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 BreakdownEnEn Angel (PS1) and the Three Hopes Hype
After a year, TW finally plays Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes and cannot stop gushing about it. Also, Yakuza 5 hunting, the awkward conclusion of the spiky…
The Retro BreakdownThe Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (GBC) and the Chubawamba Album
Today's parents are introducing their kids to old video games the way parents used to try to get their kids into older music or movies - change my mind…
The Retro BreakdownRollergames (NES) and the Rejected Evony Sponsorship
Please enjoy as a deceptive mobile game with ads that are just lies offers a sponsorship and is turned down live during the recording! Also, a Vince McMahon…
The Retro BreakdownSide Pocket (SNES) and the Mega Man Bundle Taxes
Tom delivers some hard truths about the reality of TW's recent game purchasing binge. TW's Discord: https://discord.gg/dTrBruG Podcast games streamed…
The Retro BreakdownGimmick! (NES) and the Arcade Gambling Strategies
We discuss a random paperback book featuring fully broken-down strategies for beating the hottest video games of 1982. Also, Gimmick is awesome and I can't…
The Retro BreakdownGrowl (Arcade) and the First Crash Bandicoot Experience
It's time for a new week, a new game, and a new elimination bracket! We talk about Pikmin 4, the Zelda timeline and handheld Zelda games, and the weirdest…
The Retro BreakdownKirby's Tilt 'n Tumble (GBC) and the Lofty Sky Games Stream
It's shameless promotion time as TW has a sponsored stream for Lofty Sky Games! On August 8th at 7:00 PM EDT and August 10th at 8:00 PM EDT, he'll be checking…
The Retro BreakdownKid Chameleon (Genesis) and the 1850+ Screens
Dokapon, Final Fantasy XVI, Fire Emblem, and the weirdest front-of-box feature maybe ever. We talk about things! TW's Discord: https://discord.gg/dTrBruG…
The Retro BreakdownRevenge of Shinobi (Genesis) and the Flying Bus Compromise
Tom and I have a lot to catch up on, so this podcast is a big one! Elevation sickness, Fire Emblem Engage, Tears of the Kingdom, bad hotel TVs, and Back to the…
The Retro BreakdownGame & Watch Gallery 3 (GBC) and the Not Finishing Fire Emblem Games
TW and Tom recap one of the wildest Dokapon sessions imaginable, briefly touch on Fire Emblem Engage, and recap all the other Fire Emblem games they've played…
The Retro BreakdownPulseman (Genesis) and the Forced Disco Elysium Dialogue
As TW nears the end of Disco Elysium, we try to zero in on what makes it so special, while also touching on Advance Wars, Final Fantasy XVI, and the price of…
The Retro BreakdownGrimace's Birthday (GBC) and the Mario RPG Remake
It's another Nintendo Direct Episode! We speed through the headlines we care about, talk a little about the headlines that weren't, and discuss a German Zelda…
The Retro BreakdownMario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA) and the Diablo Blue Sentinels
Tom and TW's first impressions of our 4-player story playthrough of Dokapon Kingdom Connect, TW has started playing Advance Wars Re-Boot Camp, and Tom has…
The Retro BreakdownCastle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (Genesis) and the Chained Echoes Impressions
Hey all, it's only been a few weeks for you all, but Tom and I haven't recorded an episode in months, so there's lots to talk about! We got Diablo, Octopath…
The Retro BreakdownDark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin (PC) and the Greetings from Germany feat. Jessi!
