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Retronauts Episode 93: Castlevania's portable legacy

Retronauts Episode 93: Castlevania's portable legacy

Update: 2017-04-03
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Castlevania superfan Shane Bettenhausen joins Bob and Jeremy to discuss the next set of vampire-slaying classics to go under the retrospective lens: The series' six "Igavania" entries for Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS.
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Retronauts Episode 170: Iron Man
To mark the 10th anniversary of the movie that changed the face of modern cinema (for better or worse), Jeremy talks Iron Man—the character, the games, and the weird lack of games—with comics expert Chris Sims and long-time Iron Man superfan Benj Edwards. Also this episode: The end of "Micros"! Now the biweekly Friday episode will just be plain ol' "Retronauts," whatever their length. Because this week's 80-minute podcast sure doesn't look so "micro" to us...

Retronauts Episode 170: Iron Man

2018-09-2001:21:05

Retronauts Episode 169: Dragon Quest I & II
Jeremy and Bob go international to examine the origins of the world's most influential console RPG series. First, we stop in Nagoya to talk Dragon Quest with Alex Fraioli. Then, USgamer's Nadia Oxford beams in from Canada to lament the cruelty of DQII.

Retronauts Episode 169: Dragon Quest I & II

2018-09-1601:39:19

Retronauts Episode 168: SEGA's Arcade History - The Finale
The end is nigh! Sort of. Jeremy, Ben, and Benj return to look one last time at SEGA's classic arcade legacy, exploring their coin-on megabits of the late ’90s. From Virtua Fighter 3 to Crazy Taxi, it's like crib notes for the Dreamcast era...

Retronauts Episode 168: SEGA's Arcade History - The Finale

2018-09-0901:54:452

Retronauts Micro 95: Mailbag - Final Fantasy VII, Dragon Quest, and more
Nadia Oxford dials in to swap listener mail submissions with Bob and Jeremy for episodes we've recorded but not yet published. Get a preview of things to come in the weeks ahead with community opinions on Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy VII, and more!

Retronauts Micro 95: Mailbag - Final Fantasy VII, Dragon Quest, and more

2018-09-0600:46:001

Retronauts Episode 167: Super Mario Oddities - Mario Bros., Wrecking Crew, Lost Levels
Ray Barnholt and Henry Gilbert join Bob and Jeremy to talk about the OTHER Super Mario Bros. 2—plus, we fill in the 8-bit Mario gaps we've never touched on before. Call Foreman Spike, 'cause we're the Wrecking Crew, baby.

Retronauts Episode 167: Super Mario Oddities - Mario Bros., Wrecking Crew, Lost Levels

2018-09-0201:54:06

Retronauts Episode 166: Chasm - Making a Modern Metroidvania
Jeremy talks to Chasm's James Petruzzi about creating the best IGA-vania style exploratory platformer in a decade, along with the challenges of meeting modern player expectations with a game built so clearly in the classic spirit of Symphony of the Night.

Retronauts Episode 166: Chasm - Making a Modern Metroidvania

2018-08-2601:56:04

Retronauts Micro 94: Tron
Greetings, programs! Anthony Schwader of the Game & Movie podcast joins Jeremy to discuss games about a movie about games: Disney's Tron, and all its tie-in video game creations.

Retronauts Micro 94: Tron

2018-08-2301:14:441

Retronauts Episode 165: The Bard's Tale
It's a double dose of bardy delight! First, Jason Wilson and Rowan Kaiser join Jeremy and Bob in the studio to talk about the importance of Interplay's The Bard's Tale. Then, designer Michael Cranford regales us with the saga of its creation.

Retronauts Episode 165: The Bard's Tale

2018-08-1901:27:201

Retronauts Episode 164: Online Pioneer Days & Mailbag
A potpourri of topics this week as Ben Elgin and Benj Edwards talk Jeremy through the early days of dial-up gaming and BBS madness. Then, Shivam Bhatt and Bob help tackle a long-overdue listener mailbag.

Retronauts Episode 164: Online Pioneer Days & Mailbag

2018-08-1201:52:57

Retronauts Micro 93: Sega Pico
In 1994, Sega released the Pico: a cute little purple-and-teal suitcase that ran on Genesis hardware and promised to enhance young minds rather than rot them. While it was a neat little piece of tech at the time, America didn't take as kindly to the Pico as Japan did--though Sega's little "learning computer" managed to touch a few tiny lives before it disappeared with only 20 releases to its name. On this episode of Retronauts Micro, join Bob Mackey, Henry Gilbert, and Pico enthusiast Sam Leichtamer (of GameSpot) as the crew explores the computer that thinks it's a toy.

