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The first of three interviews for the 20th anniversary of Final Fantasy IX is now up via the Final Fantasy Portal Site. Kazuhiko Aoki, the event design and scenario writer for FFIX, is the first to be featured and will be followed by interviews with artist Toshiyuki Itahana, and director Hiroyuki Ito. You can see the full first interview below, courtesy of Gematsu:

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition

System: Switch
Release date: May 29, 2020
Developer: Monolith Soft
Publisher: Nintendo


It’s about time Xenoblade Chronicles got its definitive edition. Its original release at the tail end of the Wii’s life, exacerbated by the game’s staggered international releases, was far from ideal. Even if you got the chance to play the original, one couldn’t help but feel that Monolith Soft was pushing the Wii beyond what it should reasonably be doing. It was an open world JRPG that was a generation ahead of its time on hardware that was a generation behind the times. If you’re anything like me, you revel in watching developers push the technical boundaries of outdated hardware – but I could hardly blame anyone who struggled to embrace Xenoblade’s obvious visual compromises. Years later, the game was ported to New 3DS. Needless to say, while that version is its own kind of low-tech marvel, an even lower resolution screen with even further cut back visuals was far from the ideal way to experience the grand scope of Xenoblade’s world, where life flourishes on the standing corpses of two gods, with people and animal life existing on an almost unimaginably small bacterial scale. Finally, on a system at the height of its life, with revamped graphics – albeit visuals that are still a little soupy as has been characteristic of Monolith Soft’s Switch engine – Xenoblade is poised for success beyond its niche and scattered Wii evangelists.

This week on Nintendo Everything Podcast, we start off with a melodramatic anime opening about Galen traveling during the pandemic. Galen has survived (for now…) and has horrible puns and impressions on Min Min in Smash Bros., while Oni Dino can’t get enough Xenoblade. We then cover recent news, including new details on the soon-to-be-released Paper Mario: The Origami King. Will Origami King avoid gameplay flaws of the past two entries, Sticker Star and Color Splash? We also discuss what frustrations long-time fans feel with modern Paper Mario games. Is the player expectation VS developer intent unfair? And lastly, we share some embarrassing things we did as kids, inspired by video games.

Check out links and timestamps below, and come hang out.

If you’re enjoying NEP, please consider giving us a 5 star review on Apple Podcasts, and share us with a friend. It’s incredibly helpful in getting us exposed to new listeners through algorithms, so we would greatly appreciate your help. Thank you for listening!

Good Job!

Nintendo has made it a habit of teaming up with smaller studios on different Switch games over the past few years. Snipperclips got the ball rolling for the system’s launch, followed by The Stretchers in late 2019. Good Job!, the latest instance of these partnerships, just released a few months ago.

Nintendo partnered with Paladin Studios on Good Job!, which features a slew of objectives and puzzles to complete across a slew of office-themed levels. Many players have been enamored with the game and we’ve been quite curious about how the project happened, so we caught up with both companies to learn more. Producer Takao Nakano from Nintendo of America, director Masataka Takemoto from Nintendo Co., Ltd., as well as lead producer Robert Abercrombie and game director Coen Neessen from Paladin Studios all shared more about the title’s origins, its art style, how the two sides ended up working together, ideas that were ultimately scrapped, and more.

Here’s our full discussion:

A new month rolled right on in earlier this week. Now that we’re in July, we want to know what you’ve been playing.

Have you been giving the new free-to-play game Ninjala a shot? How about some of the other recent releases like Burnout Paradise Remastered? No matter the case, let us know in the comments below.

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Catherine: Full Body

System: Switch
Release date: July 7, 2020
Developer: Atlus
Publisher: Atlus


Atlus is one of the most consistent developers and publishers when it comes to providing unique and quality content thanks to its RPGs that have some of the best storytelling in gaming. Interestingly, even though the company is well-known within the industry and avid RPG fans, it still has a fair share of niche titles that always felt like they deserved more attention such as Trauma Center, Growlanser, and Etrian Odyssey – just to name a few. Even though it’s been re-released before, there’s a surprising amount of people I’ve spoken to that have never heard of or played the game, but now Catherine: Full Body on Switch gives the game another spot in the limelight. Fortunately, Catherine looks and feels better than ever before on Nintendo’s console in a way that feels like a perfect fit.

This week on Nintendo Everything Podcast, it’s a celebration of China with Pokemon Unite and Min Min in Smash. It’s a news-focused episode with game announcements, debuts, updates, and a controversy. Suda51’s pixelated face mimics Andross in the No More Heroes 3 gameplay teaser, but we’re not deterred. We’re also just as unsure as Suda if it’ll release this year. We also celebrate the consumer-positive Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered’s lite version. Have any other games done something this generous before?

Check out links and timestamps below, and come hang out.

If you’re enjoying NEP, please consider giving us a 5 star review on Apple Podcasts, and share us with a friend. It’s incredibly helpful in getting us exposed to new listeners through algorithms, so we would greatly appreciate your help. Thank you for listening!

This week’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate presentation delivered on what was originally promised. In a 35-minute presentation, director Masahiro Sakurai unveiled the game’s newest DLC character. Min Min, coming from ARMS, goes live on June 29.

Sakurai went over Min Min’s moveset in-depth and also showcased the new Spring Stadium stage. Other than that, we also got a first look at the Joker and Hero amiibo. Oh, and Vault Boy is joining the game as a new Mii Fighter costume. Who could have predicted that?

Now that the broadcast has ended, how are you feeling about Min Min’s inclusion in Smash Bros. Ultimate? Were you happy with the choice, or did you want to see a different ARMS character make the cut? Are you planning on picking up the Vault Boy Mii Fighter outfit? Let us know in the comments below.

Mr. Driller DrillLand

System: Switch (eShop)
Release date: June 25, 2020
Developer: Bandai Namco
Publisher: Bandai Namco


Mr. Driller DrillLand is a relic of a lost time. Initially released in 2002 on the GameCube in Japan, this classic entry in the Mr. Driller series is finally arriving in the rest of the world for the first time through this remastered release on Switch. It feels like a swansong to the classic arcade puzzle game formula – it has all the simplicity, penny-pinching difficulty, and endless addictive qualities that have made arcade games so memorable for decades, all polished up to perfection thanks to its immaculate audio-visual presentation and excellent gameplay variety. And with new HD visuals and a few modern adjustments in the Switch version, there’s never been a better time to dig in.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom has gone on to become a fan favorite since its original debut on GameCube back in 2003. Now THQ Nordic and Purple Lamp have brought the game back with a new “Rehydrated” release on Switch, which gives the 3D platformer a fresh coat of paint and more.

Ahead of tomorrow’s release, Nintendo Everything spoke with THQ Nordic producer Martin Kreuch. We spoke about restoring cut content from the original, the new multiplayer mode, working with the speedrunning community, and more.

Here’s our full discussion:


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