Trivia Browser
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Originally, the game was going to be titled "Grim Guardians: Demon Purge", but had to have its name changed due to disputes regarding the trademarked term "Grimguard".
Franchise: Sonic The Hedgehog
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Sometimes when items are scanned at American gas stations, the sound effect when Sonic collects rings will play on the cash register. It is not known why this sound effect is used, but it's theorized that it stems from Sega's parent company, Sega Sammy Holdings, having some kind of involvement with Gilbarco Veeder-Root, an American technology company that produces point of sale/payment systems and fuel dispensers. The software used in cash registers produced by the company, Gilbarco Passport, is widely used at convenience stores across the United States and was developed by an unspecified third party, which could be Sega Sammy Holdings. The reason why the Sonic ring sound effect was specifically used is likely a result of the merger between Sega and Sammy Corporation allowing the latter to own the rights to some Sega IPs like Sonic the Hedgehog and primarily use them for pachinko machines.
Explanation on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKa0U3CSTuA
Explanation on TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@johnnybonegaming/video/7206110246652185898
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKa0U3CSTuA
Explanation on TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@johnnybonegaming/video/7206110246652185898
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In the release build of Super Mario Maker, there were text strings relating to 13 unused Mystery Mushroom costumes:
• BabyMario
• BalloonFight
• EGadd
• GoldenRetri (presumably short for "golden retriever")
• MarioUs (presumably Mario's appearance from what is known in Japan as Super Mario Bros. USA)
• Mashiko (Japanese name of Mary O.)
• MrSaturn (from EarthBound)
• Muncher
• Nabbit
• Popo
• Tetris
• WindowsLogo
Baby Mario, Balloon Fighter, E. Gadd, Mary O., Mr. Saturn, and Nabbit would eventually be added in updates, as would an Ice Climbers costume featuring Popo alongside his friend Nana, while a power-up that turns Mario into his Super Mario Bros. 2 self would be introduced in an update to Super Mario Maker 2.
The most notable names are "Tetris" and "WindowsLogo", two non-Nintendo franchises that otherwise go unrepresented in Super Mario Maker. Tetris was formerly published on handheld and home consoles by Nintendo between the 1980s-1990s, and has been featured through music and Spirits in the Super Smash Bros. series, which is used as the basis for Super Mario Maker's base-game third party costume selection. WindowsLogo seems to be some kind of remnant of a Microsoft Windows operating environment being used to develop the game, as Nintendo has never been involved with the Windows line of software.
• BabyMario
• BalloonFight
• EGadd
• GoldenRetri (presumably short for "golden retriever")
• MarioUs (presumably Mario's appearance from what is known in Japan as Super Mario Bros. USA)
• Mashiko (Japanese name of Mary O.)
• MrSaturn (from EarthBound)
• Muncher
• Nabbit
• Popo
• Tetris
• WindowsLogo
Baby Mario, Balloon Fighter, E. Gadd, Mary O., Mr. Saturn, and Nabbit would eventually be added in updates, as would an Ice Climbers costume featuring Popo alongside his friend Nana, while a power-up that turns Mario into his Super Mario Bros. 2 self would be introduced in an update to Super Mario Maker 2.
The most notable names are "Tetris" and "WindowsLogo", two non-Nintendo franchises that otherwise go unrepresented in Super Mario Maker. Tetris was formerly published on handheld and home consoles by Nintendo between the 1980s-1990s, and has been featured through music and Spirits in the Super Smash Bros. series, which is used as the basis for Super Mario Maker's base-game third party costume selection. WindowsLogo seems to be some kind of remnant of a Microsoft Windows operating environment being used to develop the game, as Nintendo has never been involved with the Windows line of software.
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In 2023, after seeing online backlash towards Garten of Banban for its barebones quality and gameplay, YouTuber UniqueGeese (real name Mason Myers) decided to try recreating the game in a single week to see if game development could be that easy. He would go on to do so over his spring break, and showed the results of his work in a video titled "I Recreated Garten of Banban in One Week", which would go on to become his most popular video. He released the game as "Garten of Banban: Reincarnated", but would later change the name to simply "Reincarnated" per the request of Garten of Banban developers the Euphoric Brothers in order to avoid confusion regarding the original games. The popularity of Reincarnated inspired Myers to create his own unique horror game, resulting in the development of Indigo Park.
"I Recreated Garten of Banban in One Week" video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34HLlRRd2XQ
Q&A video about Indigo Park development:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdR6iTbPgHU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34HLlRRd2XQ
Q&A video about Indigo Park development:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdR6iTbPgHU
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One of the game's dual protagonists Yasuke, an African samurai, is the first main character in the Assassin's Creed series to be based on a real historical figure, but his real-life identity and status serving under Japanese daimyo Oda Nobunaga has been the subject of a contentious debate among historians. There are few scholarly/historical resources available describing him and his life, as well as no known resources from the time he was alive that refer to him as a samurai, with the most common conclusion being his title was a retainer to Nobunaga.
