Retro Spectives

Relic Entertainment has a long history of innovating in the RTS space.  Both Company of Heroes and Dawn of War are much beloved and respected titles that could hold their heads high even when compared to other goliaths like Warcraft, Red Alert or Age of Empires.  But in many ways it was their very first game as a company that pushed the conventions in a weirder direction than anything else.  This debut title was called Homeworld.

Homeworld is an RTS set in true three dimensional space, with fleets of ships able to attack from any direction.  It features a unique yet bizarrely suited control scheme and UI to fit this space, with orientation being determined around units rather than a fixed camera.  Its broader gameplay structure has you keep resources and ships between missions, rather than resetting to base building with each new map.  And while its story has a simple premise, it has a lot more dedicated lore around the edges than most games released at the time.

But does strange and bizarre and innovative necessarily translate to an enjoyable experience today?  RTS games are close to dead nowadays as is - does throwing all these conventions out the window even make sense?  Is Homeworld a unique and underappreciated classic, or has it been forgotten for a reason?

On this episode, we discuss:

Story.

• The Kushan fleet is a professional military force.  They speak in clipped tones, don’t disobey orders, and keep their emotions in check.  Does Homeworld suffer from its lack of characterisation and cultural identity, or are they simply acting like a sophisticated navy should?

Macro Strategy.

• Homeworld’s strategic imperatives are driven by the decision to have the campaign be a single continuous journey, with resources and ships carrying over from mission to mission.  Does this create a tense and immersive experience as you closely monitor your losses?  Does this force you down a narrower strategic path?

Fleet Composition.

• To what degree do you need to balance the various ship types in order to create a balanced and effective fleet?  Is there a meaningful difference between different ship classes?  How important is it to micromanage your forces?

We answer these questions and many more on the 102nd episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

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Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K

Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another

Homeworld OST: Paul Ruskay

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We played with the Homeworld Splendor Mod.  Highly recommended, since the game probably won’t even work without it!

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Is using salvage drones as much as we did truly the optimal strategy?  Did you get more use out of cloaking and mine laying?  Does Homeworld 2 do anything to address our criticisms of the first game?  Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!

If you’d like to support the show, please check out our Buy Me a Coffee page!

Before Todd Howard’s promises about the climbability of mountains was Peter Molyneux and Fable, a game which promised a level of interactivity never seen before in an RPG.  Have children (that could continue your legacy when you died), plant a tree and see it grow, and dynamic rivalries with other heroes - Fable was going to have it all.

Instead we got something far simpler in scope and ambition.  There were hints or shadows of something more grandiose, properties could be bought, reputation existed, and you could fart in people’s faces.  But for all that it seemed to miss on its promises, Fable was still a widely beloved title when it released in 2004.  People loved its childlike sense of charm and wonder, and the freedom with which you could customise your character.

So where, then, does the truth lie?  Is Fable a game that’s fantastic precisely because of its limited scope, letting it focus down on the fun?  Or is it’s mish-mash of seemingly novel mechanics at odds with how shallow they are, both in and of themselves and how they interact with others?

On this episode, we discuss:

Story.

Fable’s story is a lighthearted and at times comedic retelling of a generic hero’s journey.  To what degree is this a sincere attempt to tell a story, and do its satirical elements clash with its rather menacing villains?

Systems.

Fable lets you immediately put skill points into anything from the very beginning of your journey.  Is this flat levelling structure better or worse than the far more common skill trees common to action RPGS?

Fluff.

Fable 1 has many different mechanical systems that are wrapped around the core gameplay - marriage, property ownership, reputation and gestures (to name a few).  Do these systems integrate well together and add to the depth of the worldbuilding, or are they simply funny and ultimately irrelevant novelties?

We answer these questions and many more on the 101st episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

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Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K

Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another

Fable OST: Russel Shaw, Danny Elfman

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Thanks once again to everyone who has taken the time to listen to us discuss these great games.

If you haven’t already, come say hi on our Discord Server’s text chat and let us know if there are any great titles you think we should play. Anything 15 years or older and under 20 Hours long is always seriously considered :)

And if you would like to support the show then you can do so on our 
Buy Me a Coffee page.

The original Pathologic has long been regarded as a cult classic.  Obtuse, frustrating, boring and unfriendly, it nonetheless captured people’s imaginations with its densely woven storytelling and mystical dialogue.  It was a game that came at the art form from a completely different direction from what everyone else was doing, but was ultimately limited by its fairly simple gameplay.

Pathologic 2 aimed to solve the gameplay problem.  Ice Pick Lodge, with a wagon full of kickstarter money, wanted to refine the spirit of the first game and realise their dream of death and suffering.  Combat, looting, infection, trading, potion making, the UI and much much more have all been expanded upon dramatically to give the player too much to do, and not enough time to do it.

