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This Month In Retronauts: December 2025 edition (Patreon)

Published:
2025-12-21 12:00:11
Imported:
2026-08
Tags:

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  • TMIR202512.mp3

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Content

When you create a monthly podcast, you know you need to make the final entry of the year extra special. In 2024, I had to settle for "getting my voice back" but this year, I've reached out to a special guest, one long associated with Retronauts but never heard aloud on the podcast—UNTIL NOW.

Gosokkyu aka GSK joins me (Diamond Feit) and Stuart Gipp on the air this time around as we go through the last few releases of 2025, the many announcements made at The Game Awards, and reveal our personal picks for Game of the Year. Obviously, we welcome your answers to the monthly question on that very subject (only two answers per person, please).

By the way, we recorded this episode earlier than usual to accommodate my year-in-review column next weekend which means we missed the incredible news that Hamster released The Outfoxies on Arcade Archives, a beloved arcade-only release that never got a home port until NOW. Don't miss it (and read my 2020 column in case you forgot why it rules)!

Specific items mentioned in this episode include:

my opening refers to the recent Tarantino/Lillard conflict

I liked Five Nights at Freddy's, for the record

HORSES (banned on Steam & Epic)

developer Santa Ragione did indeed make Saturnalia

Jupiter's dueling Capcom/SNK Picross games

I mean no disrespect to Breath of Fire fans, really

the first two games are on Switch Online

III remains available on PSN as a PSOne Classic

IV is on GOG.com

here's a JP interview with Jupiter staff in Famitsu

watch Star Trek Deep Space Nine if you can, it rules

X-Men Remake fan game

an OpenBOR creation, good call GSK

as is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Rescue-Palooza!

Marvel Cosmic Invasion

UNBEATABLE (Steam, PSN, and Xbox)

Bio Menace Remastered

the original is still free on GOG.com

Double Dragon Revive + others like it

our last Double Dragon podcast was #177 in 2018!

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond starring Myles Mackenzie

Star Fox 64 aka Lylat Wars

episodes 490 & 492 cover the entire Star Fox saga

Webbed (warning: spiders)

TimeSplitters Rewind

all 3 original games are free on PS Plus at the moment

12 delisted Psikyo shooters RETURN to Steam

Gunbird, Samurai Aces, & Strikers 1945 already up

remaining 9 games at a "later date"

Viewpoint 2064 found, dumped

Progenitor English patch

looks like Basement Brothers have not covered this game yet!

this leads to a discussion of translations

an official re-release of Milano's Odd Job Collection is out now!

Nintendo Switch online:

BATTLETOADS

Kyle McLain suggests playing the rebalanced Famicom version

read Stu's take on the Game Gear version before he edits it

Ninja Gaiden II (OG NG is already on there)

Bionic Commando (Game Boy)

Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters (again, Game Boy)

Wario World (GameCube)

Sonic Crossworlds x ILLBLEED mod lets you race as Eriko Cristy

will a SEGAGAGA translation finally appear?

Sega just released upgraded versions of Yakuza 0, Kiwami, and Kiwami 2

Y0 vs Director's Cut actually has a lot of changes

Karous coming to Steam in 2026

named for the Japanese word karasu meaning crow

from developer MileStone who also made Radirgy (technically pronounced Rajirugi)

you might need to look up the term chūnibyō

Xcavator coming in 2026

originally programmed by the late Chris Oberth

friend of the show Kate Willaert designed the packaging

did you see her Metroidvania video yet??

Humanity closing user-generated level servers in March 2026

Stu gets mad about Lemmings (again)

cool Game Awards announcements

Leon playable in RE9uiem

Maddie's been sharing Old Leon comics on her BlueSky

Control Resonant (2026)

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve (2026)

two Tomb Raiders? Twomb Raiders?

Legacy of Atlantis "reimagines" the original game (2026)

Catalyst seems to be a new story (2027)

Mega Man: Dual Override (2027)

Boss Design Art Contest details

read merry hell

Gang of Dragon (20XX)

new Nagoshi game starring Ma Dong-seok

Stu compares the Korean star to Japanese wrestler Tomohiro Ishii

Katsuhiro Harada leaving Bandai Namco at year's end

Stu makes extreme allegations re: Project X Zone

back in 2021 Harada insisted Tekken X Street Fighter was not cancelled but "shelved"

RIP Tomomichi Nishimura, veteran voice actor

Akumajō Dracula X: Chi no Rondo begat an SNES/SFC game called:

Castlevania: Dracula X in the U.S.

