Podouken

This episode we talk about the Cave shooter series that is almost as fun to say as it is to play - Mushihimesama. We are joined by Gameboy Guru, host of the Shoot the Core-cast, to pick up Rob's slack on this series. Why does this game fulfill our bug life fantasies in a way that Pixar never could? How do the insane Captain Auction prices from the Museum of Pinball negatively affect collectors? What odd connection do My Buddy dolls and PastBlaster share? Additional discussion includes our favorite Gameboy games, what Jarrod named his pet soundboard, Joy-Con drift, and stories about Norm Macdonald.

Time to cover the complete arcade history of Treasure - the game developer that gave us Radiant Silvergun, Ikargua, and… that's it! We explore these two fun SHMUPs that mix the shooter genre with a dash of puzzle mechanics. What mysterious explosion set us up the bomb for a plot device? How is Treasure still open after no new game releases since 2014? Why is Ikaruga so divisive? We also enjoy some cawfee tawk about new shooter genre mashups, an update on Atari tokens, the correlation between Nickelodeon slime and male pattern baldness, and the pizza debate rages on.

Our 50th episode is ESPecially good as we explore Cave's bullet hells with butterfly wings - ESP Ra.De., Espgaluda, and Espgaluda II. How do you pronounce these games? What does the Michael Bay masterpiece, and Ewan McGregor/Scarlett Johansson star vehicle, "The Island" have to do with ESP Ra.De.? Did Rob make it past level 1? Enjoy an hour of bonus content that includes an appearance by the mighty Monarch, an intense debate about that best trash pizza, Naruto, and we share a deeply personal and cautionary tale about a once great arcade company *cough* Atari *cough*

Are you ready to get prosecuted to the full extent of the jam? If so, join us as we whack the beehive that is the DonPachi series by Cave - and others. Why was DonPachi considered a critical failure even though it launched Cave shooters? When did counting the number of bullets on screen become the measure of the best STG? How did the death of Toaplan give birth to some many great shmups? Will Rob (Ron?) survive giving his controversial thoughts on the first two games? Also in this episode: subliminal messages in Futurama, the worst question you can ask a colorblind person, the merits of Konami golf games, the secret schemes of mattress stores, suicide cults, and much more.

We get loopy with the historically (in)accurate Capcom shooter series based on middle-aged white men's favorite war, the 194X series. Count with us as we cover 1942, 1943, 1941, 19XX, and 1944 in a way that's totally not confusing. How easy is it to beatbox the 1942 theme? What was famed game designer Yoshiki Okamoto's highest grossing game? Is Jarrod a flat earther? Are keytars still a thing? Also covered: Resident Evil movies, the huge hog of Tallahassee, Rob's musical tribute to 1942, the most annoying arcade attract modes, and the correct way to pronounce the name of 80's singer Sade.