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Podouken

Nov 19, 2025

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 game for this rhythm Arcade Obscura.

The first pick is a helluva ride that features a very familiar arcade character. The next pick takes us to heaven with a development contract made in...


Nov 5, 2025

It’s our 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).

What is it about the Bop It nature of this game that causes...


Oct 8, 2025

Sega is no stranger to the arcade rhythm games but they really hit their stride with their Performai series of games. So scan your Aime card, select your song, and let’s play the game that literally translates to “pre-teen kids who think they’re cooler than they are playing a rhythm game” - Chunithm.

What is it...


Sep 24, 2025

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). Featuring opening acts Harmonix and Red Octane, and headliner trio that gave us Guitar Hero Arcade - Activision,...


Sep 10, 2025

Namco set out to create a super popular rhythm game and accidentally created the most popular 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!

Why was this game never released in the U.S. until...