In March 1998 Sega announced they were discontinuing the Saturn to focus on a new system that wouldn't be released for over a year. This decision destroyed the tiny remaining shred of trust gamers had in the Sega brand and ultimately led to their demise as a console producer. This week on The Retro League we look back at the demise of the Sega Saturn and the eclectic mix of final releases it had.

This Day in Gaming History
May 14, 1949 - Walter Aldro Day, Jr., an American businessman, game designer, historian, musician, and the founder of Twin Galaxies was born


Hot Topics
Game franchises that started on Atari 2600
Would a Super Mario Bros HD remake be a bad idea
How many Final Fantasy games have you played


Virtually Retro
Super 1-Bit Space Arena (Flash)
Solomon's Key (Wii U Virtual Console)
Xevious (Wii U Virtual Console)
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly (PlayStation 2 Classics)
Motto Trump Shiyouyo!, Zero Kara No Mahjong Mahjong – Tamago-Gumi, Zero Kara No Mahjong Mahjong – Tamago-Gumi 2 Taikai E Ikou! (PSOne Imports)
Terminus - text adventure that teaches Unix commands


News
This AI "solves" Super Mario Bros. and other classic NES games
Gamestop ending PlayStation 2 trade-ins June 1
Weirdness: Own The Manual To ClayFighter Sculptor's Cut? You Could Be Sitting On A Grand


Games of the Week
Bust-A-Move 3 (Sega Saturn)
Shining Force III (Sega Saturn)


Random Links
March 14, 1998: Sega Enterprises Pulls Its Saturn Video Console From the U.S. Market


Freeloader Game of the Month
Maze of Galious

Download | Duration: 01:33:00

This week on The Retro League we say goodbye to our favorite gaming generation as we recall the final days of the Super Nintendo. We also talk about finding arcade games at truck stops, proposing on the Atari 2600, the first days of the web, the apparent lack of interest in Ecco the Dolphin, and more.

This Day in Gaming History
May 5, 1983 - Mattel sues Atari for allegedly stealing trade secrets


Hot Topics
My retro Proposal to my wife, Done with an Atari 2600 game
Nintendo offering refurbished handhelds directly
Games you fell asleep in class for


Virtually Retro
ASCII Shooter (iOS)
Pac-Man (Wii U Virtual Console)
Mega Man (Wii U Virtual Console)
Balloon Fight (3DS Virtual Console)
The Bum (PC)
Katamari Damacy (PlayStation 2 Classics)


News
Famicom Hardware Designer Masayuki Uemura Explains Origins of its Name and Red Colouring
First-ever Web site is brought back to life
Kickstarter For Ecco The Dolphin Successor Sinks Beneath The Waves
Check Out These Spectacular NES Cartridge Rings
River City Ransom Sequel Confirmed


Games of the Week
Space invaders (Super Nintendo)
Kirby's Dream Land 3 (Super Nintendo)


Random Links
29 Postcards Sent From Video Game Worlds
Super Mario Bros. Crossover 3.0 Trailer


Freeloader Game of the Month
Maze of Galious

Download | Duration: 01:24:26

We now have a nifty app out on iTunes for the low price of nothing. Download it at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-retro-league-for-ios/id642680655

This week Hugues & Rob are joined by JCW to talk about the end of the Sega Genesis. We take a trip back to our 16-bit fan boy days but regardless of console loyalty everyone has something nice to say about the Mega Drive. We're getting more traffic than we can handle and we find something to complain about in a new system opening up for old games. We play handheld games on our TV's and try to defend Atari on this episode of The Retro League.

This Day in Gaming History
April 27, 1990 - Final Fantasy III was first released for the Famicom 

Hot Topics
Boxart and instruction booklets where amazing. 
RC Pro Am Fanfic 
RPG Elements 
Longest time to beat a game? 

