The Retrograde: A Video Game Podcast

For our last week of FeBOOary we bunker up in Antarctica as we look back at the 2002 game based on the 1982 John Carpenter classic: The Thing!Can we trust this game to be as great as we remember, or was there always a bad time lurking somewhere beneath the surface?Before we decide, we make time to recap the recent Nintendo Direct, draw a winner for our Little Nightmares 2 giveaway, and try to hold ourselves over until Mario Golf with a look at PGA Tour 2K21!Plus, is Mikey behind the Murder at the Cecil Hotel? Join us on Twitter: twitter.com/RetrogradePodOr on Instagram: www.instagram.com/theretrogradepodcastOr visit our website at www.theretrogradepod.com/E-mails and business inquiries can be sent to [email protected]

In our third week of FeBOOary -- the scariest month of the year -- we choose to look past our retro collection to try out a brand new release: it's Little Nightmares 2! With all of its hype this week, we figure out whether this Tarsier Studios release would've been a classic game back in our childhood. But before attempting our escape we recap Hitman 3, give our thoughts on the upcoming Last of Us HBO show, and question whether or not Batman is actually Dexter. Plus, we share nightmarish stories from our time as amateur referees! Join us on Twitter: twitter.com/RetrogradePod Or on Instagram: www.instagram.com/theretrogradepodcast Or visit our website at www.theretrogradepod.com/ E-mails and business inquiries can be sent to [email protected] theretrogradepod.com/episodes/little-nightmares-2

For the second week of #FeBOOary (the SPOOKIEST month of the year) we take a ferry ride to Bright Falls for a look back at Alan Wake on the Xbox 360! Join us as we find out if this Remedy Entertainment classic maintains its legacy in the modern day, of if the batteries have run out of its spotlight. Along the way we give our thoughts on Hitman 3, the newest episode of Wandavision, and talk about the blending of Video Games, Television, and Cinema. Plus, Mikey falls off the wagon and once again succumbs to his crippling Overwatch addiction. Join us on Twitter: twitter.com/RetrogradePod Or on Instagram: www.instagram.com/theretrogradepodcast Or visit our website at www.theretrogradepod.com/ E-mails and business inquiries can be sent to [email protected]

Welcome back to the spookiest month of the year! It's our second annual FeBOOary as we peek through our fingers at the EA classic Dead Space! Along this space odyssey we take some time to weigh in on the Godzilla versus King Kong debate, catch up on Wandavision, and tell you what you need to know about the GameStop/GameStonk situation. Plus, would we all be a bit better off with a Diet Coke button in our office? Join us on Twitter: twitter.com/RetrogradePod Or on Instagram: www.instagram.com/theretrogradepodcast Or visit our website at www.theretrogradepod.com/ E-mails and business inquiries can be sent to [email protected]

Hot on the heels of its long-awaited re-release, this week we take to the mean streets of Toronto to look back at the now legendary game Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game! Bryan Lee O'Malley started things off with a masterpiece series of graphic novels which was followed up by a classic Edgar Wright movie, but was Ubisoft able to live up to the hype with this 2010 beat-em-up? Along this Toronto-centric streetcar journey up Spadina Avenue, we take some time to find out if Mikey can get Andrew into Death Stranding, give our early-season thoughts on Wandavision, and recap the new Tiger Woods HBO documentary series: Tiger! Plus, is Jack Frost the Canadian Tooth Fairy? Join us on Twitter: twitter.com/RetrogradePod Or on Instagram: www.instagram.com/theretrogradepodcast Or visit our website at www.theretrogradepod.com/ E-mails and business inquiries can be sent to [email protected]

This week we rediscover The Lost Vikings on the SNES! Was this pre-Blizzard puzzle platformer worth the journey, or should it have been left in the Lost and Found? Along our hunt for this lost game we find time to talk about Andrew's commitment to Death Stranding, experiencing motion sickness in video games, the announcement of a new Indiana Jones game, and we give our thoughts on whether Star Wars partnering up with Ubisoft will work out for the best. Plus, when it comes to separating the art from the artist, just how funny WAS John Wayne Gacy Jr.? Join us on Twitter: twitter.com/RetrogradePod Or on Instagram: www.instagram.com/theretrogradepodcast Or visit our website at www.theretrogradepod.com/ E-mails and business inquiries can be sent to [email protected]

