Episode 930: The GameStop Counterintelligence Chronicles – Radio Free Nintendo

Your controller’s acting up, huh?

So at Radio Free Nintendo, we’re all about this Big Ape dude. It’s like, part of our lore or something. Can’t even remember how it started—those “Now Playing” bits that vanished into the void might’ve been where it all began.

Anyway, calling him “The Big Ape” got me thinking—like, is Donkey Kong really an ape? My brain wandered off, and now here we are, quoting stuff from The Center for Great Apes. It’s a rabbit hole.

Okay, so apes have hair, not fur. DK’s sporting that slick quiff—counts in my book.

Fingernails vs. claws? Guess what, art shows DK with nails. Boom.

Opposable thumbs and smartness? Yeah, dude can tie a tie and drive trucks. I mean, ever seen a marmot on a rhino? Didn’t think so.

Prehensility—those fists again, pulling overtime work. Padded digits? Heck if I know.

Depth perception? A must-have for a life of punches. Less focus on smell? That’s up in the air.

Seems to me DK ticks enough boxes to be an ape. But, there’s this juicy bit from the Center for Great Apes too: folks mix up apes with monkeys all the time. The real kicker? Monkeys got tails, apes don’t.

Sorry, Diddy. Not an ape, not smart. Bet he’ll kick the bucket before DK. Ouch.

Switching gears—Donkey Kong Bananza had a thing on Wednesday. Quick 15 minutes of gameplay and story stuff. And guess what? Pauline’s tagging along as DK’s sidekick. Yup. This is the same Pauline that everyone’s gone wild about due to some DK-related lore. I’m steering clear of that meme-fest though.

Remember this: Pauline’s technically an ape. Diddy isn’t. And yeah, Diddy’s on borrowed time.

Looks like DK’s on the hunt for a Diddy replacement. Next up in the drama lineup, James gives his shaky, makes-no-sense take on Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time. He’s all tangled in the game’s systems. Mine, craft, cut, craft more—to, uh, craft even more? Help.

We needed a breather after that. So when we’re back—Jon’s been gathering dust-covered consoles. Tried swapping them at GameStop for upgrades but ran into a dude named Special Agent Steve. GameStop’s InfoSec is another world.

Greg dives headfirst into Mario Kart World and F-Zero GX updates. Switch 2’s big games are all about racing, which might be kinda surprising. Mario Kart World is huge. Guillaume and James even tried the new GameChat on Switch 2, streaming like maniacs. They played some F-Zero GX, Mario Kart World, and, obviously, Fantasy Life i. Oh, and Guillaume checked out the Switch 2 Pro Controller. Fancy, right?

We’re also messing around with marketing ideas for Mario Kart World companies. Send us your wild thoughts—seriously.

Lastly, about “The Big Ape” nickname—yeah, it’s not an epithet. But it’s not precisely a nom de guerre either. Just a nickname. Whatever. I’ll keep messing it up till I’m six feet under.