Podouken Laser Time

Time to spin up a new arcade miniseries with the Laser(Time)Disc! The first game is a fantasy adventure where we become a valiant knight on a quest to rescue the fair princess from the clutches of an evil dragon. Sure, it’s a tired formula, but this one has animation from Don Bluth! We are entering the Dragon’s Lair. Hey kids, do you want to hear about the history of the analog optical disc format known as LaserDisc? What Dragon’s Lair scene is the most obvious cash grab? Are birds the closest thing we have to angels? How much did Don Bluth and his studio charge to animate the prototype of the game? We respond to two listener questions: is there a game we thought we were good at but after seeing a pro play it felt like walking away, and what is an underrepresented game genre in the arcade? Join the Podouken Discord and ask your own questions, which could be included in a future episode, by following this link: discord.gg/k5vf2Jz

We finish our second round of the Neo Geo 4 Slot miniseries with the ultimate retrospective on the MVS Metal Slug series which include Metal Slug: Super Vehicle-001, Metal Slug 2, Metal Slug X, Metal Slug 3, Metal Slug 4, and Metal Slug 5. Will Jarrod be able to keep it together with the conclusion of this Neo Geo miniseries? What were our thoughts on the first season of X-Men 97 (contains high-level discussion which may enter spoiler territory)? Why did Pastblaster mutilate a never before opened Metal Slug 4 kit? Why are the Mars People so… jiggly? We also talk about our arcade, Flippin’ Great Pinball, which was recently hit by an EF-2 tornado. While we received major damage, many of our business neighbors received much worse including complete destruction of their buildings. You can contribute to a fund that will benefit the businesses affected using this link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/poststorm-recovery-for-rrsq-businesses   

Let’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

It’s 1996 - maybe the best year ever - where we got the Macarena (plus some actual good music), “draw me like one of your French girls'' entered the popular vernacular, and the worst console controller was released. It also might have also been the best Neo Geo release year as we show with our 4 slot selections of Neo Mr. Do!, Neo Drift Out: New Technology, Twinkle Star Sprites, and Ghostlop (AKA Ikaruga JezzBall). What Nintendo console is our favorite? How do we identify the difference between Arrival and The Arrival? Why does Rob enjoy music with honkers? Once again we must ask, does Jarrod’s game really fit the theme of the episode? The question for this episode asks us what PCB or coin-op game we would never sell and we quickly identify who among us has a price. Join the Podouken Discord and ask your own questions which could be included in a future episode by following this link: discord.gg/k5vf2Jz

Travel back to the year 1995 when we all found out who shot Mr. Burns, Apollo 13 came out so that all future movie trailers can use James Horner’s music for their dramatic themes, and Calvin & Hobbes sled off into the snow one final time. Reminisce as the Podouken crew assembles their Neo Geo 4 slot with their picks of 1995 with Savage Reign, Far East of Eden: Kabuki Klash, Pulstar, and Puzzle de Pon! Why are this year’s MVS releases an attack of the clones? How did this episode become so… suggestive? Did we just stumble upon the secret inspiration of Naruto? Was the return of Time-Boy a success? The questions this week include which arcade character do we think has the most rizz (which required our old asses to look up the definition of “rizz”) and what game is at the top of our bucket list to play on dedicated hardware? Join the Podouken Discord and ask your own questions which could be included in a future episode by following this link: discord.gg/k5vf2Jz

Welcome to the year 1994 where the White House launched a website with unintended results, the Mandela effect kicked into high gear, and the most-watched car race ever was televised. Let’s dust off an old miniseries, clean out the slots, and assemble the Neo Geo 4 slot with the Podouken picks for 1994 with Top Hunter: Roddy & Cathy, Windjammers, Aero Fighters 2, and Zed Blade. What beloved childhood show just came back and why is the crew so psyched about it? Is up, right, left, up, right a cheat code or the directions on how to find Adam and Rob’s first business? Who did Pastblaster fall in love with in this episode? The question this week deals with our thoughts on restoring arcades and how they affect the value. Join the Podouken Discord and ask your own questions which could be included in a future episode by following this link: discord.gg/k5vf2Jz