Episodes
Tuesday Jan 30, 2024
Article: Creative Zen Air Pro Wireless Earphones
Tuesday Jan 30, 2024
Tuesday Jan 30, 2024
It feels like yesterday when I was sent the Creative Sensemore Air earphones for review, but that was nearly a year ago. After tweaking some of the settings through their app, they managed to be a nice pair for those on a budget.
Monday Jan 29, 2024
Article: American Fiction (2023)
Monday Jan 29, 2024
Monday Jan 29, 2024
If the plot of American Fiction seems like a great idea for a film that’s because it was a great idea for Percival Everett’s Erasure, a 2001 novel satirizing the publishing industry’s pusillanimous method of leveraging literary fame and fortune through the gravest of compromises, and more importantly, the effects this has on one man’s mental state. Cord Jefferson’s adaptation, led by a never-better Jeffrey Wright, and possibly the best of intentions, can’t quite live up to that promise.
Monday Jan 29, 2024
Article: The Final Curtain (2023)
Monday Jan 29, 2024
Monday Jan 29, 2024
Billed it as the concluding chapter of the Detective Kaga series, only a fraction of which have been translated into English, Keigo Higashino’s The Final Curtain ("Inori no Maku ga Oriru Toki'' in Japan) is one of those titles with dual meanings alluding to both the book’s content and its central protagonist suggesting finality. It arrives just a year after his last literary adventure, A Death in Tokyo, an otherwise rote entry in Higashino’s oeuvre that suggested the author was beginning to tire of his Newcomer.
Thursday Jan 25, 2024
Article: Sly Circadian Beverage
Thursday Jan 25, 2024
Thursday Jan 25, 2024
There's a lot of considerations when it comes to gaming. What are you going to play? What will you play it on? How about peripherals, which do you plan on using? Perhaps most importantly, what brightly-colored drink are you going to wet your whistle with while you're fragging noobatrons or however they put it these days? Soon you just might be sipping Sly, a new set of "circadian beverages" aiming to change the gaming beverage paradigm by offering a scientific approach to energy instead of just slamming fatigue away with caffeine.
Friday Jan 19, 2024
Article: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
Friday Jan 19, 2024
Friday Jan 19, 2024
Life is a Metroidvania, if you think about it. When you're born, you haven't even unlocked the ability to walk yet, much less double-jump.
Wednesday Jan 17, 2024
The State of Gaming: The Best, Worst (and Everything Else) Games of 2023
Wednesday Jan 17, 2024
Wednesday Jan 17, 2024
It’s The State of Gaming Podcast…for the year 2023! And what a year it was. On this happily supersized episode our regular hosts Cory Galliher and Nate Evans are again joined by extra special guest Antal Bokor (from 3rd Coast Review and Culture Combine) sort through the embarrassment of interactive riches one of the very best years in gaming history had to offer.
It’s a smorgasbord of gaming goodness - did your favorites make the cut? Besides the expected “Game of the Year” candidates like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Baldur’s Gate 3, Alan Wake 2, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and other digital delights, other games discussed include: Dead Space (Remake) (Antal’s GOTY), Amnesia: The Bunker, Jusant, System Shock Remake, Metroid Prime Remastered, The Talos Principle 2, Viewfinder, Firmament, and Tchia.
But there’s more! Other games include Master Detective Archives: Rain Code, Hi-Fi Rush, Wild Hearts, Dave the Diver, Lies of P, Exoprimal, Honkai: Star Rail, The Void Rains Upon Her Heart, and Sanabi (Cory’s GOTY), Final Fantasy XVI, Air Twister, Resident Evil 4 (Remake), Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, Street Fighter VI, Quake 2: Remastered (Nate’s most played GOTY), DOOM (1993) Sigil 2, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, The Making of Karateka, Humanity, RoboCop: Rogue City...and many others. We said it was a year for the record books, and we weren't kidding!
Tuesday Jan 16, 2024
Tuesday Jan 16, 2024
The Consumer Electronics Show for 2024 has come and gone, but the memories of the world’s biggest technology showcase remain. Recapping the extravaganza is our own Senior Tech editor Herman Exum joined by techie neophyte Nathan Evans and MVP guest Ben Crossman from The Computer America Show to talk about the magical future-world of tomorrow’s tech… today!
Without question, the real star of CES 2024 was AI. From clever uses to questionable ones, the show floor in Las Vegas was dominated by AI in all its forms, including repurposed smart home devices, AI-powered outdoor grills, bird-identifying binoculars, PC accelerator cards, adorable robot companions, beds, pillows…Who needs to think when AI can do it for you?
But it’s not just AI! Other headline making tech included gigantic screens (C Seed’s N1 wants all your money), transparent OLED/MicroLED displays, home battery backup systems, E Ink toilets (yup), clutter-free desktop PCs, Windows/Android hybrid laptops, UTI diagnostic tests, smart dog collars, PlayStation cars, dancing “interactive” plants, and much, much more.
