James is delighted by nearly everything on this episode, which features another infamous FPS and the return of the Listener Mail Lighting Round... or maybe it's better named the (Lords of) Thunder Round!
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/40112/episode-426-connoisseur-of-chaos
There's something special about this episode, and it's not just that we may have set a new record for the number of emails included. No, it's that James is particularly giddy and demented, a condition incited by the recent Smash Bros. update's portal to all the custom level treasures/garbage he could ever want. Next up is Code Name STEAM, now running much more smoothly and subject to a deeper critical analysis by Jonny. At issue: what happens when a game gives you lots of interesting choices for tactical readiness, but no information upon which to base those decisions? The next Club Nintendo reward to be featured on the show comes from Lindy, who catches up with ocho authentico New Super Mario Bros. 2. That gets us talking about reviews, which leads perfectly into one of Jon's most famous reviews, for a game that Guillaume is playing for some damn reason -- The Conduit! He also tries Skip Ltd.'s experiment in charming realism, Chibi-Robo: Photo Finder. And, just because, Gui also dredges up the epitome of late 90s 3D platformers... yes, we're talking about Donkey Kong 64, now available (if you dare) on the Wii U Virtual Console.
Your email game has been strong lately, and there are way too many interesting questions to give them all the usual, in-depth treatment. So, we decided it was time to bring back an old experiment that, frankly, hasn't worked very well until now. It's the Listener Mail Lightning Thunder Round, and for once, we kept on pace to blast through a huge pack of questions. Hopefully, you'll agree that we still did some justice to these topics, despite the unprecedented pace. We may do this kind of thing more often, since it worked out quite well this time, but more substantial discussions will of course still happen as needed. Whether big or small, your email can become part of the show with just a few keystrokes!
Be sure to check out Jonny's recent guest appearance on the wonderful Radio Trivia: Podcast Edition, where he tries to stump our friend TYP. And by the way, now would be a good time to start playing Twilight Princess, as we'll be covering this lengthy game on the show in roughly one month. If you get stuck or have a keen observation, that RetroActive forum thread is up and running for just such purposes. And hey, did you know the RFN crew is actively competing in the NWR Smash Bros. Tournament? We made it to the playoffs... so be sure to follow a new round each week, right here on Nintendo World Report and the NWR TV YouTube channel!
I just wanted to thank you for marking the new business parts so I can easily skip the James Jones part.
I've recently played through Final Fantasy Tactics for the PSone and everything Johnny was saying about Codename: STEAM was really reminding me of this game. I love a lot of aspects of FFT, but I hated having to choose my team not knowing the map I was going to play on or what kind of enemies I would encounter. Sure story missions would always be the same, but at best you had a vague idea of what to expect during a random battle. And that's if you were paying attention to where it was triggered.
I never knew if I could send out my characters that needed leveling or if I was going to end up wasting my strong people on low level battles. And it was pretty much guaranteed that I'd have to restart a story level once I knew what to expect. The fact that there's perma-death didn't make anything easier either.
This is seriously a major problem in my mind. Now I'm not so sure if I'm going to get this game.
Keep in mind that interruptions are often unintentional, due to the nature of Skype. How much of that you hear in the episode depends a lot on who's editing and how much tampering he has decided to do on that particular discussion. The level of cross-talk we leave often depends on the seriousness of a topic, or how clearly a person can be heard over the noise, and other factors. To hear how we converse more naturally when not using Skype, listen to episode 400 or the PAX panels.
The James Jones backlash begins. Very interesting.
The James Jones backlash begins. Very interesting.
:confused; I don't get it?
The James Jones backlash begins. Very interesting.
:confused; I don't get it?
James is a very devisive part of the show. he is either the cynical glue that holds the whole podcast together, or he is the thing that breaks the show for others and makes them not want to listen.
