8-4 Play

Every other week, tune into 8-4 Play for talk about Japan, video games, and Japanese video games, straight from the 8-4 offices in beautiful downtown Tokyo.

8-4 Play 4/18/2025: ROYAL BLUE 04/18/2025

8-4 Play 4/18/2025: ROYAL BLUE 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! /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/36218140

8-4 Play 4/4/2025: JUNE THE FIFTH 04/04/2025

8-4 Play 4/4/2025: JUNE THE FIFTH SMAAAAAAASH that C-Button and join our chat all about (what else) Switch 2. Mario Kart! Donkey Kong! The Duskbloods! Pricing! Region-locking! Jorts! /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/36002225

8-4 Play 3/28/2025: DIRECT MISS 03/28/2025

8-4 Play 3/28/2025: DIRECT MISS 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! /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/35902300

8-4 Play 3/14/2025: PUMP 'N' DUMP 03/14/2025

8-4 Play 3/14/2025: PUMP 'N' DUMP 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 /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/35683355

8-4 Play 2/28/2025: THE STUFF OF NIRGENDS 02/28/2025

8-4 Play 2/28/2025: THE STUFF OF NIRGENDS 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! /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/35478340

8-4 Play 2/14/2025: STATE OF YAY 02/14/2025

8-4 Play 2/14/2025: STATE OF YAY The gang runs down PlayStation’s latest State of Play showcase, including Housemarque’s Saros, Monster Hunter Wilds, Shinobi, Sonic Racing, and (dramatic music)…Digimon? Time — Topic Discussed 01:07 – Nicknames 02:40 – Sony State of Play (and News) 41:24 – Ender Lilies 45:53 – The Legend of Dragoon 49:38 – Cyberpunk 2077 50:54 – Pikmin 4 /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/35282615

8-4 Play 1/31/2025: IS MONSTER HUNTER OUT YET? 01/31/2025

8-4 Play 1/31/2025: IS MONSTER HUNTER OUT YET? You'll jump outta yo seat for the Dynasty Warriors: Origins impressions and Ninja Gaiden 2 Black / 4 news, but sit back down and buckle the f up for live - that's right, LIVE - (and already outdated) Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket pack openings. 00:51 – Nicknames 12:11 – Dynasty Warriors: Origins 19:56 – Pokémon TCG Pocket 22:59 – The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom 32:27 – News /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/35094665

8-4 Play 1/17/2025: SWITCH, TOO 01/17/2025

8-4 Play 1/17/2025: SWITCH, TOO We did it We finally outsmarted Nintendo And all it cost us was…everything Time — Topic Discussed 02:20 – Switch 2!! /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/34891910

8-4 Play 1/3/2025: NEW YEAR'S ROCKIN' Q&A SPECIAL 01/03/2025

8-4 Play 1/3/2025: NEW YEAR'S ROCKIN' Q&A SPECIAL We've barely recovered from our New Year's hangovers, but we're already back and hard at work for you, dear listener, with a brand new ep, recorded live and in person in the year of our lord 202—what’s that? We're out of space? Uh...special Q&A ep—enjoy! Time — Topic Discussed 03:36 – Listener Questions /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/34707295

8-4 Play 12/20/2024: OH HO HO HOLI-DAZE 12/20/2024

8-4 Play 12/20/2024: OH HO HO HOLI-DAZE 'Tis the season for a loosey-goosey-boozy run-down of all the announcements and winners and everything from The Game Awards, including the-one-with-the-guy-who-climbs-on-the-robot-then-the-head-flies-off. Happy holidays!! Time — Topic Discussed 01:27 – Nicknames 15:16 – Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake 21:10 – DQ3 SPOILERS START! 23:42 – DQ3 SPOILERS END! 23:48 – Indiana Jones and the Great Circle 29:24 – Pokemon TGC Pocket 34:16 – News: The Game Awards Recap! /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/34544075

8-4 Play 12/6/2024: PODCAST DE GOZARRE 12/06/2024

8-4 Play 12/6/2024: PODCAST DE GOZARRE Lunar 2: Eternal Blue (localization CONTROVERSY!), PC Engine obscurities (the BEST game you NEVER HEARD OF!!), and checking in on Dragon Quest III HD-2D (Gabe's take will SHOCK you!!!) #smashlike #subscribe #hitthebell Time — Topic Discussed 00:55 – Nicknames 14:57 – PC-FX Talk 22:35 – Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake 27:56 – Lunar 2: Eternal Blue 35:37 – Alarmo Minute 40:54 – News: Alarmo stock, Shuhei Yoshida leaves PlayStation, and more! /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/34312960

