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

In this Lite Switch episode of The Old SwitchAroo, we have some bonus content that couldn't fit in out Season 3 16th bit retrospective. See if you can beat Jaymo at our returning trivia game RTFM, or Read The F---ing Manual, where he's challenged to see how many characters and places he can name based off of how they're described in the original video game manuals that the retro games we played this year would've come with.

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

(0:57) RTFM Introduction

(2:56) RTFM Round One

(7:10) RTFM Round Two

(15:24) RTFM Round Three

(26:50) Outro

On this episode of The Old SwitchAroo: Lite Switch, we take a break from our usual quest to cover all 300+ games in the Nintendo Classics catalog to explore the horrific secrets of the Little Nightmares series with Twitch's RiRiYells!

We explore the obscurest regions of Mike's horror movie collection, draw parallels between Six and the demons she fights, and theorize the ways the latest entry, Little Nightmares 3, could come to a chilling end!

Be sure to check out Riri on Twitch and tune in at the end of October to watch her and Jaymo roll credits for the first time on Little Nightmares 3!)

Find RiRiYells on Twitch: https://twitch.tv/ririyells

It’s time to celebrate the end of another season of The Old SwitchAroo with the 16th-bit Retro-spective Season 3 Finale as Mike and Jaymo reflect on their epic quest to research and review every retro game in the Nintendo Switch Online catalog!

In this episode, we bring back “Guess Hosts” so Mike and Jaymo can go head-to-head in a trivia competition with questions brought to us by this season’s great guests, the Old Switcharoonies give a chance to mark the highs and lows of all the games played this season, and Mike and Jaymo talk a little bit about what’s to come in the next season of the podcast and also what they both hope to see coming down the line for Nintendo Switch Online and Nintendo Classics now that the Switch 2 is out.

Thanks for listening, and a very special thanks to Kristal Fields of The Lazy Circles for our catchy new 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) Introducing Guess Hosts with Kat

(3:45) Q1. S03E01 - RiRiYells

(5:56) Q2. S03E01 - Derick from Underrated

(8:37) Q3. S03E02 - Kyle and Sarah

(11:14) Q4. S03E04 - Kristal from the Lazy Circles

(14:22) Q5. S03E04 - Nick

(17:22) Q6. S03E05 - Warboss5

(20:56) Q7. S03E07 - RiRiYells

(24:26) Q8. S03E07 - KylTheSheikah

(27:51) Q9. S03E08 - Timmy Williams from Whitest Kids U’ Know and Urn Fulla Popcorn

(34:29) Q10. S03E10 - Nate from TrailerBoyz

(39:41) Q11. S03E11 - Andrew from Nothing New: A Remake podcast

(46:48) Q12. S03E12 - Chico from Wet Frontier

(50:30) Q13. S03E13 - Don from the Cable Club League

(53:12) Q14. S03E14 - Cyril from Defunct Games

(59:55) Q15. S03E15 - Happney

(1:02:09) Q16. S03E16 - RiRiYells

(1:03:25) Guest Hosts Final Scores

(1:08:54) Title Speed Run

(1:10:40) The Old SwitchAroonies Award Show

(1:34:43) The Old SwitchAroo Swish List

(1:40:03) Final Thoughts on Season 3

(1:43:23) Outro

Check out all the places to find our participating guests below:

Kat on KatCanSew: https://www.youtube.com/@katcansew

RiRiYells on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/ririyells

Derick on the Underrated movie podcast: ⁠https://underratedmoviepodcast.com/⁠

KylTheSheikah on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/kylthesheikah

Timmy Williams on Urn Fulla Popcorn: https://urnfullapopcorn.com/

Nate Brown on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/nateblackest

Nate and Timmy on WKUK’s Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/officialwkuk

Andrew on Nothing New A Remake podcast: https://www.benviewnetwork.com/nothingnew

Chico at Wet Frontier: https://wetfrontier.com/

Don on the Cable Club League podcast: https://www.thecableclub.com/⁠

Cyril from Defunct Games: https://www.youtube.com/@DefunctGames

Also check out Mike on Super Wall Jump: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0HnOzskE9WvzgBoYWIHECz

Stock image from freepik used in Guess Hosts design

Happney is as good as his sword when he talks Crystalis (NES, 1990) as he joins Mike & Jaymo on 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 the influence of Studio Ghibli films like Castle in the Sky and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind on Crystalis, try to figure out if this was SNK’s answer to The Legend of Zelda, and the ways that the aesthetics of this game seem to overlap with other classic Nintendo games.

