StarTopic GameCenter CX ||ST|| Kacho On!

[Clov]

Welcome to the official FamiBoards Game Center CX thread! This is the place to discuss, or learn about, the struggles of our favorite Chief as he powers his way through retro games both popular and obscure.

What is GameCenter CX?
GameCenter CX is a Japanese variety show, starring comedian Shinya Arino as the "Chief" of fictional company "GameCenter CX". In each episode, Arino is given one retro game which he (usually) must complete in one sitting. This seems like a tall order already, and as much as Arino loves games, his skills... are questionable. Will he taste the sweetness of victory, or the bitterness of defeat? You'll just have to watch to find out!

The show began airing on Fuji TV in 2003... and is still going today! As of this writing, the show has aired 325 episodes, with numerous spin-off specials, live shows, and even a movie! ...don't ask about that last one. There's also been multiple video games based on the show, one of which was brought overseas by Xseed: "Retro Game Master" for Nintendo DS! Along the way, Arino's met with some of the most famous figures in the game industry:

And even travelled to see the gaming scenes of other countries:

What do they play on the show?
The show defines a retro game as being any game from a system that's at least 20 years old. In 2021, they began to allow games from PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance to be played on the show. These are the most recent systems they allow.

Neat! Where can I watch it?
If you're in Japan, you can catch it on Fuji One! If you're not in Japan, or want to watch it with English subtitles, you have a few options. There's an official overseas DVD release of the series, which compiles 14 great episodes! You can also stream most of the episodes from the DVD set for free on Midnight Pulp. If you want to watch any episode outside of that, you'll have to rely on fansubs. Fans of the show have made English translations of many episodes available. I'll talk a little more about that in my next post below!

That's a lot of episodes! Where do I start?
You can start anywhere! Pick an episode based on a game you like and start from there. However, I recommend even watching episodes for games you've never heard of. They'll always have great surprises in store for you! And who knows, you might find a new series you'll become a fan of!

 

[Clov]

GameCenter CX and Fansubs
Game Center CX not only has a long history on television, but a long history of fansubbing endeavors! While there have been multiple groups who have created translations for the show, the most prominent of these groups was SA-GCCX. The bulk of Game Center CX episodes available subtitled in English have been through them, and they are largely responsible for the English-speaking fanbase of the show. While they are no longer active, their impact cannot be overstated!

So who translates and subtitles the show now? You might recognize the usernames of some particular FamiBoards users in a group called GooseCanyon. We've been at it ever since 2019, working on whatever episodes catch our interest. We can't do them all, but we do what we can. Check out our releases if you're interested!

Latest Subtitled Episodes
Episode 332: Space Harrier
Episode 335: Batman
Episode 327: Getsu Fuma Den
Episode 279: Demon's Crest
Episode 287: World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck [subtitled by LocationScouts]

Special Episodes
DVD Episode 8: City Connection [subtitled by LocationScouts]
Blu-Ray (Red) Revenge Challenge: The Mystery of Atlantis [subtitled by LocationScouts]
Blu-Ray (Green) Revenge Challenge: Ghosts 'n Goblins [subtitled by LocationScouts]
Mega Drive DVD Special: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 [subtitled by LocationScouts]
DVD Episode 3: Twinbee [subtitled by LocationScouts]

Latest Episodes Aired in Japan
Episode 351: Gremlins 2: The New Batch
Episode 352: Night Trap
Episode 353: Holy Diver
Episode 354: Samurai Shodown
Episode 355: Super Buster Bros


Next Episode: 356: Wit's

 

[Oheao]

Oh nice Clov! Great to see that you're making this thread here.

 

[Clov]

Oh nice Clov! Great to see that you're making this thread here.

My very first! Thought it would be nice to have a central place for any fans of the series here, or a place for people to learn about it.

 

[Oheao]

My very first! Thought it would be nice to have a central place for any fans of the series here, or a place for people to learn about it.

I remember you talking about GC CX in the past and it sounds interesting, but I am not too familiar with it myself. I guess I should just take a look at the episodes and see which ones they've done so far! I know they can do 6th gen games now so that interests me.

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

I would recommend Paris Dekar Rally, Pac Man 2, or Atlantis no Nazo as good starters. Its tempting to go with a game you recognize, but the weirder games really show off how good the show is.

 

[Brock Reiher]

I've seen you talk about this a lot, seems like a good time to jump into it. Maybe with Pac-Land?

 

[Clov]

I've seen you talk about this a lot, seems like a good time to jump into it. Maybe with Pac-Land?

That's as good an episode as any to start with! If you want more Pac-Man related stuff, like Phosphorescent Skeleton has mentioned, there's also a fantastic episode where they play Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures. That's one of my favorites!

 

[Krvavi Abadas]

If you're in Japan, you can catch it on Fuji One! If you're not in Japan, or want to watch it with English subtitles, you have a few options. There's an official overseas DVD release of the series, which compiles 14 great episodes!

