Nerd OutCast Podcast

NOP Presents Christmas 2017

We return with our annual Christmas episode! We chat about the best nerd gifts given, received, and nerd gifts we wish were real. My guests for the holiday cheer are DJ Fink, Alex Goodman, and John Loos. We chat Pokemon, Ready Player One, Star Trek, and the extreme joy of getting a console for Christmas (and so much more!) Have a great holiday, and we'll see you all in 2018!

Music Selections from The Ultimate Christmas Collection and is included under fair use protection. 

 

NOP Presents Twilight Princess

Everyone is keen on Breath of the Wild this year...so we chat about The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess! During our discussion, however, we learn these two games actually have many similar circumstances. My guests this time are John Tyberghein, Nik Eisenbarth, and Dan Schiffmacher. My outcast is returner Christian Missonak...whom has on many occasions expressed his disinterest for this Zelda game on the show. Do we prefer Twilight Princess with or without motion controls? Is Midna the best sidekick character? And is the game shackled by its darker tone, or is it a great creative choice? We chat all this (and our favorite dungeons) on this lengthy episode!

Music Selection from The Legend of Zelda 30th Anniversary Concert by Koji Kondo, owned by Nintendo and included under fair use protection. 

NOP Presents Toad House #1

On this special episode of NOP, we bring you into Toad's House! My players this adventure are Peter Foos, Thom Brown, and Scott Ross, and within this house are question blocks full of nerdy "what-ifs?", "what abouts?", and "who's better?" from all over the geek spectrum. Who would you rather have as your leader, Picard or Adama? What's the best vehicle in Science Fiction? How would you fix the Star Wars prequels? These are just a few of the 20 questions we tackle in this rendition of Toad's House! 

Music Selection from Super Mario Brothers 3 by Koji Kondo, owned by Nintendo and included under fair use protection. 

NOP Spotlight on the SNES Classic Edition

On this spotlight episode of NOP, we chat about the SNES Classic! My guests (and very enthusiastic Nintendo nerds) include Bill Nielsen, Jeremy Kanne, Christian Missonak, and John Loos. We start the conversation with a big question...is the Super Nintendo the most important console of all time? We discuss its library of games, and whether the SNES Classic is the best representation of the system. Then we analyze the games! Which one are we looking forward to playing the most? Are there any titles we missed that we hope to catch up on? What games would we recommend others try first? Then we delve into what is missing...if we could add 3 titles to the system, what would they be? And we cap it all off with a glimpse at what may be the Nintendo 64 Classic Edition....so give us a listen and enjoy!

Music Selections from Star Fox, Super Mario World, Super Mario RPG, and Super Castlevania, owned by Nintendo and Konami and are included under fair use protection. 

 

NOP Presents Star Trek Voyager

Star Trek Discovery launched this week, so we decided to chat about Star Trek Voyager! I've got a great crew assembled this time for the show, including Aaron Pagel, Peter Foos, Clint Worthington (Alcohollywood podcast), and Smyra Yawn (Spiel Chicago). Also joining us as a special guest for this episode is Lisa Klink, whom served as writer and executive story editor on Voyager for several seasons! Needless to say...we have much to chat about! How does Janeway rank as a captain? How does Voyager compare to what came before? Who is our favorite charater? (probably the doctor...) And who is our least favorite character? (this is a toss up...) We chat all this and more on this fatastic episode!

Music Selection from Star Trek Voyager OST by Jerry Goldsmith, owned by Crescendo Records and is included under fair use protection. 

NOP Presents Shadowrun

On this episode of NOP, we chat about the cyberpunk fantasy RPG, Shadowrun. Joining me for the discussion all things FASA are experts Brad Rady, Robert Shumate, and Patrick Sweetman. I double as host and outcast due to my severe lack of shadowrunning experience. We chat about the development of the game, and figure out what the actual definition of a "shadowrun" involves. Which version of the game is the best? What influence has it had on other RPGs and media? And what about those video games? So please listen to Mr Johnson as we inform you all about this awesome RPG!

Music Selection "Clubbed to Death" by Rob D included from the The Matrix OST, owned by Warner Bros and included under fair use protection. 

 

NOP Presents Final Fantasy 8

On this episode of NOP, we chat about Squaresoft's divisive Final Fantasy 8. I like to call this the reverse podcast, as for once I bring on several Final Fantasy Fans who all dislike this game...and only a few who enjoy it! My experts this time around are Gavin Donnellan, John Loos, Bill Nielsen, Nik Eisenbarth, John Tyberghein, Jeremy Kanne and myself. With so many fans on...we easily have a 2 hour discussion on sorcerecesses, gunblades, and time compression. Does the junction system ruin the game, or is it a brilliant innovation? Are the dungeons too repetitive? And how does Final Fantasy 8 hold up to its massively successful predecessor? We chat all this and more (Laguna) on this insightful episode.

Music Selections included from the Final Fantasy 8 OST by Nobuo Uematsu, owned by Square Enix and included under fair use protection. 

 

NOP Presents Spider-Man

On this amazing episode of NOP, we chat about everyone's favorite friendly neighborhood Spider-Man! My experts this time around are Mark Rosenthal, DJ Fink, Chad Pickett, and Alex Goodman. I serve double duty as host and outcast because...well...I'm kind of tired of Spider-Man (seriously...we have 3 film franchises!) We chat about the origins of the wall-crawler, some of his best villains, and touch on his best comic runs. Then we switch gears as we focus on the three film franchises, starring Toby McGuire, Andrew Garfield, and the up and coming Tom Holland. Where did they go right, and where did they go wrong? We chat for close to 2 hours, and its all pretty amazing. Give us a listen!

Music Selections included from Spider-Man OST by Danny Elfman, owned by Columbia Records and included under fair use protection. 

 

NOP Presents Quantum Leap

The smooth jazz of the 80's takes us on a journey as we chat about Quantum Leap. Joining me for this discussion are Pete Navis and Kitten McCreary-Navis in Los Angeles, along with Smyra Yawn (of Spiel Chicago podcast.) I serve as outcast because, for some reason, I missed the leaping adventures of Scott Bakula. So how does Quantum Leap set itself apart from other science-fiction shows of the time? How is Bakula as Sam Beckett? What about his partner, Al (played by Dean Stockwell.) Can the show be remade for today's audience? And what about that abrupt ending!? We chat all this and more on this great episode.

Music Selections included from The Quantum Leap Soundtrack by Mike Post, owned by GNP Crescendo and included under fair use protection. 

 

NOP Presents Storytelling in Videogames

In this exploratory episode, we chat about the execution and effectiveness of storytelling in video games! Joining me for this fantastic discussion are videogame nerds Pete Foos, Gavin Donnellan, and Orion Couling. Given the depth of the topic, and all of our individual angles, there is not an outcast. We chat about the stories that really moved us, along with what makes a good story. Do games have an inherint advantage over films? Does it all come down to voice acting and cinematics? Do role playing games lay the groundwork for the most enthralling stories? We chat all this and more on this indepth episode!

Music Selections included from Mass Effect by Jack Wall, Diablo by Matt Uelmen, Chrono Trigger by Yasanori Mitsuda , Mortal Kombat Main Theme by Dan Forden, and Final Fantasy VIII by Nobua Uematsu. All are selections are included under fair use protection.