Casual Mode

In this episode, Ethan, Karl, and Dan discuss a wide range of topics from car materials and football to Pokémon cards and upcoming events. They share insights into card grading, market trends, and hobby tips, making it a must-listen for collectors and enthusiasts. In this episode, we explore the latest in gaming, technology, and pop culture, including GTA 6, Star Fox, and the rising costs of gaming. We also discuss the impact of subscription models and the future of gaming hardware.

Special guest Nathan Ellingsworth joins Ethan this week to recap the highs and lows of Nintendo's most recent Direct showcase, including discussions on the Ocarina of Time remake, Star Fox's strange character designs, Pokopia, Xenoblade, Rayman Legends Retold, and more.

Find Nathan on CultureDex: https://www.youtube.com/@CultureDex

Does The Ocarina of Time Remake Teaser Signal Zelda's Sanding Down its edges?: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time-remake-sands-down-series-edges/

Nintendo Direct announcements and game updates
Pokopia DLC and season pass
Xenoblade Genesis announcement
Star Fox demo and character design
Impact of Nintendo Switch 2 on game performance
The Ocarina of Time Remake

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
06:20 Pokopia DLC and Season Pass
11:05 Xenoblade
18:32 Star Fox Demo and Character Designs
26:43 Rayman Legends Retold
30:18 General Nintendo Direct Thoughts
35:10 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake
45:44 Wrap-up

The episode opens, as all great works of art do, with an ad. This time it's Pulse TCG, a Pokemon tracking app, because apparently grown adults need software to tell them how many cardboard rectangles they own. The hosts then wade into the thrilling saga of card grading services, including the various ways these companies keep changing the rules and disappointing everyone. A review of Mandalorian and Grogu is wedged in for reasons known only to them.
There are, naturally, personal updates. Things happened to people. We are told about them.
Then it's back to Pokemon news and yet more grading chat, with PSA singled out for special scrutiny over whatever fresh mess they've gotten into. The whole thing crescendos with a riveting debate about "Slab Summer" (a real phrase that real people said out loud) and the dream of one day opening an online shop.

From there the conversation does that podcast thing where it sprawls everywhere: an eBay store nobody has built yet, gaming updates, Unreal Engine 6, Rocket League, a Lord of the Rings RPG announcement, Cristiano Ronaldo reminding everyone he's Cristiano Ronaldo, World Cup predictions that will age beautifully, and James Bond. Game reviews and "entertainment discussions" round it off, which is the description you use when you can't remember what was actually said.

Brought to you by PulseTCG

Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Sponsorship
07:28 Personal Updates and Activities
16:15 PSA Grading Service Challenges
22:24 Ethan's Absence and Gaming Banter

Episode 10. We made it to double digits, which feels like an achievement and a warning sign in equal measure.
This week the lads hit a card show, argued about video editing like it matters, and debated whether a camera upgrade counts as a personality. Then it all unravels, as it tends to.

Expect: Liverpool managerial speculation (we've fixed it, don't worry), World Cup squad selection (also fixed), strong opinions on a film none of us are qualified to review, vegan pizza discourse, a taxi anecdote that probably should've been edited out, and a deeply serious conversation about Pokemon Snap and Lego Batman.

Three grown men. One episode. Roughly forty minutes of content and approximately none of it useful.

Chapters
00:00 Episode 10: Casual Married Tenet
05:11 Setting Up at the Card Show
10:12 Recycled Plastic and Vegan Pizzas
15:16 Liverpool Managerial Speculation
21:41 Film Review and Expectations
31:47 Lego Batman and Pokemon Snap

This week on Casual Mode, we cover the important stuff first: pizza. Specifically, whether vegan pizza deserves to exist and what that says about us as people.

From there it's the usual controlled chaos. Karaoke, Star Wars, a review roundup of a few games including Replaced (it's good, calm down), and the eternal question of whether a game can be "too indie" or if that's just what people say when a bigger studio didn't make it.

We also check in on Blue Sky, which is either dying or fine depending on how emotionally invested you are in engagement metrics. Spoiler: we're a little invested.

Then someone lost a wallet, someone found a microphone, and we ended up in an arcade. Classic.

Chapters
00:00 Pizza Chat and Vegan Options
07:01 Karaoke and Entertainment
13:03 Star Wars and Gaming Reviews
19:02 Nostalgia
24:29 The Impact of Blue Sky on Social Media
32:28 Lost and Found: A Wallet and Microphones
38:36 The Thrill of Claw Machines and Arcade Games
44:47 Goodbyes and Final Remarks