Do you like to play retro RPGs? The RPGs of the 8, 16, and 32-bit era of games are sometimes a little tough to get into, but we're going to take them on, one at a time, week by week. Weekend Warriors is our chance to do just that! This first episode is covering the first few hours of Phantasy Star for the Sega Master System. Every week we will play another 5 hours or so of the game, find a checkpoint, and then talk about that week of the game, up until we beat it. This way, you could casually pl...
Oct 06, 2019•49 min•Ep. 75
It's our 2nd Patron requested episode! Patron "Burgerchamp" has selected Conquest of the Crystal Palace for the Nintendo, a game none of us had played before, and a game with a surprising developer! This action platformer has a lot going for it -- most notably a dog you can summon -- but is it something you should hunt down to try? Also discussed: the new Contra Rogue Corps demo, Apple Arcade, and some listener questions about console failures, bad rentals, and games that made us a little sad. W...
Sep 26, 2019•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 74
As we mentioned last episode, starting with episode 101 we are adding another generation to the podcast : Dreamcast, PS2, Gamecube, and Gameboy Advance are now systems we consider to be retro, now that the Dreamcast is 20 years old! And we chose Space Channel 5 to kick off the next 100 shows with a CHU! Ulala is a reporter for Space Channel 5, and she's been sent to uncover the truth about a new alien menace-- by dance-off! Will Ulala's first game save the day, or is this another music-based gam...
Sep 12, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 73
We made it to 100 episodes, and we aren't slowing down at all! For our 100th episode spectacular, we've got a collection of Tiger handheld (and maybe a non-Tiger one) from the early days of handheld gaming to tell you about. We're going to talk about 7 games total, from Double Dragon and concluding with our highly anticipated look at the MC Hammer game that Billy mentioned probably 95 episodes ago. It's been a long road to get here, but at the end of that road -- we start to look down the next r...
Aug 29, 2019•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 72
Our first Patron requested game, Kyle VonKubik (aka ObeyKube of OneRadTee.com) selected Fortified Zone for the Nintendo Game Boy! A game none of us had played or even heard about before, this 3/4 top view action shooter has a real Metal Gear feel to it. Was this just another clone of a more popular franchise, or did this do something new and different, especially for a handheld console that had a lot of forgettable games over it's long lifespan? We also answered some listener questions about pos...
Aug 15, 2019•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 71
Grab your favorite ball cap and loincloth, because we're taking a look at the TG-16 installment of the Adventure Island series when we jump to New Adventure Island! Master Higgins is on a quest to save his fiancee from Baron Bronsky, and we join him for all 25 levels of his trip. Will this adventure be a vacation, or will this be another trip we all wish to forget? We answer a few listener mails as well, all about console launches, our personal lists of games we wish we hadn't covered, and more!...
Aug 01, 2019•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 70
We're taking a look at the Treasure-made Genesis title, Gunstar Heroes! A game highly regarded by action fans, we go back and play it again to see how well it holds up now. We also answer some listener questions on mini console wishes and our best game hauls (but not game halls). Want to skip to Gunstar Heroes? Pick your starting level and weapon, and jump to the 10:30 mark! __________________________ If you would like additional bonus episodes of Retrovaniacs, our Patreon is located here : http...
Jul 17, 2019•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 69
This time we take a look at Tecmo's Rygar for the NES! Based loosely on the 1986 arcade game of the same name, on the NES they completely redesigned the tale of The Legendary Warrior from a side-scrolling action arcade game into an early "Metroidvania", that existed before the 'vania part of that portmanteau was even a thing. Did they succeed, or was this another case of a solid idea that just wasn't developed enough? We also discuss our thoughts on Mario Maker 2, the sequel to the Wii U Mario M...
Jul 04, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 68
We try to cover a full-length 16-bit RPG as we take a look at Earthbound! A sequel to Mother, a game not released in the US, when Mother 2 arrived in the states with a new name change and a questionable advertising strategy, it did not get received well... however, it has developed a dedicated cult following over the years, and so we took our time and played this fully to determine if this cult hit is deserving of its reputation as an underappreciated hit. We also answer some listener questions ...
Jun 21, 2019•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 67
What? An unexpected show? Our next full-length regular show will be out next week as usual, but this is the first Retrovaniacs Mini-Episode. What are those? Well, listen and find out. This one is free, but all future mini-shows are going to be only for our Patreon backers. Listen to the show for details. We hope you are interested in backing us, and if so our Patreon is located here : https://www.patreon.com/user?u=21041333 If not, no pressure-- the regular twice-a-month shows will continue rega...
