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Rock Boshers DX: Switch Review
Developed and Published by Tikipod
With the Switch becoming ever more popular day by day its no surprise indie developers are starting to re-release a lot of their work onto the system. Developer Tikipod released Aqua Kitty UDX to Switch earlier this year, a game well suited to Nintendo’s hybrid handheld. Now it’s time for Rock Boshers DX to gets turn in the Switch spotlight. Both myself and Fred reviewed Rock Boshers for PS4 and PS vita and after reading the reviews again I feel everything is still relevant to how I feel about the game today. That review can be found here.
Aqua Kitty minigame
Rock Boshers DX is a love letter to the micro computer days of video games. A time where several video games were developed – some in bedrooms apparently – it was a time where you would see all sorts of crazy game ideas but as the years progressed and consoles became more popular video games became more focused and everyone decided Zelda was the best game ever, the end. Okay, that’s not exactly what happened, but Rock Boshers DX also likes to play with history. You play as Young Victoria in a steam punk future set in 1880. Victoria finds a nice hat that disguises her then decides to head to Mars. After being forced to work in the mines and “bosh” some rocks, your goal is to escape and find a way home and possibly bump into Charles Darwin a few times as you do. The story is just brilliant and your curiosity to what will happen next will carry you through the games 24 stages. Once you’ve finished with the story you also have four arcade style games to enjoy which are unlocked by collecting tea, scone and cheese collectibles in the main game. Not sure I know any other game that uses this as a collectible.
Lost Treasures of Gaming: Smash TV
There was no episode of Lost Treasures of Gaming, but that never stops Syd from talking about another classic on the OMG! Hour. This week was a treat that I loved back when I was playing in the arcades, Smash TV. A twin stick shooter with ultra violence in a futuristic gameshow, this Robotron 2084 inspired title was a blast. Not only that, but thanks to how I captured the game we have interview footage with Midway developers Eugene Jarvis and Mark Turmell.
Check out the Lost Treasures of Gaming podcast at http://www.omgnexus.com.
Smash TV Review
Platform: Arcade, microcomputers, NES, Master System, Game Gear, SNES, Genesis/Mega Drive, Xbox/Gamecube/PS2/PSP (part of Midway Treasures)
Released: 1990
Developer: Williams
Publisher: Williams/Midway
Digital Release? Yes, it had a digital release on XBLA (360) but was delisted in Feb. 2010
These days there is a good chance any gamer is familiar with the “twin stick shooter”, a concept where you move with the left stick and shoot with the right. Back in 1982 when fantastic game designer Eugene Jarvis premiered the concept in Robotron: 2084, it was unlike anything we had ever seen. The merits of that game, and what it brought to video games, cannot be denied and if you want an idea of how Robotron played you need look no further than recent neo-retro release Rock Boshers Dx. It wasn’t until almost a decade later, in 1990’s fantastic Smash TV, that Jarvis along with a talented team at Williams created one of the most addicting arcade games from my youth. Set in the year 1999 – oh how we thought so much was going to change with the year 2000 back then – Smash TV has you and potentially one other person shooting it out in a room-to-room TV studio playing the most violent game show of all time (Running Man anyone?). It takes the building blocks of Robotron: 2084 and brings it into the nineties by giving you a second player, having you kill tons of humans instead of rescue them like in Robotron, and of course you’re doing it all for cash prizes to selfishly grow your wealth. I loved it then and I love it now.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number Review
The original Hotline Miami is still a massive indie hit that has a colourful over the top retro look to it with a fantastic soundtrack to accompany it. The goal of each level was simple: kill every enemy on screen by any means necessary. Although that comes across as a very basic concept the game is very difficult and you will find yourself restarting constantly until you finally figure out the magical formula to dispatch all the bad guys in the level. I was hooked to this game instantly when I first played it, and was pretty excited to hear a sequel was on the way.
Hotline Miami Review
Getting that “retro feel” in modern games is a particular challenge that few actually nail. Sometimes the aesthetics are spot on, but at the expense of gameplay, which can feel sluggish or imprecise and the developer often sites authenticity for retro consoles or some other excuse. Many times the soundtrack is fantastic but it’s the only notable aspect of the game. By process of elimination there are those titles that get the gameplay down but at the expense of aesthetics and story a la Retro City Rampage. That’s why Hotline Miami seems such an achievement because it looks like a 16-bit top-down game, plays like a twin stick shooter from the 90s (Smash TV anyone?), and manages to pull off the unreliable narrator concept that usually falls flat. On top of that, it has a fantastic soundtrack that Dennis Wedin composed for the game and stands as the first thing you experience upon booting it up and the most notable part of the experience. All the elements are there and the result is an unforgetable title from start to finish.
Rock Boshers DX Director’s Cut Review
Jam’s Take
With the ever increasing improvements to video games – top of the range PCs with graphics cards that are able to show realism that get closer and closer to the real thing – as a gamer you really start to question how games could get any better. Then comes along a game called Rock Boshers that shows us that the evolution in gaming of not necessarily going forward, but backwards.
