Free Play Podcast

You’ve probably heard all about Microsoft’s in-progress acquisition of Activision/Blizzard where Microsoft could come to own franchises like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch. We wanted to take a look at what this could mean for the video game space as well as the effects of gaming turning into a push for content over consoles. That’s what we want to talk about this week on the Season 6 premiere of the Free Play Podcast.

It’s that time of year again where everyone starts picking their best games of the year so we thought we’d hop on that bandwagon and put together an even BETTER award show with BETTER categories. Trust me. Hear what we picked as our favorite video games and table top experiences this week on the Free Play Podcast Season 5 finale.

Disney Plus Day 2021 was this week and the amount of content was… overwhelming. We had Bubba blind react to some of the biggest and most interesting shows that Disney announced like the continuation of the X-Men 90’s animated series, the Star Wars: Obi Wan Kenobi series, and more. That’s what we’re talking about this week on the Free Play podcast.

You know that here at the Free Play Podcast we love both video and tabletop experiences. So what happens when these two things collide to make board games based off of popular video games? We take a look at the massive Skyrim - The Adventure Game that’s currently being funded on GameFound.com to see how it holds up to Skyrim the video game and think up some other games we’d like to see turned into tabletop games. That’s what we’re talking about this week on the Free Play podcast.

Halloween in-game events always make our games a little more festive. With spoopy activities or limited time skins and items to earn, there’s usually something to be gained during this season. What if we told you that you could get a free burrito? In real life? Chipotle is hosting a massive free burrito giveaway digitally this year on Roblox of all places. And that has us discussing the Boorito event itself, other Halloween events in games and most importantly, sandwiches. That’s what we want to talk about this week on the Free Play podcast.

We’re mixing it up a little on today’s episode with our new segment, HOT TAKES, where we dig into random gaming related dilemmas off the internet. And we answer a chat submitted question about which one of us would live the longest in a zombie apocalypse which turns into a heated discussion. We also talk about LTN Con that’s happening Oct.15-17! That’s what we want to talk about this week on the Free Play Podcast.

Everyone has been talking about the moment where Nintendo announced that Chris Pratt was going to be the voice of Mario. Yes, MARIO! And reactions have been mixed. We did not see that one coming. With Chris Pratt joined by a host of other A-list celebrities, what do we think this movie could look like? That’s what we want to talk about this week on the Free Play podcast.

Playstation held their September showcase this week and 2 out of 3 of us were pretty excited by what we saw. If you think about it, you can probably guess who was less than enthused. Between announcements of new Marvel games, a Star Wars remake, and a look at God of War Ragnarok, the showcase proved to be pretty exciting overall, and that’s what we want to talk about this week on the Free Play podcast.

This week, China implemented a new ban on online games. This means that everyone under the age of 18 is only allowed to play for ONE hour on Fridays, weekends, and special holidays. Why would they do this? Besides parents complaining about gaming addiction are there bigger reasons for the ban? What do gamers think of this restriction and what does it mean for the future of gaming in China?

Have you been to one of those concerts in games? You know, the ones in Fortnite and Travis Scott or Marshmello? Minecraft is also no stranger to hosting concerts in-game either and Roblox is having Lil Nas X perform in November and is including some limited edition emotes and items. Are video games the future of live music? Also, Kate flys into a rage as we discuss it all, this week on the Free Play podcast.

Does Google have a super-secret plan? Throughout the course of the Epic Games vs. Apple lawsuit, a 70-page document from Google about a grand dream of the “world's largest game platform” was discovered and shared. While some of it was redacted, there were still some interesting things to be learned from the leak. Is this plan even a possibility? Even if it's possible, is it a good idea? That’s what we want to talk about this week on the Free Play podcast.

Guess what nerds, Kate is back from her wilderness exploring. Just in time for some exciting news from Nintendo! The Nintendo Indie World Showcase brought some interesting games to the table. From the weapon dating simulator Boyfriend Dungeon, to Eastward: the pixel-esque puzzle game, to Kate’s personal favorite, Garden Story where you play as a grape trying to unify a community, the showcase brought something for everyone whether they’re into indie games or not. That’s what we want to talk about this week on the Free Play podcast.

