Andrew Asplund And Dan Bethel Podcasts

CLIP SHOW VACATION: Our hosts are taking a week to enjoy the summer (well, one of our hosts is traveling, so they couldn't get together), but they recorded a quick "hello" as well as a bunch of previously unreleased outtakes/pre-show conversations (most from around 2016) to the end to give you some content in the interim. See you next week! INFO: V…

SDCC 2022: San Diego Comic Con actually happened this year after a long period of COVID-based dormancy, and it returned with a fury, dropping all kinds of news and sneak peeks and trailers...of comic book movies and tv more than anything else. Our hosts dissect the announcements that interested them the most. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Intro (04:29) Quick o…

THE EMBIGGENING: Now that the series is complete, our hosts talk about the most recent MCU show on Disney+, the incredibly charming––and narratively impactful––Ms. Marvel. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Intro (01:28) The relatability, the continuity, and the pleasurability that is Disney+'s Ms. Marvel. (36:43) Outro - Dan's Summer Highlander Adventure continues…

A QUALITY BALANCE OF MERCY & TERROR: This week, our hosts discuss the simply incredible finale for the first season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: "A Quality of Mercy." They discuss the merits of the episode on its own and as a finale for a new Trek show, but they also cover how it intersects with the original series' first season episode, "Bala…

DOCTOR STRANGER THINGS: Our hosts reflect on one of the most divisive and interesting entries into the current phase of the MCU, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Intro - Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers talk (01:50) Doctor Strange & the Multiverse of Madness (37:18) Outro - This week's poll (38:18) Outtakes RELEVANT EPISO…

RESCUED RANGERS: Our hosts take this week to relax and talk about one of the most surprising movies of the year, Disney+'s Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers. RELEVANT EPISODES: "We're On a Track" (05 May 2017): Where D. Bethel discusses playing the Disney Afternoon Collection, a collection of the Capcom-developed NES games based on the Disney Afternoon …

WEEK IN GEEK: A lot of video games were played this week, some new, some old. Andrew plays the new hotness that is Cellar Door Games' Rogue Legacy 2 and finds it engrossing. D. Bethel plays two video games, first working his way through the Metroidvania classic, Ori and the Blind Forest, and the new arcade beat 'em up, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:…

A MARVELOUS DEBUT: Our hosts briefly talk about the incredible first impression that the MCU Disney+ show, Ms. Marvel, makes. FALL OF THE PHOENIX: The tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) world was rocked this last week as more and more people came out on Twitter to discuss the abusive work habits of TTRPG celebrities, Satine Phoenix and Jamison Ston…

NEWS CRUISE: This week, our hosts dive into a variety of news of the shocking, weird, and downright questionable. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Intro - Old Man Talk: Allergies (02:43) News Cruise: Monte Cook Games' Announcement (10:50) Nintendo uses sentencing of a hacker to make a statement. (16:33) Upcoming Predator prequel, Prey, will be available with a Co…

THE OUTCAST: In celebration of the start of Pride Month, our hosts look at one of the most blatant attempt to address LGBTQ+ issues done by Star Trek: The Next Generation in their fifth season episode, "The Outcast," and how its success in that endeavor may have changed over time. RELEVANT EPISODES: "All the Way" (26 September 2014): Where our host…

WEEK IN GEEK: This week, Andrew actually gets into sports (kind of) after watching the first season of the new HBO basketball docu-drama, Winning Time. D. Bethel plays Studio Koba's recent release, Narita Boy, and is delighted by its retro stylings and gameplay but also impressed by its impressive step into modern storytelling and themes. INFO: Vis…

SPIDERS-MAN: Now that both hosts have finally seen the most recent Sony-developed Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man: No Way Home, they use their thoughts about it to also discuss a bit about the narrative potential––and detriment––of multiverses. RELEVANT EPISODES: "Unpop That Cork" (18 March 2022): Where our hosts talk about the impact and legacy of th…

STRANGE NEW WORLDS: Our hosts discuss the premiere episode of the brand new Star Trek show on Paramount+, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, a show that's a throwback not only in continuity, but in its episodic approach to storytelling. DOCTOR NEW: Last weekend brought the announcement of the actor who will replace Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor in the …

