This week on the NXpress Nintendo Podcast, Cameron Daxon, Marc Kaliroff, and Campbell Gill get back together for one more episode. And what better way to keep the show going than to discuss the most recent Nintendo Direct? We may not have had a real E3 this year, but the June 2023 Nintendo Direct delivered the goods with a surprisingly expansive slate of announcements across some of the Big N’s most significant franchises. Think Nintendo was going to sit out the rest of the year? This Direct proved otherwise! The gang runs through each of the direct’s biggest announcements, from crowd pleasers like the Super Mario RPG remake to the head scratching reveals like Detective Pikachu Returns. This may not have been a consistent presentation—-it truly was the epitome of starting from the bottom and ending at the top—but in the end, it delivered some surprisingly excellent reveals showing that 2023 is far from over when it comes to big Nintendo release. Let’s just agree not to talk about Everybody 1-2 Switch in the meantime, ok?

Don’t forget: If you want to suggest a discussion topic, share your thoughts on a recent episode, or simply chat with the NXpress crew, feel free to email us at videogameseditor@goombastomp.com!

This week on the NXpress Nintendo Podcast, Cameron Daxon, Marc Kaliroff, and Campbell Gill return from a brief hiatus with some bittersweet news: Goomba Stomp is coming to a close, and with it, the NXpress Nintendo Podcast is ending as well. It’s been an amazing run, but after a few hundred episodes and years of reviews, discussions, interviews, and impressions, NXpress is about to sign off for good. Don’t worry, though–the NXpress crew isn’t done yet! Stay tuned for an official farewell episode and for information about what the gang will get up to next.

Before we call it quits though, we have unfinished business: namely, impressions of some of the year’s biggest Switch games! Campbell has finally rolled credits on Octopath Traveler 2, and shockingly, his impressions are just as enthusiastic as ever! An improvement on the first game in every conceivable way, Octopath Traveler 2 delivers one of the Switch’s best RPG experiences to date. And speaking of brilliant RPGs, Marc has plenty to praise about Xenoblade Chronicles 3’s ambitious DLC expansion, Future Redeemed! While the original Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was already a great sendoff to the Xenoblade trilogy, this DLC manages to deliver an even more fitting conclusion. Cameron rounds off these quickfire reviews with some impressions on West of Loathing, a hilarious indie adventure that might have fallen under the radar, but is absolutely worth checking out.

And now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for: the gang reviews the long-awaited sequel to Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Ladies and gentlemen, it might be hard to believe, but the NXpress crew is here to confirm that Tears of the Kingdom is indeed better than its predecessor: it’s more ambitious, more expansive, and somehow, even more fun than the game before it. The hosts go around the room sharing their impressions of the game so far in this spoiler-free discussion, exchanging notes about all that they’ve discovered in this latest adventure in Hyrule, the skies above, and the depths below. Is this the greatest game of all time? As dramatic as that question might seem, the hosts think it might not be so far-fetched. All this and more in the penultimate episode of NXpress!

Don’t forget: If you want to suggest a discussion topic, share your thoughts on a recent episode, or simply chat with the NXpress crew, feel free to email us at videogameseditor@goombastomp.com!

You can listen to our show on YouTube |  Stitcher | iTunes |  Podbean | Spotify | Listen Notes | iHeartRadio | Player FM | Amazon Audible

Playlist: LFXIV – NXpress Intro 0:39 – Catch Up: Octopath Traveler II, Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed, and West of Loathing “Colgera” – The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom 25:00 – Main Event: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Review “Main Theme” – The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

This week on the NXpress Nintendo Podcast, Cameron Daxon and Marc Kaliroff are back to chat about everything but triple-a games while Campbell Gill takes a day to rest. Like the last episode, the crew might be one man down but Cameron and Marc still have plenty to discuss as they explore a thrilling period of the 80s and a less-than-desirable pirate fiction.

First up, Cameron and Marc both have quite a lot to say about an indie game they have been playing this past week. Curse of the Sea Rats, a multiplayer Metroidvania with beautiful art and questionable controls, is sadly cursed with more than one major issue. Like with most Metroidvanias though, the two still have some positive things to say about Petoons Studios’ newest expedition.

To close things off, Marc is ready to talk about the blockbuster Tetris fans have been waiting for. According to Marc, the new Apple TV movie based on the game’s publication history is one of the best films of the year so far and a fantastic biopic that recaps Henk Rogers’ journey to secure the rights to the Russian puzzle on behalf of Nintendo. While the movie may use a few over-the-top dramatized changes from the real story (trust us, the car chase is actually really good and adds to the story’s weight), Tetris captures an unbelievable tale as it entertains viewers with a realistic and shockingly gravitating espionage thriller.

Don’t forget: If you want to suggest a discussion topic, share your thoughts on a recent episode, or simply chat with the NXpress crew, feel free to email us at videogameseditor@goombastomp.com!

You can listen to our show on YouTube |  Stitcher | iTunes |  Podbean | Spotify | Listen Notes | iHeartRadio | Player FM | Amazon Audible

Playlist: LFXIV – NXpress Intro 0:39 – Opening: Curse of the Sea Rats Review “Benevolence” – Tetris 20:00 – Main Event: Tetris Movie Review “10 Players Left” – Tetris 99