Press The Buttons: Recent Episodes
Matthew Green and Blake Grundman
Some video games are better the second time around when you know the plot twists and most effective strategies. On this week's episode we're discussing games so nice, we played them twice (or three times, or four, or ten...). Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us social media like Bluesky and Mastodon. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.
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We're back after an extended medical hiatus! Join us as we discuss what we've played during our time away such as Little Kitty, Big City, the re-released Aero the Acro-bat, Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition, and much more. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us social media like Bluesky and Mastodon. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.
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We wrap up our Virtual Boy discussion with the games you can't play and a few finished games that have leaked out over the years. Join us! Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us social media like Bluesky and Mastodon. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.
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Enker. Punk. Ballade. To long-time Mega Man players who have fond or frustrating memories of the Game Boy line of blue bomber adventures, the names of Dr. Wily's special Robot Masters designed specifically to eliminate Mega Man are not easily forgotten. Newer fans of the franchise probably have little idea who these characters are or from where they come now that the original five Mega Man games for the Game Boy have landed on Nintendo Switch Online's Game Boy app, so it's time for a little Robot Master 101 introduction course in the form of a video created by PTB reader Guy Perfect in which these three bosses are reviewed in all their monochromatic glory. You'll learn their moves, weapon capabilities, and even a little backstory where applicable. We last saw them returning for Mega Man 10 back in 2010 (for which this video was produced), but that may as well be a lifetime ago for younger players out there. It's time to reintroduce the Mega Man Killers.
When Blake Grundman visited me in April he finally had the chance to play a real live Nintendo Virtual Boy from 1995 and my collection of sixteen games, so on this week's episode of the podcast we go game by game to get Blake's takes on the experience. Did Galactic Pinball live up to expectations? How bare bones is Mario Clash really? Does he want to flog Golf? And is Nester's bowling really so funky? Join us and find out! Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us social media like Bluesky and Mastodon. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way. Next Time: The fun continues as we discuss canceled and unreleased Virtual Boy titles and even a few that have leaked out over the years.
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Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is making a splash on the Nintendo Switch, but those of us who remember it from twenty years ago as a GameCube game can add some nostalgic fun with a printable slipcover for the Switch game that rebrands it as a GameCube release. Pop over to the My Nintendo loyalty program, spend thirty platinum points, and download the PDF to print, fold, and enjoy. It's not as slick as the free preorder bonus version given away internationally on professional glossy stock, but at least it's something.
Thanks to some new legal requirements from the European Union, Apple is now required to allow emulators in its walled garden of an App Store worldwide. This opened the door for retro console emulation to the masses spanning the Atari 2600 and Commodore 64 through Nintendo's iconic hardware and beyond up to the Sony PlayStation Portable. On this week's podcast we're discussing what this means, what your options are, and why it'll be a long time before you can fire up a PlayStation 3 game natively on your iPad. Please emulate responsibly! Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us social media like Bluesky and Mastodon. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.
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I recently went on a bit of an eBay binge to soothe the sting of some bad news, and while searching around for keywords of interest I came across these cute little Nintendo Entertainment System game paks printed up in miniature with familiar, nostalgic labels. They are not functional games , but displayable artwork. I bought a few to decorate my themed collectibles on shelves — Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Ghostbusters, and Darkwing Duck — and they really add some unique flare. Go check out Lithos3D's eBay page and see what's on offer. There's also miniature Atari 2600 cartridges for sale, plus keychains and magnets. You can even make special requests so long as the cartridge label is in the database. I know I'll be back for more over the summer. This is not paid promotion; I'm just a fan. If Super NES or Game Boy paks are ever added to the listing, I'm going to be in expensive trouble!
Held over for one more weekend, it's Blake Grundman live and in person with me at the microphone, and this episode we have some more shopping purchases to share before we tear into a topic near and dear to Blake's heart: Star Wars. Kick back with us for a while and let's have some fun. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us social media like Bluesky and Mastodon. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.
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We have an extra special episode this week! Usually Blake Grundman and I record the show from our respective secretive lairs at opposite ends of the United States, but we're celebrating the end of my twelve long chemotherapy treatments for cancer, so the time was beyond right for Blake to jump in his car and come speeding across the nation to hang out at the Press The Buttons Compound for a few days. For years I've told Blake about the amazing retro indie toy, video game, and comic shops in Florida, so I took him on a series of day trips to do a little damage, engage in retail therapy, and eat some really big pizza. Follow along with us as we acquire all kinds of fun memories and rare items. We're wheeling and dealing amazing bargains, and we even give you the store locations so you can retrace our path next time you visit Florida. Let's go shopping! Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us social media like Bluesky and Mastodon. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.
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Following on from last week, back in 2018 we did a two-part look (Episodes 269 and 270) at video games remade with new or changed features such as The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening gaining a color expansion as Link's Awakening DX. I don't know if you've noticed, but video game publishers are still doing this sort of thing six years later, so it's time to take another look at the topic. This one is so large that we're breaking it into pieces; Part 1 was released last week and this is Part 2. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.
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Back in 2018 we did a two-part look (Episodes 269 and 270) at video games remade with new or changed features such as The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening gaining a color expansion as Link's Awakening DX. I don't know if you've noticed, but video game publishers are still doing this sort of thing six years later, so it's time to take another look at the topic. This one is so large that we're breaking it into pieces; Part 1 is available right now with Part 2 coming next week. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.
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I sent my international buyer, Blake Grundman, overseas to acquire some rare gaming antiquities for me. That is, he picked up some fairly priced amiibo and games that are hard to find and not so fairly priced here. This leads into a discussion on how else to play retro games whose corporate ownership has turned to dust over the decades, and that's how we get into hacking devices to run emulators. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.
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We were fortunate enough to get advance access to the new Digital Eclipse Gold Master series of documentary releases, Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story, so for this week's episode of the podcast we discuss the title, its interactive exhibits, and the 42 games and light synthesizers included. From Attack of the Mutant Camels to Hover Bovver to Tempest 2000, there's quite a collection of history here. Join us and find out what all the fuss is about. Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story is available now on all major platforms. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.
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Developer Insomniac Games suffered a data breach last year that exposed much of the company's upcoming plans and scrapped ideas, one of which was the existence of a live service multiplayer Spider-Man game for the Sony PlayStation 5 in which five players each take on a character from the Spider-verse such as Venom, Silk, or Spider-Gwen to bash the Sinister Six. The project, entitled Spider-Man: The Great Web, was cancelled, but today a trailer for the game was posted online. There's discussion on ResetEra as to whether this is a proper announcement trailer meant to be seen by the public or some sort of internal pitch trailer aimed at getting the project a greenlight, but either way I have to admit I'm glad this game isn't happening.