Thanks for listening, and a very special thanks to Kristal Fields of The Lazy Circles for our catchy new 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

(1:16) Welcoming Happney

(2:50) Crystalis

(42:58) Mini-Game Minute: Frozen in Time

(50:05) Crystalis (cont’d)

(59:58) NintenDO or NintenDON’T

Crystalis Manual: https://www.thegameisafootarcade.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Crystalis-Game-Manual.pdf

Crystalis - NES commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gZA1aP51nk

Crystalis Speed Run Race in 1:05:51 at #SGDQ 2013 [NES] | SpeedDemosArchiveSDA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlDT89G_Cmo

Crystalis Week: The Miyazaki Connection | Kid Fenris: http://www.kidfenris.com/2018/11/crystalis-week-miyazaki-connection.html

Mikes RPG Center: https://mikesrpgcenter.com/crystalis/index.html

'Homeland is racist': artists sneak subversive graffiti on to TV show by Claire Phipps | The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/oct/15/homeland-is-racist-artists-subversive-graffiti-tv-show

Cyril from Defunct Games armors up for Ghosts ‘n Goblins (NES), Ghouls ‘n Ghosts (Sega Genesis/Mega Drive), and Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts (SNES) as he joins Mike & Jaymo on 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 the value of preserving contemporary game reviews of retro video games, Capcom’s mostly forgotten former mascot Captain Commando and the Captain Commando Challenge Series, what the challenges are for ports of arcade games, and Cyril shares his experience as part of GamePro Magazine’s Team GamePro.

Thanks for listening, and a very special thanks to Kristal Fields of The Lazy Circles for our 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

(1:19) Welcoming Cyril

(5:20) Ghosts ‘n Goblins

(43:24) Ghouls ‘n Ghosts

(1:14:53) Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts

(1:48:14) Ranking Retro

(1:50:15) NintenDO or NintenDON’T

Defunct Games is at http://www.defunctgames.com/ and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@DefunctGames

Ghosts ‘n Goblins manual: https://www.nintendo.co.jp/clv/manuals/en/pdf/CLV-P-NABCE.pdf

Ghouls ‘n Ghosts manual: https://manuals.sega.com/genesismini/pdf/GHOULS_N_GHOSTS.pdf

Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts manual: https://www.nintendo.co.jp/clvs/manuals/common/pdf/CLV-P-SABDE.pdf

The 50 Most S*** Hot Games Ever | Hyper #50 December 1997, p47-52: https://archive.org/details/hyper-050/page/n45/mode/2up

IGN’s Top 100 Games: https://web.archive.org/web/20141207120250/http://top100.ign.com/2003/

Les 100 meilleurs jeux de tous les temps: https://www.jeuxvideo.com/dossiers/00014196/les-100-meilleurs-jeux-de-tous-les-temps.htm

Top 100 Video Games of All Time | G4TV : https://web.archive.org/web/20141123063703/http://www.g4tv.com/top-100

1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by Tony Mott: https://www.amazon.com/1001-Video-Games-Must-Before/dp/B005DI8LX2

The 100 Greatest Video Games of All Time by Bo Moore | Popular Mechanics (2014): https://www.videogamecanon.com/lists/popular-mechanics-2014/

Los 100 mejores videojuegos de la historia by John Tones and Carlos Carabaña : https://www.revistagq.com/noticias/tecnologia/galerias/los-100-mejores-videojuegos-de-la-historia/8951

Ghosts 'N Goblins by ERROR72 in 23:48 - SGDQ2018: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSnUpA2RQ18

Gamer of the Year 2022: Let Me Solo Her by Tyler Colp | PC Gamer: https://www.pcgamer.com/gamer-of-the-year-2022-let-me-solo-her/

