Play Retro Show

Freedom Force (2002) is a squad-based superhero RPG from Irrational Games that mixes real-time tactical combat with comic-book style character progression, recruitment, and destructible environments. Set in a colorful 1960s-inspired superhero world, it lets you command a team of wildly different heroes, develop their powers, and even create your own custom characters while battling increasingly bizarre villains. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/umQfWxq-Tz4 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alien Breed is Team17’s sci-fi action series that began on the Amiga in 1991, mixing top-down shooting, maze-like exploration, limited resources, computer terminals, and relentless alien attacks. The series gradually expanded the formula through Special Edition 92, Alien Breed II, and Tower Assault before making a dramatic shift into first-person shooters with Alien Breed 3D and Alien Breed 3D II. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/zA17Smnf3zs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Backyard Baseball the kid-friendly baseball game from Humongous Entertainment that turns neighborhood sandlots into a full baseball season. Draft a team from 30 distinct Backyard Kids, set your lineup and positions, then hit, pitch, field, steal bases, and unleash goofy power-ups across a collection of wonderfully unconventional ballparks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Road Rash: the motorcycle combat-racing series that mixes illegal street racing with hand-to-hand fighting, traffic hazards, police chases, and bike progression. Players earn cash, upgrade to faster motorcycles, and use fists, kicks, and weapons to knock rivals off their bikes while trying to survive increasingly dangerous roads. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/3cqRhebh034 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A turn-based RPG developed by Camelot Software Planning for the Game Boy Advance that follows Isaac and his companions across the world of Weyard. Combat centers on collectible elemental Djinn that alter character classes, abilities, and summons, while Psynergy is also used outside battle to solve environmental puzzles and uncover hidden paths. The game combines traditional JRPG progression with unusually interactive dungeon design and a story that continues directly into Golden Sun: The Lost Age. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/S0u_TnGwizg Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Demon’s Crest for the Super Nintendo. Firebrand escapes captivity and takes flight across a dark fantasy world, recovering magical crests that let him smash through stone, soar through the sky, explore underwater ruins and transform into increasingly powerful gargoyles. We revisit Capcom’s overlooked action-adventure and check out its nonlinear stages, hidden upgrades, multiple endings and enormous monsters turned one of Ghosts ’n Goblins’ most irritating enemies into the hero of his own game. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/4LNUSbeR1D8 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Treasures of the Deep for the PlayStation wraps up our Retro Summer series. It's part arcade shooter, part treasure hunt, and all underwater sub adventure as we revisit one of the PS1's hidden gems and discover why there still aren't many games quite like it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s Play Retro episode: Sega Bass Fishing from the Arcade to the Dreamcast. This week we cast our retro reels into the dream lakes of the late 90s / early 2000s where we fish out some huge bass... ok.. that is a lot of fishing puns. Sega's action fishing game series SEGA BASS FISHING where the player picks a lake, location, lure and casts into the water where the camera follows your fishing line. Control each lure by reeling and flicking to entice and hook Bass Fish. Catch the biggest fish and enjoy your day at the lake. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/uvFPwaUTHdU Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer (2002) takes Activision's early-2000s extreme-sports formula into the ocean, turning waves into moving skate parks filled with barrels, aerial tricks, and combo lines. We hit the console and Game Boy Advance versions and paddle back to TransWorld Surf, the tougher 2001 rival that was already trying to figure out how surfing should work in 3D. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/ryGhslt_Q18 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jaws (1987) on the NES, where players hunt the infamous great white through open-water exploration, collecting shells and harpooning everything in sight to work our way up to the big bad boss named Bruce.Then we compare it to the very different 1989 computer adaptation. We also dive into Atari's unofficial Shark JAWS arcade game, released just months after the movie became a cultural phenomenon. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/UYCiWOc5pLU Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Devil May Cry (2001) began life as an early Resident Evil 4 prototype before evolving into one of Capcom's most influential action games. Blending gothic horror, fast-paced swordplay, acrobatic gun combat, and a style ranking system that rewarded creativity over button mashing, it introduced the world to Dante and laid the foundation for the modern character action genre. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NARC (1988) brought digitized graphics, massive explosions, and War-on-Drugs satire to arcades in one of the most controversial games of its era. Players take on the roles of narcotics officers Max Force and Hit Man as they blast their way through a criminal empire using machine guns, rocket launchers, and sheer excess. We explore the arcade original and its many home ports, with a brief look at the 2005 reboot that attempted to bring the franchise into the modern era. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/BwBewmod2QU Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Star Control II (1992) transformed the original game's fleet battles into a sprawling space adventure, tasking players with rebuilding humanity's resistance against the Ur-Quan through exploration, diplomacy, and discovery. With memorable alien races, open-ended galaxy traversal, and one of PC gaming's most beloved stories, it remains a landmark of science-fiction game design. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ratchet & Clank (2002) launched Insomniac’s long-running PlayStation franchise by combining platforming, explosive weapon-based combat, gadget progression, and satirical sci-fi storytelling into one of the PlayStation 2’s defining early action games. We focus on the original release that introduced Ratchet, Clank, Captain Qwark, Gadgetron weaponry, and the galaxy-hopping formula that would shape the series for decades. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Play Retro, Scott and Brian take aim at Gunstar Heroes (1993), which helped launch Treasure from the loins of Konami when former employees gave us this title with explosive run-and-gun action, massive bosses, and one of the most inventive weapon systems on the Sega Genesis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jet Force Gemini, one of Rare’s final original IPs for the N64, brought cinematic sci-fi action together with run-and-gun combat, exploration, puzzle solving, collect-a-thon progression, and split-screen multiplayer in a surprisingly large and ambitious package. The game follows a pair of space twins and their dog, Lupus, as they battle giant ant-like drones while trying to avoid collateral damage to the local cute, bear-like inhabitants. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker (1990) brought the King of Pop to arcades and home consoles with two completely different takes on the same concepts - an isometric co-op arcade experience and a side-scrolling Genesis version built around exploration and music-driven combat. We also take a look at the earlier European computer adaptation, showing how differently the Moonwalker license was interpreted across platforms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Taito’s Rastan (1987) brought sword-and-sorcery fantasy to the arcade with giant monsters, brutal platforming, and a barbarian hero straight out of a Conan paperback. We follow that path through Nastar (1989), released in Japan as Rastan Saga II, and briefly look at Warrior Blade, the rare triple-screen arcade finale that closed out the series in oversized style. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tobal No. 1 (1996) brought Square into the 3D fighting game arena with fast 60 FPS combat, full arena movement, and character designs by Akira Toriyama. Known both for its innovative Quest Mode and for including the famous Final Fantasy VII demo disc, it became one of PlayStation’s most memorable cult fighters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Neverwinter Nights (2002) brought Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition to PC with character-driven storytelling, multiplayer persistent worlds, and the powerful Aurora Toolset. We also explore the 2003 expansions Shadows of Undrentide and Hordes of the Underdark, which expanded the campaign, raised level caps, and pushed the game into epic-level D&D adventures. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.