8-4 Play Podcast |OT| A Podcast about Video Games, Japan and Japanese Video Games

[Agent Unknown]

Catching up on the April podcasts, about to start the April 20th show. Just finished the April 6th "Salad Days" episode, that and the gym trash talk was really funny, I miss JJ but Roy and Graeme are killing it (although to each their own but the "Switch is not portable" bit during the Lumines news made me cringe as someone who takes their Switch everywhere with ease using a 25 year old GB case I got as a kid in junior high back in '93, more on that below).

John saying that Dragon Quest 11 is "the best JRPG in the last five years" has me excited to play it now, assuming there is still no concrete info on the Switch version by September I'll probably just get the PS4 version. Also I've posted these pics before, but anybody interested in playing Punch Out arcade in TATE needs to get the Hori Switch stand, I use it to play shmups all the time, even used it on a plane during an international trip back in Dec/January:

Odyssey pic for fun:

Old '93 GB case I use to carry my Switch and games, any '90s folks here ever own a Naki Pro pouch? :p

And no, it's not a fanny pack, just a good old fashioned carrying case I've used over the years for everything from my GB systems, Turbo Express and before Switch I used it to carry my PSP. And Mark, feel free to use this as ammo for next time the "portability of Lumines on Switch" is discussed should you feel inclined. ;)

 

[Agent Unknown]

I'm listening to Mark and Graeme going to war right now over Taco Bell and almost in tears from laughing. "Oh yeah, it's not the COOL, EDGY terrible tacos!! We just don't get it!! We just don't understand the youth culture, man!!" lol

Edit: Looking at some video of Dungeons of Daggorath per John's four games response, looks surprisingly solid for a really old computer RPG from 1982.

 

[TheSporkWithin]

(although to each their own but the "Switch is not portable" bit during the Lumines news made me cringe as someone who takes their Switch everywhere with ease using a 25 year old GB case I got as a kid in junior high back in '93, more on that below).

Click to shrink...

In Japan, one of the primary use cases of portable games is while riding the train. Commutes can be long, and there's plenty of time to pull out a game and gain a few levels. But trains are full of people, so something that's as wide as the Switch means that you're bumping up against the people on either side of you - unlike something like the Vita or 3DS which you can play with your arms tucked in close. God forbid the people on either side of you were also trying to play Switch, you'd have to lock elbows. The Switch is also not something easily and securely held in one hand while shuffling around to let people on or off, or while walking between trains.

It's absolutely portable, in that it's something that you can take to different places and play, but it doesn't tick all of the portable game system boxes necessary for a Tokyo commuter.

 

[Agent Unknown]

In Japan, one of the primary use cases of portable games is while riding the train. Commutes can be long, and there's plenty of time to pull out a game and gain a few levels. But trains are full of people, so something that's as wide as the Switch means that you're bumping up against the people on either side of you - unlike something like the Vita or 3DS which you can play with your arms tucked in close. God forbid the people on either side of you were also trying to play Switch, you'd have to lock elbows. The Switch is also not something easily and securely held in one hand while shuffling around to let people on or off, or while walking between trains.

It's absolutely portable, in that it's something that you can take to different places and play, but it doesn't tick all of the portable game system boxes necessary for a Tokyo commuter.

Click to shrink...

Ahhhh ok, that makes much more sense now, thanks for the added context. I have to admit I was skeptical myself at first bringing it on a plane but in my case it worked out very well but that's obviously much different than the even tighter, busier environment you're describing. I'm glad that sort of thing isn't my daily routine because I went on another (much shorter) trip recently and this was the first time I finally had zero desire to bring my 3DS along to work on my remaining backlog so just brought my Switch this time (up until now I'd bring both).

 

[Jintor]

In Japan, one of the primary use cases of portable games is while riding the train. Commutes can be long, and there's plenty of time to pull out a game and gain a few levels. But trains are full of people, so something that's as wide as the Switch means that you're bumping up against the people on either side of you - unlike something like the Vita or 3DS which you can play with your arms tucked in close. God forbid the people on either side of you were also trying to play Switch, you'd have to lock elbows. The Switch is also not something easily and securely held in one hand while shuffling around to let people on or off, or while walking between trains.

