retronauts

Retronauts Micro 009: A look at Wizards & Warriors

With apologies for the mild tardiness, early access for the next episode of Retronauts is here at last. It's still early access, just LESS early. Sorry about that. I decided to follow up on last week's episode by looking at the historical significance of one of Rare's more forgotten creations, Wizards & Warriors for NES. It's possible I went a little overboard on the referentialism in the artwork, though, trying to nod to the Ironsword cover AND ape Katsuya Terada's Nintendo Power coloring ...

Side note: Original Retronauts artwork for sale

Hey everyone, Jeremy here. I wanted to drop a quick note here that I've begun selling off my original pen-and-watercolor illustrations for this season's cover art. This is not a "please buy my stuff" request but rather a chance to let our backers have first dibs before I start promoting the art through other channels. These are original (hence one-of-a-kind) drawings and several people have asked about buying them, so I wanted to give you supporters the first notice. Sincere apologies in advanc...

Episode 35 and goodies update

Hello friends, the latest in our long line of podcasts is now available here for your perusal. This topic comes by request of Kickstarter backer Michael Lee and brings industry vet Jaz Rignall into the mix to discuss the history of Rare. Please, enjoy. And I know some of you have been wondering about stickers, shirts, posters, etc. Those have encountered a small delay as we're still sorting out details with our vendor, but I expect to have everything shipped out by the end of the month. I apolo...

Retronauts Micro Episode 8: Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures

February 2015 Patreon supported

Thank you so much for the support this month!

Retronauts Vol. IV Episode 34: Tiny Toon Adventures Games

They're tiny, they're toony, they're all a little looney, and, coming from a show with only 100 episodes, they're sure in a hell of a lot of games. (Hey, we're no lyricists.) Tiny Toon Adventures celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2015, making this an opportune time to celebrate Steven Spielberg's resurrection of the classic Looney Tunes brand for a new generation. On this episode, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Chris Antista, and Henry Gilbert as they explore the many games inspired by one of ...

Retronauts Micro Episode 7 - early access

Hi everyone, sorry for the tardiness with this one... and for the iffy sound quality. Both issues can be chalked up to the fact that I temporarily find myself out of my normal recording environment, which made it difficult for me to trouble-shoot the recording setup and get in some recording time. This episode of Retronauts Micro is another small experiment — an audio adaptation of an essay I wrote a few years ago for GameSpite Journal 11, in which I gave a number of games with which I'd had...

Good grief, it's episode 33

It's another Monday, so you know what that means: Hilarious Garfield jokes! Also, new backer early-access podcast. This one was actually one of the first we recorded for the new season but ended up being pushed back until now so we could get the Christmas episodes out to you in time for the holidays. It works out OK, though! It's a good follow-up to Episode 32, exploring an alternate facet of the question about series that fade away — including more elaborate explanations of some remarks we to...

Retronauts Micro Episode 6: Retro Games We Want to Like

Have you ever wanted to like a classic game, but something about it just didn't jive with you? Well, the Retronauts are no different. On this bite-sized episode, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Shane Bettenhausen, and Christian Nutt as the gang discusses those retro games they wish they could love.

January 2015 Patreon supported

Thank you so much for the support this month!

Retronauts Vol. IV Episode 32: When Games Jump the Shark

Sometimes, good games can go bad. And when they do, they usually go REALLY bad. On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Kat Bailey, and Mikel Reparaz as the crew tries to pinpoint when certain series went off the rails and into oblivion--and if any of them ever recovered. If you disagree with the opinions within, just remember: That's perfectly okay! We won't begin etching edicts in stone until our Patreon hits at least six figures.

Survey: Rewards voting!

Hi everyone, Bob and I have begun working on quarterly rewards for backers. The stickers and poster tier are pretty well set already, but we could use some feedback on our shirts (which will go out to T-shirt tier backers and also be available for sale on Fangamer at a later date). I've picked some of my favorite episode covers from last season as candidates for the first shirt design, and I need YOUR help picking them. Which of these eight images do you think we should rework into a T-shirt des...

Retronauts Micro Episode 5 - early access

Hello, friends! Thanks for taking Retronauts over the $2500 mark! Your support keeps us going. And today, we're going with another Micro episode. In this case, a look at Yellow Magic Orchestra. We've touched on YMO quite a bit in the past but (unless I'm forgetting something, which is admittedly quite possible as I enter old age) we've never dedicated an entire episode to them. And, honestly, it might be tough for YMO talk to sustain an entire episode... but it's just right for a Micro post. ...

It's early! Here's episode 61.

