Play Retro Show

Paper Mario (N64, 2000) is a turn-based RPG where Mario must rescue Princess Peach after Bowser steals the wish-granting Star Rod and uses it to become invincible. Mario travels eight colorful worlds, recruiting party members and using timing-based combat to pull off attacks. It's known for charming writing and a playful paper aesthetic that's baked into the gameplay itself.

Players guide Ecco (a bottle nose dolphin) through interconnected ocean environments, managing oxygen, using sonar to communicate and solve environmental puzzles, and uncovering a science fiction story-line involving time travel and alien forces for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive with a Sega CD version that enhances the experience with CD-quality audio and an expanded introduction.

Star Trek: Borg (1996) was an interactive FDM (full-motion video) game published by Simon & Schuster Interactive. You play as Qaylan Furlong, a Starfleet cadet whose father was killed at the Battle of Wolf 359. Q shows up (played by John de Lancie, reprising his TNG role) and sends you back in time to that battle, giving you a chance to change the outcome and save your father.

Return to Zork (1993): Replacing Infocom’s classic text parser with a first-person point-and-click interface, full-motion video performances, and voice acting. Set across Port Foozle and beyond, the game blends exploration, inventory puzzles, and frequent failure states in a design that retains the series’ unforgiving roots while embracing early 1990s multimedia presentation.

Bad Mojo (1996) - A PC adventure game that places players in the role of a man transformed into a cockroach, navigating a decaying apartment through environmental interaction and exploration rather than traditional puzzles. The game emphasizes atmosphere, symbolism, and survival, using pre-rendered environments, ambient sound design, and fragmented narration to convey its themes. ROACHES!

Kirby’s Dream Course (1994) is an isometric action-puzzle golf game developed by HAL Laboratory for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Combining miniature-golf mechanics with Kirby’s signature copy abilities, the game challenges players to defeat enemies and reach the goal cup using precision shots, physics, and strategic power-ups rather than traditional platforming.

GORF (1981) A fixed shooter developed by Midway that combines multiple space-combat styles into a single arcade experience. Across five distinct missions ranging from Space Invaders-style formations to Galaga-inspired flagship battles. The game escalates difficulty through faster enemies, tighter patterns, and increasingly aggressive attacks.

Sega Rally Championship (1995) established arcade rally racing with distinct surface physics, short technical stages, and licensed cars tuned for specific terrain types. The original Model 2 arcade release and its Sega Saturn conversion feature classic courses like Desert, Forest, and Mountain, along with cars such as the Toyota Celica GT-Four and Lancia Delta HF Integrale, emphasizing precision driving over pure speed.

Scott sits down with Warren Davis for a deep look at the creation of one of the great arcade games of all time, Q*Bert, as well as his direct impact on everything from the Joust series to Mortal Kombat to Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Check out his book: ‘Creating Q*bert and Other Classic Video Arcade Games’! Some amazing insight in this episode with Warren, and we hope enjoy it!