This week we probe the "Flash Game Turned Console Behemoth" Alien Hominid on the Gamecube! Does this Newgrounds-era side scroller still crash-land as well today as it did back in 2004? Along the way we make sure to press F to pay our respects to Flash, preview Tiger Woods' documentary "Tiger," and Mikey tries to convince Andrew to walk a mile in Death Stranding's shoes. Plus: Is Jar Jar Binks just a grown up version of Stitch? Join us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RetrogradePod Or on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theretrogradepodcast Or visit our website at https://www.theretrogradepod.com/ E-mails and business inquiries can be sent to [email protected]

For our first episode of 2021 we bring it back to the days of good old fashioned couch co-op with Kirby Super Star! Since many of us spent our New Years in relative isolation, we wanted to find out if this SNES classic was enough to remind us of the good old days of sitting down with pals! We also catch up on our revisit of Death Stranding, Mikey's deep dive into Star Wars: Clone Wars, and take a moment to appreciate the brilliance of Pixar's Soul. Plus, does Andrew know the difference between Vampires and Draculas?

On this week's episode we count down our top 10 things from this past year! Andrew wanted to call it "Top 10 good Things from a Bad Year" but Mikey insisted on complicating it by calling it "10 Things I Loved About Two... Thousand Twenty" after his favourite Julia Stiles movie. We're including all sorts of media in this list, so it's not just about games this time around. Come wrap up this questionable year with some unquestionably good content!

On this week's episode we spy with our little eyes Goldeneye for the N64! It's been a long time coming, but we're finally ready to replay the game that changed the medium, as well as our lives. We already know it's a bona fide classic, but in spite of its impact, is this game worth playing today? Apart from doing a deep dive into the history and impact of this gem and comparing its story beats to the movie, we also find time to revisit our best Local Multiplayer memories, and study the tone of Rockstar games like GTA V. Plus, is this the week that Mikey and his Dad finally say "I Love You?"

JACK ME IN! This week we Enter The Matrix in our look back at the first video game based on the Matrix universe! Was this game truly the E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial of the 2000s, or was it really not as bad as its reputation made it out to be? Before getting Jacked In, we make sure to talk about the cyber elephant in the room with a breakdown of the Cyberpunk 2077 launch, revisit to possibility of giving Death Stranding another shot, and more Demon's Souls! Plus: will Andrew be our one hope against the oncoming Galactic Federation?

Now THAT'S Podracing! This week we revisit the break-neck speeds of Star Wars Episode I: Racer! Does this 1999 N64 classic maintain its pace in the modern day? We also take a pit stop to talk about Demon's Souls, the embarrassment of Spotify Wrapped, and struggling to beat our parents at Pac-Man and Pinball. Plus, would Mikey have made a better Anakin Skywalker than Jake Lloyd?

This week we sneak up on the original Assassin's Creed on Xbox 360! Is this initial entry to the now iconic franchise worthy of replaying, or should it stay hidden in the shadows of time? Along the way we gush over the Playstation 5, hype up Cyberpunk 2077, and try to find time to play more Demon's Souls. Plus, what does Andrew mean when he says "It's been a real Shrimp Pasta kind of day?"

For our final Americana week, we take back the nation from the clutches of a renegade Vice President in Metal Wolf Chaos! Before Demon's souls and Dark Souls, was From Software able to make this absurd concept work, or is it little more than a crazy idea with poor execution? This is a huge episode, as we have some MAJOR announcements which some of you may not believe. We also review the Playstation 5, and laugh at Aunty Donna's Big 'Ol House of Fun. Plus, we check in on Andrews existential conflict with Civilization 6.

We continue our Americana month with one of the most patriotic games of all time: Bad Dudes vs. DragonNinja! What's more American than being rewarded for saving Ronald Reagan from an outside threat by getting to eat hamburgers with the president? More importantly: is this iconic arcade classic worth getting pumped about? Or does it show its age more than Sylvester Stallone rebooting Rambo? It was a big week for new releases, so we spend some time giving our impressions on the Playstation 5 and the 35th Anniversary Nintendo Game and Watch! Also, will Civilization 6 give Andrew a midlife crisis?

We're continuing our Americana month with a journey westward on the Oregon Trail! Is this 1971 game about life in 1848 truly dated, or is this trail still worth blazing? We also take some time with Ghost of Tsushima Legends, debate the quality of On the Rocks, and explore Andrew's experience with Civilization 6. Plus, we contemplate whether our parents are alcoholics, and Mikey gets speech therapy!

This week we pair up the anxiety of a monumental election with Civilization 3 so you can feel like you have a bit more control in the growth of world politics! Will Mikey and Andrew finally be able to get the hang of what is largely viewed as one of the greatest videogame franchises of all time? Or are they STILL too stupid to figure it out? Also, we pity the life of a Disney Parks designer, drag the movie Stardust, and are pleasantly surprised by Borat! Plus, is it true that Mikey was named after a gardener?!

