In a literal sense, every city in every game is a simulacrum - a simulation of a real thing in a simplified scale.

It isn't technically or artistically realistic that a game could ever simulate a real city at 1:1 scale. Trying to represent a small city would be building a digital Tower of Babylon to capture intricacies of interior spaces, people, and events. Even if someone did do it, without realistically modeling the interaction of these things the entire illusion would fail.

Setting aside the unfathomable scale of the ask, it seems unlikely to produce a game that would be fun to play. I could see someone attempting the task just to brag about it - Team Bondi's infamous working conditions for L.A. Noire seem informative here - it probably wouldn't be any fun. To be clear, I like the game but their "model L.A. at scale" was no way part of the enjoyment.

I would call Pokémon Legends: Z-A's Lumiose City a simulacrum of a simulacrum. It gives the illusion of a city in a game, trying to give the illusion of an actual city. This pantomime polis It's such a miss. Seeing as it is the game's only environment, it is inexcusable that the city isn't more alive.

Jon is out this week, scientists claim he is magnetically repelled by Kirby talk, and we're joined instead by Syrenne. She, Greg, and James spend the entire first half the show today talking about our adventures in Lumiose City. It's got a lot of ideas but many of them don't add up to a coherent whole for our trio.

After a break, we continue the New Business. Gui decided to see exactly how French Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 actually is. Syrenne has impressions of Ghost of Yotei, the sequel to Ghost of Tsushima - this time its personal. She also talks a bit about two recent releases that she worked on: Spooky Express and Dispatch. This somehow leads us down a long conversation about the overall health of the games industry - which is of course absolutely fine and there are no problems.

Somewhere in there we also talk about Sakurai's second hour-long Kirby Air Riders Direct.

They gave him a second direct.

He has had two, uninterrupted, hours to talk about Kirby Air Riders. An entire Radio Free Nintendo's-worth of time has been allocated to this task.

I don't get it either.

• (00:02:33) New Business - Pokemon Legends: Z-A.
• (01:19:14) Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
• (01:42:41) Clair Obscur spoiler starts.
• (01:43:22) Clair Obscur spoiler ends.
• (01:49:57) Ghost of Yotei.
• (01:59:26) Spooky Express, Dispatch, and the state of the games industry.

This episode was edited by Guillaume Veillette. The "Men of Leisure" theme song was produced exclusively for Radio Free Nintendo by Perry Burkum. Hear more at Perry's SoundCloud. The Radio Free Nintendo logo was produced by Connor Strickland. See what he's up to at his website.

This episode's ending music is "Wiping All Out" from Persona 3 Portable. It was selected by Greg. All rights reserved by Atlus Co., Ltd.