Episode 222: All Scrambled Up

It’s a time of defied expectations. You expect Nintendo to never let go of an IP, yet they do with The Wonderful 101. You expect E3 to be the epicenter of gaming, yet big names drop out. And maybe you expect Professor Oak to remain Pokemon’s one true Oak, yet in comes his long-hair-don’t-care counterpart Grand Oak. In this episode of the Random Nintendo Podcast, we share our takes on all that scrambled news and pair it with a scramble of a different kind, our hands-on impressions of the upcoming Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers. Plus, we spend some time with the Pokemon Home app, break down the lineups of EVO 2020 and Switch Online’s February SNES/NES update, and more.

Which news story most surprised you? Let us know in the comments. If you enjoyed the show, be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play Music, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. You can also follow us on Twitter @RandomNintendo.

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:57:21 — 54.1MB)

News

• [0:03] We’re officially in the longest Nintendo Direct drought in history (Destructoid)
• [0:09] The Wonderful 101: Remastered coming to Nintendo Switch, PC, and PS4 (Polygon)
• [0:23] SisQo, of Dru Hill and Thong Song Fame, Would Like to Be in The Wonderful 101: Remastered (USgamer)
• [0:27] Nine Months Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ending March 2020 – Q&A Summary (Nintendo Investor Relations)
• [0:28] Nintendo’s mobile efforts become more dire with monthly Fire Emblem subscription (The Verge)
• [0:41] Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training For Nintendo Switch Adds Championship And Challenge Features (NintendoSoup)
• [0:43] January 2020 NPD: Even Goku can’t rescue game spending (VentureBeat)
• [0:46] EVO 2020 lineup revealed, Smash Bros. Ultimate a main event title (GoNintendo)
• [0:56] Nintendo’s latest SNES games for Switch include two US debuts (The Verge)
• [1:05] Geoff Keighley will not participate in E3 2020 (GamesIndustry.biz)
• [1:12] E3 2020 pitch proposes overhaul with ‘queuetainment,’ new floor plan, industry-only day (GameDaily.biz)
• [1:30] Pokemon Home launches on Nintendo Switch, introduces new Professor Oak (Polygon)
• [1:33] “Maliciously-crafted” Pokémon can crash Sword and Shield via Surprise Trade (Eurogamer.net)
• [1:38] Nintendo and The Pokemon Company issue statement regarding the Pokemon Sword & Shield leaks (My Nintendo News)
• [1:40] Pokemon Home APK includes a rather random GIF (GoNintendo)
• [1:52] Atlus Says Its Survey Asking About Switch Ports Exceeded Expectations (Nintendo Life)

Games

• [0:09] The Wonderful 101: Remastered (Official Kickstarter Page)
• [0:28] Fire Emblem Heroes (Official Site)
• [0:41] Brain Age for Nintendo Switch (IGN Game Page)
• [1:30] Pokemon Home (Official Site)
• [1:42] Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers (IGN Game Page)