8-4 Play

Ready for those boring ol' holidays to turn into crazy-awesome holiDAZE? ...No? ...Wait -- did you notice there was a "z" on the end? ...Well the point is you should listen to this 8-4 podcast, with talk about 3DS & Vita sales numbers and what they mean (and don't mean), Gravity Rush, Uncharted, and Hot Shots Golf (all Vita), 3DS's Swapnote and new demos for Resident Evil: Revelations, Metal Gear Solid 3D, and Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy, plus Kiki Trick for Wii, the Zelda timeline, Mario 64 speedruns, and more.

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_037_111230.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 5:57am EDT

Christmas comes early as special guests CheapyD and...others...join the 8-4 crew to discuss the new PlayStation Vita, top to bottom: the launch, the games (including Uncharted, Ridge Racer, Hot Shots Golf and more), the mem cards, remote play, PSP backwards compatibility – every mother-father thing you can think of, from the feel of the flaps that cover the card slots to the menu music. Then! We shift gears to go deep, so deep, so deep into Monster Hunter 3G we put Qurupeco’s butt to sleep. You listen now, Joe!

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_036_111217.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 9:15am EDT

Is Miyamoto stepping down at Nintendo? Did Ueda quit Sony? What's going on with the Vita?! What games will be revealed at that Spikey awards show thing?!? Why worry about such questions when you can listen to the 8-4 gang fret about them for almost 3 hours! Also: Infinity Blade 2, Mario Kart 7, more (yes more, dammit!) Skyrim and Uncharted 3, Pushmo for 3DSware, firmware updates for the 3DS, 360, and PS3, and more newsy news.

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_035_111209.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:05am EDT

Question: Which game should you be playing right now, Skyrim or Zelda: Skyward Sword? Answer: Yes. Honestly, that's all you need to know, but the 8-4 crew prattles on anyway in a spoiler-free discussion of the glorious highs and bowel-quaking lows (OK, more like the minor annoyances) of two of this year's best games, then chit-chat (read: rage) about Sony's PSP UMD-to-Vita transfer program, rumors about the next Xbox, and online buzz on the future of Metal Gear in news. 

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_034_111124.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:34am EDT

You'll have to think fast and move even faster to complete this podcast! Gaming Jesus is being held captive by the evil Koopa tribe of turtles. It's up to you to rescue him from the clutches of the Koopa King before time runs out. But it won't be easy. To get there, you'll have to listen to detailed impressions of Super Mario 3D Land, plus chatter about Uncharted 3, Wii U, the future of the 3DS, controller patents, and some late-breaking info about Robin Hood and where babies come from.

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_033_111110.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:54am EDT

:DEEP BREATH: PlayStation Vita pre-order lines, Level-5 World games (Ni no Kuni for PS3, Yokai Watch, Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney, etc.), Nintendo 3DS high and lowlights, Mario Kart 7, Find Mii 2, Reggie's chin, Monster Hunter 3G, WoW meets Digimon, Zelda: Skyward Sword reviews, MAGs in Phantasy Star Online 2, Ezio in Soul Calibur V, GTA V predictions, Yakuza 5 towns, Dark Souls DLC (or lack therof), MetalGe.*cough* :PASS OUT:

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_032_111028.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:55am EDT

PRAISE THE SUN! Dark Souls has been consuming most of our lives, but we do manage to eventually break away from talking about it to discuss other recent happenings, including Square Enix's surprise retooling of Final Fantasy XIV, Sega's XBLA remake of Guardian Heroes, and Capcom's limited edition Monster Hunter 3DS. Plus: hands-on impressions of Robot Invader's Wind-Up Knight, ears-on impressions of the 25th anniversary Zelda Symphony orchestra concert, listener feedback, and more!

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_031_111014.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:13am EDT

With Mark out of town on business and Tokyo Game Show now behind us, life at 8-4 Towers has been pretty quiet lately. But that's no excuse not to record a podcast! ...OK, actually, it kind of is, but we went ahead and recorded one anyway! Tune in to hear us talk about Dark Souls, Zelda: Four Swords 25th Anniversary Edition, the Diablo III beta, porntips from Thailand (not what you think!), "Lucky Lassi" Monster Hunter drinks from Family Mart (...probably what you think), and plenty more.

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_030_110930.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00am EDT

Shane Bettenhausen! Ryan Payton! Billy Berghammer! We've got special guests up the wazoo here at 8-4 Towers to celebrate 8-4 Play's first anniversary (yay!) and to help us break down the 2011 Tokyo Game Show. Tune in for hands- (and/or eyes-) on impressions of all the big games, including the PlayStation Vita launch lineup, Binary Domain, Phantasy Star Online 2, Anarchy Reigns, Soul Calibur 5, the 3DS "Frankenstick" right stick add-on, and more. And when you're done, be sure to head over to Shacknews.com to pick up the second half of our big discussion with Garnett Lee on this week's Weekend Confirmed.

