This Week In Retro: Mr. Do!
September 1982: Dig That Clown...He's Real Gone
by Diamond Feit
When did clowns transform from symbols of whimsy to sini...
2022-09-04 13:01:03 +0000 UTC View Post
retronauts posts
Episode 479: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection is finally here, meaning we now have the chance to officially play over a dozen TMNT games from the eight and 16-bit era—most of which never saw a re-release! But how did this compilation come together, and what are the specific quirks of the many, many turtle-based games it contains? On this episode of Retronauts, join 2022-08-29 07:01:04 +0000 UTC View Post
This Week In Retro: GoldenEye 007
August 23, 1997: "For England, James?" "No, for the Nintendo 64"
by Diamond Feit
I've always found the first-person perspective in video games to be exhilar...
2022-08-28 13:01:03 +0000 UTC View PostEpisode 478: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure
We've returned once again to our LucasArts adventure game miniseries, and, this time around, we're covering a game that mostly goes ignored by fans of the genre: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure. Yes, Lucasfilm's adventure game legacy kicked off with a direct adaptation of a Lucas-affiliated movie (Labyrinth), so it shouldn't be too surprising that, after a few original...
2022-08-26 07:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostEpisode 476: Back 2 School
Right! You’ve all had your fun with Darkstalkers and whatnot, now it’s time to go back to school with stern taskmaster Stuart Gipp and mischievous but likable head boy, Dave Bulmer, as they explore the ridiculously esoteric world of edu-tainment software via the usual method of rambling anecdotes. Naturally the focus here is on a Very English Education, but the message is the sameâ...
2022-08-22 11:00:44 +0000 UTC View PostThis Week In Retro: Event Horizon
August 15, 1997: It's Dark and Hell Is Hot…in space
by Diamond Feit
I've tried to steer clear of religious topics for this column as certain people find ...
2022-08-21 13:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostCome See Us LIVE at PAX West 2022!
What: Our "Video Games Based on TV Shows" panel, live at PAX West 2022
When: Sun, Sep 4, 2022 at 2:00 PM
Where: Sphinx Theatre (Sheraton, Level 3)
Who: Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, and Mike Drucker
Please check out 2022-08-20 19:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post
Retronauts Episode 476: DarkStalkers
Of all the fighting games Capcom made in the 1990s that didn't involve streets or alphas, DarkStalkers made the biggest splash with its all-monster cast, experimental gameplay mechanics, and exquisite animation. With only three arcade releases (plus two more exclusively in Japan), the series didn't last long, but it left an impression on fans that lasts to this day thanks to DarkSt...
2022-08-15 11:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostThis Week In Retro: The King of Fighters '97
July 28, 1997: The King of Fighters moves towards final destiny
by Diamond Feit
Imagine if Capcom released a brand-new Street Fighter game that su...
2022-08-14 13:01:02 +0000 UTC View PostEpisode 475: Jumping Flash! & Exact
Your patron-exclusive episode this week is also a patron-request episode. That's wild! But not as wild as this week's topic: Jumping Flash! and, by extension, developer Exact. Patron Scott Rothman absolutely twisted our arm to make us (that's myself, aka Jeremy Parish, and Todd "kidfenris" Ciolek) talk about a series and studio we love.
Although the bulk of this conversatio...
2022-08-12 12:00:01 +0000 UTC View PostEpisode 474: Evil Dead 2
The '00s Spider-Man movies might have put Sam Raimi on the map for most filmgoers, but the previous 20 years saw him experimenting in just about every genre. And most Raimi fans agree his greatest work to date is Evil Dead 2, an unexpected horror/comedy that—over the past 35 years—went from underground sensation to the most re-released film in the history of physical media. This week on Ret...
2022-08-08 07:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostEpisode 473: Star Wars Episode I
It's been a long time since the Retronauts East crew gathered together (remotely, even), and it's been even longer since we talked about Star Wars games. Well, actually, you'll need to wait a little longer for Star Wars game discussion—this is the first episode in a trilogy about the prequel Star Wars trilogy, and we're treating this entire trio of podcasts as a coh...
2022-08-01 12:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostEpisode 472: Street Fighter: The Movie Commentary
It had to happen eventually, so during the holiday season of 1994, a cinematic Street Fighter adaptation found its way into theaters. And despite having a higher level of quality than the previous year's Super Mario Bros. movie, Street Fighter didn't receive a warm welcome from American audiences. But is this cheesy romp crafted by the king of '80s action movies actually better than its "so bad...
2022-07-29 07:01:02 +0000 UTC View PostEpisode 471: Star Control I & II
Outer space is big, frozen, and lonely, but Toys for Bob's Star Control galaxy is a lovingly-tended well of warmth and imagination. The original Star Control brought a rich Spacewar! combat experience to the Amiga, DOS, and Sega Genesis, while Star Control II terraformed story-heavy adventure games.
Nearly every modern adventure game owes somethin...
2022-07-25 19:41:00 +0000 UTC View PostThis Week In Retro: Super Mario Sunshine
July 19, 2002: "His best friend is a talking pump" "SOLD!"
by Diamond Feit
Nintendo needs Mario. I know that sounds a little silly; Nintendo owns Mario, he...