Retronauts Micro 93: Sega Pico

2018-08-1000:51:222

Retronauts Episode 163: BioShock
Back in 2007, Irrational Games wowed the world with BioShock, an FPS experience that bridged the gap between PC and console games with its role as the "thinking man's shooter." With 2013's Infinite closing the book on the series—and Irrational Games as a whole—and still no new Ken Levine game to speak of, there's never been a better time to revisit the recent past and a game that really kicked the HD generation into high gear. On this episode, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, and Gary Butterfield as the crew dives deep into BioShock and decides if the world of Rapture is just as enthralling as it was over a decade ago. Now, would you kindly leave us a five-star review on the iTunes Music Store?

Retronauts Episode 163: BioShock

2018-08-0601:53:472

Retronauts Episode 162: Wizardry - Podcast Chat of the Mad Overlord
Jeremy talks to Wizardry programmer Robert Woodhead about the history and inspirations behind his influential all-time role-playing classic.

Retronauts Episode 162: Wizardry - Podcast Chat of the Mad Overlord

2018-07-2901:47:38

Retronauts Micro 92: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Jeremy, Chris, and Benj take a wildly disorganized (one might say "postmodern") journey through the original adventure of Indiana Jones... and eventually remember to touch on the games based on the film, too.

Retronauts Micro 92: Raiders of the Lost Ark

2018-07-2601:11:011

Retronauts Episode 161: Super Mario Bros. 2
We celebrate five years of rebooted Retronauts by getting the original band back together! Ray Barnholt and Dr. Sparkle return to discuss Mario Madness: The U.S. version of Super Mario Bros.

Retronauts Episode 161: Super Mario Bros. 2

2018-07-2301:38:392

Retronauts Episode 160: Memoirs of a Game Counselor
Jeremy chats with 17-Bit Studios boss Jake Kazdal about the road he traveled from working an NES-era Nintendo game counselor to collaborating on SEGA classics like Rez to running his own game development studio in Japan.

Retronauts Episode 160: Memoirs of a Game Counselor

2018-07-1501:33:592

Retronauts Micro 91: Listener Comments Revue
For this Retronauts Micro, we're going for a community-focused approach as we respond to YOUR comments about Bob's latest round of episodes! This week, join Bob Mackey, Henry Gilbert, and Matthew Jay as the crew fields responses to previous Retronauts installments about video game ads, the Nintendo GameCube, Doom, television games, and Spider-Man games. All this, and a close examination of a video where Stan Lee excoriates Todd McFarlane and Rob Liefeld! Could you ask for anything more?

Retronauts Micro 91: Listener Comments Revue

2018-07-1300:58:02

Retronauts Episode 159: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
In 2004, Hideo Kojima restored his famous series' reputation with Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. This third entry in the Metal Gear Solid series eschewed the excessively meta approach of the previous sequel for a James Bond-ish romp in an entirely new setting that still provided plenty of convoluted--and incredibly amusing--twists and turns. The result is a modern classic that's brimming over with so many great, unique ideas, we barely have time to scratch the surface in 90 minutes! On this episode, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Mikel Reparaz, and Wes Fenlon as the crew takes a closer look at Metal Gear Solid 3 under the survival viewer.

Retronauts Episode 159: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

2018-07-0901:43:222

Retronauts Episode 158: Ranma 1/2
Travel back in time to Midwest Gaming Classic, when Jeremy, Bob, and guest Caitlin Oliver (@sacaitlin) traveled even further back in time to the ’90s and the wild world of gender-bending anime Ranma 1/2... and all the games based on the series.

Retronauts Episode 158: Ranma 1/2

2018-07-0101:38:21

Retronauts Micro 90: The King of Kong reconsidered
With the recent news that former Donkey Kong champion Billy Mitchell has had his score records revoked, Jeremy, Chris, and Benj look back at King of Kong, the documentary that chronicled his attempt to defend his records and painted him as a villain.

Retronauts Micro 90: The King of Kong reconsidered

2018-06-2800:54:55

Retronauts Episode 157: Metroidvania: The finale
Jeremy, Benj, and Chris bring their multi-episode history of metroidvania games to a conclusion with a look at the genre's resurgence on Game Boy Advance and its new lease on life thanks to plucky indie gaming upstarts. Now, on to New Game +…

Retronauts Episode 157: Metroidvania: The finale

2018-06-2401:50:095

Retronauts Episode 156: Ultima feat. Richard Garriott
It's a double dose of Ultima! First, Jeremy and Bob chat with Jason Wilson and Rowan Kaiser from Gamesbeat to explore the RPG series' legacy, then Richard Garriott (Lord British himself) shares anecdotes about the origins and evolution of the games.

