Arcade Castle - Episode 11 - Roller Coaster Tycoon!

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.