RetroActive Podcast

The RetroActive podcast returns with Fred going solo to discuss the Xbox launch title Star Wars: Obi-Wan.  Released at a time where the brand of Star Wars was wavering after Episode I and Microsoft's new PC as a console concept was a big risk, it seems almost fitting that this title has remained exclusive to its original platform.  Fred discusses the culture context, development history, and elements of this lackluster title that was a curiosity he couldn't pass up.

Mega Man (or Rockman as he's known in Japan) was a significant franchise for Capcom in the NES era spanning 6 titles and just about as many on the Game Boy.  On the Super NES, however, things were shaken up with the arrival of Mega Man X. Fred and Chase (from Learned From Gaming) team up to discuss a refreshing update to the classic formula.  Also included is the announcement of the show going weekly and a breakdown of the heavy similarities between Sega's Master System and Game Gear.  Cover art from Rockman X, all songs from Mega Man X.

0:00 - Intro (Title)
0:30 - Editorial: RetroActive goes weekly
9:15 - Opening Stage (Highway)
9:45 - Mega Man X (1993)
1:38:50 - Stage Select
1:39:19 - Tech: Sega Master System vs. Sega Game Gear
2:03:43 - Ending
2:04:13 - Outro/Next Time
2:05:15 - Cast Roll

For the second episode of RetroActive, we decided to tackle something light: Half-Life.  Quite possibly one of the biggest and most influential first-person shooters ever released, Valve not only used the franchise to evolve the genre, but the sequel is also how they made the service Steam a household name.  Jamalais (yes, Jam!) returns to discuss this powerhouse title.  Also on this episode: hardware guide to the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive and the real deal on framerate analysis.  All songs featured in this episode are from the official Half-Life soundtrack.

0:00 - Intro - Closing Theme
0:54 - Editorial: Toxic Behavior
5:52 - Klaxton Beat
6:50 - Hardware: Sega Genesis/Mega Drive
32:10 - Diabolical Adrenaline Guitar
33:10 - Half-Life (1998) Discussion with Guest Jamalais
2:03:03 - Traveling Through Limbo
2:04:03 - Framerate Analysis and Next Episode
2:15:14 - Valve Theme

To kick off this new retro culture podcast, Fred is joined by Chase from Learned from Gaming to discuss Ys III: Wanderers from Ys.  This action RPG was the third in the series, and a side story, but oddly enough it was the first major release in North America for the franchise.  Additionally Fred gives insight on the intent of the show, the hardware of retro gaming, and how you may want to respond to the stores of the PS3 and Vita's impending doom.

All songs in this episode come from the Turbografx CD soundtrack of Ys III: Wanderers from Ys

Opening song: Title Music

0:38 - What is RetroActive? (Song: Steeling the Will to Fight)

6:10 - Hardware: Retro Gaming Options (Song: Darling Elena)

22:46 - Topic: Ys III (Songs: Valestein Castle, The Boy Who Had Wings, The Strongest Foe, Seal of Time)

1:41:57 - Preparing of the PS3 and Vita stores closing

Closing Song: Prelude to the Adventure

This week Fred discusses the technology behind the 8-bit generation of consoles (NES, SMS, TG-16).  He discusses 8-bit processing power, how the architecture of the consoles is set up, and how video signals and broadcast standards played a role.

Photo courtesy of Evan Amos (wikipedia).

Opening Song: "Pure Stone" from Zillion (SMS)
Mid Song: "Character Selection" from Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES)
Closing Song: "Boss Battle" from Keith Courage In Alpha Zones (TG-16)

The 8-Bit Guy on Assembly Language: https://youtu.be/HWpi9n2H3kE
Displaced Gamers Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DisplacedGamers
My Life in Gaming Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@mylifeingaming

In 2008, then PGA Golf developer EA Redwood (later renamed to Visceral Games) released its take on survival horror: Dead Space.  In this retrospective we look back at the gaming landscape of the time, the positives and negatives of Dead Space, and the many sequels and multimedia side projects it spawned.  

Opening Song: Dead Space Theme

Transition Song: The Leviathan

Closing Song: Dead Space Shanty

Link for the Full Motion Comic (graphic novel) on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HN5Kwv0Fb6k

It's 2023 and the RetroActive podcast has officially re-launched.  The premise is to explore what I want to and take this audience along for the journey.  In the intro Fred tackles what that means exactly and what expectations of future episodes can be.  As for the content, this first episode explores Fred's early days of gaming, from the first games he played to the wild lengths he went to for an N64 because patience just wasn't an option.

Opening Music: Title Theme, Part 1 from Mega Man 2 (NES)
Interstitial Music: Title Theme, Part 2 from Mega Man 2 (NES)
Closing Music: Main Theme from Astyanax (NES)

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