RIP DCCW: In a DC-heavy episode, our hosts bring our on-the-ground-DC-correspondent, Taylor, to talk about all things DC Comics. First, it's sad news to fans of the tv-based DC universe as it was announced that only Flash and Superman & Lois return for another season, leaving fans of, especially Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow to deal with their s…

DECK PICS: Andrew got his hands on the new Steam Deck and shares his initial thoughts––and experiences––with it. UNIFICATION: With D. Bethel on the Paramount+ bandwagon––because he missed Star Trek: The Next Generation so much––he and Andrew discuss the return of Spock in Season 5's "Unification I" and "Unification II." RELEVANT EPISODES: "Brought …

WEEK IN GEEK: This week, Andrew watches the first season of HBO's pirate rom-com, Our Flag Means Death, while D. Bethel has a lot of fun with Acid Nerve's charming game about being a grim reaper, Death's Door. RELEVANT EPISODES: "Baguettevania" (24 August 2018): Where Andrew discusses his time playing Moonlighter. "Sad News Theme" (28 February 2020…

NFTs BREAK BIG: Andrew brings new NFT disaster stories to the show, from Star Trek to Dungeons & Dragons to Batman to $277, it's all a garbage fire and it doesn't seem to be going away. RELEVANT LINKS: Codega, Linda. "NFTs Are Here to Ruin Dungeons & Dragons." Gizmodo, G/O Media, 08 April 2022. Handagama, Sandali. "'Jack Dorsey's First Tweet' NFT W…

FIRST CONTACT DAY: April 5 is celebrated by Star Trek fans as "First Contact Day." While the day is fictional, the celebration is real as Paramount releases a bunch of Star Trek news, sneak peeks, and trailers. Our hosts dive into all the news that's fit to beam up. RELEVANT LINKS: The cast announcement video for Picard, season 3. D. Bethel will be…

A MISERABLE PILE OF SECRETS: Our hosts spend a bit of time reminiscing on the 25th anniversary of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night––the video game that put the "-vania" in "Metroidvania." WEEK IN GEEK: After a week off, our hosts have been busy being nerdy! Andrew finally caught up with all the Spider-Man movies while D. Bethel dipped another toe…

TAKING A BREAK: With the world being as tumultuous as it is (and one of our hosts being on vacation), we decided to cool our jets this week and recharge our batteries. We hope you all have a good week and we'll see you on the next one! INFO: Visit our website at forallintents.net and leave your thoughts as comments on the page for this episode. Joi…

A NEW MARVEL: Our hosts quickly discuss the recently dropped trailer for the new Marvel Studios' Disney+ show, Ms. Marvel. IT'S GOBLIN TIME: Motivated by his recent re-watch of the three Sam Raimi-directed, Tobey Maguire-starring Spider-Man movies, our hosts discuss the impact, legacy, and shortcomings of these incredibly influential films. RELEVAN…

WEEK IN GEEK: This week, Andrew watches the most recent entry into the Scream franchise, while D. Bethel finds mild catharsis in the not-at-all-cathartic game from Asobo Studios, A Plague Tale: Innocence. RELEVANT LINKS: Andrew's tweets about Star Trek that kicked off some conversation. INFO: Visit our website at forallintents.net and leave your th…

STANDING WITH UKRAINE: Our hosts take a minute to discuss the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. REVIEWING REVIEWS: The release of FromSoftware's newest game, Elden Ring, has many people talking about reviews due to the fact that many outlets rated the game 10/10 (or whatever metric they use) while the reviewers openly admit that they didn't finish the…

PIXEL REMASTER REMARKS: The release of Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster is finally upon us and Andrew has a few––very short––thoughts about it. DOCTOR WHAT?: It was announced that––despite an existing tabletop role-playing game existing––there would be a new Doctor Who roleplaying game based on the fifth edition (5E) of Dungeons and Dragons. And peo…

TRAIN SUPLEX: The trailer for the next and last (of the current set) of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series from Square Enix, Final Fantasy VI, has been released and our hosts have some thoughts (and nitpicks). NFTHAC0: TTRPG Twitter caught on fire when discussion erupted around the possibility that Dungeons & Dragons developer, Wizards of the …

