Nerd Variety: Recent Episodes
nerdvariety
Discussion format podcast where we talk all things Nerd Culture! Video games, shows, movies, comics, etc.
As a whole, the Nerd Variety team absolutely loved the newest addition to the MCU! In this episode, we break down the film in its entirety and discuss how we felt about Deadpool and Wolverine in their first MCU appearance together.
The Nerd Variety team discusses mental health in this episode! We each discuss our personal journeys with mental health as well as how we have seen it portrayed in various forms of media.
Welcome back to Nerd Variety! This week, the group discusses some of our favorite theme songs from tv shows as well as catching everyone up on what we've each been up to in our absence.
Now that most of the team has had the chance to play and beat Insomniac's Spider-Man 2, Nerd Variety finally sat down to do a SPOILER review of the amazing game!
It's been a minute since we recorded, so the Nerd Variety team catches up with each other and you guys on what we have been up to as well as some things that we are looking forward to!
We finally made it to episode 100!!! Thank you all for your continued support! In this episode, the nerd variety team discusses some of our favorite anime and come up with some fun "what if..." concepts.
Atlanta Comic Con came recently and Matt and Josh went! Along with a guest, Matt and Josh discuss their experiences with the con this year.
Superheroes get quite a few video games these days and today the Nerd Variety team discusses some of our favorites, least favorites, and those we are looking forward to.
James Gunn just made a BIG announcement on the DC Universe and the Nerd Variety team takes a look at each announcement individually and share our thoughts.
2023 is upon us! Today, we take a look at all the things that we are looking forward to in the year.
Anime has become a staple in the mainstream, so the Nerd Variety team decided to take a look at the past, present, and future of anime as well as discussing some of the longest running anime out there.
Haven't seen Wakanda Forever yet? This review is full of spoilers, so if you don't want to hear major twists and plot points, please don't listen and get disappointed.
The Nerd Variety team discusses the books, shows, and maybe even movies that we liked that were based off of some of our favorite video games.
The Nerd Variety team is back together! This time we have a new co-host to replace our lovely Hannah, though hopefully we will have her back as a guest down the line. In this episode, we welcome you all back and discuss what is in store for us.
Things have been tough lately, everybody has something or another going on and we have not been able to get together very often. But we found time and talked about what we've been up to as a potential start for a new season!
The most anticipated Spider-Man movie is finally here! Josh and Hayden sit down to discuss the movie from start to finish with major spoilers (do not listen if you have not seen it yet and care about spoilers).
With the latest Disney Plus Marvel show, "What If...", having wrapped recently, Josh and Hayden, joined by recurring guest, Matt, discuss the show in its entirety along with some upcoming movies.
Everything comes to an end and unfortunately, not always in the best possible way. Whether it's a show, movie, video game, or literally anything else, there's always an end. In this episode, the Nerd Variety team discusses what media has some of the worst or at least most disappointing endings that we have experienced.
There are eight books, 3 video games (in the main series), and one season, with a second on the way, of the fantasy series, The Witcher. We nerds love fantasy series and especially this one. Some of us have only seen the show, some have only played one game, and some have played the games, watched the show, and read the books! Hannah, Josh, and Hayden together discuss the franchise and our personal perspectives on what we have experienced personally as we prepare for the upcoming season 2 of the show!
Ever wonder how the Nerd Variety team would choose to survive in Breath of the Wild? Do we know how to cooperate or would we turn on each other for our own gain?
What defines a documentary? Are nature documentaries the same as historical documentaries? Are reality shows documentaries? These are some of the questions that the Nerd Variety team decides to discuss in this episode!
Everything has a sound and every sound is unique. One of the most complex aspects of the world, especially in regards to creation for media, is sound. The Nerd Variety cast shares some stories and discusses our thoughts on the topic of sound design.
Now that WandaVision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier have wrapped up on Disney+, Hayden, Josh, and Hannah have decided to discuss what has happened so far, how we feel about it, and what is coming up next.
We love our game show episodes here and picking the best music for ridiculous scenarios is so much fun! Today, Hannah and Josh compete for the ultimate prize (a pat on the back) to see who can select the best songs for each scenario that Hayden came up with.
The new Mortal Kombat movie is out and as nerds, we can't wait to tell you how to feel about it! Not really, but Hayden and Josh do want to share with you our personal thoughts and feelings about the film.
