As the dust on Episode 11 begins to fade amongst the winners circle, we are already preparing the way for Episode 12 to start drifiting along ready to dump its goods upon us. Just like a stormy day that looms unseen it is always best to be prepared, so here you can play the games before the podcast.

The games we will be travelling through next month are:

Coma and Cloud!

Let us know your comments and thoughts either here on the website or at @inretweetspect. Maybe you’ll get a mention!

InRetroSpect is not responsible for the content on external sites.

“SNAP”. Take a break you! Put your feet up and relax, you have earnt it. Whether you have been the bastion of the shop shelves or organising the ledger for the past few hours,  it is now time to explore the world of games you can play for absolutely free. All we ask in return is for your well earned Free time!

For Type Racer click here.

Track Mania..Lights out!

And for the all important heads up on what we are playing next month: Clicky Click!

“Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye” Sometimes music is just weird and other times it is pretty bloomin’ good. Sometimes it attracts our attention and others it is just playful in the back ground. Sometimes it is probably best to  ignore music and other times we should be pulling it all apart and interviewing all the members of the InRetroSpect team in a special extended video game music special. Those other times be right now!

After crash landing back on earth Strider gets into a tight space with psycho-historian Henri Ebel, examining Medal of Honor in a bid to see if the claustrophobic ‘wall of criticism’ surrounding Germany at the end of WWI has found its way into gaming.

Straight from the arcades of old comes Virtua Cop, an early light gun shooter. But is it worth a shot, or is it a misfire all over? Xero gives the definitive verdict on this SEGA classic.

What did you do when you reached double figures for the first time? Have a party? Realised the sanctity of the mortal coil? Or get togther and have a look at all the wonderful gaming you can do for free? We all did the latter and loved it! This month we even have a special guest along for the ride. So settle back, get on the download and plug us in your lug ‘oles and let the belly wobble!

Here is where you can find Record Tripping.

And Home is available for free on every PS3.

And for all of the games we will be playing next month just click me!

Computer Games have an image problem. What you and me try to take seriously others may liken it to wandering around naked, crawling along the floor dribbling. To some it is childish, to others it is adult and to a small minority they are proud to be childishly adult. So is it about time we all just grew up?

After fleeing the law in Liberty City, Strider escapes to a galaxy far far away. With his resilient Ratchet (Clinical Psychologist Avner Faulk) and his trusty Clank (Marconi) Digital Wanderlust boldly goes where no one has gone before in a bid to see whether it is possible to truly escape mother earth.

It’s time for Sonic The Hedgehog to take a back seat for a moment as the chief mascot of SEGA, as the InRetroSpect Review Show dusts off Ristar from the collection to see whether you should be adding it to your games collection. Is this relatively forgotten SEGA platformer a shining star when reviewed 15 years later, or does it burn up on re-entry? Xero investigates.

With all this sporting action going on I bet you haven’t left the house in a while. Or you’ve been naughty and spent a lot of your beans on drinking noxious substances and maybe fattening up the waistline as you watch the people run around hitting stuff. So here comes the ultimate sollution, it’s Free, Fun and Enjoyable. It’s July’s Free Play!

Here is where you can play Auditorium.

And here is where you can play N.

And to get ahead of the game, the games for Episode 10 are here.

Before you know it another month of Freeplay gaming will be up upon your doorstep! So here is a handy little nudge to finding out where you can get a little tickle in discovering the games we’ll be playing for episode 10!

You can play Record Flipping here!

And you can find Playstation Home on your XMB. If not you’ll have to go here I’m afraid.

Let us know your comments and thoughts either here on the website or at @inretweetspect. Maybe you’ll get mentioned on next month’s show.

InRetroSpect is not responsible for the content on external sites.

It’s not nice being lost. It wastes your time, my time, and the time of many others as you flap around in a panic. However, there is no reason to worry cause in the world of Video Games getting lost is never an option. Look in the right places you’ll always have a walkthrough to rely on and a friendly hand to guide you. But if you use them are you cheating? Should you be straddled in dishonour for just getting a little help? Marconi finds out.

With our feet back on terra firma, Strider and French Marxist theorist Guy Debord take us on a drift through Liberty City “The Worst Place in America”, to find its places of interest. Is it possible to play Grand Theft Auto 3 without breaking the law? Find out in the latest episode of Digital Wanderlust.

