Choice Media Pod

I've always been a big fan of scoundrels. Han Solo from Star Wars. Cao Cao from Romance of the Three Kingdoms-- and Poison Ivy from DC comics. I recently dove into the Poison Ivy backlog, with the goal of reading all of her appearances. That is still a work in progress, but I have read and reflected enough to share five things I've learned from this project. And if you like the podcast, by all mea...

The Trails series did something unique and amazing in RPGs: It created an entire world for an ongoing RPG saga, but more importantly FalCom stuck the landing on the first seven games in the series. It was an amazing ride, but nothing lasts forever-- and the Trails series came back to Earth a bit with Cold Steel 3. I discuss my mixed feelings on that this episode. And I also discuss how the main ch...

Welcome to the Choice Media Podcast. A new production by Amazing Gamers Podcast host Nathan. This podcast is dedicated to unpacking great stories, the ones that really mattered. Whether it's video games, literature, comics, movies, or legends. Comics have kind of been my focus lately, so I talked about that a bit in this first episode. And I also discuss meeting the creator of Shredman Comics earl...

Life is like a box of chocolates when chatting with Highly Ginger, but in this case the surprises were all good ones. Wonder Woman versus Thor, and could she lift Thor's hammer? The best medium for DC adaptations and choosing between Batman and Superman... similarities between Wonder Woman and Captain America-- they're all this bonus time chat with our Poison Ivy cast...

The genius of DC Comics is that they’re always finding ways to re-invent the classics. There may be no better example of this than Poison Ivy. From her Femme Fatale roots to Harley’s ride-or-die partner and the antihero of her own series, life is good for Ivy fans. So this pod conversation kind of has a story. I don’t usually talk behind-the-scenes with the pod, but it’s so relevant on this one. I...

Nathan returns for episode 25 with another solo flight, to discuss an idea he's been kicking around for a while: the difference between "good enough" and "just right." I had an experience a couple of months back that crystalized the whole idea in my mind. And I also provide a few examples of the 'just right' from gaming, music and life! If you like the pod, share your best just rights in the comme...

Sometimes it all comes together at once. I watched Transformers the Movie with my son last weekend, and this week the 40th anniversary apology tour for the movie took flight. In this solo discussion I broke down: What was great about the movie Where it kind of fell flat and What it makes sense to sideline Megatron and Optimus at times.

I talk about RPGs a lot on Amazing Gamers, and I recently realized I've been overlooking my beloved second genre-- turn-based strategy games. That changes today! The grand pubah of that genre-- in my book anyways- is Civilization 6, and I decided it's time to pay homage to its greatness. I might also have mentioned my favorite ways to play it and win, and there's definately something in there abou...

It could just be recency bias, but Nathan just had to share why Trails of Cold Steel 2 was the best RPG he'd played in a long time. This discussion highlights how the game is similar to Final Fantasy 6, while also highlighting the Trails depth and worldbuilding that make this series so special. Hit me up with your Trails story in the comments!

Nathan closes out 2025 with a solo story about riding it out and figuring it out during the holidays. This is a true story: I really did lose everything the day after Christmas...but it turned out fine. Better than fine, really. Well...except that one part where I missed out on the best beer in Vermont, and quite possibly the world. Sigh. Thanks again to everyone who listened to the show and parti...

What was your best family gaming experience of 2025? That's the question put to Nathan, Aly and Gwent in the latest episode of Amazing Gamers. There was a lot of love for Legend of Zelda, Echoes of Wisdom; We closed out with what we're looking forward to in 2026. We also touched on finding common ground in gaming with the kids, teaching through games ("never lead a trash mob into a boss fight"), a...

Just how Meta was Metaphor? The Scholars of Nebelheim reconvened for this episode to discuss the metaphorical aspects of this new Atlus classic, while also exploring the historical context of Utopia and what those two works have in common. Facts brought some Utopia/Metaphor easter eggs to the discussion, Nathan provides some background on the Thomas More of history, and we attempted to rank Metaph...

The power of Zelda has brought the Amazing Gamers podcast out of hiatus! In this conversation I caught up with former colleague Dana (Comics In Boston on Instagram) to discuss the Zelda series; favorites, last one we played; and biggest miss in the series (sorry Ocarina of Time fans). We might have also digressed into least favorite video game moments (Looks at Mega Man falling straight down after...

