The Kataban Podcast

Kataban
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Video Games
  • Weekly

Two gamers talk about Japanese retro games: the hidden gems, the ones that never got a sequel, and the stories behind them. New episodes every week.

Episodes

  1. 5d ago

    #7 DoDonPachi: 245 Bullets and One Angry Leader Bee

    Cave's DoDonPachi hit Japanese arcades in February 1997 with up to 245 bullets on screen at once. And yes, the title really does read "angry leader bee." Emily and James talk about hidden golden bees, why the best bomb is the one you never use, a colonel who lies to you, a final boss shrunk to make room for more bullets, a prize board only one player owns, two discs that never left Japan, and a version you play by waving at a Kinect. Also, James's mom can't remember what her arcade shooter was called. Chapters (00:00) James's mom forgot her shooting game (00:39) What kind of game is it? (02:02) Thirteen hidden golden bees (02:30) What "DoDonPachi" means (03:01) The colonel's betrayal and Hibachi (04:17) The crowd around the cabinet (05:13) The Campaign Version only one player owns (05:52) Saturn and PlayStation, Japan only (06:44) DoDonPachi with a Kinect (07:12) The sequel from Taiwan (07:37) Back on Steam (07:56) The verdict Read more about the original Japanese releases: https://gamekataban.com/blog/2026-08-28-dodonpachi-legacy-collection.html?ref=podcast Voices in this show are AI-generated.

  2. Oct 25

    #6 Golden Axe: The Hero Named Ax Has No Axe

    Sega's Golden Axe hit Japanese arcades in January 1989: a barbarian, an amazon and a dwarf against Death Adder. Thirty-seven years later, the guy named Ax still carries a sword. Emily and James talk about kicking blue thieves for magic pots, a riding monster borrowed from Altered Beast, a village on a giant turtle, where those famous screams really came from, the uncut version that never left Japan, and the sequel America could only download. Also, James's mom can't remember what her arcade game was called. Chapters (00:00) James's mom forgot her sword game (00:39) What kind of game is it? (02:03) Blue thieves and magic pots (02:40) Ax Battler doesn't have an axe (03:20) Chicken Leg and the turtle village (04:02) Where the screams really came from (04:51) The arcade ending and the home versions (06:00) Golden Axe III and the spin-offs (07:06) Back as a cartoon (07:29) What the title means, and the verdict Read more about the original Japanese releases: https://gamekataban.com/blog/2026-08-21-golden-axe-anime-jp-data.html?ref=podcast Voices in this show are AI-generated.

  3. Oct 18

    #5 Fire Emblem: Six Games That Never Left Japan

    Fire Emblem began on the Famicom in 1990 — and its first six games never left Japan. The West started at game number seven and didn't know it. Emily and James talk about soldiers who stay dead, swords that break, the two sword guys in Smash Bros. nobody recognized, the Super Famicom game where your soldiers' kids inherit the war, and the year Nintendo nearly ended the series. Also, James's mom can't remember what her strategy game was called. Chapters (00:00) James's mom forgot her strategy game (00:39) What kind of game is it? (01:44) The reset, and swords that break (02:24) Six games that never left Japan (03:17) Marth and Roy, the strangers in Smash Bros. (04:37) Gaiden and Mystery of the Emblem (05:19) Genealogy of the Holy War and Thracia 776 (06:27) The year the series almost ended (07:14) The opera commercial and the new game (07:40) What the title means, and the verdict Read more about the original Japanese cartridges: https://gamekataban.com/blog/2026-08-18-fire-emblem-famicom-super-famicom-origins.html?ref=podcast Voices in this show are AI-generated.

  4. Oct 11

    #4 Rondo of Blood: The Castlevania Japan Kept for 14 Years

    In 1993, Konami released Castlevania: Rondo of Blood on the PC Engine CD — and for fourteen years, it stayed in Japan. Alice and Brian talk about a spooky German intro, a twelve-year-old with doves who outplays the hero, the joke game that boots when you use the wrong System Card, and how its last fight became the opening of Symphony of the Night. Also, Brian's mom can't remember which Castlevania she played. Chapters (00:00) Brian's mom forgot which Castlevania (00:38) What kind of game is it? (01:54) The German intro and the Super Nintendo cousin (03:07) Maria, the twelve-year-old with doves (04:16) Symphony of the Night and the people who made both (05:37) The wrong System Card and the joke game (06:21) Every way it came back (07:12) This month's new Castlevania (07:35) What the Japanese title really says, and the verdict Read more about the original Japanese disc: https://gamekataban.com/blog/2026-09-24-castlevania-development-history-2.html?ref=podcast Voices in this show are AI-generated.

  5. Oct 4

    #3 Top Hunter: SNK's Stretchy-Armed Brawler That Got a Cameo Instead of a Sequel

    In 1994, SNK put a stretchy-armed bounty hunter game in arcades, then on a cartridge that cost more than a console. It charted, it was re-released for thirty years, and it never got a sequel. Ray and Jay talk about Top Hunter: Roddy & Cathy: two lanes to hop between, chains that might drop a bomb, fireball motions in a side-scroller, and why everyone keeps comparing it to Metal Slug. Also, Jay asked his mom again. Read more about the original Japanese cartridge: https://gamekataban.com/blog/2026-09-20-top-hunter-neo-geo-aes-ngh-046.html?ref=podcast Voices in this show are AI-generated.

  6. Oct 2

    #2 Mutation Nation: The Neo Geo Brawler Everyone Liked and Nobody Remembers

    In 1992, with Street Fighter II in every arcade, SNK released a beat-'em-up about punching mutants in the year 2050. It charted, it reviewed well, and it never got a sequel. Ray and Jay talk about Mutation Nation: four elemental spheres, a character select screen with nothing to select, a hero who looks a lot like Kyo Kusanagi, and why SNK walked away from brawlers. Also, Jay's mom can't remember what the game is called. Read more about the original Japanese cartridge: https://gamekataban.com/blog/2026-09-19-mutation-nation-neo-geo-aes-ngh-014.html?ref=podcast Voices in this show are AI-generated.

  7. Sep 30

    #1 Neo Turf Masters: The Golf Game From the Metal Slug Studio

    In 1996, a tiny Osaka studio called Nazca released two games. One was Metal Slug. The other was a golf game. Ray and Jay talk about Neo Turf Masters: two-click swings, six golfers from six countries, brutal wind, why it never got a sequel, and its surprise return at Tokyo Game Show 2026. Read more about the original Japanese cartridge: https://gamekataban.com/blog/2026-09-18-neo-turf-masters-neo-geo-aes-ngh-200.html?ref=podcast Voices in this show are AI-generated.

  • 7 Episodes

About

Two gamers talk about Japanese retro games: the hidden gems, the ones that never got a sequel, and the stories behind them. New episodes every week.

Information

  • Creator
    Kataban
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    7
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Kataban
  • Show Website
    The Kataban Podcast