The Retro League

Episode 131 - Racecars, Lasers, Aeroplanes

2012-05-17T03:07:57Z

This week the Retro League is looking way back to a time when video games were still new. We're starting our launch-lineup feature and until episode 150 we'll be looking at the launch titles for specific systems. While we're light on news, we're heavy on virtual re-releases and updates in this week's show.

Hot Topics
Modern 3D Games with Retro Souls
Dead Malls/Label Scar...

Virtually Retro
Fairy Well (C64)
Wonder Boy in Monster Land (Virtual Console)
Monster World IV (Virtual Console)
Wolfenstein 3D (Javascript)
Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode II (PSN)
Goldeneye 007 Reloaded (PSN)

Myst (PSOne Classics)

Red Faction 2 (PS2 Classics)

News
Retrogaming Times Monthly - May 2012

Games of the Week
Indy 500
Air-Sea Battle

Random Links
24 Video Game Plot Twists That Would Have Blown Your Mind
Computing fossils: Old tech holding on for dear life

Freeloader game of the month
Skyroads (DOS)

Episode 130 - It's the end of the world again

2012-05-07T23:54:54Z

On this episode of The Retro League we talk about 8-bit game endings and the end of the world itself. With a little help from Sony we have a huge stack of virtually retro games to cover. In games of the week we have some unrealistic, but extremely fun, hockey and racing simulations. We even squeeze in a little time to remember some old schoolyard game rumors.

This Day in Gaming
Wolfenstein 3D released

Hot Topics
Kirby's Dream Band
Why kids like retro games

Virtually Retro
Super Street Fighter II (Virtual Console)
Future Cop L.A.P.D (PSone Classics)
Darkstalkers 3 (PSone Classics)
Red Faction (PlayStation 2 Classics)
Super Hang-On (Virtual Console)
Legend of Dragoon (PSone Classics)
Max Payne (PlayStation 2 Classics)
Rayman 2: Revolution (PlayStation 2 Classics)
Super Mario Summary (Flash)

News
Wild Game Rumors: Part of a Complete Childhood
30 Years Late, A Supposedly Impossible Atari Feat Puts Arcade Classic Onto a 2600 Cartridge
"People Will Be Happy" Watching These Incredibly Abrupt Old-School Game Endings
Even The Library of Congress Has a Hard Time Preserving Old Games

Games of the Week
Ice Hockey (NES)
Top Gear 3000 (SNES)

Random Links
Listener Kickstarter project - RGB Dating Sim - Commissioning the art
See All of Ocarina of Time’s Overworld Remapped in A Link to the Past’s Style

Freeloader Game of the Month
Skyroads (DOS)

Bonus Round - Behind the Scenes 2

2012-05-02T18:39:41Z

This week we're unscripted and off-the-record. We've recorded a lot of audio that never makes it into the show, and now you'll get to hear how we pass the time until Rob is finally ready to start the show. We ramble off the topic of video games, then back onto the topic of video games, wrestle with Skype problems and often drag special guests into the mix. The clips cover most of the last year of podcasting and might even have something from our early days!

Episode 129 - Scrolling off the Screen

2012-04-23T01:52:04Z

This week we're experimenting with taking calls from listeners and remembering video games with great soundtracks. There are a lot of great game franchises that we never played, but we'll probably get around to them eventually. Someone has put real New York traffic into Frogger, and someone else is time-travelling through Zelda 64 on this episode of the Retro League.