Rock Boshers is very much a love letter to the ZX Spectrum gaming days. The game happily advertises that it pulls from a palette of just 15 colours and even mimics the music the old micro computers from the eighties was capable of. Rock Boshers is not the first game to give love to the old microcomputer, the ZX Spectrum still gets a lot of love to this day with homebrew games being regularly released (Retro Gamer magazine which is a popular read in the UK, discusses popular homebrew released every month). Rock Boshers is one of the few ZX Spectrum inspired games as far as I am aware that has made it to Steam and even the PS4 and PSVita (the latter being the version I’ve reviewed).
Bangai-O (Treasure)
Up to this point, we’ve had a relatively small number of shmups that don’t fit into a simple criteria: either vertical or horizontal raster arcade shmups. Sure there was some discussion about on-rails titles with Silpheed and even the mention of old school vector graphics in our introductory shmup article, but there are some games technically called shmups that fit a different category. These are games where you control a single character or duo and battle large numbers of enemies in rudimentary level designs. The actual size and shape of the level is irrelevant, the point is that you are getting bombarded on all sides and must survive against a mass of trigger-happy enemies. From a certain perspective, this is considered a shmup and I definitely agree with that sentiment.
It’s important to note that the title originally started as a remake of Hover Attack, a Sharp X1 type-in game from 1983. For those not familiar, a “type-in” game was a program you purchased in book form for a few dollars, you would type in the (often times) hundreds of lines of code. Usually the program didn’t run the first time, various syntax errors would claim responsibility, and it was always because of a single character issue on literally thousands of lines of code. This was before floppy disks, it was a different time. Anyway, Hover Attack was a game that allowed a ship or and carrier to move in all different directions and fire independent of its movement. It was one of the first games to do so and for comparison is a very basic version of a twin stick shooter. This is why the game/level design seems a bit dated for a game that released in 1999 at the end of the N64’s life. It eventually became its own property and remains a unique independent title, although certain concepts like the streaking of bullet patterns remain from Hover Attack.
Iron Crypticle Review
Tikipod continues its quest to release all of it’s games to the Switch and I’m sure my whinging at the developer on the internet for a full year had everything to do with it. Iron Crypticle is next up for players and once again Tikipod has knocked it out of the park, or maybe the crypt in this case.
Set in the land of Cryptonia, the royal treasure consisting of giant golden fruits, vegetables, and the princess have been taken, leaving a large gaping hole in the floor. It’s up to the lazy kings guard (who sort of let this happen in the first place) to jump down the hole and save the day. Iron Crypticle doesn’t take itself too seriously and you will undoubtedly chuckle at various moments including the merchant cat and the games final ending, which of course I won’t spoil here. I highly recommend you check out the “ledger” which is a sort of codex of all the items you collect in the game where the developer has taken the time to give a humorous description for practically everything you see (there may also be an achievement in it for you if you make the effort).
Iron Crypticle is a top down twin stick arcade shooter with roguelike elements that takes influences from a few old arcade favourites including Ghouls’N Ghosts, Smash TV, and even Bubble Bobble.
Video Series: Neo-Retro Episode 1 – Kite (PC, 1080p60)
For our new series, Neo-Retro where I examine modern releases that look at feel retro. Today we are looking at the new action shooter from Lab Cat Games, Kite. A review code was provided for the purposes of this video, however selection of the games featured in Neo-Retro are at my sole discretion. Captured on a PC with an i5 4690K, GTX 1070, and 16 GB of RAM running Windows 10 64-bit OS (which is far more than this game requires). For a full transcript (ie: written review) of this video, please click “read more” below.
Wish to request a game to be featured on Neo-Retro? Contact us: contact@gaminghistory101.com
Podcast Archive
The Gaming History 101 podcast feed covers all episodes ever posted for any podcast. Want to see specific shows on your podcast reader? Check out our feeds page. This archive compiles every single episode, by year, in reverse chronological order for either downloading or listening to in browser. Clicking on a guest’s link will show you all episodes with that guest.
This is the archive for the Gaming History 101 podcast, but we have others:
- Looking for Gaming History X episodes? Click here.
- Looking for Tech 101 episodes? Click here.
- Looking for Co-Operative episodes? Click here.
- Looking for Horror 101 episodes? Click here.
- Looking for Storytelling episodes? Click here.
2012 (Season 1)
- Episode 1: Shmups Podcast (guest Derek from Playground podcast) – We talk about our favorite genre.
- Episode 2: The Final Countdown, Part 1 (guest Colm from T4 and Trees from EZMU) – We dissect G4’s Top 100 games, this is 100-60.
- Episode 3: Emulation – Breaking The Law (guest Derek) – We talk about emulation’s highs and lows.
- Episode 4: The Final Countdown, Part 2 (guest Trees) – G4’s Top 100 continued, games 59-40.
- Episode 5: The Final Countdown, Part 3 (guest Trees and Jacob from Gameranx) – G4’s Top 100 continued, games 39-10.
- Episode 6: Birth of the Playstation (no guest, Fred solo) – The origins of the Playstation, including the controversy surrounding Nintendo.
- Episode 7: The Final Countdown, Part 4 (guest Trees) – G4’s Top 100 continued, the final 9 and games that should be on the list.
- Episode 8: History of Survival Horror (no guest, Fred solo) – Where survival horror most likely began and how it evolved.
- Episode 9: Resident Evil Bonus Cast (no guest, Fred solo) – Technically episode 8a, this is a brief look at the entire Resident Evil series in 50 minutes.
