The Kaito & Red Show

Step inside the ultimate video games paradise as we explore the grand opening of Tokyo’s newest retro gaming hotspot. Surugaya’s massive new store packed with rare finds, classic consoles, and must-have collectibles for every gaming enthusiast. If you love retro video games, Japanese gaming culture, or hunting for hidden gems, this one's for you.

We also break down the latest gaming industry news, including surprising developments from Sony around DRM that could impact how we buy and play video games. Plus, we dive into the huge success of Tomodachi Life in Japan and the exciting return of a cult classic as Ecco the Dolphin makes waves with both a remake and a brand-new game announcement.

To round things out, we share what we’ve been playing lately, featuring hands-on impressions of Fire Emblem Engage and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream. From tactical battles to quirky life simulation, we discuss gameplay and how our digital twins are holding up.

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Start of the Show
(00:01:43) The mother of all retro gaming stores
(00:08:18) Stuff happened
(00:08:29) Sony silently rolled out DRM
(00:13:28) Tomodachi Life Japan digital sales numbers
(00:17:46) Ecco The Dolphin: Complete announced
(00:20:16) Gamepass lowered the price on some tiers
(00:25:52) Listener email
(00:30:16) Games we play
(00:30:25) Fire Emblem Engage
(00:37:25) Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream Demo
(00:47:27) Question of the Week
(01:01:05) Contact us
(01:01:43) Kaito's Shower Thought

The Kaito and Red Show — A weekly video game podcast covering retro games, gaming news, and new releases. 

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Think some modern tutorials are tough? The Super Nintendo Entertainment System would like a word. Specifically one game! The probably hardest tutorial we've ever seen. We revisit the era where games explained nothing and expected you to suffer with grace.

We also cover a packed slate of gaming news, including updates from Rockstar Games, what’s new with Game Pass, and the AYN Thor handheld. Plus, if you’re into RPGs and trading card games, there’s a bit of Cyberpunk 2077 talk in the mix.

On the games front, Red keeps pushing through Mass Effect 3 and realizes he’s basically negotiating galactic peace treaties, while Kaito finished Breath of Fire IV like it’s 2000 all over again.

Chapters:

(00:00) Start of the Show
(01:03) Listeners from Vietnam
(02:57) The most hardcore tutorial ever
(08:14) Stuff happened
(08:20) Gamepass is too expensive
(11:48) AYN Thor with slower storage
(19:38) The Rockstar leaks
(25:32) Cyberpunk 2077 Trading Card Game
(32:32) Bromance
(33:22) Games we play
(33:26) [spoilers] Mass Effect 3 is a diplomacy sim
(44:09) Breath of Fire IV done
(47:57) Playing games on your phone
(49:40) Where to start with the Breath of Fire series
(51:28) Question of the Week
(59:13) Contact us
(59:42) Kaito's Shower Thought

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This week, we break down PS5 sales numbers in light of recent price increases and discuss the announcement of Pokémon Champions. While gaming costs keep rising, there’s still good news, Graveyard Keeper was recently free on Steam, and we hope you managed to grab it.

On the gaming front, we dive into early-game reveals from Mass Effect 3 (spoiler warning!) and why they left such a strong impression. Kaito also walks us through a packed week of gaming, including Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga, Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy, and Breath of Fire IV.

Plus, don’t miss Kaito’s recommendation for a must-play demo, especially if you’re into dungeon crawlers and SMT-style RPGs.

Chapters:

(00:00) Start of the Show
(08:18) Stuff happened
(08:26) Pokémon Champions is out
(12:04) PS5 and PS5 Pro sales numbers in Japan
(17:28) Graveyard Keeper free to keep on Steam
(20:25) Artemis II mission
(26:55) Games we play
(27:02) Listener email
(34:03) [spoiler] Mass Effect 3 answers questions I had
(40:34) Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga
(41:32) Descent of Lunaris
(45:55) Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy
(48:15) Breath of Fire IV
(49:49) Metaphor: ReFantazio
(51:17) Question of the Week
(57:20) Contact us
(57:49) Kaito's Shower Thought

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What’s pink, powerful, and unexpectedly the highlight of the week? That would be none other than Kirby. Trust us, this wasn’t on our bingo card.

In this episode, we break down a packed week in gaming, covering 6–7 different titles across genres. From surprise hits to quick impressions, we’re diving into everything we’ve been playing lately and what’s actually worth your time.

We also revisit last week’s heated discussion on Final Fantasy VII because things didn’t end there. Mrs. Red has officially written in with her response, and let’s just say another person didn't agree with the rant.

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Start of the Show
(00:08:25) Stuff happened
(00:08:29) Switch 2 sales are up due to Pokémon Pokopia
(00:11:02) Tomodachi Life releases soon
(00:17:40) Ubisoft gets sued for The Crew shutdown
(00:20:36) Games we play
(00:20:41) Final Fantasy VII listener mail
(00:29:04) Library Picks
(00:37:21) Mass Effect 3 character pick + thug life
(00:48:03) Resident Evil 3
(00:50:53) Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy
(00:54:02) Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga
(00:59:17) The backlog problem
(01:01:26) Question of the Week
(01:09:40) Contact us
(01:10:26) Kaito's Shower Thought

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This week is all about pricing. PlayStation prices are going up, there are reports of players experiencing dynamic pricing, and Nintendo’s digital prices are actually going down. But that’s not even half of what drove Kaito mad. Red drops a surprise truth bomb on him: the execution of Final Fantasy VII’s story sucks! Needless to say, Kaito becomes the game’s impromptu lawyer and jumps to its defense.

Oh yeah, and we finally talk about Xenoblade Chronicles 2. About time!

