8-4 Play

Thank you for calling 8-4 Play. We can't take your call right now, but please leave a message at the tone and we'll get back to you as soon as we've had our fill of Tears of the Kingdom. *BEEEEP*   Time – Topic Discussed: 01:58 – Nicknames 11:28 – Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters 19:09 – Hollow Knight 28:58 – Star Wars Jedi: Survivor 37:12 – Dragon Slayer: Legend of Heroes 47:41 – Tunic 1:03:41 – News: Redfall disappoints, PS5 sales and a liiiiiiitle bit more. 1:06:55 – Mario Bros Movie Impressions (Yes, there are spoilers)

Golden Week is here, and look what the Pegasus dragged in--that's right, straight from the skies above Narita Airport, it's fan favorite special guest Shane Bettenhausen! Join us for talk of the hottest trailers from two weeks ago (TOTK and FF16), the latest Arcade Archives releases, the new FF Pixel Remasters, the MS/Activision drama, and of course (booming voice) Humanityyyyyyyyy.  Time – Topic Discussed: 01:17 – Nicknames 05:12 – Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster 09:20 – Tears of the Kingdom trailer reactions 16:25 – Humanity 21:20 – Arcade Archives (Phelios, Metal Hawk, and more) 36:49 – Final Fantasy XVI 1:04:13 – The Tetris movie 1:19:42 – News: Microsoft/Activision merger, Humanity, Apple wins against Epic's appeal, and more!

Gaming Jesus is missing, and it's up to YOU to make it through this podcast without him! Strap in for random talk about Super Mario Galaxy, Hollow Knight, Gabe's irrational fear of chocolate, more Resident Evil 4-make, and (of course) another obscure PC Engine game nobody has ever heard of. Plus news! But not Zelda Trailer or FF16 SOP news. Just…other news. ENJOY! Time – Topic Discussed: 01:18 – Nicknames 26:31 – Resident Evil 4 Remake 32:23 – Hollow Knight 39:55 – Vasteel (it's a PC Engine game) 48:09 – Super Mario Galaxy 01:04:04 – News: Sayonara E3, PS5 rumors, Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters, and more!

E3 may be gone (for now?), but the show must go on, as they say, so join us for thoughts on Resident Evil 4-make™, Wo-Long: Fallen Dynasty, Meg's Monster, the new Tears of the Kingdom details, and more. (Recorded before the E3 news dropped, RIP.) Time – Topic Discussed: 00:57 – Nicknames 09:07 – Resident Evil 4 Remake 37:55 – Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty 43:04 – Meg's Monster 48:01 – Tunic 57:30 – News: E3 speculation, PS5 slim rumors, Zelda gameplay, and more!

The crew gather (IRL!) to talk Octopath II, the Resident Evil 4 demo (i.e. RE 4-make) and Village in PSVR2, Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line, and E3 or not E3 -- or is that even a question? Time – Topic Discussed: 01:12 – Nicknames 09:53 – Octopath Traveler II Impressions 15:34 – Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line 24:12 – Resident Evil 4 Demo Impressions (DEMO SPOILERS 31:44 - 33:24) 44:46 – Resident Evil Village on PSVR2 51:18 – News: PS5 sales skyrocket in Japan, Microsoft-Activision merger, and more!

Wherein the gang dish on the latest State of Play (ok, mostly Humanity to be honest), PSVR 2 launch, Mikami's departure and the Elden Ring DLC announcement (STEAK BET ALERT). Time – Topic Discussed: 01:04 – Nicknames 13:00 – PSVR2 Talk (Resident Evil Village) 30:44 – Humanity 44:52 – Like a Dragon: Ishin 52:55 – News: Pokemon Direct, Shinji Mikami leaves Tango Gameworks, and more!

