▲
1
▼
▲
2
▼
The Nintendo Entertainment System versions of Defender II, Joust, and Millipede were all conceived as part of a failed deal between Nintendo and Atari to distribute the Famicom internationally. Development was outsourced to HAL Laboratory, who decided to publish the games themselves in 1987 after Nintendo took international distribution of the console into their own hands two years prior. One additional title was put together as part of the Atari deal, but it was never released, with none of the parties involved revealing what it was.
Because of the circumstances behind their conception, the Japanese versions of these three games all feature title screens reminiscent of Famicom launch titles, with the copyright information uniformly reading "COPYRIGHT 1983 ATARI". When Nintendo of America exported the games to North America in 1988, the title screens were made more elaborate and the copyright info was updated. The ways of accessing the game's modes are also changed in the North American release; instead of having them all available on the title screen, the player must press Start in Defender II and Millipede to bring up a menu (itself displaying additional copyright information). In Joust, pressing Start skips the menu and automatically begins Game A; the player must press Select in order to access the menu.
The development of Joust as a launch title for an Atari-distributed system would have a prominent knock-on effect on HAL and Nintendo's future. The game was one of the first titles to be programmed by Satoru Iwata, who would go on to become a vital asset to HAL thanks to his coding skills before becoming Nintendo's president in 2002, and his experiences developing Joust would help him program Balloon Fight.
Because of the circumstances behind their conception, the Japanese versions of these three games all feature title screens reminiscent of Famicom launch titles, with the copyright information uniformly reading "COPYRIGHT 1983 ATARI". When Nintendo of America exported the games to North America in 1988, the title screens were made more elaborate and the copyright info was updated. The ways of accessing the game's modes are also changed in the North American release; instead of having them all available on the title screen, the player must press Start in Defender II and Millipede to bring up a menu (itself displaying additional copyright information). In Joust, pressing Start skips the menu and automatically begins Game A; the player must press Select in order to access the menu.
The development of Joust as a launch title for an Atari-distributed system would have a prominent knock-on effect on HAL and Nintendo's future. The game was one of the first titles to be programmed by Satoru Iwata, who would go on to become a vital asset to HAL thanks to his coding skills before becoming Nintendo's president in 2002, and his experiences developing Joust would help him program Balloon Fight.
The Cutting Room Floor articles:
https://tcrf.net/Defender_II_(NES)
https://tcrf.net/Joust_(NES)#Regional_Differences
https://tcrf.net/Millipede_(NES,_HAL_Laboratory)
https://tcrf.net/Defender_II_(NES)
https://tcrf.net/Joust_(NES)#Regional_Differences
https://tcrf.net/Millipede_(NES,_HAL_Laboratory)
Related Games
Defender
Defender
Defender 2000
SwordQuest: AirWorld
Street Fighter II
Robotron: 2084
Zero Wing
Spyro: Season of Ice
Grand Theft Auto Advance
Joust
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
Spyro: Attack of the Rhynocs
Mega Man Legacy Collection
Spyro 2: Season of Flame
X-Men: Wolverine's Rage
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration
Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection
Fighting Vipers
Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge
Beatmania IIDX 7th style
The King of Fighters 2001
Last Battle
Samurai Shodown
Time Crisis
BlazBlue: Central Fiction
Yars' Revenge
Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams
Gimmick: Exact Mix
Vulgus
Missile Command
Bubble Bobble
OutRun
Daytona USA
Batman Forever: The Arcade Game
Rage of the Dragons
Donkey Kong Junior
Cube Quest
1942
Cruis'n World
Star Wars: Outpost
WarTech: Senko no Ronde
Shark Jaws
Snow Bros. 2: With New Elves
Sound Voltex: Exceed Gear
Sonic the Hedgehog
Psychic Force
The Idolmaster
The King of Fighters 2002
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time