Four Player Podcast

A live show about video games.

The 4Player Podcast is a daily web show and podcast run by Brad Simons, David Liao, Nick Henderson and Travis Granger (formally), with special guest appearances by Juan Pantoja (formerly), Matt Hill (formerly), Mike Azzato (formerly), Bob Webb, Aryton Travina (Japancast), Daniel Dae Lee (Japancast), Carlos Ottino, Nolan Hedstrom, Joseph Petrick, Chris Davis, Mike Pittman and Jack Claxton. The podcast was originally started by Brad and David as East vs. West, but evolved into the 4Player Podcast after being joined by Travis and Nick.

Any combination of the four plus one or two guests will record a weekly podcast discussing new video games, the state of the video game industry as a whole, and their hopes for new games coming out. On top of that, they also record Dinner Time Podcasts (recorded while out to eat), Revival Podcasts (centering on an older game), and Top Five podcasts (each of the podcasters giving their "top five" of a certain subject). The Cocktail Time Podcast was a side podcast created and hosted by Joseph, with the participants (usually Nick, Carlos and Nolan) focusing their discussions on the video game industry, all the while drinking alcoholic beverages.

The podcast wraps up with the 4Player Minute, with each player stating a shameful secret (something they did recently that they are ashamed of), sweaty palms (something game-related that they are worried about), and hype (something game-related that they are excited about). David hosts his own mini-segment, known as chatter of the week, where he gives an honorable mention to a chatter who contacts him via e-mail. Brad's own unofficial segment is the "Fuck You Of the Week," where he chooses one particular person who is worthy of a Take That. Occasionally, at the end of a podcast, Brad would host his own mini-show called "Cooking With Brad", where he eats/drinks random snacks whenever he's hungry. Games that they're about to broadcast on the feed are addressed by Brad in another mini-segment called "This Week On the Feed".

They held a sister channel called Japancast, where they broadcast anime and music videos, hosted by Juan and Matt, with David, Aryton and Daniel as guest-hosts. With Matt in college, Juan working at two jobs and the other two being MIA, Japancast is rarely used anymore, other than a backup channel for 4PP when they get issues on JTV issues. The main station of 4PP is in Austin, Texas, though they're known for broadcasting at different hotels, usually whenever they're at an E3 convention.

Notably, 4PP has won Podcast Awards for three years in a row (2009 - 2011), beating out Giant Bomb (their toughest rival), Hot-Blooded Gaming, The Instance and ESPN Podcast, among others.

They also have a Twitter and a Facebook page.

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4PlayerPodcast provides examples of:

• Aborted Arc: "Ask Brad", where he answered questions submitted by fans. It lasted all of two episodes before it was dropped.
• Accentuate the Negative: Brad does this quite a lot.
  • Travis also dislikes Gears of War, flat-out calling it a shitty game, while saying that the sequel was "probably just as shitty" (he did like the Lancer gun, though), but that's mostly because he's frustrated with the cover system concept in general.
  • Nick also severely disliked the Halo series, primarily because of Hype Backlash with the Master Chief, whom he viewed as a Creator's Pet. To be fair, he became interested in the series lore once he played ODST, but he failed to point out that the Rookie himself was basically the Chief as an ODST, only mute.
• A God Am I: Nobunaga considers himself one. He even has his own Tomb of Rapture!

Travis: What am I to you? A GOD!!!

• Alliterative Name: 4PlayerPodcast.
  • Note: Many fans are under the false impression that the nightly gaming broadcast on justin.tv is the podcast. The podcast is actually recorded once a week, and uploaded to their website and iTunes.
• Alternative Character Interpretation: "God's Mistake" Trapani
• And the Fandom Rejoiced: Brad said that if 4PP won the 2010 Podcast Awards, he would play Amnesia the Dark Descent. Then they won the 2010 Podcast Awards, and most fans had a seizure on-spot.
• Arc Fatigue: They acknowledged that they had problems reviewing Mass Effect 3, because it took weeks for them to finish it. In fact, they still haven't fully reviewed it - Podcasts 261 through 267 all have them talking about it to some degree, but it decreases with after 263.
  • They finally made that long-awaited Mass Effect 3 podcast, available for download on I Tunes. In short, there was an overall 'meh' vibe from everyone, since they consider it the Black Sheep of the Mass Effect trilogy.
• Ax Crazy: Nobunaga; he even managed to genuinely frighten someone on Halo 3.
  • Also, Jack when playing Uncharted 2.
• Beating a Dead Player: YOU GOT DEAD SPACED, MOTHERFUCKER!
• Berserk Button: Travis' alter-ego Nobunaga gets his pressed when he is told to shut up by players on Halo 3 Multiplayer.

