2 Player Cupboard of Shame: Jay

Arrggh! A Video Game Podcast from The Waffling Taylors

First of all, we'd like to thank the amazing yurricanes for working with us to create the featured image for this episode. I think you'll agree that it's an amazing piece of art, and you should definitely check out their work.

We'd also like to thank Georgie (aka ChapSketch) for working with Squidge on the episode artwork for the entire New Cupboard of Shame series. Head on over to Georgie's Etsy page to commission some work from her. You really should, as she's blooming brilliant.

Remember that you can always get in touch with us on our Discord server, Facebook page, on Twitter, or with our Contact page.

Squidge invited Jay to make his first appearance on the Cupboard of Shame, and he brought along a white whale of sorts. What do Arnie, Sly Stallone, and trashy 80s cyberpunk movies have in common? And why is Jay recommending running, head first, into walls? This CoS will answer those questions and more.

Here's a sample of the full show notes - make sure to click through and check them out.

Content Warning

Squidge was fully in charge of hosting, producing and editing this episode. As such, he decided to leave the few swears in the episode without bleeping them. This was done for comedy reasons, as we felt that there is very little in the episode which could offend most listeners.

Please listen responsibly.

Show Notes

Squidge wanted to take a shiny new look at The Cupboard of Shame. The difference being that he wanted to invite some familiar voices onto the show, one at a time, and discuss one game that they want to jettison into the Cupboard of Shame. This being the fifth episode in the new series, he invited Andrew "Podcast Collector" Dickinson to dispatch something into the devious - and totally real cupboard - cupboard.

As a quick reminder, Squidge describes The Cupboard of Shame as:

The idea behind it is games that you have bought in your past, played it, but you don't know why you bought [them] but you did anyway.
Any complaints that you have about the game; why you want to stick it in the Cupboard of Shame. We'll talk about the good points and the bad points [of the game], and we'll share some fun facts about the game.
- Squidge

Previous Entries into the Cupboard of Shame

The Cupboard of Shame reboot has only seen two entries so far:

• Chief Problems decided that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim needed to be stored behind the walnut doors of destiny in episode 136
• Lulu wanted to jettison Chaos Legion to the nether realms of the electronically challenged cupboard in episode 138
• Sean wanted to yeet Risk of Rain 2 into the underbelly of the cupboard in episode 139
• Ginger wished to send Final Fantasy X-2 into the depths of cheap MDF that is the cupboard in episode 140
• AndrewD was on the fence about Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days and whether it should have been in the Cupboard of Shame, in episode 141
• JonnyG spoke about the weird-a-thon that is Deadly Premonition is episode 142

Prior to the Cupboard of Shame reboot, Squidge had challenged both G and himself to put some titles into the Cupboard of Shame. The titles that they chose include:

• Iron Man the Movie Video Game
• WET
• Rambo: The Video Game
• Crackdown
• Final Fantasy XIII

You can hear their discussion on these games (and a few more) in episode 47: The Cupboard of Shame - here's a link to that episode. All of the "classic" Cupboard of Shame episodes - aka before Squidge's 2022 sexy reboot - can be found here.

Jay's Chosen Game

And Squidge got directly into the topic of discussion: which game would you like to put into the Cupboard of Shame:

It's actually three games, but the game that I want to throw into the Cupboard of Shame is called "Power Blade 2" on the NES. But I can't talk about Power Blade 2 without talking about Power Blade. And I can't talk about Power Blade without talking about Power Blazer
- Jay

But using Squidge's rules, it's not possible to throw more than one game in at once. So Jay had to pick just one game:

Power Blade 2 is what I would like to nominate to be thrown into the Cupboard of Shame
- Jay

Or for those tuning in from Japan - and there are more than a few of you, if our podcast hosting stats are to be believed - Jay is referring to "Captain Saver".

But before he could talk about Power Blade 2, Jay needed to talk about Power Blade:

So Power Blade is a game for the NES, right?
In this game, you play totally-not-Arnold-Schwarzenegger who runs around in '80s style tank-top [attire] and everything. He doesn't use his fists, doesn't use guns. He uses a boomerang - which is vaguely daft as it is, right?
And that's all you really need to know.
... they took a game called Power Blazer which was released in Japan in around 1990-1991, which was a Mega Man clone... except that you used a boomerang. When the [locationsation] over to the UK and US happened, **EVERYTHING** about the game changed except for the boomerang and the music.
- Jay

Squidge regaled us with both of the stories presented on Wikipedia, and on GameFAQs. First up, Wikipedia:

After years of fighting that took millions of casualties, Earth is recovering from the revolts of the 22nd century.
In 2192, New Earth has a master computer that holds a database of off colony planets. In the wrong hands, the database could prove fatal.
One day aliens attack the master computer, making the Master Control Program malfunction.
Nova, a lord of the ancient Power Blade, is summoned to take care of the situation. The Power Blade is a glowing energy boomerang that Nova uses to defend himself.
- Squidge

And now, GameFAQS:

22ND CENTURY WARRIOR. (in all caps, like you're shouting)
When New Earth's master computer is attacked by aliens, only Nova, lord of the ancient Power Blade, can battle through the control centre and restore the database
- Squidge

Squidge also wrote his own intro:

On his way to head office to complain about tickets that he bought to see Cyborg One Direction, only to be shocked that they were genuine, Nova gets a new mission: to sto...