Retronauts

Jeremy puts the wraps on his hosting duties for Retronauts Vol. III by returning to an old favorite topic (Castlevania) while Bob and Ray demonstrate patient indulgence. 

Sing it with us, now: Link! He come to town! Come to save, the Princess Zelda! We're all familiar with the mythic exploits of Nintendo's elfin hero, but this latest episode of Retronauts dives deep into one of his greatest adventures of all time. Sure, A Link to the Past is a beloved classic, but on this episode of Retronauts, we partake on a journey to truly discover WHY. Join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, and special guests Henry Gilbert and Brett Elston for a thorough exploration of what makes this particular Legend of Zelda so undeniably great. And if you're out there, Chris Houlihan, your mark on Hyrule won't soon be forgotten. Be sure to visit our blog at Retronauts.com, and check out our partner site, USgamer, for more great stuff. And if you'd like to send a few bucks our way, head on over to our Patreon page!

Nothing may feel more like those simpler times of the late '90s than Pokemon, but Nintendo's monster-collecting phenomenon managed to stick in there for two whole decades by staying true to its roots. On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Henry Gilbert and Kat Bailey as the crew explores the last twenty years of Game Freak's zillion-dollar franchise. (Disclaimer: Please listen to this podcast in a well-lit room for your own safety.) Be sure to visit our blog at Retronauts.com, and check out our partner site, USgamer, for more great stuff. And if you'd like to send a few bucks our way, head on over to our Patreon page!

What is "retro"? This week, we test the limits by talking about a 10-year-old system whose games you can still buy at retail. But in fairness, the Nintendo DS was pretty much retro from the moment of its conception. Featuring the voices of Games Radar's Henry Gilbert and USgamer's Kat Bailey.

Jared Petty joins Bob and Jeremy to contemplate the good and the bad of Nintendo's third home console, which launched 20 years ago this month. (Apologies for the audio defects in this episode — they didn't become apparent until we had finished recording.) Be sure to visit our blog at Retronauts.com, and check out our partner site, USgamer, for more great stuff. And if you'd like to send a few bucks our way, head on over to our Patreon page!

Chris Kohler joins Jeremy and Bob to revisit a topic from the earliest days of Retronauts: Virtual Console. Boy, what a difference 10 years makes! Remember when we were optimistic about that? Also includes some NES Classic Edition spitballing or whatever. Be sure to visit our blog at Retronauts.com, and check out our partner site, USgamer, for more great stuff. And if you'd like to send a few bucks our way, head on over to our Patreon page!

What is there left to say about The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time? A heck of a lot, actually. Back in the days of awkward polygonal gaming, Nintendo borrowed a bit of A Link to the Past's magic and successfully brought their fantasy series to the next era of gaming. But has this bold experiment aged well over the last 18 years? On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, and Henry Gilbert as the crew dives into one the earliest classics of 3D gaming. Be sure to visit our blog at Retronauts.com, and check out our partner site, USgamer, for more great stuff. And if you'd like to send a few bucks our way, head on over to our Patreon page!

Chris Kohler and Sam Claiborn join Jeremy and Bob to dive deep into a part of the Zelda series Retronauts has rarely touched on: The NES duo of The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II. Be sure to visit our blog at Retronauts.com, and check out our partner site, USgamer, for more podcasts or whatever. And if you'd like to support the show, that can be arranged through our Patreon page.

Ah, Super Mario Bros. 3. What more can be said about Nintendo R&D4's grand finale for the 8-bit era? Well, we managed to fill 90 minutes discussing this timeless game, so the answer is "a whole lot." On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Ray Barnholt, and Henry Gilbert as the crew takes a closer look at one of Nintendo's greatest creations, and find it's still worth beaming about.

Nintendo followed up the modest success of the N64 with the GameCube: A small, sleek little system devoted solely to playing games. But in an era where the PlayStation 2's exclusives, backwards compatibility, and DVD playback features obliterated the competition, Nintendo found their nice little piece of hardware unable to gain any true traction. On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Kat Bailey, Jeremy Parish and Dave Rudden as the crew explores the console best known as "half of a Wii but without the duct tape:" the Nintendo GameCube.

