Famicom Dojo Video Game Podcast

Is the Wii U touch controller a naked attempt to try and compete with the iPad, and if so does it stand a chance to succeed? Sean and Vinnk go through a brief history of touch panels in consumer devices, from the Apple Newton to the Tiger Game.com, the Nintendo DS, and -- of course -- Apple's iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. "RPG" theme song by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

Is there a right way to introduce your child to the world of video gaming? It might be a more difficult proposition for the children of adult gamers, whose boundaries are a bit less clear on the subject, but their non-gamer spouses (if indeed they are non-gamers) might keep them in check. Maybe. With Vinnk already a father of a 2 year old daughter, and Sean a father-to-be in 2012, we try to tackle those questions. How young is too young? How much is too much? What's appropriate, and what's deemed okay? Plus, in an audio bonus exclusive to the website, Sean tells the tale of how a camcorder gave birth to Puppy Star Trek, and helped to shape the rest of his life. "RPG" theme song by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

After a recent performance of Video Games Live, Sean and Vinnk talk about the merits of bleeps and bloops, the chiptunes musicians who still love them, hidden music in Nintendo's titles (including one hidden for the last nine years in the GameCube menu screen), and the more symphonic offerings of the 16-bit age and beyond. "RPG" theme song by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

Six months on, how is the Famicom Dojo Podcast doing? Vinnk and Sean take some time out to answer listener mail, reflect on some of their past episodes, and give updates on some of the information that may have gone out of date or had developments since the original episodes were released. Also, Vinnk got a 3DS. "RPG" theme song by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

Women in gaming have made tremendous strides, both onscreen and off, behind the scenes, or playing the games. Fans of the Female Shepard in the Mass Effect series: male and female alike, encouraged BioWare to finally put her in their advertisements and materials just so that other gamers would know she exists. It's 2011; are women still being overlooked in gaming? Sean talks to guest panelists Sindra and Megan about what it's like to be such a minority in gaming culture, and discuss their favorite heroines from the aforementioned Shepard, to "Lady Hawke" from Dragon Age 2, Samus in Metroid, Alex Roivas in Eternal Darkness, and more! And Sean tries to avoid saying "that's what she said" for almost an entire hour. "RPG" theme song by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

The recent passing of Steve Jobs has left us to reflect on how he and his business ventures have affected our lives and the rest of the world. For us retro gamers (at least our age), that means looking back on the Apple ][, Apple //e, and that line of PCs that literally made "computer" a household name. Sean and Vinnk recall a time when "Apple" was still synonymous with "gaming" -- before the iPhone, before the Macintosh, and (in some cases) before Nintendo. Also, a history of Apple's rise to dominance, Steve Jobs' gig at Atari, and why the original iPod came with free copies of Breakout. "RPG" theme song by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

It's difficult to admit, but we all wear them. Maybe it's because something made an impression on us at a young age. Maybe it's because we just can't admit flaws in the things that we love. It often takes seeing something through someone else's eyes to finally see the things you refuse to see for yourself. Vinnk and Sean examine the games and movies of the '80s where they must admit, sometimes painfully, that their nostalgia goggles are firmly in place. Even so, are there specific games (or movies) that are actually immune to the march of time? "RPG" theme song by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

"RPG" theme song by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

Japanese retro games can't help you learn a new language, but if you're a motivate collector you might find it's a good way to keep your skill sharp if you don't follow Vinnk's recommendations: 1) Move to Japan, 2) Marry a Japanese person, 3) Take (or audit) a Japanese class. Sean and Vinnk tease their interview on Zoom In!! Saturday, and get sidetracked by their time searching Akihabara for some awesome video game deals. "RPG" theme song by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

While the 3DS was cleaning up at Tokyo Game Show, Sony announced that the PS Vita would be region-free -- unlike its Nintendo competitor. The war is heating up! Who will win the holiday season this year? Will it be enough to turn things around for Sony? Sean and Vinnk reflect on the final two public days of Tokyo Game Show, if mobile devices and "the cloud" are really the future of the gaming industry and the current oneupsmanship between Nintendo and Sony is really all for naught. "RPG" theme song by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

