Remember The Game? Retro Gaming Podcast

Remember The Game #88 - Mario Is Missing!

I'm considering revoking Mark McCue's Hall of Fame status for suggesting we talk about this piece of crap.

 

Also, this episode contains more adult language than most episodes. You've been warned.

 

This week's episode is all about the "educational"- "Mario" - "video game" (imagine that was said with air quotes) that is Mario is Missing. What should have been a sequel to Super Mario World starring the often overlooked Luigi is really nothing more than a crappy history lesson. It was designed to fool parents (like mine) into buying their kids a game that looked like the one they've been playing since they got their SNES. I hate it.

 

If you only want to hear me yell about this dumb game, skip to 14:50.

 

Before I get into Mario Is Missing, I obviously address the Coronavirus that's taking over the world right now. There's a new perk for Patreons of the show, and I tell you all about it! And Xbox revealed some Series X specs that I don't understand.

 

Thanks for listening, enjoy the podcast, and wash your controllers. 

 

Also, follow us on Instagram & Twitter @memberthegame  - We follow back!

Remember The Game #87 - Crash Bandicoot: Warped

It took us 87 episodes of the show to talk about Naughty Dog's apple collecting, box smashing, shirt not-wearing Bandicoot, and for that I apologize. But the day has finally come. We're talking Crash Bandicoot on the show this week, specifically Crash Bandicoot: Warped (3), and I'm damned excited. If you want to skip over my rambling and get right to Crash, skip to 17:20.

 

Also on this week's show: 

 

- I give the second round of shout-outs to our Patreons for March. 

 

- Reggie Fils-Aime of Nintendo fame has joined the video game nWo and is working with GameStop now. I don't want to see them go out of business, but is this too little, too late?

 

- Happy Mar10 day! Let's talk a little Mario.

 

And more! And once we're done with all that, my buddy Andre and I talk about Crash Bandicoot's third adventure on the original Playstation; Crash Bandicoot: Warped. Enjoy the show!

 

And please, toss us a good review and a follow, would ya? We'll follow you back!

 

Twitter - @memberthegame

 

Instagram - @memberthegame

 

And as always, $2/month will get you bonus podcasts, a shout-out on the show, and a chance to win 25% of our Patreon! Patreon.com/RememberTheGame

Remember The Game #86 - Kirby's Adventure

Well, this episode has a much, much more positive vibe than last week's adventures with Ecco the stupid fish. We're talking about one of the best games on the NES, and frankly maybe the best Kirby game ever made; Kirby's Adventure. If you want to skip over the rambling and get right to Kirby, skip to 22:12.

Before we go on Kirby's Excellent Adventure, I give some shout-outs to our Patreons. I also explain why I think the Final Fantasy VII Remake demo is a GREAT thing, even though I'm not gonna play it. I actually take a pretty long look at that game as a whole. Despite all of the things I don't like about the Remake, it's one of my most anticipated games of the year.

I weigh in on the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X again, because how can you not? Sony isn't saying ANYTHING. Is it because they're getting ready to strike? Or is it because they're looking for something to use as a weapon? And a sealed copy of Megaman sold for $40,000 and I don't get it.

All that before Bradley McCue and I have a great chat about one of the NES's crown jewels; Kirby's Adventure. Enjoy the show!

And please, toss us a good review and a follow, would ya? We'll follow you back!

Twitter - @memberthegame

Instagram - @memberthegame

Remember The Game #85 - Ecco The Dolphin

Fuck. This. Game. This episode contains a little more profanity than your standard episode of the show, so be warned. We also only cover the first world of the game, but chances are that's as far as you've ever gotten, too. If all you want to hear about is the steaming pile of fish feces that is Ecco The Dolphin, skip to 20:25.

Before I start losing on my mind on Sega's giant tuna, I explain why March's Patreon giveaway prize will be bigger than normal, and I lay out some plans I have for the future. I also just bought a PS4 for the second time, and I'm looking for your game suggestions!

And I explain why console wars made sense for kids in the '90s, but if you're an adult and you think someone is stupid because of the console they play on, you're a fucking idiot.

Once all that is done, my buddy Andre and I talk about the steaming pile of fish feces that is Ecco The Dolphin. 

And please, toss us a good review and a follow, would ya? We'll follow you back!

