Console Crusade

Nick, Chris and EJ make their way through their second annual Fantasy Critic draft! EJ won it all in 2021, but the guys look to make it a little tougher on him this year. Let the games begin!

It's just Nick and Chris this week so of course it's a rambling mess for a while until we talk about Metroid Dread and a bit of the latest Dune film. 00:03:05 games we been had playing 00:42:50 dread overall 00:53:57 dread story spoilers 02:15:22 dune!

Nick, EJ & Chris break down some news from the latest Pokemon Presents, give their thoughts on the WarioWare Get It Together demo, review Monster Hunter & 12 Minutes, then deep dive on Chris's play through of Hollow Knight!

Nick, EJ & Chris chat about the new Nintendo Switch OLED model and its surprising new competitor—the Steam Deck—before deep diving on the Metroid franchise.

Nick, EJ, & Chris chat about Nintendo's E3 2021---and holy heck, did the Big N bring the heat this year! The boys riff on Metroid Dread, WarioWare, Zelda, Smash Bros, Mario Party, and so much more.

EJ, Nick & Chris catch up on games they've been playing (Monster Hunter, Magic: Arena, Crosscode, Pokemon Snap, Call of Duty: Warzone and more!) plus give updates on their Fantasy Critic draft halfway through the year!

Nick, EJ & Chris wax over Sony's weak Playstation showcase, as well as the Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remakes, Pokemon Snap, and Pokemon Legends Arceus. Come for the Pokemon, stay for EJ's rage! 

It's been 84 years, but Nintendo has finally streamed another Direct! Nick and EJ give a quick rundown an reaction to Smash Bros, Zelda, Project Triangle Strategy, Splatoon 3, and more!

Nick, EJ & Chris draft upcoming video game releases in what shapes up to be a heated competition, plus speculate about Nintendo Switch's future!

Nick and EJ are joined once again by Chris Gilly-Forrer to share their thoughts on a recent play through of Nintendo's Donkey Kong Country trilogy on the SNES!

It's been a few months, but Nick and EJ are joined by their buddy Chris Gilly-Forrer to chat about the next gen of gaming---the PS5 and the Xbox Series X. Then, EJ gives his thoughts on Spider-Man Miles Morales! Also Included in this week's ramblings: Cyberpunk 2077 drama, Nintendo's Paper Mario Origami King, Xenoblade Chronicles, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Sea of Thieves, Among Us, Phasmophobia, and Hyrule Warriors.

Nick and EJ chat with Chris Gilly-Forrer about Xbox Games Pass, Bethesda, and eventually kind of sort of review the new Mario 3D All-Stars Collection!

In this giant size edition of the Console Crusade podcast, the boys talk about the Sony PS5 showcase, Xbox leaks, the Halo debacle, Epic vs Apple, Tony Hawk, Ghost of Tsushima, and the Nintendo Partner Direct! (Recorded before the Microsoft/Bethesda buyout was announced.)

EJ and Nick get together with Andrew Chavez a few weeks too late to chat The Last of Us Part II, Pokemon, Playstation and not least of all: waffles vs. pancakes. Waffles are obviously superior, but we hope you have enjoy the conversation anyway!

Chris Gilly-Forrer joins the boys to break down their playthrough of Naughty Dog's 'The Last Of Us Part II.' Be warned: spoilers ahead!

The boys break down Sony's Playstation 5 reveal event, including Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Horizon Zero Dawn: Forbidden West, and a long list of games with even dumber titles.

Nick and EJ are together again to discuss some recent gaming news: The Last of Us Part II leaks, Playstation 5, Animal Crossing, as well as some retro goodness with the Playstation 2 and SSX Tricky.

EJ chats with friend of the pod Kevin Gilgan about life during quarantine, and which games are helping to keep them sane---Animal Crossing, Celeste, Final Fantasy and more!

Nick and EJ finally catch up and give their first impressions of Nintendo's Animal Crossing New Horizons!

The boys catch up after a holiday hiatus! Nick and EJ talk The Witcher, Pokemon, plus games they played over the break.

