Button Mash becomes Bot-ton Mash as Ben, Jess, and Steve celebrate the release of near-perfect PlayStation platformer ‘Astro Bot’ and explain why the game is both a bold leap forward and a relic of an earlier era. Then they break down what the record sales success of ‘Black Myth: Wukong’ and the flop of ‘Concord’ (49:00) say about the industry, assess their appetites for the PS5 Pro and mid-generation console upgrades (1:09:55), and share takeaways from several trailers for upcoming video game movies and TV shows (1:15:25), before finishing with a fond farewell to the late, great James Earl Jones (1:32:00).

Host: Ben Lindbergh

Guests: Jess Clemons and Steve Ahlman

Producer: Devon Renaldo

Additional Production Supervision: Arjuna Ramgopal

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Jomi and Steve are back and ready to dive in to 'Terminator Zero.' The guys share their instant reactions to the new Netflix series, before presenting their top five ideas for anime adaptations they would like to see.

Hosts: Jomi Adeniran and Steve Ahlman

Producer: Jonathan Kermah

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopal

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Ben, Jomi, and Arjuna discuss their experiences with Ubisoft’s ‘Star Wars: Outlaws.’ They break down the big-budget title’s gameplay, graphics, and performance, as well as its open-world structure, and its portrayal of the ‘Star Wars’ universe. They then critique the broad strokes of the story (6:40), before dipping briefly (and with warnings!) into spoiler territory (1:11:20). After the spoiler section, they reflect on lessons learned from ‘Outlaws,’ assess where it ranks among ‘Star Wars’ games, and share their hopes for future ‘Star Wars’ releases (1:35:40).

Host: Ben Lindbergh

Guests: Jomi Adeniran and Arjuna Ramgopal

Producer: Devon Renaldo

Additional Production Supervision: Arjuna Ramgopal

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The Boys are back to answer all of your burning nerd-verse questions with a new Midnight Mailbag (42:32), but first they dive into the latest Nerd News: George R. R. Martin’s response to the differences from the books to the TV show in ‘House of the Dragon’ (07:56).

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, and Jomi Adeniran

Producers: Aleya Zenieris, Jonathan Kermah, and Steve Ahlman

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopal

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The dog days are over, but Ringer-Verse Recommends goes on! Listen in as the Ringer-Verse and ‘House of R’ crews search the recomm-ends of the earth for hidden nerd-culture gems. They then return with the latest installment of their monthly mini-pod about their 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.

Host: Ben Lindbergh

Guests: Van, Lathan, Charles Holmes, Joanna Robinson, Jomi Adeniran, Miles Surrey, Steve Ahlman, Zach Kram, and Matt James

Senior Producer: Steve Ahlman

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopal

Social: Jomi Adeniran

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The Midnight Boys are here to discuss all things canceled, from Van’s hot takes to shows they think deserve a second chance. Each of the boys goes through the top four shows that they think deserve a TV resurrection (09:13).

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, and Jomi Adeniran

Producers: Aleya Zenieris, Jonathan Kermah, and Steve Ahlman

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopal

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Join the boys as they go over how the nerd-verse is currently fairing in the summer of 2024. They first cover this year’s additions to the ‘Star Wars,’ DC, MCU, ‘Game of Thrones’ IPs. Then they discuss The Acolyte's cancellation (11:18), what ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ means for Marvel’s future content (52:03), and Van’s desire for more ‘Game of Thrones’ spinoffs (1:15:54).

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

Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Jonathan Kermah

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopal

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Jomi and Steve are joined by Daniel Chin to dive into the latest in fandom. First, they take the pod to outer space when reacting to ‘Alien: Romulus’ (05:00), and then the guys jump into the animated world of ‘Watchmen: Chapter I’ as they break down the latest iteration of the franchise (45:00).

Hosts: Jomi Adeniran and Steve Ahlman

Guest: Daniel Chin

Producer: Jonathan Kermah

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopal

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Haven’t seen ‘Borderlands,’ the latest video game movie? You have chosen wisely. Ben, Rob Mahoney, and Matt James chose poorly, and they’re here to report on the brand-new box office flop. They begin by bantering about the demise of Game Informer and the end of the era of video game magazines (6:00). Then they review ‘Borderlands’ (16:00) and discuss how it got made (36:00) and why it became a debacle that snapped a streak of strong game adaptations (44:24). They conclude by weighing whether ‘Borderlands’ is the worst movie to feature multiple Oscar winners (52:00), comparing it to previous video game movie misfires (53:00), fantasy-casting their own improbably star-studded video game movies (59:00, and picking the upcoming adaptations they’re most anticipating (1:05:00).

Host: Ben Lindbergh

Guests: Rob Mahoney and Matt James

Producer: Devon Renaldo

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopal

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Steve and Jomi take this pod on the road with live reactions from D23 in Anaheim, California (03:06)! Then, the guys are joined by Jessica Clemons to discuss their grievances with the final season of 'Umbrella Academy' (43:52). Later, listen as the trio dive into ‘Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ with their instant reactions (86:42).

Hosts: Jomi Adeniran and Steve Ahlman

Guest: Jessica Clemons

Producer: Jonathan Kermah

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopal and Steve Ahlman

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