Captain Commando - Episode 131
Podouken
Return to Metro City in the distant future of… 2026 to fight crime with a video game mascot, his ninja friend, an alien mummy, and a reincarnated supergenius baby. No, this isn’t some crazy fever dream, it’s one of Capcom’s most popular 90s beat ‘em ups - Captain Commando! Is Captain Commando a true sequel to Final Fight? What arcade board system grossed the most? Will Rob get cancelled for his opinion on a beloved Christmas movie? Do we have video evidence of Captain Commando kidnapping a group of kids (yes!)? ‘Twas the episode before Christmas and all through the studio, we...
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Crime Fighters / Vendetta - Episode 130
Podouken
Are you tough enough to take on the sleaziest underground characters imaginable in order to rescue several beautiful girls? That’s not us asking. That’s Konami trying to entice arcade goers to play their first four-player beat ‘em up (and largely failing). We take the humanic weapons out for a spin in the largely forgotten Crime Fighters and its vastly improved sequel Vendetta. How did Crime Fighters lay the groundwork for Konami’s much more successful games? Who thought it was a good idea to include some very problematic enemies? Why is this game so different between regions and...
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Gauntlet - Episode 129
Podouken
Welcome to Podouken - formerly an arcade history podcast, now rebranded as one of the vast multitudes of D&D podcasts. Let’s roll a d20, hope that our history modifiers are high, and talk about Atari Games’ four player hack ‘n slash, Gauntlet. How did a game about Dungeons & Dragons inspire this game about Dungeons & Dragons? Is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (or M.O.M.) a good movie? Do focus groups provide anything of value? Why did we wait 128 episodes to discuss four player beat ‘em ups?! We’re going the distance with our listener questions which...
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Choplifter - Episode 128
Podouken
Run! Go! Get to the choppa! Then load up some hostages in your helicopter and take them to the nearest USPS for express priority shipping back home. In the final Listeners’ Choice 5 miniseries episode we’re flying the unfriendly skies of the Brøderbund and Sega classic game Choplifter! How did this game make its way from the Apple II to the arcade? What simple foreign puzzle game did Brøderbund pass on? Is the United States Postal Service the ultimate spy cover story? Did our special guest record from a submarine sonar station? Our questions this episode include defining some...
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Virtua Tennis - Episode 127
Podouken
Are you the best tennist? Well then, slap on your Citizen watch, drink a fresh bottle of Evian, and prove it on Sega’s virtua carpet courts against tennis legends like Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Mark Phillipoussis. Lets Power Smash it with Virtua Tennis! Wanna hear the most annoying sound in the world? Should we have a Real Arcade Wives of Podouken episode? What are our controversial takes on Pickleball and will those takes alienate some of our listeners? Our questions this episode include some doozies like asking us to come up with Podouken pickup lines and what top 80s or 90s IP would we...
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Ninja Baseball Bat Man - Episode 126
Podouken
It was the best Batman game in arcades. It may have been the best baseball game in the arcades. It wasn’t the best Ninja game in arcades but two out of three ain’t bad. For the first episode of our Listeners’ Choice (part 5) miniseries (and our 5th year anniversary episode) we’re going to discuss the most known unknown game out there - Irem’s Ninja Baseball Bat Man. How did this intoxicating combination of words come to be (and why is it so irresistible to say out loud)? Which of Mr. SNK’s kids had the best rebrand of Ninja Baseball Bat Man? Does an alligator lose its tail? How...
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Arcade Obscura (LaserTimeDisc) - Episode 125
Podouken
It’s time to power down the LaserTimeDisc miniseries before it starts overheating with an Arcade Obscura. The hosts each pick a LaserDisc arcade game that they feel is either obscure or underrated (or both)! None of the hosts know what the other person’s picks are so it always causes some interesting… situations. Did it finally happen? Did we all pick the same game? Why is “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” required reading for this episode? Did we discover the origins of Rainbow Road or a bad acid trip? Why did the first wave of LaserDisc arcades really fail? Since this is our...
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Space Ace - Episode 124
Podouken
Defender of justice, truth, and the planet Earth. Ace is being attacked by the evil Commander Borf. Struggle with Dexter to regain his manhood. Destroy the Infanto-Ray. Defeat the evil Borf. Be valiant, space warrior, the fate of Earth is in your hands in the Don Bluth animated, RDI programmed, and Cinematronics produced Space Ace! Is Space Ace the best laserdisc arcade game? What The Simpsons voice actor first lent her voice to one of the game’s characters? Who is “the strongest man… in the world?” By beating the game do you commit mass xenophobic infanticide?! The listener...
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Cliff Hanger - Episode 123
Podouken
So you’re telling me there was a LaserDisc arcade game… made by popular pinball manufacturer Stern… in 1983… featuring the film directorial debut of Hayao Miyazaki… based on the popular Lupin the III anime… called Cliff Hanger… that is not related to the Sylvester Stallone movie? Yes we are, and we’re going to talk all about it in this episode. Will Count Dreyco strike the first blow? Will the princess be forced to marry someone she can’t stand? Will Cliff get stuck in a trapdoor for the rest of his life? Did you realize before this moment that all these questions are lifted...
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Mad Dog McCree- Episode 122
Podouken
Well howdy, Stranger. Do you think you’re tough enough to take on the Mad Dog? Why don’t you take a seat over yonder as I tell the tale of a hit LaserDisc full motion video game that took the arcades hostage in the early 90s. This is the tale of Mad Dog McCree. How did a law enforcement simulator company in New Mexico end up being the new sharpshooter of the arcade? Did Jarrod find the perfect specimen of a rooster in a Wal-Mart parking lot? Is the world ready for Mad Dog McThree: Boot Shootin’ Boogie? What’s our favorite Jeff Bridges quote? Listener questions this week include...
info_outlineGrowing up in a glass bowl with chameleons, lizards, and tadpoles, it hardly enters your mind that there’s something better than this. But pizza power - a flying saucer food delight. Pizza power, oh, that’s what makes us feel alright! Time is up for the Cartoon miniseries as we explore the questionable history that is TMNT: Turtles in Time.
When did this game actually hit arcades and why is Jarrod ready to fight someone over it? Why is this the only licensed beat ‘em up that Konami gave a sequel to? How easy is it to confuse John Ryan and Jack Ryan? Did anyone else watch the national broadcast of Hondo in 3D?
Hear our answers to this episode’s listener question/challenge: build a 4-player arcade cabinet using any characters from the Cartoon miniseries playing through one of the featured games.
Join the Podouken Discord and ask your own questions to be included in a future episode or nominate your picks for the upcoming Listeners’ Choice series: discord.gg/k5vf2Jz