Fri, 27 August 2021
ALREADY OBSOLETE: This is a short episode––you could even call it a "shortcast", but why would you––because Dan had to have a little procedure that knocked him out a bit. However, they don't leave you hanging as they talk about things that have drawn their attention this week. D. Bethel is impressed with the first two episodes of David E. Kelley's new show, Big Sky, while Andrew dives deep in to the Zyuranger pool.
RELEVANT EPISODES:
RELEVANT LINKS:
INFO:
FEATURED MUSIC:
Comments[0]
|
Fri, 20 August 2021
To celebrate Andrew's birthday today, he and D. Bethel talk about thing they both love a lot: classic Doctor Who.
SURVIVAL OF THE WHO-IEST: "Survival" is an interesting story for a variety of reasons in classic Doctor Who, not the least of which being that it was the last story to air before the show was cancelled in 1989. Beyond that, though, and beyond the questionable production design and special effects, is a real clever story that says as much about the culture it was made in (and today!) as it does about its characters. Though it's a capstone on a series that was, perhaps, past its prime, its a more endearing and impressive capstone on the era of the Seventh Doctor, played by Sylvester McCoy, and Ace, played by Sophie Aldred. Andrew and Dan take a few minutes to walk through all the impressive––and mildly less impressive––aspects of this story.
RELEVANT LINKS:
INFO:
FEATURED MUSIC:
Comments[0]
|
Fri, 13 August 2021
THE SUICIDE SQUAD: With Warner Bros./DC Comics' release last week of James Gunn's new film, The Suicide Squad, we bring on our on-the-ground-DC-correspondent, Taylor Katcher, to discuss how this movie completely saves this DC franchise after its much less successful (critically) Suicide Squad from 2015. Even Andrew liked it!
RELEVANT EPISODES:
RELEVANT LINKS:
INFO:
FEATURED MUSIC:
Comments[0]
|
Fri, 6 August 2021
WEEK IN GEEK: This week, Andrew plays the first few games in Square Enix's nostalgia-trip, Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, while D. Bethel dives into nostalgia and music theory reading the newest book from Boss Fight Books, Final Fantasy VI by Sebastian Deken.
RELEVANT EPISODES:
RELEVANT LINKS:
INFO:
FEATURED MUSIC:
Comments[0]
|
Fri, 30 July 2021
A BAD BLIZZARD: Our hosts take a quick look at the controversy (and lawsuits!) that came out of an investigation led by the state of California into the toxic and dangerous company culture of Activision Blizzard.
I HAVE THE POWER: Having watched the first five episodes released for Netflix's Masters of the Universe: Revelation, Andrew and D. Bethel look at this playful and creative reimagining of the classic '80s toy commercial, er I mean, cartoon series.
RELEVANT EPISODES:
RELEVANT LINKS:
INFO:
FEATURED MUSIC:
Comments[0]
|
Fri, 23 July 2021
A NEW CHALLENGER: Recently, Valve Corporation––owners of the PC gaming storefront and launcher, Steam––announced a new piece of hardware that excited a lot of gamers: the handheld Steam machine called the Steam Deck. D. Bethel and Andrew walk through the announcement and ponder what it could change in the industry, and how it could leave some gamers lacking.
RELEVANT EPISODES:
RELEVANT LINKS:
INFO:
FEATURED MUSIC:
Comments[0]
|
Fri, 16 July 2021
WHAT A NERD WANTS: With the Disney + original, Loki, coming to a close this week, it got our hosts thinking about nerd media universes, and the works that push those meta narratives forward. What's better––a standalone series showcasing the nuances of a single character? or a show that pushes that cinematic universe into the next stage of its overall narrative? Andrew and D. Bethel put on their thinking caps and engage with these surprisingly nuanced questions.
RELEVANT LINKS:
RELEVANT EPISODES:
INFO:
FEATURED MUSIC:
Comments[0]
|
Fri, 9 July 2021
CAP PUNCHED FIRST: Another day, another attack on fictional characters as a cable news segment pilloried Marvel Comics for making Captain America "woke" in a recent issue, seemingly forgetting that Cap has been punching literal Nazis in his comics since his first issue. Andrew and D. Bethel explore this while also examining the variety of ways texts (movies, comics, books, music, tv shows, etc.) can be read.
PRINT ON DEMAND: After buying some RPG books through DriveThruRPG, Andrew becomes fascinated by the idea––and future applicability––of print on demand services, where a book isn't printed until a customer orders it. D. Bethel brings his creator experience with POD services to the conversation as well.
RELEVANT EPISODES:
RELEVANT LINKS:
INFO:
FEATURED MUSIC:
Comments[0]
|
Fri, 2 July 2021
TSR-U-KIDDING-ME: Tabletop Twitter got weird these last few weeks as debates exploded around the tweets made by Ernest G. Gygax, Jr.––son of Dungeons & Dragons co-creator, Gary Gygax––where he doubles down on strong, anti-SJW views in support of his new RPG, Giantlands.
SLAPP FEST: Andrew also checks in with the current legal fight started by Chris Avellone––formerly of Black Isle and Obisidian Entertainment––as he tries to sue people who said mean things about him on the internet.
Also, Dan has gotten even more obsessed with the Metroid series since last week.
RELEVANT LINKS:
RELEVANT EPISODES:
INFO:
FEATURED MUSIC:
Comments[0]
|
Fri, 25 June 2021
CONFIRMATION BIAS: Abandoned is an upcoming Playstation 5-exclusive game made by the small Netherlands-based team, Blue Box Game Studios. After the game's director made an enigmatic tweet, the internet exploded with conspiracy theories, asserting that the game and its trailers were nothing more than clues that this was not a stand-alone survival horror game but was actually a Silent Hill sequel. More than that, people have asserted that it's a Silent Hill sequel directed by Hideo Kojima, despite the fact that the studio has gone to great lengths to assure fans that it is not. Andre and Dan discuss the conspiracy and how it got wrapped up in the darker parts of nerd culture, internet culture, and the complicated edges of fandom.
RELEVANT EPISODES:
RELEVANT LINKS:
INFO:
FEATURED MUSIC:
Comments[0]
|