The Retro Breakdown

A holiday tradition continues as Tom and TW play a Home Alone game in December for the fourth year in a row! And somehow they appear to have found the worst and most irredeemable one! Along the way we jump into the debate on what an indie game is, the Sega Master System collection in Like a Dragon Gaiden, and first game ads we remember drawing our teenage attention (or that of our friends) with th...

The biggest problem with Windows 11 is that it does most of the same stuff as Windows 10 but requires extra steps for no discernible reason. Mega Man 3 is super good, why do people talk about 2 so much? Send us mail! theretrobreakdown@gmail.com TW's Discord:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://discord.gg/dTrBruG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast games streamed live at:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ twitch.tv/timewanderer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

A below-average Castlevania game with an above-average soundtrack is today's topic, alongside the absolute celebration of the bizarre, parasocial relationships championed in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. More importantly, Pocket Circuit is not a racing game, ask me anything. TW's Discord:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://discord.gg/dTrBruG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast games streamed li...

Tom and TW have a discussion about artistic perspective and how a pair of thighs shot a franchise to new heights. No, we do not talk about Mega Man's thighs. Like at all. TW's Discord:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://discord.gg/dTrBruG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast games streamed live at:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ twitch.tv/timewanderer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TW on YouTube:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/timewanderer

We're in the midst of a Classic Capcom run as we roll on with Little Nemo this week! Also, what's up with that weird split-screen Nintendo Switch successor prototype? Or Konami not making games? And I promise we'll find something to talk about next week that isn't Fire Emblem. TW's Discord:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://discord.gg/dTrBruG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast games streamed live at:  ⁠...

Sure, we talked about some stuff, but nevermind that, play Sweet Home, this is one of the most fascinating and ambitious games of the 1980s. It's awesome. Here's why. TW's Discord:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://discord.gg/dTrBruG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast games streamed live at:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ twitch.tv/timewanderer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TW on YouTube:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/timewanderer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

The beginning of a long-running series that we reserve the right to bail out from at any point, begins NOW! Also, TW maybe understands a bit better why he dislikes motion controls, Marco's Pizza is just OK, and Roll is just written out of the story, but somehow not out of the ending. TW's Discord:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://discord.gg/dTrBruG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast games streamed live at:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Laura... Laura... Laura... LAURA! TW's Discord:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://discord.gg/dTrBruG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast games streamed live at:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ twitch.tv/timewanderer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TW on YouTube:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/timewanderer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dokapon Kingdom Playthrough:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3rRXZIPewc&list=PLwwyEcb3PjvWNJ3AzeTHy7GiDkQkSdsWB

A new season of Spy x Family has dropped and that sends us into a discussion about the changing ways manga has gotten adapted into anime over the years (spoilers: it's better now). Also, the 6 companies that own everything, more Monster Hunter Now, and Tom asks why he was forced to play this week's podcast game! TW's Discord:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://discord.gg/dTrBruG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast ga...

We're talking One Piece this week! Sort of! Tom is way behind in the manga, and TW watched a couple episodes of it back in 2006 or so, and also the whole thing is much older than we thought. Also, One Punch Man is still awesome. Both of us went into this podcast ready to dump on this game, and question Nintendo for dumping random trash on their service, but ACTUALLY? Super ambitious, really im...

Turns out we both, independently, started playing Monster Hunter Now, the first Niantic game that has made any sense at all since they released Pokemon GO. You can definitely feel the guts of Pokemon GO - Niantic gonna Niantic, after all - but early impressions seem promising! The second Oracle game is complete, and with it comes a discussion on Oracle of Seasons itself, comparisons between the tw...

Dokapon Kingdom continues on a confluence of unusual events that end with hitting what amounts to a 20% critical hit and it's all TW's fault. At this point I don't even know if people care who wins as long as it's somebody. Good. Dokapon is doing its job. Maybe it's over by now. Maybe not. Like Zero Wing, Bad Dudes is best remembered for weird memes and that's for the best....

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 hair bracket, and the best idea for an arcade game that will absolutely never, ever, ever happen. TW's Discord:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://discord.gg/dTrBruG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast games streamed live at:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ twitch.tv/timewanderer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TW on You...

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. Related: The album name is Tubthumper. The song name is Tubthumping. I do not know why. This is like a part 1 of this podcast, as it's impossible to discuss all of Oracle of Ages without having also played Oracle of Seasons, but I haven&#3...

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 conspiracy theory that is factually inaccurate in several ways but still plausible, first thoughts on Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, and a look into a second version of Rollergames (arcade) that is significantly worse than the main one, despite being vi...

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 live at:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠ twitch.tv/timewanderer ⁠⁠⁠⁠ TW on YouTube:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/timewanderer ⁠⁠⁠ Dokapon Kingdom Playthrough:  ⁠⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3rRXZIPewc&list=PLwwyEcb3PjvWNJ3AzeTHy7GiDkQkSdsWB

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 believe I only just now played it. I also can't believe how many other people got paid for reviewing it without playing it at all. TW's Discord:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://discord.gg/dTrBruG ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast games streamed live at:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠ twitch.tv/t...

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 possible way to play Crash Bandicoot. Then it's Growl, a game that explodes like 400 times before you actually start playing it, and is basically average despite us spending almost the whole discussion talking about all the crazy stuff w...

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 out Shuyan Saga and Sky of Tides! Also, the end of the bracket challenge! Also, Kirby is a thing. It's not terrible but its novelty is unfortunately the best thing it has going for it. TW's Discord:  ⁠⁠⁠ https://discord.gg/dT...

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 ⁠⁠ Podcast games streamed live at:  ⁠⁠ twitch.tv/timewanderer ⁠⁠ TW on YouTube:  ⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/timewanderer ⁠ Dokapon Kingdom Playthrough:  ⁠ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3rRXZIPewc&list=PLwwyEcb3PjvWNJ3AzeTHy7GiDkQkS...

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 Future are all on the docket this week! Oh, and intellectual property licensing rights to popular comic book characters. For no real reason. Don't worry about it. TW's Discord:  ⁠ https://discord.gg/dTrBruG ⁠ Podcast games streamed...

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 and subsequently dropped halfway through. Then we talk Game & Watch Gallery, which is like if you had a bunch of Tiger Electronics games but they were actually fun. TW's Discord:  ⁠ https://discord.gg/dTrBruG ⁠ Podcast games stre...

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 T-shirts. Then we try to talk about Pulseman, but end up talking about Pokemon instead, oops. TW's Discord:  ⁠ https://discord.gg/dTrBruG ⁠ Podcast games streamed live at:  ⁠ twitch.tv/timewanderer ⁠ TW on YouTube:  ⁠ https://www.youtube....

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 coffee mug. We also played a McDonald's advertisement this week. Grimace's Birthday is a short, browser-based game that will run on a proper Game Boy Color, and is actually pretty decent for a 10-minute romp and purely transp...

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 independently invented the concept of the Blue Sentinels faction in Diablo 4 PvP. Send us an email to read on the show!  ⁠ theretrobreakdown@gmail.com ⁠ TW's Discord:  ⁠ https://discord.gg/dTrBruG ⁠ Podcast games streamed live at:  ⁠ twi...