8-4 Play

With the gang trapped in the old hotel meat locker, they have no choice but to answer listener questions until a kindly old psychic lets them out. Oh wait, am I... I might be thinking of The Shining.

Time — Topic Discussed

03:30 – Nicknames
10:32 – Hades II impressions
17:17 – Listener Q&A

17-Bit buddy Jake Kazdal joins us for his umpteenth 8-4 Play appearance to talk Dragon's Dogma 2 and update us on his Tears of the Kingdom journey, while Gabe dives deep into the wild and wonderful life of robot beavers.

Time — Topic Discussed

01:19 – Nicknames
07:36 – Dragon’s Dogma 2
16:08 – Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
29:27 – The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
33:02 – Timberborn
42:02 – News: Wii U & 3DS go offline, Final Fantasy news, Pokémon hacker arrested, and more!

We dragged Roy away from Dragon's Dogma 2 just long enough to get the rest of us psyched about making pawns of our own someday...once we finish FF7 Rebirth, Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road, and Dermot's deathly planking drills, that is. Plus news!

Time — Topic Discussed

00:53 – Nicknames
11:24 – Dragon’s Dogma 2
26:39 – Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
48:02 – Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road beta
56:43 – News: Final Fantasy VI turns 30, PlayStation rumors, and more!

Sakura buds yet / Play shy, and yet here the games / Blossom for us all / Mars After Midnight / PC-FX Weebo shit / Sand Land / Rando news / You can stop counting syllables

Time — Topic Discussed

01:17 – Nicknames
15:20 – Cavern of Dreams
21:14 – Sand Land demo
27:04 – Dragon Quest XI
29:17 – JP’s new PC-FX
38:34 – Mars After Midnight
56:22 – Llama Soft: The Jeff Minter Story
1:06:10 – News: PS5 Pro Leaks, Shin Megami Tensei V release date bumped, and more!

Four out of five 8-4 Play podcasters agree--to disagree, that is, about the early hours of FF7 Rebirth. Park yourself at the nearest Chocobo Stop and tune in for a Tight 56 of first impressions as well as all the news that’s fit to…fit in the last 15 minutes or so.

Time — Topic Discussed

00:50 — Nicknames
06:36 — Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
39:13 — News: Pokémon Presents, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth disc labels, Mar10 Day rumors, and more!

The future waits for no one, including Nintendo Directs and shit-hot Elden Ring DLC trailers, so take a trip backwards through time with us as we kick off with thoughts on both of the above, then wind the clocks back one night to talk about (older) news, games we've been playin', and predictions for...the part of the podcast you already heard in the first half? It'll all make sense, trust us.

Time — Topic Discussed

01:39 — Nicknames
04:54 — Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree trailer impressions
20:10 — Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase
41:40 — News: Microsoft Business Update, Helldivers 2, Switch 2 rumors, and more!
1:07:52 — Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion
1:13:47 — Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth demo
1:20:11 — Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
1:24:22 — Neutopia
1:26:16 — Apex: Legends
1:30:02 — Sonic Superstars

Zip around town on your two-wheeled, self-balancing transporter of choice while we engage in our own high-speed chitter-chatter about Tekken 8, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, FF7: Rebirth, Microsoft and Nintendo rumors, and, well, ya know…that kinda stuff!

Time — Topic Discussed

00:50 — Nicknames
10:12 — Tekken 8
20:45 — Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
32:19 — Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth State of Play Impressions
37:46 — Gran Blue Fantasy: Relink
42:24 — News: State of Play, Microsoft rumors, Switch 2 rumors, and more!

Jeopardy categories for this episode: Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, 8-4 Play Alumni, Twilight Fan Fiction, Palworld, Weeaboo Nintendo Franchises, and Potent Portables.

Time — Topic Discussed

01:03 — Nicknames
08:57 — Welcome Back, Dermot!
19:22 — Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
32:50 — Star Ocean The Second Story R
35:39 — Another Code: Recollection
38:22 — Palworld
54:31 — News: AGDQ, Foamstars Launches, Elden Ring DLC, and more!

Brand new year, same old crew...or is it?! Tune in for the exciting details of our high-octane holidays, plus random talk about hot new releases like FF14, Cyberpunk 2077, Project Zomboid, and The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (yeah, the first one). No Gabe, no news, no promises!

Time — Topic Discussed

01:14 — Holiday Recap
21:51 — Project Zomboid
30:32 — Final Fantasy XIV
32:52 — Baldur’s Gate 3
50:40 — Apex Legends
56:06 — Cyberpunk 2077
1:05:58 — Too Many Games

You know the way you feel about work or school that last day before the holidays? This is that feeling in podcast form. (PS: The answer to Mark’s TG-16 R-Type credit Q is in the podcast image.)

Time — Topic Discussed

04:03 — Nicknames
10:28 — Some Christmas Stories
24:08 — Dodonpachi and Radiant Silvergun
32:59 — News: L is Real 2401, Last of Us Online Cancelled, and more!

If you’re in the market for four people who live in Japan talking about The Game Awards, Resident Evil 4 Remake VR Mode, and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, boy have we got a podcast for you.

Time — Topic Discussed

00:44 – Nicknames
07:10 – News: The Game Awards results and announcements, PokéPark, and more!
55:04 – Resident Evil 4 Remake VR Mode
1:01:35 – Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
1:06:56 – Baldur’s Gate 3

The gang Super Jumps down memory lane with Super Mario RPG, then dips into a Sotenbori cabaret for Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, and finally drunkenly meanders home via the shady alley that is news.

Time — Topic Discussed

05:00 — Nicknames
13:48 — Super Mario RPG Remake
26:59 — Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
35:57 — News: The Last of Us 2 Remastered, Game Awards security, Dragon’s Dogma 2 release date and more!

A dash of SMB Wonder, a flash of Alan Wake 2, a splash of PlayStation Portal, the smash (hit) Baldur's Gate 3, and a lack of cash in Gabe's long-lost wallet. Plus, TGA nominations & a warm welcome to Baby Sheffield!

Time — Topic Discussed

00:52 — Nicknames
24:26 — Super Mario Bros. Wonder
27:59 — Alan Wake 2
35:16 — PlayStation Portal impressions
40:22 — Baldur’s Gate 3
49:59 — News: The Game Awards nominees, Nintendo Indie World, and the Zelda movie!

Buncha jibba-jabba on SMB Wonder, Quest VR sleeper Dungeons of Eternity, and Alan Wake 2, plus Switch 2 (Too?) rumors and SHOCKING PERSONAL NEWS :red arrow emoji:

Time — Topic Discussed

• 00:49 — Nicknames
• 17:17 — Super Mario Bros. Wonder
• 36:40 — Dungeons of Eternity
• 45:42 — Alan Wake 2
• 54:20 — ALAN WAKE SPOILERS START
• 54:57 — ALAN WAKE SPOILERS END
• 58:25 — News: Switch 2 rumors, Nintendo's new tournament terms, and more!

The gang discuss the two latest and greatest AAA titles everyone is buzzing about — that’s right, definitive word on BOTH EDF 6 and Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak!! Also, believe it or not: news!

Time – Topic Discussed:

• 01:08 — Nicknames
• 16:50 — Earth Defense Force 6
• 27:41 — Baldur’s Gate 3
• 33:49 — Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak
• 43:03 — News: Microsoft buys Activision, the Analogue 3D, and more!

The “gang” welcomes in the Fall season as our ancestors did: with talk of Final Fantasy XVI, Monster Hunter Now, Lies of P, Mortal Kombat 1, Baldur’s Gate 3, and a heapin’ helpin’ of news.

• 00:45 – Nicknames
• 12:02 – Monster Hunter Now
• 24:57 – Gabe The Beater (Final Fantasy XVI, Lies of P, Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways, Mortal Kombat 1)
• 37:46 – Baldur's Gate 3
• 48:30 – News: Nintendo 3DS/Wii U online services, Jim Ryan retires, Kamiya leaves Platinum, and more!

A cavalcade of special guests old and new drop by to talk about their experiences at (or around) this year’s Tokyo Game Show. With Brandon Sheffield, John Linneman, Imran Khan, Kevin Gifford (?!), and more!

Time – Topic Discussed:

• 02:03 – TGS is back (w/Brandon Sheffield & Kevin Gifford)
• 31:42 – Dragon's Dogma 2 & FF7 Rebirth (w/Imran Khan & John Davis)
• 56:28 – Nivalis, Shadow of the Ninja (w/John Linneman & Diamond Feit)
• 1:18:18 – Enotria: The Last Song, Black Finger JET, & Zelda (w/Jake Kazdal, David Hellman, Liam Edwards, and Colin Williamson)
• 1:57:38 – Persona 3 Reload, Like a Dragon Gaiden, & BQM
• 2:10:44 - Wrapping up

Thought you could sneak another Nintendo Direct and State of Play past us, did you? Well, NOT THIS TIME! We zigged where the big corporations zagged and decided to record a mini-ep at the crack of 8am today, just for you. Tune in for quick and dirty impressions of everything we all JUST SAW and start building the hype for next week's Tokyo Game Show extravaganza!

Time – Topic Discussed:

• 01:57 – Nicknames
• 07:45 – Sony State of Play
• 21:58 – Nintendo Direct

The regular crew is back, and just in time to miss another Nintendo Direct! Mario Wonder will have to wait, but in the meantime, we've got The Making of Karateka, Shadowgate 64, updates on Vampire Survivors and FF16, and all the not-so-latest news as the countdown to Tokyo Game Show begins...

Time – Topic Discussed:

• 00:41 – Nicknames
• 07:02 – Shadowgate 64 (with spoilers!)
• 13:39 – The Making of Karateka
• 25:08 – We haven’t played Armored Core VI
• 31:21 – Vampire Survivors
• 34:14 – Final Fantasy XVI
• 40:34 – News: PlayStation Portal, Charles Martinet, and more!

Everyone’s off sipping Mai Tais from their fancy pool floats or whatever, but time waits for no one in the podcast world, so join our little skeleton crew along with new challenger Sami as we talk Vampire Survivors co-op, Honkai Star Rail, FF16, and more!

Time – Topic Discussed:

• 00:50 – Nicknames
• 10:33 – Vampire Survivors
• 16:34 – Honkai Star Rail
• 32:32 – Final Fantasy XVI
• 38:02 – Persona 3
• 55:12 – Listener Q&A and some News!

Saddle up for a very special tight 60 with the rootinest, tootinest podcastin’ crew this side of the Alamo’s basement. Featuring Pikmin 4, Remnant II, a bit more Zelda—and [not much] more! (Recorded before 8-4 Day, sorry for not mentioning 8-4 Day. Happy 8-4 Day!)

Time – Topic Discussed:

• 00:46 – Nicknames
• 11:52 – Pikmin 4
• 27:44 – Remnant II
• 36:46 – News: PS5 Pro rumors, Switch 2 rumors, and more!

LIVE and in-person from the new 8-4 Towers in sunny (and humid) [REDACTED], the crew talks Final Fantasy XVI, Viewfinder, BitSummit, and frankly a surprising amount about Exoprimal.

