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[joesiv]

Nice podcast, thanks for the heads up.

 

[Somnia]

I wish we could do same-day publication, but its not feasible with our format without a drastic reduction in quality. The only time we've ever done it is at E3, when the eps are short and all on a single microphone.

Ya I figured as much, just wanted to hear you opinions right away on the Direct =)

Keep up the great work.

 

[Ondore]

A game you should play, and a bunch of games you'll play anyway.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/33965

We start this week's show with just three members present, but have no fear, the quartet is soon complete. Jonny begins with a return to the improperly maligned Assassin's Creed 3, a Wii U launch title that deserves more attention as the numerical sequel approaches in just six more months. James picked up Yoot Saito's Aeroporter, the Guild 01-associated luggage stacking puzzler, but he finds little to recommend even at the reduced eShop price. Gui continues the bargain warnings with escapeVektor on 3DS, a likable but glaringly flawed Pac-Man successor that was, until recently, on sale. Since Jon didn't have any New Business this week (he's been getting a head start on Mega Man, hedging his bets by playing both candidates), we had enough time for Jonny to come back around with a glowing review of Saints Row: The Third, an open-world game that finally recaptures the spirit of the "sandbox game".

For the second half, we celebrate an unusual dump of announcements for this time of year, as Nintendo hosted a Direct video event to trump all others. The focus was on 3DS, of course, and although we'd like to have more reason to be excited about Wii U in the year 2013, it's hard to complain about the lineup of sequels, revivals, and digital releases unveiled last week. We run through most of the notable tidbits and speculate on how this will affect the resurgence of 3DS as well as Nintendo's plans for E3, now just a few weeks out.

Urgent reminder: voting on the next RetroActive will end mere days after this podcast launches, so delay not in submitting your vote, good citizens! You can stay informed about the winner and get a link to the upcoming forum thread by connecting to the RFN Facebook page and following NWR's official Twitter account. You can also help keep the show interactive by filling up the mailbag, as Listener Mail is sure to return next episode.

Time: 1'46"19
Downloads: mp3 | AAC
Like you need more reason to play Saints Row The 3rd: "BURT FUCKING REYNOLDS???"

 

[XDDX]

Saints Row 3 finally on RFN!

 

[Horseticuffs]

Just got back into this due to ordering a 3ds as I remember really enjoying it way back. Particularly Greg. I'm sad to hear he's gone

I've downloaded his goodbye episode to enjoy, at least.

 

[tanooki141]

Can't wait to NWR's take on the latest ND.

 

[viciouskillersquirrel]

I'm at home sick and was literally playing te GBA version of Yoshi's Island while Guillame was saying it was hard to go back to because of all the stuff it had you collect. It took me an hour to 100% the level I was on (Look Out For Lakitu) and had deliberately fell into a pit for what seemed like the twentieth time trying to get all the red-coin holding, flying shy guys and failing to catch the last and was like "Yep".

 

[demidar]

Excellent, can't wait to hear their Nintendo Direct impression.

 

[Katsuragi]

Loved the ND discussion! James will probably get a lot of hate mail from angry Earthbound fans thanks to this episode!

 

[Silver_DNA]

We're getting closer to baseless E3 speculation. I love baseless E3 speculation.

Can't wait to give this a listen later today.

 

[viciouskillersquirrel]

We're getting closer to baseless E3 speculation. I love baseless E3 speculation.

Can't wait to give this a listen later today.

E3 prediction episodes are great. When I first discovered RFN, the pre- and post- E3 episodes were the ones I listened to first. So good!

 

[speedpop]

I'm at home sick and was literally playing te GBA version of Yoshi's Island while Guillame was saying it was hard to go back to because of all the stuff it had you collect. It took me an hour to 100% the level I was on (Look Out For Lakitu) and had deliberately fell into a pit for what seemed like the twentieth time trying to get all the red-coin holding, flying shy guys and failing to catch the last and was like "Yep".

You should totally watch the 100% speedruns of Yoshi's Island that some people do. The highlight of the last AGDQ for me was watching "Carl Sagan" completing a 100% in 2h48m. Part 2 and Part 3 if you're interested.