Following up our episode, "Actors we changed our minds about," we take a look at some fictional characters that we have changed our minds about over time. This may be due to the way a character has been presented or just because we grew to like them more over time. Whatever the reason, the Nerd Variety team discussed each of these characters that we changed our minds about and only get distracted after every other character.
Everyone has something that has inspired them in life. For some of us, it is inspiration to lead us into a career or simply how we exist. The Nerd Variety team is joined by guest Matthew Burton to discuss what media has inspired us in significant aspects of our lives.
We're not just nerds, we're musical nerds. From modern composers of various film and game soundtracks to the old school Classical, Baroque and Romantic eras, we talk about our favorite composers and pieces that we can't recommend enough!
Have you ever seen a show that you just want to tell people about? Do you enjoy manga and/or anime? Tonight the Nerd Variety team has chosen to collectively watch The Promised Neverland and sit down to discuss some of our thoughts and feelings about the show in it's current entirety (and possibly a bit more since Hannah has read the manga).
Do you ever wish that you had wings? What about metal skin? No, of course not, because diamond skin is obviously better! Get ready for another picky round of SALES PITCH!
Valentine's Day 2021 has come and gone! Some of us have romance in our lives and some of us have garlic bread, but we all have romances in our fiction. Josh, Hayden, and Hannah take a look at some of our opinions on the best and the worst romances in fiction to feel better or worse about our relationship status.
New and significant storylines in comics are happening all the time. Batmans get replaced, Captain Americas change sides, and other things happen in manga. If you are interested in learning about some of the newest things in comics and manga, well, this probably isn't the best place to find out, but we can tell you some things that are happening in this media that we enjoy.
We always seem to connect more with a work of fiction when we relate to the characters, but is that necessarily a good thing? Learn more about the Nerd Variety team and how we feel about ourselves when we compare ourselves to some of our favorite characters.
Whose childhood was not littered with cartoons? Ours definitely were! Hannah checks our knowledge of cartoons with a (mostly) friendly game of Jeopardy.
Wonder Woman 1984 is out and as Nerds, Josh and Hayden have chosen to share their thoughts on the newest DC film!
2020 has been quite a year, to say the least. Even with all the truly awful things that have happened this year, there has actually been a number of good things! The Nerd Variety team tried to mostly stay optimistic, so we discuss some of the best new things of the year and talk briefly about what we are looking forward to next year.
Sing! Dance! Pazazz! Sometimes you just want to burst into song and we are no different here at Nerd Variety. This week, Hannah, Josh, and Hunter open up about our feelings on musicals in general and some of our favorites or least favorites out there.
Some actors we love, some we don't. Often we find ourselves not even paying attention to an actor until they are in something that we just happen to watch. The Nerd Variety team takes this time to discuss actors that we either liked or didn't like at some point but have since changed our opinions of, either for personal reasons or because of something they were in.
Games are fun and (mostly) relaxing experiences, especially with friends. Some games makes this more difficult however, so we decided to talk about our experiences with games that cause fights and how we respond.
We all have things that we like to collect, but as a variety of nerds, we have different things that we collect and different reasons for collecting. The Nerd Variety team wanted to show off some of their favorite collectibles that we have.
Some movies are so bad they are good and others are just plain bad. Whether we choose to leave the movie before finishing it because of just how bad it is or force ourselves through such disasters, we have all seen some bummers. In this episode, we chose to re-live the torture and discuss some of the best-worst and worst-worst movies that we have seen that weren't completely forgettable.
People, places, things, what all do we enjoy seeing or experiencing in our media? Many different stories use similar conceptual settings, but we enjoy some more than others.
Another Nerd Variety game show special! This time we are focusing entirely on music to best match the given scenarios, specifically themed towards Halloween(ish). Hunter hosts with Josh and Hannah as contestants.
We all have our games that we enjoy more than others as well as some things in games that we just don't enjoy. Sometimes a game will come along that we really do not want to play just because it features something that we kind of hate, but we end up loving it anyways. The Nerd Variety gang decides to take some time to discuss such games and we extend the discussion to our listeners.
We can only predict the future by first examining the past, but sometimes the past is boring. This heavily embellished quote is the reason that we enjoy historical fiction. But what exactly does the genre encompass? How far can we push the limits of stories before they stop being historical and just become fantasy? And can we all come to an agreement?