- Episode 10: Happy Birthday to the 3DO (guest Shawn from Knuckleballer) – 3DO turns 19 and we celebrate its origins, launch, and library.
- Episode 11: NES Business Practices (no guest, Fred solo) – Nintendo did some crazy things to secure success of the NES in the US.
- Episode 12: Neo Retro Revolution (guest Derek) – Newer games programmed like older games in this new indie craze.
- Episode 13: (Re)Visiting Silent Hill 2 (no guest, Fred solo) – The first ever game club and Fred does…a good enough job.
- Episode 14: Obscure Survival Horror (no guest, Fred solo) – Looking at Overblood, Enemy Zero, ObsCure, and Rule of Rose.
- Episode 15: Project Revolution? (guest Trees) – The Wii is officially dead and we bury it with a eulogy.
- Episode 16: Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse Game Club (guest Trees)
- Episode 17: Call of Duty: Combat Evolved (no guest, Fred solo) – Find out the origins of both the Call of Duty and Halo franchises.
- Episode 18: It’s All About Making That GTA (guest Jamie from Vault Reviews) – Love and appreciation abound for the Grand Theft Auto series.
- Episode 19: 4 White Buttons and 2 Joysticks (no guest, Fred solo) – Neo Geo was a unique console arcade hybrid that was best known for its fighters.
- Episode 20: Tis the Season (guest Trees and Shawn) – Covers Xmas US releases for 1985-1989.
Season 1 Bundle Download (includes Episodes 1-11 and 13-20) – Size: 942 MB
2013 (Season 2)
- Episode 21: 2013 on the 5s and 10s (no guest, Fred solo) – Gaming milestones for the 5 and 10 year intervals.
- Episode 22: Chrono Trigger Game Club (no guest, Fred solo)
- Episode 23: Welcome to the Video Zone (guest Trees) – Game shows and cartoons based on video games.
- Episode 24: Ultimate Play The Game (guest Trees) – Sharing our love for developer Rare, its origins, and development library.
- Episode 25: Do The Math (guest Trees and Derrick H of All Games)
- Episode 26: Crash Bandicoot Game Club (guest Trees)
- Episode 27: Snake? Snake! Snaaake! (guest Trees) – Metal Gear/Metal Gear Solid franchise
- Episode 28: 1 Coin = 1 Credit (guest Trees) – Appreciation for the world of arcade gaming.
- Episode 29: Video Game Capital of the Universe (Matt from VGO) – All about the world of high scores and Twin Galaxies.
- Episode 30: Ico Game Club (Chip from The B-Team)
- Episode 31: The Treasure Box (guest Trees) – Treasure is a notable developer and we cover its titles and origin.
- Episode 32: Luck O’ the Irish: Special Edition (guest Trees) – Irish video games and special edition console variants.
- Episode 33: Asinine Accessories (guest Trees and Chip) – Some accessories just shouldn’t exist.
- Episode 34: Salamander/Life Force Game Club (no guest, Fred solo)
- Episode 35: There is No Try (guest Trees and Derrick H) – The legacy of LucasArts internal development titles.
- Episode 36: It’s-a Me! (guest Eli from Knuckleballer Radio) – Discussion of Mario, his cultural significance, and back end development stories.
- Episode 37: DC Bullet (guest Trees) – Games based on DC Comics.
- Episode 38: Found in Translation (no guest, Fred solo) – The strength and appreciation of the fan translation.
- Episode 39: It’s Pronounced La-Ra (guest Trees) – The Tomb Raider series.
- Episode 40: Top Scores (no guest, Fred solo) – Fred’s favorite video game music.
- Episode 41: 9/9/99 (guest Trees) – Remembering the launch of the Dreamcast and the games that accompanied it.
- Episode 42: Adventures of Link (guest Eli) – Exploration of the Legend of Zelda franchise.
- Episode 43: E3 Revisited (guest Trees and Chip) – Origins and history of the Electronic Entertainment Expo and the reveals of 1995-1999.
- Episode 44: Street Fighter x Tekken (guest Obi from Twitter) – History of both the Street Fighter and Tekken franchises.
- Episode 45: Xboned: Microsoft Market Perception (no guest, Fred solo) – Perspective on the announcement of the Xbox One and how it was mismanaged by Microsoft.
- Episode 46: A Night at the Movies (no guest, Fred solo) – Movie licensed games.
- Episode 47: Blast Processing: The Story of Sonic (Part 1) (guests Andy and Ali from 42 Level One) – Sonic the Hedgehog’s origins and 8-bit/16-bit adventures.
- Episode 48: Hey Everybody It’s Tuesday! (guest Trees) – Ryan Davis sadly passed during this week and we honor the co-founder of Giant Bomb.
- Episode 49: X-Treme: The Story of Sonic (Part 2) (guests Andy and Ali) – The story of Sonic Xtreme and the legacy of early 3D attempts at Sonic.
- Episode 50: Gaming History X Speed Round (guest Trees, Eli, Chip, and Shawn) – Round table discussions of past and present game design.
- Episode 51: NADC: Not Another Doom Clone (no guest, Fred solo) – Before there was FPS, there was Doom and all games in this genre were aptly named “doom clones.”
- Episode 52: Me Money Bin (guest Trees) – Capcom’s 8-bit and 16-bit Disney licensed games.