This Day in Gaming
Game Boy released in Japan

Hot Topics
Game franchises you've never played
Ho hum games with killer soundtracks
The retro end is near

Virtually Retro
3D Classics: Kid Icarus (3DS)
Sid Meier's Pirates! (iOS)

News
Prince of Persia source code freed from floppies posted online
New Zelda: Ocarina of Time bug beats game in 23 minutes as child Link
Hacked Frogger Arcade Now Has You Dodging the Real Traffic On Fifth Avenue
2012 German Mega Drive Championship recap
Revisiting Nintendo's Arcade History

Games of the Week
White Water (Intellivision)
SNK vs Capcom: Match of the Millenium (NeoGeo Pocket Color)

Random Links
27 Small But Disastrous Changes to Famous Video Games
Net of the 90's

Freeloader Game of the Month
Hardwired (Sega Genesis)

Episode 128 - Capture the flag

2012-04-17T21:55:34Z

It's always Saturday morning on The Retro League podcast and this week we're kicking back with some Final Fantasy speedruns, Team Fortress Classic, Space Harrier, and Ocarina of Time. We also mourn the passing of a computing pioneer, remember the birth of the Apple ][, and proudly display our ignorance of popular PlayStation 2 titles.

Hot Topics
The History of Nintendo (Brawl in the Family #400)
Megaman Series
BEST Cartoon Theme Songs EVER

Virtually Retro
Saturday Morning RPG (iOS)
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES (PlayStation 2 Classics)

News
Computer Legend and Gaming Pioneer Jack Tramiel Dies at Age 83
Ocarina Of Time Documentary Part 2
Square-Enix launches streaming radio stations
Final Fantasy Tool Assisted White Mage speedrun
The Greatest Justification For Messed-Up Video Game Graphics I Ever Saw
Miyamoto Keen On New Zelda Based on Link to the Past

Games of the Week
Space Harrier (32X)
Team Fortress Classic

Random Links
30 Video Game Characters Who'd Suck at Other Games
The RPG Consoler - Ys: Book 1&2
Make your own paper arcade games
Nes Guitar

Freeloader game of the month
Hardwired (Sega Genesis)

Episode 127 - A Swirling Miasma of Scintillating Thoughts and Turgid Ideas

2012-04-13T04:01:05Z

In addition to a couple of great 8-bit platformers, this week the Retro League talks about (in no particular order): EA's shady business practices, Bullfrog games, Sega in South America, the waterparks of Wisconsin Dells, out-of-print table-top RPGs, AOL America Online, and Jem & the holograms.

Hot Topics
Action figures on the 80s and 90s
Nintendo going the way of Atari or Sega?
Super Mario Tennis

Virtually Retro
Pinball Arcade (XBLA)

News
Leisure Suit Larry looks to Kickstarter for new life
Spring 2012 Issue of Retrocade Magazine
Square Enix Involved in NES Google Maps April Fool
An old Game Boy saved me from buying a PS Vita
Castle of Illusion sequel coming to 3DS
Turtles in Time prototype

Games of the Week
Pitfall! (Intellivision)
Metal Storm (NES)

Random Links
25 Years of IBM’s OS/2
Before the Internet: The golden age of online services

Freeloader Game of the month
Hardwired for Sega Genesis

Episode 126 - Banned in the U.K.

2012-04-03T00:01:26Z

No we haven't changed formats but we just might be banned in several countries and states after this episode. If this podcast makes it through your government's anti-violence filter then you'll get to hear part 2 of our discussion on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. We also learn about the origins of junk email and ponder when Super Mario Bros was first released in the western hemisphere.

This Day in Gaming
March 31, 1993: The term 'SPAM' is coined

Hot Topics
Gaming Jeopardy
New cart labels
Name that game

Virtually Retro
Final Freeway 2R (iOS)

News
Sad But True: We Can't Prove When Super Mario Bros. Came Out
Prince of Persia’s Source Code Found in Dad’s Closet
Kickstarter for Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective
Google Maps 8-bit for NES
10 Legend of Zelda Facts You May Have Missed Out On
Interview with the Zelda Cartoon Cast
Long Lost Emulation Easter Egg Discovered in GoldenEye

Games of the Week
TMNT: The Hyperstone Heist (Sega Genesis)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (iOS)

Random Links
The Tough Life of a Games Tester
23 Unseen Backstories of Classic Video Games
Arnold Schwarzenegger in Super Contra (Speed Run)

Announcing the Orbis 720 League!

2012-04-01T06:03:00Z

We've been living in the past far too long, it's time to embrace the future.

