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[Ondore]

Title checks out.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/...t-idea-in-a-strategy-game-since-conception-ii

We've escaped Isle Delfino, and return to our normal show this week. Greg and James are both still early in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. Yes, Rabbids are objectively terrible, but this XCOM-inspired strategy crossover is a quite a bit of frustrating fun. Jon has a quick look at a pair of Housemarque games: Matterfall and Nex Machina, both on PS4. Nex Machina is of particular interest, as it borrows liberally from Robotron and Smash TV (including their designer) and could wind up on Switch one day. Guillaume wraps up New Business with a look at Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, liberated from his local library.

With some time to spare in the first segment, the team does a quick review of the Nindies event on Wednesday, and picks out some of the most interesting titles. No, but for real, Travis is back.

After the break, it's time for Listener Mail. This week we're asked: what's the next Rabbids crossover, when can we expect to see Mario and Sonic at the Olympics at the Olympics, what's holding back the video game equivalent of the "cinematic universe", and what it would take for Nintendo to prove to us that they're serious about online. You can write us questions that are obviously just things you want to hear us read out loud by sending us an email.

Time: 2'01"16
Outro: Banjo-Kazooie - Freezeezy Peak
Downloads: MP3 | AAC
Cinematic universes: The only thing more annoying than Rabbids taking selfies while cross-dressing

 

[Worthintendo]

James Jones 2017: People who like Pork can have Pet Pigs (or something like that, I forget the exact line)

That might just be the most insightful thing said on the podcast

 

[Cindro]

Radio Free Nintendo has been completely and utterly dominating my mind.

During the off-week you all took recently, I decided to binge on some old RFN. Starting at the very beginning.

I'm currently on episode

Spoiler

145

.

That's a lot of old-ass Nintendo talk packed into such a short timeframe. It's been a blast experiencing the roots and evolution of the show, though! The pre-Metts era was rough, good lord. It's given me an entirely newfound respect for Jonny and what he did for the show - he basically transformed it overnight from a rough and sloppy production filled with surface-level discussions that provided very little in the way of insights into the show we all know and love today. The seismic shift in quality between season 1 and season 2 (when Metts first took over - episode 82, I believe) is immense, and something I'm deeply grateful for.

I don't want to be too hard on the early RFN cast members, though - it was still enjoyable from time to time, but the podcast was treated more as a loose venue for friends to have fun while they shot the breeze about games vs the focused program it is now, where deep discussions and interesting analysis prevail. And given that almost every early RFN chair was held by dudes in college, I can't quite blame them. I would have been the exact same way! But once Greg/Jon/James/Jonny became the core group, there was an immediate level of added depth and experience to the proceedings (episode 103 aside).

I did really love Evan, though. I can't recall - did Jonny ever do an interview with him for his book? I'd really enjoy to hear his perspective on RFN all these years later.

Anyway, thanks again to the current RFN crew (including Gui, of course!) who continue to make this show so great. Please keep carrying the torch for years to come - I don't want any of this "I've been involved in a Nintendo fansite for a decade now, it's time to move on" stuff!

 

[Zonic]

Considering the title, I'm surprised nobody joked "Conception II + Rabbids", but I guess the joke was semi-made with Fire Emblem + Rabbids

 

[Ondore]

"I see you've chosen Demolition Man..."
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/45373/episode-538-stop-or-my-mom-will-shoot

It's the time of year where we have a veritable bevy of New Business. Jon has hands-on with retro-revival Sonic Mania, thanks to a screw-up at Sega and the generosity of listener Sgt. Flowers. He is actually surprised at the joy he's finding in this throwback to a 1994 2D Sonic that never was. We're sure Sonic Forces will hit the same high quality bar. He also has hands-on with Destiny 2, this time with in-game story. He's similarly happy with this sequel. Jon's getting all the best Engrams. Guillaume made good use of Nintendo rewards, scoring a discount on Picross 3D: Round 2. He loves it, which makes sense, or should I say IT ADDS UP? I shouldn't. He and Karen have been playing a lot of 2D brawlers, with some special attention paid to Double Dragon Neon (which he is cool on) and classics like Simpsons Arcade (which is still great). James is back to his organized crime roots with Yakuza Kiwami. This game is a remake/sequel; modernizing the PS2 original while also trying to mesh it with prequel Yakuza 0. Kiwami is quite a bit smaller than 0, which also came out this year, but it's still a dopey crime story. James and Greg have both finished Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, and have concluding thoughts on the strategy mashup. Having seen the entire game, they have lots of ideas for improvement of an already good game. Expect that sequel in 2019.