Time – Topic Discussed:

• 02:22 – Nicknames
• 19:30 – Exoprimal
• 27:54 – Viewfinder
• 34:49 – Tears of the Kingdom
• 37:07 – Final Fantasy XVI
• 46:32 – News: Microsoft/ActiBlizz, Famicom turns 40, and more!

Mark's out, John's out, and we're locked out of the office! That won't stop this ragtag crew from gathering online to discuss the PC Engine's Fang of Alnam, debate the merits of the Pikmin 4 demo's tutorials, and best of all, catch up with our pal, Roy!

Time – Topic Discussed:

• 00:51 – Nicknames
• 09:54 – Fang of Alnam
• 37:17 – Final Fantasy XVI
• 51:13 – Pikmin 4 demo impressions
• 01:11:34 – Grounded
• 01:18:33 – News: MGS4 rumors, PSVR2 PC driver buzz, EVO registration numbers, and more!

Folks - WE GOT ONE!! Nintendo must’ve gotten all your calls and letters, because they dropped a Direct BEFORE recording for once! Thrill to fresh-off-the-grill Hot Takes on all that shiz, plus Xbox and Summer Games talk, FF16 demo impressions, and more!

Time – Topic Discussed:

• 00:48 – Nicknames
• 02:50 – Tears of the Kingdom
• 08:02 – Final Fantasy XVI
• 28:12 – John at the RGG Summit
• 37:37 – News: Summer Game Fest highlights, the Nintendo Direct, and more!

Capcom localization director Andrew Alfonso joins Graeme and the gang to dig in to Street Fighter 6, topped off with a dollop of news (recorded pre-Summer Game Fest, mind you).

Time – Topic Discussed:

• 01:04 – Nicknames
• 19:32 – Street Fighter 6
• 56:31 – News: MGS Delta, Apple Vision Pro, and more!

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

Time – Topic Discussed:

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

Thank you for calling 8-4 Play. We can’t take your call right now, but please leave a message at the tone and we’ll get back to you as soon as we’ve had our fill of Tears of the Kingdom. *BEEEEP*

Time – Topic Discussed:

• 01:58 – Nicknames
• 11:28 – Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters
• 19:09 – Hollow Knight
• 28:58 – Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
• 37:12 – Dragon Slayer: Legend of Heroes
• 47:41 – Tunic
• 1:03:41 – News: Redfall disappoints, PS5 sales and a liiiiiiitle bit more.
• 1:06:55 – Mario Bros Movie Impressions (Yes, there are spoilers)

Golden Week is here, and look what the Pegasus dragged in--that’s right, straight from the skies above Narita Airport, it’s fan favorite special guest Shane Bettenhausen! Join us for talk of the hottest trailers from two weeks ago (TOTK and FF16), the latest Arcade Archives releases, the new FF Pixel Remasters, the MS/Activision drama, and of course (booming voice) Humanityyyyyyyyy.

Time – Topic Discussed:
01:17 – Nicknames
05:12 – Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster
09:20 – Tears of the Kingdom trailer reactions
16:25 – Humanity
21:20 – Arcade Archives (Phelios, Metal Hawk, and more)
36:49 – Final Fantasy XVI
1:04:13 – The Tetris movie
1:19:42 – News: Microsoft/Activision merger, Humanity, Apple wins against Epic’s appeal, and more!

Gaming Jesus is missing, and it’s up to YOU to make it through this podcast without him! Strap in for random talk about Super Mario Galaxy, Hollow Knight, Gabe’s irrational fear of chocolate, more Resident Evil 4-make, and (of course) another obscure PC Engine game nobody has ever heard of. Plus news! But not Zelda Trailer or FF16 SOP news. Just…other news. ENJOY!

Time – Topic Discussed:
01:18 – Nicknames
26:31 – Resident Evil 4 Remake
32:23 – Hollow Knight
39:55 – Vasteel (it’s a PC Engine game)
48:09 – Super Mario Galaxy
01:04:04 – News: Sayonara E3, PS5 rumors, Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters, and more!

E3 may be gone (for now?), but the show must go on, as they say, so join us for thoughts on Resident Evil 4-make™, Wo-Long: Fallen Dynasty, Meg's Monster, the new Tears of the Kingdom details, and more. (Recorded before the E3 news dropped, RIP.)

Time – Topic Discussed:
00:57 – Nicknames
09:07 – Resident Evil 4 Remake
37:55 – Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
43:04 – Meg’s Monster
48:01 – Tunic
57:30 – News: E3 speculation, PS5 slim rumors, Zelda gameplay, and more!

The crew gather (IRL!) to talk Octopath II, the Resident Evil 4 demo (i.e. RE 4-make) and Village in PSVR2, Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line, and E3 or not E3 -- or is that even a question?

Time – Topic Discussed:
01:12 – Nicknames
09:53 – Octopath Traveler II Impressions
15:34 – Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line
24:12 – Resident Evil 4 Demo Impressions (DEMO SPOILERS 31:44 - 33:24)
44:46 – Resident Evil Village on PSVR2
51:18 – News: PS5 sales skyrocket in Japan, Microsoft-Activision merger, and more!

Wherein the gang dish on the latest State of Play (ok, mostly Humanity to be honest), PSVR 2 launch, Mikami’s departure and the Elden Ring DLC announcement (STEAK BET ALERT).

Time – Topic Discussed:
01:04 – Nicknames
13:00 – PSVR2 Talk (Resident Evil Village)
30:44 – Humanity
44:52 – Like a Dragon: Ishin
52:55 – News: Pokemon Direct, Shinji Mikami leaves Tango Gameworks, and more!

We catch up on the latest Nintendo Direct with talk about Metroid Prime Remastered, Game Boy and Game Boy Advance nostalgia, and (of course) hot takes on the latest Zelda trailer.

Time – Topic Discussed:
00:52 – Nicknames
09:05 – PC Engine Talk (Private eye dol)
25:36 – Metroid Prime Remastered
32:35 – Gargoyle’s Quest
38:08 – The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap
43:04 – Nintendo Direct Recap

Game director at Tango Gameworks, self-admitted Zwan fan, and (actual) friend of the show John Johanas joins to talk all about the hottest game that no one had heard of until a week ago: Hi-Fi Rush!

Time – Topic Discussed:
00:54 – Nicknames
07:44 – Hi-Fi Rush with Director John Johanas

With Gaming Jesus MIA, we broke out the rotary phone and called Turbo Zone Direct (1-800-DUO-THIS) to summon newcomer JP Wentz for an in-person show (!) to talk a lot of PC Engine, a little Pokemon S&V, a touch of Tunic, a sprinkling of news, and more!

02:44 – Nicknames
12:29 – PC Engine Talk
41:03 – Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
50:48 – Tunic
56:24 – January’s releases, AGDQ and more!

Kick off the new year with a TIGHT 60 (tm) of wistful holiday memories of three ogres battled, two crises cored, one avatar movie, and a fel-o-ny in an air fryer.

01:59 – Nicknames
19:44 – Tactics Ogre: Reborn
31:16 – Sekiro
36:00 – Night in the Woods
37:24 – Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
41:16 – News: PlayStation’s Project Leonardo, Pro Switch cancellation rumors, and more!

In our holiday special, wayward son Graeme returns home to learn the true meaning of Christmas—i.e. Armored Core and Street Fighter, The Game Awards, Ash hanging up his Pokéballs, and plenty more. WARNING: SANTA SPOILERS: KEEP AWAY FROM 10 AND UNDER

01:07 – Nicknames
12:50 – Armored Core chat
33:18 – Street Fighter 6 Beta
45:30 – Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core Reunion
52:33 – News: The Game Awards, Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters, and more!

Travel back to a time before (a day before!) the Game Awards and revel in the nostalgia and naïveté of those bygone days when people cared about Mario movie trailer ​#2, Elden Ring art books, and Yuji Naka conspiracy theories.

Time – Topic Discussed:

01:07 – Nicknames
14:27 – The second Mario Movie trailer
20:35 – Elden Ring
39:52 – Vampire Survivors
44:42 – News: Street Fighter 6 leaks, Summer Games Fest returns, Yuzo Koshiro announces a Mega Drive game, and more!

Kyoto’s reigning turducken champion and 17-Bit head honcho Jake Kazdal joins us straight from the dinner table in Kyoto to talk about Somerville, Vampire Survivors, Pokemon S&V, the upcoming Game Awards, and plenty more!

Time – Topic Discussed:

01:08 – Nicknames
01:39 – Word Cup Spoiler Talk (Germany v. Japan)
02:41 – World Cup Spoiler Talk Ends
13:10 – Somerville
22:48 – Vampire Survivors
30:02 – Pokemon Scarlet
40:22 – God of War: Ragnarok
50:40 – News: The Game Awards nominations, Miyamoto’s Birthady, and more!

Gather round the campfire for mildly-warm-yet-palatable-even-if-they-briefly-fell-on-the-ground takes on Modern Warfare II, Twitter, Callisto Protocol & Japanese game "cens0rship," Nintendo numbers and more.

Time – Topic Discussed:
01:39 – Nicknames
18:38 – Twitter Tawk
32:42 – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022)
43:24 – Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
46:44 – Tetris Effect Connected
53:59 – News: Nintendo’s Financials, Callisto Protocol cancelled in Japan, PSVR2 and more!

A verrrrrryyy scaaaaaaary and seasonally-appropriate spooktacular (tm) chat covering all the recent Resident Evil and Silent Hill news, Bloodborne and its unofficial demake, and -- yadda some last thing what did we talk about --. (Boo!)

Time – Topic Discussed:
01:23 – Nicknames
12:37 – Bloodborne & Bloodborne PSX
28:15 – God of War (2018)
35:35 – News: Silent Hill Transmission, Capcom’s Resident Evil showcase, and a little bit more!

The gang checks in on the Street Fighter 6 Beta, Meta Quest Pro news, and Phil Spencer’s shelf, says goodbye to The Last Soldier, Babylon’s Fall, and Stadia, and offer in-depth analysis on a certain plumber’s plumper — and it’s not the one you think! ……oh wait, no, yeah, it is.

00:51 – Nicknames
09:58 – The Super Mario Trailer
30:00 – Street Fight 6
46:01 – News: Nintendo Pictures, Oculus Quest Pro, PSVR2, and more!

Nicholas de Leon of Consumer Reports saddles up in his Cooler Master Ergo L to talk about Gaming Chair conspiracies, the TGS news we missed, Mark's hate-hate relationship with Quake II, and plenty more.

01:06 – Nicknames
05:36 – Gaming chair advice with Nicholas from Consumer Reports
32:07 – Quake 2 RTX
40:49 – Dragon Quest X Offline
47:38 – 428 Shibuya Scramble
55:14 – Xenoblade Chronicles 3
57:53 – Splatoon 3
1:06:32 – News: TGS Roundup, NVIDIA’s GPUs, Twitch’s new revenue split, and more!

