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PODCAST

The Retro Breakdown

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 nostalgia.

leisure video games

All Episodes

01:54:55

Ristar and the "Younger Audience"

The Retro Breakdown ·

2020/12/01

TW and Tom have somewhat differing opinions on one of the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive's swan song games. But then a mid-90s EGM interview sets off an age-old debate: "IT LOOKS LIKE THIS GAME HAS COLOR IN IT, DOES THAT MEAN IT'S FOR BABIES?" TW has words about this, and maybe derails the conversation. TW's Discord: https://discord.gg/dTrBruG EGM Interview on Ristar: https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_65/page/n217/mode/2up Manual:

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01:35:35

Super Mario Sunshine and the No-Reason DK Rap

The Retro Breakdown ·

2020/11/24

We finally did it. We finally recorded our episode about Mario Sunshine, after weeks and weeks of hinting at it. We have differing, but overall mixed opinions. At the end of the day, it's still a Mario game, and it's good. BUT... (Dean's note - I kept meaning to bring this up during the discussion, and I forgot, but I think it bears mentioning. This game has one of the most disappointing Bowser fights in the entire franchise. It feels like a FIRST Bowser fight, not the FINAL one.) TW's Discord:

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02:05:14

Bonus: Oops! All Yakuza!

The Retro Breakdown ·

2020/11/17

Tom and Dean hit the record button getting ready to talk about Super Mario Sunshine, and then just agree to talk about Kusogrande, Yakuza, and 13 Sentinels. Because not every Retro Breakdown needs to have a retro breakdown. I don't know, we're making the rules up as we go. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/retrobreakdown/support

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02:14:46

Super Ghouls n' Ghosts and the BORK BORK

The Retro Breakdown ·

2020/11/10

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 --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/retrobreakdown/support

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01:28:07

The Peace Keepers and the Better than Expected...

The Retro Breakdown ·

2020/11/03

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:

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00:55:34

Bonus: Final Fantasy, Art vs. Graphics, and SUNSHINE

The Retro Breakdown ·

2020/10/30

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! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/retrobreakdown/support

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01:50:30

Super Mario 64 HD and the Beatles of Videogames

The Retro Breakdown ·

2020/10/27

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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01:20:37

S.C.A.T. and the Specialized Cybernetic Attack Team

The Retro Breakdown ·

2020/10/20

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 --- Support this podcast:

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01:50:55

Kirby's Dream Land 3 and the Sunshine Disappointment

The Retro Breakdown ·

2020/10/13

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

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02:01:05

Kick Bot and the Nouveau Retro

The Retro Breakdown ·

2020/10/06

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

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01:57:28

Clash at Demonhead and the Best Ending Ever

The Retro Breakdown ·

2020/09/29

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 --- Support this podcast:

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01:25:09

Karnov and the Dial-up Internet Modem

The Retro Breakdown ·

2020/09/22

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:

en

01:50:18

Illusion of Gaia and the Loss of Innocence

The Retro Breakdown ·

2020/09/15

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

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02:32:47

Shadow of the Ninja and the Avengers Anthem

The Retro Breakdown ·

2020/09/08

We start with light breathing. Then, Tom shares his recent not-so-guilty pleasure, Dean gets mad at Nintendo for inevitably ending up with his money even though he hates what they're doing with the Mario 3D All-Stars collection, and the guys diverge on Shadow of the Ninja. Shadow of the Ninja is a 1990 platformer for the NES by Natsume that is derivative but solid. After some discussion (and a little ranting), they end up with different final impressions of it, but we can both agree that the

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02:11:20

Operation Logic Bomb and the Woke Battletoads

The Retro Breakdown ·

2020/09/01

If you've ever wanted to hear two people start a discussion about a game by saying, "There isn't anything about it that's really bad," but then dump on it for the next 45 minutes anyway, this is your episode. Jump Force, Dragon Quest spinoffs, Battletoads, and Triscuits share the spotlight this week on the Retro Breakdown. Tom talks about the games he's been dusting off to finish, and Dean gushes about the new Battletoads reboot and its ability to do every genre reasonably well. Afterwards, we jump

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02:23:02

Action Man: Robot Atak and the Trouble with Airplanes

The Retro Breakdown ·

2020/08/25

Thought experiment of the week: Is "not as bad as you thought" a negative review or a positive one? Tom and Dean talk about SGDQ, the massive original Xbox controller, and briefly touch on the new Battletoads, amidst a rant about how much we hate modern airline travel. Then, we discuss UK-only release Action Man: Robot Atak, a game which has us digging into the history a 1960s line of European G.I. Joe-like toys... and the unfortunate two-season animated series it spawned in 2000. Along the way, we

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02:15:32

Vice: Project Doom and the Hero/Villain Longevity Theory

The Retro Breakdown ·

2020/08/18

"What the..." Dean and Tom discuss Vice: Project Doom, a NES game that is all over the place on the quality scale. We've got aliens, clones, genetic experiments, shadowy organizations, and a hilariously threadbare plot trying but failing to hold it all together. Will we, in fact, live long enough to see ourselves become the villain? Also, hey Sega, please localize Yakuza Ishin. It might be the only thing that gets Dean to stop talking about Fall Guys. --- Support this podcast:

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02:15:27

Gunstar Heroes and the Good Licensed Trash

The Retro Breakdown ·

2020/08/11

Tom and Dean come into the podcast this week prepared to give lukewarm reviews on Gunstar Heroes for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, but then hype each other up remembering it and totally change their minds. But before that, Tom talks about the PS4 Spider-Man game and the change in how licensed games have been handled in recent years, and Dean defends old trashy licensed games because he's doing sorta good in Kusogrande. Discord: https://discord.gg/dTrBruG This week’s instruction manual:

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02:59:42

Final Fantasy Adventure and the Meaning of Retro

The Retro Breakdown ·

2020/08/04

"Palm trees.... and 8." This week, Dean refuses to stop saying "Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden," Tom wants everyone to feel sad, and the guys record a 3-hour podcast after deleting the first 2 hours of aimless conversation. Calculated. We discuss what it means to be a "retro" game, the "right" way to release content over time, and the difference between series reboots that try to "remake" their franchise versus "re-imagining" them (and which one the new Battletoads game will be). Later, we

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02:42:21

Demon's Crest and the GameCube Lunchbox

The Retro Breakdown ·

2020/07/28

This week we talk about what's happening with loading times, Dean badly explains Fall Guys, and Tom shares his ultimate console modding dream. Then we talk about Demon's Crest, the game with the raddest title screen of all time, but the WORST final boss. This game seriously sent us on a rollercoaster of opinions. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/retrobreakdown/support

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