Xero takes a look at this Super Nintendo Japanese Role Playing Game ‘classic’, trying incredibly hard to not make any bad time related puns. Is it just the same as any other JRPG? Does its focus on choice offer anything new? Tune in to find out!

Put your wallets away! Put down the cheque book and pen! Stop begging your dad for money! You’re dining with the InRetroSpect crew from now on and we don’t like charging you a bean. Even more so we want you to be enjoying things for free even when you’re not fortunate enough to be around us.  So here we go with another Freeplay, where Xero (Pete), Dan (FrostieDee), Kris (Strider), and Sam (Marconi), tell you how to enjoy your time for free!

This month we look at the fun that comes from not shooting stuff, shooting stuff, and why we should be shooting stuff at all.

Test your ability not to shoot here!

Test your trigger finger here!

And to get ahead of the game, the games for Episode 9 are here!

Knowledge is power and a power many of us don’t have the time to access and wield. We could read books, speak to people and download the entirety of Wikipedia, but maybe the solution to the power already lies in our hands. Could the Video Games we play give us the knowledge and intelligence we need to get on in this world? Marconi pulls himself away from the works of Tolstoy to look at the world of knowledge and whether computer games are the next encyclopedias to train up our minds.

Follow Marconi on Twitter! Click!

I can see the pub from ‘ere! From walking along the mosquito biting plains of Bolivia, Strider now teams up with French sociologist Michel de Certeau in the second of a series of podcasts, this time examining the digital city from the omnipresent views of the sky above our heads, as he takes Sim City into his care. What could psycho-geography say about this one? Avoid listening if scared of heights…

Featured music by A Fine Day For Sailing

and more by Strider just a click or a tweet (@DigitalStrider) away!

InRetroSpect is not responsible for content on external sites.

Flying reptiles, lazer weapons, tribal warfare, it’s a weird world that Panzer Dragoon paints, but is it one you should spend any time in? Xero investigates this Sega Saturn classic.

Dry your eyes, pack up for the weekend, celebrate or commiserate, cause the election is over and the bindweed of politics is grasping for your attention no more. However the InRetroSpect crew are still after your ears, so join us for the month of May!

We take pleasure in looking at the games that only cost you your precious time on earth, and also this month we’ll be casting our mouths off at how you behave online! Naughty, Naughty!

The mind bending Continuity be here!

Play along to Quake Live here!

and for more clicking action get a heads up for the edition next month HERE!

It is almost considered cool these days to assume that violence in video games is influencing our youth. Though how come many of us have never been affected by what we have played? Marconi delves into his past to see why many of us sympathise with the industry rather than joining in with the attack!

Join Marconi on Twitter! Clickedy Click!

Why do we explore? Strider puts Tomb Raider on the psychoanalyst’s couch in the first of a series of walks that attempts to answer this question. Featuring music from ‘A Fine Day For Sailing’.

The return to the world stage of the most beloved 2D fighter series of all time, but is this a superb addition to the Street Fighter stable or one one-on-one brawler to avoid? Xero investigates…

Another new month can only mean a few things!  More pinching and punching of your close friends and family. A new chance to start that diet and once again the InRetroSpect guys have mashed their heads together and taken a critical eye over the games you can play for free! Separating the wheat from the chaff once again is; Xero (Pete); Marconi (Sam); FrostieD (Dan); Strider (Kris); and Loz (err…Loz)!

This month we’ve been toiling in the fields of;

• Just Cause 2 [PS3/360]
• Miami Shark

And also recount our adventures on the Freeplay game of the month: Free Realms

Play the Flash game of the month: Miami Shark

Play the Freeplay game of the month here.

Get a head start on next month’s podcast here!

It is nice to be rewarded and recognised! Nice to be spotted on the street and hailed as the champion of your field. That same feeling is now in our home, now available with every game we buy! However, are the trophies and awards we get whilst playing games just a case of “all that glitters is not gold”?!

Follow Marconi on Twitter!

In this month’s episode of the InRetroSpect Review Show, Xero takes Air Combat for a spin. Is Namco’s port of the arcade title still a dream to play after 15 years? Listen now to find out!