Castlevania: Vampire's Kiss in Europe

Akumajō Dracula XX in Japan

"the Boss Baby tweet"

Stuart Gipp WILL attend MagFest 2026!

enjoy an "it's a living" supercut

El Viento

if you're ever feeling down look up "happy quokka face"

Art by Maddie Copp, edits by Diamond. Music heard in this episode:

17:32 forgive me but when I think about Italy this song is all I can imagine

29:35 "Junk Factory" (X-Men)

50:44 "Dead or Alive (Opening Theme)" from Double Dragon II The Revenge

1:08:02 "Vi-O-La" (Metroid Prime 4: Beyond)

1:28:22 "Colors" (Milano's Odd Job Collection)

1:40:04 "Baka Mitai"

1:52:39 "Stream" (Humanity)

2:18:20 Akuma's theme from Street Fighter Alpha

2:34:54 "EAT&RUN" (PAC-MAN 40th ANNIVERSARY COLLABORATION vol.1)

2:46:42 music from Tapeworm Disco Puzzle

Finale: "Marathon Lv 3" from GSK's GOTY 2025

Files

Comments

Patrick McClafferty

QotM: my game of the year is still my game of the 1/2 year question which is a first time in awhile: Like A Dragon Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. Thankfully unlike then I could fill out a full top 10. As for best game I played this year from before this year is Tomba! (via the port that came out last year). I've long wanted to play this in full (rented it when I was young but never got far and fell off when it was a PSN classic) but this remake made me so happy.

littleterr0r

Nightmare in the Dark mentioned! My friend and I found this game a few years ago on his modded Xbox and liked it a whole lot.

Robbie

As a fellow Antipodean, great to hear GSK appearing. Reading Retro Re-Release Round-Up (while listening to 3RRR-FM) is how I always start my Friday and attain the fabled 8xR combo.

Almost

Loved hearing GSK, who...is in part responsible for shmuplations?! What?! That's the lord's work.

Sebastiano Gerace

QotM: I checked my play history and after getting a Switch 2 at the midnight launch, the only game from 2025 I played all year was Mario Kart World so that wins by default. My retro GOTY is MVC2 which I beat with my daughter and was my favourite gaming time this year.

Christopher McDougall

I let out quite the “BUUHHH??” upon hearing GSK for the first time and realizing that they’re not only Australian, but probably don’t look like their retronauts avatar. Either way it’s great that GSK made an appearance. The Re-release Roundup is such an underrated column and GSK does a terrific job.

Dale Kulas

Great to have GSK finally debut on the show! Been regularly checking out Retro Round-Up for........over a decade or so now! Please come back on sooner!!!

Andrew O.

QotM: Usually my GotY pick is an overlooked gem I played during the year. This year though, Elden Ring Nightreign got it's hooks in and has refused to let me go. I don't really play multiplayer games anymore, but with over 300hrs played I'm hopelessly addicted. What's more is when I thought I'd kicked the habit the DLC is released and pulls me right back in. I can't get enough.

Andrew O.

Sadly I can't part with my Civilization for Nokia N-Gage because that would break up MY complete US retail set. (Well, complete if you don't count Space Impact, which I don't. I have on good authority no retail release of it actually works. I think they were blank?)

Shrunken Shrine

QotM: Clair Obscur, nothing else really had a chance. Non-2025 pick: Dragon Quest 9...?! Emulating it (beating it within 24 hours, of course) in 2025 with absolutely none of the proto-StreetPass or Animal Crossing-type social elements that made it unique leaves behind one of the series' more surprisingly challenging and open-ended entries. I can't believe how well GSK fits into the Stu/Diamond dynamic. Thank you for years of excellent articles on the website.

Wood Duck [Legacy Edition]

Stuart when approached by a white nationalism recruiter "Save your own ancient race, I'm off." *gives finger and leaves* 😂 More GSK in future please, the bloke is a bloody delight!

Wood Duck [Legacy Edition]

I was not mentally prepared to experience diamond being exposed to a quokka for the first time. Charming little ambassador species from my part of the world, shame that introduced foxes and catslove them too.

PurpleComet

My GOTY for 2025 is a tie between Hades 2 and Hollow Knight Silksong, two sequels that live up to the high standards set by their predecessors. My GOTY from previous years is Balatro, the brilliant roguelike. Honorable mention goes to UFO50, which has more than a few charming and clever games in its collection, my favorites being Warptank and Sunset Drive

Guillermo Jiménez

QotM: The best game I've played this year has been Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, which I've already talked enough about on the Discord, followed by the original DOOM, Hollow Knight, and Bionic Commando for NES, neither of which I've finished, so my real pick is Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes. I had a great time going through the Marvel vs. Capcom collection on Switch, and this was, if not the best one, certainly the wildest one. The kitchen sink approach works wonders on this one, and I appreciate the smooth online play that closely matches the online experience.

Tall Rob

As others have said, it was great that GSK joined the episode. Lovely addition!

Tall Rob

Game of 2025: Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector Game of not-2025: Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (fan translated version for SFC)

OffshorePigeon

QoTM - Hardly played any 2025 releases, and though I'm not finished with it yet, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 tops anything else I've tried. Some really neat twists on the JRPG formula, with a ton of content and customization. Played in 2025, that goes to 2024's Yars Rising. Takes my all time favorite Atari 2600 game, Yars' Revenge, remixes it 100 ways, and puts it inside an exploratory platformer (fine...Metroidvania), with some great boss battles.

Jason J

QoTM: I didn't play any 2025 releases so 2024 will have to do. Animal Well amazed me and sets a new bar for 2D exploration games in my opinion. As for old games my pick is 2D Sonic. After decades of bouncing off these games I gave them another shot via Sonic Origins because of the five-part Sonic 3 and Knuckles deep dive. I finally get why people love these games, but I still suck at the special stages.

Winter

QoTM: favourite 2025 game I played is Silent Hill f, for haunting me the most when I wasn't playing it. Played in 2025, Blood. I love the boomshoots but don't know why I never played this one before now. Keep up the great casts! The monthly episodes mostly dropping on Sunday, combined with the relaxed hosts gives the show a nice post-clubbing vibe. Remember to drink your water and get some sleep when you're done to stave off the screaming anxiety of Monday.

Bwo

Game of 2025 is Baby Steps. It's a weird game to play and control and I love it fully. I also played Silksong and my thoughts on it is the same for Hollow Knight which was "It's pretty alright" My retro game is maybe Borderlands 2. A game if I just explain the gameplay is wildly fun. FPS diablo with dungeons with platforming secrets rules. However it's also a comedy game that isn't very funny. But I been playing with my friend and so that bumped it up a good bit. Just wish there was another FPS diablo game that isn't Destiny because I can never get into that treadmill.

Phoequinox

QotM: As with last year, I've only played one game that came out of 2025 in 2025, so by default, my favorite new game of the year is Hades 2. It's narratively not as strong as the first game, in my opinion, but still has some great characters and writing. And with the exception of some annoying bosses, the gameplay is even more frenetic and engaging this time around. My favorite "older" game is UFO 50. Some of the first games I played made me wonder if the compilation just wasn't going to land for me. But as I played through the full assortment, I found so many incredible games that I just wanted more of. A delightful game full of delightful games.

Patrick Dysart

My favorite game that came out this year was Promise Mascot Agency. I really have to thank you guys for recommending the game because I never would have even heard of it without listening to this show. It's great character writing, fantastic music and really fun and unique gameplay kept me playing it long after the credits rolled. My favorite older game I played for the first time this year was Wolfenstien: The Old Blood. I played through most of Machine Games catalog for the first time this year and I had an incredible time. I found that playing these games this year was very therapeutic for some reason.

Devon Dale

My game of the year has to be the new Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. It combined the quick-dashing combat I loved from the PS2 Shinobi, with the nimble platforming of the Megadrive’s Shinobi 3. As for games of yester-year— I really enjoyed revisiting Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego as an adult. Solving clues to puzzles meant to trip-up 12 year olds is oddly satisfying. Keep up the Lord’s work, Diamond; I can’t wait to hear more from you and the Retronauts crew in ‘26.

Matthew Donnelley

Favorite game I finished in 2025 that was also released in 2025: Strange Jigsaws (thank you Diamond for the recommendation) Runner up: Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time Favorite game I finished in 2025 that was NOT released in 2025: Final Fantasy XV Runner-up: Dragon Ruins The developer of Strange Jigsaws, and 20 Small Mazes deserves a ton of success. Both of those games we so pleasant and enjoyable. Fantasy Life i was just fun, and I am glad my favorite game on 3DS finally got a sequel. Final Fantasy XV shocked me by becoming not only my favorite game I finished in 2025, but my favorite Final Fantasy game of all time. I am still shocked by this. Had this game not had such an effect on me, the crown would have gone to Dragon Ruins an extremely niche and compact DRPG that technically has graphics. This was a very short, compact game that feels made specifically for me, and everything I enjoy about and want from video games. But that Final Fantasy XV.... It just hit perfectly. And it beat out Dragon Quest III HD-2D AND Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, which also shocked and surprised me because those games are both so good! I am both shocked and surprised by and at myself. Who even am I?

meldriccc

2025 GOTY: Death Stranding 2

Jonathan Kade

I will stand by for your invoice, Stuart. Have fun!

Jonathan Kade

My 2025 game of the year is probably Time Flies, which although short is completely pleasurable. Runners up are Major Tom for the Vectrex, Roguecraft DX for Evercade/Amiga, and DaMaGe for Atari Lynx. My game of the year not from 2025 is Atomic Runner Chelnov. And Atomic Runner, I suppose.

haughtybiscotti

2025 GOTY: Silent Hill f And in line with that My old game of 2025: Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni, which I started in early 2024 and took until the end of 25 to finish reading, such a massive story

TheLupineOne

Hopefully I'm not too late. My 2025 GOTY goes to Donkey Kong Bananza. It introduced a simple gameplay hook of leveraging the power of the Switch 2 to produce infinitely destructible environments and iterated on that constantly, introducing new materials, skills, and Bananza forms. What a fantastic game. my "old" 2025 GOTY goes to Metal Slug 3. I happened upon a cab, and thought 'This game has a bad rep because of that zombie stage, right? But all my peoples love Fio so it can't be that bad, right?' I played it to completion, what a game, with so many 'oh no' moments of escalation, so many 'oh no' callbacks to earlier missions. Clearly I'm going to have to hunt out Metal Slug 1 and X given how much praise the Retronauts have given to earlier titles in the series.