Episode 143: Playing With Fire

Well, it finally happened. Nintendo went full free-to-play with the release of Fire Emblem Heroes, adding time limits and “gacha” mechanics to their game. But is it as bad as it sounds? In this episode of the Random Nintendo Podcast, we share our impressions of Fire Emblem Heroes and the similarly-structured, surprise mobile release Pokemon Duel. There’s also more traditional Nintendo gaming to discuss as we pick our most anticipated third-party Switch games and cover the latest on 3DS titles like Fire Emblem Echoes and Mario Sports Supermix. Plus, we break down all the news and numbers from Nintendo’s holiday quarter financial briefing.

Have you tried Fire Emblem Heroes? What do you think of Nintendo finally entering the free-to-play market? Tell us in the comments below! If you enjoyed our 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 news and games discussed in this episode. Each link also lists a time stamp so you can easily find the segments that most interest you. Enjoy!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:19:47 — 64.4MB)

News

• [0:02] Super Bomberman R Is Being Made By Former Bomberman Staff (Siliconera)
• [0:10] 6 Things We Learned About Ultra Street Fighter II on Nintendo Switch (IGN)
• [0:17] Yooka-Laylee local multiplayer modes unveiled (Eurogamer.net)
• [0:23] Slithering 3D platformer Snake Pass is hitting Nintendo Switch (Destructoid)
• [9:27] The Jackbox Party Pack 3 Announced For Nintendo Switch (Nintendo Life)
• [0:31] Nicalis Bringing Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth, Redout to Nintendo Switch (IGN)
• [0;35] Shin’en opens up on Fast RMX and Nintendo Switch (GameReactor)
• [0:42] Tomorrow Corporation Bringing Three Titles To Switch On Launch Day (Nintendo World Report)
• [0:54] Nintendo devotes its first-ever Super Bowl ad to Switch (USA Today)
• [0:59] Nintendo President Kimishima Expects Switch Sales to Reach Wii Levels (GoNintendo)
• [1:03] Nintendo Beats Profit, Lifts Forecast on Pokemon Ahead of Switch (Bloomberg)
• [1:16 – 1:42] Nine Months Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ending March 2017 [PDF] (Nintendo Investor Relations)
• [1:18] Nintendo 3DS Still Lives With New Games And Many Titles That Have Yet To Be Announced (Siliconera)
• [1:27] Mario Sports Superstars details: 90 amiibo cards and their functionality, includes 2 unlockable characters (Nintendo Wire)
• [1:33] Nintendo announces Fire Emblem games for mobile, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS (Nintendo.com)
• [1:41] People are paying for Super Mario Run in surprising numbers (The Verge)
• [1:45] Pokemon Go Ends 2016 with Its Strongest Week of U.S. Revenue Since Launch (SensorTower)
• [1:48] Nintendo’s ‘Fire Emblem Heroes’ is a ‘Gacha’ Game. What is That, Exactly? (Glixel)
• [2:02] Animal Crossing mobile title delayed again (Polygon)

Games

• [0:02] Super Bomberman R (Official Site)
• [0:10] Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers (Nintendo.com Game Page)
• [0:17] Yooka-Laylee (Official Site)
• [0:23] Snake Pass (Official Site)
• [0:27] Jackbox Party Pack 3 (Official Site)
• [0:31] Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ (Official Site)
• [0:35] RedOut (Official Site)
• [0;35] Fast RMX (Nintendo.com Game Page)
• [0:42] Tomorrow Corp Games: World of Goo, Little Inferno, Human Resource Machine (Official Sites)
• [1:27] Mario Sports Superstars (Official Site)
• [1:33] Fire Emblem Warriors (Nintendo.com Game Page)
• [1:34] Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (Nintendo.com Game Page)
• [1:41] Super Mario Run (Official Site)
• [1:45] Fire Emblem Heroes (Official Site)
• [2:03] Pokemon Duel (Pokemon.com Game Page)