Learning to Smash

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TV/Film: Endgame of Thrones Review – LtS Episode 2.15 Apr 29, 2019

Show notes

After ten years of the MCU and Game of Thrones, how did their respective ‘Endgames’ pan out? In this TV/Film episode of Learning to Smash, Jando and John provide the FINAL word on this fiercely raging conversation.

Game of Thrones: The Battle of Winterfell Review
Avengers: Endgame Review

Games: Final Fantasy X review, Sekiro and Celeste (Jandro’s relaxing 1,2 combo!) & more – Learning to Smash 2.14 Apr 22, 2019

Show notes

LtS records one video game discussion every other week. This week, a Final Fantasy noob dives into FFX on the Switch. Have you played it? Should You? John provides his feedback. Meanwhile, Jandro has died 1,000+ times in Sekiro and Celeste and is loving it. They also discuss revisiting the original Punch Out! on Nintendo Online and much, much more. All before predicting the events in the second episode of Game of Thrones final season, immediately before watching the show. We then return to briefly record our response re: just how incredible wrong we were, and lay down our (likely also wrong) predictions for the next episode!

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is done
Sekiro: Shadow’s Die Twice Review
Celeste – John and Jandro’s joint review
Punch Out! (and other NES titles) still rocks
Final Fantasy X – John’s in love, y’all!
The Thong Song
Game of Thrones Predictions
Returning to discuss how wrong our GOT just were!
Next week’s GOT predictions

TV/Film: The Game of The Game of Thrones – LtS Episode 2.13 Apr 15, 2019

Show notes

Let the games begin… The LtS co-hosts put the throne on the line and try to predict exactly what will happen in each of the final episodes of Game of Thrones. To begin, we recorded our predictions before season 8, episode one. Then, after watching, we come back and recorded the rest of this episode, to see who was most right (or most wrong). The winner gets the Throne for the week. The loser gets ‘shame’ paraded all across town. Welcome to The Game of the Game of Thrones, where you lose, or you… uh… lose a bit less.

Games: A Genuine Financial Crisis (too many Switch games in April) – Learning to Smash Episode 2.12 Apr 07, 2019

Show notes

Jandro is off this week for mandatory medical leave (drunk / hungover in New Orleans). In his absence, John breaks down the terrible financial crisis facing Switch owners for the second half of April 2019. He has $50 and he needs your help deciding which two games he can afford. So pray for Jandro, and give some advice to John, would ya?

Yoshi’s Crafted World – A Four year old’s review
Mario + Rabbids – John’s Late-as-heck review
April Switch Games….
Cuphead https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/cuphead-switch
Final Fantasy X & X-2 https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/final-fantasy-x-x-2-hd-remaster-switch
Final Fantasy XII- Zodiac Age https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/final-fantasy-xii-the-zodiac-age-switch
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/hellblade-senuas-sacrifice-switch
Katana Zero https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/katana-zero-switch
Mortal Kombat 11 https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/mortal-kombat-11-switch
Nintendo Labo – Virtual Reality https://labo.nintendo.com/kits/vr-kit/
Boxboy https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/boxboy-and-boxgirl-switch
Phoenix Wright https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/phoenix-wright-ace-attorney-trilogy-switch
Steamworld: Quest https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/steamworld-quest-hand-of-gilgamech-switch

TV/Film: Love, Death & Robots’ best stories, 8th Grade, Brooklyn 99 and the underrated gem: ‘PopStar’ – Learning to Smash Episode 2.11 Apr 02, 2019

Show notes

Y’all on that Love, Death & Robots train? Which story is your favorite? Jump on it with Jandro and John this week as we rank the episodes and gush over the joy of a truly great anthology. We also dissect Brooklyn 99’s surprisingly rare magic. John discusses his nerdy-as-heck journey to read and watch everything he can based off of NASA’s Apollo missions. And let’s not forget the shockingly prescient 2018 ‘Best Picture’ nominee that didn’t get nominated: Bo Burnham’s ‘8th Grade’. It’s time to SMASH!

Love, Death and Robots – Which story stands out most?
Brooklyn 99, Lonely Island, Popstar
8th Grade
Movies about NASA, the Apollo missions, and landing on the damn moon!

Games: Ranking the Smash stages, Turok 64 Switch Review, Stadia & Nindies – Learning to Smash 2.10 Mar 25, 2019

Show notes

Video games are dropping out of the sky these days and Jandro and John feel attacked. Too awesome. Too many. Too much. But it’s as good a time as any to drown it all out with the wave after wave of digital noise. So this week we dive right into it.

Jump in, let’s discuss:

Which Smash Ultimate stage is best?
Turok 64 on Switch… game of the year?
Google Stadia and Microsoft Streaming moves
NINDIES: Cuphead on Switch, Firewatch, Ape Out & Cadence of Hyrule
Starlink: Battle for Atlas: The Final Frontier
You’re a lil bit Sekiro, I’m a lil bit DMC5

Games: Starlink w/ DLC Review, Mario 2 NES Review, Playstation Now Now, Tetris 99 and more! LtS Episode 2.8 Mar 12, 2019

Show notes

Starlink: Battle for Atlas DLC has given the game a lot more to see and do than when in launched in October, 2018. Jandro didn’t plan it then, but he’s all over it now, so he brings us his review of the COMPLETE Starlink (on Switch). But that’s just the beginning of this video games episode of LtS:

The greatest Smash Ultimate match ever played
Starlink + DLC Review
Mario 2 Retro Review
Tetris 99 is ruining John’s health
Horizon Zero Dawn Review

TV/Film: The Expanse books and tv show (no spoilers) & More – LtS episode 2.7 Feb 26, 2019

Show notes

On this week’s LtS, Jandro and John take a tour across time and space, discussing some of the heady sci fi storytelling they love the most. The Expanse series (both the books and the tv show) hijacks proceedings, as they lay out what’s wonderful about that series, in particular.

Curious to jump into The Expanse series? Let the LtS co-hosts convince you (without spoilers)! Already love that series? Then jump right into the discussion!

Of course, we also dive into a few other things, including:

Horizon: Zero Dawn Review
John’s final Resident Evil 2 review
Tetris 99 Review
Smash Bros: World of Light (‘final’) review!
THE EXPANSE IS THE RADDEST $?&! EVER!

Games: Selecting our Smash Mains: Who gets the Rose?! – Learning to Smash Episode 2.6 Feb 18, 2019

Show notes

Jandro and John have played way too much Smash Ultimate. It wasn’t easy, but they have finally found their mains. We reveal which fighters receive their (much-sought-after) roses. But first, they discuss Fire Emblem: Hogwarts Edition, a million other upcoming Nintendo games and mainlining the sci-fi goodness of The Expanse series:

Nintendo’s expanded 2019 lineup
Fire Emblem: Three Houses as an entry into the franchise for noobs
Demos for Daemon X Machina and Yoshi
Devil May Cry 5, Bayonetta and Astral Chain
The Expanse (tv series and books – w/ no spoilers!)

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