Daily Daze: Too Many Games Podcast

The gaming industry loves reboots, remakes, redos—any so-called classic from the past that can generate some easy cash. But though these rereleases supposedly honor what came before, they often do the opposite, serving only to obscure all memory of the originals.  It’s a rewriting of history, essentially, with the original development teams, scripts, art, and musical scores all lost in the wake of a remake that only serves itself. The recent Lunar Remastered Collection epitomizes this problem, showing just how, under the pretense of preservation, these remakes don't elevate their forbears...they erase them.Please visit lostnostalgia.com for more insightful news and musings into everything obscure, weird, and wistfully vintage!Thanks to Decktonic for the opening/closing tune!

Nintendo can't seem to do wrong these days, and its press unveiling of the Switch 2 should have been another glorious moment for the golden company. But just when everything seemed perfect, the Big N got greedy: expensive games, blank game cards, upgrade fees, and iffy backwards compatibility is killing a lot of that consumer goodwill. Should people buy a Switch 2 at launch...or wait for Nintendo to gain some common sense?Please visit www.lostnostalgia.com for everything vintage, curious, and weirdly overlooked.Thanks to Decktonic for the opening/closing tune.

The Sonic Trilogy--or, "Hollywood's Sonic" as coined by some--has always presented a rather, er, different spin on the classic character. More than cool and shrewd, this blue dude is young and playful and, really, just very lonely. But now, as of this third cinematic outing, the hedgehog's found himself a human family and a gang of furry kin--a team, so to speak, to take on the latest global threat. Yes, Dr. Robotnik is back, but this time it's Shadow who's the real powerhouse in a film that somehow manages to be both hilariously ridiculous and poignantly heartfelt. But does that mean it's good? Could Sonic 3 be the best film of the entire trilogy, the rare sequel to best its predecessors? Mr. Pacario offers his shocked, if belated, analysis.Come visit lostnostalgia.com for more news and fun concerning everything old and retro, weird and obscure!Thanks to Decktonic for the cover music!

The Arduboy is famous for bringing back Nintendo's Game Boy 8-bit style of gaming, albeit in a credit card-size form factor. In 2016, the gadget was both cool and chic--unique and boutique. In 2025, however, can the tiny machine still survive against newer handhelds built for more power and prestige? Note: As of 1/23/25, the system is currently on sale for $59.00 on the Arduboy website: Arduboy FX Special Edition — ArduboyFor more curated celebration of everything old, obscure, or forgotten, check out lostnostalgia.comThanks to Decktonic for the opening/ending tune.

Gaming has entered the doldrums--a downturn in the art form where companies struggle to produce anything of worth...or even new. Playing safe is now the strategy...but if remakes are our unfortunate future, why not at least redo the games people missed the first time around? We don't need more Sonic or Mario. We need more Dragon Valor, more Einhander, more Haunting Ground!For more new musings on old things, swing by lostnostalgia.comThanks to Decktonic for the opening/closing tune.

The brawler is certainly a genre of classics, from Final Fight to Castle Crashers. And recently, the category has enjoyed a certain return to glory with all sorts of new entries suddenly appearing on scene. And yet, is this really a comeback, a true return from the dead? Or is the beat 'em up fated to fade once this little fad, this little trend, runs its course and ends again?Visit lostnostalgia.com for more retro and golden oldie news.Thanks to Decktonic for the opening/closing tune.

Princess Peach seems to be the maiden of a thousand faces. Who is she, really? The sweet, serene princess of classical, Marian sensibility? Or the hot-blooded battle maiden always happy for action? Is she gentle? An innocent soul? A girl in need of a champion? Or does she save herself, needing no hero…not even the stalwart Mario? In this episode, by means of Nintendo’s Super Princess Peach DS game, the damsel is given her due scrutiny—a character analysis that strives to define the graceful girl that once stood for all that’s elegant, feminine, and good.Please visit lostnostalgia.com for more deep thoughts on old stuff!Thanks to Decktonic for the opening/ending tune.

Unlike film and book preservation, video games are always under attack; often, ironically, by their very makers. Once again, the ESA's cabal of Nintendo, Sega, Sony, and like-minded tyrants have united to strike down a ROM preservation website--this one being Vimm's Lair, an esteemed gaming curation destination brimming with the industry's storied past. What's more, it's one of the last. This episode examines the ramifications wrought by the greedy corporate machines who would destroy their history in exchange for profit and control...thereby erasing the art form's past and betraying its very future.Please visit lostnostalgia.com for news and reviews on everything vintage, historic, obscure, and weird.Thanks to Decktonic for the opening/closing tune.

Sega's Genesis (Mega Drive) and Nintendo's Super Nintendo - they were the topic of every school debate in the early '90s, but decades later, these rival machines STILL trigger passionate reactions in dedicated fans. Which system really was "the best?" Usually, it depends on who's being asked, but hindsight never lies. Looking back, one system was great...but the other became timeless. One was money well spent, but the other became transcendent...its titles still a source of inspiration for aspiring game design. One is remembered...but one is still relevant.Visit lostnostalgia.com for more old-school, wistful goodness.Thanks to Decktonic for the opening/closing tune.