After the costly failures of games such as The Avengers, Gotham Knights, and Suicide Squad, the last thing we need is another live service superhero game tying up resources that could be spent on traditional single-player releases. There are only so many hours in a day that can be spent on playing games, and the glut of live service titles have saturated the market. Not everything can be Fortnite. Not every game needs a battle pass. There just isn't room for anything more and it's presumptuous to assume that this would be the game to break through. Spider-Man is popular, sure, but so are The Avengers and look what happened to them.
2023's The Super Mario Bros. Movie was a real "local plumber makes good" story that the media loved to frame as making up for the 1993 film loosely based on happenings in the Mushroom Kingdom, but if you weren't around back then, you may not understand what all the fuss was about. That's where Dan Larson steps in. Digging into what made Super Mario Bros. such a troubled production is a very deep rabbit hole, but Larson condenses the key points down to a half hour tale of discarded drafts, inexperienced directors, and dissatisfied actors for an overview of what went wrong. Consider it a gateway to a larger topic and a good starting place. I'll say it once again: it's not a perfect movie, but I enjoyed it and have happy memories of watching it.
My wife has a knack for baking special birthday cakes. In the years we've been together she's made me a Triforce cake, a Kirby cake, a Borderlands vault symbol cake, and a special cake for Homer Simpson to ruin on Maggaggie's birthday. This year she outdid herself though. Taking inspiration from @giganticbuddha's famous comic about Princess Peach telling Mario not to come to the castle, my wife baked a real life version of the princess's terrible cake. This is about as in-jokey as it gets because anyone who didn't play Super Mario 64 will be lost as to why this is funny. When I sent photos of the cake to non-gaming friends to show it off, I had to include the comic and the original screenshot from 64 of the princess's letter inviting Mario to the castle for cake. There's layers to this joke is what I'm saying, just like there's layers to this cake. Thanks to my wife for another amazing cake!
Original screenshot from Super Mario 64@giganticbuddha's comicMy wife's terrible Peach cake made real
We're strolling on the shady side of the tracks this week as we focus on some favorite retro ROM hacks and the baked-in achievements that go with them. All of this talk of emulation inevitably leads us to touch on the Nintendo/Yuzu Switch emulator lawsuit, too. Join us and bring your ROM patching tools for some new takes on old fun.
ROM Hacks Mentioned In This Episode
- The Real Ghostbusters Remastered
- Sonic 3D Blast Director's Cut
- Mega Man X3 - Zero Project
- Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 Color Edition
- Mega Man World 5 DX
- Smash Remix
- Ghostbusters - Special Edition
Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.
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When we were recording our podcast this week, Blake Grundman described our grab bag of topics as a hodge podge. That phrase knocked loose an old childhood memory of a Commodore 64 game called, fittingly enough, Hodge Podge. A quick Internet search found that it's been archived and you can play it online in a browser. Hodge Podge is a primitive educational vocabulary game created by Leonard Bertoni & Rich Scocchera for preschool children that maps each key on the keyboard to a specific related animation and, sometimes, music. Press H and you'll be greeted with art of a horse. Press Q to see the quick worm scootch across the screen. E, as it turns out, is for Empty. Press J to see the word JUMP literally jump across the screen. Hodge Podge is one of the first games I remember playing for the Commodore 64 in 1985 along with another word-based edutainment title, Sea Speller. Goodness, games were so simple back then. Soon the Mario brothers would show up and then nothing would ever be the same again.
We have a hodge podge of smaller topics for you on this week's podcast as we touch on the recent Nintendo Direct, Microsoft taking select Xbox games to other platforms, retrogaming emulation made easy, the Borderlands movie trailer, and much more. Join us for another reach into the grab bag! Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.
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We've been playing a lot of games lately as we come out of the summer season, so before the holidays hit with all of their big new releases, we're spending an hour discussing what we've been playing lately as we clear out the backlogs and sample new releases. Blake Grundman and I both have some harsh words for the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge DLC, I finished the World Tour storyline in Street Fighter 6, Blake is on his way in Starfield, and I'm just setting out in Sea of Stars. Honorable mentions to Baldur's Gate 3 and Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection. Join us! Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.
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What it says on the tin, folks! Recently I was invited to the popular Retronauts podcast to discuss my affinity for the old Nintendo Comics System comic books published by Valiant in 1990-91. I still have all of my old issues of Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Captain N: The Game Master, and Game Boy! So many happy memories, so little time. Join host Nadia Oxford as she leads me and Daniel Kaszor through a fascinating discussion of these strange little stories. I had a blast talking about them, and hopefully you'll enjoy listening just as much. It's Episode 554, now on their paid Patreon feed and their free feed.
Jordan Mechner was a man with a dream: a dream of making a game for the Apple II about a karate man who punches and kicks his way past minions to save a princess. Forty years ago he created Karateka, and now Digital Eclipse has partnered with Mechner to create The Making of Karateka for modern platforms. This digital documentary exhibition features video interviews, design document scans, and playable prototypes of Karateka as well as a modernized remake. On this week's podcast, we spend an hour discussing this first in Digital Eclipse's new Gold Master Series of making-of titles to...
Lately I've been thinking about strength, mostly because when playing Street Fighter 6, the game won't let you forget about it. Capcom has found a way to modernize the classic series and add some new tricks to the experience, and on this week's podcast episode I convince Blake that he needs to play this game. It has an RPG mode now! Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on...
The guys who make movies funny - Michael J. Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy of RiffTrax (and before that, Mystery Science Theater 3000) - skewered 1995's big Mortal Kombat movie a few years ago, but it's only now that they've released their post-movie panel discussion about the film to viewers outside their Patreon bubble. Start your weekend listening to a discussion on the absurdities of Shang Tsung's wild tournament when translated from arcade game to film, pick up on some interesting movie trivia, and see how well the guys do when challenged to determine based on names alone which...
Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard is becoming more and more likely by the day, so on this week's show we discuss what that means for the video game industry. We also dip into the Activision Blizzard catalog and talk about some forgotten games that Microsoft could do well with reviving once they own them. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late....