Almost 20 years ago, Nintendo showed the world how 3D games should be done with the phenomenal Super Mario 64. But in the passing decades, have the charms of this Nintendo 64 launch game faded out of existence? Leave it to the Retronauts to investigate! On this episode, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Polygon's Danielle Riendeau, and the Laser Time Podcast Network's Henry Gilbert for a thorough discussion of this early 3D classic. (Note: No pickles were wolfed during the recording of this episode.) Be sure to visit our blog at Retronauts.com, and check out our partner site, USgamer, for more great stuff. And if you'd like to send a few bucks our way, head on over to our Patreon page!

In a generation where games strove to be gritty, photorealistic, and more "mature," The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker dared to be boldly cartoony, and suffered greatly at the hands of console warriors. Yet, close to 15 years later—and with the help of an HD remake—Link's seafaring GameCube adventure is remembered quite fondly. On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Kat Bailey, and Matthew Jay as the crew explores just how this GameCube game went from reviled to treasured. Special thanks to backer Jenny Nielsen for funding the production of this episode!

Jeremy Parish, Bob Mackey, Ray Barnholt, and Jared Petty look back at 30 years of Game Boy. The memories! The classics! The music! The inevitable eyestrain from trying to play games in the dark in the backseat of a car!

Taking a break from our string of glowing Mario retrospectives, we have a not-so-glowing look at vintage Mario. Yeah, 2002 is vintage now. Henry Gilbert and Sam Claiborn join us to discuss what's great about Super Mario Sunshine... but mostly what's not.

UK ex-pat Jaz Rignall joins Bob and Jeremy to discuss England's crown jewel: Rare. From their early era as Ultimate Play the Game to their N64 glory days, we cover the full history of this enigmatic developer. By request of Kickstarter backer Michael Lee!

We celebrate five years of rebooted Retronauts by getting the original band back together! Ray Barnholt and Dr. Sparkle return to discuss Mario Madness: The U.S. version of Super Mario Bros.

The SNES RPG EarthBound might be considered a true cult classic, but its rise from critical flop to beloved masterpiece didn't happen overnight. On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Ray Barnholt, Michael Grimm, and Andrew Goldfarb as the crew tries to pin down what makes this Japanese take on Boomer-friendly Americana so special. OK desu ka? Be sure to visit our blog at Retronauts.com, and check out our partner site, USgamer, for more great stuff. And if you'd like to send a few bucks our way, head on over to our Patreon page!

Five years after making his hosting debut in Retronauts Live episode 17, Bob returns to the topic of the Super Nintendo to find out if there's anything new to say. Thankfully, a half-decade later, we're all a little older, and a little wiser--but mostly a little older. On this celebration of the SNES' 25th birthday, Jeremy Parish, Ray Barnholt, and Capcom's Tim Turi tag along to sing the praises of Nintendo's wonderful 16-bit console. Be sure to visit our blog at Retronauts.com, and check out our partner site, USgamer, for more great stuff. And if you'd like to send a few bucks our way, head on over to our Patreon page!

The art of speedrunning is barely two decades old, but in that time we've seen our share of stupefying feats from game masters that would put Captain N himself to shame. Will this burgeoning subculture be the key to keeping love for classic games alive? Thanks to a generous donation from Kickstarter backer Nich Maragos, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Ray Barnholt, and guest Christian Nutt as the Retronauts explore the joys of breaking beloved games open like so many digital pinatas.

Back in 2007, Irrational Games wowed the world with BioShock, an FPS experience that bridged the gap between PC and console games with its role as the "thinking man's shooter." With 2013's Infinite closing the book on the series—and Irrational Games as a whole—and still no new Ken Levine game to speak of, there's never been a better time to revisit the recent past and a game that really kicked the HD generation into high gear. On this episode, join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, and Gary Butterfield as the crew dives deep into BioShock and decides if the world of Rapture is just as enthralling as it was over a decade ago. Now, would you kindly leave us a five-star review on the iTunes Music Store?