Trivia Browser

Tagsarrow_right
Filter:
Platformsarrow_right
Filter:
Yearsarrow_right
Filter:
Genresarrow_right
Filter:
Collectionsarrow_right
Filter:
Franchisesarrow_right
Filter:
Companiesarrow_right
Filter:
Final Fantasy V
Final Fantasy V (1992)
▲
5
▼
Attachment The translation group RPGe's 1998 English translation of Final Fantasy V is considered to be one of the most widely-played and influential fan translations in video game history. It gained this reputation because it released before Squaresoft's first official translation in Final Fantasy Anthology in late 1999, and despite RPGe primarily consisting of inexperienced teenagers, it was regarded as a better translation than the official one, leading many Western players to first experience the game through it.

The first translation attempts stemmed from widespread confusion over Squaresoft not releasing three FF games in the West: Final Fantasy II, Final Fantasy III, and FFV. Their decision to release Final Fantasy VII internationally under its original numbering after Final Fantasy VI was released in the West a few years earlier as the "third" game in the series also contributed to this.

The co-creator of RPGe, named Shadow, was inspired by an incomplete FFII translation by users Demi and Som2freak (the latter having later lent Shadow tools to work on FFV), and started translating FFV by making flashcards for which hex code corresponded to each Japanese and English character in the game's data. He promoted his efforts online using photoshopped FFV images and recruited other users to create RPGe, including translator David Timko, and a computer engineering major named Hooie who also asked Japanese instructors at his university to help translate some enemy names. RPGe's plan was to directly edit their English script into the text files of a ROM of the Japanese version, but their work was slow and tedious due to them having little experience with fan translations and being out of touch with fledgling emulation communities. This lead to technical issues with their text and sprite editing software, and English characters being poorly displayed under conditions that were originally designed for larger Japanese characters. The group also suffered from internal factionalism, and since Shadow promoted himself as the public face of the project, he found that he could not handle the attention and controversy that came from how seriously he took the project and RPGe itself, seeing the translation effort as a vital service to the Squaresoft fan community. After Demi published a lengthy post parodying Shadow, he "snapped" and left RPGe. The co-founders of RPGe would also eventually step down, but other users would take over and start their own work.

A user named Myria, who had argued against RPGe's hex editing approach to no avail, split off from their efforts beforehand to work on a separate translation. Sharing similar setbacks to them, she gradually parsed through the code used to handle the text files, and edited it so it could recognize English characters of different sizes and fit more in a dialogue box. Som2freak helped translate the script for a time, but then left the project after bringing on a new editor, named harmony7, who started heavily revising Som2freak's translations to his chagrin despite seeing several issues with it.

One of the most controversial aspects of the translation was the main character's name. Squaresoft's later English translation named him "Bartz", but RPGe's translation named him "Butz", which many joked sounds like "butts". Myria claimed that Butz was the most accurate translation based on documents and official merchandise using it "the way we'd written it" (for reference, the Romanized version of the Japanese name "バッツ" comes out as "Battsu"). However, Butz is used in real life as an actual German surname with a different pronunciation, the vowel being an "oe" sound like in the English words "put" and "good". Therefore, Bartz would make more sense to match up with the vowels in the Japanese name than Butz, and also fits better as a German first name since Bartz is a pet name for Bartholomäus (Bartholomew).

The bulk of Myria's technical work ended in October 1997, with harmony7 still working to revise the entire script until something unexpected happened. An early version of the fan translation mysteriously appeared on a Geocities website with others taking credit for it. This prompted RPGe to release their work up to that point as "v0.96" on October 17, 1997, with the final patch eventually being released in June 1998. The translation patch received acclaim for its technical aspects and near-professional writing quality, and influenced other players to become translators, including Clyde Mandelin who would later create the English fan translation for Mother 3. Squaresoft never contacted RPGe about the translation, and while their 1999 localization of the game was seen as inferior to RPGe's, Myria would later opine that Square Enix's 2006 localization in Final Fantasy V: Advance was better than theirs. Myria continued hacking and reverse-engineering games and eventually earned a job at an undisclosed major video game company.
sell
Cancelled Release, Complaint, Development, Emulation, Etymology, Fan Translation, General, Leak, Merchandise, Mistranslation, Modding, Name Change, Parody, Real Life, Regional Difference, Social Media, Technology, Website
person MehDeletingLater calendar_month December 24, 2023
comment Comment (0) | Source
arrow_right
Pokémon Snap
Pokémon Snap (1999)
subdirectory_arrow_right Pokémon (Franchise)
▲
4
▼
Attachment Early in the Pokémon franchise's life, the Poliwhirl line recieved a major push in marketing, comparable to that of series mascot Pikachu.

