Trivia Browser
subdirectory_arrow_right Ace Attorney (Franchise)
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According to series creator Shu Takumi in a 2017 interview, Capcom executives issued two mandates affecting the writing of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. The first mandate was that the game had to include Phoenix Wright in the story, which went against Takumi's original idea for a reset of the series. The second mandate was to incorporate the Lay Judge system, a real-life judicial system, into the story, resulting in the creation of Spoiler:the MASON System game program and the trial run of a new Jurist System in the game's last case "Turnabout Succession". The Ace Attorney series began as a critique of how Japan's legal system handles criminal offenses, but around this time, that system was changing. While Japan previously suspended an older jurist system in 1943, their legislative body, the National Diet, gradually implemented a new lay judge system (裁判員, or "Saiban-in") from 2004 to 2009. This system, resembling more democratic systems in North American and European countries, calls upon six random common citizens to serve in serious criminal trials as inquisitorial judges sitting alongside three professional judges. Together they make up the judicial panel and actively analyze and investigate evidence presented to them throughout the trial before ruling on guilt and sentencing. Reflecting this, Spoiler:the Jurist System seen at the end of Turnabout Succession is made up of six random jurors guided by Phoenix Wright, where the player from the sixth juror's perspective has to rule the defendant Guilty or Not Guilty.
Takumi revealed that as part of the game’s promotion, Capcom collaborated with the Japanese Ministry of Justice and even gave a presentation of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney at the ministry's head office, implying that the system's mandated inclusion in the game was political propaganda. Despite Capcom cooperating in the Japanese government's push for this new system and despite participation experiences being reported as positive and easy to understand, the reception to other aspects of the system were largely negative. Complaints included gradually more severe sentencing since its implementation, the risk of criminal penalties for lay judges publicly discussing confidential deliberation room details after trials come to an end, and most starkly, calling upon Japanese citizens to put aside time to participate in the system, who have been increasingly unwilling to do so. This decline in interest has been largely attributed to the length of lay judge trials and even the length of pre-trial proceedings increasing significantly over the next decade, and due to aging populations and people simply not being able to make these commitments, more citizens refused to serve or even show up to be vetted for serving in the first place, making it harder to fill out the jury.
As a result of this reception, the Ace Attorney series has not used Spoiler:the MASON System and the Jurist System since, sticking with the series' traditional Initial Trial system in future games.
Takumi revealed that as part of the game’s promotion, Capcom collaborated with the Japanese Ministry of Justice and even gave a presentation of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney at the ministry's head office, implying that the system's mandated inclusion in the game was political propaganda. Despite Capcom cooperating in the Japanese government's push for this new system and despite participation experiences being reported as positive and easy to understand, the reception to other aspects of the system were largely negative. Complaints included gradually more severe sentencing since its implementation, the risk of criminal penalties for lay judges publicly discussing confidential deliberation room details after trials come to an end, and most starkly, calling upon Japanese citizens to put aside time to participate in the system, who have been increasingly unwilling to do so. This decline in interest has been largely attributed to the length of lay judge trials and even the length of pre-trial proceedings increasing significantly over the next decade, and due to aging populations and people simply not being able to make these commitments, more citizens refused to serve or even show up to be vetted for serving in the first place, making it harder to fill out the jury.
As a result of this reception, the Ace Attorney series has not used Spoiler:the MASON System and the Jurist System since, sticking with the series' traditional Initial Trial system in future games.
