Episode 99.5 M4ilB4g

Explicit content warning

01/09/23 • 154 min

When we started this podcast nearly 4 years ago, we did so with a clear goal in mind. We wanted to play, review and critique games of the past from a perspective free of nostalgia. As the gaming industry grew, games changed, for both better and worse - and it is worthwhile to examine all those creaky and dust covered titles to see what has been forgotten. Sometimes mechanics truly are outdated, sometimes modern games have done it better - but not always. And discovering when an old game offers something unique because of what they supposedly lack has been an incredible experience.

Over these 4 years we have slowly gathered a community of listeners that has similar feelings, or can at least appreciate this perspective. We are forever grateful for you listening to our show, for sending us tweets and for conversing on our discord server. The least we can do is give back to you with an opportunity to ask questions of us once a year, not just about old games but about anything.

So welcome one and all to our reprisal of the Mailbag episode, with M4ILB4G. Grab a beverage and settle in as we answer our discord listener’s burning questions. And while you’re at it, make sure to drop by and join our discord server if you haven’t already. There’s no Retro Spectives without you, and we appreciate you all deeply.

On this episode, we discuss:

Remakes and remasters.
Are they an exciting way to re-experience classics of the past? Do they provide a way for new players to get into old games they wouldn’t have otherwise? Or are they soulless cash grabs, stifling creativity and pushing the original games out of the spotlight?
Re-living games for the first time.
If we had the opportunity to play any game or series blind again, which one would it be? What kind of experience is best suited to experiencing something fresh for the first time?
Making a game of our own.
If we could develop or write our own video game, what would we do and how would we do it? Are there any lessons you’ve learned from doing the pod that you would be eager to integrate into the game?

We answer these questions and many, many more on the 99.5th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

—

Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K

Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another

Medivo from Jazz Jackrabbit:

River of Despair from The Binding of Isaac: Jonathan Evans, Matthias Nicol Bossi, Ridiculon

On this episode, we discuss:

Remakes and remasters.
Are they an exciting way to re-experience classics of the past? Do they provide a way for new players to get into old games they wouldn’t have otherwise? Or are they soulless cash grabs, stifling creativity and pushing the original games out of the spotlight?
Re-living games for the first time.
If we had the opportunity to play any game or series blind again, which one would it be? What kind of experience is best suited to experiencing something fresh for the first time?
Making a game of our own.
If we could develop or write our own video game, what would we do and how would we do it? Are there any lessons you’ve learned from doing the pod that you would be eager to integrate into the game?

We answer these questions and many, many more on the 99.5th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

—

Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K

Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another

Medivo from Jazz Jackrabbit:

River of Despair from The Binding of Isaac: Jonathan Evans, Matthias Nicol Bossi, Ridiculon

Previous Episode

Episode 99: Metroid Prime

The Metroid games are certified classics for a reason. Super Metroid, in particular, is responsible for inventing an entire genre, with a shockingly tight design that puts all other games of its era to shame. The 90s came and went without seeing a 3D metroid game, but in 2002 we finally saw the release of Metroid Prime. Could it possibly capture the magic of what made the 2D games great?

Well, according to the reviews of the time, it did that, and more. Metroid Prime received close to universal acclaim, with everything from its graphical presentation to its enemy design to its power ups being declared worthy of its predecessor; a resoundingly successful conversion and evolution of the concept of a Metroidvania.

But 20 years have passed since the release of Metroid Prime. And while the genre of 3D metroidvanias remains mostly barren, there have been other fantastic games to come in its wake - Supraland, Antichamber and Outerwilds, Prey and of course, Dark Souls. Does Metroid Prime, with its focus on exploration and platforming, still hold up today? Or are its mechanics and world outdated, primitive and undercooked?

On this episode, we discuss:

Metroid Prime tells its minimalist story entirely through text you read while scanning logs and objects in the environment. Not a single line of dialogue is spoken throughout the entire game. Does this constant breaking of action to scan and read lines of text immersion-breaking, or does it suck you into its world even deeper?
Metroid Prime, as an “action-adventure” title, touches on many types of gameplay - combat, puzzles, platforming and exploration. Is this a balanced package, or does it do some of these things better than others?
What did we think of Metroid Prime’s level design, both on a micro and macro level? How well does this level design facilitate both the moment to moment gameplay and the broader cohesive worldbuilding?

We answer these questions and many more on the 99th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

Next Episode

Episode 100: Pathologic 2

The original Pathologic has long been regarded as a cult classic. Obtuse, frustrating, boring and unfriendly, it nonetheless captured people’s imaginations with its densely woven storytelling and mystical dialogue. It was a game that came at the art form from a completely different direction from what everyone else was doing, but was ultimately limited by its fairly simple gameplay.

Pathologic 2 aimed to solve the gameplay problem. Ice Pick Lodge, with a wagon full of kickstarter money, wanted to refine the spirit of the first game and realise their dream of death and suffering. Combat, looting, infection, trading, potion making, the UI and much much more have all been expanded upon dramatically to give the player too much to do, and not enough time to do it.

But did all these radical changes to the gameplay come at the cost of the story? Is only having the Haruspex playthrough instead of all 3 characters still a meaningful experience? Has Pathologic 2 achieved everything that the first game was striving for?

Join us on our special 100th episode of Retro Spectives Podcast as we discuss a game that refused to bend to progress, and instead carved its own path through the gaming landscape

On this episode, we discuss:

Story.
How has the story of Pathologic 2 changed, and is it for the better?
The dialogue is more grounded and the politics de-emphasised in favour of more intimate character moments.
Does this make the game more immersive, or has something ephemeral been lost along the way?
Gameplay.
How does the gameplay of Pathologic 2 actually work?
We dig deep to wrap our minds around every part of this game's complex web of systems.
Suffering.
Is there meaning to be found in humanity's struggles for survival?
Or does this game's portrayal of suffering pale in comparison to the agony of looting those same park bins once again?

We answer these questions and many more on th1 100th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K

Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another

Pathologic 2 OST: Vasily Kashnikov, Theodor Bastard

A big thank you to everyone who has stuck with us through 100 episodes of reviewing and discussing classic games. The whole reason doing this podcast is fun is because you’re there listening, and both Pat and James deeply appreciate you for it. If you haven’t done so already, we’d love it if you'd swing by and say hi on our community discord server.