Fri, 28 December 2018
THE YEAR THAT WAS: With the final week of the year barreling toward us, Andrew and D. Bethel decide to throw format out the window and just talk. Guided by the question, "What does 2018 make you think of?", they veer all over the place from Fallout (of course) and learning how to code to the many-tiered beast that was ComicsGate and the panacea to that garbage with things like the new Halloween and She-Ra. What do you think of when you think of the 2018 that was? How would you summarize this year? Let us know! RELEVANT EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 21 December 2018
WEEK IN GEEK: D. Bethel gets inspired by Tintin and Alph-Art, the final Tintin book started by creator Hergé before his death. The book is a collection of his layouts and notes and remains unfinished but showcases the process of one of the world's best comic book storytellers. After nearly a year, Andrew finally dives into Star Trek: Discovery (originally released on CBS All Access) and gives you a SPOILER-FILLED rundown and response to the newest Star Trek series. RELEVANT EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 14 December 2018
After (approximately) ten weeks of teasing, Andrew and D. Bethel finally talk about the newest series of Doctor Who, which not only introduces Jodie Whittaker as the new Doctor (as well as her substantial crew) but also new showrunner, Chris Chibnall, and his team to bring the world a fresh look at a 55 year-old character. RELEVANT EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 7 December 2018
A TAYLORED EXPERIENCE: With D. Bethel locked behind closed doors to grade the work of his beloved students, friend-of-the-show Taylor Katcher has graciously stepped in to help Andrew in his hour of need. Together, they run the gamut of nerdy topics, from Super Smash Bros. to Betrayal Legacy to Civilization VI on the iPhone to the most recent DC/CW crossover event, "Elseworlds." RELEVANT EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 30 November 2018
WEEK IN GEEK: For once, both D. and Andrew are playing new games at their release! Andrew shares his experience diving in to the buggy but compelling world of Bethesda's foray into MMO gaming with Fallout 76 while Dan finds a groove playing Rockstar Games' Red Dead Redemption 2 and finds himself getting lost in it. RELEVANT EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 23 November 2018
WEEK IN GEEK: Andrew plays Charterstone by Stonemeier Games, a new take on the "legacy" board game style while D. Bethel is moved by the new Halloween. Below is the image D. Bethel mentioned in the episode where Jamie Lee Curtis comforts her character from the new Halloween:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 16 November 2018
POST-APOCALYPSE NOW: After D. Bethel talks a bit about the California fires (he's safe albeit drenched in smoke from the Camp Fire), Andrew discusses his hour or so playing Fallout 76. #IRONSHITES: Richard Meyer and the ComicsGate controversy has been covered many times before on the show, and the latest installment has Richard Meyer aka "Comics & Diversity" putting his money where his mouth is. His 120-page graphic novel, Iron Sights, (written by Meyer, art by Ibai Canales) has been released (it cost $20 for a copy of the book if you contributed to its Indiegogo campaign) was summarily criticized by Twitter user, Jafleece, in a spectacular and validating fashion. The 60+ thread starts here. Andrew and D. discuss not only what they saw from the thread, but what this says about the claims Meyer and ComicsGate have been levying toward the industry for awhile now. END BITS: Also, they spend some time at the end to discuss the death of Stan Lee, below is the clip that D. mentioned was his favorite Stan Lee cameo, from this year's Marvel's Spider-Man by Insomniac Games. And, for good measure, the Pokémon: Detective Pikachu trailer. RELEVANT LINKS:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 9 November 2018
OPPORTUNITY DIABLOWN: At the end of the keynote presentation for this year's BlizzCon––a convention devoted to game developer, Blizzard, created by game developer, Blizzard––the wildly successful PC developer announced a new entry into its long-running and beloved Diablo franchise: Diablo: Immortal. While ostensibly a new Diablo game, Diablo: Immortal is a phone game made not by Blizzard but by Chinese mobile developer, NetEase, and it was decidedly not the game fans wanted news about: Diablo IV. In a backlash of epic proportions, Blizzard has tried to course-correct which only dug them in deeper, D. Bethel and Andrew investigate the aloofness of Blizzard, the entitlement of fandom, and the hazy trouble in-between. RELEVANT LINKS:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 2 November 2018