Apollo Justice dev team 2007 interview:
https://gyakutensaibanlibrary.blogspot.com/2016/09/4-isnt-change-from-old-to-new-but.html?m=1
Shu Takumi 2017 interview:
https://news.capcomusa.com/2017/11/18/the-making-of-apollo-justice-ace-attorney-feat-shu-takumi/
Articles explaining the lay judge system and first case under it:
https://www.law.columbia.edu/news/archive/japans-new-jury-system-evaulated
https://web.archive.org/web/20160611021725/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2009/12/08/issues/ichihashi-trial-key-test-of-legal-reforms/#.V1t0vCXP1S8
Articles featuring criticisms of the lay judge system:
https://foreignpolicy.com/2009/08/03/japans-new-unpopular-jury-system/
https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h00468/japan-marks-10-years-since-start-of-lay-judge-system.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20190508022405/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2019/05/05/editorials/evaluating-lay-judge-system-10-years/
https://apjjf.org/-Mark-Levin/3141/article.html
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Sexual-Violence-in-Japan%3A-Implications-of-the-Lay-Suzuki/67b28807c51160297bb80bdb3b7fdcda95f50a74?p2df
https://gyakutensaibanlibrary.blogspot.com/2016/09/4-isnt-change-from-old-to-new-but.html?m=1
Shu Takumi 2017 interview:
https://news.capcomusa.com/2017/11/18/the-making-of-apollo-justice-ace-attorney-feat-shu-takumi/
Articles explaining the lay judge system and first case under it:
https://www.law.columbia.edu/news/archive/japans-new-jury-system-evaulated
https://web.archive.org/web/20160611021725/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2009/12/08/issues/ichihashi-trial-key-test-of-legal-reforms/#.V1t0vCXP1S8
Articles featuring criticisms of the lay judge system:
https://foreignpolicy.com/2009/08/03/japans-new-unpopular-jury-system/
https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h00468/japan-marks-10-years-since-start-of-lay-judge-system.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20190508022405/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2019/05/05/editorials/evaluating-lay-judge-system-10-years/
https://apjjf.org/-Mark-Levin/3141/article.html
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Sexual-Violence-in-Japan%3A-Implications-of-the-Lay-Suzuki/67b28807c51160297bb80bdb3b7fdcda95f50a74?p2df
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The Noise was designed to be an obvious parody of the 1980s Domino's Pizza claymation anti-mascot "The Noid". The game's developer McPig has claimed that if The Noise wasn't based on The Noid, the boss would've had a parody of Vocaloid Hatsune Miku instead, in reference to Domino's App feat. Hatsune Miku, an app that became a niche YouTube Poop meme in the early 2010s.
subdirectory_arrow_right Kung Fu Panda (Franchise)
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According to T'ai Fu: Wrath of the Tiger game design lead Noah Hughes and assistant character designer Dan Panosian's official biographies on certain websites, the Kung Fu Panda movies were inspired by concept art for the game, which was developed at the interactive subsidiary of DreamWorks. However, these claims are somewhat dubious, as nobody who worked on the Kung Fu Panda movies has come forward claiming any inspiration from the game, and none of T'ai Fu's character designers are credited anywhere in the movie's credits.
Hughes talks T'ai Fu:
https://www.unseen64.net/2019/02/20/tai-fu-wrath-tiger-beta-playstation
Dan Panosian biography, referencing T'ai Fu (but not by name):
https://www.humanoids.com/y_user/author/id/6303
T'ai Fu credits:
https://www.mobygames.com/game/32128/tai-fu-wrath-of-the-tiger/credits/playstation/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE0tWtQWcac
Kung Fu Panda credits:
https://www.metacritic.com/movie/kung-fu-panda/credits/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTn_6tljNBM
https://www.unseen64.net/2019/02/20/tai-fu-wrath-tiger-beta-playstation
Dan Panosian biography, referencing T'ai Fu (but not by name):
https://www.humanoids.com/y_user/author/id/6303
T'ai Fu credits:
https://www.mobygames.com/game/32128/tai-fu-wrath-of-the-tiger/credits/playstation/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE0tWtQWcac
Kung Fu Panda credits:
https://www.metacritic.com/movie/kung-fu-panda/credits/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTn_6tljNBM
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Christopher Near, the artist who painted the box art for Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, posted an image to his Instagram of concept art for the game which predates the game's development and was intended to excite Nickelodeon executives over the concept of a Nicktoons fighting game as opposed to influence the product itself - this poster featured a few characters who would not appear in the final game:•Jenny Wakeman and Rocko, who would appear in the DLC.
•Jimmy Neutron and Raphael, who would appear in the sequel.
•Casey Jones, Krumm, and Angelica Pickles, who have not appeared in a NASB game.
•Wanda from The Fairly OddParents and Reggie from Rocket Power, two shows that have never been in a NASB game.
•Stimpy as a solo character instead of a team with Ren.
Interestingly, despite predating the game's development, it features 80s designs for Rapheal and Casey Jones despite the eventual developers of the game saying that Nickelodeon wanted the 2010s Turtle designs.