But did all these radical changes to the gameplay come at the cost of the story?  Is only having the Haruspex playthrough instead of all 3 characters still a meaningful experience?  Has Pathologic 2 achieved everything that the first game was striving for?

Join us on our special 100th episode of Retro Spectives Podcast as we discuss a game that refused to bend to progress, and instead carved its own path through the gaming landscape

On this episode, we discuss:

• Story.
  How has the story of Pathologic 2 changed, and is it for the better?  
  The dialogue is more grounded and the politics de-emphasised in favour of more intimate character moments.  
  Does this make the game more immersive, or has something ephemeral been lost along the way?
• Gameplay.
  How does the gameplay of Pathologic 2 actually work?  
  We dig deep to wrap our minds around every part of this game's complex web of systems.
• Suffering.
  Is there meaning to be found in humanity's struggles for survival?
  Or does this game's portrayal of suffering  pale in comparison to the agony of looting those same park bins once again?

We answer these questions and many more on th1 100th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K

Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another

Pathologic 2 OST: Vasily Kashnikov, Theodor Bastard

A big thank you to everyone who has stuck with us through 100 episodes of reviewing and discussing classic games.  The whole reason doing this podcast is fun is because you’re there listening, and both Pat and James deeply appreciate you for it.  If you haven’t done so already, we’d love it if you'd swing by and say hi on our community discord server.

When we started this podcast nearly 4 years ago, we did so with a clear goal in mind.  We wanted to play, review and critique games of the past from a perspective free of nostalgia.  As the gaming industry grew, games changed, for both better and worse - and it is worthwhile to examine all those creaky and dust covered titles to see what has been forgotten.  Sometimes mechanics truly are outdated, sometimes modern games have done it better - but not always.  And discovering when an old game offers something unique because of what they supposedly lack has been an incredible experience.

Over these 4 years we have slowly gathered a community of listeners that has similar feelings, or can at least appreciate this perspective.  We are forever grateful for you listening to our show, for sending us tweets and for conversing on our discord server.  The least we can do is give back to you with an opportunity to ask questions of us once a year, not just about old games but about anything.

So welcome one and all to our reprisal of the Mailbag episode, with M4ILB4G.  Grab a beverage and settle in as we answer our discord listener’s burning questions.  And while you’re at it, make sure to drop by and join our discord server if you haven’t already.  There’s no Retro Spectives without you, and we appreciate you all deeply.

On this episode, we discuss:

• Remakes and remasters.
  Are they an exciting way to re-experience classics of the past?  Do they provide a way for new players to get into old games they wouldn’t have otherwise?  Or are they soulless cash grabs, stifling creativity and pushing the original games out of the spotlight?
• Re-living games for the first time.
  If we had the opportunity to play any game or series blind again, which one would it be?  What kind of experience is best suited to experiencing something fresh for the first time?
• Making a game of our own.
  If we could develop or write our own video game, what would we do and how would we do it?  Are there any lessons you’ve learned from doing the pod that you would be eager to integrate into the game?

We answer these questions and many, many more on the 99.5th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

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Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K

Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another

Medivo from Jazz Jackrabbit: 

River of Despair  from The Binding of Isaac: Jonathan Evans, Matthias Nicol Bossi, Ridiculon

The Metroid games are certified classics for a reason.  Super Metroid, in particular, is responsible for inventing an entire genre, with a shockingly tight design that puts all other games of its era to shame.  The 90s came and went without seeing a 3D metroid game, but in 2002 we finally saw the release of Metroid Prime.  Could it possibly capture the magic of what made the 2D games great?

Well, according to the reviews of the time, it did that, and more.  Metroid Prime received close to universal acclaim, with everything from its graphical presentation to its enemy design to its power ups being declared worthy of its predecessor; a resoundingly successful conversion and evolution of the concept of a Metroidvania.

But 20 years have passed since the release of Metroid Prime.  And while the genre of 3D metroidvanias remains mostly barren, there have been other fantastic games to come in its wake - Supraland, Antichamber and Outerwilds, Prey and of course, Dark Souls.  Does Metroid Prime, with its focus on exploration and platforming, still hold up today?  Or are its mechanics and world outdated, primitive and undercooked?

On this episode, we discuss:

• Metroid Prime tells its minimalist story entirely through text you read while scanning logs and objects in the environment.  Not a single line of dialogue is spoken throughout the entire game.  Does this constant breaking of action to scan and read lines of text immersion-breaking, or does it suck you into its world even deeper?
• Metroid Prime, as an “action-adventure” title, touches on many types of gameplay - combat, puzzles, platforming and exploration.  Is this a balanced package, or does it do some of these things better than others?
• What did we think of Metroid Prime’s level design, both on a micro and macro level?  How well does this level design facilitate both the moment to moment gameplay and the broader cohesive worldbuilding?

