In this episode our hosts welcome forum member JT to editorialize on auteur theory in gaming, discuss what they’d give up gaming for, contemplate Final Fantasy censorship, and ponder selling out. We’re on Twitter: @racketboypodcst Download RSS Feed: http://www.racketboy.com/podcast/feed/ Subscribe to iTunes Show Outline: “Four Brave Champions” – Castle Crashers Playing/Pickups Guest Editorial: JT on Auteur Theory in Gaming Retro-Related News Forum Thread of the Fortnight Mailbag “Flim Flam” – Tetrisphere Do you have something to add? Do you have questions about this episode? Do you want to heap scorn or praise? Please let us know below, on Twitter at ... [Link] [Cache]

The Visual 102 Graphics Terminal [ From BYTE Magazine, April 1984, p.56 ] Discussion Topic of the Week: Have you ever used a serial terminal with graphics capabilities and actually used it with graphics ? Tell us about it. [Link] [Cache]

div style="background-color: #B3B3B3; width: 190px; padding: 1px;">#wtf The worst album covers of all time made me miss the good old times of record shops. These books, however, just scare me. They scare me because, with the advent of personal digital book publishing, things are probably going to get even worse. More » [Link] [Cache]

div style="background-color: #B3B3B3; width: 190px; padding: 1px;">#retro YouTube user rickonami has done a wonderful thing. He's remade the intro to Star Fox on the SNES, only now it's in fancy HD, and includes some nods to the N64 game. More » [Link] [Cache]

We've been talking a lot about Retro City Rampage and its soundtrack dating all the way back to 2010. The game's finally due out on nearly every platform in May, and after our favorable review of the soundtrack and a look at the limited edition vinyl, we're sitting down with composers virt, Freaky DNA, and Norrin Radd to discuss their work on the game.Actually, this is more a reminiscence about the NES than anything else, but it's still a good time, and each artist provides a lengthy description about the process of writing his favorite track from Retro City Rampage. ... [Link] [Cache]

div style="background-color: #B3B3B3; width: 190px; padding: 1px;">#conglaturations You die and die and die. Load up another save, maybe. Finally, you emerge triumphant over the boss battle or end sequence you've been struggling with. Nowadays, you're likely to get a big shiny, fully-voiced cutscene topped off with swelling orchestral music. But that wasn't the case thirty years ago. More » [Link] [Cache]

A new trailer for Rayman Legends has been apparently leaked and is now available online. It’s the sequels to last year’s surprise hit Rayman Origins and features stunning visuals a number of new gameplay improvements and the introduction of new characters although we didn’t like the one that appears in the video . Numerous mini-games have been added, including a fun looking football title, while there appears to be a focus on on-foot races as well, with numerous ghosts appearing onscreen. By far the most interesting aspect of the game however, was nead its end, where Ubisoft shows how items ... [Link] [Cache]

Presented by BulletMagnet See more of our Shmups Guides including our Beginner’s Guide to Shmups and other entries in our Defining Games Series Even in an era dominated by high-end 3-D graphics, sprawling environments, and hundred-hour quests, if you mention the phrase “video game” to a person one of the first images likely to enter his or her head is that of a tiny spaceship sprite blasting away two-dimensional aliens; such is the enduringly appealing nature of the classic shoot-em-up, or “shmup”. Countless such games have come and gone over the years, some more worth remembering than others, but only ... [Link] [Cache]

div style="background-color: #B3B3B3; width: 190px; padding: 1px;">#watchthis When I think about all the games featured in this video, I remember the fun and sometimes the anguish I had while playing them. More » [Link] [Cache]

It's easy to forget that there was a time when the name Rare actually meant something substantial. Before their name became synonymous with Microsoft Avatars and Kinect Sports, the feisty British development house left their mark on the gaming world throughout the course of the '90s. Donkey Kong Country gave Mario's original nemesis his groove back, Diddy Kong Racing out-Mario Kart-ed Mario Kart, and GoldenEye 007 proved that first person shooters could dominate the console space. But while these games will forever be etched in our medium's history, it's Rare's oft-forgotten titles that possibly best encapsulate the studio's brash desire ... [Link] [Cache]

Are there any old school gamers out there that remember how badass Working Designs was? They were one of the original "Atlus-like" localization gurus that were responsible for a string of amazing Western releases, like the Lunar series, Vanguard Bandits, and thus, a large portion of my childhood. Former Working Designers member and current Gaijinworks head Vic Ireland took to Reddit recently, to answer fan questions and interact with the gaming community. One particularly awesome bit of information gleaned from the thread was the fact that he nearly brought over SNK's Samurai Shodown RPG, but ended up deciding against it. ... [Link] [Cache]

So we are back with more stuff you will obviously love. Retro gaming lives forever in our blood!!! Anyways, this is an ad from a couple of games. I honestly never heard from them but they might be quite fun! Enjoy, glad to be back! ^_^ [Link] [Cache]

"Aeon Genesis has announced intent and progress on translations for Shin Megami Tensei: if… and Magical Drop 2, both for the SNES. Both have been in the works for about four years, and several screenshots of each are provided at the AGTP website. SMT is roughly half-way done, with 2/3s of the script having been translated, and Magical Drop 2 is about 70% of the way there, with a major script edit in the works and a number of graphical interface elements that still need to be replaced. Relevant Link: http://agtp.romhack.net/ " [Link] [Cache]