There is a lot going on over at Blizzard/Activision and we have to wonder if it is effecting Call of Duty Warzone. Hackers. Low content flow. Hackers. Who picks up the pieces? Well, that's what we want to talk about this week on the Free Play Podcast.

On the season 5 premiere of the Free Play Podcast, Matt and Bubba hold down the fort and catch up on what they have been up to over the summer break. Also, Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney over Black Widow. All that and more this week on the Free Play Podcast.

It’s our Season 4 finale! Matt is out of town and we have a special guest! Luke aka FrostByte IV joins us today as we share a wild story that includes Mass Effect Legendary Edition, an epic battle for a PS5 that ends with friendships put to the test. We also have questions about EA’s latest patent for a new battle pass system and what that could mean for games like Apex or Battlefield. That's what we want to talk about this week on the Free Play podcast.

Games journalism often seems to be hyper focused on instances of crunch and negativity in game development. But what happens when a story comes out that is completely taken out of context that forwards something that’s not true? And what happens when a developer comes forward to try to correct what’s been written? We tackle some hard hitting journalism this week on the Free Play podcast.

What does it take to give awards out to tabletop games? Do you have to be some kind of legit thing or….. Can anyone just do it? We take a look at the American Tabletop Awards from the categories to the winners and nominees of this year and years past. Which led us to coming up with our own ideas for the Love Thy Nerd tabletop awards and that’s what we’re talking about this week on the Free Play podcast.

We know some people who have some pretty hefty game collections. But what about 25,000 games? All on Steam? Patch notes in a recent Steam update mentioned a fix for libraries of 25,000+ games. If you didn’t do anything else it would take approximately 3 years to even test out that many games. What are some theories behind who owns these libraries? That’s what we want to talk about this week on the Free Play podcast.

Rumor has it that the Last of Us is getting a remake. Not a remaster, they already did that. But a remake. For a game that came out in 2013. We have questions. Questions like… WHY, WHAT FOR, do we need this? Bubba and I try to get to the bottom of this remake idea that makes absolutely no sense.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been about a year since COVID really began to take over our lives. How has the pandemic affected the video and board game industries? Some games have released well during this unprecedented time and some games just.. Didn’t spark joy.That’s what we want to talk about this week on the Free Play Podcast. VamHJG51zHIAeR3RaGdN

Microsoft has had several failed acquisition attempts of other companies like Tiktok and Pinterest as well as the flop of their streaming service, Mixer. But Microsoft isn’t giving up and is trying to expand its reach by acquiring Discord for the small sum of at least $10 BILLION dollars. Yes. BILLION. Do we think Discord would be a Microsoft exclusive service? Would Discord be better off partnering with Amazon? That’s what we want to talk about this week on the Free Play Podcast.

What’s the best way to get nerds up and moving? Giving them free games in exchange for steps. The new app Hero Trainer rewards your steps by giving you gift cards to the Playstation Store, Steam, Nintendo eShop, Google Play, and tons of other nerdy places. I also share a story of an… experience I had at the doctor’s office. That’s what we want to talk about this week on the Free Play podcast.

It is obvious how much communication between a campaign and its backers can impact the overall success of the Kickstarter itself and we dig into it this week on the Free Play podcast.

We’re used to seeing some seriously big game announcements in press conferences held at E3 and other conventions. With COVID and the lack of large conferences, the focus now more than ever has been delegated to shorter online broadcasts like Nintendo’s Treehouse, Playstation’s State of Play, and Xbox Showcase. We had high hopes for week’s Playstation State of Play, and…. It just wasn’t what we expected.

We’ve seen nerd dom make its way to the big screen through the Lord of the Rings, the MCU, and much more. But recently we’ve seen a shift in nerdy adaptations of things that we love arriving on the small screen on platforms like Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime. What are some of the best examples that we’ve seen? Are there any negatives to this shift? We discuss this and more this week on the Free Play podcast.

