Nerds Without Pants

Well, here we are at last! It’s the special episode of Nerds Without Pants that no one asked for, but Julian and Justin needed to record. We’re joined by special guest Xavier Kreiger to talk all about Final Fantasy XVI from beginning to end. This is a spoilercast that reveals the ending in the first ten seconds of the show. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. We begin by asking Xavier about his overall thoughts about the game, especially the mechanics since we already covered our thoughts about that at length in the main show over the past few weeks. After that we go through the story point by point. While we’re all pretty down on the story overall we definitely take the time to highlight the moments and characters that really work for us. This is all punctuated with a myriad of clips and songs from the game to drive the bigger points home. We hope you enjoy, because this was a ton of work to put together! Twitter: @NWPcast Email: NWPcast@gmail.com Our theme song “Relax” and interstitial

Well hi there! Friend of the Show John Gholson returns to Nerds Without Pants for a meaty discussion about side quests that hearkens back to the old days of NWP. It’s weird to think about this podcast having “old days”, but when you’ve been doing it for a decade it’s bound to happen. We also talk about SO MANY GAMES (And Baldur’s Gate 3, natch). 00:00 – 24:27 Talkin’ comics with John Gholson 24:38 – 1:45:23 STAGE SELECT: What makes a side quest worth doing? 1:45:33 – 3:08:10 CONSUMPTION JUNCTION: John has played too many games to list here, Elden Ring, Baldur’s Gate 3 is pretty ok 3:08:49 – 3:30:09 VIDEO GAME CAGE MATCH: Castlevania vs Mickey Mania 3:30:19 – 3:39:06 Outro NEXT WEEK: NERDS WITHOUT PANTS SPOILS FINAL FANTASY XIV IN TWO WEEKS: NO STAGE SELECT! VIDEO GAME CAGE MATCH: Code Vein vs Astral Chain SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS BY 7:30 CENTRAL ON 8/25! Twitter: @NWPcast Email: NWPcast@gmail.com Our theme song “Relax”

Welcome to the next Headlines edition of Nerds Without Pants! Julian and Justin are both in holding patterns waiting on bigger games, so this episode has us checking out some different stuff in the meantime, as well as some eclectic news stories that we hope you’ll enjoy. All that, and your emails! 00:00 – 20:57 Parental words of wisdom? 21:29 – 1:32:51 CONSUMPTION JUNCTION: Justin’s new rig, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Double Dragon Gaiden, Final Fantasy IV, Sea of Stars, returning to The Lands Between 1:33:06 – 3:14:43 HEADLINES 3:15:09 – 3:56:57 EMAIL BANANA BOAT and outro Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail announced at the 2023 Fan Fest: https://www.ign.com/articles/dawntrail-officially-announced-as-final-fantasy-14s-fifth-major-expansion Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes delayed to 2024: https://www.gematsu.com/2023/07/eiyuden-chronicle-hundred-heroes-delayed-to-q2-2024 Sunsoft returns, plans to revisit older titles: https://www.ign.com/articles/sunsoft-is-back-to-remind-fans-

Welcome to a Nerds Without Pants episode that’s actually a reasonable length for once! We know our listeners are a bunch of size queens, but you’ll just have to make do as we talk about the games we’re looking forward to the most between now and the end of the year. And some other stuff. 00:00 – 11:54 Shout out to some returning podcast friends 12:24 – 1:03:46 STAGE SELECT: Our top 3 most anticipated games for the rest of 2023 1:05:04 – 1:58:00 CONSUMPTION JUNCTION: Oxenfree II, closing thoughts on Final Fantasy XVI, Punch Club 2, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Arcade Paradise 1:58:36 – 2:11:41 VIDEO GAME CAGE MATCH: Grandia vs Star Ocean Second Story 2:11:50 – 2:21:11 Outro NEXT WEEK: HEADLINES! (Send us some emails!) IN TWO WEEKS: STAGE SELECT: Tell us what makes a side quest worth completing in your opinion VIDEO GAME CAGE MATCH: Castlevania vs Mickey Mania SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS BY 7:30 CENTRAL ON 8/11 TO BE ON THE SHOW FEATURED MUSIC: Theme From Jurassic Park- Joh

