Nerd OutCast Podcast

NOP Presents Harry Potter

June 30, 2021 19:55 - 1 hour - 115 MB

NOP finally tackles one of the largest media franchises of all time, along with it's very controversial author. Of course, we are talking about Harry Potter. Joining me for all things Hogwarts are Thom Brown, Nick Toussaint, and Victoria Montalbano. We travel back to 1997, and discuss the humble beginnings of the Potter franchise. We examine not the just heroic trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but also our favorite adults in the Wizarding World (we're looking at you, Snape.) We discuss why ...

NOP Presents Dark Souls

May 05, 2021 16:10 - 1 hour - 124 MB

We gather around the Bonfire and discuss the Darkness that is Dark Souls! Joining me for our discussion of Hallowed and Ashen are T Scott Ross and Mason Kale. This time around, I have special guest Matt Young (Usidore) from the Hello From the Magic Tavern Podcast step in as our Outcast. Matt is an accomplished gamer, but is on the fence about this renowned series of games. Is Dark Souls appropriately hard, or is it unfair? Which game in the series is the best, and which is the worst? How do ...

NOP Presents Predator

March 24, 2021 16:24 - 1 hour - 126 MB

It's time to GET TO THE CHOPPER as we discuss all things Predator! Joining NOP for this fantastic film series discussion are the minds behind the License to Watch Podcast (Matt McGregor, Colin Shaw, and Harris McCabe.) In Chicago we have the host of Body Counts and Beer Podcast (Mark Rosenthal) along with guest Robert Shumate. Rounding out our discussion is friend Peter Foos....who is definitely the outcast for our chat and has fallen out of love with the creature feature. We spend time di...

NOP Presents The Mandalorian

February 24, 2021 17:38 - 1 hour - 149 MB

It's been a few months since the ending of Season 2, so now it's time for our Mandalorian deep dive! Joining me to discuss all things Star Wars are experts Chris Lloyd, Kitten McCreary, DJ Fink, and Ryan Bond. My outcast for this episode is the wonderful Smyra Rady...a deeply knowledgeable Star Trek fan whom hasn't dabbled much in Star Wars. We spend some time trying to identify what it means to be a Dave Filoni show. Then we examine the various characters and episodes, and whether there mig...

NOP Presents The Nintendo DS

January 27, 2021 15:56 - 1 hour - 123 MB

Late last year, Nintendo decided it was time to pull the plug on it's stalwart gaming handheld...the Nintendo 3DS. Therefore, we decided it was a great time to look back and do a deep dive on all things Nintendo DS and 3DS. Joining me for this retro discussion are Mason Kale, Christian Missonak, Dan Schiffmacher, and Bill Nielson. Mark Soloff returns as our outcast, having never really given the system a proper chance. We discuss the humble origins of the handheld as a "Third Pillar" to Nint...

NOP Presents The Witcher

December 17, 2020 17:14 - 1 hour - 121 MB

We end 2020 the way it began...with an obsession over the fantasy series, The Witcher. Joining me for all things Geralt are Pete Navis, Jake Ynzunza, Mark Soloff, and Sean Okerberg. We discuss the origins of the hit series, with an examination of the books and how they stack against other major franchises. Then we discuss the games, with great focus on the groundbreaking third entry. Finally, we dovetail into the Netflix show...and Henry Cavill. It's a massive discussion, which seems quite ...

NOP Presents Magic The Gathering

November 19, 2020 18:59 - 1 hour - 117 MB

After a bit of a hiatus, we are back and chatting perhaps one of the nerdiest inventions in a long time...Magic The Gathering. A pastime SO nerdy, it was intended to be played between DnD Sessions. Joining me to discuss all things about this magical card game are T Scott Ross, Pete Navis, and Bill Nielsen (of So Many Bits). We review the history of Magic The Gathering, and it's interactions with DnD. We chat about how the game has changed over the years, and it's growth in popularity. More ...