 

[demidar]

You should totally watch the 100% speedruns of Yoshi's Island that some people do. The highlight of the last AGDQ for me was watching "Carl Sagan" completing a 100% in 2h48m. Part 2 and Part 3 if you're interested.

He's too good, godly so. Us mere mortals can't even hope of attaining that much skill.

 

[eznark]

Turning the Boston Tea Party into a combat set piece that amounts to a stationary escort mission in which you kill a bunch of British soldiers is exactly the type of thing that killed any interest I had in AC3.

 

[Jonnyboy117]

That scene was fine with me, but the interactive historical events do vary in quality. However, I'm now on Sequence 10 of 12 and am starting to really appreciate how AC3 brings in family dynamics to a pretty serious narrative. I do fear the framing story will just go nuts in the end and bring down the overall experience for me.

 

[Colonel Mustard]

Any hope you guys will discuss the recent news of Iwata now being the ceo of NOA, and the change this might bring?

 

[Ondore]

They actually recorded on Wednesday, so the Iwata-as-CEO-of-NOA stuff should be covered. The E3 stuff probably gets punted back a week or two (since next recording has the Mega Man 3 Retroactive).

 

[Ondore]

Show's been up for a while, but I was at a Streetpass meet with a couple of other GAFfers. (15 tags.)
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/34051

We recorded a bit early this week and didn't get a chance to comment on the Nintendo E3 news, but we did spend plenty of time on other recent announcements. But before launching into grognard-level industry talk, we do like to start the show with pure video game talk. New Business begins with Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat, which James is trying for the first time (his poor hands!). The discussion is, frankly, hijacked by Jonny so he can espouse the immense virtues of this underplayed GameCube debut from the same people who made Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario 3D Land. Lindy follows with an even older platformer -- the original Castlevania, which just launched on 3DS Virtual Console. It's rather controversial for such an old game, and we get into just why that is, and why someone might want to play it in the year Two Thousand Thirteen and beyond. Jonny's next, and having spent so much editorial capital on the first two topics, he keeps it brief on Liberation Maiden, the Guild 01 shmup(?) that's still discounted on the eShop for another month. Guillaume closes the segment with extended thoughts on Etrian Odyssey 4, the first major, original JRPG for 3DS. After spending 70+ hours with the game, he has mixed feelings but ultimately appreciates its addictive qualities (which may even bring him back for more, at some point).

We call the second segment Listener Mail, but the first letter this week is really just a launching point (at our request) for a lengthy and very detailed analysis of the recent news that Iwata will be CEO of Nintendo America as well as his current position as CEO of Nintendo Co. Ltd. in Japan. What any of this really means for the company, and American gamers, is difficult to handicap, but we explore it in greater depth than you'll hear anywhere else. If this kind of corporate shenanigans techno-babble doesn't appeal to you, try skipping to the next chapter with our enhanced AAC version. We only got to read one more email, but it is a stark pivot to consider the pros and cons of Nintendo's next platform being a hybrid console/handheld. We're still catching up on a lot of good emails, but you should amplify the backlog by sending in your own question!

Finally, we announce that Mega Man 3 triumphed (handily) over its more famous predecessor, so it will be the subject of a RetroActive discussion on the very next episode. If you're playing along (and it is quite short), try to add your comments to the official forum thread by this Thursday for a chance to be quoted on the show. And thanks to everyone who voted on this special edition of RetroActive!

Time: 1'58"09
Downloads: mp3 | AAC
Screw: Top Spin

 

[Silver_DNA]

I listened to the episode today. It's nice to hear the Gamecube Donkey Kong games getting some love. They all made my hands hurt and were hard to get comfortable with but they were all quite fun. One of my friends bought Donkey Konga thinking it was Jungle Beat and we ended up loving it.

The Iwata discussion was interesting. I liked how the crew handled it and I like that they don't dog pile on the Reggie and Iwata hate I've been seeing around lately. Not giving Reggie the title of CEO may be part of that old Japanese xenophobia.

