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Radio Free Nintendo | A Nintendo Podcast for Grownups

Tomohawk

Member
What a great end to the podcast, very emotional and then the post credits scene to make one laugh after crying. I wish Jonny the best of luck with his book and look forward to see how it develops.
 

jepense

Member
I found RFN through GAF around episode 290 and have listened to every episode since. While I will miss not having Jonny host anymore, it's great that you get to do something else now. All the best for your future endeavours and thank you for all you've done in the past!

I also agree with your prescription to the listeners - very good advice which I've always tried to follow in my own life.
 
Thanks Johnny for all the time and effort you've dedicated to the podcast and this great hobby. I always look forward to RFN every Monday morning commute. While I'm bummed to hear you're leaving, it sounds like you're making the right decision for yourself and I wish you the best. Good luck with the writing; we'll all be looking forward to it!
 
I just wanted to chime in and thank Johnny for his time as the host. I've only been listening since March so I'm not a long-time listener, but he's a great host and always has a very straight-laced points to complement the other guys.
 

Somnid

Member
Finished this week's episode. Really going to miss Jonny. Fantastic host, and really intelligent and well spoken guy. If you think you're losing your edge I can assure you nobody noticed and with as much podcasting as you do and talent you have I'm sure you could do it in your sleep. I hope you'll pop in sometimes, maybe even in some non-RFN venues. Remember retirement doesn't mean going away, it just means no obligations.

I think James will do fine. The few times he's hosted are still leagues better than a lot of podcasts I listen to. It'll probably take a little calibration but I think he'll grow to fill it quite nicely.

Oh and why did you wait until the end for this perscriptions segment? I thought that was pretty good, could have been a good occasional thing.
 
I've been listening for around three years now. I'd like to thank Johnny for being a fantastic host and bringing some great insight to the mix. I'll admit, I got a little teary-eyed toward the end of the most recent episode.

Don't disappear man! It would be nice for you to pop in from time to time and maybe do another segment on space like you did on Connectivity!
 

mrkgoo

Member
Still listening to latest episode.
Just a thanks in advance to you, Jonny, for your time and effort put into creating so many hours of informative entertainment for so many people.

I'm not a long time listener, but do greatly appreciate the podcast.

Best wishes.
 

VegiHam

Member
Just caught Jonny's last episode.

I'm sadder than I expected to be about this. I've never known another RFN host. And I've not been listening long enough to know what to expect out of regular Greg (though I have high hopes).

Thanks for everything Doc.
 

Jhoan

Member
Finally listened to it last night. That final hour was tough to get through as it reminded me a lot of the final episode of Weekend Confirmed where Garnet was alone in the end wrapped up in the feels but kept soldiering on and being humble about his time doing the sgiw. The ending was hilarious and icing on the cake. I still plan on sticking with it as I mentioned above.

Again, thanks for being a gracious host all these years Dr. Metts and being dedicated to the website. I'm looking forward to that documentary style podcast series in the future now and your magnum opus before you hang it up for good now go eat that frog.

As a fun fact: Planet Gamecube was the first internet message board I ever joined around the age of 13 or so as a HUGE Nintendo fan with only a Gamecube for several years (being without a GTA game and many of the big JRPGs' was tough). I forgot my username but it was fun times discussing my lack of enthusiasm for Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles's GBA connectivity for MP. I eventually found N-philes.com and moved on before finally ending up here for the last several years. Like you guys, it was cool to find a place to discuss Nintendo with other strangers.
 

mrkgoo

Member
Actually looking forward to the next episodes now, see how it all shakes out. I love the crew, so here's hoping it's something exciting.
 

Ondore

Member
And so the show must go on, with the return of an old friend.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/40963/episode-440-indefatigable-podcast
Episode 440 "Indefatigable Podcast" said:
Episode 440 is the start of Radio Free Nintendo: Season 5. While Jonny's departure is still fresh, Jon, Gui, and new host James are joined by RFN's (sort of) newest member - Mr. Greg Leahy.

While change may be in the air, RFN still starts the way it always has - New Business. Greg kicks off the show, having just recently acquired Splatoon, with a fresh perspective on Nintendo's online paint-shooting, squid-jumping, kid-being game. Jon also has Splatoon impressions, giving his take on the game's Tower Control mode. Gui continues the Squid Parade with his thoughts on the latest Splatfest (Team Hot Dog got robbed) before getting the show out of the ink with his thoughts on Never Alone, a puzzle platformer that explores the culture of Alaskan Native peoples. James wraps up New Business with his thoughts on Uncharted Waters: New Horizons, Koei's 1994 sailing game set during the Age of Exploration. You can see more of that here.

