This Month In Retronauts: April 2025 edition

I hope you've got no pressing engagements for the next 150 minutes because thanks to Nintendo this is the longest Retronauts community podcast ever! You know we had to talk about the latest Direct and the announcement of Switch 2 while also making time for your comments and answers to last month's community question.

Speaking of which, I called an audible this month concerning the question so I hope you'll indulge me and use your words responsibly.

Specific items mentioned in this episode include:

• Hachikō (ハチ公)

• Danger Mouse (the cartoon, not the DJ)

• REACHER as played by Alan Ritchson

  • Ritchson is slightly taller than ex-Batman Ben Affleck

  • I enjoy the first Tom Cruise movie but not the second

• Promise Mascot Agency

  • read my review on Retronauts dot com

• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

• 巨影都市 aka "City of Giant Shadows"

  • watch me play on Twitch! archived on my YouTube channel!

• I, Robot (by Jeff Minter, not Issac Asimov)

• Thank Goodness You're Here!

• the "jumbo demo" of Dragon Quest Builders 2 is on Steam, Switch, and PS4/5

  • the first game was indeed from 2016, this sequel came out in 2018

  • DQB1 only hit Steam in 2024 though

• Croc: Legend of the Gobbos remaster

• the bottomless content pit that is Destiny 2

• Capcom Fighting Collection 2 (coming soon)

• Mewgenics (coming soon)

• Grand Theft Auto Vice City for Dreamcast

• Time Gal HD Remaster & Ninja Hayate HD Remaster

  • NH was called Revenge of the Ninja on Sega CD

  • Road Avenger aka Road Blaster aka Road Prosecutor was Data East, not Taito

  • Toei provided the animation for ALL these games, however

  • perhaps Stu was thinking of this recent Amiga announcement

• TONGTONG

  • ”Tong Tong" was indeed a panda born at Ueno Zoo in 1986 (d. 2000)

  • this game debuted in 1987

  • New Wave Toys makes the change machine replica I mentioned

• Vampire Survivors: Emerald Diorama free DLC

  • based on the name, it's tied to last year's SaGa: Emerald Beyond

• Galaxian³: Attack of the Zolgear LIVES in New Hampshire

  • I blame myself for segueing into Ben & Jerry's talk, sorry not sorry

  • I asked an ice cream community question back in March 2023 but your answers arrived in April

  • Stuart did indeed propose "Alex Kidd in Raspberry Ripple World"

  • sadly I see no cone-based flavoUrs on Ben & Jerry's UK website

• English translation patch for Capcom vs SNK 2 (Dreamcast)

• PS5 went up in price in EU/AU/NZ

• PS+ went up in price in Canada

• Nintendo's Legend of Zelda movie comes out March 26, 2027

  • Chappelle Ellison not "Edison"

  • meanwhile Capcom's 2026 Street Fighter movie lost its March 2026 date

• Nintendo Direct!

  • Nintendo Today, dedicated news app?

  • Virtual Game Card

    • new DRM lets you "loan" digital purchases to Family members

  • Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army

    • based on Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army for PS2

    • I loved Hellraiser but found part II lacking (though not in the goo department)

    • Stu enjoys exactly one moment from Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth

  • GRADIUS ORIGINS coming in August

    • the first three Gradius games (multiple versions)

    • Salamander/Life Force (US/JP versions) and its sequel

    • Salamander III (NEW!)

    • the website says these are all ARCADE ports, not console versions

    • yes, this is an M2 project

  • Rhythm Heaven Groove in 2026

  • Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream in 2026

    • will they include gay people this time??

  • Metroid Prime 4: Beyond development continues (2025?)

    • the Beyond title was announced last year

• Switch 2 launches June 5! (happy birthday Mummy Gipp)

  • Stu got his preorder, I did not (yet)

  • "Nintendo Switch 2 Editions" of Switch games

    • will all data be on the cartridge? depends on publisher

    • Stu's looking forward to Kirby and the Forgotten Land

  • GameCube games coming to Switch Online Expansion Pack

    • Stu is right about a former Silicon Knights staffer's crimes

  • new feature: Game-Key Cards

    • cartridge is a "key" to download software onto hardware

    • must play with cartridge in slot

    • will be clearly marked on packaging if regular game or Game-Key

  • new games shown:

    • Mario Kart World (launch title)

      • dear lord this topic launches me on a "sexy" tangent

        • this better not awaken anything in anyone

    • Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour (launch title)

    • Deltarune Chapters 1-4 (launch title)

    • Donkey Kong Bananza (July)

    • Drag x Drive (summer)

      • wheelcha—excuse me "vehicle" basketball

    • Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment (winter)

    • Kirby Air Riders 2025

    • The Duskbloods 2026

  • Switch 2 costs 449.99 USD/£395.99/€469.99

    • games cost $80 or more!

  • In Japan: 49,980 yen for Japanese-only model

    • 69,980 for "multi-language" model (My Nintendo Store online exclusive)

    • I know scalpers suck but come on

• rip pope

• MAD Magazine's type-in program

• first-time guest TheSeventhForce just released a video on Magneto!

• a comment forces us to gripe about 20-year-old WWE screwups

• here is the aofdb svc chaos video in glorious 240p

• is a sietch a "hovel"? poor word choice on my part

• Bondi in New South Wales is indeed pronounced "Bond-eye"

Art & edits by Diamond (photo source: unknown! I saw it posted a dozen times on BlueSky!)
Music heard in this episode:

• 8:50 audio from Reacher season 3

• 14:31 "Same Old, Same Old" (Promise Mascot Agency)

• 20:18 "Gerudo Valley" by Mariachi Entertainment System

• 28:19 "Seaside" (Thank Goodness You're Here!)

• 36:37 "Brave or Grave" (Street Fighter Alpha 3) ← BANGER ALERT

• 48:48 audio from the opening of Road Avenger/Blaster/Prosecutor

• 1:02:00 "Ben & Jerry" by Salem Ilese

• 1:08:18 PlayStation 5 menu music

• 1:20:15 "Theme of the Gorem" [sic] (Salamander 2)

• 1:36:43 "Attack of the Killer Queen" (Deltarune Chapter 2)

• 1:52:43 Pope Francis speaks outside The White House in 2015

• 2:01:56 "Rave Lovers from Outer Space" (Space Invaders Extreme)

• 2:14:20 "The Floating Fat Man (The Baron)" by TOTO, as heard in Dune (1984)

• 2:22:49 "Prison Sex" by TOOL

• Finale: the best song I know about asking questions