Play Retro Show

Based on Tim Burton's 1988 film, Beetlejuice for the NES is a platforming adventure game developed by Rare and published by LJN. Players control Beetlejuice as he navigates different areas in an attempt to scare humans out of a house he wants to claim as his own. Players use Beetlejuice’s unique abilities, such as summoning skeletons and transforming into different creatures, to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. The game features side-scrolling levels with a mix of combat and platforming elements.

Today on podcast, Sunset Riders is a classic side-scrolling run-and-gun arcade game developed and published by Konami in 1991. Set in the American Wild West, the game became a fan-favorite for its colorful graphics, fast-paced action, and engaging cooperative gameplay. Players assume the roles of bounty hunters as they chase down notorious outlaws across a series of challenging levels, all while dodging bullets, obstacles, and other hazards typical of the Western frontier.

On Play Retro today, we talk about the impact of Dune II! Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty (titled Dune II: Battle for Arrakis in Europe and Dune: The Battle for Arrakis for the North American Mega Drive/Genesis port, respectively) is a 1992 real-time strategy game developed by Westwood Studios and published by Virgin Games. It serves as the sequel to Dune, following a more traditional adventure strategy game format, that came out earlier the same year.

Skies of Arcadia is a classic role-playing game developed by Overworks and originally released for the Sega Dreamcast in 2000. The game was later ported to the Nintendo GameCube as Skies of Arcadia Legends in 2002. Set in a world of floating islands and vast skies, the game follows the adventures of Vyse, a young air pirate, and his friends Aika and Fina as they strive to stop the evil Valuan Empire from awakening ancient weapons of mass destruction.

The followup to Theme Park and the 2nd in Bullfrog's Designer Series - Theme Hospital is a business simulation game that puts players in the role of a hospital administrator, tasked with building and managing a hospital, diagnosing and treating patients, and dealing with various humorous and wacky medical conditions.

Players control Mike Jones in this NES classic, a young boy armed with a yo-yo, as he explores various islands to rescue his kidnapped uncle. The game combines exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat. How does it hold up? How was II? Tune in and find out!

On this week's Play Retro podcast, Gradius is a series of shooter video games, introduced in 1985, developed and published by Konami for a variety of portable, console and arcade platforms. In many games in the series, the player controls a ship known as the Vic Viper. It's good, and you should play it. At least up to III. IV is weird.

Popular culture come to life in this unique blend of inline skating, graffiti art, and an eclectic soundtrack of funk, hip hop and rock. Set in a vibrant, cel-shaded world, the series focuses on the adventures of a gang of rebellious skaters called the GG fighting against oppressive authorities by tagging graffiti and grinding.