Topic: Radio Free Nintendo: Episode 169

[Jonnyboy117]

Jon is back in a big way, and Andy steps in as our resident expert on Shining Force.
 http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/podcastArt.cfm?artid=20260

 Episode 169: Choco-licious    

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This episode launches with Jon's... unique take on DJ Hero for Wii, plus new coverage of Doc Louis's Punch-Out and updates on Mario & Luigi, Boom Blox Bash Party, Castlevania ReBirth, and even NCAA Football 10. James got tied up again, but he'll be back next week when we should finally get the entire regular crew together again.    

Andy's presence is invaluable for the RetroActive segment, especially since Jon hadn't played the game yet and decided to sit out until next week. We take a good first cut at Shining Force II, with plenty of talk on strategy vs. RPG elements, comparisons with Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy Tactics, and of course, some great listener comments from the forums.    

RetroActive continues next week, so if you're playing along with us on Shining Force II, don't forget to leave your thoughts and join the conversation in the forum discussion thread.    

We're always looking for great Listener Mail to read and discuss on the show, so please send your questions or comments! (We really love seeing your praise and feedback regarding the show itself; however, in the interest of time, we may edit your letter to be read on the podcast.)      Credits:    

This podcast was edited by Greg Leahy.    

Music for this episode of Radio Free Nintendo is used with permission from Jason Ricci & New Blood. You can purchase their newest album, Done with the Devil, directly from the record label, Amazon.com, or iTunes, or call your local record store and ask for it!    

Additional music for this episode of Radio Free Nintendo is copyrighted to Nintendo, and is included under fair use protection.  

[Jonnyboy117]

Oh good, looks like Aaron got our Talkback thread working. I can't wait to hear everyone's reaction to the intro.

[Dropkik]

Dear God.  Jon does know that you can't spell Crap without "rap" right?  That was painful.

[KDR_11k]

Yeah I hate rap...

Cosmic Walker has as much info out as Dynamic Slash so it's not alone. Weren't there a few more games from that conference without any further info?

As for Zero G navigation, there's Shattered Horizon (PC) but that has insanely high system requirements because it's made by a graphics benchmark company.

[NWR_Lindy]

Here are the lyrics, since I rap them WAY too fast for them to even be intelligible.

Yesterday I got a package in the mail
Sent by by Mike Gamin, also known as Pale
Typically the Wii games we get are epic fail
But this was DJ Hero, my gaming Holy Grail
I gotta say the box was smaller than I thought it'd be
Most Guitar Hero boxes are monstrosities
Opened up the packaging with velocity
Read the game manual? Against my philosophy
First thing I wanna see is the controller
Mixer and turntable, just a little smaller
Slot in the mixer to hold the Wii Remote
Plug it in, close the lid and you're good to go
Start up the game, hittin' the tutorial
Grandmaster Flash makes sure that you know your skills
I gotta give'em props for authenticity
Real DJs check your hip-hop history
I do my thing and I learn what I got to
Do my first set? There's no reason not to
At first the crossfader was a little stiff
But then I worked it in, and then I got swift
Control the mix with the fade and effects dial
Hit Euphoria and score by the pile
But the coolest new feature is the Rewind
Backspin and play a section one more time
And the records in the mix are fantastic
New songs mixed with old-school classics
But the price point on this is kinda drastic
So empty out your wallet or put it on your plastic
For DLC, since I'm older than a Sleestack
You know I'm waiting for that Run-DMC pack
3 bucks a song, not sure I really need that
I'll trade in Dirt 2 just to get the fee back
But if you like rap, here's the game to get
And if you like DJs then you're good as set
Guitar Hero fans probably won't even regret
I'll say it right now: best music game yet

Dear God.  Jon does know that you can't spell Crap without "rap" right?  That was painful.

Yeah, painful if you're a Sucker MC

[Flames_of_chaos]

I wonder if Lindy has played Beatmania, that's my favorite rhythm series that involves a turntable. Too bad Konami gave up on it fast. My two main issues with DJ Hero is price and I'm not a fan of the controller.