We catch up on the latest Nintendo Direct with talk about Metroid Prime Remastered, Game Boy and Game Boy Advance nostalgia, and (of course) hot takes on the latest Zelda trailer. Time – Topic Discussed: 00:52 – Nicknames 09:05 – PC Engine Talk (Private eye dol) 25:36 – Metroid Prime Remastered 32:35 – Gargoyle's Quest 38:08 – The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap 43:04 – Nintendo Direct Recap

Game director at Tango Gameworks, self-admitted Zwan fan, and (actual) friend of the show John Johanas joins to talk all about the hottest game that no one had heard of until a week ago: Hi-Fi Rush! Time – Topic Discussed: 00:54 – Nicknames 07:44 – Hi-Fi Rush with Director John Johanas

With Gaming Jesus MIA, we broke out the rotary phone and called Turbo Zone Direct (1-800-DUO-THIS) to summon newcomer JP Wentz for an in-person show (!) to talk a lot of PC Engine, a little Pokemon S&V, a touch of Tunic, a sprinkling of news, and more!  02:44 – Nicknames 12:29 – PC Engine Talk 41:03 – Pokemon Scarlet & Violet 50:48 – Tunic 56:24 – January's releases, AGDQ and more!  

Kick off the new year with a TIGHT 60 (tm) of wistful holiday memories of three ogres battled, two crises cored, one avatar movie, and a fel-o-ny in an air fryer.   01:59 – Nicknames 19:44 – Tactics Ogre: Reborn 31:16 – Sekiro 36:00 – Night in the Woods 37:24 – Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII 41:16 – News: PlayStation's Project Leonardo, Pro Switch cancellation rumors, and more!

In our holiday special, wayward son Graeme returns home to learn the true meaning of Christmas—i.e. Armored Core and Street Fighter, The Game Awards, Ash hanging up his Pokéballs, and plenty more. WARNING: SANTA SPOILERS: KEEP AWAY FROM 10 AND UNDER 01:07 – Nicknames12:50 – Armored Core chat33:18 – Street Fighter 6 Beta45:30 – Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core Reunion52:33 – News: The Game Awards, Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters, and more!

Travel back to a time before (a day before!) the Game Awards and revel in the nostalgia and naïveté of those bygone days when people cared about Mario movie trailer ​#2, Elden Ring art books, and Yuji Naka conspiracy theories. Time – Topic Discussed: 01:07 – Nicknames 14:27 – The second Mario Movie trailer 20:35 – Elden Ring 39:52 – Vampire Survivors 44:42 – News: Street Fighter 6 leaks, Summer Games Fest returns, Yuzo Koshiro announces a Mega Drive game, and more!

Kyoto's reigning turducken champion and 17-Bit head honcho Jake Kazdal joins us straight from the dinner table in Kyoto to talk about Somerville, Vampire Survivors, Pokemon S&V, the upcoming Game Awards, and plenty more!   Time – Topic Discussed: 01:08 – Nicknames 01:39 – Word Cup Spoiler Talk (Germany v. Japan) 02:41 – World Cup Spoiler Talk Ends 13:10 – Somerville 22:48 – Vampire Survivors 30:02 – Pokemon Scarlet 40:22 – God of War: Ragnarok 50:40 – News: The Game Awards nominations, Miyamoto's Birthady, and more!

Gather round the campfire for mildly-warm-yet-palatable-even-if-they-briefly-fell-on-the-ground takes on Modern Warfare II, Twitter, Callisto Protocol & Japanese game "cens0rship," Nintendo numbers and more. Time – Topic Discussed: 01:39 – Nicknames 18:38 – Twitter Tawk 32:42 – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022) 43:24 – Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker 46:44 – Tetris Effect Connected 53:59 – News: Nintendo's Financials, Callisto Protocol cancelled in Japan, PSVR2 and more!

A verrrrrryyy scaaaaaaary and seasonally-appropriate spooktacular (tm) chat covering all the recent Resident Evil and Silent Hill news, Bloodborne and its unofficial demake, and -- yadda some last thing what did we talk about --. (Boo!) Time – Topic Discussed: 01:23 – Nicknames 12:37 – Bloodborne & Bloodborne PSX 28:15 – God of War (2018) 35:35 – News: Silent Hill Transmission, Capcom's Resident Evil showcase, and a little bit more!