Sunday Jan 14, 2024
Article: Dream Scenario (2023)
Sunday Jan 14, 2024
Sunday Jan 14, 2024
Some have noticed the reason why Freddy Krueger is so scary is because he haunts you from where you can’t escape. Everyone has to sleep, and when that time comes every day, you’ll inevitably, and regrettably, face a monster without the physical capacity to do anything about it — unless you happen to wake up.
Friday Jan 12, 2024
Article: Poor Things (2023)
Friday Jan 12, 2024
Friday Jan 12, 2024
Yorgos Lanthimos should be in the conversation when we discuss the most impressive current directors. Adapted by Lanthimos and writer Tony McNamara from Alasdair Gray’s novel of the same name, Poor Things may be a departure from the director’s signature tone and visual style, but it still beautifully demonstrates his uncanny ability to experiment with impeccable cohesion.
Thursday Jan 11, 2024
Article: Dreo OH310 Radiator Heater
Thursday Jan 11, 2024
Thursday Jan 11, 2024
If you go back and check out some of my recent tech reviews, you’ll see one company that quickly became one of my favorites of all time, Dreo. As usual, just when I think they can’t get any better, they continue to outdo themselves as well as some of the biggest tech companies out there.
Thursday Jan 11, 2024
Article: Masaaki Yuasa: Five Films
Thursday Jan 11, 2024
Thursday Jan 11, 2024
While I didn’t discover director, screenwriter, and animator Masaaki Yuasa until the release of 2021’s Inu-Oh, and fell in love with it’s art, animation and story,I’m so glad Shout Studios made it easy to go back and catch up on his past works with the Masaaki Yuasa: Five Films set. Fans will love having this on their shelf while newcomers get to see why Yuasa and his films are so treasured.
Wednesday Jan 10, 2024
Article: The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023)
Wednesday Jan 10, 2024
Wednesday Jan 10, 2024
There was a moment about halfway through The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes when I thought this may be the 2nd best Hunger Games adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ best-selling books of them all (the 2012 original is the best, of course). Split into three parts, this prequel installment quickly establishes its own unique identity, despite having the same director, never needing to match the energy of its parent series while also using it occasionally as a tool when necessary.
Wednesday Jan 10, 2024
Article: Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom (2023)
Wednesday Jan 10, 2024
Wednesday Jan 10, 2024
One would hope that a film franchise with as much money poured into it as the DC Extended Universe would fight tooth and nail not just to survive, but to thrive. Alas, with its latest - and likely last - offering, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom, that hope feels all for naught.
Friday Jan 05, 2024
Article: Fitness Boxing Fist of the North Star
Friday Jan 05, 2024
Friday Jan 05, 2024
Fitness Boxing Fist of the North Star is one of those games made for a very specific group of people: fans of classic Fist of the North Star anime that also enjoy a decent workout. This is an admittedly small demographic, especially in a world where most people (outside of Japan, at least) only know the franchise from memes, if at all.
Wednesday Dec 27, 2023
Wednesday Dec 27, 2023
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 the month include: Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince, and Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising.
Other notables include: Batman: Arkham Trilogy (Switch), Kingpin Reloaded, Born of Bread, Pokemon Scarlet And Violet: The Hidden Treasure Of Area Zero – The Indigo Disk, Plumbers Don’t Wear Ties: Definitive Edition, Outer Wilds (Switch), Resident Evil 4 Remake (iOS), and Sonic Dream Team (Apple Arcade).
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 $5.8 billion, a 7 perfect drop from last year, largely due to a perilous 24 percent drop in sales of new gaming hardware.
On the final Top Twenty software charts before the holidays there’s few surprises as Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 debuts in first, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 back in second, EA’s Hogwarts Legacy rises to third, Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. Wonder in fifth (with the plumber’s Super Mario RPG Remake debuting in sixth), Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Mirage, Bandai Namco’s Naruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections debuts in twelfth, Square Enix’s Star Ocean: The Second Story R debuts in seventeenth, and Ubisoft’s Just Dance 2024 in twentieth.
But there’s more! It’s a sad RIP to actor James McCaffrey (voice actor for both Max Payne and Alan Wake), who passed away this month at age 65. Also RIP (finally) to the tradeshow turned spectacle E3 (1995 – 2023). Id Software’s iconic DOOM turns 30 this month, and to celebrate John Romero released the free expansion Sigil 2, proving once again that the OG DOOM will never, ever die.
Elsewhere Rockstar Games’ massively anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 gets its first trailer, and it’s already broken records. Sony’s PlayStation 5, once impossible to get, continues to sell like gangbusters after topping 50 million consoles sold in three years. Plus, stay tuned for a special treat as Cory shares his picks for the best outrageously priced (yet outrageously good) “pro” controllers for your enthusiastic fingers. Did your favorite make the cut? Happy Holidays!