Popzara Podcast

Article: Creative Sensemore Air Wireless Earphones

After reviewing Creative’s Pebble Pro Speakers, I couldn’t wait to check out some more of their products, and they were kind enough to send over the Creative Sensemore Air Wireless Earphones. They sound and work great right out of the box, but you’ll get the most from them if you don’t mind using an app or two.

Article: You People (2023)

It’s only January but we already have a contender for the inevitable worst-of 2023 lists with Kenya Barris' You People, yet another turgid, systematically unfunny “comedy” released by Netflix coming just a few months after last year’s wretched Me Time, demonstrating once again the streaming giant will produce just about anything so long as it ticks the right boxes. The pitch must’ve sounded great: Eddie Murphy, Jonah Hill and Julia Louis-Dreyfus in an R-rated comedy about modern race relations? That’s exactly what we need in these comedically stifling times, and who better than Murphy with a return to foul-mouthed funny after decades making family-friendly drivel? Sadly, we get none of that.

Article: Dead Space (2023)

Making new stuff is hard! Let's remake old stuff instead! Such is the refrain of the modern games industry, and it's become commonplace to see old classics dusted off (or refashioned entirely) on the shelves yet again. The stores are a little different: they tend to be digital rather than physical.

Article: Forspoken

New York, New York! It's a hell of a town! That's what Frank Sinatra tells me anyway, though I've only been a couple times in passing. I'm told the pizza is pretty good, but it's never going to dislodge Chicago-style deep dish from my heart - and neither will my cardiologist.

Article: Strange World (2022)

Since at least the dawn of the talkie, filmmakers have understood how to draw up an adventure tale. 1933's King Kong changed the landscape of cinema for its groundbreaking special effects and shockingly deep themes, but it also informed future storytellers how treks to strange new worlds would - and should - play out on screen.

Article: Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1: Episodes 1-10

I won’t lie, when I first learned that a new animated Star Trek series would be coming to Nickelodeon amidst all of the other decent to terrible Trek shows that are out there, I wasn’t sure how it would pan out. Turns out it was pretty good and we have the first half of it with the Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1: Episodes 1-10 Blu-ray.

Article: Fire Emblem Engage

Who'd have thought that in 2023 we'd still be playing spicy new games on the Nintendo Switch? It's a console that seemed to be obsolete the second it was released, technologically speaking; today, your phone's probably got more horsepower than this thing. I guess nobody bothered to tell Nintendo as new games are still dropping, they're still fantastic and we're still playing them.

The State of Gaming January 2023: Fire Emblem Engage, Dead Space, Forspoken, Persona, One Piece, Colossal Cave, Vengeful Guardian, Tár’s Monster Hunter and NPD

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 new year gets off with a bang! The biggest games of the month include: Fire Emblem Engage, Forspoken, Dead Space, One Piece Odyssey, A Space for the Unbound, Persona 4 Golden + Persona 3 Portable, Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider, Colossal Cave (welcome back Ken and Roberta Williams!), fresh new Xbox ports of Monster Hunter Rise and Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, and more.

A little self-promotion! Don’t forget Popzara’s State of Gaming year-end spectacular on the best, worst, and everything else we loved (and loathed) in the world of gaming for 2022, with returning champ Antal Bokar (from 3rd Coast Review and Culture Combine).

Article: Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider

It's been mentioned plenty of times on this very site, but nostalgia is a hell of a thing. It's tough for anyone to avoid pining for the past, and the games industry - both the AAA and indie sides - are well aware of this.

Article: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

It goes without saying the original Shrek significantly changed the animation landscape upon its release in 2001. It wasn’t just that it took age-old fairytales and emphasized their inherent absurdities through clever irony and wordplay, but the DreamWorks Animation film used a modern comedic style in a way that family-oriented animation hadn’t ever seen.

Article: Teasing Master Takagi-san 3: Complete Collection

Teasing Master Takagi-san is one of those cute, slice-of-life comedy series that you just can’t help but like. It’s good to know the show is doing well in Japan and even here in the states as we now have the third season in Teasing Master Takagi-san 3: Complete Collection.

Article: Carole & Tuesday: Complete Collection

Ever since Shinichiro Watanabe directed some of the best anime out there such as Macross Plus, Cowboy Bebop, and Samurai Champloo to name a few, I’ve always tried to keep up on whatever he’s working on next. I had heard about this 2019 anime series some time ago, and now thanks to Sentai I got to see it with their Carole & Tuesday: Complete Collection Blu-ray set.

Article: Toka Gettan - The Moonlight Lady Returns: Complete Collection

When going through some of the anime shows I’ve seen, I’ll sometimes learn that a few of them were based off visual novels in Japan, and most of them were of the adult variety. Thankfully most of the series will tone down the adult content and focus more on the story aspect, as is the case with Toka Gettan - The Moonlight Lady Returns: Complete Collection which combines fantasy, romance, and some light action that features a little something for everyone.

Article: Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator

As a holder of a fancy university history degree, I really enjoy historical games. They may not all be entirely accurate, but it’s really fun to see how creators are inspired by history.

Article: M3GAN (2023)

M3GAN stands for “Model 3 Generative Android” - it’s going to be the most advanced children’s toy ever created. In this horror thriller produced by horror veterans James Wan and Jason Blum, the story focuses on an orphaned girl who becomes emotionally attached to a prototype robotic doll that gradually becomes self aware and murderously violent towards anybody who harms her assigned human.