The gang checks in on the Street Fighter 6 Beta, Meta Quest Pro news, and Phil Spencer's shelf, says goodbye to The Last Soldier, Babylon's Fall, and Stadia, and offer in-depth analysis on a certain plumber's plumper — and it's not the one you think! ……oh wait, no, yeah, it is. 00:51 – Nicknames 09:58 – The Super Mario Trailer 30:00 – Street Fight 6 46:01 – News: Nintendo Pictures, Oculus Quest Pro,  PSVR2, and more!

Nicholas de Leon of Consumer Reports saddles up in his Cooler Master Ergo L to talk about Gaming Chair conspiracies, the TGS news we missed, Mark's hate-hate relationship with Quake II, and plenty more. 01:06 – Nicknames 05:36 – Gaming chair advice with Nicholas from Consumer Reports 32:07 – Quake 2 RTX 40:49 – Dragon Quest X Offline 47:38 – 428 Shibuya Scramble 55:14 – Xenoblade Chronicles 3 57:53 – Splatoon 3 1:06:32 – News: TGS Roundup, NVIDIA's GPUs, Twitch's new revenue split, and more!

Big news outta TGS this week (yes, you read that correctly!), so the gang assembles in person (!)—along with Capcom's @alfonso_thesix and IGN's @The_Katbot—to discuss Street Fighter 6, the Nintendo Direct and State of Play lineups, various Like a Dragons, and more! Time – Topic Discussed: 01:27 –Nicknames 13:09 – Ryu Ga Gotoku Stuff 25:09 – Sony State of Play 33:07 – Tekken 8 Info 38:13 – Street Fighter 6 info 44:08 – Nintendo Direct recap 1:33:14 – Forespoken impressions

Accursed guest Liam Edwards joins us in the hunt, as we purge the streets of beasts and birdies. May the Great Ones grant us eyes, and maybe a few Ace Cards so we can make this episode a hole-in-one.   Time – Topic Discussed: 00:42 – Nicknames 08:16 – Cursed to Golf 44:25 – Bloodborne 1:09:04 – Xenoblade Chronicles 3 1:24:25 – News: PS5 Price Increases, New PS5 Model, Dark Souls 3 Multiplayer is back, and more!

We may be whittled down to just a cast of three this week, but that won't stop us from brainstorming alcohol marketing strategies, talking about garbage, and helping Tina decide her next FromSoft game. Actually, maybe YOU can help with that last one? Time – Topic Discussed: 00:00 – Nicknames 16:16 – Two Point Campus 25:36 – Tina's Next FromSoftware Journey 41:25 – Shin-Chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation 51:47 – News: EVO 2022 Results, No Switch Pro this Year, Pokémon Unite news and more!

Summer has finally hit Tokyo, and we're all looking for ways to cool down--or at the very least keep our cooldowns spinning in Xenoblade Chronicles 3! Also Tina learns to make her favorite cocktail and Gabe moves up in the world, plus Pokémon and Tactics Ogre news! Time – Topic Discussed: 00:40 – Happy 8-4 Day! 03:18 – Nicknames 18:44 – Xenoblade Chronicles 3 46:14 – Stray (and an Elden Ring name drop) 56:01 – Pokémon Go 59:09 – News: Pokémon Presents, EVO returns, Steam Deck bound for Asia, and more!

When the host is away, the rest of the cast will...explore the pain threshold of chocobo racing in Final Fantasy X, examine the extras in the Elden Ring collector's edition, express some spoiler-free thoughts on Stray, and exhibit a variety of hot takes on all the news that's fit to hastily throw in a google doc five mins before the show. Excelsior! Time – Topic Discussed: 01:32 – Nicknames 08:15 – Final Fantasy X 16:26 – Stray 33:57 – Alan Wake 42:12 – Tina's Elden Ring Haul 50:19 – News: God of War Ragnarok's Discless Steelbook, Platinum Games, and more!