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When creating Kanai Ward, Kazutaka Kodaka originally considered giving it an original language, but dropped the idea when he realized it would be too "fantastical". Instead, he incorporated multiple languages (such as Russian, Hindi, Japanese and English, as well as other multi-nationalistic elements) on the signboards around town. This inspired him to make the various character names multinational as well, assigning names in a way that the characters would fit them. At the same time, however, Kodaka avoided using typical names for the cast, instead opting for more unusual names such as "Hellsmile" and "Nightmare": words that are commonly heard, but not as names given to somebody. He specifically went for names that were unique but easy to remember.
In regards to the character Makoto Kagutsuchi, who has a normal sounding name despite his unique design, Kodaka stated:
In regards to the character Makoto Kagutsuchi, who has a normal sounding name despite his unique design, Kodaka stated:
"Kagutsuchi and the Amaterasu Corporation's names are gods' names from Japanese mythology. I looked it up and found Kagutsuchi is the "fire god". Kagutsuchi and Amaterasu are names regular Japanese people won't have. The way you may feel strange about the names such as Hellsmile and Nightmare, I think Japanese players may also feel uncomfortable hearing names like Amaterasu and Kagutsuchi."
Franchise: Sonic The Hedgehog
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During the reboot of Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog comics, several characters and aspects adapted into the comic from the 1993 Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon (commonly referred to as "Sonic SatAM") were noticeably altered for a variety of factors:
• Ixis Naugus (referred to simply as Naugus in the show) was changed to "Walter Naugus". His species (which was never actually stated in the show, though the pre-reboot comics depicted him as a rhino-bat-lobster hybrid) was changed to that of a troll, with a tail being added to his design to help make him look as such, alongside his attire being updated to more resemble a warlock. Additionally, despite what was initially believed, the term "Ixis" was originally applied to Naugus' cartoon production materials, and was not invented by former writer Ken Penders. This meant it was still usable in the comics, and was later given to the deity worshipped by the troll species.
• Muttski was changed to "Ben "Mutt" Muttski", and was changed from a non-anthropomorphic dog to an anthropomorphic one. Notably, his new name was given in honor of Ben Hurst, the main writer of "Sonic SatAM" who sadly passed away in 2010.
• Snively Robotnik (referred to simply as Snively in the show) was changed to "Doctor Julian Snively", with his first name being a nod to "Sonic SatAM", as Dr. Robotnik's original name in the show was Julian. According to Ian Flynn, he is no longer related to Dr. Eggman in the reboot due to Sega's mandates not allowing other media to invent family members for the main "SegaSonic" cast. Ironically, while his half-sister Hope Kintobor was removed from the reboot, Snively inherited her position as G.U.N.'s R&D Specialist.
• Maximillian Acorn (referred to simply as "The King" in the show) was changed to "King Nigel Acorn". His name was most likely changed due to being coined by former writer Ken Penders. Notably, his new name, speech pattern and mannerisms are shared with Nigel Thornberry from the animated series "The Wild Thornberrys": Nigel was voiced by British actor Tim Curry, who also voiced the King in "Sonic SatAM".
• Nicole the Holo-Lynx's new backstory in the reboot has her being created by Dr. Ellidy in an attempt to digitize the consciousness of his dying daughter Nikki. This may have been loosely inspired by Ben Hurst's plans for the cancelled third season of "Sonic SatAM", where it would have been revealed that Nicole was originally a normal girl until she was tricked by Dr. Robotnik into having her entire personality transferred into a computer satellite.
• Although the Wolf Pack originated from "Sonic SatAM", the only member of the group who was not created by Ken Penders was their leader Lupe the Wolf, who also originated from the show. As such, when the comic was rebooted, she was the only member of the group to be carried over.
• Aside from King Acorn, the only parent of a "Sonic SatAM" character to make it into the reboot was Sabina, the mother of Dulcy the Dragon and herself a character from the show. However, while Ian Flynn did confirm that she was still Dulcy's mother in the reboot, she never actually appeared in the comic prior to its cancellation. Additionally, given that Dulcy refers to her with present tense, it's likely that Sabina is still alive in the reboot, whereas she had died in the original continuity.
• Ixis Naugus (referred to simply as Naugus in the show) was changed to "Walter Naugus". His species (which was never actually stated in the show, though the pre-reboot comics depicted him as a rhino-bat-lobster hybrid) was changed to that of a troll, with a tail being added to his design to help make him look as such, alongside his attire being updated to more resemble a warlock. Additionally, despite what was initially believed, the term "Ixis" was originally applied to Naugus' cartoon production materials, and was not invented by former writer Ken Penders. This meant it was still usable in the comics, and was later given to the deity worshipped by the troll species.