8-4 Play 11/22/2024: PARAGON QUEST 11/22/2024

8-4 Play 11/22/2024: PARAGON QUEST Join us as we journey to Aliahan (DQ3 HD-2D Remake), the Soviet Union (Tetris Forever), Hokkaido (To the North), Geoff Keighley’s basement (Game Awards Nominations), and deep Kyoto for more tales from the Nintendo Museum! Time — Topic Discussed 01:15 – Nicknames 15:26 – Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake 38:00 – Tetris Forever 55:27 – News: FF14 mobile announced, Game Awards nominees, and more! /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/34104351

8-4 Play 11/8/2024: BREADTH OF THE WILDS 11/08/2024

8-4 Play 11/8/2024: BREADTH OF THE WILDS All killa no filla: Metaphor, Monster Hunter Wilds, Nintendo Music app, Vampire Survivors' Castlevania DLC, Pokémon TCG Pocket, Switch 2 news and more! 00:57 – Nicknames 04:32 – Pokémon TCG Pocket 17:56 – Monster Hunter Wilds 44:38 – Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania 49:58 – Metaphor: ReFantazio 56:10 – News: Switch 2 backwards compatibility, Xenoblade Chronicles X, and more! /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/33846007

8-4 Play 10/25/2024: RING THE ALARMO 10/25/2024

8-4 Play 10/25/2024: RING THE ALARMO Rise and shine, kids—Halloween’s on the way, but not before we dabble in first impressions of Silent Hill 2, last (?) impressions of Echoes of Wisdom, and the start of our ongoing coverage of Nintendo’s hot new hardware! (Alarmo, duh.) Time — Topic Discussed 01:06 – Nicknames 14:46 – Silent Hill 2 remake 24:12 – The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom 42:10 – Lunar: Silver Star Story 49:42 – World of Warcraft 56:30 – Nintendo Alarmo 1:20:37 – News: Sakurai’s Creating Games concludes, an EGM Kickstarter, and more! /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/33610147

8-4 Play 10/11/2024: ECHOES OF SCIENCE 10/11/2024

8-4 Play 10/11/2024: ECHOES OF SCIENCE The TGS dust has settled and it's back to normal over here—normal as in, Nintendo announcing stuff mere hours after we record. We'll have to hit snooze on the alarm clock chatter, but we can try and keep you awake with thoughts on Echoes of Wisdom, Until Dawn, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and some news instead?? Time — Topic Discussed 00:52 — Nicknames 12:16 — The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom 26:12 — Metaphor ReFantazio impressions 28:18 — Until Dawn impressions 35:03 — News: Halo, UBISOFT, 8-4's birthday and more! /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/33416377

8-4 Play 9/27/2024: TOKYO GAME SHOW 2024 09/27/2024

8-4 Play 9/27/2024: TOKYO GAME SHOW 2024 Tokyo Game Show! State of Play! Monster Hunter Wilds! Pirates in Hawaii! Metal Gear Delta! Tons of special guests! Exclamation Points! Time — Topic Discussed 01:49 — Nicknames 06:05 — Show Floor Impressions 12:38 — Neva 15:56 — Demonschool 20:23 — Love Eternal & Nightmare Operator 24:16 — Professor Layton & Inazuma Eleven 29:30 — Monster Hunter Wilds 41:21 — Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, Space Marine 2, Dome-King Cabbage & Sonic Rumble 59:22 — Clock Tower: Rewind 1:01:37 — Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake & Monster Hunter Wilds 1:15:03 — Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater 1:23:54 — News: State of Play, Assassin’s Creed Shadows delayed, and more! 2:04:53 — TGS Merch Hauls /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/33230252

8-4 Play 9/20/2024: THE SHIBUYA BIWEEKLY PODCAST CASE: THE SHINKANSEN COMETH ~MEMORIES IN CHIBA, TEARFUL TIGHT 60~ 09/20/2024