Nick and EJ chat about the latest Pokemon games, Sword and Shield, as well as give their first impressions on Star Wars: Jedi - Fallen Order.

Nick and EJ chat about their long lost love: Magic The Gathering. They chat Duel of the Planeswalkers, Magic: Arena, and the jankiest unsanctioned game client, XMage.

Blizzard and the NBA have had an interest couple of weeks. Every Voice Matters, unless you're criticizing China. Also, guess what the next Playstation is called? It just might surprise you!

Nick and EJ chat about Borderlands 3, the Nintendo Switch lite, Zelda, The Last of Us, and more!

EJ and Nick finally break down the latest Nintendo direct! Smash Bros, Zelda, Pokemon, The Witcher and more!

The boys talk Gamescom, GameStop and GameSpot! Plus Playstation 5, Sony's acquisition of Insomniac, the odd and confusing Death Stranding, and Fire Emblem!

No, the boys aren't talking Star Wars, but they ARE talking Fire Emblem: Three Houses! Nick and EJ give their impressions on the first 20 hours of Nintendo's hottest new Switch release.

The boys talk Mario Maker 2 (again!), speed runs, the all new Nintendo Switch Lite, and the unofficial death of their beloved Splatoon.

The boys have a quick chat about upcoming Nintendo titles, as well as give their impressions on Mario Maker 2! LETSA GO

Breathtaking may be hyperbole, but E3 was a fun affair nonetheless! The boys talk announcements from Microsoft, Ubisoft, Bethesda, Square-Enix, and Nintendo, as well as get hyped for freakin' KEANU.

It's time for our yearly pre-E3 breakdown extravaganza! Let's chat about what we Know, Hope, and Expect from most of the companies showing stuff off, such as: EA, Microsoft, Bethesda, Ubisoft, Square-Enix, and Nintendo. You could maybe even say our bodies are ready.

This week EJ and Nick struggle through technical difficulties to give their impressions on Detective Pikachu, and air some grievances on the previous two episodes of Game of Thrones. Maybe if you're lucky, we'll complain about the finale next week!

Forget the awful title---this week in video game news: Nintendo Switch boost mode, Mortal Kombat 11 microtransactions, and Playstation 4 reaching 96.8 million units sold! Then, onto our hot takes for Game of Thrones season 8 episode 3, The Long Night, and finally our Endgame discussion. We save spoilers for the end, so be careful!

Reggie has a twitter account and might be teasing an unannounced game, Playstation has a 5th generation in the works with fancy SSD's and Ray Tracing, and Ubisoft has already rebuilt Notre Dame Cathedral - in the virtual world. Then another hour or so of this weeks Game of Thrones, SPOILERS!

This week we talk about Golf It!, the substantial Switch firmware update, Game of Thrones, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and the nature of words and how they gain and lose meaning over time. Ya know, video game stuff.

On this weeks belated Console Crusade, EJ and Nick catch up on the few games they've been playing, like Diablo 3 and Risk of Rain 2. Also, they go on a Game of Thrones tangent, so watch out for spoilers if you're into that sort of thing. Then they hit the SUPER RELEVANT news stories of Borderlands 3, Google Stadia, and Nintendo Labo VR. Plus, Sekiro is super tuff.

Nick and EJ missed a week due to some technical difficulties, but they're back to talk Pokemon Sword and Shield, Microsoft and the Halo Master Chief Collection, the future of game consoles, and Nintendo Wii nostalgia.

EJ's been a busy lil bee, so Nick shares the plethora of games he's been playing, such as Xenoblade 2 Torna, The End Is Nigh, Tetris 99, Katamari Damacy Reroll, and even a little Apex Legends. After that we dive into some of the big announcements from the last Nintendo Direct (no not the Pokemon one that was just announced and will be airing the day this gets posted), so expect us to chat about Super Mario Maker 2, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, a bit of Astral Chain, and the stunning Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening remake. Not to mention, Hollow Knight is getting a full blown sequel! To finish up, we salute Reggie Fils-Aimé and wish him well as he retires as President of Nintendo of America. How will Bowser handle the ship going forward? Only time will tell.