Retronauts Episode 156: Ultima feat. Richard Garriott

2018-06-1701:47:021

Retronauts Micro 89: The History of Video Game Ads Part II
We're back with our follow-up to Retronauts Micro 87, which dives even deeper into the history of video game advertising. This time around, we leap from the "Have you played Atari today?" era of TV spots to the brilliant-but-now-amusing way Nintendo carefully worked around Americans' anxiety about video games with their focus on R.O.B. And, unfortunately, this era also sees basically everyone but boys being phased out of the marketing--a decision that had some pretty big effects we're still feeling today. On this episode, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Matthew Jay, and Henry Gilbert as the crew once again laughs at and learns from the history of video game ads. (Sadly, no George Plimpton this time.)

Retronauts Micro 89: The History of Video Game Ads Part II

2018-06-1500:59:01

Retronauts Episode 155: Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo followed up the modest success of the N64 with the GameCube: A small, sleek little system devoted solely to playing games. But in an era where the PlayStation 2's exclusives, backwards compatibility, and DVD playback features obliterated the competition, Nintendo found their nice little piece of hardware unable to gain any true traction. On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Kat Bailey, Jeremy Parish and Dave Rudden as the crew explores the console best known as "half of a Wii but without the duct tape:" the Nintendo GameCube.

Retronauts Episode 155: Nintendo GameCube

2018-06-1101:54:074

Retronauts Episode 154: SEGA special - Phantasy Star Interview - After Burner II - Space Harrier - Streets of Rage 3
All SEGA, all the time! First, a chat with Phantasy Star designers Rieko Kodama and Toru Yoshida. Then, an in-depth look at DataDiscs' releases of the classic OSTs for After Burner II, Space Harrier, and Streets of Rage 3. Special thanks to Alex Aniel!

Retronauts Episode 154: SEGA special - Phantasy Star Interview - After Burner II - Space Harrier - Streets of Rage 3

2018-06-0301:28:502

Retronauts Micro 88: Lumines (feat. Tetsuya Mizuguchi)
Jeremy follows up on last year's interview with Enhance Games boss and all-around video game design savant Tetsuya Mizuguchi, this time exploring the origins of musical PSP puzzle masterpiece Lumines. Just in time for the new remaster!

Retronauts Micro 88: Lumines (feat. Tetsuya Mizuguchi)

2018-05-3100:37:28

Retronauts Episode 153: Suikoden I & II
Jeremy and Bob discuss the greatness of Konami's first two Suikoden RPGs, yet fail to acquire all 108 Stars of Destiny (all we recruited were Shane Bettenhausen and Shivam Bhatt). Plus: Remembering Retronauts contributor Andrew Fitch.

Retronauts Episode 153: Suikoden I & II

2018-05-2701:47:291

Retronauts Episode 152: Star Wars
Play this show before you go-goIn case you're planning on seeing "Solo" Jeremy, Ben, and Chris talk about the original Star Wars and the games based on it. Just the original Star Wars. None of these newfangled prequels or sequels!

Retronauts Episode 152: Star Wars

2018-05-2001:39:41

Retronauts Micro 87: The History of Video Game Ads Part I
Whether you like it or not, advertising is everywhere, and it's always been everywhere--which is why the jingle for some now-nonexistent product has likely obliterated some important memory in your brain. And video games, being a product that's sold for money, have never been a stranger to advertising. On this first part of a two-part series, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Matthew Jay, and Henry Gilbert as the crew explores the earliest days of video game ads, as well as the many baffling celebrity endorsements of the time. Mr. Intellivision would approve!

Retronauts Micro 87: The History of Video Game Ads Part I

2018-05-1800:51:40

Retronauts Episode 151: Sonic Adventure 2
When Sega made their first true leap into polygonal gaming with the incredibly rushed Sonic Adventure, they delivered a fascinating and ambitious mess. Thankfully, the inevitable sequel saw Sonic Team working with more time, resources, and expertise, making it a much more polished game... but one that still has its share of problems. On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Henry Gilbert, and Michal (@Miexriir on Twitter) as the crew digs into Sonic's sophomore stab into the world of 3D gaming.

Retronauts Episode 151: Sonic Adventure 2

2018-05-1401:28:25

Retronauts Episode 150: Atari: The 7800 and the raw deal
A two-parter from Midwest Gaming Classic 2018. First, Kevin Bunch and Brian Clark talk the history of Atari 7800 with Jeremy. Then, as a backup, Marty Goldberg (and Bob!) join Jeremy and Kevin to explain how the Atari Crash wasn't totally Atari's fault.

