#7: Rayman Retrospective/Nintendo Switch Discussion/A Monster Calls (ft. Chris Wade)
Release Date: 01/29/2017
#49: PlayStation 2 Retrospective/Chad Muska Documentary (ft. Felipe Diaz-Vera)
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It's been a good couple of years since Felipe was on the show, but he's finally back with a vengeance as we tackle 2 distinct topics. First, Felipe enlightens John with insight on the skateboarding boom of the 2000s and the wild ride it's been for longtime pro Chad Muska in particular, as told in an entertaining documentary that you can legally watch for free on Vice's YouTube channel: After that, the meat of the episode is a deep dive into not a game series, not a game genre, but a particular game console that crossed the 20-year mark this decade: Sony's legendary PlayStation 2. ...
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#48-B: Lord of the Rings Movie Trilogy (ft. Mia Mcauley)
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Mia brings her nerd A-game to school John on a trilogy we both love, but one that for her isn't just a movie, but a lifestyle. Fresh off Fellowship hitting its 20th anniversary (And Two Towers as well a month after this episode publishes), we look back at Peter Jackson's now-legendary adaptation of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. From Viggo Mortensen injuries to Hugo Weaving rapping in Elvish, we take a long look at all three films and additional material, including the earlier animated adaptations, Jackson's bonkers early films and his subsequent The Hobbit trilogy, brief...
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#48-A: Cyberpunk 2077/Skyrim Mods (ft. Mia Mcauley)
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Mia returns to the show for an opening portion where we talk games new and older! John discusses his obsession with Cyberpunk 2077 as well as its gradual change to being seen in a more positive light through updates, the next-gen versions, and the tie-in anime Edgerunners. Mia then does a deep dive into her obsession with modding the living daylights out of Skyrim, Bethesda's tendency to leave bug fixes to the modders, and how she can't imagine a world without Inigio. All hail Inigo. Next part: Lord of the Rings film trilogy Timestamps: 8:34 Cyberpunk 2077 (Spoilers for the...
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#47: Robot Carnival/More Arcane Talk (ft. Chris Wade & Squawks the Parrot)
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John & Chris catch up to talk cartoons old and new! We start with more talk on Arcane, both to get Chris's observations, and also since the original review was recorded before the proverbial Netflix dam burst. Oh, and Chris reveals a cool personal connection to the League of Legends franchise that you'll just have to hear for yourself. For the meat of the episode, we do another retro anime deep dive, but this time with a film that holds some nostalgic significance to both of us, the 1987 cult classic anthology Robot Carnival. We give some historical context to how the project...
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#46-B: Arcane (ft. Ben Reynolds)
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John and Ben do a deep dive into the League of Legends Netflix adaptation that has received widespread praise. And if you ask us, that's entirely deserved, because Arcane is one of those shows that just does everything right. From the unique and incredible animation, to the mature and well-written stories and worldbuilding, to the plot points that left us with our jaws on the floor, Arcane sets a benchmark for video game adaptations and animation as a whole. Spoilers abound, so please watch the show before listening to this. Next episode: Robot Carnival (1987) WE'RE ON...
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#46-A: Astro Boy 2003/Dragon's Heaven (ft. Ben Reynolds)
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Fellow animator and friend of the show Ben Reynolds comes back on to talk with John about cartoons - and keeping in tradition with previous appearances, we're talking niche anime, with a big emphasis on retro. We talk the cool but brief 80s OVA Dragon's Heaven, from its unique art style and bizarre opening to the wild world of anime in the heyday of VHS, and then venture into the recently fansubbed 2003 reboot of the iconic Astro Boy, discussing its amazing visuals, surprisingly thoughtful writing, and the numerous reasons why it came and went in the States compared to other countries....
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#45: Dial Code Santa Claus AKA Deadly Games/Dexter: New Blood/Final Fantasy VII (ft. Dave Roberts)
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Dave Roberts returns for a massive episode covering all sorts of media. We kick off by talking about stuff like Jackass Forever and the state of Bruce Willis's career, John talks revisiting OG Final Fantasy VII with an HD coat of paint via mods, and Dave discusses the Dexter revival miniseries, what it does well, and how he would have gone about certain plot beats differently. For the main topic, John prompts a deep dive into one of his favorite by-chance obscure movie discoveries ever, that being the 1989 French thriller Dial Code Santa Claus, also known as Deadly Games in its American...
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#44: Spider-Man: No Way Home Spoilercast (ft. Patrick Fleury)
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We may be late to the party on this one, but there's no way we're skipping a discussion on this movie. Patrick goes over his personal history with the Spider-Man property, and a deep, spoiler-filled talk of the cultural phenomenon that is the third MCU Spidey film ensues between him and John. From a flip-flopping Sandman to cracking each other's backs to what we can take away from the ending, we cover it all. BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE. John and Patrick have started a separate podcast called Chance of Fleurys, which features more casual conversations on our current pop culture...
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#43: Marvel Disney+ Shows/Shang-Chi (ft. Mia Mcauley)
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This show is no stranger to the MCU, but it's been a hot minute since the Infinity War & Endgame spoilercasts, and even longer since our last dedicated dive into this pop-culture juggernaut. Making her first appearance on the show, John's comrade in fandom Mia helps us catch up with releases beyond Black Widow, both by reflecting on memories of movies past, adjusting to an MCU without T'Challa, and in particular discussing the recent Shang-Chi and what its attention to cultural detail, great casting, and making up for Ben Kingsley's Mandarin mean to Mia as an Asian-American. Afterward, we...
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#42-B: Masters of the Universe: Revelation (ft. Dave Roberts)
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John & Dave journey to Eternia to unpack what we would call the latest version of the He-Man franchise (If not for the fact that a totally separate reboot also came out on Netflix soon after this - what a crazy world we live in). From our personal history with the property and showrunner Kevin Smith, to noting some great worldbuilding and character nuance, to the show being the latest in a long line of things splitting fanbases, there's a lot to discuss. Next episode: Shang-Chi/Marvel Disney+ shows WE'RE ON DISCORD: John's Twitter: Dave's Twitter: John's...
info_outlineOur first podcast recorded in 2017 is also our longest yet, packing in a ton of impressions from John and Chris on many gaming-related topics (And one movie as well). John details his most memorable experiences at the recent gaming convention MAGFest (DAVID WISE!) and dishes out his thoughts on the recent tearjerker fantasy film A Monster Calls, followed by shared impressions of Nintendo's big Switch stream, and thoughts on what we've seen regarding the system and its lineup so far.
Afterwards, we lose our limbs and dive into the kooky, fantastical world of Ubi Soft's long-running Rayman franchise. This includes recalling the series' heyday as a numbered series, its change in direction brought on by the Raving Rabbids, its rebirth as an old-school sidescroller with Origins & Legends, and even touching on the cartoon series you probably didn't know existed. We discuss how fine-tuned the gameplay has become, the one aspect of the older games John misses most, and more Billy West than you'd ever expect.
02:11 - MAGFest 2017
08:44 - A Monster Calls (Spoiler-free review)
23:14 - Nintendo Switch presentation thoughts
46:22 - Rayman retrospective (1, 2, 3, Raving Rabbids, Origins, & Legends)