At the end of the episode I was hoping they would touch on the E3 switch up, but instead they discussed some rumor I never heard of that sounded more like wishful thinking. Hopefully next week they'll start delving into E3 mode.

 

[Jonnyboy117]

Thanks for your comments, Silver_DNA. Just wanted to let you know that the E3 news broke right after we finished recording, so that's why you didn't hear anything about it. We've got a very full show planned this week (with a feature segment on Mega Man 3), but it will likely come up in the next Listener Mail segment, along with some other crazy things we have brewing.

 

[Silver_DNA]

Ooooooh, my bad. Thanks for the info and I can't wait for the next episode.

 

[Horseticuffs]

Since I ordered my 3ds Xl I've been getting back into this podcast and, while I'll miss Greg, Guillaume (I think I spelled his name right) is really growing on me!

They ride a good, tight line between staying on-topic and having a good time. I've tried a few other all-nintendo podcasts with little success but these dudes would be a great podcast regardless of what they were covering so it's just a bonus that it's mostly Nintendo stuff.

 

[troushers]

I've listened to this podcast for a while now, and I'd recommend to anyone on the fence to give it a shot. Guillame has blended really well into the group, brings something a little different, and managed to fill the gap left by Greg Leahy.

One of the best things about this podcast is its done by people who just enjoy games, regardless of the system they are on. They can give a much more rounded perspective as a result. It's a real contrast to mainstream podcasts from the big sites, who'll discuss the current AAA flavour of the month and little else.

I appreciate the craft and care they put into these podcasts, ie chapters with amusing images and all, it puts others to shame.

 

[Katsuragi]

In regard to the 3DS third party situation in Japan, I don't think Square Enix's 3DS support is that bad, to be honest. They actually released quite a few games:
- Slime MoriMori Dragon Quest 3
- Heroes of Ruin
- Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
- Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
- Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland 3D
- Bravely Default
- Dragon Quest VII

Apparently they're woking on sequels to Dragon Quest Monsters and Bravely Default, too! Then there's also this strange game called Gyrozetter, which is supposedly based on a television show.

Their localization efforts have been quite pathetic, though, that's for sure!

 

[The_Darkest_Red]

What a fantastic episode this week, great work, guys. I particularly loved the Castlevania talk as it reminded me of my recent experience with the first Mega Man (just played it and finished it for the first time a few weeks ago). The Iwata discussion was also great.

And by the way, congrats to Guillaume for finishing EOIV! I picked it up at launch but I'm honestly kind of scared to start it because of how long it is (plus I picked it up right after dropping 100 hours into Fire Emblem).

 

[Katsuragi]

The English translation of the Q & A session which took place at the end of the recent Financial Results Briefing is now online.

There's an interesting question which deals with Iwata's new position as the CEO of NoA.

You mentioned in the presentation that you were planning to place Nintendo’s overseas operations under your direct control. In the overseas markets, it seems that packaged software, for home consoles in particular, has been facing a severe situation. What do you think about it? In addition, would you please let us know more specifically how you will change your overseas operations by putting them under your direct control?

Iwata:

I decided to refer to our plan to place our overseas operations under my direct control here because, in evaluating the notice regarding changes of directors, I thought that you might wonder who will replace the retiring general manager of the International Division and who will supervise our business in the U.S. after Mr. Kimishima, current chairperson and CEO of Nintendo of America Inc., comes back to Japan to replace Mr. Mori as a managing director.

I already communicate very frequently with those working for our overseas subsidiaries, but I will try to intensify the communications with them to make their marketing strategies and tactics more aligned with the management decisions at the headquarters. I will also inform them about the products under development on a more timely basis so that they can take advantage of the sales potential of such products in their business territories.

As there has been a downturn in the video game industry for the past two years, some, specifically in the U.S., say that video games themselves have entered a difficult phase. This is probably due to two elements.

