The BEST episodes of GameCenter CX
Every episode of GameCenter CX ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of GameCenter CX!
GameCenter CX (domestically imported as Retro Game Master) is a Japanese television series where Shinya Arino, a member of comedy duo Yoiko, plays Japan's most popular classic video games and records his progress. From shooters (his worst genre) to puzzles (his best) and anything in between, Arino tackles an amazing variety of games. He is supported by his Assistant Directors (ADs) and staff, who offer moral support, tips and tricks, and occasionally take the controller and play themselves. He also gets the chance to interview game designers and to visit arcades all over Japan.
#1 - Super Mario World (2)
Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 7/23/2005
We pick up right where we left off as Arino struggles to conquer Super Mario World. Watch as he ventures closer to Bowser's lair in what will prove to be the most dramatic episode yet! But if you can't handle all the stress you can calm your nerves with a little Ring Ring Tactics where we find Arino struggling to decipher a string of random letters.
Watch Now:Amazon
#2 - Nintendo: Super Mario Bros 1 & 2
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 3/31/2004
Arino is faced with the difficult challenge of beating Super Mario Brothers 2 for the Famicom Disk System. He first practices is skills with the original Super Mario Brothers before moving onto Super Mario Brothers 2; will he be able to beat the game? Or will he be defeated by one of Nintendo's own?
Watch Now:Amazon
#3 - Ninja Ryukenden II: Ankoku no Jashinken (Ninja Gaiden II) (2)
Season 12 - Episode 8 - Aired 2/10/2010
Part 2 of the Ninja Gaiden II challenge. Arino continues to fight his way through the brutal game. In order to help him, Tojima returns with multiple AD's from past and present at his side. It will take the all of their combined power to finally put an end to Jaquio. In January of 2010, Game Center CX held a company day trip which doubled as a fan appreciation event. 120 lucky people were taken by bus to the event where they were greeted by Arino before moving on to a bowling alley, a picnic and finally a wrestling match which would be considered bizarre even by Japanese standards. In A Waste Of Color the first game that Arino plucks from Kibe's supply is the unique card focused RPG, Monster Maker. He then selects the Ghosts 'N Goblins spin-off, Gargoyle's Quest, a game that eventually went on to spawn a console exclusive series. The last game he chooses is a personal favorite of Kibe, Space War Of Mu.
Watch Now:Amazon
#4 - The Kacho Goes to the Cannes Film Festival
Season 9 - Episode 2 - Aired 7/2/2008
First there was South Korea, now the Chief is hitting the red carpet at the Cannes film festival to sell the show at the international film and TV market. It's not all business however as Arino visits a number of local stores and arcades. At one particular store Arino looks at their selection of Japanese games before blowing the mind of the owner with a little surprise. When they hit a local arcade, Arino and Tojima get the thrill of their lives in a full body roller coaster experience. Even with all of this we're introduced to a new segment for season 9, the Famicom Mange Café, which will focus on comic series devoted to video games. This first segment shines a light on one of the better known series of this type, Famicom Rocky.
Watch Now:Amazon
#5 - Trip to Korea by Economy Class
Season 7 - Episode 6 - Aired 7/11/2007
It's the 50th episode extravaganza! Game Center CX is finally hitting the big times and going abroad to South Korea for their first ever international trip for a TamaGe In South Korea! Watch as Arino and staff visit the best of Korean arcades and stores including a stall jam packed with games of a questionable and mysterious origin. Arino even gets the chance to interview a professional StarCraft team when he isn't buying odd souvenirs at the many local vendors lining the streets. But that's not all as in the finale Arino risks the show's budget on a single round of roulette! It's an ending that can't be missed.
Watch Now:Amazon
#6 - Rockman (Mega Man)
Season 7 - Episode 2 - Aired 5/16/2007
It's time for Arino to step into the boots of the Blue Bomber once again as he challenges Mega Man. Being the first entry in the venerated series, Arino will have to contest with some of its less refined aspects and what some fans call the highest difficulty level to be found in the original 6 games. In the second instalment of Project: Game Version Arino visits the developer of the game, indieszero. Once there, Arino grills company head Masanobu Suzui about his mouse and the history of the company. The Game & Watches that can't be left alone this week belong to the Silver Series of games.