We answer these questions and many more on the 99th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

When Resident Evil first came out in 1996, it wrote the book on what 3D survival horror was meant to be.  Fixed camera angles, a creepy atmosphere, tank controls and bizarrely themed puzzles - these were now synonymous with the genre, whether you liked it or not.  And for the most part, people liked it very much indeed, with its mainline sequels (and a couple of the spinoffs) sticking to and refining what made the original so compelling.

It's no surprise then that Resident Evil 4 was released to some degree of controversy.  It takes elements of the originals that many might view as sacred and throws them out the window.  It introduced (we don’t talk about Dead Aim) the third person camera angle, adjusted the tank controls to something a lot more smooth, and was more interested in throwing 20 enemies at you at once than tightly restricting your bullet count.  The story gave up any pretence of being anything scary, and Leon Kennedy returns as a badass action hero instead of a vulnerable rookie.

But for all its radical changes, the game received astoundingly good reviews on release, and is still a fan favourite all these years later.  Does Resident Evil 4 deserve the praise of being a kickass action game that in many ways has never been topped?  Or has everyone been wowed by the move away from the classic controls and camera in favour of the new hotness?

On this episode, we discuss:

• Resident Evil 4 features many, many different kinds of cinematic set pieces as you traverse from village, to castle and finally military outpost.  Does this constant focus on setpieces get boring in favour of focusing on the more essential moment to moment combat?
• How well does Resi 4 execute on its vision of a more tactical and involved take on third person combat?  Does its control scheme, camera angles and enemy AI work in harmony, or is there tension between all three preventing it from coming together?
• Resident Evil 4 has a different take on level structure, with strictly linear macro level design and far more expansive tactical spaces on each level.  Is there a problem with linear level design, and to what degree are you encouraged to make the most of its larger spaces?

We answer all these questions and more on the 98th level of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

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Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K

Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another

Resident Evil 4 OST: Shusaku Uchiyama

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Our Resident Evil REmake Episode

Resident Evil 4 HD Project

Resident Evil 4 Remake Trailer

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Is there a spinoff to the main Resi games that is secretly better than the two we’ve already played?  Is there another survival horror series in its entirety that we’ve been neglecting?  What did you think of the adaptive difficulty of Resi 4?  Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!

The Chronicles of Riddick, when it first released in 2004, was the definition of mediocre sci-fi schlock.  Riddick, played by Vin Diesel, came across as a generic edgelord, and it seemed to lean into special effects and spectacle over anything more substantial.  It's a direction that didn’t play well with critics, nor with the fans of the previous entry, Pitch Black. 

So it was to everyone’s surprise when a videogame set in this same world was released to widespread critical acclaim.  Vin Diesel, under his macho exterior, was secretly a bit of a geek, and was heavily involved in the development.  Critics praised just about every aspect of this short and tightly-made prison-escape, from the visuals, to the stealth, to the characterisation.

But were those critics simply wowed by the glossiness of a cinematic FPS?  Are the individual gameplay mechanics in Riddick actually fun in their own right?  Or is this just another mid-2000’s hybrid FPS game that is better off forgotten?

On this episode, we discuss:

• Structure. 
  To this day, Escape from Butcher Bay’s non-conventional structure continues to impress modern audiences. Did it impress us?
   
• Stealth, shooting and investigation. 
  Individually, these are sub-par. So what’s Riddick’s secret that brings these together into something special.
   
• Characterisation. 
  Is Vin Diesel’s beloved character simply a generic action hero, or is there more to him than meets the eye? As a prequel, does Butcher Bay limit Riddick’s potential for development? Or does it set up Pitch Black’s captivating final moments.

We answer all these questions and more on the 97th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

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Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K

Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another

Riddick OST: Gustaf Grefburg

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Is it worth watching the third Riddick movie, or is it just more of the same?  Are there any other obvious influences we forgot to mention outside of repeatedly calling out Half Life?  Is Dark Athena as bad as the reviews suggest?  Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!

Gamefreak, on the rarest of occasions, takes a break from toiling away in the Pokemon mines.  And when they do, sometimes they strike gold.  Such was the case with Drill Dozer, first released in 2005 to mostly favourable reviews.  As time ticked on, however, many began to look back on it with increasing fondness, and it's not hard to find those who consider it one of the best games ever released for the Gameboy Advance.

