Popzara Podcast

Article: Showgunners

One of the big moral panics of today's zeitgeist appears to be "screens." Not that I'm biased or anything, being someone who makes a living and holds side gigs working primarily on screens, but it always seemed a little bizarre to me to simultaneously push kids toward those vital STEM roles and also push them away from using technology.

Article: Redfall

I'll admit it: it's pretty rare that I'll give a game a negative review. It usually takes severe performance issues, crashing and the like to convince me.

Article: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the 32nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is the final chapter of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy.

Article: 80 for Brady (2023)

Occasionally fun, often interesting, and mostly peculiar, 80 for Brady does for old women what Last Vegas does for old men, but with half the stakes and one-third the jokes. Of course, the “old person” comedy has been in and out of cachet ever since George Burns, Art Carney, and Lee Strasberg wore Groucho glasses in 1979’s Going in Style, although has seen a big resurgence since 2007's The Bucket List (even a Going in Style remake in 2017).

Article: MIYOO Mini Plus Game Console

We're in an interesting world these days when it comes to emulation. On YouTube, along with generally pretending that video games are still toys for children thanks to restrictions on content and the sort of language one uses, you typically also have to pretend emulation doesn't exist.

Article: Renfield (2023)

Renfield may seem like the the latest vampire offering from Hollywood, but it's much more than that. Showcasing a new take on the character of Count Dracula (Nicolas Cage) and his devoted assistant/familiar R.

The State of Gaming April 2023: Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, Dead Island 2, Advance Wars, Minecraft Legends, Megaman Battle Network, PS5 Domination, Mario Movie, and Circana

It’s The State of Gaming Podcast, Popzara’s in-depth look at what’s shaking up the gaming landscape delivered on a monthly basis. Our hosts Cory Galliher and Nate Evans guide you through the best, worst, and everything else making headlines and headway in the world of interactive entertainment.

The Biggest Games of April 2023

The biggest games of the month include: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Dead Island 2, Minecraft Legends, Advance Wars 1+2 Reboot Camp, The Last Case of Benedict Fox, Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection Vol. 1-2, and Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores (DLC).

Other notables include: Ghostwire: Tokyo (Xbox), Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak (Xbox), Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly, The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story, Disney Speedstorm (Early Access), and the actual release of Everspace 2.

Circana (Formerly NPD): March 2023

Circana remains the gaming industry’s best snapshot of what’s moving and shaking up both physical and digital retail shelves across the country. All estimates are for entertainment purposes only. Total sales of new gaming hardware and software topped $4.6 billion, a 5 percent dip from last year. Notably, Sony’s PlayStation 5 has been breaking records across the board, a huge turnaround when the console was nearly impossible to find.

On the Top 20 software charts Capcom's Resident Evil 4 Remake debuts in the top spot, followed by Warner Bros' Hogwarts Legacy in second, and Sony's MLB: The Show 23 debuts in third. Take 2's WWE 2K23 debuts high in seventh, Nintendo's physical version of Metroid Prime Remastered in thirteenth and, perhaps as a nod to upcoming Star Wars projects, Warner Bros' LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga returns in capping off the list in twentieth. May the 4th be with you.

Everything Else

But there’s more! The Super Mario Bros. Movie breaks a billion at the box-office! We predicted it! Sony’s Twisted Metal series gets a teaser-trailer! Speaking of Sony, their PSVR 2 headset is finally coming to retailers! The upcoming Street Fighter movie reboot gets a pair of Australian directors! And you can actually play the new Street Fighter VI (demo, anyway) right now!

Article: Turtle Beach Stealth Pro Wireless Headset

Since I’m always in the market for headsets, I’ve come across a few awesome ones in the past year or so that have taken my ears on a joyride. The latest one to do so is the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro Wireless Headset that has a few minor design faults, but still reigns as the king of their headsets.

Article: Cassette Beasts

When the game industry produces something good, you can bet it's going to produce a lot more of that something. The indie scene, for all its talk of innovation, is no exception - just look at how many farming sims hit the digital storefronts over the last year alone, just as one example, or the bizarre coincidence of multiple Pokémon Snap-style photography games appearing all at once.

Article: Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End and the Secret Key

If you’re playing Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End and the Secret Key, you’ve most likely played one (or both, you go getter!) of the two previous games. That is, unless you’re like I’ve been with Nintendo's Fire Emblem and see these characters everwhere, read the wiki pages for them, and adopt them as your own.

Article: Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly

When I first played Coffee Talk back in 2020 it was during the…um, extended “staycation” we don’t like to talk about. There was something about it that immediately stuck with me.

Article: Evil Dead Rise (2023)

Evil Dead Rise is the fifth installment of the Evil Dead film franchise and tells the story of a family fighting for their lives against monstrous demons after they discover one of the three volumes of Naturom Demonto, aka The Book of the Dead. Originally intended to be released on HBO Max (now just…Max), Evil Dead Rise tested so well at screenings Warner Bros decided to release it theatrically - and I’m so glad they did.

Article: Dead Island 2

Remember bacon? Bacon was an Internet obsession for a little while. There were bacon recipes, bacon merchandise, bacon condiments.

Article: Hunt the Night

I'd like to propose that we extend the modern game journalism cliche of "the Dark Souls of ___" to stuff in real life. Waiting at the DMV? That's the Dark Souls of Bureaucracy.

Article: Cannon Dancer - Osman

Say what you will about the modern games industry, but it's hard to deny that there's more to play than ever these days. What's more, it's easier than ever to find and enjoy the classic games of yesteryear, though the legitimacy of your means of doing so might vary a tiny bit.