WEEK IN GEEK: This week, Andrew starts things off by falling in love with the crafty goodness of using paper mini-figures for tabletop gaming. D. Bethel dives back into consuming the written word (about video games) with Boss Fight Books' Shovel Knight by David L. Craddock. Andrew wraps back around to dish a little about Stardew Valley on iOS and how its able to manage saves between platforms. RELEVANT EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 26 October 2018
WEEK IN GEEK: Andrew gets impressed with The Bard's Tale Trilogy remastered collection on Steam while D. Bethel watches Venom and, even though he enjoyed it, wonders why it's hitting such a strong chord with viewers. DOCTOR BOO!: With Spookytober drawing to a close, Andrew and D. couldn't not talk about Doctor Who, so they dove into the archive to talk about what they argue may be one of the series' scariest episodes yet, series 4's "Midnight." LINKS:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"Disco Medusae" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 19 October 2018
WEEK IN GEEK: This week, it's a dive into the Fall tv shows that both our hosts were excited to see as Andrew watches the first episode of Alton Brown's Good Eats: Reloaded while D. Bethel reacts to the first three episodes of the second season of The Gifted. GAMES WORKERS UNITE: In the wake of massive layoffs by developers like Telltale Games and Riot Games, The Vulture published an article under the auspice of being a "behind the scenes" look at Red Dead Redemption 2's development at Rockstar Games. The article sparked a lot of controversy, specifically around the (walked back) claim of the team working 100-hour weeks multiple times during 2018 to make sure this game is top of the line in terms of quality. These incidents bring again a highlight to the labor practices of game development, through which D. and Andrew try to wade. RELEVANT EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"Disco Medusae" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 12 October 2018
HALLOWED HALLOWEEN: The Spookytober topic for this week is the forty-years later direct sequel to John Carpenter's breakthrough––and culturally important––hit, Halloween. This new movie, Halloween, sees the return of Jamie Lee Curtis to her role as Laurie Strode but instead of being the prey of Michael Meyers, it is he who becomes the hunted. Andrew and D. Bethel discuss the series and what they're expecting/hoping from this new movie. WEEK IN GEEK: Andrew gets his Metroidvania on with Chucklefish's Timespinner and how eerily Castlevania: Symphony of the Night it seems to be at times while D. Bethel becomes enthralled with the first five episodes of the podcast audio drama produced by a collaboration between Marvel Comics and Stitcher (the podcast streaming website), Wolverine: The Long Night. RELEVANT EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"Disco Medusae" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 5 October 2018
MEYERED IN CONTROVERSY: Richard Meyer and his "Diversity and Comics" YouTube Channel have been no stranger on this podcast with his leading the charge of the abhorrent ComicsGate dissention among comic book fandom. After gaining notoriety with his "Dark Roast" YouTube video (since deleted) that accused various popular industry creatives of committing sexual, devious, and illegal acts to get their way to the top, Mark Waid––among others––reached out to Antarctic Press to voice concerns with their decision to publish Meyer's comic, JAWBREAKERS. After hearing those concerns, Antarctic Press terminated their contract with Meyer and went to the internet to spew bile in response. At the end of September, Meyer sued Waid for "tortious interference with contract" and "defamation." D. Bethel and resident nerd lawyer, Andrew Asplund, dive back into this cesspool to navigate what exactly is going on throughout this new development. NOTE: No comment made by Andrew during this episode constitutes legal advice or establishes client-lawyer relations. TWILIGHT RETURNS: It was recently announced that the previously announced Jordan Peele-produced reboot of The Twilight Zone will actually star Mr. Peele himself as the host for the digital-only streaming service CBS All-Access. Andrew and D. talk about their excitement––and fears! (to make it spooky for Spookytober)––for the upcoming show. RELEVANT EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"Disco Medusae" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 28 September 2018
