NEW PODOUKEN! The late ’80s were packed with pop-culture obsessions: arcades, action movies, neon aesthetics, and of course, a nationwide fascination with ninjas. But no arcade game captured the ninja craze as perfectly as Sega’s iconic side-scrolling adventure, Shinobi. Out now!

NEW PODOUKEN! The music is fading and the lights are coming up on our Rhythm miniseries. Time for the final encore as each host picks one more arcade game for this rhythm #ArcadeObscura. Out now on your favorite podcast services!

There's still time to nominate your arcade choice for our next #ListenersChoice series. Comment here or post on our Discord server.

It is time for another #ListentersChoice series! Nominate an arcade game that you'd like to hear us cover (that we haven't already done). If we pick your game we'll ask you to be involved in the episode! Reply to this thread or tag us and add the #ListenersChoice hashtag to submit your choice.

It's hard to believe this is our 6th #Karnovember with our Fighter's History episode having come out on November 20, 2019. It was our 4th episode. To think we were all in our 30s then...

NEW PODOUKEN! It’s the penultimate episode of the Rhythm miniseries (and hey, we also hit episode 150)! We return to BEMANI to explore their sub-sub-culture game that allows you to ruin good music just like real DJs, Sound Voltex (or SDVX as the cooler kids say). Out now!

NEW PODOUKEN! Sega is no stranger to the arcade rhythm games but they hit their stride with the Performai series. Scan your Aime card & let’s play the game that translates to “pre-teen kids who think they’re cool playing a rhythm game” – Chunithm. Out now on your favorite podcast service!

Podouken Picks episode 3 is live! We really need to update our character graphics to add gray beards...

Neo Turf Masters Nightmare in the Dark Windjammers Samurai Shodown II

NEW PODOUKEN! This “Behind the Music” is an 8-part retrospective of the biggest rhythm game franchise to ever hit the States (and the reason so many of us still have plastic guitars stashed in our hall closets) - Guitar Hero Arcade. Out now! #activision #rawthrills #harmonix #redoctane #konami

Arthur from Ghosts 'n Goblins was the original Dungeon Crawler Carl. Happy 40th! #arcade #capcom

NEW PODOUKEN! Namco set out to create a super popular rhythm game & accidentally created the most popular arcade mascots since Pac-Man. Don-chan and Katsu-chan are unavoidable as we talk about the extremely popular in the East but largely ignored in the West drum game, Taiko No Tatsujin! Out now!

If the Punisher arcade game toy announcement awoken your interest in the game, we know a little podcast that spent 2 hours and 15 minutes talking about it...

NEW PODOUKEN! Finally a rhythm game that is unlikely to give you a cardiac arrest. We explore the often mispronounced (hint: the “j” is silent) BEMANI hit that is DDR for your fingers, jubeat! Out now on your favorite podcast service! #arcade #rhythm #jubeat #bemani #konami

You get one room filled with 20 games of the following type: Arcade Pinball Rhythm Which room are you choosing?

Normalize converting dining rooms into pinball rooms.

Just a reminder... Arcade venues have come back in a major way in the past decade but they won't last another decade without your support. Find your nearest local arcade and go play! Repost with your local arcade if you agree.

NEW PODOUKEN! We recognize that 3 middle-aged white guys talk about this episode's game isn't the best option so we asked local (& international) legends Chris Austin & Leon Brunson to give us insight into the strategy, gameplay, & tournament scene of BEMANI’s Dance Dance Revolution. #DDR #arcade

SCHEDULE UPDATE: Episode 145 will be delayed until 8/13/25. Apologies for the inconvenience but between travel & Adam coming down with Gingervirus™ we weren't able to get a recording in. The good news is that we enlisted some outside help to join us in this next episode!

NEW PODOUKEN! It’s the end of the Light Gun miniseries and we’re down to our last remaining bullets. Now it’s time for each host to shoot their shot on their pick of an obscure or underrated Light Gun arcade game. #arcadeobscura Out now on your favorite podcast service!

We’re paying tribute to our beloved homeland with a show about one of the most American things we can think of: GUNS! Specifically light gun games. Pastblaster of the Podouken podcast joins to discuss those glorious games of arcades past. vidjagameapocalypse.libsyn.com/best-light-g...

NEW PODOUKEN! It’s the last featured episode of the Light Gun series! The portal to carnage opens again as we dig up arguably Sega’s best light gun series - and arguably the best game in the series - with The House of the Dead 2. Out now on all podcast services! #arcade #history #podcast

NEW PODOUKEN! Lights go dim, the tokens drop, the carousel spins – it never stops. So pump that gun & don’t delay, the Midway’s mad & here to stay. This ain’t no game for hearts too civil… it’s the podcast ode to CarnEvil! If you like arcades you have our vow: it's out on all podcast apps now!

That time that Nitro Circus travelled to the Big Buck Hunter World Championships. A reminder that arcade games unite all people under the banner of fun.

This Wired article gives a new perspective for those that don't appreciate Big Buck Hunter as an arcade game. Although ten years old, it offers a fascinating look at the tournament scene related to the game and the diverse audience a "Bubba bar game" like BBH can attract.

