The Old SwitchAroo: Gaming Retro with Mike and Jaymo |A Nintendo Switch Online retro gaming podcast

This episode’s visiting team is Brad and Jordan from Arcadiology, and they’re in position at the line of scrimmage for Tecmo Bowl (NES, 1989) as they face off against Mike and Jaymo as part of The Old SwitchAroo’s epic quest to research and review every retro game in Nintendo Switch Online’s Nintendo Classics catalog!

In this episode, Jordan shares his history with football on and off the field, we’ll look at how player likeness rights changed the later releases of Tecmo Bowl, no one is able to make any sense of Tecmo Bowl’s original team logos, and Brad and Jaymo will compare this to the 1987 Tecmo Bowl arcade game, available for purchase on the Nintendo Switch.

Thanks for listening, and a very special thanks to Kristal Fields of The Lazy Circles for our catchy theme song! Subscribe to The Old SwitchAroo to get more retro goodness delivered straight to your feed! You can also join the fun on https://www.theoldswitcharoo.com, where you'll find links to our Discord, social media, and so much more!

Game on, everyone.

(0:00) Intro

(1:08) Welcoming Brad and Jordan from Arcadiology

(6:30) Tecmo Bowl

(43:50) Hi-Score & 37 Years Ago

(47:10) Tecmo Bowl (cont’d)

(49:10) Mini-Game Minute: The More You Tec-Know

(54:16) Tecmo Bowl (cont’d)

(1:03:12) NintenDO or NintenDON’T

Check out Jordan and Brad on Arcadiology: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/arcadiologypodcast/

Tecmo Bowl Manual: https://www.nintendo.co.jp/clv/manuals/en/pdf/CLV-P-NACDE.pdf

Chicago Bears Shufflin' Crew - The Super Bowl Shuffle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG-4udU4w3s

The Truth Behind Eric Dickerson’s Lawsuit Against Tecmo Bowl | All Sports History: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX9iK0BGD1M

Family Guy 'stole' a video of Double Dribble from YouTube then claimed the original video breached copyright by Jack Shepherd | The Independent: https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/family-guy-stole-a-video-of-double-dribble-from-youtube-then-claimed-the-original-video-breached-copyright-a7042026.html

Every East/West Bowl Ever – Key & Peele: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRhB2Oiy0Nc

Key & Peele - East/West Bowl 3 - Pro Edition - Super Bowl Special | Comedy Central: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDp-ABzpRX8

Washington pounces on UCLA's botched fake field goal | NBC Sports: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTcjMxOoWro

In this bonus midseason LiteSwitch episode, Cyril from Defunct Games is here to talk to Mike and Jaymo about GameShark Returns: The Complete Cheat Code Compendium, a book that Cyril’s working on with InterAct Accessories co-founder Todd Hays. With an already successful kickstarter campaign, GameShark Returns: The Complete Cheat Code Compendium is currently set for release in Fall 2026.

In this episode, we talk about what the differences are between easter eggs, glitches, and cheat codes, how cheat codes and hidden strategies were used to sell video game magazines, try to recollect if cheat codes were stigmatized in the 90s, and how cheat codes functioned as early accessibility options. Along the way we also look back on the loss of rentals in the video game ecosystem, try to figure out why Sonic the Hedgehog 2’s debug mode doesn’t get more attention, and decry how DLC is replacing cheat codes.

Thanks for listening, and a very special thanks to Kristal Fields of The Lazy Circles for our catchy theme song! Subscribe to The Old SwitchAroo to get more retro goodness delivered straight to your feed! You can also join the fun on https://www.theoldswitcharoo.com, where you'll find links to our Discord, social media, and so much more!

Game on, everyone.

(0:00) Intro

(1:15) Welcoming Cyril from Defunct Games

(5:18) The Complete Cheat Code Compendium - Kickstarter Description

(16:41) Cyril Meets Todd Hays

(22:53) Selecting the best cheat codes

(29:17) Remembering Dinosaurs for Hire for the Sega Genesis

(34:08) What constitutes a cheat code?

(38:32) Sega Saturn Pro Action Replay 

(43:07) Outlaws re-release

(47:30) Code Vault

(49:09) Game Shark Ad Archive

(54:23) Hot Coffee

(57:20) Long-Hidden Cheats

(1:03:20) Favorite Cheat Codes

Check out the Kickstarter campaign for Gameshark Returns: The Complete Cheat Code Compendium: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/763614590/gameshark-returns-the-complete-cheat-code-compendium

The Cheat Code Compendium - Announcement Trailer | Defunct Games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRgU9OkQV7o

More info on the book and the rest of Cyril’s activities at Defunct Games: http://www.defunctgames.com/

How Yahtzee Created Unique Worlds in Starstruck Vagabond | GameMaker Memoirs | Second Wind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlFbH5B6ivs

Lawson from Super Wall Jump is here to create happiness by talking about Chibi-Robo! Plug into Adventure! (GameCube, 2005) as he joins Mike and Jaymo for the first GameCube game of The Old SwitchAroo’s epic quest to research and review every retro game in Nintendo Switch Online’s Nintendo Classics catalog!

