The Retrograde: A Video Game Podcast · Andrew Bascom and Mikey Ehrenworth

The Video Game Olympics: Paris 2024

July 30, 2024·1 hr 12 min·5 clips

Why doesn't the Olympic Committee make documentaries to make us care about javelin or hammer throw?

Hosts Andrew Baskin and Mikey Aaron of The Retrograde podcast use the upcoming Paris 2024 Summer Olympics as a framework for a humorous competition between video game characters. They propose awarding gold, silver, and bronze medals in various Olympic events to figures from the gaming world. The episode begins with a tangent about the composition of Olympic gold medals, which are revealed to be gold-plated rather than solid gold. The hosts share personal travel anecdotes, including experiences with language barriers in France and Spain, before circling back to their main premise. They critique the International Olympic Committee's marketing, suggesting it needs narrative-driven documentaries like those for Formula 1 or golf to build athlete profiles. A significant portion of the conversation is a detailed review of the video game *Alan Wake 2*, which Mikey is currently playing. He describes the atmospheric, *Twin Peaks*-inspired setting and the mechanic of a "mind palace" for piecing together story clues, though he finds it occasionally frustrating. Andrew confirms the game improves after its initial slow section and mentions that post-launch patches have toned down its jump scares. The hosts note the game's strong voice acting but have mixed feelings about its overall narrative execution. For their fictional Video Game Olympics, they first tackle the 100-meter dash, declaring Sonic the Hedgehog the undeniable gold medalist. After establishing a rule that a character can only medal in one event, they award the silver to Tracer from *Overwatch* and the bronze to Bo Jackson from *Tecmo Bowl*. The tone is consistently casual, humorous, and digressive, featuring playful banter between the two friends. Listeners who enjoy lighthearted gaming commentary mixed with comedic tangents and "what if" scenarios will appreciate this episode. Those seeking a focused, structured discussion solely about video games or the Olympics might find the frequent off-topic anecdotes less engaging.

As heard by us

A chaotic Olympics hangout that keeps finding real points inside the jokes.

This Retrograde episode treats the Summer Olympic Games as a loose, funny hangout about medals, competition, and the strange question of whether a medal is wanted at all.

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Why you'd press play

You want Olympic chaos filtered through two friends who cannot stay on the rails.

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