Armored Warriors - Episode 158
Podouken
In the world of three-player arcade beat ‘em ups Capcom is king. But which of their games reign supreme? In this episode we’re talking about the build-a-mech brawler Armored Warriors! Is Armored Warriors the closest we’ll ever get to an Exo Squad arcade game? What is the quarter mile time of a Night Fury Nissan GTR and how much horsepower does it have? Did Rob turn traitor while watching Olympic hockey? How did this game spawn a popular fighting game character? Listener questions asked this week include what was our first arcade machine and when did we buy it, what raster arcade would...
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Turbo Force - Episode 157
Podouken
In 1991 Video System released what is undeniably the best three-player vertical arcade shooter that retrofits Lamborghinis into flying vehicles that fight a giant Lexus in space - and 35 years later we’re talking about it. Now get your butt in the Diablo(on) as we launch Turbo Force! With its blood selling for $60k per gallon is Turbo Force’s giant horseshoe crab the most valuable boss in an arcade game? Does “C” stand for “Canada,” “controversy,” or “curling”? Did we have the opportunity to buy a famed arcade gaming IP and miss it? Is this the ultimate 90s Trapper Keeper...
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Ivan “Ironman” Stewart’s Super Off Road - Episode 156
Podouken
Step right up and spin the wheels (all three of them) on the best stand-up racing game to feature a vague Marvel reference - Ivan “Ironman” Stewart’s Super Off Road by the Leland Corporation. What is the true name of this game? Why does Rob sound like he gargled with razor blades? How many copies of Super Mario Advance can one person legally own? Was the Activator the worst gaming peripheral ever? Questions this week include which arcade PCBs have shot up in price and made us go, “huh, really, that game?”; and a three-parter: what is an arcade or pinball game that we love but...
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Battletoads - Episode 155
Podouken
It’s the start of the Three’s Company series but instead of Jack, Janet, and Chrissy (it’s an old joke, look it up) we’re talking about Pimple, Rash, and Zitz who star in one of the best, but woefully undersupported, beat ‘em ups to hit the arcades - the Rare and Electronics Arts collab, Battletoads. What insane decisions did Rare make to keep this game fresh? Which collects more dust: a navel or Jaz drive slot? How much profanity was removed from Battletoads prior to it hitting arcades? What was the name of that kids game show where they would run through the maze at the end and...
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Half-Life 2: Survivor - Episode 154
Podouken
This episode is about a game you’ve definitely heard of but likely never knew was an arcade game. Lemony Vengeance joins the show to talk about his efforts to keep this Valve and Taito arcade collaboration alive. We’re talking Gordon Freeman, airboats, gravity guns and headcrabs as we discuss the super rare Half-Life 2: Survivor. How did Lemony bring this Survivor back from its Street Fighter tomb? Is the GabeCube coming to save us? Will there ever be a Half-Life 3? What are some of our scariest game pickups? We also answer some deeply personal arcade collecting questions like how many...
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Lucky & Wild - Episode 153
Podouken
Let’s go! Ah, the early 90s when the perfect date night meant hopping into a sit-down arcade game based on buddy cop movies, grabbing the steering wheel with one hand, gun with the other, and having you and your passenger blast away the bad guys in gory pixelated glory. Was there anything better than Namco’s unique driver/shooter Lucky & Wild? Do you believe the story that Lucky & Wild drew no inspiration from Tango & Cash? How do we like DotEmu’s new Marvel Cosmic Invasion (we swear it’s not a paid advertisement - unless they want it to be)? Was this entire game a thinly...
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Shinobi - Episode 152
Podouken
The late ’80s were packed with pop-culture obsessions: arcades, action movies, neon aesthetics, and of course, a nationwide fascination with ninjas. Sleek, masked warriors showed up everywhere from toys to TV, shaping the era’s love of fast, flashy combat. But no arcade game captured the ninja craze as perfectly as Sega’s iconic side-scrolling adventure, Shinobi. How did Shinobi perform a bait and switch on poor kids at the arcade? Is a mining engineering degree the perfect educational pursuit to get into game design? Did Pastblaster enjoy Free Play Florida 2025? What is the...
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Arcade Obscura (Rhythm) - Episode 151
Podouken
The music is fading and the lights are coming up on our Rhythm miniseries. Time for the final encore as each host picks one more game for this rhythm Arcade Obscura. The first pick is a helluva ride that features a very familiar arcade character. The next pick takes us to heaven with a development contract made in hell. Our final pick may be one of the most obscure games we’ve ever featured and requires you to bring a friend. We field your questions like if any arcade machine could be perfectly resurrected, what would be our choice to bring back from the dead, and which video game music...
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Sound Voltex - Episode 150
Podouken
It’s our penultimate episode of the Rhythm miniseries (and hey, we also hit episode 150)! We return to BEMANI to explore their sub-sub-culture game that allows you to ruin good music just like real DJs, Sound Voltex (or SDVX as the cooler kids say). What is it about the Bop It nature of this game that causes some people to love it or hate it? Want to hear our spoiler-free thoughts on Tron: Ares? How embarrassed should we feel picking energetic anime girls as our avatars? Are you ready to submit your pick for our next Listeners’ Choice?! We have some odd questions to answer this time: who...
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Chunithm - Episode 149
Podouken
Sega is no stranger to the arcade rhythm games but they really hit their stride with their Performai series of games. So scan your Aime card, select your song, and let’s play the game that literally translates to “pre-teen kids who think they’re cooler than they are playing a rhythm game” - Chunithm. What is it about Chunithm that makes it so addictive? Do you really need gloves to play? Was Adam a part of any other bands? Why does Chunithm have a penguin mascot? We teach our co-hosts about a non-arcade interest that we have (or at least talk about what it would be) and discuss which...
info_outlineLet’s be honest, 1997 wasn’t our favorite year due to a trio of horrible deaths, songs like “MMMBop” ruling the radio, and George Lucas unleashing Greedo shooting first upon the theater-going public. But that doesn’t mean the Neo Geo games of that year weren’t awesome! We assemble our 4 slot with a duo of puzzle games in Money Puzzle Exchanger and Magical Drop 3, the return of another samurai fighter in The Last Blade, and the run ‘n gun stylings of Shock Troopers.
Did we purposely plan our Neo Geo 1997 episode to come out within hours of the last episode of the first season of X-Men 97? Why can’t Jarrod quit puzzle games? Why can’t Rob quit samurai fighting games? Does this episode contain more mispronounced Japanese names than all other episodes combined?
We get asked the mother of all dad question: what are our summer grilling ideas? Join the Podouken Discord and ask your own questions, which could be included in a future episode, by following this link: discord.gg/k5vf2Jz