NOP Presents Super Mario 35th Anniversary

August 04, 2020 16:43 - 1 hour - 117 MB

This year marks Super Mario's 35th anniversary, and Christian Missonak, T Scott Ross, Dan Schiffmacher, and myself do a deep dive into the OG gaming mascot that saved an industry and forged a path ahead. We take a look back at the original Super Mario Bros, and discuss whether the plucky plumber mascot was truly needed. We discuss his most influential games, his hardest levels, and his best power ups. We examine his jaunts into other types of gaming, from kart racing to tactical shooters. An...

NOP Presents Star Wars Prequels

June 17, 2020 17:18 - 1 hour - 140 MB

It's a big discussion on NOP today as we discuss George Lucas's much maligned Star Wars Prequels. For this discussion, we change things up a bit and attempt to discuss what the Prequels do well. And surprisingly enough, Ricky Galore, David Hernandez, Mark Rosenthal, and myself talk for an hour and a half about all things Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Midichlorians. Which movie has the best story? Is Dexter Jettster the best new character? Which lightsaber is the coolest? And what, if anything, wou...

NOP DEEP DIVES ON ZELDA

May 12, 2020 17:36 - 1 hour - 96.4 MB

We tackle the entirety of the Legend of Zelda franchise in this deep dive episode! Zelda is a mainstay of the gaming industry, and joining me for the discussion on all things Hyrule are John Loos, Dan Schiffmacher, Jeremy Kanne, and Christian Missonak. We answer the big questions...who's the best character NOT named Link, Ganon, or Zelda? What weapon is the best? (NOT counting the Master Sword) Does the series work better in 2D or 3D? Which dungeons are the best...and which are the worst? An...

NOP Presents Animal Crossing

April 01, 2020 18:38 - 1 hour - 88.9 MB

In this time of pandemic, we take a break and fly away to a relaxing discussion about all things Animal Crossing. Joining me for this discussion are Christian Missonak and Justin Harner. I serve double duty as both Host and Outcast since I've never played this series before. We chat about Animal Crossing's humble beginnings, and compare it to other "Living Life" games like the Sims, Harvest Moon, and Rune Factory. Which game in the series is the best? What was so special about the 3DS entry,...

NOP Presents Clone Wars and Rebels

March 18, 2020 16:50 - 1 hour - 104 MB

We tackle not one but two major Star Wars shows in this great episode....Clone Wars and Rebels. Joining me for this deep television dive are Pete Navis, Ryan Bond, and Patrick Sweetman. We discuss the evolution of both shows, and how they compare and contrast with each other. We talk Dave Filoni and what makes a show of his distinct. Is Ahsoka the best character, or are we more interested in Ezra and Kanan? Are we excited for the upcoming return of Clone Wars, or is The Mandalorian more our...

NOP Presents Breath of the Wild

February 04, 2020 18:49 - 1 hour - 129 MB

It's a massive episode today as we finally tackle the latest, and perhaps greatest Zelda game of them all...Breath of the Wild. All hands are on deck as T Scott Ross, Christian Missonak, Matt Young, Gavin Donnellan, Jeremy Kanne, Bill Nielsen, and John Loos join me in this discussion. We look at the merits and flaws of Nintendo's latest Zelda game. We chat characters, favorite shrines, best moments, favorite monsters, best music....SO much to unpack! Did the game live up to expectations? ...

NOP Presents Rise of Skywalker

January 07, 2020 16:12 - 1 hour - 131 MB

Now that a few weeks have passed, its time for NOP to discuss our thoughts and feelings and finally examine the final chapter of the Star Wars Saga...Episode IX, The Rise of Skywalker. Joining me for this big, beautiful, messy discussion are Jake Ynzunza, DJ Fink, and Crispy (Chris Lloyd.) What's starts as a review of the film, however, easily spins out into a bigger discussion about the state of Star Wars and its' fans, the future of the series, and the biggest mistakes and successes. We c...

