This Month In Retronauts: January 2025 edition
Added 2025-01-26 12:00:08 +0000 UTCI hope you're ready to kick off Year Three of our monthly community podcast because here's our first celebratory catch-all conversation about what Stuart and I have been playing, what's new, and what you had to say about the show via your comments.
Given that January runs a bit quiet as far as releases and announcements go, that section of the show is on the short side—although I think you'll find I covered the biggest event of January 2025 pretty succinctly via a separate segment I recorded after the fact. But many of you sounded off with your favorite games of 2024, thank you so much! We've got a similarly open-ended question this month that I hope you enjoy.
Specific items mentioned in this episode include:
everyone is still talking Balatro, thank you Stu
Maddie's two relevant comics (so far)
Astro Bot
Supraland
Stu reviewed it for our site 5 years ago
the developer previously created Notpron
Sorry We're Closed
VoidBurger's GOTY video for 2024 & first stream
Shadows of the Damned
Crow Country
Hollowbody (already out)
Heartworm (no date yet)
Dread X Collection
Blasphemous & Blasphemous 2
Nine Sols
La Mulana & La Mulana 2
Animal Well
Grindr (no e)
House of the Dead 2 Remake
Stu teaches us about Narm Charm
build your own Neptune
Kolibri & Knuckles' Chaotix
Lunar Remastered Collection
the name we struggle to recall is Victor Ireland
Lunar has no relation to Lufia or Space Invaders
The Exit 8 getting a movie prompts a chat about adaptations
seriously look up Takashi Miike's filmography, it's nuts
congrats again to Tadanobu Asano on his Golden Globe
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD
a brief chat about the state of pro wrestling
I maintain Arby's is (or at least was) good
Stu warns against illegal practices at CEX in the UK
Episode 594 did indeed tackle the first three "books" of Ys
the Feit family is abuzz with Sakamoto Days fever
A Real Pain
Art & edits by Diamond (image source). Music heard in this episode:
9:25 "Perseverance" (Astro Bot)
19:38 "Jenny" (Sorry We're Closed)
27:09 "In Yggdrasil" (La Mulana 2)
35:04 "Black Winter Night Sky" (Tekken 2)
41:09 the vocal stylings of GOLDMAN
1:11:27 "Disaster" (Raw Danger)
1:23:04 "Snowman" (Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX)
1:26:24 "A Taste of Crocodile" (Fatal Fury 3)
1:35:34 "I'm a Spy (Security Hall)" (Sonic Adventure 2 remix)
1:48:53 "Dracula's Tears" (Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania)
1:55:10 "Turtles Have Short Legs" by CAN
Finale: crash
Comments
Late to this party but here are my top 5 PS1 games : 1/Metal Gear Solid - really sparked my love of all things narrative in video games, I've always been a movie buff and at the time it felt like the thing that finally managed to bridge my two biggest passions in life. Still my favorite game series and though MGS3 is my favorite entry, everything flows from MGS 2/Castlevania Symphony of the Nigh - bought it on a whim, wasn't particularly a fan of Castlevania as I had only played Super Castlevania IV at the time and I was blown away by how rich the game was. It was also my first Metroidvania game (I hadn't played any Metroid game at that point) and the structure was also revelatory. It was back in the day where FAQs and walkthrough weren't readily available and having imported the again ahead of its EU release, no magazines were covering it so it was a delight to find every little secret by myself. Figuring out the secret behind the proper way of beating Richter and the subsequent inverted castle twist are still to this day one of my favorite moment in gaming. 3/Suikoden II - coming at the tail end of the generation, at a time when everybody had definitely moved on to 3D, it felt like a game out of time (which the coverage at the time reflected with most reviews being very dismissive) but man it felt like the ultimate refinement of the classic 2D RPG formula, with an amazing system, an entrancing and tragic story and perhaps the single greatest villain in all RPG history in the person of Luca Blight. Can't wait to play it again next month. (It's also one of my most prized possession, the european pressing was very low so physical copies now fetch upward of 2 to 300 euros) 4/Resident Evil 2 - I spent an entire summer in 96 playing only RE1 to the point of frying my Playstation so the sequel had a lot to live up and boy did it. Upping the action without sacrificing the horror, RE2 was at the time the epitome of bigger and better in every respect, improving upon its predecessor in nearly every way. I've replayed it recently and over 25 years later, the game was still seared into my brain every step of the way. 5/Soul Reaver - replaying it recently thanks to the excellent HD remastered really cemented how ahead of its time the game was. A true technical marvel for its time what with the ability to switch instantly between two worlds completely seamlessly, its prowess is complemented by an excellent structure and a killer story with some of the best voice acting of any game on the console. I could have also named Tomba, Soul Edge, FF VII, Xenogears, Crash Bandicoot 3, Broken Sword, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Vandal Hearts, International Track'n Field and god knows how many more because that game library is still near untouchable.
