
Play Retro Show
Scott Johnson and Brian Dunaway talk about retro video games!
Scott Johnson
Show overview
Play Retro Show has been publishing since 2021, and across the 5 years since has built a catalogue of 222 episodes. That works out to roughly 290 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a weekly cadence.
Episodes typically run an hour to ninety minutes — most land between 1h 12m and 1h 27m — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language Leisure show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 1 weeks ago, with 20 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2023, with 52 episodes published. Published by Scott Johnson.
From the publisher
Scott Johnson and Brian Dunaway talk about retro video games! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Latest Episodes
View all 222 episodesPLAY RETRO 217: Michael Jackson's Moonwalker
PLAY RETRO 216: Rastan
PLAY RETRO 215: Tobal No. 1
PLAY RETRO 214: Neverwinter Nights (2002)
PLAY RETRO 213: PaRappa The Rapper

PLAY RETRO 212: Chibi-Robo!
A small household robot helps a struggling family by cleaning, solving problems, and exploring a home where everyday objects become towering environments. With limited battery life, unlockable tools, and a day-night cycle. Chibi-Robo!Plug into Adventure for the Gamecube blends exploration, light puzzles, and character-driven storytelling into a quiet, unconventional adventure from Skip Ltd. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PLAY RETRO 211: Sam & Max Hit the Road
Sam & Max Hit the Road (1993) follows freelance police Sam and Max as they investigate a missing Bigfoot, leading them on a cross-country adventure through bizarre tourist attractions and absurd encounters. Using classic point-and-click gameplay, players gather clues, solve puzzles, and unlock new locations while navigating the game’s signature humor and mini-games in classic LucasArts fashion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PLAY RETRO 210: Blade Runner
An investigation through rain-soaked Los Angeles as a Blade Runner tracks replicants, gathers evidence, and navigates shifting loyalties in Westwood’s 1997 adventure. Featuring branching outcomes, randomized character roles, and systems built around player choice, Blade Runner stands apart from traditional point-and-click games Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PLAY RETRO 209: Paper Mario
Paper Mario (N64, 2000) is a turn-based RPG where Mario must rescue Princess Peach after Bowser steals the wish-granting Star Rod and uses it to become invincible. Mario travels eight colorful worlds, recruiting party members and using timing-based combat to pull off attacks. It's known for charming writing and a playful paper aesthetic that's baked into the gameplay itself. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PLAY RETRO 208: Ecco The Dolphin
Players guide Ecco (a bottle nose dolphin) through interconnected ocean environments, managing oxygen, using sonar to communicate and solve environmental puzzles, and uncovering a science fiction story-line involving time travel and alien forces for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive with a Sega CD version that enhances the experience with CD-quality audio and an expanded introduction. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PLAY RETRO 207: Star Trek - Borg
Star Trek: Borg (1996) was an interactive FDM (full-motion video) game published by Simon & Schuster Interactive. You play as Qaylan Furlong, a Starfleet cadet whose father was killed at the Battle of Wolf 359. Q shows up (played by John de Lancie, reprising his TNG role) and sends you back in time to that battle, giving you a chance to change the outcome and save your father. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PLAY RETRO 206: Return to Zork
Return to Zork (1993): Replacing Infocom’s classic text parser with a first-person point-and-click interface, full-motion video performances, and voice acting. Set across Port Foozle and beyond, the game blends exploration, inventory puzzles, and frequent failure states in a design that retains the series’ unforgiving roots while embracing early 1990s multimedia presentation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PLAY RETRO 205: Bad Mojo
Bad Mojo (1996) - A PC adventure game that places players in the role of a man transformed into a cockroach, navigating a decaying apartment through environmental interaction and exploration rather than traditional puzzles. The game emphasizes atmosphere, symbolism, and survival, using pre-rendered environments, ambient sound design, and fragmented narration to convey its themes. ROACHES! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PLAY RETRO 204: Kirby's Dream Course
Kirby’s Dream Course (1994) is an isometric action-puzzle golf game developed by HAL Laboratory for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Combining miniature-golf mechanics with Kirby’s signature copy abilities, the game challenges players to defeat enemies and reach the goal cup using precision shots, physics, and strategic power-ups rather than traditional platforming. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PLAY RETRO 203: GORF
GORF (1981) A fixed shooter developed by Midway that combines multiple space-combat styles into a single arcade experience. Across five distinct missions ranging from Space Invaders-style formations to Galaga-inspired flagship battles. The game escalates difficulty through faster enemies, tighter patterns, and increasingly aggressive attacks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PLAY RETRO 202: Sega Rally Championship
Sega Rally Championship (1995) established arcade rally racing with distinct surface physics, short technical stages, and licensed cars tuned for specific terrain types. The original Model 2 arcade release and its Sega Saturn conversion feature classic courses like Desert, Forest, and Mountain, along with cars such as the Toyota Celica GT-Four and Lancia Delta HF Integrale, emphasizing precision driving over pure speed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Play Retro Special: Warren Davis & The Creation of Q*Bert
Scott sits down with Warren Davis for a deep look at the creation of one of the great arcade games of all time, Q*Bert, as well as his direct impact on everything from the Joust series to Mortal Kombat to Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Check out his book: ‘Creating Q*bert and Other Classic Video Arcade Games’! Some amazing insight in this episode with Warren, and we hope enjoy it! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PLAY RETRO 201: Astro Boy
Astro Boy: Omega Factor (2003) for the Game Boy Advance and Astro Boy (2004) for the PlayStation 2. Both titles were released during the franchise’s early-2000s resurgence and offer different approaches to action gameplay, platform strengths, and adaptation of the Astro Boy property. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Play Retro Preshow FREEBIE!
Here's what we do on pre-shows for supporters! A free one this month! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PLAY RETRO 200: Pinball on the Sega Saturn
Episode 200!! Pinball on the Sega Saturn - Digital Pinball: Last Gladiators, Digital Pinball: Necronomicon, Hyper 3-D Pinball (Tilt!), Pinball Graffiti and more bringing pinball table flipping action to our living rooms during the 90s. SEGA! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.