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Episode 267: The Friendly Ghost

by Greg Leahy, Jon Lindemann, and Jonathan Metts - November 13, 2011, 9:31 am EST
Total comments: 31

Nothing to see here, folks. (It's all in your ears).

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With James taking a rare week off, we looked to have a substitute but... things happen. So instead, you get a three-man show with plenty of gaming goodness. In New Business, Jonny checks out the hilarious, goofy 3DS download called Freakyforms (formerly known as Picture Lives!). He also checks in with Uncharted 3, which leads to a fun discussion of writing in video games, and he finally boots up BioWare's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, or simply KOTOR. Jon catches up with his thoughts on last week's RetroActive game, River City Ransom, plus some reactions to the superb Batman: Arkham City, coming to Wii U next year. Instead of new game impressions, Greg comments on the initial Japan sales numbers for Super Mario 3D Land (in stores today for our North American listeners) and revisits the final hours of Twilight Princess to steel himself for the second coming of Zelda on Wii.

In the second half, we've got Listener Mail up the wazoo. First up is the high price of Resident Evil: Revelations and whether digital delivery could be the answer. Then we debunk speculation (from certain other podcasts) of Nintendo's imminent demise, and ponder whether there are any developer acquisitions that would make sense for the Big N as it makes the transition to HD software development.

In lieu of our regular show next week, we'll be podcasting live on Saturday, Nov. 19th starting at Noon Eastern. We hope you will be there and support this event as well as a great charity. If you can't make it, we hope to deliver a recording of the telethon roughly around the same time, and podcast subscribers should get it automatically. If you prefer to download episodes manually, check the event page next week for direct links to the recording.

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 (CD) (MP3), 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.

Talkback

MassimoNovember 13, 2011

Excellent show once again! And now more than ever, thanks to Greg for the amazing job he does every week editing this podcast. His passion for Nintendo is an example of what makes this podcast, as Jonny stated, the best podcast about Nintendo on the internet! And by the way, I've followed the videogame industry for a long time... If I had a penny for every Greg Miller who foresaw the end of Nintendo in these years I would be a very rich man. And guess what? Yamauchi is quite rich...

jimwood27November 13, 2011

Totally thought Greg was going to announce his retirement at the beginning.  Don't do that to me, man!


Great talk about how other podcasts are worthless sources for anything Nintendo.  Have unsubscribed from many shows that just had ridiculous conversations about topics they clearly knew nothing about.


GameScoop is the worst podcast there is.  Daemon has been hating on Nintendo for years (even when he was on the IGN Nintendo team) and Greg Miller is the worst person working in the game media.  His reviews (namely Dead Space 2 and Uncharted 3) are some of the worst written garbage I have ever read.  Just amateurish, hyperbolic nonsense that seems to be written by an 11-year old.  Don't take anything he says seriously.


RFN is definitely your best source in regards to podcasts.  They are positive when there is good news, critical and thoughtful when there are negatives, and always knowledgable about the topic at hand.

SeacorNovember 13, 2011

Props to Greg for salvaging this podcast.  If it wasn't for the intro, I would have never known Karl was present during the recording.  Very nicely done!

I TAKE A WEEK OFF AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENS!

happyastoriaNovember 14, 2011

Greg, you're simply amazing! Really, you are.

KikoriMinoru Yamaizumi, Japan CorrespondentNovember 14, 2011

Greg did a great job! This sounds like as if it were a three man show originally.

CericNovember 14, 2011

Editing out Karl...  That sounds familiar...

Retro DeckadesNovember 14, 2011

The one company that I'd love to see Nintendo acquire (assuming they don't already have some sort of stake in it) is GoodFeel. I worry that some other company might purchase them and effectively prevent them from making any more games on Nintendo platforms.

YoshidiousGreg Leahy, Staff AlumnusNovember 14, 2011

Quote from: Ceric

Editing out Karl...  That sounds familiar...

Well, Karl was "edited" out by fate so to speak; if I had chosen to edit him out, I would of course have replaced his audio with whale noises.

CericNovember 14, 2011

Quote from: Yoshidious

Quote from: Ceric

Editing out Karl...  That sounds familiar...

Well, Karl was "edited" out by fate so to speak; if I had chosen to edit him out, I would of course have replaced his audio with whale noises.

lol
There should so be a random couple of whale noises in an episode.

