Pixel Dreams

9.9.99, it seems like only yesterday we witnessed one of the most impressive launches for a video game console in history, at a time when a "console launch" meant pre-ordering at best buy and hoping some cool games we're already available. The Dreamcast blew me away with it's stellar launch, and today, 11 years on, it's still impressive. Listen as we exam the rise and fall of the little white rectangle that could, a three year odyssey cut short by Sony's cruel hand. Plus a look into Sega's new console offering the "Sega Zone", Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, and Contra's nextgen reboot (that mysteriously isn't called contra).

After examining various negative aspects of the gaming industry for the past 3 episodes, this week we've decided to get all warm and fuzzy with one of the most revered franchises of all time: the Metroid series. Sure, you all know the premise of the series, and it may not be the most obscure of choice; but dammit, we just couldn't help ourselves after Nintendo's recent return to form at E3. George Fagundes from Press Pause Radio joins us to discuss the ups and downs of the franchise, plus all the latest retro flavored news on this weeks episode of Pixel Dreams.

We've all owned one, that bizarre product that was meant to improve your video gaming experience, but ended in disappointment. In the pre-historic days before the internet, it was difficult to determine whether a peripheral was worthy of your dollar (or even worked properly), and this laissez-faire environment created a wealth of crap-tastic innovations. From the Atari Mindlink to the just announced Microsoft Kinect, we've got all the bases covered. Plus, all the latest "retro news" in this episode of Pixel Dreams.

Sega or Nintendo? The question that philosophers have pondered for centuries. Blast Processing or Mode 7? Mario or Sonic? What the hell is a Turbografx 16? In this episode we're getting down and dirty into the 16-bit console wars, arguably the most high profile feud between video game systems in history. We're talking the SNES and the Genesis, sure, but who could leave out the lovable scamps Neo Geo and CD-i (ok, maybe not the last one). We'll also examine the role of the early adopter 32-bit consoles that couldn't, the 3DO and Atari Jaguar. All this, plus a healthy dose of retro gaming news in this hellish episode of Pixel Dreams.

Technology be damned! We are back after almost a 2 month long hiatus to provide you with more classic gaming commentary and fuzzy feelings of nostalgia. This week we discuss the current state of retro games and their place within our modern era, with a healthy dose of catching up with the events and releases that passed in our absence. Don't call it a comeback, because we already did.

After a week hiatus to recover from a Mega Man overdose, we are out of rehab and back online for the newest edition of Pixel Dreams!

The topic of the week is that most fondly remembered yet neglected of genres: the classic two dimensional Beat 'Em Up. Much like an 80s child star, this wildly popular genre dominated the arcade and home console scene in the 80s and 90s, yet fell into anonymity as fast as it rose to prominence. We discuss a lion's share of classic titles, from the obscure (Battle Circuit) to the seminal classics (the cherished Streets of Rage series). In the process, we weigh our opinions in on why the genre was so popular and why it is largely ignored in the world of modern gaming.

Final Fantasy II (SNES) finally reaches North American shores on Virtual Console! Unfortunately, nobody cares seeing as Castlevania: Rondo of Blood has completed it's 17 year old journey to reach us in the form it was meant to be played. We fawn appropriately. We also discuss yet another in a never ending stream of apologetic admittals of failure from our embattled friends at Sega.