Want to feel old? Episode 258 is what 2009 looks like now.
Time is still marching on.
A long time ago, back in 2006 (!), we started up this podcast and put together a loose, tentative rule for what constitutes "retro" and therefore qualifies for discussion on the show: Anything that is 10 years old (or older). Back in October 2006, when the very first episode of Retronauts hit the internet, the PlayStation 3 and Wii were both mere weeks from launch. The Xbox 360 had been around for a year, meaning HD console gaming had as well. A decade back referred to games like early PlayStation fare (think Tomb Raider and Suikoden), Super Mario 64 and NiGHTs Into Dreams, 16-bit stragglers like Super Mario RPG, and (if you wanted to dabble in imports) the chunky ugly early release of Pokémon.
In 2019, 10 years old means... 2009. Which, as we see here in this episode, doesn't feel nearly as old now as 1996 did when the podcast began.
Maybe that looming sense of mortality is why this episode is surrounded by an aura of disbelief and debate. It's almost as though it's almost inconceivable that something like Minecraft or Batman: Arkham Asylum could be considered "retro" when the former is still thriving and the latter barely feels old at all. But believe it, folks. It's been a decade.
There's also a fairly lengthy discussion of how the discourse around and politics within video games have (or maybe haven't) changed over the past decade. So in case you ever feel like saying, "Video games are too political now," please revisit this episode for an impassioned counter-argument.
Retronauts Episode 258: 2009 (It's Retro Now)
MP3, 47.5 MB | 1:40:58
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Episode description: Jeremy Parish, Benj Edwards, Chris Sims, and Ben Elgin wrap up some unfinished business by tackling the year that got away: 2009. Yeah, 2009 is retro now. Sorry, we don't make the rules. Actually, wait... we do.
