Wonder Man on Disney+ was a wonderful surprise. I knew it would be meta and weird, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so good. Having said that, this show is not for mainstream Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fans. It’s best for comics nerds that love clever writing, lesser-known characters, and obscure references on top of obscure references.
Here are three reasons why I loved Wonder Man Season 1.
Continue reading “Wonder Man: The Last Vestige of the Old MCU Regime”
2026 is going to be an absolutely crazy year for nerd television – so much so that it was a challenge choosing the most anticipated TV shows of 2026. Thankfully, videogame industry veterans MacLean Marshall and Marcus Beer joined me to share the television series they’re looking forward to the most. For the record, my top three picks were:
Continue reading “Most Anticipated TV Shows of 2026”
2026 looks to be a fantastic year for moviegoers, with a great mix of massive blockbusters, mainstream movies with broad appeal, and charming independent films. In the video below, Paul Semel and Marcus Beer join me to talk about the most anticipated movies of 2026.
As a lifelong comics fan, I will watch every DCU and MCU movie released, but my heart is owned by charming indies that tell personal stories. With that in mind, I’m excited for the films coming out this year. Two of the last three years have been fantastic for me in theaters; they had an optimal mix of nerd movies and indies for my liking. Only 2024 was lacking; it didn’t have a Past Lives or Rental Family to dazzle me. Thankfully, this year should have both the variety and quality I crave.
Since this is my site and the other two aren’t to defend their choices (and you should really watch the video below), I’ll give you my top three choices. Play the drumroll in your head please….
Continue reading “Most Anticipated Movies of 2026”
In late 2025, I picked up a Mashed Voltaire fuzz pedal from Gigahearts, a small builder based in Manchester, England. It sounds great, has superior build quality, and was shipped quickly. I was so impressed with Gigahearts’ work that I emailed the company to see if it could build the dual-overdrive pedal that has been floating around my head for more than a year. The overdrive pedal of my dreams has become a reality in the Gigahearts Silva Bell.
The Gigahearts Silva Bell combines modernized versions of the circuits found in the Bixonic Expandora and the Colorsound Power Boost. The Power Boost was designed by Gary Hurst, creator of the Tone Bender fuzz, and was released in the late 1960s. Many consider it to be the first overdrive pedal. Jeff Beck and David Gilmour are two of the most famous guitar players that used the Colorsound Power Boost extensively.
Continue reading “Meet the Gigahearts Silva Bell!”
Here’s a chat I had with Acclaim CEO Alex Josef. As a kid that grew up in New York and spent several years in Oyster Bay, Acclaim was a big deal to me. My brother and I loved playing games like Wizards and Warriors and WWE WrestleMania, and thought it was supremely cool that the publisher was within walking distance from our house. We loved walking by the original Acclaim office whenever we got Italian ice at Bonanza’s.
In the video below, Acclaim CEO Alex Josef told me about why he and his partners wanted to revive the Acclaim brand, the challenges he’s faced in the company’s first seven months, some of the videogames he’s launching with (Katanaut and Takala were particularly interesting to me), his plans and dreams for the company’s future, and more.
Continue reading “A Conversation with Acclaim CEO Alex Josef”
The Andor season 2 finale was phenomenal, like most of the series. It was so good that it compelled me to watch Rogue One right after the credits rolled. Similar to how Rogue One added context and depth to the original Star Wars trilogy, Andor reframed and redefined the events of Rogue One. It was fun watching Rogue One after Andor and reading my old review. Time and tons of new information have changed some of my opinions and reinforced others.
After digesting 24 excellent episodes from Tony Gilroy and crew, here are five random thoughts on Rogue One after Andor.
Continue reading “5 Thoughts on Rogue One After Andor”Former EGM editor, excellent friend, and fellow pro-wrestling smark Ray Carsillo was my guest for this episode of RPadTV 3000. This time around, Ray joined me for a WrestleQuest review. This game is the latest from the fine folks at Mega Cat Studios. Some of you might have played Mega Cat’s Coffee Crisis, which is a retro beat-’em-up that’s reminiscent of Double Dragon. The studio’s latest game is an old-school turn-based RPG infused with pro-wrestling awesomeness.
On paper, Ray and I should have loved this game. We both love classic RPGs and we both love pro-wrestling. However, as you know, videogames are not played on paper. They’re played on your television. In the WrestleQuest review above, Ray and I talk about how numerous pacing issues and even more bugs combined to turn a game that we should have loved into one that we merely liked.
Before we started the WrestleQuest review, Ray and I caught up on other news in the world of pro-wrestling. All Elite Wrestling’s historic PPV event, AEW All In from Wembley Stadium, was a great success. Unfortunately, it has been overshadowed by a backstage altercation between CM Punk and the man formerly known as Jungle Boy, Jack Perry.
Continue reading “WrestleQuest Review With Special Guest Ray Carsillo”Dean Takahashi is the best videogame journalist ever. In terms of quality, quantity, and reach, nobody can touch him. He has been covering the games beat for decades, writing for prestigious outlets like The Wall Street Journal, San Jose Mercury News, Red Herring, and VentureBeat.
Within the business, he’s considered the gold standard. At this point in his career, other journalists should serenade him with “Simply the Best” or “Nobody Does It Better” whenever he walks into a room.
Dean Takahashi is someone that I’ve admired since the day I met him. I half-jokingly call him “my childhood hero,” but I truly hold him in the highest esteem. Like I said in the intro, he’s the best.
Continue reading “Dean Takahashi | Games Journalism’s GOAT”The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and ReedPop announced that the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) has been cancelled for 2023. Carefully worded quotes from both parties have some people asking, “Is E3 dead?” With that in mind, The BeeRPad hosts Marcus Beer and Raymond Padilla discuss the show in this very special E3-centric episode.
Surprised by the cancellation of E3 2023, the boys discuss:
Continue reading “Is E3 Dead? | E3 Memories | The BeeRPad Episode 16”Hellbent Games Founder and CEO Chris Mair is one of my favorite people to hang out with on the road. We have so many common interests and our conversations can go in all sorts of directions. Obviously we’re both videogame nerds, but we also share a love for pro-wrestling, hair metal, and guitar. The last bit made him the perfect person to kick off my four-part “Guitar Heroes” series.
In the conversation about, Chris Mair and I talk about all things guitar. It was especially cool to hear about how studying jazz guitar has helped his career as a game designer and the head of a game studio. Other guitar topics covered include:
Continue reading “Hellbent’s Chris Mair on Music Helping Him as a Game Designer”