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Retronauts

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The original classic gaming podcast continues its endless quest to explore the history of video games, one game at a time. Join hosts Jeremy Parish and Bob Mackey each week as they team up with a host of expert guests to chronicle the creations that have paved the way for today's hits. From forgotten black-and-white arcade machines to modern-day remakes, Retronauts spans more than four decades of vintage gaming greatness!

Episodes

Retronauts Episode 303: Game Boy Color

The original power trio (Jeremy Parish, Bob Mackey, and Ray Barnholt) talk about the system that isn't a Game Boy. It's the Game Boy Color! A completely distinct platform! One that often gets overlooked. In this episode, we un-overlook it.

Jun 08, 20202 hr 34 min

Retronauts Episode 301 Preview: Etrian Odyssey

Jeremy Parish, Bob Mackey, Kat Bailey, and Jason Wilson form up a guild and venture into the verdant history of Atlus's Etrian Odyssey series. Subscribe at http://www.patreon.com/retronauts for access to this and ALL exclusive episodes!

May 29, 202010 min

Retronauts Episode 300: The Curse of Monkey Island

Our LucasArts adventure miniseries continues this week as we explore the developer's first (relatively) high-res adventure: 1997's The Curse of Monkey Island. This late-'90s release had a lot going against it: the series creator had left the company years ago, the two guys responsible for most of the previous games' humor and design were busy with other projects, and this third entry in the trilogy went for an art style far more exaggerated than what had come before. And somehow, they didn't scr...

May 25, 20202 hr

Retronauts Episode 299: Worst of the Best

In this blast from the past, Jeremy Parish, Bob Mackey, Steve Lin, and Jason Wilson get together to talk about the worst games ever created by our favorite developers—and do our best to find a glimmer of goodness in the bad.

May 18, 20202 hr 44 min

Retronauts Episode 298 Preview: Final Fantasy VII Remake

You're listening to a free preview of Retronauts Episode 298: Final Fantasy VII Remake. To hear the rest, and get two exclusive extra episodes every month, access to our previous Patreon-exclusive episodes, and early access to ad-free podcasts, please visit the official Retronauts Patreon .

May 15, 20209 min

Retronauts Episode 297: Sega Saturn

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of its launch, Sega Saturn is paid tribute by Jeremy Parish, Diamond Feit, and Stuart Gipp. The good (its games!), the bad (executive infighting!), and the ugly (umm... its Symphony of the Night port?).

May 11, 20202 hr 41 min

Retronauts Episode 296: Trackball Games & The Art of Atari

Jeremy Parish, Bob Neal, and Benj Edwards sneak in a conversation about trackball games in a hidden cranny of PAX East, and Tim Lapetino talks about his work chronicling the artwork of the Atari 2600 for print.

May 04, 20202 hr 47 min

Retronauts Episode 295 Preview: Trials & Legend of Mana

A clip from our latest Patron-exclusive episode! Jeremy Parish, Bob Mackey, and USgamer's Kat Bailey look at the original version of the newly remade Trials of Mana, then dive into a discussion of Legend of Mana's stunning Yoko Shimomura soundtrack (by patron request of K-S-O). Art by Steph Sybydlo. For the full episode, check out http://patreon.com/retronauts

May 02, 20207 min

Retronauts Episode 294: Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders

It's time once again for another installment of our LucasArts adventure game series with what could be the only podcast episode ever created about the developer's least beloved (outside of Germany) game. Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders might be the LucasArts adventure that's aged the worst, but it's a fascinating case of a game trapped between the design styles of Maniac Mansion and The Secret of Monkey Island, and one that decided to take an evolutionary path that ended up being a dead ...

Apr 27, 20201 hr

Retronauts Episode 293: Alex Kidd and Shadowgate

Jeremy Parish chats with Retronauts contributor Stuart Gipp about the mysterious appeal of Sega's Alex Kidd franchise, then talks to Shadowgate creator Dave Marsh about the history of the game and the inspiration behind its modern-day remake.

Apr 20, 20201 hr 26 min

Retronauts Episode 292 Preview: Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

You're listening to a free preview of Retronauts Episode 292: Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. To hear the rest, and get two exclusive extra episodes every month, our previous Patreon-exclusive episodes, and early access to ad-free podcasts, please visit the official Retronauts Patreon .

Apr 17, 202010 min

Retronauts Episode 290: New Super Mario Bros.

Jeremy Parish, Bob Mackey, Henry Gilbert, and Cole Jones bop in time to the music as they revisit Mario's ugliest (but arguably best!!) adventures in the New Super Mario Bros. series. Cover illustration: Step Sybydlo

Apr 06, 20202 hr 43 min

Retronauts Episode 289 Preview: Miscellaneous Handhelds

We talk about the handheld consoles that don't deserve their own episodes, from the criminally bad (R-Zone) to the just plain criminal (Gizmondo). For the full episode, subscribe to the show at patreon.com/retronauts ! (Artwork: Amanda Pruitt)

Apr 03, 20207 min

Retronauts Episode 288: Full Throttle

It's time for another entry in our ongoing LucasArts mini-series! This time around, we'll be looking at 1995's Full Throttle: Tim Schafer's first project as a solo director, and also the first LucasArts game to blast beyond the barriers of mere diskettes and ship only in the CD-ROM format. Though Full Throttle's design doesn't exactly hold up 25 years later, it stands as a fascinating look at what the multimedia age meant for adventure games, and a path LucasArts explored that ended up being a r...

