The Stage Select

It’s a somber day at the beautiful Ryan Davis theater as we discuss the closing of BioWare, one of our favorite game developers. We spend some time talking about what this means for the industry, hopes for the future, and general sadness at the loss of a true titan in gaming. Also, AI has ruined the Steam Nextfest. VIDEO GAMES!

00:00 Introduction, some additional Julian medical stuff

11:36 The closing of BioWare

33:48 Julian’s first impressions of Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave and Justin’s Fire Emblem check-in

01:08:54 Trails in the Sky has ruined me for NPC dialogue

01:25:20 The torment continues

01:28:18 Julian’s Nextfest Demo Depot as swiped from Nerds Abroadcast (Charmed Souls, Dungeonbound, Slam Tank, Acts of Blood)

01:44:42 Alpha Omega

01:55:38 Justin’s movie round-up (Animals, Coyote vs ACME, Trap, Speed, Leviticus, Fall, Falling Down, Whalefall)

02:31:46 You Can See Everything

02:42:27 Street Fighter 2026 (FULL SPOILERS)

03:09:54 CQC (Comments, Questions, Concerns)

Theme song and interstitial music by Megan McDuffee: https://meganmcduffee.com

Logo and artwork by John Gholson

Announcer: John Gholson

Join our Discord, learn about how you can support the show, and more: https://linktr.ee/TheStageSelect

Email: [email protected]

Copyright 2024-2026 Space Monkey Mafia Productions

This week, Julian rants for nearly 40 minutes about the story and character adaptations in the Wolverine game, Fire Emblem continues to hold Justin in its power, and we both visit some old horror movies!

00:00 Introduction, campaign ads

16:11 Final thoughts on Wolverine (spoilers begin at 33:19)

01:09:40 Justin’s Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave corner

01:37:45 Silent Hill Townfall, Magnavale: Eternal Soul

01:59:38 Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter Remake

02:10:55 Hamm and Titus at the Movies (Tuner, Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1978, No Escape, Reign of Fire, Insidious, Bodies, Bodies, Bodies!, Starve Acre, Atomic Blonde, Brain Damage, The Lost Boys)

Theme song and interstitial music by Megan McDuffee: https://meganmcduffee.com

Logo and artwork by John Gholson

Announcer: John Gholson

Join our Discord, learn about how you can support the show, and more: https://linktr.ee/TheStageSelect

Email: [email protected]

Copyright 2024-2026 Space Monkey Mafia Productions

“You know, The Stage Select turned into a movie podcast so gradually I didn’t even notice!”

00:00 Introduction, Cedar Point

35:27 A brief Wolverine check-in, Warhammer Survivors

43:54 Justin has reached a second character on Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave

01:13:43 Hamm and Titus at the Movies (It Feeds, The Other People, Paranormal Activity, They Live, Terrorvision, Haunted Honeymoon, From Beyond, 65, Digger, LA Confidential, Other Mommy, Blade Runner 2049, Resident Evil: Welcome to Racoon City, Resident Evil 2026 *SPOILERS*)

02:55:31 CQC (Comments, Questions, Concerns)

Theme song and interstitial music by Megan McDuffee: https://meganmcduffee.com

Logo and artwork by John Gholson

Announcer: John Gholson

Join our Discord, learn about how you can support the show, and more: https://linktr.ee/TheStageSelect

Email: [email protected]

Copyright 2024-2026 Space Monkey Mafia Productions

And lo, the veil between this world and the next weakened just enough to let slip from the bowels of hell something so wicked, so foul, that The Stage Select will never be the same again. (It’ll probably be the same again eventually.)

00:00 Introduction, Amish country

22:52 Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse (demo)

46:08 Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave is BIG

01:19:29 ^$#*%&*$^&$^$^$^#%&%&#*@!

01:25:25 Final thoughts on Streets of Fury and Ledgerbound

01:45:23 Dark Deity

01:50:46 Hamm and Titus at the Movies (Changing Lanes, Avengers: Endgame Encore, American Animals, Azrael, Blow the Man Down, Creepshow, The End of Oak Street, Blood Relatives, The Invite, Sleep, It Ends, Cuckoo)

Theme song and interstitial music by Megan McDuffee: https://meganmcduffee.com

Logo and artwork by John Gholson

Announcer: John Gholson

Join our Discord, learn about how you can support the show, and more: https://linktr.ee/TheStageSelect

Email: [email protected]

Copyright 2024-2026 Space Monkey Mafia Productions

It was a slow, bad week for Julian. Thankfully, Justin is all about that Fire Emblem life. And we have your comments, questions, and concerns to sustain us!

00:00 Introduction, dreams, bowling

22:04 Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave

01:11:57 Netoria Tactics, Streets of Fury

01:41:28 Resident Evil (2026), Shelby Oaks

01:52:48 Justin’s movie round-up (The Transformers: The Movie 40th Anniversary, Transformers (2007), Greta, Stowaway, Dark Skies, The Getout, The Running Man (1987), The Last Stop in Yuma County)

02:36:44 CQC (Comments, Questions, Concerns)

Listen to Julian on the latest hiatus special of Nerds Abroadcast: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-gam4h-1b6bc8b

Theme song and interstitial music by Megan McDuffee: https://meganmcduffee.com

Logo and artwork by John Gholson

Announcer: John Gholson

Join our Discord, learn about how you can support the show, and more: https://linktr.ee/TheStageSelect

Email: [email protected]

Copyright 2024-2026 Space Monkey Mafia Productions

This week: Justin finished a game, Julian gets way too heated over X-Men lore, and we become aware of Korean cinema. Enjoy!

