Latest Videogame arguments Podcast Episodes
Episode 90: Sly 2: Band of Thieves
Retro Spectives - July 18, 2022 07:13 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsSly 2: Band Of Thieves released at a special time in 3D platforming history: the GTA era. In much the same way that Ubisoft would eventually set the (dismal) standard for open worlds, Grand Theft Auto 3 went on to define how 3d action games should be made. The three big platforming names of th...
Episode 89: Gorky 17
Retro Spectives - June 27, 2022 07:37 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsBy 1999, when Gorky 17 released, the genre of tactics games was definitely well trod. X-COM, Final Fantasy Tactics, Jagged Alliance - these were all heavy hitters, and many consider them to still be masterpieces to this day. But the Polish developers at Metropolis Software were not to be cowed...
Episode 88: Tyrian 2000
Retro Spectives - June 13, 2022 07:57 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsTyrian 2000 is, to this day, regarded as one of the greatest shmups ever made. It boasts a continuous campaign that goes for 5 episodes and 50 levels, a ludicrous array of guns to dock your ship out with, and a varied and creative enemy roster. The game is stuffed to the cracks with bonus cont...
E87 Ečstatica
Retro Spectives - May 30, 2022 07:15 - 58 minutes ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsBefore we had Resident Evil and Silent Hill, we had Ecstatica. First released in 1994 for MS DOS, Ecstatica blew critics away at the time of its release with its stunning ellipsoid based character models and realistic environments. You play as a simple traveller stopping in town to water their...
Episode 87: Ečstatica
Retro Spectives - May 30, 2022 07:15 - 58 minutes ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsBefore we had Resident Evil and Silent Hill, we had Ecstatica. First released in 1994 for MS DOS, Ecstatica blew critics away at the time of its release with its stunning ellipsoid based character models and realistic environments. You play as a simple traveller stopping in town to water their...
Episode 86: Diddy Kong Racing
Retro Spectives - May 09, 2022 07:40 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsMario Kart has long been king of the Kart Racer. Ever since it debuted back in 1992 on the SNES, it seems that every other entry has lived in its long shadow. But back in 1997 we saw a challenger emerge to contest its throne: Diddy Kong Racing. Both developed and published by Rare, Diddy Kong...
Bonus 1: Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory Co-op
Retro Spectives - May 02, 2022 08:23 - 49 minutes ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsFor all of our complaints, we did enjoy Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. While it failed to maximise its different elements into a creative challenge, its core gameplay is just as good as it was in the first title. So when we remembered that an entire coherent Co-op campaign was released alongside...
Episode 85: Star Wars: Republic Commando
Retro Spectives - April 25, 2022 07:51 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsStar Wars: Republic Commando received good press when it first released back in 2005. Instead of playing as a Jedi, you play as a stormtrooper, albeit a gifted and specially trained one. You lead missions with your 4 troop squad set during the height of the Clone Wars, taking down enemy artill...
Episode 84: Diablo 2
Retro Spectives - April 12, 2022 09:18 - 3 hours ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsDiablo 2 is one of the most influential games ever made. Evolving on the basic formulae created in Diablo 1, it introduced many concepts that are now considered genre staples: skill trees, socketed items, champion packs and the stash. Not only have countless games just like it come in its wake...
Episode 83: The Typing of the Dead
Retro Spectives - March 28, 2022 07:54 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsHouse of the Dead 2 is one of the most famous, and most successful, arcade cabinet games of all time. Not only that, it's been credited along with Resident Evil for spearheading the resurgence of zombies in media that occurred in the late 90s. But for all its success, I don’t think anyone coul...
Episode 83: Typing of the Dead
Retro Spectives - March 28, 2022 07:54 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsHouse of the Dead 2 is one of the most famous, and most successful, arcade cabinet games of all time. Not only that, it's been credited along with Resident Evil for spearheading the resurgence of zombies in media that occurred in the late 90s. But for all its success, I don’t think anyone coul...
Episode 82: Eternal Darkness
Retro Spectives - March 14, 2022 08:56 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsEternal Darkness is a game that holds a special place in a lot of people’s hearts. You play as Alexandra Roivos, called to her father’s mansion to confirm his identity after he is found dead and horrifically mangled. Annoyed by the police’s incompetence at solving this murder, Alex begins to e...
Episode 81: Golden Eye 007
Retro Spectives - February 21, 2022 08:24 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsThe release of Goldeneye in 1995 was one of the most successful reboots in cinematic history. Pierce Brosnan’s take on Bond was suave and sophisticated, with just a touch of melancholy, which was the perfect fit for a more grounded and serious Bond film. It had its fair share of silly moments,...
Episode 80: Mushihimesama
Retro Spectives - February 07, 2022 09:13 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsMushihimesama is one of many arcade titles developed by Cave, who were best known for their danmaku or ‘bullet hell’ style shoot ‘em ups during the late 90’s and 2000’s. First released in 2004, Mushihimesama stood in stark contrast to the glut of sci-fi shooters with its beautiful visual style ...
Episode 79: Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
Retro Spectives - January 24, 2022 08:31 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsSplinter Cell: Chaos Theory comes with a weighty legacy. Many consider this 2005 game to be the best stealth game of all time, edging out even games like Metal Gear Solid and Thief. Chaos Theory builds on the first two games in the series, introducing smarter AI, slightly more open level desig...