Mar 30, 20201 hr 7 min

Retronauts Episode 287: TurboGrafx-16

Jeremy Parish, Bob Mackey, Ray Barnholt, and Shane Bettenhausen convene to discuss the legacy of the ultimate NEC and Hudson collaboration: the TurboGrafx-16. Just in time for the launch of the TG16 mini (in a parallel, pandemic-free universe)!

Mar 23, 20202 hr 35 min

Retronauts Episode 286 Preview: Sam & Max Hit the Road

You're listening to a free preview of Retronauts Episode 286: Sam & Max Hit the Road. To hear the rest, and get two exclusive extra episodes every month, our previous Patreon-exclusive episodes, and early access to ad-free podcasts, please visit the official Retronauts Patreon .

Mar 20, 20207 min

Retronauts Episode 285: Animal Crossing

Jeremy Parish, Bob Mackey, Mike Choi, and USgamer's Caty McCarthy chill out for an hour and a half to discuss the low-key world of Animal Crossing, from its primal Nintendo 64 version through its modern-day spinoffs. Music by Mike Choi; art by Greg Melo.

Mar 16, 20202 hr 45 min

Retronauts Episode 284: Parasite Eve

Jeremy Parish, Bob Mackey, and Shane Bettenhausen continue the journey through the Final Fantasy saga with this side excursion into an abandoned Manhattan and 1998's Cinematic RPG Parasite Eve. (Cover art: Nina Matsumoto)

Mar 09, 20201 hr 15 min

Retronauts Episode 283 Preview: Weird Controllers, Pt. I

Jeremy Parish, Benj Edwards, Chris Sims, and Ben Elgin embark upon a comprehensive (maybe) historic overview of weird video game controllers, from punching bags to chainsaws to... butt-poking fingers!? Cover illustration: Shaan Khan

Mar 06, 20208 min

Retronauts Episode 282: Gaming in the Year 2000

In the not-too-distant past, the year 2000 used to signify the far-off future. But time makes fools of us all, and this mythical date has transformed into a distant memory, just as all years are destined to become. This week, we examine Y2K's fascinating gaming landscape, where the primitive Game Boy Color could compete with the cutting-edge PlayStation 2, immersive sims and life sims were new genres, and the Dreamcast still looked like it stood a chance. On this episode, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy...

Mar 02, 20202 hr 39 min

Retronauts Episode 281: Mario Goes Portable

Jeremy Parish, Bob Mackey, Ray Barnholt, and Chris Kohler abandon color and extra lines of screen resolution to take a deep dive into the 2D portable Super Mario games, from Super Mario Land to Super Mario Advance 4.

Feb 24, 20202 hr 35 min

Retronauts Episode 280 Preview: Yakuza

You're listening to a free preview of Retronauts Episode 280: Yakuza. To hear the rest, and get two exclusive extra episodes every month plus early access to ad-free episodes, please visit the official Retronauts Patreon .

Feb 21, 20205 min

Retronauts Episode 279: RoboCop

Jeremy Parish, Bob Mackey, and Henry Gilbert continue to take stock of the havoc wrought upon pop culture by Hollywood of the late ’80s with an in-depth survey of RoboCop: The movie, the games, the wholly inappropriate toys for kids! Cover illustration: Amanda Pruitt

Feb 17, 20202 hr 40 min

Retronauts Episode 278: Paperboy (With John Salwitz)

The Retronauts East crew (Jeremy Parish, Benj Edwards, Chris Sims, Ben Elgin) offer a quick overview of the gameplay and culture behind Atari's Paperboy; then designer John Salwitz shares his memories of its creation. Art: Step Sybydlo

Feb 10, 202059 min

Retronauts Episode 277 Preview: The Games of Nintendo Switch Online

We may not have Virtual Console to dunk on anymore, but gosh darn it if Nintendo Switch Online doesn't fill that same unsatisfying void in our lives. Jeremy Parish, Benj Edwards, Ben Elgin, & Chris Sims banter about NSO's successes, failings, and swerves. Special thanks this episode to Greg Leahy and Greg Melo for editing and illustrating this episode, respectively!

Feb 07, 20208 min

Retronauts Episode 276: Atari Lynx

We've got a real blast from the past for you this week—which is kinda the point of Retronauts, but our newest episode is a blast from the past in an entirely different way. We originally recorded this one on December 6th, 2015, exclusively as an episode for our Kickstarter backers, but now so much time has passed that we feel it's the right time to release this podcast to the general public. So join Jeremy Parish, Bob Mackey, and special guests Steve Lin and Jaz Rignall as the crew discusses Ata...

Feb 03, 20201 hr 11 min

Retronauts Episode 275: Pre-Atari Consoles

Jeremy Parish and vintage gaming expert Kevin Bunch turn back the hands of time to an era when the idea of the Atari 2600 was just a twinkle in someone's eyes, putting the focus on two pioneering consoles: RCA's Studio II and the Fairchild Channel F. The Retronauts is supported by listeners! Subscribe to us on Patreon and get early, higher-quality downloads, exclusive episodes, bonus features about gaming history, topic request opportunities, and more! Learn more at http://www.patreon.com/retron...

Jan 27, 20201 hr 14 min

Retronauts Episode 274 Preview: Super Mario RPG

You're listening to a free preview of Retronauts Episode 274: Super Mario RPG. To hear the rest, and get two extra episodes every month plus early access, please visit the official Retronauts Patreon .

Jan 24, 20206 min