Shows / The Retro Breakdown
The Retro Breakdown
Every week, Dean (twitch.tv/timewanderer) and Tom discuss current gaming news, and then check out some old (or sometimes new) piece of gaming history to see how it holds up, and test the strength of nostalgia.
Episodes
The Retro BreakdownRC Pro-Am 2 (NES) and the Generational Gooner Bait
We talk about Fire Emblem, RC Pro-Am 2, and animated characters that people will goon to for generations. Believe it or not, the characters are NOT from Fire…
The Retro BreakdownMega Man ZX Advent (DS) and the Capcom Sales Numbers
We cap off the Zero series with a fair bit of lethargy and a begrudging understanding of why Capcom has spent so much time not caring about Mega Man. We don't…
The Retro BreakdownResident Evil 2 (PS1 + Remake) and the Cozy Massage Space Pod
This is definitely the game that showed me that survival horror is, once and for all, not my bag. It's still really good though and I'm glad I played it and…
The Retro BreakdownRockin' Kats/Nyankies (NES) and the MORE PUPPETS
When good things come out and you're a little disappointed because it isn't the SPECIFIC good thing you were hoping for? You should probably just enjoy the…
The Retro BreakdownPsi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy (PS2) and the Persona Spinoff Character Assassinations
So my goal was to go into this game and laugh at how incredibly "2000s video game" it was. And I was entirely able to do that. But somewhere along the line…
The Retro BreakdownFinal Fantasy (NES) and the Stranger of Paradise
It's sort of two games in one this week, as we played both the original NES version of Final Fantasy 1, which is incredibly broken, and the sorta-kinda…
The Retro BreakdownSilver Surfer (NES) and the Shadows of the Empire Erotica
We sit down with one of the most notoriously hard NES games and discover that it is actually kinda not that bad? It also is pretty bad. But in the same way…
The Retro BreakdownFire Emblem: Path of Radiance (GC) and the Bananza Spoilercast
This week, we talk about getting jumpscared by Girls Gone Wild commercials on Comedy Central, the end of Donkey Kong Bananza, the beginning of the Final…
The Retro BreakdownGitaroo Man (PS2) and the Fallout Class Warfare
The "games with good music" train rolls right along as this one is literally just about having great music. The gameplay is reasonably fun, but the vibes are…
The Retro BreakdownThe Castlevania Adventure (GB) and the Tips to Avoid Torture
We're doubling up on Castlevania because I got this in a Kusogrande match! Also in this episode: There is a new live-action He-Man movie out and it is directed…
The Retro BreakdownCastlevania 2 (NES) and the Summer Game Fest Recap
Wow that is a lot of game news, and we're absolutely not covering all of it, but we talk about what interests us, and also Grand Theft Auto 6, which does not…
The Retro BreakdownBlast Corps (N64) and the Backlash Debate
Is the Backlash the worst vehicle in Blast Corps, singlehandedly responsible for detracting from the overall experience? Or is it merely misunderstood, a…
The Retro BreakdownWario World (GC) and the StarFox Re-Re-Re-Remake
According to Nintendo, there is one StarFox game. And that game is whichever remake of the original one they are currently selling. Meanwhile, Treasure made a…
The Retro BreakdownMendel Palace (NES) and the Famicom BASIC
Game Freak's very first game has a great story behind it, and some really interesting stuff, but somehow we end up talking about Activision and I promise it…
The Retro BreakdownCastlevania (NES) and the Lords of Shadow Spoilers
We absolutely talk about Castlevania on this podcast. We should maybe have focused a little bit more on Castlevania 1, the supposed focus of this podcast, but…
The Retro BreakdownMario Clash (Virtual Boy) and the Nintendo Cinematic Universe
The first episode of many recorded from my new place in Korea, and it's a Virtual Boy game because why not? Star Fox in the new Mario movie implies that you…
The Retro BreakdownBalloon Kid (Game Boy) and the Final Ohio Podcast
This podcast has always been recorded remotely, but this is the last one, at least for a long while, that will be at least half-recorded in Ohio. Perhaps…
The Retro BreakdownMega Man ZX (Nintendo DS) and the Not Miis
The absolute best Mega Man power ever created exists in this game, which is... pretty good. It has flaws, but this series works pretty well in an open map…
The Retro BreakdownA Boy and His Blob (NES) and the Final Fantasy 15 Apologist
It seems that the standard experience with this game is "rented it as a kid, couldn't figure out what to do, took it back." It turns out the reason for that is…
