Episode 87: A Pirate's Life for Me

Before we set sail into 2015, let’s spend a little time with belly dancer-turned-pirate Shantae. In this episode of the Random Nintendo Podcast, we share our full impressions of her latest adventure, Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse. We also round up all the news from Shigeru Miyamoto’s recent YouTube interviews, discuss the continuing trials and tribulations of Amiibo collecting, and cover fresh details on the likes of Splatoon and Kirby and the Rainbow Curse. Plus, we pick our favorite games of 2014. Oh, and did we mention that we raised a digital baby in the 3DS’s I Love My Little Girl? Because we totally did and we have lots to say about it.

What were your top games of the year? Let us know in the comments below! With 2014 coming to a close, we’d also like to hear your general thoughts on this past year of episodes. Feel free to leave a comment, tweet us @RandomNintendo, or post a review (and subscribe!) on iTunes.

As always, we’ve included links below for more information on all the news and games discussed in this episode. Each link also lists a timestamp so you can easily locate the segments that most interest you. Enjoy!

News

Games

9 Comments

    1. I think previously I mentioned that Rosalina is the only one I haven’t been able to get a hold of. Target’s situation is strange since as far as I can tell and I’m sure you have too that it has never gone up for pre order, just listed as sold out or unavailable. According to Target customer service, their site accidentally put up Rosalina for about 40 mins and few people were able to pre order it before they pulled it. It sounds like they are going to leave that figure for the hunters, which is a shame. So if I said I had them all pre ordered, it excluded Rosalina since Target never really gave anyone a chance. 🙂 Wish you luck getting one, as I’m sure I will need some too.

  1. Hi Guys!

    Thanks as always for another fantastic Podcast! I’ve loved the show this year and appreciated all the effort you’ve put into it. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2015!

    I’ve no doubt Nintendo will have a great year in 2015, arguably better than the one they had this year. Still, my favorite games of 2014 were Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS, Hyrule Warriors, and Fantasy Life. (If you haven’t gotten a chance to play Fantasy Life, its REALLY good.)

    Anyways, I’m really looking forward to Yoshi’s Woolly World, Xenoblade Chronicles X, and The Legend of Zelda being my top games for next year.

    Thanks again for all the great podcast this year! (Random Nintendo’s become my favorite podcast.) See you guys next year!

    1. Thanks, Satoshi! It’s funny that you mention Fantasy Life, I’ve been considering picking it lately. I heard the writing is really well done. Any particular jobs you recommend within the game?

      And yes, 2015 is looking to be a pretty awesome year. Zelda in particular looks great.

  2. Hi Jason.

    First off, you should most definitely pick up Fantasy Life. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the game. The characters, writing, and story are all good. I’m just shy of 90 hours of playtime and I haven’t even started the DLC yet. Almost any Life is good to play. I’m a “Master” in five of them and a step higher in three of the five to “Hero.” Paladin and Hunter are probably really good if you’re just starting out, but even some of the less impressive sounding ones like Blacksmith and Miner are really fun too. The only one I’d say is maybe a little harder in the beginning is Alchemist, it takes a lot of material gathering to be proficient in. But anyways, if you get a chance, give it a shot. I’d love to know what you think of it.

    Oh and I wanted to tell you too, I agree with you. For me, of the Wii U games, I found the scope of Mario Kart 8 is what made it the most impressive game of the year. It was such a huge step up from any previous version. Plus, while Smash Bros. on Wii U is fantastic, I kind of felt like I’d seen it all already since the 3DS version released first.

    Sorry last thing, Chrono Cross is “spiritual successor” to Chrono Trigger. It has a few and really a very few of the same elements, but they are generally entirely different games. *Spoilers* The cast of the original Chrono Trigger only show up in the background in child form in one spot in the game. Otherwise, there’s any entirely new cast. And if you haven’t played them, both games are absolutely fantastic! Chrono Trigger may arguably be the BEST RPG ever made (I certainly think it is), but I personally have a soft-spot for Chrono Cross.

