Welcome to the first episode of Nintendo Watcher Plays: Final Fantasy, a years-long dive into the entire mainline Final Fantasy series of JRPGS. Justin and Matthew play through the iconic franchise to figure out what works and what doesn’t. In order to understand how the JRPG genre has evolved since the 1980s, the Watchers will play through the entire series in chronological order and discuss their thoughts on each entry. First up: Final Fantasy I (1987) How does this fledgling entry hold-up in 2023? Do the Watchers see why it was able to save a floundering Squaresoft? What is the ideal party composition? Give it a listen and find out. Plus, Justin and Matthew discuss their game recommendations of the week. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nintendo-watcher/support

For episode 39 of the Nintendo Watcher Podcast, the Watchers sat down to talk about what might be the most well-rounded Nintendo Direct we've ever seen. Justin and Matthew are joined by Jake Martin of Bitbloggist. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nintendo-watcher/support

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is developer Purple Lamp and publisher THQ Nordic’s spiritual successor to Battle for Bikini Bottom. Over the dozen or so hours we spent playing The Cosmic Shake, we weren’t disappointed. Purple Lamp lovingly recreated Bikini Bottom, captured some early of that SpongeBob magic, and kickstarted my nostalgia. But The Cosmic Shake isn’t all F.U.N. and rainbows. Here’s our review of SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake for the Nintendo Switch. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nintendo-watcher/support

In this week’s episode, Justin and Matthew sit down to talk about the heyday of 16-bit JRPGs and what it takes to make a successful nostalgia grab in 2023. The Watchers take a deep-dive into the 2022 indie darling: Chained Echoes. They discuss what makes a successful 16-bit JRPG, how Chained Echoes innovates on tried and true genre tropes, and whether or not it is possible to capture nostalgia without feeling cheap. The first half of the pod is light on spoilers, but the Watchers would recommend that you play the game first before you listen to the back-half. In addition to Chained Echoes, Justin and Matthew give their early impressions of Fire Emblem Engage. Does it live up to the success of Three Houses? Where does it stack amongst the other games of the series? Will we see it through to completion, and is it okay to play on Casual mode? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nintendo-watcher/support

Matthew and Justin talk about their ten most anticipated backlog games of 2023. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nintendo-watcher/support

In their first podcast episode of 2023, Matthew (@zeroparse) and Justin (@PuffyRedshirt) talk about their gaming resolutions for the upcoming year and pin down their predictions for 2023. The Watchers also discuss changes to the Nintendo Watcher Pod and what listeners/viewers can expect this year. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nintendo-watcher/support

It's been an unbelievable year for Switch gamers, and in this extended episode of the Nintendo Watcher Podcast, Matthew and Justin sort through the Switch's 2022 catalog to give you the best of the best. The Watchers talk about the best JRPG Switch ports of the year, honorable mentions, games they missed in 2022, and finally, the crew's top ten best Nintendo Switch games of the year. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nintendo-watcher/support

As temperatures around the country continue to stay unseasonably warm, Justin and Matthew have decided to rank their top three gaming winter wonderlands! So come along with the Watchers as they dive into the world of wooly mammoths and frostbite. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nintendo-watcher/support

On this week's episode of the Nintendo Watcher Podcast, Justin and Matthew are joined by special guest and certified Pokémanic Jeremy Rivers to talk about the newest Pokémon generation, Scarlet and Violet. The trio talks about their histories with the Pokémon franchise, how they typically approach a new Pokémon game, what they think about Scarlet and Violet, how the new generation stacks up against previous installments, and finally — the proverbial Snorlax in the room — the games' poor performance on the Nintendo Switch. Jeremy is the co-host of the pop culture GenMix Podcast, a podcast that bridges the gap between generations through music, creative industry trends, and more. Listen anywhere you get your podcasts. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nintendo-watcher/support

On this week’s pod, Matthew and Justin share their experiences with Atlus’s crown jewel: Persona 5 Royal. It’s hard to believe, but Persona 5 is actually older than the Switch itself; the Japanese release arrived on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in 2016. And ever since the Switch's release, porting Persona 5 Royal always seemed like a no-brainer. After all, over the Switch's lifespan, Atlus has proven that there’s a devoted fanbase on the Switch with the critically acclaimed Shin Megami Tensei V, a Switch exclusive, and other popular titles like Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore, and Catherine: Full Body. But for six years, the closest Switch players got to Persona 5 was Joker in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and the Warriors-inspired spinoff Persona 5 Strikers. Now that Persona 5 has finally arrived on the Switch, here's the big question: Was it worth the wait? If you ask the Watchers, emphatically, yes: Persona 5 Royal is one of the greatest JRPGs on the Switch, a console known for its expansive library of great JRPGs. Justin — a newbie to the Persona series — talks about his first impressions after 20 hours, and Matthew — a certified Persona veteran — reflects on the history of Persona, his multiple times playing through the game, and how Persona 5 Royal stacks up against other titles in Atlus’s long-running series. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nintendo-watcher/support