ToB Games - The Last of Us: Pt II - Spoilercast

Julian Meush July 22, 2020

What is there to say about The Last of Us that hasn’t already been said? Masterpiece. Epc. Umatched. In many ways it’s as close to a perfect video game as you can get. Fast forward to 2020 and in the midst of a real world pandemic, the sequel to that near-perfect game is released to polarized reaction. How does the sequel to one of the greatest games ever made create such a response? Easy; by being different, by challenging the audience, by being unconventional and bold. Julian, Dan and Jeremy, in a spoiler-filled discussion, unpack every story beat and character development to try to understand what makes the The Last of Us: Pt II tick.

ToB Games - Pre-Next Gen Special

Julian Meush February 25, 2020

The X-box One and PS4 are on their last legs, and we’re only months away from the next generation of consoles. Yet with the release of the PS5 and the X-Box Series X right on the horizon we still know surprisingly little. How much will they cost? Is $450 too much? Does physical media still matter? What’s enough storage? Who’s going to figure out the “Netflix of gaming” first? With so many questions, Julian, Dan, and Jeremy attempt to answer them all on a rare ToB Games special episode!

ToB Games - E3 2019

Julian Meush June 16, 2019

If you follow the video game world, even from a distance, you know that E3 is like Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and your birthday all combined for the those in the games business. With it comes exciting new announcements, sizzle reels, reveals, and surprises. Regardless of what types of games you’re into, there’s always something to get excited about. This year, with Sony, and other major players pulling out, it seemed like the show might lack some of it’s luster. Fortunately, there was still a lot to get excited about. Not the least of which being the Avengers game from Sqaure Enix, a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the first game play of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, plus the surprising new character announcements for Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Julian, Dan, and Jeremy discuss all that and so much more in the annual E3 breakdown episode of ToB Games!

Episode 120 - Bye Bye Hank

Julian Meush September 17, 2018

The whole crew is back together now that Jeremy has returned from across the pond, and it couldn’t have been soon enough because it’s all hands on deck for this bombshell of a rumour coming out of Warner Brothers. Henry Cavill is reportedly done with the role of Superman after some messy contract negotiations. The guys break down every angle of this Super-story, as well as discuss the early reactions from Predator, the continued production troubles of American Gods, and initial impressions from Spider-Man on PS4. All that and so much more in this week’s Tower of Babble Podcast!

ToB Games - E3 2018

Julian Meush June 13, 2018

It's been awhile since we've taken a break from talking about the latest in film and television news and turned our collective eye towards the gaming industry, but with E3 now upon us we would we remiss if we didn't dive into all the major announcements coming out of gaming's biggest showcase. From Sony and their stellar first party lineup featuring "The Last of Us Pt 2", "Spider-Man" and more to Nintendo and their concentration on all things "Super Smash Bros" and everything in between, the guys discuss the biggest reveals, trailers and demos from this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo.

ToB Interlude - Review Roundup

Julian Meush July 12, 2017

With so much news to cover last week the guys didn't get a chance to dive into what they have been watching or playing. Unacceptable. There's too much great stuff on TV, in theatres or on our video game consoles to not talk about. So Julian and Daniel return mere days after the last ToB episode to discuss the surprisingly awesome new Netflix series GLOW, season one of American Gods and the brilliant X-Men series Legion. The guys also delve into how terrible Transformers: The Last Knight truly is, give a quick spoiler free review of Spider-Man: Homecoming and then debate the merits of the PS4 exclusive, Horizon: Zero Dawn.

Episode 91 - Switch Launch

Julian Meush March 11, 2017

It's been a few week's since the ToB Crew has tackled the news but now that the Oscars are over it's time to dig deep into all the latest goings-on in the nerd world. Starting with the DCEU as things have been busy over at Warner Brothers. The guys discuss Matt Reeves directing The Batman, the Nightwing movie announcement and a ton more DC movie tidbits before moving onto some TV talk. Including: Another delay for Star Trek: Discovery but at least they cast their captain, Star Wars Rebels has been renewed for a 4th season and Castlevania is getting an animated series on Netflix. Finally, Julian, Dan and Jeremy cover the Nintendo Switch launch and the unprecedented reception of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. All this and so much more (including X-Men rumours and Tron 3 news!) on this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!

