Old Game Boys

When last we met, we played Secret Agent Barbie - a game that was strangely nostalgic in spite of never having played it previously. It got ol' Korwin and Steve thinking about other old games we both felt a soft spot for, regardless of their overall quality. Games referenced include... Bad Dudes, Barbie Fairy Tales, Barbie as Princess Bride, Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest, Dragon Quest V: Hand o...

You asked for it, and the Old Game Boys delivered! The overwhelming winner of our second Audience Choice poll was unsurprisingly Secret Agent Barbie! This month, Steve and Korwin doll themselves up and embark on a game of Tactical Barbiespionage Action! Games referenced include... 007: First Light, Adventures with Barbie: Ocean Discovery, Barbie (1983), Barbie (1991), Barbie Beach Vacation, Barbie...

What makes for a compelling narrative in video games? The story? The lived experience? Perhaps a blend of the two? For this week's bonus level, Steve and Korwin take a step back from Half-Life and go full-tilt into a discussion on narrative experiences in video games! Games referenced include... 007 First Light, Assassin’s Creed, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Bioshock, Call of Duty, Caves of Qud, Cyb...

This is the game that put Valve on the map. This is a game that set out to push the envelope on what the first person shooter genre was capable of. This month, take a trip with Steve and Korwin to the perilous halls of Black Mesa as they discuss their time with Gordon Freeman in Half-Life. Next month, the Old Game Boys tackle the game that YOU voted on: Secret Agent Barbie! Games referenced includ...

Killer7 sure was a game we just played, huh? And try as we might, explaining said game still proved to be quite the endeavor. Luckily, there's plenty of other stuff Korwin and Steve have decided to explain to each other. We're talking concepts from Kingdom Hearts, classes from TTRPGs, and all sorts of other head-scratchers from games old and new. Follow us on this magical Mr. Peabody and S...

Get ready for a killer time, everyone. This month, Korwin and Steve play an incredibly stylish game. Before No More Heroes, before Lollipop Chainsaw, before ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN, this is Suda51's Western debut: Killer7. Step into the mind of an assassin--SEVERAL assassins--and let's see some smiles all around! And at the end of the episode, Steve and Korwin reveal the winner of our second A...

They say that life imitates art. Where exactly do games like Persona and The Sims fit into this equation? To what extent can a life simulator actually simulate life, and what does that mean for us as players? That's what the Old Game Boys dive into in this week's bonus level. Give it a listen! Wanna have a say in what Korwin and Steve play next? Now you can vote on Old Game Boys Audience C...

Within the last year, there have been some huge life changes for the Old Game Boys. Korwin got married, Steve became a homeowner. What better game is there to teach our hosts about how to be married or how to be a homeowner than the ultimate software toy: The Sims. From the frightening aspects of the villainous Francis Fiendly to the dysfunctional and legally distinct Simson family, our heroes get...

We're changing things up this movie night! Rather than watch a movie based on an old game, we're watching a movie that inspired not one, but TWO old games! The inspiration behind Remedy's Max Payne and Midway's John Woo Presents... Stranglehold, it's the John Woo Hong Kong heroic bloodshed blockbuster, Hard Boiled! Consider all the video game adaptations and tie-ins to classic films, and what it m...

It's Tequila Time somewhere in the world... and that time is NOW! This week, Steve and Korwin dive head-first (in dazzling slow-motion) into John Woo's hard-boiled Paynelike action game, Stranglehold! All signs point to this being an incredible, authentic John Woo experience. But does it compare to Max Payne? Or is this entry from MIdway just plain mid? Pull up a chair, bring two of your f...

From a night at the movies to Saturday morning, the Old Game Boys have traded the theater for the couch as they watch old video game cartoon tie-ins for your entertainment. Thirteen episodes of the Dragon's Lair cartoon, and Steve and Korwin managed to make their way through... most of it? What hilarity awaits our heroes? How can they possibly endure one of the wildest and silliest adaptations the...

We're Back: An Old Game Boys Story! And this month. we bring you not one, not two, but THREE games in one episode! Don Bluth may be known for his beautiful and emotionally devastating films, but did you know he also worked on a trilogy of arcade games from the 80s and 90s? Games that our hosts found to be devastating for different sorts of reasons. First, Steve and Korwin join Dirk the Daring...

