We've been keeping busy, Balex of course picked up and polished off Death Stranding 2 real quick, no biggie no biggie. Plus Jerruh playing his Switch 2?! Then we get into all the goodness coming out the rest of the year and give our hype levels for each!
Down a Balex, but spirits are up xD. We got everyone's favorite, Food Talk, and its a hefty one to boot! We do get to some Fast Fusion, which kicks butt and we wrap it with Number Trivia!
Everyone is back and we got ourselves a normie show! Three Switch 2 games including EVERY new Switch 2 game from last week.
You asked for food talk, so hey! We start the show with 10 minutes of it. Then we talk Monster Train 2, Cyberpunk, Raidou Remastered, and Kunitsu-Gami. We also got Perry’s pack battle segment “I Can Quit Anytime That I Want” in there. Nice lil ep!
Balex is MIA, but the OG bois are here to take care of you. We're having a blast with the Switch 2 as we continue our romps through Night City and Mario Kart World!
It's so darn close! But we got a juicy episode to help pass the time. We're talking Fantasy Life I and Shin Megami Tensei V Vengeance. Plus Jerruh got himself into another Pokemon pickle.
Anyone else getting tired of looking at the clock?! So darn close, but in the meantime we got a good one for you guys. We're talking Fantasy Life I and SMTVV. Then ol' Jerruh really dropped the ball, as he tends to do. Won't wanna miss what happened on the latest Pokemon Pickel. Plus another installment of the Game Show Club!!
Just think, this time next week, we'll have those Switch 2's in hand!
Earlier this month, I finally played through Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake on my Switch. Having never played the original, I had two main takeaways. One, this is some of the best looking sprite work I’ve ever seen. Two, like many games from that era, it gets extremely grindy and your choices are to either stick it out or switch to the can’t-die “Dracky Mode” difficulty (I did the latter).
I did this in the wake of a 25-minute demo of Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake on PlayStation 5 at PAX East 2025 earlier this month, as I wanted a frame of reference before finally writing this preview. This is going to be a bit of a different sort of writeup as, mechanically, there’s not a ton to say. To me, what they’re conceptually going for here is a lot more interesting.
Let me explain. In the Dragon Quest I portion of the demo, I went from the starting town into the open field into a cave. I did some battles, walked around, and didn't see much of the new stuff. Hey, it looks amazing. The little tweaks that I could see, such as the ability to fight multiple monsters, seem like a good way to add mechanical complexity to the original title.
II was similarly gorgeous, and it played a lot more like the Dragon Quest III remake – low camera overworld and voiced cutscenes in kind – which is good because, if you’ve played II originally, it’s a fairly polarizing game. II, while not entirely a black sheep on the series, is unforgiving and an awkward halfway between the addictingly grindy Dragon Quest and the more expansive Dragon Quest III.
There’s little you can tell from a few minutes with a game, but if Square Enix gave II the same treatment they gave III which they absolutely seemed to have (increased battle speed, multiple difficulty options, and generally a more comfortable experience overall), then it seems like an ideal way to experience a game many Dragon Quest fans have a complicated relationship with.
Now conceptually, what stood out to me was how the remake’s developers took pains to make I & II feel like a sequel to the III remake that came out last year. III stars Erdrick and acts as a prequel to I & 2, which are led by his descendents. Outside of visual/stylistic parity with III, I & 2 will have new content (both story and gameplay) to tie this remake trilogy together and make the III -> I -> II playthrough feel natural.
A Square Enix representative told me that playing the two upcoming remakes together is roughly equivalent to the length of the Dragon Quest III remake last year (which, if you played on default difficulty, would have taken about 30-40 hours). That same rep got excited when I said the new remake seemed like an opportunity to make Dragon Quest II into an easier hang; to paraphrase, they said the II upgrades/additions were specifically a point of focus for the team.
Today, on Dragon Quest Day, Square Enix announced Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake would come out (including on Switch 2!) on October 30. My surface takeaway of this remake is, “Hey, seems like they did a great job with this one like they did III!” But a bit below the surface, it’s clear Square Enix has grand ambitions for this remake, ambitions that will be worth paying attention to.
As the countdown continues, the boys have been wrapping things up in Xenoblade Chronicles X. Plus Alex has a slew of games he's bringing to the table, as per the ushhh.
The title of this episode was almost “Casey Made Me Edit This Episode” but I’m not feeling so vindictive so we’ll play this one diplomatic, up the middle, something from the stinger.
Pretty good episode again this time, if I remember right? A lil loosey goosey, spinning our wheels a bit as we get closer to Switch 2 time. We talk about Xenoblade Chronicles X, $80 games, Listener Mail (send us more pls), Doom: The Dark Ages, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, and other stuff in the margins like breaking Peppa Pig news.