Matthieu Galley
2025-02-14 23:34:04 +0000 UTCAh! I forgot about Metal Gear Solid and Tekken 3! Too many dang ole awesome games on this system.
Nuno Amaral
2025-02-12 20:18:36 +0000 UTCI also want to honorably mention, Chrono Cross, the Megaman X's, Parasite Eve, Street Fighter 3, and about 50 other top in class games from this era.
Nuno Amaral
2025-02-12 16:34:51 +0000 UTCQotM: This is an excellent, albiet, difficult question to answer. 5. Symphony of the Night - Not my favorite Metroidvania or even Castlevania, but a masterpiece and we all know it. 4. Bushido Blade - An early 3D fighter that still holds up today and a great time with a group of friends. 3. Final Fantasy Tactics - I mean, come on. I still think about my magnificent, better than yours, party. 2. Breath of Fire 3 and 4 - Kind of cheat putting both on , but both are excellent in similar and slightly different ways. Plus I feel like this series deserves more attention, especially from Capcom. 1. Vagrant Story - I just completed this game again a few weeks ago and I had a wonderful time of it. I truly miss PS1 era Squaresoft's innovation & experimentation
Nuno Amaral
2025-02-12 16:29:28 +0000 UTCI didn’t own a PS1 but my buddy did and we spent hours drinking 40s and playing Apocalypse. I was so happy when Stu mentioned that game as I was sure nobody has given a single thought to it in over 20 years.
Jason J
2025-02-09 17:09:08 +0000 UTCIt was difficult not putting Brave Fencer Musashi on my top-5. It is top-10 for sure.
Matthew Donnelley
2025-02-06 17:48:01 +0000 UTCAnother fun episode, thank you! Here are my top-5 PS1 games in reverse order: 5) Point Blank: I could not believe the game I played so much in the arcade randomly at Disneyland one time after riding Space Mountain had a home console version, and that it was multiplayer, AND that it was so accurate on my bedroom TV 4) Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2: Just a perfect blend of enough mechanics to be interesting and challenging without being overwhelming, 10/10 level designs, and that soundtrack to cap it all off (I still have my original disc!) 3) Tekken 3: I mainly enjoy 2D fighting games, but this game was just so FULL. So many modes, so many characters, so many ending movies, so much fun unlocking everything with my best friend during college. And it looked so good, even on a smaller CRT TV (I still have my original disc!) 2) Resident Evil: My favorite survival horror game by far (though VII comes very close). I understand there are "better" Resident Evil games, but this one just set the standard for me. I still enjoy replaying it. 1) Vandal Hearts: I bought this game randomly at Toys R Us one weekend because it had a dragon on the cover. Looking back, it is a fairly simplistic tactics/strategy RPG (with some terrible sequels, oof) but this game came out of nowhere for me, and unlocked my undying love of tactics gaming. It's like CHESS?! But with SWORDS?! And MAGIC?! And 19-foot showers of pixelated blood flying everywhere for no reason?! I am so in. I even love the map and town efficiency of everything being menu-driven, so I don't have to walk store-to-store. Every other tactics game I play is held up to my memories of playing through Vandal Hearts. This is my 2nd-favorite game of all time (Link's Awakening on Game Boy being my favorite) and I still have my original disc!
Matthew Donnelley
2025-02-06 17:47:13 +0000 UTCQotM: I mined my list of the 384 PS1 games I've played through. Was quite tough to whittle down to 5, but I'm happy with these: Brave Fencer Musashi - had pretty much everything I want in an action RPG - varied moveset, fun main and side quests, stellar soundtrack, humor. Even had collectable action figures that lost their resale value once you opened and played with them! Driver - Once you got past the ludicrously unforgiving tutorial (seriously, I witnessed no fewer than a dozen people bounce off it), was a thrilling 3D driving game across incredibly detailed cities that was so different than repetitive circuit racing. Suikoden II - About as perfect an RPG as has ever been. Powerful story, memorable villain, exceptional soundtrack, and a refreshingly brisk battle system (about 10x faster than its contemporaries) Syphon Filter 1 - Still my overall favorite opening level in any game, period. You had a massive loadout of weaponry and gadgetry akin to Metal Gear, but were able to use everything at a considerably faster pace. Tomba! - Combined Metroid exploration with an addictive quest system. Backtracking was actually fun here -- a concept 90% of today's Metroidvanias just don't seem to grasp.
