The BEST episodes of GameCenter CX season 17

#1 - Skykid

Season 17 - Episode 11 - Aired 9/19/2013

A shooter! As the show enters its 10th year it's finally time that Arino conquers his fear of the shooting genre and the challenge that will hopefully help him transition is Namco's Skykid. With such a cute aesthetic and a grinning plane as a protagonist Skykid seems like the perfect starting point but it's not longer before Arino begins to experience some turbulence. The attendees of 2013's United States Of Odaiba event were once again treated to an on stage live challenge. This time out Arino wanted to right a wrong that occurred during the recent Power Pad: Jogging Race challenge. In Project: Game Version 3 Arino shares some ideas with the staff at G.rev including an ingenious pitch for a versus game.

#2 - Budokan Backstage Access

Season 17 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/9/2014

With the triumph that was the Budokan live challenge still fresh in the memory we're granted a behind the scenes look at how it all came together. From begging to end see exactly what went to plan and what didn't in this all access look at Arino's challenge in Budokan. Kibe is not easily deterred and so the SG-1000 anniversary party keeps on rolling. This week Arino will deliver his verdict on 3 genuine classics, the Yuji Naka made Girl's Garden, Flicky and Zaxxon.

#3 - Yuu Yuu Hakusho: Makyo Toitsusen

Season 17 - Episode 12 - Aired 10/24/2013

#4 - Family Trainer Jogging Race

Season 17 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/25/2013

It's hard to believe but it's been 8 years since the last time Arino took on a power pad game. Back then it was a sprightly 33 year old who took on a mad count in Attack! Takeshi's Castle Showdown, but fronting up to challenge Power Pad: Jogging Race is a battle weary 41 year old. Will the middle aged Chief have enough left in the tank to go the distance and complete this marathon of a challenge? As if Arino wasn't getting enough exercise this episode, there's also a TamaGe at Ohtsuka Batting Center. After Arino tries in vain to serve the perfect beer he spots a competitive motorcycle game and Abe instinctively knows what's up. While the games were fun Arino really wants to work on his batting, a task AD Matsumura might be able to help him with. Famicom Sniper is a brazenly bizarre new segment where Arino has to identify a game that he has previously challenged. The twist is that he's trying to spot it from a sniper's perch as it's being exchanged surreptitiously by two individuals. For his first shot, Arino spies a red cartridge, but before he can take the shot he needs to nail down what was on the label.

#5 - Tom Sawyer no Bouken (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer)

Season 17 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/9/2013

Today Arino will be challenging a video game adaptation of Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer. While this action adaptation is far less infamous than the RPG interpretation produced by Square it is far superior in the weirdness department. Arino needs to beat all 6 stages and save Tom's girlfriend Becky if he wants to close the book on this challenge. To escape from the insanity of the challenge Arino heads to a pinball heavy arcade called Neverland for a TamaGe trip. Inside Arino tries to ascend to the peak in the classic Mountain Climbing Game before he closes out his visit with an education in pinball basics from the owner. Arino has two men, a bicycle and a white cartridge in his sights in Famicom Sniper. Will Arino be on the mark with his guess or will it be another near miss?

#6 - Super Donkey Kong 2 (Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest) (1)

Season 17 - Episode 6 - Aired 6/20/2013

Four and a half years on from his challenge of the original Arino is taking on Donkey Kong Country 2. Since DK himself has been kidnapped this time it'll be up to Diddy and his girlfriend Dixie to conquer the game's whopping 41 stages to save him. Today's TamaGe visit has a touch of sadness as the store being visited was conducting its closing down sale. This didn't stop Arino from enjoying himself with some light gaming and checking out some of the great bargains on offer. Arino may finally have a shot in Famicom Sniper when he thinks that there's only a single match for the shade of cartridge he's spotted in his sights. To match the size of his ice cream treat the news being delivered to Arino during his break is equally big.