    1. Appreciate the suggestions! I’ll be sure to give my impressions when I get around to picking up Fantasy Life.

      I think you hit the nail on the head with Mario Kart 8 in a way I couldn’t quite find the wording for during the podcast. It really feels like a much bigger jump from previous Mario Karts than Smash on Wii U does from Brawl.

      Also, thanks for the Chrono Cross info. It’s one of those franchises I’ve heard a lot about, but never tried (I should probably change that at some point).

    2. Sorry to intrude,

      Always wondered what the relation between the Chrono games was. I could definitely see myself playing it one day(Chrono Trigger that is).

      I don’t know lol Obviously because I am more biased towards Smash, but I still think there were more changes between Brawl to 4 than there were from 7 to 8, but debating on the technical level is pointless since the majority of people don’t even play games very competitively, which makes a lot of changes kinda pointless. On a surface level, the anti-gravity mechanic looks like a huge change while Smash appears unchanged with the exception of 8 player smash. Which unlike Mario Karts anti gravity, I feel impacts the gameplay much more. It introduces more ways to play when teaming up is thrown in, while all mario kart 8 really added was bumping into people and certain objects for a boost. Don’t get me wrong, I still love mario kart 8 a ton.

      I also I see the Wii U and 3DS version as one game. I start on the Wii U, then continue on the 3DS and then back to Wii U when I return home. Considering how everything you learn applies to the other, just makes them feel that much more connected. A perfect world where there is always a way to play Smash no matter where you are has been realized. 🙂

  3. Hi Jason and Jose.

    First off, Jose its not an intrusion at all, I’m very happy to talk to you both of you. 🙂 I’m sorry its taken me a few days to respond too, I’ve been having computer problems.

    Okay, Jason, if you do get around to it, both Fantasy Life and Chrono Trigger (or Chrono Cross) are both absolutely worth the time. I’ve been playing a lot of Fantasy Life the last few days. I’m currently sitting at 105+ hours. I really would love to hear what you think of the game(s) if you do manage to find the time. (Its okay if you don’t, all those games are time consuming.)

    And Jose, definitely play Chrono Trigger! Its probably the best RPG ever made, it really did have the RPG “dream-team” making it. Hironobu Sakaguchi (Final Fantasy), Yuji Horii (Dragon Quest), Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy’s music), and Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball). And there really isn’t much of a relation between the games besides a few scenes involving some things from Chrono Trigger in Chrono Cross. Chrono Cross just a huge departure from the original idea/story of Chrono Trigger. Its good, just a bit of a let down in that Chrono and the gang are really in it. Oh, and as far as games go, Chrono Trigger (16-bit sprites) has aged FAR better than Chrono Cross (late PS1-era polygons.) And I’m sorry, without listing spoilers there isn’t much of a way to explain any relation between the two games. That said, if you say, just wanted to play Chrono Cross, its not important to have played Chrono Trigger before it. But if you’re picking one of the two, play Chrono Trigger, its definitely worth the time. (If you do get to play it, please let me know what you think.)

    I can totally see your point about the differences in changes from Mario Kart’s 7 and 8, as well as the difference between Brawl and Wii U. The presentation of Wii U was a big step up. And I hadn’t really thought of it, but yes, all the anti-grav boosting really is is running into someone else. And please, don’t ever think I was downing Smash, I love it. I even have all of the Wave 1 and 2 Amiibos. Anyway you slice it, both games are FANTASTIC and make me proud to be a Nintendo fan.

    And yes, being able to practice / play Smash while waiting in line at Starbucks is almost surreal. It is a wonderful thing!

  4. Yes, i got a shout out! But you’re right Jose, i was so convinced that the only way to play Smash Bros was with a GameCube controller. Now I feel more comfortable playing with the 3DS. Smash Bros 4 was definitely game of the year for me as well.

Leave a Reply