Old Game Boys

Another year of Old Game Boys in the books! You may be wondering how each of the games we've played this year stack up against one another. Not only do we answer that, we also answer how they stack up compared to the games we've played in our first year as well! Forget your Top Tens, it's time for a Top Twenty Four!

Games referenced include...

Ace Attorney, Age of Empires II, Baldur’s Gate, Baldur’s Gate 3, Baldur’s Gate II, Banjo-Kazooie, Blue Prince, Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, Chrono Trigger,, Cities: Skylines, DOOM (1993), DOOM (2016), DOOM: Eternal, DOOM: The Dark Ages, Death Stranding, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Deathloop, DoTA, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest, Dragon Quest, Dragon Quest I & II: HD-2D Remake, Dragon Quest III: HD-2D Remake, Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride, Evil Genius, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Gears of War, Guilty Gear, League of Legends, Max Payne, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Murder by Numbers, Myst, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, Picross, Pikmin, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Professor Layton and the Curious Village, Shadow of the Colossus, Shenmue, SimCity, SimCity 3000, SimCity 4, SimCity 5, Skies of Arcadia, Sonic Adventure 2, Star Wars Dark Forces, Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Super Mario Land, Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, The Legend of Zelda (1986), Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos

We've reached the end of another year,

but this isn't the end! So, have no fear!

You, our listeners, picked this next game!

(Thanks for not making us play something lame.)

What game could it be for old Korwin and Steve?

It's Banjo-Kazooie, if you can believe!

A well-known, beloved platforming title

for the N64! And we find it most vital

for you to hear all about Grunty, their foe!

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!

Learn more about The Legend of Banjo-Kazooie: The Jiggies of Time, The Lair Witch Project, and other Kurko Mods here: https://x.com/Markus_Kurko/status/1984264483314024490

Games referenced include:

Assassin’s Creed, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, Assassin’s Creed II, Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, Banjo-Tooie, Castlevania, Chrono Trigger, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Crash Bandicoot, DOOM, Diddy Kong Racing, Donkey Kong 64, Donkey Kong Bananza, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest, Final Fantasy, Grand Theft Auto, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Kameo: Elements of Power, Left 4 Dead, Marvel Rivals,, Metal Gear Solid, Mirror’s Edge, Perfect Dark, Perfect Dark Zero, Prince of Persia, Project DREAM, Rare Replay, Rayman, Rock Band, Sonic 3D Blast, Sonic Adventure, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Spyro the Dragon, Suikoden, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, Super Mario 64, Super Mario Land, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Yakuza, Yooka-Laylee

What makes a compelling world in video games? Not even levels to explore or places to see, but all the different facets and angles that go into lovingly crafting a believable world? After sailing the eternal skies of Arcadia, Steve and Korwin put their thinking caps on and dive deep into what makes a world a world worth visiting!

Games referenced include...

Banjo-Kazooie, Bioshock, Cyberpunk 2077, DOOM, Dark Souls, Death Stranding, Dragon Age: Veilguard, Elden Ring, FTL, Fallout, Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy XII, Horizon: Forbidden West, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Lies of P, Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3, Metal Gear Solid, Pokemon Gold Version and Pokemon Silver Version,, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Pokemon Red Version and Pokemon Blue Version, Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Skies of Arcadia, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars: Dark Forces, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Tales of Symphonia, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, The Last of Us, The Last of Us Part II, Void Crew

We're closing in on the end of Year Two and the SKIES' the limit! This month, the Old Game Boys play a classic Sega JRPG that is near and dear to Korwin's heart, embarking on a journey across vast uncharted skies, battling air pirates, Imperial forces, and a guy that looks like a weird fusion of Doctor Octopus and Doctor Robotnik. Let's go wherever the wind may take us and talk about this month's game: Skies of Arcadia!

Tune in to the very end of the episode, where we reveal this year's Audience Choice game! Find out what game our Discord server's picked out for us to play as the cherry on top of an excellent and most satisfying year of old games!

Games referenced in this month's episode include...

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, Banjo-Kazooie, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Dark Cloud, Elden Ring, Etrian Odyssey, Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Final Fantasy X, Grandia II, Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA, Honkai Star Rail, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Metaphor ReFantazio, Minecraft, NiGHTS into Dreams, NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Persona 4, Persona 5, Phantasy Star, Pikmin, Sakura Wars, Secret Agent Barbie, Shenmue, Shin Megami Tensei V, Skies of Arcadia, Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing: Transformed, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Star Fox 64, Tales of Symphonia, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, The Sims, The World Ends With You, Valkyria Chronicles, Yakuza: Like a Dragon

The co-op don't stop with Gears of War. Didn't start there, either! So what WAS the start to Steve and Korwin's jolly cooperation, as gamers, friends, and eventual podcast hosts? This is an Old Game Boys loredump episode you won't wanna miss!

Come back in two weeks for Skies of Arcadia, plus the WINNER of the Old Game Boys 2025 Audience Choice Game!

