[Jonnyboy117]

GUI will be traveling to E3 when he would normally be editing, so rather than do a super-short episode, we decided to take the weekend off. The E3 episodes will start only about a day after a normal one would normally be published.

[A Human Becoming]

Jonny was crazy to suggest a Skyrim like game being made for the 3DS; it's never going to happen. I think the developer reels for the 3DS and Wii U showed us who Nintendo is pandering to to develop software on each system: the 3DS had mostly Japanese devs (I actually think the Ubisoft rep was the only one that wasn't Japanese) while Wii U had almost entirely Western devs (can't recall if someone from Capcom was there). I don't think you'll see any serious signs of Western development for the 3DS ramping up this E3 or ever even.

[nckillthegrimace]

Jonny was crazy to suggest a Skyrim like game being made for the 3DS; it's never going to happen. I think the developer reels for the 3DS and Wii U showed us who Nintendo is pandering to to develop software on each system: the 3DS had mostly Japanese devs (I actually think the Ubisoft rep was the only one that wasn't Japanese) while Wii U had almost entirely Western devs (can't recall if someone from Capcom was there). I don't think you'll see any serious signs of Western development for the 3DS ramping up this E3 or ever even.

The best hope for a game like that on the 3DS is either Monolith Soft making one or a Japanese third party commanding a low-tier western developer to make one.

[Jonnyboy117]

I didn't mean something literally on the scale of Skyrim, but rather a Western-appealing companion to Monster Hunter, which is a huge and epic game in its own way and is already on 3DS (with more to come).

[Rodney McKay]

I didn't mean something literally on the scale of Skyrim, but rather a Western-appealing companion to Monster Hunter, which is a huge and epic game in its own way and is already on 3DS (with more to come).

I would love a Morrowind 3DS. :*(

[A Human Becoming]

I didn't mean something literally on the scale of Skyrim, but rather a Western-appealing companion to Monster Hunter, which is a huge and epic game in its own way and is already on 3DS (with more to come).

I know you didn't mean literally. I still say it will never happen. A Western-appealing game would have to be the same in scope and portables don't have the same presence here for the resources to be put into such a big project.

The best hope for a game like that on the 3DS is either Monolith Soft making one or a Japanese third party commanding a low-tier western developer to make one.

Yeah and "low-tier" draws a good picture of the quality you'd expect. The best we can expect from the West are the sort of games Renegade Kid and Dreamrift have done/are doing.

[krpiper]

Johnny, if I can ask whats the plans for E3. Can we expect a show this week, or is it all E3

[Hobbestetrician]

Johnny, if I can ask whats the plans for E3. Can we expect a show this week, or is it all E3

I think they said there might be shows everyday. Not the full 2+ hour shows we get every Sunday but Gui and Jonny will be at E3 and will record things every day if they can while those at home (the Connectivity guys, maybe the other two on the RFN crew (not sure about this one)) will do some shows to reacting to the different conferences.

[Silver_DNA]

I want to put it out there that I really appreciate this podcast. I just listened to the Weekend Confirmed Nintendo predictions and after all of the gushing they did on the Microsoft and Sony segments they really had to strain themselves to say anything positive about Nintendo. Between this and the IGN podcast I swear Radio Free Nintendo is the only one with a crew that not only likes Nintendo but actually knows what it is that they do and create.

In the last episode their prediction piece was the most reasonable and, I think, thought out of pretty much anything I've seen or heard on the internet.

So, Radio Free Nintendo crew, thank you again for existing, not having irritating voices, and putting out a quality show.

[nron10]

We've got a good mix of RFN and Connectivity guys both at E3 and supporting the home team. Jonny and Gui will be leading the podcasting charge, but you'll likely hear something from the Connectivity Trio present (Zach, Patrick, and me (Neal)) and the six other staffers that will be at E3.

Jonny and Gui should knock it out of the park because, well, they're good. Also, I'll be an angry so-and-so Director if they don't. :)

[plufim]

My favorite thing is that the RFN guys are knowledgable, thoughtful and yet not afraid to call Nintendo out on bullshit when there is a legitimate complaint to be made. Actual thoughtful and informed discussion on Nintendo games and consoles is increasingly harder to find as the majority of podcasts relegate Nintendo to a punchline.

[Ondore]

@jonnymetts: We recorded a short Nintendo Direct reaction podcast and GUI is working to post it sometime today.