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_029_110916.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:25am EDT

Freshly-unemployed Internet sensation Shane Bettenhausen joins us as we kick off TGS week with a blow-by-blow breakdown of the big two pre-show press conferences - Nintendo's Frankenstick-free Monster Hunter megathon and Sony's 94% gameplay-free Vita launch bonanza. Tune in for an hour-long preview of what's to come, and then check back Friday for our monster Tokyo Game Show/8-4 Play 1-year-Anniversary special crossover with Weekend Confirmed's Garnett Lee.

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_028_110914.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:41am EDT

And the megatons fall like rain: Dragon Quest X revealed as a massively-multiplayer online game for Wii and Wii U. :BWAAAH: Monster Hunter coming to the 3DS -- and with "monstrous" right-stick add-on, no less. :BWAAAH: Who better to join us in the fallout shelter than a man in the news himself, Kojima Productions vet Ryan Payton, who left Microsoft to go indie and to talk with us about 3DS vs. Vita, PS3 HD Remasters, Soul Bladder, the looming Tokyo Game Show, and more? So grab your totem and :BWAAAH:

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_027_110909.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:17am EDT

You could just listen to the 8-4 crew talk 3DS rumors, PS3 and Vita announcements, MHP3rdHD, DOTA2 and Street Fighter IV as eSports, games that will hit and miss the upcoming Tokyo Game Show, and the Valve / EA / Activision shit-talkin' express and then just call it a day. Perfectly acceptable. But if you want the real, secret, best ending to the podcast, bust out some healing herb and stick around as Resident-Evil-superfan Alex "cvxfreak" Aniel joins us in the second half for part 1 of our long-awaited, quote-laden celebration of the seminal survival horror franchise's 15th anniversary.

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_026_110826.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:04am EDT

In which our heroes discuss: Armored Core V and Dark Souls pushed back, Xenoblade Chronicles moved up, PlayStation Vita coming right on time (sorta), 3DS sales rising (used), 3DS sales falling (new), 3DS sales rising again (post-price drop), addiction to EVO streams, ham withdrawal, what's good about Peter Moore, what's bad about Skyrim, who and what will and won't be at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show, and pictures of your Love Plus girlfriend in her santa outfit.

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_025_110812.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:58am EDT

Yes, we eventually talk about Rhythm Heaven for the Wii, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, Groove Coaster, From Dust, Phantasy Star Online 2, Irem's apparent demise, Mega Man Legends 3's definite demise and so on, but mostly this episode is all about Nintendo's embattled 3DS handheld and just about every aspect of the news surrounding its upcoming price drop, complete with color commentary from discount-expert Mr. CheapyD of CheapAssGamer.com fame.

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_024_110729.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:36am EDT

Played Shadows of the Damned? You should! Why? 1) Read the reviews, it's a great game! 2) We here at 8-4 worked on it! 3) Oh yeah, so did some other guys, Suda 51 and Shinji Mikami. 4) You will enjoy this podcast a helluvalot more, since we discuss the soundtrack with legendary game musician Akira Yamaoka and talk shop about creating the script. When you tire of our self-congratulatory nonsense, there's plenty more chit-chat about Xenoblade, PS4 motion controls, Dragon's Crown, Final Fantasies XIII-2 and Theatrhythm, and more. Do me, do mer, do it!

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_023_110715.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:12am EDT

Frankly, it's too damn hot in Tokyo to spend much energy writing up a fancy description of our latest episode, so let's just cut the crap, OK? We talk about Operation Rainfall's attempt to bring Wii JRPGs to the West, Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D save file-gate, Journey (the game and the band), Wii U, famed game director Yasumi Matsuno moving to developer Level-5, yadda yadda yadda. Get it? Got it? Good.

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_022_110701.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:27am EDT

Child of Eden is finally out, and who better to discuss it with than Q Entertainment's own James "Milkman" Mielke? Fresh from LA, the former EGM editor-in-chief and 1up.com superstar joins us as we talk about Tetsuya Mizuguchi's latest opus, the big three's E3 press conferences, hands-on impressions of Wii U and PS Vita, and more. Hosted by internet celebrity and 8-4 superfriend David "CheapyD" Abrams of CheapAssGamer.com!

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_021_110617.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 7:49am EDT

E3 is almost here! Join us for one last round of rumor-mongering and baseless speculation on what'll go down at next week's big event. Former 8-4 intern and Resident Evil superfan Alex "cvxfreak" Aniel joins us to talk about Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, Kojima Productions' pre-E3 announcements, the merits (or lack thereof?) of calling your handheld "Vita," and our very own E3 predictions.

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_020_110603.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 9:30am EDT

With E3 approaching quick, the 8-4 crew are buried in all manner of pre-expo prep work -- they've hardly had time to think about any other of them vidja games, much less play them. But when has that ever stopped them from talking about them?! Tune in for thoughts -- and maybe a feeling or two -- about PSN's revival (outside of Japan), Namco's new Soul Calibur game and Tekken movie, Modern Warfare's leaks, Square Enix's financial woes, Love Plus's boyfriend lock, PLUS: Download now and get a brand new, fresh-from-the-oven 25-minute bonus segment discussing Sony's "PSP Remaster" series!

