We are back with another edition of the Retroist Forum Buzz. Remember, if you are registered to comment on the site, you are registered for the forums. So why not drop in an give us your two-cents. (http://www.retroist.com/forum/)

Here’s some current buzz from the forums:

Best Game with Mario In It
“I’m gunna go with mario bros 3. Where as super mario world was the absolute pinnacle of gaming is took allmost all of its ideas from 3 ”

Favorite Muppet
“Yeah…about the “sometime food” for Cookies thing:It’s a pose.

Seriously,this dude has a Cookie JONES.And no teeth.

It’s kind of like when Bobcat Goldthwaite set the Tonight Show chair on fire.He made a PSA and took the stance of “Fire Bad” along with such Icons as Smokey the Bear and Phil Hartman’s Frankenstein Monster on SNL.—you know he didn’t mean it,you know he didn’t care but he had to say it for the kids who might imitate him.

Check the Cookie Monster’s kitchen.The healthiest thing in there is Oatmeal Cookies. ”

ALF!!
“Alf Claussen is also the Musical Director for “The Simpsons”.I saw him described once as the guy who makes the parody music for them and gets it so close to the original music that they are a hair’s breadth away from getting sued.”

I Miss Calvin and Hobbes
“Awesome strip…my six year old nephew looks like Calvin,acts like Calvin,and he has no idea who Calvin is.Nor would I expect him to,since(as I think I pointed out),he acts like Calvin and would only think that Calvin acts like him(Sam).

I have a question to ask,and I sure hope if you read it that you have seen the last strip(it was a Sunday one) so that my question doesn’t act as a de facto spoiler.

Q: What do you all think happened in the last Calvin and Hobbes?

Do you think that Watterson was implying that they walked into a Whiteout and never returned?

That Calvin would stay eternally Six years old?

That the strip was never,ever,NEVER coming back? ”

Found a few Mix Tapes…
“tapes are awesome although it seems they will be phased out completely in the future; but then again thats what they said about vinyl. ”

V (2009)
“And that is the scary part tupa, if they are showing this much, makes you wonder just how slow and boring some of the episodes are going to be. If you watch Flash Forward, they seem to be showing the story lines of the real boring people to much and the stuff you want to see more of get pushed back. Really hope the new V is not like that. I can see them doing back story shows from the Visitors POV telling how they got here and how they mixed into the different countries and even maybe a few episodes showing what life is like on their planet. Take the show in a little different direction then the original. “

According to Hakes:

9×17.5×2″ deep boxed game made by Tranosgram Gold Medal Toys And Games © 1961 ZIV-United Artists Inc. to compete w/Sea Hunt game. Box lid features art similar to #3142 but done in a different art style and includes photo of Drake Andrews. Game is complete w/instructions. Game board has a 5-7/8″ square sticker on reverse depicting segment of scene on box lid. Insert has been punched and has some tears due to token removal. Characters pieces have some wear where they are inserted into bases. Contents are VF. Box lid has one split corner, edge wear, VF. 1-3/8×1.25″ Christmas sticker. Scarce.

So I’m throwing you a curve ball here (wow check out the Brit using an American slang term) and using some music from an arcade game. X-Men (1992) was released by Konami and I’m almost positive that hardly anyone would have heard this at the arcade with all the many games shouting out their own form of musical advertisement.  I was lucky enough to visit a friend who owns a cabinet featuring this very game and was engrossed (I also laughed hard at the Magneto quote “welcome to die”). This is defiantly Japanese arcade music at its fullest and I think it has some Capcom influences . They were both using the Sound CPU: Z80 (all be it Konami at 8 MHz) and two Sound Chips: YM2151 and K054539. Ok I’m getting technical now I had better finish this here before the (Gweat and tewerble) editor Retroist decides to see if I have mutant healing powers by beating me with the business end of  a Mos technology SID chip still connected to his C64 and let me tell you, that will leave a mark (if not on your body then on your mind)

To talk about great video game music or to beat me yourself with the business end of something substantial* come and join us at the Forum

*only E-beatings will be acceptable, real life beatings may be met with a letter from my lawyer (who has an adamantium bonded to his skeleton)

Today’s show about that quintessential 1980s detective show, Magnum P.I. We talk about the shows creation, the actors and characters, and the future of the Magnum character. This being metagirl’s favorite TV show, she contributed not one, but two top 5 lists for this week’s show. Just a reminder to drop by our official forums to discuss Magnum P.I., classic TV and Tom Selleck. You can find the forums at http://www.retroist.com/forum/.

