A Trip Down Memory Card Lane

In 1999, EverQuest launched and quickly became the most popular MMORPG of its time, drawing inspiration from text-based MUDs like British Legends and DikuMUD. We revisit how John Smedley, Brad McQuaid, Steve Clover, and Bill Trost brought Norrath to life, blending 3D graphics with deep lore and expansive classes. The episode explores its record-breaking subscription growth, infamous downtime, and...

In the early 1990s, Color Dreams broke Nintendo’s copy protection and began releasing unlicensed NES games. We revisit how the company bypassed the 10NES lockout chip, published quirky titles like Baby Boomer and Raid 2020, and faced Nintendo’s retail pressure that forced stores to stop stocking their games. The episode explores how Color Dreams rebranded as Wisdom Tree , targeting Christian books...

In 2004, Ninja Gaiden returned on the Xbox as a modern reboot of Tecmo’s classic series. We look back at how Tomonobu Itagaki and Team Ninja, best known for Dead or Alive, spent five years reinventing Ryu Hayabusa for 3D action. The episode explores the game’s development journey from Sega arcade boards to Xbox exclusivity, its brutally fast combat engine, and the wide arsenal of weapons and magic...

In 1997, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night redefined the franchise and helped cement the “Metroidvania” genre. We revisit how Konami scrapped The Bloodletting for Sega’s 32X and shifted development to PlayStation, with Toru Hagihara starting the project and Koji Igarashi stepping in to direct. The episode highlights Igarashi’s push for an explorable open castle, Zelda-inspired backtracking, and R...

In 2007, Professor Layton and the Curious Village arrived on the Nintendo DS and blended puzzle-solving with charming storytelling. We revisit Akihiro Hino’s childhood love for puzzle books, how he founded Level-5, and how Professor Akira Tago’s Head Gymnastics series shaped the design. The episode highlights the game’s mix of logic puzzles, sliding challenges, and riddles, and how Level-5 turned...

In 2012, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning burst onto the scene with big names attached—MLB pitcher Curt Schilling, fantasy author R.A. Salvatore, comic legend Todd McFarlane, Elder Scrolls designer Ken Rolston, and composer Grant Kirkhope. We trace how 38 Studios aimed to rival World of Warcraft while introducing a single-player RPG full of flashy real-time combat, sprawling customization, and a “Fat...

In 1989, SimCity transformed the Mac and Amiga into playgrounds for would-be urban planners, swapping high scores for mayors’ mansions and monster attacks. We trace how Will Wright’s fascination with level editors, short stories by Stanisław Lem, and even architecture itself collided with Jeff Braun’s publishing ambitions to form Maxis. Our story highlights quirky early rejections, the pizza party...

In 1982, Journey Escape hit the Atari 2600 and kicked off a wave of video games built around famous musicians. We look back at how Journey dodged groupies in a scarab-shaped escape vehicle, how Bally Midway followed up with an arcade game complete with digitized band heads, and how bands like the Thompson Twins, Papa Dance, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood experimented with flexi discs and cassette t...

In 1991, Action 52 promised fifty-two exciting games in one NES cartridge but instead delivered one of the most infamous disasters in gaming history. We look back at Miami businessman Vince Perri’s idea to legally replicate bootleg multicarts and how he recruited three young developers with just a week of NES training to make the impossible. The episode highlights broken games like Star Evil, Ooze...

In 1981, Frogger hopped onto arcade screens and became one of Konami’s biggest hits, though its journey to North America was almost cut short. We look back at how Akira Hashimoto’s traffic-jam inspiration turned into a game of dodging cars and crossing rivers, and how Elizabeth Falconer fought executives at Sega/Gremlin to secure Frogger’s release in the United States. The episode explores the bar...

In 2001, RuneScape launched as a free-to-play browser game and grew into one of the most popular MMORPGs in the world. We look back at Andrew, Paul, and Ian Gower’s journey from their early project DeviousMUD to founding Jagex in their parents’ kitchen, complete with bacon-sizzling sound effects recorded by their mom. The episode highlights the game’s evolving engines, the creation of RuneScript,...

Its our annual year end review. We're looking back at the entirety of 2021, talking about our favorite episode topics and video games. After looking back, we look forward to 2022, and reveal some of our upcoming topics, and games that we're looking forward to in the following year. Happy New Year's, Everyone....let's take one last 2021 trip down Memory Card Lane.

In 2004, Cave Story emerged from Daisuke “Pixel” Amaya’s five years of solo development and became one of the most influential indie games of all time. We look back at how Amaya balanced his day job with creating music, sprites, and code for a retro-inspired platformer that channeled Metroid and Castlevania. The episode highlights Quote’s amnesia-driven journey, the Mimiga’s tragic plight, and gam...

