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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 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

2018-06-1701:49:011

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

2018-06-1501:00:00

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

2018-06-1101:55:002

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

2018-06-0301:31:492

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

2018-05-2701:49:06

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

2018-05-2001:40:15

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

2018-05-1800:52:02

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

2018-05-1401:27:25

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

2018-05-0702:02:28

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

2018-04-2901:30:573

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

2018-04-2201:57:382

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

2018-04-1601:29:432

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

2018-04-0801:51:342

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

2018-03-2601:58:433

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

2018-03-2300:57:251

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

2018-03-1101:45:152

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

2018-03-0901:02:331

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

2018-03-0501:48:471

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

2018-02-2601:48:325

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

2018-02-2300:41:101

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

2018-02-1901:52:011

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

2018-02-1201:48:58

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

2018-02-0501:42:431

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

2018-02-0201:06:421

Retronauts Episode 136: Shantae (in her creator's words)
As part of our ongoing developer interview series, Shantae creator Matt Bozon recounts the history and challenges involved in designing indie darling Shantae. From the game's Super NES prototype to the recent Half-Genie Hero add-on Friends to the End, that's almost three decades of exploratory belly-dancing!

Retronauts Episode 136: Shantae (in her creator's words)

2018-01-2901:36:472

Retronauts Episode 135: Spider-Man Games
Spider-Man has been starring in video games for 35 years, but outside of a few rare instances, his digital adventures didn't receive much praise before Neversoft brought him into the world of polygons. On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Gary Butterfield, and Spider-Man superfan Henry Gilbert as the crew pores over the many, many Spidey games released from 1982 to 2000. Anybody call for a web-slinger?

Retronauts Episode 135: Spider-Man Games

2018-01-2201:45:142

Retronauts Micro 79: Animaniacs Games
Hulu just announced a two-season reboot of the classic '90s 'toon Animaniacs, so there's never been a better time to look back at the many games starring the Warner Brothers and their Warner sister, Dot. On this episode of Retronauts Micro, join Bob Mackey, Henry Gilbert, and Chris Antista as the crew looks back on this wildly popular, smart, and expensive TV series and the many games that tried their best to dive as deep into pop culture references as the source material did.

Retronauts Micro 79: Animaniacs Games

2018-01-1901:07:101

Retronauts Episode 134: Mega Man X
USgamer's Kat Bailey and Capcom's Brett Elston join Bob and Jeremy to take a deep dive into what might be the single finest entry in the entire Mega Man series: Mega Man X for Super NES. A nonlinear podcast adventure!

Retronauts Episode 134: Mega Man X

2018-01-1501:50:073

Retronauts Episode 133: Steamworld & Chip Tanaka's "Django"
Jeremy takes to Skype this week for conversations with the men behind two of last year's best retro-inspired projects: Brjann Sigurgeirsson of Image & Form (Steamworld Dig 2), and legendary Metroid/EarthBound composer Hirokazu "Chip" Tanaka (Django).

Retronauts Episode 133: Steamworld & Chip Tanaka's "Django"

2018-01-0801:19:251

Retronauts Micro 78: Square's PS1 fighting games
Ah, yes, Squaresoft… the company that only made RPGs. Right? Well. During the PlayStation era, the company's output was all over the place — and that includes the FIVE fighting games it published. All good, all unique! Just in time for their newest fighter, Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, Jeremy Parish & Ben Elgin look back at them all.

Retronauts Micro 78: Square's PS1 fighting games

2018-01-0500:55:282

Retronauts Episode 132: New Year's revue: 1978 - 1988 - 1998 - 2008
We dust off an ancient Retronauts tradition, kicking off a new year by looking 10, 20, 30, and even 40 years into the past to explore the evolution of video games through landmark events and releases of bygone decades. Jeff Green and Ray Barnholt join us!

Retronauts Episode 132: New Year's revue: 1978 - 1988 - 1998 - 2008

2018-01-0101:52:243

Retronauts Episode 131: SEGA's arcade history: Into the ’90s
Jeremy Parish, Ben Elgin, and Benj Edwards convene to discuss SEGA's arcade legacy one last time. But they fail! SEGA created so many groundbreaking classics in the ’90s that this episode only covers about half of them! Oh no!

Retronauts Episode 131: SEGA's arcade history: Into the ’90s

2017-12-2501:56:491

Retronauts Holiday Extravaganza 2017: Donkey Kong Country's "The Kongo Bongo Festival of Lights"
As another year winds down, it's time to return once again to the Retronauts holiday cabin in Parts Unknown. And for 2017's celebration, we've dug up one of the few remaining video game cartoon Christmas specials left for our annual festive discussion: Donkey Kong Country's "The Kongo Bongo Festival of Lights." So, boil up a boozy batch of bog nog, cozy up by the fire, and listen in as Bob Mackey, Henry Gilbert, Chris Antista, and Matthew Jay explore the winter solstice customs of hideous CGI apes.

