Noobscast

Chris Regan & Peter Regan
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Two lifelong gamers, Chris and Peter Regan, discuss videogame-adjacent media. In the first season, we're talking about the 90s show ReBoot, which was a kids TV series set inside a computer system. Each episode of ReBoot featured the characters playing a videogame, so as well as discussing the episode itself we'll also use the games featured in the episode to talk about our video game memories.

Episodes

  1. 4d ago

    "Don't shoot the food!" - Gauntlet, Knightmare and a discussion about completing games (ReBoot s1e9)

    Chris and Peter return to Mainframe to discuss Season 1, Episode 9 of ReBoot, “Wizards, Warriors and a Word from Our Sponsor.” When the episode's fantasy-themed game evokes memories of the arcade classic Gauntlet, the brothers find themselves reflecting on how they play games now compared to when they were younger. Do we play games differently as adults? Have modern games trained us to focus on finishing stories rather than simply playing for fun? Or are there just different kinds of gamers? This sparks a wide-ranging discussion covering everything from Manic Miner, Jet Set Willy, the Dizzy games and Atic Atac, through to modern experiences like Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Sea of Thieves. The conversation also ventures into fantasy gaming history, revisiting classics such as Ultima, Shadowlands, and early Dungeons & Dragons-inspired titles like Eye of the Beholder. Along the way, Chris and Peter reminisce about iconic 90s UK children's television, including Knightmare and Bad Influence! From arcade fantasy adventures and bedroom coding classics to modern open worlds and TV nostalgia, it's another journey through gaming history inspired by classic kids TV show, ReBoot. Noobs by C.G. Regan Cover Art by Charlotte Regan Music by Peter Regan

    36 min

  2. Jun 8

    Frogwares' Sherlock Holmes series, the Wishmaster movies and button-bashing sports games (ReBoot s1e8)

    Chris and Peter begin this episode with a discussion of Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened, leading into a wider conversation about the detective games of Frogwares and why they've become one of gaming's most reliable developers of mystery adventures. Chris shares his enthusiasm for Sherlock Holmes Chapter One, while also somehow mixing up Arsène Lupin, C. Auguste Dupin, and Pierre Dupont. The conversation then drifts into the early days of PC gaming, when downloading a full game seemed like science fiction, dial-up internet was painfully slow, and deciphering PC specifications felt like solving a mystery worthy of Holmes himself. Eventually, they return to Mainframe for Episode 8 of ReBoot, "Enzo the Smart." After Enzo overclocks himself to become a genius, he accidentally turns everyone else into 8-bit idiots. Naturally, this prompts a debate about whether the episode is more like Wishmaster or Saw, the invention of the phrase "to be Wishmastered," and a lengthy detour into the Wishmaster franchise, including an unproduced sequel script by the Wishmaster himself, Andrew Divoff. The casting of Chris Lemmon inevitably leads to a discussion of the gloriously 90s TV series Thunder in Paradise, co-starring Hulk Hogan. The episode's sports-themed game sparks memories of frantic button-bashing classics such as Track & Field, Daley Thompson's Decathlon, and California Games, before the brothers chart the evolution of the genre all the way to Wii Sports. Back to ReBoot, and a minecart sequence triggers a conversation about similar sections in games like Resident Evil 4, which inevitably derails into an unexpectedly passionate debate about the strengths and weaknesses of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. From Sherlock Holmes to Wishmaster, from dial-up internet to minecart chases, it's another episode that ends up somewhere completely different from where it started. Noobs by C.G. Regan Cover Art by Charlotte Regan Music by Peter Regan

    37 min

  3. May 23

    Mortal Kombat 2 and Mixtape

    In this bonus episode, Chris and Peter step away from Mainframe for a while to talk about the Mortal Kombat II movie and the nostalgic narrative game Mixtape. The discussion around Mortal Kombat leads them back to their earliest memories of the series - arcades, over-the-top fatalities, and the cultural panic around videogame violence in the 90s. Meanwhile, Mixtape sends the conversation in a more reflective direction, as they talk about the people, places, and moments that quietly disappear over time. Along the way, they revisit the music, technology, and atmosphere of growing up in the 90s, from mixtapes and CDs to 80s movies and the feeling of discovering media before the internet flattened everything into algorithms. It’s part gaming discussion, part nostalgia trip, and part meditation on memory, complete with fatalities, feelings, and far too much reminiscing about obsolete technology. Noobs by C.G. Regan Cover Art by Charlotte Regan Music by Peter Regan

    42 min

  4. May 19

    Sea of Thieves, Sid Meier's Pirates!, Monkey Island and pirates being annoying (ReBoot s1e7)

    Chris and Peter set sail with ReBoot Season 1, Episode 7, “The Crimson Binome”—Mainframe’s pirate-themed adventure. As Bob, Dot, and Enzo encounter data pirates on the high seas, the conversation naturally drifts into the legacy of pirates in video games. The brothers discuss Sea of Thieves and how modern pirate games often portray pirates less as romantic adventurers and more as chaotic nuisances. From there, they trace the pop-culture resurgence of pirates through classics like The Secret of Monkey Island, On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers, and of course the hugely influential Pirates of the Caribbean series. They also revisit the legendary Sid Meier's Pirates!, discussing why it remains one of the definitive pirate experiences in gaming, and how pirate fiction has evolved from mythic rogues to loud people stealing your loot online. Noobs by C.G. Regan Cover Art by Charlotte Regan Music by Peter Regan

    35 min

  5. May 4

    Mouse: P.I. for Hire, Money for Nothing and sidekick episodes in retro cartoons (ReBoot s1e6)

    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. Regan Cover Art by Charlotte Regan Music by Peter Regan

    31 min

  6. Apr 20

    Space Prison (ReBoot s1e5)

    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. Regan Cover Art by Charlotte Regan Music by Peter Regan

    50 min

  7. Apr 6

    There is no Game (ReBoot s1e4)

    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 90s Noobs by C.G. Regan Cover Art by Charlotte Regan Music by Peter Regan

    31 min

  8. Mar 23

    Pong with Phong (ReBoot s1e3)

    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. Regan Cover Art by Charlotte Regan Music by Peter Regan

    39 min

  9. Mar 9

    Copy and Paste the Truth (ReBoot s1e2)

    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. Regan Cover Art by Charlotte Regan Music by Peter Regan

    36 min
  10. What's a Mainframe? (ReBoot s1e1)

    Feb 25

    What's a Mainframe? (ReBoot s1e1)

    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. Regan Cover Art by Charlotte Regan Music by Peter Regan

    38 min
  • 10 Episodes

About

Two lifelong gamers, Chris and Peter Regan, discuss videogame-adjacent media. In the first season, we're talking about the 90s show ReBoot, which was a kids TV series set inside a computer system. Each episode of ReBoot featured the characters playing a videogame, so as well as discussing the episode itself we'll also use the games featured in the episode to talk about our video game memories.

Information

  • Creator
    Chris Regan & Peter Regan
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Noobscast
  • Show Website
    Noobscast