Classic Gaming Today: A Retro Gaming Podcast

I feel like we've been here before...and maybe we have, as we discuss the early Macintosh point and click adventure title, Deja Vu!  Learn how the game was made, discover how its creator, ICOM Simulations, got its start in the industry, and listen in as we discuss whether it's still worth your time to dive into the seedy underbelly of a noir styled, point and click detective adventure, even today....

Join me in an adventure into the early days of Mac gaming, as we explore the classic arcade platforming title, Dark Castle!  Learn how the game was made, discover what features made it so revolutionary for the time it was released, and listen in as we discuss whether it's still worth your time to fling stones at a bunch of rats, bats, and gargoyles, even today. Join the discussion on Discord! Want...

Join me on a fantasy epic adventure roleplaying experience, as we tackle the Bioware classic, Baldur's Gate!  Learn how the game, discover why it was such a big deal for Bioware to have the opportunity to use the Dungeons & Dragons license in a computer roleplaying game, and listen in as we discuss whether it's still worth your time to stand ready with Minsc and Boo, even today. Join the discu...

Put on your uniform, holster your gun, and grab your badge, as we discuss the 1987 original police procedure title, Police Quest!  Learn how the game was made, discover why its creator, Jim Walls, brought a unique perspective to adventure game design, and listen in as we discuss whether it's still worth your time to patrol the EGA streets of Lytton to bring criminals to justice, even today. Join t...

For me, music is one of the core components that contributes to the enjoyment, and engagement, of a video game title, and this episode is our latest deep dive into some of the classic soundtracks from those games.  In today's episode, we'll look at a cross-section of games from across the landscape of First Person Shooter titles, as I pick some of my favorite, and most personally significant, trac...

Explore a post-apocalyptic wasteland with me as we discuss the classic computer roleplaying game, Fallout!  Learn about how Interplay as a company evolved over time, discover just how tumultuous the development of the game would end up being, and listen in as we discuss whether it's still worth your time to take some Rad-X and brave the perils of super mutant infested ruins, even today. Join the d...

Happy Holidays everyone! In the spirit of the holidays, I thought it might be fun to "gift" everyone with an episode of the podcast that was previously only available to our Patreon members.  I hope you all enjoy! ------- Original Patreon show notes below: Join me as I recover from an alcohol-fueled self-destructive bender, as we discuss the modern RPG classic, Disco Elysium! Discover how the soci...

I hope you like White Zombie, and off-brand Mortal Kombat wannabes, because today, we're going to look at Way of the Warrior!  Learn how developer Naughty Dog was founded, discover why it seemed like a really good idea to make a tournament fighting title as their first game on the 3DO home console, and listen in as we discuss whether Way of the Warrior is still worth your time to play, even today....

Don't forget to fill out your job application, as we discuss the Sierra puzzle-adventure title, The Castle of Dr. Brain!  Learn how the game was made, discover why Sierra decided to enter the edutainment industry in the first place, and listen in as we discuss whether it's still worth your time to puzzle your way through the eclectic castle of a genius inventor, even today... Join the discussion o...

Danger's like Jell-O, there's always room for more... Join me as we discuss the quintessential full motion video early 90s detective adventure game, Under a Killing Moon!  Learn how the game was made, discover the origins of the Tex Murphy character, and listen in as we discuss whether it's worth your time to put on your trench coat, adjust your fedora, and attempt to prevent an apocalyptic catast...

Before Resident Evil introduced the world to the phrase "survival horror", there was Alone in the Dark!  Learn how the game was made, discover why its influences are still felt throughout the industry, and listen in as we discuss whether this particular jaunt through a haunted mansion is still worth your time, even today... Join the discussion on Discord! Want more Classic Gaming Today?  Sign up a...

If you ever wanted to play the game Mousetrap, or recreate the beginning of Peewee's Big Adventure, but in video game form, then look no further than The Incredible Machine, a physics puzzle title released in 1992!  Learn how the game was made, discover why it's creators had to put it on the shelf for years before it eventually released on the market, and listen in as we discuss whether it's still...

Gotta catch'em all!  Grab your favorite Poke-pal and join me as we discuss the very first Pokemon adventure ever made, Pokemon Red / Blue.  Learn what real-life hobby inspired the creation of the game, discover how the game evolved from an idea into a worldwide, pop cultural phenomenon, and listen in as we discuss whether it's still worth your time to fill out your Pokedex, even today! Join the di...