NOP Presents Star Trek Discovery

December 12, 2019 16:15 - 1 hour - 107 MB

On this episode of NOP, we chat about the most recent addition to the Star Trek TV Universe...Star Trek Discovery. My experts this time around are Ryan Bond and Dylan Schaefer, whom are joined by outcasts Dominic Cianciolo and myself! We chat about the rights and wrongs of this newest version of Star Trek...and whether or not it carries on Gene Roddenberry's legacy. We talk about Star Trek conventions...and whether Trek itself is slowly dying. We discuss where should the series go....and wha...

NOP Presents Good Omens

November 11, 2019 16:49 - 1 hour - 112 MB

We finally tackle the collaborative effort of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman...Good Omens. My guests this time include Byron Hatfield, Rob Shumate, Zach Muhn, and Peter Foos. We have two outcasts for this discussion....myself (whom has never read the book) and Pete Navis....whom doesn't think very highly of it. Needless to say, our discussion turns into passionate defensive of the novel and its writers as we dissect this benchmark book. We discuss which parts of the story best represent ea...

NOP Presents Final Fantasy IX

September 18, 2019 18:54 - 1 hour - 119 MB

Final Fantasy VIII just got a recent remaster, and next year we get the glorious looking Final Fantasy VII Remake...so we decided it was a great time to chat about Final Fantasy IX! My RPG lovers this time around are Gavin Donnellan, Andrew Babcock, John Loos, Jeremy Kanne, and T Scott Ross. The last entry in the original Playstation trilogy, Final Fantasy IX was heralded as a "return to form" for the famous franchise. But is the game really as good as we remember? Does it hold up, or are on...

NOP Presents Skyward Sword

July 29, 2019 17:10 - 1 hour - 125 MB

It's always a lengthy discussion when chatting about The Legend of Zelda, and on today's episode we discuss Skyward Sword. My guests this time around include Dan Schiffmacher, Christian Missonak, and Jeremy Kanne. Seen as the game that both proved the use of the Wiimote, and also served as the Wii's swan song, we take a deep dive into this most divisive of Zelda games. Does Skyward Sword hold up in a post Breath of the Wild world? Where does the game succeed, and where does it fall short? Wa...

NOP Presents Game of Thrones

June 19, 2019 17:36 - 1 hour - 126 MB

Winter has come and gone, and the war for the Iron Throne has ended...so it's time to discuss the massive show that captured TV for a generation...Game of Thrones. My experts (and outcasts) for this one are Kitten McCreery, Thom Brown, John Loos, Danielle Lebens, and Andrew Babcock. We discuss the final season of the show, and where everything landed. We discuss character turns, character deaths, dragon deaths, and production schedules. Then we take a step back, and look at both the show and...

NOP Presents The MCU

May 29, 2019 15:32 - 1 hour - 99.9 MB

It's a massive discussion today on NOP as we chat about the state of the recently finished Infinity Saga and where the MCU goes from here. Joining me for this huge discussion are Chris Lloyd, DJ Fink, Ricky Galore, Rob Shumate, and Briggs Hatton. We look back at the original Iron Man, and try to determine what critical decision led to the success of this shared multi-verse. We look at the highs and the lows of the 22 movie Infinity Saga. We chat about problematic casting choices, and which f...

NOP Chats Fallout

May 01, 2019 16:34 - 1 hour - 96.8 MB

Nerd Outcast is back, and we are chatting about the video game series Fallout! Joining me for the post-apocalyptic discussion are Sean Okerberg, Zach Muhn, Peter Foos, and Andrew Babcock. Since I've never played this series, I happily step in as outcast. We discuss the history of the series, and what sets it apart from other major RPGs. We dive into the specific games, and try to glean which one is the best (its either Fallout 3 or New Vegas...we can't decide.) Then we chat about the misstep...