Finally! The long lost pilot episode of the Console Crusade podcast literally no one asked for is HERE! We'll be covering the Nintendo Direct next week (promises, promises) but for now, fill your ear holes with our first ever podcast, recorded way back in 2016. In it, we discuss our top ten games of all time. Forgive the audio quality and enjoy!

Nick and EJ discuss the new tactical indie Wargroove, Respawn and their battle royale game, Apex legends, and touch on the Activision-Blizzard layoffs. Of course, Nintendo announces a direct for the morning this is released---we'll be covering it next week!

It's that time of year again! That special time when Nick and EJ need to bank an episode because of medical stuff. Hopefully nothing cool or important happened recently! In the meantime, check out these video games we anticipate in the coming year.

Metroid Prime 4 got killed and resurrected, Dragon Ball Z has a new game that might be bunk, Metro Exodus joins the exodus to the Epic Games Store and leaves Steam in the dust, and the NPD has posted stats for the best selling games and consoles for the year of 2018.

Join Nick and EJ as they stumble through the misty bogs of history on this momentous 50th episode. Who knew they could stick with it this long!? Be prepared to hear some dusty old anecdotes and EXCLUSIVE behind-the-scenes commentary! Then EJ gets really worked up about Star Wars and Nick is his usual disenfranchised self.

This week on another thrilling edition of the Console Crusade podcast: Hot Insight on the Bungie / Activision divorce and the fate of Destiny, Randy Pitchford and his magical tastes, the potential list of SNES games being added to Nintendo's Online subscription, and Ubisoft ditching Steam for the greener pastures at Epic Games Store. Not to mention a small update as EJ keeps sipping that Spyro juice, and Nick got a puppy! Wow!

Nick and EJ reconvene to ring in the New Year and talk about all their Christmas Ketchup. We've played some Xenoblade here, a couple Spider-Man DLCs there, and a litany of classic style games. Does EJ remember how to play Civilization? Will Nick obstinately defend bad design decisions with haphazard logic behind financials? Is Super Smash Bros Ultimate a good game??? Guess you'll just have to listen to find out.

EJ is flying solo on this quick one off podcast, but has podcast updates for you all! He also spends ten minutes rambling about nothing. Nick will mercifully return next week!

Our episode titles have grown increasingly mundane, but the takes are as hot as ever. Nick and EJ talk this years Video Game Awards!

Shiny Pokemon in Let's Go, Valve revenue sharing, PS Classic, Game Award leaks, Smash Bros hype and Nintendo ending their Creator's Program.

GOTY discourse, Game Award nonsense. Nick and EJ wax over who they think will take home this years spiciest Geoff Keighley award.

Pokemon, Spyro, Sony, E3, and more! (These descriptions sure are getting lazy. huh?)

Nick and EJ talk Detective Pikachu, Stan Lee, Prima Games, Diablo, Nintendo Switch and NPD lists!

You heard EJ vent with Leif on Saturday's extrasode, but now it's time for Nick to clock in and punch out some false suppositions. But also some of this stuff is still pretty uncertain and opinions are weird, man. 4 weeks left until Super Smash Bros Ultimate!

A belated reaction to the Nintendo Super Smash Bros Ultimate direct. EJ and guest from the group chat Leif Tjaden revel in their disappointment!

Rumors, leaks, speculation---the Grinch has it all this week. The boys talks Super Smash Bros Ultimate and the reported roster leak, Spider-Man DLC impressions, and the ill-fated Playstation Classic. (Sorry, no Red Dead Redemption, partner.)

It's been a slow news week, but the boys chat Dark Souls, Golden Sun, Mario Party and Spider-Man. Video games, go!

Through the trials and tribulations of an internet connection gone rogue, Nick and EJ somehow manage to chat a bit on Golden Sun, go into the latest Microsoft rumors to purchase Obsidian Entertainment, Microsoft and Google both announced game streaming platforms, Rockstar working its employees into the ground, Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Ubisoft's ridiculous obsession with micro-transacting weird stuff, and Nintendo's newly announced Bad Limited Edition for the upcoming Diablo III port. Stay tuned for some hilarious phone-based humor.