We've been reading about the upcoming Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4 ("Orbis") and are totally psyched about the radical transformation they will bring to gaming.

These exciting new consoles will finally address the biggest problems that have plagued video games since the Atari 2600:

Ending the fleecing of honest game publishers like Electronics Arts by dropping support for used games. Every time you buy a five year-old version of Madden football for $1 you force them to make another developer work unpaid overtime.
Requiring an online account to play offline games fights piracy. Given Microsoft and Sony's outstanding records on security you have no reason to fear giving them your personal information.
No backwards compatibility, no problem. Any game over 2 years old is stale anyway.
Finally eliminating all the lame button pressing in favor of motion controls and touchscreen. Say goodbye to "Nintendo thumb" forever.
Who has room for all those bulky game cartridges? Downloading all your games onto proprietary media formats is a perfectly economical solution.

So effective immediately we're re-branding ourselves as "The Orbis 720 League". Each week we'll be covering the latest news on these new consoles.

We'll also be going explicit to appeal to a younger audience that expects constant hardcore profanity.

We know this will come as a disappointment to some of our listeners but we ask that learn all you can about these new systems and we just know you'll feel the same way we do!

Update (4/2): Yes, this was an April Fool's prank, thanks for playing along.

Episode 125 - Heroes in a Half Shell

2012-03-30T18:02:02Z

This week in addition to discussing the origins of everyone's favorite anthropomorphic martial artists, Hugues & Rob talk about the recent Midwest Gaming Classic, more Final Fantasy and the graphics versus gameplay debate via 90's first person shooters.

Hot Topics
TMNT Memories
what 3 retro characters...
Gameboy Kiosk
drunk at the midwest gaming classicws

Virtually Retro
Wing Commander Saga: The Darkest Dawn

News
New Retro Magazine "Pixel Nation" Launches
The Horror, the Glory of Treasure’s Ronald McDonald Video Game

Games of the Week
TMNT: Tournament Fighters (NES)
TMNT III: The Manhattan Project (NES)

Random Links
20 iconic tech sounds bound for extinction
TMNT cartoon series review (Part 1 of 3)

Freeloader game of the month
Desktop Dungeons

Episode 124 - Early Summer of Atari

2012-03-22T21:34:04Z

This week on The Retro League podcast we celebrate the birthday of Super Metroid and the launch of Game Gear games on the 3DS Virtual Console. In games of the week we get a head start on summer and enjoy a classic Atari 2600 arcade port. We also try to sort out which genre best defines the Sega Genesis and learn a little about the ill-fated LaserActive.

Hot Topics
What are you playing right now
Where did you play arcade games when you were a kid
What genre of games defined the Megadrive/Genesis for you
What made you pick a console

Virtually Retro
Samurai Shodown IV: Amakusa's Revenge (Virtual Console)
Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble (3DS Virtual Console)
Shinobi (3DS Virtual Console)
Dragon Crystal (3DS Virtual Console)
Bit of War (God of War 8-bit demake)
Ys: The Oath In Felghana and Ys: Origin coming to Steam

News
New site - LaserActive Preservation Project
10 Classic Computer RPGs
'The Art of Video Games' Exhibition Opens
Pong Developer Challenge

Games of the Week
T&C Surf Designs: Wood and Water Rage (NES)
Galaxian (Atari 2600)

Random Links
If Video Game Characters Found More Practical Solutions
6 Awful Jobs That Must Exist in Video Game Universes

Freeloader game of the month
Desktop Dungeons

Totally Informal Midwest Gaming Classic 2012 Meet-up

2012-03-17T02:31:44Z

If you're a fan of this podcast and live within 100 miles of Milwaukee then you have no excuse to not visit the Midwest Gaming Classic on Saturday, March 24 or Sunday, March 25.

I'd like to arrange some kind of meet-up on Saturday but I'm not really good at planning stuff so how about something simple like this...

