Fri, 26 May 2023
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:
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Fri, 12 May 2023
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*
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Fri, 28 April 2023
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: |
Fri, 14 April 2023
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: |
Fri, 31 March 2023
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: |
Fri, 17 March 2023
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: |
Fri, 3 March 2023
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: |
Fri, 17 February 2023
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: |
Fri, 3 February 2023
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: |
Fri, 20 January 2023
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
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Fri, 6 January 2023
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 |
Fri, 23 December 2022
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 |
Fri, 9 December 2022
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 |
Fri, 25 November 2022
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 |
Fri, 11 November 2022
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: |
Fri, 28 October 2022
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!) |
Fri, 14 October 2022
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 |
Fri, 30 September 2022
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. |
Fri, 16 September 2022
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 |
Fri, 2 September 2022
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 |
Fri, 19 August 2022
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 |
Fri, 5 August 2022
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! |
Fri, 22 July 2022
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 |
Fri, 8 July 2022
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 |
Fri, 24 June 2022
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 |
Fri, 10 June 2022
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 |
Fri, 27 May 2022
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... 01:08 – Nicknames |
Fri, 13 May 2022
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 |
Fri, 29 April 2022
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!
https://www.uniqlo.com/jp/ja/special-feature/ff35th |
Fri, 15 April 2022
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! 1:30 – Nicknames |
Fri, 1 April 2022
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 |
Fri, 18 March 2022
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
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Fri, 4 March 2022
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 |
Fri, 18 February 2022
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 |
Fri, 4 February 2022
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! Time – Topic Discussed: 01:32 – Nicknames |
Fri, 21 January 2022
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 |
Fri, 7 January 2022
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 |
Fri, 24 December 2021
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 |
Fri, 10 December 2021
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. 00:43 – Nicknames |
Fri, 26 November 2021
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! 01:13 – Nicknames |
Fri, 12 November 2021
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 |
Fri, 29 October 2021
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 |
Fri, 15 October 2021
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. 01:06 – Nicknames |
Fri, 1 October 2021
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 |
Fri, 17 September 2021
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Fri, 3 September 2021
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 |
Fri, 20 August 2021
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. |
Fri, 6 August 2021
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 |
Fri, 23 July 2021
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 |
Fri, 9 July 2021
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 |
Fri, 25 June 2021
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 |
Fri, 11 June 2021
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! |
Fri, 28 May 2021
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! 00:50 – Nicknames |
Fri, 14 May 2021
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! 01:04 – Nicknames |
Fri, 30 April 2021
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 |
Fri, 16 April 2021
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 |
Fri, 2 April 2021
Joined by special guest Adam "Gaijin Hunter" Evanko, we celebrate the latest pointy, bitey addition to the Monster Hunter franchise! |
Fri, 19 March 2021
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 |
Fri, 5 March 2021
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 |
Fri, 19 February 2021
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.
00:51 – Nicknames |
Fri, 5 February 2021
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 |
Fri, 22 January 2021
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 |
Fri, 8 January 2021
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 |
Fri, 25 December 2020
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 |
Fri, 11 December 2020
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. |
Fri, 27 November 2020
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! |
Fri, 13 November 2020
This week we trace some rays and flop some...teras? Anyway, next-gen is finally here! |
Fri, 30 October 2020
Halloween is nearly here, but there'll be no Shibuya parties for us. Instead, we'll settle for the excitement of next-gen! |
Fri, 16 October 2020
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. |
Fri, 2 October 2020
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! |
Fri, 18 September 2020
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. |
Fri, 4 September 2020
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. |
Fri, 21 August 2020
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! |
Fri, 7 August 2020
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. |
Fri, 24 July 2020
This week we dive deep on The Last of Us Part 2 in a special spoilercast! |
Fri, 10 July 2020
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. |
Fri, 26 June 2020
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. |
Fri, 12 June 2020
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. |
Fri, 29 May 2020
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. |
Fri, 15 May 2020
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. |
Fri, 1 May 2020
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. |
Fri, 17 April 2020
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. |
Fri, 3 April 2020
This week we embrace the future of podcasting technology while gushing about Animal Crossing. Wash your hands. |
Fri, 20 March 2020
We hunker down to discuss that PS5 presentation, the latest from Indie World, and our favorite gaming smells. |
Fri, 6 March 2020
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. |
Fri, 21 February 2020
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. |
Fri, 7 February 2020
This week we welcome a special guest to talk about a bevy of Nintendo news and sing that Witcher song. |
Fri, 24 January 2020
It's delay season, folks, and everyone is sad. But we're playing the new Yakuza, so it's not all bad! |
Fri, 10 January 2020
We're back from the holiday break, with stories to tell of video games, travel, and pants-wetting. |
Fri, 20 December 2019
It's that time of year! We talk about our holiday memories, and of course the games and Japan and Japanese games of 2019. |
Fri, 6 December 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. |
Fri, 22 November 2019
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! |
Fri, 8 November 2019
This week we go goo-goo for Gooigi, prepare ourselves mentally for Death Stranding, and talk about a primordial VR experience. |
Fri, 25 October 2019
Special guest Alex Aniel joins us for a very spooooky almost-Halloween episode. |
Fri, 11 October 2019
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. |
Fri, 27 September 2019
In the wake of TGS, a slime draws near—and a new Zelda, too! |
Fri, 13 September 2019
On this extra special (and rowdy) episode, a cavalcade of guests stop by the towers to share their TGS experiences. |
Fri, 6 September 2019
This week we put down our curry on rice to spoon-feed you all the announcements from the latest Nintendo Direct! |
Fri, 23 August 2019
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.) |
Fri, 9 August 2019
This week we heat things up with some Fire Emblem, and then cool off with some ice cream. |