Vidya Game News – September 13, 2018
It is back to school time for the kiddos, but really, it is also a prime opportunity for y’all to read some vidya game news too.
- Going to be in Toyko anytime soon? From Nintendo Enthusiast’s John Dunphy, a new Kirby-themed cafe will be opening there. Read more here. And, we reviewed his initial Game Boy game for Episode 24. And hey, if you’re in Yakima, Washington, there is a new game-themed bar.
- From Polygon and other sites, classic fighting game series Samurai Showdown will be revived for the Playstation 4, and likely other systems. Read more here.
- A re-release of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is coming for the Switch and PS4, per Kotaku and other sites. No word yet on how they will do the gameplay. When it originally came out, it required four GBAs to do multiplayer, which went over about as well as you would think.
- Also from Kotaku and a bunch of other sites, the Switch port of Gone Home will have classic SNES cartridges in it.
- Sega Mega Drive shoot-em-up Steel Empire is now available for the PC / Steam, 25 years after its initial release. Read more over at PC Gamer.
- Mega Man 11 now has a playable demo out, per Polygon. We covered Mega Man 2 for Episode 30, and it was the first guest appearance for Friend of the Show Hawk!
- Game Informer has a good, long read on the upcoming Fallout 76, a game the SBBs are hyped for.
ON THIS DAY (OR CLOSE TO IT!) IN VIDEO GAME HISTORY…
- In 1992, the home console versions of Mortal Kombat came out. We reviewed the show for Episode 118.
- Rock Band 2 is now 10 years old! You can find plenty of copies of it, and the plastic instruments, for a variety of systems at pretty much any Goodwill or consignment store. Also from 10 years ago is the Dragon Quest / Warrior IV remake for the DS.
- Sweet Baby Boy favorite FTL: Faster Than Light turns 6 today. It is still a spunky, fun game, and it frequently retails for less than $10 now.
- Grand Theft Auto V came out 5 years ago, and amazingly, it is still incredibly popular thanks to its initial quality and because of the continued support Rockstar has provided it.
Video game history information comes from GameFAQs and Moby Games. When possible, we attempt to link to original sources for all reporting, and we don’t typically link to stupid multi-page galleries. And as always, if you’d like to support the show, do so via our Amazon link.
Episode 093 – Lode Runner (1983, 1987)

Episode 093 – Lode Runner (1983, 1987)
This week in Your Parents Basement, we are digging holes, and climbing ladders and shimmying across ziplines, to avoid enemies! From 1983 for the PC and 1987 for the NES, we’re playing Lode Runner by Broderbund.
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TIMESTAMPS
- 0:00 – Intro, which covers the jaunty tunes in the first 30 seconds or so of gameplay.
- 22:15 – This week, we hear from some people about why Lode Runner is… The Most Best Game of All-Time.
- 27:00 – Emails! A lady thinks that Donnie guy from last week sounds really sexy.
- 41:30 – We can’t end the show without helping some people in… Ask the Sweet Boys.
- 47:00 – Snifferoo. An early guess, but next week’s game is going to score high on the DuckTales meter!
SHOW NOTES
– According to Price Charting, the NES version of Lode Runner is pretty affordable, at $9 for the loose cart and $28 for the cart, box and manual. It’s been released on a bunch of other platforms as well, and god-knows how many times for the PC, so you can easily score a copy for less than $10.
– The license for Lode Runner is held by Tozai Games, and their website is here. They also hold the license for Spelunker and R-Type now.
– As we are sometimes wont to do, we talk a lot about Fallout on this episode, and specifically, New Vegas. The trophy guide Steve mentions is available here.
– You can see Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle, which has similar gameplay, in this YouTube video.
Vidya Game News – November 5, 2015
“I like video games, but they’re really violent. I’d like to play a video game where you help the people who were shot in all the other games. It’d be called ‘Really Busy Hospital.’” – Demetri Martin.
Shameless plug: Distant Arcade is a neat retro gaming site that Steve’s old reporting buddy Andrew Martin runs and writes for. Give it a click, would you? Steve also wrote a piece on Battletoads for the site back in the day. And oh yeah, the rest of the news links:
– A new Micro Machines game will be released on mobile platforms, according to Patrick O’Rourke at Mobilesyrup. The original racing game was one of the classics for the NES, although surprise surprise, it was hella hard.
– There was a really cool classic find this past week, as Cameron Koch of Tech Times posted the original press release for the NES.
– On the Fallout 4 release date of Nov. 10, Nuka Cola Quantum by Jones Soda will be available at Target. See a picture here.
– A formerly unreleased Swedish SNES game, Dorke and Ymp, is coming to Steam, per Chris Priestman at Siliconera. It looks like a puzzle platformer with a vibrant art style, although a bit awkward to play.
ON THIS DAY IN VIDEO GAME HISTORY…
– Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back is now an adult, as it came out 18 years ago.
– In 2003, The Return of the King came out for the PC, PS2, Gamecube and Xbox. It was way better than past YPB game The Lord of the Rings for Super Nintendo.
– It was only eight years ago, but Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare came out. In 2013, Call of Duty: Ghosts came out for the 360, so the series kind of likes November.
Video game history information comes from GameFAQs and Moby Games. And as always, if you’d like to support the show, do so via our Amazon link.