WEEK IN GEEK: It's a week of adventure as Andrew literally leaves the state while D. Bethel brings a journey to a close. Along the way, Andrew talks about playing Final Fantasy V on iOS while also dipping his toe into the meta-craziness that is The Stanley Parable while D. Bethel is actually having fun (?!) with season 2 of Netflix & Marvel's Jessica Jones. RELEVANT LINKS:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Tue, 25 September 2018
In the final episode of this initial experimental run of Con Artists, the second and final day of StocktonCon has come to a close and rather than have an exhausted (which they were) drive home, Kyrun Silva of Taurus Comics and D. Bethel again probe into different aspects of reading, making, and selling comics. They probe the circumstances that would have to occur to go pro, the processes of writing and editing comics, the different facets of indie comics, and dive deep into nostalgia to close out the weekend. Creating this podcast ended up being a very enlightening process, shining light on angles of creativity previously hidden by ignorance, willful or otherwise. We hope you've enjoyed Con Artists and, with luck, there will be more in the future! OTHER EPISODES:
–––––––––––––––––– Special thanks to Kyrun Silva for agreeing to this experiment (and for driving us to and from the convention). Thanks to Ben Schwartz of Empire’s Comics Vault for hosting the table. FEATURED GUEST: -Kyrun Silva of Taurus Comics FEATURED RECORDING EQUIPMENT: -Tascam DR-40 FEATURED LOCAL COMIC SHOP: FEATURED EXISTENTIAL WESTERN WEBCOMIC: FEATURED MUSIC: -“Road Music” by D. Bethel
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Fri, 21 September 2018
FALL (TV IS) BACK: With the summer doldrums of tv coming to a close, Andrew and D. Bethel discuss the Fall tv they're looking forward to, including the debut of a new Doctor (and production team) with series 11 of Doctor Who, Andrew's circumspect approach to the reboot Magnum and quizzical anticipation for Alton Brown's Good Eats Reloaded, D. Bethel's blind eagerness for the new season of The Gifted and Outlander, and both hosts' skepticism of the new Riggs-less third season Lethal Weapon. It's nerdy Fall tv front to back. RELEVANT LINKS: RELEVANT EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Tue, 18 September 2018
With the first day of StocktonCon completed, Kyrun and D. Bethel begin the second day by getting in the car and driving down the 99 to Stockton. It's early, they're tired, they're going wherever the conversation takes them. While this morning conversation doesn't touch on conventions or marketing strategies, they dive deep into a major aspect of comics culture: continuity. It's at the heart of a lot of stories and in the hearts of a lot of fans, often to the point of taking despicable actions when a creative team makes changes that they don't like. They examine their own thoughts about the importance of continuity as well as why, it seems, so many people hold continuity with the highest possible value. Also, for some reason, the conversation dives deep into D. Bethel's own biases when it comes to mainstream comics and how––and if––he overcame those biases. LINKS:
–––––––––––––––––– Special thanks to Kyrun Silva for agreeing to this experiment (and for driving us to and from the convention). Thanks to Ben Schwartz of Empire’s Comics Vault for hosting the table. FEATURED GUEST: -Kyrun Silva of Taurus Comics FEATURED RECORDING EQUIPMENT: -Tascam DR-40 FEATURED LOCAL COMIC SHOP: FEATURED VEHICLE: -2003 Ford Expedition FEATURED HIGHWAY: -CA-99 FEATURED MUSIC: -“Road Music” by D. Bethel
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Fri, 14 September 2018
WEEK IN GEEK: This week, Andrew takes some dungeon mastering advice from Mike Shea aka "Sly Flourish" and his The Lazy Dungeon Master book while Dan becomes smitten by the new Marvel's Spider-Man game by Insomniac Games. RELEVANT LINKS:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Tue, 11 September 2018
Welcome to the only briefly previously announced, limited series, side-podcast called Con Artists. Hosted by D. Bethel, what you'll hear over the next three weeks––posting on Tuesdays––is a conversation between D. and Kyrun Silva, another independent comic creator based in Sacramento known for founding the imprint, Big Tree Comics, before leaving and starting a more focused venture with Taurus Comics, as they drive to and from this year's StocktonCon where they shared a table in the Artist Alley. Starting on the drive home from the first day of the two-day event, the discussions of Con Artists are much less focused than that of the main show, A Podcast [ , ] For All Intents and Purposes, and instead follow the natural progression of the conversations as they occurred.