- Episode 53: Are You One of Us? (no guest, Fred solo) – Legacy of the Turbografx-16 in America.
- Episode 54: Bring the Action Home (guest Shawn, Andy, and Derrick H) – Action figures from the 70s, 80s, and 90s.
- Episode 55: Legends of Rayman (guest Chip) – Discussion of the initial trilogy of Rayman games as well as the series origins.
- Episode 56: CIB – Complete in Box (guest Chip and Derrick H) – How games used to come packaged and why CIB is so coveted.
- Episode 57: Heed the Call of the Creed (guest Chip and Ali) – Origins and legacy of the Assassins Creed series. The posted episode is only Chip as the guest due to an ep that lost sync with Ali, however that version of the show is also available for play and download.
- Episode 58: The Life of Hiroshi Yamauchi (no guest, Fred solo) – With the loss of the “father” of Nintendo, we remember his life and accomplishments.
- Episode 59: Ready (Blinking Cursor) (guest Dana and listener Xenocore) – An entire show dedicated to the love of the Commodore 64.
- Episode 60: Square’s Swan Song (guest Eli) – Development and discussions of Final Fantasy I-VI.
- Episode 61: Devil’s Castle Dracula (guest Allen) – Fred and a listener dig into a perfect October subject: the Castlevania series.
- Episode 62: Gaming History X: Steam Machines (guest Ben from Platform Junkies) – At the time of recording, Steam machines were seen with hope but Fred and Ben were skeptical and actually dissected the reasons why they were doomed to fail.
- Episode 63: Silent Evil (guest Allen and the premiere of Jamalais) – Convergence and comparison of the Resident Evil and Silent Hill initial titles.
- Episode 64: Generation in Review (guest Fortengard and Isaiah from Party Chat) – A reflection on the seventh generation of consoles (2005-2013).
- Episode 65: Playstation 3 Retrospective (guest Andy and Matt)
- Episode 66: Xbox 360 Retrospective (guest Normii from Knuckleballer and Esgee from R9 Cast)
- Episode 67: Blue Stinger Game Club (guest Trees)
- Episode 68: You Are Go For Launch (guest Chip) – What makes a successful console launch?
- Episode 69: Rock Man of Doom (no guest, Fred solo) – Two-part episode over the development of the original Doom and the Mega Man series.
- Episode 70: Mixed Messages (guest Bob Knorp from The Bean Cast) – We bring in an advertising/marketing guru to discuss video game marketing old and new.
- Episode 71: Twas the Night Before Xmas Part 2 (guest Trees, Shawn, Yogi from Horseplay Live) – Christmas releases from 1991-1996
Season 2 Bundle Download (Eps. 21-49, 51-71, includes both versions of ep 57) Size: 2.12 GB
2014 (Season 3)
- Episode 72: Final Fantasy VI Game Club (guest Eli) – Also known as Final Fantasy III on the SNES in North America/Europe.
- Episode 73: 2014 on the 5s and 10s (guest Andy) – Important gaming dates going back in 5 year increments.
- Episode 74: Excelsior! (guest Chip and Andy) – Retro Marvel games.
- Episode 75: Big Boss Man (guest Fortengard and Xenocore) – Boss battles
- Episode 76: Guardian Heroes Game Club (guest Jamalais and Yogi)
- Episode 77: Taito Legends (guest Jamalais) – Taito’s arcade classics
- Episode 78: Heroes in a Half Shell (guest Jamalais) – All about games starring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Episode 79: Nom Nom Nom (guest Trees and Jamalais) – Games with food in them. Note: This is the first episode to feature NeoJake’s GH101 theme song.
- Episode 80: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Xbox) Game Club (guest Jamalais)
***Starting in Episode 81 Jamalais becomes a permanent Co-Host and therefore is no longer tagged as a guest. Guests are only mentioned if present.***
- Episode 81: Gaming History X: This is Next Gen? – Discussion about the recently released 8th generation of consoles (WiiU/PS4/XB1)
- Episode 82: One Disc to Rule Them All – Anniversary of the compact disc or CD. We discuss the creation, utilization, and of course gaming use of the technology.
- Episode 83: Edited For Content (guest Derrick H) – Discussion of games that have been banned, censored, and edited in countries worldwide.
- Episode 84: Shmup Game Club (guest Jason) – Giga Wing 2, Velocity (Ultra), Radiant Silvergun, Power-Up!, and Sine Mora.
- Extra Credit Episode 1: Last Best (Fred Solo) – Powerhouse games from the end of console generations.
- Episode 85: Finding an Analogue – The timeline from toys to VHS video games to CD-based full motion video (FMV) titles.
- Episode 86: Project Mercury (guest Jason and Mark from Retro Game Geeks) – All about the Sega Game Gear and our favorite games on it.
- Episode 87: It’s Pronounced Zed (guest Mark) – All about microcomputers, specifically the BBC Micro, ZX Spectrum, and Amstrad CPC.
- Extra Credit Episode 2: MicroSoft eXtended (Fred solo) – History and release schedule of the MSX microcomputer.
- Episode 88: Final Fantasy in 3D (guest Fortengard and Andy) – Discussion of Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX.
