April 18, 2013: Mii so horny
by Diamond Feit
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Nintendo has come up with a lot of winning ideas in the 21st century, but I consider Miis one of the company’s most underappreciated. Long after the Wii U ran out of interesting software, I still switched mine on to check on my Mii collection and download new creations I found online. Trying to build a private version of the internet at large with the Miiverse was a mistake, but in abandoning that...
2023-04-23 12:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Following hot on the heels of Episode 523, it's the second part of our discussion of Super Metroid's design and structure, and how those elements have become baked into the medium. Now, some of this conversation is a reprise of the previous episode, but that is as it should be. In true Metroidvania fashion, Stuart and Diamond and I powered up by finding Nadia Oxford and adding her to our conversational arsenal. So, fully equipped for this topic at last, we're able to retrace our step...
2023-04-21 10:55:44 +0000 UTC
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Mama mia! The Super Mario Bros. Movie is here, and currently dominating the box office with the biggest global opening weekend ever for an animated film. It's clearly won the popular vote at this point, but is the first new Mario movie in 30 years worth its weight in box office gold? On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Henry Gilbert, 2023-04-17 07:00:02 +0000 UTC
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April, 2003: All ninjas are bad-ass
by Diamond Feit
Has any Japanese cultural export shined brighter on the global stage than the humble ninja? Sushi can be enjoyed in any nation all year 'round, anyone who's ever sang in the shower loves karaoke, and Ret...
2023-04-16 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Stuart Gipp derp de derp! A derp de derp, a teedly tum! That’s right – it’s time for Retronauts to get stuck into Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s controversial cartoon and the surprising number of games spawned from it. Now more than a quarter-century old, it’s quite remarkable that South Park’s cultural cachet remains as high as it does.
Of course, it’s a divisive and, at times, misguided show, but it’s my opinion (Stuart Gipp, hi, hullo) that overall it has earne...
2023-04-10 12:00:00 +0000 UTC
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April 9, 2013: Juan 3:16 says ¡Que acabo de patear tu trasero!
by Diamond Feit
Few words trigger as much hand-wringing and ire as the phrase "cultural appropriation." The term 2023-04-09 12:00:02 +0000 UTC
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It took 30 years, but at long last we finally have another Mario movie. And while Illumination's take on this beloved Nintendo property doesn't stray far the the source material, the last 40 years' worth of adaptations weren't so lucky. Between the East and the West, there's more of these than you'd think, and the recent relevancy of Mario media raises the question: Hey, why don't we talk about them all? On this episode of Retronauts, join 2023-04-07 05:00:02 +0000 UTC
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As the NES gained popularity, so too did the Nintendo-themed Worlds of Power books written by the entity named "F.X. Nine." Kids rejoiced. Parents, not so much. Adults who already had Nintendo coming out of their ears could do without seeing Mario at Ye Olde Scholastic Bookfairs, but one fact remains undeniable: Even picky readers loved the endearingly cheesy "novelizations" of games like Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Mega Man 2, Ninja Gaiden, and others.<...
2023-04-03 11:00:00 +0000 UTC
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April 1993: Welcome to the jam
by Diamond Feit
Amongst video game fans, sports occupy a strange space. Perhaps dating back to high school cultural clashes, many self-described "nerds" happily profess a disinterest or total ignorance of professional sports...
2023-04-02 12:00:02 +0000 UTC
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You asked for it. You did! You actually asked for me! A fair few people did, anyway. “When are you going to do that Sonic deep dive you promised, Stu?” I’d hear. I heard it at least twice, I swear. And here it is, I’ve done it. And you’re not ready. I promise you have no idea just how deep a dive you’re getting.
Of course, I couldn’t do it alone. Illustrious raconteur Dave Bulmer returns, and how could he not? His (and Chris McFeely’s)...
2023-03-27 11:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Greetings, acolytes! Diamond Feit here with the latest episode of our community podcast just for you. Please enjoy myself and Stuart Gipp sharing our pre-release thoughts of the Resident Evil 4 remake, our post-release opinions of Gal Guardians: Demon Purge, and your comments & responses to recent Retronauts podcasts.
2023-03-26 12:00:03 +0000 UTC
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WHAT: An encore performance of our History of Food Mascot Games panel (previously seen at Portland Retro Gaming Expo 2022)
WHERE: Panels & Presentations Room (201DE) at the Midwest Gaming Expo
WHEN: Saturday, April 1 at 4:00pm
This panel won't be...
2023-03-24 23:15:13 +0000 UTC
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Imagine my surprise to realize that, despite all the many conversations we've had about the Metroid series and the metroidvania format, we've never had a full-on dedicated Super Metroid episode. So, here we go: An episode dedicated specifically to the game, vis-a-vis the ways its design, mechanics, and narrative drew from the games before it while informing the many works that followed it. Diamond and Stuart and I delve into the conversation, which—yes, once again...
2023-03-24 13:56:59 +0000 UTC
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After an uneven 2000s, the Kirby series found itself in a real sweet spot during the following decade. Yes, the 2010s signaled a brand new era of Kirby, one that saw HAL returning to their beloved brand to be more hands-on at a time when the wildly popular New Super Mario Bros. made 2D platforming cool again. On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, St...
2023-03-20 07:00:03 +0000 UTC
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March 1983: These pipes…are clean!
by Diamond Feit
Allow me to make an observation about Mario, Nintendo's longtime mascot and one of the few video game characters to achieve a level of general recognition with the public at large. My mother couldn't te...