In this episode, we talk about how Chibi-Robo evolved from a point-and-click game foiling robbers to the platforming chore-completing game that was released, dig into the pop culture references that Chibi-Robo seems to pull in, and Lawson introduces us to everyone’s favorite new “Smash Brothers”-based drinking game, Yoshi Roulette.

Thanks for listening, and a very special thanks to Kristal Fields of The Lazy Circles for our catchy theme song! Subscribe to The Old SwitchAroo to get more retro goodness delivered straight to your feed! You can also join the fun on https://www.theoldswitcharoo.com, where you'll find links to our Discord, social media, and so much more!

Game on, everyone.

(0:00) Intro

(1:30) Welcoming Lawson from Super Wall Jump

(4:10) Chibi-Robo!

(45:20) Mini-Game Minute: And Robo was his Name-o

(53:13) Chibi-Robo! (cont’d)

(1:06:25) NintenDO or NintenDON’T

Check out Lawson’s podcast Super Wall Jump: https://linktr.ee/superwalljump

And watch Lawson’s new project at Two Story Entertainment: https://www.youtube.com/@Two-Story-Entertainment

Chibi-Robo! Plug into Adventure! Manual: https://www.gamingalexandria.com/wp/2018/12/chibi-robo/

Chibi-Robo! Lockout Bingo Race by Jaxler & Kobazco in 58:08 - Summer Games Done Quick 2024 | Games Done Quick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej0BxAQb-aA

SPOILER WARNING: Derick McDuff from the Underrated Movie Podcast joins Jaymo to discuss the much-anticipated “Return to Silent Hill”, directed by Christophe Gans and starring Justin Irvine and Hannah Emily Anderson. Released January 23rd, 2026, this psychological-horror film based on the classic 2001 PS2 title “Silent Hill 2” has riled the fanbase, but is it really as bad as people claim? We break down the poster, acting, special effects, plot, and sly easter eggs that only true fans of the series will recognize.

Thanks for listening! Subscribe to The Old SwitchAroo to get more retro goodness delivered straight to your feed! You can also join the fun on https://www.theoldswitcharoo.com, where you'll find links to our Discord, social media, and so much more!

Game on, everyone.

(0:00) Intro + Underrated Flashback

(0:29) Welcoming Derick

(3:50) Poster breakdown

(4:45) Behind the Scenes Trivia

(7:30) First Impressions: spoiler-free

(12:53) Detailed Plot Breakdown

(55:02) NintenDo or NintenDon’t

Check out the Underrated Movie podcast!

https://linktr.ee/underratedmoviepodcast

Derick & Jaymo Discuss Silent Hill (2006)

https://open.spotify.com/episode/00sj4pzDGCGCsJ25geT7xO?si=27bad48cae6a41c0

Derick & Jaymo Discuss Silent Hill: Revelation 3D (2012)

https://www.patreon.com/posts/silent-hill-3d-122975306

Derick from the Underrated movie podcast and RiRiYells from Twitch cared who Link was before he put on the mask, so they’re both back to talk about The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (N64, 2000) as they join Mike and Jaymo to launch Season 4 of The Old SwitchAroo’s epic quest to research and review every retro game in Nintendo Switch Online’s Nintendo Classics catalog!

In this episode, we talk about Majora’s Mask’s origins in an intended redesign of Ocarina of Time called Ura Zelda, how game development crunch time was so intense that it became a feature of NPC dialogue, and correct some misconceptions about the origins of the name Majora. Plus we start the season with double the mini-games, with RiRi giving a read of the rest of the panel based on their favorite masks and Two Masks and a Lie dipping into everyone’s past costumes.

Thanks for listening, and a very special thanks to Kristal Fields of The Lazy Circles for our catchy theme song! Subscribe to The Old SwitchAroo to get more retro goodness delivered straight to your feed! You can also join the fun on https://www.theoldswitcharoo.com, where you'll find links to our Discord, social media, and so much more!

Game on, everyone.

