Podouken

The Mad Gears must pay. We are joined by special guest co-host Chris Antista to discuss Capcom's Final Fight! Capcom goes "huge and cool" to bring us one of the best beat 'em ups ever made. Who is responsible for the Final Fight/Street Fighter II universe and why is it not who you may think? What part did a French historical novel and manga have in giving us the best political body in video games?...

Are you a bad enough dude or dudette to listen to this episode? That's right, we're talking about the game that sounds like it was made by an 80s word generator (and probably was) - Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja. The President has been kidnapped! What will it take to get Blade and Striker - the baddest sweatpant-wearing dudes in NYC - to go rescue him? Some machismo and a side of hamburgers, evidently...

What do you get when you mix a little Rambo, a lot of Conan, some Altered Beast, throw in some swords and sorcery, and put it all on a PCB that likes to kill itself? Golden Axe! Somehow this is our first featured Sega game so we play a game to see how much Sega history we include in this episode. What exactly makes a game an "arcade game"? How did we lose any chance of ever getting a La Croix spon...

A new miniseries kicks (and punches) off with twin brothers trying to rescue their one lover -- Technos Japan's Double Dragon. What 1970s film did Technos use for inspiration to bring about the age of the arcade brawler? How many enemies does it take to really slow down a game? Why did we record the worst skit in podcast history? We take a serious look at graphic violence against women in arcade g...

It's time to put all the pieces together and finish the Puzzlers miniseries with our choices for the overlooked or obscure games in the genre . What virtual insanity leads us to consider Jamiroquai a villain? Can Windows screensavers make compelling gameplay? Why does Mr. SNK know so much about adult-themed arcade games? Along the way we attempt to demystify the jargon related to JAMMA, monitor re...

Capcom brings us the perfect mix of fisticuffs with gem debuffs - plus a heavy dose of chibi - with Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. What is the connection between puzzles and violence that makes us love this game so much? The hosts go down the rabbit hole of Kirsten Dunst movies (beware of spoilers), talk about hyperphantasia, and determine who would emerge victorious in Trapper Keeper v. Lisa Fran...

In this ground-breaking episode we dig into a family tree that spawned not one, but two NAMCO classics. We discuss Mr. Driller and use geological genealogy to trace his origins to Dig Dug. Along the way we start spilling some arcade collecting stories that include how Jarrod first met Adam and Rob. Is an "arcade sense" a real thing and if not what is causing this tingling? What is the worst named...

Bustin' makes us feel good as we explore the origins of Taito's Puzzle Bobble (or Bust a Move). We try to make sense of the Bubble Bobble family tree which includes a long, lost ancestor. Why was this MVS cart one of the most bootlegged Neo Geo games? What about Bub and Bob made them so attractive to the fairer sex? What reasons are given for popping all these bubbles? Where do Bub and Bob fall on...

It's all downhill from here as we roll with Marble Madness. We discuss the Doogie Howser of arcade games who at the age of 18 created a major arcade hit for Atari and went on to do a whole lot more in the video game industry. How hard does this soundtrack slap? Why has this world record score held up for over 35 years? Is marble racing the new sport that will save us in this post-COVID world? All...

Strap in for our most profane episode yet (or not, as we'll explain). It's time to talk about Gottlieb's biggest arcade hit - Q*bert! Find out how this game by Warren Davis and Jeff Lee became a pop culture sensation. How did this isometric exercise become so @!#?@! good? What are some alternative uses for 9-inch floppy disks? Are air fryers magic? Also on this episode we discuss the Superman II g...

The pieces have fallen into place for our new miniseries and we're facing a Soviet invasion! Tetris breaks through the Iron Curtain to take hold of American and Japanese cultures, but in very different ways. Find out how Tetris has affected all of our lives in this Giant-sized episode! What Tetromino do you identify as? What caused arcade suicides to skyrocket? Why are we so obsessed with Crane Ga...

We're bringing the Invaders from Space miniseries in for a landing as the co-hosts talk about their pick for underrated or obscure space shooter. Did Mr. SNK and PastBlaster switch brains? Is it possible to have romantic feelings for huge balls of exploding gas? Which featured game from this arc is the best space shooter? This could or could not be the best podcast episode ever. Boundaries are cro...

