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Find of the Day

It looks like that unreleased Mega Drive Ninja Gaiden game was developed by Opus. How did I come to this conclusion? I decided to play through the game to see if perhaps the name of the developer was written on a wall or something, and what do you know - I found something! At the end of round 4-2, there's a sign flashing over the entrance that says "OPUS" backwards (see the screenshot).

This discovery comes over a week after I asked on 2ch if Goblin Sound became Opus. Yes, I post on the Japanese forum 2ch (in a thread about game developers), I don't know Japanese, and they don't seem to mind. Anyway, according to whoever replied to me, Goblin Sound existed from 1987 to 1990. The CEO of Opus (which was started in 1990) Takayuki Suzuki was previously with Goblin Sound (BTW, MD Ninja Gaiden uses a sound engine with a 1989 Goblin Sound copyright).

CRV 08:05, 6 March 2008 (CST)

Starsky and Hutchinson

I recently e-mailed former game programmer Paul Hutchinson, asking him about his work for Sega. Read what he had to say here.

I'd also like to welcome new user Manjimaru, who I've not heard from since he e-mailed me on Sunday. But I look forward to his contributions.

CRV 06:48, 5 March 2008 (CST)

Westone's on the Agenda

Entries for Escape/Westone/Westone Bit Entertainment and Agenda are now up. Some minor work needs to be done, but they're mostly finished.

CRV 07:51, 29 February 2008 (CST)

Optimus Prime

For some reason, Dimitri started an entry on Optimus Software/Iguana UK. Do check it out.

CRV 07:38, 23 February 2008 (CST)