Retronauts Holiday Extravaganza 2017: Donkey Kong Country's "The Kongo Bongo Festival of Lights"

2017-12-2201:07:174

Retronauts Episode 130: The Legend of Zelda - The Wind Waker
In a generation where games strove to be gritty, photorealistic, and more "mature," The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker dared to be boldly cartoony, and suffered greatly at the hands of console warriors. Yet, close to 15 years later—and with the help of an HD remake—Link's seafaring GameCube adventure is remembered quite fondly. On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Kat Bailey, and Matthew Jay as the crew explores just how this GameCube game went from reviled to treasured.Special thanks to backer Jenny Nielsen for funding the production of this episode!

Retronauts Episode 130: The Legend of Zelda - The Wind Waker

2017-12-1801:44:123

Retronauts Micro 76: The Wizard feat. Luke Edwards
Live from Super FamiCon, Jeremy Parish and Chris Sims talk about Nintendo's finest cinematic achievement, The Wizard, with the actor who played the film's title character: Luke Edwards.

Retronauts Micro 76: The Wizard feat. Luke Edwards

2017-12-1501:04:081

Retronauts Episode 129: Inside Axiom Verge
Jeremy chats with Axiom Verge creator Tom Happ and conspirator Dan Adelman to learn more about the origins and inspirations behind one of the greatest retro-inspired games of the past decade.

Retronauts Episode 129: Inside Axiom Verge

2017-12-1101:37:38

Retronauts Episode 128: The Collectors' Bubble
High-grade game collectors Chris Kohler and Steve Lin drop by to discuss the wild ride that is the rapid inflation of classic games in the collector's aftermarket. Pine for the days when a Super Mario cartridge cost 25¢ instead of $25!

Retronauts Episode 128: The Collectors' Bubble

2017-12-0501:47:002

Retronauts Micro 75: Behind the Scenes of Metal Gear (Live from PRGE 2017)
We've given you our semi-expert opinions on Metal Gear plenty of times over the years, so it's about time for all of you Retronauts listeners to hear some EXPERT ones. And who better to offer them than people who worked on the actual games? On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey and Jeremy Parish as they grill Camouflaj's Ryan Payton and James Howell about their work on Hideo Kojima's legendary series. Thanks again to everyone who made it out to PRGE! (We'll see you again next year.)

Retronauts Micro 75: Behind the Scenes of Metal Gear (Live from PRGE 2017)

2017-12-0100:49:192

Retronauts Episode 127: Listener Mail 2017
Often, our episodes are packed so full of stunning facts and dangerous takes that we rarely have time to give you, the listener, a voice. Hence, our annual listener mail episode: your yearly chance to write in and ask us our semi-expert opinions. On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Dave Rudden and Chris Antista as the crew runs down the best Virtual Console releases of 2017, and answers your burningest questions.

Retronauts Episode 127: Listener Mail 2017

2017-11-2801:10:192

Retronauts Episode 126: HyperCard and Myst
Jeremy Parish and Ben Elgin take a deep dive into the history and concept behind Apple's HyperCard technology and how it became a surprising platform for game development -including the best-selling PC game of the 20th century, Cyan's Myst.

Retronauts Episode 126: HyperCard and Myst

2017-11-2002:01:15

Retronauts Micro 74: Metroid II & Samus Returns
Words no longer have any meaning as Jeremy, Benj, and Chris record a so-called Micro episode that last more than an hour. But then, there's a lot to say about Metroid II and its remake, Samus Returns.

Retronauts Micro 74: Metroid II & Samus Returns

2017-11-1701:17:221

Retronauts Episode 125: Final Fantasy Legend aka SaGa
By patron request, we continue our Final Fantasy deep dive series by looking at a trilogy of RPGs that aren't part of the series? The Final Fantasy Legend spun off from Final Fantasy II, but they became their own thing almost immediately.

Retronauts Episode 125: Final Fantasy Legend aka SaGa

2017-11-1301:39:191

Retronauts Episode 124: Metroidvania Beyond the NES
Chris Sims and Benj Edwards join Jeremy once again to survey the history of exploratory platformers. This time, it's Master System and Super NES games. (Or would be, if the discussion hadn't been sidetracked by Chris' freshman journey into Super Metroid.)

Retronauts Episode 124: Metroidvania Beyond the NES

2017-11-0601:44:291

Retronauts Micro 73: Monster Party
It might not have been a smash-hit back when it released in 1989, but Monster Party went on to be remembered by NES kids as one of the more memorableif inexplicable8-bit games. Though the (unreleased) Japanese version set out to be a much more direct parody of horror hits, the extant experience skirts close enough to breaking copyright law to make the whole thing worthwhile. On this episode of Retronauts Micro, join host Bob Mackey and guest Henry Gilbert as the two dig into one of the spookiest games in the NES library.

Retronauts Micro 73: Monster Party

2017-11-0300:46:17

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Retronauts Episode 93: Castlevania's portable legacy

Retronauts Episode 93: Castlevania's portable legacy

Jeremy Parish and Bob Mackey