In Episode 21 of the Arcade Castle, John Finds himself separated from Patrick by the Bacterian Empire and the robotic foot soldiers from Berzerk, both of which seem to be allied with the computer virus Omnicron. 

Taking refuge in a 'Human Storage Facility' on one of the Bacterian Flagships, John chances upon his old friend and now pressganged janitor, Kevin, who is being forced to clean the dust from the relics and debris of humanity, one such relic is the board game of Gradius from 1986!

Busting out his trusty podcasting equipment, John doesn't let a opportunity to talk about a board game pass him by, despite the settings and circumstances, with Kevin having the honor of being the first ever guest host on the Arcade Castle Podcast. 

In this episode of the podcast, Arcade Castle talks at length about the history of schmups, from their beginnings in the 1970s to their current state in 2020, as well as talking about the watershed game within that timeline, its impact, and influence in the gaming industry: Gradius. 

Additionally, we look at the board game adaptation of Gradius that was released by Party Joy in 1986. We discuss its features, graphics, gameplay, and mechanics. We look at how well the board game captures the schmuppy-ness of Gradius and how (if at all)the strategies you utilize in the video game and board dovetail with one another. 

To find out this, and more, check out Episode 20 of the Arcade Castle Podcast!

Episode Outline:

00:00 - 20:00 - Arcade Castle talks about the history, and significance of Gradius, as well as its cultural impact. They talk about flying space snakes, the Konami Code, schmups, and more! Kevin introduces himself and tells the audience a little about his gaming history.

20:00 - 40:00 - Arcade Castle looks at the Gradius board game, how it operates, and the strategies you bring to the table when playing it. They compare it to the digital source material it sprung from and how well it adapts this revolutionary game to cardboard and plastic.

40:00-60:00 - John and Kevin talk about what, if any, improvements can be brought to the table, and how those improvements would bring the tabletop adaptation closer to the arcade experience. 

In Episode 20 of the Arcade Castle Podcast, John and Patrick find themselves at the very doorstep of the DRAGON'S LAIR! (Due in large part to the autonavigation's inability to differentiate between ancient crumbling castles....must be a CAPTCHA thing...) Passing on traversing the treacherous rooms and levels of the Dragon's Lair, Arcade Castle instead peeks into the nearby DRAGON'S STORAGE SHED! Inside the storage shed, they find piles of Dragon's Lair merchandise that Singe has hoarded over the years, including the Dragon's Lair Board game from 1984!

In this episode of the podcast, Arcade Castle looks at the landmark arcade cabinet that is Dragon's Lair, talk about the history of the arcade game, its development, what made it so unique when compared to contemporaneous releases in 1983, and how it performed during the North American video game crash, and more! 

Additionally, we look at the Dragon's Lair board game, and compare the rules and gameplay that govern it and compare it to how the Dragon's Lair arcade cabinet operates during play. Can you take a video game that utilized laserdisc technology, and operated primarily on puzzle/quick time elements to drive gameplay, and turn that into a board game? Are the videogame strategies mirrored in the board game? Are there strategies in the video game?

To find out this, and more, check out Episode 20 of the Arcade Castle Podcast!

Episode Outline:

00:00 - 25:00 - Arcade Castle talks about the history, and significance of Dragon's Lair, as well as its cultural impact. They talk about laserdiscs, the video game crash, Don Bluth, and more!

25:00 - 45:00 - Arcade Castle looks at the Dragon's Lair board game, how it operates, and the strategies you bring to the table when playing it. They compare it to the digital source material it sprung from and how well it adapts this revolutionary game to cardboard and plastic. They then talk about what, if any, improvements can be brought to the table, and how they envision a Dragon's Lair board game would operate if they created one.

In Episode 19, Arcade Castle finds itself in the Warcraft Universe and, as luck would have it, they find a copy of the Warcraft Board Game, released in 2003 by Fantasy Flight and Blizzard Entertainment, based off of the landmark Real-Time Strategy (RTS) computer game Warcraft: Orcs and Humans from 1994.

In this episode, Arcade Castle looks at the historic Warcraft franchise that spans across the decades and spawned the global phenomenon that itself has last going on twenty years: World of Warcraft. They talk about the key components of the original Warcraft title and see how well it was adapted to the tabletop. Can a game that is 'real-time' with simultaneous actions and everyone playing at once be crafted into a board game where players take turns?

Additionally, this is not the first RTS board game adaptation Arcade Castle has encountered on the podcast, as they first played the Age of Mythology in 2016.

(Click this link to check out Episode 03 that covered the Age of Mythology)

Arcade Castle hopes that by comparing these two games side by side it will highlight what developers feel represents the genre, and what game mechanics, rules, and player interaction designers believe capture the digital code of the video games in the board game format.

Episode Outline:

00:00-20:00 - Arcade Castle touches upon the RTS genre, instead wanting to focus their attention on the Warcraft RTS franchise, and the Warcraft universe at large. They discuss the history and impact of not only Warcraft on the RTS genre, but the societal impact of the brand.

20:00-40:00 - Arcade Castle takes an in-depth look at the Warcraft Boardgame, how it plays, the rules, mechanics, and player interaction and try to determine how well it succeeds in adapting this classic RTS title

40:00-60:00 - Arcade Castle compare the strategies you bring to the RTS videogame genre and the strategies you bring to the Warcraft Boardgame and see if there are any commonalities between the two. Additionally, they compare the Warcraft Board Game and the Age of Mythology Board and see which game was a better adaptation of the Real-Time Strategy genre. 

