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[viciouskillersquirrel]

You guys got me hyped for the Grezzo RPG. I had no idea the company had that sort of lineage.

 

[Crimm]

She'll be on next week. I wanted to have TMS#FE so she could help me talk about it.

Next week anime will be happening in a very big way.

This week we're accepting honorary degrees and renaming Zelda games.

 

[Ondore]

But I thought canon Legend of Zelda games only had male Links.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/42929/episode-482-the-legend-of-zelda-olivia-wilde

Last week, we gave our E3 reactions; this week we return to our standard show format. James kicks off New Business with a game Nintendo doesn't want you to know about: Rhythm Heaven Megamix. As a big fan of the series, James found his flow quickly, but Greg is around to allay some of his fears. Greg has concluding thoughts on Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest. Did being the tool of a monster ruin the experience for him? It hasn't for nearly a decade of RFN. Jon continues the strategic thinking with his Non-tendo Game of the Week: the beta of Halo Wars 2. Warthogs not getting stuck on every pebble may take you out of the Halo experience, but Jon may have found his inner tactician. Lastly, Guillaume concludes the segment with yet another assault on Castlevania, with Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. Shockingly, picking up a nearly decade-old save did not yield the most positive experience.

After the break, we get down to our first post-E3 Listener Mail segment. Topics covered: self-induced blackouts, movie puns, the dumbing down of the university system, developer vs. publisher vs. BUSINESS, Tomodachi Life: The Movie - starring YOU, and an email picked exclusively to let us use the NX alarm. You can trigger our alarms by sending us an email.

Time: 2'05"54
Downloads: MP3 | AAC
Outro: Fire Emblem Fates "Road Taken"
The NX Siren: Now on Youtube - remind your friends!

 

[10k]

Breath of the Wind
Into the Wild
Birth of the Wild
Olivia Wilde

 

[Kansoku]

James is wrong. Love Rap is shit on every possible way. Also Donk-Donk is crap too.

 

[Katsuragi]

Love Rap is shit on every possible way.

 

[Crimm]

Breath of the Wind
Into the Wild
Birth of the Wild
Olivia Wilde

Olivia Wilde was an outside submission. I called in a comedy expert, and they delivered.

Wild Things 2 narrowly beat out Wild Things Foursome. Also I don't know the title of all the Direct 2 DVD Wild Things sequels. Some of the titles are just diamonds in the rough please God, forgive me. I'm so sorry. I have sinned.

James is wrong. Love Rap is shit on every possible way. Also Donk-Donk is crap too.

I used to hate Love Rap until it just clicked one day and I could clear it no problem. Once that happened it became mostly inoffensive. It's definitely a little counter-intuitive. Lockstep can f right off though. Even knowing how to [superb] rank Lockstep I hate Lockstep. I saw Lockstep in this game and though "Oh, well time to uninstall Rhythm Heaven Megamix."

 

[Makonero]

Breath of the Wind
Into the Wild
Birth of the Wild
Olivia Wilde

Abreast of the Wild is my personal tittle

 

[ShadowOwl]

I'm not sure if Greg already knew about this, but Picross 3D 2 is supposed to come out in Europe, at least according to a leak a few weeks months back!

Dr Kawashima's Devilish Brain Training is/was also supposed to come to Europe... HUE HUE HUE!

 

[The_Darkest_Red]

Gui's timing with Order of Ecclesia was oddly relevant to me because one of my good friends just played through it for the first time. He considers SotN one of the best games ever created and was not very impressed with OoE. We had some fun back and forth discussions as I consider OoE the best Castlevania game and probably my favorite Metroidvania game in general.

To answer your question, Gui: those reviewers aren't "reviewing the hype", they are just enjoying a superbly executed Castlevania game that you are apparently now too jaded to appreciate. Juuuuuuust kidding!

Spoiler

Kind of

For real though, I feel like OoE nails just about everything I want from a game in the genre.