His reveal as a main character in the game on May 15, 2024 caused polarizing reactions worldwide on social media. Fans critical of the decision claimed Ubisoft were going against the series' penchant for accurate historical backgrounds and misrepresented Japan, which had never been covered in-depth in the globally-spanning game series, by inflating Yasuke's role in history and not having both protagonists be Japanese (the other protagonist, Naoe, is Japanese), claiming that Yasuke was not actually a samurai. Fans in support of Yasuke's role claiming that he was actually a samurai called these objections racist and based on narrow-minded arguments and inferences, with some going so far as to claim that Asian samurai protagonists in media were oversaturated and that critics would give the same complaints if it were a game set in Africa starring an African protagonist. This intense fighting led to an edit war on Yasuke's English Wikipedia article, with administrators publicly calling the article's Talk page "a complete dumpster fire". As of May 30, the consensus that was reached on the Talk page appears to be that the available resources are inconclusive, and there is still no historical evidence confirming that Yasuke was or was not a samurai. Reflecting this, the article does not call him a samurai when covering his documented life.
The lack of clarity on his life allowed popular culture and media to take creative liberties in speculating who he was, often depicting him in adaptations as a high-ranking samurai, and Ubisoft seemed to be going in a similar direction. The advertising for the game at its announcement described Yasuke as a "samurai of historical legend", and a press release stated:
While the header for this section of the press release is called "Yasuke: A Real-Life Samurai", this description seems to be carefully worded to stop short of directly calling him a samurai, with the use of "historical legend" elsewhere suggesting that they were aware of the unconfirmed status and were fictionalizing Yasuke for the game.
In a set of developer interviews with Famitsu published on May 15, creative director Jonathan Dumont elaborated that they also chose Yasuke to fit with the game's story of a foreigner who fights off oppressing forces, like the Portuguese slave trade's effects on Japan, while exploring a country unknown to him alongside the player, stating that they were "first looking for "our samurai," someone who could be our non-Japanese eyes". The following day, the Famitsu article was edited to change developer quotes in the interviews that either directly or contextually referred to Yasuke as an "outsider" to being a "foreign-born samurai", and also removed the aforementioned Jonathan Dumont quote, for unknown reasons.
His reveal as a main character in the game on May 15, 2024 caused polarizing reactions worldwide on social media. Fans critical of the decision claimed Ubisoft were going against the series' penchant for accurate historical backgrounds and misrepresented Japan, which had never been covered in-depth in the globally-spanning game series, by inflating Yasuke's role in history and not having both protagonists be Japanese (the other protagonist, Naoe, is Japanese), claiming that Yasuke was not actually a samurai. Fans in support of Yasuke's role claiming that he was actually a samurai called these objections racist and based on narrow-minded arguments and inferences, with some going so far as to claim that Asian samurai protagonists in media were oversaturated and that critics would give the same complaints if it were a game set in Africa starring an African protagonist. This intense fighting led to an edit war on Yasuke's English Wikipedia article, with administrators publicly calling the article's Talk page "a complete dumpster fire". As of May 30, the consensus that was reached on the Talk page appears to be that the available resources are inconclusive, and there is still no historical evidence confirming that Yasuke was or was not a samurai. Reflecting this, the article does not call him a samurai when covering his documented life.
The lack of clarity on his life allowed popular culture and media to take creative liberties in speculating who he was, often depicting him in adaptations as a high-ranking samurai, and Ubisoft seemed to be going in a similar direction. The advertising for the game at its announcement described Yasuke as a "samurai of historical legend", and a press release stated:
"Ubisoft Quebec wanted to include a Samurai, and Yasuke's story was open-ended enough to allow for creativity; there are still plenty of questions and speculation surrounding him. The fascinating facts, though, were undisputable: of African origin, he arrived in Japan enslaved by the Portuguese; he impressed with size, strength, and wits; he served under the Japanese daimyo Oda Nobunaga. There must have been something exceptional about Yasuke to succeed in the service of a personality like Nobunaga's, [...] and the goal has been to expound on this in Assassin's Creed Shadows through his curiosity, openness, respect for values and tradition, valor, warmth, and charisma."
While the header for this section of the press release is called "Yasuke: A Real-Life Samurai", this description seems to be carefully worded to stop short of directly calling him a samurai, with the use of "historical legend" elsewhere suggesting that they were aware of the unconfirmed status and were fictionalizing Yasuke for the game.
In a set of developer interviews with Famitsu published on May 15, creative director Jonathan Dumont elaborated that they also chose Yasuke to fit with the game's story of a foreigner who fights off oppressing forces, like the Portuguese slave trade's effects on Japan, while exploring a country unknown to him alongside the player, stating that they were "first looking for "our samurai," someone who could be our non-Japanese eyes". The following day, the Famitsu article was edited to change developer quotes in the interviews that either directly or contextually referred to Yasuke as an "outsider" to being a "foreign-born samurai", and also removed the aforementioned Jonathan Dumont quote, for unknown reasons.
