Episode #750: SUPER SPIKE VOLLEYBALL!


What do you do when your YouTube channel reaches the incredible milestone of 750 episodes? Play one of your all-time favorite, most under-appreciated NES games, of course! What could be more enthralling than watching two dudes stream an ancient sports game? Don’t move and don’t click away—this game is awesome and we’ve been trying to tell you for years. Enjoy!

“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Saturn & Dreamcast Wishlist for SEGA Ages


SEGA will be bringing some of their classic titles to Nintendo Switch, and they’ll be downloadable on the eShop along with all the indie titles and Arcade Archives. Which games do we want to see make the jump onto Switch? And what does this service imply for the state of the Virtual Console?

“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Zelda: Skyward Sword Review (Wii)

“Yeah, I think it would be great if we totally forgot about the pointer on the Wii Remote and arbitrarily used motion controls…! Dahur!” – Skyward Sword Developers


After battling the game for around a year, Simeon finally declared defeat over the evil Demise and saved Hyrule. It wasn’t a quick trip through this Wii classic, but Simeon was noting his experience along the way and he has returned from the journey to tell us all about it. With the game being recently released for download on Wii U’s eShop, this is a great opportunity to see if a revisit to this game is worth it for you!

Shot by Alex Campbell

“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

NES Classic – Super C (Contra Gameplay)

When your BFF gets the machine gun, the bullet spreader, AND then dies right away.


In an effort to live up to his brothers’ reputation, Scott takes the NES controller, plugs its short cord into the NES Classic Edition console, and tried to make some headway in the Contra sequel, Super C. Of course, as always, Simeon joined him for the effort and ironically performed far better than his cohost counterpart. The few attempts are amusing, and hopefully you enjoy the retro nostalgia goodness!

Shot by Alex Campbell

“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

NES Mario Games on a DDR Dance Pad

Next thing you know we’ll be stomping on actual Gamecube controllers.


There’s really nothing too weird for Simeon and Scott to attempt, so long as it pertains to Nintendo gaming. The Crew is taking it to a new level by attempting to beat classic Super Mario Bros stages using only a Gamecube Dance Dance Revolution dance pad. This challenge was suggested by viewer Glen – thanks for the idea! It’s a blast.

Shot by Alex Campbell

“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Classics Never Age

With the release of the NES Classic Edition just a couple days ago, I can’t help but reflect on what makes classic Nintendo games so special. Since those 8-bit days years back, technology has advanced an exponential amount, but yet, we keep going back to the hits of yesteryear. Why is this? In the present day and age of 4K television sets, Nintendo is releasing a system with games over 30 years old. This seems very ironic, and at the same time, it just seems right. For those who don’t know, the NES Classic will include 30 classic NES games, all in HD. It could, of course, be a Holiday filler for Nintendo in what otherwise may be considered a drought, but nonetheless, it’s something I am personally pumped about!

I have to admit that I own 95% of these games already, most of them through virtual console and the ambassador program. That being said, I am still getting an NES Classic. Maybe it’s the fact that all of the games are in an incredible looking shrunken NES, or because you can experience them with a replica NES controller, or maybe because I am way too quick to throw my money at Nintendo. Regardless, this is such a great way to appeal to seasoned gamers who can never get enough, and new gamers wanting to experience these games for the very first time.

These titles never really seem to age, and when I say “age,” I mean go out of style. Once in a while I go back to a Nintendo 64 game and the frame rate is just so bad that I have to stop. But NES games (most of them) don’t seem to bother my eyes as much. On top of that, the 8-bit style seems to be trending; that is, it’s cool again. I feel like the classic style is viewed as an art form today. Not only the graphics, but the music as well. Whenever I play a really old game, I always admire all of the limitations that the developers were up against, yet they still managed to provide a fun experience. Some developers are still taking advantage of this. Yacht Club Games recently developed Shovel Knight. I can’t even begin to describe how much I enjoyed my experience with that game. Despite all of the advances in game development techniques and top notch engines, they made Shovel Knight with a very classic feel, sound, and challenge. It sold well – REALLY well. This just supports the argument that graphics are not everything, and in fact, I view them as secondary (but that is a rant for another time).

Not only do these games capture an art style that never gets old, they provide a level of challenge that almost goes unmatched today. I can’t even count the number of times that I spent 40 minutes trying to get through a stage in Kid Icarus and collecting as many hearts as possible to power up, while missing the final jump in a level by a pixel and falling to my death (I’m finished!). The games can be relentless, they can be mean, they can make fun of you, and they can even be unfair. But I feel like this only adds to their personalities. I will never forget the feelings of accomplishment that I achieved when I first defeated Medusa, Mother Brain, and Ganon for the very first time. You have to WORK for it. If you are having a tough time beating a level, there will not be a character pop up to offer help. You have to get better, or there will not be any progression. I understand that Nintendo has to appeal to a much broader crowd now days, and I have absolutely no problem with the helping systems they put in place, but sometimes it’s nice to play a game that respects one’s level of skill.

Nintendo knows that they are sitting on a gold mine of classic games. In my opinion, the NES Classic Edition is a fantastic idea, despite the fact that most of these games have been released countless times in the past. It’s something that old and new gamers alike can enjoy. These games are like wine and cheese. They only get better with age.

Nostalgia Trip: Best Wii Channels

Poor Ryan, using the Wii Message Board as his primary texting app!


Nintendo’s Wii console is about to celebrate its 10th anniversary! We’re definitely feeling the celebratory spirit at the Crew, so you will hear us talking a lot about the Wii in the next few weeks as the system turns ten years old. Today, Ryan is hosting the show to discuss the Wii’s best Channels and his fond memories with them. From the music in the Wii Shop channel to the stiff competition on Check Mii Out, there was always fun to be had just a channel away after booting your Wii up. We’re sure Ryan’s not the only one who remembers the piercing blue light of getting a notification on the Wii Message Board, either!

Shot by Alex Campbell

“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

There was A Mario Paint 3D?!

As we always love to remind you, look up the Donald Trump / Mario face-puller mash-up.


Another canceled game from the mysterious mind of Miyamoto has come to light! It was an N64 follow-up game to the SNES Mario Paint. How intriguing!

Shot by Alex Campbell

“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Beat it Blind: Super Mario Bros. (SNES)

We went for twice as long, but got no further. It’s tough to give no for an answer.


Can the Crew meld their teamwork power together in order to pass World 1-1 of the original Super Mario Bros? Watch and see!

Shot by Alex Campbell

“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/