Mascot costumes were made of Poliwhirl for promotional events, the Pokémon Adventures manga featured Poliwhirl as one of Red's Pokémon, Poliwag was placed closely to Pikachu on the box art of Pokémon Snap, food and toy lines would near-consistently feature a member of the Poliwhirl line alongside Pikachu even when the pool of Pokémon was as limited as 3 or 4 (with exceptions primarily being ones that also lacked Pikachu), and, most famously, Poliwhirl appeared on the center of the cover of TIME Magazine's issue adressing the popularity of Pokémon.

This could be related to Poliwag being Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri's favourite of the original 151 Kanto species.
sell
Advertisement/Commercial, Mascot, Merchandise, Multimedia Adaptation, Theory
person Rocko & Heffer calendar_month October 19, 2023
comment Comment (0) | Source
arrow_right
Comedic video about bizarre Pokémon merchandise showing off many instances of Poliwhirl and Poliwrath merchandise - the nature of Poliwhirl's "mascot" status is discussed at the 13:06 mark:
https://youtu.be/Gri7-XW3no8

ResetEra thread about Poliwhirl that opens with multiple images of Poliwhirl memorabilia:
https://www.resetera.com/threads/pokemons-bygone-mascot.763622/

Video from a Kellogg's fan channel featuring box scans and commercials for Pokémon cereal with Poliwhirl:
https://youtu.be/4kEnxp0ihPI

Pop Tarts commercial featuring Poliwrath toys:
https://youtu.be/oKw6l1Skglc

Kraft Mac & Cheese advert featuring Poliwhirl:
https://youtu.be/Sj5lfgEz_bU

Video featuring a photo of a Poliwhirl mascot:
https://youtu.be/KR5oKvYi_PQ

KFC and Heinz commercials for promotions featuring neither, Poliwhirl nor Pikachu:
https://youtu.be/9HCDPTQGmrI
https://youtu.be/nNc1xl8uoMA

Tajiri talks Poliwag:
https://youtu.be/gplIo-J9Ttc?si=vXRHECazu6kGu4IQ&t=433
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (2004)
▲
3
▼
Attachment A promotional cookie was included in press kits for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes in 2004. It was a white, round cookie with the game's logo printed in the middle and covered with small black rocks, which are possibly crystallized sugar or another candy. Its flavor is unknown, as is who baked them. One of these cookies, still in its wrapper, was placed up for auction on eBay for $129.99 USD in 2011, although by that point it is reasonable to assume that this cookie was no longer edible, and no other such cookies have surfaced online.
sell
Merchandise, Real Life
person MehDeletingLater calendar_month September 29, 2023
comment Comment (0) | Source
arrow_right
Infamous: Second Son
Infamous: Second Son (2014)
▲
3
▼
Attachment In Italy, pre-order bonus items included two cans of Red Bull and Infamous: Second Son branded glow-in-the-dark condoms.
sell
Merchandise, Pre-Order, Regional Difference
person Dazz calendar_month September 24, 2023
comment Comment (0) | link Source
Inverse Ninjas vs. The Public Domain
Inverse Ninjas vs. The Public Domain (2023)
▲
2
▼
According to the game's official Twitter account, the developers claimed that the only characters they would not add to the game if they became, or were discovered to secretly be, public domain were Calvin and Hobbes from the comic strip of the same name. While the characters are still copyrighted thereby ruling them out, the reasoning for refusing to consider them was out of respect for creator Bill Watterson and his refusal to license the comics for merchandise despite their popularity, feeling that it would go against the strip's ideals and ruin its authenticity.
sell
Copyright, Crossover, General, Merchandise, Real Life, Roster Speculation
person chocolatejr9 calendar_month April 27, 2024
comment Comment (0) | Source
arrow_right
Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise
Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise (2018)
This trivia has been marked as "Not Safe for Work".
It may not be appropriate for all visitors and definitely isn't appropriate for work or school environments.
Click here to unhide it.
▲
2
▼
sell
Bonus Content, Meme, Merchandise, Regional Difference, Release Difference
person Kirby Inhales Jotaro calendar_month December 26, 2023
comment Comment (0) | link Source
iCarly 2: iJoin the Click
iCarly 2: iJoin the Click (2010)
▲
2
▼
To promote the game's release, a line of six iCarly-themed toys from Playmates with in-game codes for exclusive collectible items was released.
sell
Bonus Content, General, Merchandise, Real Life
person chocolatejr9 calendar_month November 3, 2023
comment Comment (0) | link Source
Collection: Mappy
▲
2
▼
Attachment Being a family-friendly franchise, the Mappy series typically does not feature usage or possession of firearms from either Mappy or the Mewkies gang, despite the police and crime theme.

There are two exceptions to this, both being Mappy franchise projects released in the 21st century and aimed at an older audience. One is the merchandising for Mappy Park, a pachinko gambling game that is considered lost, so it is unknown whether guns actually appear in the game. However, a promotional cigarette lighter was made for the game shaped like a pistol. The other exception is the ShiftyLook Mappy: The Beat webtoon series where both Mappy and Goro use guns.
sell
General, Merchandise, Multimedia Adaptation
person Rocko & Heffer calendar_month September 27, 2023
comment Comment (0) | Source
arrow_right
History of Mappy webpage:
http://www.fourhman.com/mappy/scrapbook.htm

Mappy Park - 2002 promo:
https://youtu.be/5RYyx3-Hs5U

Mappy: The Beat - Episode 1:
https://youtu.be/wBCP_dFhp-k?t=276

Mappy: The Beat - Episode 7:
https://youtu.be/x8ZnKC0002U?t=293
Pac-Man
Pac-Man (1980)
subdirectory_arrow_right Pac-Man (Franchise), Takara Tomy (Company)
▲
2
▼
Attachment The first appearance of a yellow, spherical character named "Puck-Man" with a ravenous appetite was a 1974 bank toy by Tomy, which came in a variety of colors including yellow. It is unknown if the video game character was plagiarized or Pac-Man's design similarities are all a bizarre coincidence, with game creator Toru Iwatani claiming in an unrelated court hearing to have not heard of the toy until after the release of the game. No legal action was taken by Tomy, and the 1970's Tomy Puck-Man toys would be rebranded with Namco's Pac-Man after the success of the game.
sell
Development, Merchandise, Plagiarism, Real Life, Similarities
person Rocko & Heffer calendar_month September 7, 2023
comment Comment (0) | Source
arrow_right
Team Fortress 2
Team Fortress 2 (2007)
▲
1
▼
Attachment In 2013, Valve and the tabletop game company WizKids collaborated to produce an exclusive chess set themed around Team Fortress 2 that was sold on Valve's website and on ThinkGeek. Each copy of the set came with a digital code for a hat called the Grandmaster, where the head piece would change as your killstreak increases. Aside from "Grandmaster" being one of the highest titles awarded to chess players by the International Chess Federation, the hat's item description references a pair of highly publicized chess matches in 1996 and 1997 between former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov, and IBM's chess-playing computer Deep Blue.
sell
Bonus Content, Customization, General, Merchandise, Real Life, Reference
person RocTriva calendar_month May 3, 2024
comment Comment (0) | Source
arrow_right
32 in 1
32 in 1 (1988)
subdirectory_arrow_right Mario Bros. (Game)
▲
1
▼
Mario & Luigi, with their appearances from the promo art for the Atari 2600 version of Mario Bros., are featured on the box art of 32-in-1, but no Mario-related games are included. The rough drawing of the art, believed by some to be a rough sketch for, or traced from, an "Atari Advantage" poster promoting the Atari 7800 and other products, led some to believe the compilation was a bootleg.
sell
Advertisement/Commercial, Artwork/Illustration, Box Art, Bundled/Pack-In Game, False Advertising, Merchandise, Unused Character
person Rocko & Heffer calendar_month March 13, 2024
comment Comment (0) | Source
arrow_right
Bionicle Heroes
Bionicle Heroes (2006)
subdirectory_arrow_right Bionicle Heroes (Game)
▲
1
▼
If the player beats the final boss, Vezon, and gets 100% completion, a bonus cutscene will play. At the end of the cutscene, a whirlpool can be seen forming off the shore of Voya Nui. This acted as a hint towards the next wave of Bionicle toy sets in 2007, which featured a prominent underwater theme with new characters like the Barraki and the Toa Mahri.
sell
100% Completion, Advertisement/Commercial, General, Merchandise, Teaser
person Venomspino calendar_month January 18, 2024
comment Comment (0) | Source
arrow_right
Bionicle Heroes 100% completion cutscene:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYiduky1nR0

