Podouken

The hosts let loose with their inner Florida Man to discuss the quintessential Florida game - Daytona USA. Let's go away to the land of alligators, bath salts, and bike weeks and explore how Sega ended up creating the most iconic NASCAR(ish) game ever. How did this music get composed for a stock car racing game? What kind of money did Sega spend to get a huge head start the 3D gamescape? Why was Sega Europe so upset with the game's development? We also get a rolling start on other topics like why the beach is the worst place on earth, the first auto-tuned song, and the importance of #41. And if you'd like to avoid spoilers about the new Mortal Kombat movie then tune out the last 20 minutes (just like Mr. SNK).

It's time to gas up the Ferraro Testabossa, select our favorite synthwave radio station, and feel the wind in our hair as we take a drive with Sega's OutRun. Join us as we take a ride through Yu Suzuki's career and talk about the birth of Taikan games. How did OutRun's memorable music nearly become lost forever? What type of innovations did Suzuki want to include in Sega arcades? Why was the USA too dangerous for a research mission? As is the Podouken way we take plenty of detours to cover things like the artistry of airbrushing, Pastblaster's movie ranking scale, horny Mahjong games, iconic car asses, and the worst Star Wars movie.

Warning: Listening discretion is advised. We hold a serious discussion about the first truly controversial arcade game - Death Race. What led Exidy to release this death simulator upon an unsuspecting public? How did something so outrageously graphic make its way into the American arcade? Who was responsible for shining a bright light on this dark subject? Along the way we do cover some less serious topics like how to properly ship arcade parts, the rarity of Stadium Events, Roger Corman films, the use of Pooneh Ghoddoosi as a safe word, and "Je suis la jeune fille!"

It's time for another Arcade Obscura where each of the hosts pitch their choice of underrated or underappreciated sports-based arcade game. PastBlaster serves up a gorgeous attract mode, but may not deliver on the gameplay. Mr. SNK comes out of the gate with what could be the best disc game on the Neo Geo. Rob flexes his muscles with a game that includes a fire spitting Universal monster. It's the final minutes of our Sportsball series! Don't miss our debates about budget cartoon licenses, opinions on horse girl anime (yay or neigh?), the insane prices of some Nintendo games, and which host goes home with a literal work of art..

It all comes down to this! We hit the highlights from the best arcade football game - Midway's NFL Blitz. The Jamming of sports continues as Midway hunts for their next hit and scores a touchdown with a new technology. How did this "quicker-hitting game" go over with the NFL? Did Blitz fulfill its creator's promise of being "the most violent football game ever designed"? What moves were so offensive that they were removed from the game? How do you input the super-secret code to activate late hits? We also dig into the story of the newly rediscovered Power-Up Baseball, talk about one of our favorite arcade experiences, and explain what sports are to Jarrod.