At 1:00 on Saturday I'll head over to the hotel bar to meet-up with fans of the podcast. We'll grab a drink, hangout, play some arcade games, or whatever. And if nobody shows up, well, I was planning on having a Blue Moon around then anyway.

If you're interested in meeting then, or some other time on Saturday, go ahead and contact me through any of the usual trendy networking sites:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HuguesJohnson
Twitter - https://twitter.com/HuguesJohnson
Google+ - https://profiles.google.com/huguesjohnson

or just show up 1:00, like I said I'll be there either way.

And for all the information on the Midwest Gaming Classic go visit: http://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/

Episode 123 - A lesson in evil

2012-03-13T03:30:43Z

The Resident Evil franchise turned 16 this month but none of our usual hosts have played it much. So we invited Tim from the Quarter Disorder blog to take us through the highs and lows of the series. We also talk about taking a trip to the arcade and how to get banned from Xbox Live.

Hot Topics
When did your love of RPGs begin?
SNES beat-em-ups
Video game music podcasts
March finds

Virtually Retro
Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream (3DS Virtual Console)
King of Fighters '97 (Virtual Console)

News
Three Turbografx-16 Games Dropped from Virtual Console
Out Now: History of Nintendo: Volume 2 - Game and Watch
Classic Nintendo Games Are NP Hard

Topic - Resident Evil
Resident Evil Retrospective
Capcom and the Decline of Resident Evil

Games of the week
Resident Evil 2 (Nintendo 64)
unreleased Resident Evil (Game Boy Color)
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis

Freeloader game of the month
Desktop Dungeons

Random Links
Retro Gambler - Atari Jaguar game reviews

Episode 122 - Gaming Together

2012-03-09T02:58:01Z

This week Hugues & Rob are joined by a couple of guests to look at how video games can bring people together. We end up talking a lot about Pac-Man and a bit about Metroid. We research the number of times the Leprechaun has visited da 'hood and whether it was before or after his trip to space. We've got a ton of news, mostly good and some just silly on this episode of the Retro League.

Hot Topics
Neo-Geo thoughts etc, who has one?
Games bringing the family closer together

Virtually Retro
Prince of Persia Classic (iOS)
Metroid (3DS Virtual Console)
Gridrunner (iOS)
Primal (PS2 Classics)

News
Pre-Orders for Nightmare Busters now open
A Twenty-Minute Documentary About the Gender of Final Fight’s Poison
Arcade gamer sets longevity record with 68.5 hour game on Q*bert arcade machine
Aero Fighters for Neo Geo sells for over $30,000
Game Center CX headed to DVD
Pac-Man Returns to Television in 2013
Castlevania Tribute at the Midwest Gaming Classic 2012
GameHero rocks the Virtual Boy
Exploring the Ancient Top Ten Lists of Doom

Steven Seagal is The Final Option SNES Prototype

Special Topic

Gaming can bring a Family together

Games of the Week
Pac Man Fever (GameCube)
Pac-Mania (NES)
Potion Master (PC)
Paper Mario (N64)

Random Links
Real Life Goldeneye 64
Major League Pitcher Stays Out of Trouble with Video Games

Interview - Midwest Gaming Classic 2012

2012-03-05T22:45:40Z

Midwest Gaming Classic 2012 is less than 3 weeks away and here's all the latest news on it. We speak with one of the event organizers about what gaming rooms, exhibits, and tournaments they'll have this year. We also chat a little bit about the Apple Pippin, Vectrex, Atari Jaguar, pinball, and of course shopping for rare classic games.

Links
Midwest Gaming Classic
Midwest Gaming Classic on Facebook
Midwest Gaming Classic on Twitter
MGCInDepth on Twitter
Mysterious Song for TurboGrafx-16 CD

Episode 121 - To Emulate or Go Legit?

2012-02-29T19:01:18Z

This week the Retro League is exploring basic programming on the Atari 2600. Could you write a program in less memory than a tweet? We wonder why we play and collect retro games in the first place and the pros & cons of emulators. We might be seeing re-releases of Game Gear games and we're using up film with a creepy looking photographer on this week's show.