Game website with "samurai of historical legend" quote:
https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/assassins-creed/shadows
Ubisoft press release:
https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/2LH4Ael4X1TlNJY3B3aYg5/assassins-creed-shadows-launches-november-15-features-dual-protagonists-in-feudal-japan
Ubisoft article with several videos explaining historical backgrounds behind previous Assassin's Creed games:
https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/6d4zQXyH0VF6z75Ab7jfss/discover-the-real-history-behind-every-assassins-creed
IGN articles:
https://www.ign.com/articles/when-and-where-is-assassins-creed-shadows-set
https://www.ign.com/articles/assassins-creed-shadows-yasuke-asian-protagonist
TheGamer article:
https://www.thegamer.com/african-assassins-creed-shadows-controversy/
Time article:
https://time.com/6978997/assassins-creed-shadow-yasuke-controversy/
Forbes article mentioning Wikipedia edit war and international reactions:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/olliebarder/2024/05/15/japanese-fans-are-puzzled-that-yasuke-is-in-assassins-creed-shadows/
Yasuke English Wikipedia article (Note: while much of this controversy occurred on English language Wikipedia, bear in mind that Wikipedia articles by themselves are not reliable sources for historical research, and the English article is not a uniform representation of the information on Yasuke across the different language versions of Wikipedia that have this article. There are varying primary, secondary, historical and pop culture sources suggested for and used in all of these articles either backing up verified information about him, or making different claims that may not be accurate.):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasuke
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Yasuke
Wikipedia administrator discussion:
https://web.archive.org/web/20240518220622/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard/Incidents#Talk:Yasuke_is_a_complete_dumpster_fire
Earliest archive of original Famitsu interview (in Japanese; English machine translations for all archives of this article compared between Google Translate and DeepL prior to publishing this submission. Deleted quote in Japanese is "まず“私たちの侍”、つまり日本人ではない私たちの目になれる人物を探していましたが、これは") (May 15):
https://web.archive.org/web/20240515185159/https://www.famitsu.com/article/202405/5194
Archived edited interview (May 16):
https://web.archive.org/web/20240516194746/https://www.famitsu.com/article/202405/5194
Latest archived edit (May 18):
https://web.archive.org/web/20240518034336/https://www.famitsu.com/article/202405/5194
https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/assassins-creed/shadows
Ubisoft press release:
https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/2LH4Ael4X1TlNJY3B3aYg5/assassins-creed-shadows-launches-november-15-features-dual-protagonists-in-feudal-japan
Ubisoft article with several videos explaining historical backgrounds behind previous Assassin's Creed games:
https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/6d4zQXyH0VF6z75Ab7jfss/discover-the-real-history-behind-every-assassins-creed
IGN articles:
https://www.ign.com/articles/when-and-where-is-assassins-creed-shadows-set
https://www.ign.com/articles/assassins-creed-shadows-yasuke-asian-protagonist
TheGamer article:
https://www.thegamer.com/african-assassins-creed-shadows-controversy/
Time article:
https://time.com/6978997/assassins-creed-shadow-yasuke-controversy/
Forbes article mentioning Wikipedia edit war and international reactions:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/olliebarder/2024/05/15/japanese-fans-are-puzzled-that-yasuke-is-in-assassins-creed-shadows/
Yasuke English Wikipedia article (Note: while much of this controversy occurred on English language Wikipedia, bear in mind that Wikipedia articles by themselves are not reliable sources for historical research, and the English article is not a uniform representation of the information on Yasuke across the different language versions of Wikipedia that have this article. There are varying primary, secondary, historical and pop culture sources suggested for and used in all of these articles either backing up verified information about him, or making different claims that may not be accurate.):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasuke
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Yasuke
Wikipedia administrator discussion:
https://web.archive.org/web/20240518220622/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard/Incidents#Talk:Yasuke_is_a_complete_dumpster_fire
Earliest archive of original Famitsu interview (in Japanese; English machine translations for all archives of this article compared between Google Translate and DeepL prior to publishing this submission. Deleted quote in Japanese is "まず“私たちの侍”、つまり日本人ではない私たちの目になれる人物を探していましたが、これは") (May 15):
https://web.archive.org/web/20240515185159/https://www.famitsu.com/article/202405/5194
Archived edited interview (May 16):
https://web.archive.org/web/20240516194746/https://www.famitsu.com/article/202405/5194
Latest archived edit (May 18):
https://web.archive.org/web/20240518034336/https://www.famitsu.com/article/202405/5194
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The game's creator David O'Reilly was friends with Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, also known as the "Daniels", the two writers and directors of the 2022 film "Everything Everywhere All at Once". During the climax of the film, protagonist Evelyn Wang and antagonist Jobu Tupaki appear in an alternate universe where they are both rocks overlooking a vista. In an interview with the Daniels, they revealed that this scene had two major influences. One being the children's book "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" (about a donkey who turns into a rock and is isolated from his family), while the other inspiration was the core concept of O'Reilly's video game Everything, where the player can play as "literally anything". They described it as follows:
Kwan: "Literally, you can be a toenail clipping, you can be a fire hydrant, you can be an antelope, you can be a rock. And there’s maybe a dozen different kind of rocks you can be. Just rolling around —"
Scheinert: "— just feels good."
Kwan: "It feels good and that is really beautiful. The whole purpose of the game is you have to look at it and not press anything. It's a game where the longer you don't press anything —"
Scheinert: "— the more you progress."
Kwan: "He called it a relax-'em-up instead of a shoot-'em-up."
Scheinert: "— just feels good."
Kwan: "It feels good and that is really beautiful. The whole purpose of the game is you have to look at it and not press anything. It's a game where the longer you don't press anything —"
Scheinert: "— the more you progress."
Kwan: "He called it a relax-'em-up instead of a shoot-'em-up."
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The Lumberjack Lab Assistant enemy from Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back is usually portrayed wearing a red hat and shirt with blue overalls. This design is used for his NPC role in the Dragon Mines stage of Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, but as a skin for the playable version of the Lab Assistant in that game, his colors are inverted, possibly to downplay potential similarities to Mario.