Habits can become the root of all genius! The guys getting together to record another Freeplay within a month, is certainly a good habit indeed. Once again Xero (Pete), FrostieD (Dan), Marconi (Sam) and new inductee Stryder (Kris) straddle the burning fence of critical games debate. As usual they will be examining exactly what you can do with all the fluff hanging around in your pocket. It could only be Freeplay!

This week we take a look at the demos for:

• Aliens Vs. Predator [PS3/360]
• Battlefield Bad Company 2 [PS3/360]
• Sonic and Sega All-Star Racing [360]
• Heavy Rain [PS3]

And discuss the Freeplay game of the month: Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

To play the game of the month for Free just go here!

And to play next month’s Freeplay game of the month just go here!

The future of the gaming landscape is nearly upon us. It’s time to take the controller out of your hands and put those inactive limbs into action. Will it be all that though? The peripheral is in Marconi’s sights.

Oh, what’s this? Another episode of InRetroSpect? Fantastic. This month, Xero looks at the unique little 3D platformer that is Jumping Flash, but the big question is, is it any good?

Everything seems to be being rebooted at the moment, Batman, James Bond, Battlestar Gallactica, now prepare yourself for the reboot of Freeplay. It’s still all about the gaming you can do for free but we got Pete (Xero), Dan, (FrostieD), Sam (Marconi) and myself (Balaenidae) all together to talk about it.

This week we take a look at the demos for:

• Modnation Racers (beta) [PS3]
• Soul [360]

And discuss the Freeplay game of the month: Grand Theft Auto

If you wish to download Grand Theft Auto for free just go to this page and sign up.

Why do we do it? Why do we make love to the console? Spend hours and hours on the same game, playing it over and over!? Self gratification or self mutilation?

This month Xero dusts off Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island to see if it holds up some 15 years later. Is the sequel to one of Miyamoto’s finest works any good? Download and find out!

Where have all the bosses gone? Fancy Mochicans., exposed limbs, and fancy smamshy graphics don’t cut any more. I want the old fights back! Who fancies some Rock, Scissor, Paper!?

This month Xero reviews Wing Commander III.

Not just one of the first games to use FMV, but one of the first mediums to use full CGI backgrounds. It cast  a full cast of professional characters (although it was not the first game to do so) including Mark Hamill, Malcom Mcdowell, John-Rys-Davies, and Tom Wilson [Who played Biff from Back to the Future fact fans]. Wing Commander III didn’t just pionner with it’s use of CGI, it also had the highest budget of any game made to that date ($4m).

The movies may have been groundbreaking, but were they any better than other failed attempts at intergrating live-action FMV? More importantly although billed as an interactive movie, was the interactive part any good? Xero Investigates.

THIS PODCAST CONTAINS SPOILERS. For the final narrative focused Through The Reticle, Marconi examines what might make the perfect narrative driven video game. Looking at Metal Gear Solid, Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time and Batman: Arkham Asylum for inspiration, can the ultimate story be created, or will he create a monster?

A true 3D racer on the Super Nintendo? It can’t be done surely? It certainly can, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good… Xero investigates this classic, but largely forgotten racer from 1994.

Through The Reticle is the monthly opinion show from Marconi examining various aspects of video games and video games culture. This month, the exploration of narrative continues with cult comic classic: Comix Zone. Pirandello? Pffft. what did he know?

Final Fantasy 6 is one of those rare games that we hold up as a paragon of design, a title that we reminisce about fondly with friends. A perfect game then to take apart piece by piece to analyse whether it is still a classic RPG tale, or if its quality is now just a legend.

“Through The Reticule” is a new podcast that aims to cross hairs with the usual perceptions of gaming life and brings you regular features looking at different and sometimes untouched areas of gaming development and gaming life. Examining exact areas of how games have changed themselves and the world around them, and how we have, in turn, changed them!

Streets Of Rage 3 was a side-scrolling brawler for the Mega Drive, how well has it held up after 15 years? Xero investigates…

Micro Machines was developed by Codemasters. Codemasters were most famous at the time for the Dizzy games, now they are more likely to be associated with racing games such as the Colin McRae franchise.

Micro Machines 2 Turbo Tournament was released 3 years after the original. It added hover boats and helicopters to franchise as well as a head to head mode. Codemasters developed the ‘J-Cart’ for the game which placed two controller ports on the cartridge allowing 4 people to play the game without the use of a 4 player adapter. The game would eventually be remade in the form of Micro Machines Turbo Tournament ‘96 exclusively for the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis).