KDR_11kNovember 14, 2011

Offering full games for download on the console won't have real benefits for gamers. Steam is vastly superior to all console download services but they cannot offer games before the launch date or any cheaper than MSRP at launch because otherwise physical stores would boycott the game. They make up for that with frequent sales and sometimes minor preorder discounts but that's it, they can't really compete with the offers physical stores give people because then the stores will simply retaliate. That's also why Games on Demand and downloading full games from PSN is so shitty, they can't compete if they don't want to risk being expelled. The PSP Go made retailers very angry.

Realistically all we can expect from a download service for consoles at the moment is getting screwed.


Of course this only applies to AAA games, indie games are usually cheaper on Steam than at retail because of the overhead.

NbzNovember 14, 2011

Thank god for Greg! Really though, any other editor would have said screw it and would have not even bothered trying to salvage what they had. Its times like this when you truly appreciate the amount of editing work that goes into the show, and how professional it is every week. Seriously Greg, I would have had no clue that Karl was on the show if you hadn't announced it at the start. Yet another great show guys, and testament to why you are by far and away my number one podcast.

CericNovember 14, 2011

I'm sort of surprised you didn't put the stinger up front before you announcement.

MoRZNovember 14, 2011

Greg, your editing to this podcast is like Dr. Dre and his search for the perfect sound. But you are dropping every week and he is still having us wait since 2001.

Quote from: Yoshidious

Quote from: Ceric

Editing out Karl...  That sounds familiar...

Well, Karl was "edited" out by fate so to speak; if I had chosen to edit him out, I would of course have replaced his audio with whale noises.

I can imagine the editing hell you went through to make the episode sound coherent, but maybe we could have edited in a robot. CastanedaBot is a superior lifeform.

martyNovember 14, 2011

@ IGN Podcast response

you guys were far too kind.  That podcast is a mess.  Those people are marketers, not journalists.  Hype is not journalism.  Speculation isn't journalism.  IGN is just as awful as any other murdoch rag.

gtownclownNovember 14, 2011

Greg your personality consisting partially of perfectionist and loving disgustingly hard challenges is something we all just benefited from. I didn't notice anything different.  Now for your next challenge edit some old episodes together to make James sound like he loves Pokemon mystery dungeon.

ejamerNovember 14, 2011

Curious about the (almost throw away) comment that Xenoblade hasn't sold well, lumping it in with Disaster Day of Crisis as a failed Monolith game. Everything that I've seen/heard suggests that Xenoblade easily surpassed expectations in regions where it was released. Granted, the initial expectations weren't very high... but that's still not the same as selling badly.


Were there any numbers backing that conclusion, or did I misinterpret the statement?

Hmm, Greg is Dr. Dre.  I like that.  I guess that makes me what, Snoop Dogg? I figure James is Eazy-E, Jonny is Nate Dogg.

SundoulosNovember 15, 2011

Quote from: Ceric

Quote from: Yoshidious

Quote from: Ceric

Editing out Karl...  That sounds familiar...

Well, Karl was "edited" out by fate so to speak; if I had chosen to edit him out, I would of course have replaced his audio with whale noises.

lol
There should so be a random couple of whale noises in an episode.

This should have also happened during the Killer 7 Retroactive episode. :D

CericNovember 15, 2011

Quote from: NWR_Lindy

Hmm, Greg is Dr. Dre.  I like that.  I guess that makes me what, Snoop Dogg? I figure James is Eazy-E, Jonny is Nate Dogg.

Lindy your already Silk.  You can't have two rapper names unless your killed but, not really and come back.

Though now you can do an album of "Silk and Dr. Dre Leahy Presents: Ahoy Ahoy Foo."

LithiumNovember 15, 2011

Quote from: jimwood27

Great talk about how other podcasts are worthless sources for anything Nintendo.  Have unsubscribed from many shows that just had ridiculous conversations about topics they clearly knew nothing about.

RFN is definitely your best source in regards to podcasts.  They are positive when there is good news, critical and thoughtful when there are negatives, and always knowledgable about the topic at hand.

Completely agree, I work nightshift at a hockey arena so i basically listen to podcasts all shift. I've tried many podcasts but by far the best for nintendo discusion are the 3 NWR podcasts. Some of the media outlets don't even try to disguise the nintendo-hating -_- 


The main thing that stands out about the NWR podcasts are the amount of intelligent discusion focused at Nintendo by people who actually know what they're talking about, i mean no one would even bother with the business commentary that you guys do for example. NWR's podcasts are my favourite gaming podcasts let alone nintendo podcasts... Well since a life well wasted never puts out any episodes anyways...


