The Ringer-Verse

Ben Lindbergh and Matt James share their instant reactions to gaming's annual awards show/trailer fest! First they discuss the dominance of ‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33,’ Matt’s experience attending the show in person, and the award winners that made them happiest and saltiest. Then they count down their respective top 10 lists of exciting announcements about upcoming games. Intro (0:00)Reactions...

The Boys are back and here to bring you their very merry Christmas movies draft! Five categories of holly jolly fun, from Comedy to Wild Card! (0:00) Intro (7:44) Christmas Movies Draft (1:39:06) Outro Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman Producers: Aleya Zenieris, Devon Baroldi, and Jacob Cornett Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell Learn more about your...

After stepping inside Samus’s visor for the first time in years, Ben and Polygon's Giovanni Colantonio compare notes on the much-anticipated ‘Metroid Prime 4: Beyond,’ a great game grafted onto parts of other, less-good games. In their spoiler-lite chat, they puzzle over the game’s discordant elements, praise its strengths, and analyze how it fits into the franchise’s lineage before assessing the...

The Boys are back and they’re asking the Midnight Riders for their most burning questions about the nerd-verse! From Yoda to Jomi-cookie-gate, they’re here to give you all the answers. (0:00) Intro (9:04) Midnight Mailbag (1:39:09) Outro Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell L...

Spoilers ahead! Jomi, Steve, and Jess dive into the long-awaited 'Zootopia 2,' sharing their full review and exploring how the sequel expands the world of the original. They discuss the franchise’s cultural impact and what Disney got right (and wrong) this time around and look ahead to a potential 'Zootopia 3,' discussing where Judy, Nick, and the rest of the city could go next. Finally, they zoom...

The Boys are back, and they’re drafting white girl movies! From Meg Ryan to Lindsay Lohan, they draft in five categories: Fantasy/Action, Romantic Comedy, Musical, Drama, and Wild Card. (0:00) Intro (9:29) White Girl Movies Draft (1:27:05) Outro Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman Producers: Aleya Zenieris, Devon Baroldi, and Devon Renaldo Additional Production Suppo...

We all pod down here. You'll pod, too. Recommends returns for a Thanksgiving feast! First, Ben brings on Zach Dionne to talk about 'It: Welcome to Derry,' Hollywood's obsession with Stephen King (including several new adaptations in 2025), the dos and don'ts of adapting King, the historical highs and lows, and the future of King's work on-screen. After that, other Ringer-Verse hosts and friends sa...

Ben brings on Simon Carless of GameDiscoverCo and Morgan Park of PC Gamer to explain the success of some of the most popular games released this year that haven’t previously been discussed on the podcast: surprise Steam sensations ‘R.E.P.O.,’ ‘Schedule I,’ ‘Peak,’ ‘Megabonk,’ ‘Escape From Duckov,’ and ‘RV There Yet?’ They break down how unknown PC games go viral, how long their time in the spotlig...

The Boys are back for good! They unpack all things ‘Wicked: For Good,’ including the highly anticipated musical numbers, the interweaving of the original ‘Wizard of Oz’ story, and the depiction of animals in the movie. (0:00) Intro (9:27) Spoilers ahead (11:11) ‘Wicked: For Good’ reactions (1:02:35) Midnight Meter (1:21:46) Outro Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman P...

Ben is joined by Kotaku’s Claire Jackson and Zack Zwiezen as they react to the just-announced nominations for the Game Awards (focusing on the Game of the Year candidates, the record number of nominations for ‘Clair Obscur,’ and the debate about the definition of “indie”) and then break down the industry implications, player considerations, and AI ramifications of the competition brewing among a t...

The Boys are back, and they’re ready to talk all things ‘The Running Man’! Then they get into the nerd news of the week with ‘Superman 2’ and even do a mini draft of the best rappers-turned-actors. (0:00) Intro (7:07) Spoilers ahead (9:36) Instant reactions to ‘The Running Man’ (55:05) Midnight Meter (57:33) Nerd News (1:11:30) Outro (1:14:58) Post Credits Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi A...

Ben Lindbergh, Jomi Adeniran, and Daniel Chin discuss news surrounding a few coming attractions—another 'Grand Theft Auto VI' delay, trailers for 'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie' and 'Fallout' Season 2, and Valve's announcement of a new Steam Machine—before breaking down the highs and lows of hit episodic superhero adventure game 'Dispatch' (including one spoiler-ish interlude about Jomi's forlorn e...

The Boys are back, and they’re ready to talk all things ‘Predator’! First, they react to the newest addition to the 'Predator' universe, ‘Predator: Badlands.’ Then they rank the top five ‘Predator’ movies. (0:00) Intro (3:51) Spoilers ahead (5:30) Instant reactions to ‘Predator: Badlands’ (56:22) Midnight Meter (59:25) Top five 'Predator' movies (1:04:24) Outro Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, J...