Welcome to a New User, G-Sat on TOSE

  • Dimitri recently did code comparisons of TOSE games on the Super NES and Game Boy. Here's what came up (keep in mind that we cannot yet confirm that these are all TOSE games, but they are likely candidates):
SNES/Super Famicom:
Bazooka Blitzkrieg / Destructive
Dig & Spike Volleyball / Volleyball Twin
Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension
Dragon Ball Z: Super Butouden
Dragon Ball Z: Super Butouden 2
Dragon Ball Z: Super Butouden 3
Dragon Ball Z: Super Gokuuden
Dragon Ball Z: Super Saiya Densetsu
Goal! / Super Cup Soccer
Hana no Keiji: Kumo no Kanata ni
Jaleco Rally Big Run
Jissen Pachi-Slot Hisshouhou! Twin Vol. 2
Kidou Senshi V Gundam
Namco Open
Natsuki Crisis Battle
Oda Nobunaga: Haou no Gundan
Pipe Dream
Pro Sport Hockey / USA Ice Hockey
Rokudenashi Blues: Taiketsu! Tokyo Shitennou
SD Gundam Gaiden
SD Gundam Gaiden 2
SD Kidou Senshi Gundam
SD Kidou Senshi Gundam 2
Slam Dunk: Dream Deam Shueisha Limited
Slam Dunk: SD Heat Up!!
Slam Dunk: Shikyou Gekitotsu!!
Slam Dunk 2: IH Yosen Kanzenhan!!
Sterling Sharpe's End 2 End
Super Bases Loaded / Super Professional Baseball
Super Bases Loaded 2 / Super 3D Baseball
Super Bases Loaded 3 / Super Moero!! Pro Yakyuu
Super Bombliss
Super Earth Defence Force
Super Goal! 2/Nobuhiro Takeda no Super Cup Soccer
Super Play Action Football
Super Professional Baseball II
Super Rugby
Super Tennis
Super Tetris 2 + Bombliss LE
Super Tetris 3
Takeda Nobuhiro no Super League Soccer
Tetris 2/Tetris Flash
Yokoyama Mitsuteru: Sangokushi
Yokoyama Mitsuteru: Sangokushi 2
Yoshi's Cookie
Yoshi's Safari/Yoshi no Road Hunting
Yoshi no Kuruppon Oven de Cookie
Yume Maboroshi no Gotoku
Yuu Yuu Hakusho 2: Kakutou no Shou
Yuu Yuu Hakusho Final: Makai Saikyou Retsuden
Game Boy:
Atelier Elie GB
Bakutsu Retrieve Master
Bases Loaded/Baseball Kids
Battle Unit Zeoth
Bikkuriman 2000
Blodia
Crayon Shin-Chan (1-5)
Dancing Furby
Dear Daniel no Sweet Adventure
Dodge Boy
Dragon Warrior 1&2
Dragon Warrior 3
Dragon Warrior Monsters
Dragon Warrior Monsters 2
Fairy Kitty no Kaiun Jiten
Game & Watch Gallery (1-3)
Ganbare Goemon: Tengutou no Gyakushuu
Goal!/J.Cup Soccer
Grander Musashi RV
Harvest Moon GB/Bokujou Monogatari GB
Harvest Moon GBC
Harvest Moon 2 GBC/Bokujou Monogatari GB2
Harvest Moon 3 GBC/Bokujou Monogatari GB3
Hatris
Hello Kitty no Beads Koubou
Hello Kitty no Sweet Adventure
Hello Kitty to Dear Daniel no Dream Adventure
Karakuri Kengou Den: Musashi Road
Kid Icarus
Kirby's Block Ball
Kisekae Monogatori
Legend of the River King GB/Kawa no Nushi Tsuri 3
Legend of the River King GBC
Legend of the River King 2/Kawa no Nushi Tsuri 4
Lodoss Tou Senki: Eiyuu Kishiden GB
Mach Go Go Go
Magical Taruruuto
Maru's Mission/Oira Jajamaru! Sekai Daibouken
Masakari Densetsu Kintarou ACG
Medarot Cardrobottle
Metal Gear Solid/Metal Gear Ghost Babel
Metal Walker/Bakusou Senki Metal Walker GB
Midori no Makibaoo
Namco Classic
Ninku
Ninku 2
Nushi Tsuri Adventure: Kite no Bouken
Oshare Nikki
Pia Carrot e Youkoso!! 2.2
Pipe Dream
Play Action Football
Pocket Sonar
Roadster
Sakigake!! Otoko Juku
Sanrio Timenet
Soccer
Space-Net
(Sports Collection)
Super Bombliss DX
Takeda Nobuhiro no Ace Striker
Tales of Phantasia: Narikiri Dungeon
Tamagotchi 3
Tetris 2/Tetris Flash
Tetris Blast/Super Bombliss
Tokyo Disneyland: Fantasy Tour
Tower of Druaga
Ultraman Club
Ultraman: Chou Toushi Gekiden
Umi no Nushi Tsuri 2
Winnie the Pooh: Adventures in the 100 Acre Wood/Atsumete Asobu Kuma no Pooh-san
World Ice Hockey
Yoshi's Cookie
Yuu Yuu Hakusho (1-4)
CRV 06:54, 11 February 2008 (CST)

The True Origins of Intelligent Systems?

First of all, thanks to someone at 2ch for bringing this up.

According to Wikipedia, "Intelligent Systems came into being when members of Nintendo's Nintendo Research & Development 1 division headed by Gunpei Yokoi splintered off into its own development team." That may only be partially true, if it's true at all. It appears a company called Iwasaki Giken may have had something to do with the formation of IS. Here's why we think so.

1. Ryouichi Kitanishi is named in a patent for an "electronic locking device" assigned to Iwasaki Engineering.

Inventors:
IWASAKI, HIROJI C/O IWASAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD. 
KITANISHI, RYOICHI C/O IWASAKI ENGINEERING CO.

"Giken" (as in "Iwasaki Giken") means "engineering and research," so presumably Iwasaki Engineering and Iwasaki Giken are the same thing. And just who is Ryouichi Kitanishi? He is the head of Intelligent Systems.