It should be probably be noted that Discotek unfortunately has left this release out of print for several years by this point, though it looks like Amazon still has plenty of stock left over regardless.

Currently, the best legal option out there to watch those episodes is Midnight Pulp. Which has everything but the Shiren and Ninja Gaiden II episodes streamable for free.
They were even viewable on their Youtube channel at one point, but it's since been made private.

 

[CMM1215]

Great thread Clov! Game Center CX is one of those rare, really special shows that comes around once in awhile. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys games! The challenges are great, but the side segments are equally as awesome, especially the arcade tours.

 

[Clov]

It should be probably be noted that Discotek unfortunately has left this release out of print for several years by this point, though it looks like Amazon still has plenty of stock left over regardless.

Currently, the best legal option out there to watch those episodes is Midnight Pulp. Which has everything but the Shiren and Ninja Gaiden II episodes streamable for free.
They were even viewable on their Youtube channel at one point, but it's since been made private.

Thanks for letting me know about this, I didn't know they were streaming anywhere! Later I'll edit this link into the OP. Definitely useful for anyone who wants to check out the show!

Great thread Clov! Game Center CX is one of those rare, really special shows that comes around once in awhile. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys games! The challenges are great, but the side segments are equally as awesome, especially the arcade tours.

There's a lot of great side segments! The arcade tours are always great, and often not only because of the games he plays during them. It's fun seeing Arino just touring different kinds of places. I remember during the WARWOLF challenge's arcade trip, he visits a hot spring. That was great! Hope they get to do them again soon.

The most recent side segment is easily up there with my favorites of the show. Seeing Arino trying to learn English is a ton of fun! He has great chemistry with the guest instructor too. Hope they bring her back for another English segment sometime!

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

Some other points worth mentioning. There are 2 amazing based on the series, the first of which came west via Xseed as Retro Game Master. The second game has a fan translation. There's a 3rd game for 3DS, but its notoriously bad.
Speaking of notoriously bad, there was a GCCX movie. The staff actually requested fans try and forget about it.

 

[Clov]

Some other points worth mentioning. There are 2 amazing based on the series, the first of which came west via Xseed as Retro Game Master. The second game has a fan translation. There's a 3rd game for 3DS, but its notoriously bad.
Speaking of notoriously bad, there was a GCCX movie. The staff actually requested fans try and forget about it.

 

[sir_crocodile]

Love this show so much, and very much appreciate all the work GooseCanyon & the previous groups have put into this.

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

Love this show so much, and very much appreciate all the work GooseCanyon & the previous groups have put into this.

Honk

 

[Clov]

We're back with one last Halloween episode! This time it's episode 294, where Arino plays Jaleco certified classic Avenging Spirit (known as Phantasm in Japan) for Game Boy! This is actually one of the better Jaleco titles, a really unique action platformer where you can possess enemies. Fun TamaGe in this one too, where Arino discovers some interesting prizes...

With this episode, all of the current Game Boy challenges have now been translated! The previous ones were: Super Mario Land (translated by SA-GCCX), Super Mario Land 2, and Mole Mania.

I've also updated my second post in the thread. You can see the hint for the newest episode releasing in Japan. I'll update it again once we discover what it is!

 

[zroid]

We're back with one last Halloween episode! This time it's episode 294, where Arino plays Jaleco certified classic Avenging Spirit (known as Phantasm in Japan) for Game Boy! This is actually one of the better Jaleco titles, a really unique action platformer where you can possess enemies. Fun TamaGe in this one too, where Arino discovers some interesting prizes...

With this episode, all of the current Game Boy challenges have now been translated! The previous ones were: Super Mario Land (translated by SA-GCCX), Super Mario Land 2, and Mole Mania.

I've also updated my second post in the thread. You can see the hint for the newest episode releasing in Japan. I'll update it again once we discover what it is!

Thank you! I saw your post in the Era thread and realized we should probably have a thread here too, huh? Nice to see there already is one. If there's anything you want to copy from the OP on Era, don't hesitate (like those pixel Arino gifs)

 

[Clov]

Thank you! I saw your post in the Era thread and realized we should probably have a thread here too, huh? Nice to see there already is one. If there's anything you want to copy from the OP on Era, don't hesitate (like those pixel Arino gifs)

Thanks Zroid, I really appreciate it! I'll take a look at those later today!

Hope you enjoy the episode by the way!

 

[PlatinumClover]

I watch this all the time during lunch, as I did today. It's the perfect pastime for when I want to turn my head off.

Just recently watched the famed Ninja Gaiden episode. They did a real workforce in order to finish that. It was as entertaining as it was masochistic.

 

[Clov]

I watch this all the time during lunch, as I did today. It's the perfect pastime for when I want to turn my head off.

