Nerd OutCast Podcast

NOP Presents Dark Souls

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 other Souls-like games compare to the Dark Souls Trilogy? And what do we want from the future of this notoriously difficult franchise? We chat all this and more on this fatalistic episode.

Music Selections from Dark Souls and Dark Souls 3, composed by Motoi Sakuraba, owned by Namco Bandai/From Software and is included under fair use protection.

NOP Presents The Nintendo DS

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 Nintendo's then current hardware divisions. We chart the evolution over time, and our reactions to dual screen technology...followed by glasses free 3D. We chat about the games we loved, and the games we never got to play. And then we end it all with the current state of the industry...and whether we will ever see another dedicated gaming handheld in the future. It's a lot of love, speculation, and nostalgia on this deep dive episode!

Music Selections from New Super Mario Bros and Mario Kart 7, composed by Koji Kondo, owned by Nintendo and are included under fair use protection.