8-4 Play

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 collaboration: 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

Dragon Quest may be getting 'darker' and 'more adult', but we here at 8-4 Play pledge to remain as cute and carefree as ever. Join us for talk of all the recent DQ-related announcements, the latest Switch rumors, a little RE: Village and New Pokémon Snap, and more! Time – Topic Discussed: 00:50 – Nicknames 13:22 – News: Dragon Quest Announcements, Valve's portable steam device, new Switch Pro rumors, and more! 1:17:54 – Resident Evil: Village 1:25:48 – Control 1:29:50 – Earthbound 1:39:07 – New Pokémon Snap 1:45:43 – Last Minute Rumors & News: Team Ninja & Final Fantasy, Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Edition, and a little bit more!

No news is good news when the only news is Alex "cvxfreak" Aniel joining us for nearly two hours of impressions of two of the past month's biggest releases: Returnal and Resident Evil Village! Check out Alex's book Itchy, Tasty: An Unofficial History of Resident Evil (Thanks to Peter Jonca for the Resident Evil font used in our image!) Time – Topic Discussed: 01:04 – Nicknames 09:17 – Returnal 41:59 – Resident Evil: Village

It's Golden Week in Japan! Join us for pre-holiday impressions of SaGa Frontier Remastered and NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139, plus the latest news from the worlds of video games and fast food (spoiler: MacDonald is out this week, but McDonald's is -in-). Time – Topic Discussed: 01:25 – Nicknames 13:05 – SaGa Frontier Remastered 33:29 – NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… 01:01:37 – News: PS5 Sales, PS3/PS Vita stores are here to stay, RE8 news recap, and more!

Impressed with the dioramas in Fantasian, we work together to construct a faithful replica of the 8-4 office. We spare no detail, including our fridge in the state-of-the-art podcast wing filled with tiny Chu-hi! Time – Topic Discussed: 01:31 – Nicknames 14:21 – Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers 24:26 – Monster Hunter Rise 27:04 – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 31:42 – Fantasian 40:32 – Dragon Quest X 41:59 – No Man's Sky 52:03 – News: Nintendo Indies Announcement, the latest Sony happenings, and more!

Joined by special guest Adam "Gaijin Hunter" Evanko, we celebrate the latest pointy, bitey addition to the Monster Hunter franchise! 00:53 – Nicknames 05:52 – Monster Hunter Rise 1:04:48 – News: DLSS on the Next Switch, Sony's Sunset Plans PS3/PSP/PSVita stores, and more!

This week we bravely default to talking about Japan, games, and Japanese games! Plus a bit of reminiscing about boy bands, print gaming media, and some classic puzzle platformers. Time – Topic Discussed: 00:58 – Nicknames 27:19 – Bravely Default II 38:40 – Don't Starve Together 44:45 – Little Nightmare 2, Inside, & Limbo (***Limbo Spoilers***) 51:28 – News: Bethesda Joins Microsoft, Super Nintendo World, Apex Legends on Switch and more!

17-Bit's Jake Kazdal returns to talk about his newly-announced VR title "Song in the Smoke," Japan Studio's closure, a bigger-screen Switch, PS5 VR, banana controllers, being Seth Rogen's stunt double, and more! Time – Topic Discussed: 00:58 – Nicknames 10:59 – Song in the Smoke 44:49 – News: PlayStation VR News, Japan Studio's fate, New Switch rumors, and lots more

We gorge on Nintendo news along with 17-Bit's Jake Kazdal, topping it off with lots (and lots) of thoughts on Bowser's Fury and very, very little FFXIV updates. And the long-awaited reveal of exactly what time Gabe secured his PS5 order. Time – Topic Discussed: 00:51 – Nicknames 15:10 – Devil May Cry 5 18:50 – Nintendo Direct News 1:07:35 – Super Mario 3D World: Bowser's Fury 1:41:27 – More News: GoldenEye Leak, DualSense drift, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie, Final Fantasy XIV's next expansion, and more!

What do the RE8 and Balan demos, Cyber Shadow, Evangelion, Xbox Live Pricing, Switch LTD Sales and Sega politics all have in common? We talk about them on this podcast. Duh. This is always a list of the stuff we talk about. It was a rhetorical question. Time – Topic Discussed: 00:46 – Nicknames 04:58 – Cyber Shadow 11:01 – Some Evangelion chat 19:31 – Resident Evil Village Visual Showcase 43:14 – The Medium 59:31 – News: PS5 Chaos in Japan, Nintendo Switch sales surpass the 3DS, Stadia's New Direction, GameStop at the last minute (literally), and more!

This week we give our expert (read: somewhat experienced) opinions of the Monster Hunter Rise demo. Then it's a mixed bag of games both new and old, with a side helping of anime and Sheila-E. Time – Topic Discussed: 01:06 - Nicknames 03:05 - Mario Kart 8 05:46 - Monster Hunter Rise Demo 26:35 - Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night 30:28 - Slime Bunker 33:23 - Attack on Titan (and some more Anime/TV talk) 43:41 - Spiritfarer 47:28 - News: Lucas Film Games & the New Indiana Jones, Awesome Games Done Quick recap Square-Enix's mysterious trademarks, Peter Moore's return, and more!

First episode of 2021! This week we talk about our experiences in radio, the lifestyle that is Sasuke, the life of Saruman, and maybe some video games. Time – Topic Discussed: 02:31 - Nicknames 20:10 - The Lord of the Rings movie & book talk (***CONTAINS SPOILERS***) 28:04 - Mario Kart 8: Deluxe 32:30 - Breath of Fire 3 36:49 - Read Dead Online 37:46 - Star Wars Battlefront II (2017) 44:04 - Awesome Games Done Quick (so far) 48:05 - News: The End of those GoKart tours, Miis & Breath of the Wild NPCs, Nier: Automata's final secret, and more!

Cozy up by the fire and join us for our annual holiday send-off, filled with tales of Christmas past, plans for winter break, and plenty more. Thanks as always for listening, and see you in 2021! Time – Topic Discussed: 00:36 - Nicknames 12:41 - Sega Astro City Mini 23:01 - Return of the Obra Dinn (there are no spoilers) 32:09 - Jet Force Gemini 40:25 - Animal Crossing: New Horizons 54:51 - Phantasy Star Online 20th Anniversary 1:06:12 - Video Game Related Holiday Memories 1:19:02 - News: The Game Awards roundup, Cyberpunk 2077, Monster Hunter Movie, and more! 2:04:38 - Game and TV Plans for the Holiday Break

This week we record before both The Game Awards AND the release of Cyberpunk 2077. But that doesn't stop us from ad-libbing some game award moments and re-visiting our Netflix corner.

Thanksgiving might be a little different this year, but like Olaf famously put it in Frozen II "8-4 Play is always there for you." Brighten up your Black Friday with bawdy tales of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, and Japanese housing regulations. Hack the planet!

This week we trace some rays and flop some...teras? Anyway, next-gen is finally here!

Halloween is nearly here, but there'll be no Shibuya parties for us. Instead, we'll settle for the excitement of next-gen!

This week we get a little emotional about Paper Mario. Then we get MAD! About BUTTONS! Then we bring it all home with our hot takes on the Monster Hunter movie trailer.

Time-travel back to the nostalgic past of Oct 1, 2020! Who's next in Smash? How does Super Mario Bros. 35 work? Is karma real? All these questions and more will not be answered!

This week the crew is joined by 17-Bit head honcho Jake Kazdal to break down the latest news from the PlayStation 5 showcase and miss yet another suspiciously-timed Nintendo Direct.