We’ve known Dale Kulas for a number of years now, starting with our first meeting at the Midwest Gaming Classic. He writes an occasional article for Robot Panic, has more wrestling knowledge than any one man should have, does a mean Hulk Hogan impersonation and is one of the nicest people you’ll ever be privileged to meet. If that’s not enough than let’s add the fact that he’s had a gaming podcast going for quite a number of years now. That fine podcast, the On-Tap Podcast, has just reached a milestone and I think it deserves a little kudos. Doing a podcast consistently is a tough business and making it to your 100th episode is something to celebrate and we want to give a hearty congratulations to Dale and Co. for an outstanding 100 shows.

The On-Tap Podcast has always done something that not many other podcasts can claim. They’ve stayed original and have never followed the standard format or fallen victim to the cliches that other podcasts have fallen into. The On-Tap Podcast has always labeled itself as an alternative podcast and that’s true. On-Tap has always been about retrospectives and classic gaming. If you’ve been a listener, then you’ve hear them talk about the history of consoles, genres retrospectives and in general anything that nobody else bothers to take the time to talk about. That’s what the podcast has delivered for 100 episodes. So, if you haven’t been listening, then you need to check out the On-Tap Podcast. You can do so by going here.

Congratulations to Dale and the crew of On-Tap for a fantastic 100 shows! Keep up the great work!

It’s been a grueling year, but the summer months are finally upon us. It’s time to kick back and relish every ounce of fun possible for three sun-soaked months. But what to do? The pool is packed, the beaches are crawling with pasty tourists, and the box office is clogged with the same high-octane blockbusters you see recycled every year. Why not save the gas, stay home and watch something worth the time you put into it? Well you’re in luck, because the Robot Panic Summer Film Festival is back for a second year, bringing with it three months of films to  keep the summer interesting.

For fourteen weeks starting Monday, June 1st, the community will collectively watch and discuss one film per week, carefully selected and scheduled for the ultimate summer viewing experience. The post for each  new film will be posted every Monday, and discussions will take place in the comments section of that post.

Now, last year there were some issues with people obtaining the films in time for the discussion each week, and I’ve taken that into account when selecting this year’s films. That’s why, with only two exceptions, every film featured in the festival is available for streaming via Netflix Watch Instantly. So now, without further ado, here is this year’s lineup of films!

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The aftermath of planning from this thing and that thing. April ’09. ‘Good month.

The videos pretty much tell the tale. All aboard the sinking failboat! Here’s an auto playlist.

I honestly don’t remember much. Much of the video showed me what I did, but I don’t remember a goddamn thing on my own. Up front, I apologize for bein’ a total jackass on the camcorder. Oh man….oh man….“shutup Ian.”

The Final Four basketball games fucked everything up not because the place was full, but all the big tables had reserved signs on them with nobody sitting at them the whole game. So we were forced to gather upstairs by the bowling alley. Regan and I got there first, then Skreesha & Helicine, later Snowball, then SimpleNate & Alexis. We proceeded to make fun of carrotpanic for a long time.

Later came the Air Hockey Boss Fight which is just a fancy way of saying we were done waiting for carrotpanic and went downstairs to play stuff. I have no idea what win-loss records were or anything on that. We captured a few games on the camcorder though. And somehow my shirt got ripped during the madness. Snowball later turned my shirt into a tie. We also saw this chick wearing the shortest skirt imaginable. We could outright see her ass. It was what-the-hell drunk. Nate, post those pictures, dude.

ClownDisease and carrotpanic showed up. We all did our thing, carrotpanic beat me at table hockey for a drink and he redeemed his awesomeness because he came, left, then came back. I was challenged to Galaga and lost by a measly 70 points which is like, killing one ship. I think I forgot to buy that drink though. Long Islands were the hot shit of the night. I think I got into the double-digits in drink count…which put my bar tab in the triple digits. Holy hell.

I think there’s footage of me passing out on the air hockey table and during a Time Crisis game. Let’s have a look-see…

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It would seem my craptaculous ego is getting the better of me. I’m becoming the Shinya Arino of the west. I also make really poor analogies.

So if I couldn’t win at Tekken, Smash Bros, pinball, Street Fighter, and Moe could work me at foosball at MGC, it’s time to fall back on somethin’ else.

For anybody coming to the Saturday Robot Panic Gathering Party of Magnificence, my challenge is as follows:

Beat me at Air Hockey, I buy you a drink.