1. Fantastically designed bosses that require practice and skill to overcome
2. Fun combat against varied enemies
3. Great supporting mechanics and progression systems
4. Loads of environmental variety
5. Superb soundtrack

I will admit that OoE doesn't quite match up to SotN (or Super Metroid, for that matter) when it comes to exploration and cohesive world design but in my opinion it more than makes up for it due to the above mentioned factors. I actually found the structure of the game to be quite novel after playing 10+ variations of the "completely interconnected world" school of design we've seen since the original Metroid. I'm not saying I don't love a good Dracula's Castle by any means but OoE felt very fresh at the time with its combination of old school linear level design and a more open castle for the back half.

All of that said, Greg's point is well taken in regards to OoE not necessarily capitalizing on the linearity of the levels from a level design standpoint. However, that honestly didn't bother me much because as he mentioned all of the Castlevania games tend to be that way. I will say that at least they aren't as pure brawler-esque as something like Muramasa; there is still a fair pit of platforming to be done that helps to break up the combat encounters.

This post has gone on for far too long but I'm just happy to hear someone talking about a good Castlevania game. I miss the days when Konami was pumping them out on the GBA and DS. I still remember when I got my 3DS in 2012 and assumed I would get three fantastic Castlevania games on it... Oh to be young and innocent again. At least we have Bloodstained to get pumped up about!

 

[Ondore]

#AnimeIsHappening #Crackpipes
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/42958/episode-483-professionalism

How do you introduce an episode in which Japan has totally overwhelmed each and every panelist? Like this: we're joined again this week by "Friend of the Show" Syrenne McNulty, who we tasked with being our personal #FE Sherpa (no Back to the Future ball cap required). But first, Greg kicks off New Business with concluding thoughts on Kirby: Planet Robobot. He then further cements the vampiric transformation of RFN with a look at Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. Guillaume tries out the demo for 7th Dragon III: Code VFD (a game he's already played), and the terribly racist Super Adventure Island. RFN will lead the campaign to boycott all future games from Hudson and its parent company Konami. Jon talks about the life, death, and rebirth of his 3DS - as slain by Nintendo customer support, all in service of trying the Monster Hunter Generations demo, which he then discusses. James needs help to talk about Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, a game so aggressively Japanese that it remained undubbed; not for cost reasons, but rather because the English language is incapable of existing in the same world as this game. Syrenne attempts to assist, but this entire preview rings of non-sense. Syrenne pushes RFN in a whole new direction, with thoughts on PC title Kindred Spirits on the Roof - a Japanese Visual Novel that tastefully combines the topics of lesbian love and spiritual possession.

After the break, we have an abbreviated Listener Mail segment. We are asked about the viability of a subscription-driven Nintendo Network, and if Nintendo's Zelda-focused E3 was the right decision. You can question our decision making by sending us an email.

If you want to hear Syrenne and NWR's Donald Theriault talk Zero Time Dilemma, check out the special Connectivity episode they recorded. Warning, spoilers.

Time: 2'00"27
Downloads: MP3 | AAC
Outro music: Gokyujo Parodius "Battleship Cat Forever"
Am I ready for a yuri VN: I played Zero Time Dilemma and watched Yurikuma Arashi, I think so?

 

[Zonic]

Man, I want to play a Parodius game. Need to see if I can import Sexy Parodius or the one before that.

If I can suggest some outro music, perhaps Super Bell Hill from the newest M&S Olympic Games, because man those games have some amazing remixes.

 

[Nbz]

I've been playing doing a chronological playthrough of all the Castlevania games from Symphony onwards, as I'd never played any of them before and Aria is up next!

I've always heard good things about it, but Greg mentioning that it is a very streamlined experience makes me very excited as I did feel that Circle of the Moon and even Harmony of Dissonance had a decent amount of fat on them

 

[LiveFromKyoto]

I wish you guys had titled this episode Vita Means Pigeon Sex.

 

[Zonic]

I wish you guys had titled this episode Vita Means Pigeon Sex.

I busted out laughing at that part.