The voice of Nathan Drake himself, Nolan North, is the guest on this week's episode of Toon'd In featuring Jim Cummings, a man who for entire generations is the voice of Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, and of course Darkwing Duck. While North doesn't talk much about Uncharted, he does tell stories from his career as a voice actor as the two legends swap tales of auditions, replacing other actors only with permission, almost taking over as the new Mickey Mouse, and creating the right voice for the right character. It's interesting stuff and well worth your hour if you're a...
We're celebrating the fortieth anniversary of Nintendo's Family Computer in a big way on the podcast this week with a supersized discussion about the history of the console, its unique accessories, special games, and fun facts. Don't you dare say it's the fortieth anniversary of the Nintendo Entertainment System! We're not doing that episode until 2025. Also, there's more to say about Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality from last week. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation...
We're blowing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom wide open on this week's episode with total spoilers including the game's key story twist and ending, so please join us when you're ready to hear all about it. Before we get into that though, we dip into a little bit of Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassin and the difficulty of buying Steam gift cards. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure...
Sonic the Hedgehog has enjoyed quite the run in animation over the years, spanning Saturday mornings to weekday syndication to streaming exclusives and beyond. It can be difficult to keep all of the shows straight. Which show was slapstick comedy and which was darker and serialized? Which one had Sonic's human friends? Wasn't there one where Sonic was a prince and in a band with his brother and sister? Say what? Yes, that last one happened for forty episodes in 1999 in which Sonic, Manic, and Sonia the Hedgehogs used the power of residual payment-generating rock music to fight back...
Nintendo wowed us with some exciting announcements in its most recent Nintendo Direct showcase including a remake of Super Mario RPG, a new adventure for Princess Peach, amiibo for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and the highly detailed Super Mario Bros. Wonder. On this week's episode, we're breaking it down and discussing the announcements that intrigued us the most. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up...
With Not-E3 in full swing for the summer, all of the big publishers are holding digital events to debut new trailers and announcements, so on this week's episode of the podcast we turn our attention to Sony's recent PlayStation Showcase. Yes, they showed Spider-Man 2, but did you notice everything else? We'll take you through the items of interest. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch...
Time is making fools of us all again as Nintendo's Game Boy classic The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening turns thirty years old. Thirty! How on earth did that happen? The gaming community is celebrating, of course, and as part of the discourse, a pair of commercials for the game have reappeared. If you want to know how different the culture was between Japan and the United States in 1993. just watch these two advertisements. The Japanese commercial features a peppy song and the game's cast appearing as dancing puppets, while the American counterpart is a man on a castle set rapping nonsense lyrics that tell us nothing set against projected footage of the game. Which one makes you want to play this game more?
We don't often hear about Nintendo releasing a bad game, but if the online grapevine is speaking the truth about the just-announced Everybody 1-2 Switch due out later this month, we could be looking at a rare bomb from the famed publisher. See, it all goes back to 2017 when the Switch had a tiny library and people were caught up in that fever of buying lots of stuff for a new console. The Switch was the new kid on the block, everyone loved it, and games were bought rather they were good or not. One such title, 1-2 Switch from Nintendo, was a collection of tech demo mini-games in the style of Wii Play aimed at the family and casual markets, and apparently it sold a lot after being produced for a modest cost. That's when things get weird, as last year over at Fanbyte, Imran Khan told us about a sequel in the works that, at the time, seemed like it would never be released because Nintendo's own internal playtesting pegged it as absolutely terrible.
When playtesting groups received the game, the feedback to the development team was brutal. The target audiences Nintendo was hoping to hit — families with children — found the games boring; many didn’t even want to play through entire rounds. In the Bingo example, one player would use the joycon to mime digging out a number before reading it off the TV screen — a process that playtesters reported as tedious.
The main mode of the game, the Team Battle Mode, pit at least two teams of players against each other in various minigames. This mode prominently featured Horse, who would give color commentary during the games. During the localization process, sources started calling the game “Horseshit” as shorthand.
Yikes. There's a few theories as to why Nintendo is releasing this game now, and most of them involve the company having spent so much on development that they can't just cancel the project (including an angle that the publisher printed up the cases and title cards long before anyone knew how bad the game would test). I jokingly say that Nintendo needs to get Horse out there now so he can appear in the next Super Smash Bros. There can be an allure to bad media (I enjoy the films featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000 and RiffTrax, for instance), so there might be some value in spreading the word through the mists of the gaming community that the new Nintendo party game is so bad, you just have to see it, but it seems obvious this game is being sent out to fail and be done. Not every game can be The Legend of Zelda!
Link and Princess Zelda are back in Hyrule for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for the Nintendo Switch which means that so are we, and we're spending this episode's discussion talking about my time spent wandering around Hyrule seeing the sights and checking out whatever interests me without accomplishing any of the story which means there are no spoilers in this episode. We'll circle back to the meaty stuff later. This week is all exploratory fluff. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.
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The famed Ghostbusters franchise has spawned many video games over the years ranging from the original 1984 business simulator from Activision to last year's Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed for modern platforms, but one of the games that tends to be forgotten is a 1990 title for the Sega Genesis developed by Compile. Titled simply Ghostbusters, the game is a basic action platformer featuring an original story in which players can choose between Peter Venkman, Egon Spengler, and Ray Stantz to walk, jump, and shoot through a series of standard 2D levels, as was the style at the time. It's a fun diversion, but fans noticed the absence of the fourth member of the team, Winston Zeddemore, who is entirely missing from this adventure. Now, decades later, game hackers BillyTimeGames!, Linkuei, and Danielo Dias have worked together to create a special edition of the Genesis game that not only adds Winston into the mix with his own unique graphics and moves, but also adds a built-in save feature, new uniform colors, a more challenging difficulty level for those who want it, secret cheat codes, and even the fifth Ghostbuster himself, Louis Tully, as an extra playable character (his stats are the worst of everyone)! Check out the RomHacking.net to learn how to apply the patch file to the game and give this expanded experience a try.
After twenty long years I have finally completed Metroid Prime from Nintendo and Retro Studios, so with the game now back for another encore on the Switch, let's spend an hour discussing it. We'll also cover another 2002 hit, Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection, if we have time, but we won't have time. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.
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We When Nintendo makes a movie, it's basically required that we go see it, so on this week's podcast it's time to spend ninety minutes discussing The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Break out the spoiler warning for this one because we cover our thoughts on the plot, casting, soundtrack, potential sequel, and so much more. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.