Roy did what? …Well we can't put that in the description. Just say something like “We talk about Mario's voice, SGDQ, Switch pro rumors yadda yadda” the usual BS. 00:51 – Nicknames 08:35 – Elden Ring (Massive Spoilers. Pretty Sure We're Done After this!) 27:25 – SGDQ Highlights 51:01 – My Three Things, aka: News: Chris Pratt's Mario Voice, Super Deluxe Games, and more!

Join the fearsome 8-4-some as they charge headlong into Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, ruminate on the crowning of our final (?) Elden Lord, and waterslide through the Summer Gaming madness. Time – Topic Discussed: 01:39 – Nicknames & Mac n' Cheese Talk 18:36 – Fire Emblem: Three Hopes impressions 27:09 – ***Start Age of Calamity Spoilers*** 29:22 – ***End Age of Calamy Spoilers*** 35:48 – Elden Ring, ***FULL OF END GAME SPOILERS*** 1:00:13 – News: Summer Games Fest, Dragon's Dogma 2, and more!

We're a bit behind (or rather, ahead of?) all the Summer Gaming nonsense -- hey, we live in Japan, we just got rid of Zima, fer crissakes! -- but still got plenty of hot chatz re: Street Fighter 6, Resident Evil Rem4ke, Final Fantasy XVI, Mega Drive Mini 2, and Sonic Frontiers. Time – Topic Discussed: 01:51 – Nicknames 08:00 – Wild Arms (and PS+ Premium Impressions) 20:12 – News: Sony's State of Play, Giantbomb, SEGA and more! 01:33:40 – Demon's Souls 01:37:28 – Elden Ring 01:41:56 – Rogue Legacy 2

Elden who? Bury that fossil alongside the NHK guy--this week, we're diving deep on Project Zomboid, the hot new...wait, it's from 2013? Well, whatever. Roy's into it and that's all that matters. Plus a lil Kirby, a lil news, and maybe just a -few- words about the From game that shall no longer be named... Time – Topic Discussed: 01:08 – Nicknames 19:41 – Project Zomboid 35:46 – Kirby and the Forgotten Land 42:16 – Elden Ring (and some Demon's Souls!) 50:39 – News: Revamped PS+ Retro Titles, Silent Hill rumors and more!

Our final (?) discussion of Elden Ring dives so deep your rainbow stone would shatter before it hits bottom, including spoiler-filled endgame zigs and half-assed lore zags. Also: some news. Time – Topic Discussed: 01:20 – Nicknames 19:23 – Elden Ring 34:29 – ***ROUND 1 ELDEN RING SPOILER TALK STARTS*** 1:01:03 – ***ROUND 1 ELDEN RING SPOILER TALK ENDS*** 1:13:20 – ***ROUND 2 ELDEN RING SPOILER TALK STARTS*** 1:23:01 – ***ROUND 2 ELDEN RING SPOILER TALK ENDS*** 1:27:24 – News: Chip Shortages Continue, Yuji Naka Airs Some Dirty Laundry, Summer Games Fest, and more! 2:00:34 – ***MINOR ELDEN RING SPOILERS START*** 2:04:11 – ***MINOR ELDEN RING SPOILERS END***

What better way to celebrate Showa Day than with a smattering of Radical Dreamers, a dollop of Chrono Cross, and most importantly, in-depth analysis of every t-shirt in Uniqlo's new Final Fantasy collaboration line?   01:05 – Nicknames 09:34 – Elden Ring 33:02 – Chrono Cross & Radical Dreamers 49:07 – News: Super Mario movie delayed, Variable Refresh Rate coming to PS5 and more! The Uniqlo/Final Fantasy Colabboration: https://www.uniqlo.com/jp/ja/special-feature/ff35th

A whole lotta Gotta Protectors: Cart of Darkness, signs of Elden Ring burnout (yet somehow we still love talking about it for an hour?), and some kind of Kingdom Hearts something or other I dunno I stopped listening at this part. Plus steak updates and more! Time – Topic Discussed: 1:30 – Nicknames 6:40 – Gotta Protectors: Cart of Darkness 27:48 – Elden Ring (and some Pokémon Legends: Arceus) 1:02:44 – Our Chrono Cross Remastered plans 1:06:34 – News: E3 2022 Cancelled, Kingdom Hearts 4, and more!