00:00 Introduction, beard wizards

24:21 Onimusha: Way of the Sword

43:23 Wolverine (and getting way too nitpicky on X-Men lore)

01:37:04 Final thoughts on The Blood of Dawnwalker

02:15:06 Justin’s movie round-up (A Lifetime Original Movie, Now You See Me, The Girl on the Train, The Card Counter, Eastern Promises, Blood Simple)

02:35:42 Julian’s movie round-up (Hope, Train to Busan, Nosferatu, The Transformers: The Movie 40th anniversary)

Theme song and interstitial music by Megan McDuffee: https://meganmcduffee.com

Logo and artwork by John Gholson

Announcer: John Gholson

Join our Discord, learn about how you can support the show, and more: https://linktr.ee/TheStageSelect

Email: [email protected]

Copyright 2024-2026 Space Monkey Mafia Productions

It’s a trim and tight edition of The Stage Select this week, because The Blood of Dawnwalker has consumed our souls, and most of this episode is us talking about that. Plus, the return of CQC!

00:00 Introduction, tires

27:45 The Blood of Dawnwalker (slight spoilers at 01:04:24!)

01:31:07 Returning to Street Fighter 6

01:41:01 Justin’s movie round-up (Misery, Interview With a Vampire, A Knock at the Cabin, The Invitation)

01:51:38 CQC (Comments, Questions, Concerns)

Theme song and interstitial music by Megan McDuffee: https://meganmcduffee.com

Logo and artwork by John Gholson

Announcer: John Gholson

Join our Discord, learn about how you can support the show, and more: https://linktr.ee/TheStageSelect

Email: [email protected]

Copyright 2024-2026 Space Monkey Mafia Productions

One episode back and we almost didn’t have any games to talk about. Thankfully, Friend of the Show John Gholson was available to talk about one of the surprise hits of the year, The Blood of Dawnwalker. And also the PSX game Atlantis for some reason.

00:00 Introduction, bringing back the PT Cruiser

10:35 The Blood of Dawnwalker

45:11 Atlantis

50:01 Being a DIK, Final Fantasy Resonance

01:02:47 Scarlet Skips

01:07:29 Coyote vs ACME, Buddy, It Ends, The End of Oak Street

01:41:31 Justin’s movie round-up (The Guilty, Woman of the Hour, Antebellum Tonight, Mother Mary, It Comes at Night, Snow Piercer, Supergirl)

02:13:48 John’s scary personal experience

02:29:13 X-Men: the Krakoa era

Theme song and interstitial music by Megan McDuffee: https://meganmcduffee.com

Logo and artwork by John Gholson

Announcer: John Gholson

Join our Discord, learn about how you can support the show, and more: https://linktr.ee/TheStageSelect

Email: [email protected]

Copyright 2024-2026 Space Monkey Mafia Productions

We weren’t supposed to be back this week, but the universe said “yes”! Justin’s internet was fixed earlier than we had been told, which means that the tale of what the heck we’ve been up to for the past month can also be told. It’s a lot of telling you about things! Which is what a podcast is!

00:00 Introduction, naming The Stage Select theater

12:18 Final thoughts on The Quarry and Directive 8020

23:58 Justin’s real-life survival/horror experience, home critters

42:46 Baldur’s Gate 3, Suikoden HD Remaster

01:00:09 Grand Theft Auto VI gameplay trailer impressions

01:23:32 Julian goes into great detail into his surgery (you have been warned)

01:46:27 Spider-Man: Brand New Day

01:57:25 Justin’s movie round-up part 1 (Ick, The Amateur, Disclosure Day, The Devil’s Mouth, American Gangster, Carolina Caroline, Michael)

02:18:48 Re-Story, Ledgerbound

02:39:18 Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter Remake demo

02:43:23 Justin’s movie round-up part 2 (Stockholm, Soulm8, M3gan, Dangerous Animals, Side Effects, The Gates, Parallel, Hoppers, The Show, Blue Velvet)

03:05:52 The Odyssey (2026)

03:16:29 Justin’s movie round-up part 3 (The Kill Room, Jackie Brown, Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, Fight Club, Thelma and Louise, Clue, Alone)

03:25:50 Saying farewell to Peter Cullen

Theme song and interstitial music by Megan McDuffee: https://meganmcduffee.com

Logo and artwork by John Gholson

Announcer: John Gholson

Join our Discord, learn about how you can support the show, and more: https://linktr.ee/TheStageSelect

Email: [email protected]

Copyright 2024-2026 Space Monkey Mafia Productions

We were supposed to be back this week, but the universe said “no”. So here’s an emergency edition of The Julian Titus show. I’m very sorry.

00:00 Introduction, announcements

07:37 The Wolverine backlash is WEIRD.

22:01 EA’s IP auction

34:26 Things that need to change before the end of physical games media

50:51 Caving on GTA VI

Listen to Julian on episode 109 of Nerds Abroadcast! https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-8cs4q-1b3baf5

Logo and artwork by John Gholson

Join our Discord, learn about how you can support the show, and more: https://linktr.ee/TheStageSelect

Email: [email protected]

Copyright 2024-2026 Space Monkey Mafia Productions