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Nintendo's Eiji Aonuma took to YouTube today to show off some of Link's new abilities in the upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for the Nintendo Switch. Following on from Link's skills in Breath of the Wild, Link will now spend more time crafting weapons and vehicles thanks to his new power to combine objects. Fuse a weak tree branch with a standard boulder, for instance, and wield a mighty makeshift hammer. Combine logs with some wind emitters to create a basic boat. The whole thing has a very Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts vehicle creation vibe, but I trust Nintendo to do a better job with this gimmick. For those who dreaded climbing mountains in the previous game, Link can use his new Ascend power to skyrocket up through ceilings, allowing him to bypass climbing and just zip to the top of any surface provided he can get underneath it.
There's going to be so much to see and do in this sequel. Moreover, I can already hear the game hackers and modders out there gearing up to try and import Breath of the Wild's maps into Tears of the Kingdom's engine to attempt to mash these new powers into the previous game where they don't belong. That's a project for another day though. For now, let's continue to look forward to Tears when it launches in May 2023.
Nintendo is taking both the Wii U and 3DS eShops offline today, ending the ability to purchase content from those digital storefronts. It's always sad to see a digital shop go, but Nintendo delisting content in this manner always seems to hurt a little more because we never know if some of it will be back. Sure, Super Mario Bros. 3 isn't going anywhere; in fact, it's already possible to play three different versions of it on the Nintendo Switch provided you pay the subscription fee instead of a one-time purchase price. Other games from the company's more experimental whims such as Rusty's Real Deal Baseball, Nintendo Badge Arcade, Pushmo, and Boxboy! may or may not resurface one day. Virtual Console games such as Bionic Commando and the Mega Man Game Boy titles may or may not be relicensed for the Switch. We're surely not going to see the 3D conversions of famous games such as Kirby's Adventure or Sonic the Hedgehog 2 again. I don't even know where to begin with how this impacts the classic Pokémon games and Pokémon Bank. And all of that is just on the 3DS eShop!
Over 2,400 games are just going to go up in smoke today as Nintendo moves on to focus all of its energies on the Switch and its inevitable successor. Some publishers, such as Capcom, marked their prices down one last time for a fire sale or sorts, selling $40 games for a scant $4 or less. You can't beat those discounts! I purchased one last 3DS game: WarioWare Gold, and it was still at full $40 price, but I knew that if I waited to find a physical cartridge for sale sometime (the game is long out of print), I'd end up paying even more for it. I almost double-dipped on Yoshi & Poochy's Wooly World, but I have the original game on Wii U and I doubt I'll ever want to pay the outrageous markup for the Poochy amiibo on the used game market which is required to access the new content exclusive to the handheld version.
I remember when the 3DS eShop first went online in June 2011. I was in Los Angeles covering E3 when the system update that would enable the eShop (and the limited time free download of 3D ExciteBike) went live. I was in the press lounge, eagerly trying to get my 3DS on the convention center Wi-Fi with its abysmal transfer speeds to download the update and experience the new content. Now, a staggering thirteen years later, it's time to wind it all down. Farewell, Wii U and 3DS eShops. You provided a better experience than the Wii Shop Channel, gave some sense of permanent ownership (in as much as a download can be considered permanent), housed some really neat experimental content, and offered some amazing sales from time to time. You will both be missed.
We all make snap judgments from time to time, and sometimes those quick decisions take us in the wrong direction. On this week's podcast, we're discussing games that we immediately dismissed for one reason or another and then later tried only to discover that they are actually fantastic. Would you believe that we initially passed on such classics as Mega Man, BioShock, and Sly Cooper? There's plenty more where those came from in this supersized episode. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.
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With the new Super Mario Bros. film from Nintendo and Universal on the horizon, it's the season for looking back at the original Super Mario Bros. film from 1993 starring Bob Hoskins that bombed at the box office and has been held up for decades as a terrible film. The thing is, watching it as an adult with fresh eyes, it's not so bad. Yes, it has problems and is very far from a faithful adaptation of the source material, but there's some fun stuff going on in it, and Joe Ramoni at Hats Off Entertainment is going to tell us why. His latest look back at cult classic media focuses on the movie, outlines how it went wrong, and clues us in to the good parts still in the film and the good parts that were cut during editing. Ramoni says in the video that the movie isn't currently streaming anywhere, but that's not quite true. RiffTrax Friends has it with the riffing commentary baked right in.As I've said before, I saw the film on opening night when I was in the sixth grade with a group of my school pals, and while it wasn't the best movie ever, I had a good time with it and even now is a fun memory.
Stand back! This week on the podcast we have assorted tales of interest about our recent hardware adventures. Blake's MacBook that he uses for recording his half of the podcast unexpectedly died the day before we recorded this episode, so we're playing fast and loose with no editing this week. Listen to how Blake upgraded his pinball table to contain over two-hundred additional tables, thrill as I more than double the internal storage of my Sony PlayStation 5 with a new Samsung 980 Pro hard drive, and marvel at Blake's new Steam Deck. We're coming alive with seventy minutes of discussion. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.
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I know that watching Family Guy has fallen out of the zeitgeist, but you're missing out on some prime Millennial-targeted humor if you're skipping it. On this past Sunday's new episode, "Single White Dad", Peter Griffin gets his old Nintendo Entertainment System out of storage to share "the best video game of all time", Donkey Kong, with his son. Chris is not impressed with it though, asking about the missing microtransactions that will slowly bankrupt the family and the lack of children screaming racist taunts into his earpiece. This leads to some classic Griffin family hijinks when the two team up to build a live action Donkey Kong level on their house. Oh, that Peter! When will he learn?
Nintendo dusted off the megaphone earlier this month and announced a lot of new games and remasters, so this week on the podcast we're finally getting around to discussing it all. From Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe to the shadow dropped Metroid Prime Remastered to the collection of Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games, there's something new/old for everyone. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.
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As I said on our most recent podcast in which we tore into the re-release of GoldenEye 007 on Nintendo Switch and the Microsoft Xbox platform, replaying the classic Nintendo 64 game has sent me down the rabbit hole on all things GoldenEye. I rewatched the movie, listened to the soundtrack, watched making-of videos both deep dive and high level, and much more, so I knew I had to put the best of these things together here to share. It's a collection of retrospective videos, re-orchestrated music, technical breakdowns, and alternate versions. Enjoy!
The first video above is a post-mortem of the game's development presented by Director Martin Hollis in which he spends an hour on a deep dive of the game's inception, initial planning, development, testing, and release. There's some fun stories in there including how the game was initially reported to be a Super NES title, how the game was too ambitious for its own good, its Virtua Cop origins, and a last-ditch attempt to fix a critical bug during lot check. The second is a short documentary produced but cut from the original release of the Rare Replay compilation, but was leaked online some time ago after GoldenEye was cut from that package. It's only appropriate that it lives on now that the game has been included after all these years.
