Brains and Talent Podcast

J.R. Cox brings on fellow voice actor Emilio Rossal to discuss his experience “making it” in the competitive voice acting industry in Los Angeles.

Justin Smith is back with another free-wheeling, exciting discussion about the abstruse theory of replaying games old and new. Conclusion: J.R. Cox is a fuddy-duddy.

Josh Ball and J.R. Cox continue to talk video games with the impending release of EA and Bioware’s newest game, Anthem. Will it be a return to form or the nail in the coffin?

Voice Actor J.R. Cox is joined by his close friend and personal confidant Josh Ball of Loot Crate fame to discuss Nintendo’s recent successes with the Switch.

Voice Actor J.R. Cox is joined once again by educator Justin Smith to discuss the fate of the video game industry. With the furor toward the latest installment of the Diablo franchise being for the mobile market only, they discuss whether or not there could be a brighter future for gaming on your smart devices.

J.R. Cox is joined by composer, actor and Chevrolet Spokesperson Justin Marshall Elias to discuss Music, making a living in the arts in Idaho and the importance of mental health.

Host and voice over actor J.R. Cox interviews visual artist and now storyteller Bruna Massadas about her own podcast First Lady of the Mall, a very unique but nevertheless moving narrative chronicling her story of moving from Brazil to Los Angeles in her teens.

The boys are back in town. Loot Crate's Josh Ball, and the United States Education System's Justin Smith join forces with host J.R. Cox to hammer out the final word in video games. Or just list 3 games apiece that they really love. Either way, you're in for some surprise picks.

In this not safe for work episode, expert on tech and entertainment Cody Sacks joins Voice Actor J.R Cox to reminisce about and quote 10 films that blew his mind.

Justin Smith, the prodigal son, returns to his co-hosting position to help J.R. Cox play the 10 movie challenge that's taking Facebook by storm.

Voice Actor J.R. Cox interviews Loot Crate's Communications Manager, Josh Ball, about what it's like being responsible for the connections that make Loot Crate content so amazing. He regales us with stories about Hideo Kojima, Ryan Gosling and Stan Lee while explaining what it's like to work for one of the fastest growing companies in fandom.

Voice actor and Radio Producer J.R. Cox discusses the latest Nintendo Direct with Co-Host Justin Smith who is abroad in Japan teaching English.

After the unceremonious departure of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller from the director’s seat of the new Star Wars film, Ron Howard was brought in to clean up. Of course, Voice Actor and Host J.R. Cox idolizes the famous director of countless classics from A Beautiful Mind and Apollo 13 to Willow and Parenthood, but Cohost Justin Smith fears he came in too late. Will the combination of directorial styles clash in Solo: a Star Wars Story, or be just the right cocktail to do the coolest scoundrel in the galaxy justice?

Host and Voice Actor J.R. Cox solves the education crisis in with the help of Teacher and Cohost Justin Smith by putting Nintendo’s newest toy into the hands of students. They discuss the relative merits of the new cardboard toys that you can build yourself and then connect to your JoyCon and Switch for endless possibilities of fun and learning. Despite the backlash of those looking for a more video game centered Nintendo Direct, both Justin and J.R. are excited to see what LABO can do in the classroom.

Don’t buy the hype. The 3DS is alive and well, and content will continue to trickle out for it even as Nintendo’s new flagship console, the Switch continues to build an install base. Hosts J.R. Cox, voice actor, and Justin Smith, English teacher residing in Japan, discuss how if you could see how many of the classic stereoscopic handhelds are still in people’s hands, the decision to keep providing games is a no-brainer for Nintendo’s corporate leaders. Justin describes how there’s not enough room on the train to enjoy the Switch properly, and J.R. speaks to the perspective of someone who hasn’t bitten on the Switch at all yet. While he saves up for the newer system, Nintendo can keep siphoning his money little by little through the last of their dual-screen handhelds.

Awesome Games Done Quick just wrapped up with another record amount of money raised for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. It’s a charity event on Twitch.tv where some of the best speed runners in the world show off how quickly they can beat games in a week-long marathon. It inspired host J.R. Cox, radio producer and voice-over actor, to start speedrunning Mega Man X himself. He’s still distant to a world record, but co-host Justin Smith doesn’t think that’s so bad. He fears speed running will ruin, but J.R. shows him that it doesn’t have to. Are you ready to throw your controller in the ring?

No one wants to be ripped off. In days past a game was done when it launched. What you paid for at the outset is what you got. Things are different today. A game morphs and changes with patches and downloadable content, and it could drastically change the worth of that game over time. How are you supposed to navigate this brave new world? Voice actor J.R. Cox gets the scoop from English teacher and Tokyo resident Justin Smith. He explains how DLC needs to be judged differently than the games they add onto, and describes what an ideal DLC pack includes. Still, publishers and developers complicate the landscape with season passes, bundles and games as a service, but J.R. urges you not to think too hard about it. If you have the money, don’t feel bad for spending it on something that’ll bring you joy. Sometimes fun trumps free.

The short answer is yes. Hosts J.R. Cox and Justin Smith can hardly find fault in the SNES Classic. Justin, an English teacher in Japan, laments Nintendo's choice to trickle the console out making it so difficult for many to procure. Voice actor J.R. actually liked that perplexing marketing decision because it made it all the more satisfying to play after the adventure he went through buying it. Of course, those that grew up playing the games of Nintendo in the early 90s are going to enjoy the blast from the past, even if they haven't played games in years. Video game historians will also be fascinated by some of the curiosities included in the package like the never before released Star Fox 2. Interestingly, J.R. discovered over the holidays playing with his young nieces that even they appreciated playing the foundations upon which modern games have been built. There's just no denying the Super Nintendo's legacy is one of fun, no matter how old it gets.

2017 is a red letter year in gaming, but is it the best? Justin Smith hollers from Tokyo, Japan to say it is, but J.R. Cox, Voice Actor at home in the US, isn’t convinced. Sure you have the legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, two installments that are arguably the best of the fan favorite franchises, and a return to 2d form in Metroid with Samus Returns, and the update of the best Pokemon generation yet with Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, and groundbreaking experiences like Resident Evil 7 in Virtual Reality, and new Intellectual Properties like Horizon: Zero Dawn and Player Unknown's Battle Ground, not to mention the expectation shattering release of a new console with Nintendo’s Switch. Okay. This is the best year in gaming hands down.But the debate doesn’t end there. Sure no single year can compete, but did the gaming industry shoot their wad on 2017? Will 2018 have as much? The answer is of course not. This may not be the birth of a second golden age like the mid 90s were when late Super Nintendo Games started mixing with the leap to 3D on Nintendo 64 and Playstation. Justin and J.R. speculate on what could make 2018 compare, and it’s just not possible. It would need it see Hideo Kojima’s new game Death Stranding, a return to form with Final Fantasy, a true new Super Smash Brothers title and Metroid Prime 4 just to come close, and none of those seem close on the horizon. Alas, we’ll have to be thankful for the year that we had, and in 2017, no one seems to find a reason to complain.

We all loved The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild when it released in March. A lot of folks bought a Nintendo Switch just for that game. Justin Smith was one of them, but even the frugal J.R. Cox got the game on Wii U. Now it’s nine months later and the Season Pass for the DLC has finally born all its fruit, adding more story content to the game.The hosts argue whether this content was withheld just to sell to gamers at a later date, but what’s for certain is the new content is fun. Along with the side quests added for the heroes, a new motorcycle has been added that makes traversing the world all the more fun. Will this make Zelda game of the year or will it lose out to Super Mario Odyssey in the end? Only 2018 will bring the answers.