Podouken

We're blasting off on the first episode of our new SHMUP miniseries with the shooter that set the mold for horizontal STGs - Konami's Gradius. How did this accidental hit become such a groundbreaking series? What anime movie had a huge influence on the design and weaponry of the Vic Viper? How many aliases do the Gradius and Salamander games have? Is this the most repeated arcade game of all time?...

It's time for another Arcade Obscura where each of the hosts pitch their choice of underrated or under-appreciated driving-based arcade game. Rob goes full 'Merica with a cross-country racer that features the first appearance of a beloved video game mascot. Mr. SNK breaks all the rules (or does he?) and doubles down on the obscure part of the episode. PastBlaster goes prime time with an over-the-t...

Explore the arcade series birthed by the unholy alliance of a Nintendo license developed by Namco running on a Sega board - Mario Kart Arcade GP. It's the two biggest video game characters in a race to the finish as we close out our final featured episode in the Drivers miniseries. Why didn't Namco include more of their characters in the GP series? Is the Mario Kart music really all it's cracked u...

We're drifting into the final turn of our Drivers miniseries by talking about Sega's most prolific driving game series, Initial D. So hop in our Trueno GT-APEX - just don't bump the tofu - and settle in for a two plus hour exploration of this manga turned anime turned arcade. Why does this mix of Japanese mountain racing and pop music Eurobeat work so well? How did Pastblaster and Mr. SNK go halfs...

Hop in and take a ride down Memory Lane as the Podouken crew tours the USA, world, and other exotic locations while exploring the Midway Games classic Cruis'n USA. How did this game give Rob his most gruesome arcade injury and almost get him arrested? What led the creator of Defender and Robotron to create a digitized racing game? Which arcade developed by Atari is the lost Cruis'n game? We also g...

The hosts let loose with their inner Florida Man to discuss the quintessential Florida game - Daytona USA. Let's go away to the land of alligators, bath salts, and bike weeks and explore how Sega ended up creating the most iconic NASCAR(ish) game ever. How did this music get composed for a stock car racing game? What kind of money did Sega spend to get a huge head start the 3D gamescape? Why was S...

It's time to gas up the Ferraro Testabossa, select our favorite synthwave radio station, and feel the wind in our hair as we take a drive with Sega's OutRun. Join us as we take a ride through Yu Suzuki's career and talk about the birth of Taikan games. How did OutRun's memorable music nearly become lost forever? What type of innovations did Suzuki want to include in Sega arcades? Why was the USA t...

Warning: Listening discretion is advised. We hold a serious discussion about the first truly controversial arcade game - Death Race. What led Exidy to release this death simulator upon an unsuspecting public? How did something so outrageously graphic make its way into the American arcade? Who was responsible for shining a bright light on this dark subject? Along the way we do cover some less serio...

It's time for another Arcade Obscura where each of the hosts pitch their choice of underrated or underappreciated sports-based arcade game. PastBlaster serves up a gorgeous attract mode, but may not deliver on the gameplay. Mr. SNK comes out of the gate with what could be the best disc game on the Neo Geo. Rob flexes his muscles with a game that includes a fire spitting Universal monster. It's the...

It all comes down to this! We hit the highlights from the best arcade football game - Midway's NFL Blitz. The Jamming of sports continues as Midway hunts for their next hit and scores a touchdown with a new technology. How did this "quicker-hitting game" go over with the NFL? Did Blitz fulfill its creator's promise of being "the most violent football game ever designed"? What moves were so offensi...

It's our 37th episode (in a row) and we're crashing the net with our most requested sports game - NBA Jam. We break down all the boomshakala basics and dig deep to uncover some little known facts with the help of author Reyan Ali - who literally wrote the book on NBA Jam! How did a vid kid go from a Pong console to making the most iconic basketball game ever? What are the origins of "Boomshakala!"...

It's time to hit the links with maybe the best arcade golf game, but definitely the best Neo Geo golf game - Neo Turf Masters! We put skin in the game by exploring the Major Titles that led up to Turf Masters by its developer Nazca. Is a camel a vehicle? Can Mr. SNK settle on what Neo Geo carts will fill his six-slot? What part did Jimbo Fisher play in an arcade horror story? How many people actua...

It's (somehow) our first Nintendo episode! And just like real life we wait until our mid-thirties to get into Nintendo games. We talk about a sports game way before it's time - Punch-Out!! How did a company directive to use more hardware lead to this game? Does arcade Punch-Out!! cross the line with racial stereotypes? Is "Body Blow" the first waaaaay overused sound bite in video games? How much d...