Also Greg, you're fucking awesome. Didnt even notice you had to edit out Karl.

Chocobo_RiderNovember 15, 2011

Another excellent show.  Let's see ...

1. Greg, the best edits are the ones the audience doesn't notice.  As a god of both gaming and editing, all power and glory be unto you.
... poor Bills =(

2. As KDR correctly identified above, as of now, there are not really any tangible benefits for consumers in download-only gaming.  But, there are benefits for companies in terms of screwing us!  So, I for one am very content to see Nintendo continue "lagging woefully behind" in this regard.  Plus, as Greg said, right now Nintendo's business model does not need any revamping from their end.  If consumers still feel first party games are worth the $50 price tag after years on the market? Guess what? That is Nintendo's reward for delivering on QUALITY.

Other companies who are trumpeting disposable, annual, releases and DLC up the whazoo are going to have to keep treading that water and seeing how far they can nickel and dime consumers to recoup their bloated budgets.  As Lindy acknowledged, those map packs ain't never gonna be free again, people!  And how long do you think it will take before we start seeing "Platinum Editions" released AFTER some "Gold Edition"?  :P:

The fact that the conversation eventually lead down the path of "well, hypothetically they could do away with NDS functionality on the 3DS," yea, I guess that would help them get on board with downloading full NDS games.... it would also be a rip-off! And not Nintendo's style.

"But NinSage," some might already be typing feverishly, "the new Wii remodel took away GCN support!"  Yea, it did, but that's not because it is going to try and sell you downloadable GCN titles.  In other words, the business model is saving on hardware costs, not trying to squeeze you for digital transactions.  Also worth remembering, this comes on the heels of being a full console generation removed.  I am content with the industry-wide standard of having one previous generation of backwards-compatibility.

Thus, lag on, Nintendo!!  .... oh... and keep making hardware your competition needs to imitate  ;D

3. Only Nintendo could inspire so much talk of closing up shop in the wake of 100+ years of success, and 7 years of unprecedented success.  Let me know when Sony and MS actually make profits on their games divisions and we'll continue this conversation.  ::)

Jonny, thank you! The people who think like that simply do not understand the company.  Nintendo may be unique to a fault, but they know what they're doing in terms of video games and I don't see that changing any time soon.

Jonny, thanks AGAIN! The "game media's judge of success," is perfect way to put it.  Nintendo is successful at making hardware/software that the majority of gamers enjoy.  Nintendo is happy to profit off of this simple model.  Meanwhile, the gaming media is too busy handing out kudos for most-polygons and biggest dude-bro shooter of the season.  I'll never forget when Adam Sessler did a soapbox about how the gaming industry could be financially successful and he didn't even acknowledge Nintendo's existence.  Talk about a double standard.

4.  Ain't no podcast like the RFN crew.  End of story, bitches.

PS - to echo jimwood's sentiments, I really thought Greg was going to announce something awful like the cancelation of RFN or his resignation.  To further echo jimwood, don't do that to us!! =P 

leahsdadNovember 15, 2011

Quote from: Lithium

Quote from: jimwood27

Great talk about how other podcasts are worthless sources for anything Nintendo.  Have unsubscribed from many shows that just had ridiculous conversations about topics they clearly knew nothing about.

RFN is definitely your best source in regards to podcasts.  They are positive when there is good news, critical and thoughtful when there are negatives, and always knowledgable about the topic at hand.

Completely agree, I work nightshift at a hockey arena so i basically listen to podcasts all shift. I've tried many podcasts but by far the best for nintendo discusion are the 3 NWR podcasts. Some of the media outlets don't even try to disguise the nintendo-hating -_- 


The main thing that stands out about the NWR podcasts are the amount of intelligent discusion focused at Nintendo by people who actually know what they're talking about, i mean no one would even bother with the business commentary that you guys do for example. NWR's podcasts are my favourite gaming podcasts let alone nintendo podcasts... Well since a life well wasted never puts out any episodes anyways...

Here, here, I fully agree.  I started listening around #200 and have been hooked since.  I can't believe I found the podcast by googling "Nintendo Podcast," but that's how it happened, after being so incredibly frustrated with listening to other gaming podcasts and being shocked by how little they knew or cared about Nintendo, or games in general.  And I've tried them all. 

I think part of the reason why Greg, John, Johnny, and James are so good together (aside from the fact that they are very, very smart) is that they do this because of an obvious passion for games and talking about games, rather than as their profession.  As a result, this has literally become the only gaming podcast that I listen to now, period.

