The Midnight Release

Chase, Austin, & Friends
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Video Games

 A nostalgic, late-night rewind through the golden age of gaming, pop culture, and friendship. Join Chase and Austin every week as they relive GameStop midnight launches, classic console wars, and the games and nostalgia that shaped us. 

  1. 6h ago

    Episode 46 - When Weekends Hit Different | Before the Notifications

    Remember when the weekend actually felt like an event? Before smartphones, constant notifications, streaming, and social media followed us everywhere, weekends had a different kind of freedom. You disappeared for hours, met up with friends, wandered around town, played games until sunrise, and somehow always found something to do. In this episode of The Midnight Release, Chase and Austin take a more personal trip down memory lane, talking about the weekends that shaped their childhood, friendships, and young adulthood. From mall memories, Halo 2 LAN parties, skateboarding and late-night adventures to big-screen gaming, board game nights, Derby weekends, house parties, gaming tournaments, work weekends, Blockbuster runs, school events, and the simple freedom of growing up before everyone had a phone in their pocket. We'll also look at some of the things that made weekends feel special—and how much of that has changed. Then it's time for Now Loading, where we settle one of childhood's great television battles: Nickelodeon vs. Disney Channel vs. Cartoon Network. Sometimes the best memories weren't the big events. They were just weekends. Press Start.

  2. Sep 8

    Episode 45 - Dragon Ball That Started it All | From Toonami to the Spirit Bomb

    Dragon Ball didn't just become something we watched — for a lot of us, it became part of who we were. In this episode of The Midnight Release, we're going all in on Dragon Ball — from discovering Dragon Ball Z on Toonami and the legendary Bruce Faulconer soundtrack to fan websites, early internet culture, video games, card games, movies, and the memories that followed us into adulthood. We talk about how Dragon Ball grew from something we watched after school into a massive part of gaming and pop culture, and where the franchise could go next. Then we put our Dragon Ball knowledge to the test with a blind ranking of the greatest Dragon Ball fights, before looking toward the future of the franchise. Whether you grew up waiting for the next episode of DBZ, spent hours playing Budokai, collected cards, or simply remember hearing that iconic music when Toonami came on — this one's for you. Press Start.

  3. Sep 1

    Episode 44 - Summer Blockbusters | When the Movies Became the Event

    From Opening Weekend to Opening Night — The Movies That Owned Our Summers. What made a summer movie feel like an event? Before streaming, before movies could hit digital platforms weeks after theaters, there was something special about going to the theater in the summer. Trailers, posters, packed theaters, midnight premieres, opening weekends and the feeling that everyone was talking about the same movie. This week on The Midnight Release, Chase and Austin take a trip through the Summer Blockbuster era, from the late '90s through today. Starting with 1998, we revisit the movies that dominated our summers — Armageddon, The Matrix, Spider-Man, The Dark Knight, The Avengers, Jurassic World, Avengers: Endgame, Top Gun: Maverick, Barbie, Oppenheimer and plenty more. Along the way, we talk about the theater experience, the eras that defined summer movies, and why some years simply felt bigger than others. Plus, we check in on this year's biggest releases and talk about what the modern blockbuster looks like now.  We also do a quick pivot to talk about some recent GamesCom announcements in our Next Gen Side quest. Because sometimes the movie wasn't just something you watched. It was something you had to be there for.

  4. Aug 25

    Episode 43 - The Disney Download | Everything Announced at D23 2026

    The Midnight Release is back with another episode — and this time, we're downloading everything from D23 2026 in a surprise pivot episode with all this news! Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Kingdom Hearts, Disney Parks and plenty more brought a ridiculous amount of announcements, trailers, reveals and surprises. Chase and Austin break down the biggest news from the weekend, including Frozen 3, Hexed, Zootopia 3, Incredibles 3, Coco 2, Marvel's X-Men, Avengers: Doomsday, Ahsoka Season 2, Star Wars: Starfighter, Kingdom Hearts, and a whole lot more. Then we head into the parks for some of the biggest Disney Parks announcements and wrap things up by ranking our Top 10 D23 announcements. It's a little different from our regularly scheduled programming — but when Disney drops this much stuff at once, you have to hit pause and talk about it. Press Start.

  5. Aug 19

    Midnight Reflections - It's Okay to Say it Hurts | On Pain, Resilience & Letting People In

    Midnight Reflections returns with a quieter conversation about something many of us are taught to hide: pain. Some of us become so good at pushing through, minimizing what hurts, and telling everyone “I’m fine” that we forget we don’t have to carry everything alone. This reflection is about resilience, vulnerability, fear, and the courage it takes to let the people who love us share a little of the weight. Because strength isn't always about how much pain we can tolerate. Sometimes, strength is having the courage to reach out your hand and trust someone enough to take it.