The above art was again provided by Artist/Illustrator Christopher Tupa. To see more of Christopher’s work, drop by his website at http://www.ctupa.com. You can see all this work for the Retroist Podcast at The Art of the Retroist Podcast.

Listen to the Show

Love nostalgia? Want to give podcasting a shot? Just drop me an email with an audio sample at theretroist@gmail.com. Maybe you want to just discuss retro topics? Stop by the Retroist Forum and tell us what’s on your mind.

If you have any suggestions for topics you would like for me to cover in the future, email them to me at theretroist@gmail.com or call the Retroist Hotline at 641.715.3900 extension 57185. Want to chat? Contact me via AIM. My handle is retroist. You can also follow me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/retroist and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/retroist.

You can click the player below the opening paragraph to listen to the show directly from the site, you can use the subscription button below to add the show to your favorite news reader or subscribe to show directly through iTunes. Thanks for listening and enjoy the show.

After an internal audit revealed that table service slowed down Burger King’s service so much that they actually lost millions of dollars, the concept was abandoned after just three months.

The following piece was pulled from a group discussion called simply “RotJ Question” (which is about the just released Return of the Jedi). Paw asks…

Has anyone else out there in newsland noticed a similarity between Lucas’s “Ewoks” (in RotJ) and H. Beam Piper’s “Fuzzies” (of LITTLE FUZZY, etc.)
-paw

One comment in net.sf-lovers said that Darth Vader killed the Emperor to save Luke’s life. This is not consistent with the presentation made in the RotJ book (available in paperback). In the book, it is made obvious that Vader is just waiting for an opportunity to overthrow the Emperor and take over. The Emperor’s attacks on Luke both keeps him occupied and drains some of his power so that Darth sees a chance to act. Darth is successful in the short run but loses in the long run.

In general, the book contains much more detail about the plot than the movie does. This must be in compensation for the difficulty of presenting exciting special moviemaking effects in print. Anyway, a reading of the book may alter the interpretation of some scenes in RotJ.

Patrick Wyant
Bell Labs (Illinois)

I thought everybody knew that Darth was a cute guy until he was thrown into a volcano. Just in case some of you didn’t, that is indeed how he got so ugly.

-Glenn

p.s. I couldn’t hardly understand Yoda, either. But then, I could never understand Fozzie Bear from the muppets, and of course, they sound exactly alike. It looked like they were using a different puppet for Yoda than last movie. Anyone else think that?

Quite correct. In the novelization of the movie, Ben tells Luke that he and Darth/Anakin had a fight, a Vader fell into a molten pit. When he climbed out, he was completely evil, the last good having vanished (or been burned away).

That is the reason why 1) his head was so scarred and ugly in TESB, and 2) he has to alway the breath mask. He needs the portable life support system — which regulates both breathing and heart rate — in order to stay alive.

Arnold Robbins

I saw the movie last Friday, and I must admit, although I liked it a great deal, the ending left a great deal to be desired. I thought it was just *too* happy and too predictable, with the good guys winning (with little or no harm done – except for a few Ewoks) and the bad guys all dying. Be serious, George! At least some of the stars should have lost their lives in the battle to save the rebels.

Allyn Fratkin
UC San Diego

I thought the net newcomers might enjoy seeing this.