I find his crumudgeonly charm to be fun and more often than not, I laugh my ass off at some of the punctuation he jumps into a conversation with. My pokes at him in above posts are in jest, as I've expressed that he's probably my favorite member of the gang several times in the past. (Not a knock against you guys though because you are all important pieces to the puzzle to make it work, especially Lindy. That's why Now Playing has become amazing ever since you let the goon squad take over that.)
Kirby Triple Deluxe was my #1 game of last year.
The New 3DS XL's topscreen was changed from a TN to IPS LCD, while the New 3DS' topscreen was not. It actually does make a pretty big difference; I noticed right out of the box that the top display looked much better on my New 3DS XL (I only found out about the specifics of the switch later). So I think it's got a pretty legitimate claim to best designed 3DS over its smaller variant.
Someone hating on Super Mario 3 ( how does that happen!)I have my own problems with SMB3 (never played it as a kid, so no nostalgia glasses) so i don't share the notion that someone even daring to criticize such a sacred cow is a blasphemy.
Someone hating on Super Mario 3 ( how does that happen!)I have my own problems with SMB3 (never played it as a kid, so no nostalgia glasses) so i don't share the notion that someone even daring to criticize such a sacred cow is a blasphemy.
From what i remember Lindeman (i think it was him) clearly defined what were his problems when he replayed the game. I see no reason why one should balk at the gall of him daring to express his opinion instead of actually listening to what he is saying.
People may have different opinions than you or me. They also may also be either more shallow than you or much smarter than you. People may come from different cultural backgrounds. There are all kinds of them on the internet.
One can get angry about their "wrong-ness" which is fruitless, or try to embrace the diversity. Vive la difference.
I'm kinda enjoying Kobeskillz's journey through the annals of RFN history. Dr. Metts has a loooooooong history with this site and Nintendo as a while, and he's usually not that negative. I am a Kirby nutcase (heck, I got a forum account JUST so i could do Kirby and the Amazing Mirror Retroactive) and Johnny being critical of Kirby Triple Deluxe by just hearing about what kind of game it is didn't phase me. the gameplay style, as with all games that bud from ideas of Masahiro Sakurai's, are very, VERY flawed, and some people don't get past that, even if the experience has become so polished.Ohhhhh that would make total sense!!!! These games are terrible on the 3DS. The control layout is just plain stupid. I can’t play them at all with that set up.
The SMB3 discussion you're talking about was Lindy not being able to handle the game because of what he later discovered was the 3DS's buttons being tiny for his big old man hands.
I am waiting for when Kobeskillz goes back and listens to 106. or the Muscle March episode.
In this thread alone, we had you, eggface, nintendad and ClexYoshi all expressing frustration with James and his "ways". It's like someone finally saying it has empowered others.The James Jones backlash begins. Very interesting.
:confused; I don't get it?
If my then 4 year old self can pass the game then I’m sure a grown man can find a way. Maybe modern games has really soften him.
I do understand that if you didn’t play these games when they originally came out then it’s not the same and you might be more critical. My little brother in law doesn’t like the old starwars movies because he says the special effects suck and they are slow.
Mmmmm….
If my then 4 year old self can pass the game then I’m sure a grown man can find a way. Maybe modern games has really soften him.
I do understand that if you didn’t play these games when they originally came out then it’s not the same and you might be more critical. My little brother in law doesn’t like the old starwars movies because he says the special effects suck and they are slow.
Mmmmm….
The reason SMB3 was such a pain in the ass was because I was playing it on the original 3DS with its terrible D-Pad, which introduces an intolerable amount of lag in your movements, which have to be extremely precise in that game. On a later episode I try it again using the Wii U's Gamepad and it's great. Still reasonably challenging as you'd expect but not outright impossible in parts thanks to a terrible D-Pad with zero responsiveness.
And if you think modern games have softened me, you apparently haven't come across the many episodes in which I sing the praises of Super Ghouls'n'Ghosts, one of my favorite games ever, or profess my love of competitive online play in first-person shooters that most consider "too hard" or "frustrating".