As the seasons turn and weather phenomenon shake the very foundations of the Arcade Castle, another year passes and Arcade Castle finds itself once again in February, the month of its birth. Per tradition (and the bylaws of the land) Arcade Castle must find a game that is part board game and part video game to play to try and delve into the narrow, yet obfuscated, valley that resides in the twin realms of video game and board game, and glean its secrets.

However, no longer can Arcade Castle rely upon the Master Strategy Series from the Odyssey II, as all three games have been played and that odyssey is, alas, at an end. However, they turn their attention to a device that was released two decades after the Master Strategy Series: The Nintendo E-Reader. This device, scanning 'dot-codes' that are printed on trading cards, can turn the analog into digital, the playing card into a video game. But are the two mediums truly integrated?

In Episode 18, Arcade Castle played the Mario Party e Card Game, a card game that requires (under some game settings) the Nintendo E-Reader to resolve conflicts between players; instead of playing the card game to win or lose a battle, players will find themselves playing video games on a Gameboy Advance to seek victory. In Mario Party e, players will be collecting coins to purchase a Superstar Hat, Superstar Suit, and Superstar Shoes in order to obtain a Superstar and win the game. But how well does this card game capture the multiplayer phenomenon that is Mario Party? Further, does this item truly combine the digital and analog realms into a unified experience?

Episode Outline:

00:-00 - 25:00: Arcade Castle discusses at length the Mario Party Series; talking about history, strategy, gameplay, and expectations, John and Patrick touch upon every aspect of the multiplayer smash hit. Additionally, they discuss the E-Reader and Barcode Reading technology.

25:00 - 40:00: Arcade Castle examines the components, strategy, and gameplay of the Mario Party e Card Game. They look at the initial set of rules that allow play without utilizing the Nintendo E-Reader

40:00-60:00: After playing the game without the Nintendo E-Reader, Arcade Castle played the game using the video game accessory and examines how its integration changes the rules, gameplay, and strategy of the Mario Party e Card Game. 

In Episode 17 of the Arcade Castle Podcast, Arcade Castle learned to be wary of having guests on the show when their star guest, Kirby, decides that John and Patrick are more suited for consumption than communication and, after surviving the expansive void that is the fluffy interior of Kirby, Arcade Castle finds itself stranded in Dream Land as Kirby collapses from the powers he absorbed from John and Patrick.

Stranded in the Whispy Woods, Arcade Castle decides the best way to pass the time while Kirby recovers is to play two Kirby themed card games by playing Kirby No Copitoru! (aka the Kirby Copy Abilities Battle! Card Game) from 2015 and the Kirby Sweets Party Board Game from 2017, both of which were published by Ensky in conjunction with HAL Laboratories and Nintendo.

In Kirby No Copitoru! Players start off as a basic Kirby character in this mini-deck building game. As players defeat enemies from the different colored suits (Green, Red, Blue, Yellow) shuffled together into the main enemy deck, players are able to obtain new Kirby abilities for their deck matching the suit(s) of the enemy(ies) they defeated. In subsequent rounds, players will be able to play these new cards to enact powerful abilities that will allow them to defeat some of the most powerful enemies in the game, including King Dedede. As players collect Kirby ability cards and defeat enemies, they will slowly collect victory points and, by the end of round 7, the player with the most victory points is the winner!

The second card game Arcade Castle played while waiting for Kirby to come out of his coma was the Kirby Sweets Party board game. In this game, players are collecting ingredients to complete sweets in preparation for the Sweets Party. However, if they don't complete their sweets or invite the wrong guests they may find victory hard to achieve!

In this unexpected 'On the Road' episode, Arcade Castle looks at the history and impact of the Kirby franchise from its inception to the most recent titles in the franchise on the Nintendo Switch. They talk about the evolution of the pink puffball as well as look at the wide variety of games Kirby has been in and how, appropriately enough, Kirby is able to absorb whatever game genre throws at him and use it to great success.

Episode Outline:

00:00-25:00 - Arcade Castle takes an in-depth look at Kirby the character, and Kirby the franchise as they take a look at the videogame franchse from past to present as well as look at the other cultural offerings Kirby has to offer. In addition, another segment of Once Upon a Powerup discusses how Kirby got his name.

25:00-50:00 - Arcade Castle looks at the first card game of the day by playing and discussing the Kirby No Copitoru! card game. Explaining the rules, its strengths, its weaknesses, and how to improve it (if possible).

50:00 - 75:00 - Arcade Castle turns its attentions to the second title played today: The Kirby Sweets Board Game. In addition to playing and critiquing the board game, Arcade Castle invites one of the members of Board Game Blitz onto the podcast to talk about their love for Kirby as well as their thoughts on the Kirby Sweets Party Board Game in a new segment called Fuzzy Memories. After giving their final recommendations, Arcade Castle attempts to find a way to leave the Whispy Woods and get back to Arcade Castle in time for Episode 18. 