Watch Now:Amazon
#7 - Hatena no Daibouken (Adventure Quiz: Hatena's Quest)
Season 6 - Episode 6 - Aired 1/24/2007
The best that Game Center CX has to offer must once again join forces to topple the Capcom character heavy quiz game, Adventure Quiz: Hatena's Quest. In order to best this mix of adventure and quiz game the staff will rely on a certain method that has proven to be successful in the past. For a change of pace this week's TamaGe features not one but two excursions. The first has Arino visiting a prize game heavy arcade where he tries out a unique method for winning and makes a pun of spurious quality. The next stop is Home Ground which doesn't fit any typical designation. It's best described as a themed restaurant that tries to replicate the experience of playing games at home including draws full of games and some oddly personal items.
Watch Now:Amazon
#8 - Mighty Bomb Jack (Live Show Recap)
Season 6 - Episode 5 - Aired 1/10/2007
In front of a live audience, Arino tries to complete the game that he came close to clearing Mighty Bomb Jack. The immense pressure from hundreds of eyes watching his every move makes Arino and the staff much more susceptible to mistakes. Can Arino clear his first live challenge?
Watch Now:Amazon
#9 - Street Fighter II
Season 6 - Episode 1 - Aired 11/1/2006
The veritable masterpiece, Street Fighter 2, serves as the opener for season 6. Since this genre of game is atypical for the show it's decided that an ending that is as equally out of the ordinary is required. No arcade trip this episode but instead we have a report from the Tokyo Game Show including highlights from a Game Center CX stage show as well as Arino's visit to the show's merchandise booth. The new segment for this season will be The Romance Never Ends, a segment focusing on some of the most risqué moments in gaming. First up is a candid moment from the anime based game, Magical Taruruuto-kun.
Watch Now:Amazon
#10 - Contra
Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/21/2006
The Konami classic Contra is the featured challenge for this episode and its renowned co-op gameplay may offer Inoko MAX a chance to redeem himself after his poor showing last episode. The TamaGe for this episode features a wonderful store with a variety of nostalgic candy and game machines. There's also a great cast of supporting characters including classic movie stars, robots, aliens and idols. Aces Of Hardware this time will focus on the the obscure Cassette Vision from the even more obscure manufacturer, Epoch. While most of its games require a lot of imagination to enjoy Pakpak Monster has a very recognisable protagonist.
Watch Now:Amazon
#11 - Umihara Kawase
Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 6/7/2006
For the season 5 opener Arino must try to complete the cult classic, grappling hook platformer, Umihara Kawase. Perhaps the new AD can impress with his gaming skills and propel the Chief to victory. In the first TamaGe outing of the season Arino visits a quaint stationary store. With the sun glaring down he makes judicious use of the sun blockers so he is able to enjoy some Metal Slug co-op along side the elderly owner. This season will feature a new segment focusing on lesser known hardware called The Aces Of Hardware Won't Appear. The hardware Arino will be introduced to today is the Sega Mark III which had a number of notable titles including Alex Kidd In Miracle World.
Watch Now:Amazon
#12 - Ninja Ryukenden (Ninja Gaiden)
Season 4 - Episode 9 - Aired 2/22/2006
In this episode, Arino returns to another classic NES game. This time it’s the fan-favorite Tecmo game Ninja Gaiden. With a victory here, he can bring his record for the season to a tie, but the Ninja Gaiden series is considered one of the hardest game series ever made. After some time Arino comes to the realization that it may be the hardest game he's ever played in his life... even harder than Ghosts 'n Goblins and Adventure Island! Arino pays a visit to a nostalgic little arcade with a odd name which is enjoyed by children and adults alike. There he discovers a prize machine filled with a cornucopia of pop culture icons and some strange decorations adorning the outer wall.
Watch Now:Amazon
#13 - Super Mario 64 (2)
Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired 2/8/2006
Join Arino for the exciting conclusion of his Super Mario 64 challenge. Arino has it all ahead of him though as he takes on the games toughest levels to try to increase his star tally and open up the doorway to the King Of The Koopa's himself, Bowser. A new and exciting form of transport delivers Arino to this week's TamaGe location but that's not before he samples the local delicacies in Enoshima. Once at his destination Arino drives a virtual train before trying to trick AD Urakawa in a plan that quickly backfires.
Watch Now:Amazon
#14 - Quiz: The Feudal Lord's Ambition
Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 12/14/2005
It's all hands on deck for the first quiz challenge in show history when Arino takes on Quiz: The Feudal Lord's Ambition. Hopefully everyone is up to date on their early 90s Japanese pop culture. Arino visits an arcade with the unusual gimmick of having games priced as low as 10 yen but soon finds that it's too good to be true. Arino doesn't sweat that detail though as he enjoys taking down kids in Virtua Fighter 4 and Final Furlong. For a change of pace things get loud on Secret Trick Jet Stream when a listener requests a hot jam from Raid On Bungeling Bay. Secret Trick Jet Stream quickly segues into Project: DVD as Arino announces the final details about the launch of the first DVD box set.
