Author: Podcast Rob

Hey all, PCR here!

We’re closing in on the end of yet another year and, as always, I wanted to thank you.  Those who listen, those who buy our merch, those who became Patrons.. if it wasn’t for you all, James and I would just be two guys talking to each other.

As in years past, we’ll be taking December off for the holidays, but we’ll still have content!  While we’ll be putting a pause on our Patreon content and billing as well as our blogs, we are compiling our favorite episodes of 2022!

Every Tuesday and Friday, we’re going to re-release one of our favorites from the past year and.. who knows.. we might even drop something new along the way, and.. if you’re looking for some swag, we’ll have some new shirts up before the Holidays as well!

It’s been a great year for us, and we’re looking to do even bigger and better things for 2023!

– PCR

Hey Somethings!

A few weeks ago, Hatton posted some games still to come in 2022 that he’s looking forward to and, although my ‘wish list’ goes beyond the end of the calendar year, here’s a list of games I’m really chomping at the bit to get when they release…

Need For Speed : Unbound

We’re going big right out of the gate.  While some of the NFS games feel like they never get out of second gear, I’ve always been a sucker for them.. and with Unbound hitting on Dec. 2nd, I won’t have to rev the engine too much longer.  Cell-shaded graphics, comic book-like overlays and effects, Criterion.. my clutch foot is tingling with anticipation.

Sons of the Forest

The original “The Forest” game was one of the most fun AND terrifying games I’ve played in recent memory, and the ending is setting the bar high for what the sequel will bring.  It’s been pushed back until Feb ’23, but based on how awesome the first one was, I’m willing to have patience to get this one in my games library.

Bloodlines 2

The OG Bloodlines was brilliant IMO.  It gave you the feel of the TTRPG which, for an atmospheric game world like VtM with it’s many and varied Clans, is no small task.. so when Bloodlines 2 was announced, I was over the moon.  I had tried Bloodhunt (a VtM licensed Battle Royale game) but it didn’t feed the beast in the way I hoped.  With Bloodlines 2 “still in development” after a much postponed 2021 release date, I just hope I don’t end up in torpor before the release.

Warhammer 40k MMO

A pipe dream, I know.. but for YEARS (ever since I stopped playing WoW after Mists of Pandaria..) I’ve been praying… Praying to the Emperor of Man, Khorne, Kaela Mensha Khaine… I didn’t care WHO brought me one.. but I wanted one.  And no, I’m not talking about ‘Eternal Crusade’ or ‘Dark Millennium’.  A GOOD,  FUN, well  thought  out  MMO.  Is  that  too  much  to  ask?  I  guess  so…

What games are YOU looking forward to?  Hit us up on our socials and let us know!

– PCR

It feels like I was watching this scene only yesterday

On November 16th, 2021, G4TV was officially relaunched as both a cable channel and a twitch channel.. and I couldn’t have been happier.

Less than 12 months later, the returned G4 is no more.

The fall of the old G4 felt more ‘out with a whimper’…. non-stop airings of Ninja Warrior and Cops, the shows themselves feeling fewer and further between.. but THIS, this version felt different, and yet.. familiar.  Back were shows like X-Play and AOTS.. new shows like Invitation to Party, Ask Donna and Name Your Price joined the ranks, yet still had that ‘old school G4’ feel about their pedigree.  New hosts joined the ranks of returning hosts Kevin Pereira and Adam Sessler, the latter of the two being more ‘occasional host’, but having them on board always felt to me that it was giving the relaunch a legitimacy; a passing of the torch until the newer hosts found their comfortable footing.

And find their footing they did.  Watching AOTS and Vibe Check felt like putting on a forgotten but favorite sweater you had nearly forgotten about… all comfort and familiar while feeling new.  Invitation to Party was just brilliant.  B. Dave Walters brought his A game and, as the consummate DM that he is, brought the A+ game out of the players.   Ask Donna showed Will Neff at his best.  God of Work was a labor of love from Jirard and that passion showed in the sketches.

It wasn’t without rough spots though.  Some shows didn’t stick around…  Boosted, which focused more on the eSports side of things, left the ‘show’ and became a YouTube exclusive.