In Episode 16, Arcade Castle takes a look at another giant in the Edutainment industry: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? A facts based learning game at heart, WitWiCS has players tracking V.I.L.E. henchmen across the planet and, later, both time and space, as they attempt to stop these henchmen from stealing iconic cultural icons, items, concepts, buildings, geographic locations, and more by gathering clues, answering questions, and following the trail of the V.I.L.E. henchmen until they are captured and placed behind bars. If you are a good enough A.C.M.E. Detective you may find yourself on the trail of Carmen Sandiego herself and finally answer, once and for all, just Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, issue a warrant for her arrest, and place her in jail and stop her crime syndicate for good.

Additionally, Arcade Castle takes a look at a series of bookends, or sorts, for the Edutaiment franchise, by looking at the earliest and the most recent entries in the Carmen Sandiego board game adaptations library by playing and examining the Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Board Game from 1992 and the Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Card Game from 2017. Can 25 years make a difference in game design and how a company adapts a video game icon to the tabletop? 

In Episode 16, Arcade Castle sits down to discuss the Carmen Sandiego franchise, its time and place in Edutainment history, and their ow connections with it as they play these two games to see how you can adapt an Edutainment video game franchise into cardboard and dice and, if after 25 years, whether all our knowledge paid off in the form of a better game in 2017 than in 2018 or if, as they say, history repeats itself...

Episode Outline:

00:00 - 35:00 - Arcade Castle talks for length about the Carmen Sandiego franchise; from video games and a game show to the numerous board games and animated series, they discuss Carmen Sandiego's impact not only in the video game industry, but culture at large. Arcade Castle also discusses the fate of Carmen Sandiego since the turn of the new millennium and its status as of 2018.

35:00-50:00 - Arcade Castle sits down and plays the Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego Board Game from 1992 and looks at how University Games interpreted the Edutainment title, how to play it, what strategies you can bring to the table when playing it, and how well it captures the franchise.

50:00-75:00 - After a quick break, Arcade Castle plays the latest entry in the series via the Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Card Game from 2017 by Pressman Games. By playing it and comparing it to the board game from 1992, it is Arcade Castle's hopes that they will see a difference in not only board game design, but how designers approach a video game franchise in 2017 and whether or not it is different than that of designers in the late 80s and early 90s.

In Episode 15 of the podcast, The Arcade Castle finds itself, once again, on a journey through another oregon trail licensed board game by Pressman in the form of The Oregon Trail Board Game: Journey to Willamette Valley. Having played The Oregon Trail Card Game and The Oregon Trail Hunt For Food Card Game in prior years (and on Episode 04 and Episode 08, respectively), The Arcade Castle has mixed expectations when bringing this game to the table.

In The Oregon Trail Board Game, players are uncovering the trail from Independence, MO to Willamette Valley, OR. As they traverse the wilderness of 1800s America, players will find hunting grounds, ford rivers, locate forts and towns, and brave the elements as they attempt to successfully reach Oregon. However, the trail is full of hazards and, as supplies dwindle in their covered wagons, will they best the calamities that befall them, or end their trip in a shallow grave on the roadside?

As players play the Oregon Trail Game they will place trail tiles onto the board as they attempt to get to Willamette Valley, OR. As they proceed along the trail, they will need to hunt, trade, buy, sell, and more as they attempt to ensure their family has the supplies it needs to make the journey, but also survive the calamities they encounter upon it. 

Will this latest entry in the Oregon Trail franchise deliver like a delicious pizza? Or end up being only peperony and chease?

Episode Outline:

00:00-20:00: Arcade Castle talks about the Oregon Trail franchise as developed by Pressman over the years and how that can inform the player on how this latest entry was developed and published. 

20:00-40:00: Arcade Castle talks about the gameplay of the Oregon Trail, and its contents.

40:00-60:00: Arcade Castle takes an in-depth look at the strategies inherent to the Oregon Trail Board Game, what the players can bring to the table to have a better chance at winning the game.

60:00-72:00: Arcade Castle compares this third entry in the franchise to the first two to see how the success, or failure, of them defined how the third game was developed and how the strategies reflect that development.

Apollo Approved!

As the sun blazes down on Kentucky without mercy, Arcade Castle cools down by blazing down miles of asphalt at 900+ miles an hour as they play the early 1990s board game adaptation of F-Zero! Based off of the seminal Super Nintendo game that boasted Mode 7 graphics & wowed gamers in 1990, the F-Zero Knight League Real Racing Simulation Game does its best to capture the look and feel of F-Zero in a board game!

In the F-Zero Knight League Real Racing Simulation Game (hereafter FZKLRRSG), players race one another throughout the five courses of the Knight League, attempting to win as many races as they can to score the most points to win the game! Players have a 'hand' of cards to manage their speed and health as they navigate the hazards of each track in the Knight League. Players can push their luck to try and get in first place, but if they are not careful, they may find themselves a fiery wreck on the racetrack.

In Episode 14 of The Arcade Castle Podcast, John and Patrick play the first board game adaptation from the racing genre. Did TOMY successfully craft a game that captures the pace and feel of the iconic 16 bit racer? Or did it end up a twisted heap of metal and ash on the sidelines?

Episode Outline:

00:00 - 07:00 - John and Patrick discuss the workability of a listener's suggestion for improving the MegaMan Board Game (2015).

07:00 - 20:00 - John and Patrick talk about the racing genre and their top three racing video game titles.

