Play Retro Show

On this week’s Play Retro podcast with Scott Johnson and Brian Dunaway, ZAXXON! Sega’s revolutionary 1982 arcade game that introduced an isometric perspective to shoot-'em-ups, setting it apart from the top-down and side-scrolling shooters of its era. Its sequel, Super Zaxxon, amped up the difficulty with faster enemy movement and trickier level designs. We’ll also briefly mention Future Spy, a lesser-known Sega shooter that borrowed elements from Zaxxon while adding a military espionage theme.

SSX, EA Sports BIG’s legendary snowboarding series that defined arcade-style extreme sports in the early 2000s. From the original SSX on the PS2 to the fan-favorite SSX Tricky and the open-world masterpiece SSX 3, these games combined fast-paced racing, gravity-defying tricks, and an unforgettable soundtrack.

Space Quest I: The Sarien Encounter, Space Quest II: Vohaul’s Revenge, and Space Quest III: The Pirates of Pestulon. These games, developed by Sierra’s "Two Guys from Andromeda" (Mark Crowe and Scott Murphy), combined comedy and science fiction in a way that few adventure games had done before. QUEST IN SPACE!!!!!

Pole Position and Pole Position II, the classic arcade racing games that defined an entire genre. Developed by Namco and distributed by Atari in the US released in the early '80s, Pole Position introduced the world to realistic track-based racing with qualifying rounds, intense time-based competition, and scaling sprite graphics that made players feel like they were truly behind the wheel.

Wario Land 1–4, the beloved side-scrolling platformer series that gave Mario’s greedy, garlic-loving rival a starring role. Beginning with Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 on the Game Boy, the series evolved into a creative and quirky take on platforming, replacing traditional power-ups with bizarre transformations, treasure-hunting mechanics, and Wario’s signature brute force.

Survival horror meets dinosaurs. Regina and her team are sent to a mysterious research facility where prehistoric creatures are on the loose. Capcom’s attempt to mix survival horror with dinosaurs. Released in 1999, Dino Crisis introduced players to a sci-fi thriller where Velociraptors and T-Rexes replaced zombies.