Also wanna say, I had similar experiences playing the demo for 7th Dragon. I did the prologue chapter, & while I'm certainly liking it more than EO (especially presentation-wise, I've never been big on 1st person dungeon crawling & 1st person battles, but at least there's actual animations for your characters doing attacks), though I think I might wait a bit on it, especially since I wanna focus on Tokyo Mirage Sessions at the moment. I will say, you guys have made me pay more attention to the game than I previously did.

 

[10k]

The Legend of Zelda: Gone into the Wind
The Legend of Zelda : Breath of Fire

Why is this zelda subtitle confusing so many people?lol

 

[Crimm]

I struggled after the announcement. Given the proximity to Jack London's Call of the Wild, it slipped in a few times. From there it's sort of gone into free-fall. Now we're just using 80s power ballads and 50s movies.

 

[Ondore]

Shuffle > Go
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/42987/episode-484-jon-lindemanns-tubtime-pokestop

Guillaume took the week off to do Guillaume things, so this week RFN is joined by friend, and host of Radio Trivia, Mr. Michael Cole. Greg kicks off New Business with Pokkén Tournament. Against the AI he is an unstoppable Chandelure Calamity, but online he's finding himself more a Loseador Pikachu than a Luchador Pikachu. James foregoes an update on Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE to instead provide concluding thoughts on Rhythm Heaven Megamix. Rhythm Heaven will always be great, but the addition of grinding to the formula spoils the mix. Mike has thoughts on a collection of non-Zelda E3 games. He starts with Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice, follows up with impressions of dismemberment-simulator Severed, and then finishes with thoughts on Shantae: Half-Genie Hero. Jon concludes New Business with a report on finding Pokémon in all the wrong places, with Pokémon Go.

After the break, we tackle a trio of Listener Mail. The segment starts with a conversation about what makes Zelda Zelda and if Breath of the Wild will be able to maintain that feeling. Our second email covers the struggles of Unreal Engine 3 games on Wii U and the future of Unreal on Nintendo platforms. Our final email asks the rather blunt question: "Why are MyNintendo rewards crap?" You can ask why we also produce crap by sending us an email. We're looking for RetroActive ideas and Sign-Off music; you can send suggestions to the inbox as well.

Thanks to Mike for joining us this week; if you haven't, check out the Radio Trivia Podcast and be sure to see his and Jared Rosenberg's Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice interview.

Time: 2'17"39
Downloads: MP3 | AAC
Outro: Magicant/Eight Melodies (Mother 3) - Super Smash Bros 3DS
Normal service: Next week?

 

[Tripon]

Retroactive: Brawl online.

You know you want to do that to yourselves.

 

[viciouskillersquirrel]

Retroactive: Brawl online.

You know you want to do that to yourselves.

Nintendo WiFi connection is defunct, so you won't be able to play online at all. All you will get is constant server error messages.

Which, by all accounts, is faithful to the experience of trying to play Brawl online, I suppose.

 

[plufim]

Finally got around to submittig a question. I feel my chances have been significantly boosted by chosing the dumbest Zelda subtitle I could think of.

 

[10k]

Just FYI, the Just for You button is where your My Nintendo redemption coupons come up.

Two months I spent my gold coins for 30% off Yoshi's Wooly World and the voucher code was under the Just For You tab in the Wii U eShop.

 

[Ondore]

PokéMongo only pawn in game of life.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/43030/episode-485-pokemon-journalism

Little did James know that one short week from mocking Jon Lindemann's PokéStop Tubtime, that Pokémon Go would have fundamentally altered society. Fans around the world are engaged, businesses are slammed, servers are taxed, politicians are foolish (more so than usual), and online journalists are producing Peabody-worthy content at a record pace. Eager to get on the hype-train, Radio Free Nintendo returns this week with our second Pokémon-referencing title in as many weeks. But, before we can gorge ourselves on the Pokébuzz, we start the show with New Business.