16.7%: Princess Leia
11.1%: Han Solo
9.3%: Don’t care
9.3%: Boba Fett
7.4%: Someone New
7.4%: Lando Carlissian
5.6%: Darth Vader
5.6%: nobody
3.7%: Wedge
1.9%: Leia’s and Luke’s son
1.9%: FtG
1.9%: Leia’s and Han’s son
1.9%: Won’t know in R.o.t.J.
1.9%: Luke’s father
1.9%: Lost relative of Luke
1.9%: Don’t know
1.9%: Mr. Spock
1.9%: OB-2 Kenobi
1.9%: R2D2
1.9%: Luke’s severed hand
1.9%: Obi-wan Kenobe
1.9%: “Other”==>”Luke gets another shot at success”

Just testing to see if

exists

Well, it’s time to start the roaring discussions going. ROTJ was a fine film, but not as good as the other two. First, it was too busy getting all the things done it had to, and second, it was not nearly as imaginative. There were no surprises. So it’s Leia – whoopdedo. So Vader told the truth – tralala! I may not have predicted these things, but the reason I didn’t was because they were too obvious, and from TESB I got the impression Lucas liked the “Big Surprise”.

9) Will Han and Leia have a kid, and will that kid be the new top Jedi?I bet the force is with Han to some degree, he’s such good pilot and shot.

Brad Templeton – Waterloo, Ont. (519) 886-7304

Vader died in the end because some of those blue bolts went into him
as he carried the Emperor. You can even see his skull glowing sometimes
Heliotis

You may not have noticed it, but as Han and Chewie were trying to rescue Lando, you could see Boba Fatt trying to fly out of the monster, being held in
by one of the ‘tentacles’ (which later tried to pull Lando in).

Then again – since Boba was covered head to foot with weapons, why didn’t he just blast the monster’s tentacle holding him down?

Rogue Vaxhacker

If you have never heard of  Doctor Ashens (www.ashens.com) then where have you been for the last 20 minutes? His dry British wit keeps me laughing day after day. luckily he has made a small flash game which encapsulates this humour for all of the world to see in a small succinct package! If you think you know your retro video game characters try (with all your might) to match them up their shoes (its harder than you think and twice as silly) SFW but has audio, so make sure the boss isn’t near.. or just make sure you are the boss (not applicable to Bruce Springsteen) Guess who’s shoes

The good Doctor is always in session in our forum*

*This is not in any way true

Day twelve of operation ‘you are now watching’ (6 Nes games)

Its the second day awake with no sleep but I’m not tired. My brain is in over drive and pumped up. I’m fuelled on a high octane sugar rush of which I have never seen the likes of before. Vision, blurred. Hands, trembling. My mind… my mind is a veritable smorgasbord of half thought out ideas and pictures that fly in and out of my subconscious but I’m focused. For what exactly, I don’t know yet, then… a knock at the door, then a ring. “who could this be?” I ask to no one in particular as I make my way to the door. I answer said door to a damp postman who mutters something about “rain” and “hippies” (it may not have been hippies) that I don’t quite catch because I’m too intrigued on the soggy parcel he places in my shaking hands. I must look like a junkie to this guy so try to fake normality and mutter my own unintelligible “rain” sentence. once back in my warm, dry haven I set to work on the overly packaged… package. I manage to tear a corner from this mobile fort Knox and instantly recognise the light grey plastic of a NES control pad “YESSSS” I shout and quickly silence myself, no one must know of the treasure I hold in my hand (sugar may keep me focused but it sure doesn’t keep me from being paranoid) I fetch My Nintendo Entertainment System from another room and snatch the hallowed game I’ve been trying to play for 12 days now, from its plinth (it may not have been a plinth, my memory is hazy at this point to say the least) and  sit down in front of the TV. With the grey and red angelic controller in hand and after the 2nd attempt of turning on what the Japanese call the Famicom (and what I call Jeff… don’t ask) I relax. Soon my sweet, soon I shall feed you the world… But… Something is wrong… The console mocks me and just flashes on and off like some disturbed fairground ride, My brain notches another gear and tells my face what’s wrong… Seventy… two… pin… connector… NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! “Maybe its a mistake” I sob “maybe its just some dirt on the cart” (now im just kidding myself). One cue tip and cleaning fluid session later I realise it’s not going to work, I’m going to have to operate.

