Topic: Episode 365: Demo Dogma

[Pandareus]

Bravely Default blows our minds, but not enough to further delay our Top 5 Games of 2013!

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/36350

Your four partners in gaming crime are here to celebrate video games for another week! The big story of late is that big, unique demo for Bravely Default. Jonny and James tag up to get very deep, very detailed on this enticing preview of the first huge 3DS release of 2014. If you have no interest at all, this would be a good opportunity to use our chapter system to skip ahead, because we actually spend the bulk of New Business just on this demo! Following is a nice early look at Jon's impressions for the new Zelda, which (like most sane people) he really enjoys. Gui wraps up with his thoughts on a Retro Game Master (Game Center CX) DVD set received for Christmas. It's been a while since we have discussed this unusual and thoroughly fun Japanese TV series, which was the basis for the beloved DS anthology called Retro Game Challenge.

Jon is back in business this week, so we took the opportunity to knock out our annual tradition of listing each person's favorite Nintendo games of the previous year. Despite an uneven year for the company's overall fortunes, we managed to pull together very diverse, very personal lists with no pre-coordination at all. If you've been hankering for more positivity on the show, this segment should do the trick!

We'll probably do a few predictions for the new year on the upcoming episode, as well as catch up on your Listener Mail. And don't forget to be playing F-Zero X and GX -- emotional support for Story Mode can be sought in the RetroActive forum thread!

[azeke]

GameCenter CX is so good. Soooo gooood. SO GOOD.

If you really consider yourself a gamer of any sort you really have to watch it. Like drop everything and start now have to watch it.

Announcer is not just a character. He (Kan, stern-looking dude in glasses) is actually one of main producers of the show. He wasn't even supposed to be narrator, he just started doing it and found out he's great at it.

The best episodes i think is when Arino is playing the game with someone. Recent episode had Arino playing NES Remix and it was amazing. Previously he played Baloon Fight with Iwata.

And episodes with quiz games where entire staff chimes and they split subjects depending what they're into: bikes/motors for Abe, anime for Arino and such. There are very amusing episodes with him playing dating games, or train game.

Games that end in multiplayer sessions are also great: Street Fighter 2, Bomberman on PC Engine.

Power-pad episodes are also very funny because they involved Arino and other stuff doing lots of exhausting physical stuff.

One of the funniest episodes don't even involve much games at all: travel episodes where Arino just goes to places and does his stuff and it is just as entertaining if not more.

As to goty list: it's a huge shame Toki Tori 2 isn't getting more coverage. Absolutely fantastic and very inventive. It's especially bittersweet with recent news that developer of the game had to lay off majority of staff due to game's bad sales.

[Django]

Started Bravely Default yesterday. Great that you spotlight it! 

[Halbred]

Nice to hear some love for PXZ in James' list. It probably would've made my Top Five if I hadn't been hate-playing it for the last third of the game.

[Ceric]

Nice to hear some love for PXZ in James' list. It probably would've made my Top Five if I hadn't been hate-playing it for the last third of the game.

Remember that for Earthbound.

[Jims]

Great to hear that Gui enjoyed Retro Game Master.  He was really right about Arino being sort of an anti-AVGN in terms of how the unfair games affect his mood.  They really keep the situation light and keep cracking jokes about the different situations.  In fact, when they finally subjected him to Battletoads, Arino actually enjoyed it more than most games.  I realize the Japanese version is significantly easier, but man.


It really is a shame that they can't release the arcade trips on DVD (for legal reasons, I think?).  Those are often my favorite segments on that show.  They are charming as hell.

[jarodea]

I'm loving the Bravely Default demo, but I think I'm going to stop playing it until the game comes out.  Even though it is different than the main game I don't like the feeling of finishing a demo desirous to play the game and then having to wait months.

[Soren]

Re: Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. Everything Jonny said is why I've decided to give this game a chance. I really don't care at all about previous Assassin's Creed games, but the chance to be a pirate and all of the battles at sea have me very excited to play it(also,my current employment has me deep into Caribbean pirate lore). I'm very excited for it.

[yoshi1001]

Funny you should compare Arino to the AVGN. I absolutely love the show, however I don't think an English version would do as well-they'd probably want more anger.


GOTY for me is Link Between Worlds, though Mario 3D is close.

[MASB]

Great show guys. I love it when you guys go indepth on one game (in this case, Bravely Default). I've recently gotten into GCCX, so it was interesting to hear Gui's take on it. It's too bad that the DVD set Gui received for Christmas appears to be the only one that will be released overseas.

Note to Gui: Why is it that the silence between the end of the show and the stinger lasts for 20-60 seconds? (In 365's case, 62 seconds). If it's a personal choice, then that's fine. But otherwise, I think the old standby of 5 seconds or so of silence is a good enough demarcation. There's been a few times in the past where I thought a stinger was surely coming, but I wasn't sure.

[Pandareus]

I admit I'm not following any protocol for that. It depends on a combination of factors, based on what zoom level I'm looking at the tracks with in Audacity, how much I want people to actually hear the zinger/bonus talk, and how sick I am of editing/how quickly I'm expediting the last few touches to be done. ;-)

[eggface123]

OH James Joooooooooonnnness! LOL OMG RMFOLOL! James Joooooooooonnnes!

[Crimm]

Uh, hi?

[Weetrick]

I think you guys brushed over my favorite thing about about the BD demo - the extensive amount of customizable settings. Battle speed, encounter rate and game difficulty can all be changed on the fly.


I don't finish many JRPGs, but these settings make it very likely for me to finish BD. About to die? Turn off encounters until reaching an Inn. Need to grind? Double the encounter rate and quadruple the battle speed! I've never seen these options in another JRPG. Bravely Default may be old-school, but it has very modern, player-friendly features.




On a side note, I was very happy to hear Attack of the Friday Monsters get some love. Glad I'm not the only one who found it top 5 worthy.

[TheXenocide]

I tracked down a copy of retro game challenge after listening to this episode on my way to work! Likely wont play it until tomorrow, but you guys make it sound right up my alley!

[azeke]

I tracked down a copy of retro game challenge after listening to this episode on my way to work! Likely wont play it until tomorrow, but you guys make it sound right up my alley!

Game is different from the show (obviously).

You're playing bunch of made-up games basically going for sets of achievements.

It's very much like recent NES Remix i guess -- i am guessing Nintendo liked this idea enough to contract same developer to do the same with their own real games.

[Weetrick]

I tracked down a copy of retro game challenge after listening to this episode on my way to work! Likely wont play it until tomorrow, but you guys make it sound right up my alley!

Retro Game Challenge is so SO good.

[MASB]

Ah. Thanks for explaining Gui. I understand you just have to get it out the door sometimes and can't get too picky.

OH James Joooooooooonnnness! LOL OMG RMFOLOL! James Joooooooooonnnes!

Sarah from Iowa City has joined the forums? Welcome!

[Crimm]

Sarah from Iowa City has joined the forums? Welcome!

Yeah, he was community manager for a while.