  6. Aug 18

    Episode 42 - The Backlog Never Sleeps | When Your Wishlist Attacks

    The backlog never sleeps. There is always another game to play, another game on sale, another game we swear we're going to get to, and somehow another dozen games waiting around the corner. This week on The Midnight Release, we're putting nostalgia aside for a bit and taking a look at the ever-growing backlog—what we're currently playing, what we've finished, what we've been meaning to start, and the games we're already looking ahead to. From Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, Pokémon, God of War, Tomb Raider, Halo, Assassin's Creed, Spider-Man, and GTA to a growing list of upcoming releases, we're talking about the games competing for our limited time. Because sometimes the hardest part of gaming isn't finding something to play. It's deciding what to play next. 🎮 In This Episode The Backlog  Games we've been meaning to play  Games we're currently playing  Recently completed games  Replays and revisits  The games we're desperately trying to find time for Upcoming Goodness  Star Wars  Metal Gear Solid  Wolverine  Ace Combat  Control  Onimusha  Gears  Kingdom Hearts  Final Fantasy  Call of Duty  GTA  Zelda  And plenty more 🎒 Side Quests Loadout — If our entire game library disappeared tomorrow, which five games would we save? Disc of the Day — A trip back to Halo, one of gaming's defining franchises. And as always, we're talking about the games we're actually playing, the ones sitting patiently in the backlog, and the ones already threatening to make that backlog even worse.

  7. Aug 11

    Episode 41 - Legendary Childhood Debates | The Arguments That Never Really Ended

    Some arguments never truly end. This week on Midnight Release, we're revisiting the legendary debates that defined our childhoods, school lunch tables, online forums, gaming communities, and friend groups. Whether it was Nintendo vs. Sega, PlayStation vs. Xbox, Dragon Ball vs. Naruto, Coke vs. Pepsi, or Cartoon Network vs. Nickelodeon, these were the discussions that somehow became life-or-death battles for an entire generation. We're not necessarily picking winners during the main discussion—we're diving into the memories, rivalries, cultural impact, and nostalgia behind the debates that shaped gaming, anime, movies, television, music, food, and the early internet. From console wars and anime rivalries to AIM vs. MSN Messenger and Blockbuster vs. Netflix, we're taking a look back at the arguments that followed us from childhood all the way into adulthood. Featured Debates 🎮 Gaming  Nintendo vs. Sega • PlayStation vs. Xbox • Halo vs. Call of Duty • Sonic vs. Mario 📺 Anime & Pop Culture  Dragon Ball vs. Naruto • Pokémon vs. Digimon • Dub vs. Sub • Goku vs. Superman 📼 Nostalgia Media  Cartoon Network vs. Nickelodeon • Toonami vs. Saturday Morning Cartoons • TMNT vs. Power Rangers • Batman vs. Superman • Star Wars vs. Star Trek 🍔 Food & Drink  Coke vs. Pepsi • McDonald's vs. Burger King • Mountain Dew vs. Baja Blast vs. Game Fuel • Doritos vs. Cheetos 🎵 Music  Eminem vs. Everyone • Backstreet Boys vs. NSYNC • Britney Spears vs. Christina Aguilera • Linkin Park vs. Limp Bizkit 💻 Internet Era  AIM vs. MSN Messenger • MySpace vs. Facebook • Napster vs. LimeWire • Blockbuster vs. Netflix • DVD vs. Streaming

  8. Aug 7

    Midnight Reflections - Collect Memories, Not Things? | Why Collectibles, Physical Media, and Nostalgia Matter More Than Ever

    In this fourth installment of Midnight Reflections, Chase explores one of the most common pieces of life advice: "Collect memories, not things." It's a sentiment that many of us agree with. After all, family vacations, first concerts, late-night gaming sessions with friends, and unforgettable moments are often far more valuable than any object we could ever own. But what if the story isn't quite that simple? From Pokémon cards and movie tickets to Dragon Ball Z VHS tapes, DVDs, collectibles, autographs, games, and physical media, Chase reflects on why so many of us hold onto the things connected to our most meaningful memories. Are collectibles really just "stuff," or do they serve a deeper purpose? This episode explores nostalgia, collecting, physical media in an increasingly digital world, the dangers of consumerism and FOMO, and why some objects become powerful memory anchors that help tell the story of who we are. Sometimes the memories are the treasure. Sometimes the things are the map. Topics discussed:  Collecting and nostalgia  Physical media vs digital ownership  Pokémon cards, movies, games, and collectibles  Memory anchors and personal history  Consumerism, FOMO, and hoarding  Why sentimental items matter  Preserving experiences through objects

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About

 A nostalgic, late-night rewind through the golden age of gaming, pop culture, and friendship. Join Chase and Austin every week as they relive GameStop midnight launches, classic console wars, and the games and nostalgia that shaped us. 

Information

  • Creator
    Chase, Austin, & Friends
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    54
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Midnight Release
  • Show Website
    The Midnight Release