Guillaume is back, with a lot to talk about, so he and James start off with thoughts on Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE. They both come off rather negative in their impressions, but they do like the game. Apparently, a game that is awash in the disposable products of pop culture ironically expects you to really stick with it. The Gui and James duo also offer a shout-out to 7th Dragon III: Code VFD, a game that borrows heavily from Etrian Odyssey - and is available now. Gui wraps up his New Business with impressions of Bonk's Adventure on the recently released TurboGrafx-16 Virtual Console on Wii U. Did you know that Konami produced the TurboGrafx? It was definitely Konami; there was never another company involved. Greg has impressions of Hyrule Warriors Legends, the 3DS port of the surprisingly enjoyable Hyrule Warriors. He has thoughts on the new content, as well as the efforts developer Omega Force made to adapt the game to play on the go. Lastly, it's time to go whole Watchog into Pokémon Go. Both Jon and James have spent additional time with the game, and give a mostly-serious overview for the five people who have yet to succumb. More pressingly, the entire crew digs into the game's success, and the broader implications for Nintendo's diversification strategies.

After the break we continue to talk about Pokémon Go. We've all seen the hard-hitting journalism on display, and as RFN host/producer James wants in on that click revenue. It's time for RFN to put their "serious journalist" hats on, and come up with the hottest headlines, sure to drive eyes to...our...podcast.

Following this brief attempt at professionalism, it's time for Listener Mail. A short segment this week asks two questions: what caused this RPG low pressure system we've been stuck in, and what's going on with the NES Classic Edition. You can ask us about our personal low pressure systems by sending us an email.

Time: 2'09"58
Downloads: MP3 | AAC
Outro: Bravely Default/Second - Ba'al Battle
Official Pokémon Go release in Canada: Warranted a CBC News alert
Most disturbing Pokémon Go content of the week: New York Magazine's Guide To Pokémon Go Thinkpieces

 

[Dingens]

damn you for reminding me how much better the BD soundtrack was over the B2nd one :/

seems like gui continues his hate-streak

Spoiler

jk

btw: blast ball just came out
I hope you'll give it a go before recording

 

[viciouskillersquirrel]

If you're still taking submissions for the next Retroactive theme, might I suggest "The longest wait", a collection of titles on Virtual Console that have finally released in one region or other after inexplicably having skipped it originally:

Shantae (GBC) - US only
Spelunker (NES) - Skipped Europe
Milon's Secret Castle (NES) - Skipped Europe
The Mysterious Murasame Castle (NES) - Japan only
Earthbound Beginnings (NES) - Japan only
Earthbound (SNES) - Skipped Europe
Super Mario Bros The Lost Levels (NES) - Japan only Lode Runner (NES) - Skipped Europe
Tecmo Bowl (NES) - US only
Nobunaga's Ambition (SNES) - Japan only
Breath of Fire (SNES) - Skipped Europe
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES) - Skipped Europe
Sin and Punishment (N64) - Japan only
Drill Dozer (GBA) - Japan only

I don't know how many of these have already been the subject of a Retroactive, much less how many have already been up for a vote, but I think it could be a lot of fun. Some of these are famous or well regarded games that simply weren't part of many people's gaming experience back when they were new.

 

[Ondore]

Looking at the list in the OP (which I believe is only missing Rondo of Blood), Super Mario RPG was done before. And without Jonny as a regular, I don't think Milon has a hope in hell of being a Retroactive game.

 

[viciouskillersquirrel]

Looking at the list in the OP (which I believe is only missing Rondo of Blood), Super Mario RPG was done before. And without Jonny as a regular, I don't think Milon has a hope in hell of being a Retroactive game.

Hahaha true, although I think it would be an incredible episode all the same. It'd make Jon's long running saga worth something in the end.

Scratch Milon then. I think it's a pretty solid list. It'd be great to hear the guys' thoughts on something like the Lost Levels, for example, or listener comments on something super Japanese like Murasame.

