Casual Mode

Casual Mode | Episode 12: Nintendo Direct Recap w/ Nathan Ellingsworth

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 [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/ [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

Casual Mode | Episode 11: PSA Did Something Again

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 [https://pulsetcg.io/partner/DEADGOOD] 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

Casual Mode | Episode 10: Dead Good Start

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

Casual Mode | Episode 9: Ethan Knows Star Wars

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

Casual Mode | Episode 8: Crunch Time

This week, Ethan, Dan, and Karl did something nobody asked for and absolutely nobody can stop talking about: a full crisp bracket. Yes. A bracket. For crisps. With a final. Along the way there are childhood memories, strong opinions about texture, and a Squares vs McCoy's showdown that gets more serious than it has any right to be. There's also gaming news and some Star Wars chat, but let's be honest, you're here for the mouthfeel discourse. Somehow this is a real podcast.