Geek Syndicate

Happy New Year and welcome to episode 59 of the podcast. One again Amaechi, Barry and Ant discuss the latest games, news and stories from the gaming world. This month is our annual Game of The Year special where all 3 us us reveal our top 3 games of 2013, our special mentions and disappointments.  In this months longer than usual episode Amaechi joins Ant and Barry as a next gen console owner and also dusts off his old gaming PC and rediscovers PC gaming. Barry got hooked on Ryse Son of Rome over Christmas while Ant got his super hero powers stuck into the Young Justice game News Sony announce its PlayStation Now streaming service Mirrors Edge sequel in development but with a new writer Sony patents a system that can detect is a game has been played on another profile 13 Steam Machines unveiled at CES Apples Apps store makes $10 billion in sales in 2013 thanks to 8 games in the top 10 apps Feature GOTY 2013 - we look back and discuss our top 3 games of 2013 and name our overall The Next Level/Geek Syndicate

In this special episode Barry chats with Adrian Hodges, the showrunner on BBC one's new show 'The Musketeers'.  Adrian talks about his love of the adventure genre and what he feels The Musketeers can bring to the table. There is also chat about banning the word 'Swashbuckler' during the show's development and the importance of music in the show. Adrian goes into more detail regarding the tone of the show and what people can expect given it is being aired after the watershed at 9pm. There is also a look the casting of the main roles (including Peter Capadi's move to Doctor Who), the choice to  not adapt the book but rather develope new stories and much more. Enjoy!

Welcome to Episode 216 of the Geek Syndicate podcast. Join Barry and Dave as they once more guide you through the murky underbelly of Geekdom. In this episode the guys are joined by fellow Geek Syndicate members, based in the US, Shar and Mirjana who are over on a whistle stop tour of the Uk and have invaded Dave's house for the episode. The guys kick offf the show with some of their geek resolutions for 2014. News Golden Globes and Orphan Black Guardians of the Galaxy gets a group shot. Week that Was - this week we go TV crazy! Agents of SHIELD Ripper Street Atlantis Sherlock Doctor Who  Dracula Sleepy Hollow The Sword Hawkeye: My Life as a Weapon. What's on the Geek Syndicate App? Free copy of Samurai Chef Orgins by mayamada  (http://www.mayamada.com/samurai-chef-origins)

Happy New Year, folks! In our first episode of 2014 we're getting stuck into X-Men issue 22 Divided -- We Fall! (July 1966). This was the first issue in which Roy Thomas had full creative autonomy and it's interesting to spot the changes. The X-Men are up against a new super (or not so super) villain collective led by Count Nefaria. Thomas is obviously trying to change things up here and give the readers some fresh material so this is definitely an issue worth a read!

Welcome to Episode 215 of the Geek Syndicate podcast. Join Barry and Dave as they once more guide you through the murky underbelly of Geekdom.  News Wonder Woman Casting Doctor Who Kicks ass in the Cinema Ripper Street gets cancelled   Week that Was Infinity Hawkeye: My Life as a Weapon Half Past Danger Mysterious Strangers Pacific Rim Gravity Arrow Season 2  

The month the Sinister Cabal of Kehaar and Matt awaken the slumbering giant that is our series on Religion. This time we look at Satanism, in both it's real and fictious forms, covering:  - Dennis Wheatley, Communist Satanism, and what a tease he is.  - Worshing the Devil as Evil or Freedom?  - Real world satanic cults from Anton le Vay to Norwegian Death Metal - The Exorcist and the continuing popularity of "the cult" in fiction.  - Apocomon has to be seen to be believed!: http://www.electricsheepcomix.com/apocamon/ - Is this a book cover you would take on the bus? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Dennis-Wheatley/dp/185375790X/ref=la_B001HCYTPW_1_2? - Bedazzled is well worth a watch (not the remake!) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bedazzled-DVD-Peter-Cook/dp/B0009KKW9U/ Stay tuned at the end for the first recommendations of the Dissecting Worlds Bookshelf.  Feedback is always welcome by emails to dissectingworlds@yahoo.co.uk , tweets to @dissectingwrlds & on our Facebook page.

It's been around a month since the new generation of consoles hit the shelves. Amaechi is joined by two co-hosts who have each purchased one of the devices. Ant has (unsurprisingly) got an XBOX One and James (returning after his appearance in episode 56) has a Playstation 4. Join the guys as they discuss some of the latest news and give their overviews of their respective systems. There may even be a shock admission by Ant along the way too ...

