The Arcade Files

It's the 1-Year Anniversary for The Arcade Files podcast, so let's do a Halloween Special and talk about the Urban Legend of Polybius. How did it get started and did it ever actually exist? Only one way to find out. A big thank you to all who have listened and enjoyed the show. Don't hesitate to reach out to me on social media or send me an email.

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Check out the link for the book mentioned in today's episode:

https://www.bitmapbooks.co.uk/products/metal-slug-the-ultimate-history

In 1979, Williams Electronics decided to expand from the pinball market to the video arcade market, but needed a dependable hand to guide the way. The task was assigned to Eugene Jarvis, a young, successful employee at Williams, who put together a team and went on to create a legend for the arcade industry. What is considered the one of the most difficult, yet one of the most successful arcade games of all time, this is the history and story of Defender.

A special thank you to Techno Mage for allowing use of their content in this episode. If you enjoyed their music, check out their webpage:

https://technomage.bandcamp.com

You can also follow them on social media and support them on Patreon by clicking the above link.

The shoot'em up genre was starting to lose steam by 1982, but leave it Sega/Gremlin to keep it alive with it's isometric approach to Zaxxon. Not only that, but advertisement for upcoming arcade titles was forever changed with Zaxxon, being the first to be featured in a TV commercial. Money was spent and money was made, Sega was on the rise in the arcade industry. Enjoy!

In 1981, Sega/Gremlin nearly passed up the opportunity on Frogger, due to up tight executives. However, we can thank Elizabeth Falconer who not only pushed for the game, but wasn't afraid to step on some toes to do so. How did Frogger come about? Stay tuned and find out!

Released in June 1981, Centipede became the second best selling coin-op game for Atari, but why? A female's touch may have been the answer, thanks to Dona Bailey who helped program the game. So sit back, relax and enjoy the episode. 

Twitter: @arcade_files

The following links are referenced in today's episode:

https://www.retrorgb.com/13-more-games-on-astro-city-mini.html

https://readonlymemory.vg/shop/book/sega-arcade-pop-up-history/

https://arcadeblogger.com/2020/05/15/atari-centipede-prototype-surfaces/

A two for one episode as we learn about Atari making waves in 1979 and 1980 with these two classics. Both brought vector graphics to the arcade scene during the Golden Age and share a small, government connection. Despite that, these two arcade games also brought a very unique look in the control design for their respective game play and helped Atari make a little bit of money in the process. Enjoy the show!

Namco wanted to repeat Pac-man's success with Dig Dug and provided a new approach to the maze game genre. This quirky game brought something fresh to the arcades during the Golden Age and quickly became a legend among the giants. Tune in for the history and story of Dig Dug.

Joust is one of the earliest arcade games to offer a true two-player experience. It also gained a lot of attraction of being a very unique and quirky game, when so many other choices seemed to fall under space combat, sports or racing. I mean, who doesn't want to play an arcade game, playing as a Knight, riding an Ostrich and fighting bad guys who ride on Vultures. Check out the history and story of Joust!

A pioneer in arcade gaming that used voice synthesizer to not only get your attention at the arcade, but would even intimidate and mock you based on your game play.  However, Berzerk would mostly be remembered for the urban legend of being an actual player killer. Was Berzerk responsible for the death of a young gamer? Only one way to find out, enjoy the show. 

We are going way back on this episode. In November of 1979, the dream of going into space and blowing up rocks, with the occasional flying saucer was fulfilled for many lives. Asteroids is one the early games to help usher in the Golden Age of Arcades and was the most successful game ever released by Atari, Inc. I hope you enjoy!