Twitter - @memberthegame

Instagram - @memberthegame

Remember The Game #84 - Sonic The Hedgehog: The Movie

Every once and a while, shows have to do something different. Christmas specials, clip shows, Treehouse of Horrors, etc. Well, this week it's a "very special" episode of Remember The Game? I'm solo, and instead of looking at a game we played back in the day, I'm looking at a movie. About a game we played back in the day. 

 

The Sonic the Hedgehog movie is out, and as a life-long Nintendo fanboy, I really liked it. Enough to dedicate an episode of my podcast to a movie about my childhood arch-nemesis. It's not a super in-depth movie review, it's just me explaining why you should (or shouldn't) go see this flick. 

 

The rambling intro is longer than normal this week. I announce the official game of the podcast (unofficially). I also take a long look at the Nintendo Playstation thats up for auction right now, and share my thoughts on what gaming would look like today if Nintendo and Sony had formed the MegaPowers. And finally, my stupid joy-cons are finally becoming an issue I can't ignore. Has Nintendo handled this drifting fiasco properly?

 

We'll be back next week with a regular episode of the podcast about an old video game. Enjoy the break this week, and go see Sonic!!

 

Remember The Game #83 - Super Punch Out!!

I think the term "hero" is thrown around too loosely these days, but this week on the show I'm shouting out our Patreons, because they're God damned heroes.

I also explain why I don't cover games older than the NES on here (Atari, ColecoVision, etc). I talk about how nostalgia can drastically impact your opinion of an old video game. And finally, I rant about how a game should worry about being fun before it worries about it's frame rate, resolution, blah blah blah. Just make your game fun, nothing else matters!!!!

And after all that, my buddy Chris and I talk about Super Punch Out for the Super Nintendo, the (slightly) superior sequel to the legendary Mike Tyson's Punch Out on the NES. If you just want to hear about that, skip to 17:40.

And please, toss us a good review and a follow, would ya? We'll follow you back!

Twitter - @memberthegame

Instagram - @memberthegame

Super Punch Out!! is one of the games I owned as a kid. And dare I say, it's the first game I mastered. I was 255-0 on my save file (the game maxes out there). I had the top times and scores for every boxer/circuit (including beating everyone in under 1:00). I knew this game like the back of my hand. And I never got sick of it.

I don't know if it's the graphics, the fact that I owned it, maybe the lower difficulty, whatever the reason, I like Super Punch Out!! better than Mike Tyson's Punch Out! on the NES. It's the better game, and I'll die on that hill. And even if you think the original game is better, you still have to admit the 16-bit adaption is pretty awesome. My buddy Chris agrees, and he's here this week to tell you all about it.

Also, fuck you, Super Macho Man.

Remember The Game #82 - StarFox

This week, I touch on the Nintendo Switch surpassing the iconic Super Nintendo in console sales totals. The Wii is Nintendo's top-selling home console of all-time, can the Switch catch it? (Yes, it can). I also send my best wishes to MariKar, the Tokyo based go-kart tour company that was recently sued by Nintendo. They aren't allowed to let their clients dress up as Nintendo characters anymore, and it's sad. My girlfriend and I got to give it a shot back in 2018, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. 

And on the heels of the Final Fantasy VII remake delay, I take a quick look at some of the upcoming games in 2020, too. Two new consoles, some incredibly heavy hitting games, the Switch is rolling along; this is shaping up to be one of the biggest years in gaming history!

All that (and more!) before my pal Tyler and I take you back to 1993 and talk about a Fox helping a frog fight a gorilla in space. If you just want to hear about that, skip to 21:30.

And please, toss us a good review and a follow, would ya? We'll follow you back!

Twitter - @memberthegame

Instagram - @memberthegame

StarFox is tricky. I played it as a kid, just like you probably did. Skippy the stupid frog would fly around and beg me for help, and I'd save him every time. We thought the graphics were revolutionary. Nintendo was taking gaming into exciting new places! And they had a trillion dollar franchise on their hands! Right??

Wrong. Well, kinda right...I don't know. 

StarFox is still around. Primarily in Smash Bros, but I think we'll see another mainline game eventually. And when we do, I hope it ages better than the first one did. Replaying this game to prepare for the podcast hurt my heart a little, because this game just isn't as good as I thought it was. 