Was FF7 Rebirth good? Will the finale for the new FF7 trilogy stick the landing? And what should that look like? The Scholars of Nibelheim @damned-writer.bsky.social, @gwentchamp.bsky.social, and @wandererssong.bsky.social tackled the big questions on Amazing Gamers 🎉👏🙏 It was a great conversation that somewhat restored my hope for the series.

There's epics, and then there's epic fails. Where does Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth fall on that spectrum? To start the second season of Amazing Gamers, I turned to @ highleyginger.bsky.social for some thoughtful perspectives. We discussed some other epics that popped (or did not) as well. I may also have contrasted Final Fantasy 7 Re series and Trails (apologies in advance).

The inaugural run of Amazing Gamers wraps-up at the beginning, bringing back two guests who were there at the start of my podcasting journey: Adam ‪@ whatcouldbeingbe.bsky.social and Nintendo Force Staff Writer @ avengermags.bsky.social . Both are friends of the show, and we had a lot of fun discussing: The often-misunderstood role of the media critic (OR Why English Majors love reading reviews) F...

It’s Fathers Day weekend, so Nathan is here with a list of the games that really hit it out of the park for family gaming. I review the top 5 that made some memories, tip my cap to some honorable mentions, and detail three games I thought the kids would love but they completely bounced off of….

Amazing Gamers welcomes Bluesky’s #1 Tokyo Mirage Sessions fan Kat (@ skeletonkat.bsky.social ) into the conversation to discuss how that game is often overlooked even by Atlus RPG fans. A longtime fan of the Shin Megami Tensei series, Kat remembers some fans thinking the first TMS trailer was an April Fool’s Day joke, and we discuss how expectations was a major factor for this game, which was ori...

Amazing Gamers welcomes back Dana Forsythe (ComicBooksInBoston on IG) to discuss writing about games and music. Dana proposed a new collaboration for game reviews (which I think is an amazing idea) and we also discussed the critic's role. This comes shortly after my debut game review, for Civilization 7 in Nintendo Force Magazine (the May/June issue). I also get into how even greats like Roger Ebe...

I love Persona 4, but it's not even in my top 5 of projects I'd like to see from Atlus. It's funny how we've gone from Persona 4 being difficult to access to arguably too much Persona 4.... In this episode I share my thoughts on that whole thing-- starting with how I dusted off the PS3 a few years back, because it was the only way I could experience this previously underappreciated classic.

Buzz about a possible Silmarillion movie has resurfaced in the Tolkien discourse and Nathan has got thoughts on it. This solo chat outlines both the potential and pitfalls of that endeavor, coming from a lifelong fan who considers the Silmarillion one of the great hidden gems of modern storytelling. I also suggest a reading order, for those who enjoy Tolkien but never read past the Lord of the Rin...

Amazing Gamers welcomes back HighlyGinger and Gwent Champ of Bluesky for a wide ranging discussion about the five people you meet in the Final Fantasy discourse. Which one are you? Take a listen and decide… Wabi Sabi is the tone for this discussion: the goal was appreciating that which is imperfect for what beauty it holds. I also work in shout-out for evidence that dad jokes are good. We also tou...

Amazing Gamers was thrilled to welcome former colleague and Kirby enthusiast Rachel to the discussion this week. Rachel works for a program that supports family caregivers, and we discussed the importance of Caring for the Caregiver—both the clinical sense and the sense of self care in a busy world. We also touched on: Kirby is just perfect sometimes Big Sis and the legendary console candy bar dis...

The Amazing Gamers podcast was an all-star edition today, with Nintendo Force staff writer Maggie Jones Lutey (Avenger Mags on social) and my original D&D buddy, Ed Hopkins, joining the chat. Topics included: how we discovered RPGs our most infamous adventures when role playing gets a bit out of pocket that priceless moment I realizing just how off-the-mark our many expeditions to save Durin’s...

The Amazing Gamers podcast welcomed an old friend into the chat this week, with longtime media pro and comic book expert Dana Forsythe. The discussion included: Transformers then and now Getting into the convention scene—when we met Frank Quitely Why fandom—and your local fandom scene-- matters Managing your fandom Great recommendations on where to buy comics in the Boston area Best of the Devil M...