• Muttski was changed to "Ben "Mutt" Muttski", and was changed from a non-anthropomorphic dog to an anthropomorphic one. Notably, his new name was given in honor of Ben Hurst, the main writer of "Sonic SatAM" who sadly passed away in 2010.
• Snively Robotnik (referred to simply as Snively in the show) was changed to "Doctor Julian Snively", with his first name being a nod to "Sonic SatAM", as Dr. Robotnik's original name in the show was Julian. According to Ian Flynn, he is no longer related to Dr. Eggman in the reboot due to Sega's mandates not allowing other media to invent family members for the main "SegaSonic" cast. Ironically, while his half-sister Hope Kintobor was removed from the reboot, Snively inherited her position as G.U.N.'s R&D Specialist.
• Maximillian Acorn (referred to simply as "The King" in the show) was changed to "King Nigel Acorn". His name was most likely changed due to being coined by former writer Ken Penders. Notably, his new name, speech pattern and mannerisms are shared with Nigel Thornberry from the animated series "The Wild Thornberrys": Nigel was voiced by British actor Tim Curry, who also voiced the King in "Sonic SatAM".
• Nicole the Holo-Lynx's new backstory in the reboot has her being created by Dr. Ellidy in an attempt to digitize the consciousness of his dying daughter Nikki. This may have been loosely inspired by Ben Hurst's plans for the cancelled third season of "Sonic SatAM", where it would have been revealed that Nicole was originally a normal girl until she was tricked by Dr. Robotnik into having her entire personality transferred into a computer satellite.
• Although the Wolf Pack originated from "Sonic SatAM", the only member of the group who was not created by Ken Penders was their leader Lupe the Wolf, who also originated from the show. As such, when the comic was rebooted, she was the only member of the group to be carried over.
• Aside from King Acorn, the only parent of a "Sonic SatAM" character to make it into the reboot was Sabina, the mother of Dulcy the Dragon and herself a character from the show. However, while Ian Flynn did confirm that she was still Dulcy's mother in the reboot, she never actually appeared in the comic prior to its cancellation. Additionally, given that Dulcy refers to her with present tense, it's likely that Sabina is still alive in the reboot, whereas she had died in the original continuity.
Naugus redesign details:
https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Sonic-Universe/Issue-83?id=35311#23
"Ixis" term origin:
https://web.archive.org/web/20150421214454/http://www.bumbleking.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7928&start=15
"Ixis" usage:
https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Sonic-Universe/Issue-85?id=56029#1
Ben Hurst tribute:
https://www.youtube.com/live/ulxTPlOxpAw?feature=share&t=2950
Snively's new name and title:
https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Sonic-Universe/Issue-68?id=21727#1
Julian reference:
https://twitter.com/IanFlynnBKC/status/456580767083024386
King Acorn's new name:
https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Sonic-The-Hedgehog/Issue-284?id=78505#1
Nicole's new origin:
https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Sonic-Universe/Issue-73?id=21740#1
Ben Hurst's plans:
http://www.saturdaymorningsonic.com/features/bens_notes/
Ian Flynn confirming Sabina:
https://twitter.com/IanFlynnBKC/status/730473847414095873
Sabina mention:
https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Sonic-The-Hedgehog/Issue-281?id=51790#1
https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Sonic-Universe/Issue-83?id=35311#23
"Ixis" term origin:
https://web.archive.org/web/20150421214454/http://www.bumbleking.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7928&start=15
"Ixis" usage:
https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Sonic-Universe/Issue-85?id=56029#1
Ben Hurst tribute:
https://www.youtube.com/live/ulxTPlOxpAw?feature=share&t=2950
Snively's new name and title:
https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Sonic-Universe/Issue-68?id=21727#1
Julian reference:
https://twitter.com/IanFlynnBKC/status/456580767083024386
King Acorn's new name:
https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Sonic-The-Hedgehog/Issue-284?id=78505#1
Nicole's new origin:
https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Sonic-Universe/Issue-73?id=21740#1
Ben Hurst's plans:
http://www.saturdaymorningsonic.com/features/bens_notes/
Ian Flynn confirming Sabina:
https://twitter.com/IanFlynnBKC/status/730473847414095873
Sabina mention:
https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Sonic-The-Hedgehog/Issue-281?id=51790#1
subdirectory_arrow_right Poncotsu Roman Daikatsugeki Bumpy Trot 2 (Game), Steambot Chronicles (Game), Granzella (Company), Irem Software Engineering Co. (Company), Zettai Zetsumei Toshi (Collection)
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In the aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Irem Software Engineering was forced to cancel the majority of its video game projects, most notably Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories and a sequel to Steambot Chronicles titled "Poncotsu Roman Daikatsugeki Bumpy Trot 2". They then refocused their resources into the slot-machine and pachinko industry, which they were initially a part of prior to becoming a video game company. This lead numerous Irem designers (including producer Kazuma Kujo) to form a new company called Granzella to continue creating video games: notably, they acquired the IP rights to the Disaster Report series and revived Disaster Report 4. Additionally, while no longer involved in the development or release of new games, Irem is still involved in the games industry via licensing their IPs to other companies.