 It's a Headlines edition of Nerds Without Pants, coming in hot, because Julian feels like death warmed over. Enjoy! 00:00 – 13:07 Ice cream so good! 13:42 – 1:31:30 CONSUMPTION JUNCTION: Final Fantasy XVI, Oxenfree II, Harmony: The Fall of Reverie, Justin pulling the trigger, Hajime no Ippo, Mel Brooks, Danganronpa V3 (MAJOR DANGANRONPA SERIES SPOILERS FROM 1:12:47 to 1:31:30!) 1:31:43 – 2:45:59 HEADLINES! 87% Missing: The Disappearance of Classic Video Games https://gamehistory.org/87percent/ Antstream Arcade announced and released for Xbox: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz7dF1dGakY Major Nelson leaves Xbox after 20 years: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/xboxs-major-nelson-leaves-after-20-years YouTuber Yong Yea cast as Kiryu in upcoming Like a Dragon games: https://gamingbolt.com/like-a-dragon-gaiden-and-infinite-wealth-star-youtuber-yong-yea-as-the-english-voice-of-kazuma-kiryu 2:46:25 – 3:03:13 EMAIL BANANA BOAT and outro NEXT EPISODE STAGE SELECT: What are the top 3 games yo

 Hey, welcome back to Nerds Without Pants! Not a lot of time for show notes this time, so please enjoy the show! We, uh, talk about some video games and such.   00:00 – 16:14 AITA? 16:26 – 1:37:17 STAGE SELECT: Tell us something you’re excited about. Now tell us how it will be ruined. 1:37:27 – 2:42:40 CONSUMPTION JUNCTION: Street Fighter 6 for kids, Ghost Trick, Final Fantasy XVI, Danganronpa V3, Baldur’s Gate III 2:43:17 – 2:59:20 VIDEO GAME CAGE MATCH: Blades of Steel vs Eggs of Steel: Charlie’s Eggcellent Adventure 2:59:20 – 3:08:30 Outro NEXT EPISODE: HEADLINES! (SEND US EMAILS) IN TWO WEEKS: STAGE SELECT: What are the three games you’re most excited for between now and the end of the year? VIDEO GAME CAGE MATCH: Star Ocean: Second Story vs Grandia SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS BY 7:30 CENTRAL ON 7/28!    

Welcome to another jam-packed edition of Nerds Without Pants! This week, we sweat the small stuff and talk about our favorite little details in video games, as well as a lot of AEW Fight Forever and Final Fantasy XVI. Yep, MORE Final Fantasy XVI. 00:00 – 16:47 The Grimace shake 16:56 – 1:50:08 STAGE SELECT: Our favorite little details in video games 1:50:19 – 3:22:29 CONSUMPTION JUNCTION: AEW Fight Forever, Final Fantasy XVI 3:23:05 – 3:45:08 VIDEO GAME CAGE MATCH: Elite Dangerous vs No Man’s Sky 3:45:18 – 3:50:36 Outro NEXT WEEK: NOTHING! We’re taking a week off. IN TWO WEEKS: STAGE SELECT: Tell us something in video games you’re really excited about…and then tell us how they could screw it up. Cynical hats on! VIDEO GAME CAGE MATCH: Blades of Steel vs Eggs of Steel: Charlie’s Eggcellent Adventure SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS BY 7:30 CENTRAL ON 7/14 TO BE ON THE SHOW! Twitter: @NWPcast Email: NWPcast@gmail.com Our theme song “Relax” and in

Welcome to a big edition of Nerds Without Pants! It’s a slow news week, but that’s okay, because we have a lot to say about Final Fantasy XVI, and a good amount of emails. Enjoy! CONSUMPTION JUNCTION: Final Fantasy XVI (no spoilers), F1 23, Street Fighter 6, Exo Primal HEADLINES: Microsoft says that we need to accept 5 year dev cycles/Sony skipping Gamescom, Nintendo Direct June 2023 NEXT EPISODE: STAGE SELECT: What are some of your favorite little details in video games? VIDEO GAME CAGE MATCH: Elite Dangerous vs No Man’s Sky SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS BY 7:30 ON 6/30! Twitter: @NWPcast Email: NWPcast@gmail.com Our theme song “Relax” and interstitial tracks “To the Maxx” and “Moody Grooves” are written and performed by Megan McDuffee.  