With the once beautiful grey case in pieces around me I stare in amazement at the MOS Technology 6502 core and end up looking at the business end of a Ricoh 2A07 (My console is  the Pal version as opposed to the 2A03 in the NTSC version. I do prefer the 2A07 because it runs at a slower 1.66 MHz clock rate). “What is this magic of wires and circuitry?” I mumble. After staring at the chip board for 20 minutes the proverbial mist clears over my problem, the 72 pin connector. On closer inspection this behemoth conveys to me its fault. Dirty, corroded and bent pins gaze up at me like an injured bird chirping its mortal call of years or punishment. Then the terror rises up my body vocalises its self as the blood-curdling scream “I have no spare!!”. As the fit of sobbing and dry heaving leaves me I cradle the game I’ve been trying to play (for years it seams) and stroke the lifeless grey case. After straightening myself out my mind once again fixed in grim determination on a set goal I sit at my pc and delve (for the 3rd time in this farce) into the depths of my fear and loathing in Las Ebay.

To be continued

To learn the secret of the Mystery game, come onto our Forum and ask me in person or tune in to:

Fear and loathing in Las Ebay (part Three)

(What games am I playing right now? follow me on Twitter to find out)

Visionaries – “The Dark Hand of Treachery” Part 1 of 2

Visionaries – “The Dark Hand of Treachery” Part 2 of 2

About a year ago I was cleaning out the attic at my family home and stumbled across a box of recordings from the time and I have been painstakingly digitizing and restoring them. I know the audio quality is a little iffy, but I promise it will get better with time. So now sit back, relax and prepare to be transported back in time. Today’s broadcast is from late 1928 and has some music by Paul Whiteman and the Rhythm Boy as presented by St. James St Croix , some great news presented by “The Voice of Central New Jersey” Beaumont Scott and a travelogue by Travelin’ Jack.

This episode was presented by the now defunct Enigma Meat Company of New York, NY and Secaucus, NJ.

Zorro was a half-hour Walt Disney Productions TV series based on the well-known Zorro character. It premiered October 10, 1957 on ABC. The final network broadcast was June 2, 1959. In total seventy-eight episodes were produced and 4 specials were aired on the Walt Disney anthology series between October 30, 1960 and April 2, 1961. I never had the opportunity to see the series during its initial run (before my time), but when the Disney Channel first took to the airwaves, Zorro was a staple of the channel. I would make sure I was home to see the adventures of Don Diego de la Vega (portrayed by Guy Williams) as he righted wrongs and protected the innocents of early California. The Disney Channel eventually stopped airing them and while I have been able to occasionally catch an episode here and there. My Zorro drought is over now though, Disney has released the complete first and second season of Zorro as part of its premium Walt Disney Treasures series.

As you probably know the Walt Disney Treasures are always filled with great extras and this set it no exception. The picture and sound is perfect, crisp Black and White, that just leaps off the screen.

In the Season 1 set you get:

• All 39 episodes from season 1
• A Collectible pin of 2 crossed swords and a Zorro mask
• A Lithograph of Guy Williams in Zorro garb
• An introduction by Leonard Maltin that gives a brief history of the character and the content of the discs.
• A bonus disc of material that includes 2 hour long episodes from the “Disneyland Show.” Both are from October 1960 it is a 2 parter that has a young Rita Moreno. Part 1 is called “Zorro: El Bandido” and part 2 is called “Zorro: Adios El Cuchillo”.
• A very cool Mouseketeers scene from “The Fourth Anniversary Show”. In it Walt tells about the upcoming series. Absolutely amazing.
• Featurette: “The Life and Legend of Zorro” (12:26) detailing the history of Zorro.

In the Season 2 set you get:

• All 39 episodes from season 2
• A Collectible pin of Zorro on his horse
• A Lithograph of Guy Williams in Zorro garb
• An introduction by Leonard Maltin that gives a brief history of the character and the content of the discs.
• A bonus disc of material that includes 2 hour long episodes from the “Disneyland Show.” Both are from October 1961 the first one,”Zorro: The Postponed Wedding,” has a surprisingly mature Annette . The second one is called “Zorro: Auld Acquaintance,” and has Ricardo Montalban.
• Featurette: “Behind The Mask” (7:52) which is a short look at Guy Williams.
• Featurette: A look at the wardrobe of Zorro (10:55).