Instead of being productive these last few days, all we did was play video games. Well, that’s not entirely (or even slightly) true. Find out all about our first 2 (of 4) days at the Tokyo Game Show. We will talk about games we played, people me met, sights we saw, and a new life philosophy that will make you a better person (or at least maybe get you a T-Shirt) "RPG" theme song by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

Vinnk and SeanOrange preview their trip to Tokyo Game Show 2011, reminisce about their previous coverage in 2007, and discuss what wonderful things can be done with their new theme song! What are you looking forward to at Tokyo Game Show? "RPG" theme song by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

Retro games may be beloved (if not exceedingly difficult), but do their descendants still have a place in the modern gaming world? When the original creator of a franchise moves on, is it time for the publisher to move on to something else? What about the fans? Phil Bond joins Sean and Vinnk this week as we discuss the cancellation of Mega Man Legends 3, and what nearly 50,000 people are trying to do about it. This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

In a word, no, but don't worry: we'll totally qualify that position. Nintendo's financial troubles in 2011, and initially slow sales of the 3DS, followed by its steep price cut have renewed perennial calls for the company to forego the hardware market and release its titles on other platforms. SeanOrange and Vinnk discuss whether or not such a move would be vialbe for Nintendo, and if the company is leaving a lot of money on the table by not embracing the iOS market. This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

In our younger days, we couldn't have all the games we wanted. We had to play what we were given (or could afford), and we often played those games to death. Now? It's incredibly easy for anyone young or old to buy more games at bargain-basement prices than they could ever hope to play in a lifetime. How much is too much? Vinnk and SeanOrange talk about their trip to Chicago Comic Con 2011, taking photos with Felicia Day, what we expect to see at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show, and more! This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

When did video games start using "lives"? More importantly, when and why did they stop? With this changing, what does it mean to die in a game? Vinnk and SeanOrange examine the games that pioneered this mechanism, and take a look at when and why it started changing. Was it with games like Myst, or did adventure-style games always buck this trend? Has the fall of arcade gaming lead games to be easier, and therefore no longer need "lives"? This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

Nintendo's steep price cut of the 3DS may have taken some news outlets by surprise last week, but we called it way back during E3. When Sony introduced the PSVita at the same price point as Nintendo's new handheld that was already struggling in sales, we knew a price cut could not be far behind. It looks like Nintendo agreed! SeanOrange and Vinnk discuss the 3DS Ambassador program, the wisdom of deciding not to release the GBA Virtual Console games to the general public, and whether or not these 20 free games will entice us (or anyone) to buy the system at $250 before the price cut goes into effect next Friday, August 12th.This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

It's one thing to try to translate a video game plot and characters into a movie, but movies that are about the culture of video gaming, the people who play them, and what it's like to be stuck in one are an altogether different animal. Many such movies were released in the 1980s, coincidentally around the same time as the video game crash that threatened to destroy this nascent industry forever. Vinnk and SeanOrange reminisce about Scott Pilgrim, TRON, The Wizard, The Last Starfigher, Cloak and Dagger, and War Games: when we saw them, what kind of impact they had, and if we'll ever see their like again. And, look -- most of them had better reviews than movies adapted from actual video games! This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

It's hard for the average gamer to play absolutely EVERYTHING, even everything that's good. But is that any excuse? Should gamers be shamed for failure to expose themselves to certain kinds of games? In our first Video Game Confessional, Vinnk and SeanOrange talk about the game franchises we should have played, but didn't. And for good measure, we also discuss a few games we love to death, but have no business liking. This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

Region locking is nothing new. Though it has taken many different forms, it wasn't always deliberate. Many handhelds were exempt from this scheme (including the Game Boy and DS series), but all things change with time. SeanOrange and Vinnk discuss the very state of affairs that necessitates the existence of organizations like Operation Rainfall, how they came to be, and where they might go from here. This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.