(0:00) Intro

(1:25) Welcoming RiRi

(1:55) Welcoming Derick

(2:20) Majora’s Mask

(40:03) Mini-Game Minute: TaRiRi Reading

(49:08) Majora’s Mask (cont’d)

(56:03) Mini-Game Minute: Two Masks and a Lie

(1:04:58) Majora’s Mask (cont’d 2)

(1:29:10) Ranking Retro

(1:30:25) NintenDO or NintenDON’T

You can join RiRiYells on Twitch at https://www.twitch.tv/ririyells

You can find more from Derick and the Underrated movie podcast at https://underratedmoviepodcast.com/, wherever you get your podcasts, and on social media.

Majora’s Mask Manual: https://www.nintendo.com/eu/media/downloads/games_8/emanuals/nintendo_8/Manual_Nintendo64_TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask_EN.pdf

Iwata Asks| Volume 1 : The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks: https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/ds/zelda/0/0/

Majora's Mask's most infamous line is actually all about crunch by Ed Nightingale | Eurogamer: https://www.eurogamer.net/majoras-masks-most-infamous-line-is-actually-all-about-crunch

25 Things You DIDN'T Know About The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask | MojoPlays: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rSRSPw756w

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask by thesausage in 2:23:15 - Summer Games Done Quick 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCnQ81UD9O8

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask by ClaireLynnD in 26:50 - Awesome Games Done Quick 2021 Online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tic8kXvkiGM 

Zelda Dungeon: https://www.zeldadungeon.net/

Man vs Mask by Derick McDuff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DyvQuiB3H4

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask was never supposed to exist by Gabe Durham | Polygon: https://www.polygon.com/2020/4/30/21241902/the-legend-of-zelda-majoras-mask-was-never-supposed-to-exist/

Aonuma talks Majora’s Mask – Majora and Termina name origins, lots more by Brian | Nintendo Everything: https://nintendoeverything.com/aonuma-talks-majoras-mask-majora-and-termina-name-origins-lots-more/

Majora’s Mask art director wanted to work on one last ‘strange’ Zelda by Andy Robinson | Video Games Chronicle: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/majoras-mask-art-director-wanted-to-work-on-one-last-strange-zelda/

Mike and Jaymo are back for Season 4 to check out more retro games with great guests as they gear up to add Nintendo GameCube and Virtual Boy games to the NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, N64, and Sega Genesis games that they've already covered in the first three seasons exploring the Nintendo Classics catalog available with Nintendo Switch Online.

In this final Lite Switch episode of The Old SwitchAroo before Season Four, Mike and Jaymo are closing out 2025 by introducing the AndStandings, a list that combines their individual rankings for all 98 games that have been covered so far, including ranking 95 Nintendo Switch Online games as part of their quest to rate and review the over 300 games on the Nintendo Switch Online catalog. What makes the top 10 may surprise you.

Jaymo and Mike start off with a little bit of Christmas talk, including a bit about Christmas specials and Jaymo shows off The Old SwitchAroo-branded washcloths he was given for Christmas. Then, we introduce the AndStandings, first by having Mike and Jaymo share their bottom ten and top ten games from their individual rankings, then going over the entire combined rankings from 98 all the way to number 1 (check the timestamp if you want to jump to the top 10). Their full lists are both available on the website here: https://www.theoldswitcharoo.com/p/andstandings/ . Finally, Mike and Jaymo share some New Year’s Resolutions in advance of the start of Season 4 on January 14 with The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask.

Thanks for listening, and a very special thanks to Kristal Fields of The Lazy Circles for our catchy theme song! Subscribe to The Old SwitchAroo to get more retro goodness delivered straight to your feed! You can also join the fun on ⁠https://www.theoldswitcharoo.com⁠⁠⁠⁠, where you'll find access to our ⁠Discord⁠, voicemail, and so much more!

Game on, everyone.

(0:00) Intro

(1.28) Merry Christmas from The Old SwitchAroo

(4:40) Introducing the AndStandings

(7:45) Mike’s Bottom Ten Games

(12:45) Jaymo’s Bottom Ten Games

(15:05) Mike’s Top Ten Games

(20:00) Jaymo’s Top Ten Games

(23:38) AndStandings Staring from #98

(40:13) AndStandings Top Ten

(43:41) New Year’s Resolutions

(51:35) Outro

Ultra64: Wii Universe: https://ultra64podcast.podbean.com/

AndStandings: https://www.theoldswitcharoo.com/p/andstandings/

In this Lite Switch episode of The Old SwitchAroo, Kyle Ford from Stream Team joins to discuss the Analogue 3D and how it compares to the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Online’s Nintendo Classics service as a gateway to playing Nintendo 64 games during Mike and Jaymo’s break before season four starts next month.