Probably the most exciting thing to come out today.

Edit: It's a go.

Most of the NWR crew on site at E3 2012 gathered to watch and discuss Nintendo's Wii U hardware-related Nintendo Direct online conference. They go over the messaging of the event, the improved Wii U GamePad, the Wii U Pro controller, the black Wii U, the Miiverse, and more!

Time: 14"36
Download: mp3 | AAC

[Zeer0id]

Probably the most exciting thing to come out today. Edit: It's a go. Time: 14"36 Download: mp3 | AAC

awesome!

[A Human Becoming]

Probably the most exciting thing to come out today.

What, porn curtain didn't excite you?

[speedpop]

Much appreciated.

[Hobbestetrician]

Love the work the NWR crew puts in at E3. They certainly are going to have plenty to cover this year but I am sure that is the way we all like it. I would certainly offer my services if I got a press pass to E3 so hit me up for next year!.

[Ondore]

I really need to get on the other side of the continent for E3 week, so I can still be up when these casts go live.

Anywho, Day Zero Part 2 is go.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/30455

The crew streamed the Microsoft conference much like everyone else not at E3 did, and doesn't have much to say about it. But they talk about seeing the EA and Ubisoft conferences live, and divulge their thoughts on EA's sequels and Ubisoft's antics.

Time: 30"57
Download: mp3 | AAC

[Ondore]

And here's the reaction to the presser...
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/30484

Opinions don't get much fresher than this, at least in podcast form! We left Nintendo's press conference, headed straight to the E3 media room, and sat down in a corner to record a quick reaction to all the announcements. It wasn't the most thrilling event we've ever seen, but there were many exciting games shown including Pikmin 3 and NintendoLand. Look for another episode coming later today with our first hands-on impressions of these and other games at E3.

Time: 17"01
Download: mp3 | AAC

[viciouskillersquirrel]

I like E3 time for these little laid back mini podcasts.

[Anth0ny]

Day One Impressions by the home team with a special guest!

[hosannainexcelsis]

Greg! E3 saved!

[JoeFu]

Jonnyboy117 why not ask about Retro :( , also live blogs totally butchered your question that you asked...

[Jonnyboy117]

The guys at the roundtable, Eguchi and Tezuka, would not be involved in Retro's game anyway. I was happy with my question as we learned something new about the Mario games!

By the way, we posted THREE episodes yesterday, so make sure you didn't miss one! Should have another late tonight talking 3DS and more third-party games.

[Zeer0id]

The guys at the roundtable, Eguchi and Tezuka, would not be involved in Retro's game anyway. I was happy with my question as we learned something new about the Mario games! By the way, we posted THREE episodes yesterday, so make sure you didn't miss one! Should have another late tonight talking 3DS and more third-party games.

Awesome stuff, Jonny, you guys are killing it. I've yet to listen to the "back home" episode, but I'll get around to it soon...

Great impressions of Zombi U, by the way, that game sure is quite a surprise. It's the last thing I would have expected to impress me.

[tanooki141]

The guys at the roundtable, Eguchi and Tezuka, would not be involved in Retro's game anyway. I was happy with my question as we learned something new about the Mario games! By the way, we posted THREE episodes yesterday, so make sure you didn't miss one! Should have another late tonight talking 3DS and more third-party games.

I'm loving the podcasts and good job on the question, you probably already know this but you're in the video for the Roundtable on e3.nintendo.com.

Something thats really been bothering me though, have you guys seen any smaller games on the show floor like eShop material? I wished someone had asked Nintendo what in the hell happened to 3DS VC.

[JoeFu]

The guys at the roundtable, Eguchi and Tezuka, would not be involved in Retro's game anyway. I was happy with my question as we learned something new about the Mario games! By the way, we posted THREE episodes yesterday, so make sure you didn't miss one! Should have another late tonight talking 3DS and more third-party games.

Don't use your logic on me! I did like the Mario question though. Cool seeing you in the Nintendo video!

[SmithnCo]

Day One Impressions by the home team with a special guest!

Yay Greg!

[Ondore]

And here's the Day 1 episode from the on-site staff.

[JoeFu]

And here's the Day 1 episode from the on-site staff.

Really wish the dude wouldn't keep coughing in the mic....


Yeah can't finish this one. The coughing is killing me.

I see day 2 on the site, listened for a bit and heard someone cough so probably not going to listen to this one either...

