We talk Smash Bros., Tomb Raider, and YOUR letters
Catch up on the episodes I have neglected to announce here on the site! Yikes!
This week's episode is another one of those that took on a life of its own and veered off in an unexpected direction. I already know some people will be unhappy about it! But, well, that's the nature of the podcast beast. I don't like to force the show onto a rigid conversational track, and sometimes going with the more organic approach means it does its own thing. And that's OK.
In this case, the Retronauts East crew sat down to discuss the classic roots, origins, and references contained in Smash Bros. Ultimate. Not a bad idea, and we went in fully prepared to tackle that discussion. But then we started talking about the series' history, and ended up getting kind of carried away. In the end, we never even made it to Ultimate... but we did try to recall some details about the older games from memory and got them Horribly Wrong. So it goes.
I also decided to use this week's cover illustration to take the next step with my forays into digital artwork and attempt to incorporate color. It's a start. It's too garish, and I really need to get a better handle on the dynamics of the brush tools. But on the other hand, it's nice to see Kirby in proper pink instead of Kirby's Dreamland-esque white and grey.
Retronauts Episode 239: Super Smash Bros.
MP3, 44.6 MB | 1:35:56
Direct download | Retronauts on iTunes | Retronauts on Libsyn
Episode description: If you like Smash Bros., you'll be angry about this episode! Jeremy, Chris, Ben, and Benj gather to discuss the classic influences in Smash Bros. Ultimate but get sidetracked and turn what was supposed to be a quick series overview into a full, rambling, off-the-cuff episode.
Also worth listening to: Some of the recent Friday bonus episodes I keep struggling to find time to post about here. Whoops! Well, here they are.
This first one features lovely art by Cassie Hart, who loves to draw tough ladies—and Lara Croft is gaming's most iconic butt-kicking woman, so it's a perfect match-up!
Retronauts Episode 238: Nathan McCree on Composing Tomb Raider Tunes
MP3, 25.9 MB | 55:55
Direct download | Retronauts on iTunes | Retronauts on Libsyn
Episode description: Composer Nathan McCree reminisces about his groundbreaking work creating the soundtrack for Lara Croft's earliest adventures, the challenges in revisiting that material decades later, and... The Spice Girls?!
And finally! A mailbag catch-up episode. Well, we caught up halfway, at least. Two of the episode topics we discuss here haven't been published yet. It's probably very confusing. But on the plus side, uh... it's fun?
Retronauts Episode 235: Mailbag—Final Fantasy Tactics, Holy Grails, New Super Mario Bros.
MP3, 27.3 MB | 58:37
Direct download | Retronauts on iTunes | Retronauts on Libsyn
Episode description: The Retronauts East crew (Jeremy Parish, Benj Edwards, Ben Elgin, and Chris Sims) responds to YOUR letters about episode topics that may or may not have already been published, including New Super Mario Bros. and Final Fantasy Tactics.