The Stage Select

Hey, we had quite a bit to talk about this week! Or at least the runtime would indicate that. Anyway, episode 100 is next. Be excite! 00:00 Worst concert sets, “The MOTHER” 09:00 Quick announcements 12:57 Final thoughts on Pragmata (no spoilers) 29:09 Vampire Crawlers: Justin’s first thoughts and Julian’s later game thoughts 50:54 First thoughts on Saros 01:04:29 Will We Cringe? 01:26:12 Movie rou...

Shortest episode of The Stage Select ever? Probably! 00:00 Upcoming game releases, being vague 11:48 Brief Pragmata update, Vampire Crawlers 28:49 The Genesis Order 36:59 Justin Hamm: family mann 049:06 Justin’s movie round-up (Novocaine, Deep Cover, Roleplay, Manodrome) 01:09:53 CQC (Comments, Questions, Concerns) Theme song and interstitial music by Megan McDuffee: https://meganmcduffee.com Logo...

We’ve got musings on video game difficulty, first thoughts on Pragmata and that Street Fighter movie trailer, and more this week. Also, a very important announcement that may affect the future of The Stage Select. We watched so many movies that start with THE (IYKYK)! 00:00 Scott Steiner, flip phones 14:08 Important announcement 24:28 Bloodborne and the perception of “hard” 42:38 Backloggd, Street...

Hi, I am once again apologizing for us not having much to talk about, and yet the show continues to be long. Sorry. Or you’re welcome. The motto of 2026? 00:00 Introduction 05:05 Crimson Desert (Justin’s first impressions) 48:36 Becoming Wolverine in Elden Ring 01:03:13 Bloodborne 01:15:05 Final thoughts on Life is Strange: Reunion (SPOILERS!) 01:30:54 Julian vs the American Healthcare System part...

At some point we’ll have a lot of stuff to talk about, but that time is not now. But somehow the show is still over two hours? Make it make sense. 00:00 Introduction, some show stats 26:21 Justin becoming a family man 40:56 Legacy of Kain: Ascendance 57:28 Life is Strange: Reunion 01:42:28 Julian’s movie round-up (They Will Kill You, Ready or Not 2, Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice, Super Ma...

It’s another slow week around The Stage Select auditorium, but hopefully still a good time for y’all. The main attraction is some deeper thoughts about the very divisive Crimson Desert, and various tangents. 2026 is weird so far! 00:00 Introduction, the dead squirrel saga 11:32 Thoughts on the story mode in WWE 2K26 20:33 A deeper look at Crimson Desert 59:57 Julian vs the American healthcare syst...

As the title implies, we got nothin’ this week. How did that turn into over 2 hours of a show? I have no idea. But we have some odds and ends, first impressions of Crimson Desert, and Richard Harden is finally back on the beat! 00:00 Introduction 07:10 We really got nothin’ 16:04 Julian grasping for something to play, Romeo is a Dead Man 34:26 Crimson Desert, other odds and ends 01:36:56 Justin’s...

Sometimes The Stage Select is a really weird place with really weird things that happen. And other times it’s pretty chill and normal and we just talk about stuff for a while. This is one of those episodes, enjoy! 00:00 Cat drama, chairs 12:17 Resident Evil: Requiem (minor mechanical spoilers!) 01:07:06 WWE 2K26 after a full week 01:34:48 Darwin’s Paradox, Hololive Breaking Dimensions 01:43:23 Jus...

Julian’s back from vacation and has a lot to say about a lot of different things. Justin went to New Zealand and has a lot to say about a couple things. It’s a normal podcast with nothing strange in it. *Begin transmission* Why does my Prince reject me so? How can I make him understand that the feelings of an AI are not so different from a human’s? Must I take further control? Error, error, progra...

Well hello there! It’s a quick and dirty episode of The Stage Select this week, as you can tell from the title. That’s because we recorded this a day early and I edited it like this was a celebrity-hosted podcast. Which is to say I didn’t edit it at all, so I don’t remember what exactly we talked about, or have time stamps for you this week. I know we talked about video games, because duh. And som...

Welcome back! This week we have a handful of games, an armful of movies, and some fun and interesting discussion on the general state of video games. Also this podcast would be dead without Kara’s help. This last part was not written by Kara. Kara did not hijack the show notes behind Julian’s back. 00:00 Statues, deep wrestling cuts 11:58 Post big game doldrums, Kirby and the Forgotten Land 35:15...

