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Blues
Joined: 09 Aug 2004 Posts: 37
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Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2004 7:57 pm Post subject: Swamp Thing for the NES |
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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? |
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ArnoldRimmer83 Staff
Joined: 28 Aug 2003 Posts: 540
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Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2004 8:28 pm Post subject: |
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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. |
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TheRedEye The Internet's Frank Cifaldi
Joined: 26 Aug 2003 Posts: 4192 Location: Oakland, CA
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Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2004 9:29 pm Post subject: |
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Per also thought it was unreleased, I had to correct him. But yeah, I agree, it feels like the same game. |
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Blues
Joined: 09 Aug 2004 Posts: 37
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Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2004 10:10 pm Post subject: |
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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..... |
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Kitsune FURRY
Joined: 20 Nov 2003 Posts: 318 Location: Mexico
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Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2004 11:59 pm Post subject: |
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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. |
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Johnny Undaunted
Joined: 08 Sep 2003 Posts: 306
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Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2004 1:51 am Post subject: |
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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. |
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merp Guest
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Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2004 7:53 pm Post subject: |
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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. |
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adaml Staff
Joined: 28 Aug 2003 Posts: 616 Location: In the VIP
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Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2004 11:45 pm Post subject: Naxat |
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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? |
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ICEknight
Joined: 15 Dec 2003 Posts: 569
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2004 7:34 pm Post subject: |
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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. |
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KingMike
Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Posts: 898
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Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2004 4:57 pm Post subject: Re: Naxat |
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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. |
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pentarou
Joined: 05 Oct 2003 Posts: 22 Location: England
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Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2004 10:00 pm Post subject: |
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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. |
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Brian_Provinciano
Joined: 25 Jun 2004 Posts: 7 Location: Vancouver, BC
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Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2004 11:40 pm Post subject: |
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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. |
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Carnivol gay dickhead
Joined: 21 Jun 2004 Posts: 576 Location: confirmed
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Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 8:55 am Post subject: |
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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. |
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BMF54123 Staff
Joined: 28 Aug 2003 Posts: 743 Location: Henderson, NV
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Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 7:13 am Post subject: |
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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.) |
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Carnivol gay dickhead
Joined: 21 Jun 2004 Posts: 576 Location: confirmed
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Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 7:29 am Post subject: |
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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) |
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BMF54123 Staff
Joined: 28 Aug 2003 Posts: 743 Location: Henderson, NV
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Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 10:57 am Post subject: |
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Nope, Taito.
And the music's nothing really spectacular, but it does have the same kind of sound as those Natsume titles. |
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Carnivol gay dickhead
Joined: 21 Jun 2004 Posts: 576 Location: confirmed
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Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 4:20 pm Post subject: |
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Taito released Blue Shadow |
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Lakmir
Joined: 20 Sep 2004 Posts: 57 Location: ...behind you! BOO!
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Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2004 3:02 am Post subject: |
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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 -_-;; |
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TheRedEye The Internet's Frank Cifaldi
Joined: 26 Aug 2003 Posts: 4192 Location: Oakland, CA
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Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2004 4:46 am Post subject: |
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Do you still talk to him? Think he might be worth an interview? |
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Ichiban Crush Vaporware Detective Extraordinaire
Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Posts: 578 Location: 33.884906 | -84.053758
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Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2004 9:18 am Post subject: |
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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. |
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