That being said, the conversations revolve around a clustered group of comics-focused topics: making comics, reading comics, and selling comics. In those topics, D. and Kyrun talk about their history of comicking, the books and characters they grew up loving, and the art of tabling and selling at a show like StocktonCon. It's two guys talking shop while driving down the freeway. Though it's an experiment disguised as a side project, [ , ] For All Intents and Purposes is proud to host the limited series and we hope those listening enjoy it. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Special thanks to Kyrun Silva for agreeing to this experiment (and for driving us to and from the convention). Thanks to Ben Schwartz of Empire's Comics Vault for hosting the table. FEATURED GUEST: -Kyrun Silva of Taurus Comics FEATURED RECORDING EQUIPMENT: -Tascam DR-40 FEATURED VEHICLE: -2003 Ford Expedition FEATURED HIGHWAY: -CA-99 FEATURED MUSIC: -"Road Music" by D. Bethel
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Fri, 7 September 2018
GAMES AT PAX WEST: We sent our man on the scene, Andrew, to PAX West while our Man in California, D. Bethel, watched on the internet. Now, they talk about the games they saw. Andrew muses over gameplay quirks in Stone Story RPG and Aground, while D. reacts to the strong sprites ethic in Get in the Car, Loser! and Star Renegades. Also, Andrew reflects on a series of panels he saw at the event, all of which focus on not just tabletop role-playing games, but specifically––and surprisingly––just Dungeons & Dragons. Also, D. Bethel will be exhibiting at the 2018 Crocker Con in Sacramento! It is on Thursday, September 13th, from 6-9:30pm at the Crocker Art Museum in Downtown Sacramento. For more info, click here, or check out the Facebook Event page. INFO:
For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"Disco Medusae" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 31 August 2018
STOP BEING MEAN: Of the many "-Gates" that exist in the nerd world right now, some ticks in the "good" column happened recently in the fight called "ComicsGate", an online harrassment campaign against diversity and representation in both the fiction and creation of mainstream comic books (meaning, mainly, books made by DC and Marvel). RELATED EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 24 August 2018
WEEK IN GEEK: It's an indie game kind of week as Andrew reports on the Zelda-like shop sim, Moonlighter, by Digital Sun while D. Bethel starts a conversation about everybody's current favorite rogue-like platformer (kind of a Metroidvania, kind of not; definitely not a "roguevania"), Dead Cells, by Motion Twin. RELATED EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 17 August 2018
It's the return of NERD LAW! A MARVELOUS MONSTER: After a long gestation and some delays, Disney has officially acquired 20th Century Fox assets, comprising of Fox's film and tv properties. This means everything from the Alien franchise to Bob's Burgers and even The Simpsons are now owned by Disney. Of course, for comic book fans and fans of comic book movies, the biggest part of this deal means that the X-Men and the Fantastic Four film rights are now under Disney/Marvel control. But it's a much bigger––and more complicated––deal than just the superhero franchises and make some people a little nervous. WHAT NINTENDON'T: Emulation software has been on the internet for at least twenty years at this point, allowing people to download and play often near-perfect versions of games from the NES, SNES, and many other classic consoles. While playing emulated games have always been legally murky, Nintendo's big legal smackdown of a few emulator and ROM sites in particular have really shaken the whole community in more ways than one. RELATED EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"Disco Medusae" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 10 August 2018
WEEK IN GEEK: Andrew finally plays Asmadi's One Deck Dungeon by playing Handelabra's One Deck Dungeon, a rogue-like solo/co-op card game that has been adapted into a video game version while D. Bethel follows Laura Kinney's continuing post-Wolverine adventures in X-23 by Mariko Tamaki and Juann Cabal. RELATED EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 3 August 2018
GOING BACK: Having played Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, D. Bethel has since gone back and played the first game in the Uncharted series and was rather frustrated by it. This experience got our hosts thinking about entering series (of games, movies, tv shows, etc.) mid-stream––what's the value of going back to the start? RELATED EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 27 July 2018