How could one possibly top the incredible cast of characters that made up your party in Chrono Trigger? Easy: by drafting a dream team of our own! In this bonus level, Steve and Korwin pit the best of the best against one another--Fighters, Mages, Thieves, and Healers--in order to assemble the ultimate party of RPG heroes! Games referenced include... Baldur’s Gate 3, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman:...

It's about time. The Old Game Boys kick off Year III with a bonafide JRPG classic: Chrono Trigger. From a dream team of creative minds that brought us Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger is the culmination of classic 16-bit era JRPGs. Could this be the JRPG that teaches Korwin to love? Listen up and find out! Games referenced include... Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean...

Another year of Old Game Boys in the books! You may be wondering how each of the games we've played this year stack up against one another. Not only do we answer that, we also answer how they stack up compared to the games we've played in our first year as well! Forget your Top Tens, it's time for a Top Twenty Four! Games referenced include... Ace Attorney, Age of Empires II, Baldur’s Gate, Baldur...

We've reached the end of another year, but this isn't the end! So, have no fear! You, our listeners, picked this next game! (Thanks for not making us play something lame.) What game could it be for old Korwin and Steve? It's Banjo-Kazooie, if you can believe! A well-known, beloved platforming title for the N64! And we find it most vital for you to hear all about Grunty, their foe! So sit back, rel...

What makes a compelling world in video games? Not even levels to explore or places to see, but all the different facets and angles that go into lovingly crafting a believable world? After sailing the eternal skies of Arcadia, Steve and Korwin put their thinking caps on and dive deep into what makes a world a world worth visiting! Games referenced include... Banjo-Kazooie, Bioshock, Cyberpunk 2077,...

We're closing in on the end of Year Two and the SKIES' the limit! This month, the Old Game Boys play a classic Sega JRPG that is near and dear to Korwin's heart, embarking on a journey across vast uncharted skies, battling air pirates, Imperial forces, and a guy that looks like a weird fusion of Doctor Octopus and Doctor Robotnik. Let's go wherever the wind may take us and talk abo...

The co-op don't stop with Gears of War. Didn't start there, either! So what WAS the start to Steve and Korwin's jolly cooperation, as gamers, friends, and eventual podcast hosts? This is an Old Game Boys loredump episode you won't wanna miss! Come back in two weeks for Skies of Arcadia, plus the WINNER of the Old Game Boys 2025 Audience Choice Game! Games referenced in this episode...

Rev up those chainsaw bayonets, it's time for a game Steve and Korwin are both super excited to cover! We know you may have been expecting Skies of Arcadia (and we will get to it soon!) but you'll want to check this one out! For the first time in Old Game Boys broadcast history, it's a game that Steve and Korwin got to experience cooperatively, all the way through from start to finish!...

Pull up a chair and grab some popcorn, the Old Game Boys are taking you out to the movies! Coming off of our heroic adventures in Dragon Quest inspired us to watch Dragon Quest: Your Story, a (very loose) adaptation of Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride. What we weren't expecting were to feel big feelings of secondhand nostalgia for a game we haven't even played! Find out how by gi...

The Old Game Boys draw near! Command? A second RPG in one year? Now you're just being Erdrick-ulous! This time around, Steve and Korwin revisit Yuji Horii's original role-playing masterpiece: Dragon Quest (aka Dragon Warrior). Much like the slimes, you're all GOO-ing to love this one! Games referenced include... Asteroids, Balatro, Baldur’s Gate 3, Blue Dragon, Chrono Trigger, Donkey K...

When the Old Game Boys played through Myst, they encountered two of the worst (adult) children characters in video game history: Sirrus and Achenar. In plenty of other video games, there have been obnoxious kid characters, but there have also been some fun and endearing ones too! In this bonus level, Steve and Korwin discuss some of their favorite (and not so favorite) kid characters from video ga...

Surely everyone knows what it's like to get lost in a good book. The same holds true for this beloved classic puzzle game by Cyan in 1993: Myst. In this month's level, Steve and Korwin step into the pages written by Atrus and explore a mysterious island with vast and impressive different ages. But does this brainteaser hold up well today? Should our heroes focus on the red pages or the blu...

Metal Gear Solid 3 had Snake vs. Monkey, but the Old Game Boys have Kong vs. Kong. That's right! Bracket tournaments make their triumphant return in this month's bonus level! And man, what a KONG-cept it is! There are plenty of KONG-petitors within this legendary KONG-petition, ready to duke it out with the King of Swing himself. Which of our premier primates, our top-shelf simians, our go...