After the break it's time for Listener Mail. First up is a new question about NX: has it inspired more speculation than previous Nintendo consoles? Next, a very special listener wants us to talk more about Quality of Life, and if its still a thing. Our third question asks for a look behind the curtain, why does RFN tend to cut discussion of non-Nintendo games a bit short? Lastly,in light of Nintendo's termination of Chris Pranger (following his less-than-flattering apperance on another podcast), a mysterious listener wants to know if Nintendo is too private and if there's any reason to think they're going to change anytime soon.

If you have a question for our intrepid foursome, or just a topic you want us to talk about it, you can send let us know right here.

Time: 2'20"33
Downloads: MP3 | AAC
Disclaimer: I was a part of the winning team in Splatfest 3 (Team Marshmallow RULZ)

If you need some Jonny methadone, He saved my butt this week with Nintendo News Report. Includes Metroid talk!

Also, I'm going to need to update the OP in the next couple of days, so any suggestions for recommended episodes from the last year would be appreciated. (The last two weeks are in.)
 
Here are the episodes that most quickly jump to mind for your OP update:

- Interviews with Garnett Lee and Dan Adelman
- RetroActive Live: Twilight Princess
- Smash Bros. "Voice Chat" Special
 

Tom_Cody

Member
Late post, but I just wanted to chime in and say that Johnny's farewell episode was fantastic.

I feel like an old friend has moved away. No longer around, but not gone and certainly not forgotten.
 
Just wanted to chime in and send some thanks Jonny's way. I've been a listener for longer than I can recall, but I would estimate 6 to 7 years. Since I started listening this podcast has remained a firm constant in my rotation and I've always appreciated the contributions of each member of the show. Thank you so much for all of the time and effort you put into this show Jonny, this is truly the best Nintendo podcast ever conceived and you were a huge part of that success. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors!
 

tebunker

Banned
Listening to someone else talk about New Horizons, one of my favorite Snes games, is oddly weird.

I love that game. It was so much fun to figure out the systems and then figure out how to exploit them.

I'd say it's one of the better games James has played on a while and he gave it a good rundown.

Good start in the new era so far
 

Crimm

Member
Glad I was able to do it justice. Games like this present a unique challenge: I'm trying to figure out the systems quickly prior to the show and then distill them to under ten minutes so someone without the benefit of experience can appreciate what the game is and decide if they're interested. Often I end up sacrificing larger commentary on my personal enjoyment.

I did resume my Ernst disaster, but since I don't know how thorough the game demands I map the world I feel a bit hamstrung. I'm just now appreciating the value of experimenting with ships and crew and really honing that for his mission.

As for the end music, I think Gui has made a choice for this week, but I'm open to suggestions. Here or email works.
 

Tripon

Member
Glad I was able to do it justice. Games like this present a unique challenge: I'm trying to figure out the systems quickly prior to the show and then distill them to under ten minutes so someone without the benefit of experience can appreciate what the game is and decide if they're interested. Often I end up sacrificing larger commentary on my personal enjoyment.

I did resume my Ernst disaster, but since I don't know how thorough the game demands I map the world I feel a bit hamstrung. I'm just now appreciating the value of experimenting with ships and crew and really honing that for his mission.

As for the end music, I think Gui has made a choice for this week, but I'm open to suggestions. Here or email works.
Play something you hate. Time for Capcom Vs SNK 2.
 
Uncharted New Horizons actually sounded really interesting from the breakdown. I wasn't a listener when Greg was a regular on the podcast. So this was only the second time listening to him (after he guested a month ago). So far I think he has some big shoes to fill.
 

Tom_Cody

Member
This goes back a few weeks, but I've really been enjoying James' new business (and accompanying videos) these last few episodes. First Pokemon Channel, then Doshin, and now New Horizons.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8gQwLtJcaA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbEgHP-96ro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvLC4bPbJsA

The Doshin stuff in particular was great as I've been curious about it since it was first announced for DD but I had never previously had an explanation of how the game is structured or seen an extensive play-through.

And thanks to Johnny for mentioning the wonderful horror of the IGN interview with the game's creator:
http://www.ign.com/articles/1999/10/01/iida-the-giant
IGN said:
IGN64: So you're saying that too much love is bad?
Iida: Yes. Exactly. (laughs) It kind of reminds me of Kurt Cobain... When your charisma grows too big, you become destructive both to your surroundings and to yourself.
KC3pec0.jpg

Also, the official site is pure gold:
The Joys of 'Up-ing and Down-ing'
 

Crimm

Member
Our hope is that we do a bit more video stuff going forward. Nothing this week since I went Non-tendo. Given the personalities involved, Super Mario Maker is going to imperil the future of the show.