IT'S A PANDEMIC PARTY: Andrew and D. Bethel bring on friend-of-the-show and all-star contributor to the site, Taylor Katcher, to discuss Andrew and Taylor's full playthrough of Pandemic Legacy: Season 2 RELATED EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 20 July 2018
WEEK IN GEEK: Andrew braved populated movie theaters to see Ant-Man and the Wasp while D. Bethel eagerly went to the theaters to see Incredibles II. DISNEY FLOOD: This summer was a packed house in terms of big-budget blockbuster-intended films with Avengers: Infinity War, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Incredibles II. But with Solo and Ant-Man and the Wasp underperforming, it has Andrew and D. wondering, did we have too many big nerd movies this summer? RELATED LINKS:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"Disco Medusae" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 13 July 2018
A BOOK CLUB [ , ] FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES: In a rare moment where Andrew and Dan's reading habits align, they spend this episode discussing Chris Kohler's addition to the Boss Fight Books line, focusing on Square Enix's (simply Squaresoft at the time of the game's initial publication) Final Fantasy V. The first half has the hosts discussing the game itself, while the second half talks about the BFB line and written gaming criticism. RELATED LINKS:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 6 July 2018
WEEK IN GEEK: Andrew finds fitness inspiration in the modular experience of Zombies, Run! while D. Bethel can't stop thinking about Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon. INFO:
For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 29 June 2018
OBI-WAN KE-NOPE-Y: It was made known that Lucasfilm has put its anthology series, subtitled A Star Wars Story, on hold after the lower box office of The Last Jedi and, most recently, Solo. While the cause hasn't been confirmed, there are a few factors to look at, one of which could be the box office performance of these films. Another, more sinister, reason has to do with the cultural backlash to Rogue One, The Last Jedi, and Solo. A segment on the internet is convinced that Lucasfilm has a political agenda it wants to push and it's using the Star Wars series to do so. These dissenters have responded in a few interesting ways: some have banded together and made an official decree to "destroy" Lucasfilm, others have started a crowdfunding/social media campaign in order to remake The Last Jedi. Either way, it's a complicated issue that Andrew and D. Bethel try to find the knots of. WORKS CITED/REFERENCED:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 22 June 2018
WEEK IN GEEK: Andrew sees the latest Star Wars Story, Solo, while D. Bethel gushes about the recent God of War reboot. RELATED EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 15 June 2018
E3 2018: This year's Electronic Entertainment Expo has wrapped up and has brought a lot of conversation around the games announced and/or shown at the show. Andrew and D. talk about E3 as an expo/convention and the target it seems to be aiming at for the future as well as games they saw and were intrigued or excited by (including Ghost of Tsushima, Death Stranding, Cyberpunk 2077, and, yes, Fallout 76). Let us know your thoughts about the games from this E3, if you'd like––we'd love to hear what you thought of this year's show. RELATED EPISODES:
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Fri, 8 June 2018
AN OPEN WORLD: With Bethesda's surprise announcement of the still ephemeral Fallout 76, video game-focused documentarians, NoClip, announced that they will be doing a series covering the development of this new game. They started, however, with a comprehensive look at the history of Bethesda studios. After watching the documentary (embedded below), both D. and Andrew realized how far the studio has come, how big it has gotten, and how much of an impact this quirky company has made on gaming as a whole. RELATED EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 1 June 2018
WEEK IN GEEK: Andrew goes back to his undergraduate roots and dives into programming with the Unity engine via the online programming courses taught through Udemy while D. Bethel updates his nostalgia with the Super NES as he plays around with Analogue's Super Nt system. RELATED EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 25 May 2018
THUNDERCATTY: Cartoon Network announced it was working on a new ThunderCats show, titled ThunderCats Roar, which looks and sounds quite a bit different from the ThunderCats from 1985. It got a lot of people upset and they let the internet know the depths of their disdain for the new look. Andrew and D. look at reboots (again), nostalgia, and the sense of ownership and entitlement a lot of fans have over these fan-favorite properties. WORKS CITED:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 18 May 2018