The boys chat with some Very Special Guests, Leif and Drew, and finally ramble about Spider-Man for PS4, assemble the Zelda defense force, debate what games are really about, then muse a bit about the potential for a Switch revision. We will never apologize for the audio quality, but we might apologize for how off the rails this gets. There may have been whiskey involved. We're sorry!

It's a slow week, so the boys chat about EJ's impressions on God of War, Nick tries to define a JRPG and whether Paper Mario fits in that mold, and then to kill some time and tickle our collective nostalgia noodles, we run down some series we'd like to see revived from an undeserved dormant state. (Also just put it on the Switch dang it) Since y'all are lazy and we're trying to hit that sweet SEO, we discuss: Paper Mario, Super Mario RPG, KOTOR, Dragon Quest Monsters, Mother, Pokemon Pinball, Chrono Trigger, Castlevania, Monkey Island, Golden Sun, Castle Crashers, Age of Empires, Tony Hawk, 2D Metroid, Disney Platformers (Aladdin, Tarzan, Chip n Dale, Duck Tales), Final Fantasy Tactics, Mega Man Battle Network, Dark Cloud, Wario Land

Telltale shuts their doors, Nintendo Online (sort of) works, and EJ and Nick break down the potential Playstation Classic lineup.

A belated breakdown of the delayed direct!

EJ loses it over Nitnendo's online service, console variants and MARIO. Nick remains as cool as a cucumber.

Nintendo Indies, Spider-Man #PuddleGate, Cyberpunk, and more!

Join us as we talk games set in feudal Japan, 90's sass mouth dragons, the Master of Chiefs, TV goggles and their annoying ponytails, and finally our impressions of Dead Cells. Later we travel back in time to talk again with indie game developer Milo Kent-Pettit and his latest video game creation, as well as his future aspirations.

Join EJ and Nick as they discuss Hollow Knight, Jackbox games, get distracted by the daunting future of console gaming, then wax nostalgic about the Mega Man X Legacy Collections. Hoo ha hoh!

IGN, Sony's Spiderman, Nintendo and the Smash Bros HYPE.

EJ and Nick are joined once again by the grand gamer Andrew Chavez, and with his help, run through E3 2018 to make some soft "predictions"---because come on, everything has been leaked or teased already.

The boys wax over recent(ish) Nintendo news before receiving a last minute prompt from a few fellow Nintendo stans---top five character additions to Super Smash Bros Switch, GO!

EJ's traveling for work (still), so here's another episode from the backlog! This week, Andrew Chavez from The Precipice Between Two Hills podcast joins EJ and Nick to talk about money, Jeff Bezos, anime and sometimes video games. Console Crusade GO

Friend of the program Brennan Dryer drinks a beer and talks some shit about video games.

The boys wanted to get together and (finally) catch up on all of the game news from the past two months, but things didn't quite go as planned (as usual). Console Crusade, GO!

It's been awhile, but EJ's back to have a chat with aspiring game developer Milo Kent-Pettit. We're still dealing with some technical issues, so bear with us! Special Guest: Milo Kent-Pettit.

The boys dive deep and cast their imaginary ballots for 2017's Game Awards. Is it Nintendo's year? Or can Sony and Microsoft make themselves a presence? Listen to Nick and EJ wax over a list of games they've never played!

The boys talk Nick's new PlayStation purchase, Super Mario Odyssey, Skyrim on Switch, and then tease a Wii-Eulogy.

The boys talk EA, Star Wars, flippin LOOT BOXES and of course, Nintendo. Let the classic edition speculation begin!

The La Croix Boix are back, talking Nintendo Switch, Gamestop and Amazon Retro Zone. EJ and Nick also discuss which franchises they want to come to their beloved Nintendo platform---more games that EJ will never finish!

EJ is still bad at games, and Nick doesn't let him forget it. Console Crusade, GO!

The boys are busier than ever, which means game news has gone in one ear and out their rears. Instead they talk about what they've been playing lately, and argue over which of John Williams scores is actually best!

The lads catch up and chat Nintendo as usual. Also, we play shooters now.

