Lost Levels Forums

The time now is Thu Mar 28, 2024 10:57 pm

Swamp Thing for the NES
Goto page 1, 2  Next
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Lost Levels Forum Index -> Unreleased Games
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Blues



Joined: 09 Aug 2004
Posts: 37

PostPosted: Wed Aug 11, 2004 7:57 pm    Post subject: Swamp Thing for the NES Reply with quote

I was reading an article on Encyclopedia Obscura about the unreleased Swamp Thing game for the NES, and Per Arne, the author of the article, seemed 100% sur e that the game was a complete rip off of The Simpsons: Bar VS. The Space Mutants.

I was wondering.....can anyone here verify this?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
ArnoldRimmer83
Staff
Staff


Joined: 28 Aug 2003
Posts: 540

PostPosted: Wed Aug 11, 2004 8:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'd guess they were both developed by the same programmers. I know they're both published by different companies, but it was very common in the Nes era for there to be some small development teams that would make multiple games that ended up being published by different developers.

An example would be that development team that made a lot of games for Pony Canyon. Games like Super Pitfall, and the Nes version of Winter Games. These guys were also responsible for several of Capcom's early Nes ports like Ghosts n Goblins, 1942, and Commando. And some of SNK's early arcade ports like Athena and the first two Ikari Warriors games.

Often developers don't get credited in games, but you can sometimes tell when a game is made by specific developers. Usually through graphical styles, music style, game engine, or sound effects. Sound effects in particular get reused a lot, like pause tones.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
TheRedEye
The Internet's Frank Cifaldi
The Internet's Frank Cifaldi


Joined: 26 Aug 2003
Posts: 4192
Location: Oakland, CA

PostPosted: Wed Aug 11, 2004 9:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Per also thought it was unreleased, I had to correct him. But yeah, I agree, it feels like the same game.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail AIM Address
Blues



Joined: 09 Aug 2004
Posts: 37

PostPosted: Wed Aug 11, 2004 10:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Super Pitfal was programmed by the same guys as Commando, Ghost n' Goblins, and 1942?

Yikes....

...that, my friend, is an amazing gap in quality.....
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Kitsune
FURRY


Joined: 20 Nov 2003
Posts: 318
Location: Mexico

PostPosted: Wed Aug 11, 2004 11:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Both Swamp Thing and Bart Vs The Space Mutants were developed by Imagineering, a small software house based on Glen Rock, New Jersey. They also made Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, Bartman Meets Radioactive Man, Ghostbusters II (for Activision) and Bart Vs. The World. How do I know? Simple. They made sure everyone knew by placing their name on the screen when the game boots up. They also kept most of the same people on staff for many of these games: Dan Kitchen was director for many of the previously mentioned games, for example. Swamp Thing and Bart Vs. The Space Mutants share a few sound effects, so they probably used the same software programming tools, or hell, maybe they did use the same engine after all.

Imagineering was one of those small software houses that Acclaim hired to program their games. The other two? Beam Software (which apparently vanished after Data East hired them to program Shadowrun on the SNES) and RARE, which is still around to this day, making games on the XBox and GBA (They should really bring back their Battletoads property sometime...).

It'd be fun to track down the Imagineering staff... considering many of their games were somewhat famous (and infamous), I'd like to hear stories about the time they spent making games back then.

And as a side note - my favorite of their games is Ghostbusters 2. It's also the only one I ever beat on a cart. Go me.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger
Johnny Undaunted



Joined: 08 Sep 2003
Posts: 306

PostPosted: Thu Aug 12, 2004 1:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm quite surprised at how many companies relied on "ghost developers" on some of their projects.

I know there's a team called KID (Kindle Imagine Develop) who did a majority of Taxan/Naxat and VAP's games such as the two NES GI Joe games, Kick Master, Isolated Warrior and PC Engine ports of Technos Japan's games.

I also heard the Sonic Advance games were not even made by Sonic Team, but rather they contracted an external developer to make the games for them.

Also, the Arcade version of Double Dragon 3 was not developed by Technos, but instead it was made by a company called "East Technology". I found this out since the same people credited in the Arcade DD3 were also the same people credited for another beat-em-up called Silent Dragon, which had a similar graphical style. Not to mention Gigandes, which a shoot-em-up made by East Technology, is also referenced in the form of grafitti art in DD3.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
merp
Guest





PostPosted: Thu Oct 07, 2004 7:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I tried tracking down a lot of the Imagineering staff for The Flash. Most of them work for big companies like Electronic Arts and Eidos Interactive now. Getting through personnel hell for a simple e-mail address isn't an easy task. I've tried many angles without so much of a reply.
Back to top
adaml
Staff
Staff


Joined: 28 Aug 2003
Posts: 616
Location: In the VIP

PostPosted: Thu Oct 07, 2004 11:45 pm    Post subject: Naxat Reply with quote

Is Naxat to Taxan as Ultra is to Konami?

I never put two and two together. What games did Naxat develop? Did you have to beat them all 3 or 4 times to get the proper ending?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
ICEknight



Joined: 15 Dec 2003
Posts: 569

PostPosted: Fri Oct 08, 2004 7:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Johnny Undaunted wrote:
I also heard the Sonic Advance games were not even made by Sonic Team, but rather they contracted an external developer to make the games for them.