Watch Now:Amazon
#15 - Akumajou Densetsu (Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse)
Season 6 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/15/2006
One of the most revered and hardest series on the NES, Castlevania makes its challenge debut when Arino challenges Castlevania 3. Arino will have to call on everything he has learnt over the years in order to slay the prince of darkness once and for all. If that all sounds a but too heavy then there's a TamaGe to an establishment that is a mix of arcade and diner complete with sexy outfits for wall decorations. After some light gaming Arino decides to treat the staff to a meal of his choosing. A sexy moment from a decidedly unsexy game is shown in this week's The Romance Never Ends when we take a peek at the classic detective game, Murder At The Dragon's Temple In Kyoto.
Watch Now:Amazon
#16 - Sonic the Hedgehog
Season 9 - Episode 1 - Aired 6/25/2008
The time has finally come for Arino to challenge Sega's blue blur when he takes on the first entry in the classic series, Sonic The Hedgehog. Unfortunately for him, Sonic won't have his buddy Tails until the sequel so he'll be flying solo on this one. This episode also brings us a special report from a Game Center CX museum exhibit which featured playable games, merchandise and memorabilia from the show. There were even a few stages acts including gaming themed comedy and a screening of a TamaGe starring Tojima. There's also a quick segment showing the Yamanote train line emblazoned with advertising for the new DVD box set.
Watch Now:Amazon
#17 - The Kacho Returns (Super Mario Bros. & Dr. Mario)
Season 9 - Episode 3 - Aired 7/16/2008
The date is July 7th and Arino is returning to work at Game Center CX for the first time in a month. He's been out of commission due to an issue with his lungs and since he is still recovering the staff have decided to take it easy on him. This episode will feature two smaller challenges against Super Mario Bros. as well as Dr. Mario and also feature some show highlights from recent memory. Don't fret though as we've also got a new Famicom Mange Café where Arino reads Famicom Soldier Of Fortune, a series about a boy who dreams of becoming a game programmer. We also have a TamaGe where Arino visits a very quaint neighborhood store with a classic mechanical game outside and a variety of classic sweets inside. It's another TamaGe location clearly adored by the local kids who even get to enjoy a little gaming time with Arino afterwards.
Watch Now:Amazon
#18 - Garou Densetsu Special (Fatal Fury Special)
Season 10 - Episode 8 - Aired 2/18/2009
It's time for the console that towers above all the rest when AD Nakayama presents Arino with a Neo Geo and a copy of Fatal Fury Special for today's challenge. Arino has had a poor history with the fighting genre before but maybe a change a system is all that he really needed. Warehouse Kawasaki is the venue for this episode's TamaGe and it may be the strangest of them all, on the outside at least. Encased inside a rusted windowless tower that looks like something from a horror game Arino finds plenty of arcade games, both old and new. With Retro Game Challenge 2 complete at last, Arino can sit down to enjoy the finished product in this final instalment of Project: Game Version 2.
Watch Now:Amazon
#19 - Rockman 3: Dr. Wily no Saigo!? (Mega Man 3) (2)
Season 11 - Episode 6 - Aired 6/24/2009
Arino was damned if he was going to let all of his hard work go to waste in making it to the final stages of Mega Man 3 and so the challenge enters part 2. It will be an uphill battle as Arino fights some of the hardest bosses in the series including version 2.0 of an old favorite, Just like last episode, today's TamaGe is in Itabashi, but this time the show is visiting the 10 yen game museum. As the name implies the museum is filled with mechanical and amusement machines that are only 10 per play. We learn that jumping in Adventure Island contains lessons applicable to us all in Everything Important In Life, I Learned From Video Game Guides.
Watch Now:Amazon
#20 - Hoshi no Kirby: Yume no Izumi no Monogatari (Kirby’s Adventure)
Season 11 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/13/2009
Kirby's Adventure, the NES sequel to the Game Boy exclusive Kirby's Dream Land, is Arino's latest challenge. The sequel truly defined what a Kirby game was when it introduced the ability to take on enemy abilities and Arino will have to make full use of this power if he hopes to prevent Dream Land from slipping into a nightmare. The latest TamaGe tip-off sets Arino's sights on Okawa Store, a candy store adored by children for more than 50 years. While the store has a couple of very cheap arcade machines outside the goods inside are the main attraction. When Arino is done flicking through some nostalgic sticker cards he sits down to indulge in some monjayaki with Nakayama. The strategy guide for Solomon's Key gives guidance on keeping ones hopes and dreams alive in Everything Important In Life, I Learned From Video Game Guides.