Travaris Moorman from Stand Out Cosplay joins the Nerd Variety team to discuss a staple in nerd culture: Cosplay! From simple, handmade costumes to bought costumes and complex masterpieces, we discuss what can go into cosplay, why we cosplay, and a few good tips to know when cosplaying. Remember to check out Stand Out Cosplay on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standoutcosplay/
Hannah's turn to test the nerd knowledge of Josh and Hunter! From classics like Gone With The Wind to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, play along and see if you can answer these movie quote questions!
The Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy. These are probably a few of the first shows you think of that have been around for a long time now. Josh, Hunter, and Hannah decide to discuss why these and many other animated shows have managed to stay around for the time that they have.
Soylent Green is people! But not all food from the future is expected to be as cannibal-y (not to say that we expect it all to be particularly appetizing). To help discuss the foods that we may expect to come in the future based on current science and science fiction, Nerd Variety requires the aid of an expert in the culinary arts! From the awesome blog, "Practically Vegan", Sarah Pamplin joins Hannah, Hunter, and Josh for this fun food episode.
Find Practically Vegan here: https://www.sarahpamplinwrites.com/practically-vegan
For some of us, there's just something about a game that makes you feel emotionally drained that keep us hooked. Sometimes it's a sad or depressing story, sometimes just beautifully deep, sometimes scary, sometimes it's not even the game, but some things that happen during our play time. Whatever the reason for our emotional exhaustion, Nerd Variety discusses some of the games that have done this to us and what causes it.
It's that time in the season for another clumsy sales pitch! Josh got unnecessarily and surprisingly picky about what constitutes a vehicle, but Hannah and Hunter ignore it as best they could!
Hannah LOVES physics. All of us love games. Josh and Hunter join Hannah in a discussion about games that (supposedly on purpose) have a very skewed idea of physics, but somehow that makes them great!
With part one of the DC Fandome event wrapping up this weekend, Josh and Hunter wanted to take some time to discuss the biggest reveals from the show.
This is a tough time for us all, so what better way to deal with all the stresses of life than to relax with the shows that just make us feel good.
The Nerd Variety gang discusses the broad topic of philosophy's presence throughout different forms of media. Expect a part 2 for sure!
Revisiting our very first episode, this time with Josh present, Hannah and Hunter bring up our views on diversity in movies, shows, and games. This is a very large topic and one that we will continue to talk about throughout other episodes as well, no doubt.
Nerd Variety season 2 wraps up with a round of "what are you watching," "what are you playing," and "what are you listening to?" We hope that you find something new to check out and we're all excited to bring new and exciting topics to everyone in season 3!
With everything being pushed back this year, Hannah, Josh, and Hunter discuss some adaptations that we would like to see at some point in the future.
We all enjoy ridiculously over-the-top characters. Beings that can do basically whatever they want with nobody to stop them except the strangest weakness that will always be exploited. Is there a line though on what is fun and what is too much? Josh asks this question and Hunter and Hannah join in to discuss our thoughts!
Do you know what Hannah likes? Apparently Disney Princesses, and she has a lot of thoughts on them. Thus, Hannah decides to do yet another tier ranking, but this time with Disney Princesses and asks Josh and Hunters opinions on how they should each be ranked. (Hunter knows virtually nothing about this topic, so be prepared for much confusion and annoyance.)
Hunter, Josh, and Hannah take a more relaxed look this week at parodies in all media, except books. What do we love parodies of? What is a parody? Who is the most annoying host? These are all things we discuss in this episode of Nerd Variety!
All media these days utilizes special effects to some extent, whether practical or digital. Josh, Hannah, and Hunter discuss some of the good, some of the bad, and what they enjoy about the practice of special effects.
We're not saying the Apocalypse is right now, but if it were, we want to be prepared and discuss the different stages of apocalypse in media. Is there a difference between apocalypse and post-apocalypse? What about what comes after post-apocalypse? These are all questions Hannah, Josh, and Hunter explore in this week's episode!
We all love stories, but sometimes the most fun is the untold parts of stories. As fans, we love to speculate at what could be, and today we discuss some of our favorite theories about stories that we love.
Fantasy weapons are interesting. Some raise the dead, some kill the dead, and many don't cost money, but take your soul instead. Josh, Hannah, and Hunter attempt to sell each other some of our favorite weapons in the fantasy genre! What would you buy?
Nerd culture is full of Anime fans and we are no exception (maybe Hunter)! Hannah leads a discussion on what we watch, why we watch, and what we should watch!
What is military fiction? What is included in the genre? How far can it expand? Josh, Hannah, and Hunter aim to figure out our answers to these questions and more about military fiction!