The NES has some really hard games but Mario 3 isn’t one of them. In fact is really easy. In fact if you know where the flutes are you can skip most of the game and the games gives you power ups galore.That was one of MY problem -- i don't use flutes and generally don't use power-ups. Why would i skip levels -- i payed for this game. And so i played through all levels of SMB3 mostly as small Mario. It was pretty miserable experience.
I do understand that if you didn’t play these games when they originally came out then it’s not the same and you might be more critical. My little brother in law doesn’t like the old starwars movies because he says the special effects suck and they are slow.Here is yet another thing i never experienced as a child. You probably don't want to know what i think of it. ;p
I'm going to be honest. I've listened to RFN for probably 5 years and it was my favorite podcast during most of that run. But I have not listened to the last two episodes and don't plan to listen to any more. James Jones is the reason. I even sent the crew an email a couple months back letting them know I felt James was becoming a problem. Johnny responded and I appreciated that. They even made a quick reference at the beginning of the next show about not yelling at each other which I know was a result of my email.
When Greg left the show, the balance was thrown off because James assumed a more prominent role. If people enjoy listening to him make snarky comments throughout the show, or yelling at others as they try to explain something, then great. I don't. I think it comes off rude and makes it painful to the listener. I hate it because Johnny is probably my favorite Nintendo podcaster out there and I like that Gui is always trying new games, almost always Nintendo related. But James just kills it for me and makes me not want to listen. There are plenty of Nintendo podcasts out there that keep it positive (without the Nintendo worship) that I enjoy much more.
One more thing. I've listened to RFN shows in which James is fine to listen to. You listen to any show in which there is a guest host of someone not from NWR, but the gaming industry, and James is a different person, much more respectful. However it seems on most shows he's intent on playing the role of a troll. The rest of the crew is apparently fine with him being that way because it continues. It's their show so that's cool. It's not for me anymore.
this thread kinda warms my heart and it's not even because of the podcast attached to it. <3
I would like to take this time to say that there are plenty of games that I palyed vanilla back in the day that I would play emulated on any day of the week because I like the crispness higher resolution brings to the pixels, or because I like the rginomics of more modern controllers or such.
Seriously though, Kobe. You -HAVE- to go and listen to episode 106 and then 107 and tell us what you think. those are the finest moments of this podcast.
I'm going to be honest. I've listened to RFN for probably 5 years and it was my favorite podcast during most of that run. But I have not listened to the last two episodes and don't plan to listen to any more. James Jones is the reason. I even sent the crew an email a couple months back letting them know I felt James was becoming a problem. Johnny responded and I appreciated that. They even made a quick reference at the beginning of the next show about not yelling at each other which I know was a result of my email.
When Greg left the show, the balance was thrown off because James assumed a more prominent role. If people enjoy listening to him make snarky comments throughout the show, or yelling at others as they try to explain something, then great. I don't. I think it comes off rude and makes it painful to the listener. I hate it because Johnny is probably my favorite Nintendo podcaster out there and I like that Gui is always trying new games, almost always Nintendo related. But James just kills it for me and makes me not want to listen. There are plenty of Nintendo podcasts out there that keep it positive (without the Nintendo worship) that I enjoy much more.
One more thing. I've listened to RFN shows in which James is fine to listen to. You listen to any show in which there is a guest host of someone not from NWR, but the gaming industry, and James is a different person, much more respectful. However it seems on most shows he's intent on playing the role of a troll. The rest of the crew is apparently fine with him being that way because it continues. It's their show so that's cool. It's not for me anymore.
The New 3DS XL's topscreen was changed from a TN to IPS LCD, while the New 3DS' topscreen was not. It actually does make a pretty big difference; I noticed right out of the box that the top display looked much better on my New 3DS XL (I only found out about the specifics of the switch later). So I think it's got a pretty legitimate claim to best designed 3DS over its smaller variant.
what advantages do those changes bring.
