There was a time when just the idea of video games seemed to represent “the cutting edge” (think Tron). Even select Baby Boomers who like to imagine themselves with-it were alienated by the button mashing and hand-eye coordination that their kids had no trouble with. But now video games have been around long enough that nostalgia has risen for the games and hardware that the march of technology have left behind. People may line up around the block for a Play Station 3 but some of us are happy with a few rounds of Street Fighter II on SNES. For us we have 1up.com’s Retronauts (iTunes link).
The podcast has no set schedule or hosts, although all are drawn from 1up.com’s writing staff. Usually four or five video game aficionados take on a different subject, Street Fighter, the Mario franchise and Chrono Trigger were spotlighted on recent shows, and come at it with different points of view. A bit of history is usually given. Most of us experienced these games as kids and had no idea of what the game developers put in to their accomplishments. We just enjoyed the final product. You can really get the “Wow! I had no idea!” feeling listening to Retronauts. But the show is not a history lesson. It is primarily a place where friends tell stories of the years where all that mattered were how many quarters you could pump into a cabinet twice the size of you. I had a lot of fun listening to the Mario episode where the hosts talked about their excitement of learning about the release Super Mario Bros. 3 (I was glad to see the Fred Savage/Christian Slater film The Wizard get a mention). At some points the podcast stops being about video games and is more about childhood experiences an entire generation can relate to.
When discussing nostalgia it’s hard to know when to stop. That’s the biggest flaw with Retronauts. The shows clock in at around hour and twenty minutes. Something I’ve learned from reviewing podcasts is that brevity is not just the soul of wit. It is also the soul of listenability. Shows start with a news segment that offers many chances for the hosts to go off on tangents. It’s interesting to learn about Nintendo’s The Virtual Console, it’s the only aspect of the Wii that interests me, but I felt a lot of that could be covered in a much more succinct fashion (or better yet, saved for the website). The listener sees the description of an episode and has to wait a good half-hour before the show gets around to Mega Man.
For anyone like me who was once a subscriber to Nintendo Power magazine Retronauts has some transcendent moments. If they keep pack those moments within an hour long format it would be a perfect little podcast.