On Second Thought with Mike & Matt

Monday started off like any other day, but then Chase reached out and said, "Me and Larry on an episode? The current state of gaming is making us go back to the golden age!" Los and I decided the only responsible thing to do was to make it happen. Welcome to Episode Four of Retro World Order. Mike is joined by Chase and Larry from Geeks Gone Raw. As for Los, well, yeah, sometimes the best-laid plans of mice and men go awry. Who said Mike wasn't well-read!
The crew talks about revisiting older games on everything from original Xbox 360 hardware to the Steam Deck, Android phones, and modern retro handhelds. Oh, you want more? How about Steam Input, emulation, game preservation, DroidDeck vs. GameNative, and the realization that Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 games are somehow becoming "retro."
There's also plenty of discussion about why older games continue to pull us back, whether nostalgia is really responsible, and why today's AAA gaming landscape sometimes makes looking backward even more appealing.
In This Episode
00:00 - Welcome to Episode Four
01:34 - F.E.A.R. 2, Steam Deck, and Steam Input
09:52 - Revisiting forgotten Xbox 360 games
15:06 - What counts as retro and why we're going back
24:25 - Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition
28:15 - Retro gaming and emulation on Android phones
35:58 - DroidDeck vs. GameNative
49:22 - Blur, Split/Second, licensing, and game preservation
55:15 - Xbox, PlayStation, and the state of modern AAA gaming
1:06:09 - GTA and the future of single-player games
1:06:42 - Single-player recommendations
1:11:51 - Agent 64: Spies Never Die
Single Player Recommendations
Larry: Heavenly Sword - Ninja Theory's PlayStation 3 action game starring Nariko. Larry thinks it's still worth going back and experiencing.
Chase: Fallout: New Vegas - Chase's pick for an older single-player game that remains easy to get your hands on and still delivers a great experience.
Mike: Singularity - Raven Software's 2010 shooter and a longtime favorite of Mike's. Now the question is whether it holds up as well as he remembers.
Larry's Bonus Pick: Dark Sector - Digital Extremes' Xbox 360-era action game, remembered for its distinctive glaive weapon and its connection to the studio that would later create Warframe.
Links & Resources
Geeks Gone Raw
Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition
DroidDeck
GameNative
DroidDeck on the Retroid Pocket Nova
XenDroid
Agent 64: Spies Never Die
Featuring
Mike - Retro World Order / Play It AgainChase - Geeks Gone RawLarry - Geeks Gone Raw
Los couldn't join us for Episode 4, despite being assigned show-note homework in his absence.

Welcome to Mattober! Our annual fall celebration is off to an exciting start.
Matt and his co-worker went to the 50th Annual Pumpkin Run Nationals Car Show to show off his buddy's truck, while Mike and his wife went out on the town to see Morrissey at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium.
For the month of September, Mike has been hard at work on his website, and he's now ready to have people stop by and take a look. If you're interested in handhelds, emulation, shmups, and other assorted oddities, go check it out at PlayItAgain.gg or, if you prefer, bookmark MyLilDumbSite.com.
As a gamer does in the fall (or autumn), we discuss the annual Steam Autumn Sale. Lots of good bargains to be had, for sure. Mike even prepared a Shmup Hunter post for those looking to add some overlooked shmups to their libraries.
And finally... did you watch Mike Tomlin's Minecraft reveal? Yes, that Mike Tomlin. The former NFL head coach apparently has a 12-year-old Minecraft city, and naturally, we need to talk about it.
Mike Tomlin's 12-Year Minecraft City — PC Gamer
Games we’ve been playing:Mike: Castlevania Belmont's Curse, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — RemasteredMatt: Big Walk, Crimson Desert, Valheim 1.0
Gaming News:
Xbox Disc to Digital is now out for everyonehttps://www.eurogamer.net/xbox-disc-to-digital-convert-ownership-release
Finally we hear something from Naughty Doghttps://www.gamespot.com/articles/naughty-dog-is-working-on-two-new-the-last-of-us-projects/
Gears of War E-Day Reviewshttps://www.metacritic.com/game/gears-of-war-e-day/
Star Wars Galactic Reviewshttps://www.metacritic.com/game/star-wars-galactic-racer/
Contact On Second Thought with Mike & Matt
If you'd like to contact the show, relevant links are below!
Twitter - OSTWMM
Email - OSTWMM@gmail.com
Discord - OnSecondThought
BlueSky - Mike
Twitter - @DeviousMrMatt
 

