Back In The Day Show

In the wake of Super Bowl XLIV and looking ahead to March Madness, we regroup to talk about our favorite sports video games. Chris couldn’t make it, but he’ll be back with us soon. Coincidentally, our good friend Pat lends his voice to the discussion. Here’s just a few of the games we mention: Baseball, RBI Baseball, Bases Loaded, 10-Yard Fight, Tecmo Bowl, Double Dribble, Jordan VS Bird, NBA Jam, Blades of Steel, Track and Field, World Class Track Meet, Mike Tyson’s Punch Out, Pro Wrestling, WWF Royal Rumble, T & C Surf Designs, and more. We comment on the rudimentary, yet endearing, NES sound effects, advancements in graphics and game-play, how to cheat at Track and Field and World Class Track Meet, and the ridiculousness of a fishing video game. You get all that and more in this edition of the Back in the Day Show. Enjoy.

Correction: The umpire sound effects that we mention in the beginning of the show actually come from the NES game, Major League Baseball, and not RBI Baseball.

Download the mp3 (40:34 / 18.6MB)

Check it out–our first podcast of 2010. We kick it off by discussing our memories of the 1985 movie, Teen Wolf. The entire crew is here, except Chris, who has been taking care of more important matters… like getting married. Congrats, bro! Coincidentally, our good friend, Patrick, steps in to reminisce with us. Here’s just a sample of what we cover: everyone’s distaste for the overall “sweatiness” of the movie, Josh’s explanation of said sweatiness as a result of the general “hotness” of the 80s, previous-show sound clips of the girls’ predicting what the movie is about, coach Bobby Finstock’s useless advice, Rob’s explanation of the parallels between Teen Wolf and the Spiderman origin story, Chad’s theory behind the demise of Scott Howard’s mom, a healthy dose of show outtakes, and so much more. Now give me… a keg… of Back in the Day Show.

Download the mp3 (34:46 / 16.3MB)

Now, we at BITDS were very excited when we heard they were making a G.I.Joe movie. (Sadly, to be disappointed).  When I heard they were making a movie about my favorite TV show growing up, the A-Team, I was very excited.  I actually came up with a treatment in college.  Now sit back and enjoy the Trailer for the up-coming A-Team film.

No, I’m not talking about how difficult some games are to play. I covered that in a post entitled, “10 Stupid-Hard NES Games: Then and Now.” I’m talking about the physical resilience of the cartridges themselves. The producer of this video aims to explore just that in a very interesting experiment.

Here it is, the last BITD podcast of 2009. The whole crew joins in as we kick off the show with the 1982 movie, First Blood (AKA Rambo). We go over Ashley’s copious, yet hilarious, notes and learn how accurate the girls’ preview of the movie was. One thing they learned? There was no bandanna. The conversation may be a little late for Veteran’s Day, but it’s always a good time to totally Rambo a podcast. Next up, Ashley and Hannah give us the funniest preview of Teen Wolf you’ve ever heard. Then we bring you the latest news about what’s going on in the retro scene. We report on Doctor Octoroc’s upcoming album, Super Mario Bros. Wii, Excitebike World Rally, and celebrate the 22nd birthday of Mega Man. Once you’re caught up on the news, we pose another Back to the Future trivia question to our resident Back to the Future expert, Chad. Then we round out the show with the latest poll question and reminisce about our favorite 80s action movies. Thanks for listening, and Merry Christmas. See you in 2010.

Download the mp3 (1:15:59 / 34.8MB)

Another example of the effect Mario has on our culture.

I’m just now finding this website that let’s me play classic 80s arcade games online. I just got to round 6 on Duck Hunt and realized I needed to get back to work. Anyway, when you get a break or finish working, check out this website for classic 80s arcades.

We’re planning on discussing the Rambo movies on the next podcast, so with that in mind, here’s the next Poll question: Who’s your favorite 80s action movie star? To cast your vote, hit the link below or view the poll on the sidebar on the right side of the page.

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This is the Halloween Multi-Treat Bag Edition of the podcast. Inside, you’ll find a delectable variety of quality goodies with which to satisfy your nostalgic cravings. All six of the crew members–including Ashley and Hannah–are present as we remember the 1984 blockbuster, Ghostbusters, in honor of Halloween. Then, having not yet seen the 1982 movie, the ladies chime in on what they think First Blood is about, which produces even more hilarious results than the infamous Terminator preview. Next up, will we ever perplex our resident Back to the Future expert? Is there no limit to his uncanny knowledge of the BTTF Trilogy? And if so, will Chris and Josh gleefully make fun of his ineptitude? Find out in round two of our newest segment, Stump the Chad. Following that, it’s *GASP* Listener Feedback? Awesome! Our plans for world domination are slowly coming to fruition. And speaking of world domination, the results of our most recent poll question prompt a discussion of a ruthless dictator, evil terrorist, ex- car salesman. Yep, it’s the head snake himself–Cobra Commander. Enjoy the show, and Happy Halloween!

