Best Blizzard Watch Podcasts (2025)

1
Elder Scrolls Oblivion is just one game we wish would make a comeback 58:19

3d ago58:19

58:19

Cory Taylor joins our usual hosts for this week's cotillion of a podcast, and the first thing on the agenda is to remind people to get their Noblegarden ducky costume! Transmog and costuming is very important to us. But, then we get into the usual topic du jour when Cory joins the crew: how Heroes of the Storm is primed for a comeback. Cory, as usu…

1
Dr. Stephanie Psaki, former Assistant to the President and White House Global Health Security Coordinator: “We are wandering in the desert.” 51:45

4d ago51:45

51:45

Dr. Stephanie Psaki—a newly minted CSIS Senior Adviser—shares the story of her personal evolution as a scholar, NGO policy data expert, senior political appointee at the HHS Office of Global Affairs and the White House National Security Council, and now faculty at Brown University School of Public Health. She reflects on the lessons, good and bad, …

1
Dr. Stephanie Psaki, former Assistant to the President and White House Global Health Security Coordinator: “We are wandering in the desert.” 51:45

4d ago51:45

51:45

Dr. Stephanie Psaki—a newly minted CSIS Senior Adviser—shares the story of her personal evolution as a scholar, NGO policy data expert, senior political appointee at the HHS Office of Global Affairs and the White House National Security Council, and now faculty at Brown University School of Public Health. She reflects on the lessons, good and bad, …

1
The Oblivion Remaster Is Even Better Than We’d Hoped – Unlocked 690 1:21:53

4d ago1:21:53

1:21:53

It's raining RPGs on Xbox Game Pass this week as the long-rumored/leaked Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered finally got released – and it's even better than we'd hoped. We discuss why it's fantastic and what it means for other Bethesda remasters (Fallout 3, anyone?) and The Elder Scrolls VI. Plus: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has also arrived and…

1
Snoop and Sniffy International: Much Danger, Machu Picchu 18:20

6d ago18:20

18:20

With Wheeler mysteriously missing from his gadget shack, Snoop and Sniffy travel unknowingly to Cusco, Peru, where they soon find themselves scaling mountains, befriending bickering llamas, and exploring a wonder of the world. Just like Snoop and Sniffy sharpen their detective skills, YOU can level up your learning with ABCmouse, the award-winning …

1
Noblegarden: taking several years to become the cutest baby ducky 1:03:28

10d ago1:03:28

1:03:28

Puzzling Cartel Chips and the mystery of them leads off the Blizzard Watch Podcast this week. We're not exactly sure what the deal with them is -- hence the whole "mystery" thing -- but we're looking forward to figuring it out. Noblegarden is coming up so it's time to collect some new ducks in a six year long process, and no we're not kidding. We h…

1
Maj. Gen. Paul Friedrichs (ret.): “I cannot recall anything similar to this.” 45:15

11d ago45:15

45:15

Major General Paul Friedrichs (ret.), the inaugural director of the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy (OPPR), is now a Senior Adviser at CSIS. In this conversation, Paul reviews the multiple changes in health security now unfolding in the first 100 days of the second Trump term. In biodefense, there is a wide-ranging d…

1
Maj. Gen. Paul Friedrichs (ret.): “I cannot recall anything similar to this.” 45:15

11d ago45:15

45:15

Major General Paul Friedrichs (ret.), the inaugural director of the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy (OPPR), is now a Senior Adviser at CSIS. In this conversation, Paul reviews the multiple changes in health security now unfolding in the first 100 days of the second Trump term. In biodefense, there is a wide-ranging d…

1
The Oblivion Remaster Keeps Leaking – Unlocked 689 1:05:05

11d ago1:05:05

1:05:05

Bethesda's "secret" remaster of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion keeps leaking. We'll talk about what we learned from this week's leak, when you can play it (hint: VERY SOON), how it'll hit for a generation of Elder Scrolls fans that have only ever known Skyrim, and more. Plus: our Mount Rushmore of RPGs, Xbox Game Pass's incredible second wave in Ap…

1
Xal'atath, the Void, and the dawn of Azeroth's creation 54:17

12d ago54:17

54:17

This week's episode was inspired by a question from a listener, about where the story is going from here as we make our way toward the next expansion of World of Warcraft, Midnight. We veer right into Tinfoil Hat territory pretty quickly. After all, it's tough when a lot of the sources we have are either written by unreliable narrators, or were wri…