Sonic the Hedgehog is still a gaming superstar, but his games appeal to different audiences. Some prefer his classic 2-D excursions; others like his more free-roaming adventures. And yet, the complaints are rife for either approach: "2-D Sonic can't do anything new/3-D Sonic misses the point!" Are these naysayers being unreasonable...or might they have a point? Might they be noticing...a certain inconvenient truth?Visit lostnostalgia.com for more retro news and reviews.Thanks to Decktonic for the intro/outro tune

The "switcheroo" or "body swap" is an oft-repeated trope in cartoons, books, and film...but the premise stems from a singular source. After author Mary Rodgers imagined a daughter swapping bodies with her pretty mother, a new franchise--nay, a new genre--was born. Today's show examines the freaky franchise five times over: 1 book, 4 films. Are they kitschy classics or simply kitsch? Some are definitely freakier than others.

One’s imagination is precious--it's the tool one uses to visualize the spoken, the inferred, the otherwise unseen. But do modern games, what with their HD photorealism...rob people of this fundamental, very human ability? Maybe games don't need to be quite so...on the nose.Visit www.lostnostalgia.com for more old-school goodness.Thanks to Decktonic for the tune.

Nintendo loves remaking and remastering its ancient games, including the 2024 rerelease of Mario vs. Donkey Kong. But with all the reboots and redos, why doesn't the Big N bring back the ape's best--the Game Boy's phenomenal Donkey Kong '94? Isn't it time to revisit this tragically neglected classic?Please visit www.lostnostalgia.com for more critical thought and retrospection on all things vintage.Thanks to Decktonic for the music. 

For nearly 29 years, Charles Martinet had provided Nintendo's Super Mario with his iconic voice. All the "wahoos" and "mama mias" came courtesy of the actor's style and invention. In a very real sense, Martinet was Mario; he'd become the face of the world-recognized star. And that, perhaps, was exactly the problem. In 2023, The Big N "retired" Martinet in favor of an unknown performer with little experience...leaving fans sad and plenty baffled. Why did Nintendo drop its long-running celebrity? The reasons are one of jealousy and money; as this episode explores, no servant shall rise above his master.Please visit www.lostnostalgia.com for more critical thought and retrospection on all things vintage.Thanks to Decktonic for the music.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a huge hit, but the fans must decide--does it support, or subvert, the character's lore and legacy? Mr. Pacario compares the film with Mario's (once?) accepted origin, examining the complements and contradictions between the classic canon and its big-screen counterpart. The fairy tale versus the blockbuster, essentially...Swing by www.lostnostalgia.com for more thoughtful perspectives and retrospectives on the world of popular art and lost media, the niche and nostalgic, plus everything in-between!Thanks to decktonic.com for the opening/closing tune!

The illustrious Studio Ghibli is one of the industry's preeminent leaders in theatrical anime, and standing at its center is the legendary animator and director, Hayao Miyazaki. Indeed, his name is almost synonymous with the studio itself thanks to his many mesmerizing films, from the whimsical My Neighbor Totoro to the sometimes grim and violent Princess Mononoke. But one work stands apart from his others--not because it's the best, but because it's the weirdest. And most inexplicable. And maybe...just maybe...a little bit flawed. For this podcast, we examine the beautifully rendered but often nonsensical, Ponyo. Does it honor the Ghibli brand? Or is this film just too fishy for its own good?Please visit www.lostnostalgia.com for more anime, gaming, and retro goodness!Thanks to decktonic.com for the bumper music

Not known for its shooters, the Super Nintendo still hosted one of the greatest shoot 'em ups of the 16-bit age--the inimitable Pocky and Rocky. The game's obscure status, however, meant that millions missed experiencing this sublime romp...until now, that is. Thanks to developer Natsume, the series returns as Pocky and Rocky Reshrined, a remake/sequel hybrid ready to be played by a new generation of gamers. But, is it still good? That's, hmmm, a complicated question.

Early anime lovers from decades ago know of Project A-KO--it was one of the 1980's great anime films, serving as both an introduction for new fans of the medium, and a brave, farcical sendup for those already well-acquainted with the art form. But, years later, does this brash fantasy of beautiful, superpowered school girls raining destruction across a picturesque cityscape still entertain? Still hold relevancy? Still make sense? Pacario provides his own analysis, deciding whether Project A-KO is a-ok!

After Sonic the Hedgehog's first film became a big hit with the movie-going public, the Blue Blur returns for the inevitable sequel. Does it surpass its predecessor...or does it sink like so many sequels before? (If only Sonic could swim!)Thanks to decktonic.com for the theme music.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial for the Atari 2600...is it really the worst game of all time? Did it really spark the downfall of Atari? Should its creator, Howard Scott Warshaw, be blamed for almost tanking an entire industry? Here, Mr. Pacario explores these very questions, analyzing the tricky particulars--the arguments for and against--Mr. Warshaw's role in what is now deigned The Great Video Game Crash of 1983. It's a fascinating story, a potent thought experiment, and a sinking look into the human heart and mind...