Download the mp3 (56:30 / 25.9MB)

Pacman reminds us that it’s still tough out there in the job world. For all those who don’t need a reminder, stay strong and hang in there.

So with all the hype of the recent G. I. Joe live-action movie (boo) and because it’s been a while since we’ve inducted another character into our G. I. Joe Hall of Fame, we decided to devote an entire episode to the G. I. Joe franchise in all its forms. First we talk about the toys–the action figures and the ridiculous vehicles–and the intricacies of our time spent playing with them. Next we discuss our fond memories of the cartoons as well as the many lessons we learned (and some we didn’t) from the signature G. I. Joe public service announcements. We remember the G. I. Joe Comics and how they contrasted from the cartoons. For example, blood–the comics had it; the cartoons didn’t. And we also mention the movies: G. I. Joe: the Movie (1987) and the garbage that came out a couple months ago. We round out the show with a tiny, new segment that we like to call “Stump the Chad,” wherein we attempt to stump our resident Back to the Future expert, Chad, with a Back to the Future trivia question. Can we outwit him? Listen to this podcast and you’ll know… and knowing is half the battle. The other half is equal parts red and blue lasers. Yo Joe!

Download the mp3 (1:04:07 / 29.3MB)

Related links:
YoJoe.com
G. I. Joe Original PSAs
G. I. Joe PSA spoofs
G. I. Joe Resolute

For this poll question, we need your help deciding which G. I. Joe character we should induct into our G. I. Joe Hall of Fame next? Here are the six we’re thinking about. To cast your vote, hit the link below or view the poll on the sidebar on the right side of the page.

Read more…

Still have an original Nintendo Entertainment System? Ever think about breaking it out to play a few vintage games only to decide against it because of the hassle involved in hooking it up? Well fret no more. Just follow the steps in this wonderfully simple instructional video, and you’ll be stomping koopa troopas in no time.

One of my favorite movie critics, James Berardinelli, runs a website/blog called Reelviews. He just wrapped up his series of commentaries on some of the more popular movies of the 1980s. His latest blog post includes a collection of links to his 80s movie reviews and a summary of the project. He reviews movies like Big (1988), Stand By Me (1986), and First Blood (1982), just to name a few. Here’s a quote from the introduction of the series:

“Why the ’80s? After all, by most accounts, that was not a scintillating era for movies. However, on a personal level, the ’80s represented probably the most important years of my life. And, since many of my readers are of a similar age, it’s no surprise that, over the years, I have received more requests for reviews of ’80s films than for those from any other 10-year period.”

Check it out, and while you’re at it, check out his latest movie reviews, too. I’ve always found his writing to be equally engaging and insightful.

You need to stop what you’re doing right now and behold the awesomeness. Here’s the full gallery.

Well, it’s been a while since the last show, and we hope everyone has enjoyed their summer break as much as we have. But that time is over, so you know what that means. Yep. It’s back to school time for grade-schoolers, college kids, and teachers. And if you don’t fit into any of those categories, I’m sure you still remember those times with an equal mix of excitement and trepidation (emphasis on trepidation if you’re like me). So with that, I present Episode 13 of the Back in the Day Show–the Back to School Edition. Ashley joins us to kick things off with fond memories of the hit TV show, Saved by the Bell. There’s still a rabid fan-base out there for this show, just as we represent here. Next up, we sit around and talk about our feelings. Just kidding. Actually, we reminisce about one of our favorite 80s movies, The Breakfast Club. Then we conclude the show by recounting incriminating tales of our misspent youth. It’s a special say-no-to-drugs segment that captures some of the crazy things we did when we were younger. Sometimes you have to learn things the hard way; at least we got some funny stories out of it. Enjoy.

Download the mp3 (1:17:50 / 35.6MB)

I just got the sad news: John Hughes has died of a heart attack while visiting family in Manhattan. The 59-year-old filmmaker wrote and/or directed several 80s films, such as The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Pretty in Pink, Weird Science, and so many others. Needless to say, we here at the Back in the Day Show owe a lot to him, if only for the amount of material he gave us about which to reminisce on the podcast. Many of his movies took the point of view of young people. In The Breakfast Club, he tackled the issues of high schoolers’ common angst for the future, lack of communication with parents, and peer pressure; in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, he emphasized the need to seize life and enjoy it to the fullest; and in many of his films, he exhibited how ridiculous adults could be at times with hilarious results. I don’t think I can put it any better than Ferris Bueller when he said: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Thanks for all the good times, John. We’ll miss you.

But now I know.