16-Bit Gems

A Pac-Man game is a Pac-Man game is a Pac-Man game, right? Not when it's Pac-Man 2 - Namco's unexpected foray into point and click adventure. While it threw Pac-fans for a loop in the 90's, we can look back now and give this quirkly little title its due. Find out why it's worth your Pac-time in this Pac-episode.

Roo presents a retrospective on the rise of the Japanese Role-Playing Game - running from tabletop wargames up through Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy - and discusses their impact on the genre as a whole. Learn about the major players - including Gygax, Garriott, Woodhead, Horii, Sakaguchi - and how their efforts led to the 16-bit RPG renaissance.

Roo presents a retrospective on the rise of the Japanese Role-Playing Game - running from tabletop wargames up through Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy - and discusses their impact on the genre as a whole. Learn about the major players - including Gygax, Garriott, Woodhead, Horii, Sakaguchi - and how their efforts led to the 16-bit RPG renaissance.

Roo takes advantage this April 1st to talk an RPG that gets just about everything right - Dragon Quest VIII, for the Playstation 2. Watch for an explanation of why this is a game any JRPG fan can't pass by.

16-Bit Gems is back! After a short haitus, Roo continues his mini-retrospective on the Dragon Quest series. This time, he looks at the definitive versions of the first two games, and examines how they influenced dozens of console RPGs to come. So grab your horned hat and watch the slimes draw near – the Dragonlord’s not going to leave Tantegel Castle alone without a fight!

Roo brings back 16-Bit Gems in style with the finale of the 4-part Dragon Quest retrospective! After looking at the history of RPGs, the Super Nintendo remakes of DQ 1&2, and the modern classic of Dragon Quest VIII, he brings things back to the most popular entry in the series – Dragon Quest III. Find out why this game was so popular across the Pacific, and how even this 15+ year remake makes it accessible to modern audiences.

Roo is back again with a casualty of the “cutesy character flood” of 1993. Plok looks like any number of platformers on the Super Nintendo, but look deeper and you’ll find one of the most original and fun games on the system. With a worthy challenge, to boot!

Roo is back with yet another 8-Bit Gem… but not one you might expect. Back to the Future on the NES has a horrible reputation, as well as the company that released it – LJN. But is that criticism fair? Well, considering it’s the subject of this episode, you can guess as to what Roo thinks.