Episode 12: Nerd Buffet

I'm back, and I brought some friends! Today on Radd's Basement we have a buffet of nerd topics for you to sample. I sit down with Koop and Vallas to first discuss some comic book movies we recently watched. Next, we contrast a couple upcoming sci-fi TV shows (actually REAL sci-fi, like outer space stuff) on the horizon. Finally we talk about the current state of Doctor Who, having watched the most recent episode together. It's full of laughs, shouting and opinions that don't matter! Enjoy won't us?

  

Episode 11: Mystery Science Theater 3000

Back in the saddle for episode 11 of Radd's Basement! I took a break over the past few weeks, because my video game repro shop was looking like a ghost town. So if you take a look over there, a lot of titles are back for sale and more are on the way over the next couple weeks! </shameless_promo>.

I've enjoyed a number of television shows over the years, but there's a few in particular that are very near and dear to my heart. One of those is Mystery Science Theater 3000. There's never been another like it, and for sheer comedy value it can't be beat. More laughs per hour (or two hours) than any show you'll ever see. A simple premise, a mad scientist forces some poor dope to watch bad movies. Said dope survives the ordeal by heckling the movies with the help of two robots. Simple right? The charming low-budget look and loveable characters made this one a cult hit in nerd circles, and it ran for 10 years, first on Comedy Central, then moving to Syfy. 

More recently, the original creator, Joel Hodgson brought it to Kickstater for a revival and achieved success beyond wildest expectations. The result is Mystery Science Theater 3000 is back, with new episodes currently airing on Netflix. So today I get together with some of the biggest MST3K fans I know of, and we talk about this wonderful series, it's history, and the current series.

I'm joined by returning guests Mike Vallas & Danyon Carpenter, and the three of us are joined by a new voice, former EGM editor and co-founder of Gaming FM with Danyon and me, Mark (Duckhead) Sarnecki! We talk MST3K, I argue with them about the correct pronunciation of the word "gif", and then the conversation degenerates into old EGM stories as it inevitably does whenever we get together. Sit back, shut up, and enjoy! Also Like on Facebook, and Follow on Twitter.

  

25th Anniversary of EGM's Sheng Long April Fool's Trick!

I just had the privilege of attending the Sheng Long April Fools anniversary event at Pixel Blast Arcade. If you listen to my podcast, you know my history at EGM and how fortunate I am to have been right there to watch Ken Williams A.K.A Sushi-X change the course of video game history with what we thought at the time was just a simple, but great gag for the April 1992 issue of EGM. Who knew 25 years later the legacy of what Ken did back then would be alive and well every time someone plays Street Fighter and picks Akuma. Ken was on hand to sign autographs and fight all warriors at Street Fighter II Hyperfighting. I snuck in a couple wins until Ken got wise to my tactics and finally ended our final match with a perfect win. He's still got it folks! I'm honored to call this guy my pal, and look forward to many more good times with him and all my EGM buds in the future!

Also, this was when I invented the flaming Dragon Punch. You're welcome.

Episode 10: Doctor Who - Part 2

Thank for tuning into another episode of Radd's Basement! This time I conclude my Doctor Who discussion with Koop and Vallas, digging more specifically into what's going on with Doctor Who right now. Unfortunately the news about Peter Capaldi leaving the show hadn't broke yet so we don't get a chance to discuss it, but I briefly touch on it in my intro. We do talk about how great we think Peter has become, and we'll definitely miss him as the Doctor. We also discuss the differences between showrunners Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat, Torchwood, as well as favorite companions, seasons, and episodes. What else? WHO can say? Enjoy!

  

Episode 9: Doctor Who - Part 1

Radd here. For those who listen to every episode of my podcast, you may remember episode #7 where I talked to my buddy Koop about Star Wars. Then, in episode #8, I spoke to Mike Vallas about Nintendo Switch. In both episodes, we'd mentioned how we should all get together sometime and talk about Doctor Who. So I figured why not just stop talking about it, and TALK ABOUT IT!

So here it is, finally one of the promised themed episodes of nerdery, where I sit down with my pals Mike Vallas and Koop and figure out why we love this weird British science fiction series.

