VIDEO WIZARDS PODCAST – Episode 23: Summer 1994

10/18/22 • 390 min

In episode 23 of Video Wizards, we return to the year 1994 to bask in the sunrays of the summer, for another seasonal spectacular. With the midpoint of the ’90s just one year away and the ’80s now full and well behind us, we find ourselves in a period of cultural turmoil, where the arcade industry, the music industry AND the film industry seem to lack a general direction and focus and throw a lot at the wall to see what sticks. In the arcades, we deal with the hodge podge of flat shaded polygonal experiments Wing War and Desert Tank by SEGA and Midway’s bizarre attempt to put aging rockers Aerosmith forward as dangerous symbols of youth culture that need to be silenced by a sinister fascist government in the lightgun shooter Revolution X. Atari, meanwhile, goes full stop motion animation for the feral fighter Primal rage, as we can still count on Capcom and SNK to deliver noteworthy, quality fighting games in the shape of Darkstalkers and the first entry in the The King of Fighters series.

And what about those other industries? The pop charts in the UK and the Netherlands are generally a mess, but there is a lot of solid music being made in the scenes of Hip-Hop and metal. And in theaters we see more scattershot releases, with a massive, animated movie centered around a family of lions by Disney, a bit of 20th century history viewed through the eyes of a lovable simpleton who has a knack for cutting to the core of things and the comedic exploits of a band called The Lone Rangers, as they take a radio station hostage to get their demo played on air.

With the Atari Jaguar out on shelves and a new generation of CD-based consoles around the corner, all bets are off when it comes to this chaotic period in the late-early nineties. But these are still simpler times, and we invite you into their comforting, sun drenched embrace, for the next 6 and a half hours.

The top billing arcade games of the era we discuss on Episode 23, L-R-T-B: Wing War, Revolution X, Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors, Desert Tank, Primal Rage, The King of Fighters ’94

Other music used in this episode:

Cracking! (Stage 4) – by Tamayo Kawamoto / Zuntata for RayForce, 1994
Title / Yak 141 – by Tomoyuki Kawamura for Wing War, 1994
Wake Up! & Up Against the Wall – by Chris Granner for Revolution X, 1994
Felicia’s Theme – by Takayuki Iwai & Hideki Okugawa for Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors, 1994
The Cove – by Jeanne Parson for Primal Rage, 1994
Napolitan Blues – by Masahiko Hataya, Bros.Hige, Pearl Sibakiti & Akihiro Uchida for The King of Fighters ’94, 1994
Brinstar (Underground Depths) – by Kenji Yamamoto & Minako Hamano for Super Metroid, 1994
Stress – by Organized Konfusion, 1994
Regulate – by Warren G featuring Nate Dogg, 1994
Props Over Here – by The Beatnuts, 1994
Under the Sun – by Terminator X & The Godfathers of Threatt featuring Joe Sinistr, 1994
Represent – by Grand Daddy I.U., 1994
Where My Homiez? – by Ill Al Skratch, 1994
Oh My God (Remix) – by A Tribe Called Quest, 1994
Wrong Side Of Da Tracks – by Artifacts, 1994
Tears of the Dragon – by Bruce Dickinson, 1994
Vasoline – by Stone Temple Pilots, 1994
Get Your Gunn – by Marilyn Manson, 1994
Davidian – by Machine Head, 1994
Faster – by Manic Street Preachers, 1994
Live Forever – by Oasis, 1994
100% Pure Love – by Crystal Waters, 1994
Dissident – by Pearl Jam, 1994
Big Time Sensuality – by Björk, 1994
Bombtrack – by Rage Against The Machine, 1993
Feel What You Want – by Kristine W, 1994
Liar – by Rollins Band, 1994
Te Land, Ter Zee en in de Lucht Leader (1994) – by Hans van Eijck, 1994
No Mean City (Theme from Taggart) – by Mike Moran, 1985

Episode edited by: Juli Reed & Michiel Kroder

And finally: our special thanks to Andy Hofle.

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Explicit content warning

10/18/22 • 390 min

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