[NWR_Lindy]

The controller isn't bad at all, actually.  Your wrist/arm/shoulder does get fatigued after playing for a few hours in a row, but you can say the same thing about the Wii's motion controllers too.

BTW - If anybody has any specific technical questions about DJ Hero, let me know.  I want to make sure I don't leave anything out of the review.

[Plugabugz]

Jon is rapping?

*cancels download*

[D_Average]

Haha.  Awesome!  Turning off this wretched Bears game and downloading this to listen to while I'll play Blue Storm, Sunshine or Galaxy.  And Lindy raps?  I gotta hear this.

[Bboy]

Looking forward to hearing Lindy rapping. Edit: That was pretty awesome Jon. But just to let you guys know, somethings up with the iTunes download. It says the episode "doesn't exist on the server.

[Halbred]

That was INSANE, Jon. Awesome, awesome stuff.

[Yoshidious]

Looking forward to hearing Lindy rapping. But just to let you guys know, somethings up with the itunes download. It says the episode "doesn't exist on the server."

Update: It appears to download from iTunes without problems now.

[The Nintendad]

I am listening to this on my iPod and it just stops playing any audio right after the bloomblox talk. :/

[broodwars]

Sounds like Valkyria Chronicles would be right up your alley, Andy.  It's very streamlined and the story's very good (even if the actual writing is pretty mediocre).

[Yoshidious]

Try re-downloading the file--it's possible your original download may have been cut off during the server transition issues we had earlier. It should download with no problems now.

[The Nintendad]

Try re-downloading the file--it's possible your original download may have been cut off during the server transition issues we had earlier. It should download with no problems now.

I re-downloaded with no problems and can listen to the rest of the show now.

[KDR_11k]

Stopped listening yesterday when the Shining Force segment came on and I couldn't really find the beginning of the listener mail, might try finding the mail again today (I hate SRPGs and don't like the RetroActive feature).

[NWR_DrewMG]

Great chapter artwork for my New Business section, Greg. 

Really enjoyed filling in for James on this show.  Thanks for having me on. 

Also KDR we didn't have a listener mail segment this week because we were running long and Lindy had to take off.   I'd imagine next week there'll be a pretty beefy one. 

[Killer_Man_Jaro]

That intro... I'm trying to decide between "comic genius" and "cringe worthy". It's like when someone tells a bad joke, yet you laugh anyway, not because it was a good punchline, but because the awfulness of the pun is funny in itself.

Rapping aside, well done again for delivering the goods. New Business was solid; I would quite like to catch up with the second Boom Blox now, as the first one managed to hold my attention for a fair old while and I like the sound of the improvements pretty much across the board. The lack of A Boy And His Blob made me sad though. Surely one of you must have bought it or at least would like to buy it imminently - I know I will be.

[NWR_DrewMG]

The lack of A Boy And His Blob made me sad though. Surely one of you must have bought it or at least would like to buy it imminently - I know I will be.

It's very likely that I will have my A Boy and His Blob impressions ready to go for Newscast.  I'm reviewing the game for the site, and should be receiving it in the mail any day now.  If I have a chance to play it significantly before Wednesday night, you can bet we'll be talking about it on Newscast Episode 5, which will be live on the site by Friday night.

[NWR_Neal]

The lack of A Boy And His Blob made me sad though. Surely one of you must have bought it or at least would like to buy it imminently - I know I will be.

It's very likely that I will have my A Boy and His Blob impressions ready to go for Newscast.  I'm reviewing the game for the site, and should be receiving it in the mail any day now.  If I have a chance to play it significantly before Wednesday night, you can bet we'll be talking about it on Newscast Episode 5, which will be live on the site by Friday night.

I'm hoping Andy gets it so I can profess my love for the game on the podcast waves. I gave it a 4.5/5 when I was with PixlBit.

[Jonnyboy117]

I fully intend to play Boy/Blob sooner than later.

[Halbred]

After listening to the whole thing, I confess that I have absolutely no desire to play Shining Force 2.

[TheYoungerPlumber]

Yeah, I never got back to playing Shining Force II. Then again, I haven't really played ANYTHING since I recorded that last episode of RFN.