The latest in video game news this week once again concerns CD Projekt Red who had source codes for Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3, an unreleased version of The Witcher 3, and Gwent the card game stolen and held at ransom. In a… somewhat poorly written ransom note, the thieves demanded payment to which CD Projekt Red refused. And a few days later these source codes ended up at an auction on the dark web. What does this mean for the games industry? That’s what we want to talk about this week on the Free Play podcast?

The news media was quick to declare the end of Google Stadia only two years after the launch. With the studio head stepping down and developers looking for new jobs, things just don’t look good. But is that all there is to this story? Just another end to another platform? What about Google’s claims that Stadia will still go on using third party releases? We talk about the future of Stadia and more this week on the Free Play podcast.

Tesla is known for being an innovative brand, with Elon Musk constantly coming up with new ideas for infinity and beyond. Literally. This week a story on Tesla boasted that the Model S and Model X vehicles come equipped with gaming hardware powerful enough to power The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Can this be? Is it even safe? And what other in-car tech ideas can we come up with? That’s what we want to talk about this week.

2020 has been a trip of a year, and the annual Video Game Award nominees are a testament to that. Did we agree with the list or could it have been altered just a little? Well, that's what we want to talk about this week on the Free Play podcast.

With Matt and Bubba finally getting their hands on a PS5 and an Xbox Series X, we delve into the pros and cons of each console that they’ve noticed this week. Kate has not made the leap to the PS5 yet, but she has Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, so you won’t see Kate complaining. After 8-13 hour days of streaming with their new consoles to share their experiences with the Love Thy Nerd community, Matt and Bubba are ready to discuss the new current-gen consoles.

The age of the current-gen consoles is coming to a close with the release of the PS5 and the Xbox Series X. We saw some truly amazing games come out on these platforms: Red Dead Redemption 2, Overwatch, God of War, Fallout 4, Spider-man, Destiny 2, and so much more. What made our list for the very best games on the Playstation 4 and Xbox One? That’s what we want to talk about today on the FreePlay podcast.

Control on the Switch is now available, but on launch day there was a queue to even play the game that boasted instant streaming. While the queue is no longer, it raises questions about the streaming potential of the Nintendo Switch for graphically demanding games that otherwise couldn't run on the diminutive console. Also, Cyberpunk 2077 was delayed......again and this time even the rank and file developers were caught off guard by the announcement. Oh, and Matt shaved his head!

The arrival of the new PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S alongside the stalwart Nintendo Switch gives fresh fuel to the ever-burning fire of the console wars. Brand loyalty and identity crisis fuel the cycle with every console generation with new twists. Technological advances with streaming, 4K, subscriptions, and more make this new cycle even more interesting. Bubba, Matt, and Kate talk about their views on the nerd rage along with their most overrated games which will surprise no one. All this and more on the Free Play Podcast Episode 106.

Zelda's 35th Anniversary is coming up next year in 2021. Our resident Zelda expert Matt Warmbier speculates on what might come as part of the Zelda anniversary. Will we get a Breath of the Wild 2 release alongside a collection of the 2D or 3D games on Switch in the same way Mario received the 3D All-Stars treatment. All this along with Kate's "mango-jaw" ailment and her foray into the comic world of "Fables" on this episode.

You know those games that just….. Don’t seem ready to be played? You know, the ones that get released with bugs like you wouldn’t believe? Yeah. Those are what we call “undercooked” games. The ones that need a little more time in the oven before they’re ready to be played and enjoyed. Do all these games lead to more games being developed in a rush and cultivate a lack of quality over quantity mindset? That’s what we want to talk about this week on the FreePlay Podcast.

Well… we did it. We held our very first online con, and we think it was pretty dope. We had great speakers from some of our favorite people in nerd culture missions, played a metric ton of games both in-person and online and I’m pretty sure I ate my body weight in beef sticks. How was LTN Con Online received and what were some of our favorite moments? Well, that’s what we want to talk about this week on the Free Play podcast.