Brickset database entries for Bionicle 2007 wave:
https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Bionicle/year-2007
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994)
subdirectory_arrow_right McDonald's (Collection)
▲
1
▼
Attachment A concept document for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 shows that Knuckles was originally going to be able to walk up walls and ceilings instead of just climbing walls, and break down walls with a whirlwind attack rather than his fists. The McDonald's Happy Meal toy of Knuckles included in their Sonic 3 promotion, which is a wheeled toy that pilots a cloud, may be a leftover of this unused character trait.
sell
Artwork/Illustration, Character Design, Development, Early Idea, Leftover, Merchandise, Theory, Unused Content
person Rocko & Heffer calendar_month January 11, 2024
comment Comment (0) | link Source
PaRappa the Rapper 2
PaRappa the Rapper 2 (2001)
subdirectory_arrow_right PaRappa the Rapper (Franchise)
This trivia has been marked as "Not Safe for Work".
It may not be appropriate for all visitors and definitely isn't appropriate for work or school environments.
Click here to unhide it.
▲
1
▼
sell
General, Merchandise, Music
person Rocko & Heffer calendar_month December 12, 2023
comment Comment (0) | Source
arrow_right
Franchise: PaRappa the Rapper
▲
1
▼
The PaRappa the Rapper anime had a highly troubled production. The series was aimed at a younger audience than the games' developers wanted due to teenagers not buying toys and the characters were aged down as a result, series character designer Rodney Greenblatt was given very little input on the series' stories or art, despite having to make new character designs every week (noting that characters often appeared off-model), and the series failed to garner an audience due to being aired at an awkward time slot where it would often be delayed for baseball games. Greenblatt speculated that the drama over the anime's production led to the PaRappa franchise being put on its currently-ongoing hiatus.
sell
Artwork/Illustration, Complaint, Hiatus, Merchandise, Multimedia Adaptation, Theory
person Rocko & Heffer calendar_month December 12, 2023
comment Comment (0) | link Source
De Blob 2
De Blob 2 (2011)
subdirectory_arrow_right de Blob (Collection)
▲
1
▼
Attachment A TV adaptation of the de Blob franchise was in production around 2010 to be aired on the SyFy TV channel on a new children's block, which would've used Blob in its branding. This deal got so far that SyFy Kids' logo was included on trailers and promotional items for de Blob 2. Due to the sequel's underperformance, the cartoon would be cancelled, and given Blob's prevalence in preliminary branding and the lack of knowledge on what other series were being planned if any, the cartoon's cancellation likely also led to the SyFy Kids block being cancelled too. SyFy Kids would later be revived in 2013, but airing on the Asian and South African versions of KidsCo with a lineup almost entirely comprised of reruns and syndicated programming.
sell
Cancelled Release, Merchandise, Multimedia Adaptation, Opening Logo, Sales, Theory, Unreleased Content
person Rocko & Heffer calendar_month November 29, 2023
comment Comment (0) | Source
arrow_right
Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration
Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration (2022)
subdirectory_arrow_right Swordquest: Earthworld (Game), SwordQuest: AirWorld (Game), Swordquest: Waterworld (Game), Swordquest: Fireworld (Game), Swordquest (Collection)
▲
1
▼
Attachment The SwordQuest series was a series of 4 games developed by Atari, each one having an associated contest to win a one-of-a-kind item from the game made of real gold by finding clues in the game and using them to uncover hidden messages in the attached comic book, then coming to Atari headquarters to compete in a contest version of the respective game. The advertised prizes were:

