Noobscast

After a slightly time-bending return (it’s been a year… sort of), Chris and Peter are back in the system and catching up on what they’ve been playing. Chris dives into the cartoon-styled shooter Mouse: P.I. For Hire, a rubber-hose animated throwback in the spirit of classic 30s cartoons, while reflecting on difficulty, storytelling, and the strange modern obsession with bolting extra systems like card games onto everything.From there, things spiral (as they tend to) into a deep and entirely necessary discussion about lockpicking mini-games, wrestling briefcases, and why some mechanics stick in your brain long after the rest of the game has faded.They then jack back into ReBoot to tackle Season 1, Episode 6: “The Belly of the Beast.” It’s another surprising departure from the expected “game of the week” format, instead focusing on Enzo and Frisket in what feels like an early sidekick episode. The brothers question why the series pivots away from its core concept so quickly, explore the odd low-stakes nature of kidnapping in Mainframe, and inevitably Chris brings up the topic of bowel movements inside a computer system.Along the way, there’s talk of the origins of CGI animation (including connections to the iconic Money for Nothing music video), the quirks of 80s and 90s kids’ TV structure, and the enduring mystery of why sidekick characters are almost always the worst.Noobs by C.G. ReganCover Art by Charlotte ReganMusic by Peter Regan

We kick things off by talking about what Pete’s been playing lately, including co-op favourite It Takes Two, the PlayStation classic Tomb Raider II, and retro compilation Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection. That leads into a wider chat about the many video game adaptations of Indiana Jones and, from there, a discussion on the evolution of point-and-click adventures.We do eventually move onto ReBoot season 1, episode 5 where we ponder how the writers came up with game ideas in the early days, touch on “space prison” scenarios, and explore connections between ReBoot and Secret Level. Chris is also blindsided by the existence of the live-action continuation ReBoot: The Guardian Code, prompting plenty of questions—some more pressing than others, including why Bob occasionally needs to find a bathroom inside the system.Finally, they round things off with a look at the career of the unmistakable voice actor Tony Jay, whose presence looms large over many childhood memories.From co-op platforming to text adventures, and from retro design philosophy to unexpected reboots, it’s another eclectic wander through gaming past and present.Noobs by C.G. ReganCover Art by Charlotte ReganMusic by Peter Regan

Chris and Pete dive back into ReBoot with Season 1, Episode 4, “The Medusa Bug”—an unusual entry that notably doesn’t feature a game at all. Before getting there, though, the conversation takes plenty of detours.Chris has been playing Scorn, set in an unsettling world inspired by the biomechanical style of H. R. Giger, which reminds him of the 1992 point-and-click classic, Dark Seed. That memory leads to a childhood story involving a bee that proves not all horror is virtual.Chris also talks about playing Indika, reflecting on its Russian-cinema influences and how he’s increasingly drawn to games that are conceptually challenging rather than mechanically difficult. That opens the door to a broader discussion about the state of the industry, the console wars, and the perception that Xbox has effectively conceded ground. The brothers also reminisce about the communal excitement of playing a new release everyone’s talking about, recalling their experiences with Cyberpunk 2077.Finally, they return to Mainframe to unpack “The Medusa Bug”—how the absence of a game changes the pacing, what it does for character development, and how it compares to the storytelling structures common in kids’ TV of the 80s and 90sNoobs by C.G. ReganCover Art by Charlotte ReganMusic by Peter Regan

Chris and Peter return to ReBoot with Season 1, Episode 3, “The Quick and the Fed”—an episode that, at first glance, feels like a bit of a filler, making them briefly question the entire podcast project. That is, until the game drops. From there, the conversation shifts into the world of competitive medieval games, with a deep dive into the wonderfully obscure ZX Spectrum game Throne of Fire, designed by legendary UK programmer Mike Singleton. Chris shares his memories of playing it, and the brothers reflect on how games like this captured the imagination in the early days of home computing.Back in Mainframe, they also explore how the episode plays with expectations—most notably by letting Dot save herself rather than falling into the usual damsel-in-distress trope, a surprisingly progressive twist for a 90s kids’ show.Elsewhere, Pete brings along the animated film Vivo for discussion, while the conversation drifts into murkier waters with the Lovecraft-inspired fishing game Dredge.Noobs by C.G. ReganCover Art by Charlotte ReganMusic by Peter Regan

Chris and Peter continue their journey through ReBoot with a look at Season 1, Episode 2, where the residents of Mainframe are thrown into a high-speed racing game. The brothers talk about how the show handles its early game-of-the-week format, before branching off into a wider chat about racing games—why they’ve never quite been their genre of choice, and which ones (if any) have managed to win them over.Elsewhere, the conversation takes a spooky detour as they discuss the indie horror title Fear the Spotlight and reminisce about the distinctive atmosphere of PlayStation 1-era horror games. Along the way they also attempt to wrap their heads around hexadecimal numbers.It’s racing, retro horror, and a little bit of computer science, all in one podcast episode.Noobs by C.G. ReganCover Art by Charlotte ReganMusic by Peter Regan

In the debut episode of Noobscast, Chris and Peter Regan plug into the world of ReBoot, the groundbreaking 90s kids’ show set entirely inside a computer system. They introduce the premise of the podcast, revisit their first memories of discovering the series, and explore what made ReBoot such a strange and exciting gateway between television and videogames. Along the way, they discuss the episode’s featured game, using it as a jumping-off point to share their own early gaming experiences—from obscure space shooters to early FMV cut scenes, it’s the beginning of a nostalgic journey through ReBoot, and a celebration of the games that shaped a generation.Noobs by C.G. ReganCover Art by Charlotte ReganMusic by Peter Regan