September is moving along at a precipitous clip. The weather is changing in the Northeast while Matt is still sweltering in the Midwest. Soon enough, it will be the cozy season, albeit maybe sooner than we like. 
Mike has been head down, working secretly on his website. Details are scarce, anticipation is tepid amongst the masses, but Mike is brimming with pride and excitement to get this thing off the ground. Details will be revealed soon enough, but the first handheld to be featured will be the Retroid Pocket Nova.There was a ton of gaming news with BlizzCon and various Nintendo Directs happening recently. We decided to focus on games releasing within the next few years rather than spend a ton of time on Diablo V or Starcraft.How much is Steam Frame? Did the price meet your expectations? We think it’s way too much money, but so is everything these days. We foresee the VR/Steam diehards buying this, but we’re unsure if it will do big numbers like the Steam Deck or the Steam Machine. Not that either of those is doing Switch 2-like numbers, but you get the point.Games for Matt to add to his Steam Wishlist:How to FishDumb Ways to BuildBeaterCoreHow to Grow Your SausageNormal Golf Game
Games we’ve been playing:Mike: Blood Dungeon, Pickle Pete, Funguys Swarm, MegabonkMatt: Solar Punk, Big Walk, Crimson Desert, Valheim 1.0
Gaming News:Zelda Ocarina of Timehttps://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/the-legend-of-zelda-40th-anniversary-celebration-revealed-in-new-nintendo-direct-presentation/
Nintendo Directhttps://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/nintendo-direct-reveals-metroid-ravenous-kirby-and-the-world-beyond-and-more-games-for-nintendo-switch-2-and-nintendo-switch/
PlayStation walks away from Kojima, Xbox steps inhttps://news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/09/09/xbox-and-kojima-productions-expand-partnership-to-publish-physint/
Rumor: Day 1 GamePass games going away next yearhttps://www.ign.com/articles/will-microsoft-kill-day-1-launches-via-game-pass-after-word-leaks-of-potential-changes-xbox-says-it-has-nothing-to-announce-today
Wolverine didn’t get great reviewshttps://www.polygon.com/marvels-wolverine-review-roundup/
Is Marathon on life support?https://www.bungie.net/7/en/News/Article/nightfallrefreshandsymbiosis
Contact On Second Thought with Mike & Matt
If you'd like to contact the show, relevant links are below!
Twitter - OSTWMM
Email - OSTWMM@gmail.com
Discord - OnSecondThought
BlueSky - @CapnMikeM
Twitter - @DeviousMrMatt
 

