Retronauts

Hey folks, Bob here—earlier, I goofed and uploaded the raw version of Episode 270 to this feed, which was live for about nine hours before I caught it. If you want the full version with music, edits, and all the good stuff you expect from us, just delete the version of 270 you currently have, and grab the new one.

Also, if you missed the news, we have a new $5 Patreon tier for exclusive episodes, and as a special bonus for early adopters we have two waiting for you right now! Sign up today at this level and you'll get to hear an episode about The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy text adventure, one about Super Mario RPG, and a new Patreon-exclusive episode every other Friday. (They won't be available on this feed!) If you've been on the fence about supporting the show via Patreon, now's the perfect time to sign up.

(Apologies for the sorta-rough iPhone recording quality—I wanted to get this message out ASAP.)

Since the dawn of the medium, humans across the globe dreamed of wearing video game representation on their bodies—a practice that's only become commonplace in recent years. We've come a long way since the days of too-large or too-small pre-order t-shirts as the rare video game wearable, to the point where just about any character or logo can be found emblazoned on a well-fitted shirt, hat, or the odd pair of parachute pants. On this episode of Retronauts, special guest Nina Matsumoto of Fangamer joins us to talk about her career designing video game apparel, and to also help us trace the poorly documented history of the subject.

Retronauts is a completely fan-funded operation. To support the show, and get exclusive episodes every month, please visit the official Retronauts Patreon.

The Retronauts East crew offers a (very) loose overview of Westwood Studios' Command & Conquer series as a lead-in to Jeremy Parish's interview with Woodwest founder Louis Castle on the creation of the original game (among other topics).

It's time once again to head to the Retronauts cabin in Parts Unknown for yet another look at a video-game-adjacent Christmas thing! We've worked our way through quite a few video game cartoon Christmas specials over the past few years, so this time around we're going to switch gears and explore another medium entirely. The late '90s/early '00s Pokemon Boom brought us many cheap cash-ins, so of course it spawned one of the cheapest cash-ins of all time: a cheesy Christmas album! Is it truly the reason for the season? There's only one way to find out! On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey and Henry Gilbert as they explore the magic and wonder of 2001's Pokemon Christmas Blast, and ponder over the supposed popularity of Stantler.

Hide your wallets: Jeremy Parish, Bob Mackey, Chris Kohler, and Steve Lin discuss the pricing perils, pitfalls, and occasional perfidy surrounding the rarest/costliest/most non-existent video game collectibles in history.

Just in time for the "conclusion" of the Star Wars saga (sure, whatever), take a look back at the franchise's cinematic high point (and all the related games) with Jeremy Parish, Benj Edwards, Ben Elgin, and Chris Sims.

Take a look into the genesis, classic inspirations, and development of Sabotage Games' double-retro indie hit The Messenger as Jeremy Parish speaks to creators Thierry Boulanger and Martin Brouard.

Two decades ago, Sega summoned into the world the mightiest of its consoles: The Dreamcast. And then, almost as quickly, it took the poor thing into the woods out back and ran it through proverbial the wood chipper. Dreamcast died too young, but its sudden demise wasn’t the end. We pick up the story 20 years later, exploring the ways in which Dreamcast represented Sega’s spirit at its finest and how its legacy persists even today.

Panelists: Jeremy Parish, Morgan Shaver, Mike Drucker. Originally recorded September 2, 2019 at PAX West.

We put together a classic Retronauts lineup (Jeremy Parish, Bob Mackey, Ray Barnholt, and Chris Kohler) to discuss the history of an all-time arcade classic: Donkey Kong. (And also its lesser ’80s sequels.)

It’s the ultimate metroidvania showdown as we settle once and for all which was truly the greatest, the most ambitious, the most influential work of the genre: Nintendo’s Super Metroid or Konami’s Castlevania: Symphony of the Night? Strong opinions will be expressed! Harsh words may be exchanged! Blood might even be spilled (only to be absorbed by a dhampir ensorcelled by Dark Metamorphosis)! Panelists: Jeremy Parish, Bob Mackey, USgamer's Nadia Oxford, and Mike Drucker.

Originally recorded September 2, 2019 at PAX West.