Jun 14, 2019•38 min•Ep. 66
Now that we have access to this 1990 Famicom game outside Japan via the newly released Konami Castlevania Anniversary Collection, we finally get a chance to play Kid Dracula-- a game in the Castlevania timeline where you play Dracula's son (or maybe just a kid Dracula) as he attempts to regain his father's kingdom after a 10,000 year nap. Does this belong in the same collection with some of the best games of the NES / SNES / and Genesis eras, or was this game better left as an odd footnote to a ...
Jun 06, 2019•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 65
Our first PC title (although it's been re-released on pretty much everything), we take a look at Grim Fandango, a later graphic adventure game from the folks who brought us Monkey Island and Full Throttle. Is this as notoriously obtuse as some of the earlier games in the genre, or is this more of a case of technology and experience allowing some improvements to an old PC staple? Also discussed, possible guest hosts, some listener recommendations, and pre-NES / Master System era games, and if we ...
May 22, 2019•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 64
This episode we visit a past Sega franchise that has been relatively quiet of late, the Shinobi series and master ninja Joe Musashi in what may be the best game in the series -- Shinobi 3 for the Genesis. How does this one stack up to other 16-bit era platformers, and the rest of the series in general? Listen to see! We also share our thoughts on several topics such as the Final Fantasy series, new retro consoles, sports titles, and other non-Shinobi topics when we answer several listener questi...
May 09, 2019•56 min•Ep. 63
The sequel to Super Mario World, but featuring Mario's sidekick Yoshi as the main character, Yoshi's Island kicked off the Yoshi series of games. Did his first solo outing solidify Yoshi as more than a glorified mount for Mario? We played it again now, and share our thoughts on this beautiful looking 2d title, with some notable flaws. Also discussed what Billy thought about Skate or Die 2, answered some listener questions, and avoided talking too much about Sekiro. Want to get right to the game?...
Apr 18, 2019•49 min•Ep. 62
We take a look at a sequel to the skateboarding game that everyone owned, Skate or Die 2: The Search for Double Trouble. Where the original was more of a collection of skating games, this sequel is a single player skateboarding adventure game. Does this game end up being a totally radical experience, or a completely bogus waste of time? We also talk about Sekiro way too much, answer a handful of listener questions about classic gaming, and we talk about systems we haven't covered much and why. D...
Apr 05, 2019•57 min•Ep. 61
After being told we constantly nag on the Sega Genesis system for it's... interesting sound, we picked a game this week that at the very least has a very solid soundtrack, Rocket Knight Adventures! This was one of Konami's Genesis exclusives, and it led to several sequels that were on multiple platforms, but how well does does Sparkster's initial journey hold up? We played through the game to find out. Also discussed, some new Switch downloadable titles, the just announced Konami classic collect...
Mar 21, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 60
Maybe our most divisive episode yet, we dive into the sequel to one of the undisputed NES classic games (the Legend of Zelda) as we cover the side-scrolling follow-up Zelda II : The Adventure of Link. Many people swear this game is the worst in the series, while many others love the fact that it's so different while still maintaining many staples of the Zelda series. Even just the three of us have different opinions on what did and didn't work on Link's sophomore adventure. If you are one of tho...
Mar 07, 2019•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 59
Everyone is playing the new Resident Evil 2 remake, so we thought it was a great time to look at what Resident Evil would look like if it was based on Jurassic Park instead of zombie movies -- Dino Crisis, originally released on the Sony Playstation in 1999! Do Resident Evil tank controls make a dinosaur based survival horror game still worth playing, or is this a case of two great tastes that don't really taste great together? We also read off several listener mails, covering game recommendatio...
Feb 20, 2019•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 58
Join us as we take a look at Sega's 1995 comic-themed Brawler, Comix Zone! Will Sketch be able to save himself and his comic from the evil mutant Mortis? Why does this game make you take damage when you punch a box? These questions and more are covered in detail! We also answer some listener mail about a Street Fighter II port none of us knew about, Tiger Handhelds, and if the amount of games we have available today is a gift or a curse. Want to get right to Sketch? Skip to that 5:00 mark! _____...
Feb 06, 2019•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 57
A game none of us has played before (or honestly had even heard of before), Firestriker for the Super Nintendo is a weird mash-up of adventure game, pinball, and Breakout -- but does that make for a good game, or an unintelligible mess? Listen to find out. We also answer some listener questions on the Metal Gear series, Mario Kart 64, and memories of playing games with our families when we were younger. Want to skip right to Firestriker? Start at 9:30! __________________________ If you enjoy thi...
