The Ringer-Verse

Latest Episodes:

Can Capcom's Incredible Streak Continue? | Button Mash Apr 17, 2026

Show notes

Ben Lindbergh, Matt James, and Joshua Rivera join forces to share their spoiler-free reviews of three hot new IPs from international game developers: Capcom's sci-fi thriller 'Pragmata,' and indie debuts 'Mouse: P.I. for Hire' and 'Replaced.' They play "Mash or Pass?" and provide their ratings for each game on the Mash Meter, while marveling at Capcom's comeback, lamenting the decline of single-player first-person shooters, and pondering whether pixel art is a personality.

(00:00) Intro

(05:07) Pragmata

(46:18) Mouse P.I. For Hire

(65:56) Replaced

Host: Ben Lindbergh

Guests: Matt James, Joshua Rivera

Senior Producer: Steve Ahlman

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’The Boys’ Season 5, Episode 3 Reactions | The Midnight Boys Apr 16, 2026

Show notes

Our boys return to break down The Boys, Season 5, Episode 3. They discuss the incredible coincidence of Homeland’s godly hallucinations happening this week of all weeks, and break down the nuances of his epic father-son face-off with Ryan. Then, the guys share their instant reactions to Kristoffer Borgli’s 'The Drama.'
(0:00) Intro
(7:25) Spoilers ahead
(8:37) ‘The Boys’ Season 5, Episode 3 instant reactions
(56:30) ‘The Drama’ reactions
Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman
Producers: Jamie Yukich and Devon Baroldi
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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’The Boys’ Season 5 Premiere Reactions | The Midnight Boys Apr 10, 2026

Show notes

The boys are back to talk about… ‘The Boys!’ They dive into the premiere of the final season and discuss the pursuit to finally kill Homelander. Then they give you a little Nerd News and talk about the ‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’ trailer.

(0:00) Intro

(12:06) Spoilers ahead

(13:47) ‘The Boys’ Season 5 premiere instant reactions

(49:23) ‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’ trailer reactions

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman

Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell and Jacob Cornett

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’The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ Instant Reactions | The Midnight Boys Apr 04, 2026

Show notes

The Boys are back with guest Rob Mahoney and they’re diving into the newest Nintendo film, ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.’ They then bring you the latest in nerd news and discuss the trailer for ‘Supergirl.’ And if you stay until the end, we have a treat: a lively debate on the philosophy of the ‘Star Wars’ universe.

(0:00) Intro

(11:01) Spoilers Ahead

(11:33) ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ Instant Reactions

(48:25) Midnight Meter

(57:01) ‘Supergirl’ Trailer Reactions

(1:05:58) Outro

(1:09:07) Post Credits

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Rob Mahoney

Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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Is ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ More Than a Moneymaker? | Button Mash Apr 01, 2026

Show notes

Ben and Charles Pulliam-Moore of The Verge hop in the warp pipe to discuss the latest Mario movie: how the sequel compares to its predecessor, how it does and doesn’t adapt the ‘Galaxy’ games, the divide between critical reaction and popular appeal, Nintendo’s cinematic ambitions and the prospect of an NCU, how the movie connects to the Switch 2’s lineup, and a few observations (in a special spoiler section of the episode) about specific cameos and reveals.

Intro (0:00)
First thoughts on ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ (2:45)
NCU potential (27:20)
‘Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ spoilers and observations (59:06)
Outro (1:18:53)

Host: Ben Lindbergh
Guest: Charles Pulliam-Moore
Producer: Devon Renaldo
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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Ringer-Verse Recommends: March 2026 (Featuring ‘Paradise') Apr 01, 2026

Show notes

Spring has arrived, and with it, a bounty of nerd-culture content! First, Ben Lindbergh and Van Lathan explain the compulsive appeal of 'Paradise,' first in a general, high-level, non-spoilery sense, and then in a (clearly indicated) spoiler section on the series' just-concluded second season. After that, other Ringer-Verse hosts, friends, and listeners salute unsung releases to top off another monthly roundup of fandom favorites from TV, anime, movies, video games, books, comics, and beyond that were released recently but not yet covered in depth on a full-length episode.

Intro (0:00)
‘Paradise’ (2:50)
‘Paradise’ Season 2 finale and spoiler section (21:10)
Steve's recommendation (1:01:07)
Arjuna's recommendation (1:03:18)
Matt's recommendation (1:04:50)
Ben’s recommendation (01:07:18)
Aleya’s recommendation (1:14:31)
Daniel’s recommendation (1:17:40)
Listener nomination (1:20:52
Recap of picks (1:22:49)

Host: Ben Lindbergh
Guests: Van Lathan, Steve Ahlman, Arjuna Ramgopowell, Matt James, Aleya Zenieris, and Daniel Chin
Producer: Devon Renaldo

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'Daredevil: Born Again' Season 2 Premiere Instant Reactions | The Midnight Boys Mar 25, 2026

Show notes

The Boys are back and they’re diving into Disney+’s ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 2 premiere! They discuss Fisk’s role in the new season, compare the Disney+ Daredevil to the Netflix Daredevil, and debate Daredevil’s ability to rival other MCU characters.

(0:00) Intro

(7:28) Spoilers ahead

(9:03) ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 2 premiere reactions

(1:17:28) Outro

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman

Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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‘Project Hail Mary’ Instant Reactions | The Midnight Boys Mar 20, 2026

Show notes

The Boys are back and excited to talk about all things ‘Project Hail Mary’! Come for the film review, but stay for the great food debate of 2026!

(0:00) Intro

(9:11) Spoilers Ahead

(11:34) ‘Project Hail Mary’ Instant Reactions

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman

Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ and ‘Dune: Part Three’ Trailer Reactions! | The Midnight Boys Mar 19, 2026

Show notes

The Boys are back, and boy, are they excited about the recent trailer drops! First, they dive into the trailer for the next installment of Tom Holland’s 'Spider-Man' series: ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day.’ Then, they discuss the ‘Dune: Part Three’ trailer and go over all of the new additions to the cast. Plus, they look at plot changes from the books in the first two parts of the ‘Dune’ series.

(0:00) Intro

(7:21) ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ trailer reaction

(46:37) ‘Dune: Part Three’ trailer reaction

(1:32:32) Outro

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman

Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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‘Crimson Desert’ Is Like Everything Else and Nothing Else | Button Mash Mar 18, 2026

Show notes

It’s real … but is it spectacular? Ben, Matt James, and Steve Ahlman gather to discuss one of the most ambitious, most anticipated, and most enigmatic games of the year, open-world action-adventure epic ‘Crimson Desert.’ They begin by breaking down why the game remained mysterious until its release, whether it lives up to the huge hype, how it incorporates some of the best aspects of other open-world classics, and some of its perplexing problems, along with their disagreements about the game, their shared wonder at its visuals and scale, and their sense of its significance. Then they predict the game’s Metacritic rating, share their own personal scores, and pass along some non-spoilery tips and tricks to ease the early hours.

Email us at ringerversegaming@gmail.com!

Intro (0:00)
First reactions to ‘Crimson Desert’ (2:00)
Predictions and tips (1:21:24)
Outro (1:27:35)

Host: Ben Lindbergh
Guests: Matt James and Steve Ahlman
Producer: Devon Renaldo
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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