8-4 Play
By 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.
Don't you dare punch out of this episode, Maverick! We got heaps of praise for Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, journeys in Silent Hill: Townfall and then we start looking at those Ocarina of Time previews! 00:44 – Nicknames 05:27 – Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve 14:17 – Silent Hill: Townfall 18:42 – Star Wars: Galactic Racer 30:02 – News: Sony done with VR, Ocarina of Time previews, and more!
We dive deep into Well Dweller, the Castlevania: Belmont's Curse demo, and Control Resonant, plus new VR glasses from Meta and more Xbox goings-ons in news. 00:56 — Nicknames 06:32 — Well Dweller 15:48 — Castlevania: Belmont's Curse 25:22 — Control Resonant 44:48 — News: Donald becomes Ronald, Meta VR Glasses, Microsoft, and more!
Best ep of the year streak continues with all killers, no filler: John Linneman, Jason Schreier, Mike McWhertor, Shane Bettenhausen, Jeremy Parish, Chris Kohler and more stop by to talk anything and everything to do with this year's TGS. 01:02 – Intros 15:28 – TGS Merch Haul 24:45 – Castlevania: Belmont's Curse 43:09 – Sonic Pico Park 47:49 – Crazy Taxi: World Tour 53:24 – Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen 55:22 – Control Resonant 1:00:13 – Final Fantasy VII Revelation 1:19:28 – BlizzCon Recap 1:29:19 – Mega Man: Dual Override 1:40:24 – Silent Hill: Townfall 1:44:00 – Cybernetic Attack: Final Mission 1:47:54 – Terranigma 2:05:48 – Kernel Hearts 2:10:52 – Big Walk 2:13:45 – Professor Layton and The New World of Steam 2:20:48 – Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave 2:28:43 – Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve
As the kids say, "nothing but bangers and mash": Zelda, Onimusha, Orbitals, MGS4, Final Fantasy III / VI (?), Star Wars: Zero Company plus everything from the recent Nintendo Directs and State of Play! 01:26 – Nicknames 06:39 – Onimusha: Way of the Sword 17:01 – Final Fantasy VI 25:48 – Big Walk 28:05 – Orbitals 40:44 – Star Wars: Zero Company 49:42 – News: State of Play x2, Nintendo Direct x2, and more!
A tight 60 (ok 70ish) about The Duskbloods network test, Marvel Tōkon, Beast of Reincarnation, and various Gamescom opening night hijinks. 01:08 – Nicknames 03:41 – The Duskbloods 21:20 – Beast of Reincarnation 25:47 – Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls 47:42 – News: Gamescom, Terranigma, and more!
It's a brand new ep with a whole lot of old: two lost Virtual Boy games, a recap of Quintet's SNES hits, and a return trip to Halo with Campaign Evolved. How many Gabes does it take to wreck a Warthog? The answer won't surprise you. Plus week-old news! 01:06 – Nicknames 06:53 – Beast of Reincarnation 16:32 – Zero Racers and Dragon Hopper 36:10 – Halo: Campaign Evolved 47:42 – Quintet Games (Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia, Terranigma, ActRaiser) 1:03:00 – News: Fire Emblem Direct, Final Fantasy VII Revelation DLC, and more!
Ay? Ay! (Have you been playing Splatoon Raiders? Because we sure have!) Plus the latest in the worlds of video game news and sudden Tokyo summer electrical storms. 01:16 — Nicknames 10:00 — Splatoon Raiders 41:24 — News: Microsoft/Sony Network Outage, Capcom Sales, E3 Archives, and more!
It's 8-4 Play's Summer Sale! 25% off hosts! 90% off our usual topics! The death of physical media! More layoffs! And balloon animals for the kids! 01:04 — Nicknames 01:41 — News: Physical Games, Microsoft, and more! 47:21 — Rhythm Heaven Groove
Star Fox, Adventures of Elliot, and a now-quaint lil' discussion on physical games (recorded prior to PlayStation's bombshell announcement). 00:47 – Nicknames 06:47 – Star Fox 19:32 – The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales 28:57 – Microsoft, Steam Machines, GTA 6, and more!
