Retronauts

For the fourth time, the Talking Simpsons crew takes over Retronauts to explore the long legacy of Simpsons games. This week, they shine the spotlight on Virtual Bart, which applied the then-burgeoning hype over virtual reality to The Simpsons with mixed results (at best). On this episode of Retronauts Micro, join Bob Mackey, Henry Gilbert, and Chris Antista as they ask the tough questions like "Why is Bart a pig for some reason?" and "Why is Bart a baby for some reason?" Note: none of these questions actually have answers.

Over the years, we've covered plenty of games based on animated TV shows, from The Simpsons to Tiny Toon Adventures to Animaniacs. But this week's episode of Retronauts focuses on a much rarer specimen: video games based on live-action TV shows. And, given that live-action shows are usually constrained by some sort of mundane reality, they don't always make for the best adaptations. But they're still fun to talk about! On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Henry Gilbert, and Chris Antista as the crew explores this particularly misguided brand of classic game.

Jeremy speaks to Aaron Hamel about Ship to Shore's efforts to bring classic video game soundtracks like Lagrange Point, Darius, and Bayou Billy to the U.S. Then, Joe Granato shares the inside track on his successful Kickstarter project, the do-it-yourself 8-bit game creation kit NES Maker.

Jeremy, Benj, and Chris explore the mid-’90s doldrums of the metroidvania genre, with a lengthy sidebar on the era's lone high point amidst industry-wide disinterest: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Jeremy, Chris, and Benj have only 13 hours in which to discuss 1986's Jim Henson/George Lucas/David Bowie Muppet-style cult classic movie musical Labyrinth… oh, and also, the games based on it.

As part of our ongoing developer interview series, Shantae creator Matt Bozon recounts the history and challenges involved in designing indie darling Shantae. From the game's Super NES prototype to the recent Half-Genie Hero add-on Friends to the End, that's almost three decades of exploratory belly-dancing!

Spider-Man has been starring in video games for 35 years, but outside of a few rare instances, his digital adventures didn't receive much praise before Neversoft brought him into the world of polygons. On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Gary Butterfield, and Spider-Man superfan Henry Gilbert as the crew pores over the many, many Spidey games released from 1982 to 2000. Anybody call for a web-slinger?

Hulu just announced a two-season reboot of the classic '90s 'toon Animaniacs, so there's never been a better time to look back at the many games starring the Warner Brothers and their Warner sister, Dot. On this episode of Retronauts Micro, join Bob Mackey, Henry Gilbert, and Chris Antista as the crew looks back on this wildly popular, smart, and expensive TV series and the many games that tried their best to dive as deep into pop culture references as the source material did.

USgamer's Kat Bailey and Capcom's Brett Elston join Bob and Jeremy to take a deep dive into what might be the single finest entry in the entire Mega Man series: Mega Man X for Super NES. A nonlinear podcast adventure!

Jeremy takes to Skype this week for conversations with the men behind two of last year's best retro-inspired projects: Brjann Sigurgeirsson of Image & Form (Steamworld Dig 2), and legendary Metroid/EarthBound composer Hirokazu "Chip" Tanaka (Django).

Ah, yes, Squaresoft… the company that only made RPGs. Right? Well. During the PlayStation era, the company's output was all over the place — and that includes the FIVE fighting games it published. All good, all unique! Just in time for their newest fighter, Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, Jeremy Parish & Ben Elgin look back at them all.

We dust off an ancient Retronauts tradition, kicking off a new year by looking 10, 20, 30, and even 40 years into the past to explore the evolution of video games through landmark events and releases of bygone decades. Jeff Green and Ray Barnholt join us!

Jeremy Parish, Ben Elgin, and Benj Edwards convene to discuss SEGA's arcade legacy one last time. But they fail! SEGA created so many groundbreaking classics in the ’90s that this episode only covers about half of them! Oh no!

As another year winds down, it's time to return once again to the Retronauts holiday cabin in Parts Unknown. And for 2017's celebration, we've dug up one of the few remaining video game cartoon Christmas specials left for our annual festive discussion: Donkey Kong Country's "The Kongo Bongo Festival of Lights." So, boil up a boozy batch of bog nog, cozy up by the fire, and listen in as Bob Mackey, Henry Gilbert, Chris Antista, and Matthew Jay explore the winter solstice customs of hideous CGI apes.

In a generation where games strove to be gritty, photorealistic, and more "mature," The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker dared to be boldly cartoony, and suffered greatly at the hands of console warriors. Yet, close to 15 years later—and with the help of an HD remake—Link's seafaring GameCube adventure is remembered quite fondly. On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Kat Bailey, and Matthew Jay as the crew explores just how this GameCube game went from reviled to treasured. Special thanks to backer Jenny Nielsen for funding the production of this episode!

Live from Super FamiCon, Jeremy Parish and Chris Sims talk about Nintendo's finest cinematic achievement, The Wizard, with the actor who played the film's title character: Luke Edwards.

Jeremy chats with Axiom Verge creator Tom Happ and conspirator Dan Adelman to learn more about the origins and inspirations behind one of the greatest retro-inspired games of the past decade.

High-grade game collectors Chris Kohler and Steve Lin drop by to discuss the wild ride that is the rapid inflation of classic games in the collector's aftermarket. Pine for the days when a Super Mario cartridge cost 25¢ instead of $25!

We've given you our semi-expert opinions on Metal Gear plenty of times over the years, so it's about time for all of you Retronauts listeners to hear some EXPERT ones. And who better to offer them than people who worked on the actual games? On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey and Jeremy Parish as they grill Camouflaj's Ryan Payton and James Howell about their work on Hideo Kojima's legendary series. Thanks again to everyone who made it out to PRGE! (We'll see you again next year.)

Often, our episodes are packed so full of stunning facts and dangerous takes that we rarely have time to give you, the listener, a voice. Hence, our annual listener mail episode: your yearly chance to write in and ask us our semi-expert opinions. On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Dave Rudden and Chris Antista as the crew runs down the best Virtual Console releases of 2017, and answers your burningest questions.