Retro games, played closely and argued kindly.
Cartridge Command revisits classic and not-so-classic games from the 8- and 16-bit era with loose, knowledgeable back-and-forth. Episodes move from release history and manual details into mechanics, level design, music, art, difficulty, and the strange memories old games leave behind.
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Cartridge Command is a conversational retro-gaming show about games from the 8- and 16-bit era. It has the texture of a long-running project made by people who have actually played the games recently, not just remembered the box art. The episodes usually begin with development credits, publishers, regions, dates, ports, and series placement. Then the talk gets hands-on. Legacy of the Wizard is not just introduced as part of the Dragon Slayer line; it becomes a granular tour through who can use which item, what magic costs matter, when to save gold, and why range does not solve every combat problem. Cybernator gives the show room to admire Super Nintendo graphics while still complaining about wordy interruptions and unclear speakers during story scenes. Fortified Zone becomes slower and more tactical in the conversation, with attention to enemy facing, preventative shooting, gray environments, strange boss choices, and music that may work better in theory than in the Game Boy’s sound. The Final Fantasy Mystic Quest episodes are warmer and more personal. They reassess the game’s rough reputation, appreciate its save-anywhere design, and pick through its battlefields, simple structure, childhood ownership memories, and striking cover art. The show likes manuals, regional names, publisher trivia, and mechanical edge cases. It also likes jokes that grow out of confusion, correction, or a half-remembered comparison to another game. The tone is casual. The standards are still real. When a game is beautiful, awkward, generous, tedious, or secretly better than its reputation, the conversation usually explains why in concrete terms. There is also a durable community feeling around the show, with listener support, Patreon thanks, health updates, guest spots, and references to longtime contributors appearing around the reviews. Cartridge Command is especially good for listeners who want retro criticism with lived-in warmth: less museum label, more informed couch conversation.
Made for: For retro-gaming listeners who care about mechanics, release history, platform quirks, manuals, cover art, and how old games feel now. It especially fits fans of NES, Super Nintendo, Game Boy, Genesis, and Famicom-era conversation.
What sets it apart: Cartridge Command stands out by mixing loose banter with unusually specific mechanical recall. Its reviews linger on practical play details, regional history, and small design irritations that broader nostalgia shows often skip.
Your weekly retro gaming podcast where we discuss, breakdown, and review one classic game!
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Close replay, practical comparison, and easygoing argument reveal how classic console games actually feel in the hands.
Cartridge Command treats each old game as something to replay closely, compare with its contemporaries, and argue over in good company. Nick and Eric move from release history into controls, level design, graphics, and music, while Dale brings another perspective to Shadowrun…
A 48-page Shadowrun manual gets the scrutiny you'd give a map with missing exits.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
Nick and Eric work through the costs and uses of Legacy of the Wizard's equipment.
Nick and Eric place Legacy of the Wizard in the Dragon Slayer series, then spend most of their time on the NES game's equipment. The shield can stop boss projectiles, but its price makes the timing of treasure chests matter.
Nick and Eric give Cybernator a close retro look, balancing its colorful style and flexible levels against fussy story scenes.
Cartridge Command takes up Cybernator for the Super Nintendo by situating it within the Assault Suit series and noting its Japanese title, Assault Suit Falcon.
Nick and Eric find the value of slowing down in Fortified Zone.
Nick and Eric get into the rhythm of Fortified Zone on the Nintendo Game Boy. Rushing an enemy and firing got one of them killed quickly. Their advice is more deliberate: enemies react when they face the player, so it pays to act before walking into view.
Nick and Dale revisit Mystic Quest through battlefields, frozen Aquaria, and contested simplicity.
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest Part 2 finds Nick and Dale looking past the game's rough reputation to consider whether its plainspoken design gives it a shot at niche-classic status.
A warm, practical look at a Super Nintendo RPG built to make role-playing games easier to enter.
Cartridge Command gives Final Fantasy Mystic Quest a friendly, focused look, keeping its North American release and beginner-friendly purpose in view without turning the episode into a history lesson.
Nick, Eric, and Dale continue their deep dive into Shadowrun for the Sega Genesis.
Nick and Eric continue their discussion of the Genesis RPG Shadowrun, with Dale sharing his progress toward the final boss and the need to grind for karma and yen.
Nick and Eric review 1943: The Battle of Midway for the NES, a 1988 Capcom shoot-'em-up.
Cartridge Command’s Nick and Eric cover Legacy of the Wizard for NES, tracing it back to Nihon Falcom’s MSX2 release in July 1987 and Broderbund’s U.S.
Cartridge Command's Cybernator episode covers the Super Nintendo release of Assault Suit Falcon, including its 1992 Japan launch, Konami's 1993 North American version, and the portrait and cutscene cuts in the U.S.
Cartridge Command covers Fortified Zone for Game Boy, noting its February 1991 Jaleco release in Japan, North American release in September 1991, and music by Tsukasa Tawada, whose credits include Maniac Mansion, Dragon Quest, Pokemon, and Harvest Moon.
Nick and Eric review the Sega Genesis game E-SWAT on their retro gaming podcast Cartridge Command.
Nick and Dale conclude their coverage of Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, discussing the third crystal quest and the mysterious old man in the Focus Tower.
Nick and Dale revisit Final Fantasy Mystic Quest Part 2 on Cartridge Command, focusing on the Super Nintendo game’s reputation, 1992 release context, and limited two-character party.
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest uses "white magic," "black magic," and "wizard magic" instead of normal MP.
Nick and Eric discuss the delayed North American release of the NES game Devil World, its development by Miyamoto and Kondo, and its Halloween timing.
Nick and Eric continue their level-by-level review of Super Mario Bros for the NES, sharing personal histories and memories of the game.
The hosts of Cartridge Command continue their level-by-level playthrough of Shadowrun for the SNES, discussing the docks area and the octopus boss fight.
The hosts of Cartridge Command introduce a two-part review of Shadowrun for the SNES, requested by a Patreon supporter, and compare it with the Genesis version.