Virtually Retro
Wii U Virtual Console launch 
Mega Man 4 (3DS Virtual Console) 
Sengoku (Wii Virtual Console) 
Fire Pro Wrestling Returns (PlayStation 2 Classics) 
Doom on the ZX Spectrum 

News
Texas Company's Antique Computers Are For Production, Not Display 
Donkey Kong Junior Arcade Has A New World Record Holder 
Nintendo shutting down several Wii online features at the end of June 

Games of the Week
NBA Live '98 
Frogger 
Jurassic Park: Lost World 

Random Links
The article that crashed my site - If NES games were made today 
Fanboyism and the 16-bit Console Wars 

Freeloader Game of the Month
Zero Tolerance, Beyond Zero Tolerance 

Download | Duration: 01:50:38

This week the Retro League is looking back on the death of the Sega Game Gear. We also talk about games with generation-spanning stories, stadium events, cartoons, Qbasic games, Earthbound and a giant box that plays games for 15 systems.

This Day in Gaming History
April 21, 1990 - Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom first released for Mega Drive (Japan)


Hot Topics
Evolution of video game controllers
Stadium Events found at Goodwill
Earthbound announced for Wii U Virtual Console


Virtually Retro
Dragon Fantasy Book I (PSN)
RPG Maker III (PlayStation 2 Classics)


News
Play 15 classic consoles with one controller
Unreleased Sega Pluto Revealed
Black Annex is the best QBASIC game you've ever seen


Games of the Week
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (Game Gear)
Sonic Chaos (Game Gear)


Random Links
Bit Pop
Lost World for Game Gear - Mini-walkthrough
Sega’s Game Gear page in 1996
What if Zelda Was the Hero Rescuing Prince Link?


Freeloader Game of the Month
Zero Tolerance, Beyond Zero Tolerance

Download | Duration: 01:33:40

This week we are talking about the many various problems that lead to the death of the Atari Jaguar. While comparing the system to its contemporaries and looking over its final games, we mention a couple of good Atari Jaguar games. We also find time to discuss sequel continuity, the history of Luigi, the strongest Street Fighter character, the website for Space Jam, one of the worst fighting games ever made, and similarities between the console market in the mid-90's and Russia in winter.

This Day in Gaming History
April 14, 1991 - Nintendo To Pay Rebates To Buyers


Hot Topics
Virtual Boy rants
PS2's slow and quiet death
Emotional experiences in gaming


Virtually Retro
Fairune - An action-puzzler RPG with a retro feel (iOS)
Fatal Frame (PlayStation 2 Classics)
Evergreen Avenue, Favorite Dear, Mahjong Mahjong: Youchien Tamago-Gumi (PSOne Imports)
Kirby's Adventure (3DS Virtual Console)


News
Halo 2600 for sale
Mega Man soundtrack now available
Shigeru Miyamoto shares Nintendo secrets
When Samsung made game consoles: The story of how Sega came to Korea


Feature: Last Releases - Atari Jaguar
March 13, 1995 - Mortal Kombat III will be available on the Atari Jaguar
October 6, 1995 - Atari Corp. unveils new World Wide Web site, names CompuServe as official commercial support site.
December 15, 1995 - Atari Corp.'s Jaguar 64 hits mass market price; in time for holiday sales, Jaguar now $99.
February 14, 1996 - Atari agrees to merge with disk-drive maker


Games of the Week
NBA Jam: Tournament Edition (Jaguar)
Iron Soldier 2 (Jaguar CD)


Random Links
Old Internet Junk


Freeloader Game of the Month
Zero Tolerance, Beyond Zero Tolerance

Download | Duration: 01:31:55

This week on The Retro League we struggle to find something positive to say about the 3DO. OK, that's probably not convincing you to download this episode. How about this? On this episode of The Retro League we mourn the death of LucasArts and celebrate Angelfire pages. We also reveal the secrets of how we planned our September 1995 April Fool's episode and try to remember the button layout for Double Dragon II. All this and much more! (also the death of the 3DO)

This Day in Gaming History
April 6, 1990 Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos released for Famicom


Hot Topics
Throwback Podcast - Fantastic
Contra or Metal Slug
I think I may be a bit messed up
When was the last time a game made your jaw drop?


