Short month, long episode! First, Ben Lindbergh and Charles Holmes extoll the virtues of one of their favorite fantasy stories, the anime series ‘Frieren: Beyond Journey's End,’ touching on its themes, influences, and characters, as well as why it makes a great gateway show for non-anime fans. They also discuss some other highlights of a peak period for anime (including ‘Journal With Witch’ and ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’), preview a few coming attractions, and take a detour with discussion of ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu.’ After that, other Ringer-Verse hosts, friends, and listeners salute unsung releases to top off another monthly roundup of fandom favorites from TV, anime, movies, video games, books, comics, and beyond that were released recently, but not yet covered in depth on a full-length episode.

Intro (00:00)

‘Frieren’ (03:04)

‘Journal With Witch’ (25:34)

‘Jujutsu Kaisen’ (37:15)

Van's recommendation (50:15)

Steve's recommendation (51:55)

Miles's recommendation (54:37)

Daniel's recommendation (56:21)

Devon's recommendation (58:30)

Arjuna's recommendation (59:32)

Matt's recommendation (61:29)

Listener nomination (69:03)

Recap of picks (71:13)

Host: Ben Lindbergh

Guests: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Devon Renaldo, Daniel Chin, Miles Surry, Arjuna Ramgopowell, Matt James, Steve Ahlman

Senior Producer: Steve Ahlman

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Ben, Matt James, and Joshua Rivera team up to take on one of the most anticipated video games of the year: 'Resident Evil Requiem,' the ninth mainline entry in the 30-year-old survival-horror franchise. First, they analyze the significance of Sony's shocking closure of Bluepoint Games, and an Xbox leadership shake-up. Then they compare their 'Resident Evil' histories, have an in-depth (but spoiler-free) discussion about how 'Requiem' weaves together different strands of the series, and offer their final verdicts on the game.

Email us at ⁠[email protected]⁠!

Intro (0:00)

Patch Notes (3:00)

Bluepoint Closure (3:30)

Xbox Leadership Changes (10:40)

First Thoughts on ‘Resident Evil Requiem’ (29:11)

Mash or Pass? (1:10:50)

Outro (1:16:00)

Host: Ben Lindbergh

Guest: Matt James and Joshua Rivera

Producer: Devon Renaldo

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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The Boys are back and drafting the best Black TV shows of all time! From 'A Different World' to 'In Living Color' to 'Scandal,' they build their teams across five categories: sitcom, pre-'90s classic, UPN, Shondaland, and wild card. Who will come out on top?

(00:00) Intro
(14:48) The Black TV Draft
(1:50:00) Outro

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman
Producers: Jamie Yukich, Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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The Boys are back, and they’re ready to dive into the highly anticipated Season 1 finale of ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’!

(0:00) Intro

(8:09) Spoilers ahead

(9:50) ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Season 1 finale reactions

(41:14) Midnight Meter

(1:00:39) Outro

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

Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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Hey! Listen! Ben Lindbergh gets together with three fellow 'Legend of Zelda' lovers—Mothership co-founder Maddy Myers, The Guardian games editor Keza MacDonald, and New York Times reporter Zachary Small—to celebrate the franchise’s 40th birthday. First, Ben, Zachary, and Maddy ask Keza questions about Nintendo and ‘Zelda’ inspired by her new book about the history of Nintendo, ‘Super Nintendo.’ Then, they each share their origin stories as ‘Zelda’ players, and the ‘Zelda’ games they have personal soft spots for. After that, they draft their favorite Links, world maps, items, bosses, dungeons, songs, and companion characters from across the series.

Email us at [email protected]!

Guest intros (00:00)
Questions for Keza (11:11)
Draft rules (41:27)
Beginning of draft (45:34)
Draft recap (1:37:29)
Goodbyes (1:41:43)

Host: Ben Lindbergh
Guests: Keza MacDonald, Maddy Myers, and Zachary Small
Producer: Chris Sutton
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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The Boys are back and they’re giving you a mid-week surprise pod on two trailers that the nerd-verse is buzzing about: ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3, and ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu.' They sneak a bit of ‘Toy Story 5’ in there, too.

