8-4 Play 1/26/2024: PALS WITH BENEFITS

·1 hr 4 min·5 clips

The 8-4 Play crew is back in the same room, wrestling with mic issues and welcoming a prodigal member back to Japan.

The episode opens with host Mark MacDonald and the crew celebrating their return to recording together in the same room after a hiatus. They introduce the panel: John Ricciardi, Tina, Gabe, and returning member Dermot Cregan. The first segment covers upcoming video game concerts, including a Nier concert in LA with new English voice work, a Zelda concert rescheduled after a bomb threat, and an Undertale concert in Tokyo. Dermot explains his return to Japan after working at The Pokémon Company International in Seattle, where he edited games like Scarlet and Violet and named the Pokémon Fidough. He surprises the group by revealing he wrote a young adult romance novel during COVID. The conversation shifts to recent games, with John and Gabe sharing early thoughts on Yakuza: Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth, noting its dynamic turn-based combat and high review scores. They briefly touch on Star Ocean: The Second Story R and Another Code: Recollection. The bulk of the discussion focuses on Pal World, describing its gameplay as a survival game with Pokémon-like creatures, base building, and gunplay. They debate the ethical and legal implications of its design similarities to Pokémon, referencing model overlaps and public reaction. The news segment highlights events like Awesome Games Done Quick, an Xbox Developer Direct featuring Indiana Jones, and Elden Ring DLC rumors. The episode closes with Dermot giving the outro, marking his full return to the show.

As heard by us

A loose same-room return, centered on Yakuza 8's combat feel and story catch-up.

8-4 Play returns to a same-room, sort-of live setup, with Mark Gingrich of McDonald guiding a five-person recording that keeps folding a microphone problem back into the joke.

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Why you'd press play

Want Yakuza 8 talk where a perfectly timed parry leads straight into the question of how much backstory the game gives you?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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