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[Crimm]

Greg is a very cool dude, but he has a personal proclivity towards privacy, as such he does not have a social media profile. This has historically resulted in the creation of "fan-Gregs," a harrowing thought if there ever was one.

And yes, we're going to get Viewtiful

 

[makleod]

Greg does have a Miiverse profile...

https://miiverse.nintendo.net/users/Yoshidious

You can follow him and play his Mario Maker levels!

 

[silks]

Greg is an AI experiment of James' gone rogue. As a kill mechanism he made him a Bills fan. His death is slow, but assured.

 

[Ondore]

Xenoblade X spoilercast is go!
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/41867/episode-461-a-unique-boutique-experience

After a long absence, Jon is back! It is up to you to determine if that exclamation indicates joy or fear; please reserve judgment until episode is complete - he has earned such caution.

Guillaume starts off New Business this week with Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure, Capcom's early Wii point-and-waggle adventure game, now available for download on the Wii U eShop. He follows it up with early thoughts on Final Fantasy Explorers, the Monster Hunter-inspired 3DS spin-off. Expect more involved impressions in the coming weeks. James takes his role as host of Radio Free NINTENDO very seriously, respecting the time you devote to listen to the show by talking about Suikoden, a 21 year old PlayStation JRPG. Striding the gulf in time between the the 16 and 32-bit eras, it's a curious title that still has him excited about the gameplay implications for future entries, coming soon to a pachinko parlor near you. Jon makes his triumphant return to New Business with the anti-Xenoblade Chronicles X, The Order: 1886. His segment seems rendered in glorious detail, but I think the content of it is pretty shallow. Lastly, Greg pulls us out of a New Business tailspin with impressions of indie darling, the Sega Master System-era throwback Freedom Planet. While the Sonic parallels are self-evident, the GENESIS of some of the other allusions represent a MASTER class in 90s Sega gaming (I have no regrets).

Following New Business, Now Playing makes its return after an absence from the show, appropriate since the segment itself is something of an abcess on the show.

After a musical interlude, it's time for Listener Mail. Topics covered this week include: finding the right Pokémon for a Shin Megami Tensei fan, paid DLC in Super Mario Maker, Nintendo's future retail plans, and open world as a gameplay design versus open world as a marketing tool. Here's where we use this article as a marketing tool to get you to send questions, comments, end music suggestions, and whatever strikes your fancy to our mailbag.

As a reminder, our next RetroActive segment is coming up. We're going to be playing Viewtiful Joe for the GameCube. The discussion thread is open, and just waiting for your comments. We'll be doing this RetroActive in three weeks, so get started soon if you want to play along with us!

One final plug: Guillaume has finished Xenoblade Chronicles X, which means we're going to be doing our Spoilercast sometime in the near future. What's that mean for you? We want your reactions, fan theories, thoughts, etc. sent to our mailbag. In order to insulate others from spoilers, please use email instead of forum posts. For those of you that haven't played or completed Xenoblade Chronicles X yet, we will do some other spoiler-free content. No one escapes the reach of Radio Free Nintendo for even a week.

Time: 2'08"01
Outro: Smash Bros - Mysterious Murasame Castle Medley
Downloads: MP3 | AAC
Must not: Crash the spoilercast

 

[Kansoku]

About the Pokemon/SMT discussion, I feel the DS Digimon games (Digimon World DS, World Dawn/Dusk and maybe Lost Evolution, but that is Japan only and I haven't played it), would fit. It is kinda a mix of both Pokemon and SMT. The battle system specially is fairly close to SMT. They're not spectacular, but are good games. And everyone know that Digimon is better than Pokemon, so ¯\_(&#12484_/¯

 

[viciouskillersquirrel]

The other thing is that for Pokémon, I'm not sure the DS games would still work online after Nintendo shut down the Nintendo WiFi Connection. Can someone please confirm?

 

[Crimm]

GTS no longer works.

 

[Ondore]

At this point, Black and White 2 have the same level of connectivity Red and Blue do. (Jack and squat, and Jack left town.)

