Retronauts

You're listening to a free preview of Retronauts 739: Gaming in the Year 2006. To hear the rest, and get two exclusive extra episodes every month, access to our previous Patreon-exclusive episodes, and early access to ad-free podcasts, please visit the official Retronauts Patreon at patreon.com/retronauts.

Jeremy Parish, Diamond Feit, and Kevin Bunch take a moment to reflect on some of the most influential figures in video games who passed in 2025: how the work they created touched lives, and what their loss means for the medium. (This episode was recorded before Infinity Ward founder Vince Zampella's passing.) Retronauts is made possible by listener support through Patreon! Support the show to enjoy ad-free early access, better audio quality, and great exclusive content. Learn more at http://www.patreon.com/retronauts 

It's that time of the year again, so hang your stockings, haul home a coniferous tree, and pack the required survival gear for another harrowing trip to the Retronauts Holiday Cabin in Parts Unknown. And for this 15th outing, we'll be taking a long, mostly confused look at Video Power: the Captain N also-ran that assembled a team of C-list protagonists for some poorly animated, Acclaim-promoting fun. (Before being completely retooled into a game show the following year.) So listen in as Bob Mackey, Henry Gilbert, and Drew Mackie as the crew assembles and attempts to learn the true meaning of brand integration. Cover art by Nick Daniel. Retronauts is a completely fan-funded operation. To support the show, and get two full-length exclusive episodes every month, as well as access to 100+ previous bonus episodes, please visit the official Retronauts Patreon at patreon.com/retronauts.

It's the closest thing to the real thing! Kevin Bunch and expert guests Tom Boellstorff and Braxston Soderman talk about the Atari 2600’s chief rival, the Mattel Intellivision. Retronauts is made possible by listener support through Patreon! Support the show to enjoy ad-free early access, better audio quality, and great exclusive content. Learn more at http://www.patreon.com/retronauts 

Diamond Feit and Christa Lee chow down on the recent Bandai Namco star-studded lore-laden Metroidvania Shadow Labyrinth (featuring Pac-Man). Retronauts is made possible by listener support through Patreon! Support the show to enjoy ad-free early access, better audio quality, and great exclusive content. Learn more at http://www.patreon.com/retronauts 

You're listening to a free preview of Retronauts 733: Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. To hear the rest, and get two exclusive extra episodes every month, access to our previous Patreon-exclusive episodes, and early access to ad-free podcasts, please visit the official Retronauts Patreon at patreon.com/retronauts.

WIIIILMAAAA! Don’t take Flintstones games for “granite”. Join Stuart Gipp, John Linneman, and Thomas Nickel as we talk the old-school Stone Age family. Retronauts is made possible by listener support through Patreon! Support the show to enjoy ad-free early access, better audio quality, and great exclusive content. Learn more at http://www.patreon.com/retronauts 

Nadia Oxford, Kevin Bunch, and Lucas White talk about the Mega Man-inspired rock band, The Protomen. Retronauts is made possible by listener support through Patreon! Support the show to enjoy ad-free early access, better audio quality, and great exclusive content. Learn more at http://www.patreon.com/retronauts 

Video games: can you dig it? Yes, and you can also dig IN them—which is the point of this week's podcast. What started as one man's dream to bury aliens alive has remained a viable concept in video games to this very day; Donkey Kong Bananza, we're looking at you. But how has this simple concept evolved over the years, allowing us to safely simulate tunneling underground without getting our fingernails dirty? On this latest installment of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Diamond Feit, and Jeremy Parish as the crew assembles in a Portland hotel room and imagines a new life underground. Retronauts is a completely fan-funded operation. To support the show, and get two full-length exclusive episodes every month, as well as access to 100+ previous bonus episodes, please visit the official Retronauts Patreon at patreon.com/retronauts.

The clones attack, as Kevin Bunch, Diamond Feit, Meredith Rose, and Mollie Patterson discuss the history of court cases around cloning video games like Pac-Man and Street Fighter II. Retronauts is made possible by listener support through Patreon! Support the show to enjoy ad-free early access, better audio quality, and great exclusive content. Learn more at http://www.patreon.com/retronauts