1
S11E06: Big Little Barks 19:45

13d ago19:45

19:45

Someone barked during Loraine’s mandatory protected Quiet Time and now she needs Snoop and Sniffy to sniff out the barker. Who could be behind the Big Little Bark? Just like Snoop and Sniffy sharpen their detective skills, YOU can level up your learning with ABCmouse, the award-winning online learning program for kids ages 2–8. With over 10,000 fun…

1
WoW Classic goes from #SomeChanges to a whole new raid 1:06:27

17d ago1:06:27

1:06:27

Patch 11.1.5 for World of Warcraft was just announced as coming out April 22, so that leads the podcast this week — even if it may seem fast to some of our hosts. Our writer Nick Marino joined us this week because he’s our go-to staffer for WoW Classic news, and Season of Discovery phase 8 kicked off today with a whole lot of brand new content. See…

1
Dr. Tom Frieden, Resolve to Save Lives: “We are now flying blind.” 28:34

18d ago28:34

28:34

Dr. Tom Frieden, Resolve to Save Lives (CDC Director 2009-2017,) details the dangerous implications of deep changes underway at CDC—on tobacco, environmental toxins, and communications. It is no less dangerous that CDC should only focus on infectious diseases and not be focused on global threats. What explains CDC’s exceptional vulnerability to att…

1
Dr. Tom Frieden, Resolve to Save Lives: “We are now flying blind.” 28:34

18d ago28:34

28:34

Dr. Tom Frieden, Resolve to Save Lives (CDC Director 2009-2017,) details the dangerous implications of deep changes underway at CDC—on tobacco, environmental toxins, and communications. It is no less dangerous that CDC should only focus on infectious diseases and not be focused on global threats. What explains CDC’s exceptional vulnerability to att…

1
The Outer Worlds 2 Looks Awesome – Unlocked 688 1:16:53

18d ago1:16:53

1:16:53

We covered a ton of ground this week, from The Outer Worlds 2 looking awesome so far after we got to visit Obsidian for our exclusive IGN First coverage, to Doom: The Dark Ages being fantastic but very different from Doom Eternal based on our four hours of hands-on time with it, to the Minecraft movie's big opening weekend and what other Xbox prope…

1
Snoop and Sniffy Presents: Who Smarted? 16:46

18d ago16:46

16:46

Hello Junior Detectives! I know all of you tune into Snoop and Sniffy because you’re building skills to become the suavest, stealthiest, and SMARTEST sleuths! Today, I’m going to share an AWESOME podcast with you that will help level up your smarts big time…it’s called WHO SMARTED? WHO SMARTED? is a laugh-out-loud, brain-boosting podcast that takes…

1
Cyberpunk Edgerunners explores a crumbling dystopia 1:16:12

19d ago1:16:12

1:16:12

The Netflix animated show Cyberpunk Edgerunners is a great entry in the Cyberpunk universe, and one we felt worth exploring in-depth. Joe and Matt give us a spoiler-filled tour of Night City and how all the details of life in that universe lead to a dystopia packed with despair. This is an episode from the archives, so it's one we felt we should br…

1
The Final Word on South of Midnight - Unlocked 687 1:29:02

22d ago1:29:02

1:29:02

This week on Unlocked, Michael and Miranda are joined by GameSpot's Jordan Ramée to talk all about the latest Xbox exclusive, South of Midnight, now that we have reviewed it and we explore our own connections to American South. We also touch on previews for Doom: The Dark Ages and the ongoing saga of where Hollow Knight Silksong is. And we find a w…

1
Warcraft Rumble is cute, and other April Fools' Day pranks 1:03:15

24d ago1:03:15

1:03:15

After a short apology for his scratchy voice, Matt leads the cohosts in discussion on a number of topics. Since Cory was the guest host this week, adorable mobile game Warcraft Rumble and its expensive Arthas bundle was a big part of the conversation. So was the April Fools' Day jokes we were treated to on that day -- some of our cast are quite ant…

1
Tom Bollyky, CFR: China will not fill the gap “as the dominant actor in global health security exits the stage.” 37:52

25d ago37:52

37:52

Tom Bollyky, CFR, walks us through his recent incisive work on two fronts. First, will China supplant US leadership in global health in the wake of the U.S. retreat? Listen to learn why the answer is a definitive "No!" and the dangers that foretells. Second, what might the U.S. exit mean for Latin America?…