[Ondore]

And the last train rolls out of the station...
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/30635

The longest day of E3 finally gave us a chance to see some upcoming 3DS titles, and those are the focus of this episode along with a few additional Wii U third-party titles. This will be our final episode from the show, but check out Connectivity for even more E3-related podcasts. RFN will return next week with the regular crew and more gaming discussion!

Time: 42"25
mp3 | AAC

[krpiper]

Really wish the dude wouldn't keep coughing in the mic.... Yeah can't finish this one. The coughing is killing me. I see day 2 on the site, listened for a bit and heard someone cough so probably not going to listen to this one either...

I like to listen to RFN in my car when I drive, I have a aux in port on my car stereo and I just plug my phone into it, but I have to turn up the volume pretty high on the car stereo, I am not sure if its that way because of the phone, but the coughing just about killed me driving at night. :(

Its a shame too but you guys did a good job and good impressions

[Jonnyboy117]

Zach has a medical condition that causes him to cough frequently. On a single microphone, there wasn't a good way to remove the coughs and still post the episode in a timely fashion. It didn't bother me in person, but the microphone may have somehow exaggerated the volume or sharpness of the sound.

Also wanted to apologize for and explain the audio problems on that Home Team episode. Please realize that it was given only a cursory edit by James in order to post it that same day, even though it was recorded in our typical style (over Skype, with individual headsets). I think it was the right choice given circumstances, as we had a special chance to put Greg back on the show (because both Jon and James had taken the day off to cover E3 from home). I hope the audio issues demonstrate the difficulty and importance of the editing process we typically employ.

I'm not trying to make excuses here; we maintain very high standards of audio quality for ourselves, and I want you guys to know why the E3 shows may not have met the usual standards. We are recording a normal show this week and starting to make plans for Episode 300. (SPARTA!!!!)

[Ondore]

Early RFN? Indeed, true believers. And Guillaume even suffered what doctors referred to as an upper-body injury in the editing.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/30769

It's so very good to be home. Guillaume and Jonny are back from E3 to rejoin Jon and James, who kicked ass on the Home Team along with many other stellar NWR staff members. After a week of obsessive reporting on Nintendo and E3, you'd think we would be sick of it all. Instead, we had to carefully watch the clock to make sure we didn't record too much for GUI to handle this weekend! We ease into the E3 talk with a weird prologue of Disaster: Day of Crisis and Pandora's Tower, courtesy of James. Then our resident FPS fan, Mr. Lindemann, muses on the possibilities for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (and the Elite service) on Wii U. Guillaume shares his positive impressions of Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion for 3DS and New Super Mario Bros U. Jonny had a few games in mind for this segment, but a segue into New Super Mario Bros 2 (the 3DS one...) derails the rest of the segment as we collectively inquire why this game exists and how it could turn out to be a good thing. Right before the Now Playing segment, you can listen to interviews about Cloudberry Kingdom, The Last Story, the Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses tour and Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion. Each in their own chapter for your convenience! But the inquiries don't stop there! Listener Mail offers an amusingly lop-sided pair of letters. The first is a simple list of over a dozen quick-fire E3 questions, mostly focused on the Wii U controllers and other non-software topics. The other is a very short, simple inquiry about how Nintendo uses this annual showcase, and naturally, that's the one that sends us into an astonishing tirade on Nintendo's overall performance at E3 and how it may or may not affect the eventual fate of their new console and its already-forgotten handheld cousin. We'll cover more emails very soon, and yours could be one of them! Just use this handy web form. Other things mentioned on the episode that you should investigate: the NWR Exclusives channel on YouTube; that Hip Tanaka music podcast with Jonny and TYP; the RFN/Connectivity t-shirt store; and the RetroActive nomination thread in our forums.

Time: 2'21"52
Download: mp3 | AAC

If you downloaded right away on Saturday night, and it's an older episode less than two hours long, please delete that file, refresh the feed, and download the episode again.

[XDDX]

Yay early RFN! Looking forward to hearing about the NSMB games.

EDIT: Also, I claimed the Club Nintendo code for Pokemon Rumble Blast. Thanks to Pajamas and RFN!

[Jonnyboy117]

There's an error on the feed so you may have downloaded an old episode. We are trying to fix it quickly. The real episode is nearly 2.5 hours long.

