Popzara Podcast

Filmmaker Kevin J. James Talks Not For Resale + Retro Gaming

On this archival friendly episode of the Popzara Podcast our own amateur historian Nathan Evans talks with filmmaker and fellow gaming enthusiast Kevin J. James, director of Not For Resale, a new documentary examining the twilight years of traditional video game stores, the rise of retro gaming, and what appears to be an unstoppable ascendancy of digitally delivered gaming to the masses.

The State of Gaming February 2020: Coronavirus Cancellations, PS5 + Xbox Series X Pricing, Streaming Scenarios

Say hello to our new feature that (we hope) will replace the older NPD reports in the hearts and minds of our equally cherished listeners: The State of Gaming, a new monthly wrap-up that looks at some of the most exciting and interesting developments rocking the gaming industry, with minimal snark and heavy focus on critical analysis. Even better, it’s got the exact same hosts – Cory Galliher and Nate Evans – so we guess some of the old was good enough to stick around.

Movies in 2019: The Best, Worst, and Everything Else

It's that time of the year again – movie award season! And there’s no bigger movie award show than the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, aka The Oscars. With the 92nd Academy Awards set to bestow their Oscar gold on February 9th we figured it’d be a great time to share our movie nerd editors' Christian Stirling, Ethan Brehm and Nate Evans picks for the best, worst and everything else that impressed - and disgusted - them at theaters and streaming boxes in 2019.

The Best, Worst and Biggest Games of 2019

2019 – what a year! As fading platforms like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One ready their next-generation successors, streaming promises a whole new way to play and competitive eSports is more popular than ever there was no shortage of hits and misses in the wide world of videogame delights.

All that’s fine and dandy, but what about the actual games people play? You’re in luck: join our own gaming savants Cory Galliher, James McKeever and Nate Evans as they plug in (their microphones) to share their thoughts on the best, the worst, and everything else that made gaming in 2019 one for the books.

CES 2020: The Best, Worst, and Everything Else

Popzara’s own Herman Exum, Nathan Evans and – thanks to carefully crafted notes and pre-show chats – senior editor Chris Mitchell are joined, once again, by super special guest Ben Crossman from The Computer America Show as they gather around their microphones to talk and discuss the technological spectacle that was CES 2020.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and the End of an Era

The Force is strong with this episode of the Popzara Podcast as Jedi Master Ethan Brehm and Sith Lord Nathan Evans attempt to bring balance to the Force by discussing (and spoiling) the ninth and supposed “final” chapter of the 42-year old Skywalker Saga in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the conclusion to Disney’s trilogy of episodic adventures that began with 2015’s The Force Awakens, now playing in theaters across the galaxy (and probably right down the street).

NPD November 2019 Game Sales Estimates and Analysis: Jedi Poké Power

The madness of Black Friday and Cyber Monday are behind us, thank goodness, which means the clean up crew has arrived to help made sense of the aftermath. And by aftermath we're talking snapshots of the gaming industry's health at both physical and digital retail shelves across the United States. Just in time to help foster some much-needed holiday cheer and brand awareness for November 2019. This means estimates from our friends at The NPD Group and colorful analysis by our very own number-crunchers Cory Galliher and Nathan Evans.

NPD October 2019 Gaming Estimates and Analysis: Duty Calls

As nature continues its transition from Fall to Winter, consumers continue their transition from saving money to spending, especially on shiny new game consoles and games to play on them. For this we’ve got our own number-crunchers Cory Galliher and Nate Evans to share their thoughts on sales estimates from our friends at the NPD for October 2019, just in time before the madness of Black Friday and Cyber Monday starts.

Death Stranding: Kojima’s Delivery Service

On this byzantine episode of the Popzara Podcast our own special couriers Cory Galliher and Herman Exum grab the popcorn and controllers to talk and explore Death Stranding, the latest game from acclaimed videogame producer Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid). Join Sam Bridges (Norman Reedus) on his star-studded journey as he explores and reconnects the broken fragments of a future America the only way he knows how: by delivering packages from sea to murky seas.

Cartoonist Scott Adams Talks Dilbert Turning 30, Loserthink and Untrained Brains

Joining our own comics enthusiast Nate Evans on this highly persuasive episode of the Popzara Podcast is none other than award-winning cartoonist, author, trained hypnotist and Periscope enthusiast Scott Adams, here to celebrate (and promote) two publishing milestones: the 30th anniversary of the Dilbert comic strip with the accurately titled comic collection Dilbert Turns 30, and his latest non-fiction manual of mental mastery, Loserthink: How Untrained Brains Are Ruining America.

Brian Volk-Weiss Talks More Toys and The Movies That Made Us

Back once again on this memorable episode of the Popzara Podcast is producer, director and nostalgia aficionado Brian Volk-Weiss to talk even more toys (and more movies!) as he readies not just the wildly anticipated third season of his smash-hit Netflix docuseries The Toys That Made Us, but its cinematic spin-off The Movies That Made Us.

NPD September 2019 Gaming Estimates and Analysis: 2K All The Way, Baby

As the Fall season changes the weather, the gaming industry itself experiences such a shift as it readies itself for the selling frenzy of what’s to come. To help make sense of this transitional madness our trusty number-crunchers Cory Galliher and Nate Evans are back, microphones and opinions at the ready, to discuss the estimates from The NPD Group’s monthly snapshot of the gaming industry’s physical and digital retail health for September 2019.

Sega Genesis Mini: 30 Years of Blast Processing Fun

In this arcade-perfect episode of the Popzara Podcast our own retro lovers Cory Galliher, Herman Exum and Nate Evans join the 16-bit revolution by talking all about the Sega Genesis Mini, the latest – and greatest – effort by Sega to monetize nostalgia via a dedicated micro-console absolutely packed with some of the very best games the platform had to offer.

NPD August 2019 Gaming Estimates and Analysis

The long, hot summer of 2019 is finally at an end, though we’re not quite done checking out what’s the new (and old) hotness heating up the gaming charts at retailers and checkout queues across the nation. This is where our reliable number-crunchers Cory Galliher and Nate Evans step in with their own analysis and colorful commentary in a vain attempt to make sense of it all.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance – The Future is Muppet

Return to another world, another time in the world of Thra on this enchanting episode of the Popzara Podcast as Skeksis Nathan Evans talks with his Mystic counterpart, Kevin from YouTube’s StoryDive, about the welcome return to Jim Henson’s pioneering all-puppet fantasy classic in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.