Nerds Without Pants is back, and we brought a guest! Matt Jorgenson, long-time listener, joins us for the first time to talk about his video game origin story, some board games, and some of his gaming sense-memory. All that and much, much more await you! 00:00 – 10:44 Getting to know Matt 10:55 – 1:06:46 STAGE SELECT: What are some gaming things that live in your head rent-free? 1:06:57 – 3:08:19 CONSUMPTION JUNCTION: Matt’s video game secret origin, some of his recent game completions, board games, Justin falling off of Diablo IV, Street Fighter 6, and Tears of the Kingdom in one week, Julian quitting Final Fantasy XIV, Final Fantasy XVI demo 3:08:59 – 3:38:57 VIDEO GAME CAGE MATCH: Monster Rancher vs Pokemon Yellow 3:39:06 – 3:52:48 Outro and Outtakes NEXT EPISODE: HEADLINES! IN TWO WEEKS: STAGE SELECT: What are some of your favorite little details in video games? VIDEO GAME CAGE MATCH: Elite Dangerous vs No Man’s Sky SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS BY 7:30 ON 6/30! Listen to

Welcome to a jam-packed Headlines edition of Nerds Without Pants! It’s Not-E3 season, and we have a lot to say about the Summer Games Fest, as well as some other news stories and quite a bit more about Street Fighter 6. CONSUMPTION JUNCTION: Super Mega Baseball 4, To Hell With the Ugly, Shadowrun Returns, Alone in the Dark, Street Fighter 6, Fortnite (yes, Fortnite!) HEADLINES: Lord of the Rings: Gollum dev issues apology after disastrous launch: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-lord-of-the-rings-gollum-dev-apologizes-for-games-poor-launch-promises-fixes/1100-6514602/ Redfall had so many problems the team hoped that Xbox would cancel it: https://www.ign.com/articles/redfalls-development-was-reportedly-so-troubled-that-devs-hoped-microsoft-would-cancel-it Square Enix panicking over Final Fantasy XVI preorder numbers: https://gamerant.com/final-fantasy-16-pre-orders-bad-square-enix-panic-ff15-ff7-rebirth/ Persona 3 remake and Persona 5 Tactics leak ahead of the Xbox presentation: https://www.gamespot

Welcome to a victorious edition of Nerds Without Pants! JD returns after many, MANY years away to hit the streets for the launch of Street Fighter 6. But before that we brainstorm some video game sequels and spinoffs. Enjoy! 00:00 – 10:57 Spelling bee 11:09 – 1:32:17 STAGE SELECT: Dreaming up sequels and spinoffs 1:32:26 – 3:23:41 CONSUMPTION JUNCTION: Catching up with JD, the trials and tribulations of video game QA, STREET FIGHTER 6 3:24:18 – 3:37:31 VIDEO GAME CAGE MATCH: NASCAR Heat vs Winter Heat 3:37:40 – 3:49:40 Outro and outtakes NEXT EPISODE: HEADLINES! IN TWO WEEKS: STAGE SELECT: What are some gaming phrases or thoughts that always pop into your head? VIDEO GAME CAGE MATCH: Monster Rancher vs Pokemon Yellow SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS BY 7:30 CENTRAL ON 6/16! Check out JD on Power Rangers Academia! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMLb0WN2Y1RnEh_vNcSAPrg   Twitter: @NWPcast Email: NWPcast@gmail.com Our theme song “Relax” and interstitial tracks “To

Welcome to a jam-packed Headlines edition of Nerds Without Pants! It’s time to kick off “The-Artist-Formerly-Known-as-E3” season, starting with Sony’s big PlayStation Showcase! It sure was…something. Something that we’ll talk about. Please be excited for it. PLEASE. In Consumption Junction we have more Tears of the Kingdom, a little of the Street Fighter 6 open beta, and Shadowrun Returns. See below for the stories we covered: The announcement and reveal of Mortal Kombat 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIzef_9kk4A Overwatch 2 cancels a big part of their PVE content: https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/19/23730369/overwatch-2-pve-hero-mode-cancellation Sony PlayStation Showcase 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4EKydVVvHk Naughty Dog delays Last of Us multiplayer game, teases new single player title: https://www.theverge.com/23735862/naughty-dog-new-single-player-game-multiplayer NEXT EPISODE: STAGE SELECT: Come up with your idea for a sequel or spinoff to an existing f