One is that consumers have a higher psychological hurdle to paying a certain sum of money for software. Many people attribute this to smart devices, but I don’t think it is the only reason. We try to offer various kinds of software for a video game platform, and the games are improving steadily each year, but these improvements are becoming less noticeable. In short, what one platform can offer will eventually become saturated. Every consumer will inevitably become tired of and get less excitement from the same type of entertainment. It has become more difficult for a game which developers in this industry, including us, created with the same or greater amount of energy, to move or amaze consumers. Lowering software prices and a rise in the number of devices you can play games on without a dedicated gaming machine are gradually setting the bar higher for us to encourage our consumers to pay a certain sum of money for software.

The other element is the lowered sales level of the entire video game market as the current non-Nintendo home consoles are nearing the end of their product cycles. These factors combined have caused the current situation. I believe the future of the video game industry depends on the number of games developers release that consumers consider to be fresh and worth paying for.

We originally planned to release a few first-party titles for Wii U during the first half of this year, but no big titles are scheduled for release before "Pikmin 3" in July because we decided to take time to add the final touches to ensure that consumers fully feel that they are valuable titles. The brand of a franchise would be completely degraded without customer satisfaction. This is why we delayed the release schedule of such games.

We have recently reaffirmed the fact that a delicately crafted game will never fail to appeal to consumers. A good example is "Animal Crossing: New Leaf" we released at the end of last year. "Tomodachi Collection" has also made a good start in its first week, probably because many people have felt that it contains new types of fun and excitement even if the basic structure of the game is similar to its prequel for Nintendo DS. In this way, what is happening cannot be accounted for by the idea that casual users playing games with smartphones will not buy games targeted at them for dedicated gaming systems. The reason why "Fire Emblem Awakening" and "Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon" have been well received by consumers in the U.S. and European markets is that they still respect the value of games that have been carefully developed to take advantage of dedicated gaming machines. It is true that the overseas video game market has been in a downturn for the last two years, but we believe that there is a way to buck the trend.

 

[RazorK1d]

I love Iwata.

 

[Ondore]

In which the Top Spin, much like Super Ghouls and Ghosts, can go f**k itself.

We have a big episode for you this week, with several notable games (and a notable non-game) in New Biz, plus a mega-sized RetroActive!

Graphical User Interface (GUI) is up first with his first foray into the roguelike genre, Sega's Shiren the Wanderer for Nintendo DS. It's a solid example of this controversial game type, but our Northerly Neighbor doesn't stop there -- he also checks out the 3DS demo of that new Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, which is basically the same as Shiren but with 4x the amount of text/cuteness. Jonny finally gets around to completing his #1 game of 2012, The Last Story. Does it hold up all the way through the end? Oh yeah, baby! James didn't have as much gaming time this week, but he did check out the Wii U Panorama View. Though we all have to question the economics of this thing, everyone agrees that the technology is pretty cool. Latecomer Lindy spends his turn on a true classic, Kirby's Dream Land for G-to-the-B. Heading back around, Guillaume tries Ketzal's Corridors on the eShop, and Jonny wraps up his defense of Assassin's Creed III after finally finishing the campaign.

RetroActive has long been a fruitful feature on the show, but compelling dozens of people to play and discuss Mega Man 3 has to be one of our finest accomplishments yet. We take a close and objective look at this classic NES game, now readily available at both the Wii Shop Channel and 3DS eShop. Forum quotes cover all the required topics, from level design to cheapness, and we even cover the long-maligned Top Spin. It's a fun, enthusiastic conversation with plenty of strong opinions, making for another great RetroActive segment. Thanks again to all of you who voted, played, and discussed with us.

There's so much going on these days, we plan to have an extra big Listener Mail section next week. Do help us out with a provocative question, won't you?

Time: 2'21"56
Downloads: mp3 | AAC
Curious: Who used A6 Red?

 

[Katsuragi]

Guillaume's Shiren the Wanderer talk was a bit misleading, in my honest opinion. For example, it's not required to beat the game twice to unlock jars. They're available quite early on in the game (and are rather important). Gui: Should you ever want to go back to the game, I recommend you to read this fan page which explains a lot of the mechanics. The game is really not that intimidating and I managed to beat it, although I had no prior experience with the genre. The Shiren Wii game is even more forgiving and is actually quite a good starting point for newcomers!