If you have an abiding love for Fantasy, SF and Horror, you could do far worse than get yourself to one of the book conventions that crop up around the country on a regular basis.  In 2013 the World Fantasy Con returned to our fair shores after a long absence, bringing with it a raft of international authors, book launches, intimate Q&As, large-scale panels and literary awards.  Folk from all areas of the publishing industry were brought together with fans to celebrate and promote the ongoing explosion of imaginative fiction into mainstream life. The Scrolls team was sadly unable to attend this event en mass but we wererepresented by Phil Ambler, who's here to tell Dion all about it.  Joining us are a group of authors and bloggers to share their experiences, have a laugh and digress into some disturbing areas.  They are: Karen Davies, a.k.a KTScribbles author of The Red Knight, reviewer at SF Crowsnest and blogger. Paul Holmes a.k.a PabloCheesecake, blogger and reviewer at The Eloquent Page Stephen Ar

In this episode Dave and Barry are once more joined be Stace Whittle of Small Press Big Mouth and Whittle Whaffle. This time the terrific trio discuss this weekend's Thought Bubble Comic Festival in Leeds and the Dr Who 50th Anniversay Episode. Enjoy and listen to the end!

Welcome to another episode of The Next Level. On the eve of the release of both the Next Gen consoles, Amaechi does a u-turn on his PS4 desires and jumps on the Xbox One and Kinect 2.0 train (Dear God please let Uncharted 4 come out on the PS3). Ant takes a day off on the Xbox One release day so he doesn’t miss the postman and Barry turns vigilante in GTA V Online. Oh yeah.... and Britain Next Top Model winner Lauren Lambert tells Amaechi her Xbox Gamertag and he stupidly forgets it. In the news ·         FTL – Faster Than Light, PC and Mac space simulator game coming to the iPad ·         US retailer Target accidently ships Xbox One’s 2 weeks early ·         The Golden Joystick Awards crown GTA 5 ‘Game of the Year’ ·         Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. ·         Jonathan Ross joins Microsoft Studio’s as an Executive Producer ·         New iOS and Android Dr Who game – Dr Who Legacy announced ·         Heavenly Sword film and Ryse Son of R

This month we review X-Men issue 21 'From Whence Comes...Dominus? (June, 1966). Following on from the previous issue, the X-Men go in search of Professor X's old adversary Lucifer who is in the middle of his evil plan to unleash Dominus on the population of Earth. Professor X still has a fishbowl on his head, Beast addresses Jean as simply 'female' in a move that has feminists the world over grinding their teeth, and Cyclops puts Angel in his place with an optic blast. Drama!  Also, for those who are interested, check out our review of Battle of the Atom here: http://geeksyndicate.co.uk/2013/11/08/friday-feature-a-look-back-at-xmen-battle-of-the-atom/#more-71295

Welcome to Episode 214 of the Geek Syndicate podcast. Join Barry and Dave as they once more guide you through the murky underbelly of Geekdom. News IDW Entertainment Launches Batman Weekly Comic Week that Was Mighty Avengers 1 Infinity 1 Legend of the Blue Marvel Butterfly Gate Orphan Black Main We are joined by Stacey Whittle of the Small Press Big Mouth Podcast to talk about our shared love of Babylon 5 on its 20th anniversary

'Things We Wish We'd Known Earlier (or: How Not To Make Comics)'. As every aspiring comic creator eventually realises, the road to sequential art success is full of pitfalls for the unwary. However, this panel discussion (recorded live at Canny Comic Con, December 8th 2012) is here to help guide you past such difficulties - by getting established comic creators to talk through their own mistakes! Stacey chairs the discussion, talking with Nigel Auchterlounie, Al Ewing, Daniel Clifford, Nigel Dobbyn, Jack Fallows and Gordon Rennie about lessons learned the hard way. Their enlightening - and sometimes hilarious - anecdotes and advice provide essential guidance for anyone with any interest in how to make comics.