•Talisman of Penultimate Truth, Earthworld's prize
•Chalice of Light, Fireworld's prize
•Crown of Life, Waterworld's prize
•The Philosopher's Stone, Airworld's prize
•The Sword of Ultimate Sorcery, the grand prize

Halfway through the series, the video game crash of 1983 hit, and it was put to a halt, leaving Airworld, the Philosopher's Stone, and the Sword of Ultimate Sorcery unreleased. The Chalice of Light is the only item known to still exist, with all others being believed to have been melted down at some point.

In Atari 50, a game based on Airworld would see release, though it was not based on the work done for the game back in the 1980s.
sell
Alternate Reality Game, Cancelled Release, Magazine, Merchandise, Remake, Sweepstakes, Unreleased Content, Unsolved Mystery, Unused Items
person Rocko & Heffer calendar_month November 26, 2023
comment Comment (0) | link Source
Poppy Playtime
Poppy Playtime (2021)
▲
1
▼
In November 2022, the sale of Huggy Wuggy plush toys was banned and all stocks recalled by the Turkish Ministry of Trade, who stated that the toys "do not meet the requirements of the Toy Safety Regulation." The Ministry of Family and Social Services also determined that the toys "had a negative effect on the psychosocial development of children."
sell
Complaint, General, Merchandise, Real Life
person chocolatejr9 calendar_month November 23, 2023
comment Comment (0) | link Source
Disney Infinity
Disney Infinity (2013)
subdirectory_arrow_right The Muppets (Franchise)
▲
1
▼
Attachment In 2013, around the launch of Disney Infinity, Disney merchandise artist Jim Valeri posted a set of images to his portfolio of angular figures, resembling the character models from Disney Infinity, of Muppets Kermit, Gonzo, Miss Piggy, Animal, Beaker, and Fozzie Bear, mentioning that they were made a year ago and he had no clue what they were for or if they would be released. While not explicitly stated, it seems heavily likely from the timing and aesthetic that these were intended as characters for Disney Infinity who never saw the light of day, possibly due to the financial failure of the 2014 film Muppets Most Wanted.
sell
Adaptation, Merchandise, Theory, Unreleased Content, Unused Character, Unused Content
person Rocko & Heffer calendar_month November 19, 2023
comment Comment (0) | link Source
Poppy Playtime
Poppy Playtime (2021)
▲
1
▼
In December 2021, Mob Entertainment announced a series of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) based on the in-game posters. This was quickly met with backlash and negative reviews from the community (with some even requesting refunds), accusing the devs of hiding lore for the game behind a paywall. The announcement post was eventually deleted, but could not remove the NFTs as well due to the contact that had been signed, forcing them to wait until it expired.

On May 3, 2022, Mob Entertainment CEO Zach Belanger revealed in a statement on Twitter that all profits made from the NFTs would be donated to the Clean Air Task Force organization.
sell
Backstory/Lore, Complaint, General, Merchandise, Real Life
person chocolatejr9 calendar_month November 9, 2023
comment Comment (0) | Source
arrow_right
keyboard_double_arrow_leftFirst keyboard_arrow_leftPrev Page 1 of 2 Nextkeyboard_arrow_right Lastkeyboard_double_arrow_right