Retronauts

Our LucasArts adventure miniseries continues this week as we explore the developer's first (relatively) high-res adventure: 1997's The Curse of Monkey Island. This late-'90s release had a lot going against it: the series creator had left the company years ago, the two guys responsible for most of the previous games' humor and design were busy with other projects, and this third entry in the trilogy went for an art style far more exaggerated than what had come before. And somehow, they didn't screw it up. On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey and Nina Matsumoto (Thimbleweed Park cover artist and designer at Fangamer) for a super-size exploration of this once-long-awaited sequel. Be sure to pre-order Nina's newest book: Sparks! Double Dog Dare. Retronauts is a completely fan-funded operation. To support the show, and get exclusive episodes every month, please visit the official Retronauts Patreon.

In this blast from the past, Jeremy Parish, Bob Mackey, Steve Lin, and Jason Wilson get together to talk about the worst games ever created by our favorite developers—and do our best to find a glimmer of goodness in the bad.

You're listening to a free preview of Retronauts Episode 298: Final Fantasy VII Remake. 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.

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of its launch, Sega Saturn is paid tribute by Jeremy Parish, Diamond Feit, and Stuart Gipp. The good (its games!), the bad (executive infighting!), and the ugly (umm... its Symphony of the Night port?).

Jeremy Parish, Bob Neal, and Benj Edwards sneak in a conversation about trackball games in a hidden cranny of PAX East, and Tim Lapetino talks about his work chronicling the artwork of the Atari 2600 for print.

A clip from our latest Patron-exclusive episode! Jeremy Parish, Bob Mackey, and USgamer's Kat Bailey look at the original version of the newly remade Trials of Mana, then dive into a discussion of Legend of Mana's stunning Yoko Shimomura soundtrack (by patron request of K-S-O). Art by Steph Sybydlo. For the full episode, check out http://patreon.com/retronauts

It's time once again for another installment of our LucasArts adventure game series with what could be the only podcast episode ever created about the developer's least beloved (outside of Germany) game. Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders might be the LucasArts adventure that's aged the worst, but it's a fascinating case of a game trapped between the design styles of Maniac Mansion and The Secret of Monkey Island, and one that decided to take an evolutionary path that ended up being a dead end. On this episode, join Bob Mackey and Duckfeed.tv's Gary Butterfield as the two take apart Zak McKracken to see what makes it so different from the rest of the LucasArts catalog. Retronauts is a completely fan-funded operation. To support the show, and get exclusive episodes every month, please visit the official Retronauts Patreon.

Jeremy Parish chats with Retronauts contributor Stuart Gipp about the mysterious appeal of Sega's Alex Kidd franchise, then talks to Shadowgate creator Dave Marsh about the history of the game and the inspiration behind its modern-day remake.

You're listening to a free preview of Retronauts Episode 292: Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. To hear the rest, and get two exclusive extra episodes every month, our previous Patreon-exclusive episodes, and early access to ad-free podcasts, please visit the official Retronauts Patreon.

Live from PAX East, Jeremy Parish, Benj Edwards, and RetroRGB's Bob Neal discuss the evolution of physical media in video gaming and its impact on the tech and design of the medium.