Beware, I live! The untold (until now) history of Sinistar is explored with the help of the co-creators of the game: John Newcomer and Noah Falstein. Get the inside information on how Williams created some of the best arcades of all time. How did the waning popularity of pinball contribute to video game success? Who created the iconic design and sound of Sinistar? Exactly how many Sinistar games w...

We revisit Namco to talk about what they built on with Galaxian to bring us (arguably) the best arcade game ever - Galaga! What does an extinct species of shark have to do with spaceships? What is the proper way to pronounce Galaga? How can we leverage the technology of deep fakes to get Mr. SNK to accept his given name? Also in this episode: pickle math, the best arcade year ever, and Shmuplation...

Williams breaks into the arcade scene (and record books) with Defender. Find out how a pinball company entered into the video game race and nurtured some thrilling talent that is still pumping out arcade games today. How did Williams harness the power of magnets? Why would someone make a YouTube series on the butchering of an arcade cabinet? Did Pastblaster just become a philatelist? We also discu...

My God, look at the size of that thing! Atari makes a cultural impact with Asteroids and introduces the masses to high scores. When did the golden age of video games get literal? How did landing on the moon lead to some major headaches for kids? Why does Jeopardy mine Twitter for Tetris knowledge? We go deep into arcade monitor types, ask why anyone would play a game for three and a half days, and...

Mission: Destroy Aliens! Arcade games enter the world of color (or so the non-colorblind tell us). We dig into the history of NAMCO which started with rocking horses and - with some unintended help from the Yakuza - eventually gave us the most popular arcade games ever made. How did pinball lead to Pac-Man? Is George Lucas gonna sue somebody? What happened to Galagas 2 through 87? We also cover a...

Across the gulf of space… intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us. The Invaders from Space miniseries begins with first contact - Taito's Space Invaders! Why are lunar were-yetis on the arcade cabinet? Where did all the yen go? Are redemption games beyond redemption? The episode also covers Futurama, Meow...

Finish Him! Our Fighting Game Wars miniseries wraps up with Arcade Obscura. Each host presents a little-known, underappreciated, or underrated fighting game to the audience. The other hosts make fun of their love for it! This episode also includes discussion on Sea-Doos, fat shaming, Lionmen, Tenacious D-ragon, and playing games on the 3DO which were never made for the 3DO.

All litigious hell breaks loose as Capcom takes on Data East's game, Fighter's History, on the biggest stage of them all - the United States District Court. What was it about Fighter's History that caused Capcom to sue? Why is Data East already familiar with this setting? Who has even seen a Fighter's History arcade game? The episode also covers villainous mascots, Bob's BurgerTime, "holding back...

SNK doubles down on Neo Geo fighters with the release of Art of Fighting. It has all the things you love from other fighting games, but less! Why are these characters so big? Why are some of these characters so… familiar? Why does everyone that owns a Neo Geo arcade have this cart? The episode also covers Flerkens, Sex and the City, joke characters, honorifics, and trips to Mexico.

A new challenger approaches! SNK calls "next" on Capcom as they launch their own Street Fighter II competitor -- Fatal Fury . Who are the Bogard Brothers? Does having fewer playable characters require a better story? What the hell are jiggle physics? The episode also covers trucker hats, the Titled Geese Game, annoying anime voices, arm wrestling, and floppy discs.

Ready… Fight! The Fighting Game Wars miniseries begins with the granddaddy of them all -- Capcom's Street Fighter II. What led up to the launch of this iconic arcade? What were the ramifications? Why was this the first arcade game two of the hosts ever bought? The episode also covers topics like coin cannibalism, Ft. Lauderdale, Top Gun, gold helicopters, and thigh fetishes.

A PODCAST FOR ARCADE LOVERS. From the owners of 100+ arcade and pinball cabinets, and the proprietors of a real-life arcade comes PODOUKEN, a brand new podcast that takes a deep dive into the world of video arcade games, and explores the history, story, strategy, art, music, restoration, preservation and fun of arcade games.