Nerd of Mouth

Independence Day just happened and what better way than to focus on those people who use their freedom to complain about lady characters in video games. The newest target is God of War Laufey and as Holden goes through the history of this topic we see this isn't the first time an announced game has been attacked for having a female protagonist and with a cottage industry that profits off the outra...

Yeah, it's the wrestling episode of the year. The first one. And sure you may go into the comments and complain that there's a ton of wrestling episodes of this show from this year but the fact of the matter is your wrong and we're right to shine a spotlight on the voice of the voiceless, the man who turns a microphone into a pipe bomb and for a short period of time reignited the love of professio...

It's very appropriate that one of our cohosts has a show called Cartoon Dumpster cause boy did we pull some rotten stuff out of it this week. And Gargoyles. Gargoyles is cool. Maybe cause they're not animals. Cats, dogs, cows, dinosaurs, mice, ducks, dinosaurs again, sharks.. They gave every animal muscles and a 'tude but it wasn't enough. There really must be a secret in the ooze that makes the t...

It's not in your head and yes inflation is real but ticket prices have indeed kept climbing for years. One company has a monopoly on the industry and doesn't even have the decency to wear a top hat and own hotels on Baltic Avenue. Holden charts the founding of Ticketmaster, how it won the war and now controls everything. But hey, we're not just about doom and gloom here so we're highlighting all t...

For about the majority of Reagan’s presidency He-Man was the master of the toy aisle. Concocted by Mattel, aided by the synergy of a cartoon, and ultimately undone by corporate greed and an underperforming movie (that one of our cohost loves) , take a journey with us to Eternia to see a musclebound hero who’s been killed and resurrected many times because you can’t keep a once successful IP down....

Remember when you’d get a newspaper to feel smart and informed and just go straight to the funny pages to gab with Garfield, chat with Cathy, and umm, see whatever the heck Family Circus was up to? We remember! Reading these informed our future tastes and helped evolve our sense of humor before life got too grim (and stopped being so Mother Goose). Jake takes us on a walk through the history of ne...

Even a blind man can see that Daredevil has been one of the most consistently compelling heroes in the Marvel Universe despite going through more changes than the real life Hell’s Kitchen. But it took some time to get there. Mike takes the boys through his beginnings, the bad times, the weird bad times and the really good times when the fat guy Spider-man fought became the even fatter guy that hat...

This episode is made possible by listeners like you! You gave us some genuinely thoughtful questions about the future of video games, alternate realities, and whether or not life is too hard to enjoy Elden Ring. Lots of impassioned diatribes in this one folks. We love you all. Yes, even you. Want even more Nerd of Mouth? Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/nerdofmouth Subscribe to SiriusXM Podc...

The boys head to the Outworld to rank every single fatality from the first two Mortal Kombat games in this spine ripping barnburner of an episode! We celebrate the truly gruesome and creative kills and uppercut ourselves in the face every time someone's head gets off in the second one. Some of these fatalities are iconic and still hold up and some just end with someone exploding in a pile of femur...

Noooooooo!!! Actually ,yes., We're re-examining the Star Wars prequels with their racist portrayals, wooden dialogue, and still kinda badass lightsaber fights. If you hate these movies Holden is your guy. If you think they're both ambitious and prescient, then Jake is your guy. If you're caught in the middle and just want your friends to hug it out and stop fighting about Jar Jar then you'll agree...

We've talked about video games based on movies but this time we're going the other way and focusing on movies that are based on video games and why they usually suck. Holden guides through the dark ages of Mario and Street Fighter, the darker ages of anything Uwe Boll has done, the mostly forgettable 2010s (There was in fact no need for speed) and how a little electric Pokémon gave the genre the c...

In honor of 4/20 we're doing a movie length podcast blabbing about the man behind Silent Bob. Holden Mcneely (Who had that name before Chasing Amy came out!) guides us through his history, his filmography (Yes, all of it),, and oh yeah, Mike gives him some credit to the man behind the View Askewniverse for revitalizing the Marvel universe. Ultimately all three hosts lean on the side of celebrating...

Matt Dinniman was an aspiring author and lowly professional drawer of cats (as if there could be any other kind) who struck gold with an ambitious Lit RPG world of shoeless heroes, loquacious cats, biting social commentary. and some good old fashioned violence. Holden gives us the history of Dinniman and the series before we give our full thoughts on the first book and talk about the difficulties...

