8-4 Play

Summer is the time for love, Takarazuka, and Death Stranding 2 early access. Plus the latest Switch 2 impressions, Japan life updates, and thoughts on the DK Direct. 00:58 – Nicknames 12:36 – Death Stranding 2: On the Beach 27:30 – Grandia 33:54 – Mario Kart World 54:09 – News: Donkey Kong Bananza Direct, Marathon delayed, and more!

One week and three and a half million units later, tune in to hear the crew's first hands-on impressions of Switch 2 and all the excitement surrounding the launch in Japan, plus the latest news out of Summer Game Fest, State of Play, the Xbox Games Showcase, and more!   Time — Topic Discussed 00:52 – Nicknames 05:38 – Nintendo Switch 2 13:04 – Mario Kart World 27:20 – Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour 34:28.– The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker 46:25 – News: Splatoon Raiders announced, Switch 2 sales, Summer Game Fest, and more!  

With The Second Coming upon us, Digital Foundry’s John Linneman joins us for an exhaustive chat through the tech driving Nintendo’s new hardware, including a few key lingering questions… Time — Topic Discussed 00:46 – Nicknames 18:56 – Switch 2 Talk 1:04:16 – FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time 1:13:08 – Luigi’s Mansion 3 1:14:33 – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 1:16:27 – Blue Prince 1:21:34 – Doom: The Dark Ages

Tide yourself over this dry spell before the Summer Game Fest feast with (still tasty!) leftovers of Clair Obscur and Blue Prince, plus morsels on gaming media woes and EVO Japan bits in news. Time — Topic Discussed 01:21 – Nicknames 09:30 – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 15:34 – Blue Prince 19:20 – Blue Prince Spoilers Start 23:41 – Blue Prince Spoilers End 27:34 – News: Giant Bomb, the latest in Switch 2, EVO Japan and more!

Golden Week? This year it's more of a Golden Weekend, sadly, but that hasn't stopped us from putting our vacations on pause to share impressions of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Mario Kart World, and our Switch 2 preorder experiences. Plus news!   Time — Topic Discussed 01:00 – Nicknames 05:54 – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 28:39 – Mario Kart World 39:25 – News: Switch 2 pre-orders, 8bitdo cancels US shipments, and more!

Grab your journal and get ready to scribble extensive notes on Blue Prince, the new Vampire Survivors DLC, the latest Switch 2 news, and Gabe’s turf burns in this very special pre-Golden Week Tight 55™︎ episode! Time — Topic Discussed 00:54 – Nicknames 08:50 – Blue Prince 25:24 – Vampire Survivors: Emerald Diorama 27:22 – News: Switch 2, PS5 prices, and more!

SMAAAAAAASH that C-Button and join our chat all about (what else) Switch 2. Mario Kart! Donkey Kong! The Duskbloods! Pricing! Region-locking! Jorts!

Sure, we may have recorded before yesterday's Nintendo Direct, but that just means we had more time to talk Xenoblade Chronicles X: DE, read up on the latest Monster Hunter Wilds news, and get a 10-minute two-minute history lesson on the origins of the Metal Max franchise.   Time — Topic Discussed 01:57 — Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition 35:12 — Metal Max 42:20 — News: Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update, Game Informer returns, and more!

Pull up a slab of cheese nan and dig in to a full episode of (what else?) Monster Hunter Wilds, as the team Gears-of-War-slow-walks you through our first few days with the game.   Time — Topic Discussed 01:50 — Nicknames 04:33 — Monster Hunter Wilds 58:05 — News: Monster Hunter Wilds breaks records, Clovers, and Death Stranding 2

Enjoy the final pod before we go Wild on the new Monster Hunter with…well, MHW review talk! Also solid chatter on some older and / or semi-obscure Japanese gems because, hey, it’s us. Time — Topic Discussed 01:00 — Nicknames 10:08 — Monster Hunter Wilds Review Recap 23:25 — Resident Evil Remastered 32:05 — Grandia 37:24 — Stray Children 44:00 — News: Shuhei Yoshida, NetEase, Monolith closing, and more!