- Episode 89: Super Metroid Game Club
- Episode 90: Famiclone Polystation – The underground world of clone consoles. Note: Currently there’s no place to find the podcast mentioned, Pixelated Pints.
- Episode 91: Castleroid? – What is a MetroidVania title and where did they come from?
- Episode 92: Storytelling – Our picks of the most influential titles featuring storytelling and plot.
- Episode 93: Yakuza Game Club
- Episode 94: Gaming History X: E3 Hype Train (guest Heffe from Pixelated Pints) – Analysis of the press conferences of E3 2014.
- Episode 95: Unlicensed Cancellation – Unlicensed and canceled games.
- Episode 96: Data Easy Meets West – Data East and Data West (yes, it existed) titles
- Episode 97: Dino Crisis 1 & 2 Game Club
- Episode 98: GBA Forever – All about the Gameboy Advance, its development, and of course the libaray.
- Episode 99: Silent Evil 2: Resident Hill – Deeper dive into Silent Hill 2 and Resident Evil 2
- Episode 100: Episode 100 Spectacular – Celebrating 100 episodes with top 5 lists, listener call-ins, guests, giveaways, and tons of talk about games from “back in the day”.
- Episode 101: Shadow of Rome Game Club (guest Trees)
- Episode 102: Final Fantasy X, X-2, and XII? (guest Andy and Eli) – Delving into the Playstation 2 single player consoles.
- Episode 103: Genesis Does (guest Derrick H) – The Sega Genesis/Mega Drive turns 25 and we celebrate it.
- Episode 104: What Did You Expect? (guest Fortengard) – Movies based on video games
- Episode 105: Would You Kindly (Bioshock Game Club)
- Episode 106: Sega Hits the Third Mark – Keeping with our Sega theme we discuss the Sega Master System
- Episode 107: Now You’re Playing With Power – Jumping 8-bit consoles to Nintendo’s side to discuss the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
- Episode 108: It Is What It Is – The mostly unfortunate circumstance when video games make the worldwide news.
- Episode 109: Silent 3vil: No Escape (guest Vos) – We’re back at it to discuss Resident Evil 3 and Silent Hill 3.
- Extra Credit Episode 3: Silent Hill 3 Revisited (guest Vos) – A return to Silent Hill 3 from our Silent 3vil episode to discuss our personal feelings on the topic.
- Episode 110: Ghouls, Ghosts, ‘N Goblins – Capcom’s Ghosts’N Goblins (or Makaimura) series.
- Episode 111: I Have No Mouse and I Must Scream (guest Kole Ross from Watch Out For Fireballs) – Point-and-click horror games.
- Episode 112: Zombies Ate My Podcast – Funny horror games.
- Episode 113: Crimson Butterfly (Fatal Frame II/Project Zero 2 Game Club)
- Episode 114: Ripto: Trilogy of the Dragon – Insomniac’s Spyro the Dragon trilogy on Playstation 1.
- Episode 115: Ah Ah Ahhhhh – Bungie developed Halo games.
- Episode 116: Releasing Vaporware – Vaporware discussion about games that got stuck in development hell.
- Episode 117: Top Scores, Volume 2 – Fred and Jam play their favorite video game tracks in our second beloved compilation.
- Episode 118: U R Not [RED] e (guest Andy) – Sony Playstation turns 20 and we talk the launch and library.
- Episode 119: Test Your Might – 1990s fighting games that aren’t Street Fighter or Tekken (because we already did that show).
- Episode 120: Ready, Aim, Fire! – Light gun shooters
- Episode 121: Twas the Night Before Xmas Part 3 – Christmas releases 1994-1997. There was a great live episode with guests, but it was sadly lost.
- Episode 122: Secret of Mana Game Club
- Extra Credit Episode 4: 2014’s Game Clubs – A Year in Review (Jam solo)
Season 3 Bundle Download (Eps. 72-122 and Extra Credit 1-4) Size: 2.37 GB
2015 (Season 4)
- Episode 123: Tabletops and D20s (guest Gary Butterfield from Watch Out For Fireballs) – Games based on tabletop.
- Episode 124: On the Aughts – Gaming milestones each half decade starting with 1950.
- Extra Credit Episode 5: The Story of Tetris (Fred solo)
- Episode 125: Big Boss Man Part 2 (guest Fortengard) – We return to discuss notable boss battles in a sequel to episode 75.
- Extra Credit Episode 6: The Pages of Myst (Fred solo)
- Episode 126: Who Hasn’t Pirated? Come On – Piracy and the many gray areas surrounding it.
- Extra Credit Episode 7: The Legacy of Shinobi (Fred solo)
- Episode 127: Being So Difficult – Games that are notoriously hard for us.
- Episode 128: Beloved Games That Suck
- Episode 129: Did You Hear The One… – Gaming urban legends
- Episode 130: Snatcher and Policenauts Game Club
- Episode 131: Jukebox Hero – Harmonix and its rock rhythm games including Guitar Hero
- Episode 132: Mario’s Side Gig – The spin-off franchises of Super Mario
- Episode 133: Arcade Memories – Memories of our favorite arcades (the location, not games) from the past.
