The Ringer-Verse

Ben saddles up on Epona (and his Skyborne Galestrider) to cover a couple of classics that just got fresh coats of paint, ponder the nature of nostalgia, and discuss how to update games that don't leave a lot of room for improvement. First, Ben and Polygon's Giovanni Colantonio review Nintendo's new Switch 2 remake of the all-time great adventure 'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.' Then, Gio's Polygon colleague Oli Welsh joins to break down the post-'Ocarina,' pre–'GTA VI' Game of the Year race; explain the new branch of Blizzard's signature MMO, 'World of Warcraft: Forever'; and question whether 'WoW' is truly eternal.

(00:00) Intro

(13:32) 'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time' with Giovanni Colantonio

(68:13) The GOTY race and 'World of Warcraft' with Oli Welsh

Host: Ben Lindbergh

Guests: Giovanni Colantonio and Oli Welsh

Senior Producer: Steve Ahlman

Additional Production: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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The Boys are back and they’re excited for the penultimate episode of Season 1 of ‘VisionQuest’! They get into the client and if they are someone we possibly already know from the MCU, and Vision’s journey until now, speculating what his legacy might be in the future!

(0:00) Intro

(6:22) Spoilers ahead

(8:11) ‘VisionQuest’ Episode 7 instant reactions

(59:42) Outro

(1:02:38) Post-credits

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman

Producers: Aleya Zenieris, Devon Baroldi, and Jamie Yukich

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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Ben, Steve Ahlman, and Matt James discuss ‘GTA VI’ review timing, Ben’s research on how extreme this year’s pre-‘GTA’ gaming blockbuster boss rush has been, and their spoiler-free impressions of acclaimed new action game ‘Phantom Blade Zero.’ Then Ben brings on Kotaku’s Zack Zwiezen to talk about how ‘Battlefield 6’ and ‘ARC Raiders’ have held up one year in, the pressure on ‘Call of Duty’ to bounce back from a down year, whether ‘Modern Warfare 4’ has delivered the goods, Zack’s thoughts on online-shooter sensations ‘Wardogs’ and ‘Deadlock,’ and why Electronic Arts killed BioWare.

(00:00) Intro

(12:33) 'Phantom Blade Zero' discussion

(46:20) 'Call of Duty' and shooters Conversation with Zack Zwiezen

Host: Ben Lindbergh

Guests: Matt James, Steve Ahlman, and Zack Zwiezen

Senior Producer: Steve Ahlman

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On this month’s Recommends, Ben brings back fellow Stephen King and Mike Flanagan enthusiast Zach Dionne to talk about how Flanagan’s new ‘Carrie’ TV series takes a fresh approach to King’s iconic tale. Then they discuss King’s new novel ‘Other Worlds Than These’ and how it functions as a coda to the ‘Talisman’ trilogy and the ‘Dark Tower’ saga. They also get into King sequels they’d like to see, the future of Flanagan’s King adaptations, and three King-ian TV shows that came out (or arrived on Netflix) just in time for Halloween: ‘From’, ‘Below’, and ‘Crystal Lake.’ After that, Ben summons Jomi Adeniran and Daniel Chin to break down the story, characters, and questionable parenting decisions of the animated TV series ‘Avatar: Seven Havens’, the latest release in a busy 2026 for the ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ franchise.

(00:00) Intro

(02:58) 'Carrie' talk with Zach

(18:55) 'Carrie' spoilers!

(69:41) 'Avatar' talk with Daniel and Jomi

(91:59) 'Avatar: Seven Heavens' spoilers

(01:51:29) Outro

Host: Ben Lindbergh

Guests: Zach Dionne, Daniel Chin, and Jomi Adeniran

Senior Producer: Steve Ahlman

Additional Production: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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The Boys are back, and boy do they have content for you! First, they’re tackling DC’s newest film, ‘Clayface.' Then they discuss Nathan Fielder’s buzzing new film, ‘You Can See Everything,’ and they leave you with their thoughts on the last ‘Dune: Part Three’ trailer before the film is released in December!

