8-4 Play

8-4, Ltd.

Every other week, tune into 8-4 Play for talk about Japan, video games, and Japanese video games, straight from the 8-4 offices in beautiful downtown Tokyo.

Subscribe Listen in podnod RSS feed Show website

425 episodes
Updated Friday
Explicit

Episodes425

Newest first

Aug 12, 2011 · 1 hr 43 min
8-4 Play 8/12/2011: ALL NEWS IS GOOD NEWS
In which our heroes discuss: Armored Core V and Dark Souls pushed back, Xenoblade Chronicles moved up, PlayStation Vita coming right on time (sorta), 3DS sales rising (used), 3DS sales falling (new), 3DS sales rising again (post-price drop), addiction to EVO streams, ham withdrawal, what's good about Peter Moore, what's bad about Skyrim, who and what will and won't be at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show, and pictures of your Love Plus girlfriend in her santa outfit.
Jul 29, 2011 · 1 hr 28 min
8-4 Play 7/29/2011: $169.99
Yes, we eventually talk about Rhythm Heaven for the Wii, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, Groove Coaster, From Dust, Phantasy Star Online 2, Irem's apparent demise, Mega Man Legends 3's definite demise and so on, but mostly this episode is all about Nintendo's embattled 3DS handheld and just about every aspect of the news surrounding its upcoming price drop, complete with color commentary from discount-expert Mr. CheapyD of CheapAssGamer.com fame.
Jul 15, 2011 · 2 hr 31 min
8-4 Play 7/15/2011: ¡QUE MAGNIFICO!
Played Shadows of the Damned? You should! Why? 1) Read the reviews, it's a great game! 2) We here at 8-4 worked on it! 3) Oh yeah, so did some other guys, Suda 51 and Shinji Mikami. 4) You will enjoy this podcast a helluvalot more, since we discuss the soundtrack with legendary game musician Akira Yamaoka and talk shop about creating the script. When you tire of our self-congratulatory nonsense, there's plenty more chit-chat about Xenoblade, PS4 motion controls, Dragon's Crown, Final Fantasies XIII-2 and Theatrhythm, and more. Do me, do m—er, do it!
Jul 1, 2011 · 2 hr
8-4 Play 7/1/2011: TOO HOT FOR TV
Frankly, it's too damn hot in Tokyo to spend much energy writing up a fancy description of our latest episode, so let's just cut the crap, OK? We talk about Operation Rainfall's attempt to bring Wii JRPGs to the West, Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D save file-gate, Journey (the game and the band), Wii U, famed game director Yasumi Matsuno moving to developer Level-5, yadda yadda yadda. Get it? Got it? Good.
Jun 17, 2011 · 2 hr 17 min
8-4 Play 6/17/2011: CHILD OF MIZUGUCHI
Child of Eden is finally out, and who better to discuss it with than Q Entertainment's own James "Milkman" Mielke? Fresh from LA, the former EGM editor-in-chief and 1up.com superstar joins us as we talk about Tetsuya Mizuguchi's latest opus, the big three's E3 press conferences, hands-on impressions of Wii U and PS Vita, and more. Hosted by internet celebrity and 8-4 superfriend David "CheapyD" Abrams of CheapAssGamer.com!
Jun 3, 2011 · 2 hr 12 min
8-4 Play 6/3/2011: E3 COMETH
E3 is almost here! Join us for one last round of rumor-mongering and baseless speculation on what'll go down at next week's big event. Former 8-4 intern and Resident Evil superfan Alex "cvxfreak" Aniel joins us to talk about Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, Kojima Productions' pre-E3 announcements, the merits (or lack thereof?) of calling your handheld "Vita," and our very own E3 predictions.
May 20, 2011 · 2 hr 22 min
8-4 Play 5/23/2011: PRE-PRE-E3 SPECIAL
With E3 approaching quick, the 8-4 crew are buried in all manner of pre-expo prep work -- they've hardly had time to think about any other of them vidja games, much less play them. But when has that ever stopped them from talking about them?! Tune in for thoughts -- and maybe a feeling or two -- about PSN's revival (outside of Japan), Namco's new Soul Calibur game and Tekken movie, Modern Warfare's leaks, Square Enix's financial woes, Love Plus's boyfriend lock, PLUS: Download now and get a brand new, fresh-from-the-oven 25-minute bonus segment discussing Sony's "PSP Remaster" series!
