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 answer listener questions like what is the cutest arcade character and our favorite Christmas video. Join the Podouken Discord and ask questions with care, that soon could be included in a future episode by clicking here: discord.gg/k5vf2Jz Check out our YouTube channel for our listener question segments and some additional content: https://www.youtube.com/@podoukenpodcast2716

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 player versions? How much did Vendetta steal from Final Fight who in turn stole from Crime Fighters? We talk about our visit to Free Play Florida and answer some listener questions (both of them by the same person): what are our favorite arcade joysticks and buttons, and if Podouken had its own brawler what would be our individual abilities (and who would be the fourth character)? Join the Podouken Discord and ask questions that could be included in a future episode by clicking here: discord.gg/k5vf2Jz Check out our YouTube channel for our listener question segments which are coming from our backup recording location this time (hey Busker, no busking): https://www.youtube.com/@podoukenpodcast2716

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 include how far we would drive for our dream cabinet and makes us get all introspective about what we would like Podouken to be remembered for. You can join the Podouken Discord and ask your own questions for a future episode by clicking this completely safe link: discord.gg/k5vf2Jz You can also check out our YouTube channel for new content (or old content but with 100% more visuals): https://www.youtube.com/@podoukenpodcast2716

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 often-used terms like “kneebasher” and identifying what arcade game based toy we would want that no one else would. Do you have a question? You can join the Podouken Discord by following this link and ask away in the episode questions channel: discord.gg/k5vf2Jz The new listener questions segments are also available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@podoukenpodcast2716 Thanks to Ross (aka FrozenFear on the Podouken Discord) for the Listeners’ Choice game nomination!

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 love to see turned into an arcade or pinball game. Want your questions answered in a future episode? You can join the Podouken Discord by following this link and ask away in the episode questions channel: discord.gg/k5vf2Jz The new listener questions segments are also available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@podoukenpodcast2716 Thanks to Matt (aka Momsecretrecipe on the Podouken Discord) for the Listeners’ Choice game nomination!

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 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!

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 last episode before our hiatus (we’ll be coming back in October 2024) we answer what our four favorite Podouken episodes are. We also want to hear your picks on the Discord server! Plus it’s time for round 5 of the Listeners’ Choice. Hop on the Future Episodes channel and nominate a game you’d like to hear us cover. You can join the Podouken Discord (where all the action happens) by following this link: discord.gg/k5vf2Jz

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 questions this episode include what arcade games we’d like to see in an e-Olympics event and what claim to gaming fame have we performed but can’t prove? Join the Podouken Discord and ask your own questions, which could be included in a future episode, by following this link: discord.gg/k5vf2Jz

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 arcade’s attract mode and arcade flyer? What, you want more questions? How about some listener ones: do you have advice or suggestions for indie game developers who want to make arcade-oriented titles, and which arcade game first entry is superior to its sequel(s)? Join the Podouken Discord and ask your own questions, which could be included in a future episode, by following this link: discord.gg/k5vf2Jz

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 secret sauce is made for deciding what games we talk about and naming an arcade game and PCB that we could never part with. Join the Podouken Discord and ask your own questions, which could be included in a future episode, by following this link: discord.gg/k5vf2Jz