NOP Chats with The MEGAS

March 20, 2019 17:53 - 1 hour - 105 MB

Welcome back! Its been a few months since our host moved across the country, and we return with a fun episode. We previously had a discussion on our show about the Mega Man rock group, The Megas. After our episode, the band reached out and now we have them on mic with us! Sitting down with myself and Jeremy Kanne are Josh and Eric from the Megas! We chat about how they create their music, which songs are their favorite, and which were the hardest to create. We discuss the challenges they fac...

NOP Chats Smash Bros Ultimate

December 18, 2018 17:17 - 1 hour - 136 MB

Its the final podcast of 2018! Christmas is just around the corner, and a new Smash Bros game has been released! We bring Nintendo Nerds together across the biggest cities in the US...Los Angeles and Chicago and New York...to discuss the game. This all star panel includes Scott Ross, Thom Brown, Jeremy Kanne, Gavin Donnellan, Christian Missonak, and Dan Schiffmacher. From East Coast to West Coast, we chat about the history of the Smash Bros franchise and how its changed along the way. We cha...

NOP 100th Episode

November 28, 2018 18:50 - 1 hour - 118 MB

A while back, we surpassed our 100th episode and totally FORGOT TO CELEBRATE. So now, host Chris Bashen finally reconciles that problem. What happens when you get 17 nerds on 9 different mics across 3 stations with a TON of alcohol? A menagerie of ponderous nerd thoughts. We chat about so much: which Ninja turtle can die, which Bond is the best Bond, and who is the better leader...Adama or Picard? We discuss our favorite video game heroes, the best Miyazaki films, and finally figure out if ...

NOP Stories Presents The Megas

November 09, 2018 16:57 - 1 hour - 93.9 MB

NOP Host Chris Bashen recently relocated from Chicago to Los Angeles...but before leaving, he recorded a series of nerdy topics with some of his best guests and friends...... Jeremy Kanne joins me on the mic to chat about the video game rock group, The Megas! The Megas create rock albums based on the Capcom series Mega Man. We chat about the history of the band, and how their sound has changed over the years. We compare them to other game music artists, like The Black Mages and The Protomen...

NOP Stories Presents Being a Nerd Parent

November 05, 2018 15:49 - 53 minutes - 73.9 MB

NOP Host Chris Bashen recently relocated from Chicago to Los Angeles...but before leaving, he recorded a series of nerdy topics with some of his best guests and friends...... Ryan Bond joins me on mic to talk about being a nerd...and a parent. I've recently become a father myself, and the two of us chat about the trials and tribulations of raising children in this new digital, social media age. How do we hope to pass on our favorite nerdy properties to our children? Are some of our favorite...

NOP Stories Presents Phoenix Wright

November 02, 2018 16:27 - 24 minutes - 33 MB

NOP Host Chris Bashen recently relocated from Chicago to Los Angeles...but before leaving, he recorded a series of nerdy topics with some of his best guests and friends...... Bill Nielsen (of So Many Bits) joins me on the mic to chat about Capcom's visual novel adventure...Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. I've never played this series, so its a chance for me to learn about dramatic Japanese laws, investigations, and prosecutions all carried out by defense attorney Phoenix Wright. Bill guides m...

NOP Stories Presents 80s Cartoons

October 30, 2018 17:14 - 1 hour - 120 MB

NOP Host Chris Bashen recently relocated from Chicago to Los Angeles...but before leaving, he recorded a series of nerdy topics with some of his best guests and friends...... Stephan Scalabrino and DJ Fink join me on the mic to wax about the cartoons of the 80s: GI Joe, Transformers, and ThunderCats. We chat about which show had the best toys, which had the best heroes and villains, and which show holds up the best. Conveniently, we each LOVE one of these shows...so each cartoon gets time t...

NOP Stories Presents Westworld

October 26, 2018 17:12 - 47 minutes - 65.9 MB

NOP Host Chris Bashen recently relocated from Chicago to Los Angeles...but before leaving, he recorded a series of nerdy topics with some of his best guests and friends...... Mark Soloff, host of Blastropodcast, joins me on the mic to chat about the TV series Westworld. Though we primarily focus on the show, we do chat about Michael Crichton as an author, his other works, and how he potentially copies himself. We discuss what themes run through the show, some of our favorite characters, and...

