A Trip Down Memory Card Lane

What do you get when one programmer, a parser, and a haunted house come together? Hugo’s House of Horrors, of course. Released on January 1, 1990, this quirky shareware adventure was the work of David P. Gray, who left his day job in air-traffic-control software to build a spooky, puzzle-filled parody of B-movies. Players typed their way past skeletons, vampires, and infamous pumpkins in a game that felt equal parts creepy and comedic. Distributed through BBSes, floppy swaps, and mail-order catalogs, it became a cult hit and proved that grassroots shareware could rival bigger studios. We’ll trace its journey, explore its sequels (Hugo II and Hugo III), and even peek at the unlikely FPS spin-off, Nitemare-3D. From parser quirks to ScummVM preservation, Hugo’s story is a reminder that sometimes the smallest projects cast the biggest shadows. Join us as we unlock the mansion on this week’s trip down Memory Card Lane.Read transcript

In 2025, our year in video game history took us from foundational classics to unexpected deep cuts as we explored stories across consoles, companies, genres, and eras. In this episode, we look back at the games that shaped our conversations this year, from Battle Arena Toshinden and Resident Evil 4 to Secret of Mana, Morrowind, and Super Mario Bros 3. We revisit strange detours like Seaman, D, and Trauma Center, along with major industry topics such as the rise and fall of E3 and the legacy of the US National Video Game Team. Our conversation reflects on what surprised us, what challenged us, and what made us laugh along the way. Join us as we celebrate the memories of 2025 on today’s trip down Memory Card Lane.Read transcript

In 1987, Phantasy Star arrived on the Sega Master System and proved that Sega could compete in a genre dominated by Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. This week, we explore how a small internal team led by Kotaro Hayashida, Yuji Naka, and artist Rieko Kodama set out to build an RPG that broke from medieval tradition. We trace how the game blended science fiction and fantasy, introduced one of the earliest female protagonists in Alis, and pushed the Master System far beyond expectations with full screen 3D dungeons, animated battles, and a massive 4 megabit cartridge. Our conversation follows the series evolution through Phantasy Star II, III, and IV, its reinvention with Phantasy Star Online, and the expanded universe that grew from it. Join us as we chart the stars and revisit Phantasy Star on today’s trip down Memory Card Lane.Read transcript

In 2010, Ni no Kuni: Dominion of the Dark Djinn introduced players to a world where Studio Ghibli’s hand-drawn warmth met Level-5’s heartfelt RPG design. In this episode, we explore how a studio famously cautious about video games found unexpected harmony with a developer that valued emotion as much as mechanics. We follow the project from its DS origins and physical spellbook to the deeper PS3 reimagining that blended animation, music, and storytelling into something that felt unmistakably Ghibli. Our conversation also traces the series’ evolving identity through Revenant Kingdom and Cross Worlds, and how its themes of grief, courage, and kindness shaped its legacy. Join us as we journey through magic, loss, and wonder in Ni no Kuni on today’s trip down Memory Card Lane.Read transcript

In 2001, Nintendo released the e-Reader, a quirky card-scanning accessory for the Game Boy Advance that blended trading cards with tiny bursts of digital content. This week, we explore the long road that led to its creation, tracing the evolution of barcode gaming from Japan’s Barcode Battler craze to Bandai’s Datach and even arcade hits like Mushiking and Love and Berry. We follow how Pokémon cards, dot-code technology, and Japan’s card culture shaped the device, and why the e-Reader thrived briefly in Japan but stumbled in the West. Our conversation also looks at the legacy it left behind—QR codes, AR cards, Amiibo, and physical-to-digital play. Join us as we swipe, scan, and rediscover the Nintendo e-Reader on today’s trip down Memory Card Lane.Read transcript