Podcast
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.
- Video Games chart
- #82
- Episodes
- 432
- Releases
- Every two weeks
- Typical length
- 1 hr 10 min
- On air since
- 2010
- Latest episode
- 4 days ago
Episodes
432 episodes, newest first
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1 hr 5 min
8-4 Play 10/30/2026: DO BELMONTS DREAM OF RESORT SPORTS?
Show notes
Don't sleep on this Tight 60™ re: Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, Wii Sports Resort: Switch 2 Edition, Silent Hill: Townfall, and hopefully enough news to earn you the good ending.
01:14 – Nicknames 09:36 – Castlevania: Belmont's Curse 19:22 – Nintendo Switch Sports Resort 27:01 – Silent Hill: Townfall 31:46 – Tales of Eternia Remastered 33:45 – News: BioWare closes, PS6 component prices, and more! 51:44 – (SPOILERS) Resident Evil movie
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57 min
8-4 Play 10/16/2026: BASED COMBAT
Show notes
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!
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1 hr 17 min
8-4 Play 10/2/2026: OLD MCRONALD
Show notes
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!
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2 hr 46 min
8-4 Play 9/18/2026: TOKYO GAME SHOW 2026
Show notes
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
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2 hr 16 min
8-4 Play 9/11/2026: TORNEKO ATSUME
Show notes
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!
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1 hr 10 min
8-4 Play 8/28/2026: SALTY MOONTEARS
Show notes
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!
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1 hr 24 min
8-4 Play 8/14/2026: RED LED REDEMPTION
Show notes
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!
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1 hr 5 min
8-4 Play 7/31/2026: BOOYAH BROTHERS
Show notes
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!
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53 min
8-4 Play 7/17/2026: SCORCHED EARTH
Show notes
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
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1 hr 2 min
8-4 Play 7/3/2026: COCKY LITTLE FREAKS
Show notes
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!
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1 hr 19 min
8-4 Play 6/19/2026: VACATION WELL WASTED
Show notes
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!
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1 hr 6 min
8-4 Play 6/5/2026: BLAME IT ON THE RAIN
Show notes
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
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56 min
8-4 Play 5/22/2026: TOUCHED FUZZY, GOT DIZZY
Show notes
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!
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52 min
8-4 Play 5/8/2026: FANTASTIC MR. STAR FOX
Show notes
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
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1 hr 15 min
8-4 Play 4/24/2026: STROOP, THERE IT IS
Show notes
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!
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1 hr 8 min
8-4 Play 4/10/2026: NOT MY SYRCUS
Show notes
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!
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1 hr 19 min
8-4 Play 3/27/2026: CHAIRING IS CARING
Show notes
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!
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1 hr 12 min
8-4 Play 3/13/2026: ALICE IN CHAINSAWS
Show notes
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!
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1 hr 36 min
8-4 Play 2/27/2026: LEGEND OF AWAYSIS
Show notes
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! -
1 hr 7 min
8-4 Play 2/13/2026: SEEING RED
Show notes
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!
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