Spot Dodge: A Live Nintendo Podcast

Tears of the Kingdom Roundtable REACTION! The Spot Dodge crew reaction to the long-awaited extended look at The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom. #zelda #tearsofthekingdom #zeldatotk #SpotDodge

Brett and Mary discuss the latest rumor surrounding a possible F-ZERO GX remake for the Nintendo Switch. They also go over the recent news about the closure of the Wii U and 3DS eShops, what it means for gamers, and how they can still access their favorite titles. #nintendo #switch #nintendoswitch

Welcome back! It’s time for a new episode of the Spot Dodge Podcast exclusively on Destructoid. Topics: Doug Bowser justifies Zelda Tears of the Kingdom $70 price tag. The Super Mario Bros. Movie received a final trailer. And Activision is confident Nintendo Switch can run Call of Duty.  #nintendo #tearsofthekingdom #zelda

Welcome back! It’s time for a new episode of the Spot Dodge Podcast exclusively on Destructoid. Topics: Backward compatibility for the next Nintendo hardware. The switch is 6 years old. Backward compatibility for the next Nintendo hardware. Is persona 6 delayed!? And more!  #nintendoswitch #switch #persona

Welcome back! It’s time for a new episode of the Spot Dodge Podcast exclusively on Destructoid. Topics: Switch Pro in 2023!? State of LAME. Pokémon Presents sleeping with Pokémon and so much more!  #pokemon #pokémonpresents #stateofplay

Pokemon 2023 hopes and dreams Welcome back! It’s time for a new episode of the Spot Dodge Podcast exclusively on Destructoid. Topics: Tonight we’ll be talking all about the upcoming Pokemon Presents. Along with that, a war still wages between Sony and Microsoft regarding acquiring Activision-Blizzard. A deal that will have huge ramifications across the industry, even for Nintendo. As Microsoft has signed an agreement with Nintendo to release Call of Duty and other “Xbox games” on Nintendo platforms. So much to talk about! There’s a high chance we get our first look at the next major Pokemon game during this week’s Pokemon Presents. One area I really hope the following games are improved in is the performance. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are still riddled with bugs and performance issues which is a shame, as they’re great games to their core. Lastly, Pokemon titles are sorely missing from the latest Nintendo Switch Online announcement regarding Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games coming to the service. Tonight on Spot Dodge we’ll talk all about Pokemon in 2023. Spot Dodge is a weekly Nintendo-focused Podcast here at Destructoid where we dedicate an hour or two to go over the latest Nintendo news and discuss the games we’re playing. If you’re a fan of Nintendo Switch, RPGs, or having a good time, Spot Dodge will be a great addition to your podcast rotation. So be sure to subscribe! Spot Dodge is streaming live every Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. PT / 7:00 p.m. ET on Twitch channel. ICYMI: We now have a dedicated Spot Dodge YouTube channel for our archived streams! All future episodes will be uploaded there. Afterward, the show will be available on-demand for audio listeners via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more. The live video version will remain on Twitch until  (don’t forget to follow and subscribe). So many options!

Inconsistent definitions Welcome back! It’s time for a new episode of the Spot Dodge Podcast exclusively on Destructoid. Topics: Tonight we’ll be talking all about the magnificent and recently stealth-released Metroid Prime Remastered. Along with that, the team discusses the difference between a remaster and a remake -- And how even game devs are split on the meaning. I know what you're thinking, the difference between a remaster and a remake is clear. A game like Wind Waker HD is a remaster and Resident Evil 2 (2019) is a remake. Wind Waker retained the same skeleton as the original but overhauled the graphics. Essentially being 90% the same game. Whereas Resident Evil 2 was a full reimagining of the original game. With new gameplay, dialogue, characters, sound, and more. Boom. It's that simple. Or is it? Because PlayStation is dead set on The Last of Us Part I being a from-the-ground-up "remake". Not a remaster. Despite retaining the same skeleton as the original and featuring the exact combat, sound, voice acting, and gameplay mechanics. With subtle tweaks to the enemy AI and additional accessibility options. Should this not be categorized as a remaster? Being that the only substantial upgrade was the visuals? Compare that to a game like the newly-released Metroid Prime Remastered. This "remaster" not only overhauled the visuals but even added modernized controls and enhanced sound. But Nintendo is clearly going with "remastered" verbiage for the game and its title. Finally, there's a game like Final Fantasy VII Remake which is not really a remake at all, but more of a reimaging of the first 3 hours of FFVII, and even somewhat of a sequel to the original. And that game literally has "remake" in the title! It's such a messy topic I can't wait to discuss. Our lovely cast from around the web: Brett Medlock (me) and Mary Stowe from Destructoid, John Friscia from The Escapist, Greg Bargas from PC Invasion, and Brett Larsen, our extra special guest. Behind the scenes, Gamurs’ Eric Weichhart is live-editing this week’s show.

