Side Quest, Episode 54: The Truth About Game Developer Unionization
The other side of the coin.
2019-02-11 19:07:44 +0000 UTC View Post
LastStandMedia posts
KnockBack, Episode 52: Growing Up in the '50s and '60s
Today's episode of KnockBack is very special, because it stars our mother, Betty Ann Moriarty. Our mom was born in Brooklyn in 1950, and grew up in the shadow of New York City -- on our beloved Long Island -- during a storied era of American history. Our (too) brief discussion centers around her childhood and teen years, reminiscing about days long gone. Brought up in an Italian household with an Irish twist, our mom lived through a great deal, including the seminal Vietnam War years that eng...
2019-02-07 17:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostChris Ray Gun Teaches Colin Moriarty How to Be A YouTuber
Goal unmet.
2019-02-06 20:30:55 +0000 UTC View PostFireside Chats, Episode 75: The Art of Podcasting
Max Baril is a film buff with a movie podcast called Classic Movie Musts, but instead of having him on Fireside Chats to talk about the silver screen, we wanted to talk about... well... podcasting! How do you get into the world of podcasting? What kind of equipment is necessary? How do you publish your work, find an audience, and sustain interest? How do you make a living doing it? This episode of Fireside Chats is dedicated to the so-called art of podcasting, how we found our way to a craft ...
2019-02-06 17:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostSacred Symbols, Episode 32: The Apex Theory
Ready or not, a brand new battle royale adventure has joined the fray. It's called Apex Legends, and it's a free-to-play Titanfall spinoff from EA's Respawn Entertainment, launched on PS4 as a complete surprise to everyone. That's all well and good, but can the market sustain another one of these types of games? And why does it seem like Electronic Arts is competing with itself? We sort through it all. Then: Sony's recent financial report shows a healthy company and a very healthy PlayStation...
2019-02-05 17:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostKnockBack: Wave VII Topics Revealed (Get Your Questions/Comments/Memories In!)
Hey All!
I hope that this posting finds you and yours very well.
It's that time! I'm pleased to reveal the next 10 topics that will be covered on CLS: KnockBack. Dagan and I will be recording this wave between February 21st and February 25th in Philadelphia, and we're stoked to reconvene.
Here's what we're thinking, topic-wise. Episode numbers are tentative, and don't necessarily reflect the order in which the episodes will be published:
Episode 54...
KnockBack, Episode 51: Malls in the '80s and '90s
The 21st century has brought with it the slow-but-steady demise of malls across the United States (and elsewhere, of course). But in the post-World War II era, when families started sprouting up in the suburbs in huge numbers, malls weren't only centers of commerce, but centers of pre-Internet socializing, too. So today, let's chat about the mall during the latter end of its triumphant era, in the '80s and '90s. The stores we loved and hated. The people we met. The food courts. And, of course...
2019-01-31 17:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostPatreon-Exclusive KnockBack (January, 2019): Dagan's Diary I
This month's exclusive podcast for all CLS Patrons is the first of a three-part series I'm going to lovingly refer to as Dagan's Diary. As you may recall, I asked all $2+/month supporters to submit questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, and ideas for Dagan to answer, and around 130 of you heeded the call, which is amazing. I sent all of your inquiries -- 18 pages worth -- to Dagan, told him to pick whatever questions he wanted to answer, and to go maybe 60 minutes, 90 tops. A few days later...
2019-01-31 02:08:59 +0000 UTC View PostFireside Chats, Episode 74: Living With Mental Illness
Today's guest -- Chris Wilson (who likes to go by "Wilson") -- is a 36 year old man who openly suffers from a number of mental ailments, ranging from bi-polar and manic depression to OCD and anti-social behavioral disorder. And he's perfectly open to talking about what it's like; especially when it comes to the bad stuff. In discussing his childhood, his teen years, and his nearly two decades as an adult, Chris' candor is both exemplary and cautionary: Exemplary in its openness and cautionary...
