The Old SwitchAroo: Gaming Retro with Mike and Jaymo |A Nintendo Switch Online retro gaming podcast

S4E05: Virtual Boy and Teleroboxer -or- The Sweet Science (Fiction, That Is!)

Cyril from Defunct Games is stepping into the ring to take on Teleroboxer (1995) and the Nintendo Virtual Boy with Mike and Jaymo as part of The Old SwitchAroo’s epic quest to research and review every retro game in Nintendo Switch Online’s Nintendo Classics catalog!In this episode, Cyril takes us back to what it was like being at the unveiling of the Nintendo Virtual Boy at the winter Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in 1995, we try to wrap our heads around the LED technology behind the Virtual Boy’s 3D stereoscopic effects, Cyril and Jaymo try to get to the bottom of why the Virtual Boy sales were such a disappointment, and we evaluate the new Nintendo accessories available to play the Virtual Boy games on the Switch. Thanks for listening, and a very special thanks to Kristal Fields of The Lazy Circles for our catchy theme song! Subscribe to The Old SwitchAroo to get more retro goodness delivered straight to your feed! You can also join the fun on https://www.theoldswitcharoo.com, where you'll find links to our Discord, social media, and so much more!Game on, everyone.(0:00) Intro(1:20) Welcoming Cyril(3:58) Virtual Boy(21:26) Virtual Boy Accessories(43:32) Teleroboxer(1:13:00) NintenDO or NintenDON’TCheck out the Kickstarter for the Complete Cheat Code Compendium at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/763614590/gameshark-returns-the-complete-cheat-code-compendiumOr find Cyril’s work at Defunct Games (http://www.defunctgames.com/) or on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@DefunctGamesTelerobooxer Manual: https://files.virtual-boy.com/teleroboxer-instruction-booklet.pdfThe Fastest Game Console Ever Made? - Virtual Boy In Slow Mo | The Slow Mo Guys: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW7M8H99x7YThe Ultimate History of Video Games by Stephen Kent | https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QHG23LRThe BEST WAY To Play Virtual Boy- How To Play Virtual Boy Comfortably (Nintendo Switch 2) | Demeech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFvqKDs7Kao1990s Critics Review Every Virtual Boy Game on Nintendo Classics (Review Crew) | Defunct Games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKcaPLObQ6g[WR] Teleroboxer speedrun - 2:04.86 IGT | swordsmankirby: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR8uAVqOF6k

BONUS | Lite Switch: Mar 4, 2026 | Pokemon 30th Anniversary

In this bonus mid-season LiteSwitch episode, Derrick from the Underrated Movie Podcast and SSJ3Butch from Twitch return to discuss all the announcements from Pokémon’s 30th Anniversary celebration!In this episode, we give our reactions to retro re-releases like Fire Red, Leaf Green, Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, Pokémon TCG’s Celebration Collection, and the baffling Game Boy Jukebox! We also discuss a flurry of upcoming entries: Pokopia, Pokémon Champions, Pokémon Wind & Waves, and the brand-new Pokémon XP Convention in San Francisco!Thanks for listening, and a very special thanks to Kristal Fields of The Lazy Circles for our catchy theme song! Subscribe to The Old SwitchAroo to get more retro goodness delivered straight to your feed! You can also join the fun on https://www.theoldswitcharoo.com, where you'll find links to our Discord, social media, and so much more!Also, So Cal gamers, come to WonderConGame on, everyone.(0:00) Intro(0:50) Welcoming Butch(1:20) Welcoming Derick(2:07) Mini-Game Minute: Pick-a-Mon(22:50) Pokémon: Fire Red & Leaf Green(34:45) Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness(39:21) Pokémon TCG Celebration Collection(46:54) Pokémon Champions(56:11) Pokémon Winds & Waves(1:05:09) Pokopia(1:11:15) Pokemon World Championships & Pokemon XP(1:13:28) Game Boy Juke Box(1:19:29) OutroYou can find more from Derick and the Underrated movie podcast at https://underratedmoviepodcast.com/, wherever you get your podcasts, and on social media.Check out Butch’s streaming exploits at https://www.twitch.tv/ssj3butchFire Red & Leaf Green Switch Re-Release: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORuy4zZkJ9IPokemon XD: Gale of Darkness on the Gamecube is Added to Nintendo Classics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z10GIw_dH8wOfficial Pokemon TCG Celebration Collection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqTjxTiG-aIGame Boy Jukebox: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJyzua8yeYMPokemon Champions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFZHyDdgMIoPokemon Wind & Waves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B15Ydgm6QtIPokemon World Championships & Pokemon XP Convention: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q8Vr4b7wHEWonderCon 2026: https://www.comic-con.org/wc/

S4E04: Solomon's Key -or- An Old Testament to Your Skill

Alex will be sharing his wisdom as he joins Mike and Jaymo for Solomon’s Key (NES, 1987) as part of The Old SwitchAroo’s epic quest to research and review every retro game in Nintendo Switch Online’s Nintendo Classics catalog!In this episode, Alex shares how he first saw Solomon’s Key beaten on a VHS tape, we look at Solomon’s Key’s reskins and sequels, and Jaymo puts Mike and Alex to the test with a challenge of riddles. Plus, we get sidetracked with a bit of a revisit to Punch-Out!!Thanks for listening, and a very special thanks to Kristal Fields of The Lazy Circles for our catchy theme song! Subscribe to The Old SwitchAroo to get more retro goodness delivered straight to your feed! You can also join the fun on https://www.theoldswitcharoo.com, where you'll find links to our Discord, social media, and so much more!Game on, everyone.(0:00) Intro(1:02) Welcoming Alex(1:58) Solomon’s Key(43:00) Mini-Game Minute: Who’s That Solomon?(46:14) Solomon’s Key (cont’d)(58:30) NintenDO or NintenDON’TSolomon’s Key Manual: https://archive.org/embed/solomons-key-nes-hiresscans/Solomon's Key - Manual (Searchable)The Story Behind Solomon’s Key, One Of The Most Challenging NES Games by Peter Tieryas | Kotaku: https://kotaku.com/the-story-behind-solomons-key-one-of-the-most-challeng-1840421992Solomon's Key by metroidmcfly in 14:00 - SGDQ2019 | Games Done Quick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNdkO9gVNTYHow a Perfect Speedrun Was Finally Beaten | Summoning Salt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c3oXERMTCM