8-4 Play 9/20/2024: THE SHIBUYA BIWEEKLY PODCAST CASE: THE SHINKANSEN COMETH ~MEMORIES IN CHIBA, TEARFUL TIGHT 60~ You take the old (Dragon Slayer, Aria of Sorrow), you take the new (Astro Bot, UFO 50), you speculate and talk some news (PS5 Pro, Palworld litigation, new Switch rumors, etc.)--the podcast life. (repeat) The podcast life~ ♪ 01:11 — Nicknames 06:00 — Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow 16:20 — ASTRO BOT 26:36 — The Hokkaido Serial Murder Case: The Okhotsk Disappearance ~Memories in Ice, Tearful Figurine~ 35:04 — UFO 50 38:38 — Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes 41:56 — News: PS5 Pro, Switch 2 rumors, Nintendo sues Pocket Pair, and more! /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/33135172

8-4 Play 9/6/2024: ARIA OF SAVINGS 09/06/2024

8-4 Play 9/6/2024: ARIA OF SAVINGS Castlevanias! Eldens Rings! Some random Dragon Ball game! Nintendo stuff, oh yes! Concord stoppage, oh no! Hey! Listen!! Time — Topic Discussed 01:46 — Nicknames 10:57 — Castlevania Dominus Collection 20:14 — Elden Ring 32:50 — DRAGON BALL PROJECT: Multi 34:19 — News: Nintendo Indie World/Partner Direct recap, Sony price hike, and more! /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/32940307

8-4 Play 8/23/2024: IT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM 08/23/2024

8-4 Play 8/23/2024: IT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM A news-heavy episode on all the happenings out of Gamescom (ok mostly just Monster Hunter Wilds, 'cause hey, it's us) and extended thoughts on the Nintendo Museum (again, what did you expect?). 01:15 – Nicknames 08:47 – News: Gamescom, the Nintendo Museum, and more! /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/32709532

8-4 Play 8/9/2024: I DREAM OF DEMONS 08/09/2024

8-4 Play 8/9/2024: I DREAM OF DEMONS Pour a tall glass of lemonade and join us on the porch for lazy summer ramblings re: Monster Hunter Wilds, the new season of Apex Legends, and various other bits of "trash talk." Time — Topic Discussed 01:06 – Nicknames 16:46 – Apex Legends 26:55 – Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree 35:00 – Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked 50:03 – News: Bungie, Game Informer, and some Monster Hunter Wilds /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/32510302

8-4 Play 7/26/2024: SUMMER SUMMIT 07/26/2024

8-4 Play 7/26/2024: SUMMER SUMMIT A bit of BitSummit, more Erdtree gab, Power Pros baseball banter, Nintendo World Championships chat, and (most importantly!) Garigari-kun and other tips on how to beat the Tokyo summer heat. Time — Topic Discussed 00:46 — Nicknames 17:10 — Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree 34:10 — Powerful Pro Baseball 2024-2025 38:12 — News: EVO, Emio revealed, Halo TV show cancelled, and more! 53:07 — Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (and more news!) /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/32301912

8-4 Play 7/12/2024: MAXIMUM DWEEB 07/12/2024

8-4 Play 7/12/2024: MAXIMUM DWEEB More of our (mostly spoiler-free) ongoing Elden Ring DLC discussion, including difficulty (or lack thereof?), vertically-challenged maps, and messaging etiquette — served up with a side of news. Time — Topic Discussed 09:04 — Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree 1:08:30 — Zenless Zone Zero 1:11:04 — Pikmin 4 1:14:00 — News: GamePass price hike, Nintendo teases Emio, and more! /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/32109762

8-4 Play 6/28/2024: SCOOB OF THE SKEDADDLETREE 06/28/2024

8-4 Play 6/28/2024: SCOOB OF THE SKEDADDLETREE How do you pronounce “Scadutree”? Where the hell is your horse?! Wait, they fixed the map button?!? Enjoy the first of (no doubt) many Shadow of the Erdtree discussions, spoiler-free-ish. Plus: Nintendo Direct thoughts in News. Time — Topic Discussed 01:00 — Nicknames 04:48 — Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree 01:02:09 — News: Nintendo’s June Direct, and more! /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/31926642