There has been so much chaos and pandemonium surrounding XBOX and Playstation’s latest announcements. We discuss why there are such small amounts of consoles available for pre-order, try to figure out what system we’ll be picking up and when we’re getting it, touch on Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda, and Matt shares how he managed to successfully pre-order himself a Playstation 5. And that’s what we want to talk about this week on the FreePlay podcast

After the excitement of our 100th live episode, we update you all on what really matters: Matt’s sick chicken, new cat, and Bubba’s bent back. And trust us, Kate hasn't laughed that hard in a while. We catch up on the latest that we’ve been playing, what we’re looking at playing, and MORE this week on the FreePlay Podcast.

Free Play turns 100! Bubba, Matt, and Kate record this monumental achievement live on Twitch with you, our loyal listeners, and backers. Kate talks about her walkabout vacation visiting a lot of dead people's graves and walking horses in circles. Matt reminisces back to the 1st episode and how they learned to quit planning for things, and Bubba tries to keep it all together for one spectacular centennial celebration.

Bubba, Matt & Kate are scattered to the winds before their 100th episode! That means you get the B-team of Jonathan and Aaron but fear not we will be talking about what games we’ve been playing, Epic and Apple throwing their billions of dollars of PR firms around, and a spoiler-free reflection of Death Stranding and Last of Us Part 2. That and more on Episode 99.5 of the Free Play Podcast.

Gen Con Online was crazy. We played a ton of games and streamed every last second of that experience. We know and share the sentiment that we “Would rather be at Gen Con”, but when life gives you lemons, you stream those lemons on twitch.tv/lovethynerd. But how did it go? Was it worth the time and effort to put it all together? Well, that’s what we wanna’ talk about this week on the Free Play Podcast.

Matt, Bubba, and I are ALL playing Ghost of Tsushima and we wanted to chat more about our in-game experiences. But first, we answer our good friend Frost’s question: what did Kate (aka me) do with Disney? I share some random stories about that time before we dig into what we’ve been loving (and also complaining about) Ghost of Tsushima. And that’s what we want to talk about this week on the FreePlay podcast!

We’re stoked about the latest hotness to hit the shelves: Ghost of Tsushima and have finally got copies in our hands. Well.... almost all of our hands… I.. made a mistake. I’ll tell you about it later. Anyways, this game is a masterpiece so far from what we’ve experienced and we chat about what stood out to us and why we think this game is getting such high ratings across the board.

There are few things a person needs in 2020 during a global pandemic more than a reliable internet connection. Maybe a solid pair of podcast pants and to remember how to make a halfway decent cup a joe. What does any of that have to do with Love Love Thy Nerd? We’re so glad you asked because that’s what we want to talk about this week on the Free Play Podcast.

Bubba is gone in some dark void where there’s no internet. Matt and Kate, the ever-loyal hosts, are still here bringing you hard-hitting content on the best way to make iced tea, fiddle contests, shark facts, and even some discussion about games. All that and more on this week’s riveting episode of the free play podcast.

Hey, everyone. It’s been a bit. We miss you. Pull up a chair and let’s hang out for a bit as we catch you all up on the LTN Arcade weekend, Kate’s shoe addiction, and how good Matt is at video games.

Well, here we go… The Last of Us 2 is a thing and its happening sooner than expected. And that’s okay! Sony released a state of play opening up a little bit more about the story and sharing some never before seen gameplay with us and that’s what we want to talk about this week on the free play podcast.

If this podcast had an origin story… Tony Hawk would be the genesis of that story. Matt, Kate, and I all played a lethal amount of this game, and it’s sequels, growing up… and cannot wait to play the upcoming Tony Hawk 1+2 remake bundle coming out in September! So, sit back and enjoy some stories about how this game shaped our growing minds in the early 2000s, this week on the Free Play Podcast!

Apologies for not having a show last week as Matt's computer decided to not record any audio at all. We may do something special with what we have, so stay tuned. This week we have a special segment where Steven Kadawoki speaks to us about his version of Animal Crossing, Spintires: Snowrunner, and Matt encounters a WoW player in the wild.

Bubba's internet (or lack thereof) has broken his stalk market experience in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Kate is beyond excited for the new Assassins Creed and will here no words against in, and Matt staves off grumpiness from having to go back to work.