This Month In Retronauts: December 2024 edition
Added 2024-12-22 12:00:09 +0000 UTCDON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK, I've been here for years—and by "I" I mean me, Diamond Feit, having fully recovered from last month's voice affliction. Don't be surprised if you hear a bit of cracking though; I have a HEARTY laugh in the initial minutes of this podcast and accidentally brush up against my vocal limit.
Stuart Gipp and I are here to wrap up 2024 with a ton of news (thank you Game Awards), a smattering of late releases, and all of your always-timely comments. Be sure to take notes during the answers to last month's listener question as I'm quite proud of my suggestion and do not hesitate to answer next month's question ASAP!
Thank you again for making this show an ongoing success; we'll be back in 2025!
Specific items mentioned in this episode include:
Captain N: The Game Master
read Frank Welker's filmography and know he has done it all
Cartoon World is hard to Google today
Drew Mackie's blog post about the mysterious tower in Super Mario Bros 3's Sky Land
Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers Rita’s Rewind
Stu openly compares this to TMNT Shredder's Revenge
Stu says a recent patch "covers all the minor issues I had with it"
my complete playthrough of Silent Hill 2 Remake
Voidburger also played the entire remake
The Last Of Us (Part 1)
Home Safety Hotline and its Holiday DLC
Sonic X Shadow Generations (x Keanu??)
this DLC is included in the Digital Deluxe Edition but is also sold a la carte
at the 29 minute mark Stu does a blasphemy
Breath of Death VII: The Beginning: Reanimated
not a Zeboyd Games creation but a spinoff studio from that team
Chō Aniki collection
I apologize for the language in this section of the podcast
Stu makes an apt comparison to the many Valis collections
Taito Milestones 3 (not Memories)
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered
Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain & its sequel added to PS+ last month
Resident Evil Director's Cut & Dino Crisis on PSN for PS4/5
Game Awards news:
NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound coming Summer 2025
2D action from The Game Kitchen (Blasphemous)
Shadow Labyrinth coming 2025
PROJECT:ROBOT (untitled Fumito Ueda mech game)
Project:Century (Like A Dragon set a hundred years ago?)
Modern Japanese history:
Meiji>Taisho>Showa>Heisei>Reiwa (you are here)we go on a tangent about straw hats (I'm thinking of "kankan hats")
I fail to name Lee Rekka aka Wong Fei-hung
Turok Origins
Onimusha: Way of the Sword coming 2026
Okami Sequel?
Directed by Hideki Kamiya!
Stu rightly observes there was an Okami sequel, Okamiden
playlist of all the trailers shown at the 2024 Horror Game Awards
Virtua Fighter Direct!
LRG physical editions of VF2 & VF5 available for preorder
Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown v2.0
free update for PS4
Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O.
hi-res Windows port of Ultimate Showdown with rollback netcode
coming January 28 (Steam says 27, time zone issue?)
SNK games coming to Evercade
Nintendo Switch eShop and online services are ending in China on March 31, 2026
Shuhei Yoshida leaving Sony in 2025
Sony might return to portable gaming
"in the early stages of developing a portable console that would play its PlayStation 5 games on the move" Bloomberg story
Chris Person's Aftermath story on "PS Portal at home"
judging by screenshots I think "Chiaki" is named for a Persona character
Sony buying Kadokawa?
not an outright takeover but a "Strategic Capital and Business Alliance"
Coin-operated Americans: Rebooting Boyhood at the Video Game by Carly Kocurek
The Beekeeper starring Jason Statham
forgotten Marvel baddie Zzzax
Muenster cheese, readily available in any American deli
Wikipedia says it is American in origin!
our anatomical aside predates this recent social media post
GOTY candidates!
Crow Country
Mouthwashing
1000xRESIST
Contra: Operation Galuga
Hololive Treasure Mountain
UFO 50
Castlevania: Dominus Collection
Art & edits by Diamond (photo source). Music heard in this episode:
8:54 "Very Dramatic" (Vs. Angry Luigi)
19:21 "Promise of the Forgotten" (Silent Hill 2 2024)
30:16 "Tokyo (Westopolis RMX)" (Sonic x Shadow Generations)
42:57 the Empress' theme from Ai Chō Aniki
46:39 "Mansion Basement" (Resident Evil: Director's Cut)
1:03:04 "Waterfalls Stage" (Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown)
1:17:18 "Nightrain" cover
1:27:38 the main theme for ReBoot (1.0)
1:36:09 "X's and O's" by Hiroshi Sato
1:44:15 "Jennifer's Friends" by Goblin
1:55:36 "Frog's Theme" by Mariachi Entertainment System
Finale: "Dead Ma’am’s Chest" by Houshou Marine
Comments
Correction: I meant to say that I finished BotW in 2024. I started it sometime in 2021. I fooled up.
Guillermo Jiménez
2025-01-29 19:05:00 +0000 UTCQotM: Three weeks in and Balatro's dulcet tones still call out to me. Though handsome of face, I am weak of will, always answering her every beck and call. My heart says 1000xResist, but can I give game of the year to a game I've only played the first act of? Even if that first act was absolutely wonderful? For my retro pick, I'd say Gameboy Tetris. I haven't beaten it per se, but I did beat my hi score.
Nuno Amaral
2025-01-15 20:36:11 +0000 UTCHowever, I did play and complete Final Fantasy VII last year, and should have said that.
Stuart Gipp
2025-01-11 11:13:44 +0000 UTCWhat I meant was an old game I hadn’t played before, whereas I had rinsed all the DS Vanias in the past.
Stuart Gipp
2025-01-11 11:13:24 +0000 UTCQotM: Best 2024 game for me was Astro Bot. Every year I keep returning to one old platformer or other because it’s a genre that I feel like is criminally underrepresented in contemporary gaming, and when a new one comes out—one as delightful to play as this one is—I can’t help but be delighted. Fun, funny, a joy to play. Best non-2024 game for me was Dragon Quest IV for the Nintendo DS. Dragon Quest is a series that I missed back in the day (I was just barely too young to enjoy the NES Dragon Warriors and didn’t start enjoying RPGs until well into the 90s). I dug out my old DS for some classic RPG feels, something I haven’t felt in a while, and I’m planning on playing V this year to keep that feeling going.
Shel Freezes Over
2025-01-09 22:58:45 +0000 UTCQotM: I didn’t play too many games that were released in 2024. However, of the few that I did play, 1000xRESIST is far and away my game of the year. It is an incredible story, perhaps one of the best in science fiction ever, that touched me greatly as a parent. It is also a great mystery that keeps you on your toes about the motives and intentions of your peers. Truly a work of art. Honorable mentions for older games: Doom, Wind Waker, Zelda II.
Jeff Peterson
2025-01-06 02:43:22 +0000 UTCQotM: In keeping with my gaming habits, I played mostly games that run the gamut of "old", whether a year or 30 years. But getting in under the wire, my timely pick for 2024 is Marvel Rivals. My friends and I have searched for a replacement for Overwatch ever since that game's playerbase turned into toxic sludge, and this is the first one to truly click. Though toxicity has proven inescapable after a rando from a group with "toes" in all their names sourly reminded my friend that she's "playing a healer" after losing a match. As for the best older game, I have a lot to pick from, including the original Doom, Okami and Tears Of The Kingdom, but the title that hit the hardest was Ghost Trick. A beautifully woven story and world with some of the most memorable and delightful characters I've seen in any game. I never knew an adventure game could pull me in so much, but this one truly opened my eyes to the genre.
Phoequinox
2025-01-01 17:34:25 +0000 UTCGreat episode guys! I loved that Stuart said he wouldn’t count Castlevania Dominus because it’s an old game. Then can’t remember an old game that he played last year. Always great, whether intentional or not. Also: QotM: old game I played was Resident Evil 4 Remake. New game was Final Fantasy XVI (close second to Pacific Drive), I love FF and I didn’t play many new games this year, I’ve been playing backlog games. Have a great New Years Retronauts and fellow Patrons!
Kellen Taman
2024-12-28 12:26:13 +0000 UTCQOTM: Best 2024 game for me came down to 3 games, Unicorn Overlord, Romancing Saga 2 remake and Crow Country. While I put much more time into the first two games the one I kinda keep thinking back to is Crow Country. I'm not a survival horror guy at all, I get scared way too easily, but just something about Crow Country hooked me hard. I loved the creepy vibes, I loved the gameplay and my heck I adored the look of it. I'd love to see more games made in this style and can't wait to see what comes next from the developer. As for Non2024 games, the best one I finished would have to be Hades, I'd not touched it at the time when it came out despite everyone ranting and raving about but finally started it this year and holy heck that is a damn fine game. It's easily up there with the likes of Dead Cells, Slay the Spire & Inscryption as an all time great Roguelite.
Daniel Worthintendo
2024-12-28 09:37:44 +0000 UTCQotM: Best 2024 title for me is Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. Granted, it's the only 2024 title I've played significantly and I'm only 12 hours in and haven't finished but I think it'd still be my pick otherwise. It's got a great map, deep gameplay and a very well-polished sense of style. Non-2024 title: Excitebike 64, which I'd played on N64 but I finally beat all the Cups on NSO this year. Excellent, fun racer, with very fun, tricky physics and excellent track design. And I finally unlocked the 3D remake of the NES Excitebike, which is very interesting and could have been the basis of an entirely new game (and I think it was on Wii). Also Breath of the Wild, which I finally finished in 2017 and had a great time with. Not my favorite Zelda title but a great achievement all the same.