I will assume whether or not you've watched Doctor Who, that you've at least heard of it in some capacity. It has a longer history than any TV series out there, it just celebrated its 50th anniversary and pre-dates even Star Trek! The original Doctor Who aired from 1963 to 1989, and the current series picked up in 2005, continuing right where the old left off, and recognizes all of its previous history. The show stars a character called the Doctor. A non-Earthling who flies around in a time machine/spaceship which happens to be stuck in the form of a British Police Box. The series is able to achieve unprecedented levels of longevity due to a clever bit of writing that shows when the Doctor becomes old or is killed, his body can regenerate itself. When this happens, the Doctor is a completely new person with all of the same memories, experiences and ideals. A new actor steps into the role, and the story continues!

I was never into the original series, so I let Koop and Vallas have the first hour, explaining to me why they loved it so much. The second hour, we all mutually dive into the new series, which I'm very familiar with. There are things we love, things we don't, so we discuss. If you're not familiar with the show, you may be a little lost as we assume a prior knowledge of the show on some level. But WHO knows, you may actually want to give the show a look after hearing our thoughts on it. Either way, I hope you enjoy!

To any new listeners who may have dropped in to hear a #doctorwho discussion, welcome and thank you for visiting!

  

Episode 8: Nintendo Switch

Nintendo. They're my guys. Since I first played Super Mario Bros. at Martin Alessi's house in 1986, they've been my favorite and most played video game consoles, not to mention home to my favorite franchises. Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Punch-Out, plus a host of third party (mostly Konami) titles, like Castlevania, Contra, and Gradius have filled the last 30 years with so much warmth and joy! They've not only been my favorite, but the favorite of so many others, and they remained the kings of the home console for years to come.

Then, they weren't anymore.

So what happened? Where did it all go wrong, and where are we now? Well lets face it, sticking with Cartridges on the N64 was a mistake, and while they tried to course correct with the GameCube, it wasn't enough. So this would be the last time we'd see Nintendo release a standard console with standard controller inputs. from this point forward Nintendo "Switched" to gimmicks.

Enter the Wii.

With it's innovative motion controls, Nintendo seemed to have a hit on its hands. The Wii was something the world had never seen and it became a phenomenon!

For a while.

So where could Nintendo go from there? How could they top the success of the Wii? Why with more motion controls of course! Enter the Wii U. With it's confusing title, many thought it was an add on for the Wii rather than Nintendo's next big console. It sported a touch screen motion controller and seemed to be the next evolution of the Wii.

Well, it failed.

So Nintendo is ready to sweep the Wii U under the rug after five years, and with the recent passing of their Japanese CEO Satoru Iwata, is ready to unveil their latest and greatest system!

They did. It was awkward.

In the past, as has become tradition, game systems are unveiled at E3 in front a live audience, with much fanfare. Nintendo revealed their new system to the world on October 20th, 2016 with a three minute commercial. No fanfare, and no accompanying information. What you saw was all you were gonna see (or hear). Was I the only one who thought this was weird? It wouldn't be until three months later on January 13th, 2017 that we'd get any more information about the system that was rumored to release only three months from now! This time we were treated to a badly dubbed, hour long Japanese presentation that left us with so many questions! The foremost on my mind being, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH NINTENDO THESE DAYS!?

In today's episode of Radd's Basement: Nerd Culture Podcast, I sit down with Mike Vallas and try to figure this all out. If you're not a big gamer, I encourage you to take in the two videos I mentioned in the previous paragraph. It's not required but it may help with context. Please "Switch" *snap* to the podcast now!

  

Episode 7: A Star Wars New Year

After a week off for Christmas, I'm back with the first Radd's Basement: Nerd Culture Podcast of 2017! I'm calling this a New Year's special, actually recorded ON New Years Eve, near midnight, with my dear friend Koop. I've talked about "My buddy Koop" many times on both this and my former podcast, so I'm honored and humbled to finally have a chance to sit down with him and talk about the junk we love! This time, since not only do we both love Star Wars, but also since it's in the news lately, what with that "Rouge One" thing going on as well as the recent passing of our beloved Princess Carrie Fisher, Star Wars is the dominant theme of this episode. It wasn't planned, it just kinda happened, and that's ok with me! We talk about Doctor Who, Marvel & DC, and sprinkle in a little Star Trek, but the big topic is Star Wars. Koop gives his thoughts on Star Wars Clone Wars, and we discuss our mutual thoughts about Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Adventure! Excitement! Do you crave these things? If so, you're not a Jedi, but you will enjoy this podcast!