After making their mark on the world with the Earthworm Jim series, Shiny Entertainment set out to create bold, weird video games that weren't specifically engineered to sell action figures and Saturday morning cartoons. As the '90s rolled on, the developer released unique creations like MDK, Messiah, and Sacrifice, but the shift to the 21st century saw the studio transform into just another maker of movie tie-ins. And, as responsible, thoughtful podcasters, we can only ask "What the hell happened?" On this episode of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Stuart Gipp, and Digital Foundry's John Linneman as the crew digs into Shiny's eclectic catalog to discover the joys of playing as chubby angels and snipers with incredibly odd heads.

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Nadia Oxford and David Oxford talk about how early '90s online game fandom brought them together 25 years ago.

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Is the castle Dark, or Spooky? In this episode—featuring Dark Castle creator Mark Pierce and Hamumu Games owner and operator Mike Hommel—it is both!

Retronauts is made possible by listener support through Patreon! Support the show to enjoy ad-free early access, better audio quality, and great exclusive content. Learn more at http://www.patreon.com/retronauts