First, the basics: The sound quality is good and the podcast comes out on a consistent schedule. The hosts keep to a format and don’t stray too far off topic. Finally (what earns them the fifth star) is that there are few if any commercials. Commercials are fine but always cost one point in my reviews; I need some metric to separate good from excellent. Also what makes ‘good content’ is subjective and I don’t think it should be part of how many stars I give a podcast. In other words, a show I disagree with a lot can still earn five stars. Similarly a show I always agree with should not automatically earn five stars. Played these games as a kid and I listen to a few NES podcasts. This is the only one I tune into where the hosts (likely) were not alive when these games came out. While at times frustrating to my nostalgia-colored opinions I really enjoy it because they offer a unique viewpoint. The entire point of the show is to determine if old game is worth playing in the 2020s so in that regard their relative youth is actually an asset. I wouldn’t change anything. Also they are super lucky they [eventually] added in Gun.Smoke to the Essentials list, I was about ready to start a riot.

The more I listen to this podcast, the more I like it. The guys all have a good dry sense of humor. Initially I listened to episodes of games I played but instead I'd recommend listening to the podcast chronologically. Interesting how their opinions change on games over time.

Good times.

Friends chatting about Nintendo games in a fun, witty, and casual forum. This is the comfort podcast I didn’t know I needed :)

These cats just blew my mind with the exact safe altitude/speed numbers to land in Top Gun, and I’ll be forever in their debt. The podcast is also both smart and funny - a rare combo in retro game podding. Go Bills, Josh Folan, Imperial Scrolls of Honor podcast dude

Great podcast if you grew up in the 80s and want to relive, share in the joy of people playing the classics you grew up on--or, if you just want to yell at how wrong they are in their assessments of classics like Simon's Quest! Yet, the problem is, 200 episodes in, everyone sounds GREAT except the friggin' host who sounds like he's doesn't have a mic, but he's talking into a tin can. Come on! Otherwise, check it out.

As someone who grew up playing NES games, my list of podcasts is very heavily titled towards old school gaming. After listening to hundreds of episodes of various podcasts over the years, I thought that it would be hard to find a new spin on that genre. But I never though I'd be entertained by a bunch of guys just sitting around and talking about videogames. It's often hilarious, and I like the premise of deciding which games are truly worth playing in the era of PS5 and Xbox Series X. I'm glad I discovered it, and I hope they do the same thing for the SNES one day. I really recommend this one!

What makes the show work so well is that the show hosts take the premise of the show (i.e. reviewing the merits of NES games) seriously, while clearly having a lot of absurd fun while doing so. Shows with similar structure usually devolve into halfhearted efforts or format breaking topics.

I love this series because it brings me back to the retro NES days. Best part is they play through every game and give a fresh, honest, and often funny take on the games I grew up on without their own “nestalgia” clouding their review.

This show is just fantastic. It scratches my itch for the retro NES, but the hosts do it in a thoughtful, though humorous, manner. I have passed many hours listening to their thoughts and discussions and was always entertained and I very often learned something I didn’t know before. I thank these guys for the work and energy they put into their show and very much look forward to them adding so many more episodes to the list. I wish it was biweekly!

These guys are taking the long way to form conventional opinions about the nes library. The show could benefit greatly from the hosts doing even the most basic research. Understanding the difference between, developer, publisher, and distributor would be a start. Understanding the very basics of the nes hardware would be a second. Many of the design choices they tend to criticize on the show seem to often be linked to limitations of the Nes or not understanding how cartridge technology and improved memory mappers influenced game design. I would hope the hosts would eventually read an overview of the Nes such as Nathan Altice book “I am error” in order to balance their wish lists of changes they’d make to games running on hardware they know nothing about. We can all wish games were this way or that, but without knowing why game design decisions were made based on real life memory constraints or limited hardware, it all just seems a little pointless. These guys are always on time though, they upload promptly every Friday which is appreciated. While I find much of the show to be frustrating, it is still a show about my favorite console and therefore keeps pulling me back in. But pleeeease, acknowledge that LJN didn’t actually develop any of the games they published. That’s just not how it worked.

If you love the NES you should be listening already, but what makes this podcast great is it's presentation. It's not over-produced, it's not "hosty" and it's a relaxed listen. Just a group of friends deep-diving into NES games from a casual player's perspective, which makes this all the more accessible. Keep up the great work, guys!

My dad has a nes and I love playing it I’m 12 and this podcast is amazing!

The premise is great and I look forward to making it all the way to Wario’s Woods.

This show is the highlight of Friday when I’m at work with a podcast on in the background.

I grew up playing all these games so I have a fondness for them, I think the hosts do a great job of breaking down the games. I love that they have fresh eyes to these retro titles and give them a fair shot. Keep up I can't wait to get to some of my favorites, start a patreon!

I look forward to this podcast more than any other. Mike and crew play (stumble at times) through the early NES library with a fresh perspective - while the podcast implies nostalgia, it is more nostalgia of the listener and not the podcasters, who didn’t grow up with these games and are playing the games for what they are - and sometimes that means exposing the warts and awful gameplay of games we may have fond memories of. I love the format, but there is always room for improvement, right? My humble suggestion is to, after having played the game as normal and reviewing, look up what tricks other players use to squeeze out more fun/playability out of these old gems. There are a lot of tips/tricks that are out there that make these games better and it would be nice to know if your opinion would change if you knew about xxx or yyy when playing the game originally. Great show guys and I hope you keep it up. I try to pull out the week’s game and and play to see what high score I get / how far I get before hearing the guys’ experiences. 5/5.

Love the idea for the show. The discussion is interesting, concise, and entertaining. Can’t wait for Duck Hunt 2!

Great and informative, but most importantly fun. Keep up the amazing work.

Well done