 

[Ondore]

HURR-ay, HURR-ay, HURR-ay, drown out at least the first half of Simms and Nantz!
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/41894/episode-462-the-full-monty-punch

It's February, the month of missing time, and apparently the start of Radio Free Nintendo's silly season. A punchy episode starts with the customary New Business, lead off by Jon. His resolution to only speak about PlayStation 4 games is immediately broken by his thoughts on 3DS eShop free-to-play Pokémon Picross. The man who never learned to love number puzzles finds it only took a synergy with his love of Pokémon to get him in. Come for tips on how to play Picross, stay for insight into a man's psychology. Greg and James discuss the latest DLC for Smash Bros. The release of the final two characters, Corrin and Bayonetta, gives them time to talk about the fan service master class one more time. Guillaume has had a chance to play Final Fantasy Explorers online, and has an update on the Monster Hunter-inspired Final Fantasy game. He lavish praise such as, "It's a game I bought," and "I guess I'll keep playing it." He then pivots to Wii platform adventure game Muramasa. Yes, it's a gorgeous game and a lot of fun, but where the heck is Gui supposed to be going? Lastly, James takes a look back at 16 months of fitness. Wii Fit...ness U. No chicken wings were required to reach his health goals, but the Wii U Fit Meter helped all the same, giving its life in the process.

After a break, it's time for an utter failure of a "Thunderous Round" of Listener Mail. Topics include: Level 5-ist games, Quality of Life, and Zelda for Wii U. The crew even manages to answer a question about a Nintendo scarf without crashing the episode into a ditch! You can ask us about your choice in fashion accessories via our mailbag.

Just a reminder, we'll be doing our Retroactive for Viewtiful Joe on Episode 464. You can post your thoughts in the discussion thread. We'll also take comments via the mailbag. And lastly, keep sending us your thoughts on Xenoblade Chronicles X for our upcoming spoilercast. We will likely talk about X and it's predecessor, but if we do we will caution prior to the show's beginning.

Time: 2'11"40
Outro: Metroid Zero Mission - Kraid's Lair
Downloads: MP3 | AAC
The cats: Will return.

 

[llehuty]

Dead at the reader mail this week. Everyone in the office is asking what happened. I just couldn't hold it with the gamification question.

 

[Zonic]

Gamification question had me laughing so hard, I was almost worried someone was going to look for me & ask what I was laughing at.

Ya know, considering I can get the Wii Fit U bundle for $25 on Nintendo's online shop, after hearing them talk about it, maybe I'll give in. I walk around a lot during my job (when I usually listen to these) & could upload my steps into the game before going to bed or after waking up.

 

[Ondore]

Today's RFN is brought to you by "phrasing". More than usual, I mean.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/41935/episode-463-feel-the-magic-user

Radio Free Nintendo is a little bit abbreviated this week; due to some schedule conflicts, Jon, Gui, Greg, and James set the relatively restrained goal of producing a Listener Mail-only episode. Of course, this means the single-segment show turns into one of the longest Listener Mail segments in years. Topics covered include: picking RPGs on the 3DS for a fan of Western RPGs, a "touch" of censorship in Nintendo's localization efforts, the difficulty of making a new maker, and Nintendo's recent messaging strategies. You can question our messaging strategy via our mailbag.

It's last call for our next Retroactive; we will be talking about Viewtiful Joe next week. Comments can be placed in the discussion thread or sent via the mailbag. We've got some great comments for our Xenoblade Chronicles X spoilercast, so keep them coming.

Time: 1'31"53
Outro: Etrian Odyssey III - Those That Stay and Fall
Downloads: MP3 | AAC
More Fire Emblem chat: In two weeks. (Maybe?)

 

[Crimm]

Do not trust Jon Lindemann, he is not a licensed driving instructor.

 

[Worthintendo]

Just thinking of RPGs that would appeal to fans of Western RPGs on the 3DS, one game I'm kinda surprised no one bought up was Fantasy Life, its about as open ended and closest to anything WRPG on the system. Only downside could be the mini games for the crafting jobs but those aren't too bad.

In terms of best RPG developed by a Western Studio on the 3DS, hands down it is The Keep
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/38632/the-keep-review
First Person real time RPG kinda like Legend of Grimrock, good challenge and a tonne of fun, really had a great time playing through that one.

