Remember The Game? Retro Gaming Podcast

Remember The Game #108 - Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy is one of the most iconic franchises in gaming. And unlike other hall of fame series like Zelda, Mario, Halo, and Sonic, I've never played the game that launched the franchise. Until this month, when Final Fantasy won our Patreon poll and was thrown into my backlog. 

 

And all of you, every person that reached out, said "Don't play the NES version. Play a remake!" and I thought you were all wimps. Turns out, you knew what you were talking about. 

 

I finished the original Final Fantasy on my NES Classic. It took forever, but I did it. And while it was fun, I'm NEVER firing up the NES version of this game again. Why is it so bad? My buddy Miklos and I will tell you on this week's episode of the show.

 

Skip to 28:20 if that's all you're after. 

 

Or listen to the whole thing, dammit. Because we have a lot to discuss this week, including:

 

- Microsoft showed us games last week. And the internet hated them.

 

- Which is stupid. So after I talk Microsoft I rant about losers on the internet. 

 

- Why do retro game collectors collect retro games? To play them? As an investment? Let's talk about it.

 

And more!

Remember The Game #107 - Video & Arcade Top 10 WITH SPECIAL GUEST: NICHOLAS PICHOLAS!

Before Gamespot, IGN, and YouTube, we had Video & Arcade Top 10. 

 

It aired in Canada on YTV from 1991 - 2006, and kids watched it religiously. It featured kids playing the newest video games, along with other gaming, music and movie news. I vividly remember seeing Super Mario RPG for the first time on this show and losing my mind! Kids across Canada loved everything about V&A Top 10, including it's longtime host, Nicholas Picholas.

 

14 years after the show's run ended, Nicholas still gets for his work on Video & Arcade Top 10. I reached out to him on Twitter to see if he would be willing to come on the podcast and talk about his time on the show, and he was quick to accept the invitation. He couldn't have been a nicer guy, and it was a real dream come true for 10 year old me to get to talk with the guy I spent so many hours looking up to as a kid. 

 

We get into the production of the show and what it was like during tapings. Nicholas also explains the origins of the iconic "It's Letter time, it's letter tiiiiimmeee" jingle, where his nickname came from, and more!

 

I hope you all enjoy this special edition of 'Remember The Game?' as much as I did!

 

You can find Nicholas Picholas on Twitter and Instagram @nickinbuffalo. Throw him a follow!

Remember The Game #106 - Def Jam Vendetta

If you listen to the show at all, you know that I love wrestling games. Particularly the Nintendo 64 wrestling games. But what if you took the engine from those games, replaced the wrestlers with rappers, piped in some of their music and made them fight each other?

 

You'd have Def Jam Vandetta. And it would be as awesome as it sounds. I loved these games for the fun gameplay, and it introduced me to music I wasn't familiar with. My buddy Alex loved the music, and discovered games that are as much fun to play as they are to listen to. It's like peanut butter and chocolate, but better! Or more violent, anyway.

 

Alex and I are gonna explain why the Def Jam games were so awesome on this week's podcast. Def Jam is one of the most requested series we get here at RTG Industries, and I'm happy we're finally making it happen.

 

If that' all you're here for, skip to 23:50.

 

Or listen to the whole show! Because before we get into Method Man vs DMX, there's a lot to talk about. Such as...

 

- What the hell is Nintendo going to do this Fall???

 

- Microsoft can't afford to screw up their Series X presentation tomorrow.

 

- A copy of Super Mario Bros. sold for $114, 000!!!!!

 

And lots more! Enjoy the show!

Remember The Game #105 - Super Mario World (Part II)

We've been kicking around 'revisiting' some of the games we covered in the early days of the podcast for a while, and the time has come. This week's episode is about the greatest game on the greatest console in the history of the greatest hobby in history; Super Mario World. 

 

My ol' buddy (and potential Hall of Famer) Mark McCue is back this week, and we dedicated over an hour to Mario's greatest adventure. And we could have kept going! Maybe a Part 3 down the road...?

 

Either way, we talk a lot of Super Mario World on this episode. If that's all you're here for, skip to 19:30.

 

Or listen to the whole show! Because before we get into Mario and friends, there's a lot to talk about. Such as...

 

- Ubisoft's presentation this weekend. We look at the good, and the Vikings...