2. If you look in the disk version of FC Soccer, you will find this:

IWASAKI ELECTRONICS Co.Ltd
F.D.A. SPECIAL VERSION
FAMILY SUPER SOCCER
85/10/11 update by YKM -----> Hiroyuki Yukami
Iwasaki-Laboratory S-Hokuen 201
Produced  by
MUCHAKUCHA.IKUNO -----> Kouzou Ikuno
Created   by
CPU.YUKAMI -----> Hiroyuki Yukami
LUM.OOYAMA
ROM.DOHMAE
Art Designer
BABA.YAMAMURA -----> Yasuhisa Yamamura
Music
NICK.KONDO -----> Kouji Kondo
Co-Director
SPYHUNTER.OHTA
USO.KITANISHI -----> Ryouichi Kitanishi
Special thanks
INCHIKI.NAKAMURA
KEN.NAKAJIMA -----> Kenji Nakajima
GPZ.SENGOKU -----> Toshio Sengoku
5KAISEI.IIJIMA
TROUBLE.SUZUKI
YASE.SOBAJIMA
KOMASHI.NARIHIRO -----> Tohru Narihiro

"IWASAKI ELECTRONICS Co.Ltd"...Just on the name alone, one might assume this is the same company. But that's not enough for us. Back to the patents, Hiroji Iwasaki (mentioned in the patent above) turns up in one assigned to Iwasaki Electronics. Another man named Kenji Iio turns up on a patent assigned to Iwasaki Electronics and one assigned to Iwasaki Engineering. So we could conclude that Iwasaki Engineering and Iwasaki Electronics are one and the same, or at least related.

3. A relationship between Iwasaki Giken and Nintendo has already been established. According to the book Sore ha Pong kara Hajimatta: Arcade TV Game no Naritachi, Iwasaki Giken is the company that disassembled and reverse engineered Donkey Kong so that Nintendo could develop Donkey Kong Junior (see our Ikegami Tsushinki entry for more on that).

Is it possible Iwasaki Giken became Intelligent Systems? Probably not. IS was established in December 1986. Here is an article from October 12, 1987, about Iwasaki Giken's PROICE-Σ in-circuit emulator, which mentions Hiroji Iwasaki and gives the same Kyoto address seen in this patent.

CRV 23:18, 4 February 2008 (CST)

New "In Their Words" Excitement

Best "In Their Words" Q&A ever? Possibly. I got to exchange e-mails with Kimihiro Endou, a former Hot-B programmer (Steel Empire, Blue Almanac) and Opera House contractor. Great stuff. Read what he had to say here.

Answers may still be coming in, so be sure to keep checking the page.

CRV 04:27, 28 January 2008 (CST)

18 Undiscovered Websites Every Gamer Should Know

Here's a list of "18 Undiscovered Websites Every Gamer Should Know." GDRI is suspiciously absent. Damn Democrats.

CRV 03:03, 24 January 2008 (CST)

Of Mahjong and Chameleons

Dimitri ran a code comparison of F1 Circus and Fuzzical Fighter (FC, both by Make Software). Capcom's Gold Medal Challenge '92, DuckTales 2, and Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers 2 came up (Make Software is actually mentioned in the Gold Medal ROM). We're unsure of what Makesoft might have done on these games. Probably just sound or something.

Nichibutsu's Nichibutsu Mahjong III, Mahjong Taisen, WCW World Championship Wrestling, and Kurogane Hiroshi no Yosou Daisuki! Kachiuma Densetsu also came up. If I were a betting man, I'd say these were by Makesoft. But we cannot confirm these without any credits.

Total flukes came in the forms of Flying Dragon, Bikkuriman World: Gekitou Sei Senshi, and Keroppi to Keroriinu no Splash Bomb!. The credits in Bikkuriman World and Splash Bomb don't look familiar at all, while Flying Dragon is much too old.

Another fluke that appeared was Pyokotan no Dai Meiro, published by Sunsoft. The ROM mentions JSS, which I thought might be Japan System Supply. We proceeded to research that company. Seems it was responsible for some Pyokotan games later on.

CRV 08:05, 22 January 2008 (CST)

AIM, Fill in Cafe

The entry for AIM is now up. A Fortyfive entry may or may not be far behind.

On our Youtube channel, I've uploaded some videos from Fill in Cafe games Neural Gear and Mission Metal Sight (both X68000).

CRV 07:31, 21 January 2008 (CST)
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