There's also Squids Odyssey,
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/37988/squids-odyssey-review
But this is more of a Turn Base Strategy game than a true RPG

 

[llehuty]

James: "I may have been drinking"
And it's not even the 2 min mark!!

 

[Chezzymann]

Is there any way to actually download the podcasts? I want to listen to them when im away from any internet but the download links always redirect to a black web page where i can listen instead

edit: figured it out, have to right click the page

 

[Zonic]

Glad they had the discussion about censorship, as I sent an email months before near the news of Xenoblade X's change with Lin & not long after the Fatal Frame controversey as well (though bummed that wasn't brought up since I felt that was the "start" of the chain of changes made by Nintendo for the US recently).

 

[Crimm]

Glad they had the discussion about censorship, as I sent an email months before near the news of Xenoblade X's change with Lin & not long after the Fatal Frame controversey as well (though bummed that wasn't brought up since I felt that was the "start" of the chain of changes made by Nintendo for the US recently).

I'm sorry about that; that's 100% on me. We had it marked in the "to use" list but at the time I felt the tenor of the conversation about that stuff was really unappealing. Both sides had devolved into bellicose rhetoric and borderline slander. I just felt totally unable to discuss the topic without just castigating the parties who had rendered the topic radioactive, and ultimately that was not going to be productive.

Jon picked out the email this week (as I noted in the show), but I explicitly asked him to include the email because I found the then-recent revelation that face touching was actually cautiously included puzzling.

I will also cop to finding some joy in seeing the belligerents, who had built argumentative castles of mudslinging and hyperventilating ,suddenly rocked by this news. Both sides had created this master narrative that either Nintendo was engaging in some kind of Cultural Revolution, prioritizing "mass market comfort" over "art," or that people who wanted to see the mode were sexual deviants incapable of real-world intimacy. Suddenly both sides were unhappy with the outcome, which in the end seems poetic.

Proustian explanations aside, email is really the lifeblood of the show. During New Business each of us sort of does a brief dissertation but Listener Mail forces deep interaction. It leads to the best comedy and interplay and a lot of times forces better introspection. We get a good crop of email, but sadly it's from a tiny sliver of our audience. I would be mortified if I inadvertently discouraged someone from writing in a second time (or, God forbid, a first). I give the email for the show twice for a reason; not just because people will remember it - but because it's a far more mature way to beg.

 

[Zonic]

Fair enough. I'm still glad you guys were able to discuss it in a civil way & I felt everyone made some good points. I was hoping for Fatal Frame since that was for a game already M-rated & in some aspect, the original costume played a bit of the character's story, i.e. degrading herself to wearing such a thing, causing the events that happened to her.....but then having it as an unlockable outfit kind of ruins what they were trying to go for.

But yeah, I can see why you originally thought that, especially when you consider any thread here relating to censorship, like when Bravely Default got the outfit changes. It's a tricky subject to discuss without it degrading to insults to each sides (again, see certain threads here about censorship), but I figured I'd send it after hearing a few episodes since it seemed like you guys would've handled it a bit more maturely.

Either way, I feel you guys handled it like adults & if that was the response to my specific email, I would've been pleased. Probably would've mentioned in my original email about the "business" side as Nintendo didn't want to risk their family-friendly image with sites bashing them over the controversy & such, so I can see why they did it.

Maybe I'll send another email about the hopes of the revival of Club Nintendo.

 

[Negator]

Personally all this cut content from all these recent games is really keeping me away from buying Nintendo stuff. It's really hard for me to buy stuff when I know that stuff was taken out. It makes me feel bad and I should never feel bad when they're trying to sell me something.

 

[nckillthegrimace]

The big issue is transparency. Nintendo needs to be upfront with what they're changing so we don't get the whole secondhand face-touch/no face-touch back and forth nonsense.

 

[Crimm]

Fair enough. I'm still glad you guys were able to discuss it in a civil way & I felt everyone made some good points. I was hoping for Fatal Frame since that was for a game already M-rated & in some aspect, the original costume played a bit of the character's story, i.e. degrading herself to wearing such a thing, causing the events that happened to her.....but then having it as an unlockable outfit kind of ruins what they were trying to go for.

