17-Bit head honcho and two-time Kakariko Village gherkin tossing champion Jake Kazdal joins us once again for an epic (and largely spoiler-free) first discussion on all things The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Plus quick thoughts on PlayStation Showcase 2023!

Time – Topic Discussed:

• 00:52 – Nicknames
• 06:52 – The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• 01:42:40 – Break
• 01:43:10 – News: The Playstation Showcase Recap

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 – Nicknames
12:50 – Armored Core chat
33:18 – Street Fighter 6 Beta
45:30 – Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core Reunion
52:33 – 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 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!

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.

We've done it again! Missing a monumentous Direct by mere minutes, listen to us speculate on what Nintendo might be up to, all the while knowing we'd all find out within an hour of recording.

This week, with Mark out on vacation, the gang do their best to keep things on the rails. How did we do? Find out now!

This week, maple leaves rain down around us as we meditate on our experiences with Ghosts of Tsushima and the morality of the recent Nintendo leak.

This week we dive deep on The Last of Us Part 2 in a special spoilercast!

Author, localizer, and (most importantly) long-time friend of the show Matt Alt joins us to discuss his new book, Pure Invention: How Japan's Pop Culture Conquered the World. Plus the usual news and other nonsense you've come to expect from your favorite podcast about Japan, and games, and Japanese games.

This week we touch briefly on The Last of Us--or how it makes us feel things. Dark things. Then it's business as usual with talk of the latest Pokémon news, the joy of mining, and of course Strong Zero.

Big gaming news on a Friday again, huh? Guess it won't be in the latest 8-4 Play... WRONG. We went all out and recorded a special PS5 segment on Friday! Join us, as we gaze into the traceable rays and haptic sounds of the future.

It's here! The 8-4 Play FF7R Spoilercast! Stick around to the end of this week's episode to hear all our timely, spoilery takes.

This week we talk about the big changes happening in civilization—Civilization 6, that is! We also check in on Animal Crossing and pour one out for TGS.

 Brand new audio, same old cast. Well, besides Roy and Derm. So basically not the same old cast. Anyway, grab a beverage and saddle up (indoor) poolside as we celebrate Golden Week responsibly and put our new trial audio engineer's skills to the test. 

Strap on your nostalgia goggles-- Or wait, maybe take them off? I'm not sure! Because this week we dive deep on Final Fantasy VII Remake, in this spoiler-free spectacular.

This week we embrace the future of podcasting technology while gushing about Animal Crossing. Wash your hands.

We hunker down to discuss that PS5 presentation, the latest from Indie World, and our favorite gaming smells.

The gang takes a break from scouring Tokyo for toilet paper to talk about the Final Fantasy VII Remake demo, Playstation VR, and reflect on the PS2's legacy.

This week we struggle to pick the 9 games that define us, talk about corona conspiracy theories, and speculate about the latest Animal Crossing Direct.

This week we welcome a special guest to talk about a bevy of Nintendo news and sing that Witcher song.

It's delay season, folks, and everyone is sad. But we're playing the new Yakuza, so it's not all bad!

We're back from the holiday break, with stories to tell of video games, travel, and pants-wetting.

It's that time of year! We talk about our holiday memories, and of course the games and Japan and Japanese games of 2019.

This week we're joined by special guest and saver-of-bacon, Alan Averill! We talk about roads (a lot) and ponder what qualities define a burrito.

Plug in your BB and grab a bowl of cryptobyte curry cuz this week we're talking about Death Stranding AND the next generation of Pokémon games!

This week we go goo-goo for Gooigi, prepare ourselves mentally for Death Stranding, and talk about a primordial VR experience.

Special guest Alex Aniel joins us for a very spooooky almost-Halloween episode.

An epic typhoon looms over Tokyo, but there's still gaming news to cover! We grab some cans and discuss, while trying to not worry about the impending F5.

In the wake of TGS, a slime draws near—and a new Zelda, too!

On this extra special (and rowdy) episode, a cavalcade of guests stop by the towers to share their TGS experiences.

This week we put down our curry on rice to spoon-feed you all the announcements from the latest Nintendo Direct!

Book Off. Hard Off. Hilarious names? Yes. Are they hiding a dark secret? Find out, in the latest 8-4 play. (Uh, we also talk about Death Stranding and some MMOs.)

This week we heat things up with some Fire Emblem, and then cool off with some ice cream.