Hey All.
It’s with a heavy heart that I announce Fireside Chats will be wrapping up towards the end of this year. While I don’t want to “retire” the brand forever -- because maybe one day I’ll bring it back or decide to do one-offs or something -- the show will go quiet beginning this fall.
I’m currently sitting on six episodes of the show that have yet to be published, and have eight more scheduled. All six of those episodes will go live, and all eight of the schedu...
2019-08-12 21:01:00 +0000 UTC
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Welcome one and all to the inaugural episode of Sacred Symbols+, our weekly Patreon-exclusive supplement to Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast. As promised, we're going to try to explore some different stuff on this show, in addition to answering tons of your inquiries, expanding on our thoughts on various games and industry issues, and more. But to start out with a bit of a bang, we thought we'd play a little game: Which of us could draft (sports or gym-style) the more compelling first pa...
2019-08-09 16:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Even the darkest fiction we watch and read typically has some sort of light at the end of the tunnel. But not Cormac McCarthy's The Road. First published in 2006 (and later turned into a film in 2009), The Road is unlike any father-and-son tale you've ever experienced. Civilization is in ruins, the sun is blotted out by endless smoke, almost everyone is dead, and the world and its few remaining inhabitants are completely unrecognizable. What does it take to survive in such an unimaginably dar...
2019-08-08 16:01:01 +0000 UTC
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There are only a few questions that have truly consequential answers. "What's for dinner?" is a far more common (and certainly useful) inquiry than "what's the meaning of life?" It's just that one seeks a constantly-changing answer in pursuit of an ephemeral solution, while the other gets at the very basis of who we are, why we're here, and what our purpose is. Today's guest, Robert Bell, mixes the blue collar with the white in an interesting way, seeking knowledge as a means to better himsel...
2019-08-07 16:00:05 +0000 UTC
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The popular gaming convention PAX West chose to host the first-ever live show in Sacred Symbols' history. We were excited, and so were many of you. Oh, but wait, never mind! Weeks after confirming our panel, the powers-that-be at PAX uninvited us from the show without explanation and with no recourse for fans. It's completely unacceptable, and we dedicate the beginning portion of our show to what went down. And yeah, fine, things happened in the video game world that had nothing to do with th...
2019-08-06 16:01:01 +0000 UTC
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Hey Everyone!
I hope you're well. Fun week, huh?
So, I had intended on announcing this earlier in the week, but obviously, distractions mounted. But there's good news, because -- thanks to your support -- Colin's Last Stand has hired its first full time employee. Hurrah!
His name is ...
2019-08-02 01:01:00 +0000 UTC
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No matter where we're from, many of us spend something like 14 years in mandatory school systems that served only to distract us from our toys, video games, and watching cartoons. Yet there we were, imprisoned and desperate to escape. But school wasn't always an agonizing experience, especially when you had the right teacher helming your class. Today's episode of KnockBack is dedicated to them, to the teachers we've taken with us, the ones that inspired us, helped us, cared about us, and -- u...
2019-08-01 20:33:43 +0000 UTC
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We're now all caught-up on Patron-selected topics! (Voting for Side Quest topics will begin again in the coming months. We're eager to get a few of our own out into the world, for the time being!)
2019-08-01 12:43:38 +0000 UTC
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Gaming's 10 Most Emotional Moments!
2019-08-01 06:00:03 +0000 UTC
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The powers-that-be at PAX West have uninvited Sacred Symbols from performing at its previously-scheduled panel, weeks after extending an invite and encouraging us to tell our audience we'll be there. I figured I'd sit down and talk to you guys and gals a little bit about it.
As this is a topic that's interesting to lots of people, I'm not putting this behind a paywall.
Remember: Your monthly exclusive podcasts turn into weekly (!) exclusive podcasts beginning August 9th.
...