Special guest Robert Ashley stops by to talk about his amazing podcast A Life Well Wasted, old EGM / 1up.com memories, and (as required by law in 2026) AI and Xbox. 00:39 – Nicknames 06:54 – A Life Well Wasted 30:27 – Splatoon 34:41 – News: SGF Recap, Microsoft, Steam Machines and more!
RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES (a couple days ago): Game-by-game-by-game analysis of PlayStation's latest E3 June State of Play, plus…well, mostly that, honestly. 01:44 – Nicknames 13:03 – Sony State of Play
Special guest hosts Snoop Dogg, Seth Rogen, and Willie Nelson celebrate episode #420 by discussing the new Steam controller, Nintendo retirees, and how all our celebrity references are dated af. 01:22 – Nicknames 20:27 – Steam Controller 25:46 – Star Fox 29:20 – News: Nintendo price hikes, XBOX, and more!
Up-to-the-minute Star Fox hot takes, week-or-two-old Saros first impressions, and the ancient mobile flip-phone Japan-only Xenosaga spinoff review you never knew you wanted. 01:10 – Nicknames 06:38 – Star Fox Direct 30:42 – SAROS 41:40 – Xenosaga Pied Piper
17-Bit's Jake and Raj join the crew to chat about dat indie dev life, dat Pragmata life, and dat Tomodachi Life, with a very special message on the dangers of drinking while podcasting. 01:07 – Nicknames 05:13 – Final Fantasy IV 11:30 – Awaysis 37:50 – Tomodachi Life 54:17 – Pragmata 1:00:29 – News: Game Pass price changes, movies based on games, and more!
Do pirates do pilates? Clench your AnEarth and climb Gabe's favorite tower to find out as the crew explores the Switch 2 Edition of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, makes a return trip to Pokopia, dabbles in yet more PC Engine, and debates the latest news and rumors (Star Fox?! Zelda?!?). Plus donuts and ice cream, of course. 00:48 – Nicknames 13:44 – Pokémon Pokopia 19:00 – Super Mario Bros Wonder + Meetup in Bellabel Park 31:33 – Linda Cubed Novelization 33:50 – Final Fantasy IV 41:34 – News: PS5 prices, Nintendo rumors, and more!
Craft yourself a seat by the river and take a load off as we share first thoughts on Pokémon Pokopia, check in on the current state of Monster Hunter Wilds, and catch up on a couple other games + the latest news and Japanese (?) pizza lore. 00:40 – Nicknames 17:44 – Pokemon Pokopia 37:06 – Monster Hunter Wilds 45:00 – DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined 54:36 – Final Fantasy III 59:49 – News: Pokopia is a hit, PSN rebranding, and more!
Th-th-the gang t-t-talks the g-g-good, the bad, and the silly of Resident Evil Requiem, plus more Zelda, Minishoot Adventures, and Project Helix in news. 01:38 – Nicknames 05:55 – The Legend of Zelda 12:47 – Resident Evil Requiem 52:37 – Minishoot Adventures 55:53 – News: Resident Evil Requiem breaks records, Project Helix, and more!
17-Bit's Jake Kazdal stops by to talk Zelda anniversary memories, his upcoming game Awaysis, Virtual Boy do's and don'ts, and all the big news out of Microsoft and PlayStation. 09:58 – The Legend of Zelda 33:34 – Awaysis 53:01 – Virtual Boy 1:01:32 – Nioh 3 1:04:25 – Arc Raiders 1:10:42 – News: Microsoft, Sony State of Play, and more!
Strap on your climbing gear and watch out for vertigo as we scale the dizzying heights of Cairn and plumb the stereoscopic depths of the Virtual Boy. Plus news! 00:58 – Nicknames 06:18 – Blue Prince 16:37 – Cairn 33:30 – Virtual Boy 52:23 – News: Nintendo Direct recap, Steam Machine delayed, and more!
The crew checks in (hotel humor!) on the 3.0 update and Switch 2 version of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the good and bad of Xbox's latest developer direct, and the horrors and sweet, sweet delights of the upcoming Virtual Boy lineup. 03:51 – Animal Crossing: New Horizons 32:31 – News: Nintendo Rumors, Sony Rumors, Resident Evil rumors and more!