Nerdy Show 2015

1. Nerdy Show 243 :: The 2015 FINAL BOSS – Top 20 Nerdy Things of the Year!

   Every other week, The Nerdy Show Network’s flagship podcast unloads on the latest geek news and happenings – and in this case all the greatest geeky happenings of the year!

   It’s the moment you’ve been waiting all year for: your friends at Nerdy Show have once more completed the impossible (and some argue unnecessary) task of ranking the Top 20 Nerdiest Things of the Year. Our list heralds from all facets of society: from science to game shows and pop culture to technology. We’ve run the gamut, collected a host of nerdy topics, and ranked them on a completely arbitrary and unscientific scale.

   Join Cap, boR, Jon, Jess, Doug, and Brandon on a Magical Mystery Tour through the peculiar future-present landscape of this strange and amazing year. Not only do we have to distill an entire year of achievements down to 20 items and a smattering of superlatives, but we’ve only got three minutes on the timer to describe them! The clock is literally ticking as all that was 2015 comes to an explosive end. Listen in as we relive and reveal everything that made the year great. (more…)

2. State of the Empire :: Episode 19 :: The Force Awakens Review!

   State of the Empire is Nerdy Show’s Star Wars speculation podcast where we “look for news in Alderaan places”.

   It’s hard to believe it, but we just saw Episode VII: The Force Awakens. It was a real thing that happened. Not a fever dream created by the manic, speculation-steeped state we’ve been living for the past three years, but an actual movie we sat down and watched. Thank the Maker.

   Join Cap, Doug, Matt, and Rex as we unload on all our pent-up passion and provide our honest two cents on the movie. Want a spoiler-free review? Cool. Tune into the first couple minutes of this show and hear us tell you how we felt about it in the broadest strokes possible. But after that, the blast doors are open wide as we not just give our praise and criticisms, but ponder what the film implied and what’s to come in the next chapter.

   The speculation of State of the Empire doesn’t end here. No, this is but the dawn of a whole new saga. (more…)

3. State of the Empire :: Episode 18 :: Prelude to the Awakening

   State of the Empire is Nerdy Show’s Star Wars speculation podcast where we “look for news in Alderaan places”.

   We’re but days away from The Force Awakens!

   Fear not! Our spoilers are tightly sealed behind the blast doors. Your pre-film Star Wars blackout doesn’t have to include State of the Empire!

   It’s hard to believe we’re finally here. The journey began in November 2012 when Disney purchased Lucasfilm and changed our whole perspective. We’d grown disillusioned with Star Wars, but now anything was possible and in just a few days we’ll see if these three years of waiting, hoping, and rampant speculation have paid off.

   In this episode, join Cap, Doug, and Matt as we brace for impact. We share what new news we have on the films to come following Episode VII, as well as first-hand experiences from Disney’s Season of the Force, huge news for Willow in this episode’s Willow Watch, launch a coloring contest, and discuss a new hope that the ill-fated video game Star Wars: 1313 might live again! Beyond the spoilerific blast doors we pour over the latest clues and come to terms with the possibility that our initial outline for the film might be true… all of it. All this plus a heated debate about Anakin’s force ghost. Get hype here and stay tuned for our post-film podcast – coming crazy-soon! (more…)

4. Nerdy Show 242 :: Fallout… of Reality

   Every other week, The Nerdy Show Network’s flagship podcast unloads on the latest geek news and happenings!

   Fallout 4 is out now, and frankly it’s a miracle that we managed to stop playing it to record an episode, let alone release one. Yes, Nerdy Show is getting lost in the post-apocalyptic Bostonian abyss of Bethesda’s latest masterwork. Join Cap, boR, Doug, and Jess as we share our thoughts on the new game and some of our first experiences after stumbling out of the Vault.

   Even with the momentous undertaking of fighting off Synths and scavenging every last useful piece of junk, the gaming world is positively radiating with news and goings on. We discuss Nintendo’s sleeper hit of the season: TriForce Heroes, as well as the latest from Blizzard. The trailer for Duncan Jones’ Warcraft film is out and it’s been the subject of equal parts excitement, disappointment, and heated debate. We poll the Nerdy Show hosts and fan community for thoughts and then let boR go to work with all the nuanced continuity many of us missed. There’s also the small matter of Overwatch, the next big thing from Blizzard which could make all your cartoony science adventure / superhero dreams come true. (more…)

5. Nerdy Show 241 :: Microsode: Monster Hunter

   Ah, the thrill of the hunt. In this listener-requested Microsode the Nerdy Show crew explores the kill or be killed world of the game series Monster Hunter. Whip up some paintballs and pack a whetstone – there’s purple dinosaurs to be slain.

   Join Cap, Brandon, Jonathan and Andrew from Wicked Anime, and Briggs and Wall from Ghostbusters: Resurrection as they roast meat (so tasty!) and share their feels on the wild hunt. Some of them are completely new to the series and need an introduction to what’s made these games an international phenomena; decidedly different from your Digimons and your Pokémons. Others are seasoned Monster Hunter veterans with many a monster head mounted on their wall. And then there’s Brandon, who’s sassy from gin and ready to vent on why he can’t stand the games.

   Does he have a point, or does he just need to “get good”? Thanks to Nerdy Show supporter, Korrik, you’re about to find out. (more…)

6. Nerdy Show 240 :: Microsodes: Arcade Games & Fighting Games

   We’re hittin’ the arcades and those sticky, day-glo carpets are gonna be blood-soaked! In this episode of Nerdy Show we’ve mashed up two listener requested Microsode topics: Arcade Games and Fighting Games and we’ve got so much to say it’s gone overtime.

