8-4 Play
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.
Episodes
Linda Cubed, DQ7 Reimagined, Castlevania 64, and Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance highlight a mish-mash of new and old impressions alongside the latest news as we kick off 2026 for the second time with a respectable Tight 79!
01:15 – Nicknames
07:00 – Linda Cubed
19:28 – Dragon Quest VII Reimagined Demo
27:27 – Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
37:28 – Castlevania 64 (MASSIVE SPOILERS!)
47:43 – News (AGDQ, Nintendo's Year in Review, and m...
Friend of the show and former EGM editor Che Chou joins us to ring in 2026 with another freeform Q&A ep fueled by bourbon and filled with New Year's resolutions, holiday memories, GOTY talk, and Cybermorph. HNY!
Time — Topic Discussed
11:40 – Listener Questions
Ring in the holidays with extended Metroid Prime 4 thoughts and an audio tour of the Nintendo Museum's new art exhibit, plus Game Awards recap / reax in news!
Time — Topic Discussed
01:06 – Nicknames
25:00 – Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
51:25 – News: The Game Awards, SEGA Channel games preserved, and more!
With Metroid Prime 4 dropping mere hours before we recorded, we went for the next best thing: a bunch of games from the late 90s! Tune in for talk of Analogue 3D, Radiant Silvergun, Viewpoint 2064, 2D gaming on the PS1, and more—plus some current-century stuff like Ball x Pit and Lumines Arise.
Time — Topic Discussed
01:00 – Nicknames
05:42 – Radiant Silvergun
13:15 – Viewpoint 2064
21:30 – Analogue 3D
39:48 – Nicknames
42:44 – B...
Lumines (loo-meh-nez) Arise, new Hyrule Warriors, Game Awards noms, Metroid Prime 4 hopes and fears, new Steam hardware (x3) and more!
00:45 – Nicknames
13:20 – Lumines: Arise
20:32 – Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
33:11 – News: The Game Awards, Super Mario Galaxy movie, and more!
Hear all about (deep breath) Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake (exhale) and the A-Z of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, with a side of Nintendo news and Halloween in Japan.
Time — Topic Discussed
00:47 – Nicknames
17:30 – DRAGON QUEST I & II HD-2D Remake
25:31 – Pokémon Legends: Z-A
35:00 – News: Nintendo Switch 2 sales, Animal Crossing updates, Halo on PlayStation, and more!
1UP Show memories, Hollow Knight 2, Little Nightmares 3, Ninja Gaiden 4, FIIIIIVE GOLD-EN! RINGS!! Plus more FFT, RIP Itagaki-san, and a buncha news.
Time — Topic Discussed
00:00 – Nicknames
09:32 – Hollow Knight: Silksong
17:21 – Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles
20:59 – Little Nightmares 3
26:25 – Ninja Gaiden 4
30:00 – News: Remembering Itagaki-san, The 1UP Show's 20th anniversary, and more!
Clutch your digiballs and sharpen your sickles as we dive into Silent Hill f, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, Digimon Story Time Stranger, Mario Galaxy 1&2, a bunch of obscure Alfa System games, the latest news, and more!
Time — Topic Discussed
00:37 – Nicknames
08:49 – Silent Hill f
33:38 – Oreshika & Gunparade March
44:55 – Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles
1:05:12 – Digimon Story Time Stranger
1:13:...
It's our favorite time of year: Tokyo Game Show! A cavalcade of special guests pop through to talk about everything we saw at and around day 1 of the show, including Marvel Tokon, Onimusha, RE9, Yakuza Kiwami 3, Age of Imprisonment, Nioh 3, Ghost of Yotei, Dragon Quest 1&2, and lots more!
Time — Topic Discussed
04:48 – TGS Vibes & Merch
08:42 – CAPCOM (Pragmata, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Resident Evil Requiem)
20:38 – Indies (Dem...
Get your canned beverage of choice and your ticket for the green car -- it's time to board the bullet train for TGS! For the ride over, we've got a Tight 60 filled with Silksong impressions and a breakdown of all the big news out of last week's mega-sized Nintendo Direct.
