Normandy FM

Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is upon us, so it's time for another episode of BioBits. Ken and Eric talk about the remaster of the original trilogy, changes being made to Mass Effect, and our hopes for how conversations around the series might change a decade later. Enjoy the show! Become a Normandy FM patron: http://patreon.com/normandyfm Follow us on Twitter: Normandy FM: @normandyfmshow Eric:...

Tien's Landing is a dysfunctional town, so we're spending an unexpectedly long time here as we solve everyone's problems. As well as our own. This week we set out to get a new flyer and wind map, but leave with a huge group of weirdos helping us find Master Li. But the main topic of the week is the weirdness of Jade Empire's morality system, which seems to get more rigid and binary as the game goe...

Welcome to the first episode of BioBits, a series of mini-Normandy FM episodes for when things happen in the Bioware world. This week, a report from The Gamer revealed Jack was originally meant to be pansexual in Mass Effect, but Bioware was worried about a second wave of controversy with Fox News. Gayming Magazine's Aimee Hart joins us to talk our way through our feelings about what it all means...

We're back with a new season, a new series, and a new co-host. It's Jade Empire time here at Normandy FM. Khee Hoon Chan joins us for the first episode of our Jade Empire retrospective, where we dive into how Bioware made a fantasy version of China that isn't actually China. There's a lot to unpack this season. We also talk about the limitations of its morality system, the hidden depth of its comb...

Hey everyone. We're a few days away from starting the Jade Empire season, and with it is coming a few changes to the show and how we're going to both allow it to grow into something new, as well as keep true to its roots and what you've all come to know and love from us. This includes changes to the Patreon, bonus episodes about Bioware news as it happens, and a few recaps for some external Mass E...

Hey everybody! As celebration of finishing Dragon Age, we decided to do another Q&A session as a thanks for sticking with us. In which we talk about which Bioware characters we'd spend quarantine with, unpack the state of Cyberpunk 2077, and maybe casually drop a big announcement about the show's future in there too? Who can say? Enjoy the show! Become a Normandy FM patron: http://patreon.com/norm...

Friends, it's time to say goodbye to Thedas. In our Dragon Age finale, we talk about Inquisition's final DLC: "Trespasser." Here we'll say goodbye to our friends in the Inquisition, stop a war with the Qunari, and find Solas and demand some answers. We close out the show talking about the future of the Dragon Age series, if it's possible for Bioware to do right by the Inquisitor, and what are our...

It's time to wrap up the base game of Dragon Age: Inquisition, but it's not really the ending. This week we take out Corypheus once and for all, start to say goodbye to everyone before realizing they plan to stick around, then deal with the fallout of Solas' departure and what it means for Flemeth. Enjoy the show! Become a Normandy FM patron: http://patreon.com/normandyfm Follow us on Twitter: Nor...

We're in the home stretch now as we've got one more story mission to do before the end of Dragon Age: Inquisition, and Morrigan is the star of the show. The Inquisition is headed to the Temple of Mythal, where we'll find secrets of elven history, learn about how Tevinter rewrote it, and make a big decision about Morrigan's future. Following that, we'll talk about one of Inquisition's best moments...

Ty Galiz-Rowe returns in our final guest episode of Dragon Age as we talk about one of Dragon Age's constants: Leliana. This week we discuss her journey from Lothering to Skyhold and how she is emblematic of some of Dragon Age's greatest strengths and weaknesses. We wrap up the show with some talk about Bioware's future and possibilities for an Andromeda sequel. Enjoy the show! Become a Normandy F...

Chase Carter returns to defend Blackwall's honor, and he won't be getting any backtalk from the rest of us, because we're all pretty jazzed about him here at Normandy FM. We talk about the tension between a player's knowledge of the Grey Wardens and how one might want to keep some things close to his chest. And how all of that comes tumbling down when we know the truth about Blackwall, if that is...

Ash Parrish makes her Normandy FM proper debut to talk about Vivienne, who brings a new and more nuanced view of the Mage and Templar conflict than anyone else in the Dragon Age universe. We also wrap up the show talking about N7 Day, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, and the possibilities of another Mass Effect game. Enjoy the show! Become a Normandy FM patron: http://patreon.com/normandyfm Follow...