Update: The feed is correct now. If you downloaded right away on Saturday night, and it's an older episode less than two hours long, please delete that file, refresh the feed, and download the episode again. I use Instacast for iOS and, unfortunately, had to unsubscribe and resubscribe to get the feed to actually renew to the correct version. Hopefully it will be easier for most of you. The direct download links that ondore posted above should definitely work without any issues.

[tanooki141]

Can't wait to hear the RFN take on E3!

[Hobbestetrician]

There's an error on the feed so you may have downloaded an old episode. We are trying to fix it quickly. The real episode is nearly 2.5 hours long. Update: The feed is correct now. If you downloaded right away on Saturday night, and it's an older episode less than two hours long, please delete that file, refresh the feed, and download the episode again. I use Instacast for iOS and, unfortunately, had to unsubscribe and resubscribe to get the feed to actually renew to the correct version. Hopefully it will be easier for most of you. The direct download links that ondore posted above should definitely work without any issues.

I knew that Mario Kart discussion sounded familiar...

[Zornica]

I am glad there is finally another opportunity to talk about pandoras tower as it didn't get any attention anywhere anyway.
I am curious what james will think about it once he is finished.
@jonny: could you ask him to give his personal ranking of the 3 "rainfall" games? Would be interesting if he puts it above the last story - as it should be.

[The_Darkest_Red]

There's an error on the feed so you may have downloaded an old episode. We are trying to fix it quickly. The real episode is nearly 2.5 hours long. Update: The feed is correct now. If you downloaded right away on Saturday night, and it's an older episode less than two hours long, please delete that file, refresh the feed, and download the episode again. I use Instacast for iOS and, unfortunately, had to unsubscribe and resubscribe to get the feed to actually renew to the correct version. Hopefully it will be easier for most of you. The direct download links that ondore posted above should definitely work without any issues.

Haha, I was wondering what that was all about... I'm downloading the new... new episode now, looking forward to listening on the way home from work today!

[Ondore]

Episode 295: For those who aren't familiar with what happens when James has to play a shit game for review, well...

We start this show with an odd slate of games, starting with Guillaume's latest venture into Zen Pinball 3D (anticipating Marvel Pinball for 3DS) and his recent trips to a "gamer bar" in Montreal. He also played Infamous 2 thanks to PS+, but he has plenty of criticism for the superhero sequel. Jon catches up with the "original" Call of Duty: Black Ops and encounters some truly bizarre bugs in this two-year-old game. Jonny tries and fails to play Tomba, the classic PSone platformer, but he does successfully provide an update on his progress through Kid Icarus: Uprising. James closes the segment with one of his signature review rants on the completely pointless DSiWare puzzle game, Seven Wonders of the World... 2! In Listener Mail, we continue to churn through the extensive backlog with several excellent questions from the crowd. Topics include MotionPlus on Wii U, the return of Advance Wars, the retro-future of handheld gaming, the industry's health overall, and Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow on Virtual Console. Send your own emails for next time, please! Don't forget that we have several awesome t-shirt designs to show your love for Radio Free Nintendo and Connectivity -- check them out! And finally, be sure to take a few moments to vote in the latest RetroActive poll -- Second Chance Edition! Whatever wins, we'll play it and discuss the game on a future episode.

Time: 1'58"21
Downloads: mp3 | AAC

[Zeer0id]

Oh man, I'm with Gui

The entire time Jonny was talking about that lo-fi Game Boy player, I was pretty much salivating.

[Ondore]

Episode 296, or "Why Nintendo needs to stop putting Nintendo Directs on RFN taping nights".
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/30918