Guillermo Jiménez
2024-12-27 21:55:59 +0000 UTCQOTM: 2024 game of the year for me is Astro Bot. I watched my 9 year old son play through it and explained the Sony references. Retro game of the year is a tie between Link's Awakening DX and Metroid Fusion, both of which I played for the first time this year. I mostly missed out on Game Boy Color and GBA and it was great to finally catch up on these classics. Castlevania Aria of Sorrow is next on my handheld hit list!
Jason J
2024-12-27 16:25:10 +0000 UTCQoTM - Balatro has to win my personal GOTY purely based on playtime. Often sitting unneeded in earthmoving machinery on a remote outtback minesite meant I put dozens of hours into this bloody addicting game on my phone. All credit to the tiny devs showing that Tetris levels of success (hyperbole alert) are still possible. The surprise title that really grabbed me this year was the System Shock remake which I could just not put down. It felt thoroughly oldschool-PC but very accessible and great to play at the same time. A big recommend to anyone who has dabbled in that era of PC first person games but never thoroughly committed to any.
Wood Duck
2024-12-27 01:20:53 +0000 UTCBuckshot Roulette is the ultimate "I will pay a tiny amount of money for 3 hours of this excellent, unique indie experience and never touch it again" game. Brilliant!
Shrunken Shrine
2024-12-26 01:11:11 +0000 UTCI'm not sure Diamond is aware just how good a rebuttal they have in the line "I would love to agree with you, but also I fear that anyone who uses these words is asking to be hit in the head with a hammer." Anyway, here's looking forward to the relaunched Retronauts whenever Diamond passes on - a Japanese-only, presumably Splatoon-focused show. This time last year I predicted Infinite Wealth would be my GOTY and yet here I am having not even finished it. Instead it has to be Metaphor, unbelievably unseating DQ3 simply by removing Persona's biggest problem - Tokyo high schoolers. As for non-2024, I finally played Mother 3, and I can't believe it actually met my extremely high expectations after 15ish years of putting it off. It knocks EarthBound, the very game that even got me into RPGs, into a cocked hat, frankly.
Shrunken Shrine
2024-12-26 01:06:47 +0000 UTCIt's bloody lovely to have you chaps on tap for Christmas, especially for those who might be having a solitary one. Edit - I laughed until I cried when Stu disgusted realised he was reading out my endorsement of a free game that was only tenuously connected to the subject :D (spruik - pronounced sprook, from German spruchen, to publicly endorse or advertise especially by speech)
Wood Duck
2024-12-25 22:48:13 +0000 UTCSeconded on Basement Bros. Good content.
Craig
2024-12-24 15:42:54 +0000 UTC"X"? It's pronounced "cross", at least, going via all the previews of "Project X Zone" on the Nintendo 3DS, and that pronounciation has stuck with me ever since. QotM: Game of the year: UFO 50. Current stats: 16 disks dusted off, 4 golds, 2 cherries. And even at this stage, still GOTY. I can't wait to spend some quality time with Barbuta. 30 years ago my mother was mapping out the video games she played, and I want to carry on that family tradition by mapping out Barbuta. "Old" Game of the year: Donkey Kong 64. I'm definitely a collectathon man, having 100%d Marios, Spyros, and Kirby and the Forgotten Land, but the randomizer has breathed new life into Rare's collectathon to end all collectathons.
TheLupineOne
2024-12-24 13:19:31 +0000 UTCQotM: My favorite 2024 release would be Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Kat Bailey once described FFVII Remake as the first "7/10 GOTY contender" and that description fits its followup pretty well, although I'd rate both higher than that. The adventure is bloated beyond all reason and the changes to the story are confusing and robs one character's death of the impact in the original game, but damn if I didn't enjoy its gameplay loop, soundtrack, battle system, and spectacle. Runners up include Astrobot, Balatro, and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown My favorite game not released in 2024 would be Baldur's Gate 3, an astonishing accomplishment if I ever played one. If this game didn't already exist, I would say making something of its size and scope would be impossible. The sheer variety of dialogue choices, romance options, classes, spells, and characters amazes me. And its writing and voice acting lives up to its lofty ambitions.