Welcome to September! Is there no better way to kick off the month than with another installment of On Second Thought! This is a special episode as our budget allowed us to have Matt out on assignment this week. While it might sound like he is tuning in from his usual confines, don’t be fooled, Matt is actually broadcasting from a kayak. The locals call him “Stride” because he is known for his fast, fluid paddling technique. Just don’t let the man around any anchors. And don’t worry, Matt is friendly to all wildlife, he feeds the fish and creates natural habitats on any body of water he traverses. He also has a penchant for watermelons. Come to find out, Matt is so hyped for GTA VI that he is going to pre-order his digital license any day now. But the man can’t be arsed (yes, that is British slang) to watch a Netflix trailer for his most anticipated game. Matt continues to be an enigma that transcends time and space.What caught our attention at Gamescom you ask? How about these gems: Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons, Lego Skylines, The Witcher 3 Remastered (yet again), Songs of the Past DLC, No Law, Exodus, Zoopunk, Crimson Desert Enhanced, Metro 2039, and Fable.
Games we’ve been playing:Mike: Blood Dungeon, Ravenswatch, Pickle Pete, more 360 Emulation Matt: Solar Punk, Big Walk, Crimson Desert
Gaming News:How Xbox disc-to-digital works in practicehttps://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/heres-how-xbox-disc-to-digital-works-in-practice-with-video
Sony and Microsoft request dismissal of consumer lawsuits over tariff refundshttps://www.gamesindustry.biz/sony-and-microsoft-request-dismissal-of-consumer-lawsuits-over-tariff-refunds
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe gets a surprise Switch 2 update, bringing eight-player split-screen to the evergreen racing gamehttps://www.eurogamer.net/mario-kart-8-switch-2-update-eight-player-split-screen-nintendo
Asus X20 can now be pre-ordered without the bundlehttps://www.asus.com/us/news/rog-xbox-ally-x20-is-now-available-for-pre-order/
Xbox to implement time limits on cloud gaminghttps://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/03/microsoft-xbox-game-pass-cloud-limits.html
Contact On Second Thought with Mike & Matt
If you'd like to contact the show, relevant links are below!
Twitter - OSTWMM
Email - OSTWMM@gmail.com
Discord - OnSecondThought
BlueSky - @CapnMikeM
Twitter - @DeviousMrMatt
 

Episode three of Retro World Order is here for your listening pleasure! Not disclosed in this installment is how many new handheld systems Mike now owns. Be a good, faithful listener and heed the warning of red flags when you see them. Send him help as he may be held captive in his basement by sentient game consoles. 
Onto the show! This week, Mike and Los discuss what they’ve been up to in the world of retro gaming and high tech handhelds. The conversations range fairly widely! As you can probably tell…
Links and Info Discussed
Games they’ve been playing
Los’ continued honeymoon phase with the AYN Thor and Cocoon 3.0
How AI is muddying the waters of new emulators
Marvel Tokon and how it’s too pretty to play
Other games purchased exclusively for their unique art styles (see games below)
Move over, Brotato! Pickle Pete is the new vegetable in bullet town!
Sony and their BS they decided to pull this week
XBOX and their amazing timing with ‘Disc to Digital,’ kicking Sony in the crotch while they’re down
Mike’s choice for Handheld of the Week - Retroid Pocket Nova
AND our very first RETRO COMMUNITY CLUB GAME! More info below.
Games discussed in this episode, give or take a few: Various XBOX OG and 360 games, Blur, Marvel Tokon, Octopath Traveler I & II, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator, PICKLE PETE, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and more!
SO what are you waiting for?! Stop reading this and go listen to the show!
 
RETRO COMMUNITY CLUB GAME:
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - 1997 -  PlayStation
This is the first installment of the Retro Community Club! This is a game that either Mike or Los recommends and we make it a point to check it out and play it. Love it, hate it, finish it, play for 15 minutes and delete it, whatever! Next episode, we’ll discuss what we thought and then choose another game for the next time. 
This is a great opportunity to call upon the glorious community here! I know, I know, there are thousands of you and it would be impossible to hear from you all. But don’t let that stop you! So if you want to partake and play along with us, then go find your dark and brooding trench coat, grab your favorite weapon, and let’s go hunt some vampires! 
This is a game that neither Mike nor Los have ever played! So it should be fun. If you played it along with us, or if you have any thoughts about it, be sure to get in contact and we’ll share your thoughts on the show with ours! 
How to contact, you ask? Well there are a few ways!
Right here! Commenting on this post would be the easiest way to do it. 
If you feel like too many eyes are watching, you can also email! - retroworldorder.pod@gmail.com

