This week in The Tower the guys look back at gaming in 2014. An exciting year wherein next generation Sony and Microsoft consoles established their first of what we hope will be at least a 10-year life cycle. With the PS4 and Xbox One pushing the envelope with powerful hardware, a robust online infrastructure and blockbuster titles, we couldn't help but evaluate the state of the Wii U. The Nintendo console was released a year earlier than it’s next gen counterparts, with underwhelming praise in its confusing messaging, poor launch lineup and the lack of third party support. This which was cemented even further as developers along the way began to disregard the console all together; juggernaut franchises like Call of Duty, FarCry and GTA would never appear on the Nintendo system. It seemed that the fate of the Wii U had already been determined. However, highly anticipated triple A first party software finally made its way to the Wii U in 2014. Games like Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Brothers attaining commercial and critical success had us all wondering if the Wii U would finally hit its stride. On the other side of gaming, eagerly anticipated titles on PS4 and Xbox One were met with some disappointment and a common problem of games being released broken. The guys discuss whether or not the Wii U is even in competition with the PS4 and Xbox One, being less powerful and lacking in so many areas like online capabilities and most importantly third party support. We all know Nintendo excels in first party game development and their games work, but is that trade off worth it to miss out on so many other experiences? Has the novelty of these beloved characters and franchises worn off? Or are they as fun as ever? Are they enough to sell hardware? Or is it too little too late? Tune in to this episode as the guys have a passionate debate about the state the Wii U and discuss their hopes for Nintendo in 2015.

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May 9, 2025

SSSW - Andor S2 E7 - 9

When dealing in the world of prequels, it’s impossible to escape the inevitable - Anakin will fall, Han will win the Falcon, Cassian will die on Scarif. Somehow, in the midst of some of the most thrilling episodes of television ever put to screen, Tony Gilroy and his team found a way to address that impending doom and weaponize it against the audience to induce some of the most gut wrenching and heart breaking moments we’ve yet to see on ‘Andor’ - “There’s some place he needs to be”. At a larger scale, the show continues to outdo itself on a weekly basis, proving that the Star Wars galaxy provides a colour pallet of some of the richest hues from which to paint bold and personal stories. Proving you can go beyond the larger than life stories of heroics and grandeur to human stories of loss and pain and everything in between. That’s without mentioning the deft touch in pulling in themes that resonates with the contemporary while remaining timeless - a feeling that is a staple of Star Wars. Every detail is considered, every character is deep and interesting. There isn’t much more that can be said about such a powerful piece of art, except that not even the audience can escape the inevitable - only one week remains of this masterpiece.

May 2, 2025

SSSW - Andor S2 E4 - 6

I'm sorry to tell you all, but we're already halfway through this final season of 'Andor'. Fortunately, the quality hasn't dipped one bit as we accelerate into the finish. Join Julian and Rachel as they savour every minute of this 3-episode arch that takes us to Ghorman for the first time on screen. Tony Gilroy and the team at Lucasfilm outdid themselves yet again in crafting every detail. The size of the set alone is impressive, but they take it a step further by developing a unique culture and even language different from anything we've seen in Star Wars before. It all fits seamlessly into this next chapter of the story that has a heavy emphasis on spycraft as the pressure ramps up for both the Rebellion and the Empire.

Apr 24, 2025

SSSW - Andor S2 Premiere

It's been a long time since Cassian Andor and his band of Rebel compatriots has graced our TV screens. A long hiatus, no doubt, but when you look into WHY this second season took so long the reason becomes clear - they were dotting every "i" and crossing every "t" (along with dealing with the writers and actors strikes, growing and harvesting ancient grains, hand stitching wedding dresses, the list goes on...) to make sure that this isn't just good Star Wars, but indeed the maybe the BEST Star Wars (I'm partially convinced that it may be the best we may ever get actually). Season 2 roars to life in it's first of four, 3-episode drops (essentially a movie a week for a month), not wasting any time picking up with our characters a year after the events of season 1. The sheer scale, scope, and commitment to its heavy themes is laudable, but when combined with the masterful set design, costuming, writing, and acting, you can't help but to stare, mouth agape, at this singular piece bold storytelling, that will likely go down as Tony Gilroy's largest contribution to popular culture, and deservedly so. Join Julian and Rachel as they unpack it all. It's going to be one hell of a ride!

Apr 2, 2025

Bonus Episode - ToB Film Club - Constantine (2005) + Special Announcement

Hard to believe that 'Constantine' came out 20 years ago. That being said, as the movie tells us, time stops when you're dead, so what IS 20 years anyway? And as long as we're asking questions, the biggest one related to this movie is "why was it a flop?". Julian and Jeremy try to answer that very question, as well as unpack this extremely dense film that makes no effort to hold the audience's hand. And despite some rocky elements, 'Constantine' holds up as a surprisingly comic accurate rendition of the titular character, even if we weren't aware of it when it first released. Keanu, despite missing some of the obvious character flourishes like the blond hair and a British accent, is still able to capture the essence of the character: an extremely talented magician/occultist, with tortured soul (literally), who's a bit of a dick, and loves a good smoke. All in all, it's a pretty fun ride, and an example of movies that just aren't really made anymore (despite rumours of a sequel) from a different era of Hollywood and comic book movie making.

ToB Interlude - The State of the Wii U

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