1
Tom Bollyky, CFR: China will not fill the gap “as the dominant actor in global health security exits the stage.” 37:52

25d ago37:52

37:52

Tom Bollyky, CFR, walks us through his recent incisive work on two fronts. First, will China supplant US leadership in global health in the wake of the U.S. retreat? Listen to learn why the answer is a definitive "No!" and the dangers that foretells. Second, what might the U.S. exit mean for Latin America?…

1
Crucial Source Material 43:13

27d ago43:13

43:13

While we do enjoy going off on wild tangents or thinking about "what if," sometimes it's important to just go back to the crucial source material. The specific writing in-game can not only work to create a vibrant world, but with careful study, can inform the overall trajectory of what you can expect to come. WoW is no different, so today we're tak…

1
S11E05: The Case of the Lost Aviator 20:02

27d ago20:02

20:02

Emilio Arrhat, a dodo bird, crash lands on Bark Street, not knowing where he is OR who he is. Can Snoop and Sniffy help him remember and get him back on his way?By GoKidGo: Great Stories for Kids

1
We Demand a Translucent Xbox - Unlocked 686 1:00:43

1M ago1:00:43

1:00:43

This week on Unlocked, Miranda and Michael go over the biggest reveals for Minecraft Live 2025 (new mobs!), discuss the Backbone One Xbox Edition and how they hope Xbox's latest neat peripheral designs influence their next major device releases, and round out the show by discussing two games coming to Xbox shown during the Nintendo Direct. Learn mo…

1
Diving into the Emerald Dream (in Hearthstone, don't get your hopes up) 1:04:56

1M ago1:04:56

1:04:56

Hearthstone's new expansion Into the Emerald Dream was our lead story this week, as the two sides don't seem all that well balanced between good and morally gray, let's say. The team also discusses the morality of the character restores coming to OnlyFangs and other WoW Classic Hardcore players after a DDOS KOed their dreams of glory. Plus, Slay th…

1
Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, Your Local Epidemiologist: Death threats and thick skin are “part of this gig.” 29:08

1M ago29:08

29:08

Dr. Katelyn Jetelina joins us at the fifth anniversary of the newsletter she has spearheaded,Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE). “An incredibly wild ride,” YLE reaches 370,000 subscribers, while social media accounts reach 700,000. To cross the political divide, we need to listen more, be more selective in the choice of words. The YLE operation now in…

1
Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, Your Local Epidemiologist: Death threats and thick skin are “part of this gig.” 29:08

1M ago29:08

29:08

Dr. Katelyn Jetelina joins us at the fifth anniversary of the newsletter she has spearheaded,Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE). “An incredibly wild ride,” YLE reaches 370,000 subscribers, while social media accounts reach 700,000. To cross the political divide, we need to listen more, be more selective in the choice of words. The YLE operation now in…

1
Can you play Hearthstone in the Emerald Dream, and other questions 1:01:09

1M ago1:01:09

1:01:09

This week's Lore Watch Podcast is Q&A style, so the topics veer all over the place -- more so than usual. We start off with a question about the Emerald Dream and whether it was designed as a prison -- timely, given Hearthstone's latest expansion releasing yesterday. Speaking of Hearthstone, the next question concerns in-game board games, and what …

1
S11E04: The Bark Street Triangle 20:39

1M ago20:39

20:39

There’s a certain place in Bark Street where everything gets lost, disappears, and is never seen from again. Today, Snoop and Sniffy are going to brave the rumors… and face the Bark Street Triangle. Hopefully they don’t disappear forever too.By GoKidGo: Great Stories for Kids

1
Racing to World First in the Undermine 58:10

1M ago58:10

58:10

It probably isn't a huge surprise that our hottest topic this week was the World of Warcraft player housing preview. We also discussed how the Race to World First played out, and how this Race differed from past races. Plus, WoW Classic is getting its own new content in the form of the Scarlet Enclave, which seems cool -- if a little outside the sc…

1
Dr. Jeffrey Gold, President, University of Nebraska system: lately it’s been “a day-by-day, week-by-week course adjustment.” 27:37

1M ago27:37

27:37

Dr. Jeffrey Gold, President of the University of Nebraska system, testified recently before the House Committee on Veteran Affairs Health Subcommittee on plans to replace a 1950 VA hospital with a hospital on the university grounds, with projected savings of half a billion dollars. Since the Trump administration began two months ago, it has been “a…