April Fools! We do actually mostly talk about Elden Ring again. Hey, where else on the internet is anyone discussing this obscure indie?! We DO have new opinions, at least, with Mark back and 17-Bit honcho Jake Kazdal joining in. Also, Breath of the Wild 2 delay and Sony's revamped PS+. 01:09 – Nicknames 03:48 – Elden Ring 52:34 – Kirby and the Forgotten Land 1:02:36 – Tunic 1:14:45 – Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin impressions 01:24:48 – News: Sony's Project Spartacus, Breath of the Wild 2 delay.

Who has time to record a podcast when we're still neck-deep in Elden Ring? Not us, Tarnished! But all right, we'll put the twinblades down for an hour, I GUESS. Listen to us talk about our latest ER progress, the new reveals in last week's State of Play, and (not) much more!   Time – Topic Discussed: 01:33 – Nicknames 13:36 – Elden Ring 52:20 – News: Sony's State of Play, Elden Ring Patch Notes, Super Nintendo World, and more!

The Dark Souls of Dark Souls successors is upon us in Elden Ring, so unfurl your fingers and join us by the bonfi—I mean, site of grace—for an extended, (mostly) spoiler-free first discussion about our travels and travails throughout the Lands Between. Time – Topic Discussed: 00:50 – Nicknames 03:08 – Elden Ring 1:37:04 – News: Street Fighter 6, Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, and more!

We go deep on the latest Nintendo Direct, check in with Tina's Pokémon Legends-ary journey, Roy's first foray into Civilization, and welcome Graeme back to yell about Vampire Survivors and why Gabe is wrong about Dark Souls 2. Time – Topic Discussed: 01:11 – Nicknames 09:05 – Pokémon Legends: Arceus 23:01 – Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker (Minor Spoilers!) 28:02 – Apex Legends 31:18 – Civilization VI 42:06 – Vampire Survivors 51:28 – Dark Souls 2 and Dark Souls 3 1:10:49 – News: The February Nintendo Direct and the 3DS/WiiU eShop announcement

Hold onto your apricorns, because this week we're talking about everyone's favorite monsters: Banjo and Kazooie! No, just kidding. There's a new Pokémon game, or so we hear, plus news, an FF14 check-in, Gabe's mad dash through the Souls series, and more! (Btw folks who regularly listen via Spotify -- we don't feel good about being offered on the service atm so we've decided to stop posting there for now. Apologies for the inconvenience but, well yeah. Please listen elsewhere for the time being.) Time – Topic Discussed: 01:32 – Nicknames 12:58 – Pokémon Legends: Arceus 51:00 – Pokémon Gold and Silver 57:08 – Dark Souls 01:14:20 – Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker 01:21:39 – Banjo-Kazooie 01:34:45 – News: Nintendo Switch Sales, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 Rumors, and more!

Mostly news, and okay, yes, we do talk about Microsoft buying Activision, but only in the sense of who we plan to main in the inevitable upcoming Super Smash Dude Bros. IP crossover franchise. Otherwise: PSVR 2, AGDQ, and the Nintendo hotel. Time – Topic Discussed: 01:38 – Nicknames 18:02 – OCTOPATH TRAVELER 32:01 – News: Playstation VR2, E3's Online Only Announcement, Microsoft & Activision, and more! 1:19:06 – ***RESIDENT EVIL: VILLAGE SPOILERS*** 1:23:01 – ***END RESIDENT EVIL: VILLAGE SPOILERS***

