NWR Connectivity

Many once believed that the Mayans predicted the end of the world in 2012. Of course we now know they were merely refering to Nintendo's showing at E3 2012 and the subsiquent launch of the Wii U. Ten years later, in honor of those tragic events, Nintendo has hosted a Nintendo Direct about Xenoblade 3. A game where apparently everyone only has ten years to live. Coincidence? Yes. Connectivity has j...

If E3 is dead that why do the spirits of the damned still haunt our souls (along with a surprising number of dark spooky space stations)? As their cries fill the empty halls of the LA convention center, we're subject to a barrage of new game announcements. Honestly, perhaps too many. But within all that are a few glimmers of hope. Pinpricks of light emanating softly from within the piles of corpse...

John and Neal wanted to talk about Metroid Prime Federation Force and dream of Metroid Prime 4. So who better to do that with than RoyboyX, the Deputy Creative Director of Shinesparkers? The fellas share their initially impressions and experiences with Metroid Prime Federation Force, and how it holds up in a modern context. Of course you can't talk about Federation Force without talking about Metr...

We're back with another E3 retrospective but first we've got some games to talk about. Neal tried out the demo for Trinity Trigger, a mana style RPG currently limited to Japan. John puts on his boxing gloves for a round with Kao the Kangaroo and Neal went on an adventure with The Big Con. Then they turn their focus to E3 2007 where Nintendo was making insane amounts of money despite not showing a...

This week it's all about winding back the clock! For some reason John started playing Dante's Inferno on his Xbox Series X. Meanwhile Neal has been winding things back in a much more physical sense on his crank equipped Playdate. Speaking of going back and time, the fellas have been reading Reggie's partially true book, Disrupting the Game. This leads to a look back at E3 2002 as we remember the n...

Recorded just hours after the Indie World Showcase, John and Alex highlight a few games before discussing the weird sequel-based hype cycle around indie titles. They follow this up with an in depth discussion of how Nintendo probably didn't tell their investors they were terrified to make a new system. Things wrap on with some listener mail in which they pontificate on what console developers woul...

We're back with our second episode of the 3D Zelda Game Club. This time we journey to termina for what might just be the panels overall favorite 3D Zelda game. Why does this game hold up so well? What's the best version? And is Link dead the whole time? Connectivity has joined Twitter, so be sure to follow @ConnectivityNWR to be up to date on any announcements. We are wanting more listener partici...

Neal gives his impressions of Switch Sports prior to its online functionality clicking on. He's holding off on scoring the game until he can play all its modes (though that didn't stop the rest of the internet) but he still has plenty to say about the offline experience. But that's not all, Neal has been busy! He's also been playing Bugsnax in its new Switch form, along with Parkasaurus. John mean...

Neal is off this week but John and Alex have plenty of news stories to get through. Nintendo faces workplace allegations and Sega faces graph making difficulty. Xenoblade 3 cares not for your puny human release dates and there may be an assortment of new platforms coming to NSO in the near future. Connectivity has joined Twitter, so be sure to follow @ConnectivityNWR to be up to date on any announ...

After taking a week off, Neal and John were surprised to find their show had somehow gained several episodes, and people were disappointed in their Castlevania takes. Someone has to be held accountable and Alex was closest. But beyond that we play and reviewed a whole bunch of games including MLB The Show 22, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and Chrono Cross. We ev...

Alex joins our heroes once again to share his experiences with his first ever Castlevania game! It's the first game in the series to be produced by Koji Igarashi, and the hosts are split on whether the era of Igavania can live up to its reputation on this installment of the Castlevania Advance Collection Game Club. Connectivity has joined Twitter, so be sure to follow @ConnectivityNWR to be up to...

Are you suffering from anxiety? Feelings of stress, depression, or a general sense of being judged? If your experiences playing video games have taken a toll on your mental health, then NWR Connectivity's Weekly Therapy Hour may be the cure* you're looking for. *This claim has not been verified by the FDA. The hosts of this program are not medical professionals and this episode's description is no...

As Konami continues to bring more and more Castlevania games into the modern era (and seemingly doing everything they can to not make a new one), our Castlevania Advance Collection Game Club begins! And strangely, no one was willing to join our hosts to talk about the first ever portable Castlevania title: Circle of the Moon. Connectivity has joined Twitter, so be sure to follow @ConnectivityNWR t...