Topics:
The farm got hit hard with Storm damage, cleaned up with the right tools
Bad travel luck lately
Seen any good leaks lately?
How many more years are you willing to work to get extra days off to play GTAVI?https://apnews.com/article/army-reenlistment-bonus-grand-theft-auto-gta-c24b25e09ca401773d081cc1bb21202b
Any hype for Gamescom?
Gaming News:
Price and release date for 25th Anniversary Xbox releasedhttps://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/the-price-and-release-date-for-the-green-x25-limited-edition-xbox-series-x-and-controller-have-been-leaked/
Mayhem Collection DLC for Lego Batman out on September 18https://www.ign.com/articles/lego-batman-mayhem-dlc-trailer-gamescom
Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition Comes to PS5 October 1https://blog.playstation.com/2026/08/12/ghost-of-yotei-complete-edition-comes-to-ps5-october-1/
You can now stream PS Plus games to Steam Deck without owning a PS5 - and without buying a PS Portalhttps://www.eurogamer.net/steam-deck-ps5-streaming-app-asobiRetro Handheld News:Kickstarter for Beyond the NEShttps://www.kickstarter.com/projects/syncoplay/beyond-the-nes
 
Contact On Second Thought with Mike & Matt
If you'd like to contact the show, relevant links are below!
Twitter - OSTWMM
Email - OSTWMM@gmail.com
Discord - OnSecondThought
BlueSky - @CapnMikeM
Twitter - @DeviousMrMatt

Topics:
Nothing but positivity
Gears of War E-Day
Beast of Reincarnation
Ayn Thor bliss
Gaming News:
Grand Theft Auto VI Is Getting An 'Extended Look' On Netflix August 27https://gameinformer.com/2026/08/06/grand-theft-auto-vi-is-getting-an-extended-look-on-netflix-august-27Xbox’s ‘disc to digital’ feature could be coming as soon as this month, according to leaked documenthttps://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/xboxs-disc-to-digital-feature-could-be-coming-as-soon-as-this-month-according-to-leaked-document/Microsoft Reportedly Working to Bring Xbox 360 Games to PC and Project Helixhttps://www.ign.com/articles/microsoft-reportedly-working-to-bring-xbox-360-games-to-pc-and-project-helixBeamNG.drive gets its biggest update yethttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/beamngdrive-steams-finest-car-pancake-maker-gets-its-biggest-update-yet-with-overhauled-graphics-fresh-rally-stages-and-a-sporty-new-coupeRetro Handheld News:
GamerCard® - Grab & Go Raspberry Pi® Gaminghttps://www.grantsinclair.com/gamercardThe Namco Museum Museum | Every Game, Every Collection, Every Port! [REVISED & EXPANDED!]https://youtu.be/8n1Ecf6cXjE?si=iVmu1YMqtULrPrXKInvestigating Pinball's Surprising American Comebackhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjCchQAo_mk
 
Contact On Second Thought with Mike & Matt
If you'd like to contact the show, relevant links are below!
Twitter - OSTWMM
Email - OSTWMM@gmail.com
Discord - OnSecondThought
BlueSky - @CapnMikeM
Twitter - @DeviousMrMatt

Topics:
Heard the most vile video game question, thus have to share with everyone else
Numbers
Gaming News:
An update from Bethesdahttps://bethesda.net/en/article/7wrffyXajE4BmCLJVpOkcN/a-note-from-bethesda-game-studios
Steamdeck sales drop after price hikeshttps://www.thegamer.com/steam-deck-sales-drop-80-percent/
Asus confirms X20 OLED will be sold without AR glasses bundlehttps://videocardz.com/newz/asus-confirms-standalone-oled-xbox-ally-x20-is-coming
Xbox Backwards Compatibility on PChttps://www.ign.com/articles/microsoft-announces-xbox-backward-compatibility-on-pc-with-new-features-and-achievementsRetro Handheld News:Anbernic announces RG SPhttps://anbernic.com/blogs/news/anbernic-rg-sp-first-look
Contact On Second Thought with Mike & Matt
If you'd like to contact the show, relevant links are below!
Twitter - OSTWMM
Email - OSTWMM@gmail.com
Discord - OnSecondThought
BlueSky - @CapnMikeM
Twitter - @DeviousMrMatt

