Famicom Dojo Video Game Podcast
Technology
About
Sean and Vinnk take to their microphones about the latest video game news, review Future Retro titles, and lament their growing Pile of Shame. Produced by That's Orange, LLC. Updated Fridays.
Episodes
- 187: Remembering Burger Becky
A friend of the show passed away last November. She made games that shaped our childhoods, and graciously offered her time for an interview and cameo for one of our videos reviewing her work on Out of This World. Sean and Vinnk toast to he…
- 186: Retro Game Shopping in Japan
It used to be true, and still is to some extent, that visiting a video game store in Japan is a rite of passage for foreign visitors to Japan, but if you pull out a camera to take a video you may find you are no longer welcome. Vinnk discu…
- 185: This Xbox Has No Disc
New Xbox Series X consoles don't have discs. New Xbox consoles aren't even Xboxes. Or Consoles. Sean helps Vinnk navigate his new digital-only Game Pass addiction, while in Pile of Shame Vinnk finally shares Portal with the next generation…
- 184: Nintendo Switch 2 Legit
"One More Continue" and "RPG" theme songs by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net . Vinnk and SeanOrange pixel art by Louis Lloyd-Judson: https://louistrations.co.uk . This podcast is brought to you by the Nerd & Tie Podcast Network. Lis…
- 183: The Last of Us vs. The Last of Us
Sean sent Vinnk a blu-ray copy of The Last of Us for Christmas with the expectation he'd rather watch the show than play the game. However, our livestream audience had very strong opinions about the best order to experience this amazing st…
- Denshimail 182: Hey, Where's Perry?
Vinnk and SeanOrange pixel art by Louis Lloyd-Judson: https://louistrations.co.uk . This podcast is brought to you by the Nerd & Tie Podcast Network. Listen to other great shows at http://nerdandtie.com .
- 181: The Demise of Game Trade Shows
E3 was interrupted by a global pandemic, and then cancelled in 2023 after none of the big console publishers were scheduled to appear. Before that it was Space World, and before that CES. Now with the internet publishers can create their o…
- 182: The Demise of Wrestling Games and Rebirth of Beat 'em ups
It's no secret that we're big fans of Homestar Runner here at Famicom Dojo, so when Vinnk had the chance to see a live wrestling match in Fukuoka he donned his finest Strong Bad shirt, and instantly made friends with American wrestlers Rip…
- 180: Digital Streaming Apocalypse
The Wii U and 3DS eShops shut down in early 2023, taking with them thousands of games that aren't available physically or on other platforms. TV streaming is suffering an even worse fate of entire TV shows being cancelled and removed from…
- 179: Take on Samba de Amigo: Party Central
It's 1999 again on Nintendo Switch, with the release of an update to a cult classic: Samba de Amigo: Party Central. Will the Switch's motion controls be the antidote to both the imprecision of the Wii version, as well as the inevitable dec…
- 178: Video Game TV Shows
We've talked before about movies based on video games, and video games based on movies (sometimes themselves based on video games; looking at you, Street Fighter: The Movie The Game!), but have we talked about TV shows inspired by video ga…
- 177: Super Mario Kart Turns 30
Five console generations ago, Nintendo gathered up its cast of Mario characters (and Mario-adjacent franchises), put them into 2D sprites on kart racers, and propelled them around a track rendered in the Super Nintendo's Mode 7. A phenomen…
- 176: The Golden Age of Gaming
When is the golden age of video games? Are we living through it now? Is it yet to come? (Those are basically the only options.) Vinnk and Sean discuss their opinions with each other and the No Brand Con audience as we try to pin down the a…
- Denshimail 175: Full Metal Adventures in Babysitting
In our accidental crossover episode with our new podcast Two Boobs Watch the Tube, we talk about video games, but quickly sidebar into movies and television.Vinnk and SeanOrange pixel art by Louis Lloyd-Judson: https://louistrations.co.uk…
- The Meatgrinder S2E3: Gobble Gobble
Originally Broadcast 2022/04/15 : I mean, you really should just subscribe to the podcast directly at this point, right? Our current group of adventurers find themselves in the Fields of the Dead. I mean, they don’t know that’s what it’s c…
- 175: End of an eShop Era
Nintendo is shutting down the Wii U and 3DS eShops in 2023, and there won't be any last-minute reprieve like Sony gave to the PS3 and PS Vita. Sean and Vinnk discuss what this means for the platforms, Sean plays Halo multiplayer for the fi…
- Zezcast Episode 6: The State of Retro in Japan w/ Vinnk from Famicom Dojo
