Friday, March 16, 2018

Podcast Review: Nintendo Power Podcast


I have wanted to talk about the Nintendo Power Podcast for a while now and I had originally intended for this article to go up on Monday, but business got in the way so Friday it is.  Currently, as of the writing, there are only three episodes out there of the official Nintendo Power Podcast, and with any luck there will be at least another nine episodes this year.

So the Nintendo Power Podcast is, as is in the title, a podcast, officially sanctioned by Nintendo of America hosted by former Nintendo Power Editor-in-Chief Christ Slate.  The first episode aired back in December 2017 although I personally did not get around to listening to the episode until around the middle of January, so at least I had two episodes to listen to.  And clocking in at just about an hour, they are very digestible.  

Each episode is built up of various segments that take cues from Nintendo Power magazine, which I do appreciate, mainly because it comes across as more of an adaptation of the magazine rather than an audio form.  Although it does tap into the nostalgic factor when they bring up sections similar to those of the magazine like Player's Pulse and developer interviews, but I realize anyone could call a segment Pak Watch. . .  I should also mention, that while I have absolutely no basis for a comparison as I do not really listen to other Nintendo focused podcasts, of which there are probably a few.  The point is, I found a Nintendo themed podcast that is easily digestible and I am going to stick with just this one as I do not have enough time for all of the podcasts that I would like to listen to, so Nintendo Power Podcast it is.

Something that I very much appreciate and was one of my main concerns going into the first episode, was that the episodes were going to be full of Super Mario sound effects, full of cringe worthy cheese, or produced with the mentality that video games are directed at a young demographic.  If you're familiar with the Nintendo Minute video episodes, they are not like that at all in regards to the cheese/corniness factor; and ignoring the obvious difference that Nintendo Power Podcast is audio only.  Another aspect I like is that the podcast as a whole does not seem to come across as trying to be a source for breaking news, squashing rumors, or a place to talk smack about Sony, Microsoft, or Ouya.  

Other than saying that I think that so far Chris Slate has done a great job with the writing and interviews, I am not really sure what else to say that would not come across as fan boy-ing (if I haven't already).  And really, I applaud Mr. Slate and his first three episodes for not coming across as only heaping praise on Nintendo and their family of products.  True they do have a lot of good things to say, and at least from my perspective, it all comes across as genuine and not in the realm of brown nosing.

So if you have not yet delved into the realm of Nintendo themed podcasts, used to be a subscriber or have fond memories of Nintendo Power Magazine, then there is nothing wrong with these hour long listening sessions.



~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian
I Descend With Arms Wide Open

2 comments:

  1. Oh, how did I miss this? I'll have to give this one a go. I like the idea of a podcast based on the Nintendo Power magazine. However, I get most of my general nintendo chat from social media. Not sure I need a podcast on it.

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  2. I kind of felt the same too, but wanted to give at least the first episode a try out of loyalty to the magazine. Turns out I thought they did a good enough job that I'll listen until I feel it's not interesting anymore (which hopefully never happens). Also the fact that they're only ~60 minutes makes them easier to tackle.

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