Irem cancellations and Granzella formation:
https://web.archive.org/web/20151118092116/http://www.1up.com/features/kazuma-kujo-interview-keeping-irem
Granzella acquires Disaster Report:
http://gematsu.com/2014/12/granzella-acquires-disaster-report-copyright-latest-entry-planned-fall-2015
Disaster Report 4 revival:
http://www.polygon.com/2015/7/28/9062733/disaster-report-new-game
Irem continued involvement:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/arcade-archives-image-fight-switch/
https://www.konami.com/games/pcemini/lineup/jp/en/
https://web.archive.org/web/20151118092116/http://www.1up.com/features/kazuma-kujo-interview-keeping-irem
Granzella acquires Disaster Report:
http://gematsu.com/2014/12/granzella-acquires-disaster-report-copyright-latest-entry-planned-fall-2015
Disaster Report 4 revival:
http://www.polygon.com/2015/7/28/9062733/disaster-report-new-game
Irem continued involvement:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/arcade-archives-image-fight-switch/
https://www.konami.com/games/pcemini/lineup/jp/en/
subdirectory_arrow_right Dinosaur Planet (Game)
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Found within the files of Star Fox Adventures is an unused audio track for the WarpStone's introduction cutscene, which also includes verbal dialogue. This was clearly an earlier version before Rare had done a voice-acting retake. Most notably, the music that plays in the background is a remnant from Dinosaur Planet, from the scene where Krystal first arrives in SwapStone Circle and thus meets her respective SwapStone, Rubble. In the final Star Fox Adventures, music performed by bagpipes is played instead in this particular cutscene.
Star Fox Adventures - WarpStone Intro (Unused Ver.):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu3t14ehnRg
Star Fox Adventures - WarpStone Intro cutscene:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9M9-sPHACA
Dinosaur Planet - Krystal meets Rubble in SwapStone Circle:
https://youtu.be/CuKPMHg_qzY?t=1173
Dinosaur Planet - Arriving at SwapStone Circle music track:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w_DfIEM7Fs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu3t14ehnRg
Star Fox Adventures - WarpStone Intro cutscene:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9M9-sPHACA
Dinosaur Planet - Krystal meets Rubble in SwapStone Circle:
https://youtu.be/CuKPMHg_qzY?t=1173
Dinosaur Planet - Arriving at SwapStone Circle music track:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w_DfIEM7Fs
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The Commodore 64 version of Bionic Commando has a soundtrack provided by chiptune composer Tim Follin. Every song begins as a direct cover of its source material, but eventually completely changes into a techno-inspired tune with a more unique sound. The composition of these pieces was, according to Follin in the C64 disk magazine Lethal News, quite reflective of their production, where the job began as a port of the original song before naturally changing to something different:"Actually it's an arcade conversion... or lets say it started like an arcade conversion! what happened was, i started converting the titletune, and it just developed, slipped out of my grip and became something, what was very different from what i had in mind, at the beginning. quite messy!"
