Arcade Castle - Episode 12 - Megaman The Board Game (2015)!

06/04/18 • 61 min

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...

********************************** Webpage: www.arcadecastle.com Additionally, you can find us on Itunes (and a number of podcast services), Facebook, BoardGameGeek, and Instagram! Check out our videos on Youtube! You can contact us at: [email protected] Also, if you like the new theme song, check out Tony Robot at: www.facebook.com/louisvilletonyrobot/ ***********************************

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.

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.

Previous Episode

Arcade Castle - Episode 11 - Roller Coaster Tycoon!

Surviving the Cold War of Episode 10, Arcade Castle takes a break from serious topics and takes a trip to the amusement park thanks to Parker Brothers and their 2002 board game adaptation of the Roller Coaster Tycoon PC video game from 1999!

As Arcade Castle starts acquiring properties through auction, they cast a dubious eye towards the "Parker Brothers" publisher and the similarities to one of their other titular board game titles. However, as the game progresses and patrons ride rides, events occur in the park, and victory points pile up, Arcade Castle starts to see that there is more here than a "opoly" derivative.

However, as the play progresses to the games end, Arcade Castle starts to see the scales tip in favor of luck and random events vs. player strategy. Undeterred, Arcade Castle develops a few key rule modifications and component upgrades that push the excitement factor of the Roller Coaster Tycoon Board Game to the MAX!

In this 2002 adaptation of the 1999 video game, Arcade Castle uncovers a game that, despite the potential it would a bland 'gentle ride', turns out to be an exciting, fun, and memorable ride! Besides, everyone needs more vomit tokens in their board games!!!

Episode Outline:

00:00 - 25:00 - Arcade Castle talks about roller coasters, amusement parks, management simulators, projectile vomiting, carnies, post-apocalyptic wave pools, and Top Gun.

25:00 - 45:00 - Arcade Castle takes an in-depth look at the Roller Coaster Tycoon Board Game, the components, the rules, the gameplay, as well as some of the games shortcomings such as balancing issues, luck vs. strategy, and unstructured game progression.

45:00 - 65:00 - Seeing potential, Arcade Castle takes some time to take some of the problems the board game has and creates some easily implemented rule modifications and minor component additions that add a great deal of gameplay while removing randomness and luck.

Next Episode

Arcade Castle - Episode 13 - Food-Themed Kickstarter Card Game Double Feature!

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.