Join us as Xero find out whether the game was a revolution in racing games leading to Codemasters future success in the genre, a fun distraction or a waste of time?

Sorry about the delay in service but here it is!

King of Fighters, an SNK classic that was originally released on the Neo Geo arcade and home console, bringing together charactors from Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting, as well as revised versions of characters from Ikari Warriors and Psycho Soldier, and original characters created specifically for the game.

Is the nostagia factor all that should bring you back to this game or is there more substance to it? Xero finds out.

As usual you can contact us via e-mail, Facebook or Twitter, dont forget to leave us comments or questions and even reviews.

In this month’s show, Xero reviews the last game to be released on the NES, Wario’s Woods. Was it a classic game for the system to go out on, or let down by the hardware limitations? Does it compare to other puzzle games like Dr. Mario or Dr Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine? Xero finds out.

Comments? Questions? Send them to xero@inretrospectpodcast.com, join in on the InRetroSpect Facebook group or follow us on twitter.

For links to any of our other content or just to have a look check out our website http://inretrospectpodcast.com and let us know what you think of it!

It’s time for FreePlay, the (mostly, sorta, kinda) monthly show about  all the gaming you can do for free.

This episode Xero and Loz take a look at  the difference in demos that appear on both consoles, some demos which are exclusive to each console, and of course some free independent games you can find on the Internet. Plus they find out what UFC stands for and  discuss why Vin Diesel is so awesome.

This months demos are:

• Red Faction
• UFC
• Guitar Hero Metalica
• Zen Pinball
• Vin Diesel’s The Wheelman

And the Games of the Month are:

• Mirrors Edge 2D
• Windowsill
• Feed the Head
• Dad and me

As usual any comments or questions are welcome, just e-mail them to xero@inretrospectpodcast.com or loz@inretrospectpodcast.com, alternatively send a reply to our twitter @inretweetspect.

**UPDATE**
The PlayStation Blog has just answered why there is a difference between the 360 and PS3 demos

So the multi-player version will hopefully be up at some point for PS3 peeps to enjoy.

In this month’s show, Xero take a look at Virtua Racing. One of the best games ever? Certainly with some of the best named characters ever. Is the game easy to play, a hardcore gamers dream or neither? Xero finds out.

Comments? Questions? Send them to xero@inretrospectpodcast.com, join in on the InRetroSpect Facebook group or follow us on twitter.

For links to any of our other content or just to have a look check out our new website http://inretrospectpodcast.com and let us know what you think of it!

This month Xero reviews Street Fighter 2 Turbo, the things that made the series so popular and what’s changed for the better.

Comments? Questions? Send them to xero@inretrospectpodcast.com, join in on the InRetroSpect Facebook group or follow us on twitter.

With some much improved recording equipment Xero and Loz Talk about the latest demos including Resident Evil, Halo Wars and Watchmen.

To check out the titles from this month’s show simply go to http://fretsonfire.sourceforge.net/ for Frets on fire, and http://www.factor5.com/downloads.shtml for R-Type.

Comments? Questions? Send them to xero@inretrospectpodcast.com, join in on the InRetroSpect Facebook group or follow us on twitter.

In this months show, Xero looks at The Lion King A high budget movie tie-in, is it better than the movie tie-ins of today or even worse? Xero finds out. Comments? Questions? Send them to xero@inretrospectpodcast.com, join in on the InRetroSpect Facebook group or follow us on twitter.

In this months show, Xero looks at Ridge Racer a classic arcade racer. Comments? Questions? Send them to xero@inretrospectpodcast.com or join in on the new InRetroSpect Facebook group.

Loz and Xero kick off this background noise filled new show documenting all the free gaming you can do.

To check out the titles from this month’s show simply go to http://www.interactivestory.net/ for Facade, and http://www.virtualnes.com/ for Virtual NES. Make sure to check out http://inretrospectpodcast.com/ for other epidodes. To mail the show send your questions, suggestions etc to xeroxeroxero@hotmail.com and we’ll answer them on the next show!

A new year, a new review, this time with an old friend Sonic. But does Sonic 3 belong in your collection? Xero finds out.

This week Xeroxeroxero takes a look back at Fifa International Soccer and computer game AI

Xero takes a look at Mortal Kombat examining the story, the gameplay and the controversy.