Jon is on vacation this week, but our good friend Michael "TYP" Cole stepped in and even brought some New Business with him. Mike catches up with the brilliant Portal 2 and a classic portable jam, Game & Watch Gallery 2. Jonny reports on the Kingdom Hearts 3D (awful subtitle omitted) demo, gets really angry at a late boss in Xenoblade Chronicles, and gives quick impressions of the bizarre Tomba as referenced last week. James is still deep into Pandora's Tower and evaluates the game's chances of an American release. Finally, our faithful editor Guillaume packs in more Infamous 2, the retail-to-eShop game Order Up!, and the overlooked party masterpiece that is WarioWare: Smooth Moves for Wii. After a quick break, we look back at last week's post-E3 Nintendo Direct event. Why did it happen so soon after the last one and all those E3 media briefings? Where was the 3DS XL at gaming's biggest showcase, anyway? Are we planning to buy the new mega-sized system? How does the extra heft jive with our StreetPass obsessions? What's the deal with Namco-Bandai helping Masahiro Sakurai on the new Smash Bros. games? What can we expect from the New Super Mario Bros. 2 downloadable levels, and how much should they cost? Most importantly, do the full-game purchases, Virtual Console promotions, weekend sales, and a new Vice-President mean that Nintendo is finally realizing the dream of eShop? We cover all this and more -- it's a very interesting time to be a Nintendo fan! We'd love to hear what you think of the recent news and our discussion of all the action, so "hit up that kind of rush" by sending an email to RFN -- we may read it on the show! Another great way to participate is by voting on the next RetroActive game, which we'll play together along with the community for a future episode. The poll closes soon, so vote now or read through the forum thread if you need help deciding.

Time: 2'01"39
Downloads: mp3 | AAC
Reason for the Korn reference: Unknown.

[viciouskillersquirrel]

I'm in the middle of listening to this epic 3-hour episode of the Famicast right now. I'll stream the latest ep when I get the chance.

[nckillthegrimace]

The idea that the Nintendo Direct was a reaction to Nintendo's poor E3 showing doesn't make much sense to me. The XL is coming out this month in Europe and Japan. Nintendo was going to have to show that soon, even if there wasn't a ND. Nor was there any exciting new software shown; actually, I'm sure the only thing Nintendo added in was the ten seconds devoted to Fire Emblem in order to legitimize Reggie's erroneous announcement. Additionally, it did nothing to address the major criticism of Nintendo's E3 showing: What's the future for your new system? What exists beyond the "launch window?" Can the Wii U remain competitive in the long term?

No, I think this was planned all along. Give the 3DS XL it's own show to make sure the Wii U has center stage at E3 and that the 3DS XL gets the full attention it deserves outside of all of the E3 madness, while also holding back some minor 3DS game and service announcements to shore up the presentation of the XL.

[Zornica]

It doesn't make sense to me either. E3 is an american event, nintendo direct is a world event. Especially now that NoE is stepping up and NoA falling behind, E3 isn't representetiv for their lineup at all anymore.
ncl and noe direct had to happen, the noa one just got dragged along.

edit: the european direct doesn't use iwata anymore, it uses shibata damnit. get you facts straight james :P

[nron10]

That Nintendo Direct was planned from the get-go. We might think these things are random, but dating back to last October, every Nintendo Direct (in Japan) has occurred every two months around the 20th of the month, with a few exceptions (December's was later, likely because of Christmas, and the Pre-E3 one).

So, get ready for the next Nintendo Direct around August 20, probably right after NSMB2/3DS XL hit North America.

[Zeer0id]

yay, Billy's back!

[Ondore]

Episode 297: A Jon-free zone. The last time James was in charge, well, 103 happened...
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/30985

With Jon still stranded on a beach somewhere, and Jonny lost deep in the heart of NYC, James and Guillaume find comfort in the warm embrace of NWR founder Billy Berghammer. Billy uses this platform as his chance to reflect on the E3 that was - and to solicit our thoughts on what is widely considered a bit of a disappointing show. He also has impressions from Mario Tennis Open and Gravity Rush. Guillaume hates on Popcap Games, with Billy leading a spirited defense of the EA subsidiary's works, and discusses being the "co" in Super Mario Galaxy's co-star mode. James rounds out new business with a look-back on a Game Boy game from his past, Kid Dracula, a Konami-produced self-parody of Castlevania games. In listener mail, the trio discuss Nintendo in the world of the $100 million video game, Nintendo in the world of downloadable games, and practical purchasing advice for the RPG-gamer on the go. As always, we value your input - so write us an email with questions or comments on all things gaming - or not about gaming. We love your mail, so keep sending it.

Time: 1'39"46
Downloads: mp3 | AAC
People who need to come on the show, if only to defend the mothership: Jeff Green

[I Push Fat Kids]

Just wanted to drop off some love. Recently started listening and I'm now subscribed. Don't always align in opinion with you guys but that's a good thing.

Jeff Green <3

[Jonnyboy117]

I'm a big fan of Jeff Green and would love to get him on the show sometime. However, I'm not sure he would really care to discuss Nintendo with us. As for PopCap's games, I played plenty of PvZ but Peggle is my jam.