And then there was “The Frosk Incident”.

Indiana Black, better known as Froskurinn or Frosk, did a segment on X-Play (which, you can watch here..) where she talked about sexism in gaming… and things went off the rails.

Let me be perfectly clear.

Everything she said is 100% correct.

Everything.

Gaming and the gaming industry has a sexism and misogyny problem that, unfortunately, is not going away.  Can it be minimized?  Shunned into the darkness? Yes, but only if WE minimize it and shun it when we see it.

That being said, the trolls came out of the woodwork.  Online harassment and sexist comments blew up on not only Frosk’s, but G4’s socials by those ‘offended’ by her comments.

It was called a “rant”.  A “meltdown”.  “Maybe, in 2022, we be a bit nicer, a bit more self reflective, and we enjoy the fact that people are working hard to make free content for you.   If you don’t like it, don’t watch” was how she ended the segment.. but all mouthbreathers heard was “IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT, DON’T WATCH!” and that became their rallying cry.

Was Frosk the reason for G4’s demise?  Not at all.  Inept management at Comcast not knowing what to do with their talent was the reason for G4’s second demise.. but not if you frequent the internet.  a never-ending number of YouTube videos, blogs, TikToks, articles and the like blame Frosk for G4’s collapse without at all realizing that by blaming her, they’re behaving in exactly the same sexist and misogynistic way she called out in her segment.   It’s unfortunate and wrong, yet not unexpected.  “Fandoms” have become louder and louder in their entitled toxicity against things they don’t like, and this was no exception.

What destroyed G4 was Comcast.  If any proof was needed, consider that more than half of the hosts/writers/producers and creators found out about G4 being cancelled from articles about the cancellation being tweeted out.   How shitty does a company have to be to have employees find out via Tweet they no longer have a job?  And not even BY Tweet.. but reading an article.

Will I miss G4?  100 percent. I loved the content they created.  Hell, we even got mentioned on Vibe Check (no.. really!  The story of how and why is for another day…).

My sincere hope is that the amazing people from G4, on both sides of the camera, reconnect in some way in the near future.. be it Twitch, YouTube.. whatever.  The cast and crew are far too talented to NOT be working with each other.

G4 may be gone again, but it will not be forgotten.

– PCR

Yes, I know…  “Sports???”

We don’t delve into Sports here very often (if really at all) as Hatton isn’t much of a sports person (no judgement, just stating facts), but I myself have been a Steelers fan since Bradshaw.. through the good and the bad.. and when it comes to the current season… I have thoughts….

Currently the Steelers are 1-3… 0-2 at home (terrible), 1-2 on the road, and 0-1 in their Division.  The Patriots and Raiders are just as bad with only the Texans worse currently.

Recently, the Steelers named Kenny Pickett as the starter after a very dubious start to the season by Mitch Trubisky.  Is Pickett the answer?  In the short term, he kind of has to be as Trubisky isn’t and never was going to be the answer.  The unfortunate thing is the team just came out of 18 years of Big Ben (which, not-so-coincidentally is 18 years of non-losing seasons), and that is a tough act to follow.  An act that almost never happens without some bumps in the road.

The Steelers have always been a “Draft and Develop” sort of team, especially over the past 18 years.. bringing in talent, letting them get reps and practice in, and not just throwing them to the wolves.  I’m sure they would have loved for Trubisky to hold his own better and let Pickett grow into the role, but desperate times call for desperate measures… so the Kenny Pickett era has officially begun.  Will he be the long term answer?  Possibly, but having lived through the Bubby Brister/Kordell Stewart/Neil O’Donnell/Tommy Maddox eras… it’s difficult to get your hopes up off of his performance so far.  The team’s defense isn’t what it used to be (I mean.. when you lose Polamalu.. what defense will be?), even factoring a healthy T.J. Watt, and the offensive line has been suspect for a few years now which means Pickett is going to have to keep his head on a swivel more than normal.

My prediction?  As much as I’d love to say Pickett grows into the role super fast and the team manages to finish above .500, I fear their “Winning Season” Streak comes to an end this year as they finish 7-9 (at best) and miss the playoffs.

Hey all, PCR here.