Welcome to The Retrograde: A Video Game Podcast!Every week we take a look back at some of our the most beloved or infamous video games which shaped our childhood. But is hindsight 20/20, or do these games still deserve their perfect 10/10?

In our final entry of #RetroGrave we watch over the haunted halls of Five Nights at Freddy's! Will Mikey and Andrew survive the first entry of this now-infamous horror series? Is this game actually as un-BEAR-ably scary as we've heard, or is it just another jump-scare infested misadventure? Before getting into the game, we give our thoughts on the season finale of Lovecraft Country, debate what makes a GOOD scary game, and Mikey struggles with his identity in Disco Elysium. Plus, has Stardew Valley taught Andrew how to be a proper farmer?

In our third entry of #RetroGrave we get smacked upside the head by Condemned: Criminal Origins! It's a celebration of Sega's 60th anniversary, and a solemn plod through the derelict buildings of Metro City as we figure out whether this lead pipe still slaps, or if it's gotten a little rusty with time. Along the way we recap Amazon Prime's The Boys, Andrew recommends some underrated horror movies, and Mikey turns a corner on Hades. Plus, there's a mystery haunting the Retrograde's twitter account...

In our second week of #RetroGrave we're joined by comedian Jacob Sharpe (@JacobSharpe) as we revisit 1993's Zombies Ate my Neighbors! Does the B-Movie aesthetic do enough to keep this game exciting in the modern day? But before that, we compete against one another to draft our most iconic Horror villains to make our ideal neighbourhood. We also review Raised By Wolves, and catch up with Jacob on what he's been doing since his appearance last year!

This week we kick off the spookiest month with #RetroGrave! For our first game we run all the way back to 1991 with a look back at Capcom's Super Ghouls N Ghosts! Can we crack the armour of this notoriously difficult side scroller, or is it too frustrating to hold up in the modern day? We also make time to talk about Raised by Wolves, What We Do in the Shadows, and we debate how a game can walk the line between being a satisfying challenge, and an unfair frustration.

This week it's no holds barred as we look back at WWF: No Mercy on the N64! Right around the release of WWE 2K Battlegrounds, we find out if any wrestling game will ever live up to the greatness of No Mercy. We also catch up on The Boys, and The Third Day, and Mikey finally gets around to playing Hyperlight Drifter. Plus, if Andrew were a wrestler, what kind of wrestler would he be?

This week we tip our fedoras to the iconic open world period piece: Mafia on the Playstation 2! Just in time for the Mafia: Definitive Edition remake, we find out if we should kiss the ring of the original, or leave it sleeping with the fishes. We also talk "realism" versus "fun" in gaming, Mikey's adoration for Hyperlight Drifter, and updates on Marvel's Avengers and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2. Plus, what's the best Horse Game of all time?

This week we stick with the Marvel theme as we explore the smash from the past The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction on the PS2! Before The Avengers videogame, was this entry into the Hulkiverse already the game we needed? Or does age turn this one into an abomination? We also praise Lovecraft Country, Mikey educates Andrew on the rules surrounding ghosts, and we debate the best superpowers a person could have.

This week we return to the franchise that inspired this very podcast with a deep dive into Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2! Is this remake the love letter this franchise has always deserved? Or would we just rather pick up the original? Andrew and Mikey have already gone on record ranking the Tony Hawk franchise as one of their favourites. If you feel the same, find out if this modern take on an old classic is all it's cracked up to be.

On this BONUS episode we assemble around Marvel's Avengers The Game on the PS4! It's a gameplay heavy romp through the world patrolled by S.H.I.E.L.D. we cross our fingers and hope for the game we've always dreamed of. Will this ambitious take on the superhero story give us the same giddy feeling as the movies of the MCU, or should this be left in the bargain bin beside Thor 2 and Age of Ultron?

This week we're hopping on the hype train with a look back at Def Jam: Fight for New York! With rumours of a remake swirling, we wanted to jump into the ring to test whether or not this iconic fighting game is still a blast to play today. But why stop at hip hop stars? We decided to draft our own crews using the cast of The Office in Fight For Scranton, give our thoughts on Mortal Shell, and break down the trailer for The Batman. Plus: will Goths and Clowns ever see eye to eye?