Topics:
Funny story with my sister and doctor and me
Fishing shenanigans 
Steam sale
Gaming News:
 
Sony has their Xbox 2013 moment and announces the phasing out of discs as of 2028https://blog.playstation.com/2026/07/01/physical-disc-production-ending-in-january-2028-for-new-games-releasing-on-playstation-consoles/
Closing of Vita and PS3 storeshttps://blog.playstation.com/2026/07/01/an-update-on-playstation-store-for-ps3-and-ps-vita/
Xbox layoffs and spinning off studioshttps://news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/07/06/resetting-xbox/
Obsidian to work on a new Fallout gamehttps://www.gamesindustry.biz/report-obsidian-to-work-on-fallout-title-as-unannounced-projects-cancelled
Contact On Second Thought with Mike & Matt
If you'd like to contact the show, relevant links are below!
Twitter - OSTWMM
Email - OSTWMM@gmail.com
Discord - OnSecondThought
BlueSky - @CapnMikeM
Twitter - @DeviousMrMatt

Episode two of Retro World Order is here! It’s been a while, so place your bets on how many new handhelds Mike is now holding captive in his basement!
They’re catching up with a bunch of stuff that’s been going on over the summer. Los has been hard at work trying to maintain his sanity, while Mike keeps tabs on the developing hellscape that is the gaming industry. SO once they gain our bearings, they acknowledge the elephant in the room that is Sony and all their ruinous ways as of late. Yes, this is a retro show - and Mike will be going more in depth with it on On Second Thought with Mike & Matt - but it all ties up at the end, so stick through it!
Once all the negativity is off our chests, they get into the good stuff. Los brags about living in his Steam Deck era, all thanks to the Steam Deck Mini, a.k.a. The AYN Thor. He’s been picking up a few retro games here and there but it’s mostly been playing Steam games on the Thor thanks to GameNative. He’s been digging into Mina the Hollower and Game Boy Color inspired visuals make it the absolute perfect device to play it on! 
Mike holds back and only talks about two devices this week! The ANBERNIC RG Rotate, and the AYANEO Pocket AIR Mini x Arcade Home Limited Edition. You can listen to Mike go into details on both devices, and of course, per usual, Los is now interested in buying both. The RG Rotate has such a small for factor, it is perfect for taking on the go, and the Pocket AIR MINI feels premium at a more affordable price. 
They continue to gush over Pico-8 gaming in hopes someone would listen, and tease upcoming devices in the Anbernic RG 55G1 and the Retroid Pocket Nova. 
And the first community challenge has been cast! If you’re listening to us, find a way to communicate back - whether it be Discords, show notes comments, carrier pigeons, whatever - and let us know what old school game should we play as our first community game? 
Links and Info Discussed
IGN - Cancelling PlayStation Plus Won’t Make a Difference
Forbes - Sony Crawls Back to Social Media
The Verge - Sony is Killing Discs and is Showing Us Why It’s a Bad Idea
AYN Thor - Product Link
PicPic - The first Pico-8 Emulator for iOS (and Android)
WTF is Pico-8?!
ANBERNIC RG Rotate - Product Link
Retro Game Corps - RG Rotate Review
AYANEO Pocket AIR Mini x Arcade Home Limited Edition - Product Link
Retro Game Corps - Pocket AIR Mini Review
TechEBlog - Anbernic’s RG 55G1 Brings Switch Lite Charm and Fresh Power to Retro Handhelds
The Gadgeteer - Why the Retroid Pocket Nova Might Be the Best Retro Handheld of 2026