So, I recently re-activated my Netflix account to catch up on some things I hadn’t seen yet, and one of those things was Season 4 of Stranger Things, and while I was a huge fan of the show when it started, the luster has worn a bit for me… to the point that Season 4 in general was…’meh’.

Don’t get me wrong, the Eddie stuff was cool, and the backstory into 1 was intriguing, I felt too disassociated from the whole thing to really care too much.

Season 3 came out in July of 2019, and Season 4 was finally released in May of 2022, nearly 20 months later.  During that time, some of the kids had Walt-ian growth spurts while others stayed looking remarkably similar.  Maybe it’s just me, and it’s taking more to ‘wow’ me as I get older, but the main thing I walked away from Season 4 with was “Wow, episodes are a lot longer…”.

My question to The Somethings is… ‘How long is too long’?  How long can shows (and movies) push between seasons (and sequels) and still have us give as much of a shit as they hope we will?

Let’s look at some other notable time delays…

Stranger Things S4 – 20 months

Westworld S4 – 25 months

Ghostbusters to GBII – 5 years

Heroes : Reborn – 5 years

GBII to GB Afterlife – 32 Years

XFiles – 14 years after original TV finale

Twin Peaks S3 – 26 years

What are some of YOUR favorite TV Shows or Movies that have had extended time between seasons/sequels?  We want to know!

ALSO!

Want to help support our show?  Our Patreon is live once more!  New tiers!  New content!  Early access!  Go check it out and help us bring you even more great stuff!

– PCR

Hey all, Podcast Rob here!

BIG news for you all today….

We’re re-launching our Patreon!  New Tiers!  New Rewards!

At just $2 per month, patrons get the “Somethingscription“!  By helping support our show, you get Early Access to listen to our episodes on Saturday instead of waiting for Tuesday! PLUS you get the unedited/unfiltered version!

Want more?  Like… say… a voice in the decision making process?  Our “SomethingExtra” tier is for you then!  Along with your Early Access, Give us a topic and we’ll add it to the list AND give you a shoutout when we cover it! Patron topics go to the front of the line of our ideas, so let us know in the following categories! Something To Review, The End, Mysteries of the Somethingverse, VS, Elevator Pitch, Dreamcasting/Recasting!

For those who want the perks of SomethingExtra without a monthly subscription, we have a workaround of  “SomethingAwesome“.  You can check our Patreon site or DM us through Facebook or Twitter for details!

For 9 years we’ve been making content we hope you’ve been enjoying, by supporting the show you’ll enable us to do even bigger and better things with the show!

– PCR

Hey all!

Moving away from the “angry man shakes fist at clouds” types of rants I’ve been on lately, I’m here to talk about some racing games that I’ve truly loved!

Need for Speed Underground/Underground 2

Not only was the theme song to NFSU2 banger, but the game play and customization in both was amazing.  NFS Heat seemed to try to bring some of that back, but no other racing game I’ve played has had that same kind of “Fast and Furious first movie drag race”.   I’ve tried many other NFS games (and one will be mentioned again later), but Underground/Underground 2 is still cream of the crop for me.

Stuntman

Some might say this isn’t really a ‘racing’ game as much as a ‘driving’ game, but man was this game fun.   Working your way through more and more difficult “stunts” while against the clock was frustrating at times.. especially when a stunt kept failing.. but when you finally hit all your marks and you got to see the finished result, it made it all worth while.

Forza Horizon 4

My first foray into Forza and I was hooked.   The British scenery, the race types, the cars.. for a first time Forza player it was epic in scope and done to near perfection.  Being a fan of Top Gear, some of the challenges were extra fun, and the movie based story challenged harkened back to the above mentioned “Stuntman”.  All in all, an amazing game that I still play and enjoy, even more than the most recent incarnation.

The Need for Speed

Released in 1994, and later ported to MS-DOS in ’95, I first played this game on my friend’s Panasonic 3DO system.  Do the graphics hold up?  No.  Was the game play fun and addictive?  Absolutely, and it did it through some very interesting means…  the game had a sometimes supportive, sometimes trash-talking FMV character that would either praise you or burn you depending on how well you did.  “Yeah man.. top of the hill, buried the needle you OWNED that road!” was great.. but when you’ve had enough and can’t quite get the race beat… just as you’re about to put the controller down and he hits you with “That loud sucking sound you hear is all the cute girls leaving you for the guy with the really fast car…” always seemed to get you to play one more race.  Without this one, there might very well have not been any others.