Alex joins John and Neal to discuss his first run in with an angry fanbase over a negative review. This leads to a discussion of how reviews are assigned and our general thoughts behind who is qualified to review any given game. Next, the fellas quickly run through what they've been playing, such as a bunch of souls-likes and the new Switch folder options. The show wraps with a couple different li...

It's a racing themed episode this week with a few small detours along the road. Neal revisits Chocobo GP in its hellish post-launch state, and both John and Neal revel in F-Zero X's release on NSO. John returns to No Man's Sky on Playstation VR to prepare for the Switch version comparison. The Zelda inspired Tunic also launched on Xbox shortly before recording and John manages to get in some early...

NWR Review Editor Jordan Rudek joins John and Neal to discuss his recent review of Triangle Strategy along with his experiences with Elden Ring. Later, listener mail dives into the future of Wario Land and the indefinite delay of the Advance Wars remaster. Finally a quick check in with this week's Playstation State of Play which featured some surprising Switch reveals. Connectivity has joined Twit...

John and Neal played a bunch of games over the last week including Kirby, Chocobo GP, Elden Ring, and Aztech Forgotten Gods. A listener tweet sends us down a road of designing our own game. Finally, Neal revisits that time he made the entire internet angry by talking about Mario Kart 8 after Justin's recent video and article on the game. This leads to a discussion of the responsibility of reviewer...

It's finally time for the first episode of our 3D Zelda Game Club. And where better to start than with what is often refered to as one of the best games ever made. Has Ocarina of Time held up? What's the best way to play it in 2022? How many jokes can we make about the NSO version only to have Nintendo patch it a few hours after we finish recording. All that and more on this episode of Connectivit...

The gang checks in on some listener mail and gets a closer look at Nintendo Switch Sports (but not with the online tech test that we're not legally allowed to acknowledge or talk about). But the real big news is Nintendo's shutdown of the Wii U and 3DS eShops. Does it mean you should start frantically stealing Nintendo games and smashing windows? Probably not, but it's still worth talking about. F...

There was a Nintendo Direct! Join as we discuss a few of our favorite announcements. Connectivity has joined Twitter, so be sure to follow @ConnectivityNWR to be up to date on any announcements. We are wanting more listener participation, so feel free to ask questions, they may show up in the show! Please send in some hard-hitting questions for the Connectivity gang to ponder over: the address is...

Joe DeVader of NWR, Smashterpieces, and Original Soundchat joins John and Neal for the first time in a long time. John and Joe have now joined Neal in the hallowed halls of having played Pokemon Legends: Arceus. While its mostly positivity, we do have a few issues beyond even the lackluster technical performance. Afterwards Joe runs through a few of his favorite game soundtracks from last year and...

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is out today and we're going to talk about it, so slight spoiler warning. But first we take on some listener mail exploring what a Breath of the Wild style reinvention would mean for Metroid. This leads us right into Arceus which is very much a Breath of the Wild level reinvention of Pokémon. Finally, we end the show with a 3D Zelda ranking sent to us in listener mail. Hey,...

We sent Neal on a very important quest, so John is joined instead by Alex de Freitas and Matthew Zawodniak. Matt and Alex will be joining us on our 3D Zelda Game Club so John asks them to run through their current 3D Zelda rankings. Next, as if in response to John's comment last week that it's a slow time of year for news, Microsoft is spreading out in all directions. Microsoft owned Banjo-Kazooie...

Recorded just hours after Nintendo announced a launch date for Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Neal and John talk Kirby before moving on to a big announcement. In the second part of the show the guys formally announce our next game club. Join us as we spend the next year working our way through every 3D Zelda game (including Link's Crossbow Training) as we anticipate the sequel to The Legend of Zeld...

Editor Alex joins John and Neal to go over their favorite titles of 2021. They take a quick break for listener mail in which Neal makes some digs at Mario Sunshine, John makes some digs at 3D World, and Alex takes a nap. Next they turn their eyes to the future and lay down their hopes for 2022. Will Breath of the Wild 2 actually release? Is Xenoblade 3 somehow more likely despite not yet having be...