Tim Follin interview talking about Bionic Commando:
https://csdb.dk/release/?id=8763
Bionic Commando Arcade Music:
https://youtu.be/IZ8GyH6ZyLk
Bionic Commando C64 Music - diverges from its source material at 0:38:
https://youtu.be/V1wsC-YdL-U
https://csdb.dk/release/?id=8763
Bionic Commando Arcade Music:
https://youtu.be/IZ8GyH6ZyLk
Bionic Commando C64 Music - diverges from its source material at 0:38:
https://youtu.be/V1wsC-YdL-U
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Manga artist Sui Ishida (most famous for his work on manga series "Tokyo Ghoul" and "Choujin X") was responsible for the game's lyrics, character designs, in-game illustrations, and helped work on the worldbuilding. He decided to personally write the game's lyrics because he wanted the character's songs to better reflect them. To that end, he convinced composer Akira Kosemura to work on the game after being inspired by his songs.
subdirectory_arrow_right Magic Pengel: The Quest for Color (Game)
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"Teddy" is a 3D-modeling software that allows users to create 3D models by simply drawing freeform strokes, created by Takeo Igarashi. Along with being available on the Unity Asset Store and being part of the "Magical Sketch 3D" PC package, there are two video games that notably use the software: the GameCube game Amazing Island (as part of the game's monster creation system), and the PlayStation 2 game Magic Pengel: The Quest for Color (where it's used to create the game's Doodles).
Platform: ZX Spectrum
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Warajevo was a ZX Spectrum emulator made in 1993 during the Bosnian War by Samir Ribic and Zeljko Juric. It was created in an attempt to provide nostalgia and escapism from the horrific circumstances they were surrounded by after the duo were disappointed by the Roman ZX emulator. The developers only had 2 to 3 hours a night to work on their emulator due to a low energy supply. Zeljko worked on the emulator at home, while Ribic worked on it at an army camp using a computer connected to a car battery - the latter computer would turn off whenever someone used the coffee machine, which eventually lead to its hard disc being destroyed. At one point Ribic risked his life walking through a river bed while dodging bullets to find the last Spectrum pirate in his town, who lived in one of the most dangerous areas. The first version of the emulator would be released in 1994, one year before the war ended. Juric and Ribic would survive the war, and continue working on Warajevo after peace.
Story of Warajevo:
https://worldofspectrum.net/warajevo/Story.html
Roman ZX:
http://spectrum-zx.chat.ru/faq/emu_pc.html#ROMANZX
https://worldofspectrum.net/warajevo/Story.html
Roman ZX:
http://spectrum-zx.chat.ru/faq/emu_pc.html#ROMANZX
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Star Fox: Assault is notable for including three unlockable Famicom/NES games originally created by Namco:• Xevious
• Battle City
• Star Luster
As explained by the development team in an issue of Nintendo Dream, this was done to highlight Star Fox: Assault being a collaboration between Nintendo and Namco, with the latter being its primary developer. With the Star Fox franchise being a sci-fi shooter series, Tsuyoshi Kobayashi and Takaya Imamura had carefully decided on which classic Namco games would fit the best with that vibe. There were considerations to also include Nintendo created Famicom/NES games (one person, for example, had suggested including Balloon Fight), but ultimately Imamura and Kobayashi couldn't come up with any games that would have fit the Star Fox world and atmosphere.
Unfortunately, as the Famicom versions of Battle City and Star Luster had never been released in Western territories, they in turn were excluded from all Western versions of Star Fox: Assault, leaving Xevious as the only unlockable Namco game outside of Japan.
Star Fox Assault Nintendo Dream interview:
https://shmuplations.com/starfoxassault/
Footage of Xevious, the only unlockable Namco game in the western version of SFAss:
https://youtu.be/BrMv7tKA74A?t=6
https://shmuplations.com/starfoxassault/
Footage of Xevious, the only unlockable Namco game in the western version of SFAss:
https://youtu.be/BrMv7tKA74A?t=6
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One divisive element of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is how hard it leans into competitive play, which has been perceived as coming at the detriment of content aimed at casual players such as items and a story mode. According to Ludosity CEO Joel Nyström, Nickelodeon specifically wanted the game to be able to attract a competitive audience, and chose Ludosity as a lead development team due to the positive reception of their first platform fighter, Slap City, from competitive Super Smash Bros. players. 2 years later in 2023, the game's gameplay designer and community manager Thaddeus Crews would respond to a tweet from YouTuber TierZoo complaining about a focus on complicated competitive techniques in non-Smash platform fighters, as well as some replies to the tweet complaining about 1v1-based platform fighter design as a whole, with a clarification on why Ludosity's platform fighters have been marketed so directly at competitive players, as well as why he feels other games in the subgenre are marketed as such:
"Seeing a common misconception in the replies, so let's clarify that:
When an indie platform fighter has a priority on strictly versus gameplay, that is not, and has never been, "pandering to competitive". It's often all that team can afford to do alongside an "acceptable" roster
So when you have the budget for a single, core system, and all your time/resources will necessarily be put into said system, the logical consequence is that will be developed to make utilizing it as rewarding as possible
However, this puts marketing in a catch 22. You can't realistically showcase your singular system without appearing competitively focused, and you can't divert from that impression without straying from the "game" part of the game
Like it or not, they gotta reap what's been sown."