I, for one, look forward to Nintendo's acquisition of Koei Tecmo.

Personally all this cut content from all these recent games is really keeping me away from buying Nintendo stuff. It's really hard for me to buy stuff when I know that stuff was taken out. It makes me feel bad and I should never feel bad when they're trying to sell me something.

That's a shame. I want people to be able to enjoy games and the thought that a localization would be impacting that is troubling to me.

Except for memes. That shit needs to go.

The big issue is transparency. Nintendo needs to be upfront with what they're changing so we don't get the whole secondhand face-touch/no face-touch back and forth nonsense.

I'm going to try to go talk to some of our people who attended an event a few weeks ago, and see how this specific topic was addressed. If they just said "It gone" then I'd find that pretty bad since that's not true. If they said it was "changed" and people didn't ask how it was changed, that's on us. If it was just someone was playing a demo at the event and noticed it didn't happen then they probably should have asked.

Anyway, Giant Bomb had a different perspective on the face poke specifically. http://www.giantbomb.com/articles/guest-column-skin-to-screen/1100-5398/ I find this to be a take I've not really seen addressed much but it's a good read. And even after reading, I have no regret for naming the show this week.

 

[Ondore]

And his opponent, from Hollywood, CA, weighing 186 pounds... VIEWTIFUL JOE!
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/41961/episode-464-viewtiful-jokes

The time has finally come for the big screen debut of the RetroActive for Viewtiful Joe, but first we kick the show off with an opening act of New Business. Greg starts with impressions for the demo of Bravely Second: End Layer. The sequel to the uneven Bravely Default, it's still too early to see if this game dispenses with what dragged its predecessor down, but early thoughts are positive. Jon fulfills his vow to go all PS4, all the time, with early thoughts on open-world darling, The Witcher III: Wild Hunt. Is it possible that he finds it less than...beWITCHing? James has a Mega Man two-pack, with thoughts on mercilessly difficult Mega Man Zero 2 (again) and the Mega Man X-inspired rogue-like 20XX. As the 20XX press release points out, at least one Mega Man clone actually managed to make it to market. Guillaume concludes New Business with thoughts on Life is Strange, a Telltale-inspired game that outstrips its inspiration, from the makers of an adventure game nobody can Remember. He finishes up with thoughts on Virtual Console import Kuru Kuru Kururin, a game where you play a bird in a helicopter, viewed from above. And why not?

After a break, it's our RetroActive for GameCube classic Viewtiful Joe. Discussion starts with the Capcom Five (the infamous quintet of "GameCube exclusives" that weren't), and their place in Nintendo history. After an historical primer, we kick off discussion of Viewtiful Joe itself. Difficulty, gameplay, art, story, and design are all topics of discussion. Lastly, we discuss the game's legacy, and Joe's place in history.

Thanks to everyone who played along with us! We'll be announcing plans for our next RetroActive soon, so please stay tuned!

However, we'll be dipping back into the listener mail next week, so go ahead and drop your questions or comments into our mailbag.

Time: 2'39"27
Outro: Viewtiful Joe - "Joe and Sylvia"
Downloads: MP3 | AAC
The Witcher 3: Best enjoyed as a children's card game

 

[Tom_Cody]

I'm surprised that Fire Emblem Fates hasn't been featured. Did I miss something? Or does the crew just want to play more of it before talking about it on the show?

 

[Effect]

I'm surprised that Fire Emblem Fates hasn't been featured. Did I miss something? Or does the crew just want to play more of it before talking about it on the show?

They usually record on Thursdays I believe and Fates came out on Friday. Very likely none of them had it and even if they did get it early they likely hadn't played enough to form an opinion. Wouldn't be surprised if next week is a Fire Emblem heavy episode.

 

[Boogiepop]

Thanks to a sudden need for podcasts in my life, I actually just started listening to this... from the very start (and for the first time). 23 episodes in, plenty to go. I wasn't quite as heavy into game news at the time so it's actually pretty interesting hearing some of the in depth analysis of the lead up to the Wii release (and hindsight makes for some chuckles. Much as I enjoy the game well enough, it's kind of funny hearing the insanely over the top praise for Super Paper Mario after that first E3 showing).