What do Sephiroth, Aunt May, the Daleks, and Leonardo the Ninja Turtle all have in common? They're now a part of the world of Magic: the Gathering which now with it's Secret Lairs and Universes Beyond sets have co opted a bunch of beloved IPs into the beloved card game to make a bunch of beloved money. Musician and Magic card expert Skulk the Hulking gives his thoughts on how this has been both go...

A boy named Jimmy studied internet algorithms instead of books and created a gigantic empire to become the most subscribed to YouTuber and is now a billionaire with multiple product lines and dealings with Saudi Arabia, cause hey why not?! Jake argues that he’s just a symptom of the world we live in and providing the entertainment we deserve while Mike thinks his popularity is bad for society, esp...

Special guest Joel Kim Booster (Scrubs, Fire Island, K Pop Demon Hunters!!) joins our hosts to review and rank the first arc of every Absolute DC book, the line of comics that’s been a critical and sales darling. Is beefy poor Batman better than a Wonder Woman raised in hell?!! And wait, what’s different about Flash now? And is it a good idea to read Absolute Martian Manhunter on drugs? (Spoiler A...

Sonic refused to be contained in one episode very much like how continually refuses to be counted out. Holden runs the boys through all his failed video game comebacks (Especially 06)and talks about how and why new generation hitched their hearts to the furry blue speedster that always comes back to new frontiers. Oh and we roast Shadow, cause why not, it’s Shadow. Want even more Nerd of Mouth? Su...

We try to go fast through the history of Sonic the Hedgehog but there's too many spikes of random information that pop up and get in our way. Our three egg men answer questions like how did Sonic come to be? How was he marketed differently? How does one character get two simultaneous bipolar cartoons? Why are his silly comics mired by years of lawsuits? We get knuckles deep in this one, covering e...

To paraphrase Tony Montana: First you come up with a mascot, then you make the platformer game, then you make the money. Yes, with the advent that little blue meth/ring imbued hedgehog had dozens of game publishers thought to themselves: Hey, that looks easy, I could also do that. And so we had a swarm of Bubsys, Gexs, and acrobatic bats flood the shelves in the hopes your grandma couldn't tell th...

It is the argument that has ended friendships, a debate that often leaves two people screaming at each other like Goku. But don't worry, we have a rather civilized discussion on the merits of both subtitled anime and dubbed anime. Jake explains how why the quality of dubbing has improved over the years and plays some pretty hilarious clips to show us just how many bumps along the road there were....

A whole episode on Steve Urkel? Yes we did do that. What happens when a one off guest star becomes the focus of a show and family no longer matters? What other examples are there of one character unexpectedly taking over an show? And just how did an audience full of frat bros and the promise of a Sega Genesis facilitate the birth of Urkel in the first place? Want even more Nerd of Mouth? Support u...

Holden talks us through the ins and other ins and more ins of fantasy football and while he lays down the history, comedian Trae Crowder talks about the personal satisfaction and fun of being in a fantasy football league for 20 years, and how glorious but also humiliating that can be. Lots of glory and humiliation in this one! Yes we talk sports, but more importantly how a bunch of nerds took spor...

Peter Parker and Mary Jane had one of the most storied romances in comic book history and they even got married until their love was bitten by a radioactive editorial mandate and it all went away. Mike takes Jake and Holden through the whirlwind history and screwy destruction of Spider-man’s marriage, the real life wedding they staged to promote it, and Paul. Yeah, we talk about Paul, but not too...

Get ready for a hundred hand slap of knowledge as Holden takes the lead and describes the mechanics and aesthetics that make a great fighting game roster. He lists all the different types of characters from zoners to grapplers to puppets, why some characters get banned from tournaments, and then he, Jake, and Mike all take turns coming up with the dream property they want to see a fighting game ba...

Avatar is the number one box office king of the world and yet it leaves no real cultural footprint despite being hella pretty to look at. You don't see cosplays, there aren't memorable quotes (unless angry hissing counts) and there's an almost naked boy named Spider that they reeeeeallly want to be a thing. Jake, flying in on a dragon connected to a braid in his hair flies in to defend the franchi...