In the last week of #AugustWeGottaDoAMonthAboutSportsGames we snap back to the past with a look at the legendary football game Tecmo Bowl on the NES! Just in time for the release of Madden 21, we find out if the true king of videogame football is still worthy of its title. Does this game, just like Bo Jackson himself, blaze by the competition? Also, Andrew's favourite movie of 2020 is Boys State, Mikey's brother convinces him not to get UFC 4, and we preview Umbrella Academy Season 2. Plus, we do a deep dive on Andrew's recently discovered obsession with aquariums.

This week we take to the links with a look back at Golf on the NES! Just in time for the release of PGA Tour 2K21, is this 1984 attempt at golf simulation still playable today, or does it fail to hole out? Also, Andrew gets his inner "Hitman" on, Mikey falls in love with someone who has face blindness, and we discuss classic board games. Plus, can Mikey finally convince Andrew he's a real human being?

It's a BONUS 'Let's Play' episode featuring everyone's new obsession: Fall Guys! From our uninitiated mouths to your ears--join us as we dive into Mediatonic's latest sensation with absolutely no experience. Is this game good enough to grab the crown, or does it not make the cut? This episode is fairly gameplay-heavy, but we also find some time to ramble on about Disco Elysium, the Uncanny Valley of gaming, and Mikey's rediscovery of Lord of the Rings.

This week, IT'S TIME to look back at gaming's first major entry into the UFC with 2000's Ultimate Fighting Championship on the Dreamcast! It's our second entry into #AugustWeGottaDoAMonthAboutSportsGames! Is this game still a knock-out, or is it more of a split decision? We also talk about our pleasant surprise of Perry Mason, Love on the Spectrum, the strategic use of a Nintendo Switch during bathroom breaks, and Mikey's entirely logical fear of ghosts.

Just in time for the #NHLPlayoffs we lace up the skates for a look back at Blades Of Steel on the NES! Is this game already "era-adjusted" or does it need some time in the sin bin? We also talk about the appeal of open world games, HBO's Perry Mason, and our continuing thoughts on Ghost of Tsushima Plus, the one and only Bad Boy Mikey stops by to put us in our place.

This week we're visited by a game from outer space with the original Destroy All Humans! It's just in time for the remake, but was the original good enough to be probed on its own, or will our memories of this game completely destroyed? We also find time to talk about the issue of Metacritic scores as it relates to The Last of Us Part II and Ghost of Tsushima, and remind ourselves how much we love Walking Simulators. Plus, things get heated as we argue over how horses work.

On this highly anticipated bonus episode, we finally release our pent up energy and spend the afternoon talking about our thoughts on The Last of Us Part II! It's an incredibly spoiler-heavy episode, so make sure you've played through The Last of Us 2, or at are at least comfortable with having the plot ruined for you. We break down our opinions everything from the gameplay mechanics, to the storyline, to the way the gameplay complements the storyline. Whose side are you on: Ellie's or Abby's? Wolves or Seraphites? Joel or Benjamin? Take a deep breath, pull down the curtains, and get ready for a troubling analysis of the apocalypse.

This week we get SCHOOLED as we boot up the game that taught us to read: Midnight Rescue! Will we forgive The Learning Company for tricking us into learning, or does this game just turn pedantic in the modern day? We also tease more thoughts on The Last of Us 2, question the plot of The Old Guard, Mikey starts Ghost of Tsushima, and we figure out why Andrew has finally decided NOT to buy the new Madden game. Plus, is Meryl Streep the best action hero of all time?

This week we take to the muddy battlefield as we run some weapons tests on arguable the most iconic Turn Based Artillery Game of all time: Worms! Can this platoon still hold its own in the modern gaming landscape, or are these tiny soldiers now out of sight, and out of mind? We also get excited over the Studio Ghibli releases on Netflix, gush over Andrew Patterson's The Vast of Night, discover the origins of the saying "Jumping the Shark," and tease our reviews of The Last of Us 2!

This week we strap on our helmets and pick up our foam batons as we revisit the notorious bomb American Gladiators! Can this 1991 button masher run the gauntlet, or is it only about as long-lived as an actual Gladiator's career? We also give some early impressions on The Last of Us 2 (no spoilers yet!), question which flavour of Doritos we would be, and we finally give the D-Pads what they've been asking for: a deep dive on the Dreamworks movie The Road to El Dorado

This week we finally get around to cutting down Satan and rebuilding our faith as we revisit the incredibly ambitions Actraiser on the SNES! Does its religious undertones and asymmetric gameplay still deserve praise, or should this game remain in purgatory? We also get excited over The Last of Us 2, question Andrew's sanity after binging Star Trek: The Next Generation, and would you believe us if we told you we're joined by Canadian hip hop legend Shaggy?!

