Welcome back to the Frantic Nerdcast! On this episode, the boys break down all things pop culture, MCU, horror movies, and TCG collecting. First up, we tackle Spider-Man, diving deep into our review, character development, and hidden Easter eggs. Then, we react to the massive D23 announcements, including the official X-Men cast (Sadie Sink, Adam Driver, Samara Weaving, Kit Connor), the insane Avengers: Doomsday trailer breakdown, Vision Quest updates, and controversial news like 3D Bluey and Frozen 3. Later, we review Blumhouse's latest horror hit Obsession directed by Curry Barker, touch on new TV shows like Reacher and Lanterns, and sit down with special guest Viking's Collectibles! We talk about card shows, eating spicy peppers for pack openings, and his awesome Squirtle Squad charity binder raising funds for breast cancer research. Viking Collects - https://www.instagram.com/viking__collects/ Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro & Spider-Man Review 08:26 - D23 News: MCU X-Men Cast Announced 17:26 - Avengers: Doomsday Trailer & Vision Quest 24:30 - Disney, Pixar & Bluey Movie News 28:26 - TV Corner: Reacher, Lanterns & Ted Lasso 36:19 - Guest Interview: Viking's Collectibles (Card Shows & Charity Binder) 54:12 - Horror Movie Breakdown: Obsession (2024) 01:05:43 - The Longest Day Golf Charity & Outro

Welcome to episode 121 of the Frantic Nerdcast! We're down a host (missing Zach), so AJ and Brock are taking a slightly more "casual" approach this week—even if AJ's intro voice threw everyone off! In this episode, we dive deep into a FULL SPOILER REVIEW of 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day'. We break down the arachnid hormone mechanics, the Jean Grey reveal, the Hulk/Frank Castle dynamics, and how this sets up Weapon X, mutant inhibitor collars, and Secret Wars! We also discuss: • AJ’s resin 3D printing disaster and recovery • Updates on our in-development skirmish game, Rift Chaos • Board Game of the Week: The rare Japanese-only 'Deck Build Gundam' • Movie & TV Chat: 'Big Bad' (Save the Green Planet remake), 'The Dink' (pickleball comedy), 'Lucky', and 'Ted Lasso' Season 4 • TCG Tuesday spotlight on WIXOSS • Big news: We got MEDIA PASSES for PAX Australia!

The boys are back for Episode 120, coming to you in full monochromatic green style! 🟢 This week, we’re opening up with some high-stakes local bin chat before diving straight into the big pop culture releases.

We give our initial (mostly!) spoiler-free thoughts on Spider-Man: Brand New Day—is it truly the best MCU Spider-Man movie yet? We also dive into Ryan Murphy's The Beauty (and how it compares to the graphic novel), Netflix’s The Boroughs, Peacemaker Season 2, a nostalgic Mortal Kombat marathon, and early impressions of Silo Season 3.

Plus, Brock gets put on the hot seat for a blind Dragon Ball Z Character Ranking, we highlight how to play our game Monsters at War, cover huge news in the TCG and tabletop world (Universes 40k, PAX Aus, and Ready Player Two), and share details on an incredible community FU Cancer fundraiser.

We are shaking up the schedule this week with an early Tuesday recording because Thursday is reserved for Spider-Man: Brand New Day!

In this jam-packed episode, the boys dive into their early impressions of Palworld 1.0, recent progress on Diddy Kong Racing, and a fresh playtest report for our upcoming 3D printable skirmish game, Rift Chaos! Plus, we break down Christopher Nolan’s epic three-hour film The Odyssey, jump into Horus Heresy book chatter, and discuss big news for Dungeon Crawler Carl.

Finally, we react to all the massive SDCC drops—from Marvel’s big Avengers and Ghost Rider reveals to DC’s Lanterns, Blade Runner 2099, and the spoof-filled Spaceballs Cinematic Universe plan!

Head over to franticnerdcast.com to grab our card games or check out the latest miniatures! Stay Frantic!

We are officially back and fully legal to drink again for Episode 118! This week, the boys break down the internet-breaking trailer for Avengers: Doomsday. We discuss Gambit taking on Shang-Chi, comic-accurate Mystique, Thor's ominous warnings about Doom, and how Secret Wars is being set up.

Later, AJ takes on a blind ranking challenge of classic board games (Ticket to Ride, Wingspan, Carcassonne, and Game of Thrones), and we give an in-depth review of Stonemaier Games' asymmetrical standalone game, Duel of Meloch.