S4E03: Tecmo Bowl -or- Tackling the Issues

This episode’s visiting team is Brad and Jordan from Arcadiology, and they’re in position at the line of scrimmage for Tecmo Bowl (NES, 1989) as they face off against Mike and Jaymo as part of The Old SwitchAroo’s epic quest to research and review every retro game in Nintendo Switch Online’s Nintendo Classics catalog!In this episode, Jordan shares his history with football on and off the field, we’ll look at how player likeness rights changed the later releases of Tecmo Bowl, no one is able to make any sense of Tecmo Bowl’s original team logos, and Brad and Jaymo will compare this to the 1987 Tecmo Bowl arcade game, available for purchase on the Nintendo Switch.Thanks for listening, and a very special thanks to Kristal Fields of The Lazy Circles for our catchy theme song! Subscribe to The Old SwitchAroo to get more retro goodness delivered straight to your feed! You can also join the fun on https://www.theoldswitcharoo.com, where you'll find links to our Discord, social media, and so much more!Game on, everyone.(0:00) Intro(1:08) Welcoming Brad and Jordan from Arcadiology(6:30) Tecmo Bowl(43:50) Hi-Score & 37 Years Ago(47:10) Tecmo Bowl (cont’d)(49:10) Mini-Game Minute: The More You Tec-Know(54:16) Chibi-Robo! (cont’d)(1:03:12) NintenDO or NintenDON’TCheck out Jordan and Brad on Arcadiology: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/arcadiologypodcast/Tecmo Bowl Manual: https://www.nintendo.co.jp/clv/manuals/en/pdf/CLV-P-NACDE.pdfChicago Bears Shufflin' Crew - The Super Bowl Shuffle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG-4udU4w3sThe Truth Behind Eric Dickerson’s Lawsuit Against Tecmo Bowl | All Sports History: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX9iK0BGD1MFamily Guy 'stole' a video of Double Dribble from YouTube then claimed the original video breached copyright by Jack Shepherd | The Independent: https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/family-guy-stole-a-video-of-double-dribble-from-youtube-then-claimed-the-original-video-breached-copyright-a7042026.htmlEvery East/West Bowl Ever – Key & Peele: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRhB2Oiy0NcKey & Peele - East/West Bowl 3 - Pro Edition - Super Bowl Special | Comedy Central: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDp-ABzpRX8Washington pounces on UCLA's botched fake field goal | NBC Sports: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTcjMxOoWro

BONUS | Lite Switch: Feb 5, 2026 | The Complete Cheat Code Compendium kickstarter

In this bonus midseason LiteSwitch episode, Cyril from Defunct Games is here to talk to Mike and Jaymo about GameShark Returns: The Complete Cheat Code Compendium, a book that Cyril’s working on with InterAct Accessories co-founder Todd Hays. With an already successful kickstarter campaign, GameShark Returns: The Complete Cheat Code Compendium is currently set for release in Fall 2026.In this episode, we talk about what the differences are between easter eggs, glitches, and cheat codes, how cheat codes and hidden strategies were used to sell video game magazines, try to recollect if cheat codes were stigmatized in the 90s, and how cheat codes functioned as early accessibility options. Along the way we also look back on the loss of rentals in the video game ecosystem, try to figure out why Sonic the Hedgehog 2’s debug mode doesn’t get more attention, and decry how DLC is replacing cheat codes.Thanks for listening, and a very special thanks to Kristal Fields of The Lazy Circles for our catchy theme song! Subscribe to The Old SwitchAroo to get more retro goodness delivered straight to your feed! You can also join the fun on https://www.theoldswitcharoo.com, where you'll find links to our Discord, social media, and so much more!Game on, everyone.(0:00) Intro(1:15) Welcoming Cyril from Defunct Games(5:18) The Complete Cheat Code Compendium - Kickstarter Description(16:41) Cyril Meets Todd Hays(22:53) Selecting the best cheat codes(29:17) Remembering Dinosaurs for Hire for the Sega Genesis(34:08) What constitutes a cheat code?(38:32) Sega Saturn Pro Action Replay (43:07) Outlaws re-release(47:30) Code Vault(49:09) Game Shark Ad Archive(54:23) Hot Coffee(57:20) Long-Hidden Cheats(1:03:20) Favorite Cheat CodesCheck out the Kickstarter campaign for Gameshark Returns: The Complete Cheat Code Compendium: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/763614590/gameshark-returns-the-complete-cheat-code-compendiumThe Cheat Code Compendium - Announcement Trailer | Defunct Games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRgU9OkQV7oMore info on the book and the rest of Cyril’s activities at Defunct Games: http://www.defunctgames.com/How Yahtzee Created Unique Worlds in Starstruck Vagabond | GameMaker Memoirs | Second Wind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlFbH5B6ivs