A new miniseries kicks off with "the dumbest, simplest game ever made" - Pong! You'll want to sit in on this history lesson as we recount the origin of video arcade games which includes hippy candles, Nolan Bushnell, celestial bodies, Al Alcorn, and all the *bleeps* and *bloops* that built Atari. Exactly how many Pong clones were there? Which came first: the home video console or the video arcade...

Insert Coin is a new Documentary released by Director Joshua Tsui and Writer Andrew Hayward that discusses the history of the Midway arcade teams responsible for several smash hits of the 90's. The Podouken Crew watched this together and provided a short review of the film! Please support this awesome documentary by renting/buying via Alamo Draft House direct, or watch it on Amazon Prime! "The ora...

We hit the Pac-pot of obscure Pac-Man games as we cover the Pac arcade games from 1984 to current: Pac smuggles fairies across borders in Pac-Land, enters the isometric 3D world in Pac-Mania, goes virtual in Pac-Man VR, fights to the death in Pac-Man Battle Royale, gets ticket rabies in Pac-Man Chomp Mania, and goes big before going home in World's Largest Pac-Man. So join us as we send Pac-Man of...

We go Pac in time to review the Pac-Man games of 1983: Pac & Pal, Professor Pac-Man, and Jr. Pac-Man. Namco and Bally/Midway are not happy with each other and it's leading to a messy divorce. Pac-Man gets a pal that is either a ghost or a dog (but sadly not Forest Whitaker), receives a doctorate in annoying image quizzes, and leaves the missus to care for their first born. How did GCC contribute t...

Our Pac-xploration continues as we talk about the remaining Pac-Man games of 1982: Pac-Man Plus, Super Pac-Man, and Baby Pac-Man. Bally and Midway get into "quantity over quality", Namco follows up Puck-Man with their first official sequel, and pinball (which inspired Pac-Man) becomes part of the Pac-family. We also get the story of Baby Pac-Man's development straight from the designer himself! Ex...

Honey, doncha you know, she's more than Pac-Man with a bow! The Pac series continues with the ultimate genderbend - Ms. Pac-Man. We waka-waka-walka through the crazy origins of the best Pac-Man game (don't AtGames us) as we explore its very litigious history. How did a bunch of college dropouts make one of the best arcade games ever? What part did Atari play in the creation of this classic? What's...

It's time to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Pac-Man with the start of all Pac miniseries! Podouken finally talks about the big yellow ball in the room, NAMCO's Pac-Man. We delve into the often recounted (and often incorrect) history of arcadedom's most influential game and tell what part pinball played in birthing it into existence. How did the most expensive coin-flip in history go so wrong fo...

We get in the damn robot and play some of Sega's Virtual On! The final Listeners' Choice episode takes on your second/third/fourth favorite brand of giant, bipedal, murder robots. Listen as Borelo, Madlle, and Rod-TGH tell of the history and lamentations involved with buying and moving a Virtual On: Cyber Troopers unit. We marvel at the technical achievements made by the Sega AM3 team on an aged a...

I OFFER YOU 80,000 SWISS FRANCS TO LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE.* The second Listeners' Choice is all about the first arena fighter - the precursor to Super Smash Bros. - NAMCO's The Outfoxies. Join a full house of co-hosts as we talk about this rather obscure game that features a unique cast of characters like a chimp assassin and some eleven-year old homicidal twins. Why was this game called The Outfo...

Shall we play a game? For the first episode of the Listeners' Choice miniseries we distill Capcom's trivia arcade game, Quiz & Dragons, back to its truest form - a board game! Who will win the trivia battle of 80s sports and Richard Dreyfuss questions? Why does one letter (eclipse vs. ellipse) cause so much drama (thanks autocorrect)? Will knowledge from past Podouken episodes help the hosts get t...

HOLY SH...EBOYGEN! It's time for another Arcade Obscura where each of the hosts pitch their choice for underrated or underappreciated two-player beat 'em up game. PastBlaster brings us a game from a familiar company that uses six-buttons to possess and destroy your enemies. Rob brings us a sequel from a company that only made two arcade games. Mr. SNK takes the obscure part of this episode to the...

CYBORGS AIN'T LADIES!! We grab Technos Japan's ultra-violent and over-the-top The Combatribes by the heels and take it for a spin - and have a lot of fun doing it! Join us as we rediscover this often overlooked beat 'em up playing characters that all skipped leg day. Did we just find Pastblaster's long lost pappy? How did a thrash metal band mascot become this game's villain? Are we cheating by in...