The lads are back for another rambling journey through the chaotic world of nerd culture. In Episode 117, Zachary recounts his trip to the brand-new Grindzone TCG brick-and-mortar storefront in Brookvale before the conversation shifts to the corporate blunder of the week: EB Games. The guys break down the retailer's baffling statement defending their inflated Pokémon 30th Anniversary pre-order prices as an "anti-scalping strategy".

Following a tragic, sudden loss in the local acting community, the crew pays tribute to the iconic New Zealander (whom Australia proudly claims), Sam Neill, sharing their ultimate favorite performances from Event Horizon to Merlin.

Finally, things get dark and moody as the team unloads a massive list of the most shocking, heartbreaking fictional deaths across pop culture history. Whether it's the heartbreaking exit of Gambit in X-Men '97, the traumatic execution of Ned Stark, the ultimate anime tragedy of Nina Tucker, or the brutal loss of Dom in Gears of War, no tear duct is left safe.

They wrap things up with quick thoughts on Enola Holmes 3, the Legally Blonde prequel series Elle, Absolute Batman, and a highly controversial debate comparing Heath Ledger's roles in A Knight's Tale and The Dark Knight.

To grab your physical copy of Monsters at War for $25 AUD, hit up [email protected], and don't forget to join the community on the official Discord!

The boys are back for Episode 116, and Zach is kicking things off with a massive rant about the absolute disaster that was the Pokémon 30th Anniversary pre-order drop. From major Australian retailers testing the waters with scalper-level pricing to website crashes forcing collectors to check out one item at a time, it was a total mess.

Once the rage settles, the guys dive into a massive pop culture breakdown. They dissect the new Dune Part 3 trailer, theorizing on how the film will blend Dune Messiah and Children of Dune, before pivoting to the anime world to discuss the insane premise of Zombie Land Saga and the upcoming One Piece remake. The crew also reviews the new Supergirl movie, hits a frustrating storytelling wall in their Smallville rewatch, breaks down The Legend of Vox Machina season 3 finale, and chats about the latest updates to Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Wrap it all up with a lightning round of geek news—including a Lego Dragon Ball Z leak, a bizarre Fallout reality show announcement, and a massive anime piracy bust—plus updates on their own card game, Monsters at War.

In Episode 115, the boys sit down to rant about the state of next-gen gaming and celebrate the golden era of cinema.

We kick things off by venting our frustrations over Sony and the push toward disc-less, all-digital consoles. Between inflated store prices, mandatory multi-gigabyte day-one updates, and upcoming AI-driven hardware shortages, are modern consoles shooting themselves in the foot? We break down why the plug-and-play magic of old consoles is officially dead.

Next, we open up the vault for a massive nostalgia trip through the best (and most obscure) movies of the 80s and 90s. We bypass the massive blockbusters to highlight the cult classics that defined our youth—ranging from The Mighty Ducks trilogy, The Sandlot, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert, to left-field horror-comedies like Idle Hands and Puppet Master 4.

Plus, we celebrate some massive wins for the Monsters of War universe, give a shoutout to our mates at Grindzone TCG in Sydney, and check in on AJ's elusive fifth canvas.

Want to play our home-grown card game? Order your copy of Monsters of War for $25 AUD by emailing [email protected].

With Brock out traveling the wilderness this week, the dynamic duo teams up to deliver a jam-packed episode of nerdy deep dives. The guys kick things off with a countdown to PAX Australia before losing their minds over Stonemaier Games' newly announced title, Duel of Melok—an ambitious asymmetrical game allowing Scythe and Expeditions systems to battle head-to-head.

Then, they step into the designer shoes to pitch how iconic anime IPs like Dr. Stone and One Piece could naturally fit complex resource management and dungeon-crawling board game systems without just being cheap reskins. Finally, they step into the screening room for a massive retro discussion on the greatest animated feature films that have absolutely zero affiliation with Disney or Pixar. They cover everything from the brutal heartbreak of The Land Before Time and the legendary rock soundtrack of the original Transformers movie to absolute anime milestones like Akira, Ninja Scroll, and Evangelion.

Plus, get an update on Zach’s Diddy Kong Racing streams and find out how you can buy the crew's homegrown tabletop game, Monsters at War!

In this episode we chat, Masters of the Universe, Mortal Kombat II, Michael, Send Help, Pokemon Giveaway and much much more.