Digital Foundry has put every version of GoldenEye to the test to find out which version performs best. No version is perfect, but some are better than others. The Microsoft Xbox platform version sports the best modernized controls, the Nintendo Switch version features the best performance, and the original Nintendo 64 version boasts the most authentic vision of the development team.
Fans have a tendency to get creative when left with too much time and talent on their hands. Here's a fan-made hack of GoldenEye that replaces James Bond and crew with characters from the Mushroom Kingdom. Super Mario is James Bond, Luigi is Alec Trevelyen, Princess Peach is Natalya Simonova, Bowser is Colonel Ourumov, and so on.
It's a shame we'll never get to officially play the GoldenEye remake for the Microsoft Xbox 360, but you can watch the entire leaked game play out in this video.
GoldenEye's soundtrack is remembered well even today, and this orchestrated version of the music shows why.
As Twitter's owner continues to gradually destroy the service with his impulsive ideas, greedily cost-driven policies, and eroding safety measures, it seems like it's only prudent to have another social media profile ready to go. I've set up a PTB account on Mastodon at @PressTheButtons@mefi.social. It works like the Twitter account where I post new PTB content and carry on with followers and those I follow with fun conversation. I'm staying active on Twitter as well until it finally all falls apart in whatever form that takes, but please consider the PTB Mastodon account if you've left Twitter and want to keep up with PTB activities. Of course, there's also the PTB RSS feed for those who want that, too. With Twitter on the verge of disabling auto-posts from blogs and game consoles, the RSS feed is the best way to keep up with new PTB articles and podcast episodes as they are posted to the site. I'll have to manually post about new articles on Twitter and Mastodon later in the day as I have the time.
Nintendo, Microsoft, EON Productions, and who knows who else finally made a deal to bring the 1997 shooter GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64 back for a re-release on Nintendo Switch and the modern Microsoft Xbox platform. On this week's podcast, we're shooting in and out through post-Cold War Russia to explore which version of the game plays better today, which cheats are still available to the skilled player, how much fun we're still having with this game more than twenty-years later, and so much more. Join us for 0075 minutes of discussion. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.
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Pedro Pascal is earning accolades for his performance in HBO's The Last of Us based on the Sony PlayStation games from Naughty Dog, but Saturday Night Live has a sneak peek at HBO's next project for Pascal, and wow it's an unexpected departure. I know the idea of a gritty Mario adventure is an old joke at this point. It's been the subject of Internet humor for decades and Nintendo itself approved the idea for the 1993 Bob Hoskins / John Leguizamo film Super Mario Bros., but to see this much time spent on something so detailed on mainstream television is just another indicator how video games have truly arrived in pop culture beyond our gaming community bubble.
Developer Naughty Dog considers the Uncharted series to be over, but that's not stopping eagle-eyed fans from spotting what they think is a new Uncharted sequel in a recent Sony PlayStation 5 advertisement. The ad features looks at a number of previously announced games and includes one that nobody recognizes. Ethan Gach at Kotaku has the round-up.
In between vignettes for announced games like Spider-Man 2 is a brief clip of a woman carrying a torch through a cave, and fans think it might be pointing to a new Uncharted game starring Nathan Drake’s daughter, Cassie.
A post over at the PlayStation Blog even says that the new PS5 ad “hints at the breadth of extraordinary experiences” available on the console, and goes out of its way to dare players to see if they can “spot all the game references.” The woman in the cave, who at one point can be seen blowing dust off a mysterious artifact, appears to be the only part of the commercial that doesn’t correspond to a currently announced or released PlayStation exclusive.
With Uncharted recently becoming a successful film after years in development hell (and with a sequel on the way), there's definite money left on the table if everyone involved is truly finished with the series. Naughty Dog is focused on their darling The Last of Us (a game so beloved by the studio that they've made the first game in the series three times already), but who's to say that Sony wouldn't hand the Drake keys to another proven studio? I'm absolutely interested in more Uncharted, so I say bring it on.
By the way, the Kotaku article's URL is https://kotaku.com/uncharted-5-cassie-drake-naughty-dog-ps5-release-date-1850049001 which crams so much search engine optimization clickbait into itself (this game may not be Uncharted 5, it may not star Cassie Drake, it may not be made by Naughty Dog, and there's certainly no release date for it) that if they managed to work "free download" and "naked" into the link, Google would never need to refer anyone to any other web page ever again. We're all desperate for traffic here, but let's be better than that.
After teasing the release late last year, Nintendo is ready to put the classic shooter GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64 on its Switch Online service. Releasing Friday, January 27, 2023 the famous game will return for old fans to enjoy and new audiences to discover. As a new trailer from Nintendo points out (and someone had a lot of fun making that trailer, I bet), widescreen mode is enabled on this release and you'll be able to enjoy online multiplayer through the NSO N64 app. Remember that if you're new to GoldenEye or just can't get your old muscle memory moving again, dip into the game's options to test out the multiple control options. There's a control scheme for everyone including some that require two controllers with one in each hand. I rented GoldenEye many times in the late 1990s and it was a favorite when friends came over, but I never owned a copy of my own. I look forward to finally having all the time in the world to fully explore the single player missions and take on friends online in multiplayer. No items, Fox only, Final Destination! No, wait, that's not right...
Meanwhile, the game is also coming to Xbox One and Xbox Series S / X consoles the same day with local multiplayer, achievements, additional control options, and widescreen 4K resolution. It's available free to anyone who owns Rare Replay and will also be featured on Xbox Game Pass. Enjoy this one, gang. Heaven and Earth had to move to get it back out there.
As we do every January, it's time to take a look back at our picks for Game of the Year. 2022 brought us a number of fantastic titles that we're still raving about including Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, Stray, Sonic Origins, and many more. Which game will take the coveted slot of our number one pick? Join us for a supersized two hour discussion and find out! Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.
