In episode 26 of Video Wizards, we get sucked into the cultural maelstrom of March 1985, where the global arcade industry has picked up the pieces and is striking back with, well, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back by our good friends at Atari and Konami’s cutesy, sugary vertical shoot ’em up TwinBee. Namco, meanwhile,Continue reading “VIDEO WIZARDS PODCAST – Episode 26: March 1985”
Tag Archives: atari
VIDEO WIZARDS PODCAST – Episode 25: Winter 1983/1984
For this 25th episode of Video Wizards, we find ourselves back in the earlier 1980s, when health and safety regulations were of a lesser concern. It’s the cold, cold winter of 1983 going on 1984 and the arcade industry was rocked to the core by the “Atari Shock”. Picking up the pieces and strapped forContinue reading “VIDEO WIZARDS PODCAST – Episode 25: Winter 1983/1984”
VIDEO WIZARDS PODCAST – Episode 24: Autumn 1998
In the 24th episode of Video Wizards, we travel to a time close to the “mark of the millennium”, as we find ourselves covering the autumnal months of September, October and November of 1998 for yet another very substantial seasonal spectacular. Arcade games increasingly lose floor space to slot machines and the ones that don’tContinue reading “VIDEO WIZARDS PODCAST – Episode 24: Autumn 1998”
VIDEO WIZARDS PODCAST – Episode 23: Summer 1994
In episode 23 of Video Wizards, we return to the year 1994 to bask in the sunrays of the summer, for another seasonal spectacular. With the midpoint of the ’90s just one year away and the ’80s now full and well behind us, we find ourselves in a period of cultural turmoil, where the arcadeContinue reading “VIDEO WIZARDS PODCAST – Episode 23: Summer 1994”
VIDEO WIZARDS PODCAST – Episode 22: May 1988
In episode 22 of Video Wizards, we find ourselves in the glorious year of 1988, where the 2D shoot ’em up still reigned supreme as the most dominant video game genre. In the arcades we see releases of heavy hitters like Vulcan Venture a.k.a. Gradius II by Konami, Forgotten Worlds by Capcom and Silkworm byContinue reading “VIDEO WIZARDS PODCAST – Episode 22: May 1988”
VIDEO WIZARDS PODCAST – Episode 20: March 1981
In episode number 20 of Video Wizards, we travel back the furthest yet: all the way to March 1981. With baby Ben keeping his parents awake all night with his lung and vocal chord exercises and Michiel celebrating his 5th birthday, the arcade game scene is typified by innovation and the establishing of brand newContinue reading “VIDEO WIZARDS PODCAST – Episode 20: March 1981”
VIDEO WIZARDS PODCAST – Episode 19: Winter 1990 / 1991
In the 19th episode of Video Wizards, we again travel back to 3 months in one single episode: December 1990 and January and February in 1991. And we find ourselves in a tumultuous time, with a lot of political twists and turns on the world stage and the arcade industry being on the brink ofContinue reading “VIDEO WIZARDS PODCAST – Episode 19: Winter 1990 / 1991”
VIDEO WIZARDS PODCAST – Episode 18: Autumn 1986
In the 18th episode of Video Wizards, we again travel back to 3 months in one single episode: September, October and November, all in the year 1986. And do things get more 1980s than this one? Perhaps not when arcade games like Out Run and movies like Top Gun see a release in this timeContinue reading “VIDEO WIZARDS PODCAST – Episode 18: Autumn 1986”
VIDEO WIZARDS PODCAST – Episode 15: April 1992
In this episode of the Video Wizards Podcast we’re traveling back to April 1992 to an arcade landscape that differs wildly from the one we left in the last episode. In the wake of 1991’s Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, we find the scene reinvigorated, with big budget games and showy machines occupying theContinue reading “VIDEO WIZARDS PODCAST – Episode 15: April 1992”
VIDEO WIZARDS PODCAST – Episode 14: March 1984
In this episode, the Video Wizards find themselves in March 1984, where they are confronted with the wreckage left by Atari on the North American video game market and its effect on releases in European arcades. It’s nothing but obscure coin-ops this month as SNK quietly introduce the now little known sequel to Vanguard, CorelandContinue reading “VIDEO WIZARDS PODCAST – Episode 14: March 1984”
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