(0:00) Intro

(00:59) ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ Trailer

(18:05) ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 Trailer

(22:09) ‘Toy Story 5’ Trailer

(28:07) Post-credits

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

Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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The Boys are back, and they’re ready to dive into the most recent episode of ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’! They discuss Dunk’s character evolution so far, draw comparisons to other ‘Game of Thrones’ shows, and contemplate who is worthy of wielding Mjolnir.

(0:00) Intro

(5:09) Spoilers ahead

(7:30) ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Episode 5 reactions

(1:05:59) Outro

(1:12:36) Post-credits

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

Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Jade Whaley

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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Ben Lindbergh, Matt James, and Steve Ahlman speedrun the month's major gaming news and releases. In Patch Notes, they break down HBO's 'Baldur's Gate' adaptation, layoffs for developers of struggling free-to-play games 'Highguard' and '2XKO,' Sony's latest bid for live-service success with 'Horizon Hunters Gathering,' and the highlights of February's PS5 State of Play. Then, in the Minigames section, they share spoiler-free impressions of six recently released games: 'Nioh 3,' Dragon Quest VII Reimagined,' 'Romeo is a Dead Man,' 'Mewgenics,' 'Mario Tennis Fever,' and 'Reanimal,' featuring thoughts on the state of Switch 2 and the debut of a new segment, Only in Video Games.
Email us at [email protected]!
Intro (0:00)
Patch Notes (2:00)
'Baldur’s Gate' Adaptation (2:22)
Layoffs (14:25)
'Horizon Hunters Gathering' (26:32)
State of Play (34:10)
Minigames (44:41)
'Nioh 3' (45:38)
'Dragon Quest 7' (49:34)
'Romeo Is a Dead Man' (53:31)
'Mewgenics' (59:31)
'Mario Tennis Fever' (1:05:21)
'Reanimal' (1:18:44)
Outro (1:26:16)
Host: Ben Lindbergh
Guests: Matt James and Steve Ahlman
Producer: Devon Renaldo
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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The Boys are back, and they start off the episode by jumping back into the great lightsaber debate. Then they dive into ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Episode 4, starting with a look at Baelor as a character.

(0:00) Intro

(18:52) Spoilers ahead

(20:44) ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Episode 4 reactions

(1:21:32) Outro

(1:24:29) Post Credits

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

Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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Welcome to the Wasteland—and farewell, for now! Ben Lindbergh and Van Lathan reunite, hug, and hold hands as they discuss the eighth and last episode of 'Fallout' Season 2, "The Strip." First, they share their thoughts on what a season finale should accomplish and whether they found "The Strip" satisfying. Then they catch up with the core characters one more time, break down the hardest-hitting emotional moments, and discuss several loose ends before speculating on the direction of the series in Season 3. After that, Ben chats with 'Fallout' cocreator and co-showrunner Geneva Robertson-Dworet about the finale and the future of the show. Finally, Ben brings on the lead creative designer of 'Fallout: New Vegas,' Obsidian Entertainment creative director John Gonzalez, to talk about how the show handled its source material, the potential and peril of game adaptations, and the finer points of storytelling in open-world games.

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Intro (0:00)
Review of the finale (2:14)
The Ghoul and House (15:20)
Coop and Barb (23:27)
Maximus (26:58)
Lucy and Hank (35:20)
The Vaulties (56:13)
Post-credits scene (1:02:37)
Interview with Geneva Robertson-Dworet (1:11:19)
Interview with John Gonzalez (1:21:20)
Outro (1:54:11)

Host: Ben Lindbergh
Guests: Van Lathan, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, and John Gonzalez
Producer: Devon Renaldo
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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