History Series / RetroGameMaster

%%* BonusBoss: In the ''VideoGame/FatalFury Special'' episode, Arino spends so much time failing with every character that the staff decides to take him to the secret [[GuestFighter Ryo]] fight and make beating him Arino's new goal.

''Retro Game Master'', known in Japanese as ''[=GameCenter CX=]'', is a TV series starring Shinya Arino, one half of the Japanese comedy duo Yoiko, who attempts to play through some of the most beloved (and [[NintendoHard most challenging]]) retro video games ever made, all to document their endings.

The show has produced a [[TheMovie feature film]] called ''Film/GameCenterCXTheMovie1986MightyBombJack''. The show also hosts concerts with game music and had special episodes set in USA, France, Cambodia, Vietnam and Russia, where Arino plays a game live in front of hundreds of people. From 2015 Arino and Masaru Hamaguchi (another half of Yoiko) regularly appear in commercials for UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} and later UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch games labeled "[=GameCenter=] DX", including a spin-off series called "Yoiko's ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' Survival Life". In May 2023 GCCX has done a series of cross-channel colabs with [[WebAnimation/{{Nijisanji}} Hyakumantenbara Salome]], and in October 2023 with ''WebVideo/MasahiroSakuraiOnCreatingGames''.

* LetsPlay: A potential UrExample. Think of this as a sort of "Let's Play: The TV Series" crossed with a humiliating Japanese game show. Arino shows awareness of being "the first letsplayer" during ''VideoGame/DragonsLair'' episode, and also elaborates on this in the second part of the crossover with ''WebVideo/MasahiroSakuraiOnCreatingGames''.

* LetsPlay: A potential UrExample. Think of this as a sort of "Let's Play: The TV Series" crossed with a humiliating Japanese game show. Arino shows awareness of being "the first letsplayer" during ''VideoGame/DragonsLair'' episode.

The show has produced a [[TheMovie feature film]] called ''Film/GameCenterCXTheMovie1986MightyBombJack''. The show also hosts concerts with game music and had special episodes set in USA, France, Cambodia, Vietnam and Russia, where Arino plays a game live in front of hundreds of people. From 2015 Arino and Masaru Hamaguchi (another half of Yoiko) regularly appear in commercials for UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} and later UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch games labeled "[=GameCenter=] DX", including a spin-off series called "Yoiko's ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' Survival Life". In May 2023 GCCX has done a series of cross-channel colabs with [[WebAnimation/{{Nijisanji}} Hyakumantenbara Salome]].

* NumberOfTheBeast: Every sixth season has the King transformed into a darker form at the start of the season (the Dark King in season 6, a Fallen Warrior in season 12, the Elephant King in season 18, and the Frozen King an later Penguin King in Season 24). He is transformed back into his normal form at the end of the season (except in Season 18, when he changes back at the season's midway point).

** The staff's attempt to give Arino a chance to finish VideoGame/MrGimmick's hidden last level that requires collecting a secret item from each of the preceeding levels without getting a GameOver, a feat far beyond Arino's skills or the time allotted for the episode, also fails due to the cartridge being bumped when they switch the console to the TV Arino plays his games on, causing the game to freeze.

** Arino's fondness for Dhalsim and his [[SpamAttack Yoga Fire]] is often mentioned when ''VideoGame/StreetFighter'' and other fighting games appear.

The show has produced a [[TheMovie feature film]] called ''Film/GameCenterCXTheMovie1986MightyBombJack''. The show also hosts concerts with game music and had special episodes set in USA, France, Cambodia, Vietnam and Russia, where Arino plays a game live in front of hundreds of people. From 2015 Arino and Masaru Hamaguchi (another half of Yoiko) regularly appear in commercials for UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} and later UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch games labeled "[=GameCenter=] DX", including a spin-off series called "Yoiko's ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' Survival Life". In May 2023 GCCX has done a series of cross-channel colabs with [[WebAnimation/{{Nijisanj}}i Hyakumantenbara Salome]].

The show has produced a [[TheMovie feature film]] called ''Film/GameCenterCXTheMovie1986MightyBombJack''. The show also hosts concerts with game music and had special episodes set in USA, France, Cambodia, Vietnam and Russia, where Arino plays a game live in front of hundreds of people. From 2015 Arino and Masaru Hamaguchi (another half of Yoiko) regularly appear in commercials for UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} and later UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch games labeled "[=GameCenter=] DX", including a spin-off series called "Yoiko's ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' Survival Life".

* RetroGaming: The show mainly focuses on UsefulNotes/The8bitEraOfConsoleVideoGames and UsefulNotes/The16BitEraOfConsoleVideoGames. When Arino had to play ''VideoGame/IntelligentQube'' (A 1997 game for UsefulNotes/PlayStation), Arino was slightly off-put by plaing a "modern" game.

* NoPronunciationGuide: While the Japanese staff pronounces Arino as "AH-ri-no", the English narration (as well as that in ''VideoGame/RetroGameChallenge'') pronounces it "a-REE-no".

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: {{Kayfabe}}-wise, Arino ranks up (and down) the corporate tree according to his performance in the games he plays. Probably the most [[WhamEpisode dramatic one]] when he got demoted from Chief to Section Chief, after failing ''VideoGame/ActRaiser'' (the 4th loss on a row that season), [[spoiler:then getting demoted again to Senior Staff after failing a second go at the final boss given as a [[DeathOrGloryAttack double-or-nothing]].]] Nowadays, however, his being promoted/demoted based on his victories and losses is TheArtifact, and he's stayed as a chief for a while now.

