Nerds With Friends

We always get excited for new Star Wars, even if that has recently led to mostly heartbreak, so we were juiced to watch the newest Disney Plus show, The Acolyte, but the show suffers from the same limitations of the streaming format that many others do. There's definitely stuff to love in there, but there's also a lot to be disappointed in. We give our full series review both with and without spoilers, and we even do a quick rewrite with some elements we feel would have made the show great. Let us know if you agree and hopefully the next Star Wars endeavor learns from the Acolyte's mistakes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arise ye Tarnished! The new Elden Ring DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree is here and it is widely regarded as the greatest DLC of all time, but what makes it so great? We share our experiences with Fromsoft's magnum opus and try to figure out what made this game so appealing to such a wide audience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back even if Mad Max isn't! We give our review of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and try to determine if it deserves all the hate it's getting. Is it just another wasteland or is it shiny and chrome? Witness us!!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back with one of our favorite guests, Madeleine Roux, to discuss her newest book, What if Loki Was Worthy? This title marks the beginning of a new series of Marvel books set in their own universe apart from the MCU or the various comic book canons. We find out what it was like working with Marvel, crafting a new story for a familiar character and what's next for Marvel's What If....? series. Marvel's What If.... Loki Was Worthy is available wherever books are sold April 2. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The days of Call of Duty, Halo and Diablo may be over. With smaller gaming studios releasing blockbuster hits like Palworld, Hell Divers 2 and Last Epoch, we try to understand why the old reliable studios like Activision/Blizzard, Ubisoft, and Bungie are having issues releasing games that people want to play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back! It's Valentine's Day, and there's nothing we love more than Podcasting....EXCEPT Marvel casting news! Admittedly, we recorded this before the full cast was revealed today, but you can listen or watch and see how close we got! So light some candles, put on some romantic music, and get ready to have your earholes penetrated by that sweet nerdy news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back! We've got a lot to cover since our last episode, including Loki season 2 and the Madame Web trailer, but the movie on everyone's mind right now is The Marvels. It was really not good, but don't let all the M-She-U goblins tell you that it's because its made by and staring women. This was a poorly written movie start to finish and we're here to do a rewrite. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Avast! Set out on the open seas as we tackle what made Netflix's new live action adaptation of One Piece successful where so many other's have failed. What made the story of Luffy and his crew lend itself to real people when Ghost in the Shell, Deathnote, and others came up short. Maybe this will finally convince Cristian to watch anime? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new set of Magic the Gathering is out and it's.... Reasonably priced? It feels good to not have to take out a loan to buy trading cards again, but are these low prices here to stay? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DC has had a rough year for movies so far, but can Blue Beetle turn it all around? The first official movie to be included in James Gunn's DCU is in theater's now, and we give our thoughts on the newest DC hero. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cowabunga dude! The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back in a new movie, and the heroes on a half-shell have never looked better. Seth Rogan and company may have just delivered the best renditions of Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello, and Michelangelo that we have ever seen! Strap in, grab your nunchucks and a slice of pizza, and listen to us gush over our childhood heroes in this newest podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Nerds return! Sometimes Lives get busy, plans get made, but sooner or later the calling of the Pod becomes too great guides us back home. Thanks for waiting for us, we've returned with stories of this year's San Diego Comic-Con and how it was affected by the Writer's and Actor's Strike. Also, we're trying a new shorter format, let us know if you like it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One Ring to Rule Them All! The Lord of the Rings Magic the Gathering set is out now and it's magnificent! We have our friend Fabienne on to discuss the 4 commander decks coming out as well as the various card treatments, limited editions, and of course, the serialized 1 of 1 One Ring card, said to be worth over one million dollars! Is this set going to be the one to rule them all? Or did Wizards of the Coast, dig too greedily and too deep? Find out in this episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have a real treat this episode! Artist Richard Whitters has quite the portfolio; working for Wizards of the Coast for 14 years, his work has spanned both Dungeons and Dragons as well as Magic the Gathering, and his art appears in multiple D&D