[NWR_Lindy]

Yeah, you may want to take that "Reviews Editor" out of your sig.  LOL

[D_Average]

Great show, but I too skipped the retroactive as SRPG's make me nauseas.

[Jonnyboy117]

I played SF2 for another hour today. It's a high quality game, and I'm really getting into it. Funny that some of you are avoiding the discussion due to your dislike of the genre, as I think this is by far the most accessible strategy RPG I've played. If any game could appeal to non-fans, it should be this one.

[Stratos]

I played SF2 for another hour today. It's a high quality game, and I'm really getting into it. Funny that some of you are avoiding the discussion due to your dislike of the genre, as I think this is by far the most accessible strategy RPG I've played. If any game could appeal to non-fans, it should be this one.

Maybe it is my bias and first-time SRPG exposure being Fire Emblem, but I find most of the Fire Emblem games to be far more accessible than this one. Though, this did come before any of the Fire Emblems that I've played so this one is a little more dated in certain mechanics.

Cosmic Walker has as much info out as Dynamic Slash so it's not alone. Weren't there a few more games from that conference without any further info?

Span Smasher (a brief mention of it at E3, supports M+)
Tact of Magic (released in Japan and never mentioned again or appearing to be coming to West)
Endless Ocean 2 (probably the most likely to be released considering the first one did and sold over a million copies)
Sin & Punishment 2 (only one confirmed so far to be coming to the West)

Response to Lindy Rap: ...wow...

[TheYoungerPlumber]

wtf I thought I did that a while ago...

[KDR_11k]

Stratos: At least those had more info released, I think all of them even had playable versions somewhere.

[Stratos]

True, KDR. I think there is only one video each for Dynamic and Cosmic. Interestingly, Dynamic Slash is listed as Dynamic Zan on IGN.

All of those titles are on my list of mourned MIA titles along with Soma Bringer, ASH and Fatal Frame 4.

NWR should do a feature on MIA games that never made the jump over the Pacific or came to PAL-Land but not North America and vice-versa.

[gojira]

The intro was bad ass.  DJ Hero interests me, but I don't really like rap.  Also the price is a big hurdle.  And the fact that I've never gotten into music games.  However, an all techno/pop/rock version would interest me a lot more.

I'm a bit surprised at the people skipping the RetroActive section.  I always listen to those even if it is a game I'm not playing or care for.

[Stratos]

I'm a bit surprised at the people skipping the RetroActive section.  I always listen to those even if it is a game I'm not playing or care for.

Agreed, it is part of the show and I find it to be an enjoyable listen even without playing along. It's the same with going back to old episodes as well. The news and events don't have to be current to get enjoyment from the show.

[D_Average]

I'm a bit surprised at the people skipping the RetroActive section.  I always listen to those even if it is a game I'm not playing or care for.

Agreed, it is part of the show and I find it to be an enjoyable listen even without playing along. It's the same with going back to old episodes as well. The news and events don't have to be current to get enjoyment from the show.

Nice to know I'm not the only one.  I needed something to listen to this weekend and ran out of podcasts.  Went back to some pre 75 shows.  Listening to them discuss the need to skip wii pre-orders is always good for some lolz.

[Stratos]

I like to keep episode 103 permanently on my iPod podcast playlist.

I have all the old episodes D/L'd and I plan to go through them all at some point for fun. Maybe if I get another boring graveyard security job down the road.

[SkiDragon]

So, was that compliment of my forum name sarcasm? Because, I think the name is kind of dumb. It's a ten year old relic, and I only keep it for consistency.

[Stratos]

Honestly, I always forget you are really called SkiDragon because I remember your unique avatar with the word Phalanx and that imprinted in my head as your name.

[Jonnyboy117]

So, was that compliment of my forum name sarcasm? Because, I think the name is kind of dumb. It's a ten year old relic, and I only keep it for consistency.

No sarcasm. I am a skiing fanatic and like the silly mental image.

[NWR_Karl]

I'm a bit surprised at the people skipping the RetroActive section.  I always listen to those even if it is a game I'm not playing or care for.