It's been another long hiatus (the boys will be releasing again consistently this autumn!) but they're finally back with some rumblings and ramblings, choppin' it up over their nostalgia for the N64 and PSOne. Croc is the GOAT---stay out our mentions! Special Guest: Trever Chaffe.

The announcement of an impending video game remaster is almost always met with a collective sigh, but EJ and Nick ramble about even more they'd like to see. SPY-RO! SPY-RO!

The gaming press event of the year has blown past us, and what better way to celebrate than to talk about it way too much? We watched 'em so you don't have to, but this isn't a summary - it's a veritable dissertation on all the best (and worst) of the Electronic Entertainment Expo. E3 brother!

EJ and Nick are back after an interminable hiatus, and after a not-so-quick catching up with some "retro" pickups we've acquired, we dive into E3. Sure, it seems a bit late for that, but that's how we operate! Hear us ramble about EA, Microsoft, Bethesda, Ubisoft, Sony, and Nintendo - and haphazardly cobble together our idea of an SNES Classic. We're back!

It's been a few weeks since the Nintendo Switch launched, but the boys haven't had any time to record in between all of the Zelda they've been playing, and all of the Zelda they've been playing. Come listen to EJ and Nick articulate themselves as well as a couple of bumbling Bokoblins!

EJ and Nick exercise their adept proclivity to dwell on the esoteric---AKA they bullshit about memes for way too long. Maybe they talk about the Switch, maybe they wax philosophical and debate the necessity of graphical powerhouses, but they definitely miss the other's point completely and make themselves sound like idiots. Tune in to another dynamite episode!

Esteemed lord of the geeks, Andrew Chavez, swears fealty to the Console Crusade before breaking down Marvel's most recent game announcements. He and EJ go off the rails in imagining what the ultimate Marvel video game may look like; Manifold, Swordsman, Black Knight---AVENGERS ASSEMBLE! Special Guest: Andrew Chavez.

If there's one thing the boys do well, it's not making any sense whatsoever. This week, they tackle an all digital future, the Castlevania television series, E3, South Park, Rocket League, Nintendo, AAAAAND some other stuff. Nick eats some bread. EJ eats some bread. Who's in charge of quality control around here?

It's been a few weeks, but the boys are back to muse nonsensically and talk some game news for the first week of February. EJ may sound like an 80 year old woman, but he's got the vigor of 78 year old, we assure you. Nick sounds level headed as usual, but that's only because you can't see the faces he's making. Huzzah!

The boys have tried to keep things civil during prior discussions, but the time for etiquette has passed. EJ grows irate over Nintendo's continued ill-informed decision making, and has a few choice words for the guys over at Limited Run Games. Even the Fire Emblem Direct wasn't enough to sauce the big fella up! He tried his damndest to keep his attitude (and his mouth) in check, but even Nick isn't able to rein him in at times. THIS. IS. The...Console...Crusade?

Video game news has slowed to a trickle in a post Nintendo press conference world: the fellas have nothing better to do, so it's time to regurgitate some useless facts. What the hell do Cal Ripken Jr, a Trump brother and Wonder Woman have to do with each other? Hit that play button and find out!

As a couple of fellas who just can't WAIT for the Nintendo Switch, the boys spend an hour or so discussing how terrible it's going to be. They may sound angry (blame the $6 wine, dextromethorphan and Nick's questionable taste in snack food) but rest assured, they've got 7 pre-orders between the two of them. SWITCH!

2016 was a big year for video games, but the boys didn't play any of them! EJ Olson and Nick Durheim discuss their dreaded backlogs, casually discussing which titles they spent time with during the last calendar year. The Console Crusade podcast has been called many things, and lazy is definitely one of them. Don't worry, Nintendo Switch breakdown inbound!

The leaks keep leaking and the sources are as unreliable as they are believable, but these good ol' boys are full of hope and pessimism. Join EJ Olson and Nick Durheim on this debut episode of the Console Crusade podcast as they discuss the much anticipated Nintendo Switch, speculating on recent rumors as well as discussing their Switch wishlist---their Switchlists?