The Retro Breakdown

By TimeWanderer

Every week, Dean (twitch.tv/timewanderer) and Tom discuss current gaming news, and then check out some old (or sometimes new) piece of gaming history to see how it holds up, and test the strength of n... more

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FAQs about The Retro Breakdown:

How many episodes does The Retro Breakdown have?

The podcast currently has 279 episodes available.

The Retro Breakdown episodes:

November 10, 2020 Super Ghouls n' Ghosts and the BORK BORK
Yeah, it's hard. It's punishing. But there's a beautiful logic that makes it all work, and we think that's beautiful.

Well, Dean does. Tom sort of enjoyed it, but also never wants to see it again.
Discord: https://discord.gg/dTrBruG
Manual: https://www.nintendo.co.jp/clvs/manuals/common/pdf/CLV-P-SABDE.pdf
That link to Dean's Nexus store: nexus.gg/TimeWanderer
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2h 15min
November 03, 2020 The Peace Keepers and the Better than Expected Corruption
The Peace Keepers is what happens when you take the basic premise of "walk to the right and punch things," but then you make the punch not work.

That being said, there is some fun to be had here, largely in the the wild translation, and the story of how it came to be. Game localization in the 90s was a wild experience.

Discord: https://discord.gg/dTrBruG
More info on the Peace Keepers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Peace_Keepers
Summary of multiple Endings: http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/snes/d/pk.htm

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1h 29min
October 30, 2020 Bonus: Final Fantasy, Art vs. Graphics, and SUNSHINE
We went off on some tangents before starting to talk about Super Mario 64. Normally I'd just delete those, but I figured you might want to hear some of them, so here!
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56min
October 27, 2020 Super Mario 64 HD and the Beatles of Videogames
Nobody needs to be told at this point that Super Mario 64 is a good game.

But we're gonna do it anyway, as well as discuss the 3D All-Stars collection in general and try to keep ourselves from talking about Mario Sunshine instead. We also discuss favorite/least favorite stages, and talk a bit about the game's place in history.

Discord: https://discord.gg/dTrBruG
Mario 64 Manual: https://www.gamesdatabase.org/Media/SYSTEM/Nintendo_N64//Manual/formated/Super_Mario_64_-_1996_-_Nintendo.pdf
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1h 51min
October 20, 2020 S.C.A.T. and the Specialized Cybernetic Attack Team
It's funny, because that's what the game is called. But also, THAT'S WHAT THE GAME IS CALLED.

This game was okay, but if there's one thing to know about it, it's that the composer for Contra also did the music for S.C.A.T., and he said S.C.A.T. was his favorite soundtrack to make. Legit confirmed this game's music is better than Contra's.

Probably.

Discord: https://discord.gg/dTrBruG
S.C.A.T. Manual: http://www.digitpress.com/library/manuals/nes/SCAT.pdf
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1h 21min
October 13, 2020 Kirby's Dream Land 3 and the Sunshine Disappointment
We've covered lots of obscure stuff on the podcast, so we decided to treat ourselves to a game with a bit more of a reputation, despite it not even being the best game in its own franchise on the SNES.

There's lots of talk about weird dark Kirby lore, and the amusing introduction of ability combinations, many of which involve Kirby brutally torturing one of his animal friends (usually Kine). There is also a decent amount of getting angry about Heart Stars, because seriously what is the deal with Heart Stars why are they like this.
TW's Discord: https://discord.gg/dTrBruG
Kirby’s Dream Land 3 Manual: https://www.gamesdatabase.org/Media/SYSTEM/Nintendo_SNES/Manual/formated/Kirby-s_DreamLand_3_-_1997_-_Nintendo.pdf
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1h 51min
October 06, 2020 Kick Bot and the Nouveau Retro
In a first for the podcast, Dean and Tom review a NEW game! Two Scoop Games reached out to us about playing their new game Kick Bot, a two-button precision platformer built around wall kicks and double jumps.
There's only an 8-level demo available right now, with the full release due out in early 2021, but there was still plenty here to discuss.

DISCLOSURE: This is not a sponsored podcast, but we were given early access to the demo by the developers. We don't like the game because we have to, we like it because it's cool.

You can wishlist or grab the demo for Kick Bot at https://store.steampowered.com/app/1136290/Kick_Bot/
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2h 2min
September 29, 2020 Clash at Demonhead and the Best Ending Ever
We field another request this week in the Vic Tokai cult classic Clash at Demonhead. This one had us talking about the wild nature of 1980s-90s video game localization, the absurdly ambitious design of some NES games, and of course, one of the most incredible bad ends in all of video games.
There is also some Yakuza talk, and a bit about the results of Dean's most recent Kusogrande match.
Discord: https://discord.gg/dTrBruG
Clash at Demonhead Manual
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1h 58min
September 22, 2020 Karnov and the Dial-up Internet Modem
This week, Jessi makes us play Karnov, the game about the fire-breathing Soviet strongman who fights... I dunno, dragons? Dinosaurs? Whatever happens to be there. We discuss the... INTERESTING sound design, including the one pretty-good song and also all the other not-so-good stuff.

Despite Karnov being sort of a standard-bearer for NES garbage, we sort of enjoyed it in a "generic NES platformer with weird design" kinda way. Also, we talk a little bit about the PS5 reveal.

Discord: https://discord.gg/dTrBruG
Karnov Manual: http://www.thegameisafootarcade.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Karnov-Game-Manual.pdf
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1h 26min
September 15, 2020 Illusion of Gaia and the Loss of Innocence
We try out a new format this week - no random banter, just Retro Breakdown.

Which is good, because Illusion of Gaia has a LOT to talk about. Even the instruction manual refers to spoilers as a "loss of innocence." Now I understand why. This game has some STUFF.

Fair warning - and this applies to basically all of these podcasts - spoilers are basically happening throughout the episode. If you care at all about playing this game fresh (and I think you should!), be warned.

Hang out with us on Discord!
Illusion of Gaia Manual
Dean's IoG playthrough on YouTube

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1h 51min

FAQs about The Retro Breakdown:

How many episodes does The Retro Breakdown have?

The podcast currently has 279 episodes available.