Mike, Jaymo, and Kyle talk about what it was like to try out the Analogue 3D for an old-fashioned game night on some fresh N64 carts. They’ll also discuss the retro gaming niche that Analogue’s products have been filling and a few of the challenges in playing N64 games on modern TVs, and compare what the Analogue 3D is like versus playing N64 games on Nintendo Classics using the Switch or Switch 2. Finally, they’ll give their verdicts on if the Analogue 3D is worth it or not.

Thanks for listening, and a very special thanks to Kristal Fields of The Lazy Circles for our catchy theme song! Subscribe to The Old SwitchAroo to get more retro goodness delivered straight to your feed! You can also join the fun on ⁠https://www.theoldswitcharoo.com⁠⁠⁠⁠, where you'll find access to our ⁠Discord⁠, voicemail, and so much more!

Game on, everyone.

(0:00) Intro

(1.25) Welcoming Kyle

(2:30) Introducing the Analogue 3D

(29:20) NintenDO or NintenDON’T

(32:57) Outro

Sign up for Kyle’s thought-provoking newsletter at https://newsletter.houseofkyle.com/

Want to talk movies and television with Kyle? Join streamteam.club or hit Kyle up on the SwitchAroo Discord!

Check out the Analogue 3D at their official site at https://www.analogue.co/ (we aren't receiving anything from them)

In this Lite Switch episode of The Old SwitchAroo, Mike and Jaymo are celebrating Gamesgiving with an extra special episode during the season break as they prepare for season four.

We start off with some general talk about Thanksgiving dinners and Jaymo has a list of quick food questions intended to divide the dining table in his Turkey Day NintenDO or NintenDON’Ts. Then, we’ll craft the ideal meal using just the power ups in the retro games we’ve played in past episodes in the Ultimate Power Up Plate. Finally, Mike and Jaymo each craft their ideal line-up of Nintendo Classics games for a Thanksgiving celebration in the Ultimate Nintendo Classics Three-Course Meal. Finally, Mike and Jaymo each share what they’re most thankful for about the The Old SwitchAroo.

Thanks for listening, and a very special thanks to Kristal Fields of The Lazy Circles for our catchy theme song! Subscribe to The Old SwitchAroo to get more retro goodness delivered straight to your feed! You can also join the fun on ⁠https://www.theoldswitcharoo.com⁠⁠⁠⁠, where you'll find access to our ⁠Discord⁠, voicemail, and so much more!

Game on, everyone.

(0:00) Intro

(4:00) Turkey Day NintenDO or NintenDON’T

(9:51) Ultimate Power Up Plate

(17:23) Ultimate Nintendo Classics Three-Course Meal

(23:34) What we’re thankful for

(25:40) Outro

In this Lite Switch episode of The Old SwitchAroo, Mike and Jaymo give their first thoughts on last week’s Super Mario Galaxy movie Nintendo direct, and talk about the games that they’ve been playing during the season break.

We start off with a bit of discussion about both the 1993 live-action Super Mario Bros and the 2023 The Super Mario Bros. Movie from Illumination before going over the new footage from the Nintendo Direct and if it’s moved the needle on our expectations. Mike gives his first impressions of two card games that have been sitting in his backlog for years, Inscryption and Slay the Spire, and Jaymo talks about playing Split Fiction with his brother as a way for gaming to keep people in touch. Finally, they revisit Marvel Snap now that Mike has tried it out and Jaymo is excited to see if Marvel Snap has what it takes to win over newer players.
Thanks for listening, and a very special thanks to Kristal Fields of The Lazy Circles for our catchy theme song! Subscribe to The Old SwitchAroo to get more retro goodness delivered straight to your feed! You can also join the fun on ⁠https://www.theoldswitcharoo.com⁠⁠⁠⁠, where you'll find access to our ⁠Discord⁠, voicemail, and so much more!

Game on, everyone.

(0:00) Intro

(1:10) Super Mario Galaxy movie Nintendo Direct

(19:20) Inscryption

(25:45) Split Fiction

(31:25) Slay the Spire

(36:00) Marvel Snap

(47:00) Outro

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Direct 11.12.2025 | Nintendo of America: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqjMaKQskW8 

Super Mario Bros | Underrated Movie Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/52YZLp0eZoVjLL8Z94a8f3?si=DYYmzJqKQn-u0wQHc41Q1w

072 - Super Mario Bros. (1993) vs The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) | Nothing New: A Remake Podcast: http://www.benviewnetwork.com/nothingnew/supermariobros

The Cable Club League: https://www.thecableclub.com/