 

[Dingens]

If you're still taking submissions for the next Retroactive theme, [...]

completely forgot to mention it again, but I'd still like to see the "nintendo open world games" retroactive as discussed before:

- Bully (wii/ps2)
- No more Heroes (wii)
- No more Heroes 2 (wii)
- Godfather blackhand (wii)
- that scarface game (?) (wiii)
- GTA: Chinatown Wars (DS)
- Lego City Undercover (Wii U/3ds)
- True Crime (GameCube)
- Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (gamecube)
- crystal bearers (wii)
- cop the recruit (ds)

may have missed a few?

 

[Crimm]

Some notes:

As always, thanks for listening. It means a lot to me personally.

1. All three of our panelists (Jon was getting some R&R) had played Blast Ball this week prior to the show starting. New Business is a bit of a buffet, with a lot of things on offer - some in smaller doses than others, but I do believe Blast Ball takes up the majority of the oxygen in the room.

2. We have not settled on a RetroActive idea, despite spinning our wheels on it for 30 or so minutes after recording. Ideas here are greatly appreciated. At one point it got to the place where I was throwing out "Games with years in their names" and "Bad ports of games that already had the superior game as it appeared on a different console where both are on VC." I think I might be slightly too high-concept.

 

[nckillthegrimace]

It takes too long to save in TMS#FE? What are you talking about? It's like a five second process.

 

[Makonero]

It takes too long to save in TMS#FE? What are you talking about? It's like a five second process.

I would assume Guillaume went physical because my digital copy was super speedy in every way, including loading screens.

As for Retroactive ideas, what about picking a Nintendo IP that hasn't yet been featured at all and then picking games from it? Has a Punch Out game been featured yet? Or Donkey Kong?

 

[OMG Aero]

In honour of his 25th anniversary it should be a Sonic retroactive.
Do it James.

 

[nckillthegrimace]

I would assume Guillaume went physical because my digital copy was super speedy in every way, including loading screens.

As for Retroactive ideas, what about picking a Nintendo IP that hasn't yet been featured at all and then picking games from it? Has a Punch Out game been featured yet? Or Donkey Kong?

I have the disc, too. And it was James who said that.

 

[Thoraxes]

I would assume Guillaume went physical because my digital copy was super speedy in every way, including loading screens.

As for Retroactive ideas, what about picking a Nintendo IP that hasn't yet been featured at all and then picking games from it? Has a Punch Out game been featured yet? Or Donkey Kong?

The saving in the physical version is like 3 seconds tops for me. Maybe a whole 2 seconds for the menu to open.

 

[Ondore]

I will spare you the rant about the 3DS's inability to download DLC without the game in question...
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/43072/episode-486-rejecting-other-green-dinosaurs

Jon took the week off to perfect his floating Vita case, so your RFN experience this week is limited to Gui, Greg, and James. Nintendo blessed us by releasing the demo for Blast Ball the day of recording, so all three panelists have thoughts on this competitive soccer-shooter side-game to Change.org Presents: Not My Metroid. Greg has thoughts on SNES Shooting Gallery Wild Guns; coincidentally, Natsume has a recently-announced remake on the way. Guillaume has an update on Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, and it sounds like he intends to let Dracula win. Guillaume is the most irresponsible vampire hunter. He also looks at Flying Dragon: The Secret Scroll, an NES fighting game recently released on Wii U Virtual Console. He and James then team up to give an unplanned update on Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE. I'm sorry. I promise this is the last time.

After the break, it's time for Listener Mail. Topics this week include: being a "daddy" named James Jones, getting into Pokémon after Pokémon Go, casting a Shiek game, and our gaming influences. You can tell us how Miitomo has lead to your impending divorce by sending us an email.

Time: 2'00"01 (so close!)
Downloads: MP3 | AAC
Outro: Mario Kart 8 - Rainbow Road (64) Theme
Blast Ball: A small part of the 2016 Game of the Year.

 

[plufim]

Nice, my Sheik question got asked! Especially pleased my Zelda subtitle broke everyone, as was my hope.

Something I probably didn't make clear, I only feel Platinum would be up to the task if it was literally just a reuse of the Bayonetta engine. In general "have platinum do it" no longer is a justified reaction, but one we still see. Starfox was... yikes.