Super MadNES - Super Ghouls 'N Ghosts SNES - "Haunted Graveyard" [Stage 1] - Cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FCExhVssi0

Story Breakdown Cannon Spike (Dreamcast) | Defunct Games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9U3V0yrObg

Calling All GamePros | Game #19 February 1991, p. 10: https://www.retromags.com/files/file/2909-gamepro-issue-019-february-1991

Introducing Team GamePro | Game Pro #25 August 1991, p. 12: https://archive.org/details/game-pro-issue-25-august-1991/page/n13/mode/2up

Cyril Lachel on Game Pro TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3b68rHt1aQ

Electronic Gaming Monthly's Best & Worst Awards of 1989 | Defunct Games : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=resrK7BdzqE

Truancy | A Bit of Fry and Laurie S04E07: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ptbb0etSU08

Super Ghouls 'n' Ghosts by NME in 39:59 - AGDQ2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpDqAPc031o

Electronic Gaming Monthly's Best & Worst Awards of 1989 | Defunct Games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-rPOG09QtY

Holy Diver - Collector’s Edition | Retro Bit: https://retro-bit.com/holy-diver/

Nintendo Classics: Top 276 Games on Nintendo Switch Online (According to the Critics) | Defunct Games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytx4z7v98kU

Ghouls 'n Ghosts by Aquas and dosboxfalco in 19:29 - AGDQ2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLNYgfyITlA

Don from the Cable Club League is powering up his mega buster for Mega Man: The Wily Wars (Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, 1994) as he joins Mike & Jaymo on The Old SwitchAroo’s epic quest to research and review every retro game in Nintendo Switch Online’s Nintendo Classics catalog!

Mega Man: The Wily Wars is a compilation action platformer game combining Mega Man, Mega Man 2, and Mega Man 3 for the Nintendo Entertainment System plus a bonus game for the Sega Genesis, Wily Tower. In this episode, we look at the questionable gaming magazine advertising behind the short-lived Sega Channel, Rock the Rock to the musical stylings of the Protomen, the internet’s theories on Guts Man and Dr. Wiley scandalize Jaymo, and Mike generally disappoints Don.

Thanks for listening, and a very special thanks to Kristal Fields of The Lazy Circles for our catchy new 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, social media, bonus articles, and so much more!

Game on, everyone.

(0:00) Intro

(1:10) Welcoming Don

(4:13) Mega Man: The Wily Wars

(47:37) Mini-Game Minute: Super Fighting Robots

(55:31) Mega Man: The Wily Wars (cont’d)

(1:13:48) NintenDO or NintenDON’T

The Cable Club League can be found at https://www.thecableclub.com/ and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@TheCableClubPodcast

Mega Man: The Wily War manual: https://www.retrogames.cz/manualy/Genesis/Mega_Man-The_Wily_Wars_-_Genesis_-_Manual.pdf

How Mega Man Ended Up With the Worst Video Game Box Art Ever by Gavin Jasper | Den of Geek: https://www.denofgeek.com/games/how-mega-man-ended-up-with-the-worst-video-game-box-art-ever/⁠

MegaMan 2, What's with the pistol??!! by Marc Ericksen |  RetroGameArt.com: https://www.retrogameart.com/2012/11/megaman-2-whats-with-pistol.html⁠

Mega Man & Mega Man X Official Complete Works | https://archive.org/details/MegaManMegaManXOfficialCompleteWorksByKBG/mode/2up

Ransom Sega Channel ad | GamePro Issue 77, December 1995, p.170: https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_077_December_1995/page/n169/mode/2up⁠

Tombstone Sega Channel ad | Electronic Gaming Monthly Issue 68, March 1995, p.12: https://archive.org/details/ElectronicGamingMonthly_68/page/n11/mode/2up

Mega Man by Coolkid, Endy, Dxtr and Whitehat94 in 24:01 - AGDQ 2017 - Part 6 | Games Done Quick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8sk11p1bDw⁠ 

Mega Man 2 by coolkid in 27:02 - AGDQ 2022 Online | Games Done Quick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlQaRTDvthA⁠