Lumberjack Lab Assistant in Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOUV82EK-hA?t=58s
NPC Lumberjack in Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled (split-second look):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGKaDGF5Dw4?t=26s
Playable Lumberjack:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTtebC4FLFE?t=636s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOUV82EK-hA?t=58s
NPC Lumberjack in Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled (split-second look):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGKaDGF5Dw4?t=26s
Playable Lumberjack:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTtebC4FLFE?t=636s
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MultiVersus lead writer Eric Stirpē has stated that he writes each fighter as a "Multiversus version" by picking a point in a franchise's history for them to be chosen from by Reindog, in an effort to keep their dialogue in line with the source material. Some fighters from a single franchise are chosen from different time periods within it, but the points when they are chosen are not canon to the source material or the game's plot. It's unknown how every fighter fits into this writing guide, but it creates inconsistencies with some character designs in the game:
• Stripe and Gizmo were chosen just before Stripe's death in the first Gremlins film.
• Finn and Jake were chosen during the events of Adventure Time: Islands, though the lack of Finn's prosthetic arm is not explained, and Fern was chosen before he became a villain in Season 9 of Adventure Time.
• Steven and Garnet were chosen during Season 2 of Steven Universe.
• Bugs Bunny was not chosen, but rather emerged from hiding since the 1940s through a "hole in the page", with him being referred to as a "timeline hopper".
• Taz is from the 1990s (presumably tying him in to Taz-Mania).
• Marvin was chosen during the events of Space Jam: A New Legacy, and LeBron James was chosen two days after the end of the film.
• Tom and Jerry are from the 1960s, but are portrayed with a modern art style that does not resemble either the Gene Deitch or Chuck Jones runs of theatrical shorts from that time.
• Shaggy was chosen one year after the end of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, while Velma was chosen from an unspecified "cancelled 2000s reboot".
• The Iron Giant was chosen while returning to America after he re-assembles himself at the end of the film.
• Arya Stark was chosen during either Season 6 or 7 of the Game of Thrones TV series.
• Stirpē considers the DC Comics heroes and villains to all be original interpretations of the characters created for Multiversus.
• Stripe and Gizmo were chosen just before Stripe's death in the first Gremlins film.
• Finn and Jake were chosen during the events of Adventure Time: Islands, though the lack of Finn's prosthetic arm is not explained, and Fern was chosen before he became a villain in Season 9 of Adventure Time.
• Steven and Garnet were chosen during Season 2 of Steven Universe.
• Bugs Bunny was not chosen, but rather emerged from hiding since the 1940s through a "hole in the page", with him being referred to as a "timeline hopper".
• Taz is from the 1990s (presumably tying him in to Taz-Mania).
• Marvin was chosen during the events of Space Jam: A New Legacy, and LeBron James was chosen two days after the end of the film.
• Tom and Jerry are from the 1960s, but are portrayed with a modern art style that does not resemble either the Gene Deitch or Chuck Jones runs of theatrical shorts from that time.
• Shaggy was chosen one year after the end of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, while Velma was chosen from an unspecified "cancelled 2000s reboot".
• The Iron Giant was chosen while returning to America after he re-assembles himself at the end of the film.
• Arya Stark was chosen during either Season 6 or 7 of the Game of Thrones TV series.
• Stirpē considers the DC Comics heroes and villains to all be original interpretations of the characters created for Multiversus.
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When assets from Star Fox 2 were leaked in the 2020 Nintendo Gigaleak, one character that caught people's attention was what appeared to be a human woman. Some fans and news outlets assumed the character to be black based on her frilly hair and large lips, but palettes were eventually discovered that revealed her to be fair-skinned. The human woman's sprites have the same filename as Miyu and Fay's in the final game, and her two sprites' facial structures resemble Miyu and Fay's prototype sprites (the latter being a sheep instead of a poodle), suggesting she was simply a placeholder meant to give a human reference for Miyu and Fay's anthropomorphic expressions.
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In 2012, Toby Fox posted several Yume Nikki fan songs to his Tumblr account. One of these, "waltz of seccom masada" (named after a fan nickname for the piano-playing NPC in the spaceship area), bears strong similarities to the Deltarune track "Man" (heard in the hidden rooms where Kris can obtain an egg from an invisible NPC behind a tree), indicating that Fox repurposed and rearranged the song for his own project years later.
Deltarune - Secret tree rooms featuring "Man":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYbzt3r97ZE
The Cutting Room Floor article:
https://tcrf.net/Prerelease:Deltarune/Early_Development#fwugradiation_Tumblr
Toby Fox's Tumblr post:
https://fwugradiation.tumblr.com/post/20325508850/made-up-yume-nikkis-dark-tunnel-amphitheater
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYbzt3r97ZE
The Cutting Room Floor article:
https://tcrf.net/Prerelease:Deltarune/Early_Development#fwugradiation_Tumblr
Toby Fox's Tumblr post:
https://fwugradiation.tumblr.com/post/20325508850/made-up-yume-nikkis-dark-tunnel-amphitheater
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In 2022, the English rock band Arctic Monkeys released a song titled "Sculptures of Anything Goes", featuring the following lyric in the last verse of the song:
This lyric became the subject of news articles when fans on the music lyrics website Genius initially determined that it was referencing the obscure Nintendo DS game City Life DS, which only released in France in 2008 and the United Kingdom in 2009, and did not sell as well as previous games in the City Life series. Fans theorized that the difficulty in finding a copy of the game referenced in the lyric stemmed from Nintendo eventually discontinuing the DS family of systems to support future consoles. They also cited the closure of the Nintendo 3DS/Wii U versions of the Nintendo eShop as another possibility, but this was unfounded as City Life DS was only officially released as a physical cartridge and not part of the Wii U Virtual Console's Nintendo DS library.