A Zelda spinoff that I feel could actually work quite well is a Fire Emblem: Hyrule edition.

 

[LiveFromKyoto]

You guys are bringing me down with the #FE talk. I was hoping it would be up my alley but your complaints are basically everything that makes Persona games drag for me.

Also, Culture Brain was a legendary publisher for anyone who was reading game mags back in the day. Their actual games were always obscure, but they bought tons of print ad space, and the advertisements featured reams of absurd mangled English. I wish I could find the one for their SNES fighting game.

 

[Neifirst]

You guys are bringing me down with the #FE talk. I was hoping it would be up my alley but your complaints are basically everything that makes Persona games drag for me.

don't listen to them. I found #FE much more streamlined than persona games and their social links. Almost all of the sidequest stuff is placed in the intermission sections, and you can proceed at any point (even skipping them entirely). The battles go quickly because both weapon weaknesses from FE and element ones from SMT are incorporated. And frankly, James and Gui are positive on games seemingly about 10% of the time anyway.

 

[Zonic]

I finally finished TMS this weekend after 75 hours & I would agree that it's an enjoyable game. The character stuff is nowhere near as complicated as "OH YOU CAN ONLY SEE THESE CHARACTERS ON THESE DAYS AT THESE TIMES AND YOU MIGHT NOT ACTUALLY LEVEL THEIR RANK UP" that made Persona 4 Golden a pain to plan out in advance. It's just 3 side-stuff for each character that you can do anytime before the final boss.

...also yes, I semi-agree it doesn't take too long to save unless you're doing it SUPER frequently, then I can see why the loading time would feel more noticeable, but I never had an issue with it.

And while I won't say it excuses how boring Itsuki is, accorind to the artbook that came with the LE, he was made/designed that way because he wasn't meant to stick out too much & was more to be a self-insert. Which I guess worked because when I would be figuring out who to give incense to or making new weapons & skills, I would refer to Itsuki as "me" or "I" as in "okay, I can make a new weapon, then one for Tsubasa". Again, I won't say it's a good reason why he's not very interesting, but that's the logic that goes into making the main character in a JRPG when you can make a lot of choices when it involves talking to your party members.

 

[nckillthegrimace]

You guys are fucking crazy. #FE is a great game. I can't believe you guys prefer 7th Dragon, which is like the most generic, bland dungeon crawler. That shit doesn't even have 3D.

 

[GuillaumeNWR]

And frankly, James and Gui are positive on games seemingly about 10% of the time anyway.

So I have lived long enough to see myself become "the negative one". Sad!

I admit I haven't liked how whiny I've come across discussing TMS#FE, but I think I've touched on actual problems: the constant need to travel to locations 4 load screens away, the unrelatability of the characters, the massive amounts of dialogue that don't say much worth saying… And I understand Itsuki is bland so you can project yourself into him, I've said as much on the show. But what's Touma's excuse? There's just no way this cast competes with Persona 4's cast, or even 3's.

I'm glad people are liking it. It's just that the game's flaws happen to be specifically pet peeves of mine.

 

[Tripon]

Guess we are finally going to talk what the NX is next ep.

 

[Ondore]

I'm afraid the siren will be quite operational, sadly.

 

[llehuty]

I didn't have time yet to check the last podcast, but if it hasn't been decided yet, I found the perfect theme for a retroactive. Games that have the letters N and X in their title.

With the early favourite being Project X Zone

Other options:
Faxanadu
Golden Axe
Star Fox Adventures
Star Fox Command
Pokemon XD
Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix
Pokemon X
Xenoblade Chronicles
NES Remix
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
All Phoenix Wright games
LBX: Little Battlers eXperience
And Rythm eaven Megamix (Which would qualify as a proactive instead of retroactive in Europe)

Spoiler

I'm kidding

Spoiler

Kind of

 

[Dingens]

Guess we are finally going to talk what the NX is next ep.

the far more important question is: which dragonquest 11 are we going to get?
the mobile one or the "console" one?
or possibly both?