NEW PODOUKEN! Woo-wee! There’s no avoiding it any longer. While these games don’t rank highly on our personal lists, we must talk about one of the most influential and long-lasting series in light gun arcade games, Big Buck Hunter. Out now! #podcast #rawthrills www.podouken.com/2025/06/05/b...

NEW PODOUKEN! ACTION! We put the pedal to the metal in our light gun miniseries with Namco’s Time Crisis. Seek cover as we explore the entire series starting with V.S.S.E. agent Richard Miller and ending with whatever Time Crisis 5 was. Out now on your favorite #podcast service. #arcade #history

If you've listened to Podouken you know we have a long history of talking about Pac-Man and his related holes. Look for a review of the Krispy Kreme featuring @bandainamcousa.bsky.social Pac-Man donuts coming soon to our YouTube channel. #arcade #pacman

NEW PODOUKEN! Welcome to the streets of Chicago where a crime wave is at an all time high. It’s up to you, officer Don Marshall & Unnamed Female, to fight crime with as many bullets as possible. This is Konami’s Lethal Enforcers arcade series. Out now on your favorite podcast service!

NEW PODOUKEN! Step into the rotting halls of Curien Mansion, where bullets fly & the undead won’t die. With cinematic flair, branching paths, & enemies that lurch ever closer, this horror-themed gun game became one of the best in the arcade. Welcome to Sega’s The House of the Dead. Out now!

What's our expectation for the OutRun movie directed by Michael Bay? 💥Lots of 💥

NEW PODOUKEN! We draw on a new miniseries that is all about light gun games. And we start with getting to the truth behind the conspiracy: Area 51. How did this game save Atari Games? Was every CiCi’s Pizza contractually obligated to have an Area 51 game in their arcade? Out now!

Next week we return with our next episode to start a new miniseries. Any guesses on what arcade genre is next?

NEW PODOUKEN! It’s the end to our longest miniseries ever as we put our last quarter in the Four Player Beat ‘Em Up chunklet (sniffle) with an Arcade Obscura. Each host brings their choice for a 4 player brawler that we think is obscure or underrated. Out now on your favorite podcast service.

X-Men arcade has 1 vote right now. ONE VOTE!😡 Where my old gamers at?

There are so many things to both love & fear in the centerfold of Capcom's Battle Circuit arcade flyer. The mix of photo-realism & nightmare inducing modifications is certainly something. On it we see the cosplay versions of game characters like Cyber Blue, Dr. Saturn, Yellow Iris, & more.

ICYMI the latest Podouken episode goes in-depth on Capcom's last arcade beat 'em up, Battle Circuit. The game is often overlooked in the US because it was only released in Europe & Japan and didn't receive a home port until 2018 as part of the Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle.

NEW PODOUKEN! In the year 20XX, a battle for world domination now begins!! The last featured episode of the 4 Player Beat ‘Em Up miniseries aptly finishes with Capcom’s last 2D arcade beat ‘em up, Battle Circuit. Plus we rank the Capcom arcade beat 'em ups. What's the controversial #1? Out now!

Having a backlog of video games is different depending on the type of game collector you are. For instance, a backlog of arcade games means paying monthly storage fees to house all the project games that need to be fixed.

Happy "The Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything" day to Konami's Track & Field arcade. It was released 42 years ago on this day in Japan. The player had to alternately press the Run buttons to build speed for high scores. This led to extreme button wear and the infamous "pencil trick."

What is an arcade game that was better on the console? I’ll go first. Contra.

In a better alternative reality we got a Fantastic Four arcade beat 'em up by Konami in 1992. Naturally it was a four-player and the arcades were full of the sound of "IT'S CLOBBERIN' TIME!" as players triggered The Thing's Fantastic Power. It also had team-up moves like The Simpsons.

Willow (the arcade game) had some beautiful pixel art splash screens made by Capcom that portrayed most of the main cast. Here we have Madmartigan, Elora Danan, and Fin Raziel. 1/2

The Nintendo Super System definitely went above & beyond to stand out in the arcade. Just look at that side art & the mega controllers based on the SNES pad. You could select & play 3 different games or use it as an OEM test rig for SNES game dev. Have you ever played one?

Capcom almost lost the Dungeons & Dragons arcade license over a boat. The Capcom devs had designed a steam-powered paddle boat for Stage 3 but that tech didn't exist in the setting of Basic D&D. TSR wouldn't approve it. Capcom wouldn't change it. Eventually Capcom relented & the game moved forward.

Are we saying that Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara is THE best arcade beat 'em up ever made? Maybe. But at the very least it has to be in the conversation.

Streaming some #arcade games from my cabs. Let's check out some @podouken.bsky.social episode games and more! Twitch.tv/Pastblaster

NEW PODOUKEN! Welcome to the D&D world! It's an episode with two Capcom Dungeons & Dragons arcade games in one. Tuck in for an in-depth episode about the Known World, the Record of Lodoss War, & consultants being helpful as we talk Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom & Shadow Over Mystara.

Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night thinking how weird it is that one of the biggest companies of the golden age of video games was named after Connecticut leather? ... yeah me either...

Some of the most obscure arcade games we've covered so far: Cliff Hanger Trog Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon City Connection Cadillacs & Dinosaurs Willow T-MEK Cannon Spike The Real Ghostbusters Death Race The Outfoxies Quiz & Dragons Metamorphic Force Shoplifter Bucky O'Hare Growl What'd we miss?