Show overview
8-4 Play has been publishing since 2010, and across the 16 years since has built a catalogue of 419 episodes. That works out to roughly 750 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a fortnightly cadence.
Episodes typically run over ninety minutes — most land between 1h 24m and 2h 3m — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. The publisher flags most episodes as explicit, so expect adult themes or strong language throughout. It is catalogued as a EN-language Leisure show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 6 days ago, with 10 episodes already out so far this year. Published by 8-4, Ltd..
From the publisher
Every other week, tune into 8-4 Play for talk about Japan, video games, and Japanese video games, straight from the 8-4 offices in beautiful downtown Tokyo.
Latest Episodes
View all 419 episodes8-4 Play 5/8/2026: FANTASTIC MR. STAR FOX
8-4 Play 4/24/2026: STROOP, THERE IT IS
8-4 Play 4/10/2026: NOT MY SYRCUS
8-4 Play 3/27/2026: CHAIRING IS CARING
ECraft yourself a seat by the river and take a load off as we share first thoughts on Pokémon Pokopia, check in on the current state of Monster Hunter Wilds, and catch up on a couple other games + the latest news and Japanese (?) pizza lore. 00:40 – Nicknames 17:44 – Pokemon Pokopia 37:06 – Monster Hunter Wilds 45:00 – DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined 54:36 – Final Fantasy III 59:49 – News: Pokopia is a hit, PSN rebranding, and more!

8-4 Play 3/13/2026: ALICE IN CHAINSAWS
ETh-th-the gang t-t-talks the g-g-good, the bad, and the silly of Resident Evil Requiem, plus more Zelda, Minishoot Adventures, and Project Helix in news. 01:38 – Nicknames 05:55 – The Legend of Zelda 12:47 – Resident Evil Requiem 52:37 – Minishoot Adventures 55:53 – News: Resident Evil Requiem breaks records, Project Helix, and more!
8-4 Play 2/27/2026: LEGEND OF AWAYSIS
E17-Bit's Jake Kazdal stops by to talk Zelda anniversary memories, his upcoming game Awaysis, Virtual Boy do's and don'ts, and all the big news out of Microsoft and PlayStation. 09:58 – The Legend of Zelda 33:34 – Awaysis 53:01 – Virtual Boy 1:01:32 – Nioh 3 1:04:25 – Arc Raiders 1:10:42 – News: Microsoft, Sony State of Play, and more!
8-4 Play 2/13/2026: SEEING RED
EStrap on your climbing gear and watch out for vertigo as we scale the dizzying heights of Cairn and plumb the stereoscopic depths of the Virtual Boy. Plus news! 00:58 – Nicknames 06:18 – Blue Prince 16:37 – Cairn 33:30 – Virtual Boy 52:23 – News: Nintendo Direct recap, Steam Machine delayed, and more!
8-4 Play 1/30/2026: NO ONE CAN STOP MR. TETROMINO
EThe crew checks in (hotel humor!) on the 3.0 update and Switch 2 version of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the good and bad of Xbox's latest developer direct, and the horrors and sweet, sweet delights of the upcoming Virtual Boy lineup. 03:51 – Animal Crossing: New Horizons 32:31 – News: Nintendo Rumors, Sony Rumors, Resident Evil rumors and more!
8-4 Play 1/16/2026: YOU, ME, AND LINDA'S CUBES
ELinda Cubed, DQ7 Reimagined, Castlevania 64, and Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance highlight a mish-mash of new and old impressions alongside the latest news as we kick off 2026 for the second time with a respectable Tight 79! 01:15 – Nicknames 07:00 – Linda Cubed 19:28 – Dragon Quest VII Reimagined Demo 27:27 – Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance 37:28 – Castlevania 64 (MASSIVE SPOILERS!) 47:43 – News (AGDQ, Nintendo's Year in Review, and more!)

8-4 Play 1/2/2026: BALL DROPPIN' NEW YEAR'S FREE-FOR-ALL
EFriend of the show and former EGM editor Che Chou joins us to ring in 2026 with another freeform Q&A ep fueled by bourbon and filled with New Year's resolutions, holiday memories, GOTY talk, and Cybermorph. HNY! Time — Topic Discussed 11:40 – Listener Questions
8-4 Play 12/19/2025: PRIME MINISTRY
ERing in the holidays with extended Metroid Prime 4 thoughts and an audio tour of the Nintendo Museum's new art exhibit, plus Game Awards recap / reax in news! Time — Topic Discussed 01:06 – Nicknames 25:00 – Metroid Prime 4: Beyond 51:25 – News: The Game Awards, SEGA Channel games preserved, and more!
8-4 Play 12/5/2025: VIEWPOINT 1998
EWith Metroid Prime 4 dropping mere hours before we recorded, we went for the next best thing: a bunch of games from the late 90s! Tune in for talk of Analogue 3D, Radiant Silvergun, Viewpoint 2064, 2D gaming on the PS1, and more—plus some current-century stuff like Ball x Pit and Lumines Arise. Time — Topic Discussed 01:00 – Nicknames 05:42 – Radiant Silvergun 13:15 – Viewpoint 2064 21:30 – Analogue 3D 39:48 – Nicknames 42:44 – Ball x Pit 48:50 – Lumines Arise 51:22 – News: Game Awards Statue, Dead Rising rumors, and more!