It's absolutely portable, in that it's something that you can take to different places and play, but it doesn't tick all of the portable game system boxes necessary for a Tokyo commuter.

Click to shrink...

in the inaka though i would be on the one train the hour they have on the special expresses or whatever, not to mention the bullet train (or airplanes).

definitely didn't see any on the metros or the yamanote while I was wandering around Tokyo tho

 

[Hasney]

Hey, uh, did someone accidentally upload Friday's podcast to the feed?

 

[Mafro]

EDIT: wrong topic.

 

[Hasney]

I just got 05/04/2018: BEET STREET

 

[Dancrane212]

I just got 05/04/2018: BEET STREET

Click to shrink...

Same.

 

[Deleted member 2802]

 

[Deleted member 21693]

Golden Week is so golden it turns Wednesday into Friday.

 

[Dascu]

The shocking secret is revealed that all their podcasts are recorded days, if not weeks, in advance. New releases or news talk is made up gibberish and paid propaganda for the Japanese video game industrial complex.

 

[LiK]

Nice, early podcast.

 

[spiritfox]

8-4 braved the perilous future to travel back in time to give us the hottest Japanese news.

 

[LiK]

OMG, John's mother was a gamer and he never finished Chrono Trigger. Revelations!

 

[thenexus6]

Hey, uh, did someone accidentally upload Friday's podcast to the feed?

Click to shrink...

Some one about to get fired...

 

[LiK]

So happy Mark showed up.

 

[LiK]

GoW plays more like the Souls game with a RE4 camera, imo. If you play on Hard or God mode, expect to get your ass kicked. Even Normal was challenging. I don't agree that it plays anything like DMC or the previous GoW games at all.

 

[Planet_JASE]

8-4 Play 05/04/2018: BEET STREET

It's Golden Week at 8-4! But we gather around the podcast table to talk TV shows, comic book movies, and video games just the same! Mostly video games though, honest.

Running Time: 1:42:24

・ Direct Download (58.7 MB)
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Time – Topic Discussed:
22:19 – John's latest gathering
4:22 – Aggretsuko & Pop Team Epic
8:18 – Masa's borscht
12:26 – Marvel movies
16:56 – Earthbound
20:04 – Dark Souls III
25:05 – Fallout 4
31:23 – Monster Hunter World DLC
38:38 – Roy's Granblue CD
44:23 – God of War
49:27 – Nintendo Labo
1:02:59 – News: The numbers from Nintendo's latest financial report, Kimishima stepping down, our thoughts on Dragalia Lost, and why delivering pizzas might be a good way to get into game design. (Unless it's Little Ceasars.)
1:36:49 – Closing comments​

And now…a list of music used in our previous episode!

Spoiler

8-4 Play 04/20/2018: SPANX FOR THE MEMORIES
Intro: Yasunori Mitsuda – Flight (Xenogears)
Break: Kurt Hartland – Whiplast Main Theme (Whiplash)
Ending: Tenpei Sato – Akai Tsuki (Disgaea)

 

[Dylan]

Gaming Buddha =

Masa =

***spoilers***

Spoiler

Gaming Jesus =

 

[LiK]

8-4 Play 05/04/2018: BEET STREET

It's Golden Week at 8-4! But we gather around the podcast table to talk TV shows, comic book movies, and video games just the same! Mostly video games thought, hones.

Running Time: 1:42:24

・ Direct Download (43.7 MB)
・ Subscribe to 8-4 Play via iTunes
・ Subscribe to 8-4 Play via RSS Feed
・ Follow 8-4 Play on Twitter (twitter.com/84play)
・ Follow 8-4 on Facebook (facebook.com/hachinoyon)

Click to shrink...

Jase is late for once.

 

[Jugendstil]

I'm waiting to listen until Friday, the way God intended.

 

[mute]

Crazy Bread is the best.