Fans of Zorro should be satisfied and for those who have not seen Zorro before will certainly be converted. So what are you waiting for pick up a copy of Walt Disney Treasures: Zorro – The Complete First Season and Walt Disney Treasures: Zorro – The Complete Second Season today.

These packaged magnet sets will be carried by most major retailers, including Target, Best Buy and Toys R Us.

Wow, what a week for DVD and Blu-ray releases. Christmas is already in the air with several holiday titles being issued. Lots of classic TV abounds and we get some Fraggle Rock and classic GI-Joe and Disney’s Zorro in one week. This is the type of wallet straining insanity I love.

North by Northwest (50th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Book) [Blu-ray]

Walt Disney Treasures: Zorro – The Complete First Season

Walt Disney Treasures: Zorro – The Complete Second Season

It’s a Wonderful Life [Blu-ray]

Mission: Impossible – The Final TV Season

The Rockford Files: Movie Collection, Vol. 1

Fraggle Rock: The Complete Final Season

A Christmas Carol [Blu-ray]

Rocky: The Undisputed Collection [Blu-ray]

White Christmas (Anniversary Edition)

Fraggle Rock: A Merry Fraggle Holiday

Here’s Lucy: Season Two

Ruby-Spears Superman

G.I. Joe A Real American Hero: Season 1.2

Merry Sitcom! Christmas Classics from TV’s Golden Age

Fraggle Rock: Complete Series Collection

Say Anything [Blu-ray]

Excellent amateur photo from somebody’s Flickr

Not sure if anyone will be in NYC tomorrow, but this looks pretty cool:

Grab a trench coat and boombox and join the “Mobler” in Times Square! The 20th anniversary of Cameron Crowe’s directorial debut and enduring classic Say Anything…, starring John Cusack (2012) and Ione Skye (Fever Pitch), will be commemorated in true 80s style in the heart of New York City. Dressed in trench coats and carrying boomboxes, a mob of Lloyd Dobler look-a-likes will take to the streets in search of winning back true love. From Union Square to Penn Station to NYU, the Doblers will inspire romance all over the Big Apple and ultimately journey to Times Square for the formation of a full-blown “Mobler” and live concert on the bleachers

Why not pop in on your lunchbreak, just make sure to bring your camera, I am sure it will be a great people watching moment. Its a moving event and will be at the following locations:

Penn Station @ 10AM
Washington Square Park @ 12PM
Union Square @ 2:30PM
Times Square @ 4PM – includes acoustic performance by the indie band Lloyd Dobler Effect beginning at 4:30

If you are a SNICK fan in the New York metro area here is something you might be interested in:

On Saturday, November 7, 2009, SMCM strikes back with a celebration that’ll make you re-upholster your couch: SNICK or Treat!, a celebration of that 2-hour cable television block that introduced us to Clarissa Darling, Ren & Stimpy, Are You Afraid of the Dark? and… shudder… even Roundhouse.

It’s been 17 years since Nickelodeon premiered this adolescence-shaking programming block, and we’re going to commemorate it with a special program of our own, culled from the best of the SNICK era, along with era-appropriate advertising, an in-house gathering of the Midnight Society and some other surprises…

For more info drop by their Facebook page and RSVP. It looks like it is going to be a great time.

It is Monday, which means it is time for you to check out our very own Christopher Tupa’s weekly Comic Adventure called “Jimmy Solar”. Its great old-fashioned comic fun, so check out the newest pages today.