8-4 Play 6/14/2024: VANIA MANIA 06/14/2024

8-4 Play 6/14/2024: VANIA MANIA Sure, we'll talk about the heaps of new games shown at State of Play, Summer Game Fest, Xbox Games Showcase, and Day of the Devs - but first let us ruminate on Symphony of the Night, Rondo of Blood, more PC-FX stuff you've never heard of, and Alan Wake's new Night Springs DLC. What is a man, you ask? Tune in to find out! Time — Topic Discussed 00:40 — Nicknames 07:08 — PC-FX & PC-Engine 16:36 — Castlevania & Super Metroid 41:33 — Alan Wake 2: Night Springs DLC 48:28 — 1000xRESIST 54:56 — Elden Ring 1:00:22 — News: Not-E3 highlights, PSVR2 adapter, and more! /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/31745167

8-4 Play 5/31/2024: MURMUR, CHANT, PRAY, PODCAST 05/31/2024

8-4 Play 5/31/2024: MURMUR, CHANT, PRAY, PODCAST Party up like it's 1981 as the crew delves deep into the new Wizardry remake, then straps on their Varia Suits to briefly revisit Super Metroid before wrapping up with Hellblade 2 thoughts, Square Enix news, Summer Game Fest predictions, and more. 00:37 — Nicknames 19:43 — Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord 41:04 — Super Metroid 55:28 — Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II 1:01:41 — News: Dragon Quest 3 remake, Square Enix sales expectations, Summer Game Fest, and more! /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/31546112

8-4 Play 5/17/2024: ONE ANIMAL'S WELL 05/17/2024

8-4 Play 5/17/2024: ONE ANIMAL'S WELL In this house we talk about video games: Animal Well, Another Crab’s Treasure, and Stellar Blade, to name a few, as well as Switch 2 rumors and more in the news. Time — Topic Discussed 01:38 — Nicknames 17:25 — Animal Well 34:00 — Stellar Blade 46:12 — Another Crab's Treasure 54:49 — News: Super Famicom prototype, Microsoft, Assassin's Creed comes to Japan, and more! /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/31351812

8-4 Play 5/3/2024: GOING GOLD(EN) 05/03/2024

8-4 Play 5/3/2024: GOING GOLD(EN) With the gang trapped in the old hotel meat locker, they have no choice but to answer listener questions until a kindly old psychic lets them out. Oh wait, am I... I might be thinking of The Shining. Time — Topic Discussed 03:30 – Nicknames 10:32 – Hades II impressions 17:17 – Listener Q&A /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/31099968

8-4 Play 4/19/2024: LEAVE IT TO BEAVERS 04/19/2024

8-4 Play 4/19/2024: LEAVE IT TO BEAVERS 17-Bit buddy Jake Kazdal joins us for his umpteenth 8-4 Play appearance to talk Dragon's Dogma 2 and update us on his Tears of the Kingdom journey, while Gabe dives deep into the wild and wonderful life of robot beavers. Time — Topic Discussed 01:19 – Nicknames 07:36 – Dragon’s Dogma 2 16:08 – Final Fantasy VII Rebirth 29:27 – The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom 33:02 – Timberborn 42:02 – News: Wii U & 3DS go offline, Final Fantasy news, Pokémon hacker arrested, and more! /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/30897898

8-4 Play 4/5/2024: GET OFF MY PAWN 04/05/2024

8-4 Play 4/5/2024: GET OFF MY PAWN We dragged Roy away from Dragon's Dogma 2 just long enough to get the rest of us psyched about making pawns of our own someday...once we finish FF7 Rebirth, Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road, and Dermot's deathly planking drills, that is. Plus news! Time — Topic Discussed 00:53 – Nicknames 11:24 – Dragon’s Dogma 2 26:39 – Final Fantasy VII Rebirth 48:02 – Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road beta 56:43 – News: Final Fantasy VI turns 30, PlayStation rumors, and more! /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/30692358

8-4 Play 3/22/2024: I CAN FX HIM 03/22/2024

8-4 Play 3/22/2024: I CAN FX HIM Sakura buds yet / Play shy, and yet here the games / Blossom for us all / Mars After Midnight / PC-FX Weebo shit / Sand Land / Rando news / You can stop counting syllables Time — Topic Discussed 01:17 – Nicknames 15:20 – Cavern of Dreams 21:14 – Sand Land demo 27:04 – Dragon Quest XI 29:17 – JP’s new PC-FX 38:34 – Mars After Midnight 56:22 – Llama Soft: The Jeff Minter Story 1:06:10 – News: PS5 Pro Leaks, Shin Megami Tensei V release date bumped, and more! /episode/index/show/eightfour/id/30493798

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