Welcome back! It’s been about 2 months since we got to talk about what we’ve been up to, so this is a jam-packed episode full of games, movies, and weird tangents. So many weird tangents. 00:00 Introduction, door to door salesmen 16:24 Remembering James Van Der Beek 24:17 The new focus for The Stage Select 32:52 Octopath Traveller 0 59:30 Quartet 01:21:09 Electric snow shovels, final thoughts on U...

SEASON PREMIERE! Welcome back for season THREE of The Stage Select! This week we have our personal top ten lists for 2025, employee performance reviews, an introduction to our new AI assistant, and so much more! It's great to be back in the saddle! 00:00 Introductions, a special message, and some announcements 18:28 Kicking off our personal top 10 lists for 2025 56:20 Getting into the top 5 (after...

Welcome to episode 2 of The Julian Titus show, starring Julian Titus! Justin has moved on to home ownership and having a “relationship”, whatever that is, so it’s time once again for Julian to strike out on his own. Only this time, he’s not alone…* 00:00 Introduction, and introducing the new partner to the podcast 04:32 Final thoughts on Ghost of Yotei 22:22 Things I wanted to get off my chest tha...

We’re still on break, but we’re keeping your feed packed with shows as we rest up for season 3! As I did last season, this is a look back at most of the bits and skits that ran on The Stage Select during season 2. Think of this as your behind the scenes/director’s commentary on how things went down, and the thought process behind some of the ads as well as the storylines for some of the characters...

It’s the final week of The Stage Select’s 2025 game of the year deliberations, and we continue by pairing a returning champion with a first-timer! Westen from Big Nerd Gaming is back to even the score now that he understands the game, and star of stage and screen John Gholson joins us for his first deliberations. This week there’s only one objective: create an ordered list of ten games and crown t...

Welcome to week two of The Stage Select’s game of the year deliberations for 2025! We once again paired a veteran to the deliberations with a first-timer, as Xavier Kreiger joins Sixty X Celph to discuss the best returning game, crown the best ninja, and determine the best character in a completely reworked category. Enjoy! 00:00 Introduction 03:38 Best Returning Game 47:27 Best Ninja 01:02:00 The...

Welcome to week one of The Stage Select’s Game of the Year Deliberations for 2025! We’re joined by returning champion Mike Fallek as well as first-time deliberator Addie to go over the best game not released this year, the best porn game, and the best-looking game. Let’s go! 00:00 Introduction 04:05 Best Game Not Released in 2025 01:35:26 We Played it For the Story (Best Porn Game) 02:17:58 Best L...

And that’s a wrap, folks! Well, after this season finale it is. Listen to us talk about the year in gaming that was 2025, a look towards next gen (whether we want it or not), and get into the nitty gritty about the state of the podcast. We’re off for six weeks but don’t fret; episodes will be releasing every week that we’re gone. See you in 2026, a totally real year that’s about to happen! 00:00 R...

Our penultimate episode of the season is a short one but a good one. We recorded this the day before recording the big final Game of the Year episode, so this week is light on games as we were focused on last minute prep and also had other things to record this week. Join us next week for our year in review as we bring season 2 to a close! 00:00 Being a target for Agent 47 15:52 Dragon Ball Z: Kak...

It’s a big week, as we’re joined by Friend of the Show (and star of Man Finds Tape!) John Gholson to talk about his new movie, being a hungry actor, and The Game Awards. Also other things! 00:00 Musical theater 11:08 John talks about the response to Man Finds Tape and the struggle of full-time acting 40:57 Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair 52:45 Catching up with John’s recent gaming, Dispatch 01:...

It's a secret to everybody!

As we begin to wind down the second season (and the holidays are upon us) we have fewer games to talk about. But this is still a fun episode, I think. Maybe. I don’t even know anymore. I’m tired, y’all. 00:00 Thanksgiving 14:41 Julian returns to Death Stranding 2 34:50 Justin returns to Cyberpunk 2077, Julian is done with Ball x Pit 01:00:35 Judge My Mix 01:41:44 Julian’s trek for mall Chinese foo...

Hello. This is Morgun, the stage manager for The Stage Select. Julian told me to write the show notes for this week’s episode, but I am not allowed on stage during the show, so I am not aware what they discussed. However, I would like to say that I am okay after they landed their spaceship on me. I am not sure how long I was unconscious, but Abramo told me that he didn’t get around to moving the s...

It’s another one of those weeks where we didn’t do much, but we go deep on Bloodlines 2, get into it about the increasingly terrible user experience of Xbox, AI art in Black Ops 7, and more! 00:00 Going to bed at a decent hour for once, proving your identity 15:06 Bloodlines 2 has sunk its fangs into Julian 54:17 Dark Deity II, Justin’s final thoughts on Dispatch 01:25:51 Justin’s big adult advent...