books, AND he did the concept art for the Phyrexian Praetors, including the Mother of Machines herself, Elesh Norn! Now he's taking the plunge and designing his own RPG system and setting called Ruttigers, based off a home-brewed setting he and his friends have been working on for over 30 years! If you love Art, D&D, Magic, TTRPGs or anything nerdy, this episode is for you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a lot of new Star Wars things coming out. Movies, TV Shows, Video Games, Legos, there's no shortage of new content for the fans of that galaxy far, far away, but is it any good? We put our nerd brains together to try and figure out if the future of Star Wars is a New Hope, or if it's headed down the path of the Dark Side. This episode also marks our 10 year anniversary, so for all of those who have listened and watched over the years we cannot thank you enough! Thank you for making Nerds With Friends possible! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well it was bound to happen. Hollywood decided to try and make a D&D movie again. Did they roll a Natural 1 and shit the bed, or did they critically succeed in adapting the worlds biggest TTRPG into a movie? We give our thoughts as well as point out all the Easter Eggs, references, and inside jokes you may have missed if this is your first adventure in the Forgotten Realms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The future of the DCEU is in flux, and with Shazam 2 Fury of the Gods in theaters now doing poorly we needed the help of a true DC fan so we brought our new friend Omar Najam on to discuss. Did Dwayne Johnson ruin Shazam 2 or was it doomed from the start? Will Shazam, or at least this version of him continue in the DCEU or does this movie share the same fate as Black Widow, and not really matter? Find out in our latest episode! Follow Omar @OmarNajam and check him out on various D&D streams! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Last of Us season 1 is over, and what a ride it has been. Some are saying this is the best video game adaptation of all time, but are they right? we give both a spoiler free and spoiler-full review of the show and let you know if HBO Max did Joel and Ellie justice. We also give predictions for season 2 which is set to pick up where The Last of Us pt 2 starts. Hope you enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lots of new properties in the nerd world. Hogwarts Legacy, the new open world RPG set in the Harry Potter universe is out now. Is it sweet like a cold Butter Beer or is it a Troll Bogey flavored jelly bean? The Mandalorian Season 3 has started so we've got everything you need to know before catching up with Mando and Grogu for their next adventure. And finally, the biggest Magic The Gathering crossover event ever is coming in Tales of Middle Earth, the new Lord of the Rings set for the TCG. We give the full product release lineup as well as our guesses for the themes of the Commander Precon Decks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The next big bad for the MCU is Kang the Conqueror, but he's a more complicated villain than Thanos, who was just a purple alien collecting space rocks to destroy the universe. So who is Kang? Where did he come from? Why are there so many versions of him, and how bad is he really? We answer all these questions and more on this episode, so if you're too lazy to read Wikipedia we totally got you. Kang Discussion around 17:30 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Time to get small, reallllllllll small. We just saw Antman and the Wasp Quantumania and it means big things (or small things?) for the future of the MCU. We give both a spoiler-free and a spoiler-full review of the movie so whether you need an explanation of the 2 post-credits scenes or just want to decide if the movie is worth putting pants on to go see, we've got you covered. Spoiler talk starts at 23:35 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The wait is over. James Gunn finally breaks his silence on his plans for the DC cinematic universe. We pick apart all of the upcoming projects one by one, give our thoughts and and expectations, and try to decide if James Gunn is actually going to make the DCEU good. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you're trying to build your deck for a game of Magic The Gathering and the perfect card you need costs as much as a new car, what do you do? Well you can refinance your house for a Black Lotus, sure, but more likely you'll get yourself a proxy. We sit down with Aaron Richter of Royal Tokens, an Etsy shop specializing in proxies with beautiful custom and get an education on proxies in Magic. What are proxies? Are they allowed? Are they even legal? We hope you learn as much as we did and we can't wait to dress up our decks with a fresh batch of proxies. If you want to check out Royal Tokens and add some to your next deck build, visit Royalspeakeasy.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back in a new studio space and we're discussing big changes to Dungeons and Dragons! The D&D content creators have been freaking out about the leak of the alleged Open Game License (OGL) 1.1 and what it means for the future of 3rd party D&D content, but is it really all that bad? Or are they just fishing for clicks with fake outrage? We break down the OGL as we understand it and figure out what it means for the future of D&D. OGL discussion starts @ 21:20 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What are your Nerdy New Year's resolutions? Play more video games? Learn to play Magic? Take the leap into being a Dungeon Master for the first time? Whatever your resolution is, we hope to be there with you along the way. From our Nerdy family to yours, Happy New Year! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big News for the DC Extended Universe! James Gunn is in, Henry Cavill is out, and the Rock is grumpy about it all. We discuss what this means for future DC movies and TV shows, and try and figure out if James Gunn is the hero we all need, or the villain we deserve. We also discuss Henry Cavill's new Warhammer 40k project. Also, Christmas Presents!!!! Skip To James Gunn talk @14:50 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Time to get down on some Nerdy Trivia! We're playing the home version of the College Humor/ Dropout game Show Um, Actually! Producer Ric faces off against Cristian to see who can be the most pedantic nerd in the room! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Need to get something special for the Nerd in your life this holiday season? We've got you covered with a bunch of nerdy gift ideas that range from $5 to $5000 so whatever your budget, there's something for you. Make your list, check it twice, let's talk nerdy gifts! Gift Ideas start @16:00 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Nerds are back after battling Covid and Kidney Stones! A global pandemic disease and rocks in our pee pees couldn't keep us away from reviewing the best Star Wars series of the year and one of the best PS5 games ever! We give our spoiler-free reviews of God of War Ragnarok and Andor, then after our break we talk Andor Spoilers and who in the series may be a secret Jedi-in-hiding! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imperius Rex! We're talking Black Panther Wakanda Forever and giving some hot takes. The MCU has been struggling and with the tragic loss of Chadwick Boseman, this movie is up against incredible odds. Will it overcome and get the Marvel Cinematic Universe back on track? Or will it sink to the depths of Namor's kingdom and flop? We give both spoiler-free and spoiler-full reviews of this movie so whether you've seen it or not, you can check out this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We give our review of the latest entry into Warner Brothers' DC extended universe, Black Adam. Will Dwayne The Rock Johnson be enough to right the ship for DC, or is the DCEU too far gone to be saved? We give our thoughts as well as a spoiler-free and spoiler-full review of DC's Black Adam. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well it had to happen sometime. Magic The Gathering has been a bit of a blind spot in our Nerdy repertoire; Cristian played over a decade ago, Cody never cracked a booster pack, but today's the day. Cody downloads all the information that he got at his friendly local game store, and we decide what format we want to play. And at the end, we even crack some boosters live on the show! For our audio listeners, this is the perfect show to check out on our youtube channel! Special thanks to Game Kastle in Redwood City and Heretic Games in San Bruno for all the info and the boosters! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let's face it, the last 3 Star Wars Movies weren't great. Book of Boba Fett was ok. Will the new Disney Plus show, Andor, finally scratch that Star Wars Itch we've been having? Or will it miss the mark and be another disappointment bringing down the batting average of Star Wars as a franchise? We also read some spicy comments from angry listeners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Editor's note: The first chunk of this episode got lost so its starts in the middle of Nerdy Confessions where Cody is describing a new miniatures game he got called Space Station Zero. Then we take an "Ultimate MCU Quiz" to see once and for all if we are true Marvel fans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why is Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power getting so many negative reviews? Is it because Amazon isn't staying true to the vision of JRR Tolkien? Or is it because certain reviewers just don't like people of color....or women. We send some hate back to the haters in this episode of Nerds With Friends! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One podcast to rule them all! We finally return to Middle Earth to the realm of Elves, Dwarves and Men in Amazon Prime's new show Lord of the Rings- The Rings of Power. Are the haters right? Is it just a big woke mess? Or have they captured Tolkien's original vision of the Second Age? We give our initial impressions and theories in this week's show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who's ready for some #HOTD? House of the Dragon that is! Game of Thrones is back with a new spin-off series centering on the Targaryan family around 200 years before the events of the first show. We give our initial thoughts on this latest trip to Westeros. Will this show fizzle out like Season 8 of Game of Thrones? Or will it give us the ending that was promised? Find out in this episode of Nerds With Friends! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grab your dice and roll for initiative, a new "edition" of Dungeons and Dragons is coming and we've got the full rundown on the new changes from the playtest. We also give our first impressions of Marvel's She-Hulk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week it's the Lord of Dreams vs the ultimate hunter as we review Hulu's Prey and Netflix's The Sandman. Which streaming original is worth your time and which falls short? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Nerds are back! They conquered a post-Covid San Diego Comicon and lived to tell the tale! Well, Cody got Covid, but more on that next episode. We give you the scoop on all the new stuff announced at SDCC from Marvel, DC Warner Brothers and more! Plus, we give our review of the new sci-fi thriller from Jordan Peele, NOPE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marvel's Thor goes on his latest adventure in the Taika Waititi directed Love and Thunder, but it isn't the same caliber as the god of thunder's previous movie. We give our honest review as well as a outline a few key changes that would have made a overall good movie into a great movie. We also talk about Ms. Marvel and what the Disney Plus series means for the future of the MCU. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New York Times Bestselling author Madeleine Roux returns to talk about her process writing the new Critical Role novel The Nine Eyes of Lucien. She discusses her writing process, what it was like working with Matt Mercer, and how it feels knowing GRR Martin hasn't written a book in over a decade.... We hope you enjoy this behind the scenes look at the publishing industry with one of our absolute favorite guests. Follow Madeleine @Authoroux and pick up a copy of The Mighty Nein: The Nine Eyes of Lucien, coming out this November! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Season 3 of both The Boys and Umbrella Academy are out, and you're probably wondering, "Should i watch these? are they still any good?" We give our initial spoiler-free reviews of both series and talk about what they do well and what they do poorly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

B. Dave Walters returns! Everyone's favorite dungeon master is back to tell us what it was like playing Dungeons and Dragons with cast of Stranger Things. He tells us all the behind the scenes stories and explains what it's like controlling one of D&D's greatest villains: The great and terrible Vecna! We also review the Obi Wan Kenobi show from Disney Plus. Dave is one of our all-time favorite guests and we're sure he'll be one of your favorites too. Follow B. Dave Walters @BDaveWalters on all social media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are extremely excited to interview actor Kevin L. Johnson best known for his work in Netflix's Ozark and Stranger Things. We discuss how he started his acting career, what it's like working alongside Jason Batemen, the mysterious way Netflix holds auditions, and which Tom in Hollywood he'd most like to work with (Hanks, Cruise, Holland, Hardy, or Hiddleston). This was a super fun interview, we hope you enjoy! Follow Kevin on Social Media: Instagram: @thekevinljohnson Twitter: @kevin_L_Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fans are passionate people, but sometimes they go too far. We're discussing the recent cases of toxic fandom surrounding Moses Ingram from Obi Wan Kenobi and other recent projects. How can we get these people to calm the F*** down? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We use the Force to make some bold predictions about the upcoming Obi Wan Kenobi Series on Disney Plus. We try to decide if this show will bring balance to the Force, or if it will fall to the Dark Side. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Truth is out there! The task force in charge of cataloging incidents with UAP's or Unidentified Airborne Phenomenon, recently had a hearing before congress to disclose their findings. While we didn't get HD pictures of aliens, we did get some context around these sightings, and some transparency around how many reports there are. We give our reactions as well as our thoughts on future UFO disclosures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We had such high hopes for Moon Knight....and Falcon and the Winter Soldier.... and Wanda Vision.... and all the other Disney Plus Marvel shows, but they keep seeming to fall short of expectations. We as a community come up with complex theories of tie-ins to other movies and other franchises, and discuss what's next week after week, but in the end there's just a big CGI battle and the show's over without leaving us satisfied. We review Moon Knight and discuss why it, and so many other Marvel shows seem to trip at the finish line. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Things are about to get out of hand! We're doing an in depth review of Doctor Strange 2 and we're covering all the sweet easter eggs that the multiverse can handle. What does this movie mean for the future of the MCU? Who are the Illuminati? Is Tom Cruise actually Iron Man? Find out on this episode of Nerds With Friends! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a growing trend in comic books of publishers trying creating new superheroes or changing existing heroes to appeal to a wider audience. There's also a trend amongst comic fans of complaining about that. We take a look at how "woke culture" is influencing comic books and whether this is actually a good thing or simply virtue signaling by the folks at Marvel and DC. We also try and figure out why so many comic fans are outraged over these new books. Are they just a bunch of small minded bigots, or do they actually have a point? Well we decided to take a crack at this sensitive subject, and we're sure the internet will hear us out before they start leaving negative comments. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices