VIDEO: Warp Zone Podcast: July 1987
It’s time for the July 1987 episode of Warp Zone, an extremely important month in the lifecycle of the Nintendo Entertainment System. For you see, The Legend of Zelda made its glorious debut on a golden cartridge in the U.S., forever changing the way we talk about video games and creating a franchise that’s become beloved the world over. Of course we talk about the game at length and our fond memories of playing it back when it came out.
That’s not all that came out that month though! The instant-classic Athletic World came bundled with its mat so kids could get up off the couch and exercise. OK, so maybe classic isn’t quite the right adjective. One that deserves a bit more respect is Rygar, one of Tecmo’s first NES games and one that still holds up today. The company also unleashed Solomon’s Key and Mighty Bomb Jack, for better or worse. Finally, Capcom graced us with Section Z – because hey – the NES needed more space shooters!
In Playing With Power we spend some quality time with the July 1987 issue of Computer Entertainer an do a deep dive into the Summer edition of Nintendo Fun Club News. Who knew a Super Mario Bros. crossword puzzle could be so damn difficult? Don’t believe us? Write your answers in the comments below!
Finally, in Energy Tank, we watch the NES commercials that had aired from October 1985 through July 1987. Some of them are, shall we say, very interesting!
Also, for the first time ever we have added video to the podcast! It’s embedded here for you to watch so you can follow along with many of the items we’re looking at as we discuss them. Let us know what you think! Of course, if you prefer just the audio (with a few extra musical breaks thrown in) you can always listen to the regular edition below or via your favorite podcast app.
We hope you enjoy our trip down memory lane. As always, be sure to check out our Warp Zone section on the site for news, reviews, and more written as if from that time period. Don’t forget to send us your questions and suggestions to be featured on a future show via an e-mail (please put Warp Zone in the subject line) or by getting in touch with us via Twitter. As always, please rate us in iTunes, and subscribe to our YouTube Channel. Plus, you can listen to us on Google Play Music!
SHOW NOTES:
WELCOME TO WARP ZONE!
0:00 – Introduction Music
0:48 – Press Start
POW BLOCK
1:35 – Introduction to POW Block
1:52 – Athletic World
6:33 – Rygar
21:17 – Solomon’s Key
26:27 – Section Z
31:49 – Mighty Bomb Jack
37:32 – The Legend of Zelda
INTERMISSION
1:05:54 – Title Screen by Koji Kondo – The Legend of Zelda
PLAYING WITH POWER
1:07:23 – Introduction to Playing With Power
1:07:55 – July 1987 Issue of Computer Entertainer
1:15:20 – Summer 1987 Issue of Nintendo Fun Club News
INTERMISSION
1:28:24 – Overworld Theme by Michiharu Hasuya – Rygar
1:29:20 – Stage 5 Theme by Michiharu Hasuya – Rygar
ENERGY TANK
1:30:48 – NES Commercials from October 1985 – July 1987
GAME OVER
1:45:48 – Thanks for listening!
1:46:55 – Stage 1 by Kumi Yamaga – Section Z
Contact us on Twitter at:
Craig: @NintendoTimes85
Aaron: @AaronConwell
Mike: @atheaon
Jay: @ZeroOrigin
Craig has been covering the video game industry since 1995. His work has been published across a wide spectrum of media sites. He’s currently the Editor-In-Chief of Nintendo Times and contributes to Gaming Age.