- Episode 134: Code Room X (guest Vos) – The Silent Evil series continues with Silent Hill 4: The Room and Resident Evil Code Veronica (X)
- Episode 135: Alien Trilogy and Die Hard Trilogy Game Clubs
- Extra Credit Episode 8: Top 10 Genesis/Mega Drive Games
- Episode 136: Easter Eggs – Favorite gaming Easter Eggs
- Extra Credit Episode 9: 80s and 90s Gaming Magazines (guest Ken “Sushi-X” Williams and “Trickman Terry” Minnich) – Midwest Gaming Classic 2015 Panel
- Episode 138: It’s On Like Donkey Kong – All about games starring Donkey Kong.
- Episode 139: Nintendo’s Double Ds – About the short lived N64 add-on only found in Japan, the Nintendo 64 DD.
- Extra Credit Episode 10: Bust-A-Move 2 (Jam with guest Me10Dee)
- Episode 140: Rocket Knight Adventures Game Club
- Episode 141: In Games, No One Can Hear You Scream – Games based on the Alien license.
- Extra Credit Episode 11: Play Blackpool 2015 (Jam with guest Me10Dee)
- Episode 142: The Legacy of Konami – Konami is one of the oldest and more beloved Japanese developers, so when it started to dissolve we had to appreciate it.
- Extra Credit Episode 12: Top 10 Nintendo 64 Games
- Extra Credit Episode 13: Community Top 10 Nintendo 64 Games (Fred solo)
- Episode 143: Saturnday – The Saturn turns 20 and we discuss it’s distinct launches and legacies in both the US and Japan.
- Episode 144: Length Matters – Our hosts discuss the games they spent countless hours with.
- Episode 145: Majora’s Mask Game Club (Part 1)
- Episode 146: Majora’s Mask Game Club (Part 2)
- Extra Credit Episode 14: Fallout 4 and the Video Game Hall of Fame (guest Me10Dee)
- Episode 147: Evolution of the Controller
- Extra Credit Episode 15: Top 10 Playstation Portable (PSP) Games
- Extra Credit Episode 16: Community Top 10 PSP Games (Fred solo)
- Episode 148: Legacy of Mutiplayer
- E3 2015: All Games Pre-Show (guest Andy)
- E3 2015: Sony and Ubisoft Press Conference Impressions (guest Esgee, Sworen, Andy, and Chip)
- E3 2015: Extra Credit Episode 17: Retro At E3
- Episode 149: Parasite Eve Game Club
- Extra Credit Episode 18: Top 10 Xbox Games
- Extra Credit Episode 19: Community Top 10 Xbox Games (Fred solo)
- Episode 150: Survival of the Fiercest – We’ve tackled Alien games and Predator games, now it’s time to leap into Alien vs. Predator games.
- Extra Credit Episode 20: SNES Playstation Found (Fred solo)
- Episode 151: Silent Evil Gaiden (guest Vos) – All about the spin-off games in the Resident Evil and Silent Hill franchises.
- Extra Credit Episode 21: Remembering Satoru Iwata (Fred solo)
- Episode 152: Brick and Mortar – Discussion regarding independent game shops.
- Episode 153: Equal (guest Vos) – An important discussion about the presence of LGBTQ characters in gaming.
- Episode 154: Alpha Protocol Game Club (guest Chip)
- Episode 155: Assault of the B-Tier Games – Yep, an episode about B-Tier games.
- Extra Credit Episode 22: Comicon (Jam with guest Me10Dee) – Get the UK version of Comicon 2015.
- Episode 156: We’re Nothing Without You! – Dedicated to the Western localization giant Working Designs and its legacy.
- Extra Credit Episode 23: Sega CD/Mega CD Top 10 Games
- Extra Credit Episode 24: Community Sega CD/Mega CD Top 10 Games (Fred solo)
- Episode 157: Emergence Day – Gears of War series
- Extra Credit Episode 25: From MSX to MGS – The Evolution of Metal Gear
- Episode 158: Metal Gear Solid 3 Game Club
- Episode 159: Top Scores Volume 3 – Our third year of favorite video game soundtracks.
- Episode 160: Radiant Level Editors – Sometimes a game is great because of community creations thanks to these level editors.
- Episode 161: Collections for the Ages – Game collections and the art of the “all-in-one” package.
- Episode 162: Sega Arcade Classics (Part 1) – Chronological history of Sega arcade titles. Part 1 ends at the Sega 16 (mid 80s) hardware.
- Episode 163: Clock Tower (The First Fear) Game Club
- Episode 164: Exotic Appreciation (guest Trees, no Jam) – The history of exotic dancers in video games. No, really.
- Episode 165: Hee-Ho! Atlus Games – History and developments of Japan focused developer Atlus.
- Episode 166: Zombies! – A history of zombies in video games that is not quite as predictable as it seems.
- Episode 167: Scared Stupid – The video games that scare the crap out of us.
- Episode 168: Condemned Criminal Origins Game Club
- Episode 169: Sega Arcade Classics (Part 2) – All about the Sega’s most popular arcade hardware: System 16.
- Episode 170: Press Button to Kick (guest Andy) – A history of Bethesda’s developed games.
- Episode 171: A Long Time Ago… – Part 1 of our 2-part retrospective on Star Wars games.
- Episode 172: In a Galaxy Far, Far Away – A much larger part 2 discusses the 3D Star Wars titles.
- Extra Credit 27: Battlefront (Jam solo) – All about the Battlefront series.
