Game Buoy Podcast Episode 173 – One More Time: Game Buoy Remake Project Episode 0

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 Sunday, April 27, 2025, Captain Spike and First Mate Slaggy McWaggy discuss Square Enix’s various approaches to remakes and remasters in the modern era!

HOT TOPIC IS THE WAY THAT WE RHYME [8:11]

– The Future Games Show Summer Showcase 2025 airs on June 7.
– Over 2.2 million people submitted My Nintendo Store lottery applications for Switch 2 in Japan.
– Masahiro Sakurai-san got lucky with the Switch 2 lottery.
– The Mario Kart World Direct aired, giving an overview of the game.
– Ziff Davis is suing OpenAI in a case against copyright theft.
– Respawn Entertainment and former XCOM devs at Bit Reactor are developing Star Wars Zero Company, a turn-based tactics game set during the Clone Wars, due out in 2026.
– Breath of Fire 4 is available on GOG as part of its games preservation program.

RELEASE UPDATES [20:01]

– Fishing adventure RPG Nice Day for Fishing comes out May 29 for PlayStation 5, Switch, and PC via Steam.
– Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road comes out August 21 for Switch and Switch 2.
– The 2004 GBA game Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones is now available on Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pass.
– Dragon Ball Daima DLC is now available for Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero.
– The “Celestial Guardians” expansion comes to Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket on April 30.
– Sonic x Shadow Generations will be a launch title for Switch 2.
– Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars will be a launch title for Switch 2.
– Ghost of Yotei comes out October 2 for PlayStation 5.

CULTURE CLUB [23:30]

– Marvel Rivals quietly patched in graphical improvements that increased the size of male characters’ butts and bulges.
– Paul Rudd stars in a new commercial for Nintendo Switch 2 that calls back to his original SNES commercial.
– A new demo is available for Unbeatable, a rhythm game where music is illegal.
– Assassin’s Creed Shadows had the third biggest US launch month in the series and is currently the second best-selling game so far this year.
– Diablo IV will have a Berserk collaboration running from May 6 to June 3.
– The Yunobo amiibo is not yet available for preorder.

MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO [32:03]

– The full title roster has been revealed for Super Robot Wars Y.
– Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster will include mini-games that take advantage of the mouse functionality of the Joy-Con 2.
– Humble Choice will be increasing in price by €3/$3 CAD per month and will include a subscription to IGN Plus starting in May.
– FuRyu has announced VARLET, a school life RPG coming August 28 to PlayStation 5, Switch, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.

SO CONTROVERSIAL [38:00]

– Although the game is being pulled from Steam, the devs behind No Mercy defend their controversial despite featuring incest and nonconsensual encounters.
– Square Enix says that Barret was designed to look “well-built and not gassy” in the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy.
– Many third-party Switch 2 games will not include the full game on the physical cartridge, instead opting for “Game Key Cards” instead.
– Marvelous has confirmed its Switch 2 titles will contain the full game on the physical cartridge.

DOOM AND GLOOM [48:35]

– Following the multi-billion dollar sale of its gaming division, Niantic is laying off 68 employees.
– Meta has laid off an unknown number of employees from its Reality Lab division, impacting the Oculus Labs team.
– Mighty Yell has laid off an unknown number of employees.

MINI-DISCUSSION [50:31]

Speaking of “so controversial,” Captain Spike and First Mate Slaggy McWaggy have a mini-discussion about the Switch 2 pre-order hullabaloo! They discuss the general consumer experience with the various retailers, as well as their own personal experiences, and how vitriol against Nintendo for retailer mishaps is misguided. With six weeks to go before the console’s launch, the Podcast Pirates also share their hopes for the period leading up until June 5.

DISCUSSION TOPIC [1:03:11]

This week, Captain Spike and First Mate Slaggy McWaggy discuss Square Enix’s various approaches to remakes and remasters in the modern era! From full 3D remakes with metanarrative elements, to the Pixel Remasters, to the much loved 2D-HD style, and even more – Square Enix has revisited classic games and lesser known gems alike. Along with a historical note on Square Enix’s legacy of remakes, the Podcast Pirates examine the pros and cons of each approach for both new and returning players, as well as their own personal experiences and preferences. They wrap up the discussion with the Square Enix games they’d like to see remade in the future, and which approaches might be best suited to certain types of games.

WHAT’S UP [2:09:58]

Captain Spike has been playing Assassin’s Creed Shadows and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. First Mate Slaggy McWaggy has been playing Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster and Live A Live HD-2D.

SOCIAL LINKS QUESTION OF THE WEEK [2:18:04]

Hello folks, this week we’re talking about Square Enix Remakes and Remasters! Do you have a favorite approach of the several they’ve taken for revisiting their catalog material?

BONUS QUESTION

What Square Enix classic would you like to see revisited, and what approach would you like them to take?

SUPER DELUXE BONUS QUESTION

Did you attempt to partake in the Switch 2 pre-order kerfuffle? If so, how did it go?

EXITLUDE [2:23:53]

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
– The Bobby Blackwolf Show, a weekly internet radio show and podcast discussing the latest news in gaming as well as sometimes reminiscing about gaming’s history
– 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
– Defunct Games, your daily source for modern video game reviews, exciting trivia competitions and old school magazine analysis
– 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, which lives on in the form of ZREO: Second Quest!

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