Originally Broadcast 2022/03/31 : Vinnk had a great time interviewing with Louis Zezeran! I ask Vinnk about the origins of Famicom Dojo, what his experiences have been running Japan Retro Direct and whats his take on the state of second ha…
- The Meatgrinder S2E2: Mobile Home
Originally Broadcast 2022/03/15 : How long can Sean survive in the brambles on the way to the stronghold of the evil necromancer Kallofrax? Our current crop of "chosen ones" are making their way through the bramble wood, and will hopefully…
- The Meatgrinder S2E1: The Chosen One(s)
Originally Broadcast 2022/02/15 : Sean joins the Nerd & Tie crew on the new season of the Meatgrinder! A hundred years ago the Wizard Gallfus failed in overthrowing the rule of the evil Necromancer Kallofrax. As he lost his powers, he prop…
- Denshimail 174: Our Favorite Podcasts
We answer your lingering, burning questions. What are our favorite podcasts? Well, we break them down for you. And more!Vinnk and SeanOrange pixel art by Louis Lloyd-Judson: https://louistrations.co.uk . This podcast is brought to you by t…
- 174: Twenty Twenty Also
The video game market can be unpredictable, and the last year has proven that even well-founded leaks are unreliable in the face of global chip shortages. Even so, we try to read the tea leaves about what's coming in 2022. Five years into…
- Denshimail 173: Christmas Memories 2021
We share our favorite Christmas memories past and present, and answer whether we'll ever get tired of gaming... or if modern gaming will just forsake us first.Vinnk and SeanOrange pixel art by Louis Lloyd-Judson: https://louistrations.co.u…
- Zenspath 4 Button Podcast - Extra Quarter 23: Wii U
Originally Broadcast 2021/12/17 : Sean was invited to this show to share his thoughts on the Wii U, as someone who actually liked the console! Its the Zenspath 4 Button Podcast Extra Quarter Ep 23! Join special guest Sean "The Orange" Cors…
- 173: Getting SWOLED
We predicted earlier this year that we would never be getting a Switch Pro, despite persistent rumors to the contrary. Then the Switch OLED dropped and we were... sort of right. Unfortunately, it was for reasons that were so specific that…
- Denshimail 172: On the Value of Remakes
This week we're following up the main episode by answering your questions about the value of remakes, how Nintendo's marketing practices, hobbled the TubroGrafx-16 library in the US, among other things, and we share some of our favorite ca…
- 172: The Risible Cost of Retro
Vinnk and Sean talk about the insane auction prices of some not-very-rare (but sealed) physical retro games, and the value of remakes. In Future Retro, Sean shares his spoiler-free thoughts on The Last of Us Part II on PS4, and Vinnk revie…
- Denshimail 171: 10th Anniversary Podcast Edition
We celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Famicom Dojo Video Game Podcast by answering your questions!"One More Continue" and "RPG" theme songs by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net . Vinnk and SeanOrange pixel art by Louis Lloyd-Judson…
- Two Boobs Watch the Tube Episode 1: See - Season 1 (2019)
Originally Broadcast 2021/10/22 : Check out the first episode of our SECRET PODCAST! After a war that nearly wipes out humanity, anyone born with the curse of sight or access to written knowledge is killed by the Witchfinders of Queen Kane…
- Two Boobs Watch the Tube - Season 1 Trailer
Instead of interrupting our video game podcast to talk about TV, we've made a TV podcast we can interrupt to talk about video games. Join us as review a different show (or subsequent season of that show) every episode. Logo by by Louis Llo…
- 171: Digital Post-Apocalypse
The bad news keeps compounding for Sony. First came the announcement that the PS3, PSP, and Vita online stores would be shutting down this July. Then some intrepid investigators discovered that the death of the CMOS battery in PS3 and PS4…
- 170: Video Game Crunch
Most games are made with some kind of crunch to meet sales targets and match up with buying patterns, but sometimes the motives of publishers (and it's almost always the publishers) can be more nefarious. Why does crunch happen, and how ca…
- 169: Incredibly Disappointing Sequels
Video game sequels weren't like movie sequels. Technical improvements and customer feedback almost always mean better games, and more money to make them. But sometimes it doesn't work out that way. Sean and Vinnk try to one-up each other w…
- 168: The Price of Gaming
New console games have a standard price point every generation. With the introduction of the 9th generation, will that price eventually go up? What does that mean in a world of DLC, special editions, and a practice of dropping to $20 or $3…
