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Episode 313: Poseur Theory

by Nicholas Bray, Jonathan Metts, and Guillaume Veillette - November 4, 2012, 12:29 pm EST
Total comments: 13

Nick calls in from the Land of Oz to talk about Nintendo and all the hottest philosophical dilemmas in gaming!

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We've managed to keep a full quartet most weeks since Jon took his indefinite leave, but with James blinking out this week (because sports), we were just glad to have a power trio with Nick Bray as the third leg. It's his first time on RFN, but he's a long-time listener and recently did a superb Goldeneye 007 feature on Connectivity. It might also be the first time we've had someone do the show from Australia! But kicking off the games coverage is Guillaume, who's been playing the Mutant Mudds free DLC stages and finds them to plumb the very limits of the game's ideas. He also discusses a review game called 2 Fast 4 Gnomz, and it turns out this eShop game is much better than its name. Jonny drools over the potent concoction of tactics and simulation in XCOM: Enemy Unknown, while also making significant progress with Final Fantasy V Advance (owing in part to the venerable Game Boy Player). Having warmed up a bit, Nick completes New Business with his mixed thoughts on Mario Party 9, plus the ballyhooed 3DS eShop version of Shin'en's Art of Balance (TOUCH!).

After the break, we catch up on some recent Listener Mail questions. This batch addresses the spotty 3DS Virtual Console selection and a possible cause for optimism with regard to future releases of classic games on this service. Another listener (and burgeoning podcaster) requests help in responding to Internet trolls who put down Nintendo and its fans. The third letter defends a game's authorial intent against publishers, patches, and fans -- we discuss whether this is desirable, or even possible. As always, you can send in more questions for the show, and we will read every one and try to answer as many as possible.

This is the last regular episode of RFN before the telethon. If you haven't yet checked out the 3rd Annual Live NWR Podcast Telethon for Child's Play, don't wait! It's happening over several hours (we hope) on Saturday, November 10. Listen to the live antics, win prizes, call in to talk about Nintendo, and help support a fantastic charity. The special guests are too numerous and awesome to list here, so go check the full list. We'll be back for more RFN in two weeks, but hopefully you'll get the complete telethon records during the interim -- which is no excuse to miss the real thing!

This podcast was edited by Guillaume Veillette.

Music for this episode of Radio Free Nintendo is used with permission from Jason Ricci & New Blood. You can purchase their newest album, Done with the Devil, directly from the record label, Amazon (CD) (MP3), or iTunes, or call your local record store and ask for it!

Additional music for this episode of Radio Free Nintendo is copyrighted to Nintendo and is included under fair use protection.

Talkback

TizonaNovember 04, 2012

Hey guys! Thanks for answering my letter! I'm the guy with the troll infestation.


I play PS3 and PC as much as my Nintendo systems, I really just want to make others understand WHY I like Nintendo so much and it frustrates the hell out of me when I they don't have an open mind.


I'll also admit that to block a listener, even one who drives me nuts, is a tough call for a brand new podcast, with very few listeners to begin with...




Again though, thanks for answering and I'll keep loving what I love and trying to ignore the haters.

Evan_BNovember 04, 2012

I'm a bit surprised by your opinions on the Mutant Mudds DLC. I mean, I loved the hell out of that game in its entirety and was a bit let down by the fact that Grannie was unlocked after beating it, as it is a huge difficulty cushion. But those new levels took everything that should make that character a difficulty cushion and amped it up. Now, none of the levels were as hard as any of Max's levels, but they still had a number of their own, innovative ideas and I thought it was a nice way to end the run of the game. Sixty levels isn't bad at all.

However, we already know of the boss battles making an appearance in Mutant Mudds 2, and I personally hoe that we see three new, different powerups in the game, in addition to some new enemy types. I think that enemies, obstacles, and powerups form the trifecta of difficulty in the first game, especially how V-land and C-lands focus on giving you only one powerup that you need to exploit and throwing more difficult obstacles and enemies in your way to compensate for it. I just hope that same formula is used to create the new games.

I was not so much disappointed with the FREE bonus levels in Mutant Mudds, but I was a little irritated by how relatively easy they seemed. Well designed, don't get me wrong, just...I didn't have real trouble with any of them. Maybe I'm just awesome.

(MAYBE?!)

Killer_Man_JaroTom Malina, Associate Editor (Europe)November 05, 2012

"The Eurocast is getting together for the first time... you'll get to hear lots of funny accents!"

Yeah? Well, maybe our accents are normal and yours is the funny one, Dr. Metts! :P:

CericNovember 05, 2012

Quote from: Killer_Man_Jaro

"The Eurocast is getting together for the first time... you'll get to hear lots of funny accents!"

Yeah? Well, maybe our accents are normal and yours is the funny one, Dr. Metts! :P:

I just assumed I had the funniest Northern/Southern Accent that is going to be on this Live broadcast.  Their now we can all be friends.

Pixelated PixiesNovember 05, 2012

Maybe this is strange, but I really hate my own accent, lol. Imagine a moderate Northern Irish accent with a Belfast intonation, blunted by reading entirely too much Orwell and Hemmingway as a youth, add copious amounts of American TV and the inclination to compensate by overpronouncing, and you have an idea of what my voice sounds like. It's not pretty.

CericNovember 05, 2012

I don't know if you've listen to NFR but I think I sound like a high pitch doll with cotton stuck in its mouth.

I was told that I sound like Kermit the Frog.

TJ SpykeNovember 05, 2012

I usually listen to audio podcasts on my iPod Touch at 2x normal speed, so it is always weird when I hear the voices of the RFN crew at normal speed. LOL

CericNovember 05, 2012

Quote from: Pandareus

I was told that I sound like Kermit the Frog.

It's not easy being green. 
wait don't you live in Quebec which means French.  Which makes that work on a different level.
I think you sound manlier then Kermit.

My own Wife doesn't recognize me on my Podcast...

KDR_11kNovember 06, 2012

Yeah, his name is even the fancy French spelling of William.

CericNovember 06, 2012

Quote from: KDR_11k

Yeah, his name is even the fancy French spelling of William.

Wait Neg-G is a Bubba/Bill/Will.

TJ SpykeNovember 24, 2012

Regarding the price of rating games, it is not tens of thousands of dollars. If a game costs less than $250K to make, the ESRB charges $800 to rate it. If it costs more than $250K to make, then the fee is $2,500. Still, that can be a lot for these obscure Virtual Console games that will not sell well anyways.

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