'Travis: "Who do you think you are, Jacob? I will FIND you, and I will END you!"

• Big No: David has one during a playthrough of Superman 64, when he just misses a car he's supposed to stop and can't catch up.

David: I stopped it-NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

• • Jack has one while playing Clock Tower 3, fighting a boss with both he and said boss near death.

Jack: [realizes, in aiming mode, that the boss fired at him as he was shooting] No...! [gets hit] NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

• Black Comedy Rape: Implied in this video [1]. Also counts as a Big No.
• Black Sheep: Brad and Mike view this of Mass Effect 3. Nick might agree, but he's never voiced it.
• Broken Base: Between the site goers and the youtubers.
  • JTV chatters and Twitter/Facebook Chatters.
• Butt Monkey: Nick got made fun of quite a lot, mostly at the hands of Travis, and made an easy target partially because of his height. There are a surprisingly large number of videos on youtube in which Nick is a "bottom." But as seen below, they're still friends. Happens less often now that Travis is absent.
• Catch Phrase: Each of the four main guys has at least one or two.
  • David
    • "Somebody highlight that shit so I can watch it any time I want!"
    • "CHEEEEEVOOOOOS!"
  • Brad
    • "DO A BEARRELL ROLL!", formerly
    • Fuck it, I'm out.
  • Nick
    • "Hello, I'm Nick Henderson of the 4Player Podcast, and this is Podcast number [insert number here]."
    • "What a bag of dicks."
  • Travis
    • "HELLOOOO, I AM NOBUNAGA, AND THIS IS MY QUEST!"
    • "BOOM SAID THE BLIND MAN!"
  • Joseph
    • "Son of a bitch..."
• Cluster F-Bomb
• Comedic/Heroic Sociopathy: If an open sandbox game such as GTA is being played, expect a lot of this from Brad.
• Continuity Nod: Revenge on Condemned Bear!
• Creator Backlash: The infamous Scooter Brothers video. The fans love it. Brad regrets ever letting it be posted.

Brad: Are you people stupid? This is a dumb clip! Look at this! 2.5 million for this crap?