However, it was confirmed in an interview with the band's frontman Alex Turner by Rolling Stone Germany on the day the song released that the lyric was not about City Life DS. He attributed the lyric to the works of author David Foster Wallace, most likely as a reference to his book "Infinite Jest" where the characters consume entertainment in the form of cartridges, which could also be referring to Turner's growing struggle to appeal and relate to Arctic Monkeys' audience from their earlier years as their sound and image changed later on.
"The simulation cartridge for City Life '09 is pretty tricky to come by."
This lyric became the subject of news articles when fans on the music lyrics website Genius initially determined that it was referencing the obscure Nintendo DS game City Life DS, which only released in France in 2008 and the United Kingdom in 2009, and did not sell as well as previous games in the City Life series. Fans theorized that the difficulty in finding a copy of the game referenced in the lyric stemmed from Nintendo eventually discontinuing the DS family of systems to support future consoles. They also cited the closure of the Nintendo 3DS/Wii U versions of the Nintendo eShop as another possibility, but this was unfounded as City Life DS was only officially released as a physical cartridge and not part of the Wii U Virtual Console's Nintendo DS library.
However, it was confirmed in an interview with the band's frontman Alex Turner by Rolling Stone Germany on the day the song released that the lyric was not about City Life DS. He attributed the lyric to the works of author David Foster Wallace, most likely as a reference to his book "Infinite Jest" where the characters consume entertainment in the form of cartridges, which could also be referring to Turner's growing struggle to appeal and relate to Arctic Monkeys' audience from their earlier years as their sound and image changed later on.
Arctic Monkeys - Sculptures of Anything Goes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQsrIxyoJdE
City Life DS release dates:
https://web.archive.org/web/20180109182552/https://www.gamespot.com/city-life-ds/
Alex Turner Rolling Stone Germany interview:
https://www.rollingstone.de/arctic-monkeys-alex-turner-im-grossen-interview-zum-neuen-album-the-car-2508705/
Speculation news coverage:
https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/arctic-monkeys-sneak-an-obscure-nintendo-reference-into-the-car-3333593
https://www.gamesradar.com/an-obscure-nintendo-city-builder-has-resurfaced-on-the-new-arctic-monkeys-album/
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/10/random-arctic-monkeys-song-potentially-makes-obscure-ds-city-builder-reference
https://indigomusic.com/pop-cultures/arctic-monkeys-made-a-subtle-nintendo-reference-in-their-track-the-car?amp=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQsrIxyoJdE
City Life DS release dates:
https://web.archive.org/web/20180109182552/https://www.gamespot.com/city-life-ds/
Alex Turner Rolling Stone Germany interview:
https://www.rollingstone.de/arctic-monkeys-alex-turner-im-grossen-interview-zum-neuen-album-the-car-2508705/
Speculation news coverage:
https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/arctic-monkeys-sneak-an-obscure-nintendo-reference-into-the-car-3333593
https://www.gamesradar.com/an-obscure-nintendo-city-builder-has-resurfaced-on-the-new-arctic-monkeys-album/
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/10/random-arctic-monkeys-song-potentially-makes-obscure-ds-city-builder-reference
https://indigomusic.com/pop-cultures/arctic-monkeys-made-a-subtle-nintendo-reference-in-their-track-the-car?amp=1
subdirectory_arrow_right Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 5 (Game), Dance Dance Revolution II (Game)
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Dance Dance Revolution X3 VS 2ndMix's interface and background music strongly resemble that which appeared in Dance Dance Revolution II/Hottest Party 5. This connection may possibly stem from both games releasing within a month of each other, suggesting they were developed simultaneously and shared development assets.
Article on List of North American Console DDR Games:
https://remywiki.com/North_American_DanceDanceRevolution_Games#Nintendo_Wii
RemyWiki articles on DDR X3 VS 2ndMix and DDRII/HP5:
https://remywiki.com/AC_DDR_X3
https://remywiki.com/CS_DDR_II
Video of DDR II Interface:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbOi1uCYtko?t=36
Video of DDR X3 VS 2ndMix Interface:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=676PuAyLAts
https://remywiki.com/North_American_DanceDanceRevolution_Games#Nintendo_Wii
RemyWiki articles on DDR X3 VS 2ndMix and DDRII/HP5:
https://remywiki.com/AC_DDR_X3
https://remywiki.com/CS_DDR_II
Video of DDR II Interface:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbOi1uCYtko?t=36
Video of DDR X3 VS 2ndMix Interface:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=676PuAyLAts
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Despite incorporating several elements common in a live-service game (i.e. an in-game store, a battle pass, seasonal events, and premium currency), Skull and Bones was given a price tag of $70. Yves Guillemot, the CEO of Ubisoft, justified this during an investors call before the game's release, stating:
It's worth noting, however, that the game cost $200 million due to its decade-long development, with Ubisoft admitting that they did not think they would be able to break even due to its poor launch. Knowing this, it can be inferred that Ubisoft insisted on referring to Skull and Bones as a "quadruple-A" title not because of the scope of the project, but for how abnormally long it took to produce and raised the price to recoup costs, because this was not the first or only game they called a AAAA title in the past. It was discovered as far back as 2020 on the LinkedIn pages of several Ubisoft employees that they referred to Skull and Bones, the also long-delayed Beyond Good & Evil 2, and later Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, all games with development times lasting at least six years, as AAAA titles in their work experience.
