5: Champion Edition (PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox One)
February 14 – Dreams (PS4)
February 18 – Hunt: Showdown (PS4)
February 20 – Under Night In-Birth Exe: Late Switch (PS4)
February 25 – Two Point Hospital (PS4, Switch, Xbox One)
February 25 – Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)
February 25 – Conan Chop Chop (PC, Switch, Xbox One, PS4)
February 28 – Metro Redux Nintendo (Switch)

Every week the Byte Me Podcast dips into the games you should be playing! Featuring news and reviews for PC, console and mobile games, along with fun discussions about games from the classics to new releases. Perfect for casual gamers or for casual gamers that want to be a little more hardcore, join Byte Me and find your next favorite game!

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In perhaps the strangest news we’ve ever had, Atari is going to build a bunch of hotels that provide a “…unique lodging experience combining the iconic brand with a one-of-a-kind video game-themed destination”. No word yet if every room will have it’s own Atari 2600.

In other news:

• Torchlight Frontiers gets a name change (and a bunch of other changes too)
• Don’t let Square Enix cancel your FF7 pre-order
• There are strong rumors about a KOTOR remake
• Toss a Coin to The Witcher on Spotify
• Get your refund for your Mac or Linux copy of Rocket League now
• Sometimes All It Takes to Win a Pokemon Tournament is to Enter
• I guess you don’t have to worry about violating the civil rights of trolls in games anymore

What We’re Playing

Colby: Stardew Valley, Super Lucky’s Tale
Cliff: My Time at Portia, Stardew Valley (which has sold more than 10 million copies)
Dylan: Disco Elysium, Divinity Original Sin 2

Questions

Vinny: Create a reality TV show based off one video game franchise? What is it and what’s it about?

Turndwn4wut: What passive ability in video games have you always wanted in real life?

JoeColeslaw: If you could have a game change its pov… what game would it be? 1st person to 3rd, isometric to 1st?

Mister Polite: Is there something you take great pride that would be unusual.  For example, when I give blood the person always says “you have good veins,” and then it’s one poke and the blood flows.

Diablo or Bob Ross? https://www.pcgamer.com/diablo-or-bob-ross-take-blizzards-quote-quiz/

Cheap/Free Games

Epic Games Store

• Farming Simulator 2019

Games with Gold

• TT Isle of Man
• Call of Cthulhu
• Fable Heroes
• Star Wars: Battlefront (2004)

Twitch Prime

• American Fugitive
• Desert Child
• Narcos: Rise of the Cartels
• Steredenn
• White Night

Every week the Byte Me Podcast dips into the games you should be playing! Featuring news and reviews for PC, console and mobile games, along with fun discussions about games from the classics to new releases. Perfect for casual gamers or for casual gamers that want to be a little more hardcore, join Byte Me and find your next favorite game!

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Sony has announced they won’t be attending E3 this year even though they are releasing new hardware, instead choosing to participate “…in hundreds of consumer events across the globe”, whatever that means.

Other video game news:

• There won’t be any Xbox exclusives this year, but does that really matter?
• Video games save lives
• To quote “A Christmas Story” you might shoot your eye out with this new arcade game
• Have you ever wanted to play your OG GameBoy games on your 4k TV?
• Pokemon Sword & Shield are getting new content this year
• The Australian wildfires are getting help from game devs

Questions

Vinny: What do you think of the idea of “fanboying”? Of course, there are always assholes who will taint the image of it but is it necessarily bad to be a “fanboy”? Would you call yourself a fanboy of one company over another (whether that be Microsoft and Sony) or fanboying developers? For some reason, it seems there is a negative stigma associated with fanboying one company over another, but if you’re a fanboy of a developer like Naughty Dog, Respawn, etc it’s not as bad?

Turndwn4wut: If you suddenly realized characters in video games were sentient beings, which game would you regret having played?

Princess Megan: What is your video game completion goal this year?

Mister Polite: With a winter storm happening right now, what is your go-to winter drink? Alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

JoeColeslaw: What do you look for in a brand new IP from a trusted company? How do you feel about some recent new IP games in the last year?

Cheap/Free Games

Game Pass

• Frostpunk (PC/Xbox)
• FTL (PC)
• Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet (Xbox)
• Tekken 7 (Jan 16 – Xbox)

Epic Game Store

• Horace

Humble Bundle

• Sweet Farm Bundle

Every week the Byte Me Podcast dips into the games you should be playing! Featuring news and reviews for PC, console and mobile games, along with fun discussions about games from the classics to new releases. Perfect for casual gamers or for casual gamers that want to be a little more hardcore, join Byte Me and find your next favorite game!

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts Listen on Spotify RSS Feed Download Episode

It’s GOTY time! We talk about our favorite Xbox, PS4, Switch and PC games, along with our favorite game not from 2019 and, of course, our favorite game from this year!

GOTY

Our game of the year voting probably works a bit different than other media outlets you follow. For instance, Xbox GOTY doesn’t mean it’s an Xbox exclusive, just that we played it on the Xbox. That’s actually worked out pretty well the past three years, but this year we played…very few…PlayStation games.