After the break we only had time for two emails. This week we look into the "correct" way to unload your old games, and we have a group therapy session to figure out which Sylvester Stallone role we'd each consider our "spirit animal." Our listerners are weird. You can send us completely insane questions via our inbox.

Time: 2'00"10 (so close!)
Outro: Metroid II Return of Samus - Staff Credits
Downloads: MP3 | AAC
Cliffhanger: The NES game the movie deserved.

 

[Crimm]

Considering the title, I'm surprised nobody joked "Conception II + Rabbids", but I guess the joke was semi-made with Fire Emblem + Rabbids

Classmating didn't pop into my head till I named the episode. It was called "The Worst Idea In A Strategy Game Since Classmating" but Jon seemed creeped out. The titular idea is Greg's Fire Emblem + Rabbids, crossbreeds only.

 

[Ondore]

The podcast normally uses Skype, and Jon still managed to phone it in this week.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/45455/episode-539-y-cant-fancy-dan-crawl

Nintendo "graced" us with a brand-new Direct this week, and 45 minutes of content somehow managed to dominate the vast majority of a two-hour podcast. In the first half, RFN reacts to nearly every part of the Direct, from finally seeing the 3DS Kirby brawler to the announcement of Wolfenstein II and Doom for Switch. Even our resident Grampy Dragon has positive things to say.

After the break we conclude our coverage of the Nintendo Direct AND kick-off New Business with Greg and James' impressions of the Project Octopath Traveler demo. Guillaume continues to research his electoral campaign for Mayor of Metro City, with a look at Final Fight 2 and 3. He concludes with negative impressions of ACA NEOGEO SPIN MASTER. Jon closes out the show by stalling for 14 minutes while he waited for Metroid: Samus Returns to unlock. Unprofessionalism permeates everything we do. You can volunteer for the Metro City Community Watch by sending us an email.

Time: 2'10"07
Outro: Final Fight 2 - England
Download: MP3 | AAC
Biggest Samus Returns disappointment: The pic on Twitter that claimed the digital manual had "y cant metroid crawl" turning out to be a shop.

 

[plufim]

Good episode as ever. And seriously what the fuck is Capcom doing.

 

[Neifirst]

James Jones of all people criticizing someone for going into unnecessary minutiae about a game?! Good lord, I had some major eye rolling on that one.

MVP continues to be Greg, who's actually forced to DEFEND Zero Mission at the end.

 

[Ondore]

Mo' Metroid, mo' problems. (Except for the audio ones.)
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/45522/episode-540-reset-the-metroid-clock

Last week's unprofessionalism came with consequences. Jon Lindemann has been removed from Radio Free Nintendo. To give ourselves a chance to recenter, we decided to focus on an unusually long New Business segment. Greg takes lead-off with the first properly-authorized appearance of Samus in a year, with Metroid: Samus Returns. We'll call his impressions fairly deep; as of recording he'd already cleared the game twice. For the momentous release of a 2D Metroid we give him all the space he needs - leading to a meaty 45 minutes of impressions. James has been trying to clear out his backlog, and finally got around to the trans-media property that is Final Fantasy XV. Watching the movie tie-in/trash fire Kingsglaive should have warned him what lay ahead. This may be the only game where the writers literally lost the plot. Guillaume was inspired by the announcement of Hamster's impending ports of Nintendo's arcade games to take a look at ACA NeoGeo Aero Fighters 2. A dolphin, a baby, and a robot walk into a bar and then liberate/destroy all the world's cities. Guillaume closes out the show with a look at Super Bomberman R. He still finds the game a bit rough, despite a raft of post-launch patches, but concedes that matchmaking aside they fixed online.