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_019_110523.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 9:44am EDT

Bin Laden is dead. The galaxy is at peace. What better way to celebrate than with 8-4 Play and a ton more talk about Nintendo's Wii successor and Sony's ongoing PSN woes? To help brief us on the latest intel, we called in former US Navy Seals Shane "Bill Rizer" Bettenhausen and Evan "Lance Bean" Shamoon, who also share thoughts on Portal 2, the new Sony tablets, El Shaddai, and Sonic's legitimacy (or lack thereof?).

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_018_110506.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 7:09am EDT

What's this? An episode of 8-4 Play where the crew actually talks about what they do all day: game translatin'? Believe it, spoony bard! Localization legend Richard Honeywood, he of such Square Enix favorites as Xenogears, Chrono Cross, and Dragon Quest VIII, joins us to talk shop, 64DD development, and being best buds (well, buds) with Nintendo prez Satoru Iwata. And speaking of Nintendo -- did someone say Project Cafe? Tune in for idle speculation on the big N's rumored Wii successor system, along with thoughts on Capcom's Captivate games, Sonic Generations, and plenty more.

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_017_110422.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 7:27am EDT

In this very special episode of 8-4 Play, we recap our live-to-tape hosting of the Grasstream2 Japanese tsunami relief charity event, put on by the good people at famed developer Grasshopper Manufacture. You will (hopefully) laugh, you will (probably) cry, and in the end, you might just learn something -- about Pandora's Tower, Hip Tanaka, Yakuza of the End, and how you (yes, you!) can help Japan recover via gaming. Let's listening!

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_016_110408.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 6:54am EDT

A lot has happened in the four weeks since our last episode. The Game Developer's Conference came and went, Charlie Sheen jumped the tiger-shark (-blood...or whatever), Winter gave way to Spring, and the largest earthquake in Japan's recorded history rocked our tiny island home. But the show must go on, as they say, and so the 8-4 five are back in action with personal quake stories, first-month 3DS reflections, early thoughts on Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, the month in news, and more.

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_015_110325.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 5:05am EDT

The Nintendo 3DS is out in Japan, and the 8-4 crew is back from launch morning chaos with a pile of brand new 3DS gear and a bevy of special guests ready to give hands-on impressions, including Brad Douglas of Sony (shock!) and Che Chou of Microsoft (awe!). Tune in for first thoughts on the hardware, the games, the 3D camera, the AR cards, and much, much more.

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_014_110226.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:57am EDT

Pop quiz: What do Cave Story, Catherine, Dead Space, Dead Island, Hard Corps, Dark Souls, Butt-head, Tactics Ogre, Super Bowl Monday, Ys, the 1979 Iranian revolution, Dragon Quest, Haruki "Peppy" Epperson, Billy Mitchell, and Voltron have in common? Give up? ...Nothing! Except that they're all topics discussed during this super random episode of 8-4 Play. Enjoy!

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_013_110218.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 7:17am EDT

PSP2...NGP...whatever you want to call it, Sony's new handheld has the gaming world in a tizzy, and we've got just the thing to satisfy your next-generation portable cravings: two hours of hardcore, hands-on impressions fresh from Sony's PlayStation Meeting 2011 in Tokyo. Matt Leone of 1UP, Phil Kollar from Game Informer, and podcast phenom Shane "El Shaddai" Bettenhausen join the 8-4 crew for a heated rundown of the games, the hardware, predictions for the future, and much, much more.

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_012_110128.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 9:12am EDT

Live in Tokyo, do you? And you attended Nintendo's recent 3DS event? ...So you know everything there is to know about the upcoming glasses-free 3D handheld? Fine then, don't listen to this podcast. The rest of us will tune in to hear the 8-4 crew's full report on Nintendo World 2011, including first-hand impressions of playable games like Kid Icarus, Pilotwings, Resident Evil, etc. and thoughts on the launch lineup, bundled software, battery life, stage shows, ceiling Miyamoto, glory holes -- even the friggin' Virtual Boy fer cryin' out loud.

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_011_110113.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 8:29am EDT

After an extended holiday break filled with snow, sake, and SASUKE! (look it up), the 8-4-some is back and they got some 'splainin' to do! (:LAUGHTER:) Good thing former EGM and Turn 10 hipster Che "China Warrior" Chou joins in to talk iPhone game shame, his personal wall of give a s*** -- basically ANYTHING but his current workplace (Microsoft's 343 Industries) and their shadowy Halo project. Come for the New Year's cards, stay to hear what a former Forza guy thinks of Gran Turismo 5 (oh no he de-ent!). (:LAUGHTER:)

Direct download: 8-4PLAY_010_110106.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 4:51am EDT

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