This week we follow the path from our past to revisit the grandfather of the Real Time Strategy Game: Lemmings! Along the way we discuss the recent Playstation 5 announcements, our thoughts on The Last of Us 2, and Andrew's unwavering commitment to Star Trek: The Next Generation. Also, is Mikey the true mascot for Coldplay?

This week we set off into the desert in search of the perfect game. Will they find it in 2012's Journey? It's a game that dropped jaws back when it was released, but has the popularity of walking simulators diluted this game's once-unmatched atmosphere? Before starting our adventure, we gush over What We Do in the Shadows, debate the quality of Undertaker's The Last Ride, talk about the importance of holding the High Ground in the Star Wars universe, and for some reason talk WAY too much about the band Journey.

This week we bro out HARD with a look back at the retro inspired love letter to 80's action movies: Broforce! It's not exactly a retro game, but it borrows from some of the best side-scrollers we've played on this show, so we dusted it off to see how it compares. Also, Mikey's finally allowed to talk about Dark Souls again, and he doesn't skimp on his chance to do so. Finally, what do God and Human Centipede have in common? Only one way to find out!

This week we enlist in the arcade battlefield of the SNK legend Metal Slug! Is this 2D shooter still military-grade, or over time did it get lost in the fog of war? But before that, we make some time to talk about the perils of naming your in-game pets after real life animals. Also, have you ever noticed how similar POKEMON is to DIGIMON? It's UNCANNY, and we're here to expose the truth!

We've got a special b-b-b-bonus-s-s-s episode where we're paying homage to an article which paid homage to one of our favourite podcasts of all time! How exciting is that!? Comedy Bang Bang has given us countless hours of entertainment, and Vulture writers Sean Malin and Rebecca Alter gave us the perfect excuse to talk "inside-baseball" using their countdown of the top 103 characters from the last 11 years. Fans of CBB are not going to want to miss this one, and we're definitely going to want to hear your rankings. Make sure to read the article here before listening: https://www.vulture.com/article/best-comedy-bang-bang-characters.html

In honour of the 20th anniversary of one of the most iconic First Person Shooters to grace the N64, we take a look at its relatively forgotten sequel Perfect Dark: Zero! Find out if this Xbox 360 launch title is worthy of Joanna Dark's notorious presence, or if it coasted along on name alone. We also find time to question the true lore of the Power Rangers, and let's face it: we wouldn't be much of a podcast if we didn't discuss our final thoughts on The Last Dance.

This week there's no retro game in site! Instead, we test out a party game currently on Xbox Game Pass in hopes to make everyone's social distancing become a bit more enjoyable: it's Jackbox! We're joined by Andrew's Player 2 as we boot up Party Pack 3 remotely to truly put it to the quaran-test. This episode is a full length "let's play," but we also manage to come to terms with Mikey's official distaste for Red Dead Redemption 2 and Sekiro.

This week we return to the realm of the arcade brawler with a look back at Final Fight on the SNES! Last week Streets of Rage had us curious about whether these old school beat-em-ups were worth of their praise, so we decided to double down! Find out if this romp through Metro City is worth dropping another quarter for, or if this is the final time we want to play it. We also debate whether Taika Waititi has a chance at making a great Star Wars movie, and Andrew tries to assimilate himself with Star Trek: The Next Generation.

This week we get angsty with a look back at one of the grandfathers of the beat-em-up: it's Streets of Rage! We put the entire franchise under review in this episode as we rate our experience with the first 3 game, and see how they hold up next to the newly released Streets of Rage 4! Does this entry over 25 years in the making return the franchise to its former glory, or it just a new coat of paint hide a rusty joyride? We also choose which weapon we'd use if we were drafted into a beat-em-up, and rank our favourite side-scrolling characters of all time!

We're back with our sixth quarantine bonus episode where we each take SURPRISINGLY in depth tests to tell us which pop culture characters we're most like! Buzz feed need not apply--this one was made by a real life psychologist (or something)! Which familiar loveless aliens are Mikey most like? Which devil-may-care wrecking balls are Andrew closest to? Make sure to take the test and have some fun with us as we learn about ourselves for better or worse: https://openpsychometrics.org/tests/characters/

This week we're straying from the retro course and delivering a look into a brand new co-op game: Totally Reliable Delivery Service! Is this game worth paying for the white-glove service, or does our enjoyment get lost in the mail? We take some stops along the way to chime in on The Last Dance, Travis Scott's invasion of Fortnite, and discuss some games which we've loved, but haven't been remembered well by anyone else.