The Plumber Who Saved Video Games Turns 40

by Matthew Owen | Sep 30, 2025 | 1980s, Console/Handheld

We owe a lot to Mario. There was a time, not too long ago, when the video game industry was on the verge of collapse. The market was all but doomed, and gaming was being put out to pasture. But in a truly unexpected turn of events, a plumber wearing a red hat and...

Apple for the Students – by Tristan Ibarra

by Old School Gamer | Sep 27, 2025 | 1970s, 1980s, 2010s, 2020s, Console/Handheld

Every Wednesday from 4th to 8th grade there was no school period I enjoyed and looked forward to more than the hour we got to spend in my school’s computer lab. Not only was it a welcome change of pace from the often boring classroom lecture we had to sit through the...

How Three JRPG Legends Created a Timeless Classic

by Matthew Owen | Sep 26, 2025 | 1990s, Console/Handheld

In the world of Japanese role-playing games, there are few titles as beloved and timeless as Chrono Trigger. Responsible for pushing the JRPG genre forward in terms of narrative tropes, accessible gameplay, and thematic tone, its influence is undeniable in the modern...

A review of Untitled Goose Game from Boss Fight Books

by William Schwartz | Sep 20, 2025 | 2010s, 2020s, Console/Handheld, Reviews

  While Untitled Goose Game itself has only a dubious association with the concept of a retro game (it came out in 2019), the Boss Fight book by James O’Connor posits the indie title as part of an unusual gaming tradition- by which I mean Australia. Yes,...

Commodore – Retcoming a brand – by Brian Lesyk

by Brian Lesyk | Sep 19, 2025 | 1970s, 2000s, Console/Handheld, Magazine Preview

Right now, you’re wondering what retcoming is. Being as the term was first coined only moments ago by yours truly, I’ll be happy to explain. It’s a made up word, of course, because as Thor so deftly proclaimed in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War, Peri Fractic (Christian...

Join the Resistance

by Old School Gamer | Sep 15, 2025 | Console/Handheld