20:00 - 30:00 - Turning their attention to the F-Zero franchise, they discuss the technology behind Mode 7 graphics, the history and cultural reception of the F-Zero games from inception to its current status in the field.

30:00 - 53:00 - Arcade Castle discusses the FZKLRRSG in depth; from looking at the components and rules to examining the strategies gamers can use when playing FZKLRRSM, they try and determine how successful this game is at capturing the essence of the F-Zero franchise in a board game format.

Continuing the adventures from Episode 12, Arcade Castle looks at two more Kickstarter games, this time in the form of food-themed card games. The first game Arcade Castle examined was a card game based off the 1982 arcade smash hit BurgerTime. Following this, Arcade Castle had dessert in the form of Robots ♥ Ice Cream, based off a mid 2010s iOS phone game.

The BurgerTime Card Game attempts to overcome the challenge any developer faces when they try and adapt a typical arcade title into a board game or card game: how does one take the often "easy to learn, lifetime to master" simplistic gameplay of many arcade titles and make it a compelling and strategic game for multiple people to play. Does BurgerTime successfully create an enjoyable dish, or bring something to the table that deserves to be tossed into the trash?

After Arcade Castle digested BurgerTime, they decided to get some dessert in the form of Robots ♥ Ice Cream. Based off a Space Invaders-esque iOS game, it requires players to militarize their ice cream trucks and use weaponized ice cream to destroy robots across a series of worlds before they are able to steal that world's ice cream. Players work together to fend off the robot menace and save the galaxy's ice cream! Does this game provide a sweet treat, or a goopy mess?

Episode Outline:

00:00 - 20:00 - Arcade Castle talks about Talking Mcdonald's Trees, Fast Food Jobs, Cob Slevins, Board Games About Food, Video Games About Food, Fist-Fights At Old Folk Homes, Drive-Thru, and more!

20:00 - 35:00 - Arcade Castle discusses the Burgertime video game series, the Burgertime Card Game, and how the game 'plays'.

35:00 - 45:00 - Arcade Castle looks at Robots Love Ice Cream, how it plays, and whether or not they recommend either game.

45:00 - 62:00 - After playing three Kickstarter games that run the gamut of good to bad, Arcade Castle has a discussion about the pros and cons of the Kickstarter phenomenon.

Riding the high that was Rollercoaster Tycoon, Arcade Castle gets on board their next ride in the form of the Megaman Board Game by Jasco Games, approved by Capcom, backed by 2,639 backers on Kickstarter to the tune of $415,051, developed for over two years, and released in 2015! (*phew*) But as the ride begins for Arcade Castle, a ride, unbeknownst to them, that last for hours and hours and hours, can Arcade Castle survive until the ride is over?

In Episode 12, Arcade Castle tackles the Megaman Board Game, which attempts to capture the essence of the Megaman series through custom dice, challenge decks, and modular board. However, the centerpiece of the game, and the main selling point via this board game's creator--Jasco Games--is the board game's miniatures. But, as Arcade Castle begins hour 3 of the Megaman Board Game, they begin to question if the miniatures even serve a purpose beyond window dressing and discuss the real question: has anyone ever played an eight player game of the monstrosity and, if so, are they still playing?

With all new music from Louisville, KY artist Tony Robot, Arcade Castle tries to figure out just where Jasco Games went wrong with the Megaman Board Game, and how to fix it, since Jasco Games has stated they will no longer support this game. Well, they may if you give them more money...

Episode Outline:

00:00 - 20:00 - Arcade Castle talks about artificial intelligence, 3D printing, video game board games and board game video games, Nintenhard, flooding bowling alleys, Megaman, 20XX: fact or fiction?

20:00 - 30:00 - Once Upon a Powerup: How Megaman Almost Was Megamain't.

30:00 - 45:00 - Arcade Castle takes an in-depth look at the components and gameplay of the Megaman Board Game from 2015. Arcade Castle examines how Jasco Games' approach to both of these elements directly led to the main issue with this board game: longevity.

45:00 - 60:00 - Both members of the Arcade Castle have different approaches on how to fix a fundamentally broken game, yet also find common ground and overlap that lead to an overarching approach that owners of this game can take to try and make this game that is MEGA on style and mega on substance more playable and more enjoyable.

Surviving the Cold War of Episode 10, Arcade Castle takes a break from serious topics and takes a trip to the amusement park thanks to Parker Brothers and their 2002 board game adaptation of the Roller Coaster Tycoon PC video game from 1999!

As Arcade Castle starts acquiring properties through auction, they cast a dubious eye towards the "Parker Brothers" publisher and the similarities to one of their other titular board game titles. However, as the game progresses and patrons ride rides, events occur in the park, and victory points pile up, Arcade Castle starts to see that there is more here than a "opoly" derivative.

However, as the play progresses to the games end, Arcade Castle starts to see the scales tip in favor of luck and random events vs. player strategy. Undeterred, Arcade Castle develops a few key rule modifications and component upgrades that push the excitement factor of the Roller Coaster Tycoon Board Game to the MAX!

In this 2002 adaptation of the 1999 video game, Arcade Castle uncovers a game that, despite the potential it would a bland 'gentle ride', turns out to be an exciting, fun, and memorable ride! Besides, everyone needs more vomit tokens in their board games!!!