Of course we love gaming of any kind here, but gaming with others can be even better than playing by yourself! We discuss a few of our favorites as recommendations to anyone looking for something they can play with their friends! (Or make new friends with)
Who doesn't enjoy mythical creatures, deadly monsters and fantastic beasts? We sure do and are ready to share some of our favorites, both classic and more unique variations!
Hannah and Josh compete to test their choice in music fitting a variety of nerdy situations as well as their nerd music knowledge.
Let us know where you can if you like this and we'll try to make more!
Acting is a rather varied art form, with different approaches and through different mediums. Hunter, Josh, and Hannah discuss the pros, cons, and differences between live action, voice acting, and motion capture.
Why do some shows only last one season? What causes them to fail? Do they always fail? Josh wants to know and brings the topic to Hannah and Hunter.
Hannah wants to know what's good and bad about time travel and asks Josh and Hunter about their opinions.
Stories get adapted from one media to another (or several) on a regular basis now. What do we think are some of the best and worst of these?
What technology based weapons are best for the up and coming villain? Josh, Hannah, and Hunter try to sell our favorite Science Fiction weapons to each other in our special episode: Sales Pitch!
Hannah brings up the question, "do we prefer sequels or remakes?" Josh and Hunter join the discussion to attempt to find an answer to this question.
The Nerd Variety group discusses Star Wars content old, new, and upcoming. This time joined by a guest!
Josh brings up the topic of board games, old and new, and gets input on the subject from Hannah and Hunter.
New year, new season of shows, movies and games to look forward to! Hunter, Josh and Hannah take a look at some of 2020's most hyped nerd things this year!
Wrapping up season 1 of Nerd Variety! Josh, Hannah, and Hunter discuss the best movies, shows, and games of the year with a brief discussion at the end of the best for the decade.
Happy holidays everyone! We hope to see you in 2020 for season 2!
Christmas is right around the corner! So we decided to help out our fellow nerds by offering up a 15 suggestions for fun or interesting nerd presents this year!
Starting off the holiday 2019 season, Josh, Hannah, and Hunter discuss what questionable films should count as Christmas movies as well as just a general discussion on Christmas specials and media.
Josh brings up the topic of crossovers! What are they? When is something not a crossover? What are the best crossovers? What are our dream crossovers? Hannah and Hunter join the discussion to answer all of these questions!
Josh, Hannah, and Hunter discuss some of their favorite alternate universes/timelines and rank them together.
Hannah brings up the topic of streaming platforms for video games like Twitch and YouTube! Josh and Hunter join in on discussing why we watch these and how they became so popular.
Josh brings up the topic of trilogies! What are the greats? What are the worst? When should they stop? Hannah and Hunter join the discussion to see what conclusions we can come to.
Rounding out the month of horror with a discussion on the genre and how it fits in with nerd culture!
Hannah chose to talk about Horror video games this week! As always, Hunter has too much to say and doesn't have enough time to say it all, but Hannah and Josh make sure to have their say as well.
Zombies! What are they? How do they behave? What are our plans for the zombie apocolypse? Josh, Hannah, and Hunter discuss all of this and more!
There have been a lot of Batman villains over the years, but we try to rank just a few of them. (It took a while)
Josh and Hannah discuss their rankings for characters from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Hunter kind of just sits back and adds occasional commentary.
Josh and Hunter take on the huge topic of reboots and struggle being concise without Hannah to stop us.
Hannah decided to talk about "classics" this week, so most of our time is spent figuring out what qualifies as a "classic" in our eyes.
Josh's topic this week is our favorite storylines in comics, manga, or novels. There are so many great ones that it was a tough topic for all of us.
This is a big topic and we did not quite get to talk about everything we love when it comes to music in games, but check out our individual top 5 video game music playlists to hear some of our favorites!
Hannah, Hunter, and Josh discuss some favorite obscure or underappreciated gems in television, movies, and video games!
Obviously PC is the best place to game, but we try to keep our discussion this week focused on actual video game consoles like Nintendo consoles, Playstations, Xbox, and others.
Zab, Josh, and Hannah sit down again to discuss a very short list of video game villains and what we love about them.
This week we discuss the television shows mostly from the 90's that we grew up watching and if/how they affected us today as adults!
Now that San Diego Comic Con has officially wrapped, we get into some of our favorite announcements!
Conventions are the epitome of nerd culture and each of us has some experience with different conventions.