– PCR

Hey there Somethings!

Today’s (apparently) another installment of “Podcast Rob Shakes Fist At Cloud” as I lay out some video games I was hopeful about but just didn’t cut it for me!

Star Wars Squadrons

Flying Game?  Check.  Dogfighting Flying Game?  Check.  Fun?  Ehhh…..
I never played any of the original “X-Wing vs TIE Fighter” games.. but I do enjoy me some Star Wars, and I was really hoping to like this.  The dogfight maps feel oddly small, (I mean, I understand they’re trying to keep frantic action in a confined space) and… oddly confined…. like.. it’s SPACE why can’t I go fly.. you know.. .over THERE?  Also the back and forth of the combat is intriguing and keeps one side from just steamrolling, but, it still feels like it’s amazingly clunky.

Dark Pictures Anthology : Little Hope

I.  Loved.  Man of Medan.  I’m enjoying House of Ashes even more.  Little Hope was… aptly named.  In MoM and HoA, the choices made sense to me.  In LH the choices felt.. mind-numbingly inane.  The one that sticks out the most was breaking in to the police station… there’s LITERALLY bricks and 2x4s and pipes and crap laying around.. but this.. THIS is a good time for one of the characters to chide the other about “Hey..   I bet you can’t throw this rock through that window!” Just make it make sense….

Vampire the Masquerade : Bloodhunt

Ok, I’m not a fan of BR type games.. not my jam.  I DO however love me some VtM and am eagerly awaiting Bloodlines 2.  To that end, I said “Let me check it out.. it’s free.. right?”  Overall, I like what they’re trying to do… different clans, different powers, how they effect the overall BR gameplay.. it’s a good concept.  However, the player base is still relatively small, and because of that the number of hackers/cheaters is VERY disproportionate, and the game doesn’t seem to have a good way of perma-banning them.  Much like Rocket League (which, surprisingly, didn’t make this list…) before I stopped playing I could only do one or two matches before my rising blood pressure made me tap out.

Any Poorly Ported Game

I like my driving/racing games.  I’ve tried to play many of the older(ish) Need for Speed games either through Steam or GamePass and, I’ll be honest, when I have to THEN scour the internet for some sort of additional patch that I have to read up on how to install just so when I lightly tap the stick to go left my car won’t immediately go in to donuts because the port over of the game couldn’t handle/work with current controller drivers.. it’s a hard pass for me.

Legacy : A Star Wars Audio Drama returns this coming Tuesday!  Catch up here before the new episode!

– PCR

Hey Somethings, PCR here!

So, this week’s blog, I wanted to talk about some actors I’m… well.. just not fond of.  I’m not talking “Oh, I didn’t like so-and-so in this role…” or “I thought they’re portrayal of blahblahblah was…”  No, I’m talking about a level of “I couldn’t care less” that sometimes makes it difficult to watch things they’re in.

Anthony Mackie – Is he Captain America?  Yes.  Will I go see the new Cap movie in the theaters when it comes out?  Most likely not.  It’s convoluted.. it’s not because I don’t want him in the role.. as a comic book fan it 100% makes sense.  It’s also a huge point of diversity which is also awesome…. I  just don’t like him as an actor.  It’s not that I find him “bad”, I just don’t find him compelling.  I was able to make it through his previous MCU movies because his screen time was tempered by his castmate’s screen time.  I was “meh” on Falcon and the Winter Soldier (mostly due to having to watch him more).  His episode of Black Mirror was intriguing, but to me, still middling… and I couldn’t even finish the first episode of S2 of Altered Carbon when I saw him in it.  He just doesn’t grab my attention.