Time — Topic Discussed
00:48 – Nicknames
07:37 – Hollow Knight: Silksong
24:43 – Earthion
27:23 – News: Nintendo Direct, TGS leaks, and more!
Turn down the Silksong BGM and turn UP the talk about Metal Gear Solid Delta, the Lumines Arise demo, Exit 8 and Platform 8, and a whole buncha news.
Time — Topic Discussed
00:52 — Nicknames
03:32 — Exit 8 and Platform 8
19:50 — Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
30:50 — Lumines Arise demo
45:16 — News: Nintendo Direct rumors, PS6 rumors, and more!
UFO 50 (buy it!), Mina the Hollower demo (try it!), Neorude (look it up!), Phantasy Star IV (dust it off!), Off (turn it on!), and a whole messa news (listen to it!)
Time – Topic Discussed
01:14 – Nicknames
08:36 – Mina the Hollower impressions
16:11 – UFO 50
31:00 – Neorude The Leading RPG
33:51 – Phantasy Star IV
38:37 – OFF
44:16 – News: Opening Night Live, Kirby Air Riders Direct, and more!
Oops, all games! The Adventures of Elliot, Rematch, Mario Paint, Lunar 2, Earthion, Shin-Chan Summer Vacation, Shinobi, Ninja Gaiden, Dyson Sphere Program (the game, not the vacuum), and news!
Time Read more
Roy joins to peel back Donkey Kong Bananza, go crazy on Monster Hunter Wilds DLC, and...talk about...Death Stranding 2; also Zelda movie casting, Xbox retreating from $80 games, Switch 2 sales and more!
Time — Topic Discussed
02:04 — Nicknames
09:50 — Donkey Kong Bananza
23:42 — Death Stranding 2
34:31 — Sweet Home
44:22 — News
Mark returns to hawk Lumines Arise and talk about 'Jima's latest, Death Stranding 2; also, Blue Prince bingo speed runs, all that :gestures: Xbox stuff, and obscure Famicom and PC Engine games (because JP)
Time — Topic Discussed
01:41 — PC Engine Talk
16:04 — Death Stranding 2
29:20 — Sweet Home
45:01 — News
Summer is the time for love, Takarazuka, and Death Stranding 2 early access. Plus the latest Switch 2 impressions, Japan life updates, and thoughts on the DK Direct.
00:58 – Nicknames
12:36 – Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
27:30 – Grandia
33:54 – Mario Kart World
54:09 – News: Donkey Kong Bananza Direct, Marathon delayed, and more!
One week and three and a half million units later, tune in to hear the crew's first hands-on impressions of Switch 2 and all the excitement surrounding the launch in Japan, plus the latest news out of Summer Game Fest, State of Play, the Xbox Games Showcase, and more!
Time — Topic Discussed
00:52 – Nicknames
05:38 – Nintendo Switch 2
13:04 – Mario Kart World
27:20 – Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour
34:28.– The Legend of Zelda: The ...
With The Second Coming upon us, Digital Foundry's John Linneman joins us for an exhaustive chat through the tech driving Nintendo's new hardware, including a few key lingering questions…
Time — Topic Discussed
00:46 – Nicknames
18:56 – Switch 2 Talk
1:04:16 – FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time
1:13:08 – Luigi's Mansion 3
1:14:33 – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
1:16:27 – Blue Prince
1:21:34 – Doom: The Dark Ages
Tide yourself over this dry spell before the Summer Game Fest feast with (still tasty!) leftovers of Clair Obscur and Blue Prince, plus morsels on gaming media woes and EVO Japan bits in news.
Time — Topic Discussed
01:21 – Nicknames
09:30 – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
15:34 – Blue Prince
19:20 – Blue Prince Spoilers Start
23:41 – Blue Prince Spoilers End
27:34 – News: Giant Bomb, the latest in Switch 2, EVO Japan and more!
Golden Week? This year it's more of a Golden Weekend, sadly, but that hasn't stopped us from putting our vacations on pause to share impressions of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Mario Kart World, and our Switch 2 preorder experiences. Plus news!
Time — Topic Discussed
01:00 – Nicknames
05:54 – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
28:39 – Mario Kart World
39:25 – News: Switch 2 pre-orders, 8bitdo cancels US shipments, and more!
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