- 167: Genres That Won't Be Myst
Why do some video game genres endure, when others fizzle out? What happens when one of the genres that dies is one that you really happen to love? Graphic adventure games gave us a scare for a while, but text adventures are toast. Sean and…
- 166: More Different With Age
Gone are the days that shipping a game meant it was "done", and the development team would move on to a new project. In the 2020s, like other software, distributing games over the internet can mean spending more time and money creating a n…
- Nerd & Tie Episode 157: The Best of the Secret Podcasts
Originally Broadcast 2020/07/29 : Vinnk and Sean lead off this compilation with a visit Vinnk made back to the states with his family in 2017, making it a real-live Vinnk-Con 2017! On this episode of the Nerd & Tie podcast we dig out our b…
- 165: Nine Generations of Triangles
Another new generation of gaming is nearly upon us, but what value does it bring? What does it mean? And how the heck do you remember the progression of Xbox names? Sean and Vinnk feel their age as they discuss what the ninth generation of…
- 164: Video Game Ratings Are Good, Actually
When we last talked about the various video game ratings systems, we concluded that they were useless. Now that we're older and wiser, our perspective has evolved accordingly. What if video game ratings are good, actually? Vinnk and Sean d…
- 88: Video Game Ratings Are Useless
Originally Broadcast 2014/03/07 : When a podcast has been around for years, sometimes we repeat topics, but often with a new perspective. Next week we'll discuss video game ratings as well, so enjoy this first pass from the past! Does anyo…
- 163: Death of (Gaming) Retail
We're still stuck at home (well, some of us are), wondering how the closure of non-essential businesses is will affect not just giant video game retailers, but our home-grown favorite resellers, such as the eponymous Famicom Dojo. Sean and…
- Audio Bonus 162: Favorite Quarantine Shows
Vinnks catches up Sean on all the TV shows he's been watching with his kids, plus some shows he's been interested in since Quarantine Vinnk and SeanOrange pixel art by Louis Lloyd-Judson: https://louistrations.co.uk . This podcast is broug…
- 162: Quarantine Games
Wisconsin has been on lockdown for about five weeks now, with at least five more to go. What do do in the meantime? Play video games and reduce our pile of shame, of course! Vinnk and Sean talk about the games they're playing while Safer a…
- Audio Bonus 161: Mythic Quest
Mythic Quest is Vinnk's new favorite show (after The Good Place ended), which he was suddenly reminded of when talking about Mystic Quest's origins as a Final Fantasy spinoff. We cut out these tangents for the main episode, but preserved t…
- 161: Relocalization
Some of the most interesting deviations between US retro games and their Japanese originals are the decisions made when they were localized to non-Japanese countries, the politics of the time, and subsequent censorship. What if we had it a…
- 160: Switch Pro No Go?
Console life cycles are fairly predicable, especial for Nintendo consoles. Right now we're about halfway through the wildly-successful Switch, but the only hardware revision we have to show for it is the Switch Lite. If a Switch Pro doesn'…
- 159: Twenty-ish Years of Sega Dreamcast
Usually console anniversaries are celebrated events, but when the Dreamcast turned 20 years old it seemed like an afterthought -- assuming anyone thought about it at all. What happened? Sean and Vinnk discuss their Dreamcast memories, and…
- 158: Super NES and Super Famicom Online
Nintendo buried the lede in its latest Nintendo Direct with the announcement of its 16-bit offerings on the anniversary of its Nintendo Switch Online service. North America got Super NES, and the Japan eShop got Super Famicom. Vinnk and Se…
- 157: The First Import Game You Beat
When we asked our Patreon supporters what they wanted us to podcast about, the answer was pretty unilaterally a topic about our first import games we beat. So, for helping us meet our first Patreon goal, we have obliged! Vinnk and Sean dis…
- Denshimail 156: Spring Into Action 2019
Sean and Vinnk take to YouTube to chat with viewers and listeners like you about the state of Famicom Dojo, our plans for future videos and podcasts, and what we'll do to finally get that Season 2 DVD in your hands! Vinnk and SeanOrange pi…
- 156: My Body Isn't Reggie
Reggie Fils-Aime has retired as President of Nintendo of America, but is leaving someone who is more than capable in the post. Someone who will probably build an airship as soon as the stockholders are looking the other way. Vinnk and Sean…