Grab a few of your closest friends and join me on an 80s inspired adventure as we discuss the Nintendo Entertainment System title, The Goonies II!  Learn how the game was made, discover how...and if...it ties into the popular film from 1985, and listen in as we determine whether "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough", even today... Join the discussion on Discord! Want more Classic Gaming Today?  Sign up as...

For me, music is one of the core components that contributes to the enjoyment, and engagement, of a video game title, and this episode is yet another deep dive into some of the classic soundtracks from those games.  Today's episode, though, is unique, as it is our first Patreon sponsored Sounds of the Classics episode!  Listen in as Wendell Jr (Filmkid on Discord) and I select various songs from t...

Before there was Sonic the Hedgehog, there was Alex Kidd, one of several attempts by Sega to create a mascot to compete with Nintendo's ultra-popular mustachioed plumber, Mario.  Learn how the character of Alex Kidd was conceptualized, discover why the team at Sega believed they had a hit on their hands with the very first Alex Kidd release, and find out whether you should take the time to dust of...

Have you ever wondered what it's like to play a fighting game that eschews nearly every standard fighting game convention?  Well, if so, listen in as we discuss Rise of the Robots!  Learn how the game was made, discover whether its much touted artificial intelligence is truly groundbreaking, and find out how much pain and suffering I went through to deliver this episode to all of you.  This one is...

Join me as we discuss one of the most important adventure games ever created, Sierra On-Line's King's Quest!  Learn how the game was made, discover why Roberta Williams decided to get into game design in the first place, and find out whether the very first King's Quest adventure, in its original form, is still worth your time today. Join the discussion on Discord! Want more Classic Gaming Today? ...

Join me as we look at one of the most infamous games we've ever covered on this podcast, as we tackle the Philips CD-i "classic" Link: The Faces of Evil!  Learn how the game was made, discover why Nintendo allowed one of its famed mascots to appear on what many consider to be a subpar video game console, and find out whether Link: The Faces of Evil is as bad as most of the internet would lead you...

Join me as we discuss one of the most Japanese games to ever be released outside of Japan, the Nintendo 64 platformer, Goemon's Great Adventure (or Mystical Ninja 2 Starring Goemon, depending on where you live).  Learn about the legend of Goemon, discover how that legend was translated into a digital, video game form, and find out whether it's still worth your time to run, jump, and attack your wa...

What do you get when you take a company like Bungie and ask them to develop a martial arts infused, 3D action extravaganza?  If you guessed Oni, you'd be right!  Learn why Bungie came to be, discover how Oni was made, and listen in as we determine whether it's worth your time to punch and kick a bunch of bad guys in the face using fully free-form 3D movement, even today! Join the discussion on Dis...

Grab your nearest mech suit, install a couple of upgradable weapons, and join me as we discuss one of the best titles on the Neo Geo Pocket Color, Biomotor Unitron!  Learn how the game was made, discover why another pop culture fad from the 90s heavily inspired its creation, and find out whether it's still worth your time to attempt to become the Unitron Master of Masters, even today. Join the dis...

It's time to get strategic as we tackle the real-time strategy classic, Command & Conquer!  Learn how the game was made, discover why a sci-fi novel from the 1960s directly contributed to the eventual creation of the game, and listen in as we determine whether it's still worth your time to micromanage a crew of dedicated soldiers on a futuristic battlefield, even today! Join the discussion on...

What do you get when you take some of the most diverse gameplay mechanics to ever exist in an 8-bit title, sprinkle it with some product merchandising wishful thinking, and turn the difficulty up to 11?  The answer to that question is Battletoads, one of the more famous, and some would say infamous, games ever released for the Nintendo Entertainment System.  Learn how the game was made, discover w...

Join me as we celebrate our two year anniversary of the podcast, with a definitive, at least as of today, ranking of our top 10 Pantheon entries from the past year!  It's been a heck of a year, and I've loved making this podcast - I can't wait to see what the future has in store! Join the discussion on Discord! Want more Classic Gaming Today?  Sign up as a patron at Patreon.com/ClassicGamingToday!