1
Dr. Jeffrey Gold, President, University of Nebraska system: lately it’s been “a day-by-day, week-by-week course adjustment.” 27:37

1M ago27:37

27:37

Dr. Jeffrey Gold, President of the University of Nebraska system, testified recently before the House Committee on Veteran Affairs Health Subcommittee on plans to replace a 1950 VA hospital with a hospital on the university grounds, with projected savings of half a billion dollars. Since the Trump administration began two months ago, it has been “a…

1
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remake Appears to Be Imminent – Unlocked 685 1:17:13

1M ago1:17:13

1:17:13

This week, Michael and Ryan give first impressions of this week's big new game release, Assassin's Creed Shadows. And then we delve into our main topic: MORE rumors about the remake of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and how close to release it apparently is (hint: it's really close!). Plus: Split Fiction's continued success, reassurances from Saber…

1
On the origins of the Sethrak 56:36

1M ago56:36

56:36

Join our hosts Joe Perez and Matt Rossi as they discuss the lore around the Sethrak, the snakelike humanoids we initially met in Vol'dun in Battle for Azeroth. How does their worship of the animalistic Loa spirits shape their society? Titans may tie in to the animalistic loa, and the two working together may have shaped Azeroth as we know it. Plus,…

1
Snoop and Sniffy International: Chocolate and Manila 19:41

1M ago19:41

19:41

Snoop and Sniffy travel to the bustling streets of Manila, capital city of the Philippines, to help fellow dog detective, Marietta, catch a thief who keeps stealing delectable food treats from the annual neighborhood street picnic.By GoKidGo: Great Stories for Kids

1
Carmen Paun, Politico “It’s been astonishing to watch” USAID dismantled 39:19

1M ago39:19

39:19

Politico’s global health correspondent Carmen Paun offers her insights into the White House decision on March 13 to withdraw the nomination of David Weldon to be the next Director of CDC. CDC, while vulnerable, has not seemed to be a priority target of the Trump White House, though it is “not totally out of the woods” and is proceeding cautiously i…

1
Carmen Paun, Politico “It’s been astonishing to watch” USAID dismantled 39:19

1M ago39:19

39:19

Politico’s global health correspondent Carmen Paun offers her insights into the White House decision on March 13 to withdraw the nomination of David Weldon to be the next Director of CDC. CDC, while vulnerable, has not seemed to be a priority target of the Trump White House, though it is “not totally out of the woods” and is proceeding cautiously i…

1
BlizzCon bound, baby! (in 2026, anyway) 1:08:32

1M ago1:08:32

1:08:32

Joe started off the podcast this week eating crow as he reflected on his prior assertion that BlizzCon would never happen again. But, Blizzard announced that BlizzCon returns September 12-13 2026. He's not mad at all, just surprised -- as all our hosts were. After that, it's a little tough to focus on everything else that happened this week. The Ra…

1
What We Want From Xbox Handhelds and the Next Gen – Unlocked 684 1:30:09

2M ago1:30:09

1:30:09

The crew is joined by Ash Parrish from The Verge to discuss the reports of Xbox handhelds (from OEMs) coming later this year and the prospect of a next-gen Xbox coming in 2027 (and how weird time works because it feels like the Series X|S came out just yesterday). But first, we revisit Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 demo for Miranda's final thoughts, …

1
Measles Outbreak Implications 23:17

2M ago23:17

23:17

In a special crossover episode with CSIS's The Truth of the Matter, Andrew Schwartz and Steve discuss the recent measles outbreak and risks associated with it. The United States is experiencing the worst measles outbreak in 30 years and the highest rate of contraction in the past six years after nearly eradicating the disease. Cases have surged in …

1
Measles Outbreak Implications 23:17

2M ago23:17

23:17

In a special crossover episode with CSIS's The Truth of the Matter, Andrew Schwartz and Steve discuss the recent measles outbreak and risks associated with it. The United States is experiencing the worst measles outbreak in 30 years and the highest rate of contraction in the past six years after nearly eradicating the disease. Cases have surged in …

1
Could the Sunwell become a Voidwell? (And other wild Warcraft speculation) 1:02:21

2M ago1:02:21

1:02:21

This week we put on the tinfoil hat to contemplate Xal'atath's plans for the future, the nature of the void, and where we might be going in the Midnight expansion due out in 2026. As with most of our wild speculation episodes, the conversation goes off the rails and then forgets there were ever rails in the first place. Enjoy! If you enjoy the show…

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