Retronauts Episode 201: First Encounters

Just got to this one and +1 for the format. Personal stories of people's experiences with their favorite games are always interesting. I also wanna apologize to Kallie for missing that December release date for Sims 3. We tried! But we were so very tired and shipping in December would've meant a super broken game.

Victor Romero

This was very fun to listen to. As a late 30 something, my list from First Encounters to what I like now would be vastly different. One of the first companies I was ever exposed to was Konami. Frogger was the first video game I can remember playing. We had an Atari 5200 in 85. I was 5 and it's one of my first gaming memories. Nintendo would be next on the list. Went to a friends house a few years later and had a chance to play Mario Bros for the first time. I was hooked and my mind was blown. Got an NES in 89. Sega is next on the list. A friend got a Genesis and I become a complete Segafile for quite sometime. Streets of Rage was not only fun, it was gorgeous and had amazing music. Square Enix is the last one on the list. Final Fantasy 1 cemented my love for RPGs. As a kid and teenager I was into Beatem Ups, Sports games and RPGS.

I really enjoyed this episode (listened to it about 5 times now) and appreciated the different perspective of a younger gamer in Kallie. My favorite companies are very similar to the older crew, but I would like to add Working Designs to that list. My first encounter with WD was Lunar Silver Star Story for the PS1, but I also fell in love with their work on the Sega Saturn with releases like Dragon Force, Magic Knight Rayearth, Albert Odyssey and Shining Wisdom. Their products always felt like it was constructed with love and passion, from the packaging to the software designs. Blizzard is another company I would add and my first encounter with that company is Diablo 2. Simply put, if not for D2, I would have missed out on some great PC RPGs and adventure games.

Junel Butac

I liked this; especially right now. Sometimes its nice just to hear people talk about what makes them happy

Seconded Will's comment - you're all knowledgeable about this content, and sometimes it's nice to just hear you free-form in a discussion. So long as nobody overtakes the discussion (this podcast is remarkably good at sharing & staying on track) I think that the format could save you some time, and provide something new and interesting for RN listeners.

Travers Travers

Love the format as every episode should not require intense research. Sometimes I just love hearing a round table discussion (agree or disagree, I just enjoy the conversation). The previous Music episode with Shane B. felt similar. Just know your opinions are always wrong (to someone).😛

Will Oliver

this show was super fun to listen to and I hope this format comes back!

Diamond Feit

I get it as someone who thinks Sierra games are, uh, not fun in the present day... But the context is certainly important. And yeah, bias is a major and acknowledged part of this series. A good chance to bring on more guests to bring in their personal perspectives!

Victor Romero

When Nintendo clicked as a game developer is a good topic in itself! My very first encounters must have been kindergarten with Oil Panic, Octopus and then the orange Donkey Kong for the Game & Watch. Although Super Mario Bros was a big deal, early on I gravitated more towards action games like Punch Out and Gun.smoke. As such Konami and Capcom were my go to habitats. I think it must have been Super Mario Bros 2 that really underlined how special this whole Mario and Nintendo thing was. I was eagerly awaiting Mario 3, so something must have happened by that point. :)

Did a Sierra game beat you guys up as a kid or something? This is the second or third time in a month you've gone out of your way to dump on them. They might seem unfair or unfriendly today, but you guys of all people know that historical context is important. Otherwise this was a really fun episode. I'd love to hear the mail bag version that Jeremy proposed.

Ian Easton