There's treason afoot in Orlais, but conflict seldom happens on the battlefield there. So this week, we're putting on our best clothes and heading to the Winter Palace for Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts. As we uncover the secrets of The Game and all of Orlais' political intrigue, both our hosts came to different conclusions about who should lead the country and leveraged their power accordingly. In...

Liana returns to talk about Cullen and his series-long arc from mage-hating Templar to...basically still that. Cullen is struggling with Lyrium addiction, and is looking to us for guidance on how he should proceed. We're all pretty much on the same page, but we don't all have the same feelings on how it turns out. Enjoy the show! Become a Normandy FM patron: http://patreon.com/normandyfm Follow us...

The Gamer's Cian Maher joins us to talk about Cole. Despite making some jabs at him over the season, we do come to an understanding by the end. We also talk a little bit about the perception of when Bioware "lost its magic," and talk about how Baldur's Gate III seems to be picking up the slack. Enjoy the show! Become a Normandy FM patron: http://patreon.com/normandyfm Follow us on Twitter: Normand...

It's time to talk about favorite storyteller one more time, as Inquisition finally lets Varric Tethras be the character he deserved to be. Fanbyte's John Warren joins us to talk about Varric's past finally showing up at Skyhold's doorstep, what he's still not willing to talk about two games in, and what it means when he finally gets to tell his own story instead of someone else's. Enjoy the show!...

Cassandra Pentaghast is the subject of this week's episode, as Mike Williams joins us to talk about the Inquisition's Seeker of Truth. This week we learn about just how deep the rot of the Chantry goes, and we have to talk Cassandra through it as she reckons with what it means for her faith. Along the way we'll talk about how Cassandra lets her walls down to reveal that she's kind of a dork and lo...

We're finally back to the plot for a week, as we see what's up with the Grey Wardens and Hawke. It's like a big reunion of all the characters and factions we used to play as. In Here Lies the Abyss, Hawke and a Grey Warden companion determined by your choices come together to help stop a plan to unravel the Wardens and summon a demon army. Along the way we'll talk about the faith-related implicati...

Fanbyte's Nerium joins us to talk about Iron Bull, and despite being a fan favorite, we realized we had a lot to unpack about the Inquisition's resident Qunari spy. Along with talking about Bull's companion quest, romance, and some unpleasant enabling behavior, we also talk a little bit about Krem and how Bioware uses dialogue options to take some direct stances on his identity. Enjoy the show! Be...

Podcast rival DJ Stormageddon joins us this week to talk about Josephine, Dragon Age's politics, and the dangers of playing The Game. Josie's got some long standing family drama that has her in the sights of an assassin, and we've gotta decide if we're going to take the long, complicated political way out, or the efficient, sneaky way suggested by Leliana. We also touch on her rom-com romance, the...

Hello everyone! We did a PAX Online panel ranking all the companions of the Dragon Age series, and we naturally went over the time limit. So naturally, we thought it was important for us to keep the full discussion online somewhere without the time constraints we had in the live show. So here it is! Natalie, Ash, and Josh join us as we determine the true hierarchy of Dragon Age party members. Enjo...

Natalie comes back around one more time for the episode only she is qualified to appear on, as this week we're talking about Solas. The Inquisitor's Fade expert needs help saving a spirit friend, but on the way we'll talk about how he can be a mentor, a lover, or, if nothing else, a begrudging coworker. There's also a fair bit of spoiler talk in the latter half of the show, but we mention it with...

Sera is the star of the show this week, as Josh Silverman returns to talk all about the friend of Red Jenny. We talk about Sera's commitment to taking down the 1% of Thedas, clarity under her nonsense, and a heartwarming romance between her and how it eluded Eric once again. At the end of the show we also talk about the Dragon Age 4 teaser we saw at Gamescom, with spoilers for Inquisition during....

This week we begin our Dragon Age: Inquisition companion episodes, and we're starting with Kenneth's one true Dragon Age boyfriend. Dorian has some unresolved issues with his family, and we break down how Inquisition uses magical allegories to have a frank discussion about homophobia, both external and internal. We also talk about what we can extrapolate about Tevinter culture from our time with D...

Haven is being attacked, and the Inquisition with it. This week we meet Corypheus as the Inquisitor, and talk about his first impression as the main villain. Also we reach Skyhold, deal with the weight of being deemed the Herald of Andraste, and maybe we'll even meet an old friend in an unprecedented scene for the Dragon Age franchise. As a bonus, we also talk about Mass Effect Trilogy Remaster ru...