Jon will be un-fired, and return next week, and so will Listener Mail. You can send your questions, comments, concerns, and Metroid 2D petitions to our inbox.

Time: 1'30"00
Outro: Steamworld Dig - Title Theme
Downloads: MP3 | AAC
Coming to Switch eventually: Metroid Prime (Federation) 4(ce)

 

[Ondore]

So did Jon play Samus Returns non-stop between the end of 539 and now? Find out here.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/45564/episode-541-toad-of-a-particular-colour

Greg was disgusted by the clemency shown Jon "The Unprofessional" Lindemann in allowing his return, so he took the week off in protest. In his place, we're joined by Alex Dyke of Say Whatever Podcast. Alex kicks off New Business with a look at Phantom Trigger for Switch. The Hyper Light Drifter comparisons are inescapable, but he hasn't yet had the time to judge if the game can stand on its own merits. Instead, disaster pointed him towards Mario Party: Star Rush. He insists it's good; the rest of the crew remains skeptical. Guillaume has impressions of SteamWorld Dig 2, which has been digging up rave reviews. He also takes a look at cooperative platformer shooter Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, along with the latest update to Super Mario Run. Surprising no-one, Jon has impressions of Metroid: Samus Returns. Much like Greg, he greatly enjoys Samus' return to 2D. Unlike Greg, he doesn't try to gin up the Metroid fans about their series' perceived death. James concludes New Business with the Newest Business: Golf Story for Switch. Released hours earlier, his impressions are based on almost exactly one hour of gameplay, viewable here.

After the break we return to Listener Mail. This week we tackle two questions: what the heck is a Rogue-like, and what is the significance of Tencent's Arena of Valor coming to Switch. Technically, we answered three emails. We're not THAT slow. You can ask us a question via the inbox.

Time: 1'47"13
Outro: Super Mario RPG - Nimbus Land
Downloads: MP3 | AAC
The Queen's English: Out in force tonight.

 

[Ondore]

The first show recorded following the acquisition of 20+1 new games.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/45605/episode-542-just-to-get-alexeys-beak-wet

The entire complement of RFN is back, and we've got a lot of impressions from Nintendo's newest unobtainable retro console. Guillaume kicks-off New Business looking at the SNES Classic Mini, and trying to find a game to play with Karen (that wasn't already on the Virtual Console). Super Mario World 2 Yoshi's Island finally being properly available turns out to do the trick. We find some time to answer the most important Yoshi question: who is naming these games? Greg also has a Classic Mini, and walks us through the influential-yet-unreleased Star Fox 2. It turns out that even though you've never played this game, you've absolutely played its parts - even if it's very different than its predecessor. Gui wraps-up his New Business with some memories of Oxenfree - coming to Switch this week. Jon has two new non-tendo games: Forza 7 and Cuphead. Both look amazing, but only one has anime skins. Maybe in Cuphead 2. James concludes New Business with some final thoughts on Golf Story, and an odyssey of his own - finding a Mario Odyssey demo kiosk.

Listener Mail is an embarrassment of riches. This week: Greg warns of Sheikh Toxic Moron's 3D Confusion Maze, we determine how to ice Mario so Starfy can shine, we replace terrible game titles, and try to restrain our compulsion to buy limited editions of consoles. If you have a PayPal account, deep pockets, and a compulsive desire to buy people things you can send us your contact information (or a question, I guess) to the inbox.

Time: 2'18"44
Outro: Deemo - Evolution Era
Downloads: MP3 | AAC
Poochy: Not stupid, but somewhat irritating

 

[Zonic]

It's pronounced "Hotaru no Nikki", which translates to...well, the game's subtitle, "Firefly Diary", because you're controlling a firefly that guides the main character.

.....so yes, technically, the game translates to "Firefly Diary: The Firefly Diary". It doesn't excuse that weird "htoL#NiQ" title, granted, but it...KIND OF makes more sense when you realize it's just a weird style of writing the transliteration out/how it's pronounced in Japanese (NiQ = Nikki")

Ar Tonelico has some real "HOW DO I EVEN SAY THIS" titles like Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel.