Just recently watched the famed Ninja Gaiden episode. They did a real workforce in order to finish that. It was as entertaining as it was masochistic.

It's a really great show to just throw on. It can get intense sometimes, but it's mostly pretty laid back.

The Ninja Gaiden episode is a classic! The last level of that is brutal. The whole game is difficult, but the final stage is really another level.

 

[Krvavi Abadas]

Huh, the first Gamecube game on the series is going to be Super Monkey Ball.

Definitely a very good choice in terms of the difficulty department. That's for sure!

 

[Clov]

Huh, the first Gamecube game on the series is going to be Super Monkey Ball.

Definitely a very good choice in terms of the difficulty department. That's for sure!

This one actually aired really recently! Great choice for the show's first GameCube title. Some really fun moments! There's some levels here that, unsurprisingly, are a huge challenge for Arino.

That makes three games from the PS2 era he's played on the show! Wonder if they'll do a Game Boy Advance game this season?

 

[CMM1215]

Edit: Oops

I want to see that Super Monkey Ball episode for sure.

 

[Clov]

A small update! A friend of ours, who managed the translation and release of the Megaman 9 special, has released another translated episode! This time, it's DVD Special 6: Yie Ar Kung-Fu! This is a short, 20 minute episode, where Arino has to defeat every boss AND complete the bonus stage to pass the challenge. I think it's the shortest of all the DVD challenges, but it's a good episode. Helps that Yie Ar Kung-Fu is just a hilarious game in general.

 

[Clov]

A bigger update, we've finally released a new episode! And it's one I've been really wanting to do for a while: Episode 296, Joy Mech Fight! You might remember this as the game Sukapon is from, but there's a whole cast of weird robots that most people don't know about. Check it out and meet Sukapon's pals!

 

[Sailor Moon]

A bigger update, we've finally released a new episode! And it's one I've been really wanting to do for a while: Episode 296, Joy Mech Fight! You might remember this as the game Sukapon is from, but there's a whole cast of weird robots that most people don't know about. Check it out and meet Sukapon's pals!

Oh hell yeah, I know what I’m watching tonight

Thanks <3

 

[Clov]

A newly translated episode is available! This one is episode 319... Dragon's Lair! Not the arcade game of course, but the Famicom game based on it... it might actually be one of the worst games Arino's played on the show. But it's one of my favorite episodes that we've worked on!

We have another small video we prepared for today as well. Hope you enjoy it!

 

[sir_crocodile]

Cheers! First time seeing the NES version of Dragon's Lair in motion, glad I didn't buy it back in the day. That last stage lol, AD was like "yeah, you're not even attempting this one alone".

 

[Clov]

We've just released a newly subtitled episode; Episode 325, THE Earth Defense Force! It's the first PS2 challenge on the show, and it's probably the best PS2 game they could have started with. Perfect for the show!

 

[sir_crocodile]

We've just released a newly subtitled episode; Episode 325, THE Earth Defense Force! It's the first PS2 challenge on the show, and it's probably the best PS2 game they could have started with. Perfect for the show!

Thanks! That ending lol

 

[Clov]

We helped to proofread a new episode tranlation: Episode 329, Super Monkey Ball! This is the first GameCube challenge on the show. Very tense episode. Makes me excited to see what other GameCube titles he'll try out in the future!

 

[Clov]

Took us a while, but we've released a new episode: Episode 332, Space Harrier! A very unique challenge for the show. Which version do they play? Watch to find out!

Our translator is a very big fan of this game, so I'm really happy we were able to put it out in English!

 

[sir_crocodile]

Excellent episode. Cheers to you, Phosphorescent Skeleton and everyone else involved.

Wonder if those MD glasses are sold anywhere. Really want that lol.

 

[Derachi]

Heck yeah!!! I’ve been a GCCX fan for a decade. I fell off a few years ago, but recently my girlfriend and I have been watching through all of it (she’s never seen any of it before) and it’s awesome. It makes for excellent before-bed television.

Embarrassingly I didn’t know we had an ST for it until just now, let alone one made by someone involved in subbing the show!

 

[Clov]

Excellent episode. Cheers to you, Phosphorescent Skeleton and everyone else involved.

Wonder if those MD glasses are sold anywhere. Really want that lol.

Glad that you liked it! It's a really unique episode.

You can get those Mega Drive glasses at the same bar that bonus segment is filmed in, Tokyo Video Gamers! They also have Data East and Jaleco merch, among other things.

Heck yeah!!! I’ve been a GCCX fan for a decade. I fell off a few years ago, but recently my girlfriend and I have been watching through all of it (she’s never seen any of it before) and it’s awesome. It makes for excellent before-bed television.

Embarrassingly I didn’t know we had an ST for it until just now, let alone one made by someone involved in subbing the show!