** A redemption game known as ''Happy Clown'', which has shown up from time to time in the arcade side-segments. To this day, Arino has never properly won the machine, always falling up short of the required points to win.

* HeroicSecondWind: Sometimes Arino has to take longer breaks after struggling with DifficultySpike. He usually wears an anti-fever cooling pad on his forehead for the rest of the episode and does a bit better than before.

** Arino is in his prime at puzzle games. Naturally, the puzzle games he plays on the show tend to be high-paced action-puzzle games. Even then, episodes that feature them tend to cut a lot of stages out, as he can regularly clear many stages in a row without problems. This is {{Subverted|Trope}} in the episode on ''VideoGame/TowerOfBabel''. Arino enters a difficult-looking puzzle with no clear path to the exit, and after examining the field for a few moments (having spent upwards of an hour on previous stages), he declares he has the answer. The voiceover quips, "He quickly gets an idea. In other words, failure is inevitable." Sure enough, he dies quickly, but clears it a few lives later.

* MonsterClown: In the beginning of the 18th Season, a pair of tuxedo-clad clowns [[BalefulPolymorph transform the King into an elephant]] and turn his castle into a [[CircusOfFear haunted circus]]. In each episode, they ask the King a trivia question at the beginning. At the end of the episode, the King answers; if he gets it wrong, they attack him. [[spoiler:Eventually, after the clowns are beaten, they are revealed to be the Queen and Prince, who were apparently also cursed.]]

** If Arino can clear a level with a cheap strategy, like using a Power Pad while sitting on it, using weak ranged attacks against a boss instead of defeating it faster at close range but with a risk of losing, he'll stick to it as long as it works and reliable.

** In both Arino cleared a Famicom game that required a Power Pad, a staff member [[SpotlightStealingSquad "steals" his win]], in ''VideoGame/TakeshisChallenge'' by entering their name into the game before the challenge begun, and in ''VideoGame/JoggingRace'' by accidentally finishing the game while Arino took a break.

* CatchPhrase: "Game Center CX! Kachou, On!" when botting the game.

* [[CoolOldGuy Cool Old Lady]]: The candy shop owners a very friendly to Arino when he visits. During the ''VideoGame/UmiharaKawase'' and ''VideoGame/RockyRodent'' episodes, an old lady plays the ''VideoGame/MetalSlug 2'' arcade with him.

* DeathGlare: Producer Kan tends to peek out of his room with a powerful glare whenever Arino is playing really badly. Amusingly enough, at one point it was because Arino was loudly scolding a horse he had named after Kan. Also, hile going to an arcade during the USA trip, Arino keeps stopping to look at electronic stores, causing Kan to [[http://i.imgur.com/FdKBVsZ.png get visibly angry at him.]]

* {{Determinator}}: Arino plays NintendoHard games from morning to evening with almost no breaks, and can pish to the night if he really wants to clear the game within a day.

** Arino clears the ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaI'' on his last attempt while the staff is watching nearby by dumb luck as he ended up getting Dracula's second form, the "Curse of Man", glitched and stuck in the corner for a full minute. Even the assistant directors are taken aback by this.

** The cartridge of ''VideoGame/UmiharaKawase'' Arino plays has a replay file of an early level by an person named Aki Eria, who fails miserably in a second of gameplay. Watching it makes Arino feel better after a GameOver.

** Arino is straight up bad at ShootEmUp.

** Arino tends to forget to use the continue codes in older games that require them or forgets to press Start in the case they're timed, forcing him to start over from the beginning with his saved progress reset. This is usually to [[DamnYouMuscleMemory getting to attached to the controls]] or not noticing the timer on the continue screen. He once even manages to end the game instead of continuing even for a game that has infinite continues, doesn't need a code for it and has no countdown on the continue screen.

** Arino's "Game Center CX! Kachou, on!" {{Catchphrase}} at the beginning of a challenge got a bit more dramatic over the years, with additional sound effect and camera zoom. The second [[VideoGame/RetroGameChallenge videogame]] lampshades this by allowing you to unlock up 45+ different things for young Arino to say whenever you start one of the games.

* RetroGaming: The show mainly focuses on UsefulNotes/The8bitEraOfConsoleVideoGames and UsefulNotes/The16BitEraOfConsoleVideoGames. When Arino had to play ''VideoGame/IntelligentQube'' (A 1997 for UsefulNotes/PlayStation), Arino was slightly off-put by plaing a "modern" game.

* VignetteEpisode: Challenges are divided by small off-topic segments like visits to arcades, fairs, candy shops, run game-themed parodies of tv shows, and reviews of contemporary games related to the one being reviewed, averaging two of these segments per episode. In [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness early seasons]] they had the same priority as Arino Challenge, but now considered as {{Padding}} and sometimes not included in episode reruns.

Arino, who is presented as a ''Kachō'' (section chief) of the fictional [=GameCenter CX=] company, is given a time limit within which he must complete the game, but he isn't the most skilled player around. When he gets stuck or needs advice, he can ask his fellow "staff" memebets (AD or Assistant Director) to help him out (usually in the form of playing through previous levels while Arino takes a break after losing a life, or offering a strategy for beating an enemy). Arino doesn't always complete his challenge, but he still manages to stay positive even when he's losing badly.

** The staff will feed Arino ice cream whenever they spring big news on him. Ramped UpToEleven during the 17th season where Arino's ice cream got bigger and bigger every time they told him about the show's 10th anniversary projects, culminating with Arino munching on a huge tub of frozen yogurt while Producer Kan tells him that they booked Budokan for an event.