After a week off, Jessi fills in for Tom this week and we talk about our recent trip to Frankfurt, public transportation, the beginning of Dokapon, and of…
The Retro BreakdownCode Name: Viper (NES) and the Super Nintendo Switch
Conversation number 1 billion about what we hope Nintendo does (and does not) do with their next console starts up this week's episode, followed by a battle of…
The Retro BreakdownLargo Winch .// Commando SAR (PS1) and the Dokapon Pact
"This action hero is MONEY," the back of the cracked jewel case tells us about Largo Winch, a character from a bygone era where billionaires were considered…
The Retro BreakdownWario Land 3 (GBC) and the Good Bad Gas Station Food
Another trip to the local game store, N64 troubleshooting, stories of ad-set at our retail jobs, and the guilty pleasures we have in eating bad food that's…
The Retro BreakdownKuru Kuru Kururin (GBA) and the Oyaji Hunter Mahjong
A last-minute substitution on this week's game leads to a great discussion of how we can go back in time and save Yuji Naka from himself. Also, beating up…
The Retro BreakdownMighty Morphin Power Rangers (SNES) and the Final Fantasy 2 Apologist
Things just kinda work out this week as we play a classic Power Rangers game just as the classic Power Rangers nostalgia movie hits Netflix. Also, this game is…
The Retro BreakdownThe Bouncer (PS2) and the H.M.S. TiTanTic
We went into The Bouncer expecting a high degree of oddity, and we were not disappointed. So much so that actually describing it proved something of a…
The Retro BreakdownBurgertime Deluxe (Game Boy) and the Night into Dream
This week we eliminate four classic games from existence, correct the record on excitement for video games, and talk about Tom's bizarre dream about…
The Retro BreakdownGargoyle's Quest (Game Boy) and the Used Game Trade-In Decision
TW trades in used games for the first time in a decade, E3 is cancelled again (the bigger news might actually be that it was technically un-cancelled for a…
The Retro BreakdownThe Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (GBA) and the Identical Deus Ex Experiences
It's a week of adulting as we talk about deciding to make grown-up big number purchases, work things, and how we both own the original Deus Ex like three times…
The Retro BreakdownPuzzle & Action: Ichidant-R (Arcade) and the America Daitoryo Senkyo
We're back after a week off with a game that is essentially WarioWare, but made by Sega for arcades in the 90s! Also, we talk bootlegs and hacks, as well as…
The Retro BreakdownG-Loc: Air Battle (Arcade) and the Fist of the North Star Aerobics
Birthday! Zelda Multiworld randomizer! Kenshiro fitness boxing! New Diablo seasons! Comfort games! Games with great lore that we don't actually like! Loss of…
The Retro BreakdownSuper Mario Land: 6 Golden Coins (Game Boy) and the Deep Wario Lore
Wario gets more play this week, as we go from the first in his spin-off title to his first-ever appearance, even though he looks like a mutant from a cheap…
The Retro BreakdownWarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$ (GBA) and the Micro Podcast
Yes, we are aware that an hour-long podcast is considered "normal" for basically anyone else, but it's micro for us. We still manage to cram a lot into an…
The Retro BreakdownBeyond Oasis (Genesis) and the February 2023 Nintendo Direct Recap
There's a lot to get into this week, and by that I mean "we discuss a bunch of stuff from the Nintendo Direct, almost exclusively." Then we begrudgingly…
The Retro BreakdownSonic CD and the Marvel Snap Breakdown
Reminder that Sonic Mania is the best Sonic game and it's not close. Also, Marvel Snap is fun. I've realized since recording this that rationing your energy is…
The Retro BreakdownMario Golf (N64) and the Punching Down At Rabbids
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope continues to be exceptionally fun, expect when it gets dull, and occasionally mean? Also, we pick our favorite Mario, Zelda…
The Retro BreakdownRock n' Roll Racing (SNES) and the Amiibo Salt
The game with 5 very expensive songs and a famous announcer is essentially an improved sequel to RPM Racing, even though TW is more familiar with the…
The Retro BreakdownMario Party 2 (N64) and the Watching Initial D in 2023
I'll be honest, this is also a Mario Party 1 podcast, because we essentially talk about both. Yes, the skin on our palms will indeed come up, of course. We…
The Retro BreakdownCastlevania: Symphony of the Night (Game.com) and the Not Condoning Gambling
Listen, I just want to say that all of the accounts I mentioned have been cashed out and closed as of the time of this episode's release. Don't gamble, kids…
The Retro BreakdownTMNT 3: The Manhattan Project (NES) and the Untranslated Card-Based RPG
Happy New Year and welcome to technically sort-of our 4th year of The Retro Breakdown! We're starting this one off with a deeper discussion on River City Girls…
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The Retro Breakdown 2022 Game Tier List
It's that time again! We played video games for 47 podcasts this year, and now it's time to separate the amazing ones from the ones we totally forgot about and…
The Retro BreakdownHome Alone (Genesis) and the Pain Meter
It's December, and that means it's time for our third annual review of an awful Home Alone game, this one for Genesis (and not actually THAT awful?) We also…
The Retro BreakdownGargoyles (Genesis) and the Medal of Honor Plagiarism