 

[10k]

the far more important question is: which dragonquest 11 are we going to get?
the mobile one or the "console" one?
or possibly both?

The latter. #Beleive

 

[Crimm]

the far more important question is: which dragonquest 11 are we going to get?
the mobile one or the "console" one?
or possibly both?

The "Dragon Quest 11 for NX" one.

So I'm editing this week. It's 2:45 of raw audio. There was a power outage mid-episode. I'm slowly dying, but it's coming along.

We talk a lot of NX rumors. I think we all come off rather dubious, which until proven otherwise is the right stance. And we could totally be proven otherwise, a joke we repeatedly make during the segment.

As for #FE (I've been indisposed and haven't been able to keep up here), I really do like it, it just does things that irk me. It's far easier to come off as negative in podcast form, because often times there are discrete things that you can point to as problems. When a game makes you generally happy, but doesn't have some crazy standout thing you can talk about (eg: Xenoblade's game world, Ace Attorney's lunacy) it's harder to find talking points. The written review is a bit easier in this regard, since there's a certain amount of formula to it. I have points I need to address (gameplay, visuals, sound, story, etc) and even if all I have to say is "I like them" then at least you can look at the balance and see overall positive - even when there are nits to pick. In a conversation format, the "formula" comes off as impersonal and doesn't fit so well.

As another example, I really like Rhythm Heaven Megamix. I was mostly down on it on the show because it did things that seemed silly (in a bad way). Now that I've unlocked all the modes I still pick it up from time to time. I'm mostly trying to grind out flowballs so I can get the last few games. While I'd much prefer the game just let me have those games, it didn't so I get by. It's still an outstanding game, because Rhythm Heaven was always an outstanding game.

 

[Ondore]

So, uh, aside from the Level 5 thing, did anything happen this week? OH WAIT
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/43110/episode-487-nx-and-the-little-capitalist-that-could

Guillaume is out this week, and he picked a great week to do it, in no way missing out on any major rumors. Instead we're joined by friend of the show Syrenne McNulty, the first of a parade of guests/fugitives we'll be featuring/harboring in Gui's absence.

Given our love of Kill Bill's Ironsides siren, we decided we couldn't wait until the second segment to talk about the most recent NX rumors. Eurogamer claims to have multiple sources that have identified NX as a console/handheld hybrid, and we spend what feels like multiple hours discussing it. There's an email here, so technically this is Listener Mail. So you can send us your technicalities via our inbox.

After a break, it's time for New Business! James leads off with Freedom Planet, a Sonic-inspired neo-retro platformer. I understand that James and Sonic in the same sentence rarely goes well, but you can probably keep your pitchforks where they are for this one. Jon is one week closer to finding himself ejected from RFN so that he can pursue his true passion, a Pokémon Go podcast. Syrenne proves herself a lunatic by hacking Fire Emblem Fates to make it more sadistic, before describing her love of the upcoming Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice. Lastly, Greg solicits thoughts from the crew on the recently-announced Lady Layton, not expecting this to turn into a condemnation of Level-5's money-grubbing soul. He does finally get to take us away from all this ruthless capitalism, with thoughts on Pokémon Yellow...oh. Well, he also has prepared research on the money to MyNintendo coin exchange rate during the Curve Digital sale...oh, again.

We'll undoubtedly have more thoughts on NX and business next week. Thanks to Syrenne for joining us!

Time: 2'42"31
Downloads: MP3 | AAC
Outro: Mario and Sonic At The Zika And Robbery Festival - Super Bell Hill (recommended by Zonic)
The only thing deader than the Olympics: Any horse Hino owns.

 

[BlueScrote]

Gotta admit, I laughed quite a bit at the extended horn in the beginning.

 

[Neifirst]

Very enjoyable NX discussion, and I particularly appreciated Syrenne's contributions on the tech side. But NSMB2 better than U? Crazy talk!