Episode 84 - Nintendo Switch

Julian Meush October 26, 2016

What a crazy week! Only a day after last weeks show came a deluge of some of the biggest geek news of the whole year! Julian, Daniel and Jeremy have had a lot of time to think about what they had to say about the Nintendo Switch announcement, the Red Dead Redemption 2 trailer and, what turned out to be one of the most pleasant of the surprises, the Logan trailer. Of course it doesn't stop there with another exciting instalment of Nerd Association as well as some great Star Wars discussions about the casting of Donald Glover as a a young Lando Calrissian. All this and so much more in this weeks Tower of Babble Podcast!

Episode 78 - Stranger Things and PS4 Pro

Julian Meush September 8, 2016

After spending the last month with a rotating cast of co-hosts the whole gang is back together and ready to talk geek news. Julian, Dan and Jeremy sit down to discuss the latest in genre movie and television as well as the biggest stories in gaming and comics. This week the guys cover Ben Affleck's Deathstroke tease, the dump-truck of money Sony is backing up to Daniel Craig's house, the whereabouts of some Community alum and the the Battlefield 1 open BETA. Of course it doesn't end there as the conversation then leads a discussion on Netflix's Stranger Things and the big Sony announcement of the new PS4 "Slim" and PS4 Pro. All this and so much more in this weeks Tower of Babble Podcast!

Episode 77 - Caffeine and Comics

Julian Meush August 28, 2016

With Jeremy and Dan nowhere to be seen, Julian had to enlist the help of fellow nerd and owner of CaffeineandComics.com, Jordan Adam, to record this weeks episode. The two discuss Justice League Dark's new director, Doug Liman, and what that means for the future of the Gambit film, the real reason Rogue One got its name, look forward to Arrow season five and examine the leaked PS4 Slim info. Of course Julian also takes some time to ask Jordan about his business and talk about the current state of comic book retailers. All that and so much more in this weeks ToB Podcast!

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May 22, 2025

SSSW/ToB Film Club - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

May 22, 2025

It's hard to believe that 'Rogue One' premiered nearly a decade ago. At the time, it was fairly well received, considered to be a decent first step into the standalone Star Wars movies, if not a bit messy. As the years passed, we learned more about the production. Gareth Edwards, who retained sole directing credit, was assisted by Tony Gilroy to "fix" the project. Tony went so far as to call it a "corpse" when he came aboard for rewrites and reshoots. It was Tony's inclusion that brought us some of the movies most memorable moments, and ultimately led him to leading the charge on 'Andor', a prequel project that flew under the radar as hits like 'The Mandalorian' hogged the spotlight. With 'Andor' now complete, considered by many to be a masterpiece in storytelling, not just in Star Wars but on television in general, now is the most appropriate time to reexamine the movie that spawned the Cassian-centered prequel series with fresh eyes. 'Andor', which leads directly into the events of 'Rogue One' recontextualizes much of the film, creating a unique viewing experience that pays off a multitude of threads that are brilliantly laid over the two seasons of 'Andor'. It takes the movie, which was already pretty good, and makes it great. Now existing as part of a whole that weaves a cohesive narrative from the nascent moments of the Rebellion all the way through to the destruction of the Death Star in 1977 (the seed that begat ALL Star Wars, and what we appropriately align our Star Wars BBY calendars to). It all feels wholistic and considered when viewed from the broader perspective - an accomplishment that should set a shining example of what Star Wars can and should aspire to.

May 22, 2025

May 15, 2025

SSSW - Andor S2 Finale

May 15, 2025

After only 4 weeks - the blink of an eye - it's all over. The best Star Wars story since the Original Trilogy has graced our screens and left us in awe. These final three episodes weren't able to reach the emotional highs of last week's arc, but that wasn't the goal. Instead, it provides time to look back at what brought us here, and sets the stage for the climax of the story to take place not in this moment, but within the now recontextualized film that birthed all of this in the first place, 'Rogue One'. And while the show may carry Cassian's name on the title screen, it's been the cast of characters we've met along the way that truly elevated this experience. Not to pick favourites, but in particular, Luthen and Kleya, who get an episode all to themselves this week are the standouts. And what an episode it was, as their story which shepherded much of the series came to an end, as we all expected it would have to. Embracing those feelings of closure, in the final moments of the series, as Cassian flies off into 'Rogue One', we are treated to our last glimpses of our heroes and villains. From Dedra to Vel and even Perrin, we are left to consider their fates as the story marches with inevitability into what begat all of this way back in 1977. Will we ever see Kleya, Vel, Wilmon, or Bix again? One can only hope - and rebellions? Well, they're built on hope.

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May 9, 2025

SSSW - Andor S2 E7 - 9

May 9, 2025

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.

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May 2, 2025

SSSW - Andor S2 E4 - 6

May 2, 2025

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.

May 2, 2025