Nintendo Direct live roundtable reactions! Welcome back! It’s time for a new episode of the Spot Dodge Podcast exclusively on Destructoid. Topics: Tonight we’ll be discussing and reacting to everything we saw in the Nintendo Direct from earlier today! Metroid Prime Remastered, new Tears of the Kingdom footage. So much to talk about! Our lovely cast from around the web: Brett Medlock (me) and Mary Stowe from Destructoid, John Friscia from The Escapist, Greg Bargas from PC Invasion, and Brett Larsen, our extra special guest. Behind the scenes, Gamurs’ Eric Weichhart is live-editing this week’s show. Spot Dodge is a weekly Nintendo-focused Podcast here at Destructoid where we dedicate an hour or two to go over the latest Nintendo news and discuss the games we’re playing. If you’re a fan of Nintendo Switch, RPGs, or having a good time, Spot Dodge will be a great addition to your podcast rotation. So be sure to subscribe! Spot Dodge is streaming live every Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. PT / 7:00 p.m. ET on Twitch channel. ICYMI: We now have a dedicated Spot Dodge YouTube channel for our archived streams! All future episodes will be uploaded there. Afterward, the show will be available on-demand for audio listeners via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more. The live video version will remain on both YouTube and Twitch (don’t forget to follow and subscribe). So many options!

In a sea of mediocre and padded games, a well-paced experience is welcomed Welcome back! It’s another Tuesday, which means tonight there will be a new episode of the Spot Dodge Podcast exclusively on Destructoid. Topics: After the explosive shadow drop of HI-FI Rush, a trending topic across socials has been short video games. I thought this would be a great opening topic after the recent releases of High on Life, The Callisto Protocol, Evil West, along with HI-FI Rush. All of which have caught some flak for their lengths. Along with this topic, the Spot Dodge crew discusses the latest Nintendo news and the games they’re playing. Over time the expectation of video game length has gotten way out of hand. To the point of excruciatingly long development cycles and video games that are poorly paced, bug-filled, and sometimes just blatantly unfinished. The question is, why are gamers still equating time with value in an industry full of so many soulless, overly-padded games? This question comes from someone whose favorite genre is JRPGs. Games that tend to take 60-100 hours to complete. The fact is, not all games need to be that long. Or anywhere near it. The game-length criticism across the internet is also strange to me considering some of the most beloved titles of all time are under ten hours long. One thing is for sure, the years of AAA games like BioShock, Portal 2, and Metal Gear Rising being a mainstay in the industry are long gone. Because nowadays releasing a game under twenty hours is bound to come with some scrutiny. Let’s discuss it all in the latest episode of Spot Dodge! Our lovely cast from around the web: Brett Medlock (me) and Mary Stowe from Destructoid, John Friscia from The Escapist, Greg Bargas from PC Invasion, and Brett Larsen, our extra special guest. Behind the scenes, Gamurs’ Eric Weichhart is live-editing this week’s show. Spot Dodge is a weekly Nintendo-focused Podcast here at Destructoid where we dedicate an hour or two to go over the latest Nintendo news and discuss the games we’re playing. If you’re a fan of Nintendo Switch, RPGs, or having a good time, Spot Dodge will be a great addition to your podcast rotation. So be sure to subscribe! Spot Dodge is streaming live every Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. PT / 7:00 p.m. ET on Twitch channel. ICYMI: We now have a dedicated Spot Dodge YouTube channel! All future episodes will be live-streamed and uploaded there. Afterward, the show will be available on-demand for audio listeners via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more. The live video version will remain on both YouTube and Twitch (don’t forget to follow and subscribe). So many options!

Fire Emblem Engage is great but lacks story depth Welcome back! It’s another Tuesday, which means tonight there will be a new episode of the Spot Dodge Podcast exclusively on Destructoid. Topics: The Spot Dodge crew discusses the latest entry in the Fire Emblem series, Fire Emblem Engage.  I’m loving Fire Emblem Engage so far. The combat is intense, the visuals are solid, and the pacing is damn near perfect. However, Fire Emblem Engage is lacking in a few important areas, story and characters. A key area previous Fire Emblem games thrived in. Fire Emblem Engage ramps up quickly, it spends a lot less time on building up the world and characters than other recent Fire Emblem titles. Which has its ups and downs. On one hand, you’re thrust right into learning the strategic combat Fire Emblem Engage offers. Yay! On the other hand, the game doesn’t give you much of a reason to care about its huge cast of characters or their motivations. To add to that, socializing with characters takes a backseat in Fire Emblem Engage. Getting into thought-provoking conversations has been a rarity for me so far. This is a pretty big letdown. Three Houses offered intriguing backstories and lore for most of its characters, along with a fantastic main narrative. Character conversations in Fire Emblem Engage are much less appealing or interesting. I won’t judge the main story too harshly yet, as I’m midway through the game, but so far it’s just completely “fine”. Nothing exceptional but also not the worst thing on earth. It’s really easy to follow which is perfect for newcomers, but I’m hoping it ramps up a bit more in the second half. Now let’s discuss it more thoroughly on Spot Dodge! Our lovely cast from around the web: Brett Medlock (me) and Mary Stowe from Destructoid, John Friscia from The Escapist, Greg Bargas from PC Invasion, and Brett Larsen, our extra special guest. Behind the scenes, Gamurs’ Eric Weichhart is live-editing this week’s show. Let us know in the comments! Spot Dodge is a weekly Nintendo-focused Podcast here at Destructoid where we dedicate an hour or two to go over the latest Nintendo news and discuss the games we’re playing. If you’re a fan of Nintendo Switch, RPGs, or having a good time, Spot Dodge will be a great addition to your podcast rotation. So be sure to subscribe! Spot Dodge is streaming live every Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. PT / 7:00 p.m. ET on Twitch channel. ICYMI: We now have a dedicated Spot Dodge YouTube channel! All future episodes will be live-streamed and uploaded there. Afterward, the show will be available on-demand for audio listeners via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more. The live video version will remain on both YouTube and Twitch (don’t forget to follow and subscribe). So many options! -Brett Medlock