 

- Nintendo added more games to their Online service, including the phenomenal Donkey Kong Country!

 

- How much should you pay for GameCube these days?

 

And lots more! Enjoy the show!

Remember The Game #104 - Medievil

Over the past few months, I've been playing a lot of old school Playstation. Metal Gear Solid, Spyro the Dragon, WWF SmackDown!, Crash Bandicoot, and now Medievil. And I have to say; while they aren't the prettiest games, Sony's little grey box holds up!

 

Medievil was the runner up in our Patreon Poll a couple months ago, and a very vocal percentage of our listeners wanted an episode about Sir Fortesque and his weird world. I've always been intrigued by it, so I figured "what the hell?" and fired it up. It controls like a shopping cart, but even with that wart, it was absolutely delightful. 

 

My buddy Andre thinks so, too. He was on me to talk Medievil the second it showed up on our poll, and I think you're really gonna enjoy this episode of the show. This game oozes charm, and...ooze. We like it a lot, and we tell you why on this episode of the show.

 

If that's all you're here for, skip to 20:35. 

 

Or listen to the whole show! Because before we get into Medievil, there's a lot to talk about. Such as...

 

- Fallout is getting a TV show!!

 

- Min Min is in Smash Bros. Who's Min Min, you ask? I was gonna ask you...

 

- We're getting a ton of demos on the Xbox One later this month. Why aren't there more demos!?!?!

 

- Is Mark McCue going back into the Hall of Fame? And do you guys want a Dinopark Tycoon episode of the show?

 

And more!

 

Enjoy the show!

Remember The Game #103 - Oregon Trail

I have to give credit where it's due, covering this game on the show was a great idea. And it wasn't mine. 

 

Former Remember The Game? Hall of Famer Mark McCue suggested we talk about Oregon Trail, and it was a great suggestion. This was a really fun episode to record, and everybody (over the age of 30) played this game in school. Most of us remember it being awesome, too. But I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. 

 

It wasn't. 

 

It was fun because we weren't in class. You can't convince me that if you were sitting on the couch and you could play Super Mario Bros or Oregon Trail, you'd rather play a game where you're lost in the woods and fighting off Malaria over saving a Princess. It's not on the level of most of the NES, SNES, or (sigh) Geneeis games we played growing up. But you know what? It's better than fucking Mario is Missing. So tip of the hat to ol' Mark McCue. 

 

If that's all you're interested in, skip ahead to 19:20. (And visit ClassicReload.com to fire up Oregon Trail and judge whether or not it's fun for yourself).

 

Before we get into the Trail, I have a few things to weigh in on:

 

- We got some new Cyberpunk 2077 info, and holy hell does that game look rad!

 

- I can't wait for Crash Bandicoot 4. But is it gonna get bogged down with micro-transactions?

 

- For just $260 you can play your Sega CD games on...your Genesis...

 

And I announce July's Patreon Poll games!

 

Load up your Ox, grab some spare wagon wheels and enjoy the show!

Remember The Game #102 - WWF SmackDown!

I know, I know, another wrestling game. 

 

Listen, The Undertaker is retiring (allegedly). That's a big deal. Plus, I love wrestling, lots of you love wrestling, and I want to try and cash in on all the wrestling and Undertaker hash tagging on social media right now. So know your role. 

 

WWF SmackDown! was the Playstation's answer to the Nintendo 64's vastly superior WWF games. And while it's not as good as those games, it was still damned fun. Frankly, I think it's a little underrated. It brought some rad features to the table, and SmackDown evolved into the SmackDown vs RAW series, which eventually became the 2K wrestling titles. So it's kind of important. 

 

My buddy, frequent podcast guest and fellow booger eating wrestling fan Andre is back on the show this week, and we're gonna break down the Stone Cold-esque highs and the Al Snow style lows of the original Playstation's WWF SmackDown! 

 

If that's all you're here for, skip to 20:50.

 

Or pay attention to the entire thing! Because before we get into The Rock and friends, I have a lot say about this stuff:

 

- EA showed us some games. And nobody really cared.

 

- We're getting a new Pokemon Snap! (100% thanks to this show)

 

- Crash Bandicoot is back, and holy hell I can't wait to play this!

 

And more! Thanks for the support, enjoy the podcast!