• • It has since grown to 5.5 million.
• Crossing the Line Twice: What David and Brad have done with cute, innocent little EyePet. Not safe for work.
• Crowning Moment of Awesome: David survives a tense Left4Dead level with only 1 HP.
  • Brad kicks a mook into an empty barrel completely by accident in F.E.A.R. 3.
• Crowning Moment of Funny: Their Youtube channel highlights most, if not all of these.
  • Whenever Brad gets scared (which is ridiculously often).
• Crowning Moment of Heartwarming: Nick got a big scare while playing F.E.A.R 2. Travis came over and hugged him. Can be seen here.
  • The guys at 4PP needed money for plane tickets to E3, so they set up a Chipin while promoting "Marathon Week," where they would each play a game to full completion once a day. Their community donates enough for the tickets after the first day.
• Crowning Music of Awesome: Sunset Heroes from the God Hand soundtrack
  • Brad playing Red Dead Redemption to a live cover of "Ain't No Rest For The Wicked"
• Demoted to Extra: Travis was one of the founding 4PP members throughout the first few years of its run. By the time March 2012 rolled around, he's now just making cameos in podcasts.
• Divide by Zero: Brad almost breaks reality trying to figure out what would happen if they broadcasted themselves broadcasting themselves.
• The Dreaded: Played for Laughs. Occasionally, an insect would pop in to "terrorize" the guys during live podcasts; viewers often call them the "Bugs of Krondor" (three roaches, then two moths).
• Dueling Shows: Practically every year since they first won, 4PP will ultimately compete against several other well-known podcasts for the yearly podcast awards. Their best-known rival is Giant Bomb.
• Ear Rape: Make sure you aren't wearing headphones when NOBUNAGA is about.
• Elephant in the Living Room: Nobody's going to acknowledge the mammoths?
• Ensemble Darkhorse: Mike is this, based on the cries of joy in chat when it's said that he's going to broadcast.
  • In-universe examples: Brad particularly liked Barmy and Mo'Chocolate from The Tester.
• Mr. Fanservice: Inverted. All of the have different tastes on what they consider fanservice.
• Everything's Worse with Bears: Nick and Brad take on Condemned 2's most infamous scene in "Holy Crap, That's A Bear!"
• Fan Disservice: David once donned a pair of hot pants while playing Muscle March for the Wii.
• Fandom Rivalry: It's not really as heated as some of the other examples, but some 4PP fans certainly enjoy screwing with Hot Blooded Gaming and Giant Bomb.
• Fan Dumb: Whether because Brad has a generic voice or simply because he casts the most, almost anyone can be casting and someone will ask, "Is this Brad?" This even occurs with Carlos, who has a rather noticeable Mexican accent.
• Five-Man Band: Has varied over the years, as people have come and gone and the group has grown and shrunk, but as of 2012, it's roughly:
  • The Hero: Brad
  • The Lancer: David
  • The Big Guy: Carlos
  • The Smart Guy: Nick
  • The Chick: Mike
  • Sixth Ranger: Joseph
• Hatedom: Brad to Apple, for starters.
• Heroic Sociopath:

Brad: [throwing people out of a window] I LOVE PREVENTING MURDERS!

• Heterosexual Life Partners: David, Brad, Nick and Travis.
• Ho Yay: Four guys doing a podcast together? It's almost inevitable, though Travis tends to invoke it the most.
• I'll Be in My Bunk: In this beauty of a highlight, Nick suggests to David that they take a break so he can meet with his girlfriend. Turns out, he "misunderstood the plan" and this priceless moment happens:

Nick: Nevermind, David, I misunderstood the plan. David: What do you mean? What was the plan? Nick: [pause] Give m... give me a minute. David: HAHAHAHAHAAAAHAAHA! Nick: Goddamnit, David!

• Implacable Man: It took seven tries in a row for Brad to finally beat Seth.
• Its the Same So It Sucks: Brad seems to view Heavenly Sword and Dantes Inferno in this light, as God of War clones, though he certainly enjoyed the occasional 'shooter' elements of the former. He's met with agreement by the others on the latter.
• Karmic Death: Featuring Nico.
• Lampshaded Double Entendre: The guys love the "That's what she said" joke.
• Large Ham: Nobunaga is practically made of ham.
• Long Bus Trip: Travis was one of the original 4 players, but had been absent for quite a while, and many chatters and site-goers alike asked the question of what happened to him, many thinking he "quit." He was actually in Europe, and has recently returned. Not for long, though - he finally did quit by March 2012.
• Mind Screw: Brad had one when he watched this trailer.
  • He experienced two others here and here.
• Name's the Same: Mike Azzato is the artist. Mike Pittman is the singer.
• Nightmare Fuel: Brad actually experienced this when he watched The Shining as an eight-year old.
• No Indoor Voice: NOBUNAGA! THIS IS HIS QUEST!
  • All of the broadcasters have been guilty of this at least once.
• Oh Crap: David's reaction at the end of this video [2].
  • A classic example: Alma spawns in front of Brad.
• One-Scene Wonder: Cooking with ZOMBRAD! Largely considered one of Brad's best moments.
• Overly Long Gag: Brad has said "Fuck it, I'm out." in the Just Cause 2 Demo a grand total of about 30 times, and that number is still growing.
• Pandering to the Base: Fund raisers will frequently be held to pay for plane tickets to different gaming expos, with the promise of Horror Week/Month, horror games being a fan favorite.
• Pet the Dog: NOBUNAGA adopts a random Halo 3 teammate as his "son" and becomes fiercely protective of him.