"It's a very big game and we feel that people will really see how vast and complete that game is. So it's a really full triple-A, quadruple-A game that will deliver in the long run."
It's worth noting, however, that the game cost $200 million due to its decade-long development, with Ubisoft admitting that they did not think they would be able to break even due to its poor launch. Knowing this, it can be inferred that Ubisoft insisted on referring to Skull and Bones as a "quadruple-A" title not because of the scope of the project, but for how abnormally long it took to produce and raised the price to recoup costs, because this was not the first or only game they called a AAAA title in the past. It was discovered as far back as 2020 on the LinkedIn pages of several Ubisoft employees that they referred to Skull and Bones, the also long-delayed Beyond Good & Evil 2, and later Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, all games with development times lasting at least six years, as AAAA titles in their work experience.
Quote source:
https://www.pcgamer.com/ubisoft-ceo-defends-skull-and-bones-dollar60-price-tag-says-its-a-quadruple-a-game/
Game budget:
https://insider-gaming.com/skull-and-bones-players-total/
2020 LinkedIn page mentions:
https://screenrant.com/ubisoft-beyond-good-evil-skull-bones-aaaa-games/
2022 Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora AAAA game label:
https://tech4gamers.com/avatar-frontiers-of-pandora/
https://www.pcgamer.com/ubisoft-ceo-defends-skull-and-bones-dollar60-price-tag-says-its-a-quadruple-a-game/
Game budget:
https://insider-gaming.com/skull-and-bones-players-total/
2020 LinkedIn page mentions:
https://screenrant.com/ubisoft-beyond-good-evil-skull-bones-aaaa-games/
2022 Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora AAAA game label:
https://tech4gamers.com/avatar-frontiers-of-pandora/
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Sexualization complaints:
https://www.denofgeek.com/games/stellar-blade-controversy-explained/
South Korean rating:
https://en.as.com/meristation/news/stellar-blade-gets-an-adults-only-rating-due-to-nudity-and-explicit-gore-n/
Design choice quote:
https://fandomwire.com/hyung-tae-kim-stellar-blade-avoid-controversy/
Day 1 patch censorship:
https://esports.gg/news/stellar-blade/players-outraged-at-unexpected-stellar-blade-outfit-censorship/
Compilation of outfits in base game before Day 1 patch (uncensored versions of Cybernetic Bondage at 2:30, and Holiday Rabbit at 4:52):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMT6z9xejeA
Compilation of outfits after Day 1 patch (censored versions of Cybernetic Bondage at 1:03, Holiday Rabbit at 2:19, and Moutan Peony at 3:02):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAcvYBGPoGk
Nano Suit tutorial pop-up montage with uncensored Moutan Peony costume (this is the only footage I could find of anyone sitting through this video start to finish):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHJhViruQKM?t=3761
Stellar Blade uncensored claim tweet:
https://twitter.com/StellarBlade/status/1781976139688534449
Video of Hyung-Tae Kim defending update changes:
https://www.reddit.com/r/stellarblade/comments/1cdlllp/directors_answer_to_the_change_in_the_outfitvideo/
GameAbout interview with Kim (article in Korean):
https://www.gameabout.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=87017
Holiday Rabbit and Cybernetic Bondage costume reversal:
https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2024/05/stellar-blade-ps5-quietly-adds-uncensored-new-costumes-in-controversy-aftermath
IGN interview with Yoko Taro and Kim:
https://www.ign.com/articles/stellar-blade-x-nier-automata-taro-yoko-hyung-tae-kim
https://www.denofgeek.com/games/stellar-blade-controversy-explained/
South Korean rating:
https://en.as.com/meristation/news/stellar-blade-gets-an-adults-only-rating-due-to-nudity-and-explicit-gore-n/
Design choice quote:
https://fandomwire.com/hyung-tae-kim-stellar-blade-avoid-controversy/
Day 1 patch censorship:
https://esports.gg/news/stellar-blade/players-outraged-at-unexpected-stellar-blade-outfit-censorship/
Compilation of outfits in base game before Day 1 patch (uncensored versions of Cybernetic Bondage at 2:30, and Holiday Rabbit at 4:52):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMT6z9xejeA
Compilation of outfits after Day 1 patch (censored versions of Cybernetic Bondage at 1:03, Holiday Rabbit at 2:19, and Moutan Peony at 3:02):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAcvYBGPoGk
Nano Suit tutorial pop-up montage with uncensored Moutan Peony costume (this is the only footage I could find of anyone sitting through this video start to finish):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHJhViruQKM?t=3761
Stellar Blade uncensored claim tweet:
https://twitter.com/StellarBlade/status/1781976139688534449
Video of Hyung-Tae Kim defending update changes:
https://www.reddit.com/r/stellarblade/comments/1cdlllp/directors_answer_to_the_change_in_the_outfitvideo/
GameAbout interview with Kim (article in Korean):
https://www.gameabout.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=87017
Holiday Rabbit and Cybernetic Bondage costume reversal:
https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2024/05/stellar-blade-ps5-quietly-adds-uncensored-new-costumes-in-controversy-aftermath
IGN interview with Yoko Taro and Kim:
https://www.ign.com/articles/stellar-blade-x-nier-automata-taro-yoko-hyung-tae-kim
subdirectory_arrow_right The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Game)
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The character design of Purlo, who runs the STAR game in the thoroughfare of Castletown, was directly based on Tingle. According to Eiji Aonuma, he is what Tingle would look like if he was made with a realistic design.