Hot Topics
Genesis CD/32x/CD with VGA out
HAAAAYLP! Dreamcast Issues!

Virtually Retro
Final Fantasy Tactics, Midway Arcade, and Retro Racing (iOS)
Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers (PS2 Classics)
Box Pusher (DSiWare)

News
Inventor of the two-flipper pinball machine dies at 100
See Rockstar and Miyamoto's Unreleased N64 Project
New site about Intellivision homebrew games
Game Gear Titles Headed to the 3DS eShop
If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It: Ancient Computers in Use Today
Comparing today's computers to 1995's
Selecting Save on the Games We Make, Part 1

Games of the Week
Photograph Boy (PC Engine)
Modem-3D (DOS)

Random Links
The RPG Consoler
22 Video Games as Understood by Old People

I want 8 photos. Get them all and pass!

Episode 120 - The Legend of a Down

2012-02-27T19:53:33Z

This week the Retro League is going metal. We discuss how the order you play different games can change what you think of them. We go back to an MTV show in order to dispel an internet rumor about Legend of Zelda rock song. In between dips in audio quality we're comparing sci-fi strategy games and listening to music played by old computer parts on episode 120!

Hot Topics
My big obscure Spanish purchase
Retro Rumble video

Virtually Retro
Super Mario Bros. (3DS Virtual Console)
Strider (Virtual Console)
100 Trials (iOS)
Tebit Time (iOS)

News
ThinkGeek Announces the iCade 8-Bitty
An arcadian ode to the old arcade
No, System of a Down Did Not Make a Zelda Song. But This Guy Did.
New Super Mario Kart World Record

Games of the Week
Crossbow (Arcade)
Metal Fatigue (Windows)

Random Links
When Video Game Characters Finally Snap
Metal Fatigue FMV’s
Imperial March (of the Floppies)
The Legend of Zelda 'Rabbit Joint Cover'

Freeloader game of the month
Troll's Tale

Episode 119 - Harvest Ninja Craze

2012-02-22T19:45:59Z

This week the Retro League explores topics as varied as: Mario Kart, feelies, 3-D movies, Maru's miserable box art, The Simpsons, old-school developers banding together to make new games, farming, world records, more midwest traffic laws, and the return of Rob snacking on the air!

Hot Topics
Score that game!(?)
Forcing 3D down our throat
What game got you into gaming?

Virtually Retro
The Hacker (iOS)
Maru's Mission (3DS Virtual Console)
BurgerTime World Tour (WiiWare)
Simpsons Arcade (XBLA, PSN)

News
GameStop Offering Retro Games Through Its PowerUp Rewards Program
Xbox Co-Creator Assembles Atari "Dream Team" in iOS Game Startup
AltDevConf 2012
PCEngine Gamer Issue #6 is out
Iwata Asks: In Conversation with Takahashi & Sakaguchi
New Super Mario Bros. Speedrun Record - 4:58.72
EA, Atari Founders Unite for Gamers At Work Book
New York Gamer Breaks Tetris Record
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles NES Pulled from Virtual Console
Pac-Man Collection Exhibit

Games of the Week
Maze Craze (Atari 2600)
Ninja Warriors (SNES)
Harvest Moon (SNES)

Email Links
The Cover Project

Random Links
Console Restoration – Colecovision
Mario Kart Supersite
Mrs. AVGN Answers Some Questions
Proteus
25 Awesome Coffee Table Books About Video Games
Game Characters Embarrassing Themselves on Facebook

Freeloader game of the month
Troll's Tale

Episode 118 - Sampler Box of Retro Gaming

2012-02-17T02:12:31Z

This week on The Retro League we're joined by our second listener guest host of the year and cover a wide range of retro topics. In portable news we've got a potential Neo Geo handheld and Game Boy Color prototype to discuss. There are also several noteworthy virtually retro flash games we think everyone should check out. Mixed in there we also talk about 80s cartoons and quite a bit more. Just like the box of chocolates you're getting for Valentine's Day you'll never know what you'll find in this episode.