#7 - Super Donkey Kong 2 (Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest) (2)

Season 17 - Episode 7 - Aired 7/4/2013

After starting his Donkey Kong Country 2 challenge brimming with confidence Arino was quickly brought back to earth in the way only Rare games know how to do. With some 'words of encouragement' given by AD Matsui this is a quest Arino feels he must complete. A short GCCX News segment brings us to a press conference where a number of exciting announcements were made regarding the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the show. The size of Arino's ice cream is directly proportional to the size of the announcement so you know today's ice cream break is going to bring big news. Two suspicious fellows exchange a white package in the middle of a busy intersection but it's not the plot of a crime thriller, it's Famicom Sniper.

#8 - Dragon Ball Z: Super Butoden

Season 17 - Episode 9 - Aired 8/8/2013

Akira Toriyama was a once-in-a-lifetime talent whose works didn’t just cross genres, it created them. His contributions to the world of manga, anime and game art have often been imitated, inspired countless people across the world, and will never be forgotten. As a team, we decided to temporarily put aside our other projects to prioritize this episode as our own small tribute to a man whose works made people across countries, languages and cultures believe in themselves, believe in their friends, push themselves to try harder and do more than they thought they could. We’re raising our hands and sending him our love and energy to Toriyama-sensei and all of his fans with this one.

#9 - Nosferatu (1)

Season 17 - Episode 19 - Aired 2/20/2014

Arino's getting a sense of déjà vu as he attempts to once again vanquish Dracula. This time the count has kidnapped the protagonist's girlfriend with fiendish plans to convert her into a vampire and it'll be up to Arino and his two fists to put him in the ground once and for all. A seafront market is not your typical TamaGe destination but that's exactly what Arino is checking out today. After gorging himself on local treats Arino tries to burn off some calories by beating some alligators and then a drum. With the Game Center CX movie only 2 days from release we get a brief behinds the scene look at some of its production including some very nostalgic set dressing. The SG-1000 party rolls on as Arino and Kibe continue to check out some of the systems classic titles. This time they take a gander at Gulkave, Ninja Princess and try out some 2-player Champion Kendo.

#10 - Super Donkey Kong 2 (Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest) (3)

Season 17 - Episode 8 - Aired 7/18/2013

In what is a first for the show Arino's challenge of Donkey Kong Country 2 was stretched into a third day. With only the last world standing between Arino and victory he'll be praying that this challenge won't throw up any more surprises than it already has. For this week's TamaGe Arino is tipped off about a miraculous toy store. First up Arino plays a class beat-em-up before speaking to the owner in order to discover the true nature of the miracle of which the postcard spoke. Arino will have to deal with a special guest who's quick on the draw if he hopes to guess the game in Famicom Sniper. This Project: Game Version 3 segment brings us what will undoubtedly be the first of many production meetings to discuss ideas for the third Retro Game Challenge title.

#11 - Cho Wakusei Senki Metafight (Blaster Master)

Season 17 - Episode 4 - Aired 5/23/2013

Metafight (Blaster Master to the rest of world) is a swift kick in the pants for a guy who realizes he can barely make out the tiny print in the manual these days. The Kacho keeps at it though, and through failing eyes and sluggish thumbs tries to push through some treacherous boss battles, and towards that end screen.

#12 - Best Keiba Derby Stallion (Derby Stallion)

Season 17 - Episode 5 - Aired 6/6/2013

Arino is off to the races when he challenges the first instalment of the venerated Derby Stallion series. Despite appearing on the NES this horse racing simulation game packs an incredible amount of depth and an unrivalled devotion to accuracy. Arino will have to breed a winner if he is to complete the challenge of winning all 12 cups of the G1 class. From his Famicom Sniper perch Arino has spotted some suspect individuals involved in the exchange of a cartridge. With only one shot however, he'll have to determine the color of the metallic glint he thinks he spotted. Lastly, Kan has some exciting news for an ice cream eating Arino about the future of the Retro Game Challenge series.