Jordan Davis
2025-02-04 13:03:45 +0000 UTCPS1 is probably my favorite console ever between its JRPG library and experimental games, and this was tough. 1) Suikoden II (my favorite game of all-time for several years) 2) Chrono Cross (I actually love it just as much as Chrono Trigger) 3) Metal Gear Solid 4) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night 5) Alundra (AKA the best Zelda clone ever made No Dragon Quest VII because I played the 3DS version of that and don't feel comfortable comparing that to the PS1 experience and Xenogears will probably make the cut but I haven't finished it yet.
Grant Baxter
2025-01-30 16:50:04 +0000 UTCQotM: As you stated, the PlayStation library is massive so narrowing down a top five is difficult without excluding some key games. I’m sure there will be repeats here, but here are my five in no particular order: - Final Fantasy VII (the game that convinced me to get a PlayStation) - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (the second game that convinced me to get a PlayStation) - Metal Gear Solid (voice acted cutscenes using in engine graphics was a HUGE advancement when everyone else was doing FMVs) - Chrono Cross (probably the peak of the system’s graphical capability with a great puzzle styled combat system) - Dance Dance Revolution 3rd Mix (this kicked off my love of rhythm games and learning how to play imports on PS1 and PS2)
Jeff Peterson
2025-01-30 14:55:00 +0000 UTCI came on here to post this exact comment after looking it up just now and finding the blog post in question: https://congogabriel.wordpress.com/tag/um-bongo/#:~:text=It%20turns%20out%20they%20do,in%20the%20Congo!!!!
BlueWeaselBreath
2025-01-30 14:54:15 +0000 UTCI was more into N64 at the time but I played a lot of PSX on emulators and PS2, so my list goes: 1. Metal Gear Solid 2. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night 3. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 4. Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit 5. Grand Theft Auto 2 There's definitely a bunch of games that would take the 4 and 5 spots if I'd played more of them though: Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Final Fantasy, Tekken, etc.
Guillermo Jiménez
2025-01-30 00:57:52 +0000 UTCI’m a huge Nintendo Fanboy, but the PSX had so many amazing titles that’s it’s hard to choose only five. If I had to It’d probably have to be 1. Metal Gear Solid 2. Final Fantasy Tactics 3. Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete 4. Resident Evil 5. Vagrant Story I could probably think of a dozen more PSX games that could easily be on this list, but those are just a few of the best. Honorable mentions to Bust A Groove, Mega Man Legends, Symphony of the Night, Einhander, DDR (I had a metal Red Octane pad), and Fire Pro Wrestling G (even though it’s one of the worst ones)
El Pescado
2025-01-30 00:11:19 +0000 UTCClarification: I did mean to say that I finished Breath of the Wild in 2024. I started it sometime in 2021. I fooled up.
Guillermo Jiménez
2025-01-29 19:05:40 +0000 UTCWhile I was a N64 kid and only played PSX games much later my favorite 5 PSX games are: Dragon Warrior 7 Metal Gear Solid SOTN Alundra Oddworld As for Lunar fans outside it was a nice JRPG in general it also had some nice anime cut scenes and decent voice acting for the time which was pretty new for the time on Sega CD. Also there was a Lunar game on DS and it was AWFUL!
Bwo
2025-01-29 14:42:39 +0000 UTCI don’t get funko pops either. The beady black eyes freak me out. 😰
PosiVibez4evr
2025-01-29 10:07:39 +0000 UTCHello, just want to assure listeners that I love David Lynch and was very sad when he passed away. Diamond Feit has manipulated audio of my voice to make it seem otherwise, because ze is a criminal who will be going to prison.