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For those of you who weren't there in 1989, let me explain that when Mario and Luigi came to syndicated cartoons, it was a very big deal. Our favorite characters were starting to prove that they were more than just pixels and beeps, and as the money machine took notice, they started to appear on school supplies and snack foods and cheaply-made clothing. While Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 2 were the big stars of the day, Nintendo was also focusing attention on The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. Remember that this was pre-SNES. There was no Super Mario World or A Link to the Past yet. Hell, in North America there wasn't even a Super Mario Bros. 3 yet! The Super Mario Bros. Super Show featured cartoon tales of Link and Zelda each Friday in stories inspired by little elements of the two video games and, well, just about anything else the creators could come up with, as this was an era in which the creative folks did not analyze individual moments of the games for inspiration. We were lucky if Link wore the correct colors and maybe you heard a familiar sound effect sometimes. Nicole Carpenter at Polygon has interviewed some of the writers and voice actors from the old Zelda cartoon and given us a look into how the show was made, and I don't think you'll be surprised that much of it was not inspired by the games.
Rather than simply recreating the video game, The Legend of Zelda’s writers positioned the show more as a mix of action, comedy, and drama, taking specific inspiration from Cybill Shepherd’s and Bruce Willis’ ’80s show Moonlighting. Writers wanted Zelda and Link’s relationship to mirror Shepherd’s and Willis’ rapport as Maddie and David on the detective show — the same angry sexual tension, but goofier and lighter for the kid-friendly cartoon TV show.
As an adult I appreciate this show for what it was and am glad it's still available, but my inner eight-year-old who watched it in 1989 is still screaming into the void about how it didn't follow the "rules" of the games of the day. Don't worry though. I keep him hushed up.
New year, new news recap! The end of 2022 means it's time for us to look back on the biggest video gaming news of the year and put it all in context one last time. We have everything from Embracer embracing everyone to Sony relaunching PlayStation Plus with new tiers to FIFA and Electronic Arts parting ways and much, much more. Join us for a supersized episode. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.
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Longtime PTB readers will remember how much I love the two Aero the Acro-bat games for the Super NES, and even though the Game Boy Advance port of the first game isn't quite up to the original's level of quality (particularly the amazing music), it has enough going for it that it's worth a play (especially for the bit of new material). I missed this news when it was new, but Forest of Illusion has recovered a very early version of that GBA port which apparently represents only a few days of work. The Aero character's sprite set in use comes from the first game, while the final GBA port would use Aero's sequel sprites, for instance. Hard4Games has created a playthrough video on YouTube so we can see the early progress and it's an interesting watch for those of us familiar with the game.
Check out this vintage piece of Nintendo merchandise from my collection. I've held on to this Mario Christmas decoration over the years; it hung on my childhood game room door each December when I was a kid and as a teen, and now it hangs on my game room door of my adult home. Dating back to 1989, this decoration sports the Super Mario Bros. 2 style of character artwork with the classic red overalls and blue shirt for Mario instead of today's modern color swap. The pop-out tree was originally held in place with a small plastic clip that has gone missing since last year, so now a twist tie does the job. It's also a little banged up from over thirty years of use and storage, but there's no way I would part with it. I love the artwork on this decoration. While I still love Super Mario games and the modern incarnation of the franchise, this version of the character was my Mario and always reminds me of those comforting holiday memories from when my biggest concern was wishing that I'd find a Super NES and Super Mario World under the tree.
Konami and Digital Eclipse teamed up to bring a collection of all of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games released by the publisher between 1989 and 1994 to modern platforms this year entitled The Cowabunga Collection, but since the Sega Dreamcast fans were feeling left out (as the console was discontinued over twenty years ago), they decided to do something about it. I expect the lawyers will be working overtime this Christmas, but in the meantime here is a Dreamcast take on The Cowabunga Collection that includes all of the official collection's NES, Super NES, Genesis, and Game Boy games along with bonus games not found on the retail collection including titles for the ZX Spectrum and the Dreamcast itself. There's even a homebrew take on the official version's museum materials with the inclusion of VHS versions of the pilot episode of the 1987 TMNT cartoon, behind the scenes promotion video of the Coming Out Of Their Shells tour, music videos from Vanilla Ice, and much more. Homebrew coder Ian Michael spent five months refining this collection and working out the technical kinks on the emulator, and now the result is available to download, burn to a CD, and play on your Dreamcast. I love it when fans take on a "because we can" attitude to homebrew conversions and hacks of familiar games (even if the copyright owners do not), and while the official version is the best way to play these games today, this Dreamcast version is worth a look for the sake of curiosity.
More and more development builds and assets from classic Nintendo video games have found their way to the Internet in the past few years, but it's still a nice surprise to see in-progress versions of beloved favorites pop up. Today's game under the magnifying glass is 1991's Super Mario World for the Super NES, as Forest of Illusion has acquired and documented an October 1990 localization prototype used to prepare the game for its North American release. This version contains a different title screen logo, different fonts, a few script changes, a slew of enabled debugging tools, and some other interesting changes. Check out the video for the full set of documented differences. It's an interesting peek behind the curtain.
Mash up the perennial Christmas hit "All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey with the beloved background music from Nintendo's Wii Shop Channel and you get a little something like this tune as arranged by Kuribo98. I'm amazed at how well these two songs intertwine, preserving the beats and riffs of both simultaneously. The same treatment has been given to "Jingle Bells" and the Mii Channel theme, too. Tis the season!
As the holiday season is upon us and people are planning to spend time with family, we thought it was the perfect time to recommend video games perfect for some family multiplayer fun time. Gather the kids, your siblings, your parents, and everyone in your circle who enjoys controllers to spend some time with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, Kirby's Dream Buffet, and many more. Join us! Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.
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As part of the new Wave 3 update of the Booster Pass expansion, Nintendo has also added an extra surprise for all players of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the Switch. Players can now toggle individual items on and off in certain modes similarly as to what Super Smash Bros. offers for item customizations, so now you can disable the dreaded blue shells or have a race with just mushrooms and horns if that's your thing. Or, if you want to go all-in on madness, you can race with nothing but blue shells. Let the chaos begin!
you may not like it but this is what a peak mario kart match looks like #MK8D #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/yYPPnEDQi0
— Akfamilyhome (@Akfamilyhome) December 7, 2022
Conan O'Brien is back to being comedically inept at today's popular video games in his revived Clueless Gamer sketch in which he plays video games badly and riffs on what he experiences. The sketch was a recurring element on his TBS talk show, Conan, but faded away some years ago even before that program ended. Now it's back where it's always thrived, as paid promotional content on YouTube. On this installment, Conan tries Deathloop, Powerwash Simulator, and A Plague Tale: Requieum. I always enjoyed the segment even though it's blatantly paid advertising, and Conan's just so darn charming that the...