Episode Outline:

00:00 - 25:00 - Arcade Castle talks about roller coasters, amusement parks, management simulators, projectile vomiting, carnies, post-apocalyptic wave pools, and Top Gun.

25:00 - 45:00 - Arcade Castle takes an in-depth look at the Roller Coaster Tycoon Board Game, the components, the rules, the gameplay, as well as some of the games shortcomings such as balancing issues, luck vs. strategy, and unstructured game progression.

45:00 - 65:00 - Seeing potential, Arcade Castle takes some time to take some of the problems the board game has and creates some easily implemented rule modifications and minor component additions that add a great deal of gameplay while removing randomness and luck.

If, after listening to the podcast, you desire more, you can find us at:

www.arcadecastle.blogspot.com

Additionally, you can find us on Itunes (and a number of podcast services), Twitter, Facebook, BoardGameGeek, and you can contact us at: contactarcadecastle@gmail.com

Amid rising tensions, Arcade Castle chills with a Cold War Simulator on the Odyssey II from 1981. Utilizing a mathematical formula from the C.I.A. and real world scenarios torn fresh from the headlines (well, fresh in 1981 anyway), Magnavox created Conquest of the World. The third (and final) entry in the Master Strategy Series by Magnavox, Conquest of the World takes advantage of the expanded memory on the video game cartridge to create a 1v1 games that implies additional strategy on the screen and, when coupled with the board game portion of Conquest of the World, provides a in-depth gaming session for players picking up the joystick and board game. Or so Magnavox claims...

In this episode of the Arcade Castle Podcast, John and Patrick play another weird blending of video game and board game courteously of Magnavox. Pulled from the annals of time, Arcade Castle finds an interesting time capsule. A video game board game that blends elements of RISK and AXIS & ALLIES yet requires players to engage in battle through the Odyssey II to determine the outcome of global conflicts between nations, all of which is filtered through Cold War tensions. Can this game with overtones from the Cold War prove to be a hot ticket to fun? Or is it consigned to the No-Man's-Land between Board Games and Video Games?

Conquest of the World Gameplay!!!

Episode Outline:

00:00 - 25:00: Arcade Castle discusses an overview of the Master Strategy Series from Magnavox as well as the Conquest of the World. The discussion then turns to the Cold War nature of the Conquest of the World and Arcade Castle discusses their own recollections, memories from that time as well as games they have played that also focus on the Cold War.

25:00 - 50:00: Arcade Castle turns their discussion to the specifics of the Conquest of the World, including its contents and how the Conquest of the World is played, both as a board game and as a video game.

50:00 - 70:00 - After their examination of the game and how it plays, Arcade Castle turns their attention to some of the issues Conquest of the World has in terms of gameplay and balancing power between players as well as taking the game to task for its claims that it is based on the 'real-world' calculations of power between counties. They offer solutions to these problems.

In this episode of the Arcade Castle Podcast, we take the first word of our podcast quite literally by playing two arcade themed board games released by Milton Bradley in 1983: Pitfall! and Jungle Hunt. As Arcade Castle plays two jungle themed board games intended for players far younger than they, can they survive the hazards of the trail? Or succumb to the pitfalls and traps?

In Pitfall!, players move forward or backward along the surface, jungle trail, or the underground, cavern trail in their attempts to collect enough treasure to prove themselves as an adventurer brave enough to climb the mountain at the end of the game to collect the diamond. However, as players brave the jungles and caves of Pitfall! they must overcome a variety of hazards that include voracious crocodile, rolling logs, fires, cobras, and the eponymous pitfalls. If players are brave enough to enter the underground caverns, they may find themselves face to face with the vicious scorpion and may find themselves staying in the caves as a permanent resident...

In Jungle Hunt, players traverse the wild jungle interior to try and save the jungle girl from a tribe of hungry cannibals. But players need to navigate a forest of vines to swing their way to victory. Clever use of movement points can move one's adventurer closer to the goal, while moving other players further away. Additionally, players must beware the jungle gorilla or find themselves knocked from the vines to the jungle floor and forced to work their way back into the vines and into the game. Can you save the jungle girl? Or find yourself facing an angry gorilla instead?

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Webpage: www.arcadecastle.com

Additionally, you can find us on Itunes (and a number of podcast services), Twitter, Facebook, BoardGameGeek, and Instagram!

Check out our videos on Youtube!

You can contact us at: contactarcadecastle@gmail.com

Also, if you like the new theme song, check out Tony Robot at: www.facebook.com/louisvilletonyrobot/

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Episode Outline:

00:00 - 22:00: Arcade Castle discusses at length their memories of hometown arcades, their favorite arcade cabinets, and why birthday cake, exercise, and jungle gyms are a bad combination.

22:00 - 38:00: Arcade Castle turns their attention to the first game they played in their Arcade Double Feature: Pitfall! They discuss their relationship with the game, Saturday morning cartoons, and how a board game can provide strategy and choice while still being aimed at younger children.

38:00 - 54:00: Arcade Castle looks at the second game of their Arcade Double Feature: Jungle Hunt. They discuss how NOT to make a board game for children, adults, or anyone in between. Can an arcade game with little content be successfully crafted into a board game?