The Retro BreakdownBionic Commando (GB) and the Age of Imprisonment
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is a lot of fun, but I have some gripes. Bionic Commando for Game Boy, however, is black magic and I have no idea how or…
The Retro BreakdownFatal Fury Special (SNES) and the Grand Theft Auto 6 Failure
This week, we talk about fighting games, Mai Shiranui, and the absolute best thing that could possibly happen to the video game industry in 2026. Send us mail!…
The Retro BreakdownBattletoads (NES) and the Air Bud Retrospective
I like hard games. I think hard games are often very good. Here are a bunch of reasons we don't think Battletoads is very good beyond the first 3 stages…
The Retro BreakdownResident Evil (PS1/GC) and the Farting Clowns
It must be a new year because we're doing survival horror! This is my actual first time with Resident Evil, and to get the full picture, I played both Chris…
- The Retro Breakdown
The Retro Breakdown 2025 Tier List
From Cool Spot to Mr. Driller 2 with a bunch of Mega Man games in between, we recap every game we played and podcasted in 2025! Send us mail!…
The Retro BreakdownHome Alone (Sega Master System) and the 85% of Hot Topic Sales
Somehow, against all odds, Home Alone for the Sega Master System is one of the best Home Alone games I've ever played. I know that's a low bar, but still, this…
The Retro BreakdownMr. Driller 2 and the Resident Evil Bulk Purchase
The point of this week's episode is that Mr. Driller as a game is whatever, but the LORE IS DEEPER THAN YOU COULD POSSIBLY IMAGINE. Also, I guess I'm just…
The Retro BreakdownAlleyway (Game Boy) and the Lazy Breakout
It's Breakout but if you put absolutely no effort into doing anything interesting or unique at all. Ironically, this leads us into a whole discussion about how…
The Retro BreakdownChibi-Robo! (GC) and the Black Friday Work Stories
Before playing this game, the only thing I knew about it was "Divorce." After playing this game, that may actually still be the only thing I remember. Send us…
The Retro BreakdownMega Man Zero 4 (GBA) and the Kojima AI Friends
"I don't want to use AI, I just want it to be a friend that does my work for me, like a co-creator." My Brother in Christ, that is WHAT USING AI IS. Have we…
The Retro BreakdownMario's Picross (Game Boy) and the King's Field
We played a bunch of different things for small amounts of time this week, so let's talk about Picross, random New York Times puzzles, King's Field, and a…
The Retro BreakdownThe Adventures of Batman and Robin (Genesis) and the Clockwork Tortoise
One of the most impressive games on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive could have been one of the best of all time with the power of a good project manager or…
The Retro BreakdownD2 (Dreamcast) and the Hundred Line Second Playthrough
There's so much to unpack here we had to come back and add another 20 minutes after we thought we were done. Send us mail!…
The Retro BreakdownMega Man X8 (PS2) and the Mavericks at Will
THAT IS LITERALLY THE WHOLE POINT OF A MAVERICK (Reupload) Send us mail! theretrobreakdown@gma…
The Retro BreakdownDrake of the 99 Dragons (Xbox) and the Blue Prince Spoilercast
I haven't played a game with this much edge since my last playthrough of Catherine. Also, I am absolutely going to spoil the ending of Blue Prince, so be…
The Retro BreakdownNo One Can Stop Mr. Domino (PS1) and the Collection Culling
I'm getting rid of a chunk of my retro games collection, and with the money I make from it, maybe I'll buy more games like this. Send us mail!…
The Retro BreakdownMega Man Zero 3 (GBA) and the Ripple Island Sequel
Zero and Ciel and Doctor Weil live in a society. Which is not the same as our society, the one where somebody decided we needed an Overcooked clone based on…
The Retro BreakdownLandstalker (Genesis) and the Slow Walk Taunt
Invisible platforms! Vapid princesses! Sassy fairy companions! Casinos in the town well! Unhinged puzzle solutions! Childish taunts from your antagonist! Fun?…
The Retro BreakdownBrawl Brothers (SNES) and the Termination Time
After five years, we finally decide to play another Rushing Beat game, and since we started with the third one, why not continue in reverse chronological…
The Retro BreakdownSnake Rattle & Roll (NES) and the Ice Slope Foot Licking
Rare has this thing where we keep going into their games expecting to be underwhelmed or even trash it, but then we end up glazing them because the game is a…