Aaron Paul – Now, to be fair, I haven’t seen him in much that WASN’T Breaking Bad.  Yes, the show was amazing, but any time Jesse was on the screen, I just sighed and sucked it up because I knew he HAD to be.  El Camino?  It was… how do I say…   “boring”.  I recently started binging Westworld (more on that in an upcoming episode).  Seasons 1 and 2 were phenomenal… Season 3 had… issues.. and… Aaron Paul.  As soon as I saw him on my screen I thought “Well fuck… he’s going to end up being integral and we’re going to see a lot of him aren’t we…”  I wasn’t wrong.  I haven’t started S4 yet, but, I’m hoping Caleb ends up getting the “Teddy” treatment before too long.

Joan Cusack – Ok look, I don’t have an answer for “Why?” on this one.  I just can’t stand seeing her on my screen.  I couldn’t watch the American version of Shameless thanks to her.  I was mildly interested in A Series of Unfortunate Events until she showed up on my screen and I turned it off and never went back.  I’ve only seen 2 movies she’s ever been in, and they were long enough ago that I don’t think I even knew who she was at the time.  I’m sure she’s a great person, but she can be a great person and not be on my TV ever too.

What about YOU?  Do YOU have someone who.. you just can’t stand to watch?  Let us know!

ALSO

Do you like Star Wars?  Do you like Audio Dramas?  Well how about a Star Wars Audio Drama?!

Author Crystal Storm has been doing just that!  Check out “Legacy : A Star Wars Audio Drama”!

Hey Somethings!

I know we don’t talk a whole lot about sports on our show, but I’ve been thinking about some blog topics lately, and today, I’m listing off the Most Memorable Sports Moments that, in some way, I was witness to.

Super Bowl XLIII 

I’ve been a Pittsburgh Steelers fan all my life, and this game ranks up there as one of their most memorable. Second quarter, Steelers leading 10-7 and on defense up against their own goal line, Arizona Cardinals QB Kurt Warner fires off a shot to receiver Anquan Boldin with 18 seconds left.  Steelers Linebacker James Harrison had faked a blitz and fallen back in coverage, intercepting the ball a yard into the endzone and begins to run it out.

What started as a fortuitous interception became the (at the time) longest return for a Touchdown in NFL history as the 6 foot tall, 245 lb Harrison ran the distance along the sidelines, his teammates blocking the whole way, to score a touchdown and put the Steelers up 17-7 at the half.

James Harrison runs 100 yards for Touchdown

Tony Hawk hits the 900

The time?  1999.  The place?  X Games V.  The TV coverage should have ended, but no one was going to deny Tony today.  Standing at the top of the half-pipe, other skates banging their trucks against the coping in time with the crowd cheering him on, Tony dropped in.  Attempt after attempt he failed, twice landing on his board only to have it slip out from under him.  One of the announcers can be heard saying “We know time is over, but we make up the rules as we go along.. let’s give him another try”.  It took him 10 failed attempts, but on the 11th he landed it, and I have to say, I don’t think I’ve heard a louder crowd pop when he did.  Watching the video still gives me chills.

Tony Hawk hits the first 900

The Intimidator at Daytona

Yes, this last one is a tragedy, but because of it an entire sport made amazing changes to do an even better job of protecting their drivers.

Daytona 500, Daytona Florida, 2001.  February 18th.

Daytona, like Talladega, is a restrictor plate track for NASCAR, designed to limit the top speed of cars on these super fast tracks.  in 2001, they instituted some new aerodynamic packages designed to keep cars bunched up and closer together, therefore allowing for more drafting and more exciting racing.

Headed in to Turn 4, final turn of the final lap… Dale Earnhardt Sr. was in 3rd behind Michael Waltrip and Dale’s son, Dale Jr.  Contact with Sterling Marlin sent Sr’s car up the track and in front of Ken Scrhader who collided with Earnhardt as both cars sailed up the banked turn of Daytona.  Dale slammed head on into the outside retaining wall at about 160 miles an hour before both cars slowly rolled back down the track to the infield grass.  Waltrip would win the race with Jr. second as infield safety crew raced across the grass to Dale’s car.  Dale was quickly taken to Halifax Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.  Less that 2 hours later, NASCAR President Mike Helton had to make the most devastating announcement he’d ever have to make.

2001 Daytona 500 Final Lap

– PCR