Read Jimmy Solar and King Phantom

As a kid, I loved The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show. The show ran from 1979-1981 and featured the comic adventures of a the stretchiest superhero. The show started off with Plastic Man teaming up with his sidekick Hula Hula and his girlfriend Penny to defeat bad people around the world. The show would change in 1980 with the addition of Baby Plas and an entire Plastic Family. I was always more of a fan of the Original Plastic Man, so I was very happy to hear that a DVD box set of the first 35 episodes of the show (no Baby Plas) have been released on DVD. The DVDs include the following episodes:

01. The Weed
02. Wham-Bam! Beware of the Clam!
03. The Horrible Half-Ape
04. The Minuscule Seven
05. Superstein
06. The Diabolical Doctor Dome
07. The Dangerous Doctor Dinosaur
08. Empire of Evil
09. The Maniacal Computerhead
10. Badladdin
11. Ghostfinger
12. The Kitty Katt Caper
13. The Terrible 5 + 1
14. Doctor Duplicator Strikes Again
15. Count Graffiti Meets Plastic Man
16. Plastic Mummy Meets Disco Mummy
17. Hugefoot
18. The Day the Ocean Disappeared
19. Sale of the Century
20. Dr. Irwin and Mr. Meteor
21. City of Ice
22. Moonraider
23. Honey Bee
24. The Corruptible Carrot Man
25. Dogmaster
26. Thunderman
27. Toyman
28. The Spider Takes A Bride
29. Highbrow
30. The Hippotist
31. The Colossal Crime Of Commodore Peril
32. Joggernaut
33. Plastic Man Meets Plastic Ape
34. The Crime Costume Caper
35. The Royal Gargoyle Foil

The box set also contains a “Stretch Your Plastic Man Knowledge with a Plas-tastic Retrospective” featurette and a real treat, the unaired Pilot Episode of the show. This early Plas stuff is not exactly on par with a cartoon classic like Scooby Doo, but it is close. It has great stories, great characters and nice animations. So what are you waiting for? Pick up a copy of Plastic Man – The Complete Collection, jump on the Plastijet, and enjoy.

I like to check out what Hakes has added every week to jump start the pop culture battery (especially after a candy fueled Halloween weekend) when I spotted this classic Mr. Mxyzptlk bendy figure from MEGO. I think I owned the Riddler from this collection when I was a kid, which I think I bought at a garage sale for a dime.

We are back with another edition of the Retroist Forum Buzz. Remember, if you are registered to comment on the site, you are registered for the forums. So why not drop in an give us your two-cents. (http://www.retroist.com/forum/)

Here’s some current buzz from the forums:

Showbiz Pizza Place vs. Chuck E Cheese’s
“Showbiz Pizza Place was a favorite hang out on the weekends in Sacramento. The pizza was ok, games were awesome. I liked it much better than Chuck E. Cheese’s. It was brighter, cleaner and the animatronic characters were cooler and had better songs. I actually have a 45 of the Rockafire Explosion Band covering the Beatles “Birthday” and a song sung by Duke the drumming dog “Heartache”. I bought the full length LP but I left it by the Joust machine and someone stole it. They wouldn’t give me a new LP but they gave me five dollars of game tokens because it was my birthday. Sadly it closed down in the 90’s and I miss it a lot. showbizpizza.com is great site. And there are some vintage Showbiz Pizza commercials on youtube which is cool.”

Skate Birds board game
“I had a Skatebirds board game when I was like 8. It was a fun game with all of the characters, like the Robonic Stooges. You rolled a marble down this chute and it rolled around the board settling into one of many holes on the board. This is where you would move your character and the first one to the end is the winner. There were probably other parts to the game, but I remember rolling the marble the most, and the cool art on the gameboard and box.”

What is the Best Breakfast Cereal?
“Probably Golden Grahams right now. As a kid it was probably Cocoa Puffs.”

Your Absolute Favorite Horror Film?
“I am a big fan of the classic stuff like Creature from the Black Lagoon and The Invisible Man, Frankenstein, Dracula… the classic B&W movie monsters. But more modern stuff I would say Halloween and Nightmare on Elm Street. But I do enjoy the Saw films, even thought they suck, I still will watch them. But I am more sci-fi alien monster stuff. Give me a good sci-fi film any day”

Favorite Muppet
“Animal was always my fave. How could you not like Animal? He was crazy AND he played the drums!”

Alfred Hitchcock’s Ghost Stories For Young People
“Thanks very much Jonathan – Great to have this.”