Xbox GOTY

Cliff: Outer Wilds
Dylan: Gears… I guess
Colby: Crackdown 3

PS4 GOTY

Cliff: Concrete Genie
Dylan: Death Stranding
Colby: The Last of Us?

Switch GOTY

Cliff: Gris (HM: SteamWorld Heist: Ultimate Edition)
Dylan: Pokemon
Colby: Katana Zero (HM: Link’s Awakening )

PC GOTY

Cliff: Disco Elysium
Dylan: Hunt: Showdown?
Colby: To the Moon?

GOTY Not from 2019

Cliff: Night in the Woods
Dylan: Total War Warhammer 2
Colby: Tacoma (HM: Turing Test, Minit, Yoku’s Island Express)

Under the Radar

Colby: World War Z

Overall GOTY

Cliff: Disco Elysium
Dylan: Pokemon?
Colby: Outer Wilds (HM: Goose Game)

Other Video Game News

• Alienware Shows Off a Switch Like PC at CES
• Arcade1Up Announces a Bunch of New Arcade Cabinets
• Can’t Decide Between a PC and Console? Why not both?
• Rise of the Skywalker Changes The Star Wars (Video Game) Universe
• Rumors Are Swirling Around a New Switch in 2020
• We Need One of Our Listeners in England to Send Us Some Stamps

Questions

Vinny: What do you predict your 2020 GOTY will be?

JoeColeslaw: What makes a game of the year… to you?! And you? And yeah, you’re cool I guess, you too.

Does the marketing bull have a lot to do with it? Easier availability? *cough* *cough* Game Pass! Does the online play really matter to you guys anymore? Another extremely awesome podcast I listen to had a similar question with a book-report type prompt, but I’ll keep it simple for you kind folk, is it well-rounded being the perfect middle of an elaborate Venn diagram with gameplay, story, soundtrack, immersion, atmosphere, sound, and message? Or is it solely on your personal experience and attachment as the player? With everyone so limited on their game time, some more than others, does the overall time to beat really have its effect on you?

Cheap/Free Games

Game Pass:

Grand Theft Auto 5

Twitch Prime:

• Dandara
• Anarcute
• Kingdom: New Lands
• A Normal Lost Phone
• Splasher

Every week the Byte Me Podcast dips into the games you should be playing! Featuring news and reviews for PC, console and mobile games, along with fun discussions about games from the classics to new releases. Perfect for casual gamers or for casual gamers that want to be a little more hardcore, join Byte Me and find your next favorite game!

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I think that might actually have been the first time I’ve typed 2020 for something I’m actually currently working on! The game release schedule for January is mostly DLC and remasters, but there might be a few hidden gems in there as well!

• Monster Hunter World: Iceborne DLC [PC] – January 9
• DualShock 4 Back Button Attachment [PS4] (US) – January 23 
• Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition [PS4, Switch] – January 23
• Kingdom Hearts 3: Re Mind DLC [PS4] – January 23
• Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD [Switch] – January 23
• The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners [PC] – January 23
• Journey to the Savage Planet [PC, PS4, XBOX] – January 28
• Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire [PS4, XBOX] – January 28
• Warcraft III: Reforged [PC] – January 28

Every week the Byte Me Podcast dips into the games you should be playing! Featuring news and reviews for PC, console and mobile games, along with fun discussions about games from the classics to new releases. Perfect for casual gamers or for casual gamers that want to be a little more hardcore, join Byte Me and find your next favorite game!

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts Listen on Spotify RSS Feed Download Episode

I’ll be honest, there was so little news that I almost thought about making some up. But we played a ton of games, so we talked about those instead!

Other News: 

• Want to Use a PS4 Controller on Your PC?
• Get a Small Free Indie Game Every Day This Year 
• WWE2K20 Just Can’t Catch a Break

What We Are Playing

 Colby: No Man’s Sky, Rage 2, Pan Pan, Katana Zero, Ghost Recon: Breakpoint

Cliff: Control, Untitled Goose Game, Disco Elysium, Pillars of Eternity

Dylan: Total War Warhammer 2, Star Wars Battlefront 2

Questions

Vinny: Most and least anticipated game from 2020?

Cpt Insano6: With WWE 2K20 having so many bug issues, can you remember a game that had so many issues it was essentially rendered unplayable?

Megan: We answer this very important question.  

Cody Greenwood: First game you plan to play in the new year??

JoeColeslaw: If mascot characters old and new would have a new years resolution… what would they be? (Nothing like, kill less)

TrnDwn4Wut: If you were to wake up as a toy what would your line/lines be when your button is pushed

Cheap/Free Games

Epic Game Store

• Darksiders
• Darksiders II
• Steep

Playstation Plus

• Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection
• Goat Simulator

Stadia

• Thumper
• Rise of the Tomb Raider

Twitch Prime

• Enter the Gungeon
• Ape Out
• Witcheye
• Gato Roboto
• Heave Ho

Support this podcast

Every week the Byte Me Podcast dips into the games you should be playing! Featuring news and reviews for PC, console and mobile games, along with fun discussions about games from the classics to new releases. Perfect for casual gamers or for casual gamers that want to be a little more hardcore, join Byte Me and find your next favorite game!

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts Listen on Spotify RSS Feed Download Episode