Y2Gamers

This week, take a journey down the rabbit hole with Ming and Nick as we rocket back to a truly special time for sci-fi movies: the 1990's! We cover the core classics from Terminator 2: Judgement day, to the Star Treks & Wars, to the game-changing Matrix, covering their histories and discuss how they changed our lives in a deep, and profound way! Like, seriously! They really did!

Get your popcorn ready, put your phones on silent and enjoy the show!

Remember the days when tons and tons of like-minded people got together to celebrate their passion for a common interest? Sadly, the global pandemic has put a big STOP sign on live conventions over the last few years  so we've decided to re-live some great memories of attending our first anime convention: Animazement, in North Carolina. 

From getting cash-drained in the dealer's room to the intense battle in the art auctions, we bring the convention magic back to life in all of its glory. 

Oh yeah...Zangief Fan Art, anyone? :P 

For those of us who remember PC gaming in the 90's, few milestones can be as important as the introduction of "powerful" 3D acceleration cards that started the performance rift with consoles. In our 5th episode, Nick and Ming harken back to the days before RGB lights and water cooling...where 3D gaming was just getting started. You might even find a head crab or two along the way... :P

If you enjoy our podcast, please help us out and hit the subscribe button and drop us a line at [email protected]! We'd love to hear from you. 

Always seemingly the underdogs of their generations, both the Saturn and the Dreamcast struggled against the likes of Sony and Nintendo during their all-too-short lifespans. But yet they remain our favorite systems of their time because of the insane amount of quality import titles that were otherwise not easily available to American gamers. Arcade-perfect 2D fighters, flowery JRPGs, and other oddities made for a truly memorable decade of gaming. Join us this week on Y2Gamers as we remember two of the very best systems and import games from Sega's sunsetting hardware days!

So which was it? Was it "Transform & Roll-Out!" or "Activate Interlocks!" on weekday afternoons that got you started on the path of anime fandom? This week, Ming and Nick take a look at the memorable "starter" cartoons and anime of our childhoods that formed the foundations of our otaku lifestyles. From Transformers to Neon Genesis Evangelion: We take you back!

On this week's Y2Gamers, Ming and Nick think back to one of the cultural highlights of 90's gaming: the Arcade. Before online gaming and the sunsetting of many of our shopping malls, Arcades were where you got together with your friends and rivals to play the latest and greatest and prove your skills as a champion. There was nothing quite like the excitement of stepping into one. Whether you grew up with them like us, or are curious about what gaming standing-up is like, you are in for a treat! Get your quarters ready, folks!

We'd love to hear from you about your arcade experiences, from Ski Ball to Killer Instinct! Give us a shout at [email protected].

Note: For our first couple of episodes, you will experience some unfortunate audio issues. These will eventually improve with future episodes. Please hang in there with us as we continue to learn and improve your listening experience!

Welcome to the Y2Gamers Podcast, a place where two long time friends and gaming rivals co-op and talk about a golden age of gaming, anime, and geek culture at the turn of the millennium. Each week, across the Pacific Ocean, we explore a fun new topic through our unique and wacky vantage points and share plenty of laughs along the way! 

On our premiere episode, we've got a special double-whammy! First, Ming and Nick go way back to our earliest memories of what video game stores were like in the early 90's, from the gaming wall at Toys 'R' Us to loitering at the neighborhood Waldensoftware - we share how the offline retail experience of old helped shape our early gamer days. We then hit up perhaps the most important milestone of modern gaming history: the launch of the Sony PlayStation. Black discs and 3D?! It's all here in Episode 1 of Y2Gamers.

We'd love to hear from you about your early game store experiences and memories of the PlayStation launch as well! Give us a shout at [email protected].

Note: For our first couple of episodes, you will experience some unfortunate audio-related issues. These will eventually improve with future episodes. Please hang in there with us as we continue to learn and improve your listening experience!