NOP Stories Presents Motion Capture

October 24, 2018 18:19 - 39 minutes - 53.8 MB

NOP Host Chris Bashen recently relocated from Chicago to Los Angeles...but before leaving, he recorded a series of nerdy topics with some of his best guests and friends...... Sean Okerberg joins Chris on the mic to talk about the craft and evolution of motion capture. Both of us have performed in the video games industry for years as motion capture artists, and we decided it was time to talk about the technology that gives some of our favorite games and movies life. We chat about Andy Serki...

NOP Stories Presents Batman

October 22, 2018 17:55 - 46 minutes - 63.7 MB

NOP Host Chris Bashen recently relocated from Chicago to Los Angeles...but before leaving, he recorded a series of nerdy topics with some of his best guests and friends...... DJ Fink joins me on mic to chat about his favorite hero...Batman! We've done a TON of Batman episodes and honestly, never get bored talking about the Caped Crusader. We chat about the comics, the different on-screen portrayals of The Dark Knight, along with Adam West, the Animated series and which villains are the best...

NOP Stories Presents Gaming Culture

October 19, 2018 17:25 - 40 minutes - 55.4 MB

NOP Host Chris Bashen recently relocated from Chicago to Los Angeles...but before leaving, he recorded a series of nerdy topics with some of his best guests and friends...... Dan Schiffmacher joins me on mic to chat about a pretty huge topic....gaming culture. We talk about what it was like as kids to grow up with gaming, versus what kids have access to now, and where we think it is going. We explore the culture of our youths, which leads us to discuss DOS games, Intellivision, and Nintendo...

NOP Stories Presents Star Fox

October 17, 2018 17:34 - 49 minutes - 67.8 MB

NOP Host Chris Bashen recently relocated from Chicago to Los Angeles...but before leaving, he recorded a series of nerdy topics with some of his best guests and friends...... Today Christian Missonak joins me as we both do a barrel roll discussing the Star Fox series! We start with the SNES original, and move up all the way to the most recent, Star Fox Zero. Did Nintendo make the right decision withholding Star Fox 2? Is anything better than the 64 version? And was Star Fox Adventures reall...

NOP Stories Presents Predator

October 15, 2018 15:17 - 49 minutes - 68.3 MB

NOP Host Chris Bashen recently moved from Chicago to Los Angeles, but before leaving, recorded a series of episodes with some of his closest nerd experts and friends. These are their stories... Mark Rosenthal joins me on the mic to chat all things Predator! We discuss the entire franchise, and how the first one still remains a brilliant cinema classic...and how Predators kind of sucks. After discuss the deadly sci-fi monster, we drift into a discussion about the band Queen...because why not...

NOP Presents the Villains of Final Fantasy

August 20, 2018 16:07 - 1 hour - 157 MB

Hello Fantasy Friends, we are back! We previously discussed the heroes of Final Fantasy...so today we chat about the villains. My guests this time include Gavin Donnellan, John Tyberghein, and T Scott Ross. Much like last time, we start with the villain of Final Fantasy I (Garland) and work our way up to Final Fantasy XV. How does each generation of games treat their villains (NES vs SNES vs PS2...) Which villains are the true standouts, and which need some serious work? We also chat about s...

NOP Presents The Lord of the Rings

August 06, 2018 16:21 - 1 hour - 126 MB

We're back from a vacation, and we are discussing the heaviest fantasy series out there...The Lord of the Rings. My experts this round include Mark Rosenthal, Stephan Scalabrino, Sean Okerberg, and Pete Navis. We chat about the history of Tolkien as a writer, and the calling cards of his works. We then discuss the differences between the books and the films. Which characters were our favorite? Would we recommend the books vs the movies? And if The Lord of the Rings existed as a show...what f...