A Gamer Looks At 40

When people discuss the Nintendo 64, they talk about the hits. Mario 64, Goldeneye, etc. And that's where we've been living for the last few episodes. But this week, we dive deeper into the console's library and mine memories of the lesser known titles. Sure, we hit on the bangers and commonly discussed games. Can't get through a survey course on N64 games without talking about...

Back in the late 80's / early 90's, developers didn't factor girl gamers into their production plans. Videogame marketing was (and still is) heavily male skewed and the result was titles like 1991's Barbie for the NES. An ill conceived cash grab for parents who didn't know better, Barbie barely functions as a game and is a prime example of what happens when you don't...

The name's 40. A Gamer Looks at 40. When Goldeneye 007 shadow dropped into the hands of N64 players in the winter of 1997, few thought it would be more than a movie tie-in title. Thanks to revolutionary physics, a tight relationship to the source material and a multiplayer mode the likes of which console players had never seen, it became the 3rd best selling game on the console.  But ask anyo...

What do you get when you mix a circus clown's preferred method of transportation with a 16 bit videogame console? Uniracers, the super fast, super fun, and super strange SNES title that is exactly as advertised - sentient unicycles racing at lightning speed along colorful 2D tracks. Join  Dan of Retrologic Podcast as we discuss the game, his memories, evil Pixar lawyers, late 90's Cher,...

An AMA so nice, we recorded it twice - in two days, that is. Join Joey, Bobby, and myself for another round of Q&A fueled by the fine listeners of this audio podcast thing. Thanks again for participating!  Starring: Mike from Games My Mom Found (@mom_found) Nancy Tucker-Datrio Eric Highland Michelle Corio Derek Tagliarino Heather Aspergren Ben Bazzrea @wrytersview My Twitter: @agamerlooksat40...

In honor of the podcast's 40th episode, I asked friends, listeners and family to submit questions and boy did they. Listen to Joe Corio, my brother Bobby and I answer questions, have some laughs, and chat about utter nonsense in this sprawling milestone special. NOTE: Due to the massive 2.5 hour length, I decided to break the AMA into two episodes. If you submitted a question and didn't...

From spinning in circles to soaring through the sky, Mario 64 offered gamers untold control and freedom. It's endured through the years, enjoyed new life in remasters and still considered by many to be a Top 5 N64 game ever made. But who did the game impact, and more importantly, what are the stories behind the accolades. Beyond the graphics, the sound, and the unprecedented control, we explo...

Come on down to South Park, and meet a crappy game. In the late 90's, South Park was a cultural phenomenon. Annoying kids like me lived off Cartman impersonations, "You Killed Kenny" t-shirts were everywhere, and parents were horrified by this crew of foul mouthed children. And like anything good and awesome, we needed a videogame.  Enter South Park: The Game. A port of the 1998 N64...

How do you follow one of the most popular consoles ever made? If you're Nintendo, take every risk and break every convention. While my memories of the Nintendo 64 are mostly rosy, this 64 bit workhorse brings just as much ire to retro game fans as it does excitement. The controller is strange, the visuals less than crisp, and the games came on carts. But for many of my guests, the N64 brings...

A perennial YouTube punching bag, the reputation of this flawed but oddly ambitious title's been dragged through the mud for decades. But what's the truth? My brother and I scratch the surface on this infamous title and attempt to separate fact from fiction. And talk about Snoop Dog's many contributions to society. My Twitter: @agamerlooksat40 My Facebook: facebook.com/agamerlooksat...

Us old-timey gamers didn't have Amazon, Game Pass, or streaming sites. We had retail stores. Grand playgrounds full of scannable treasures and playable games. And it wasn't just a place to pick up the latest titles. It was a part of social circle. An important element of our growing up experience. On this episode, I chat with Julien from Nerds Without Pants Podcast (@NWPCast) and actor,...