2023-03-19 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Greetings, programs! Diamond here. After correcting a recent snafu that saw a paying member of our Patreon lose their access to the Retronauts Discord, I discovered that my own access was in a nebulous state. Turns out my accounts were NOT properly connected, and correcting that problem gave me access to even more Discord channels than I had before!
Here's how to confirm your accounts are linked:
- Open Patreon
- Click on Settings
- Click on "Mor...
2023-03-14 23:16:58 +0000 UTC
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Our gradual journey through the masterpiece catalogue of Taito continues this episode, which I expected to be the final part of this series going into it. Not unlike how I expected Pts. II and III to also be the final parts. It's just, well, all those masterpieces in that catalog, you know? So many. And we have so much to say about those games. I mean, this is the fourth part of a series, and it's nearly two hours long. Absolute madness.
Brandon Sheffield and Ray Barnholt once ...
2023-03-13 11:29:47 +0000 UTC
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March 9, 2013: Unsung indies flock/To the ancient capital/As plum blossoms bloom
by Diamond Feit
Living in Japan certainly has its ups and downs for a native English speaker trying to make a living as a writer. Local job opportunities are few and far betw...
2023-03-12 12:00:02 +0000 UTC
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After the release of Ocarina of Time, Nintendo's Eiji Aonuma was given a seemingly impossible task: to deliver a sequel to this once-in-a-generation game in only one year. Well, it took a touch longer than that, but the result was Majora's Mask, a game that broke most of the established Zelda rules over its knee—and one that took a bit of time to be accepted by the gaming public. On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey<...
2023-03-10 08:00:01 +0000 UTC
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When we said "To Be Continued" as we wrapped our first podcast about JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, we meant it! Especially since we spoke for nearly two hours and had to stop before we could dive into the 30+ years of video games based on Hirohiko Araki's hugely-influential manga. So with speeds that would have impressed Father Pucci, we reconvened and spok...
2023-03-06 12:00:04 +0000 UTC
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February 27, 1998: Stranger danger
by Diamond Feit
What was it about the late 90s that prompted so many filmmakers to question the very nature of our reality? I suspect the end of the Cold War and the rapid expansion of computers into our everyday lives m...
2023-03-05 12:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Hey folks,
Bob here with a quick announcement. I'm happy to say that after years of work, my Boss Fight Books volume on Day of the Tentacle is now available for pre-order in both physical and e-book versions via the Boss Fight Books: Season 6 Kickstarter campaign.
2023-02-28 17:15:02 +0000 UTC
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Even if we humans should truly orchestrate our own total demise by turning the rains into acid and the soil into toxic sludge, alien archeologists will dig up millions upon millions of Nokia feature phones that won't have a scratch on them. Feature phones (also known as flip phones and, best of all, "dumb phones") began mobilizing in the early aughts up until smartphones took over the cellphone market in the '10s. We said "Sayonara" to our simple games of Snake and moved on to Doodle Jump. An...
2023-02-27 12:59:59 +0000 UTC
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Back by popular demand, here is our second-ever This Month in Retronauts community podcast! In between reading your comments and replies to last month's audience question, Diamond and Stuart discuss their PlatinumGames feelings, review the Nintendo Direct announcements, and just hang out for about 90 minutes. Be sure to listen to the end of the show for a brand-new question for February; yes, it is Valentine's Day related. Post your responses below and we'll share them next m...
2023-02-26 12:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Hello and Happy Friday to you. (I don't think the international date line has flipped to Saturday yet, so I should be safe with this well-wishing.) This week's patron-exclusive episode takes the form of one of those free-form episodes with a premise crafted to spark conversation that will naturally lead to discussion of classic games and video game history, and—hey! it worked out.
I think you will enjoy this one, provided of course that you can put aside the gr...
2023-02-24 13:07:19 +0000 UTC
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In 1988, as the Star Wars fields lay fallow, George Lucas gave us a fantasy epic he assured us he'd been dreaming up for years: Willow. This tale of magic and mystery spun the story of a humble hobb—er, Nelwyn—and his incredible journey to deliver a thing to a place in the manner of J.R.R. Tolkien. Needless to say, Willow didn't amount to the next Star Wars, and after a few video game adaptations, the book on Willow seemed forever closed... until very recently!
With the rec...
2023-02-20 08:00:03 +0000 UTC
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February 19, 2013: Revengeance is a dish that is best served cold
by Diamond Feit
I have a complicated relationship with PlatinumGames, a celebrated developer based right here in Osaka. Famously founded by former Capcom employees such as Atsushi Inaba and...
2023-02-19 12:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Ah, it never fails. You put together a single, compact outline about a topic in order to create a single, compact episode about said topic. Then you call in a bunch of people who are very passionate about that topic and HEY! Suddenly everything spirals out of control and you're looking down the barrel of a multi-part discussion.
Look, you should be used to this routine by now. It's just kind of how Retronauts works. If you're not into barely contained chaos in the name of talking ...
2023-02-13 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
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February 1983: RUN, COWARD!
by Diamond Feit
Everyone loves a good villain. That sounds like an oxymoron, but I’m not talking about antagonists who try to help people in their own way. When I say “good villain” I mean an exceptional heel, a right bas...
2023-02-12 12:00:03 +0000 UTC
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As live-action video game movies began their slow rollout in the early '90s, Mortal Kombat arrived last—but with the hindsight of how its predecessors had failed. And though it lacked the outright gore of its video game source material, this adaptation managed to stay faithful to everything else that made the fighting game series a phenomenon. On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey and Henry Gilbert as they chat their way through this martial arts gem of the mid-90s. (We'd ...
2023-02-10 08:00:03 +0000 UTC
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