Jan 25, 2019•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 56
Our first episode of 2019 takes us back to the NES to look at a very beloved game, Battletoads, which is known not only for being a game everyone loves, but also one of the hardest games on the NES. Does this still hold up today, and is it as hard as we all remember? Can we even get past those damn speeder bikes? Listen to find out! We also answer a listener question from "Josh" to discuss some poor 2nd and 3rd choices we made at the store as kids, because going home with any game has to be bett...
Jan 11, 2019•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 55
UPDATE: Added our voices back in. Hooray? Ho, ho, ho! It's Christmastime at the Retrovania dot net HQ, and so we've pulled out a holiday classic - Die Hard Trilogy! Ok, so there is nothing in this game that even remotely mentions Christmas, but this is a game that contains 3 completely separate games based on the first 3 Die Hard movies. Is this a rare case where you get a lot for your money, or are all three of these games worth throwing off the top of the Nakatomi building? Also discussed, our...
Dec 24, 2018•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 54
A Treasure game for the Genesis, included on most Genesis collections, and yet none of us have played it? This is exactly the situation faced this week, as we review listener recommended Dynamite Headdy! Will this game be found deserving to be on the Genesis game collections, or is Headdy just another bad 16-bit mascot? We've gotten more questions via Retrovania.net, so we end the show off answering 4 of them! If you have a question, send it on over for a future episode, and we will try our best...
Dec 14, 2018•1 hr•Ep. 53
Since the Playstation Classic is coming out next week, and we already looked at several other games that are going to be on the mini-system, we decided to take on the first of the modern era Metal Gear games, Metal Gear Solid! Does this game deserve to be on the classic, or is this another game that might be better left in our collective memories? We take a listener question on video game music, and bands that play instrumental covers of that same music, and we push the finest comment form on th...
Dec 01, 2018•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 52
YEEHAW! To be honest, much like everyone else we assumed we'd have been too busy with Red Dead Redemption 2 to play something that wasn't western and / or was a really long game. So -- we're covering Natsume's Wild Guns on the SNES, a game that is short and western-ish. Does this game still provide a rootin'-tootin' good time, or should this one be put out to pasture? We also take a listener question regarding ROM hacks, talk about the PS Classic lineup, and the surprise Amico announcement and w...
Nov 13, 2018•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 51
It's Halloween 2018! We're celebrating this year by covering maybe the most iconic horror monsters, at least of the 80s - Freddy and Jason, and the most 80s games possible on the LJN-made games for the NES. Sure, they've already duked it out on the big screen, but which of these slashers will have the better NES game? Want to skip around what else we've been doing? Start at that 9 minute mark! __________________________ If you enjoy this podcast, why not write a review wherever you download it f...
Oct 31, 2018•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 50
It's the first Halloween episode of 2018, and we've decided to take a closer look at Symphony of the Night before the new HD re-release comes out at the end of the month with Castlevania : Requiem. Does this game still have fangs, or is it a miserable pile (of secrets)? We also covered the 16-bit Castlevanias previously, in Episode 35, way back in Halloween 2016. We also answer a listener question about bootlegs, and Billy has a terrifying memory that resurfaces... __________________________ If ...
Oct 18, 2018•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 49
We broke from our own set of guidelines for this one, we're looking at Shenmue in honor of the HD re-releases of Shenmue 1 and 2, and the probable upcoming 3rd game in the series in 2019 (maybe). We dive into the first game in the saga of Ryo Hazuki, who is sent around Yokosuka, Japan to find information on black cars, Chinese people, and of course sailors, as he hunts down Lan Di to get revenge for his father's death. Does this game hold up at all in 2018, or was a game that was pretty clunky b...
Oct 03, 2018•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 48
Grab your favorite pair of swords and join the Retrovanics crew as we dive into the elemental planes of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water as we play Chakan the Forever Man for the Sega Genesis. We also talk about the new Switch onlien service with NES library, the Mega Man 11 demo, and we answer a listener question from "Seph" who asks us what sort of game we personally would make. Want to skip hearing about what we've been playing (and our thoughts on Mega Man 11)? Skip to 14:20! ____________________...
Sep 21, 2018•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 47
Billy is back this week, as we take a look at a game that is included on the NES Classic that 2/3 of us had never played - Startropics! Join us as we help Mike find his lost Uncle, Dr. Jones, and find out why a parrot tells you to Do Me So Far Do Me. As a reminder, Kyle VonKubik's t-shirt Kickstarter ends in less than a week, however it's been fully funded! There's still a little bit of time to order an exclusive retro-design shirt! Check it out here! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/9460484...
Sep 06, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 46