Welcome to a wacky episode of Nerds Without Pants! In this episode, we decide the 1998 GotY list because, well…why not? Then we talk a whole mess of games before pitting Shaq vs Kobe in the steel cage! 00:00 – 15:20 Fast food 15:32 – 2:49:17 STAGE SELECT: 1998 Game of the Year Deliberations 2:49:28 – 4:02:58 CONSUMPTION JUNCTION: Tears of the Kingdom, Diablo IV Server Slam, Age of Wonders IV, Binary Domain, SF 6 beta 4:03:37 – 4:18:50 VIDEO GAME CAGE MATCH: Shaq Fu vs Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside 4:18:58 – 4:28:06 Outro and outtakes NEXT EPISODE: Headlines! IN TWO WEEKS: STAGE SELECT: Give us your idea for a sequel or a spinoff to an existing game series VIDEO GAME CAGE MATCH: NASCAR Heat vs Winter Heat SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS BY 7:30 CENTRAL ON 6/2!   Giant Bomb GotY 2013 Theme by Andrew Allen Twitter: @NWPcast Email: NWPcast@gmail.com Our theme song “Relax” and interstitial tracks “To the Maxx” and “Moody Grooves” are written an

This episode of Nerds Without Pants is coming in a wee late, but we think you’ll dig it! We start with Headlines, and close the segment with a beefy discussion about Xbox: where it’s been, where it’s at, and where it’s going. Headlines: Street Fighter 6 open beta from May 19-21: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjsAsj1IPcM   Rumors of a remake announcement for Metal Gear Solid 3 persist: https://gameranx.com/updates/id/465854/article/metal-gear-solid-3-remake-could-be-multiplatform/   70 dollar pricepoint resulting in fewer game sales??!! https://www.tweaktown.com/news/91257/new-69-99-price-may-negatively-impact-ps5-game-unit-sales-data-suggests/index.html   Phil Spencer on Kinda Funny Games and the big Xbox talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_Kbi4ZIIxg   Twitter: @NWPcast Email: NWPcast@gmail.com Our theme song “Relax” and interstitial tracks “To the Maxx” and “Moody Grooves” are written and performed by Megan McDuff

Welcome back to Nerds Without Pants! This week, we shout out some of our favorite women in games, be they characters, developers, content creators, and more. Then we talk about a couple bad games and a couple better games before pitting Zelda against Dragon Quest in a cage match. 00:00 – 07:46 Julian’s bad mood 07:56 – 2:04:01 STAGE SELECT: Favorite women in video games 2:04:10 – 3:10:39 CONSUMPTION JUNCTION: The Last Case of Benedict Fox, not playing Redfall, LARPing in Vampire: The Masquerade, Final Fantasy II Pixel Remaster, Final Fantasy III Pixel Remaster 3:11:16 – 3:31:27 VIDEO GAME CAGE MATCH: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild vs Dragon Quest XI 3:31:36 – 3:41:13 Outro and outtakes NEXT EPISODE: HEADLINES! IN TWO WEEKS: STAGE SELECT: We’re deliberating Game of the Year for 1998! Give us your nominations and let us know why you think they belong in the discussion. We will whittle down the nominations to 5 games, and then put them in an ordered list based o

Welcome to a decidedly NOT special episode of Nerds Without Pants, despite what the episode number may tell you. We’ve got some fun headlines and some deep discussion about a couple of games, so we hope you enjoy! 00:00 – 07:00 Being in a good mood feels bad 07:36 – 1:33:49 CONSUMPTION JUNCTION: Coffee Talk Episode 2, Final Fantasy (pixel remaster), closing thoughts on Octopath Traveler II 1:34:04 – 3:00:26 HEADLINES: Inside a massive Eve Online heist: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/04/when-a-plan-comes-together-inside-a-massive-eve-online-corporate-heist/   Interview with Shuhei Yoshida: “We cancel so many games”: https://www.theguardian.com/games/2023/apr/24/shuhei-yoshida-playstation-video-games-sony-bafta-fellowship-award?CMP=share_btn_tw   The trailer for Unrecord goes viral: https://www.axios.com/2023/04/25/unrecord-trailer-bodycam-studio-drama-columbine   Remedy investor call says Alan Wake 2 is on track for 2023: https://www.gameshub.com/news/new