Day five of operation ‘you are now watching’ (6 Nes games)

I sign in to the ensuing bid war and notice (with my fine ebay snipe skills tingling) that two bid n00bs are slowly fighting in the last ten minutes I wait till 10 seconds on the clock and type the magic £11.04p and at the refresh I have won for £11.02p Mwahahaha never forget the day you were sniped by the master! (I have the power… Nintendo power)

The scene: Home. Time: 9am. Mood: the blank nothingness of ‘no coffee yet’
Day eight of operation of ‘you are now watching’ (6 Nes games)

I wake uncertain of life on earth. Who and what I am “is this reality?” then a noise… I am snapped back into reality like the old snipe veteran I am and with my cat like reflexes I pounce at the letter box catching the parcel before it hits the floor. Already certain that this is the Nes delivery, my inner monologue reminds me to hit the kettle switch (I need my concentration juice).

Coffee in hand I approach the Nintendo Entertainment System (with pre-mentioned parcel already opened) and kid myself that I want to look at the the other titles I have procured. First up California Dreams by Epyx. Although a good game, the NES port is… well its not good if you have been playing it on something like the Genesis for example. Next we have Top Gun 2 ‘the second mission’ (even though the first game ended up on mission four.. I mean what kind of sloppy naming is that?) by Konami. It’s.. better than the first game (which is like saying The road kill we just passed wasn’t as horribly disfigured as the one before) but more difficult with the odd nice touch like 360° barrel rolls and such. Third game out of the parcel is Kung Fu (yes we all know it’s pronounced gung voo, move on) I will save this gem for later,  I cant remember it as I was 8 the last time I played it without the Suffix ‘master’ dropped from the original title Kung-Fu master. Continuing the ‘beat the crap out of things’ theme the parcel has bestowed upon me next out of the box is Teenage Mutant Ninja (Hero in Europe) Turtles made by (depending on which side of the ocean you find yourself) either Palcom or Ultra. Most people have played this game…. most people hate it….. I also hate it… if you want to play a TMNT / TMHT play the second Nes game in the series its much better. Fifth out of the box is Rad Racer and I must admit I have never played this so to throw in a cheeky Internal monologue joke belittling this game would be wrong and obviously beneath me (now where did I put my 3d glasses? I want to play a bad clone of outrun that will give me a headache for several hours!). The final game out is the game I have been waiting for, for 8 days. I hold it close and blow on the cartridge contacts (this one is going on first time) I switch the channel, power up and clench the control pad with all my might as the Capcom logo pings on the screen. I decide not to skip anything and let the game show me all it can. With the 8-bit musical magic of the main screen landing delicately upon my ear-holes I press start….. I press start…. I press start!… Start!… I do this for 10 soul destroying minutes before it dawns on me the control pad isn’t working! I try my stand-by pad… nothing! I root around in boxes to find older pads I know I have… I do not find these pads. In tears and sobbing I glance over at the NES Advantage and the NES Max and instantly realise that this is not right, I Must play this game with an original pad!

To be continued

To learn the secret of the sixth and final game, come onto our Forum and ask me in person or tune in to:

Fear and loathing in Las Ebay (part two)

(What games am I playing right now? follow me on Twitter to find out)

Garfield’s Halloween Adventure Part 1 of 3

Garfield’s Halloween Adventure Part 2 of 3

Garfield’s Halloween Adventure Part 3 of 3

Happy Halloween!

I feel so clever, the Halloween show is episode number 31. How cool is that? Oh well. Today’s show is a little different. Instead of the normal retro pop culture subject discussion, I have asked various contributors to share with me Halloween memories and stories. I am joined by Jonathan from Rotting Flesh Radio, Christopher Tupa from ctupa.com, the Zerbinator, Shellinator, and Joebinator from ZerbinCAST, metagirl from the Retroist Podcast, Brian Boone from Love Hate Society and of course retroist.com and Kill Screen aka Tom who is a big part of retroist.com. It was all going swimmingly until an uninvited guest showed up at the Retroist Studio I have here at my place. Triumph quickly turns to tragedy and my life will never be the same.

