TCW Podcast Episode 234 - Yu Suzuki
Often called SEGA’s Shigeru Miyamoto, Yu Suzuki redefined arcade gaming through innovation and ambition. He pioneered immersive cabinets like Hang-On's rideable motorcycle and After Burner’s flight sim, and used sprite scaling to simulate 3D in hits like Space Harrier and OutRun. His work culminated in the R360 G-LOC—a gyroscopic cabinet offering full 360° motion. Suzuki later led SEGA into 3D with Virtua Racing and Virtua Fighter, and pushed console design forward with Shenmue. Though he didn’t invent Quick Time Events, he coined the term—and created a living, interactive world filled with dynamic conversations, a fully explorable city, and unprecedented detail for 1999. His vision helped shape what players now expect from immersive game worlds.
Champion Boxing (SC 1000): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkDpaSXTGwE
Hang On (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TopLKeDqYhw
Hang On (Bike Cabinet): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KV6gWzBnJw
Space Harrier (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXO7HOUaHaQ
Space Harrier (Cabinet): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_ljkKcDsKs
Roger Dean Album Covers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Albums_with_cover_art_by_Roger_Dean_(artist)
OutRun (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp3GLGu7cfg
OutRun (Cabinet): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK3CpGLk0VU
The Cannonball Run (Trailer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8BNVDUslcE
Ferrari Testarossa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lvfx5z4uMOo
After Burner (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSvxN7nMNwo
After Burner Deluxe (Cabinet): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGWesvT9z8Q
Top Gun (Trailor): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xa_z57UatDY
Castle in the Sky (English Trailer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lMRfLJGXSM
Power Drift (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZZMU2HPmTE
Power Drift (Cabinet): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs0slBdnArg
R 360 SEGA G-Loc: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OrXW5vCurc
G-Loc Air Battle (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58JKeizTZF0
Virtua Racing (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssPfEPaTaGo
Kenji (Manga): https://mangapill.com/manga/2249/kenji
Virtua Fighter (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7HQ2vspMHA
Virtua Fighter 2 (Arcade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7OYlmdhOZY
Shenmue (Dreamcast): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkuWoz6RbgE
New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month!
TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworlds.com
Twitter: @tcwpodcast
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theycreateworlds
Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com
Alex's book, published Dec 2019, is available at CRC Press and at major on-line retailers: http://bit.ly/TCWBOOK1
Intro Music: Josh Woodward - Airplane Mode - Music - "Airplane Mode" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/AirplaneMode
Outro Music: RoleMusic - Bacterial Love: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Rolemusic/Pop_Singles_Compilation_2014/01_rolemusic_-_bacterial_love
Copyright: Attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