The gang runs down PlayStation’s latest State of Play showcase, including Housemarque’s Saros, Monster Hunter Wilds, Shinobi, Sonic Racing, and (dramatic music)…Digimon? Time — Topic Discussed 01:07 – Nicknames 02:40 – Sony State of Play (and News) 41:24 – Ender Lilies 45:53 – The Legend of Dragoon 49:38 – Cyberpunk 2077 50:54 – Pikmin 4

You'll jump outta yo seat for the Dynasty Warriors: Origins impressions and Ninja Gaiden 2 Black / 4 news, but sit back down and buckle the f up for live - that's right, LIVE - (and already outdated) Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket pack openings.   00:51 – Nicknames 12:11 – Dynasty Warriors: Origins 19:56 – Pokémon TCG Pocket 22:59 – The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom 32:27 – News  

We did it We finally outsmarted Nintendo And all it cost us was…everything   Time — Topic Discussed 02:20 – Switch 2!!

We've barely recovered from our New Year's hangovers, but we're already back and hard at work for you, dear listener, with a brand new ep, recorded live and in person in the year of our lord 202—what’s that? We're out of space? Uh...special Q&A ep—enjoy!   Time — Topic Discussed 03:36 – Listener Questions

'Tis the season for a loosey-goosey-boozy run-down of all the announcements and winners and everything from The Game Awards, including the-one-with-the-guy-who-climbs-on-the-robot-then-the-head-flies-off. Happy holidays!! Time — Topic Discussed 01:27 – Nicknames 15:16 – Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake 21:10 – DQ3 SPOILERS START! 23:42 – DQ3 SPOILERS END! 23:48 – Indiana Jones and the Great Circle 29:24 – Pokemon TGC Pocket 34:16 – News: The Game Awards Recap!

Lunar 2: Eternal Blue (localization CONTROVERSY!), PC Engine obscurities (the BEST game you NEVER HEARD OF!!), and checking in on Dragon Quest III HD-2D (Gabe's take will SHOCK you!!!) #smashlike #subscribe #hitthebell   Time — Topic Discussed 00:55 – Nicknames 14:57 – PC-FX Talk 22:35 – Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake 27:56 – Lunar 2: Eternal Blue 35:37 – Alarmo Minute 40:54 – News: Alarmo stock, Shuhei Yoshida leaves PlayStation, and more!

Join us as we journey to Aliahan (DQ3 HD-2D Remake), the Soviet Union (Tetris Forever), Hokkaido (To the North), Geoff Keighley’s basement (Game Awards Nominations), and deep Kyoto for more tales from the Nintendo Museum! Time — Topic Discussed 01:15 – Nicknames 15:26 – Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake 38:00 – Tetris Forever 55:27 – News: FF14 mobile announced, Game Awards nominees, and more!

All killa no filla: Metaphor, Monster Hunter Wilds, Nintendo Music app, Vampire Survivors' Castlevania DLC, Pokémon TCG Pocket, Switch 2 news and more! 00:57 – Nicknames 04:32 – Pokémon TCG Pocket 17:56 – Monster Hunter Wilds 44:38 – Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania 49:58 – Metaphor: ReFantazio 56:10 – News: Switch 2 backwards compatibility, Xenoblade Chronicles X, and more!

Rise and shine, kids—Halloween’s on the way, but not before we dabble in first impressions of Silent Hill 2, last (?) impressions of Echoes of Wisdom, and the start of our ongoing coverage of Nintendo’s hot new hardware! (Alarmo, duh.) Time — Topic Discussed 01:06 – Nicknames 14:46 – Silent Hill 2 remake 24:12 – The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom 42:10 – Lunar: Silver Star Story 49:42 – World of Warcraft 56:30 – Nintendo Alarmo 1:20:37 – News: Sakurai’s Creating Games concludes, an EGM Kickstarter, and more!

The TGS dust has settled and it's back to normal over here—normal as in, Nintendo announcing stuff mere hours after we record. We'll have to hit snooze on the alarm clock chatter, but we can try and keep you awake with thoughts on Echoes of Wisdom, Until Dawn, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and some news instead??   Time — Topic Discussed 00:52 — Nicknames 12:16 — The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom 26:12 — Metaphor ReFantazio impressions 28:18 — Until Dawn impressions 35:03 — News: Halo, UBISOFT, 8-4's birthday and more!