The Retrograde: A Video Game Podcast!

As kids, all we wanted to do was get transported into a video game like Jeff Bridges in Tron.

As adults, we're way more skeptical about what that might mean for our mental and physical well being.

Sure, The Mushroom Kingdom might look like a great place to kick back, but how willing would you be to survive off of a diet of bush apples and colourful mushrooms?

This week we come to the table with the 10 places from video games we'd LEAST want to live. Some of them are dangerous, some of them are creepy, and some of them are just flat our annoying.

Plus: our gaming updates including Control, and Madden 24!

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Buckle up, D-Pads!

This week we celebrate the release of the Twisted Metal TV show with a look back at arguably the most well received Twisted Metal game ever released: Twisted Metal Black on the Playstation 2!

Some of you may not remember, but there was a time when Vehicular Combat was an entire thriving genre of gaming, and leading the race was Sweet Tooth and his merry gang of asylum escapees.

Before revisiting the game and ranking it in the modern day, Mikey talks about his playthrough of Control, and we get into our impressions and predictions for the Twisted Metal TV show.

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This week on the podcast we're doing something a little different!

Alyse Knorr is the author of arguably the most comprehensive, informative, and exciting recollection of the history of Goldeneye 007 on the N64.

Her book, Goldeneye 007, follows the unlikely and troubled development of one of the most iconic video games of all time, and a game which helped push the Nintendo 64 farther than it could have ever expected.

This week Alyse joins us to talk about the creation of the book, the interview process, some her favourite stories she learned, as well as her history with gaming. It's an episode unlike anything we've done on the show before.

Make sure to check out her book here: https://bossfightbooks.com/products/goldeneye-007-by-alyse-knorr

You can also follow her on Twitter and Tiktok (@AlyseKnorr) or visit her website at https://alysejoy.wixsite.com/alyseknorr!

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Every week we come to the table with some of our best and most poorly received opinions on gaming.

We all know that Mikey thinks that the Double Jump should never be an unlockable skill, and that Andrew thinks all Fighting Games should be on a 2D plane, but it's about time we heard from YOU!

We've been building up listener and viewer questions from the past few months which were sent to us on social media, or to our e-mail address, and this week we decided to start working through them.

Which Game Developer would make the best Film Director (and vice versa)?

Which game mechanics have aged worst over the years?

Which retro games were we MOST disappointed in?

All of these and more!

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With Street Fighter 6 firmly in our lives, we've got Street Fighting on the brain!

But what if we opened up the world of street fights to more than just the crew Capcom has put together?

What if we opened up the roster of fighters to any video game character in history?

The idea is simple: we're gearing up for a 1970s style street fight, so we have to draft a crew of capable brawlers.

Join us as we call up the likes of Goro, Waluigi, and Kratos to crack a few skulls and maybe snap a few fingers while they're at it.

Bonus points for style!

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Well, we've all had ample time to pour as many hours into The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom as humanly possible.

We've consumed combat videos, incredible feats of engineering, and punted Koroks across the map.

One thing's for certain: the honeymoon period is officially over. But does that mean we've lost interest in what has come to be a front runner for 2023's game of the year?

Join us this week as we recount some of the best and worst moments we've had playing what is undeniably one of the most impressive video games ever made.

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What's the only thing better than sitting down to play one of your favourite video games? Sitting down to play your favourite moment in your favourite game!

This week we sit down to discuss our favourite levels in video game history.

It can be a specific moment from an iconic game, a mission which stood out among all the rest, or just an incredibly fun sequence which reminded us why we love this hobby.

From the wonder-filled vistas of a Mario game, to the quaint towns of Zelda, and even a couple iconic fighting game stages, we're here to break it all down!

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This summer has been ripe with new game announcements from all major players!

With the recent Summer Game Fest following earlier announcements by Sony and Nintendo, we wanted to sit down to give our impressions on all of the summer's biggest video game announcements!

Which demos got us most excited? Which trailers looked kind of bland?

From Lies of P and Phantom Blade 0 to The Plucky Squire, and Prince of Persia: we touch on all the most exciting announcements in gaming.

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What's more rage inducing than failing time and time again when faced with a particularly challenging area in a video game?

The real answer, for those of us with a temper, is ultimately being unable to complete the challenge indefinitely due to the fact that you've resorted to breaking your controller over the same thick skull that couldn't figure out how to "Get Over It" with Bennett Foddy.

While sometimes all it takes is a quick head smack, or an "ah-HAH" moment, a few levels in video games tower above the rest, planting their flags mountains of busted controllers and earning their spot in a list of the 100 Hardest Levels in Video Game History.

Thankfully the talented folks over at Vulture have put in a painstaking amount of effort to piece together a wonderful article which outlines their picks for this list.

We figured we'd use this wonderful bit of gaming journalism as a jumping off point to talk about some of the picks we agreed with, some we didn't, and the levels which would have topped our own lists.

The article is a "must read" and we'd highly suggest digesting it, or even following along as the episode goes.

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Whether it's Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat, the general rule of a fighting game is that the two combatants pummel each other 10-20 times until one of their health bars run out.

Bushido Blade, this week's focus on the podcast, turns that idea on its head (while simultaneously trying to cut it off).

It's a game where a single swing of a sword can end a round, and preference is given to a perfectly planned moment rather than a confounding combo.

But was the world of video games circa 1997 ready for a game like this?

And could it possible hold up in the modern day?

We aim to find out!

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