WEEK IN GEEK: Andrew dives into the world of JRPG job systems with Bravely Default 2, while D. Bethel finds more Metroid to love as he replays Batman: Arkham Asylum. RELEVANT EPISODES: "Scotch Tape and Hope" (4 December 2015): Where D. Bethel discusses his love of the Batman: Arkham series of games, specifically Batman: Arkham Knight. "Editing Is M…

SHIFTING SANDS: For a short bit, our hosts discuss The New York Times paying a large amount for the popular website-based word game, Wordle, as well as the announcement that Sony intends to buy the former Microsoft-owned studio, Bungie. WEEK IN GEEK: This week, Andrew peruses the rule book for Renegade Game Studios' new licensed tabletop RPG, Might…

STAR TREK CORNER: D. Bethel is still getting excited about Star Trek: The Next Generation, so our hosts spend some time discussing the end of TNG's season 3 and the start of season 4. NEWS CRUISE: With all the news coming out in the last few weeks, our hosts decide to skim over a handful over them, including Microsoft buying Activision Blizzard; an…

ETERNALLY YOURS: After getting released on Disney+, our hosts finally discuss the most recent Marvel Studios release (not Spider-Man: No Way Home), Eternals. It's a movie with a lot of new additions to the MCU, for better or for worse. RELEVANT EPISODES: "Sword Club" (30 July 2021): Where our hosts discuss the results of California's investigation …

HAWKEYE BRO: This week, our hosts talk about the most recent Disney+ Marvel show, Hawkeye, while also veering into discussing Marvel's TV offerings versus their cinematic ones, the importance of continuity, and the MCU overall. RELEVANT EPISODES: "The Nature of the Gutter" (12 March 2021): Where our hosts and on-the-ground-DC-correspondent, Taylor,…

NAUGHTY AUTEUR: A story in Bloomberg revealed trouble behind the scenes at Ghost Story games, the studio created by Bioshock auteur, Ken Levine. Andrew and D. Bethel continue their discussion about auteurs and video games and how, perhaps, without a good team they do more harm than good. RELEVANT LINKS: Plante, Chris. "Wildermyth is the Video Game …

WEEK IN GEEK: This week, Andrew dives into the quote-unquote reboot of CSI in Paramount+'s CSI: Vegas and is perplexed. D. Bethel reads another book about video games! This time it's Super Mario Bros. 3 by Alyse Knorr as published by Boss Fight Books. RELEVANT EPISODES: "Editing is Magic" (13 July 2018): Where our hosts discuss the Boss Fight Book,…

WEEK IN GEEK: It's a week of superhero adaptations with Andrew watching the recent slate of DC/CW tv shows and D. Bethel playing the opening hours of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy by Eidos-Montréal. RELEVANT EPISODES: "Business Exempt" (19 Oct. 2018): Where our hosts last discussed TellTale Games...when they laid off a bunch of employees. "#Save…

THE DOCTOR IS IN...FLUX: With the most recent series of Doctor Who wrapping up––a six-episode event called Doctor Who: Flux––our hosts discuss its ups, downs, insides, and outs as the show leads to the exit of the current Doctor as played by Jodie Whittaker. RELEVANT EPISODES: "Smash Talk" (14 Dec. 2018): Where D. Bethel and Andrew discuss Jodie Wh…

MISSING THE BULLSEYE: With the recent release of the Disney+/Marvel Studios show, Hawkeye, many saw similarities with the classic Hawkeye run by creators Matt Fraction and David Aja. It was soon revealed that, despite being a spiritual adaptation of the Fraction/Aja run, there was no compensation for those creators aside from mentions in the "Speci…

OLD MAN YELLS AT CLOUD: Acclaimed director, Ridley Scott, argues that it's millennials––not people skittish about returning to movie theaters amid a pandemic––that is causing his newest film, The Last Duel, to do poorly at the box office. Our host discusses all of the factors involved with this strange accusation. RELEVANT EPISODES: "Answer Sandwic…

KOTICK TOCK TIME'S UP: This week, after a scathing report, employees of Activision/Blizzard walked out calling for the expulsion of the company's CEO, Bobby Kotick. Our hosts examine the situation and how it symptomizes larger aspects of video game culture. RELEVANT LINKS: Grind, Kirsten, Ben Fritz, and Sarah E. Needleman. "Activision CEO Bobby Kot…

DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim turned 10 years old this week, celebrated with yet another re-release of the game across all gaming platforms. Andrew and D. Bethel talk about this milestone for a brief bit. PLEASE STOP: NFTs continue to rear their ugly heads as major gaming publishers announce their interest in integrating blockchain w…

WEEK IN GEEK: Andrew continues to get excited by recent Star Trek offerings, specifically the conclusion of season 2 of Star Trek: The Lower Decks and the premiere of the Paramount+/Nickelodeon joint, Star Trek: Prodigy. D. Bethel finally offers his thoughts on Metroid: Dread (aka Metroid 5) after completing it, uh, three times. RELEVANT EPISODES: …

In the world of 2021, not much has changed. Hope and optimism dares to tread across the jamb as COVID vaccines get into the arms of people across the world and, for independent comickers, conventions start to return...kind of. After attending only a few shows in 2021––their first in nearly two years––D. Bethel (of the webcomic, Long John) and Kyrun…

NEWS CRUISE: Andrew and D. Bethel cover a lot of different news stories this week, including the acceptance of NFTs in video games by Steam and the Epic Games Store; the workers of tabletop game developer, Paizo, form a union; developers who worked on Metroid Dread not seeing their names in the credits; Ruby Rose speaking up about their treatment o…

BETTER DREAD THAN DEAD: D. Bethel shares some initial thoughts on the newest 2D Metroid game, Metroid 5 aka Metroid Dread. EMULATE YOU WANT IT, THAT'S THE WAY YOU NEED IT: Kotaku got in a bit of heat when they reported a story about how people were able to get Metroid Dread up and running on emulators in a smooth 60 frames per second at 4K resoluti…

PACHINKO IS CRYPTO: Our hosts walk a snake-like path this week as they discuss everything from recent trends in the sketch cryptocurrency/NFT market to the news that Konami may be getting out of pachinko and back into making video games again. It's quite a conversation, in other words. RELEVANT EPISODES: "Heart Law, Article 9" (03 July 2014): Where…

RTD2: With the next series of Doctor Who wrapping up the tenures of both the star, Jodie Whittaker, and its showrunner, Chris Chibnall, it was announced that the 2023 series will herald the return of the showrunner who brought the show back from the wilderness in 2005, Russell T Davies. Our hosts discuss the possibilities––and drawbacks––of this an…

GIANTS FALL: Kind of a combination of a News Blast and a Nerd Law, but the lawsuit between Apple and Epic has been decided and...it's complicated. We have Andrew walk us through the ins and outs of this strange event. RELEVANT LINKS: Brandom, Russell. "Apple Must Allow Other Forms of In-App Purchases, Rules Judge in Epic v. Apple." The Verge, Vox M…

MINI-WEEK IN GEEK: Andrew and D. Bethel need a week to recoup after weeks of birthdays, Doctor Who, and a celebration of Star Trek, so they're going to briefly cover the things that have been keeping their attention recently. To no one's surprise, they've been playing video games. Andrew has been playing the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster collection …

HAPPY STAR TREK DAY: This week, 8 September to be specific, the world celebrated Star Trek Day. With one of our hosts being an avowed and public Star Trek fan, our hosts discuss the ways they decided to celebrate: Andrew watched all the exciting announcements and trailers from the Paramount+ Star Trek Day Celebration event while D. Bethel coinciden…

BLOOD AND THUNDER DAYS: To celebrate D. Bethel's birthday this week, our hosts take a look at another story from the classic run of Doctor Who. In fact, it's another story from the same season as "Survival." In fact, it's the first story from the season that "Survival" brought to a close. Andrew and D. Bethel dive into the pool of Arthurian legend,…

ALREADY OBSOLETE: This is a short episode––you could even call it a "shortcast", but why would you––because Dan had to have a little procedure that knocked him out a bit. However, they don't leave you hanging as they talk about things that have drawn their attention this week. D. Bethel is impressed with the first two episodes of David E. Kelley's …

To celebrate Andrew's birthday today, he and D. Bethel talk about thing they both love a lot: classic Doctor Who. SURVIVAL OF THE WHO-IEST: "Survival" is an interesting story for a variety of reasons in classic Doctor Who, not the least of which being that it was the last story to air before the show was cancelled in 1989. Beyond that, though, and …