You play as Jill, pilot of the Drilldozer: a short and squat mech that harnesses the power of its drill arms to destroy and unravel any and all obstacles in its path.  It's a game that commits to it’s concept to a fault, with the world and everything around it shaped by those drills and what your mech is capable of.  In a world where 2D platformers are a dime a dozen, Drill Dozer can’t help but stand out - even if its box art was doing it no favours.

But does this all come together holistically to be an enjoyable game to play today?  And can a single-concept platformer avoid the dirge of repetitiveness that curses so many titles?

On this episode, we discuss:

• Drill Dozer uses an elaborate UI to help the player time the shifting of their gears.  Does this deliver the information to the player in a helpful way, or could more have been done with a subtler implementation?
• Does Drill Dozer try to dazzle the player with new concepts and novelty, or is this more an experience about refining your understanding of its core mechanics?  Is it, impossibly, both?
• Drill Dozer features a flying level, a water level, and a stealth level.  Which of these were our favourites? (the answer may surprise you…)

We answer these questions and many more on the 96th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

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Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K

Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another

Drill Dozer OST: Go Ichinose Satoshi Nohara

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Thanks to Electric Maestro from our discord server for suggesting Drill Dozer!  If you have any feedback to give, recommendations for us to play, or simply want to join the conversation, don’t hesitate to drop by and join our community discord server!

Mega Man X, first released in 1993 and developed by Capcom, is a certified Super Nintendo classic.  Widely considered to be one of the strongest entries in the entire expanded Mega Man franchise, it took the classic formulae of running and gunning and turned it up to 11.  The graphics were more colourful and detailed, the music got bumped up a notch, and the arsenal available was wider than ever before.  X even had expanded movement options, and the slide/dash of the game is wildly influential in its own right.

But are all these changes from the original series for the better?  The dash massively improves your ability to move through the stages with ease, but has the platforming and enemy threat been ramped up to match?  The more zoomed in perspective helps better appreciate the graphical fidelity, but does that restrict the range and tactical fidelity of encounters?  In changing and expanding on everything, has what makes the original games so great been accidentally left in the dust?

On this episode, we discuss:

• What do we think of the boss battles of Mega Man X?  How well do the attacks match the capabilities of the player?  Do the bosses having weaknesses to specific weapons detract from the overall experience?
• Is Mega Man X even a platformer any more?  Or is it just a straight up action game?
• What did we think of the abilities and weapon power ups of Mega Man X?  Are they all useful in the right situation, or is it just one or two useful weapons with a lot of gimmicky side options?

We answer these questions and many more on the 95th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

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Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K

Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another

Megaman X OST: Setsuo Yamomoto

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Is Mega Man X the best of the X games?  Is Mega Man Zero worth us trying, and if so, which one is the best to play?  What other cool level/item interactions exist that we completely missed?  Come let us know what you think or suggest a new game for us to play on our community discord server!

Peter Jackson made history with the release of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but as far as he was concerned he was just getting warmed up.  A mere two years later saw him remaking King Kong, with the marketing department splashing his name all over the place so there could be no doubt that this was indeed a Peter Jackson film.

Like with the LOTR hack and slash games, a video game was developed at the same time as the film with the actors reprising their roles, and it even released a few weeks before the movie premiered.  It's an adaptation of the film, a weird retelling of events that focuses on the gameplay experience rather than spend an hour wandering around a boat as a slow romance blossoms.  Developers Ubisoft Montpelier wanted to bring Kong Island to life, from the giant monkey to the dinosaurs, so it’s not long before you’re spearing insects and other native wildlife.

Does King Kong accurately capture the spirit of dense and haunted Kong Island?  Does the focus on telling a cinematic story clash with the gameplay of shooting and spear throwing?  Or does King Kong, in trying to unite these ideas, fail to make the most of its medium?

On this episode, we discuss:

• King Kong was praised by critics on release for its gorgeous graphics, minimalistic UI and reactive sound effects.  Have these elements held up in the wake of modern advancements in cinematic storytelling in video games?
• King Kong boasts some fascinating gameplay systems - the spreading of fire, how your spear interacts with bait, and the way animals eat each other in a deadly ecosystem.  In what ways does King Kong utilise these systems to create a deeper gameplay experience?
• How well does King Kong capture the aesthetic and spirit of the movie?  To what degree does Jack Black carry the story?

We answer these questions and many more on the 94th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K

Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another

King Kong OST: Chance Thomas

King Kong Widescreen and FOV fix

This only works with the ‘Gamer Edition’ of King Kong, not the regular version

The excellent Nintendo DS version that we didn’t play for some reason

How does the King Kong movie (2005) stand up when compared to the other King Kong films?  Are the other versions on different consoles worth playing (particularly the gba one)?  Did you find Jack Black as hilarious as we did?  Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!