- Episode 173: Short but Sweet – Appreciation for the many games that don’t take long to beat.
- Episode 174: Avalanche Rainbow – Analysis of developer Avalanche’s titles and the Rainbow Six series.
- Episode 175: Silent Hill Zero (guest Vos) – Resident Evil 0 and Silent Hill Origins.
- Episode 176: Tomb Raider Game Club – Both the original Tomb Raider by Core and Anniversary remake by Crystal Dynamics.
- Episode 177: The Phantom Podcast – The dreaded Star Wars prequels actually gave birth to some decent games.
- Extra Credit 29: Knights of the Old Republic (Fred solo) – Coverage of the concept and two titles of KOTOR.
- Episode 178: Twas the Night Before Xmas, Part 4 (guest Fortengard) – Holiday releases of 1988 and 1989 (there are a lot).
- Extra Credit 30: End of 2015 – Modern gaming take, retro game news, and community feedback.
- Episode 179: 2016 on the 5s and 10s – History of games with each decade ending in 1 or 6.
Season 4 Bundle Download (Eps. 123-179 and Extra Credit 5-30)
2016 (Season 5)
- Episode 180: Jade Empire Game Club
- Episode 181: Play It Loud! – The creation and library of the Game Boy, including our favorites.
- Episode 182: …Shepard… (guest Me10Dee)- Dissection of the Mass Effect universe and trilogy of games.
- Episode 183: What’s Your Favorite? (guest Trees, no Jam) – We ask the community about their favorite games.
- Episode 184: Don’t Call It a Comeback (guest Andy, no Fred) – Game franchises that need to return.
- Episode 185: Genre Study of Platformers (Part 1) – Evolution of the Platformer genre. Part 1 includes 1978-1990.
- Episode 186: The Keyboard is the Computer (guest Eric of Everyday Gamers, no Jam) – History of the Commodore 64 and favorite titles.
- Extra Credit Episode 31: Interview with Heidi – An interview with a massive collector and the creator of retro-video-gaming.com.
- Episode 187: Genre Study of Platformers (Part 2) – In this wrap-up we discuss 3D platformers and the challenges they present.
- Episode 188: Introducing the Homer! – What exactly the Coleco Chameleon is and why it’s so vile in the eyes of retro enthusiasts.
- Episode 189: Agent 47 – An introduction to the Hitman series.
- Episode 190: What the Shmup – History of the shoot-em-up, its evolution, and of course some of our favorites.
- Episode 191: Gamecube Top 10 Games – Yeah, not an extra credit, rough month.
- Extra Credit Episode 32: Community Top 10 Gamecube Games
- Episode 192: Virtual Remedy – History of Virtual Reality and all about developer Remedy Entertainment.
- Episode 193: Frankenconsole – Retrospective on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive add-ons Sega CD (Mega CD) and 32X.
- Episode 194: PvP or PvE? Online Gaming (Part 1) – Covers 1960s-mid 1980s.
- Episode 195: Web Browser Included, Online Gaming (Part 2) – 1980s to last generation.
- Episode 196: Old Console, New Hardware (Part 1) – Chronological guide to tweaking retro consoles for the modern age.
- Episode 197: Old Console, New Hardware (Part 2)
- Episode 198: That’s Not How It Happened – Retrospective on Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia franchise.
- Episode 199: Bringin’ It Back – Reboots (Part 1) – What a reboot is and how to go about making one.
- Episode 200: Bringin’ It Back – Reboots (Part 2) – Listener feedback and the gaming reboot burst from 2007-2010.
- Episodes 201 and 202 are E3 Gaming History X shows.
- Episode 203: Emulation Version 2.0 – An updated take on emulation and what modern emulators work best in 2016.
- Episode 204: Playstation Top 10 Games – The community feedback was so great that we had to do that Top 10 as its own show.
- Episode 205: The Tales of Lord British (guest Fortengard, no Jam) – Retrospective of the Ultima franchise.
- Episode 206: I Got Nothing or New Beginnings – GH101 has to do a format change because we’re running dry on topics. Now Game Club focused.
- Extra Credit Episode 33: Sonic Boom’s 25th Anniversary Edition R Dash (guest Ali and Andy) – All about the Sonic 25th Anniversary live stream.
- Episode 207: Nier Game Club (guest Fortengard)
- Episode 208: Community Playstation 2 Top 10 and Mailbag
- Episode 209: Psychic World (Psycho World) Game Club
- Episode 210: Kingdom Hearts Game Club, Part 1
- Episode 211: Super Power – We celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Super Nintendo (SNES) by discussing its release, hardware, and library.
- Episode 212: Kingdom Hearts Game Club, Part 2
- Episode 213: Top Scores, Volume 4 – Our 4th annual round of video game music celebration.
- Episode 214: Astyanax Game Club
- Episode 215: Project Reality – The Nintendo 64 (N64) turns 20 and we discuss the usual release info but also heavily focus on the incredible influence of one of Nintendo’s most limited consoles.
- Episode 216: Donkey Kong 64 Game Club
- Episode 217: Licensed Horror Games – Horror video games based on movies, books, and other licenses. What’s not to love?
- Episode 218: Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth Game Club
- Episode 219: Silent Evil ReImagined (guest Vos) – We drag Vos back in to discuss Silent Hill Shattered Memories and Resident Evil 4.