Despite that, it was a really fun show to put together (felt like doing a old time holiday special) and I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed making it. Just a reminder to drop by our official forums to discuss “The Retroist Halloween Special”. You can find the forums at http://www.retroist.com/forum/.

The above art was again provided by Artist/Illustrator Christopher Tupa. To see more of Christopher’s work, drop by his website at http://www.ctupa.com. You can see all this work for the Retroist Podcast at The Art of the Retroist Podcast.

Listen to the Show

Love nostalgia? Want to give podcasting a shot? Just drop me an email with an audio sample at theretroist@gmail.com. Maybe you want to just discuss retro topics? Stop by the Retroist Forum and tell us what’s on your mind.

If you have any suggestions for topics you would like for me to cover in the future, email them to me at theretroist@gmail.com or call the Retroist Hotline at 641.715.3900 extension 57185. Want to chat? Contact me via AIM. My handle is retroist. You can also follow me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/retroist and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/retroist.

You can click the player below the opening paragraph to listen to the show directly from the site, you can use the subscription button below to add the show to your favorite news reader or subscribe to show directly through iTunes. Thanks for listening and enjoy the show.

The fictional story of an alien invasion mixed with rumors and talks of Germany wanting to invade the U.S and worries of what was to come with the world plunging into another world war, it would not take much to send people into a mass hysteria. The stories of mass panic and people killing themselves and mobs forming to fight off the aliens was a little over blown by the papers, but it did happen. The reason so many people over reacted to the broadcast was a simple human error on the part of the listener.See the Mercury Theater ran opposite the popular show on the Red Network of NBC called Chase and Sanborn Hour. The show featured popular acts at that time in radio and most people where listening to that. Well about 15 minutes into the show, a comedy sketch had ended and a musical number was starting up. So most people started playing around with the dial and came across what sounded like a news broadcast of something happening in a town called Grover’s Mills, New Jersey. With people hearing this “news broadcast”, they where under the impression that the events being acted out where real. See in the first 15 minutes of the War of the Worlds, those tuning in late missed the being of the program where they told the listener that what they are hearing is a radio adaptation of the H.G Wells book. And since there was about a 40 minute gap between the show telling listeners this, most people took it as a real event.

Personally I love this broadcast. I try to listen to it at least once a year right around Halloween. This broadcast was the first time I ever listened to old time radio and from that point on totally love it. I could so easily see myself being part of the hysteria if I had turned in late to the show. and every time I hear it, I wish I could have been there when it was live instead of needing my iPod to enjoy it.

Now if you have never heard of the broadcast, then check out the Mercury Theater’s website and take a listen. So worth it:

If you enjoy the broadcast and want to read the script, have the orginal story by H.G Wells and would like to read about the legacy of the War of the Worlds… PLUS have a copy of the radio broadcast along with 3 rare interviews with Orsen Wells, I highly recommend the following book. The War of the Worlds With Audio CD: Mars’ Invasion of Earth, Inciting Panic and Inspiring Terror from H.G. Wells to Orson Welles and Beyond. I received this book for Christmas a few years ago and loved every page of it.

The Halloween themed Peanut stickers are some of my favorites:

The Haunting is a wonderfully done movie directed by the legendary Robert Wise. The movie is about a group of people who have been brought into haunted house as part of a fear study, but things start happening and you wonder what is really going on in the house. The movie is based on the classic spook-fest Shirley Jackson’s novel “The Haunting of Hill House” and the script is just as tight as the book. Which is rare in the horror world. Make sure you see the film in its full aspect ratio, so that you can see the wonderful art direction that was done on the house (one of the real stars of the movie).

Unfortunately, one of Zero’s fears did come true: Zero’s fear of death. He died on September 8, 1977. Mostel would have the distinction of being the only guest on “The Muppet Show” to die before his appearance was broadcast.

Part 1 of 2

Part 2 of 2

I think a “Trick or Tater” would make a cumbersone yet creative Halloween costume. So enhance your Halloween and get your very own Mr. Potato Head Trick or Tater today.