Yup, those were made by Dimps instead. I remember reading it in the ending credits of the first game.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
KingMike



Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 898

PostPosted: Sat Oct 09, 2004 4:57 pm    Post subject: Re: Naxat Reply with quote

adaml wrote:
Is Naxat to Taxan as Ultra is to Konami?

I never put two and two together. What games did Naxat develop? Did you have to beat them all 3 or 4 times to get the proper ending?


Maybe Naxat changed their name to Taxan for US release? I don't think any US games were released under the "Naxat" label.
GameFAQs list
All I recognize on the list as US released games:
Snow Bros. Jr. (GB), published by Capcom
Battle Grand Prix (SNES), published by Hudson Soft
Chou Makai Taisen: Dorobochan, translated as "Twisted Tales of Spike McFang" by BPS.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
pentarou



Joined: 05 Oct 2003
Posts: 22
Location: England

PostPosted: Sat Oct 09, 2004 10:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Taxan and Naxat were both game-publishing subsidiaries of Kaga Electronic (although I think the only game released by Taxan in the US and Naxat in Japan was Serpent/Kakomunja for the GB) - as far as I know, Kaga used the Taxan name for all their US and European operations until recently.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website AIM Address MSN Messenger
Brian_Provinciano



Joined: 25 Jun 2004
Posts: 7
Location: Vancouver, BC

PostPosted: Tue Oct 19, 2004 11:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Kabuki Quantum Fighter for NES sure seemed like Batman. Is there any relation to HAL and Sunsoft, or could it just have been the same team of coders? Both fantastic games none the less.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Carnivol
gay dickhead


Joined: 21 Jun 2004
Posts: 576
Location: confirmed

PostPosted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 8:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Kabuki Quantom Fighters -> Batman...
Nah, there's too many differences (though there are many similiarities too) propably got inspired and borrowed a few ideas...

Batman's made by the same team that worked on Uforia/Hebereke, Journey to Silius/Rough World and uhm... there were a few others too I believe... oh, yeah Blaster Master/Meta Fight. (And Blaster Master spawns off to The Addams Family - Fester's Quest :-P)


Just like Shadow of the Ninja/BlueShadow/Kage clearly shows that it's by the same people that did Shatterhand/Solbrain.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
BMF54123
Staff
Staff


Joined: 28 Aug 2003
Posts: 743
Location: Henderson, NV

PostPosted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 7:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Carnivol wrote:
Just like Shadow of the Ninja/BlueShadow/Kage clearly shows that it's by the same people that did Shatterhand/Solbrain.

Would you believe that The Jetsons was, as well?

(I know at least the music composer and graphics artist were the same.)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Carnivol
gay dickhead


Joined: 21 Jun 2004
Posts: 576
Location: confirmed

PostPosted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 7:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Never touched The Jetsons for NES...

Is it a Natsume title?

(Guess I'll take a look at it... hoping the music is as awesome as in Kage and Solbrain)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
BMF54123
Staff
Staff


Joined: 28 Aug 2003
Posts: 743
Location: Henderson, NV

PostPosted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 10:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nope, Taito.

And the music's nothing really spectacular, but it does have the same kind of sound as those Natsume titles.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Carnivol
gay dickhead


Joined: 21 Jun 2004
Posts: 576
Location: confirmed

PostPosted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 4:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Taito released Blue Shadow
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Lakmir



Joined: 20 Sep 2004
Posts: 57
Location: ...behind you! BOO!

PostPosted: Fri Dec 17, 2004 3:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Apologies for ressurecting a hideously old thread, but if you're at all interested, the Genesis Swamp Thing game was developed by the same guy that did Drac's Night Out.

He also did some sort of jetski game, but I don't remember what it was called.

Edit:
Which is interesting that I bring it up, 'cuz I'm now noticing that there's no Genesis Swamp Thing rom floating around on the 'net -_-;;
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
TheRedEye
The Internet's Frank Cifaldi
The Internet's Frank Cifaldi


Joined: 26 Aug 2003
Posts: 4192
Location: Oakland, CA

PostPosted: Fri Dec 17, 2004 4:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Do you still talk to him? Think he might be worth an interview?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail AIM Address
Ichiban Crush
Vaporware Detective Extraordinaire
Vaporware Detective Extraordinaire


Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 578
Location: 33.884906 | -84.053758

PostPosted: Fri Dec 17, 2004 9:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow, how'd I miss this thread?

I had someone look into what Taxan was up to nowadays a while back, because there were some games they ported I really enjoyed. Apparently they only do toys and computer parts in Japan, I'm guessing as a subsidary of Kaga. Bookmarked the link on an old computer though, and could never find it again.

About the only thing I knew of Taxan is that they did ports of games in which the Japanese company didn't have an American subsidary who would touch it (or even had a US subsidary to begin with).

I learned a lot of stuff I never knew from this thread and it sure explains why a lot of early Capcom ports sucked o_O thanks for bumping it.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Lost Levels Forum Index -> Unreleased Games All times are GMT
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum

RSS


Powered by phpBB 2.0.23 © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group