 

[Jintor]

you've confused me because a circle in Japanese is a positive mark, not a negative mark

 

[Agent Unknown]

Really enjoyed this episode. Really appreciated what Graeme said about his annual Earthbound tradition as since 2012 EB has become my yearly summer title because of its "sunny vacation" feel along with Link's Awakening (play the latter on my Game Boy Light system) which brings back good memories from summer '93 when that game was about to be released and I was glued to the LA cover article of Nintendo Power which was also the special 50th issue. And John's detailed impressions of Labo were great and have me more intrigued about it now.

 

[Dylan]

you've confused me because a circle in Japanese is a positive mark, not a negative mark

Click to shrink...

How do they say, "That's the joke" in Japanese?

 

[Jintor]

冗談だから冗談です

 

[Dylan]

冗談だから冗談です

Click to shrink...

Haha thanks! I admit I quickly googled that to make sure it wasn't something about my mother. Either way would have been a valid response, tbh.

 

[Jintor]

i hadn't actually listened to the ep when i saw the graphic lol. when i heard masa talk i was like 'aww damn someone's gonna roast me later'

 

[Urfe]

John having never beat Chrono Trigger is huge. Regardless of personal opinions, it's considered top 2.

Dragon Quest II is the Dragon Quest game I'm most nostalgic for. I beat it on iOS, and even liked the graphics.

Massive change in atmosphere when Mark joined was cool. Both styles cool, but you can tell that Mark is a media guy.

I'm now looking for Wii U stuff with Switch not having a VC. Just want a stronger first party battery and a pro controller.

 

[LiK]

I'm honestly wondering if John ever looked up the CT ending credits. The ending music track is one of my fave ending tracks of all time.

 

[Curufinwe]

I played and finished Chrono Trigger on the DS. It was alright.

 

[Dylan]

Although my personal favourite is probably FF6, I can't really think of an RPG more masterfully made than was Chrono Trigger. I haven't played an RPG since that better handled pacing or mechanics. The only lull is the prehistoric era and even that's not too bad.

The worst thing I can say about CT is the art-style. They should either have gone full-fanciful or wayyyy darker. Unfortunately it was a victim of the Toriyama plague that continues to influence and erode all of Japan to this day.

 

[Dylan]

i hadn't actually listened to the ep when i saw the graphic lol. when i heard masa talk i was like 'aww damn someone's gonna roast me later'

Click to shrink...

8-4 fans can't afford to roast each other. We get roasted enough by the podcast itself.

 

[LiK]

!!!

 

[Dylan]

Wow, what a meeting of minds!

The producer of Zelda, the founder of 8-4, and the former bass player of Queens of the Stone Age, all in one place!

 

[sixteen-bit]

 

[Planet_JASE]

8-4 Play 5/18/2018: FOR THE FOREST KING

We've got two tremendous guests this week, and they have opinions! Come hear us talk about writing for games, menu gripes, VR experiences, and more!

Running Time: 1:50:56

・ Direct Download (63.5 MB)
・ Subscribe to 8-4 Play via iTunes
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・ Follow 8-4 Play on Twitter (twitter.com/84play)
・ Follow 8-4 on Facebook (facebook.com/hachinoyon)

Time – Topic Discussed:
24:49 – Localizing NieR and NieR Automata
50:09 – God of War
1:13:15 – Dragon's Crown Pro
1:20:50 – Dragon Quest VR
1:27:18 – News: Nintendo Switch Online services, no Virtual Console on Switch, Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate
1:42:59 – Closing comments​

And now…a list of music used in our previous episode!

Spoiler

8-4 Play 5/4/2018: BEET STREET
Intro: Yuka Kitamura – Slave Knight Gael (Dark Souls III)
Break: 泡沫夢幻 (Granblue Fantasy)
Ending: Nelly – Hot In Herre

 

[Dylan]

Best episode in a while! Enjoyed talk about the trials and tribulations of being an anglophone in Japan. Also insider localization stuff. The Nier 1 story was gold.