Arcade Castle's attempt to sacrifice The Oregon Trail Card Game during the solar eclipse was, in a word, unsuccessful. At the height of the astronomical event, Arcade Castle thrust a dagger into the very heart of the card game and set it aflame in the hopes of removing its presence from this planet and send it into the unfathomable void of space.

But Arcade Castle was wrong.

As the embers died down and the solar bodies unaligned, something arose from the ashes, the proverbial phoenix: The Oregon Trail: Hunt For Food Card Game. This event left Arcade Castle defeated for some time...until now.

In Episode 08, Arcade Castle looks at the pseudo-expansion for the original game that no one asked for and no one expected. Nevertheless, setting themselves to the task, Arcade Castle opened up the Hunt For Food Card Game and played the second game in the series of card game adaptations of the legendary computer game that was released by MECC in the early 1970s.

The Hunt For Food Card Game, as the title suggests, is a card game adaptation of the hunting mini-game found in the Oregon Trail Computer Game. As the hunter, players navigate a grid of cards, flipping them over to explore the terrain. As they explore, obstacles, wild game, and hazards present themselves to the players. As a team, players must attempt to overcome these hazards as well as attempt to hunt, kill, and bring 600 pounds of meat back to the wagon to continue on the trail and win the game. But will this card game's aim be true? Or will it prove to far off the mark?

Episode Outline

00:00 - 07:00: Arcade Castle reintroduces the Oregon Trail card game series published by pressman, as well as recapping their opinions about the base game as discussed in Episode 04 of the podcast.

07:00 - 27:00: Arcade Castle explores, in length, The Oregon Trail: Hunt For Food Card Game. They describe the contents of the game, the rules of the game, and examine the strategies present in the game as well as the numerous problems with the game.

27:00 - 53:00: After playing the game as a standalone game, Arcade Castle integrates The Hunt For Food Card Game with the original Oregon Trail Card Game to see whether or not this integration helps either game become more playable and determine if it causes more problems then solutions. They then explore how changing some rules and adjusting gameplay may make both games function better. Do they recommend this game? Or recommend sacrificing it to the astral powers that be?

In Episode 07, Arcade Castle plumbs the depths of early text-based adventure gaming as they play a modern adaptation of one of the earliest video games ever made: Adventure/ADVENT/The Colossal Cave Adventure. While Adventure has seen many adaptations and modifications since its creation by Will Crowther in 1975, does this board game adaptation from 2013 deserve a place in the Well House, or cast into the Bottomless Pit?

In The Colossal Cave Adventure, players traverse the rooms and passages of The Colossal Cave and face the hazards and dangers therein in a quest for treasure. As players uncover mysterious items during their trek in The Colossal Cave, they will find these strange items are key to surviving the trials and tribulations they will face as well as finding the treasures housed within the cavernous passages and rooms of The Colossal Cave. As players acquire treasures, a race begins as players attempt to protect their treasures and deposit them in the Well House. The first player to deposit three treasures in the Well House can rightly call themselves the master of The Colossal Cave, and winner of the game!

In this (somewhat delayed) episode, Arcade Castle looks at a board game adaptation of an oft overlooked genre: text-based adventure games. Can you take a game that solely relies upon text as a user interface and successfully create a three dimensional board game that relies, in part, upon a GUI? Further, how can a developer take a solo experience and adapt it into a multi-player experience? 

Episode Outline

00:00 - 10:00: Arcade Castle gives a general overview of text-based adventure games and The Colossal Cave Adventure. Additionally, they discuss text-based adventure games and their progeny, old and new, and their experiences playing them.

10:00 - 20:00: [Once Upon A Powerup] Arcade Castle gives a more detailed history of the circumstances behind the creation of Adventure and The Colossal Cave Adventure as well as its impact upon the industry.

20:00 - 35:00: Arcade Castle takes an in-depth look at The Colossal Cave Board Game. Detailing the contents, rules, and gameplay, they examine the challenges faced when codefabing a text-game into a board game.

35:00-50:00: Arcade Castle gives their final thoughts on The Colossal Cave Board Game. They look at where it succeeds and where it fails in codefabing The Colossal Cave from digital text into cardboard and plastic. They also compare it's success rate in this process with games looked at in prior podcast episodes.

In Episode 06 (or Episode 01, Volume 02 if we are going by comic book rules), Arcade Castle tackle the high risk, high reward world of high finance and stock speculation in The Great Wall Street Fortune Hunt. Buying stock in Mcdonald's, WoW, and more, Arcade Castle struggles to avoid bankruptcy and boredom in this financial tool...game...for the Odyssey II from 1982!

In The Great Wall Street Fortune Hunt, each player, or team of players start with $100,000 dollars and attempt, over the course of five years, to go big, go home, or go broke. Throughout the Level 1 version of the game, players buy and sell stock, and  try to understand the cause and effect between stocks and world events that occur periodically throughout gameplay. Will Arcade Castle see $_$ ? or -_-?

In this first episode of Season 2 of the Arcade Castle Podcast, CasualJohn and Patrick examine another entry in the Master Strategy Series that were released in the early 1980s on the Magnavox Odyssey II. After The Quest For the Rings proving a surprise hit for Arcade Castle, will this entry in the series prove as enjoyable? Or will Arcade Castle's stock in this series tank with The Great Wall Street Fortune Hunt?

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Webpage: www.arcadecastle.com

Additionally, you can find us on Itunes (and a number of podcast services), Twitter, Facebook, BoardGameGeek, and Instagram!

