Cartridge Chronicles

Not every cartridge tells a great story. Some tell a terrible one. Quest Master Prime and Marz Attakz take a glorious detour from the classics for one of the most anticipated episodes in Cartridge Chronicles history — an all out celebration of the worst, the weirdest, and the most wonderfully awful video games ever committed to a cartridge. From games that crashed entire industries to rentals that ruined entire weekends, bad video games have a special place in retro gaming culture that deserves its own spotlight. Whether they were rushed, broken, misguided, or just completely baffling from start to finish — the Cartridge Chronicles insert the cartridge, blow on it twice, and dive headfirst into the bargain bin of gaming history.

Cowabunga! Quest Master Prime and Marz Attakz grab a slice and hit the sewers for one of the most beloved and emotionally loaded video game series in Cartridge Chronicles history — Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. From the notoriously brutal and unforgiving NES original that crushed the dreams of an entire generation of kids, to the legendary four player arcade cabinet that made every pizza parlor the coolest place on earth, all the way to the absolute masterpiece that is Turtles in Time on the SNES — the TMNT game series is a roller coaster of highs, lows, and some of the most fun co-op gaming ever created. Shell yeah. The Cartridge Chronicles are going full turtle power on this one.

Billy Lee. Jimmy Lee. Two brothers. One kidnapped girlfriend. And an entire genre of gaming that would never be the same again. Quest Master Prime and Marz Attakz hit the mean streets one more time for one of the most important and beloved series in Cartridge Chronicles history — Double Dragon. Long before Streets of Rage ruled the Genesis and Final Fight dominated the SNES, Technos Japan gave the world something completely new — a side scrolling brawler where two players could team up and punch their way through an entire criminal underworld together. Simple in concept. Genius in execution. Endlessly influential. The Cartridge Chronicles pay their long overdue tribute to the grandfathers of the beat em up genre.

One strike. One kill. One of the greatest fighting game series ever made. Quest Master Prime and Marz Attakz draw their blades for a very special episode of the Cartridge Chronicles dedicated to the legendary Samurai Shodown series. While Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat were dominating arcades with fists and fireballs, SNK took a completely different path — slowing the pace down, raising the stakes, and building a weapon based fighter where a single mistimed move meant instant death. Set in feudal Japan with a cast of iconic warriors each with their own code and philosophy, Samurai Shodown wasn't just a fighting game — it was an experience. The Cartridge Chronicles unsheathe the blade and pay proper tribute to SNK's most elegant and deadly creation.

Buster charged. Robot Masters defeated. Legacy secured. Quest Master Prime and Marz Attakz suit up in blue armor for one of the most ambitious and celebrated episodes in Cartridge Chronicles history — a complete deep dive into the legendary Mega Man series. From the humble and nearly cancelled original all the way through the golden age of NES and SNES sequels, Capcom's Blue Bomber didn't just run and gun his way through robot after robot — he defined what a video game series could be. Tight controls. Iconic bosses. Weapons that actually changed how you played. And a level of polish that made every single entry feel like an event. The Cartridge Chronicles power up the Mega Buster and pay tribute to one of gaming's greatest ever heroes.

GET OVER HERE! Quest Master Prime and Marz Attakz step into the Mortal Kombat tournament for one of the most ambitious episodes in Cartridge Chronicles history — a deep dive into the entire Mortal Kombat series. From the blood soaked arcade floors of 1992 all the way through the 16-bit console wars that pitted Sega against Nintendo in the most violent showdown imaginable, Mortal Kombat didn't just push boundaries — it obliterated them. Fatalities. Friendships. The legendary blood code. Congressional hearings. And somehow through all of it, one of the greatest fighting game franchises ever created kept on fighting. The Cartridge Chronicles declare: FIGHT!

Before YouTube walkthroughs, before Reddit threads, before any of it — there were the magazines. Quest Master Prime and Marz Attakz set down the controllers and flip through the dog eared pages of gaming history for a very special episode of the Cartridge Chronicles dedicated to the video game magazines that shaped an entire generation of players in the 1990s. Nintendo Power. GamePro. Electronic Gaming Monthly. GameFan. Tips and Tricks. These weren't just magazines — they were survival guides, hype machines, and sacred texts all rolled into one gloriously glossy package. If you ever ripped out a cheat code page, argued about a review score, or begged your parents for a subscription, this episode is for you.

Life is like a hurricane — and so is the joy of playing DuckTales on the NES. Quest Master Prime and Marz Attakz dust off their top hats and grab their pogo canes for one of the most beloved and perfectly crafted licensed games in Nintendo Entertainment System history — DuckTales by Capcom. Based on the legendary Disney animated series, this 1989 platformer put players in the spats of the world's richest duck — Scrooge McDuck — on a globe trotting treasure hunt across some of the most brilliantly designed levels the NES ever produced. And then there's the Moon Theme. Oh, the Moon Theme. The Cartridge Chronicles dive beak first into the vault for this one.

A dragon sword. An ancient evil. And one of the most punishing yet rewarding trilogies in Nintendo Entertainment System history. Quest Master Prime and Marz Attakz sharpen their blades and dive deep into all three chapters of the legendary Ninja Gaiden saga — the NES trilogy that changed everything we thought a video game could be. At a time when most NES games were content with a simple premise and a high score, Tecmo dared to tell an epic cinematic story across three brutally difficult action platformers, complete with anime style cutscenes that left an entire generation of gamers absolutely speechless. Ryu Hayabusa didn't just fight enemies — he fought destiny itself. The Cartridge Chronicles pay tribute to one of the greatest trilogies ever made.

The streets are back. And they are absolutely furious. Quest Master Prime and Marz Attakz throw on their leather jackets and head back into the urban warzone for one of the greatest sequels and one of the greatest beat em ups ever committed to a 16-bit cartridge — Streets of Rage 2 for the Sega Genesis. Bigger characters, smoother animation, deeper combat, and a soundtrack by Yuzo Koshiro so legendary it still gets played in clubs today.

Streets of Rage 2 didn't just improve on its predecessor — it redefined what a beat em up could be. From Axel's Grand Upper to Max Thunder's pile driver, the Cartridge Chronicles are breaking down every glorious pixel of this Sega Genesis masterpiece.