8-4 Play 11/21/2025: ALL STEAMED UP
ELumines (loo-meh-nez) Arise, new Hyrule Warriors, Game Awards noms, Metroid Prime 4 hopes and fears, new Steam hardware (x3) and more! 00:45 – Nicknames 13:20 – Lumines: Arise 20:32 – Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment 33:11 – News: The Game Awards, Super Mario Galaxy movie, and more!
8-4 Play 11/7/2025: RTX-5090 Z-A HD-2D TURBO
EHear all about (deep breath) Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake (exhale) and the A-Z of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, with a side of Nintendo news and Halloween in Japan. Time — Topic Discussed 00:47 – Nicknames 17:30 – DRAGON QUEST I & II HD-2D Remake 25:31 – Pokémon Legends: Z-A 35:00 – News: Nintendo Switch 2 sales, Animal Crossing updates, Halo on PlayStation, and more!
8-4 Play 10/24/2025: ONE-UPPED
E1UP Show memories, Hollow Knight 2, Little Nightmares 3, Ninja Gaiden 4, FIIIIIVE GOLD-EN! RINGS!! Plus more FFT, RIP Itagaki-san, and a buncha news. Time — Topic Discussed 00:00 – Nicknames 09:32 – Hollow Knight: Silksong 17:21 – Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles 20:59 – Little Nightmares 3 26:25 – Ninja Gaiden 4 30:00 – News: Remembering Itagaki-san, The 1UP Show's 20th anniversary, and more!
8-4 Play 10/10/2025: THE SILENT HILLVALICE CHRONICLES
EClutch your digiballs and sharpen your sickles as we dive into Silent Hill f, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, Digimon Story Time Stranger, Mario Galaxy 1&2, a bunch of obscure Alfa System games, the latest news, and more! Time — Topic Discussed 00:37 – Nicknames 08:49 – Silent Hill f 33:38 – Oreshika & Gunparade March 44:55 – Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles 1:05:12 – Digimon Story Time Stranger 1:13:56 – Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 1:18:52 – News: EA, Microsoft, and more!
8-4 Play 9/26/2025: TOKYO GAME SHOW 2025
EIt's our favorite time of year: Tokyo Game Show! A cavalcade of special guests pop through to talk about everything we saw at and around day 1 of the show, including Marvel Tokon, Onimusha, RE9, Yakuza Kiwami 3, Age of Imprisonment, Nioh 3, Ghost of Yotei, Dragon Quest 1&2, and lots more! Time — Topic Discussed 04:48 – TGS Vibes & Merch 08:42 – CAPCOM (Pragmata, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Resident Evil Requiem) 20:38 – Indies (Demonschool, Dreams of Another, I Saw a Flying Saucer, Sobakistan: The Land of Dogs) 27:32 – SEGA (Yakuza Kiwami 3) 33:53 – Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake 38:02 – Sharp X68000 mini 42:00 – Psyvariar 3 42:38 – Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls 52:05 – Scott Pilgrim EX 53:07 – R-Type Tactics 1:03:43 – Reanimal 1:05:39 – Once Upon A KATAMARI 1:08:26 – Digimon Story: Time Stranger 1:14:17 – Monster Hunter Stories 3 1:16:44 – Denshattack! 1:19:17 – Nioh 3 1:23:27 – Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment 1:36:47 – Sony's State of Play 1:51:48 – Ghost of Yotei
8-4 Play 9/19/2025: SILK STRONG
EGet your canned beverage of choice and your ticket for the green car -- it's time to board the bullet train for TGS! For the ride over, we've got a Tight 60 filled with Silksong impressions and a breakdown of all the big news out of last week's mega-sized Nintendo Direct. Time — Topic Discussed 00:48 – Nicknames 07:37 – Hollow Knight: Silksong 24:43 – Earthion 27:23 – News: Nintendo Direct, TGS leaks, and more!
8-4 Play 9/5/2025: WHAT A THRILL
ETurn down the Silksong BGM and turn UP the talk about Metal Gear Solid Delta, the Lumines Arise demo, Exit 8 and Platform 8, and a whole buncha news. Time — Topic Discussed 00:52 — Nicknames 03:32 — Exit 8 and Platform 8 19:50 — Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater 30:50 — Lumines Arise demo 45:16 — News: Nintendo Direct rumors, PS6 rumors, and more!
8-4 Play 8/22/2025: NEODUDES
EUFO 50 (buy it!), Mina the Hollower demo (try it!), Neorude (look it up!), Phantasy Star IV (dust it off!), Off (turn it on!), and a whole messa news (listen to it!) Time – Topic Discussed 01:14 – Nicknames 08:36 – Mina the Hollower impressions 16:11 – UFO 50 31:00 – Neorude The Leading RPG 33:51 – Phantasy Star IV 38:37 – OFF 44:16 – News: Opening Night Live, Kirby Air Riders Direct, and more!