There's lots to do in the open zones of the Starfall Islands in Sonic Frontiers, and since I spent thirty hours last week seeing it all and earning the platinum trophy, it seems only right to spend this episode of the podcast discussing the game. Before we get into that though, Blake Grundman regales us with tales of his recent European tour and we take a suggestion from the audience and give The Pinball Wizard for PC, iOS, and Nintendo Switch a spin. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe...
Sega experimented with content for older audiences beyond the teen market in the 1990s, from allowing Mortal Kombat's blood code on the Genesis version of the arcade smash to creating the Deep Water series rating for games with mature themes. The company was ready to go beyond those markers though through a subsidiary with the development of its erotic thriller title The Sacred Pools. Planned for release on the Sega Saturn, Sony PlayStation, PC, and Mac back in 1997, Sacred Pools was one of those underwhelming full motion video games from that era. Dylan Mansfield at Gaming Alexandria has the...
Nintendo's Star Fox for the Super NES is fondly remembered today despite aging terribly. It runs at twenty frames per second if you're lucky, its polygons are very basic, and it lacks the refinements found in its sequels. Aiming to make the game a better modern experience without sacrificing what still makes it fun, kandowontu has created a hack of the game called Star Fox EX that adds a ton of improvements and refinements. There's seventeen new levels, a model viewer, support for the Super NES mouse and Super Scope, multiplayer mode for up to five players, wingmen controlled by...
Nintendo's Game Boy Pocket does a lot of things right when it comes to handheld gaming, but the one thing you cannot do with it is fold it in half (and expect to be able to use it again afterward, anyway!). Programmer Allison Parrish set right what once went wrong by taking the best aspect of the successor Game Boy Advance SP in terms of folding, the hinge, and applied it to the Pocket hardware. The result is a Game Boy Pocket SP, and with a little engineering knowledge and access to the proper resources, you can build one of...
Sony and Insomniac Studios are marking the twentieth anniversary of the Ratchet & Clank franchise with streaming re-releases of the Ratchet titles for the PlayStation 3 for PlayStation Plus Premium members and an article of remembrances from Insomniac staff. Oh, and some free DLC nostalgia armor for last year's Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Seems kind of lackluster, but it's poor fate that led to a landmark anniversary year falling just a year after the most recent game in the series released. Maybe something larger will happen for the twenty-fifth anniversary. Anyways, here's Insomniac President Ted Price remembering when he...
The Sega Genesis compilation remake title Mega Man: The Wily Wars has received some long overdue attention in the past few years thanks to re-releases on the Genesis Mini, Nintendo Switch, and as an actual Genesis cartridge produced by Retrobit. While the game has a lot going for it over its Nintendo Entertainment System predecessor, there are a few design choices that purist fans look down upon when comparing the two versions including shot speed and enemy invincibility windows in which Robot Masters enjoy a few seconds of invulnerability after being shot. ROM hacker Josephine Lithius has modified Wily Wars...
On this Halloween, let us turn our attention to the end credits of Konami's original Castlevania for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Rather than credit the staff that worked on the game (either real names or pseudonyms), the credits list the supposed cast of the game itself as played by notable horror icons such as, er, Christopher Bee and Jone Candies. Mistranslation much? Probably not. Drew Mackie at Thrilling Tales of Old Video Games has dissected the Castlevania credits to explain who these parodic names are supposed to be. Slide two: “Screenplay by Vram Stoker / Music by James Banana.” Again,...
Following on from our last episode where we discussed the closing of Google Stadia, this week's episode follows on from that theme with a discussion of games and modes you cannot play anymore because support for them has been terminated by their publisher. Spend an hour with us in gaming's graveyard. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us...
Sega's 2005 release Shadow the Hedgehog for the Nintendo GameCube and its competing consoles took some bold chances with the Sonic the Hedgehog formula that were watered down to pass kid-friendly muster. Guns and grittiness were the order of the day back then, so Sonic Team armed Shadow with weapons and equipped him with vehicles for an adventure that ended up serving too many masters and pleasing nobody. Sure, let's make a dark Sonic game that's rated E10+ with profanity for the sake of profanity that's censored anyway. Add in some technical issues depending on which console you played it...
We're in the weather bunker this week as the clean-up from Hurricane Ian continues, but after we check in with podcast meteorologist Dalton Galloway, we discuss the sudden but inevitable end of Google's Stadia service and what that means for all of its customers. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us...
Nintendo and Sony both knocked us out last week with new announcements including the return of Goldeneye 007 for the Switch's online service, a new God of War: Ragnarok trailer for the PlayStation 5, Kirby's Return to Dream Land getting new life as a Deluxe remastering, PSVR2 information, and a long-awaited title drop for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Join us as we discuss all of this news and more. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this...
Order yourself a pizza and settle in as we have a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles feast for you on this week's podcast with discussions of Shredder's Revenge and the recently released Cowabunga Collection. Before we get to that though, we answer a listener request and I tell the story of acquiring an actual honest to goodness Claptrap robot from the Borderlands series to give my wife for her birthday. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your...
We're celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of Nintendo's famed pink puffball Kirby on this week's episode of the podcast, so join us for a bottomless feast of Kirby memories and favorite moments. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by...
Travel back in time with me tor a moment to the era of pre-release hype for Capcom's Mega Man 3 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. After Mega Man 2 seemingly came from nowhere to score critical acclaim and player popularity, fans were eager to see what was next for the blue bomber. GamePro magazine took an advance look at the game in the November 1990 issue and ended up mistranslating a few things from Japanese sources. My absolute favorite mistranslation of all time in gaming media has to be this one in which the magazine proclaimed that Mega Man would...
When you spend forty-five days in the hospital like I did, you miss a lot of video gaming industry news. That's why on this week's podcast, Blake Grundman fills me in on all of the stuff that I missed. Join us for months worth of events jammed down into ninety minutes. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us...
After reading Dylan Mansfield's complete history of Majesco's 2005 attempt to revive the A Boy and His Blob franchise for the Nintendo DS, I can only say "I'm sorry I wasted my time." I was excited about this! I didn't know better. Back at E3 2005 I did my best to find a playable demo of the game and was unsuccessful at every turn, and knowing what I know about the project now, I wish I'd put my time on the show floor to better use. The Majesco representative at their booth even denied they were working on the game....