The Retro BreakdownMega Man X7 (PS2) and the European Normal
This game is basically the whole reason we started playing Mega Man games in the first place. We're finally here. Feels like an important milestone. Also…
The Retro BreakdownMega Man Zero 2 (GBA) and the Zero Babies
A dive into the Mega Man Zero plotline reveals that Zero has hundreds of children that he eats for power. Everyone he knows encourages this. The game tells you…
The Retro BreakdownR.C. Pro-Am (NES) and the Ubisoft Whining
Remember kids, when you criticize Ubisoft for sexually assaulting women in the workplace and systematically covering it up for years, it makes their games…
The Retro BreakdownKirby's Star Stacker (Game Boy) and the Animal Friend Punishment
As we have established, Kirby is an eldritch being with powers beyond human ken. For a creature containing the power of entire galaxies as playthings, these…
The Retro BreakdownSonic the Hedgehog (Game Gear) and the Lost Podcast
Featuring 5 minutes of talking about E-SWAT, leftover from the podcast that got corrupted last week. It's okay, that's the exact right amount of time to talk…
The Retro BreakdownPokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team (GBA) and the Dumb European Purchases
When you realize that you both are the type of person to go to exotic locations and just buy Nintendo stuff instead of actual souvenirs. Send us mail!…
The Retro BreakdownMega Man Zero (GBA) and the Pirate Copy of X
Evidently, the key to making a good Mega Man game in the 21st century is to not let Capcom make it. Send us mail!…
The Retro BreakdownAerobiz (SNES) and the Final Fantasy Spirits Within
Technically three more games on tap today as we played all three Aerobiz games, but they're all similar enough to be talked about in one podcast. Thanks for…
The Retro BreakdownRipple Island (Famicom) and the Memorable Music Runback
It's game 3/3 in the Sunsoft collection, and this one, while jank in some ways you might expect out of a 1980's point-and-click adventure game on a console, is…
The Retro BreakdownThe Wing of Madoola (Famicom) and the Firework Thrower Kantarou
It's two games in one on this week's podcast, where we take on 2/3 of the Sunsoft is Back! Collection. These are definitely some of the games of all time…
The Retro BreakdownMega Man X6 and the Capcom Rough Patch
Why. Why is it like this. There is no reason for it to be like this. It's like they wanted to make it exactly the same as Mega Man X5 but worse in every…
The Retro BreakdownDonkey Kong Land 2 (Game Boy) and the Crappy Mail
There's a lot going on this week, but there's always time for Stickerbrush Symphony. Send us mail!…
The Retro BreakdownDonkey Kong '94 (Game Boy) and the Koei New Horizons
Basically a two-for-one podcast today as we experience the excellent Donkey Kong for Game Boy, typically referred to as "Donkey Kong '94," and then I wax…
The Retro BreakdownTMNT 3: Radical Rescue (GB) and the Buttle Preparedness
PREPARE FOR BUTTLE Send us mail! theretrobreakdown@gmail.com…
The Retro BreakdownRomance of the Three Kingdoms IV (SNES) and the Nintendo Switch 2 Recap
Boy, that Switch 2 sure seems pretty cool. I sure hope we can get it in America some day. Send us mail!…
The Retro BreakdownPoseidon Wars 3D (SMS) and the "Sexy" Panties
The Master System discovery tour continues, and Tom reaches a depressing and unfortunate conclusion about Oolong's world-saving wish. Also I finished Pirate…
The Retro BreakdownSecret Commando (SMS) and the GOATed Master System
We played it because the box art was silly. Then we talked about the politics of Rambo. Then we admitted that this silly little game managed to completely…
The Retro BreakdownSuper Soccer (SNES) and the Nintendo Self-DMCA
Let's be honest, we don't care about this game nearly as much as we care about the implications of Nintendo taking games off of their online service. Send us…
The Retro BreakdownPenguin Land (SMS) and the First Battery Backup
From the makers of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, here comes... Like a Dragon: Yakuza! Yeah, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is out and surprise, it's good. It also has Sega…
The Retro BreakdownMega Man X5 (PS1) and the Duff McWhalen
A janky but mostly pretty good Mega Man X game brings us one of the worst boss naming conventions of all time, which also brings us the BEST boss name of all…
The Retro BreakdownBurning Rangers (Saturn) and the Repaved Capcom Parking Lots
The bizarre, incredible, but unfortunately not all that fun Burning Rangers is on tap today, complete with the discussion of Mega Man's depressingly low…