Retronauts

Retronauts East's journey through the history of Apple-based gaming continues with an in-depth look at the unique world of monochrome Mac gaming. Ben Elgin, Benj Edwards, and Jeremy Parish discuss the miracle of the mouse and the hotness of HyperCard.

The Simpsons might have gotten off on the wrong foot with 8-bit consoles, but Our Favorite Family's 16-bit debut was... kinda better? On our latest Talking Simpsons crossover episode, join Bob Mackey, Henry Gilbert, and Chris Antista as the crew gives Bart's Nightmare the Retronauts treatment.

Steve Lin joins Jeremy and Bob to discuss that most primal of video game forces: Manly video games about manly men. We explore the pop social forces behind the rise of rugged 8-bit heroes, and how those beefy classics shaped modern game sensibilities.

'80s kids couldn't help but grow up with a Ghostbusters fixation, even if the games based on this popular property were often as fun as drowning in a river of slime. On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Kat Bailey, and Mikel Reparaz as the crew digs into every Ghostbusters game to see how well each one captures that essential ghostbusting spirit. And if you think all of these games are good, we're not ready to believe you!

Jeremy and Benj discuss the history of Atari's fascinating, extravagant, and incomplete SwordQuest series with (literally!) one of the authors of the game's new comeback: Comics scribe Chris Sims.

Renowned Batmanologist and comics scribe Chris Sims joins Jeremy Parish and Benj Edwards to explore the lore of early Batman games and how they fit into the evolution of the character's franchise.

Boss Key Studios audio expert Jack Menhorn joins Jeremy for an in-depth discussion of the latest new releases of retro- and retro-style game soundtracks: Mondo's Contra III and Castlevania III, Brave Wave's Shovel Knight, and DataDiscs' Galaxy Force II!

Since weve all got Breath of the Wild on the brain, why not celebrate The Legend of Zeldas most unsung musical moments? On this episode of Retronauts Micro, join Bob Mackey, Chris Antista, Henry Gilbert, and Brett Elston as the crew assembles to put their knowledge of Zeldas famous doo doo doo DOOOO ditty to the test. You know the one were talking about.

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.

Though video games were considered the domain of nerds until fairly recently, this stigma certainly didn't stop celebrities from attaching their names to all manner of misguided interactive experiences. On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Henry Gilbert, and Chris Antista as the crew takes a tour of the many celebrity-based that baffled them over the past three decades. If you've been waiting decades for someone--anyone--to talk about Bill Laimbeer's Combat Basketball, this is the podcast for you.

It's a different application for the Retronauts Micro format this week as Jeremy uses the show to present a review of the newly released Blaster Master Zero alongside a series retrospective.

Hey! Listen! The Retronauts podcast has partnered with the PodcastOne network, so if you've just downloaded this episode, head on over to http://www.podcastone.com/retronauts to subscribe to our new feed. You can also pick up our PodcastOne feed through iTunes, or any other podcast program or app. And if you're having trouble, try unsubscribing and re-subscribing. Thanks for listening, and I hope you stick with us!

Ben Elgin and Benj Edwards reconvene with Jeremy to explore the first half of SEGA's arcade output. Like the games we're discussing, the episode starts off a bit shaky, but everything is awesome by 1985. Pengo! Zaxxon! Space Harrier! Hang On! And more!

Bob joins in for a slightly different episode of Retronauts Radio! We discuss the recent CD release of the 30th anniversary Zelda concert series and look at the history of incredible incidental music in Nintendo's non-game apps.

Retronauts Micro returns on a biweekly schedule! Jeremy kicks things off with a follow-up to last year's look at FM synthesis in games by exploring a flip side: A brief (and at all comprehensive) history of audio sampling vis-a-vis video games.

We continue our Final Fantasy deep-dive series by doing like Square did back in the day and jumping ahead from FFI to FFIV. Chris Kohler and Kat Bailey join to share their thoughts on this most influential of 16-bit role-playing games.

Following his debut in 1990's Super Mario World, Yoshi quickly evolved from a glorified power-up to a star that could carry games with his name alone. And in the character's nearly 30 years of existence, Yoshi-based experiences have taken many forms--including one that stands as possibly the greatest platformer of all time. On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Ray Barnholt, and Henry Gilbert as the crew tries to pin down Yoshi's appeal and whether or not we should worry that he suddenly grew opposable thumbs. Be sure to visit our blog at Retronauts.com. And if you'd like to send a few bucks our way, head on over to our Patreon page!

It's the debut of Retronauts East as East Coast gaming experts Benj Edwards and Ben Elgin join Jeremy to discuss the Apple II computer platform: Its origins, its games, and its legacy. Be sure to visit our site, which includes a complete listing of this episode's musical selections and where to find them, at Retronauts.com. And if you'd like to send a few bucks our way to help support this weekly show, please head on over to our Patreon page!

Our second Retronauts Radio looks at notable retro-themed game music releases for February: Castlevania II, a Final Fantasy Tactics tribute, Revenge of Shinobi, Etrian Odyssey remixes, and a ton of SEGA jams! Art by Jon Stachewicz. Be sure to visit our site, which includes a complete listing of this episode's musical selections and where to find them, at Retronauts.com. And if you'd like to send a few bucks our way to help support this weekly show, please head on over to our Patreon page!

Steve Lin and Jaz Rignall join Jeremy and Bob again to look back at one of the most important game creators of all time: Activision, the company that established the concept of third parties.

It's hard to believe, but the Wii celebrated its tenth birthday last year, putting it within our extremely loose definition of "retro." And thankfully, it's a topic worthy of the Retronauts treatment. Not only does the Wii amount to Nintendo's biggest success, it's also unlikely any subsequent system will ever sell more than this underpowered little box that made our motion-control dreams come true... when we still had them. On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Brett Elston, and Mikel Reparaz as the crew looks back on a not-too-distant past full of Wiis and waggle. Be sure to visit our blog at Retronauts.com. And if you'd like to send a few bucks our way, head on over to our Patreon page!

When The Simpsons took off like a rocket in its first few years, it was only a matter of time before someone scooped up the video game rights. And that "someone" in this case turned out to be Acclaim, those notable purveyors of trash who introduced the concept of "buyer's remorse" to generations of gamers. On this special Talking Simpsons crossover episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Henry Gilbert, and Chris Antista as the crew thoroughly explores Bart vs. the Space Mutants, the strangely ambitious but all-around bad production that taught us all to be forever suspicious of Simpsons games. Be sure to visit our blog at Retronauts.com. And if you'd like to send a few bucks our way, head on over to our Patreon page!

It's an all-music episode of Retronauts as Jeremy looks at recent classic game soundtrack releases of note. Includes looks at Panzer Dragoon, symphonic Final Fantasy, Castlevania: Dracula X, Metroid, and more! Be sure to visit our blog at Retronauts.com, now updated daily! This show is an entirely independent and a self-sustaining concern for 2017. Please help support our livelihoods through Patreon!