Virtually Retro
Castlevania (3DS Virtual Console)
NAM-1975 (Wii Virtual Console)
Another World 20th Anniversary Edition (Steam)
Duke Nukem 2 (iOS)
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (PlayStation 2 Classics)
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (PlayStation 2 Classics)
Double Dragon II (XBLA)


News
Disney to shut down LucasArts
Fixing E.T. for the Atari 2600
Translated 1997 Interview with Miyamoto and Itoi Reveals Nintendo 64 Insights


Games of the Week
Space Hulk (3DO)
Creature Shock (3DO)


Feature - 3DO Last Releases
September 17, 1996: 3DO to make only entertainment software
September 18, 1996: 3DO shares fall another 15%


Random Links
Review a Great Game Day
Rare docs show how Apple created Apple II DOS
15-year-old Zuckerberg's Angelfire site is more fun than Facebook

Download | Duration: 01:33:53

This week we're looking back on the death of the Virtual Boy. We have a lot of virtually retro games on a lot of systems. Missile Command has a new high score and someone risked their job to prevent the destruction of a Robotic Operating Buddy. 

This Day in Gaming History
April 1 1976: Apple Inc founded 

Hot Topics
Retro game cleaning 
Duck Tales HD!!! 
Retronauts funding a kickstarter 

Virtually Retro
Battle High 2 (PC) 
Kwik Snax (Flash) 
Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams (XBLA) 
Duke Nukem 3D: Megaton Edition (Steam) 
Hogs of War (PSOne Classics) 
Nobunaga’s Ambition: Iron Triangle (PlayStation 2 Classics) 

Download | Duration: 01:36:24

Due to scheduling conflicts we weren't able to record an episode this week. Instead we're releasing a rare episode from our archives. This one dates back to when we only had 22 listeners so most of you haven't heard it. In this episode we covered the PlayStation launch, debated who would win the 32-bit console war, and discussed some EGM rumors. We hope you enjoy this peek into the early days of The Retro League.

This Day in Gaming History
September 10, 1941 Gunpei Yokoi's birthday


Xtremly Retro
Dragon's Lair (Jaguar CD)
Activision's Atari 2600 Action Pack 2 (PC, Mac)


News
Sega buying Atari?? EGM says maybe!
Quake under development


Games of the Week
Jr. Pac-Man (Arcade)
Kidwriter (Apple II)


Freeloader Game of the Month
Beast (PC)

Download | Duration: 01:07:30

This week we look back on the death of the Sega 32X. We also investigate a first-person shooter on Game Boy Color, muddle through the complexities of gender in gaming and have trouble with the pronunciation of PS1 import titles.

This Day in Gaming History
Konami was founded March 21, 1969 and on March 19, 1973 became Konami Industry Co., Ltd. who created video games. 

Hot Topics
Worth it? 
Games you wish you had as a kid 
8-bit music videos 

Virtually Retro
Darkstalkers Resurrection (XBLA, PSN) 
Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream (Wii U Virtual Console) 
Mega Man 3 (3DS Virtual Console) 
Kessen II (PlayStation 2 Classics) 
Favorite Dear: Enkan no Monogatari, First Queen IV, Mahjong Uranai Fortuna: Tukino Megamitachi, Motorhead: High Velocity Entertainment, Rung Rung: Oz no Mahou Tsukai, Sentimental Graffiti, Trump Shiyouyo! (PSone Imports) 

News
Midwest Gaming Classic - Raven Software Headlines 2013 Panels & Presentations 
Dad hacks Donkey Kong for his daughter; Pauline now saves Mario 
Tyrannosaurus Tex Game Boy Color prototype 

Games of the Week
Space Harrier (32X) 
Spider-man: Web of Fire 

Random Links
Video: Vblank Entertainment Shows You How to Make a Game for the NES 
Unreleased Sega 32X games 

Freeloader Game of the Month
Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar 

Download | Duration: 01:52:57