NOBUNAGA: MY NAME IS NOBUNAGA AND FENDER BENDER IS MY SON! FUCK JESUS! WHAT DID HE KNOW?! HE DIED! FENDER BENDER IS FOREVER WITH ME! FENDER BENDER, YOU ARE A MAN!

• Recurring Boss: Any time a roach pops in during a podcast; people will invariably call it the Roach of Krondor.
  • Then comes in the Moth of Krondor, first at Jack, then at everyone else, twice.
• Refuge in Audacity: And how!
• Running Gag: Brad repeatedly pauses the game during his solo playthrough of Juon whenever he's frightened, which ends up being about once every 30 seconds.
• Schedule Slip: Thoroughly averted. There is a broadcast every day of the week, and a day has not been missed in over three years.
• Scrappy Mechanic: Travis dislikes the cover system found in Gears of War, while Brad is notorious in his dislike for turret sequences and mega-boss battles.
• Screams Like a Little Girl: Expect to hear a lot of screaming when a Survival Horror game is being played. Brad is especially prone to this.
• Shameless Self Promotion: Done at the end of almost every podcast.

Nick: Don't forget to subscribe to us on iTunes and visit our website at 4playerpodcast.com!

• Shipping: Strange enough, there is a Travis/David slash fic out there.

Travis: David's the gay one though; I'm the straight one that walks away. Brad: It makes sense. Somehow I think David would initiate that relationship. Travis: Me too.

• So Bad It's Good: Not the show itself; this is how Brad and David view The Tester.
• Spin-Off: Japancast, which focuses on Japanese games, animation, film, television and music. It had its own Five-Man Band in the form of Juan, David, Matt, Aryton and Daniel, with the first two as the most frequent broadcasters, Matt as a Guest Star Party Member and the other two as writers/bloggers. Since most of them are busy elsewhere, Japancast was mostly dormant for quite a while, though David remains a regular broadcaster at the original channel. Nowadays, due to copyright issues with another channel with the same name, Japancast was renamed into New School Kaidan (NSK for short), and it's now hosted by David with Daniel and Aryton; it's easy to think of NSK as a Spiritual Successor to Japancast.
  • A lesser-known spin-off broadcast was Travis' original profile, Visimicus, also known as The Trio of Gaming. Hosted by Travis, the channel was formed because Travis wanted to broadcast in his hometown just before he went to college, so he brought Japancast alumni Matt (then-college hopeful) and his friend Sean into the equation. The channel was suspended due to Travis showing meatspin on the live feed, but he created a new account called Travis4pp as compensation.
• The Stoic: Pittman is a hell of a lot calmer than any of the others.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Subverted with Carlos. He's still a Butt Monkey, but he's far more of a Deadpan Snarker than Juan.
• Take Over the World: Nobunaga's intended goal, but it's never outright stated.
• There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Nico on a bike. The first comment explains.
• The Scrappy: Each of them has a game that they revile to the core, but all of them disliked Final Fantasy XIII.
• This Is for Emphasis, Bitch: Brad does this while playing Infamous.

Brad: "Can't catch me. I'm the fucking gingerbread man, bitch."

• Too Dumb to Live: Carlos as "Ramon" in Demons Souls.
• Tournament Arc: Played with. Having finished Valkyria Chronicles first, Brad famously challenged Travis, David and Nick to finish the game on their own; Travis supposedly had the lead, but David finished the day after Brad issued the challenge.
• Troll: Brad here.
• Unpopular Popular Character: Brad's character, The Weezard, in their D&D campaign, was this. Due to his squeeky voice, and being played by Brad, the viewers all found him hilarious. Within the campaign, the other characters found him so annoying that nobody objected when Nick kicked him across the entire town.
• Unusual Euphemism: They often mix up several swear words together whenever they're frustrated or intimidated, like "dick-butt".
  • Creative Cursing is a mix-and-match notebook with random words on opposite sides of the book.
• Verbal Tic: David has a habit of asking for confirmation after making a statement, i.e. "X, right?"
• Vitriolic Best Buds: All of them.
• The Wiki Rule: Here