   Join Cap, Brandon, Jonathan and Andrew from Wicked Anime, and Briggs and Wall from Ghostbusters: Resurrection as we recollect on the titles of our misspent youth in 90s arcades – from classic titles to the most obscure cabinets we can remember. Hear our triumphs in those darkened, hallowed grounds as well as our greatest defeats. Then it’s on to that special subset of the arcade that made its way to the home console: fighting games. What’s the difference between fighting games, beat ’em ups, and sports titles? What are our favorite games and who are our mains? And what are some of the weirdest early 90s fighters we can remember? All these and more, just INSERT COIN. (more…)

7. Nerdy Show 239 :: Truly Outlandish!

   Every other week, The Nerdy Show Network’s flagship podcast unloads on the latest geek news and happenings!

   Glamour, glitter, fashion, and debatable Internet notoriety: Nerdy Show, Nerdy Show is our name. We might not have super-advanced computers capable of projecting realistic holograms from wearable microprojectors, but dammit we’ve got opinions about people who do. Or don’t, as the case may be with the film adaptation of Jem and the Holograms. Yup, we’ve got an Jem and the Holograms review, and you might be surprised by what you hear.

   And that’s not even remotely all! We share our hands-on feels about Metal Gear Solid V and Guitar Hero Live – both setting baffling new precedents in gaming. We weight the possibility of that alien Dyson sphere rumor being legit. We recommend some rad comics and some dope shows! Heck, we even talk about that Harry Potter sequel… stage play… thing.

   Join Cap, boR, Trench, and Brandon as we explore the strange pleasure of attaching people and animals to balloons, go to Gramma Jail, and indulge in debaucherous nerdy discourse. Truly outlandish! (more…)

8. State of the Empire :: Episode 17 :: The Force Awakens Trailer & The Secrets of Secret Cinema

   State of the Empire is Nerdy Show’s Star Wars speculation podcast where we “look for news in Alderaan places”.

   A great silence followed Force Friday, but now that silence has been smashed and The Force Awakens‘ hype train is on the move again! Episode VII‘s first full length trailer is out and many online ticket services cried out and were suddenly silenced as millions of fans bricked them in the quest for tickets. The narrative of The Force Awakens is coming into focus and many details we’ve discussed in past episodes of State of the Empire are now public knowledge. But hey, we’re Force adept, not full-on psychic Jedi – there’s still many secrets to be picked apart.

   Join Cap, Matt, Doug, and Consequence of Sound Editor-in-Chief Mike Roffman as we voice concerns over Starkiller Base, aka “Giant Hurt Ball 3”, aka “The Pokéball of Doom”, as well as which stars might get killed. The latest Star Wars media from Rebels to novels and comics are rife with not just exciting new adventures but clues to the shape of the newly expanding universe. We share all the latest insights and call in two London Bothans, Charlie and Laurence Honderick, to report on what they saw at Secret Cinema’s interactive Empire Strikes Back spectacular. (more…)

9. Nerdy Show 238 :: Nerdy Show Goes Back to the Future

   Every other week, The Nerdy Show Network‘s flagship podcast pours over the latest geek news and happenings!

   Great Scott! It’s October 21st, 2015! You know, the future?

   Well look, we might be 15 Jaws movies short of perfection, but at least the much-prophesied future brought you Nerdy Show, right? At least we’re not living a multi-national lie of shadow governments controlled by lizard people, right? That would be absurd. Anyone who told you that was clearly a nut job and you should probably call the human police on them. That is the normal thing to do. Fact is, we’re hard at work on hoverboards and self-lacing sneakers. Clearly the future-present is a-okay. Maybe the Cubs will even win someday.

   Join Cap, boR, Nicky, and Doug as we go back to Back to the Future, share complicated feelings about Pepsi products, play Rock Band 4 and Star Wars: Battlefront, take bowel advice from a unicorn, recommend an unnecessary sequel that has no right being good, and definitely don’t crack open a conspiracy concerning subterranean reptillians’ iron-fisted control over the U. S. of A. Seriously, who even believes that? (more…)

10. Nerdy Show 237 :: Interview: Chamber Band Brave The Hunger Games

    Every other week, The Nerdy Show Network‘s flagship podcast pours over the latest geek news and happenings!

    Join us as we hang out with some of the most artful purveyors of Nerd Music on the scene: Chamber Band! You may remember when we spoke to them about their debut record Deities, or perhaps when they made it into the upper echelon of our Top 20 Nerdy Things of 2013. These rockers, who stole our hearts with their emotionally upending songs from the world of Dungeons & Dragons, have returned to conquer a whole new corner of the nerd kingdom: The Hunger Games. But, like their former record, this new album doesn’t require fandom to be a fan – these nerdy nuances highlight bigger themes that anyone can connect with.

    Join Cap and Nerdy.FM station manager Lauren Furze (aka TheFifthSister) as they’re joined by Ellen, Chris, A. Sarr, and Sam of Chamber Band for a journey into this new record: Careers. This episode travels through the record with background on each track, songwriting stories, and tales from the road. Cap has zero Hunger Games experience, so Lauren and Chamber Band light the way – sharing how they got into the series, what they connected with, and what made it into the album. (more…)