Sakurai is only 42 years old, by the way! He was really young when he made Kirby's Dream Land.

 

[Horseticuffs]

Just got to the mega man 3 discussion and it's been another great episode! I've really liked the Rogue-like subject.

Really makes me think about picking up Etrian Odyssey IV.

 

[Zornica]

Had a little catch up to do for the past couple of weeks and just listened to "Episode 335 "Performance Review Paradox"
and to be honest, all that "american ceo" talk made me kinda sick. I don't see the point. It came across as some sort of patriotic bitching and moaning without any real foundation. you know, when american companies create new local branches, most of time, the ceo is still american. or when they buy a company, they usually replace most of the upper ranks with their own people.
I don't see why this should be different here?
so I'd like to pass the question back to you, isn't it more racist, to demand that a subsidiary in america has to be run by an american?

I don't know how much say reggie had in this whole operation rainfall debacle, but a promotion would be the last thing that comes to mind when thinking about it.

had to get that out of my system, sry if it sounds a little bit rant-ish.

Also I hope Guillaume give EO5 at least a shot when it gets released. One dungeon crawler a year sounds like a good quota

 

[big youth]

Been listening for 6+ months and really enjoy it, especially the New Business segment. Good work guys

 

[viciouskillersquirrel]

I played along with MM3 this time around - my first Retroactive!

But yeah, I fell victim to the same save state abuse that Guillame did because there is no way I would have finished it otherwise. I'm not ten years old anymore and don't have time to memorise levels anymore. It's especially annoying on the 3DS because you have to click like four things to load one up.

 

[Horseticuffs]

MM3 was my first RetroActive and I really enjoyed it! Thanks to the OP for the RA list in the first thread I'm going back to listen to some of my favorite old gems. I can't wait to hear the dudes talk about some of the classics.

I wish I could have played MM3 along with them. Anyone know what they are doing now/next?

 

[Ondore]

My best guess is that they probably won't do the next Retroactive until after E3. But I've been surprised before.

Also, thanks to Guillaume for catching something very early in the OP that I missed completely for like, a year. *sweatdrop*

 

[hwy_61]

Don't know if it's been brought up ITT, but does anyone else find James Jones just incredibly annoying? I feel like the rest of the crew laughs at his asinine jokes out of courtesy, and he lays on the smug pretty thick. I appreciate the podcast, but I feel like he really brings it down.

 

[Neifirst]

Don't know if it's been brought up ITT, but does anyone else find James Jones just incredibly annoying? I feel like the rest of the crew laughs at his asinine jokes out of courtesy, and he lays on the smug pretty thick. I appreciate the podcast, but I feel like he really brings it down.

Well, you are 100% correct. I stopped listening b/c of him (yet I still check this thread for some reason).

 

[Lynd7]

Don't know if it's been brought up ITT, but does anyone else find James Jones just incredibly annoying? I feel like the rest of the crew laughs at his asinine jokes out of courtesy, and he lays on the smug pretty thick. I appreciate the podcast, but I feel like he really brings it down.

James is playing a character somewhat. He can be pretty insightful too.

 

[hwy_61]

James is playing a character somewhat. He can be pretty insightful too.

He should find a different character to play. It's not even funny annoying, it's just annoying.

 

[OMG Aero]

Haven't finished listening yet, but I hope Guillaume comes back to Pokemon Mystery Dungeon in a later episode.

I'm dying to find out what happened to those rocks.

 

[Horseticuffs]

Haven't finished listening yet, but I hope Guillaume comes back to Pokemon Mystery Dungeon in a later episode.

I'm dying to find out what happened to those rocks.

That was more suspenseful than the end of Se7en! Anybody could be the culprit!


LATE BUMP:

Holy shit,

Spoiler

The Eternal Darkness retroactive is fucking AMAZING. I was just listening at night, playing a game and thinking they were having audio issues, when I realised they were doing insanity effects!

These guys are the coolest!