Check out our videos on Youtube!

You can contact us at: contactarcadecastle@gmail.com

Also, if you like the new theme song, check out Tony Robot at: www.facebook.com/louisvilletonyrobot/

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Episode Outline:

00:00-17:00: Arcade Castle discusses the video games they are currently playing, discuss their favorite finance-based video games on a variety of consoles, and give an overview of The Great Wall Street Fortune Hunt and the Master Strategy Series.

17:00-27:00: Arcade Castle discusses the components of The Great Wall Street Fortune Hunt and include a new segment: Insert Coin to Play, with recorded audio of their gameplay of The Great Wall Street Fortune Hunt.

27:00-42:00: Arcade Castle discusses the base gameplay of The Great Wall Street Fortune Hunt in length, who they think the audience was for this game, some of the technical issues they have with the game, their recommendations, and final thoughts on the second game in the Master Strategy Series that has been placed before Arcade Castle.

"The game has been in production for a long time, because we've been working really hard to make sure that it is something that Portal fans will enjoy. But it's not Portal. You're not playing the video game in a board game, because why would you want to do that? It's a separate experience, but it's still very much Portal." - Sara Miguel (Cryptozoic Games)

Ah...well...I guess we don't need this episode of the podcast then...

Grape Cake

Ingredients

1 9 inch pan

Butter and flour for preparing cake pan

2 eggs

2/3 Cup of sugar

4 Tablespoons (2 oz) unsalted butter, melted

1/4 Cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 Cup milk

1/2 Teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour

3/4 Teaspoon of baking powder

Pinch of Salt

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Grated zest of 1 orange

10 ounces of fresh, purple grapes

Confectioner's sugar

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Generously butter and flour the pan, tapping out any excess. Set aside.

3. Beat eggs and sugar until thick and lemon-colored, about 3 minutes. Add the butter, oil, milk, and vanilla extract. Mix until blended.

4. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt into large bowl. Add lemon and orange zest to bowl. After dry goods are throughly mixed, add to wet ingredients. Mix until thoroughly blended. Let mixture rest for 10 minutes.

5. Stir about 3/4 of the grapes into the batter. Spoon prepared batter into cake pan.

6. Place pan into center of oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle the top with remaining grapes. Bake until golden brown and cake is firm (about 40 minutes, with a total baking time of around 55 minutes).

7. Let cake cool. Dust with confectioner's sugar. Serve at room temperature.

Episode Outline:

00:00-15:00 - Arcade Castle discusses the Portal video game series.

15:00-35:00 - Arcade Castle Turns it's attention to the Portal board game. They look at the components, rules, and gameplay.

35:00-50:00 - Examining the strategy behind Portal (the board game) they determine how well it succeeds at capturing the video game in a board game format. They discuss improvements and modifications to the board game (from components to rules) that would make the board game more closely align with the video game.

50:00-65:00 - In today's breakdown discussion, Arcade Castle talks about what developers should put more emphasis upon when creating a video game licensed board game: theme, or, mechanics.

Ignoring the advice of our guides, Arcade Castle sets out on the Oregon Trail in the middle of winter. Will this poor decision cause their journey to end before it even starts? The Oregon Trail: Card Game sets out to capture the early computing phenomenon that is The Oregon Trail. Created by Pressman and distributed exclusively by Target, The Oregon Trail: Card Game became a mini-phenomenon in its own right as nostalgia fueled gamers clamored for the card game based on the game they spent many an' hour playing in libraries and school computer labs. But does this card game deliver it's players safely to Willamette Valley, or does this game die of dysentery right outside the town gate?

In The Oregon Trail: Card Game, players attempt to traverse 50 sections of trail on their way to Oregon. However, players will face a variety of calamities such as disease, broken wagons, and privation. In addition, players will attempt for ford a number of rivers, with failure causing the loss of life and life-saving supplies. With forts and towns few and far between, will players see success on the Oregon Trail? Or will they simply find themselves another casualty along the trail, an epitaph their only reward?

In Episode IV, the Arcade Castle examines this 2016 card game based on the 1974 edutainment hit, The Oregon Trail. Fighting the crowds to locate a copy, Arcade Castle get the game to the table to see what all the hubbub is about. Did Pressman capture the collective nostalgia-fueled memories of many a' gamer and distill them into an exciting card game? Or is this yet another video game casualty in a long line of terrible licensed game adaptations that are more cash-grab than card-game?

Episode Outline:

00:00-12:00: Arcade Castle discusses the phenomenon that was The Oregon Trail in the 1980s and 1990s, the gameplay, as well as touching upon the history of MECC and some of the other games they published beyond The Oregon Trail.

12:00-32:00: An in-depth examination of The Oregon Trail: Card Game, the contents, and it's gameplay. In addition, Arcade Castle compares and discusses how this card game captures (or fails to capture) the strategy and gameplay of The Oregon Trail.

32:00-49:00: Continuing their discussion, Arcade Castle looks at how the card game and video game dictate how the player interacts with, their assumed roles, and expectations placed upon the gamer when playing each game in turn. Can a middle ground be found between the two? Can the mechanics of the card game be tweaked to better represent The Oregon Trail?

