Apologies for this episode being delayed getting on the podcast feed - it's been a rough week. The world is going through a lot right now - and unfortunately this podcast isn't a complete escape. We do discuss it and how it relates to gaming. We'll be discussing it again. Unfortunately it's impossible to just "ignore" it and give an hour of complete respite.

I was a panelist on the inaugural panel of the Georgia Livestreaming Network - a Georgia based group of streamers promoting each other and games made in Georgia.

I completed my Summer Games Done Quick hosting audition! I talk about the process without giving specifics. It's a really interesting process that is as nervewracking as it is fun.

LEGO has announced a Super Mario playset that is actually an interactive game, and not just building castles.

Horizon: Zero Dawn is coming to the PC four years after its console launch, and PlayStation fanboys believe this is the death of the brand.

Then we talk to OLR about Star Trek: The Cruise.

In a show that was blissfully recorded in a time before all mass gatherings were cancelled for several months, we talk a lot about the impact of COVID-19 on gaming and sporting events, not realizing that just about everything would be canceled mid-week. Keep that in mind when listening!

At the time of recording, E3 was still moving ahead with their June show. (Spoiler alert: this changed several days later!)

However, they were working without one of their main partners for the rebrand of the show.

The indie game The Long Dark was pulled from NVIDIA GeForce NOW, and the developer gave some insight as to why, which calls into question the role virtual machines play in gaming.

Then we talk about the Final Fantasy VII Remake Demo, and what our favorite PS2 game and first DVD played on the PS2 were.

Wash your hands.

I will be at the Georgia Game Developers Association meeting on Tuesday, March 10th, to talk about how game developers can better use livestreaming and podcasts to build their brand, and I talk a little bit about the type of message I want to send regarding when to engage with people like me.

After spending most of the last episode admonishing companies for abandoning conferences due to COVID-19 fears, the Game Developer Conference went ahead and just postponed their show, leaving a lot of people in a lurch with non-refundable plane tickets and hotel expenses.

At PAX East, which still went on just fine, Harmonix announced the video game version of Dropmix - Fuser.

The creator of the Konami code passed away this week. We thank him for enriching our lives with extra lives.

Since nobody was calling in, I ask people why I was sent a peanut butter can admonishing my (correct) pronunciation of "GIF" and I explain why it's pronounced the same way as the peanut butter brand and why we don't pronounce any other acronym based on the words it represents.

NOTE: This episode was taped before more information was released about the nature of the COVID-19 outbreak, and there will probably be a little bit of crow eating on the next episode.

We start off by reading viewer comments about Sony waiting for Microsoft to announce the Xbox Series X price before announcing the PS5 price.

Bethesda is the latest company to pull all of their titles from the recently launched NVIDIA GeForce NOW.

Sony has pulled out of PAX East due to fears of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), which prompted the Mayor to ask them to reconsider.

Square Enix pulled out of their PAX East panels, not sending their Japanese development team for Final Fantasy XIV, but was still manning a booth.

Sony and Facebook Gaming/Oculus pulled out of GDC, leaving some of the people showcasing in their booth out in the cold. (Spoiler alert - they weren't the last to do so.)

Then we talk about Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE: Encore, and tips for going on a cruise ship.

I have NOT gone to see the Sonic the Hedgehog movie because I'll be biased against it - but I've realized I need to shhh and let people enjoy things, like the infamous webcomic says.

Sony is struggling with the price of the PlayStation 5, as it has been reported that it will cost $450 to produce.

Activision Blizzard has pulled all of its titles from the NVIDIA GeForce NOW streaming service one week after its official launch.

Geoff Keighley has announced that he will not be working with E3 this year which signals a big change in direction for the show.

The IRS has clarified that in-game currency like Fortnite V-Bucks are NOT taxable by the federal government like bitcoin and other virtual currency.

Then we talk about random things such as game backlogs and how the original Phantasy Star Online: Episode I & II does not stand up to the test of time.

BIG Congrats to Gamertag Radio for publishing their 1000th episode! Check out their interview with Phil Spencer, head of Xbox.

We got some viewer comments about Kingdom Hearts 3: ReMind as well as the thrashing that Blizzard has been getting from the public recently.

Phantasy Star Online 2 is FINALLY coming to the west, and the Xbox One exclusive closed beta was this weekend...I might have played (and streamed) it a lot...

NVIDIA has officially launched GeForce NOW, a Google Stadia competitor that uses your existing game library but runs them on high end hardware.

Then we talk to OLR about Phantasy Star Online 2 and run down some of the news of last week that we missed.

We start off with some viewer comments about why cosmetic DLC is okay now but might not have been in the days of Oblivion Horse Armor.

The developers of the mobile game Plague, Inc. have begged people to not learn about how diseases spread solely from their game, and instead look to real scientific institutions.

A US Federal Court has declared that being muted in a video game does not violate an American's first amendment right to free speech.

Psyonix has announced that Rocket League will no longer support MacOS and Linux after a patch in March. They are offering refunds of the game, but not of any DLC.

Then we have chat topics about if everyone still hates the PS3 (we don't) and about how companies may take their new game showcases to the people instead of attending E3.

We begin by reading comments from viewers about microtransactions, Xbox Series X exclusives, and why Pokemon DLC is bad for some people.

Cyberpunk 2077 has been delayed from April to September, but that doesn't mean that CD Projekt Red has eliminated crunch time for it's developers.

Horizon: Zero Dawn is rumored to be coming to PC even though it's a first party Sony title, but it doesn't mean the death of the PlayStation console.

Sprinkled throughout the show is talk of Forza Horizon 4's Battle Royale mode, Sony pulling out of E3, and a shoutout to the old Gathering of Developers for being the first ones to set up shop across the street from E3.

Awesome Games Done Quick has finished, reaching $3.13 million - and I got a donation read on the air!

Microsoft announced that the Xbox Series X will have no exclusive first party games for the first year or so, which means they will all be playable on Xbox One and Windows 10.

Arcade1up had a large showing at CES this week, featuring an online enabled NBA Jam as well as digital pinball tables in partnership with Zen Studios.

Then we take calls about the Pokemon Sword and Shield DLC news, as well as getting myself a real pinball table.

This episode was recorded on January 5th - sorry for the late posting. The January 12th show will be posted this Friday morning.

Awesome Games Done Quick has just started, benefiting the Prevent Cancer Foundation. I know I said I'd be there, but...

MAGFest just happened, which is really a great festival that falls on a very difficult weekend.

We got some listener comments about how 2019 and the decade ended up, and then talked about games coming up that we know about releasing in 2020.

The Xbox Series X and PS5 have their specs announced, but do they really matter in the long run?

Then we talk to OLR about looking ahead to 2020.