Hot Topics
Favorite Sega Genesis game
Sega collections
Video game mashup ideas

Virtually Retro
Fantasy Chronicle (iOS)
Cart Life (PC)
'Breaking Bad' goes 8-bit
Super Mario Crossover 2.0 breaks the generation barrier

News
The Return of the Neo Geo
Next Xbox to prevent you from playing used games?
Pac Man: The Complete First Season
Konami To Close Hudson Soft
RetroDuo Portable now available
Resident Evil Game Boy Color Prototype
The Original EverQuest Goes Free-to-Play for Its 13th Birthday
Why History Needs Software Piracy

Games of the Week
Sentinel (Atari 2600)
Super Fighting Robot! Rokko Chan! (Flash)
Pokémon Trading Card Game (Game Boy Color)

Random Links
Top 100 NES/Famicom Games
Cross-Stitched Koholint Island Map
29 Video Game Characters That Would Be Horrifying in Reality

Freeloader game of the month
Beneath a Steel Sky

Episode 117 - Multi User Podcast Show

2012-02-08T11:58:22Z

We meant to talk about shooters this week on the Retro League, but since we forgot we brought on GamerDragon to join Hugues, Rob & Hemrawc so that someone could talk about at least one great 16-bit shooter. We also discuss the famous Konami code, football games other than Madden, Earthbound on eBay and ...ponies?

Hot Topics
First Game Played on the Atari!
Your Personal Collections!
Zelda II: Links Adventure

Virtually Retro
Doom (XBLA)
Pixel Land (iOS)
Caverns of Minos (iOS)
Lock 'n Chase (3DS Virtual Console)
Stonekeep: Bones of the Ancestors (WiiWare)

News
Retro Gaming Magazine site launches
Konami: The Nintendo Era
Kimberly from Space Ace gets her own statue
The Long-Forgotten Threat That ‘Always’ Made Madden Nervous

Games of the Week
Kirby’s Dream Land 2 (Game Boy)
MC Kids (NES)
Video Pinball (Atari 2600)
M.U.S.H.A (Sega Genesis)

Random Links
Mac Classic Makes Perfect Dock for iPad
Another Final Fantasy Retrospective
Earthbound Fans are Ridiculous
Skyrim Faces the Greatest Threat it Has Ever Seen: Giant Friendship-Breathing Ponies
List of Konami code games

Freeloader game of the month
Beneath a Steel Sky

Episode 116 - Beneath a Retro Sky

2012-01-22T21:10:20Z

Its a pixelated cyberpunk adventure on this week's episode of the Retro League. We investigate the good deeds of Billy Mitchell and uncover fossilized virtual pets. We debate the best way to play Taito classics and Final Fantasy. The episode won't be over before we rant about traffic laws in the midwest. Tune in!

Hot Topics
Sequelitis & game design
Favourite NES Soundtracks
Link Teaches Software Engineering

Virtually Retro
Final Fantasy: Origins (PSOne Classics)
Let's Play Ancient Greek Punishment (Flash)
RayForce (iOS)
Hatchi (iOS)

News
New Fastest Time To Complete A Perfect Game Of Pac-Man
Capcom Announces Street Fighter 25th Anniversary celebration
Zelda64 Documentary
This Could Be Your Last Chance to See Retro Game Master
Midwest Gaming Classic Reveals Entire Show Activity Line Up
Dreamcast TV

Games of the Week
The Simpsons: Bart vs. The World (NES)
Abuse (DOS)
Centipede (PS1)

Random Links
The 10 Most Bogus Entries in the Guinness World Records 2012 Gamer’s Edition
7 Classic Video Games That Are Older Than You Think
This Guy Wants $5 Million For the "Next Great Game". From You. Um, Right.

Freeloader game-of-the-month

Beneath a Steel Sky

That thing's WATCHING me... Good thing I'm naturally PHOTOGENIC!