Content Warning: This week's stuff happened contains a news piece that involves violence and listener discretion is advised. If you don't want to hear it, skip between 7:05 and 11:51 or just use the chapters markers.

Chapters:

(00:00) Start of the Show
(02:40) Ben Starr & Matt Mercer videos
(07:05) Stuff happened
(07:17) Incident at Pokemon Center Tokyo [content warning]
(11:52) Nintendo is going to charge less for digital games
(13:39) Sony raises prices for Playstation hardware
(17:28) Dynamic pricing
(20:48) Games we play
(21:09) Final Fantasy VII's story execution sucks [story spoiler]
(32:40) Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Kaito's verdict [story spoiler]
(44:07) Next games, next time
(45:09) Question of the Week
(52:41) Contact us
(53:12) Kaito's Shower Thought

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Find us on BlueSky for more discussions and behind the scenes content: https://bsky.app/profile/kaitoandred.com

You won’t believe it, but Red read a book and it’s about video games! We talk about Keza MacDonald’s Super Nintendo, check our wishlists for the Steam Spring Sale, and Kaito highlights an indie tower defense game.

Also, Red finished Mass Effect 2, while Kaito started Xenoblade Chronicles X and Resident Evil Requiem.

Our Question of the Week dives into easy mode in games. Is it a mortal sin or a welcome accessibility feature? Let's find out!

Chapters:

(00:00) Start of the Show
(06:39) Stuff happened
(06:44) Super Nintendo by Keza MacDonald
(10:59) Steam Spring Sale
(18:07) Switch 2 performance update
(20:04) Tangy TD
(23:11) Games we play
(23:15) Mass Effect 2 & 3
(40:08) Xenoblade Chronicles X
(47:03) Resident Evil Requiem
(50:08) Question of the Week
(56:14) Contact us
(57:16) Kaito's Shower Thought

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Find us on BlueSky for more discussions and behind the scenes content: https://bsky.app/profile/kaitoandred.com

In this week’s episode, we invited the hardest-working man in podcasting business, Josh Covel from the Still Loading Podcast, to discuss Final Fantasy. Since he’s an expert in the field, and we have our very own Kaito, whom Red also calls an expert, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to record this conversation.

Expect a Lightning Round that turns into a very long and in-depth one, plus plenty of questions about the present and future of Final Fantasy. If you’re a fan of the series, we highly recommend giving this episode a listen.

Please also check out the Still Loading Podcast wherever you get your podcasts, or visit: https://www.stillloadingpodcast.com/podcast.

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Start of the Show
(00:01:59) Introducing the Still Loading Podcast
(00:04:47) Josh won't send you binary code
(00:10:16) The topic of today's episode
(00:11:08) Lightning Round
(00:33:42) Final Fantasy origin story
(00:45:53) Turn-based vs modern Final Fantasy
(00:54:37) The Future of Final Fantasy
(01:03:03) Final Fantasy Fantasy Draft
(01:07:00) Contact Josh
(01:08:24) Kaito's Shower Thought

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We get a bit more sophisticated this week, starting with Red’s favorite painting before diving into the latest Pokémon Presents, a legendary New Year’s Eve party, and the desire to own the AYN Thor.

On the gaming front, Kaito made significant progress in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and shares his thoughts, while Red dove deeper into Berserk.

The Question of the Week explores the lies we tell ourselves while gaming.

Chapters:

(00:00) Start of the Show
(09:22) Stuff happened
(09:31) Pokémon presents Wind and Waves
(14:52) Game Creator's New Year's Eve Party
(22:01) AYN Thor
(25:23) New York's attorney general sues Valve
(31:59) Games we play+
(32:11) Xenoblade Chronicles 2
(42:23) [SPOILER WARNING]
(47:37) Berserk
(54:21) Question of the Week
(57:36) Contact us
(58:03) Kaito's Shower Thought

Disclaimer: This podcast expresses the opinions of the hosts and doesn't state facts.

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Unfortunately, this is another episode with an audio issue. Not as bad as the first time but not great either. We sincerely apologize and are actively working on fixing it.

That said, it’s still a great show (well, not the audio, I guess). We talk about the leadership shakeup at Xbox, the closure of Bluepoint Games, and the games we played and mangas we read. This may not be a manga podcast, but someone has to warn the world about Berserk!

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Start of the Show
(00:02:26) Public Doors
(00:08:11) Stuff happened
(00:08:16) Xbox leadership shakeup
(00:14:08) Bluepoint Games closed
(00:18:47) Pokemon GBA classics
(00:24:51) Games we play+
(00:25:12) Dragon Quest VII, Mewgenics, Xenoblade Chronicles
(00:34:06) Berserk
(00:51:24) Question of the Week
(01:02:26) Contact us
(01:03:07) Kaito's Shower Thought

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Why is Sony not innovating like Nintendo does? We tackle that question in the Question of the Week, fittingly timed with the recent State of Play. Kaito is close to finishing Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, while Red tries to understand what Kaito sacrifices to play that many games.

We also continue our anime and manga segment from last time, with Kaito explaining what makes Charlotte special and Red receiving a mission from Kaito.

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Start of the Show
(00:03:22) Stuff happened
(00:03:27) State of Play
(00:21:58) Twitch Partner Program
(00:26:25) Mewgenics is out
(00:33:20) Games we play & things we watch
(00:33:25) Dragon Quest VII Reimagined
(00:39:20) Charlotte
(00:46:20) Smoking Behind the Supermarket With You
(00:49:16) Berserk
(00:56:49) Question of the Week
(01:06:17) Contact us & listener email
(01:11:39) Kaito's Shower Thought

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Find us on BlueSky for more discussions and behind the scenes content: https://bsky.app/profile/kaitoandred.com