How would you like it if you had an invisible tether between you and your partner as you traversed the dangers of life together? That's the main gameplay conceit of Mickey Mousecapade, a below average action platformer for the NES. Join my brother and I as we chat about the game, the evils of kid's TV, and how the Mouse Ears will eventually enslave us all. Well, maybe not the last bit......

Imagine if you had a full set of your favorite console. Now imagine you had a full set of every console ever made. With a combined 100 years of game collecting experience, Joe Santulli, John Hardie, and Sean Kelly amassed an epic collection of gaming consoles, games, and memorabilia.  When they could have cashed in on our current state of crazy game selling and buying.  they chose another route. I...

After months of interviews and awesome chats, it's time to release the next edition of Side Quests. A collection of bits and bobs from a dozen different conversations that didnt fit the main show, this series is a great way to get to know many voices in a slightly structured way. In this episode, we have PC talk, awesome retro projects and two - count 'em - two people who don't like...

Surprise! Welcome to episode 2 of Tales From the Bargian Bin! A rotating cast of friends discuss the strange titles well meaning family members gave us as presents and decide if they are worth keeping or sending back to the store. And there are non sequiturs galore.  On this episode we discuss Marble Madness. Who would have thought rolling a tiny ball down a series of hazards and narrow slopes wou...

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When Id Software released Doom in 1993, it became a national sensation. It replaced the whimsical characters of Mario and Zelda with demonic creatures. Kids were carrying their PC's to LAN parties, and parents were appalled. But does the game hold up to modern thumbs? I talk to a host of Doom fans about the mechanics, visual style, and looking over both shoulders as you play.  Starring: Adam...

GIVE. PICK UP. TALK TO.  For many gamers, these simple commands were the first steps into the world of interactive storytelling. More than Mario jumping, Mega Man shooting or Zelda's thin narrative, point and click adventures brought playable King Arthur stories and Saturday morning cartoons to kids in an accessible, easy to digest way. It was magic. On this episode of A Gamer Looks at 40, we...

Originally brought into our homes for book reports and digital encyclopedias, a generation of kids cut their gaming teeth on their home PC's. From basics like Solitaire and Ski-Free to heavy hitters like Decent and Doom, the boring grey boxes held a world of electronic wonders to uncover. Join myself and gaggle of gaming pals as we dive into the memories of yesterday regarding our favorite PC...

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On the SNES episode, I opened the show with the real moment I received my Super Nintendo. It was, and continues to be, the greatest gift I've ever received. This is the full, uncut audio of the entire Christmas video with full narration by yours truly. It's steeped in nostalgia and brought back a healthy dose of feels. Hope it does the same for you. Happy Holidays! Support the show

Happy Holidays to all my listener friends! In an attempt to get as many interviews completed as possible before the holidays, November was extremely busy. As a result, I have a brand new batch of people (some you know, some you don't) answering three brand new questions, all of varying degrees of ridiculousness. Three new questions plus nine people answering equals a whole lot of fun. And lis...

Join me and the author/screenwriter of the book/film 8-Bit Christmas , Kevin Jakubowski, as we chat about epic holiday gifts, NES memories, making a movie during a pandemic, and Christmas songs you wouldn't mind hearing all year long. Many thanks to Kevin for taking the time out of his busy schedule for this fun and enlightening conversation. Starring: Kevin Jakubowski (@kevjakubowski on Twit...

This week's continuation of the difficulty in games conversation involves Moses Norton, also known as The Well Red Mage. We discuss difficulty settings, accessibility, should developers include difficulty options, creator intent, and a variety of other topics. Hopefully this capstone to last week's discussion spurs some new ideas and helps temper the negative ones. Starring Moses Norton...

Do you enjoy a good challenge or do you prefer casual experiences? Are you the type of person that pumps the difficulty to the highest settings or do you bump it down due to time constraints? Have you ever bounced off a game because you simply couldn't progress? We've all experienced the effects of a developers decision to provide difficulty options in video games, for good and for ill....