I know we usually do these on Mondays, but tomorrow is going to be insanely busy and I don't want this to fall by the wayside amidst everything else going on. I figure no one will complain about getting an episode 8 days early rather than 7.... This latest Retronauts episode — full Retronauts episode! — tests the limits of the word "retro," since the subject at hand (Nintendo DS) is only 10 years old. But eh. USgamer's Kat Bailey and Games Radar's Henry Gilbert join us to talk about the sy...

Retronauts Micro Episode 4: Bad Purchasing Decisions

As adults, we may do the proper research before plunking down our hard-earned cash on a new video game, but this wasn't always the case. Years ago, our developing brains weren't quite as skilled at impulse control, leading to some particularly painful cases of buyer's remorse. On this episode of Retronauts Micro, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Kat Bailey, and Mikel Reparaz as they discuss the unfortunate purchasing decisions that still haunt them to this day.

December 2014 Patreon supported

Thank you so much for the support this month!

Retronauts Micro Episode 3 - Early Access

Hello, friends! Here we are at the last Monday of 2014, and we at Retronauts are making sure it goes out with... hmm, actually it's kind of a quiet note. It's another Micro episode, this time on the Sega Master System semi-classic Zillion. Since I received entirely positive feedback on the NPR-ish TI-99/4A episode from a few weeks back, that's the approach I've taken here. (If you hate this style, you've really gotta speak up.) OK, yeah, it's a quiet note, but I did manage to track down a rockin...

Retronauts Micro Episode 2: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Didn't play The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask? You're not alone! With most of the world being wrapped up in PlayStation 2-mania during that memorable month of October 2000, this black sheep of the Zelda family went forgotten, only to build up a devoted following over the past 15 years. And, with a 3DS remake on the way, there's never been a better time to talk about why Majora's Mask is simply unforgettable. On this episode, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, and Laser Time's Chris Antista as they...

Episode 30 Early Access: A long-awaited journey

After promising and teasing it for years, former Retronauts regular Shane Bettenhausen (along with frequent guest Christian Nutt) shows up at long last to discuss the Valis series and developer Nihon Telenet (and its various factions) with us. It's our holiday gift to you: Making good on a long overdue promise. Hope you enjoy it! As always, right-click the blue icon at the upper-right of this post to download the file.

Double bonus this week

Hello friends, hope all is well this week and that you're enjoying our podcasts. As usual, I have this week's bonus ready for you — and in fact, it's a double bonus. First, the file attachment (look for the blue icon at the top of the page) that includes this week's desktop wallpaper. If covering your screen with an off-model Chun Li punching a terrible movie is your thing, this is the artwork for you. Perhaps more intriguingly, I've adapted this week's Micro podcast episode into a video. Ch...

Retronauts Vol. IV Episode 29: Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li

The Retronauts holiday tradition continues with a fourth trip to our cabin in Parts Unknown, and, due to popular demand, this year's special marks a return to the Movie Month style of episodes we did a few years ago! Join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Ray Barnholt, and Laser Time's Chris Antista for a long, painful look at 2009's Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, a box office bomb that's mostly been forgotten (and with good reason).

This week's bonus artwork

I guess I'm making a thing of this — here's a large-resolution desktop-type version of this week's episode cover art. If you've ever wanted to emblazon your computer with a shakily drawn TI-99/4A, brother, have we got you covered. (Note that file attachments can be downloaded by clicking the hard-to-see icon at the top of this update.)— Jeremy

Retronauts Micro Episode 1 - early access

Hey there, Patreon backers, it's Jeremy. Our first Season 4 episode goes live to the public today, but at the same time you — the cool backers who make this podcast possible — get an early listen to our new "off week" program, Retronauts Micro. Micro is basically what last season's Pocket was supposed to be: Short, to the point, and decidedly different than the regular episodes. I'm sure this first episode won't be to everyone's tastes, but it's meant to be bonus content to keep things livel...

November 2014 Patreon supported

Thank you so much for the support this month!

Thanks, everyone!

Hello, patrons. It's Thanksgiving here in the U.S., and we're thankful (deluxe thankful) for everyone who's joined in to help fund the new season of Retronauts. As a small gift (admittedly of negligible value), I've turned the first episode's cover art into a desktop wallpaper... for those of you who want a watercolor drawing of a vaudevillian Duke Nukem gracing their computers, for some reason. Thanks for your support, and watch for the first of our Retronauts Micro mini-episodes on Monday! â€...

Retronauts Vol. IV Episode 28: Gaming's Greatest Flops

Retronauts is back for a brand-new season! And what better way to celebrate our crowdfunding success than an entire episode devoted to failure? In this season premiere, join Jeremy Parish, Ray Barnholt, Bob Mackey, and special guest Brett Elston (of Capcom Unity) as the crew discusses some of the most spectacular flops in video game history.

October 2014 Patreon supported

Thank you so much for the support this month!