THE SIDE OF THE FAMILY WE DON'T TALK ABOUT: While D. Bethel and Andrew went into recording with the idea they'd do a Week in Geek episode, D.'s offering (Sarah Gadephe's Shy Boys: IRL documentary) got them off on a wildly different tangent that discusses nerds, politics, sex, and entitlement in the wake of the Toronto attack and this strange comic book controversy involving Antarctic Press and a comic made by a group of less-than-friendly creators. RELEVANT LINKS: WORKS CITED:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 11 May 2018
SNAP JUDGMENT: With the third Avengers movie becoming a new bank everybody is putting their money into, D. and Andrew finally sit down to talk about the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe capstone event. Be warned that this episode CONTAINS SPOILERS for the movie. RELATED EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 4 May 2018
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 27 April 2018
WEEK IN GEEK: With D. Bethel back in the saddle, our hosts settle back into routine. Andrew discusses playing the forgotten entry in the Assassin's Creed oeuvre, Assassin's Creed Rogue, and its strange and bold narrative through-line through more than a few other AC games. D. Bethel snuck in some mobile gaming while he was supposed to be grading and fell in love with the vocational routine of the giant robo sim, Last Colossus by Game Stew. What was your Week in Geek like this week? (Avengers: Infinity War, probably.) RELATED EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 20 April 2018
READY TAYLOR ONE: With D. Bethel out for the week so Shakespeare can get paid, Andrew recruits friend-of-the-show, Taylor Katcher, to talk about the recent Steven Spielberg sci-fi film, Ready Player One. RELATED EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 13 April 2018
READY PLAYER NOONE: Steven Spielberg said recently that movies made by internet-first companies like Netflix "deserve an Emmy, not an Oscar." Where is the line between tv and film anymore? Is the line even there? Andrew and D. Bethel talk about the malleability of the filmic medium, be it cinema or television. RELATED EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 6 April 2018
WEEK IN GEEK: Andrew dives into "the German Stranger Things" as he watches the first three episodes of the Netflix series, Dark, while D. Bethel gets lost in an RPG-tinged clicker game called Almost a Hero by Bee Square Games. RELEVANT LINKS:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 30 March 2018
A DIFFERENT WAY TO GAME: Andrew has been playing through Fallout 4 on a survivalist mode, which dramatically changes the way he normally plays Fallout. This got him thinking about ways people have challenged themselves to play games differently––sometimes within the scope of what developers intend and sometimes not. RELATED EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 23 March 2018
RECYCLE, REDUCE, REUSE: This week, Andrew and D. discuss revisions that happen to works after they are released. From the canon-bending Star Wars re-releases from the late 1990s to the archival efforts of the Mega Man Legacy Collection, works are "preserved" in some form or another, but attention could (and should) be paid to the reasons for such preservation and re-release: is it in the interest of the creator? Of the owner? Of the audience? While they don't generate any answers, our hosts certainly probe the topic for its diversity of impetus, goals, and cultural impact. Well, they do decide that pop culture needs some sort of library, but that's about it. RELATED EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 16 March 2018
WEEK IN GEEK: After weeks away, Andrew and D. Bethel return to talking about the geeky stuff they've done in the last week. Andrew plays Pandemic Legacy: Season 2 and is much surprised considering his views on the first game. D. Bethel dives into a different kind of legacy by looking at the first volume of All-New Wolverine as Laura Kinney (formerly X-23) takes the mantle of "Wolverine" from her (at the time) deceased...uh...father? Brother? Twin? Whatever. #comics RELATED EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 9 March 2018
BLACK PANTHER: Andrew and D. have both finally seen the newest Marvel Cinematic entry, Black Panther, and dive into the aspects of the movie that stood out for them, especially with respect to nerd culture, pop culture, and culture at large. This conversation does discuss SPOILERS for the film, so consider yourself duly warned. WORKS CITED:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 2 March 2018
