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 directly from the ..read more

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 asking how the ..read more

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 ..read more

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’ Grea ..read more

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 s ..read more

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 ..read more

It was fun while it lasted but it’s time to retire the Beast Mode miniseries in the best way possible - with an Arcade Obscura! Each host brings their pick of an obscure or underrated arcade game that (mostly) fits the theme. What obscure arcade game is so divisive it has Rob yelling into the microphone? How does Adam take the purest sport in the world today, and Texas’s national pastime, and turn it into some kind of game?! Did Jarrod once again subvert the miniseries rules with his game selection? We answer the important questions like what’s our favorite screen clearing move, and what are t ..read more

Hear ye, hear ye! His Majesty King Williams invites you to witness the magnificent tournament in ye Land of Molten Magma and Stoned Clouds where brave knights shalt ride their bird and shalt fight with lance. It is long past time to talk about one of the best arcade games ever made… Joust! Who are you playing as in this game? How did the popular ‘Fire’ button get replaced with another four-letter ‘F’ word? What is the “Rob Throb” (and why should we never talk about it again)? How many Joust cocktail tables did Williams really make? Questions for this week include how we would suggest modernizi ..read more

Long, long ago in the land of Og there lived a one-eyed caveman by the name of Trog, and in that land there lived four friends: Rex and Bloop, Spike and Gwen. Let’s control some colorful claymation dinos and grab some eggs in Bally/Midway’s Trog - in PLAYmation! Why was the original game much different than the Trog that we got? Exactly who’s cloaca did all these eggs come from? Is this the first arcade game to use claymation? What comic strip character did Jack Haeger base the titular character on? Listener questions this week put us in a moral quandary on whether we should give advice on con ..read more

Now, it is beginning of a fantastic story! Let’s make a journey to the Cave of Monsters! Good luck! In this beastly episode we will visit with Bub and Bob as we become the best Bubble Bobble bubble blowers on the block! Is Bubble Bobble the ultimate introvert shaming game? What is a potato party? How much money did Jarrod find in his newly acquired coin pusher? How much “Ice Ice Baby” is too much “Ice Ice Baby?” All that and listener questions! This episode we answer, “What is the largest arcade purchase regret that we have made” and “what home console or computer game would we like to see ada ..read more