May as well update since the thread has popped up again. My workload in which I can listen has increased significantly so I'm suddenly chugging through episodes, just recently watch episode 85. It's still pretty interesting to listen to in an odd way. I mean sure, plenty of the "rumors" and "news" are outdated, but it's neat to hear all the predictions and whatnot that ended up either right on point or hilarious off base, and there are occasionally some interesting little factoids I didn't know or just some discussion on a "new" game I may have missed at the time. So yeah, still good easy listening for me and I'm going to keep at it until I one day actually manage to catch up, silly as that may sound...

 

[Tom_Cody]

They usually record on Thursdays I believe and Fates came out on Friday. Very likely none of them had it and even if they did get it early they likely hadn't played enough to form an opinion. Wouldn't be surprised if next week is a Fire Emblem heavy episode.

That makes sense. I forgot that that they tend to not get review copies.

 

[silks]

That makes sense. I forgot that that they tend to not get review copies.

Yeah, I was just about to reply with this. Correct, we don't get review copies; we aren't a separate entity from NWR in that regard (i.e. NWR gets any copies sent in our sorta-direction). We occasionally get gifted something to troll us but that's about it.

I'm not sure we'd want to get review copies, philosophically. We enjoy being able to pull no punches on games and being entertaining rather than "fair". We can be completely subjective as we deem fit, rather than trying to uphold some stuffy old journalistic code of ethics.

#icanbebought

 

[Crimm]

I can separate myself for the purpose of reviews, I just never found much pleasure in doing them so I dropped out of the game.

 

[Tom_Cody]

Yeah, I was just about to reply with this. Correct, we don't get review copies; we aren't a separate entity from NWR in that regard (i.e. NWR gets any copies sent in our sorta-direction). We occasionally get gifted something to troll us but that's about it.

I'm not sure we'd want to get review copies, philosophically. We enjoy being able to pull no punches on games and being entertaining rather than "fair". We can be completely subjective as we deem fit, rather than trying to uphold some stuffy old journalistic code of ethics.

#icanbebought

Understood.

 

[Ondore]

Approximately 94.3% of all profanity uttered by podcasters and their editors is caused by Skype.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/42019/episode-465-pump-down-the-jams

After recording this show for the better pat of a decade, you would think we've seen every way that Skype could intervene in the process of recording a podcast, and yet Microsoft's voice chat platform always finds new ways to surprise. Never let it be said that RFN isn't determined, so record a podcast we did! James starts it off with early impressions of Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright. Did he start on the wrong difficulty setting? Absolutely. Should he have gone with Conquest? Probably. Yet, here we are - and the forces of Nohr are paying for his mistakes. Guillaume has thoughts on another "narrative experience" with broken computer-sim/database search tool Her Story. After that, he continues plumbing the depths of exposition with Virtue's Last Reward. Jon has an update on Witcher 3, and he now finds himself bewitched; I'm aware the exact same joke was used in last week's article. Greg has his hands on Europe's big 3DS JRPG of the month, Bravely Second: End Layer, although thought are quite early. He follows with thought on Stealth Inc. 2.

After the break, we answer a trio of Listener Mail questions. First up we are asked about the "hidden gems" of the Gameboy Advance; Drill Dozer is offered without any acknowledgement of the pun. Next we address the first manifesto sent to our inbox in months, Nintendo's abusive streak of sub-par games. Lastly, we brainstorm Nintendo-crossover games, in the style of Hyrule Warriors. Suggestions go to all the awful places you would expect of us. Send your manifestos to our mailbag.

Time: 1'56"47
Outro: Pallet Town - Pokémon Red/Blue
Downloads: MP3 | AAC
Shameful admission: I picked Birthright first partially because I'm one of *those* fans WRT Fire Emblem, and partially because 1+1=2.

 

[Couchaddict]

Anyone else having trouble contacting the mp3 rss?

 

[nckillthegrimace]

Anyone else having trouble contacting the mp3 rss?

Yep. I tried deleting it and re-adding it and now no episodes are listed on my podcast app.

 

[Tripon]

I'm beginning to believe the X ep had gone on the wayside.