 

[viciouskillersquirrel]

Don't know if it's been brought up ITT, but does anyone else find James Jones just incredibly annoying? I feel like the rest of the crew laughs at his asinine jokes out of courtesy, and he lays on the smug pretty thick. I appreciate the podcast, but I feel like he really brings it down.

His angry rants are hilarious, so I can't agree.

MM3 was my first ever Megaman game. From that experience, I cannot say I've become fan of the series, though the way James describes the Megaman X games as being that much more fluid and fast, maybe I'd like those better. Or maybe they'll also be cheap and unfairly difficult too, I don't know.

The thing is, I love being nimble and powerful, but with a glass jaw a la Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, so Megaman's slowness and pitifully short jumping grated on me. For some reason, I also didn't realise you could shoot upwards until the last boss, so there's that too. I felt like Megaman was trying to walk through water the whole time.

 

[suaveric]

Anyone know the direct email to submit a question for the show? I know they have a form on the site, but I can't get it to submit from my phone. You can PM the email to me, thanks!

 

[Ondore]

rfn@nintendoworldreport.com

 

[Do The Mario]

Don't know if it's been brought up ITT, but does anyone else find James Jones just incredibly annoying? I feel like the rest of the crew laughs at his asinine jokes out of courtesy, and he lays on the smug pretty thick. I appreciate the podcast, but I feel like he really brings it down.

My views from the last page of this thread, I had to turn the latest episode off several times (inc after a few minutes):

I really like the podcast, I'm a long time listener. However, although I hate to type something negative about someone I am finding James increasingly difficult to listen to. He is often disrespectful of the views of others, takes absolutist positions, makes generalisations, does the 'oh capcom, oh sega, oh nintendo why you [insert] etc... which suggests business decisions are simple, talks over people and cackles so much at his own jokes.

I really wish he could tone it down a bit.

 

[Chezzymann]

I just dropped by to say thankyou, OP, for making this thread. I found this thread 2 months ago and I have been listening to this podcast ever since. Its so relaxing and so professional.

 

[Katsuragi]

The new episode is out, guys! Can't wait to listen to it while I power through Super Mario Galaxy 1 with Luigi!

 

[Ondore]

Add a one and you get... the most potentially painful podcast ever.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/34153

With so much going on lately, we had planned to do a very short New Business and then blast through tons of emails. Of course, that never works. James is the first to deliver a game, and it's Darksiders 2 on Wii U. Jon catches up with Heavy Rain and even tests the PS Move support (hint -- not good). Jonny conjures memories of MotoHeroz with Joe Danger: The Movie. Gui is far more topical, feeding the addiction with Mega Man 4 and testing Art Style: Aquia for worthiness of your Club Nintendo coins.

Any planned "lightning round" is doomed when the very first email occupies our team for well over 15 minutes, but such is our plight when listeners keep sending in such great questions and topics. That one is a revisit to a very old musing on how video games can portray the significance of character death. Next, we read a bit of hate mail, but it spins us off into an impromptu dissection of a true classic NES game. Following that is a look at Nintendo's support for Unity developers, possibly at the expense of more established engines and game studios. Finally, a hotly requested discussion topic: Shadow of the Eternals and the return of its controversial creative director, Denis Dyack. We even take a crack at Wii U-exclusive insanity effects.

We're still quite backlogged on fantastic emails, but don't let that stop you from making it even worse. You can check out the non-gaming podcasts that Jonny mentioned over at Crosstawk.

Time: 2'11"52
Downloads: mp3 | AAC
What's worse: Urban Champion, or Heavy Rain with a lollipop?

 

[Horseticuffs]

Woo-hoo!

 

[Katsuragi]

I really enjoyed the Shadow of the Eternals discussion on this week's episode. It was quite refreshing to hear Jonny's perspective amidst all the negativity and Dyack bashing commonly found on the net. Maybe you guys should think about inviting him on the show to discuss the game and the crowd funding process. I'm sure he has an interesting story to tell (if he's legally allowed to).

The bonus segment after the regular show was hilarious, by the way!