Episode 480: Breakout (Patreon)

We don't venture into 1970s video game history too often, if only because there wasn't all that much video game history to discuss in the ’70s. A handful of consoles, a handful of breakout titles, and a whole heck of a lot of derivative works—there's only so much you can say about Pong clones and variants on Gran Trak 10, you know? But the games that did matter back then really, really mattered, and Atari's Breakout certainly qualifies in the regard. Atari Archive historian Kevin Bunch joins me this week to talk about how Breakout came to exist and how immensely influential it turned out to be. It's a bigger deal than you might think!

Art by Greg Melo and edits by Greg Leahy. Music this episode:

• 10:01 - Space Battleship Yamato Theme (1974)
• 23:51 - Breakout (PSX, 2000): Robot Rampage
• 37:38 - Breakout (PSX, 2000): Hay Hassle
• 44:43 - Breakout (PSX, 2000): Demented Ducks
• 52:19 - Breakout (PSX, 2000): Henvaders
• 58:57 - Arkanoid vs. Space Invaders: Title Theme
• 1:08:47 - Yellow Magic Orchestra: Computer Game "Theme from The Circus" | Breakout 2000 (1996, Jaguar): Title Theme
• 1:20:47 - Alleyway: Bonus Theme
• 1:29:11 - Arkanoid DS: Fairy Reflection
• Closing - Breakout (PSX, 2000): Puzzle Pipe