Agreed, it is part of the show and I find it to be an enjoyable listen even without playing along. It's the same with going back to old episodes as well. The news and events don't have to be current to get enjoyment from the show.

Nice to know I'm not the only one.  I needed something to listen to this weekend and ran out of podcasts.  Went back to some pre 75 shows.  Listening to them discuss the need to skip wii pre-orders is always good for some lolz.

We are NEVER going to live that down. The humble pie we ate on that was enormous. Oy.

Anyway, spectacular show as always, fellas. Andy's a keeper.

[GregLover5000]

That

I can't wait to hear everyone's reaction to the intro.

That was the single greatest thing I've ever heard.

Other game sites? You can't touch this.

[Crimm]

That

I can't wait to hear everyone's reaction to the intro.

That was the single greatest thing I've ever heard.

Other game sites? You can't touch this.

Ladies and gentlemen,
Your site director.

[Sundoulos]

Gotta say, I've really liked Andy's contributions on the last two podcasts.  Bring him back sometime!

[NWR_DrewMG]

Thanks, Sundoulos!   It was fun to record them, and hopefully I'll be back on at some point in the future.  In the meantime, I can direct you to Newscast which features myself, Neal Ronaghan, and Zach Miller.  There's a new episode in the works which should be released by the end of the day.

[Bboy]

I was thinking of sending this in for listener mail, but... I just saw a commercial for a movie called Pirate Radio. Suspicious, don't you think?

[NWR_Lindy]

Other game sites? You can't touch this.

MC Hammer dance incoming.

[NWR_Neal]

Other game sites? You can't touch this.

MC Hammer dance incoming.

If there's ever a video version of RFN, I demand this happens.

[Halbred]

I think a video RFN at the hotel room at E3 would be pretty epic.

[NWR_Neal]

I think a video RFN at the hotel room at E3 would be pretty epic.

You'd just see 10 people looking like hell.

[vudu]

Jon's rap is tied for the greatest thing to ever air on RFN.

It shares the honor with James' Disaster Day of Crisis skit.

[Stratos]

Jon's rap is tied for the greatest thing to ever air on RFN.

It shares the honor with James' Disaster Day of Crisis skit.

Naw, they tie for second. Infamous Episode 103 is #1 in my book.

[NWR_insanolord]

Jon's rap is tied for the greatest thing to ever air on RFN.

It shares the honor with James' Disaster Day of Crisis skit.

Naw, they tie for second. Infamous Episode 103 is #1 in my book.

Yeah, nothing beats 103.

[broodwars]

Jon's rap is tied for the greatest thing to ever air on RFN.

It shares the honor with James' Disaster Day of Crisis skit.

Naw, they tie for second. Infamous Episode 103 is #1 in my book.

Yeah, nothing beats 103.

That episode is on my favorite .mp3 list, and gets a replay probably once every other month.  I'm still waiting for a proper reunion for that most awesome of episodes.   

[Stratos]

Diddn't we already get a spiritual sequel some episodes back? Greg added some clips from 103 in a later episode where they talked about Cocato.

We do need a reunion episode, though.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Jon's rap is tied for the greatest thing to ever air on RFN.

It shares the honor with James' Disaster Day of Crisis skit.

Naw, they tie for second. Infamous Episode 103 is #1 in my book.

Well that knocked you close to negative in my like for Stratos book.

[NWR_insanolord]

Diddn't we already get a spiritual sequel some episodes back? Greg added some clips from 103 in a later episode where they talked about Cocato.

We do need a reunion episode, though.

They've jokingly referred to Episode 203 at least once. We need to turn that joke into a reality; quick, someone start an internet petition!

[vudu]

Episode 103 was ****.  There; I said it.

[broodwars]

Episode 103 was The ****.  There; I said it.

There.  Fixed that for ya. 

[Pale]

So I'm finally starting to catch up with podcasts, and this was a hilarious way to start...

I love that I'm included in the rap. =P

[NWR_Lindy]

Hahahaha.  I'm glad you listened to it!