A PODCAST FOR ARCADE LOVERS. From the owners of 100+ arcade and pinball cabinets, and the proprietors of a real-life arcade comes PODOUKEN, a brand new podcast that takes a deep dive into the world of video arcade games, and explores the history, story, strategy, art, music, restoration, preservation and fun of arcade games.
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Podoken Podcasts
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 y…
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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 adve…
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Arcade Obscura (Rhythm) - Episode 151
1:51:47
1:51:47
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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…
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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 …
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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 addic…
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This "Behind the Music" is an 8-part retrospective of the biggest rhythm game franchise to ever hit the States (and the reason so many of us still have plastic guitars stashed in our hall closets). Featuring opening acts Harmonix and Red Octane, and headliner trio that gave us Guitar Hero Arcade - Activision, Konami, and Raw Thrills What is the mus…
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Namco set out to create a super popular rhythm game and accidentally created the most popular mascots since Pac-Man. Don-chan and Katsu-chan are unavoidable as we talk about the extremely popular in the East but largely ignored in the West drum game, Taiko No Tatsujin! Why was this game never released in the U.S. until now? How did an instrument mi…
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Finally a rhythm game that is unlikely to give you a cardiac arrest. We explore the often mispronounced (hint: the "j" is silent) BEMANI hit that is DDR for your fingers, jubeat! What is the magic behind this geometric anomaly of an arcade game? Is Scatman or Y.M.C.A. the most beloved of all western songs by Japanese game developers? How hard is it…
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Dance Dance Revolution - Episode 145
2:47:26
2:47:26
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This miniseries is all about rhythm - rhythm games, that is. We recognize that three middle-aged white guys may not be the best option to talk about this episode's game so we asked local (and international) legends Chris Austin and Leon Brunson to give us an insight into the strategy, gameplay, and tournament scene of Konami's Dance Dance Revolutio…
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Arcade Obscura (Light Gun) - Episode 144
2:37:07
2:37:07
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It's the end of the Light Gun miniseries and we're down to our last remaining bullets. Now it's time for each host to shoot their shot on their pick of an obscure or underrated Light Gun arcade game. Did it finally happen? Did we pick the same game?! Adam brings the cinematic rage with his choice. Jarrod channels familiar territory with a game made…
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The House Of The Dead 2 - Episode 143
1:56:06
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It's the last featured episode of the Light Gun series! The portal to carnage opens again as we dig up arguably Sega's best light gun series - and arguably the best game in the series - with The House of the Dead 2. When will G-nome Theory be touring next? How did the AM1 team's demand for more time to work on the sequel lead to a hardware upgrade?…
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Lights go dim, the tokens drop, the carousel spins - it'll never stop. From haunted houses to freakish feats, the bosses roar and shotgun greets. So pump that gun and don't delay, the Midway's mad and here to stay. This ain't no game for hearts too civil… It's the podcast ode to CarnEvil! Why do we know so much about the local "insane asylum" calle…
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Woo-wee! There's no avoiding it any longer. While these games don't rank highly on our personal lists, we must talk about one of the most influential and long-lasting series in light gun arcade games, Big Buck Hunter. Do we represent the snobby gaming community? How did appealing to the "Bubba factor" make this popular game series thrive? What is t…
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ACTION! We put the pedal to the metal in our light gun miniseries with Namco's Time Crisis. Seek cover as we explore the entire series starting with V.S.S.E. agent Richard Miller and ending with whatever Time Crisis 5 was. Did Namco's attempt to top Sega's Virtua Cop succeed? Is Time Crisis 2 the most complete light gun game experience? What are th…
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Welcome to the hardboiled streets of 90s Chicago where a crime wave is at an all time high. It's up to you, officer Don Marshall, and you, Unnamed Female, to fight crime with as many bullets as possible. Then travel to the Wild West to also fight crime with as many bullets as possible. This is Konami's Lethal Enforcers arcade series. How was a knee…
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The House Of The Dead - Episode 138
2:24:01
2:24:01
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Step into the rotting halls of Curien Mansion, where bullets fly and the undead just won't stay down. With cinematic flair, branching paths, and enemies that lurch ever closer, this horror-themed arcade shooter became one of the best in the light gun genre. Welcome to Sega's The House of the Dead. How did a broom help bring a terrifying boss to lif…
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We draw on a new miniseries that is all about light gun games. And we start with getting to the truth behind the biggest conspiracy of them all: Area 51. How did this game save Atari Games (at least temporarily)? Was every CiCi's Pizza contractually obligated to have an Area 51 game in their arcade? How did a bodybuilder from a theme park and a mod…
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Arcade Obscura (4P Beat 'Em Ups) - Episode 136
2:17:44
2:17:44
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It's the end to our longest miniseries ever as we put our last quarter in the Four Player Beat 'Em Up miniseries (sniffle) with an Arcade Obscura. Each host brings their choice for a 4 player brawler that we think is obscure or underrated. Jarrod brings us a Sega arcade game with a hot 90s topic that may not be the best player but sure is a looker.…
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In the year 20XX, a battle for world domination now begins!! The last featured episode of the 4 Player Beat 'Em Up miniseries aptly finishes with Capcom's last 2D arcade beat 'em up, Battle Circuit. Is this the closest we'll ever get to a Cowboy Bebop arcade game? How did an eight-player racing game turn into this four-player beat 'em up? Who has t…
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Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom / Shadow Over Mystara - Episode 134
2:34:50
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Welcome to the D&D world! We're expanding the lore with not one, but two Dungeons & Dragons arcade games made by Capcom! Tuck in for an in-depth episode about the Known World, why the Record of Lodoss War is more than an anime, and the rare example of how a consultant can actually help a company as we talk about Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom an…
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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…
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Golden Axe: Revenge of Death Adder - Episode 132
2:01:53
2:01:53
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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 o…
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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 g…
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Crime Fighters / Vendetta - Episode 130
2:19:49
2:19:49
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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 va…
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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 t…
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