In 1983, Tapper hit arcades with brass footrails, drink holders, and Budweiser-branded tap handles, making it one of the first widely recognized advergames. Developed by Marvin Glass and Associates and released by Bally Midway, it cast players as bartenders sliding beers to thirsty patrons while snagging empty mugs and tips. Our conversation explores its sponsorship roots, Sega’s Japanese distribu...

In 1982, Atari rushed out E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial for the 2600 in just five weeks, hoping to cash in on Spielberg’s holiday blockbuster. Designed by Howard Scott Warshaw, fresh off Yars’ Revenge and Raiders of the Lost Ark, it tasked players with collecting phone parts and calling home while dodging FBI agents, scientists, and endless pits. Our conversation explores how the impossible deadline,...

In 1971, three teachers in Minnesota—Don Rawitsch, Bill Heinemann, and Paul Dillenberger—created The Oregon Trail as a classroom project, unknowingly sparking the edutainment genre. Our conversation traces its humble start on a school district mainframe, where kids lined up after class to ford rivers, hunt, and hope to avoid dysentery. We follow its evolution through the Minnesota Educational Comp...

In 1990, Super Mario World debuted on the Super Famicom, ushering Mario into the 16-bit era with bigger worlds, vibrant colors, and one unforgettable dinosaur. Our story explores how Nintendo R&D4, led by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka, tackled the challenge of designing for brand-new hardware—first porting Super Mario Bros. 3 before charting new territory. We highlight Yoshi’s origins, b...

In 1997, PaRappa the Rapper brought rhythm gaming to the PlayStation in North America, starring a paper-thin dog with big dreams and a simple motto: “I gotta believe!” Our conversation traces the unlikely collaboration of musician Masaya Matsuura and artist Rodney Alan Greenblat, who blended interactive music with quirky visuals to create something entirely new. We discuss how Sony’s Division Zero...

In 2005, Guitar Hero hit the PlayStation 2 and transformed living rooms into rock stages, sparking a rhythm game craze that defined the next decade. Our story traces the unlikely pairing of RedOctane, a peripheral maker turned publisher, and Harmonix, an MIT-founded studio obsessed with making music interactive. We explore how they built the plastic guitar, simplified fret buttons, and added showm...

In 1982, Microsoft Flight Simulator took off on the IBM PC and set a new standard for realism in gaming. Created by Bruce Artwick at Sublogic, the series began with wireframe graphics on the Apple II before Microsoft saw its potential to showcase 16-bit hardware. Our story follows Artwick’s path from graduate research on flight displays to founding Sublogic and releasing FS1 Flight Simulator in 19...

In 2001, Motor City Online hit PCs with the promise of being the first massively multiplayer racing game, blending classic hot rods, pink slip wagers, and diner hangouts into a persistent world. Originally conceived as Need for Speed: Motor City, it arrived in the franchise’s golden era but never lived up to expectations. Our conversation explores its ambitious vision—over 30 licensed cars, deep c...

In 1987, Punch-Out!! hit the NES, introducing players to Little Mac, Doc Louis, and a colorful cast of rivals on the climb to boxing glory. We rewind to Nintendo’s arcade success with the dual-monitor Punch-Out (1984), and how Genyo Takeda’s R&D3 team transformed it into a home console hit. The episode digs into the design choices that created Little Mac, the quirks of opponents from Glass Joe...

In 2001, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney debuted on the Game Boy Advance in Japan, bringing courtroom drama to handhelds and redefining the adventure genre. Directed by Shu Takumi, the game was inspired by a childhood incident where he was wrongly accused of theft, an experience that fueled its focus on contradictions and defense. Our conversation traces Takumi’s path from Dino Crisis to leading a sm...

In 1989, Prince of Persia leapt onto the Apple II and set a new bar for cinematic action in games. Created by Jordan Mechner, fresh off the success of Karateka, it drew inspiration from Disney animation, Arabian Nights tales, and swashbuckling films like Robin Hood. Our conversation explores how Mechner used VHS rotoscoping—filming his brother running and jumping in a parking lot—to craft lifelike...

In 1996, Pokémon Red and Green hit the Game Boy in North America and launched a cultural phenomenon. Inspired by Satoshi Tajiri’s childhood bug-collecting, the games let players capture, train, and battle 151 creatures to become Champion. Our conversation traces how Tajiri and Ken Sugimori grew Game Freak from a fanzine into a studio, nearly collapsing before Creatures Inc. and Nintendo stepped in...