Fan favorite Shane Bettenhausen stops by to chat classic games / shoot-them-ups, Steam Deck, and TV Asahi's top 100 game list, with a hat tip to 2021 faves and what we're excited about in 2022. Time – Topic Discussed: 01:09 - Nicknames 19:51 - G.Darius HD, Cotton 100% + Panorama Cotton, and Nemesis '90 Kai 25:54 - Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (and general Castlevania talk) 41:04 - Steam Deck impressions 47:34 - Final Fantasy V 56:21 - John's old-school Sega adventures 1:13:05 - Zelda Game & Watch 1:16:41 - ***SPOILERS*** Unpacking 1:24:44 - Untitled Goose Game 1:32:00 - TV Asahi's Top 100 Games 1:48:49- 2021 GOTY thoughts 1:54:11- 2022's most wanted

Can't travel home this year? Let us be your slightly drunk and very opinionated family as we blather on about old Sega games, The Game Awards, and those g-d politicians who are RUINING THIS COUNTRY! Time – Topic Discussed: 01:19 – Nicknames 20:42 – John's Stuff 34:15 – Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker 51:37 – The Game Awards Recap 01:16:12 – Final Fantasy VI delay, Analogue Pocket orders, fond memories, and more!

17-Bit jefe Jake Kazdal rejoins the party to discuss his new VR title Song In The Smoke, as well hot new releases like Dark Souls and Rez. Content warning: contains Final Fantasy XIV talk. Time – Topic Discussed: 00:43 – Nicknames 20:28 – Song in the Smoke 28:52 – Dark Souls 47:23 – Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker 1:07:35 – Dragon Quest Keshi Keshi 1:22:02 – Rez's Anniversary

The action picks up moments after last season's cliffhanger ending. Gabe is still on the run from the fuzz -- will he ever be able to show his face in our Zoom window again? Ponder this and more as we talk Nintendo remakes, convenience store sandwiches, VGA categories, and more! Time – Topic Discussed: 01:13 – Nicknames 17:37 – Mario Party Superstars 23:32 – Animal Crossing 31:32 – Dragon Quest X & Final Fantasy XIV 39:29 – News: The Game Awards nominees, Xbox's 20th Anniversary, and more! 1:15:04 – Listener Q&A

We know, we don't look a day over #247! Pull up a chair and listen to these ol' timers recount (and forget) tales from our past, checking in on Shin Megami Tensei V, Pikmin Bloom, and the new Animal Crossing update along the way. Time – Topic Discussed: 02:25 – Nicknames 13:33 – Shin Megami Tensei V 34:32 – Dark Souls Remastered 40:09 – SEGA Classics: Phantasy Star 2 and Shining Force 46:38 – Pikmin Bloom 51:37 – Animal Crossing: New Horizons Update 59:50 – News: Osaka's getting a Nintendo Store, Metal Gear Solid 2 & 3 temporarily pulled from digital stores, Valve's Steam Deck gets delayed, and more! 01:11:15 – We Reflect on 300 Episodes of 8-4 Play

We dive deep on RE4 in VR for the Quest with the help of our resident, evil Resident-Evil expert Alex Aniel, and chat Dungeon Encounters, more Super Nintendo World, and some news. Time – Topic Discussed: 00:48 – Nicknames 06:17 – Nintendo 64 on Switch 23:56 – Resident Evil 4: VR 53:42 – Metroid: Dread 1:08:18 – Dungeon Encounters 1:09:40 – News: Playstation's State of Play, Animal Crossing Direct, Elden Ring delay and more!

This week, we all curl up into very tight balls and barge into Jerry's apartment to talk about nothing. Just kidding! We actually talk about Metroid Dread and big TVs. Time – Topic Discussed: 01:06 – Nicknames 15:38 – Metroid Dread 54:51 – Kena: Bridge of Spirits 1:00:16 – News: Kingdom Hearts coming to Switch, Universal Studios Japan and Pokémon join forces, and more!

Autumn is in the air, even if a classic Tokyo Game Show episode is not. Join us as we talk last judgments on Lost Judgment, get cute with Kena: Bridge of Spirits, and review the latest Nintendo Direct. Hey, how bout that Mario movie? Time – Topic Discussed: 01:58 – Nicknames 22:10 – Lost Judgment 28:42 – Kena: Bridge of Spirits 42:38 – Pokémon UNITE 45:46 – News: Nintendo Direct Recap, Tokyo Game Show has begun, 4K Switch Rumors Return, and more!