Aonuma's word:
https://web.archive.org/web/20070202030515/http://www.nindori.com/interview/154zelda/154int_05.html
Video talking about similarities:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM83KaSm7n8#t=2m8s
https://web.archive.org/web/20070202030515/http://www.nindori.com/interview/154zelda/154int_05.html
Video talking about similarities:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM83KaSm7n8#t=2m8s
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Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights features many similarities to the Professor Layton franchise by Level-5, namely in regards to the aesthetics and story. Noriaki Okamura, the game's designer, admitted that he was inspired by the series when making the game.
subdirectory_arrow_right Nintendo Switch (Platform)
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Within the Nintendo Switch firmware prior to Version 4.0.0 (for Japanese, US and European systems only), there is a hidden NES emulator stub called "flog" that can be unlocked under very specific conditions. flog can only be unlocked on the Home Screen and when the console's internal clock is set to July 11th (if the date is changed in System Settings, but the console is connected to the internet and can see the actual date, this method will not work). The method to unlock it involves detaching the Joy-Cons from the console, holding them pointing forwards/downwards, then moving them to a vertical position and holding it for a few seconds. This gesture may take some time to hone due to it being a specific movement tracked by the Joy-Cons, but when it is matched, the system will check to see if flog is installed. When checked, an audio clip of a man saying "chokusetsu" ("直接"), the Japanese word for "direct", will play and the screen will cut to black and launch the 1984 NES title Golf. This emulator is unique in that it includes specific instructions in English and Japanese on how to play depending on how the Joy-Cons are held, and has a more stripped-down and simplistic appearance than the emulators that would be used for NES games on Nintendo Switch Online. Pressing the Home button while playing Golf will return you to the Home Screen without any visible software running there.
With Version 4.0.0, Nintendo removed all of the code required to launch flog and play Golf, but the company seemed unusually hesitant to even acknowledge its existence when asked by news outlets. One month before its removal, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Amie released two statements regarding it when asked by Kotaku:
While this seems to allude that the secret emulator and Golf's inclusion were not authorized within Nintendo, this all but confirms that their purpose was to act as a tribute to Nintendo's late CEO Satoru Iwata. Iwata, who programmed Golf and previously hosted the company's Nintendo Direct showcase series, passed away on July 11th, 2015, with the method to unlock the emulator mimicking a gesture he used during Nintendo Directs. Japanese fans on social media referred to the Easter egg as an "omamori", an amulet purchased at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in Japan that if kept close are said to protect the bearer and bring good luck, speculating that Golf was included by Iwata as a secret charm to watch over every Nintendo Switch unit after his death.
With Version 4.0.0, Nintendo removed all of the code required to launch flog and play Golf, but the company seemed unusually hesitant to even acknowledge its existence when asked by news outlets. One month before its removal, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Amie released two statements regarding it when asked by Kotaku:
"So, two comments on this. It was identified by folks playing around in the firmware. We've got nothing officially to announce for that content or what the plans are for that content. So that's that. Certainly anything that pays respect to my friend Mr. Iwata is something that is near and dear to me personally, but in terms of that execution and what it was meant to do or what the plans are, we've got nothing to announce."
"I'm struck whenever I go back to Kyoto and spend time in our headquarters and spend time in the offices where Mr. Iwata, myself and others would be meeting. It's always personally touching. And so, again, no comment on that particular execution."
"I'm struck whenever I go back to Kyoto and spend time in our headquarters and spend time in the offices where Mr. Iwata, myself and others would be meeting. It's always personally touching. And so, again, no comment on that particular execution."
While this seems to allude that the secret emulator and Golf's inclusion were not authorized within Nintendo, this all but confirms that their purpose was to act as a tribute to Nintendo's late CEO Satoru Iwata. Iwata, who programmed Golf and previously hosted the company's Nintendo Direct showcase series, passed away on July 11th, 2015, with the method to unlock the emulator mimicking a gesture he used during Nintendo Directs. Japanese fans on social media referred to the Easter egg as an "omamori", an amulet purchased at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in Japan that if kept close are said to protect the bearer and bring good luck, speculating that Golf was included by Iwata as a secret charm to watch over every Nintendo Switch unit after his death.
Video demonstrations:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGN6QXv7sfs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmkAvnnFICE
Polygon articles covering the discovery and removal of Golf:
https://www.polygon.com/2017/9/17/16323452/nintendo-switch-golf-emulator
https://www.polygon.com/nintendo-switch/2017/9/20/16338508/nintendo-switch-golf-iwata-theory
https://www.polygon.com/2017/12/27/16822340/nintendo-switch-golf-game-hidden-removed
Reggie Fils-Amie statements:
https://kotaku.com/nintendo-is-still-oddly-tight-lipped-about-the-switch-s-1820050815
The Cutting Room Floor article:
https://tcrf.net/Nintendo_Switch#Golf
Chokusetsu definition:
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ちょくせつ#Japanese
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGN6QXv7sfs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmkAvnnFICE
Polygon articles covering the discovery and removal of Golf:
https://www.polygon.com/2017/9/17/16323452/nintendo-switch-golf-emulator
https://www.polygon.com/nintendo-switch/2017/9/20/16338508/nintendo-switch-golf-iwata-theory
https://www.polygon.com/2017/12/27/16822340/nintendo-switch-golf-game-hidden-removed
Reggie Fils-Amie statements:
https://kotaku.com/nintendo-is-still-oddly-tight-lipped-about-the-switch-s-1820050815
The Cutting Room Floor article:
https://tcrf.net/Nintendo_Switch#Golf
Chokusetsu definition:
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ちょくせつ#Japanese
subdirectory_arrow_right Mario (Franchise)
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While Mario's mustache, red shirt and blue overalls were described by Miyamoto as the result of technical limitations, there's a possibility that they were also inspired by an issue of the Japanese men's fashion magazine Popeye, named after the fictional character that Mario was already partly inspired by. The March 1980 issue of Popeye magazine features cover art of a man with a mustache wearing a red shirt with blue overalls.