PurpleComet
2024-12-24 00:15:05 +0000 UTCDiamond & Stuart, it was tremendous listening to your End-of-Month shows in 2024. What began as an experiment has really become one of my favorite parts of Retronauts. Keep it up! For the QotM: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was my top game of 2024. The stylish presentation had me from the start. The platforming and combat only got more satisfying as the game continued. It's a shame that Prince of Persia under performed, because I think Ubisoft really made something special with The Lost Crown. As for my top game NOT of 2024—I got totally sucked into Monster Hunter Rise for a couple of months. It's become my favorite entry in the series. I know Monster Hunter goes on sale regularly for about $10, and is worth checking out. Looking forward to hearing more from you guys in 2025!
Devon Dale
2024-12-23 20:06:51 +0000 UTCBest game I played this year is Nine Sols. A really nice but hard metroidvania with a really nice story. Made by Red Candle Games who made Devotion. For my retro game this year I replayed Burnout 3 Takedown. Maybe the only racing game I actually enjoyed playing. Had a blast revisiting it and getting (almost) all the retroachivement in it. Only one I didn't get are the ones where I would just do the same action over and over again for 10 hours and rather spend it with something I would enjoy doing.
Bwo
2024-12-23 12:47:18 +0000 UTCThese are amazing recommendations thank you! Victory Heat Rally looks incredible
PosiVibez4evr
2024-12-23 08:37:49 +0000 UTCQOTM: Both of my games of the year I happened to end up playing thanks to Retronauts! For my favorite game that was released this year, it's barely been out as I'm writing this comment and I'm not finished with it yet, but I've got to give it to Antonblast. I made a vow to focus on my backlog this year and didn't play a lot of new releases, but I first heard about Antonblast on the interview episode here on Retronauts and it sounded so brilliant I couldn't wait to finally play it. I have not been able to stop playing it! It has incredible visuals and animation, it's genuinely funny and full of charm and character, its "game feel" is so perfect between the boost mechanic and the how destructive your character feels, and it has some truly unique and memorable stage themes and mechanics and I could never guess what the next stage would be. An unsettling spooky bath/pool facility stage? Why not! As for my game of not this year, I gotta give it to Bayonetta! I had been meaning to play this game for years, and the Retronauts episode finally gave me the push I needed. I had always been really intimidated by these sorts of action games, and while it's certainly difficult, in the moments I've really felt in full control of the combat, there's a "flow" state and feeling of being the character that can pull off all this awesome stuff that no other sort of game has really given me. The game has such a cool setting, world building, and always felt like it was keeping things fresh with every level. It definitely makes me want to try DMC and other Platinum games after. Thanks for another year of these community podcasts and Retronauts as a whole! I'm so grateful to this podcast, the community it's created, and all the work that goes into it!
Grant Baxter
2024-12-22 23:49:19 +0000 UTCThe Bulk and Skull theme activated me like a sleeper agent
Craig
2024-12-22 23:19:39 +0000 UTCQotM: Checking my records, I played surprisingly little 2024 releases--just Operation Galuga and some of Nintendo's B-tier releases. I suppose Princess Peach Showtime was the one I got the most enjoyment from, as I was able to share it with my daughter for a few levels before even she bounced off it. As for older stuff, I went through the entire Bionic Commando series, and Elite Forces (the Game Boy Color entry) for me was the topper. It perfected the controls from the NES and GB versions, and added a touch extra clambering ability to make it considerably easier to correct mistakes, the levels were nicely varied, and the weapons felt great. And it looked absolutely gorgeous on the Analogue Pocket.
Jordan Davis
2024-12-22 20:01:16 +0000 UTCQotM: When I get asked about best game of the year, I always like to shout out a game that I feel got completely overlooked despite being amazing. Last year that was Gravity Circuit. This year? Victory Heat Rally! A fun and challenging racer with a cool retro aesthetic that I hope others copy. (Runner up being Buckshot Roulette, which is addictive and dirt cheap!) Best older game? I bought Minecraft back when it was in alpha, but never really got into it. This year I've started playing it with my son and between hours of that and watching Dragon Ball Z and Super together, I'll have a lot of fond memories of this year.
Andrew O.
2024-12-22 19:40:32 +0000 UTCQotM: Best game I played this year that released this year was Astro Bot. A wonderful platforming experience with tons of great Sony throwbacks (even if some stuff is glaringly absent). The best older game I played this year is something I played early in the year and was hard to top. Ys the Oath in Felghana (the Steam version as the other ones are not out yet). I have gotten into the franchise since getting IX on a Black Friday deal a few years ago and since I now have a laptop that can run games well I caught up on many of the the other entries in the series. Felghana had the right balance of the 2d gameplay of the series that I dug.
Patrick McClafferty
2024-12-22 15:00:54 +0000 UTC