& holy crap, you were right about Raiden V's UI, it's so....CLUSTERED. I can't even pay attention to the dialogue because IT'S A BULLET HELL GAME.

 

[Crimm]

The fact the UI is so bad it needs two dedicated buttons to control it is amazing. The fact you can remap every button on the controller to just shuttle the UI around is godly. Beat the game with only UI buttons.

 

[Tripon]

Please talk about the craziest Kickstarters/crowdsourced projects you have seen on the next ep.

 

[Zonic]

The fact the UI is so bad it needs two dedicated buttons to control it is amazing. The fact you can remap every button on the controller to just shuttle the UI around is godly. Beat the game with only UI buttons.

Press Triangle to cheer other players on!

NOPE, that needs to be mapped to L1 or R1 considering how damn often it pops up & I started forming "monster hunter claw". Even worse, you can't change controls in the middle of a stage.

...actually, that would be a good email discussion, most baffling default controls.

 

[Ondore]

I have about as much chance of getting into the RFN Hall of Fame as King of Clubs.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/45645/episode-543-podcast-seeking-tax-credits

The Mario Odyssey countdown clock inches ever closer to zero, but for now we wait. James kicks off New Business with...the new demo of Super Mario Odyssey! A short tour of Tostarena provided endless diversions, and James burned through the demo timer with effectively no progress towards the stated goal. James also has early impressions of Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy. Syrenne did warn him, but early impressions are not promising. Jon was convinced to try TumbleSeed, a modern take on the old arcade machine Ice Cold Beer. He's enjoying getting it in the hole. Greg has also boarded the steam train - the SteamWorld Dig 2 train, that is. He heaps his own praise on this already well-praised game. Guillaume found time for some family fun with the crowd-pleaser The Jackbox Party Pack 3. Conversely, Snipperclips might expect too much of players for those without gaming experience, and Overcooked proves cooking with children is a nightmare.

After the break we bust out a trio of Listener Mail. This week we induct the first members of our Hall of Fame, revisit our earliest Nintendo memories, and examine the legacy of the Wii Shop Channel. You can write our press releases by sending us an email.

Time: 2'19"53
Outro: Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap - Mind of Hero (Remastered)
Downloads: MP3 | AAC
Jackbox Party Pack 4 is best: Because of Bracketeering. #TournamentsAreAwesome

 

[Cindro]

Before I ban beg, I want to know - are any of you fine folks (Ondore, RFN crew, RFN fans) migrating over to the new promised land?

I really hope this GAF exodus doesn't mean the end of this little RFN community. I'd love to see you all pop up there.

But if not, you'll still have a loyal listener on your hands!

 

[Jonnyboy117]

This may be my last post here... I just wanted to note that the best place to discuss RFN episodes is at NWR. It's organized differently, with separate threads for each episode, but I'll make a recommendation to NWR management that they set up a sticky, unified thread for NeoGAF exiles or anyone else who just prefers that format.

Thanks everyone who's discussed the show here over the past several years -- I'll see you around and hope to talk with you sometime.

 

[Dingens]

so instead of registering for 1 new board I'd have to register for 2 :/

Although understandable it's still sad that our small community has to end like this. Well, maybe I'll join nwr some time in the near future.

Spoiler

Also, even though I don't expect a new thread to emerge on the new board, I'd still be thrilled if it did...

 

[Crimm]

I mostly lurk. At the moment I don't have an account over there, but if this thread were to exist I would be around for it.

 

[PeterOliver]

So I missed out on following video games, especially Nintendo games, and going back to the beginning of this podcast has been a delight and incredibly informative. I noticed the hosts switch eventually, so I googled the original guys, and was shocked to find out Evan seems to be making a ruckus here in Portland. Random.

 

[Dingens]

I mostly lurk. At the moment I don't have an account over there, but if this thread were to exist I would be around for it.

well In that case I just wait for a response from Donald... and if he's not going to do it I might...