Do you know the KACHO?

Once upon a time, the severe hardware limits of early games consoles forced developers to increase games' difficulty so they would last longer. Kids repeatedly suffered at the hands of of cruel game design, often giving up when the conditions were too strict.

Suddenly, this man enters: A middle-aged Japanese comedian who had such experiences as a child, and now as an adult, vows to show the endings of the hardest retro games to everyone, thus getting revenge on behalf of those who once knew this suffering.

# The TV Show #
 "Like watching Top Gear, except it's about video games"
  Shinya Arino, the Section Chief at fictional company 'Game Center CX', is given a full day to meet the Clear Conditions of a notoriously difficult retro game. The filming crew always provide good banter, and the skillful ADs (director's assistants), who test and clear games beforehand, can be called on to overcome trickier parts.

Episodes are typically an hour long (sometimes split into two parts if the time limit is passed), and in the TV broadcast version, broken up by gaming culture and 80's nostalgia features.

The combo of Arino's quirks and humour, the standout personalities of the crew, and the genuine passion for gaming creates a "homely" and "involving" show that gets you laughing along with their jokes, sharing their pain during defeat, and being relieved when the challenges are completed against the odds.

Latest Episode (as of 2012/01/12): #133

Active Translation Group:
 - SA Team (see the second Group Link)

Previous Translation Groups:
 - *Kotaak* (hosts the first 'season' of Official Translations as "Retro Game Master"; currently not legally available outside the USA)
 - Clover (another SA team)
 - TV-Nihon (Did the first two seasons).

# The DS Games #
 "CONGRATULATIONS, BUT YOUR STORY IS NOT END!"
  Released on the Nintendo DS in Japan and the US (under the title "Retro Game Challenge"), the game opens with a brief (crazy) intoduction: Arino's constant desire to triumph over difficult games eventually overflowed, leaking into his own DS and creating a virtual version of himself. This new gray-head-with-a-crown virtual being is powerful, capturing skilled gamers and forcing them through torturous retro challenges for his amusement... and you're the latest victim!

You end up trapped as a kid in the 80's, fighting for your right to go home. Arino's younger self supports you the whole way, buying Famicom games & magazines, and telling you about interesting things he's heard or seen.

The 8 games have 4 challenges each, plus a final 'gauntlet' challenge where you must reach the True Ending screen of every one. They include:

 - Robot Ninja Haggle Man - (Mario + Door Door + Ghosts n' Goblins)
 - Guadia Quest - (Final Fantasy + Dragon Quest, and just as long / difficult as either!)
 - Star Prince (Verti-scroll shooter, including the infamous Larios secret!)

The DS sequel has 9 new games + 6 remakes, and is being translated at http://rgc2.moonfruit.com/