And NWR is my go-to gaming website now.  The only time I go to others is if there is nothing new on the site.  And when I do go to other sites, I'm just so disappointed.  Like on IGN, when they post articles called "Where is our (insert game title here) review?"  Or that stupid series they've started on Kotaku called "Gut Check."  Ugh. 

roykoopa64November 15, 2011

Amazing work Greg, what else can I say?

As always, great podcast. I loved the mailbag reply concerning the state of Nintendo, and how seriously 'out-of-touch' with reality some gaming 'journalists' really are when they proclaim Nintendo will be going the way of Sega.

SundoulosNovember 15, 2011

YMMV regarding the show's style, but Player One Podcast is generally friendly towards Nintendo, and they often complain about media not giving Nintendo games a fair shake.  I still prefer the NWR podcasts, though.

I used to listen to Gamescoop quite a bit, but I eventually tuned out.  (I do like what they do with their occasional 8-bit music episodes.  In spite of some of the other annoying guys who were on the show, I listened to Nintendo Voice Chat until Craig Harris left.  I'll still occasionally listen to an episode, but I'm amazed at how many facts about old Nintendo games that they manage to get wrong.  I'm getting persnickety in my old age, I guess.

Quote from: Sundoulos

YMMV regarding the show's style, but Player One Podcast is generally friendly towards Nintendo, and they often complain about media not giving Nintendo games a fair shake.

this.

TJ SpykeNovember 17, 2011

Kudos to Greg, just listened to the podcast. If it wasn't for the intro, I wouldn't have know that the episode was any different than normal.

To the reader who mentioned Nintendo buying Rare. Rare is 100% owned by Microsoft now, so Rare won't be going back to Nintendo unless MS wants to sell the company to them.

I stopped listening to Game Scoop because they seemed to just hate on Nintendo non-stop. The only podcasts from IGN I listen to are Channel Surfing (TV focused) and IGN Digigods (DVD/Blu-ray focused), and IGN Daily Fix.

Quote from: NWR_DrewMG

Quote from: Sundoulos

YMMV regarding the show's style, but Player One Podcast is generally friendly towards Nintendo, and they often complain about media not giving Nintendo games a fair shake.

this.

also this.

adadadNovember 19, 2011

Quote from: NinSage

2. As KDR correctly identified above, as of now, there are not really any tangible benefits for consumers in download-only gaming.  But, there are benefits for companies in terms of screwing us!  So, I for one am very content to see Nintendo continue "lagging woefully behind" in this regard.  Plus, as Greg said, right now Nintendo's business model does not need any revamping from their end.  If consumers still feel first party games are worth the $50 price tag after years on the market? Guess what? That is Nintendo's reward for delivering on QUALITY.

Other companies who are trumpeting disposable, annual, releases and DLC up the whazoo are going to have to keep treading that water and seeing how far they can nickel and dime consumers to recoup their bloated budgets.  As Lindy acknowledged, those map packs ain't never gonna be free again, people!  And how long do you think it will take before we start seeing "Platinum Editions" released AFTER some "Gold Edition"?  :P: :

The fact that the conversation eventually lead down the path of "well, hypothetically they could do away with NDS functionality on the 3DS," yea, I guess that would help them get on board with downloading full NDS games.... it would also be a rip-off! And not Nintendo's style.

"But NinSage," some might already be typing feverishly, "the new Wii remodel took away GCN support!"  Yea, it did, but that's not because it is going to try and sell you downloadable GCN titles.  In other words, the business model is saving on hardware costs, not trying to squeeze you for digital transactions.  Also worth remembering, this comes on the heels of being a full console generation removed.  I am content with the industry-wide standard of having one previous generation of backwards-compatibility.

Thus, lag on, Nintendo!!  .... oh... and keep making hardware your competition needs to imitate  ;D

I don't see why on earth you cling to this asinine assumption that offering digital downloads necessarily entails exclusively bad consequences for the consumer. With console games, DLC has paved the way for what are effectively expansion packs (GTA4's DLC episodes for example). In the past an expansion like this would've had to be retail-only, and the limited shelf space and high cost of retail have limited the creation of expansion packs to a select number of extremely popular PC games, like The Sims, and even then at an extortionate price to the customer. Rip-offs and bad practices exist in the gaming industry regardless of whether it's digital based or not. I'm not saying we as consumers shouldn't be critical or undiscerning, I just disagree with your characterisation of online transactions as a uniformly bad thing.

Four days till The People's Champion returns to reclaim his belt.

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