Retronauts Episode 150: Atari: The 7800 and the raw deal

2018-05-0702:02:54

Retronauts Micro 86: Night Trap
Recorded live at Super Famicon in Greensboro NC! Jeremy Parish and Chris Sims chat with Josh Fairhurst from Limited Run Games about the mad adventure of bringing schlock-horror FMV classic Night Trap to modern consoles.

Retronauts Micro 86: Night Trap

2018-05-0400:56:011

Retronauts Episode 149: Tetris
Steve Lin and Frank Cifaldi of the Video Game History Foundation join Jeremy and Bob to comb through the convoluted story of one of the most popular and addictive video games of all time: Tetris!

Retronauts Episode 149: Tetris

2018-04-2901:31:173

Retronauts Episode 148: Namco's Arcade History
Jeremy, Chris, and Benj take a comprehensive journey through the catalog of an arcade legend: Namco. From their humble beginnings through mega-hits like Pac-Man, Dig Dug, and Galaga, it's wall-to-wall coin-op classics up in this episode. This is the first of a series of Namco retrospectives and covers the years 1978-1982!

Retronauts Episode 148: Namco's Arcade History

2018-04-2201:57:042

Retronauts Micro 85: 3D Sonic Mailbag
Thanks to the magic of planning, I (Bob) have scheduled three episodes in a row about 3D Sonic games. Earlier this week, we talked about Sonic Adventure, and next month we'll talk about Sonic Adventure 2. And as for this episode? Well, if you're one of those weirdos who reads the title last, allow me to inform you that this Micro is fully dedicated to YOUR thoughts about the 3D Sonic games. So sit back and relax as Henry Gilbert and myself read and respond to listener questions about Sonic's post-2D era. And look forward to a Sonic Adventure 2 episode in May. Or dread it. It's totally your call!

Retronauts Micro 85: 3D Sonic Mailbag

2018-04-2000:43:211

Retronauts Episode 147: Sonic Adventure
Sonic the Hedgehog essentially sat out the 32-bit generation, which dealt a serious blow to Sega's financial situation. But by the time the company was ready to launch their new hardware, Sega finally delivered what a generation of gamers had been screaming about for years: a TRUE 3D Sonic game. On this week's episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Ray Barnholt, and Caty McCarthy as the crew digs into Sonic's first 3D outing and decides if it's a stellar success or an ambitious failure.

Retronauts Episode 147: Sonic Adventure

2018-04-1601:28:122

Retronauts Episode 146: The Metroid sisterhood - Scurge Hive and Iconoclasts
Nintendo never created a follow-up to 2002's Metroid Fusion, but this week Jeremy interviews the developers who did: Dan Kratt and Graham Scott, who put together DS/GBA cult classic Scurge Hive, and Joakim Sandberg, creator of Iconoclasts.

Retronauts Episode 146: The Metroid sisterhood - Scurge Hive and Iconoclasts

2018-04-0801:51:092

Retronauts Micro 84: The trials of vintage computing
Benj Edwards has long dreamed of curating a museum of vintage PC history, and he's amassed hundreds of classic computers to make it happen. We talk about the unique challenges of preserving so many aging machines… especially finding room for them all.

Retronauts Micro 84: The trials of vintage computing

2018-04-0500:38:291

Retronauts Episode 145: Super Mario Odyssey's classic roots
Jeremy and Bob convene with Chris Kohler and Henry Gilbert to take another look at the ways a recent hit release draws on the heritage of a long-running game franchise. It's Super Mario Odyssey, and it celebrates 35+ years of Mario (and Donkey Kong!).

Retronauts Episode 145: Super Mario Odyssey's classic roots

2018-04-0101:44:581

Retronauts Episode 144: Broderbund
By request of patron Jeff Vlasek, we circle back around to go deep on Brøderbund, a company whose catalog we've touched on numerous times over the past year under the aegis of other subjects. This episode, though, it's all Brøderbund, all the time!

Retronauts Episode 144: Broderbund

2018-03-2601:59:173

Retronauts Micro 83: Metal Gear Mailbag
With Metal Gear Survive flopping and Hideo Kojima absent from Konami, the future of Metal Gear is fuzzy—or completely nonexistent. But, thankfully, Retronauts is a past-based operation, and there's plenty of Metal Gear behind us to look back on and discuss. On this episode, join Bob Mackey and Henry Gilbert as the two-man crew tackles your most burning questions about Metal Gear.