Watch Now:Amazon
#21 - Punch-Out!!
Season 11 - Episode 9 - Aired 8/5/2009
It's time for Arino to get his lights knocked out by Punch-Out!! The game was only released in Japan sans Mike Tyson and as a prize in a tournament so the challenged cartridge comes in fancy gold plating. Don't think Mr. Tyson's absence will make this challenge any easier as Arino tries to prove he's a true contender. The Tower Of Druaga proves to be an endless well of wisdom in Everything Important In Life, I Learned From Video Game Guides. This episode also features a discussion between Abe, Kibe, Arino and director Fujimoto on the subject of the upcoming 24 hour challenge.
Watch Now:Amazon
#22 - Lemmings (Live Show Recap)
Season 11 - Episode 12 - Aired 9/21/2009
All roads lead to this. It's the 24 Hour Lemmings Challenge Documentary Spectacular! This documentary special follows all aspects of the production on the day, starting from when Arino first arrived at Fuji TV HQ and leaving off shortly after the conclusion of the challenge. Not only do we get to see the behind the scenes stress of Kan, Kibe and the rest of the staff but a number of special interludes that were used to break up the monotony. These include some surprise guests, Abe's wonderful cooking and a tour of the hall of faxes. Then there was the challenge itself which turned out to be one of the closest in the history of the show and left everyone involved on the edge of their seats as it seemed that it could have easily gone either way.
Watch Now:Amazon
#23 - Ninja Ryukenden II: Ankoku no Jashinken (Ninja Gaiden II) (1)
Season 12 - Episode 7 - Aired 1/27/2010
Four years after tackling the original Ninja Ryukenden (Ninja Gaiden), our hero is forced to endure that game’s sequel: Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos. It’s definitely no softer than its predecessor, but will Arino get far without the help of three ADs at his side, like last time? On a chilly summer day an event was held in Akihabara to celebrate the release of the 6th DVD set. It proved to be yet another popular event with fans given the chance to win a new year's card from Arino and even a Game Center CX stock certificate if they collected enough stamps from the show's staff. When Arino goes in search of the latest hidden TamaGe gem he's soon distracted by premium food before being stumped by a sweets shop. After finally reaching the Space Invaders clone he was searching for, Arino's game time is interrupted by AD Watanabe and her healthy appetite. Arino will only be looking at three games in his A Waste Of Color class today. First is It's A Wooden Hammer! It's A Quiz! It's Hammerin' Harry!, a quiz spin-off of the Irem action game. Then Arino gets a double dose of sports from Tonkin House with Dodge Boy and Seaside Volleyball.
Watch Now:Amazon
#24 - Wrecking Crew
Season 12 - Episode 11 - Aired 3/31/2010
The last episode of season 12 is also a milestone in the show's history. It's the 100th episode and to commemorate the special occasion Arino will challenge one of Ninendo's lesser known games, Wrecking Crew. Let's hope that Arino can end the season and celebrate this momentous occasion with a win. The only other segment is a small interlude where Arino finds Nakayama messing about with a noise making, controller shaped toy. It turns out that Bandai has made 100 Game Center CX themed ones that will be given away to lucky viewers.
Watch Now:Amazon
#25 - Golgo 13: Kamigami no Tasogare (Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode)
Season 13 - Episode 1 - Aired 7/29/2010
Arino's challenge, should he choose to accept it, is to take down a global conspiracy in Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode. The star of Top Secret Episode is Duke Togo, codename: Golgo 13, a professional assassin who finds himself entwined in a dastardly plot which threatens the entire planet. With the clock ticking Arino will only have one shot to foil the plan and save the world. JJ Club One Zero Zero (or is it 100?) has been selected as the TamaGe for the 100th broadcast of the show. The number 100 is actually a misnomer as the mammoth amusement center has 125 arcade machines and 20 different activities to enjoy. Spoilt for choice, Arino settles for playing some Irritating Stick and having a Virtual On battle against a little boy. Arino is lured into Inoko MAX's tiny apartment where the AD explains the premise of this season's new segment. Shocking Videos: MAX, as he's called it, will feature the most shocking footage from the world of videos games which Arino will be forced to endure. First up are 4 shocking scenes from 3 games, Excitebike, Balloon Fight and Elevator Action.
Watch Now:Amazon