May 6, 2011 · 2 hr 18 min
8-4 Play 5/6/2011: WII 2, PSN 0
Bin Laden is dead. The galaxy is at peace. What better way to celebrate than with 8-4 Play and a ton more talk about Nintendo's Wii successor and Sony's ongoing PSN woes? To help brief us on the latest intel, we called in former US Navy Seals Shane "Bill Rizer" Bettenhausen and Evan "Lance Bean" Shamoon, who also share thoughts on Portal 2, the new Sony tablets, El Shaddai, and Sonic's legitimacy (or lack thereof?).
Apr 22, 2011 · 2 hr 16 min
8-4 Play 4/22/2011: PROJECT CAFÉ OLÉ
What's this? An episode of 8-4 Play where the crew actually talks about what they do all day: game translatin'? Believe it, spoony bard! Localization legend Richard Honeywood, he of such Square Enix favorites as Xenogears, Chrono Cross, and Dragon Quest VIII, joins us to talk shop, 64DD development, and being best buds (well, buds) with Nintendo prez Satoru Iwata. And speaking of Nintendo -- did someone say Project Cafe? Tune in for idle speculation on the big N's rumored Wii successor system, along with thoughts on Capcom's Captivate games, Sonic Generations, and plenty more.
Apr 8, 2011 · 1 hr 39 min
8-4 Play 4/8/2011: POWER TO THE PEOPLE
In this very special episode of 8-4 Play, we recap our live-to-tape hosting of the Grasstream2 Japanese tsunami relief charity event, put on by the good people at famed developer Grasshopper Manufacture. You will (hopefully) laugh, you will (probably) cry, and in the end, you might just learn something -- about Pandora's Tower, Hip Tanaka, Yakuza of the End, and how you (yes, you!) can help Japan recover via gaming. Let's listening!
Mar 25, 2011 · 1 hr 50 min
8-4 Play 3/25/2011: AFTER THE QUAKE
A lot has happened in the four weeks since our last episode. The Game Developer's Conference came and went, Charlie Sheen jumped the tiger-shark (-blood...or whatever), Winter gave way to Spring, and the largest earthquake in Japan's recorded history rocked our tiny island home. But the show must go on, as they say, and so the 8-4 five are back in action with personal quake stories, first-month 3DS reflections, early thoughts on Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, the month in news, and more.
Feb 26, 2011 · 1 hr 22 min
8-4 Play 2/26/2011: NINTENDO 3DS LAUNCH SPECIAL
The Nintendo 3DS is out in Japan, and the 8-4 crew is back from launch morning chaos with a pile of brand new 3DS gear and a bevy of special guests ready to give hands-on impressions, including Brad Douglas of Sony (shock!) and Che Chou of Microsoft (awe!). Tune in for first thoughts on the hardware, the games, the 3D camera, the AR cards, and much, much more.
Feb 18, 2011 · 1 hr 58 min
8-4 Play 2/18/2011: SGT. PEPPY'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND
Pop quiz: What do Cave Story, Catherine, Dead Space, Dead Island, Hard Corps, Dark Souls, Butt-head, Tactics Ogre, Super Bowl Monday, Ys, the 1979 Iranian revolution, Dragon Quest, Haruki "Peppy" Epperson, Billy Mitchell, and Voltron have in common? Give up? ...Nothing! Except that they're all topics discussed during this super random episode of 8-4 Play. Enjoy!
Jan 28, 2011 · 2 hr 1 min
8-4 Play 1/28/2011: BY THE POWER OF THE PSP2
PSP2...NGP...whatever you want to call it, Sony's new handheld has the gaming world in a tizzy, and we've got just the thing to satisfy your next-generation portable cravings: two hours of hardcore, hands-on impressions fresh from Sony's PlayStation Meeting 2011 in Tokyo. Matt Leone of 1UP, Phil Kollar from Game Informer, and podcast phenom Shane "El Shaddai" Bettenhausen join the 8-4 crew for a heated rundown of the games, the hardware, predictions for the future, and much, much more.