subdirectory_arrow_right Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster (Game), Final Fantasy X-2 (Game), Final Fantasy (Franchise)
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Unofficial Japanese to French to English translation of Final Fantasy X-2.5 ~Eien no Daishō~ (3 page forum thread):
https://ffx3chat.createaforum.com/general-discussion/~eternal-cost~-french-to-english-translation-47/
Final Fantasy -Will- (links include Japanese audio, English subtitles, and English audio):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpWZ4bli70Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJd3Tfu5ulY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXf2RqR3lM4
Amazon link to the novella with mixed user reviews:
https://www.amazon.co.jp/FINAL-FANTASY-X-2-5-~永遠の代償~-ノベルズ/dp/4757541570
Article about novella criticism:
https://gamerescape.com/2014/01/03/final-fantasy-x-novella-causing-a-stir-among-japanese-fans/
Satirical article criticizing the novella:
https://web.archive.org/web/20150325022124/https://www.p4rgaming.com/square-enix-accidentally-publishes-fanfiction-for-the-final-fantasy-x-2-5-novel/
Videos covering X-2.5 and Will:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbELoIdX7Hg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDb7hsrcZUY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT7Qr0oG1SA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3ecZEPkemE
Blog posts discussing the plots of X-2.5 and Will:
https://marathonrecaps.wordpress.com/2021/03/18/final-fantasy-x-2-5-price-of-eternity-big-bad-book/
https://marathonrecaps.wordpress.com/2021/03/25/final-fantasy-x-2-5-price-of-eternity-violence-in-sports/
https://marathonrecaps.wordpress.com/2021/04/01/final-fantasy-x-2-5-price-of-eternity-kick-the-puppy-love/
https://marathonrecaps.wordpress.com/2021/05/13/final-fantasy-x-will-literally-listen-to-my-story/
https://marathonrecaps.wordpress.com/2021/05/20/final-fantasy-x-will-alls-well-that-ends-under-a-giant-whale/
https://ffx3chat.createaforum.com/general-discussion/~eternal-cost~-french-to-english-translation-47/
Final Fantasy -Will- (links include Japanese audio, English subtitles, and English audio):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpWZ4bli70Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJd3Tfu5ulY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXf2RqR3lM4
Amazon link to the novella with mixed user reviews:
https://www.amazon.co.jp/FINAL-FANTASY-X-2-5-~永遠の代償~-ノベルズ/dp/4757541570
Article about novella criticism:
https://gamerescape.com/2014/01/03/final-fantasy-x-novella-causing-a-stir-among-japanese-fans/
Satirical article criticizing the novella:
https://web.archive.org/web/20150325022124/https://www.p4rgaming.com/square-enix-accidentally-publishes-fanfiction-for-the-final-fantasy-x-2-5-novel/
Videos covering X-2.5 and Will:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbELoIdX7Hg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDb7hsrcZUY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT7Qr0oG1SA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3ecZEPkemE
Blog posts discussing the plots of X-2.5 and Will:
https://marathonrecaps.wordpress.com/2021/03/18/final-fantasy-x-2-5-price-of-eternity-big-bad-book/
https://marathonrecaps.wordpress.com/2021/03/25/final-fantasy-x-2-5-price-of-eternity-violence-in-sports/
https://marathonrecaps.wordpress.com/2021/04/01/final-fantasy-x-2-5-price-of-eternity-kick-the-puppy-love/
https://marathonrecaps.wordpress.com/2021/05/13/final-fantasy-x-will-literally-listen-to-my-story/
https://marathonrecaps.wordpress.com/2021/05/20/final-fantasy-x-will-alls-well-that-ends-under-a-giant-whale/
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The Ziggy enemies appear to be modeled after Ziggy Stardust, a stage persona created and portrayed by English rock musician David Bowie from 1972 to 1973. In addition to the identical names, the Garden Ziggy variety features brightly colored lightning bolts painted across each eye and a large yellow mohawk, with the results resembling the cover photo for Bowie's 1973 album Aladdin Sane (which depicts Bowie with a red lightning bolt on one eye and a large red mullet).
Nintendatos post (in Spanish):
https://nintendatos.com/2018/01/05/curiosidades-de-super-mario-david-bowie-en-mario-rabbids/
Compilation of enemy splash screens (the Ziggy splash screen is the very first one):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIkSj17vadA
YouTube video about the album Aladdin Sane (the cover art is discussed at 14:40):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saKeOpH47Ls#t=880
https://nintendatos.com/2018/01/05/curiosidades-de-super-mario-david-bowie-en-mario-rabbids/
Compilation of enemy splash screens (the Ziggy splash screen is the very first one):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIkSj17vadA
YouTube video about the album Aladdin Sane (the cover art is discussed at 14:40):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saKeOpH47Ls#t=880