Welcome to a special Nerds Without Pants! Eric Peacock from the Soundtracker Podcast joins us for the first time to talk about pretty video game music, his video game origin story, and much, much more! 00:00 – 26:35 Pabloism, the Soundtracker Podcast 26:47 – 3:33:50 STAGE SELECT: Songs from video games you think are pretty 3:34:01 – 4:43:06 CONSUMPTION JUNCTION: Eric’s secret origin, Resident Evil 4 remake, Hitman’s Freelancer mode, Forspoken, Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, Street Fighter 6 demo 4:43:45 – 5:08:54 VIDEO GAME CAGE MATCH: Kartia: World of Fate vs Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure (and outro) NEXT WEEK: HEADLINES! IN TWO WEEKS: STAGE SELECT: Who are some of your favorite women in video games? Can be characters, developers, writers, content creators, go nuts! VIDEO GAME CAGE MATCH: Dragon Quest XI vs The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS BY 7:30 CENTRAL ON 5/5 TO BE ON THE SHOW! Find Soundtracker here: https://open.spotify.com/show/4C8paGqzKMkl

Welcome to a (relatively) short news edition of Nerds Without Pants! Julian was on vacation when we recorded this, and is still in “away” mode as this goes up, so please excuse the brief show notes this week HEADLINES: PSVR 2 sales are way lower than Sony projected: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-30/sony-psvr2-headset-off-to-slow-start-as-metaverse-push-sputters#xj4y7vzkg?leadSource=uverify%20wall   Super Mario Bros. shatters box office records: https://variety.com/2023/film/news/super-mario-bros-movie-box-office-biggest-video-game-adaptation-ever-1235583559/   The Final Fantasy XVI State of Play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfP_3UD5qF8   Suicide Squad Kills the Justice League delayed (again): https://www.gameinformer.com/2023/04/13/suicide-squad-kill-the-justice-league-delayed-to-february   Twitter: @NWPcast Email: NWPcast@gmail.com Our theme song “Relax” and interstitial tracks “To the Maxx” and “Moody Grooves” are

I know what you’re thinking: Why is this episode of Nerds Without Pants over 5 hours long? Well, we had Mike Fallek on, so you do the math. 00:00 – 14:32 Typhoid Mary 14:40 – 3:01:33 STAGE SELECT: What are some of your favorite video game demos? 3:01:42 – 4:40:25 CONSUMPTION JUNCTION: Progress on Poultrygeist, darn near every video game Mike has played since the last time he was on, including (but not limited to): Heavy Rain, Mortal Shell, Metal Hellsinger, and Death Stranding. Julian saw the Super Mario Bros. Movie and has things to say about it. 4:41:04 – 5:07:21 VIDEO GAME CAGE MATCH: Super Mario Sunshine vs Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball 5:07:30 – 5:19:39 Outro and outtakes NEXT EPISODE: HEADLINES! IN TWO WEEKS: STAGE SELECT: Give us a video game song that you think is pretty VIDEO GAME CAGE MATCH: Kartia: The Word of Fate (PSX) vs Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure (PSX) SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS BY 7:30 CENTRAL ON 4/21 TO BE ON THE SHOW! Twitter: @NWPcast Email: NWP

Welcome to the next news edition of Nerds Without Pants! This week, we say a LOT about very little, hit some headlines that you may have missed on other shows, and close things out with email! 00:00 – 15:20 Boats 15:20 – 1:45:23 CONSUMPTION JUNCTION: TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection, final thoughts on the Diablo IV open beta, Octopath Traveller II, Resident Evil 4 remake 1:45:36 – 3:11:59 HEADLINES A game based on The Last Ronin is announced: https://www.polygon.com/23645176/tmnt-last-ronin-video-game-graphic-novel-ninja-turtles Lego 2K Drive announced: https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/23/23653017/lego-2k-drive-open-world-racing-game-release-date-news-features-price State of Unreal 2023 GDC presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akIqVM0gh4w Ubisoft announces that they will implement an AI “ghostwriter” : https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/22/ubisofts-new-ai-tool-automatically-generates-dialogue-for-non-playable-game-characters/ And more! 3:12:25 – 3:42:17 Email banana boat