Sega's classic Sonic the Hedgehog games for the Genesis are still held up as the best in the series, but the handheld Game Gear titles deserve a little spotlight of their own. The last of those games, Sonic Triple Trouble, was the companion game for Sonic 3 and Knuckles featuring Knuckles as an enemy tricked by Dr. Robotnik once again and a new rival in the form of Nack the Weasel who is running his own plan to collect Chaos Emeralds. Now Triple Trouble is back as a fan-created game developed by Noah Copeland for Windows and Android that converts...
Now then, where were we? Sorry to be away for so long, but that's what happens when one of the show hosts dies. Don't worry too much though! I got better. Join us for an all new episode in which I tell the harrowing tale of just what happened to me, and then Blake Grundman steers us into discussing my rehab game of choice, Sonic Origins. It's great to be back! Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed...
While the door has closed on adding new characters to Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, there's one last straggler character who wants a shot at the action and, like any good cat, she's showing up on her own schedule. Check out the illustrious OwlKitty as she bats, paws, and struts her way through the action as a DLC character. Since it's too late to add her to Smash, I guess we'll just have to hope for her to star in her own adventure someday.
With 2021 complete and in the books, it's time for us to take our annual look at our personal picks for Game of the Year. Join us for a supersized show in which we count down our top five picks, honorable mentions, and even a few dishonorable mentions. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that...
Acquisitions. Xbox Game Pass. Banjo-Kazooie back on a Nintendo platform. 2021 was a wild year for video gaming news, so it's time for us to take our annual look back at the biggest events in the gaming world for the last year. Settle in and join us for ninety minutes of discussion. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining...
The hilariously named players from 1995's Fighting Baseball for the Super Famicom have become a popular meme thanks to... well, with names like Bobsun Duggnut and Sleve McDicheal, I think you can understand why the Internet had a good laugh. Now you can generate your own Fighting Baseball team members with Ariel Caplan's Bobsun Dugnutt Redux generator. The whole thing is powered by some JavaScript and Cloudinary, generating a team roster in the style of the original video game. Now batting: Douglus Tromk!
Microsoft stunned the business world this week by laying out nearly $70B in cash to acquire Activision-Blizzard. We have definite opinions about this purchase, so this week's podcast is dedicated to discussing the ramifications of what this means to the video game industry. Blake also has a few gears to grind regarding gaming streaming culture catchphrases and controller holders shaped like beloved characters. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and...
After more than a decade of waiting and wondering, fans finally have the chance to play the long-gestating Metroid Dread. On this week's show, we discuss Nintendo's "Metroid 5" and how well we think it lives up to its impossible levels of hype. Minimal spoilers on this one, so don't worry about accidentally learning story beats you would rather not know. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure...
Blake Grundman has the pinball fever this week on the podcast, telling the tale of how his beloved Star Wars pinball table died and what he had to go through to get it repaired. Then he has another story for us about taking spare parts from the repair job and building a second, smaller digital table. Finally, while he was dealing with those things, I replaced my aging Game Boy Advance battery with a new one that has me back up and running. The man tells a hell of a story, so sit back for an hour and take it...
With the recent addition of Nintendo 64 title to the Nintendo Switch Online service, we spend an hour this week discussing how the games perform on the Switch, whether the package is a good value, and how well the new model of N64 controller works. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach...
Nintendo recently released lots of news about upcoming releases for its Switch console, so we figured it was only fitting that we spend a little time discussing the big announcements including Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Splatoon 3, Bayonetta 3, Castlevania Advance Collection, and more. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach...
The ongoing lawsuit between Epic and Apple reached a temporary resolution recently, but before the case moves on to the appeal phase of its life cycle, Blake Grundman wants to air his grievances about the verdict and wonder where it's all going to lead. Join us for a shorter than usual show this week that tears into the matter, and if there's time we'll get to the real important stuff like the twenty-fifth anniversary of Donkey Kong Land 2 (but there won't be time). Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher,...
After years of slowly trickling games from the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super NES libraries onto the Nintendo Switch, new consoles will make their debut in late October... with a catch. Coinciding with the introduction of classic Nintendo 64 games including Super Mario 64, Star Fox 64, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as well as Sega Genesis games such as Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Ristar is a new tier of paid service for the Nintendo Switch Online service. For a price yet to be announced, players will have to buy the NSO's Expansion Pass to access the new console libraries. If you want to overdose on 1990s nostalgia, Nintendo will sell wireless N64 and Sega Genesis controllers for $49.99 each. Jay Peters at The Verge has all of the details along with the full list of launch titles for both consoles.
I will upgrade my NSO subscription to access the N64 games as very few of those have come back around again beyond the Wii Virtual Console days and it will be convenient to be able to play my old favorites in an easily accessible format. Nintendo has even announced the addition of games such as Banjo-Kazooie to the service in the future (which is a big deal all by itself). The Genesis games, on the other hand, have been kept in circulation for years thanks to compilation titles for modern consoles and even now-retro consoles (there are generous collections for multiple generations of Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox) plus the Sega Genesis classic micro console. These games are cheap and easy to find. Sure, add them to Switch, but I can't help but feel that they aren't that big a splash. Even the novelty of Sega titles on Nintendo hardware was done back in the GameCube and Game Boy Advance years. Hopefully we'll see games that have been in the vault show up eventually.
Relive the glory days with authentic Nintendo 64 and SEGA Genesis wireless controllers. Both will be available for purchase for $49.99 each to any #NintendoSwitchOnline members. Stay tuned for more information to come. pic.twitter.com/MENafDLLRs
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) September 23, 2021
It is absolutely anniversary season in the world of video games as this week we're commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the release of the Nintendo GameCube. Join us for a discussion about the best and worth that the system has to offer along with some personal favorites and memories. The big hitters like Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Mario Sunshine, and The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker are covered, of course, along with games including Sonic Gems Collection, Wario World, Spider-Man, Viewtiful Joe, and plenty more. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.
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The anniversaries just keep on coming as this week we turn our attention to the thirtieth anniversary of the release of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in North America. Bundled with Super Mario World and debuting with release titles SimCity, Pilotwings, and Gradius III, the Super NES would go on to host some of the very best video games of all time. On this week's episode, we discuss the console's highs and lows along with some personal memories of how playing Super NES games were important moments in our lives. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the...
It's been thirty-five years since Nintendo released the original Metroid, and since then the franchise has gone to sport sequels, interquels, remakes, and spin-offs. That's a lot of territory for what essentially boils down to four (soon to be five) games that make up the central plot of the series. On this week's podcast, we're celebrating Metroid's big anniversary with a look back at the games, how they fit together, which ones we played over the years, and what's coming up next. Join us for an hour of discussion. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.
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