Stuart Gipp
2025-01-29 09:42:35 +0000 UTCTo reply late to last month's questions, my favourite game I played in 2024 from 2024 was UFO 50; and my favourite game I played in 2024 from earlier was Baldur's Gate 3, which honestly was more of a 2024 game to me. As for this month's question, the Playstation era was when I stopped playing video games, out of the mistaken belief that they were for kids and it was time to move on. But the call of its JRPGs was too strong to resist, even though I played FF7 and FF8 on the PC. A few days before the PS2 came out, I bought a PS1 (the rounded, smaller Playstation) and went on a buying spree, picking up greatest hits releases and used classics. Tragically, I sold off most of my collection before a move. I had Symphony of the Night and Xenogears, both of which I never got around to playing; and the Lunar releases, which hopefully made the game store a good deal of money. All that said, my top five PS1 games are 1. Legend of Mana 2. Chrono Cross 3. Dragon Warrior 7 4. Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete 5. Parasite Eve Cheers! PS: These episodes are great. Thank you. :)
Nigel G
2025-01-29 02:31:06 +0000 UTCTop 5 PS1 games: 1: Final Fantasy VII 2: Suikoden 2 3: Final Fantasy Tactics 4: Breath Of Fire 3 5: Tomba! I also have to shout out Tekken 3 and Twisted Metal 2 for representing my favorite multiplayer experiences on that console.
Phoequinox
2025-01-28 15:55:13 +0000 UTCSeconded on the person who suggested Metaphor as GOTY. Removing cringe from Persona was truly the key to creating a GOTY.
Craig
2025-01-28 13:32:50 +0000 UTCThe timeframes I refer to are either "almost immediately" to "within two or three days" 😅
Wood Duck
2025-01-28 10:13:33 +0000 UTCYou have to listen to it now while it's still timely.
littleterr0r
2025-01-28 08:40:59 +0000 UTCThe perpetual agonising dilemma - Do I immediately devour TMIR as soon as I see it is released, or be a good boy and catch up on other unlistened episodes first then savour TMIR as a treasured morsel?
Wood Duck
2025-01-28 07:56:31 +0000 UTCThanks for reading two (?!) of my comments! As far as top 5 PS1 games, I'm gonna go with: Resident Evil 1, Silent Hill 1, PaRappa the Rapper, Tenchu: Stealth Assassins, and Brave Fencer Musashi.
littleterr0r
2025-01-28 04:52:28 +0000 UTCTop 5 PS1 Games: 1. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 2. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night 3. Final Fantasy VII 4. Final Fantasy IX 5. Thrasher: Skate & Destroy Honorable Mentions: Syphon Filter, Final Fantasy Origins Haven't Played But Am Certain I Will Enjoy: Metal Gear Solid, Chrono Cross, Silent Bomber, Suikoden II
Tall Rob
2025-01-28 01:42:09 +0000 UTCPersonal FF1 faves in no specific order FF7 SOTN Megaman Legends Xenogears FFT Honorable mentions but I don’t really consider them true PS1 games. Grandia Lunar Series Tales of Phantasia Remake
Craig
2025-01-27 16:43:45 +0000 UTCMy PS1 favorites: • PaRappa the Rapper • Rayman • FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 • Ridge Racer Type 4 • Micro Machines V3
kickpunchblock
2025-01-27 12:34:24 +0000 UTCFavourite PS1 games? Final Fantasies VII and IX, Metal Gear Solid, Suikoden 2, Vagrant Story
CitizenMeh
2025-01-27 09:52:57 +0000 UTCMy personal favorites are: * Metal Gear Solid * Resident Evil 2 * Final Fantasy IX * Final Fantasy Tactics * Parappa the Rapper
Faizel Razak
2025-01-27 03:31:35 +0000 UTC1. Final Fantasy Tactics 2. Metal Gear Solid 3. R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 4. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night 5. Ape Escape Honorable mention goes to Parappa the Rapper. That dude needs a proper comeback.
Stephen Maurer
2025-01-26 22:26:03 +0000 UTCPersonal favourite PSX games. In no particular order: • Final Fantasy VII • Final Fantasy Tactics • Metal Gear Solid • Vagrant Story • Parappa the Rapper Impossible to pick just 5 though, could easily add 20 or 30 games to that list
Kormakur Gardarsson
2025-01-26 20:08:49 +0000 UTC1. Castlevania Symphony of the Night 2. Final Fantasy 9 3. The Misadventures of Tron Bonne 4. Spider-man 5. Crash Bandicoot Warped Weirdly skewed towards 2000 but I got the system late in its life.
Patrick McClafferty
2025-01-26 15:15:28 +0000 UTCA long time ago, I read a blog where someone had found a case of Um Bongo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. So there you go.
CitizenMeh
2025-01-26 12:20:35 +0000 UTC
