We rewind to mall culture at its peak — food courts, arcades, forgotten stores, and the era when the mall was the place to be.

This week on The Midnight Release, Chase and Austin take a nostalgic walk through one of the most iconic parts of growing up in the 90s and 2000s with Episode 8: “Meet Me at the Mall.”

From Jefferson Mall’s golden days to arcades like Aladdin’s Castle, fountains full of coins, and food courts that somehow fed an entire generation, we dive deep into mall culture at its peak. We revisit forgotten stores like Gadzooks, Camelot Music, KB Toys, Suncoast, RadioShack, Babbage’s, Funcoland, EB Games, and the early days of Hot Topic — before it became what it is today.

This episode also opens the door to broader nostalgia: mall rat culture, first jobs, hanging out until closing time, clothing trends, music stores, and how malls naturally overlapped with the rise of early social media like MySpace. Chase relives a lifetime of mall memories, while Austin reflects on how different that era felt compared to now.

On the Side Quest front, we bring back Listener Memory Card, catching up on weeks of listener responses — including GameStop stories, Blockbuster memories, favorite handheld consoles, gaming snacks, and beloved (or long-gone) mall stores.

It’s a laid-back, memory-packed episode about a time when you didn’t need plans — you just met at the mall.

🛍️ Some memories didn’t need a destination — just a food court and a fountain.

From Game Boy and PSP to Switch and Steam Deck, we rewind through handheld gaming history. Plus: Game Awards reactions, reveals we loved (and hated), and a handheld-themed quiz.

This week on The Midnight Release, Chase and Austin jump back into gaming with Episode 7: “Pocket Power”, a full rewind through the history of handheld gaming — from the original Game Boy all the way to modern handheld PCs like the Steam Deck and the Switch 2.

We talk about where we each started, our favorite handheld consoles and games, unforgettable Pokémon memories, funny (and painful) stories from the road, and how handheld gaming has evolved from simple pixels to full console-level experiences in your hands. We also dig into GameStop-era handheld chaos — trades, bundles, thefts, and holiday madness.

On the Side Quest front, Chase flips the script in Now Loading, quizzing Austin with “opposite-name” versions of classic handheld games. Then we introduce a brand-new segment, Checkpoint Chat, where we break down the Game Awards — winners, snubs, reveals, and what has us hyped heading into 2026.

It’s a nostalgia-heavy episode packed with handheld history, industry talk, and the kind of conversations that only happen when you’ve lived through every generation.

🎮 Some power fits right in your pocket.

Blockbuster nights, VHS nostalgia, Netflix’s mail-in era, midnight movie releases, and the rise (and fall) of physical media. Plus: GOTY predictions, upcoming movie hype, and deep-pull memories from the video rental days.

This week on The Midnight Release, Chase and Austin jump out of the gaming lane and back into another core part of 90s–2000s childhood: Friday nights at Blockbuster. From VHS tapes and late fees to catching that one copy of a new release before anyone else, this episode dives into movie culture, video rental rituals, and how physical media shaped an entire generation.

But it doesn’t stop there — we rewind all the way through Netflix’s mail-in DVD era, GameFly, Redbox luck, and late-night midnight movie premieres before big studios phased them out. We also break down how movie culture has shifted, why physical media is disappearing, and which films defined our childhoods before 2010.

As always, the episode rounds out with our recurring and brand-new segment lineup, including nostalgia deep-dives, upcoming movie hype, and a quick look at this week’s big event: The Game Awards.

📼 Be kind, rewind — and enjoy the nostalgia trip.