Episode 78: Celeste
Retro Spectives - January 10, 2022 08:04 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsCeleste is not your average platformer. When it was released in 2018, it took the world by storm, delighting casual players and speedrunners alike. Its levels were divided into screens reminiscent of Super Meat Boy, featuring fast and frequent death with extremely frequent checkpoints. It had...
Episode 77: Mailbag with a Vengeance
Retro Spectives - December 27, 2021 14:17 - 2 hours ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsIt's Mailbag time! In this episode, Pat and James continue the Christmas tradition of answering listener questions in their third annual Mailbag episode. We want to say a special thank you to everyone in our discord community, both for the questions and just being with us over the years. Wh...
Episode 77: Mailbag 3: With a Vengeance
Retro Spectives - December 27, 2021 14:17 - 2 hours ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsIt's Mailbag time! In this episode, Pat and James continue the Christmas tradition of answering listener questions in their third annual Mailbag episode. We want to say a special thank you to everyone in our discord community, both for the questions and just being with us over the years. Wh...
Episode 76: Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo
Retro Spectives - December 13, 2021 09:08 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsWhen Street Fighter 2 first released in arcades in 1991, it single handedly revolutionised the fighting game genre. It introduced shocking concepts like letting you select more than one character! And for the very first time combinations of attacks could be strung together while the enemy play...
Episode 75: Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom
Retro Spectives - November 29, 2021 08:24 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsWhen Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom was released in 2002, it was not to a fanfare of fervor or excitement. This was the 6th title in Impression Games’ city builder series, and it was widely viewed as more of the same. Caesar, Pharoah, Zeus and now Emperor all had the same baseline mechani...
Episode 74: Jet Set Radio
Retro Spectives - November 08, 2021 08:31 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsFrom the very moment Jet Set Radio released, it wowed its audience. It blew people away with its at the time revolutionary cell shaded graphics, and boasts an undeniably funky soundtrack, with bangers like Yellow Bream and Recipe for the Perfect Afro. Adding graffiti tagging to the gameplay of...
Star Wars Episode I: Racer
Retro Spectives - October 25, 2021 08:15 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsStar Wars: Podracer launched with a bang. It wasn’t the first Star Wars game, but it promised something that the world had been waiting for 16 years: a new movie. With only a few short segments of the film at their disposal, the in-house LucasArts Team designed a racing game - aiming to not on...
Episode 73: Star Wars Episode I: Racer
Retro Spectives - October 25, 2021 08:15 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsStar Wars: Podracer launched with a bang. It wasn’t the first Star Wars game, but it promised something that the world had been waiting for 16 years: a new movie. With only a few short segments of the film at their disposal, the in-house LucasArts Team designed a racing game - aiming to not on...
Episode 72: Star Fox 64
Retro Spectives - October 11, 2021 08:08 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsOnce upon a time there was a genre known as the Rail Shooter. Before developers had mastered free traversal in 3D spaces, they instead popped players on a fixed rail and took them through a series of linear shootouts. Many consider Star Fox 64 to be one of the highpoints of the genre, seeming ...
Episode72: Star Fox 64
Retro Spectives - October 11, 2021 08:08 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsOnce upon a time there was a genre known as the Rail Shooter. Before developers had mastered free traversal in 3D spaces, they instead popped players on a fixed rail and took them through a series of linear shootouts. Many consider Star Fox 64 to be one of the highpoints of the genre, seeming ...
Episode 71: Pathologic
Retro Spectives - September 27, 2021 08:54 - 2 hours ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsBack in 2005, a Russian studio called Ice Pick Lodge decided to continue the fine tradition of dark and dreary slavic storytelling with Pathologic, a survival horror game quite like any other. It received critical acclaim in Russia, but was largely unknown in the West, at least until a series o...
Episode 70: Space Channel 5
Retro Spectives - September 13, 2021 07:59 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsIn Space Channel 5, you take the role of space journalist Ulala as she uses interpretative dances to fight aliens, rescue hostages and defeat her fellow colleagues. If that sounds absurd, that’s because it's yet another weird game that James has chosen. The game was first released in 1999 for ...
Episode 69: Panzer General
Retro Spectives - August 29, 2021 09:23 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsWhen Panzer General first released in 1994, it revolutionised the war gaming genre. It was more accessible, easier to understand and more cleanly illustrated than any other war game to come before it. Portraying many historical battles of World War 2 (while also indulging in a few ‘what if’ sc...
Episode 68: Pikmin
Retro Spectives - August 16, 2021 07:52 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsWe return once more to the strange and esoteric world of console RTS games with Pikmin! First released for the Gamecube in 2001, it combines strategy, resource management and puzzle solving into a truly unique game. You play as Captain Olimar, peacefully vacationing in space until an asteroid ...
Episode 67: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Retro Spectives - August 02, 2021 07:35 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsPrince of Persia: The Sands of Time took a beloved 2D platformer and transformed it into something spectacular. Building on the Prince’s athletic jumps, the Prince could now wallrun, leap between ropes and swing with the best of them. Most brilliant of all was the ability to rewind time, undoi...
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