Jan 13, 2011 · 2 hr 15 min
8-4 Play 1/13/2011: NOT FOR CHILDREN UNDER 6
Live in Tokyo, do you? And you attended Nintendo's recent 3DS event? ...So you know everything there is to know about the upcoming glasses-free 3D handheld? Fine then, don't listen to this podcast. The rest of us will tune in to hear the 8-4 crew's full report on Nintendo World 2011, including first-hand impressions of playable games like Kid Icarus, Pilotwings, Resident Evil, etc. and thoughts on the launch lineup, bundled software, battery life, stage shows, ceiling Miyamoto, glory holes -- even the friggin' Virtual Boy fer cryin' out loud.
Jan 6, 2011 · 1 hr 27 min
8-4 Play 1/6/2011: SURRENDER! OR I WILL CONQUER YOU!!
After an extended holiday break filled with snow, sake, and SASUKE! (look it up), the 8-4-some is back and they got some 'splainin' to do! (:LAUGHTER:) Good thing former EGM and Turn 10 hipster Che "China Warrior" Chou joins in to talk iPhone game shame, his personal wall of give a s*** -- basically ANYTHING but his current workplace (Microsoft's 343 Industries) and their shadowy Halo project. Come for the New Year's cards, stay to hear what a former Forza guy thinks of Gran Turismo 5 (oh no he de-ent!). (:LAUGHTER:)
Dec 10, 2010 · 1 hr 48 min
8-4 Play 12/10/2010: JUMP THE SHARQ
Let's make this perfectly clear: Like Kinect, sauerkraut, and inverted controls, this special holiday episode of 8-4 Play is not for everyone. How can you know? Take our simple quiz: 1. Do you enjoy Monster Hunter? 2. Are you curious about Monster Hunter? 3. Would you like to hear almost two hours of talk about one of Japan's biggest gaming franchises in the last decade? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, enjoy. If not, please listen to an older episode again and let's just forget this ever happened.
Nov 25, 2010 · 2 hr 6 min
8-4 Play 11/26/2010: MERRY THANKSGIVING GET!
In Tokyo, the holiday season brings a mix of imported Western traditions and uniquely Japanese flavors (Google "Japan KFC Christmas" if you don't know what we mean), so that's exactly what this T-day episode of 8-4 Play delivers. A rundown on the best Black Friday gaming deals one minute, a detailed explanation of table-flipping arcade title Cho-Chabudai Gaeshi the next. Hardcore Final Fantasy IV: The After Years and Tactics Ogre talk here, ultra-casual Pac-Man: Championship Edition DX and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood chat there. As special guest CheapyD of cheapassgamer.com would say: "There you go!"
Nov 12, 2010 · 1 hr 18 min
8-4 Play 11/12/2010: JACK IT TO HARD
The 8-4 crew's too busy working on next year's games to have much time for this year's offerings, so they called in intern Alex "cvxfreak" Aniel to help discuss everything they wish they were playing (but mostly aren't). Tune in for baseless, uninformed talk about Donkey Kong Country Returns, Kinect, Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, Vanquish, 25th Anniversary Super Mario Bros., and (as required by law) Call of Duty: Black Ops, not to mention the usual chit-chat on the latest news out of Japan (Inafune quits! Mikami gets bought! Uniqlo makes t-shirts!). As a great fairy once said: "LISTEN!"
Oct 28, 2010 · 3 hr 7 min
8-4 Play 10/28/2010: SUPER GAME MASTERS
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the NES, 8-4 invites retro gaming legend Kevin "tsr" Gifford, founder of tsr's NES archive and keeper of the world's largest collection of obscure game knowledge, to take us back (back... back...) to the 80s to talk about the birth of the era's most popular 8-Bit system. But before that, listen to round-ups of the recent Level-5 and Grasshopper events in Japan, thoughts on Costume Quest, Vanquish, Limbo, La Mulana, and Game Dev Story, and the sad tale of Mr. Gifford's epic attempt to clear the Tower of Druaga on a single coin...