Seriously though, Kobe. You -HAVE- to go and listen to episode 103 and tell us what you think. those are the finest moments of this podcast
Seriously though, Kobe. You -HAVE- to go and listen to episode 103 and tell us what you think. those are the finest moments of this podcast
Fixed that for you. :P: :
but I think his perspective when they discuss business topics in video games is priceless. Him & Lindemann seem to have experience or innate knowledge of the business & economics sides of gaming, but he especially is able to communicate effectively some of the business complexities like no one else on the podcast, where the others have more of a "gamers/consumer" perspective to bring to the conversation.
I appreciate you see it as one of your favorite podcasts going down a path you no longer enjoy because of your perceived increased of James-mania, but I imagine it must be truly demoralizing to be given this kind of feedback for something that's a pretty big optional commitment.
I just want to note that I have seeked help and I don't really jump over tables to assault people anymore.
I personally welcome all feedback, positive or negative. We put RFN out there for public consumption so naturally people are going to have opinions good and bad, and have topics/features/hosts/guests they like and don't like. Even non-constructive trolling usually has a grain of truth to it.Right. Although I wonder how much of the distaste some of the people here are expressing rather rudely at some of us individually is just confirmation bias. One of us says one thing one person doesn't like and all of a sudden, that person is an asshole forever. Maybe try to be more impartial as a listener?
I personally welcome all feedback, positive or negative. We put RFN out there for public consumption so naturally people are going to have opinions good and bad, and have topics/features/hosts/guests they like and don't like. Even non-constructive trolling usually has a grain of truth to it.Right. Although I wonder how much of the distaste some of the people here are expressing rather rudely at some of us individually is just confirmation bias. One of us says one thing one person doesn't like and all of a sudden, that person is an asshole forever. Maybe try to be more impartial as a listener?
I record the podcast, I edit it, and I listen to it afterwards. James has a fairly different personnality from mine, and yet I honestly don't understand how he could get under your skins like that. Yes, bring up Ubisoft, Sega, Sonic or Metroid and you might hear from him, but it's usually one line in a two hour podcast. And in a lot of cases, like when we're discussing "Metroidvania" games during New Business, he's not saying anything at all. So I dunno. Sure, we can all try to not rely on the same jokes over and over again, in order to be a more entertaining, better podcast. But sometimes running jokes work, too, as long as they don't take over the show. I think we're doing fine.
Taking the opportunity to defend myself: in the last 20 episodes, I spoke about 7 2D platformers. Cloudberry Kingdom, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, Wario Land 3, Chariot, Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, Xeodrifter, DK King of Swing. Of those, I'm not sure which ones I'd consider "generic", as they all have something unique going on. And while I know we all like to joke that I love platformers unconditionally, I also know that I was critical of all of these.
That's seven games since November. If that's too much for you: tough. This is a Nintendo podcast. You're gonna have to hear about some 2D platformers.
We record weekly, so there is some pressure to have something new to discuss every week. 2D platformers are usually short, easy to get into, plentiful on the eShop, often have couch co-op, and I like playing them so yeah, I'm gonna talk about them critically. I record this show for myself, and for people who actually like Nintendo games, after all. If others don't care for it, then I'm probably doing something right.
Gui is a man-God with the patience of a saint. He could assert his opinion more forcefully sometimes but I appreciate his restraint too.
James can be tiresome. Not always. Take the note, James. More often, he's good.
Lindy's rogueish, devil-may-care laziness adds a bit of fun and balance. He's best when he's fully engaged and has something of substance to talk about which isn't as often as I would like, but we all got lives and jobs, so whatever.
Jonny is the glue, the captain, the venerable and sage host. Humble, intelligent, innate, irreplaceable. If he can be faulted, it is for not reigning in James during his "low" moments.
Snark for the sake of it is so old and boring. It's not why I listen. Jokes are funny, snark is pointless. And it's cheap, too easy. I expect better and cleverer material, if you're doing material at all. If not, just chat. We like that.
We're all guilty of snark. I get it. It's fun. It takes effort to not just be glib and stupid and trash stuff. Fight it! It's hard but worth it.