2019-07-31 22:09:56 +0000 UTC
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50 episodes ago, we flipped the script here on Fireside Chats. Instead of being the interviewer, I (Colin!) became the interviewed. Episode 50 quickly went down as a fan-favorite, and with that in mind, I thought I'd do something similar for Episode 100. Once again, my girlfriend Erin sits in to ask me questions, and not surprisingly, we touch on quite a few topics: Finding happiness in the world, coming to terms with who you are, seeking out analog activities in a digital world, the ups and ...
2019-07-31 16:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Sony-owned Media Molecule is hiring for a most unusual task: The studio is seeking small dev teams to create experiences inside the Early Access version of its PS4 exclusive Dreams. And they're willing to pay. The question, of course, is what that says about the state of Sony's absurdly long-in-development sandbox, and if we're now officially entering Insane Territory. Is there something here we simply cannot see? We discuss. Plus: PS4's next firmware update is officially in beta, Dying Light...
2019-07-30 16:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Colin Moriarty, Student Driver.
2019-07-29 20:06:46 +0000 UTC
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When Rosemary's Baby hit theaters in 1968, the horror genre as we know it today didn't really exist yet. The scariest flicks of the era were low budget, poorly lit, and corny beyond belief. But Roman Polanski's film helped define a shift towards the same kind of well written, expertly produced and directed psychological horror that had already found a niche on nascent TV. Written by a bohemian novelist, adapted and spearheaded for the big screen by a highly controversial director, and starrin...
2019-07-25 16:01:01 +0000 UTC
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Things tend to lean in a serious direction here on Fireside Chats, and that's all well and good. We often delve deep, get real, and challenge ourselves. But today's episode veers in a decidedly more lighthearted direction. Collin Sparling is a young 20-something music fan who asked to come on the show to talk about his experience singing in a metal band. But our conversation quickly veered into general music talk, our shared love of rock, playing in a band growing up, and how important our pa...
2019-07-24 16:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Resistance is futile: The future of video game distribution is digital whether you like it or not. But we're an agile sect of consumers, and even the most stubborn among us can change our buying habits. Corporations entrenched in the ever-stagnant status quo, on the other hand, will inevitably be less fortunate. GameStop in particular seems destined to be consumed by creative destruction, but can the American mega-games-retailer stop the inexorable march of progress? We discuss. Also: PS4's S...
2019-07-23 16:01:01 +0000 UTC
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Our beloved KnockBack is a lot of things. It's a celebration of nostalgia and memory, of reminiscing and remembering, and, as it turns out, the many characters that make up The Moriarty Cinematic Universe. As our listenership (that's you!) knows, our dad -- Gerard Moriarty -- comes up all the time, sometimes in jest, other times in seriousness, and always with reverence. So this week, we thought we'd invite him on the show so that you can all meet the man himself. What does Mr. Moriarty think...
2019-07-18 16:01:03 +0000 UTC
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Back on Episode 80 of Fireside Chats, we welcomed Kris Hall to the show, a man who was willing to openly talk about his battle with alcoholism, how adversely it affected his life, and how it almost cost him everything, including his children and his wife. Today, we welcome Kris' wife Joanne to the show, so she can give her "side" of the story. While we learned a great deal from Kris about what it means to be an addict, we still have much to explore about what it's like to be subjected to an a...
2019-07-17 16:01:32 +0000 UTC
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Our beloved industry has a decades-long tradition of declaring a Game of the Year, which usually occurs in December or January. But such decisions can be quite overwhelming, especially with 12 months worth of content to go over. So we thought we'd do things just a little bit differently. While you can count on a "proper" Game of the Year episode when you'd usually expect it, we thought we'd throw a six month checkup into the mix, giving us the time and space to discuss the titles we love most...
2019-07-16 16:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Hey All,
I hope you're well!
I wanted to let you know that our panel submission for Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast at PAX West in Seattle has been accepted (I announced this on Twitter yesterday). According to the organizers, our panel will be on Monday, September 2nd in Seattle. It will be at 11:30a in the Hydra Theater, which is at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.