We owe this thread and other threads a big thanks. This show largely spreads beyond its core listener base through word of mouth, and nothing tells us that we're doing a good job more than someone suggesting the show to others.
 

Symtendo

Member
James, while your mentioning Mario Maker, I assume your going to be big into designing troll levels for the NWR community to play?
 

Ondore

Member
Can RFN keep a six minute average for listener mail? Let's find out.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/41014/episode-441-the-model-of-efficency
Episode 441 "The Model of Efficency" said:
Greg, Gui, James, and Jon are settling into their new podcast reality, and as always start the show with New Business. Jon goes first with a duo of Virtual Console impressions: Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire and Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse; meanwhile society's yearning for Castlevania Pinball is met only with Pachislots. Next up, James does some Project Treasure-related digging into Bandai Namco's Free-to-Play strategies, with Ace Combat Infinity. Infinity, as it turns out, is an apt description for the amount of time it takes to do anything without paying. Greg follows with impressions of Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards from the Wii U Virtual Console, reopening old wounds over the quality of various Kirby titles. Lastly, Guillaume has impressions of linear Real-Time Strategy titles Castlestorm and Swords & Soldiers, completing his quest to find out if the best wars are fought on rails.

After the break, we have the first Thunder Round listener mail segment of Season 5. James, in his new capacity as host, set an ambitious target for this foursome's first crack of Thunder: 10 emails in one hour. Too many topics are covered to list them all here. Questions range from RFN seasonal naming conventions to corruption in Canadian sport. Nintendo is also discussed, if that's important to you. Of course, the most vital question can't be answered until the end of the show: was James' forced march a success? Listen and find out.

If you want to make us step just a little quicker, you can send us a question or comment here.

Time: 2'10"27
Downloads: MP3 | AAC
Closer: Tetris Attack
OP: Updated! (Greg still doesn't have a canon Twitter.)
 
Catching up on episodes - I agree that the show is much better off not talking about games on non-Nintendo systems for too long, and I'm glad you guys felt the same way. Every other outlet under the sun is doing that, I really don't need everyone taking about the Big Playstation Game of the Week™ again, I'd just tune out.
And oddly, in times like these when there's nothing at all coming out a Nintendo-centric podcast becomes that much more welcome.

RoTK IV: Wall of Fire is not really as complex as it seems - later games in the series are actually much more involved. I picked it up on VC when it hit I wound up not really playing this one much because it seemed too simple. I think 'getting it' is just a matter of figuring out the gameplay loop: increase farming, draft soldiers, work on economics while they train up, then invade whoever's weakest near you and take all their good generals. Rinse, wash, repeat. Really wish we had gotten the Wii U version of XII over here.
 

GuillaumeNWR

Neo Member
Er, it should be there. The m4a version anyway, for sure. Do you download the mp3 (chapter-less) version? I just looked quickly at the feed and didn't see an issue.
 
I really like the thunder round email sections. I think a lot of podcasts belabor each email they pick out to the point where the discussion wanders too much. Having each email kept to a brief discussion really addresses that problem.
 

Tom_Cody

Member
I really like the thunder round email sections. I think a lot of podcasts belabor each email they pick out to the point where the discussion wanders too much. Having each email kept to a brief discussion really addresses that problem.
I like both versions. Some topics are worth spending 30+ minutes on, but it's also nice to cover a wider range of topics in a single episode.
 

Crimm

Member
As producer, that's really the challenge. I've got five labels in gmail that I use to categorize as answered versus unanswered versus not a question/other and long form versus Thunder Round. There are some in the middle where it's very hard to say; they could be answered briefly but there is potential for more expansive discussion.
 
I just listened to Jonny's last episode. I want to thank him for the work he's done on the show, and for filling many hours of lawnmowing with his talk.

You've done one hell of a service to the Nintendo fans and community, and I wish you the best of luck on your new endeavours and the book. I know I'll buy a copy, just make sure to create a version for Kindle ;-)

The best of luck to the rest of the crew for the new season. I'm listening to the first episode now, and it's nowhere near the anarchistic chaos I expected (and part of me hoped for), so well done I suppose.
 

