{ "title": "Episode 754: The Greatest* 8-Bit Licensed Games", "link": "https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-754-8-152307462", "pubDate": "Fri, 06 Mar 2026 12:00:15 GMT", "enclosure": { "url": "https://www.patreon.com/api/rss/u/qT6yj_KvyTyRfhY844EYuLQC6g56zang/e/152307462.mp3?sig=p1K9gQ-YFbpp1xtmReoeELUU2WXJTB9FktKauFuGBEY%3D", "length": "79451701", "type": "audio/mpeg" }, "content": "

Jeremy: I've had old licensed games on my mind a lot lately. I've just completed a run of NES Works episodes about the many, many licensed games that hit the console in time for the 1989 holiday shopping season; I've edited and published the massive book that guest Kurt Kalata and his crew put together (Now Playing); and I reworked the NES version of Jaws into a lengthier and more concrete shooter-RPG for the Limited Run release of Jaws Retro Edition. For a few months there, licensed 8-bit games were consuming my every waking moment.

So, for this episode, I decided to exorcise those demons and move on to a new chapter of life once and for all by putting these thoughts behind me. I've summon Kurt and Stuart to help me celebrate the best licensed games of the 8-bit era, since so many were wretched. Naturally, this went in weird directions I never expected\u2014we somehow focused almost entirely on Master System releases. And of course Stuart's idea of \"greatest\" games somehow leads to a list in which he prefaces every entry by saying, \"This game is terrible.\"

In other words, it's exactly what you've come to expect from a journey into the goofier corners of video game history. Enjoy the ride.

Edits by Greg Leahy, art by Greg Melo.

", "contentSnippet": "Jeremy: I've had old licensed games on my mind a lot lately. I've just completed a run of NES Works episodes about the many, many licensed games that hit the console in time for the 1989 holiday shopping season; I've edited and published the massive book that guest Kurt Kalata and his crew put together (Now Playing); and I reworked the NES version of Jaws into a lengthier and more concrete shooter-RPG for the Limited Run release of Jaws Retro Edition. For a few months there, licensed 8-bit games were consuming my every waking moment.\nSo, for this episode, I decided to exorcise those demons and move on to a new chapter of life once and for all by putting these thoughts behind me. I've summon Kurt and Stuart to help me celebrate the best licensed games of the 8-bit era, since so many were wretched. Naturally, this went in weird directions I never expected\u2014we somehow focused almost entirely on Master System releases. And of course Stuart's idea of \"greatest\" games somehow leads to a list in which he prefaces every entry by saying, \"This game is terrible.\" \nIn other words, it's exactly what you've come to expect from a journey into the goofier corners of video game history. Enjoy the ride.\nEdits by Greg Leahy, art by Greg Melo.\n\n07:54 -\u00a0Jaws\u00a0(NES): Enemy Wave Battle\n\n16:29 -\u00a0Rambo: First Blood Part II\u00a0(SMS): Stage BGM |\u00a0Tom and Jerry: The Movie\u00a0(SMS): Title\n\n23:44 -\u00a0Zillion: Inside Planet\n\n34:24 -\u00a0Zillion: Let it Rock!: Inside Planet\n\n40:15 -\u00a0Batman\u00a0(NES): Stage 1/5 |\u00a0Bill & Ted's Excellent Game Boy Adventure: Title\n\n49:01 -\u00a0Bucky O'Hare\u00a0(NES): Green Planet\n\n59:48 -\u00a0G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero\u00a0(NES): Cobra Base\n\n1:10:17 -\u00a0The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants\u00a0(SMS): Stage 1 |\u00a0Ghostbusters\u00a0(SMS): Theme\n\n1:20:17 -\u00a0The Smurfs\u00a0(GG): Stage 4\n\n1:32:05 -\u00a0Bram Stoker's Dracula\u00a0(SMS): Stage 2\n\nClosing -\u00a0Zillion: Let it Rock!: Pure Stone", "guid": "152307462", "isoDate": "2026-03-06T12:00:15.000Z", "itunes": { "duration": "6372", "image": "https://c10.patreonusercontent.com/4/patreon-media/p/post/152307462/be336103b1174e0daa0fb9cbdc87b1f2/eyJkIjo3MiwiaCI6MzAwMCwic3RyaXBfYWxwaGEiOjEsInciOjMwMDAsIndlYnAiOjB9/1.png?token-hash=a8PTuJQZc-dYBsic9Ya2nnFFOuA0qZEv3jEY_vZkB6g%3D", "episode": "754" }, "itunes_duration": "1:46:11" }