8-4 Play 6/13/2025: ROCKET START

Summer is the time for love, Takarazuka, and Death Stranding 2 early access. Plus the latest Switch 2 impressions, Japan life updates, and thoughts on the DK Direct. 00:58 – Nicknames 12:36 – Death Stranding 2: On the Beach 27:30 – Grandia 33:54 – Mario Kart World 54:09 – News: Donkey Kong Bananza Direct, Marathon delayed, and more!

One week and three and a half million units later, tune in to hear the crew's first hands-on impressions of Switch 2 and all the excitement surrounding the launch in Japan, plus the latest news out of Summer Game Fest, State of Play, the Xbox Games Showcase, and more!   Time — Topic Discussed 00:52 – Nicknames 05:38 – Nintendo Switch 2 13:04 – Mario Kart World 27:20 – Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour 34:28.– The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker 46:25 – News: Splatoon Raiders announced, Switch 2 sales, Summer Game Fest, and more!  

With The Second Coming upon us, Digital Foundry’s John Linneman joins us for an exhaustive chat through the tech driving Nintendo’s new hardware, including a few key lingering questions… Time — Topic Discussed 00:46 – Nicknames 18:56 – Switch 2 Talk 1:04:16 – FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time 1:13:08 – Luigi’s Mansion 3 1:14:33 – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 1:16:27 – Blue Prince 1:21:34 – Doom: The Dark Ages

Tide yourself over this dry spell before the Summer Game Fest feast with (still tasty!) leftovers of Clair Obscur and Blue Prince, plus morsels on gaming media woes and EVO Japan bits in news. Time — Topic Discussed 01:21 – Nicknames 09:30 – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 15:34 – Blue Prince 19:20 – Blue Prince Spoilers Start 23:41 – Blue Prince Spoilers End 27:34 – News: Giant Bomb, the latest in Switch 2, EVO Japan and more!

Golden Week? This year it's more of a Golden Weekend, sadly, but that hasn't stopped us from putting our vacations on pause to share impressions of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Mario Kart World, and our Switch 2 preorder experiences. Plus news!   Time — Topic Discussed 01:00 – Nicknames 05:54 – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 28:39 – Mario Kart World 39:25 – News: Switch 2 pre-orders, 8bitdo cancels US shipments, and more!

Grab your journal and get ready to scribble extensive notes on Blue Prince, the new Vampire Survivors DLC, the latest Switch 2 news, and Gabe’s turf burns in this very special pre-Golden Week Tight 55™︎ episode! Time — Topic Discussed 00:54 – Nicknames 08:50 – Blue Prince 25:24 – Vampire Survivors: Emerald Diorama 27:22 – News: Switch 2, PS5 prices, and more!

SMAAAAAAASH that C-Button and join our chat all about (what else) Switch 2. Mario Kart! Donkey Kong! The Duskbloods! Pricing! Region-locking! Jorts!

Sure, we may have recorded before yesterday's Nintendo Direct, but that just means we had more time to talk Xenoblade Chronicles X: DE, read up on the latest Monster Hunter Wilds news, and get a 10-minute two-minute history lesson on the origins of the Metal Max franchise.   Time — Topic Discussed 01:57 — Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition 35:12 — Metal Max 42:20 — News: Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update, Game Informer returns, and more!

Pull up a slab of cheese nan and dig in to a full episode of (what else?) Monster Hunter Wilds, as the team Gears-of-War-slow-walks you through our first few days with the game.   Time — Topic Discussed 01:50 — Nicknames 04:33 — Monster Hunter Wilds 58:05 — News: Monster Hunter Wilds breaks records, Clovers, and Death Stranding 2

Enjoy the final pod before we go Wild on the new Monster Hunter with…well, MHW review talk! Also solid chatter on some older and / or semi-obscure Japanese gems because, hey, it’s us. Time — Topic Discussed 01:00 — Nicknames 10:08 — Monster Hunter Wilds Review Recap 23:25 — Resident Evil Remastered 32:05 — Grandia 37:24 — Stray Children 44:00 — News: Shuhei Yoshida, NetEase, Monolith closing, and more!