The History Of Shoot 'Em Ups - This Week In Retro 256

DJ Slope of  @slopesgameroom  is our guest for this week's dive into the history of shoot 'em up games of all shapes and sizes. In other departments we examine the claim that 1996 changed computing history forever and explore whether handheld retro tech can defeat the modern scourge of doomscrolling. Plus news in classic tech ranging from the Nabu to the CIDCO Mailstation, on Episode 256 of This Week in Retro. Visit https://www.addict.media/ for your copy of Pixel Addict magazine. 00:00 - Show Opening 02:23 - Shmups Away Story Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9GFX6lIbeE 20:59 - 1996 Really Was A Big Deal Story Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM1gXDZsMO0 Additional link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OHkrQYSmtE 38:01 - Housekeeping - News links found below 44:07 - Doomscrolling Defeated Story Link: https://www.theguardian.com/games/2026/feb/09/how-a-decades-old-video-game-has-helped-me-defeat-the-doomscroll 56:42 - Community Question of the Week 🏆Your monthly support helps us keep the retro news flowing! https://www.patreon.com/thisweekinretro 🕸 TWiR Sub Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/thisweekinretro/ Follow your hosts! Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/davevelociraptor.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/jasoncompton.bsky.social Youtube: Chris - https://www.youtube.com/@005AGIMA Jason - https://www.youtube.com/@jpcompton Audio Podcast: https://retroadventurers.podbean.com/ Subscribe to the audio version of the show! 📻 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-retro/id1526487568?uo=4 📻 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2OPQ3cADaB92E9SpRdTe5y 📻 Podbean: https://twir.podbean.com 📻 Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/en/show/5734337 📻 RSS: https://feed.podbean.com/TWIR/feed.xml 📻 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWeekinRetro This Week in Retro is a weekly roundup of the hottest stories from the world of retro gaming and computing, voted on by you, the listener! Hosted by Chris from 005 AGIMA, Jason from The Retro Adventurers and Dave. Edited by Duncan Styles. News In Brief Links Original GTA Working On PC: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/grand-theft-auto/a-gta-modder-has-got-the-1997-original-working-perfectly-on-modern-pcs-and-steam-deck-and-its-a-joy-to-behold-i-wanted-pick-up-and-play-gta-on-windows-with-the-best-possible-compatibility-without-classic-installation/ BBC WAP: https://youtu.be/CYW0LngZ7v8?si=YP7ne10BFTEEWMyJ Unreal Tournament: https://www.oldunreal.com/downloads/ut2004/full-game-installers/ Barn Find Nabu: https://glassalmanac.com/2200-vintage-computers-sat-in-a-barn-for-23-years-sold-on-ebay-for-under-e100-each/ Outrun On Apple Watch: https://youtu.be/fAXkovTMOvY?si=JAL8F0wD8y6wrseS The Last Z80 Mass Market Machine: https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/11/last_z80_machine/     Episode Credits "File:Amstrad CPC464.jpg" by Bill Bertram is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 Parts of "How the Shoot ’Em Up Genre Was Born" courtesy of Pixel Playback See the full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9GFX6lIbeE Parts of "This rare BeBox still works!" courtesy of PCWorld and The Retro Roadshow See the full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OHkrQYSmtE