Big news outta TGS this week (yes, you read that correctly!), so the gang assembles in person (!)—along with Capcom’s @alfonso_thesix and IGN’s @The_Katbot—to discuss Street Fighter 6, the Nintendo Direct and State of Play lineups, various Like a Dragons, and more!

Time – Topic Discussed:

01:27 –Nicknames
13:09 – Ryu Ga Gotoku Stuff
25:09 – Sony State of Play
33:07 – Tekken 8 Info
38:13 – Street Fighter 6 info
44:08 – Nintendo Direct recap
1:33:14 – Forespoken impressions

Accursed guest Liam Edwards joins us in the hunt, as we purge the streets of beasts and birdies. May the Great Ones grant us eyes, and maybe a few Ace Cards so we can make this episode a hole-in-one.

Time – Topic Discussed:

00:42 – Nicknames
08:16 – Cursed to Golf
44:25 – Bloodborne
1:09:04 – Xenoblade Chronicles 3
1:24:25 – News: PS5 Price Increases, New PS5 Model, Dark Souls 3 Multiplayer is back, and more!

We may be whittled down to just a cast of three this week, but that won't stop us from brainstorming alcohol marketing strategies, talking about garbage, and helping Tina decide her next FromSoft game. Actually, maybe YOU can help with that last one?

Time – Topic Discussed:

00:00 – Nicknames
16:16 – Two Point Campus
25:36 – Tina’s Next FromSoftware Journey
41:25 – Shin-Chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation
51:47 – News: EVO 2022 Results, No Switch Pro this Year, Pokémon Unite news and more!

Summer has finally hit Tokyo, and we're all looking for ways to cool down--or at the very least keep our cooldowns spinning in Xenoblade Chronicles 3! Also Tina learns to make her favorite cocktail and Gabe moves up in the world, plus Pokémon and Tactics Ogre news!

Time – Topic Discussed:

00:40 – Happy 8-4 Day!
03:18 – Nicknames
18:44 – Xenoblade Chronicles 3
46:14 – Stray (and an Elden Ring name drop)
56:01 – Pokémon Go
59:09 – News: Pokémon Presents, EVO returns, Steam Deck bound for Asia, and more!

When the host is away, the rest of the cast will...explore the pain threshold of chocobo racing in Final Fantasy X, examine the extras in the Elden Ring collector's edition, express some spoiler-free thoughts on Stray, and exhibit a variety of hot takes on all the news that's fit to hastily throw in a google doc five mins before the show. Excelsior!

Time – Topic Discussed:

01:32 – Nicknames
08:15 – Final Fantasy X
16:26 – Stray
33:57 – Alan Wake
42:12 – Tina’s Elden Ring Haul
50:19 – News: God of War Ragnarok’s Discless Steelbook, Platinum Games, and more!

Roy did what? …Well we can’t put that in the description. Just say something like “We talk about Mario’s voice, SGDQ, Switch pro rumors yadda yadda” the usual BS.

00:51 – Nicknames
08:35 – Elden Ring (Massive Spoilers. Pretty Sure We’re Done After this!)
27:25 – SGDQ Highlights
51:01 – My Three Things, aka: News: Chris Pratt’s Mario Voice, Super Deluxe Games, and more!

Join the fearsome 8-4-some as they charge headlong into Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, ruminate on the crowning of our final (?) Elden Lord, and waterslide through the Summer Gaming madness.

Time – Topic Discussed:

01:39 – Nicknames & Mac n’ Cheese Talk
18:36 – Fire Emblem: Three Hopes impressions
27:09 – ***Start Age of Calamity Spoilers***
29:22 – ***End Age of Calamy Spoilers***
35:48 – Elden Ring, ***FULL OF END GAME SPOILERS***
1:00:13 – News: Summer Games Fest, Dragon’s Dogma 2, and more!

We're a bit behind (or rather, ahead of?) all the Summer Gaming nonsense -- hey, we live in Japan, we just got rid of Zima, fer crissakes! -- but still got plenty of hot chatz re: Street Fighter 6, Resident Evil Rem4ke, Final Fantasy XVI, Mega Drive Mini 2, and Sonic Frontiers.

Time – Topic Discussed:

01:51 – Nicknames
08:00 – Wild Arms (and PS+ Premium Impressions)
20:12 – News: Sony’s State of Play, Giantbomb, SEGA and more!
01:33:40 – Demon’s Souls
01:37:28 – Elden Ring
01:41:56 – Rogue Legacy 2

Elden who? Bury that fossil alongside the NHK guy--this week, we're diving deep on Project Zomboid, the hot new...wait, it's from 2013? Well, whatever. Roy's into it and that's all that matters. Plus a lil Kirby, a lil news, and maybe just a -few- words about the From game that shall no longer be named...

Time – Topic Discussed:

01:08 – Nicknames
19:41 – Project Zomboid
35:46 – Kirby and the Forgotten Land
42:16 – Elden Ring (and some Demon's Souls!)
50:39 – News: Revamped PS+ Retro Titles, Silent Hill rumors and more!

Our final (?) discussion of Elden Ring dives so deep your rainbow stone would shatter before it hits bottom, including spoiler-filled endgame zigs and half-assed lore zags. Also: some news.

Time – Topic Discussed:

01:20 – Nicknames
19:23 – Elden Ring
34:29 – ***ROUND 1 ELDEN RING SPOILER TALK STARTS***
1:01:03 – ***ROUND 1 ELDEN RING SPOILER TALK ENDS***
1:13:20 – ***ROUND 2 ELDEN RING SPOILER TALK STARTS***
1:23:01 – ***ROUND 2 ELDEN RING SPOILER TALK ENDS***
1:27:24 – News: Chip Shortages Continue, Yuji Naka Airs Some Dirty Laundry, Summer Games Fest, and more!
2:00:34 – ***MINOR ELDEN RING SPOILERS START***
2:04:11 – ***MINOR ELDEN RING SPOILERS END***

What better way to celebrate Showa Day than with a smattering of Radical Dreamers, a dollop of Chrono Cross, and most importantly, in-depth analysis of every t-shirt in Uniqlo’s new Final Fantasy collaboration line? 01:05 – Nicknames

09:34 – Elden Ring

33:02 – Chrono Cross & Radical Dreamers

49:07 – News: Super Mario movie delayed, Variable Refresh Rate coming to PS5 and more!

The Uniqlo/Final Fantasy collaboration:

https://www.uniqlo.com/jp/ja/special-feature/ff35th

A whole lotta Gotta Protectors: Cart of Darkness, signs of Elden Ring burnout (yet somehow we still love talking about it for an hour?), and some kind of Kingdom Hearts something or other I dunno I stopped listening at this part. Plus steak updates and more!

Time – Topic Discussed:

1:30 – Nicknames
6:40 – Gotta Protectors: Cart of Darkness
27:48 – Elden Ring (and some Pokémon Legends: Arceus)
1:02:44 – Our Chrono Cross Remastered plans
1:06:34 – News: E3 2022 Cancelled, Kingdom Hearts 4, and more!

01:09 – Nicknames
03:48 – Elden Ring
52:34 – Kirby and the Forgotten Land
1:02:36 – Tunic
1:14:45 – Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin impressions
01:24:48 – News: Sony’s Project Spartacus, Breath of the Wild 2 delay.

Who has time to record a podcast when we're still neck-deep in Elden Ring? Not us, Tarnished! But all right, we'll put the twinblades down for an hour, I GUESS. Listen to us talk about our latest ER progress, the new reveals in last week's State of Play, and (not) much more!

Time – Topic Discussed:

01:33 – Nicknames
13:36 – Elden Ring
52:20 – News: Sony's State of Play, Elden Ring Patch Notes, Super Nintendo World, and more!

The Dark Souls of Dark Souls successors is upon us in Elden Ring, so unfurl your fingers and join us by the bonfi—I mean, site of grace—for an extended, (mostly) spoiler-free first discussion about our travels and travails throughout the Lands Between.

Time – Topic Discussed:

00:50 – Nicknames
03:08 – Elden Ring
1:37:04 – News: Street Fighter 6, Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, and more!

Time – Topic Discussed:

01:11 – Nicknames
09:05 – Pokémon Legends: Arceus
23:01 – Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker (Minor Spoilers!)
28:02 – Apex Legends
31:18 – Civilization VI
42:06 – Vampire Survivors
51:28 – Dark Souls 2 and Dark Souls 3
1:10:49 – News: The February Nintendo Direct and the 3DS/WiiU eShop announcement

Hold onto your apricorns, because this week we’re talking about everyone’s favorite monsters: Banjo and Kazooie! No, just kidding. There’s a new Pokémon game, or so we hear, plus news, an FF14 check-in, Gabe’s mad dash through the Souls series, and more!

(Btw folks who regularly listen via Spotify -- we don't feel good about being offered on the service atm so we've decided to stop posting there for now. Apologies for the inconvenience but, well yeah. Please listen elsewhere for the time being.)

Time – Topic Discussed:

01:32 – Nicknames
12:58 – Pokémon Legends: Arceus
51:00 – Pokémon Gold and Silver
57:08 – Dark Souls
01:14:20 – Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
01:21:39 – Banjo-Kazooie
01:34:45 – News: Nintendo Switch Sales, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 Rumors, and more!

Mostly news, and okay, yes, we do talk about Microsoft buying Activision, but only in the sense of who we plan to main in the inevitable upcoming Super Smash Dude Bros. IP crossover franchise. Otherwise: PSVR 2, AGDQ, and the Nintendo hotel.

Time – Topic Discussed:

01:38 – Nicknames
18:02 – OCTOPATH TRAVELER
32:01 – News: Playstation VR2, E3’s Online Only Announcement, Microsoft & Activision, and more!
1:19:06 – ***RESIDENT EVIL: VILLAGE SPOILERS***
1:23:01 – ***END RESIDENT EVIL: VILLAGE SPOILERS***

Fan favorite Shane Bettenhausen stops by to chat classic games / shoot-them-ups, Steam Deck, and TV Asahi's top 100 game list, with a hat tip to 2021 faves and what we're excited about in 2022.

Time – Topic Discussed:

01:09 - Nicknames
19:51 - G.Darius HD, Cotton 100% + Panorama Cotton, and Nemesis '90 Kai
25:54 - Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (and general Castlevania talk)
41:04 - Steam Deck impressions
47:34 - Final Fantasy V
56:21 - John's old-school Sega adventures
1:13:05 - Zelda Game & Watch
1:16:41 - ***SPOILERS*** Unpacking
1:24:44 - Untitled Goose Game
1:32:00 - TV Asahi's Top 100 Games
1:48:49- 2021 GOTY thoughts
1:54:11- 2022's most wanted

Can't travel home this year? Let us be your slightly drunk and very opinionated family as we blather on about old Sega games, The Game Awards, and those g-d politicians who are RUINING THIS COUNTRY!

Time – Topic Discussed:

01:19 – Nicknames
20:42 – John’s Stuff
34:15 – Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
51:37 – The Game Awards Recap
01:16:12 – Final Fantasy VI delay, Analogue Pocket orders, fond memories, and more!

17-Bit jefe Jake Kazdal rejoins the party to discuss his new VR title Song In The Smoke, as well hot new releases like Dark Souls and Rez. Content warning: contains Final Fantasy XIV talk.

Time – Topic Discussed:

00:43 – Nicknames
20:28 – Song in the Smoke
28:52 – Dark Souls
47:23 – Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
1:07:35 – Dragon Quest Keshi Keshi
1:22:02 – Rez’s Anniversary

The action picks up moments after last season's cliffhanger ending. Gabe is still on the run from the fuzz -- will he ever be able to show his face in our Zoom window again? Ponder this and more as we talk Nintendo remakes, convenience store sandwiches, VGA categories, and more!

Time – Topic Discussed:

01:13 – Nicknames
17:37 – Mario Party Superstars
23:32 – Animal Crossing
31:32 – Dragon Quest X & Final Fantasy XIV
39:29 – News: The Game Awards nominees, Xbox’s 20th Anniversary, and more!
1:15:04 – Listener Q&A

We know, we don’t look a day over #247! Pull up a chair and listen to these ol’ timers recount (and forget) tales from our past, checking in on Shin Megami Tensei V, Pikmin Bloom, and the new Animal Crossing update along the way.

Time – Topic Discussed:

02:25 – Nicknames
13:33 – Shin Megami Tensei V
34:32 – Dark Souls Remastered
40:09 – SEGA Classics: Phantasy Star 2 and Shining Force
46:38 – Pikmin Bloom
51:37 – Animal Crossing: New Horizons Update
59:50 – News: Osaka’s getting a Nintendo Store, Metal Gear Solid 2 & 3 temporarily pulled from digital stores, Valve’s Steam Deck gets delayed, and more!
01:11:15 – We Reflect on 300 Episodes of 8-4 Play

We dive deep on RE4 in VR for the Quest with the help of our resident, evil Resident-Evil expert Alex Aniel, and chat Dungeon Encounters, more Super Nintendo World, and some news.

Time – Topic Discussed:

00:48 – Nicknames
06:17 – Nintendo 64 on Switch
23:56 – Resident Evil 4: VR
53:42 – Metroid: Dread
1:08:18 – Dungeon Encounters
1:09:40 – News: Playstation’s State of Play, Animal Crossing Direct, Elden Ring delay and more!

This week, we all curl up into very tight balls and barge into Jerry's apartment to talk about nothing. Just kidding! We actually talk about Metroid Dread and big TVs.

Time – Topic Discussed:

01:06 – Nicknames
15:38 – Metroid Dread
54:51 – Kena: Bridge of Spirits
1:00:16 – News: Kingdom Hearts coming to Switch, Universal Studios Japan and Pokémon join forces, and more!

Autumn is in the air, even if a classic Tokyo Game Show episode is not. Join us as we talk last judgments on Lost Judgment, get cute with Kena: Bridge of Spirits, and review the latest Nintendo Direct. Hey, how bout that Mario movie?

Time – Topic Discussed:

01:58 – Nicknames
22:10 – Lost Judgment
28:42 – Kena: Bridge of Spirits
42:38 – Pokémon UNITE
45:46 – News: Nintendo Direct Recap, Tokyo Game Show has begun, 4K Switch Rumors Return, and more!

Time – Topic Discussed:

00:56 – Nicknames
22:04 – Bloodborne
28:10 – Lost Judgment
43:39 – Bugsnax
54:28 – Pokémon Unite
57:20 – Genshin Impact
1:00:29 – News: PlayStation Showcase, the GameCube turns 20, PS5 & Nintendo Switch Updates, and more!

Friend of the show Liam Edwards joins to talk his newly-announced golf-like, Cursed to Golf, plus BitSummit, indie life in Japan, No More Heroes 3, Guilty Gear Strive, and a healthy shake for dinner.

Time – Topic Discussed:

01:12 – Nicknames
15:27 – Bitsummit Talk
17:34 – Cursed to Golf
46:31 – Sol Cresta impressions
54:58 – No More Heroes 3
1:02:45 – Guilty Gear Strive
1:09:00 – Pokémon Unite

Look: if you aren't Monster-Hunter-positive or at least MH-curious, might wanna just skip this ep. Otherwise, enjoy as GaijinHunter Adam Evanko joins to chat about the new Netflix special, Rise and MH Stories 2, what's next for the series, and (of course) Cheetos vs. Potato straws.

This week we debate the strengths and weaknesses of the two big conbini chains in Japan. Who makes the best pasta? The best fried chicken in an envelope? The best onigiri? Listen to find out! Oh, we also talk about video games.

Time – Topic Discussed:

02:01 – Nicknames
21:09 – Pokémon Unite
40:42 – Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters
48:41 – Demon's Souls
53:25 – Apex Legends
1:00:52 – Terranigma
1:03:38 – Listener Questions & Answers

Rainy season is out, Skyward Sword HD is in, Gabe is...all over the place, and it's a four-day weekend in Japan?! Join the holiday celebration as we answer listener questions and talk about Zelda, Steam Deck, crazy auctions, and more!

Time – Topic Discussed:

01:01 – Nicknames
15:45 – The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
31:51 – News: The Steam Deck, Mario & Zelda Auctions, and more!
01:02:49 – Listener Questions & Answers

Ex game-journo and noted theme park connoisseur Michael Donahoe joins us for a deep dive into what he considers the best park on the planet (!): Super Nintendo World.

Time – Topic Discussed:

01:09 – Nicknames
23:34 – Streets of Rage 4
34:22 – Chicory
45:01 – Super Nintendo World Report
01:15:59 – News: The Nintendo Switch OLED, Sony’s Acquisitions, Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut, and more!

The hype train has left with a resounding choo-choo! In its wake, we unpack this year's E3 news and share thoughts on Stranger of Paradise, FF7R Intergrade, 25 years of N64, and more!

Time – Topic Discussed:

01:40 – Nicknames
11:17 – Apex Legends
19:47 – Stranger in Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
35:20 – Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade
52:07 - Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
54:28 – Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers
1:05:37 – News: E3 Recap; Sonic’s 30th Anniversary, Nintendo 64’s Anniversary, and more!

E3 is (sorta) back, which means it's time to buckle up for another round of baseless speculation, ridiculous predictions, and general mayhem as we once again board the #E3HYPETRAIN!

Time – Topic Discussed:

25:30 – News: Nintendo, Uncharted 4 on PC, E3’s Award show, and more!
34:17 – Nintendo E3 Speculation
57:14 – More News: The EGRETII mini, Yuji Naka’s retirement (?), The Playdate, and more!
01:26:35 – Capcom E3 Speculation
01:33:08 – Microsoft & Bethesda E3 Speculation
01:44:38 – Square-Enix
01:50:30 – Our Wishlists & Last Minute Predictions

Dragon Quest may be getting 'darker' and 'more adult', but we here at 8-4 Play pledge to remain as cute and carefree as ever. Join us for talk of all the recent DQ-related announcements, the latest Switch rumors, a little RE: Village and New Pokémon Snap, and more!

Time – Topic Discussed:

00:50 – Nicknames
13:22 – News: Dragon Quest Announcements, Valve’s portable steam device, new Switch Pro rumors, and more!
1:17:54 – Resident Evil: Village
1:25:48 – Control
1:29:50 – Earthbound
1:39:07 – New Pokémon Snap
1:45:43 – Last Minute Rumors & News: Team Ninja & Final Fantasy, Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Edition, and a little bit more!

No news is good news when the only news is Alex "cvxfreak" Aniel joining us for nearly two hours of impressions of two of the past month's biggest releases: Returnal and Resident Evil Village!

Check out Alex's book Itchy, Tasty: An Unofficial History of Resident Evil

(Thanks to Peter Jonca for the Resident Evil font used in our image!)

Time – Topic Discussed:

01:04 – Nicknames
09:17 – Returnal
41:59 – Resident Evil: Village

It's Golden Week in Japan! Join us for pre-holiday impressions of SaGa Frontier Remastered and NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139, plus the latest news from the worlds of video games and fast food (spoiler: MacDonald is out this week, but McDonald's is -in-).

Time – Topic Discussed:

01:25 – Nicknames
13:05 – SaGa Frontier Remastered
33:29 – NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…
01:01:37 – News: PS5 Sales, PS3/PS Vita stores are here to stay, RE8 news recap, and more!

Impressed with the dioramas in Fantasian, we work together to construct a faithful replica of the 8-4 office. We spare no detail, including our fridge in the state-of-the-art podcast wing filled with tiny Chu-hi!

Time – Topic Discussed:

01:31 – Nicknames
14:21 – Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers
24:26 – Monster Hunter Rise
27:04 – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
31:42 – Fantasian
40:32 – Dragon Quest X
41:59 – No Man’s Sky
52:03 – News: Nintendo Indies Announcement, the latest Sony happenings, and more!

Joined by special guest Adam "Gaijin Hunter" Evanko, we celebrate the latest pointy, bitey addition to the Monster Hunter franchise!

00:53 – Nicknames
05:52 – Monster Hunter Rise
1:04:48 – News: DLSS on the Next Switch, Sony’s Sunset Plans PS3/PSP/PSVita stores, and more!

This week we bravely default to talking about Japan, games, and Japanese games! Plus a bit of reminiscing about boy bands, print gaming media, and some classic puzzle platformers.

Time – Topic Discussed:

00:58 – Nicknames
27:19 – Bravely Default II
38:40 – Don’t Starve Together
44:45 – Little Nightmare 2, Inside, & Limbo (***Limbo Spoilers***)
51:28 – News: Bethesda Joins Microsoft, Super Nintendo World, Apex Legends on Switch and more!

17-Bit’s Jake Kazdal returns to talk about his newly-announced VR title “Song in the Smoke,” Japan Studio’s closure, a bigger-screen Switch, PS5 VR, banana controllers, being Seth Rogen’s stunt double, and more!

Time – Topic Discussed:

00:58 – Nicknames
10:59 – Song in the Smoke
44:49 – News: PlayStation VR News, Japan Studio’s fate, New Switch rumors, and lots more

We gorge on Nintendo news along with 17-Bit's Jake Kazdal, topping it off with lots (and lots) of thoughts on Bowser's Fury and very, very little FFXIV updates. And the long-awaited reveal of exactly what time Gabe secured his PS5 order.

Time – Topic Discussed:

00:51 – Nicknames
15:10 – Devil May Cry 5
18:50 – Nintendo Direct News
1:07:35 – Super Mario 3D World: Bowser’s Fury
1:41:27 – More News: GoldenEye Leak, DualSense drift, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie, Final Fantasy XIV’s next expansion, and more!

What do the RE8 and Balan demos, Cyber Shadow, Evangelion, Xbox Live Pricing, Switch LTD Sales and Sega politics all have in common? We talk about them on this podcast. Duh. This is always a list of the stuff we talk about. It was a rhetorical question.

Time – Topic Discussed:

00:46 – Nicknames
04:58 – Cyber Shadow
11:01 – Some Evangelion chat
19:31 – Resident Evil Village Visual Showcase
43:14 – The Medium
59:31 – News: PS5 Chaos in Japan, Nintendo Switch sales surpass the 3DS, Stadia's New Direction, GameStop at the last minute (literally), and more!

This week we give our expert (read: somewhat experienced) opinions of the Monster Hunter Rise demo. Then it's a mixed bag of games both new and old, with a side helping of anime and Sheila-E.

Time – Topic Discussed:

01:06 - Nicknames
03:05 - Mario Kart 8
05:46 - Monster Hunter Rise Demo
26:35 - Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
30:28 - Slime Bunker
33:23 - Attack on Titan (and some more Anime/TV talk)
43:41 - Spiritfarer
47:28 - News: Lucas Film Games & the New Indiana Jones, Awesome Games Done Quick recap Square-Enix’s mysterious trademarks, Peter Moore’s return, and more!

First episode of 2021! This week we talk about our experiences in radio, the lifestyle that is Sasuke, the life of Saruman, and maybe some video games.

Time – Topic Discussed:

02:31 - Nicknames
20:10 - The Lord of the Rings movie & book talk (***CONTAINS SPOILERS***)
28:04 - Mario Kart 8: Deluxe
32:30 - Breath of Fire 3
36:49 - Read Dead Online
37:46 - Star Wars Battlefront II (2017)
44:04 - Awesome Games Done Quick (so far)
48:05 - News: The End of those GoKart tours, Miis & Breath of the Wild NPCs, Nier: Automata’s final secret, and more!

Cozy up by the fire and join us for our annual holiday send-off, filled with tales of Christmas past, plans for winter break, and plenty more. Thanks as always for listening, and see you in 2021!

Time – Topic Discussed:

00:36 - Nicknames
12:41 - Sega Astro City Mini
23:01 - Return of the Obra Dinn (there are no spoilers)
32:09 - Jet Force Gemini
40:25 - Animal Crossing: New Horizons
54:51 - Phantasy Star Online 20th Anniversary
1:06:12 - Video Game Related Holiday Memories
1:19:02 - News: The Game Awards roundup, Cyberpunk 2077, Monster Hunter Movie, and more!
2:04:38 - Game and TV Plans for the Holiday Break

This week we record before both The Game Awards AND the release of Cyberpunk 2077. But that doesn't stop us from ad-libbing some game award moments and re-visiting our Netflix corner.

Thanksgiving might be a little different this year, but like Olaf famously put it in Frozen II "8-4 Play is always there for you." Brighten up your Black Friday with bawdy tales of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, and Japanese housing regulations. Hack the planet!

This week we trace some rays and flop some...teras? Anyway, next-gen is finally here!

Halloween is nearly here, but there'll be no Shibuya parties for us. Instead, we'll settle for the excitement of next-gen!

This week we get a little emotional about Paper Mario. Then we get MAD! About BUTTONS! Then we bring it all home with our hot takes on the Monster Hunter movie trailer.

Time-travel back to the nostalgic past of Oct 1, 2020! Who's next in Smash? How does Super Mario Bros. 35 work? Is karma real? All these questions and more will not be answered!

This week the crew is joined by 17-Bit head honcho Jake Kazdal to break down the latest news from the PlayStation 5 showcase and miss yet another suspiciously-timed Nintendo Direct.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This week we are joined by bourbon smugglin', retro game playin' friend-of-the-show Rob Fox.

Join us as we talk making Marios, doctoring Marios, and Mario's new turquoise vacation home.

This week we talk about boogieing in Cadence of Hyrule, lawyering in Judgment, and sitting in Bloodstained. Who doesn't love a good sit?

This week we attempt to summarize the avalanche of news from E3 into a 2 hour podcast. Can we even come close? Find out now!

ALL ABOOOOOOOOARD! The #E3HYPETRAIN is leaving the station!

With BitSummit fast approaching, we invite John Davis on the show to talk shop and how he could probably use a nap.

For a very casual Golden Week episode, we talk about what we've been playing, and reflect on the games that made Heisei great.

With the next gen looming overhead, special guest Justin Massongill of the Playstation Blog joins us to talk about easy modes and different ways to watch Game of Thrones abroad.

Special guest Cory Schmitz joins us to talk Sekiro, Ace Combat 7, and all the latest news!

First episode recorded in the new office! With Mark, John, and Graeme off at GDC, we invite some new blood on to talk DMC5.

Amid the stress of packing up the 8-4 Towers, we relax with some scathing Amazon reviews of Left Alive.

There's a battle royale for everyone this week, and tons of Nintendo news to discuss!

We finally embrace the darkness and talk Kingdom Hearts, along with a new 8-4 member. Plus some Resident Evil 2 gushing for good measure.

Joined by a special guest, we talk at length about Resident Evil 2 and its recent remaster, while doing our darnedest to dance around spoilers.

We catch up after the New Year, look forward to 2019, and get a little retro. Or...more than usual anyway.

We field some listener questions and get all festive up in here.

Smash Ultimate, Christmas memories, and Sonic's new look!

Is this episode the very best, like no other ever was?

We're back with another!

Gaming Jesus returns!
Need we say more?

Dragalia Lost, the latest from Starbucks, mastering Tetris, and more!

Mega Man 11, Spider-Man, a special Monster Hunter segment, and more!

Get ready for a cavalcade of guests, a wealth of impressions, and just a touch of chaos—our annual TGS super show is here!

Spider-Man, Destiny 2, and PlayStation's TGS prelude—all with two special guests!

Special guest Andy Church joins the crew to talk speedrunning and Dragon Quest XI!

This week it's all about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, with a sprinkle of summer gaming memories.

The gang gathers round the table to talk No Man's Sky NEXT, a gaggle of mobile games, the Mega Man X Legacy Collections, and more!

In a special Parents' Night Out episode, we talk Octopath Traveler, Kuwaidan, Final Fantasy X, and all sorts of other fun stuff!

Special guest Steve Lin stops by to talk gaming history, the McDonald's Bacon McPork, Mario Tennis Aces, and more!

We recap and review the industry's biggest week of the year, and maybe even disagree along the way!

ALL ABOOOOOARD! Join us as we run through the games we know we'll see at E3, the ones we hope we do, and even the ones we hope we don't. C'MON 'N RIDE THE #E3HYPETRAIN!

E3 is coming fast and so are the game announcements! We cover all the latest Pokémon news, catch up on what we've been playing, and introduce an exciting new podcast from Capcom!

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!

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, honest.

The gang continue their fortnightly arguments about gym etiquette and where to get the best tacos in Shibuya. We also reminisce about the games that made us who we are with a special–and incredibly tall–guest.

This week we talk a lot about food. And then video games. And then food again. Buckle up and grab some snacks to keep your hunger at bay.

In a very special, doing-our-best episode, the remaining 8-4 crew talk Valkyria Chronicles, Tetris, Granblue Fantasy, and of course: more Monster Hunter World.

More Monster Hunter World, a return to the cobbled streets of Bloodborne, and news from the latest Nintendo Direct.

Secret of Mana, Monster Hunter World (yup, still playing), a meaty interview with John Johanas, director of The Evil Within 2, reader questions, and more!

Time – Topic Discussed:

16:40 – Monster Hunter World33:33 – Secret of Mana

40:13 – Talkin Evil Within, Japanese literature, and Evil Within 2 with John Johanas (Spoiler warning!)

2:12:34 – Reader questions

2:18:12 – News: Smash Bros. rumors, Doom motion controls, Dragon Ball FighterZ’ retention rates, Metal Gear Survive is out, Sonic is coming to the silver screen, new Kingdom Hearts III trailer and theme, Swery’s new project: The Missing

2:25:40 – Closing comments
And now…a list of music used in our previous episode!

8-4 Play 2/9/2018: STILL TALKING ABOUT MONSTER HUNTER

Intro: Lena Raine – First Steps (Celeste)

Break: Akihiko Narita, Zhenlan Kang – Quest Complete! (Monster Hunter World)

Ending: The Devil Went Down to Georgia – Charley Daniels Band

Celeste, Monster Hunter World, EVO 2018, reader questions, and more!

Special guest Adam "Gaijin Hunter" Evanko joins us for our momentous 200th episode Monster Hunter World spectacular!

Nintendo Direct Mini, Disneyland, Super Mario Cereal, PUBG, Witcher 3, Ys Origins, The Last Guardian VR, Moss, and more!

PUBG, Vs. Super Mario Bros., Gorogoa, RE7: Not a Hero, Tales from America, NJPW, a bonus Star Wars: The Last Jedi spoiler chat, and more! Happy New Year!

Monster Hunter World, Zelda: The Champions' Ballad, Earth Defense Force 5, Shenmue walking tour, The Game Awards, and more!

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, Netflix in Japan, Xanadu Next, trips to ancient Edo, Devil May Cry V rumors, and more!

Xenoblade Chronicles 2, City Shrouded in Shadow, Assassin's Creed Origins, Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3, Stranger Things 2, Danganronpa V3, Game Awards nominees, Chip Tanaka, and more!

Mario Odyssey, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, Nintendo financial reports, Paris Games Week, and more!

The Evil Within 2, Stardew Valley, Donkey Kong Country, South Park: The Fractured but Whole, Dragon Quest XI, Nintendo World Championships, Super NT, Mario Odyssey speedruns, and more!

Come for the Super Famicom Mini chat, stay for a really fun interview with our friends working on the upcoming South Park RPG, The Fractured But Whole. Also: Golf Story, Destiny 2 (YES, MORE), Danganronpa V3, and a smattering of news.

Join us for our annual Tokyo Game Show first-night free-for-all, starring Monster Hunter World, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Code Vein, Sonic Forces, City Shrouded in Shadow, Zone of the Enders VR, Mario Kart VR, Final Fantasy V, and more!

Destiny 2, Project Octopath Traveler, Knack 2, Metroid: Samus Returns, Nintendo Direct, a bunch of random news, and more!

Metroid: Samus Returns, Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, Dragon Quest XI, Secret of Mana remake, Fist of the North Star, Nindies showcase, Famitsu and Edge top 100s, and more!

Mike Drucker joins us to talk Splatoon 2, Sonic Mania, No Man's Sky, Yakuza Kiwami, Kid Icarus: Uprising, vampire restaurants, automatic bidets, and more!

Dragon Quest XI, Pyre, Kingsway, Kingdoms and Castles, Monster Hunter XX demo, Dragon Quest XI sales, Pokemon Go updates, and more!

Splatoon 2, Destiny 2, Castlevania, Hollow Knight, Pulstar, Polybius, Nintendo Switch Online, Evo2k17, and more!

Zelda: Breath of the Wild DLC, Brittle Blue, Farpoint, Everybody's Golf mobile, Dead Cells, Hollow Knight, SNES Classic Mini, and more!

The hype train has once again departed for parts unknown, but there's still plenty of E3-related goodness to discuss in its wake. Join us as we tear through all (OK, most) of the games announced at this year's show with the usual mish-mash of thoughts and impressions on everything Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony had to offer.

It's E3 time again! Join us as we walk through all the major conferences, make some terrible predictions, miss out on numerous big announcements that happened after we recorded (Bubsy? Really?!), and more! #E3HYPETRAIN

Fire Emblem Echoes, Magikarp Jump, Shovel Knight, Phantom Dust, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, Xbox Game Pass, Destiny 2, plus a special chat about Fire Emblem with two of Nintendo Treehouse's finest!

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Everything, I am Setsuna, Blazing Star, What Remains of Edith Finch, Fire Emblem Echoes, New 2DS XL, Street Fighter V's new character, and more!

Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City, Fire Emblem Heroes, FAST Racing NEO, Puyo Puyo Tetris, Super NES Mini, Capcom and Nintendo earnings, and more!

Persona 5, NieR: Automata, Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap, Night in the Woods, Rain World, Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, Nintendo Direct news, Dragon Quest XI news, Scorpio news, and more!

Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Snipperclips, No Man's Sky Path Finder update, Overwatch, JoyCon issues, Seiken Densetsu Collection, Japanese McDonalds news, and more!

Switch launch + impressions, (spoiler-free!) Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Night in the Woods talk, news on Switch sales, Disney Collection, Dragon Quest XI...and more!

NieR: Automata, Zelda at GDC, Switch purchase plans, GDC Awards, and more!

Nioh, Yakuza 0, Fire Emblem Heroes, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Expansion Pass, Valentine's Day musings, Gabe Newell on VR, and more!

Fire Emblem Heroes, Resident Evil 7, Gravity Rush 2, Yakuza 0, Nintendo financials, Switch news, Cup Noodles, Evo 2017, and more!

Switch announcement aftermath, Gravity Rush 1, Miitopia, Let it Die, DOOM, Bloodborne, Parasite Eve, Fire Emblem Direct, and more!

Reactions to the Nintendo Switch announcement and play impressions of the system and the games from the event held in Tokyo, Japan.

Super Mario Run, The Last Guardian, Video Game History Foundation, Japanese arcades, My Horse Prince, SaGa: Scarlet Grace, our favorite games of 2016, Switch spec leaks, and more!

Final Fantasy XV, The Last Guardian, Let it Die, The Game Awards 2016, PlayStation Experience 2016, Switch rumors 2016, and lots more! 2016.

Pokemon Sun and Moon, Final Fantasy XV Judgment Disc, The Tomorrow Children, Seiken Densetsu 3, Switch rumors, Mario Run pricing, The Game Awards 2016, and more!

Famicom Classic Mini, Animal Crossing: New Leaf amiibo update, Tensai Terebi-kun, Monster Hunter in the West, more Switch rumors, the Neko Atsume movie, Akuma in SFV, and more!

Monster Hunter Double Cross, Pokemon Sun and Moon, Dark Souls III - Ashes of Ariandel, Gravity Rush 2, more Switch news, World of Final Fantasy, and more!

Switching it up a bit with an emergency podcast all about Nintendo's surprise console announcement.

PlayStation VR, Rez Infinite, Thumper, Super Hypercube, Kira Kira Star Night DX, Legend of Ogre Battle Gaiden: Prince of Zenobia, Famicom Classic Mini announcement, Oculus Connect 3, NX rumors, and more!

Persona 5, Dragon Quest 7, Dragon Quest 10, Destiny: Rise of Iron, Gravity Rush 2, modern retro gaming 101, NX rumor roundup, and more!

Yakuza 6, Persona 5, NieR: Automata, Final Fantasy XV, Vakyria: Azure Revolution, Musous on Musous on Musous, VR at TGS, School Girl/Zombie Hunter, PS4 Pro, Super Mario Run, and lots more from this year's Tokyo Game Show!

Nintendo Direct, Nintendo Direct, Nioh Beta, Nintendo Direct, Dragon Quest VII, Justice Monsters V, Shining Force II, Nintendo Direct, Persona 3, Pokemon Go, Nintendo Direct, and more! Also: Nintendo Direct

No Man's Sky, Metroid Prime: Federation Force, Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X, More NX Rumors, PlayStation Meeting, Metal Gear?! Survive, NieR: Automata goes PC, and more!

Pokemon GO, latest NX rumors, Metroid Prime: Blast Ball, Lucio Ball, Gotta Protectors, Headlander, Hyper Light Drifter, Inside, and more!

Monster Hunter Generations, (not) Pokemon Go, 999, Gaming PCs, Gradius II, Furi, NES Classic Edition, Yo-Kai Watch 3 Sales, Evo 2k16, Bitsummit, and more!

Bloodstained, Breath of the Wild, Fire Emblem Fates, new Nintendo patents, social eating, Summer Games Done Quick, Soccer (Futbol), BitSummit, and more!

Zelda! Resident Evil 7! Sony! Microsoft! E3! BitSummit! Indie MEGABOOTH! Barkley Shut Up and Jam Gaiden?!

You don't need money, don't take fame. Don't need no credit card to ride this train. It's strong and it's sudden and it's cruel sometimes. But it might just save your life.

Kill some time waiting for E3 with talk of Overwatch, Uncharted 4, Dark Souls III, Furusoma, Xbox Scorpio, Kojima's world tour, the Nioh alpha results, and much, much more!

Overwatch, Nioh, Uncharted 4, Galak-Z: The Void, Nintendo at E3, Pokemon Sun & Moon, Donkey Kong world record, and more!

NX and Zelda delay, Zelda NX, Wii U and E3, PS4 Neo, Koei T Nioh, Granblue Fantasy, the future of Dark Souls, SNK returns, Semradical NES reviews, and more!

Star Fox Zero, Dark Souls 3, Granblue Fantasy, Ratchet & Clank, HTC Vive, 32-bit RPGs, NX patents, rumors, and more!

Dark Souls III, Final Fantasy XV, Miitomo, Stardew Valley, NX "leaks", PS4K rumors, GDC, emulation, Japanese bathrooms, and more!

Miitomo, PlayStation VR vs Oculus, Stardew Valley, My Nintendo, Final Fantasy XV chicken bets, NX Rumors, Tom Clancy's The Division, the Resident Evil musical, and more!

Nintendo Direct, Street Fighter V, Firewatch, The Division, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, Nuzlocke rules, Xbox's new direction, Young Conker, and more!

Dragon Quest Builders, Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel, Valkyria of the Blue Revolution & Valkyria Chronicles Remastered, Miitomo pre-registration, City Shrouded in Shadow, and more!

Dragon Quest Builders, The Witness, Firewatch, Detective Pikachu, Splatoon Koshien, Yakuza, The Evil Within, retro gaming in Japan, Nintendo earnings, EVO 2016, two amazing special guests, and more!

Odin Sphere Lei...ffthr...uh, Odin Sphere HD, Earthbound Beginnings, Pocket Mortys, Bloodborne, MGSV, Clash Royale, Black Knight Strikers, the latest NX rumors, Kojima's World Tour, $40 download games, and more!

Happy 2016! Sean Velasco and David D'Angelo of Yacht Club Games join us to kick off the new year with an in-depth discussion about the past, present and future of YCG and their epic debut title, Shovel Knight.

Celebrate Life Day with 8-4's Unofficial Official Star Wars Holiday Special X (Cross), featuring Game of the Year chit-chat and Xmas Gaming memories, a heaping side of Force Awakens talk, and guest appearances by Brad Douglas, Nintendo patents, and Bea Arthur.

(MORE!) Monster Hunter X, (MORE!) Xenoblade Chronicles X, Retro Freak, The Game Awards, PlayStation Experience 2015 and more!

Monster Hunter X, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Bloodborne: The Old Hunters, Fallout 4, Grand Knights History, Game Awards nominees, Black Friday, the return of Bubsy, and more!

Dragon Quest VII & VIII, Zelda, Zelda, ZELDA, Fallout 4, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Bob Ross on Twitch, Starfox Zero, Fire Emblem Fates and everything Nintendo Direct, Xbox backwards compatibility, and more!

Miitomo & Nintendo's next act, Downwell, Undertale, Destiny (YES, DESTINY), Yomawari, Final Fantasy Grandmasters, Detroit: Become Human, Gran Turismo Sport & all the Paris Games Week news, Kojima leaving the building, and real-life Pokemon gyms.

Zelda Tri-Force Heroes, Downwell, Star Wars Battlefront, Picross 3D 2, Nintendo's mobile plans, Destiny microtransactions, HoloLens pricing, localization crowdfunding, Shin Megami Tensei 4 Final, Monster Hunter Explore, and more!

Dragon's Dogma Online, Super Mario Maker, Destiny: The Taken King, Disgaea 5, DOTA 2, Oculus's price, Junji Ito's Silent Hills, Starfox's delay, Edge's top 100 games, and Pokemon's asses.

Bloodborne DLC, Metal Gear Online, Monster Hunter X & Stories, Street Fighter V, Gravity Daze 2, Ni-Oh, Persona 5 delay, 13 Sentinels, Dragon Quest Builders, Dark Souls 3, Hyrule Warriors Legends, PlayStation VR, Summer Lesson, Kitchen & more from TGS, plus talk on Iwata's successor and the new Apple TV.

In the wake of PAX, we check in with a bevy of Seattle devs and industry biz-types to talk about standouts from the show, the state of indie gaming in general, mobile vs console (vs Apple TV?), Metal Gear Solid V, if we want a Mega Man movie, and more.

Game Informants Tim Turi and Ben Hanson stop by to talk Super Mario Maker, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, Pac-Man 256 and more, but mostly end up debating Resident Evil games and trivia.

Dragon Quest XI, Dark Souls 3, Galak-Z, Final Fantasy XV, N++, Splatoon 2.0 update, Scalebound, Crackdown 3, other Gamescom news and more!

Fire Emblem Fates, Rhythm Tengoku The Best+, Yoshi's Wooly World, Odallus: The Dark Call, Yo-kai Watch Busters, Tembo the Badass Elephant, Iwata Memories, EVO2k15, SFV, and more!

Persona Q, Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward, Final Fantasy VII, Rocket League, Splatoon, Dragon Quest, Club Nintendo, The Nintendo PlayStation, Red Ash, Star Citizen, PewDiePie and more!

Splatoon, Batman: Arkham Knight, Fallout Shelter, Evil Within DLC, Last Guardian, Super Mario Maker, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Kingdom Hearts 3, Horizon, Dark Souls 3, and more on a special post-E3 8-4 Play!

It's that time of year again. We go over what we know, what we don't know, and what we think we know about this year's E3, so come on board the E3 HYPE TRAINNNN!

Destiny: House of Wolves (trigger warning), Witcher 3, WoW losing flying mounts, Wattam, Nintendo Humble Bundle, required Konami bitching, Kickstarter stuff, and more!

Splatoon, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Girls Mode 3, Titan Souls, Bloodborne, Final Fantasy Record Keeper, Bloodstained, Nintendo fiscals, VR future, and more!

Xenoblade Chronicles X, Mario Kart 8's Animal Crossing DLC, Girls Mode 3, Monster Hunter: Frontier G, Bravely Second: End Layer, Steam Mod-gate, Ouya for sale, Silent Hills, and more!

Danganronpa, Hotline Miami 2, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dark Souls II, Bloodborne, Neko Atsume, Level-5 Vision, Monster Hunter Stories, Fatality-gate, and more!

Bloodborne, Nintendo Direct, Bloodborne, Kojima leaving Konami, Sayonara PlayStation Home, Bloodborne, HTC Vive impressions, and more (Bloodborne)!

Bloodborne, Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, Code Name: S.T.E.A.M., Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines, Cities: Skylines, Nintendo going mobile, Nintendo NX, Minter vs. Atari, Level-5 Vision 2015, and more!

Majora's Mask, OlliOlli2, Counterspy, Dragon Quest Heroes, Hyrule Warriors, FF14 Gold Saucer update, htol#NiQ, White Night, VR, free game engines, gold amiibos, Clay Fighter, and more!

Majora's Mask, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, Persona 5, Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin, The Last Guardian, Nintendo's investor meeting, (more!) amiibos, live action Zelda, the Tokyo Zelda concert, and more!

Pokemon Cafe, Code Name: S.T.E.A.M, Darkest Dungeon, The Swapper, Destiny, dreeps, Terra Battle, Dragon's Dogma Online, Apex 2015, Amiibos, Football (?)...and other stuff.

Driveclub, Hako-Boy, Infamous: First Light, The Swapper, Mario Galaxy 2, Dreeps, Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep, Nintendo Direct, Hololens, and more!

New Years in Japan, Final Fantasy XIV, Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD, Battle of the Tetris games, Fantasy Life, Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Edition, CES, Steam Machines and more!

Xmas in Japan, Final Fantasy Explorers, Hack 'n' Slash, retro gaming gift memories, Fantasy Life, Nintendo Donut DS, amiibo cards, our favorite games of the year and JJ's Candy Room fantasies.

Amiibos, Wii U Smash Bros., Captain Toad, Jake Kazdal, Persona Q, Bravely Second, PlayStation Experience, The Game Awards, and more!

Pokemon, Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright, Steamworld Dig, Evil Within, Assassin's Creed: Unity, Crossy Road, random Japanese gaming memories, and more!

Captain Toad, Forza Horizon 2, SingStar, LEGO Batman 3, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, Nintendo Direct, Iwata on region locking, Sonic Boom, Black Friday deals, and more!

The Evil Within, Monster Strike, Terra Battle, Fantasy Life, Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, Japanese strategy guides, retro game shopping, Nintendo earnings, QOL devices, Bloodborne 30fps-gate, Dominos Pizza, Valkyria Chronicles, and more!

New Nintendo 3DS, Castlevania: Bloodlines, Danganronpa, Vib-Ribbon, Terra Battle, Alien: Isolation, Destiny, Japanese Sales, NPDs, Ex-Irrational Kickstarters, and more!

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, Super Smash Bros. for 3DS, Final Fantasy 14, Destiny, Terra Battle, Super Smash Bros. parity problems, Media Create numbers, Nomura's burning rage, Call of Duty in decline, and more!

Join us for our 5th annual Tokyo Game Show free-for-all, with guests from Polygon, Game Informer, SCEA, 17-Bit and more on-hand to talk Bloodborne, FF15, Bravely Second, FF Explorers, The Evil Within, RE Revelations 2, Silent Hills, DQ Heroes, Mighty No. 9, the New Nintendo 3DS and everything else at TGS!

Hop on the Tokyo Game Show Hype (Bullet) Train with talk of Nintendo's New 3DS, Sony's Pre-TGS Press Conference, and Microsoft's Japan Xbox One launch, plus more thoughts on Gunvolt, Dark Souls II DLC, Final Fantasy XIV, Disgaea 4, and more!

Hyrule Warriors, P.T., Azure Striker Gunvolt, more Dark Souls II DLC, Gamescom press conferences, the Night Trap Kickstarter, Monster Hunter's 10th Anniversary expo, and more!

Dark Souls 2 DLC, The Legend of Heroes: TITS, Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy X, Resident Evil Remake Remake, Twitch.tv content id-gate, Iwata Drama (tm), EA Access, PlayStation Now and more!

FRB Japan's Scott Popular joins us to talk about Evo 2014, the Destiny beta, Xenoblade Chronicles, Yo-Kai Watch (of course), The International 4, Kim Kardashian, aDanza, Sega Genesis music, plot holes in Double Dragon, and more!

Yo-kai Watch 2, Super House of Dead Ninjas, Japanese baths, Dragon Quest X for 3DS, John's free-to-play addiction, preorder DLC, 3DS update speculation, EVO 2014 hyyyype!

Superagent Ben Judd joins the crew to recap what we learned from E3, dig deep into Shovel Knight, the Destiny Alpha, Summer Games Done Quick, balloon swords, Evo 2014, and more.

John Davison, Garnett Lee, and Mike McWhertor -- plus a surprise blast of bonus guests! -- join Mark and John from LA to talk anything and everything E3, including Smash Bros, Destiny, Zelda, Bloodborne, Splatoon, and plenty more!

With Mark and John out of town, JJ packs the E3 Hype Train(TM)(C) with a rowdy gang of friends-of-the-show (Jean Snow, ex-intern Tom, ex-intern Johnny, Esteban Salazar of Marvelous AQL, John Davis of Q Games) to discuss / predict / argue what's about to go down in L.A.

With only a couple weeks till the hype train leaves the station we take a quick stop to talk about Super TIME Force, Sportsfriends, Kero Blaster, Yo-Kai Watch, the Kinect cut and run, Nintendo's financial results, Project Beast, Tetsuya Mizuguchi returning to video games and more.

On this, the most golden of weeks, the regular crew checks in to weigh in on Hearthstone, YO-Kai Watch mania, Dark Souls 2 PC, Nintendo E3 news, Xbox TV, the E.T. Dig, old Japanese cell phone games, From Software's sale and more.

Our 100th episode gets the band back together (finally!), along with friends from 17-Bit and 2 Player Productions, to talk PAX East, Below, MGSV: Ground Zeroes, Dark Souls II, PS4 eye tracking, Steam sales numbers, Tomodachi Life, and of course, Sir Mix-a-Lot.

John and Hiroko are back, as are celebrity ex-interns Alex "Jungle Fire" Aniel, Chris "Scan Lines" Reed, and Tom "Hitman" Staniforth, joining us to talk Heroes of the Storm, Diablo 3, Gundam Extreme Vs. Maxi Boost, Boom Beach, Monument Valley, Facebook & Oculus, Phil Spencer & Xbox, Amazon Fire TV, Brave Wave music, and more!

John, Mark, and Hiroko are out working GDC, so it’s up to JJ and guests Johnny Linnert and Jean Snow to pick up the slack! This week we talk Dark Souls II, Luftrausers, Awesomenauts Assemble!, Towerfall: Ascension, Project Morpheus, Bitsummit, Iga going solo and more!

Dark Souls. That's it. 150 minutes of talk about Dark Souls. No other games. No news. Just Dark Souls. Can you survive and make it to the end? In content AND format, truly the Dark Souls of podcasts. ...Dark Souls.

Metal Gear Solid translator Jeremy Blaustein and Sega honcho Ethan Einhorn join us on the eve of the Japanese PS4 launch to talk about their illustrious careers (Jaleco! Konami! Sega!), the latest games we've been playing (Titanfall! Strider! Left Behind!), and all the news that's fit to...uh, recite (Twitch Plays Pokemon! Nintendo Direct! PS4 Launch!). Have at it!

With John in Hawaii working on his Flappy Bird score, Tokyo-based gaming expert Jean Snow and Johnny (ex-) "Intern" Linnert join the gang to talk Outlast, Brothers, Broken Age, Tales of Xillia, Puppeteer, Sengoku Basara 4, Groove Coaster Arcade, lots of Dark Souls, Nintendo's recent investors meeting, Xbox One rumors and, yup, more!

Six hours have passed since the occupation of 8-4 Towers by one Alexander O. Smith, founder and leader of the Kajiya sect. Tune in for talk of his various localization feats (Vagrant Story! Tactics Ogre! Final Fantasy XII!) as well as his current Kickstarter project Unsung Story, along with thoughts on Don't Starve, Kirby: Triple D, DayZ, Zubaz, and plenty more.

John's out sick, but the show must go on! Join us for New Year's holiday reminiscings, including Ys II, Bravely Default, what Hiroko *wants* to play, Steam machines, the new Oculus Rift, pizza and a whole lotta rock, paper, scissors.

8-4 alumni Andy Church and Brendon Pritchard come home for the holidays to tell us all about their latest MMO adventures in Final Fantasy XIV and Dragon Quest X Version 2, but not before we talk about Zelda: ALBW (again), Puzzle & Dragons Z, Bravely Default, Electronic Super Joy, Kamen Rider belt buckles, last week's Nintendo Direct, and more. Happy Holidays!

Newcomer Roy Blakely joins the 8-4-some to talk (more) Mario, (more) Zelda, (more) Resogun, Ibb and Obb, Samurai Gunn, Bravely Default, Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX, 3DS Miiverse, the VGX Awards, the life and times of Hideki Kamiya, and more.

John and JJ are back! And talking Mario, Zelda, both new next-gen systems, Mario, Persona 5, microtransactions, Zelda, Resogun, Mario, & taking sides in the console wars. Did we mention Zelda? And stick around for a special bonus segment focus(attack)ing on the Ultra Street Fighter 4 location test in Japanese arcades. Also, Mario.

No PS4s. No John. No JJ. No problem! ...well, OK, one problem with the audio near the start... BUT ANYWAY! CheapyD and Scott Popular pitch in to help go over everything we’ve seen and heard (and not played, yet) of Sony’s new system, plus Super Mario 3D World, Black Friday shopping deals, and -- perhaps most importantly -- how to pronounce “BlazBlue.”

5:28 – iPad vs WiiU for kids

14:30 – Super Mario 3D World

25:45 – Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

30:42 – Dragon’s Crown

36:10 – Monster Hunter talk

40:42 – PS4 feels

59:05 – Xbox One feels

1:08:18 – Black Friday deals and next-gen shopping

1:27:35 – Fighting game community in Japan

1:49:40 – PS4 dream games

1:57:02 – Closing comments

Resolutions and media centers and firmware, oh my! Special guest @CheapyD joins the gang / the internet in dissecting every damn detail trickling out about the next-gen systems, and why it will matter – unless it won't. Plus Battlefield 4 PTSD, Street Fighter II trivia, and war stories from the Dark Souls II beta (and not the game). Fans of podcasts, rejoice!

With Captain MacDonald of the good ship 8-4 Play off plundering the high seas in his vacation dinghy, the rest of the crew have assembled in the poop deck for a relaxed bout of hearty discussion (read: directionless rambling) on topics such as Pokemon X/Y, Zelda: Wind Waker HD, Device 6, the new Vita 2000, Supercell's billions, the Sonic cartoon, the Valve controller, Boogerman's long-awaited (?) return, and more.

Just thought we'd let everyone know that up front. What we are talking about is Monster Hunter 4, the Steambox controller, Super Mario 3D World, Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Wii U Party, Pikmin 3 DLC, the legacy of the Wii, Dragon Quest X on smartphones, and remembering Hiroshi Yamauchi.