2019-01-30 17:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostSacred Symbols, Episode 31: Horror Returns
For some strange reason, rock solid survival horror is somewhat scarce these days. (Indeed, if you think about it, that's kinda always been the case.) But with Resident Evil 2's long-awaited remake finally out, it's fair to say that our hunger for the undead is satiated, in the best way possible. After chatting about RE2, though, we get into the news. The NPD Group has released the best-selling games in America for the year of 2018, and the results may surprise you. Meanwhile, Ubisoft has add...
2019-01-29 17:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostLeon Kennedy: Raccoon City's Most Oblivious Cop
A dull blade.
2019-01-28 17:07:11 +0000 UTC View PostKnockBack, Episode 50: Childhood Pets
For many children, one of growing up's great traditions is having a pet or two. (Or maybe even five or 10.) This episode of KnockBack revolves around our memories of the pets we grew up with, our many cats, our rabbits, and even a scorpion named Wellington. We also solicited a ton of entries from the audience, and go through your pet stories, too. What did these animals mean to all of us? How did they shape our adolescent and teen years? And what kind of funny, sad and meaningful stories abou...
2019-01-24 17:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostFireside Chats, Episode 73: The Video Game Producer
Wanna get into the games industry? Sometimes you just have to put yourself out there. Today's guest is Chase Williams, a producer in the gaming industry who has worked at a couple of studios during his few years as a professional (including at Sony San Diego). Mr. Williams just took a job as a games producer in Germany, but before he left the States, he wanted to swing by to not only talk about what he does, but how he got his job, and how you may be able to meander your way into making games...
2019-01-23 17:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostSacred Symbols, Episode 30: A Failed Empire
In 2013, Electronic Arts signed a promising (and lucrative) deal with Disney to be the exclusive developer and publisher of Star Wars video games. Fast forward nearly six years to 2019, and EA has very little to show for it. With the most recent cancellation of yet another EA-developed Star Wars game, is it time for Disney to work with other publishers? We discuss. Additionally, we tackle other news items from the past week, including Guerrilla Games getting an extended peek at Death Strandin...
2019-01-22 17:01:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Side Quest, Episode 53: Rescuing Star Wars From Electronic Arts
Before it's too late.
2019-01-21 19:06:41 +0000 UTC View PostKnockBack, Episode 49: The Ren & Stimpy Show
When Nickelodeon launched its original Nicktoons lineup in the late summer of 1991, it did so with an eclectic collection of three shows. You had the young adult-friendly Doug, Rugrats for the younger viewers, and The Ren & Stimpy Show for... well... for some other strange reason. For four years, from '91 until 1995, only 52 episodes of Ren & Stimpy would be produced and aired, but the misadventures of the Odd Couple-like cat and dog duo enraptured cartoon fans around the world with i...
2019-01-17 17:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostFireside Chats, Episode 72: Being A Doctor
This week, welcome Steven Neeley, MD to the show. Dr. Neeley is a radiologist at New Mexico University, and is the very first medical doctor to appear on Fireside Chats. Our discussion today revolves around two pillars: What it's like to become a doctor, and what it's like to be a doctor. Two related questions, certainly, but also two radically different things. What's it like to have someone's life in your hands? Is medical school as difficult as it seems? Are family and friends annoying whe...
2019-01-16 17:35:32 +0000 UTC View PostColin's Last Stand: Side Quest, Episode 52 (Audio)
Onimusha: Warlords (PS4) Review!
2019-01-16 08:58:01 +0000 UTC View PostSacred Symbols, Episode 29: Bungie Jumps
This past week, something seemingly unthinkable happened: Developer Bungie and publisher Activision parted ways when it comes to the mega-popular Destiny IP, and weirder yet, the measure seems completely amicable. So let's spend some time dissecting this significant business move from all the angles. Also: PlayStation 4 continues to set the world on fire with both hardware and software sales, as it eyes 100 million sold. But does that milestone truly matter? Plus: GearBox Software's co-founde...
