The Ringer-Verse

The Death of Disc-Based Gaming and 'Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced' Reactions, With Sean Fennessey | Button Mash

Ben brings on Sean Fennessey, host of The Big Picture and champion of physical media, to discuss Sony's announcement that it's ending production of physical discs for new PlayStation games in 2028. They get into what led to this point; the ramifications for consumers, developers, and publishers; and how the decline of physical media affects cinephiles and gamers alike. Then Matt James joins Ben to analyze Microsoft's Xbox layoff news; review the new 'Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag' remake, 'Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced'; and pick their all-time top five pirate games. Intro (0:00)Sony's big announcement (4:42) 'Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced' review (58:56) Outro (1:57:30) Host: Ben LindberghGuests: Sean Fennessey and Matt JamesProducer: Devon RenaldoAdditional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3, Episode 3 Instant Reactions | The Midnight Boys

The Boys are back, and they’re so in! They give you all of their thoughts on ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3, Episode 3, diving into the politics of Westeros as it stands, the pressures Rhaenyra is dealing with from every direction, and the reveal of Team Black’s newest opponent on the game board. (0:00) Intro (13:49) Spoilers ahead (15:33) ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3, Episode 3 reactions (1:13:02) ‘Supergirl’ roundup (1:24:32) Outro Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell New 2k+ doorbells, coming to your front door Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

‘X-Men ’97’ Season 2 Premiere Instant Reactions | The Midnight Boys

The Boys are back, and they’re ready to talk all things ‘X-Men ’97’! They dive into how Season 2 of the highly anticipated show has started off and discuss what we might expect from the rest of it. (0:00) Intro (5:04) Spoilers ahead (7:05) ‘X-Men ’97’ Season 2 premiere reactions (1:03:48) Outro Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman Producers: Aleya Zenieris, Devon Baroldi, Jacob Cornett, and Jamie Yukich Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell New 2k+ doorbells, coming to your front door Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ringer-Verse Recommends: June 2026 (Featuring an Animation Recommendation Roundup)

It’s an animated TV spree! Ben brings on Jomi Adeniran, Steve Ahlman, and Daniel Chin to talk about several animated shows that premiered or concluded in June, including ‘My Adventures With Superman,’ ‘The Legend of Vox Machina,’ ‘Adventure Time: Side Quests,’ and ‘Among Us.’ They break down DC’s animation expansion, preview a bunch of Batman shows, and compare and contrast DC and Marvel’s animated efforts. Also, Jomi tees off on and crashes out about Season 2 of Netflix’s live-action ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender.’ Then, Charles Holmes joins for an anime segment featuring Season 1 of the fantasy series ‘Witch Hat Atelier,’ and Ben closes with a few non-nerd-culture recommendations. (00:00) Intro(02:35) Jomi, Daniel, and Steve join(17:49) 'Joker: Laugh Riot'(21:38) 'Batman: Knightfall'(32:09) 'X-Men 97'(35:24) 'Legend of Vox Machina'(41:21) 'Among Us'(44:26) 'Adventure Time: Side Quests'(53:03) Netflix's 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'(65:48) Charles joins for 'Witch Hat Atelier'(01:35:00) Ben's final recs Host: Ben LindberghGuests: Jomi Adeniran, Steve Ahlman, Daniel Chin, and Charles HolmesSenior Producer: Steve Ahlman Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3, Episode 2 Instant Reactions | The Midnight Boys

The Boys are back and they’re returning to the Red Keep! They give you all of their thoughts on ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3, Episode 2 and go over where all of our main players stand by the end of it. (0:00) Intro (7:34) Spoilers ahead (9:52) ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3, Episode 2 reactions (58:33) Outro Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell New 2k+ doorbells, coming to your front door Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices