[sfried]

No, it has a heavy Nintendo theme and discussion but they talk about the whole industry as well. Helps provide better perspective than just ignoring it. Plus it helps with checking out games on other systems if you know the hosts' tastes.

If they talk about it 20% of the time I'm fine with that. But there are times when I think I'm listening to Games, Dammit! or 8-4 Play because they talk about it 50%-60%.

[Tawney Bomb]

Downloaded the latest episode, going to give it a listen tomorrow during work. Hoping for the best.

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

Hmm guess I got a new one to add to the rotation

[Emitan]

"Hellooooooo, NeoGAF!"

I feel so special!

[Gomu Gomu]

welcome who? :p i can't understand anything the brit/aus dude says >.>

Really? I'm not a native speaker, and still can understand him.

Also, I think the current balance of Nintendo and non-Nintendo talk is perfect as is.

Edit: This thread seems to have brought up a lot of new listeners, which is great. I just would love to know exactly how much ;).

[Anth0ny]

I'm happy they understand the excellence that is Majora's Mask, and why Zeldas have been lacking ever since. Good Zelda discussion.

I'm on Team Retro for Zelda Wii U. I think Aonuma has lost his touch (or has been facing internal pressure since the commercial and critical "failure" of Majora's Mask). Less like Majora's Mask, more like Ocarina of Time, they probably told him. That game really was lightning in a bottle, and I don't think the experience will ever be replicated.

[Emitan]

Really? I'm not a native speaker, and still can understand him.

After watching English language videos with him you'd understand why he can't understand Greg.

[Henke]

I can stand listening to Gregg's voice, and that's coming from a Scotsman.

[Boney]

I must be the only gamer alive that doesn't think that highly of MM. Because as awesome as it is setting, cinematic and mechanically, it just falls short in every other aspect.

Everything that doesn't involve the Bomber's Note is terribly bland. (counter: bomber's note is the entire game)

After watching English language videos with him you'd understand why he can't understand Greg.

oh silly billy

[Emitan]

(counter: bomber's note is the entire game)

Yes. I play it only for the side quests. It's basically Zelda as a western RPG.

[Boney]

Yes. I play it only for the side quests. It's basically Zelda as a western RPG.

:/

[Emitan]

:/

Don't start with your weird hatred of side quests.

[Boney]

Don't start with your weird hatred of side quests.

dude i just 100% minish cap this morning


just the wording

[pvpness]

This is the first time I've listened to this podcast and I made it all the way through, which says something. I generally can't stand podcasts and their idiotic pointless rambling.

That being said, there was plenty on this podcast that I started phasing out. Just like in real life when people start talking to me about the emulation state of DS/GBA/GBC games on 3DS I start to drift off, I did the same thing here and it seemed to go on forever.

Then we get a veiled "Retro should make Zelda!" email and the hosts talk forever about Zelda needing a revival, or an update or some such but never actually say what they would like to see to make it feel less, "Like it's two generations behind." Their ideas for a what a modern Zelda should be, would be vastly more entertaining than listening to them say the same thing over again in a circle conversation and then running out of time just as one dude is like, "Wait, I wanna ask what exactly you think should be updated."

All in all, decent podcast (like I said, i made it through it entirely which is rare for me) but I probably won't listen again.

[Emitan]

dude i just 100% minish cap this morning just the wording

No I mean what you said months ago about games like Skyrim.

This is the first time I've listened to this podcast and I made it all the way through, which says something. I generally can't stand podcasts and their idiotic pointless rambling. That being said, there was plenty on this podcast that I started phasing out. Just like in real life when people start talking to me about the emulation state of DS/GBA/GBC games on 3DS I start to drift off, I did the same thing here and it seemed to go on forever. Then we get a veiled "Retro should make Zelda!" email and the hosts talk forever about Zelda needing a revival, or an update or some such but never actually say what they would like to see to make it feel less, "Like it's two generations behind." Their ideas for a what a modern Zelda should be, would be vastly more entertaining than listening to them say the same thing over again in a circle conversation and then running out of time just as one dude is like, "Wait, I wanna ask what exactly you think should be updated." All in all, decent podcast (like I said, i made it through it entirely which is rare for me) but I probably won't listen again.

They had an in depth discussion on Zelda (Retro included) a few months ago, which is probably why they didn't really go into it because it would be a retread.

[Boney]

No I mean what you said months ago about games like Skyrim. They had an in depth discussion on Zelda (Retro included) a few months ago, which is probably why they didn't really go into it because it would be a retread.

bethesda makes terrible games because they're terrible

nuttin to do with sidequests

[Emitan]

bethesda makes terrible games because they're terrible nuttin to do with sidequests

Well yeah, Skyrim is bad, but I'm not talking about that.

You were talking about how you hated exploring a world and finding a quest or something to do. I can't really remember what your argument was because it didn't make any sense.

[Boney]

Well yeah, Skyrim is bad, but I'm not talking about that. You were talking about how you hated exploring a world and finding a quest or something to do. I can't really remember what your argument was because it didn't make any sense.

billy stop trying to sound smart

it doesn't suit you

[viciouskillersquirrel]

Just listened to the latest episode. I too was curious as to what exactly Jonny wants updated in Zelda that's "two generations behind".

More than likely the answer involves things like voice acting. I personally don't care for voice acting, but it is the de facto standard in games these days, so I can see the argument for their inclusion for the sake of attracting people to the franchise. Just for the love of all that is good and holy, English accents or gibberish please. I would rather that everyone in Hyrule not sound like they grew up growing corn in Iowa.

What I want is for someone to streamline the interface so you can get to the meat of games quickly. I will explain what I mean by that in a few hours as I an posting from my phone.

EDIT:

There are many very basic things that would have made Skyward Sword a better experience, most of them to do with how you interface with the non-motion stuff in the game. Things like streamlining the potion shop interface, for instance, and reducing it to a menu rather than having to line yourself up to each and every potion to not only buy it (individually) but also to get a reminder description of what it does, then talking to the potion shop owner's husband to get the potions upgraded one at a time. I was using potions all the time during my playthrough and this quickly got annoying.

Another thing were the things like the treasure prompts, s l o w t e x t and Fi's dowsing reminder (both things I turned off via homebrew) and the fact that you couldn't just use the bird statues as warp points a la Majora's Mask (which is what they essentially were if you were coming from the sky). So, if I was in Eldin at the bottom of the volcano and I wanted to get to the top, the procedure was:

1) Talk to the bird statue

2) Go the to the sky

3) Immediately turn around and drop into Eldin again

4) Decide which bird statue I wanted to go to.

Rather than have it be a two step, ten second process like it was in Majora's Mask, it got dragged out to a minute or more.

I notice this sort of thing a lot nowadays and it seems that whoever was polishing the game to a high mirror shine just missed these bits. I hate it when games have unnecessary delays built into the design that could have been avoided.

[90sRobots]

The geeky talk of resolution and emulation limitations was AWESOME, even though it'll probably forever ruin DS games on my 3DS. Just another solid episode all-around.

And definitely go back and listen to the podcast with the Mario RPG discussion. Pretty good dissection of the game and the Paper Mario series as a whole.

SUBSCRIBE NOW

[Silver_DNA]

Loved the Zelda talk in the latest episode. I had my hopes that the world of Twilight Princess would be revisited for a more personal story a la Majora's Mask. The last three home console games have these wonderfully large worlds and interesting characters that are woefully underused.

[Brettison]

I will say this about the Zelda talk. It would be nice if the next Zelda game was just a good Zelda game and not trying to either be a recapturing of say OOT ala TP or using all of the system input stuff just to try something new ala PH, ST, or SS. I actually like some of these games, but it would be nice to get a Zelda game just being a Zelda game.

Let the game itself be different like MM overworld, TWW cell shaded ship going, or MC's shrinking and enlarging. Don't just make a new 3ds game have to do all of this crazy stuff to justify the 3d or the WiiU game to justify the tablet. Make use of them if they are there, but don't make the game around these things IMO.

PS: Consider me in the camp that thinks Last Story getting a NA release is nice, but it's already a niche title. It'll become even more niche if they don't get it out till mid/late fall when everyone will be on the Wii U hype train.

[Emitan]

Wii U hype train.

Did somebody say hype train?

[viciouskillersquirrel]

Yeah, Last Story seems like the kind of title that only appeals to a section of a niche. I'll wait a while and see how the dust settles before I decide whether or not to buy.

Coincidentally, it was James gushing on Xenoblade and Radiant Historia that sold me on both games. I loved RH and Xenoblade is being shipped to me as we speak. Maybe it'll happen again with TLS.

[plufim]

Fortunately there should be plenty of time for discussion by the RFN guys before it is out.

[viciouskillersquirrel]

Fortunately there should be plenty of time for discussion by the RFN guys before it is out.

Not here it isn't. It's already on store shelves.

[Ondore]

James imported it, so there will likely be some discussion on it in the next few weeks.

[Ondore]

Episode 282, with a rather apropos title...
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/29442

200 episodes on from their first appearance together, the RFN crew begins this week's show without their beloved host/loquacious tyrant Dr. Jonathan Metts. Thus, Greg leads the New Business segment with the help of special guest and fellow podcast editor Guillaume Veillette of NegativeWorld.org, who kicks off the show at 88mph with impressions of Telltale's Back to the Future: The Game, before claiming that Kirby's Return to Dream Land is one of the most challenging platformers he's played since Ninja Gaiden! It's Jon's turn next to blow our minds as he reveals that he's finally succumbed to the siren song of Nintendo's stereoscopic stunner, paving the way for 3DS games such as Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 to sit atop his infamously huge backlog. Then, James shares exciting news of The Last Story's arrival from Europe as well as a report on Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions (plus the baffling 3D movie included with it), before Greg wraps up the segment with Europe's impossibly large VC line-up for March and impressions of Nintendo's much-maligned 3DS launch window title, Steel Diver. After the break, Dr. Metts returns just in time to blow out the candle on the Nintendo 3DS birthday cake as we use the recent occasion of the first anniversary of its Japan launch as an excuse to take stock and reflect on our time as 3DS owners thus far. We document our software collections (retail & digital), pick out our best and worst experiences with the system, offer some hopes for the future, and ponder a highly disturbing question: did Jon call it right where the rest of us got it wrong? Tune in to find out! We politely remind you that RFN's third annual live panel event shall take place at the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) East in Boston, April 7 at 11:30am Eastern. Join us!

Length: 2:08:10
Direct downloads: mp3 | AAC

[MatthewB92]

NW has a good crew. Most of them are from the old IGN Wii GB. Once the internet is back on will download.

[Hobbestetrician]

RFN time, hell yeah!

[viciouskillersquirrel]

RFN time, hell yeah!

It's the working week confirmed!

[Hobbestetrician]

It's the working week confirmed!

Not when you are unemployed *sad trombone*

(Though that mostly because I recently moved to Canada where I am not allowed to work yet)

[speedpop]

I don't listen to any gaming podcasts for various reasons, but since this has got the VKS seal of approval I will give it a whirl.

[SmithnCo]

Haha, I want to see that horrible sounding Pac-Man movie now.

[viciouskillersquirrel]

I don't listen to any gaming podcasts for various reasons, but since this has got the VKS seal of approval I will give it a whirl.

Yeah, RFN is pretty cool. If you're in the mood for non gaming podcasts, give these ones a try:

Science... sort of (Science and geek culture)
Dan Carlin's Hardcore History (History like you've never heard it told before)
Mysterious Universe (Aliens, ghosts, bigfoot, mermaids and fairies oh my!)
The History of Rome (Not as good as HH, but still great for more detail if you've listened to the HH Rome episodes)

[illadelph]

Listened to the OOT retrospective yesterday, and ohhh shit, I have to play that game again

EDIT: Master Quest this time!

[Henke]

Listened to the OOT retrospective yesterday, and ohhh shit, I have to play that game again EDIT: Master Quest this time!

Which episode is that?

[bearcatjosh]

Just thought I would chime in to say that this is such an excellent podcast. My wife and I are both so impressed with the images and ability to skip between segments.

It has honestly made other podcasts hard to enjoy. And of course, I love the Nintendo orientation, as I also look at games through the lens of a Nintendo fan.

Keep up the terrific work!

[Bending_Unit_22]

So about 40 podcasts later I should note that my major concern that they could discuss Geist intelligently was allayed (obviously). So far I've been listening to 2 start points forward, 2006 and 2009, and one backwards 2012. Kind of interesting since I'm basically reliving the pre-Wii (dis)hype (no need to preorder, I'll just go to Wal-Mart and buy a Wii whenever, those were the days) and the awful WTF period of 2009.

Great podcast though, I'm basically listening to 5-6 hours of it a day at work for the time being. Speaking of which, why did they think 30 min podcasts were ok in the early ones? 2 hrs or dont bother I say.

[Jonnyboy117]

Which episode is that?

According to Ondore's OP, the Ocarina of Time retrospective is on Episode 123. That show was so successful that it inspired us to start the RetroActive feature.

[Henke]

According to Ondore's OP, the Ocarina of Time retrospective is on Episode 123. That show was so successful that it inspired us to start the RetroActive feature.

Awesome. That's today's commute sorted!

[Suzzopher]

So pleased there is a thread for this here. I have been trying to get as many people to listen to this as possible elsewhere on the internet.

Henke, we should kick this off on GR >_>

[viciouskillersquirrel]

According to Ondore's OP, the Ocarina of Time retrospective is on Episode 123. That show was so successful that it inspired us to start the RetroActive feature.

I played along with the Fire Emblem Retroactive, but got so frustrated by unforced errors resulting in character death (I lost the kid to a critical hit just after upgrading him to a pirate, for instance) that I just quit.

Reading the responses in the thread for that feature told me that I wasn't alone, which made me feel better. It's a shame too. Up until that point, I was quite enjoying the feeling that I was running a real army and took character deaths in my stride.

[The_Darkest_Red]

I played along with the Fire Emblem Retroactive, but got so frustrated by unforced errors resulting in character death (I lost the kid to a critical hit just after upgrading him to a pirate, for instance) that I just quit. Reading the responses in the thread for that feature told me that I wasn't alone, which made me feel better. It's a shame too. Up until that point, I was quite enjoying the feeling that I was running a real army and took character deaths in my stride.

Unlucky crits are a rough way to go in FE but it's not like they're that common. ;)

Anyway, I still prefer having the randomness shown as a percentage hit/crit chance instead of a range of damage that you could do like a lot of others SRPG's (on top of the percentage hit stuff).

Don't give up!

[Captain N]

I love the RFN podcast! I've been listening for over 2 years and in that time I went back and listened to the older episodes too. I've now listened to every single episode of RFN. Much love!

[Henke]

So pleased there is a thread for this here. I have been trying to get as many people to listen to this as possible elsewhere on the internet. Henke, we should kick this off on GR >_>

Agreed. Nobody talks about it there. I only just discovered it since this thread popped up...

[speedpop]

I went through a few episodes and usually I avoid gaming podcasts like the plague because the topics they discuss are somewhat irrelevant, or I could get better discussion from simply talking about games with the circle of friends whenever we have a meetup. But I really enjoyed RFN for some reason. I'm not sure why. Yeah I love Nintendo games but these guys jump around so many other stuff that Nintendo is hardly the focal point at times; it's mostly about a few guys who know about games talking about games, rather than a few guys who are opinionated to the point where whatever they talk about is coming out as vomit to my ears.

I might start going back in to their archives and picking up some episodes that sound interesting.

Yeah, RFN is pretty cool. If you're in the mood for non gaming podcasts, give these ones a try: Science... sort of (Science and geek culture) Dan Carlin's Hardcore History (History like you've never heard it told before) Mysterious Universe (Aliens, ghosts, bigfoot, mermaids and fairies oh my!) The History of Rome (Not as good as HH, but still great for more detail if you've listened to the HH Rome episodes)

I've only listened to a few Hardcore History but I liked what I heard, mostly it was all about finding time to get stuck in to it and trying to get rid of my own habit of wanting to research the history personally rather than being told.

My partner just canceled our MU Plus subscription cause we don't listen to it as religiously as we used to, even though she loves the heck out of it. No slouch on the lads who make it but again it seems to be a time issue. We've got almost 2 seasons of both extended and plus to listen through so once that gets done we will obviously jump back on to Plus.

I'll give History of Rome a listen. Don't know why I ever skipped that.

[hosannainexcelsis]

I went through a few episodes and usually I avoid gaming podcasts like the plague because the topics they discuss are somewhat irrelevant, or I could get better discussion from simply talking about games with the circle of friends whenever we have a meetup. But I really enjoyed RFN for some reason. I'm not sure why. Yeah I love Nintendo games but these guys jump around so many other stuff that Nintendo is hardly the focal point at times; it's mostly about a few guys who know about games talking about games, rather than a few guys who are opinionated to the point where whatever they talk about is coming out as vomit to my ears.

I feel the same way. It's nice to have a podcast where nobody says anything that makes me want to punch them. Not being industry professionals probably helps.

[Emitan]

I feel the same way. It's nice to have a podcast where nobody says anything that makes me want to punch them. Not being industry professionals probably helps.

I was actually really upset about the way Dr Metts was playing Sacred Stones (not caring if anyone died) and I'm a huge "YOURE PLAYING IT WRONG YOU DUMBASS" style person, but other than that I'm never upset at anyone on RFN. Great cast of people.

[SmithnCo]

I honestly wish I didn't care when people died in FE games, probably would save me a lot of restarts for characters who don't matter much in the end.