I admit I zoned out in the middle and at some point I heard someone say "Cover your ears!" so I skipped ahead 20 minutes. But I think it was just more God of War talk. Unfortunately, I don't think I will ever play that game in this post-console future. Gaming laptops are just too god damned fucking convenient. Can't go back. Probably won't happen but I hope Sony responds to Microsoft's ramping up PC support by making their games available in some form to non-console owners.

The song at the end...

 

[guru-guru]

Great episode, as always. Loved the localization talk, though I'll be honest, I also wasn't a huge fan of the GoW discussion, since I've gotten my fill of that from the 100+ GoW threads we've had on Era.

 

[Agent Unknown]

Edit: nm, answered my own question.

 

[TheSporkWithin]

Mark really is just so good at interviewing and "MCing discussion." The Nier segment was just fantastic.

 

[Urfe]

Nier discussion was great. Really need to look into the series.

Skipped GoW. I haven't played the game, and probably will in s few years, but feel no need to know anything about it.

Lastly, and not important in any way, I smirked a little at John's pronunciation of the place Asakusa.

 

[Curufinwe]

Good on Mark for sticking it to the lazy devs who are too lazy to put MH World on Switch.

 

[LiquidSolid]

Loved the Nier localisation discussion.

The GoW discussion was good too but Nick's point that GoW feels more like Uncharted than the old GoW's is completely baffling to me. The only real additions are the loot, the hub-like structure and stronger focus on story but I only associate one of those with Uncharted. Everything has been there all along: The melee combat, brutal finishers, climbing, puzzles, epic journey, insane boss fights and chests Kratos puts a lot of effort into opening. To me it feels like a natural evolution of the series.

 

[ChillWinston]

Someone mentioned during the GoW discussion (Nick I think) that they had hardly unlocked anything for Kratos as they didn't meet the requirements. I wonder if they were getting confused with the additional bonus requirement? I found it initially unclear myself i.e. you go to unlock a new skill and there's a red number showing x/50. At first I assumed that meant I couldn't unlock the skill, soon realised though that you can unlock it, you just don't get an additional perk/buff on top of the base move until you hit a certain level of vitality, attack, defence etc. I may be wrong but it sounded strange that you would have maxed out the kid and only have access to 3 Kratos skills.

 

[BareKnuckle]

Someone mentioned during the GoW discussion (Nick I think) that they had hardly unlocked anything for Kratos as they didn't meet the requirements. I wonder if they were getting confused with the additional bonus requirement? I found it initially unclear myself i.e. you go to unlock a new skill and there's a red number showing x/50. At first I assumed that meant I couldn't unlock the skill, soon realised though that you can unlock it, you just don't get an additional perk/buff on top of the base move until you hit a certain level of vitality, attack, defence etc. I may be wrong but it sounded strange that you would have maxed out the kid and only have access to 3 Kratos skills.

Click to shrink...

I had this same problem and so did my brother, I just chanced an upgrade on chapter 5 and realised my mistake.

The menus for upgrading and that are pretty unclear.

 

[Agent Unknown]

Great episode, always fascinating to hear behind the scenes info on localization trial and error.

And am so jealous of John's Super Fami Sharp TV, one of my holy grails I hope to own someday, always wondered what the picture quality was like.

 

[pronk]

Lovely episode, I was a bit surprised by the Monster Hunter GU discussion though - there are a small number of things in World that are genuinely better because they were just annoying (like no longer having to press A on every item in the rewards), but some of it is just changing the gameplay in a way that isn't necessarily better.

In World a lot of the foraging is gone, you don't need to make sure you are stocked up on drinks, nets, pickaxes before you go out, you can *run* whilst drinking a potion which breaks a lot of the tension... To say that World is just plain better and it isn't possible to go back to the old games isn't really fair. Its a different game. World is easily the worst MH game I have played out of 3U, 4U, X and XX.

 

[Agent Unknown]

^^^^

I also thought it was interesting how adamant Mark was that MHW could be ported to Switch with some serious effort.