Join us as we traipse through a field of misty GameCube memories, Lost Judgment verdicts, Bugsnax morsels, and PlayStation Showcase amuse-bouches.   Time – Topic Discussed: 00:56 – Nicknames 22:04 – Bloodborne 28:10 – Lost Judgment 43:39 – Bugsnax 54:28 – Pokémon Unite 57:20 – Genshin Impact 1:00:29 – News: PlayStation Showcase, the GameCube turns 20, PS5 & Nintendo Switch Updates, and more!

Friend of the show Liam Edwards joins to talk his newly-announced golf-like, Cursed to Golf, plus BitSummit, indie life in Japan, No More Heroes 3, Guilty Gear Strive, and a healthy shake for dinner. Time – Topic Discussed: 01:12 – Nicknames 15:27 – Bitsummit Talk 17:34 – Cursed to Golf 46:31 – Sol Cresta impressions 54:58 – No More Heroes 3 1:02:45 – Guilty Gear Strive 1:09:00 – Pokémon Unite

Look: if you aren't Monster-Hunter-positive or at least MH-curious, might wanna just skip this ep. Otherwise, enjoy as GaijinHunter Adam Evanko joins to chat about the new Netflix special, Rise and MH Stories 2, what's next for the series, and (of course) Cheetos vs. Potato straws.

This week we debate the strengths and weaknesses of the two big conbini chains in Japan. Who makes the best pasta? The best fried chicken in an envelope? The best onigiri? Listen to find out! Oh, we also talk about video games. Time – Topic Discussed: 02:01 – Nicknames 21:09 – Pokémon Unite 40:42 – Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters 48:41 – Demon's Souls 53:25 – Apex Legends 1:00:52 – Terranigma 1:03:38 – Listener Questions & Answers

Rainy season is out, Skyward Sword HD is in, Gabe is...all over the place, and it's a four-day weekend in Japan?! Join the holiday celebration as we answer listener questions and talk about Zelda, Steam Deck, crazy auctions, and more! Time – Topic Discussed: 01:01 – Nicknames 15:45 – The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword 31:51 – News: The Steam Deck, Mario & Zelda Auctions, and more! 01:02:49 – Listener Questions & Answers

Ex game-journo and noted theme park connoisseur Michael Donahoe joins us for a deep dive into what he considers the best park on the planet (!): Super Nintendo World. Time – Topic Discussed: 01:09 – Nicknames 23:34 – Streets of Rage 4 34:22 – Chicory 45:01 – Super Nintendo World Report 01:15:59 – News: The Nintendo Switch OLED, Sony's Acquisitions, Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut, and more!

The hype train has left with a resounding choo-choo! In its wake, we unpack this year's E3 news and share thoughts on Stranger of Paradise, FF7R Intergrade, 25 years of N64, and more! Time – Topic Discussed: 01:40 – Nicknames 11:17 – Apex Legends 19:47 – Stranger in Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin 35:20 – Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade 52:07 - Mass Effect: Legendary Edition 54:28 – Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers 1:05:37 – News: E3 Recap; Sonic's 30th Anniversary, Nintendo 64's Anniversary, and more!

E3 is (sorta) back, which means it's time to buckle up for another round of baseless speculation, ridiculous predictions, and general mayhem as we once again board the #E3HYPETRAIN! Time – Topic Discussed: 25:30 – News: Nintendo, Uncharted 4 on PC, E3's Award show, and more! 34:17 – Nintendo E3 Speculation 57:14 – More News: The EGRETII mini, Yuji Naka's retirement (?), The Playdate, and more! 01:26:35 – Capcom E3 Speculation 01:33:08 – Microsoft & Bethesda E3 Speculation 01:44:38 – Square-Enix 01:50:30 – Our Wishlists & Last Minute Predictions