The PAX West...
2019-07-12 19:01:00 +0000 UTC
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In 1998, Capcom followed its beloved survival horror game Resident Evil with a sequel. But Resident Evil 2 wasn't just any sequel. It experienced a tortured development, coming to store shelves a full year later than intended, which -- at the time -- was an absolutely catastrophic delay. So expectations were incredibly high. But, with now-famous game dev gods Shinji Mikami (Producer) and Hideki Kamiya (Director) helming the project, it turned out that the wait was more than worth it. Resident...
2019-07-12 02:32:04 +0000 UTC
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Avenge me!
2019-07-10 19:53:54 +0000 UTC
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Meet Jeremy Goldman, an expert in computer learning algorithms and AI who has worked for some of the world's biggest tech companies. And boy, does he have a ton of insight into what's going on with Google, Uber, and many others who rely a great deal on knowing and understanding you. Yes, you! For what may seem futuristic and still on the horizon is quickly drawing near at an unexpected and unsettling clip. But one thing's for sure: The likes of Facebook know you a whole lot better than almost...
2019-07-10 16:01:01 +0000 UTC
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The free market is a splendid thing. And sometimes, it's even a little scary. Today -- unplanned and at the tail end of our episode -- we discuss the eGirl Phenomenon on the back of the Gamer Girl Bathwater controversy. Just what in the actual hell is going on out there? We discuss (and we don't even judge anyone that much). If you're not into perverted stuff, though, that's okay, because most of this week's episode is of a more normal fare. The Batman Arkham Trilogy is coming to PlayStation ...
2019-07-09 16:00:04 +0000 UTC
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On the nose.
2019-07-05 20:23:10 +0000 UTC
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The Brothers Moriarty co-host KnockBack, but it's no secret who the star of the show is: Dagan. So let's focus solely on him today, and hear some of his stories from the '70s, '80s, and '90s. The through-line? These random events -- from his first experience seeing real-life gore to getting chased by the cops through the streets of Philadelphia (and more!) -- are completely unassociated with almost anything else we'd talk about on our retro and nostalgia show. But that doesn't mean these stor...
2019-07-04 16:01:00 +0000 UTC
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People either get dogs or they don't. Heck, sometimes a person doesn't get dogs, and then suddenly, they do (like yours truly). But one way or another, they're an essential part of human life, and have been for thousands and thousands of years. Today's episode of Fireside Chats focuses on our most trusted animal companions, but through a random lens: The world of grooming. Nakita Jenks is an Arizona-based dog groomer, and she comes packing tons of industry stories and a lot of expertise into ...
2019-07-03 16:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Until recently, we've been left to wildly speculate about PlayStation 5. And boy, have we speculated! But since spring, Sony has been more than willing to talk about its next-gen machine, though it still declines to name it publicly. In a wide-ranging Wall Street Journal article, sources both at Sony and familiar with their internal happenings describe a gaming machine with great capabilities, one being aimed at a specific, hardcore market in mind. But does Sony's approach to hardware, games,...
2019-07-02 16:01:00 +0000 UTC
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Hello!
This month's Patreon-exclusive podcast is an episode of Sacred Symbols starring the one and only Chris Ray Gun.
Last week, y'all submitted like 150 questions to Chris, and he chose a handful to answer over an hour-long Q&A segment that could only be described as delightful.
Thank you for your support! We couldn't do what we do without our Patrons.
2019-06-30 22:00:02 +0000 UTC
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In America, The Fourth of July -- our so-called "Independence Day" -- is a time of raucous celebration. Families and friends gather around the country for burgers and hot dogs, slaw and baked beans, beers and cigars, and plenty of fireworks (of course). As children, though, The Fourth of July takes on an almost mystical air, when permutations of people get together you don't often see at once, where entire neighborhoods collapse under the weight of visitors, when adults seem to get hammered a...
2019-06-27 16:00:04 +0000 UTC
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