Episode 140: Plumber On The Run

Today is both Christmas and Hanukkah, which means you’ve probably unwrapped a lot of gifts already. There’s one more waiting for you, though, and this one features a pudgy plumber with some serious parkour skills: the latest episode of the Random Nintendo Podcast! In many ways, this episode is the embodiment of what 2016 meant for Nintendo. We discuss their mobile efforts with our full impressions of both Super Mario Run and Pokemon Go’s new Apple Watch app, look towards the Switch with analysis of leaked patents and games, and further examine their IP expansion with fresh details and speculation about the newly-named Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios. Plus, we discuss the end of console generations as know it, our evolving views of hacking the perfect Pokemon team, and our Game of the Year picks.

What do you think of Super Mario Run? Let us know in the comments below and we may feature you in a future episode. If you enjoyed the show, be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes, Google Play Music, or your podcasting app of choice. You can also follow us on Twitter @RandomNintendo.

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:22:32 — 65.7MB)

News

• [0:02] Super Nintendo World coming to Universal Studios Japan (Engadget)
• [0:10] Universal theme park patents tackle drifting cars, musical water rides, flight suits (Orlando Business Journal)
• [0:19] Here’s Where You Can Play The Nintendo Switch Starting Next Month (Kotaku)
• [0:22] Nintendo patents highlight various Switch details (Nintendo Wire)
• [0:38] Rumor – Unreal Engine 4 Graphic Presets for Switch Surface (GoNintendo)
• [0:52] Yooka-Laylee cancelled for Wii U due to “unforeseen technical issues” (Eurogamer)
• [0:55] Stardew Valley Cancelled For The Wii U, Getting A Version Developed For The Nintendo Switch (Siliconera)
• [0:56] The Binding of Isaac Afterbirth+ Once Again Teased for Switch by Nicalis (GoNintendo)
• [0:59] November 2016 NPD: Pokémon has its biggest debut in franchise history (VentureBeat)
• [1:03] Nintendo Switch and NES Classic were Googled more than PlayStation VR, PS4 Pro, or Xbox One in 2016 (VentureBeat)
• [1:06] Discussion: The Role of Hacking in Pokemon
• [1:18] Pokemon Go: Generation 2 launches with several new Pokemon to hatch (BGR)
• [1:26] Pokemon Go is finally available on the Apple Watch (The Verge)
• [1:35] Super Mario Run breaks records, gets 40 million downloads in 4 days (Are Technica)
• [1:36] Ten Minutes of Play Sums Up Nintendo’s Messy Super Mario Debut (Bloomberg)
• [1:58] Discussion: Our Games of The Year

Games

• [1:35] Super Mario Run (Official Site)
• [0:52] Yooka-Laylee (Official Site)
• [0;55] Stardew Valley (Official Site)
• [0:56] Binding of Isaac Afterbirth+ (Official Site)
• [1:06] Pokemon Sun & Moon (Official Site)
• [1:18] Pokemon Go (Official Site)
• [2:03] Phoenix Wright – Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice (Official Site)
• [2:06] Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS (Official Site)
• [2:08] Star Fox Zero (Official Site)