Patrick's first experience with the game:

During the sweltering summer days of July, Arcade Castle tried to escape the heat and humidity by escaping to the...identical climes of the Mediterranean. Failing to escape the weather, they decided to find out which ancient civilization of the old world was the dominant superpower and, since Arcade Castle has as of yet to finish their time machine, tried to determine the answer with a board game. Age of Mythology: The Board Game is an adaptation of the Real Time Strategy video game of the same name. Players choose between the Egyptians, Norse, and Greek civilizations to do exciting things like Explore! Trade! And Gather!

 As players amass resources they can choose to militarize their civilization or become an economic powerhouse. Does this game reward players for turning their civilization into a trade hub? Or, does it reward them for become a military force to be reckoned with?

In Episode 3, Arcade Castle examines the first of many attempts by developers to capture a Real Time Strategy video game in a board game. With computers handing many of the multi-tasking details of a typical Real Time Strategy skirmish between players, can this board game handle translating these fine details into game rules and mechanics? How does Age of Mythology solve the problem that faces all Real Time Strategy board games: How can you create a board game to imitate the 'real time' nature of the video game genre? 

Episode Outline:

00:00-05:00: Podcast Updates and Show News.

05:00-17:00: Discussing Real Time Strategy Video Games, the history of the genre, as well as some of the foundational mechanics that typify the genre.

17:00-30:00: Examining the components, rules, and gameplay of the Age of Mythology: The Board Game.

30:00-50:00: Comparing Age of Mythology to the Real Time Strategy genre at large. How does it compare? Discussing our final thoughts on the board game as well as potential fixes for some of the issues we encountered during gameplay.

50:00-66:00: Breakdown Discussion: Is it possible to accurately create a 'Real Time Strategy' board game? What would one have to do to capture the frenzy and multitasking the genre embodies?

If, after listening to the podcast, you desire more, you can find us at: www.arcadecastle.com

Additionally, you can find us on Itunes (and a number of podcast services), Twitter, Facebook, BoardGameGeek, and you can contact us at: contactarcadecastle@gmail.com

Also, if you like the new theme song, check out Tony Robot! https://www.facebook.com/louisvilletonyrobot/

On this rainy day in April, The Arcade Castle decided to distract themselves from the boredom and woes

 that only come from being stuck inside during rainy weather. Searching through the archives they come across a game that reminds them of their youth; halcyon days filled with designing cities, relaxing music, and bulldozing schools and libraries to get a higher population count.

However, as they open the game and begin reading the extensive tome that acts as the rulebook to playing this game, will Arcade Castle be overjoyed, or underwhelmed, by this mid-90s card game by Mayfair Games and Maxis Games? Can the budding city of ArcadeCastleopolis survive disaster?!

In this (slightly delayed) episode, Arcade Castle examines SimCity The Card Game. In stores from 1994 to 1995, this CCG saw several starter sets and trading card packs. But can this game live up to players' expectations? Does this card game successfully capture the strategy and gameplay from the video game series?

Episode Outline: 

00:00-15:00: Discussion about the SIM franchise and how SimCity as a videogame works. Once Upon a Powerup: The Story of Will Wright and the Simulated City.

15:00-35:00: Examination of the rules and gameplay of SimCity: The Card Game.

35:00-52:00: Comparing SimCity: The Card Game to the SimCity franchise. How do both games function? What core gameplay mechanics and strategies drive each in turn? What expectations do videogamers bring to the table when playing SimCity: The Card Game? Does this card game meet those expectations?

52:00-64:00: Breakdown Discussion: How faithful should a licensee be when they are adapting a videogame into a board game or card game? Can you truly adapt a video game from digital into analog?

If, after listening to the podcast, you desire more, you can find us at: www.arcadecastle.com

Additionally, you can find us on Itunes (and a number of podcast services), Twitter, Facebook, BoardGameGeek, and you can contact us at: contactarcadecastle@gmail.com

Also, if you like the new theme song, check out Tony Robot! https://www.facebook.com/louisvilletonyrobot/

On this leap day in the year 2016, a podcast was borne from the ether and unleashed unto the world. From the untamed lands twixt the wartorn realms of board games and video games, two intrepid explorers examine long-forgotten artifacts. Housed within a crumbling structure, the Arcade Castle is the only place these misbegotten games and antiquities can call home. But can these explorers survive the trials and tribulations these games will call upon them or, will they go mad trying?

In this debut episode, the Arcade Castle podcast takes a look at The Quest For The Rings, a game from the Master Strategy Series on the Odyssey II from 1981. Can an atari-era game hold up to today's gaming demands? Will the master strategy series live up to its name?

If, after listening to the podcast, you desire more, you can find us at: www.arcadecastle.com

Additionally, you can find us on Itunes (and a number of podcast services), Twitter, Facebook, BoardGameGeek, and you can contact us at: contactarcadecastle@gmail.com

Also, if you like the new theme song, check out Tony Robot! https://www.facebook.com/louisvilletonyrobot/

Episode Outline:

00:00-15:00: Introduction to the podcast, including why we want to do a podcast and our reasons behind it.

15:00-34:00: History of the game and gameplay overview

34:00-54:00: An in-depth examination of the guiding principles that define the game's strategy

54:00-74:00: In our first breakdown discussion we tackle the issue of the implementation of SMART technology and Apps into boardgames. Is it a good thing or a bad thing?