The Dead Pixels Podcast: A Destructoid Community Podcast

Hi everybody, I'm Daniel Fox aka Preposterous Whitey. I host a twice-a-month podcast called The Dead Pixels Podcast with my friend Nathan Ortega of Indie Haven. In each episode we discuss a retro game, but not the well-worn classics covered in your average retro-gaming podcast. Instead, we focus on little-known titles are passed over by history for some reason or another.

To be honest, it's often a matter of quality; few of the games we investigate could stand next to, say, Super Mario World as timeless classics. At best, they would be considered "guilty pleasures" by the community at large. However, we try to buck the internet convention of cynicism and focus on the positive aspects of our dubiously "classic" subjects. We feel that the future of gaming can benefit from learning more than just the medium's greatest hits.

On off-weeks, we post a "Demo Disk" episode which teases our next full episode. This allows the audience to check out the game beforehand, so they can "play along" and share in our experiences once the full episode hits. Below, I'll post a description of each of our episodes so far. I will update this post each week with links to new episodes as they're created. You can also find us directly on Libsyn and iTunes if you're interested.

1. Monster Party

Demo Disk (Not Available for This Episode)
Full Episode

This episode was actually recorded before I joined the show as a host, but it's still very good. On this debut episode, Nathan and his friend Tom of The Rumble Pack dive headfirst into the zany waters of NES "classic" Monster Party, and try to wrap their heads around how this game came to be and why.

2. Rising Zan

Demo Disk (Not Available for This Episode)
Full Episode

Again, this episode precedes my joining the show. Nathan struggles to explain how bonkers PS1 game Rising Zan is, while guest pal Sean does his best to console him. Can cornball one-liners, cowbabes in bikinis and cackling goofballs make up for how inexplicable the whole thing is? Probably not!

3. Skull & Crossbones

Demo Disk
Full Episode

This is my debut episode as a host, and it's a very special one. I join Nathan for a seadog's journey into madness by way of wizards and Medusas, in Skull & Crossbones for the NES! Will our heroes find the booty at the center of this treasure chest, or simply contract scurvy?

4. Cubivore

Demo Disk
Full Episode

Geometric shapes have sex and eat each other in this thrilling episode of The Dead Pixels Podcast! Justin Hemenway of The Rumble Pack joins Nathan and Daniel for a macabre exploration into the deaths and weird sex lives of a bunch of squares in the cult GameCube classic Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest.

5. Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon

Demo Disk
Full Episode

Daniel takes Nathan on a wonderous journey back to the late 90s to relive the bizarro N64 game Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon! Zany doesn't even begin to describe what's in store. Giant robots, perverted sidekicks, kabuki cyborgs, talking dogs, the list goes on! Will Nathan be swayed by Daniel's rose-tinted adoration of this madcap timecapsule?

6. Edgy Mascot Games

Demo Disk
Full Episode

This week we mix it up a little bit by diving into the wider trend of mascot platformers with attitude! It's a whole bevy of 90s cartoon animals with crappy dispositions jumpin' on stuff and advocating agendas, plus scatological humor!

7. Captain Novolin (With Soda Drinker Pro!)

Demo Disk
Full Episode

Will Brierly and Ray Brierly of Soda Drink Pro join Daniel and Nathan to discuss the SNES edutainment game Captain Novolin! The Brothers Brierly give a designer's perspective on the struggles of merging real life lessons and fun gameplay, as well as thoughts on how to do it right. It's a fascinating tale of creativity by commission.

8. LSD: Dream Emulator (With Carlos Rodela!)

Demo Disk
Full Episode

Carlos Rodela of Video Game Break joins Nathan live at PAX to discuss the Playstation oddity LSD: Dream Emulator. Try to make sense of the madness as they delve into their personal video game dream journals. Will our heroes have sweet dreams, or will this game's nightmarish floating heads send them straight to hell?

9. Glover

Demo Disk
Full Episode

This episode fits like a glove, but unfortunately we don't have a ball. As our hosts explore the fog-ridden world of Glover they're forced to think of the meaning behind it all. Is it, perhaps, a tragic tale of two brothers forced to go to war? Maybe it's all an allegory for how fractured the human psyche can become? On second thought, it's probably just a third-rate platformer about slappin' balls.

10. Halloween Special: Gremlins 2 and Fester's Quest

Demo Disk
Full Episode

Despite suffering a ghoulish pox, the gang bands together during the season of fright to deliver a chilling episode of The Dead Pixels Podcast! Few studios were more misguided than Sunsof with their licensed fare of the late 80s. Many were just rehashes of successful elements from Blaster Master. What happens when you make a copy of a copy of a copy? Apparently, it produces Lovecraftian horrors that only The Dead Pixels are brave enough to tread.

11. Bomberman 64: The Second Attack

Demo Disk
Full Episode

The Dead Pixels crew weathers misfortune and physical harm to bring you thoughts and analysis on the rare "underrated gem" Bomberman 64: The Second Attack.  This game fetches over a hundred dollars on collector markets, so what makes it so darn special? Are the gameplay elements and narrative beats (yes, in a Bomberman game) enough to warrant such outrageous prices or is it merely a case of 'grass-is-always-greener' gaming?

12. Drakkhen (With Erin Hyles!)

Demo Disk
Full Episode

Professional fantasy geek and blogger Erin Hyles joins Daniel and Nathan to discuss a beloved childhood favorite of hers: the Super Nintendo RPG Drakkhen. What is it about this tale of bloodthirsty humanoid lizards bent on the destruction of mankind that has captivated her all these years? Join the party for a painful journey through early 3D landscapes filled with overpowered shadow beasts and sentient constellations!

13. Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric

Demo Disk
Full Episode

Oh thirteen, the number that has heralded great fortune for the entirety of human history. On this extra-lucky installment of The Dead Pixels Podcast, Daniel and Nathan take a look at the more recent anti-classic Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric for the Wii U. They analyze the scraps of evidence from its extremely troubled development history, and break down what this installment means for the Sonic franchise as a whole. Is Boom really the unmitigated disaster that most people think, or is it all just a simple misunderstanding? Hold onto your chili dogs, kids, because things are about to get weird... FAST!

14. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles NES

Demo Disk
Full Episode

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the NES haunts the childhoods of countless gamers. Over the years, the bitterness has built up, and it's remembered as that game everyone was scared of but always wound up taking home from Blockbuster somehow. Decades later, many still see flashing pink seaweed in their nightmares on a weekly basis. Is the hate warranted, or is it all just a big misunderstanding? Hardcore half-shell advocates Nathan Ortega and Daniel Fox defend the honor of this unfairly maligned not-quite-masterpiece.

15. Aladdin: SNES vs Genesis

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Full Episode

Join Nathan and Daniel for a magic carpet ride through the not-so-new world of 16-bit licensed classics. They look at both the Genesis and Super Nintendo versions of this beloved Disney classic to see which one rubs their lamp just right.

16. Mission: Impossible

Demo Disk
Full Episode (Coming Soon!)

Hello Agent, this week we have a very special guest in the form of Andre Miller of Indie Haven! Join us as he shares secret intel on the hidden charms of a licensed-to-kill N64/PlayStation game of a movie of a television program. This description would self-destruct in five seconds, were such a thing possible. Oh well...

LOOK WHO CAME:

Whitey Fox   

Whitey Fox   1

Seagull King   1