Have a listen to this week's show and I'll tell ya all about it!

Remember The Game #81 - Banjo-Kazooie

This week, I share my thoughts on Byleth being announced as the final Smash Bros DLC character (for now at least), touch on the greatness that is Witcher 3 on the Switch, and I'm finally playing Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. Oh yeah, and Mark McCue and I talk about a bear that keeps a bird trapped in his backpack. If you just want to hear about that, skip to 14:50.

And toss us a follow, pleeeease? We'll follow you back!

Twitter - @memberthegame

Instagram - @memberthegame

I missed out on Banjo-Kazooie back in the Nintendo 64 days. As I've (infamously) made clear on the show, I'm not a huge fan of old-school 3D platformers, and it just never jumped out at me back in the day. I always thought it looks colourful and nice, but I never really had a crazy urge to play it. Luckily, I have a friend named Mark McCue that wouldn't stop badgering me to give Banjo a shot, and for the sake of this show, I finally did.

And it was absolutely delightful.

I can't even explain how impressed I was with Banjo-Kazooie, although I'll give it a shot on the podcast this week. To be fair, I did play the Xbox Arcade remastered version and not the original Nintendo 64 release, but from what I've been told, that's the way to go. The game SCREAMS retro gaming, from the graphics, to the music, to the gameplay, it took everything Mario 64 did and did it better. And that's from a life long Mario fanboy. This game is fucking awesome, and if you haven't played it, you really should.

We'll tell you why on the show this week. Mark McCue is a Banjo-Kazooie super fan, and I'm a junkie in training, and if you're not already one of those things, we're gonna change your mind over the next hour or so. Enjoy the podcast!

Remember The Game #80 - Rock Band

This week, I touch on the upcoming PS5/XBox wars, how can the Switch stay relevant, Final Fantasy VII remake has been delayed, and I let you know what I've been playing. Then we shift into Rock Band! If you just want to hear about that, skip to 20:10.

And toss us a follow, would ya? We'll follow you back!

Twitter - @memberthegame

Instagram - @memberthegame

"Well technically, I don't think Rock Band is considered a 'retro' video game..." 

I know. I don't care. It's my show and you can listen to this for free. If you don't like it, go watch cartoons. It'll be thirteen years old this year, and I mean, who DOESN'T "remember" playing Rock Band back in the day? See what I did there?

This game was the shiiiiit. Music games EXPLODED in the 2000's. Guitar Hero lit the fuse, and Rock Band was the dynamite that boomed. I remember going to parties where the centre of the festivities was arguing about who's turn it was to play next. Get a big TV, turn the volume up, and it was better than air-drumming in your car. It was the ultimate party game. And if you had someone that didn't really know how to play, you just stuck them on the bass like a real band would. 

We all have our own stories about how we broke our drum pedal, and what we did to fix it. You see the plastic instruments laying around people's houses, at garage sales and flea markets. They're everywhere. And you know why they're everywhere? Because everyone played Rock Band. 

My buddy Andre did. He's my guest this week, and we had a hell of a time looking back on life in a band. I hope this episode hits the nostalgia button for you a hard as it did for me!

Remember The Game #79 - DOOM

**Game talk starts at 16:05**

Few games are as sure fire slam-dunk first ballot hall of famers as DOOM. It's just one of those series that everybody's played. It's on everything. Everyone knows it. I mean, it's DOOM.

Admittedly, I don't have a ton of experience with it. I remember some of my friends playing it when I was a kid, but I didn't spend a ton of time with it until I started playing it on the Super Nintendo. And as much as I was enjoying it then, I had people telling me that was one of the worst versions of it. I couldn't believe it. From the online play, to modding the bad guys, to the pop-culture references, DOOM did it all, it was everywhere, and it had something for everyone. 

This is one of those games and franchises that has such a loyal and hardcore fanbase, I got a little nervous about covering it on the show. I don't know it that well, and I'm completely PC illiterate, and the last thing I need is a bunch of angry emails and tweet from you damned "PC Master Race"ers yelling at me because I didn't do you stupid gun game justice. Luckily, my guest this week picks up the slack. 

My pal and returning guest to the show Patrick (Resident Evil 4, Super Mario Land) is back this week, and he loves him some DOOM. By the end of the episode, I loved DOOM. You'll love DOOM, too.