(0:00) Intro

(4:41) ‘Clayface’ instant reactions

(1:04:27) Midnight Meter: ‘Clayface’

(1:11:52) ‘You Can See Everything’ instant reactions

(2:01:05) Midnight Meter: ‘You Can See Everything’

(2:02:42) ‘Dune: Part Three’ trailer instant reactions

(2:09:32) Outro

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman

Producers: Aleya Zenieris, Devon Baroldi, and Jamie Yukich

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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The Boys are back and they’re diving back into ‘VisionQuest’! They discuss the development of Paladin throughout the series so far, debate whether the MCU has reached pinnacle blip fatigue, and talk family reunion drama.

(0:00) Intro

(5:24) Spoilers ahead

(7:44) ‘VisionQuest’ Episodes 3-4 instant reactions

(59:33) Outro

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman

Producers: Aleya Zenieris, Devon Baroldi, and Jamie Yukich

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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Ben and Matt James break down the good, bad, and ugly of gaming’s recent reckoning with AI-driven development, decompilation, and cloning, and assess whether it will fundamentally reshape the medium’s economic and creative model. Then they provide their impressions of the newly released ‘Final Fantasy Resonance’ and ‘Nintendo Switch Sports Resort’ and react in real time to the dissolution of storied studio Bioware. Finally, Ben sets the scene for 'GTA VI' by bringing on The Atlantic’s Jeremy Gordon to reminisce about the October 2001 release of ‘Grand Theft Auto III’ and discuss how it altered the trajectory of open-world gaming and created the ‘GTA’ juggernaut.

(0:00) Intro
(1:40) AI talk
(34:45) 'Final Fantasy Resonance'
(46:32) 'Nintendo Switch Sports Resort'
(54:08) Follow-ups to last week's pod
(57:41) Bioware news
(1:01:49) Jeremy Gordon joins the show

Host: Ben Lindbergh
Guests: Matt James and Jeremy Gordon
Producer: Isaiah Blakely

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The Boys are back and they’re jumping into the next two episodes of ‘VisionQuest’. They discuss the Vision we knew from ‘Avengers’ versus the Vision we see in this show, rate the kid-pluck level so far, and have a lively debate about the MCU character ethics.

(0:00) Intro

(7:19) Spoilers ahead

(9:56) ‘VisionQuest’ Episodes 3-4 instant reactions

(1:19:25) Outro

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman

Producers: Aleya Zenieris, Devon Baroldi, and Jamie Yukich

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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To live is to pod; to pod is to live! First, Ben, Steve Ahlman, and Matt James react to the latest 'GTA VI' and 'Ocarina of Time' trailers and talk about Ben's hands-on session with the 'Ocarina' remake. Then, they share recommendations for a few recently released games that fit a Halloween theme. After that, they honor the 40th anniversaries of 'Castlevania' and 'Metroid' and the release of 'Castlevania: Belmont's Curse' by bringing on GameSpot's Steve Watts to discuss what "Metroidvania" means, debate whether it's a good name for the genre, review 'Belmont's Curse,' advise a listener on when to look up game solutions, and do a draft of the greatest Metroidvanias across several categories. Finally, Ben and Daniel Chin share their spoiler-free reviews of the big-screen 'Street Fighter' reboot.
(00:00) Intro
(00:13) 'GTA'/'Ocarina of Time'/spooky-season games
(27:42) The Metroidvania Draft
(1:54:49) Daniel Chin joins for 'Street Fighter'
Host: Ben Lindbergh
Guests: Matt James, Steve Ahlman, Steve Watts, and Daniel Chin
Senior Producer: Steve Ahlman
Senior Production Supervision: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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The Boys are back and they’re returning to the MCU! They give you all of their thoughts on the first two episodes of ‘VisionQuest,’ diving into the new ensemble cast of Marvel AIs, the return of Ultron, and some of the Marvel Easter eggs we’ve seen so far.

(0:00) Intro

(7:01) Spoilers ahead

(9:57) ‘VisionQuest’ Episodes 1-2 instant reactions

(1:11:13) Outro

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman

Producers: Aleya Zenieris, Devon Baroldi, Jamie Yukich, and Kevin Cureghian

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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