No More Whoppers (specials)

One in-person wedding and global pandemic later, we're back to our NMW holiday tradition: the Pittsburgh call-in! Alex reports on food ate, backs hurt, and Mario games played. And will they ever find frozen artichoke hearts? PLUS special guest: the contractors' saw!

"Hot" on the heels of our Dragon Quest retrospective podcast seven years ago, we return for a SPOILER-filled conversation on Dragon Quest XI. We Zoom from point to point, including what we thought about the game's story, characters, features, lack of features, us struggling to recall story details because we didn't take a lot of notes, and all that kind of wonderful SPOILERY stuff. And you bet we take a dump on Koichi Sugiyama! P.S. SPOILERS! This podcast is not allowed to be sold on weekdays the Japanese government said so!!!

Ring ring! Time to chat with Alex on another American adventure! You can bet we talk about new wedding plans; the reliable motherness of moms; the best little mobile game gets its best little update; the awfulness of Delta… and somebody finally got a Nintendo Switch. Now go, be free.

It's our new bi-yearly tradition when Alex reports in over the phone from Pittsburgh with ALL-NEW tales of wine spillage; old games in storage; soft-shelled crabbage; travelrage; and for some reason, X-Men 2099. See YOU… later!

This week, Alex sits down at the bar after hours with Nagoya -based comic artist/writer/distributor Adam Pasion! Ray will be back next week! (This week’s interstitial music includes two tracks by Adam’s college-era band Chillin’ Dogs: “I, Flobot,” and “WTPDD The Response”).

"Thanks" to the typical follies, Ray is forced to call in live to Pittsburgh for a special report from Alex! We talk great local eats; Ant-Men; Alex hacks the in-flight entertainment; Grodin/Brolin; a serious moment regarding podcast editing, and awkward moments with the family! We'll be back… eventually?!?

Baby it's cold outside! So Alex huddled up in the basement with Charles and Rhett to bring you this riveting roundtable! Regular episodes will resume next week?!

We didn't have a chance to record a proper episode this week, so Alex sat down with childhood friend Brad in a Hilton hotel room to discuss the most disgusting issue of SkyMall ever, pee-floors, and video game/food association! Ray will be back next week with more snack food copy probably!!

Alex interviews his grandfather Angelo about K-rations, D-Day+1, greenhouses, and morphine. We'll be back with episode 68 next week!

Desperate for post-Homeland Week content, Alex looks for help in the one friend that has carried him so far for so long now -- his Nintendo 3DS! Please enjoy a short session of Al putzing around in the Japanese version of Animal Crossing: New Leaf, complete with the goofy voices you've come to love.

In this very special episode, Alex entertains his friend of 50 years, Smoo! These ancient chums discuss the fragile internet cafe; Smoo’s experiences in FFXIV; Alex’s first wedding as a fake priest; HD remasters and current/next-gen gaming; the origin of Smoo; a Philly cheesesteak verdict; fears of sharks, heights, and cars, and a very intimate episode of The Balcony is Closed! This podcast will totally go to the 7th and 8th grade dance with you.

Regular episodes return next week! So here's Alex and his sister goofing around like putzes for 52 minutes. The Sistercast covers such diverse topics as the names of midwestern US cities; the ins and outs of foreclosure defense; the holidays in review; motherly interjections; a large, fruit-themed electronics conglomerate; the dreaded winter storm warning; Kate Middleton's developing fetus; dog psychology; contemporary reality TV as influenced by Japanese TV; the miracle of flight; inappropriate apps, and memories of Christmases past! This podcast really wishes you had made a Genius Bar appointment before coming in.

We may be on vacation, but we've culled some highlights from our Earth Prime counterparts to create a Frankensteinian best of! A much more civil Alex and Ray brainstorm ideas for their fledgling podcast; Alex expresses disdain for his job and announces plans for a new business; the boys deal with portable gaming theft at a popular Mexican food chain; Ray's concern grows as a popular store threatens to open a little too close to home, and we round it out with BK news unfit for this universe! This podcast will return in All Debts Public and Primate: A Jesse Stone Mystery.

In this post-Homeland Week special, we present a recent recording of Alex and his dad Paul, who talks about his storied history with board games and the few video RPGs he played alongside his son. Enjoy the show, pardon the audio quality, but nonetheless, we get back to business next week!

With Alex unable to record because he's busy sipping mai tais on the deck of an extravagant beachside property (one-third true), we thought we'd use this week to give you a rare exploration of the NMW blooper reel -- a collection of promos we hoped would reel in potential sponsors. Enjoy yourselves, and we'll see you next time for Homeland Week.