Episode 540 – Kung Fu Fighting Gets You a Chalupa (A Street Fighter Review)

The Infamous Podcast

Episode 540 - Kung Fu Fighting Gets You a Chalupa (A Street Fighter Review)

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Hadoukens for Everyone… and No One!

This week on the podcast, Brian and Darryl ask if the video game industry is imploding or if the suits running it are just spectacularly bad at their jobs. Then it’s back to *Avatar: Seven Havens* for episodes 4–6, where things are getting darker and weirder by the minute. *The Terminal List* returns for Season 2 with James Reece back in action, and finally, it’s time to throw down with *Street Fighter (2026)*. Hadoukens, flying kicks, questionable life choices, and the eternal question: can Hollywood finally make a video game movie that doesn’t deserve a fatality?

Episode Index

Intro: 0:07
Is The Video Game Industry Imploding?: 8:41
Seven Havens Season 1 Episodes 4-6:
The Terminal List Season 2 Episode 1:
Street Fighter (2026):

Is The Video Game Industry Imploding?

The video game industry is in a very weird place. People are still playing and spending money at enormous levels, but the companies making those games keep cutting staff, closing studios, canceling projects, and consolidating around fewer big-budget bets. U.S. consumer spending on games reached $60.7 billion in 2025, while more than 212 million Americans now play at least weekly. At the same time, 2026 has brought another brutal wave of layoffs and closures, including Ubisoft shutting down RedLynx, continued restructuring across Xbox studios, and EA’s stunning decision to close BioWare and cancel the next Mass Effect. So is gaming actually collapsing, or are publishers breaking the industry while the audience remains healthier than ever?

Avatar: Seven Havens (Paramount+)

Avatar: Seven Havens, Episode 4

Title: The Faceless

Air Date: October 16, 2026

Director: Kenji Ono

Writer: Lauren Bradley

Summary:

With the mysterious Faceless continuing to target Ellora, Team Avatar searches for a missing bender and uncovers evidence pointing toward another attack. Jae, Pavi, and Nisha rush to stop the masked raiders as they target the Haven’s supplies and attempt to breach its defenses. The confrontation ends badly when the Faceless escape with Uki, while growing signs suggest the strange force threatening Ellora may be affecting people inside the city as well.

Avatar: Seven Havens, Episode 5

Title: The One Left Behind

Air Date: October 16, 2026

Director: Kenji Ono

Writer: Jennifer Cho Suhr

Summary:

Fear of the Avatar begins spreading throughout Ellora, forcing Karthik and Jae to investigate the growing unrest while trying to keep Pavi and Nisha protected. The twins have other ideas and sneak into Karthik’s office looking for answers about their parents. What they discover raises new questions about how they were separated, what Karthik knew, and why only Nisha was found when their parents attempted to reunite with him.

Avatar: Seven Havens, Episode 6
Title: Night of the Afflicted
Air Date: October 16, 2026
Director: Jen Bennett
Writer: Peter H. Lee

Summary:

The strange red crystals left behind by the entity begin having a terrifying effect on the people of Ellora, amplifying fear and causing mass panic among the Afflicted. Pavi and Nisha join Karthik at the hospital as the situation spirals out of control, leading to another encounter with the mysterious entity and a new vision connected to the twins’ parents. Meanwhile, Jae faces growing unrest inside the Bending Brigade as Ellora’s problems become increasingly impossible to contain.

Rating Out of 10, No More Pavi the Pirate
Brian: 7.5/10
Darryl: 6.5/10

The Terminal List (Prime Video)

The Terminal List, Season 2 Episode 1
Title: ROMULUS S.V.
Air Date: October 21, 2026
Director: Paul Cameron
Writers: David DiGilio & Jack Carr

Summary:

Six months after completing his list, James Reece is now one of the world’s most wanted men, living at sea and trying to figure out what remains of his life after carrying out his campaign of revenge. Halfway around the world, Katie Buranek discovers that the notoriety she gained from publishing Reece’s story has become more of a burden than an opportunity. As both attempt to move forward, a changing geopolitical landscape and the resurgence of Al-Qaeda begin pulling Reece toward another fight.

Rating Out of 5, Scuttle the Ship, Scuttle the Ghost?
Brian: 3.9/5
Darryl: 3.75/5

Street Fighter (2026)

Release Date: October 16, 2026
Runtime: 119 minutes
Director: Kitao Sakurai
Screenplay: T.J. Fixman and Kitao Sakurai
Story By: Dalan Musson and Gary Dauberman
Based On: Capcom’s Street Fighter video game franchise
Studios: Legendary Pictures and Capcom
Distributor: Paramount Pictures

Summary:

Set in 1993, estranged friends and former training partners Ryu and Ken Masters are dragged back into the fighting world when Chun-Li recruits them for the World Warrior Tournament. What appears to be the ultimate battle between the world’s greatest fighters quickly reveals something much more dangerous underneath, as M. Bison’s plans force Ryu and Ken to confront their fractured friendship, their pasts, and one another. Hadoukens, roundhouses, ridiculous personalities, and an absolutely stacked roster bring Capcom’s arcade icon back to the big screen.

Main Cast:

Noah Centineo as Ken Masters
Andrew Koji as Ryu
Callina Liang as Chun-Li
Joe “Roman Reigns” Anoa’i as Akuma
David Dastmalchian as M. Bison
Cody Rhodes as Guile
Andrew Schulz as Dan Hibiki
Eric André as Don Sauvage
Vidyut Jammwal as Dhalsim
Orville Peck as Vega
Olivier Richters as Zangief
Hirooki Goto as E. Honda
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson as Balrog
Jason Momoa as Blanka
Rayna Vallandingham as Juli
Alexander Volkanovski as Joe
Melanie Jarnson as Cammy

Production Notes:

Legendary and Capcom partnered on the new live-action adaptation, with Kitao Sakurai taking over directing duties and also co-writing the screenplay with T.J. Fixman. Rather than simply retelling one of the games, the movie plants the story firmly in 1993, at the height of Street Fighter II’s arcade-era cultural explosion. The production leaned into the franchise’s deliberately oversized personality with a cast mixing traditional actors, martial artists, professional wrestlers, comedians, musicians, and combat-sports stars. Capcom also co-financed the film as part of its broader push to expand Street Fighter beyond games.

Rating Out of 10, Bait and Switch Shower Scenes are No Bueno.
Brian: 6.5/10
Darryl: 6.77/10

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Our theme music is ‘Skate Beat’ provided by Michael Henry, with additional music provided by Michael Henry. Find more at MeetMichaelHenry.com.

The Infamous Podcast is hosted by Brian Tudor and Darryl Jasper, is recorded in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show is produced and edited by Brian Tudor.

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Episode 540 – Kung Fu Fighting Gets You a Chalupa (A Street Fighter Review)