Episodes

  • Ep.275 – Scanning for Fun: Exploring the History of the Nintendo e-Reader

    Ep.275 – Scanning for Fun: Exploring the History of the Nintendo e-Reader
    Dec 4 2025
    In 2001, Nintendo released the e-Reader, a quirky card-scanning accessory for the Game Boy Advance that blended trading cards with tiny bursts of digital content. This week, we explore the long road that led to its creation, tracing the evolution of barcode gaming from Japan’s Barcode Battler craze to Bandai’s Datach and even arcade hits like Mushiking and Love and Berry. We follow how Pokémon cards, dot-code technology, and Japan’s card culture shaped the device, and why the e-Reader thrived briefly in Japan but stumbled in the West. Our conversation also looks at the legacy it left behind—QR codes, AR cards, Amiibo, and physical-to-digital play. Join us as we swipe, scan, and rediscover the Nintendo e-Reader on today’s trip down Memory Card Lane.

    Read transcript
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Ep.274 – 64-Bits of Trouble: The Rise and Fall of the Atari Jaguar

    Ep.274 – 64-Bits of Trouble: The Rise and Fall of the Atari Jaguar
    Nov 27 2025

    In 1993, Atari launched the Jaguar, a console that promised 64-bit power and a bold return to gaming glory—but the reality was far more complicated. In this episode, we explore how Atari partnered with Flare Technology, canceled its 16-bit Panther system, and aimed to leapfrog the competition with a futuristic design that was ambitious, confusing, and notoriously difficult to develop for. We trace the Jaguar’s tangled architecture, marketing push to “Do the Math,” and the hardware quirks that doomed it from the start. Our conversation also dives into the console’s standout games, failed add-ons like the Jaguar CD and VR, and its strange second life as an open platform for homebrewers. Join us as we plug in and power up the story of the Atari Jaguar on today’s trip down Memory Card Lane.

    Read transcript
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Ep.273 – Silent Assassin: Exploring the Origins and Legacy of Hitman: Codename 47

    Ep.273 – Silent Assassin: Exploring the Origins and Legacy of Hitman: Codename 47
    Nov 20 2025

    In 2000, \Hitman: Codename 47\ introduced players to Agent 47 and a new breed of stealth gaming built on improvisation, experimentation, and precision. In this episode, we trace how a small team of Danish demoscene veterans formed IO Interactive, built the Glacier Engine from scratch, and turned a 'simple shooter' concept into one of the most influential stealth franchises in history. We follow the evolution from Codename 47’s experimental beginnings to Silent Assassin’s refinement and Contracts’ atmospheric retelling, exploring how each installment shaped IO’s design philosophy. Our conversation also touches on IO’s roots, ragdoll physics innovation, and the World of Assassination era that followed. Join us as we slip into the shadows and revisit Hitman’s origin story on today’s trip down Memory Card Lane.

    Read transcript
    Show More Show Less
    57 mins
  • Ep.272 – Mattel’s Vision: The Rise and Fall of Mattel and its Intellivision

    Ep.272 – Mattel’s Vision: The Rise and Fall of Mattel and its Intellivision
    Nov 13 2025

    In 1979, Mattel entered the console wars with the \Intellivision\, a machine that promised to outthink Atari with its 'intelligent television' design. This week, we explore how a toy company known for Barbie and Hot Wheels transformed into a technological powerhouse, creating one of the first true competitors to Atari’s 2600. We discuss the innovations that made the Intellivision stand out, its 16-bit processor, unique keypad controllers, and focus on realism, and the missteps that led to its fall amid the 1983 crash. Our conversation dives into its visionary add-ons, the Blue Sky Rangers, and the legacy that still shapes console design today. Join us as we plug in and power on the story of Mattel’s Intellivision on today’s trip down Memory Card Lane.

    Read transcript
    Show More Show Less
    59 mins
  • Ep.271 – Chainsaws and Cover: How Epic Games Redefined the Modern Shooter with Gears of War

    Ep.271 – Chainsaws and Cover: How Epic Games Redefined the Modern Shooter with Gears of War
    Nov 6 2025
    In 2006, Epic Games released Gears of War, a brutal and cinematic reinvention of the third-person shooter. In this episode, we trace Cliff Bleszinski’s journey from teenage shareware designer to creative director at Epic, and how his vision helped transform a scrapped Unreal prototype into one of gaming’s most iconic franchises. We explore the birth of the Lancer, the evolution of cover-based combat, and how Epic’s technical mastery of Unreal Engine 3 changed console gaming forever. Our conversation covers Gears’ critical and commercial success, its influence on modern shooters, and how it became a defining moment for the Xbox 360. Join us as we reload, rev up, and fight through the Locust Horde on today’s trip down Memory Card Lane.

    Read transcript
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 7 mins
  • Ep.270 – The Magazine That Started It All: Electronic Games' Legacy

    Ep.270 – The Magazine That Started It All: Electronic Games' Legacy
    Oct 30 2025
    In 1981, a trio of writers—Arnie Katz, Bill Kunkel, and Joyce Worley—released Electronic Games, the first magazine dedicated entirely to video games. In this episode, we trace how their early ‘Arcade Alley’ column evolved into a full publication that gave the gaming world its first real voice. Our conversation explores the magazine’s creation, from pitch meetings and prototype covers to its bold editorial vision that treated games as art rather than toys. We discuss the rise and fall of the magazine through the video game crash, its 1990s revival, and how its writers shaped the language, ethics, and spirit of game journalism that persist today. Join us as we flip through the pages of history and celebrate the magazine that started it all on today’s trip down Memory Card Lane.

    Read transcript
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 9 mins
  • Ep.269 – Tanooki Takeover: The Story of Super Mario Bros. 3

    Ep.269 – Tanooki Takeover: The Story of Super Mario Bros. 3
    Oct 23 2025
    In 1990, Nintendo released Super Mario Bros. 3, the NES encore that pushed 8-bit gaming to its absolute limit. In this episode, we explore how Shigeru Miyamoto and his team built a theatrical masterpiece from the ground up, transforming technical constraints into creative brilliance. Our conversation traces the journey from Donkey Kong to the Mushroom Kingdom’s final curtain call, covering the team’s innovations in overworld maps, new power-ups like the Super Leaf and Tanooki Suit, and the MMC3 chip that made it all possible. We discuss the game’s debut through The Wizard, its massive cultural impact, and how it became one of the best-selling and most beloved platformers of all time. Join us as we take flight one last time on the NES and relive the magic of Super Mario Bros. 3 on today’s trip down Memory Card Lane.

    Read transcript
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 11 mins
  • Ep.268 – Click, Chop, Conquer: How Ensemble Studios Made Age of Empires

    Ep.268 – Click, Chop, Conquer: How Ensemble Studios Made Age of Empires
    Oct 16 2025

    In 1997, Ensemble Studios released Age of Empires, a real-time strategy game that transformed history into spectacle. We trace Tony Goodman’s journey from running a Dallas software company to founding Ensemble, and how veteran designer Bruce Shelley brought board game and Civilization experience to the team. The episode highlights the creation of “Dawn of Man,” the challenges of pathfinding and dial-up multiplayer, and Microsoft’s gamble on a game that mixed Warcraft’s immediacy with Civilization’s scope. Our conversation explores critic reviews praising its balance of history and playability, as well as fan memories of chopping wood, raising wonders, and fighting to the population cap. We also cover Rise of Rome, sequels, Definitive Editions, and Age of Empires IV. Join us as we build, march, and conquer through Age of Empires on today’s trip down Memory Card Lane.

    Read transcript
    Show More Show Less
    54 mins