If you played Japanese RPGs in the 90s, the name "Victor Ireland" should ring a bell -- and if you had Internet access back then, you might have even exchanged words with the man himself. Vic's company, Working Designs, stood as one of the few publishers that enjoyed video games as much as their fanbase, and built up a real sense of camaraderie, reaching both role-playing and anime enthusiasts with their efforts. In the absence of Working Designs, other companies like Atlus and XSEED have filled the gap by delivering well-written and funny localizations, along with pack-in trinkets and soundtracks, ... [Link] [Cache]

div style="background-color: #B3B3B3; width: 190px; padding: 1px;">#awesome Bobby Ågren runs a store in Copenhagen, Denmark called Ruben & Bobby. It's a hair salon. Oh, and it also sells old video game systems, old video games and old toys. Making it a hair salon/game store/cultural museum. More » [Link] [Cache]

... so we put a salon in yo retro game store so u can game in style while u get styled! If you live in or plan on visiting Copenhagen, Denmark, you need to track down Ruben & Bobby, a hair studio that doubles as a retro toy and videogame shop. Store owner Bobby Ågren tried to find a way to combine all his passions into a single project, and the result has been as incredible as it's been bizarre. If you don't have cash on hand, you can exchange old goods for haircuts; there are even high score Tetris ... [Link] [Cache]

Ouch. Get off my hand, you tiny mounted knight. Few magazine covers represent the playful optimism of the early Internet craze years like this cover of PopSci for Kids from 1995. Before the public understood what the Internet really meant, it was up to journalists who usually didn't know either to tell them. [...] [Link] [Cache]

In a few weeks the Queen will be celebrating her Diamond Jubilee, but today thought turns to another important occasion. Nope, not St. Georges day, but the 30th anniversary of the ZX Spectrum! Created by Sir Clive Sinclair, the ZX Spectrum was a fantastic home computer with distinctive colourful visuals and a wealth of affordable and original games. Becoming a common sight in households across the UK, it provided many British school kids with their first taster of home gaming, and contributed significantly to the home computer boom in the Eighties with the likes of Rare, Codemasters and Elite all ... [Link] [Cache]

Another PAX East, another year of stellar podcast coverage. This year we rounded up representatives from three upcoming games that are sure to make your retro sensibilities tingle and hit them with a barrage of questions. Specifically, we chatted up folks working on Double Dragon Neon, Sonic 4 Episode 2, and Dust: An Elysian Tail. Hear their answers to our questions as well as our general impressions of this year’s convention in this episode of the podcast! Oh, and if you are feeling at all nostalgic for our old PAX East coverage, you can check out past years’ shows here, ... [Link] [Cache]

Presented by Alienjesus See the other entries in the Retro Gaming 101 Series When you think of Nintendo handhelds, chances are you think of the Game Boy, which defined portable gaming for the masses. Or maybe you think of one of its follow ups, the Game Boy Color, or the Game Boy Advance. Maybe it’s the ever popular DS line that comes to mind first, or its latest handheld system, the 3DS. Chances are however, that there is one portable games console from Nintendo that doesn’t spring to mind: the Pokémon Mini. Not to be mistaken for the Pokémon Pikachu ... [Link] [Cache]

Dave and John talk about the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series with Expert Correspondent TEKTORO, mull the fate of classic games being ported to touch devices, delve into a too-long discussion about their history of playing RPGs, weigh in on the Mass Effect 3 controversies, and go on for far too long in this most recent episode. Enjoy! We’re on Twitter: @racketboypodcst Download RSS Feed: http://www.racketboy.com/podcast/feed/ Subscribe to iTunes Show Outline: “Izumo in Despair” – Golden Sun Playing/Pickups Retro-Related News “Celebrational” – Super Mario RPG Expert Corespondent Segment: Tony Hawk series w/TEKTORO “Good Night” – Lufia and the Fortress of ... [Link] [Cache]

Presented by Flake New To Together Retro? Check out the introduction to the club Sometimes retro gaming is not just about re-experiencing old games that were good. In the case of this month’s game, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2, it’s about re-experiencing an old series that used to be good. In recent years, the Tony Hawk skating game franchise has done itself approximately zero favors. Wacky peripherals, questionable game design, and a lack of quality have tarnished the reputation of this once sterling IP. This month, Together Retro looks back to the video game that made Tony Hawk a household ... [Link] [Cache]

Presented by RetroSportsGamer Check out the rest of our Rare & Valuable series to see what collectors are looking for When one conjures up images of older sports games, they most likely think of a stack of sun-bleached PlayStation 2 games; victims of being sorted through and left to bake under the hot sun at a flea market or swap meet. For years, the steady giants like Madden or FIFA have been mass produced across numerous gaming platforms, becoming nearly irrelevant just a year later when the next iteration is released. Outside of a few classics that are still played ... [Link] [Cache]

This 97-minute episode of the show features Tom Lipshultz from XSEED games and Kirsten Miller from Endless History each talking about their role in localizing, sharing, archiving, and generally evangelizing two great RPG series – Ys and The Legend of Heroes – both of which were created by Japanese developer Nihon Falcom. The interview focuses on everything from the history of Ys with special attention to this month’s Together Retro game Ys I , to Falcom’s recent successes with Trails in the Sky and its sequels, to the challenges of localization, to the fan community surrounding Falcom’s games, and to ... [Link] [Cache]

Presented by Adam Sarson Note from Racketboy: Normally, we don’t do guides for current systems as they can be tricky to keep up with, but we have a new contributor on board that wanted to do a writeup for the 3DS and what is available for the new handheld. If you think we missed something good, please mention it in the comments. We’ll try to update this over the years as well too Are you considering making the Nintendo 3DS your next big gaming purchase, but aren’t sure what retro content the handheld has to offer? Despite not having the ... [Link] [Cache]