Remember The Game #101 - Super Castlevania IV

Simon Belmont is finally making his first appearance on Remember The Game?

 

The fact that it took 101 episodes to happen is unforgivable, but we're gonna right some wrongs in the next hundred episodes. Plus, Super Castlevania IV steamrolled the competition and took down last month's Patreon Poll, so here you go. 

 

This game kicks some serious ass. I've always liked and respected the Castlevania games, but I never really put any time into finishing one until now. Thanks to my handy SNES Classic, I can say that I've beaten a Castlevania game, and damned if it doesn't make me want to add more to my resume. (Looking at you, Symphony of the Night...)

 

Co-host of The Movie Epidemic podcast Bradley McCue was kind enough to give me a call and talk Super Castlevania IV, and if you like fast talking blowhards rambling on about kick ass video games from 30 years ago, get comfy. 

 

If that's all you're here for, skip to 18:00.

 

Or eat all your dinner and listen to the entire show. We roll out a brand new segment this week! Which involves your reaction to the Playstation 5 reveal. I have a few thoughts about it myself, including the odd design of the system and the games that looked the most interesting to me. I also talk about the gaming blackhole I'm wallowing in while I wait for The Last of Us Part II.

 

Just another day at Remember The Game? Industries. Enjoy the podcast!

Remember The Game #100 - Halo 2

These days, huge game releases are the norm. You can pre-download titles on your consoles if you're buying them digitally, or line up at the store and get it at midnight if you want to, and everyone gets excited and fucking losers spoil games early for everyone and it's just craziness. That wasn't the case back in 2004. Until Halo 2 anyways.

 

The hype for the second Master Chief adventure was insane. We had all played the original Halo campaign to death, and we wanted more. People were completely addicted the multi-player and needed more levels to kill each other on. Halo 2 had promised an incredible new single player story, along with a beefed up multi-player mode, and the bar had been set almost unreachably high. Fortunately, Bungie came through. Not only did they reach the bar, they jumped over it and sniped a couple Grunts in the process. 

 

I love this game, I think it has the best campaign in the series history, the multi-player is on point, Halo 2 rocks. My pal Tyler agrees, and we'd love to tell you all about it. 

 

Skip to 20:00 if you just want that. 

 

But I think you should listen to the whole thing. The music slaps, and before we get into Halo 2 I talk about a few things, including...

 

- Sony has announced a new date for their first big Playstation 5 presentation. What do I think we'll see, and when are we getting freaking pricing???

 

- Did SEGA's big announcement we teased last week live up to the hype?? (No.)

 

- A whole bunch of thank-yous, and I reveal the winner of our Switch Lite! If you want to see the video, it's available at this link: https://youtu.be/1ev8fwLVrAs

 

Thanks for listening, you guys are the best. Here's to 100 more. Enjoy the podcast!

Remember The Game #99 - NHL Stanley Cup

I'm a proud Canadian, a hockey fan, and it's episode number 99. So we had to talk something with Wayne Gretzky in it. Like NHL Stanley Cup...kinda...does. That's him on the cover! I think?

 

NHL Stanley Cup was NHL 94's vasty inferior competition. It doesn't have players names, full rosters, trades, the ability to edit lines, and really anything fun. All it had was a God-awful camera and goalies that couldn't look up. They tried to make a hockey game with the 'Mode 7' graphics thingy that made Super Mario Kart and F-Zero, and my buddy Brad and I had a great time explaining why it didn't work. At all. I owned this game as a kid and I used to really like it, but I'm not sure why...

 

If that's all you're here for, skip to 19:20. Or listen to the whole thing and hear me talk about:

 

- Sony was going to tell us about the Playstation 5 on June 4th, but they've (wisely) decided to delay it.

 

- Apparently we're getting some big SEGA news on June 4th instead. What could it be?? A Dreamcast mini? A SEGA network? SEGA is taking over Xbox????

 

- Minecraft has sold 200 million copies! Where does that stand up on the all-time sales charts, and does Minecraft belong on the list of the greatest games ever made?

 

And finally, this is your last week to get in on our Switch Lite draw! Deadline is June 8th. To enter, sign up for our Patreon (patreon.com/RememberTheGame) or send your answer to our trivia question to 

 

memberthegame@gmail.com

 

Good luck and enjoy the podcast!