Mega Man 3 by ColonelFatso in 34:11 SGDQ2019 | Games Done Quick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-rf_ISaE30⁠

Dice Sound Effect by u_ngsgp0r6zb from Pixabay

Chico D Mar is at the starting line for F-Zero (SNES, 1990) and F-Zero 99 (Switch, 2023) as he joins Mike and Jaymo on 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 appreciate the character design from Takaya Imamura and the comic book artwork from Valiant Comics, including both the box art and an in-manual comic drawn by Arthur Nichols. We also learn how Captain Falcon was originally intended to be a mascot for the Super Famicom and how the music from F-Zero was so good that it led to a 1992 jazz album of the same name featuring musicians like blues, jazz, and rock guitarist Robben Ford and saxophonist Marc Russo.

Thanks for listening, and a very special thanks to Kristal Fields of The Lazy Circles for our catchy new 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

(1:48) Welcoming Chico

(6:05) F-Zero

(47:48) Mini-Game Minute: Science Faction

(54:06) F-Zero 99

(1:23:48) NintenDO or NintenDON’T

Chico’s comic is at https://wetfrontier.com/ (and check out this episode's cover art, also by Chico)

F-Zero manual: https://www.nintendo.co.jp/clvs/manuals/common/pdf/CLV-P-SAABE.pdf

Captain Falcon was Originally the SNES' Mascot and Other Super Nintendo Facts You Didn't Know by Nadia Oxford | VG247: https://www.vg247.com/captain-falcon-was-originally-the-snes-mascot-and-other-super-nintendo-facts-you-didnt-know

The F-Zero Press Conference by IGN Staff | IGN: https://web.archive.org/web/20070214011100/http://cube.ign.com/articles/427/427647p1.html

Andrew Linde from “Nothing New: A Remake Podcast” uncovers hard truths about Clu Clu Land (NES, 1985), Mario’s Picross (Game Boy, 1995), and Mario’s Super Picross (SNES, 1995) as he joins Mike & Jaymo on The Old SwitchAroo’s epic quest to research and review every retro game in Nintendo Switch Online’s Nintendo Classics catalog!

In this revealing episode, we discuss how Animal Crossing helped expose a new generation to retro titles, how Bubbles the balloonfish made waves as a female protagonist before the likes of Lara Croft and Samus Aran, why Mario’s Super Picross had to clear a Tetris, and our picks for the greatest movie remakes of all time. Plus, Mike & Andrew go head to head in our hilarious Pictionary-esque Mini-Game Minute: A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Squares!

Thanks for listening, and a very special thanks to Kristal Fields of The Lazy Circles for our catchy new 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

(01:18) Welcoming Andrew Linde

(05:13) Clu Clu Land

(35:44) Mario’s Picross & Mario's Super Picross

(1:04:22) Mini-Game Minute: A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Squares

(1:07:38) Mario’s Picross & Mario's Super Picross (continued)

(1:29:38) NintenDO or NintenDON’T

(1:38:51) Outro

Andrew Linde can be found on Instagram at @podcasterandrew

“Nothing New: A Remake Podcast” is a proud member of the Benview Network and can be found on all major podcasting platforms or on their website at http://www.benviewnetwork.com/nothingnew

Clu Clu Land manual: https://www.thegameisafootarcade.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Clu-Clu-Land-Game-Manual.pdf

Mario’s Picross manual: https://www.thegameisafootarcade.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Marios-Picross-Game-Manual.pdf

Mario’s Picross commercial (you’ve been warned) | TheMarioBros.net : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oeu8ufp0Ru0

Mario’s Picross Manga Collection : https://www.flickr.com/photos/miloscat/albums/72157672675157917/

Check out some of the other nonogram-based games Mike has been playing in a new review on our web site: https://www.theoldswitcharoo.com/blog/quick-reviews-non-stop-nonograms/

Nate Brown (Twitch’s @nateblackest) brings down the house as he talks Blast Corps (N64, 1997) with 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 explosive episode, we explore the astronomical precision of the level select screen, the suspected censorship of a problematic televised roadster, and the timeless appeal of Nate’s hunt for the most “mid” movies of all time. Plus, we create a tier list for every vehicle in this Rare N64 classic. Which one is the Best Corps, and which is a Blast Corpse? And will this episode be the impetus for Jaymo’s very first tattoo? Time to get moving!