2019-01-15 17:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostSide Quest, Episode 52: Onimusha Review (2019 Re-Release)
18 years later.
2019-01-15 08:08:16 +0000 UTC View PostKnockBack, Episode 48: The Super Mario Bros. NES Trilogy
There's probably no single trilogy more responsible for the trajectory of the video game industry than Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, and 3 on NES. The first game, in particular, was revolutionary, while the third game showed the true power of what Nintendo's aging hardware could do. (As for the second game, well, we love that one, too.) Today's episode of KnockBack is dedicated to remembering these three classic games, not only for what they meant, but for what they are: Master classes in design, g...
2019-01-10 17:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostFireside Chats, Episode 71: Asexuality
Meet Max Nibler, a 19 year old college student who -- like all of us at that age -- is finding his way through life. There's a unique catch when it comes to Max, though: He's asexual. As in, he's not sexually attracted to anyone, and sex doesn't interest him at all. We sat down for a discussion about how he found his way to asexuality, what it all means, and what the future might hold for him when it comes to relationships, companionship, having children, and much more.
2019-01-09 17:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostSacred Symbols, Episode 28: Game of the Year Awards 2018
We like to do things just a little differently here on Sacred Symbols, even with tried and true industry-wide traditions like Game of the Year. For our First Annual Prestigious Sacred Symbols Game of the Year Awards, we opted to dole out 20 accolades, but not in the way you'd probably expect. What's the best action game? Best RPG? Best exclusive? No, no, and no. Instead, we dole out our high honors like The What Could Possibly Go Wrong Award, The Best Unintentional PlayStation-Related Enterta...
2019-01-08 17:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostKnockBack, Episode 47: The Films of Don Bluth
If you're one of the many KnockBack listeners that loves when Dagan dives deep into animation, this episode is for you. Today's nearly two and a half hour-long chat is dedicated to Don Bluth, a man famous for his work at Disney in the '50s, '60s, and '70s. And then there's his own independent work in the decades since, works ranging from An American Tail and The Secret of NIMH to The Land Before Time and All Dogs Go To Heaven. So sit back and let Dagan regale you about the career and films of...
2019-01-03 17:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostColin's Last Stand: Side Quest, Episode 51 (Audio)
The Top 10 Games of 2018!
2019-01-03 07:00:01 +0000 UTC View PostSide Quest, Episode 51: Colin Moriarty's Top 10 Games of 2018
...and 10 more honorable mentions. LOL.
2019-01-02 21:08:52 +0000 UTC View PostFireside Chats, Episode 70: When Your Son Is An "Online Personality"
Right before Christmas, I went back east to visit my family, and I brought my recording equipment with me. One podcast I knew I had to record was with my mom, and I wanted to ask her something specific: How does it feel to watch and listen to your son online? More than that, though, how does it feel to read, watch, and see all the negative stuff? Does it hurt, or do you let it slide off of your shoulders? Today, we discuss that, although the conversation winds from there. Indeed, in the end, ...
2019-01-02 17:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostSacred Symbols, Episode 27: PlayStation 5 Intrigue
It's a new year, and it's time to get down to brass tacks. 2019 will almost certainly bring with it the first concrete details -- official or otherwise -- concerning Sony's PlayStation 5, and it's high time we start speculating. But while much of today's episode of Sacred Symbols is indeed dedicated to PS5, not all of it is. Rather, today's show is totally structured around your questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, and ideas, not only about what's next in the World of PlayStation, but abo...
2019-01-01 17:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostPatreon-Exclusive Podcast (December, 2018): The Great CLS "Stockholder" Meeting of 2018
Hey!
I'm calling this month's Patreon-exclusive podcast The Great CLS "Stockholders" Meeting of 2018. While none of you actually own a portion of the company (hence the quotes, I suppose!), your capital -- however "much" or however "little" -- has been Colin's Last Stand's lifeblood. I appreciate each and every one of you for giving my dream life.
To thank you -- and to make you feel like you're building something real and tangible alongside me (because you are) -- I opened up a...