They roam the streets, this Halloween,  Alive or Dead or in Between, Escaped from Hell, with Eldritch Plan, Or Risen by the Hand of Man, Their rotten flesh in search of prey  To Fight them, or to Run Away?  For whom to turn, with light to shed, Which podcast speaks of the Undead?  With information, broad of scope,  Dissecting Worlds! Your Only Hope!  Yes, this month Dissecting Worlds turns it's baleful gaze on the phenomenon of the Zombie. Joined by Phil Ambler of the Scrolls Podcast, we look at the scourge of the Walking Dead across Books, Film, TV and Video Games.  The Center for Disease Controls' Response to the threat of the undead can be found here; http://www.cdc.gov/phpr/zombies.htm Feedback is always welcome by emails to dissectingworlds@yahoo.co.uk , tweets to @dissectingwrlds & on Facebook page www.facebook.com/dissectingworlds

Welcome back to Battle Gods Of Pod, the panel game show on the Geek Syndicate Network that pits a panoply of podcasters against each other in various tests of verbosity, inspiration, knowledge and wit. Joining us this time are Matt Farr, from Dissecting Worlds, Tim Swann from Tim And Max Solve All The Problems With Popular Culture, and Stace Whittle from Small Press, Big Mouth. We start things off with News Testaments - a variation on the Just A Minute format - before our divergent deities start Speaking In Tongues in a round table debate on the Dr Who the Anniversary   We then move on to Revelations, our hidden gems round, before Gotterdammerung begins.  The 'quick'-fire quiz will see all the Gods fall in Sudden Death, but who will be the last god standing? They will join us once again in the New Year final, up against the other two winners... If you want to track down the hidden gems, here are some good starting places: - Acts of Caine Gamma World OpenTyrian The Dark Third Psycomedia Tim and the Hidd

* PS4 Bundle announcement,* PS4 construction woes,* Nintendo Bundles and Rising Wii U sales,* Batman Beat-em-up on iOS and Android,* Pre-Purchase Beta Access - Good or Bad?* Grand Theft Auto's breaking of records. Additionally, Ant and James give their initial impressions of GTA V. Amaechi and James look back at this year's Eurogamer and we have a quick look at some of the nominations for this year's Golden Joystick Awards. NOTE: Birth of the Federation (mentioned by James this episode) can be downloaded here: The site also has mods for the game, James says: "ultimate dominion wars is an amazing improvement over vanilla so if recommending to only get one mod then this would be it - they took the original and improved it quite a bit:.

This month on Children of the Atom we're reviewing X-Men issue 20 (May 1966) in which we learn how Professor X lost the use of his legs and we also get a little bit more information about the mysterious and sinister Lucifer. Meanwhile, Cyclops packs a sad and leaves the X-Men, and The Blob and Unus the Untouchable make a guest appearance. In real world news, we visit Krypton Komics for the first time and have our minds blown and our bank account dented.

News Lost Doctor Who episodes found Porcelain graphic novel becomes a trilogy Marvel punishes Fan Film  Week that was Agents of Shield Tomorrow People Mr Yang Fights Aliens Part 1 Thug Notes Main A look at Black Heroes in Geekdom - this week we look at comics. One comic I wanted to mention but shamefully forgot in this section was the brilliant Magic of Myths by Corey Brotherson.  

Aided by listener insights by emails to dissectingworlds@yahoo.co.uk , tweets to @dissectingwrlds & on Facebook page www.facebook.com/dissectingworlds they discuss: The quarrelsome comrades of Dissecting Worlds, Matt & Kehaar conclude this series on rebels and revolutionaries with a cohort of feedback from listeners. Aided by listener insights by emails to dissectingworlds@yahoo.co.uk , tweets to @dissectingwrlds & on Facebook page www.facebook.com/dissectingworlds they discuss: Issues overlooked with rebels in Joe Abercrombie & Shadows of the Apt Genosha & the non-rebel origins of the X-Men Broader Robin Hood & his influence on superheroes (with audio contribution by Peter Hammerson.) Missed 2000ad rebels (like Meltdown Man aided by Peter Hammerson with an audio contribution) The Devil as the original rebel. What distinctions are tree between left- or right-wing rebellions ? Star Wars expanded universe (with audio contribution from Timothy Swan) Post-revolutionary stories & rebell

Welcome to Episode 212 of Geek Syndicate. Join Barry and Dave as they once more guide you through the murky underbelly of Geekdom. News Gotham Tv Show British Comic Awards Week that was Game of Thrones - Season 3 Mysterious Strangers Half Past Danger Orphan Black Jack Reacher Dave continues his retrospective look at the Justice League cartoon series