See you saturday. I’ll bring my wallet. -_-;;

If you wanted to know what happened last time I challenged the internet,…
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For those of us with prior responsibilities, Midwest Gaming Classic was not an option. What could be more tempting than a room full of free pinball? Craft beer, of course! While many of you were traipsing around the Milwaukee area soaking in all things geek, I went to the 2nd annual Firkin Fest beer festival at the Happy Gnome in St. Paul on March 21st, accompanied by my wife and sister-in-law. I even brought my camera this time!

The first thing one has to think about when going to a beer festival is getting home. So we rode the bus there, ensuring we would be extra hungry for the event by getting a contact high at the second stop. We also arranged for my sister-in-law’s boyfriend to pick us up. The kids were at Grampa’s house, so we were set for a day and night of nonstop drinking of great beer.
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As discussed in massive civil detail, everybody who follows the Robot Panic scene in or near Michigan is invited to party with us in Novi, MI. Thanks to SimpleNate for coordination skills and me stealing all his wonderful images.

We’ll spend a majority of our time planning a mutiny of our Minnesota subsidiaries, discuss flanking tactics, drinking, gaming, drinking, gaming, reference bowling, comment on how classy we are because we’re meeting at a place with a dress code, make fun of that “M-BAR-GO” sign, and solve the mystery of why that picture above is real and located in Brighton using a talking dog and a bunch of hippies.

When: Saturday, April 4th at 7pm
Where: Lucky Strike in the Fountain Walk mall in Novi, MI
Who: Anybody that is into games and wants to drive to Novi
Why: Because we can
How: Look for a table with a Robot Panic logo

With any luck, you will get to party with our very own Gypsy Scott Mosier mascot.

A man with an exceptional habitat. A great guy.

A couple of podcasts that make VGEvo.com their home have set up a Street Fighter IV league and are looking for YOU to join them.

Sponsored by the Interactive Distractions and Welcome to the Goo podcasts, the Scrub Sport League is a way for all you SFIV fans to get some serious playtime with a group of folks with no douche! Important in a game like this.

It’s PS3 only, at this point, but if enough 360 players want in, they may be nice and let you play!

Here are the details from the VGevo.com forums post:

First and foremost, due to the interest voiced – we have to up the schedule of matches, or it would have taken entirely too long to get through the normal season. Even with the revised schedule – it may still be a long season. The new revised schedule is 2 matches per 7 days. That’s 2 different opponents – 5 fights EACH (10 total) every week.

MAKE SURE YOU CAN COMMIT TO THAT BEFORE SIGNING UP.

So – here’s the skinny:

1. Go register on http://sf.interactivedistractions.com/index.php – this is our dedicated league space. Please try to keep your handles at least similar to VGEvo user names. It will be easier for all.

2. Once registered, you can post a reply in the Season 1 official sign up. You can navigate to it via Board Index > Scrub Sport SF4 League > Season 01: Regular Season > **OFFICIAL SIGN-UP FOR SEASON 1**. Or, if you keep this window open, you can go here: http://sf.interactivedistractions.co…ic.php?f=7&t=7

3. The rules and setup of the league are also linked from that thread. By signing up, you are automatically agreeing to said rules. Please read them before signing up or asking questions.

4. Sign-Ups close at Saturday the 28th of March, at midnight Central Standard Time (-600). The first week of match-ups will be made available Sunday night or Monday morning at some point in time.

5. In the meantime – browse around and see what else is available there, talk strategies, setup some non-league matches – whatever. This is a dedicated SF4 web space – use it to the fullest.

If you have any questions or have issues with registering, you can post them here. Everything else – do it at the site. Any “I’m in” posts in this thread will be happily ignored unless you’ve also posted on the dedicated web space. Happy Gaming.

By the sound of it, some serious players are in the league but folks tell me that there are enough scrubs (like me) that it’ll be a good time for all. Registration ends this Saturday (March 28) so get cracking if you want in!

Hey everyone! We’re going to be doing a segment of Drunken Gamers Radio, Live from the Midwest Gaming Classic and we’ll be streaming it live via uStream!

Here are the details:

When: Sunday, March 22
Time: 11:00 CST (or so)
Where: Ustream.tv (follow the link at the top of the page or the sidebar)

We’ll have a bunch of people on the mic, talking about our favorite retro games and consoles. We’ll take a look at our love of Pinball and talk about just how much money we’ve spent over at Mad-Gear.com’s booth!

Join us at 11:00 CST tomorrow!

Dan Loosen and Gary Heil are the men responsible for the Midwest Gaming Classic but they also run the Goat Store. Here’s a look at the Goat Store Booth from the 2009 Midwest Gaming Classic.