Podouken

It's time to expose the real villain of the Donkey Kong series - Nintendo's very own golden boy, the insidious Mario. Discover how Mario torments a young ape by enslaving his father in Donkey Kong Jr. and how a fumigator gives the elder Kong an air bidet in Donkey Kong 3. What far reaching device gave Nintendo a hand in moving into toy manufacturing? Do one of these arcade games feature the true f...

Grab a fistful of quarters and listen along as we begin a new miniseries that is all about living the Nintendo Life. We start with one of the best arcade games of all time - Donkey Kong (or is that Dankey Kang?). What other names were almost used in Nintendo's run-away hit? How did this game single-handedly save Nintendo of America? Who was the young apprentice that delivered on his promise of mak...

We're going to take you for a ride as we wrap up our exploration of Capcom's Marvel Vs. Capcom series with the two namesakes - Marvel Vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes and Marvel Vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes. What playable character appears the most times across all Marvel arcade games? Has anything come from the #FreeMvC2 movement? Does PastBlaster's new hobby foreshadow his eventual turn to v...

In our first ever two-part episode we explore the beginnings of Capcom's Marvel Vs. Capcom series - X-Men Vs. Street Fighter and Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter. We also explore the person responsible for forging the Capcom and Marvel relationship and the games that got us to the ultimate tag team battle. How did the X-Men Animated Series influence a whole lot of fighting? Why is insanity a...

We swing into the back half of the MCBU miniseries with everyone's favorite web-head (and some of his amazing friends - not you Namor). Join us, true believers, as we explore the very first Marvel arcade game, Spider-Man: The Videogame.   What Sega faux pas led to this game being created? Have dad bods ever been used for character references besides this game? Is this game a beat 'em up, platforme...

It's a Giant-Size X-Men episode as we cover the best arcade game of all time (at least according to one host) in our longest show yet! What is it about this Konami beat 'em up that separates it from other greats like TMNT and the Simpsons? How did a failed pilot inspire this astonishing game? What is the point of a soundboard if you don't include the game's best sounds? Can you live comfortably wi...

The Punisher, a game of pixels and violence. Where players mercilessly prey on all. Anytime, anywhere. The next game in the MCBU is Capcom's ode to grit and 90s machismo that started a longtime relationship between two huge companies. Is this the best Marvel-based beat 'em up of the 90s? How do you grow poppies in a cave? Why is white Nick Fury such a nag? Join us as we explore this fantastic game...

An astonishing new miniseries begins as we explore the MCBU - Marvel Circuit Board Universe. We begin with the best licensing very little money could buy in the early 90s, Captain America and the Avengers. What is it about this beat 'em up that makes it so appealing? Why did Data East feature bargain basement Avengers instead of the big guns? Is a spoken word playthrough of the game good podcastin...

We answer Tyler's call to talk about the arcade game based on the animated show based on the Ghostbusters movie (but not the Ghost Busters TV show, and definitely not the animated show called Ghostbusters), Data East's The Real Ghostbusters. What existing game did Data East repurpose as The Real Ghostbusters? Do we ever come close to pronouncing it correctly? How does this game rank among the all-...

It's the sequel to the game concept that dared to say, "Hey, you know what people love? Waiting for the elevator. Let's turn that into a game!" Taito even kept with the theme by making fans wait 11 years for this episode's game - Elevator Action Returns. What is the cool backstory that led MomSecretRecipe to nominate this game? Why are we complaining about the NFL on an arcade podcast? Are we abou...

We've heard your pleas and are happy to say your prayers have been answered. That 90s beat 'em up that you always ask us to cover is finally getting an episode! As the first game in our (new) Listeners' Choice miniseries we're covering The King of Dragons! Steve (LowTierSteve), longtime friend and friend of the show, joins us to discuss the majesty, strategy, and poor decision making of Capcom's f...

They're obscure. They're underrated. They're our choices for the Arcade Obscura shmups! Mr. SNK brings us a lovely bouquet of Sega space shooter (please consult with your physician before playing). Rob (AKA Ron, AKA Robdog Storm) goes meta with an arcade shooter about arcade characters that takes place in an arcade. PastBlaster tells a tale as old as time about an alien invasion, a President invol...

We're bringing the Flying Pancake in for a landing on the Shmup Dump miniseries with Psikyo's Strikers 1945 series. Can you stop the evil forces of C.A.N.Y. and find the very suggestive secret ending? How many times is PastBlaster going to mispronounce the Focke-Wulf aircraft? Can you guess the four NeoGeo games in Mr. SNK's 4-slot MVS? We also explore the history of air superiority in the Carolin...

This episode we talk about the Cave shooter series that is almost as fun to say as it is to play - Mushihimesama. We are joined by Gameboy Guru, host of the Shoot the Core-cast, to pick up Rob's slack on this series. Why does this game fulfill our bug life fantasies in a way that Pixar never could? How do the insane Captain Auction prices from the Museum of Pinball negatively affect collectors? Wh...

Time to cover the complete arcade history of Treasure - the game developer that gave us Radiant Silvergun, Ikargua, and… that's it! We explore these two fun SHMUPs that mix the shooter genre with a dash of puzzle mechanics. What mysterious explosion set us up the bomb for a plot device? How is Treasure still open after no new game releases since 2014? Why is Ikaruga so divisive? We also enjoy some...

Our 50th episode is ESPecially good as we explore Cave's bullet hells with butterfly wings - ESP Ra. De., Espgaluda, and Espgaluda II. How do you pronounce these games? What does the Michael Bay masterpiece, and Ewan McGregor/Scarlett Johansson star vehicle, "The Island" have to do with ESP Ra. De.? Did Rob make it past level 1? Enjoy an hour of bonus content that includes an appearance by the mig...

Are you ready to get prosecuted to the full extent of the jam? If so, join us as we whack the beehive that is the DonPachi series by Cave - and others. Why was DonPachi considered a critical failure even though it launched Cave shooters? When did counting the number of bullets on screen become the measure of the best STG? How did the death of Toaplan give birth to some many great shmups? Will Rob...

We get loopy with the historically (in)accurate Capcom shooter series based on middle-aged white men's favorite war, the 194X series. Count with us as we cover 1942, 1943, 1941, 19XX, and 1944 in a way that's totally not confusing. How easy is it to beatbox the 1942 theme? What was famed game designer Yoshiki Okamoto's highest grossing game? Is Jarrod a flat earther? Are keytars still a thing? Als...

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...