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Sword Club

Sword Club

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:

  • All-New, All-Same” (29 June 2018): Where Andrew and D. Bethel discuss the angry internet’s attempt to “destroy” Lucasfilm following the release of The Last Jedi and Solo: A Star Wars Story.
  • Empty Justice” (01 March 2019): Where our hosts talk about internet trolls trying to review bomb Captain Marvel ahead of its release.

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Drive Your Gorilla

Drive Your Gorilla

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. Andrew 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:

  • Shortcast 57 – Fair Point, Dude” (01 June 2018): Where D. Bethel talks about the Super Nt, a Super NES clone made by Analogue.
  • For Great Justice” (19 February 2021): Where Andrew & D. Bethel discuss the video game, Six Days in Fallujah, and the discourse around tweets made by developer Rami Ismail.
  • I Am the State” (26 February 2021): Where our hosts discuss Nintendo’s continued neglect of the Metroid franchise.
  • Films in Quarries” (18 June 2021): Where D. Bethel gets excited at the announcement of Metroid: Dread.

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I Am The State

I Am The State

LOST IN ZEBES: With a lot of internet chatter focusing on the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda‘s 1986 release, it made D. Bethel upset because another major Nintendo franchise was also released that year that nobody––much less Nintendo itself––seems that interested in celebrating, the weird, wonderful Metroid. D. Bethel talks with Andrew to see why this game and the series it spawned never gained the legs and legacy of Nintendo’s bigger franchises.

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Too Many Johnnies

Too Many Johnnies

BETTER THAN IT SHOULD BE: After a lot of build up and expectation, Andrew and D. Bethel finally get together to record an episode about former YouTube/current Netflix show, Cobra Kai.

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RELEVANT EPISODES:

  • Shortcast 54 – Cameo Train” (11 May 2018): Included for no reason except for the fact that the phrase “cameo train” was used in this episode.
  • Dad Talk” (18 September 2020): Where Andrew first talked about watching Cobra Kai and watching the first The Karate Kid film.
  • Chekhov’s Honk” (22 January 2021): Where Andrew and D. Bethel discuss the original The Karate Kid trilogy of films and how they influence Cobra Kai, briefly.

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FEATURED MUSIC:

  • “Nerd Law” by D. Bethel

Chekhov’s Honk

Chekhov’s Honk

YOU’RE THE BEST: With Cobra Kai recently releasing its third season, many viewers have been inspired to watch (or rewatch) the original The Karate Kid films. Two of those folks happen to be our humble hosts. As a prelude to an eventual discussion about Cobra Kai, Andrew and D. Bethel discuss The Karate Kid, The Karate Kid Part 2, and (briefly) The Karate Kid Part 3.

Crunchyroll - Forum - What would you say/do if you woke up lying next to  the above - Page 1382

RELEVANT LINKS:

RELEVANT EPISODES:

  • Dad Talk” (18 September 2020): Where Andrew previously talked about Cobra Kai and watching, for the first time The Karate Kid.
  • Weekend Ramboing” (04 December 2020): Where D. Bethel sounds off about how superhero movies should do more to break the mold.

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Con Artists #06 – Tickets & Tables

Con Artists #06 – Tickets & Tables

As the pandemic rages on, more and more independent artists are left figuring out how to manage their careers in the absence of in-person events, specifically exhibiting at conventions.

The pandemic is also a time for reflection. As the big conventions struggle to give fans some semblance of the con experience through digital-only replacements, independent comickers D. Bethel (of the webcomic, Long John) and Kyrun Silva (of Taurus Comics) come together to discuss the difference in experiences, expectations, and realities of what going to a convention means for fans versus what it means to creators and how the chasm between the two experiences may be larger than they thought.

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Duck Law

Duck Law

LET’S GET DANGEROUS: With the genius resurgence of Ducktales on Disney XD, fans around the world were delighted with the introduction of another Disney Afternoon fan favorite, Darkwing Duck, into the series during the second season. For the third season’s mid-season premiere, Disney released an hour-long Darkwing Duck-focused episode that delighted Andrew––who has watched all of the rebooted Ducktales so far––and D. Bethel––who has only seen a few scattered episodes. They discuss how the episode looks forward, looks backward, and looks inward in one of the most clever episodes of television either have seen in a long while.

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Wet Shirt Feels

Wet Shirt Feels

WEEK IN GEEK: Andrew plays Ultima (a.k.a. Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness) in the hopes of reverse engineering it so he can build his own browser game while D. Bethel is genuinely surprised by the depth and charm of Sabotage Studio’s action/platformer/exploration game, The Messenger.

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RELEVANT EPISODES:

  • Shortcast 67 – Baguettevania (24 Aug. 2018): Where the metroidvania rogue-like game, Dead Cells, was discussed.
  • Episode 159 – Toxic Delivery Mechansim (12 Oct. 2018): Where Andrew discusses the metroidvania, Timespinners, which very much wears its devotion to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, on its sleeve.
  • Plants Having Sex (19 April 2019): Where Andrew first stepped into the open world mysteries of No Man’s Sky.
  • Good Gamefeel (28 June 2019): Where D. and Andrew spend the episode talking about the metroidvania glory of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.

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Our Secrets on Record

Our Secrets on Record

STILL STRANGE: This week, Andrew and D. Bethel examine what impressed––and what impressed less––them about the recently released season 3 of the Netflix hit, Stranger Things.

RELEVANT LINKS:

  • “Hopper, P.I.” (edited by Eddie Spuhghetti) The greatest meme to come out of Stranger Things, season 3:

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Biker Earthquake

Biker Earthquake

WEEK IN GEEK: Andrew takes a step further into Image & Form Games’ Steamworld, uh, world with their newest entry, Steamworld Quest. D. Bethel dusts off his bushido and patience as he’s both impressed and slightly confused by SNK’s reboot of their classic franchise, Samurai Shodown [sic].

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