2022-07-24 12:01:02 +0000 UTC View PostEpisode 470: TMNT - Shredder's Revenge
Shredder's Revenge feels like a bit of a fever dream, don't you think? The TMNT game we've all been wanting since the mid-nineties, but for some reason never received, despite a few weak attempts in the likes of Turtles in Time Re-Shelled and Arcade Attack. But it's here now, it's happened, and, in this episode, host Stuart Gipp and delightful guest (and TMNT fan) Joe...
2022-07-18 12:00:01 +0000 UTC View PostThis Week In Retro: Jungle King
July 1982: Welcome to the jungle, king
by Diamond Feit
As I grow older, I've come to terms with the fact that I can't possibly consume every piece of media or ...
2022-07-18 01:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostEpisode 469: The Zelda 2D Ranking Hootenanny
Good morning, or perhaps evening if you find yourself on the opposite side of the planet from me. I'm Jeremy, and I'll be your host this episode as we take a searing, groundbreaking look at a little-known corner of video game history: A cult classic series called The Legend of Zelda.
You may never have heard of these tidy, tiny adventures from a plucky upstart developer cal...
2022-07-15 12:29:23 +0000 UTC View PostEpisode 468: Text Adventures
Text adventures: what are they, and where did they hide all the graphics? Until now, these questions have gone unanswered. But this week, we'll be looking at the world of games that existed before any kind of mandatory visual component—and continue to exist to this very day. And we have a real expert on hand: Aaron Reed, a...
2022-07-11 07:01:02 +0000 UTC View PostThis Week In Retro: Tron
June 9, 1982: Greetings, programs!
by Diamond Feit
I can't think of a device more integral to my life, my employment, and my leisure time than the computer. I ...
2022-07-11 06:37:54 +0000 UTC View PostEpisode 467: Boktai
Just in time for a holiday in which people like us (nerds) have a slightly higher-than-average chance of going outdoors and experiencing the boiling radiation of Earth's nearest star against our sun-staved flesh, we have an episode dedicated to a game designed specifically to force us out of doors and bake in that nuclear fire: Kojima Productions' Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Hand. Built...
2022-07-04 11:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostThis Week In Retro: Donkey Kong Junior
June 1982: It's PECULIAR like Donkey Kong JUNIOR
by Diamond Feit
I wonder how many of us appreciate the oddity of Nintendo's rise from a playing card and toy ma...
2022-07-03 12:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostEpisode 466: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
In 1982, a wrinkled, candy-loving demon landed on earth, and soon became one of the most beloved fictional creatures to ever spawn from the silver screen. Yes, this week, we're talking about E.T.: the extremely beloved feature film that proved Steven Spielberg could basically make any kind of movie—and make it a hit. And, of course, there's a little Atari 2600 game worth discussing as well; i...
2022-07-01 07:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostThis Week In Retro: Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
June 23. 2002: Ain't no party like a PARGON party 'cause a PARGON party don't stop!
by Diamond Feit
Readers in their early 30s might not know that Nintendo used...
2022-06-29 12:01:02 +0000 UTC View PostEpisode 465: Metal Slug
Lock and load, everyone, we are running and gunning our way through the most explosive series on the NEO GEO (and beyond): Metal Slug. Born from ex-Irem employees who just wanted to blow stuff up, the original 1996 arcade release delivered high-stakes action via the finest animation seen on the platform. Many sequels followed, with the series even enduring the bankruptcy of SNK and the...
2022-06-27 11:01:02 +0000 UTC View PostEpisode 464: Mega Man Zero
In 1993, Mega Man X players watched with horrified fascination as a red Reploid named Zero sacrificed himself to give the titular Mega Man X a fighting chance at saving humanity. We needn't have worried: The old boy was just fine. In fact, Zero's talent for dying and coming back to life eventually earned him a title spot in Mega Man Zero, a 2002 platforming/adventure ...
2022-06-20 20:59:09 +0000 UTC View PostThis Week In Retro: Batman Returns (1992)
June 19, 1992: Merry Christmas Mr. Wayne
by Diamond Feit
Have you seen The Batman yet? It feels like just yesterday that the casting choice of Robert P...
2022-06-20 07:38:31 +0000 UTC View PostEpisode 463: Taito, Pt. II
A couple of months ago (back in episode 451, if memory serves), Ray Barnholt and Brandon Sheffield and I kicked off a discussion about one of the all-time movers-and-shakers of video gaming: Taito. Our previous episode largely centered on their early days—the formation of the company and the rocky hit-or-miss titles that followed in the wake of Japan's first-ever video game blockbuster, S...
2022-06-17 14:07:06 +0000 UTC View PostEpisode 462: Kirby, Part 3
After taking off during the go-go '90s, Kirby had a bit of an identity crisis in the 2000s. With HAL hard at work on the resource-intensive Smash Bros. games, they barely had time to work on their once-signature series, outside of a few remakes—leaving them with no choice but to leave their pink puffball in the hands of other developers. And all of this was happening as Kirby's hit 100-episod...
2022-06-13 07:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostThis Week In Retro: Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
June 6, 2002: Justice for Juste
by Diamond Feit
I don't want to play the role of grammar police or lingual prescriptivist but whenever I hear the word "overrate...
2022-06-12 15:21:00 +0000 UTC View Post