No tricks, all treats! Recommends returns for a dose of fall fun. First, Ben brings on CBR writer Katie Doll to talk about the rise, fall, and future of 'The Walking Dead' in honor of the 15th anniversary of the franchise, with an emphasis on 'Daryl Dixon' Season 3. After that, other Ringer-Verse and House of R hosts and friends salute unsung releases to complete another expanded installment of th...

This is an Xbox ... episode of Button Mash! First, Ben Lindbergh and Matt "The Matt-ster Chief" James breaks down what the upcoming multi-platform remake of the original 'Halo' portends for the future of Xbox. Then, they stick with the theme by sharing their spoiler-free reactions to two new Xbox-published multiplatform games, 'Ninja Gaiden 4' and 'The Outer Worlds 2.'Intro (0:00)The Future of Xbo...

Steve and Jomi are joined by ‘Simpsons’ expert and Ringer senior staff writer Alan Siegel to celebrate all things Halloween. They dive into Alan’s book, 'Stupid TV, Be More Funny,' explore the legacy of the “Treehouse of Horror” specials, and wrap up by drafting their favorite Halloween TV episodes. Intro (0:00)“Treehouse of Horror” deep dive (2:28)Halloween TV episodes draft (17:17)Outro (1:06:30...

The Boys are back with another Black Recast, but this time for the ’Star Wars’ original trilogy of films. They then dive into ‘Star Wars: Visions’ Season 3 and the canceled movie ‘The Hunt for Ben Solo’. (0:00) Intro (8:14) ‘Star Wars’ recast (1:11:06) ‘Star Wars: Visions’ Season 3 and ‘The Hunt for Ben Solo’ (1:26:30) Outro (1:28:02) Post-credits Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran,...

The Midnight Boys sit down to break down the season finale of 'Gen V' and talk about their thoughts on the season overall. They talk about the broader implications for the universe of 'The Boys' as it heads into its final season and what they might want to see in the future of this edgy superhero franchise. They also give the season their Midnight Meter rating! (0:00) Intro (11:54) Reactions to ‘G...

Ben and Matt James banter about the big launch by ‘Battlefield 6’ and share their spoiler-free impressions of three noteworthy recent releases in an overloaded gaming month: ‘Absolum,’ ‘Pokémon Legends: Z-A,’ and ‘Keeper.’ Then Ben and Arjuna Ramgopowell discuss how and why they revisited, and finally completed, an N64 cult classic that has haunted them for a quarter of a century: ‘The Legend of Z...

The Boys are back, and they are crashing out. They start with reactions to some New York Comic Con news and then discuss the greatest crash-outs in MCU history, and—spoiler—Tony Stark is mentioned a lot. (0:00) Intro (11:01) New York Comic Con Nerd News (28:01) Greatest crash-outs in MCU history (1:18:50) Outro (1:19:56) Post-credits Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlm...

Steve and Jomi jump back into the Grid to discuss ‘Tron: Ares.’ They share their thoughts on Disney’s latest attempt to reboot the neon-drenched franchise (spoilers included), its legacy, and whether the 'Tron' universe ever got the shot it truly deserved. Later on, they dive deep into Hollywood’s long history of “IP failures to launch,” revisiting the blockbuster hopefuls that never quite became...

The boys are back, and they’re serving you all of their thoughts on the ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 finale, and thus their thoughts on James Gunn’s vision for the season's end. They then dive into the trailers of the newest ‘Game of Thrones’ show, ‘Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,’ and the trailer for the upcoming ‘Wonder Man’ show. (0:00) Intro (5:18) Reactions to ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 Finale (47:38) Peac...

Ben, Matt James, and Justin Charity break down the bombshell news about Electronic Arts being sold for $55 billion, Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass price hike, and the showdown between ‘Battlefield’ and ‘Call of Duty.’ Then Ben, Matt, and Daniel Chin share their spoiler-free reviews of the new spiritual sequel to ‘Ghost of Tsushima,’ the PlayStation 5 exclusive ‘Ghost of Yotei.’ EA is being acquired (0...

The Midnight Boys are going to hell, finally sharing their reactions to ‘Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle.’ Later, the guys get into ‘One Battle After Another’ and all of the conversation around the Oscar favorite. Finally, the Boys do a quick check-in on ‘Peacemaker.’ Intro (00:00) Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle (6:55) One Battle After Another (1:17:47) Peacemaker S2E6 (2:28:13) Outro (2:36:22) Hosts...

Hit it! Recommends returns to put a bow on a busy September. First, Ben brings on Ringer contributor Joshua Rivera for a spoiler-free conversation about 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,' with an emphasis on the series' appeal, the ups and downs of Season 3, and the state and future of the franchise on both the big and small screens. After that, other Ringer-Verse hosts salute unsung releases to com...