THE LONG CON: After years of teasing the topic, Andrew and D. finally sit down to talk about continuity. It starts with the continuity issues surrounding Star Wars and Disney's purge of their Extended Universe, before it descends into talk about its benefits, its setbacks, and why it can be used as a weapon. RELATED LINKS:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 23 February 2018
WEEK IN GEEK: Andrew plays Cellar Door Games' follow up to their previous hit, Rogue Legacy, with a multiplayer brawleRPG, Full Metal Furies, while D. zones out––and has a lot of fun doing it––with Grey Alien Games' new solitaire/visual novel/RPG, Shadowhand. RELATED EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 16 February 2018
WEEK IN GEEK: This week, Andrew and D. start with a little Black Panther talk––friend of the show, Kyrun Silva, went on Good Day Sacramento to talk about what the character has meant to him as an independent comic creator––before Andrew discusses the complex but fun fantasy board game, Gloomhaven, while Dan watches the short but effective AMC comic book documentary series, Robert Kirkman's Secret History of Comics. RELATED EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 9 February 2018
ANNOUNCEMENEWSBLASTCAST: Instead of focusing on their respective Weeks in Geek or having an extended conversation, Andrew and D. decide to cover a lot of news that dropped this week including the trailer to season 2 of Marvel/Netflix's Jessica Jones, 20th Century Fox's Deadpool 2 trailer, the reveal of the video-game-based-on-a-tabletop-game-based-on-a-tabletop-card-game, Sentinels of Freedom, the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons lorebook, Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, and the passing of John Mahoney. RELATED EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 2 February 2018
WEEK IN GEEK: D. Bethel squabbles over the storylines left underdeveloped in Netflix's western limited series, Godless, while Andrew dabbles in the interesting RPG system found in Evil Hat Productions' Fate Core. RELATED EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 26 January 2018
WEEK IN GEEK - COMIC BOOK TV SHOW EDITION: Andrew tunes in to the CW's newest superhero premiere––Black Lightning––while D. Bethel looks back at the first season of Fox's The Gifted. SPOILER WARNING RELATED EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"District Four" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 19 January 2018
WEEK IN GEEK: Andrew plays the mashup tabletop game, Betrayal at Baldur's Gate while Dan goes for the yards in Supergiant Games' latest release, Pyre. THE RELATION BETWEEN TEXT AND AUDIENCE: Andrew, spurred on by his experiences playing Fallout 4's DLC, "Automatron," and Dan, inspired by his playing of Pyre, talk about how texts can have different impacts––and lead to very different experiences––for their audiences. Movies have spoilers and twist endings while video games of optional side-quests and branching paths of narrative. How much of a role does the audience have in telling the story? How much control do we, as an audience, want? RELEVANT EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"Disco Medusae" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 12 January 2018
A WEEK IN GEEK: Before things get started, D. talks about becoming mildly internet famous for about a day (the social media accounts of his favorite band, Twisted Sister, shared art he made of each band member). For those wondering, here's the scene from Pee-Wee's Big Adventure in which Twisted Sister appears. INDIE ACCOLADES: Andrew and D. talk about the world of independent creation––mostly games, mostly video games––and how it works in the face of the big corporate franchises discussed for the past few weeks. WEEKS IN INDIE GAMES: Andrew and D. mention a few indie games that they've been enjoying over the last month or so. Andrew discusses his love and frustration with Thomas Happ's metaroidvania Axiom Verge and Powerhoof's Crawl. D. keeps returning to the existential dread that is noio's Kingdom: Classic as well as to the hilarious existential horror of Kitfox Games' The Shrouded Isle. WORKS CITED:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"Disco Medusae" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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Fri, 5 January 2018
WEEK IN GEEK: Having missed last week's Week in Geek, Andrew and D. Bethel decide to...skip it again so they can spend as much time with–– THE STATE OF THE DCEUNION: Returning to the show is the resident DC expert, Taylor Katcher, to talk about 2017 in DC––movies, tv, and comics. RELATED EPISODES:
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For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. FEATURED MUSIC: -"Disco Medusae" by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
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