In an era of high scores and game overs, Bay Area developer Will Wright's fascination with urban planning led to an experience completely unique to our medium: a video game with no win state. On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Mikel Reparaz, and Kat Bailey as the crew traces the history of SimCity from its brilliant roots to its unfortunate decline, and ponder just how much product Will Wright's cartoon avatar needs to keep his green afro so bouncy and manageable. Be sure to visit our blog at Retronauts.com, and check out our partner site, USgamer, for more great stuff. And if you'd like to send a few bucks our way, head on over to our Patreon page!

Caitlin Oliver chats with Jeremy about gaming's most aesthetically pleasing collecting habit: Acquiring the full spectrum of Nintendo's multi-colored Japanese 8-bit cartridges. Be sure to visit our blog at Retronauts.com, and check out our partner site, USgamer, for more great stuff. And if you'd like to send a few bucks our way, head on over to our Patreon page!

Chris Kohler and Sam Claiborne join up for another single-game exploratory session, this time centered around the original Final Fantasy. More like Final FantasTIC, right??? Be sure to visit our blog at Retronauts.com, and check out our partner site, USgamer, for more great stuff. And if you'd like to send a few bucks our way, head on over to our Patreon page!

On this episode of Retronauts Micro, we return once again to the mixtape format for a small sampling of the catchiest shop themes in classic video games. Be sure to visit our blog at Retronauts.com, and check out our partner site, USgamer, for more great stuff. And if you'd like to send a few bucks our way, head on over to our Patreon page! 2:50 - Pub Polka from Dragon Quest IX 4:18 - Shop Theme from NES Beetlejuice 5:00 - Master Librarian from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night 6:41 - Shop Theme from River City Ransom 7:56 - Humoresque of a Little Dog from Mother 8:55 - Tadashi Pharmacy Song from Revelations: Persona

The SNES RPG EarthBound might be considered a true cult classic, but its rise from critical flop to beloved masterpiece didn't happen overnight. On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Ray Barnholt, Michael Grimm, and Andrew Goldfarb as the crew tries to pin down what makes this Japanese take on Boomer-friendly Americana so special. OK desu ka? Be sure to visit our blog at Retronauts.com, and check out our partner site, USgamer, for more great stuff. And if you'd like to send a few bucks our way, head on over to our Patreon page!

It's not really a Micro episode, but that's OK — it's not really Retronauts, either. Jeremy digs up a pilot episode for a Game Boy-centered podcast (costarring Game Boy superfan Bryan Ochalla) that ultimately never saw the light of day. In this standalone episode, we discuss the system's launch and day-one releases: Baseball, Alleyway, Yakuman, and of course Super Mario Land. Be sure to visit our blog at Retronauts.com, and check out our partner site, USgamer, for more great stuff. And if you'd like to send a few bucks our way, head on over to our Patreon page!

Steven Lin and Jaz Rignall join up to talk about Namco's all-time classic Pac-Man, as well as its spinoffs, sequels, and merchandizing. Be sure to visit our blog at Retronauts.com, and check out our partner site, USgamer, for more great stuff. And if you'd like to send a few bucks our way, head on over to our Patreon page!

Despite the fact that video games have been a household mainstay since the '80s, they've been mostly absent from TV programming until fairly recently. But before G4 emerged in 2002, there was GamePro TV: A short-lived, syndicated show from 1991 that existed as an extremely literal interpretation of the popular magazine. On this episode of Retronauts Micro, join Bob Mackey, Dave Rudden, Chris Antista, and Henry Gilbert as the crew explores this relic of the '90s and tries desperately to write down J.D. Roth's codes in time. It'll be totally tubular, bud! Be sure to visit our blog at Retronauts.com, and check out our partner site, USgamer, for more great stuff. And if you'd like to send a few bucks our way, head on over to our Patreon page!

Due to our erratic Retronauts recording schedule--a whole bunch of podcasts every three to four months--it's a lot harder than it used to be to respond to our fans in a timely manner. That's why, once per year, we sit down and pore over a selection of the best listener letters for the sake of a freewheeling, 90-minute discussion. On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Ray Barnholt, Mikel Reparaz, and Chris Kohler as the crew tackles important issues, like the state of gaming preservation and their respective waifus. Be sure to visit our blog at Retronauts.com, and check out our partner site, USgamer, for more great stuff. And if you'd like to send a few bucks our way, head on over to our Patreon page!

Jeremy reminisces on the appeal of Namco's Klonoa, a PlayStation game whose existence defied the odds. Simple yet memorable, its ethereal atmosphere make it a timeless 32-bit creation. Be sure to visit our blog at Retronauts.com, and check out our partner site, USgamer, for more podcasts or whatever. And if you'd like to support the show, that can be arranged through our Patreon page.