Metamorphic Force - Episode 133
Podouken
Let’s go BEAST MODE with Konami’s Metamorphic Force! It’s the best X-Men meets Altered Beast arcade beat ‘em up that takes place on the island of Dr. Moreau where everyone is made out of water balloons that you’ll ever play. Guaranteed. What were the working conditions for copywriters at Konami USA’s headquarters? How much snow does it take to shut down a Florida city for multiple days? Why should your safe search be on when Googling one of Metamorphic Force’s bosses? Which regional version of this arcade game is the best? Rob spills the deets on his biggest arcade and pinball...
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Golden Axe: Revenge of Death Adder - Episode 132
Podouken
A barbarian, halfling, dwarf riding a giant, and centauress walk into a bar. It’s not just the setup for a joke but also a fantastic beat ‘em up that Sega has criminally done very little with. Let’s delve into the history of Golden Axe: Revenge of Death Adder! Do we have a reverse Splash situation happening in this game? What was the name of that one event on American Gladiators where they put that thing in the bigger thing? How did Jarrod score a Revenge of Death Adder PCB? Has anyone listened to the new Demon Skol record yet? Get ready for a lightning round of listener questions as...
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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...
info_outlineIt 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 was Past Blaster’s trip to Japan?
We answer this episode’s listener questions: which games had the biggest crowds when we were growing up, and what arcade game did we discover for the first time through M.A.M.E.? Want your questions answered in a future episode? You can join the Podouken Discord by following this link and ask away: discord.gg/k5vf2Jz
News! The listener questions segments are now available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@podoukenpodcast2716
Thanks to Kevin (aka Bull on the Podouken Discord) for the Listeners’ Choice game nomination!