Thanks for listening, and a very special thanks to Kristal Fields of The Lazy Circles for our catchy new 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

(01:03) Welcoming Nate Brown

(07:00) Blast Corps

(37:50) Ranking Retro: Blast Corps Vehicle Tier List

(01:08:05) Blast Corps (continued)

(01:24:02) NintenDo or NintenDon’t

(01:29:39) Outro

Nate can be found on his own Twitch channel (https://www.twitch.tv/nateblackest) or cohosting TrailerBoyz on the Whitest Kids U Know twitch channel (https://www.twitch.tv/officialwkuk). 

Older episodes of TrailerBoyz are on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh9F2UuOmDhCSNfuiaFHSoEHj3WV1g3Qg 

Check out https://miseryloves.us/ for additional info about TrailerBoyz, MidHunters, and more

Blast Corps manual: https://www.retrogames.cz/manualy/N64/Blast_Corps_-_Nintendo_64_-_Manual.pdf

The Making Of: Blast Corps | Now Gamer: https://web.archive.org/web/20150411115039/http://www.nowgamer.com/the-making-of-blast-corps/⁠

Donkey Kong Land - Boss Battle / Blast Corps - Skerries | the gaming hell youtube thing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlGxYzVNaGw⁠

The Awesome, 100% Accurate Planetary Orbits of Blast Corps' Map Screen by Owen Good | Kotaku: https://kotaku.com/the-awesome-100-accurate-planetary-orbits-of-blast-co-502166285

Blast Corps Vehicles Tier List Maker: https://tiermaker.com/create/blast-corps-vehicles-18221448

It’s-a him, Dempsey from the Overthinking Games podcast! In this colorful episode he links up with Mike and Jaymo to play Super Mario World (SNES, 1991) and its 2001 Game Boy Advance port, Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2, 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, we unveil Yoshi’s unexpected upbringing in Christianity, expose the alleged animal abuse that did and did not make the final cut, and debate the merits of quality-of-life features in a post-Dark Souls age. Think you’re a Mario master? Test your knowledge in another fun-filled round of Mario MythBusters! Just don’t lose your cool when Jaymo recounts the near-death experience that threatened his love life and possibly influenced Super Mario World game design…

Thanks for listening, and a very special thanks to Kristal Fields of The Lazy Circles for our catchy new 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

(1:07) Welcoming Dempsey from Overthinking Games

(4:37) Super Mario World Box Art Analysis

(12:00) Mini-Game Minute: Mario MythBusters

(21:35) Super Mario World/Super Mario Advance 2

(1:18:52) NintenDo or NintenDon’t

(1:28:18) Outro

Check out Dempsey and the rest of the Overthinking Games crew at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2181702 or wherever you get your podcasts!

Super Mario World manual: https://www.nintendo.co.jp/clvs/manuals/common/pdf/CLV-P-SAAAE.pdf⁠

Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 manual: https://www.thegameisafootarcade.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Super-Mario-Advance-2-Super-Mario-World-Game-Manual.pdf

Super Mario World – 1990 Developer Interview - originally from SMW official guidebook | Shmuplations :  https://shmuplations.com/supermarioworld/⁠

Super Mario World: Mario Was Originally Punching Yoshi in The Head by Hope Corrigan | IGN : https://www.ign.com/articles/2017/09/28/super-mario-world-mario-was-originally-punching-yoshi-in-the-head

15 Shocking Facts You Didn't Know About Super Mario World by Guy Desmarais | The Gamer : https://www.thegamer.com/shocking-facts-you-didnt-know-about-super-mario-world/

Why Nintendo WANTS YOU TO FORGET About This Game- Devil World | Demeech : https://youtu.be/ZlGznioFsmQ?si=Dyuv2RvpY4LDYmd5&t=384

How A Mario Character Was Named After Motorhead's Lemmy by Patrick Klepek | Kotaku : https://kotaku.com/how-a-mario-character-was-named-after-motorheads-lemmy-1750180427