MacStories Unwind

This week, Federico and John share their favorite videogames of 2025.

Also available on YouTube here.

This episode is sponsored by:

• Sequel – Track Now. Enjoy Later.

Links and Show Notes

2025's Best Videogames

• Federico's Backlog:
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Hades II
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Despelote
• Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
• FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles
• John's Backlog:
• Metroid Prime 4
• Hades II
• Dispatch
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
• Unbeatable
• Federico's Top Games:
• Mario Kart World
• Megabonk
• Ball x Pit
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Donkey Kong Bananza
• Federico's No. 1 Game:
• Metroid Prime 4
• John's Top Games:
• Ball x Pit
• Mario Kart World
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Sektori
• John's No. 1 Game:
• Donkey Kong Bananza

Unwind Deal

🕹️🌐⚡️ Catch up on the Tron universe with all three movies for just $39.97 in the TV app. Enjoy three neon-soaked sci-fi adventures where humans get pulled into a digital world of deadly games, rogue programs, and high-speed light cycles.

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This week, Federico and John share their favorite TV shows and movies of 2025.

Also available on YouTube here.

This episode is sponsored by:

• Sequel – Track Now. Enjoy Later.

Links and Show Notes

2025's Best Movies and TV Shows

• John's Movie Pick:
• Fantastic Four: First Steps
• Thunderbolts
• Alien Romulus
• Federico's Picks:
• Pre–2025 Shows:
• Friends
• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
• 2025 Releases:
• Running Point
• Nobody Wants This
• Severance on Apple TV
• Hacks
• John's TV Picks:
• Task
• Slow Horses on Apple TV
• Say Nothing
• The book
• The audiobook

Unwind Deal

Today's Apple's Holiday Box Set of the Day is a great one: Buffy the Vampire Slayer for just $14.99.

A teenage girl secretly battles vampires and other monsters while trying to survive high school and growing up.

If you've never watched Buffy, it's worth checking out or revisiting if you've already seen it.

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This week, the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, Federico is curious about American TV and has a TV pick, while John follows up on a couple of TV shows and other media he's looking forward to in the coming weeks.

Also available on YouTube here.

Links and Show Notes

U.S. TV Affiliate System

• Wikipedia

Picks

• Federico's Pick:
• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
• John's Follow Up Picks and Upcoming Media Plans:
• The Last Frontier and Loot - both on Apple TV
• Stranger Things
• Brooklyn Nine-Nine rewatch
• Metroid Prime 4

Unwind Deal

• Star Trek: The Next Generation Boxed Set

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This week, Federico and John explore tech nostalgia and the importance of tech history before picking a new TV series and music artist.

Also available on YouTube here.

Links and Show Notes

Tech Nostalgia Versus Tech History

• NPC: Next Portable Console, GameCube To Go

Picks

• John's Pick:
• Down Cemetery Road on Apple TV
• Federico's Pick:
• American Motor Sports (420 CC Edition) by Bilmuri

Unwind Deal

• John's Favorite Christmas Movies (It's early, I know, but there are some great deals right now.)
• Classics
• White Christmas
• It's A Wonderful Life
• Comedy
• Christmas Vacation
• A Christmas Story
• Wait, That's a Christmas Movie:
• Die Hard
• Trading Places
• So Bad It's Good
• Hot Frosty on Netflix
• 8-Bit Christmas

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This week, John shares how he plans weekend activities with Instagram and Apple Maps, Federico tests dictation apps, and both share their first impressions of the new Apple TV show Pluribus.

Also available on YouTube here.

Links and Show Notes

John's Weekend Excursion Workflow

• Instagram + Apple Maps Guides and the beta Places You've Been feature

Federico's Dictation App Experiments

• Drafts
• Wispr Flow
• Raycast for iOS

Joint Pick

• Pluribus on Apple TV

Unwind Deal

• Dunkirk is just $7.99 in the TV app

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This week, Ticci Ticci jump scare videos, a seafood feast and Federico's latest fixation: X Factor Italy 2025. Plus, the return of a favorite Netflix rom-com series and an Apple TV comedy, and, of course, a special show-notes-only Unwind deal.

Also available on YouTube here.

Links and Show Notes

Unplugged Segment

• X-Factor Italy
• Piercesare Fagioli | 'Die with a smile' | Esibizione Bootcamp | X Factor 2025
• Piercesare Fagioli canta "Chandelier" di SIA | X Factor 2025 Audizioni 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm_W4N0npo0&list=RDqm_W4N0npo0&start_radio=1

Picks

• Federico's Pick:
• Nobody Wants This, Season 2 on Netflix
• John's Pick:
• Loot, Season 3 on Apple TV

Unwind Deals

With Vince Gilligan's Pluribus debuting on Apple TV this week, Apple has great deals on two of his other shows:

• Breaking Bad: The Complete Season is just $29.99 in the TV app
• Better Call Saul is on sale for $29.99 in the TV app, too.

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This week, John explains why Notion is finally working for him, after which he and Federico share new Apple TV series and videogame picks. Plus, two Unwind deal picks.

Also available on YouTube here.

Links and Show Notes

Unplugged Segment

Picks

• Federico's Pick:
• Pokémon Legends: Z-A
• Available from:
• Nintendo
• Amazon
• John's Pick:
• The Last Frontier on Apple TV

Unwind Deal

• The Big Lebowski is just $4.99.
• 🎳🥛🕶️ A laid-back slacker gets dragged into a chaotic kidnapping caper after a case of mistaken identity.
• The Northman is $9.99 in the TV app.
• ⚔️🩸🌋 A Viking prince pursues a savage blood oath through myth and fire.

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Links and Show Notes

Notion Daily Notes

• Notion

AI Browsers

• OpenAI Atlas
• Perplexity Comet
• Dia
• Deta Surf
• Microsoft Edge
• Strawberry
• Also mentioned
• Helium
• Vivaldi

Picks

• No picks this week. We'll have a couple for everyone next week.

Unwind Deal

• Blair Witch Project is $4.99 in the TV app
• 20 Days Later is $7.99 in the TV app

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This week, weekend outings and the chores we wish robots could do for us, plus Federico shares an anti-pick, and John is hooked on a gritty crime drama.

Also available on YouTube here.

Links and Show Notes

Unplugged Segment

• Greenville, South Carolina Fall Festival
• Narwhal Freo X10 Pro robot mop and vaccuum

Picks

• Federico's Anti-Pick:
• The Residence on Netflix
• John's Pick:
• Task on HBO Max

Unwind Deal

• Looper, a time-jumping mob movie, is just $4.99 in the TV app

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This week, John stumbles upon a restaurant with a thing for the Italian navy, Federico explores the Final Fantasy Tactics remake, and John has a movie pick.

Also available on YouTube here.

Links and Show Notes

Unplugged Segment

John visits Florence, which is decorated with the

Picks

• Federico's Pick:
• Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles
• John's Pick:
• The Lost Bus on Apple TV+

Unwind Deal

In honor of the release of Tron Ares…

• Tron
• Tron Legacy

…both just $4.99 in the TV app

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