#13 - Aigina's Prophecy: From the Legend of Balubalouk (1)

Season 17 - Episode 14 - Aired 11/21/2013

#14 - Nosferatu (2)

Season 17 - Episode 20 - Aired 3/6/2014

The similarities between Prince Of Persia and Nosferatu don't end with the gameplay and both of their challenges have entered a second day. Back in 2005 Arino was eventually able to lead his Prince to victory but he'll soon find out that the later stages of Dracula's castle pose a far greater obstacle to overcome. For today's TamaGe outing Arino is headed to a huge amusement center that's filled with video games and other assorted activities. Obviously his first instinct is to try out the video games before showing off his physical prowess, culminating in a show of strength against the show's crew. In a spot of GCCX News we get to see footage from the premier of Game Center CX: The Movie as well as some new footage from the third installment of the Retro Game Challenge series. In what will be the final installment of the SG-1000 party, Arino and Kibe sign off with a look at Wonder Boy, Champion Billiards and the Sherlock Holmes adventure game, Portrait Of Loretta.

#15 - Mickey no Magical Adventure (Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse)

Season 17 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/11/2013

Season 17 is a special season, the 10th anniversary season! In the first episode of this special season, Arino plays his first Disney game, the Capcom-made Magical Quest for the SNES. Can Arino-Mickey rescue Pluto and save the land from the clutches of the evil Emperor Pete?

#16 - Yami no Shigotonin Kage (Shadow of the Ninja)

Season 17 - Episode 10 - Aired 8/22/2013

While Arino may not initially be familiar with developer Natsume he won't soon forget the name after he challenges their stylish action game, Shadow Of The Ninja. Bearing a striking resemblance to a pair of Ninja themed action games that he previously challenged, Arino will be hoping that those similarities don't also extend to its difficulty if he hopes to notch another win for season 17. It's a candy store TamaGe this time out as Arino visits Harada Market in Kawasaki. More than its limited selection of games, the store is known for its adorable elderly owner who isn't afraid to toot her own horn. In the latest edition of Project: Game Version 3, Arino pays a visit to G.Rev HQ to see how things are progressing. After sitting down with President Maruyama he gets to see which, if any, of his proposed ideas have been included in the game.

#17 - Aigina's Prophecy: From the Legend of Balubalouk (2)

Season 17 - Episode 15 - Aired 12/12/2013

#18 - Oishinbo: Kyūkyoku no menyū sanbon shōbu (Oishinbo: The Ultimate Menu Three-Course Showdown)

Season 17 - Episode 17 - Aired 1/23/2014

The challenge being served up today is in Oishinbo: The Ultimate Menu Three-Course Showdown. Arino will have to draw on all of his culinary expertise in order to craft the ultimate menu and please a set of notoriously picky food critics. That's if he can manage to stay on the right side of the law for long enough. In the lead up to the release of Game Center CX: The Movie we're given a brief behind the scenes look at some of the special cameos we can expect to see including famous game creators and the show's staff. Celebrations of the SG-1000's 30th anniversary continue with a look at three games made for the card catcher accessory. They are the unfortunately named Dragon Wang, the space shooter Zoom 909 and the puzzle action game Dokidoki Penguin Land.

#19 - Nitropunks: Mightheads (Rocky Rodent)

Season 17 - Episode 13 - Aired 11/7/2013

Today Arino will be challenging Rocky Rodent which marries two of his favourite topics, hair care and organised crime. Apparently the Mafia has kidnapped a girl and with the incentive of free food as a reward Arino is on the case. During this week's TamaGe outing Arino will be visiting Ichise Market with the promise of meeting the famous Mr. Tora. After checking out a few of the games, including a rare appearance by Metal Slug, Arino discovers Mr. Tora along with a bevy of other famous faces. Celebrations of the SG-1000's 30th anniversary continue as Kibe and Arino check out 3 more hot hits from the system's library. Which of Congo Bongo, Yamato or Star Jacker leave the biggest impression on Arino? In Project: Game Version 3 we get a run-down of the videos that will be included on the DVD that comes with limited edition of the upcoming game. We also get a glimpse of the filming of one of these videos, namely Arino's challenge of Retro Game Challenge 2.

#20 - Woody Poko

Season 17 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/6/2014