Games referenced in this episode include:

Age of Empires II, Altered Beast, Bad Dudes, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, DOOM, Divinity: Original Sin II,, Duck Hunt, Final Fantasy XI, Final Fantasy XIV, Gears of War, Gears of War 2, Gears of War: Reloaded, Gloomhaven, Guilty Gear, Guitar Hero, Halo: Combat Evolved, Kane and Lynch: Dead Men, Katamari Damacy, Left 4 Dead, Mario Kart World, Persona 4, Phantasy Star Online, Professor Layton and the Curious Village, Rampage, Resident Evil 4 (2005), Resident Evil 5, Rock Band, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Tales of Arise, Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, Tales of Vesperia, Tales of the Abyss, Team Fortress 2, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos

Rev up those chainsaw bayonets, it's time for a game Steve and Korwin are both super excited to cover! We know you may have been expecting Skies of Arcadia (and we will get to it soon!) but you'll want to check this one out! For the first time in Old Game Boys broadcast history, it's a game that Steve and Korwin got to experience cooperatively, all the way through from start to finish!

The book we reference by Cliff Bleszenski is called Control Freak! Learn more about it here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59364103-control-freak

Pull up a chair and grab some popcorn, the Old Game Boys are taking you out to the movies! Coming off of our heroic adventures in Dragon Quest inspired us to watch Dragon Quest: Your Story, a (very loose) adaptation of Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride. What we weren't expecting were to feel big feelings of secondhand nostalgia for a game we haven't even played! Find out how by giving this episode a listen!

Games referenced include...

Assassin’s Creed, Baldur’s Gate 3, Dragon Quest, Dragon Quest Builders, Dragon Quest Monsters, Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age S Definitive Edition, Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy VII, Fire Emblem Awakening, Jade Empire, Metal Gear Solid, Persona 3 FES, Persona 4, Pokemon, Skies of Arcadia, Sonic Adventure 2, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Turtles in Time, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

The Old Game Boys draw near! Command?

A second RPG in one year? Now you're just being Erdrick-ulous! This time around, Steve and Korwin revisit Yuji Horii's original role-playing masterpiece: Dragon Quest (aka Dragon Warrior). Much like the slimes, you're all GOO-ing to love this one!

Games referenced include...

Asteroids, Balatro, Baldur’s Gate 3, Blue Dragon, Chrono Trigger, Donkey Kong, Dragon Quest, Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake, Dragon Quest Builders, Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation, Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride, Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age S: Definitive Edition, Dragon Warrior Monsters, Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake Project, Final Fantasy VIII, Genshin Impact, Hollow Knight, Hollow Knight Silksong, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 5, Pokemon Gold Version and Silve Version, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Pokemon Red Version and Blue Version, Sand Land, Shenmue, Skies of Arcadia, Space Invaders, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Tales of Arise, Tales of Symphonia, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The Legend of Zelda, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Portopia Serial Murder Case, The Tower of Druaga, Ultima, Wizardry, Xenoblade Chronicles, Yakuza: Like a Dragon

When the Old Game Boys played through Myst, they encountered two of the worst (adult) children characters in video game history: Sirrus and Achenar. In plenty of other video games, there have been obnoxious kid characters, but there have also been some fun and endearing ones too! In this bonus level, Steve and Korwin discuss some of their favorite (and not so favorite) kid characters from video games old and new.

GAMES REFERENCEED INCLUDE:

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Detroit Become Human, Disco Elysium, Dragon Warrior / Dragon Quest, Earthbound, Fallout 3, Final Fantasy, Grand Theft Auto IV, Heavy Rain, Indigo Prophecy / Fahrenheit, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Mario + Rabbids, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, Metal Gear Solid, Mother, Mother 3, Myst, Persona 3, Persona 5, Pokemon Gold Version and Pokemon Silver Version, Pokemon Red Version and Pokemon Blue Version, Professor Layton and the Curious Village, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box, Professor Layton and the Last Specter, Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, Rayman: Raging Rabbids, Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2, Skies of Arcadia, Spec Ops: The Line, Star Fox 64, Star Fox Assault, Super Mario Sunshine, Telltale’s The Walking Dead, The Last of Us, The Last of Us Part II, World of Warcraft, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Yakuza, Yakuza 0, Yakuza 3, Yakuza 5, Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Surely everyone knows what it's like to get lost in a good book. The same holds true for this beloved classic puzzle game by Cyan in 1993: Myst. In this month's level, Steve and Korwin step into the pages written by Atrus and explore a mysterious island with vast and impressive different ages. But does this brainteaser hold up well today? Should our heroes focus on the red pages or the blue pages? And how do you even light a match in this game? The answers you're looking for and then some can be found in this level! You won't wanna MYST out on it.

Games referenced include:

Bioshock, Blue Prince, Cosmic Osmo, DOOM, Donkey Kong Country, Dragon Warrior / Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy VII, Gizmos and Gadgets, Gorogoa, Halo, Helldivers 2, Marathon, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Math Blasters, Math Muncher, Metroid Prime, Minecraft, Myst (1993), Myst (2021), Oregon Trail, Professor Layton and the Curious Village, Riven: The Sequel to Myst, Shenmue, Spider-Man Cartoon Maker, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, The Legend of Zelda, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, The Looker, The Secret of Monkey Island, The Sims, The Witness, Until Dawn, Wishbone and the Amazing Odyssey, Zero Escape, Vol 1 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors, Zero Escape Vol 2. Virtue's Last Reward, Zero Escape Vol 3. Zero Time Dilemma, Zoombinis,