I suppose technically it can't be plagiarism if you're just sampling your own music, but still, give that ending theme a listen this week. Anyway, Tom and TW…
The Retro BreakdownPang! (Arcade) and the Cancelled Revenge of the Nerds
Sorry about the unannounced hiatus last week! Travel and the holiday got in the way. Anyway, TW is back from Korea and so now we're catching up on things and…
The Retro BreakdownTMNT: Fall of the Foot Clan (GB) and the Radical Band of Punk Rumblers
A completely forgettable Game Boy Ninja Turtles experience is saved by a bizarrely-written manual and some excellent Michiru Yamane tunes. Also, TW has friends…
The Retro BreakdownPilotwings 64 (N64) and the Robin Deviantart
More Korea misadventures from TW, some God of War talk from Tom, and the inevitable bit of Dragon Ball discussion from the both of us peppers this week's show…
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The Mint Chocolate Burger, Sonic Frontiers Hype, and the Accidental Vodka Shot
TW's Korea adventures continue with a mint chocolate burger that is a real thing, and you can watch the full reaction at the following YouTube link…
The Retro BreakdownDr. Mario 64 (N64) and the Intercontinental Episode
Please bear with some issues with sound quality and attentiveness quality this week! TW is exhausted having just arrived in South Korea, and is not using usual…
The Retro BreakdownRiding Fight (Arcade) and the Windows 11 Problem
We have a game this week! Perhaps the most weirdly obscure game we've ever played on the channel, this week we hit Riding Fight, a Taito arcade game from 1992…
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The Sega Genesis Ornament, Bayonetta 3 Voice Acting, and the Best 3D Sonic Game
EDIT: Original audio accidentally was missing a bunch of tracks, so it sounded like I was basically having a conversation with myself. Please download the…
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Cyberpunk's Resurgence, Fire Emblem's Edge, and Breaking the Format
Welcome to the Retro Breakdown, the show where sometimes there is no retro breakdown! We've decided that once in a while, we're going to have to shift into…
The Retro BreakdownMutant League Football (Genesis) and the Death of Stadia
It's American football season, which is vaguely of interest to me and probably very few listeners, but that's okay, because this is barely a football game…
The Retro BreakdownClaymates (SNES) and the Infrastructure Week feat. Jessi!
Yes, the sound quality is weird this week, it should be back to normal next week, I promise! Jessi is back for another podcast as Tom is out and my computer is…
The Retro BreakdownCastlevania: Simon's Destiny and the Poultry Circuit
We break new ground this week by trying out our first ever fangame (aside from the SMZ3 randomizer, sort of), which is a reimagining of Castlevania in the…
The Retro BreakdownLiterally Just an Entire PS1 Demo Disc Feat. Jessi!
Tom is out this week, so Jessi joins us again for a podcast featuring the May 2001 iteration of the Official U.S. Playstation Magazine Demo Disc! It featured 9…
The Retro BreakdownSuper Punch Out (SNES) and the Secret Two-Player Mode
Welcome to the new, hopefully consistently shorter format of the Retro Breakdown, where we do basically all the same stuff as before, just for less time. This…
The Retro BreakdownWave Race 64 (N64) and the Metroid Prime 2 Multiplayer
This week we try to do a quick podcast and it still ends up being almost two hours. I blame Wave Race 64 for being unnecessarily good, and a technical marvel…
The Retro BreakdownGuardian Heroes (Saturn) and the Little Goody Two Shoes
This week, TW shamelessly shills a marketing project he worked on, Tom jumps into Live A Live, and Nintendo joins the "corporate sexual harassment" club and…
The Retro BreakdownCrusader of Centy (Genesis) and the "All Too Familiar" Storyline
TW drops another "Weird Anime Review" (though this one isn't quite as off-the-rails as Birdie Wing), we discuss game ratings scales ranging from GamePro to a…
The Retro BreakdownRiven: The Sequel to Myst (PC) and the 26-Hour Day
By listener request (thanks Andrew), we're doing Riven, one of the few PC games we've played for the show thus far! Also, Tom reveals the arcane secret to his…
The Retro BreakdownJourney to Silius (NES) and the Poor Mass Effect Choices
This week, TW can't not talk about Xenoblade Chronicles 2 again (yes, 3 just came out, catching up takes time), but also we talk about Red-Ring Xbox 360 home…
The Retro BreakdownPokemon Puzzle League (N64) and the Birdie Wing Plug
I forgot I watched Birdie Wing this week, so I completely derail a perfectly good Pokemon Puzzle League discussion to talk about this show that is incredibly…
The Retro BreakdownMighty Bomb Jack (NES) and the Controller Throw Etiquette
The discussion of Tecmo's successful-for-some-reason-and-immediately-forgotten-about Mighty Bomb Jack, surprisingly, has absolutely nothing at all to do with…
The Retro BreakdownZero Wing (Genesis) and the Time Vampires
Yes, this is the "All Your Base Are Belong to Us" game, and YES we talk about it and ABSOLUTELY YES we play the song. But boy, it sure is a good thing this…
The Retro BreakdownTarget Earth (Genesis) and the Red Ash Vaporware
A last-minute swap brings us Target Earth, a game about mechs and stuff, I don't know. It's called Assault Suit Leynos in Japan, where it is the first in a…