When an indie platform fighter has a priority on strictly versus gameplay, that is not, and has never been, "pandering to competitive". It's often all that team can afford to do alongside an "acceptable" roster
So when you have the budget for a single, core system, and all your time/resources will necessarily be put into said system, the logical consequence is that will be developed to make utilizing it as rewarding as possible
However, this puts marketing in a catch 22. You can't realistically showcase your singular system without appearing competitively focused, and you can't divert from that impression without straying from the "game" part of the game
Like it or not, they gotta reap what's been sown."
Kotaku article with a mention how Nick wanted competitive appeal:
https://kotaku.com/nickelodeon-fighting-game-devs-have-high-hopes-competi-1847310415
Thaddeus Crews on the "choice" to prioritise competitive appeal:
https://twitter.com/Repiteo/status/1714706504140370251
https://kotaku.com/nickelodeon-fighting-game-devs-have-high-hopes-competi-1847310415
Thaddeus Crews on the "choice" to prioritise competitive appeal:
https://twitter.com/Repiteo/status/1714706504140370251
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Ren & Stimpy were made a duo fighter in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl to allow them to interact with one another, something that wouldn't be possible if they were two separate characters. Ludosity CEO Joel Nyström noted that it also allowed development time to be assigned to one extra fighter.
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According to an interview with Siliconera, Bannon Rudis considered adding Chris from River City Ransom: Underground as a playable character at one point during development before deciding on both Marian from Double Dragon and Provie from the former.
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While Super Donkey is thought to have ultimately evolved into Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, the project was likely tossed around as a Mario or Zelda game at various points in development.
Various development assets associated with Super Donkey, which were uncovered alongside the prototype in the 2020 Gigaleak, include sprites and animations for Link, Mario, and Donkey Kong; the animation files for Link are dated to fall 1990, while Mario's animation files are dated to winter of that year. Additional files for all three characters span overlapping periods in 1991. Link's sprites and animations indicate that Super Donkey was at one point planned to be a side-scrolling Zelda title similar to Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, while Mario's animations imply that the iteration that starred him and Donkey Kong eventually morphed into the 1994 Game Boy title Donkey Kong.
Various development assets associated with Super Donkey, which were uncovered alongside the prototype in the 2020 Gigaleak, include sprites and animations for Link, Mario, and Donkey Kong; the animation files for Link are dated to fall 1990, while Mario's animation files are dated to winter of that year. Additional files for all three characters span overlapping periods in 1991. Link's sprites and animations indicate that Super Donkey was at one point planned to be a side-scrolling Zelda title similar to Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, while Mario's animations imply that the iteration that starred him and Donkey Kong eventually morphed into the 1994 Game Boy title Donkey Kong.
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When Star Fox: Assault was first informally announced to be in development back in early 2002, Nintendo released a promotional poster for it featuring the Star Fox team in their Arwings (which utilized their more rounded look from Star Fox Adventures), with Fox in a communication box saying 全機、報告せよ! (which in English translates to "All aircraft, report!").According to a 2005 Nintendo Dream interview regarding Star Fox: Assault, this particular poster was created by Takaya Imamura, the creator and character designer of Fox McCloud and the Star Fox universe.
Nintendo Dream Star Fox Assault interview:
https://shmuplations.com/starfoxassault/
Star Fox GC announcement:
https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/05/08/namco-brings-gcn-support
https://shmuplations.com/starfoxassault/
Star Fox GC announcement:
https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/05/08/namco-brings-gcn-support
subdirectory_arrow_right Assault (Game)
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The subtitle of Star Fox: Assault was suggested by Nintendo of America. Initially, there were legal concerns as Namco had already trademarked the name "Assault" for their 1988 arcade game of the same name. Fortunately for Nintendo, the trademark was only valid within Japan, and Namco, who were already the developers for Star Fox: Assault, had granted them permission to use the title.