 

[Crimm]

We were having some difficulties on the NWR side. It should be fixed now.

X episode is coming. Soon. We just had some other stuff to work around.

 

[llehuty]

That listener mail about Amiibo festival and Mario Tenis, plus the dramatic reading, was glorious. I always come for the

Spoiler

sometimes

level-headed discussion, but there is always at least one hilarious section. Keep up the good work!!

 

[Nbz]

For those still having trouble getting the podcast to download even after unsubscribing/resubbing, I recommend trying to add the RSS feed manually. I did that this morning and it worked perfectly. Also for reference I use the PocketCasts app for my podcasts.

 

[Tripon]

I agree that DOA xtreme volleyball is the fighting game genre version of Animal Crossing.

 

[Kansoku]

We need Tecmo Koei and Nintendo get together for DoAX4 x Nintendo. With Nintendo's funding, they can make Soft Engine 3.0, and most importantly, fix the hair. Obviously Nintendo characters such as Peach, Daisy, Samus and Waluigi would be included, as well as having thematic swimsuits.

 

[Zonic]

That DoA Xtreme comment.

Also, about the whole "why does everyone but me talk" comment on Virtue's Last Reward. I can't say why, but there IS a reason as to why they do that. Semi-spoilers/teaser:

Spoiler

He actually does get some lines at the very end on True End, I think? Also it kind of makes you rethink certain lines of dialogue knowing the twist.

 

[Jonnyboy117]

I'm surprised no one suggested Project X-Zone 3 with Nintendo characters added.

 

[Ondore]

They added a few in 2, so it wouldn't be much of a stretch.

 

[Zonic]

Yup, PxZ2 has Chrom & Lucina as a team, then Fiora from Xenoblade Chronicles teams up with KOS-MOS, which makes further sense considering both are Monolith Soft characters.

 

[leroidys]

Nintendogs x Godhand

Doghand: Biting the hand that feeds you

 

[LiveFromKyoto]

I gotta say, this podcast has been amazing lately, the current lineup has great energy. This and the Bombcast are my two favourite gaming casts these days.

I loved 999/VLR, but I understand Guy's frustration with the dialogue. But compared to other VNs VLR handles things really well overall in terms of branching paths, making it clear where they are, and not making you redo the whole game all the time.

I think a big part of the issue if that visual novel devs are concerned about play time, which means the dialogue never gets properly edited - instead, more is unnecessarily piled on. Everybody praises Steins;Gate but coming from VLR to that, it was a tough slog without being able to jump right to a branch point and with too much seemingly aimless banter.

Curious to see how they handle things in Zero Escape 3, that's one of the fews games I absolutely know I'll buy this year.

Incidentally, which episode was the Sacred Stones retroactive? That was my first Fire Emblem game, but at the time I was too busy to finish it. I just finished Fire Emblem (7) for GBA on Wii U VC, and I'd like to go back and do Sacred Stones next.

 

[llehuty]

Incidentally, which episode was the Sacred Stones retroactive? That was my first Fire Emblem game, but at the time I was too busy to finish it. I just finished Fire Emblem (7) for GBA on Wii U VC, and I'd like to go back and do Sacred Stones next.

It's episode 278

In the page, you can search for individual games and see in which podcasts they talked about it. It's very neat. You can more or less make your own retroactive when you are playing an old game.

 

[PaulBizkit]

Today's the Direct, are you going to talk about it on the next episode? btw, i'm downloading the this week's episode right now, how much do you talk about Bravely Second?

 

[Crimm]

Today's the Direct, are you going to talk about it on the next episode? btw, i'm downloading the this week's episode right now, how much do you talk about Bravely Second?

This. Stay tuned. Not a lot of Second, Greg had just got it. No new business in our next episode. The one a week from Sunday should have a lot of Fire Emblem and Bravely Second.

 

[viciouskillersquirrel]

I'm sure this has been suggested but I would love a Retroactive on the VC Pokémon games. I spent two hours last night exploiting glitches I didn't know about as a kid and it's like a nostalgia shotgun straight to the face.

 

[OMG Aero]

By far the biggest news of this Nintendo Direct was that James no longer has to say Genei Ibunroku Sharp FE.