Jeremy Parish, Matt Leone, Mike McWhertor, Griffin McElroy, Brian Silva, Jake Kazdal, and the mangod himself, Shane Bettenhausen, all join us to talk Deep Down, Dark Souls 2, Metal Gear Solid V, Vita TV, Gravity Daze...2 (?), Monster Hunter Frontier G, Yakuza Isshin, Wii Sports Club, Strider, and more, plus we all pay our respects to the late, great Nintendo president, Hiroshi Yamauchi.

Please stow your laptops and power triangles as we depart for our special 84th (!) episode, with first-blush Monster Hunter 4 and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle impressions, thoughts on Vita TV and the revamped Vita handheld, PS4's rumored virtual reality headset and virtual lack of games for Japan (or is there?), Dragon Quest X expansions, and of course, Mighty No. 9!

We're off to PAX and a special sumthin' sumthin' -- but first, more on the Wonderful 101, Killer is Dead, Divekick, the 2DS announcement, PS4 and XBONE launch comparison, Gamescom news (and fresh rumors), and more!

Kevin Larrabee of Back in my Play (Dorito it!) and Mehdi Debbabi-Zourgani of Je Game Moi Non Plus (cherchez le sur Dorito!) join us to talk retro games, Suda 51, and the...how do you say? ESSAUNCE of The Wonderful 101, DuckTales Remastered, amazon's new console, Carmack at Oculus, Nintendo Direct, MS news, Sony news, and more.

Join us for a second helping of Pikmin 3 talk followed by first impressions of Dragon's Crown, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies, and a whopping 17 seconds on Rogue Legacy. Plus: the Capcom 13 (BOF6?!), Mike Tyson vs. Glass Joe, indie updates, and plenty more.

Peer into the (near) future for in-depth, spoiler-free impressions of Pikmin 3, then dive back to the (recent) past for 73 minutes (!) of spoiler-packed The Last of Us thoughts. Plus: EVO '13, June NPDs, Strider, Ultra SF4, and more.

Come down from your post-E3 high with the 8-4 crew, who finally reunite to discuss Animal Crossing: New Leaf, every single god**n new StreetPass game for the 3DS (in detail), Ouya, Limbo iOS, Ricky Martin, Atlus's financial woes, Chibi Robo, and the effect (or lack thereof) of Xbox exec Don Mattrick's departure.

(Almost) Live from Seattle! 17-Bit's Jake Kazdal, Camouflaj's Ryan Payton, and ex-Game Informer / Nintendo World Report founder Billy Berghammer join us (well, some of us) for a first-hand recounting of the highs and lows and highs again of this year's rollercoaster E3 game expo.

We designed the new 8-4 Play so that game publishers can enable you and up to 10 family members to hear about facts, rumors, and wild speculation on the upcoming E3 trade show, including games like Dark Souls 2, MGS5, Destiny, Killer is Dead, Smash Bros., the new 3D Mario, Zelda, The Last Guardian, Xbone policies and much, much more.

The Forza 5 racing, familiar-innovative servicing, new controller Kinecting, Halo TV multi-tasking, temperature-reading, screen-sharing, sometimes / always / never-online, Quantum Breaking, rental-renting, EA-bro-fisting, interactive smoke-and-mirroring, Cheapy D'ing, Call-of-Duty fine-hair splitting, smart-glassing, Ray Barnholtin', fingernail-dirt-meets-water-cooler fueled by the infinite power of the cloud entertainment experience that is the Xbox One.

Doritos Crash Course 2, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, interns, Pandora's Tower, La Mulana, Dragon Fantasy, interns, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Monster Hunter, Sorcery, Star Command, interns, more NextBox speculation, Nintendo's E3 plans, interns, BS crowdfunding campaigns, Gran Turismo 6, and interns. Also: interns.

La Mulana, Monaco, Crimson Clover, Tomodachi Collection, Mother 4 / Earthbound 2 (3?), Robot Unicorn Attack 2, Neo-Geo collecting, Wii U firmware updates, Nintendo's E3 show no-show, Famicom trivia, and NextBox scuttlebutt ('cause hey, we DO comment on rumors and speculation).

And now for something a little different: special guests Ryan Payton (Republique) and Chris Kohler (Wired GameLife) join the gang for an epic, sprawling -- and at times heated -- discussion focusing on retro game collecting, indie game development, and the present and future of the Wii U, with pit stops on Guacamelee, Tomodachi Collection 3DS, Dark Souls II, Yoshi's Island 3DS, Monster Hunter Online, Earthbound, and Link to the Past 2. HNNNGH.

With Gaming Jesus off on a secret pilgrimage, the task falls to the few, the proud, the 8-4 interns (and the rest of us), to fill his massive void. Er... Anyway, this week it's GDC, more Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Nimble Quest, Year Walk, MGS5 and David Hayter-gate, Square Enix's recent shake-up, PSO2's delay, Skullgirls' crowdfunding success, Fire Emblem feet, and more!

Luigi's Mansion 2, Ridiculous Fishing, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Dark Souls (yes, again!), BitSummit, Dragon's Crown, Wii U troubles, Vita triumphs (and troubles), Durango rumors, Drakengard 3, Phantom Pain, Transistor, and oh-so-much more!

Dokuro, Virtue’s Last Reward, Phantasy Star Online 2, more Dark Souls, a little Metal Gear Rising Revengeance, GDC speeches, PS4 announcement aftermath, Miyamoto interviews, possible Shenmue kickstarters, Skullgirls kickstarter, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate cross-region play, Umihara Kawase, and more!

INTRO BS PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 STREAMING COOL PS4 CONTROLLER PS4 SHARING YES PS4 PS4 PS4 VITA WIIU PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 FEATURES PS4 KNACK PS4 PS4 KILLZONE PS4 PS4 WITNESS PS4 JASON! PS4 DEEP DOWN ZOMG PS4 PS4 SQUEENIX WTF PS4 DESTINY HANDS PS4 PS4 LUIGI END

Touch-panels! Valve boxes! Used-game-blocking-gamma rays and Ouyas and Apple's who-knows-whats-its! E3 isn't even a glimmer on the Hype Train horizon and yet you wouldn't know it from all the new system talk floating around – of course the 8-4 gang is above that sort of wild speculation. ...*Ahem* Anyway: Fire Emblem and Dragon Quest VII for the 3DS, DmC, and a chat with 17-bit big daddy Jake Kazdal on the release of Skulls of the Shogun.

Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata brought the winter heat during this week's Nintendo Direct with the first megatons of 2013, including Wind Waker HD, MegaTen x Fire Emblem, Xeno-whatever-they're-gonna-call-it, and Wii U Virtual Console, among others. We've got a full breakdown of the event, as well as fresh PlayStation 4 (and controller) talk, a whole bunch of news (Pandora's Tower! Project X-Zone! Killer is Dead! etc!), the latest in skin-smoothing placenta technology, and plenty more.

Ake-ome-koto-yoro! (Japanese for "Happy New Year!") We're back to our typical fo-matto ("format") to talk about Level 5's latest, Fantashi Raifu ("Fantasy Life"). We also get into atsui ("heated") discussions over Steam Box, Nvidia's Shield, Nintendo stuff, Pokemon X and Y, the Neo-Geo X handheld, and all sorts of other shinjouhou ("news"). Jaa ne bye bye! ("bye bye!")

No news, a few game impressions (Soul Sacrifice demo among them), and no GOTY BS – mostly just one, long, leisurely, holiday trip through the history of video games – PC and console, Japanese and American -- as we talk through the career of uber-programmer Gregg Tavares, a man who has worked at just about everywhere (Sony, Sega, Microprose, Virgin Interactive, Cinemaware, Naughty Dog, etc.) and on every system (Commodore 64, Amiga, NES, PC, 3DO, M2, Arcade, PSX, PS2, PSP, etc.) at one point or another, and has the stories to prove it. Happy holidays!

The cast and crew of 8-4 Play would like to thank all the discussion topics that made this award possible, including Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, the Wii U's Miiverse, the 2012 Spike Video Game Awards (and its assorted reveals, including Dark Souls II, The Phantom Pain, the new Last of Us trailer, and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2), the final issue of Nintendo Power (rest its blessed soul), the Street Fighter x Mega Man freebie, and that one Vita game where you stroke your unit to make the characters squeal. Thank you all!

What you are about to listen to is real. The participants are not journalists, they are ACTUAL localizers with a giant project looming over their heads. All parties have agreed to dismiss their work for an hour and 52 minutes and have their disputes (over Wii U launch, Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Destiny, the week in Kickstarter and more) settled here, in our forum, on 8-4 Play.

Hi again, it's JJ from 8-4. While much of the world waits for Wii U, there are millions of gamers looking for new adventures for their video game systems. And that's what this 8-4 Direct is all about. This episode, we talk about Animal Crossing: New Leaf, a game where YOU get to be the mayor and design your town in any way you want. We also talk about Halo 4. You control Master Chief to do battle against a whole new race of aliens called "the Promethians." We haven't forgot about the listeners out there that care about news either. We discuss the hardware features of the Wii U, Grand Theft Auto V, Final Fantasy XIV, and how sometimes karma is a bitch. There's never been a better time to be an 8-4 Play listener.

Let's be honest: You don't give a crap what we write here, you just want the list of what we talked about on the podcast, right? Fine then: Crashmo, Punch Quest, Paper Mario: Sticker Star (a bit), Dark Souls (a bit more), Dragon Quest X (John bought a house!), Nintendo sales projections (down!), Nintendo Wii U projections (up!), Dragon Quest VII for 3DS, Retro Studios Zelda (?), and a bunch more news. There, you happy?!

Everyone's playing it! Everyone's talking about it! It's this fall's hottest game! It's...Bravely Default: Flying Fairy?! ...Uh, okay, sure, why not! We breakdown Squeenix's excellent new 3DS RPG, then chat about continuing adventures in Dragon Quest X, PSN store stuff, Zynga, Kevin Butler, Thriller Instinct (that's right), and more, with a brief detour into old-school Nintendo Power with former editor (and current 8-4 collaborator) Alan Averill

Barry? Where's Barry? Who knows. But the internet's biggest Resident Evil fan, Alex "cvxfreak" Aniel? He's right here, talking highs and lows (and lows...and lows...) of RE6 for a solid hour. (That's almost 15 minutes per point it got on many review scales!) But first: Kokuga, DQX, To the Moon, Earth Defense Force 3 Portable, Wii U-pdates, Nintendo Directs, and various Monster Hunters ('natch).

TGS! Metal Gear Rising! Monster Hunter 4! Dragon Quest X Wii U! Mega Man X Over! PSO 2 Vita! Tank Tank Tank! Lost Planet 3! Soul Sacrifice! EX Troopers! Ace Attorney! Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z! Box! Open Me! New PS3 hardware! New Vita colors! Jeremy Parish! Mike McWhertor! Russ Frushtick! 4 hours! Listen! Now! Excite! Exclamation mark!