Ondore

Member
A feature, Greg talks Treasure, and a unique Retroactive nomination this week.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/41057/episode-442-you-got-to-have-a-fall-guy
Episode 442 "You Got To Have A Fall Guy" said:
It is a great time to be alive! RFN Season 5 is now fully up and running and The Summer of Too Hot for Games, brought to you by Nintendo of America, is over! James kicks off New Business with LBX: Little Battler eXperience. He's got some big news for fans of Capcom classics Mega Man Battle Network and Gotcha Force. That news? You probably ARE James Jones and you should look into LBX. Greg is seeing the world in a new dimension with 3D Gunstar Heroes and 3D Streets of Rage 2. Someone is still releasing classic games on the 3DS eShop; it just happens to be Sega. Guillaume has a game that many of you many not realize you already own, Woah Dave! for Wii U - which is free if you already own the game on 3DS. He also gives his early impressions of Final Fantasy VII, as played on a PSP Go(!); this show strives to be at the forefront of gaming. Lastly, Jon has reconnected with the world of Madden, with Madden 16. Is EA's game design strategy three yards and a cloud of dust, or are they spreading out their receivers?

After the break it's the first feature discussion of Season 5: a reflection on system end-of-life release lineups. The crew steps through the games released in the last 18 months of each Nintendo system (through the GameCube), and picks out their favorite titles. Along the way some curious trends show up. In true RFN fashion, nobody can agree on what the end of the Game Boy's life was, we all found the GameCube wanting, and there is yet another reference to the podcast's favorite NES trivia question.

In other news, it's that time again: we're getting ready for our next Retroactive feature. RFN is excited about the impending release of Super Mario Maker, perhaps to a fault. However, it seems like Nintendo has forgotten some of Mario's past accomplishments when putting together this tribute to the plumber in red. So, here is the topic for our next Retroactive: Games on the Virtual Console featuring Mario that are NOT represented in Super Mario Maker (i.e. Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, New Super Mario Bros.). Any use of Mario sufficient. With all that said, we aren't ready to announce a poll. We need your help picking the candidates! Send us your suggestions for the next Retroactive, your questions, your comments, or your suggestions for our ending music to the RFN mailbag. We'll announce the poll alongside the launch of Super Mario Maker, on September 11.

Time: 2'08"01
Downloads: MP3 | AAC
End music: Skies of Arcadia Legends
Source of the title: This
 

Crimm

Member
PSPGo during new business? What?!?
Only the timeliest content, a PS1 game played on a PSPGo.

For the Retroactive, I want to give a little clarity. Article says VC only, show says physical if it can be played on Wii, 3DS, out Wii U. Second is true, assuming the game is easily attainable, a standard up to us to judge. Keep in mind, we're likely going to fair VC stuff for that reason. Additionally, ANY Mario in the game is enough. Punch-Out! meets the standard by having him as a ref.
 

Ondore

Member
As mentioned above... yes, Tube Slider is a thing that is happening.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/41104/episode-443-autumn-of-too-many-leaves
Episode 443 "Autumn of Too Many Leaves" said:
The calendar rolls into September, and RFN keeps rolling with New Business. First up Gui has a duo of party-game hybrids: Wii U party platformer Runbow and Wii relationship-decimating party RPG Dokapon Kingdom. Next up, Jon covers himself in paper cuts on the jagged 3D models of otherwise-classic Treasure shooter Sin and Punishment, now available on the Virtual Console. Greg discovers what he's fighting for with Mega Man X4. Lastly, James gives an update on LBX and before diving head first into long-running RFN gag Tube Slider. You can see James suffer in the tubes in the New Business Preview.

After the break, it's a trio of Listener Mail questions. Spurred by the sudden announcement of Amazon selling Wii U and 3DS digital games, the show launches into a discussion of potential new features Nintendo could add to their network in the near future, and what should be expected on NX in particular. An innocuous question about good introductory RPGs predictably spirals into infighting. Lastly, we have an inside baseball discussion over the obligations and best practices of video game journalism (thanks to Neal and Donald for their help with this question).

Just a reminder, we're getting ready for our next Retroactive: Mario games not featured in Mario Maker. Keep in mind, this is literally ANY game in which Mario makes ANY appearance. You can send your suggestions for the poll, your mailbag questions, or end music suggestions to the RFN Mailbag.

Time: 2'04"49
Download: MP3 | AAC
Outro: Lords... of Thunder.
I'm a source for how to games journalism: That is, quite frankly, frightening.
 

Crimm

Member
You do a good job of covering news in a timely manner and sussing out "rumors" from rumors. Instantly made sense to ask.
 

Tillbo

Member
Great podcast as usual...

I currently use Stitcher to grab my podcasts and wondered if there were any other users of Stitcher that has experienced an issue with Radio Free Nintendo?

All my other podcasts update 100% fine apart from this one and the most recent episode it showing from the first week of August?
 

Tillbo

Member
Thanks...just checked Stitcher and it's up-to-date my end now.

Thanks again, won't have to grab new episodes manually now :)
 

Symtendo

Member
James, I remember a few weeks back that you said you were playing through all of Metal Gear Solid. Does this mean we are likely to get some thoughts on MGSV for new business soon? Would love to hear them.
 
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