The Retrograde: A Video Game Podcast!

With the scope and scale of Jurassic World Dominion stomping into theatres, it may be easy to forget the relatively humble beginnings of the Jurassic Park franchise!

This week we find our way back to the park as we dust off Jurassic Park on the Super Nintendo! This video game based on a movie based on a book has very little to do with Spielberg's vision, but in spite of that it has a dedicated fanbase of supporters and apologists.

But before diving into the game, we talk our way through the entire catalogue of Jurassic Park video games, and break down our love of the franchise and dinosaurs in general.

Is this game too far removed from the original vision of the franchise, or is it worth defending in spite of that?

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Hey! You! You've wandered into the wrong part of town. Unless you're looking for the part of town where we revisit the SNES retro beat-em-up video game Rival Turf!

In that case, join us as we search for a reason why this game was included in Nintendo's recent update of games for the SNES Online platform.

But before we take to the streets of LA to beat up every thug that gets in our way, we take a moment to give our impressions on Sonic The Hedgehog 2, and give some examples of what we think constitutes a PERFECT game.

Is this Final Fight clone worth checking out in the modern day? Was it EVER worth checking out? Find out this week!

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Can you believe it's been THIRTY YEARS since Yoshi's first self-titled video game?

Sure: his appearance in Yoshi on the NES isn't his most iconic entry in gaming... in fact, it's not even as iconic as his relatively minor role in Super Mario World two years earlier... but this is the first and only game simply titled Yoshi.

We're joined this week by a gaming historian named Barry Carenza who shares his experiences growing up with now-retro games, and working with Premium Edition Games to help breath a more retro aesthetic into the realm of modern indie games.

Happy Anniversary Yoshi!

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Strap in, cadets, because this week we celebrate the release of Top Gun: Maverick with a look back at Top Gun: The Second Mission on NES!

Believe it or not, the first Top Gun movie spawned over a dozen video games, most of which weren't actually all that great!

We're not sure whether or not that'll come as a surprise to anyone, but we wanted to see how a flight combat game would hold up on an 8 bit console.

Before taking off we catch up on Disco Elysium, give some initial impressions on Soundfall, and continue talking about Mikey's giant Steam Deck!

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It's been 10 long years since we first got to control an aging Max Payne in his pursuit of a kidnapped member of the Bronco family in the phenomenal Max Payne 3!

In celebration of this milestone we dusted off our Xbox 360 to see if all the stylized cinematics, gun slinging, and signature bullet time still holds up in the modern day.

But before getting to the review, we catch up on Mikey's experience with his Steam Deck, talk about some of our favourite sequels in gaming history, and give our thoughts on the advancement of storytelling in our favourite medium!

Happy 10th Anniversary to Max Payne 3!

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The legacy of video games about running a Lemonade Stand is much more storied than you might expect! Depending on who you ask, calling it a 20 year anniversary for Lemonade Tycoon may be an understatement!

The roots of this classic business sim reach all the way back 1979 in a text based adventure on the Apple II called Lemonade Stand, and the version we've all come to know is almost a direct descendent of that game.

Today we sit down with a game that managed to blend the education of a Mavis Beacon game with the silly enjoyment of a Roller Coaster Tycoon. Is the recipe still ripe for the modern day, or has our enjoyment of the formula started to melt away?

Plus: More updates on Mikey’s Steam Deck, Elden Ring, Disco Elysium, Lego Star wars, and our favourite Tycoon Games of all time!

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With the final week of HBO's Winning Time upon us, we wanted to double down on all things Magic Johnson with a look back at one of the first athlete endorsed basketball games: Magic Johnson's Fast Break!

Also released as Magic Johnson's Basketball, this bare bones portrayal of hardwood hoops is hardly a game changer, but does that mean it's utterly unplayable?

We aim to find out! But before we lace up our sneakers we give our impressions on the Overwatch 2 beta, talk about the Steam Deck, and update progress on Lego Star Wars: Skywalker Saga.

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Nintendo Switch Online is the gift that keeps on giving, and recently they added one of the most iconic platformers from the 90's: Earthworm Jim 2!

Way back in the history of this humble video game podcast we revisited the original Earthworm Jim 1 and were surprised by how much we still enjoyed it. By almost all accounts, the sequel improves upon the formula in almost every way.

But does that mean that this gem by Shiny Entertainment and Playmates Interactive still holds up in the modern day?

Before we unearth the truth, we catch up on the other games we've been playing such as LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Elden Ring, and... Katamari Damacy!?

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Mosquitos have brought a lot of suffering to the world, but 20 years ago, the adorable Mister Mosquito flew onto the gaming scene and brought with it a taste of gaming "weirdness" which seems to be lacking in 2022.

It was a game that left a huge impression on Mikey back when it first came out, but does it still hold up all these years later? We boot out our PS2 to find out!

But before we stalk another innocent family, we catch up on the other games we've been playing, and list off some of the strangest games we've ever experienced.

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As Sonic the Hedgehog 2 speeds into theatres, we figured we'd take the chance to LOOP back to Sonic 2 on the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive! Way back in this podcast's history we revisited Sonic 1, and our feelings were somewhat mixed. Will the addition of the spin dash, faster speeds, and the loveable sidekick Miles "Tails" Prower be enough to make this a bona fide classic? Our knuckles are clenched as we aim to find out! But before we set foot in Emerald Hill Zone, we take some time to catch up on MLB The Show 22, Elden Ring, and talk about the incredible development cycle that went into Sonic 2.

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