As the countdown continues, the boys have been wrapping things up in Xenoblade Chronicles X. Plus Alex has a slew of games he's bringing to the table, as per the ushhh.https://t.co/GoARgPfLTvpic.twitter.com/a0kdn1psH2
— Talk Nintendo Podcast (@TalkNintendoPod) May 24, 2025
Mama Mia, look at that episode length! We got everything you could ever want, from Doom to Switch 2 talk!
We start things out with Alex's PAX East report, featuring brief thoughts on the show floor as well as his first impressions demoing Bravely Default on Switch 2! We then kick things over to Perry, who chatted with our bud Kynan Pearson about Donkey Kong (a topic he is VERY qualified to speak on) as well as Switch 2.
In the back half of the show, we chat Doom: The Dark Ages, Who's That Pokemon Card, and...Madea??? What'll they think of next?
On the Nintendo Switch 2’s launch day, they’re putting out the original Bravely Default out in HD, aptly titled “Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster.” This was a 3DS game originally released in 2012 before coming out in the West a year later via a slightly reworked, slightly expanded format.
There’s a whole historical context behind this game and how it originally started as a Final Fantasy spin-off before becoming its own franchise, but I’ll mostly skip that. Wikipedia exists for a reason, and I’m guessing an NWR alum wrote that article and/or video better than I ever could about 47 years ago.
What I will say is that the original Bravely Default is a turn-based JRPG – and a damn good one I hear – that started the whole “Brave/Default” mechanic utilized in several Square Enix RPGs since (such as the Octopath Travelers). While your party fights monsters, you can choose to “Default,” in which you don’t attack and save up a move for a future turn, or “Brave,” which allows you to spend up to three banked turns (four including your current one) to do a bunch of damage against enemies all at once.
There are other intricacies, but all you need to know is that it’s a really cool system that differentiates itself from the meat-and-potatoes aspects of many contemporaries.
I’m interested in this release in part because I’ve played Bravely Default II and Octopath Traveler II but not this predecessor. I hear Bravely Default is a really good time (we have reviews attesting to this) – one of those 70-hour RPGs that evokes SNES-era Final Fantasy while offering its own modern twists. It helps that Flying Fairy HD Remaster is coming out well below “full price” – $40 MSRP in the States – which feels smart and sensible against $70 and $80 first-party releases.
I played Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster during a brief appointment demo during PAX East 2025. I played with Joy-Con 2s in the new grip for the RPG parts, and I played the two new minigames with mouse controls. We weren’t able to play on handheld (only TV), and I’ll note that what I played was a development kit so technically I can’t speak to the Switch 2 final retail experience. Joysticks seem real good though!
I played the first 10 or so minutes of Bravely Default (up through a few random encounters in that first cave) and hey, it looks good. You can tell it’s a remaster of the 3DS game rather than a full on remake (which is totally fine), but it looked sharp and ran great. Because of preview limitations, we weren’t able to take direct or even indirect gameplay to check things out on our end, but it felt like it was running at 60fps (at least). Special shout out to the hand-drawn backgrounds from the original game, which look extra pretty with the enhanced resolution.
Flying Fairy HD Remaster also includes two new minigames that utilize the Switch 2’s mouse controls: Luxencheer Rhythm Catch and Ringabel’s Panic Cruise.
My initial impression of the Switch 2’s mouse functionality is that it seems like every other thing like this Nintendo has done in the last 20 years; on one hand it obviously didn’t feel nearly as good as a standard computer mouse, but on the other, some kids are probably going to get into the Civilization franchise through this control scheme and that’s pretty cool.
Luxencheer plays almost like a take on Theatrhythm where you move the left and right Joy-Con 2s as cheering apparatuses to the rhythm of a few songs, pressing the shoulder buttons once in a while for specific beats. Although it was awkwardly fun and kinetic moving the left and right controllers around a coffee table to catch notes, I can’t really say I felt the “rhythm” piece. I did play on an easier difficulty (I love rhythm games but wanted to be efficient with limited preview time) so maybe harder difficulties will feel better.
Ringabel was more up my alley because it played into the fundamental awkwardness of this control scheme. You pilot an airship in first-person and fly through rings at different elevations while using your mice as hands to control the airship dashboard. The point is to juggle turning the wheel while managing an elevation lever, the occasional valve you need to fix, and various buttons that the game occasionally instructs you to check. It’s silly and overwhelming, and I think this is the one of the two that has party game potential.
These are both fairly small bonuses that act as a nice application of Switch 2 functionality on launch day. It’s not the selling point, but rather a cute little thing. The new release also includes a single-screen UI, the StreetPass mode redesigned with network functionality, and quality of life upgrades such as fast-forwarding.
Here’s all you need to know: on June 5, Square Enix is selling an HD version of a huge, well-received JRPG from the early 3DS era. It’s launching at a pretty good price, and it seems like they did a pretty good job with it. There are still questions about whether every feature from the original game comes back (the spokesperson I spoke with mentioned that there’s more to share RE: some of the early questions folks had), but it seems pretty good!
With Casey out, the boys are all over the joint. We're talking a few Xenoblade Chronicles games, more Switch 2 hype, Ghost Trick, Pokemon cards... you name it.