Retronauts Micro 83: Metal Gear Mailbag

2018-03-2300:56:281

Retronauts Episode 143: Doom
Doom is back in the public consciousness thanks to the stellar 2016 reboot, but when was the last time you thought back to the 1993 original that changed the face of PC gaming? From the fascinating behind-the-scenes development stories of plucky computer geniuses/Diet Coke addicts, to the sheer impact it had on the gaming landscape, there's enough going on with Doom to fill an entire podcast series—yet we tried to fit everything into a single episode. On this installment of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Jeff Green and Gary Butterfield as the crew rips and tears their way through a discussion of a game that truly launched a genre.

Retronauts Episode 143: Doom

2018-03-1901:41:433

Retronauts Episode 142: The Mummy Demastered & Mega Cat Studios
Jeremy visits WayForward's offices to speak to Austin Ivansmith and Tomm Hulett making a modern-day licensed "16-bit" platformer with The Mummy Demastered, then chats with Mega Cat's Zack Manko about his studio's modern-day home-brewed NES games.

Retronauts Episode 142: The Mummy Demastered & Mega Cat Studios

2018-03-1101:45:142

Retronauts Micro 82: The Goonies
Continuing our exploration of media properties that inspired classic games (and, also, the games they inspired), Jeremy, Ben, and Chris climb down the Fratelli's fireplace to hunt for the ancient treasure known as The Goonies.

Retronauts Micro 82: The Goonies

2018-03-0901:01:591

Retronauts Episode 141: Preserving future classics with Limited Run Games
Jeremy speaks to Josh Fairhurst and Douglas Bogart about the Limited Run Games mission of preserving classics (and future classics) through the safety of physical media.

Retronauts Episode 141: Preserving future classics with Limited Run Games

2018-03-0501:48:581

Retronauts Episode 140: Final Fantasy VI
Jeremy Parish and Bob Mackey convene with Kotaku's Chris Kohler and USgamer boss Kat Bailey once again to discuss in detail the next chapter of Squaresoft's biggest RPG series: The fan-favorite, operatic, apocalyptic RPG masterpiece Final Fantasy VI.

Retronauts Episode 140: Final Fantasy VI

2018-02-2601:50:037

Retronauts Micro 81: Virtual Bart
For the fourth time, the Talking Simpsons crew takes over Retronauts to explore the long legacy of Simpsons games. This week, they shine the spotlight on Virtual Bart, which applied the then-burgeoning hype over virtual reality to The Simpsons with mixed results (at best). On this episode of Retronauts Micro, join Bob Mackey, Henry Gilbert, and Chris Antista as they ask the tough questions like "Why is Bart a pig for some reason?" and "Why is Bart a baby for some reason?" Note: none of these questions actually have answers.

Retronauts Micro 81: Virtual Bart

2018-02-2300:41:441

Retronauts Episode 139: Television Games
Over the years, we've covered plenty of games based on animated TV shows, from The Simpsons to Tiny Toon Adventures to Animaniacs. But this week's episode of Retronauts focuses on a much rarer specimen: video games based on live-action TV shows. And, given that live-action shows are usually constrained by some sort of mundane reality, they don't always make for the best adaptations. But they're still fun to talk about! On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Henry Gilbert, and Chris Antista as the crew explores this particularly misguided brand of classic game.

Retronauts Episode 139: Television Games

2018-02-1901:50:471

Retronauts Episode 138: Ship to Shore's Konami jams & NES Maker
Jeremy speaks to Aaron Hamel about Ship to Shore's efforts to bring classic video game soundtracks like Lagrange Point, Darius, and Bayou Billy to the U.S. Then, Joe Granato shares the inside track on his successful Kickstarter project, the do-it-yourself 8-bit game creation kit NES Maker.

Retronauts Episode 138: Ship to Shore's Konami jams & NES Maker

2018-02-1201:48:23

Retronauts Episode 137: How Symphony of the Night (almost) killed Metroidvania
Jeremy, Benj, and Chris explore the mid-’90s doldrums of the metroidvania genre, with a lengthy sidebar on the era's lone high point amidst industry-wide disinterest: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Retronauts Episode 137: How Symphony of the Night (almost) killed Metroidvania

2018-02-0501:41:541

Retronauts Micro 80: Jim Henson's Labyrinth
Jeremy, Chris, and Benj have only 13 hours in which to discuss 1986's Jim Henson/George Lucas/David Bowie Muppet-style cult classic movie musical Labyrinth… oh, and also, the games based on it.

Retronauts Micro 80: Jim Henson's Labyrinth

2018-02-0201:06:122

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Retronauts Episode 93: Castlevania's portable legacy

Retronauts Episode 93: Castlevania's portable legacy

Jeremy Parish and Bob Mackey