- Episode 220: Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse Game Club
- Episode 221: E.V.O. Search for Eden Game Club
- Episode 222: Gameboy Top 10
- Episode 223: Diddy Kong Racing vs. Mario Kart 64 Game Club
- Episode 224: Celebrating 15 Years of Xbox – Fred and Jam discuss the origins, development, launch, and games of the original Xbox for its 15th Anniversary.
- Episode 225: The First Annual GH101 Game of the Year Awards…for 1996
- Episode 226: Sleeping Dogs Game Club (Part 1)
- Episode 227: Holiday 2016 Show and Community Gameboy Top 10
- Episode 228: Sleeping Dogs Game Club (Part 2)
Season 5 Bundle Downloads (Episodes 180-228, Extra Credit 31-33, and E3 Shows)
2017 (Season 6)
- Extra Credit Episode 34: NES Classic Edition Games, Ranked – Fred and Jam rank the 30 games in the NES Classic Edition.
- Episode 229: 2017 on the 5s and 10s – A coverage of the years ending in “2” and “7” in history starting with 1952 and ending on 1982.
- Episode 230: Klonoa: Door to Phantomile Game Club
- Episode 231: Sonic the Hedgehog, Re-Hash (final episode before Jam’s hiatus)
- Episode 232: P.N. 03 Game Club (guest Strip Mahjong)
- Episode 233: The History of CD-ROM Consoles (Part 1)
- Episode 234: Press X to be Awesome (guest Eric of Everyday Gamers, no Jam) – All about the Quick Time Event (QTE).
- Episode 235: Twin Renegades (guest Travis, no Jam) – The history of the Double Dragon franchise.
- Episode 236: U Didn’t Play Next – Burying the Nintendo Wii U with appreciation.
- Episode 237: The History of CD-ROM Consoles, Part 2 (guest Andy) – Wrapping up CD-ROM consoles.
- Episode 238: The Shepard Legacy (guest Matt Bradford) – Re-visiting the Mass Effect Trilogy from a more macro perspective.
- Episode 239: The Legend of Fred the Frog – Learn about the Blaster Master franchise in a Fred solo episode.
- Episode 240: The History of JRPGs Coming to the West – Fred flies solo again to discuss how JRPGs finally journeys to the West.
- Episode 241: Navigating Retro Gaming – Jam returns to discuss the process of getting into retro gaming in 2017.
- Extra Credit Episode 35: Interview With Screaming Villains on Night Trap 25th Anniversary
- Episode 242: Beyond Oasis/Story of Thor Game Club
- Episode 243: The Mystery of Wonder Boy – We finally set the record straight on the Wonder Boy franchise.
- Episode 244: Top 10 Arcade Games (guests Eric and Austin)
- Extra Credit Episode 36: Ram Jam Ep 1: Retro Game Hunter – All about car boots (flea markets) and how to hunt down retro titles.
- Episode 245: The Writer (guest Eric) – All about Alan Wake, Remedy’s consistently delayed homage to Twin Peaks.
- Episode 246: Castlevania Symphony of the Night Game Club (guests Austin and John Learned)
- Episode 247: PrE3 – This was a Gaming History X episode and can be found there.
- Episode 248: Groovy! – Video game mascots
- Episode 249: Top 10 Super NES Games (guest Andy)
- Episode 250: Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man – All about Spider-Man titles
- Episode 251: Geralt of Rivia (guest Fortengard) – The Witcher franchise
- Episode 252: Future’s Past – Backward Compatibility (Part 1)
- Episode 253: Eternal Darkness Game Club
- Episode 254: Back to the Future (guest Austin) – Backward Compatibility (Part 2)
- Episode 255: It’s Always Better With A Partner – Co-op titles
- Episode 256: Top Scores, Volume 5 – Our 5th Annual episode celebrating favorite game songs
- Episode 257: Psycho Break – The Evil Within discussion
- Episode 258: Wolfenstein – The Wolfenstein franchise
- Episode 259: The History of Visceral Games
- Episode 260: How Rude – Offensive comedy in video games
- Episode 261: The End is the Beginning – 3+ hour love fest of the history of video games before the 2018 hiatus
- Episode 262: Top Scores Holiday Xmas Special (Jam solo) – Jam celebrates his favorite video game Christmas music
- Episode 263: Fred’s 2017 in Review
- Episode 264: Jam’s 2017 in Review
2018 (Season 7)
- Episode 265: Reflecting on the Switch’s First Year (guest Chase from Learned From Gaming)
- Extra Credit Episode 37: Jam’s Take on the Nintendo Switch
- Episode 266: Resident Evil 7 Game Club (Part 1)
- Episode 267: Resident Evil 7 Game Club (Part 2)
- Episode 268: Midwest Gaming Classic 2018 (guest Matt)
- Episode 269: Retro Video Game Piracy in 2018
- Episode 270: Legend of David Cage – All about Quantic Dream and its titles.
- Episode 271: A New Challenger Appears – Celebrating the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection by reflecting on the franchise’s three decades of games.
At this time the Gaming History 101 podcast is on hiatus. Fred is focusing on playing the games he’s always wanted to experience and doing episodes on these games. That link will be live shortly.
Gaming History 101 