It's not a very active thread, so I'm not surprised! But on the bright side, it won't be that long before I update it again. Happy to have another fan of the show here!

 

[sir_crocodile]

Glad that you liked it! It's a really unique episode.

You can get those Mega Drive glasses at the same bar that bonus segment is filmed in, Tokyo Video Gamers! They also have Data East and Jaleco merch, among other things.

Thanks. Looks like they're sold out now, but I'll keep an eye on it in case they do another run.

May be for the best though, not sure how well the glass would travel to Europe lol. Lot of other cool stuff there too.

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

This episode was fun to do, and it makes me really happy thay people have been enjoying my translations. Got some very exciting ones in the pipeline.

 

[Derachi]

Genuinely still baffled/stoked to know Famiboards has several members of GooseCanyon here. I love that.

I don’t know what I even could do, but if GooseCanyon ever needs an extra hand with anything, I would love to get involved and help out in any way I can! Even if it’s “throw a few bucks a month to a Patreon” or something haha

 

[Clov]

I said it wouldn't be long before I updated this thread again... and here we are! As a Halloween season treat, we've released an English translated version of Episode 335: Batman! Sunsoft's classic NES action game. Brutally difficult, and with a fantastic soundtrack... and of course, 8-bit Jack Nicholson.

 

[sir_crocodile]

Thanks!

Love Batman. Feel sorry for Inotani having to do so many tower ascents lol

 

[Clov]

Just a small update this time! We've released a teeny tiny episode; a six minute challenge from the old Nintendo Channel, where Arino plays one of the challenge stages in Kirby's Dream Collection. Nothing substantial, but a quick bit of fun!

 

[Clov]

Another small update! We helped to proofread a DVD episode... the Jaleco classic, City Connection! There's few things that can bring as much joy into ones life as a Jaleco game. Do you think Arino would agree?

 

[Neves]

It seems like they have opened a Youtube channel for the 20th anniversary

ゲームバラエティ「ゲームセンターCX」の公式YouTubeチャンネルオープン。“有野の挑戦”傑作選やオリジナル動画を配信

　フジテレビONEで放映中のバラエティ番組「ゲームセンターCX」の公式YouTubeチャンネルが，期間限定でオープンした。放映開始20周年を記念して開設されたもので，よゐこの有野晋哉さんがレトロゲームに挑戦してエンディングを目指す，「有野の挑戦」の傑作選や，オリジナル動画を配信していくという。

www.4gamer.net

 

[Clov]

It seems like they have opened a Youtube channel for the 20th anniversary

ゲームバラエティ「ゲームセンターCX」の公式YouTubeチャンネルオープン。“有野の挑戦”傑作選やオリジナル動画を配信

　フジテレビONEで放映中のバラエティ番組「ゲームセンターCX」の公式YouTubeチャンネルが，期間限定でオープンした。放映開始20周年を記念して開設されたもので，よゐこの有野晋哉さんがレトロゲームに挑戦してエンディングを目指す，「有野の挑戦」の傑作選や，オリジナル動画を配信していくという。

www.4gamer.net

It seems like there's going to be both new video and some old challenges on this channel. I'm interested to see what they put on here!

 

[sir_crocodile]

There's a new subbed video available (a BD bonus revenge challenge, Mystery of Atlantis). Thanks to TokidokiSpecter and all who worked on it (wasn't marked as a goosecanyon release but I noticed a couple of geese in the credits).

 

[Clov]

There's a new subbed video available (a BD bonus revenge challenge, Mystery of Atlantis). Thanks to TokidokiSpecter and all who worked on it (wasn't marked as a goosecanyon release but I noticed a couple of geese in the credits).

Yep! I added it to the recently subbed list here but hadn't posted about it. It's not our release, but we did help proofread the translation. It's a pretty funny short episode! Mystery of Atlantis is a funny game in general, and it's really neat seeing Arino revisit a game that was one of the first challenges on the show!

The people who worked on this episode, Super Monkey Ball, and City Connection are going to be rebranding soon. We plan on continuing to help them out! The subbing scene is in a real good place these days.

 

[Clov]

A new subtitled episode is out! This one's Episode 327, Getsu Fuma Den! A real Konami classic. It's honestly surprising that it took so long for the show to get to it, and I'm far from the only one who's surprised!

 

[Krvavi Abadas]

considering they have to work with the publishers to get permission to play each game, i suspect the reason is because the re-imagining, Getsu Fūma Den: Undying Moon, was announced about 7 months prior to the episodes airing.

now if only Konami officially released a localized version (the build included in the deluxe edition of Undying Moon is untranslated) of the original....

 

[sir_crocodile]

Thank you geese.

Somehow I'd never seen this game before. Looks like it could be a lot of fun if the combat is good. Also the staff suggestion at 9:24 about why it's taken so long made me smile.

 

[Derachi]

I absolutely love this picture