Game Buoy Podcast Episode 172 – The Nightmare Before Switchmas 2
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Ahoy, mateys, and welcome to the GAMEBUOY.ORG video game podcast – your port of call for gaming news and views that maybe aren’t on your radar, but most definitely should be! On this episode, recorded Thursday, April 10, 2025, Captain Spike and First Mate Slaggy McWaggy discuss the excitement of the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct and the complicated global economic situation that has dominated the conversation surrounding the upcoming console!
HOT TOPIC IS THE WAY THAT WE RHYME [3:10]
– Sabrina Carpenter has been announced as the Fortnite Festival Season 8 Icon, obtainable through the Music Pass for 1400 V-Bucks.
– Emma Frost and Ultron are debuting in Season 2 of Marvel Rivals, which will feature a Hellfire Gala themed battle pass and a Kraoka map.
– Xbox Games Showcase 2025 and a The Outer Wilds 2 Direct will occur on June 8 during Summer Games Fest 2025.
–Bungie’s Marathon Gameplay Reveal Showcase is set for April 12.
RELEASE UPDATES [12:15]
– Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is coming to Switch in 2026.
– Level-5’s FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time releases on May 21 for PlayStation4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Switch, and PC via Steam.
CULTURE CLUB [16:10]
– The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement’s call to boycott Microsoft has been largely unreported by games media.
– A Minecraft Movie made $301 million during its opening weekend.
– Enthusiastic audience participation during A Minecraft Movie has caused some movie theaters to enforce new rules.
– Game companies are forcing AI on their developers, who find it to be “an overwhelmingly negative and demoralizing force.”
– Dragon Quest, Kingdom Hearts, and Final Fantasy pet gear has been added as part of the SQEX Pets brand.
MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO [31:35]
– Super Robot Wars Y has been announced for release on PC, PS5, and Switch worldwide.
– Hamster has announced Arcade Archives 2 Ridge Racer for Switch 2.
– The Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth trilogy will get a PS4 release in the west this year.
– Devil Jam, a heavy metal-themed Survivors-like game from Belgian indie studio Rogueside, is coming to PC in Q3 2025 and later to PS5, Xbox Series, and Switch.
SO CONTROVERSIAL [41:21]
– The social media page for Assassin’s Creed clapped back at Elon Musk, causing Aftermath’s Nathan Grayson to have strange feelings about rooting for a brand account.
– The upcoming release of Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is tainted by the inclusion of accused abuser Cristiano Ronaldo as a playable character.
DOOM AND GLOOM [47:37]
– The impact of tariffs on the board games industry does not bode well for our favorite hobbies.
– Deck Nine took back a GDC Award for Life is Strange: Double Exposure from a former employee’s possession.
– Eidos Montreal, Ballistic Moon, Mountaintop, Cyan Worlds, and Playside are the latest studios hit with layoffs.
RUMOR HAS IT [53:57]
– A listing for a soundtrack album on Final Fantasy IX‘s 25th anniversary website suspiciously shares the name rumored for the FFIX remake.
– Despite never appearing on Switch, part of the box art for Yoshi’s Woolly World was peeped during the Switch 2 Direct along with other “compatible Nintendo Switch titles.”
SMASH HIT [1:01:38]
DISCUSSION TOPIC [1:07:08]
This week, Captain Spike and First Mate Slaggy McWaggy discuss the Switch 2 Direct and their impressions of the event, the console, and their games. The discussion is bookended by an analysis of the tariffs’ impact and various perspectives on the console’s higher price point.
Resources discussed:
– Nintendo has already shipped ‘some’ Switch 2 inventory to the US (The Verge)
– How quickly could Nintendo move Switch 2 production to the US? (Polygon)
– Switch 2 price won’t increase in response to tariffs, analyst says (Polygon)
– Even with inflation, Switch 2 is Nintendo’s priciest console ever (Polygon)
– Switch 2 Is Unaffordable To Some, Nintendo Admits, And It Might Soon Get More Expensive (GameSpot)
– Nintendo’s $80 Games Give Greed A Green Light (The Jimquisition)
WHAT’S UP [2:11:19]
Captain Spike discusses Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, and Marvel Rivals. First Mate Slaggy McWaggy discusses Monster Hunter Wilds, Final Fantasy XIV, and Fortnite.
SOCIAL LINKS QUESTION OF THE WEEK [2:22:09]
Hey folks, what did you think about the Switch 2 presentation? Are you looking forward to Nintendo’s new system? Share your thoughts!
BONUS QUESTION
What games or features would you most want to see come to Switch 2?
EXITLUDE [2:32:20]
SHOUT OUTS
– Orange Lounge Radio, where every gamer has a voice
– Aftermath, an independent, worker-owned website about video games, other media and internet culture
– Video Game Realness, a dose of gaming chit chat among friends
– Nintendo Pow Block, a dive into the week that was in the world of Nintendo
– Standard Issue Computing, retro and modern computer games, hardware, software, and history
– Sasha’s Retrobytes, “bytes” of vintage gaming including magazine scans and photographs
– Craig, Slaggy McWaggy’s robot boyfriend a multi-track voice channel recording bot for Discord
Also, our theme music was done by the late, great Zelda Reorchestrated.