We ended up with another episode where Alex was on but Casey wasn't (has nothing to do with a restraining order or anything#) but do not fret, Alex and Perry are back for another Classic Episode(tm).
It's so loosey goosey there's not much to timestamp, but we go back and forth between Switch launch stuff, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed, Ghost Trick, Pokemon cards, and a bunch of other junk. Also, HUGE stinger this week (like a third of the show???) so don't miss that.
With Casey out, the boys are all over the joint. We're talking a few Xenoblade Chronicles games, more Switch 2 hype, Ghost Trick, Pokemon cards... you name it.https://t.co/XlfmTZJ7b0pic.twitter.com/hcly8q6MOU
— Talk Nintendo Podcast (@TalkNintendoPod) May 10, 2025
We got ourselves an OG cast this week with Balex out on a work trip. But we're talking about the Switch 2 and how fast it's coming. Plus more XCX as the boys keep chippin' away.
The Switch 2 hype is building, so luckily we have a juicy game like XCX to play in the meantime. Unless you're an animal and beat it in a week like Balex.
Perry and Bal convene to cover a wide range of topics on this week’s show. We got some Mystery History, some Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, some Pokemon TCG Pocket, and moooooooore!!!
Nintendo's finally pulled back the curtains on the Switch 2 and we're talking all about it... 120 fps Metroid?! Plus Perry has a cool interview about the dev of Which Way Up: Galaxy Games.
Oooowwweeeeeee! Nintendo Switch 2 is looking cool and we got some awesome games coming our way soon! We're breaking down the Direct and all the Switch 2 goodness. Plus Perry is sitting down with the developer of Which Way Up: Galaxy Games.
Finally, something other than cards to talk about. Whew!
Jordan “Michael Justin” Rudek joins us this week to do a nice two-parter of a show. Part one, we go into Xenoblade Chronicles X’s latest release on Switch, and go into how much we really like its wabi-sabiness. Then in the back half, we go into our predictions RE: the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct next week. Who will win? Also, thanks to Jordan for coming on this week. He’s real good people.
P.S. We know there was a Direct this week but we're just going to include a couple top headlines in our Switch 2 Direct ep next week. Hope that's okay!!!
Loosey goosey but no less juicy, it's time for TNP!
Kind of a continuation of last week, but we were pretty chill on the mic so it's probably a decent listen. We got more Monster Hunter Wilds, some more Pokemon Shield, some figuring out what's going on with Xenoblade Chronicles X on Switch, some Who's That Pokemon Card?, and maybe a bit more? Iunno.
It's almost funny at this point how hard Alex has to fight to get something other than Pokemon on the podcast. I'm so exhausted.
JUST KIDDING HAHAHA I'VE MADE THEM BOTH INTO POKEFIENDS LIKE MYSELF HAHAHA WELCOME TO THE LOSER'S CLUB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This week! We got a bunch of stuff on the docket including Monster Hunter Wilds, the Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection, Pokemon Sword and Shield, a rip and ship, and more...maybe? I forget, I'm writing this at 6 p.m. on Thursday haha.
OOey boys and girls, we got a big 'ol episode for you today.
Where to start, where to start. We got food talk! We got ripping and shipping! We got Baby Boy Balex giving some quick thoughts on the Pokemon Presents (the boys'll weigh in next week)! And we got gaaaames. Snake Pass, boom. Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, boom. Pokemon Sword and Shield whaaaaaaaat??? Also, our stingers are getting so substantial I'm starting to prefer we call them "encores."
We're talking Pokemon... surprising I know. But that isn't everything, we got some Like A Dragon Pirate talk plus an oldie but a goodie, Snake Pass!https://t.co/X3CDQvMRsapic.twitter.com/5ssJKM8Noq
— Talk Nintendo Podcast (@TalkNintendoPod) March 1, 2025
We're not just a show about Pokemon anymore! We got Monster Hunter Wilds demo impressions, Cult of the Lamb talk and of course talking about the end of Gold Coins!
The boys are all together, and hey, we're trying REALLY hard not to talk about Pokemon.
Did we succeed? No! But we have a much more balanced show this week. After some food chat, we go into game chat including the Monster Hunter Wilds beta and Cult of the Lamb. In the middle of all that (and another Rip & Ship LOL) we talk some news. No more Gold Points, eh?
We're not just a show about Pokemon anymore! We got Monster Hunter Wilds demo impressions, Cult of the Lamb talk and of course talking about the end of Gold Coins!https://t.co/UbrQrTs8c0pic.twitter.com/WZ04XIJwUV
What, a new episode and no new business? You must be crazy!
Instead, the boys convene for a few fun segments. First: Listener Mail! Second: Mystery History! Third: Who’s That Pokemon Card?(!) Then, after the outro, we spend more time talking about our increasingly-insane Pokemon card hobbies. Oh yeah, and Perry sells Casey a pack of Pokemon cards live on the air. Wut?
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